Movies you've just watched

[Skykid]

I prefer Fright Night 2 though, it's the Army Of Darkness of the Vampire genre.

Yikes! Fright Night 2 scared me for entirely the wrong reasons.

I'm with you on the original though, love it, it's low budget 80's horror goodness all tied in a bow. Props to Tom Holland for that one.

[drauch]

Dragons Forever
Secret of Nimh
Angel's Egg
Godzilla Raids Again

The night is still young!

[CMoon]

Dragons Forever
Secret of Nimh
Angel's Egg
Godzilla Raids Again

Wow! Still haven't finished watching Angel's Egg on account of boredom. I know all of you love it and I need to finish it.

I almost picked up NIMH on blu ray because its $10 and I was thinking how lovely the animation might look in HD, but then realized they probably didn't put a cent into cleaning it up (as they have with some of the Disney films.) Oh well, where's my Plague Dogs blu ray with restored and remastered director's cut?

[njiska]

Oh well, where's my Plague Dogs blu ray with restored and remastered director's cut?

I second that motion! Though by director's cut I assume you mean the proper, original cut.

[drauch]

Dragons Forever
Secret of Nimh
Angel's Egg
Godzilla Raids Again

Wow! Still haven't finished watching Angel's Egg on account of boredom. I know all of you love it and I need to finish it.

I almost picked up NIMH on blu ray because its $10 and I was thinking how lovely the animation might look in HD, but then realized they probably didn't put a cent into cleaning it up (as they have with some of the Disney films.) Oh well, where's my Plague Dogs blu ray with restored and remastered director's cut?

Yeah, I could certainly understand one finding Angel's Egg boring. It's definitely a film I feel like I should watch again to fully appreciate, now that I know what to expect. Let me know if you check out that Nimh BluRay. I've been debating picking that up as well. Do you know what Disney films they've botched? I'm really only interested in everything before The Rescuers Down Under.

A BluRay of The Plague Dogs director's cut would be a dream come true. Have you tried that Australian R4 DVD? It looks pretty nice. Never did try that newer Region 2 UK one, though.

[drauch]

Speaking of BluRay...just got done watching The Gauntlet on said format. So glad they chose the Frazetta painting for the artwork!

[shmuppyLove]

Fright Night
A "serious", no-nonsense vampire movie, right from the beginning (it is stated matter-of-factly, then proved by evidence, and then confirmed by him when he appears in his first scene that the attractive single man next door is a vampire), in which the vampire hunters are laughably inexperienced but smart and motivated, the vampire is suitably evil and badass and the plot is a pure and simple war.
Good acting (particularly Colin Farrel as the vampire) and many memorable and fun scenes.

I've seen in twice now -- once in theatres in 3D and again at home, and I enjoyed it both times. I have not seen the original, nor am I a vampire/horror afficianado in general. But Colin Farrell was friggin amazing in the role. I don't think anyone else could have done a better job. And there were some good scares and heaps of tension in a lot of scenes. I think it was really well done.

[njiska]

So I rounded out my John Woo marathon by watching Bullet in the Head. Overall I quite liked the film, and in particular I like the themes of how traumatic experiences can shape and change us. The was a lot of powerful imagery, especially concerning the use of Fai's skull. Unlike Skykid, I think the use of war imagery was appropriate as it is supposed to shock the viewer in the same way that the characters are being shocked. The POW camp scene in particular was both gut-wrenching and effective in terms of how it conveyed horror of the situation. You can see how being forced to commit murder disturbed Fai and you can tell that he is still haunted by it, even after he suffers the eponymous bullet in the head. I was also quite a big fan of the editing during the final chase sequence and how it calls back to the opening.

My only major complain is that the actual character development, which should be the film's strongest strength, is frankly poorly paced, disjointed and at times even feels contrived. Wing is shown to be a man of ambition from the start, but he is also shown to be a true brother to Fai and Bee. I can understand how the experience he undergoes in Saigon would weigh heavily upon him and drive his lust for power, but it all happens way too quickly. I'm going to chalk this up to studio medling as the original cut of the film was over 3 hours long and some of the story has been excised. I'd love to have a chance to see the full cut, but unfortunately the studio destroyed all the prints.

