What movie did you watch today?

[Spartan]

The Raid 2 (2014)
I'm really fiendin' to see this again. It's not too often I want to return to a movie theater and watch the same movie again. Definitely going to be amongst my top ten of 2014 that's for sure.

A Pistol For Ringo (1965)
As spaghetti western protagonists go, the film's lead is legitimately a douchebag on the anti-hero spectrometer. There's a unique Stockholm Syndrome subplot which requires some serious suspension in disbelief, and to be honest I found it the most entertaining part in the entire film.

Snow Beast (2011)
Possibly the wackest looking man-in-a-monster-suit in decades. Stan Winston - you are missed. The scenes where the creature jogs around its oblivious victims is hilarious. I have vague memories of the 1977 TV movie of the same name being pretty scary, this however was pathetic.

[Comedy Quaddafi]

Shavenballs (2013) - Norwegian sexcomedy about a guy who is taught how to pick up women by his roommates. Without much warning the movie becomes a complete downer at some point. That probably worked better in the infamous book its based on, which I haven't read. But there are some laughs to be had here.

Wolf Creek 2 (2014) - 8 years later the sequel comes and was bound to disappoint. Mick is a comedian and not scary in this film, like the franchise Freddy. It's still worth seeing though. There are some pretty excellent scenes when Mick is chasing his victims. At times it reminded me of The Hitcher or Road Games. We waited far too long for something that isnt up to par, but the film is okay in its own right. Just don't expect the same atmosphere as the 2006 classic.

[Spartan]

Seen a lot of this guy in the DVD pile lately:



Seven Dollars on the Red (1966)
A mixed bag. The plot was great and I loved how the revenge theme unfolded like a Greek tragedy. Unfortunately, the film was really let down by some mediocre direction. Could have had potential.

The Return of Ringo (1965)
Did not think much of its predecessor, but this was significantly better on every level. Same cast as before but other than Giuliano Gemma starring as a darker and traumatised Ringo, the other actors play different roles. Liked this a lot.

The Fighting Fists of Shanghai Joe (1973)
Red Sun might dominate as far as hybrid "east meets west" type westerns go, but this shit was fucking awesome and had a ton of great surprises; including a classic Kinski bit part. Cool thing about this was how it really didn't feel gimmicky and touched upon issues like racism seriously and remained entertaining.

The Return of Shanghai Joe (1975)
Complete dud of a sequel. Asian protagonist looks more latino than anything else, with no fighting skills whatsoever. Kinski is back in a larger role as the main villain, but he looks bored out of his skull. The more light hearted tone was a complete failure and the soundtrack was even more horrific than Keoma's.

They Call Me Hallelujah / Heads You Die, Tails I Kill You (1971)
One of the more eccentric spaghetti westerns heading towards the more comedic Trinity movies. George Hilton is armed with a Singer sewing machine gun and there's a Russian dude wrecking shit with a balalaika bazooka. Despite a slightly weaker second half, I loved this movie overall. Aesthetically speaking, it kind of reminds me of the ridiculousness of Rodriguez's Machete flicks, but done right.

Vampire Hookers (1978)
With the exception of some pretty stylish foursome lovemaking (FFMF FTW), this was awful.

Vengeance is Mine / Death Squad (1978)
Filipino actioner from Cirio H. Santiago, which punches far above its weight. It's a little poorly paced around the middle of the flick but the finale is well worth it. Despite its failings, I did really admire it for being a bit of a grindhouse epic, though.

[drizzle]

Blue Ruin (2014) - This American indie is a top revengemovie, and perhaps the best revengefilm in recent years. Not only is it engaging and entertaining the whole way through, the film also manages to ask a lot of tough questions about revenge in creative ways within an excellent narrative. I'm very excited that good and creative revengefilms are still being made, shocked that this was made at all too.

this just opened here, it's very good. mumblecore revenge basically, a really interesting and well executed twist on the the genre, probably best entry into it since Dead Man's Shoes. highly recommended. avoid long form reviews, they're all favorable but they're making the movie seem like something it's not. the director and star were at the screening I went to and they both said the movie's rep is 'taking on a life of a it's own'

The Visitor - I think Spartan said this was boring, and I can def see why, but I dug it. Claims of it being the craziest italian cult movie ever are a long stretch, but it is a very very very wacked out take on the Omen with a little Birds thrown in. I got a vague Jodorowski vibe too, somebody involved in this has def seen Holy Mountain. The idea of Franco Nero as possibly Space Jesus and John Huston as possibly God (aka a space sheriff named Yahweh, pursing the offspring of intergalactic criminal Satin), is phenomenal. But the plot spends more time on the possessed child, so the full potential of it is never realized.

