VHS and Betamax You Have Recently Rented

[Bellenda Carlisle]

12 hours ago, RIDDUM_N_STYLE said:

Doc of Chucky - a full extensive look at the Child’s Play/Chucky franchise 

Full and extensive is right, is that the one that's 5 hours long? I couldn't believe it when I started watching it and saw the runtime, it didn't drag somehow and I watched it in one go.

I found it really interesting that the first film was the compromise between the guy who created the basic vague idea and envisioned it as a camp John Watersesque satire, and the more straightforward director who forced it into the shape of a traditional horror film.  It shows why the films get more out there later in the series as he had more creative control.

I always loved Child's Play 1, it's one of my all time faves and I enjoy the others but I really hate that Brad Dourif's daughter possessed by chucky character in the recent stuff. It's so shark jumping that it puts me off the franchise.

[SaitoRyo]

23 minutes ago, Bellenda Carlisle said:

Full and extensive is right, is that the one that's 5 hours long? I couldn't believe it when I started watching it and saw the runtime, it didn't drag somehow and I watched it in one go.

I found it really interesting that the first film was the compromise between the guy who created the basic vague idea and envisioned it as a camp John Watersesque satire, and the more straightforward director who forced it into the shape of a traditional horror film.  It shows why the films get more out there later in the series as he had more creative control.

I always loved Child's Play 1, it's one of my all time faves and I enjoy the others but I really hate that Brad Dourif's daughter possessed by chucky character in the recent stuff. It's so shark jumping that it puts me off the franchise.

I used to love the Child's Play/Chucky films when I was younger. Had a tonne of dolls, figures and even a comic book series about it, as well as all the VHS tapes, DVDs etc. 

I re-watched the original not too terribly long ago and it really does hold up as a very fun and effective 80-something minute horror thriller. I still like the second and third Child's Play films, as well as Bride of Chucky. A lot of nostalgia for me there and they're just easy watches that don't ask a lot.

It starts going a bit wonky with Seed of Chucky, which I have no desire to ever watch again. I felt like Curse and Cult had their moments, but I've resisted watching the series as the bits and pieces I've seen really do not seem like my sort of thing. I caught the reboot in the cinema when it came back and felt like it was OK but nowhere near as good as the original. 

I might give that doc a look at some point, though (albeit probably in two or three sittings).

[LaGoosh]

Perfect Blue - this anime is pretty highly acclaimed but it didn't do too much for me. Great animation but the story felt quite rushed. The main character went from normal to mental breakdown pretty immediately. 

The Firm - amazed that I hadn't seen this already. Brilliant film with maybe the best Oldman performance I've seen. He's absolutely magnetic here. I love the look of British films from this era - both cinematic but also very real - close to a documentary even. The bit with the baby and the Stanley knife very successfully tapping into my worst fear as a parent, Jesus Christ.

Anora - I loved this and it's deserving of all the awards. Great tonal shifts throughout. It starts as a fairly generic Pretty Woman-esque fairy tale light sex, turns into a comedy filled with the best bumbling goons I've seen in years then the final third is just emotionally brutal. There's a lot to take from this about capitalism, class, exploitation and the human experience. A heartbreaking ending.

Thief - hell yeah! Heat is a film I admire more than I like. Thief was much more my type of thing. Feels like a prototype of Heat at times but this one is more emotional and cool. Filled to the brim with beautiful shots, wonderfully grimy and gross character actors, a great score and held together by a spectacular James Caan performance. What an actor. 

Edited June 25, 2025 by LaGoosh

[SaitoRyo]

15 minutes ago, LaGoosh said:

Thief - hell yeah! Heat is a film I admire more than I like. Thief was much more my type of thing. Feels like a prototype of Heat at times but this one is more emotional and cool. Filled to the brim with beautiful shots, wonderfully grimy and gross character actors, a great score and held together by a spectacular James Caan performance. What an actor. 

I think I need to re-watch this. Have seen it a few times, but the last time was probably a decade ago. It's such a fucking good film. Caan and Tuesday Weld both fantastic (that diner scene). And, as you mentioned, just beautifully shot. 

