Movies you've just watched

[lilmanjs]

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
Not as bad as I remember it, being a few years since I've last seen it. But a nice start to the blu-ray set I bought the other day. Not as many jokes as in most of the other TOS movies and a serious question when finding the devil, but all in all, better than I remember. Still just a decent movie and nothing amazing.

[xxx1993]

London Has Fallen was even better than the first. My favorite part was the climax, because it felt like the final shootout in Hard Boiled all over again.

[lilmanjs]

London Has Fallen was even better than the first. My favorite part was the climax, because it felt like the final shootout in Hard Boiled all over again.

You have to be joking about that, right?

[trap15]

He's proven to be a true bastion of taste, I doubt he's joking.

[Obiwanshinobi]

Die Hard. Don't ask.

[boagman]

Die Hard. Don't ask.

Who needs to? It's *always* the right time for "Die Hard".

[Skykid]

Die Hard. Don't ask.

I'm asking. If you can one-up your infamous tastes by declaring Die Hard a bad movie, I'll tip my hat to your consistency.

[Tarma]

Die Hard. Don't ask.

I'm asking. If you can one-up your infamous tastes by declaring Die Hard a bad movie, I'll tip my hat to your consistency.

Well he does think Snakes On a Plane should have won best picture at the Oscars...

[Skykid]

Die Hard. Don't ask.

I'm asking. If you can one-up your infamous tastes by declaring Die Hard a bad movie, I'll tip my hat to your consistency.

Well he does think Snakes On a Plane should have won best picture at the Oscars...

Man, that's the tip of the iceberg.

Michael Jordan in the Windy City.

Never forget.

[GaijinPunch]

Die Hard. Don't ask.

I'm asking. If you can one-up your infamous tastes by declaring Die Hard a bad movie, I'll tip my hat to your consistency.

Yeah... things are about to get personal if he takes a dump on the original Diehard.

[xxx1993]

London Has Fallen was even better than the first. My favorite part was the climax, because it felt like the final shootout in Hard Boiled all over again.

You have to be joking about that, right?

I'm not joking, I really liked London Has Fallen. I'm only saying I liked it better than Olympus Has Fallen, and besides, it might be one of the ONLY R-rated action movies I'll be seeing this year, aside from Deadpool.

[drunkninja24]

Went and saw Zootopia over the weekend. Really good movie, definitely one of the better Disney ventures in recent years. Not perfect, but a solid 8/10 in my book.

[Obiwanshinobi]

Ghosts... of the Civil Dead - as usual, off-screen narration served as a warning it was not going to be great. Coupled with all the text roll ON screen, that's plenty of exposition sprinkled with a smidgeon of some film.

The Bullet Train (1975) - deus ex machina (such as

Spoiler

fire burning down the place where perpetrator told the cops to look for instructions how to disarm bomb

) can be forgiven, considering cultural context (manga & anime never seem to avoid those either), but off-screen narration blows hard as ever. Obvious differences notwithstanding, I found The Day of the Jackal influence prominent.
Admittedly, retrospective scenes (always tricky to get right in a movie) are well done...

...which is more than I can say about retrospective scenes of The Hunger (1983) - on the balance, I liked the film (pretty pointless epilogue scene can be erased emotionally with ease), BUT the selling point of it was then-up-to-date audiovisual treat. As someone who witnessed times when MTV still was "cool", as was VHS, its bold imagery gave me a strong sense of epoque. Then suddenly, paraphrasing Zbigniew Rybczyński, "yesterday's astronauts are today's cowboys" - only the costume changes, not filming technique, not visual style - and my wiling suspension of disbelief suffers. I wonder if Tony Scott really wanted to put those in, when already filmed.

G.I. Samurai (1979) - left me cold not quite unlike the 1991 Point Break (where lifetime-long holidays in the sun were some dudes' idea of freedom). Since the end of World War II, there wasn't a single day of peace on Earth - and they MUST travel 400 years back in time for the sake of warring?!

