Bullets 'n' Babes

For the record films only have to be cut in the UK on television if complusory cuts apply to video versions (that would include Ai No Corrida).

Otherwise if films are edited it's usually so they can be shown in an earlier (pre-watershed) timeslot.

So it still happens? I.e - the channel cutting a film.

bradavon wrote:So it still happens? I.e - the channel cutting a film.

Yes. Watch any film before 9pm (not on Sky Movies) and there's a chance it's been cut.

Fair point. I really meant the likes of Die Hard after 9pm. They used to still cut that but I'm guessing they no longer do? Surely Film Four don't cut/alter films?

Markgway wrote:For the record films only have to be cut in the UK on television if complusory cuts apply to video versions (that would include Ai No Corrida).

That can't be right, can it? OFCOM regulate what can be shown at what time, but I thought there was no actual legal obligation of TV Broadcasters to follow BBFC guidelines?? What about the likes of Evil Dead, which was famously shown by FilmFour and publicised as the "full uncut version" back when it had not yet had an uncut video release? Have the rules changed since then?

bradavon wrote:Fair point. I really meant the likes of Die Hard after 9pm. They used to still cut that but I'm guessing they no longer do?

They don't HAVE to be cut after 9pm but whether or not they are may depend on the channel showing them and the print they have prepared to screen (which may be precut in line with a past BBFC approved version). BBC1 has shown Die Hard With a Vengeance uncut even though it's still not available intact in the UK on disc (I'm sure, rather than being subversive, they just screened the version that was supplied to them, and had every right to do so). Channels may use their discretion to schedule a film after 10pm (or later) if they think it's going to prove controversial; but cuts this late on are unlikely unless legally required. The days of those butchered US TV versions ("flip you, melonfamerer!") are long gone. As for the original Die Hard - I haven't checked it out on TV in years but I'd be surprised if it was still cut. If it turns out that cuts remain it's probably because ITV haven't bothered to reinstate them. Again, though, I'd imagine this to be unlikely.

Surely Film Four don't cut/alter films?

Not after the watershed - with one exception I'm aware of. Inside Deep Throat was optically censored to obscure the titular blowjob as Film Four are under the misapprehension that just because the actual film Deep Throat is an R18 (prohibited from all UK TV - even subscription services) the making of doc is too. It's not; the BBFC passed it with an uncut '18' thus it CAN be legally shown uncut on UKTV.

Shingster wrote:

Markgway wrote:For the record films only have to be cut in the UK on television if complusory cuts apply to video versions (that would include Ai No Corrida).

That can't be right, can it? OFCOM regulate what can be shown at what time, but I thought there was no actual legal obligation of TV Broadcasters to follow BBFC guidelines?? What about the likes of Evil Dead, which was famously shown by FilmFour and publicised as the "full uncut version" back when it had not yet had an uncut video release? Have the rules changed since then?

Yes, OFCOM are the official regulator, but they defer to the BBFC about what's suitable for broadcast (at least in a legal sense). If the BBFC have passed a film uncut for video (or are likely to do so) then, under OFCOM rules, it can be shown on TV, as long as the category is no higher than '18' (R18 pornos are prohibited entirely).

The Evil Dead was submitted to the BBFC specifically for screening on TV by Filmfour. When the BBFC said they would pass it uncut that allowed Filmfour to screen it as such on their channel. And true to their word the film was later passed uncut by the BBFC on DVD. This, however, was under the ITC, whose guidelines stated that only UK video versions of films could be shown (a rule commonly broken by just about everyone BUT Filmfour who even edited Edward Scissorhands just to be compliant!)

The rules under OFCOM have changed; now any film can be shown uncut as long as the BBFC wouldn't cut it for an '18' (ie. compulsory cuts at an adult level). So even if a film is currently cut on DVD, let's say Marked for Death, it can be shown uncut on TV because the BBFC wouldn't insist on cuts today. This offers much greater freedom to broadcasters than the old system. I hope this all makes sense.

Markgway wrote:The days of those butchered US TV versions ("flip you, melonfamerer!") are long gone.

I remember those days, hilarious . They didn't even bother to try and match accents.

Markgway wrote:So even if a film is currently cut on DVD, let's say Marked for Death, it can be shown uncut on TV because the BBFC wouldn't insist on cuts today.

