Seen and not seen's, recommendations and queries on top films in general.

Started by GEWALTMONOPOL, December 29, 2009, 06:31:05 PM

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Theodore

I am usually very suspicious regarding hyped / top-10 series and movies but the Squid Game looks very fine to me. I would prefer a different end though, a definite one. This one leaves it wide open for a second season ... and i dont think there are much more to be said in the story.
"ἀθάνατοι θνητοί, θνητοὶ ἀθάνατοι, ζῶντες τὸν ἐκείνων θάνατον, τὸν δὲ ἐκείνων βίον τεθνεῶτες"


Atrophist

Quote from: Theodore on October 05, 2021, 10:33:33 AM
I am usually very suspicious regarding hyped / top-10 series and movies but the Squid Game looks very fine to me. I would prefer a different end though, a definite one. This one leaves it wide open for a second season ... and i dont think there are much more to be said in the story.

I was sceptical at first, but I have to admit this was much better than I expected. I believe the writer/director has no definitive plans for a second season, but given the massive hype and success it seems practically inevitable.

ConcreteMascara

Friday
The Exorcist III - dir. William Peter Blatty, 1990 - I watched this for the first time about 10 months ago expecting something ok or even just dumb fun but was basically blown away when it turned out to be an excellent movie. This time, knowing it was excellent and knowing the plot I was able to focus on all of the little details as the story unfolds. There are so many little hints towards the final reveal sewn right into the whole film, but you'd never figure out the mystery in advance on first watch. I do want to watch the rough cut of the original ending badly, need to get that Shriek Show bluray that has it. The FX heavy ending of the theatrical cut is not without it's charm but I could easily imagine this with the original talkier and bleaker ending. All in all, definitely one of my favorite movies I watched in 2021.

Saturday
Burial Ground - dir. Andrea Bianchi, 1981 - This was my second view of Burial Ground as well, but this time with my buddy. What wonderful trash this is! And the Severin blu-ray looks great too. I'm so glad all these trash films get such wonderful transfers, what an age we live in! This was a perfect movie to eat wings and eat enchiladas to.

Se7en - dir. David Fincher, 1995 - I can remember watching this for the first time as a kid and being non-plussed, expecting something more hardcore. as an "adult" I've come to enjoy Se7en more with each viewing but it definitely wears the mark of the edgy '90s throughout. I noticed it especially when our mains get to John Doe's apartment. I forgot how much of a movie serial killers apartment it is, especially the neon red cross above the bed. come on. Still it's nice to watch something that's well written, well acted and with the budget to match the vision. Too bad the vision comes with so much color correction.

Superstition - dir. James W. Roberson, 1982 - Well this movie is not well written, well acted, or well funded. This is trash, but again, supremely enjoyable trash. I originally watched this a couple of years ago and thought it was okay but on second viewing, I was fucking loving it. The gore is fucking good, especially that loose circular saw scene, but also kids die, women are drowned, heads are microwaved... it's got the goods! Every time it starts to slow down it jerks you back with some kind of violence. The only real complaint is the [near ?] complete lack of nudity. Like come on, show me some witch titties or something. The other minor quibble is the score, it's pretty bleh. The main theme is a re-purposed version of some other theme or popular song but I couldn't for the life of me figure it out. It's driving me crazy so if you know please tell me! Anyway, big recommendation here for this delightful piece of Canadian trash.
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absurdexposition

Quote from: ConcreteMascara on October 11, 2021, 05:17:49 PM
The Exorcist III - dir. William Peter Blatty, 1990 - I watched this for the first time about 10 months ago expecting something ok or even just dumb fun but was basically blown away when it turned out to be an excellent movie. This time, knowing it was excellent and knowing the plot I was able to focus on all of the little details as the story unfolds. There are so many little hints towards the final reveal sewn right into the whole film, but you'd never figure out the mystery in advance on first watch. I do want to watch the rough cut of the original ending badly, need to get that Shriek Show bluray that has it. The FX heavy ending of the theatrical cut is not without it's charm but I could easily imagine this with the original talkier and bleaker ending. All in all, definitely one of my favorite movies I watched in 2021.

