What Have You Just Seen... Marks Out of 5

degeneration · Post by **degeneration** » 04 Jul 2005, 09:18

Kung Fu Hustle 4.5/5

Watched it in the cinema yesterday and it was just as enjoyable as when I watched it at home. Is good to see films like this in the cinema, so hopefully more decent films like this will make it through. Went with a few friends who also found it REALLY funny!

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 04 Jul 2005, 09:31

I enjoyed it as well Degen, it had me laughing out loud in places - top stuff

IronMonkey · Post by **IronMonkey** » 04 Jul 2005, 09:38

Dragons Forever - 4/5

BiscLimpkit · Post by **BiscLimpkit** » 05 Jul 2005, 02:31

Love on a Diet - 4.5/5

Yeah I'm continuing my Johnnie To binge. Absolutely fantastic movie - much better than Yesterday Once More. It had the right balance of humour and drama, very nicely executed.

thelostdragon · Post by **thelostdragon** » 05 Jul 2005, 03:18

Marathon - 4/5
It has its parallels to "Rain Man" in one or two scenes, but that doesn't make the film less worth to watch. This Korean film is about an autistic 19-years-old man who is raised by his mom. They find out that he likes running and soon he should successfully take part in marathons. The film focusses more on his relationship to his mother, younger brother and coach. His fears and his joys. It also focusses on how people react differently towards his behaviour.

Based on the story of a true autistic Korean athlete who broke all Korean records in marathons and triathlons.

BiscLimpkit · Post by **BiscLimpkit** » 05 Jul 2005, 12:09

Ah sweet, cheers LD. The last Korean biopic I watched was good as well (Champion).

thelostdragon · Post by **thelostdragon** » 05 Jul 2005, 12:43

Yeah, "Champion" is great! Koreans make a lot of biopics. Even "My Sassy Girl" is based on a true story a guy used to publish on the internet.

BiscLimpkit · Post by **BiscLimpkit** » 05 Jul 2005, 16:28

Continuing my Johnny To fetish...

My Left Eye Sees Ghosts - 3.5/5

Good entertainment, loved the 2nd half. Thank you Mr To.

ReconFive · Post by **ReconFive** » 06 Jul 2005, 00:52

War of the Worlds - 3.5/5
This was great, up until the third act. It was almost as if they ran out of money and had to stop the movie right away. I think Independence Day was a better film overall. At least there we got an solid explanation as to how exactly the humans win. This, combined with the very cheesy and ridiculous ending really took alot out of it for me. Nonetheless, i did enjoy it and say its worth seeing, as the majority of it is quite good.

Land of the Dead - 4/5
Deffinetly the best modern zombie movie so far. This film had more blood and gore in it then any other R-Rated film i've seen. I was amazed at how much they were able to squeeze past the MPAA. This made it MUCH better. I really hope it does well, then maybe the studios will realize that toning films like this down for the kiddies is not always the best option.

+ New York Asian Film Fest screenings.

Mordib · Post by **Mordib** » 06 Jul 2005, 12:51

I the Huckabees 4.9/5

I had avoided this film for absolutely ages, I wasn't a fan of the Royal Tenanbaums and some prat had told me they were similar. they are of course nothing alike, huckabees having more in common with films such as Garden state and Eternal sunshine (all be it to a lesser degree).

its one of the few films in which I have actually really enjoyed Mark Wahlbergs performance, the surreal quirkiness of the whole thing and the great music would haveone me over even if I didnt totally approve of the films message (which I did).

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 07 Jul 2005, 19:12

Fist of Legend - 5/5

Fantastic film

(thanks Brad).

The presentation and subtitles are excellent all round.
There are a few scenes I dont remember from the MIHK tape, like the autopsy bit, and the scene after the credits fade with all the cast waving goodbye.

I think this was more tolerant to the Japanese than "Fist of Fury".

IronMonkey · Post by **IronMonkey** » 07 Jul 2005, 22:57

24: Season 4 - 5/5

I will put my thoughts into a spoiler in case anyone hasn't seen the whole season yet.

Although Season 1 was my previous favourite, I think it may have just been tipped off the top spot because Season 4 is just fantastic. I'm rewatching it now and will make my final opinion after I have watched Season 1 for the fifth time.

So many things in this season were spot on. Gone are the stupid side plots (like the Chase's baby plot in Season 3) and there was just more of all the god stuff - the adrenaline pumping moments like where Jack breaks into the terrorist compound at 12pm and his choice between the lives of the Chinese connection & Paul Raines. It seems they got just about everything right this season, apart from annoying Chloe and the worst actress in the show - the woman who played Dina Araz - she was terrible!

I think overall Season 1 may still beat Season 4 because of the tighter and more personal story - you're literally going on a roalercoaster ride with Jack's personal nightmare in the 1st season.

But as for Season 4, well it beats the second and third seasons with ease, except maybe I preferred the ending to the third season better. How the hell are they going to bring Jack back in the fifth season (starts in January) now that he is "dead"?

