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

[grim_tales]

Do you mean the same one as the German version?

[Markgway]

The Heat (2013-USA) **
Standard contemporary style buddy cop comedy with chicks effing and blinding and pointing guns instead of guys. Popular, but it left me nonplussed. Bullock is a good comedienne, but McCarthy's character starts out so loud and obnoxious the movie never recovers.

Blood Rage (1984-USA) **
Cheap psycho killer-on-the-loose picture has a good premise (I should know, I wrote a story many years ago with the same one!) and makes an attempt formulate characterisation, but in the end is still just another slasher. The unknown lead actor (playing twins) is surprisingly good in both roles.

Showdown in Little Tokyo (1991-USA) **
Dolph and Brandon kick Yakuza ass. Dumb as a bag of hammers, but fast paced (at a lean 78m) and action-packed. The direlogue has to be heard to be disbelieved.

The Mutilator (1984-USA) *½
Gory slasher in which the usual group of horny teens are slaughtered at a beach house. Minimal plot, a little suspense, a lot of silliness. It'll be interesting to see if Arrow get the infamous "fish hook" scene past the BBFC.

[saltysam]

I think 88 Films are releasing this in the UK soon.

Probably be the same transfer.

101 films i think.Theres's two versions on the german Blu, the MGM usa cut and the the euro cut.suppose it depends which cut 101 films have access to,maybe both.

Do you mean the same one as the German version?

German ,yes.

[Markgway]

101 films i think.

I always get those two mixed up.

Theres's two versions on the german Blu, the MGM usa cut and the the euro cut.suppose it depends which cut 101 films have access to,maybe both.

Given 101 Films' track record I'd only expect the MGM transfer.

They didn't include the longer cut of AWOL available in Germany.

[saltysam]

Dawn Of The Dead 5/5 Classic zombie film,a personal favourite. From the opening scenes of chaos at a news station to the rooftop climax Romero doesn't put a foot wrong.the four main characters are played very well by little known actors (Ken Foree the only one who did much else) though the theatrical cut is the best version this "extended mall hours" cut i watched running 155 minutes is not without merit.The early sequence with the police on the roof flows much better and there's more dialogue between the mall looters near the film's climax.A true genre classic.

[Markgway]

A Blade in the Dark (1983-Italy) ***
Suspenseful giallo, well-directed by Lamberto Bava. The plot is a little hazy at times, but there are some memorably scary images, sexy females, and one very brutal murder. Recommended for fans of the genre.

[HungFist]

Pray For Death 3/5 Far bleaker and tougher than than the comic booky style of the Cannon Ninja movies,this solid Sho Kosugi actioner gets right to the point from the start.Always heavily cut on VHS,even the MGM DVD-R was the censored R-Rated print.This german blu uses the MGM HD master and edits in the uncut footage from a french cinema print.While violent this would pass for a comfortable 18 these days with no trouble.James Booth is one horrible despicable baddie,it's a role he was born to play.The HD print shows off how heavily he was stunt doubled in the climax though.

I saw this on TV about 10 years ago and didn't care for it much back then, but might just have been a bad timing (it was still the time when I was discovering HK flicks, which of course made everything else look pretty bad in comparison...). If an affordable release of the uncut version came out, I might give it another try.

Showdown in Little Tokyo (1991-USA) **
Dolph and Brandon kick Yakuza ass. Dumb as a bag of hammers, but fast paced (at a lean 78m) and action-packed. The direlogue has to be heard to be disbelieved.

I rather like this (***½). I always thought Lundgren deserved more than he got. What good films does he have? Showdown in Little Tokyo, The Punisher, Universal Soldier... others?

[Markgway]

I rather like this (***½).

Is that out of **** (as per my system)?

What good films does he have? Showdown in Little Tokyo, The Punisher, Universal Soldier... others?

His best films are Joshua Tree and Men of War.

[HungFist]

I rather like this (***½).

Is that out of **** (as per my system)?

Of course not Out of *****

What good films does he have? Showdown in Little Tokyo, The Punisher, Universal Soldier... others?

His best films are Joshua Tree and Men of War.

Been meaning to rent Men of War. Also interested in Joshua Tree but I recall reading something about the commonly available version not being the best cut, or something?

[Markgway]

Been meaning to rent Men of War.

The UK DVD (from Anchor Bay) is the uncut version and OAR (2.35).
Should be available very cheap. I found this selling in Poundland (everything's a £1) a while back!

The US versions are R-rated (cut) and cropped to 1.78.

Also interested in Joshua Tree but I recall reading something about the commonly available version not being the best cut, or something?

Yeah, unfortunately the MGM HD print, available on BD from Shout! is the director's cut, which is actually shorter than the old Artisan DVD and with a less good final reel. Odd situation, but blame the director Vic Armstrong. The bloody violence appears intact throughout.

