Rate The Last Movie You Saw

8. Trilogy of Terror (1975/MeTV/Rewatch)



Trilogy of Terror is a horror anthology starring Karen Black and written by Richard Matheson. The first story, Julie, is about a college student aggressively pursuing his teacher. The second, Millicent and Therese, is about a woman so scared of her sister that she plans to kill her. And the third, Amelia, is about a woman who buys an aboriginal warrior doll that comes to life.

This TV movie is known only for its third segment and for good reason. It's a fun story about a woman fighting a killer doll. It reminds me of the Twilight Zone episode The Invaders, also written by Richard Matheson. The first segment is uncomfortable and disturbing with a twist that doesn't really help it. The second segment is pretty dull and also has a lame twist. I would recommend just watching Amelia.

9. The Black Cat (1981/YouTube)



This is a Lucio Fulci film about a psychic man and his evil cat. It's not as violent as his other work, but it has the wooden acting and confusing storytelling I expected. I was mostly interested in this for the scenes of a cat murdering people and it delivers in that regard. I was amused by the supposedly evil cat looking cute.

10. Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983/DVD)



This is based on a Ray Bradbury story about an evil carnival that arrives in a wholesome midwestern town. The carnival offers attractions that seem normal at first, but are sinister underneath. Two young boys are lured by the new development in town and witness some darker aspects of it that they weren't meant to see.

Despite a notoriously troubled production, this movie mostly succeeds in adapting the dark children's novel. It gets the sentimentality of Bradbury's work right and doesn't skimp on the creepiness or violence. Jonathan Pryce plays Mr. Dark, the leader of the carnival, and he does a wonderful job as the villain. My favorite scene is when he confronts Mr. Holloway in the library and makes him a really difficult offer to refuse. He hooks people in with promises of their biggest desires and gives it to them for a hefty cost.

Not everything works well in Something Wicked. The ending is very sappy. There are quite a few dated special effects that apparently Bradbury and the director Jack Clayton weren't happy about. My biggest issue is that the story feels very truncated. The supporting characters don't get to do much. I especially wanted more from the other carnival performers.

Something Wicked This Way Comes doesn't fully live up to the book it's based on, but it still holds up as a dark and creative children's movie.

This film is an amazing technical achievement, but as a complete movie experience, nothing special IMO.

Local Hero (1980)

Not very cinematic. Quiet mild movie made for TV. I saw this mentioned on this board many times thats why I watched it. Plot is big city businessman goes to small town Scotland to buy up land for a refinery. All the townspeople fall for it except one guy. It doesn't end the way you think it would. As a movie doesnt score too high.

I did like it in the way you like an enriching new age soundtrack with headphones on for meditation. The soothing sea and old style buildings. The acoustics of the hall where they celebrated their newfound wealth with local bands brought back some fond memories of the small town I lived in about half of my pre-adult life. It looks and feels like that place.

5/10

Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2540517

The Count of Monte Cristo - (2002)

Okay - I have to admit to something embarrassing right off the bat : I've never seen any other adaptation of The Count of Monte Cristo before, and I'm unfamiliar with the story. I mean, there's only 20 other adaptations aside from this one - and it's only one of the most famous novels of all time. Somehow, I either avoided it or zoned out while hearing it - but enough about my ignorance, and on to this 2002 adaptation. It's actually really good, although you have to take into account that I didn't know where the story was going to go. Jim Caviezel and Guy Pearce give 100%, and Richard Harris marvels as the old imprisoned Abbé Faria. The locations dazzle, and it's an all-round good looking version of a story I'm sure has been more muted in past variations. Betrayal, conflict and revenge ignite - and if by some strange miracle you're like me and know nothing of this Alexandre Dumas epic, there can't be many other versions better to introduce you to it. I had a good time.

7/10


Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8432471

Extreme Measures - (1996)

You know just about what to expect from this crime thriller when you hear the title - a pulpy, tawdry one you'd see on a novel sitting for sale in a hospital gift shop on special. This revs into top gear though, mainly thanks to the gift of Gene Hackman - he makes everything a degree cooler, and is missed today. Dr. Guy Luthan (Hugh Grant) is intrigued by a patient who dies on him, and the way his symptoms make no sense - along with scars, and the fact that his name has been erased from hospital computers. It has something to do with Dr. Lawrence Myrick (Gene Hackman) and a gigantic moral question that'll make your brain ponder who's right and who's wrong. It's no Schindler's List, but it was a little better than I thought it might be - there's the usual cliffhanger finish, and Sarah Jessica Parker along with David Morse in supporting roles. It's trashy - but it's not pretending to be anything that it's not.

