"Why don't you eat my fart" - Tyler (Jason Crowe)
Student project/fanmade horror anthology. Volumes of Blood features 4 urban myth tales all based in a community college library. With a wrap-around plot about the pupils & film crew telling the stories, while a killer stalks them.
As a teeth cutting exercise for those involved its undeniably ok and features some fun atmospheric moments, but for the average viewer like me it didn't amount to a great deal.
Original list and the 30 rules http://ift.tt/1NM2ApG
This is a tentative draft and bound to change. Plus my movie viewing will be cut down drastically when the game No Mans Sky releases, luckily it isn't till late in the month.
3 - Never had the opportunity to know him. So I put in Virgin Soldiers as he was a big Bowie fan.
7 - picked from scumbalina, who always stumbles over oddities.
...plus 20 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
.:: Scavenger Hunt #14 May 2016 - Film #6 ::.
"I spent the entire night processing Chester the molesters report" - Detective Wilder (Pam Grier)
Grier plays single mother and detective Della Wilder, whose trying her damnedest to crack a murder case involving a rogue doctor played by Heuer. Only Della becomes romantically involved with him.
Forgettable, painfully dated and wasted the talents of Pam Grier & Rutger Hauer in what can only be described as 80's cable TV movie like filler roles. Reminded me of a double episode of Cagney & Lacey, only with more cheese.
.:: Scavenger Hunt #14 May 2016 - Film 14 ::.
"They say dead mans shoes are unlucky, but what of dead childrens toys?" - Narrator (Jasper Britton)
This is about the closest I could get to an unseen Hitchcock. While I agree its a stretch to credit it to him. Because this is built around his work which seemed more a poducer/editor role, and looked far more like Bernstein at the wheel.
Night Will Fall is a documentary about a restored Sidney Bernstein and Alfred Hitchcock documentary that lay unfinished, had been long forgotten and thought lost. Till researchers in 1984 discovered footage that turned out to be their unfinished/shelved film from 1945 about German concentration camps. That was simply titled 'German Concentration Camps Factual Survey' that was intended to be feature lengh.
While HBO/Andre Singers 'Night Will Fall' succeeds at what it intended, its likely that its modernistic talking heads format strips away much of the power that the bleak original GCCFS had.
Incidentally Billy Wilders similar war documentary Death Mills used material from the same soldiers and war correspondants, I had done a letterboxd review of that but its gone missing in action, likely due to a TMDB page/information change or something.
"Even if he is a bit queer he's a gentleman" - The landlady (Mary Ault) obviously in caption text
I'm sure even Mr. Novello had a wry grin when he first read that. I originally rewatched this to add to my scavenger hunt 14 list as my unseen Hitchcock pick, but decided to go with the documentary 'Night Will Fall' because it features footage he shot from a Belsen concentration camp.
Ever the sly dog and showman, Hitch skillfully builds suspense then pulls the rug from under the audience in the final minutes. It features a nervy bath scene reminiscent of the shower one he shot years later for Psycho. Ever the perverse foot fetishist, he even self indulgently includes a close-up of virtuous Daisys twinkling toes.
Style wise its clearly influenced by one of Hitchcocks other passions German expressionist cinema. I wouldn't class it among his best features, but its definitely his most impressive silent era ones, and probably best till Lady Vanishes, that came 11 years later.
..:: Machismovision - Film #35 ::..
.:: Scavenger Hunt #14 May 2016 - Film #30.5 ::.
"yelp... please continue" - Samantha (Lili Simmons)
I couldn't choose between this or 'Hateful Eight' in Scavenger Hunt 14 so bent the rules and picked both. So glad I did too because they've both been immensely entertaining.
Having seen and enjoyed S Craig Zahlers previously penned movie 'The Incident', its great hes swftly stepped-up with 'Bone Tomahawk' his directorial debut. It's an hybrid western/horror about a tribe of cave dwelling cannibals kidnapping a young married nurse. The towns sheriff alongside the nurses husband form a posse to get her back.
Its rare cross genre movies like this succeed in both fields, but it gleefully bucks that trend. It does take its time to pick up steam, but boy did that slow build payoff. Russel, Fox, Jenkins and Wilson make a fine little ensemble, plus being a 'Banshee' fan it was cool seeing the mighty purty Lili Simmons.
..:: Machismovision - Film #34 ::..
