Rate the last movie you've seen [Archive] - Page 7

shootemindehead

09-Jun-2018, 01:13 PM

'Journey's End'

Simply put, one of the best WWI "trench life" films that I've seen. Saul Dibb's film, of R.C. Sherriff's play, expertly captures what day to day existence was like on the line in First World War France. While it's been filmed before, most famously as 'Ace's High', no other production has managed to be as technically correct and as engaging.

Sporting a brilliant cast, with many familiar non-stars, everybody is perfect in their role. Asa Butterfield, as the fresh faced Second Lieutenant Raleigh is well cast as the naive and innocent young officer, who hero worships an old schoolmate of his, Captain Stanhope (Sam Claflin), and wishes to be placed in his company. Through familial maneuvers he gets his wish and faces a baptism of fire, as Stanhope's battalion has been placed in the forward trenches just in time for the German Spring Offensive of 1918. Stanhope is not the same man as Raleigh remembers from his public shool days in England and has become a drunkard, while still maintaining a managable offcer's command position. Stanhope doesn't relish the thought of Raleigh being in his command, as he's worried that young officer's sister, with whom he has a relationship, will find out about his alcoholism.

Elsewhere, the excellent Paul Bettany is great as the congenial "Uncle", the "superior" by age in the officer's dugout. Despite being a subordinate rank to Captain Stanhope, all of the men look up to Lieutenant Osborne, including Stanhope himself. He's softer with the men and quietly dispair's on their behalf, while trying to maintain a stoic type of dignity. He, along with Stephen Graham as Second Lieutenant Trotter and Toby Jones as Private Mason are the most recognisable faces.

'Journey's End' is not a bombastc war movie. There's no silly over the top (if you pardon the pun) heroics, like we see in the likes of 'Hacksaw Ridge'. It plays out its time with a quiet, unsettling, patience, rather like much of the war itself. The men are locked into their fate, waiting for the inevitable German attack to come. They carry on as best they can, finding distraction in drink, their official duties or willfully ignorant humour, like the working class, Liverpudlian, Trotter who uses laughter as a distraction from his situation.

Those expecting to see bullets flying and explosions will be disappointed, although there are a couple of well handled action scenes. But, 'Journey's End' is more about a slice of life in the trenches of WWI, rather than a showcase for violence. It remains largely concentrated on the officer's dugout too and ventures out amongst the enlisted men only on a couple of occasions.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the film made no money. It's gross at the box office was minimal, which is a real shame, because it's a very fine film and I wouldn't let that put people off from watching. I suppose in the age of superhero actioners, a film such as 'Journey's End' has no place.

9/10

'The Lost Continent'

There are a number of Hammer films that I have never seen, despite growing up with them and being familiar with the titles. 1968's 'The Lost Continent' was one such film. While it has to be said that a lot of Hammer films are quite mediocre affairs these days and are more fun to talk about than to watch, they usually contain elements of great interest to me and a lot of other people and this was no exception. On paper, the story seems wild and unfocused, but as it plays out, it's kind of fascinating. A tramp steamer with a contriband cargo and a dodgy passanger list sets sail from Freetown to Caracas. But, due to stormy weather, it gets lost in the Sargasso Sea along the way where the crew and passangers tumble upon man eating seaweed, giant scorpions, mutated crabs and the a band of religious nutters who are descended from Spanish Conquistadors! As mad as it sounds, it's a crazy story that begins as a sort of low key voyage of the damned and ends up a half arsed 'When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth' mixed with Peter Benchley's 'The Island'.

The acting is weak in parts, especially from the females. The model effects are charming, but obvious. The rubber creatures are downright laughable and the story doesn't have a real conclusion. But, it's never boring, which is its real credit. The DVD I watched was pretty poor quality too, with visible interlacing and a murky picture. But, maybe it's filtered murkiness added to it sense of oddness? I'd like to see a Blu ray restoration of the film, but I won't be holding my breath for that to appear any time soon and in all probability, the hi-def image would betray those models and creatures even more.

'The Lost Continent' is not a good film in any respects, but it is an entertaining one. So it's very hard to score. Therefore, I won't.

bassman

09-Jun-2018, 07:27 PM

The Terninator and Terminator 2: Judgement Day

While browsing the Vudu account for something to watch this morning, and after the recent news of Cameron’s return to the franchise, I decided to watch these two films back-to-back.

There’s really nothing new that can be said about these films at this point. Most of us have seen them numerous times and recognize them as some of the all-time best science fiction films. However, one thing that I’ve continued to notice as time goes on is that the original film is not aging well at all. That’s not meant to be detrimental to the film, it’s fantastic, but just from a time period aesthetic, T2 seems to be aging better and having more of a “timeless” quality whereas T1 is very much a film of the eighties. Of course they both show signs of the times they were produced, it just seems to me that T2 has the edge when it comes to that “timelessness” even though it’s now 25-30 years old.

beat_truck

10-Jun-2018, 07:51 PM

We all know that Bruno Mattei made the real Terminator II.:D It came out first, after all.

Here's a funny review of it, and I believe the whole movie is on YT also.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxH9H5yBT74

Or, how about this review of the "remake" of the Terminator.:confused:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QR0YbAmStIc

JDP

10-Jun-2018, 08:06 PM

We all know that Bruno Mattei made the real Terminator II.:D It came out first, after all.

Did he insert tons of unnecessary animal stock-footage from all over the world here too?

Neil

10-Jun-2018, 08:20 PM

The first Terminator movie = a film geared for an adult audience. The second Terminator movie = a film geared for a younger audience. There's just no comparison. The second film is simply an entertaining action romp. The first one is a well-thought, well-crafted and well-balanced landmark sci-fi film.
T1 is definately dark in tone, but T2 has a huge dark undertone too with its constant theme of impending nuclear war...

Yep... Not aimed at adults this... :)

xjatJ36cJvM

And of course, the fact this is done via practical effects rather than CGI - WOW!

Anyway, in thruth there both great flicks...

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JDP

10-Jun-2018, 08:29 PM

T1 is definately dark in tone, but T2 has a huge dark undertone too with its constant theme of impending nuclear war...

Yep... Not aimed at adults this... :)

xjatJ36cJvM

And of course, the fact this is done via practical effects rather than CGI - WOW!

The fact that they made the kid to be the main human protagonist is one of the obvious signs it is geared for the younger audiences. This is how the American movie industry thinks and operates. Almost always, when you see youngsters filling the main roles of a Hollywood movie, you know very well who the main target audience is. The first Terminator film is much darker, grittier, believable and obviously directed at a more mature audience.

beat_truck

10-Jun-2018, 08:29 PM

Did he insert tons of unnecessary animal stock-footage from all over the world here too?

I haven't watched the whole movie yet, but surely there is some thrown in for good measure.

bassman

10-Jun-2018, 10:19 PM

MinionZombie

11-Jun-2018, 09:56 AM

Terminator Salvation

Not as bad as T3, but obviously not as good as Cameron’s films. Overall rather bland, but there are a few good details, such as Anton Yelchin as a young Kyle Reese. Great casting.

I at least have to give them credit for trying something different than the same ol’ time travel rehash from the previous films.

I enjoyed the future war setting, but again they utterly buggered up the Terminators - e.g. that giant Transformer thingy, so bloody loud in operation yet it sneaks up on the gas station outpost with total surprise factor. :rolleyes: Plus the aforementioned agregiousness of the molten steel moment.

The trailer was awesome, mind ... but it would be, 'cos Nine Inch Nails. :cool:

I enjoyed the older model of Terminator (T-600?) with the rubber skin. They looked really cool and kinda scary, very creepy ... ... the mute child tag along, though? WTF.

Considering that T2 was Rated "R" (it's a 15 in the UK, much like the first movie which was actually down-rated from an 18 to a 15 several years ago) and the procession of F-bombs littered throughout, I don't think they were going for a family audience. :rockbrow: Really, the film has a three-eyed central protagonist, by which I mean, a trio of POVs to view the film through - John, Sarah, and the T-800 - we view the film through all of their eyes throughout. Plus, the underlying theme of family (with the T-800 as the surrogate father figure) doesn't make it a "family" movie. Indeed, these themes don't register with children, but they kick like a mule for grown ups - the T-800 lowering into the molten steel and then the thumbs up always manages to coincide with something getting in my eye (funny how that works! :D ) ... the tragedy that that moment represents for John, also - who never knew his father (Kyle Reese), has always had an unstable life, and now he's found some sort of solid parental figure (albeit a re-programmed killing machine) he has to let it go and watch it being destroyed.

Considering various other moments of violence in the film - bystanders getting riddled with bullets, the biker painfully scrabbling on a hot stove, limbs being broken, knives being punctured into flesh, the T-1000 skewering various people through the face - this is not family-oriented material. Indeed, when I first saw it on BBC1 many moons ago it was on well after the 9pm watershed and was still cut to ribbons (for violence, and all the F-bombs were eradicated). T2 literally isn't a family movie, but that doesn't mean you can't make toys to sell to children - just as they did for the first movie, just as they did for various other R-Rated movies such as the Alien franchise.

Neil

11-Jun-2018, 01:22 PM

The fact that they made the kid to be the main human protagonist is one of the obvious signs it is geared for the younger audiences. This is how the American movie industry thinks and operates. Almost always, when you see youngsters filling the main roles of a Hollywood movie, you know very well who the main target audience is. The first Terminator film is much darker, grittier, believable and obviously directed at a more mature audience.

So like The Exorcist for example?

I'll give you the original is probably aimed at a more mature audience, but T2 is hardly a dumbed down family flick is it :) And ultimately none of this detemines which is the superior film. IMHO they're equally as great.

bassman

11-Jun-2018, 03:03 PM

I can’t believe I actually made it through all of them...

Terminator Genisys

Like the others, some good ideas sprinkled throughout, they just can’t all come together to make a good movie. Watching this one again, I actually think it’s on an okay path up until the final act, then it really falls apart. The first 45 minutes to an hour show some signs of promise, but all that promise is lost by the time they’re flying helicopters in ridiculous ways through San Francisco. Even if viewed as a bit of a cop out, I have to admit that the recreated scenes from the first film are pretty well done. They at least paid attention to detail and did a better job on young Arnold than Salvation did, anyway.

If I were forced to rank the three non-Cameron sequels, it’d probably be in reverse order from their release: Genisys, Salvation, Rise of the Machines. That’s not saying much at all, though. That’s like being asked to rank the Transformers films....

MinionZombie

11-Jun-2018, 04:25 PM

If I were forced to rank the three non-Cameron sequels, it’d probably be in reverse order from their release: Genisys, Salvation, Rise of the Machines. That’s not saying much at all, though. That’s like being asked to rank the Transformers films....

:lol::lol::lol:

I actually quite like the first Transformers movie, there was at least a solid theme of 'a boy and his first car' running through it ... but the sequels? Get tae fuck.

As for the non-JC T-sequels? Yeah, I'd probably agree with you. T4 and T5 are par with each other, and T3 is an embarrassment.

T1 vs T2. I love them both. Each provides different things. T1 is gritty, grungy 'tech noir' ( ;) ), with a version of a love story strung throughout (the scene where Kyle opens up to Sarah in the motel in the depths of night is really touching). T2 boasts all of JC's skills and finesse as a director up to that point with different themes dotted throughout, and where the first film is like a punk song with larger ambitions, the second film is a full blown orchestra that's in total command. Both excellent in their own ways. I'd still, out of the two, opt for T2 personally. I actually saw that one first and was blown away by it.

bassman

11-Jun-2018, 04:31 PM

Yeah, I actually have a soft spot for Bay’s first Transformers. I was relating them more as the kind of dumb, eye candy style of films they are. That felt pretty appropriate for Terminator 3-5.

I didn’t even realize it until just now, but I’d actually watched the Director’s/Unrated Cut of Salvation yesterday. It didn’t occur to me until you started mentioning the ratings of the films. I can’t recall anything different that would have given it the tougher rating except for brief shots of Moon Bloodgood’s breasts??

Neil

11-Jun-2018, 04:44 PM

beat_truck

11-Jun-2018, 06:21 PM

I didn't want to immediately chime in and say that I thought T3 sucked, but now I know that I'm not alone and I'm not going to get flamed.:D

It's not a wonder I see copies of it (sometimes multiple copies) in every thrift thrift store I go in. Maybe someday I'll watch the later movies, but after seeing 3, I really haven't had the urge.

JDP

11-Jun-2018, 06:28 PM

So like The Exorcist for example?

That's why I said "almost" always. There are exceptions.

I'll give you the original is probably aimed at a more mature audience, but T2 is hardly a dumbed down family flick is it :) And ultimately none of this detemines which is the superior film. IMHO they're equally as great.

The second movie was certainly intended to be more appealing to a younger audience; for example, it relies more on action than the first one, which is more well-balanced between action and slower-paced plot & character development, building up atmosphere, tension, etc. Younger audiences tend to get "bored" with slower paced movies.

And T2 also introduced a too fanciful element that the first one did not have: the "mercury" robot, which the younger audiences might more easily swallow, but the older more critical audience will have a very hard time to try to accept. This is, after all, a science-fiction story, not a sword & sorcery one. You can get away with more fanciful stuff in pure fantasy movies, even with adults, who are willing to be more open minded and less critical about highly unlikely stuff, but not so much with science-fiction properly. There needs to be a basic degree of "believability/possibility" in order to make truly good sci-fi movies.

bassman

11-Jun-2018, 07:09 PM

JDP

11-Jun-2018, 07:34 PM

I’ve always felt like the two had roughly equal amounts of action. And to me, regardless of the amount of action, T2 has always had a great amount of story and heart, it’s just more of a parental love plot as opposed to the romantic love of the original. It seemed like a natural progression, as well as the underlying theme of humans being self destructive.

Being that both these films are literally built around time travel to the past, a scientific impossibility, the T-1000 doesn’t seem anymore of a fantastical stretch, in my mind. Again, it feels like a natural progression. I mean....an advanced robotic artificial intelligence endoskeleton wrapped in living, regenerating human tissue doesn’t feel anymore believable to an advanced liquid metal, or some sort of nanobot technology, that can form into a humanoid shape, IMO.

Apparently you haven't been paying attention to the current advancements in robotics and A.I. Things are already getting closer to machines like the ones in the first movie. It is hardly a stretch of the imagination that one day these disciplines will be so advanced that they could very well build such machines. But I don't see anything even remotely resembling the "mercury" robot of the second movie anywhere in the horizon.

As for time-travel: theoretically conceivable, but just too difficult/complex to attempt to carry it out, at least currently.

bassman

11-Jun-2018, 07:53 PM

Apparently you haven't been paying attention to the current advancements in robotics and A.I. Things are already getting closer to machines like the ones in the first movie. It is hardly a stretch of the imagination that one day these disciplines will be so advanced that they could very well build such machines. But I don't see anything even remotely resembling the "mercury" robot of the second movie anywhere in the horizon.

As for time-travel: theoretically conceivable, but just too difficult/complex to attempt to carry it out, at least currently.

No, I can’t say that I’m necessarily keeping up with all the advancements in robotics. Not exactly my forte. :rockbrow:

But I wasn’t debating the plausibility of robotics in the future, but stating that all of scientific elements of the Terminator films are of course based on things not yet achievable or could very well never be achievable, thus I don’t find one to be more believable than the other. Of course there is research being done in these fields, even the liquid metal/nanotechnology, but that really has no bearing on the films. One shouldn’t need to have done research on current or future technology to enjoy or compare these things within the context of a film. So with that in mind, within the context of a film involving time travel and robots with living tissue, liquid metal technology is not that much of a stretch.

JDP

11-Jun-2018, 08:10 PM

No, I can’t say that I’m necessarily keeping up with all the advancements in robotics. Not exactly my forte. :rockbrow:

But I wasn’t debating the plausibility of robotics in the future, but stating that all of scientific elements of the Terminator films are of course based on things not yet achievable or could very well never be achievable, thus I don’t find one to be more believable than the other. Of course there is research being done in these fields, even the liquid metal/nanotechnology, but that really has no bearing on the films. One shouldn’t need to have done research on current or future technology to enjoy or compare these things within the context of a film. So with that in mind, within the context of a film involving time travel and robots with living tissue, liquid metal technology is not that much of a stretch.

I am talking about reality here, not just what the movies show. When you take both into account, the first movie is waaaaaaaay more realistic/believable than the second one. I first saw the first Terminator movie when it came out in 1984, and even back then, with the less advanced computers and robotics of those times, I could already easily see the plausibility of the machines shown in that movie (there is even one great scene in the movie, when the Terminator, during the pursuit of its prey, watches the computer-controlled robotic arms of the automatized 1980s factory; this is very obviously intentional. Here we have this advanced machine of the future coming face to face with what can easily be seen as his "remote ancestors".) Now, 34 years later, I can see it even more. But I still see no signs whatsoever of anything remotely resembling that fanciful "mercury" machine of the second movie.

Neil

11-Jun-2018, 08:28 PM

The second movie was certainly intended to be more appealing to a younger audience; for example, it relies more on action than the first one, which is more well-balanced between action and slower-paced plot & character development, building up atmosphere, tension, etc. Younger audiences tend to get "bored" with slower paced movies.

And T2 also introduced a too fanciful element that the first one did not have: the "mercury" robot, which the younger audiences might more easily swallow, but the older more critical audience will have a very hard time to try to accept. This is, after all, a science-fiction story, not a sword & sorcery one. You can get away with more fanciful stuff in pure fantasy movies, even with adults, who are willing to be more open minded and less critical about highly unlikely stuff, but not so much with science-fiction properly. There needs to be a basic degree of "believability/possibility" in order to make truly good sci-fi movies.

Again, I can't equate a film appealing to older/younger people as "quality?"

And as for the liquid metal being unrealistic... Possibly, but I'm happy to take a single leap of faith as long as the rules are fairly solid a robust...

Again, I get where you're coming from. But as overall films I love them both. T1 was more original and ground breaking. T2 was probably the more interesting ride overall. For me at least...

Anyway, we're taking this thread off topic :)

beat_truck

11-Jun-2018, 08:37 PM

I am talking about reality here, not just what the movies show. When you take both into account, the first movie is waaaaaaaay more realistic/believable than the second one. I first saw the first Terminator movie when it came out in 1984, and even back then, with the less advanced computers and robotics of those times, I could already easily see the plausibility of the machines shown in that movie (there is even one great scene in the movie, when the Terminator, during the pursuit of its prey, watches the computer-controlled robotic arms of the automatized 1980s factory; this is very obviously intentional. Here we have this advanced machine of the future coming face to face with what can easily be seen as his "remote ancestors".) Now, 34 years later, I can see it even more. But I still see no signs whatsoever of anything remotely resembling that fanciful "mercury" machine of the second movie.

YOU may be talking about reality, but nobody else is.;)

No offense, but you seem to take all of this stuff entirely too seriously. Movies are entertainment, not reality. They aren't usually made to analyse every single detail under a microscope and compare it to what is real and fact.:confused:

bassman

11-Jun-2018, 08:39 PM

I am talking about reality here, not just what the movies show.

Well, therein lies the issue that’s given a stalemate. As I stated a few times in my previous post, my points were taking into account only what the viewer is presented within the context of the film.

JDP

11-Jun-2018, 08:48 PM

YOU may be talking about reality, but nobody else is.;)

No offense, but you seem to take all of this stuff entirely too seriously. Movies are entertainment, not reality. They aren't usually made to analyse every single detail under a microscope and compare it to what is real and fact.:confused:

How else are you going to estimate how "believable/realistic" a movie is unless you compare it with... you guessed it: REALITY! There is no other way. Plus this is a sci-fi flick. There is supposed to be "science" elements involved in the story-line, that's why these kinds of movies are judged by different standards than a pure fantasy movie, where the viewer is given more liberty to suspend disbelief.

beat_truck

11-Jun-2018, 08:55 PM

How else are you going to estimate how "believable/realistic" a movie is unless you compare it with... you guessed it: REALITY! There is no other way. Plus this is a sci-fi flick. There is supposed to be "science" elements involved in the story-line, that's why these kinds of movies are judged by different standards than a pure fantasy movie, where the viewer is given more liberty to suspend disbelief.

I guess you don't quite understand the purpose of entertainment.:rockbrow:

Spoiler alert!

It's not always intended to be believable or realistic.

JDP

11-Jun-2018, 09:05 PM

I guess you don't quite understand purpose of entertainment.:rockbrow:

Spoiler alert!

It's not always intended to be believable or realistic.

When it comes to sci-fi flicks, you bet this plays an important part. Otherwise it is not "science" fiction, just fiction.

beat_truck

11-Jun-2018, 09:12 PM

When it comes to sci-fi flicks, you bet this plays an important part. Otherwise it is not "science" fiction, just fiction.

Nothing like setting yourself up for a disappointment.:)

JDP

11-Jun-2018, 11:20 PM

Nothing like setting yourself up for a disappointment.:)

Of course, the majority of them will suck at "keeping it real". But that's what separates the more knowledgeable filmmakers who do manage to make better conceived sci-fi flicks.

bassman

12-Jun-2018, 01:53 AM

The Equalizer

Having seen the trailer for Equalizer 2 before Deadpool 2 recently, I decided to give the first a try. Probably not Antione Fuqua’s best, but an enjoyable film. Sort of in a similar vein to the recent “older guy is secret badass” flicks like Taken. I’m not familiar with the original TV series, so I can’t really compare, but judging it on it’s own terms it’s a good thriller.

MinionZombie

12-Jun-2018, 10:09 AM

bassman

13-Jun-2018, 12:43 AM

Den Of Thieves (2018)

Really good new cops and robbers flick starring Gerard Butler. I’m really surprised I haven’t seen more advertising or heard more people talking about it. One of the best of it's kind in recent memory. Highly recommended.

bassman

14-Jun-2018, 05:14 AM

American Made (2017)

A film based on true events, directed by Doug Liman(Swingers, Bourne Jdentity, Edge of Tomorrow), starring Tom Cruise as Barry Seal, a former TWA pilot that is recruited by the C.I.A. for air surveillance, then becomes a drug-running pilot in the 1980’s. Also starring Domhnall Gleeson(New Star Wars Trilogy, Ex-Machina, The Revenant) and Jesse Plemmons(Breaking Bad, Black Mass, Black Mirror).

While it may not necessarily be a film to write home about, it’s still an entertaining ride for a film of it’s type. The closest recent film I feel it could be compared with is “Blow”. Liman has proven over the years that he’s a very competent director that can at the very least keep your attention for the duration of two hours and “American Made” is a great addition to his filmography. It’s also quite nice to again see Tom Cruise acting in a film outside of his usual franchise/sequel summer tentpole films. This would be my second time viewing this film since it’s release and while I doubt I’ll be giving it another watch again anytime soon, if at all, I do think everyone would enjoy it on a single viewing, so I do recommend it.

MinionZombie

14-Jun-2018, 10:08 AM

American Made (2017)
While it may not necessarily be a film to write home about, it’s still an entertaining ride for a film of it’s type. The closest recent film I feel it could be compared with is “Blow”. Liman has proven over the years that he’s a very competent director that can at the very least keep your attention for the duration of two hours and “American Made” is a great addition to his filmography. It’s also quite nice to again see Tom Cruise acting in a film outside of his usual franchise/sequel summer tentpole films. This would be my second time viewing this film since it’s release and while I doubt I’ll be giving it another watch again anytime soon, if at all, I do think everyone would enjoy it on a single viewing, so I do recommend it.

I recently saw it for the first time and I'd agree with this. It follows many of the 'rise and fall' elements of these types of movies about drug-related rogues, but it does keep you interested and rarely flags in its pacing. Plus it's fun to see Tom Cruise in "naughty mode", which is kind of rare to see as he normally plays the hero. Liman's direction really injects some pizazz into familiar territory, so I'd likewise recommend giving it a watch. :thumbsup:

bassman

15-Jun-2018, 03:00 AM

John Carpenter’s The Fog

With the recent discussion of his return to the Halloween franchise and having recently watched In The Mouth of Madness, I came across The Fog and felt like it was a good time to revisit the film, as it’s been quite a while and my memory of it was foggy, at best. Pun intended.

With his theatrical follow up to Halloween, Carpenter was able to give this one a slight bit more of a “big budget feel” as opposed to the more independent feel from before, even though they were both produced in a similar fashion. I believe he’d done the made-for-TV Elvis feature with Kurt Russell between the two, and while it may be my mind playing tricks with me because of the knowledge of that TV feature, I seemed to catch several scene transitions with what I can only describe as “commercial break editing”. What I mean by that is that there were a couple scenes that did a sort of mid-speed fade out, with the next scene doing a similar fade in, which is what you would normally see done for commercial breaks on TV. Has anyone ever noticed this or am I just imagining things?

The film has an amazing cast and a fantastic sense of eerie dread throughout. Speaking of the cast, Adrienne Barbeau is at her best and most gorgeous here, also sporting a very sultry disc jockey voice for her job as a radio host. While I imagine Jamie Lee Curtis was getting a lot of attention for her career and beauty at this point, I’d say that Barbeau takes the beauty queen crown for The Fog. If it wasn’t obvious yet, I got a bit of a thing for Barbeau in her day, but I imagine I’m not alone with that opinion. :p

Other than that, there’s not really a whole lot that can be said about The Fog that hasn't already been said about the film over the years. While obviously not as popular as Halloween, this flick is an admirable follow-up that deserves the recognition it still receives after all these years. However, it did not deserve the remake, circa 2004? Yeesh, I remember very little of that one, but from what I do recall, it’s a dumpster fire of a disaster.

It’s really no surprise to anyone that Carpenter’s film comes very enthusiastically recommended! And now this feels like the perfect excuse to dive into Escape From New York! Plissken, baby! :cool:

https://media.giphy.com/media/l0IycSDCzNp4JvSFy/giphy.gif

beat_truck

15-Jun-2018, 03:22 AM

I've seen "The Fog" several times, and I never tire of it. Everything is very good, the story, cast, soundtrack, atmosphere, etc.

The remake was a giant steaming pile of shit.:barf: Especially the ending.

Bassman, if you like Adrienne Barbeau, you should see "Swamp Thing" if you haven't already. Unless my memory is failing me, I think she actually has brief topless scene in it. The movie itself is cheesy, but pretty good, at least IMO.

EvilNed

15-Jun-2018, 08:22 AM

I really like the Fog but I can understand why some feel it's a bit on the slow side.
The film hasn't really got an A-plot but is instead a series of B-plots that all connect to the wider narrative of the ghostly fog.
As a ghost story it's great. In fact, so great that I dare say it's the best ghost story ever put to film (granted, it's a genre I'm not really interested in).

Having said all that I don't think it's one of Carpenter's strongest. In interviews he said that about one third of the film consists of reshoots after having watched an assembled cut of the film. All the stuff with hands pushing through windows are reshoots for instance, as well as the scene with the dead fishermen at the morgue. You can tell part of the film was simply extended for atmospheric purposes rather than to tell a tighter story.

But as a mood piece it's excellent. Maybe it's the closest Carpenter will ever get to Fulci? ;)

MinionZombie

15-Jun-2018, 09:35 AM

I love The Fog, too! Great film - although when I first saw it I was, IIRC, fifteen, and it really didn't jive with me. My teenage brain couldn't cope with the slow pacing and the expertly crafted atmosphere. I needed something more in-your-face back then. However, when I revisited it several years later I saw the magic in it, and a third viewing a while after that revealed it to be an absolute classic in my eyes.

The atmosphere is off the charts, and hell, even that opening ghost story that the old man tells around the campfire is masterfully done - not only in terms of writing, but the performance too. Genuinely haunting, a real skin-crawler of a tale.

I particularly love all the stuff as the fog rolls in for the first time, all the weird little reactions the town has as it kind of affects inanimate objects and such. Great cast too, Barbeau chief among them all, cracking location work and so on. Classic Carpenter.

I saw a few snippets of the remake and I was stunned by how god-awful it was, so changed the channel quickly. :lol:

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Majorie Prime

An elderly woman suffering from alzheimers enjoys the company of a holographic version of her husband in his prime (played by Jon Hamm).

