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The Uninvited (1944)
The Uninvited
This film was just about OK. I enjoyed Ray Milland's performance, there were a couple of spooky moments and it was an easy enough watch but overall the lack of moody atmosphere, occasional slapstick comedy and some bad acting meant if felt like an average 40s drama rather than a quality supernatural horror. The story was predictable and any mysteries were solved very quickly without much effort so the suspense was also minimal.
At first I put the lack of scares and atmosphere down the age of the film but then remembered the far superior Dead of Night, released the following year, which is at times creepier, eerier and overall way more atmospheric. This then led me on to a train of thought of older films that are either spookier, more atmospheric or both, such as The Cabinet of Dr Caligari (1920), Dracula (31), The Invisible Man (32), The Old Dark House (32), The Face at the Window (39), The Lodger (44) and I'm sure there's plenty more, which only led me to think even less of The Univited.
Gosford Park (2001)
So so film briefly marred by Stephen Fry
Fairly enjoyable whodunnit due to interesting characters. It does keep you guessing and there's so many characters and so many subplots it does feel quite juicy while you're in the middle of it all but then after all the interweaving and back stabbing and drama and twists it somehow manages to feel a little pointless by the end. The worst bit is the 20-minute segment featuring Stephen Fry as a bumbling detective. Prior to this the film is a serious straight forward murder mystery but then for 20 minutes it turns into slapstick. Then when Fry's character leaves the film goes back to how it was before he appeared. An unnecessary digression and unnecessary character.
Quatermass 2 (1957)
Dreadful
Awful silly sci fi that takes itself far too seriously. Terrible acting all round. Dumb characters doing dumb things in a dumb setting.
The guy playing Quatermass does so with such fervour that he comes across as a mad scientist, especially with his rant near the beginning about there being nothing more important in the world than colonising the moon.
It's very melodramatic throughout. Lots of helpful coincidences that get the good guys out of tricky situations. Daft dialogue. Totally lacking in atmosphere and suspensee.
Time Trap (2017)
Really glad I watched it and ignored the bad reviews.
My partner and I have spent a lot of time trawling through Netflix recently trying to find a good Saturday night film with no success. I came across this one in an article that highlighted it was a must see and was about to leave Netflix. I guess this goes to show there are hidden gems on there that for some reason don't comes up a recommendations and must take a lot of in depth searching to find, since we had never come across this one before despite all our scrolling through the genres.
I almost didn't watch this film because of the bad reviews stating characters were dumb and the film was executed poorly. I went into it thinking it was at best going to start poor and with poor writing but that the ending would be worth it. Well, thanks to all the reviewers that wrote such critical reviews for lowering my expectations! This was a really enjoyable film. My partner and I both thoroughly enjoyed it - a great Saturday night film!
I kept waiting for the poor characters and script to kick in but it didn't, what were other people expecting? This is not a character study or intellectual film, it's about every day people caught up in a weird experience. I really thought I was going to struggle with this one due to poor characters and script given what has been written about it but I didn't feel that way at all. I was interested and engaged throughout. The film is short and moves at good pace so you don't feel bored. The enigma of the situation develops at good pace too, keeping you wondering and intrigued.
If there was any downside it was just that the ending was a little too happy. If it had been downbeat bit probably would have given a lot of gravitas to the whole thing. Even so, it was still satisfying and it did leave you wondering about what might happen next for the characters.
A good film that I'd recommend and would watch again.
Come Back, Little Sheba (1952)
Great for the most part
I found this a very interesting and watchable film. Burt Lancaster's character was an interesting enigma and I felt engaged throughout, feeling like he was going to do something unexpected and possibly horrific. There were lots of mysteries at first, which slowly revealed themselves throughout the film. I really enjoyed it up until the end where it suddenly seemed to get wrapped up very quickly in a clean, nice and happy way, which was out of kilter with the pace and tone of the film up until that point. It really let it down.
