What I Watched - January 3-9 2016

WHAT I WATCHED - JANUARY 3-9 2016:

Woundings (1998) DVD
 - I can usually find something good about just about any movie, no matter how bad it is. But this one left me disappointed AND pissed off. Disappointed because the concept (alternate universe Britain where soldiers are fighting for a Falklands-like island) could have been good; pissed off because it was so bad and wasted a fairly good cast.
The story is just downright sloppy and doesn't make sense. The acting is ridiculous, like everyone was trying to play their characters as mentally-challenged. Usually-great actors like Guy Pearce and Ray Winston are awful in this - Winston tries to be quirky but comes off as silly, Pearce mumbles his way through his lines.
The music is terrible, alternating between thumping techno music and the keyboard noodling of a three-year-old. One scene involving a dance for soldiers and their prospective girls feels like something out of a Dr Who episode, but it's only a fleeting moment. It's a shame the whole movie couldn't have been like it. Avoid at all costs.

Carnivale, Season 2 (2005) DVD
- After finishing off season 1 in a day it didn't take long to get into season 2 and get it finished as well, that's how addicting this show is. If anything season 2 was better, as the characters were established and more actually happened. The entire season headed towards the inevitable showdown between Ben Hawkins (Nick Stahl) and Brother Justin (Clancy Brown), while answering other mysteries (who and where is Hack Scudder, who is Management etc) and taking in sub-plots involving all of the carnival folk. My favourite characters are Jonesy and Stumpy, the former for his no-nonsense attitude and the latter for his comic relief.
The season reached a somewhat-satisfying conclusion while also setting up future seasons that never came to be. It's a great shame, because this is one of the finest TV shows I've ever seen. If internet streaming is allowing shows like The X-Files to get new life years later, why not Carnivale? Come on Netflix!

The Lost Tribe (1983) DVD
- During the recent Boxing Day Sales (our version of America's Black Friday, held the day after Christmas) I picked up a bunch of quite-obscure New Zealand films for dirt cheap, this being one of them. A thriller set in remote jungle, it tells the story of a missing anthropologist and the search for him, headed by his wife and twin brother. As the name suggests, there might be a lost tribe lurking in the woods, ready to consign them to the same fate as their lost loved one.
A lot of 1980s NZ films have a certain charm to them that's hard to put a finger on, and this one definitely feels that way. Aside from that it's just a solid little thriller with some nice atmosphere and a satisfying climax.

Trial Run (1984) DVD
- Another Boxing Day pick up, this one and I have something of a history together. Unlike The Lost Tribe, I was actually familiar with this New Zealand film before going into it. However, I had never actually seen it. Let me explain... this showed on NZ TV in 1984 when I was 9 years old and the teaser ads for it terrified me. In particular a scene involving "something" outside a kitchen window and the growling, animal noise it made. I'll never forget it. Of course I didn't watch the movie, but the night that is showed on TV, my mum watched it and I could hear the movie from my bedroom. In some ways that was worse than actually watching it, because my imagination ran wild.
So, 30-plus years later, is it as terrifying as my memory tells me? Well, no, of course not. In fact, it's hardly scary at all. It's a psychological thriller about a woman staying in a remote location to study wildlife, while also training for a marathon. The locals start acting weird, she hears things at night, strange things happen... and there's a twist at the end that no-one would probably see coming, because it doesn't make a lot of sense. It's hard to recommend this one to anyone who doesn't have nostalgic reasons for giving it a watch.

What I Watched - December 27 2015-January 2 2016

WHAT I WATCHED - DECEMBER 27 2015-JANUARY 2 2016:

Obviously it's a busy time of year with Christmas celebrations and then New Year's Eve (Happy New Year readers!), so the movie-watching output wasn't great, but I did manage to fit in a few, while also knocking off a couple of seasons of TV during this week.

CBGB (2013) Netflix
- I've said it before that I do love a good music documentary, and that's what I thought I was sitting down to here. It turns out this is actually a dramatic film retelling the story of how Hilly Krystal started up the famous (and infamous) NYC punk club CBGB. I didn't know too much about this story before watching this (didn't know for instance that the club was originally started as a country music venue, hence the name was short for Country Blue Grass Blues). The story is fascinating and the cast is stellar - the superb Alan Rickman plays Krystal, with main supporting roles for Donal Logue, Freddy Rodriguez and Ashley Greene and cameos by everyone from Big Bang Theory's Johnny Galecki to Harry Potter's Rupert Grint and Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins (who does a pretty good job of playing Iggy Pop). If you count yourself as even a passing fan of punk or underground music, this is a must-see.

