What the hell with your weird thread titles! I can't believe it took me 3 months to find my way here.
You see Onibaba?
You see Onibaba?
Spy thriller that's paced quite nicely with generally decent performances and an ok storyline but could do without the occasional inclusion of rather heavy handed propaganda
Comedy that eventually drifts into farce and has a few worthwhile lines dotted throughout but Hope and Diller don't bounce off each other nearly enough and despite the best efforts of Ms. Sommer the farce isn't strong enough to stop proceedings from feeling far more flat than amusing
Perfectly watchable but somewhat disappointing drama that sadly for me just doesn't quite sit right in terms of tone - either bizarre/madcap or serious would have worked far better than the semi-lighthearted undertone imo
Low-budget sci-fi that quite quickly manages to create a level of intrigue and promise but sadly that gradually dissipates as the periodic attempts to revive it via events/dialogue feel more and more staged whilst for me the shoestring style of filming really begin to grate in the second half
Enjoyable crime thriller with Bette Davis in fine form with a storyline that may struggle a little for plausibility if one cares to dwell on it but is entertaining and evolves fairly nicely right up until the Hays influenced final few minutes
Rather ineffective thriller thanks primarily to a combination of a weak characterisation of the protagonist, bizarre soundtrack choices and acting/script that aren't great that whilst managing to emphasise how unhinged at least one of the antagonists is delivers very little by way of tension, atmosphere or edge
Decent enough crime drama that certainly improves as it progresses and sporadically contains some very nicely executed scenes of menace but for me in the first third the score isn't always that well suited (q.f. the scene in the supermarket) and in the initial getaway sequence the pronounced revving and shifting of the engine doesn't match the visual at one point which irritates
Mixed sci-horror that has a few nice scenes alongside a couple of really irritating sequences and despite appearing self aware of it's generic set-up and use of tropes can't quite seem to make it's mind up what it wants to be, flitting between light-hearted parody and 'us v them' fight for survival
Pinku offering that is for the most part aesthetically pleasing with mainly acceptable acting containing nudity and soft-core sex scenes, a dash of torture and stylised violence but also frustratingly mixes it's tone too often imo which lessens the enjoyment a little and for a revenge tale could do with a higher degree of violence
Moderate film-noir that does retain interest but is marred by weak acting and writing at times and a tendency to lay it's politics on with a trowel in places
Thriller remake that begins to deviate from the original in the second half but although the protagonist is just as poorly characterised (and acted weirdly in places by Reeves) and the 'seduction' utterly ridiculous it fares a little better overall than it's predecessor thanks to far better production values, a soundtrack that is not out of kilter and antagonists that are a little more believable in terms of ages they are portraying ... plus it's nice to see a bit part for Colleen Camp (who imo was the best thing about the original)
Enjoyable enough Hope & Lamour outing lampooning mystery-thrillers that has some crisp dialogue as would be expected and decent touches in places (q.f. the 'finding' of Carlotta's ring) but it never really attains any great heights
Rather effective horror that takes a little while to both understand and warm up but when it does it mixes it's timelines really nicely and does a good job of playing with perceptions of what is and isn't reality, though it has to be said the conclusion is easily predicted and somewhat pat
Solid sci-horror sequel, again adapted from television which shows in it's episodic narrative, that also plays as a mystery/thriller allowing far more atmosphere, suspense and excitement to be generated than it's predecessor
Low-budget sci-horror that is a little patchy in terms of pace and atmosphere but Ms. Chambers in the lead actually does a decent enough job and although the central plot stretches credulity and much of the action is less than explicit it's still a relatively fun watch
Creature feature sequel that wastes no time cutting to the chase, has some nice underwater work and a leading lady that fully merits attention but the tale, though perfectly acceptable in it's execution, is ultimately little more than a variation on a theme
Sci-horror that's a little overplayed in places but is a tale that moves along at a decent pace whilst maintaining interest and although events become somewhat overly ridiculous in the closing stages remains a fun watch
A little clumsy with regards exposition/dialogue and certainly unpolished but it's a reasonably well paced low-budget sci-horror and remains a decent, Romero-esque watch
