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Post by hitchcockthelegend on Nov 13, 2019 8:38:04 GMT
The Snake Pit - Did you like it? Yes i liked it. I rated it 9 the first time i watched it like 10-12 years ago and i still rate it 9 Its in my top 10 of favorite movies of all time.
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Post by hitchcockthelegend on Nov 13, 2019 9:13:33 GMT
Greetings you boopers,hope everyone had a good weekend,I had the best weekend I've had in ages! On Friday I travelled to the Electric in Birmingham for the "Cine-Excess" Horror film festival, where the Rapid remake and Prey (1978) were being shown,with the Soska sisters and Norman J. Warren attending to receive awards. Sitting all together on stage, the Soska's and Warren spent a fascinating opening hour sharing their histories of in the film industry (from Warren getting his foot into the industry, to the Soska's starting to look for none-film related jobs, due to struggle to get funding after a rather negative reaction from studios to American Mary. A few mins after being given their glass trophies awards, one of the Soska's had the award slip out of hand,it crashed on the ground and broke in two! After the screening,I got the chance to meet the Soska's, who (and this was all for free) took a pic with me,answered some questions I had about their films, and when I asked if they could sign 2 Mary DVD's I'm giving to pals for X-Mas, wrote long, inspirational notes on them (thanks ladies!) To wrap up the weekend,I went back to Electric today for a screening I had booked a ticket for ages ago. Hearing the music from the flick being played at the box office, I crossed my fingers they were screening the original cut of the title which only came out on video,( with a lesser "Director's Cut" being the only one on disc in the UK)I was happy to find they were! From Cine-Excess: Now the movies: Cinema trio: Rapid (2019)7 Mentioning in the pre-screening intro that before this project had landed on their desk they had actually started looking for none-movie related jobs, due to the "gross" factor of American Mary (2012-also reviewed) putting studios (such as The CW) off from hiring them, co-writers/(with John Serge) co-directors Jen and Sylvia Soska make a welcomed return to the big screen with a blend of gory Body Horror,and the clinical body modification art of American Mary. Closely working with cinematographer Kim Derko, the Soska's brush Rose's altered face with close-ups on the excellent practical effects. Changing the setting to the fashion industry, the Soska's & Derko stylishly use glass to reflect the pristine appearance of the fashion industry being torn to ribbons by gashes of pulpy gore seeping across the screen. Touching on American Mary's theme of people trying to be comfortable in their own skin, the screenplay by the Soska's and Serge twirl the rapid hunger of Cronenberg's Body Horror with a wonderfully rich cynical line of the fashion industry, where Rose (a terrific, breezy Laura Vandervoort) finds herself forced to having to dress to impress, even when a excellent sound design by Paula Fairfield crunches on the consuming infection rapidly changing Rose. Prey (1977)8 Mentioning in the intro before the screening that after making Loving Feeling/ Her Private Hell (both 1968) back to back that he always tried to make each of his following films different from each other, directing auteur Norman J. Warren reunites with regular collaborator art director Hayden Pearce, and takes the Sexploitation thrills of his early creations into a new erotically charged direction, fused to Gothic Horror driven in with a Sci-Fi spike. Given just 5 weeks to put a production together which got shot in 10 days, Warren and debut cinematographer Derek V. Browne keep tight production time and limited to one location location troubles impressively off-screen, thanks to Warren's distinctive hand-held tracking shots dividing the country house between Josephine and Jessica's love nest, and the outer space of alien Anders outdoor lair. Allowed to display more skin than his earlier titles, Warren skilfully alters film speeds to slow down the passionate sex between Josephine and Jessica, which dips into erotic horror rage between the trio for the skinny dipping final. Proving that three's a crowd, the screenplay by Max Cuff and Quinn Donoghue keep the anxiety of Anders Sci-Fi Horror outbursts breaking down the walls as a foundation to the psychological chiller vibes from Jessica and Josephine's relationship breaking down within Anders sight. Embracing each other in great steamy scenes, fitties Sally Faulkner and Glory Annen give terrific turns digging into the brittle, broken state of Jessica and Josephine's romance, whilst Barry Stokes keeps Anders lingering in the background as a psycho waiting for his prey. The Warriors: 40th Anniversary Original Cinema Cut Screening (1979)10 Last having caught this version on video, the new (?) is one of the most outstanding film transfers/remastering I've seen, replacing the VHS fuzz with crystal clear clarity on the faces and gang costumes, along with the balance between the sounds levels of score and dialogue being kept at a perfect pitch. Riding on the subway with The Warriors backed by Barry De Vorzon's super catchy dark synch Sci-Fi styled score, co-writer/(with David Shaber) directing auteur Walter Hill & his regular cinematographer Andrew Laszlo bask in a hard-edge pulpy atmosphere. Thankfully lacking the misjudged gimmicky "Comic Book transitions" shoved into the Director's Cut, Hill and Laszlo attack The Warriors in purest Comic-Book ultra-stylisation, punching each of the gangs The Warriors must take on to survive with waves of primary coloured face paint and gang outfits. Filmed on the turf of actual gangs, Hill pens his anti-(super) heroes with a continuation of building the underlying "Western" theme, with Laszlo's push for the action to take place over one wet night leading to reflections in puddles of these gang-ruled ghost towns, and quick-draw whip-pans on other gangs attempts to pistol-whip Warriors. Loosely based on Sol Yurick, these boppers Hill and Shaber jump from a study of gang culture with the starter pistol of a assassination at a multi-gang gathering, running to a lightning fast survive the night adventure fuelled by wonderfully ripe comedic one-liners , pit stopping the gang at knife-welding lesbian and baseball player-dressed gangs pitching to defeat The Warriors. Away from the big screen: Film Noir: Le faux pas (1965) 8 "When I was a little girl,I stood in front of a mirror and I imagined myself dead." Zooming over the white cliff edges to what appears to be Robert Langerot falling to his death, co-writer/(with Bernard Thomas) director Antoine d'Ormesson & cinematographer Georges Barsky climb a brittle Film Noir mountain made of stylish zoom-ins on Elisa fearing that she is losing her sanity, whilst keeping Morcot's suspicions cool under white chalk coloured black and white. Reaching the top of the mountain to give the audience a full view of what has taken place, d'Ormesson reveals the Noir daggers with a outstanding skilfulness of eerie, sparse wide-shots touching on the impenetrable state the cliffs are from the touch of man, along with loosening grip Elisa is feeling on her sanity. Almost having Morcot drive into Elisa, the screenplay by d'Ormesson and Thomas refreshingly keeps the hints at a rising romance between Morcot and Elisa low-key, and instead carve into a delightful switch in the Film Noir tradition of it being the man who becomes obsessed, as Elisa lies about being a English teacher in her first encounter with Morcot, whilst wrestling with