What films have you watched recently?

Grangousier

Because it's come to Amazon, we watched the Matt Reeves The Batman yesterday. I thought it was excellent, if a bit overlong, but then I've always thought of Bruce Wayne as a deeply disturbed thug, so it was nice to see a film that agreed with me. Interested to see what the next film is like. 

Timcito

The Devil Rides Out.

60s Hammer job about a satanic coven  which abducts a young man into its fold and the mission of his friends to free him from the clutches of these satanists.

I liked this when I first saw it, probably sometime in the late 70s. However, it really did seem like a pile of horse wallop last night when I re-watched it, and I'm normally partial to Hammer.

Also, I was struck by how rich and posh everyone was. Interesting how common this was back then. People were much more used to drama that featured their 'betters.'

boogieman

I still like the old Hammer films, even though they’re not remotely scary these days, but I saw The Devil Rides Out at the cinema when it was first released and the armoured skeleton on horseback scared the crap out of me. Different times. 

Offset

boogieman said:

I still like the old Hammer films, even though they’re not remotely scary these days, but I saw The Devil Rides Out at the cinema when it was first released and the armoured skeleton on horseback scared the crap out of me. Different times. 

I was rather partial to The Goat Of Mendes.  A kind of malevolent Mr Tumnus.

boogieman

Offset said:

boogieman said:

I still like the old Hammer films, even though they’re not remotely scary these days, but I saw The Devil Rides Out at the cinema when it was first released and the armoured skeleton on horseback scared the crap out of me. Different times. 

I was rather partial to The Goat Of Mendes.  A kind of malevolent Mr Tumnus.

Sadly nowadays it always reminds me of Dan Akroyd doing the goat leggings dance in Dragnet. 

Timcito

boogieman said:

I still like the old Hammer films, even though they’re not remotely scary these days, but I saw The Devil Rides Out at the cinema when it was first released and the armoured skeleton on horseback scared the crap out of me. Different times. 

I liked it too back in the late 70s as a teenager. Well, it's still entertaining in a way but seriously naff.

stickyfiddle

Indiana Jones & the Dial of Destiny

Fun! Obviously nowhere as good as Raiders or Crusade, but a fun movie and miles better than Crystal Skull. 

Didn't love the end but don't hate it and on balance it's better as one last Indy adventure than it not existing at all. 

Philly_Q

Colors of Evil: Red (Netflix)

The naked body of a young woman is found on a stony beach.  It turns out she had interesting connections: her mother is a judge, her father a lawyer, but she worked at a dodgy bar called The Shipyard, owned by a local criminal kingpin.  The crime is quickly pinned on a recently-released convicted murderer, but a young prosecutor suspects there is more to the story than meets the eye.

This Polish thriller has a rather unlikely, convoluted plot similar to one of those ITV mini-series they show over two or three consecutive nights, but the unfamiliar cast makes it play out a bit better than it might have if it starred Suranne Jones and David Tennant.  It's worth a watch.

Timcito

Carnival of Souls.

I found this on a compilation of classic horror movies in my wife's collection. Made in 1962, it's an odd film, with the appearance of something between a low-budget flick, a B-movie, and an art-house film. It tells the story of a young woman who seemingly survives a drag-racing accident in which the car she's in plunges off a bridge into a lake. She emerges from the lake seemingly unscathed, but as the film progresses, her life becomes increasingly odd and nightmarish until it turns out that she died in the accident and was somehow able to manifest herself in the material world for a period before succumbing fully to the beyond.

The acting is oddly stylized, as though the actors at times are making no attempt to realistically interpret the script. It's shot in black and white, includes some eerie music, and features some striking camera work with varied angles, effects of light, expressive close-ups, and juxtaposed images. It reminded me of Eraserhead. Not exactly Coppola's Dracula but a compelling film.

racefaceec90

lake mungo

a film about a family coming to terms with their daughter/sister who drowns in the lake. things take a more supernatural turn as the story goes on (don't want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen it).

done in a documentary style  

i thought the film was excellent. 9/10 

rze99

racefaceec90 said:

lake mungo

a film about a family coming to terms with their daughter/sister who drowns in the lake. things take a more supernatural turn as the story goes on (don't want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen it).

done in a documentary style  

i thought the film was excellent. 9/10 

where'd you catch it?

