What Films Have You Seen Recently?

[Demoncrat]

Dog Tags (1987, Romano Scavolini)

Vietnam caper.
A group of soldiers are sent on a mission. What they find isn't on any map.
Finally got to see this one. Stars a bloke who was in The Bill for a while. Traversing a seemingly deserted stretch of that country, they bicker and try not to get blown up. Don't get me wrong, there are fireworks certainly, it's just not that kind of Vietnam flick tbh.
Hmmmm.

[J Harker]

M3GAN. Gerald Johnstone. 2022.

When young Violet McGraws bickering parents are killed in a tragic car accident she is adopted by her somewhat distant and estranged aunt Gemma. Gemma is a robotics engineer designing interactive toys and she is on the verge of an incredible leap forward in both robotics and AI. The result is the Model 3 Generation Android or M3gan. A four foot tall lifelike android capable of bonding with its child owner and learning to be the ultimate friend. Well how could this possibly go wrong?
I think anyone could work out where this is going and the film does so competently enough, however despite the hype that's all this film is, competent. There's potential here with M3GAN's creepy design, the body of child with a weirdly older face, both realistic but given the obviously super advanced tech oddly not as realistic as it could be. Acting is decent enough but stupid decisions and plot contrivance abound. It's fascinating how Gemma's team have been struggling to perfect M3GAN in a fully fitted advanced lab but when the plot fits Gemma finishes knocking her together in the garage at home. Given the intended purpose of M3GAN why the hell is it capable of almost superhuman strength and acrobatic capabilities? Would it not have been wise to make it on the weaker side, just in case...
And finally, for the love of God, why not fix the hole in the damn fence.
M3GANs a watchable enough time waster but nothing special, certainly not the scare-fest the trailer promised. I can't see me ever returning to it.

[J Harker]

Twelve Angry Men. Sidney Lumet. 1957.

During a blazing hot day in New York City, the twelve jurors of a seemingly open and shut murder case must reach a conclusion when one of their number refuses to go along with a guilty verdict.
Sidney Lumet's riveting drama is often written up as being a courtroom drama, this isn't really accurate in my mind as only a few seconds at the start of the film take place in the courtroom. The remaining 90 or so minutes take place entirely in a single room, while the frustrated jurors, all men, the twelve angry men of the title, deliberate. Henry Fonda, in a brilliant and measured performance is the sole juror, Juror No.8, who insists the men look into matters further. The other eleven all have varying reasons, from prejudice, narrow mindedness, to one guy who simply doesn't care and wants to get to a baseball game and will go with whichever opinion gets him out of there the quickest.
What ensues feels more like a whodunnit as Fonda's character gradually digs deeper into the evidence presented. Persuading each of the men to examine if they're really willing to send a boy to his death in the name of peer pressure or to simply catch a ball game.
First time watch for me this classic, and I can see easily why it's held in high regard.
The camerawork in the confines of a single room is wonderful, really evoking the sense of claustrophobic tension. Reading through trivia on imdb there's a mention that Henry Fonda complained that the NYC backdrops through the jury room windows looked rubbish and fake. They do, however even before I'd read this bit of trivia I was thinking this actually worked well, heightening even more the sense of isolation, that until these men reach their conclusion the outside world may as well not be real.
I'll definitely be watching this brilliant film again.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by J Harker

Twelve Angry Men. Sidney Lumet. 1957.

During a blazing hot day in New York City, the twelve jurors of a seemingly open and shut murder case must reach a conclusion when one of their number refuses to go along with a guilty verdict.
Sidney Lumets riveting drama is often written up as being a courtroom drama, this isn't really accurate in my mind as only a few seconds at the start of the film take place in the courtroom. The remaining 90 or so minutes take place entirely in a single room while the frustrated jurors, all men, the twelve angry men of the title deliberate. Henry Fonda in a brilliant and measured performance is the sole juror, Juror No.8 who insists the men look into matters further. The other eleven all have varying reasons from prejudice, narrow mindedness to one guy who simply doesn't care and wants to get to baseball game and will go with whichever opinion gets him out of there the quickest.
What ensues feels more like a whodunnit as Fondas character gradually digs deeper into the evidence presented. Persuading each of the men to examine if they're really willing to send a boy to his death in the name of peer pressure or to simply catch a ball game.
First time watch for me this classic, and I can see easily why it's held in high regard.
The camerawork in the confines of a single room is wonderful, really evoking the sense of claustrophobic tension. Reading through trivia on imdb there's a mention that Henry Fonda complained that the NYC backdrops through the jury room windows looked rubbish and fake. They do, however even before I'd read this bit of trivia I was thinking this actually worked well, heightening even more the sense of isolation, that until these men reach their conclusion the outside world may as well not be real.
I'll definitely be watching this brilliant film again.