With that I think my Woo run is coming to a close. May still give Face/Off a watch, for fun, but other wise I'm moving one to something else. May run through the six Bruce Lee films.

[CMoon]

Oh well, where's my Plague Dogs blu ray with restored and remastered director's cut?

I second that motion! Though by director's cut I assume you mean the proper, original cut.

That is indeed what I'm speaking of. After watching that there was no going back to the US cut (or whatever you call it), even if its a lot prettier.

I've been debating picking that up as well. Do you know what Disney films they've botched? I'm really only interested in everything before The Rescuers Down Under.

I'm mostly interested in early (ie 40's) Disney, and mostly because of the animation. I'm not going to try to convince any of you here why Bambi is the Citizen Kane of animated movies, but goddamn it is a site to behold on Blu Ray.

A BluRay of The Plague Dogs director's cut would be a dream come true. Have you tried that Australian R4 DVD? It looks pretty nice. Never did try that newer Region 2 UK one, though.

Had it, then it was stolen from me. The new UK dvd of Plague Dogs contains the same directors cut; and it is easier to get.

[njiska]

Oh well, where's my Plague Dogs blu ray with restored and remastered director's cut?

I second that motion! Though by director's cut I assume you mean the proper, original cut.

That is indeed what I'm speaking of. After watching that there was no going back to the US cut (or whatever you call it), even if its a lot prettier.

I completely agree and oddly the first time I saw the full original cut was on regular TV. Been wanting a high quality copy ever since.

[replayme]

I watched Expendables 2 and Total Recall yesterday...

My opinion of each is inversely proportional to the majority of what the "critics" think on IMDB - in that I thought Expendables 2 was extremely disappointing (considering the wealth of talent involved), whilst I was pleasantly surprised with Total Recall. Yes, Total Recall is a remake/re-imagining, but that still didn't stop it from being entertaining (in my opinion).

[Skykid]

^ I paid for the first Expendables, no way I'm making that mistake again.

Tonight:

Vanishing Point (1971)

All kinds of awesome Dodge Challenger chase/road movie, with nude chicks on motorbikes.

"And there goes the Challenger, being chased by the blue, blue meanies on wheels. The vicious traffic squad cars are after our lone driver, the last American hero, the electric centaur, the, the demi-god, the super driver of the golden west! Two nasty Nazi cars are close behind the beautiful lone driver. The police numbers are gettin' closer, closer, closer to our soul hero, in his soul mobile, yeah baby! They about to strike. They gonna get him. Smash him. Rape... the last beautiful free soul on this planet."

[replayme]

I only ended up going because a friend of mine wanted to go and see it. I had been forewarned prior to watching it that it was the biggest waste of 2 hours, but I couldn't get out of it (apart from not go). My friend enjoyed it and thought it was excellent, whilst I hated it. Just couldn't stop thinking of all the poor starving children for whom that money would have been better spent. Also, poor Jean-Claude Van Damme - he deserved better.

Anyway, has anyone seen this yet?
http://vimeo.com/37762235

Apparently, the film was shown @ PAX. Would be interested in finding out what people thought of it...

[njiska]

^ I paid for the first Expendables, no way I'm making that mistake again.

Tonight:

Vanishing Point (1971)

All kinds of awesome Dodge Challenger chase/road movie, with nude chicks on motorbikes.

Ah, the reason why if I ever end up owning a Challenger, it must be white!

And yeah, fuck the Expendables. I was sold a 1980s action flick, and that was not it. Just another bloody (both meanings) pointless crap film. On the plus side I did hate it less than Rambo.

[drauch]

Pshhhhhhht, whatever, haters. Expendables rules.

Watched the BluRay of In the Realm of the Senses last night. Couldn't believe it was made in '76. Criterion is doing a damned fine job on their transfers. Film was enjoyable, and obviously taboo for the time it came out in Japan. Chronicles the sex life of Sada Abe and her lover quite well, but nothing much more. Worth a watch, at least.

