What Films Have You Seen Recently?

[Inspector Abberline]

The Black Windmill (1974)
No one can deny that Don Siegel has a fantastic body of work behind him... So many great films and far too many to list. But im afraid to say that I found The Black Windmill fairly pedestrian to say the least. It's a sort of cross between Len Deightons spy films and Alistair MacLean's espionage thrillers, both of which seems far removed from Siegels urban crime films or his westerns. For a thriller it's about as slow as the preferable asthmatic snail carrying a fridge up a flight of stairs while chain-smoking his way through a packet of fags. Hard to believe that this is the same director who gave us Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) and Dirty Harry (1971),and even more unusual is that not even the shouty actor Michael Caine seems to be able to generate any life into the proceedings...(he could have at least blown the bloody doors off or thrown Alf Roberts off the top of a windmill or something)... Cast wise it's a pretty impressive assortment of British character actors including Donald Pleasence and Joss Ackland and with bad guy for hire in nearly every film in the 1970s and early 80s John Vernon. The problem with the film may well be with the story itself, a turgid tale of kidnapping and terrorism that never really seems to get going even right up to the finale where it comes to its rather obvious conclusion. John Vernon does his best to enliven the proceedings and his character is a damn sight more interesting due to Vernon's evil persona and scenery chewing.Donald Pleasence is im afraid totally wasted in a role he could do in his sleep. What makes The Black Windmill so frustrating is that there is a decent film in there somewhere struggling to get out, and if you are a fan of Caine's Harry Palmer movies your kind of hoping for something along the same lines but alas it never even gets close still its better than Jaws: The Revenge but only just.

[Demoncrat]

I just like films with windmills in them ....

[trebor8273]

While the rest of the film never matches the fantastic and harrowing open scenes it's still a fantastically acted and directed movie. Watching it is like a whos who of American tv and film with lots of cameos and people who are well knowing today in small roles. On the 4k transfer which is one of the best i have seen and the new colour pallet and use of HDR blows the old b!u ray out of the water giving the film a more life like and realistic look. 9.5/10

Along with blade runner and a few others this is one everyone should have in there 4K collection.

[Buboven]

Watched the new Jurassic Park film and really enjoyed it, surprised by the fairly lukewarm reception this has got. The best one in my opinion and the most fun I have had with the franchise since the original 1994 masterpiece. Certainly more interesting than the first Jurassic World, which just seemed to me to be a fun but forgettable retread of the original but with unconvincing CGI.

Really benefits from Bayona's fresh direction, some new ideas and some cool imagery too. With the horror elements, it also introduced some of the suspense that Jurassic Park had. Altogether, I felt it captured the magic of the original much better than Jurrasic World.

I really do not get the criticism that this is an awful film because people make dumb decisions. If I recall people make some pretty awful and stupid decisions in the 1994 original but that is still a classic piece of cinema. I don't remember the security of the first Jurassic Park being too good either!

8/10.


Also caught Three Kings on the TV and damn, did I forget how good this film is.

Looking at it post-Iraq War and now with Trump in office with his America First and Make America Great messages, just makes it seem even more on point about how ****ed up western policy and middle east politics is, and how things really don't change.

I reckon Trump would be even greater friends with Saddam than Bush Senior was before the Gulf War, if Saddam was still alive!

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Jeruzalem (2015)

Opening years earlier during a Jewish exorcism, the film pulls no punches as a Dybbuk possessed woman suddenly sprouts demon like wings and is taken down by a single shot to the head. This is all really grimy and disturbing. The bulk of the film is taken up with three American friends taking a trip to Israel for a holiday of exploration and partying. Once there the three detect all is not well, religious tensions are naturally high but there's something else. Biblical style premonitions of doom and all hell breaks loose one night as the city air raid sirens begin screeching and the army lock the streets down.

It's not often we see a found footage / shaky cam film with a difference but Jeruzalem is certainly one of those. Not just because the usual hand held camera, stare at the ground for 70% of the film usual found footage problems are dispensed with during the opening scenes - A big welcome to Google Glasses - and replaced with fun scenes such as face recognition and first person zombie killing games - ideas which are both rather morbidly reused later on in the film. It's not often the lead character is off screen for the majority of the film but due to the use of the glasses it's a necessity here. Jeruzalem is different because of it's Israeli setting and tension filled runarounds in the old city of Jerusalem, the religious tensions adding to the folklore Dybbuk horror especially in some grim asylum scenes as we discover its full of Jerusalem syndrome sufferers - those affected by being at the centre of a religious war zone...or so the official story goes.

At times Jeruzalem takes it's cues from Cloverfield (2008) as we get snatched glimpses of something huge stomping round the city but the main of the film centres on the attempt by the Americans and people they met up with over the course of the film to get out of the city via the streets and catacombs. It has a claustrophobic feel as winged demons attack from all sides even from within.

The only other Israeli horror film i've seen is Big Bad Wolves (2013), a superlative effort, and whilst Jeruzalem doesn't come close to that gut wrencher, it is a very interesting film with a lot of new ideas which i loved, culminating in one of the best found footage horror films i've seen.

[Demoncrat]

Noted

[Demoncrat]

Highlander - Endgame (Douglas Aarniokoski)

Bruce Payne got a shitty new haircut and he's taking it out on Adrian Paul ... and has AP got prawblems of his own !!@#!?! His ponytail is so tight he's hallucinating that he's in the 4th Highlander movie and like some outrageously accented Jiminy Cricket, old Chris Lamberrrrt is filling him with onely goodness.
By my count there are at least 'only' a trillion of these bloody Immortals it seems .
Somewhat more violent than the series .... but this is the template down to the typeface on the credits ... as enjoyable as the rest. Next!!

[Cinematic Shocks]

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)

Possibly the best Jurassic sequel, but that isn’t saying much because the previous three weren’t good. But I thought this a slight step up, which quite entertained me for a couple of hours. It's a harmless, enjoyable, popcorn blockbuster featuring likable characters, great special effects, and energetic set-pieces. But this series has run its course, as this new instalment offers nothing that we haven’t seen before over the course of the previous four, other than, it has fewer flaws than the other sequels and it doesn’t grate. I think the original is a great film, but I’m not a fan of this franchise as a whole, and I wouldn’t be bothered if they never made another one.

*** out of *****

Night of the Comet (1984)

A unique and enduring 80's cult apocalyptic sci-fi horror comedy.

**** out of *****

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Cinematic Shocks

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)

Possibly the best Jurassic sequel, but that isn’t saying much because the previous three weren’t good.

I could possibly take this seriously had Dread Central not supported or indeed been on the credits of amateur crap that should never have seen the light of day like Jurassic Shark.

[Cinematic Shocks]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

I could possibly take this seriously had Dread Central not supported or indeed been on the credits of amateur crap that should never have seen the light of day like Jurassic Shark.

If you're bringing up Dread Central because I'm a contributor for their website, and a sporadic one at that, well I only write retrospectives for them, and I’ve nothing to do with them other than that. Although, I'm proud to be part of DC in my minimal role. Furthermore, I've always prided myself on promoting my film analysis as being unbiased and honest. I just think Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is decent, and a slight step up from the other sequels, which are mediocre at best. No more, no less. So, shut up.