Movies you've just watched

[drauch]

Haven't seen Contraband or Red Sun in a wee bit, but love 'em both dearly. Did you catch Fulci himself touting that MP40 or whatever? That was the movie that started my obsession with glorious Fabio

[BIL]

Haha, holy shit! I did wonder if any of the oldschool mafiosi were big shots of Italo-cinema. I knew about his A Cat in the Brain (what a rad title) cameo, but he was ofc a lot older then. I love how he ducks that barrage, good situational awareness.

That was my favourite part of the film, when

Spoiler

the old guard are finally like "Che palle! Fuck this dope-pushing, French cathouse-smelling frog!" and bust out their old tools, demolishing the entire FRENCH CONNECTION with calculated OLDMANFORCE. "Remember, it's dangerous after eleven o'clock." "Oh daddy!" ("Now where's me shootah...")

Especially these two old masters of urban warfare setting up one cruel belly-blasting!

https://youtu.be/Etw8Utbyc30?t=4532

I like how old dude #1 is visibly just chilling on the back seat, maximum comfort while blasting, then *drops panel* "Too slow bitch!"

[Vexorg]

Ace Ventura: Pet Detective: *1/2

The recent Sonic the Hedgehog movie is introducing a whole new generation to Jim Carrey's nails-on-chalkboard acting "skills", so it seemed like as good a time as any (or none) to go back and see just how horribly annoying Jim Carrey was in his alleged prime. That said, this could have been a much more compelling movie if the horrendous overacting was toned down a bit. There's a good reason that this style of movie fell out of favor quickly, and hasn't come back (aside from the ill-advised Dumb and Dumber sequel) since.

[vol.2]

Ace Ventura: Pet Detective: *1/2

couldn't agree more. carrey is at his best when he is used as a gimmick rather than allowed to control the mood of the movie. Cable Guy and Once Bitten are both enjoyable, if not forgettable slices of cheese. The mid 90's movies are atrocious. The Mask is the absolute worst of the bunch.

[Stevens]

Been working our way through the Star Trek tng movies. They're about what I expected, longer episodes that are ok. I thought First Contact was the best of them so far. Just Nemesis left.

[lilmanjs]

The Cannonball Run
Roger Moore steals the movie in this along with Jackie Chan arguing and giggling through all of his scenes. I really enjoyed it, but that ending felt too darn silly for its own good.

[Vexorg]

The Cannonball Run
Roger Moore steals the movie in this along with Jackie Chan arguing and giggling through all of his scenes. I really enjoyed it, but that ending felt too darn silly for its own good.

Still need to watch this one, but it looks like it's not available for streaming so I'd have to find a disc copy.

[lilmanjs]

The Cannonball Run
Roger Moore steals the movie in this along with Jackie Chan arguing and giggling through all of his scenes. I really enjoyed it, but that ending felt too darn silly for its own good.

Still need to watch this one, but it looks like it's not available for streaming so I'd have to find a disc copy.

It is a fun turn your brain off silly movie where most everyone does a good job. A discord server I was in hosted a watching of Ikiru today and I managed to catch it. Never seen it before and while it was depressing and inspiring all in one movie, that ending really made me so sad. Easily one of the best Kurosawa movies ever made.

[GaijinPunch]

Red Sun (1971) Horeh shiet. How'd I never hear about this one? Charles BURONSON (wily thief) and a winningly English-growling Toshiro Mifune (LAST SAMOURAI) in a classic spaghetti western revenge. True to genre standards, it's unhurriedly scenic, earthy and violent. The slow-thawing buddy act is unsurprising yet charmingly played, as expected of the estimable leading men, with a charismatic nemesis in handsome devil Alain Delon. Good with large-scale shootouts and grimly economical slashings alike. Only thing that sapped immersion was an inane "don't cut the rope, you might cut them too!" *blasts rope off throat with revolver* scene, trivial. A fine evening's entertainment for fans of either lead.

Had to do a double take when I saw the image. Lol... on the list.

