What Films Have You Seen Recently?

[keirarts]

Hound of the Baskervilles.

An often overlooked and underappreciated take on the Conan Doyle tale with Ian Richardson as Sherlock Holmes and directed by the late great Douglas Hickox (theatre of blood) Intended as a franchise there is only one other film in the series thanks to the producer being pipped to the post by ITV's version with Jeremy Brett. The Brett Holmes is by far and away the best and I'll always have a soft spot for Cushing in the role, especially Hammers gothic take on the story. However this is still a reccomended version with one of the best versions of the hound itself.

Sign of four

No Douglas Hickox here so the story doesn't feel as lively but this is a decent enough film and a great take on the film with a pretty disturbing killer dwarf and some reasonably atmospheric funfair scenes. This one works well as a double bill with Hound but watch it first, it was made first and won't feel like an anticlimax. It has a different Watson than Hound and doesnt work as well.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Cub (2014)

I much prefer this Belgian films original title of Welp. It sounds far more comical yet oddly sinister at the same time which actually describes the film better. The tale of a group of cub scouts or welp's who go into the woods on a camping trip. It's not all fun for young Sam though whose picked on by the rest of the group. It's when Sam hears the campfire tale of the legend of Kai, a feral boy creature that haunts the woods, that things take a turn for the sinister.

Seeing as i love outdoor / backwoods horror this was always going to be a hit with me. Cub isn't heavy on the gore or any exploitative elements in particular, seemingly focusing on characters until the final half hour when it explodes in violence and weirdness. The buried bus complete with passengers was extremely creepy.

Sure there are flaws and one line where a cub leader casually insults a couple of French youths would see a British person hounded on Twitter for racist abuse for all eternity had they uttered it, however overlook them and Cub is a satisfying horror film with a seriously brilliant poster.

[keirarts]

Ninth configuaration

Looking lovely on Blu-ray, william peter blatty's meditation on faith and the existance of god is still an odd bird even after numerous views. There are no definitive cuts of the film but the one here comes closest to the best version. Its a comedic, almost absurdist film that also strays into exteme grief and trauma that can also feel a little heavy. Its set in a strange gothic castle somewhere in America, a place that cannot exist and feels like a setting to a traditional gothic horror where a new doctor played by Stacey Keach comes to take charge. I don't want to say too much for those who haven't seen it but I would definitely reccomend checking it out.

Warcraft

Wile not as confusing, messy or disjointed as the execrable Batman V superman this sword and sorcery 'epic' relies too much on a knowledge of the game and can feel a little confusing to someone who has wandered in knowing nothing. characters wander in and out of the plot and I would genuinely struggle to explain who half of them are. The effects are problematic in places and actually took me out of the film in places. Plus when you realise your being sold the trailer to a franchise its a little irritating. I wish they had removed some of the characters, thrown some T&A in its place and sold it as a throwback to some of the corman era trash classics.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by keirarts

Warcraft

Wile not as confusing, messy or disjointed as the execrable Batman V superman this sword and sorcery 'epic' relies too much on a knowledge of the game and can feel a little confusing to someone who has wandered in knowing nothing. characters wander in and out of the plot and I would genuinely struggle to explain who half of them are. The effects are problematic in places and actually took me out of the film in places. Plus when you realise your being sold the trailer to a franchise its a little irritating. I wish they had removed some of the characters, thrown some T&A in its place and sold it as a throwback to some of the corman era trash classics.

This sounds truly dreadful.

[keirarts]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

This sounds truly dreadful.

I was gutted as I really like Duncan Jones previous work. I would love to be able to reccomend it but I just can't. Best thing I can say is that its not the hot mess that Snyder made of BVS but thats as good as its going to get.

[TJ Doc]

Bone Tomahawk

Just sublime. Even though the digital cinematography can feel a little dry, it's more than made up for by the central quartet of stellar performances and a pace that's leisurely as hell yet never less than gripping.

Enough has been written about the film's third act, but yeah... "gruesome as f##k" would be putting it lightly.

[Cinematic Shocks]

The Panic in Needle Park (1971)

***1/2 out of *****

All Cheerleaders Die (2013)

** out of *****

[Prince_Vajda]

Independence Day (1996). A totally ridiculous story without any deeper meaning combined with lots of SFX that still look pretty neat today. Quite entertaining unless you have an aversion to smartass US presidents flying fighter jets.

Bottom line: the alien design is a bit of a letdown (totally unimaginative), and Jeff Goldblum obviously never evolved from his screen debut as a crook in Death Wish 2 (he either looks silly or boring, but I guess that's just me), but I did not switch off my telly and I can't deny that the film has its moments (e.g. the minutes during / after the first alien attack or the scene when the loony scientist meets the president for the first time in his life).

** 1/2 out of ****

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Prince_Vajda

Independence Day (1996). A totally ridiculous story without any deeper meaning combined with lots of SFX that still look pretty neat today. Quite entertaining unless you have an aversion to smartass US presidents flying fighter jets.

I can certainly imagine President Matt Santos manning a fighter jet.

[Deadite]

I think Independence Day is a lot of people's 'guilty pleasure'. Mine is Battleship. Ridiculous film based on the famous game, jingoistic in the extreme, but i like it!