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

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 27 Jan 2005, 15:13

[b]House of Flying Daggers[/b] - 4.5/5

Fantastic movie which I thought was just as good, if not better than, [b]Hero[/b]. I started watching it and before I knew it the 2 hours had gone

The cinematpgraphy and costumes are superb (though as a whole the film is less visually sumptuous than [b]Hero[/b] IMO), the action is fantastic (in both senses, since this a wuxia movie).

I liked Takeshi Kaneshiro in the role of Captain Jin (I think), Zhang Ziyi delivers a better performance than in [b]Hero[/b], and is so hot it physically hurts

I've noticed thats 3 movies she has taken her clothes of (sort of

) in now, CTHD, Hero and now HOFD

The old HK DVD (1 disc) transfer wasnt bad but it could have been a lot better. Colours were good but what annoyed me was the unnatural, crap looking contrast so in some scenes it looked way too bright and fleshtones didnt look good. I may decide to upgrade and get the 2 discer instead soon.
Subtitles were clear and easy to understand.
The DTS soundtrack was awesome though

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 27 Jan 2005, 17:20

Are CD-WOW selling the fixed 2 discer of HOFD now? I think I'll upgrade.

BTW, the film is not 119mins long as the case says for some reason but 115mins.

brooce-leroy · Post by **brooce-leroy** » 28 Jan 2005, 02:35

Calm down Grim, you'll have a heart attack.

BiscLimpkit · Post by **BiscLimpkit** » 28 Jan 2005, 10:21

[b]Million Dollar Baby[/b] - 5/5

I know it's early... but this is the best film I've seen this year.

BiscLimpkit · Post by **BiscLimpkit** » 28 Jan 2005, 10:23

[quote][i]Originally posted by SpiDER[/i]
Sword in The Moon - 3.5/5

Just watched this and yes (Bisc) it has DTS. [/quote]

Pfewf! Nice one mate.

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 28 Jan 2005, 17:05

[quote][i]Originally posted by brooce-leroy[/i]
Calm down Grim, you'll have a heart attack.

[/quote]

I'm definitely upgrading Bruce

SpiDER · Post by **SpiDER** » 30 Jan 2005, 03:09

[quote][i]Originally posted by BiscLimpkit[/i]
[quote][i]Originally posted by SpiDER[/i]
Sword in The Moon - 3.5/5

Just watched this and yes (Bisc) it has DTS. [/quote]

Pfewf! Nice one mate.

[/quote]

Yes, I know!:D

thelostdragon · Post by **thelostdragon** » 30 Jan 2005, 21:15

[b]One-Armed Swordsman - 4/5[/b]
Wonderful, Shaw Brothers film. Wang Yu becomes a double-hard bastard at the end.

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 31 Jan 2005, 12:44

[b]Around The World In 80 Days - 3/5[/b]

I really dont know why so many critics hated this, who seemed to compare it with the 1954 original film (?) This is a fun action comedy/adventure film IMO and while its a bit silly at times (being a rather loose adaption), I still enjoyed it

Many purists howled at the idea of shifting the emphasis from Fogg onto Passpertout (sp?), or the fact Fogg is now an eccentric inventor.

Its not bad at all really, you may know the case of Jackie's excellent [i]Miracles[/i], based on a 1961 Frank Capra movie.

Look closely and you will spot many star names having a ball in ATWI80D, Sammo as Wong Fei Hung, Arnie as a Turkish Prince (!), Owen Wilson as one of the Wright Bros, Karen Mok (I think) and Maggie Q (!) She is called "Maggie M. Quiggley" in the credits

Jackie's slapstick fights are fun and I liked the China section especially, where JC gets to fight "properly".

Cécile de France (Monique) is quite cute IMO

However, didnt the jade bhudda nonsense seem like it was stolen from Who AmI/Ong-Bak/Bulletproof Monk or something?

