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

Film Reviews and Release Comparisons
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Knetan
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Post by Knetan »

hey,

don't remember, grim. Think it was just one of those sudden HK endings.
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Post by tom2681 »

@Grim (Dreadnaught):
He was just exhausted, I think.
There's no reason for him to SPOILER die SPOILER.
I used to be "the man who loves the movies you hate".
Now I'm just "that weird french guy with a cat avatar who comes to BnB once a year for no reason and then disappears again".
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Post by Shingster »

Dreadnaught Spoilerage below:







Considering what Yuen Biao's character actually goes through in the finale, I think it's pretty obvious he collapses from sheer physical exhaustion and pain :D
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Post by grim_tales »

Fair enough Tom/Shing :D

But it was a rather sudden ending :)
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Post by Yi-Long »

slasher13 wrote:The Living Daylights - 4 / 5
After an successful trade with Mark, I thought and see what Dalton was like in Bond. I have never seen any of his bond, so I was a newbie. Right first movie off, Lovely opening scene with the mi6 agents parachuting and the whole setup. I really enjoyed this movie, He goes bring a cold streak in Bond, yet he is human and makes mistake. Love the Astin Martin in this movie, and the whole setup with the defector going into the tube in Germany. I feel the end was hurried alot thou, especially with the US wannabe general, that was over way too quick and cleanly. But still Tim does make a good bond, better than I was led to believe by some people (family and friends, no one here).

License to Kill - 4.5/5
Now this is a Bond movie with a different, James Bond getting stripped of his licence, and being a rogue agent... Excellent. Tim is def cold blooded in this one, and it really works for James Bond. I can't see no one else pulling this movie except for him (Haven't watched Casino Royale yet). Poor old Felix, surprising at the end he is in a good mood, considering his newly wife is dead

One thing that Irk me about Pierce Brosan James Bond was that the female lead always says, Never before in a bond movie has the female lead been his equal. I can recall Halle and Denise saying this, well that a bit of bull, especially with Licence, where the female is totally his equal and helps him out moreso then previous bond movie, so that really grates me when I hear that.
Also does Tim appear in the documentary or doesn't he like his James Bond past, watched all of Living Daylights, and it shows old footage, not the new one which is a shame.

Overall Tim Dalton is an excellent James Bond, really wished he did continue, in my opinion he didn't kill off the series, it was better suited to him.
Totally agree on Dalton making a brilliant Bond. Havent seen Casino Royale yet either btw. I fucking HATE the Bonds that were played by Moore and Brosnan. I just don't buy them as secret agents. They're just not convincing. Connery in his first movies was convincing, and just brought such a tremendous charme and charisma. Havent seen Lazenby. Moore is a tool. Dalton was awesome, although I have to say both movies have periods where the movie takes a bit of a nosedive in quality... and Brosnan's movies I've tried, I've really tried watching. I think I almost succeeded in watching Goldeneye till the end... but man... they do nothing for me.
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Post by bradavon »

Yi-Long wrote:although I have to say both movies have periods where the movie takes a bit of a nosedive in quality...
I have to agree. It's a shame the scripts "overall" weren't as strong as their lead. Both are decent but should've been better.

The Living Daylights villain was weak. I definitely think Licence to Kill was the stronger of the two.

p.s - Watch Casino Royale. It's better IMO to the Dalton Bonds. Why for heavens sake haven't you?
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Post by thelostdragon »

Out of some reason I never got what all the fuss was about "Dreadnaught".
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Yi-Long
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Post by Yi-Long »

bradavon wrote:
Yi-Long wrote:although I have to say both movies have periods where the movie takes a bit of a nosedive in quality...
I have to agree. It's a shame the scripts "overall" weren't as strong as their lead. Both are decent but should've been better.

The Living Daylights villain was weak. I definitely think Licence to Kill was the stronger of the two.
I'm not sure. It's been quite a while since I've seen them. In my memory, Living Daylights was the one I enjoyed more, but that has to do with the very strong opening. When Bond is supposed to snipe the sniper (Kara), sees her in close-up and decides not to. That whole scene, the setting, Bond himself, his behaviour etc... for me that's what Bond is about. Special agents trying to whack eachother and being in eachother's way, and letting personal feelings come before the job etc.

You are right about the villain, although I didnt like the villain in License to Kill either. Just a drugslord. Woohoo(!) But yeah it was nice seeing Bond operating on his own a bit. But it didnt have the 'Bond' settings and villains and the Bond girls were pretty crap as well....