rze99

PSA BBC Iplayer has The Damned United. A different kind of horror show. Cloughie managing Leeds. It's very enjoyable.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00t61gx/the-damned-united

racefaceec90

rze99 said:

racefaceec90 said:

lake mungo

a film about a family coming to terms with their daughter/sister who drowns in the lake. things take a more supernatural turn as the story goes on (don't want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen it).

done in a documentary style  

i thought the film was excellent. 9/10 

where'd you catch it?

i watched it on amazon prime  (£4.99 to watch the hd version). 

rze99

racefaceec90 said:

rze99 said:

racefaceec90 said:

lake mungo

a film about a family coming to terms with their daughter/sister who drowns in the lake. things take a more supernatural turn as the story goes on (don't want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen it).

done in a documentary style  

i thought the film was excellent. 9/10 

where'd you catch it?

i watched it on amazon prime  (£4.99 to watch the hd version). 

cheers

Emp_Fab

'Pride' - The 2014 comedy-drama about a group of LGBT activists in London who supported the miners in the 1984 strike.

Stars Bill Nighy, Imelda Staunton, Dominic West, Paddy Considine among others.

I've seen it before but it's a fabulous film - gets 93% on Rotten Tomatoes.

It's funny, poignant, inspiring and uplifting.

Don't let the subject matter put you off - watch it.  I promise you you will be glad you did.

Philly_Q

Lord Of Misrule (Shudder)

Rebecca, her husband Henry and daughter Grace have recently moved to an idyllic English village where Rebecca has been appointed as the local vicar.  All's fine until Grace disappears during the harvest festival... and the "friendly" locals seem to be doing their best to prevent her being found.

This couldn't be more Folk Horror if it tried... quaint little cottages, misty fields, pagan rituals, annoying folk songs, creepy masked figures, a clash between Christianity and an older, darker religion.  Ralph Ineson adds a touch of class and commitment as the leading antagonist.  The film gets nearly everything right... but to me it feels like like it's all over-familiar and they're just trying too hard.  It's worth a watch though, you might like it more than I did.

Offset

Atlas (2024), Netflix.

Sci-fi bunkum with Jennifer Lopez.

OK, first the upsides.  It looks good (especially the CGI), the storyline actually kept me watching and engaged (but see downsides) and JL is OK.

Now for the downsides.  Despite being watchable, the storyline is preposterous.  We are expected to believe that an android terrorist flees into outer space, lands on a remote uninhabited planet and 28 years later has built an army of fellow androids and drones.  Really?  Then we have Mark Strong as a steely general.  Feck knows what an actor of Strong's ability is doing in here, but roles like this seem to be his lot these days unfortunately.  Lopez's character persuades him, with little apparent effort, to let her accompany a military mission to capture said terrorist.  OK.  Ellen Ripley she most definitely ain't.

And then we come to the main premise of the film - Lopez's relationship with a semi-sentient exoskeletal suit.  Let's just say it's cliched in the extreme and you can see how the story will pan out very early on in the film.

Also...

The suit (called Smith) reveals its' power pack has been damaged and it has limited run-time.  At one point Lopez discovers all of the military unit, still in their suits, who have been wiped out.  What is the first thing you'd do?  Yup, cannibalise the power-pack(s) from the other suits... but no...

I watched through to the end however and despite the fact this is by and large tosh, I will grudgingly admit I quite enjoyed it.  It passed the time pleasantly and undemandingly enough.  It just didn't suspend my disbelief very successfully.

5/10

Timcito

Some films are so stupid they defy reason. Cabin in the Woods, directed by Joss Whedon. is one such. It's a kind of horror-fantasy-gore extravaganza which satisfies on no discernible level. Ridiculous is the best word for it from the basement in which I'm sitting!  

Offset

Timcito said:

Some films are so stupid they defy reason. Cabin in the Woods, directed by Joss Whedon. is one such. It's a kind of horror-fantasy-gore extravaganza which satisfies on no discernible level. Ridiculous is the best word for it from the basement in which I'm sitting!  

Ha ha!  One of my favourite movies of the genre!

Jfingers

The Damned United on IPlayer

Brian Clough's 44 days at Leeds. Excellent actors and acting throughout. 8.75/10