What Films Have You Seen Recently?

[demonknight]

Whiteout - Not up to much, but damn it if Kate Beckinsale isn't lovely!

[Buboven]

Originally Posted by fuzzymctiger

The Babadook is a disturbing and frightening psychological horror for the most unconvential reasons. It's not a monster movie, it's about dealing with mental illness and the pressures of parenting and loss, which is told through the use of the titular character.

I think thats why it spoke to me at least because, I have experienced mental health issues, as most people in their lifetime. For me, the monster in the film, could easily be a representation of my social anxiety.

[Rik]

I glad liked Whiteout, watched it on TV a couple of times now. Like I posted in Dem's Gothic Thread, I do love Kate Beckinsale

[trebor8273]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

Stonehearst Asylum (2014)

Based on the Edgar Allan Poe short story The Systen of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether, the film stars Jim Sturgess as a young doctor who arrives at Stonehearst Asylum to take up an apprentice position under Doctor Lamb (Ben Kingsley). However unbeknown to the young medical practitioner nothing is as it seems at the asylum.

Despite owning three volumes of Poe material both stories and poetry i don't recall ever reading Doctor Tarr. However whilst watching this film it is clearly a very influential tale having seemingly inspired Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell, Asylum, Shutter Island, Don't Look in the Basement and of course this delightful Gothic melodrama.

The film plays out as if a homage to Roger Corman's Poe films of the sixties. Director Brad Anderson has clearly been influenced by the likes of House of Usher in this interpretation of Poe. Set at the turn of the twentieth century the asylum is of course a hive of creepy corridors, but also instances like the asylum burning at the climax and the classic trait of the doomed love affair, a plot device used in all Gothic storytelling not just horror. The depiction of the asylum is naturally grim and harrowing but thankfully Anderson steers clear of depictions of graphic torture and gore, something Corman also steered wide of. It's not just Corman where the films influences lie. Val Lewton's brilliant 1946 masterpiece Bedlam also provided some inspiration especially with the photography which is at times outstanding.

Whilst the film is relatively blood free and quite sedately paced i still found it an absorbing and creepy, suspenseful watch due to the fact i find asylum methods of drugs and sedation quite horrific and was delighted to find out who was actually running Stonehearst and for the most part running it with a fair degree of success. It was only when Kingsley perfected the electro shock method as the way to go that my sympathies turned back to the facilities original staff locked deep in the dungeons below.

What initially made the film stand out to me was it's superb British and Irish cast - Jim Sturgess, Kate Beckinsale, Ben Kingsley, David Thewliss, Brendan Gleeson, Jason Flemying, Sinead Cusack and Michael Caine - needless to say the film is performed impeccably with every word uttered believably spoken.

It's no secret that my fave genre of the macabre is Gothic horror, also that i have a penchent for British films. To me Stonehearst Asylum succeeds as a fine example of both. From first minute to last i loved the film and would wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who also enjoys the Gothic greats of Roger Corman.

really like the sound of that one if not too sleepy will watch it, after I finish night of the wolf late phases, which I've just started but think i will really enjoy.

[troggi]

Who doesn't find KB lovely? Err, lost me thread... oh! Yeah, that's it...

"Inception" 2010

2 hours and 28 minutes of disinterest! I tell you, I was tempted to download candy crush to my kindle! The effects, at first, were something to write home about but after a while I remembered that I was at home, in bed at 04:03am and I had no pen!

I remember reading a book called "Woodwitch" in which nothing happened or, rather, when something DID happen you didn't really notice it. "Inception" is a little like that, you keep watching to see if it gets interesting and really don't notice it when it does. It's a neat trick Mr. Nolan but please don't try it too often.

Having said all that the CGI effects are pretty great so I'll give it a 12/10.

