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

Film Reviews and Release Comparisons
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Markgway
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Re: What general film/series have you just seen.. marks out

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Iron Man Three (2013-USA-China) **

Disappointing second sequel; chaotic, indifferently plotted, and swamped by supersize CGI effects.
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Re: What general film/series have you just seen.. marks out

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Kick-Ass 2 - 3.5/5

Very enjoyable sequel, probably funnier than the first.
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Hummingbird aka Redemption (2012-UK-USA) ***

Arresting, pensive drama; Jason Statham's best film to date.
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Welcome to the Punch (2013-UK-USA) **½
Slick, Americanised crime thriller set in London; good cast, fair result.

The Number 23 (2006-USA-Germany) **
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Re: What general film/series have you just seen.. marks out

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Passion (2012-Germany-France) *½

Pale imitation of the kind of noirish giallo DePalma used to churn out in his sleep.
Despite the highly touted lipstick lesbianism, we see no more than a glimpse of Noomi Rapace's left nipple during an unerotic rear-ender. Plot is unconvincing and overly familiar (I figured out the ending way in advance). DePalma has been unfairly accused in the past of misogyny - but even I couldn't mount a defence for the characters in this film. Three career women - all nasty, manipulative bitches who dupe dumb men.
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Re: What general film/series have you just seen.. marks out

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Pacific Rim (USA, 2013) [Cinema / 2D] - 4.5/5
Tetsujin 28, Neon Genesis Evangelion and assorted Gamera monsters are all present in Guillermo Del Toro's love letter to Japanese kaiju and tokusatsu films. Although a CGI affair, the film feels relatively practical thanks to the attention paid to physics and sets. Monster design owes a lot to classic kaiju films; fans can spot features of Guilala, Guiron, and others. Rinko Kikuchi makes excellent co-lead – sad that she’s hated by everyone in Japan. The Russian Ivan Drago -style pilot duo would deserve more screen time, though. Above all, the film feels like a live action Neon Genesis Evangelion, although Del Toro's film is simpler and doesn't feature deep themes. As a mainstream entertainer, however, it is pretty much the best thing you could have wished for.

"Who are you, if you are Japanese and won't watch this?" - Hideo Kojima

"If you don't see this, you're kaiju food." - Takashi Miike

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Re: What general film/series have you just seen.. marks out

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Cockneys vs. Zombies (2012-UK) **

Gory horror comedy; clever, amusing in parts, but doesn't quite sustain itself as a feature film. Far superior to Strippers vs. Werewolves though.

Michelle Ryan was hot in this. :love:
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What's Your Number? (2011-USA) **½

Gross Anatomy (1989-USA) **½

Bandslam (2009-USA) ***

Vanessa Hudgens.... :love: :love: :love:
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Re: What general film/series have you just seen.. marks out

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Criminal Law (1988-USA) *½
A Dry White Season (1989-USA) ***
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Re: What general film/series have you just seen.. marks out

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Return of the Living Dead (USA, 1984) [DVD] – 2.5/5
An amusing but too noisy zombie/monster horror comedy. The major positive is that the film is made serious enough to make the jokes work. The soundtrack is rather unfit.

Humanoids from the Deep (USA, 1980) [DVD] – 3/5
Roger Corman horror schlock about a seaside town under the terror of frog men. From acting to atmosphere and Rob Bottin’s costume effects nothing quite works the way it should, but that’s part of the film’s appeal. Director Barbara Peeters was eventually fired when she refused to include more nudity into the film. Her replacement added a number of scenes where the frog men rip the female victims’ clothes first – and then proceed to mate.

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of course, in the German poster she's topless :lol:
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Re: What general film/series have you just seen.. marks out

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Nikita (1990-France-Italy) **

Empire State (2012-USA) **
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Re: What general film/series have you just seen.. marks out

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Nikita 2.5/5 ?? :o :o :o :o
2010 - The return of the HK movie industry :)
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Re: What general film/series have you just seen.. marks out

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Do you think that's too generous?

I much prefer Leon myself.
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Re: What general film/series have you just seen.. marks out

Post by luckystars »

Erm


So Nikita = Cockneys vs. Zombies

I just don't get your system Mark :dontknow:

Markgway wrote:Cockneys vs. Zombies (2012-UK) **

Gory horror comedy; clever, amusing in parts, but doesn't quite sustain itself as a feature film. Far superior to Strippers vs. Werewolves though.

Michelle Ryan was hot in this. :love:
2010 - The return of the HK movie industry :)
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Re: What general film/series have you just seen.. marks out

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luckystars wrote:Erm

So Nikita = Cockneys vs. Zombies

I just don't get your system Mark :dontknow:
That's not how rating systems work. You're comparing two entirely different movies. Just because both films have ** doesn't mean both films are of the exact same quality. Besides, I find NIKITA to be a very flawed film. Many people do. I was thinking about checking out the Hollywood remake (Point of No Return) to compare.
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Re: What general film/series have you just seen.. marks out

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Antoine and the Heroes (France, 2012) [VoD] – 4/5
A French film geek can’t decide between Jim Kelly karate flick and “Barbara Steele”zombie horror that play in cinema at the same time. He keeps running back and forth between the screenings until he flips and the films begin to merge in his head. Outcome: Jim Kelly look-a-like beating zombies! A loving homage to genre films and movie geeks. It is almost sad the short film looks better than 95% of real zombie movies ever made. Only the ending is slightly underwhelming.