That is interesting. Yes it makes sense, thanks.

Akira: 5/5

Showed a friend it tonight, it blows me away every time, especially the superb Blu-ray presentation (best soundtrack I've heard on my surround sound setup).

Black Belt (Japan, 2006) – 3/5
Satisfying but underwhelming showcase for Japan Karate Association front row men. The historical martial arts drama starts out well; the storyline is plastic but light and does the job well enough, and realistic karate matches are always a treat. Unfortunately, later the film falls for the seriousness syndrome. B-grade drama takes over, with the zero vision director seemingly obsessed proving he’s making a “respectable movie”. The wise and philosophic talk towards the end comes out only embarrassing. Ironically, the 1970’s karate cheese came with similar speeches that, in their honest b-grade environment, were next to inspiring if you gave them a thought. You don’t feel like wanting to learn anything from the self-righteous Black Belt. That being said, it’s still a solid karate film.

Love Makes Me Wet (Japan, 1973) – 2/5
Akira Kato was one of Nikkatsu’s more old school albeit not most talented directors. He favored storyline over sex scenes. This film fits the description. The noirish storyline begins on a rainy night with a man searching for his lost wife. He meets a bar hostess and falls in love with her – and she seems to know something about the man’s missing wife. Until one day she herself disappears – instead a woman who claims to be her sister is waiting for him at home... For a film of its genre Love Makes Me Wet is ambitious, however, somewhat lifeless. It may be a pink film by official classification, but it should be judged as a noir thriller. As such, it lacks energy and punch. It’s the storyline that keeps it from sinking – certainly a merit of some sort for a film marketed mainly for the dirty old ojiisan.

Markgway wrote:Yes, OFCOM are the official regulator, but they defer to the BBFC about what's suitable for broadcast (at least in a legal sense). If the BBFC have passed a film uncut for video (or are likely to do so) then, under OFCOM rules, it can be shown on TV, as long as the category is no higher than '18' (R18 pornos are prohibited entirely).

The rules under OFCOM have changed; now any film can be shown uncut as long as the BBFC wouldn't cut it for an '18' (ie. compulsory cuts at an adult level). So even if a film is currently cut on DVD, let's say Marked for Death, it can be shown uncut on TV because the BBFC wouldn't insist on cuts today. This offers much greater freedom to broadcasters than the old system. I hope this all makes sense.

Interesting, thanks. You know if they legally have to follow BBFC rating or if it's just an accepted practice?

Love Makes Me Wet... so my girlfriend tells me.

Shingster wrote:You know if they legally have to follow BBFC rating or if it's just an accepted practice?

No, they don't legally have to follow the BBFC. Ofcom have the final say. They just consult the BBFC. Ofcom could, in theory, choose to disagree with a BBFC decision and prohibit material, but I don't know of any instance where they have done so. Unless that's what the censoring of Inside Deep Throat was about? I thought that was simply Film Four being over-zealous. But then Film Four have screened examples of 'real' sex elsewhere so maybe that particular title (and its associations) was problematic.

Suicide Manual 2 – Intermediate Level (Japan, 2003) 1/5
“The purpose of this movie is to warn people against suicide. Its intent is not to encourage people to commit suicide”. It’s a sad thing such warnings must be printed into a movie’s opening frames. Sadder is the film itself, that despite the warnings, manages to be neither racy nor thoughtful. A V-Cinema sequel to Suicide Manual, the second installment is a c-grade mystery thriller without a single redeeming quality. No gore, no thought, no atmosphere, no performances to speak of, and a screenplay to make one wish there was an easy escape from the movie. Indeed, perhaps warnings about killing yourself were not so far off after all.

The Brutal Hopelessness of Love (Japan, 2007) – 3/5
Takashi Ishii was one of the directors to suffer from Japanese movie censorship in the past decades. Brutal Hopelessness is a payback time with Mai Kitajima going no-panty in nearly every other scene. That being said, pants or not, she does come up with a strong performance as an actress whose movies start to mix with her real life, and the other way round. Ishii nearly exhaust he viewer in the beginning with messy structure: it’s not a case of film within film, but two films being shot within a fictional film within a film. The third dimension is one level film too much. But, make it till the halfway and Ishii rewards: the ultra graphic and deservedly R-18 rated drama turns unexpectedly beautiful. Piano soundtrack, strikingly good looking cinematography, and Kitajima’s brave performance are a strong combination even if storyline hampers from time to time. Naoto Takenaka co-stars.

