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

DangerousLeeHandsome · Post by **DangerousLeeHandsome** » 11 Dec 2006, 18:04

Superman Returns - 3/5

The first time I saw it, 4/5. Now that I've seen it again, 3/5. It just wasn't the same this time around.

Pirates 2 - 2.5/5

I didn't really like this one. Too long and just too boring. Atleast there were cool FX.

RickyTheDragonSteamboat · Post by **RickyTheDragonSteamboat** » 11 Dec 2006, 18:37

Day Watch (Dnevnoy Dozor) - 3.5/5

A bit long but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 11 Dec 2006, 20:09

degeneration wrote:
grim_tales wrote:I watched Night Watch and gave it 3/5 too, I saw it with boring normal subs though, the UK DVD didnt have groovy subs
Groovy subs? Care to explain?

The version I watched had subs... but I'd say they were pretty normal... what do subs have to do to become groovy?!?!

The "groovy" subs are burnt into the picture in some way I think, and instead of being like "normal" subs along the bottom of the screen, they are "part" of the action (?) eg if a character says "NO!!" we would actually see the word "NO!" pertruding from the guy's mouth, stuff like that?

bradavon · Post by **bradavon** » 11 Dec 2006, 20:28

degeneration wrote:Groovy subs? Care to explain?

The UK DVD has very groovy subs:

http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk/content.php?contentid=61318

grim_tales wrote:I saw it with boring normal subs though, the UK DVD didnt have groovy subs

Yes it does.

There are two cuts: Russian and International + two sets of subs (Standard and Groovy

). AFAIK if you want the original Russian cut you have to get the Russian DVD (it has standard English subs).

The R1 and UK R2 have slightly different extras but I remember the UK R2 getting better ones. I can't remember any more than that. Because of the subs personally I'd get the UK DVD. It's one of those where the International Cut gets footage not in the Russian cut, so neither is definitive.

BiscLimpkit wrote:Monsoon Wedding 4.5/5

Indian contempoary cinema at its utmost finest. Love the guerilla style filmmaking mixed with such frictionless camera work. Everything is so colourful, hip and mischievous - superb.

I loved this too and for once it's a decent length!

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 11 Dec 2006, 21:02

DOH! Maybe I selected the wrong thing then as I couldn't get cool subs

bradavon · Post by **bradavon** » 11 Dec 2006, 21:10

More likely the wrong disc. Disc 1 has normal removable subs and disc 2 the exact same cut/master but burnt in groovy subs. I suspect because they wanted to add an English dub which obviously couldn't be on disc 2.

What a Grim thing to do

degeneration · Post by **degeneration** » 11 Dec 2006, 21:39

The release I've got is only 1 disc... it had several sub options, but I don't recall any being hte groovy sub option... I'll have another peek to be sure at some point though.

And yes it is an original release...

bradavon · Post by **bradavon** » 11 Dec 2006, 21:43

What region?

It sounds like a 1 disc from the 2 disc release UK DVD. You can't miss the groovy subs, due to the nature of them they have to be burnt into the print (it's not possible to make removable subs woosh).

degeneration · Post by **degeneration** » 11 Dec 2006, 21:46

Just read the dvdcompare info on the film and it looks like the release I've got (which isn't on their dtabase) is the same as disc one of the 2 dvd release. My version must have been released before the uk cinema release or something, before they thought it would actually do anything over here... then the 2 dvd one was a re-release after the cinema release?

bradavon · Post by **bradavon** » 11 Dec 2006, 21:58

How long have you had it? I posted a DVD Times review above detailing the subs.

degeneration · Post by **degeneration** » 11 Dec 2006, 22:10

yeah saw the link - subs look cool!!!

Not had hte dvd long, but bought it on ebay. Despite the 'ebay' statement, I'm certain it is an original as it has the 20th C fox hologram sticker on it, and it looks like an original too!!

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 12 Dec 2006, 08:55

bradavon wrote:More likely the wrong disc. Disc 1 has normal removable subs and disc 2 the exact same cut/master but burnt in groovy subs. I suspect because they wanted to add an English dub which obviously couldn't be on disc 2.

What a Grim thing to do

I only rented the disc Brad, how was I supposed to know?

