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

thelostdragon · Post by **thelostdragon** » 06 Jan 2005, 23:12

[b]House of Flying Daggers - 4/5[/b]
Just watched it at the theatres and liked it a lot better than on DVD. Cinema was packed with people. Stupid German freaks sitting in the theatre laughed at every scene and words like "rudiculous" were not rare. Bastards don't deserve this film as they don't know how to appreciate art.

SpiDER · Post by **SpiDER** » 07 Jan 2005, 06:49

Sword in The Moon - 3.5/5

Just watched this and yes (Bisc) it has DTS. Picture a bit noisy at first but got very good and Sound beautiful, story wise is pretty good until the ending. Action is quite well done and there are pretty graphic scenes here and there. I basically marked it down for the ending or would have given it at least 4.

The Manchurian Candidate - 4/5

Loved it. Acting was superb, story great, picture and sound very good. Ending was good. nuf said - go see it

ghevans · Post by **ghevans** » 07 Jan 2005, 12:25

April Story - 3/5

Right this is a tricky one. Absolutely loved the film, adored the slow pace, some really beautiful touches, and then all of a sudden - just as it was starting to get even more interesting the damn film ended. Very disappointing - i had no idea the film was so short, and the whole story that was carefully constructed was just completely thrown away with a ludicrous end line that made the whole film descend into an oh soooo stooopid cheeseball melodrama.

Until this point the romance element of the film was nicely interwoven and I was starting to get to know the characters and looking forward to further development - and then the credits rolled.

Fact is that this film simply hasn't finished yet. So yeah, its a tricky one to review.

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 08 Jan 2005, 09:56

Heart of (The) Dragon - 4/5

What a difference a language makes

Vastly improved over the version I saw with a cheesy English dub in the 90's, this is more of a drama than an action film (though JC has some good fights too), and even though a few times it is a bit over-dramatic it is also touching and sad

The film is about a cop named Tat (Jackie) who cares for his mentally ill brother Danny/Do-do (Sammo). If you think this sounds like the Oscar winning Rain Man, you'd be right but RM was released 3 years later.

The scene where Sammo thinks he will be abandoned and Jackie shouts at him "If I'd wanted to leave you I'd have done it 20 years ago!" and Sammo cries is a moving, very sad scene

Its' clear that Tat (Jackie) loves his brother, but he also feels trapped by him and wants to follow his dreams too.
Were the two main actors nominated for awards for this? I'd be surprised if they werent because they (Sammo especially) are excellent.

Were did the deleted scenes come from, some Japanese print? Markgway where are you?

You can answer this one.

Warning: DON'T watch the HK Trailer before seeing the film (I didnt thank goodness). In a mammoth 6 minutes, which also heavily features the title song, it gives away the ending!
The HK Trailer focuses more on the dramatic aspects of the film than the UK trailer does.

BTW, although the HKL subs call Jackie "Tat" for Sammo they alternate between "Do-do" (what the kids call him) and "Danny" (this is what Jackie calls him).

[Edited on 8-1-2005 by grim_tales]

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 08 Jan 2005, 20:54

Red Dwarf V (epsiodes) - 5/5

Still very funny with some excellent episodes, but has a somewhat darker, sci-fi tone than the previous series, with episodes like "Inquisitor", "Demons and Angels" and the sexy "Holoship".
I love the "Quarantine" and "Back To Reality" episodes.

LMAO

degeneration · Post by **degeneration** » 09 Jan 2005, 23:29

[b]white noise 2/5[/b]

some decent jumps, but that's about it. bit slow at times.

ReconFive · Post by **ReconFive** » 10 Jan 2005, 08:23

[b]Sword In The Moon--4/5[/b]

I really enjoyed this movie! My take on it is similar to spiDER's.
Good story, great acting, very cool costumes, well choreographed/filmmed fight sequences, a very attractive female assasin, dissipointing ending. Overall, a well worthy purchase.

The DVD from Spectrum presents the film with a pleasing anamorphic (2:35:1) picture and a nice DTS track. Subtitles are also very good with only a few errors. I found no problems with the DVD.

