What Films Have You Seen Recently?

[MrBarlow]

A while back I posted a blog about doing unseen movies and I didn't title the comments as unseen...my bad, upto now seen 29 films that I have either seen bits of or never managed to watch all the way through, so slowly making my way through a big list.

Frances. 1982.

Jessica Lange portrays Frances Farmer. a young girl who pursues her dream of fame and fortune in Hollywood but has several outbursts and arrests and then involuntary incarceration in a mental institute and tries to go back to gain the limelight again.

I have never read the book so I can't compare it to the film, however having read on how she was treated being institutionalised, a few people have said that it was accurately portrayed and being pimped out and abused by staff. There was a rumour going around that Farmer was lobotomised and for a number of years that went around and was a false statement. Jessica Lange's performance is amazing to watch and and the film does tend to have some blink and miss moments or her naked body and a reporter approaching Farmer is she does sleep in the nude.

What makes this worth seeing is the acting. No one is bad but Lange and Kim Stanley are just superb (both were nominated for Oscars for this and never won). Stanley plays the loving, caring mother role to the hills as you see the darkness in her that she tries to cover up her daughter's mental health.

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[Frankie Teardrop]

CANNIBAL CAMPOUT - For god's sake never tell a cannibal you're pregnant, you'll end up in a gag that goes something like "now there's a womb with a view!". That gag appears in 'Cannibal Campout', and it's about as hilarious as the bit where someone mentions "I think I saw some blood on that cloth", and then ten minutes later says "yes, I've definitely found some blood this time." 'Cannibal Campout' is a relatively well known shot-on-video flick from the late eighties. Some college kids go on a camping trip and find that the woods are where a trio of comedy cannibals get their wretched kicks. Tonally, it walks a tightrope between mirth (a lot of it unintentional) and a weird sense of doom. Lots of shots of wind in the trees combine with cheap eighties synths, bad edits and wonky facial expressions to conjure a haze of meanings that aren't really there. Little throwaways like cannibals eating with their mouths full are cute, as is some of their banter. Look past the stiff acting and repetition and you'll find some really grotty gore waiting for you at the end. Watching it again after some years I quite enjoyed it, but like one of the characters says several times in a row, "we've got to get out of these woods."

DEVIL'S KISS - Pure Eurocine, by which I mean it goes for sexy horror thrills, ends up like a soap opera where nothing really happens but then somehow mesmerises with a load of dreamy nonsense. Some people are in a big gothic castle... etc. A sort of Frankenstein appears after a while. It's as snoozy as hell, but I liked it. It's a film of fragments, images that spin the mind before releasing it back to torpor. A dwarf dreams of a blue lit nude on horseback before Frankenstein strangles him. Earlier, Silvia Solar tried to seduce that same dwarf by undressing in a mirror. It didn't work, and neither does the scientist who looks like Peston and just happens to be telepathic. Characters occasionally stop the film to deliver little explanations - "looks like we hid the dwarf and the coffin in time, that's why no-one realises it's us - whew!" - when they're not spouting dialogue made up of cod scientific gobbledegook that verges on experimental theatre. The lack of tension and meaning should automatically consign it to the oblivion of duds, but it's all wrapped up in candlelight, crumbling archways and an organ drone soundtrack, plus of course there's some random nakedness for anyone who likes sleaze in castles. You could imagine Franco doing it, but it would be more warped and shorter.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Saw III (2006)

Continuing the story from the first two films Saw III is unfortunately over long at almost two hours. Concentrating mainly on the relationship between Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) and protege Amanda (Shawnee Smith) as Angus Macfadyen has to negotiate a series of deadly traps in order to get to the person who killed his son in a hit and run accident.

The story is intricately put together and seemingly unrelated strands bleed into one another, it's all cleverly put into place like a yes, jigsaw. Unfortunately whilst watching it does seem like a film built on flashback after flashback which does become a little stale and negate any tension built up despite these flashbacks showing what happened following the first film. However it's the traps we watch Saw films for and once again they don't let you down, and here they are even more extreme. However none can compete with the crash course in brain surgery which once seen can never be unseen.

[MrBarlow]

Capote. 2005.

Novelist Truman Capote reads about a family in Kansas that have been killed and he decides to work on a fictionalised novel of the killing and strikes up a friendship with one of the killers Perry Smith.

The story deals with this controversy between Capote and Smith with beautiful ambiguity, I have heard stories of Capote and his views on people and wasn't really expecting this to be any good but I was certainly wrong. Phillip Seymour Hoffman has pulled off simply cannot be overpraised, first he accomplishes a perfect imitation, the voice, the gestures, the walk. Then, within this caricature, he delivers a startlingly complex and subtle performance as the writer. Catherine Keener plays Nelle as the perfect assistant/friend, warm and caring but so perceptive and cruelly honest. Clifton Collins Jr.'s Perry is mesmerising, a vulnerable and sensitive and desperately yearning young man who knows he's no good. His confession is breathtaking, cold and yet devastating. From a slow start to a perfect film.

