What Films Have You Seen Recently?

[MrBarlow]

Street Trash. 2024.

A group of homeless people band together when they find out a greedy company plans on eradicating the homeless population by means of a vapour.

The original 1987 film will always be a treasured guilty watch classic IMHO full of body melt gore and daft dialogue, but thought this was a remake but is more of a sequel that does mention the 87 film. This is set in the near future where homeless is a big problem and a pharmaceutical company has created a gas that is contained in a floating container that can be released, the acting is not that great due to the dialogue but the effects seem to keep it from being a dumpster fire, although it does take it's time getting there. Don't be in a mad rush to buy it.

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[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Catacombs (1988)

A really boring Italian horror about an order of monks who keep a demon imprisoned underneath their monastery. The creature begins to stir when a school teacher visits the monks for research.

So, so slow and uneventful, not helped by the fact the film is far too brightly lit and lacks atmosphere and has that horrible 80's sheen to it giving it the feel of a tv movie. The only plus points are decent performances from Vernon Dobtcheff and Ian Abercrombie as a couple of the monks and a score from Pino Donaggio which is far too classy for something like this.

It's not much of a spoiler to say the demon is just a man wearing contact lenses and a few prosthetics who growls a lot.

Seen this three or four times now and it never improves.

[Justin101]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

Catacombs (1988)

A really boring Italian horror about an order of monks who keep a demon imprisoned underneath their monastery. The creature begins to stir when a school teacher visits the monks for research.

So, so slow and uneventful, not helped by the fact the film is far too brightly lit and lacks atmosphere and has that horrible 80's sheen to it giving it the feel of a tv movie. The only plus points are decent performances from Vernon Dobtcheff and Ian Abercrombie as a couple of the monks and a score from Pino Donaggio which is far too classy for something like this.

It's not much of a spoiler to say the demon is just a man wearing contact lenses and a few prosthetics who growls a lot.

Seen this three or four times now and it never improves.

I remember that VHS cover from the video shop but I have never seen the film.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Justin101

I remember that VHS cover from the video shop but I have never seen the film.

I have it on a Shout Factory four film set along with The Dungeonmaster (fun), Cellar Dweller (also fun) and Contamination.7 (dire)

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Larceny, Inc (1942)

Three ex-cons buy a leather goods store at a bargain price in order to tunnel into the bank next door. However despite all the odds the shop is a roaring success and within weeks becomes a flourishing business which the bank they intend to break into offers to buy from them. Then things get complicated when another ex-con finds out about the plan.

Edward G. Robinson is once again excellent in this comedy crime movie. Although not what you'd call laugh out funny it has it's moments and is eminently watchable throughout it's 95 min run time. Edward Brophy's con who ends up behind the counter whilst the others tunnel is particularly amusing, placing orders for stock and being a proper salesman, whilst Robinson is happy to sell everything off no matter what at $9.75.

Anthony Quinn's hard nosed character Leo provides a more serious side to things and gives the film an unexpected harder edge in it's final third.

Annoyingly i always forget this is actually a Christmas film and Edward G wears a Santa outfit.

Despite the poster, there isn't a Tommy Gun in sight.

[MrBarlow]

Haunted House Of Horrors. 1969.

20 something year old decide to leave a party and head to a old house for a spot of ghost hunting, what starts out as a laugh becomes a unforgettable night when one of the group is murdered and the group try to find out who the murderer is. Swinging 60s London at it's best with what starts out as a near haunted house scenario that changes to a who dunnit murder mystery with one or two twists along the way. This is a bit of a hit in miss with the pacing but you can slug it out to the big finale of the twist on who the murderer is. What does make it entertaining is the acting, that does help a bit and doesn't make you switch it off, low budget at it's near best.

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[J Harker]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

Calling Dr. Death (1943)

The first movie in The Inner Sanctum Mysteries film series which was based on the popular radio series of the same name.

Lon Chaney jr plays Mark Steele, a neurologist who has lost his memory of the last weekend when he learns his wife has been brutally murdered at their cabin retreat. Their relationship having been at breaking point for ages he believes he could be the killer, something the police inspector on the case (J. Carrol Naish) also believes. Wracked with guilt when another man is charged with the killing Steele asks his nurse / secretary Stella (Patricia Morison) for help in recovering his memories.

Reginald LeBorg's film is a tightly plotted affair which goes at a fair pace, needed for something running only 62 minutes and is actually quite exciting as it races towards it's finale. Chaney was extremely sympathetic as the neurologist with a conscience and hold the film together nicely whenever he's on screen whilst his voice over gave a sense of the noir and Naish was almost Columbo like in his pursuit of Chaney and his probable guilt, although it became apparent even to me who the actual killer was long before the denouement.

I actually really enjoyed this and i look forward to seeing the other five films in the box set from Eureka - The image and sound quality was immaculate.

Pleased you enjoyed this Dem. I must have missed you picking this set up. I think it helps that they are short snappy pieces rather than being drawn out. At least that's the case with Dr Death and Weird Woman. I'll have to get on with the others in the series.

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[J Harker]

The Electric State. The Russo Brothers. 2025.

I'm an alternative 1990's the world has been turned on its head following a war between human and robots. The humans won and the surviving robots are banished to an exclusion zone, the Electric State of the title.
Humans now choose to vegitate in virtual reality as a new technology originally developed to help win the war now allows them to seperate their consciousness between vr and control droids that do the physical work.
Orphaned teenager Michelle lives with a neglectful borderline abusive foster dad Ted while she waits for the next opportunity to run away.
When a sentient robot called Cosmo tracks Michelle down the pair go on the run in an effort to find Michelle's long lost and thought dead younger brother Christopher, teaming up along the way with former soldier now turned smuggler Keats.
Think that's roughly the plot of this super budget adaptation of a graphic novel I'd never heard of and know nothing about.

Perhaps it's the lack of awareness of the source material but I really enjoyed this film.
It looks fantastic and has a lot of great ideas and fun characters. Voice work is excellent, Woody Harrelsons Mr Peanut being a standout. There's great world building going on here and while I accept that is surely more to do with the source material I think this movie is great and seems to be unfairly getting dismissed.

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[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by J Harker

Pleased you enjoyed this Dem. I must have missed you picking this set up. I think it helps that they are short snappy pieces rather than being drawn out. At least that's the case with Dr Death and Weird Woman. I'll have to get on with the others in the series.

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Bought it last week.

[nicholasrope]

The Stuff

An Industrial Saboteur is hired to find out what is in a very popular food. It's an alien origin which infects the consumers. This was a decent effort but I believe that there was studio interference and a lack of budget that prevented this to be really good. The F/X wasn't particularly good.

Dare I say a remake with a better budget would make this into the film already envisioned?

Bangkok Dog

A renegade Detective is sent to Thailand to bring down a Kingpin but is sucked in into that particular way of life. Directed by the man who did Ong Bak, this was ok, there's a lot better out there, if you see it for around 3 quid in ASDA or Morrisons, it's worth a pick up, if you are into these kind of films.

Full Contact

Chow Yun Fat goes for revenge when he is double crossed. Violent and entertaining with some good blood spatter, gun play and Martial Arts.

Can't really say more really