What non-new films have you seen? (2022 edition)

[SteveDave]

"Slaughterhouse Rulez"

Crispian from Kula Shaker directs a film where monsters come from Hell (or sutin) when fracking happens.

There was so many weird loose ends that could've made it a much better film. I thought the headmaster was going to be the immortal Lord who slain the original monster due to the painting that showed the first Lord and his dog after which the camera panned down to the same breed of dog. I thought they were going to say that the mental army boy killed the boy who died the year before and made it look like suicide. But no. It was like a first draft.

[Sebastian Cobb]

Last night I watch Pedro Almodovar's Julieta. It were good but a bit of a retread of his usual themes I think.

[Famous Mortimer]

Dead Is Dead

Although it's terrible, it has a sort of charm to it. Mike Stanley wrote, produced, directed, edited and starred in this...it's not really a horror movie, although it has zombies in it. It's more a revenge thriller. But not really that either.

Eric comes back into town to find out what happened to his brother. He borrowed some money in the past, but rather than using it to help his brother, he spent it on cocaine, and the person he borrowed the money from set his brother on fire, which also burned down the psychiatric hospital he was living in.

He goes to the woods to find some money he stowed in a tree stump, possibly to pay off the debt, but a creature who's never mentioned again tears his arm off, and he dies.

But then he's brought back by Laura, who has a batch of an experimental drug she found in the ruins of the hospital, Doxital. This regenerates limbs and brings people back from the dead, but no explanation is ever given as to why Laura did what she did. She was just in there because Stanley knew he needed a woman in this movie, otherwise it would just be three men killing each other and themselves, over and over. Eric offers a batch of Doxital to the guy who killed his brother (who looks like a mildly annoyed bank clerk, not a cold blooded criminal, but you work with what you can get). But he accidentally gave them a bad batch, which turns you into a zombie.

Laura then disappears til the end and Eric sort of gets revenge on the people who killed his brother (they also kill him a few times, but thanks to the Doxital, he keeps coming back).

He clearly had some interesting ideas, and there's quite the bleak mood to proceedings. But it's completely incoherent, and given its minuscule runtime (barely 70 minutes) he could have easily added some more explanation.

Or he could have added some horror, as the one zombie we see is just a bloke with a green face who gets shot in the head and dies. There's an off-camera one who tears Eric's intestines out, but we only see his hand. Not a lot of anything happens, really.

Stanley took a 20 year break after this one, going back to making extremely cheap horror movies (including sequels to this, one largely comprised of public domain footage from stuff like "Silent Night, Bloody Night", a concept so odd I might have to check it out). His ideas vastly outpace his abilities, sadly.

[phantom_power]

The Guard - seen it before but not for a while. What a great film. Not quite as good as In Bruges but not far off and probably the second best film from either brother (though need to see 3 Billboards again to be sure). Gleeson is a tour de force and Don Cheadle, Liam Cunningham and Mark Strong provide able support. Features a small role for Maeve from The Boys, though she is barely recognisable in it

Barton Fink - see above pretty much apart from the actors. Must feature the best late-arriving characters with the two policemen who question Fink.

"Couple days ago we see the same M.O. out in Los Feliz"
"Doctor. Ear, nose and throat man"
"All of which he's now missin'"
"Well, some of his throat was there"
"Physician heal thyself"
"Good luck with no fucking head"

[dissolute ocelot]

Trouble Every Day (2001) - I guess Claire Denis directing Vincent Gallo was never going to be a light comedy or make sense. This seems to have something to do with vampires, but no idea if it's symbolic of colonialism or anything else, and it doesn't really work as horror despite a fair bit of blood. It's quite well made though, not boring, naturalistic photography, the performances are good. Features a character called June Brown.

WarGames (1983) - actually really good, still an exciting thriller, that's surprisingly grown-up and reflective about nuclear war and AI. It's not just some headline-jumping exploitation flick, cynically pitched at a teen audience who're hoping it'll teach them how to start a nuclear apocalypse. Great cast, with Barry Corbin (from Northern Exposure etc) as a genial head of NORAD; Dabney Coleman doing his thing; John Wood playing a mysterious scientist happy to see humans go the way of the dinosaurs (will anyone fly a model Ally Sheedy 65 million years hence?); and the young leads (Sheedy and Broderick) give good performances while looking young. And it makes good use of the full machinery of nuclear paranoia, with lots of glowing buttons and screens and talk of DEFCONs, to create something that's often very tense but also strong in the quieter scenes.