It's an intriguing sci-fi drama, very subtle on the sci-fi aspect, and more focused on the drama. I was half-expecting some big twist, but it didn't skew that way, but did skew in a different way as the film went on with the technology taking on another use. The film has some interesting things to say about memories and how we pass them on from one person to another, filtered through time and selection.

bassman

15-Jun-2018, 04:41 PM

I think this may be the first I’ve heard of Majorie Prime. Sounds interesting, I’ll have to keep an eye out for it.

Escape From New York

What is there to say, really? You all know it. Classic Carpenter and Russell. This viewing may be the first time I realized that the co-writer is actually the actor behind the Myers mask from the original Halloween.

Now The Thing is on my list of what’s next, of course. But first....after Escape was over, Amazon popped up with The Running Man on “customers also watched”, so I just couldn’t say no. First time I’ve seen it in probably 20 years, so looking forward to finishing and giving my thoughts...

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Wow....The Running Man has held up surprisingly well and is probably more important now than ever. It’s like an example of a friggin movie predicting the future accurately! Especially the stuff regarding crap “reality” television and the audience’s willingness to believe anything that can be shoved down their throats. The effects are also holding up well, while still of course being a very “80’s film”.

Twas quite a treat to revisit the film after so many years.

MinionZombie

16-Jun-2018, 10:54 AM

Wow....The Running Man has held up surprisingly well and is probably more important now than ever. It’s like an example of a friggin movie predicting the future accurately! Especially the stuff regarding crap “reality” television and the audience’s willingness to believe anything that can be shoved down their throats. The effects are also holding up well, while still of course being a very “80’s film”.

Twas quite a treat to revisit the film after so many years.

It's been a good while since I saw the movie (it's a classic), but I do remember that I was partly familiar with it before seeing the movie because of this track that was doing the rounds at the time (let's time travel back to the rave culture of the 1990s, shall we?):

wKduhUXa0rg

Bangin' choon!

bassman

16-Jun-2018, 11:02 AM

Fulci’s Zombie(1979)

Having written the film off after my initial viewing many years ago, I decided it was time to give it another try in adulthood. My opinion isn’t quite as negative as it was originally. I certainly enjoyed it more this time, but probably still rate it lower than most fans on the net.

The effects are probably what garner the most praise. Certain classics like the “splinter in the eye” still hold up quite well! There are also a few scenes/shots that are quite beautiful! There’s a certain one in the street of the village that’s real low to the ground and looking down the road “filled” with zombies? It would make a gorgeous poster!

In all, it’s a bit more enjoyable than I’d remembered, but still not the “zombie classic” that it’s usually labeled as, IMHO.

shootemindehead

16-Jun-2018, 12:21 PM

bassman

16-Jun-2018, 12:43 PM

No, it's certainly not a classic in the sense that '12 Angry Men' would be. But, I'd call it a "classic" of that Italian cannibal/zombie genre at least. If there are two films that define that crazy era, they'd 'Cannibal Holocaust' and 'Zombie Flesh Eaters'.

I edited it to at least say zombie classic. Meant to put that the first time around.

Truthfully, I feel like I’m missing something with this flick. Usually when I have an opinion that differs from the majority, I’m still able to identify what it is that brough them to that rating, even if I don’t necessarily agree with it. But with Zombie, I’m currently unable to identify the things that would set this film apart and make it a classic of the zombie genre?

I wanted to fall in love with the film, I really did. I honestly went in hoping that I’d walk away with something that I’d be proud to purchase and display with my other classic zombie films, but unfortunately I just don’t see what pushes this one to be a cut above the rest. I’m going to give it some time to simmer and then give it another spin, hopefully being able to identify what I’m missing.

JDP

16-Jun-2018, 03:19 PM

I edited it to at least say zombie classic. Meant to put that the first time around.

Truthfully, I feel like I’m missing something with this flick. Usually when I have an opinion that differs from the majority, I’m still able to identify what it is that brough them to that rating, even if I don’t necessarily agree with it. But with Zombie, I’m currently unable to identify the things that would set this film apart and make it a classic of the zombie genre?

I wanted to fall in love with the film, I really did. I honestly went in hoping that I’d walk away with something that I’d be proud to purchase and display with my other classic zombie films, but unfortunately I just don’t see what pushes this one to be a cut above the rest. I’m going to give it some time to simmer and then give it another spin, hopefully being able to identify what I’m missing.

The movie that pitted a zombie against a shark... and you are still asking what sets it apart from all others? :)

The movie's pluses: its disgusting, repulsive, decayed zombies (even if they weren't carnivorous freaks, you would still not want them anywhere near you), the great atmosphere of decay and doom, the unapologetic "in your face" gore... did I mention that there's a battle between a zombie and a friggin' shark? Oh, yeah, I did!

Two scenes in this movie also set a couple of standard "cliches" for many other zombie movies to come: eye-violence (see, for example, Bianchi's The Nights of Terror, or Mattei's Hell of the Living Dead), and the "humans stumble upon zombies feasting on an unfortunate human victim" scene (see, again, Bianchi's The Nights of Terror, Mattei's Hell of the Living Dead, or Agrama's Dawn of the Mummy, for example.)

The movie has to be appreciated for what it is: a pure horror movie. There are no "hidden messages", or "social commentaries" or "allegories" here. It's just horror for horror's sake. Nothing else. It's simple. It's straightforward. It makes no apologies for what it is.

MinionZombie

16-Jun-2018, 04:36 PM

I wouldn't say there's no hidden messages or deeper meanings in the film, as Fulci himself spoke of higher things in interviews regarding his various films (e.g. that whole of thing of being 'post-narrative' with films like City of the Living Dead ... although that notion wasn't a raving success, was it? :lol: but the intention was clearly there, whether he was successful at addressing his ideas on-screen is another thing, but the intention was certainly there as he himself stated) ... ... but anyway, in Zombie Flesh Eaters there are some ideas relating back to Voodoo, as Fulci has always intended from the start, to take it back to those roots, and there's even some nods and winks to colonialism what with the zombies rising from the graves being Spanish Conquistadors. Some of these ideas just pop up and then almost immediately disappear, but there's some stuff going on there amongst it all.

Indeed, speaking of colonialism, references to it would pop up in various Italian films - one that immediately springs to mind is "Massacre In Dinosaur Valley", a cannibal movie from 1985 where the main villains aren't cannibals but actually white colonialists seeking to pillage the rainforest for its precious gems. That film also carried themes of American masculinity suffering from dysfunction (the grizzled Vietnam vet, threatened by Michael Sopkiw's rugged hero, and henpecked by his dolled-up wife who constantly bemoans his impotence).

I'm getting off on a tangent here, but while any themes or higher ideas aren't deployed in a major way in Zombie Flesh Eaters, there are some things layered in there amidst the very distracting gore sequences. It does skew more towards full-blown horror, but there's a few little things slotted in there. The Italian screenwriters tended to inject various ideas and themes into their scripts, perhaps less-so by the time of the 1980s and the splatter cycle, but certainly during the 1970s you'd find many films chock full with politics and social commentary (gialli and poliziotteschi in particular).

shootemindehead

16-Jun-2018, 04:44 PM

bassman

19-Jun-2018, 02:32 AM

Ghostbusters(1984) and Ghostbusters II(1989)

Any long time members or people that know me outside of the forums know that I’m a huge GB fan. To the point of having large collections, prop replicas, you name it. I’ve seen the films too many times to count and the original, in my mind, is a perfect film. Growing up, it was my Star Wars(although I love SW, as well), and then took on an even different kind of admiration when I got older and was able to understand more of its “adult” humor. That being said, I’m not going to really review the first film except to say it’s excellent, but instead focus on the more controversial GBII....

Throughout the years, GBII has often been regarded as a terrible film by many viewers. While there’s no question that it’s not as good as the original, I feel like it was possibly rated unfairly because of it’s relation to the original. Regardless of the production woes that plagued the sequel, I still feel like the end result is a good comedy.

Sure, it repeats a good bit of the beats from the original, and sure it’s more “kid friendly” in certain ways, but in all it’s stjll a serviceable comedy. With the passage of time, it’s seems that some reviewers are beginning to come around and see that they may have rated the film unfairly based on the original. Viewing the film almost as a stand alone and putting the outstanding success of the original to the back of your mind, it’s far from terrible. Even Bill Murray, perhaps once the biggest hater of GBII, has come around in recent years and admitted that there are some good segments and jokes throughout the film. In recent years when I watch the film I actually purposefully remind myself to judge it on its own, and as I say, it’s got some fantastic jokes throughout. Dare I say even a couple of the best jokes of Murray’s career.

So anyway, the original will always be the best, but the sequel doesn’t deserve the fierce hatred that it received upon release. With the passage of time, some have come around to “its not so bad”, and I personally agree with that. It’s no Ghostbusters, but it’s also not the worst sequel ever that some made it out to be.

Might have to give the remake another viewing now....

beat_truck

19-Jun-2018, 02:56 AM

Maybe it's because I watched GB II more often as a kid than GB, but I have no problem with either movie. Sure, viewing both of them as an adult, II seems a little watered down, but I still like both. I don't get why people would hate it, but whatever floats their boat.

I haven't seen the remake, and have absolutely no plans to.

bassman

19-Jun-2018, 03:14 AM

I haven't seen the remake, and have absolutely no plans to

It’s worth a shot. I was against it at first, but I’ve seen it a few times now and while it’s obviously not in the same league as the original, it’s not absolutely terrible. Not the same style comedy as the original either, but that should be expected. Like GBII, I think it received some undeserved hate because it’s a remake of a classic. On it’s own it’s okay. I look forward to seeing it again now that it’s been awhile. Will report back on my new thoughts. :cool:

shootemindehead

19-Jun-2018, 10:27 AM

'Braveheart'

Mel Gibson's love letter to Scotland is an absolute load of bunkum. A Heavily - with a capital H - fictionalised account of William Wallace's uprising against the English at the end of the 13th century. Gibson's Wallace bears absolutely no resemblance to the real figure in any way at all. Wallace, a man of minor Scottish nobility who was - more than likely - well travelled, (probably) the son of a landowner, geared for the priesthood and had prior military experience is, in the movie, depicted as a low commoner of simple farming stock, who disappears to Europe after his father is killed in an early uprising against English soldiers.

Although, an actual detailed history of Wallace is non-existent and there are more than enough legendary stories from both the Scots and the English which picture him as a hero and a villain, it's certain that Gibson's portrait is entirely a fantasy, with even the people and events the character knows and takes part in being painted with a liberal daub of made up "creativity". Robert the Bruce, for instance, comes in for some serious rewriting as a kind of mentally and morally tourtured Quisling, the battle of Stirling bridge, has no bridge and the battle of Falkirk is portrayed as a malicious betrayal.

On the English side, Edward I is a tyrant and his son Edward II, an effeminate "puff" caricature. While there's definite evidence of Edward I's tyranical tendencies - he was a rampant expansionist, who had invaded Ireland and Wales, was prone to the odd massacre and was known as the "Hammer of the Scots" - Gibson has Patrick McGoohan play him as a semi-Machiavellian Hitler figure, who is casual in his lust for power and violation of other nations. Edward II, his "sodomite son", is played largely for a kind of comic relief and while there are hints that the real life Edward II had a "close" relationship with a man in the Royal Court, actual evidence of a homosexual relationship is nowhere to be found. Into the bargain, Edward II would have been in his early teens when Wallace was campaigning against his father.

Probably the most egrigious retelling of an historical character is that of Isabella of France, as played by the fantastic looking Sophie Marceau. Isabella is a forlorn woman in a loveless, sham, marriage, who has a sexual relationship with William Wallace and gets pregnant by him, in a absurdly scripted section of the film. All of this dubiously forced drama would have been completely impossible, as Isabella was about 3 years old when the battle of Stirling bridge happened!

There little or nothing in Mel Gibson's film that can be said to have happened or remotely transpired and it's a litany of historical sins. Even the title of the film, 'Braveheart' has nothing to do with Wallace. The moniker was actually attributed to Robert the Bruce after his death, who's "brave heart" was carried into battle by the Scots in a ceremonial box.

And yet, it remains a very good and entertaining movie, who's entirely fictional characters are quite compelling. McGoohan makes a great villain, Gibson a great hero and Marceau a great romantic. Elsewhere, there's excellent support from the likes of Brendan Gleeson, David O'Hara, Peter Hanly, James Cosmo and a whole host of English, Irish and Scottish non-stars. The story itself is fine, once the viewer is divorced from the historical record (as it stands) and is very enjoyable, albeit on a very shallow level.

But, where the film shines is in its battle sequences. The two large pitched conflicts are superbly handled and are exciting and horrifying in equal measure. Men are hacked and slashed, battered and smashed in a bloody mess. Everyone gets covered in gore of some sort and it's all excellently done. Horses, too suffer and are shown as battle casualties like never before and the terrifying prospect of a heavy cavalry charge is wonderfully staged, as is the Scots defensive use of improvised spears, hacked from into shape from trees. Flakirk, too, has its "charms" and the twist of betrayal adds an extra layer, which serves as a (clumsy) comment on the fracture of internal Scottish politics of the time.

As an historical film, 'Braveheart' is absolutely worthless. But as a drama, it's an entertaining, oscar winning movie that's as enjoyable as one could expect from such an outing.

7/10

bassman

19-Jun-2018, 11:43 AM

MinionZombie

19-Jun-2018, 02:35 PM

Ghostbusters II(1989)
So anyway, the original will always be the best, but the sequel doesn’t deserve the fierce hatred that it received upon release. With the passage of time, some have come around to “its not so bad”, and I personally agree with that. It’s no Ghostbusters, but it’s also not the worst sequel ever that some made it out to be.

Might have to give the remake another viewing now....

I've always loved GB2. I grew up watching both GB flicks and always considered them as parts of a whole. Which one I liked better regularly changed, and so all these years later I still love the movie and hole no ill will against it (not that I ever did). I do recognise how it's very similar to the first movie, but I also recognise that in terms of filmmaker ability - direction, editing, special effects - it's actually superior to the original, which has some scruffy (but loveable) edges to it. GB2, on the other hand, is so sharp from a technical stand point - especially in terms of direction - each scene ends on a perfect 'button' that leads beautifully into the next scene, with perfect use of sound effects, music, and picture editing. The special effects are also superior as they were really pushing boundaries (on a relatively tight budget) for the first movie, not that GB1's effects are bad, but you can see them bumping against their limitations of the time.

As for the remake? Don't do it to yourself.

Even on its own terms - an 'Apatow-like' American comedy - it's sub-par. There's a few snifters of good bits here and there, but the film is so utterly weighed down with crap 'jokes' (the bloody soup, for instance), totally unnecessary musical-ish numbers, childish sexual politics, and a horrendous studio advertising campaign ... the biggest problem the remake has is simple: it's a remake of Ghostbusters. It should have been a belated 'passing the torch' sequel that held the original two as canon in the story. The gags in the originals are superior, working on multiple levels, whereas in the remake it's sodden with those dreadfully self-aware style 'jokes' that too many American comedies force upon themselves in recent years (stating what just happened isn't a joke, for instance). Plot wise it's dodgy, there's few characters to really root for or be interested in (although I've always been a fan of Wiig, and the nerdy gadget-making one was quite likeable ... even if the characterisation was too broad and 'forcefully kooky') ... ... it wasn't an abject disaster of "that's a big twinkie" size proportions, but it was so flawed in so many regards and so far below the bar that was set by the original films that, geez, what a missed opportunity.

shootemindehead

19-Jun-2018, 11:25 PM

I need to give that film another spin. It’s been a very long time and all I can remember is very few select scenes. I imagine it looks gorgeous in HD, as well. I think the last time I saw it was on a double VHS?

I do remember loving James Horner’s score. Amazing stuff....

It's a nice score alright and the main body of the theme can stay in your head for ages. The music has some great swells in a grand Hollywood way. It's difficult not to get swept up in the whole thing.

I have a real love hate relationship with the film though, always had. It's completely ridiculous, almost on an insulting level. But it's terribly watchable. The history part of my brain is always disappointed with me afterwards though.

The bluray is nicely presented and the battles, particularly, look smashing. Chainmail is rendered perfectly and the dull sheen of armour shows up very well. The views of the Scottish landscape look beautiful too. But to be honest, the film draws you in so well, that you wouldn't notice any flaws too readily.

bassman

20-Jun-2018, 11:10 AM

From Beyond (1986)

Is it just me, or does this film somehow feel more like a sequel to Re-Animator than “Bride” does? I noticed this early on and was reminded of it throughout the film. I’m sure it’s because of the same creative team, it was just kinda weird after having recently watched both the original and “Bride”....

Anyway, I really loved “Beyond”! First time seeing it and it quickly became a beloved staple of the 80’s that I need to purchase. Hopefully there’s a good special edition release out there!

I suppose I need to seek out more of Gordon’s work now. I believe “Dolls” is next. I also noticed that there’s a remake, or new adaptation of Lovecraft’s “From Beyond” story, coming soon from Denis Villeneuve’s(Arrival, Blade Runner 2049) brother...

MinionZombie

20-Jun-2018, 04:18 PM

I saw "From Beyond" several years ago on MGM HD (when that still existed) and quite enjoyed it, but I enjoyed it moreso the second time around on Blu-Ray. I've got the release from Second Sight (Region B locked, the unrated version). There's a US release from Shout! Factory (also the unrated version), though it has different extras to the one I've got.

It's visually quite lush as a film with all those pinks and blues, and fans of gooey practical effects will have a blast with it. A whole raft of names from the world of gore and monster effects are attached to this film (much like with Re-Animator, Gordon hired various groups for different effects - Nicotero, for instance, worked on this film).

bassman

20-Jun-2018, 11:48 PM

It's visually quite lush as a film with all those pinks and blues, and fans of gooey practical effects will have a blast with it. A whole raft of names from the world of gore and monster effects are attached to this film (much like with Re-Animator, Gordon hired various groups for different effects - Nicotero, for instance, worked on this film).

Indeed, there is an abundance of cool effects throughout the film. Not a gripe, but I noticed that they sort of overused the effect of having the close up of the actor’s face when he was part of the monster. In a couple of the shots you can spot the actor’s neck, kind of giving away the design of the effect.

When I heard the sound of the machine in the film, I jokingly started singing “Intergalactic” by The Beastie Boys thinking it was just similar, only to read on the film’s IMBD trivia page afterwards that they’d actually used the sound effect for the song.:lol:

Blockers (2018)

Pretty much your basic, run-of-the-mill comedy. Some decent laughs sprinkled throughout with a touch of heart. John Cena is surprisingly better than I’d expected for a former wrestler. It’s worth a time-filler watch, but nothing special.

MinionZombie

23-Jun-2018, 10:16 AM

Dolls

What Stuart Gordon did after Re-Animator. It's not in the same league as Re-Animator or From Beyond, so let's get those levels of expectations out of the way first of all. It's nowhere near as classic as those films, however, it's also a good time (and briskly clocks in under 80 minutes). It has a feel of some sort of Grimm's fairy tale, so don't go looking for logic or complex characters - it's broad strokes all the way - but it has a creepy vibe to it and is well photographed. If you keep expectations in check and just enjoy it on its own terms then it's a short, fun ride. :)

bassman

24-Jun-2018, 08:21 PM

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

I enjoyed it, but it definitely has it’s issues. Too long, feels like two seperate movies, silly plot lines, etc. But with that being said, I applaud Bayona for trying to bring something different to the franchise. Pratt’s comedic moments seem to be a little more tamed this time, and Howard has a little more of a purpose. I was really taken back by an old school, awesome actor being in the film and wasn’t seen in any trailers, iirc. There are also clear-cut villains, whereas the first film in this new trilogy was kind of a rehash of Jurassic Park, and more about getting out. This one is definitely following the evil Hammond/Ingen story. Even diving into some surprising advances that they’ve made with the cloning techniques...

It’s a fun movie to see in theaters with a full crowd. It definitely has problems, but it’s an enjoyable film. Or two films, I’d say. one is a Jurassic movie, and the other half is more of a horror house kind of deal. I’m curious to see how they tie the trilogy up because this one left the door wide open into an area we haven’t seen with the Jurassic films. And in case you are excited about the return of Ian Malcolm, he has small bookend scenes, and that’s it. The last one has importance though.

I’d definitely say see it in a theater. Not sure how it’ll play at home. I’d recommend it.

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The Staircase

This is an episodic documentary series on Netflix rather than a film, but I’ve just finished the series and thought I’d share. I highly, highly recommend this documentary. Really top notch stuff.

Taking place over the course of fifteen or so years, it follows the story of a man convicted of murder after his wife is found dead at the bottom of a staircase with major head wounds and covered in blood. It starts with the night she died and follows through the trials with twists and turns that are as gripping as any thriller film you could imagine. I hear it’s won many awards and it certainly deserves them. There are some quite graphic images of the deceased, so just giving warning in case anyone watches and is bothered by that sort of thing. But it’s all done in a really professional, investigative sort of fashion.

There are a total of thirteen episodes, each one running around an hour. That sounds like a lot, but it grabs you from the beginning, never lets you go, and you’ll be through it before you even know it. Again, I can’t recommend this one enough. Netflix really hit the jackpot with this one. Watch it!

shootemindehead

25-Jun-2018, 01:25 AM

A thirteen episode documentary about a staircase?

:rockbrow:

EvilNed

25-Jun-2018, 01:36 AM

beat_truck

25-Jun-2018, 04:40 AM

Arachnophobia (1990) Jeff Daniels, John Goodman 6.5/10

Not a bad way to waste an hour and a half, depending on how much spiders bother you.:sneaky:

bassman

25-Jun-2018, 10:26 AM

Did Ned and I just agree on something?!? :eek: :p

Arachnophobia (1990) Jeff Daniels, John Goodman 6.5/10

Not a bad way to waste an hour and a half, depending on how much spiders bother you.:sneaky:

I used to love this movie when it was released but haven’t even thought about it until recently when it was announced that a remake is on the way. About the only thing I can remember all these years later is laughing quite hard at John Goodman’s character. Going to have to give it a watch soon!

beat_truck

26-Jun-2018, 03:32 AM

I used to love this movie when it was released but haven’t even thought about it until recently when it was announced that a remake is on the way. About the only thing I can remember all these years later is laughing quite hard at John Goodman’s character. Going to have to give it a watch soon!
Another fucking remake. Unbelievable.:annoyed:

EvilNed

26-Jun-2018, 07:09 AM

Did Ned and I just agree on something?!? :eek: :p

Haha, just kidding.

The Staircase is SHIT, it reminds me of DOG FECES left in the african sun for weeks on end!!!

bassman

26-Jun-2018, 10:52 AM

Haha, just kidding.

The Staircase is SHIT, it reminds me of DOG FECES left in the african sun for weeks on end!!!

Attaboy. Gotta keep up appearances and all

MinionZombie

26-Jun-2018, 11:13 AM

Easy Rider - third time watching this movie. The first time I saw it was back in my early teens, so I wasn't the right audience for it at all. I saw it again several years ago and got more out of it, and this time again I got more out of it. There's still a few segments that feel a little bit flabby, but it was interesting as this time the small-minded small town folks who attack in the middle of the night and then at the end really disturbed me. Those parts of the movie hit out strongest this time, very un-nerving.

Murder on the Orient Express - the new one. I'd never seen any Poirot stories before, so this was the first one I've ever seen. I enjoyed it. Starry cast, good performances.

A few days ago I had a grindhouse double bill of Doctor Butcher M.D. and The Last House On The Left. With the former it's clear that the original 'Zombie Holocaust' version of the film is superior, but Doctor Butcher M.D. had the far superior advertising campaign and title. With the latter I noticed how rough the film is in terms of editing and I noticed more their relative lack of filmmaking knowledge at the time (something Craven and Cunningham have both said themselves). It's interesting with LHOTL, as it's a bit tame by today's standards for the most part, so all these stories of how much it enraged audiences in 1972 seem so stunning. Seeing glimpses of the original script in the extras, though ... blimey ... I can't even imagine what the reaction would have been to that version had it ever been made. It was interesting to note that Craven spoke about how they were initially going into it, on a conscious level, as a bit of a lark - but their outlook on the production changed as they filmed the more controversial scenes and the subconscious aspects of the film (e.g. Vietnam) presented themselves.

bassman

28-Jun-2018, 02:15 PM

MinionZombie

28-Jun-2018, 04:13 PM

Westworld Season Two

I don’t believe I enjoyed it quite as much as the first season, but still a very enjoyable extended cinematic experience. Nolan and Joy again put multiple time frames to use, though this time it feels more trivial. I won’t give away the core plot for spoilers, but if you’re familiar with some of their previous work, you know that there are clues the viewer can look for as the show progresses. Said clues are pretty evident in this season and feel more of a gimmick after the success of the first season. Hopefully for Season Three they don’t rely on these same type of finale twists again.

I enjoyed season 2 more than season 1. It took me until episode 6 of the first season before I settled into it as I felt so kept at a distance up to that point. This time around I had the benefit of the previous season to build upon, sure, but I also felt they dug down into the characters more this season - indeed, the episode that centred on Akecheta was the best of the season. I got really invested in that one. Early in this second season I felt like Dolores was skewing a bit towards 'power fantasy', but I was glad to see that in the second half of the season we saw some of the consequences of her actions, although I always seemed to conntect more with Maeve amongst the female cast members. Horses for courses, I suppose, as to who you connect with personally. Naturally, the likes of Bernard, Teddy, and The Man In Black are all very intriguing and keep me hooked, and Clementine has always been a very arresting character - such a wonderful face and pair of eyes - really ethereal and captivating.

I would hope that they try not to get too clever in season 3, especially with layers of time, as it's been done enough on the show, really. I'd prefer to peel back some layers gradually over the course of the season, rather than waiting until the last 2 or 3 episodes to see things unveiled in one big glut. So yeah, I was much more comfortable with the second season and enjoyed it quite a bit. Looking forward to season 3. :)

bassman

30-Jun-2018, 08:31 PM

The Matrix, The Matrix Reloaded, and The Matrix Revolutions

I found the ultimate Blu ray collection on sale, so I decided to give the trilogy another viewing, as I haven’t seen them in quite a few years. I’ve not seen the 4K collection, but the video and audio quality on the Blu Rays is phenomenal. The original film is probably the least of the three when it comes to video quality, but it’s still an amazing image. It may have something to do with the sequels having higher budgets and that ended up with better film/cinematography?

The original is of course the best of the three, but I’ve found that I enjoy the sequels more and more with the passage of time. If nothing else, I have to give the Wachowski’s respect for expanding the mythology of the first film rather than playing it safe and simply remaking the original, which a lot of sequels tend to do. Even if the sequels don’t quite live up to the very high bar set by the original, the entire series still stands the test of time as one of the greatest entries in the history of science fiction and action.

This Ultimate Collection set, with amazing picture/audio quality, hours upon hours of special features, and even The Animatrix(which I’m not a fan of), is highly recommended. A top-notch collection release.

EvilNed

01-Jul-2018, 12:18 PM

I also enjoy the sequels for much the same reasons you mention.
If I were to rewatch them now I'm sure I'd think some of the scenes involving Neo, Morpheus and the Oracle are a bit too pretentious. But overall I find that the sequels are unmatched in their cinematography. Every shot is perfectly shot. Every pan exactly calculated, every edit deliberate. It's like watching cinematic porn.

Much of the CGI has aged badly tho.

bassman

01-Jul-2018, 12:32 PM

EvilNed

01-Jul-2018, 01:09 PM

Indeed, some of the lesser CGI really stood out to me with these HD presentations. Particularly the CG stunt models for Neo and Agent Smith in Reloaded. Whenever they would transition from the real actors into these CG models, it was really jarring. Almost like seeing a character go from live action into hand-drawn animation.

Exactly, that's what I'm thinking off. Detailing clothes is notoriously difficult and you can tell in this. It's the same in the Lord of the Rings films. Legolas' cloak isn't fooling anyone.

MinionZombie

01-Jul-2018, 04:13 PM

Aye, the Burly Brawl, for instance, shows off some dodgy CGI character models - both in terms of the textures on clothing and the motion of the characters themselves. You can see ones and zeros being calculated ... it's like the difference between a shot of a real curtain blowing in the wind, and the same shot created in a computer. One's obviously real, the other is obviously fake. Or, indeed, the difference between Freddy Kruger lunging through the wall above Nancy's bed in the original (done for real on the cheap with a bit of spandex) and the remake (done with expensive CGI) - the latter looks shite.

