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

[Markgway]

Heaven Help Us (1984-USA) **½

Comedy-drama set in a 1960s New York Catholic boys school.
Some funny moments, some serious, but never rises above the ordinary.

[Markgway]

The Expendables 2 (2012-USA) **½

Cartoonish blockbuster sequel improves on the original and is hardcore action fun that invites you to ignore the plot and concentrate on all manner of explosions, stabbings, shootings and fist fights. A great film? Nah. But a must for fans of 80s muscle-bound heroics. Van Damme, Norris, and Schwarzenegger are standouts.

[grim_tales]

Have you seen the Director's Cut of the original? Supposed to be an improvement on it, want to check it out.
I had lots of fun with the original though

[Markgway]

Have you seen the Director's Cut of the original?

No. But I might check it out.

[Markgway]

Rasputin - The Mad Monk (1965-UK) **

Mediocre Hammer production, light on horror, chills. Script is banal, acting mostly below par. Christopher Lee is alternately forceful and hammy in the title role.

To Live and Die in L.A. (1985-USA) *½

Flashy, but ridiculous thriller is as 80s as Miami Vice (right down to the admittedly good Wang Chung score). The opening scene introduces William Petersen as this sharp, Bond-like Secret Service agent... after the credits he's an ammoral moron who comes up with a dumb plan that couldn't possibly work. I don't recall seeing a film where so many people get shot in the face.

[HungFist]

To Live and Die in L.A. (1985-USA)

*½

Flashy, but ridiculous thriller is as 80s as Miami Vice

To the extent Friedkin got sued by Mann...

I don't recall seeing a film where so many people get shot in the face.

And the studio had Friedkin shoot a terrible happy ending where the main character survives after getting shot by shotgun (in the chest in that version). Thank god it wasn't used.

The only part in the movie I don't like is the hotel sequence in the beginning. Love the intro before it, though.

I always wondered if it's a coincidence that the (fantastic) ending is nearly identical to Yasuharu Hasebe's notorious pink thriller Rape! 13th Hour, in which the serial rapist eventually gets killed by a homosexual gang, and then in the last scene his apprentice shows up at his girlfriend's house and tells her "He's dead... so, I'm here now".

Edit: timely trivia: the bridge William Peterson jumps off is the same one from which Tony Scott jumped to his death a few days ago.
(via Mark Savage)

[Killer Meteor]

Rasputin - The Mad Monk (1965-UK) **

Mediocre Hammer production, light on horror, chills. Script is banal, acting mostly below par. Christopher Lee is alternately forceful and hammy in the title role.

.

It's probably one of Hammer's most budget afflicted titles. What is supposed to be the thriving capital of Russia is just Dracula's castle with a few different draperies. We also don't get to see the Tsar at all.

Christopher Lee is an actor who was best when he was hungry and desperate. Since the mid 60s, he has turned out some marvellous performances (The Wicker Man, The Man With The Golden Gun), but if he is bored with the role, you will know about it! And beware his commenatries/interviews, he does not shut up!

The 1932 Rasputin And The Emperess is very good, but the filmmakers got their asses sued by one of Rasputin's killers -http://www.dvdtalk.com/dvdsavant/s27rasputin.html . Hammer consequently were legally obliged to fictionalize their take as much as possible!

[gasteropod]

The Expendables 2 (2012) - 3.5/5

I enjoyed this a lot more than the first one, over the top and lots of fun, sometimes the editing got in the way though.

[Markgway]

The only part in the movie I don't like is the hotel sequence in the beginning.

Belongs in a different movie.

I always wondered if it's a coincidence that the (fantastic) ending is nearly identical to Yasuharu Hasebe's notorious pink thriller Rape! 13th Hour, in which the serial rapist eventually gets killed by a homosexual gang, and then in the last scene his apprentice shows up at his girlfriend's house and tells her "He's dead... so, I'm here now".

I didn't buy the whiny partner's sudden transformation to hard ass. In fact nothing in this film rung true. I expected a cult classic, I got a mess. I don't think my rating warranted a facepalm.

[Markgway]

It's probably one of Hammer's most budget afflicted titles.

Looks cheap and studio-bound.

And beware his commenatries/interviews, he does not shut up!

Possibly the most egotistical actor ever.

sometimes the editing got in the way though.

They dropped the shaky cam though.

