What Films Have You Seen Recently?

[MrBarlow]

Maniac Killer. 1987.

A murderous cult leader kidnaps young prostitutes and tortures them to purify their souls. Exterminator star Robert Ginty swaps his vigilante persona to a wealthy man living in France and has a penchant for young "Ladies of the evening" to save their souls while a recluse doctor Chuck Connors seems to be under investigation. Andrea Bianchi seemed to have toned down a lot or he was told to cool it with the gore but manages to slide in some moderate nudity and hands in some whipping every so often. This is a bit of a slow burner but not that slow it doesn't loose any interest.

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[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Conan the Barbarian (2011)

A frenetic updating of the eighties classic based on the Robert E Howard character which brings more blood and guts to the table but loses any semblance of humour and fails in the thankless task of replacing Arnold Schwarzenegger with the charisma free (at this stage) Jason Momoa.

The film looks great and the fighting nice and bloody but director Marcus Nispel proves once more he doesn't have much of a talent for actual story telling. Meanwhile co-stars Ron Perlman and to a lesser extent Rose McGowan and Stephen Lang - as a pair of generic cliched villains - are wasted.

A decent spectacle to watch but almost instantly forgettable.

[J Harker]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

Conan the Barbarian (2011)

A frenetic updating of the eighties classic based on the Robert E Howard character which brings more blood and guts to the table but loses any semblance of humour and fails in the thankless task of replacing Arnold Schwarzenegger with the charisma free (at this stage) Jason Momoa.

The film looks great and the fighting nice and bloody but director Marcus Nispel proves once more he doesn't have much of a talent for actual story telling. Meanwhile co-stars Ron Perlman and to a lesser extent Rose McGowan and Stephen Lang - as a pair of generic cliched villains - are wasted.

A decent spectacle to watch but almost instantly forgettable.

I watched this update/reimagining whatever you wish to call it in the early hours of a sleep deprived night. I enjoyed it for what it was, very easy entertainment that didn't require my brain. That said as you say Dem it's immediately forgettable and I've never had any great urge to watch it again.

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[Justin101]

Just a little bit of a catch-up, i've been quite busy lately, rewatched some films, watched some mini series, and a first time watch of a British comedy classic.

[nicholasrope]

Romancing The Stone

Kathleen Turner is a Novelist who's Sister is kidnapped in Colombia, so she has to travel there in order to exchange for a Treasure Map she was sent. Whilst there, she meets up with Michael Douglas and they decide to go after the treasure themselves but are hunted by other Treasure Hunters which includes Danny DeVito. First time I've seen this, it wasn't bad, kept me entertained but one of those that would have been better back in the day.

A Force Of One

When Drugs Squad Officers keep on getting attacked by someone who knows Karate, the Officer In Charge sends them to be trained by Karate Champion played by Chuck Norris to train them and to help with taking them down. Didn't pay much for the DVD so it got more leeway on whether I liked it or not and it was decent, Norris (In his pre Cannon days) oozes the charm and has decent fight scenes.

At Dawn They Sleep

Drug Dealers involved in a Drug War get turned into Vampires but get sucked into another battle between good and evil. Done on a very limited budget, the potential was there but couldn't execute. Decent gore for this kind of production though.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Duck, You Sucker! (1971)

Aka A Fistful of Dynamite, Sergio Leone's final western and it's not a patch on the other four. At over two and a half hours this tale of a Mexican bandit (Rod Steiger) teaming up with on the run IRA explosives expert James Coburn in order to rob banks and aid the revolution just doesn't have enough story to it to maintain interest.

The scene where the two meet is half an hour of oneupmanship that whilst fun does nothing for the stories pace and neither do the interminable but occasionally necessary flashbacks involving Coburn's life back home.

There's a frivolous feel to the film which works beautifully with Steiger's mischievous portrayal of the bandit in a role originally meant for Eli Wallach, but it doesn't allow for any tension and overall the film is slow and forgettable which can't be said for any of Leone's other westerns. Leone does give us some great explosions and there's also a memorable score from Ennio Morricone.

Having said all that and probably coming across as not liking the film much, i did want it in my collection on Blu-ray so i'm pleased to own it but there's no chance i'd choose it over Once Upon a Time in the West or The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.

[MrBarlow]

Breakheart Pass. 1973.

John Deaken is a prisoner being transferred by train, on board is a vaccine for diphtheria, along the way someone is killing off everyone on board one by one. Charles Bronson plays a mysterious outlaw who is held prisoner on the train, though there are plenty of clues that he may not be exactly who he says he is. Other well delineated characters are played by Richard Crenna, Jill Ireland, Archie Moore, and Ed Lauter. One truly amazing sequence involves a rooftop scuffle between Bronson and Moore. I went on a search for a Bronson movie to watch and this popped up, was hesitent about it, it is a bit of a drag but entertaining at the same time.

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[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by MrBarlow

Breakheart Pass. 1973.

John Deaken is a prisoner being transferred by train, on board is a vaccine for diphtheria, along the way someone is killing off everyone on board one by one. Charles Bronson plays a mysterious outlaw who is held prisoner on the train, though there are plenty of clues that he may not be exactly who he says he is. Other well delineated characters are played by Richard Crenna, Jill Ireland, Archie Moore, and Ed Lauter. One truly amazing sequence involves a rooftop scuffle between Bronson and Moore. I went on a search for a Bronson movie to watch and this popped up, was hesitent about it, it is a bit of a drag but entertaining at the same time.

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A bit of a drag? Are you crazy?

[MrBarlow]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

A bit of a drag? Are you crazy?

I found it a bit slow but won't stop me from re-watching it.

[Mojo]

DIE MONSTER DIE! ( 1965 )
A scientist arrives in the English village of Arkham to visit his fianc?e.
On arrival, after several warnings from locals, he discovers her father ( played by Boris Karloff ) is conducting strange experiments in his basement, while his disfigured wife hides away in her bedroom.

One of the first horror movies I ever saw on tv ( on my Aunt?s old black and white telly ! ). Watching it again after all these years on BFI?s lush new Blu Ray, it?s amazing to see how COLOURFUL it is!

Based on HP Lovecraft?s The Colour Out Of Space, whose work is notoriously difficult to film ( if you have read his stories, you?ll understand why ). I think this is a good stab at it, with creepy atmosphere and gruesome effects. Karloff?s eventual emergence as a silver faced monster has come in for criticism, but I still find it eerily effective. An underrated 60s gem, in my opinion.


ABSURD. ( 1981 )
George Eastman stars as a strange superhuman killer, being chased by a priest determined to stop the killings. The gory murders pile up, however, culminating in the attempted killing of a girl confined to her bed via some bizarre apparatus.

This film, along with ANTHROPOPHAGOUS THE BEAST, were legendary ?nasties? back in the day. Although ANTHRO has its moments, I?ve always thought ABSURD was the more consistently entertaining of the two.

Wonderful looking 4k ( with loads of extras ) from 88 Films.