.:: Scavenger Hunt #14 May 2016 - Film #30 ::.
"When I knew me had the son of the bloody nigger killer of Baton Rouge..." - Major Marquis Warren (Samuel L. Jackson)
Tarrantino's second western riffs on Hitchcocks Lifeboat and stodgy television westerns, utilises an hand-me-down horror soundtrack and arguably past their prime actors... yet somehow still manages to come across as being one of freshest movies of the last few years.
A stagecoach carrying a bounty hunter and captee travel through a snowy Wyoming wilderness, while en route to hand in his bounty. They pick up a couple of extra passengers and are forced to stopover in a mountain lodge to see out an inbound storm. Only they the lodge isn't as safe a shelter as it appears.
Its a slightly more subdued affair than 'Django Unchained', certainly less showy but definitely still on a par with it (I honestly couldn't pick which I prefer out of the two). 'The Hateful Eights' kinda his version of a revisionist western thriller with a black comedy edge. The ensemble cast, mostly familiar QT actors all performed brilliantly, especially Leigh, Russel & Dern. Plus great seeing Madsen & Goggins dragged out of grade z-movie junk. Most memorable moment was definitely Jacksons hilarious OTT 'black cock white mouths' revenge subplot.
..:: Machismovision - Film #33 ::..
.:: Scavenger Hunt #14 May 2016 - Film #9 ::.
"One way or the other, you die at the end" - Willie (Robert Blake)
A well-known local indian Willie Boy kidnaps an half indian named Lola, figuring it isn't as serious as it appears Sheriff Cooper half heartedly forms a posse to bring the renegade to justice. Only because its close to an election, Coop and the posse are pressured into bringing him in dead or alive, with a strong public sway towards dead.
Having to compete with Redfords most fondly remembered film 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid' (also released in 1969) probably didn't help Willie Boy's box office or reputation. And I'd guess sympathizing with the pesky Paiute stealing women didn't help it a great deal either. Which is a shame because its an entertaining ride. Blakes effective as the fugitive and Redfords charismatic as ever, love his retort to the standing mayor. Highlights the final chase with Dave Grusin's freak-out rattlesnake-a-like score. Due to its slushy doomed romantic side and lulls in action its probably best saved for a free wet afternoon viewing.
..:: Machismovision - Film #32::..
.::Scavenger Hunt #14 May 2016 - Film #10::.
"Heavens above Rose, Scotland is far far away" - John Ross (Rory McCann)
Old Jock Western! Well it had to be something special to bring my Sunday western Machismovision list out of hibernation, and John Macleans 'Slow West' is pretty damn special.
John Maclean: Step aside Citizen Cane theres a new debut in town. So happy my boys done so well, what a truly startling first feature. Back when he was a musician I was a huge Beta Band fan (his original day job). I attended every show they ever did here in Manchester (98-2004) plus Glastonbury. And then his The Aliens offshoot where I met John, Robin & Gordon at Night'n'Day, even had my photo with the boys... good times.
Slow West: Jay travels from Scotland to the new frontier land America, in search of his love Rose. Only encounters a bounty hunter who uses
Visually its exceptionally beautiful. The casts phenomenal, Kodi Smit-McPee was a revelation. Then you got the always dependable Fassbender & Mendelsohn who are a different class here, as are the other support. Even the simplistic story and dialogue was amazing. Ohh and the 'kill that house' climax was a truly wonderful ode to Peckinpah. Trust me if you love westerns, you'll love Slow West...theres nods to traditionals, euros (spaghettis) and even acid-westerns with the peyote scene. Only flaw was it should have been twice as long, because 85 minutes wasn't enough.
P.S.
I was so tempted to give it 4.5 but wasn't sure if that would look like favoritism. So I went with 4, least it gives me scope to rank Macleans next feature higher. Just hope he doesn't pull a Welles, and decline after second feature (Ambersons).
.::Scavenger Hunt #14 May 2016 - Film #11::.
"Yeah cool, lets go kick it at Freddy Krugers rape shack" - Nate (Nathaniel Peterson)
While on a guys road trip to Canada, two friends encounter a tribe of sasquatch like beasts.
Short, sweet and suprisingly good little indie creature feature. It has a very light quirky tone that reminded me so much of the 80's anthology show Amazing Stories. Definitely worth hunting out.
