What Films Have You Seen Recently?

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

7 Seconds (2005)

Over complicated Romanian set and shot actioner with Wesley Snipes and Tamzin Outhwaite. Something about a heist gone wrong and the theft of a newly discovered Van Gogh. Who knows? Who cares?

Danny Dyer's mate Tamar Hassan plays a Romanian henchman.

Watching this dvd made me decide it's better to plan what i want to watch rather than leaving it until last thing and picking any old crap off the shelf out of sheer frustration. So that's what i've done before tea. Carefully selected crap off the shelves.

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021)

I have the two-hour theatrical version and the relative brevity works in terms of pacing but is detrimental to character and relationship development.

Your review is making me seriously consider buying the extended version.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Nosferatu@Cult Labs

I have the two-hour theatrical version and the relative brevity works in terms of pacing but is detrimental to character and relationship development.

Your review is making me seriously consider buying the extended version.

It's definitely one i'll return to and makes the original Whedon version redundant.

I do feel they missed a trick not playing the song Born to Be Wild when the villain Steppenwolf was on screen.

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

It's definitely one i'll return to and makes the original Whedon version redundant.

I do feel they missed a trick not playing the song Born to Be Wild when the villain Steppenwolf was on screen.

Although I know they took their name from a 1929 German novel, I found the villain's name slightly amusing because of the musical link.

[J Harker]

The Snyder cut feels superior to the Whedon cut in every possible way. And for my money doesn't feel much longer. Positively flies by. It sets up a universe I'd like to see more of so its a shame that that version of the DCU is now done.
I love Man of Steel, thought it was a superb take on the origin story, sadly the sequel BbS was a dire mess of a film. Which is why it was a joy to see Snyder pull things back together with his Justice League.

Sent from my SM-G780G using Tapatalk

[Susan Foreman]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

I do feel they missed a trick not playing the song Born to Be Wild when the villain Steppenwolf was on screen.

It's a bit cliche!

They could have been obscure and played the Hawkwind song instead

[Demoncrat]

Raven (1996, Russell Soleburg)

Burt Reynolds caper.
Some dudes go on a mission, some dudes don't come back.
A year later, we find out that Burt isn't one of them. Some dudes are still waiting for some tech from said mission, so send some dudes after him. Stuff blows up.
Was fun to watch him play this kind of role, though it's rather rote compared to his performance the previous year in The Maddening
Ahem.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Night of the Devils (1972)

I'd seen this a couple of times previous and never really got on with it. Basically because it's not Bava's Black Sabbath (1963) segment The Wurdulak which is one of my all time favourites of Gothic horror.

As you may have guessed Night of the Devils is also based on Tolstoy's story The Wurdulak but is set in the present day or at least the present day in 1972.

I guess it must be a case of third time lucky as i really enjoyed it last night. Although not Gothic it's certainly Gothic tinged set as it is in a remote woodland home, populated by a creepy family, including Agostina Belli's lovely daughter, who right from the off when they are burying a bloodied corpse in the trees obviously have something to hide when Gianni Garko turns up at dusk, his car having broken down. I won't say what the secret is but those who have seen Bava's film will know anyway.

Director Giorgio Ferroni allows the story to develop in a slow burn style. For the first hour there's not an awful lot of horror going on other than a bit of strange mystery and Garko attempting to get his car started whilst falling in love with Belli (Busy fella), but it is infused with hallucinogenic flashbacks of strong gore and T&A melded together by an eerie composition from Deep Red's Giorgio Gaslini which give the film a surreal edge until the final third when Garko aside, one and all seemingly become....

Maddeningly i enjoyed Night of the Devils so much i'd now quite like the recently released Blu-ray from Raro / Radiance Films even though the US Raro dvd i viewed had excellent image quality anyway.

[Demoncrat]

Doppelganger (1993, Avi Nesher)

Drew Barrymore caper.
When the names that comprise KNB are in the credits, you sit up a bit I've found.
An aspiring writer takes in a new roomate. She ... has a past ahem. What he eventually learns about it is ... unique cough
I will recommend this one, if only in that seeing it through is an experience. His writing partner is a scream, in an old fashioned sort of way imho. An oddity.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Gang War in Milan (1973)

Antonio Sabato plays a Milanese greengrocer (for want of a better word) who acts as a notorious pimp at nights. When Phillipe Leroy's French drug lord tries to do a deal with him to sell heroin via his girls. Sabato refuses as his cut would be a meager 30% which brings about a turf war between Sabato and other Sicilian gangs as well as the French crime lord.

One of director Umberto Lenzi's none gore films, although there is some strong violence along the way such as electro torture and breast mutilation. Lenzi gives us a solid if unspectacular crime saga where we are supposed to root for a pimp. Really? He's probably the least amoral of any character. Although Sabato does play him with a certain amount of sleazy charm and he even manages to date Marisa Mell, who sadly is wasted in little more than a few elongated cameo appearances.

There's also a lack of car chases which definitely goes against Gang War in Milan, but plenty of bullet strewn shoot outs and one or two nice plot deviations and twists. Ultimately Gang War in Milan is an enjoyable film but nowhere near the top of the Poliziotteschi genre.

I rewatched the Raro US dvd to see if i wanted to upgrade to the new Raro / Radiance Blu-ray. With the dvd looking as nice as it does and the films none classic status, i'll probably just stick to the dvd.