Dark and dirty crime drama with a super soundtrack that revels in it's matter of fact portrayal of the seedier side of city life and has one of the most fascinating cinematic depictions of a deeply disturbed individual, though for me the performance of young Ms. Foster is a rare weak point and the very final scene perhaps would have been better left on the cutting room floor
Slow, offbeat drama that is nicely acted, in particular by Ms. Huppert, rather more graphic than expected and effectively unsettling even if the dynamics of the relationships with both her young lover and especially her mother didn't feel all that realistic to me
Classic big-screen sci-horror adaptation with effects that are modest but respectable enough for it's time and mainly decent performances but sadly never really maintains any atmosphere it occasionally builds, leaving it interesting but also patchy and with it's generally dry, stoic presentation feeling a little sterile
Fairly routine revenge western that suffers a little in terms of acting here and there and has a tendency toward melodrama, sentimentality and a 'Disney' tone but for the most part it's an adequately told tale which makes nice use of some beautiful settings and any fillum with a Kermit in it is surely deserving of at least one watch
Horror adventure laced with comedy that struggles in a number of departments (most notably pacing, acting, tone and storyline) but the mechanics of the house is nice and there is a little fun to occasionally be had in it's more cohesive moments (as long as one is prepared to suffer enough to get to them, though it has to be said that gets more challenging with each watch)
Disappointing horror that is poor in most regards and begs the question as to where its reasonable budget went with action sequences that aside from one or two effects are not only generally unedifying but in places are edited to show as little as possible
Nicely acted, unstructured drama that is a family affair, in more ways than one, and whilst admittedly somewhat confusing on first watch is nonetheless visually a joy to watch including interesting switches between colour, sepia and black-and-white with some stunning cinematography and his fathers' beautifully soporific voiceover reading his own poetry- both of which are (no pun intended) almost hypnotic in places and intriguing in it's touching on the possibilities of there being more than just a physical connection between generations
Very nice but not quite as good as his In The Mood For Love imo
The principal characterisaions knock it down for me as they are just too over the top
Absolutely ludicrous with no real redeeming qualities - half a popcorn for it's use of a sink but best avoided imo
Enjoyable enough fantasy piece but hardly memorable
Rather a fun revenge outing
A pleasant surprise in being far better than it's predecessor imo
Fun enough for what it is
Delightfully understated humour
Ok but lesser Cronenberg for me
Beautifully made and for me quite captivating
Ok but tries too hard to be 'cool' imo
Lovely noir but let down by final act
Decent sci-fi though a little see-through
Pretty bad and forgettable
Ok but nowhere near as interesting as it's predecessor
A little drawn out but nicely made sci-fi
Decent but less interesting than Solaris for me and likewise somewhat drawn out
Starts well enough but gradually and inexorably goes downhill in the second half
Classic sci-fi that never needed remaking imo
Decent enough tv presentation of the televising of the trial
Substandard low budget offering
Classic sci-horror remake that is equally as good as the original, albeit a rather different interpretation
Ok YA outing that is marginally better than those that preceded it in the franchise imo
Very nice colonial period drama
Very nicely made noirish crime drama
Decent enough YA outing though could've been pared back a little imo
Nicely atmospheric crime drama
Deservedly a classic
Sci-fi offering that sadly doesn't live up to it's potentially interesting story
Nicely made but sadly didn't blow me away
Quite a fun werewolf outing in parts
Hardly believable but entertaining enough
Reasonable thriller with moments of horror and a darkly comic undertone that has an interesting premise but suffers slightly because the tone isn't consistent enough and moreso because the narrative is rushed in places and leaving the story feeling underdeveloped
Belgian crime thriller that manages to unsettle at times with it's subject matter and though not entirely unpredictable with it's story arc and dipping slightly in the final few minutes is a fairly solid entry in its genre
Clichéd slasher that starts weakly and takes quite a while to get going but when it does is a fun enough watch that maintains interest even though events are rather predictable
