What did you watch today?

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The Lazarus Effect (2015)
The Transporter Refueled (2015)

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Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials (2015)
Momentum (2015)

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Unfinished Business (2015)

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Survivor (2015)

[Davy_Lee]

The Church (First viewing; YouTube) – 6.5/10
In an unnamed European city, a cathedral has been mysteriously holding a dark past secret of a massacre of devil worshipers whose corpses were buried underneath it. When a new librarian of the Cathedral unknowingly releases the raging demons from their pit underneath the building, all hell breaks loose as the only door to the cathedral is locked by the mysterious forces, which leaves a number of unwary visitors trapped inside and… possessed.

The Church could have been a lot more satisfying than what it is, especially after a pretty interesting narrative in the first half of the runtime. Despite its stylish directing by Michele Soavi and creepy music by Goblin, the lack of suspense and patchwork plot in the second half mess up the entire storyline. Only for avid 80’s Euro-horror fans.


Queen of Blood (First viewing; f.o.c.) - 5.5/10
A low budget sci-fi horror of the 1960’s about a team of astronauts on a rescue mission to Mars. On the planet, they rescue a green-skinned female alien and bring her back to their spaceship for recovery. Unbeknownst to them, the seemingly feeble alien is not what they think she is…

Watching this was quite a disappointment. Much of the runtime is spent on a padded exposition about the expedition while the actual terror of the queen is unleashed only during the last 25 minutes of the 78-minute runtime with nothing much going for it. The saving grace is the visual effects, which reminded me of the superior Planet of the Vampires (Mario Bava, 1965).

John Saxon, Basil Rathbone, Judi Meredith, Dennis Hopper star. Curtis Harrington directs.

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Search Party (2014)
Split Second (1992)

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How to Make Love Like an Englishman (2014)

[Davy_Lee]

Maurizio Merli double feature:

Special Cop in Action a.k.a. Italia a mano armata (First viewing; YouTube) – 7.5/10
A series of brutal bank robbery have broken out in the city. A group of school children has been kidnapped. Putting his own life at stake, tough and no-nonsense Inspector Betti (Maurizio Merli) swings into high gear to track down the ruthless perpetrators whom he thinks may lead him to nail down the mastermind and crime lord on his Most Wanted list - Albertelli (John Saxon).

This is one of the few forgotten quality poliziotteschi films that deserves a revival. The story is fast-paced, unlike a lot of slow-burn Italian eurocrime thrillers, and filled with violent shootouts and frenetic car chase stunts. Another outstanding feature is its superb 70’s OST by Franco Micalizzi which, once you hear its catchy tune, you may hum it for days. Not on English-friendly DVD or BD, but should be!

Fearless a.k.a. Magnum Cop a.k.a. Poliziotto senza paura (First viewing; YouTube) – 6/10
An Italian ex-cop turned down-and-out private eye (Maurizio Merli) is hired to search for the kidnapped daughter of a rich businessman in Austria. Under the pretense of a well-off and professional private eye, he teams up with an Austrian private investigator which leads them to uncovering a link between the case and a high-class teenage prostitution racket.

This is more of a detective thriller, with not much thrill in it, than the usual police-on-the-trail-of-a bad-guy poliziotteschi films. There are even scenes of light comedy thrown in during the first rather dull and muddled half of the runtime. Worth a watch only for Merli’s performance and the music.

Gastone Moschin and Joan Collins co-star. Stelvio Massi directs.

[Davy_Lee]

Ghost Warrior a.k.a. Swordkill (First viewing; YouTube) – 6.5/10
The body of a 400-year-old samurai Yoshimitsu Taga (Hiroshi Fujioka) is discovered uncannily frozen in a snowy Japanese cave. Brought to the US, the great samurai is secretly revived by a team of American cryonics surgeons. With the help of a reporter (Janet Julian) who has been on the project since its initiation, the general is forced by unfavorable circumstances to adapt to a life strangely new to him and different from his past. The plot thickens after the bewildered samurai kills a security guard in self defense, escapes from the lab and roams through the nearest town only to encounter unforeseen danger along the way. Hunted by the police for murder and by the cryonics surgeons who want to “clean the mess they have caused”, Yoshimitsu - who has become a fish out of water - must confront them in the only way he can – the way of the warrior!

This is a Charles Band and his Empire Pictures production, which often has a unique story line and cool special effects despite their low budget nature. The performance by Hiroshi Fujioka and the original score by Richard Band save the movie from being a clunker. If you like watching Empire Pictures productions (The Alchemist, Re-animator, From Beyond, Crawlspace, Eliminators, Zone Troopers, Dolls, The Dungeonmaster) or Charles Band's films (Parasite 3D, Metal Storm - the Destruction of Jared-Syn), you may want to add this moderately interesting forgotten B-sci-fi-movie of the 80’s into your collection.

