What Films Have You Seen Recently?

[gag]

Society of the snow.

The film is in Spanish, with subtitles or in English (of course)

Just wow, where do you start on this,

The true story of the survivors from the plane crash in the early 70s in the Andes mountains,

Directed by J. A. Bayona who was also behind the Impossible, another true story,

To get the story as close as possible they read books, study it, interview the survivors who alive today etc etc.


It won 12 awards including Best Picture and Best Director at the 38th Goya Awards. At the 96th Academy Awards, it was nominated for the Best International Feature Film, representing Spain, and Best Makeup and Hairstyling.

And it deserves every one of them and some,

The film is a cinematic masterpiece in every sense, the story, tension, atmosphere, grittiness, backdrop and trying to be as realistic as possible,

At times you feel claustrophobic with some of the scenes just as if you was there,

The avalanches etc was shown from the perspective of first person view as if you was experiencing it,

The scene of the plane crashing might have only been a min or two long but the scene of it crashing is worth the experience alone, it's was harrowing.

Forget Tom cruise, Pacino, De Niro or any other Hollywood star the acting is this is top notch and can't be beaten and proves you don't need Hollywood and their money to make a film to perfection.

Tells you how they tried to survive and how they all stuck together and the things they did to cheer themselves up when times where hard,

And how they managed to be saved because 2 of the survivors spent 10 days trekking across the mountains.

It doesn't show scenes of them cutting up the dead bodies for food it's all told in story telling the rest is just left to your own imagination.

It's a miracle anyone survived 2 weeks out in those torrential conditions let alone 2 month +.

This film needs to be experienced on Big screen instead of straight to streaming because I honestly don't think you'd feel the full effect of the film. (I'm ok I've got a 65inch in a small room, but not everyone has)

Just sadly they didn't give you any write up with at the end which would have been a nice touch if you didn't know the story like a lot of films do.

A genuine harrowing masterpiece 11 out of 10, 100% recommended.

[Frankie Teardrop]

For some inexplicable reason I've been grabbed by an urge to watch the entire 'Paranormal Activity' series. I used to despise found footage flicks but recently I've mellowed on them a bit as I find their slight 'throwaway' quality means I can watch without expectations, and there is a rough abrasiveness to some of them that I do quite like. Anyway, here is part one of my findings...

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY - First of the bunch at least uses the FF format with a bit of flair. The minimal set-up - one house, a couple and a handful of incidental characters - makes for an increasingly claustrophobic atmosphere as a woman at the centre of some odd goings on starts to panic about demonic possession. It's to PA's benefit that they don't overdo it with the horror stuff, relying on minimal visuals, sound, and the characters' horrified reactions over special effects. A few scenes - the discovery of a burned photograph in a loft, Katie's frequent sleepwalking - are genuinely eerie. There aren't all that many jump scares, and the gathering unease is helped along by two strong performances that cement the feeling of a shadow spreading itself beneath the shallows of the everyday. Quite liked overall, solid start.

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2 - Continues the formula of simmering vibes plus the odd jump scare (I'm glad it's not totally jump scare reliant, which sometimes seems to be the default mode of many a found footage flick and gives me a good excuse not to like them). A new family, a new house - this time events centre on the sister of Katie from the first in the series, and the two films are linked through some deft orchestration that, as well as being impressively layered, provides quite a bleak reason for that burned photo in the loft. Wall mounted security cameras are the excuse for found footage here; there's something about the wide-angled perspective thing that I find quite oppressive and a bit claustrophobic, so I quite enjoyed the strained atmos between the expected banging and bits where objects appear oh so spookily out of place. As with number one, a lot of the creep factor just comes from well-performed, unforced-seeming interactions between people who feel a sense of something going wrong in the background. More diversions, more characters and slight sense of diminishing returns slipping in might explain why it lacks the minimalist energy of the first, but still an alright watch.

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 3 - Off to the eighties as we delve into the backstory behind Katie's family and their issues with the paranormal. The film stumbles in not having era-specific found footage - it all looks like it was filmed in HD and not an appropriately scummy VHS cam of the kind that would make an appearance in, well, VHS ('85). Aside from that, it's a case of rinse and repeat as we're served up more sinister rumblings and door slammings, either of which might be interrupted at any moment by something falling off a shelf. Hey, I'm not knocking the minimalist approach, it's better than crap CGI demons, and there is one lovely bona fide visual horror 'gag' involving a sheet ghost. One thing I've noticed and find quite amusing about found footage movies, at least the non-totally sloppy ones, is that for certain scenes to work, quite a lot of art and contrivance goes into making sure there's a camera in the right place at the right moment. The more they rig it to make narrative sense, the more it feels fabricated and a bit silly - see the opportunistic use of a lazy Susan here.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Jigsaw (2017)

Almost a stand alone eighth chapter in the Saw series. A film which almost provides the quirkiest twist in the franchise until you remember how these films are structured.

As usual the traps are fun and inventive but perhaps not quite as salaciously bloody as previous entries. There's nothing new here and there is only one recurring character seen on screen (You can probably guess which one) but Jigsaw is an enjoyable if unnecessary entry in the long running chain of horror.