Here Comes Hell (2019)
Thought it might be funny bad but was just terrible
From reading it reviews it sounds like this film could go either way - you'll either love it 'cost it's so bad it's good or you'll hate it because it's just bad bad. I was hoping for the former but got the latter, to the point that I just had to give up half way through and turn it off. The acting was poor but not in an amusing way. Characters, setting, storyline - all very plain , cliched and dull. I think the film makers had good intentions but there was just nothing engaging about this film and the poor acting just made it unwatchable.
5 Fingers (1952)
5 Fingers
Loved watching James Mason in this, he portrayed such a smarmy and condescending attitude perfectly. Unfortunately I found the story a little dull after I had researched the actual events after watching about half of this. Before doing so I had the impression the traitor was British which made the story more fascinating - why would a Brit do such a thing? Once I found out the truth I lost interest in this film.
Color Out of Space (2019)
Well directed but a bit dull and too long
I really liked how this film was directed, it had style without being flashy.
Nic Cage stands out like a sore thumb and steals the show, making all the other characters seem dull next to him. I guess that's a risk you take when you put Cage in a film. It's not that he or his character are particularly brilliant in this, it's just that he's better (or, at least, more entertaining) than the rest. He's probably better in films where he's the sole character like in Mandy, rather than as part of a family unit (though he is more toned down in the excellent Mom & Dad and he works well in that).
The film was over-long with unnecessary characters. The squatter, for example, added nothing at all. His scenes could have been edited out and the film would not have lost anything at all and would have in fact gained from being a bit shorter. The hydrologist guy, he felt like a significant character but again by the end I'm wondering if he could have been taken out too. He felt like an under-developed character who should have made more of an impact.
The story was OK at first but I lost interest after a while. Aside from early Cronenberg I'm not much into body horror as I find it a bit dull and this also reminded me a bit of Brian Yuzna films (which I don't like).
Very nicely directed but nothing else really to make it worthwhile.
Llamageddon (2015)
The title made me laugh but that's the only thing that did
I couldn't finish this film, I gave it maybe 20 minutes but it was unbearable. This is not "so bad it's good" like other reviewers are suggesting and giving this a 10 out of 10 (probably all fake reviews from the director). On the basis of those reviews I went into this thinking I would be perpetually amused or bemused a la Wiseau's The Room but I was not. This was unwatchable bad not funny bad.
Bill & Ted Face the Music (2020)
Very disappointed
The best thing about this film is Alex Winter, who slips back into the role as if he's never been away. He really brings it to life and his enthusiasm carries the film. William Sadler does a good job as Death again and Ted's dad is quite funny in the beginning but both their roles are very small. Keanu Reeves is horrid and his facial expression does not change throughout the whole film. He looks like a robot.
The biggest let down is the story, which has so much potential and all of it was lost. We don't even get to know and like the historic characters that are being transported to the present in the way we did with Excellent Adventures, even though this is following he same format. They are all left in the background and this is one area where the potential of he film was completely wasted. What a missed opportunity! This film felt like a rush job.
The Mind Benders (1963)
Like an early version of Altered States
The first three quarters of this film were very enjoyable and quite intriguing. Dealing with the idea of sensory deprivation and the effects it can have on the brain it clearly must have had a big influence on the 80's film Altered States.
It was a bit melodramatic at points - especially Bogarde's acting. And the last quarter where his brainwashing is reversed by having to deliver his wife's baby was a bit dull.
Screen One: Sweet Nothing (1990)
I couln't finish it
The fact that the first 10 minutes of this TV film made no sense whatsoever didn't help but after 20 minutes i was finding it so dull i just couldnt carry on. I skipped ahead to the end to get the gist and it alll seemed very predictable. Felt a bit superficial and not an engaging gritty realistic drama. As for the intro - the lad gets home from school one day and his parents have left with all thier belongings and not told him? What? Why? There is no explanation. And is it realistic? They took every item including every last tin of beans and slice of bread and piece of crockery, the cupboards were bare! As if! It would take immense planning and some massive operation to pull that off entirely behind your teenage child's back and in the short time they are in school. And who would take every last thing anyway? Then he finds something in the bin (i guess they did leave something afterall) that suggests they've gone to Canada? What? With all that stuff?
