Films you've seen (that were not released in 2016)

[Neil]

Try and start new threads for recent films.

[zomgmouse]

Very soon the rep cinema is showing A Nightmare on Elm Street which I've never seen. In the past few weeks I saw all the previous Wes Craven films that I hadn't seen in chronological order (I'd seen Last House before but it didn't hugely appeal to me). Out of these five, save for The Hills Have Eyes, which is positively amazing, the others were pretty bad. These were:
- Stranger in Our House aka Summer of Fear - TV film starring Linda Blair as a teen who has a cousin move in with her family and she starts to suspect she's a witch, also starring Fran Drescher in what was I think her second ever role. Based on a fairly average book by the same author as I Know What You Did Last Summer, if that's of any help to anyone.
- Deadly Blessing - Ernest Borgnine is the head of a quasi-Amish community and evil/bad things start happening to the regular family next door, also starring Sharon Stone in her second ever role.
- Swamp Thing - this one was bad but at least enjoyably so. I'd read the comics it was based on and I really really enjoyed those, so it was kind of disappointing to see the way this was made. Okay enough for Saturday morning type fare but not terribly great. Ray Wise is cool and Adrienne Barbeau is cool, and it also features the one and only Louis Jourdan! And David Hess from Last House is there too.
- Invitation to Hell - another TV film with a largely unknown cast (I know Kevin McCarthy but that's about it) about a scientist and his family who move to a small town with a mysterious "club" that everyone seems to be joining.

So yeah. I would say those were all bad.

The Hills Have Eyes was definitely brilliant, though. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Listened to the commentary track as well, with Craven and the producer. Some cool insights there.

Not sure what to expect from A Nightmare on Elm Street now...

[Bad Ambassador]

Mortdecai. A wasteland of mirth.

[Hollow]

Very soon the rep cinema is showing A Nightmare on Elm Street which I've never seen. In the past few weeks I saw all the previous Wes Craven films that I hadn't seen in chronological order (I'd seen Last House before but it didn't hugely appeal to me). Out of these five, save for The Hills Have Eyes, which is positively amazing, the others were pretty bad. These were:
- Stranger in Our House aka Summer of Fear - TV film starring Linda Blair as a teen who has a cousin move in with her family and she starts to suspect she's a witch, also starring Fran Drescher in what was I think her second ever role. Based on a fairly average book by the same author as I Know What You Did Last Summer, if that's of any help to anyone.
- Deadly Blessing - Ernest Borgnine is the head of a quasi-Amish community and evil/bad things start happening to the regular family next door, also starring Sharon Stone in her second ever role.
- Swamp Thing - this one was bad but at least enjoyably so. I'd read the comics it was based on and I really really enjoyed those, so it was kind of disappointing to see the way this was made. Okay enough for Saturday morning type fare but not terribly great. Ray Wise is cool and Adrienne Barbeau is cool, and it also features the one and only Louis Jourdan! And David Hess from Last House is there too.
- Invitation to Hell - another TV film with a largely unknown cast (I know Kevin McCarthy but that's about it) about a scientist and his family who move to a small town with a mysterious "club" that everyone seems to be joining.

So yeah. I would say those were all bad.

The Hills Have Eyes was definitely brilliant, though. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Listened to the commentary track as well, with Craven and the producer. Some cool insights there.

Not sure what to expect from A Nightmare on Elm Street now...

If you were to expect one of the greatest horror films of all time, I doubt you'd be that disappointed.

[Small Man Big Horse]

The Suicide Theory - An unusual Australian thriller where a guy who can't die hires a hitman to do him in. I don't want to say much more as it's best watched going in cold, but I enjoyed it a fair bit. There's a few too many talk-y scenes on the nature of free will and fate, but it's really well performed and whilst nothing amazing, is a solid night's viewing.

[confettiinmyhair]

John Wick. I've seen this film three times now, and I genuinely believe it is one of the best action movies of the last decade.

[mothman]

A double-bill of Tom Cruise SF this weekend: Edge of Tomorrow and then Oblivion.

I preferred the latter. EoT had its moments, but seemed rather uneven in structure. You especially didn't really get the sense that he'd Groundhog Dayed his way through countless years of storming that beach. And the initial premise that put his character in harm's way was odd: seemingly pick him to accompany the invasion despite no obvious combat training: what, they didn't have ANY combat cameramen at all? And then to railroad him so effectively and vindictively... the characterisation as to why Brendan Gleeson's General would do that was totally absent. It really doesn't hold together as s coherent narrative.

Oblivion, meanwhile, looked and sounded gorgeous. I can't remember the last time I really found myself paying attention to a soundtrack and thinking, I LIKE this, might get it, wonder who it is? The plot again was veering towards slight, and overall it did feel like a lot of often-superfluous set-pieces joined together with sweeping panoramic (CGI) vistas. And the baddie, while suitably mysterious was often a bit too UNomniscient about what Cruise was up to. Didn't it watch Independence Day when it was learning about Earth? And why had that unlikely "DNA trace" functionality never been tried (to track Scavs) before?