a fearful obsession that she has seen her husband go over the edge, and due to there being no one else around, could get accused of murder. Although the twist ending leans on Hitchcock's Vertigo, along with a sheer slice of incredible luck with timing, the writers keep the twists running downstream smoothly, thanks to a macabre sting of Elisa seeing her Noir fears swimmingly enter reality. Whilst sounding a bit out of place in not even trying to put on a fake British accent, Yori Bertin still gives a great, anti-Femme Fatale turn as the shredded nerves of Elisa, who is supported by Dominique Paturel's holding Morcot with a zestful, calming determination on stopping Elisa from making the false step. Argentina Noir with Nicole Maurey: Section des disparus (1956) 8. Finishing a run in the country he had fled to during the Occupation with a opening embrace between Juan and exotic dancer Lander, co-writer/(with Agustin Cuzzani and Domingo Di Nubila) director Pierre Chenal gives a farewell bear hug to Argentina, by closely working with cinematographer Americo Hoss to reflect a Film Noir atmosphere. Dancing Juan between Lander and Mendy, Chenal nicely crisps the Melodrama up with stylish high-end camera angles above the lavish Milford household, which Chenal cracks with a ferocious scratch across the screen. Originating as a un- produced script about the LA Missing Persons Bureau, led by Captain Paul Ballard trying to calm Myra Nichols suspicions her “dead” hubby is alive, which got turned into a novel, the writers wisely spend their adaptation of David Goodis’s novel out of the office until the very end, in exchange to expand on the “Myra Nichols” suspicions, flame-grilled in viper snaps between Lander and Myra (here called Mendy.) Making Juan disappear as a entrance for Ballard, the writers pen a Noir affair with a ill-judged Film Gris ending, made up for via each step closer Ballard (here called Uribe) takes to finding Juan, the more he uncovers of Juan’s lovers toxic relationship. Drawing the lines of lust, Maurice Ronet gives a great, rugged Noir loner turn as Juan, whilst alluring Inda Ledesma uncoils Mendy’s fury around cheating Juan. Catching Juan in her web, beautiful Nicole Maurey gives a sizzling Femme Fatale turn as Lander, thanks to Maurey reflecting Lander’s lust for Juan with the venom she and Mendy drip onto the mirror. The Glass Tomb (1955) 6 Left to sit on the shelf for a year before getting taken out of the tomb, Richard H. Landau's adaptation of A.E. Martin's novel keeps this Film Noir fresh despite the delays made on it, thanks to a quirky edge. Holding the Noir mystery under a carnival tent of The 70 Day Starving Man act, who from being locked in a glass cell which the public gawk at, that brings in other strange carnival folk and murders slammed on top of the tomb. Entering this public gallery freak show lit in raw low-lighting by director Montgomery Tully & cinematographer Walter J. Harvey, John Ireland gives a fine, hard-nose turn as Pelham. Joining Pelham,Sid James and Honor Blackman give fun turns,along with cheerful cameos by Frank Williams and Bernard Bresslaw, who all join in locking up the tomb. Paid to Kill (1954) 6 Pushing Nevill into a deep hole of debt, the screenplay by Paul Tabori takes a off-beat path in bringing the traditional hired killer/ money issues plot threads of Film Noir, by Nevill deciding that the one way he can get out of this debt, is to hire a hit man to kill him, so that Nevill's wife can then use the insurance pay out to cover the bills! Although the tale does disappointingly become more straight forward after Nevill makes a arrangement, Tabori lines this Noir with a black comedy streak, powered by Nevill getting a cash windfall, and now being desperate to cancel his deal. Desperate to find his hired helper, Dane Clark wonderfully captures the wide-eyed panicking of Nevill desperately trying to cancel his payment. The Girl in the Picture (1957) 6 Despite the audio on Simply Media's transfer sounding like it was recorded in a tin can, the first screenplay by Paul Ryder grabs some snappy headlines in a mad-dash Noir mystery for cop George Keefe (a fittingly frantic Tom Chatto) being desperate to find the name of a woman in a photo taken the day his brother was killed. Matching Ryder's printing, director Don Chaffey & cinematographer Ian D. Struthers joining Keefe chasing the killer in rapid whip-pans, which whilst sadly not closing in for headline grabbing close-ups, do catch the girl in the picture. Other movies: American Mary (2012) 7 Filmed in 15 days and supported by their parents re-mortgaging their home to fund the project, co-writers/co-director Jen and Sylvia Soska closely work with cinematographer Brian Pearson in avoiding the lashings of gore usually found in "Mad Scientist"/ "Mad Doctor" movies, by instead slicing into a clinical Body Horror atmosphere, where the limited sets are lit with a stylish neon glow over Mary's operations. Whilst the Soska sisters do drill into welcomed gory body modifications, they keep the tone of the film distinctly respectful, rather than repulsed, with real life members of the body modification community playing Mary's patients, whose requests are clearly shown as being treated with utmost professionalism by Mary. Keeping everyone else in the film in the background, the screenplay by the Soska's dissect a low-key indie character study of struggling student Mary. Although they make Mary's progression to being completely at ease over doing operations move a little too fast, the Soska's sow over this with a real care in drawing Mary going from a struggling, nervous outsider, to a completely at ease with herself confidence. Bringing revenge into the room with a rape on Mary, the Soska's display a excellent thoughtfulness in staying away from the Grindhouse slime of Rape/Revenge, by keeping the script and camera solely focused on Mary's face during the horrific attack, with the Soska's taking a step back when raising Mary's head as she maps out a operation of revenge. Appearing in every scene, Katharine Isabelle gives a excellent turn as Mary, thanks to Isabelle balancing her sexy leather-clad covered in blood Scream Queen image with a growing care Mary has on the professionalism of her operations, for all those who make a booking for American Mary. Reads like you had a cracking time of it chap, thanks for sharing your experience. How great to read that The Warriors has got a pristine scrub up, though the grainy 70s prints have always befitted the pic - not that I will not entertain any upgrades for a favourite of mine. Might dig it out this week actually. Can you dig it? Well actually yes Mr Hill, I bloody can! During my schooling as a teenager there were a handful of films that it was deemed cool to love, The Wanderers, Scum, Quadrophenia and The Warriors, and it's perhaps a weird thing to say... but I still feel here in my middle age that these are still cool films to be adored and cherished. I have just sat through The Warriors again for about the hundredth time in my life, and it still entertains me as much now as it did back then, sure it's dated, sure I see more cheese than I thought it had back then, but I also see a visually tight movie that actually delves interestingly into the lives and psyche of young gangers. The plot is simple, all the gangs of New York City are called to a meeting where they are called to unite to take over the city, the leader of the gang known as The Riffs is a guy called Cyrus who is the one calling for the unity. He is shot and killed during the rally and The Warriors are wrongly framed for his murder. The Warriors then have to make their way back home to Coney Island with every gang in the city out to kill them, and also with the police hot on their tail as well. This journey is excellent as we are introduced to a number of gangs trying to get the better of The Warriors, the fights are well choreographed, the clothes are wonderful, and some of the dialogue is now teenage folklore. The film was criticised on release for glamorising gangs, but I fail to see how this opinion was formed, if anything, when analysing the main characters, the film has a sad streak running through it. Be that as it may, the films triumph is getting the will of the viewer to hopefully see the unfairly tarnished Warriors make it home to Coney Island, which builds to the climax of the film that is both poignant and punch the air greatness. 