Ah well... it's a shame Dalton was wasted in 2 'mediocre' Bond flicks. In fact, he's the main reason that these movies are still pretty good. He brings it to a higher level. A lesser actor in those 2 movies, could have just totally ruined the whole franchise...

p.s - Watch Casino Royale. It's better IMO to the Dalton Bonds. Why for heavens sake haven't you?
Well... I have it downloaded and burned on DVD, but I wanna watch it in the cinema first. However, I wanna see it with my girlfriend, and we just had Xmas and all that crap so havent really had the time yet...
We might be going to Rotterdam or Amsterdam this friday, so we might catch a movie there. It all depends a bit on how I feel that day, and also how the weather will be, cause tomorrow the weather is supposed to become pretty bad... so we'll see how it will be on friday, or if it will affect public transportation etc (trees on the rails etc)
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Post by slasher13 »

bradavon wrote:
slasher13 wrote:where the female is totally his equal and helps him out moreso then previous bond movie, so that really grates me when I hear that.
A bit ballsy isn't equal ;)
Mmm I felt in Licence to Kill she helped out Bond, she wasn't the helpless heronine who Bond needed to save. In fact she was better then Denise in The World is not Enough and Halle Berry.
Yi-Long wrote:I fucking HATE the Bonds that were played by Moore and Brosnan. I just don't buy them as secret agents. They're just not convincing. Connery in his first movies was convincing, and just brought such a tremendous charme and charisma. Havent seen Lazenby. Moore is a tool

:sad5: But... but Spy who Loved Me... A great film, the best.... :sad5:
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Post by Yi-Long »

slasher13 wrote:
Yi-Long wrote:I fucking HATE the Bonds that were played by Moore and Brosnan. I just don't buy them as secret agents. They're just not convincing. Connery in his first movies was convincing, and just brought such a tremendous charme and charisma. Havent seen Lazenby. Moore is a tool

:sad5: But... but Spy who Loved Me... A great film, the best.... :sad5:
I have no idea. Somehow all the Moore movies have gelled together into one giant lump of shite, in my mind.
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Post by Markgway »

I thought SPY was pretty dull until the last 20 mins.

Even MOONRAKER is more fun.
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Post by saltysam »

Apocalypto 3/5

Entertaining but derivative jungle actioner.
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Post by BiscLimpkit »

Election 2 4.5/5
Hong Kong can still produce decent films?! Johnnie To is back - what a film! The first was sound but LD's right - the sequel's a lot better. Wonder if there will be an Election 3?

Can't wait to watch Exiled.
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Post by bradavon »

Yi-Long wrote:When Bond is supposed to snipe the sniper (Kara), sees her in close-up and decides not to. That whole scene, the setting, Bond himself, his behaviour etc... for me that's what Bond is about. Special agents trying to whack eachother and being in eachother's way, and letting personal feelings come before the job etc.
I love Action Bond and Spy Bond but agreed Spy Bond is probably better.

The cold war era Bonds were great for this too.
Yi-Long wrote:In fact, he's the main reason that these movies are still pretty good. He brings it to a higher level. A lesser actor in those 2 movies, could have just totally ruined the whole franchise...
I couldn't agree more. It's Dalton and mostly Dalton that save these films, it shows how good he is when he and him alone makes then as good as they are.

See Casino Royale! ;)
slasher13 wrote:Mmm I felt in Licence to Kill she helped out Bond, she wasn't the helpless heronine who Bond needed to save. In fact she was better then Denise in The World is not Enough and Halle Berry.
Really? I remember her winning and pinning for Bond gushing she loved him.

I love the Moore and Brosnan Bonds but the Moore's aren't keepers IMO. Moore was never a secret agent but his films were still lots of fun, for complete different reasons.

The ONLY Bond I thought was a damp squib was Lazenby. Talk about miscasting.

p.s - Should we have a James Bond forum to go along with Asian :D
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Knetan
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Post by Knetan »

hey,

Paramount Motel 2.5/5

Low budget thriller does well for itself as a drama for half the running time. Simon Loui writes well and performs well as the cop facing a tough case, trying to find the guts to face the problems with his wife and maintaining humanity. When he can't write any longer, Loui lets the script go pedestrian and director Billy Chung can't do much about that either. They tried at least.
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Post by degeneration »