Tale of Two Thieves (2014) Netflix
- This is a fascinating documentary about the UK's infamous 1963 Great Train Robbery. While most people think of Ronnie Biggs when they think of that crime, this doco paints a different picture courtesy of one of the other robbers, Gordon Goody. Goody, this film asserts, was the real mastermind behind the robbery. Still alive and living in Spain, Goody is interviewed extensively and gives a lot of insight into his life before, during and after "the job". A sub-plot has the doco's producers trying to identify the mysterious "Ulsterman" who was the inside man on the crime. Even if you know the Great Train Robbery's story well (it's been featured in countless movies) this is worth watching for the new information it brings to light.

  
Pod (2015) Netflix
-  I remember seeing the trailer to this at some point months ago and thinking it looked pretty good. Then I forgot all about it until it showed up on Netflix. The plot has an estranged brother and sister visiting their other sibling, a brother with history of mental problems. He's gone off the grid at the family holiday home. When they find him they discover that he is paranoid about aliens and claims to have one of them trapped in the basement. Does he, or has he gone off his rocker? I won't say anymore than that about the plot. This one has a few effective scares and some good suspense, but it's also a very "shouty" movie. The siblings spend most of the movie arguing, yelling and fighting, which really grates the nerves after a while. Unfortunately the unlikeable characters and all that damn squabbling makes it hard to recommend this movie.

The Red Road, Season 2 (2015) Netflix
- The first season of this mini-series (six hour-long episodes per season) - about a cop and a criminal whose lives intertwine while living on a Native American reservation - really took me by surprise. I hadn't heard any hype about it before it showed up on Netflix, despite it featuring Jason Momoa (Aquaman in the upcoming DC movies) and my fellow Kiwi, Martin Henderson, in the lead roles. I liked the first season but it felt like it finished right when it was gaining momentum. This second season was much better, but again it was too short. And now I discover that the show has been cancelled without any resolution to the storyline. Knowing that, I wouldn't recommend watching it, because it'll be a frustrating experience. Which is a shame because it's a good show. Not great, but good.

Carnivale, Season 1 (2003) DVD
- I have quite a few seasons of TV on DVD that have been on my "to watch" list for the longest time, and this one's probably been there the longest. A rainy New Years day, recovering from over-indulging the night before, provided the perfect opportunity to blob out and finally give this a watch. Twelve hours later and the 12 one-hour episodes of season 1 were done and dusted (pun intended - if you've seen the show you get it). What a great show! The best way I can describe it is like taking American Horror Story: Freakshow's setting and mixing it with the religious themes of movies like Prophecy and Legion. Top performances from the likes of Michael J Anderson (the creepy dwarf from Twin Peaks), Nick Stahl (Sin City), Clea Duvall (The Faculty), genre favorite Adrienne Barbeau (The Fog) and the always-sinister Clancy Brown (Highlander, Pet Sematary 2). I can't believe I took so long to finally watch this! I'm already into the second (and final) season and loving it.

What I Watched - December 20-26 2015

WHAT I WATCHED - DECEMBER 20-26 2015:

The house move is completed but most of my DVD collection is now in storage due to my new place being very small. Managed to get in a few movies between completing the move and Christmas celebrations.

Wendigo (2001) DVD
- While most of my DVDs are in storage, I have had a few new purchases arrive in the mail at my new house, including this one. I hadn't seen this one since it came out. As a side note, I have a poster of this movie which director Larry Fessenden signed for me when I met him at Fangoria Weekend of Horrors NYC convention in 2001. The movie itself is about the Native American legend of the Wendigo, a deer-headed forest creature, but more of the plot is devoted to "fish-out-of-water" goings on involving a city family holidaying in a snowbound rural setting where some of the local yokels don't take too kindly to them. If you're familiar with Fessenden's work (in particular the pseudo-vampire flick Habit) you'll know to expect a great deal of ambiguity around the supernatural elements. Bare on the scares and gore, this one instead relies on its creepy setting and some good acting from leads Jake Weber (Dawn of the Dead remake, TV's Medium), Patricia Clarkson (Shutter Island) and Erik Per Sullivan (the youngest son on TV's Malcolm in the Middle).

Fargo (1996) VHS
- When you're in a new house with all of your possessions in boxes, it becomes a case of "what is easily accessible" and it's no different when it comes to movies. I found a box of VHS that I could easily open and pulled out this 90s gem. My girlfriend had never seen it, and having recently enjoyed The Big Lebowski, I knew she'd dig this, the Coen Brothers' immediate predecessor to that movie. I don't need to go into plot details, because I'm sure everyone has seen this quirky crime caper, but I will add a side note that it's ironic (and unintentional) that during the blaring heat of a southern hemisphere summer I watched two successive movies set in deep wintry snow.

