Movies you've just watched

[PC Engine Fan X!]

Checked out the sexy Zombie Women of Satan (2009), a British campy zombie flick with plently of busty female zombies trying to get to our ragtag group of misfits. This flick doesn't take itself seriously (like with past serious zombie films including the 28 Days/ 28 Weeks Later films or even the George Romero zombie flicks that've been cropping up recently). Plently of zombies gals dressed up with a Suicide Girls motif/vibe for a different & refreshing change of pace -- ain't your typical humdrum usual zombie characters either. Plus, the special EFX gets better towards the eventual conclusion -- so don't dismiss the EFX at the beginning & the middle parts as mere filler material to move the story along.

It seems that the cast & crew had a great time making this zombie parody film indeed.

The upcoming World War Z flick is a more serious zombie flick with a definitive May 17, 2013 release date stateside.

And not to mention a proper sequel to Zombieland (aptly titled Zombieland 2) is in the works as well. The real question is the Hostess snack theme/vibe, will it be prevelant in this 2nd outing?

(The Hostess brand name & all of it's IPs are being auctioned up for sale to potiential buyers/suitors for upwards of $400 million+ USD & would have to approved by the bankruptcy court for the sale to close -- then the USA shall see the proper return of the beloved Hostess brand name albeit under new ownership/name -- a deal that'd take a good four to six months to complete the paperwork & to get the ol' Hostess production lines up & running once again. It's business as usual.)

Back to the original topic at hand.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[Mischief Maker]

(The Hostess brand name & all of it's IPs are being auctioned up for sale to potiential buyers/suitors for upwards of $400 million+ USD & would have to approved by the bankruptcy court for the sale to close -- then the USA shall see the proper return of the beloved Hostess brand name albeit under new ownership/name -- a deal that'd take a good four to six months to complete the paperwork & to get the ol' Hostess production lines up & running once again. It's business as usual.)

You'd think they'd fast track the process, as supervillain crime has skyrocketed now that there are no more delicious hostess fruit pies to distract them from their plans to turn the united nations into wombats.

[drauch]

Rats: Night of Terror! Now we're talkin. Pure Bruno Mattei sleaze. And yeah, like a couple hundred rats died in the making that, along with a handful of other Italian films during the time. 'Twas pretty much "okay" to kill animals on film, as long as they weren't domesticated. Still seems like you can still get away with anything that isn't fuzzy, though: insects, snakes, fish. Value=cuteness/size.

[EmperorIng]

Directed by that master of Hong Kong trash, Godfrey Ho.

Dude directed 23 feature films in 1987 alone. Legendary.

Screw Hitchcock; Godfrey Ho was the supreme auteur.

An online pal of mine went through the trouble of splicing together the English voice track with the French widescreeen video to make the ultimate edition of NINJA SILENT ASSASSIN, in widescreen.

It's probably my favorite Ho film (along with RAGE OF NINJA); if anyone has a lot of time to spare, instead of browsing forums, you can watch some pure art, instead! The total Dirty Harry ripoff at the four minute mark is almost worth the price of admission alone. Lol, I'll probably watch it the next time I work the graveyard shift.

[drauch]

Godfrey Ho is the man. Him and Cirio H. "Explosions" Santiago as far as pumping out tons of movies with lots of action. My favorite has always been Robo Vampire. I'd kill to own a poster of Robocop putting a Chinese Vampire in a headlock while explosions and a helicopter dick around in the back.

[BIL]

Whoa, Robocop is using that Chinese Vampire as a human shield. And since bullets don't do shit to him anyway he's probably just doing it to be a dick!

[BareKnuckleRoo]

Oh hey, at least that Hobbit movie was good for something.

[system11]

The Mask Of Satan (aka Black Sunday) - 8/10

Old fashioned horror film like they used to be, in the same style as Hammer Horror films, but from Italian director Mario Bava. Watching it now, it's hard to believe this was banned in the UK for a few years after release, it's a 15 certificate now and that's only due to a handful of small scenes (which were cut from the US release).

[EmperorIng]

British censorship is, in general, often amusing.

I watched Disco Godfather the other night. A Rudy Ray Moore flick, aka DOLEMITE. He pretty much plays the same character in every movie but Dolemite is so awesome that it's permissible.

The movie is probably his most "ambitious," ha. It's the clearest inspiration for Black Dynamite (every RRM movie is an inspiration for Black Dynamite). Some funny bits, but the first half of the movie is pretty much people dancing in Dolemite's disco club, to some seriously sweet disco music. It's a good thing Rudy Ray Moore has so much charisma that you can put up with it!

There's a shitton of rotoscoping and monster-costumes (!!!!) in a Rudy Ray Moore blaxploitation no less, and the ending is great. The beginning half is not really anything worth writing home about, and it sort of got boring.



"He's the God- Father- of the Dis- co!
He's the God- Father- of the Dis- co!
He's the God- Father- of the Dis- co!
He's the God- Father- of the Dis- co!"