Been meaning to see this for a minute and finally got around to it yesterday. Incredible atmosphere - I was rather transfixed by it. I guess I watched the theatrical cut. I wasn't aware there were so many differences between that and the director's cut. Seems like the DC is an entirely different beast and I'll be tracking it down for an eventual rewatch. Really this was great, though. Dare I say I like it more than the first one?
Primitive Isolation Tactics
Scream & Writhe distro and Absurd Exposition label
Montreal, QC
https://www.screamandwrithe.com

tiny_tove

First time I watched it I was asking myself why I was watching it, then slowly it grew on me and it's still one of my fave horrors of that era.
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ConcreteMascara

Quote from: absurdexposition on October 12, 2021, 04:47:30 PM
Quote from: ConcreteMascara on October 11, 2021, 05:17:49 PM
The Exorcist III - dir. William Peter Blatty, 1990 - I watched this for the first time about 10 months ago expecting something ok or even just dumb fun but was basically blown away when it turned out to be an excellent movie. This time, knowing it was excellent and knowing the plot I was able to focus on all of the little details as the story unfolds. There are so many little hints towards the final reveal sewn right into the whole film, but you'd never figure out the mystery in advance on first watch. I do want to watch the rough cut of the original ending badly, need to get that Shriek Show bluray that has it. The FX heavy ending of the theatrical cut is not without it's charm but I could easily imagine this with the original talkier and bleaker ending. All in all, definitely one of my favorite movies I watched in 2021.

Been meaning to see this for a minute and finally got around to it yesterday. Incredible atmosphere - I was rather transfixed by it. I guess I watched the theatrical cut. I wasn't aware there were so many differences between that and the director's cut. Seems like the DC is an entirely different beast and I'll be tracking it down for an eventual rewatch. Really this was great, though. Dare I say I like it more than the first one?

Glad you enjoyed it! It's a different beast than the original Exorcist, but for my taste I admittedly like it better although I deeply admire the technical aspects of the original. Both movies have such great performances, but seeing George C Scott old and screaming is extremely pleasurable. And then there's Brad Dourif... so kinda hard to beat that combo.
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ConcreteMascara

Tuesday
Jackass 3D - [dir. Jeff Tremaine, 2010] - decided to watch this after listening to a podcast about the history of Jackass. I think I must have seen parts of it in my drinking days but the memories are wrecked. Either way this was exactly what I needed after a brutal work day. Crazy stunts, disgusting shenanigans and lots of laughter. I was laughing my ass of even though I was watching it alone and sober as a Judge. I think I still prefer the first movie but I also haven't seen that in almost 20 years so it's hard to say.

Wednesday
The House That Jack Built - [dir. Lars Von Trier, 2018] - I kept think this movie was 3.5hrs not 2.5 so I kept putting off watching it because who has time like that. I was pleasantly surprised by how icky I felt by the middle of the movie. The "family" sequence was especially brutal but the "Simple" sequence afterwards wasn't much better. I thought Matt Dillon excelled at being a shallow, egotistical, narcissistic psychopath. Kudos to him for making the character so unbelievably grating and unlikeable. Reminded me of James Dornan in The Fall, such an awful fucking dickhead who thinks he's god gift. Also Bruno Ganz as Virgil? Wonderful, even if Trier is using a German to play an Italian. Overall I really enjoyed the film. I had a few quibbles and it's definitely not a film for all tastes, but I like it and was glad I took the time. I'd even watch it again.
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tiny_tove

Hooked on very demented Australian series LUNATICS by Chris Lilley. My kind of humor.
CALIGULA031 - WERTHAM - FORESTA DI FERRO
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ConcreteMascara

this past weekend was good to me, I had a lot of time to soak of up some spooky films, even if some of my viewing were a bit distracted. wound up watching a lot of vampire stuff, which isn't my usual fare but was enjoyable nonetheless.

