What Films Have You Seen Recently?

[MrBarlow]

Silent Scream. 1979.

We have a college co-ed looking for a place to stay during the stint of learning and takes up residency with a weird family and we slowly uncover the family origins.

A bit of a slight homage to Psycho and someone having some mummy issues, I'm not gonna lie, we got Yvonne De Carlo and Barbara Steele making a good appearance but this is a slow burner, but a interesting one (doesn't make sense to me either). We are given some little suttle clues about the family and towards the end its a big reveal plot twist. What makes the film work is the old style gothic house that certainly gives off the gloomy atmosphere that anyone looking at the house would see it and go "Nope" and run and the plot actually works along with some good decent acting. Go with this one in a open mind.

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[MrBarlow]

The Private Eyes. 1980.

Tim Conway and Don Knotts seem to be the next Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson if they actually had a brain cell between them. The bumbling duo are sent to investigate a murder of a wealthy couple outside their mansion and have a few people marked down with motive and yet never seem to catch on. Honestly I was laughing all the way through this, if you have never heard of the main cast then the start of the film will give you the authentic look of a serious film until the the wealthy couple begin talking and then you know you are in for a laugh. If you ever need cheering up and looking for a laugh, check this one out.

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[nicholasrope]

Migration

Latest Animation from Illumination sees a family of birds go on a Migration but run into trouble including run-ins with a Chef. Seen a lot better, there wasn't much humor that Adults would enjoy. It's no Shrek or Despicable Me.

Initiation

Low Budget Film which sees random men being kidnapped by a mysterious secret brotherhood group and are forced to fight potential new members. This is one of those Straight To DVD releases that you find in ASDA and quite frankly, I found this to be rather entertaining, the Film-Makers knew their limits and didn't go beyond them and had a simple and effective Script.

If you are into this type of Film, you would do a lot worse.

[Demoncrat]

Devil Fetus 2 (1986)

Continuing with the sequel bit, here's another journey into madness. For a start, your protagonist is a scumbag whom deserveth everything he getteth
Ahem. To see this restored ... sigh ... as some of it is genuinely effective imho. A woman finds that her partner has other plans for their future. It starts reasonably balanced ... well ... for the genre
Recommended.

[MrBarlow]

The Sorcerers. 1967.

Boris Karloff is a old hypnotist who has created a machine that can control the mind of Ian Ogilvy, Catherine Lacey is the sweet little wife who uses the power to commit murder.

The film gives out a sense of will it be good or crap within the first ten mins and then it goes straight to it and becomes a blast all the way through to the end. The elderly actors really do have some screen energy and certainly make it more watchable. Karloff knows his wife's intentions yet he can really stop her. From the first meeting right through to the end there is that dense atmosphere hanging over everyone and you do wonder what will happen next. This may not be a perfect movie to some but certainly is entertaining.

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[Demdike@Cult Labs]

The Good, the Bad, the Weird (2008)

Plot wise this Korean western set in 1930's Manchuria is heavily inspired by Leone's 1966 Italian Spaghetti Western The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

Starring Song Kang-ho, Lee Byung-hun, and Jung Woo-sung, this is an epic chase adventure across the desert as the three attempt to get their hands on a treasure map with local bandits and the Japanese army hot on their heels.

Directed by A Bittersweet Life's (2005) Kim Jee-woon, this is an incredibly stylish, gorgeously photographed action packed western with three excellent leads with Lee Byung-hun in particular exuding charisma as 'The Bad'. (Check him out in Red 2 (2013) - an all star action film he takes to another level)

Despite the film riffing heavily from elsewhere - the three way Mexican standoff finale is straight out of the aforementioned Leone epic - it still feels fresh and ultimately extremely watchable.

[Demoncrat]

The Zero Boys (1986, Nico Mastorakis)

Boys
Anyway. After the peerless high of winning a game of paintball , the cast seemingly wander into the set of Madman. Fun flick.
Not quite as insane as his stuff can get, but this played in its favour I felt ...

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Miracle at St. Anna (2008)

Set primarily in Italy during the Italian Civil War in World War II, the film tells the story of four Buffalo Soldiers (The name given to regiments of black Americans) of the 92nd Infantry Division who seek refuge in a small Tuscan village, where they form a bond with the residents. The film is told in flashback, as one survivor reflects upon his experiences in a wraparound story set in 1980s New York.

Spike Lee's epic war film is good but parts of it are a slog due to lack of characterisation during the first hour meaning i didn't really care or sympathise with any of the soldiers. This improved afterwards but meant the film couldn't be classed as anywhere near classic. Funnily enough you could see where Lee's sights were set when his framing character was watching The Longest Day (1962) on a screen but he really doesn't come close to that film's achievements.

It's also overlong in a sprawling unfocused sense, again mainly the first half but again it detracts from what should have been a great work. The action is well staged and gorily graphic but nowhere near the likes of Saving Private Ryan (1998) for sustained tension and terror.

Somewhere in the expansive, lumbering story there is genuine historical sentiment both of the way black Americans were treat in WWII and also the Italian Civil War going on at the same time as the battle with Nazi Germany, and which factions were collaborating with the Germans and so on. However much of these points were a footnote in a film whose ambition isn't matched by what is on screen where there's clearly a lot going on but much of it fails to convince.

[MrBarlow]

Mansion Of The Living dead. 1982.

We have Lina Romay, Mari Carmen Nieto, Elisa Veto and Mabel Escano playing waitresses who decide to have a vacation in the canary islands at a place that was a former monastery and the monks have returned as blind dead zombies.

Nope you haven't read that wrong, and no this is not the filth film in the Blind dead series but a take on it by Jess Franco so you know we will get some not too bad acting shall we say, bit of gore and decent make-up and plenty of boob shots added in and a bit of girl on girl at the start....the man knew how to capture the audiences attention at the start.

There is nice scenery shots and someone has good aim with a meat clever, a woman tied up in a room that seems to be a great sex slave, the pacing is a bit slow, why the monks have come back...is eventually explained. There is enough going on for it to be little entertaining number. Thanks to Demdike for pointing this one my way.

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[MrBarlow]

[REC]. 2007.

A television presenter for a show "While You're Asleep" and her cameraman follow the nightshift of the fire services, they get a call to attend a woman trapped in her flat and are confronted by something terrifying and a night of survival begins.

One of the decent Euro horror films to come out in 2007, what starts off as a happy night shift for people turns into a complete nightmare set around one building with nowhere to escape. What seems to be a infectious disease carried by a resident then being told it could come from a household pet then gives you another twist and turn to the end.

The acting is amazing, the directors never gave out the script to anyone until they are told what will happen on the day and certainly built up apprehension with the cast. The make-up effects for those that are infected are decent and scary when you see them up close. What helps the film is the sense of claustrophobia and having some place to run but can't really stay there too long with a bunch of people trying to kill you and you don't know the building itself for sanctuary.

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