BiscLimpkit · Post by **BiscLimpkit** » 08 Jul 2005, 00:24

Mordib wrote:I the Huckabees 4.9/5

I had avoided this film for absolutely ages, I wasn't a fan of the Royal Tenanbaums and some prat had told me they were similar. they are of course nothing alike, huckabees having more in common with films such as Garden state and Eternal sunshine (all be it to a lesser degree).

its one of the few films in which I have actually really enjoyed Mark Wahlbergs performance, the surreal quirkiness of the whole thing and the great music would haveone me over even if I didnt totally approve of the films message (which I did).

Sweet, if it's got the M approval, definitely need to check this out. Love what you did with the heart... totally awesome... :glasses7:

BiscLimpkit · Post by **BiscLimpkit** » 08 Jul 2005, 00:38

The Grandmother - David Lynch (1970) 4/5

Very interesting 34 minute short. It provides a distorted look at a troubled family. The boy is constantly abused from his beast-like parents, so he decides to plant a seed and grow a grandmother to care for him.

It blends live action with animated segments. The short is typical Lynch, there are plenty of unpleasant surrealistic images and an industrial soundtrack to help create a desolate world.

I notice Lynch selects the colour orange for certain objects. I'm not sure what this means.

The Grandmother is profound, disturbing but deeply fascinating, especially if you adore all things Lynch.

degeneration · Post by **degeneration** » 08 Jul 2005, 10:23

War of the Worlds 4/5

This would have been 4.5/5 if a certain someone HADN'T shown up at the end... didn't like that at all. Other than that, I thought it was a really good film, and very much liked the way the story focussed around people and there reactions to what was going on around them, with the aliens etc more in the background, as opposed to being a typical blockbuster and going for the all out action approach.

24 Season 3 5/5

I've not finished this season yet, have got 5 or 6 episodes to go, but bloody hell it is amazing. It started off slowly, but the pace has picked up and I'm right on the edge of my seat when watching. I've only posted in this rating cause of the absolutely horrifying episodes that took place concerning Chappelle. After a certain episode (you'll know which one if you've seen it), I just sat there in shock. Partly at what had happened, partly from imagining what it would have been like to be in that situation. I felt a bit scared while watching it. Typical TV would have had a last minute saving, and he would have got through it, but not 24. No character is safe in this show! And I think that is what makes it so damn good!!!

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 08 Jul 2005, 14:08

Brass Eye (Series and Special) - 4/5

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 08 Jul 2005, 17:31

M (1931) Eureka Restored 2 disc DVD - 4.5/5

Just an excellent film. Pretty damn scary and still relevant given today's climate of fear amongst certain people (about child attacks).

gasteropod · Post by **gasteropod** » 09 Jul 2005, 00:54

BiscLimpkit wrote:Sweet, if it's got the M approval, definitely need to check this out. Love what you did with the heart... totally awesome... :glasses7:

Yeah it's a great film, I recommend it too!

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 09 Jul 2005, 10:17

Hi Gasterpod!

How are you?

gasteropod · Post by **gasteropod** » 09 Jul 2005, 18:32

Alright Grim, I'm fine thanks - I ended up getting the R2 of Spider-Man 2 a week ago haha, after a lot of searching the net for information, I concluded that the R1 is RCE

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 09 Jul 2005, 18:42

Phew!

I got the Danish R2 LE as it was cheap

Lourdes · Post by **Lourdes** » 10 Jul 2005, 02:04

Hard Boiled - 4/5
Most of you will know how intolerant I am when it comes to cinema so this might as a I surprise but I really do rate this movie. No white birds, not too heavy on the slow-motion (in fact when it used it's too briefly) and is surprising cool. Being a HK action film there are plenty of OTT and cheesey scenes but they are surprisingly bearable which is helped quite considerably by the pacing. The abundance of excellent moments such as Chow Yun-Fat kicking off the warehouse fight and the exit from the cache make for some excellent entertainment. Having disliked "The Killer" I was really quite pleased with this film and I'm now eager for some more HK action.

Any recommendations? The less films with pitiful attempts at sentimentality the better, that's why I couldn't stand "The Killer."

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 10 Jul 2005, 14:42

Red Dwarf S6 - 5/5

Very funny

I love that Gunmen of The Apocolypse episode

Cat: They call me ze kid Ze Rivieria Kid. *Does Mexican Dance*
Jimmy: Well Riviera Kid, lets see if your shootin's as fancy as your dancin'!
(Shoots bullets at Cat, who shoots the bullets out of the air).

I like the film-noir opening as well - Jennifer Calvert (along with Danny John Jules) was in Spatz (anyone remember that?) - a cheesy CITV comedy set in a burger bar (I think?)

I'm looking forward to S7 now for some strange reason, even though I previously said S7 wasn't very good. I want to see how it follows on from S6.

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 10 Jul 2005, 19:03

I thought "The Killer" was outstanding. What did you think of "A Better Tomorrow" and "Bullet In The Head"?

Crime Story (1993) - 4/5

Great gritty crime Chan film IMO.
Any ideas why this was an 18?

romerojpg · Post by **romerojpg** » 10 Jul 2005, 19:19

I like Killer better than maybe any other asian film, but Hard Boiled is probibly easier for people to get into and has staggering action!