ReconFive · Post by **ReconFive** » 11 Jan 2005, 07:32

[b]R-Point--3.5/5[/b]

Wow, what a creepy movie! I'm sure everyone knows the story by now so i wont go into it, but deffinetly a very unique and interesting supernatural horror film. It has its flaws, but well worth seeing.

ReconFive · Post by **ReconFive** » 12 Jan 2005, 17:50

[b]2009: Lost Memories-- 5/5[/b]

Holy shit what a kick ass movie!! Outstanding in almost every respect. Absolutly awesome story IMO, terrific action sequences, great characters with cast perfect for their roles, well written, well directed, simply excellent. VERY highly recommended if you haven't already seen it.

saltysam · Post by **saltysam** » 12 Jan 2005, 20:53

[b]anchorman[/b] this was pretty funny imo...some nice little cameos in there as well....[b][b]4/5[/b]

[Edited on 12-1-2005 by saltysam]

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 13 Jan 2005, 16:22

[b]Lord of The Rings: The Two Towers - EE (Part One) R1[/b]

4.5/5

Excellent so far. Originally I was only going to check it out by watching the first half hour or so but I started watching it and couldn't stop.

Fantastic film and the A/V is unsurprisingly outstanding. I chose the DD5.1EX track which is very good.

ReconFive · Post by **ReconFive** » 14 Jan 2005, 06:47

[b]Azumi (Directors Cut)-- 4/5[/b]

FINALLY saw this, and i have to say that i completly enjoyed it from beginning to end. It has all of the great Kitamura action that i expected, but to my surprise the movie actually had a well developed story, and characters you care about (IMO). Aside from all that, Aya Ueto is quite possibly the hottest Asian woman on the planet, and that certainly doesn't hurt the film at all

I can't imagine anything being cut out, very glad i got the DC version.
Very enjoyable movie.

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 16 Jan 2005, 13:49

[b]It's A Wonderful Life - 4.5/5[/b]

Now I wish I'd seen this closer to Xmas time.

I'm not used to seeing older US films like this. and perhaps found it a bit long but its' still a lovely film, maybe even inspiring Simpsons jokes (some plot elements are taken off in the episode "When Flanders Failed", and the horrible rich guy Mr. Potter played by Lionel Barrymore, is like Mr. Burns in a way).

Jimmy Stewart is a fantastic actor, and the last act of the film featuring the "world where George Bailey was never born" twist with the angel, Clarence, is very moving.

Throughout the film George is a nice, honest, friendly guy, who will help all his friends out. This is shown in the scene where he gives his honeymoon money away to help them until the bank opens. Its' a very close knit community where everyone knows everyone.

Yet, the last part in which we see Bedford Falls is now called "Pottersvile" shows Bailey's descent into sadness, anger and despair when no-one, not even his mother, knows him.

I'm really pleased I saw it, superb film.

[Edited on 16-1-2005 by grim_tales]

degeneration · Post by **degeneration** » 16 Jan 2005, 23:10

[b]Team America: World Police 4.5/5[/b]

Not as funny as South Park the Movie, but still absolutely fecking hilarious! Very very very rude, and just plain wrong in places, but that is what makes it so funny! Funniest film I've seen in ages.

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 17 Jan 2005, 16:31

[b]Lord of The Rings: The Two Towers EE [/b] - overall: 4.5/5

Just an excellent film

I can't wait to see ROTK EE now. The A/V (on TTT) is tops.
I cant wait to see TTT extras either.

Ricochan38 · Post by **Ricochan38** » 18 Jan 2005, 07:55

run2 u

3 out of 5

sil mi do

4.5 out of 5

double agent

4 out of 5

who's got the tape

4.75 out of 5

degeneration · Post by **degeneration** » 18 Jan 2005, 17:30

[b]Closer 3.5/5[/b]

Not sure what I really thought of it... it was entertaining in places, but I'm just not sure about it. I mean the film started, we meet characters, they have relationships that have ups and downs, and the film ends... but you do get to see Natalie Portman being really quite rude and scantily clad...

