The Films You Watched Thread VI: The Undiscovered Movie

[Atticus]

Was thinking about Don't Look Now this week as I was talking to a co-worker about Midsommar and she watched it that evening and jokingly told me off for my recommendation, but I did clarify that it's not a film to "enjoy", but it'll be one that you'll never forget.

Haha. My mate did a similar thing with Texas Chainsaw. He didn’t directly recommend it, but it came up in conversation, and she watched it. And her husband said ‘you want to stay away from him, right weirdo’

[fuse]

I've probably mentioned this before, but a group of us watched the entire Friday the 13th Series on the sly in a tiny room in our school meant for media studies students, and we'd been scratching a tally into a desk for every death for the tapes we had (1-9). We even stuck a bit of paper on top and took a rubbing of it to take with us when we went to see Jason X in the cinema. This is to say: I may have a bit of a soft spot for the series, and while I love 6 - Jason Lives - if you've happy with tongue-firmly-in-cheek then Jason X is a god damned masterpiece.

Anyway! Had a couple of hours to kill and American Hustle jumped out as an option. Was alright, but felt the volume of big names attached to it gave it a bit too much baggage - everyone vying for their 5 minutes where they were allowed to shout louder than the other people in the room. Found the end a bit underwhelming too. Not bad by any means, but don't feel like I missed much waiting to see it before now.

[Dogg Thang]

I watched It Chapter 2 last night. It was too long and wandering, with little sense of why what they were doing was important. The first one felt more important and more climactic. And it didn’t even try to be a scary film. The whole approach was basically just that Shining sequence from Ready Player One - oversized CG things running at you. The cast was great but the film needed around 45 minutes to give them any relevance and connect them to the characters to the first one and then it just constantly reminded me from there that the kid versions were more interesting. I didn’t think it was a great film.

[Atticus]

I really enjoyed IT chapter 2. A big part of that is probably to do with the brilliant cast. Only slight disappointment was the part in the old lady’s house, which is one of my fave bits in the book … it lacked the subtlety that made it so scary to read.

[QualityChimp]

#Woovember double-bill of Supercop (1992 via YouTube).
Slummed it with the YouTube version after buying the same film twice.
Ka Kui/Kevin is a bit of a dick in this, tbh, leering over Yeoh and getting lauded as a Supercop by everyone, but it settles into a better pace later.
Yuen Wah doesn't do much fighting, tbh.

Maniac Cop (1988 via Blu-Ray).
One of those lurid video nasty covers I looked sideways at in the video shop as a kid.
With Tom Atkins and Bruce Campbell in, I'm surprised I've not seen it sooner. Intriguing plot as you try to work out who's doing the killing.
Not bad for a low budget thriller.

[Anpanman]

Planes Trains and Automobiles
I like John Candy, Steve Martin less so, thought I had seen this but looks like no. Anyway I couldn't get on with this at all and after an hour gave up...

Inglourious Basterds
Overall probably a bit long but enjoyable all the same. Brad Pitt does ok in an over the top acting job but it's Christoph Waltz who steal the show as the cruel SS officer.
Plus points in Tarantino films for me is the photography. Well shot with a great palette which is mostly drab except the nazi flags which has the scarlet turned up to eleven for emphasis. Anyone who played Rocket Ranger on the Amiga will know exactly what I'm talking about

Cat Ballou
Fun western romp with Lee Marvin taking two roles, one a drunk hitman and the other a not drunk hitman, plus the lovely Jane Fonda as female lead.

Point Blank
Lee Marvin again in something more serious as a robber whose cut in a job gets taken from him. As with all good 60's and 70's films shot in the period the atmosphere - cars, fashion etc are wonderfully captured.
Also stars Angie Dickinson who does a great job in her support role, the film is preserved in the National Film Registry.

Unforgiven
Superb Hollywood western with no rootn', tootn' or a whip crack-a-way in sight, more like Hollywood does a spaghetti and ramps up the realism. With Eastwood, Hackman, Freeman and Harris on board you are guaranteed to be in for a treat.
Star turn for me is Hackman the cruel sheriff and all round useless DIY'er but all the acting along with photography is top notch. Really enjoyed it.

Twins of Evil
Never seen this Hammer but it's a decent one in the series of hammed-up horror flicks. Cushing is the main star and actually does a very good job portraying the pious leader of a religious group who like nothing better than burning innocent young women.
The two female leads are twins Madeleine and Mary Collinson who were the first identical Playmate twins.
It's of 1971 vintage which means a later one so you get a bit more gore and nudity compared with earlier films.