High Risk 2.5/5

Was an alright film but not what I remembered it being many years ago. Action is so-so, and it does say much for the film when the fight i liked the most was between Jacky Cheung and Billy chow. Granted Cheung was probably doubled for a lot of it, but it still was the most enjoyable fight in the film. Too disjointed in mood as well. From serious sort of film with the murder of women and children to completely wacky out-of-place hong kong comedy... It just didn't suit the film that much. And why, oh why, did we have to have a close up on the child's penis peeing?!?!?!?
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Knetan
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Post by Knetan »

hey,

because it's Hong Kong and because Wong Jing is Wong Jing. Deal. ;)
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Knetan
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Post by Knetan »

hey,

speaking of exploiting:

The Dragon Lives Again 3/5

Bruce Lee (actually Bruce Leung) goes to hell and has to fight Clint Eastwood (in Western mode), Dracula, James Bond, Zatoichi but also getting help from Popeye (Eric Tsang) and the One-Armed Swordsman. Wacky.
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Post by grim_tales »

I like both Bonds and like the mix of Action and Spy Bond that Brosnan brought :D
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Post by HungFist »

Rampo Noir – 2/5
Excellent opening (which lasts less than 10 minutes) but the following 3 stories aren’t nearly as impressive. The boring half-supernatural second episode and the intentionally hip and weird ending are both highly forgettable. Hisayasu Sato’s utterly sick (the film was rated R-18 for a evry good reason) but fascinating middle episode is the best full length story the movie has to offer.
HungFist wrote: Three Times – 2,5/5
Beautiful, but comes damn close to being boring. But I liked it. Next time I’m either gonna love it or bore to death.
... and I loved it. I was only gonna watch the first three minutes or so before I sell my dvd, just to prove myself I don’t need to own this film. 130 minutes later I had changed my mind. Both the second and the third episode are great. The first one is cinematic perfection. 4/5

Truck Yaro: Goiken Muyou – 3,5/5
More painful without subs than Dokyo Ichibanboshi, but still well worth the effort. These films are very similiar, though, I hope the other 8 instalments feature some fresh turns. But in the end, these films are all about characters so it’s not such a huge flaw.

Spider – 4/5
Excellent film that would be a masterpiece if it wasn't for the stupid explaining ending. People too stupid to understand the movie don't deserve to understand it. Therefore the ending is totally unnecessary.

Golgo 13: Kowloon Assignment – 3/5
Very stylish although a bit hollow Chiba film. A major influence to John Woo’s The Killer.

Prisoner no 07 Reina – 2/5
Decent modern WIP stuff. Not terrible, but not too impressive either aside from a few scenes. Some good ideas, though. Missed chance.

Bandidos – 3,5/5
My knowledge of spaghetti westerns is very limited, but this seemed like a rather good entry to the genre. Unoriginal but entertaining. Excellent ending.

Another Day in Paradise – 3,5/5
Holds up surpringly well as a story oriented thriller, considering this comes from Larry Clark. Terrific soundtrack and great acting from all leads.
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Post by degeneration »

Underworld Evolution 4/5

Pretty good action flick this. Stylishly done and nicely violent. Kate Beckinsale looks sooooo hot!!! Shame we didn't get to see more of her in the sex scene... Still, good film and glad I bought it!
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Post by romerojpg »

degeneration wrote:Underworld Evolution 4/5

Pretty good action flick this. Stylishly done and nicely violent. Kate Beckinsale looks sooooo hot!!! Shame we didn't get to see more of her in the sex scene... Still, good film and glad I bought it!
Probloby the best films of the year for me (in top 5), a disapointing year mind you :) I am waiting for the extended more violent cut, its even mentioned on the commentary! morons better release it soon.
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Post by saltysam »

Knetan wrote:hey,

speaking of exploiting:

The Dragon Lives Again 3/5

Bruce Lee (actually Bruce Leung) goes to hell and has to fight Clint Eastwood (in Western mode), Dracula, James Bond, Zatoichi but also getting help from Popeye (Eric Tsang) and the One-Armed Swordsman. Wacky.
one of the greatest examples of exploitation filmmaking ever made,this film needs a 2-disc Criterion release
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Post by HungFist »

I assume there's no (half) decent dvd available???
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Post by Markgway »

Knetan wrote:speaking of exploiting:

The Dragon Lives Again 3/5

Bruce Lee (actually Bruce Leung) goes to hell and has to fight Clint Eastwood (in Western mode), Dracula, James Bond, Zatoichi but also getting help from Popeye (Eric Tsang) and the One-Armed Swordsman. Wacky.
This sounds like something we should all see once in our lives.
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