films we just saw

[Jim Fear]

Was it me or did the cowboys in this film also appear to wanna get it on with each other... well not each other but Pitts character was the fascination of Afflecks... seemed very ummmmm brokeback.

I can't say I noticed any homoeroticism, but then again I am a little simple so it may have passed me by. I just took it that Afflecks character was a little overly obsessed with Pitts

As planned, I got to see Rec and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Its been a while since a film has managed to creep me out a bit, but Rec managed it. Plus I got to be amused by the numerous screams coming from various areas of the cinema when unexpected things happened.

[Satans Puppy]

I saw One Missed Call. Gosh, got quite bored by end of the film. Devoid of suspense, jumps anything really. The only thing I liked was those mask like faces that kept popping up. Saying that would like to see the original see if that delivers on the jumps!

I actually quite enjoyed it.... the girl from 'Moonlight' is purty Shame that other young lass didn't last too long

As for REC, going to see it on Weds with a bunch of folks from work, hoping to hear screams and plenty of arm grabbing...

[streetrw]

Well, I went to see REC last night and - again - it's good, but really it's not that good. Made me - and everyone else in there - jump more a few times (no screams, but several cries of "f*** me!" and, somewhat bizarrely, "f*** off!" - and no arm grabbing either, but then no-one was sitting next to me), and the last reel (when they get into the penthouse) is genuinely scary, but I'm started to wear of pov horror now. I think on balance Diary of the Dead is better.

Pathology is much more fun - on one level it's the Never Back Down story, as the new guy in town gets seduced into a world of hot chicks and violence by charismatic yet utterly amoral villain, and must abandon his principles to ultimately triumph. However, it's got numerous autopsy sequences, loads of corpses, some entirely gratuitous lesbians, a lot of deeply tasteless gross-out humour and a nicely nasty ending. A pleasantly unpleasant surprise.

Meanwhile, my Argento retro continued with Tenebrae - probably my favourite of his gialli and absolutely stunning to look at. And followed by Phenomena, which I hadn't seen in about 15 years and I now think is underrated. It's got the most bonkers plot you can imagine, but is so wonderfully over-directed you don't really question it, and even in this longer version it really doesn't drag. Maybe there's a little too much heavy metal on the soundtrack for my tastes, but that's about it. Next up (maybe tonight) Two Evil Eyes and Terror at the Opera.

[Laymonite]

I thought REC was brilliant. I didn't just jump, I literally screamed twice (not like a girl, a deep, manly scream. Similar to a lion.) It wasn't just jump scares though, there was genuine fear and tension throughout. But I agree, please let this be the end of hand-held camera horror films. Strange that it's taken nearly ten years after the release of Blair Witch for this style to become really popular.


Neve Back Down was also pretty good, despite the younger brother being the only really likable character. It's a throwback to those early 90s martial arts action films and all the better for it. Though it could have done without all those scenes of recording fights and posting them on you tube, as if it were something clever.

[MaxRenn]

Vacancy - okay Hitchcockian thriller, starts well but gradually deflates under it's predictability. Worth a rental. Not sure why some people have lumped this in with Hostel and it's ilk, its much less in your face and juvenile, more like Joyride or something like that. Very unsatisfying ending though.

[giles edwards]

After missing the Glasgow screening of Grindhouse, I couldn't possible match up to the audience there, but still, after Friday's screening at its spiritual home in the slightly funky smelling Prince Charles...

...I am in love with this picture. I held out for year and it was worth the wait in the most rewarding way imaginable.

[streetrw]

EDITED AND UPDATED
Managed to squeeze in Two Evil Eyes and Terror At The Opera on Monday night (not until afterwards did I realise I'd run them in the wrong order - Opera should have been first. Oh well.). Anyway, I first saw 2EE at Shock Around The Clock 4 in Portobello Road in 1990 and I don't think I've seen it since; both parts I'd completely forgotten about. Romero's opener is relatively slow and talky while Argento's is flamboyant and typically bonkers. Neither, I think, are classics or show either director at their best, but it's an interesting look.

Terror At The Opera is even more bonkers, more excessive, more sadistic, but the mix of graphic violence and high culture is a good one and each throws the other into sharp relief. It's a great mix and up there with Tenebrae as my favourite DA giallo. Maybe the "hello birds, hello trees" ending is a bit peculiar, but that's nitpicking.

And last night was the variable triple-bill madness of Trauma, The Phantom Of The Opera and Sleepless. The first is nowhere near as bad as it's been made out, although in places it does feel more like a talented Argento act's movie than a movie by The Man Himself. Phantom is, I'm afraid, a complete mess, though that might in part be due to having to live up to Dario's other trip to the opera. And Sleepless is pretty good; a return to giallo territory with the trademark graphic violence and needless (but enjoyable) camera movements.

