What was the last movie you saw?

La tumba de la isla maldita (1973)

Spanish vampire movie which often has some of the original footage removed and additional American footage added. The resulting version has been shown under titles like Hannah, Queen of the Vampires and Crypt of the Living Dead. The original is in color, and the edited version was often released in black and white. I managed to find what seems to be the original Spanish version; although dubbed into English, all the credits were in Spanish.

Anyway, this is a fairly enjoyable EuroGothic chiller. Guy examining an old tomb on an island somewhere in the eastern Mediterranean gets killed by a couple of guys; strangled, then his torso crushed by the tomb, then decapitated! The dead man's son shows up and arranges for the huge tomb to be lifted off his father's corpse. It's so heavy that this requires lifting the lid of the sarcophagus . . .

Well, you see where this is going. The vampire released by this action is the wife of French king who went on a crusade seven centuries ago. Although she can change into a glowing mist or into a wolf, she's oddly passive. For much of the movie she's trapped in her sarcophagus by dog bane (not wolf bane.) The story movies languidly, until the dog bane is removed, leading to the big climax and an interesting twist at the very end.

The film benefits from color, with some of the lighting looking like Mario Bava. Although very slow, and with poor special effects, it's got a lot of atmosphere. Worth a look by fans of moody, low-key horror.
 
"Unforgiven" (1992) - Rated "15" (UK) / "R" (USA)

Continuing my roundup of Clint Eastwood films, I now come to what is universally acclaimed as his crowning achievement both as actor and director. And this was recognised at the Academy Awards of 1993, when the film won:-

Best Picture, Best Director & Best Actor (all three for Eastwood),
Best Supporting Actor (Gene Hackman) and
Best Film Editing (Joel Cox)
Best Screenplay (David Webb Peoples)

.....and that's just the Oscars!

"Unforgiven" is a film masterpiece in its own right, and helped by an eclectic bunch of characters that blend in so well.

William Munny (Eastwood) plays a former outlaw - notorious for killing men, women and children- but through advancing years and marrying a good woman he has become a quiet and reformed old man. Ned Logan (Morgan Freeman) is his long-term friend and trusted partner. The "Schofield Kid" (Jaimz Woolvett) is the cocky upstart young man, who thinks he's the new William Munny. And finally Little Bill (Gene Hackman), the no-nonsense sheriff of the town called Big Whiskey.

The straightforward story involves a local prostitute getting badly beaten by a client. And so in a rare moment of protest she and her fellow co-workers collect enough money to put a bounty on his head. Enter the full-of-himself, Schofield Kid, who not only needs the money but also the fame and notoriety that goes with being a bounty hunter. But he also realises he isn't quite so tough do the job on his own, and asks Munny if he will join up with him.

Munny is initially reluctant because he is a reformed character now; in addition he lives on a pig farm out on the middle of nowhere with this three kids after his wife passed away some time ago. It's a hard back-breaking life for him and his children, and the chance of getting some bounty money appeals to him, especially for his kids. But at the same time he doesn't want to go back to how he was as he would be breaking a promise to his wife.

The Kid grows impatient and leaves on his own. Still unsure of what to do Will goes to Ned Logan's house for advice, and ultimately they both decide to join up with the Kid, kill the bad guy, and live off the reward money.

Sheriff Little Bill gets wind of this and enforces his view that bounty hunters (or "assassins" as he calls them) are not welcome in his town.

And so the stage is set for the final conflict between the three desperate men and a sheriff who bans the use of firearms in his town, doesn't like outsiders and treats the prostitutes as irritating trouble-makers.

A truly perfect western that goes against the grain of Eastwood's earlier shoot-first-ask-questions-later "Dollar" films, whereby Munny now has a guilty conscience to bare, and that killing someone in cold blood is nothing to be proud of. But the real climatic scene is the final confrontation between Eastwood and Hackman. The latter has been shot by Munny and is on his back in a saloon bar, and Eastwood is standing over him with his rifle pointing right at his head loaded and cocked.

In an act of desperation Hackman pleads "“I don’t deserve this, to die like this. I was building a house.”

But the fearsome Eastwood retorts “Deserving's got nothing to do with it!”

