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SMB Film Thread 2025

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Avoiding the football threads like the plague, so I’ll take the chance to update this.

Calculated Risk (1963)

Cheapie about a gang who plan and execute a bank vault raid by digging through the basement of a ruined house, and its adjoining wartime bomb shelter. Everything is planned meticulously… until it isn’t. Likeable and focused crime drama, with a cameo by Warren Mitchell. Very decent.

6.5/10

Delayed Action (1954)

Suicidal writer Robert Ayers is ‘rescued’ by toughs working for Bruce Seton and Alan Wheatley. They say that since he wants to end his life, they offer to ‘buy’ it. This involves doing a load of stuff using an alias, then killing himself at an agreed time. His payment? Regular money for 18 months paid into a trust for his daughter. He agrees, until June Thorburn enters his life.

Sounds more interesting than the clumsy execution.

4/10

Manhandled (1949)

A bloke starts to dream that he kills his wife using a perfume bottle. He sees a shrink. The shrink’s secretary tells her neighbour (Dan Duryea). The wife ends up dead in exactly the manner of the dream.

Makes good sense for quite a while, then some of the character decisions are just plain stupid. There’s some decent humour in the film from Sterling Hayden and Alan Napier, and Dan Duryea is clinically brilliant as a slimy, sneering, smarmy creep. Almost too good - it’s almost too cliched. Enjoyable film, but spoilt by some daft scriptwriting.

6/10
 
Weapons 7/10

Entertaining enough but not really a horror film. Extremely random and bit of a anti climatic ending. Entertaining watch, best horror film in a decade? Id argue its not even a horror film so no chance
 
Jailhouse Rock (1957)

8/10

Was on BBC2 earlier today, it’s been quite a few years since I watched it, and enjoyed it.

What I never knew until reading IMDb trivia today, that the actress Judy Tyler died shortly after film was finished, Presley never watched the completed film because he found it too upsetting.
 
Weapons - just back from omniplex (no jalapeños for nachos once again) and a good experience once again and good to see a fair few in. The movie itself was just all a bit “so what”. The end chase sequence raised a laugh from a few (me included). 5.5/10
 
Ascenseur pour l'échafaud (Elevator to the Gallows) (1958) 10/10
The film that kick-started the French New Wave. Brilliant set-up: A man murders a tycoon in his office then gets stuck in the lift overnight. Meanwhile, his car is stolen and he becomes implicated in a murder he couldn't possibly have committed. Amazing improvised soundtrack by Miles Davis.
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Once Upon a Time in America (1984) 10/10
I've been saving this up. I had the theatrical version on VHS and watched it multiple times, but somehow never got round to watching the 2012 restored version. Takes one of my favourite films and makes it even better.
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F1 (2025) 5/10
Not sure what a movie can bring to the race sequences that we don't already get with the actual live coverage - other than very wooden commentary from Martin Brundle and David Croft. Would have been more interesting if the 61-year-old lead actor actually looked his age.
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Iron Claw 2023 8/10 - Currently on Prime

True story about the Von Erich family who were famous and tragic wrestling family stars Zack Efron and the lab from The Bear.
Tells the story of a group of brothers who follow their father into the wrestling business in the states in the late 70s / early 80s (pre WWF take over).
 
the Seeding - on prime

Hmm. Despite its obvious budget constraints and lack of acting talent I quite liked how disturbing this sounded. Sort of a weird version of Eden Lake.

Whilst it started off ok, last thing you want is your protagonist to just have a go at everyone and everything rather than read the room and be clever.

The ending is utter dogshit so I can’t even recommend it as a curio, which is a shame as I liked the aesthetic early on.
 
Hosey69 said:
Iron Claw 2023 8/10 - Currently on Prime

True story about the Von Erich family who were famous and tragic wrestling family stars Zack Efron and the lab from The Bear.
Tells the story of a group of brothers who follow their father into the wrestling business in the states in the late 70s / early 80s (pre WWF take over).
Click to expand...
Starring one of the best working actors, Holt McCallany.

Good film.
 
Things seem to be looking up.
Our favourite Guardian stopped clock critic has a decent (non review obviously) article today on the return of the crime fillum. Thank god for that. It’s my favourite genre in fillum, TV, fiction etc even though 90% turn out to be virtually worthless apart from being practice/rehearsals for the eventual (hopefully) 10% that aren’t. Hopefully it doesn’t turn out to be a rerun of the dogdays of the end of the pier efforts sub-QT era. I’m looking forward to a couple he mentions.
I’d better get off here and get me novel written before I miss the boat.
 
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