What general film/series have you just seen.. marks out of 5

[saltysam]

French blu-ray of Vampires is the best version around at the moment.

[Markgway]

Devils of Darkness (1964-UK) **

Passable, if unexciting chiller about a satanic cult; might have gotten a extra half star if the ending hadn't been so lame.

Employee of the Month (2006-USA) **

Not as bad (or as crude) as I expected. I laughed a few times at any rate.

[Markgway]

Underworld (2003-UK-Germany-Hungary-USA) **½

Surprisingly enjoyable vamps vs wolves saga.

[HungFist]

Underworld (2003-UK-Germany-Hungary-USA) **½

I almost killed myself watching that.

The girl who chose it blissfully slept through 80% of it.

[gasteropod]

Yeah my mate recommended I check out Underworld last night, I had to turn it off

[luckystars]

I almost killed myself watching that.

I almost slipped into a narcaleptic coma.

[gasteropod]

I actually did fall asleep after the first ad break

[HungFist]

I tried, but the film was too noisy.

[bradavon]

I thought it was quite good. The sequel's poor though. I've not bothered with the rest.

[gasteropod]

The Thirteenth Floor (1999) - 3/5

Decent but predictable, funny that it came out the same year as the similarly-themed The Matrix.


The Others (2001) - 4/5

Shame I'd already had the film spoilt for me but it was still very good and reminiscent of The Innocents.


Death Proof (2007) - 3.5/5

The Bird with the Crystal Plumage homage seemed a bit out of place to me, and the film should have ended with them returning the wrecked car to its owner and seeing how Marie Elizabeth Winstead's character was getting on. The music that plays right at the end of Amer briefly made an appearance near the end of Death Proof but I don't know which giallo it's from, does anyone know?

Edit: It's 'La polizia sta a guardare'.

[Markgway]

Underworld: Evolution (2006-USA) **

Didn't enjoy this as much as the original. All that CGI blood and carnage became numbing after a while... I'd still let Kate Beckinsale bite me though.

[Keung]

Water For Elephants - ★★★

The Hangover - ★★
- Entertaining? Yes. Funny? Hardly.

[Markgway]

Colombiana (2011-France) *½

Stupid even by Luc Besson standards.

[Markgway]

11:14 (2003-USA/Canada) ***

Clever black comedy told from differing perspectives.

Talhotblond (2009-USA) **½

Disturbing documentary about the perils of internet chat.

[luckystars]

The Hangover - ★★
- Entertaining? Yes. Funny? Hardly.

Spot on with that. Didn't find it rotely funny, but it was so relentless I had to crack half a smile by the end.

Amarican mainstream comedy seems to have gone to the extreme, and doesn't hit any kind of mark with me. Unless you count the Will Ferral/Adam Mckay films.

Overall the industry is about a million miles off from the quality of output in the 80s!

[bradavon]

90% of American comedies are rubbish. It's been that way since the 90s. The writing is so often lazy.

[gasteropod]

The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec (2010) - 3/5

Decent adventure film with nice costume & set design, the CGI could have been better.

[saltysam]

Final Destination 5 2.5/5 Better than expected entry in the horror franchise has a great opening set piece and cleverly the climax reveals itself to be a prequel to the first film cast is as disposable and non-descript as ever.

[gasteropod]

Melancholia (2011) - 4.5/5

[gasteropod]

Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom (1975) - 4/5

I wasn't expecting it to be a dark satirical comedy.

[grim_tales]

Sweeney Todd (2007): 4/5

Enjoyable musical with some nice songs (1 or 2 were very good like the Nothing's Going to Harm You song) and moments of black comedy and much blood and gore. None of its really shocking though.
Did anyone feel kinda sorry for Lovett? She went along with Todd's scheme obviously but I felt she did start to care for Toby.
What happened to Johanna and Anthony?

One thing that annoyed me was the transfer was so dark. I know it was meant to have muted colours etc but I had to change my display to see it better.

[Markgway]

The Butcher (2007-USA) **½

Noirish, ultra-violent thriller starring a charismatic Eric Roberts. Low budget (and looks it - the IMDB reckons this was shot on 35mm though it looks like video) but surprisingly watchable.

Maniac Cop (1988-USA) **½

Entertaining exploitation chiller undone by lack of story logic (step forward Larry Cohen). For the most part this rises above the genre norms, shame the last 20 mins are a bit of a letdown.

[HungFist]

Frenzy (UK, 1972) – 3.5/5
Hitchcock’s 1970’s serial killer thriller – very much old school Hitchcock, but with a grittier 1970’s look and more brutal violence. While The storyline does have an irritating habit of piling up the most unfortunate coincidences, the film also comes with a load of ingenious scenes and takes (providing inspiration for the likes of De Palma). And, judging by the film's humoristic side-plot, Hitch may have been exposed to a traumatic experience in the dining room...

I’m not sure what’s up with the UK DVD giving away the killer’s identity in the front cover for fuck’s sake! Totally ruins the film’s most brilliant scene (the two policemen having a long discussion in the café on how sick the killer must be, and then in the middle of the scene, the main character whom we still suspect may be the killer, walks into the frame and orders a drink. That shot is work of a genius).

Like many Hitchcock trailers, Frenzy’s trailer is beyond awesome:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuoBprPGpzA

“How do you like my tie?”

[grim_tales]

I thought Frenzy was good too

[gasteropod]

Belle de Jour (1967) - 4/5

I really liked it but was a bit disappointed with the ending.