Movies you've just watched

[njiska]

Watched For Your Eyes Only and Octopussy. You know I defended the first two Moore films, but from then on out they've been really going down hill. These two were both pretty boring and poorly paces, though Octopussy was definitely the stronger of the two. Thank god tonight brings an ended to it all with A View to a Kill.

Also, apparently I've never seen Risky Business. Remedying this problem right now.

[emphatic]

Looper - 4/5.

Damn, cinema's are WAY too loud in the UK. My ears are hurting now.

[system11]

Looper - 4/5.

Damn, cinema's are WAY too loud in the UK. My ears are hurting now.

Yup - it's ridiculous now, the Cineworld near us is especially bad - just can't go there.

[Raytrace]

Also, apparently I've never seen Risky Business. Remedying this problem right now.

haha man truly ace - 'Old Time Rock n Roll' FTW! o_O

[Raytrace]

Cockneys vs Zombies. 7/10

Great idea, lots of good actors and acting - lots of laughs too. It's not as good as the trailer implied though - you're kind of waiting for the good bits to happen for half the film. Worth watching just for Richard Briers with an uzi.

do they make up a rhymin slang for 'zombies' ? :p

[LSU]

I thought Beyond The Black Rainbow was the best film I've seen in years. If you like David Lynch, John Carpenter, David Cronenberg or Stanley Kubrick (and lets face it - who wouldn't?) you'll also like this. Stunning visuals and soundtrack and I found it utterly compelling to sit through. The ending was a tad disappointing on the first viewing I have to admit, but the second time round - and afterwards - I think I've seen it about six times now - it seemed quite poetic. A truly, absolutely amazing piece of cinema. I really wish more films would be made like this nowadays, but alas, it's a rare piece of art. Instant top ten list stuff for me. Oh, and it was shot on real film too, according to the director. Imagine that!

[njiska]

Also, apparently I've never seen Risky Business. Remedying this problem right now.

haha man truly ace - 'Old Time Rock n Roll' FTW! o_O

Old Time Rock n Roll AND In The Air Tonight.

[system11]

Cockneys vs Zombies. 7/10

Great idea, lots of good actors and acting - lots of laughs too. It's not as good as the trailer implied though - you're kind of waiting for the good bits to happen for half the film. Worth watching just for Richard Briers with an uzi.

do they make up a rhymin slang for 'zombies' ? :p

Yes. There's a scene all about that.

[GaijinPunch]

I thought Beyond The Black Rainbow was the best film I've seen in years. If you like David Lynch, John Carpenter, David Cronenberg or Stanley Kubrick (and lets face it - who wouldn't?) you'll also like this. Stunning visuals and soundtrack and I found it utterly compelling to sit through. The ending was a tad disappointing on the first viewing I have to admit, but the second time round - and afterwards - I think I've seen it about six times now - it seemed quite poetic. A truly, absolutely amazing piece of cinema. I really wish more films would be made like this nowadays, but alas, it's a rare piece of art. Instant top ten list stuff for me. Oh, and it was shot on real film too, according to the director. Imagine that!

Cool -- put it on my Wishlist at Amazon. Maybe Santa will bring it to me.

[njiska]

Wow, A View to a Kill was not nearly as bad as I was expecting. Better pacing than the last few films and none of the over-the-top cheesy bull shit that started in Moonraker. Sort of an average 80s film, but still higher on my list than Moonraker, Octopussy or For Your Eyes Only. Plus I love the Duran Duran theme.

[GaijinPunch]

Yeah -- definitely the best Bond theme pretty much to date.

[njiska]

I don't know GP, I really, really have a thing for The Living Daylights, but A View to a Kill is definitely on par.

[GaijinPunch]

Oh, shit -- A-ha? I didn't even notice that one. Might have to check it out. Duran Duran had way more of an impact on my child hood, but I had a few A-ha albums... well, cassette tapes actually.

EDIT: I think I've heard it... heading to Youtube. It's all the way on the other side of the internet though.

EDIT2: Okay, not a bad tune. I'll rank Duran Duran a bit better. I will also say that neither of the offerings are close to my favorites either song's respective band. The fact that Duran Duran put out two VERY fap-able music videos when I was in junior high gives them competitive edge.

[njiska]

Well it's completely understandable how that might give a young man a certain bias. And I can definitely think of Duran Duran songs I like more, but as far as the realm of Bond things go, those are at the top. And they sound awesome in DTS HD MA on my surround system.

Side note, finally getting around to watching The Lost Boys. The days when teen vampire movies were cool.

[GaijinPunch]

Side note, finally getting around to watching The Lost Boys. The days when teen vampire movies were cool.

Those days are never coming back...

[Raytrace]

Well it's completely understandable how that might give a young man a certain bias. And I can definitely think of Duran Duran songs I like more, but as far as the realm of Bond things go, those are at the top. And they sound awesome in DTS HD MA on my surround system.

