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

[grim_tales]

Does the BD include the fake "Dentist on the Job" opening credits that were on the DVD?

That's part of the movie.

I didnt know that, I thought it was just something added on the DVD at the start to take the piss I read an Amazon review that says it isnt there so I got confused (maybe it was a rights thing?)

[Markgway]

Apologies Grim... you're right. The DENTIST opening was only added for the DVD. A damn shame if it's missing from the BD as it's a great gag.

[grim_tales]

Indeed, - its very funny It would be a shame if it was cut out - maybe its been replaced with something else? I read that on some recent cinema release, that bit was replaced with The Princess Diaries 2 at the start.

[Markgway]

Indeed, - its very funny It would be a shame if it was cut out - maybe its been replaced with something else? I read that on some recent cinema release, that bit was replaced with The Princess Diaries 2 at the start.

Doesn't look like it's been replaced with anything. Pity because otherwise the BD seems to be perfect.

[grim_tales]

Maybe they couldnt get the rights to that clip? Hmmm.
Shame

[saltysam]

Thought you guys had a hard on for "original theatrical version"

[grim_tales]

Is the BD version not the extended version then ("Oh I AM enjoying this scene!" "GET ON WITH IT!")

[Markgway]

Thought you guys had a hard on for "original theatrical version"

Yeah, but the Dentist opening was a funny extra. You could play the film without it, apparently.

[grim_tales]

I'll check my DVD but I dont recall such an option

[Markgway]

Little Children (2006-USA) ***

Strong, well-acted drama damaged by some missteps at key junctures.

The House Bunny (2008-USA) **½

Cute, candy floss comedy.

[bradavon]

My latest magazine review:

Demons: 1.5 out of 5

1985 brought us “Demons” directed by Lamberto Bava and produced by horror maestro Dario Argento.

Set in a 1980s Berlin movie theatre, the attendees have been given a free ticket to an undisclosed film. Unsurprisingly this turns out to be a horror movie itself, essentially setting up the demon back story that’s about to unfold in the theatre itself. The plot of which there is very little can be summed up as, “Demons exist and they’re out to get us”. Almost as soon as the movie in a movie starts, the patrons start turning into Demons themselves.

Demons reminded me of George A. Romero’s infinitely superior Dawn of the Dead, the demons act in much the same way as the zombies do (although they can now run) and just like Dawn of the Dead, the characters find themselves blocked into the building. Unfortunately Demons has none of the social commentary of the aforementioned movie, the film is basically a setup for an excuse to show gore and lots of it. From blood, guts, intestines. You name it.

From the outset, the acting is universally awful, the script ham-fisted and the (intentional) English dub dreadful. Demons hasn’t dated well, everything from the clothes, look and soundtrack are very much of a time and place. On the upside, a motorbike sequence featuring a muscle bound beefcake wielding a sword no less and the heavy metal rock soundtrack including the likes of Mötley Crüe and Billy Idol were rather fun.

Demons 2: 1 out of 5

Once more directed by Bava and produced by Argento, Demons 2 is even more poorly acted and the script worse than before.

Demons 2 is essentially a remake of the first film, this time set in a tower block, with even more gaudy 1980s clothing and interiors. Again a bunch of unlikeable characters find themselves blocked in and must fight to keep the demonic hoard at bay, including some unintentionally hilarious sequences with a destruction derby style car smash-up, in the basement car lot.

Oddly the gore is toned down somewhat; fans of gory horror movies will be left a little disappointed. Demons 2 concludes on a wimpy happy ending.

Technical notes:

For fans of Demons and Demons 2 the UK Blu-ray picture and PCM stereo (no remix!) sound is generally excellent.

I couldn't spot any grain, leading me to believe some light DNR has been applied. It's by no means a problem though IMO. I was impressed to see a disclaimer at the start of Demons 2 explaining at 4 points the picture gets significantly worse due to a camera problem during filming. These are very noticable (out of focus and wobbly picture) but only last a second or so each time.

[gasteropod]

the scripted ham-fisted

*script

the scripted worse than before.

*script

[Killer Meteor]

I thought Demons was terrific fun. And I get a kick of seeing the poster for the Giorgio Moroder version of Metropolis in the lobby. It is hard to judge the acting in these things, what with everyone dubbed - the bane of Euro and Hong Kong films.

[Markgway]

I saw Demons back in the 90s and thought it was pretty trashy. I remember a blind man getting his eyes poked out - that's what passes for irony in the picture.

[Markgway]

Chatroom (2010-UK) ***

Jet black psychological thriller from Hideo Nakata doesn't quite hold up to the end but remains well worth watching. Viewers who've suffered depression from a young age may find this particularly disturbing.

