What Films Have You Seen Recently?

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

The Longest Day (1962)

I've reviewed this before. It's still the best movie document of the D-Day landings which took place 80 years ago today on the beaches of Normandy, France.

Five directors and 42 international stars along with a budget of approx $10m and it's all there on screen. The Longest Day is epic stuff. A genuine five star war film which holds it's three hour length perfectly.

[Susan Foreman]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

The Longest Day (1962)

I've reviewed this before. It's still the best movie document of the D-Day landings which took place 80 years ago today on the beaches of Normandy, France.

Five directors and 42 international stars along with a budget of approx $10m and it's all there on screen. The Longest Day is epic stuff. A genuine five star war film which holds it's three hour length perfectly.

The poster boasts 43. Who do you not count as an 'international star'?

[MrBarlow]

Brokeback Mountain. 2005.

Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal plays Jack and Ennis, two shepherds working at a ranch in Brokeback who develop a relationship, when they go back to their own lives they both meet up over a period of years despite being married.

I expected this film to be totally different to what it actually is, I know the film to be set over a period of years but I didn't expect it to be full of drama. Both lead actors gave out great performances and dived into their roles with Ang Lee able to capture every ounce of their acting abilities and more. What starts out as two strangers starting a job and developing a friendship that spans out over the years while keeping their indiscretions away from their family and heartbreak of leaving each other until sadness happens and you can feel the pain of loosing someone. The cinematography of the main setting is what you would expect it to be, stunning and a place for peace and quiet and to escape to be yourself.

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[MrBarlow]

The Rift. 1990.

A submarine known as Siren I has disappeared, NATO contacts the designer to find it with a crew in a experimental submarine Siren II to find out what happened and encounter something else.

Producer Dino De Laurentis gives us another underwater Sci-Fi horror after the release of Leviathan, that is a bit like The Abyss, this time it's one civilian and a naval crew trying to find a lost submarine and instead of encountering a alien they encounter toxic seaweed that develops a taste for humans. The acting isn't all that great except for Ray Wise who gives out the is he or isn't he planning something and R. Lee Ermey as the subs commanding officer. The monster effects at the core are a bit of a laugh but the blood splatter is there.

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[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Q - The Winged Serpent (1982)

Larry Cohen's monster movie in which Michael Moriarty plays a petty crook who accidentally discovers the nesting place of a winged deity - allegedly the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl - in the spire of New York's Chrysler Building. Deciding he can make a mint from the city Moriarty attempts to bribe the authorities (much to the annoyance of cops David Carradine and Richard Roundtree) into paying him vast sums to lead them to the nest.

What stands out about this is the excellent aerial photography above the city as Cohen's camera swoops onto unsuspecting sun bathers, multi storey window washers and other unwilling victims of the creature. Q itself is a stop motion creation and not really seen much until the finale but Cohen cleverly hides that fact using his birds eye lens.

As the film's (anti) hero unfortunately Moriarty is a whining annoying little shit who i always want to see ripped in two by Quetzalcoatl (Spoiler: It doesn't happen) but thankfully i can at least root for Roundtree and Carradine as they like the tosser as much as i do.

I can never quite work out if Cohen is satirizing classic giant monster movies or simply getting in on the act. Despite my moans about Moriarty the film is too well played, shot and produced overall to be simply classed as a knock off even if the lovely retro style monster isn't remotely scary. Although i must admit at times i was thinking "Don't New Yorker's ever look up?".

[Justin101]

Some recent watches, pretty good week, saw some pretty terrible films as well but still enjoyed them to an extent

I enjoyed Nightcrawler a lot, although it 100% creeped me out Worth a watch if you've never seen it.

By the way, is it only me who doesn't rate Bride of Frankenstein as one of the best horror films of the 30's? It's decent yes, the first Frankenstein film is miles better though.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Justin101

Some recent watches, pretty good week, saw some pretty terrible films as well but still enjoyed them to an extent

I enjoyed Nightcrawler a lot, although it 100% creeped me out Worth a watch if you've never seen it.

By the way, is it only me who doesn't rate Bride of Frankenstein as one of the best horror films of the 30's? It's decent yes, the first Frankenstein film is miles better though.

Nightcrawler is brilliant. I keep meaning to get the Blu.

I agree with you in regards to Bride of Frankenstein. Not a patch on the first film. I mean, the brides only in it about five minutes anyway.

I barely watch it. Normally around the Halloween time when i watch Universal monster films i never opt for Bride, not when there's Frankenstein sitting there to watch.

Of those eight original Universal Monsters movies i think it's better than Phantom of the Opera but that's all. Doesn't come close to The Wolf Man, The Invisible Man, Frankenstein and the rest.

Obviously that's just my opinion. Most others seem to adore it.

[J Harker]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

Q - The Winged Serpent
I can never quite work out if Cohen is satirizing classic giant monster movies or simply getting in on the act. Despite my moans about Moriarty the film is too well played, shot and produced overall to be simply classed as a knock off even if the lovely retro style monster isn't remotely scary. Although i must admit at times i was thinking "Don't New Yorker's ever look up?".

Originally Posted by Justin101

By the way, is it only me who doesn't rate Bride of Frankenstein as one of the best horror films of the 30's? It's decent yes, the first Frankenstein film is miles better though.

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

I agree with you in regards to Bride of Frankenstein. Not a patch on the first film. I mean, the brides only in it about five minutes anyway.

I barely watch it. Normally around the Halloween time when i watch Universal monster films i never opt for Bride, not when there's Frankenstein sitting there to watch.

Of those eight original Universal Monsters movies i think it's better than Phantom of the Opera but that's all. Doesn't come close to The Wolf Man, The Invisible Man, Frankenstein and the rest.

Obviously that's just my opinion. Most others seem to adore it.

I first encountered Q - The Winged Serpent on Alex Cox's Moviedrome series back in the early 90s on a double bill with Alligator. Its a film I've returned to numerous times and even though its flawed and lacks a certain something, I continually go back to it. Totally agree with Michael Moriarty though, not an actor I'm keen on anyway, and in this he plays a particularly obnoxious little weasel. Perhaps that's the point though.

As for Bride of Frankenstein, it's not half as good as it's predecessor. It's all just a tiny bit too silly and indulgent. That said I do like it very much and rate it higher than both Phantom of the Opera and in fact The Mummy when it comes to Universal Monster films.

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[Susan Foreman]

It goes without saying, I disagree with all of you. I think that 'Bride of Frankenstein' is a masterpiece, and without doubt the best of the Universal monster cycle

The original 'Frankenstein' *is* a great film, but I love the wicked sense of humour and camp sensibility that the sequel has

For me, it's up there with 'King Kong' and 'The Wizard Of Oz' when it comes to the greatest films of the 1930's

[nosferatu42]

I think the original Frankenstein is a much better film than Bride, always have. Also i don't rate the Mummy much either.