Low-budget action offering with generally poor production values that is laughably bad in places with effects that run the gamut from decent to terrible but it remains watchable in a car-crash kind of way, the concept is at least interesting and Noriaki Kamata makes a suitably grotesque pantomime villain
Romantic drama that's well enough acted by both leads but the overall story is somewhat twee and entirely predictable and the inclusion of the ptsd/shell-shock aspect feels as much a public information message as a bone-fide plot device
Whimsical comedy that is fairly amusing in places with the occasional nice quip dotted throughout but in trying to squeeze every last drop out of it's rather thin plot does become a little repetitive before reaching a predictable conclusion
Enjoyable romantic fantasy that presents it's tale well and is very nicely acted but does also suffer from being a little overly schmaltzy and twee, predominantly in the earlier stages, for my taste (though admittedly it does assist in allowing the tone to gradually darken which helps drive proceedings) and the switch to tinted scenes in the closing stages doesn't work well for me
Very nice film-noir with excellent performances all round and a story that not only maintains interest throughout but gradually ratchets up the stakes along the way
Mediocre crime thriller that is fairly routine in terms of storyline (purportedly inspired by real events so perhaps not unexpected) with no surprises in store and hardly any likeable characters but remains watchable
Substandard action thriller that suffers badly from some awful use of filters and a few pretty poorly managed action sequences alongside a number of lesser niggles and annoyances
Horror/thriller that employs it's share of clichés but is generally nicely paced and very well staged and executed with some excellent use of sound helping to build and maintain atmosphere
Mainly enjoyable documentography of the iconic, and hugely divisive group, that helped kickstart the finest years of my adolescence
Fairly routine action thriller that despite some ok perfomances beggars belief in places and is just too contrived whilst also being predictable and forgettable
Entertaining mystery thriller that twists and turns nicely and for the most part is well acted and scripted
Cheap and cheerful but not unenjoyable noirish crime drama that may have low production values but counters that with an acceptable story and performances
Period piece with noirish attributes that has a very nice lead performance from Ms. Lamarr and a story arc that feels organic but is way too melodramatic in places and though Sanders is solid as would be expected he fails to convince for the role he is playing
Comedy sci-fi/action offering that isn't too bad in terms of the sci-fi and action elements and does have the occasional moment to raise a smile but for the most part is painfully lacking in terms of humour whilst the obvious product placement is trite
Disappointing horror sequel that does manage to build pockets of atmosphere with a good location but is terribly clichéd wth some pretty poor dialogue in places, is far too reliant on jump and false scares and to me feels far longer than it's actual runtime
Dubbed Japanese sci-fi b-movie with an interesting premise that is reasonably well executed though some of the acting/dialogue is a little stiff, effects are mixed and shaving ten minutes or so off the runtime wouldn't have hurt
Mediocre noirish crime thriller with a reasonable story but a little stiffly acted and melodramatic in parts whilst the editing is a little poor at times
Found-footage horror/mystery in which at least one of the leads (Ms. Gilmore) tries to make it work but to no avail as it's uninspired, for the most part mind-numbingly dull and at times painful to watch
Low-budget WW II espionage thriller infused with propagandist rhetoric that suffers from a poor script in places and very sadly never lives up to the exploitative promise of the IMDb synopsis but remains watchable as long as one has no major expectations and can tolerate low production values
WWII espionage thriller with a relatively mundane first half but really comes alive in a tight second once the operation is underway though the setting up of the closing act does lack a little credence
Biographical war drama that uses a broad brush and feels like it presents a somewhat exaggerated version of events with moments that strain credulity before becoming overtly jingoistic at the end but is still a watch that manages to hold interest and is quite nicely paced
Fantasy mix of comedy/romance that starts brightly and has an interesting premise but would have been better if some of the fat were removed as it drags a fair bit which negates the decent efforts from all three primary players
Decent mystery noir with solid performances that may take a leisurely approach to building to a crescendo but never drags and is an enjoyable enough watch
Horror with a memorable antagonist that makes good use of sound and builds atmosphere quite nicely in places but ultimately is a little light on thrills