[Ain_Uussaar]

Bus 657 / Heist (2015)
Get Hard (2015)
Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films (2014)
No Escape (2015)
Vacation (2015)
The Wedding Ringer (2015)

[Davy_Lee]

The Brain That Wouldn’t Die (First viewing; YouTube) – 4/10
An eccentric young surgeon who has organ transplantation on the brain is able to miraculously rescue his fiancée’s head that has been decapitated in an automobile accident and keep it alive! Realizing that she needs a body, the deranged surgeon settles on a young sexy model for his fiancée’s head transplant. Now a hapless victim who is being experimented on against her will by her own husband-to-be, the ‘talking head’ must stop the madness with the help of a cone-headed disfigured bird brain who happens to be the surgeon’s unsuccessful experiment locked and hidden in his basement.

The Brain That Wouldn’t Die a.k.a. The Head That Wouldn't Die is a brainless piece of so-called Hollywood sci-fi horror of the 60’s. What fails miserably is not only the ridiculous script but the equally lame-brained main attraction that has literally a “talking head in a rectangular dish” to induce chills down your spine. The only way it might send chills down your spine is if you are watching this while you are out of your brain!

Seconds (First viewing; f.o.c.) – 7.5/10
Discontented with his career and married life, a frustrated middle-aged banker Arthur Hamilton accepts the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity from his friend to start a completely new life through physical reconstruction surgery offered by an underground clinic. Having been successfully operated on, he returns in the form of a good-looking, young and athletic Tony Wilson (Rock Hudson), an affluent artist with a lavish life totally different from what he used to have. When he realizes that his new life is not what he has hoped for, he asks the surgeons for another process of physical reconstruction that would fulfill his wishes. What he does not know is that his second chance comes at a very high price…

This is quite a gripping psychological thriller, in the vein of Twilight Zone, with intense foreboding music by Jerry Goldsmith and inventive cinematography by James Wong Howe. It is a kind of film about the tragic results of life lived without meaning, without real values that may leave you reflecting on your own life priorities. John Frankenheimer directs.

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Still Alice (2014)
Hundraåringen som klev ut genom fönstret och försvann / The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared (2013)

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Submarine (2010)

[Vincent_Bouche]

233 - The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 (Broadcast)
Really not the best of the bunch, we'll have to see the sequel - 6/10.

234 - Nymphomaniac, Vol. II (DC) (US Blu)
As brilliant as the first part, but really tough to watch. This is a very sark second part when the first one had many fun sequences - 9/10.

235 - [REC] 3 : Genesis (French Blu)
Rather OK "spin off" from the main story - 6/10.

236 - In Order of Disappearance (Broadcast)
Succesfull Scandinavian "Fargo" with Stellan Skarsgard - 7/10.

237 - La French (Broadcast)
Dealing with the "French connection" story : this is a good French gangster movie. We see far too many of these - 7/10.

238 - Rashomon (US Blu)
Classic movie from Kurosawa in which a story is told very differently by different characters. Not my personal favorite, but a "must watch" with an impressive restoration - 8/10.

239 - [REC] 4 : Apocalypse (French Blu)
I liked this follow-up, taking place after the events of the second part. Nothing wonderful, but this is rather efficient with a good suspense. I find this [REC] series to be really worthwhile, even after four movies - 6/10.

240 - The Immigrant (French Blu)
Standard story, but saved by great interpretations by Joaquim Phoenix and Marion Cotillard - 6/10.

241 - The Homesman (Broadcast)
Original western with a great performance by its two main characters and with an unexpected ending - 6/10.

242 - The Guest (Broadcast)
Overall, I've been rather disappointed overall by this predictable story - 5/10.

243 - Bridge of Spies (Theater)
Once again, I'm not convinced by this "much too kind" Spielberg movie, with a "standard" performance by Tom Hanks, who seems to be repeating more or less the same acting movie after movie - 6/10.

244 - The Babadook (Broadcast)
It has its moments, but not really frightening overall - 6/10.

245 - Invincible (Broadcast)
Better has been done on the same topics (Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence), but I liked this movie anyway - 7/10.

246 - Versailles #1 (Broadcast)
Consistent first season for this new C+ series, with an adequate performance from the actors portraying Louis XIV and his brother. Good story and magnificent set-ups and costumes let us hope the best for the forthcoming second season - 7/10.

247 - Homeland #5 (Broadcast)
This season deals with many events that could very well be real given what happens today (recruiting of people for fighting in Syria, terrorist threats from ISIS, governments taking forbidden measures to fight back…). Always pleasant, but I fear this show is close to having given almostg everything we could have expected - 7/10.

