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

[Markgway]

Coupe de Ville (1990) **
1960s road trip movie in which three irritating brothers bickering and shout at each other.
Gets better in the second half, but hard to take at times.

[HungFist]

Hot Shots! Part Deux (1993) ***
Rambo spoof scores 100 laughs a minute; so many you can forgive the clangers.
Lloyd Bridges stands out among funny cast.

https://youtu.be/6cDohyRbzeo?t=677

[chazgower01]

Les Revenants aka They Came Back (France, 2004) dvd 3/5
When people from the dead start reappearing in herds returning to their hometowns, one small city tries to figure out how to reintegrate them back into society, (there's 13,000 of them) what makes them tick, what happened, etc. It's a zombie movie that isn't really a zombie movie, as none of them are monsters per se, but they seem a bit off and creepy, and the atmosphere here is tension, uncertainty and fear.
They LOOK perfectly normal but... something is off.
They explore a lot of interesting concepts: Seeing your loved one again after 6 years. Why aren't they sleeping? Can they have sex? Can they love? Where have they been?
Maybe I've been watching too many exploitation movies, as I just wasn't as excited about this as I thought I would be. It's very well done, and I'm told the TV series that followed was excellent.

[chazgower01]

Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry (1974, USA) dvd 3/5
Peter Fonda and Adam Roarke knock off a grocery store, and try keeping one step ahead of an obsessed sheriff (the always gruff and great Vic Morrow), all while putting up with Fonda’s one night stand tag along hottie (Susan George) who they can’t seem to get rid of.
It's fun, and while some of the dialogue is unintentionally funny, there’s a charming ‘lovers on the run from the law’ aspect to this that appealed to me then and still appeals to me now.
A bad azz Pea Green Challenger, with Groovy 70's fashion mixed with small town country folk and that ending...

[Markgway]

Soapdish (1991) **½
Quite funny farce parodies daytime soap operas and behind the scenes madness.

[Guro Taku]

Link (UK, 1986) [BD] - 2/5
Elisabeth Shue gets chased around a house by a horny orangutan while clown music blares on the soundtrack. Gave me a headache.

The Devil's Honey (Italy/Spain, 1986) [BD] - 1.5/5
Lucio Fulci attempts to direct an erotic thriller with inept and embarrassing results.

[saltysam]

The Hitcher 4/5
Rutger Hauer is the psychotic title character and in this riverting thriller that never lets up. Surprisingly for such a well regarded movie it's never been well served on home video. Now germany has seen a english friendly region free blu ray release,and while the master is from a print ,has some blown out whites and some DNR it still massively improves on any DVD we've ever had of this one.

Shaft 2/5
Richard Roundtree is the cool title character in this famous 70's blaxploitation movie, now looking rather dated.

Shaft's Big Score! 2.5/5
An improvement on the original by virtue of having more action and a more involving story line.

Suspiria (2018) 1/5

An overlong, pretentious, up it's own arse remake/redux of the 70's Argento classic, not helped by the wooden Dakota Johnson in the lead.Story veers off in many directions but doesn't make much sense at all. Garbage.

[Markgway]

Jason Bourne (2016) **½
Matt Damon returns to the series in an entertaining, if contrived retread of usual themes.
The action is overly chaotic, shaky-cam in abundance.

[chazgower01]

First They Killed My Father (2015, USA) dvd 5/5
Based upon the book of the same name and directed by Angelina Jolie, this tells the story of the author as a young girl in Cambodia as the Khmer Rouge takes over, her life in the work camps, what happenes to her and her family, and the eventual invasion/liberation by the Vietnamese.
Going from a life of comfort, and for the time, privilege, the movie shows us what she experiences through either her eyes or her expression. All throughout it's just... devastating what people do to each other, and to be quite honest - the movie probably wasn't as harsh in their portrayal of the Khmer Rouge as they could've been.
Beautifully shot, and all in the native languages, it almost feels as if you're experiencing it with her. A pretty amazing movie, not just in its topic, but in its presentation as well.

[Markgway]

The Tall Man (2012) **½
Children go missing in a small town.
Creepy chiller doesn't go where you expect to, but may prove uncomfortably ugly for some viewers.

[chazgower01]

Escape From the Planet of the Apes (1971, USA) dvd 3.5/5
I saw this at the theater when I was 8 years old and was completely blown away by it. It's still pretty entertaining as the chronological first story (and third movie) in the series, even if its explanation of time travel is pretty hokey. I still say this is the 2nd best film in the whole series.
After the destruction of the earth in 'Beneath the Planet of the Apes', Cornelius, Zira, and Dr. Milo travel back in time to 1970's Los Angeles, where they charm the media but draw suspicion from those who realize their appearance will set in motion events that will eventually destroy the earth. And Ricardo Montalban in a small role is his usual scene-stealing ham.

[Guro Taku]

Slave of the Cannibal God (Italy, 1978) [BD] - 2,5/5
A passable entry in the subgenre. Stacy Keach classes up the joint with some actual acting, production values are fine - mostly thanks to location shooting in Sri Lanka - and there's some pigshit insane stuff in the last third.

[HungFist]

Sleepless (Italy, 2001) [DVD] - 1/5
Argento returned to giallo... with this piece of shit. Ugly, completely nonsensical and paired with atrocious English voice acting. Goblin did the music but you'd never guess it. Max Von Sydow is the only good thing about the film. You feel sorry for him for starring in this.