British WWII drama/thriller with an odd choice of storyline that is short on plausibility and intrigue and has a tendency to over-explain at times but is a strong enough tale to maintain interest and it concludes quite fittingly
Nicely made, scored and performed period drama that for the most part avoids drifting into melodrama with an absolutely perfect primary setting that helps create the required atmosphere
Noirish crime thriller remake with a decent cast that is mostly well paced and perfectly watchable but despite the plot giving ample scope there's too little by way of tension or excitement and the final act rather disappoints
Modest slasher that is a little light on gore/kills but does have a nice location plus generates some decent atmosphere and suspense which means it's still a fun enough watch
Very nicely presented socio-familial drama that has a tendency to melodrama at times and fails to convince in it's depiction of life in the valleys with sanitised conditions above ground and variable accents but spins an enjoyable enough tale nonetheless
WWII spy thriller that has some really nice touches sprinkled throughout but is seriously damaged by it's attempts to mix tones that range from quiet dark and serious through light-hearted to complete farce and less so by the attempted accent from the lead
Quiet thiller that has decent enough performances and production values but besides being totally implausible is far too contrived in it's secondary storyline and attempts to manipulate emotions for my taste
Reasonble horror offering that has an interesting concept and opts to try and build atmosphere rather than be reliant on too many jump-scares but it's only partially successful and the overriding feeling at the end credits is sadly for me one of it not having fully realised it's potential
Understated WWII drama that's nice but not particularly remarkable in the opening segments above ground but the claustrophobic and always murky scenes in sewers that can almost be smelled are a delight
Fantasy mix of romance and adventure that's played more like a silent at times (with accompanying score to match) and is lighter in tone than it's classic '66 remake but the effects are quite impressive for it's time and the whole is not without it's own level of charm
Nice fantasy adventure remake that's generally a little darker in tone and grander in scope whilst with Harryhausen on board also incorporates some nice special effects
Formulaic tv thriller in which the twists are easily foreseen and some of the acting and dialogue rather poor
Enjoyable final entry in the Quatermass sci-horror trilogy that slowly builds to a satisfying crescendo but sadly suffers from the effects budget operating on the same principle
Lovely supernatural horror with excellent performances that relies on atmosphere to crawl under the skin rather than cheap shocks
Watchable animated adventure but some of the voicework irritates in places and there's nothing particularly novel in terms of storyline
Nice enough tale of moral redemption with a fairly decent performance from Ms. Freeman as the lead but production values aren't the highest whilst the second half drags in places and the story becomes a little contrived in the closing stages
Acceptable WWII espionage thriller serving as propaganda/morale-booster that is somewhat light-hearted in places and a little lacking in excitement for much of it's runtime but is not entirely without it's feats of derring-do
Nice enough sci-horror tale that isn't initially that well told but soon manages to engage and builds to a pleasing final act
Enjoyable fantasy adventure with some lovely animatronics work in places and though its tone is an odd mix somewhere between childish and adult is still a universal tale that for me still retains the ability to fascinate up until the twee ending
Decent crime drama with a lovely central performance from Mason in an affair that's a little slow to begin but also packed with suspense at times though unfortunately it also chooses to punctuate what should be a thrilling journey to the climax with a little foray into morality and psychology that is purely there to try and justify a code-friendly resolution which jars with events prior to that point
WWII drama/romance that is overly schmaltzy in places, has barroom musical interludes that irritate and is extremely predictable but is also well acted for the most part, respectful to those that served and those that supported them without straying into jingoism or glorification and in a few places actually remarkably touching
Delightful film-noir that builds nicely with good performances from all involved and although the final few minutes might cause eyes to roll and would have been better left on the cutting room floor it's the only major misstep in proceedings and was likely influenced by that damnable Code
Light-hearted romantic drama with serious undertones that is too busy for much of it's first half before thankfully settling down, allowing the audience to connect properly to the central characters and Ms. Russell to bring some life to the role
