What Films Have You Seen Recently?

[gag]

Originally Posted by MrBarlow

Curse of Chuck 2013

Chucky is back this time terrorising a wheelchair bound girl and her family in a secluded house.

Forget the bride and seed of Chucky this one is back as pure horror no comedy in it. Don Mancini has brought back the franchise as it was like the original trilogy but with a added background. If you are planning on seeing this spoiler part there is a extra scene after the credits. 8 out of 10.

I enjoyed this,tend to find a lot of films end up straying away from the concept of the film and go down the humour route and end up spoiling it

[Frankie Teardrop]

LUNG 2 – From the guy who did 'extreme horror underground' hit 'Flowers'. It's a black and white trawl through a silent nightmare and follows a dude who goes around being followed by and / or following another dude. I can't be more specific than that, but there are lots of body parts, bits of gore and strange hermaphroditic globs of flesh in a serial killer's fridge. Look, it's art, right? Recommended for those in the relevant state of mind.

THE GIRL WITH ALL THE GIFTS – Post-fungal holocaust shenanigans with a semi-infected girl whose main gift is her ability to tolerate a very grumpy Paddy Considine. It's a survivors-type scenario which features a small group of people on a quest for meaning in a derelict world full of viral zombies. We find out that relationships, love and letting go are all very important. Actually, it's fairly grim, bleak and claustrophobic, but very well done and as expertly performed as you might imagine with the likes of Considine and Glenn Close at hand.

TRASH FIRE – From the maker of the rather good 'Excision'. But this is less about gross out surrealism and more about people giving each other a hard time. Adrian Grenier is a wired alcoholic nihilist who specialises in pissing off his girlfriend and pretty much everyone else. After a relationship ultimatum, he takes his partner across the country to visit the leftovers of his dysfunctional family – horrible gran and damaged sister. Needless to say, there's plenty of gothic backstory surrounding the slow motion implosion of this particular house full of dread. Grenier is absolutely magnetic, and pretty much makes the film... it goes of the boil when it stops being a character study of him and veers more into weird, dark family territory. Definitely worth catching though.

HOUNDS OF LOVE – Australian crime horror about a nasty couple who abduct and abuse young girls. I was taken with its detached, dreamy stylisation, which felt a bit like Lynn Ramsay channeling a seventies exploitation flick in places (although please note, it is very deliberately and gratuitously set in the eighties). Can't quite sustain its initial promise of cold art house kicks, but the tension is there even when it tends to melodrama at the end. I won't forgive the misuse of JD's 'Atmosphere' (they should've stuck with the Russ Abbot one for the particular sequence I'm thinking about), but still, very much a recommend.

THE VISIT – Shyamalan's film about creepy old people menacing a pair of obnoxious brats often gets dissed by horror fans, but I didn't think it was that bad. “Well made, pretty absorbing, fluent and well paced” were my thoughts after I'd seen it. He's a good director, he just gets a lot of stick. Admittedly, there are shortcomings. The whole “mad people are dangerous” thing is, well, quite 'old school', and the found media aspect is a drag. The capper is that kid who raps – it's universally acknowledged that he can just f*ck off, and I don't differ from the jeering masses in this respect. Was quite satisfying to see him flip after he got that diaper full of shit thrust in his face... and a film which thinks like that can't have got it entirely wrong.

[Demoncrat]

Originally Posted by Frankie Teardrop

LUNG 2 – From the guy who did 'extreme horror underground' hit 'Flowers'. It's a black and white trawl through a silent nightmare and follows a dude who goes around being followed by and / or following another dude. I can't be more specific than that, but there are lots of body parts, bits of gore and strange hermaphroditic globs of flesh in a serial killer's fridge. Look, it's art, right? Recommended for those in the relevant state of mind.

THE GIRL WITH ALL THE GIFTS – Post-fungal holocaust shenanigans with a semi-infected girl whose main gift is her ability to tolerate a very grumpy Paddy Considine. It's a survivors-type scenario which features a small group of people on a quest for meaning in a derelict world full of viral zombies. We find out that relationships, love and letting go are all very important. Actually, it's fairly grim, bleak and claustrophobic, but very well done and as expertly performed as you might imagine with the likes of Considine and Glenn Close at hand.

