films we just saw

streetrw · Post by **streetrw** » Thu Aug 14, 2008 1:12 pm

While I wait for LoveFilm to send me an enticingly varied batch of Pete Walker, Enzo Castellari and Federico Fellini, I caught a couple of shiny things last night which have both already had mentions from others further up this thread (though at 156 pages practically everything's been mentioned further up this thread).

First up is Unrest which I rather liked as a cheap, creepy quickie. Medical students working on "gross anatomy" investigate where their corpse came from when spooky things start happening. It's grim, clammy, not terribly plausible but has a few pleasantly nasty moments. The tagline on the DVD box, "The First Film To Use Real Bodies", I frankly don't believe.

More problematic is The Condemned, in which an international selection of nine odious scumbags and an Alaskan wrestler play Last Man Standing on an internet reality show. It's basically Battle Royale with ugly people. Plenty of thud bang wallop for your money, but the film seems to want to revel in people beating hell out of each other while questioning the morality of the audience for watching it. The clue, of course, is in the "reality" part of it - it's only sick idiots who get off on real killing, torture, beatings and rape, while the rest of us can enjoy and appreciate (or not) the staged, fake, fictitious and pretend - whether it's slasher movies, computer games or wrestling. I was also slightly puzzled that the women involved in the reality show's production don't seem upset by the show broadcasting a brutal rape. But then I've never been comfortable with rape scenes anyway. Overall, it's a pretty nasty piece of work.

Grindhouse · Post by **Grindhouse** » Thu Aug 14, 2008 3:02 pm

Grindhouse wrote:
ghouldrool wrote:clapping really only makes sense if anyone involved in the making of the movie is there to appreciate it. Theres a reason people applaud at the theatre rather than cinemas.
Would you think to clap a movie sat on your own after watching it on dvd?

No
but sometimes people really do want to show some sort of appreciation of the film,rather than just shuffling off.

heres an interesting article
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-enter ... 81282.html

ghouldrool · Post by **ghouldrool** » Thu Aug 14, 2008 6:55 pm

Dust
Yes, the Adam Mason movie. And yes i rather liked it.
Sure some of the acting left a lot to be desired and i truly believe we were not meant to like anyone in it.
A very well worn set up involving supposedly inbred farmers, there is actually a strong sense of impending doom throughout. Yes the main characters seem to do all they can to provoke but i think theres a big swipe being taken at yuppie urbanites.
Possibly not something that was best suited to a big screen though and i can see it has flaws.

Death Machine
Ok so this is over long and tonally all over the place. But as ever Brad Dourif provides sterling support. The Warbeast itself isnt a particularly pleasing design but the effects are fantastic around it.
A boring main character and uninteresting casting amongst the support cast drag this down.
Saw it back in 95 and thought i would revisit it, but wished i had rewatched Hardware instead

Grindhouse · Post by **Grindhouse** » Thu Aug 14, 2008 7:52 pm

The Prestige, i thought this was great,though you kind of know whats coming,you have your suspicions throughout,really well directed written and acted by all.
Shrooms this was one of those films i kept dozing and waking too during FF last year,and its not bad,its hard to see why this edition is the directors cut it looks the same as the theatrical,the lead actress looks like Kirsten Dunst,and its like watching those judder man ads for 80 mins or so.
its all well done though!

voor · Post by **voor** » Fri Aug 15, 2008 12:52 am

Pineapple Express - Is it just me or is Judd Apatow just writing the same film over and over again whilst Seth rogen does not even bother to act - he just mumbles his bloody way over with the same slacker apperance/character/attitude. Suffice it to say, this did not rate highly with me- contradicting tones, jarring edges and the fact that I do not find watching people get high funny!

Only watch it for Rosie Perez And Gary Cole.

Sincerly yours

Voor

Notts Pete · Post by **Notts Pete** » Fri Aug 15, 2008 1:35 am

Bloodbath at the House of Death

An early Birthday treat to myself. Nucleus Films new DVD of the Kenny Everett comey-horror, not seen since the days of Thorn EMI's VHS.

I won't pretend that this is in any way a classic of the genre, but it's something I've been wanting to see for years and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

In 1975, Headstone Manor (Businessman's Weekend Retreat & Girls Summer Camp !!) is the scene of a brutal massacre by a bunch of Satanists, led by Vincent Price as 'The Sinister Man'. Cut to present day (1983) and cuddly Kenny and his assistant Pamela Stephenson (with a theriouthly thilly accthent) are heading-up an investigation into paranormal events at the Manor.
Written by the great Barry Cryer (along with director, Ray Cameron) it's kind of like a British cross between Airplane and Scary Movie, sending-up everything from The Haunting to Carrie to The Entity and Alien.
I admit most of the jokes evoke groans rather than belly-laughs, but the cast and crew try so hard, you just have to love it.
Many familiar faces pop-up, including Cleo Rocos, Jonn Fortune and even old Mr Grace's secretary Debbie Linden.
And who can resist a film with Gareth Hunt and Don Warrington as a pair of g.ay paranormal investigators !!

Stand out bits for me included the 'cello in the closet' scene, 'watch out, it's a bat' and kills including death by mole(!?) and a beheading by electric can-openner

hock:
Then there's Stephenson's topless scene in the 'Entity' mickey-take. Acutally, it's probably a good thing I never saw this when I was 16 - seeing Pammy in just a pair of French knickers at such a tender age would probably have caused me to spontaniously combust.

