What Films Have You Seen Recently?

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Licence to Kill (1989)

Timothy Dalton's second and sadly final outing as 007 is a harder edged film than what had come previously with some of it's violence deemed as excessive at it's time of release.

Set in central America this isn't the usual country hopping Bond film which actually benefits as we have a tighter storyline that although lacking the flair of a typical Bond adventure actually means we have a more gripping and grounded affair overall culminating in a film that is more From Russia With Love than it is Moonraker yet not straying as far away from the Bond formula as some would have you believe.

Whilst Dalton isn't my favourite Bond i do rather like him in the role. He has more depth than any of his predecessors and it's a shame he wasn't given the chance to make the superb Goldeneye six years down the line.

The film scores well with me as it gives Desmond Lewellyn's Q a lot to do given that he's helping a rogue 007 avenge a fatal attack on friend and CIA operative Felix Leiter's wedding by drug kingpin Franz Sanchez (an excellent Robert Davi). However despite Q's prolonged presence it's not a gadget laden film by any means nor are Carey Lowell and Talisa Soto your typical Bond girls.

More thriller than action film, Licence to Kill is bookended by a couple of terrific action set pieces, one in the air, the other with oil tanker trucks, but it's the exploration of the rogue Bond that gives the film an edge and makes it one of the very best in the series.

[MrBarlow]

Mutiny On The Bounty 1962.

In 1787 HMS Bounty set sail for Jamaica stops and rests at the island of Tahiti, en route the conditions change by the captain who imposes savage conditions which lead to a mutiny lead by a officer.

Trevor Howard (Gandhi) plays the ruthless Captain Bligh who tries to set sail in record timing but comes up short with the crew. Marlon Brando (The Godfather) plays the 1st Lt. Christian who sides with the crew, it's a bit funny to see Brando put on a English accent.

There was no secret about the production problems, Brando insisting on re-writes, turning up late and having temper tantrums, original director Carol Reed quit during production and Lewis Milestone was brought in who nearly quit, Richard Harris didn't take to well to Brando that he actually embarrassed him. However they still managed to pull this off with exotic locations and nice belly dancing, Robert Surtess done a great job with the cinematography, still worth a watch

[Paul Zombie]

The town that Dreaded sundown(1976)

A hooded maniac is terrorising the residents of texarkana and murdering young couples in lovers lanes. and when the local police don't find any clues they bring in captain Ben johnson from texas to help solve the case.

What was interesting about this film is that it reminded me of Jason from Friday 13th, because the maniac is wearing a potato sack on his head, and i think there was definitely some inspiration from this film. 😂
it is a pretty decent watch overall, with a interesting 1946 atmosphere. with some tense scenes and murders, including a novel use of a trombone. 😂
And there is also some goofy comedy moments were some of the police dress up in drag to help catch the maniac, especially a clumsy funny chap in the police called sparkplug.

Solid film, despite the voice overs, and the finale being open ended. 74 out of 100

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Sahara (2005)

Enjoyable action romp with a serious story line about polluting the rivers of Nigeria with chemical waste.

I've never read any of Clive Cussler's Dirk Pitt novels, on one of which this film is based, so i don't know if Matthew McConaughey is a good fit for the role, but i do know i enjoyed his performance, the same goes for Steve Zahn as his buddy, Al.

The film itself is constantly lively with some very good action set pieces as well as some great cinematography of the African locations.

Not the best action adventure you'll ever see, but i've watched this probably five times over the years and never tire of it

[Justin101]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

Licence to Kill (1989)

Timothy Dalton's second and sadly final outing as 007 is a harder edged film than what had come previously with some of it's violence deemed as excessive at it's time of release.

I've not seen either of the Dalton Bonds it pains me to say. I started going through the box set a while ago and got to Diamonds are Forever and decided to take a break before getting onto the Roger Moore films, but I got side tracked and stopped watching them. I think I'll pick them up again, perfect for a Saturday afternoon because I'm not going anywhere if this rain keeps up through tomorrow

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Bad Company (2002)

Typical fish out of water action yarn as Anthony Hopkins CIA handler has to train streetwise Chris Rock to become an agent in nine days.

Joel Schumacher directing a Jerry Bruckheimer production probably tells you all you need to know about Bad Company. Naturally it was critically panned and it's wisecracking tom foolery nothing we haven't seen before and yet i actually quite like the film.