The ending is very sombre, as is the accompanying score. This isn't like a "Fistful of Dollars" or "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly", where the heroic cowboy shoots a bunch of anonymous people and rides out of town with an uplifting score and cheers from the audience. No, none of that. Instead this is so very low key, almost humbling in fact.

This is without question Eastwood's finest work both in front and behind the camera eye.

5/5
 
Don't Kill It (2017)

Dolph Lundgren is still out there, proving what a lousy actor he is.

Nevertheless, this is a pretty good movie, with a great premise behind the monster - a demon with a unique manner of transfiguration. Good directing, and good performances from the undercast save this movie from Lundgren's poor performance. I won't say it's a "must-see", but it's worth considering.
 
It! (1967)

Wow, this is a weird one. Made up of equal parts of Psycho, Hammer films, From Hell It Came, and 1950's monster movies. Roddy McDowall hams it up as an assistant museum curator who happens to keep the mummified corpse of his dead mother in his home. Mind you, we find this out very early in the film, and it has very little to do with the plot. The museum's warehouse burns to the ground, leaving behind only a big, goofy-looking statue. Turns out this is a golem, and eventually our anti-hero brings it to life. Murder and mayhem follow, including the destruction of a major bridge over the Thames. Jill Haworth (best known for originating the role of Sally Bowles in the stage production of Cabaret) co-stars as Roddy's lust object, who, in fine scream queen tradition, gets to be carried by the golem while wearing a nightgown. Things really get nutty near the end when:

The army uses a "small" nuclear warhead to attack the golem.
 
Yes... IT! is also called The Golem? and in it, people say the word 'Yes.' a very large number of times.
Meanwhile, during the baseball wildcard game, I watched The Atomic Brain 1963. The crazy old rich sick miser lady has a pet mad scientist in her old mansion; he can transplant brains. So 3 young girls are hired as potential vessels, and by the end people's brains are being put into cats, saving greatly on special fx.
 
Hey @Cathbad - I looked up Don't Kill It on IMDB...I just cannot watch a Dolph L. movie, BUT...I checked out some of the folks associated with that film, because I know you're looking for good horror movies.

A film named We Are Still Here, from 2015, has - for a horror film - really good reviews, and a Metascore of 65, which is very high for a low budget horror movie. I haven't seen it yet, but thought I'd mention it to you as something you might want to look into, CC
 
Cat's Cradle said:
Hey @Cathbad - I looked up Don't Kill It on IMDB...I just cannot watch a Dolph L. movie, BUT...I checked out some of the folks associated with that film, because I know you're looking for good horror movies.

A film named We Are Still Here, from 2015, has - for a horror film - really good reviews, and a Metascore of 65, which is very high for a low budget horror movie. I haven't seen it yet, but thought I'd mention it to you as something you might want to look into, CC
Click to expand...

Thank you! I think I'll check it out!
 
Cool! Let us know what you think, if you watch it - I'm curious about the movie.

Cathbad, I've wondered where you find some of the more obscure horror films you watch...are they on YoutTube? CC
 
We Are Still Here (2015)

I'm a bit unsure if I feel this was a good or bad movie. Oh, it's done well enough; but quite predictable - except the ending.

The set-up is a couple, having lost their son to a car accident, moves to a country home. They quickly find out the house they bought on-the-cheap has a history. (Don't they all?)

The Missus thinks her dead son is with them - but it's something far worse - or is it?

The pacing of the movie is off. Things happen too quickly, and the climax arrives far too soon. This is a movie far more suited to 120 minutes, rather than the 83 they cut it down to. They could have stretched things out by having the couple discover the secrets, rather than have Monte Markham's character - the town "bad guy" - provide two info-dumps! The haunting could have had more to it, as well. We didn't get much suspense, there.

The ending was both refreshingly original - and totally frustrating. (Don't'cha hate movies with non-ending endings?)

The "monsters" in this one are unique - I fully expected to see them (and exactly those particular ones), but their appearance (looks) surprised me. The killing scenes are quite graphic (unnecessarily so, imo). From the arrival of the new house-owners' guests, to the response of the townspeople, nothing else was surprising in the least.

