Bullets 'n' Babes

Ghost Busters (1984-USA) ***
Seminal 80s special effects comedy.

Ghostbusters II (1989-USA) ***
Well-made sequel.

Twins of Evil (1971-UK) ***
Maybe the best of Hammer's 70s horror output.

KIckboxer (1989-USA) ***
Classic Van Damme kickfest; gets the extra half star for being the best of its kind.

Zodiac (2007-USA) ***½
Engrossing, chilling investigation into the Zodiac serial killer.

Kickboxer: Vengeance (2016-USA) *½
Pointless, wooden remake that's inferior in every way.
Van Damme is dubbed for some of his dialogue, which shows up how cheap and naff this production really is.

Blue Ruin (2013-USA) ***
Offbeat, unpredictable revenge drama.

Once Upon a Time in the West (1968-Italy-USA) ***½
Long, but rewarding western classic.

Total Recall (1990-USA) ***½
An example of how good an action blockbuster can be when they really try.

Masterminds (2015-USA) **½
Amusing heist caper, based on a true story.

Sex Tape (2014-USA) *½
They probably should've made an actual sex tape; it might've been less embarrassing.

Fantastic Beasts & Where To Find Them: 3.5/5

Amiable fantasy, this Harry Potter prequel (?)/spin-off has fantastic effects and beautifully designed sets recreating 1920's New York, I rather enjoyed it (perhaps more than I thought I would). Eddie Redmayne didnt seem very likeable as the lead though, he was a bit "cold", and stand-offish. Maybe that was his character.

Jackpot (2011-Norway) **
Gruesome, overconfident black comedy holds interest, but isn't terribly appealing.
The lead is a charmless dick, too, so it's hard to root for him when we're meant to.

Friday the 13th (USA, 1980) [VoD] - 2/5
I've never understood the appeal of this one, aside genre historical importance. I gave up after 40 minutes on my first try a decade ago. This time, with a bit of help by the fast forward button, I got to the end. It does get somewhat enjoyable during the second half, but the characters and filmmaking are uninteresting and there are too many cheap fake scares, e.g. camera pretending to be the killer's POV and then revealed not to be.

Resident Evil: Afterlife (USA, 2010) [VoD] - 2/5
With a 10 year gap between seeing this and the previous film, it took a while figure out what the hell was going on. Unfortunately the confusion didn't make the film any more enjoyable. For a fan of the early Resident Evil games, these films are a disgrace. The games were slow paced, moody survival horror; the films are loud CGI action fests playing rock music and aping The Matrix. That being said, the film's middle third is surprisingly watchable and features some lovely zombies. Too bad the final third, with all the CGI and green screen action, is as boring as the opening.

The Girl on the Train (2016): 3.5/5

Intriguing (if confusing) psychological mystery, with shades of Vertigo and Rear Window. Hasn't recieved very good reviews apparently (not read the book), but I liked it.

American History X (1998-USA) ***½
Powerful, potent examination of racism isn't afraid to ask tough questions; one of the most important films of the decade.
Excellent performance from Edward Norton.

What Doesn't Kill You (2008-USA) **
Boston-set gangster drama is convincing enough, but there's something inherently awry with the film's criminal subjects-turned-filmmakers profiteering off their own true story. Also, there's little remorse for the violence and criminality shown, just a lot of self-pity about how tough life is for working class people. No shit.

My Boyfriend's Back (1993-USA) **½
Inspired black comedy about a teenager shot dead who crawls out of the grave to take his pretty crush to the prom.
From the director of PARENTS, this shares that film's surrealist, sick sense of humour, but, perhaps being PG-13, is somewhat more palatable.

High Fidelity (2000-USA-UK) **½
I like the stuff about the music snobbery and collecting, and there's a reasonable amount of wit, but the relationship dramas and resultant whining get a bit tiresome.

The Other Woman (2014-USA) **½
Girl power revenge comedy is brighter and sparkier than I expected it to be, though nothing special.

Reasonable Doubt (2013-Canada-Germany-USA) **½
Obvious, though competent thriller; one to catch on late night TV.

Love at Large (1990-USA) *½
Pointless, incoherent misfire mishmashes screwball comedy and neo-noir succeeding at neither.

Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (1997-USA) **½
Sure to cheer you up whatever your mood...

The Bodyguard (1992-USA) **½
Star-driven romantic thriller holds up pretty well; needs more action though.

The Wind and the Lion (1975-USA) *½
Brainless, would be epic adventure yarn romanticises a murderous brigand (played by Sean Connery with his usual charisma) who kidnaps Europeans for ransom and cheerfully cuts off heads in the name of Allah! In decades past this may have seem exotic somehow, in today's climate it's grossly irresponsible and tasteless.

The Last of the Finest (1990-USA) **½
Brian Dennehy is always worth watching, but this tough cop action caper is missing something.

Checking Out (1988-UK) *
Jeff Daniels is convinced he's going to die in this depressingly unfunny black comedy.
If you thought Showgirls was Joe Eszterhas' worst screenplay, think again.

Die Hard 4.0 (2007-USA-UK) ***
Welcome return to action for everybody's favourite wise-ass, tough-as-nails cop, John McClane, with Bruce Willis on fine form as the Timex watch in a digital age. Dips into cartoonish superheroics towards the end, but remains a solid slice of blockbuster entertainment. Now if they'd only stopped there...

Markgway wrote:American History X (1998-USA) ***½
Powerful, potent examination of racism isn't afraid to ask tough questions; one of the most important films of the decade.
Excellent performance from Edward Norton.
...

What films do you rate at ****/****? Agreed on this film, though I might even give it that rare ****/****.

Hmm... **** films are very rare.

I think the last one I watched was either Groundhog Day or Rear Window.