[HungFist]

Been meaning to rent Men of War.

The UK DVD (from Anchor Bay) is the uncut version and OAR (2.35).
Should be available very cheap. I found this selling in Poundland (everything's a £1) a while back!

The US versions are R-rated (cut) and cropped to 1.78.

I didn't know that. Thanks. I might pick up the UK DVD then. Used copies at amazon.uk cost less than £1.

Interesting, though, that the UK release is rated 15 (re-rating it seems), yet the film wasn't able to obtain an R-rating.

[saltysam]

Poltergeist 1.5/5 pointless remake is dot to dot pg-13 horror film making.totally forgettable,though Jared Harris as Carrigan,a Most Haunted type investigator is quite entertaining.

[Markgway]

Used copies at amazon.uk cost less than £1.

Sounds about right.

Interesting, though, that the UK release is rated 15 (re-rating it seems), yet the film wasn't able to obtain an R-rating.

Yeah, there's a pictorial of cuts here:

http://www.movie-censorship.com/report.php?ID=4420

[saltysam]

Mad Max:Fury Road 4/5 The hype is largely justified.Cracking action movie full of great imagery and stunning cinematography,the 2hr run time flies by with hardly a pause for breath.While Tom Hardy is no Gibson,he acquits himself well and Charlize Theron as Furiosa is excellent.i hope a sequel comes along.

Justified:The Final Season 4/5 excellent finale to possibly the most best show on television in recent years.

[saltysam]

The Fighting Fists Of Shanghai Joe 1/5 obscure japanese actor Chen Lee stars as the title character in this forgettable spaghetti western/kung fu hybrid.usual tale of racist cowboys picking on Joe until he can take no more.Klaus Kinski pops up as a sadistic villain in a 10 minute cameo.

[Markgway]

Macabre (1980-Italy) **
Peculiar psychological thriller, inspired by a true story (though it's unlikely most of what goes on here actually happened). Lamberto Bava's bloodless directorial debut is largely dull and overcooked.

[saltysam]

The Hound Of The Baskervilles 2/5 Hammer's Sherlock Holmes adaption features a great cast (Cushing,Lee,Morrell) and is suitably gothic and atmospheric but it's a little slow moving and the hound,when revealed is a joke.

School For Sex 1/5 poor Pete Walker british sex comedy from the late sixties.

Local Hero 2/5 likeable, gentle comedy from Bill Forsyth. American company want to buy a scottish island so send Peter Riegert & Peter Capaldi to try and negotiate with the islanders.Burt Lancaster is excellent as the american bigwig who pays the island a visit.

[Markgway]

Trance (2013-UK-USA-France) **½
Gripping but messy thriller from Danny Boyle successfully plays with your expectations and character loyalties.

[HungFist]

Le professionnel (France, 1981) [DVD] - 3/5
An entertaining action film that is actually a bit too humoristic, especially considering Morricone's stunningly beautiful score that sounds like it was composed for a more serious movie. This is more like a Roger Moore era Bond film with a smaller scale and a storyline following an assassin. That being said, it's a fun movie if you don' t try to take it too seriously.

Rocky III (USA, 1982) [DVD] - 3/5
A bit slow start, but the second half is quite a bit of fun. Stand out moments: Stallone motivating himself by taking punches in the face, Mr. T giving that "real man doesn't act like that" look, and Stallone and Carl Weathers in what is the gayest beach scene since Sonny Chiba and Isao Natsuyagi in G.I. Samurai (1979).

[Markgway]

I LOVE ROCKY III

[HungFist]

I saw it for the first time. I only saw Rocky 1 and maybe 2 as a kid. I rented III and IV some time ago and made copies cause I didn't have time to watch them then.

I'm expecting Rocky IV to be the best (of the sequels)

[Markgway]

Bachelorette (2012-USA) *½
Laughless farce about three bridesmaids (the kind of obnoxious women who'd turn Gene Simmons gay) trying to fix a damaged wedding dress. A poor woman's version of, er, Bridesmaids with copious profanity (women can swear = equality in Hollywood) an uncomfortable amount of non-judgemental drug use (I mean, who doesn't snort cocaine, right...?).

[Markgway]

Special Effects (1984-USA) **
Very weird adult thriller from Larry Cohen built on an intriguing premise (director wants to make a gritty 16mm true life story about the struggling young actress he's secretly murdered). With a better script, I could imagine Brian DePalma doing something great with this.

[saltysam]

Been ages since i watched the Rocky movies.think i'm due a rewatch,especially in light of the new movie due at the end of the year.

[Markgway]

especially in light of the new movie due at the end of the year.

**SHUDDER**