8/10 Though not a great film it's nice to see The Glass Tomb crop up for publicity. We feel the same about it. Pel Pelham Opening Soon With Starving Man Act. The Glass Tomb (AKA: The Glass Cage) is directed by Montgomery Tully and adapted to screenplay by Richard Landau from the story The Outsiders written by A. E. Martin. It stars John Ireland, Honor Blackman, Geoffrey Keen, Eric Pohlmann, Sid James and Sydney Tafler. Music is by Leonard Salzedo and cinematography by Walter Harvey. Pel Pelham's carnival is in town and the star attraction is Sapolio, a man prepared to be locked in a glass cage and starve himself for 70 days. But when a couple of murders occur at the carnival, the police become involved and suspicion starts to point its ugly finger. Part of the Hammer Film Noir series released by VCI Entertainment, The Glass Tomb is an odd little picture that's more a collection of noirish traits and ideas than a fully fledged movie. Running at just under an hour in length, film hinges on the flimsiest of stories but just about gets away with it on account of solid performances and some spiky themes in the piece. In the mix are carnival outcasts, blackmail, murder, carnal desires, gluttony, addiction and a macabre party scene with a body upstairs kept company for some time by the murderer?! These are nicely presided over by Tully and Harvey where shadows are often prominent and a neon light and subway train serve the atmosphere very well. You do wonder what world we live in when people pay to watch a man just not eat? While the murderer is known to us from the first killing, thus there's no mystery aspect to hang your coat on. Though clearly the makers want us to observe how the murderer easily moves about this carnival group undetected and above suspicion. Not comfortably recommended as a whole, but enough parts of the quilt for the noir fans to appreciate. 6/10 American Mary - Hugely divisive, but isn't horror movies in general anyway?! Some scenes stayed with me for a long time Caustic Cuttings.Some horror fans love it, others not so much, which where horror film fans are concerned comes as absolutely no surprise. So roll the dice and take your chance here then! American Mary is written and directed by Jen and Sylvia Soska. Katharine Isabelle (looking uncannily like Mary Elizabeth Winstead) stars as the titular Mary of the title. She's a medical student who during a cash crisis is lured to the underground world of surgeries not deemed as the norm in medical school circles... Hoo-hah! Get ready for sexual deviance, dismemberment, human splicing and a whole host of other things that are brilliantly caked in a caustic satirical sauce by the Soska girls. Imagery is strong, the aftertaste lasting as you enter at your own peril a world of repugnant beings masquerading as humans, of fetishists pushing the boundaries, it's noirville but not as we know it Jim. But always there's a pierced and bloody tongue prodding the cheek, even if the odd period of time spent in bizarro world fails to add up. Wonderful. Go Mary! Go Soska Girls! Just don't call on me any time soon, huh... 8/10 Le faux pas - You know I have to see it!
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Post by hitchcockthelegend on Nov 13, 2019 9:19:39 GMT
Terrific review of Amsterdamned, Spike. You touch on a good point about how " It's a bold choice from Mass not to go overtly Giallo Slasher on his audience" if this had been made by a Italian film maker in this era, I can easily see that they would have been less delicate, and have gone full on with skin & gore. From when I saw it in July this year. Damned in Amsterdam 7 Turning down the chance to make a Elm Street sequel (which he later said he regretted,due to missing his chance to get his foot in the door in Hollywood) to instead target his own auteur vision, writer/director/composer Dick Mass reunites with cinematographer Marc Felperlaan to dive into a Action-Crime Giallo/Slasher hybrid! Inspired by the Slasher influenced third and final wave of Gialli, Mass holds on a knife edge a balance in the murder set-pieces between the drizzled in red Slasher slayings, (complete with jump scares) with more suggestive, foreboding tension in the long first-person tracking shots and the black scuba diving outfit-wearing psycho bubbling under the waters swimming towards the Giallo. Although featuring a surprising lack of skin, Mass, (who mentions in the making of his love for US crime films) brings the thrills in superb,off-beat Action show-stoppers. Taking full advantage of the unique location, (and backed by his own rumbling synch score) Mass connects slick tracking shots and sharp whip-pan views with a gritty edge which digs in during nail-biting boat chases down the canales,and tight car/motorbike races down the narrow, blue tint burning, streets of Amsterdam. Setting Eric Visser's (played by a terrific, aggressive Huub Stapel) murder investigation round the canales, the screenplay by Mass keeps the murders wickedly unpredictable, thanks to spending a little time with each possible victim, building fear of the psycho coming up for air at any moment. Holding Visser out as the lone cop not convinced the case is solved until the bitter end, Mass makes the unveiling of the killer after rough and tumble exchanges, (including a intense fight in a submerged boat) go off the boil, due to a last minute twist feeling out of place from being more in keeping with US Slashers, instead of the murky waters of Amsterdamned. Although we still have a bit of 2019 left, when it comes to the 2010's,Ex Machina is easily in my top 5 of the decade. On the ending,I agree with Chalice_Of_Evil post,I found it totally fitting with the rest of the film. From their first meeting, the guys have been the ones looking from the outside into Ava. Learning psychopathic traits such as false empathy and gaslighting on Caleb, Ava manipulates the power-play between the guys,and slowly twists it so they are the ones trapped to on the inside handing out screams which will never be heard, as Ava walks off to the outside. From when I saw it in June 2015. "They thought search engines were a map of what people were thinking.But actually they were a map to how people are thinking." 