VHS and Betamax You Have Recently Rented

[FLips]

Fright Night Part II

Not as good as the original but it's not bad by any means. Fearless Vampire Killer Peter Vincent is back and so is Charley and that goes a very long way as I don't think it would have worked half as well without them considering all the other cast changes. Instead of one vampire this time you get two, a werewolf and an Oogie-Boogie style bug man which stops it feeling like a re-tread. Always enjoy seeing Jon Gries and Brian Thompson turn up in stuff too and they both do a grand job here. The role reversal from the first one to make Charley the damsel in distress is inspired too.

Funny, moves at a good pace and again has a very synth-heavy soundtrack with plenty of gross practical effects. The best way to describe the effects is as my wife put it, "the full budget has went on ballistics gel".

I think both Fright Nights will become a double-header next Halloween.

Forewarned is forearmed!

[LaGoosh]

The Fabelmans

A beautiful, wonderful film. The lighting and blocking for this film was so good and a stark reminder of how fucking bad so many films look these days. Scenes of people just sitting and standing around talking filled to the brim with life and depth. Proper classic filmmaking. A reminder of how good these things can be. I felt pure joy watching this.

The Substance

Not great. High potential and a good idea/story but forgets to actually do any work in building the two main characters at all so it just feels like an empty and hollow exercise. For all his gross body horror Cronenburg knew that you needed a reason to care - this film doesn't give you a reason.

Edited October 28, 2024 by LaGoosh

[FLips]

Three Amigos

Really enjoy the pairing of Martin and Short, they're a delight as usual. Chevy Chase is also there. A lot of the jokes and pratfalls land and Blue Shadows (On The Trail) is a genuinely nice song that will be stuck in my head for a while.
Brian Thompson turned up again and it's always great to see/hear Jon Lovitz and Phil Hartman.

You could kiss me on the veranda
Lips would be fine.

Muppets Haunted Mansion

Pretty rubbish. I'm not a fan of musicals (though that's for a different thread) but can appreciate a good song, of which this film has none. Forgot them already. From a plot point of view I understand why Gonzo and Pepe were chosen to lead it but the whole thing suffered from not having better Muppets lead. Thankfully it was short but there's nothing to see here.

 

[Hannibal Scorch]

@FLips are you familiar with any of the Haunted Mansion attractions?

[FLips]

9 minutes ago, Hannibal Scorch said:

@FLips are you familiar with any of the Haunted Mansion attractions?

Yeah we went to Disneyland Paris for our honeymoon so we both recognised the elevator.

[Hannibal Scorch]

21 minutes ago, FLips said:

Yeah we went to Disneyland Paris for our honeymoon so we both recognised the elevator.

The Haunted Mansion is actually quite different to the Disneyland Paris version (Phantom Manor) but with some things being the same. All that to say I felt like this would only really appeal to fans of that attraction that know it well. Lots of in jokes and references. We really liked it as a little short film so it’s a shame you didn’t, but I get why.

[LaGoosh]

The Last Stop In Yuma County

This felt like the type of thriller that would you would watch on DVD with your mates after a few beers late on a Friday night in 2006. And I mean that as the highest compliment.

[Merzbow]

Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person

Another French Canadian horror, this one is actually lovely, weirdly very sweet while it does exactly what it says on the tin. It didn't quite live up to the Letterboxd hype but I still really enjoyed it, it had a few good laughs and the lead actress is just the cutest.

[Dr. Alan Grant]

On 10/24/2024 at 1:57 PM, Dr. Alan Grant said:

Zoolander - I rewatched this before I check out the sequel for the first time. Daft fun. I expect 2 to be crushingly disappointing. 3/5

How right I was.

Zoolander 2 (first watch) - dreadful. Recycled gags and scenes from the first. Not so much a film as a red carpet event where you can play Spot The Celebrity. “Ooh look, it’s Justin Bieber. Ooh look, it’s Kate Moss. Ooh look, it’s Katy Perry.” The worst crime is bringing back shitarse Justin Theroux. 1/5

Transformers - recent Michael Bay chat has made me want to watch all of these, for better or worse. The first one has its charms and a fun supporting cast. Sam’s parents, Bernie Mac, Jon Voight before he lost his mind. 3/5

Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen - far, far, far too many piss poor attempts at humour. Sam’s parents are given more screentime and I wanted them to get crushed to death this time round. The British Transformer was okay I suppose. How many more of these are there? 2/5

Bring It On - Today I learned that this film has about 6 sequels, including a horror one. I shall not be partaking. But I do love this one. 4/5

Challengers (first watch) - mostly awful people playing a boring sport. But I did get into it as it went on. Better than Wimbledon and Match Point at least. 3/5

[LaGoosh]

Red Rooms - a French Canadian psychological thriller which seemed to get almost zero buzz despite being absolutely tremendous. Genuinely disturbing at times despite having no real action, gore etc. The performances are excellent all round and it has loads of brilliant single take shots. A special film.