The Ruins (2008) DVD
- Another recent (cheap) pick up to fill a gap in the collection and another I haven't revisited since its release. I remembered quite liking this one and while it didn't hold up so well to a repeat viewing, it's a passable time-waster. I won't spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen it, but I quite liked the "nature run amok" angle and the Mayan temple itself was pretty cool. On the flip-side, I found myself constantly irritated by Jenna Malone's character and it doesn't help that she reminds me of that waste-of-oxygen Kristen Stewart.

What I Watched - December 13-19 2015

WHAT I WATCHED - DECEMBER 13-19 2015:

More moving house (yes I own a lot of stuff) so not much movie-watching again.

Rubble Kings (2010) Netflix
- Reading the synopsis of this one, I thought it was going to be about the rise of hip hop in New York City. But while that is covered in the last 10-15 minutes, the bulk of this documentary is about street gangs in the Big Apple from the late 1960s through to the present day, in particular the gang The Ghetto Brothers. They turned to peace and, according to this doco, made a lot of other gangs join their cause, in something of a real-life scene from The Warriors. Told via talking heads from a bunch of current and ex gang guys, with archival footage in between, this is fascinating stuff while not particularly earth-shattering.

Let Us Prey (2014) Netflix
- Pollyanna McIntosh just keeps popping up in stuff I've watched lately - Tales of Halloween, The Blood Lands and now this. That's not a complaint, as she's a pretty good actor - kind of like Milla Jovovich with acting talent. In this Irish horror she plays a straight-laced rookie cop who moves to a small town just in time to witness some strange goings on involving a group of people who end up in the police station's holding cells. It seems one of them (Liam Cunningham from Dog Soldiers) is more than he appears and knows quite a lot about each of the others' lives. I won't say any more, other than to say this one leaves things moderately ambiguous. There's not much in the way of actual horror or gore (although one of the characters takes a surprisingly sick twist), but first-time director Brian O'Malley crafts a tense and intriguing thriller.

Wolf Lake (1980) VHS
- With my Netflix temporarily disconnected and my DVDs all packed away I reached for what was laying around to watch while packing boxes. I've seen this one before and enjoyed it so popped it in for a repeat viewing. This variation on the Most Dangerous Game theme, thick with Vietnam War tension, is a good little action thriller, helped by a great cast including Oscar-winner Rod Steiger (In The Heat of the Night, Amityville Horror), Jerry Hardin (Deep Throat in The X-Files) and David Huffman, who was tragically murdered at the age of 39 just five years after this movie. Huffman plays a Vietnam deserter who is hunted by a group of old war vet buddies, with predictable but enjoyable results.

What I Watched - December 6-12 2015

WHAT I WATCHED - DECEMBER 6-12 2015:

The house move continues so another very quiet movie-watching week.

Kristy (2014) Netflix
- "Victim fights back against intruders" is hardly an original theme and one that has been done quite a lot in recent years (The Strangers, You're Next etc etc). But this one has an interesting setting (deserted college campus during holiday break, which reminded me of 1981's The Final Exam), an excellent performance by leading lady Haley Bennett (The Haunting of Molly Hartley) and some decent action and suspense. The killers are also made more interesting with the addition of a mysterious cult element. I recommend this one for fans of man-made horror.

The Den (2013) Netflix
- This one has been on my Netflix list for the longest time, but I recently belatedly read someone's blog entry listing their favourite horror movies of 2013, and this was quite high on the list. So I decided to check it out. First of all, yes, it's "found footage" in that it's completely made up of footage captured on webcams, phones and camcorders. Having spent a great deal of time on Skype (my American girlfriend and I lived in separate countries for a couple of years), I dug the premise of a college student studying online relationships (in this case random interactions on a chat program called The Den). Of course this is a horror movie so things go bad - she pisses off the wrong person online and quickly finds her life being turned upside-down by this "hacker", ultimately leading to a bloody conclusion. What makes this so terrifying is that it's so plausible. If you hate found footage move on, but otherwise this one is highly recommended.

Viking Women and the Sea Serpent (1957) DVD

- This Roger Corman-directed, Samuel Arkoff-produced cheapie has the formal title "The Saga of the Viking Women and Their Voyage to the Waters of the Great Sea Serpent"! But either way don't let the name fool you, the sea serpent plays only a small part in proceedings. This is no monster-fest, instead it's a sword-and-sandals "epic" about a group of viking women who go in search of their lost men and must save them from an island of evil warriors. It's only real value is in laughing at the low-budget antics. It also gets points for featuring The Wasp Woman's Susan Cabot in a villainous role.