While the Matrix sequels have some pretentious scenes (ergo, concordantly, blah blah blah, the Merovingian sapping all spark from the notion of love etc), I do think that it has been a lazy critique for several years now to say they're shit. They're not as good as the original, sure, and they take themselves too seriously and get loaded down with theories of theology etc, but for the most part they're very effective (the motorway sequence from #2, for instance, or the all-or-nothing war-cry-your-heart-out defence of Zion in #3).

bassman

02-Jul-2018, 04:45 PM

Glow ( Seasons One & Two )

After lots of talk and praise, I had to give this series a spin. It was enjoyable, but not necessarily anything that reinvents the wheel. But it’s a relatively short series that has elements of pretty much everything and is worth the time.

The ending of Season Two felt almost like a series finale, but at the same time the story could also continue, so I’m not sure?

MinionZombie

02-Jul-2018, 05:57 PM

RE: "GLOW"

I saw season 1 last year and really enjoyed it. Binged it over 3 days. I dig that the episodes are only as long as they need to be, which is unusual for a drama series (albeit a comedy drama in this case) as the running times vary from 26 to 46 minutes.

Good characters to get invested in, well-written story, 1980s craziness, and Marc Maron as a down 'n' out B-Movie director with a coke habit ... what's not to like? :D

I'm about to start season 2 of GLOW tonight.

Neil

02-Jul-2018, 08:53 PM

I enjoyed season 2 more than season 1.
I nearly gave up on Season 1... Enjoyed Season 2 more...

MinionZombie

03-Jul-2018, 09:54 AM

Wet Hot American Summer (2001)
I'd heard about it before, but forgot about it until the recent episode of WTF with Paul Rudd. Tracked it down and watched it last night. Super silly to the nth degree, filled with familiar faces who were early in their careers back in 2001. It's about the last day of camp at a summer camp where obvious adults play 16 year olds and various hijinks ensue. It's scattergun stuff, so certain things will hit and others will miss depending on your sense of humour, but it extracted several big laughs from me. Very random at times (e.g. a can of vegetables giving the cook a pep talk, which involves it boasting about how it can suck itself off whenever it likes). There's some good gags littered around that send up certain cliches (e.g. cancelling the baseball game). I'd like to see the prequel 8-part series that they did in 2015 (set on the first day of camp).

A Cat in the Brain (1990)
Lucio Fulci, in his declining years, as the Italian film industry crumbles around him with miniscule budgets. It's a weird mess of a film, but has some interesting ideas. Fulci plays himself in the midst of making another splatter flick (the film pinches footage from other Fulci films of the time that were struggling to get picked up by anyone - such as Touch Of Death), but he endures some kind of mental breakdown and keeps seeing horrors and sleaze everywhere. A crazed psychotherapist who despises his cheating wife hypnotised Fulci and seeks to frame the director for a series of grisly murders he's going to commit.

There's a fair bit of gore splashed about, and plenty of flesh bared, but the plot is a mess. There's definitely a much better film in there somewhere, if only the script (and budget!) had been better. It needs more narrative cohesion, because it does somewhat descend into a lot of Fulci wandering around locations seeing various horrors in cutaways (some newly shot, some evidently pinched from other late-in-the-career Fulci movies). Fans of Fulci's work will get a kick out of it and enjoy the 'so bad it's good' nature of it (e.g. the totally mis-matched background scenery during the bit where Fulci runs down a drifter with his car).

I nearly gave up on Season 1...

Really? :stunned:

Neil

03-Jul-2018, 02:35 PM

Really? :stunned:
RE: Westworld...

Just found season 1 very slow and seemingly too impressed with itself :)

Season 2 I've found more of an interesting watch, at least for me...

MinionZombie

03-Jul-2018, 04:19 PM

RE: Westworld...

Just found season 1 very slow and seemingly too impressed with itself :)

Season 2 I've found more of an interesting watch, at least for me...

Wait, are we talking about Westworld or GLOW? :confused: I thought we were talking about GLOW?

bassman

03-Jul-2018, 10:38 PM

Never Sleep Again: The Nightmare on Elm Street Legacy

Having recently purchased the complete Elm Street box set and really sitting down to watch the films more attentively than ever before, I had to give this Documentary another watch. Luckily, a good copy of it is available on YouTube. As a huge lover of speacial features, a documentary like this is a dream come true. Nearly four hours and covering every little detail of an entire film series, you really can’t go wrong with this one. Highly recommended!

I also just found Crystal Lake Memories on YouTube, so I’m looking forward to diving into that one!

It’s kind of strange....within the last several months I’ve purchased and thoroughly dived into all the “big” 70’s and 80’s horror character films(Elm Street, Halloween, Friday 13th). I’d always seen them over the years during Halloween tv marathons, but for whatever reasons I’ve lately had the urge to dive deeply into them all and it’s been a blast! I’m glad to now own the complete collections and look forward to going through them again this October.

Looking forward to Crystal Lake Memories! I’d love to see a complete series doc for Halloween now.

Wet Hot American Summer (2001)
I'd heard about it before, but forgot about it until the recent episode of WTF with Paul Rudd. Tracked it down and watched it last night. Super silly to the nth degree, filled with familiar faces who were early in their careers back in 2001. It's about the last day of camp at a summer camp where obvious adults play 16 year olds and various hijinks ensue. It's scattergun stuff, so certain things will hit and others will miss depending on your sense of humour, but it extracted several big laughs from me. Very random at times (e.g. a can of vegetables giving the cook a pep talk, which involves it boasting about how it can suck itself off whenever it likes). There's some good gags littered around that send up certain cliches (e.g. cancelling the baseball game). I'd like to see the prequel 8-part series that they did in 2015 (set on the first day of camp).

I’ve not seen this one in ages, but I’ve had it saved ever since they released the prequel. I believe there’s now also a sequel? All I can remember of the original is laughing at Christopher Meloni’s hysterical character and him fighting in the kitchen? Anywho, I need to rewatch the original so I can see the newer entries on Netflix.

MinionZombie

04-Jul-2018, 09:59 AM

Never Sleep Again: The Nightmare on Elm Street Legacy

I also just found Crystal Lake Memories on YouTube, so I’m looking forward to diving into that one!

I’ve not seen this one in ages, but I’ve had it saved ever since they released the prequel. I believe there’s now also a sequel? All I can remember of the original is laughing at Christopher Meloni’s hysterical character and him fighting in the kitchen? Anywho, I need to rewatch the original so I can see the newer entries on Netflix.

1) Aye, an excellent doc! Highly recommended viewing. I've never been much of a fan of parts 4 through 6, but I found them more interesting to hear about in the doc. IIRC, the ANOES doc is by the same folks who did Crystal Lake Memories.

2) Again, an excellent and hugely in-depth doc. I've seen it a couple of times, and that's after having read the epic tome that is the original book version. :cool:

3) Yup. The Vietnam vet cook is the best character. So unpredictable and weird and a great performance, too. :D Had no idea there was a sequel as well, but yeah - WHAS: Ten Years Later. Blimey!

Neil

04-Jul-2018, 05:32 PM

Wait, are we talking about Westworld or GLOW? :confused: I thought we were talking about GLOW?

Westworld :)

Infact I've enjoyed Humans (Ch4) far more than Westworld come to think of it...

ps: Not seen Glow.

MinionZombie

05-Jul-2018, 10:02 AM

Westworld :)

Infact I've enjoyed Humans (Ch4) far more than Westworld come to think of it...

ps: Not seen Glow.

Ohhhhhhhhh ... :D ... yeah, I think the first season of Westworld was a bit too clever for it's own good, and it kept me at arm's distance for a long time before I was eventually able to get into it more (around about episode 6, IIRC, as prior to that I was on the brink of giving up on it). The second season was much more accessible without compromising the intelligence of the show, but it just let the audience in a bit more, and it delved more into the drives and emotions of the characters.

As for GLOW - give it a go, it's good fun. :)

Speaking of GLOW - I bashed through season 2 in a couple of days and thoroughly enjoyed it. I'd be stunned if it didn't get a third season, especially as the canvas for the show can widen into new territory. One of the things that impresses me most about GLOW is the writing and how they're able to make the audience think multiple ways about a specific character within the same episode, you go from rooting for them to hating them to understanding their perspective, to forgiving them, then back to rooting, then hating ... but in a way that feels entirely justified and sensible (humans are complex, flawed things) and never jumbled or anything like that. :)

bassman

07-Jul-2018, 12:17 PM

Child’s Play Trilogy

I got the urge to revisit these after the news of a remake. I’m calling it a trilogy, referring to the first three with “Child’s Play” actually in the title. Before they restarted the series years later with “Bride of Chucky”.

The biggest thing I got from seeing these again is that the sequels don’t seem as bad as I often hear people say. Of course like most series, the original is the best, but the other two I feel hold up quite well now. I’ve noticed there’s been a sort of resurgence for the second film recently, with new merchandise and clothing, which makes sense because it has a certain 80’s charm to it that a lot of genre fans seem to enjoy. And yeah, I know it was made in 1990, but it still has that certain earlier 80’s feel to it in some small way.

The third film, while the weakest of the three, is probably the most unique. It takes on a bit of a darker overall tone, and it makes for a decent little horror film in its own right. It’s kinda funny, when I was younger I remember I had a “movie crush” on the female lead. As soon as it started this time, I realized that she’s played by the same actress that was Ari Gold’s wife on Entourage. I’d never made the connection.

Anyway, these three make up a good little series of films, I’d say. Later on, Bride would start some of the cheesiness, Seed would take it too far, while Curse and Cult would make a better balance and in some ways take it back to the style of the originals.

beat_truck

07-Jul-2018, 11:29 PM

I liked the first two Child's Play movies. I have all three on VHS, but I don't know if I've ever actually watched the third. Maybe I'll watch it tonight. Playing on the 'net gets old, and there is never anything on TV fit to watch, anyhow.

MinionZombie

09-Jul-2018, 11:59 AM

Following up from a previous one...

Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp
A prequel series to the cult movie (which took place on the last day of camp), in which the returning cast are now all circa 40 years old playing 16 year olds. :lol: They even have a line referencing 'make them feel 15 years younger by the last day of camp' as, chronologically, the movie (shot in 2000) takes place after this series (which was made in 2015). Considering how so many of the cast went on to huge success, it's amazing they've been able to coral all these (now) big names plus hook in a bunch more.

Anyway, as before, it's hit and miss. Some things one person finds hilarious will flop with another person and vice versa, but the same random humour is maintained. Arguably eight episodes stretches it a bit thin as certain subplots feel a bit too weak for as much screentime as they're given, but even still it's sporadically hilarious throughout. We even get the origin of the talking can of vegetables! :D

Now I've got "WHAS: Ten Years Later" to watch...

EvilNed

09-Jul-2018, 03:41 PM

Fittest on Earth: A Decade of Fitness
A documentary on Crossfit that caught my attention on Netflix.

Tropic of Cancer
A steaming hot giallo set in Haiti. The imagery sometimes reminds me of mondo cinema, which was probably the intention.
Anthony Steffen and Anita Strindberg star. Both looking great and plenty of crisp fashion to be found. Some of the murders are especially grizzly.

Hands of Steel
Your basic 80's low budget post-apocalyptic affair. A half-man, half-cyborg gone rogue starts developing a conscience and revolts against his killer programming. There are so many better films on the exact same topic. Bonus points for an arm wrestling George Eastman.

Colt 38 Special Squad
Crime is rampant in Torino and the police form a special squad of tough cops to fight it! That's the plot - and it's GREAT PLOT!

Veronica
Spanish horror. Not at all as scary as the reviews make it out to be, but well done.

Deadly Inheritance
Early giallo from the 60's. Great fun and sort of deviating in it's imagery in that the people portrayed in it are not solely of the upper classes of society.
An inheritance is split among the family members of a deceased railroad worker. Some need the money more than others and since the money isn't paid out until everyone has turned 21 some of the family start turning up dead.

2019 After the Fall of New York
Italian Escape from New York-ripoff that works on some level. Even if that level is not the level intended by the filmmakers...

The Sinister Eyes of Dr Orloff
Jess Franco directed over 200 films if I recall correctly and it's understandeable that some of them were not that great. This is one of those. Having said that, it was a nice way to kill 90 minutes. An evil doctor hypnotizes a girl to commit murders. I think the point was to secure an inheritance for his accomplice - a relative of the girl.

The Mountain of the Cannibal God
Sergio Martino, who directed both Hands of Steel and 2019 (mentioned above) delivers this GREAT italian cannibal adventure! Man I feel like watching this again soon!

Airplane!
Dating a new girl. She hadn't seen this. I love when that happens. Next up: Anchorman.

Missing in Action 2
Standard action.

Missing in Action
Why did I watch them in this order?

Irene Huss - Tystnades cirkel
&
Irene Huss - Mannen med litet ansikte
Nordic noir. Crap. (I worked on these 9 years ago)

Ricky Gervais Humanity
In the background. Not a huge fan but I liked this one.

Giallo
Not as bad as I remembered it, but completely uninteresting. Why would Dario Argento want to direct a serial killer-thriller with no special touch or spin to it at all? Why was this movie made? Think of the movie that was NOT made because of this one!

Doppia Faccia
Early giallo that also went under the name Liz & Helen and Double Face. Klaus Kinski in what is perhaps his absolute best giallo performance - which unfortunately is not saying a lot. But this film was great and Kinski was great in it! He plays a grieving widower who has reason to suspect that maybe his wife faked her own death. Kinski dresses sharp throughout the film and pursues his investigation throughout an immaculately eerie city at night. Very noirish.

The Maniac Responsible / Calling all police cars!
When I say early giallo I mean a giallo prior to when the black clad killer offing victims off became the norm. Here's the opposite; A late giallo - when the genre was waning and police films were in vogue. This happened around 1975. This film has almost the exact same plot as What have they done to your daughters? and Suspicous Death of a Minor: An underage daughter of a rich family turns up dead. The ensuing investigation leads the police to bust a prostitution ring. Despite these familiar tropes I liked it as it tried to give some depth to it's characters which is something this genre rarely bothers with at all.

bassman

11-Jul-2018, 08:17 PM

Ant-Man and The Wasp

Great follow up to the original and exactly the type of film Marvel needed after Infinity War. The laughs continue and rather than the usual “save the world” superhero storyline, it takes a much more personal and centralized approach. I’m afraid to say much more for fear of spoilers, but I recommend the film.

MinionZombie

12-Jul-2018, 09:41 AM

Prince Avalanche
Paul Rudd and Emile Hirsch play two guys working as a road crew who paint the yellow lines in the middle of a road that cuts through a huge swathe of land that has been devastated by a wildfire. Character drama with a hint of comedy, it's surprisingly good, even with that lowkey plot and dreadful title. I remembered reading about it in Total Film, but couldn't remember the title whatsoever, and stumbled across it airing on FilmFour. It also features the last role of Lance LeGault, who is perhaps best known by some (such as myself) as Colonel Decker in The A-Team.

Meltdown Memoirs: The Making Of Street Trash
Naturally, I've recently given the film another spin on Blu-Ray (from 88 Films), and then dug into this two hour doc on the film (previously seen on the 2010 2-disc DVD released by Arrow Video). It gives an extensive look at the entire process of making the film and features some interesting tidbits - for instance: Bryan Singer (yes, the director of X-Men who has seemingly disappeared off-the-scene in recent months) was a production assistant on this film and he gives an on-camera interview about it. Also, apparently the original cut of the movie was clocking in at over two-and-a-half hours, so a lot was cut out, although it's a bit unclear whether that was just some kind of early assembly or whether it really was that long originally. It might explain why the plot seems so scattershot in the actual movie and how various subplots seem to only have the vaguest connection to the main thrust of the flick. You also get to see some extended footage from the film as well as some good bits of behind the scenes stuff.

MinionZombie

13-Jul-2018, 05:46 PM

Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later
In some ways it feels a bit more assured than "First Day of Camp", a bit more settled into the format of an 8-part TV season, and the change-up to 1991 adds a little freshness into proceedings. They seem to dig a bit deeper into the emotional core of some of the characters, which is kinda funny kinda weird in a bizarre comedy such as this, but it works pretty well. Overall I think it's a little bit better than the previous season and has less in the way of filler, and it certainly still slings out some solid gags.

If you enjoyed the movie, it's definitely worth checking out both the prequel series and the sequel series. :thumbsup:

...

Geostorm
So I've not finished it yet, I watched an hour of it last night to fill in some time after a double bill of the latest Preacher episode and the pilot episode for "Hollyweed" ... anyway, good lord this is a dumb fucking movie. :lol: But I've watched most of it now, so I might as well polish off the rest of it. I was interested enough to get beyond the initial 'nah, delete' phase, so it's kind of like 'I want to finish it so the time spent thus far hasn't been entirely wasted'. :lol:

bassman

14-Jul-2018, 03:34 PM

MinionZombie

14-Jul-2018, 04:40 PM

I’ve been watching F is for Family on Netflix. It’s one of those shows that once you start it, you wonder “how did I not know about this sooner?!?”. I can’t remember a cartoon this funny since Family Guy first started. Stars Bill Burr, Sam Rockwell, Justin Long, and Laura Dern. That’s a really impressive cast for a cartoon, I’d say. Really funny stuff, currently two seasons on Netflix.

I've heard good things about it. I've seen Bill Burr on various YouTube videos (Jim & Sam Show), heard him on podcasts etc (Nerdist), and I meant to look this up.

bassman

14-Jul-2018, 07:28 PM

I've heard good things about it. I've seen Bill Burr on various YouTube videos (Jim & Sam Show), heard him on podcasts etc (Nerdist), and I meant to look this up.

That’s exactly how I’d heard about it, Burr was on Joe Rogan’s Podcast. I found it surprising how I’ve never seen any other advertisements for the show. Usually Netflix is a promotion monster with their original programming.

The style of comedy is more akin to Burr’s standup, which I enjoy. Not yet finished with the first season, but I’m glad to have discovered it and look forward to more. I’ve also noticed that the show has an overall season story arc, which is pretty unusual for a cartoon series.

MinionZombie

16-Jul-2018, 10:02 AM

That’s exactly how I’d heard about it, Burr was on Joe Rogan’s Podcast. I found it surprising how I’ve never seen any other advertisements for the show. Usually Netflix is a promotion monster with their original programming.

The style of comedy is more akin to Burr’s standup, which I enjoy. Not yet finished with the first season, but I’m glad to have discovered it and look forward to more. I’ve also noticed that the show has an overall season story arc, which is pretty unusual for a cartoon series.

Binged the whole first season yesterday. I dig it. You can tell there's a lot of truth in there, from the 1970s way of growing up ("don't come home before the streets lights come on!") to various scenes that feel like they must have been ripped right out of Burr's life (or the lives of the writers) - e.g. the lone trip to the men's toilet at the football stadium. I also like how they seed in various real life pressures and realities, thus making us care about the characters, whilst simultaneously getting to use outrageous humour. Indeed, the humour feels authentic as it's based on the 1970s way of growing up, so it seems outrageous now but that's just how it was then.

Knocks seven shades of shite out of other 'outrageous animated comedies' like Brickleberry or whatever (well, except for South Park, naturally - but that's a different kind of show in many ways).

bassman

17-Jul-2018, 10:03 AM

Freaks and Geeks Documentary - A&E Network

Freaks and Geeks is a well received comedy and drama that never really found it’s place while airing on TV, but gained a huge following in syndication and home video. This is part of A&E’s Documentary series “Cultureshock”, but also plays perfectly fine as a stand alone doc/special feature release. Perhaps this could end up on a F&G Blu Ray release?? I sure do hope so.

If you’re a fan of the series, you HAVE to see this doc. It’s exceptionally well done. Everyone involved is here, and it’s quite touching.

Dracula - 1931 Spanish Version

If unfamiliar, this Spanish version of Dracula was produced at the exact same time as the classic Universal Bela Lugosi film. The Lugosi crew would film during the day, then at night the Spanish crew would come in and use the exact same sets.

This is my second or third time seeing this version, and I have to say....I really enjoy it. Lugosi’s film is of course one of the all-time greats, but there are certain things that make this version special in its own right. In fact, in certain areas you could argue that it might be slightly superior in a technical way. It’s really neat to see the variations in these two separate films, yet done at the exact same time, same place, just different actors and language.

shootemindehead

17-Jul-2018, 12:31 PM

I’ve been watching F is for Family on Netflix. It’s one of those shows that once you start it, you wonder “how did I not know about this sooner?!?”. I can’t remember a cartoon this funny since Family Guy first started. Stars Bill Burr, Sam Rockwell, Justin Long, and Laura Dern. That’s a really impressive cast for a cartoon, I’d say. Really funny stuff, currently two seasons on Netflix.

Feckin gas that.

Not that mad about Bill Burr's comedy, but that show is funny. People losing their shit over the slightest things, never gets old. Some of the sayings remind me of my old man. "Put you through the wall", "Close your eyes and shut up" (when you were trying to sleep). :D

Never even heard of the show til you mentioned it.

MinionZombie

17-Jul-2018, 04:17 PM

I've got three more episodes to go and then I'll have both seasons of F Is For Family done and dusted. I think in November the third season becomes available. :cool::thumbsup::)

Shoot - aye, the exploding over small things is quite funny, the pressure of an annoying world bearing down on a man who just wants some peace and quiet with Colt Luger on the telly (reminds me a little bit of Al Bundy in that sort of respect). :D And yet, at the same time, the show injects a fair bit of character into the protagonists as well as various challenges (e.g. women in the workplace in the 1970s). The show has a really good mix of serious and silly.

MinionZombie

23-Jul-2018, 09:41 AM

Thor: Ragnarok - finally got around to seeing it and really enjoyed it! The 2nd Thor movie was shite, and the first was solid but kinda only okay, but this latest one was awesome. They almost go a bit too far with the 'undercutting moments' where a joke cuts off a serious moment, but they hold it just about right all the way to the finish. Quite good fun, although some of the green screen was painfully obvious at times (a common problem with Marvel movies - so much damn green/blue screen!). My favourite character was Korg - I loved the clash of this stone-bodied gladiator having a gentle and friendly Kiwi voice. :D Hela was pretty cool too, well played and styled, although a little forgotten about during the Junk Planet section.

The Boneyard - who'd have thought a film featuring a giant, monstrous Phylis Diller and her poodle would be such a slow-moving movie? It picks up in the finale act, but prior to that there's so much clunky exposition and everyone performs their lines so slowly and deliberately, and the way the scenes play out (the actor working the space etc) is so plodding, too. There's various lines throughout the movie that could have been cut or trimmed out to spruce it up, and the characters are pretty weak for the most part (we don't really learn anything about them except for one). There's some good and creepy effects in there, but the big monsters at the end are totally askew with the serious tone of the first part of the movie.

blind2d

27-Jul-2018, 12:35 PM

"The Windmill" - Was really good actually! I liked the premise, and I thought overall it was really well done, and the monster guy looked like a winner from Face-Off or something (not the contestants, but like a winning makeup for a horror category, though maybe a bit like Glenn Hetrick?). Ending was perfect for a supernatural slasher, I think, but the ambiguous fate of one of the characters left me a little unsatisfied. Overall though I recommend it. 7.5/10.

bassman

02-Aug-2018, 12:38 PM

Mission: Impossible - Fallout

Tom Cruise continues to deliver the fun action and self-performed stunts. The franchise has really found its stride ever since JJ Abrams joined on the third film, which I still feel is probably the best by a hair, but 3, Ghost Protocol, and Fallout are all really good. Rogue Nation wasn’t bad, but didn’t seem to click as well with me, but I was totally sold on Fallout.

I’m hoping the rumors are true of McQuarrie joining Cavill to direct a new Superman movie, as they seem to be a pretty great match. Surprisingly, he made Cavill seem more like Superman than the actual Superman movies. His fight scenes are friggin brutal...

MinionZombie

04-Aug-2018, 04:38 PM

I've heard loads of really good things about the new MI movie. Really looking forward to seeing it. Cavill could make a good Bond once Craig has finished his run. Thoughts?

I saw Game Night and Early Man in the last few days. Enjoyed them both, although neither really manages a home run, but they were both a good way to pass 90 minutes.

bassman

04-Aug-2018, 07:41 PM

I've heard loads of really good things about the new MI movie. Really looking forward to seeing it. Cavill could make a good Bond once Craig has finished his run. Thoughts?

I suppose I could see Cavill in the role. As with every time they recast, it will all depend on which direction they’re going to take the series. After successfully resetting the universe with Craig’s films, I feel like they’re going to continue on this path for a good while, and I’m not so sure Cavill would be a perfect fit to pick up the baton from Craig?

MinionZombie

05-Aug-2018, 03:16 PM

I suppose I could see Cavill in the role. As with every time they recast, it will all depend on which direction they’re going to take the series. After successfully resetting the universe with Craig’s films, I feel like they’re going to continue on this path for a good while, and I’m not so sure Cavill would be a perfect fit to pick up the baton from Craig?

Why do you think Cavill wouldn't be a good fit? I would prefer him to Tom Hiddleston for example, who could do the suit bit but not really the brute bit of 'brute in a suit'.

bassman

05-Aug-2018, 03:49 PM

I just don’t see him as a good fit if they intend to continue on with the rebooted Spectre/Vesper storyline that they’ve used for Craig. If they decide to NOT continue on with Craig’s semi-connected universe and go back to just regular ol’ plug-and-play Bond movies like the old days, I could totally see Cavill in the role.

Neil

05-Aug-2018, 05:49 PM

I suppose I could see Cavill in the role. As with every time they recast, it will all depend on which direction they’re going to take the series. After successfully resetting the universe with Craig’s films, I feel like they’re going to continue on this path for a good while, and I’m not so sure Cavill would be a perfect fit to pick up the baton from Craig?

Cavill would be good as a Bond. But with things at the moment being what they are, fully expect to see a paraplegic black lesbian being given the role instead...

blind2d

06-Aug-2018, 12:27 AM

Cavill would be good as a Bond. But with things at the moment being what they are, fully expect to see a paraplegic black lesbian being given the role instead...

Or Scarlett Johanson. I mean geez Neil, what a shitty thing to say. Can you even think of an actual person fitting that description who's working in Hollywood today? I'll wait. Also, would there be something wrong with such a person playing the role? Maybe she could be in a super robot suit, like Aliens but better. Wouldn't that make for a more interesting Bond than the same tired old model for Calvin Klein cologne that we always get? Are you actively trying to shit on minorities here, or what? I'm genuinely confused and concerned.

Neil

06-Aug-2018, 08:10 AM

Wouldn't that make for a more interesting Bond than the same tired old model for Calvin Klein cologne that we always get? Are you actively trying to shit on minorities here, or what? I'm genuinely confused and concerned. But that's what Ian Fleming's Bond is!? Make it a female lead by all means but then call the film something else? Ultimately I couldn't care less who gets a role as long as it's a good fit for the role, and not a good fit for some PC agenda.

We're about to have our first female Dr Who here in the UK... Looking forwards to it as I see that less gender specific etc.

MinionZombie

06-Aug-2018, 04:52 PM

James Bond simply has to be male, because maleness is so central to the very core of the character. A female Bond would make as much sense as a male Wonder Woman ... or a Bond who doesn't drink, or shag around like a sex addict, or say quips, or kill people, or drive an Aston Martin, or drink a Martini (yes, I know that other cars and drinks have on occasion appeared in the films).

Similarly, James Bond is a British institution, so the actor really has to be British as well. Yes, we had thingymy from Australia for one film, but that's the exception that proves the rule. So, for instance, an American playing James Bond would be a piss take.

Besides, it'd be best to create a new character entirely for a 'female Bond' type of idea, rather than just shoving a hand-me-down into a woman's hands as if they're not worthy of having their own bespoke character (not very respectful to women, nor to the Bond franchise and its fans, so that'd be a lose-lose-lose). Of course, the challenge is to come up with something good (nevermind trying to compete with decades of Bond culture), but that's really the choice that should be made - create a new character specifically designed for a female.

