What Films Have You Seen Recently?

[MrBarlow]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

Who?

I've always enjoyed this. It's the acceptable face of CGI horror i feel and has a pretty good grimy atmos for most of the film.

One to upgrade to Blu at some point.

The man that has the one facial expression Nic Cage, the dark atmosphere is always a classic to see in films with witches, quite captivating from the start, I honestly forgot Ulrich Thomsen was in this.

[MrBarlow]

West Side Story. 1961.

A film I hadn't seen in over 20 years and in a hospital room when I first saw it, (long story) but re-watching it now and can see why people love it, the musical numbers and the dancing mixed with a somewhat basket ball court fight. The acting is brilliantly by everyone involved with great cinematography and direction, this may not be everyone, Angie seemed to enjoy the start but was loosing interest...do we burn the heretic or leave her be??

800px-West_Side_Story_1961_film_poster.jpg

[Justin101]

I love West Side Story and I rewatched it the day that Stephen Sondheim died and over Christmas too, I’m looking forward to seeing the Steven Spielberg version.

[Susan Foreman]

The original 'West Side Story' is one of the greatest movies ever made, with an absolutely gorgeous opening tracking shot

It was the basis of the Alice Cooper song 'The Gutter Cats Vs. The Jets' from the 1972 'School's Out' album

"When you're a jet
You're a jet all the way
From your first cigarette
Till your last dyin' day
When you're a jet
Let 'em do what they can
Little boy, you got friends
You're a family man

The jets are in gear
They're always well respected
You're never alone
When company's expected
You're well protected
Here come the jets
Like a bat out of Hell
Someone gets in our way
Someone don't feel so well
When you're a jet
You stay a jet"

[gag]

Not seen as such, looks like our vue cinema showing godfather trilogy and tbh I don’t think I’ve fully watched all 3 from beginning to end so I probably go and watch them all at the cinema .

[Justin101]

A Double Bill on Friday night while Storm Eunice was battering the UK, seemed apt, thanks for the inspiration Demdike.

Do you know what, I actually really like the daft William Castle version, it's funny, I laughed every time they lowered the flag to half-mast on the top of the house

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Just for the record no inspiration was given for Castle's film.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Finders Keepers, Lovers Weepers! (1968)

A crime drama from Russ Meyer about a robbery gone wrong at a strip club on Sunset Strip.

Once the film actually gets going during the last twenty minutes it's not a bad little thriller with one or two unpredictable twists during a hostage drama finale.

However the first half of the movie is awash with less than average sex scenes which really slow things down and aren't exactly erotic, one swimming pool shag rivals Showgirls in it's naffness. Fortunately Anne Chapman is good as the put upon lead and the blonde 'dancer' in the club is rather nice.

[Graveyard]

Puff.jpg

Movies I managed to watch the last couple of weeks, mixed bag of good and bad.

Benedetta so much hopes for this one, but was a little flat - yes we do have Nun's going wild but we saw that before, it's always good to see Verhoeven still working, not to sound like a broken record, his older stuff were much better

Valentine Old school slasher, the deaths could be much better, for example the one in the hot tub, maybe there is an Unrated version somewhere out there.

Slc Punk & Fear of the black hat Spinal Tap for punk & rap - FOBH it's hilarious, I'm not even close to know rap music, but the lyrics the videoclips everything just works so well.

TCM I'm sure the hate around all the social media is enough to put everyone off, for me was alright, not great but can you really make this movies great again?

Requiem for a Vampire Jean Rollin it's always a hit and a miss, he always manage to find the best locations to do his movie, cinematography it's always great too but drags so much sometimes, this one is so boriiiing

Spider Baby Quiet violent for the time, I enjoyed more than expected. Not sure it's because I watched TCM recently, but I could think about this movie being a good inspiration for the original one.

The last movie, I will not make any comments

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

The Reincarnation of Isabel. (1973)

A coven of satanic monks resurrect a witch burned at the stake four hundred years earlier. Once resurrected Isabel needs the blood of virgins to stay alive.

The Reincarnation of Isabel or Black Magic Rites as it also known was director Renato Polselli's follow up film to the deliciously sleazy Delirium. Polselli takes the nightmarish dream like sequences from Delirium and expands them into a full length feature of violent sexual fantasies. The plot doesn't really stand up to any scrutiny its just an excuse for Polselli to horrify the viewer as much as possible with his many scenes of sexual orgies and women being stripped, tortured and mutilated then finally burned at the stake.

Polselli uses the same stars as Delirium in Mickey Hargitay, the one time husband of sex symbol Jayne Mansfield, and the gorgeous Rita Calderoni and plunges them into a technicolor world of depraved hedonism. The performances are all decent and the film has a typical Italian gothic setting. Polselli has given the film a lurid colourful texture with his use of bright vibrant colours, red in particular is frequently used in the coven scenes.

Its difficult to say if The Reincarnation of Isabel is a good film, it probably isn't. Its one of those films where you either go with it and enjoy all the ensuing madness or you just think its drivel. Once you get past the many scenes of sadism there isn't a lot to talk about, however surely thats what exploitation films are all about?