[Sam]

Oblivion was utter tripe.

[zomgmouse]

If you were to expect one of the greatest horror films of all time, I doubt you'd be that disappointed.

If I expect things to be "the greatest" anything then I generally am disappointed, so I think I'll go in knowing how iconic it is but reserving judgment on quality until I do see it...

[Hollow]

I'm just saying...Craven never did a better film, apart from the shitty ending it's perfect.

But yes for the purposes of making it better for you...it's a bit shit really...mediocre. :)

[Puce Moment]

Hang on, why are people discussing recent films? Isn't that exactly the opposite of the OP's post?

[Old Nehamkin]

Hang on, why are people discussing recent films? Isn't that exactly the opposite of the OP's post?

Well, "recent" is a bit of a vague term but I assumed that Neil was talking about films that are still out at the cinema or were at least released within the last year or so. Unless I've misread this thread, I don't think anyone has actually mentioned any films from after 2014.

[Steven]

John Wick. I've seen this film three times now, and I genuinely believe it is one of the best action movies of the last decade.

I'll give you a new shiny face
And a yellow brick road
The rest of the world is wrong
Don't let anyone change you.

[Crabwalk]

Do you all want Neil to pull the plug on this place?

Cozzatswhatll'appen.

[weekender]

John Wick. I've seen this film three times now, and I genuinely believe it is one of the best action movies of the last decade.

John Wick is criminally underrated.

I watched it again on Sunday, the whole thing is glorious.

I love the way that essentially it's a simple revenge story, but it just takes you on a journey through one man's life and therefore vicariously through others.  All the time it has action/drama/stunts/dogs/guns/pathos/comedy/bullets/great acting/Russians/politics.

It's an awesome film, other people should watch it.

[zomgmouse]

I'm just saying...Craven never did a better film, apart from the shitty ending it's perfect.

But yes for the purposes of making it better for you...it's a bit shit really...mediocre. :)

I will be back to relay my comments on it I'm sure!
I really loved The Hills Have Eyes but I know this will be different.

[Brundle-Fly]

Do you all want Neil to pull the plug on this place?

Cozzatswhatll'appen.

Yeah, I thought the idea was to start new threads on individual films. Come on folks.

[billtheburger]

The last film I watched isn't a recent release.
Do I talk about it here?

It was The White Room, made by The KLF.

[Glebe]

Ex-Machina, last night it me dad's. Creepy and twisty, very much enjoyed it.

[Van Dammage]

John Wick. I've seen this film three times now, and I genuinely believe it is one of the best action movies of the last decade.

Yes. Need to give this another watch soon. I think the sequel is being released either this year or next year, although I don't think any details about plot (As if it's needed) or details about the cast have been released yet.

[Onken]

The Intern, ★☆☆☆☆

Total shite.

[Steven]

The Intern, ★☆☆☆☆

Total shite.

I thought that would be good. Robert DeNiro doing shite comically inappropriate to his age.. and that other great new film he did Dirty Grandpa where he.. ahh..

[Onken]

He's not really at fault to be fair you just need to look at the female directors previous work.

Director (6 credits)
The Intern 2015
It's Complicated 2009
The Holiday 2006
Something's Gotta Give  2003
What Women Want 2000
The Parent Trap 1998

[Vitalstatistix]

Why is the director's gender relevant?

[Hollow]

Cause women directors are remarkable in of itself?

Pretty rare, even more rare to find a good one, don't know why, probably patrichal oppression.

[popcorn]

Cause women directors are remarkable in of itself?

Pretty rare, even more rare to find a good one, don't know why, probably patrichal oppression.

But in this situation it's an odd thing to mention innit.

[Onken]

All her work is predominantly aimed at women and not when The Guardian publish articles like this one.

http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/oct/01/the-intern-has-been-panned-by-male-film-critics-why-am-i-not-surprised

Can we move on before Region Legion finds and jumps in on this.

[Noodle Lizard]

For what it's worth I think Something's Gotta Give is a perfectly decent rom-com and her remake of The Parent Trap was also fine.

Thanks.

[Custard]

The Holiday is pretty excruciating, mind. That was on telly over Christmas, and 'er indoors wanted to watch it. Jude Law is bordering on unwatchable in that

There's one point where you can clearly see the light dimming in Jack Black's eyes

[Small Man Big Horse]

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation - Hadn't seen this in about twenty five years (and dear god how I hate being able to write sentences like that) but after trying and failing to get the other half to watch it prior to Christmas I thought I'd watch it today, especially after it's been praised on CaB a lot of late. And it's good and everything, but I think it's a bit overrated. There's undoubtedly some big laughs, and some surprisingly sweet moments, but some scenes drag on and whilst it's a very likeable film it wouldn't make my Christmas top 10.

The American Astronaut - Recommended to me by Blumf in the unusual films thread, it's so good that I feel we kind of have to take his word as gospel when it comes to all further film matters from now on in. It's a really weird mix that shouldn't work but is an enormous amount of fun, and it's the kind of low budget oddity that I wish was made much more often.