[lilmanjs]

Curry and Pepper. Stephen Chow in a buddy cop movie? Sure, why not? Its actually a pretty decent movie at that. The 2 leads play off each other very well and the comedy doesn't seem forced. Good action sequences as well to boot. Only thing I really had a problem with was the way they introduced the main bad guy into the movie. Should have been a little more than a 10 second scene with him getting handed a fax and then crushing it and standing up looking mad. But once he was in the movie, he was a badass than never seemed to die. Took a thousand bullets it seemed like. Overall I was surprised that this would even be halfway decent let alone worth watching. 8/10

[system11]

Nazis at the Center of the Earth - 53264574/10

Wow, what didn't this mess have in it?

[GaijinPunch]

Late to the game as usual, but...

SPOILERISH

Looper: Mixed feelings. Watchable? Yes. Enjoyable? Yes. However, I share a lot of sentiments about that other posters here do. Never got over Joseph Gorden-Levit's make-up (prosthetics, actually, I think). I also didn't buy him into being so remorseless and a dick that he'd have zero feelings for his future self. Oh, well. Maybe I missed something.

Argo: Good, enjoyable, intense. I doubt I'd have to watch it again. I think Ben is actually not as big of a douche at directing as he used to be at acting. He'll still always be O'Banion to me though.

[EmperorIng]

Nazis at the Center of the Earth - 53264574/10

Wow, what didn't this mess have in it?

My curiosity has been piqued.

===

I saw Them last night. Great tension, even if the hokey Americana of the movie is a little overpowering at points.

The ants look awesome, but they don't move very well, just sort of shambling to and fro. I can appreciate the beginnings of the monster-horror genre (not talking about the old Universals), and there are some great performances in there. I think as far as atomic parables, Gojira is about as ace as they come, but the U.S. didn't make out too bad - there's a sense of underlying paranoia in the film that works very well.

The movie had one really awesome idea that they didn't capitalize on - a queen lays her nest on a battleship! How cool is that?! Too bad 8 minutes later the ship is sunk. I felt strung along.

[system11]

Stitches (2012) - 7/10

Horror comedy with a killer clown, British made on a small budget but it's surprisingly good fun and the enthusiasm was obvious. You'll pretty much be able to tell in the first 2 minutes if it's a film you'll enjoy, it sets its level right there and sticks to it.

[CMoon]

Discovered Chuck Jones' adaptation of Phantom Tollboth: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQBx65VKlrg

Like most people my age, I grew up with a lot of the films by Jones, not just his contributions to Bugs, but his Jungle Book adaptations and the memorable Grinch short which may actually be one of the most iconic pieces of animation from the last quarter o the 20th century if you get right down to it. Other things from the late 60's and 70's were weird and wonderful (Rankin Bass, Mouse and his Child???), so discovering other things from this period isn't about any sort of objective judgment. Rather, it is about grabbing up another piece of media from this period.

Yes, I rather enjoyed it though don't think I'd need to see it again anytime soon. Do I recommend it to anyone else? Drauch would love this, many others here would probably tune out in the first 5 minutes.

[EmperorIng]

There was an animated adaption of the Phantom Tollbooth?

I've been wanting a cartoon version of the movie since I read the book as a child.

Add to that a 70s soundtrack with Chuck Jones animation? Awesome - i definitely know what i'm watching this weekend!

[LSU]

I saw Them last night. Great tension, even if the hokey Americana of the movie is a little overpowering at points.

Love that film... Also interesting how many similarities it has to Aliens... (Potential spoilers follow, I suppose!) A young girl is found early on, whose family has been killed by the creatures, and she is in shock and cannot speak, and she is clutching a doll... The whole ants' Queen hive structure thing... Remote deserted locations, with protagonists finding aftermaths of creature attacks before we see the creatures themselves... Use of a flamethrower to destroy the egg chamber... Army soldiers in a maze of 'sub-level' dark corridors searching for civilians to rescue whilst fending off creature attacks... And featuring a strong fearless female character, although I wouldn't quite call her the lead. I'm probably missing more...

[EmperorIng]

It wouldn't surprise me if a young James Cameron was more than impressed with the monstrous ants of Them when he set about following-up Ridley Scott's masterpiece.

EDIT:
Going to watch Gojira soon. I've never seen it all the way through, so I am ready for one hell of a monster movie.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

Checked out the Side Effects film yesterday that deals with the pill manufacturers industry, doctors whom are on the payroll to dispense 'em to their patients & some surprising twists & spins towards the end you won't see coming. Rooney Mara is the lead actress in this film & gives a solid performance. Jude Law portrays a doctor residing in the U.S. that gets embroiled in a bit of a mess/sticky situation. Find out what happens next.