[Skykid]

And yeah, fuck the Expendables. I was sold a 1980s action flick, and that was not it. Just another bloody (both meanings) pointless crap film. On the plus side I did hate it less than Rambo.

Funny that, I agree with your feelings about the Expendables completely, but not Rambo. Expendables knew what it wanted to be and failed dismally at every hurdle, Rambo knew what it needed to be, and nailed it bang on. In-fact, the only reason I coughed up cash to see Expendables is because of Rambo!

I was tricked.

[njiska]

And yeah, fuck the Expendables. I was sold a 1980s action flick, and that was not it. Just another bloody (both meanings) pointless crap film. On the plus side I did hate it less than Rambo.

Funny that, I agree with your feelings about the Expendables completely, but not Rambo. Expendables knew what it wanted to be and failed dismally at every hurdle, Rambo knew what it needed to be, and nailed it bang on. In-fact, the only reason I coughed up cash to see Expendables is because of Rambo!

I was tricked.

As an action movie it's nothing special, but it's an alright film to veg out to. Something that's very cliche and with some really terrible cgi blood (Why is this never a practical effect any more?). The part that pisses me, and by extension ruins the entire film for me, is the ending. Now I'm not an overly big fan of First Blood: Part II or Rambo 3, but I am a huge fan of the original First Blood. The moral of First Blood is that you can't switch off. After experiencing a war that was hell like that, you can never really go home. What does John Rambo do at the end of Rambo? He goes home. I swear to go I have never had a more angry rant in my life, then I had after seeing that. It spits in the face of a great film.

My blood is boiling just thinking about it.

[replayme]

Considering the wealth of big-name action stars in the film, I expected a LOT more. That is some serious 80's talent in that film, and it is all squandered.

It's like getting Miyamoto, Iuchi, Wright, Kojima, Sakaguchi, Itagaki etc all in the same room and asking them to work with each other to make a game. You expect something incredible. Instead, they release a game that is only marginally better than some shitty game that got a 6 in Edge. In 1997.

[njiska]

Considering the wealth of big-name action stars in the film, I expected a LOT more. That is some serious 80's talent in that film, and it is all squandered.

It's like getting Miyamoto, Iuchi, Wright, Kojima, Sakaguchi, Itagaki etc all in the same room and asking them to work with each other to make a game. You expect something incredible. Instead, they release a game that is only marginally better than some shitty game that got a 6 in Edge. In 1997.

See Shadows of the Damned. Suda 51, Shinji Mikami and Akira Yamaoka working together should have produced a masterpiece, but instead we got a neutered version of their best talents.

The problem with the Expendables films is that they have the best in 80s action, but aren't willing to make an 80s genre film. They try sticking 80s guys in a 2000s action movie and it just doesn't work because they're completely different beasts.

[Skykid]

My blood is boiling just thinking about it.

I can appreciate that. I don't hold any Rambo film in high regard that way (although FB is great) so I don't have an issue with how it affects the mythos, but I can see how it would be annoying if those things are important to you.

I didn't watch any Blu Ray of Rambo, lower def for me so the blood wasn't too obvious. I just liked the fact it was ultra violent, cliche in a good way, and went above and beyond the call of duty on body count. I enjoyed it in a good, simple, carnage fashion, and thought it was a far more successful 80's throwback movie than the Expendables, which I hated because it was poorly written and directed garbage. And it had Jason Statham in it, which is an instafail.

Oh, and I got the 4.5 hour Red Cliff now. I took a brief look at it and it's instantly different. I'm beginning to wonder how they managed to cram any kind of film into the localisation, and whether I should call my mate and tell him he may be getting a Double Dragon gut punch for forcing me to watch it.

[replayme]

I enjoyed it in a good, simple, carnage fashion, and thought it was a far more successful 80's throwback movie than the Expendables, which I hated because it was poorly written and directed garbage. And it had Jason Statham in it, which is an "instafail".

This.

Although Jason Statham was quite good in the sequel. And he's also really good in Crank 1 and 2. Which means that he deserves a shred of respect - hence the "italics".