brooce-leroy · Post by **brooce-leroy** » 18 Jan 2005, 23:08

[quote][i]Originally posted by degeneration[/i]
[b]Closer 3.5/5[/b]

Not sure what I really thought of it... it was entertaining in places, but I'm just not sure about it. I mean the film started, we meet characters, they have relationships that have ups and downs, and the film ends... but you do get to see Natalie Portman being really quite rude and scantily clad... [/quote]

That is supposed to be the deliberate structure of the film. Patrick Marber (writer) wanted to cut out the "middle" (nice) bits of relationships, and concentrate on beginning and end of them. I haven't seen it yet, but it does sound very good.

brooce-leroy · Post by **brooce-leroy** » 21 Jan 2005, 22:02

I went to see Elektra today. Whilst I wouldn't say that is has no redeeming features at all (and I reckon many will), it saddens me to say that it is very unremarkable. I was content to sit through 90 minutes of this (I guess mainly because of Ms Garner), but there is nothing memorable about the film at all.

First problem is that it feels like any other straight to video action film, its extremely low key and doesn't have the sense of spectacle of a Spider-man or an X-Men movie. Secondly, the action scenes fall into the same trap that a lot of movies with a bit of a budget (and use CGI) seem to fall into. In the case of Elektra, one of the initial action scenes sees her dispatching a pair of ninjas. This scene is quite good, as minimum CGI is used, and we get to see Elektra pulling off some nice moves on the pyjama clad shinobis. As the film progresses, and we get closer to the all important money shots, the CGI overtakes the actual action choreography. By the end, I could barely make out what was going on as the usual mish-mash of CGI and fast cutting dominated proceedings.

Not being a comic book reader, I had no prior knowledge of the character of Elektra, and her history. Therefore I didn't know how accurate or faithful the onscreen version of her was, although there seemed to be some inconsistencies between the Elektra in Daredevil and in this spinoff. I'm not going to go into it as I don't really know enough about the character etc. I thought Jennifer Garner was fine in the role, despite limitations in the script and also in terms of action (relating to what I mentioned in the previous paragraph). In the film, her character is the lethal loner archetype with a troubled past. Garner is a very good actress, but Elektra is not the film that will put her on the A list. If anything, it has probably done more bad than good, as all the other elements of the film are below par.

Finally, every film (comic book or otherwise) should have a memorable villain(s). Unfortunately there are none in Elektra. The main nemesis played by Will Yun Lee is so bland that I was hoping Colin Farrell might make a cameo appearance to liven things up. Typhoid Mary is quite hot, and had potential, but she is given next to nothing to do. The only one I liked was the huge brick ****house, black guy who is immune to shotgun blasts. The bad guys in Elektra help me to appreciate just how good Bullseye was in Daredevil (and also the quality of Farrell's performance).

2/5

ReconFive · Post by **ReconFive** » 22 Jan 2005, 00:05

[b]Assault on Precinct 13-- 2/5[/b]

Wow, the only thing this movie had in common with the original is the title and basic premise. The plot has been almost completly revamped, for the worse in my opinion. Everyone probably already knows this, but this time its not mobs of gangsters trying to kill the occupants of precinct 13, but currupt police officers intent on killing a crime boss (Laurence Fishburne) and all who know about their intentions. I wont go into details, but obviously very different from the original plot. The little girl (ice cream scene) and her father are also non existent.

Aside from plot eliments, most of the characters are not very likable and this hurts entertainment value of the new product significantly. My favorite part about the movie was Brian Dennehy, as its fun to see him in modern films like this.

Last but not least, there is absolutly no use of the original music theme anywhere in the movie, which was a big disipointment. But considering how different the film is, i suppose its fitting. Instead, we are treated to an absolutly awful rap song for the end credits.

Maybe i went in with my expectations alittle higher then they should have been, but overall i don't think this is a very good remake of John Carpenter's classic.

