ToxicMovies

Jaws (1975)

2012-02-13T09:00:00.000Z

Film of 2012 #32

The Speilberg classic and the first Summer Blockbuster it is an all time favourite of mine, it is still to this day a scary film that has me on the edge of my seat even though I can quote many lines from it. I think that while Speilberg is a master of the film making art, there is an element of luck with the well known fact that Bruce, the shark did not work as well as they hoped. Therefore they went with a lot less Shark and lots of Point of View shots that help build the tension fantastically. There are jump scares in this film that still get me when I watch it and I will continue to watch this film in the future.

The story is around a New York cop that moves to Amity Island as the Chief of police and in his first summer there are a couple of what appears to be shark attacks. The story is him trying to convince the council who cannot afford to close the island and subsequently his battle to beat the terror of the deep. You have an excellent and defining role for Roy Scheider as Brody the chief of Police, Richard Dreyfuss as Matt Hooper the Shark expert and Robert Shaw as Quint the expert Shark catcher. You also have an Iconic score by John Williams that sets the tone for the film and fits the piece perfectly and I think that it is a piece of music that everybody will know on hearing.

As well as being a childhood favourite this film still holds up to this day and is a very solid 5 star recommend to me, it is a film I will continue to re-watch and always look forward to seeing it again and again.

Night of the Living Dead (1968)

2012-02-12T09:00:00.000Z

Film of 2012 #31
Some Spoilers

The first Dead film from a master of the genre, that is George A. Romero, If you had asked me before I watched this film I would have told you that I have seen it many times. I have to be honest and say that getting to the end of this film I was surprised. It did not go where I thought it did and then I realised I have seen many of the famous scenes and hear many of the great quotes and I have seen the remake starring Tony Todd right through. So it is now rectified I have seen the original film, it is the story of an outbreak of flesh eating ghoul's, the word zombie is never used in this film. The story starts with us meeting Barbara and her brother Johnny and you follow Barbara until we meet Ben in the farmhouse where the majority of the film takes place.

I have heard that this film is a metaphor for the race struggles of the 1960's and it is strange to see a Black man in form of Duane Jones playing Ben as the lead and the heroic role of the piece at this time in history. And I suppose there is something in the ending but overall I was not lost in a lot of metaphors it was just a good tense horror film that still holds up today as a scary film. And even though people claim that zombies are not scary as they move so slowly they are continuous and they just keep coming and there are always more of them.

This is a good opener to the Dead trilogy but I have to say that Dawn of the Dead and Day of the Dead are stronger films for me and I would choose to watch them before watching Night again. Overall though it is a film that started a genre and a change in how horror films were made and looked at and it holds up as a classic of it's time. It is a must see for anyone that likes horror films or enjoys film history. This is a 3 star recommend, it has it's flaws but is well worth seeing and due to a mistake at the time it has been in the Public Domain for nearly 40 years so is easy to access.

The Grey (2012)

2012-02-11T09:00:00.000Z

Film of 2012 #30
Some Spoilers

The latest film from Liam Neeson, sees him as a hunter in the Arctic circle protecting the oil workers from the wolves if they come to close. There is a plane crash and the story follows the survivors lead by Liam Neeson as they try and survive the weather and the wolves. I knew very little of this film going in but my Father-in-Law-to-be is a massive Liam Neeson fan and we always go and see his films as they come out so this was the next in line. I have to be honest and say that I knew very little of this film going in and I was disappointed with what I got.

It is a well acted film and the characters are good and some of the set pieces were excellent and enjoyable and I have to say that the cinematography actually worked so well that I felt the cold that the actors did as you believed they were cold. There is a bit of predictability about the plot but there are also some points that I did not see coming but at the end of the film I was not that impressed or bothered about it. The ending in itself was not what I wanted from a film and to be honest this sort of film is just not for me.

This is a hard film to recommend as I did not like it and will not see it again, overall I know that there will be an audience for this sort of film and you will know if you fall in to this category, I am going to give it 2 stars, the acting is good and some of the scenes are worth seeing but overall not a film for me. Let me know if this is your sort of film and let me know why I should like and appreciate this film.

