What was the last movie you watched? Part 2

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The first one is Naked You Die.
 
The Curse of the Crying Woman (La maldición de la llorona ~ 1963)

An early Mexican horror film based around the la llorona legend. A young woman (with her new husband) visits her Aunt at her remote mansion in the Mexican countryside. There have been several unsolved murders in the area, the bodies completely drained of blood. As it becomes clear the Aunt has an ulterior motive for inviting her niece to stay, the niece realises she only has so much time in which to escape a hellish destiny.

The whole thing is beautifully shot in black and white, with an atmosphere comparable to Hollywood's 'old dark house' movies of the 1930s and 40s. Director Rafael Baledón was a big horror fan and it shows; a sequence where a character walks through a curtain of cobwebs without disturbing it (leaving the person following to fight their way through) is lifted straight from Bela Lugosi's Dracula, whilst another is very reminiscent of Dwight Frye's whipping of Boris Karloff in Frankenstein. In addition, a scene with two males fighting whilst two females look on from a higher point is set-up exactly like the scene where two vampire girls watch the fight between Peter Cushing and David Peel in Hammer's Brides of Dracula, which came out just three years before.

The sets for the mansion interiors (where most of the movie takes place) are great. Of the cast, the beautiful Rita Macedo is terrific as the aunt, with a hugely commanding presence - so commanding that she completely overshadows Rosa Arenas and Abel Salazar as the niece and her husband. Arenas is particularly wooden; she's very pretty, but she acts as though someone's constantly whispering into her ear what she should do next. A big minus is the ridiculously drawn-out climax (to the point of it becoming boring). There's also some poor miniature work in respect of the mansion. But, overall it's very enjoyable. Rita Macedo definitely steals it. 7/10
 
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The Village (2004)

I saw this once as a kid, almost 20 years ago. I had vivid memories about the film (who could forget the big twist?) and I went in with cautious expectations based on the movie's reputation, but I actually had a pretty good time. The cinematography is gorgeous, the cast is beyond stacked, and the autumnal vibes are delightful. Sure, the twists don't really work, but the whole thing is held together by excellent performances, particularly from transcendent Bryce Dallas Howard.
I'm one of the probably very few who actually enjoy this flick. Maybe it's Howard's performance or whatever. Even knowing the twists, I unironically like it. I've learned "I'm not supposed to" but I don't care.
 
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Faye (2024)

The above classic picture is taken at the very early morning after Faye Dunaway had won the Best Actress Award for Network (1976). The photographer insisted on taking these shots at early sunrise by a pool just for the effects. Me, I would naturally be and look as hungover as the darkest corners of hell. Dunaway of course looks ridiculously fabulous and stunning. As expected.

I highly enjoyed this documentary about Hollywood icon Faye Dunaway. A great actress with a great legacy, not without some controversy over the years. Recommended. And now I need to rewatch The Eyes Of Laura Mars, a thriller/horror film from late 70s which was one of the earliest flicks we kids rented on VHS and gathered around back in the day.


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A Quiet Place Day One

I had low expectations going in here, since I've gotten tired of bland pointless prequels. This however, was truly good. Lupita Nyong'o delievered as expected but Joseph Quinn was great as well. Their interactions during this horrific drama were great IMO. I felt the desperation these people went through during this traumatic event, even though we knew from earlier films how these creatures worked. We got an unexpecting ending as well.
 
I Could Never Be Your Woman (2007)
Code 8: Part II (2024)
The Operative (2019)
Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire / Chalice of Blood - Director's Cut (2023)
Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver / The Curse of Forgiveness - Director's Cut (2024)
Gojira -1.0 / Godzilla Minus One (2023)
American Wedding (2003)
Paydirt (2020)
Palm Beach (2019)
Something Big (1971)
 
St Agatha

I guess 2018 was a bad year for Nun movies. This one, directed by Darren Lynn Bousman, stars Sabrina Kern as Mary, a young, pregnant, homeless woman in 1950s America who gets taken in by a convent that specialises in looking after women in 'her condition'. It doesn't take long for her to realise there's something wrong with the place and that the Mother Superior is a complete headcase. When Mary tries to leave she's forced to stay against her will and subjected to brainwashing by the nuns in an attempt to make her forget her old identity and accept her new one - 'Agatha'. To say more would spoil, although that implies there's something worth not spoiling. With the exception of Carolyn Hennesy, who is terrific and clearly having a great time as the Mother Superior, the cast are bland as hell. The dialogue sounds amateurish a lot of the time. As for Bousman, he can shoot gore and 'gross' but he can't build tension to save his life. Scenes that are obviously meant to have us on the edge of our seats... don't, and the finale is just cartoonish (I even found myself laughing out loud at one point). Worryingly, there's actually a half-hint at a sequel! 4/10 (and that's entirely due to Hennesy).
 

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