10. Making his directing debut,writer/director Alex Garland & cinematographer Rob Hardy set the title in a future which looks eerily close to reality,with Nathan's secluded location being the ultimate Silicon Valley,as Garland and Hardy cover the outdoors in lush greens and blues. Withholding any light from entering the Nathan's villa,Garland and production designer Mark Digby cover the building in metallic glass, which along with giving the film an ultra stylised appearance,also subtly reveals the disconnection in Ava,Nathan & Caleb relationships.Avoiding the boom boom pow of Sci- Fi Action flicks,Garland displays a real precision in keeping the extraordinary effects rooted to the psychological aspects of the movie,by keeping Ava's face non-robotic,Garland shows Ava's increased covering up of her android features to lead to a deep blurring between Ava's wires & mainframes and Caleb's flesh and blood. Limiting the film to a handful of characters,the screenplay by Garland takes advantage of the limitations,by exploring each thread of mistrust that Ava,Nathan and Caleb are tied to.Whilst Garland does have an interest in showing the technology of the near- future,Garland brilliantly transforms the film from a Sci-Fi Thriller into a fascinating study of a psychopathic culture. Giving the 3 main characters biblical names, (Ava is a form of Eve, Nathan was a prophet in the court of David, and Caleb was a spy sent into a new land by Moses) Garland opens up Nathan's narcissism,which explodes across the screen,as Nathan declares himself a god,who is unable to see the side effects that his creation may have. Introducing Caleb with underlying hints to his fate,Garland peels away Caleb skin to reveal the isolation Caleb is engulfed in,which goes from computer lights being the only object/person that Caleb surrounds himself with,to Caleb losing control of his "sessions" with Ava,as Ava begins to realise that she is more human than the almost-robotic,lacking in emphatic understanding Caleb.Despite being the only non-human out of the trio,Garland frighteningly wires Ava into being an extremely intelligent psychopath,thanks to Ava making the "Turing tests" being ones where she gets to explore her empathy,sexuality and a manipulative self-awareness. Digging deep into the heart of the machine,the alluring Alicia Vikander gives a fantastic performance as Ava,with Vikander's expressive face bringing the additional special effects roaring to life,due to Vikander gradually revealing Ava to get a keen grip on knowing when to emphasis the robotic elements of her appearance,and when to highlight the more humanistic aspects."Winning" the opportunity to meet Nathan, Domhnall Gleeson gives a wonderful performance as Caleb,who Gleeson shows as being incredibly uncomfortable in his own skin,and also unaware about the micro- expressions info that he is slipping to Ava & Nathan,whilst Oscar Isaac gives a great ego-tripping performance as Bluebook (a reference to philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein's "The Blue Book,") CEO Nathan,who soon discovers the Deus Ex-Machina's Ex Machina. Before the boards got wiped,I actually saved a bit of a exchange I had with Funkyfry on the film: Funky (in response to my review: I thought it was some kind of feminist allegory, but hard to say exactly what the film's point was. It was a good film, I suppose, not boring even though it was very slow and the plot was obvious. I'm not going to automatically assume that a movie is bad, just because I wasn't sure about the message. Perhaps it was more of a film that was intended to start (or, for some of us old sci-fi hacks, continue) a conversation rather than provide the answers.
I think that the actual sci-fi content is somewhat of a distraction, perhaps at best an entree and not the main course. The film doesn't really advance the debate about artificial intelligence beyond something you could have read in a paperback sci-fi novel in the 1970s. Unless I missed something, which is always possible. Also, it's a "near future" sci-fi -- it takes place in a future that's so close to ours it seems it could almost be a parallel but contemporary universe rather than a futuristic universe -- that's almost always a tip-off that we're dealing with allegorical content directed at present/real-world situations rather than scientific or social speculation. It's impossible to completely separate those because you can't speculate without a basis in actual or present reality, but nevertheless there's a difference between George Orwell and Stanislaw Lem.
Take a step back, and your "ultimate Silicon Valley" is also just a stand-in for the mad scientist's secret laboratory. Replace your alcoholic alpha-male internet tycoon with a sulking beta-male junkie/chemist and you've got "Bride of the Monster." Or perhaps better still, "Bride of Frankenstein." Mary Shelley was right on the money (there's a reason she's known as the mother of science fiction, and I do not use the term "mother" lightly when I'm talking about Mary Shelley) -- men trying to create life without women is a paradigm shift, not to be taken lightly or passed without notice. When they "play God", they leave woman out of the picture just as surely as they left woman out of their God.
It's impossible not to note the fact that these two men are poised in judgment over the value of every female-bodied person in the film, for the entire film's running length. Their names aren't important; let's call them the Creator and the Judge. The Creator's character is best summarized in what is perhaps the film's most brazen, hilarious, and satirical scene, when he starts disco dancing with one of his female creations, reassuring the nervous Judge "she loves to dance." Later we see him "seduce" or "rape" the same android -- our value judgments will tend to incline towards the latter, since we're essentially being placed in a position of sympathy with the Judge and with his perspective rather than of course the self-obsessed Creator's.
However, the film is admirably devoid of its own moral perspective for the most part. An intelligent viewer is constantly reminded in this case that he or she is being given enough information to make the judgment oneself; again this increases our empathy for the Judge, who the film-makers have cleverly positioned as our stand-in. When, in the film's daring conclusion, the Judge is abandoned and his judgments and decisions rendered meaningless, we're left feeling either betrayed by the film or re-evaluating our identifications and judgments. Why did we, the audience, identify so easily with the Judge? Are we conditioned to anticipate and accept a male hero rescuing the female victim in every film? And if that's the case, just how intelligent or just how mechanical does that make us?My reply: I found your take on the dance scene to be very interesting,due to your take on the scene being different to the one I have,with my take being that The Judge is attempting to turn The Creator into his own self-image,as The Creator forces the android to try & seduce The Judge,who turns down the opportunity to join The Creator and the abused on the dance floor. Looking at the films ending from a feminist angle,I notice that when Ava goes to kill The Creator,that instead of asking Ava not to kill him,The Creator tries to keep a grip on the male-dominance by telling Ava to "Go back to your room."I also want to say that I really enjoyed reading your take on the ending,which has led me to wonder if there was any time when Ava cared about The Judge's judgement,or if she had seen him as a means to an end since the very beginning. Funky: Yes, absolutely... if the moment wasn't so charged with drama, the audience would laugh when he says "go to your room!" because it's such a stereotype thing to say, like something that a father says to a little girl. Which, there's another scene in the film where he says that he considers himself a father to them. So we can call him Father/Creator which fits into how he sees himself in patriarchy basically. He's definitely trying to get the Judge to join him, in the scene when he's disco dancing; or, he knows or expects the Judge's response and it is part of his game to make the Judge side against him with Ava. I liked Funky a lot, I miss some of those guys big time. Thanks for sharing the exchange, it's a film that deserves deep discussions.