Side note, finally getting around to watching The Lost Boys. The days when teen vampire movies were cool.

I have to say someday Imma rewatch that, it was kinda ruined for me in school cos some peeps I didn't like kept on quoting it 'initiation time is over' - 'time to die' etc.

so i always said i hated it and in fact never watched it (fully) (lulz o_O)

[Raytrace]

Old Time Rock n Roll AND In The Air Tonight.

haha all I'll say is the 'choo choo' scene had a big effect on me as a young lad ...

[drauch]

King Kong Vs Godzilla - Fuck. I wish the Japanese version was readily available on DVD. The American edit/dub is so dreadful. I mean, it's practically unwatchable. Every five minutes you have some white condescending looking asshole come on the television and mention some bullshit "facts" about Godzilla and won't stop smiling because he's a prick. Queue Japanese correspondent to back up his information. White old fart scientist gets on and incorrectly points out what he thinks is a T-rex, in reference to Godzilla. The Japanese cast dubbing is purposely awful as well. The fight scenes are good, yet still edited in places. What would be a fun Godzilla movie is practically ruined--as usual--to American studio interference. Bah.

[CMoon]

I think you just missed some of the quintessential comedy of the US version of Godzilla vs King kong.

[drauch]

Man...I wish I could view it that way. I'm such a cranky bastard anymore that I can't enjoy hardly anything dubbed. Mainly just Italian stuff, but that's just from years and years of watching it.

[Nana]

A Snake of June. Wow, this movie was a hell of a trip. I'm already infatuated with Shinya Tsukamoto to begin with (Tetsuo the Ironman is a masterpiece), but this movie really caught me by surprise. It's very moody and elegant, not just dumb fun. The whole thing is shot on 8mm film, and was color graded blue, which gives it a hell of an atmosphere, and goes well with the neverending rain that accompanies the movie.

The movie itself is about a woman who is getting bored of her marriage, and attracts a stalker through her line of work at a suicide hotline. Things RAPIDLY go downhill from there... and then keep getting worse. It's a pretty damn bleak movie, for sure. It's divided into chapters (female, male, and...) which are distinguished with their own little screen (accompanied by one of the coolest sound effects I've ever heard), and follow different point of views, but the difference is mostly cosmetic, as it follows the same story anyway.



I absolutely love the photography in this movie, and to be honest, the art and sound direction probably ARE the best parts of the movie -- while the story is good, I don't think I would have enjoyed it if it were shot any other way. The music is similarly bleak; simple synthesizers, violins and metal sounds almost entirely comprise the soundtrack, but it explodes in some very intense scenes later on. It's unfortunate that the parts I'm talking about aren't actually on youtube or anything, but there's not much I can do about that.




It's a bit on the explicit side so I can't recommend it to everybody, but anybody that likes Tsukamoto's work or would be interested in a "surreal erotica" as on youtuber called it should DEFINITELY check it out. If you like the art style, then chances are the movie would click with you anyway, and even if the movie as a whole isn't your kinda thing, there's a 5 or so minute scene in the middle that I think everyone should watch, and makes the whole experience worth it.

Good shit.

[Skykid]

Za Japanese Trizzle:

Hausu

Two parts masterpiece, three parts complete trash, Hausu has some of the most impressive macro/analog editing I've ever seen prior to digital manipulation. It's a technical feat deserved of recognition, and the set design is equally impressive. It's also quite enjoyable, despite being neither scary nor suspenseful, and the director's eccentricity is liberating, with conscious effort to make the studio environment a character in the movie. The plot is neither here nor there, but you can follow its goings on, and the 70's-ness of it enhances the experience into retro hipster heaven. That said, despite its surprisingly modern and adventurous cinematography, and its endearing, purposely cheesy SFX, it's completely batshit insane with absolutely no purpose whatsoever outside of its stylistic facade. There's no point to anything, not even a whimper of subtle meaning behind a minute of its footage: just silliness with a smattering of nudity that jars with the scooby doo tone of the film.
Worth watching for its charm, individuality and virtuoso technique.



Gunhed

90% Aesthetic, 10% film, Gunhed is a staggering looking movie with little to no substance whatsoever. The plot is incomprehensible, and you won't care anyway; and the cast is a series of throwaways. It flits between Japanese and English dialogue on a whim and constantly uses textbook cliche in the most uneducated, embarrassingly sterile way possible. The best character is Gunhed itself, the ass-kicking robot in question, it's just a shame the pilot is a completely characterless pussy to whom you're devoid of the slightest affection.
Absolutely worth it for the incredible set design, awesome (but very underused) music, Brenda Bakke's pout, outstanding miniature work and 80's film grain (and Alan Smithee directorial credit); but there's no getting away from the fact that you'll slowly facepalm your way through the movie when you realise what a wasted opportunity it all is.



