What Films Have You Seen Recently?

[42ndStreetFreak]

Originally Posted by antmumford

"Hush"
http://www.beardyfreak.com/rvhush.php

I rented this on your recommendation and what a little gem this is.

Did you!? Nice one. That makes me happy. I like this feeling of happiness, I may try to keep it.

Yes, It pretty much avoided the many plothole pitfalls it had set up for itself.

My only thing was the end coda....

******SPOILER**********



The only way the Police would want Zakes for the murder of the security guard would be if the killer security guard told them Zakes did it.

This of course would fall apart once the truth was revealed at the end....And yet the guy was still at liberty carrying on the 'traffic' scheme.

I guess he could have just stated that Zakes MAY have done it and not been certain I suppose. that seems to the only way to explain it.

[antmumford]

Originally Posted by Philleh

I was impressed by this too, especially after seeing a cheap looking trailer and reading about how troubledt he production was. Overall I was very happy with it, had a great 80's teen sex comedy vibe to it, perhaps I was just in the right frame of mind when I watched it but I had a huge grin on my face from start to finish.

Though I agree that the ending certainly dragged on longer than it should have, but it was worth while in my opinion!

Just watched Cabin Fever 2 too. What a surprisingly good film, thoroughly enjoyed it. It's a comedy sequel that's actually better than it's "serious" original. Just like Evil Dead I guess. Brilliant opening scene which had me laughing out loud, then throughout it had me in stitches. It would be the perfect film to watch with mates and a few beers but I'm watching it sober on my own and still think it's a lot of fun. Very tongue in cheek and over the top but that's what gives it it's spark.
Great fun so thanks again to 42ndStreetFreak for another recommendation

[Gigantor]

Critters/criiters2
fanboys
ghostbusters 2
bomb it

[pedromonkey]

just watched This Is It, the michael jackson thingy, it was good but far too long, as always the music is fantastic and for a 50 year old he still had the moves. my only gripe with this was it's length, 114 minutes of basically behind the scenes stuff. It does show however that the this is it comeback tour would not only be a concert but possibly the most phenomenal stage production ever. it would have been huge, which is a shame because i for one would have loved to see MJ come back and prove to everyone that he's still got it. Well at least this can put doubters to rest as he did still have it...

[bizarre_eye@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by pedromonkey

just watched This Is It, the michael jackson thingy, it was good but far too long, as always the music is fantastic and for a 50 year old he still had the moves. my only gripe with this was it's length, 114 minutes of basically behind the scenes stuff. It does show however that the this is it comeback tour would not only be a concert but possibly the most phenomenal stage production ever. it would have been huge, which is a shame because i for one would have loved to see MJ come back and prove to everyone that he's still got it. Well at least this can put doubters to rest as he did still have it...

My wife dragged me off to the cinema to see this during it's limited theatrical run, as she's a huge MJ fan. I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would, but agree with you about the length of it Pedro...

[42ndStreetFreak]

"Paradise Lost" ("Turistas")

http://www.beardyfreak.com/rvparadise.php

Well have lots of scenes of good looking women in teeny bikinis (and the odd guy, though not in bikinis, teeny or otherwise) playing on golden sands and splashing around deep blue seas.
So lets say right now, this is a film that looks good.

But thankfully it’s not all beauty though as some welcome ugliness appears in the form of much nasty violence, surgical gore, sweaty guys with big guns and a nutzoid Doctor.

It may not be as in your face and extreme as some other films of this period but the film pretty much delivers what the plot and the set-up promised and luckily we also have some actually interesting (and amazingly not that annoying) lead characters.

Psycho surgeon 'Zamora' has a painful ‘explanation’ sequence though (saved by the macabre activities he’s doing - scalpel city baby- while pontificating) as the writer decides to take a few swipes at Americans and tourists in general.
Hey, Zamora mate, we give you our tourist cash and we buy your crappy nuts to eat at Christmas…give it a rest!

Action is nothing special in general with pretty much your standard cat and mouse stuff but such scenes are often lifted above the norm by the use of the stunning locations.
A genuinely panic-filled chase from one of the killers is made extremely memorable due to the fact the chase happens entirely underwater with everyone having to swim just as desperately to grab air as they have to swim to avoid being caught!

The bus crash at the start of the film is also well done and you have to laugh at the matter of fact way the locals take such an event.
But when you live in a country where even the caterpillars can kill you, who cares when your bus goes rolling down a mountain.

