Movies you've just watched

[Skykid]

Oh, and you're totally right about the original DH's script...it's an absolute marvel of great lines.

It's just so witty. It's not only Willis' one-liners ("No shit lady, does it sound like I'm ordering a fucking pizza!"), but the banter between all of the secondary characters as well, including that tight-ass cop, that complete coke-fiend wally Ellis, the two FBI dudes and Hans and his henchmen. Last time I saw it was a few years ago at a special 70mm showing in the IMAX, and for the first time I realised how funny a film it is - a laugh a minute, in-between all the ultra violence and bloodshed.

I like that part where McClane comes back around to that Playboy pin-up after being battered and bloodied, and taps it like he's getting his bearings, "girls".

Surely one of the richest action movies ever, it's definitely not the 'no-brainer' it pretends to be.

[GaijinPunch]

The 5th one is shit, but marginally less shit than the 4th (yes, I was surprised).
I suppose that's some kind of recommendation if you just want to see John McClane shoot people for a couple of hours and try to ignore all the shit padded in-between.

Yeah, I'm so bummed. What made the first (and to a lesser but still deliverable extent) the third one was the feeling of encapsulation. The 2nd one didn't do it for me (intensity level was just not there) and the 4th really blew it. I will watch the 5th, but not in the theater.

IMDB says McTiernan hasn't done anyting since 2003? Shame.

Surely one of the richest action movies ever, it's definitely not the 'no-brainer' it pretends to be.

Definitely some great one-liners in there. Not sure what my favorite is. To add to your praise, it is really well scored (the unsettling jingle bells to go w/ the Xmas theme are ace) and the fight scene with Karl is one of the best 1 on 1 fight scenes in cinematic history. No bullshit... just two guys that want to kick the shit out of each other. "Mother fucker, I'll kill you!" Just sounds like a pissed off normal guy, which is what John McLane should be.

Will watch it again soon... such nostalgia. I watched it like 30 times as a kid at least.

EDIT: "I'm not the one that just got butt-fucked on national TV, Dwayne".

EDIT2: Wow, didn't know that Karl died in 1995.

[emphatic]

Welcome to the party, pal. That SWAT guy going ow when he pricks himself on the rose bushes always crack me up.

[Skykid]

Welcome to the party, pal. That SWAT guy going ow when he pricks himself on the rose bushes always crack me up.

Lol, yes! And when that Chinese guy with the machine gun stops in the middle of a firefight to steal a candy bar, even though they're cracking a safe with a bazillion dollars in it in the basement. See, that's the kind of thing I mean, it's a genuinely witty movie, a very taut script. It's also the best Christmas movie ever.

Yeah, I'm so bummed. What made the first (and to a lesser but still deliverable extent) the third one was the feeling of encapsulation. The 2nd one didn't do it for me (intensity level was just not there) and the 4th really blew it. I will watch the 5th, but not in the theater.

IMDB says McTiernan hasn't done anyting since 2003? Shame.

I thought the tension of being in a tight situation was what Die Hard was meant to be all about, but it seems only McTiernan actually knew it. DH4 is so unbelievably weak because it takes place over several days, amongst other serious offenses that stop it being a DH movie.

Also, McTiernan hasn't done anything since '03 because he was imprisoned for conspiring in the arranged killing of the Rollerball producer. If you've seen Rollerball, you'd probably understand why.

[jonny5]

Watched all the Sho Kosugi ninja flicks on Nextflix yesterday. I had forgotten how awesome they were, particularly the scores. The g/f hadn't seen any of them before so me made a day of it.

Great stuff!

[Necronopticous]

Finally watched Primer last night after years of recommendation. What a movie. I hear Carruth's second film is coming out next week, so I guess it was good timing.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

Checked out that action genre flick known as "Olympus Has Fallen" with actor Gerald Butler getting top billing. The director whom directed Training Day directed this OHF film as well. The majority of the CG effects was outscourced to a Bulgaria based CG EFX team. Plenty of twists and spins in this flick, indeed. I'm sure there is quite a detailed follow-though as how the operation was funded and executed in the weeks and months of internal investigation by the DoD (Department of Defense), CIA, FBI and the NSA with like how it unfolds in the beginning of the film and whom were the major backers and fianancers to pull it off with some very deep monetary pockets -- not to mention the months of careful planning, logistics, equipment, manpower, weaponry, etc. with absolutely no room for error or an alternate backup plan in case the first one ultimately fails (or perhaps there was never such a 2nd plan to begin with).