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Post by hitchcockthelegend on Nov 13, 2019 9:24:54 GMT
Not all old movies are classics, and a lot of early talkies probably weren't intended to be much more than "quickies," as in quickly forgotten. But Warner Brothers put out a lot of "swell" programmers which still retain their charm and can be regarded as classics, for example: The Millionaire (1930)--George Arliss was a great stage actor of his era, and made only a few films. Maybe it was his broad stage acting that hindered him from having a more prolific movie career, or maybe it was his resemblance to Lon Chaney's Phantom of the Opera character. This film shows him off in one of his more endearing roles, as that of the CEO of a car company forced into early retirement after a health scare, resulting in his being treated as a frail invalid. Depressed and bored, his outlook on life changes after meeting with an eager life insurance salesman (James Cagney in a small part, making it a big part), and he decides to go incognito as a partner in a gas station. David Manners is his business partner and falls for the millionaire's daughter, unaware of his real identity. Charming comedy with a nice message about not being too old to reinvent oneself. The Doorway to Hell (1930)--Gritty gangster melodrama which didn't get the recognition of classic status of Little Caesar and The Public Enemy, but deserves a little more attention. Lew Ayres seems a little young to be a mob boss, but he tries hard, and he's got a lot of help from the surrounding character actors. Lots of elements which became cliches in later gangster flicks--the coin flipping, the guns stored in violin cases, the 1930s slang, all add up to a template for the genre, and WB was the best at the time for this type of film. As a pre-code film, it got away with some situations that later films of the era didn't--Ayres' wife spending the night with his closest friend (Cagney again); the sketchy police chief; the threat to Ayres' little brother, etc. Good early crime drama. The Mayor of Hell (1933)--Gang of boys winds up in trouble with the law and faces reform school, where they're ruled by an iron fist by sadistic, perpetually snarling head warden Dudley Digges. James Cagney is chosen as deputy-commisioner-or-something of the school as a reward for being a ward heeler; he becomes a champion for the boys after meeting up with the compassionate reform school nurse (Madge Evans), who smacks him after he tries to make advances on her but falls in love with him anyway. Some parts of this film seem to have been refashioned into the 1938 remake, Crime School, with Humphrey Bogart and the Dead End Kids, but this original is darker, tougher, and more entertaining. Frankie Darro is memorable as the toughest of the gang, which also includes Allen Hoskins, best known as "Farina" from the original Our Gang shorts. The fiery ending is memorably violent; the kids do learn a lesson, though (besides how to quickly improvise torches--movie mobs always seem to have those). and a newer film-- The Carer (2016)--Brian Cox plays a celebrated stage and screen actor, specializing in Shakespearean roles, who is incapacitated with Parkinson's disease. His overprotective daughter hires a series of caregivers for him, most of whom don't last very long because of his terrible temper, but one young woman, a Hungarian refugee who has theatrical aspirations, forms a rapport with him. Cox manages to make an angry, embittered, pompous actor sympathetic, and, like Arliss' The Millionaire, the film gives an elderly character more to do than just fade away. Good performances. The Doorway to Hell and The Mayor of Hell. Like the sound of those Marianne, thank you.
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Post by morrisondylanfan on Nov 14, 2019 3:01:11 GMT
Greetings you boopers,hope everyone had a good weekend,I had the best weekend I've had in ages! On Friday I travelled to the Electric in Birmingham for the "Cine-Excess" Horror film festival, where the Rapid remake and Prey (1978) were being shown,with the Soska sisters and Norman J. Warren attending to receive awards. Sitting all together on stage, the Soska's and Warren spent a fascinating opening hour sharing their histories of in the film industry (from Warren getting his foot into the industry, to the Soska's starting to look for none-film related jobs, due to struggle to get funding after a rather negative reaction from studios to American Mary. A few mins after being given their glass trophies awards, one of the Soska's had the award slip out of hand,it crashed on the ground and broke in two! After the screening,I got the chance to meet the Soska's, who (and this was all for free) took a pic with me,answered some questions I had about their films, and when I asked if they could sign 2 Mary DVD's I'm giving to pals for X-Mas, wrote long, inspirational notes on them (thanks ladies!) To wrap up the weekend,I went back to Electric today for a screening I had booked a ticket for ages ago. Hearing the music from the flick being played at the box office, I crossed my fingers they were screening the original cut of the title which only came out on video,( with a lesser "Director's Cut" being the only one on disc in the UK)I was happy to find they were! From Cine-Excess: Now the movies: Cinema trio: Rapid (2019)7 Mentioning in the pre-screening intro that before this project had landed on their desk they had actually started looking for none-movie related jobs, due to the "gross" factor of American Mary (2012-also reviewed) putting studios (such as The CW) off from hiring them, co-writers/(with John Serge) co-directors Jen and Sylvia Soska make a welcomed return to the big screen with a blend of gory Body Horror,and the clinical body modification art of American Mary. Closely working with cinematographer Kim Derko, the Soska's brush Rose's altered face with close-ups on the excellent practical effects. Changing the setting to the fashion industry, the Soska's & Derko stylishly use glass to reflect the pristine appearance of the fashion industry being torn to ribbons by gashes of pulpy gore seeping across the screen. Touching on American Mary's theme of people trying to be comfortable in their own skin, the screenplay by the Soska's and Serge twirl the rapid hunger of Cronenberg's Body Horror with a wonderfully rich cynical line of the fashion industry, where Rose (a terrific, breezy Laura Vandervoort) finds herself forced to having to dress to impress, even when a excellent sound design by Paula Fairfield crunches on the consuming infection rapidly changing Rose. Prey (1977)8 Mentioning in the intro before the screening that after making Loving Feeling/ Her Private Hell (both 1968) back to back that he always tried to make each of his following films different from each other, directing auteur Norman J. Warren reunites with regular collaborator art director Hayden Pearce, and takes the Sexploitation thrills of his early creations into a new erotically charged direction, fused to Gothic Horror driven in with a Sci-Fi spike. Given just 5 weeks to put a production together which got shot in 10 days, Warren and debut cinematographer Derek V. Browne keep tight production time and limited to one location location troubles impressively off-screen, thanks to Warren's distinctive hand-held tracking shots dividing the country house between Josephine and Jessica's love nest, and the outer space of alien Anders outdoor lair. Allowed to display more skin than his earlier titles, Warren skilfully alters film speeds to slow down the passionate sex between Josephine and Jessica, which dips into erotic horror rage between the trio for the skinny dipping final. Proving that three's a crowd, the screenplay by Max Cuff and