Seen and not seen's, recommendations and queries on top films in general.

[DSOL]

I binged the third season of Stranger Things - first was good, second season was a pretty huge letdown and this one was fucking great. Great to see them bounce back.

agree with all of this, I thought the 2nd season was trash - wasn't even going to watch the 3rd season because of that

[ConcreteMascara]

"Martyrs" dir Pascal Laugier (2008) - last night I rewatched this film for the first time in ten years. because I couldn't rent it online easily I just bought it for $12 on Amazon Prime. I deeply regret this decision. I remembered it as being violent and relatively entertaining with some intense gore. what I got was a boring slough that wasn't worth a $1 let alone $12. my Prime account will be forever shamed by this purchase.
seriously though I don't know why I thought I'd like this because I hate 90% of the New French Extremity and basically all French films after the French New Wave. The first 20-30 minutes are okay but after the first big "twist", it gets so fucking insufferably boring and dumb I was begging for it to end. It's only an hour and 40 minutes but it feels like three. i felt like a goddamn martyr have sat through it all.

[seventhcircle]

Does anyone else here have a Shudder account? I've been paying for one for about a year now but haven't used it much, and I've been looking to change this..

Any recommendations for must-see titles that are currently on it?

[DSOL]

Does anyone else here have a Shudder account? I've been paying for one for about a year now but haven't used it much, and I've been looking to change this..

Any recommendations for must-see titles that are currently on it?

Prince Of Darkness
C.H.U.D.
The Beyond
Boar
Mandy
Hellraiser I, II, & III
The Void
Society
Zombie
The Changeling
Old Boy
Re-Animator
Demons
Puppet Master - The Littlest Reich
Madman
Maniac (original)
I Saw The Devil
Henry
Cannibal Holocaust
The Stuff
Black Christmas
Dead & Buried
City Of The Living Dead
Deep Red
Rabid
Phenomena
Castle Freak

[ConcreteMascara]

"A Snake of June" dir Shinya Tsukamoto (2002) - been meaning to watch this for about a year now but given that Tsukamoto makes such peculiar films, I have to be in a specific mood to watch them. I thought this one was gonna get way weirder than it did, but was pleasantly surprised how cohesive and down to earth the narrative was. there is some weirdo imagery in the later half of the film, but I took it as entirely symbolic, rather than literal in anyway. while the film starts off with this whole stalker/peeper thing, it's not about sexual games in a negative way but instead finding healing in sexual exploration. I dunno, i think it's a loving look at women by Tsukamoto and ends on basically a hopeful note. the fact that it was shot in standard ratio and tinted blue combined with the camera work creates a very visually intoxicating film too.

[bitewerksMTB]

"Martyrs" dir Pascal Laugier (2008)

I've seen the film once & didn't like it. I remember being bored, etc. but reading everything since then that praises the film makes me feel like I need to see it again. I've looked into buying it but never bit the bullet as I figured it'd be a waste of money.

The only French film that I liked that was Inside. That film is a blast!

I didn't much care for Frontier(s), either.

[EXU]

"Inside" is cool, "Haute Tension" is great until the end that fuckin' sucks so much that actually makes me angry. Haven't seen "Martyrs" yet, I've seen "The Tall Man" from Laugier and while I know that it was made in another circunstances (hollywood bs and big star) it was so lackluster... Never ended watching "Frontier(s)" that seemed like typical torture porn. "Calvaire" is one I always forget about, but I liked "Vinyan" quite a lot so I have to see it.
"Troble Every Day" is great but more on the arthouse side of things. Anyway, I have been watching some new horror movies lately:

Us - Pretty good, I think I like it better than "Run", it is very funny without being black comedy and it is very weird. Racial and social commentary is Peele bread and butter so you have to suspend disbelief and face it as modern fables or something because the more you think about details the more you see the plot holes and everything but that's not the point, the end result is satisfying as a horror movie first and foremost. I don't know if he can get any more megalomaniac than this but it would be interesting to see him take a smaller scale project with less elements so the incongruencies won't be so much in evidence. One of the top horror directors of nowadays anyway.

The Autopsy of Jane Doe - Very good. Take two great actors, put them in a morgue with a dead body and watch it go. Of course there's more to the movie than that and it is very good all the way, the ending is ok but I would dispense the time expended explanating things, still everything is satisfying. It's one of those minor horror movies that will never be celebrated as canon but are great all the same. Great gore too.