Kull the Conqueror (1997)

2012-02-10T09:00:00.000Z

Film of 2012 #29
Spoilers

The Kevin Sorbo attempt to be Conan the Barbarian, it starts with Kull as the barbarian trying to join the army, to then killing the King and being named as the heir. With Tia Carrere resurrected as a witch who wants to reclaim her throne which essentially Kull now has and there is treason and a journey with a riddle to be solved and a love interest to be saved who has a brother you think is a lover.......and the good guys win.

Really this is another silly film the writing team must simply have thrown ideas around and decided to fit them all in but they have all been done before. There is actually nothing new or redeeming about this film, the sword play is nothing special the characters are very light weight and the comedy is not that good, it actually took me a minute after a joke to realise that it was not just bad hammy acting it was actually supposed to be funny. All the film really lacked was the comedy a side kick for Kull who was a beggar and he kept getting caught by the authorities.

This is a 1 star film, made for TV guff that can be ignored and does not need to be seen by anyone.

A.P.E.X. (1994)

2012-02-09T09:00:00.000Z

Film of 2012 #28
Some Spoilers

This film has been listed as one of the worst films of all time by people I have heard speak on the internet and I have to say that I am in agreement. It is not the truly the worst film as the actual idea is very confusing and hard to follow. It is not like you think wow that sounds like a fantastic idea and when you see it they have made a total mess of it. Your basic concept is a time travel experiment that goes wrong. If any paradoxes are created then they send the A. P. E. X. the Advanced Prototype Exploration units back in time to clean the paradox, now this does not make any real sense as they talk about parallel dimensions and other realities and it is just a big mess right from the start.

The acting is nothing worse than I have seen in some Syfy originals or in some real low budget films and the effects are not the worst. The real issue just seems to be the confusion and the fact that at the end of the film I had very little to no idea what was actually supposed to have happened and it was like they had missed several chunks when it was edited together.

Overall this is a one star film that should probably never be played again and is so not worth seeing, it is totally ridiculous and bad.

The Human Centipede (2009)

2012-02-08T09:00:00.000Z

Film of 2012 #27
Some Spoilers

So I finally decided to watch this film after I saw that it was to be on the Horror Channel in the UK, I thought I will tape that and watch it if I feel like it. I really had no inclination to watch it after hearing about it and when watching it there was going to be no real shocks as I had heard all the spoilers and even discussions of the second film. However I thought lets see how bad can it really. So for anyone that has been living under a rock for the last few years, this is the film from Tom Six about the German doctor that wants to stitch people together.

You start with the really cheesy scene between 2 female friends that are on holiday in Europe and they are going to go for a big night out. I think that this scene is supposed to set up characters that you like but to be honest they annoyed me and really did not care for them at all in the beginning. With a film like the Human Centipede you are really just waiting for the gory scenes to start. Now the film in itself was not as gory as I expected and apart from the subject matter being really messed up this was actually quite a well made film. You can see the lack of budget when you see the actors and the fact there are only 8 people in this film but the effects showing the people linked together are actually quite effective and I think that Tom Six given the opportunity and the budget could make a really good film and I will actually look for more of his work.

Overall this film does not need to be seen, the subject matter is shocking for shocking sake and really it is good that there is no reason for the Doctor. But also there is no reason for you to care about the characters with the third part of the centipede coming from nowhere. I think that a bit more focus on the horror right at the end could have had more impact, overall a solid film in the gore genre and 3 stars. You should see this if you have any inclination, it will be worth seeing if you are interested in this sort of film.

The Satanic Rites of Dracula (1973)

2012-02-07T09:00:00.000Z

Film of 2012 #26
No Spoilers

This film is the last Hammer film to star both Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing and is also the last film for Christopher Lee to play Dracula. It is a sequel of sorts to some of the earlier Dracula films but at the time I watched it I was not aware of any of the history, though the film itself clearly references previous stories and battles. Peter Cushing plays Lorrimer Van Helsing and his niece is played by Joanna Lumley who I did not recognise to begin with but later in the film you can clearly see that it is her.