[gasteropod]

Chatroom (2010-UK) ***

Jet black psychological thriller from Hideo Nakata doesn't quite hold up to the end but remains well worth watching. Viewers who've suffered depression from a young age may find this particularly disturbing.

I had to turn it off because the acting was horrible and it was hard to follow, I really hope Nakata gets back to making Japanese horror.

[Killer Meteor]

Creepshow 2 (1987)

Rather odd followup to the George Romero classic, with a framing story of crude animation that looks like a head-on collision between Heavy Metal and the yet-to-come cartoon series Tales From The Cryptkeeper. The first story, "Ol' Chief Woodenhead", is similarly very much something one might fight in a kid's horror series, and is pretty weak, but "The Raft", based on a brilliant Stephen King short story, is quite frightening and has great FX, and "The HitchHiker" is a fun retread of a familiar tale, with Lois Chiles (Dr Holly Goodhead herself!) giving a cracking performance (and appearing in the buff!)

6/10

[Markgway]

I had to turn it off because the acting was horrible and it was hard to follow, I really hope Nakata gets back to making Japanese horror.

I thought the acting was generally fine. The characters are intentionally unappealing which makes them less than pleasurable to watch. The jumping back and forth between chat world and reality was clearly designed to compensate for the fact that the vast majority of the film takes place in front of a keyboard (it's based on a stage play).

[bradavon]

the scripted ham-fisted

*script

the scripted worse than before.

*script

Already spotted but thanks. I forgot to update my posting here. Hopefully the editor spotted it too, I wrote this one in a hurry and didn't spot it until after I'd sent it over. It's funny how you can ready something a dozen times but still miss the obvious.

And I get a kick of seeing the poster for the Giorgio Moroder version of Metropolis in the lobby.

I spotted a poster for Werner Herzog's Nosferatu, which gets referenced earlier on.

It is hard to judge the acting in these things, what with everyone dubbed - the bane of Euro and Hong Kong films.

Exactly. I totally agree. It's especially annoying as I gather only the Blacksploitation guy was speaking Italian, everyone else English but it's clearly totally been dubbed over anyway.

I was going to say that but I already had to make the dubbing paragraph smaller as it is (it originally explained dubbing was then common place) due to the 300 words limit. And this time for two movies, instead of the usual one. I sent over 389 words, I suspect 100 words will be chopped out as it is. I said the George A. Romero paragraph can probably go (it's not directly related to the movie), although I rather like it.

I thought Demons was terrific fun.

I'm just just not a fan of the genre. I knew that going in but managed to stay open minded. I really wasn't looking forward to having to watch Demons 2. I may enjoy them more if they weren't dubbed, it gets so grating very quickly. I do also find the gore frankly ridiculous though. It always looks so dumb.

Thankfully the plots are so paper thin it made writing reviews easy. I can say, for fans of the films Arrow have done a stellar job on the blu-rays. The Stereo PCM Is particularly effective. I was surprised no DTS-HD MA 5.1 had been created too, not that they were needed.

[Markgway]

The Big Bang (2010-USA) *½

Bizarro world neo-noir.
Hard to imagine this twisted mess pleasing anyone.
Autumn Reeser features in a memorably hot sex scene.

[Yi-Long]

Rapunzel/Tangled 4/5 (maybe 3.5/5)

Watched this last night with my girlfriend. The CGI looks absolutely gorgeous, I liked the characters, there was some nice comedy, but the story is a bit straightforward and ofcourse predictable...

Had a good time watching it and it's certainly the best Disney has done for years (not counting Pixar), so well worth a watch.

edit: Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that there's singing in this movie, which is pretty much the only aspect I really disliked. I'm not a big fan of characters singing.

4/5

[saltysam]

Annie Hall 4.5/5 Superb oscar-winning Woody Allen classic,gets everything right,with a stellar cast and a memorable,quotable script. The blu-ray is bereft of any features but is a huge upgrade on the tired looking dvd.

[Markgway]

Horrors of the Black Museum (1959-UK) *½

Cheesy horror with exploitation vibe; gruesome for its time.

[bradavon]

Annie Hall 4.5/5 Superb oscar-winning Woody Allen classic,gets everything right,with a stellar cast and a memorable,quotable script. The blu-ray is bereft of any features but is a huge upgrade on the tired looking dvd.

It's fantastic isn't it. I saw it for the first time about a month ago. It's such a shame they don't make comedies like this any more, with such razor sharp scripts.

It's good to hear the BD is a decent upgade. I've been waiting for MGM to release it and Manhattan over here. The USA BDs are fairly pricey.

[Killer Meteor]

Horrors of the Black Museum (1959-UK) *½

Cheesy horror with exploitation vibe; gruesome for its time.

Michael Gough is awesome in this! Have you seen Konga?