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

Markgway · Post by **Markgway** » 06 Mar 2008, 00:52

Sony distributed RAMBO in the UK, it was Lionsgate in the US.

Film was made by Millenium/Nu Image/etc... It's part German.

bradavon · Post by **bradavon** » 06 Mar 2008, 00:53

See I knew I was right

p.s - Region B? Hell no!

thelostdragon · Post by **thelostdragon** » 06 Mar 2008, 00:54

The Bourne Supremacy - 2.5/5
What the hell was all the fuss about? Seriously, the special features on the DVD are way more interesting than the whole film. The second part is the best of the series with a solid 4/5.

saltysam · Post by **saltysam** » 06 Mar 2008, 01:00

Bourne Supremacy is the 2nd one

Markgway · Post by **Markgway** » 06 Mar 2008, 01:03

bradavon · Post by **bradavon** » 06 Mar 2008, 01:10

The first time I saw The Bourne Supremacy the close up camera work really annoyed me but now I've seen it a few times I don't mind it at all and in fact thinl it works very well.

The rest of the film is an excellent thriller too. As are Identity and Ultimatum.

thelostdragon · Post by **thelostdragon** » 06 Mar 2008, 01:13

Ah... kinda thought part 2 was called "The Bourne Conspiracy". I mean does it matter anyway? See how much the film must have meant to me.

bradavon · Post by **bradavon** » 06 Mar 2008, 01:18

That's the recent game

Lourdes · Post by **Lourdes** » 06 Mar 2008, 01:38

Heroes Season 2 - 3/10
I liked the first season, the whole concept was ridiculous but it had a skerry villain and an odd little Japanese fellow. The plot, whilst not fantastic, had a lot of variety as there were many little plot lines that eventually culminated into the overall story But this second season... well it was shit. Too many characters and pointless little subplots that didn't contribute to or relate to the main story, and through that they just detracted.

Appleseed Ex Machina - 4/10
John Woo can fuck right off, does he really think he has any credibility left? If he contributed more than his name to this film then I can ascertain without a doubt that his sole contribution was a rather lame shot of white doves and all the action sequences that directly ripped off The Matrix Trilogy, which was just about all of them - oh and the music which did the same thing. I could possibly credit him for ripping off Ghost in the Shell in some shots but this is John Woo, he only watches Michael Bay films.

Now onto the visuals. Like the original film Ex Machina attempts to be a 3D anime, and like the original film it falls flat on its face because of it. The general anime style is one that is very limited, CGI is a style that warrants as much detail as possible. The end result in Appleseed is characters with funny shaped heads and LEGO people hair with no facial expressions or facial details - amidst backgrounds and particle effects that the producers tried very hard to make realistic. It's such a stupid contrast, it would work in a game perhaps but not in a film that tries hard to look realistic in all other aspects. Additionally, and similar to anime in this respect, the movement of everything just looks crap. All the objects seem like poorly mastered puppets posed against the backgrounds, I didn't see even the slightest hand gesture that looked natural.

Plot? The usual big budget anime clichéd nonsense that you're fed with itty bitty spoons so as not to surprise you, ever. I felt genuinely sad that the fellow who voices Togusa in the GitS world was badly miscast in a major role. Now I will always be reminded of Appleseed when I hear his voice.

Oh and the BD, aliasiasing ahoy! Aliasing even.

EvaUnit02 · Post by **EvaUnit02** » 06 Mar 2008, 01:47

Lourdes wrote:Appleseed Ex Machina - 4/10

Plot? The usual big budget anime clichéd nonsense that you're fed with itty bitty spoons so as not to surprise you, ever. I felt genuinely sad that the fellow who voices Togusa in the GitS world was badly miscast in a major role. Now I will always be reminded of Appleseed when I hear his voice.

Don't forget, he was also Spike Spiegel.

Oh and the BD, aliasiasing ahoy! Aliasing even.

As in jaggie edges in the film's CG rendering? Must've been processed on a PS3 then.

Lourdes · Post by **Lourdes** » 06 Mar 2008, 02:19

I need to watch Bebop in Japanese, for my third viewing I imagine I shall. Partly because synching subs to the new R2J's will be easier than doing the audio as well, but mostly because I've heard bit of the JP dialogue on tracks in the OOP CD Box and it is rather good. Bebop may have a good English dub but compared to the Japanese one it's still lifeless.

Aliasing:
That's right, with animation aliasing tends to be introduced when they use bobbed master or just downscale poorly. I don't really know too much about it, just that the results are rubbish. If you knock off the ing you get another unwanted artefact that used to be broadcast upon our screens.

HungFist · Post by **HungFist** » 06 Mar 2008, 09:49

Hebi to muchi (Japan, 1986) – 1,5/5
Nikkatsu. Oniroku Dan. Masaki Ran. You know what you’ll get. 30 minutes of warm up, and then 30 minutes of non-stop sexual humiliation torture. All the nasty tricks are included. Director Shogoro Nishimura, who has helmed some equally offputting genre landmarks in the past, manages to display some visual skill in the early scenes, though. The boredom part – or, that’s how I see it at least - follows, but once the closing closes, the director strikes again. The ending is a real stunner. But, it’s too late. Too much hebi before the reward. For those who want to see miss Masaki and her big tits Beautiful Teacher in Torture Hell is a less disturbing and more coherent option.

Hebi no ana (Japan, 1983) - 1/5
Let’s start by getting the positives out of the way. In the first scene on Hebi no ana a woman ties herself upside down without any help. Respect! As for the rest of the film I recommend falling asleep before the opening titles begin. I don’t know if this sex sex sex zero storyline film is an all time low for Nikkatsu but I sure hope so. It’s based on Oniroku Dan’s texts (like a few hundred other similar films) so you know the main character is going get rope tortured at some point but it’s all surprisingly unoffensive. Just plain and boring. No shock value, no camp value, no artistic value. The continuous and loud moaning hurts the anesthetic value as well.

