What general film/series have you just seen.. marks out of 5

Film Reviews and Release Comparisons
Post Reply
User avatar
Markgway
Bruce Lee's Fist
Posts: 20177
Joined: 18 Feb 2005, 02:04

Re: What general film/series have you just seen.. marks out of 5

Post by Markgway »

I Remember You (2017) **
Bleak Icelandic chiller has a few scares, but its cleverness is muddled and the result is ultimately unsatisfying.
Image
User avatar
chazgower01
King of Beggars
Posts: 522
Joined: 24 Mar 2017, 20:19

Re: What general film/series have you just seen.. marks out of 5

Post by chazgower01 »

Mackenna's Gold (USA, 1969) dvd 2.5/5
I'm not a huge fan of the Western genre, though it certainly has its share of great movies... so I figured any Western with Gregory Peck, Telly Savalas, Lee J. Cobb, Julie Newmar, Omar Sharif, etc., HAD to be halfway decent.

Not really. Peck sleep walks through this, a lot of the stars are in very small roles, and considering this came out the same year as 'The Wild Bunch', it just looks cheap and tame. It DOES have a few things going for it though. The scenery is amazing, Omar Sherif is unintentionally funny as the bad guy who kidnaps Peck to show him where the buried treasure is ("I'll never understand you Gringo's!"), and Julie Newmar has a peek-a-boo nude scene as an Indian girl (previously involved with Peck's character) who goes swimming in the buff. (She's quoted as saying that at the last minute she whipped off her loin cloth and really did do the scene fully nude).

Older school fans (I'm a 70's kid) of the genre may like it better than me, as it'll remind them of the Hollywood glory days, but Peck's bland performance throughout really is distracting.

Image
Image
User avatar
chazgower01
King of Beggars
Posts: 522
Joined: 24 Mar 2017, 20:19

Re: What general film/series have you just seen.. marks out of 5

Post by chazgower01 »

Real Genius (USA, 1985) dvd 5/5
One of my all time favorite comedies of the 80’s, Real Genius stars Val Kilmer, as Chris Knight, one of the smartest minds on the planet in his senior year of college. Into his life comes Mitch, a 15 year old prodigy who is just like he was 4 years ago - nerdy, uptight, and always working.
He perfects a laser that his professor, Jerry Hathaway (played to charming evil perfection by Willam Atherton) has set up for nefarious use with the U.S. Military. And of course they have to save the day. 

But just as importantly it has long time character actor Jon Gries as Lazlo Hollyfeld (he’d go on to be in Running Scared, Get Shorty, as one of Liam Neeson’s buddies in the Taken movies, 4 seasons of Lost, etc., and of course as Uncle Rico in Napoleon Dynamite) as the mind cracked #1 student from the 70’s, now living in the basement of the University. 

As perfect of an American 80's comedy as it gets.

Image
User avatar
chazgower01
King of Beggars
Posts: 522
Joined: 24 Mar 2017, 20:19

Re: What general film/series have you just seen.. marks out of 5

Post by chazgower01 »

Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (USA, 1982) Amazon Prime 3/5

As a fan of crime noir and of Steve Martin, I've always loved this movie's dialogue. It bombed hugely at the box office... this wasn't 'Wild and Crazy' Steve Martin, but rather leading man Steve Martin delivering smart ass dialogue in a monotone unemotional voice... "I hadn't seen a body like that since I solved the Case of the Missing Girl with the Big Tits." Sort of how I'm NOT a huge fan of Jim Carrey's over the top Ace Ventura stuff, but LOVE the Cable Guy.

The big deal with this flick is that they incorporate old movie footage into the story... so Martin actually seems to be interacting with Cary Grant, Alan Ladd, Ava Gardner, Barbara Stanwyck, etc., while trying to solve the sexy-as-hell Rachel Ward's bizarre case. The story isn't great... it's convoluted as hell... it's a device to show off the way they incorporate those scenes into it. But the dialogue is smart and funny. Directed and written by Carl Reiner (with Steve Martin), I can't really rate it any higher than a 3 (I've rewatched it PLENTY of times), because as a movie, it's actually pretty weak, but as a movie with funny dialogue throughout it's a winner. 