EvilNed

06-Aug-2018, 04:58 PM

blind2d

06-Aug-2018, 07:03 PM

I don't agree at all with the idea of transforming or changing a rooted character to something it's so blatantly not - especially not when there's a real easy alternative: Create another character?

Why not create a 008 and write a whole new mythology around that one? Surely that's got to be far more interesting and pragmatic approach?

An excellent suggestion that I can fully get behind! :) And thinking now more about the character of Bond... Yes, just do away with that entirely. Terrible personification of sexist British imperialism.

MinionZombie

07-Aug-2018, 10:13 AM

An excellent suggestion that I can fully get behind! :) And thinking now more about the character of Bond... Yes, just do away with that entirely. Terrible personification of sexist British imperialism.

:|

Do you actually watch Bond movies, or no? I'm guessing no with the sweeping statement? ;)

The Bond franchise also shifts with the times. Daniel Craig's Bond is very different to Sean Connery's. Bond used to chain smoke on-screen, as did so many people in so many movies, but that changed on-screen as less people smoked and the health implications became ever clearer (e.g. you'd never see a star smoking like a chimney, a la Bogart, now, unless it was required for a specific role). Each actor has had their own stamp on it, too. So Roger Moore's Bond films had loads of quips and double entendres, but that just looks silly in a Bond film now - it works for those older movies because they were made back then and we all know that, but that's just not the way people talk now, and today's audiences demand something gritter out of Bond with a level of humour that suits that kind of vibe (e.g. the banter between JB and Vesper in Casino Royale).

The franchise has reflected changing times, as any long-running franchise has (and will), but those who captain the ship are also aware that there are certain things you don't change about Bond, because otherwise it just wouldn't be Bond.

There will have been much written about the psychology of Bond, something which gets explored far more in the more recent films (i.e. Brosnan and Craig), and his casual flings with women have been addressed on numerous occasions - the man is clearly broken psychologically, orphaned at a young age, a brute stuffed into a suit and given a top class education (Vesper touches upon this directly in Casino Royale). Then when he does fall in love it inevitably goes wrong (Casino Royale, for instance, or the most obvious one being On Her Majesty's Secret Service where Bond gets married only for an enemy to murder his wife just as they're driving off into the sunset). Quantum of Solace had a 'Bond girl' who was as psychologically damaged as Bond. Skyfall's main 'Bond girl' turned out to be Judi Dench's character of M, and her character's death was a heavy blow for Bond - she was his mother figure as well as his boss, and in many ways superior to him, but her death was a huge hit to him.

So, like I say, the franchise moves with the times, but it does so with a bit of grace, not just pandering to Twitter. For instance - Moneypenny - she was M's secretary in the earlier movies and would have a flirtatious but chaste relationship with Bond, she wanted to be whisked away and he admired her greatly but wasn't in the slightest bit ready for such a challenge (even back in the 1960s Moneypenny had a sharp wit to challenge Bond) ... fast forward to the return of Moneypenny in Skyfall and she's a field agent fresh in the job, still with a sharp wit and a host of other skills, but she's not some power fantasy either. She recognises that field work isn't for her and can see the damage that it does to Bond mentally - indeed, the first scene of Casino Royale (the first moments of Daniel Craig's incarnation of Bond) shows his first kill, but it's not done with a quick shot and a one liner, it's a brutal fight and the kill is anything but suave and the impact of taking another man's life is written on Bond's face. His life may involve glamour, but it also involves a hell of a lot of violence and death and high stakes pressure.

blind2d

07-Aug-2018, 01:22 PM

MinionZombie

07-Aug-2018, 04:26 PM

That's all well and good, but ultimately I just don't see the point. Most people in the world aren't secret agents, so he's not very relatable to the common person. Glad he's gotten more... character development lately? But honestly why does it still have to be Bond? We've got Bourne, as well, and the Mission Impossible guy, among others... Seems like oversaturation of the market now. I don't know, I've never liked the franchise, sorry, just personal taste. Still think anyone could play him though. And if they can't, why not? How is it art that can speak to humanity as a whole if it's inaccessible to the majority of the human population? Just getting a little philosophical here, which Bond doesn't really ever seem to do. Like, I personally can't get emotionally invested in some well-off seeming white man who must use violence to solve problems. Thug in a suit? Sounds like a cop. And you know how I feel about cops. I did think Skyfall was okay, but compared to Fury Road or Black Panther... Not even close. And Adele had one good song. Don't know why everyone licks her feet, but I digress. I probably just need to watch more of the films, but even then, I don't know. Life might be too short to get invested in this property. Gross, right? Capitalism turns every art piece into a commodity... I hate it so much.

Bond - a huge cultural legacy built up over many decades. Bourne - four movies (plus a one-off spin-off), the latter of which was kinda meh. Mission: Impossible - the original TV show, plus a six film (so far) franchise. They all provide different things. Bourne has it's global politics and fight realism and twitchy visuals (the Bond franchise took note, which explains the leap from 2002's rather silly "Die Another Day" to 2006's razor sharp "Casino Royale"), meanwhile Mission: Impossible tends more towards a slightly more jaunty adventure feel with incredible action set pieces.

Bond - well-off seeming? I wouldn't say that, personally. He operates in high-end circles for his missions, but the man himself? He's not working class, but he's a bit of an outsider deep down in any circle. Vesper describes him as having a chip on his shoulder because he wasn't deemed 'the same' as the posh kids at the school he was parachuted into after he was orphaned.

I don't see what capitalism has to do with it, really, it's about what's right for the character. Just because James Bond is male, doesn't mean women can't get invested in the character (many women are big fans of the franchise, or even watch them casually), and James Bond is also an adult, but that doesn't mean younger folks can't watch them. You don't have to be female to enjoy Wonder Woman, you don't have to be a robot to enjoy Short Circuit, you don't have to be an alien to enjoy E.T. You don't have to have super powers to enjoy any Marvel movie.

Fair enough if you're not into the franchise, to each their own, but just because you don't care for it, doesn't mean the franchise should change or go away entirely. Speaking personally, I've no affinity for a various movies, TV shows, music, or whatever, but that means nothing in regards to their respective quality, worth, and audience.

It's what suits the character best, ultimately. If you change or ignore too much then it isn't the character/franchise anymore (that'd be like a Rocky movie without a montage, or a Star Trek movie without someone getting beamed somewhere), so just create a brand new thing that can compete on it's own terms (not some mangled hand-me-down that disrespects everyone) and the audience can choose for themselves. :)

blind2d

09-Aug-2018, 09:37 PM

These are all good and well-reasoned points, so, I don't have much. Capitalism does however color everything we consume. To not realize this is a little bit near-sighted, but I imagine most in the "first world" view things this way, so I can't blame you there. Representation matters, even if I can enjoy stuff without identifying exactly with the protagonist. I believe it has said what it came to say, and really doesn't need to be around anymore personally (the Bond franchise). I mean imagine if Romero had made twenty 'of the Dead's. Would the ones we have be as special? It's more than that of course, but... I don't know. It's really not that important, ultimately. And "oh he was an outcast in the posh school". Dude, he WENT to a posh school. That right there is enough, yeah? I do agree with what you're saying for the most part, don't get me wrong. In conclusion... Yeah, I'm done. Sorry for hijacking the thread.

beat_truck

09-Aug-2018, 11:39 PM

Carnival of Souls (1962) 6/10

Low budget horror movie known for it's creepy atmosphere and organ music soundtrack. Not really much for a story, though. I watched it many years ago, and I thought I may have just been to young to understand it then, but seeing it now, it still doesn't make a hell of a lot of sense.

EvilNed

10-Aug-2018, 05:05 AM

Currently studying italian, so forgive the almost exclusively italian films;

Deadly Sweet
Tinto Brass helmed giallo from the late 60's. Filled with 60's pop aethetic and somewhat of a somber, Godardian groove. I loved it!

La Banda del Gobbo / Brothers til we die
Eurocrime signed Umberto Lenzi. More political than his usual flair. I liked it, but considerably less action than usual. Tomas Milian pulls double duty and plays a pair of twins. Laughable wigs.

Tragic Ceremony
Hippies stumble upon a haunted house in the woods. Crap.

Citta Violenta
Charles Bronson as a wanted hitman out for revenge. Some scenes were excellent. Overall great film. A little gem!

Cemetary without crosses
Spaghetti western. Brutal.

Naked Violence
Police investigation story from the late 60's. Fernando di Leo's early work, the man who later directed Milano Calibro 9. It was alright, but very talky - which of course served my purposes rather well.

Stevliati e Uccide
Second time I see it. Story of a bank robber in Milano. The Machine Gun Soloist was a real person and this film was made months after he was caught. I like the film, even if it's lacking something. The style and speed of it is good and on second viewing I gained a greater appreciation of what the director was trying to achieve.

Shoot first, die later
Fernando di Leo, mentioned above, directs this talky crime film about a corrupt cop. I was having friends over and we were doing drinking games to the films. Not the best to start off with.

The Cynic, the Rat and the Fist
Oh boy, lots of action - except in the final part which has a laughable heist sequence.

Violent Professional
I was too drunk to remember this one.

Syndicate sadists
Decent Lenzi helmed crime film with Tomas Milian. The character is named "John Rambo" and that's NOT a coincidence.

Il prefetto di ferro
Italian drama about the fascist district attorney sent to Sicily with "special powers" to root out the mafia. I've read about the man before and wanted to see this relatively unknown film about his exploits. I was not disappointed, even if the only surviving copies of the film are pretty shit. A sub-par DVD Rip. Deserves better. Morricone scores and all around a well funded production. English title either The Iron Prefect or I Am the Law. Giuliano Gemma plays the prefect.

Trädgårdsgatan
Swedish arthouse I worked on three years ago. Premiered last friday.

Cannibal Ferox
All animals were harmed in the making of this film - however nearly all animal violence has been cut from the british release I watched.

Todo Modo
Elio Petri directs a political intrigue arthouse set in a bunker-slash-modern church complex. Marcello Mastroianni and Gian-Maria Volanté plays the two leads, Morricone delivers a very subdued and glooming soundtrack. Killer atmosphere but full of implied intrigue rather than all out plot. I imagine if I'd been an italian intellectual in 1976 I would have gotten more out of it than I did not.

The Cat O'Nine Tails
My favorite giallo. That soundtrack- wow.

Anthropophagus
Trash.

MinionZombie

10-Aug-2018, 09:32 AM

Creed
Finally I get around to seeing it. A few weeks ago I was saying here on HPOTD that, surely, it'd be coming to TV soon - and sure enough it did, but I ruddy well missed the airing on ITV. But the other day it aired again on ITV2, so I caught up on it last night. I dug it, thought it worked very well, although I was kind of in two minds about the subplot involving Rocky's health ... in some ways it packs an emotional punch, but in other ways you don't want to see a movie icon battling like that. Hopefully the sequel can keep up the momentum and deliver another solid entry. :)

...

The Cynic, the Rat and the Fist
Oh boy, lots of action - except in the final part which has a laughable heist sequence.

Syndicate sadists
Decent Lenzi helmed crime film with Tomas Milian. The character is named "John Rambo" and that's NOT a coincidence.

Cannibal Ferox
All animals were harmed in the making of this film - however nearly all animal violence has been cut from the british release I watched.

The Cat O'Nine Tails
My favorite giallo. That soundtrack- wow.

Anthropophagus
Trash.

1) Yeah, that was a pretty good one - so many fists-a-flyin', haha!

2) I finally watched this one just the other week after having it on DVD for about six months waiting to be watched. I should have got around to it sooner as I really enjoyed it. Milian is great in the role and there's some really interesting underlying themes going on. I'll post a review of it soon. :)

3) I assume you got the Shameless Screen Entertainment release? They put out Cannibal Holocaust a while back with a version that excised all the animal cruelty stuff - now, usually I'm very much against censorship, but in this particular context I'm actually in favour of it as the animal cruelty stuff in the cannibal movies is totally unnecessary. The thought process behind putting that stuff in way back when doesn't make much sense, but I assume they were trying to pull in a bit of that 'shockumentary' type vibe from the mondo movies. IIRC the release of Cannibal Holocaust has two censored versions in the UK, one which has a few bits left in because the kill was done quick and was for the purpose of food, while another one approved by Deodato removes all that gubbins but leaves everything else in tact (as opposed to many moons ago when the film was banned outright, or was released with about 7 minutes hacked out of it).

4) I've been meaning to re-watch this one. I saw it on the Horror Channel a few years ago and wasn't so keen on it, but I think I was expecting something more along the lines of The Bird With The Crystal Plumage or Deep Red or Tenebrae, and it's not really that kind of movie.

5) Yep, a very trashy movie, but I actually quite enjoyed it. Again, some interesting underlying themes, some of which kind of take on a new vibe post-2008 financial crash. I've seen many better Italian exploitationers, but I've also seen worse.

bassman

11-Aug-2018, 12:21 AM

MZ...in Creed, what’re your thoughts on their adaptation of the training montage?

MinionZombie

11-Aug-2018, 10:32 AM

MZ...in Creed, what’re your thoughts on their adaptation of the training montage?

You mean the training/treatment montage?

It more pulled at the heart strings than revved you up. It's weighty material to take an on-screen champion and see them chucking up after a round of chemo ... but then again Adonis doing some impromptu training in the treatment room with Rocky was kind of inspiring and kept the montage vibe going. He may be a fictional character, but you wanna see Rocky pull through. Do we really want to see the on-screen death of Rocky? Again, that'd be weighty material and have a lot of impact, but who'd be the big guy in Adonis' corner? When Mickey died they had Apollo step in, and when Apollo died they had Apollo's trainer step in (in #4), but we don't really have anyone left to take over from Rocky if they ever decide to kill him off. Considering that Adrian died of cancer, it'd be a bit harsh to have Rocky go out that way as well. He's a survivor of a character, so it'd be more fitting to see him beat it.

bassman

11-Aug-2018, 10:35 AM

MinionZombie

11-Aug-2018, 10:39 AM

Maybe I was just having a weird day when I watched Creed, but I found the montage a bit ridiculous and funny. Particularly the bits with the motorcycles and such. I was howling with laughter. Coogler got so much right with Creed and I really enjoyed the movie but that montage felt so out of place to me...

Hmmm ... I kinda liked the motorbike bit, not really for the bikes, but for Adonis' determination. I did like the sense of community that the biker kids brought to the area, though.

Was the montage as good as in previous movies in the Rocky 'universe'? No. But there were some good moments. In my mind, though, nothing can beat that double-montage in Rocky IV ... Hearts On Fire, mofos! :thumbsup:

beat_truck

12-Aug-2018, 01:45 AM

Ghosts of Hanley House (1968) 4.5/10

Obscure, no budget B&W haunted house movie. It had a passable story, but the effects weren't too great. Especially the sound effects.:barf: The movie would have been better if they had just omitted most of them all together. Some of them actually sounded like they were added years later because they didn't match the overall low-fi sound of the rest of the film.

MinionZombie

12-Aug-2018, 09:50 AM

Justice League - 5/10

Yeah, I know, kinda late to this one. Anyway ... yep, a bit of a mess, unfortunately. You can clearly see the Joss Whedon additions because of their totally different tone (some of it works, some of it doesn't) as well as Superman's super-dodgy CGI top lip (yeesh it's even in the first scene of the friggin' movie!). They struggle to do the 'team up' aspect, bringing all these disparate characters together, and it feels like there's a shedload of footage on the cutting room floor as the pieces don't really fit together too well. The villain is also shite, from being generally rather generic, to the most egregious aspect of all - the CGI is painfully obvious and weird-looking. Indeed, there's too much damn CGI in the whole movie.

This all said, there are various scenes, sequences, and parts that I quite enjoyed, and you can tell there's a much better movie in there waiting to get out. The troubled production absolutely made a significant impact on this movie, as well as the kneejerk tonal shift, and whatever the hell they were smoking in the edit suite. I'd really like to see an alternative cut of this film, but will we ever see it? Sadly, I doubt it...

bassman

12-Aug-2018, 01:03 PM

^ yeah, I doubt Warner Brothers will ever release that Snyder Cut. Or that it’d even be worth it, anyway.

Deadpool 2: The Super Duper Cut

This extended cut is included with the digital home release, and also screened at Comic Con last month. It makes the film about fifteen minutes longer, but for the most part it’s usually just alternate or extended takes on jokes. There ARE a few noticeable chunks of new material, but for the most part, it’s just throwing some different laughs while keeping the same core of the film.

As for the film itself, I actually enjoyed it more on further home viewings than I did in theater. Somehow the story felt even stronger and the theme of family seemed to shine through even more than before. Perhaps that just had more to do with it being my second viewing, though.

In all, I recommend the film and it’s home release. On my initial viewing I only found this sequel to be okay, but with further viewings I seem to be finding more to admire and it’s easily caught up with the original. Who knows if I’ll ever consider it the best of the series, but with some of the new additions, I feel like it has that potential.

shootemindehead

12-Aug-2018, 01:17 PM

'The Meg'

Bleedin rubbish.

3/10

bassman

12-Aug-2018, 01:35 PM

'The Meg'

Bleedin rubbish.

3/10

Yikes, I was hoping for a bit more of a “so bad it’s good” from this one...

shootemindehead

12-Aug-2018, 02:22 PM

Nope. Afraid not.

It's all taken too seriously and the (murky) CGI is little better than the average Sharknado flick. It's 1:40 mins of Jason Statham jumping into the sea to help people. In the end it's just sort of boring and you end up waiting for it to be over.

I knew it was going to be shite, but I didn't expect it to be tedious as well.

I'd wait and catch it on the tele.

beat_truck

15-Aug-2018, 05:42 AM

EvilNed

15-Aug-2018, 06:43 AM

Land of the Dead 6.5/10

I had seen it several times before, but remembered very little of it, so it was time to revisit it. It was decent IMO. Better than Diary or Survival (blech), but the magic of the first three just wasn't there. The problems it had have been discussed repeatedly, so there isn't much point repeating them. Too smart/roaring Big Daddy, crappy CGI effects.....

I thought that it was kind of neat that the town that they raided was supposed to be Uniontown. Uniontown is only a few minutes from where I live.

To me it just feels too modern. The music doesn't contribute anything positive, unlike in Dawn and Day. The acting is subdued and almost TV-like, exception for Hopper and Leguizamo of course. Simon Baker is a poor leading man, at least in that film.

beat_truck

15-Aug-2018, 08:37 AM

To me it just feels too modern. The music doesn't contribute anything positive, unlike in Dawn and Day. The acting is subdued and almost TV-like, exception for Hopper and Leguizamo of course. Simon Baker is a poor leading man, at least in that film.

I agree on pretty much all those points. It definitely does feel too modern for me. The filming also seemed way too dark and was hard to make out what was going on at times. I actually thought that even Hopper's acting was wooden, too. I barely noticed that it had any music at all. That's how little it did for the movie.

Some of the effects were cringe worthy, mainly the CGI. About half way through the movie, the priest zombie that had his head attached only to his spinal cord was TERRIBLE. In the extras, they made it sound like the most wonderful effect going.:rockbrow:

It still wasn't too bad overall, though. I just expected more out of Romero, especially the first time I saw it.

EvilNed

15-Aug-2018, 08:54 AM

I agree on pretty much all those points. It definitely does feel too modern for me. The filming also seemed way too dark and was hard to make out what was going on at times. I actually thought that even Hopper's acting was wooden, too. I barely noticed that it had any music at all. That's how little it did for the movie.

Some of the effects were cringe worthy, mainly the CGI. About half way through the movie, the priest zombie that had his head attached only to his spinal cord was TERRIBLE. In the extras, they made it sound like the most wonderful effect going.:rockbrow:

It still wasn't too bad overall, though. I just expected more out of Romero, especially the first time I saw it.

The way music is composed for low budget projects these days is just hire a composer who will churn out a series of musical drones and slap them on the scene.
I might be cynical in my analysis, but this is what it feels like in Land. The music doesn't add to any single scene in the film. It's just there because it's customary, but there's no plan behind it.

MinionZombie

15-Aug-2018, 10:01 AM

I'd disagree on the music. While it doesn't have the same vibe as Dawn of Day, where both scores really stand out (in a good way), I wouldn't go so far as to say that Land's score is just filler. There's a few cues that really stand out for me, like the end credits theme (which is also used in the film), or when they're on top of Dead Reckoning as it's barreling along. Yes, the score does do a lot of 'background work' at times, more about setting a tone than a theme, but there are various stand-out cues. It's not like a Marvel movie where you can't recall a single damn bit of music that was scored for the movie (but they do good needle drops).

The CGI - it's a mixed bag. Some of the worst on-show (e.g. the Priest zombie - but the practical version of that gag didn't work either as glimpsed in the extras), but it also has various scenes of CGI that go totally unnoticed. When they climb the stairs out of the subway that was just the two actors on green steps surrounded by green screen.

Too modern? This is an odd thing to criticise it for being that Night is blatantly from the 1960s and Dawn is obviously from the 1970s. Day, on the other hand, does age quite well but is still evidently from the past. So to complain that Land looks like it's from 2005 is a bit daft IMHO. Romero's dead films (well, the first four specifically) were always about reflecting the time in which they were made, Night/Dawn/Day and Land all do this.

EvilNed

15-Aug-2018, 10:29 AM

Modern is not necessarily a bad thing, but it is in the case of Land. The music for instance, is an example of this. It's plain, boring and doesn't contribute anything at all. Much like the music in an episode of CSI for instance. I'd agree that Land is typical of it's time, but it's typical of the bad things of it's time.

The other thing are the pretty actors. Again, something which we can see pops up in CSI (or it's off-shoots). Simon Baker, most known for playing the lead in the Mentalist, simply does not provice a very interesting performance and doesn't get much to work with either. Again, this reminds me a lot of CSI. It's a script built on clichés that don't quite work and feel more at home in a run-of-the-mill TV series than in a (marketed as) auteur signed zombie film.

JDP

15-Aug-2018, 04:33 PM

Too modern? This is an odd thing to criticise it for being that Night is blatantly from the 1960s and Dawn is obviously from the 1970s. Day, on the other hand, does age quite well but is still evidently from the past.

The setting has a lot to do with that. Day happens mostly inside a military installation (a bunker), that's why it is less noticeably "quaint" than the other two films. The only glimpses we get of the "outside" world are the decayed city, the bunker's surrounding area (just wilderness) and an "anonymous" beach somewhere.

shootemindehead

15-Aug-2018, 04:56 PM

The modern look of 'Land of the Dead' was one of my biggest criticisms when I saw the film.

People were using mobile phones and laptops etc. Plus carrying modern weaponry and wearing modern military uniforms. It really lets it down. Romero would have been wiser to source a load of Uzi's and M16's for firepower. Plus get a load of vintage military wear. it really wouldn't have been that hard to do. Also, no laptops and mobile phones.

Other than that, it was good to go props wise and pretty undatable elsewhere.

At a stretch, in my head canon anyway, Night could be about the first outbreak, which gets contained in the early 70's. Dawn kicks off with the second outbreak in the late 70's and Day follows it. 'Day of the Dead' is kind of implacable time-wise, so it could be the late 70's. With a little work, 'Land of the Dead' could have been made more fitting with what came before it.

But, I guess George just didn't really care for such pedantry.

MinionZombie

15-Aug-2018, 05:40 PM

At a stretch, in my head canon anyway, Night could be about the first outbreak, which gets contained in the early 70's. Dawn kicks off with the second outbreak in the late 70's and Day follows it. 'Day of the Dead' is kind of implacable time-wise, so it could be the late 70's. With a little work, 'Land of the Dead' could have been made more fitting with what came before it.

But, I guess George just didn't really care for such pedantry.

Oh God, I feel a thread coming on... :barf: :lol:

Either you just forget about the decade differences in the movies, or you regard them as different subsequent points in a zombie apocalypse.

The different eras for all these films kinda makes the Romero quartet of zombie films stand out from the usual franchise pack (I've always personally considered Diary and Survival to be two parts of another separate zombie franchise entirely). Most franchises get cranked out in a short space of time and see only slight changes over the course of the franchise (e.g. the first nine Jason movies), or any passage of time is built-in to the plot (e.g. Jason X).

Romero's films are as much his personal treatise on the state of the nation at that time as they are narrative feature films, which really sets the apart from the usual kind of franchises out there. Each film simultaneously stands alone and sits as part of a whole. They reflect the changing times in which they were made far more than any other franchise or series of films.

shootemindehead

15-Aug-2018, 08:01 PM

Oh God, I feel a thread coming on... :barf: :lol:

Eh...no.

Either you just forget about the decade differences in the movies, or you regard them as different subsequent points in a zombie apocalypse.

The different eras for all these films kinda makes the Romero quartet of zombie films stand out from the usual franchise pack (I've always personally considered Diary and Survival to be two parts of another separate zombie franchise entirely). Most franchises get cranked out in a short space of time and see only slight changes over the course of the franchise (e.g. the first nine Jason movies), or any passage of time is built-in to the plot (e.g. Jason X).

Romero's films are as much his personal treatise on the state of the nation at that time as they are narrative feature films, which really sets the apart from the usual kind of franchises out there. Each film simultaneously stands alone and sits as part of a whole. They reflect the changing times in which they were made far more than any other franchise or series of films.

Well, as I said in a review somewhere, Romero's dead films are "serialised but not truly connected". So, you kind of have to ignore their period trappings to get on with them.

I also consider Romero's dead series as a quad. Night to Land. His rebooted efforts are all but forgotten to me now. I consider them misfires, curiosities that remain vague in their reason for existing and their execution. They're also experiences that I have no intent on repeating, unlike 'Land of the Dead' which I've watched multiple times.

In any case, at a minimal stretch, Night to Day can act as a coherent trilogy. It's just Land that sticks out like a sore thumb and looks like a film that was made 20 years too late...cos it was made 20 years to late.

beat_truck

17-Aug-2018, 05:40 AM

Rats: Night Of Terror 5/10

Somewhat entertaining. Bruno Mattei..... pure cheese.... 'nuff said.:D

bassman

17-Aug-2018, 01:45 PM

I’ve been catching up on the Lethal Weapon TV series. As a huge fan of the LW movies, it’s still surprising to me how well they were able to make this series work. In a lot of ways, I expected it to be terrible and cancelled quickly, but they really put in the effort in all departments, and have made a great show that’s having it’s third season premiere in a couple week’s time.

Buuut, this new season will not see the return of Clayne Crawford as Martin Riggs, and Sean William Scott will be entering as Rigg’s brother, cousin, or other relative. It’s a shame, because Riggs no doubt had to be the toughest role to fill after Mel Gibson set the bar so high when creating the character for Donner’s films. It was a big risk, yet one that paid off, as Crawford quickly filled Riggs’ shoes in a big way and was very satisfying in the role. Unfortunately the behind the scenes drama came to the point that he has now left the show. I’m hoping they can pull off another miracle with the casting changes, but it’s hard to imagine the series without Riggs now.

If you haven’t given the Lethal series a shot, I highly recommend it. I imagine it’s good for fans of the originals, as well as newcomers, but as I said before, I find the show extremely satisfying and I’m a huge fan of the films. Check it out.

MinionZombie

17-Aug-2018, 04:38 PM

I never bothered with the TV series, although I'm glad they seem to have put effort into it. I've got plenty of other things to watch, and various other things I'd really like to re-visit but don't have time for just now ... but if I didn't really have any shows on the go I'd give it a spin, but there's enough on my telly plate right now. :D

Eye in the Sky - this was Alan Rickman's final role, and co-stars Helen Mirren and Aaron Paul. It's about drone warfare as a team of Brits, Yanks, and local operatives in Africa seek to put a stop to a group of terrorists. There was another movie about drone warfare that was pretty good, it starred Ethan Hawke, but it was more centred on his character and the impact of not being able to fly a real jet on him and his family ... but Eye in the Sky is a superior film on the subject, I think. The focus comes down to a single operation in close to real time once the ball gets rolling. It's genuinely tense at times and the film manages to navigate the various issues and arguments surrounding the use of drones - seeing the legal loops that they have to go through, the political issues, and the moral issues makes for a fascinating watch with no clear answer as every option is bad, essentially. Naturally, we see the potential cost of drone warfare, but we also see the insidious enemy (albeit handled subtly) that is being tackled. There's some nifty little 'real world' elements put in, too, which humanise the whole thing in an almost mundane everyday way - Alan Rickman trying to buy the correct doll for his granddaughter (IIRC) on the way into work, for instance, or the Foreign Secretary suffering from a bout of the shits when an urgent call comes through.

