Last Film You Watched + Your Comments?

[Dave Jay]

Watched DEEP STAR SIX for the first time in ages last year after picking up the DVD for cheap. Well produced and acted, with solid cinematography from the ever-dependable Mac Ahlberg, but the script calls upon the characters to do some extremely stupid things time and again in order to keep the action going, to the point that you kind of give up and just will 'em all to die by the end. No classic in my eyes, but worth a watch. Haven't actually seen LEVIATHAN... will have to catch up with that one soon.

[Kel E]

Mad Max 1979
Robin Hood Prince of Thieves

I had seen the fist Mad Max movie before but only remembered it vaguely. The Road Warrior eclipses it in my mind quite dramatically. It was ok--though thought it dragged a bit in the opening scene. I especially like the character/ performance of the Toe Cutter and Max's wife but I cant wait to get to the Road Warrior again. How come Australia was able to make decent movie fare so effortlessly while my own Canada could only produce films that starred foreign actors or were written/directed by outsiders? Its a cultural mystery to me.

Robin Hood--eh my perception of it hasnt changed really over 20 years. It was watchable although Costner makes a weak Robin Hood and simply doesnt speak treason as fluently as Errol Flynn. Alan Rickman was better as the Sheriff. I have not seen the Crowe version yet so I wanted to catch the 91 film again just to compare.

[thehamish]

Watched DEEP STAR SIX for the first time in ages last year after picking up the DVD for cheap. Well produced and acted, with solid cinematography from the ever-dependable Mac Ahlberg, but the script calls upon the characters to do some extremely stupid things time and again in order to keep the action going, to the point that you kind of give up and just will 'em all to die by the end. No classic in my eyes, but worth a watch. Haven't actually seen LEVIATHAN... will have to catch up with that one soon.

Like this, even had a soft spot for Leviathan at the time, ahem.

The Expendables....nae as mad as Crank II in action terms so maybe il give it another go down the line, but i felt that Sly was just too old to convincingly pass this off, some great sequences, but overall too occidental in approach, take a tip from Alistair Maclean etc.

Straight Jacket (William Castle, 1964) total hoot, though the unedifying sight of Joanie a a "hoochie mama" nearly put me off my mince & tatties ahem. Diane Baker's sweetness and light style performance really perked this up for me, and it rattles along at an energetic pace.

[jockfun28]

Well very busy over the weekend, watched all 5 Hannibal films, with some interesting results

Manhunter(Director's Cut)- Ok while there is a lot to admire here, & many hold this in such high regard, the drubbing the rest of the series get's from anyone who was involved in this, just makes you wonder had this film been such a success whether any of the cast would have returned, we all know DEG at this time was on the verge of Chapter 11, hence the rushed ending, plus this came out at a time when the vast majority didnt want to see thriller's with an edge, & Brian cox was ok, but had he have done Silence of the Lambs with the other cast members, whether it would have been the critical & oscar worthy contender it became, is anyone's guess, the rest of the series has continuity issue's but some of these can be overlooked, is more of a stand alone curiosity piece these day's perhaps.

Hannibal Rising-Was a bit sozzled when i watched this, so a re watch is definately needed

Red Dragon- Now while i appreciate not a lot of people are massive fan's of this, i actually thoroughly enjoyed it, obviously comparrisons are going to be made with Manhunter but hell this had a budget & boy does it show, several characters seemed better fleshed out & it did flow a little bit better, Edward Norton making a good Will Graham but i still enjoyed William Peterson's portrayal as well, Danny Elfman's score was effective & this had a more satisyfying ending, I don't know this just fit's in better with the other film's IMO

Silence Of The Lambs-Not much to say about this really amazing film, great performances all round, even Roger Corman lol (Well apart from that dodgy woman who was a victim's friend, who clarice interviews before stumbling on Buffalo Bill, who seemed as interested in her role as i am in dog shit!!), beautifully shot & a climax that originally had me on the edge of my seat with 2 thing's going on at once & a great open ending too, although all the film's seem to have these, it's hard to believe this film is 22 years old.