Of course in real life, the White House has plently of Stinger missles on the rooftop along with military-grade radar 24/7, not to mention the military would've given the WH an advanced "heads up" warning long before the invasion of it's air space territory post-9/11 nowdays. This film goes to show one possible route/method to attack the WH set in an alternate modern-day universe...with plently of collateral damage to the surrounding neighborhoods in the D.C. area (resulting in numerous injuries and deaths easily), plently of deaths of civilians, law enforcement, military and Secret Service agents. The body count is quite high in this film, it's a given/expected. I noticed some folks left after watching plently of Secret Service agents mowed down (I assumed that they weren't prepared for this kind of carnage/mayhem type of worst-case senario/incident and wanted their movie ticket price refunded -- so be it).

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[GaijinPunch]

Welcome to the party, pal. That SWAT guy going ow when he pricks himself on the rose bushes always crack me up.

Fuck yes! So subtle, but hilarious!

Also, McTiernan hasn't done anything since '03 because he was imprisoned for conspiring in the arranged killing of the Rollerball producer.

What... Tha... Fuck!?
Really?

Gotta search for that. I heard Rollerball sucked, yeah.

Finally watched Primer last night after years of recommendation. What a movie. I hear Carruth's second film is coming out next week, so I guess it was good timing.

Yeah, need to see this. The only blog in the world I ever check (ISO50) recommended both Primer as perhaps his favorite film, so he's of course pumped for the upcoming second film.

[drauch]

Watched all the Sho Kosugi ninja flicks on Nextflix yesterday. I had forgotten how awesome they were, particularly the scores. The g/f hadn't seen any of them before so me made a day of it.

Great stuff!

Dope! Rage of Honor and Revenge of the Ninja are sooooooo good. Pray for Death is kind of stale if I remember correctly. I eagerly anticipate Shout! Factory's Blu-Ray release of Ninja III: The Domination this year!

[Moniker]

Finally watched Primer last night after years of recommendation. What a movie. I hear Carruth's second film is coming out next week, so I guess it was good timing.

I watched this recently, too. After first viewing, I consulted a wiki, but then decided to try and puzzle it out, myself. Judged on traditional merits, it's not a great film, but as a Puzzle-Film (new genre?), it's amazing.

For my part, I've been catching up on Cronenberg. Watched A Dangerous Method - biopic about the relationship b/w Freud and Jung. Does Keira Knightley really need to be in every period piece from now on? Ugh. Fassbender was decent, although criminally restrained in the role; Viggo was quite good, as usual. The film really needed to be better-focused; I suspect Cronenberg kept to the source novel very closely. Too much time passed in too short a movie. Never really gets into the hardcore psychoanalysis, either, at least not overtly. I guess a generous viewer would apply the largely omitted principles to Jung and his protege... Although, after subsequently rewatching The Master, there's little doubt the whole endeavor was a missed opportunity.

Started watching Cosmopolis.. interesting, if nothing else. It's basically a proxy war b/w Marx and Rand (guess who wins??). Twilight dude is better than expected, but doesn't really rise to the challenge. Then again, the only real competition in his age group is Jesse Eisenberg and Michael Cera. Oh, and Paul Dano. Paul Dano could've been great.

Finally, rewatched Django Unchained. Fucking amazing movie.

[xbl0x180]

Finally watched Primer last night after years of recommendation. What a movie. I hear Carruth's second film is coming out next week, so I guess it was good timing.

At work, there is the on-going joke that people are either talking to "me, from the future" or "me, from the past" based on this movie


Just polished off Flash Gordon and... IT WAS TOTALLY AWERSOME! I love the comic book stylings of the sets, props, costumes, and casting. Nothing had to make perfect sense, the writers just had to get things moving along, which is refreshing! I don't want shit explained to me, nor do I seek for "realistic"/"realism." Fuckin' Chris Nolan killed Batman for me. Bring back a Queen Rock anthem for these superhero-type of movies!

[Skykid]

Started watching Cosmopolis.. interesting, if nothing else. It's basically a proxy war b/w Marx and Rand (guess who wins??). Twilight dude is better than expected, but doesn't really rise to the challenge. Then again, the only real competition in his age group is Jesse Eisenberg and Michael Cera. Oh, and Paul Dano. Paul Dano could've been great.