MinionZombie

18-Aug-2018, 04:48 PM

Corman's World - doc on Roger Corman. A very good watch for fans of B-Movies, exploitation flicks and filmmaking in general.

Sunset Strip - doc about the infamous street in Los Angeles. Stylish and informative, it covers the history of the place and it's various hotspots (e.g. the Chateau Marmont, the Whisky-a-go-go, Ciro's etc) from when it was still a dirt road all the way up to the present day covering everything from the heyday of classic Hollywood rubbing shoulders with gangster Mickey Cohen to the youth vs the police to the rise of 80s rock and more. Well worth checking out!

bassman

20-Aug-2018, 12:30 PM

Tag

Starring Jon Hamm, Jeremy Renner, Ed Helms, and Jake Johnson. Four middle-aged men have continued a game of tag for 20+ years, ever since they began as kids. Hilarity ensues as these adults essentially sabotage each other’s adult lives in the name of winning a game of tag. The film has it’s ups and downs, but for the most part it’s a fun romp with some great laughs. I’m not familiar with the director’s previous works, but he seems to have taken some inspiration from Edgar Wright’s frenetic style of whip pans and quick shots. Particularly when we focus on Jeremy Renner’s character, who has narration and is the “king of tag” that has never once been “it” for all the years these guys have played.

As I said, it’s got some good laughs and is entertaining, so I’d recommend it. It’s worthy of a good chuckling ninety minutes. As usual, Jon Hamm kills it with the comedy. Dude has serious comedic chops...

EvilNed

20-Aug-2018, 10:35 PM

Terminator II

No, not the James Cameron one. The Bruno Mattei one!
An italian exploitation ripoff of Aliens. A team of sci-fi soldiers get sent into the depths of futuristic (and sinking) Venice and find that it's infested with genetic mutations. They also find a lone survivor girl, are harassed by a corporate tag-along, detect incoming aliens on their motion sensors and the Ripley and Newt character escape from a sound proof lab by igniting the sprinkler system.

Oh yeah and the corporate guy turns out to be a terminator.

MinionZombie

21-Aug-2018, 09:58 AM

Police Academy

I had, naturally, seen this already but it had been many years since I last saw it. The franchise has kind of been dismissed in a lot of circles and is generally the butt of a joke now, but the original is a pretty good flick (I'd be interested to revisit some of the sequels, too). Clear character types, some funny situations, an overall scenario that's interesting, and many of the characters get their mini-arc. There's the odd joke here or there that just spoke to the time, or even just a throwaway comment, such as Mahoney saying "sleeping's for [British slang term for cigarettes]" ... but the film does raise some interesting debate about certain scenes (e.g. The Blue Oyster, or Lassard thinking that Mahoney noshed him off under the podium) and what the intentions were vs what might be getting said both deliberately and accidentally. I think some of those scenes wouldn't fly today, or not in that particular form, but the past is the past, not the present, so it can't conform to the strict standards laid down by Vice or HuffPo ... but you know what the present also is? The future's past. Anything that would be considered 'out of place' now was likely more through accident and the casual culture of the 1980s than any real intention, especially when you consider the how the film mocks overtly racist and sexist individuals (e.g. Copeland, or the Commandant), with High Tower and Callahan (interesting choice of name *cough* Dirty Harry *cough*) both being figures of power and respect. Hmmm ... who'd have thought you get this much to ponder from a Police Academy movie, eh? :D

Anyway, it's not high art by any means (of course), and it's not the smartest of comedies, but as a silly romp with a bit of slapstick and sauciness thrown in, it's still a good flick. Funnily enough, when I first saw the movie I was quite young and had no idea what a BJ was, so the podium scene made absolutely no sense to me whatsoever - flew right over my head - which goes to show how 'adult things' can just go by quite easily for a young mind. It's like Ghostbusters - all the raunchy jokes literally made no sense to me as a young kid, but once I was a teenager all those gags suddenly made sense. :lol:

Terminator II

No, not the James Cameron one. The Bruno Mattei one!
An italian exploitation ripoff of Aliens. A team of sci-fi soldiers get sent into the depths of futuristic (and sinking) Venice and find that it's infested with genetic mutations. They also find a lone survivor girl, are harassed by a corporate tag-along, detect incoming aliens on their motion sensors and the Ripley and Newt character escape from a sound proof lab by igniting the sprinkler system.

Oh yeah and the corporate guy turns out to be a terminator.

:lol::lol::lol:

Ah, Mattei ... originality was never in his wheelhouse, was it? Come to think of it, a lot of stuff wasn't in his wheelhouse, but I suppose he's got an almost Ed Wood-like following amongst some fans of Italian genre film.

shootemindehead

22-Aug-2018, 09:37 AM

'A Quiet Place'

Relatively entertaining, if some what stupid in places, post-apocalypse nonsense that passes 90 mins by harmlessly enough. 'A Quiet Place' centres its story on a family as they survive in a world dominated by creatures that locate their prey by sound. They're swift, brutal and pretty scary. The film, rightly, resists the temptation to explain them, too, and instead drops the viewer into the mix, as we follow the family in their attempts to remain intact and as silent as they can.

This is helped by the fact that the family are made up of people we care for, as their parts are well acted, convincing and they feel real, even when the script has them do stupid things. Special mention goes to deaf actress, Milicent Simmonds, who conveys her character's emotions well, without making a sound and the technique of using absolute silence when she's the focus of attention was a good one, even if it is forgotten about here and there. Elsewhere there's a fine turn by Noah Jupe and the always great Emily Blunt. John Krasinski does well too. Plus, he's shown that he's not too bad behind the camera either.

The "gimmick" of being quiet is very well handled and aids the film immensely. The tension really does get ratcheted up because of it. But, the monsters are kind of irregular in their activities and into the bargain, I was continually perplexed at the notion of where they went to, in their own down time. They couldn't be far away, because we can see that one loud sound can bring them barrelling along in seconds.

I was also slightly irritated that nobody in the family thought of setting up some sort of sound system a couple of hundred yards from the house to distract the monsters, should the shit hit the fan. They have working electricity (with a super quiet generator, I presume???), so it would have been possible to string cable out to a speaker of some description. But, they did have an emergency fireworks system...so...

All in all though, this was quite enjoyable and I'd recommend it. There are at least a couple of well handled, tense, scenes that actually had me very excited. But, one has to keep in mind, that it is a horror movie. So a certain forgiving attitude may have to apply to its more sillier parts and an ending that left a little to be desired.

8/10

'Jurassic Park'

It's hard to believe that this is now 25 years old. A very sobering thought to one who first saw it in the cinema all those years ago, but 'Jurassic Park' - probably Spielberg's last great film - hasn't lost any of its power to entertain. Everyone knows the story, so I'll not rehash it here and besides, it's quite secondary to main point of the film...seeing dinosaurs on the rampage. But, unlike the modern travesties trading under the name Jurassic World, 'Jurassic Park' never ceases to be exciting, even when the dino's are off the screen, which is for an awful lot of the running time.

When they do make an appearance, however, they are as brilliant as they ever were and the tyranosaur's scream is just how you remember it. Piercing and chilling. The CGI and animatronics have aged slightly, but their still more than capable, which is a testament to the late Stan Winston's excellent work. and even if the dinosaur's presented in the film are entirely fictional in nature, they still have to power to awe you.

Acting wise, there's not a lot to write home about. But, everyone does the job they need to and even the trademark Spielbergian kids aren't as irritating as they sometimes are in his movies. In fact they're kind of charming in their own right and they are the centre of the film's most exciting parts, when they're attacked by the T Rex and the Raptors.

All in all, 'Jurassic Park' is still a very fine and exciting film. But unlike its historical cousin, 'Jaws', it does leave me a little bit unfulfilled at the end for a reason that I can't put my finger on.

Unfortunately, the stellar success of 'Jurassic Park' meant that it fathered the inevitable and less than stellar sequels, to which point we have now entered the "reboot" phase with the pretender to the throne 'Jurassic World'. None of the sequels - not even the Spielberg helmed 'The Lost World' - were up to scratch and the modern, rebooted, franchise is even lesser, despite its hideous box office extravagances.

8/10

'Rise of the Footsoldier'

A disjointed serious of events strung together on an "awright geezer, u know wot I mean 'arry" type of narration, where the audience sits through one nasty occurrence after another, all carried out by thoroughly despicable excuses for humanity.

Starting with a brief spell on the terraces and giving a passing mention to the dubious exploits of the Inter City Firm, a gang of West Ham football hooligans from the 80's, we follow East End hardnut, Carlton Leech (Ricci Harnett), as he drags his miserable face from one scene to the next. After several minutes with the ICF, we're whipped off to Leech's time as a bouncer and we're eventually introduced to who should have been the main focus of the film, Pat Tate (Craig Fairbrass), a small time hood with whom Leech forms a dubious relationship. Further along we bump into more thinly sketched thugs, one of which seems to be a big shot (or at least a bigger shot than the rest) Mickey Steele (Billy Murray). Obviously, none of this ends well, but it's the "footsoldier" himself that comes off the least worst. Which is just as well, as he got to write the book on which the film was based.

'Rise of the footsoldier' never seems completely coherent and makes the viewer confused as to who they are watching and why, too often. It's also littered with people that appear far more interesting than the lead and makes you feel that a film following them would have been more satisfactory, even though they are (as previously mentioned) thinly sketched. Maybe that's because the likes of Craig Fairbrass or Billy Murray just have a better presence than Ricci Harnett and when they on screen, they steal the limelight every time. NOTE: The second sequel actually does centre of Pat Tate.

The curiously named 'Rise of the Footsoldier' trundles on to its interminable ending, with which the film opened, and makes its 2 hours and 15 minutes feel like days. There's a shorter version of the film floating around too, but I get the impression that that would be all the more disjointed, as the long version feels like its skipping out on a lot, as it is. But, none of it is interesting enough for me to lament that or to check out the other two film's in the series.

It's not all terrible, though, and there's a certain watchability to the explosive violence that these repugnant animals engage in. But there's not an ounce of humanity in any of the people on the screen. So, whereas a film like 'Nil By Mouth', may show horrific brutality too, it's carried out by people who still feel like people (albeit people you wouldn't want to be around). The characters in 'Rise of the Footsoldier' are simply one note all the way through the film and they lose their control over the slightest of things, all of the time, to the point where the whole exercise just becomes exhausting.

4/10

'The Meg'

Yet another in the long line of poor shark movies, seeking to try and leech something from 'Jaws'. But, just like every single shark movie after Spielberg's masterpiece, from 1976's 'Mako: The Jaws of Death' to 2018's 'The Meg', it fails miserably to capture anything from the 1975 film.

Based on the 20 year old novel by Steve Alten, 'The Meg' - shorthand for Megalodon, the prehistoric forebear of the Great White - stars likeable Brit actionman, Jason Statham as Jonas Taylor, a deep sea rescue diver (as only Hollywood would imagine), who has been lamenting an, ostensibly, failed rescue attempt on a submarine that had been rammed by an unknown object. Jonas' subsequent ramblings about a "creature" gets him marginalised and he disappears into a drunken funk somewhere in Thailand.

Years later at the bottom of the Pacific ocean, near the Marianas Trench, a state of the art research facility, Mana One, is in the middle of an expedition to penetrate a cold layer that is believed to conceal a deeper level to the trench as theorised by Dr. Zhang (Winston Chao). The expedition, led by Zhang's daughter Suyin (Li Bingbing), proves successful and it finds that deeper level. Unfortunately, the sub that is penetrating the cold layer is attacked...by "something" and gets disabled. Thus Jonas Taylor has to be brought in to put a rescue into effect, which he's persuaded to do because his ex is on board the Marianas Trench sub. Further misfortune leads to the rescue enabling an thermal escape route for a giant shark to swim to the upper levels of the Pacific. This behoves Statham to spend the rest of the movie basically diving into the water to save people or combat the megalodon, as it makes its way to Sanya Bay to dine on Chinese food.

On the surface, 'The Meg' sounds like it could be a fun and silly popcorn shark movie. But, it tries to take itself just a bit too seriously. It's characters and story aren't as serious as 'Jaws', but they're still far too po-faced for the ridiculous story involved here.

Another problem is that it's almost bloodless, which is a real let down. A film like this should be, literally, dripping in gore, and I believe that the director, Jon Turteltaub, has said that the original film was more so. But, 'The Meg' has been turned in as a neutered PG-13 movie, emasculated as to achieve a maximum-bums-on-seats goal. Further and more cynically, the film is aimed at raking in the Yuan, by involving a number of Chinese faces and setting a portion of its running time in Sanya Bay.

The ultimate nail in The Meg's coffin, though, is that its CGI sharks (all of em) are only just about a level or two above the average Sharknado movie. The shark(s) never feels like it's sharing the same space as the people, or other objects, on the screen and it's always disappointing when the shark actually makes its appearance. Unlike Bruce, in 'Jaws', who keeps his horrific demeanour even when he breaks the surface of the water, the megalodon in 'The Meg' falls apart when it shows too much of its hand and coupled with the lack of guts in the movie makes for a pretty empty experience.

So, 'The Meg' ends up being not spectacular enough to be a summer blockbuster (al la 'Jaws) and not dumb enough to be entertaining trash.

3/10

'Southern Comfort'

Walter Hill's, at the time, terribly unappreciated film, sees a bunch of idiot weekend warriors of the National Guard, traipse around the swamps of Louisiana as they're chased and picked off, one-by-one, by pissed off Cajuns.

'Deliverance' comparisons aside, Hill's film operates on its own merits and is a great example of a good film that couldn't find its audience in 1981. Part of this is down to its Vietnamesque trappings, which nobody - especially in America - wanted to see at the time. But, over the years, its become more liked and draws generally favourable opinions from most viewers.

Lead by a couple of serviceable performances from Keith Carradine and the late Powers Boothe, Southern Comfort's nine man squad features familiar nobodies, like Peter Coyote, Fred Ward, Alan Autry and Brion James as a lump of unlikeable targets, full of foul mouthed bravado and indiscipline. Against these clowns are some faceless Cajuns, who have been wronged, foolishly, by the squadies and whom decide to take matters into their own hands and get revenge. It's fairly straighforward, but plays out in a very tense and pleasing manner, leading to a great stand off at a friendly Cajun village where we're treated to an exciting showdown, soundtracked to the tune of 'Parlez Nous oire'.

Aside from some very minor missteps here and there - a character's breakdown isn't terribly convincing and there's a bit of a silly knife fight - 'Southern Comfort' is a genuinely great picture of its type. A real "man's" picture - if I can use that term - of the type that's just not made any more and one that uses a very interesting background of Louisiana Cajuns, which I've no doubt are the barest of sketches of those people, but it's absorbing nonetheless. Walter Hill's actors, too, are put through the mill and endure some pretty nasty conditions, slogging through damp swamps and it all feels very real, which is a boon to the authentic atmosphere and allows viewer by in to be easily attained.

9/10

'Deliverance'

The Spiritual cousin of 'Southern Comfort' (even though Walter Hill would hit you in the mouth for saying that) 'Deliverance', unlike Hill's movie, was a huge hit in 1972 and a very important film for John Boorman and its stars. One of the few films that Burt Reynolds counts as "a good one he's been in", 'Deliverance' was based on James Dickey's novel and concerns itself with a disastrous canoe trip down the fictional (and soon to be dammed) Cahulawassee river in Georgia.

The naive city boys, Ed (John Voight) and Bobby (Ned Beatty) come afoul of some mountain folk, who wish to...er...have their way with them. Coming to the rescue, but not before Bobby is assaulted by one of the hillbilly's (a brilliant and disturbing Bill McKinney), Lewis (Burt Reynolds) kills Bobby's assailant, but the other neerdowell escapes into the woods. Lewis, Ed, Bobby and Drew (Ronny Cox) then have to decide on how to proceed. Do they own up, or bury the body, which is soon to be covered by dam water.

'Deliverance' is rightly considered a classic of cinema and its pivotal scene still retains a certain shocking power, even though it's quite tame by today's standards. All the stars do their jobs admirably, including their own stunts, and even the non-actors hold their own. Boorman's direction is fine, if it's without flair or signature, and the backdrop of Appalachian terror remains unnerving.

Hard to believe that there would be people out there that haven't seen this film, but if you haven't, it's worth your time.

9/10

'Who Dares Wins'

1982 British film about the SAS, that takes its genesis and main cues from the 1980 Iranian Embassy siege and stars the late Lewis Collins from TV's 'The Professionals', in an effort to break out of the small screen.

A favourite of mine when I was a kid, but today, I see it as a rather stupid film that doesn't really add up, even if it's relatively enjoyable small scale cinema. It's full of cliched lefty "terrorists", of the type that exist only in certain minds, who's demands are so ridiculous it really does beggar belief and a TV version of the SAS, who are all macho nitwits, with shouty mouths.

Judy Davis, who's great, despite the general silliness of her character, is the unhinged Frankie Leith, leader of a group called "The People's Lobby", who wish to see the end of the nuclear arms race. To meet this aim, they want a bomb dropped on Holy Loch in Scotland, with the inhabitants evacuated, of course. Peter Skellen (Collins) is tasked with infiltrating this band as a man on the inside, to be there when the SAS are finally dispatched.

It's all very silly and won't live up to too much critical analysis. But, it has a certain old school British film charm, that's absent from movies produced there nowadays. In many ways, it feels much like 1978's, 'The Wild Geese', which was produced by the same guy, Euan Lloyd, and was another childhood favourite of mine. 'The Wild Geese', though, tends to retain a bit more believability, if I can use that word.

With the action limited to the last 20 minutes, much of 'Who Dares Wins', concerns itself with Skellen's penetration of the "The People's Lobby" and...ahem...Frankie Leith and their attempts to surveil and vet him. So, people expecting a shoot out every half hour may be disappointed. But, when the action does arrive, it plays out pleasingly enough, if in a very brief sequence.

6/10

MinionZombie

24-Aug-2018, 05:13 PM

Brigsby Bear
Co-written by and starring SNL's Kyle Mooney. A young man living in a bunker with his parents discovers that he was actually kidnapped as a baby and has been raised by his kidnappers. He grew up watching only "Brigsby Bear", a TV show that his 'father' (Mark Hamill) made, and nothing else.

Once reunited with his birth family, he struggles to adjust, but manages to get to grips with the outside world, his family, and himself through the process of making a Brigsby Bear movie, which also wraps up the story of the TV series. So on one hand the film is about this kidnapped kid-turned-maladjusted-adult trying to figure things out in the real world, but on the other hand it's also about the sheer love of filmmaking.

This was a surprising little gem and I really enjoyed it. I'd definitely recommend checking it out. :cool::thumbsup::)

beat_truck

25-Aug-2018, 01:28 AM

The Ox-Bow Incident (1943) 6.5/10

When a posse captures three men suspected of killing a local farmer, they become strongly divided over whether or not to lynch the men.

Not a bad old western. A little darker than I expected for a one made at that time period.

beat_truck

27-Aug-2018, 03:33 PM

3:10 To Yuma (1957) 7.5/10

Pretty good western. It was almost worth sitting through the damned commercials to see it.

bassman

27-Aug-2018, 03:57 PM

3:10 To Yuma (1957) 7.5/10

Pretty good western. It was almost worth sitting through the damned commercials to see it.

The remake is one of the very few that are good, IMO. Really, really liked James Mangold’s remake.

shootemindehead

27-Aug-2018, 10:50 PM

The Ox-Bow Incident (1943) 6.5/10

3:10 To Yuma (1957) 7.5/10

Two great pictures there.

If you haven't seen 'The Man who Shot Liberty Valance', do so.

MinionZombie

28-Aug-2018, 09:42 AM

Bone Tomahawk
A western that turns into a horror movie, from the dude who made Brawl In Cell Block 99 - so you know the violence is going to be messed up.

Great cast, good characterisation, interesting themes of manhood and "I got no choice". One part really disturbed me - the troglodite's 'wives'. Remember how flippin' creepy and shocking the mother under the bed in the "Home" episode of The X-Files was? This film goes further on that front and, ugh, really horrifying. Seeing a dude split down the middle arse-first has that over-the-top horror movie gore vibe about it, but the 'wives' ... ... ugh.

Anyway, a good film with a lot of toughness to it.

Speaking of Brawl In Cell Block 99 - did anyone think the gore effects in that were intentionally a bit cartoonish? e.g. the 'no face' moment, the 'popped jaw' moment, and the 'head exploding' moment? I wasn't sure whether it was just a case of the effects not quite working and they didn't have time for another take, or if they were intentionally a bit iffy to be a bit '80s throwback' in style, because in Bone Tomahawk the effects are more realistic in execution.

beat_truck

28-Aug-2018, 12:53 PM

If you haven't seen 'The Man who Shot Liberty Valance', do so.

Yep, that's another good one. It's been a while since I watched it, but I actually have it somewhere around here.

- - - Updated - - -

The remake is one of the very few that are good, IMO. Really, really liked James Mangold’s remake.

I have a hard time giving remakes a shot since most of them suck ass, but I'll give it a try if I come across it on TV.

bassman

29-Aug-2018, 10:59 PM

Grindhouse

It’d been quite a long time since I’d watched Rodriguez and Tarantino’s salute to grindhouse cinema. Probably pushing close to ten years at this point. So it was nice to see it again after such a long time and I enjoyed it every bit as much as I did the first time it was released! Just a brilliantly fun romp from beginning to end. It’s a real shame that the film didn’t have a bigger impact at the cinema, as I would have loved to have seen sequels every year or two around Halloween.

The blu ray release is also very entertaining and very well worth owning. Commentaries and documentaries for both films, as well as for all the trailers by Wright, Zombie, and Roth. I recommend it as a great purchase. Get the Grindhouse release and not the individual film releases, though.

MinionZombie

30-Aug-2018, 09:39 AM

Black Sunday
Or more specifically the original Italian version "The Mask of Satan". Directed by Mario Bava and starring Barbara Steele. Dripping with gothic atmosphere, there's some genuinely creepy scenes throughout, such as the opening execution of the witch, or the discovery of her tomb a couple of centuries later. I had a quick squizz at the AIP version of the movie (which has the more popular name of "Black Sunday") and it's a few minutes shorter (the original version did drag a smidge) and features more music (no bad thing - a scene where two men fight beside a spike pit lacks any real punch or drama in the original due to a lack of score, but the AIP version has heavily dramatic music playing which really ups the ante. I'll give the AIP version a complete watch sometime down the line. Naturally, being a Bava film, the photography (also by Bava) is excellent.

Grindhouse

It’d been quite a long time since I’d watched Rodriguez and Tarantino’s salute to grindhouse cinema. Probably pushing close to ten years at this point. So it was nice to see it again after such a long time and I enjoyed it every bit as much as I did the first time it was released! Just a brilliantly fun romp from beginning to end. It’s a real shame that the film didn’t have a bigger impact at the cinema, as I would have loved to have seen sequels every year or two around Halloween.

The blu ray release is also very entertaining and very well worth owning. Commentaries and documentaries for both films, as well as for all the trailers by Wright, Zombie, and Roth. I recommend it as a great purchase. Get the Grindhouse release and not the individual film releases, though.

I love that movie. I've got the standalone DVD releases of "Planet Terror" and "Death Proof" as well as the Blu-Ray release of "Grindhouse". Death Proof gets some flack, but I really dig that movie. I've lost count of the number of times I've watched it now, heck, I even read the screenplay of it. :D

While the movie might have not done too well at the box office in cinemas, it has done better split apart (although that is a shame - those fake trailers are awesome) and it did mean we got a full length "Machete" movie (shame the sequel was a bit lacking and over-stretched, albeit still good fun), and there has been a bit of an explosion in 'grindhouse inspired' movies from low budget indies like "Hobo With A Shotgun" to bigger flicks like the upcoming movie "Upgrade". So it did expose an interest in these kinds of movies (indeed, since 2007 there's been an explosion in exploitation movies getting beautiful HD restorations and prestige Blu-Ray releases), just not an interest in seeing a 190 minute double bill. :p

bassman

30-Aug-2018, 02:35 PM

I love that movie. I've got the standalone DVD releases of "Planet Terror" and "Death Proof" as well as the Blu-Ray release of "Grindhouse". Death Proof gets some flack, but I really dig that movie. I've lost count of the number of times I've watched it now, heck, I even read the screenplay of it. :D

While the movie might have not done too well at the box office in cinemas, it has done better split apart (although that is a shame - those fake trailers are awesome) and it did mean we got a full length "Machete" movie (shame the sequel was a bit lacking and over-stretched, albeit still good fun), and there has been a bit of an explosion in 'grindhouse inspired' movies from low budget indies like "Hobo With A Shotgun" to bigger flicks like the upcoming movie "Upgrade". So it did expose an interest in these kinds of movies (indeed, since 2007 there's been an explosion in exploitation movies getting beautiful HD restorations and prestige Blu-Ray releases), just not an interest in seeing a 190 minute double bill. :p

Upgrade is in my list of things to watch, I’m looking forward to it. The Hobo With A Shotgun trailer was actually part of Grindhouse here in the states. I believe it was the winner of a contest, it then played theatrically, and is also on the Blu ray. I haven’t seen the full film, though.

A couple more I’ve gone through lately...

Sharp Objects (HBO series)
Amy Adams stars as an alcoholic reporter that goes back to her hometown to investigate the disappearance and murder of children. From the author of Gone Girl. Adams is of course fantastic in the role and the series is one of those that really ropes you in from the start. It’s a short eight episodes, so it can be breezed through relatively swiftly. I enjoyed it. Probably 7/10. Adams will no doubt receive lots of accolades come awards season.

Friday The 13th remake
After recently purchasing the original series, I saw this remake on HBO’s app and thought I’d try it again. For a series as simple as this one, this remake somehow just doesn’t live up to the rest. I can’t really put my finger on why it is that it can’t match up to the original series, it just feels like somethings missing. I’m also not a fan of how they essentially condensed the first four or so entries of the original series into one film. I’d have rather seen a more straight-forward remake of the original film, but I suppose they were rightfully afraid to have a Friday the 13th movie without Jason as the killer, as most people seem to forget that it was Pamela in the original.

It’s not a bad film, per se, it’s just rather dull and lacks the certain edge or spark of the original Crystal Lake entries. 5/10

MinionZombie

30-Aug-2018, 04:17 PM

Sharp Objects (HBO series)
Amy Adams stars as an alcoholic reporter that goes back to her hometown to investigate the disappearance and murder of children. From the author of Gone Girl. Adams is of course fantastic in the role and the series is one of those that really ropes you in from the start. It’s a short eight episodes, so it can be breezed through relatively swiftly. I enjoyed it. Probably 7/10. Adams will no doubt receive lots of accolades come awards season.

Friday The 13th remake
After recently purchasing the original series, I saw this remake on HBO’s app and thought I’d try it again. For a series as simple as this one, this remake somehow just doesn’t live up to the rest. I can’t really put my finger on why it is that it can’t match up to the original series, it just feels like somethings missing. I’m also not a fan of how they essentially condensed the first four or so entries of the original series into one film. I’d have rather seen a more straight-forward remake of the original film, but I suppose they were rightfully afraid to have a Friday the 13th movie without Jason as the killer, as most people seem to forget that it was Pamela in the original.

It’s not a bad film, per se, it’s just rather dull and lacks the certain edge or spark of the original Crystal Lake entries. 5/10

1) I just finished watching "Sharp Objects" as well - a great mini-series! It would have been nice to see a little more sleuthing going on as the mystery of the murders seemed to get a little sidelined, but fortunately all the personal stuff with Camille Preaker and the townsfolk kept it interesting. Really nifty way they edited it together, too, with the ghosts of her past kind of merging into the present via match cuts etc. Top notch dark drama, very involving - highly recommended.