6/10

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How so?

Seven Minutes in Heaven (1986)

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[ J ] - [ S ] - [ F ]

I have a genuine affection for Zardoz. Declan and I watched that for the first time together - and yes, it did have a terrible reputation, which could cloud any first viewing a great deal. However, the movie has an audiovisual quality that is pretty interesting, and a certain mythical quality - as evidenced in the below video. I don't know if the person who posted the video actually made the clip, but I've watched "I am Arthur Frayn, I am Zardoz" many times. It stands in as a short dose of Zardoz from time to time.

7 / 10 - good movie

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A woman works for the British Censor Board during the Video Nasty era watching gore flick after gore flick and determining what needs to be cut to get a rating. While watching one of the films she sees an actress who she believes is her sister who had disappeared years earlier. She begins to investigate and things get a little zany for her. If you liked Saint Maud (which I did) this may work well for you as well. It's a bit of an arty, slow burn, has a bit to say about the whole consuming violent media stuff - do violent movies influence people to commit violent acts - without being preachy and the ending is probably what will make or break it for ya. It's not a gory flick at all and has some pretty interesting/subtle directorial decisions that add a nice touch. I thought it was really good.

Barbarian is split in four acts. The first follows Tess and Keith, while the second one introduces a third character, AJ (Justin Long), to the equation. The third act is a brief flashback that ties with the events in the present time, while the final act just wraps things up. It is a very effective narrative structure for this story that keeps you a bit on your toes as you try to figure out what's happening.

To talk more about the film would be a detriment because I think the film works best when you walk in a bit blind, but let's just say there are several instances of characters projecting "some kind of dynamic" onto others because it serves them in some way. It's up to these characters if they "want to play ball or not", but it's interesting to see the dynamics between the characters as they try to figure out whether or not they want to "play ball", and what are the consequences of them doing so.

Grade:


Full review on my Movie Loot

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Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part 1 (2023)

Enjoyed it pretty much from start to finish, I hope part 2 is just as good.

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There has been an awekening.... have you felt it?

The Fall of the House of Usher follows the obsessed and tormented Roderick as he first struggles with this fear of death; something that he seems to cope with through this painting. But when tragedy falls on the House of Usher, we follow his torment as he tries to reckon with the events. Halfway through the film, he looks at the painting and declares "It is *there* where she truly lives"; a marked difference from the initial statement which ironically signals the distance between them that results from this obsession to "keep her alive" in some way.

Directed by Jean Epstein, the film presents a surrealist atmosphere focused on the dread and mental state of Usher. It is a very effective atmosphere conveyed by the use of lights, shadows, and the impressive set design. The camerawork is also pretty good, especially for a film from this era.

Grade:


Full review on my Movie Loot

Creep follows Aaron (Patrick Brice), a struggling videographer that accepts a one-day job to record a client, Josef (Mark Duplass), during his various daily activities. Josef claims that he was recently diagnosed with a brain tumor and that the video is meant to be a "video essay" for his unborn son. However, as the day progresses, the interactions between the two characters grow weirder and creepier.

This is a film that was recommended by a good Internet friend a while ago, as we were talking about weird films, and weird it is. Although classified as "horror", it is more awkward and what-the-**** than it is gory or violent. Duplass, who co-wrote the story with director and co-star Brice, carries the film magnificently with a performance that keeps you guessing all the way to the end. Is he a creep, or is he just an eccentric oddball?

Grade:


Full review on my Movie Loot

If you haven't seen The 24 Hour War (2016) documentary I think you'd really like it. I thought it was much better than the F v. F film. It's more exciting, uses real footage, and is very well put together. The real deal. I believe it's available on Netflix.