Violence is occasional but very effective with some good old wince-inducing moments (best use of a staple gun since I found those discarded pages from a porn mag in the woods when I was 14 and best use of a skewer since the invention of chicken satay) and the pretty infamous operating sequence is delightfully graphic if not actually violent.

The ending is perhaps a bit low key and perhaps a bit less time could have been spent frolicking in the water and more time spilling vital organs, but overall “Paradise Lost” is a well made, enjoyable, satisfying little excursion to nastyville.

[Gojirosan]

Visiting Hours

An efficient thriller with an above average cast but debatably a budget beyond the capabilities of the director. It has the appearance of an averagely shoddy TV film, though this often works to the film's advantage - clumsy shots and framing add to the air of degradation and sleaze. Michael Ironside mugs away effectively in the psycho part and Lee Grant and Linda Purl make you wonder why they were never bigger stars then they were. William Shatner is..,well...William Shatner.

It has serious themes, it is no mere expoitation job - psychopathy: nature or nurture, the real world practicality of pacifism in life threatening situations á la Straw Dogs, racism, machismo and misogyny...a brief toe is dipped into some serious issues without them ever really being developed.

As for its appearance on the "Nasties" list, one can only assume it got caught up in the furore. It isn't graphic, there is hardly any gore, violence is cut away from and the worst assaults are off screen. Ironside is chilling, but it has the feel of a TV film, not of a horror "Nasty".

Not a bad film, worth seeing.

[vincenzo]

Not among the best of the Video Nasties and I do agree that at times it comes over more like a strong TV movie.

Would easily pass uncut today.

[42ndStreetFreak]

Originally Posted by Gojirosan

Visiting Hours

An efficient thriller with an above average cast but debatably a budget beyond the capabilities of the director. It has the appearance of an averagely shoddy TV film, though this often works to the film's advantage - clumsy shots and framing add to the air of degradation and sleaze. Michael Ironside mugs away effectively in the psycho part and Lee Grant and Linda Purl make you wonder why they were never bigger stars then they were. William Shatner is..,well...William Shatner.

It has serious themes, it is no mere expoitation job - psychopathy: nature or nurture, the real world practicality of pacifism in life threatening situations á la Straw Dogs, racism, machismo and misogyny...a brief toe is dipped into some serious issues without them ever really being developed.

As for its appearance on the "Nasties" list, one can only assume it got caught up in the furore. It isn't graphic, there is hardly any gore, violence is cut away from and the worst assaults are off screen. Ironside is chilling, but it has the feel of a TV film, not of a horror "Nasty".

It was a strange contender for the 'Nasties' purely because the nastiest scene (which today is still pretty damn sadistic imho) where he kicks the stabbed woman to keep her twitching and moaning was censored on the pre-cert tape!

It turned up on TV years and years ago fully uncut and got a lot of hassle, it was never shown again.

Always love me a bit of Ironside and I thought he does a very good job here...The scenes with him in his apartment remind me a bit of Spinell in "Maniac".




"Paul Blart: Mall Cop"

I like me a bit of Kevin James as "King of Queens'" is a guilty pleasure of mine so what the hell I thought I would give this a go.

And I'm glad I did. Nothing clever, nothing sophisticated just unpretentious fun which is fine 'n' dandy.

This is basically a comedy re-make of "Die Hard" set in a mall with a fat John McClane.
Numerous "Die Hard" moments are re-played and lightly spoofed (including a very funny joke on the 'repairing wounds down time' segment of "Die Hard") and the idea of having Paul Blart going against a bunch of super athletic crooks is a winner.

This speed difference (even with Blart on his speedo wheels thingy) means that there are no real chases here and very obvious teleportation editing to move Blart away from the crooks sits badly, but otherwise the action is fun and uses James' bulk to full comic effect.

The free-running, skateboarding, BMX riding gang deliver some top class stunt moments and lots of frantic fun and James himself belies his size to deliver some very well executed, painful (and funny), looking stunt work as well.

Nothing mind blowing for sure, but as a solid piece of good time entertainment it works and is a must for any Kevin James fans.
It ain't "Annie Hall"...but it's still a fun time.

[pedromonkey]

have you seen observe and report, another mall cop movie although decidedly more darker that paul blart, if you haven'y don't bother its shit!