What Films Have You Seen Recently?

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by bizarre_eye@Cult Labs

It's still a decent score! I be a harsh rater too after all...

No, not the MM release but I will certainly be picking it up in the hopefully not-too distant future as it was certainly an interesting watch.

Oh okay then. Mind now at rest.

[bizarre_eye@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

Oh okay then. Mind now at rest.

I'm not saying you'll actually like it though.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Murder Obsession (1981)

Riccardo Freda's intriguing giallo is a mish mash of ideas and genres. From knife wielding giallo mystery to full blown Gothic horror, Murder Obsession is something of a delight.

Playing out something akin to Poe or even Agatha Christie once the cast are assembled at an old Gothic mansion, home to Anita Strindberg and her butler.

Freda adds some bizarre hallucinatory imagery to proceedings, including Silvia Dionisio stripped and knifed on a cross and most memorably having her run through a weird, creepy, woodland where the branches tear at her clothes and flesh, leaving her naked and screaming. Of course Riccardo Freda is no stranger to Gothic films having directed I' Vampiri, The Horrible Dr. Hichcock and The Ghost, therefore his set pieces are a highlight of the movie.

The giallo elements are strong, with the black gloved killer on the prowl throughout, especially when drowning Laura Gemser in the bath or indeed cutting her open in the woods (obviously she wasn't actually drowned though). The film also sports some incestuous overtones between Strindberg and her son, Michael, as played by Stefano Patrizi. In fact it's the mother / son relationship that is key to the whole film.

At times the gorgeous Strindberg seems miscast. At 43 she is only 12 years older than Patrizi in real life, and never seems like the ailing matriarch she is supposedly playing. Despite this possible miscasting she is easily the best thing about the film, her character being sly and manipulative as well as incredibly sexy. In fact with her, Gemser and Dionisio on frequent show the film is never short of eye candy.

Gory and sleazy, Murder Obsession is a fine example of a later giallo thriller.

The print used by Raro for their region 1 dvd is quite beautiful to look at.

Recommended.

[J Harker]

Deadpool. Not convinced. Breaking the fourth wall is one thing. Knocking it down and taking a shit on it is another.
I like films to be films, for me it would have been better played a little straighter.

[iank]

Saw Deadpool at the cinema today. Good fun; it's not the greatest movie ever made and it doesn't entirely reinvent the comic book wheel but it's still a nicely refreshing, cheeky and violent take on the genre. Fun if already overrated.

[keirarts]

Originally Posted by J Harker

Deadpool. Not convinced. Breaking the fourth wall is one thing. Knocking it down and taking a shit on it is another.
I like films to be films, for me it would have been better played a little straighter.

Trouble is it wouldn't be Deadpool then. Played straight he's quite generic and tedious.

Jupiter Ascending

Quick! before Warners realise! The Wachowski's keep losing money hand over fist on critically reviled films that no one sees yet they still manage meta budgets for gloriously daft pieces of fluff like this. Mila Kunis plays Jupiter Jones, a Russian immigrant to America who discovers she's the genetic 'reincarnation' of the mother to a family of intergalactic corporate monsters along the line of space-borgias who seed and harvest entire planets to gain the life essence to produce a life prolonging drug. Rescued from an attempted assassination attempt by Caine (Channing Tatum) a dog-human hybrid, she must navigate the perils of dealing with her 'family' in order to save the earth. It's a dumb film in many ways, the dialogue has is laden with exposition to the point of stupidity, the effects in spite of the obvious expense look a little fake and the whole thing smacks of a lot of ideas with little focus. One sequence has Jupiter dealing with a kafka-esque bureaucracy in order to become recognised as royalty and ends with a cameo from Terry f***** Gilliam!
I have to say for all its flaws I sort of enjoyed it, I have a taste for Flash Gordon style overblown extravagance with no sense of Irony, and this fitted the bill finely. Also Kudos to Eddie Redmayne, his characters name escapes me but I have dubbed him Darth caligula for the archness of his performance as a screaming pantomime nutter.

Four lions


Given the habit of films like the forthcoming London has fallen to depict Islamic terrorists as evil geniuses on a murder rampage, its enjoyable to re-visit this, which in spite of being a comedy is probably closer to the reality than any of these overblown thrillers ever will be. Essentially following a group of thick twats as they plot to stage a suicide bombing, director Chris Morris manages to show the sheer absurdity of these characters and the ultimate hypocrisy and pointless tragedy of their cause. In the hands of someone else this wouldn't of worked, we would most likely have ended up with an ernest drama, (ernest goes Jihad?) however this film really delivers.

[Frankenhooker]

The Martian - A really enjoyable way to spend a couple of hours. I had a smile on my face for the entire running time, just fantastic fun, not what I was expecting at all. I was expecting something a bit po-faced, a film that took itself too seriously. While the film was full of pop-science, it was also very funny. Matt Damon carried the film wonderfully helped by an exceptional cast.

Ridley's best film for some time.

Solid 8/10.

[J Harker]

Originally Posted by keirarts

Trouble is it wouldn't be Deadpool then. Played straight he's quite generic and tedious.

I get that K. I'm not saying play it totally straight at all. It was just too self aware for my liking, taking the piss out of Hugh Jackman and even Ryan Reynolds himself. The asides to the camera are fine until Deadpool starts openly acknowledging its a film.
That said i did enjoy the film. Just thought it could have been better.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Frankenhooker

The Martian - A really enjoyable way to spend a couple of hours. I had a smile on my face for the entire running time, just fantastic fun, not what I was expecting at all. I was expecting something a bit po-faced, a film that took itself too seriously. While the film was full of pop-science, it was also very funny. Matt Damon carried the film wonderfully helped by an exceptional cast.

Ridley's best film for some time.

Solid 8/10.

Nice review sir.

Your words make me want to watch the film now.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by keirarts

Four lions


Given the habit of films like the forthcoming London has fallen to depict Islamic terrorists as evil geniuses on a murder rampage, its enjoyable to re-visit this, which in spite of being a comedy is probably closer to the reality than any of these overblown thrillers ever will be. Essentially following a group of thick twats as they plot to stage a suicide bombing, director Chris Morris manages to show the sheer absurdity of these characters and the ultimate hypocrisy and pointless tragedy of their cause. In the hands of someone else this wouldn't of worked, we would most likely have ended up with an ernest drama, (ernest goes Jihad?) however this film really delivers.

I think Four Lions is a superb film, but i think many would disagree that a bunch of thick twats could have caused the mayhem in Paris last year and it was a well worked out plan, suggesting the overblown thrillers are closer to reality.