[Davy_Lee]

Beyond the Poseidon Adventure (f.o.c.) – 6/10
The morning after the SS Poseidon was capsized and slowly sinking, a tugboat headed by debt-ridden captain Mike Turner (Michael Caine) and his shipmates Wilbur (Karl Malden) and Celeste (Sally Fields) who happen to have been sailing in the same seas as the Poseidon decide to board the ill-fated liner hoping to salvage enough valuables to settle his debts. Moments after reaching the hull, the three encounter a second party headed by Stefan Svevo (Telly Savalas) who claims he and his team are doctors who have come to search for, and aid, potential survivors. Entering through a hole cut in the hull by the coastguard the night before, both seemingly collaborative parties begin their perilous missions…

As Michael Caine starred in it, I re-watched this just for giving it a second chance. I watched the pan and scan version back in the video days and felt the film was boring. I was right. Beyond The Poseidon Adventure is a fairly weak and unnecessary sequel to a genre classic.

Michael Caine, Sally Fields, Karl Malden, Telly Savalas, Peter Boyle, Slim Pickens, Jack Warden, Mark Harmon star. Irwin Allen directs.

Fifty/Fifty (First viewing: YouTube) – 6/10
Two battle-hardened rival mercenaries are hired by the CIA to overthrow a South East Asian dictator whom one of them once worked for. Together with a small group of rebel forces whom they have to train, the two men plan a raid on the dictator’s palace. But, things do not come easy for the freedom fighters.

This is an action war adventure with a comedic undertone and a very routine plot that is far from exciting despite the pretty well-staged shootouts and explosions.

Peter Weller, Robert Hays and Charles Martin Smith star. Charles Martin Smith directs.

[Ain_Uussaar]

Sugar Hill (1974)
Lake Placid (1999)

[Davy_Lee]

The Siege of Firebase Gloria (First viewing; f.o.c.) – 7/10
In the wake of the Tet Offensive launched on January 30, 1968 by Viet Cong forces and North Vietnamese People's Army of Vietnam against the forces of South Vietnam and the United States, a hard-as-nails sergeant (R. Lee Ermey) and his gung ho point man (Wings Hauser), along with few other surviving soldiers, arrive on a firebase named Gloria. Upon discovering that the commander and his unit have been demoralized, the sergeant takes over the outpost to rebuild morale and fortifications in preparation for an imminent onslaught by the Viet Congs. Outnumbered and surrounded by the oncoming waves of Viet Cong forces, the unit struggles for their lives on the last piece of ground they hold through fiery days of blazing bullets and heroic bloodshed.

I actually rented this in my ‘watch-movies-on-video’ days but did not get around to watching the whole of it as I had been watching too many ‘shoot-em-up’ Vietnam War films since Rambo became a box-office hit. Compared with The Siege of Firebase Gloria, I prefer another film that was released in the same year The Iron Triangle (Beau Bridges, Haing S. Ngor).

Brian Trenchard-Smith (The Man from Hong Kong, Turkey Shoot, Dead End Drive-In) directs. Worth a watch if you are into 80’s action-oriented war films.

[Ain_Uussaar]

Mr. Holmes (2015)

[Davy_Lee]

Blood Rage (First viewing; f.o.c.) – 5.5/10
A mentally-disturbed young boy Terry blames his twin brother Todd for a bloody murder he has committed. Considered a psychotic juvenile miscreant, Todd is institutionalized while Terry is still at large. Ten years later, during Thanksgiving, Todd escapes. Knowing that his twin brother is returning home to settle the score, Terry thinks of blaming his poor brother again and unleashes his blood rage!

Frankly, I’ve just heard of this little-known 80’s slasher film when Arrow Video released it. Normally I don’t watch this genre of film (I hardly own ten in my collection!) but I thought I would give it a try thinking that it would make a perfect companion to the upcoming The Mutilator, which is on my list (There’s a backstory for this one).

Just like other stalk-and-slash films I’ve watched (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Hell Night, Rosemary’s Killer a.k.a. The Prowler, Maniac, The Berserker, etc.), this pedestrian B-movie does not have anything interesting to offer in its plot. But it takes advantage of the ‘ew’ make-up effects that are interspersed among the hammy acting and half-baked plot that somewhat resembles Halloween with a nod to Psycho. The music, too, elevates this obscure film a notch.

Considering the commendable effort Arrow Video have put in, I have ordered myself a copy


Amsterdamned (YouTube) – 7/10
What works?
■ creative basic plot (a maniacal diver lurking in the Amsterdam canals murdering unsuspecting victims),
■ fast-paced directing (focusing on the murder investigations),
■ comic relief (old man admits being the stalker, the detective’s partner falls into the river when speedboat starts to rush),
■ suspenseful music (effective minimal synthesizer score typical of slasher films),
■ cinematography (point-of-view shots),
■ unusual locations (the canals of Amsterdam), and
■ intense action set pieces (motor-cycle chase, speedboat chase).

What doesn't work?
■ uncharismatic lead actor (Huub Stapel),
■ contrived plot thread (killer waiting till morning inside a sunken boat), and
■ anti-climactic ending (no confrontation).

Amsterdamned is another rare find that I watched in my video days, and still holds my interest.

[Ain_Uussaar]

Bone Tomahawk (2015)
The Sugarland Express (1974)
Just Cause (1995)