| Author | Message | ||
     Craig (Craig) Username: Craig Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 99.126.164.88 |
Don't we need one for this year? And I assume it's any film we've seen this year, not just films from this year.... So yeah, the Super Bowl stank, so I wandered off and watched When An Inspector Calls (1954), from the 1945 J.B. Priestly play, starring Alistair Sim as the titular Inspector. Beautiful British production directed by Guy Hamilton (who directed, among many other movies, four Bond films [including Goldfinger), it's the story (set in 1914) of a stuffy upper class British family, whose quiet dinner party is suddenly disturbed by an interloping police inspector ("Inspector Poole"). He's there investigating the mysterious suicide (or was it?) of a young girl, admitted earlier that evening to the local infirmary; a girl who seems to have intersected consequentially in the life of each person present. Superbly staged, sometimes on-the-nose, but ultimately eerie, haunting... as if the movie wandered into "The Twilight Zone" territory. This breaks a dry spell of me watching any films: I've just not felt like seeing anything in a long while—thank god that game sucked! | ||
| Craig (Craig) Username: Craig Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 99.126.164.88 |
Whoops—mistake: that's just An Inspector Calls. | ||
| Patrick Walker (Patrick_walker) Username: Patrick_walker Registered: 01-2010 Posted From: 62.3.229.59 |
Ah, well in that case, let me start. I watched 43 films in January alone (mostly catching up on releases from the past 12 months or so) plus the last season of Mad Men, Nigel Kneale's Beasts and countless Alfred Hitchcock Presents episodes and documentaries... Don't ask me how I managed it. Anyway, I've now taken it upon myself to keep a record of all my viewing and a quick glance tells me that my favourite films viewed in January have been: Blue Jasmine (Woody Allen) Frances Ha (Noah Baumbach) Dallas Buyers Club (Jean-Marc Vallée) Prince Avalanche (David Gordon Green) The Way Way Back (Nat Faxon, Jim Rash) Secrets and Lies (Mike Leigh) Inside Llewyn Davis (Ethan Coen, Joel Coen) I might also say that I finally saw Season 3, Episode 1 of Tales of the Unexpected, The Flypaper, and what a thoroughly nasty and deeply disturbing bit of TV that was! So that, The Glass Eye from Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and Baby from Beasts was the best TV I saw. | ||
| David Lees (David_lees) Username: David_lees Registered: 12-2011 Posted From: 90.200.125.152 |
I saw a surprisingly good low-budget horror film last night called Inhuman Resources. Basic plot - a serial killer who decapitates corporate CEOs abducts the people responsible for his conviction and puts them to work in the office from hell. Strong performances, some squicky gore (thanks to Tom Savini, who also cameos), black humour and some clever plotting made it the best b-movie I've seen in quite a while. I wouldn't say track down a copy at all costs or anything, but if you get a chance to see it it's worthwhile. I recorded it off The Horror Channel a few weeks ago. | ||
| Stevie Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 85.255.235.171 |
I haven't been able to get to the cinema for a couple of months now due to this ruddy knee injury and have missed loads of great movies I was looking forward to. I'll catch all of them anon... It's watching DVDs in the house and overdosing on short horror stories for me at the moment and probably the next while. I'm taking a sabbatical from cinema going. | ||
| Craig (Craig) Username: Craig Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 99.126.164.88 |
Not a film yet, but it's nice to know that maybe Hollywood's venturing into fine & familiar lit, finally, for at least their upcoming sci-fi film concepts... http://www.firstshowing.net/2014/straczynski-options-ellisons-repent-harlequin-s aid-the-ticktock-man/ | ||
| Lincoln (Lincoln_brown) Username: Lincoln_brown Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 101.119.28.232 |
Best new-ish film I've seen so far this year was 'Only God Forgives'. Amazing! Best older films - 'Just Before Dawn' 'Haunted House of Horror' 'Das Boot' | ||
| Craig (Craig) Username: Craig Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 99.126.164.88 |