2) I re-watched the Friday the 13th remake a few weeks ago and while I like various parts of it, yeah, it misses something. One thing is it's very slick, another thing is that the director and DoP are the same as the TCM remake, so F13th 2009 takes a franchise that is set in New Jersey IIRC and films it in flippin' Texas! The location move is pretty evident, and filming the movie the exact same way they did with the TCM remake just doesn't work and makes it feel wrong. However, there are certain plus points including Jason, some good kills, and many of the characters having a bit of, well, character about them. It's a shame that the franchise has kind of stalled and stumbled since then with aborted ideas (thankfully that found footage F13th idea died a death), but now with this lawsuit affecting the franchise as a whole it's a bad time for Jason.

shootemindehead

31-Aug-2018, 02:50 PM

Sat through 1 to 4 of the original Friday the 13th's. Jesus, after the first one they suck absolute balls. Rubbish stuff altogether.

bassman

31-Aug-2018, 03:05 PM

Sat through 1 to 4 of the original Friday the 13th's. Jesus, after the first one they suck absolute balls. Rubbish stuff altogether.

Agreed, yet there’s something about them that I find enjoyable and keeps me coming back? I’m not sure what it is, but it’s almost like I find something “comforting” about the series?? I can’t explain it, but I definitely agree that for the most part, the series is pretty much crap.

MinionZombie

31-Aug-2018, 04:31 PM

bassman

31-Aug-2018, 04:42 PM

I enjoy the shit out of the series, but I can still recognize that certain entries or bits and pieces are pretty bad. It’s kind of like Dawn, while lots of people here call blasphemy, I’ve always maintained that there are some genuinely bad sections of that flick. It’s still one of my all-time favorite films. :D

EvilNed

31-Aug-2018, 05:03 PM

Sat through 1 to 4 of the original Friday the 13th's. Jesus, after the first one they suck absolute balls. Rubbish stuff altogether.

Agreed. So boring. There's no plot. Just a set-up and then kills. Nothing in it for me.

I do really like Part 6 tho, which incidently is the only one with an unfolding plot.

JDP

01-Sep-2018, 03:50 AM

Woah, hey, let's all calm down here before someone starts flipping tables. :D

#2 and #3 aren't up there with the first, but Friday the 13th Part IV is awesome and one of the best sequels, if not the best.

Yeah, they're not really clever flicks and they have their formula, but damnit they work and Jason rocks! :thumbsup:

#1 - all-time classic slasher flick.
#2 - Jason's first movie, but a bit weak on blood, and from a film nerd standpoint it's entertaining to see the various rip-off moments from Mario Bava's "A Bay of Blood".
#3 - Jason gets his mask, fun/silly 3D shenanegans. 3rd act is awesome.
#4 - awesome sequel, the distinct 'pick up where three left off' lends a certain something to this one as the climax of the 2-3-4 continuity. Great gore, characters with a bit of personality (you actually like a lot of them).
#5 - this is a weird one, not really Jason, but the kill count is huge ... can kinda tell it was directed by a guy who made skin flicks. :lol:
#6 - again, awesome sequel, loads of fun, Thom Matthews, Alice Cooper music, crackin' stuff.
#7 - iffy characters, but first time out for Kane Hodder in the best Jason make-up ever seen on film. The third act is filled with stunts and action and maskless Jason looks astonishing. Shame about the MPAA censorship and lost film elements meaning it'll never be seen uncut.
#8 - the third act, again, is awesome. It's pretty weak on gore, but it's grown on me with each viewing. Kane Hodder (as Jason) punting those punks' ghetto blaster is one of the best moments in the entire franchise. :D
#9 - get tae fuck. Decent gore, but seriously, wtf?
#10 - my opinion of this one has diminished over time because it's so clearly of its time with the smart-ass 'comedy horror' self-awareness schtick that's laid on really thick. Some good moments, but this was the jump the shark moment all over.
FvsJ - my opinion on this has grown with each viewing, despite the stunt casting of whats'ername from that girl group and the nu-metal needle drops. It's got a lot of really cool ideas going on in there and the comic book nerd style fun of a movie killer smackdown is good fun.
Remake - a mixed bag, but has a lot going for it in spite of various flaws.

Couldn't resist... :D It's my favourite slasher franchise. :o :)

Parts 2 & 3 introduced two very important elements that remained permanent staples of the franchise, as you pointed out: 1- Jason himself as the killer instead of his mother, 2- the iconic hockey mask. Having said that, it is also true that all the sequels were very generic, formulaic and derivative of the first film. They are entertaining, but plot-wise they are all pretty much the same thing rehashed over and over: get a bunch of horny young people together at some remote location and have a maniac stalk and slaughter them one by one in ever more gruesome manners. The only variation that was gradually introduced into the franchise which was not in the first few films is Jason's increasingly more apparent "supernatural" nature. In the first few films he appeared to be just some deformed deranged weirdo, who despite his reputation as a "retard" was actually very clever. The few scenes where apparently "supernatural" stuff happened were just dreams/hallucinations. But in the ones that follow he became more and more a virtually indestructible supernatural creature rather than a supposedly mentally-challenged deformed wacko on a killing spree.

Neil

01-Sep-2018, 09:30 AM

Annihilation - First 90% of the film, beautiful & great. Last 10% of the film, WTF?

'A Quiet Place'

Relatively entertaining, if some what stupid in places, post-apocalypse nonsense that passes 90 mins by harmlessly enough. 'A Quiet Place' centres its story on a family as they survive in a world dominated by creatures that locate their prey by sound. They're swift, brutal and pretty scary. The film, rightly, resists the temptation to explain them, too, and instead drops the viewer into the mix, as we follow the family in their attempts to remain intact and as silent as they can.

This is helped by the fact that the family are made up of people we care for, as their parts are well acted, convincing and they feel real, even when the script has them do stupid things. Special mention goes to deaf actress, Milicent Simmonds, who conveys her character's emotions well, without making a sound and the technique of using absolute silence when she's the focus of attention was a good one, even if it is forgotten about here and there. Elsewhere there's a fine turn by Noah Jupe and the always great Emily Blunt. John Krasinski does well too. Plus, he's shown that he's not too bad behind the camera either.

The "gimmick" of being quiet is very well handled and aids the film immensely. The tension really does get ratcheted up because of it. But, the monsters are kind of irregular in their activities and into the bargain, I was continually perplexed at the notion of where they went to, in their own down time. They couldn't be far away, because we can see that one loud sound can bring them barrelling along in seconds.

I was also slightly irritated that nobody in the family thought of setting up some sort of sound system a couple of hundred yards from the house to distract the monsters, should the shit hit the fan. They have working electricity (with a super quiet generator, I presume???), so it would have been possible to string cable out to a speaker of some description. But, they did have an emergency fireworks system...so...

All in all though, this was quite enjoyable and I'd recommend it. There are at least a couple of well handled, tense, scenes that actually had me very excited. But, one has to keep in mind, that it is a horror movie. So a certain forgiving attitude may have to apply to its more sillier parts and an ending that left a little to be desired.

8/10
I enjoyed it, BUT why didn't they just hang up loud speaks high in the air between trees? Done!

Geordie9

06-Sep-2018, 05:31 PM

Summer Camp Nightmare (1987) 4/10

bassman

08-Sep-2018, 10:57 AM

MinionZombie

08-Sep-2018, 04:01 PM

Demolition Man
If I were to make a list of my favorite films of the nineties, this one would have to be somewhere in the top ten. After many viewings over the years, it still gives me the big belly laughs. The barebones Blu ray looks surprisingly good, too. 9/10 for the cheesy funnies.

Atomic Blonde
Good suspense actioner set during the Cold War. Lots of great fight choreography and direction from David Leitch, who also did Deadpool 2 after. Knowing that while watching AB, you can pretty much see how this film was his reference papers to hand to Ryan Reynolds. 7/10

1) Yeah, I love Demolition Man, as well. First saw it on ITV in the 1990s IIRC. Such a fun flick!

2) Another good flick. Leitch also co-directed John Wick, so the dude knows how to handle an action set piece. A very stylish movie what with the 1980s Berlin vibe. I must re-watch that one some time.

JDP

12-Sep-2018, 10:04 PM

Scarecrows - 1988: strange part-zombie, part-demon movie. The "scarecrows" themselves look like zombies (they resemble the decayed undead in Ossorio's Blind Dead movies and Bianchi's The Nights of Terror), but they are more like demons as they appear to have some "supernatural" powers, while their human victims become reanimated cadavers that do their bidding, so they are zombies. Getting a better idea of what exactly the "scarecrows" actually are is not possible since the movie is rather short on explanations. They appear to have been devil-worshipers of some kind who, for totally unexplained reasons, became those "scarecrow" zombie-demon creatures. Another thing that's not clear: can they be killed? In two scenes two of the "scarecrows" seem to have been "killed", but the whole thing is left as ambiguous as possible. It is not clear whether they can only be temporarily put out of commission or if they can actually be permanently destroyed.

MinionZombie

14-Sep-2018, 10:38 AM

My Friend Dahmer
I was really blown away by the quality of this one and how deftly the subject manner was handled. The film examines the last two years of high school in the life of Jeffrey Dahmer and is based on the graphic novel by one of Dahmer's high school friends John 'Derf' Backderf. It's not about the killing that came after, it's about the final descent towards his first kill - so we see his troubled home life with warring parents (Anne Heche and Dallas Roberts), his experimenting with dissolving road kill in acid, the struggle with his emerging homosexuality, his alcoholism, and general social outcast status (which is illustrated really well in a few scenes showing Dahmer cutting this line between the popular kids and the bullied kids in this sort of liminal space).

Naturally, it's not about excusing the killing that eventually came, but it's about understanding how that started - how so many warning signs were missed (albeit at a time, the late 1970s, when such warning signs weren't really seen or understood), how this young boy couldn't understand his own mental problems and so on. I'd never heard of this Ross Lynch guy (who plays Dahmer), but apparently he was previously best known as being in various happy-go-lucky Disney TV shows and the like - but he absolutely nails the part and shows off some considerable acting chops, shedding that safe Disney image with aplomb.

Those who are familiar with the story of Dahmer will get a little more out of the film than those who don't, so subtle moments - like his father giving him lifting weights - strike more of a chord if you know their significance (Dahmer committed his first murder with lifting weights, and he himself was killed in prison with gym equipment), but this flick is well worth watching no matter how much you know about the Dahmer story.

Apparently Dahmer's home seen in the movie was Dahmer's actual real-life home.

Indeed, a good companion follow-up view to this would be the film "Dahmer" starring Jeremy Renner, which is set during his time becoming a killer and descending deeper into his particular brand of madness, and is a similarly sensitive portrayal of shocking events.

Neil

15-Sep-2018, 04:13 PM

2010: I just love this sequel to 2001... Nicely written characters. Clever story. Solid scifi.

shootemindehead

16-Sep-2018, 12:05 PM

/\

Part of me prefers it to 2001.

Neil

16-Sep-2018, 04:32 PM

/\

Part of me prefers it to 2001.

I do... At least as a film just to sit down and watch and enjoy.

MinionZombie

17-Sep-2018, 10:08 AM

Deadpool 2
The theatrical version (I'll watch the "Super Duper Cut" soon).

I really enjoyed it and laughed out loud on numerous occasions. Yes, it's bigger, yes it's more of the same (why that surprises anyone is beyond me - it's a sequel FFS ... it was like when people moaned that Sin City 2 was "more of the same", what an asinine and pointless criticism) ... ... anyway, it was nice to see it expand a little and benefit from the original's box office haul. Good characters, good jokes, good action - a lotta fun. Bring on X-Force and DP3!

There was a bit of a storm in a teacup regarding one aspect of the movie - but as usual it's one of those 'few people make a big, loud, utterly disproportionate stink' things...
It got a bit of flack for killing off Vanessa in the opening from a bunch of Twitter warriors and such, but not only do they ignore the fact that personal tragedy is core to the character of Deadpool and his stories, they also forget that it drives the entire plot of the movie - it's the inciting incident and causes DP to branch out and find a 'family' of fellow mutants - but they also forget every single time in a movie where a male character who is important to another male character dies and propels the plot forward (very selective criticism and rather silly as killing someone important to the protagonist is a legit and oft-used storytelling tool that's been used for as long as storytelling has existed), plus they make a joke about that very action in the opening credits ... annnnnnnnd these Twitter whingers also must have forgotten the closing credits sequence where DP uses the time watch to undo Vanessa's death!

bassman

17-Sep-2018, 10:34 AM

^

I hadn’t seen those reviews that you mentioned in the spoiler, but as you pointed out, that’s really funny considering that the film addresses and literally makes fun of those kinds of reactions IMMEDIATELY after! :lol:

Which reminds me, I absolutely adored the opening credits and the popular series they reference!

Point Break
The original, of course. I still haven’t seen the remake, though I hear it’s not worth the time. This one is classic action, in my mind. 7/10

The Rock
Again, it’s a classic, as far as I’m concerned. Michael Bay gets a lot of sh*t for his style, but for what he does, he does it extremely well. 8/10

Solo: A Star Wars Story
I’ve liked this one more and more upon every viewing. It’s been treated unfairly due to several production reasons, but I think it’s one of the top films of the series since the original trilogy. The biggest thing going for it is that it’s FUN. Harrison Ford can never be replaced, but if you can let that issue go, Ehrenreich does a good job. As I mentioned, this film brings the fun back to the series, which was lacking in the last several entries. Abrams’ film is probably the closest in terms of fun. 9/10

To Kill A Mockingbird
One of my absolute all-time favorites. Atticus Finch is my top hero of any film in history. This time was a particular joy as I upgraded from the previous DVD release, which in itself was great, up to the remastered Blu Ray. It was one of the films Universal focused on for their 100 year anniversary restoration and preservations and it’s downright incredible. If anyone here hasn’t seen this classic, please remedy that immediately. 10/10

MinionZombie

17-Sep-2018, 04:13 PM

^

I hadn’t seen those reviews that you mentioned in the spoiler, but as you pointed out, that’s really funny considering that the film addresses and literally makes fun of those kinds of reactions IMMEDIATELY after! :lol:

Which reminds me, I absolutely adored the opening credits and the popular series they reference!

Point Break

The Rock

To Kill A Mockingbird

1) RE: DP2 - yes! Those opening credits were a lot of fun. I'll be digging into the extra features shortly. Loved the blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo for "The Vanisher", too!!! :lol:

2) I re-watched Point Break not too long ago - yep - a classic from the 1990s. A great action thriller, Bigelow on top form.

3) I love The Rock. I'd say it's easily Bay's best film - and back when he was making good movies that were comprehensible, too. It's pretty relentless, but it works so well with all the elements combined - from the flashy camera work to the score to the propulsive performances. The whole thing plays out like a symphony in the way that the best action movies do (e.g. see Terminator 2). The way these sorts of films cut together with all the elements - visuals, dialogue, sound effects, score, editing - everything gels together superbly with no wasted air or stumbled moments. It's a balls-out actioner with a great sense of sardonic humour and a lot of fun sprinkled in along the way.

4) An all-time great. We studied TKAM in English Lit in high school and part of that was watching the film version. It has stuck with me ever since. I watched the movie version again a year or two ago. Such a great performance from Peck.

bassman

17-Sep-2018, 05:33 PM

I also first read and watched Mockingbird in high school. Loved Harper Lee’s book, but when we watched the film version I was SO enthralled. While most other students were talking and goofing off, I was zoned in on that old tube tv at the front of the class! Teared up during “stand up, your father’s passing” and everything. Loved it ever since and watch it at LEAST once a year.

- - - Updated - - -

BTW Minion.....I didn’t feel like it deserved it’s own thread, but I just recently saw that there is a continuation of the Critters series on the way. Thomas Lennon has signed on. http://www.joblo.com/horror-movies/news/thomas-lennon-has-a-role-in-critters-a-new-binge-web-series-288

MinionZombie

18-Sep-2018, 09:26 AM

BTW Minion.....I didn’t feel like it deserved it’s own thread, but I just recently saw that there is a continuation of the Critters series on the way. Thomas Lennon has signed on. http://www.joblo.com/horror-movies/news/thomas-lennon-has-a-role-in-critters-a-new-binge-web-series-288

Ooh, I didn't know that. I'd seen that he was in the new Puppet Master movie (I've not seen any of that series yet, though), so obviously the dude really loves his B-Movie horror, hehe. :)

IIRC the Chiodo Bros are not involved in the new series. I think it was mentioned on the Post Mortem with Mick Garris podcast when they were in attendance for a Critters 2 30th Anniversary episode, but still, fingers crossed it'll be good. I really hope it is because I love that franchise. There was a short film done a little while ago (possibly by the same folks doing this web series, come to think of it), which was quite good as I recall.

shootemindehead

18-Sep-2018, 03:34 PM

I also first read and watched Mockingbird in high school. Loved Harper Lee’s book, but when we watched the film version I was SO enthralled. While most other students were talking and goofing off, I was zoned in on that old tube tv at the front of the class! Teared up during “stand up, your father’s passing” and everything. Loved it ever since and watch it at LEAST once a year.

Yeh, I love that picture. Watch it frequently myself. Always thought Mary Badham was brilliant as Scout.

Geordie9

18-Sep-2018, 04:40 PM

Dead Next Door (1989) 7.5/10

The Midnight Hour (1985) 9/10

bassman

19-Sep-2018, 01:05 PM

Atlanta - Season One

I’d heard great things about Donald Glover’s series over the years, but just now got to it on Hulu. Very funny show. I’d heard it adequately described as “Curb Your Enthusiasm in the world of rap” and that’s totally fitting. At 25 minute episodes, it’s a real breeze to go through a season, too. I recommend it!

Castle Rock - Season One

I’m finding it hard to rate this one, really. It’s not bad by any stretch, it just sort of gives the impression that it should have wrapped up in a more satisfying way. It shows TONS of promise in the early episodes, but doesn’t quite deliver when it’s all wrapped up in the end. That being said, it’s definitely still worth a watch! I’m not meaning to drag it through the mud, it’s a good show and I’ll definitely be tuning into Season Two.

As a weekly listener of the Fatman on Batman podcast, I was also looking forward to this show because of Marc Bernardin’s involvement. His episode turned out great. It was almost like the pride of seeing one of your friends succeed. :lol:

MinionZombie

19-Sep-2018, 06:02 PM

Green Room
The 'punk band vs Neo-Nazis' movie, starring Anton Yelchin, Imogen Poots, and Patrick Stewart. I'd never really paid this one too much attention before, but a recent episode of Vice Guide To Film brought it back into my mind and it just so happened to be on Film4 the other day. Gave it a spin and I was thoroughly impressed. Slow build tension initially, then tense 'trapped in a building' type horror with sudden moments of icky violence. The Vice Guide To Film episode was about socially aware horror movies of the 2010s, although Green Room wears its awareness quite lightly, it's never about shoving the audience's face in things (e.g. The Purge), but instead Green Room just lets things unfold and allows the viewer to become unsettled over time through little details and gradually ratcheting up the tension and desperation experienced by the protagonists. Well worth checking out.

MinionZombie

24-Sep-2018, 06:59 PM

Broadcast News
I saw this for the first time several years ago and quite enjoyed it, but I don't think it hit with me quite as much as I'd hoped. Gave it another spin the other night and I really got into it. I think it rang a few more bells with me this time, subtle little things, certain gags, the overall tone etc.

Maniac Cop
I think this was my third viewing of this Larry Cohen/William Lustig movie featuring Bruce Campbell, Tom Atkins, and Robert Z'Dar. Not great, but not bad either, it has it's moments, but it kinda feels like it could have/should have gone a bit further with the action and violence to beef itself up a bit. Plot wise the targets of the titular cop don't have any logic behind them (they're just random victims), so if there'd been more of a story going on with that part it might have been more satisfying. I've not seen the other two movies in the franchise.

Daddy's Home 2
Christ, that was mediocre... :stunned:

bassman

25-Sep-2018, 04:04 PM

MinionZombie

25-Sep-2018, 04:14 PM

The Dirty Harry Series - Dirty Harry, Magnum Force, The Enforcer, Sudden Impact, The Dead Pool

The series is sort of rare in that it doesn’t really have a BAD entry. Some are better than others, but they’re all at least decent. Probably a rare take, but I actually enjoy the second film, Magnum Force, the most out of the bunch. Sure, Dirty Harry is the original and set the tone for the series, but there was something more to Magnum Force with the baddies coming from the police department with Callahan. Regardless of which is my favorite, the entire series is definitely worth viewing! Total classics. 8/10 for the series as a whole.

I'd say Magnum Force equals Dirty Harry. It's so close to the distinct vibe of the first movie and really feels deeply embedded in the New Hollywood way of doing cinema. The Enforcer starts out well, but kinda fumbles the ball with its iffy bad guys who feel too ill-defined. I re-watched Sudden Impact just a few weeks ago and that one's pretty solid, although it has a distinctly different feel due to the location swap after the first act and it definitely feels right in the depths of the 1980s style. The Dead Pool is fun, but it's also high on the cheese factor and you can feel Harry's getting a bit creaky for this game.

shootemindehead

25-Sep-2018, 07:17 PM

The Dirty Harry Series - Dirty Harry, Magnum Force, The Enforcer, Sudden Impact, The Dead Pool

The series is sort of rare in that it doesn’t really have a BAD entry. Some are better than others, but they’re all at least decent. Probably a rare take, but I actually enjoy the second film, Magnum Force, the most out of the bunch. Sure, Dirty Harry is the original and set the tone for the series, but there was something more to Magnum Force with the baddies coming from the police department with Callahan. Regardless of which is my favorite, the entire series is definitely worth viewing! Total classics. 8/10 for the series as a whole.

The forst two are great. Absolute classics, flaws and all. The third is a bit ridiculous and the villains are absurd, to say the least. But, it redeems itself a bit with Tyne Daly. 'Sudden Impact' never really was able to capture the old spirit, but it was OK. However, 'The Dead Pool' was just awful.

Neil

28-Sep-2018, 01:32 PM

A Small Favour - Enjoyable black comedy/drama: 7.5/10

EvilNed

28-Sep-2018, 02:18 PM

The forst two are great. Absolute classics, flaws and all. The third is a bit ridiculous and the villains are absurd, to say the least. But, it redeems itself a bit with Tyne Daly. 'Sudden Impact' never really was able to capture the old spirit, but it was OK. However, 'The Dead Pool' was just awful.

Stopped after The Enforcer. It was too pretty and I wasn't emotionally invested in it at all. The first two are great, especially Magnum Force which is amazing.

MinionZombie

28-Sep-2018, 04:33 PM

Hitch-hike
Franco Nero (Django), Corinne Clery (Moonraker), and David Hess (The Last House on the Left). 1977. It's an Italian thriller (set in America somewhere in the region of Nevada) in which Hess plays an escaped robber with $2 million in a suitcase who hitches a ride with Nero's Italian news reporter (as he is at pains to inform us on several occasions, hehe) and his rich wife (Clery). This came between TLHOTL and House on the Edge of the Park, but it's one of Hess' ghoulish baddies. It's a solid flick, with an intriguing spin for the third act. Maybe just a smidge too long, but not by much. Has a misanthropic kind of vibe to it, so if you're in the right mood it works quite well.

Stopped after The Enforcer. It was too pretty and I wasn't emotionally invested in it at all. The first two are great, especially Magnum Force which is amazing.

At least give Sudden Impact a spin. It does have a different vibe due to the aforementioned location change and the 1980s production era, but I reckon the fourth film was a step-up again after The Enforcer. While SI doesn't regain the heights of the first two flicks, it's worth you checking out just in case you dig it.

bassman

28-Sep-2018, 05:37 PM

Lots more Magnum Force love than I expected!

Pumpkinhead

I’ve known OF this movie for what seems like forever, but I had no idea what it was or that Stan Winston directed. Great creature effects, but overall I’m at a loss when it comes to this spawning a series? Lance Hendrickson couldn’t even save this for me. Lance and the effects were all that kept me from stopping the movie before it finished.3/10

The Hangover

I don’t think I’d seen this original film since it’s home video release. My friends and I loved it back then, and I’m happy to say I loved it now. Luckily, it’d been long enough that I’d forgotten a lot of the bits, so it still had some unexpected laughs in there. I also did my best to forget about the two inferior sequels so that they wouldn’t interfere with my enjoyment of this original. It’s still great laughs and is a rare example of a comedy catching lightening in a bottle. 8/10

Being that I barely remember them, I’m getting the urge to try the sequels, as well. Even if I do know I’ll be disappointed...

MinionZombie

29-Sep-2018, 10:44 AM

Pumpkinhead

I’ve known OF this movie for what seems like forever, but I had no idea what it was or that Stan Winston directed. Great creature effects, but overall I’m at a loss when it comes to this spawning a series? Lance Hendrickson couldn’t even save this for me. Lance and the effects were all that kept me from stopping the movie before it finished.3/10

The Hangover

I don’t think I’d seen this original film since it’s home video release. My friends and I loved it back then, and I’m happy to say I loved it now. Luckily, it’d been long enough that I’d forgotten a lot of the bits, so it still had some unexpected laughs in there. I also did my best to forget about the two inferior sequels so that they wouldn’t interfere with my enjoyment of this original. It’s still great laughs and is a rare example of a comedy catching lightening in a bottle. 8/10

Being that I barely remember them, I’m getting the urge to try the sequels, as well. Even if I do know I’ll be disappointed...

1) Yeah, I had a similar reaction to Pumpkinhead. I'd heard all this stuff about it but ... meh ... I just didn't get along with the movie for whatever reason. Good effects, mind.

2) The first one is really good fun. I saw it in the cinema with some mates and we all enjoyed it more than we thought we would. The second one is mostly just a lazy repeat of the first minus the naughty charm, and has a really nasty edge to it that saps a lot of the fun (it just becomes gross out). The third one is utter shite.

EvilNed

29-Sep-2018, 01:45 PM

The Leisure Class
The result and topic of the fourth season of Project Greenlight. Not as awful as I thought it would be. In fact, it's pretty good. It is however greatly ruined by the inclusion of a sole whacky character who is not funny at all but takes up a lot of space. All of the drama is legit good, but the comedy is really bad.

Contamination
We've all seen it. Glorious early 80's scifi trash. Sci-fi is not big in Italy at all so this is one of the few rare examples of an italian spin on the genre.

The Cat O'Nine Tails
Again - but with commentary. I enjoy the film. The commentary did not really deepen my appreciation of the film however, which I already love.

M:I Rogue Nation
Can't remember anything about this one. Except that Ethan Hunt is rogue - again. Is he never NOT Rogue?

Kidnap Syndicate
Fernando di Leo directed crime film about a rich and poor kid who both get kidnapped. The rich kid is the target and the poor kid is killed by the kidnappers to show they mean business. Cue vengeful father. Pretty damn good film. One of di Leo's better outings, apart from Milano Calibro 9 of course.

A pistol for Ringo
Ducio Tessari directs this not-quite-so violent spaghetti western. Featuring a breakout performance by Giuliano Gemma. Fairly humorous, and it works. Gemma is a top class performer. Lots of charm. However the suspense doesn't work as well. Nieves Navarre in an early role. Produced by Luciano Ercoli, of whom I'll write more later.

Death Laid an Egg
I had high hopes on this Giulio Questi helmed giallo but unfortuneately I mostly found myself bored. Maybe I'll revisit it sometime and try to get an appreciation of it. There's a shorter cut of the film on the Nucleus Blu-ray which I imagine I'll enjoy more. For those that don't know; It's a surreal arthouse giallo set on an automated chicken farm. Filled to the brim with bourgeois decadence and experimental editing.

Pieces
Spanish/American slasher, or perpaps a latter-day giallo? It works as both but the almost complete focus on bloodshed makes me think of it more as a slasher. Absolutely nuts. There's so many crazy things going on in this that I'd recommend it to anyone who wants to have a good laugh.

When worlds collide
Old 50's sci-fi. Felt like watching it. It was alright.

The Salamander
Italian/British political thriller with Franco Nero in the lead. Fairly interesting but it's not really my genre. To talky. People who enjoy Tinker Tailer soldier Spy and that stuff might want to check it out.

The Return of Ringo
Another outing of Ducio Tessari. Despite it featuring the same name of the lead character, and the same actors in similar roles; It's not a follow up to A Pistol for Ringo. It is however a slightly better dramatic film, but all of the humorous charm is gone. I think I preferred the first one, but this one has a higher IMDb rating.