Top marks to Jake West & Marc Morris for giving this an amazing transfer and some great extras including a fun documentary (where the exec. producers explain how everyone lost money on the troubled project), trailers & stills and even the shooting script as a .pdf file. Nice one, Nucleus.

Now all I need is for someone to re-master Smith & Jones's Morons From Outer Space and Cannon & Ball's The Boys in Blue on Blu-ray and I can die a happy man

MaxRenn · Post by **MaxRenn** » Fri Aug 15, 2008 9:38 am

42nd Street Forever - it's a 70s grindhouse trailer compilation, some good, some tedious, many plain bizarre. Amazing how many films seemed to have rape as a central selling point in the 70s. However what I really want to know is how I have come this far in life without ever hearing about The Pink Angels, a gay biker exploitation film. The trailer for this is amazing.

ghouldrool · Post by **ghouldrool** » Fri Aug 15, 2008 10:21 am

Scarecrows
A rather fine and grim little movie about robbers getting killed off by cinemas gnarliest looking scarecrows.
It all looks very dark and dank.
Sure its got pacing problems and the scarecrows are onscreen too little.
Theres an adorable bulldog puppy and a ravishing female hostage.
Comedy comes from the female robbers ultimate 80s hairstlye which must have caused the hole in the ozone layer itself.

MaxRenn · Post by **MaxRenn** » Fri Aug 15, 2008 10:16 pm

Mother of Tears - can't bring myself to say much about this except it made me quite sad and I wish Dario had just left it alone.

streetrw · Post by **streetrw** » Sat Aug 16, 2008 12:18 am

My discies arrived today: first out was The Big Racket, a seventies Italian cop thriller from Enzo G Castellari, in which only a maverick cop stands between decent society and a substantial mob of sociopaths and punks running a protection racket. Mildly amusing, but fairly bog-standard; it's certainly no classic (for a start Maurizio Merhi, the moustachioed king of the genre, isn't in it) There are just three female characters in the whole film, one is a proud member of the sociopathic punk brigade and the other two are brutally raped and murdered (and that's after the BBFC cuts).

I may put aside the other two films until my hearing is properly restored on Monday.

dangerous_jamie · Post by **dangerous_jamie** » Sat Aug 16, 2008 3:17 pm

I just got finished with Fred Olen Ray's Evil Toons, which I very much enjoyed although the first 45 minutes were far too self aware in a way that was far less subtle than the likes of Scream or The Dead Hate The Living (a Fred Olen flick? Not subtle? What are the odds?), so that was my first irk point. The second follows, I bought it based on the awesome premise of cartoon monster prowls on nubile ladies... there was maybe three minutes worth of animation in the whole film!

The film is competantly shot, at some points the cinematography was even awesome. The girls look great too, Monique Gabrielle, Suzanne Ager and Madeline Stone do the boobs out ham acting that we all know and love, and a nice cameo from Michelle Bauer is the cherry on top.

Not so much gore, or even horror situations. But it is funny enough and paced well.

I really dug it.

Now I am off to watch Skyscraper.

Grindhouse · Post by **Grindhouse** » Sat Aug 16, 2008 3:27 pm

Hey jamie, i was flicking through Xbox live movie rentals and Killer Klowns from outer space is on there in HD.

dangerous_jamie · Post by **dangerous_jamie** » Sat Aug 16, 2008 3:31 pm

Thanks for the heads up, but I own the Midnite Movies release.

I love that film!

STun · Post by **STun** » Sun Aug 17, 2008 9:48 pm

Tropic Thunder. Saw a preview at the NFT. Very funny. Robert Downey Jr steals the show as 'the dude playing the dude who is the dude'. Some silly set pieces, silly gore, plenty of random guest appearances, and great trailers which precede the movie itself. Be sure to see it when it goes on release!

ghouldrool · Post by **ghouldrool** » Mon Aug 18, 2008 12:42 pm

The Clone Wars
Not really as hip as the animation from a few years ago but a lot better than Attack of the Clones.
A brisk and concise adventure with some cool new tunes and set pieces.
Free from the constraints of the movie's mythology (and musical dictates) to some extent it becomes a more exciting prospect. Recalling as it does the heady days of just playing with the action figures or reading the Marvel Comic.
Good afternoon fun.
Notably Jackson and Chris Lee both return to add their voices.

Chicken Little
A low point in the glut of CGI animal movies from a couple of years ago. Theres rarely any jokes, the voice acting is poor and the message bludgeoned home every 15 mins.

Trick or Treat
A heavy metal horror. Gene Simmons and Ozzy Osbourne provide cameos but only Ozzy's was really memorable.
The lead is a uncharismatic lump and every one else just looks bland.
The lead villain could have been a lot better (should have been Alice Cooper imo) and his powers seem to be whatever the writer wants for whatever scene.
There is some fun to be had though once it finally gets going.
For me the highlight was Sammy pulling the old woman out of a TV show, burning her corpse and a kid having to vaccuum the remains!!!!

Psycho Cop
When Maniac Cop 1+2 exist it would be better to watch those again than this.
It starts well though and you think hes going to be a cool cheesy villain, but the film moves at a snails pace and runs out of steam a third of the way in.