Bullitt
The music, style and design are excellent in this film and that's just the opening credits!
Steve McQueen the 'King of Cool' is terrific, his small nuances - a slight hand gesture here a nod there make him stand out from other A-list actors when he's performing his craft.
Great photography, the panning shot within the hospital superb. The acting scene in the operating theatre isn't something you see often if at all, as most of the actors are talking at the same time as if to heighten the urgency.
Excellent snapshot of America in the late 60's, fashion, conversation, transportation, buildings and so on, it just oozes style..
As with Point Blank this film is also preserved in the US' National Film Registry (obviously).
It also has a decent car chase!

[Atticus]

^^^ nice choices ^^^ I haven’t seen Unforgiven in ages. It’s a full-on masterpiece.

[wakka]

Excellent set of films. Although I’m outraged you didn’t enjoy Planes, Trains…!

Ive still never seen Unforgiven. Must correct that.

[QualityChimp]

It's interesting to see Gene Hackman in The Quick and the Dead as a corrupt sheriff and then Unforgiven, where he plays a corrupt sheriff.

The two films are very different, though, with the former a celebration of Western movies and the latter a reflection on the mythology of the Wild West and its perception. I particularly like the loudmouthed young gunslinger's path.

I watched Field of Dreams (1989 via ParamountHD) as a sports movie for Woovember.
It had some intriguing ideas and it was interesting enough, but with no investment in baseball and an obvious conclusion, I found it fell a little flat for me.

[fallenangle]

Unforgiven is one of the best westerns ever made, in fact I'd put two more Clint Eastwood westerns up there in at least the top ten: The Outlaw Josey Wales and Pale Rider. I've a lot of time for High Plains Drifter as well.

Point Blank: stone cold classic but TBH its a film which whilst I appreciate the quality I just do not enjoy watching that much.

Cat Ballou: great fun and Jane Fonda lovely indeed.

Twins Of Evil: old favourite from my own early teenage days when they started showing 'A' rated Hammer type horror films from the 60s/70s on TV. Vampire Lovers, Lust For A Vampire, Countess Dracula are others to look out for in the same vein.

[Anpanman]

Thanks for the comments.

Yep apologies about Planes, Trains it's deffo down to me as millions who do like it can't be wrong.

Agree with your point FA on Point Blank, it's good but whilst it does capture the period very well it really could have been so much better it seems a bit rushed and in places a bit too clever for its own good.
I'm glad I saw it but yes might not rush back to see it.

I've seen Countess Dracula but not the other two so thanks for the tip, I'll keep an eye out.

[fallenangle]

They're far from brilliant films but they do melodramatic Gothic horror with a unique style saucing it up with some, tame by today's standards, very 1970s soft-porn scenes. Then it was quite daring for mainstream British films but less than a decade on they were being shown on UK TV with surprisingly little controversy.

[Neon Ignition]

Escape Room
Easing away from the horrors we tried this at the weekend. Expected the worst and that seemed to be realised when the film began and it utterly reeked of Saw and Squid Games mashed up. It largely is that as well but... it was a little bit of a guilty enjoyment film too. The effects aren't great at times but the rooms have just enough intensity to them to keep it interesting and the film is brisk enough that for what it is it wasn't that bad.

[Lebowski]

Willy's Wonderland

Is on sky cinema as a premier and we decided that it looked absurd enough to give it a look, Nicolas Cage is a Drifter who gets stuck in a small town due to car problems, he strikes up a deal too clean an old abandoned Theme Restaurant called Willy's Wonderland in return for fixing his car.

What follows is pretty much a riff on the Five Nights at Freddys formula where he has to dispatch satanic possessed animatronic puppets one by one, all have that sort of 70s Banana split style to them. We also have some teens who break into the restaurant so we can have a body count with all the usual horror tropes seeing you taken out pretty sharpish.

This is a bloody weird film though for one Nicolas Cage's character says nothing the entire film he's completely silent and doesn't have one line, he also has to stop every hour to go to the fridge for an energy drink and to play a game of pinball? and after each dispatch he brushes himself off and goes and gets a new Willys world t-shirt and resumes cleaning the restaurant, We laughed a lot because this is a terrible film, it kind of dose that so bad its good thing with some terrible acting and absurd scenes, it also leaves you with a ton of questions about what the hell you just watched .

[Neon Ignition]

Escape Room: Tournament of Champions
Effectively directly follows on from the original giving it the same kind of episodic vibe that the Saw films developed. Not as smart as the original I'd say as the rooms don't feel as well designed but there's a main hook to the film that works and so once again they just about pull off a decent enough film. If they continue it would definitely be best to stop at a third, not that that's how it ever works.