Stir of Echoes (1999) Netflix

- This was my first time seeing this Kevin Bacon movie, which I remember seeing the trailers for back when it came out. I can see why this one didn't do so well - it was released at around the same time as Sixth Sense and covers similar ground (someone who can see dead people). It was just a case of bad timing, because this is actually a good movie. The "hypnotism opens man's mind to seeing ghosts" angle is a good one and while in essence the plot boils down to a whodunnit murder mystery, Bacon's great performance as the family man driven crazy by his "visions" takes it up a notch or two.

What I Watched - November 29-December 5 2015

WHAT I WATCHED - NOVEMBER 29-DECEMBER 5 2015:

A very quiet week for me, movie-watching wise, as I am in the middle of moving house and that hasn't left much time for anything else. I did still manage to sneak in a few watches though.

Not Quite Hollywood (2000) Amazon
- This documentary about the Australian exploitation (Oz-ploitation) scene of the 70s and 80s is one that I've been wanting to see for a while now. Like Machete Maidens Unleashed (Filipino b-movies) and Electric Boogaloo (Cannon films), this is mostly talking heads with some clips from the movies in question, but it's greatly interesting for anyone who calls themselves a b-movie fan.

Kingdom Come (2014) Amazon
- A group of strangers wake up in a building they can't escape from and are judged for their various sins by an unknown person/entity. This one plays like a Saw movie if you replaced the traps/torture with religious judgement. Ultimately its ambition outweighs its budget, but the result is still entertaining enough. Nothing great, but an okay time-waster.

Eagle Island (1986) VHS
- Black-clad Soviet operatives attack a Swedish island to steal a secret code, but are met with resistance by a recently-fired soldier and a female bird-watcher. This Swedish production had potential to be good, but director Mats Helge Olsen lingers too long on boring stuff instead of action. The casting is also questionable, as the leading man (Tom O'Rourke) is a middle-aged guy who looks like a failed James Bond auditioner. His chemistry with his much-younger love interest is also non-existant. This one's a bit hard to find, and maybe it's best kept that way.

Demons of the Mind (1972) VHS
- Later-day Hammer offering set in 19th century Austria, which deals with insanity, incest, rape and murder. Steeped in the gothic trappings that Hammer did best, but held down slightly by a turgid early pacing and some hammy over-acting by main villain Robert Hardy, this one gains momentum in the last act, which includes some quite stunning scenes involving an angry mob and a burning cross. Not the best Hammer movie, but a mediocre Hammer is still better than most.

What I Watched - November 22-28 2015

WHAT I WATCHED - NOVEMBER 22-28 2015:

 

 

 
Bound to Vengeance (2015) AVI
-Decent little rape revenge flick that thankfully doesn't dwell on the sexual assault for long (unlike a lot of these types of movies). The storyline - a rape victim escapes her captor and makes him take her to other captive girls to free them - is simple but done in an interesting way. There's a twist which I predicted quite early in the piece, but it's well executed enough to not take away from the overall enjoyment.

Gag (2006) DVD
- This straight-to-DVD movie sells itself as a Saw-type affair, but it's not really torture porn, it's more a psychological thriller with some minor moments of torture thrown in. Two thieves break into a house in search of a safe, but find a man chained to a bed. Everything isn't as it seems though, and soon they're in a fight for survival. Shot for just $40,000, this is far more ambitious than its budget, with some nice camera work and passable acting. The plot has a lot of holes but is entertaining enough. Go in with low expectations.

The Blood Lands (2014) Netflix
- The set up to this one has been done a million times in horror - a couple flee the big city (London) and buy a house in the countryside (here it's Scotland), where things go pear-shaped. Good acting and some suspenseful work by director Simeon Halligan (Splintered) keep you guessing as to whether events are supernatural or man-made. I enjoyed seeing Polly McIntosh in one of the lead roles here - apart from her short turn in Tales of Halloween I've only really seen her in her non-speaking roles in Offspring and The Woman, so it was nice to see her in a more conventional role. This one has undertones of the English-Scottish rivalry and a great, isolated setting. Recommended.

Legend of Galgameth (1996) VHS
- I watched this with my son and while it didn't offer much in the way of adult viewing, he enjoyed it quite a bit. Essentially it's a tale of a young prince in medieval times and his golem-like protector (a dinosaur-like being that grows bigger and bigger as the movie goes on). Some of the special effects are pretty laughable by today's standards, but charming in a 90s-kids-movie kind of way.

Circle Man (1987) VHS
- I watched this one as I was copying it from VHS to DVD (it has no official DVD release) and found it to be a quite bland fist-fighting actioner, saved mainly by the work of lead actors Vernon Wells (Commando, The Road Warrior) and William Sanderson (Blade Runner) as an aging fighter and his promoter. The story is pretty thin and the fist fights are only marginally exciting, but it's just great to see Wells in a lead role after so many great supporting jobs. Also known as Last Man Standing.