[trebor8273]

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1438116584.026979.jpg

Fantastic one of the best werewolf films I've seen in a long time. Story involves a blind war vet that moves into a retirement community and not long after moving in he finds out there have been a number of attacks and it's not long after he is attached and his beloved dog is killed.
Most of the film afterwards is him preparing himself for the next full moon and attack which pays of in an intense and brutal showdown. All performances are well above average especially Nick Damaici in the lead role. I would advise anyone who enjoys a good story,acting and werewolves to pick this up. 9.5/10

Watching stonehearst asylum which is another I think will really enjoy. But getting tired and it deserves my full attention so will watch it at the weekend. So think I'll watch zombie holocaust

[iank]

Saw The Ipcress File last night. When a top scientist disappears from a train and an agent is killed, a deadly game of cat and mouse begins to try and get him back - but what is the significance of the Ipcress file? A very young Michael Caine stars in this entertaining mid 60s spy thriller. A bit on the slow side, but intriguing enough to keep me interested for the duration.

[bdc]

Watched Creature from the Black Lagoon in (active btw) 3D.
I'd seen it in anaglyph 3D way back but it really was something else to watch it in 3D without the red and blue colours!
Definitely impressed.

[R-T-C Tim]

Been rather busy with work of late, but found time to watch and review the new Arrow Blu-Ray of Cemetery Without Crosses



Very good looking release of a dark and moody French Noir Western. If you enjoyed the Leone films and think Castellari was just too over the top, then you should enjoy this.

Cemetery Without Crosses review.

[keirarts]

House on Sorority row.

A later entry into the slasher cycle, Sorority row is a low budget affair that actually manages to deliver enough to stand out from the glut of formulaic titles that had begun to be released on an almost weekly basis.
The premise is simple. Seven girls have recently graduated and are looking for one final hurrah before heading out into the real world. Their house mother is violently opposed to this and begins to make life hell for the girls, as a result they hatch a plan for revenge that naturally goes completely wrong and the house mother ends up dead. Or is she? The body disappears and as the Sorority sisters begin looking for it someone is killing off the girls one by one with the mothers cane.
While not as gory as some titles out there, there is still a decent level of nastiness to the picture. The missing body plot device adds some decent levels of tension to the picture and the 'twist' is most likely guessable by anyone reading this but still well executed. Performance wise there are one or two dodgy performances mixed in with some really good ones. The house mother is played by 'local talent' and needed overdubbing. This is poorly done and painfully obvious. Thankfully once she's gone the film really takes off. The final third has a nice ingenious twist of having the final girl confront the killer while off her head on Acid. This adds a nice surreal twist to things, though I feel someone along the lines of Richard Stanley could have done something more.
Overall I really like this picture, I'm fortunate to have the Scorpion blu-ray release and if anyone is fortunate enough to get a copy (it's now out of print) its excellent quality and region free. That said the DVD release is easily obtainable (at time of writing) and worth picking up as its the same print and should look good on upscale.

Firepower.

More scorpion HD action. This one is a Michael winner actioner starring James Coburn, Anthony Franciosa, O.J. Simpson, Eli Wallach & Sophia Loren.
Coburn plays a special operative hired surreptitiously by the US via Wallachs mob boss to capture the worlds wealthiest man who is also a recluse and hasn't been seen in many years. Naturally this creates some 'issues' so Coburn, assisted by simpson must do some globe trotting adventuring to find him.
Firepower is a film troubled by Winners typical ham-fisted direction which includes some awful dialogue, sloppy editing, poor plot structure, over the top violence, casual racism and some animal cruelty in the form of cock fighting and horse falls that will likely result in any UK releases getting some cuts. That said, as is also typical of Winners work its a lot of guilty fun with plenty of action. I get the impression that Britain's foremost exploitation director decided to use this as an excuse to have a holiday, a lot of the film is set around dusky Caribbean locations. Lots of stuff blows up and stuff really gets surreal at points with a sub-plot involving coburns characters twin (also played by Coburn) and also throwing in a dwarf gangster for good measure. While parts of this film are likely going to turn some off its a bit of daft fun and looks great in HD.

op 2: