One Day, Four Films...

 Today ended up being one of those days where you don't even get out of bed until a lot later one, you just lie there and watch movies all day long... :o) I've got a habit of going into Poundland for one thing (Scampi & Lemon Fries) and coming out with DVDs where I've looked at them and said to myself, 'ooh, it's only a pound...' Today seemed like the best day then to try and make a bit of a dent in the DVD pile with a couple of movies that I knew wouldn't be great, one movie that I was hoping would be great (but wasn't, not really) and one movie that I'd never seen before and ended up being absolutely brilliant. See if you can tell which one was which...

'Alien Resurrection' (1997)

Okay, that gave the game away a little too early on in proceedings ;o) It's not a great film though, is it? There's a little bit of tension at the beginning (just to remind us what it could be like if the film was good) but then it becomes a movie where people are just lining up to be 'Alien Killed' and I hate it when a movie tosses the story to one side and just concentrates on the kills. Don't get me wrong, I love a bit of gore but it's just not done very well here. And just what the hell was it with the alien/human hybrid? A movie that felt like it had something to say here but chose to have our hybrid go kill crazy instead. Not a great film then.

'Season of the Witch' (2011)

A heroic crusader (Nicolas Cage) and his close ally (Ron Perlman) return home after decades of fierce fighting to find their world destroyed by the Plague. Believing a witch to be responsible for the devastation, they are commanded by the church Cardinal to transport the girl to a remote monastery where monks will perform an ancient ritual to rid the land of her curse. But they soon discover the girl’s dark secret and find themselves battling a powerful and destructive force that will determine the fate of the world forever.

I really wanted to like this film, I really did... And there is a lot to get into with a mystery, gloomy atmosphere and some cool fight sequences all combining well. It was a real shame then that Nicholas Cage just looked like he was phoning it in here and wasn't really that bothered. That spoiled it for me, especially when everyone was really going for it. Having said that though, any film that can cover Christopher Lee in enough buboes to make him unrecognizable is a film that I can't help but enjoy on some level at least.

'The Warriors' (1979)

We all know about 'The Warriors', don't we? Well, I didn't, not until today when I watched it for the first time. It was amazing, I couldn't take my eyes off the screen pretty much from start to finish. I don't think I've seen New York look so grimy as it did here and it served to really highlight the themes of friendship and honour running through the movie. And the fight scenes were brilliantly done as well, making use of that run down background to really show us the plight of the Warriors. The plot is deliberately simple I think, concentrating more on what's happening than why and that's just what the movie needs to maintain its pace.

I don't really know much about the influences on 'The Warriors' so can only judge what I saw and it was all good. Really glad I finally gave it a go.

'Seventh Son' (2015)

In a time of enchantments when legends and magic collide, the sole remaining warrior of a mystical order travels to find a prophesized hero born with incredible powers, the last Seventh Son. Torn from his quiet life as a farmhand, the unlikely young hero embarks on a daring adventure with his battle-hardened mentor to vanquish a dark queen and the army of supernatural assassins she has dispatched against their kingdom.

I've been  trying to watch a bit more fantasy/sword and sorcery recently so thought it was time I gave 'Seventh Son' another go (I watched it a few years go). For what it is (very light and undemanding) it does an ok job but I fell asleep watching it which tells you all you need to know. Maybe a little too light and undemanding...? I think so. There's also the small matter of the 'Lord of the Rings' movies wanting their scenery back (seriously, at one point I was expecting Gondor to light the fires and call for aid) and the not so small matter of Jeff Bridges' atrocious voice. One to put back on the shelf and not watch for another few years.

And that's it, my movie watching for the day :o) What about you? Anything you fancy recommending?

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