Film Factoid: The director whom directed his latest film, Side Effects, also directed the earlier flick known as The Girlfriend Experience which was made on a mere shoestring budget of two million dollars. Actress Sasha Grey stars in it as well.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[Moniker]

^ That's Soderbergh, no? I quite like his indie-mode films. There was one about a small-town murder that used all non-professional actors that really grabbed me. Can't recall the title, offhand. Been meaning to watch The Girlfriend Experience.

[CMoon]

Going to watch Gojira soon. I've never seen it all the way through, so I am ready for one hell of a monster movie.

The original 54 film is a classic and while I would never divorce it from the giant monster genre, it is its own sort of film. Part King Kong, part war and post-war commentary. Expect an intelligent and emotional film with a great soundtrack. Not quite Kurosawa, but a really great Toho film from a a strong period for Toho.

[1up]

Watched Skyfall and Doc Hollywood in the last couple of days.

Skyfall was good but NOT the best Bond movie ever made, like the media is raving about. I don't even think it's the best Daniel Craig Bond movie. It was pretty good with some good action and I just loved the genius, laid back attitude of the vilain. "Why all the running and jumping around? It's exhausting"

Doc Hollywood was a great re-watch. Been over 15 years since I saw it last. I remember being sick of this movie as it was always on tv as a teen. Typical early 90s Michael J Fox sugar coated romance comedy, but it was a lot more fun than I remember.

Taking my daughter to see Wreck it Ralph this weekend. We just get it now in Denmark, but I am looking forward to watching it.

[Skykid]

I know the US had this ages ago, but went to see Cloud Atlas.

Better than I expected, although I wasn't expecting much. It was ambitious, occasionally thought provoking and generally well conceived and executed, but ends up in fuzzy 'what's the point of all this?' territory.

The plotlines don't really intersect, they just nod at each other and try to hold onto an overarching subtext of love, reincarnation, repentance and other wishy-washy themes. I can't say I didn't enjoy it; some of the concepts were great, Neo Seoul and its fabricated Asian waitresses particularly.

Ben Wishaw is good but limited - surely overrated versus the hype - and the poor Korean girl just can't act. I felt sorry for her though because she can barely speak English. Might have been better in her native tongue. :/
Tom Hanks was superb as ever, by far the finest set of multiple performances in there, and a turn as a violent Irish pikey that's worth the price of entry.

Ultimately, this was like a Hollywood 2046 without the filmmaking artistry but grander aspirations. Half successful and worth a one time viewing.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

^ That's Soderbergh, no? I quite like his indie-mode films. There was one about a small-town murder that used all non-professional actors that really grabbed me. Can't recall the title, offhand. Been meaning to watch The Girlfriend Experience.

Yep, it's Soderbergh alrighty. He also directed Haywire as well. Yeah, The Girlfriend Experience delves into the world of highly paid call girls subject matter.

From what I recall Cloud Atlas bombed big time at the U.S. box office. My local movie theater had it playing for two weeks tops and yanked it due to lackluster box office ticket sales.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[trap15]

First Blood

Surprised that I hadn't seen this yet. Holy shit, what a great movie. Not as action-y as I was expecting, but I think that only made it better.

PTSD + police brutality = Fucking glorious.

[jonny5]

Tucker and Dale vs. Evil

Awesome movie!! Right up your alley, system11.

Also, Slither. Hadn't watched it in a few years. Still great fun.

[system11]

Tucker and Dale vs. Evil

Awesome movie!! Right up your alley, system11.

Already got it on blu-ray It is a good fun film. "WE GOT YOUR FRIEND!"

Just watched Skyfall, vast improvement over the previous Craig outings. He does a good Bond, finally they gave him a good film to play the part in. 9/10

[Skykid]

After all the Dragonslayer mentions, a movie I admit to knowing nothing about, I decided to continue my fantasy binge with it. It's pretty good, for what it's worth. Little bit of nudity, priests getting torched, strong performances from MacNicol and the eminent Ralph Richardson, and a surprisingly good dragon! Took itself a lot more seriously than I expected and went against all the convention of hero archetypes and fantasy settings. It's a bit weird that the main two actors are American and everyone else - including their fathers - are English, and it's also a bit weird that no-one could think of a way to protect a virgin girl from being offered up for sacrifice. Okay, it's a PG, but still, I can imagine parents would go to great lengths to protect their daughters from being eaten by a dragon, and that includes pre-marital and completely arranged intercourse.

Anyway, this was an entertaining watch. The end sequence was particularly well directed, and the art dept. did a very nice job with it. Ah 1981, it was a good year to be born.

[GaijinPunch]

The Fog

Definitely not the same level of awesome as The Thing, but still a valiant effort by John Carpenter. I thought it would be much more gory than it was. Jamie Lee Curtis was not her sexy self either unfortunately, but it's nice to see movies that are about the movie, and not about the fan service. Not worth owning IMHO, but was a good watch on the plane.

[drauch]

Goddammit. I really need to hang up my Dragonslayer poster--especially after seeing it again. It's insane that the 2-sheet was the Italian norm.