[BIL]

It's funny, I always subconsciously dreaded Mifune's later, Western roles, fearing they might be earnest yet intrinsically doomed, reductive attempts by a legendary outsider, ala Lemmy Kilmister's occasional attempts to break MTV/radio. But he's absolutely in his element here - and with Yojimbo's famous Spaghetti retrofit as Fistful of Dollars, there's a classily tacit meta aspect Samurai/Western fans will love. He's stoical yet subtly vulnerable, kills motherfuckers and gets good pussy while honor he famiry. Totally worthy of enjoying alongside his staple Japanese classics.

Even his English is endearing, I laughed out loud at one particular exchange I won't spoil. I've been meaning to read up on the movie's production, he and BURONSON's onscreen chemistry is superb. Hard not to wish it'd been his Gaijin alter-ego Clint instead, admittedly.

[Mischief Maker]

It's funny, I always subconsciously dreaded Mifune's later, Western roles, fearing they might be earnest yet intrinsically doomed, reductive attempts by a legendary outsider, ala Lemmy Kilmister's occasional attempts to break MTV/radio. But he's absolutely in his element here - and with Yojimbo's famous Spaghetti retrofit as Fistful of Dollars, there's a classily tacit meta aspect Samurai/Western fans will love. He's stoical yet subtly vulnerable, kills motherfuckers and gets good pussy while honor he famiry. Totally worthy of enjoying alongside his staple Japanese classics.

Even his English is endearing, I laughed out loud at one particular exchange I won't spoil. I've been meaning to read up on the movie's production, he and BURONSON's onscreen chemistry is superb. Hard not to wish it'd been his Gaijin alter-ego Clint instead, admittedly.

I realize Clint was playing his role, but even at his most serious there's a puckishness to Mifune, a natural ability to go from stone faced to laughing. I don't see that in Clint Eastwood, to me he's always come across as a grumpy old man, even when he was young. Trying to think of an actor with a closer personality in westerns and I realized Lee Van Cleef, especially in For a Few Dollars More (My favorite of Leone's westerns).

[BIL]

Oh no, I meant it'd be amusing to see Clint opposite Mifune in their primes (apologies, very over-refreshed ATM ), given the former's debt to the latter. Lee Van Cleef is indeed a treasure, would've been a fine stand-in for the taciturn yet infinitely watchable Bronson in Red Sun. A mark of his excellence, that he could play a deeply sympathetic protagonist in A Few Dollars More, only to be the arch-villain of The Good et al, without the slightest suspension of disbelief required. Old school theatrical chops, no substitute.

Agreed about Mifune - even in his most archetypal "stoical samurai" roles (Red Sun being no exception), he always conveyed a humility and vulnerability. Again I'm reminded of Clint, who although undeniably less versatile (Mifune could be anyone and anything) always demonstrated a hard-tested, stubborn humanity, even at his most cartoonishly idealised leading roles.

"Where's the girl?!"

(crumbs, where's that river scene opposite Eli Wallach in The Good... "These men's troubles are over now")

(in Dirty Harry 1, 2 and 4, at least - no comment on DH3, aka "We need Harry to kill the last boss with a rocket launcher!" and DH5 aka "Look kids, it's Guns n' Roses!")

[emphatic]

Planet Of The Humans 4/5.

Produced by Michael Moore, about the green energy and how it affects our planet. IMHO, a must watch.

Watch it for free, on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zk11vI- ... 53&t=4905s

Hoaxed 4/5

About fake news, built on interviews with persons deemed "controversial" by the media. I dare you to watch it, with an open mind.

[GaijinPunch]

kills motherfuckers and gets good pussy while honor he famiry

Would expect anything less?

[GaijinPunch]

The Hateful Eight: Extended Edition

Hadn't seen this since I saw it first run in the theater. I think the 4-part format on Netflix works well for this. Man-crushing on Walton Goggins.