The film starts quite confusingly with a ritual and a prisoner escaping and through the main characters finding out what happened you are brought up to speed. Scotland Yard are investigating a group of influential individuals who appear to be up to no good and within their investigations they discover that the group are headed up by Christopher Lee. He turns out to be Count Dracula resurrected from the dead as Van Helsing had killed him two years previously. This film is one of those older films that just accepts supernatural goings on, you have a case when someone known to the main characters is turned and they shout she is a vampire and there is simple acceptance of this fact as it is normal everyday goings on in the Hammer world.

This was really a very enjoyable film, there are some issues around the pacing of it and I think that modern audiences would struggle with it as it moves at it's own pace. It is a good vs evil story and you know where it is going. a big plus point is that it is near the end of the Hammer films as there are plenty of b**bs on show and there is still some tension built up so a three star film for me, very enjoyable.

Transporter 2 (2005)

2012-02-06T09:00:00.000Z

Film of 2012 #25
Some Spoilers

The ridiculous Jason Statham sequel centring around Jason Statham as the driver an ex-special forces operative who in the first film works a as getaway driver and in this film starts as a chauffeur to a rich family. It follows his journey to get the son of the family back and to stop the nefarious scheme of the central bad guy. This film I think has its roots in the Mission Impossible world but it is centred around the Driver, I also think that it is a comedy because some of the things were ridiculous and actually made me laugh out loud, such as how he escapes when there is a bomb attached to his car.

So you have the central bad guy and his sexy side kick played by machine pistol wielding, underwear wearing Kate Nauta who is in it for the fun as she says kidnapping a young boy and infecting him with a virus so that they take out his father who is some sort of politician in Narcotics control. The hilarity continues as you have the fight on the aeroplane that is ridiculous and funny and from there it sums up the whole plot and action scenes, this film is about the stunts, the fights and the comedic moments that to me work well together to create and enjoyable romp.

This film falls clearly in the guilty pleasure category and watching this film has made me want to rediscover the first one and to see the third one as you know what you will get with them, I am going to be bad and give this a 3 star recommend and would love to hear if anyone else really enjoys this film.

The Next Three Days (2010)

2012-02-05T09:00:00.000Z

Film of 2012 #24
Some Spoilers

This Russell Crowe film is a remake of a French film (Anything for her) that I have not seen and centres around the idea that a Woman is jailed for murder and her husband has 3 days to break her out. It explores the concept of a normal man doing extraordinary things in the face of love. I actually really enjoyed this film, while I do not know if a normal and could do what is required of Russell Crowe it is an interesting exploration of the idea, you see him watching YouTube videos on how to make Bump Keys and open car doors and I have no idea if these things would work but it is an interesting angle and also the fact that what he tries back fires and does not work actually, it works really well for the film with the idea that he is not perfect and things do not always work out the way you expect,

My biggest issue with the film is the title it implies that three days are ultimately important to the film and overall you do not really get an understanding of how much time is passing or passed and it is not really clear how long anything takes for him to do or feel the time pressure. Other than near the end but then it is being measured in minutes not days. I like some of the intelligent touches that the Russel Crowe character throws in there with the bag of rubbish and going to the train station which is very clever.

I do not normally like Russell Crowe as I do not like him in real life but he was actually very good in this and I actually think he is an excellent actor. When someone that you do not like can convince you they are likeable and intelligent and nervous and scared they must have some good acting skills. I recommend this film it is a strong 3 stars, there are flaws and some of his knowledge seems to come from nowhere but overall a very enjoyable film that I would probably watch again.

Hanna (2011)

2012-02-04T09:00:00.000Z

Film of 2012 #23

No Spoilers

When this film came out at the cinema I was slightly intrigued to see it but not enough to actually make it so when I got the chance to see it at home I took it and I enjoyed it but it went in a strange direction near the end that while it was fun and kept me interesting there was a jumbled cut down feel to the film like there was more explanation and it was trying to say something but chunks were missing and it could not decide what it wanted to be or say. You have Saoirse Ronan a teenager raised by her father in the forest taught to fight and survive and you see her thrust in to the real world and the fact that she sees so many things that she just does not understand.

