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

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 24 Nov 2006, 13:51

brooce-leroy wrote:
grim_tales wrote:
The ending with Bond's famous intro line, and close of his face when he hunts down the villain Mr White is brilliant as well, keeping you on tenderhooks. Unusual for a Bond film to end like that
The story will continue in the next one.

Thanks

But I mean that all the movies are usually self contained stories

Also Bruce did you notice how he only wounds Mr. White by shooting him in the leg instead of taking him out, he doesn't shoot to kill. He's learning, becoming a better secret agent. I liked how that was done

Lourdes · Post by **Lourdes** » 24 Nov 2006, 16:39

Haze - 1/5
It's not a horror, it's not psychological and there's no statement. It's a rather dull film with a few uncomfortable moments shot on video with a tiny budget. At least it was only about 45 mins long.
The R2UK is one of the worst DVD's ever. NTSC > PAL, a flickering border, all sorts of compression artefacts and so on. I don't know how any company can possibly make such a bad DVD.

Electric Dragon 80.000 V - 3/5
I give it a 3 for looking amazing. Very clean B&W, nice locations and cinematography. As far as entertainment goes I got bored halfway in, it all starts to get a bit silly and the visuals lose their impact.

Dead Run - 3/5
Like all Sabu's this could actually have been a damn good film. Good direction and writing are blighted by horrid portrayals of characters. It's a pretty awful cast of trendy types acting in a most unbelievable fashion and failing to start, let alone go the length. As it stands it's just another average Japanese drama.

tom2681 · Post by **tom2681** » 24 Nov 2006, 16:46

The Host (Bong Joon-Ho / 2006): 5/5

Now THAT is proper movie-making.

thelostdragon · Post by **thelostdragon** » 24 Nov 2006, 16:54

Tom loved it. Damn! It'll suck then. And I have been anticipating it... wasted time!

Markgway · Post by **Markgway** » 24 Nov 2006, 17:18

Casino Royale

?? out of 4

I honestly don't know how to rate this.

I'll need to see it again to be sure.

First instinct I would say that it was a strong action drama with good writing and some terrific stuntwork.

But is it classic BOND??

Even Licence to Kill felt more a part of the series than this so I think it'll take some getting used to for me... BUT I DID like it.

I'd heard about how sombre the film was, but the lack of humour still came as a surprise. Not only is it not remotely silly, it's 99% deadly serious.

Craig is solid in his debut I would say. Doesn't have the humanity of Dalton, the panache of Connery or the charm of Brosnan, but he does his own thing well, and I can see why audiences approve. I expect he'll be even better next time.

If I think of anything else..........

EDIT: Oh yeah, Eva Green is so fucking shagable it's not real. My shorts were clammy.

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 24 Nov 2006, 17:22

Well this is about how Craig becomes Bond, he's learning the ropes, he is more of a crude badass than any of the other Bonds (perhaps closest to Connery) but lacks the charm/quips of Brosnan and Moore.
Yes his "Bond" is serious yet there were loads of scenes that had me laughing out loud in places

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 24 Nov 2006, 18:30

I agree Mark Eva Green was nice 8)

Markgway · Post by **Markgway** » 24 Nov 2006, 18:43

grim_tales wrote:Yes his "Bond" is serious yet there were loads of scenes that had me laughing out loud in places

I agree Mark Eva Green was nice

That's the G rated version of what I said.

thelostdragon · Post by **thelostdragon** » 24 Nov 2006, 19:06

Eva Green? Yuck! I couldn't stand her in "Kingdom of Heaven". She wasn't that good in "Casino Royale" either. She had one good moment though. When she died. Seriously, that was good acting.

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 24 Nov 2006, 19:38

Markgway wrote:
grim_tales wrote:Yes his "Bond" is serious yet there were loads of scenes that had me laughing out loud in places

I agree Mark Eva Green was nice
That's the G rated version of what I said.

There were still some very funny scenes, even though Bond is really humorless and doesn't crack jokes, like the part when he drives in a complete circle to take the woman back to "his place", or when Bond growls "Does it look like I give a damn!" when asked if he took his drink shaken or stirred.