ATW was miles better than BPM, IMO

[Edited on 31-1-2005 by grim_tales]

thelostdragon · Post by **thelostdragon** » 31 Jan 2005, 13:01

What's BPM?

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 31 Jan 2005, 13:27

Bullet Proof Monk (you know, with Chow Yun Fat).

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 31 Jan 2005, 18:05

Brad have you seen ATWI80D?

BiscLimpkit · Post by **BiscLimpkit** » 31 Jan 2005, 21:53

[quote][i]Originally posted by grim_tales[/i]
[b]Around The World In 80 Days - 3/5[/b]

I really dont know why so many critics hated this, who seemed to compare it with the 1954 original film (?) This is a fun action comedy/adventure film IMO and while its a bit silly at times (being a rather loose adaption), I still enjoyed it

Many purists howled at the idea of shifting the emphasis from Fogg onto Passpertout (sp?), or the fact Fogg is now an eccentric inventor.

Its not bad at all really, you may know the case of Jackie's excellent [i]Miracles[/i], based on a 1961 Frank Capra movie.

Look closely and you will spot many star names having a ball in ATWI80D, Sammo as Wong Fei Hung, Arnie as a Turkish Prince (!), Owen Wilson as one of the Wright Bros, Karen Mok (I think) and Maggie Q (!) She is called "Maggie M. Quiggley" in the credits

Jackie's slapstick fights are fun and I liked the China section especially, where JC gets to fight "properly".

Cécile de France (Monique) is quite cute IMO

However, didnt the jade bhudda nonsense seem like it was stolen from Who AmI/Ong-Bak/Bulletproof Monk or something?

ATW was miles better than BPM, IMO

[Edited on 31-1-2005 by grim_tales] [/quote]

I love Around the World in 80 Days... it may be my favourite US Jackie Chan Movie.

Unrealnils · Post by **Unrealnils** » 01 Feb 2005, 15:20

THe others.............. 4/5 not bad at al

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 02 Feb 2005, 18:13

Bisc glad you enjoyed it

[b]Mad Max[/b] - 3/5

Not too bad, but the 88 mins of this film (Mel Gibsons first big role?) moved very slowly at times IMO. At the beginning we are thrust right into the characters and I wasnt sure who they really were.
Its' low budget look and feel made it more authentic, real and gritty, this is not a US film but a low budget Australian road/action film. It upped the sense of danger as well, when Mel and his wife/girlfriend and baby are on the run (from the scary biker dudes). There are some neat car chases/crashes as well

At the same time I longed for it to be slicker though. However it is still worth seeing.

I had to put the subtitles on because I didnt understand some of the Australian expressions.

[Edited on 2-2-2005 by grim_tales]

ReconFive · Post by **ReconFive** » 02 Feb 2005, 20:49

I agree completly with your comments on Mad Max.

Its a good flick, but i have always prefered The Road Warrior to the original. The last 30 minutes still remains one of my favorite car chases of all time

degeneration · Post by **degeneration** » 03 Feb 2005, 09:34

[b]The X-Files complete saga 5/5[/b]

Ok, there were many episodes throughout the 9 series duration that I could have done without, but overall I thought it was brilliant. I've watched all 9 series since the start of October and I've not regretted it. Lots of confusing plot lines but overall a highly enjoyable TV series.

Biggest complaint though was the final episode. I expected some form of resolution, even partial, to what had been building up over the previous series or so. But instead there was more of a court-room drama with little resolved. What happened to Skinner at the end when he was called into Kirsch's office? What happened to Kirsch? What happened to Gibson? he just turned up in the episode, had a little bit, but then basically disappeared! What happened with that guy that was on the panel but was one of the super-soldiers? Nothing was explained!!!

It just seemed to end with a "we'll never give up and never stop trying" statements.

I got the impression that it was a rush job in writing that episode maybe forced cause David Duchovny didn't want to be involved with another series, so they thought just to finish it there and then...