By POV - Impawards, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18676724

The Exorcism of Emily Rose - (2005)

The first time I approached The Exorcism of Emily Rose it was with low expectations - ever since The Exorcist opened the floodgates in 1973, there had been many a film about possession that left a lot to be desired. I was surprised though, when I saw it. Emily Rose is a creepy, haunting movie - and like The Exorcist it has as it's inspiration a true account of a real person. I admit, it does have half a dozen or so big jump scares locked and loaded - most of them delivered by a screaming Jennifer Carpenter (as the titular Emily Rose) - but it's also an interesting mix of courtroom drama and horror film. The great thing about mixing up the narrative with court scenes and flashbacks is that the film can balance out it's more spooky moments and not be lop-sided. Laura Linney features as defense counsel Erin Bruner, who has as a client Father Richard Moore (Tom Wilkinson) - accused of negligent homicide after Emily dies, emaciated and suffering from physical trauma. I really liked the scenes with Carpenter under demonic attack - where a location would be bathed in red light, or, during a more angelic visitation, suffused whiteness. I was looking forward to seeing this for a second time - and it pretty much held up for me.

7/10



Enemy Lines - (2020)

Television B-movie time. This was an earnest production, but a very simplified movie about a mission to rescue a scientist from Nazi-occupied Poland and secrete him to America to work on the Manhattan Project. I will admit that I was surprised by how many of the characters bite the bullet in this one - but none of them stood out as characters anyway. They all looked the same, and talked the same - and not one of them were given characteristics that would make for a tragic dying scene we'd care about. Has the look and feel of a very low budget film, with low-cost CGI making up for a lack of classic WWII vintage vehicles or war machines. I'd only look at this one if you're practically obsessed with "Behind Enemy Lines" mission movies.

4/10

The Private War of Major Benson (1955)



I had no idea that Major Payne (1995) - one of my secret guilty pleasures - was a remake!

But this comedy / drama came first and has the same basic plot.

As I watched, it occurred to me that this was the first time I saw Charlton Heston playing comedy!
And the strange thing is his speech patterns, facial expressions and demeaner reminded me of James Garner (who I could never see as not being comedic even when he was doing drama)! As the picture progressed, Heston even began to look and sound like Garner (except for some speeches toward the end that were pure Heston and could have fit in The Ten Commandments or Planet of the Apes)!

All in all, this movie was pretty enjoyable & entertaining (although I thought the romantic sub-plot was a bit forced and sappy).

Fun Trivia: Tim Considine, who plays the sensitive (if not coddled) cadet who is berated by Major Benson in this film, would later play the battle-fatigued soldier who gets slapped by the title character in Patton (1970).
Also, My Three Sons alumni Tim Considine and William Demarest appear together in this movie!

11. Vampire Hunter D (1985/DVD)



This is an anime film about a girl who hires the titular hunter D to kill an ancient vampire who wants her as his bride.

Vampire Hunter D has a lot of imagination. It takes place in 12090 in a world where vampires rule over humans and other fantastical creatures. D has a wisecracking face on his left hand for some reason. The henchmen of the head vampire Count Lee have some bizarre abilities. And Count Lee himself looks like Carl from Up.

This was an easy watch at 75 minutes and the action doesn't really let up, to the point where it actually becomes an issue. There aren't many smooth transitions between scenes. There are many times where the movie abruptly cuts from a character in one location to them somewhere entirely different. It's jarring and it makes it feel like scenes are missing.

Despite its choppiness and some gratuitous perversion, Vampire Hunter D is a fun movie that kept me hooked to see what would happen next.

12. Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust (2000/DVD)



In Bloodlust, D is hired to rescue a young girl from the vampire who wants to marry her. He has competition in the form of a professional vampire-hunting group that is trying to do the same thing. As they chase down the kidnapper, they come to realize that maybe they don't know the full story.

Unlike the original, Bloodlust takes place in a world where humans rule and vampires are the hated outcasts. This is a significant change that adds more emotional depth to the story and D as a character. It turns out that the 'kidnapped' girl really is in love with a vampire. D, a half-breed himself, is a bit conflicted as to whether he should complete the job he was paid to do. D is a quiet guy and there wasn't much to him in the original, so it's nice to see an extra layer added here. There's even a couple of touching scenes for him, one involving someone from his past and the other at the very end of the film.

Bloodlust is an emotional story with stunning animation and exciting action. I highly recommend it.

i might give a go watching this

Loved this movie. Riz Ahmed so good.

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I’m here only on Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays. That’s why I’m here now.

Alice in the Cities (1974)