[Markgway]

The Man from U.N.C.L.E (2015) ***
Enjoyable TV-to-big screen transition;
a playful, breezy spy caper that feels more like the old James Bond than James Bond.
After this and M:I - Fallout I'm really starting to warm to Henry Cavill.

Plaza Suite (1970) **
Three stories make up this dated, uneven comedy-drama set in a NYC hotel room,
adapted by Neil Simon from his stage play.
By turns shrill, shouty, and remarkably sexist, with the occasional witty line thrown in.
Walter Matthau stars in all three episodes, playing different characters.

[chazgower01]

Class of 1984 (USA, 1982) dvd 4/5
American exploitation at its finest. I probably haven't seen this movie since it came out, but it holds up well despite its obvious cliches and over the top hyperbole thanks to a straight forward script, some solid performances (a great bad guy in Timothy Van Patten), and of course plenty of exploitative moments. Both Perry King as the new teacher and Van Patten as the leader of a gang who runs the school are in top form and convincing (though Van Patten is just a nudge over the top at times), but when you add in an Alice Cooper song for the opening soundtrack ("I'm the Future"), Roddy McDowell and a young chubby Michael J. Fox in supporting roles, and enough violence to (reportedly) almost get an X rating... you have a winner. (The story goes they had to trim the rape scene and the arm in the buzz saw scene to secure an 'R' rating). 

A teacher from (I think it was Nebraska) comes to the city where a gang of white kids are running and terrorizing the school he's teaching at. He doesn't put up with it and the back and forth escalates. Of course, the cops and parents believe the kids and the teacher gets more frustrated and things escalate even more. Drugs, violence, a scene of nudity, a not very convincing rape scene, lots of fighting, etc. And a pretty great ending. Just good stuff.

[Markgway]

Good People (2014) **½
Stars out as Shallow Grave and ends up as Home Alone... but not as good as either.
Strangely watchable though.

[Markgway]

Aftermath (2016) **½
Sombre drama marks a drastic change for pace for Arnold Schwarzenegger.
He's good, but the film, based on a true story, is tough-going at times.

[HungFist]

Thanks for the reminder, I've been meaning to rent Aftermath.

Silent Night, Deadly Night (USA, 1984) [DVD] - 3/5
A ridiculous Christmas trauma overkill followed by a much better second half with some inventive Christmas kills. The reindeer bit is easily the highlight. If you ever wanted to go postal after watching a slasher, this film is probably the best inspiration. "Naughty! Punish!"

[chazgower01]

Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972, USA) dvd 3/5
Fast forward 20 years and 'Milo' is fully grown and being snuck into the city by Ricardo Montalban to hang up ads for the circus. Dogs and Cats have been wiped out by a virus and humans have taken apes as pets and they're constantly under 'reconditioning'. The 'governor' is still searching for the child of Cornelius and Zira, knowing that he'll one day lead the revolt against humans...
A sometimes dry but acceptable fourth movie in the series (and 2nd in the time line), the re-named Ceasar builds his army and confronts the humans...

[Markgway]

The Love Witch (2016) **
Dead on pastiche of late 60s erotica and garish super-naturalism, with sets and costumes to match.
A triumph of design and style, if not storytelling, which is weak.
Pretty much a one woman show from Anna Biller (who presumably swept the floor after calling 'cut').
Samantha Robinson is stunning as the eponymous seductress.

[chazgower01]

Rocketman (USA, 2019) theater 4.5/5
The long overdue biopic of Elton John is a musical... an over the top, colorful, pridefully gay musical... and... that’s not really surprising.
What’s surprising is that it mostly works, on all levels, as entertainment, story, art, and as a film. It doesn't work as a specific biopic, in fact, they claim it's NOT, so if you're looking for a detailed biography, you'll be disappointed.
The last half of it you start to realize it’s a bit self-indulgent, like eating your third piece of Birthday Cake in one sitting, but the sentimentality of it in the end wins you over. Or it did me anyway.
Taron Egerton is amazing (actually singing the songs), with an award worthy performance in a cast of outstanding performances. (Though I especially liked Stephan Graham in a minor role as gruff UK label boss Dick James).
I liked it better than Bohemian Rhapsody, though I think 'Bennie and the Jets' got shortchanged.

[chazgower01]

The Love Witch (2016) **
Dead on pastiche of late 60s erotica and garish super-naturalism, with sets and costumes to match.
A triumph of design and style, if not storytelling, which is weak.
Pretty much a one woman show from Anna Biller (who presumably swept the floor after calling 'cut').
Samantha Robinson is stunning as the eponymous seductress.

Hmmm... I need to check this out!

[Markgway]

Gladiator (1992) ***½
Never mind that over-exposed Russell Crowe swords 'n' sandals nonsense.
This exhilarating urban boxing drama is the real deal.
If you haven't yet seen it, punch yourself in the face!

[grim_tales]

The Goonies (1985): 3.5/5

Entertaining 80's adventure movie, a group of kids (including future stars Sean Astin and Josh Brolin) go on a treasure hunt when they discover their house will be built on.

[Markgway]

Not Safe for Work (2012) **
Substandard Blumhouse thriller sat on the shelf for two years before going straight to DVD.
Director Joe Johnson went from The Rocketeer to this?
The UK Blu-ray (cert '15') is obviously an edited version (probably done with a PG-13 in mind).
The US DVD is apparently 'unrated'. Same version? No idea.