So that just leaves The Card Player and Do You Like Hitchcock to see by Friday (I'm going bowling on Thursday, but I'll manage it). So close to the end now.... And I'm not going to do it again!

[Team Banzai]

waaay back was disappointed initially with OPERA, but my eyes were duly opened (pun intended) at a screening of this back in the scala days. the big screen really is essential in this films case.

FORBIDDEN KINGDOM, well it kept team FF awake on a sunday morning (no mean feat for ian i can tell you) nothing spectacular but a good, solid chop socky re-imagining of the tv show MONKEY - that much beloved bbc2 perennial. the best and most exciting scene has a great fight between the hk action greats jackie chan and jet li. the film is a beautifully shot slice of action fantasy - perfect for a sunday early afternoon movie outing.

[Grindhouse]

my KingKong boxset arrived so i treated myself to the big brawl that is King Kong vs Godzilla,if wonky sets,miniature vehicles,guys in monster suits are your thing then this is right up your street.
Theres not much of a story,but if a rumble in the jungle is what you want then its what you get,with much shouting from me to the tune off, kick his monkey ass godzilla,great cheesy fun,bring on mechagodzilla,king ghidorah and more bad ass wannabees,for the take down.
more on Godzilla and monsters in my next blog.

[Jim Fear]

Indeed, The Forbidden Kingdom was good fun. Family kung-fu stuff, but still good worth. I didn't regret getting out of bed and venturing up to Leicester Square anyway. Thanks Frightfest!

I also busted out Tenebrae last night in vague readiness for Saturday. I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed this film

[Satans Puppy]

Just got back from REC after seeing it with work folks... I tell ya, it was syncronised screaming... first the girl on the left, then the fella on the right, followed by the girl from data team.... followed by the fella next to me... followed by an arm grab and a scream to my left.

Bloomin classic

[soulmining]

Time to pick through my week's cinematic marvels and mishaps...

Let's start with Awake. Well, I stayed awake throughout the film, so that was a positive thing... I think. Actually, after a batch of one star reviews I was really fearing the worst and just hoping the presence of Jessica Alba would tide me through to the closing credits. But, in fairness it wasn't that bad. The set up was engaging enough and it made me wince once or twice as Hayden's character went under the knife... it was just as the plot twists came thick and fast that the film unravelled somewhat.

On Sunday I caught the full version of Grindhouse on the big screen and I'm glad that I made the effort to do so. Of course I'd seen Death Proof and Planet Terror already, and I'd seen a bootleg copy of the full film but nothing beats seeing it projected at the cinema as it should be. Absolutely terrific fun!

Pathology annoyed me immensely... in fact, I'd go so far as to say I found it distasteful and worthless. Nothing about the film had any merit whatsoever in my eyes. Yes, there was lashings of murder and sex in it, but the cast were so wholly unlikeable that I just didn't care what they got up to, I just wanted the lot of them to die horribly. The story was even more stupid than Awake, the acting was poor and the dialogue... a real disappointment seeing as it was penned by the guys who did Crank which was such a hoot. The worst film I've seen all year - yes, it was worse than Jumper.

Thankfully 21 (the other half of my double bill that night) was much more likeable. Oceans Eleven Jr. as I read somewhere. No real surprises in the story but the cast of (largely) unknowns did a great job and I really liked the hip tunes on the soundtrack. A nice, satisfying watch that one.

Finally tonight I went to see [Rec] again. Still think it's a great pure horror film that uses the first-person-camera gimmick well, I just love the whole rough, chaotic nature of the film. And yes, it does make you jump about three or four times which is some acheivement. Shame there was quite a lot of talking during the film, but I don't know if that was just because people were so freaked out with what was going on.

They also showed a trailer for Teeth tonight which got a great reaction from the audience - good to see it's getting a release in the UK soon.

[giles edwards]

Eh, [REC] - I guess the worst thing you can say about is it's an easy fall back for two very talented directors to regain some mojo and prove what vital, stripped down and rather effective filmmakers they can be.

The best, that it's an effective and mercifully swift amalgamation of the 21st century's subjective horror sub-genre.

I call very loudly for moratorium on any further found-footage pictures. I liked the picture, but it's all pretty wearing, despite being very well-crafted. I think I'll like to remember to see this film as the ultimate full stop to the sub-genre. Everything in it has been seen before, no less effectively. The last sequence is a virtual beat for beat riff on similar, superior scares in The Descent and 28 Weeks Later. In lesser hands it could have been a slovenly greatest-hits package -- which is undoubtedly what the US remake will be. In Plaza and Balageuro's hands though, [REC] does manage to take all those disparate elements and package them into one decent exercise in lo-fi trickery and at 78 mins, knows exactly when to quit. Just like any other filmmaker wanting to make one of these pictures in the future should do. It's pointless now. This is the last word on the genre, from two very appropriate, genre-loving filmmakers. It doesn't make it the best, but it makes it the most satisfying send off the already-way-past-its-sell-by-date genre could hope for.