Saturday
The Torture Chamber Of Dr. Sadism - [dir. Harald Reinl, 1967]
I hadn't even heard of this one until a few days before I watched it. Just happened to see a trailer online and it demanded a watch ASAP. I'll say up front my knowledge of pre late 70s horror is pretty limited. I typically expect less or no gore, less violence, less nudity, but I also try to keep an open mind. What I'll say for this movie is what it lacked in tits and gore it made up for in atmosphere. It's positively dripping with Gothic German vibes, like a dark fairy tale. Maybe half of the movie is the main characters getting to the castle but that journey is some of the best parts. Specifically there's a sequence where there are corpses and limbs coming out of the trees like some bizarre garden of limbs. And then the castle itself, which is really just underground ruins, is filled with scorpions, vultures, snakes, skulls, candelabra and best of all, these awesome knock off Hieronymus Bosch paintings. What a setting! My only complaint is the extremely limited screen time for Christopher Lee who basically makes anything better, but I would watch this again in a heartbeat.

Sunday
The coldest day of autumn so far, so it was a wonderful excuse to work and watch movies for most of the day...
Black Sunday - [dir. Mario Bava, 1960] - I've watched this a few time since I picked it up about 8 years ago and each time it rises in my estimation. When compared to some of the other films I watched this weekend it's surprising how much more violent and brutal, for the time, Black Sunday is. The first few minutes of the movie really are the highlight, such an excellent sequence. Again, the atmosphere here is just insane and keeps the slow parts from dragging things down. Also, things never fall into camp territory which I appreciate. There are a fair amount of corpses by the end too. There's a beautiful earnestness or something like that at work, or maybe that's just my rose tinted glasses. Either way, it's a perfect movie for the Halloween season.

The House that Dripped Blood - [dir. Peter Duffell, 1971]
I'm trying to get more into British horror and so I give this one a shot and what a fucking romp! Normally I fucking hate anthology movies but this is that format done right. All of the stories are tight, they have nice little twists, and the last one had me laughing out loud at several points. I don't think any actual blood drips in the film tho. There's no gore and the violence is very minimal, but despite being a gore-hound it really didn't bother me. My only two complaints are some extra money should've been spent on the props and I especially wish the figures in the spooky wax museum looked less absurd, but its a minor thing.

Vampires - [dir. John Carpenter, 1998]
My buddy and I have been threatening each other with this movie for years now and we finally decided to pull the trigger. To my shock this was way less shitty than I thought. At any point this could've gone into the campy and silly but to the movies credit it never does, even at its most absurd. I always enjoy watching James Woods be James Woods and he does that well here. Side note, his head is fucking huge compared to his shoulders. There's a good amount of gore, the action sequences are competent and sometimes pretty good, the pace is surprisingly brisk at times for Carpenter, and there's some effective humor. The script is ok for what it is, not laughably bad but could've used some work. There's a weird use of dissolves in some scenes that's very unnecessary but sort of interesting from a WTF perspective. And the score is unsurprisingly enjoyable. If the movie had a better villain and one who didn't look like a cross between Brandon Lee as The Crow and Slade Craven from Turbulence 3, it could've really been elevated. As it stands the badguy is just dull as hell. Oh didn't I mention Sheryl Lee shows up to play a battered sex worker? This one is pretty fun. Definitely worth a watch once.

Vampyros Lesbos - [dir. Jesus Franco, 1967]
This is a movie I've been hearing about since I first started watching b-movies and the like however many years ago. I mean that title and that cover, it definitely piques my curiosity. Yet 20 years later I'm only just now watching it. I think the only other Jes Franco film I've seen is Venus in Furs, so I can't compare other than to say I think I prefer Venus in Furs over this one, although my last viewing was 10+ years ago. Anyway.... extremely hot Soledad Miranda and les hot Ewa Stromberg get naked and kiss in a variety of extremely gorgeous interior and exterior sets in Turkey. A psychiatrist slaps the shit out of his patients. A jilted female ex screams a lot. A boyfriend looks befuddled. The music is wonderful. The sound design gets real weird. A big ass pin gets shoved in an eye.  The script is laconic, the pace is lethargic, but it all works most of the time because the images and sounds are so damn enjoyable. Not an everyday film, but a movie you should watch once, even if it takes you 20 years to get around to it. Final note, the Severin blu-ray I have looked fucking stunning.
[death|trigger|impulse]