[Vexorg]

Big Business: ***

Late 80s comedy (I believe this came out in theaters right around the same time as the Tom Hanks movie Big just to make things extra confusing for filmgoers) loosely based on the Shakespearean play A Comedy of Errors featuring two sets of identical twins mixed up at birth. One mismatched set went to a small factory town and the other set went to rich parents in New York and eventually became corporate executives plotting to shut down the factory in the small town to strip mine the land (how's that for an Eighties movie plot?). When the one set of twins goes to New York to protest, they are immediately mistaken for the others, and it all goes from there. With two lead actresses (Bette Midler and Lily Tomlin) each playing both of one set of twins, it leans heavily on the popular 80s film gimmick of having one actor play two roles simultaneously on the same screen (as popularized by the Back to the Future movies) but otherwise doesn't do anything particularly spectacular.

[NYN]

Rabid

The original. One of these flicks where some foxy chick gets some cock into her at the beginning and keeps it. Sharing not excluded. True to some fem perspective it does suck to have a prick this close to ones own heart. First rate counter measures for a viral outbreak are presented here: armed force, check points, plastic ID, machine guns, garbage trucks. The works. The end. I'm convinced. Bonus is some seasonal icon assassination. It's not that there isn't some replacement though.

Heathers

Dear Monocle, last night I saw Heathers for the first time and I feel, like, conflicted all over my body. And I decided that that's a good thing. How very. I was howling laughter like mad, but there's this self-righteous dude who thinks he can solve the problems of everybody in school. All my media-friends tell me a guy who's wearing black and goes to school with fire arms and a bomb belt, that's, like, no way to entertain people anymore. It's subversive. Except maybe Johnny Cash and he is dead. But that's too much of an MTv video game. I would blame John Hughes and his movies about these crazy cool kids. Mineral water. I think that provoked some people into making this movie. Oh, the humanity. Yes, teenage suicide is a sad thing, but that's why there has to be some fun about it, too. Big Fun. Like when it's actually murder. That certain underlining. It's just a movie, stop pulling my dick about it.

Sincerely yours

Eskimo

[rapoon]

Red Sun

On the wall next to my desk. No idea why they'd change the name to "Samurai and Cowboys" (says google)
Obiwanshinobi, any idea? (am I an ass to presume you're Polish....?)

Anyways, worth a watch for the banter between Bronson and Mifune.

[BIL]

Very cool. I love seeing those alternate market posters. Quite artsy, compared to the US and Japanese ones.

[Ed Oscuro]

I tried to watch Red Sun a few moons ago but didn't get far past that hilariously shaky telephoto opening. I've no complaints against the movie itself though, just a technical glitch I can sympathize with. I'd rather artists try crazy stuff than just go by rote! I will try and get back to it.

By the by, Off Peak for PC is a weird lil' game that features quite a few alternate "overseas" posters for films and just weird art in general, worth a look even if it's a walking simulator game.

[GaijinPunch]

Heathers

It's pretty amazing. Definitely chalk that one up to something that wouldn't be done today. They tried to do it in TV form and it basically flopped. Original release postponed due to a school shooting, then released and edited. I never saw it. IMDB thrashed it. Who knows.

[NYN]

They tried to do it in TV form and it basically flopped. Original release postponed due to a school shooting, then released and edited. I never saw it. IMDB thrashed it. Who knows.

Life sucks (teenage dream forged suicide note wisdom).

[CIT]

Just saw Angst, the 1983 Austrian avant-garde serial-killer film. Apparently it's one of Gaspar Noë's favorite films, and I can definitely see the influence on his works, especially Seul Contre Tous and Irreversible. I wasn't sure whether to feel repulsed by or pity the protagonist, a bumbling creep entirely driven by instinct, his victims the old, sick, and disabled.....oof, that was bleak! Nothing glorified about the violence in this film. Outstanding camera work and OST, that's for sure. Quite ahead of its time.

[drauch]

Angst is definitely a bummer. I don't know if I like it or not, kind of like Haneke's Funny Games. Yeah I think Noe watched it a ridiculous amount of times, just over and over. Probably just a one and done for me. Although I said that about Salo 16 years ago and I've been wanting to rewatch lately .

[BIL]

TETSUO (1989) Finally sat down with this one. One of those films I've had every reason to watch (Lynch/Cronenberg stylings, Svankmajer stop-motion madness, punishing industrial OST), for well over two decades. You know when procrastination gets so fierce, you put off things you want to do?

