Last Film You Watched

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Re: Last Film You Watched

Postby Ian » Mon Oct 24, 2016 10:18 am

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back. Watchable but disappointingly ordinary.
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Re: Last Film You Watched

Postby fish » Tue Oct 25, 2016 8:21 am

Embrace of the Serpent.
Good.
No.
Better than that.
Very, very good.Image

http://www.palacefilms.com.au/embraceoftheserpent/

Filmed in black and white so that the richness of the Amazon greenness wouldn't detract from the story.
Some sub-titles where needed.

Image
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Re: Last Film You Watched

Postby Ian » Tue Oct 25, 2016 10:24 am

Went to the cinema today to see Ouija: Origin of Evil. The sequel (or rather, prequel) no one wanted to the horror flick no one liked, but which has turned out to be a somewhat unexpected critical darling. Though perhaps it shouldn't have been too unexpected, as this one (unlike the original) is co-written and directed by Mike Flanagan, whose track record includes the low-budget but excellent Absentia and the excellent 2013 Karen Gillan horror flick Oculus (he's also done a home invasion thriller called Hush this year which is not out here yet) and who is rapidly becoming my favourite modern horror director. A widow and fake medium conducts her "sessions" with the aid of her two daughters, one teenage (and played by the same young actress who played the young Karen Gillan in Oculus, funnily enough) and the other a little girl. One day the mother decides to bring home one of these newfangled ouija boards to spice up her act, but unknown to her, her youngest decides to play with it alone at night. And something decides to start answering back, and it ain't interested in playing 20 Questions. Needless to say, things start going rapidly downhill for the family after that... I totally dug this movie, from the excellent cast (which includes an all growed up Henry "ET" Thomas as the family's increasingly concerned priest) to the slow-burn tension and mood, to the whole 60s atmosphere and iconography (which even includes the use of the old Universal logo at the start of the film and "cigarette burns" to indicate reel changes throughout). Love a bit of period stuff (anything to get away from the 21st century I guess!). I shall certainly be getting this on Blu ray, which is the first time I've said that since The Conjuring 2, and I actually think I even liked this a little more. I really enjoyed this! *:)* :D
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Re: Last Film You Watched

Postby Ian » Thu Nov 10, 2016 10:18 am

Halloween H20. It is 20 years since madman Michael Myers brought terror to the small town of Haddonfield on one bloody Halloween night. Now survivor Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis), still traumatised by the events of that night and still obsessed with the idea that Michael might still be alive and may one day return to finish what he started, is working under an assumed name as the headmistress of a secluded private school far away from her old home town. But now, on the exact 20th anniversary of the massacre, as a school trip just leaves a handful of students and skeleton staff at the school, Laurie's worst nightmare is about to become reality... Classic 90s sequel to the original Halloween and Halloween II (both of which were set on the same night) that remains as enjoyable, scary and entertaining as ever. Really enjoyed this, still a favourite! :D
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Re: Last Film You Watched

Postby Ian » Fri Nov 18, 2016 9:53 am

Live and Let Die. Investigating the deaths of three agents, James Bond uncovers an elaborate Caribbean/New York heroin smuggling operation hiding behind the superstitious veneer of a voodoo cult. Roger Moore is instantly fantastic and iconic in his debut as 007 in this early 70s Bond flick, and while this isn't my favourite of his - prefer Spy/Moonraker/FYEOand even AVTAK - it's still largely great fun entertainment, with plenty of action and wit. It's Uncle Rog smooching the ladies and kicking bad guy ass, what more do you want? It's certainly miles better than Octopussy (or Spectre, come to that!) :mrgreen:
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Re: Last Film You Watched

Postby Ian » Wed Dec 14, 2016 1:26 am

Shivers. A luxury apartment complex becomes a terrifying trap when a parasite begins infecting the residents and turning them into lust-fuelled maniacs in this creepy weirdo mid 70s chiller that was the feature debut of famed horror director David Cronenberg. It's obviously a low-budget flick, but equally obvious is Cronenberg's gift for conjuring an atmosphere of the bizarre and of brooding menace and his fascination with all things creepy and disturbing.
The 70s were weird, man... :shock: :mrgreen:
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Re: Last Film You Watched

Postby Ian » Sun Dec 18, 2016 1:59 am

Deathtrap. Michael Caine is a once successful playwright desperate for another hit after a string of flops. So desperate, in fact, that when a former student (Christopher Reeve) send him his first play, which he thinks is so good it will be a massive success, he decides, much to the disbelieving horror of his wife (Dyan Cannon), to murder him and steal the play for himself... or does he? Nothing is quite as it seems in this hugely entertaining twisty turny tongue in cheek early 80s comic thriller. Haven't seen this for decades, but still great fun. :D
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Re: Last Film You Watched