Quinn Donoghue keep the anxiety of Anders Sci-Fi Horror outbursts breaking down the walls as a foundation to the psychological chiller vibes from Jessica and Josephine's relationship breaking down within Anders sight. Embracing each other in great steamy scenes, fitties Sally Faulkner and Glory Annen give terrific turns digging into the brittle, broken state of Jessica and Josephine's romance, whilst Barry Stokes keeps Anders lingering in the background as a psycho waiting for his prey. The Warriors: 40th Anniversary Original Cinema Cut Screening (1979)10 Last having caught this version on video, the new (?) is one of the most outstanding film transfers/remastering I've seen, replacing the VHS fuzz with crystal clear clarity on the faces and gang costumes, along with the balance between the sounds levels of score and dialogue being kept at a perfect pitch. Riding on the subway with The Warriors backed by Barry De Vorzon's super catchy dark synch Sci-Fi styled score, co-writer/(with David Shaber) directing auteur Walter Hill & his regular cinematographer Andrew Laszlo bask in a hard-edge pulpy atmosphere. Thankfully lacking the misjudged gimmicky "Comic Book transitions" shoved into the Director's Cut, Hill and Laszlo attack The Warriors in purest Comic-Book ultra-stylisation, punching each of the gangs The Warriors must take on to survive with waves of primary coloured face paint and gang outfits. Filmed on the turf of actual gangs, Hill pens his anti-(super) heroes with a continuation of building the underlying "Western" theme, with Laszlo's push for the action to take place over one wet night leading to reflections in puddles of these gang-ruled ghost towns, and quick-draw whip-pans on other gangs attempts to pistol-whip Warriors. Loosely based on Sol Yurick, these boppers Hill and Shaber jump from a study of gang culture with the starter pistol of a assassination at a multi-gang gathering, running to a lightning fast survive the night adventure fuelled by wonderfully ripe comedic one-liners , pit stopping the gang at knife-welding lesbian and baseball player-dressed gangs pitching to defeat The Warriors. Away from the big screen: Film Noir: Le faux pas (1965) 8 "When I was a little girl,I stood in front of a mirror and I imagined myself dead." Zooming over the white cliff edges to what appears to be Robert Langerot falling to his death, co-writer/(with Bernard Thomas) director Antoine d'Ormesson & cinematographer Georges Barsky climb a brittle Film Noir mountain made of stylish zoom-ins on Elisa fearing that she is losing her sanity, whilst keeping Morcot's suspicions cool under white chalk coloured black and white. Reaching the top of the mountain to give the audience a full view of what has taken place, d'Ormesson reveals the Noir daggers with a outstanding skilfulness of eerie, sparse wide-shots touching on the impenetrable state the cliffs are from the touch of man, along with loosening grip Elisa is feeling on her sanity. Almost having Morcot drive into Elisa, the screenplay by d'Ormesson and Thomas refreshingly keeps the hints at a rising romance between Morcot and Elisa low-key, and instead carve into a delightful switch in the Film Noir tradition of it being the man who becomes obsessed, as Elisa lies about being a English teacher in her first encounter with Morcot, whilst wrestling with a fearful obsession that she has seen her husband go over the edge, and due to there being no one else around, could get accused of murder. Although the twist ending leans on Hitchcock's Vertigo, along with a sheer slice of incredible luck with timing, the writers keep the twists running downstream smoothly, thanks to a macabre sting of Elisa seeing her Noir fears swimmingly enter reality. Whilst sounding a bit out of place in not even trying to put on a fake British accent, Yori Bertin still gives a great, anti-Femme Fatale turn as the shredded nerves of Elisa, who is supported by Dominique Paturel's holding Morcot with a zestful, calming determination on stopping Elisa from making the false step. Argentina Noir with Nicole Maurey: Section des disparus (1956) 8. Finishing a run in the country he had fled to during the Occupation with a opening embrace between Juan and exotic dancer Lander, co-writer/(with Agustin Cuzzani and Domingo Di Nubila) director Pierre Chenal gives a farewell bear hug to Argentina, by closely working with cinematographer Americo Hoss to reflect a Film Noir atmosphere. Dancing Juan between Lander and Mendy, Chenal nicely crisps the Melodrama up with stylish high-end camera angles above the lavish Milford household, which Chenal cracks with a ferocious scratch across the screen. Originating as a un- produced script about the LA Missing Persons Bureau, led by Captain Paul Ballard trying to calm Myra Nichols suspicions her “dead” hubby is alive, which got turned into a novel, the writers wisely spend their adaptation of David Goodis’s novel out of the office until the very end, in exchange to expand on the “Myra Nichols” suspicions, flame-grilled in viper snaps between Lander and Myra (here called Mendy.) Making Juan disappear as a entrance for Ballard, the writers pen a Noir affair with a ill-judged Film Gris ending, made up for via each step closer Ballard (here called Uribe) takes to finding Juan, the more he uncovers of Juan’s lovers toxic relationship. Drawing the lines of lust, Maurice Ronet gives a great, rugged Noir loner turn as Juan, whilst alluring Inda Ledesma uncoils Mendy’s fury around cheating Juan. Catching Juan in her web, beautiful Nicole Maurey gives a sizzling Femme Fatale turn as Lander, thanks to Maurey reflecting Lander’s lust for Juan with the venom she and Mendy drip onto the mirror. The Glass Tomb (1955) 6 Left to sit on the shelf for a year before getting taken out of the tomb, Richard H. Landau's adaptation of A.E. Martin's novel keeps this Film Noir fresh despite the delays made on it, thanks to a quirky edge. Holding the Noir mystery under a carnival tent of The 70 Day Starving Man act, who from being locked in a glass cell which the public gawk at, that brings in other strange carnival folk and murders slammed on top of the tomb. Entering this public gallery freak show lit in raw low-lighting by director Montgomery Tully & cinematographer Walter J. Harvey, John Ireland gives a fine, hard-nose turn as Pelham. Joining Pelham,Sid James and Honor Blackman give fun turns,along with cheerful cameos by Frank Williams and Bernard Bresslaw, who all join in locking up the tomb. Paid to Kill (1954) 6 Pushing Nevill into a deep hole of debt, the screenplay by Paul Tabori takes a off-beat path in bringing the traditional hired killer/ money issues plot threads of Film Noir, by Nevill deciding that the one way he can get out of this debt, is to hire a hit man to kill him, so that Nevill's wife can then use the insurance pay out to cover the bills! Although the tale does disappointingly become more straight forward after Nevill makes a arrangement, Tabori lines this Noir with a black comedy streak, powered by Nevill getting a cash windfall, and now being desperate to cancel his deal. Desperate to find his hired helper, Dane Clark wonderfully captures the wide-eyed panicking of Nevill desperately trying to cancel his payment. The Girl in the Picture (1957) 6 Despite the audio on Simply Media's transfer sounding like it was recorded in a tin can, the first screenplay by Paul Ryder grabs some snappy headlines in a mad-dash Noir mystery for cop George Keefe (a fittingly frantic Tom Chatto) being desperate to find the name of a woman in a photo taken the day his brother was killed. Matching Ryder's printing, director Don Chaffey & cinematographer Ian D. Struthers joining Keefe chasing the killer in rapid whip-pans, which whilst sadly not closing in for headline