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

Film Reviews and Release Comparisons
Post Reply
User avatar
Markgway
Bruce Lee's Fist
Posts: 20177
Joined: 18 Feb 2005, 02:04

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

Post by Markgway »

The Boss' Wife (1986-USA) *
Puny, supposedly raunchy farce, has no laughs, no engaging characters, and a homophobic subtext.
Image
saltysam
Bruce Lee's Fist
Posts: 9357
Joined: 27 Oct 2004, 19:27

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

Post by saltysam »

Sleepless 2/5
Possibly dodgy cop Jamie Foxx is caught up in a drugs deal gone wrong resulting in his teenage son being kidnapped by the pissed off gangsters. By the numbers cop thriller plays like a tv movie with added swearing and violence,watchable but forgettable.

Chopping Mall 2/5
Roger Corman produced cheapie has killer robots loose in a shopping mall ala Dawn of the Dead. Not bad and at less than 80 minutes doesn't outstay it's welcome.
working class blu-ray fan
User avatar
Markgway
Bruce Lee's Fist
Posts: 20177
Joined: 18 Feb 2005, 02:04

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

Post by Markgway »

Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me (1992-USA) **
Very eccentric black comedy; amateurish, but not without appeal.
Image
User avatar
Markgway
Bruce Lee's Fist
Posts: 20177
Joined: 18 Feb 2005, 02:04

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

Post by Markgway »

Benefit of the Doubt (1992-USA-Germany) *½
Pedestrian thriller, tawdry and laughable by the end.
Image
User avatar
grim_tales
Bruce Lee's Fist
Posts: 22071
Joined: 25 Oct 2004, 18:34
Location: St. Albans, UK

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

Post by grim_tales »

Zodiac (2007): 4/5

A slow burner but a very good mystery/serial killer movie.
User avatar
Markgway
Bruce Lee's Fist
Posts: 20177
Joined: 18 Feb 2005, 02:04

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

Post by Markgway »

Double Suspicion (1993-Canada-USA) **½
Gary Busey hunts a serial killer dubbed "the Surgeon" in fair DTV thriller.
Image
User avatar
Markgway
Bruce Lee's Fist
Posts: 20177
Joined: 18 Feb 2005, 02:04

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

Post by Markgway »

A Dangerous Place (1994-USA) **
Umpteenth variation on The Karate Kid; standard DTV fodder from PM entertainment.
Image
User avatar
Markgway
Bruce Lee's Fist
Posts: 20177
Joined: 18 Feb 2005, 02:04

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

Post by Markgway »

Eyes of Laura Mars (1978-USA) **
Fashion photographer Faye Dunaway is stalked by a psycho who prefers to stab out their victims' eyes.
Mediocre gialli-like thriller pokes its nose at the concept of murder influencing art (and vice versa) but barely scratches the surface.
The violence is pretty restrained, the R-rating is mainly for tits and 'fucks'.
John Carpenter's script was extensively re-written, and one wonders what he could've done with this.
Image
User avatar
HungFist
Bruce Lee's Fist
Posts: 11704
Joined: 14 Dec 2005, 15:50
Location: Japan
Contact:

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

Post by HungFist »

grim_tales wrote:Zodiac (2007): 4/5

A slow burner but a very good mystery/serial killer movie.
I saw this for the first time last year and totally agree. I wonder if it would be even better on a second viewing.
User avatar
HungFist
Bruce Lee's Fist
Posts: 11704
Joined: 14 Dec 2005, 15:50
Location: Japan
Contact:

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

Post by HungFist »

Out for Justice (USA, 1991) [DVD] - 3.5/5
Although not my favourite Seagal film, this is his most accomplished one in terms of storyline and characters. Seagal is an Italian-American cop going after crazed killer William Forsythe who has gone nuts in Brooklyn and is killing people left and right. Both the police and the mafia want him dead. While the film's first half is a bit messy (and features a distracting soundtrack) it would not be impossible to imagine a lot of the stuff from the second half to a 70s or 80s Al Pacino or Robert De Niro film. It's a surprisingly functional gangster film, and a higher rating than 3.5/5 would not be out of question.
User avatar
Markgway
Bruce Lee's Fist
Posts: 20177
Joined: 18 Feb 2005, 02:04