If this really was meant to be a PG-13, am I the only person who would rather it has stayed that way so we could be spared the still-not-convincing CGI bloodsplatter?

[Markgway]

The Killing Machine (2009-Canada) **

DTV Dolph. Given the production and distribution handicaps this turned out not so bad. Shaky camerawork was biggest debit.

[Markgway]

Hellbound (1993-USA-Canada-Israel) *½

Possibly Chuck's worst film and the final nail in the coffin of Cannon Pictures.

[gasteropod]

Jennifer's Body (2009) - 3/5

I'd heard bad things but it's not bad at all, Diablo Cody's dialogue does irritate me at times though.

[Markgway]

The Case of the Bloody Iris (1972-Italy) **
Decent direction (and Edwige Fenech's gorgeousness) saves badly written giallo.

Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975-Australia) ***
Haunting drama based on true story of missing schoolgirls circa 1900.

[gasteropod]

Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975-Australia) ***
Haunting drama based on true story of missing schoolgirls circa 1900.

I watched that a few nights ago and found it disappointing after the girls go missing, it just became a bit dull and didn't expand upon stuff like the red smoke.

[gasteropod]

V/H/S (2012) - 3/5

Worth a watch anthology found-footage horror.

[Markgway]

I watched that a few nights ago and found it disappointing after the girls go missing, it just became a bit dull and didn't expand upon stuff like the red smoke.

I can see why many wouldn't like it.

Actually after a little checking turns out that it might not be a true story after all (no such college existed and there were no reports of any missing girls). I just assumed that what I'd heard over the years was correct.

[gasteropod]

The 6th Day (2000) - 1/5

Another of our 'Arnie Nights', never realised how awful this film is, I couldn't stop laughing! It actually compares to Tommy Wiseau's 'The Room' in places. As usual, we played 'Spot the Arnie Stunt Double', and here is the beaut:

[Shingster]

I watched that a few nights ago and found it disappointing after the girls go missing, it just became a bit dull and didn't expand upon stuff like the red smoke.

I can see why many wouldn't like it.

Actually after a little checking turns out that it might not be a true story after all (no such college existed and there were no reports of any missing girls). I just assumed that what I'd heard over the years was correct.

It's not a true story, it's an adaptation of a famous australian novel by Joan Lindsay which is just written like a true story. Lindsay originally wrote an ending explaining the disappearance that provided a supernatural pay off of for the theme of victorian civility clashing with the mysticism of the outback. You can read a summary of it here. Needless to say, Lindsay decided not to publish the ending to maintain the mystery and keep the book grounded in reality.

[gasteropod]

Lindsay originally wrote an ending explaining the disappearance that provided a supernatural pay off of for the theme of victorian civility clashing with the mysticism of the outback.

Similar to Weir's following film, 'The Last Wave'.

[Markgway]

Thanks for the link, Shing.

Glad they dropped that ending; it's crap.

[Markgway]

Straight on Till Morning (1972-UK) **

Very strange psycho-drama is interesting in its character relationships, but thin story and too-vague themes don't add up to anything much. Dated, arty, and quite outside the Hammer norm.

[saltysam]

Similar to Weir's following film, 'The Last Wave'.

just got the german BD of tht.must give it a look soon.

[Yi-Long]

Public Enemy: 3/5

Well-made movie about John Dillinger, a notorius bankrobber being hunted down by the 'FBI' (which is being set up at the time...).

Sadly, it's yet another Mann movie, meaning it is well made, the guys all look cool, but it lacks any emotional heart, apart from perhaps the last 2 minutes, brought upon by some terrific acting from Coutillard.

It has an amazing cast, who all do well, but are never really challenged by the script.

Good, but at the same time 'by the numbers', and lacking depth. Not the classic it should have been considering the subject-matter and cast.

[gasteropod]

Public Enemy: 3/5

Well-made movie about John Dillinger, a notorius bankrobber being hunted down by the 'FBI' (which is being set up at the time...).

Sadly, it's yet another Mann movie, meaning it is well made, the guys all look cool, but it lacks any emotional heart, apart from perhaps the last 2 minutes, brought upon by some terrific acting from Coutillard.

It has an amazing cast, who all do well, but are never really challenged by the script.

Good, but at the same time 'by the numbers', and lacking depth. Not the classic it should have been considering the subject-matter and cast.

It sent me to sleep at the cinema, I can't remember any of it!