What was the last movie you saw?

DEVILS OF DARKNESS 1965 - I remembered after the first time I watched it that I didn't like it and watching it again reinforced my opinion. It's obviously inspired by hammer films as well as a dash of Night of the Demon and perhaps Horror Hotel.
I think the biggest problem with it is the boring cast--the vampire is not threatening at all--and the hero is also rather lame. In one scene where two characters are discussing magic folklore and reading from some papers--you get a glimpse of these and can see they are script pages, not research notes.

LUST FOR A VAMPIRE 1971 -- Not a good one either although I can't dislike it too much. There's some humor and the fiery ending is pretty cool--especially the burning stake falling from the ceiling. In a better director's hands it could have been superior. One of the unintentional jokes is how Mike Raven is used as a Christopher Lee wannabe with dubbed voice and they even insert Lee's eyes in close up a couple of times.
Sunlight does not harm these vampires-a refreshing change from the average--they can only be killed by stake or decapitation. And that the villagers destroy the vampires--although we get the impression they only delayed another return by them. Which happens -- since Twins of Evil came out later in the same year--in fact 50 years ago this past weekend.
 
Stardust (2007)

A young man goes into a magical kingdom to find a fallen star, which is for some reason in the form of Claire Danes. Witches also want her, as does a disreputable prince. Shenanigans ensue.

It's adapted from a Neil Gaiman short novel, and feels very much like his work (and The Princess Bride). It's quite fun, but goes on slightly too long and perhaps has too many characters and twists, but maybe that's a reference to the fairy stories from which it derives. It's the sort of film that I remember as involving Stephen Fry and the voice of John Cleese, although neither is in it. Michelle Pfeiffer is very good as the villain.

One of the most interesting things is the near-complete lack of Tolkien as an influence. No orcs, no elves, no big battles - it makes for a pleasant change. Is this what fantasy would have been like if The Lord of the Rings had never been published?
 
Yakuza Princess (2021). A Japanese woman (Masumi) living in São Paulo finds out that she, being the sole survivor of the murder of her family, is the heiress of Osaka's biggest crime syndicate. At the same time, a foreign white guy (Jhonatan Rhys Meyers) wakes up in a hospital in that same city, not remembering a thing and only carrying a katana to find out who he is.

The fight scenes are cool, the characters are cool and the lightning is cool (it gets cyberpunk-ish sometimes). In sum, the rule of cool is king here. Some decisions don't make much sense...execept that they look cool. Take a bar fight scene for example: three stupid locals get all "handy" with the protagonist, so she picks up a cue stick to break their faces (and crotches). Of course, they come back later for revenge.

The major problem is that it lacks drama, and that's not because of the acting--it's because of the text itself. Played by two pop singers in their first acting roles, the protagonists do their fight scenes well and say what the script tells them to say, but the emotional is not compelling.
 
Interesting stuff!
Victoria Silverwolf said:
Cause For Alarm! (1951)

Loretta Young stars and narrates as a housewife whose sickly husband has paranoid fantasies that she and his doctor are plotting to kill him. He writes a letter to the District Attorney outlining his suspicions and has her mail it without knowing its contents. He goes way over the top, threatening her with a gun and revealing what he wrote in the letter. Before he can kill her, he drops dead. She panics, trying to get the letter back and concealing his death. There's a twist ending. It's an OK suburban melodrama. Barry Sullivan is good as the crazy husband.
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This was on NOIR ALLEY several weeks ago, is that when you saw it?
 
THE BLOOD ON SATAN'S CLAW 1971 - seen it before more than a few times.

MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE 1971 -- Seen this before too. The director said Jason Robards became depressed when making it because he realized Herbert Lom had the starring role. It is believed the mask for the Erik ape man was a leftover from the 2001 Dawn of Man sequence. TROG 1970 is also believed to have made use of one of those masks.
 
Ian Fortytwo said:
Firefox. With Clint Eastwood. A film so underrated I think. 9/10
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I agree. Admitted the FX are not that special but I liked it. And Clint is great playing Clint. That said, the film not much like [or as good as] the book!
For a 70-80s Techno Thriller I loved it!
 
I recall that the critics panned the film before its release, stating that Clint had taken on too much responsibility as producer, director and star of Firefox. Ho hum. Clint made them eat their words with a story of thrilling espionage and high octane excitement. What a guy. (y)
 
I-Spy I gave up after 15 minutes of so of watching Eddie Murphy and Owen Wilson waving their metaphorical penises in each other's faces. Apparently it was supposed to be a comedy. Even the presence of Gary Cole and Famke Janssen couldn't make me hang around any longer than that.
 
I like how FIREFOX goes from an espionage cat and mouse procedural hunt to a flying action movie.

Freddie Jones makes FIREFOX great.

Leonard Maltin's review of the film has a line "Freddie Jones deserves the Charles Laughton Award for eccentric acting."
 
Watched a Night Gallery episode--the second episode There Aren't Anymore MacBanes has a creepy creature in it. Mark Hamill has a role as a messenger.

Satan's School For Girls 1973 -- I don't think I had seen it before--the sequence with Pamela Franklin taking the painting to the room is genuinely creepy. I don't think it is as creepy as Black Noon or some other tv movies of the time but it's a worthwhile time killer.
 
Batman: Gotham by Gaslight (2008): Steampunk meets Sherlock Holmes meets superhero. The Ripper terrorizes Victorian-era Gotham. I didn't know this existed before I browsed in a library. It's Batman as a detective first and a vigilante second. I always enjoy the animation aspect of these DCU films, as it makes me fondly nostalgic for the 90s original series. I enjoyed Bruce Greenwood's voice work. Selina Kyle is also featured as a bit of a detective herself. I was genuinely surprised by the denouement. Highly recommended for fellow Batman enthusiasts.
 
KGeo777 said:
Have you seen the 1973 version? I think that influenced Excalibur--especially the generic armor.

I prefer it to the bloated 1984 remake. The lead is boring but I think he is supposed to be "green." Speaking of Green, Nigel Green's last role. Good swan song for him.
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Can't remember if I've mentioned this on here, but I really rate the largely forgotten 1991 TV-movie version. Malcolm Storry as the Green Knight does almost channel Nigel Green, I think.
 
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