CD-WOW didnt give me the option of renting Disc 1 or 2.

ReconFive · Post by **ReconFive** » 12 Dec 2006, 14:55

Hey guys..sorry i've not been around, the internet will be set up in my new apartment tomorrow, so no more internet cafes and i'll be online like normal.

Anyway, the past few days i watched..

A Bloody Aira - 3/5
Interesting Korean take on the "deliverance" scenario. This is the 2nd film from Won Shin-yeon, i've yet to see his generic horror debut "The Wig", but this film proves him to be a newcomer with strong potential.

The Puzzle - 4/5
Enjoyed this crime thriller very much. Very reminicant of Reservoir Dogs with the general setup, the film involves a team of 4 bank robbers who meet at an abandoned warehouse after the job, only to find their team leader shot and burned to a crisp. We then slowly get more and more insight into the characters and how they got involved in the job. The film never gets dull and director Kim Tae-kyeong (also a 2nd time director with a horror debut) keeps things going smoothly.

The thing that's funny about the film is that the final resolution prooves all the information that has been built up completly irrelivent...but none the less, a well made and entertaining film.

A Dirty Carnival - 4/5
Another entry to the endless stream of Korean gangster flicks, but an excellent entry it is. "A Dirty Carneval" tells the story of the #2 man in a small crime synidicate who is struggling to support his mother and two younger syblings. From desperate need of money, he is drawn into a whole web of problems.

I wont go into anymore detail here, but this is definetly an above average gangster film from Korea. I enjoyed is considerably more then "A Bitersweet Life".

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 12 Dec 2006, 15:10

Have you moved to Thailand Recon or just on holiday?

Sounds as if you've moved.
How are you man?

Knetan · Post by **Knetan** » 12 Dec 2006, 16:26

hey,

From Zero To Hero 2/5

Uneven but fairly amusing satire/black comedy from David Wu concerning a repressed comic book artist (adult comics) played by Francis Ng who hits his head after an accident. Afterwards he thinks he has superpowers. Since his comic book lead character is Japanese, he naturally speaks Japanese while in superhero mode. Ng is flanked well by Cheng Pei Pei as the mother protesting against vulgar comics.

thelostdragon · Post by **thelostdragon** » 12 Dec 2006, 17:19

Love on Delivery - 3.5/5
A weak ending prevents the film from its 4-rating.

tom2681 · Post by **tom2681** » 12 Dec 2006, 17:35

Weak ending ? What part of the huge final fight didn't you like ?!

Markgway · Post by **Markgway** » 12 Dec 2006, 18:23

SUPERMAN RETURNS 2/5

Bigger and bolder update of the 1978 movie -- but we've seen it all before and in light of Batman Begins seems lame and dated. Brandon Routh does a spot-on Chris Reeve impersonation - but who thought this was a good idea? Spacey collects his paycheck with an underwritten character and Kate Bosworth fails as Lois Lane. Margot Kidder was spunky - Kate is just a bitch with a moppet kid. And why is it Hollywood kids always have these bowl haircuts? They're like sugary clones. The SFX did little for me and a scene of violence toward the end was out of place in an otherwise PG-family movie. Best element? John Williams' majestic theme of course.

THE PROPOSITION 3/5

Offbeat, arty Australian-set western. The dialogue and acting are good, but there's far too many lingering shots of landscapes and people riding horses in what seems like super slow motion. The conflict is good, violence effective, but I really wish they'd just got on with it and made the film 15 mins shorter. Ray Winstone is very good and the photography is excellent.

BASIC 3/5

A unit of rangers end up dead or missing on a routine training exercize. What happened? Who cares? Well I did - at first. But the screenplay adds so many layers and twists that it all ends up falling apart and that's before the final pull the rug from under twist which makes an arse of everything that's gone before. Despite all that I like the performances and was gripped throughout.

OUT OF TIME 3.5/5

Denzel Washington is a copper framed for murder in a what looks like a riff on No Way Out. It's pacey, involving, only toward the end does it run out of ideas and stall. But I would still say it's worth checking out.

bradavon · Post by **bradavon** » 12 Dec 2006, 19:55

Personally I thought The Proposition was excellent and wouldn't want to change a thing. My thoughts:

http://www.alexmccaffrey.com/Reviews/Th ... sition.htm

8 out of 10.