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absurdexposition

Quote from: ConcreteMascara on October 18, 2021, 05:08:44 PM
Vampyros Lesbos - [dir. Jesus Franco, 1967]
This is a movie I've been hearing about since I first started watching b-movies and the like however many years ago. I mean that title and that cover, it definitely piques my curiosity. Yet 20 years later I'm only just now watching it. I think the only other Jes Franco film I've seen is Venus in Furs, so I can't compare other than to say I think I prefer Venus in Furs over this one, although my last viewing was 10+ years ago. Anyway.... extremely hot Soledad Miranda and les hot Ewa Stromberg get naked and kiss in a variety of extremely gorgeous interior and exterior sets in Turkey. A psychiatrist slaps the shit out of his patients. A jilted female ex screams a lot. A boyfriend looks befuddled. The music is wonderful. The sound design gets real weird. A big ass pin gets shoved in an eye.  The script is laconic, the pace is lethargic, but it all works most of the time because the images and sounds are so damn enjoyable. Not an everyday film, but a movie you should watch once, even if it takes you 20 years to get around to it. Final note, the Severin blu-ray I have looked fucking stunning.

Vampyros Lesbos is certainly not the best Franco and I guess its heightened cult status can be accredited to the title alone. I rewatched it a couple months ago after like 5 years expecting to appreciate it more after being 30+ films deep into Franco but that wasn't the case and if anything it solidified my previous comment.

Venus in Furs is more deserving of the attention it gets. His sweet spot sort of begins around here (69-70). But the greatest stuff is all 73-74 imo. Some recs off the top of my head if you have interest: Eugenie de Sade (1973 - Soledad Miranda's finest), The Obscene Mirror (1973), A Virgin Among the Living Dead (aka Christina, Princess of Eroticism) (1973), Lorna, The Exorcist (1974), The Perverse Countess (1974). Things get more complicated later but there are still some excellent ones to check out in the early/mid-80s like Macumba Sexual (1983), Bahia Blanca (1984), Night Has a Thousand Desires (1984), Faceless (1987). And of course any fan of classic horror owes it to themselves to see The Awful Dr. Orlof (1962) which is just a straight up good movie.
Primitive Isolation Tactics
Scream & Writhe distro and Absurd Exposition label
Montreal, QC
https://www.screamandwrithe.com

ConcreteMascara

Quote from: absurdexposition on October 18, 2021, 07:47:23 PM
Quote from: ConcreteMascara on October 18, 2021, 05:08:44 PM
Vampyros Lesbos - [dir. Jesus Franco, 1967]
This is a movie I've been hearing about since I first started watching b-movies and the like however many years ago. I mean that title and that cover, it definitely piques my curiosity. Yet 20 years later I'm only just now watching it. I think the only other Jes Franco film I've seen is Venus in Furs, so I can't compare other than to say I think I prefer Venus in Furs over this one, although my last viewing was 10+ years ago. Anyway.... extremely hot Soledad Miranda and les hot Ewa Stromberg get naked and kiss in a variety of extremely gorgeous interior and exterior sets in Turkey. A psychiatrist slaps the shit out of his patients. A jilted female ex screams a lot. A boyfriend looks befuddled. The music is wonderful. The sound design gets real weird. A big ass pin gets shoved in an eye.  The script is laconic, the pace is lethargic, but it all works most of the time because the images and sounds are so damn enjoyable. Not an everyday film, but a movie you should watch once, even if it takes you 20 years to get around to it. Final note, the Severin blu-ray I have looked fucking stunning.

Vampyros Lesbos is certainly not the best Franco and I guess its heightened cult status can be accredited to the title alone. I rewatched it a couple months ago after like 5 years expecting to appreciate it more after being 30+ films deep into Franco but that wasn't the case and if anything it solidified my previous comment.