grabbing close-ups, do catch the girl in the picture. Other movies: American Mary (2012) 7 Filmed in 15 days and supported by their parents re-mortgaging their home to fund the project, co-writers/co-director Jen and Sylvia Soska closely work with cinematographer Brian Pearson in avoiding the lashings of gore usually found in "Mad Scientist"/ "Mad Doctor" movies, by instead slicing into a clinical Body Horror atmosphere, where the limited sets are lit with a stylish neon glow over Mary's operations. Whilst the Soska sisters do drill into welcomed gory body modifications, they keep the tone of the film distinctly respectful, rather than repulsed, with real life members of the body modification community playing Mary's patients, whose requests are clearly shown as being treated with utmost professionalism by Mary. Keeping everyone else in the film in the background, the screenplay by the Soska's dissect a low-key indie character study of struggling student Mary. Although they make Mary's progression to being completely at ease over doing operations move a little too fast, the Soska's sow over this with a real care in drawing Mary going from a struggling, nervous outsider, to a completely at ease with herself confidence. Bringing revenge into the room with a rape on Mary, the Soska's display a excellent thoughtfulness in staying away from the Grindhouse slime of Rape/Revenge, by keeping the script and camera solely focused on Mary's face during the horrific attack, with the Soska's taking a step back when raising Mary's head as she maps out a operation of revenge. Appearing in every scene, Katharine Isabelle gives a excellent turn as Mary, thanks to Isabelle balancing her sexy leather-clad covered in blood Scream Queen image with a growing care Mary has on the professionalism of her operations, for all those who make a booking for American Mary. Reads like you had a cracking time of it chap, thanks for sharing your experience. How great to read that The Warriors has got a pristine scrub up, though the grainy 70s prints have always befitted the pic - not that I will not entertain any upgrades for a favourite of mine. Might dig it out this week actually. Can you dig it? Well actually yes Mr Hill, I bloody can! During my schooling as a teenager there were a handful of films that it was deemed cool to love, The Wanderers, Scum, Quadrophenia and The Warriors, and it's perhaps a weird thing to say... but I still feel here in my middle age that these are still cool films to be adored and cherished. I have just sat through The Warriors again for about the hundredth time in my life, and it still entertains me as much now as it did back then, sure it's dated, sure I see more cheese than I thought it had back then, but I also see a visually tight movie that actually delves interestingly into the lives and psyche of young gangers. The plot is simple, all the gangs of New York City are called to a meeting where they are called to unite to take over the city, the leader of the gang known as The Riffs is a guy called Cyrus who is the one calling for the unity. He is shot and killed during the rally and The Warriors are wrongly framed for his murder. The Warriors then have to make their way back home to Coney Island with every gang in the city out to kill them, and also with the police hot on their tail as well. This journey is excellent as we are introduced to a number of gangs trying to get the better of The Warriors, the fights are well choreographed, the clothes are wonderful, and some of the dialogue is now teenage folklore. The film was criticised on release for glamorising gangs, but I fail to see how this opinion was formed, if anything, when analysing the main characters, the film has a sad streak running through it. Be that as it may, the films triumph is getting the will of the viewer to hopefully see the unfairly tarnished Warriors make it home to Coney Island, which builds to the climax of the film that is both poignant and punch the air greatness. 8/10 Though not a great film it's nice to see The Glass Tomb crop up for publicity. We feel the same about it. Pel Pelham Opening Soon With Starving Man Act. The Glass Tomb (AKA: The Glass Cage) is directed by Montgomery Tully and adapted to screenplay by Richard Landau from the story The Outsiders written by A. E. Martin. It stars John Ireland, Honor Blackman, Geoffrey Keen, Eric Pohlmann, Sid James and Sydney Tafler. Music is by Leonard Salzedo and cinematography by Walter Harvey. Pel Pelham's carnival is in town and the star attraction is Sapolio, a man prepared to be locked in a glass cage and starve himself for 70 days. But when a couple of murders occur at the carnival, the police become involved and suspicion starts to point its ugly finger. Part of the Hammer Film Noir series released by VCI Entertainment, The Glass Tomb is an odd little picture that's more a collection of noirish traits and ideas than a fully fledged movie. Running at just under an hour in length, film hinges on the flimsiest of stories but just about gets away with it on account of solid performances and some spiky themes in the piece. In the mix are carnival outcasts, blackmail, murder, carnal desires, gluttony, addiction and a macabre party scene with a body upstairs kept company for some time by the murderer?! These are nicely presided over by Tully and Harvey where shadows are often prominent and a neon light and subway train serve the atmosphere very well. You do wonder what world we live in when people pay to watch a man just not eat? While the murderer is known to us from the first killing, thus there's no mystery aspect to hang your coat on. Though clearly the makers want us to observe how the murderer easily moves about this carnival group undetected and above suspicion. Not comfortably recommended as a whole, but enough parts of the quilt for the noir fans to appreciate. 6/10 American Mary - Hugely divisive, but isn't horror movies in general anyway?! Some scenes stayed with me for a long time Caustic Cuttings.Some horror fans love it, others not so much, which where horror film fans are concerned comes as absolutely no surprise. So roll the dice and take your chance here then! American Mary is written and directed by Jen and Sylvia Soska. Katharine Isabelle (looking uncannily like Mary Elizabeth Winstead) stars as the titular Mary of the title. She's a medical student who during a cash crisis is lured to the underground world of surgeries not deemed as the norm in medical school circles... Hoo-hah! Get ready for sexual deviance, dismemberment, human splicing and a whole host of other things that are brilliantly caked in a caustic satirical sauce by the Soska girls. Imagery is strong, the aftertaste lasting as you enter at your own peril a world of repugnant beings masquerading as humans, of fetishists pushing the boundaries, it's noirville but not as we know it Jim. But always there's a pierced and bloody tongue prodding the cheek, even if the odd period of time spent in bizarro world fails to add up. Wonderful. Go Mary! Go Soska Girls! Just don't call on me any time soon, huh... 8/10 Le faux pas - You know I have to see it! Thanks for sharing those terrific reviews Spike (which I've ticked.) Having last seen this version of Warriors on video, (I believe the only one on disc is the lesser DC) I was really taken aback by the amount of detail on show in this new transfer. Being the first film fest I travelled out to attend, (only other one I've been to is "Foree Fest" in 2007) Cine-Excess surpassed all my expectations, with there being no awkward long gaps between chats and showing. Whatever people think about the Rapid remake,I suspect that even those not keen on the flick will admit that the Soska's have a distinctive style. American Mary has 20K votes, a good rating, and got a mainstream DVD release, I was shocked to learn in the Q&A how a movie which has become a cult item,sounds like it closed some doors,rather than open them. On this particular faux pas,I'm sure you will see it soon