[itsfredtitmus]

Limbo (the 1999 John Sayles one). This film is pretty unusual in that it slowly messes with your expectations at every turn. I guess the running theme is that events out of your hands probably won't be fixed with bravery or luck. There's a lot going on in this two hours but in typical Sayles fashion on screen is pretty muted really.

For some reason, despite being quite different stories I'm minded of Bill Forsyth's Housekeeping, I guess it's the dour uncertainty of all the characters.

David Strathairn is a cool guy innee?

I HAVE TO SEE THIS! i want to live inside housekeeping

[Sebastian Cobb]

I HAVE TO SEE THIS! i want to live inside housekeeping

If you have difficulty finding it give me a shout.

[Artie Fufkin]

The Electrical Life Of Louis Wain - 2021

Dramatisation of the life of Louis Wain. The man alleged to have introduced the cat to the general public as an actual pet, rather than just a 'mouser'.
Really really sad. The poor fucker.
Will definitely track down a proper biog about him.
Benedict Cumberbatch & Claire Foy head the cast. A nice little cameo from Taika Waititi.

[SteveDave]

The Electrical Life Of Louis Wain - 2021
A nice little cameo from Taika Waititi.

And Nick Cave. And Chabuddy G.

[Artie Fufkin]

And Nick Cave. And Chabuddy G.

Oh yeah! Forgot Cave as HG Wells. Lolz.
Didn't click that it was CG!

[rjd2]

The General 3/5

Brendan Gleeson as Martin Cahill biopic. Its very watchable, but at times I do think its to much in love with Cahill who was a vey evil person. Jon Voight a lunatic but fine actor is miscast as the officer tasked with bringing him down.

Story Of Women 4/5

Set in occupied France and based on a true story, Isabelle Huppert is an unhappy poor mother who decides to perform illegal abortions while also turning her home into a mini brothel. Playing with fire obviously.
Its a really interesting film, Huppert is at times quite unlikable as she treats her crippled husband like shit , but also quite sympathetic at its a brutal hand she has been dealt, poverty, Nazis all over the shop and a husband who due to the occupation has few job options.

Goodbye Children 5/5

Set in a boarding school also in occupied France and based on the director's real life experiences we follow a wee lad who slowly but surely becomes friends with a kid who has a pretty obvious secret that he and others are keen to protect with the Nazis and collaborators loitering in the background. It tackles plenty such as class, love, religion, patriotism and highly recommended. Its very moving and the tension towards the end is remarkable.

The same director Louis Malle also did the excellent Lacombe Lucien about an angry kid who in occupied France chose to be a collaborator with the Nazis when rejected by the resistance.

[Sebastian Cobb]

Girlfriends (1978) - I thought this was great. It's one of those ones that if you attempt to describe it, you'd make it sound pretty boring, and I guess not much happens, but it's funny and charming and relentlessly enjoyable, mostly through the character's continual defensive humour and Melanie Mayron smashing it.

[frajer]

Girlfriends (1978) - I thought this was great. It's one of those ones that if you attempt to describe it, you'd make it sound pretty boring, and I guess not much happens, but it's funny and charming and relentlessly enjoyable, mostly through the character's continual defensive humour and Melanie Mayron smashing it.

I blind-bought the Criterion release of this in a sale last year and loved it too. It's such a wonderfully ramshackle film. Beautifully cast and thoroughly charming as you say. 1970s New York looks great as well. Think a rewatch is due!

[the science eel]

I saw it at Edinburgh Filmhouse last year and loved it. I agree with what you've both said - it's so full of charm and MM is absolutely natural and adorable.