　

Web Of Death 1.5/5

There's some fantastic shaw movies out there that haven't even made it to dvd (The Killer for example) which makes it even more baffling than seriously average stuff like this gets a lovely Blu-Ray release.

Have you watched the Blu-ray? I am wondering if it is an upgrade, or just crap on a Blu disc.

i watched the blu-ray.looks quite good,not spectacular but solid.

saltysam wrote:Web Of Death 1.5/5

There's some fantastic shaw movies out there that haven't even made it to dvd (The Killer for example) which makes it even more baffling than seriously average stuff like this gets a lovely Blu-Ray release.

I seem to remember WEB being rather enjoyable.

What are the specs? Genuine HD? Mono?

Markgway wrote:

saltysam wrote:Web Of Death 1.5/5

There's some fantastic shaw movies out there that haven't even made it to dvd (The Killer for example) which makes it even more baffling than seriously average stuff like this gets a lovely Blu-Ray release.

I seem to remember WEB being rather enjoyable.

What are the specs? Genuine HD? Mono?

it's got a 2.0 track as an option but i watched it with the HD one.Genuine or not i don't know but haven't previous wellgo blu-rays been ok with the mono?

saltysam wrote:it's got a 2.0 track as an option but i watched it with the HD one.Genuine or not i don't know but haven't previous wellgo blu-rays been ok with the mono?

I've never seen a Well Go BD.
I know that the Media Blasters discs are excellent.
Plan on picking thsoe up when the prices dip.
But it's suprisingly difficult to get accurate specs sometimes.
I'm looking for genuine HD 1080p image (at the correct 24fps) and Mandarin Mono (don't care if it's loseless TBH).
Good (or at least decent) English Subs.
Not bothered about extras.

The Isle: 2.5/5

Probably didn't need a first-person shot of a guy taking a dump into the sea

Young Bruce Lee 1.5/5 Early Bruce Li movie,possibly also known as Superdragon is pretty woeful.

Young Bruce Lee 2/5 Same title,different movie.Mainly clips from Bruce's childhood movies intertwined with Bruce Li footage.of some interest but rather boring all in all.

The Dragon Lives 1/5 Early Li effort just awful.

Bruce Li The Invincible 1.5/5

Pretty shoddy affair at least has Chan Wai Man & Chen Sing to liven things up.The comedy apes from New Guinea return. i'm falling out of love with Bruceploitation,these films are uniformly bad

gasteropod wrote:The Isle: 2.5/5 - Probably didn't need a first-person shot of a guy taking a dump into the sea

Ha ha true. I saw this years ago. It's a good film but not one I will be seeing again.

bradavon wrote:It's a good film but not one I will be seeing again.

Yeah that's why I gave it an ambivalent 2.5, it wasn't particularly enjoyable overall, but at the same time it is a decent film and has artistic merit etc.

Bruce's Fingers 1.5/5

Another lame Bruce Le starring vehicle,this guy has all the charisma of an eggplant.centred around the search for Bruce Lee's finger kung fu book,the most entertaining thing about watching some of these movies iss to watch decent level stars slumming it (in this one,for example we have Chan Wai Man,Lo Lieh & Nora Miao )

Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence (Japan / UK, 1983) – 4/5
Nagisa Oshima’s near-masterpiece Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence ranks as one of the most unusually casted films. For the leading roles Oshima got two pop stars (David Bowie and Ryuichi Sakamoto), one comedian (Takeshi Kitano), and one relatively inexperienced British actor (Tom Conti) who was to read half of his lines in Japanese. So much about bashing films starring idols and musicians! The crew was no less unconventional. The film is based on a book by a pro-Japan war prisoner Laurens van der Post, and was adapted to the screen by a Japan-critical political director Nagisa Oshima. Perhaps exactly because of these “contradictions”, the outcome was an exceptionally intelligent film that understands both nations. The film has its flaws, such as slightly clumsy flash back sequences, but in turn the ending is one of the greatest scenes ever filmed. Sakamoto’s theme music for the film is stunningly beautiful.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mfyCI82lWM