Mindscape

"Mindscape" (2013, Jorge Dorado, Ombra Films, Warner Bros., Studio Canal, Antena 3 Films) aka "ANNA" is a fun and intriquing futuristic psychological thriller.

John (Mark Strong) is a detective with the ability to see into people's minds and memories. He's coming back from forced retirement after a traumatic incident in his own life.

John is given the case of 16 year old Anna to work on. Anna (Taiisa Farmiga, who you may recognise from American Horror Story) is a clever, odd and maniulative teen. It is John's job to enter her memories and decipher whether she is the victim of terrible sexual abuses or a scheming and dangerous sociopath.

A slow burner with a wonderful score and some really artistic but fun to watch 'memory' sequences. The plot keeps moving and growing, keeping the audience's interests piqued as we try to guess the next turn in the tale.

Excellent acting and a quiet but strong script makes this film stand out from other futuristic, mind bending thrillers out there.

[Image: Ombra Films]

Hani

The Black Cat

"The Black Cat" aka "Gatto Nero" (1981, Lucio Fulci, Shameless Screen Entertainment) is a film loosely based on the Edgar Allen Poe story.

A black cat stalks an English town, killing under the orders of its master, Psychic Medium Professor Miles (Patrick Magee). However, it would seem that the murderous moggy has turned upon its master, and is now killing at its own will!

It's not on the level of "House by the Cemetery" and its gore cannot compare to many of Fulci's other works, but "The Black Cat" is a moody piece with some very good scenes.

Whilst it's not likely to give you many nightmares, and it does suffer from long dull scenes between kills, it has the same wonderful charm of many Fulci pieces added to some nicely selected scenery.

Underrated, but admittedly completely batshit insane with a thin, shaky plot.

 

 

[Image: Shameless Screen Entertainment]

Hani

The Stuff

"The Stuff" (1985, Larry Cohen, New World Pictures, Anchor Bay Entertainment) is a schlocky little bit of American 80s B-movie comedy horror.

When a group of miners discover some white gloop bubbling out of the earth what can they do but taste it to discover it's delicious? Soon the stuff is being marketed as a yummy, addictive new dessert called...well, The Stuff!

Quickly replacing ice cream before replacing all food, The Stuff is being eaten obsessively by every family in America! But what is it? And why does it move around so much by itself? It's up to a little boy called Jason (Scott Bloom) and ex-FBI agent David 'Mo' Rutherford (Michael Moriarty) to uncover what is really going on before everyone has been taken over by the sweet dessert and melted from the inside!

Low budget and tongue in cheek, Cohen's satirical homage to the food-horror zombie-conspiracy style is good fun. From the painfully 80s marketing jingle to the scenes where it seems like a good idea to set The Stuff on fire while it's stuck to peoples' faces, it will keep you chuckling, but probably not guffawing.

Definitely not cerebral viewing, but good fun. And it may temporarily put you off eating marshmallow.

[Image: New World Pictures]

 

Hani