I hope by "started" watching Cosmopolis that means you turned it off before finishing it. What a terrible piece of shit movie that is. And please, some self-respect: you may not always be able to tell the abilities of one actor from another, but even suggesting Pattinson is somehow passable in that movie puts you in the same criminal pot as all the critics paid to sing his praises. He's so atrociously awful it's like strychnine in the eyeballs. He's not an actor, he does no acting, and his very presence is nauseating. If he never works again it will be too soon.

It's extremely rare I leave a movie theatre and request a refund (or in this case, an open ticket) but Cosmopolis was utterly unbearable. It's even rarer that three people got up and followed in my stead, too, but the ticket girl said it had been happening a lot with that particular film.

[system11]

Lake Placid 3 - *

Just terrible, the only gratifying bits were seeing a few of the more obnoxious cast members being eaten by crocodiles.

[hail good sir]

off

[boagman]

Lake Placid 3 - *

Just terrible, the only gratifying bits were seeing a few of the more obnoxious cast members being eaten by crocodiles.

Well, first...they made a Lake Placid *3*? Really? On what basis?

I've never seen any of them, as the only real drawing point for me was a commercial for the first one I saw wherein the illustrious Betty White was heard to be telling another in-movie character, "I'm rooting for the crocodile!" That woman could read from the phone book and I'd probably find it hilarious.

[Ixmucane2]

Spaceballs

They don't make films like this any more. Although lacking really awesome scenes and lines, there are an overwhelming amount of good ones, covering the whole range of Mel Brooks humour from stupid wordplay to deep parody to breaking the fourth wall; contemporary Hollywood comedy doesn't have this amount of ideas in a year's worth of productions.

[MX7]

The Dictator. Went in knowing it was going to be appalling, watched an appalling film. Was actually quite fun watching it, not in a 'so bad it's good' kind of way, but simply because once it was over, the world seemed a little brighter, food tasted better and I had a spring in my step.. The whole joke with Baron Cohen's creations is that they are deplorable, but we can laugh at the unscripted reactions the candid camera picks up. So when Borat sings 'throw the Jew down the well' in The Borat Movie, the intended response is to laugh at the stupid anti-Semites singing along, rather than the anti-Semitism. The clumsy, poorly scripted humour of The Dictator really just comes across as being offensive for the sake of it. Nothing intrinsically wrong with that, but lacking both wit and a coherent target, it completely fails as satire.

[RGC]

.

[MX7]

the intended response is to laugh at the stupid anti-Semites singing along, rather than the anti-Semitism.

Oh, so that's what satire is. I prefer sarcasm. Seriously though, the joke's on anyone who believes his work doesn't intentionally appeal to both the racist bigots and the satire appreciators. Profit first, art second (or maybe third, fourth, or fifth...)

WELLLLLLLLL I guess everything has potential oppositional responses, and potentially goads this for profit. One of the oldest tricks in the book. I remember Paul Daniels talking about the special episode of Brass Eye and saying 'IF YOU ENJOY THIS, THEN YOU'RE A PAEDOPHILE'. Bit over the top of course, but these 'biting' satires do help with being wrapped in a shell of prurience.

[system11]

Maximum Conviction - **

Steve Austin, Steven Seagal, a top secret prison, a target with data and loads of bad guys. Did exactly what it said on the tin, no more and no less. Austin was enjoyable to watch again, Seagals character had a terrible script.

[Skykid]

Excalibur

Very unusual film, but rather good on the whole. Certainly not as refined a production as something like Deliverance, but you can see Boorman's passion for the subject matter. There's a lot of clumsiness in there, and its telling of the Arthur mythologies feels quite compact, squeezing the whole lot into two hours. Elements were a little too eighties, mainly the lighting, but there is some excellent scripting, a fantastically campy Merlin, a strong and believable Morgana (Helen Mirren) and a surprisingly convincing (if hasty) progression from Arthur the country bumpkin to Arthur the beloved king.

It did a good job of making each segment of the myth prominent, in an episodic fashion, and even though some of the acting was shoddy, the imagery and directing were tough enough to make up for it. I particularly liked Perceval's quest for the grail, dark stuff.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

The knights fighting at the eventual end in Excalibur was cool...quite bloody indeed. When it was first shown on HBO (via the ol' cable box setup) back in the early '80s, they used to show it in two parts, with an 5 minute countdown sequence intermission (to grab some popcorn, use the loo, etc.) then get back to the two hour film.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[CMoon]

Excalibur

Very unusual film, but rather good on the whole.