TRASH FIRE – From the maker of the rather good 'Excision'. But this is less about gross out surrealism and more about people giving each other a hard time. Adrian Grenier is a wired alcoholic nihilist who specialises in pissing off his girlfriend and pretty much everyone else. After a relationship ultimatum, he takes his partner across the country to visit the leftovers of his dysfunctional family – horrible gran and damaged sister. Needless to say, there's plenty of gothic backstory surrounding the slow motion implosion of this particular house full of dread. Grenier is absolutely magnetic, and pretty much makes the film... it goes of the boil when it stops being a character study of him and veers more into weird, dark family territory. Definitely worth catching though.

HOUNDS OF LOVE – Australian crime horror about a nasty couple who abduct and abuse young girls. I was taken with its detached, dreamy stylisation, which felt a bit like Lynn Ramsay channeling a seventies exploitation flick in places (although please note, it is very deliberately and gratuitously set in the eighties). Can't quite sustain its initial promise of cold art house kicks, but the tension is there even when it tends to melodrama at the end. I won't forgive the misuse of JD's 'Atmosphere' (they should've stuck with the Russ Abbot one for the particular sequence I'm thinking about), but still, very much a recommend.

THE VISIT – Shyamalan's film about creepy old people menacing a pair of obnoxious brats often gets dissed by horror fans, but I didn't think it was that bad. “Well made, pretty absorbing, fluent and well paced” were my thoughts after I'd seen it. He's a good director, he just gets a lot of stick. Admittedly, there are shortcomings. The whole “mad people are dangerous” thing is, well, quite 'old school', and the found media aspect is a drag. The capper is that kid who raps – it's universally acknowledged that he can just f*ck off, and I don't differ from the jeering masses in this respect. Was quite satisfying to see him flip after he got that diaper full of shit thrust in his face... and a film which thinks like that can't have got it entirely wrong.

Ah Frankie ... the only man who makes me want to reVisit that film
Lung 2 sold ... rest duly noted sir!!

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Sleep Tight (2011)

Spanish star Luis Tosar plays a concierge in a Spanish apartment block who feels he can never be happy. Dignified in his work but seemingly on a course of self destruction as he plots to make the lives of the tenants miserable, especially the lovely Clara.

The film veers into a twisted psychopathic world as Tosar breaks into Clara's apartment hides under her bed at night, waits until she's asleep before chloroforming her and....

Sadly director Jaume Balagueró in a way lets the side down by erring on the side of caution. The whole idea is far creepier and scarier than what actually plays out on screen. It certainly starts with us feeling uncomfortable watching this sleazy invasion of privacy but rather than going all out twisted horror Sleep Tight becomes more of a Hitchcockian chiller as other characters are introduced.

Having said that Sleep Tight is still an excellent film, it's brilliantly paced with tour-de-force performances and an ending which is highly unsatisfactory if you are looking for sweetness and light.

[bizarre_eye@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Frankie Teardrop

LUNG 2 – From the guy who did 'extreme horror underground' hit 'Flowers'. It's a black and white trawl through a silent nightmare and follows a dude who goes around being followed by and / or following another dude. I can't be more specific than that, but there are lots of body parts, bits of gore and strange hermaphroditic globs of flesh in a serial killer's fridge. Look, it's art, right? Recommended for those in the relevant state of mind.

THE GIRL WITH ALL THE GIFTS – Post-fungal holocaust shenanigans with a semi-infected girl whose main gift is her ability to tolerate a very grumpy Paddy Considine. It's a survivors-type scenario which features a small group of people on a quest for meaning in a derelict world full of viral zombies. We find out that relationships, love and letting go are all very important. Actually, it's fairly grim, bleak and claustrophobic, but very well done and as expertly performed as you might imagine with the likes of Considine and Glenn Close at hand.

TRASH FIRE – From the maker of the rather good 'Excision'. But this is less about gross out surrealism and more about people giving each other a hard time. Adrian Grenier is a wired alcoholic nihilist who specialises in pissing off his girlfriend and pretty much everyone else. After a relationship ultimatum, he takes his partner across the country to visit the leftovers of his dysfunctional family – horrible gran and damaged sister. Needless to say, there's plenty of gothic backstory surrounding the slow motion implosion of this particular house full of dread. Grenier is absolutely magnetic, and pretty much makes the film... it goes of the boil when it stops being a character study of him and veers more into weird, dark family territory. Definitely worth catching though.

HOUNDS OF LOVE – Australian crime horror about a nasty couple who abduct and abuse young girls. I was taken with its detached, dreamy stylisation, which felt a bit like Lynn Ramsay channeling a seventies exploitation flick in places (although please note, it is very deliberately and gratuitously set in the eighties). Can't quite sustain its initial promise of cold art house kicks, but the tension is there even when it tends to melodrama at the end. I won't forgive the misuse of JD's 'Atmosphere' (they should've stuck with the Russ Abbot one for the particular sequence I'm thinking about), but still, very much a recommend.

