| Author | Message | ||
     John Llewellyn Probert (John_l_probert) Username: John_l_probert Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.142.147.0 |
At this time of year we always like to watch movies that concern themselves with things that perhaps we all think a little bit more about at Christmas time. So, in case anyone's stuck for Xmas viewing (or anti-Xmas viewing, to be honest) here's our list of our Christmas movies for 2010 so far, complete with the Xmas theme each one might be associated with: Santa Claus - Rare Exports Snow - Frozen The Buying & Giving of Gifts - Hostel II Pantomime - Hawk the Slayer Children / The Family - A Serbian Film A Pet Is Not Just for Xmas - Sssssss / Frogs / Piranha Anyone else started their festive viewing yet?  | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 195.166.117.210 |
Yep: Rosemary's Killer Torso Tonight's offering will possibly be a re-watch of Profundo Rosso. | ||
| Frank (Frank) Username: Frank Registered: 09-2008 Posted From: 85.222.86.21 |
Got these lined up: Morvern Cellar The Devil's Playground Dorian Gray District 9 Permanent Midnight Anything Else | ||
| Gary Fry (Gary_fry) Username: Gary_fry Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.29.225.41 |
Anything Else is hilarious, Frankie boy. | ||
| Frank (Frank) Username: Frank Registered: 09-2008 Posted From: 85.222.86.21 |
I know, mate. But it's been ages since I last watched it. I'm having a season of films about writers. Morvern Cellar is also writer based, as is the little known Ben Stiller gem 'Permanent Midnight' which I recommend, Prof. | ||
| Tom_alaerts (Tom_alaerts) Username: Tom_alaerts Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 194.78.35.175 |
I plan to buy the Jean-Pierre Melville boxset, currently on offer at Amazon. He was a god of french noir cinema, yet I only saw his excellent Le Samurai ("The Godson" in English; it's unfortunately not in the box), featuring a young Alain Delon, a movie that inspired John Woo for his early gangster movies. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jean-Pierre-Melville-Collection-DVD/dp/B001N4KBBU/ | ||
| Huw (Huw) Username: Huw Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 61.216.46.183 |
I have a few lined up that I've been meaning to watch for a while now: Don't be Afraid of the Dark, Trick 'r Treat, The Queen of Spades and a few others. I will probably end up watching some old favourites again, as usual - The Thing, The Haunting, Night of the Demon, Dead of Night, Viy and others. Oh, and the new Criterion DVD of Night of the Hunter! | ||
| Johnny_mains (Johnny_mains) Username: Johnny_mains Registered: 04-2010 Posted From: 86.31.118.252 |
I have lined up... Serbian Film (uncut) Twins of Evil Vampire Circus Ed Wood fest (Glen or Glenda, Plan 9 etc) Dirty Dancing | ||
| Carolinec (Carolinec) Username: Carolinec Registered: 06-2009 Posted From: 92.232.199.129 |
Dirty Dancing?! That surprised me, Johnny!  | ||
| Johnny_mains (Johnny_mains) Username: Johnny_mains Registered: 04-2010 Posted From: 86.31.118.252 |
One of my favourite films Caroline. | ||
| Gary Fry (Gary_fry) Username: Gary_fry Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.29.225.41 |
What a girl! | ||
| Stevie Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 82.17.252.126 |
'Rare Exports' on Monday night. The last episode of 'The Walking Dead' & Season 1 of 'Fringe' in Leeds over Christmas. And all these for the first time: Silent Night, Bloody Night Torso Cannibal Apocalypse Wendigo Marebito Cold Prey Cold Prey : Resurrection Eden Lake Coraline ...with the little lady in Leeds. | ||
| John Llewellyn Probert (John_l_probert) Username: John_l_probert Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.142.147.0 |
Our latest Xmas-themed movie: The 'Unnatural Birth': To the Devil - A Daughter | ||
| Mick Curtis (Mick) Username: Mick Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.176.103.153 |
I've not seen TO THE DEVIL: A DAUGHTER since its cinema release. How does it stand up? | ||
| Stevie Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 82.17.252.126 |
It still terrifies me, Mick! The very first X-rated horror film I saw as a boy and still very high in my Top 10 Hammers list (it alternates between 3 & 4). Christopher Lee has never been more menacing imho... he actually exudes evil in that movie. | ||