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+

Casablanca (USA, 1942) [Cinema] – 4.5/5

The Great Escape (USA, 1963) [Cinema] – 4.5/5

The Godfather (USA, 1972) [Cinema] – 4.5/5

Enter the Dragon (USA, 1973) [Cinema] – 4/5


I hate waking up for movies, but with this morning screening line up, can’t complain. Each film plays at 10 am for two weeks. Besides, who says it isn’t cool to see Casablanca at the cinema before going to school?

And my girlfriend’s comment after The Great Escape…: “Your dad looks like Charles Bronson.” Makes me proud of them both!
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Re: What general film/series have you just seen.. marks out

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Point of No Return (1993-USA) *½

The Naked Gun 2½ (1991-USA) **½

Naked Gun 33⅓ (1994-USA) **½

Sex, Lies, and Videotape (1989-USA) **½

Black Rainbow (UK-1989) *½

Drugstore Cowboy (1989-USA) ***
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Re: What general film/series have you just seen.. marks out

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Markgway wrote:Point of No Return (1993-USA) *½
I have nostalgic memories of Point of No Return. Watched it on TV secretly when I was 9 years old. My parents were sleeping in the next room, I was in the living room on sofa, watching the film with the left eye and keeping the right on the bedroom door, ready to pretend sleeping in case someone came out :lol: Thankfully, no one did.
Markgway wrote:Black Rainbow (UK-1989) *½
For a second there I thought that was a *½ for Black Rain. I was already about to tell you how I'm gonna kill you :lol:
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HungFist wrote:For a second there I thought that was a *½ for Black Rain. I was already about to tell you how I'm gonna kill you :lol:
Black Rain would probably get *** from me.
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Re: What general film/series have you just seen.. marks out

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Last Chance Harvey (2008-USA) ***

Fair Game (2009-USA-UAE) ***

Short Time (1990-USA-Canada) **½

The Frozen Ground (2011-USA) ***
Quietly solid serial killer thriller, based on true events; grim, but well-acted.
Judging by the date this was shelved for a couple of years.

Gleaming the Cube (1988-USA) **½
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Dredd (UK, 2012) [BD] – 4/5
An excellent, ultra violent action film benefits from focusing on essentials. Brief introduction, a film long mission, and end credits. Add Karl Urban’s emotionless performance and stylish, badass sci-fi design. Despite the plentiful CGI, the film feels relatively physical. Unlike most of the supercharged sci-fi films of today, Dredd feels almost old fashioned – in the most positive way.

Samurai Cop (USA, 1989) [DVD] – 3.5/5
Sylvester Stallone’s bodyguard Matt Hannon stars as a mullet hero in an inept action movie that has become a laughing stock. The train wreck excels with unbelievable acting performances as tons of quotable dialogue, though action scenes are lame. Unlike the majority of great cult classics Samurai Cop is a film where all the glorious merits are indeed accidental.

”They call him Samurai. He speaks fluent Japanese. He was trained by the masters in Japan.”
- thread: viewtopic.php?f=3&p=169123#p169123

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Re: What general film/series have you just seen.. marks out

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Next of Kin (1989-USA) **

Fear (1989-USA) **½

Knight Moves (1992-USA-Germany-Canada) **½

A Midnight Clear (1991-USA) ***

Primer (2004-USA) **

Raising Cain (1992-USA) **½
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Re: What general film/series have you just seen.. marks out

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Deranged 2.5/5 interesting low budget 70's horror from Bob Clark,inspired by the Ed Gein case. Roberts Blossom is excellent as is the Arrow BD.

Justice League:The Flashpoint Paradox 2/5 well made,but these DCU JL movies are starting to feel a little stale.

Evil Dead (2013) 2.5/5 ok rehash of the classic original.
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Re: What general film/series have you just seen.. marks out

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The Mechanic (2010-USA) **½

Death Wish V: The Face of Death (1993-USA-Canada) **

Jacknife (1989-USA) ***

Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell (1973-UK) **

Point Blank (2010-France) ***

In Search of a Midnight Kiss (2008-USA) ***

Insidious (2010-USA-Canada-UK) **½
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Re: What general film/series have you just seen.. marks out

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Jack Reacher (USA, 2012) -3.5/5
Mis-marketed Tom Cruise film is an old fashioned thriller / murder mystery with minimal amounts of action. The film is no classic, but it’s well made and Cruise has undeniable movie star charisma, no matter what his personal life might be like. Werner Herzog (!) plays the villain.

The Toxic Avenger (USA, 1984) – 2/5
Classic Troma film is an amateurish comedy with a couple of relatively mild splatter effects. It has a nice nostalgic aura to it, but as a trash/exploitation movie it’s neither very ballsy nor well executed. Could use losing 20 minutes from its running time. Best suited for children who can overlook the flaws and find the violence shocking.

I remember when I was 10 or 11 and my friend spoke highly of the film. I can imagine for an elementary school student it must have been the coolest “forbidden” movie ever.
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