Now the problem I have with this film is part of the story, Eric Bana who plays her father is training her for a mission yet I do not think that he does all that he can to prepare her for what he has asked and requires her to do. You have Cate Blanchett playing a CIA operative that was Eric Bana's handler before he went off the map and she is clearly hiding something. There is also a couple of spoilers in the trailer that meant when I saw the film the impact of these is totally lost. There are several loose ends in the film that are unresolved and they bothered me that they were left. There is very little actual explanation of what is going on or why they are doing what they are doing and the fact that Hanna is scared by the TV and fan shows me that Eric Bana's character did not go as far as he should have and in that I lost any sense of belief in the characters or the story line and was not that bothered about how it was going to end.

The performances from Saoirse Ronan, Eric Bana and Cate Blanchett are all fin to me there is an issue with the direction and the story this is a 2 star film not really worth seeing but i would love to hear other points of view, is it just me or is there something wrong with this film.

Ladykillers (1955)

2012-02-03T09:00:00.000Z

Film of 2012 #22
No Spoilers

This is the 1955 Ealing comedy starring Alec Guinness and a young Peter Sellars it is the story of a group of criminals that mastermind the theft of £60,000 and get found out by the land lady of the boarding house and they struggle with the morals of killing the old lady to keep her quiet hence the title of the film. This was remade with Tom Hanks and I would actually like to see that film now I have seen the original and see how they compare. This is the only film apart from Star Wars that I have seen Alec Guinness star in and I have to say that I am impressed he wears a set of false teeth which make him look ridiculous and he pulls of the comedic role quite well.

However I did not laugh very much at this film, I think again it is a film out of time and out of place the comedy is very simple and a bit slapstick but there is also a darker edge when they are drawing straws to see who should bump the old lady off and there is also a level within the film that the characters just do not seem to be very bright at all and I found this frustrating and annoying. There were some good scenes and some interesting ideas and can respect that in the time it came out it could have been hilarious and held up but over 50 years later it has lost something for me. It did however make me want to explore some more of the Ealing comedies to see if it is just comedy that is lost on me or if there are any that can make me laugh, it is really well made and quite enjoyable.

This is a hard film to rate because my feeling is for 2 stars as I will probably not check it out again but it did touch me in a way that makes me want to explore other films from that era and style so I am going to give it 3 stars. As a recommendation I think you will know in yourself if watching a film from 1955 is something that you can appreciate, it is well made and well performed but to me it misses something in the comedy. Let me know if you disagree with me and think that I am totally wrong in this idea.

Horror Hotel:City of the Dead (1960)

2012-02-02T09:00:00.000Z

Film of 2012 #21
Some Spoilers

The latest Public Domain film that I watched was Horror Hotel, also known as the City of the Dead starring Christopher Lee is a story of witches and it opens with the burning of a witch and goes from there. This is a film from 1960 that I as not aware of before getting it for nothing and gave it a look as I thought I had heard of it before but did not really know anything about it. You meet Christopher Lee as Professor Allan Driscoll who is teaching a college class about witches and his star pupil is looking for information to be able to research this further and he recommends that she goes to Whitewood to look up Elizabeth Selwyn who was the witch we saw being burned at the start of the film.

Based on the title and the nature of the film having seen so many films it is actually fairly easy to see where this film goes but it was an interesting idea and back in the time of release i think it would have had a greater impact than it would on toady's market. Probably my favourite part is the acceptance of all involved when things get weird, films from the 50's and 60's seem to just accept that strange things happen and that you do not need to question it. I think when addressed by the fact that there are witches they just decide they have to figure out how to kill them. The difference being in the remake of Fright Night the main character while he comes around to the idea that his neighbour is a vampire he has to be convinced in the beginning and does not believe his friend. I think that this is the more modern look at the world. I think we are all so much better informed that we would question it however much we want to believe in witches and vampires we are all geared towards the fact that they do not exist how they do in the movies.

Overall this film is not an essential view it is interesting and a bit creepy and is an interesting snapshot of films at the time and I did enjoy it, however will not have to see it again in the near future. Overall this is a weak 3 stars and is well worth watching if you are exploring what is available in the Public Domain, interesting to see a young Christopher Lee as well.

Where Eagles Dare (1968)

2012-02-01T09:00:00.000Z

Film of 2012 #20
No Spoilers

The World War 2 epic film about the Special Forces of Britain lead by Richard Burton and aided by Clint Eastwood as the American along for the ride this film is so much more than you suspect. It starts with the fact that an American General has been captured by the Nazis and is being held in a mountain top castle and the special forces are being dropped in to Germany to facilitate a rescue operation. I will say that I do not want to spoil this film but there is a lot more going on than a simple rescue mission as some of the scenes are a bit unbelievable but this is a film worth watching.