Period drama centred around Hypatia of Alexandria in which the tale is of interest and well enough told though the early action scenes aren't overly convincing and Max Minghella fails to convince when speaking (though thankfully he doesn't have too many lines)
Decent drama that still holds up well enough nearly twenty years later primarily thanks to the central performance, especially when in flashback, though it does have a tendency to soft-play the message at times which lessens any impact imo
Drama with a heartbreakingly beautiful performance from Emmanuelle Riva that for me sadly isn't allowed to resonate anywhere near as much as it deserves
Drama with some beautiful imagery and decent performances that eventually comes alive once the two leads finally meet but takes far too long to reach that point and sadly for me is to a large extent a case of style over substance
Reasonable low-budget horror/thriller presented in a docudrama style that's actually far more comical than horrifying in the early stages (despite it's basis in reality) but gradually sobers as it progresses
Modest crime drama that feels a bit rushed whilst defining it's lead character and a little formulaic in terms of plot but settles down nicely after the first few minutes, generally moves along at a decent clip and although predictable remains of interest up until the not unexpected twee ending
Comedy drama that despite the stellar cast simply doesn't work that well for me as the story is unappealing, the comedy aspects weak and a small number of scenes downright irritating
Absorbing Chinese crime thriller with a superb performance from Honglei Sun and some delightful action sequences in places
Delightful telling of Steinbeck's tale that may be a touch overly melodramatic from Dean in places but isn't much harmed by it
Dry and realistic drama with a surprisingly good lead performance that takes a long while to get to the crux of it's cautionary tale and is more poignant for that but it's still not powerful enough to elevate proceedings that high
Intoxicating noir simply filled with sexual frisson that has great performances from both Hayworth and Ford whilst resolving their mutual past
Delightfully low-key crime drama in which the principles are all on fine form (though Robinson's Italian pastiche does waver here and there) and builds to a satisfying conclusion
'Troubles' drama centred on the 'dirty protest' and second hunger strike in Maze prison, specifically that by leader Bobby Sands, that regardless of political leanings is not an easy watch but is very good and despite using a lack of dialogue beautifully also contains a spellbinding prolonged conversation between Fassbinder as Sands and Cunningham as Fr. Moran
Crime/prison drama that's no more than 'b-movie' standard but is a fun enough watch
Moderate rom-com that throws in as many barriers to true love as it possibly can to try and heighten the expected payoff but whilst it remains watchable it also stretches credibility and more importantly feels largely devoid of real emotion
Drama about the origins of ecommercial pornography that improves once it settles down to a more serious rhythm and is entertaining enough albeit standard fare that likely won't stick in the memory for long
Entertaining light-hearted mystery with song and dance numbers that moves along at a decent clip and has enough laughs dotted along the way but it's strictly 'b-movie' fare
Lovely romantic drama with a social conscience in which the acting may be a little stiff in places and events a little contrived toward the end but the tale is none the less effective
Sino-Japanese war drama in which the central roles are played very nicely and despite lapsing into melodrama or schmaltz on occasion and spurning being overly graphic is still both somewhat harrowing and effective
Drama that has some beautifully composed shots as would be expected and the narrative is engaging to an extent but the use of sound in places is somewhat odd and nothing really entices to either revisit or try to delve into it any deeper
Very nice espionage romance/thriller that has one of my favourite endings by the director though imo the romance isn't set up particularly well and no matter how bad the cook - burning a chicken fresh from the icebox in around an hour is some achievement
Moderate sci-action with some nicely designed creatures and reasonably entertaining action sequences but the plot is no more than workmanlike whilst the prelude is a little bloated, the occasional attempts at levity poor and the characters straight out of a book of stereotypes
Reasonably entertaining 'b-movie' crime drama that has some nice snippets of dialogue and makes the most of it's rather limited plot