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

Post by Markgway »

Number One with a Bullet (1986-USA) **
Cannon fodder plays like a poor man's Lethal Weapon, except it was made the year before.
Standard black cop/white cop vs Rolex-sporting drug traffickers actioner scrapes by,
but would've been better with different leads, especially a miscast Robert Carridine
(would you believe one the the 'Nerds' as a tough cop?)
Image
User avatar
Markgway
Bruce Lee's Fist
Posts: 20177
Joined: 18 Feb 2005, 02:04

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

Post by Markgway »

The Keeper of Lost Causes (2013-Denmark-Germany-Sweden-Norway) ***
Typical bleak Scandi-noir, about a new, two-man cold case department, but pretty good for mystery buffs.
Image
User avatar
Markgway
Bruce Lee's Fist
Posts: 20177
Joined: 18 Feb 2005, 02:04

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

Post by Markgway »

Fear (1988-USA) **
A dysfunctional family is terrorised by a gang of escaped convicts (most of them crazy).
Too cheesy to serve as anything other than 2am cable TV fodder.
Image
User avatar
HungFist
Bruce Lee's Fist
Posts: 11704
Joined: 14 Dec 2005, 15:50
Location: Japan
Contact:

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

Post by HungFist »

Hard to Kill (USA, 1990) [DVD] - 3.5/5
I don't know if it's just me, but in this film Seagal comes out as an even bigger asshole than usual. Throughout the film he intentionally keeps damaging innocent people's property. First, a woman saves his life and offers him a hideout in a beautiful mansion. What does Seagal do when the bad guys find them? He grabs and throws every one of them through the vitrines, windows, tables, and porcelain. Wow. Later in the film he's attacked in Chinatown. That time he destroys all the poor street vendors' vans. What an asshole. That being said, the movie is solid 90s Seagal action, though not his best. Suffers from a very predictable storyline.
User avatar
Markgway
Bruce Lee's Fist
Posts: 20177
Joined: 18 Feb 2005, 02:04

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

Post by Markgway »

HungFist wrote:Hard to Kill (USA, 1990) [DVD] - 3.5/5
I don't know if it's just me, but in this film Seagal comes out as an even bigger asshole than usual. Throughout the film he intentionally keeps damaging innocent people's property. First, a woman saves his life and offers him a hideout in a beautiful mansion. What does Seagal do when the bad guys find them? He grabs and throws every one of them through the vitrines, windows, tables, and porcelain. Wow.
That's nothing. There's a deleted scene where Seagal shits on her bed.
Image
User avatar
Markgway
Bruce Lee's Fist
Posts: 20177
Joined: 18 Feb 2005, 02:04

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

Post by Markgway »

Guardians of the Galaxy (2014-USA-UK) ***
Marvel action-adventure has plenty whizz-bang, but colourful characters and a sense of humour to match.
Image
User avatar
grim_tales
Bruce Lee's Fist
Posts: 22071
Joined: 25 Oct 2004, 18:34
Location: St. Albans, UK

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

Post by grim_tales »

Dark Passage (1947, USA): 4/5

Entertaining noir-adventure with Bogart and Bacall, the story is good, innovative use of the camera.
User avatar
Markgway
Bruce Lee's Fist
Posts: 20177
Joined: 18 Feb 2005, 02:04

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

Post by Markgway »

The Absent One (2014-Denmark-Germany-Sweden) ***
Second in the Debarment Q trilogy; darker, sleazier than the first, but just as absorbing.
Image
User avatar
Markgway
Bruce Lee's Fist
Posts: 20177
Joined: 18 Feb 2005, 02:04

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

Post by Markgway »