The bizarreness continues as he immediately starts to sleep rough in houses for sale and then the streets - did he have no friends or family he could call on for help?
Play for Today: Just a Boys' Game (1979)
Just a Boys Game
Very realistic and enjoyable. Great acting, interesting story and characters. I think reading the synopsis let it down for me as I expected this to be more of an exploration into a 'hard man' and why he was like that, what societal pressures he was under and what his life was like but it wasn't really like that. It was more of a section of his life without any real in depth revelations. Had it not been for the dying grandfather this would have seemed like a totally random section of this mans life. Had I not read the synopsis I think I would have enjoyed it more as I would not have had the expectations e.g. It says Jake has to keep up the reputation of being the hardest man in town but at no point was it made clear he was the hardest man or that he had to keep this reputation up. So I kept waiting for that aspect to be delved into but it never was. Also not sure how realistic this portrayal of a hard man was - Jake was very calm, caring and even philosophical. Not exactly the aggressive drug dealing gangster you would expect. Also he had no gang, he just hung around with some loser who was not hard at all and shied away from any kind of confrontation. Jake in fact came across as quite a decent chap who just happens to be in a bad situation and, apparently, super hard.
Suddenly, Last Summer (1959)
Interesting story but a bit boring as a film
This is an interesting tale but watching it on film was a bit dull. Felt like it would be more enjoyable as a short story.
The Anniversary (1968)
Totally pointless
A mean old woman and her three idiotic children gather for the anniversary of the death of the husband/father.
Bette Davis spends the entire film criticising, belittling and playing psychological games with her 3 children, resulting in them hating her and themselves. That really is all it is and at the end you wonder what was the point of all that?
The Terror (2018)
2 episodes of series 1
Was looking forward to this but had to give up after 2 episodes and feel like I totally wasted my Saturday night. Incredibly slow paced and with unengaging characters that I didn't care for at all. In two 40 minute episodes all that had happened was they got stuck in ice and one person got killed by a giant polar bear. Wow, a giant polar bear. Is that what this show is about? I have no interest now in watching the crew survive the polar bear attacks or slowly die in the ice. Such a boring storyline and the subplots and character developments were so uninteresting that there was nothing worth watching this show for. Just so, so boring.
The Karate Kid Part III (1989)
Waaaay better than part 2 and is pretty a pretty fun film
Karate Kid Part 3 has a terrible rating and some terrible reviews and often gets criticised as being worse than Part 2 for reasons I cannot fathom. KK part 2 isn't even a karate film and is really dull (see my review). KK3 is like part 1 but rougher around the edges. It's not quite as good overall but it's got a load of proper bad guys and quite a lot of drama and tension. Pacing is good, story is pretty good (the whole bonsai tree thing is actually quite a good sub plot I think) and the revenge themes is juicy and well played out (esp. the "making the knuckles bleed" element). The first KK film is only a 7 for me anyway - it's good but not great. I give this a 6 only because it's not the original but it's equally enjoyable. It's an easy watch and doesn't drag.
The Karate Kid Part II (1986)
Slow, uneventful and not a karate (kid) film
Karate Kid 2 is the worst of the 3 Karate Kid films featuring the Daniel LaRusso character. It shouldn't even really be under the Karate Kid moniker since it features very little karate. In fact the only karate is the end fight really. Yeah Daniel gets a couple of mild beatings (nothing like what he received in 1 or 3) but that's it. There's not even any training. Really it should be called "Mr Miyagi goes home to reconcile with lost love and shamed best friend" because that's all that happens. Very slow and very uneventful. Daniel didn't even need to be in it, take him out and it would be the same film. The Daniel character and end fight are very forced and "stuck on" elements that feel added just to get this film under the Karate Kid title. Even as a Miyagi film it's still boring and really, really pointless. Karate Kid 3 gets a lot of criticism but it's so much better than this one.