Hannibal-Well here is the thing, having watched & bought it upon release i always thought it was the weakest of the 5, Now i would say it is one of my fave's have watched it maybe 5 times the last time always being a little bit better, anyway this time i watched it with the DTS soundtrack on & what a difference, it actually has a score, well i can hear it now, vastly clever underlying music cue's that 5.1 just didnt do any justice too, time might be kinder to this film now because all that has gone after it, very underrated & Julianne Moore was a great replacement, will be definately revisiting these films again in sequence

[Kel E]

I think the Expendables was ok (but not ok in a Cobra sort of way) It wasnt tough enough in the bad guy department and it seemed like it was missing a big sunny explosive third act confrontation back in Los Angeles. Instead of Lundgren showing up in the garage, and they have a knife and poetry contest, seemed to me it was aching to have some of the bad guys go after what's his name's girlfriend and then Rourke and Lundgren help to save the day to complete their character arcs. But compared to what Bronson was doing at the same age, Stallone does come off wimpy.



Christine

I never think of this film in the same way as Carpenter's other movies, but as a work for hire it really shows his skill. The high school scenes alone were so well done, even if most of the players looked to be at least 30. Its very convincing. Darnell steals the movie.
That's the last time you run that mechanical asshole in here without an exhaust hose.

[mr sinn]

Snowtown: Very disturbing Australian movie about a serial killer(John) who befriends a 16 year old boy and his family, after being abused by a neighbour the boy slowly gets drawn into a killing spree with John(with his other associates),Killing people in the local area who they have decided need to be killed for various reasons, this movie is very chilling, a slow burn of a film with some really shocking images, reminded me a lot of Henry Portrait of a Serial Killer in it's tone, it is very well acted and has a good use of music, stayed with me for days after. (The film is based on true events).

The Thing (2011): OK prequel to one of my favorite films, has some good scenes and is nicely paced and ties in nicely at the end with John Carpenters classic film.

[jacksmith1983]

Snowtown looks an interesting film Mr Sinn, I'll make a point of checking it out.

As for my own evening's viewing...


Three The Hard Way (Gordon Parks Jr, 1974)

Highly regarded blaxploitation action yarn which boasts the appealing hook of starring three of blaxploitation's most famed leading men, Jim Brown, Fred Williamson and Jim Kelly. The fanciful plot centre's on black record producer and all round bad ass Jimmy Lait (Brown) who, following the murder of a close friend and the subsequent kidnapping of his wife, finds himself at odds with wealthy white supremacist Monroe Feather, who is hatching a clandestine plot to "cleanse" America of its black population by introducing a selective poison to the water supply. Out of his depth, Lait turns to his old friends, the streetwise Jagger (Williamson) and martial arts expert Mister Keyes (Kelly) and together they set out to take down Feather and his vast army of goons. Three The Hard Way is one of those films where the plot seems to get more and more far-fetched and ridiculous with each passing development, meanwhile the film suffers from the fact that its rich white supremacist villain Feather (portrayed by veteran character actor Jay Robisnon) - once you look past the sheer outrageousness of his ethnic cleansing scheme - is really a pretty feeble and sketchily characterised antagonist. However, Three The Hard Way is clearly a film that was never designed to be taken all that seriously and criticising the contrived, silly nature of the films narrative is ultimately a bit pointless when it exists purely as a means to propel the picture from one crowd pleasing fight sequence, shootout or explosive set-piece to the next. Indeed, approached on its own terms as an inconsequential yet endearingly OTT urban action yarn, Three The Hard Way is fine, raucous entertainment which gets by thanks to Gordon Parks Jr's lively direction, the charisma and screen presence of its three leads, a soulful, catchy soundtrack courtesy of The Impressions and its aforementioned action set-pieces which take place as generously regular intervals and pack a satisfying punch. For me the highlight of these is undoubtedly Jim Kelly's memorable introductory scene, which sees him unleash an unceremonious beating to a group of crooked, uniformed NYC cops looking to shake him down. All in all an engaging, agreeably action-packed effort from the golden age of the blaxploitation picture. I bet this one had inner city audiences rocking in the aisles back in the Grindhouse days...

Three The Hard Way is available in an excellent presentation on US Region 1 DVD from Warner, as part of their 4 film "Urban Action" package, which also features Black Belt Jones, Hot Potato and Black Samson, spread across 2 discs at a bargain price. If you don't already own it what are you waiting for?