[zomgmouse]

Story Of Women 4/5

Set in occupied France and based on a true story, Isabelle Huppert is an unhappy poor mother who decides to perform illegal abortions while also turning her home into a mini brothel. Playing with fire obviously.
Its a really interesting film, Huppert is at times quite unlikable as she treats her crippled husband like shit , but also quite sympathetic at its a brutal hand she has been dealt, poverty, Nazis all over the shop and a husband who due to the occupation has few job options.

great

Goodbye Children 5/5

Set in a boarding school also in occupied France and based on the director's real life experiences we follow a wee lad who slowly but surely becomes friends with a kid who has a pretty obvious secret that he and others are keen to protect with the Nazis and collaborators loitering in the background. It tackles plenty such as class, love, religion, patriotism and highly recommended. Its very moving and the tension towards the end is remarkable.

The same director Louis Malle also did the excellent Lacombe Lucien about an angry kid who in occupied France chose to be a collaborator with the Nazis when rejected by the resistance.

great

Girlfriends (1978) - I thought this was great. It's one of those ones that if you attempt to describe it, you'd make it sound pretty boring, and I guess not much happens, but it's funny and charming and relentlessly enjoyable, mostly through the character's continual defensive humour and Melanie Mayron smashing it.

great

[Sebastian Cobb]

Five Easy Pieces - didn't enjoy that much really.

[neveragain]

Lucky - Harry Dean Stanton's last film. Just him wandering about as a grumpy old man, occasionally pondering life's big questions. Fantastic. Features David Lynch as a man who's lost his tortoise.

[Sebastian Cobb]

I love that film, great film to cap off a wonderful career.

[Bence Fekete]

Rewatched Green Room (2015) - with subs on to catch the details I missed half cut in the cinema.

Has there been a better constructed genre-thriller in the last decade? Perfect pace and set-up, unpredictable brutality, evil Capt Picard all low-key steely and meticulous. And an almost believable ending with realistic casualties on all sides too.

Hadn't realised the tragic IRL fate of Anton Yelchin shortly afterwards either. Makes it even more compelling as a statement about lost youth clashing with unpredictable forces

[zomgmouse]

Rewatched Green Room (2015) - with subs on to catch the details I missed half cut in the cinema.

Has there been a better constructed genre-thriller in the last decade? Perfect pace and set-up, unpredictable brutality, evil Capt Picard all low-key steely and meticulous. And an almost believable ending with realistic casualties on all sides too.

Hadn't realised the tragic IRL fate of Anton Yelchin shortly afterwards either. Makes it even more compelling as a statement about lost youth clashing with unpredictable forces

loved this film, his best so far I think. the one he made subsequently wasn't very good but his upcoming production looks to be a treat https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11301886/

[dissolute ocelot]

Five Easy Pieces - didn't enjoy that much really.

I like Five Easy Pieces quite a lot, but I think that's either because I'm secretly like Jack Nicholson's character, or I wish I was. It is not a film about nice people.

[Inspector Norse]

Couple o' films now that summer's here and don't have to get up at 7am for work and school

The Clan (2015) Fact-based Argentinian thriller about an old fella who - it's implied - used to do Disappearances for the military junta and, finding himself out of work under the new government in the '80s, turns his hand to kidnapping for ransom instead, though his preferred method of just shooting and dumping the victims once the money's been handed over means that the enterprise is doomed.
We see most of the film through the eyes of the son roped in to help him, a local rugby star who is increasingly concerned about what the family are up to but is too afraid of the patriarch and too fond of the cash to give it up. There's not, though, too much moralising, it's more a presentation - a stylish, and very well-acted, especially by Guillermo Francella in the lead presentation - of the events and as such works very well as a depiction of the corruption, arrogance and complacency of the ruling classes. Its weakness, though, is in failing to develop any of the female family members - the mother, two daughters and son's girlfriend barely even get names and it's unclear how complicit or aware they were of what was going on.

Rift (2017) A combination of relationship drama and horror from the Icelandic New Wave we keep hearing about, following Gunnar (the one who looks like an American indie bassist) who receives an early-hours phone call from his ex Einar (the one who looks like someone took a rolling pin to Owen Jones), who is staying alone at his family's remote farm cottage and sounds like he's losing it a bit.
Gunnar goes out to the farmhouse to try and help, but while the two men reexamine their relationship and their histories, they also notice that there's some weird stuff going on - noises outside, banging on the door, muffled voices in an empty building, Don't Look Now references and so on.
I liked this quite a lot: it's a striking film, making great use of the emotional and social geography of Iceland, excellently shot; the acting is very good from the two leads, who do most of the lifting, and the horror elements are mostly well-handled, the director Erlingur Thoroddsen keeping things oblique and unpredictable. It does in the end struggle to make everything come together, or to remain convincingly mysterious, but for the most part an impressive and promising film.

