What Films Have You Seen Recently?

[nosferatu42]

I love 'Vampire circus' too, great little film.

[Rik]

Yeah, Vampire Circus is a belter

[mr 420]

That reminds me, I still haven't got the Synapse BD of Circus. I really must pull my finger out.

[JoshuaKaitlyn]

Venus in Furs (1969) Dunno about this one! I was sighing deeply whilst watching this and not because of the nudity either! (although Laura Antonelli is easy on the eye). When it ended I just went Hmm!

[sjconstable]

Insidious: Chapter 2 - 2/5

More watchable than The Conjuring, it gets pretty messy in the second half.

[SShaw]

So I am in Oldenburg (just a 30 minute train ride from my flat) for the weekend to experience the Oldenburg Film Festival's 20th instalment.

Tonight I attended the German Premiere (it didn't receive a release first time round) of Bobcat Goldthwait's Sleeping Dogs Lie a quite brilliant and funny look at the whether being absolutely truthful is really the best way to negotiate life. Bobcat, who is the festival jury chairman, was on hand for a Q and A although he had to give it half way through the film to fill time while the projectionist overcame technical problems.

Then I followed it up with a midnight screening of Scar Tissue a new low budget British crime thriller. This was also bedevilled with technical problems (Friday the 13th and all that I guess). While the technicians were able to solve the technical problems they could do nothing for the film which, apart from being beautifully photographed, was a complete mess.

I will try to post more detailed thoughts over on my diary in the gaps between screenings over the weekend.

Tomorrow its second time round for me with Willow Creek, another low budget British film - The List - and the almost unique opportunity to see The Image on the big screen.

[nosferatu42]

Rain of fire (Holocaust 2000)

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Strangely i bought 'The Antichrist' a couple of weeks ago on a whim then picked this one up when i suddenly remembered watching it on T.V as a kid.
Both are directed by Alberto De Martino but i was not aware of this at the time, both are scored by the great Ennio Morricone and both are Euro Horror rip offs of classic 70's Horror films. 'The Antichrist' copies 'The Exorcist' whereas this one takes 'The Omen' for inspiration.
Kirk Douglas is an industrialist working on a nuclear power plant that will be constructed in the holy land to attempt to bring an end to famine and energy problems.
He is told of a prophecy that foretells the apocalypse and that his project will bring about the end of the world, sceptical at first he is eventually convinced by the way everyone who tries to stop his work dies in strange circumstances, and realises his son (Simon Ward) is the antichrist.
I thought this film was ok, quite interesting but a little dull, the deaths are not very spectacular and the film needed more tension, this was a shame because with a little more effort it could have been really good.
Some of the ideas and scenes are similar to 'Damien, Omen II' but that is a much better film, one of the deaths is very similar too and i was surprised to learn 'Damien' came out the following year, maybe the makers saw this film and realised what not to do, while still sneakily nicking a few ideas.
On the plus side Kirk Douglas's girlfriend in this is quite cute and has a topless scene.
On the downside Kirk gets to run about in the nude in a dream sequence.
The end is quite understated as well and kind of needed a better pay-off.

'The Antichrist' is the more entertaining film of the two, i quite enjoyed that one.

Glad i watched this again after all this time, interesting as a comparison to the 'Omen' films but don't expect too much. 5/10

[Make Them Die Slowly]

TOY SOLIDERS. Ever wondered if Jason Miller's soul went to heaven or hell after killing himself at the end of THE EXCORSIST. Well, wonder no more, he went to hell and here is the proof. Miller is totally unconvincing as an ex armed forces guy for hire who ends up baby sitting a rich girl and her friends as they cruise the coast of central America in her Daddy's boat. Things go bad after an extended boat party in which every one listens to Walkmans whilst grooving out in very short shorts. Following a drunken accident the gang of friends come ashore and into the hands of rebel troops hell bent on looking sleazy and useless. Some mild sexual assault later and party girl and Miller escape leaving her friends behind. Lots of soul searching later, she and Miller fly back to rescue her friends with the aid of her hip black butler, a young Tim Robbins and a geek. With no training and only 36 hours to rescue their friends they do so with machine guns, crap looking explosions and a box of fireworks. Bilge but fun.

[SCM]

Watched Timecop last night. I found it surprisingly decent, Jean Claude Van Damme as usual kicking names and taking ass (or is it the otherway? ) and also doing the splits in the kitchen.

[demonknight]

Watched Star Trek Into Darkness on Bluray last night.
Loved every minute of it. Loved Simon Pegg in this one.
Everytime he opened his mouth and spoke (usually something funny)
I laughed out loud. Great action sequences and first rate CGI made
this movie a real standout for me