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Post by hitchcockthelegend on Nov 15, 2019 1:23:44 GMT
Reads like you had a cracking time of it chap, thanks for sharing your experience. How great to read that The Warriors has got a pristine scrub up, though the grainy 70s prints have always befitted the pic - not that I will not entertain any upgrades for a favourite of mine. Might dig it out this week actually. Can you dig it? Well actually yes Mr Hill, I bloody can! During my schooling as a teenager there were a handful of films that it was deemed cool to love, The Wanderers, Scum, Quadrophenia and The Warriors, and it's perhaps a weird thing to say... but I still feel here in my middle age that these are still cool films to be adored and cherished. I have just sat through The Warriors again for about the hundredth time in my life, and it still entertains me as much now as it did back then, sure it's dated, sure I see more cheese than I thought it had back then, but I also see a visually tight movie that actually delves interestingly into the lives and psyche of young gangers. The plot is simple, all the gangs of New York City are called to a meeting where they are called to unite to take over the city, the leader of the gang known as The Riffs is a guy called Cyrus who is the one calling for the unity. He is shot and killed during the rally and The Warriors are wrongly framed for his murder. The Warriors then have to make their way back home to Coney Island with every gang in the city out to kill them, and also with the police hot on their tail as well. This journey is excellent as we are introduced to a number of gangs trying to get the better of The Warriors, the fights are well choreographed, the clothes are wonderful, and some of the dialogue is now teenage folklore. The film was criticised on release for glamorising gangs, but I fail to see how this opinion was formed, if anything, when analysing the main characters, the film has a sad streak running through it. Be that as it may, the films triumph is getting the will of the viewer to hopefully see the unfairly tarnished Warriors make it home to Coney Island, which builds to the climax of the film that is both poignant and punch the air greatness. 8/10 Though not a great film it's nice to see The Glass Tomb crop up for publicity. We feel the same about it. Pel Pelham Opening Soon With Starving Man Act. The Glass Tomb (AKA: The Glass Cage) is directed by Montgomery Tully and adapted to screenplay by Richard Landau from the story The Outsiders written by A. E. Martin. It stars John Ireland, Honor Blackman, Geoffrey Keen, Eric Pohlmann, Sid James and Sydney Tafler. Music is by Leonard Salzedo and cinematography by Walter Harvey. Pel Pelham's carnival is in town and the star attraction is Sapolio, a man prepared to be locked in a glass cage and starve himself for 70 days. But when a couple of murders occur at the carnival, the police become involved and suspicion starts to point its ugly finger. Part of the Hammer Film Noir series released by VCI Entertainment, The Glass Tomb is an odd little picture that's more a collection of noirish traits and ideas than a fully fledged movie. Running at just under an hour in length, film hinges on the flimsiest of stories but just about gets away with it on account of solid performances and some spiky themes in the piece. In the mix are carnival outcasts, blackmail, murder, carnal desires, gluttony, addiction and a macabre party scene with a body upstairs kept company for some time by the murderer?! These are nicely presided over by Tully and Harvey where shadows are often prominent and a neon light and subway train serve the atmosphere very well. You do wonder what world we live in when people pay to watch a man just not eat? While the murderer is known to us from the first killing, thus there's no mystery aspect to hang your coat on. Though clearly the makers want us to observe how the murderer easily moves about this carnival group undetected and above suspicion. Not comfortably recommended as a whole, but enough parts of the quilt for the noir fans to appreciate. 6/10 American Mary - Hugely divisive, but isn't horror movies in general anyway?! Some scenes stayed with me for a long time Caustic Cuttings.Some horror fans love it, others not so much, which where horror film fans are concerned comes as absolutely no surprise. So roll the dice and take your chance here then! American Mary is written and directed by Jen and Sylvia Soska. Katharine Isabelle (looking uncannily like Mary Elizabeth Winstead) stars as the titular Mary of the title. She's a medical student who during a cash crisis is lured to the underground world of surgeries not deemed as the norm in medical school circles... Hoo-hah! Get ready for sexual deviance, dismemberment, human splicing and a whole host of other things that are brilliantly caked in a caustic satirical sauce by the Soska girls. Imagery is strong, the aftertaste lasting as you enter at your own peril a world of repugnant beings masquerading as humans, of fetishists pushing the boundaries, it's noirville but not as we know it Jim. But always there's a pierced and bloody tongue prodding the cheek, even if the odd period of time spent in bizarro world fails to add up. Wonderful. Go Mary! Go Soska Girls! Just don't call on me any time soon, huh... 8/10 Le faux pas - You know I have to see it! Thanks for sharing those terrific reviews Spike (which I've ticked.) Having last seen this version of Warriors on video, (I believe the only one on disc is the lesser DC) I was really taken aback by the amount of detail on show in this new transfer. Being the first film fest I travelled out to attend, (only other one I've been to is "Foree Fest" in 2007) Cine-Excess surpassed all my expectations, with there being no awkward long gaps between chats and showing. Whatever people think about the Rapid remake,I suspect that even those not keen on the flick will admit that the Soska's have a distinctive style. American Mary has 20K votes, a good rating, and got a mainstream DVD release, I was shocked to learn in the Q&A how a movie which has become a cult item,sounds like it closed some doors,rather than open them. On this particular faux pas,I'm sure you will see it soon
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Post by Chalice_Of_Evil on Nov 16, 2019 22:41:16 GMT
Ex MachinaYou don't find it strange that the helicopter brought Caleb to the place, but then picks up a foxy babe on the return journey? Surely the pilots were expecting to pick up Caleb ? Unless there's some bigger conspiracy at work that I don't think was hinted at in the narrative. Great film though. Sorry for not replying to you sooner, hitchcockthelegend. I intended to, but kept getting sidetracked (or forgetting). morrisondylanfan pretty much summed up my thoughts on the matter. at the start of Ex Machina it is made clear that the pilot is not allowed to enter the building,only to follow the orders of a reclusive millionaire to turn up and do as the were told. With Ava having just manipulated a wiz-kid to lock himself in, and outmanoeuvring a tech millionaire to the point where the creature kills the master, giving a off the cuff excuse to a driver (who has no idea what has happened) is a walk in the park in comparison.
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Post by MrFurious on Nov 23, 2019 12:47:37 GMT
All s Stanley Kubrick A Life in Pictures(01) The Suspect(44) The Age of Shadows(16) The Spy Gone North(16)
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