It's entertaining, occasionally amusing and sports a decent amount of action. Hopkins and Rock are no Gibson and Glover, Murphy and Nolte or even Turner and Hooch but it's all amiable enough stuff and easily wiles away a couple of hours.

[Nordicdusk]

cobain-montage-of-heck-640x480.jpg

An actual authorized look at the life of Kurt Cobain documenting the meeting of his parents their marriage welcoming Kurt into the world his troubled childhood his rise to stardom and his rapid descent into drugs and his tragic death.

As someone who loved Nirvana so so much this was a very very hard watch this is not about Nirvana this is all about the struggles of Kurt and how hard it all was on him. Everyone who starts a band wants to make it big but who could be prepared for how fast they just blew up and almost took over the world even more so for a person who was so emotional and fragile. It was nice to see his mother and father tell their side of things just to put a different side to the story. It doesn't matter if you love or hate Courtney i still feel it was important that she had her say also like it or not she is a big part of this story and we need to hear from all those involved. Even to this day when i see Krist Novoselic talk about Kurt is breaks my heart i can see how much his misses him and how raw it still is.

The documentary is shot using animations voice recordings and different versions of the songs of the band and some home video footage. The whole thing has a very melancholic atmosphere it almost makes you feel what it must of been like to be inside Kurt's head. The worst part of this documentary has to be the homevideos with Courtney showing them strung out looking like they were living the junkie lifestyle in a dingy apartment and even worse was the part with him out of his mind struggling to stay away while playing with his baby daughter Francis it was both heartbreaking and f**king discusting. No one wants to see their childhood hero like that we all have a rose tinted view of our heros and we like to hold onto that because in our eyes they cannot do any wrong so it hurts when we realise they are flawed. I did like that they just ended it with words on screen about his death and did not focus on it just mentioned it and left it there.


I was first exposed to Nirvana when my cousin left a bag of tape with me when he went off to join the army and it had Bleach and Nevermind which had just released within he was very adamant that i listen to those two albums and as a 10 year old this had a massive impact on me i mean it shaped who i would become and i am forever grateful to my cousin for this. For the next 3 years Nirvana became such a massive part of my life its what got me through some very troubled teenage years. People talk alot of shit about Nirvana and Kurt in particular but for myself and millions of others what he did for us will never be forgotten and we will be forever grateful. I still remember the night he died it was around 3am and i would tune in a rock radio show that came in on the AM frequency so it wasn't the best quality but it was the only decent thing on the radio and they interrupted a song to break the news i was absolutely devastated the next few weeks i was in limbo and didn't know what to do with myself and even to this day its the most devastated i have ever been. You may wonder if your still reading this why the hell is he waffling on about this shit Well its important to understand the sort of impact a behind the scenes doc like this has on a fan and not just a casual onlooker with a passing interest.

A rather emotional ride out of 10

[Rik]

The scenes of Kurt and Frances where he’s nodding out are hard to watch, but I loved it and have watched it a couple of times now

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

The Body (2012)

Spanish mystery which in it's early stages alludes to being a supernatural thriller but in reality ends up as Hitchcock lite with a fairly convoluted final explanation.

However the film as a whole is quite satisfying and had me if not entirely gripped then at least fairly interested in how a body seemingly vanished from a mortuary and the police investigation as to why. It's nicely acted and the plot keeps you guessing although with the final pay off as it is you could be guessing forever and still not figure it out beforehand.

[MrBarlow]

The Deadly Bees 1966.

A singer takes a holiday at a farm where someone has released a new strain of killer bees.

Freddie Francis and Robert Bloch team up and created this for Amicus productions. Suzanna Leigh (Son of Dracula) plays the lead role of the singer Vicki who is told to take a holiday and is recommended a place to stay. Guy Doleman (Thunderball) plays the owner of the farm and bee keeper. Frank Finlay (Lifeforce) plays the someone of a expert on bees.

This may not be the greateast killer bee movie made but certainly not the worst, Veteran director Freddie Francis can't really do much to liven things up with a small budget and mediocre special effects but manages to still entertain and with a good twist towards the end. Hammer Horror regular Michael Ripper lends a hand with a appearance and small cameo by Ronnie Wood. 5 out of 10.