It's a crying shame that films like this don't get the bells and whistles collectors edition treatment that stuff like House on the Edge of the Park or Deadly Games gets.

[J Harker]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

It's a crying shame that films like this don't get the bells and whistles collectors edition treatment that stuff like House on the Edge of the Park or Deadly Games gets.

There's a Criterion release that I will likely pick up if its in a sale. I find Criterion can be a little overrated though as a label. Often way overpriced for fairly limited packages.

Sent from my SM-G780G using Tapatalk

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by J Harker

There's a Criterion release that I will likely pick up if its in a sale. I find Criterion can be a little overrated though as a label. Often way overpriced for fairly limited packages.

Sent from my SM-G780G using Tapatalk

Agreed.

I'd forgotten the Criterion edition to be honest. I shouldn't have as i had it in my basket at one point during the Criterion sale a few weeks back.

Criterion aren't all they are made out to be when it comes to supplemental material.

[MrBarlow]

Martin. 1977.

Young Martin believes he is a 84 year old vampire who travels to live with his cousin and quench his thirst for blood.

Martin manages to be both a disturbing psychological drama and a genuine horror movie at the same time that leaves it to the viewers imagination as to whether he is a vampire or suffering a mental health problem. John Amplas plays Martin who is given a set of rules by cousin Lincoln Maazel who insists on calling Martin Nosferatu and leaving cloves of garlic around his door.

Martin is a strange and bizarre low-budget vampire movie with a totally different story with some black and white sequences that can have you guessing as if they are real things that have happened or just imaginary with some voice over material and a interesting film opening on a train and a great finale.

I came across this two years ago on a upload on YouTube and wasn't the best, the 4K UHD release certainly is the dogs bollocks, sharper picture quality, great sound that you can get lost in whats happening around you.

Martinfilmposter.jpg

[MrBarlow]

Ghosrbusters. 1984.

Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis play the parasycholigist ghost hunters who get spooked by a ghost in a library and go into business for themselves after being kicked out of their campus. Was funny back then as a child and still funny now to this day, poor Sigourney Weaver though getting hit on by Murray then a extra's hand coming up from the chair copping a feel. Rick Moranis does have that creepy loud hearing neighbour ears that you do want to try and avoid but never manage it. Ernie Hudson is the newest recruit who gives out the perfect phrase in a interview "if there is a steady paycheck in it, I'll believe anything you say".

With every film there is always one prick and here we get William Atherton playing the EPA guy who doesn't take kindly to be proving wrong and gets a few insults, apparently after filming he wasn't too popular with the audience and crowds of people wanting to punch him.

On the up side this has always been a great classic film, in 4K picture quality is not great but not terrible either but the sound is a let down, every so often it has to be turned up or down.


Ghostbusters-1984.jpg

[MrBarlow]

Chillers. 1987.

Five people stranded at a bus station decide to pass the time and tell ghost stories.

A woman receives swimming lessons from a ghost. A small boy on a camping trip realises his scout leader isn't so friendly. A woman who has a crush on a newscaster finds out he is a vampire. A man has the power to bring back the dead raises a serial killer. A professor of anthropology accidentally awakens the spirit of a Mexican creature that possesses the soul of a class student.

I saw a trailer for this back in the early 90s and never thought I'd find it but hey ho thank you to one of those online hidden streams here it is. This has the look that Troma had their hands on, unknown actors that can't act yet still entertaining. Most anthology movies always have a twist at the end but this has the twist at the end of the film like Dr. Terror's House Of Horror nice little touch. This is not a big budgeted movie but worth a look.

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[MrBarlow]

Down. 2001.

Dutch director Dick Maas gave us De Lift in 1983, almost 20 years later he went to America and gave us his own remake that he written and directed. James Marshall plays the lift engineer who's company Meteor Elevator has installed express lifts in the Millennium Building that is working on its own. Naomi Watts stars as the journalist who thinks something sinister is going on and teams with the engineer.

There is a good star cast with Ron Perlman as the company owner of the lifts, Edward Hermann as the building owner who rather concerned of money than accidents happening and Michael Ironside as the German electronics master who is using the lifts for his failed experiments. Maas does keep the original plot in the story and doesn't go over the top with the deaths except a security guard loosing his head...we are stark raving mad at times There is good build of tense moments and good creative deaths involved. Decent made remake.

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(a.k.a The Shaft)