Ditto. Ben-Hur is a slog, but on the whole a good film.
On the topic of Logan - I found it surprisingly very good. It's a different kind of super hero film in that, it's not really a super hero film. It's more like an emotional action film, with parallels to against-all-odds westerns. A fitting closer to Jackman's portrayal of the character. It also has the best closing few seconds to a film I've seen in a long while.
Kong: Skull Island - I thought the first 1/3 was a bit ropey, and the film couldn't quite nail what tone it wanted, but it was otherwise good. John C. Reilly's character has divided people's opinion, but I enjoyed the performance. I also agree with Jackson's character becoming more Ahab-like as the film progresses. It's definitely worth a watch, better than Godzilla.
movies
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Haldamir319
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Gandalf the Red
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Re: movies
That's the difference between my viewing habits.
Out of that top 250 I've seen most of the films pre 2000 but hardly anything released since then.
For any of the foreign films keep an eye on Film Four. They quite often appear on there.
Out of that top 250 I've seen most of the films pre 2000 but hardly anything released since then.
For any of the foreign films keep an eye on Film Four. They quite often appear on there.
“He likes having the ball, playing football, passes. It’s like an orchestra. But it’s a silent song. But I like heavy metal more. I always want it loud.” - Jürgen Klopp
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Darkweasel
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Re: movies
THE VOID
(2016)
A small town Sheriff gets more than he bargains for when he takes an injured drug addict to the local hospital. First, he has to shoot a nurse after he witnesses her stabbing a patient in the eyes with a pair of scissors, then he gets stabbed himself as the hospital suddenly becomes surrounded by hooded figures with long, pointy knives, and then the nurse turns into a tentacled monster thing. And as if that wasn't bad enough, two armed men turn up threatening to kill everyone in the hospital unless they hand over the drug addict.
With so much action crammed into the first half an hour, the film soon begins to creak and wobble its way through a second act that features mind control, skin-peeling demons, pregnancies, a hidden basement, evil triangles, and more things with tentacles. And by the time the final third arrives, everything pretty much begins to collapse under its own weight.
Lifting bit and pieces from the works of H.P. Lovecraft, Lucio Fulci, and John Carpenter, plus grabbing ideas from movies like Hellraiser, and Event Horizon, The Void is far from terrible, but if it does eventually go on to attain some kind of cult classic status then it will only serve to show just how utterly bereft of originality the genre has become.
On the plus side, the practical special effects are superb (backgrounds aside, CGI is a rarity in The Void), and some scenes almost drip with tension. The robed figures are seriously menacing, the main villain is suitably creepy, the acting is decent (for the most part) and there's always something happening - it's just that the story all too quickly becomes nothing more than a confused mess of barely explored ideas with an equally frustrating climax.
6/10
(2016)
A small town Sheriff gets more than he bargains for when he takes an injured drug addict to the local hospital. First, he has to shoot a nurse after he witnesses her stabbing a patient in the eyes with a pair of scissors, then he gets stabbed himself as the hospital suddenly becomes surrounded by hooded figures with long, pointy knives, and then the nurse turns into a tentacled monster thing. And as if that wasn't bad enough, two armed men turn up threatening to kill everyone in the hospital unless they hand over the drug addict.
With so much action crammed into the first half an hour, the film soon begins to creak and wobble its way through a second act that features mind control, skin-peeling demons, pregnancies, a hidden basement, evil triangles, and more things with tentacles. And by the time the final third arrives, everything pretty much begins to collapse under its own weight.
Lifting bit and pieces from the works of H.P. Lovecraft, Lucio Fulci, and John Carpenter, plus grabbing ideas from movies like Hellraiser, and Event Horizon, The Void is far from terrible, but if it does eventually go on to attain some kind of cult classic status then it will only serve to show just how utterly bereft of originality the genre has become.
On the plus side, the practical special effects are superb (backgrounds aside, CGI is a rarity in The Void), and some scenes almost drip with tension. The robed figures are seriously menacing, the main villain is suitably creepy, the acting is decent (for the most part) and there's always something happening - it's just that the story all too quickly becomes nothing more than a confused mess of barely explored ideas with an equally frustrating climax.
6/10
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Darkweasel
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Re: movies
RESIDENT EVIL: THE FINAL CHAPTER
The sixth film in this seemingly never-ending series, The Final Chapter is the latest - and I hope the last (don't laugh - remember the Friday the 13th series included two films with the word "final" yet still kept-a-rollin') disappointment to add to the list.
This time, Milla Jovovich not only has to fight zombies and human villains, but also the ageing process as she looks far too old to be doing this kind of stuff. Not quite as bad as Harrison Ford looked in the last Indiana Jones film, but getting close.
Main villain this time out (apart from the script, the acting, and the headache-inducing editing) is Ser Friendzone from Game of Thrones, who loses his hand about halfway in, and his ability to act even sooner. The plot is nonsensical at best, so don't even bother trying to follow it as it jumps continuously from set-piece to set-piece and CGI explosion to CGI explosion. Action sequences suffer the most as the editor appears to have a seizure every two seconds, randomly throwing as many quick cuts, close-ups, distance shots, different camera angles, and slow-motion effects with all the style and finesse of an ADHD sufferer with a remote control.
To it's credit, there are some stunning visuals along the way (post-apocalyptic Raccoon City looks superb) but the problems arise whenever director Paul W Anderson decides to place people or things into the picture. There are some nice little nods to the first RE film, but overall The Final Chapter is just a massive mess; a digitally enhanced explosion of special effects, bad acting, and zombie dogs.
3/10
The sixth film in this seemingly never-ending series, The Final Chapter is the latest - and I hope the last (don't laugh - remember the Friday the 13th series included two films with the word "final" yet still kept-a-rollin') disappointment to add to the list.
This time, Milla Jovovich not only has to fight zombies and human villains, but also the ageing process as she looks far too old to be doing this kind of stuff. Not quite as bad as Harrison Ford looked in the last Indiana Jones film, but getting close.
Main villain this time out (apart from the script, the acting, and the headache-inducing editing) is Ser Friendzone from Game of Thrones, who loses his hand about halfway in, and his ability to act even sooner. The plot is nonsensical at best, so don't even bother trying to follow it as it jumps continuously from set-piece to set-piece and CGI explosion to CGI explosion. Action sequences suffer the most as the editor appears to have a seizure every two seconds, randomly throwing as many quick cuts, close-ups, distance shots, different camera angles, and slow-motion effects with all the style and finesse of an ADHD sufferer with a remote control.
To it's credit, there are some stunning visuals along the way (post-apocalyptic Raccoon City looks superb) but the problems arise whenever director Paul W Anderson decides to place people or things into the picture. There are some nice little nods to the first RE film, but overall The Final Chapter is just a massive mess; a digitally enhanced explosion of special effects, bad acting, and zombie dogs.
3/10
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Darkweasel
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Re: movies
MIAMI CONNECTION
(1987)
If, like me, you've ever found yourself thinking "I really need to see a film about a massive gang of drug dealing ninjas fighting a band of rock star ninjas to a music soundtrack that explains the entire movie in its lyrics" then today really is your lucky day.
Welcome to Miami Connection where "ninja" and "Taekwando" are among the most commonly used words on the streets, and bemulleted bad guys wear inconspicuous Panama hats, leather trousers, oversized sunglasses and leather sports jackets.
Our story begins with a group of motorcycle ninjas intercepting a shipment of drugs to a surprisingly ethnically diverse gang of Colombians. Grabbing the shipment and money for themselves, they kill the Colombians with throwing stars, bows and arrows, and swords, easily fighting their way past a much greater number of baddies armed with magic Uzis that never run out of ammunition. Necks get slashed, arms get sliced off, and people go "AAAAAAAARRRGGGGGGHHHH!!!" in slow motion.
"Bikers by day, ninjas by night. Swift and fearless, not afraid to fight. Steal all your cocaine along with your life. Strike with no mercy into the night". You simply don't get theme songs this awesome any more.
The movie's heroes are a rock band called Dragon Sound who play songs about loyalty, honesty and friendship. They feature a shirtless camp keyboard player, a female singer (who unfortunately keeps her shirt on), a rarely seen drummer, a gangly shirtless bassist, a shirtless singer/guitarist who looks like the offspring of John Oates and Magnum PI, and an enthusiastic little oriental fella who jumps about a lot and holds his guitar like it's the first time he's ever seen one, and who also happens to be the film's producer, writer, and casting agent.
Dragon Sound end up making enemies when they grab themselves a gig at a local venue, forcing out another, older and paunchier, band who have ties to the motorcycle ninjas. Things get even more complicated by the fact that the bass player is in love with the female singer who just so happens to be the sister of the leader of another Miami gang, and they've just gone into business with the motorcycle ninjas.
From that point on, all possibility of a coherent storyline goes completely out of the fucking window in favour of martial arts, some good-natured sexually assertive fun and frolics at the beach, some really badly choreographed ninja training sessions, some more fighting, and a sub-plot about one of the band members trying to find his estranged father, his supportive and sensitive band members talking openly about their feelings by standing with one fiercely masculine leg planted firmly on a table.
Shop owners dish out their own brand of martial arts justice, cars roar through conveniently empty streets while stuntmen fight each other on equally empty street corners, people shout "TAEKWANDO!" and pull lots of peculiar faces, and bad guys wearing Motley Crue and Ratt t-shirts wait to be hit before throwing themselves into sand dunes while a song with the chorus of "messin' with the tough guys" plays on the soundtrack. The keyboard player is eventually reunited with his father but not until he's almost mortally wounded in one of the most accidentally funny fight scenes ever, and greets his long lost dad with some of the worst crying ever captured on film. Remember that video of the old black guy crying on the TV talk show? Yeah, like that.
8/10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dO9BFGHTrC8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lw3LDjx__5w
(1987)
If, like me, you've ever found yourself thinking "I really need to see a film about a massive gang of drug dealing ninjas fighting a band of rock star ninjas to a music soundtrack that explains the entire movie in its lyrics" then today really is your lucky day.
Welcome to Miami Connection where "ninja" and "Taekwando" are among the most commonly used words on the streets, and bemulleted bad guys wear inconspicuous Panama hats, leather trousers, oversized sunglasses and leather sports jackets.
Our story begins with a group of motorcycle ninjas intercepting a shipment of drugs to a surprisingly ethnically diverse gang of Colombians. Grabbing the shipment and money for themselves, they kill the Colombians with throwing stars, bows and arrows, and swords, easily fighting their way past a much greater number of baddies armed with magic Uzis that never run out of ammunition. Necks get slashed, arms get sliced off, and people go "AAAAAAAARRRGGGGGGHHHH!!!" in slow motion.
"Bikers by day, ninjas by night. Swift and fearless, not afraid to fight. Steal all your cocaine along with your life. Strike with no mercy into the night". You simply don't get theme songs this awesome any more.
The movie's heroes are a rock band called Dragon Sound who play songs about loyalty, honesty and friendship. They feature a shirtless camp keyboard player, a female singer (who unfortunately keeps her shirt on), a rarely seen drummer, a gangly shirtless bassist, a shirtless singer/guitarist who looks like the offspring of John Oates and Magnum PI, and an enthusiastic little oriental fella who jumps about a lot and holds his guitar like it's the first time he's ever seen one, and who also happens to be the film's producer, writer, and casting agent.
Dragon Sound end up making enemies when they grab themselves a gig at a local venue, forcing out another, older and paunchier, band who have ties to the motorcycle ninjas. Things get even more complicated by the fact that the bass player is in love with the female singer who just so happens to be the sister of the leader of another Miami gang, and they've just gone into business with the motorcycle ninjas.
From that point on, all possibility of a coherent storyline goes completely out of the fucking window in favour of martial arts, some good-natured sexually assertive fun and frolics at the beach, some really badly choreographed ninja training sessions, some more fighting, and a sub-plot about one of the band members trying to find his estranged father, his supportive and sensitive band members talking openly about their feelings by standing with one fiercely masculine leg planted firmly on a table.
Shop owners dish out their own brand of martial arts justice, cars roar through conveniently empty streets while stuntmen fight each other on equally empty street corners, people shout "TAEKWANDO!" and pull lots of peculiar faces, and bad guys wearing Motley Crue and Ratt t-shirts wait to be hit before throwing themselves into sand dunes while a song with the chorus of "messin' with the tough guys" plays on the soundtrack. The keyboard player is eventually reunited with his father but not until he's almost mortally wounded in one of the most accidentally funny fight scenes ever, and greets his long lost dad with some of the worst crying ever captured on film. Remember that video of the old black guy crying on the TV talk show? Yeah, like that.
8/10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dO9BFGHTrC8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lw3LDjx__5w
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Darkweasel
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Re: movies
CAMERON'S CLOSET
(1988)
From Medusa Pictures, the video company who gave us '80s classics Society, Maniac Cop, Re-Animator 2, Basket Case 2, Savage Streets, and Warlock, comes this altogether disappointing horror flick about a kid with telekinetic powers who conjures up a demon inside his closet. The kid's psychiatrist and a psychologically damaged cop try to save the day as a bloody awful rubber monster (created by Alien/E.T. effects legend Carlo Rambaldi in his lunch hour) sends people flying out of windows, decapitates people with conveniently placed machetes, and burns eyes out of sockets.
Everything happens at a snails pace, the gore is amateur hour stuff at best, and the only recognisable face in the whole thing is Gary Hudson who is best known for being the bloke in Roadhouse who gets fired for banging one of the customers.
"I'm on my break!"
"Stay on it".
Classic Swayze, there.
The music soundtrack is just as annoying as the almost complete lack of direction as composer Harry Manfredini tiredly rips off his own Friday the 13th Part VI score from a couple of years before. The acting ranges from barely adequate to it'll do, I suppose, and the whole thing looks like a TV movie with a bit more blood. Gary (The Howling) Brandner wrote the source material, so I can only hope his story was significantly better than this adaption.
4/10
(1988)
From Medusa Pictures, the video company who gave us '80s classics Society, Maniac Cop, Re-Animator 2, Basket Case 2, Savage Streets, and Warlock, comes this altogether disappointing horror flick about a kid with telekinetic powers who conjures up a demon inside his closet. The kid's psychiatrist and a psychologically damaged cop try to save the day as a bloody awful rubber monster (created by Alien/E.T. effects legend Carlo Rambaldi in his lunch hour) sends people flying out of windows, decapitates people with conveniently placed machetes, and burns eyes out of sockets.
Everything happens at a snails pace, the gore is amateur hour stuff at best, and the only recognisable face in the whole thing is Gary Hudson who is best known for being the bloke in Roadhouse who gets fired for banging one of the customers.
"I'm on my break!"
"Stay on it".
Classic Swayze, there.
The music soundtrack is just as annoying as the almost complete lack of direction as composer Harry Manfredini tiredly rips off his own Friday the 13th Part VI score from a couple of years before. The acting ranges from barely adequate to it'll do, I suppose, and the whole thing looks like a TV movie with a bit more blood. Gary (The Howling) Brandner wrote the source material, so I can only hope his story was significantly better than this adaption.
4/10
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Darkweasel
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bloodfiend
- Hell Bent for Leather
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Re: movies
Darkweasel wrote:Oh, and go and watch Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2.
It's ace.
Yes it is.
The first one was ridiculously good, and this incredibly manages to be every bit as awesome.
Re: movies
Can confirm. It has a pretty good storyline, and endeavors not to take itself at all seriously.
Also, they must've spent like a £1million on body paint.
Also, they must've spent like a £1million on body paint.
"I don't always go to clubs... but when I do, I enter through the ladies room"
~ Adam Jenson
~ Adam Jenson
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some_thing_wild
- Paster of Muppets
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Re: movies
Took about 5 sittings but I got through the 5 hour version of Das Boot this morning
Very good, recommended if you like your war films more psychological as opposed to actual violence. Can probably just do the 2 1/2 hour version on netflix but I don't know yet how much is cut out or if it ruins it
Very good, recommended if you like your war films more psychological as opposed to actual violence. Can probably just do the 2 1/2 hour version on netflix but I don't know yet how much is cut out or if it ruins it
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Darkweasel
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Re: movies
Life
Ever since I was 13 when I found the videocassette of Alien that my parents had recorded from the TV and then thought they had oh-so cleverly hidden before leaving me on my own in the house for the night, I've loved old dark house style horror films. Especially those with a sci-fi edge.
Stick a motley crew of around seven or eight thinly drawn characters into a suitably dark and claustrophobic setting (preferably in space or miles underwater), throw in an alien or a genetic mutant, a deadly virus, or even just a bog standard psychopath with a variety of pointy weapons, and that usually keeps me happy for a good ninety minutes or so.
Practically no different to any of the others which have boldly gone before, Life is essentially just a simple combination of Alien, Species, and Gravity. A group of scientists on the International Space Station discover that there is basic unicellular life on Mars and attempt to science it. However, reviving the microscopic creature (and giving it the name Calvin) turns out to be a big mistake as it grows at an alarming rate, showing a tendency towards hostility by trying to eat the crew. Things look bleak until one of the (dwindling) crew members devises a predictably heroic last minute scheme that may or may not go as planned.
With most of the action occurring in zero gravity, Life certainly looks a little different to other genre movies, but underneath all the floaty stuff and its admittedly pretty impressive attention to scientific detail, it's still just another variation on Ten Little Indians.
Jake Gyllenhaal plays one of the main characters but somehow still remains underused, Ryan Reynolds appears to be in it only to play himself and keep himself in work, and the rest of the cast are all conveniently expendable. Still, all that said, Life is still a very enjoyable little sci-fi horror. It's compact, builds tension well, it's reasonably gory, fast paced, and the special effects are excellent.
7.5/10
Ever since I was 13 when I found the videocassette of Alien that my parents had recorded from the TV and then thought they had oh-so cleverly hidden before leaving me on my own in the house for the night, I've loved old dark house style horror films. Especially those with a sci-fi edge.
Stick a motley crew of around seven or eight thinly drawn characters into a suitably dark and claustrophobic setting (preferably in space or miles underwater), throw in an alien or a genetic mutant, a deadly virus, or even just a bog standard psychopath with a variety of pointy weapons, and that usually keeps me happy for a good ninety minutes or so.
Practically no different to any of the others which have boldly gone before, Life is essentially just a simple combination of Alien, Species, and Gravity. A group of scientists on the International Space Station discover that there is basic unicellular life on Mars and attempt to science it. However, reviving the microscopic creature (and giving it the name Calvin) turns out to be a big mistake as it grows at an alarming rate, showing a tendency towards hostility by trying to eat the crew. Things look bleak until one of the (dwindling) crew members devises a predictably heroic last minute scheme that may or may not go as planned.
With most of the action occurring in zero gravity, Life certainly looks a little different to other genre movies, but underneath all the floaty stuff and its admittedly pretty impressive attention to scientific detail, it's still just another variation on Ten Little Indians.
Jake Gyllenhaal plays one of the main characters but somehow still remains underused, Ryan Reynolds appears to be in it only to play himself and keep himself in work, and the rest of the cast are all conveniently expendable. Still, all that said, Life is still a very enjoyable little sci-fi horror. It's compact, builds tension well, it's reasonably gory, fast paced, and the special effects are excellent.
7.5/10
Re: movies
Wonder Woman, although not without its problems, is really good fun and the first of the DCU that I've enjoyed. Gal Gadot is great and has good chemistry with Pine, the movie has a heart and a fair few laughs whilst also not shying away from showing the horrors of war (as much as a 12a can do!).
I did find the scenes on lesbian island a tad slow and the last 15 minutes are the usual 'superhero fights bigass CGI thing', but everything in between is a blast.
I did find the scenes on lesbian island a tad slow and the last 15 minutes are the usual 'superhero fights bigass CGI thing', but everything in between is a blast.
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VizardAmata
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Re: movies
Agreed on Wonder Woman, it was pretty damn good.
I also finally watched Batman vs Superman, and while it is very flawed it is nowhere near as bad as everyone made it out to be.
I also finally watched Batman vs Superman, and while it is very flawed it is nowhere near as bad as everyone made it out to be.
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Darkweasel
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Re: movies
So, the DC film with the worst trailer could be their best to date? Hmm... not convinced but I'll get around to it eventually.
Re: movies
VizardAmata wrote:Agreed on Wonder Woman, it was pretty damn good.
I also finally watched Batman vs Superman, and while it is very flawed it is nowhere near as bad as everyone made it out to be.
The extended cut was an improvement but I still didn't think much of it. It was all just too dull, miserable and grey...and the less said about the 'Martha' revelation the better. I really don't like the portrayal of Superman in these films, he should be full of brash colourful optimism and hope, instead he's played as a miserable bastard who's only helping people out of some grudging sense of duty. But yeah, it wasn't as bad as some of the reviews made it out to be.