ADDENDUM

I just had to say something about Snowfort Pictures(TM). This is the 21st Century - shouldn't you join us? I mean... if you can afford a production company, couldn't you find someone capable of creating graphics better than what I could easily produce on my 486 in the 1980s?? The name was presented in white, in two common fonts (one for each word). After a few moments, the word "Pictures" changes to cyan. That's it. Geesh.
 
Don't Kill It was on here - review: Yes, kill it! or at least hit fast forward.
Halfway thru Uncle Silas 1947, a few changes from the book, but good nevertheless.
 
"King Kong" (1933 - b/w) - Rated "PG" (UK) and (USA)

A film director needs to complete his latest film but has in mind a particular jungle location that would be perfect for his movie.

He hires a boat and a captain, and also brings along his film crew and cast in pursuit of a strange and mysterious island that might just fulfill his filming needs. They eventually find this uncharted island and notice straight away that the islanders there worship a huge gorilla that roams the deep jungle. And what is worse is that they make regular human sacrifices in order to pacify the ape. And inevitably the leading lady from our film crew, is abducted by the islanders to be used as another blood sacrifice for the King of the Jungle!

Of all the monster movies I've seen over the years (including cult classics like "Jaws", "Jurassic Park", the KK remakes, "The Thing" etc.) none of them hold a candle to the Granddaddy of all movie monsters - King Kong!

I saw the censored version on the BBC way back in my early teens (late 70s). I watched it on my own, late at night with the lights down low, and after a fairly routine half-hour into the film we see Fay Wray being tied up to those giant stone pillars in the dense jungle of Skull Island, with the grim beat of the drums only adding to the feeling that this woman is in some seriously big trouble!

And then Kong appears, and although he didn't look all that scary initially, it's what he did to the native's village and the ensuing rampage through the jungle that really scared the hell out of me!

The stop-motion animation by Mel Berns may look clumsy to our contemporary sfx-sanitised eyes, but it still holds a certain power that CGI just doesn't have. For example, Jurassic Park is a good film but the dinosaurs just look too perfect, too clean, too clinical. Kong & the other prehistoric creatures that roamed around his particular domain were all the more terrifying because they looked more natural & had certain traits & mannerisms that modern day films still sadly lacks.

Ok the Beauty & the Beast storyline is a little creaky and the acting is more wooden than the jungle itself. But I think the movie deserves its "classic" status for being a genuinely thought-provoking as well as incredibly unnerving-cum-terrifying. I also believe having the film in black & white (which was all that was possible back in the 30s), adds an extra dimension of creepiness that colour doesn't always capture.

The uncut version, which I have seen many times over, and saw again last night, is just as disturbing as the censored version, but obviously a whole lot more so because it shows the relentlessness of an angry Kong destroying everything in sight, and bringing grizzly & quite graphic violence and death to men & women who get in his way (ie. people being slowly squashed underfoot; heads bitten off; bodies torn in half!)

Amazing that this is rated "PG" because it really is far more unsettling than its rating deserves.

5/5
 
Bladerunner 2049

It was truly great as SF AND as PKD film. Hallucinatory greatness,bold story that didnt try answer every question it raised, a sequel that went it's own way, had much more to say of the humanity of humans,androids question. Ryan Goslings hero had so much more depth than Deckard in the original . The bleak future was so very PKD. Finally an adaptation of his that is great as film, not overrated.

‘I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe’: what Blade Runner 2049’s dystopia tells us about 2017

This article is good analyses of all the movie had to say.
 
From Beyond (1986). It's many years since I've seen this movie and I remember enjoying it way back when. So, how does it stack up today?

Mad scientist creates The Resonator, which allows our world to open up to another filled with strange and dangerous creatures. Those that are exposed to this Lovecraftian otherworld (the movie is, after all, based on a Lovecraft story) begin to change and develop a taste for human brains. And all the time, It lurks nearby...

This is the uncut, unrated version and, therefore, has some scenes of a sado-masochistic nature. It also has gore. Lots of gore. The special effects look tired and dated by today's standards but I think overall the film still holds up well for a low budget horror, despite the passage of time and the evolution of film technology.

