What Films Have You Seen Recently?

[Cinematic Shocks]

IT (1990)

***1/2 out of *****

[MrBarlow]

The amazing Spider-man 1977

Photographer Peter Parker is bitten by a radioactive spider and becomes a crime fighting superhero.

Nicholas Hammond stars in this TV series as the hero, as expected for 70s TV the effects are budgeted and laughable now, but don't let that put you off.

I read some reviews about this show, creator Stan Lee called it rubbish and juvenile where as others have called it great, Unfortunately I have only seen the pilot of this 14 episode TV show I can't really comment, except it was worth a watch.

[J Harker]

The 7th Victim. Mark Robson. 1943.

Just as dissapointing as the first time i watched this one. Easily the worst of the Val Lewton boxset.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

The Outlaw (1943)

Dire western that's tonally as wayward as it's script, i mean Billy the Kid in the same film as Doc Holiday! Not only that, an insipid story doesn't know what to do with them except bore the viewer into submission.

Howard Hughes shows why he only directed two films and Jane Russell in her breakout role can't act to save her life so it's a good job she had a great cleavage.

If only what we saw on screen resembled the cracking poster.

Dull, dull, dull.

[MrBarlow]

The Vatican Tapes 2015

When 27 years old Angela becomes possessed, two priests do battle with an accent demon.

*SPOILER ALERT*

I know we have to tread carefully about religion my apologies in advance.

We have had The Exorcist where a girl is possessed by playing with a Ouija Board, The Possession when a girl is possessed by a demon via ring from a box. In this a girl cuts her finger, it becomes infected she slips into a Coma awakes with a spirit in her, this is something to do with biblical predictions.

The film focuses more on what the Vatican believes and shown from their point of view which is something like Stigmata (Good movie btw).

The build up to the movie is good but the acting is average with one or two jump bits. 6.5 out of 10.

[Susan Foreman]

Originally Posted by MrBarlow

The amazing Spider-man 1977

Photographer Peter Parker is bitten by a radioactive spider and becomes a crime fighting superhero.

Nicholas Hammond stars in this TV series as the hero, as expected for 70s TV the effects are budgeted and laughable now, but don't let that put you off.

I read some reviews about this show, creator Stan Lee called it rubbish and juvenile where as others have called it great, Unfortunately I have only seen the pilot of this 14 episode TV show I can't really comment, except it was worth a watch.

Although it was a TV Movie/pilot for the television series in America, it was released to cinemas overseas

I saw it on the big screen in 1977 - Winchester it was!

[Susan Foreman]

Originally Posted by bleakshaun

Scarecrows
A group of robbers hijack a plane to get back the money they stole from one off their colleagues. This takes them to an abandoned field, which is mostly filled with scarecrows. There they are killed off one by one.
This horror has a great premise and some great kills. Unfortunately it doesn't pace well and at times you are just watching and waiting for something to happen and by the time something does happen, it is anticlimactic. An ok horror film with a great concept.
6/10

Sent from my MediaPad T1 8.0 Pro using Tapatalk

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

I've always liked Scarecrows. Owned the region one dvd since it hit shelves. Maybe it's the whole scarecrow as a symbol of horror thing that i find most effective.

I had it on VHS back in the 80's (Vestron Video? Deran Video? Don't think it was Palace Video) and I thoroughly enjoyed it

When 88Films released it, I got it as soon as it hit CEX, and settled down for an evening of nostalgia, but I found it slow and tedious to the extreme

Sometimes it's better sticking with memories!

[iank]

I agree, saw it again at the start of the year for the first time in 20 years.
Really disliked it.

[Justin101]

An odd film week for me, I only watched Electric Dreams through the week and due to a little migraine on Saturday night I spent most of Sunday lying in bed and I watched 3 films

So Electric Dreams, I obviously misremembered this film because I was under the impression that it was one of the better early 80s romcoms but it was actually pretty rubbish. Well more like a rollercoaster of really good bits and really bad bits Edgar, the computer was really annoying and whiny too, "tell me what love is Moles"... Meh, it was OK but I don't think I'll be watching it again, one for the CEX pile.

Any migraine sufferers will know that the best thing to do is to try and sleep it off, meaning 10pm on Saturday I was in bed trying to get some sleep. Therefore, 7am Sunday I was wide awake, and keen not to wake anyone up stuck my headphones on and watched Raw. Allegedly the horror film that we all needed in 2016. It's getting loads of praise, and while I thought it was good, it wasn't any more than that. Some really grim scenes which had me gagging (hairball...) and then some which border on ridiculous and expertly crafted tension in the same scene (scissors). The reveal at the end had me groaning to myself but other reviewers seem to have really enjoyed that last scene. I rented it, I doubt I'll be buying it.

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country aka Look How Damn Old They All Are! was my follow up, fueled by coffee and bacon butties! Not much to be said about this film, one of the high points in the Star Trek canon. I'm grateful that the producers realised that the cast was a bit long in the tooth and wrote them a retirement story! I have 2 minor bugbears though and that's casting. Michael Dorn as Worf senior senior was a mis-step I think. His voice is so unmistakable that I was instantly thrown out of the scene. The other is David Warner, who although fantastic as the Klingon Chancellor, only just played a human character in Star Trek V so it seemed strange. Other than that brilliant political intrigue and action adventure. So far IV still holds place as the best in the series, but I'm about to get into the Next Gen arc, and First Contact could possibly pip it.

Finally, closed off the day with Comedy of Terrors, the only Arrow Vincent Price film I had yet to watch, saved the worst til last it seems. What started off great, an undertaker killing off old people for business, quickly descended into utter madness and slapstick and to be quite honest I was losing my patience with it Loved the first 25 mins, steadily lost my will to live I'm sure this has it's fans but I'm not really one of them. Quite a fall from The Cat People!

[keirarts]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

Hidden in the Woods (2014)

An English language remake of the Chilean film of the same name by that films' director Patricio Valladares. This US remake co-produced and starring Michael Biehn is an intensely brutal affair. It tells the story of two sisters raised in isolation by their father (Biehn) and subjected to abuse throughout their short lives. When he's finally put in jail the girls end up having to answer to their uncle (William Forsythe) a local drug kingpin who is looking for his stash of merchandise which went missing when Biehn was arrested.

I'm not entirely sure if Asda knew exactly what they were selling for £3 in the case of Hidden in the Woods, although BBFC approved it's tough going. Utterly downbeat, it's a depiction of graphic rape, incest, murder, and sex from the off. It feels realistic thanks to it being digitally shot and using natural light in the majority of scenes. Both Biehn and Forsythe are utterly unlikable but the girls - Jeannine Kaspar and Electra Avellan - have our sympathies for the torrent of abuse they suffer throughout.

In no way could the film be classed as fun or even entertaining, but it is grimy, gritty, and disturbingly repulsive.

I know some steer clear of films with sexual violence which this film has in spades so here is what the BBFC has to say. It's uncut by the way.



I'll definitely be getting the even more gruesome Chilean original in the next few weeks.

I've only seen the chilean one which was rough as f*** and tough going. Sounds like they haven't toned anything down.