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SMB Film Thread 2025

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Calpricorn said:
Been trying to binge an absolute load of horror movies recently. Want to try and get through the “horror movie iceberg” at some point, but a lot of the stuff near the bottom does seem pretty much unwatchable.

By far my favourite genre, but results are always mixed because of how formulaic a lot of them can be but here’s a few recently:

Raw (2016) - This is by far, the best film I’ve watched over the past few years and it’s honestly up there with one of my favourite films of all time. Surface level, it’s about a vegetarian who goes to University to become a vet, then gets a taste for meat, shall we say. Turns into a complete bloody coming of age story, exploring many different themes and ideas. You could argue it being a “horror film”, it’s definitely more body horror. Absolutely loved it though, straight into the Letterboxd top 4 - 10/10

Martyrs (2008) - Great film, wouldn’t recommend anybody watches it unless you can stomach some extreme violence, ESPECIALLY the last third of the film. The whole “torture porn” thing gets thrown about a lot, but the violence is integral to the plot and overall point the movie is trying to make, as difficult it is to sit through with some scenes - 8/10

Audition (1999) - Another very violent one (my choice of films is concerning). Loved it, heard about it for so long and found it thoroughly enjoyable. Probably not the best film to talk about with a tinder or hinge match like - 10/10

Terrifier 1, 2, 3 - Utter garbage. Pretty much, just gore after gore after gore. Whilst the gore is wild and the effects are really good and creative, 2 & 3 are extremely long and the pacing is an absolute slog to sit through. Couldn’t even be arsed to care about how crazy the kills were because by the time you get there, was already checked out from sitting through all the dialogue. Art the clown is great though. All three - 3/10

Heretic (2024) - Enjoyed it, found it dragging towards the end. Performances are great, and never thought I’d see a film where Monopoly, Lana Del Rey and Jar Jar Binks are referenced in the same scene - 6/10
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Is the Martyrs filum the French version?
Some very good recommendations being put out. Montty Pigeon leads the way for me, The Winslow Boy, tremendous.

I"ll put forward The Four Feathers 1939 and The Browning Version 1951.
Fletch73 said:
I've had them downloaded for years. Unfortunately the watchlist is standing at over 300 at the minute. I'll get there eventually.
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I'm amazed that I only discovered this play list business several months ago. I use to go to other family members houses and was bemused at how their TVs operated. All these months later I now understand it, it's all apps and glorified links with thumbnails. Of course when I understood this I went a bit mental. So in real terms I now have 13,000+ movies but not by the streaming sites but via YouTube, I had to set conditions and limitations, it suited me but I knew it would destroy any library, albeit sacrificing many classics. And then a few months back I discovered the Amazon Prime library 😂 Some would say I got owned, some would say their quality control and genre, search function is not the best. So yes, I love my way of doing things, eg not take for granted, and in actual fact it really does make you appreciate the movies in different ways which is hard to explain.
 
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Happy Gilmore 2 - Turd wrapped in glitter, was expecting it worse though, but it just about made it past my watchable baseline, which is pretty low, if it wasn't for the HG1 call backs and in jokes, just a standalone, it would have probably been switched off. Picked up on some of the golfing community and jokes. but probably half of them passed me by. In the end all it did was want me to watch the original again. 4.5/10
 
Breakout (1959)

Lee Patterson is tasked with breaking a bloke out of the nick. He plans the escape meticulously, but can’t control every variable. Also stars Hazel Court and Billie Whitelaw.

The third Patterson film in a row that I’ve really liked, this is quietly absorbing without ever being massively suspenseful. There’s a lot of solid work in every aspect.

7/10

The Fallen Idol (1948)

A Carol Reed directed film about a manservant at an embassy who is nobbing a younger lass, and wants to divorce his wife. The son of the ambassador is very chummy with him and gets dragged into a tale about misinterpretation and lies.

This is very highly rated, but I just didn’t get it at all. There’s some lovely shots, especially of the streets at night, and I kind of get the point of the narrative, but it’s all very pedestrian. There may be a shitload of subtleties that I missed, to do with voice tone, expressions, etc, but I don’t see why it’s so esteemed. It’s perfectly competent but I found it neither suspenseful nor particularly engrossing. Even when the police are circling Ralph Richardson, I didn’t get a sense of panic or injustice.