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[MrBarlow]

Deep Impact. 1998.

A comet is is discovered to be on a collision course with Earth, a group of astronauts are sent up to explode the comet in space. When that fails, the Earth begins to prepare for doomsday.

This was in competition with Armageddon which shows near the same (I haven't watched Armageddon in a few years), comet on collision, people sent up to destroy it, one film shows the winners and the other film shows what can happen when the plans go to shit, yet people say their farewells to their loved ones.

Elijah Wood is the discoverer of the comet along with Leelee Sobieski who sends the finds to a professional astronomer who then doesn't quite make it to the destination and both are assumed dead, but only one is alive, that was a bit of usual politics mix up. Morgan Freeman is the U.S. President who seems calm but you can tell he is almost touching cloth. T?a Leoni has like strained father/daughter relationship with father Maximilian Schell and as they make up its it's like woosh "Surprise MotherF@ckers" with the comet that kinda got a bit of a laugh from me when it shouldn't. The acting is good and can never complain seeing Robert Duvall on screen, think this is the "now I have watched it fully, that's it" movie pile.

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[MrBarlow]

Dead Man Walking. 1995.

Based on a true story of a nun who comforted a death row inmate who empathises with the killer and the families of his victims.

The film evolves round religion and justice, everyone says "Eye For A Eye", everyone wants to see justice done yet Sean Penn's character really wants to save his skin and soul yet manages to have the audience think did he really pull the trigger or did his accomplice do it all. Susan Sarandon plays Sister Helen who strikes up a friendship with the death row inmate and tries to be comfort for the prisoner yet is torn between her faith with supporting her new friend yet trying to be supportive with the families, who tries to get the actual truth and try not to judge a lot of people while dealing with a lot of hate.

This may have not bee a easy movie to make for director Tim Robbins...yeah the geeky guy from Howard The Duck movie from the 80s but somehow manages to pull it off and keep you guessing with Penn's character is guilty or not. This is certainly one to watch and re-watch again.

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[Demdike@Cult Labs]

I saw those two at the cinema, Mr.B.

One was good but way too serious whilst the other was laughable.

We also saw another death row film around the same tine called Last Dance. Another you don't watch for a good time.`
`
Films often came round in pairs in the 90's. Two asteroid films - Deep Impact and Armageddon, Two death row films - Last Dance and Dead Man Walking. Two volcano films - Volcano and Dante's Peak. And so on.

[SymbioticFunction]

Watched Ghostbusters Frozen Empire. I had good fun with it despite the generally negative reviews. My wife also enjoyed seeing it. Afterlife was a better film so if you didn't like that, stay the hell away.

I did appreciate that it came up with a new villain and loved that you saw rather a lot of Dan Ackroyd playing Ray. It's not an especially funny film which may explain why many reviewers weren't keen on it. Not that jokes didn't land, more so that they rarely existed. It's certainly nothing groundbreaking but luckily it's still entertaining.

If I had to come up with a criticism, it would be that I found the squabbling family dynamic parts slightly tiresome. And there was a fair amount of that. I'd probably award 7/10, I'm sure it definitely helps the film if you happen to be a big fan of the franchise.

btw There's quite a lot in the trailers which didn't make it to the final cut so an extended version on home media would be appreciated.

[MrBarlow]

Full Moon High. 1981.

A popular high school footballer goes to Romania and is bitten by a werewolf. Travelling back to the states he tries to come to terms with what is happening.

Another werewolf film jumping on the bandwagon of AAWIL and The Howling, yet this one is more comedy than horror with Adam Arkin playing the popular jock. I could have sworn I had seen nearly every daft comedy/horror parody going but when you fall asleep with YouTube on in the background and wake up and see bits of this then you have to go back and watch it. There is some tongue in cheek humour but nothing to make you laugh out loud, Kenneth Mars is credited but doesn't quite get a lot of screen time and Alan Arkin as one of the worst psychologist ever going.

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[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Tightrope (1984)

An excellent if less heralded thriller in which Clint Eastwood, who isn't afraid to explore the darker side of his persona - See Play Misty For Me and The Beguiled for more examples - in which he plays a detective on the trail of a serial killer.

What makes this edgier is the killer and the cop share the same kinky sexual tastes and haunt the same sleazy New Orleans night time world.

Director Richard Tuggle makes great use of the Louisiana locations and extracts excellent performances from Eastwood and Genevieve Bujold as a rape councilor. The themes explored are as dark as the neo noir atmosphere created in what is a top level psychological thriller.