[Daemonia]

The Funhouse (1981)

Four teens decide to hide out in the Funhouse at the local carnival and spend the night there together. But when they witness a murder by a deformed man they become the prey to this beast. It's not a great film but I don't mind it. The Blu-ray from Arrow does look terrific though. Glad to have it as I do rather like it.

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (2010)

Remake of the 70's TV movie which ain't too bad, surprisingly. A young couple, Alex and Kim (Guy Pearce and Katie Holmes), move into an old house with Alex's daughter Sally (Bailee Madison). But Sally quickly realises they are not alone in the house and these tiny visitors are not friendly - and they want her for themselves.

It's not bad overall, but I guess that's to be expected with Guillermo Del Toro being involved - it was at least going to be fairly respectable with him involved. I found myself really enjoying this and it doesn't take away from the original. Even though the two share many similarities, the remake adds enough inventive juice to keep it interesting and allows it to stand on its own two feet. Well worth a look.

Puppet Master (1989)

I've always liked this first film in Charlie band's long running series and decided to pick up the new Blu to see how it fares in HD. Well, it does look head-and-shoulders above every previous DVD release and, for the first time, is presented in its originally intended theatrical widescreen ratio. I quite enjoyed seeing this again and this presentation did give me a new appreciation of this killer-dolls-on-the-rampage romp. It's very silly, but I like it all the same. The same can't be said of the sequels, save for Part 3, which did at least try and deliver some kind of interesting backstory to Toulon. Glad to have it in the BD collection though.

The Saint Valentine's Day Massacre (1975)

Roger Corman directs this retelling of the events leading up to and including the massacre itself. He gets a good cast to work with, including George Segal and Jason Robards. It tells of how Capone's gang want to control all of Chicago but the Northside Gang won't relinquish control of their territory. When threats are made on Capone's life he determines that the Northside Gang must be put out of business - permanently.

Corman handles the material extremely well, but I did feel that Segal was a little miscast and didn't come over as menacingly as he could have. That aside, it's well done, well acted and looks more expensive than it probably was, thanks to Corman's brilliance at producing great films at low cost. Worth a look.

Green Lantern (2011)

The Green Lanterns are an elite superforce that guard the universe from harm. But when their mortal enemy, Parallalax, is released from the prison the Lanterns confined him in, it's all systems go. However, one of their number dies and it's up to his Lantern ring to choose a successor and that fate befalls the hapless Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds). Hal soon proves he's worthy though and ends up defeating Parallalax in order to save Earth. It's all CGI nonsense and comic book adventure, but I really enjoyed it.

In the Electric Mist (2009)

Dave Robicheaux (Tommy Lee Jones) is the Louisiana cop trying to solve the murders of local prostitutes. He also harbours the knowledge of a lynching many years ago that still haunts him. As he investigates the case he begins having odd encounters with long dead Confederate soldiers - but that's probably because of the LSD he was spiked with. It's all very strange and the film has an almost intangible quality to it but keeps you interested. Worth a look.

Haywire (2011)

Mallory Kane (Gina Carano) is a special ops operative who is set up by the company she works for, who are trying to take her out. She's having none of it and decides to hit back and sets out for revenge. Not a bad action thriller and Carano is certainly more than capable as the action heroine. The fight sequences are superbly choreographed and rather more rough than in usual Hollywood fare, so that caught my attention. Overall it's not bad at all.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010)

Jake Gyllenhaal is Prince Dastan, the adopted street orphan who became a Prince. However, he soon uncovers a plot by his uncle to kill the King and take control by using a special dagger that can reverse time. It's big on CGI and low on intelligence, but sometimes I like something a bit mindless. It's enoyable enough on its own terms, but it's not a film I'd ever watch again in all probablity. Ideal popcorn fodder and if you don't expect anything too taxing on the brain it's an entertaining ride.