[Xyga]

The Hateful Eight

Don't expect objectivity, I'm a sucker for Tarantino's movies, so; that was bloody awesome.

[Obiwanshinobi]

Diva (1981) again, since I've finally got it on DVD. Wasn't sure if I should so soon after making everybody who would listen watch it with me, but girl, what an impeccably pleasant film.
I think not even Beineix himself was pushing the distributor into releasing any "director's cut", or he might have been haunted by his feature debut's excellence for all those years (see the aforementioned Betty Blue Director's Cut for reference how out of control a movie director can get, not always for the better).
English subtitles of this DVD version a bit drier than I remember the fansub(?) was, but oh well.
Yet another thing: most of my previous Diva watchings were on a CRT and - much as I cherish my PS3&HDTV as a DVD setup - the colours this time around weren't QUITE as satisfying. Not always the case with CRTvsLCD, mind. Depends on the movie. Or I could keep tweaking each display's settings in search of optimal results every time I sit down to watch one, but I don't find such a task relaxing.

The Hateful Eight

Don't expect objectivity, I'm a sucker for Tarantino's movies, so; that was bloody awesome.

Not directed by Tarantino, but make sure you watch Killing Zoe. One of those I feel like re-watching after just a couple of days.

Bleak Moments (1971) - Mike Leigh's feature film debut (originally stage play). Something seemed "missing from the picture" for the most of it, but in hindsight - really wasn't. Although it makes Career Girls look almost cheerful.
Admirable presentation, considering supposedly meagre budget; also, I wonder if it's Mike Leigh who has a knack for casting little-known actors in brilliant roles, or it's those actors who seek and find him, only to ride into sunset afterwards?

The Snow Queen (1957, U.S.S.R.) - crazy good.




Not as yucky as I remember the original story was, yet at the same time - respectably faithful.

[Ed Oscuro]

MOOOORTAL KOMBAAAAAT

20 years later, I've finally seen the whole thing. Cheesy, but mostly fun. There were some irksome things: We are going to show the dust flying through these planks twice. We are going to put this big styro pillar in the way of the action. We are going to end the film with a couple trick fights - fun but not quite impressive. Even on the small screen it's quite obvious what is digital, what is foam, and what is real scenery. I like the real scenery. The Netherworld scene with all the platforms was much cooler in my memory than it looked here, where the lack of depth to the set and the quickly done-up bone props were glaring issues. I also thought the Art Lean character was a completely missed opportunity, but of course this is well acknowledged.

I read this excellent making-of before watching the film; it greatly expanded my appreciation for the good stuff as it signposted not only names to watch out for in the credits (there are some really cool names in the credits of this film!) but also highlights a few things to look forward to - not that you're likely to miss much in this film's action. It also explains why some possibilities got missed - poor Art Lean.

Tangentially, after a very recent Matt Taibbi article on Bush/Trump ripped into Die Hard, which seemed pretty off-target, I've been paying special attention to fiction that consciously makes characters ignore the obvious so that the presumed short attention span of the audience can be rewarded with a moment of cheap suspense or, at least, comprehension - the same kind of "suspense" generated if you play the sound of a gunshot just before the visual of the finger pulling the trigger. Mortal Kombat has a few really glaring instances of this, but the almost nightmarishly comical example comes at the end, where

Spoiler

we see spikes raise, apparently unbidden, in the dragon logo on the floor below as Shang Tsung and Liu fight on the steps above. Then Shang Tsung turns around and takes on the countenance of Liu's murdered younger brother, and Liu actually carries out a conversation with the obviously fake Liu instead of slapping him into the spikes - and for his part, Shang Tsung also misses the opportunity. This is then followed by a rather horrific non-fight where Shang Tsung folds over like a soggy sandwich.

I'd actually like to find out a bit more about what happened with Master Boyd - a great bit part done well Peter Jason, with a backstory seemingly suggested by Shang Tsung's possibly ripped jacket (though I couldn't tell if this was just the character's usual one).