There is a common joke about war films that everybody just speaks with their own accent usually British and this is never an issue and I think that Quinten Tarantino may have picked up on this for his war Film Inglorious Basterds with the Cellar scene and those that have seen that will understand what I am getting at with that reference. This film I think is possibly the worst offender if it is an offence as Clint Eastwood is supposed to be speaking German but has the broadest American accent that there is no way he would get away with it. But I think that this is not the real point of this film it is about the daring escapades of the British thwarting the Germans and showing why we won the war.

This is a solid three start film bordering on a four star but for some of the effects and the accents causing more hilarity than an issue but the film does come in at 2 hours 38 minutes which is far to long but some of the set pieces and some of the reveals are pretty good and well worth a watch.

Priest (2011)

2012-01-31T09:00:00.000Z

Film of 2012 #19

Some Spoilers

Another film based upon a comic book that I have not read, this time it is a post apocalyptic world in which humans and vampires have lived together forever and the humans developed the Priests, highly skilled and powerful fighters that were created and trained to fight the vampire menace. I have to say that this film is a mess, it seems to grasp the fact that not many people will know the set up but not enough belief in itself to set the world up properly and develop the world that is new to so many people, had they done this a bit better then i think a franchise could have been born here that would have been quite interesting.

You join the world after the Priests have been removed from power and de-commissioned as the vampire menace has been controlled or so it would appear. Now if the film had been about the world in which Priests were created and you followed the young priest through his training I think you would have a better grasp on how the world got where it is and how the reliance on the church and perhaps the ending could have been the set up for this world, there are a few twists that are obvious and because this film feels so rushed they are telegraphed and not that much of a surprise. The vampires are CGI creations that appear to be more animals than a thoughtful dangerous enemy and perhaps if the vampires had been treated like the Bugs in Starship Troopers you would have taken to them a bit more.

Overall I like Paul Bettany and Karl Urban in this film but they do not really get enough to go with and Maggie Q is another character that could really have done with a bit more development, overall this film is very flawed and would love to hear from you if you have read the comic is the film a good adaptation? This is a 2 star film, the actors do not deserve to be in a 1 star film but really it is a film that I would avoid, let me know if you disagree with that.

Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole (2010)

2012-01-30T09:00:00.000Z

Film of 2012 #18
Some Spoilers

Finally got a chance to see the Owl film as it was called because who can pronounce the name of where the owls stay. So going into this film I thought that it was literally a journey movie about the main characters heading off to find the legendary owls of Ga'hoole, but this is not all it is about. There is a good vs evil story line, a betrayal that is really obvious and in fighting between family members which was really dark from where the film started. Overall for a kids film this was very dark you do not see anything through the animation but it is quite clear that there are several deaths and while it is life you do see the Owls eating what they normally eat, Mice. So not necessarily one for the very little kids, if you have small children I would watch it first before letting them see it.

Now the animation was magnificent and I am sure that some of the scenes would have been exceptional in 3D but overall I did not think that I missed very much considering it was a 2D version that I saw. I think that this was a film from New Zeland or Australia as I did not recognise any of the actors voices and there was certainly a few with the Antipodean twang. It was good not to have any famous people involved as their voices did not pull you from the piece. Overall though I did not really buy into the set up, which sounds strange as it is a film about owls but in comparison I believed the world that Cars created with inanimate items coming to life.

Overall I am glad I saw this film but would not recommend it unless you have a want to see it, 3 stars from me and I will not be rushing out to see it again. If you have seen it and disagree with what I have said then please let me know as I am really unsure what the population at large thought of this with or without seeing it.

The Horrors of Spider Island (1960)

2012-01-29T09:00:00.000Z

Film of 2012 #17
Some Spoilers

Another of the Public Domain films that I recently got and decided to watch and to be honest i was drawn in by the title but half way thorough I did have to investigate the history of this film and what was happening. It is originally a German film and the version I watched was dubbed in to English and I have to say it was not done with any great care or attention. Your plot surrounds a dance troupe being taken to the Far East, you start with the selection of the girls to go and en-route to their destination the plane crashes and they are washed up on a desert island.