Anyway, that gripe aside, a very good TV series.

Wolf · Post by **Wolf** » 04 Feb 2005, 00:59

OK I stopped watching X-files around season 3/4 so I need to know; what happened to Moulder's sister?? (please feel free to include as much spoilers as you like

)

degeneration · Post by **degeneration** » 04 Feb 2005, 09:20

[b]*HUGE MAJOR MAJOR X-FILES SPOILERS*[/b]

[spoilers] - take it there is no spoiler/spoilers tag here then!!!

Ok, well all the way through until season 8 I think it was Mulder was led to believe that his sister was alive and being looked after or something like that by Cancer Man. She was indeed raised by Cancer Man after her abduction but was still used for the tests frequently. She was one of the females that was cloned extensively. However, the real Samantha (Mulder's sister) died from the tests in 1987 in the x-files world. That's before Mulder even started on the x-files.

She was raised with Jeffrey Spender who was Cancer Man's son.

[/spoilers]

[b]*END SPOILERS*[/b]

Any other questions please ask!!!

One thing I gotta know from anyone who has seen it all... who actually killed John Dogget's son? There was this episode near the end that was supposed to clear it all up, but it left me very confused. As the two people that I think it points to as being people that could have killed him, both state that they didn't do it. So who did?!?!

[Edited on 4-2-2005 by degeneration]

degeneration · Post by **degeneration** » 04 Feb 2005, 09:24

[b]2046 3/5[/b]

Some decent cinematography etc. and an interesting story in places, but other than that I didn't find it that great. By the end I was sick to death of the half screen sort of shot... the one where the camera is on someone and they are on the left or right of the screen, and the other screen is blocked completely by something in the foreground. That sort of shot is used over and over and over again and became far too repetitive. And Maggie Cheung is mentioned in the opening credits but is only in it for about 5 seconds from what I saw!!

Wolf · Post by **Wolf** » 04 Feb 2005, 20:06

Thanks Degen for clearing that up

Wolf · Post by **Wolf** » 05 Feb 2005, 02:34

[b]Kung Fu Hustle 5 out of 5[/b]

Easily one of the most enjoyable fun films I've seen in ages. The fights were fun and well coreographed. I don't know but there's somthing quite refreshing about watching overweight middle aged men and women pulling off kung-fu super moves

I liked the film references such as the Matrix and Shinning. I'm sure there are tons more references needs to be re-watched.

Alot of people will be asking is this as good as Shaolin Soccer, I'd say it's as good if not better!

[Edited on 5/2/2005 by Wolf]

brooce-leroy · Post by **brooce-leroy** » 05 Feb 2005, 03:05

[quote][i]Originally posted by degeneration[/i]
[b]2046 3/5[/b]

By the end I was sick to death of the half screen sort of shot... the one where the camera is on someone and they are on the left or right of the screen, and the other screen is blocked completely by something in the foreground. That sort of shot is used over and over and over again and became far too repetitive. And Maggie Cheung is mentioned in the opening credits but is only in it for about 5 seconds from what I saw!! [/quote]

I was peeved because that type of shot was obscuring ZZy in the nuddy.

degeneration · Post by **degeneration** » 08 Feb 2005, 11:49

[b]Creep 4/5[/b]

Quite suspensefull and some gory and imaginative deaths in there. Lots of questions like how come no one noticed the medical surgery down there before, and why did the killer choose to kill everyone out in the open all of a sudden etc. Those things make the film less believable. But it is quite disturbing nonetheless. There was one usual convention that was not adheard to that I liked and that was the one in the medical surgery room.

I kept thinking that it was too disturbing and that obviously someone was going to come along at the last minute and save the person, but no. A horrible torturous death was suffered.

Suspend your belief about what is going on, and it is a decent gory suspense film.

ReconFive · Post by **ReconFive** » 08 Feb 2005, 21:05

[b]A Family (Gajok) -- 4.5/5[/b]

Superb film.