If you had to choose a film to describe a purported slide towards stupidity of the American electorate, I'd not choose Die Hard - essentially the sequel to a '60s hardboiled fiction - an artful example of using humor appropriately (the candy bars; ouch, the bushes have thorns!) and suspense (who did fire that shot, anyway?). Instead, look to the Mortal Kombat skool of filmmaking, which appears to be "we'll put this under your eyeballs long enough that everybody will not only soak it up, but some of the quicker witted ones will have a moment to reflect on their having soaked up an obvious clue before we change the scene." No goobers left uncomprehending. I hope Anderson has done better since; I was surprised to look at his filmography and recognize nothing I have seen or hold any interest in (including the Resident Evil titles).

My appreciation for most of the actors is pretty high - though Bridgette Wilson(-Sampras) was totally unconvincing, I feel that at least half the problem was in the script, and the other half just adds to the "charm" of the character, if you can call it that. I'm not sure first pick Cameron Diaz would have done better here if forced to tow around the same attitudinal boat anchor, or that dress. Fake Aussie Trevor Goddard comically attempts to chew scenery as Kano, and succeeds - his Lothario act and his overdone eye twitches are probably the right choices for this silly film. On the other hand, Leo Lee shows up in the only other memorable bit of the silly rave sequence, even though he spends half his time being silly. Liu's grandfather (Lloyd Kino, 1919–2012) has a great supporting role. The other actors did a fine job - I really liked the main cast here, with Shou (Liu), Tagawa (Tsung), Soto (as Princess Kitana) and on down the list, but Christopher Lambert really does a fine job balancing the gravity of the situation with the role of a silly-looking prankster under a straw hat who knows when to interject just enough humor or guile to make things work. He even paid for the wrap party - class act. (I still need to finish Highlander.) Linden Ashby, as Johnny Cage, also did some fine work with the ad-libs here.

I feel somewhat bad about my reaction to the fighting - there's some real skill in the fight choreography, and the actors suffered to pull it together, but it still feels off. The pacing and dynamic storyline of many fights seems crude - look at all the head shots Liu soaks up before springing back into action no worse for wear, or the many times somebody gets their face smashed into a rock floor (actually, that's probably just Liu again). I think every fight has a glaringly obvious "flip" from a contest, or early domination by the eventual loser, to the victor. I suppose the feeling is heightened as the better fights (and the infamous Sub-Zero demo earlier) seem to all happen early in the film, while the post-Goro stuff is all simply unappealing as fight material.

Overall? Really not a very good film, but the chemistry between the actors and the sheer fun of the acrobatics (though not the fighting as such) just made it work. However I feel that this is probably the first and last W.S. Anderson flick I needed to see - aside from maybe a peek at the fabled Jude Law vehicle "Shopping" someday.

Funny thing, as I write this post I see that it's actually going to be aired at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema on the 15th, over in Kalamazoo. Don't think I'll make the trip for it...

Just to fall off the Obiwanshinobi anti-hype train, Bullet Train looks like it could be fairly interesting. Lots of interesting picks here, as always, thanks.

Parting moment of Zen courtesy of the EDM soundtrack and a user comment on the Siskel and Ebert review at YouTube:

James Ni1 year ago (edited)
Siskel's comment at .21 was smug and ignorant. Video games have become a medium as important as print and moving pictures by today's standards in 2014.

Siskel died in 1999.

[MintyTheCat]

We watched Deathgasm last night and it was pretty good and very funny.

It's about this death metal band that summon a demon.

I liked the reference to Bad-Taste as the band's drummer wore a BT tshirt

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3705412/

[GaijinPunch]

10 Cloverfield Lane.

Really enjoyed it. Goodman delivers, as he usually does.

[Vexorg]

A couple we've watched in the past couple of days:

The Illusionist: ***

A 2006 film about a magician in Vienna in 1889 who gets involved in a conspiracy by the crown prince to overthrow the emperor of the Austria-Hungary empire. Well shot with some very nice environments and good effects, but a confusing plot makes this very difficult to follow.