Prompted to watch while revisting the music of the late Tadashi "Chu" Ishikawa, who I got into via Yakuza gorefest Fudoh: The New Generation's chainsaw-roaring main theme. Also this cookin' sexy beat (NWS, contains assassination via kegel). As I'd read, his clinically violent OST is as integral to this film as anything witnessed onscreen - no small feat. Director/co-star Shinya Tsukamoto's stop-motion is formidably economical, a shoestring masterclass in the surreally stomach-churning, he and his small cast leaning furiously into the mania.

The vivid ero-nightmare junkyard aesthetic and Lynchian blasts of bad omen aside, I was pleasantly surprised by the relatively straightforward story. I always expect a degree of open-endedness with Japanese horror, if not outright impenetrability - but accepting the film's magical realism, it's quite neatly done. Intriguingly plotted, writhing deeper and darker into corruption and primal fury.



"Saa... KOI!"

My only criticism is the limited choreography. Action is sparse, decidedly not the point, and punishingly confined - a cramped Tokyo apartment, a dingy alleyway, a public toilet, a garage. However, the relatively ambitious denouement feels a little static. Ultimately powers through on the utter vitriol that brought it thus. An astonishing blast of virtuoso body-horror, well worthy of its cult acclaim.

[Stevens]

Demolition Man

The Mrs. and I continue our trek into 80's/90's big dick, big guns, big pec territory. Predator was great, Raw Deal...uh the less said the better, and now this.

Happy to say that it has also aged pretty well. Their take on the "future" (SO MANY CRTS) is still interesting, especially the social aspects of it. Neither Stallone or Snipes are Oscar worthy but they play well enough off of each other.

Comedy of note - towards the beginning when Snipes is in the museum a group of Chinese people walk by and he launches into some racist verbal abuse that would never make it into a film today. I had to rewind it to make sure I heard him proper.

Definitely worth a watch.

[NYN]

On top of that Wes blows coke, performs open eye surgery, and is outright sarcastic.
Can you spell comic V.I.L.L.A.I.N. ? What seems to be your boggle?
He's a bad mother.

[Vexorg]

Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment: *1/2

The first Police Academy film was a bit of a surprise hit, which naturally meant the studio would have to milk it for all it's worth with a lengthy series of increasingly mediocre sequels, a TV series, and eventually a cartoon series complete with a line of toys (it's odd to think that there was a time when R-rated films were regularly adapted into syndicated cartoon series shown on weekday afternoons, but apparently it happened on a shockingly regular basis in the 80s and early 90s.).

That said, this film was pretty bad. A paper-thin semblance of a plot is used to wrap what is essentially a barely feature length (85 minute runtime, short even by 80s standards) sketch comedy into a movie, and most of the scenes end up being more cringey than funny now. Even so, it managed to make $115 million on a $7.5 million budget, thus perpetuating the franchise milking for quite a while.

[BIL]

(it's odd to think that there was a time when R-rated films were regularly adapted into syndicated cartoon series shown on weekday afternoons, but apparently it happened on a shockingly regular basis in the 80s and early 90s.)

Yep, this was de rigeur, typically with action figure tie-ins via Kenner et al. Aliens, Predator, Terminator, Robocop, Rambo, Toxic Avenger... you know, for kids. What's that sneaky Clarence Boddicker like in the movie? Mom, what's "felony rape?"

Robocop was probably the most nuts, with the cheerful DIC-style intro depicting the movie's Rob Bottin-powered slaughter of Murphy from his POV. Thoroughly steam-cleaned of the real thing's sadism and any hint of carnage, but what a reference, however oblique.

[Mortificator]

The Aliens toys came with these wild little comic books. I remember one issue had Apone and Drake and the other marines fighting xenomorphs in a network of caves, opining that now that they know what they're dealing with, they won't have another disaster like Archeron LV-426. Like... the mission where you all DIED?? Nice that you guys were able to bounce back from that. Let's use being dissolved by acid and getting impregnated & violently exploded as a learning experience.