Venus in Furs is more deserving of the attention it gets. His sweet spot sort of begins around here (69-70). But the greatest stuff is all 73-74 imo. Some recs off the top of my head if you have interest: Eugenie de Sade (1973 - Soledad Miranda's finest), The Obscene Mirror (1973), A Virgin Among the Living Dead (aka Christina, Princess of Eroticism) (1973), Lorna, The Exorcist (1974), The Perverse Countess (1974). Things get more complicated later but there are still some excellent ones to check out in the early/mid-80s like Macumba Sexual (1983), Bahia Blanca (1984), Night Has a Thousand Desires (1984), Faceless (1987). And of course any fan of classic horror owes it to themselves to see The Awful Dr. Orlof (1962) which is just a straight up good movie.

Thanks for the recommendations, I was hoping you might make some! I picked up She Killed In Ecstasy at the same time as Vampyros Lesbos so I'll probably do that one next, but I'm very interested to check out his career highlights. Have you ever seen the Mansion of the Living Dead by Franco? As a lover of the Blind Dead series I'm very interested in his spin on the idea, even if it's only a cosmetic relation.
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absurdexposition

Quote from: ConcreteMascara on October 18, 2021, 09:06:47 PM
Quote from: absurdexposition on October 18, 2021, 07:47:23 PM
Quote from: ConcreteMascara on October 18, 2021, 05:08:44 PM
Vampyros Lesbos - [dir. Jesus Franco, 1967]
This is a movie I've been hearing about since I first started watching b-movies and the like however many years ago. I mean that title and that cover, it definitely piques my curiosity. Yet 20 years later I'm only just now watching it. I think the only other Jes Franco film I've seen is Venus in Furs, so I can't compare other than to say I think I prefer Venus in Furs over this one, although my last viewing was 10+ years ago. Anyway.... extremely hot Soledad Miranda and les hot Ewa Stromberg get naked and kiss in a variety of extremely gorgeous interior and exterior sets in Turkey. A psychiatrist slaps the shit out of his patients. A jilted female ex screams a lot. A boyfriend looks befuddled. The music is wonderful. The sound design gets real weird. A big ass pin gets shoved in an eye.  The script is laconic, the pace is lethargic, but it all works most of the time because the images and sounds are so damn enjoyable. Not an everyday film, but a movie you should watch once, even if it takes you 20 years to get around to it. Final note, the Severin blu-ray I have looked fucking stunning.

Vampyros Lesbos is certainly not the best Franco and I guess its heightened cult status can be accredited to the title alone. I rewatched it a couple months ago after like 5 years expecting to appreciate it more after being 30+ films deep into Franco but that wasn't the case and if anything it solidified my previous comment.

Venus in Furs is more deserving of the attention it gets. His sweet spot sort of begins around here (69-70). But the greatest stuff is all 73-74 imo. Some recs off the top of my head if you have interest: Eugenie de Sade (1973 - Soledad Miranda's finest), The Obscene Mirror (1973), A Virgin Among the Living Dead (aka Christina, Princess of Eroticism) (1973), Lorna, The Exorcist (1974), The Perverse Countess (1974). Things get more complicated later but there are still some excellent ones to check out in the early/mid-80s like Macumba Sexual (1983), Bahia Blanca (1984), Night Has a Thousand Desires (1984), Faceless (1987). And of course any fan of classic horror owes it to themselves to see The Awful Dr. Orlof (1962) which is just a straight up good movie.

Have you ever seen the Mansion of the Living Dead by Franco? As a lover of the Blind Dead series I'm very interested in his spin on the idea, even if it's only a cosmetic relation.

Haven't seen it! Seems like it could go either way. I'm not sure that that type of horror is really his forte, but maybe you're more forgiving than I (although I am pretty forgiving when it comes to Franco).
Primitive Isolation Tactics
Scream & Writhe distro and Absurd Exposition label
Montreal, QC
https://www.screamandwrithe.com

ConcreteMascara

From the last month or so...:

Dune - dir. Denis Villeneuve, 2021 - I love Dune. I love the books, I love the old RTS games from Westwood, I love Lynch film, I love all the things its inspired and I fucking loved this movie. so happy I saw it in the theater too. for my taste Denis Villeneuve is one the very best directors working right now. here's hoping part 2 is as good as part 1.