Tetsuo: The Iron Man

Stop motion wire wool abound! Rupert H's beer fuelled reminiscence of Japan's answer to Eraserhead had me revisit it last night. It's still an utterly arresting assault on a the mind, and a fascinating example of both arthouse and body horror/metamorphoses. Its 16mm camera is infinitely digestible and the rawness of its cinematography is a thing to behold. That said, 60 minutes is about all one can take and by the end its Japaneseness is a little too prominent, shedding its plot thread to become an untethered apocalyptic vision of metal fusion and world domination.
Awesomely visceral stuff, still one of the best of its kind.

[Nana]

cool shit

Tetsuo represent!

And you probably already knew this, but I wanted to point out that Hausu was actually written by the director's seven year-old daughter, and to the best of my knowledge he shot it verbatim (with the exception of a few added nude scenes, of course.) Fucking fantastic film, and everybody who likes the idea of a retarded Japanese Evil Dead II (with amazing art direction) needs to see that one for sure.

[Mischief Maker]

b]Tetsuo: The Iron Man[/b]

[...]

That said, 60 minutes is about all one can take and by the end its Japaneseness is a little too prominent, shedding its plot thread to become an untethered apocalyptic vision of metal fusion and world domination.

I was always under the impression that the metal fusion was a metaphor for AIDS. The buttoned-down salaryman had a liaison with the fetishist, then dumped him for a closeted life with his girlfriend. The fetishist's "revenge" is that his own dangerous lifestyle already got himself infected with AIDS, which he passed to the salaryman. The Salaryman unknowingly passes it on to his girlfriend (the sewer drill scene) before his own body starts to break down. The techno tank at the end is a metaphor for furtive unsafe sexual practices raging throughout Japan.

"Our love can put an end to this fucking world."

[Nana]

RE: Mischief Maker:

That makes a lot of sense actually, I honestly never considered interpreting much or any of the movie as more than a thesis on industrial aesthetic, but that would "explain" the story for sure.

So... does anyone know what the hell's going on with the metal zombie chase scene in the beginning of the movie though? That part just doesn't make any sense at all to me. Not that I'm complaining or anything.

[BIL]

Just got back from Skyfall. Excellent stuff, very much the classic Bond movie refined; more spectacle, action/adventure fantasy and humour than Casino Royale but none of the inane excess the series and character had accumulated up until 2006, with a satisfyingly personal story flawlessly supported by Judi Dench, Javier Bardem and Daniel Craig.

I hope Craig gets one more film. With the running theme of knowing one's inevitable obsolescence, he portrayed a Bond at the beginning of his later years perfectly - a bit older and slower by his world's standards, still near-superhumanly lean and mean by ours - and the end of the film sets up a sendoff perfectly.

[Octopod]

I bought the Alien Anthology BR set. I watched Alien theatrical cut last night. Shit looks good.

[Skykid]

And you probably already knew this, but I wanted to point out that Hausu was actually written by the director's seven year-old daughter, and to the best of my knowledge he shot it verbatim (with the exception of a few added nude scenes, of course.) Fucking fantastic film, and everybody who likes the idea of a retarded Japanese Evil Dead II (with amazing art direction) needs to see that one for sure.

Yep, I'm aware of the input from his daughter, who also makes a cameo in the film. He didn't shoot it verbatim based on her suggestion entire (that would be really ludicrous) but he picked her brains regarding things she found scary, and some of her ideas made it into scenes in the film, such as death by futon and piano lids chopping off fingers. Not so sure I'd go as far as 'fucking fantastic film' but worth watching for its aesthetic and technical showboating, definitely.

AIDS metaphor

Good films certainly encourage interpretation, and you may be onto something there. That would certainly make the woman at the beginning who's also been infected by the fetishist more clear. Quick google says you're not the only one to draw that conclusion, and it's also been related to homosexual awakening and the Japanese encroachment on the world market.

[EmperorIng]

I just watched a beautiful 80s horror flick oozing with originality and atmopshere:

Pumpkinhead, with Lance Henriksen.

It's got a great setting and unique premise, and Lance puts in a really great performance as a father wanting revenge for the death of his son by a group of [seemingly?] assholish city kids.

The costume effects, if you love practical effects, are really beautiful, messy, and gory, and the movie builds to a suitable and delightful sense of tension once the titular Pumpkinhead is unleashed.

I found out that the director was also the costume director. Stan Winston also did the costumes for Alien/Aliens. I thought Pumpkinhead looked familiar - he basically is a xenomorph! 20 years before the hybrid in Resurrection, we had a real human/alien monster running around in Appalachia.

It's a great movie and one I'd recommend to fans of 80s horror.

[BIL]

Stan Winston ruled so goddamn hard.