VHS and Betamax You Have Recently Rented

[Mr_Danger]

44 minutes ago, davertfnewman said:

The Return of the Living Dead - horror comedy that's not the scariest movie nor the funniest, but has enough thrills and humour to keep you entertained throughout. Plus Linnea Quigley's tits.

The one memory I have of this is that the little lad in it pervs at his own sister near there beginning.

[davertfnewman]

6 minutes ago, Mr_Danger said:

The one memory I have of this is that the little lad in it pervs at his own sister near there beginning.

Might be thinking of a different movie, no kids in this one.

[Mr_Danger]

1 minute ago, davertfnewman said:

Might be thinking of a different movie, no kids in this one.

You’re right, it was Return of the Living Dead 2. Can’t believe I started the series one film in!

[SaitoRyo]

You're Cordially Invited

Completely disposable wedding-based comedy starring Reese Witherspoon and Will Farrell. It was fine as a Friday night movie to watch with The Wife, but it's not something I'll ever bother to sit through again. A few funny moments and Farrell is on good form, but yeah. This is very much glossy and uneven made-for-Prime fare. 

Bad Influence

I really enjoyed this, a noirish yuppie nightmare film starring James Spader and Rob Lowe (who are both excellent in it). It's less predictable than you think it's going to be and they do a really good job of creating intrigue while increasing the tension. One for the fans of sexy 80s/early 90s thrillers. 

[Just Some Guy]

16 hours ago, johnnyboy said:

With @Just Some Guy mentioning a Pink Panther run on here, myself and Mrs JB realised that we'd never got round to watching "The Party" which is the Pink Panther crew (Sellers, Blake Edwards, and Mancini on the tunes) outside of the Pink Panther franchise.

Brownface Mr Bean, with an accent that would make Fisher Stevens of Short Circuit blush, in a 60s house of the future.  Comic timing is bang on and it's very dense with gags, but the brownface could entirely ruin it for some.

Fantastically funny film that falls apart in the denouement which is, let's be kind, of it's time.

As is the brownface. 

[Carbomb]

There has rarely been a line as conflicting for me as "birdy num-num".

Watch Night Watch yesterday, the Russian vampire film. Very dark, decent if basic storyline premise, although there were places in which it felt a bit low-budget and studenty. Also, almost none of the characters other than the main get much development. There are a couple of them that you end up thinking "What was the point of introducing you in that way, when they do nothing with it?" Overall I enjoyed it as a bit of an action romp, but it felt like they were trying to cram a lot of things in; they might have been able to give those elements due attention if it weren't for all the time they gave the arty-farty sequences. Showed off the technical ability, but some of them were just a bit too long.

I understand that there's a sequel called Day Watch, so maybe those underdeveloped elements get dealt with in it, but they shouldn't be relying on sequels to do that, especially when there are so many of them.

[Chris B]

18 hours ago, davertfnewman said:

The Return of the Living Dead - horror comedy that's not the scariest movie nor the funniest, but has enough thrills and humour to keep you entertained throughout. Plus Linnea Quigley's tits.

This one showed up during an all-nighter mystery horror marathon at the Prince Charles Cinema I went to. Importantly, it wasn't a super-blokey audience. Very mixed, lots of women and couples. And when Linnea Quigley strips and dances, it got a genuine cheer and round of applause. I've been around for creepy responses to things, and this really wasn't that - just that the moment is so over the top and so much fun.

[ReturnOfTheMack]

The Night Watch was a book my local library recommended as 'the Russian Harry Potter'.

I'm glad I wasn't a parent taking that suggestion.

[davertfnewman]

2 hours ago, Chris B said:

This one showed up during an all-nighter mystery horror marathon at the Prince Charles Cinema I went to. Importantly, it wasn't a super-blokey audience. Very mixed, lots of women and couples. And when Linnea Quigley strips and dances, it got a genuine cheer and round of applause. I've been around for creepy responses to things, and this really wasn't that - just that the moment is so over the top and so much fun.

The characters play it off well ("She's getting naked again!") and she has the beautiful body anyway and comes off as powerful throughout the movie, so it works.

[Hannibal Scorch]

I liked Companion. It did get a bit silly and padded during the last 15 minutes but the rest was so fun I won’t judge to harshly. Thought all the cast were good but especially Sophie Thatcher. 

[Jesse]

3 hours ago, Carbomb said:

There has rarely been a line as conflicting for me as "birdy num-num".

Watch Night Watch yesterday, the Russian vampire film. Very dark, decent if basic storyline premise, although there were places in which it felt a bit low-budget and studenty. Also, almost none of the characters other than the main get much development. There are a couple of them that you end up thinking "What was the point of introducing you in that way, when they do nothing with it?" Overall I enjoyed it as a bit of an action romp, but it felt like they were trying to cram a lot of things in; they might have been able to give those elements due attention if it weren't for all the time they gave the arty-farty sequences. Showed off the technical ability, but some of them were just a bit too long.

I understand that there's a sequel called Day Watch, so maybe those underdeveloped elements get dealt with in it, but they shouldn't be relying on sequels to do that, especially when there are so many of them.

I recall really liking the books when I read them, and being disappointed by the adaptation. Should maybe revisit as an adult with a working brain

[TheBurningRed]

1 hour ago, Hannibal Scorch said:

I liked Companion. It did get a bit silly and padded during the last 15 minutes but the rest was so fun I won’t judge to harshly. Thought all the cast were good but especially Sophie Thatcher. 

Saw this yesterday. Really enjoyed it. Jack Quaid was great. Soundtrack was banging too. 

[Merzbow]

Queer, an often beautiful, sometimes strange but mostly meandering film that seemed to lack much of the grime and filth I'd expect from a William S Burroughs adaptation, Luca definitely made it his own movie but that's also why it fell a little flat to me. Daniel Craig was excellent though, maybe falling a little into pretentiousness but it worked for the character.

Babygirl, dog shit. The absolute dullest and straightest take on kink. It's not this era's Secretary as many have called it.

[SaitoRyo]

Deadly Blessing

Run-of-the-mill slasher by Wes Craven. It's somewhat interesting due to the rural setting the Amish-like group who are in it, as well as for featuring a young Sharon Stone, but there's nothing exceptional about it. You can definitely see Craven going for a more refine style after Last House on The Left and The Hills Have Eyes and it's not a surprise he started getting bigger-budget studio stuff after it, mind. 

[LaGoosh]

Coffy - a good, sleazy fun time. I've never seen a film where 50% of the scenes somehow manage to engineer someone getting their tits out. Pam Grier's acting is awful but also weirdly endearing, and it doesn't hurt that she is possibly the most sexy human to ever exist in history in this. My first blaxploitation film. Trashy, cheap and crude but I enjoyed it for what it what was. I'm going to check out a few more.

Edited February 7, 2025 by LaGoosh