Sicario - dir. Denis Villeneuve, 2015 - a perennial favorite since I saw it in theaters. my favorite "war on drugs" movie.

Halloween III: Season of the Witch - dir. Tommy Lee Wallace, 1982 - along with the original Halloween this is one of the best halloween season movies. So absurd and so much fucking fun.

Young Frankenstein - dir. Mel Brooks, 1974 - I haven't seen this one in 15 years or more. Really enjoyed it but not near the amount of jokes per minute as a Blazing Saddles, but probably a better movie in some respects. I was very distracted while watching and probably need to give it another go to enjoy it more.

Trick 'r Treat - dir. Michael Dougherty, 2007 - I only saw this movie for the first time earlier this year (I think) but figured I should give it a re-watch closer to Halloween. Not the best thing ever and it certainly doesn't top Halloween III, but still a lot of fun. Also any movie that kills kids is gonna get bonus points from me.

Brotherhood of the Wolf - dir. Christophe Gans, 2001 - I've seen this movie twice, once in theaters when I was 14 and once maybe 10 years ago. I have mostly fond if vague memories. My buddy and I watched it on a lark earlier this week and while it's an uneven and long ride, I'd say it was worth it over all. A bizarre concoction of martial arts, monster movie, gothic intrigue and sinister occultism, this one delivers a lot of ideas over its runtime. and at over 2 hours you fucking better keep delivering the hits if you want to keep me interested. funny enough, the visuals are the films biggest asset and sometimes its biggest downfall. There's a fair amount of 2001 CGI which largely looks bad, and some of it is super unnecessary, but the costuming and set design are mostly absolutely sumptuous. I want to specifically mention Monica Bellucci who plays an interesting character with easily the best costumes when she isn't partially nude. A lot of the ideas in the film are interesting too, but I don't think the narrative comes together completely. it reminded me a bit of The Devils, but it doesn't have near the vision that that film does. But yes, a flawed genre mix-em-up that's worth watching.

Death Walks on High Heels - dir. Luciano Ercoli, 1971 - this giallo's been sitting on my shelf for 3 years. at home for a sick day I decided to finally give it a shot. whooboy was this narrative twistier than a mountain switchback. at times it reminded me of better arthouse crime films, but then it would descend into sillier and sleazier territory, not that I was really complaining. the "red herring" genre trope is well known in giallo but goddamn does this movie keep turning em out. I called a couple of the twists early on but I couldn't even place them in the overall narrative context. not a complaint though, this one was a lot of fun. I really like Nieves Navarro as the leading lady. She was pretty but also self-assured and charismatic. also there was a great mixture of scenic backdrops from Paris to London to the countryside. Not my favorite or the best, bet definitely one I'd return to or screen for a larger audience.
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tiny_tove

I have finally watched EX Drummer, which was suggested by many of you, but I kept postponing and, really, this is just perfect and fits the "power electronics" movies category and totally fits my vision of the world we live in. Superb ending.

Then I watched the Grisly Strangler, bertween dumb, gross and exhilarating, something that dwells between Troma, a Jared Hess gone wrong and British surreal comedy, with lots of greas, horrible nudity and crazy soundtrack. Not for everyone, but definitely for me.

Grethel & Hansel. Very good and classy gothic fairy tale with strong folk-horror references.

Halley - Mexican arthouse body horror, like a softer version of Carcinoma/Thanatomorphose, with a classy touch and superb leading actor performance, in all his stillness. Despite the slow and non-extreme visuals, you can smell the reek of putrefaction. We are in Atrax Morgue territory.

La LLorna - not the American flick, but a political horror from Guatemala, with creepy/sad mood and a constant feel of siege. I don't know anything about Guatemala's history, so I probably lost many references, but the dictator's obsession under siege made me obviously think about Pinochet and Videla.
CALIGULA031 - WERTHAM - FORESTA DI FERRO
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