.::Scavenger Hunt #14 May 2016 - Film #12::.
"I hate my little hairy baby dog dick" - Turbeaux (Paul Prado)
Motherface has already caused II delta bi party massacres. Brent the identical brother of Brock who had been murdered in the previous years massacre, is determined Mortherface won't cause a III'rd.
Hilarious 80's video horror pastiche from 5-second films. That does for fraternity horrors (especially their cheesy sequels) what 'Lost After Dark' did for summer camp splatter films. Far from perfect, but thats likely intentional. I loved Officer Sminkle and TurbeauX's characters,the acting was very reminiscent of the young National Lampoon stars.
"The only difference between Jesus and a picture of Jesus is you only need one nail to hang up the picture" - Roland (D. Whitney)
Markus's serene family lifestyle hides a sinister secret... hes a psychopath with an unhealthy interest in his deceased satanist fathers basement.
Some pretty decent homemade gores wasted on its infantile none script. I get they're video nasties not video nice'ies, but this is just turgid. With its relentless anti Christian vibe and its suspiciously insulting tone towards the disabled.
.::Scavenger Hunt #14 May 2016 - Film #29::.
"You can't threaten our relationship by stepping in shit and walking it in here" - Bill (Iggy Pop)
Horrendous, boring and excruciatingly inept thriller. Iggy plays haggard past his prime musician Bill (hey, why the giggles?). He's happy idling his time away in a beautiful secluded Spanish villa with his even more beautiful looking but unfaithful wife Isabelle. Until a stranger from her past shows up out of the blue, and tries to bribe her.
Outside of Kacey Clarke's admittedly amazing body (she can't act for shit, but would make a fine bond girl) it was a total waste of time. Unless your after a painfully dull story with zero tension. Unfair to pick on one because all the actings truly f'cking atrocious, they delivered their lines like god damn automatons. It isn't surprising they all seem to be working under aliases, Iggy as any decent pop quizzer knows was James Osterberg Jr, Kacey Clarke used to be Kacey Barnfield, hell even writer director Toby Tobias was Toby Arnold.
"The true purpose was to use me as a guinea pig in a macabre experiment" - Hombre Crabman (Frederico Martin)
Super silly Planet of the Apes styled 10 minute Spanish short. An astronauts double crossed by his satanic run space command, and he's turned into a Zoidberg like humanoid crab during a routine planetary exploration.
Goofy fun.
.::Scavenger Hunt #14 May 2016 - Film #25::.
"Up there they have their own families and respect each other" - Ljuba Stojanovic
Interestingly out there Serbian short following an elderly Yugoslavian man Ljuba. Who nostalgically shares his memories of his countrys decline and former leader Marshal Tito's reign. While bizarrely claiming to be able to contact another planet and secondary universe. Filmed mostly around marvellous looking futuristic monuments Tito had commissioned around Yugoslavia.
Shame it wasn't longer, because it looks beautiful. The rural folk reminded me so much of the wonderful 'The Moon and the Sledgehammer' documentary.
"I also buried 1,600 kilos of cocaine somewhere in the apartment... right next to the cure for blindness" - Deadpool/Wade (Ryan Reynolds)
More a one man standup routine than satisfying story. Thankfully Reynolds and his pop-culture reference/fourth wall breaking material is hilarious. The trouble is its him, him, him and everything else feels totally secondary. Its like Chris Martin and Coldplay, you mean theres 3 other guys in the band? Theres absolutely zero depth to the story or supporting characters, in places it actually felt pretty b-movie grade.
While I laughed and enjoyed it for what it was. Because in its credit its a very good popcorn picture, perfectly suited for a one off viewing experience. But I hope the inevitable sequel brings far more substance, more along the lines of Iron Man and Captain America.
.::Scavenger Hunt #14 May 2016 - Film #13::.
"You remind me of Sylvester Stallone, he was a really good artist" - Art teacher
Even though I was apprehensive about seeing this. Partly because it looked crappy and I tend to hate vanity projects by privileged celebrity offsprings. But I confess that I sorta enjoyed it. And while I agree with the majority here that its a very cool debut feature for both the young director Gia Coppola and actor Jack Kilmer. I felt the story was far too lifeless in places, for me it lacked the overall consistency to merit the insanely high praise its generated. But it was damned good in places and I'll definitely not wait years to see Gia's next release.