A Man called Ove
Not quite my tempo, however I work for the company that produced this.

The Mercenary
My first Sergio Corbuchi western. Not great. A rather weak Franco Nero, a mediocre Tony Musante and a really poor Jack Palance.

Unforgiven
Amazing film. What's been said that hasn't already? One of the absolute best westerns out there.

Love and Death in the Garden of the Gods
Sometimes I'll just pick an (to me) unknown giallo out on youtube and watch it. This was one such film. Part giallo, part melodram it was nonetheless something I enjoyed. Really slow burner but I enjoy these kind of films. Pretty sets and a thick sense of mystery and suspense. Crap cinematography tho.

Forbidden Photos of a Lady Above Suspicion
For various reasons I found myself wanting to rewatch Luciano Ercoli's three gialli. Mostly because I wanted to revisit the third one, but I decided to rewatch them all. I was very dismissive of this one when I first saw it one and a half years ago. In this thread I said I thought it was dull. Having ploughed through more than a hundred gialli since then and having gained a greater appreciation of the genre I am ready to completely re-evaluate this film. Previously I called it "Dull". I would like to change that. Now I think it's "Great". I now know what kind of film Ercoli is trying to make. This film is one in a long line of suspense based gialli popularized not by Bava or Argento but rather Lenzi and Fulci. As such I really enjoy it. Also, I was wrong before: It looks great.

Death Walks on High Heels
This one was previously my favorite of the three. It's now relegated to second place. But it is a bit too long and now I find myself enjoying the first part of the film more than the second - the exact opposite from watching the first time around!
Halfway through our heroine get's offed and the film starts to follow the detective and lover as they both try to find out who did it. While it's not a bad start, and it's a good pay off to the first act, I just enjoy watching the luxurious retreat the two protagonists are having in the first act more now.

Death Walks at Midnight
Here nothing has changed. My least favorite of the three. While there's a shitload going on, nothing makes sense and it doesn't tie together until all the way at the end. It's like watching 90 minutes of mysterious setpieces that are supposed to build up to some great revelation - however since there's no plot development whatsoever until the very end it all gets old fast. I do not enjoy this one that much, however it does feature some great fashion, setpieces and sets.

Violent Professional
I rewatched this crime flick by Sergio Martino because I was too drunk last time. It's a really good film!

Star Trek 6
I've seen it a thousand times, I just felt like watching something I know by heart.

Perversion Story
Another "suspense giallo", this time by Fulci. One of the absolute better ones. Very unlike Fulci's later 80's splatterfilms. This film is like injecting yourself with late 60's pop and bourgeious drama. Love it.

Hell of the Living Dead
Crap. It's so shit. It's awful.

Baron Blood
Bava helmed gothic horror. It's got something, but unfortunately the film would have been much creepier if the monster was not also a main character.

shootemindehead

29-Sep-2018, 01:57 PM

Pieces
Spanish/American slasher, or perpaps a latter-day giallo? It works as both but the almost complete focus on bloodshed makes me think of it more as a slasher. Absolutely nuts. There's so many crazy things going on in this that I'd recommend it to anyone who wants to have a good laugh.

I seem to remember this being very gory, with an absolutely ridiculous ending.

MinionZombie

29-Sep-2018, 04:57 PM

Contamination
We've all seen it. Glorious early 80's scifi trash. Sci-fi is not big in Italy at all so this is one of the few rare examples of an italian spin on the genre.

Kidnap Syndicate
Fernando di Leo directed crime film about a rich and poor kid who both get kidnapped. The rich kid is the target and the poor kid is killed by the kidnappers to show they mean business. Cue vengeful father. Pretty damn good film. One of di Leo's better outings, apart from Milano Calibro 9 of course.

Pieces
Spanish/American slasher, or perpaps a latter-day giallo? It works as both but the almost complete focus on bloodshed makes me think of it more as a slasher. Absolutely nuts. There's so many crazy things going on in this that I'd recommend it to anyone who wants to have a good laugh.

Forbidden Photos of a Lady Above Suspicion
For various reasons I found myself wanting to rewatch Luciano Ercoli's three gialli. Mostly because I wanted to revisit the third one, but I decided to rewatch them all. I was very dismissive of this one when I first saw it one and a half years ago. In this thread I said I thought it was dull. Having ploughed through more than a hundred gialli since then and having gained a greater appreciation of the genre I am ready to completely re-evaluate this film. Previously I called it "Dull". I would like to change that. Now I think it's "Great". I now know what kind of film Ercoli is trying to make. This film is one in a long line of suspense based gialli popularized not by Bava or Argento but rather Lenzi and Fulci. As such I really enjoy it. Also, I was wrong before: It looks great.

Hell of the Living Dead
Crap. It's so shit. It's awful.

Baron Blood
Bava helmed gothic horror. It's got something, but unfortunately the film would have been much creepier if the monster was not also a main character.

1) Contamination - yeah, that's a fun one, isn't it? A smidge long in Act II, but the first and final acts are chock-full o'goodness. :D

2) Kidnap Syndicate - not seen this one, but it sounds interesting! The rich kid/poor kid conceit speaks to the social commentary you'd often find in those sorts of films. I'll keep a look out for this one. Ta for the tip off. :)

3) Pieces - I saw this years ago, so I can't really remember anything about it except for that toilet stall chainsaw death (as that clip seems to be the most-used one from the movie whenever I see it referenced somewhere). Anyway, I just got the Arrow Video Blu-Ray the other day, so I'll be returning to it soon. My previous DVD copy was just beyond terrible, the company (it was an American import IIRC) just slapped out a DVD from a VHS rip from some crappy tape. Hideous pan & scan job on it, dreadful quality etc, which I think negatively affected my original viewing of it. Looking forward to this significant upgrade with the Blu-Ray.

4) Forbidden Photos of a Lady Above Suspicion - I remember when you originally reviewed it and being surprised you didn't like it. I dug it when I first saw it, so I'm glad you returned to it and found a new experience this time around. :thumbsup:

5) Hell of the Living Dead - yeah, I saw this for the first time a few months ago. It's a bag o'shite, isn't it? It's kinda fun in some respects, because it's so bad, but it's also just flat-out bad most of the time. I'm glad I didn't spend any more than six quid on it!

6) Baron Blood - it's a weird one. Bava was trying to 'be modern' as it was the early 70s and gothic castles were on the way out, but his idea of moving with the times was to just have gothic castles all over again, but in the 20th century, with mini skirts and a Coca-Cola machine stuck in there. :lol: I wasn't too keen on it when I first saw it. Must give it a second spin sometime and see if my opinion shifts. Funny, really, because Bava went full-blown modern with "Rabid Dogs" just a couple of years later and that's a superb film!

shootemindehead

30-Sep-2018, 01:08 AM

5) Hell of the Living Dead - yeah, I saw this for the first time a few months ago. It's a bag o'shite, isn't it? It's kinda fun in some respects, because it's so bad, but it's also just flat-out bad most of the time. I'm glad I didn't spend any more than six quid on it!

HEY!! Whisht up you!

One of the greatest films ever made.

Neil has banned people for less.

:p

JDP

30-Sep-2018, 03:18 AM

Hell of the Living Dead had some very amusing bits of dialogue. Particularly memorable and inspirational are some of the lines delivered by Lt. Mike London, gems like "It's hot as a horse's ass and fly time here, and I don't like the heat!", and "Eh... up your ass, Lieutenant Mike London, Shit Creek, the year is now!" (in reply to a reference to Mahatma Gandhi: "Patience is the chief virtue of those who have faith. Mahatma Gandhi, New Dehli, 1946.")

MinionZombie

30-Sep-2018, 09:39 AM

HEY!! Whisht up you!

One of the greatest films ever made.

Neil has banned people for less.

:p

:lol::lol::lol:

*looks nervously over shoulder* :shifty:

shootemindehead

01-Oct-2018, 07:22 AM

:lol::lol::lol:

*looks nervously over shoulder* :shifty:

Don't let it happen again.

Anyway, you were probably just mixing it up with the very similar 'Zombie Creeping Flesh'.

Now that's a bag o' shite.

MinionZombie

01-Oct-2018, 09:32 AM

Don't let it happen again.

Anyway, you were probably just mixing it up with the very similar 'Zombie Creeping Flesh'.

Now that's a bag o' shite.

You mean literally the same movie? :p

J'Accuse!

:D

shootemindehead

01-Oct-2018, 06:57 PM

https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/992/401/e37.png

but also...

http://memecrunch.com/meme/132WF/not-sure-if-serious/image.jpg

MinionZombie

02-Oct-2018, 10:00 AM

haha, I turn your "joke" meme back on you... :lol:

shootemindehead

03-Oct-2018, 04:49 AM

https://i.pinimg.com/236x/c5/a1/ce/c5a1ce2c2c8ee77eac11c68911b46e8e--warner-brothers-warner-bros.jpg

MinionZombie

03-Oct-2018, 09:47 AM

https://i.pinimg.com/236x/c5/a1/ce/c5a1ce2c2c8ee77eac11c68911b46e8e--warner-brothers-warner-bros.jpg

https://www.cartoonbrew.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Hippety_sylvester.jpg

:lol::lol::lol:

bassman

07-Oct-2018, 05:03 AM

A few Halloween marathon flicks from the first days of the month...

Lifeforce
I first saw this flick just a couple months ago, which I believe I’d discussed here. Even with all its flaws, this flick has a really strange draw to it. The effects are oddly well done, the acting is adequate, the cinematography is quite gorgeous, and it’s a fun time. Probably the second best out of the three films Tobe Hooper made for Cannon Films(the other two follow). 7/10

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2
I LOVE this flick. Tone Hooper created the classic original, and years later went in a completely different direction with the sequel. Amazing performances throughout, with special mention for Dennis Hopper chewing scenery as the officer on the family’s trail and Bill Moseley as the hilarious Chop Top. The film didn’t originally get the best of receptions, perhaps due to it being its own film in tone, but I feel it’s one that deserves to be re-evaluated and graded on its own. Even if they are two totally different films, I’m crazy close to claiming this sequel as my favorite of the series! 9/10

Invaders From Mars
This is by far the worst of Tobe Hooper’s three films for Canon. You can see what it was that he was aiming for with this direct remake, but it just doesn’t come together as Hooper wanted and the viewer is left with nothing. 4/10

AVP: Alien Vs Predator
This is an unusual one for my yearly Halloween marathon, as I saw it available on the HBO app and watched it for the first time since it’s release. Because I hadn’t seen it in so many years, it was basically like seeing it for the first time again. And there in lies my surprise: it’s not that bad! I had memories of heavily disliking this film, but this time I took away a more positive response. The flick no doubt has its issues, but on the whole it’s a decent little film! Dare I say that it actually had some pretty good ideas for the two blockbuster franchises. It’s still not the Alien/Predator flick that I and most fans wanted, but I was shocked to find that it was actually kinda close! It’s not Anderson’s best film, that honor goes to Event Horizon, which is on my marathon/review schedule soon! 6/10

Hotel Transylvania 3
I’ve really loved the Hotel Transylvania series. Sure, it’s the Adam Sandler crew and it has it’s eye-rolling moments, but Genndy Taryakovsky has brought some great imagination to the series. This third film is probably the weakest thus far, but is still a pretty good watch. The daughter and I have great fun with these, and we both hope any future entries can take it up a notch. 6/10

JDP

07-Oct-2018, 11:57 AM

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2
I LOVE this flick. Tone Hooper created the classic original, and years later went in a completely different direction with the sequel. Amazing performances throughout, with special mention for Dennis Hopper chewing scenery as the officer on the family’s trail and Bill Moseley as the hilarious Chop Top. The film didn’t originally get the best of receptions, perhaps due to it being its own film in tone, but I feel it’s one that deserves to be re-evaluated and graded on its own. Even if they are two totally different films, I’m crazy close to claiming this sequel as my favorite of the series! 9/10

That movie was utter crap. One of his worst movies. The first one was way better.

Invaders From Mars
This is by far the worst of Tobe Hooper’s three films for Canon. You can see what it was that he was aiming for with this direct remake, but it just doesn’t come together as Hooper wanted and the viewer is left with nothing. 4/10

It's a movie aimed primarily at younger audiences, and as it is, it's just fine. The plot about the aliens coming to Earth and stealing our copper supplies for their energy needs was interesting. My only gripe is the unrealistic attitude of both the military and the scientists. None of them seem to show the slightest interest beyond a passing curiosity about the copper-centered alien technology. A cheap, abundant, stable metal like copper being able to supply such amounts of energy would be something that both of these groups would make a priority to investigate for their own purposes (viz. military for war applications, scientists for science's sake.) So, in reality they would certainly be very interested in trying to capture living Martians to attempt to question them about this important subject, or at least capture some of their machines/weapons to try to figure out how they work.

bassman

07-Oct-2018, 01:30 PM

That movie was utter crap. One of his worst movies. The first one was way better.

“Utter crap” seems a bit extreme, doesn’t it? You can by all means dislike the film, but surely there are at least a few identifiable redeeming features that would keep it from being at the bottom of the barrel?

As I mentioned earlier, I personally think it’s such a different type of film that it’s almost unfair to compare it with the first. The original is a real, gritty horror film, whereas part two is a sort of self-aware dark comedy. Come to think of it.....it’s never even felt like a sequel to me. I see it as more of a creepshow-type “fun being scared” romp, just set in the Texas Chainsaw world. It could also be like Joe Dante’s Gremlins 2: The New Batch compared with the original.

EvilNed

07-Oct-2018, 02:20 PM

Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Plotless, dull and pointless. I'm never watching this again and I wish I hadn't in the first place.

A Lizard in a Woman's Skin
I like this a lot more on revisiting. Great sets, fashion and performances. I like the intrigue and the gallery of rogues.

Don't Torture a Duckling
Excellent giallo, one of the very best. I remember not being that blown away the first time around, but it's really a film that grows on you. Some scenes are extraordinary.

They Have Changed their Faces
Weird italian horror from 1971 about a worker who gets summoned to the company owners villa in the mountains. The villa lies in a mistveiled parkland, which is guarded by small white cars that drive around. It's really weird, but moody.

Justice League
Not as bad as I expected it to be (but still horrible).

Devil Fish / Monster Shark
Lamberto Bava directs a film about a sharkmonsterthingy that eats people. Not that great.

MinionZombie

07-Oct-2018, 04:06 PM

Lifeforce
I first saw this flick just a couple months ago, which I believe I’d discussed here. Even with all its flaws, this flick has a really strange draw to it. The effects are oddly well done, the acting is adequate, the cinematography is quite gorgeous, and it’s a fun time. Probably the second best out of the three films Tobe Hooper made for Cannon Films(the other two follow). 7/10

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2
I LOVE this flick. Tone Hooper created the classic original, and years later went in a completely different direction with the sequel. Amazing performances throughout, with special mention for Dennis Hopper chewing scenery as the officer on the family’s trail and Bill Moseley as the hilarious Chop Top. The film didn’t originally get the best of receptions, perhaps due to it being its own film in tone, but I feel it’s one that deserves to be re-evaluated and graded on its own. Even if they are two totally different films, I’m crazy close to claiming this sequel as my favorite of the series! 9/10

I must re-watch Lifeforce again some time. I've got the Arrow Video Blu-Ray which has both versions on it, and IIRC I saw the longer cut, and judging by the differences I saw written up online, that's the overall better cut of the movie. Naturally, Matilda May steals a lot of the attention for obvious reasons, but the film is hugely entertaining with it's full bore bonkers vibe. It throws so much madness at the screen and so many awesome practical and photographic effects, that it's like a poster child for 80s excess in the best way. Tons of atmosphere and weirdness. Lots of fun.

TCM2 - I love that flick! I also love the original, and I'm glad that Hooper went in a totally different direction for the sequel - because he'd already done the perfect version of TCM with the original movie, and being 12 years onwards, it made sense to go with a different vibe. The world had changed around the franchise, so TCM2 is like the perfect 1980s chainsaw movie, if that makes sense? Again, hugely entertaining, so iconic with its characters and dialogue, and ... yeah, just so much fun. :)

Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Plotless, dull and pointless. I'm never watching this again and I wish I hadn't in the first place.

Don't Torture a Duckling
Excellent giallo, one of the very best. I remember not being that blown away the first time around, but it's really a film that grows on you. Some scenes are extraordinary.

1) Now that I'm quite surprised to hear! :stunned:

2) Yep, one of Fulci's best, and a prime example of Italian giallo. Arguably it's the giallo to use as an example of the North/South, Rich/Poor divide of Italian society at the time, not to mention the past/present conflict as the old small town ways are cut through with the modern concrete structure of that motorway scything its way through the beautiful countryside (the holidaymakers blithely driving onwards to their happy holidays as a tortured woman dies by the side of the road is starkly moving). There's lots of layers and context to this one. :cool:

bassman

07-Oct-2018, 04:16 PM

I’m also quite surprised with the hot take on Close Encounters! :eek:

It’s in my top ten Spielberg flicks, for sure. Maybe even top five.

EvilNed

07-Oct-2018, 05:16 PM

2) Yep, one of Fulci's best, and a prime example of Italian giallo. Arguably it's the giallo to use as an example of the North/South, Rich/Poor divide of Italian society at the time, not to mention the past/present conflict as the old small town ways are cut through with the modern concrete structure of that motorway scything its way through the beautiful countryside (the holidaymakers blithely driving onwards to their happy holidays as a tortured woman dies by the side of the road is starkly moving). There's lots of layers and context to this one. :cool:

Agreed. One of the few giallo worth analyzing more than the mere basics of it. It's got a lot of subtext in it.

blind2d

08-Oct-2018, 01:01 AM

Stephanie - This was a film I found on Netflix last night and watched. It's... A cool concept? But the film feels more like a short film stretched to feature length. The effects were alright (It's from Blumhouse, so, FYI), and the child acting (SOOO much child acting!) wasn't terrible, but not the best I've ever seen either. Pretty enjoyable I guess (minus around two cheap jump-scares), and doesn't wear out its welcome that bad for the most part. I did find it a little strange that the girl seemed more attached to her father than her mother for no real reason, but maybe I missed an important line of dialogue. Not the worst thing Blumhouse has ever produced, (even though I could see the "twist" coming from pretty much the beginning) and there was some good foreshadowing in it. Hm, overall, I think a solid 6/10. Maybe 6.5. Still could've been a short film and maybe been better that way, but I liked it alright. Apologies if this one's already been reviewed by someone else in this thread.

bassman

08-Oct-2018, 03:15 PM

My Halloween horror movie marathon madness continues....

28 Weeks Later
I last saw this sequel around it’s home video release, so my memory of it was pretty foggy. So much so that I’d totally forgotten that along with Rose Byrne, it also features Idris Elba and Jeremy Renner just as their super fame was about to hit with Marvel. The film holds up well and my original opinion of it standing up well with Danny Boyle’s original hasn’t changed. In fact, there bits and certain things in “Weeks” that I prefer over “Days”. While they’re not direct sequels, the two of them are high achievements and play exceptionally well off each other. I’d probably give “Weeks” a solid 8/10. And yes, I intentionally avoided that certain topic that always comes up with these films. I’m calling them horror and leaving it at that! :p

Friday The 13th, Parts 1 - 6
It’s just one of those essential Halloween Marathon series’, there’s not too much that can be said. The first four films are my favorite, then the series varies as it continues on....

Night of the Living Dead(1968)
I’m mentioning our beloved original for one simple reason: to promote the Criterion release. If we have anyone on these forums that hasn’t picked up Criterion’s phenomenal release, don’t hesitate any further. Months and months after it’s release, and my jaw is still hitting the floor when I view this thing. It gives the film new life in the best ways possible. 10/10

The Dark Half
This would be near the top of my list of Romero’s “smaller” releases from this general time period. I’ve always dug Hutton in the lead role(s). Later in his career he was headlining his own tv series’, I need to see how those turned out. Can’t forget the always great Michael Rooker, as well! We all know the flick, so there’s not much to say. 7/10

Because I’m constantly screening movies throughout this month, I’m starting to lose track of what I’ve talked about and what I haven’t. :lol:

MinionZombie

08-Oct-2018, 04:33 PM

28 Weeks Later
I last saw this sequel around it’s home video release, so my memory of it was pretty foggy. So much so that I’d totally forgotten that along with Rose Byrne, it also features Idris Elba and Jeremy Renner just as their super fame was about to hit with Marvel. The film holds up well and my original opinion of it standing up well with Danny Boyle’s original hasn’t changed. In fact, there bits and certain things in “Weeks” that I prefer over “Days”. While they’re not direct sequels, the two of them are high achievements and play exceptionally well off each other. I’d probably give “Weeks” a solid 8/10. And yes, I intentionally avoided that certain topic that always comes up with these films. I’m calling them horror and leaving it at that! :p

Night of the Living Dead(1968)
I’m mentioning our beloved original for one simple reason: to promote the Criterion release. If we have anyone on these forums that hasn’t picked up Criterion’s phenomenal release, don’t hesitate any further. Months and months after it’s release, and my jaw is still hitting the floor when I view this thing. It gives the film new life in the best ways possible. 10/10

1) Aye, I really enjoyed Weeks as well. Very effective. I'd forgotten how good the cast was (e.g. Idris Elba), and there's also the likes of Robert Carlyle (the lead), Harold Perrineau (the chopper pilot) and Imogen Poots (the teen girl) in there. I was channel-hopping the other day and it was on the Horror Channel; it was the bit at the beginning with the escape from the farm house and hopping onto the motorboat on the river - the visual style plus the score make it utterly breathless. Both of those movies really capture that sheer panic and 'clinging to life' desperation perfectly. If anything the sequel ramped it up to eleven.

2) Seconded. The Criterion release of NOTLD is stellar. The restoration is superb and clears up the audio in a way that maintains the original sound, but unmuddies certain bits so you can hear certain lines of dialogue like never before (the odd one I'd never really heard before as previous audio tracks had not been restored). Great compliment of extras, too.

MinionZombie

10-Oct-2018, 03:54 PM

Police Academy 6 - full-blown Loony Tunes, in many ways. The raunchy edge of the original is a long way away, but on its own terms it's decent. Naturally, I enjoyed it much more as a kid, but it's kinda fun to revisit some of these flicks after all these years.

Police Academy 3 - oh, boy ... what an arse up. Flat jokes and a clumsy re-tread of the original movie's plot, but done so in a really ill-disciplined and sloppy manner as if someone threw a jigsaw at a wall of glue and said "yeah, that'll do". There's various supporting characters who have sod all to do (e.g. the 'rich kid recruit' - why is he joining at all? Then he practically vanishes from the entire movie. Likewise the 'pretty blonde love interest' for Mahoney - she barely does a single thing during her scant screen time).

Police Academy 4 - a big step up after the shite that was #3. As before, it was better when I was a kid, but this one works pretty well. A far better script with relatively more rounded characters, plus a host of "oh, it's them!" appearances from actors earlier in their career (David Spade, for one, and Sharon Stone for two). There's a whole sequence early one dedicated to skateboarding when that was a huge deal in the 1980s - they even namecheck every one of them in the credits, the last of whom is: Tony Hawk! Shame that the best part of the movie (when Callahan jumps in the pool to demonstrate rescuing a drowning person) was censored on ITV4 (too 'saucy' for a pre-watershed slot, sheesh). ;) Good theme tune, too (Citizens On Patrol!).

shootemindehead

10-Oct-2018, 06:18 PM

/\

Why are you doing this to yourself?

EvilNed

10-Oct-2018, 06:52 PM

The Police Academy film goes from being rather adult sex-focused comedies to being slapstick driven. The difference between 1 and 6 is incredibly.

MinionZombie

11-Oct-2018, 09:49 AM

/\

Why are you doing this to yourself?

:lol::lol::lol:

Intrigue...

The Police Academy film goes from being rather adult sex-focused comedies to being slapstick driven. The difference between 1 and 6 is incredibly.

Hell, the difference between 1 and 3 is huge. I've not re-watched the second movie yet as it's not been on the telly, but yeah, a massive shift in tone screeched in there rapidamente. :lol:

blind2d

11-Oct-2018, 11:45 PM

Police Academy 4 is the only good one. It's got Tony Hawk in it.

MinionZombie

14-Oct-2018, 11:00 AM

Black Panther
I enjoyed it. The flick bounces along at a pretty good pace, and it was good to see another perspective/culture type through a popular mass market genre. I've always thought that through genre film looking glass is a great way to examine issues or other perspectives as it allows an accessibility to all because of the genre's common language, and that genre (especially the likes of horror or sci-fi) have other things to offer in addition, as well as being very useful tools for metaphors and reflections of our own world.

I think Killmonger needed a bit more screen time, and we could have maybe used a little bit more of seeing T'Challa getting to grips with being the new King. Generally I think the film handled its social commentary quite well, it didn't feel too blunt and was justified in-context, and the message that working together rather than seeking revenge is applicable to anyone any where right now. The 'build bridges not barriers' speech was probably the most on-the-nose moment, but even that was justified in-context.

It was a bit too heavy on the CGI sometimes (the Rhinos, the iffy physics of the car slamming back down onto all four wheels), but this 'sense of green screen' vibe has also hung around a lot of Marvel movies in recent years (e.g. Guardians of the Galaxy 2, Infinity War). I rather enjoyed the South Korea segment, which kind of plays out like a Bond movie with Shuri in a Q-like role, and the bit early on where Black Panther extracts Nakia from that vehicle convoy was pretty sweet.

I would like to see some more nitty gritty character stuff, especially for T'Challa, Nakia, Okoye, and Shuri, in the sequel so they can expand their roles and flesh out their characters with some more depth and personal challenges. However, to be fair this movie had a lot of ground to cover and a lot of set-up to crank through, while also building upon the little bit of set up we got in Civil War. So aye, a solid entry in the MCU and quite enjoyable. Like many of the Marvel movies it's not without a fault here or there, but this was a pretty strong entry in the wider franchise. :)

bassman

01-Nov-2018, 08:24 PM

The Spy Who Dumped Me

After a gloriously horror-filled October, this comedy felt like a good break away. Starring Mila Kunis, Kate McKinnon, Justin Theroux, and Gillian Anderson. In a nutshell, Kunis’ character discovers that her ex boyfriend is a spy, hijinks ensue.

This flick was on my radar because it has quite a few people involved that I regularly enjoy, and it turned out pretty good. It’s nothing earth-shattering obviously, but it has a solid cast, good laughs, and surprisingly good action sequences. Lots of pretty faces to look at too! Gillian Anderson is still a total fox. :p

It’s worth an afternoon viewing with cool action and some good laughs. 6/10

MinionZombie

02-Nov-2018, 11:04 AM

The People Under The Stairs
This had been sat on my DVR for a while, and I wasn't sure if it'd be any good or not ... one of those situations where something sits on the DVR for a while and it just ends up taunting you like "you still haven't watched me yet!" ... anyway, got it rolling and once I got into it after the first 10 minutes or so I was hooked. The lead couple in the house are played by the actors who were Ed and Nadine in Twin Peaks (the movie was shot around that very time, as well), and they have an absolute blast with the material (the guy spends a large chunk of the movie charging about the house in a gimp suit with a shotgun blasting!). It's fairly relentless for the most part, and Wes Craven's shock tactics work quite well - you're settling in for a 'calm scene' after some craziness and the WHAM, more craziness barrels down on top of you. There's an interesting undercurrent of social commentary as well to do with urban poverty and slum landlords, but for the most part it's a wild ride.

There's a couple of wobbly bits here or there (the backstory exposition that we get heading into the third act is clunkily executed and feels like it was hacked down in the edit), but if you've not seen it, it's definitely worth seeing - a crazy fun time. :cool:

Coco
Pixar does it again. Astonishing visuals, narrative clarity, cultural fascination, and some pretty strong feels throughout (especially in the last minutes of the movie).

bassman

02-Nov-2018, 11:54 AM

^ I too just recently saw Coco. LOVED it. As usual, Pixar is killing it. Great messages for the younger audience members, as well.

MinionZombie

02-Nov-2018, 05:19 PM

^ I too just recently saw Coco. LOVED it. As usual, Pixar is killing it. Great messages for the younger audience members, as well.