[Spartan]

The Visitor OST>>>>> The Visitor film.

[AWAE]

i figured so.. theres no way it could've lived up to the trailers

[Comedy Quaddafi]

Sorcerer (1977) - Saw a screening of Friedkin's take on Wages of Fear. This is a really goodlooking film and it must have taken ages to get all of the scenes right. Very good movie.

Bully (2001) - Based loosely on a true crime case where some teens murdered some asshole. I didn't believe much of the film, but I'm not sure what happened in the actual case. There's lots of teen-sleaze and -angst in this film. Overall I thought it was okay.

[Spartan]

Kill Them All and Come Back Alone (Enzo Castellari, 1968) - Awesome title + Awesome director, can't fucking lose. This should be recognized as spaghetti western cannon. Chuck Connors and what is essentially the fucking A-Team of spaghetti western misfit bandits (there's a Mexican knife throwing guy, the Hercules muscles guy, the acrobat guy, there's even a guy with a dynamite bazooka) decide to rob the confederate army of a million dollars in gold. But instead of doing it via some sneaky heist in the dark, they come up with a plan to attack the confederate fort in broad fucking daylight. This movie is nothing but brawls, gunfights and doublecrosses; with a surprisingly large budget and airtight action sequences. Top Ten spaghettis easily.

So this film was fucking awesome and I mean really fucking awesome. Not one boring minute. Basically The Dirty Dozen of spaghetti westerns.

Props to Bunz for the recommendation.

[Tommy Bunz]

so glad you liked it.
The more I think about it, it might even be my favorite Enzo.

[Comedy Quaddafi]

I have free tickets to the following screenings if I want, but I'm not sure which to see.

Friedkin:

- Rules of Engagement
- The Birthday Party
- Bug

Jodorowsky:

- The Rainbow Thief
- Fando and Lis
- Santa Sangre (definitely seeing that)

I know the obvs anwser is 'all of them' but that's not the anwser I'm looking for.

[aleph]

Friedkin:

- Rules of Engagement
- The Birthday Party
- Bug

Haven't seen Rules but Bug is well worth catching, Michael Shannon is in fine creepy form here.

As for Birthday Party, depending on whether or not you're into Harold Pinter (mannered dialogue and acting) you'll either be fascinated or bored to death. Either way it's not readily accessible. I liked it.

[LilLeftBrain]

beware of mr baker -- that gingers a ripe repugnant figure tho his mothers a mudder his fathers a mudder his fathers a mudder what did i just say

[Larry2times]

Tin Men (1987)

This shit was poifect. FYC are the house band and Dreyfuss & Devito are snakey cunts. Makes me finally wanna watch Diner.

[Larry2times]

Sorcerer (1977) - Saw a screening of Friedkin's take on Wages of Fear. This is a really goodlooking film and it must have taken ages to get all of the scenes right. Very good movie.

Ive been watching Lost recently and man do they bite the fuck out of every film ever incl in one ep, the drippy dynamite plot, too underhandedly to be homage or if it was it was sloppy as anything they dgaf.

[Tommy Bunz]

Experiment in Terror (Blake Edwards, 1962) - Soooo fucking good, possibly my favorite film discovery so far this year. Something about San Francisco makes it the perfect backdrop for film noir.
A wheezing psychopath stalks and terrorizes a beautiful young woman into robbing a bank for him, threatening her and her teenage sister's lives if she doesn't comply. Surprising that the director Edwards, who is best known for screwball comedies like The Pink Panther and Breakfast at Tiffany's, could make such a perfectly crafted thriller, and one of the darkest and scariest the genre has to offer. Seriously has one of the creepiest killers put to screen. Should also note that this is required viewing for any David Lynch fans, as he was clearly a big fan of this movie (the killer even shares the same last name). This is where he got the name Twin Peaks (its the neighborhood the girl lives in, shown in the opening minutes on a sign, not far unlike the opening credits of the show). Even the opening score sounds eerily like the classic score Angelo Badalementi composed for the show. It also seems to have strongly influenced Mulholland Drive as well. Also this should be seen by any SF Giants fan and baseball fans in general. There's a long sequence shot in old Candlestick park including some actual game footage of McCovey's Giants playing the Dodgers. Really cool to see such a famous stadium on film in all its glory, you rarely get to see anything from this era in footage this clear.
Seriously top tier film noir.