[neveragain]

Rewatched Green Room (2015) - with subs on to catch the details I missed half cut in the cinema.

Has there been a better constructed genre-thriller in the last decade? Perfect pace and set-up, unpredictable brutality, evil Capt Picard all low-key steely and meticulous. And an almost believable ending with realistic casualties on all sides too.

Hadn't realised the tragic IRL fate of Anton Yelchin shortly afterwards either. Makes it even more compelling as a statement about lost youth clashing with unpredictable forces

Love Green Room. The setting is utterly nightmarish while still being realistic and the plotting propels you through it, one of the best "in there with them"-type thrillers I've seen. Patrick Stewart plays a blinder as does Maebe from Arrested Development.

Poor Anton Yelchin, very sad.

[SteveDave]

Sorcerer (1977)

For some reason (possibly the poster) I thought this film was about truck drivers. I don't understand why this film wasn't a "hit" at the time. It had me on the edge of my seat several times and the ending was *chef's kiss* although for a while I thought the corrupt cops were going to be the ones to fuck up Roy Scheider's life when he was waiting in the bar.

[zomgmouse]

Rewatched Romper Stomper. It really is very good isn't it. Just a brutally potent piece of filmmaking.

[Pink Gregory]

Sorcerer (1977)

For some reason (possibly the poster) I thought this film was about truck drivers. I don't understand why this film wasn't a "hit" at the time. It had me on the edge of my seat several times and the ending was *chef's kiss* although for a while I thought the corrupt cops were going to be the ones to fuck up Roy Scheider's life when he was waiting in the bar.

I love that they had the audacity to do the bridge crossing scene twice but slightly differently

[SteveDave]

I love that they had the audacity to do the bridge crossing scene twice but slightly differently

I thought that when they were having the argument in the rain about what way to go, that the French bloke was going to go up and Roy was going to take the low road. Double their chances of getting the dynamite there rather than just both going over that knackered bridge. 

[Artie Fufkin]

Rewatched Green Room (2015) - with subs on to catch the details I missed half cut in the cinema.

Has there been a better constructed genre-thriller in the last decade? Perfect pace and set-up, unpredictable brutality, evil Capt Picard all low-key steely and meticulous. And an almost believable ending with realistic casualties on all sides too.

Hadn't realised the tragic IRL fate of Anton Yelchin shortly afterwards either. Makes it even more compelling as a statement about lost youth clashing with unpredictable forces

Yep. Brilliant. Pat Stewart is great in this.

[Sebastian Cobb]

I like Five Easy Pieces quite a lot, but I think that's either because I'm secretly like Jack Nicholson's character, or I wish I was. It is not a film about nice people.

I get that but it didn't resonate with me in the way some other angry not-so-young men films about not nice people did, like Hud or something.

[Memorex MP3]

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance

Asides from a few clunky shots and transitions I was on board with this almost the whole way through; if anything those few flaws just highlighted how absurdly naturally talented Ford was at this whole film thing.
Not that I've seen too many, but this was my favourite John Wayne character by a landslide. Simultaneously coming across as the kind of cool a 6 year old boy of the era might envisage but also quite hopelessly out of time and destined for fuck all, on some level fully aware of that but not able to face up to it. Being wayyyyy too old for the role helped a lot. Stewart was far too old for his role too but it didn't seem to bother me.

Think something could've been done with the ending to make it land a bit better, I'm not sure what though

Spoiler alert

There doesn't seem to be any good alternative to having the reveal of Wayne shooting Marvin, but it was so obvious it made the end a bit flat. Maybe something like Stewart discovering he never fired a shot or something? That makes Stewart's character mildly sinister to have taken the credit though?

[close]

Anyways, gotta watch more westerns.



Narc

Solid Liotta performance, not a lot else to it; has a kind of aged grittiness to it that feels horribly dated right now but might feel great in 10 years.