Imagine being from Belfast in the 70s -  10 or 11 and on a school visit to London. Being in the underground was a headfuck on its own but this poster was on display:


Imagine how hard I wanted to see this.  A Cert. X film. This poster made such an impact on me it has stuck ever since.  I also remember posters for The Choirboys and The Spy Who Loved Me, which we got to see while in London.

It's a marvel of the age that I can now sit in front of a large , flat screen with a remote in hand and lazily select this for my delectation.

It's a very early 28 Days Later starring Marilyn Chambers (yum!) as someone who, on undergoing experimental plastic surgery after an accident grows a penile extension on her side (!) and develops a lust for blood - every victim injected by this bloody weird thing coming out of her side is infected by a virus that makes them froth at the eyes and mouth and start biting people. thus spreading the infection further.

It's a Cronenberg so it has the craft but it's showing it's age. However it's still watchable. Chambers despite being a porn star could actually act which adds to the charm of the film.  But the limited budget restrains the film from creating an atmosphere of a widespread infection. Still a bit of a laugh though and it has its moments of tension.

On BFI

69. To Leslie
A woman from small town Texas wins $200k on the lottery but squanders the lot over the next several years, burning bridges with friends and family in the process. Finding no other option, she eventually returns to her home town and struggles to get her life back on track. I remember some controversy about Riseborough’s Oscar nom for her performance in this given hardly anyone saw it, which is understandable as it feels like a fairly generic ‘struggling addict tries to make good’ effort. Riseborough is on strong form but still outshone by smaller supporting roles several times. Characters are mostly well realised so despite a few cliches here and there, it does carry an emotional punch. Just not doing enough to make it stand out. [5]

70. Scrapper
A 12 year old girl is trying to support herself and living alone after her mother dies only for the father she’s never met to turn up and try to take care of her. I didn’t know much about this going in so proved to be a great surprise - the young girl in the lead is fantastic, giving a confident but vulnerable performance and the film itself has a few fantasy elements making use of kids’ imaginations that set it aside from other London estate stories of a similar ilk. It’s used sparingly but to great effect. It feels genuine throughout, the father/daughter bonding becoming the heart of the film. It keeps an upbeat vibe, spattered by laugh out loud moments to balance the more serious elements. It’s just a wonderful film all round, recommend checking it out. [8]

Dark Harvest Halloween themed supernatural tale set in a small town with a weird annual ritual.

It's a bit hit and miss this one. Feels like an 80s VHS release in places. Just feels odd and has your mental wheels spinning from the off. Doesn't hang around and doesn't go on too long too.

Average ....... but might end up garnering a cult following despite its failings because it retains a certain air of mystery throughout and doesn't over explain things.

I watched Rabid last night. Very weird

ShabbyMcCrabby wrote:

Was planning on watching that. Short and weird is better than long and bland like a lot of new releases are lately

It has the feel of a Twilight Zone story only with a side of gore. It starts out full on and doesn't waste any time with exposition. It feels a bit ramshackle but it just about holds together and I kept watching. I'd still give it a go. (and don't stop watching when the credits roll).

davyK wrote:

Paul the sparky wrote:

I watched Rabid last night. Very weird

Spoiler:

Santa getting wiped out was a bit unnecessary

Cure for The Wellness... intriguing builds to disappointing.

Agreed on the boring. I'll give it another go sometime as I like the series and perhaps was just caught on an off day.

I thought the new Evil Deads were OK, But they weren't really Evil Deads - only a peek at humour.

Evil Dead 2 is still the Daddy.

Onibaba Unusual Japanese tale of lust, murder, theft and a sprinkling of the supernatural set in a civil war during the time of the Samurai.

Looks great .. even though the whole thing is shot in a field of high grass and a few straw hut interiors.... and has a marvellous soundtrack that opens with a Coltrane style saxophone.

I imagine it was eye opening at the time for the love/sex scenes.

On BFI.

71. Killers of the Flower Moon
Summary from me would be good but fairly superficial and definitely overly indulgent. Essentially a conspiracy thriller, the slow burn of the set up is effective to a point and key characters are given time to develop. De Niro is on reliable form though maybe underplayed a bit whereas DiCaprio is clearly going all in and that really works - it's hard to gauge his understanding and motivations at times and he's countered well by Gladstone's resolute performance as his wife.

It's a great looking film too, the production values are impressive and whilst it perhaps doesn't make the most of the relative wilderness, there are still plenty of stunning shots. The core issues for me were that there isn't enough tension or momentum to sustain full engagement for long periods but then comes a significant shift in the last hour or so that feels late, is comparatively rushed and leaves a distinct feeling of dissatisfaction. Thought the very end in particular was a bit of a cop out. 

It also feels like it never really gets to grips with the key premise - the systematic murder of indigenous peoples for oil rights. It even goes so far as to include references to the Tulsa massacre around the same time but too much like scene setting and no real examination or wider context. There's obvious quality here from all involved but I still think it's less than the sum of its parts and wasteful of its run time, left wondering 'what could have been' by the time credits roll. [5]

Cos wrote:

...the systematic murder of indigenous peoples for oil rights.

This bit has just reminded me that there are offshore oil fields by Gaza that are waiting to be developed...

62. Talk to Me
Aussie horror that doesn't do much new, but what it does do it does very effectively. A bunch of teens looking for laughs come across a cursed hand that can let them summon, and then be possessed by, the spirits of the dead - but only 'safely' for up to 90 seconds... It's not particularly scary, but it is creepy and disturbing at times and there are some great performances from the kids. 7

I mean I get that they're satirising social media trends but I don't think it really worked.

22 Bullets A French solid if a tad uninspiring revenge tale starring Jean Reno who makes it worth the watching. Very slickly produced and while it requires suspension of belief in places it is a bit more grounded than usual for the genre. There's a superb spot of child acting when among the solid support. Not an awe inspiring film but enjoyable enough.