[sleazy_j]

here's a documentary about two autistic dudes that run a weekly public access music review show.

one of the guys is a liar.

[Spartan]

Gate of Hell (1953)
A more appropriate title for this would be How Not To Chirps Women. To be honest, the chick in this looked an absolute munter, which makes that Shogun Assassin dude going full Jaz even more disturbing. On a serious level, I was completely absorbed by this and loved everything about it. Fantastic film.

House of Whipcord (1974)
Awesome concept for a film: Elderly siblings, both of whom were formerly involved in judicial backgrounds, reside and govern a private prison working outside of any official legal jurisdiction. The end results are kangaroo courts, sadism and executions. Despite some familiar elements associated with many W.I.P. films, and indeed applicable to many of Pete Walker's films, House of Whipcord attempts to be more focused on the psychological details. This is one of Walker's successful examples.

Her Private Hell (1967)


If ever a British film maker's entire career personified Eric Morecambe's immortal "I'm playing all the right notes, but not necessarily in the right order" line, it would be Norman J. Warren. The man's filmography check lists everything that appeals to me, and yet they are painfully riddled with flaws and utter ineptness. That's not to say his films aren't entertaining, because they are, very much so in a "so bad they're good" type of sense. Her Private Hell, is Warren't debut feature film - a sex film (hardly any T&A in it at all though) about the perils of being a naive foreign model being seduced into the murky underworld of nude modelling. It's fairly formulaic and the lead's performance is beyond fucking awful. To its credit, for a fairly low budget flick it was surprisingly well shot and kept me awake. It's nowhere near fucking with other similar themed sexploitation films of that era like Scum of the Earth or A Sweet Sickness, but I still found it enjoyable, in particular the sleazy modelling agency proprietor who kind of looked like Slug.

While I'm here, I've come to the conclusion that Judy Geeson fucking owned British genre movies during the seventies. This actress has turned up in virtually every thriller or horror film that I've watched over the last couple of weeks:

[Rabbi Jihadovich]

Cheap Thrills - very fun little movie! Thanks for the recommendation whoever suggested it (cq i think). I lol'ed at the dude from cant hardly wait being a badass here.

[LilLeftBrain]

willow creek -- that new bobcat joint, essentially really was just blair witch again but searching for bigfoot this time, which is somewhat disappointing coming from him as i think i like most of his movies, but it worked! twas tense as fuck esp the literally twenty straight minutes spent filming inside of their tent, most of which i spent attempting to divert the eyes

[Rabbi Jihadovich]

Self Medicated - this movie is the tale of earl sweatshirts white friend in samoa.

[drizzle]

When 8 Bells Toll - A lesser Alistair MacLean effort, not up there with Where Eagles Dare or Guns Of Navarone, but the spy-action formula is hard to fuck up. Yung Anthony Hopkins doing passably convincing spy heroics, more on the Bourne side than Bond-like, lotta attitude to make up for being short and skinny. Fun stuff if you like spy movies, but not essential.

Hunter In The Dark - Since criterion will never actually release this cause they're faggots, I watched their stream on amazon. Great quality print, I've only seen the shitty VHS version so this was like seeing it new. Great movie, but far from entry level samurai cinema - 2.5 hrs long, a lot of action but also a lot of slow drama, a labyrinthine plot involving characters who's role in the story isn't fully revealed until the last act... you gotta be really into this kind of stuff to get the most from it.

He Walked By Night - very lowbudget cops/robbers procedural noir but made with a whole lot of style and the villain is very cool. Gotta wonder if Carol Reed has seen this one before he started shooting the climax of the Third Man, because there's A LOT of similarity there.

Rigor Mortis - A modern update/homage to classic HK hopping vampire movies. Very very dark, with a style that seems mostly influenced by 00s j-horror, and there is no dumbass slapstick humor that makes many of the original inspirations for this cringe-worthy. The plot is a bit elusive, you need to be really up on taoist ghost/vampire mythology to follow it fully, but the ambiance is set so well and the direction is so dope you could probably just enjoy it as a random foreign horror movie without delving deep into genre particulars.