Afraid to Die (Japan, 1960) – 3,5/5
Yasuzo Masumura’s yakuza film walks the same path as many of Seijun Suzuki’s similarly themed classics. Cult novelist-actor Yukio Mishima, who later ended his life by commiting a samurai suicide, plays Takeo Asahina, a gangster who is released from prison and tries to get back into business. Masumura’s film is dark, stylish and hip. The underworld often appears darky humoristic and absurd. Asahina finds it easier to live behind the bars than in the outside world where every dumped girlfriend or old enemy could lead the assassins to your door. The cast is solid, but especially Mishima’s performance as a petty yakuza who doesn’t know how to live honest but isn’t that good at being a gangster either, is spot on.

saltysam · Post by **saltysam** » 06 Mar 2008, 18:10

Starship Troopers blu-ray 4/5

Cardboard cut out characters,wooden acting,cheesey dialogue but this movie overcomes all this by never taking itself too seriously and being incredibly entertaining to boot. some great phil tippett effects work which holds up well today.decent BD transfer.

I,Robot blu-ray 4/5

Definitely one of the better blockbusters of recent years this features Will Smith as a cop of the future with a paranoid hatred of robots.fast moving and greatly entertaining with some great effects which look stunning in hi-def.

bradavon · Post by **bradavon** » 06 Mar 2008, 19:22

I like I, Robot too. I'd probably give it 7 out of 10.

Markgway · Post by **Markgway** » 06 Mar 2008, 23:59

I, Robot would've been better with someone else in the lead.

EvaUnit02 · Post by **EvaUnit02** » 07 Mar 2008, 01:12

Markgway wrote:I, Robot would've been better with someone else in the lead.

Yeah, we already knew that you were in the Klan. No need for reminders.

Lourdes · Post by **Lourdes** » 07 Mar 2008, 01:23

Will Smith fits the film perfectly IMO. He's not all that great but he is entertaining, same as the film itself.

gasteropod · Post by **gasteropod** » 07 Mar 2008, 01:30

All I remember about the film is Converse All Stars.

Yi-Long · Post by **Yi-Long** » 07 Mar 2008, 02:13

Havent seen I Robot yet. I will one day, as I hear good things about it, but no real incentive to watch it ASAP.

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 07 Mar 2008, 14:50

I enjoyed I Robot, Smith was fine in it IMO

Ashes to Ashes - Episode 5: 4/5

A good episode, often very funny

Among other things, Ray attempting to chat up a guy in a gay club was hilarious

And I'm fine with Alex now, she's settled down a lot, and this episode was more like a 80's police drama with flashbacks thrown in.

HungFist · Post by **HungFist** » 07 Mar 2008, 15:22

Female Demon Ohyaku (Japan, 1968) – 3/5
Junko Miyazono stars in this stylish and surprisingly story driven revenge film. Labeled as ”the original pinky violence film” by the US distributor Synapse Female Demon Ohyaku doesn’t feature much more nudity than Miyazono’s tattooed back, but the violence is strong and bloody. The amount of action is small but the main point of the film lies undeniably elsewhere. While never boring the film feels like it could be a bit more exciting than it is now. Tomisaburo Wakayama has a small supporting role as a local yakuza boss.

Quick-Draw Okatsu (Japan, 1969) – 4,5/5
This sequel to Female Demon Ohyaku is where the heaven begins. Quick-Draw Okatsu is the cream de la cream of violent female swordplay movies. Junko Miyazono returns in different role as a woman raving for revenge. Although she gives a very solid performance she’s actually the weakest link in the cast. The first super delighter is Reiko Oshida, Toei’s purest gift to the female action genre. Appearing in one of the early roles of her career, she plays the mysterious samurai girl character with her trademark energy and delinquent attitude. Both girls handle the sword well, but are naturally overshadowed by the sword god Tomisaburo Wakayama. This time he’s not casted as the comic relief or respected yakuza boss but his own badass himself. The lone wolf, a one man army.

Okatsu the Fugitive (Japan, 1969) – 3/5
The final part the trilogy feels almost like a remake of Quick-Draw Okatsu. The storyline starts from the beginning, just like last time, with Miyazono playing a new lead character. While the trick didn’t hurt the second part, third time is starting to feel a bit too much already. The basic concept – Junko with a sword – works of course, but quality has gone down from the previous intalment. The last 25 minutes offers a satisfying conclusion, though, and the supporting cast features some good actors such as the charming Reiko Oshida (doesn’t kill anyone this time) and Tatsuo Umemiya.

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 07 Mar 2008, 15:34

Hey, you changed your picture!

Markgway · Post by **Markgway** » 07 Mar 2008, 16:51

EvaUnit02 wrote:
Markgway wrote:I, Robot would've been better with someone else in the lead.
Yeah, we already knew that you were in the Klan. No need for reminders.

It's not my fault that Hollywood keeps casting all these fucking darkies.

I wasn't thinking of anyone in particular, just a lead who acts better, doesn't play smart-ass all the time. I found it hard to care about or take Smith seriously.

Why director's keep letting him get away with it I don't know.

Indepedence Day was a stupid piece of shit, but I, Robot could have been good, or better.

Markgway · Post by **Markgway** » 07 Mar 2008, 16:52

grim_tales wrote:Hey, you changed your picture!

It's Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz.

Shingster · Post by **Shingster** » 07 Mar 2008, 16:52

Looks like Yuki Kudo in Taifu Club