Now watching the film I actually had the thought that it was essentially and opportunity to titillate the audience in the 1960 as there were quite a few scenes of the girls getting down to their underwear and overall the only survivors of the plane crash were Gary the band manager, his assistant and all of the girls he had chosen for the troupe. So you were given the set up of 1 man and 7 women and you had dancing and shower scenes and thinking that back in the day when this film was released there must have actually been an audience of young men hoping to be titillated and see a little flesh. However the production and the follow up dubbing crew did not take enough care and the film was literally just thrown out there with no care if it was any good or not.

I would not recommend seeing this film unless you were to watch it as a look at how badly some films could be made back in 1960, this is a one star review. I have since watching found out that Mystery Science Theatre 3000 did a review of this and that I think would be worth seeing as it is a bad film that commentary can only make it better.

Highlander (1986)

2012-01-28T11:18:00.001Z

Film of 2012 #16
Some Spoilers

The classic 80's film where a Scotsman plays an Egyptian, a Frenchman plays a Scotsman and Clancy Brown steals every scene that he is in. I have seen this film so many times and back in my early teens me and several of my friends tried to re-write and film a new version if this film. We were not very organised and I think it lasted 2 days across a Summer holiday, but this film holds a special place in my nostalgic heart. Christopher Lambert plays the title character who cannot die and you see his story across the years until present day New York and the gathering. You have Sean Connery as his mentor and an Egyptian who worked for a Spanish King. The final main character is Clancy Brown as the main bad guy and another Immortal playing the Kurgan an evil and vindictive man.

Now this film's basic concept is that throughout time individuals are born who cannot die unless their head is removed, and over time they will get whittled down to one who will win the great prize of power and knowledge. The major problem comes when you try to look at this film and analyse the ideas behind it and what it tries to do and then you end up with so many questions and plot holes it is ridiculous. But I think that if you just watch it as a film about sword fights and fights across time it is a fun romp which poses some interesting questions on what would you do if you were immortal.

Finally the sound track for this film is almost more iconic than the film with most of the songs written and performed by Queen and it is tremendous and I could actually listen to the sound track all of the time. Now if you need coherent film making with no dodgy effects this film is not for you, if you just want the fun of sword play and great tunes then give this film a go, by the way I like the sequels as well even though they introduce a new idea that ruins the original idea but anyway give it a watch. This is a 4 star film for me, the soundtrack alone and some of the witty comments are brilliant but overall I think it is the deep sense of nostalgia I get whenever I watch this film.

The Exorcist (1973)

2012-01-27T09:00:00.000Z

Film of 2012 #15
Some Spoilers

The William Friedkin Film based upon the William Blatty novel of the same name and is considered by many film fans as one of the best films of all time and at least the best Horror film of all time. I have actually had the opportunity to listen to an audio commentary by fans and a thorough analysis of the film scene by scene and this film holds up under direct scrutiny, yes like any film based on strange and unbelievable events there are holes if you look and prod hard enough but overall you can see past them quite easily. This film has also been described as perfect by some people in the film industry and I would not go that far but I think that the stories surrounding the production from how Friedkin got the end performance from Father Dwyer by slapping the actor just before shouting action to the fact that Ellen Burstyn complains about a bad back from being violently dragged about on a harness at the directors instruction and that the final scenes were filmed in a Freezer to get the effect of the cold atmosphere. Surrounding this film are so many legends that it is hard to remember that it is only a film and that the hype surrounding it can get to carried away.

So I was lucky enough to see this film in the cinema for the first time when it was re-released, possibly for the 25th anniversary in 1998 and I went with the knowledge that this film was the most shocking film and was banned for years. I was slightly disappointed as my expectations were to high but nearly 15 years later watching this film with more knowledge of film I have to say that I was drawn into it and was looking for the flaws and struggled and was pulled along with the belief that this little girl had gone from being a rosy cheeked child at play to a foul mouthed shocking creature due to the fact that some sort of demonic possession was taking place. I think the performances from Linda Blair and Ellen Burstyn are fantastic and Father Karris captured what the film needed to from the Mother lost and alone having to turn to the church the last place she expected any help and getting a Father Karas a man whose faith was being tested to the max by the goings on in his private life. The titular character The Exorcist, Father Merrin played by Max Von Sydow is strange as you see him at the start but he only comes back right at the end but you can see he has faced the demon before and the little you get makes you want to see what happened before, from what I have heard none of the films that were prequels seem to touch what this film hinted at.