Love and a .45 (1994-USA) **
B-movie rip-off of True Romance and Natural Born Killers; less accomplished than the former, less repellent than the latter.
For all the try hard cult wackiness and comic violence this Tarantino-wannabe tries too hard just to be.
Image
User avatar
HungFist
Bruce Lee's Fist
Posts: 11704
Joined: 14 Dec 2005, 15:50
Location: Japan
Contact:

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

Post by HungFist »

The Witch (Finland, 1952) [VoD] - 2.5/5
One of the earliest Finnish horror movies. A group of scientists open up an old grave where, according to the superstitious villagers, lies a witch who was buried alive hundreds of years ago. Later that night they find a naked young girl lying in the grave. Strange things begin to happen. Hardly a great movie on any level, but surprisingly erotic for a 1952 mainstream release. The new girl starts seducing men left and right, and there are several quick flashes of full frontal nudity as she dances naked in front of the camera. The film's original title is "Noita palaa elämään" and it was remade in the US in the 60s as "The Naked Witch" which apparently modifies the storyline and, ironically, removes almost all nudity.

Ghost in the Shell (USA, 2017) [DCP] - 2/5
As I'm not familiar with the manga or the TV series, my comparison point shall be Oshii's film, which was a wonderful mix of juvenile nudity, long philosophical discussions, and extended atmospheric audio-visual sequences. The live action lacks the fist and has no patience for the other two. When characters should be silent they keep babbling and when philosophical topics are explored it's 15 seconds and cut to the next scene. The pace also means there is little time for visual treats, which is disappointing considering how good some of the early teasers looked. Action is pretty standard and boring until the climax, which is genuinely exciting. The same goes for the storyline and characters. Johansson looks the part but I couldn't help but to think she talks too much and acts too emotional. Supporting actors Takeshi Kitano and Kaori Momoi slightly stand out from the rest. Overall, not terrible, just terribly mediocre.
User avatar
HungFist
Bruce Lee's Fist
Posts: 11704
Joined: 14 Dec 2005, 15:50
Location: Japan
Contact:

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

Post by HungFist »

Marked for Death (USA, 1990) [DVD] - 3.5/5
More asshole antics by Seagal as he destroys a jewellery shop in a fight scene and walk away as if he was proud of it all. I suppose you could justify some of his assholiness as he's up against one of the most genuinely frightening villains in any action film, Screwface (effectively played by Basil Wallace). This might also be Seagal's most violent film with loads of very painful sounding bone breakings. A hard core action film.
User avatar
Markgway
Bruce Lee's Fist
Posts: 20177
Joined: 18 Feb 2005, 02:04

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

Post by Markgway »

Shalako (1968-UK-Germany-USA) **½
Curious, flawed European-produced, US-set western is better than it's dire reputation would suggest.
Sean Connery makes a great rugged cowboy, shame the film isn't his match.
Image
User avatar
Markgway
Bruce Lee's Fist
Posts: 20177
Joined: 18 Feb 2005, 02:04

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

Post by Markgway »

A Conspiracy of Faith (2016-Denmark-Germany-Sweden-Norway) ***
Third (and to date last) of the Department Q series.
Less sleazy, more thought-provoking than its predecessors.
Paints on a more cinematic canvas, too.
I wouldn't complain if they did another.
Image
User avatar
chazgower01
King of Beggars
Posts: 522
Joined: 24 Mar 2017, 20:19

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

Post by chazgower01 »

grim_tales wrote:Dark Passage (1947, USA): 4/5

Entertaining noir-adventure with Bogart and Bacall, the story is good, innovative use of the camera.
One of my favorite Bogie/Bacall movies!
User avatar
grim_tales
Bruce Lee's Fist
Posts: 22071
Joined: 25 Oct 2004, 18:34
Location: St. Albans, UK

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

Post by grim_tales »

12 Monkeys (1995): 4/5

Intriguing mystery/sci-fi thriller, though confusing at times (perhaps unsurprisingly). I haven't seen the original film (La Jetee) on which this is based.
Post Reply