By Just Before Dawn, Lincoln, you probably don't mean the 1946 "Crime Doctor" entry (starring Warner Baxter as the former mob doctor who, after recovering from amnesia, turns against his criminal ways); this same film supposedly one of the best of that series (and it's a great series!), one of only two I've not been able yet to locate/see... do you?  | ||
| Lincoln (Lincoln_brown) Username: Lincoln_brown Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 101.119.28.232 |
Far from it, Craig! 1981 obscure survival/slasher, from the director of 'Squirm'. | ||
| Patrick Walker (Patrick_walker) Username: Patrick_walker Registered: 01-2010 Posted From: 81.131.90.29 |
I liked Only God Forgives, Lincoln. I thought it was like Gasper Noe on valium. Best recent films I've seen in February: Philomena The Selfish Giant Nebraska Kelly + Victor And of everything else: Au Revoir Les Enfants (1987) Karen Cries On The Bus (2011) Kick-Ass (2010) | ||
| David Lees (David_lees) Username: David_lees Registered: 12-2011 Posted From: 176.253.221.53 |
Anyone else seen the Godzilla trailer yet? Even watching it on a computer screen it made the hair stand up on my arms. It seems the movie is going for a real sense of awe and helplessness, hopefully it can live up to that. http://youtu.be/vIu85WQTPRc | ||
| Stevie Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 85.255.233.31 |
I very much doubt it. The original 'Godzilla' is an imperishable classic entirely because of the grim subtext. | ||
| David Lees (David_lees) Username: David_lees Registered: 12-2011 Posted From: 176.253.221.53 |
Another trailer...this looks like it could be really good. Starring Karen Gillan and from the director of Absentia, which I've not seen yet but have heard good things about. http://www.metacafe.com/watch/11337846/oculus_2014_official_trailer/ | ||
| David Lees (David_lees) Username: David_lees Registered: 12-2011 Posted From: 2.218.180.58 |
Well this certainly grabbed my attention: http://www.metacafe.com/watch/11342741/borgman_2014_official_trailer/ “Borgman is the central character in Alex van Warmerdam’s dark, malevolent fable. Is he a dream or a demon, a twisted allegory or an all-too-real embodiment of our fears? Borgman is a sinister arrival in the sealed-off streets of modern suburbia. His presence unleashes a crowing gallery of distortion around the careful façade constructed by an arrogant, comfortable couple, their three children and nanny.“ | ||
| Stevie Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 85.255.235.25 |
One film I'm looking forward to is the new Hammer production, 'The Quiet Ones'. It's a British set horror story that the synopsis makes sound quite Campbellian. It sounds reminiscent of 'Incarnate' so fingers crossed. | ||
| Stevie Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 85.255.235.19 |
This'll be their sixth film since the relaunch so it looks like the experiment is working. Of the five already made I've seen three of them and have the other two waiting on DVD. 'Beyond The Rave' (2008) obviously worked as an ultra-low budget attention grabbing ploy so full marks for using their imagination. Then 'Let Me In' (2010), which I've watched, was a solid but unremarkable remake of a classic original, and must have worked for them as an important money making holding action. Again, clever tactics, so can't complain about that. Then, what I consider the true return of Hammer, 'The Wake Wood' (2011) was an extremely well crafted and effective minor classic throwback to those old small town with dark secret/witchcraft shockers of the 60s & 70s. That was them up and running. Haven't seen 'The Resident' (2011), with Christopher Lee, yet but hear it's another solidly entertaining little chiller. Will watch it this weekend, I think, in another solely Hammer triple bill. Then 'The Woman In Black' (2012) must have made them a pot of money and was a fairly effective high profile modern ghost story. A lot rests on the success of 'The Quiet Ones' (2014), so fingers crossed... | ||
| David Lees (David_lees) Username: David_lees Registered: 12-2011 Posted From: 94.13.159.105 |