IMO this is the best fantasy film to date. Certainly not perfect, but Boorman is at the top of his game doing a better job conveying the feeling of some mysterious time where magic is still real better than anyone else has managed.

Certainly it is unusual. Boorman had made nothing but unusual films at this point with Deliverance probably being most mainstream (but jesus, c'mon.) Excalibur if anything is closest to Zardoz with the sci fi elements gone and a bigger budget.

Any way, a great, GREAT film. I saw it first as a kid and a dozen times since then. I hope I'm still watching it as an old man.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

Saw that the sequel to the 2009 The Collector from the folks whom gave us Saw IV, V and VI known as The Collection. It continues from where the ending of the first film stops and leaves the viewer to second guess if such a proper sequel was in the works. The long wait is finally over.

Even though the events that take place in The Collection occurs in 2011, it wasn't until 2013, that it had gotten a proper Blu-Ray and DVD release to home video. So what is shown in the first film is only just an small appetizer to what awaits the unsuspecting viewer with The Collection as the main entree/dish being served. The elaborate and techincal mechanical traps/snares may remind you of what was shown in the past Saw films but has a unique flavor/charm all it's own. The ending of The Collection is quite something as well. I won't spoil it by revealing what it is. Check it out for yourself. There are some gut wrenching moments through out this sequel that it delivers in all the right places.

The extras including an 8mm format snuff film short is just extra icing on the cake if you will. And if you do a frame-by-frame analysis, in one single frame, you get a very brief glimpse of who the Collector looks like. If you like those horror-gore films like the Saw film franchise, Hostel 1, 2 & 3, The Collector, then The Collection will be right up your alley. Some truly demented fucked up shit indeed.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[BIL]

Maximum Conviction - **

Steve Austin, Steven Seagal, a top secret prison, a target with data and loads of bad guys. Did exactly what it said on the tin, no more and no less. Austin was enjoyable to watch again, Seagals character had a terrible script.

I've not been able to take Seagull seriously since Vinnie Jones upstaged the hell out of him in some 2000s B-flick.

"You think I'm 'ere to play fackin' chess?"

[Mischief Maker]

a fantastically campy Merlin, a strong and believable Morgana (Helen Mirren)

Nicol Williamson (Merlin) and Helen Mirren hated each other before this movie was made and told Boorman that they didn't want to work together on this film. Instead, Boorman capitalized on their hatred for each other and had them channel that to their performances.

[Skykid]

a fantastically campy Merlin, a strong and believable Morgana (Helen Mirren)

Nicol Williamson (Merlin) and Helen Mirren hated each other before this movie was made and told Boorman that they didn't want to work together on this film. Instead, Boorman capitalized on their hatred for each other and had them channel that to their performances.

Well they were both very good, and considering the above, had fantastic chemistry too!

[stryc9]

That new Judge Dredd.

I thought at it's very best it was only alright, there didn't seem to be enough emphasis on the ridiculous laws and regulations ala the 2000AD comics "(Smoking within ten kilometres of Mega City One limits - turn yourself in to the nearest Isocube for the next forty days, citizen)!"

The action was plentiful - super violent but probably a bit too mean spirited for it's own good I thought, with no counterbalance found in the quirky humour 2000AD is known for.

The villains, while vicious, were also fairly generic compared to the comics.

Still, better than that Stallone piece of shit if I remember right

[DEL]

Saw The Crazies, starring the bad guy from Die Hard 4. Features exactly the same zombie virus theme as 28 Days Later. Makes you think about the Bioweapons Division and what kinda Bath Salts they've got up their sleeve.
Not a bad film. Definietely watchable.

[lilmanjs]

Tactical Unit - Comrades in Arms. This is a sequel to the Johnnie To movie PTU: Police Tactical Unit. Turns out there's been a bunch of sequels to that movie and I didn't even know it. This one seems to be the 6th and final sequel to PTU and it does its job quite nicely. They are disbanding and sending the PTU squad(s) to other areas that the HK police are in. So with just a couple of days left some guys rob a bank and try fleeing into the mountains to get into mainland china. The PTU gang is sent in and pretty much get lost and other crap. Nice firefight at the end though. worth seeing if you like the PTU movie. Now I just gotta find the other sequels.