[Rabbi Jihadovich]

Big Bad Wolves - thought this movie was average. The cop and father of the girl were both a bit silly, the torture not gruesome enough, and the ending too abrupt even though i definitely enjoyed it. 3/5

[Spartan]

Taste of Fear (1961)

Beautifully shot and ultra suspenseful noir style thriller. Some great twists throughout and even though some are a little predictable, their execution is still impeccable. Underrated Hammer film.

Too Hot To Handle (1977)

Over the top Filipino exploitation movie about a hit-woman out to avenge her parents' killers, or something like that since plot is merely an extra here. There are dangerous femme fatales and then there are downright sluts; Cheri Caffaro aims for the former and achieves the latter. The good guy cop/love interest might actually be a new benchmark in shitty acting. Dumb and inept but still pretty entertaining, though.

[Spartan]

Rabies (2010)
Originally touted as Israel's first horror film, I feel ambivalent after seeing this. You know how the Final Destination flicks do away with a traditional slasher villain and feature Death instead? Well Rabies is a bit like that but with Stupidity as the killer. The plot is irrelevant as there hardly is one, what is important though, are the characters and how they react bizarrely to certain extreme situations along with some utterly woeful decision making. It did feel obvious that this hyper stylised form of idiocy was intentional from the get-go, at least to me it did. Add to the equation that it boasts a professional daytime horror vermeer, some more than decent acting, and the result is a film that is overwhelmingly conflicting yet compelling. Might need to watch this a few more times to be honest.

According to its creators, the film was inspired by the awesome revenge thriller Hitch Hike (1977). I never would have guessed it in a million years.

[wizeguy]

Brick (2006) (9/10) - A fucking triumph of film making. I'm a sucker for noir hard boiled shit, so this is right up my alley. The only new thing done with the genre is that it's set in a high school environment. This is the first and the best movie done by the guy who did Looper and from what I hear is about to be involved in new Star Wars films.

The Right Stuff (1983) (8/10) - I'm a big Tom Wolfe so I had to check this out after reading the book. Perfectly satisfactory adaptation.

Unknown (2011) (6/10) - Typical Hitchcock influenced action thriller starring Liam Neeson. There's too many familiar elements from other similar movies for it to be more than a solid genre exercise and nothing more.

Non-Stop (2014) (7/10) - Another Neeson vehicle this time with him on a mission on a plane done by the same director as Unknown. I enjoyed this one more.

Enemy (2014) (8/10) - This is on some David Lynch shit. Slow mysterious film with a weird ending. Jake Gyllenhal should continue to do stuff like this and Source Code. It soothes him well.

[Rabbi Jihadovich]

Fast and Furious 6 - (4/5) this movie had everything! This glorious film allowed me to learn about myself and to really think about what "family" means!
World War Z - (3/5) Movie was kinda meh, but it was a lot of fun to watch.

[Comedy Quaddafi]

The Omega Man (1971) - I liked I Am Legend more than most people, I think. This movie based on the same book is better, of course. A sweaty and shirtless Charlton Heston is the last man alive, or so he thinks, fighting against some psychotic mutants who hate science. I thought the other characters were introduced a bit too early and too much time was wasted on the romantic subplot. Still a really solid film.

[Tommy Bunz]

The gawd Vinnie Price did a version of I Am Legend too, and its the shit



I actually don't mind the Smith version either but LMoE > Omega Man > I Am Legend.

[Comedy Quaddafi]

Awesome. Looking forward to that.

I really like the Last Man on Earth-theme. I see there's also one called Quiet Earth, which I want to check out.

I think it speaks to a very common and childish vain way of thinking, that most of us experienced, "everyone except me is so stupid!", but perhaps that's a reach idk.

[Spartan]

Mutant Albinos > Vampires.

Hard to watch movies with that thing in Brazil going on:

La Planète Sauvage (1973)


Awesomely surreal animated sci-fi film with a dope as fuck soundtrack. Superb.

The Strange Colour of Your Body's Tears (2013)


Challenging and even more borked out than Amer ever was. A real dichotomy between both film makers, and the end result is something utterly gorgeous and perplexing. I'll admit it's definitely not for everyone, but I loved the hell out of it.

Nashville (1975)


Keith Carradine is cool in this and Cristina Raines looks so damn hot. Entertaining satire for sure, but definitely not one of the greatest films of the seventies. However, if you don't find Henry Gibson's douchebag performance and his remarkable toupée in the least bit entertaining, then you have no soul.