4 Film Favourites: Urban Action (Warner R1 DVD): amazon.com : amazon.co.uk

[Kel E]

Watched the Pink Panther Strikes Again and Revenge of the Pink Panther. Thought it ironic to see Geoffrey Bayldon as Herbert Lom's psychiatrist. As Dr Starr used to say.

I have gotten used to seeing Lom in various cult films and epics (like the villain in El Cid) but he sure made a good comic foil. The dentistry scene in Strikes Again and his eulogy for Clouseau in Revenge are memorable comedic bits.

[thehamish]

Watched Mutant Girl Squad (2010) Easily my favourite of the current slew of "hyper gore" films oozing from eastern shores at the moment, if only for the fact the cgi wasn't as corny in this as in say, Robogeisha. Though anything would seem reasonable compared to that Funky Forest i viewed las week ahem.

[thehamish]

I think the Expendables was ok (but not ok in a Cobra sort of way) It wasnt tough enough in the bad guy department and it seemed like it was missing a big sunny explosive third act confrontation back in Los Angeles. Instead of Lundgren showing up in the garage, and they have a knife and poetry contest, seemed to me it was aching to have some of the bad guys go after what's his name's girlfriend and then Rourke and Lundgren help to save the day to complete their character arcs. But compared to what Bronson was doing at the same age, Stallone does come off wimpy.



Christine

I never think of this film in the same way as Carpenter's other movies, but as a work for hire it really shows his skill. The high school scenes alone were so well done, even if most of the players looked to be at least 30. Its very convincing. Darnell steals the movie.
That's the last time you run that mechanical asshole in here without an exhaust hose.

Aye, that's about right ala Expendables. I hear a certain C Norris wants the sequel to be a 12a due to his xtian leanings now, talk about hypocrisy.....

[Kel E]

Oh man how can they have an 80s action film with no swearing? Maybe I wont bother seeing it. Prometheus is having similar issues with the rating pg 13 vs R.

So Norris isnt comfortable with swearing but is ok with violence then. Maybe its just me but if I was a supreme being who created the universe and all the physics and light I wouldnt find a little sound to be a big deal when you have supernovas and black holes going on.

[Dave Jay]

DREAM DEMON - I remember seeing this failed chiller from Palace Pictures back when it was originally released in 1988 and thought it was okay-ish at the time (despite the pretty damning reviews it received) but, re-watching it for the first time in 20+ years, it has to be said that Harley Cokeliss' attempt at a British NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET is a real dud. Jemma Redgrave is bland beyond belief in the central role (even more so for having seen her aunt Vanessa being so damn fantastic in THE DEVILS a few days earlier), the otherworldly visuals have dated badly and seem ripped off of both ELM STREET and HELLRAISER, and as for Timothy Spall and bloody Jimmy Nail... well, at least Nail is less embarrassing here than he was in HOWLING 2, but he's surely no-one's idea of a bogeyman.

It's little wonder that DREAM DEMON has yet to make it to DVD when most other Palace Pictures made it to digital years ago. It's ambitious, I guess, but conceptually convoluted (a real mess, in fact - as is perhaps to be expected from the writer of SCREAM AND SCREAM AGAIN) and, alongside Clive Barker's UNDERWORLD, has to rank as one of the most initially exciting (when previewed in the pages of FANGORIA) but ultimately disappointing British genre efforts of the 1980s.

[drterror666]

Prometheus is having similar issues with the rating pg 13 vs R.

I would argue that this should be an adult film. Still, if it goes for the teenage audience, I will get the extended Blu when it comes out, which it will.

[Kel E]

I was likely going to see it in a theater which is something I rarely do. But do I want to see the unofficial version in a theater first when i can wait a few months and see the authentic version?

For the Expendables 2 I cant believe they would tone down swearing just to appease Norris. Maybe he doesnt want to swear but let the others use the forbidden sounds. Jeez.

More and more I just dont care what new movies are made.

[thehamish]

Well, i showed The Devils, and was amused to get several texts (muted, of course) from mate still reeling from Snowtown (there must be something to this bluray ting after all...)