Image
User avatar
HungFist
Bruce Lee's Fist
Posts: 11704
Joined: 14 Dec 2005, 15:50
Location: Japan
Contact:

Re: What general film/series have you just seen.. marks out of 5

Post by HungFist »

Cold Pursuit (UK etc. 2019) [DCP] – 2/5
Irritating hipster comedy directed by some Norwegian cunt.
User avatar
Markgway
Bruce Lee's Fist
Posts: 20177
Joined: 18 Feb 2005, 02:04

Re: What general film/series have you just seen.. marks out of 5

Post by Markgway »

HungFist wrote: 12 Jun 2019, 08:52 Cold Pursuit (UK etc. 2019) [DCP] – 2/5
Irritating hipster comedy directed by some Norwegian cunt.
:lol:
Image
User avatar
Markgway
Bruce Lee's Fist
Posts: 20177
Joined: 18 Feb 2005, 02:04

Re: What general film/series have you just seen.. marks out of 5

Post by Markgway »

Child's Play 3 (1991) **
I bought this on Blu because I have a soft spot for the original trilogy (and it was cheap). :D
Image
User avatar
Markgway
Bruce Lee's Fist
Posts: 20177
Joined: 18 Feb 2005, 02:04

Re: What general film/series have you just seen.. marks out of 5

Post by Markgway »

Callan (1974) **½
OK British thriller about a hitman coming out of retirement.
Slow by today's standards; based on a TV series.

Hijacked (2017) *½
Amateurish action thriller in which a commercial fight is... HIJACKED!
Denise Richards is an FBI agent, Dolph Lundgren (wasted) a villain.
Image
Killer Meteor
Hail the Judge!
Posts: 2350
Joined: 16 Mar 2005, 23:05

Re: What general film/series have you just seen.. marks out of 5

Post by Killer Meteor »

Markgway wrote: 15 Jun 2019, 00:30 Child's Play 3 (1991) **
I bought this on Blu because I have a soft spot for the original trilogy (and it was cheap). :D
Do you remember when this was Public Enemy No.1 in the UK?
bradavon wrote:
but I guess you're more intelligence than me.
User avatar
Markgway
Bruce Lee's Fist
Posts: 20177
Joined: 18 Feb 2005, 02:04

Re: What general film/series have you just seen.. marks out of 5

Post by Markgway »

Ivan Drago wrote: 17 Jun 2019, 07:11
Markgway wrote: 15 Jun 2019, 00:30 Child's Play 3 (1991) **
I bought this on Blu because I have a soft spot for the original trilogy (and it was cheap). :D
Do you remember when this was Public Enemy No.1 in the UK?
1993: "Burn Your Video Nasty!"

A low point in the anti-media violence campaign that manipulated a real life tragedy for political gain.
Image
User avatar
grim_tales
Bruce Lee's Fist
Posts: 22071
Joined: 25 Oct 2004, 18:34
Location: St. Albans, UK

Re: What general film/series have you just seen.. marks out of 5

Post by grim_tales »

Pokemon: Detective Pikachu (2019): 4/5

Was a Pokemon fan back in the day and enjoyed this a lot, Ryan Reynolds does a great job voicing Pikachu in a buddy-cop/mystery movie with a good story and some excellent design.
User avatar
chazgower01
King of Beggars
Posts: 522
Joined: 24 Mar 2017, 20:19

Re: What general film/series have you just seen.. marks out of 5

Post by chazgower01 »

Gone Baby Gone (USA, 2007) 4/5
Movies about kids being kidnapped are always tough to watch, and this one is no exception.
There's a lot to like about this movie - Ed Harris, Morgan Freeman, the Beantown Setting - and at least one thing not to like - Casey Affleck as the lead. But I thought about this movie long after it had finished, and give it credit for that - First time Director Ben Affleck (who I guess resisted the urge to be IN the movie) could've taken the easy way out, but he didn't and in that, we may not agree with his real life brother's character decision, but it certainly makes us think about why.
It's gritty, and ugly and heart wrenching at times - there are some ugly people in this - not just in appearance, but in actions and the rocks get turned over and the underneath exposed for us to see in all their grotesque behavior.
The movie could've used a real lead - to me, that's its major flaw - but it's still an engaging piece of work.
User avatar
chazgower01
King of Beggars
Posts: 522
Joined: 24 Mar 2017, 20:19

