What Films Have You Seen Recently?

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by J Harker

I don't buy many dvds any more but I fancy this. What's the pq like Dem?

Pretty good. It's a bit grainy during the opening boat chase scenes but the rest is fine. I suppose it's a different film stock that's used out on the water.

As i mentioned the English audio is very strong as well.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

I'm wondering if the Blue Underground release of Contraband is a different print to the Shameless release.

When watching the Shameless release last night i did notice what looked like hairs on the camera lenses both top and bottom of the screen during the opening boat scenes. However they aren't on the BU version.

Either they are different prints or have BU removed some picture detail from their release to eradicate this.

I'll compare the two tomorrow.

[Make Them Die Slowly]

DALLAS BUYERS CLUB. Matthew McConaughey is on skinny arse fire in this flick looking like Christian Bale in "The Machinist" but dressed as the cowboy from The Village People. This is fantastic stuff, with McConaughey playing a womanising, beer drinking, coke snorting cowboy suddenly faced with a diagnosis of HIV and 30 days to live. Rather than getting his affairs in order and dying, he comes out fighting, looking for alternative medications to those available at the time. However the main attraction of the film are his relationships with his doctor played by Jennifer Garner and his business partner played by Jared Leto. Leto is a revelation as a cross dressing gay man with a Marc Bolan fixation. Tough and tender in equal measures, this comes highly recommended.

[Make Them Die Slowly]

HEARTSTOPPER. A film so bad I nipped to the corner shop for some milk and didn't bother pausing it. Sadly it was still going when I got back despite lingering in the shop flirting with the woman behind the counter.

ODD THOMAS. Pretty good little action/comedy/horror about a geezer who can sense evil in people. Fast paced and at it's centre is a sweet little love story. Worth a look if you have NetFlix.

[keirarts]

Waxwork.

The umpteenth time i've seen this and it never get boring! Shady David warner turns up in a rich beverly hills neighborhood with his waxorks and begins sacrificing teens to the exhibits in a bid to destroy the world.

Written and directed by Anthony Hickox The film also stars Patrick Macnee, Miles o'keefe, Zach Galligan, Deborah foreman and Twin peaks own Dana ashbrook. The plot itself really serves to give an excuse to delve into the directors own favorite horrors with werewolves, Zombies, Mummies, The phantom of the opera and the Marquis de Sade. The wide and varied horrors on display, with superb FX courtesy of Bob Keen help drive a film that is gorey, funny fast paced and surprisingly atmospheric in places with a superb score to boot.

It's still one of my favorites, the UK disc is widescreen but does not have the equally great Waxwork 2 that comes with the U.S release. Either way its one that's well worth seeking out.


PITCH BLACK.

A low budget Sci-fi that did good business when released and proved to be a big sleeper hit at the turn of the noughties. Set in a surprisingly bleak and unforgiving sci-fi universe, the film follows a group of survivors stranded on a planet that's facing a year of Darkness and contains hordes of photosensitive monsters that are sharpening their claws to eat them all.
The characters all do their best to defy expectations. The hero was prepared to dump the civilian passengers to save her own ass. The bounty hunter is a drug addicted bastard and the central character Richard Riddick is a seeming sociopath who actually threatens to show some decency once in a while. Re-visiting the film on Blu after a good few years its still an entertaining little film that never outstays its welcome.

Dark fury.

Peter Chung (Aeon Flux) got given this short animated project that attempts to bridge the gap between Pitch black and chronicles of Riddick. The dark universe Riddick inhabits is perfect material for the sensibilities of chung. The film ends up being and entertaining slice of animation that gives us a look at some of the wilder ideas for the setting they had but could not pull off in live action.

Chronicles of Riddick.

After Pitch black was a lot more successful than anyone expected, Vin diesel and director David Twohy got free reign and a decent enough budget to attempt to expand the riddick setting and create a 'dark star wars'.

The result was widely panned by critics thanks to some crazy dialogue and a plot that is at best inconsistent. Its something of a vanity piece for Diesel who even made sure Dame Judy dench got a major role because he was a fan.

That said I really, really like COR. Sure the directors cut features some even odder and occasionally out of place scenes but the film is actually pretty entertaining. The necromonger armies are actually well realised and the film retains the harsh and often violent universe Riddick exists in.

Sure the film could have done with a little script doctoring and the film isn't a bona fide masterpiece but its very entertaining and at least retains the charm of films like galaxy of terror.

Next up is riddick....

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Make Them Die Slowly

HEARTSTOPPER. A film so bad I nipped to the corner shop for some milk and didn't bother pausing it. Sadly it was still going when I got back despite lingering in the shop flirting with the woman behind the counter.

Is that the Englund one?

I really enjoyed that the first time i saw it. Second time, thought it was terrible, i think i used the FFW quite a bit.

Not gone back for a third go.

[Make Them Die Slowly]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

Is that the Englund one?

I really enjoyed that the first time i saw it. Second time, thought it was terrible, i think i used the FFW quite a bit.

Not gone back for a third go.

Yep, that is the one. The only thing of interest in the whole film was how did the heroine keep her knickers so white when the rest of her and her clothing was drenched in blood.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Make Them Die Slowly

Yep, that is the one. The only thing of interest in the whole film was how did the heroine keep her knickers so white when the rest of her and her clothing was drenched in blood.

Robert Englund and good films aren't things that really go together in my humble opinion.

Sorry Elm St fans.

[Susan Foreman]

Originally Posted by Make Them Die Slowly

The only thing of interest in the whole film was how did the heroine keep her knickers so white when the rest of her and her clothing was drenched in blood.

It's a special ability us girls have!

I could explain, but being a boy, you wouldn't understand

[Demoncrat]

World War Z. South Park did it better.

The Purge. Hurry up South Park, so you can do it better, Youre Next far the more exciting film imho...

Safe (Boaz Yakin, 2012) (EOne UK dvd)
Bought this out of Lidl at weekend, so quick rewatch for this, noticed this time he actually takes out two henchmen with the dinner plate cough....

The Prophecy (1995, Gregory Widen) (Dimension UK dvd). This tale of redemption and faith hasn't aged well imo, mainly due to the ST which grounds it in it's era sadly, and Koteas' wig which is obvious in extremis. Walken still great but felt that its chequered history gets in the way.....wasn't it originally known as In Gods Army etc??

Parker (Taylor Hackford, 2013). Watched this with the comm, which is very very dull, due to Hackford's lack of realisation that most film fans are aware that films aren't documentaries ahem.