[Dave Jay]

I WANT WHAT I WANT - to be honest, I purchased this DVD 'coz I fancied laughing into my sleeve at some '70s Brit-kitsch, and the thought of scene after scene of a bell-bottomed transvestite swishing around the Woolworths pick 'n' mix was to much to resist. But this obscurity from 1972 turned out to be a far better film than I was expecting. Anne Heywood plays a man who wants to become a woman and who tries, and often fails, to carve out a 'normal' life for herself within the suffocating blandness of '70s suburbia.

Heywood doesn't even start to convince as 'Roy', and for the first twenty minutes or so of I WANT it looks as though we're in for a real turkey, but as man trying to become a woman she is quite superb. John Dexter (who previously directed one of my all-time favourites, THE VIRGIN SOLDIERS, in 1969) handles the subject matter sensitively, and there are quite a few scenes where you can really feel the fear and discomfort that somebody in Heywood's position would experience as they try to pass themselves off as 'the real thing' on a day-to-day basis.

A great cast (including the late Jill Bennett, who was also fantastic in another film I watched this week, THE NANNY) and some surprisingly witty dialogue really help lift this admittedly slow, uncommercial drama. Oh, and there's lotsa lovely shots of 1970s UK high streets, which has long been an unexplainable fetish of mine.

I can only imagine how this film was received in Britain 40 years ago! ON THE BUSES it ain't. Scorpion has released an okay-looking DVD of I WANT WHAT I WANT in the US, but I'd love to see this get a UK release via Odeon or BFI-Flipside (perhaps as a double-bill with 1971's GIRL STROKE BOY). Recommended for lovers of the off-beat.

[Kel E]

Dr. Phibes Rises Again
Is this the only sequel Vincent Price ever did? Just came to me as I type (ah no-his Invisible Man and Fly movies). I was surprised that Caroline Munro has no screen credit (unless it raced by me) just like the last. I assume if you appear in a movie with your eyes closed throughout it you are counted as a prop.
Like the first its a different kind of film although the mixture of horror and comedy works for me. I tend to get the ending wrong when I think back on it--I assumed he resurrects Victoria and they sail off together, and his singing is longer. A false memory for sure. I had seen it in the revised version with alternate music for much of the 80s and 90s due to the legal issue about the song used. I am so used to that version I think I might prefer it. Also one of the only movies I have seen where Peter Cushing is listed in the credits without a few other names. Things I noticed: how they would hide the fact that Price wasnt in the desert set--he's looking through the telescope in close up then it switches to the swinging device from another angle to suggest he just left!
I watched the "Midnight Movies" disk I believe it was--the first one is on the other side. Its a rather grainy looking transfer. I dont recall the first one looking that way.

[Kel E]

Rasputin Servant of Destiny. I didnt know what to expect going into this. I had seen a few early HBO movies and they tended to go between comical and serious. This was the latter. I am so used to Christopher Lee's version it took some time to get accustomed to this more sympathetic portrayal by Rickman but in the end I think it is just as melodramatic as the Hammer version, they just went in the direction of making him a misunderstood prophet instead of a Machiavellian figure. Great performances by the three principles.

Frankenstein Must be Destroyed--If it wasnt for Cushing I think this outing may have come off as one of the lesser efforts. I didnt mind the more ruthless (and scarless-handed) Baron (except the rape scene didnt seem to fit) but the eventual fates of the two accomplices was cold and unsatisfying and it ended in a rather abrupt fashion I thought. The picture quality of the dvd was great. This was a box set--others in it included Horror of Dracula, the Mummy and Curse of Frankenstein(though the disk was missing) and Dracula Has Risen From the Grave.

[Leatherface]

The Human Centipede 2: Full Sequence - second watch of this one as I wanted to do a review for my YouTube channel. I enjoyed this one a lot more second time around. Less depressing and I was able to appreciate more of the black comedy - I particularly enjoyed the characters of the mother and doctor, and wish they had been in it a little more. Extreme, disgusting and crude; you know what you're getting - don't like that, then stay away.

[thehamish]

Agree totally ala THC2, will check out review!!

Watched Addams Family Values again when the BBC showed it on sunday, still a great attack on suburban scum, and Joan Cusak really camps it up. Why isn't this on dvd???