The Ritual - Kind of like "The Autopsy of Jane Doe" quality wise, the acting is good, characters believable, the sense of dread is thick, everything done with love and care, it just don't have what it takes to be "one of the greatest", but I guess I am asking too much at this point.

Unsane - This one is perfect, everything is done beautifully and it was made with fuckin' Ipods. it's not "found footage" (thank fuck) and it looks GREAT. Performances are "Oscar level" (to use a term I hate), esp. the protagonist. I love how the movie seems believable in every aspect, from situations to dialogue. In a better world this one would be celebrated as a modern classic, fuck Soderbergh, the guy should keep his shit together, say "go to hell" to commercial projects and dwell more in this kind of stuff, he has what it takes.

Halloween (2018) - It's good, the script is bumpy as hell and I can't think of a movie that has so many after the fact killings as this (which gets maddening), but the respect for the original and love for the lore and esp. Jamie Lee Curtis carry this one further than it would otherwise. It's good and fun, none of the killings are great tho.
I have yet to watch the Rob Zombie one's but I suspect it will be a shitfest.

[online prowler]

Bizarre, this should be good, Jesus Shows You The Way To The Highway: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCQtLFqEtJE

"A Snake of June" dir Shinya Tsukamoto (2002) is a winner.

[EXU]

REVENGE - Pretty bad. Visually stunning yadda yadda. The amount of suspension of disbelief needed for this one is mind numbing. The actors are very good. The script is shit. People bleed more than anime and nothing makes sense. It starts nicely before the "accident". The desert feels like a backyard, people walk thru it in seconds. The desert scenery is gorgeous. The ending fight is kinda ok but the directors can't handle even a small enviroment, it makes if feel smaller and sterile and boring. I don't recommend this one, lots of craft gone in a shitshow.

HAPPY DEATH DAY - Competent Groundhog Day gone slasher flick. It leans more on comedy and is well done, not brutal or anything but in fact it's a "feel good" horror movie.

SUMMER OF 84 - 80sploitation is a genre yet? I wanted to dislike but it is actually nicely put together, the characters are good, all the usual 80s trappings (scenery, nods to pop culture, synth soundtrack, horror movie references) are not overwhelming and the ending is COLD. Good when you are in that "Stranger Things" vibe.

FIRST REFORMED - Fuckin' masterpiece, Taxi Driver for grown ups.

[A-Z]

Lords of Chaos (2018)
exactly what i expected it to be
laughed my ass off throughout the whole thing

[absurdexposition]

Rutger Hauer double feature last night:

Blade Runner (The Final Cut)
Finally saw this version. Hardly anything to fault here.

The Hitcher
The man just wants to die and doesn't have what it takes to kill himself, so will rack up as much terror and collateral damage as necessary until someone finally does it for him. Love it. The new Blu-Ray doesn't look a hell of a lot better than what I remember the DVD looking like.

[ConcreteMascara]

Rutger Hauer double feature last night:

Blade Runner (The Final Cut)
Finally saw this version. Hardly anything to fault here.

I know some people complain about there being multiple cuts of Blade Runner and use it as some sort of proof that the film isn't as good as people claim, but those people are idiots imo. Having watched all cuts multiple times, I'm not offended that they tweaked it into perfection over the years. I think the "Final Cut" is the best and I'm was not upset that there's a definite best version now. But then again, not everyone worships Blade Runner the way I do so... to each their own I suppose.

[ConcreteMascara]

Criterion is releasing a box set of the entire Showa era Of Godzilla. 15 films on Bluray.

https://www.criterion.com/boxsets/2648-godzilla-the-showa-era-films-1954-1975

[cr]

Finally finished "The Fall" series from the BBC. only 18 episodes all together over three seasons but it took me 18 months. I really liked the way it ended and generally thought the last season was the best although that's apparently an unpopular opinion. Gillian Anderson remains incredibly hot and pleasant to watch as she tracks down a serial killer. I assume at the very least the first season would appeal to many people here.

Just finished Season 1, and yes, it's pretty good, I really liked it! Looking forward for the next season(s).
It seems, The Boys will interrupt further looking of The Fall. I like the Garth Ennis Graphic Novel, but I'm always a bit sceptical about making some actual TV series about it. But still, I'm curious...

[bitewerksMTB]

Criterion is releasing a box set of the entire Showa era Of Godzilla. 15 films on Bluray.

https://www.criterion.com/boxsets/2648-godzilla-the-showa-era-films-1954-1975

Damn! That will have to be purchased during one of the half-off sales, if  possible.