Love the Coopers (2015)
A christmas film for the background (when wrapping presents)
This is like a better version of Love Actually. It's a multi-character film about a family of misfits. It's nothing special but it is OK for background watching when you are wrapping presents or something. There's actually some moments that catch you off-guard when it goes in the opposite direction of what you expect from predictable holiday movies. It's not one I'd watch every year but yeah, I thought it was OK.
The Dead Don't Die (2019)
The Dead Don't Die
Overall feeling after watching this film is that it was pointless which is annoying because there was something about the atmosphere and pacing that I really liked but as for story or anything happening to actually keep my interest, there was nothing. The Tom Waits and Tilda Swinton characters and subplots were annoyingly and confusingly incomplete, rambling and pointless. Chloe Sevigny's character was bizarrely cliched and outdated - was this supposed to be a joke or just really lazy writing? The moments of self awareness, such as commenting about the "theme song", were not funny or smart and added a sense of pretentiousness. It's really weird that Jarmusch made this film & I don't know why he did. What was the USP? It didn't come across like it was a labour of love because he's a zombie film fan, it came across as though it was supposed to be a send up of zombie films but the jokes weren't frequent enough or funny enough and if anything it came across as if it is looking down its nose at such films and tropes and if that was the intention it's even more bizarre because then he's making a film about zombies to mock those who watch zombie films. All very odd.
Nightmare on the 13th Floor (1990)
Nightmare on any floor
Thought I might have stumbled on a hidden gem but after a dreadful 30 mins I couldn't bear any more and had to switch it off. The actung is bad, the plot is predictable and the kills are all done off screen. Really boring.
Hereditary (2018)
Hereditary
A run of the mill horror for me. Much like his other film Midsomer the atmosphere was pretty decent and there were creepy moments but the story lets it down. Exactly like Midsomer, I felt like this was a pointless film.
A lot of this story felt clunky, unbelievable and unconvincing. The seeming instigator of the events was the daughter's death which I found comical due the series of coincidental events that led up to it and the ludicrous manner in which she died. Why did the mother insist she go to the party for older teenagers? Unlikely. Why did the girl accept? Unlikely. Luckily for the film she has a nut allergy and eats some cake at the party which sets her off and continues the chain of events that leads to her head popping off - the brother rushing her to hospital and of course veering off the road due to a dead animal in his path and then getting the angles just right so that his sisters head is removed by a post. I actually sniggered when it happened.
Then there's just clunky bits like from out of nowhere we discover the mother is into witchcraft when she goes into an attic and starts going through witchcraft books - whose were they anyway and how come the exact relevant points to the film were already highlighted in the books?
SO not one for me really. Very over-rated. Other than a bit of atmosphere and the odd creepy moment it's really a pretty rubbish film.
Count Yorga, Vampire (1970)
Count Yorga, Vampire
It's alright. It's distinctly lacking in character development as I kept forgetting/getting confused over who was who and what the relationships were.
Some elements of the film were a bit naff and not very well done whereas other elements were quite sophisticated so it is quite a mixed bad. Same with the acting, which ranges from good to poor.
It was alright. It had its moments here and there but nothing really special or noteworthy about this one. I went into this one hoping for some great atmosphere after watching Sole Survivor (1984) and Messiah of Evil as this film came up on a website somewhere as in a similar category but it wasn't anywhere near as good as either.
Phenomena (1985)
Bad Argento
One of his bad ones. Sometimes even his films with poor story lines are worth watching for his style but there's none of it here and it could have been directed by anyone. Terrible acting, even from JC, and a score that is overly dramatic and often not fitting for the scene (like the scene where JC sleepwalks out into the trees and finds the murder's glove. It's very slow paced but the music is erratic, wild, loud and with vocals sounding like a woman possessed. It makes the scene laughably bad).
Cry-Baby (1990)
Cry Baby
Probably a great film for young teens but at my age I fund it too immature to watch. Full of silly characters and a dull story line, I found myself asking "why am I watching this? What am I getting out of it?" after about 15 minutes. There was nothing appealing to me about it at all so I couldn't even make it to half way.