| John Llewellyn Probert (John_l_probert) Username: John_l_probert Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.142.147.0 |
I've never been much of a fan of it, Mick, mainly because of the hugely garbled script that could have been so much better. On the plus side however, there are some good performances and Peter Sykes is a good director, but you really do get the feeling that there was no-one in charge of that picture. Great monster baby that seems to have wandered in from Inseminoid for no reason, though! Btw Mick - we recently saw Straight On Till Morning (which was absolutely awful - a kitchen sink slasher written by pseudo-inteelectuals) but knowing you're a fan of Luan Peters I was wondering what you thought of Katya Wyeth?  | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 81.96.253.77 |
I agree with Lord P - it's a mess of a film, but with a few interesting moments that seem like they've come from another film entirely. On the whole, it was a misguided attempt by Hammer to make a more modern, vogueish horror film. I tried to rewtach it recently and got a bit bored so turned it off and rewatched The Reptile instead.  Straight on Til Morning is dull as dishwater, isn't it? I've made two attempts to watch it, and only managed to get through the first hour! | ||
| Kate (Kathleen) Username: Kathleen Registered: 09-2009 Posted From: 86.142.147.0 |
I have a soft spot for TtDaD. Mostly because of Christopher Lee as an evil priest - yum!  Really, just take the dreadful Richard Widmark out of it and it's not such a bad film, even if Mr Wheatley and Mr Lee thought it "obscene". | ||
| Stevie Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 82.17.252.126 |
Hammer, Wheatley (the plot is bonkers brilliance), Lee, Widmark (great actor!), Kinski, Blackman, Valentine (awesome death scene), Elliott, mutant baby, gore, satanism... what's not to like?! | ||
| Mick Curtis (Mick) Username: Mick Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.176.103.153 |
Lord P. - yep, Katya Wyeth did it for me too! I've never seen STRAIGHT ON TIL MORNING but I may give it a try now, if it ever arrives on TV. | ||
| John Llewellyn Probert (John_l_probert) Username: John_l_probert Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.142.147.0 |
I remember it being on TV back in the early 80s like so many obscure movies - Corruption, The Legend of Spider Forest, Jennifer the Snake Goddess - that helped to make me what I am now, but I gave it a miss. It IS really awful, and Denis Meikle (in his book A History of Horrors) was quite right when he says that that sort of miserable self-indulgent kitchen sink piece was what helped to kill the British film industry. I can't honestly recommend it at all! | ||
| Mick Curtis (Mick) Username: Mick Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.176.103.153 |
Ok, I'll slink back to my copy of I START COUNTING then! | ||
| Stevie Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 82.17.252.126 |
I say again... 'To The Devil A Daughter' is one of the truly great 1970s horror films - and a glorious last hurrah masterpiece from Hammer! So there!  | ||
| John Llewellyn Probert (John_l_probert) Username: John_l_probert Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 213.253.174.81 |
Last night's movie was on the Xmas theme of 'Love Thy Fellow Man' : Bruno | ||
| John Forth (John) Username: John Registered: 05-2008 Posted From: 82.24.1.217 |
I re-watched TO THE DEVIL, A DAUGHTER again a few months back, and despite a decent set-up and plenty of conviction from everyone involved, it remains a bit of a mess. A shame, because the seeds of a decent swan song for Hammer are there, but at the end it just collapses. As Christopher Lee points out in the extras: "I'm supposed to be the embodiment of all evil, and I'm vanquished by someone throwing a stone at me." | ||
| Stevie Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 82.17.252.126 |
Lee was only a satanist in the film, with no supernatural powers, so a heavy stone could have vanquished him as well as any other mortal. I still think it's a wonderful movie and truly frightening, with a potency about the satanic horrors on display that I find wholly convincing and disturbing. The performances are all spot on and the plot rattles along at a thrilling pace, with many a memorable set piece. Ripe for serious reappraisal imho. |