Fans of Lovecraft or body horror should enjoy this but I certainly wouldn't eat an extra-rare steak whilst watching this movie.
 
The Iceman Cometh (1973)

From the American Film Theatre comes this four hour adaptation of Eugene O'Neill's 1946 play. Set in a crummy New York City bar in 1912, it deals with a bunch of washed-up drunks who hang around waiting for the return of a traveling salesman named Hickey, who always livens up the joint. When he shows up, he's changed a lot, and intends to offer everybody in the bar the chance to achieve true peace by giving up their illusions. Lots of characters with their own back stories, lots of topics come up; anarchism, the Boer War, racism, prostitution, suicide, murder, etc. A tour de force for the actors, with all the very long speeches. Everybody in the cast looks appropriately seedy. The last film roles for both Robert Ryan and Fredric March.
 
Rebirth (2016)

Fran Kranz, Adam Goldberg, Nicky Whelan star in Director Karl Mueller's odd offering. It's hard to classify this movie. I was scrolling through Action Thrillers on Netflix when I found it. The Thriller part, I get - sort'a - but not the Action part.

The set-up: An old college buddy shows up at the protagonist's work office, promising him a great and wild weekend. He reluctantly - very reluctantly - agrees to go along, even though his friend refuses to tell him virtually anything about what to expect.

Rebirth is a weekend-long "self-help" event, designed to free people from the world of "Corporate Zombie-dom". Sort'a.

The protagonist has no idea what he's gotten himself into, but he's told over and over, he can leave anytime he wants.* And it is, truly, a "wild" weekend! I'm not sure if there was suppose to be a moral to the story, or a warning, or if it was just a dark movie meant to simply entertain. I'm not sure I met any of those platforms. Still, I'll give 5 out of 5 Stars for Originality and Directing, 5 Stars to the college buddy's, and four to the protagonist's acting.

But this movie doesn't really make a whole lot of sense. The ending - which at first seems to be dark - gets confusing with the final video (ostensibly produced by our protagonist). It leaves one wondering... exactly what has happened?


*
No he can't.
 
Blade Runner 2049. This is not just a great sequel, it's a great film all on it's own. Building on the original without cloning it (*ahem* The Force Awakens *ahem*). The cinematics and sound are brilliant, but without relying on constant CGI explosions or flashy gimmicks. The story takes time to build and really draws you in. At nearly three hours I was surprised when the end came. I'll be going to see it again next week. And maybe again the week after.

After seeing this it gives me hope for Villeneuve's attempt at Dune.
 
The Whisperer In The Darkness. This is a low budget affair from the H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society but it certainly holds its own against a lot of the more lavish horror productions around. Based on the Lovecraft story of the same name, it tells the tale of the Mi-Go as investigated by a folklore professor from Miskatonic University. Science and horror face up to each other in a movie shot in what they call Mythoscope. It's basically a process of making a film look old - as if shot in the thirties. Mixed up with this are some really nice stop motion animations and landscape miniatures.

All in all, a great story told with some old-fashioned and yet quite apt techniques that deserve to be kept alive in this increasingly digital age. I thoroughly enjoyed the film and would encourage any fan of Lovecraft's work to explore the historical society's wares. I have all but one of their movies (soon to be rectified) and all five volumes of the H.P. Lovecraft collection of short films. All are recommended to horror fans with a taste for the world of HPL.

Here's the website for those looking to explore :)
HPLHS - The H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society
 
Raid dingue, a French comedy with Dany Boom. I don't know if you can see it in English, but if can, than I strongly recommend it. It made me laugh with tears. This is the story of a young woman, Johanna Pasquali, who dreams to be integrated into a special police team RAID. Her father is a minister, so her job in the police was due to her father's influence than to her qualities. He also blackmails the chef of RAID and gets her into the training programme. He puts the condition that her recruitement must remain secret: his daughter must be disgusted and no longer want To integrate RAID at the end of the training. Now imagine someone courageous, fearless and in the same time very embarrassing and awkward. Eugène Froissard (Dany Boom) is known by his team as a bad luck person. His wife left him for this brother. And the chef of RAID puts him in charge of the new recruits and Johanna.
A good comedy for a Saturday evening.
 
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