Overall I would not say that this film is perfect, I think as a horror film if you have any love of horror then you will watch this and be creeped out by it, the only people are those that cannot suspend their disbelief and enjoy a film for what it is. I rate this film as 5 stars it is a film that will be revisited in the future and I look forward to discussing it with people and hearing the other stories around the production and lore of the Exorcist.

The French Connection (1971)

2012-01-26T09:00:00.000Z

Film of 2012 #14
No Spoilers

Finally got a chance to see the William Friedkin police drama starring Gene Hackman and Roy Scheider, I knew very little of this film going in other than it was a slow burner and was quite violent. I have to say that those comments are accurate when it comes to summing up this film, you have Hackman and Scheider on drug case where they are sure it is going to be a bust but I think that it becomes bigger than they originally expected. You also see the French side with the master criminals dealing with the transaction and I think that there was also a level of naivety from their side based upon who they were dealing with, this brings a real sense of realism to this film.

There are some slow scenes with Hackman staking out the suspected criminals in New York in winter and you see his dedication with the fact that it is obviously freezing and it goes on a bit to long for me but does give a sense of how much he wants the bust. There is a chase scene when Hackman "borrows" a civilians car and chases a suspect who is on an Elevated train, the whole scene reminded me of something from Grand Theft Auto and it would not surprise me if this was an influence on the game makers. There is a level of violence in the game and the 1970's cops do give the impression of shoot first ask questions later and this leads to some interesting situations.

Overall this is an excellent film you have good performances from the main actors with Hackman stealing the show for me, he is so aggressive and obsessive it drags you along and while you do not like the character this is probably because you are not meant to like this racist and violent cop. I would recommend this film, it is quite long but very entertaining and is from a different era on New York in the 1970's a solid 3 stars from me, I can appreciate that it is not for everyone.

The Last Man on Earth (1964)

2012-01-15T09:00:00.000Z

Film of 2012 #13
Some Spoilers

The film based upon the Richard Matheson Novella "I Am Legend" it is the 1st adaptation and the truest to the original story. It follows Vincent Price in the titular role of the only surviving Man in a world over run by vampires. If you have ever read the book, this is the visualisation of the world that Matheson envisioned and explores what it would be like to be the only living human in a world of Vampires.

I love the book and the story and the end point that explains the title and the fact that you might not necessarily know what the consequences of your actions are no matter what your intentions or or thoughts The biggest flaw for this film for me is that Vincent Price while an awesome actor and character he is very much Vincent Price and it is hard to see past this when watching the film but still you get the idea of the impression that Matheson was trying to convey in the book.

This film is a must for all fans of genre films and the Richard Matheson story, this is a solid 4 star recommend for me, the flaw of the wrong actor for the art and the clearly small budget within a film that is clearly dated, still well worth seeing.

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)

2012-01-14T09:00:00.001Z

Film of 2012 #12
Some Spoilers

The Tim Burton directed musical starring Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham-Carter as Sweeney Todd and Mrs Lovett who sing and slice their way through London killing people making pies out of the bodies. I had not heard many good things about this film but i thought that I enjoyed Tim Burton and what he does with Johnny Depp and his wife but after viewing this film and really not liking it at all I am beginning to wonder if I just do not like Tim Burton's style or if it is the fact that the Gothic look has been done by him so many times it is just boring.

The story itself is not one I was aware of but appears to be a historically fictional character that has been adapted into film and Musical previously. It involves, Johnny Depp being imprisoned wrongly by a judge that fancied his wife and when he comes out of jail believing that she is dead he decides to take his revenge on those that wronged him. Now why he then decides to kill everybody and make them into pies is strange to me and a twist at the end was so obvious even though I was not paying that much attention and the overall ending I just thought What was the point of that?