And why is it Hollywood kids always have these bowl haircuts? They're like sugary clones.

True

degeneration wrote:Not had hte dvd long, but bought it on ebay. Despite the 'ebay' statement, I'm certain it is an original as it has the 20th C fox hologram sticker on it, and it looks like an original too!!

I saw it today. It's a 1 disc re-release of the original 2 disc SE. I can see why then went with disc 1 as it has an English dub but really they should've gone with disc 2.

Knetan · Post by **Knetan** » 12 Dec 2006, 21:00

hey,

King Of Stanley Market 2/5

Jamie Luk (Case of The Cold Fish, Robotrix) directs this simple but sincere romance that breathes thanks to its leads Richard Ng and Sylvia Chang. Eventually the situations as scripted take over the chemistry and the whole feel is that of too manufactured so the film does lose momentum sadly.

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 12 Dec 2006, 21:13

I agree with you on Proposition Brad, and would give it at least 4/5. Supes is between 2.5-3/5 for me (when I saw it).

Lourdes · Post by **Lourdes** » 13 Dec 2006, 03:25

Battle Royale - 5/5
Recently I have rewatched a great many films I once enjoyed and found them wanting. Battle Royale is not one of these. It just works for me. Modern Japanese action films typically fail through use of tedious melodrama or stupid effects. Battle Royale does not do this. The premise may be ridiculous but there's a true sense of realism within the films own context.

Paranoia Agent - 4/5
I avoided this series for quite some time. I love his films and I was a little concerned about how a series with a much smaller budget and a running time of 5 hours would turn out. Quite well apparently, it's not exactly a series as such. There is a central plot that dominates most episodes yet individual characters and their stories are presented with more care. The overall plot is more of a means to present these and if you treat it as a series and watch it continuously you may be a little disappointed. If you reflect upon episodes you will get quite a bit more out of it.
Stylistically and thematically it's a real combination of all his previous films. I had a mixed reaction to this, it gave me a sense of familiarity but because the work is not up to the quality of a film it could also be offputting at times. I also had a mixed reaction to the amount of copying of other series/characters that was present here. At times this was really quite blatant and distracting.
Despite all the hinderances I really did like it. Some parts were absoloutely brilliant. It may not fit together too well or work as a series but there's no doubting the talent of Satoshi Kon.

DangerousLeeHandsome · Post by **DangerousLeeHandsome** » 13 Dec 2006, 03:41

Markgway wrote:SUPERMAN RETURNS 2/5

Bigger and bolder update of the 1978 movie -- but we've seen it all before and in light of Batman Begins seems lame and dated. Brandon Routh does a spot-on Chris Reeve impersonation - but who thought this was a good idea? Spacey collects his paycheck with an underwritten character and Kate Bosworth fails as Lois Lane. Margot Kidder was spunky - Kate is just a bitch with a moppet kid. And why is it Hollywood kids always have these bowl haircuts? They're like sugary clones. The SFX did little for me and a scene of violence toward the end was out of place in an otherwise PG-family movie. Best element? John Williams' majestic theme of course.

LOL! I love your review! I agree completely with you especially about Brandon Routh and Kate Bosworth. Routh, I can live with but Bosworth - totally mis-cast. I thought she was awful. But, I fell for it. I'm such a big fan of the character that even though the movie itself suffers from a ton of problems, I still enjoyed it. Definitely not the Superman movie we've waited 19 years for but not a complete peice of shit either.

Lourdes · Post by **Lourdes** » 13 Dec 2006, 09:03

Four Weddings and a Funeral - 3/5
It's a decent film. Some splendid dialogue, it's funny and I suppose it started a genre. If I had a vagina I'd love it.

Lost in Translation - 6/5
I think this must be my favourite film if ever I have one. It may be In the Mood For a One and a Two but tis' not as if WKW, Yang, Hsien et al were entirely original themselves. I just love everything about it.

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 13 Dec 2006, 10:25

Heroes of the East - 4/5 (maybe 4.5/5)

Really enjoyed this, great fun