[MrBarlow]

Exam. 2009.

8 candidates have reached the final stage to apply for a higher position in a company all they have to do is answer a question. Soon tension rises and who to trust become a major factor.

Shot on a low budget with one single room for the set and a assortment of different people giving some rules or be disqualified, one person realises that one rule was never made and sets off the chain reaction that makes the participants think they can succeed in the test and rise the corporate ladder. Come the 20 minute mark, some candidates come up with interesting ideas with the blank sheet of paper and then takes a turn on who can you truly trust if you want them as a co team worker. The acting is decently done with some good writing and direction with a decent twist in the end. May mot be for everyone but would encourage to check it out.

MV5BNDg2NzM2NzIwNF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwODE2ODc1Mg@@._V1_.jpg

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

The Flash (2023)

Largely enjoyable time travel / multiverse entry into the DC superhero franchise in which Barry Allen aka The Flash travels back in time to prevent his mother's death, which unintentionally results in him being stranded in an alternate past. A past in which there's no Justice League of superheroes and things are becoming really screwed up by a being known as General Zod.

The time travel aspect is a conundrum as it really bogs it down in the final third but also brings about a welcome series of cameo appearances from familiar faces. The rest of the film however is a witty fast paced delve into the character of The Flash with the much maligned Ezra Miller really good in the roles of two Barry Allen's. It's also fantastic to welcome the return of Michael Keaton as a world weary if not wiser Batman (As well as Danny Elfman's classic score from the Batman films circa 1989-97) during the second half of the film.

Along with Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021) this proves a fitting, cameo crazy, ending to the Snyder DC-verse.

[nicholasrope]

Boy Kills World

Set is a dystopian future, a man (Bill Skarsgarrd) who's mute, deaf and has the story narrated by a Arcade Game Voiceover, seeks revenge against the ruling family who murdered his mother and sister. He is trained by a Shaman and links up with a couple of Revolutionaries. Similar in tone as Hobo With A Shotgun and Turbo Kid, this is has an interesting concept, is very violent (A scene with a cheese grater is particular wince inducing) but unfortunately at around 110 minutes, it is too long. If it was 20 minutes shorter, it would have been so much more enjoyable.

However the training scenes are really good, it is funny and as I've said, delivers on the gore that was promised. Famke Jannson, Andrew Koji and Sharlto Copley co-star.

It is worth a go though if this sort of thing interests you.

[MrBarlow]

The Antichrist. 1974.

Carla Gravina plays a paralysed woman who wants to be cured of her disability and goes under hypnosis only for her to have a vision of her past life as a witch and becomes possessed.

I first saw this film last year and fairly enjoyed it and after buying the new Studio Canal release I enjoyed it a second time round. Yeah it is a Exorcist rip-off but it's done decently and a interesting story of possession and how it happens. The movie has a very good and creepy soundtrack done by Ennio Morricone. If it weren't for the soundtrack this movie would not have been very good as it does help create the dark atmosphere. One of the leading stars in the movie is the infamous Mel Ferrer who has been in a few Italian horror flicks. This exploitation picture displays eerie horror , witchcraft , grisly killings , bestiality , satanism and lots of blood and gore, and hot peas soup being brought up and a long flight of stairs outside a house. Fan of the Exorcist rip offs will certainly enjoy this one.

5b5b9afe-0305-4ecf-a101-a38dcfe42699.jpg

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Outlander (2008)

Kainan, a man from a far off world crash lands in 709AD Norway and has unwittingly let loose a vicious alien creature known as the Moorwen which was being held on his ship.

The predator begins to terrorise the locals so Kainan joins forces with the Viking community in an attempt to recapture or kill the creature.

There's much to enjoy here even if the best parts of the film do seem pilfered from other sources such as the poem Beowulf as well as the likes of Predator and Alien. The cast including Jim Caviezel as Kainan, Jack Huston, Sophia Myles and Ron Perlman give the film an energetic vibrancy whilst John Hurt as the grizzled warrior chief is seemingly having a lot of fun.

The location sets work well and have a realistic muddy look to them although extremely reminiscent of John McTiernan's The 13th Warrior, but that's not a bad thing in my book.

I suppose the film is best summed up by how i bought it. A pound at the local Air Ambulance shop. Ideal to upgrade my dvd to Blu-ray at that price and an enjoyable couple of hours viewing once more last night, but probably not the kind of film i'd actively seek out and pay seven or eight quid for.

Now, i wonder if The 13th Warrior is available on Blu-ray?

[iank]

Cherry Falls. A small town is plagued by a serial killer targeting virginal teens, prompting the high school brigade to organise their own orgy! Brittany Murphy and Michael Biehn star in this 2000 slasher flick that has gained a cult following since. I recall not thinking much to it at the time, and while I can see why it's better than most of the stuff coming out today. Forgettable but entertaining enough, and Murphy is very cute.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

A miserable, cold, wet and windy Monday night and Milly and i curled up and just watched Pretty Woman (1990) for the very first time...and loved it.

Who'd a thought it?