Overall I can not recommend this film at all and give it a meagre 1 star, the singing is fine and the acting is comparable but nothing stands out, even though there is a great cast with Timothy Spall and Alan Rickman filling some of the other roles, on the whole very disappointing film and not worth seeing.

The Three Musketeers (1993)

2012-01-13T09:00:00.000Z

Film of 2012 #11
No Spoilers

This family romp through the story from Alexandre Dumas about the betrayal of the French King by Cardinal Richelieu played menacingly by Tim Curry is enjoyable enough fair with what was a very impressive cast. Playing the lead of D'Artagnan was Chris O'Donnell, the musketeers were played by Charlie Sheen, Keifer Sutherland and Oliver Platt with the bad guys rounded out with Rebecca De Morenay as M'lady and Michael Wincott as Rochefort.

As per the recent remake which I reviewed here, I am not sure how close to the original story this sticks but based upon the remake they are very similar with the Cardinal trying to seize power from the young King of France and his young wife who are still discovering each other after an arranged marriage. I think I prefer this version over the remake as it sticks to the time more and also does not include the Duke of Buckingham or the Steam Punk.

Overall this is 3 stars and if you enjoy the story or want to see a decent film representation I would recommend seeing this film rather enjoyable fair.

Teeth (2007)

2012-01-12T09:00:00.001Z

Film of 2012 #10
Some Spoilers

The Black Comedy from Mitchel Lichtenstein, well i presume from the tone in some parts that this is a very Black comedic film. It stars Jess Weixler who discovers through some events that she may suffer from "Vagina Dentata" Toothed Vagina and the issues that this can cause as a young woman exploring and discovering her sexuality.

Part of the reason that I think it goes for comedy is the fact that Dawn the lead character is in a group that pledges to maintain virginity to marriage and has a purity ring. And some of the external comments regarding this are quite random. There are some fairly graphic scenes with a scene of rape and seduction by drug and was actually uncomfortable but I think that it was handled quite well as the subject matter leads Dawn to end up with the control and the eventual victor.

This film is actually quite good fun and the scene in the Gynaecologist office actually had me laughing out loud. This will obviously not be for everyone but anyone that enjoys the darker side of horror and comedy should really enjoy this, I have given it 3 stars.

Caved In (2006)

2012-01-11T09:00:00.001Z

Film of 2012 #9
Spoilers a Plenty

Why do I insist on watching the awful SYFY original films in the vain hope that there will be something of interest to see. So this film is annoying from 2 points as it was on the TV and listed as a group of criminals lead rich people below the surface and then look to rob them but they encounter creatures below. I was thinking low rent The Descent with a slight twist on the robbery. The film I actually saw was some drivel about a spelunker leading a team of criminals looking for Emeralds and they find Giant CGI Beetles.

The acting is dodgy, they are in the best lit 50 year old mine in the world and the Beetles are terrible, it really is one of the worst films I have ever let myself endure, it really was dull and very predictable and if you cannot see how it will end then you really have to watch more films.

Writing this I am actually angry that I wasted the time watching it, do not watch it, 1 star for me and an avoid at all costs. Really why do I endure these nonsense SyFy films? Because you never know you might actually find one that you like, I will keep looking.

In Time (2011)

2012-01-10T09:00:00.001Z

Film of 2012 #8
No Spoilers

Finally got to catch up with the Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfreid Sci-Fi film based on the idea that we have to earn time to survive, the concept is baffling and you should not try and figure out why they got there, simply go with it and how it works, I thought of it simply as an alternative world and it works really well. It is slightly confusing as at 25 years old people stop ageing and look like that forever more, so you have a situation when a 25 year old man shows you his Mother-in-Law, Wife and Daughter and they are all played by 25 year old actresses makes an interesting looking film.

I have to say that the setting is used really well with Justin Timberlake as a man living literally day to day, it is easy to see that there is social commentary with the differences between the rich and the poor and what that can really mean in real terms to people and I have to say that I was captivated by that idea. The main premise of the idea though is that if you are robbed of all of your time you will be timed out and die.

With a solid performance from the 2 main leads and Cillian Murphy as the time cop you have some really good tense scenes and with the threat of time running out on them down to the last few seconds it is an interesting film. I would say that if you like science fiction or fantasy then it is well worth seeing, one of the best films I have seen this years so far a solid 4 stars from me.