Last Movie You Watched.

Well I did say 'loose', MP.

Had another viewing of the biggest sleeper hit over the past couple of months, Knives Out. Craig should be happy with this one, as he's breaking loose of the Bond mould and getting a hit movie.

And a follow-up is in the works. He's found his next hit franchise, it seems.

Blunt Instrument wrote:

Us - Jordan Peele successfully follows up Get Out with an even weirder slice of thought-provoking horror.

I caught this on cable recently...it was different to say the least but still interesting to watch. Didn't know it did so well at the BO.

Bless you for not only going back to my first post in this thread, but this thread's first post overall.

I see that all episodes of the revived Twilight Zone with Peele will be available on SyFy's on demand service next week, I'll be checking that out.

The Enforcer - 'Dirty' Harry Callahan comes up against the 'People's Revolutionary Strike Force' whilst continuing to clash with his liberally-minded superiors who - horror of horrors! - lumber him with an inexperienced female partner (Tyne Daly).



Not the best of this series, but not too bad with a nice balance between the mayhem and the humour.

Snowpiercer - maybe it's just because I was quite tired last night, but I thought this (apart from a highly amusing Tilda Swinton) was just OK. Overall, I think I preferred how similar themes were tackled in High-Rise.

Red Sonja.

I finally saw this after always hearing how terrible it was. To be honest it's not terrible and while mostly dull-there's a good Morricone score, some nice bits of photography, nice fleeting flashes of humor courtesy of George Mac Donald Frasier partial rewrites, and a surprising amount of gore which makes the film play a bit better than the disappointing Conan the Destroyer.

Faceless (1987)

Franco with a slightly larger budget and a great cast of B stars.

The Thing (1982) - John Carpenter's 'base under siege' sci-fi horror classic, in which the team at an Antarctic research station battle against an alien parasite that can 'hide' within people/animals. Fair to say it's famed for the astonishing-for-the-time practical creature/gore effects.

I admire the effects and the cold remoteness but it's a film I can't really watch because of the gross out factor. I vastly prefer the original film but would admit even that is too stoic. If you haven't seen the incredible work Warner Archive did for the recent Blu-ray release you're in for a treat.

I just can't get into the fascination with Carpenter. I don't like the horror films he ushered in and his best non horror work are two films I find fascinating concepts that are infuriatingly frustrating: Escape from NY and Big Trouble.

For all the great directors who remain unknown, underrated and un-discussed yet the internet would have you believe a handful of guys did everything.


The Bedford Incident
A film I've heard about for years that is completely forgotten. This is the film James B. Harris made after breaking with Kubrick and it's without a doubt one of the best Cold War thrillers period. While some of the modelwork may stick out-this is a ridiculously intense B&W naval thriller about a US destroyer tracking Soviet subs commanded by a beyond driven Richard Widmark. Sidney Poitier is the onboard magazine reporter who questions his actions, but Eric Portman steals the film as the Ex-Nazi U Boat captain turned technical adviser.
Essentially this is Moby Dick in the Cold War with a heck of a lot of vibes from Dr. Strangelove. It was also shot by Gil Taylor in widescreen black and white-and it even has some long reverse tracking shots. Great attention to detail in recreating the onboard cramped setting.
It's not afraid to be dark and realistic. Go in blind without spoiling the ending. Outstanding picture.

"I just can't get into the fascination with Carpenter. I don't like the horror films he ushered in and his best non horror work are two films I find fascinating concepts that are infuriatingly frustrating: Escape from NY and Big Trouble."

His ideas and concepts always seem better than the actual execution in his films. I like Halloween and They Live but found the rest to be rather dull. I think part of that was that I had too high of expectations after hearing about these films for years because he has such a die hard fan base who genuinely love his work. 

On a rewatch of the original Hallowe'en, I noticed a gaping plot hole that I clearly didn't think too deeply about back in the day ... the incarcerated-since-childhood Michael Myers makes his getaway from the institution for the criminally insane by stealing a car and driving off. I somehow doubt driving lessons were being provided for the inmates of these institutions, especially not in the late 70s.

Actually, apart from a single jump-scare involving a rock through a window and Jamie Lee Curtis's star-making performance the rest of it doesn't really hold up nowadays either.

Blunt Instrument wrote:

The Thing (1982) - John Carpenter's 'base under siege' sci-fi horror classic, in which the team at an Antarctic research station battle against an alien parasite that can 'hide' within people/animals. Fair to say it's famed for the astonishing-for-the-time practical creature/gore effects.

An excellent film, but hard to watch in many spots.