Plus, I must be getting old: what's with all the shouting? Another desperately annoying holdover from the Blair Witch phenomenon is that a throng of people shouting at each = mounting on-screen tension. Not that a good, hearty scream isn't the lynchpin of the genre (see Blow Out). But the isolated, pained and awful howls of Hostel's victims, say, are a world away from the cacophony of the hand-held revolutions ensemble cast. Someone should tell them that shutting up and taking brief stock might elicit more pro-activity in times of stress and hysteria. Still, it diverted the viewer's attention long enough to get away with the picture's greatest gore gag -- SPOILER!

-- the fireman plummeting down the stairwell. The duo are obviously fans of Kairo. A fine moment.

For genuinely classic set-in-one-location thrills, try and locate Balaguero's segment in the Spanish TV series 6 Films To Keep You Awake. It's fantastic.

[dangerous_jamie]

Eh, [REC] - I guess the worst thing you can say about is it's an easy fall back for two very talented directors to regain some mojo and prove what vital, stripped down and rather effective filmmakers they can be.

The best, that it's an effective and mercifully swift amalgamation of the 21st century's subjective horror sub-genre.

I call very loudly for moratorium on any further found-footage pictures. I liked the picture, but it's all pretty wearing, despite being very well-crafted. I think I'll like to remember to see this film as the ultimate full stop to the sub-genre. Everything in it has been seen before, no less effectively. The last sequence is a virtual beat for beat riff on similar, superior scares in The Descent and 28 Weeks Later. In lesser hands it could have been a slovenly greatest-hits package -- which is undoubtedly what the US remake will be. In Plaza and Balageuro's hands though, [REC] does manage to take all those disparate elements and package them into one decent exercise in lo-fi trickery and at 78 mins, knows exactly when to quit. Just like any other filmmaker wanting to make one of these pictures in the future should do. It's pointless now. This is the last word on the genre, from two very appropriate, genre-loving filmmakers. It doesn't make it the best, but it makes it the most satisfying send off the already-way-past-its-sell-by-date genre could hope for.

Plus, I must be getting old: what's with all the shouting? Another desperately annoying holdover from the Blair Witch phenomenon is that a throng of people shouting at each = mounting on-screen tension. Not that a good, hearty scream isn't the lynchpin of the genre (see Blow Out). But the isolated, pained and awful howls of Hostel's victims, say, are a world away from the cacophony of the hand-held revolutions ensemble cast. Someone should tell them that shutting up and taking brief stock might elicit more pro-activity in times of stress and hysteria. Still, it diverted the viewer's attention long enough to get away with the picture's greatest gore gag -- SPOILER!

-- the fireman plummeting down the stairwell. The duo are obviously fans of Kairo. A fine moment.

For genuinely classic set-in-one-location thrills, try and locate Balaguero's segment in the Spanish TV series 6 Films To Keep You Awake. It's fantastic.

I wholeheartedly agree! I didn't enjoy it nearly as much as I thought I would. I walked in expecting Horror at its most original and terrifying, what I got was an above average version of More Of The Same.

[streetrw]

Argento Retro Finito!

Seeing The Card Player again last night reminded me that while it isn't exactly bad, it's not very good. The only scene where the Dario we know and love actually rears his head is the home invasion sequence, but the rest is sadly a bit blah: it doesn't feel like Argento really wants to be there. I don't know much about the background to it (there's a commentary by Alan Jones which I haven't played yet) but it just looks like a low-key CSI. (Not helped either by the police commissioner being a dead ringer for David Soul.)

And finally, and on a positive note: I really think Do You Like Hitchcock? is underrated. It's nowhere near Tenebrae, Opera or Deep Red, granted, but it's a fun, generally light-hearted pastiche thriller. Oddly, though, it doesn't feel like a pastiche of Hitchcock so much as a pastiche of a dePalma pastiche of Hitchcock (if that makes any sense) - and the score by BdP's onetime regular composer Pino Donaggio seems to conjure up Brian's Hitch movies rather than Alfred's own. (In-jokes: spot the poster for The Card Player in the video shop, along with a copy of Scarlet Diva...)

Still, it's been a really fun ride but it's over now (although I could top it off tomorrow with the Argento cut of Dawn of the Dead and the Eye For Horror doc....). Am I clinically insane? You decide. Ain't doing it again in a hurry, that's for sure.