list/discuss/rate - your recently watched movies

Merlin and the Book of Beasts (2009): I love lots of low-budget films, I really do. (Midnight Chronicles from the same year was great!) But this one didn't do it for me, unfortunately. It has no standout element, be it an awesome villain, intriguing plot whatsoever. I could've even overlooked the caveman Merlin, believe me. 6/10

Shadowyzard wrote: The Whisperer in Darkness (2011) - Well... I didn't like it for some reasons, the foremost of which is that it doesn't look like a movie shot in black-and-white, but rather the colouration (or the lack thereof) seems like it was applied via a programme. It would be better in full color, I think. The Color Out of Space (2019) was excellent, and this one would be better with a similar colouration IMO. Secondly, the protagonist is too annoying... Not a bad movie, I appreciated the effort and details, but still didn't like it. 5/10 P.S. Cool Air (1999) was the best Lovecraft adaptation that I've watched in B&W.

Shadowyzard wrote: dr wu23 wrote: Shadowyzard wrote: The Whisperer in Darkness (2011) - Well... I didn't like it for some reasons, the foremost of which is that it doesn't look like a movie shot in black-and-white, but rather the colouration (or the lack thereof) seems like it was applied via a programme. It would be better in full color, I think. The Color Out of Space (2019) was excellent, and this one would be better with a similar colouration IMO. Secondly, the protagonist is too annoying... Not a bad movie, I appreciated the effort and details, but still didn't like it. 5/10 P.S. Cool Air (1999) was the best Lovecraft adaptation that I've watched in B&W. I like the old H P Lovecraft stuff....sadly those 2 aren't available on my service but I have read and own those 2 stories by him. I need to check on Cool Air. A few of the old color ones are ok like Dagon and The Dunwich Horror. Sadly no one has ever done a really top notch film version of any of his longer Cthulhu Old One tales. Cool Air is not much of a faithful adaptation, but Jack Donner (R.I.P.) is fabulous in that! I also like Dunwich Horror and Dagon a lot; and must say that, given your age, I'm quite surprised that you know about and like it. Great B movie, that is.

Edited by dr wu23 - July 08 2021 at 21:14

Ripley's Game (2002) - Unusual and interesting. IDK why so many things released in that year appeal to me in mysterious ways. I''ve not been hunting for the stuff from that year purposedly, but I may do so from this day forth. Gosh. 8/10

Angels & Demons (2009) - I think they were too complacent with having the audacity to do a mainstream film about Illuminati. I got interested in it also because its duration is very long, so that its plot could be quite labyrinthine. But, alas... I had to stop watching after an hour and forty-four minutes. I didn't want to waste more of my time. 3/10

Tolerable and moderately entertaining at best. 6/10

Population 436 (2006) - Kinda, or quite like the movie entitled A Cure for Wellness. Nice one. Well, the wellness (?) of the Rockwell Falls. 7.5/10

^ Talking about Charlotte Rampling, I saw the latest Paul Verhoeven film a couple of days ago: Benedetta. Contrary to you (and some of my friends), Rampling has never been a favourite actress of mine (I always have the impression she is doing the same thing in every film... which generally she does very well, but...), but she does a good job here. Regarding the film itself, however, I have mixed feelings: it is well made but too often hoovering between the grotesque and ridiculous and the great. For me it is clear that this is Verhoeven's ultimate showdown of everything regarding religious institutions, which suits me fine and regularly made me laugh, but too often it got a bit too much stretched (remember the scene with Jesus on the cross in his slip in the 4th Man? Benedetta is this scene worked out into a whole film...). Because of this stance, IMO this film looses a lot of its credibility. Still, I recommend it to you, Jean and Friede, and I'm curious to know what you think about it...


Edited by suitkees - August 06 2021 at 12:38

dr wu23 wrote: Shadowyzard wrote: The Whisperer in Darkness (2011) - Well... I didn't like it for some reasons, the foremost of which is that it doesn't look like a movie shot in black-and-white, but rather the colouration (or the lack thereof) seems like it was applied via a programme. It would be better in full color, I think. The Color Out of Space (2019) was excellent, and this one would be better with a similar colouration IMO. Secondly, the protagonist is too annoying... Not a bad movie, I appreciated the effort and details, but still didn't like it. 5/10 P.S. Cool Air (1999) was the best Lovecraft adaptation that I've watched in B&W. I like the old H P Lovecraft stuff....sadly those 2 aren't available on my service but I have read and own those 2 stories by him. I need to check on Cool Air. A few of the old color ones are ok like Dagon and The Dunwich Horror. Sadly no one has ever done a really top notch film version of any of his longer Cthulhu Old One tales.

omphaloskepsis wrote: dr wu23 wrote: Shadowyzard wrote: The Whisperer in Darkness (2011) - Well... I didn't like it for some reasons, the foremost of which is that it doesn't look like a movie shot in black-and-white, but rather the colouration (or the lack thereof) seems like it was applied via a programme. It would be better in full color, I think. The Color Out of Space (2019) was excellent, and this one would be better with a similar colouration IMO. Secondly, the protagonist is too annoying... Not a bad movie, I appreciated the effort and details, but still didn't like it. 5/10 P.S. Cool Air (1999) was the best Lovecraft adaptation that I've watched in B&W. I like the old H P Lovecraft stuff....sadly those 2 aren't available on my service but I have read and own those 2 stories by him. I need to check on Cool Air. A few of the old color ones are ok like Dagon and The Dunwich Horror. Sadly no one has ever done a really top notch film version of any of his longer Cthulhu Old One tales. Mostly agree. I like The Dunwich Horror.  Many of the best Lovecraft movies veer far off the story path.  Reanimator and From Beyond are such examples.  One of best Lovecraftian movies "In the Mouth of Madness" wasn't even written by Lovecraft.  A few years back, Guillermo del Toro tried to make a big budget- At The Mountains of Madness.  But the studio couldn't wrap their head around no women, no romance.  I have not seen The Color Out of Space. My bad.

The Valdemar Legacy dilogy is also quite good. To be more accurate, I've only watched its second movie named The Valdemar Legacy II: The Forbidden Shadow, yet. I liked Dagon better, but this one has a better production in terms of quality. Long live Lovecraft!

Edited by Shadowyzard - August 07 2021 at 07:23