Sarai wrote:

"I just can't get into the fascination with Carpenter. I don't like the horror films he ushered in and his best non horror work are two films I find fascinating concepts that are infuriatingly frustrating: Escape from NY and Big Trouble."

His ideas and concepts always seem better than the actual execution in his films. I like Halloween and They Live but found the rest to be rather dull. I think part of that was that I had too high of expectations after hearing about these films for years because he has such a die hard fan base who genuinely love his work. 

Christine is marvelously entertaining and reasonably suspenseful.

The Invisible Man - a domestic abuse/stalker 'fightback' take on the classic tale, both the effects and Elizabeth Moss are very good and there are some decent shocks.

Blunt Instrument wrote:

On a rewatch of the original Hallowe'en, I noticed a gaping plot hole that I clearly didn't think too deeply about back in the day ... the incarcerated-since-childhood Michael Myers makes his getaway from the institution for the criminally insane by stealing a car and driving off. I somehow doubt driving lessons were being provided for the inmates of these institutions, especially not in the late 70s.

Actually, apart from a single jump-scare involving a rock through a window and Jamie Lee Curtis's star-making performance the rest of it doesn't really hold up nowadays either.          

I have heard that in the past but never thought of it as a plot hole because driving a car isn't difficult. Most of us can grasp the basics and have rather decent control on our first attempt. I was driving back roads all the time here by 12 years old. I'm sure he would still have memories of being in a car with his parents and others before he was locked up as well.

Perilagu Khan wrote:

Sarai wrote:

"I just can't get into the fascination with Carpenter. I don't like the horror films he ushered in and his best non horror work are two films I find fascinating concepts that are infuriatingly frustrating: Escape from NY and Big Trouble."

His ideas and concepts always seem better than the actual execution in his films. I like Halloween and They Live but found the rest to be rather dull. I think part of that was that I had too high of expectations after hearing about these films for years because he has such a die hard fan base who genuinely love his work. 

Christine is marvelously entertaining and reasonably suspenseful.

it's been to long since I've seen that one but have it downloading now

Metallica: Through The Never

I'm not sure this can really be considered a movie with such minimal plot but the production is excellent and I wish all concert films were like this. it really is as close as it get's to actually being there

Sarai wrote:

Metallica: Through The Never

I'm not sure this can really be considered a movie with such minimal plot but the production is excellent and I wish all concert films were like this.  it really is as close as it get's to actually being there

If you like concert films, check out Stop Making Sense, by the Talking Heads, directed by Jonathan Demme. The gold standard of the genre, IMO.

is this it? I need to find a better copy so it doesn't have that youtube tin can sound.

Rabid (1977)

Early David Cronenberg film about a woman who after a motorcycle accident gets a surgery that leaves her with a thirst for blood that ends up causing a rabies-like outbreak in Montreal. Former adult film star Marilyn Chambers does a pretty good job in the lead and the supporting actors do their job splendidly. While it does have the usual Cronenberg body horror you come to expect this earlier effort does have a bit of a Romero feel due to the outbreak and panic. It came out a year before Dawn of the Dead and has a similar vibe to it. It's not quite as a strong as Cronenberg's later works like Videodrome or Crash but it's still a very good early film that deserves a look from fans of the genre and director.

Sarai wrote:

is this it?  I need to find a better copy so it doesn't have that youtube tin can sound.

That's the one, Sarai.

Perilagu Khan wrote:

Sarai wrote:

is this it?  I need to find a better copy so it doesn't have that youtube tin can sound.

That's the one, Sarai.

"The gold standard of the genre, IMO.'

 Good call and now that I have seen it, I agree. It's done so well it made me go from a casual fan to really liking this band and wanting to get more into them.
I do prefer concert films over regular movies too.

Strangways&Quarrel wrote:

Rabid (1977)

Early David Cronenberg film about a woman who after a motorcycle accident gets a surgery that leaves her with a thirst for blood that ends up causing a rabies-like outbreak in Montreal. Former adult film star Marilyn Chambers does a pretty good job in the lead and the supporting actors do their job splendidly. While it does have the usual Cronenberg body horror you come to expect this earlier effort does have a bit of a Romero feel due to the outbreak and panic. It came out a year before Dawn of the Dead and has a similar vibe to it. It's not quite as a strong as Cronenberg's later works like Videodrome or Crash but it's still a very good early film that deserves a look from fans of the genre and director.

Cronenberg never disappoints and I still prefer his earlier works like Rabid, They Came From Within and The Brood. His son Brandon has directed a couple of films over the years too.

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0188722/