What Films Have You Seen Recently?

[Justin101]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

The War Game (1965)

Peter Watkins' 1965 documentary about the effects of a nuclear attack on Britain. Specifically a Kent town some forty miles from any bomb detonation.

Scarily intense and extremely hard hitting i can understand why the government banned this film throughout the 60's, 70's and 80's - decades when the threat of nuclear war was something we constantly lived with. The reason it was banned was the realism of it all. I found the sheer power of it genuinely frightening some 50 years later. Some of the scenes are still disturbing such as children burning, looters being shot whilst desperately looking for food as well as graphic talking head accounts of events.

As with Culloden, Watkins other film on the BFI disc, The War Game is made using interviews done throughout the event of a nuclear strike, before, during and the aftermath of the fallout. The stark black and white photography and commentary of events from Michael Aspel and Dick Graham really force home the sheer terror and panic that must have ensued should such an event occur. The fact of the film were taken from historical documents from Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and the flattening of Berlin and Dresden during WW2. It's not just the dropping of the bombs but also the country's lack of any preparation in how to deal with such an event that is just as unnerving. One man thinks ten sandbags up against his front door will save him or a hole in the ground with a corrugated sheet over it would keep another family safe.

However the real skill of Watkins film is that whilst watching it you can't help think it actually happened rather than a fictional account. Anti nuclear propaganda it may well be, it's still the best horror film i've seen in years.

Highly recommended. Culloden / The War Game is the disc of the year so far.

The 2 clips which BFI have put on youtube and the reviews here Dem have made up my mind, I'm buying this disc, probably on the way home today when I grab Michael Mann's Thief

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

The War Game (1965)

That reminds me that I saw Threads for a couple of days ago for the first time, which is deserving of its place on any list of great horror films (recently the Time Out one) on which it appears. I suppose we like to kid ourselves that the threat of nuclear war was something which was only in the 1960s, '70s, and '80s, because we tend to forget how many countries currently have nuclear weapons and, because the weapons are more powerful than they were several decades ago, we are one dreadful misunderstanding away from complete annihilation.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Justin101

The 2 clips which BFI have put on youtube and the reviews here Dem have made up my mind, I'm buying this disc, probably on the way home today when I grab Michael Mann's Thief

Nice one, Justin. Hope you rate it as much as me.

It's £10.99 on Hmv's website. Just so you don't overpay.

[Justin101]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

Nice one, Justin. Hope you rate it as much as me.

It's £10.99 on Hmv's website. Just so you don't overpay.

I saw it in store on Friday and it was £10.99 too. I put it back because I wanted to read about it first, but I've done my research haha.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Justin101

I saw it in store on Friday and it was £10.99 too. I put it back because I wanted to read about it first, but I've done my research haha.

It's odd but i knew i just had to have it the moment it was announced. I've never seen either film before, but i could hear it calling me.

[Justin101]

Someone else bought Culloden in our HMV so I'll have to get it online, boo, I got Thief though so it wasn't a completely wasted trip!

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Justin101

Someone else bought Culloden in our HMV so I'll have to get it online, boo, I got Thief though so it wasn't a completely wasted trip!

HMV are very quick to deliver so if you ordered now i expect it will arrive on Wednesday.

[Justin101]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

HMV are very quick to deliver so if you ordered now i expect it will arrive on Wednesday.

I'm Amazon prime so it's coming tomorrow I'm really looking forward to it, as much as you can look forward to a fake documentary about nuclear war

I really enjoyed Punishment Park so I'm 100% sure this is going to go down well. I need to grab Privilege too but that can wait until next pay day.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Justin101

I'm Amazon prime so it's coming tomorrow I'm really looking forward to it, as much as you can look forward to a fake documentary about nuclear war

Fake documentary is the last thing you'll think when watching it.

[trebor8273]

Amazing film, great direction, acting, script and soundtrack. James Caan is a thief that only works with a small group of friends ( including James belushi, who looks more like elvis) until he's approached by mobster Leo(Robert Prosky) for the score of his life. Problems arise with Leo and his goons and Frank's ( Caan) crazy ass girlfriend. 10/10



A personal favourite of mine about bullied military academy student who gets his bloody revenge on those who have made his life hell with the help of an apple two computer and Satan, watched the extended cut that has some added gore and extra scenes but still don't understand how this film was ever banned as it's quite tame compared to most video nasties. 7.8/10



Very disappointing slasher, dreadful acting but that's not its biggest problem( many slashers suffer from poor acting) it's more to do with dreadfully slow pacing,lack of any sense of menace and the small amount of unaspiring kills. Picture quality is pretty poor, while not VHS quality(apart from a couple of scenes) as mentioned on Amazon it's definitely not HD, but I suppose with a film like this it's the best we will ever see. 3.7/10