Re: What general film/series have you just seen.. marks out of 5

Post by chazgower01 »

Marathon Man (USA, 1976) dvd 4/5
If you want to get me to watch an American movie... 70's, New York, Dustin Hoffman, Roy Scheider, and what the heck, let's throw in Sir Laurence Olivier... hey, I am there!

And this lives up to those expectations. Sure the first 45 minutes you observe a lot of what's going on and think - is anything really going to happen - we see Hoffman as a Grad Student, training to be a Marathon Runner - and his brother (Scheider) as some kind of slick operative in Paris. Hoffman meets a beautiful Swiss woman, and we see a German change his appearance (Olivier) and come to New York. So what IS going on?

Well, all of it plays a part in the story and nothing much seems to be what it is on the surface, and that's part of what makes this such an enjoyable film to see. Never dumbed down for the average viewer, once you think you have a bearing on these people, it starts the suspense and tension and it never lets up. This isn't car chases and over machismo fighting, this is suspense and tension and... well of course the torture. 

"Is it safe?'", is about as memorable a 70's Hollywood catch phrase as it gets and this film lives up to its classic status. 

Image
Image
User avatar
HungFist
Bruce Lee's Fist
Posts: 11704
Joined: 14 Dec 2005, 15:50
Location: Japan
Contact:

Re: What general film/series have you just seen.. marks out of 5

Post by HungFist »

Under the Silver Lake (USA, 2018) [BD] - 2/5
Goddamn. Another hipster movie. But I admit the songwriter scene is great. It's even better than the same scene in Sion Sono's Tag (2015).
User avatar
Markgway
Bruce Lee's Fist
Posts: 20177
Joined: 18 Feb 2005, 02:04

Re: What general film/series have you just seen.. marks out of 5

Post by Markgway »

Waterworld (1995) **
Mad Max on jet-skis; this was actually a lot worse than I remembered.

In Tranzit (2008) **
Artificial, corny drama in which female Soviet guards try to weed out male SS prisoners.
Image
User avatar
HungFist
Bruce Lee's Fist
Posts: 11704
Joined: 14 Dec 2005, 15:50
Location: Japan
Contact:

Re: What general film/series have you just seen.. marks out of 5

Post by HungFist »

The Outing (USA, 1987) [DVD] - 2.5/5
A bunch of teens defy their parents and secretly spend the night in... a museum! Unfortunately there is also a lamp and a genie, and the genie wants blood. Incredibly stupid, but oddly watchable junk with a pretty cool monster / teen slaughter climax and some truly imaginative ways of getting girls naked... "Oh, I spilled beer on me, gotta take a shower" (in museum!).
User avatar
Markgway
Bruce Lee's Fist
Posts: 20177
Joined: 18 Feb 2005, 02:04

Re: What general film/series have you just seen.. marks out of 5

Post by Markgway »

Shaft (2019) **
A sequel that no one asked for made its way into theatres, er, Netflix if you're foreign, to considerable indifference.
Sam Jackson returns playing a different, much cruder version of the title character, even though this is supposed to be a sequel to the not great, but still better 2000 movie. Richard Roundtree returns as the original Shaft, but this time he's confirmed as Sam's Shaft's dad, not uncle, OK? The franchise re-imagined as a inter-generational buddy flick with barely minor success. Some forgettable gun action, A LOT of coarse humour and dialogue, only some of which is amusing. It's the audience that gets the shaft in the end... ;)
Image
User avatar
Markgway
Bruce Lee's Fist
Posts: 20177
Joined: 18 Feb 2005, 02:04

Re: What general film/series have you just seen.. marks out of 5

Post by Markgway »