And unexpectedly I was laughing my head off at the part of the torture scene when Bond says to Le Chiffre "Er, I've got an itch here, a little to the right... oh yes!"

Knetan · Post by **Knetan** » 24 Nov 2006, 20:30

hey,

Pom Pom And Hot Hot

Two movies in one really so separate grades-time!

Joe Cheung's direction 0/5

Unwatchable off the plot "humour". Scripted on the spot with features such as urine throwing, mahjong playing and a limp Jacky Cheung/Rachel Lee romance). Cheung as the wild cop versus Tung Wai's straight man is a dual act that fails to liven up the pace but Lam Ching Ying does, leading us to:

Tung Wai and Benz Kong's ACTION directing 4/5

Ballistic heroic bloodshed at its most fun and acrobatic, especially when it involves Lam Ching Ying and Austin Wai. Bullets fly, people fly, bloodshed is heavy so anyone getting this should just fast forward to the last 15 minutes.

thelostdragon · Post by **thelostdragon** » 24 Nov 2006, 22:27

The Matrix - 3/5
Better than I remembered it. I initially got the Ultimate Matrix Collection for the extras and that when it was really (and I mean really, really) cheap.

bradavon · Post by **bradavon** » 24 Nov 2006, 22:28

You even bothered with the Matrix box set when you only give the best of the three 3 out of 5?

Knetan · Post by **Knetan** » 24 Nov 2006, 22:34

hey,

Slow Fade 3/5

Interesting indie triad drama with art house touches. However its thematic of the age old downward spiral of this kind of life is best played out straight in Daniel Chan's frame. Soem effective style in various gory scenarios and fairly effective performances by Josie Ho and Ken Wong makes this a worthwhile debut from Chan that has not resulted in more flicks at the time of writing.

Holes in character arcs draws away from what could've been an even more effective movie.

thelostdragon · Post by **thelostdragon** » 24 Nov 2006, 22:34

bradavon wrote:You even bothered with the Matrix box set when you only give the best of the three 3 out of 5?

As I said, I got it for the extras which I just love and count to one of the best set of special features ever made for a DVD set.

thelostdragon · Post by **thelostdragon** » 24 Nov 2006, 22:37

Knetan wrote:Slow Fade 3/5

I don't know... back when it was released in Germany, I got myself the DVD as it had a very promising cover art and also came with the original soundtrack CD. Maybe it was the picture quality, but I remember that the only thing I found to be enjoyable about the film was the "Finale"... if I am not mixing it up with "Run2U" that is.

Knetan · Post by **Knetan** » 24 Nov 2006, 22:58

hey,

it's certainly rough but it did manage to inject some effect when dealing with the broken characters Ken Wong and Josie Ho played. Both being stuck in world they won't be kept in for long. Enter some religious symbolism too but Daniel Chan kept the drama going for a while despite. Didn't agree much on the agressive style aside from when employed in a shootout later in the film. There the film turned rather eccentric, too much so for its own good as a matter of fact.

As for the ending killing off Josie Ho, having Jimmy Wong have an outburst and subsequently being killed by best friend Ken Wong and the latter being still left to rot in this world....the movie had made up its mind already so I felt little dramatic edge could be taken away from it. It's like they rolled the dice and decided on some pointers for the final fate of the characters. Oh well...

Markgway · Post by **Markgway** » 25 Nov 2006, 01:11

thelostdragon wrote:Eva Green? Yuck!

Knetan · Post by **Knetan** » 25 Nov 2006, 07:19

hey,

Ariel 3.5/5

Aki Kaurismäki directs this short story about Taisto, who quickly goes through the low end's of life, starting with him quitting his job at a mine, taking his Cadillac convertible acrosss the harsh Finnish landscape and eventually ending up in prison. Glancing over uneccessary details and dialogue, this adds to only a fair depth for the film but it's a triumph in absurd humour, delivered in a deadpan way.

BiscLimpkit · Post by **BiscLimpkit** » 25 Nov 2006, 11:05

Where did you buy this title? Or was it shown on TV or something?