Mixed espionage thriller in the mould of his earlier 39 Steps that does create a little tension in places and certainly improves in the second half but there's no initial rapport with the 'hero' as early events are rushed (and his good fortune contrived) whilst the whole thing is far too overtly laced with propaganda at times
'Troubles' drama centred on a non-political prisoner that claims affiliation and witnesses events in Armagh women's prison surrounding the 'dirty protest' and initial hunger strike that has ok performances from the leads but the script isn't great in places and whilst a tale worthy of being told, cinematically it's only mediocre fare
Trio of no-frills shorts written by Irvine Welsh, the first of which has little merit imo, the second is a decent offering and the third mildly amusing and reasonably well realised
Slightly sanitised Jack the Ripper offering with good performances from a cast well suited to their roles that's nicely paced and manages to maintain intrigue though the very end is a little crass
Horror mystery that is nicely shot and edited with a lovely performance by Ms. Kidman and nice enough debuts from both youngsters that perhaps surprisingly still holds up quite well on repeat viewing though Eric Sykes is miscast imo
Mix of fast-paced crime drama and prison drama that has plenty of light-hearted moments 'inside' but also a tendency to unsubtly proselytise about the virtues of a redemptive penal system and an ending that conveniently comes out of left-field to further support that motif though it still remains a watchable curio
Modest crime/romance drama with noir aspects that has a few moments but some of the acting is a little stiff in places and sadly despite the odd nice moment the whole is rather flat and unremarkable
MA drama that has plenty of the expected beautifully choreographed action with some nicely inventive weaponry/set design too and though the story isn't the strongest and lags a little in places there's plenty enough fun to be had and some lovely humorous touches during the climax
Chinese drama that weaves it's tale slowly but very nicely and despite the acting/direction being a little formal in places and one or two minor problems even after the restoration remains quite delightful to watch
Comedy western that is very hit and miss on the comedy but does provide the odd chuckle and for me the romance is more interesting
Formulaic rom-com that's predictable, for the most part painfully unfunny and determined to capsize itself on the odd occasion there might be a glimmer of something worthwhile appearing
Reasonable 'teen' rom-com that at least for the most part avoids being overly juvenile and raises a smile occasionally but does also drag a little and feel longer than it's runtime
Teen werewolf movie that builds quite nicely and is a reasonably fun watch with a lead that transitions from cute to smokin' to completely undateable though some of the effects aren't really up to snuff
Japanese crime/gangster drama that isn't always the most coherent but is enjoyable nonetheless
Reasonable b-movie 'thriller' that benefits from the presence of Peter Lorre but at only a smidgeon over an hour in duration presents a fairly 'bare bones' story
Japanese revenge thriller that's an odd mix having a nice final third that's sadly preceded by a bit of a mess that's incohesive at times and downright irritating at others
Fairly routine French thriller with a twist that added nothing for me but the extended TVG action scene was fun enough
Overly long sequel that's primarily a war movie with a sci-fi backdrop which is pretty poor for the first two acts with some horrible camerawork, editing and dialogue but the remainder is generally much improved and quite watchable
Nice Southern drama that suffers occasionally from an overly swelling score and Jeanne Crain being of coloured descent is a little bit of a stretch but her performance is good enough to overcome that and the tale is very well told without recourse to melodrama
Pretty effective drama that does get a little schmaltzy once or twice but is anchored by excellent performances from both Larson and Tremblay and whilst perhaps struggling to appear plausible in places, headline making captivities of the past few years certainly allow licence on that front
Somewhat disappointing docudrama on Ian Dury that has a good portrayal of the man by Serkis but there's little depth to proceedings and the inclusion at times of cartoonish elements and one segment of fast cuts are beyond annoying
Unimpressive drama that has some ok performances but the score is dreadful and the plot rather dull
Canadian comedy horror with some reasonable effects that builds slowly up to the halfway point before revelling in over-the-top daftness that may lack originality but is well enough put together to suitably amuse and entertain
Comedy that's a little slow to get into gear but is fairly decent once it does
Rock 'n' roll coming-of-age drama that doesn't have the greatest acting in places but as would be expected has a great soundtrack and is a fun enough watch
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