Spies Like Us: **

An 80s spy film with Chevy Chase and Dan Aykroyd as government employees who are enlisted as "spies" on a secret mission in Soviet Russia to act as expendable decoys while the real spies do their work, with results pretty much exactly as cliched as you would expect from this type of film.. Has a few funny parts, but for some reason Chevy Chase just gets on my nerves in every movie I watch him in. Dan Aykroyd almost makes up for it, but ultimately this film just annoys me more than anything.

[Skykid]

Spies Like Us is a 1 star if ever I saw one. Maybe even no stars. It's terrible.

[emphatic]

Spies Like Us is a 1 star if ever I saw one. Maybe even no stars. It's terrible.

I've always loved this movie, mostly because of Aykroyd. You don't even find the test scene funny?

[Obiwanshinobi]

Has a few funny parts, but for some reason Chevy Chase just gets on my nerves in every movie I watch him in.

Can't remember if I watched a movie starring him, but I may have a similar problem with Steve Martin. Even though I liked Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and even Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid, a comedian this devoid of vis comica sure is a rare breed.
I'm saying it with all due respect for the hard work all actors, no matter how miscast, must do on the job.

I delightedly announce my mom enjoyed watching Killing Zoe last evening. Since she didn't like Crimes of the Heart (as if she expected a romance it hardly is), that's another lesson you can't ever know for sure with the ladies.

In other news - big surprise here - I didn't mind off-screen narration in Juno (2007) much (possibly not at all). I could also tell it was written by a woman without looking it up (the ultrasoud examination scene, or should I say - stepmother humiliating the technician - was almost too realistic for my liking).
Also not having looked it up, short growing season depicted gave me a hunch it could be filmed somewhere in British Columbia - turns out I was right about that too.

[boagman]

but for some reason Chevy Chase just gets on my nerves in every movie I watch him in.

Even "Fletch"?

[Skykid]

Has a few funny parts, but for some reason Chevy Chase just gets on my nerves in every movie I watch him in.

Can't remember if I watched a movie starring him, but I may have a similar problem with Steve Martin. Even though I liked Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and even Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid, a comedian this devoid of vis comica sure is a rare breed.

Hold on: You think Steve Martin is devoid of comic ability or should have more buffoonery in his repertoire?

Either way I'm starting to think your "taste" declarations may be one of the most elaborate trolling exercises in forum history. You don't have to like Steve Martin, but the man is a superb actor and his comic ability is in the top 5% of Hollywood's lot. I'd put him up there with some of the best.

[BrianC]

Steve Martin is one of the reasons The Muppet Movie is still my favorite Muppet Movie. I also liked him in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles.

[GaijinPunch]

Steve Martin is one of the reasons The Muppet Movie is still my favorite Muppet Movie. I also liked him in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles.

PTA is classic. The Jerk... brilliant. And his most underrated affair: LA Story.

[Opus131]

Personally, i never really understood The Jerk. Didn't really find it to be all that funny and at times i was quire irritated by it. I know he is supposed to be a big idiot but i don't know whether that in itself constitutes a joke. I hated Dumb and Dumberer for the same reason.

[emphatic]

The Jerk is a 5/5 comedy in my book.

[iconoclast]

Tetsuo, the Iron Man - Very good movie, but my favorite thing about it is probably its soundtrack. It's perfect. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4z10AlFDQfY

[Mischief Maker]

Tetsuo, the Iron Man - Very good movie, but my favorite thing about it is probably its soundtrack. It's perfect. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4z10AlFDQfY

Let's talk spoilers:

Spoiler

My interpretation is Tetsuo the salaryman is closeted gay or bi, the metal fetishist was actually his secret lover who he dumps for his girlfriend and a normal life, and the robot cancer is AIDS (possibly contracted through sharing dirty needles as symbolized by the self-surgery scene). By the time his ex-lover shows up with the news about the disease (arriving with a bouquet of flowers) Tetsuo's already infected his girlfriend (sewer drill). The bio-mecha tank at the end is AIDS personified, tearing its way through 80s Japan thanks to secret closeted relationships just like Tetsuo's.