Admittedly I'm a layman on the subject, but Coco helped give me a better understanding of the Day of the Dead, and that whole approach to the dead in their culture is not only fascinating but really quite touching and positive - remembrance and tribute to your passed loved ones.

Speaking of such things, the climactic moments of the film...

Where Coco's father is finally able to cross the bridge - with Coco herself, having passed away at some point in the intervening year - was just heartbreaking, but also simultaneously quite uplifting.

Indeed, the whole bit prior to that with Coco remembering her father through music (despite the effects of her Alzheimers/dementia) really packed a wallop for me. I only have vague memories of my grandfather from when I was a little kid and those are only during the years when he was declining more and more because of Alzheimers - so that scene in Coco packed a real punch. Sadly I never got to meet my other grandfather as he died many years before I was born.

bassman

02-Nov-2018, 06:17 PM

Batman: The Animated Series

I’ve not finished everything, but the last week or two I’ve been going through the new, remastered blu ray collection, which is phenomenal! This show has been on my top-tv list ever since I first saw it in the early nineties. It’s the definitive on-screen depiction of Batman and his supporting characters, but taking it a step further than that, it’s top notch filmmaking. Not just for comics, superheroes, cartoons, etc, but all together it’s fantastic storytelling. If there is someone that hasn’t seen some of this series, you’d be pleased if you were to look up a couple of the classics.

The set also comes with the two theatrical films from the same creative teams, Mask of the Phantasm and Sub-Zero, commentaries, featurettes, and in-depth making-of’s. This is fantastic entertainment right here, I can’t recomend it enough.

MinionZombie

16-Nov-2018, 10:32 AM

Drunk Wedding
Done in the 'found footage' style, it's an American comedy about a rowdy bunch who head off to a Nicaraguan resort for a wedding. They're all given camcorders to tape their view on proceedings. Debauchery happens. I enjoyed it, although I've seen better American comedies in recent times. I did get one belter of a guffaw out of it at one point, mind you. More of an 'off the beaten path' type of indie flick that mixes docu-style with kinda bro-ish gross-out humour.

They Shall Not Grow Old
Peter Jackson's WWI documentary. Absolutely superb. The colourisation works pretty well, even if there is a slight 'shimmer' to the edges at times, but what's truly wonderful is the restoration of the footage and the interpolation to make scratchy, damaged, juddery old footage look far more contemporary, which really breaks down the barrier of 'old tech'. The voice overs from actual WWI soldiers is neatly organised and tells a story throughout the film and the way the footage seagues from 'old and scratchy' to the more contemporary style once we hit the battlefield itself is really quite remarkable when it happens. The use of voice over artists, from the matching nationalities, to perform little bits of 'lip-read dialogue' from the footage is a neat touch, too. Very informative and eye opening. Hinky-dinky parlez-vous!

bassman

26-Nov-2018, 12:26 PM

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

Have the Coen Brothers ever really made a BAD movie? I can’t think of one I disliked. This flick is definitely a much welcomed addition to their collection, as well. Six separate “chapters” set in the old west, some of which vary wildly in tone. The first few being humorous, while the rest settle into a tone more akin to the Coen’s earlier True Grit. Fun bit of trivia: lookout for a few direct references to Grit. Highly recommend this! On Netflix. 9/10

Sicario: Day of the Saldado

I’ll admit that I found myself expecting a letdown as I started this one. After Denis Vilenueve’s amazing first film, as well as him climbing my list of favorite living directors, I’d basically preconditioned myself to think this must be a cash-in. Thankfully, after the film began, it slipped away and I started to really enjoy it! The story really progresses Brolin and Deltoro’s characters from the first film. It’s not quite as inspiring as Vileneuve’s film, but is a very worthy follow up. 7/10

MinionZombie

26-Nov-2018, 04:16 PM

Nerve
Dave Franco and Emma Roberts are a couple of young adults who partake in a the titular game, a strange sort of open source game of truth or dare - minus the truth part and only a series of escalating dares in exchange for money. It's very stylish (dig those neon hues and strip lighting) and has a sparky sense of fun to it until things take slighter darker turns into slightly more thriller territory. It's quite good fun all-round.

Father Figures
I got 20 minutes in and gave up on it.

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

Have the Coen Brothers ever really made a BAD movie? I can’t think of one I disliked. This flick is definitely a much welcomed addition to their collection, as well. Six separate “chapters” set in the old west, some of which vary wildly in tone. The first few being humorous, while the rest settle into a tone more akin to the Coen’s earlier True Grit. Fun bit of trivia: lookout for a few direct references to Grit. Highly recommend this! On Netflix. 9/10

Sicario: Day of the Saldado

I’ll admit that I found myself expecting a letdown as I started this one. After Denis Vilenueve’s amazing first film, as well as him climbing my list of favorite living directors, I’d basically preconditioned myself to think this must be a cash-in. Thankfully, after the film began, it slipped away and I started to really enjoy it! The story really progresses Brolin and Deltoro’s characters from the first film. It’s not quite as inspiring as Vileneuve’s film, but is a very worthy follow up. 7/10

1) I've got this one on the To Do list, looking forward to it. :)

2) Glad to hear it. I'd heard a few mixed things, but then just as many - if not more - quite good things about it, so nice to hear some more good vibes about it. I must check that one out.

shootemindehead

26-Nov-2018, 04:46 PM

[B]Sicario: Day of the Saldado

Still haven't seen the first one. :rolleyes:

Gotta start chipping away on my own "to do list".

EvilNed

26-Nov-2018, 06:31 PM

Still haven't seen the first one. :rolleyes:

Gotta start chipping away on my own "to do list".

Worth it for the soundtrack alone.

bassman

26-Nov-2018, 06:52 PM

Worth it for the soundtrack alone.

Indeed. Johannson was doing some pretty amazing stuff with Vilineuve. I believe Arrival was one of his last scores before his premature death? It’s a shame.

EvilNed

27-Nov-2018, 08:24 AM

Indeed. Johannson was doing some pretty amazing stuff with Vilineuve. I believe Arrival was one of his last scores before his premature death? It’s a shame.

Another up and coming film composer died last year. Marcus Fjellström who composed the music to the series The Terror (and which was very good) died last fall.

MinionZombie

27-Nov-2018, 09:48 AM

Still haven't seen the first one. :rolleyes:

Gotta start chipping away on my own "to do list".

Move Sicario up your list. It's proper good. :thumbsup:

shootemindehead

27-Nov-2018, 08:53 PM

Move Sicario up your list. It's proper good. :thumbsup:

Oh lad, that list changes shape more than the Thing. It doesn't know what it is these days.

Just can't seem to find the time.

bassman

10-Dec-2018, 10:20 PM

A Star is Born(2018)
It’s a good flick, but perhaps a bit overhyped. Gaga is good, Cooper more so, and it’s impressive as his first directorial effort. 7/10.

The Bill Murray Stories
A documentary surrounding some now legendary public appearances by the actor. While Murray’s antics with his fans are enjoyable and humorous, the documentary tries to add some grand scheme or deeper meaning behind it all, which comes off a touch silly. 5/10

The Omega Man
I still really enjoy this particular adaptation of Matheson’s I Am Legend. It’s not perfect and the cultural aspect tends to be a bit heavy handed in places, but it’s still tons of apocalyptic fun. I love the “groovy” score, too! 6/10

I also loved the new season of Mystery Science Theater 3000(The Gauntlet). Mac and Me is the opener. Give them some love on Netflix. 9/10

EvilNed

23-Dec-2018, 04:46 PM

Day of the Cobra
Awesome italo-crime with Franco Nero beating people up in a rainsoaked Genoa.

Four Flies on Grey Velvet
One of the lesser Argento's. But stylistically very interesting.

Pat Garett & Billy the Kid
Boring and messy. Coburn's suit is slick.

Interrabang
Wholly uninteresting. Possibly the only film I've ever fast forwarded in.

Il Consigliori
Italo-crime gangsterfilm with tons of style, both in looks and sound. Recommended for anyone who wants some roman action. A super stylish Tomas Milian plays a mid-level mafioso who tries to leave the organisation but is instead drawn into a bloody turf war.

Roma Violenta
Maurizio Merli beats up crooks. 50 minutes in he's already beaten up enough crooks that there's none left, so he leaves the police force. Instead he joins a neighborhood watch and keeps beating people up. It's awesome.

Suspicious Death of a Minor
2nd viewing, Would recommend this to anyone. Silly italian police flick, but with plenty of heart and style.

Blazing Magnum
Ditto, a rock solid italian crime flick set in Ontario. More punches thrown than any other film. Amazing film. (also known as Shadows in an Empty Room)

Halloween
The new one. I liked it a lot. Soundtrack was great.

Lyrro
Swedish comedy. Not funny.

Rabid Dogs
Mario Bava helmed crimeflick set almost entirely in a car. Amazing!

The Untouchables
We all know and love this one.

Fatal Frames
Italian 90's giallo. Utterly absurd in it's aesthetic. Which makes it kind of fun.

The Island of Dr moreau
70's version. Hadn't seen it before. It's alright.

La lama nel corpo
I think the english title is "murder clinic". Slow burn giallo, set in the early 1900's.

Una Giornata Particolare
Ettore Scola's masterpiece.

Silverado
Boring and unengaging, but perhaps the best western from the 80's...

Aenigma
Italian horror cheese.

The Great Alligator
That croc doesn't really look that convincing.

Screamers
Great fish-men type film. Alternative title; Island of the Fishmen. Would recommend!

Lady Frankenstein
Interesting and gothic, but nothing really spectacular.

Black Sabbath
Mario Bava anthology from the 60's. Very gothic and spooky, but next time I think I'll watch the Italian version. The american one is a bit dull.

The Stendahl Syndrome
90's giallo by Argento. Not that interesting.

Lisa and the Devil
I'm sorry Bava, but this one doesn't really do anything for me. I do like Telly Salavas tho.

Night of the Seagulls
Ultra spooky spanish gothic zombie horror.

Beck - Lockpojken[/B
[B]Beck - Mannen med Ikonerna
Nordic noir (and uninteresting).

The Christmas Chronicle
Kurt Russel as Santa Clause. It works!

Daddys Home 2
Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg is a great duo. Mel Gibson and John Lithgow are perfectly cast.

Bridget Jones Diary
I like it. It's cheesy but fun.

Mixed Nuts
Horrible. What the fuck happened?

The Family Man
Sentimental, but pretty damn good! Nicolas Cage doesn't spazz out tho, which is a shame.

A Christmas Story
Hadn't seen this before. Cute loveletter to the babybooming, post-depression era growing middle class of the US.

Lethal Weapon
Not as great as I remembered it. But solid.

Bad Moms 2
HORRIBLE

Who killed the prosecutor and why?
Uninteresting.

Night of the Skull
Spanish gothic giallo by Jess Franco. Rather good!

shootemindehead

23-Dec-2018, 05:47 PM

Get a job, ya bum :p

Seriously, I don't think I've enough time in the year any more to watch that many films. :(

EvilNed

23-Dec-2018, 07:59 PM

Get a job, ya bum :p

Seriously, I don't think I've enough time in the year any more to watch that many films. :(

Well this is spread out over quite a bit of time.

But even so, yeah I watch a lot of film.

But I don't watch any TV-series so I guess it evens out?

MinionZombie

24-Dec-2018, 10:07 AM

Blockers (aka 'Picture of a Rooster Blockers' aka Cock Blockers)
Like with a lot of American comedies of the last decade there's far too many 'just state what is literally happening right now' jokes, and kinda lame gags that don't really fit. However, there are some good jokes in amongst it, but much of the characterisation beyond the central trio of parents feels rather lacking. There are some interesting comments made during the film - e.g. on the original double standard (not the new double standard, but the o.g. one whereby ladies weren't allowed to enjoy rumpy pumpy and other things), however much of that is expressed so bluntly and on-the-nose that it feels a bit '2018 eye rolly'. The movie could have used some more depth to the characterisation and some more subtlety in its deeper themes and it would have been better.

What Ever Happened To Baby Jane?
One to check off the list. It's overlong at 2+ hours, and certain moments stretch credulity (Baby Jane's power over her sister needed to be embedded a little deeper, because sometimes you're just screaming for the sister to yell out her window or phone the police etc), but the central performances from Bette Davis and Joan Crawford are - of course - superb. Davis gets to have the most fun and goes big on screen, while Crawford gets the deeper and more subtle stuff to play with.

Roma Violenta
Maurizio Merli beats up crooks. 50 minutes in he's already beaten up enough crooks that there's none left, so he leaves the police force. Instead he joins a neighborhood watch and keeps beating people up. It's awesome.

Suspicious Death of a Minor
2nd viewing, Would recommend this to anyone. Silly italian police flick, but with plenty of heart and style.

Rabid Dogs
Mario Bava helmed crimeflick set almost entirely in a car. Amazing!

Aenigma
Italian horror cheese.

Black Sabbath
Mario Bava anthology from the 60's. Very gothic and spooky, but next time I think I'll watch the Italian version. The american one is a bit dull.

The Stendahl Syndrome
90's giallo by Argento. Not that interesting.

Daddys Home 2
Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg is a great duo. Mel Gibson and John Lithgow are perfectly cast.

1) Sounds awesome! Maurizio Merli flingin' his fists about is full blown entertainment in-and-of-itself. :cool:

2) I've not seen this one yet, but I would quite like to.

3) I recall recommending this one to you sometime earlier in this thread, so glad you got around to seeing it. It's great, isn't it? To think that only just a couple of years prior Bava was stumbling with the likes of Baron Blood (trying to 'modernise' his horror by doing the same old gothic shtick, but with a chick in a mini skirt and the appearance of a Coca Cola machine!) and then boom, he does Rabid Dogs which couldn't have been more up-to-date and cutting edge. The film still works brilliantly all these decades later and feels quite fresh.

4) There's loads of interesting ideas in Aenigma, but it's a damn shame that the script is such an utter mess that it can never manage any of them well enough. Death by snails, though - even in his declinding years Fulci still had the ability to make the viewer squirm.

5) Yep, the Italian version of Black Sabbath is the one to go for. It's a damn shame that there doesn't seem to be an English language track for it (it's weird seeing Boris Karloff with an Italian dub coming out of his mouth). I've got the Arrow Video release and there's an excellent featurette that compares both versions, showing the difference in how scenes are edited, the sound effects, and music etc. Even how the dialogue was changed. The Italian version is decidedly superior.

6) I saw this ages ago on the Horror Channel. I recall it being thoroughly dull and it looked so meh. The 1990s felt so 'washed out' for Argento, as if all his creative juices had been sapped almost dry. He had a brief flicker with Sleepless, but like with The Card Player, Stendhal Syndrome offered an interesting idea but was let down by Argento's mellowing creative juices - and most importantly - the piss poor state of the Italian film industry at the time.

7) I kinda enjoyed the first, but the second was dog shit ... oof.

bassman

27-Dec-2018, 03:03 PM

Bad Times at the El Royale
An enjoyable throwback to the mysteries and thrillers of old. Good film all around. 7/10

Halloween(2018)
I’m still finding it hard to form a definitive opinion on this one. It’s better than just about all other sequels in the series, but it’s also not quite enough to be the epic return to form that fans had hoped for. I can see myself giving it more viewings and purchasing the blu ray to go alongside the box set, so I suppose that’s a good sign. 6/10

The Marvelous Mrs Maisel
Set in the 50’s, this is the story of a mother and housewife that goes through a rough divorce and then decides to follow her passion of being a stand up comedian. Great comedy and drama ensues! I probably would have never watched this on my own decision, so I’m glad that multiple people kept telling me how great it is. On Amazon Prime. 9/10

Crashing
Somewhat related to my previous entry, this follows a fictional version of Pete Holmes as he works the stand up circuit. Normally Holmes can grate on my nerves a little bit, but this show displays an entirely new side to the comedian. He’s become quite a good dramatic actor! I’m looking forward to the new season. On HBO. 9/10

Neil

27-Dec-2018, 03:23 PM

The Marvelous Mrs Maisel
Set in the 50’s, this is the story of a mother and housewife that goes through a rough divorce and then decides to follow her passion of being a stand up comedian. Great comedy and drama ensues! I probably would have never watched this on my own decision, so I’m glad that multiple people kept telling me how great it is. On Amazon Prime. 9/10
Some friends of mine were raving about this!

bassman

27-Dec-2018, 03:34 PM

Some friends of mine were raving about this!

That’s exactly how I heard about it and ended up watching. I would’ve continued to pass it up if it weren’t for everyone talking about it. But I’m happy to report that they have good reason to rave about it! Highly, highly recommended!

MinionZombie

27-Dec-2018, 04:12 PM

Rampage
Just watched it this afteroon. It's a big, dumb blockbuster type of movie - but it's a lot of fun and the bromance between The Rock and George is quite enjoyable. JDM from TWD is also having a blast running around with his lopsided shoulders as a cowboy type from some "Other Government Agency". Lots of smashing shit up and clear cut straight arrow storytelling. Much more enjoyable than I had thought it would be.

Crashing
Somewhat related to my previous entry, this follows a fictional version of Pete Holmes as he works the stand up circuit. Normally Holmes can grate on my nerves a little bit, but this show displays an entirely new side to the comedian. He’s become quite a good dramatic actor! I’m looking forward to the new season. On HBO. 9/10

Aye, it's a good show, I rather enjoy it. The look inside the way the world of stand-up comedy works is nice to see as well, and how different types of comedians work and develop their craft within the business itself (lots of nice little details that scream with authenticity) - but at the same time there's a very personal story going on at the same time. :)

bassman

28-Dec-2018, 04:31 PM

Black Mirror Presents: Bandersnatch
This is Netflix and Black Mirror’s first “choose your own adventure” movie. Like the old books, you’re given options that pop up on screen, and your decisions throughout the film directly impact where the plot is going. I’ve only gone through once, so I’m not sure how many different combinations there are, but there are certainly lots of decisions to be made, so I imagine there are a large number of various results. If you’ve seen Black Mirror before, you know that it generally centers around technology gone wrong, and this entry is no different. Yet this one is more directly tied to the viewer than ever before. Can’t wait to try different decisions! 8/10

High Maintenance
A drama/comedy that loosely follows a cannabis dealer in New York City. It’s really more about the individual characters that interact with the dealer when he occasionally pops in and out. With the exception of the dealer main character, the show is essentially an anthology series showing different walks of life. I really enjoyed the fact that the show is not about cannabis at all and it doesn’t attempt to suggest that it’s use defines the person. Much like real life, it’s just a normal part of certain peoples’ days and it’s not treated as some big plot point like you’d see on old tv shows. As I said, it’s really more of an anthology series that dives into different lives with each episode. Really enjoyable HBO series. 9/10

bassman

01-Jan-2019, 06:27 PM

Aquaman
This deserves to be seen on the biggest screen possible. James Wan set out to make a spectacle film, and he achieved it in spades. It’s not a great movie, but it’s great entertainment. Wan took the comics and translated them extremely well for the big screen. Perhaps one of the most comic-accurate films there is. The plot is generic, at least to me, because I’ve seen the “Throne of Atlantis” story arc played out many times, plus it’s similar to some other superhero flicks. The most accurate comparison I can make is with Avatar. The story lacks, but the spectacle and world-building is top notch. Beautiful to look at and deserves to be seen in theater. 7/10

EDIT: I forgot to mention one of the most important parts: the action! Wan and crew did an astounding job with the action sequences! They’re intense and pull you in, but unlike most recent films, it’s all clearly visible and not shakey cam. It’s also VERY inventive. There were a few that made me unintentionally say “whoa!!” out loud. Probably the most inventive action since the first Matrix. Very, very cool stuff.

Boardwalk Empire
Great HBO series set from the 1880’s through the 1930’s in Atlantic City. Fantastic storytelling and fantastic performances all around. It’s essentially a western or gangster series. Scorsese is involved, so that pretty much let’s you know it’s good. I loved it! 9/10

White Boy Rick
I wouldn’t go as far as to call it BAD, but yeesh.....something went wrong here. What should have been a great real-life story ultimately feels like it goes nowhere. It also seems to be another Oscar attempt from Matthew McConaughey. He’s trying too hard and starting to ruin his own renaissance in recent years. A few good moments sprinkled throughout and I’m sure it’d make a decent catch on weekend television, but other than that it’s soulless. 3/10

MinionZombie

02-Jan-2019, 04:47 PM

Boardwalk Empire
Great HBO series set from the 1880’s through the 1930’s in Atlantic City. Fantastic storytelling and fantastic performances all around. It’s essentially a western or gangster series. Scorsese is involved, so that pretty much let’s you know it’s good. I loved it! 9/10

I watched that when it originally aired and ultimately it was a mixed bag for me. The first two seasons were excellent ... but that shocking turn of events in the climax of the second season was something the show never quite recovered from. It lost a huge chunk of its foundation, if you will, and season 3 struggled to find a conflict that lived up to the first two seasons (which were so well written and paced just right). Then once it was seasons 4 and 5 it became more and more about 'gangsters doing gangster stuff' with fewer glimpses behind the scenes to really get to know some of these people in a non-gangster setting (a few bits seeing Capone's home life were very interesting, but were few and far between) ... plus, the show got far too serious-minded for its own good, took itself way too seriously, and then squandered the flashbacks in the truncated fifth season on a portion of Nucky's life we'd already been informed of two or three seasons earlier.

Another thing that went awry was the show's lack of female characters in the last couple of seasons. Maggie Shroeder was awesome in the first three seasons - such a fascinating character going from a widow scratching by on pennies to the wife of the most powerful man in town, but then she was just sort of written out of the show as if they couldn't really be bothered to come up with anything interesting for her to do. Likewise with Darmody's mother, who had a fascinating arc until she too was pretty much swept aside. It felt like the show makers were closing doors rather than opening them, so it kinda limped to the finish line for me despite its superb production.

Now, there were various parts of seasons 3, 4, and 5 that were good/great/awesome - I loved the WWI veteran character who was a crack shot, for instance, and his whole arc was very powerful and had many different shades to it ... but there were so many characters who started out great and then kinda got sidelined (like Maggie Shroeder, or even Van Alden to an extent in the last season or so) and it got too bogged down in 'bootlegging gangster stuff' and forgot about the other portions of these characters' lives.

So, for me anyway, the first two seasons were certainly 9/10, then the last three seasons were very bumpy with certain portions falling as low as 2/10 while other portions were right up there at 9/10, so yeah...

MinionZombie

05-Jan-2019, 11:04 AM

Nightmare Beach
https://deadshed.blogspot.com/2019/01/nightmare-beach-1988-mini-review.html

Did a mini review of it - it's a cheapo slasher flick directed by Umberto Lenzi, starring John Saxon, Michael Parks, and Lance LeGault.

blind2d

06-Jan-2019, 02:42 PM

Cool, so I saw three!

Mother! (Yes the exclamation point is crucial. Aronofsky is fun like that): I... Wanted to like this film more than I did. The camerawork is excellent, but I felt that things got funny (to me) when they weren't meant to. And in the final act the metaphor really smacks you hard across the face, which, I felt maybe it didn't need to do? Acting seemed pretty okay... Oh numbers, right, um, 6/10?

Shutter Island: Scorcese?! (Was it? I'm honestly not remembering. Someone like that) Leo does a great job as always. 'I Am The Cheese', not to spoil the ending. It... Was good? I was falling asleep when I watched it. 7/10.

Basic Instinct: Yes, what's wrong with me that I'm just now seeing this film? Well maybe I don't like seeing lesbians get killed/made into murderers! >:( But no, it was a pretty good film, even if the twists felt a little contrived and the last scene was super silly. Okay, a lot of it was silly. Interesting how much of a cultural impact its had on America, though. Newman's in it. Giving points for lesbians, but taking them away for killing them/making them villains. You can do better, misogynist movie. 6/10.

MinionZombie

06-Jan-2019, 04:26 PM

Shutter Island: Scorcese?! (Was it? I'm honestly not remembering. Someone like that) Leo does a great job as always. 'I Am The Cheese', not to spoil the ending. It... Was good? I was falling asleep when I watched it. 7/10.

Basic Instinct: Yes, what's wrong with me that I'm just now seeing this film? Well maybe I don't like seeing lesbians get killed/made into murderers! >:( But no, it was a pretty good film, even if the twists felt a little contrived and the last scene was super silly. Okay, a lot of it was silly. Interesting how much of a cultural impact its had on America, though. Newman's in it. Giving points for lesbians, but taking them away for killing them/making them villains. You can do better, misogynist movie. 6/10.

1) Yep, Shutter Island is a Scorcese flick. I saw it in the cinema when it came out. Loved it.

2) It's been a few years since I saw Basic Instinct, but isn't Sharon Stone's character bi-sexual? Not that it really matters, because anyone can be a villain (or, indeed, a hero). To censor any form of art - e.g. for certain "groups" to be removed from certain traits/paths/roles for fictional characters, is not a good idea and is a very slippery slope because where does it end? Indeed, it could be argued that blocking non-heterosexual characters from being "villains" in a movie/tv show is a sexist position, much-like 'villains can only be white' would be a racist position.

I'm not saying that this is what you're saying, but the last line in your take on Basic Instinct made me think of this wider train of thought. The only thing anyone should be concerned with is is the character any good? If the character is shite then that's the problem, much the same as one-dimensional female characters who are just brilliant at everything and make no mistakes is very dull (and actually offers poorer roles for women to play) - the key is complex characters.

There's a fine line to walk with representation in films. Ultimately it just needs to be about not denying or blocking characters or roles to any particular group - but when writing a role the key thing is to make the character complex instead of 'inoffensive' or a simplistic power fantasy (unless that's what the genre calls for - e.g. an action romp - although characterisation can come into play to make them more memorable characters).

blind2d

08-Jan-2019, 02:11 AM

1) Yep, Shutter Island is a Scorcese flick. I saw it in the cinema when it came out. Loved it.

2) It's been a few years since I saw Basic Instinct, but isn't Sharon Stone's character bi-sexual? Not that it really matters, because anyone can be a villain (or, indeed, a hero). To censor any form of art - e.g. for certain "groups" to be removed from certain traits/paths/roles for fictional characters, is not a good idea and is a very slippery slope because where does it end? Indeed, it could be argued that blocking non-heterosexual characters from being "villains" in a movie/tv show is a sexist position, much-like 'villains can only be white' would be a racist position.

I'm not saying that this is what you're saying, but the last line in your take on Basic Instinct made me think of this wider train of thought. The only thing anyone should be concerned with is is the character any good? If the character is shite then that's the problem, much the same as one-dimensional female characters who are just brilliant at everything and make no mistakes is very dull (and actually offers poorer roles for women to play) - the key is complex characters.

There's a fine line to walk with representation in films. Ultimately it just needs to be about not denying or blocking characters or roles to any particular group - but when writing a role the key thing is to make the character complex instead of 'inoffensive' or a simplistic power fantasy (unless that's what the genre calls for - e.g. an action romp - although characterisation can come into play to make them more memorable characters).

I mean you're right about the not having censorship thing, but like, that's not what's happening here? So it's not relevant? Basic Instinct shows sapphic love as being related to villified activity. Roxy and the brunette are both killers, whereas the blonde (sorry I don't remember names, besides Roxy, because she's gorgeous) is a maybe killer. So like, every female character is painted as villainous or potentially villainous. And the story is told from the male perspective, which y'know, probably isn't the best when critiquing the actions of women. Whether or not it was the films intent to lampshade women as terrible and untrustworthy, that is easily how it is read. Which is why I consider it a bit misogynistic. As well as the lesbian bits, which are played mainly for the male gaze, as the relationships between the women are not really explored. And they killed Roxy in a bullshit way, so I'm pissed about that. I'm not saying not-straight folk can't be villains. I'm saying they're too often villains, and shouldn't only be relegated to those roles. Yeah, this was the 90's, but still. Is the character of Roxy good? No. She gets like three lines, one girl-on-girl kiss, no development, and after or just before she's killed off, it's revealed she murdered two people when she was younger. Because that's normal for lesbians, right? But yes, the blonde is bi, and so is the brunette, but like, ultimately that's not really explored, beyond the murder mystery stuff. So no, the female characters seem pretty one-note in this film overall. But yeah, I agree with like everything you said, this movie just pisses me off. It's a decent film, I just wish it had better representation. Sorry I forget the names.