Postby Ian » Sun Jan 15, 2017 9:53 am

Rabid. Revolutionary skin grafts used on a motorcycle accident victim take on a life of their own and become blood-hungry little suckers, resulting in a wave of rabies-like vampirism storming through Montreal in this late 70s Canadian horror flick. Some effective and scary scenes from director David Cronenberg, but I didn't think it gelled together as well as Shivers (let alone his masterpiece, The Brood).
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Re: Last Film You Watched

Postby Ian » Tue Jan 31, 2017 10:23 am

In A Valley of Violence. Ethan Hawke is a loner, bar his loyal dog, who drifts into a rundown little town in the Old West where a jackass picks a fight with him for no apparent reason, only to come off the worse for it. The jackass turns out to be the son of the town Marshal (John Travolta) who sends him on his way with no real hard feelings. But said jackass just can't let it be, and together with his mates ambush Hawke, kill his dog and leave him for dead. As anyone who's seen John Wick will attest, bad idea. Soon Hawke is on his way back to town, and he's not leaving until everyone involved is dead - including the Marshal if he gets in his way... Karen Gillan co-stars in this largely unremarkable but still pretty watchable and entertaining enough Western revenge thriller.
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Re: Last Film You Watched

Postby Ian » Mon Feb 06, 2017 10:16 am

Split. Three teenage girls are abducted by a man who appears to have a couple of dozen split personalities, who promises them that a new personality he calls "the Beast" is about to be born... Disappointing thriller/chiller from M Night Shyamalan that started off okay but never developed into anything particularly interesting. Not bad as such, but very ordinary. For a split personality psycho thriller, forget this and go watch John Lithgow chewing the scenery in the far more entertaining early 90s Brian De Palma flick Raising Cain instead.
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Re: Last Film You Watched

Postby DMt. » Mon Feb 06, 2017 6:36 pm

Inherent Vice - A complex, not to say labyrithine black comedy set in the early 70's; Joaquin Phoenix very well cast as a stoner private dick getting rather out of his depth. Actually comedy might be the wrong term, but there is certainly much wit in the script, and there's not a false note anywhere [IMO].

Screenplay approved by Pynchon from his novel; multiple watchability [ie while you try to figure out wtf is going on/catch all the visual jokes you missed previously]; narration by hipster queen Joanna Newsome; most definitely not for those who like to be spoonfed and/or signposted, and all the better for it.

Glad I bought it. *:)*
"To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize" - Voltaire
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Re: Last Film You Watched

Postby Ian » Tue Mar 14, 2017 10:11 am

Better off Dead. John Cusack is a high school teenager so obsessively in love with his girlfriend that he flirts with the idea of suicide after she just casually dumps him for a local ski champion. Between coping with his mom's cooking, the sweet French foreign exchange student living with his creepy neighbours, and a malevolent and relentless paperboy, he ultimately decides to challenge his rival to a suicidal-in-itself ski competition down a notoriously "untameable" nearby mountain... This mid 80s comedy is irreverent, off the wall and frequently hilarious. Great fun from start to finish, I think my fave side character is Vincent Schiavelli's impossibly charismatic maths teacher, who genuinely has his entire class rivetted to his every (incomprehensible) uttering. Genius! :lol:
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Re: Last Film You Watched

Postby Ian » Tue Mar 21, 2017 10:10 am

Train to Busan. A workaholic, distant father is taking his little girl on a bullet train to see her mother (his ex-wife) when a zombie outbreak kicks off (hate it when that happens :P ) and they soon find themselves on an express train ride to Hell. Exciting and scary South Korean action-horror, though it perhaps goes on a bit too long.
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Re: Last Film You Watched

Postby fish » Wed Mar 22, 2017 5:56 am

Ian wrote:...(hate it when that happens :P )...

They always pick the most inconvenient times too. *:|* :lol:
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Re: Last Film You Watched

Postby Ian » Wed Mar 22, 2017 10:10 am

:lol:

Before I Wake. A young couple still grieving the death of their young son foster another child, a child who turns out to have strange powers. When he sleeps, his dreams become reality. Dreams that start out with butterflies and manifestations of their lost child, and then start to become far more sinister... This 2016 horror flick from director Mike Flanagan is entertaining enough, well made and acted with some effective imagery and a clever resolution, but it lacks any real menace and is definitely my least favourite from him thus far.
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