[Hannibal Scorch]

21 hours ago, Jesse said:

This was my first Anderson and it immediately catapulted into my all-timers list. Seen it two more times since then and it still hits me like a truck every time.

It’s really funny, I only started watching Wes Anderson quite late (maybe a decade or so), and whilst I still haven’t seen a few key ones, Astroid City was the one that after I walked out the cinema I thought I think I’m done. Thought it was just a bit of a slog and when I tried to watch it at home with my wife we got half way through and just said it was boring and we turned it off. Glad you enjoyed it though.

[Devon Malcolm]

2 hours ago, LaGoosh said:

Thief - hell yeah! Heat is a film I admire more than I like. Thief was much more my type of thing. Feels like a prototype of Heat at times but this one is more emotional and cool. Filled to the brim with beautiful shots, wonderfully grimy and gross character actors, a great score and held together by a spectacular James Caan performance. What an actor. 

Yeah, I prefer this to Heat, too. More my sort of crime film, feels like something they were making 10 years before. Just really procedural and unglossy and full of bastards.

Edited June 25, 2025 by Devon Malcolm

[cobra_gordo]

28 Years Later. What the actual fuck did I just watch? Utter dogshit. Beautifully filmed and scored but still dogshit.

[TibBo]

I always thought 28 Days Later lost its way as soon as they left the city. Like they had the idea of how eerie it would be if London was deserted for the opening scene, and then realised they had another 80 minutes to fill with meandering shit. 
 

The Jimmy Saville situation in the new one hasn’t changed my mind on their writing process.

[LaGoosh]

1 minute ago, TibBo said:

always thought 28 Days Later lost its way as soon as they left the city. Like they had the idea of how eerie it would be if London was deserted for the opening scene, and then realised they had another 80 minutes to fill with meandering shit

I'd agree with that. The army base third act in particular is horrendously bad. The fact that all this is taking place less than a month after the apocalypse is very stupid.

I was going to see 28 Years Later in the cinema but the mixed reactions have me wavering. I don't typically like Boyle/Garland either.

[cobra_gordo]

I will say that Jodie Comer is typically fantastic but that's about it. The whole film just felt confused and I'm gutted because I adore 28 Weeks Later.

[Merzbow]

I watched 28 Days Later recently to get back into the series but thought it was pretty dog shit this time around and it actively put me off even bothering going to the cinema. It just felt like a bunch of disconnected set-pieces that weren't all that great on their own terms, but yeah that final third is the worst of the lot.

[Chris B]

It's not often we have a spoiler thread for movies but there is one for 28 Years Later. And I do think its a film that's worth seeing unspoiled and having your own reactions to. 

[Bellenda Carlisle]

M3GAN 2.0 Judgment Day

I love M3gan, it's one of my favourite films of the last few years, I watched it again last night in advance of watching the sequel and it's still brilliant. 

M3gan 2 is one of those sequels that is just completely different in tone to the first one, like Happy death day which was a clever little slasher whereas happy death day 2 was a terrible Sci fi film with a completely different vibe. I would have enjoyed it more if I'd known that going in.

[Hannibal Scorch]

I really enjoyed M3gan 2.0 Judgement Day, but then I also enjoyed HDD2U so…

[SaitoRyo]

Cop Land

Fucking hell, they used to make films, didn't they?

I'd only seen this once, almost twenty years ago, and had forgotten how fucking good it is (though I did vividly recall the last ten minutes of it). Just a really well-written, well-acted, good-versus-bad film that ramps up the tension very effectively as it goes along.

What an unbelievable cast Mangold had to pull it off with. Surprised that it got middling reviews at the time and it feels like it's underrated today.

Depressed Sherriff Stallone getting drunk and falling asleep to sad Springsteen songs >>>>>>>

Deep Cover (2025)

This isn't as good as Cop Land (obviously) but it is a lot of fun (much more fun than I thought it would be). It's a silly film with a thin premise, but the cast are game and it has some really funny one-liners and a couple of decent set piece action scenes. Worth sticking on if you want some popcorn entertainment and have Prime and ninety minutes to spare.