BiscLimpkit · Post by **BiscLimpkit** » 22 Jan 2005, 04:17

[quote][i]Originally posted by ReconFive[/i]
[b]Azumi (Directors Cut)-- 4/5[/b]

FINALLY saw this, and i have to say that i completly enjoyed it from beginning to end. It has all of the great Kitamura action that i expected, but to my surprise the movie actually had a well developed story, and characters you care about (IMO). Aside from all that, Aya Ueto is quite possibly the hottest Asian woman on the planet, and that certainly doesn't hurt the film at all

I can't imagine anything being cut out, very glad i got the DC version.
Very enjoyable movie. [/quote]

Machigai arimasen!

Slightly tipsy (been drinking for 2 hours) but yeah. I agree with everything that yo say. Cyutting out sections to make an ienternational version is disgusting and racist.

I hav seen both versions and the shorter international cut is cut to the extent that it does not make sense. IIMO.

ps: you rule man.

romerojpg · Post by **romerojpg** » 22 Jan 2005, 17:02

I watched
[b]Once Opon A Time In The West 4 out of 5 [/b]

Bloody marvelous film! georgous to look at, it also sounded amazing and it just worked soo well in pretty much every way, from the cast and the music! and the simple, yet intersting plot, and damn the lady star was very beautiful. I can see why its called a classic now.

[Edited on 22-1-2005 by romerojpg]

saltysam · Post by **saltysam** » 24 Jan 2005, 18:32

[b]assault on precinct 13 (2004) 3/5[/b]sadly not a patch on the original (not that i expected it to be) still not a bad film,a reasonable way to pass 100 minutes.gabriel byrne very much underused and decent performances from ethan hawke and larry fishborne.and ##spoiler### they have their own surprise scene obviously a nod to the ice cream scene in the original.no original theme either:(

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 25 Jan 2005, 16:50

The Manchurian Candidate (1962) - 3.5/5 (maybe 4)

Chilling, atmospheric film. Frank Sinatra plays Bennet Marco, a man who is haunted by recurring nightmares of his platoon being captured and brainshwashed in Korea, to shoot and kill American GI's. He is convinced something is terribly wrong.
The man who this centres on is Raymond Shaw (Lawrence Harvey) a Korean war hero, who is also controlled and mainpulated by his domineering, satanic mother (a superb Angela Lansbury, since at the time she was a mere 2 years older than her screen son). She also forces him to kill people, and he doesnt know why he's doing it.

Lansbury's character appears to think most people she disagrees with are communists, something that draws paralells with real Cold War paranoia at the time or McCarthyism (sp?). Frank Sinatra (cast against type) is excellent as Marco, trying to get to the bottom of the mystery, and Janet Leigh is warm and kind as the woman who falls for Sinatra.

Its not an easy to watch film, but I'm very pleased I saw it all the same.

Trivia (IMDB):

[i][color=red]Contrary to popular belief, the film was not pulled from circulation following the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The film made its American television debut on The CBS Thursday Night Movies in September 1965 (source: Broadcasting magazine), and was repeated on that network later that season before turning up for third and fourth network showings on NBC in spring 1974 (source: TV Guide) and summer 1975 (source: Variety). Only when the rights reverted to Frank Sinatra later that decade did the film disappear from view. Sinatra's neglect in keeping the film in distribution gave rise to the legend that it was suppressed because of its alleged role in Lee Harvey Oswald's (alleged) assassination of the 35th president. The legend was further perpetuated when Sinatra, in alliance with MGM/UA, re-released the film to theaters in 1988. When the rumor was debunked in an article in Films In Review, another myth, one claiming that Sinatra and UA had a dispute about the profits, took its place. The myth survives to this day, but it is pure fiction.

One of the first Hollywood films to use martial arts in a key fight sequence (between Frank Sinatra and Henry Silva), over a decade before the Kung Fu craze of the 1970s. The earliest, however, may well be in Blood on the Sun (1945), with its climactic judo bout involving James Cagney.[/i][/color]

[Edited on 25-1-2005 by grim_tales]

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ReconFive · Post by **ReconFive** » 26 Jan 2005, 03:21

[b]Spider Forest-- 3.5/5[/b]

If your a fan of psychological films with very intrecate and complex plots, that will keep you guessing throughout, and don't wrap everything up and let you draw your own interpretations, then Spider Forest is not to be missed.
Yet another good one from Korea.