[Skykid]

Jason Statham isn't "good" in anything. He can't act, can barely speak, can't fight, can't do an American accent, he's ugly and unintelligent and has zero charisma. He's fucking rubbish, and, if the world were sane, would be sweeping streets.

[replayme]

Haha...

I'm off to bed.

[njiska]

I enjoyed it in a good, simple, carnage fashion, and thought it was a far more successful 80's throwback movie than the Expendables, which I hated because it was poorly written and directed garbage. And it had Jason Statham in it, which is an "instafail".

This.

Although Jason Statham was quite good in the sequel. And he's also really good in Crank 1 and 2. Which means that he deserves a shred of respect - hence the "italics".

The Crank series is terrible. Though I don't have any problem with Jason Statham in Lock, Stock; Snatch or The Bank Job. I think he works well playing those sorts of characters. I just don't overly care for him as an action hero and I really think that Hollywood doesn't know how to use him effectively.

As for an 80s throwback movie, neither Rambo or The Expendables gave me that sensation. In fact I'd say Rambo is even further from an 80s style action movie because of it's focus on blood. 80s action was about actual action. Shooting and hitting people, not about fountains of blood. That was more of an 80s horror thing. The only film I've seen come out of hollywood recently that even remotely resembled an 80s action flick was Shoot 'em Up.

[Hagane]

Snatch and Crank (the first) are great, as far as mindless joke action movies go.

[Skykid]

The only film I've seen come out of hollywood recently that even remotely resembled an 80s action flick was Shoot 'em Up.

That one definitely didn't do it for me. Closest new movie I've seen to capturing a true 80's vibe was probably Super 8, right down to the poster.

And Kontrol, a recent-ish Hungarian film, also came close.

Snatch and Crank (the first) are great, as far as mindless joke action movies go.

I enjoyed Snatch and Lock Stock. Not because Statham is in them, but he does kind of fade into the wallpaper along with everything else, so he's altogether less offensive. That doesn't make him good by any stretch, just more suited to an East London cockney wideboy environment. He should never, ever, be a leading man in any movie, and it's offensive to me to see him cast in the Expendables, despite it's shitness, because he's no way near earned the right to stand side by side with Willis, Schwarzenegger, Stallone, or basically anyone else in the cast.

[njiska]

[...]it's offensive to me to see him cast in the Expendables, despite it's shitness, because he's no way near earned the right to stand side by side with Willis, Schwarzenegger, Stallone, or basically anyone else in the cast.

You mean the two guys who had a 4 minute scene in the first movie and the guy who did a shitty job writing, a shitty job acting and a super shitty job directing? Face it, the only core member aside from Stallone with any true 80s action cred is Dolph Lundgren and outside of a fight with Jet Li, he's not used well. Yet another problem with the concept.

[emphatic]

Rambo knew what it needed to be, and nailed it bang on. In-fact, the only reason I coughed up cash to see Expendables is because of Rambo!

I was tricked.

^^OMG, this.

[drauch]

What 80s action movies are you comparing Expendables and Rambo 4 with? I really don't understand where this attitude is coming from. I can kinda understand not thinking Expendables 1 wasn't that great, but man, Expendables 2 really hits the spot for no bullshit, no nonsense action. Explosions, maiming, motorcycles, the unexplained--it's fun, and it doesn't try to be anything more. Stallone takes stupid cliches and keeps them intact for a tribute to the type of action films that aren't made anymore. I live for action movies, and it made my heart warm to see everyone blowing away goons with hardly any plot to speak of. It didn't fuck around. What ever happened to having fun?

[drauch]

Speaking of action movies, just watched Dolph's Army of One (Aka the Joshua Tree) and Men of War. Army of One is fantastic. A bit slow in parts, but a fairly lengthy shoot-out scene in a car garage full of lamborghinis makes it quite a treat. Plus lots of racist, random dialogue.

Men of War starts off like it's the lost Dolph masterpiece but slowly turns to a turd. An all-star cast full of people you've probably seen in random things, Dolph forms a mercenary group and heads to a tropical island. Ultimately quite a waste of time, although a few scenes of death by rocket launchers and Kano from Mortal Kombat sucking on the chick from Jag's neck.