Escape Plan: The Extractors (2019) *½
In 1996 John Herzfeld directed sharp crime picture 2 Days in the Valley. This isn't so much a step down as a plummet. I skipped EP2 because it was reportedly rubbish. If this boring actioner is generally regarded as an improvement, the previous one must have been bad - the mediocre original is a classic in comparison. I hope Last Blood is a hit because I'd hate to see Stallone's career peter out on DTV dross like this.
Image
User avatar
Markgway
Bruce Lee's Fist
Posts: 20177
Joined: 18 Feb 2005, 02:04

Re: What general film/series have you just seen.. marks out of 5

Post by Markgway »

Opportunity Knocks (1990) *½
Dire conman vehicle for Dana Carvey, then fresh from Saturday Night Live.
Imagine 'Taking Care of Business' with all the laughs and likeability removed.
Image
User avatar
Markgway
Bruce Lee's Fist
Posts: 20177
Joined: 18 Feb 2005, 02:04

Re: What general film/series have you just seen.. marks out of 5

Post by Markgway »

Presumed Innocent (1990) **½
Good cast in watchable murder mystery/courtroom drama with unsatisfying ending.
Image
User avatar
Markgway
Bruce Lee's Fist
Posts: 20177
Joined: 18 Feb 2005, 02:04

Re: What general film/series have you just seen.. marks out of 5

Post by Markgway »

Repossessed (1990) *½
Weak spoof of The Exorcist manages a few mild chuckles at best.
Linda Blair is game in her performance, but when Leslie Nielsen isn't funny you know you've got problems.
Contains more tits and BJ gags than any PG-13 film I can remember.
Image
Guro Taku
King of Beggars
Posts: 658
Joined: 29 Apr 2014, 16:37

Re: What general film/series have you just seen.. marks out of 5

Post by Guro Taku »

The Blood on Satan's Claw (UK, 1971) [BD] - 3/5
More accurately titled Satan's Skin on the print used for this release. The film is a solid entry into the folk horror genre with plenty of period atmosphere that makes the fact that the stitched together Satan looks like an overgrown Ewok forgivable.

8MM (USA / Germany, 1998) [BD] - 2/5
A comatose Nicholas Cage investigates the world's tamest snuff video. Joaquin Phoenix and especially James Gandolfini are great in their roles but the whole affair feels incredibly dated.

New York Ripper (Italy, 1982) [BD] - 3.5/5
I rented this on VHS back in the day and hated it. I liked it a lot more this time. The plot is giallo 101 but what makes the film so enjoyable is how it's absolutely dripping with sleaze and grime, one of those blessed productions that allow the viewer a peek at a bygone New York City that has since been wiped clean.

The Head Hunter (USA, 2018) [amazon] - 2/5
Low budget fantasy horror that does some interesting things with relatively little but even at 72 minutes it lost me during the third act when it tries to go Evil Dead.
User avatar
Markgway
Bruce Lee's Fist
Posts: 20177
Joined: 18 Feb 2005, 02:04

Re: What general film/series have you just seen.. marks out of 5

Post by Markgway »

The Eiger Sanction (1975) **
Below par Clint Eastwood action-spy thriller.
Nice scenery, but film is long and unlikable.

What Lies Beneath (2000) ***
Spooky Hitchcockian chiller complete with red herrings and misdirection.
Image
User avatar
HungFist
Bruce Lee's Fist
Posts: 11704
Joined: 14 Dec 2005, 15:50
Location: Japan
Contact:

Re: What general film/series have you just seen.. marks out of 5

Post by HungFist »

From Paris with Love (France, 2010) [VoD] – 3.5/5
An utterly insane action film in which Samuel L. Jackson has had satanic sex with Steven Seagal who then has given birth to skinhead John Travolta who stars in the film.
User avatar
Markgway
Bruce Lee's Fist
Posts: 20177
Joined: 18 Feb 2005, 02:04

Re: What general film/series have you just seen.. marks out of 5

Post by Markgway »

Judgment Night (1993) ***½
Image
Post Reply