It’s a shame because the cast is tremendous. Apart from the annoying kid, really going all-out in the last few scenes to be the most slappable creature in Christendom.

Technically impressive, and there’s nothing much wrong with it, it just felt underwhelming and stretches a point out without much purpose.

5.5/10
 
SAFCOldie said:
Is the Martyrs filum the French version?
Some very good recommendations being put out. Montty Pigeon leads the way for me, The Winslow Boy, tremendous.
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It is mate aye. French extremist horror films are very good in my experience but aren’t the easiest to sit through by any means.

Think there’s an American remake but heard it’s complete rubbish.
 
Calpricorn said:
It is mate aye. French extremist horror films are very good in my experience but aren’t the easiest to sit through by any means.

Think there’s an American remake but heard it’s complete rubbish.
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The remake is utter balls. Appalling.

Martyrs is superb though in my mind.

Just watching 28 Years Later. As I expected, the parallels between Infected and “Human” has been diminished. Loving it so far.
 
Fetch Fletch said:
The remake is utter balls. Appalling.

Martyrs is superb though in my mind.

Just watching 28 Years Later. As I expected, the parallels between Infected and “Human” has been diminished. Loving it so far.
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Honestly it’s fantastic. Wouldn’t want to spoil anything for anyone who hasn’t watched it (no idea how to use spoiler tags), but gets you thinking for sure.

Might stick on the remake for a laugh sometime :lol:
 
All That Jazz - story about a theatre director that is shagging everything and taking lots of pills. Didn't enjoy it as much as I expected which might be down to that it really reminded me of Tick Tick Boom that came out a few years ago and I was knackered. 7/10
 
lchavez said:
All That Jazz - story about a theatre director that is shagging everything and taking lots of pills. Didn't enjoy it as much as I expected which might be down to that it really reminded me of Tick Tick Boom that came out a few years ago and I was knackered. 7/10
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Directed by the man whose life it's largely based on.
 
Just been reading the reviews from the early screenings of the naked gun on twitter and they are overwhelmingly positive. Sounds like Neeson nailed it. Need more films like this getting made so think a trip to the cinema is in order to watch this.
 
Monty Pigeon said:
I know it's probably outrage clickbait, but some of these hot takes - especially re Metropolis - are punchable offences.

"If there’s a classic that truly needs a remake, it’s Metropolis. Thematically, the movie still holds up as it provides a scathing examination of classism and urban development via a Gothic microscope. The Fritz Lang film is also
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. But while its dystopian setting was revolutionary at the time, it looks terrible when viewed via a modern lens."

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It's off the scale when you factor everything in. I always have to think long and hard whether to watch these films when restored, colourised/enhanced etc or rather the original b/w but I think this is certainly one of those that is brought to life superbly with modern technology.
 
The Lady Vanishes (1938) 10/10
Hitchcock masterpiece. Mystery, suspense, and plenty of humour.
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Crook's Tour (1941) 6/10
Spin off for the cricket-loving duo Charters and Caldicott from the above. Only gets 7% on Rotten Tomatoes, which is inexplicable. Reasonable comedy with plenty of great lines: "I only know three words of German. Heil, swastika, and ersatz."
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You Count Count on Me (2000) 8/10
As kids, Laura Linney and Mark Ruffalo lose their parents in a car crash. Now adults, they're still coping with the ramifications. Slow-burning family drama. Very well acted.
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Third Party Risk (1954/5)

Lloyd Bridges is a songwriter who meets an ex-RAF buddy in Spain. His mate asks him to drive his car back to England and deliver a package. That’s the last we see of him, so Bridges is on the case.

Workmanlike and tepid. There’s very little standout material here. It’s by the numbers and just saunters along without much urgency. There’s nothing particularly poor, but it doesn’t have much to recommend it.

4.5/10
 
Local Hero - American man gets sent to Scotland to buy land for the company he works for. 6/10

This looks good. Richard Linklater's newest.

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Just watched the trailer for it and it looks good.

I watched a podcast with Andy Samberg a few weeks ago and he was saying how good it was. Mind, it's his mate directing so I took it with a pinch of salt.
 
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