THE VISIT – Shyamalan's film about creepy old people menacing a pair of obnoxious brats often gets dissed by horror fans, but I didn't think it was that bad. “Well made, pretty absorbing, fluent and well paced” were my thoughts after I'd seen it. He's a good director, he just gets a lot of stick. Admittedly, there are shortcomings. The whole “mad people are dangerous” thing is, well, quite 'old school', and the found media aspect is a drag. The capper is that kid who raps – it's universally acknowledged that he can just f*ck off, and I don't differ from the jeering masses in this respect. Was quite satisfying to see him flip after he got that diaper full of shit thrust in his face... and a film which thinks like that can't have got it entirely wrong.

I hated The Visit so much. I do like some of M Night's stuff but this was just on an entirely different plain of awfulness for me.

Hounds of Love sounds interesting though Frankie, consider it stored in the memory bank for hopefully future consumption.

[Demoncrat]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

Sleep Tight (2011)

Spanish star Luis Tosar plays a concierge in a Spanish apartment block who feels he can never be happy. Dignified in his work but seemingly on a course of self destruction as he plots to make the lives of the tenants miserable, especially the lovely Clara.

The film veers into a twisted psychopathic world as Tosar breaks into Clara's apartment hides under her bed at night, waits until she's asleep before chloroforming her and....

Sadly director Jaume Balagueró in a way lets the side down by erring on the side of caution. The whole idea is far creepier and scarier than what actually plays out on screen. It certainly starts with us feeling uncomfortable watching this sleazy invasion of privacy but rather than going all out twisted horror Sleep Tight becomes more of a Hitchcockian chiller as other characters are introduced.

Having said that Sleep Tight is still an excellent film, it's brilliantly paced with tour-de-force performances and an ending which is highly unsatisfactory if you are looking for sweetness and light.

It's a film that demands repeat viewing imho. His last line .....

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

Sleep Tight (2011)

I'm sure I've seen this, but don't own it so it must have been a Lovefilm rental. I remember being impressed by the tension and discomfort in some of the scenes, so now need to add it that list of things to buy and probably watch in the run-up to Halloween.

[Demoncrat]

Originally Posted by Nosferatu@Cult Labs

I'm sure I've seen this, but don't own it so it must have been a Lovefilm rental. I remember being impressed by the tension and discomfort in some of the scenes, so now need to add it that list of things to buy and probably watch in the run-up to Halloween.

Regret you won't. If I had thought more about my last T10T list ... this would have been in ahem.

[J Harker]

Originally Posted by Frankie Teardrop

THE VISIT – Shyamalan's film about creepy old people menacing a pair of obnoxious brats often gets dissed by horror fans, but I didn't think it was that bad. “Well made, pretty absorbing, fluent and well paced” were my thoughts after I'd seen it. He's a good director, he just gets a lot of stick. Admittedly, there are shortcomings. The whole “mad people are dangerous” thing is, well, quite 'old school', and the found media aspect is a drag. The capper is that kid who raps – it's universally acknowledged that he can just f*ck off, and I don't differ from the jeering masses in this respect. Was quite satisfying to see him flip after he got that diaper full of shit thrust in his face... and a film which thinks like that can't have got it entirely wrong.

I agree with you on this one Frankie. Its that kid ruins the film. Most seem to hate both kids but i thought the girl was ok. I also don't mind admitting i didn't see the twist coming. But that little dirty diaper loving rapping bastard....

[J Harker]

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back. 2016

Sequel to 2012's Jack Reacher. I like the Jack Reacher books and i have time for most things Tom Cruise does but i do have issues with him in this role. Its just so far removed from the character in the source material. It wouldnt be so bad if the film acknowledged this but it doesn't. In the books ridiculously highly skilled ex military copper Jack Reacher is a 6 foot 4 inch machine of a man, not Tom Cruise. This sequel seems to remove him even further from his literary counterpart, yet oddly i enjoyed this one more. Despite being a fan of the books I've yet to read Never Go Back so can't say how the film compares in terms of plotting and to be honest that may have helped meaning it was easier to seperate the two in my mind. Army Major Turner, played by the lovely Cobie Smulders is framed for...something. Reacher breaks her out and the two team up to clear her name and bring down villainous General Harkness and his private army of hired guns. Despite questionable casting and a convoluted plot i really enjoyed it and didn't feel in any way dissapointed as i had with the original.