The only one of the new Hammer films I've seen is Wake Wood, which I liked. I have The Woman in Black on my Sky Box at the moment but I haven't watched it yet, I'm a little wary of a modern "Hollywood-ised" version of the story because I enjoyed the original (and the play, and the book) so much. Another one I'm keen to see this year is Banshee Chapter, which I've heard described as a modern version of From Beyond, and revolves around a journalist investigating CIA mind control drugs which may allow people to perceive Things Man Was Not Meant to Know. | ||
| Stevie Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 85.255.232.94 |
Hammer's 'The Resident' (early 2011) was an entertaining and well acted throwback to those yuppie psycho thrillers that used to be all the rage a few years ago ('Fatal Attraction' (1987), 'Pacific Heights' (1990), 'Single White Female' (1992), etc) but it pales in comparison to Jaume Balagueró's very similar but much meatier and more shocking 'Sleep Tight' (late 2011). It was better than 'The Woman In Black' (2012) and 'Let Me In' (2010) but distinctly less effective a horror movie than 'The Wake Wood' (2011), which remains new Hammer's finest hour, imo. | ||
| Lincoln (Lincoln_brown) Username: Lincoln_brown Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 101.119.27.39 |
Anyone else notice the microphone pop up, from the bottom of the screen, in the pharmacy scene? (In 'Wake Wood'). | ||
| Stevie Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 212.183.140.35 |
Many's the low budget horror movie I've seen that happen in, Lincoln. It's almost part of their charm. | ||
| David Lees (David_lees) Username: David_lees Registered: 12-2011 Posted From: 2.120.64.141 |
I've started hearing good things about The Canal, it's supposed to be a proper dread-soaked ghost story: http://tribecafilm.com/stories/tff-2014-trailer-of-the-day-the-canal | ||
| Mbfg (Mbfg) Username: Mbfg Registered: 09-2010 Posted From: 212.219.63.206 |
Went to see "Godzilla" last night. People had recommended it so I thought, why not? What a strange film it is. I should have laughed at it, found it utterly ridiculous, but I didn't and I can't work out why. was it the absence of square-jawed Hollywood soldiers making that odd "Boo-Yah" noise they make and yelling and screaming and "Let's do this thing" etc? Was it the astonishing cinematography, the human eye-level PoV? The way the monsters were almost in the background while the camera focussed on the human stories? Or perhaps it was the sheer cheek of the thing. Whatever it was, I loved it. Cheers Tel | ||
| Stevie Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 86.1.56.95 |
Have you ever seen 'Cloverfield' (2008), Terry. It and Bong Joon-Ho's 'The Host' (2006) are the only really great giant monster movies I've seen in recent years. I hated the last version of 'Godzilla' (1998) and would take some convincing to go and see this one, going by what I've seen and heard so far. I also thought Del Toro's 'Pacific Rim' (2013) was overblown pants. I have a great nostalgic fondness for those old men in rubber suits movies and find them, whether intentionally or not, far more entertaining than any po-faced attempt to tell the story. | ||
| David Lees (David_lees) Username: David_lees Registered: 12-2011 Posted From: 176.27.111.235 |
I finally got round to seeing Banshee Chapter tonight. It's a film I've been quite curious about for a while now and can basically be described as From Beyond mixed in with real life CIA mind control experiments, number stations and Ted Levine playing Hunter S Thomson-with-the-serial-numbers-filed-off. It was pretty decent but I didn't think it quite lived up to its potential overall and it was let down but a pointless wee twist at the end. But then...but then, I'm alone in the house in the dark at night a couple of hours after seeing it and feeling genuinely a bit freaked out, so it clearly did something right. | ||
| David Lees (David_lees) Username: David_lees Registered: 12-2011 Posted From: 176.27.111.235 |
I saw another one I've been curious about for a while, The Borderlands. It's a found footage movie about a group of Vatican investigators (including Gordon Kennedy from Absolutely) looking into claims of a miracle at a small English church. It's generally solid, with better characterisation and dialogue than you often get in found footage stuff and has a genuinely horrific and memorable climax. |