[Merzbow]

43 minutes ago, LaGoosh said:

Red Rooms - a French Canadian psychological thriller which seemed to get almost zero buzz despite being absolutely tremendous. Genuinely disturbing at times despite having no real action, gore etc. The performances are excellent all round and it has loads of brilliant single take shots. A special film.

If it wasn't for Strange Darling it's be my top thriller of the year but there's not much between them.

Spoiler

We finally have our female Patrick Bateman!

 

[Shirtie]

Treat R Treat 

Arrow video released a 4k version of this a few weeks ago, I've saved it I'll tonight as it seemed appropriate... 

I have for the last few years been watching a DVD rip as the dvd has long been out of print, so this was a instant buy when Arrow announced it.

 

It's 5 little story's all interlocked together, and introducing Sam.. 

Spoiler

You see him about in the film and assume he's a lost little treat or treater.. and by the end of the film your rooting for the little guy. 

 

A great Halloween film, if you've not seen it, I definitely recommend watching it, Go in blind and you'll enjoy it more.

[Devon Malcolm]

24 minutes ago, Shirtie said:

Treat R Treat 

Arrow video released a 4k version of this a few weeks ago, I've saved it I'll tonight as it seemed appropriate... 

I have for the last few years been watching a DVD rip as the dvd has long been out of print, so this was a instant buy when Arrow announced it.

 

It's 5 little story's all interlocked together, and introducing Sam.. 

  Reveal hidden contents

You see him about in the film and assume he's a lost little treat or treater.. and by the end of the film your rooting for the little guy. 

 

A great Halloween film, if you've not seen it, I definitely recommend watching it, Go in blind and you'll enjoy it more.

Maybe in with a shout for being the greatest horror anthology of all time. If it wasn't for Dead of Night.

[Devon Malcolm]

Heretic (cinema)

Hugh Grant does an impression of Jar-Jar Binks. Which is probably the highlight but that shouldn't reflect badly on the rest of this as it's very enjoyable. It loses its way a little at the end but a great build of tension and a trio of superb performances. It's not as good as is being claimed in many quarters but it is a really good time.

Late Night with the Devil (Prime)

Nah. This isn't very good. Leans very heavily on Ghostwatch and doesn't manage to build any kind of atmosphere at all. David Dastmalchian deserves better. The directors can fuck off with that AI shit too.

The Loved Ones (Prime)

Delighted that this stands up so well. It's one of the best horror films of the century - tremendously mean-spirited, well acted and with characters that matter. Robin McLeavy should be a huge star by now, what a performance.

Thanksgiving 

Despite being an Eli Roth film it actually starts promisingly with that mental Black Friday scene. Thereafter it's just a really boring and stupid slasher film with a predictable villain and shite ending. Fuck Eli Roth.

In a Violent Nature (Shudder)

I'll take it. I like the perspective and the slow pace, even if it's badly acted and loses confidence in itself near the end. But at least it's different and there's one murder in here that is an instant all-time classic. I will never do yoga.

The Exorcist: Believer 

As reported, it's bad. It's not a total disaster - the opening third is very atmospheric and seems to be going somewhere. Then it's just another possession film with nothing new to say. And now they're re-rebooting this franchise with Mike Flanagan, who I like, but just let this series die ffs.

Immaculate (Prime)

I don't know why Sydney Sweeney did this. It's completely beneath her at this stage in her career. Nothing nobody hasn't seen dozens of times before, slightly redeemed by an awesome ending. Otherwise pointless.

Night Shift (2023)

Dreadful. A decent cast but just terrible. I don't know how Phoebe Tonkin got roped into this and she does her best but it's one of the worst films of the year by far.

The Fog

Ahoy there.

Prince of Darkness

I think it might be the greatest horror film of all time, you know.

[SaitoRyo]

Time Cut

This was a bit shite. The wife and I stuck it on because it was a 90-minute teen slasher and it was Halloween and both felt there wasn't much there to enjoy. It's a time travel supposed horror that is derivative of Happy Death Day and Totally Killer (despite being filmed before the latter), but it's not as good as either of those. Not a lot of actual horror or violence, but a lot of scenes of teens talking about their feelings and how hard they have it in life. Not outright terrible or anything, but very much a 2/5 affair that you can afford to skip.