Knetan · Post by **Knetan** » 25 Nov 2006, 11:15

hey,

rented the Swedish disc. 16:9, also includes English subs.
http://www.discshop.se/shop/ds_produkt. ... vies&&ref=

BiscLimpkit · Post by **BiscLimpkit** » 25 Nov 2006, 12:17

Cheers, quite interested in seeing more Kaurismäki stuff.

Knetan · Post by **Knetan** » 25 Nov 2006, 12:25

hey,

that is a good start to experience his particular rhythm and pace. I think Roger Ebert summed up the film very well:

"Ariel" speaks for the dispossessed with a special conviction because it isn't even angry. It's too tired to be angry. It's resigned.

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbc ... 50301/1023

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 25 Nov 2006, 12:43

Father Ted S2 (Eps 1-5) - 5/5

A Christmassy Ted - 5/5

HungFist · Post by **HungFist** » 25 Nov 2006, 13:40

Millenium Actress – 4,5/5
Some small problems here and there (the camera crew getting irritating at times and some transistions between the ”episodes” being clumsy...) but other than that it’s near perfection. Huge thanks to the friend who forced me to watch it.

Avalon (Oshii) – 3/5
Stunning visuals and soundtrack, but the screenplay could’ve been a lot better. Getting smart near the end doesn’t make really the preceding scenes more enjoyable afterwards. Might work better on the second viewing. Feels a bit hollow compared to GitS neverthelss.

Linda Linda Linda - 4/5
Great first half, weak finale although the very last scene is lovely. And so are the girls. My idol no. 2 Aki Maeda on the drums, the cute new acquaintance Sekine Shiori on the bass, and above all Bae Doo-na as the vocalist. Her performance is just perfect (the ”date” scene being my favourite). There’s a fourth girl too but I can’t remember her name...
The live footage on the R2J is fantastic btw.

Death Trance – 4/5
Better than the over-rated Versus. Action choreography isn’t quite on the HK level, but features several fragments of ingenious insanity. Soundtrack works mostly, and the last 15 minutes is mindblowing.

G.I. Samurai – 3,5/5
A war film, a fantasy adventure and an epic exploitation piece all in one package. Surprisinly effective war scenes. You really start feeling sorry for the poor Chiba when he lies in a small hole in the middle of a battlefield, holding his assault rifle, watching a 1000 man samurai army massacring his troops, and desperately trying to figure out how the get out alive...

Yakuza Deka – 3/5
Moderately entertaining 70’s retro Chiba flick

Yakuza Deka: The Assasin – 3/5
More the same

Enter the Ninja – 2,5/5
Kinda fun.

Ninja: The Domination 2,5/5
The epic finale is fantastic.

Pray for Death - 2/5
Tends to get boring, Shô Kosugi's ninja suit however is really cool. No cheap pyjamas this time .

Casino Roayle (2006) – 3,5/5
First the bad: The last 25 minutes doesn’t work, despite the idea being good. Something is just missing. The worst part in the film is by far the airport episode, which I don’t think has a single original idea. It goes frame by frame by the book, everything has been seen before so many times. The construction site action scene, while being the best action piece in the film, has a slight problem with being too asia esque. And finally, that shower scene, it only looks good in stills, in the film it looks just corny.

Other than those flaws the rest is excellent. Danie Craig makes a wonderful Bond, except that his body doen’t really fit his head... looks like bad photoshopping... But he’s very convincing whenever he keeps his skirt on. Mads Mikkelsen is also excellent as the villain, and the gaming scenes between him and Craig are definitely the high point of the film. The lack of constant jokes, gadgets and one liners is most welcome. The serious tone and the surprising brutality would’ve been more effective if the film had been made before the likes of ’24’, but it still works nicely. The scrip has some problems, but the story itself is great, probably the best of all Bond films.

Markgway wrote: EDIT: Oh yeah, Eva Green is so fucking shagable it's not real. My shorts were clammy.

grim_tales wrote:I agree Mark Eva Green was nice 8)

I thought she looked mostly ugly. Exept the bathroom scene (when Bond gives her the evening dress), there she looked very beautiful