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

Barbarian King · Post by **Barbarian King** » 14 Mar 2007, 10:59

captainjoe wrote:Casino Royale: 5/5 'nuff said

Same here.

DangerousLeeHandsome · Post by **DangerousLeeHandsome** » 14 Mar 2007, 15:55

Once A Thief - 3/5
Not my favorite John Woo flick but still a fun ride. Biggest letdown: C-Y-F pretending to be paralized. Kinda dumb.

Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle - 3.5/5
Watched it on TBS last Saturday night. I was so diappointed with the TV edit that I went and picked up the "Extreme Unrated" DVD, (which is actually not that extreme or unrated at all. In fact, I barely even noticed any new footage). I'm not a pot smoker, (never were and never will be) but I found the movie to be highly entertaining, bruatally honest, and I laughed my ass off on numerous occasions. Can't wait to see it again.

HungFist · Post by **HungFist** » 14 Mar 2007, 16:11

DangerousLeeHandsome wrote:Once A Thief - 3/5
Not my favorite John Woo flick but still a fun ride. Biggest letdown: C-Y-F pretending to be paralized. Kinda dumb.

Spoiler warning would be a good idea.

Although I don't think there's anyone who hasn't seen the film yet... except Brad (

) but he's away at moment.

HungFist · Post by **HungFist** » 14 Mar 2007, 17:32

La Maison de Himiko – 2,5/5
The first 40 minutes I kept thinking how is it possible that Isshin Inudou, who made the wonderful Jozee just a few years earlier, could come up with something as bad as this. Cheap comedy with elderly gay drag queens... I was feeling sorry for the actors and their families. I guess it’s the downside of never reading plot descriptions, you end up with films like Himiko. And oh, the opening scene is awful, absolutely horrible, nearly forgot to mention that. However, it comes as a pleasant surprise that the last 90 minutes is very much watchable. Nothing very delicate, rather stupid and mainsteam in fact but enjoyable nevertheless. Joe Odagiri, who’s the best thing in the movie right from the beginning, gets more space and the movie turns into a serious drama as everyone expected it to. The rating may feel bit high but I really did enjoy the last 2/3’s so I’ll make an exception in case of this film. Btw, it’s funny that the most charming actor in the film is Joe Odagiri, not Kou Shibasaki. Odagiri looks just so damn handsome in the film that it made me want to imitate his hair style (moms comment: ”that punk who looks like a homeless person?”). I love that guy. Would even go out for a date with him.

romerojpg · Post by **romerojpg** » 14 Mar 2007, 18:05

Markgway wrote:I hoped Syriana would be a thriller, that's why I rented it, but not a lot happens in 2hrs except people talking. I tend to find "issue" films are like that. They forget to entertain. So unless the subject already interests you the movie isn't gonna 'strike a chord' as Slasher puts it. Politics can be interesting and suspenseful on film, but not here. It's obvious that the filmmakers were too pleased with their self-importance (and thoughts of awards season) to care.

hey I thought that ending was esspecially dire, I felt no sympathy for them scumbag suicide dicks at all, I just wished they had killed themselves sooner and ended the film.

Knetan · Post by **Knetan** » 14 Mar 2007, 20:33

hey,

Lethal Panther 2 - 2/5

First film was known as Deadly China Dolls in the UK so when the sequel in name only hit the same shores, of course it got re-named to Lethal Panther. Anyway, standard heroic bloodshed and fight-fest but with just a few notches more creativity coming from Phillip Ko. Heavily wire-assisted action but fun excess. Featuring precious little Cantonese speaking performers as it was shot in the Philippines with the name to market the film with being Yukari Oshima.

Red Zone 2.5/5

Frequent Jackie Chan screenwriter Edward Tang's sole directorial effort is a muddled and boring due to a mundane plot that at one point involves Waise Lee's big boss but by the end simply doesn't. By that time though, Kenny Ho and Yu Rong-Guang are part some fairly creative action, including a nifty jeep/bike chase and the warehouse finale. Watch out for a look at how you get rid of a bomb from a locked apartment: radio controlled helicopter.

Lackey And The Lady Tiger 3/5

Despite Mars not being a good lead for a martial arts comedy, this Seasonal production is quite entertaining. You have to get through some of the usual lame comedy, the formula literally using Snake In The Eagle's Shadow's key scenes (but not featuring animal cruelty however) but when hwang Jang Lee comes in from the Drunken Master-set, quality remains consistant throughout. Focus on pole work and Hwang's amazing kicking. Tien Niu is fun as the token boy is actually a girl-character.

dragonhero005 · Post by **dragonhero005** » 14 Mar 2007, 21:02

Knetan wrote: Lackey And The Lady Tiger 3/5

Despite Mark not being a good lead for a martial arts comedy, this Seasonal production is quite entertaining.

I guess you mean Mars, right?

Aces go Places 4

In my eyes the second best Aces-film, although it does not really havee this wacky Aces go Places-feel. It's quite serious at some points.

3/5

Knetan · Post by **Knetan** » 14 Mar 2007, 21:11

hey,

I do now, yes.

4th was Ringo Lam, yea?

Kurgan · Post by **Kurgan** » 14 Mar 2007, 22:12

I felt that the fourth Aces Go Places/Mad Mission film just didn't sit well at all within the series, to my mind. It may as well have been called something else. The second one I'll always have a soft spot for, as it was the first (and for a long time, the only) one I'd seen. The first was good (as I expected it to be) but the third was poor.

Edit: Sorry Knetan, yes, the fourth was directed by Lam.

Markgway · Post by **Markgway** » 15 Mar 2007, 01:07

romerojpg wrote:hey I thought that ending was esspecially dire, I felt no sympathy for them scumbag suicide dicks at all, I just wished they had killed themselves sooner and ended the film.

Yeah, that was out of the blue.

Lose your job, become a suicide bomber in two easy steps.

Very pat.

Markgway · Post by **Markgway** » 15 Mar 2007, 01:10

Knetan wrote:hey,

Lethal Panther 2 - 2/5

First film was known as Deadly China Dolls in the UK so when the sequel in name only hit the same shores, of course it got re-named to Lethal Panther. Anyway, standard heroic bloodshed and fight-fest but with just a few notches more creativity coming from Phillip Ko. Heavily wire-assisted action but fun excess. Featuring precious little Cantonese speaking performers as it was shot in the Philippines with the name to market the film with being Yukari Oshima.

Apparently the original version was nearly all Filipino (Tagalog) and Philip Ko was hired just to direct the action. But the credits were "altered" by distributor My Way for the international version, which was also edited down and made to look more Chinese.

Markgway · Post by **Markgway** » 15 Mar 2007, 01:11

dragonhero005 wrote:
Knetan wrote: Lackey And The Lady Tiger 3/5

Despite Mark not being a good lead for a martial arts comedy, this Seasonal production is quite entertaining.
I guess you mean Mars, right?

Yeah, Lady Tiger wasn't one of my better films.

Markgway · Post by **Markgway** » 15 Mar 2007, 01:13

Kurgan wrote:I felt that the fourth Aces Go Places/Mad Mission film just didn't sit well at all within the series, to my mind. It may as well have been called something else. The second one I'll always have a soft spot for, as it was the first (and for a long time, the only) one I'd seen. The first was good (as I expected it to be) but the third was poor.

The first two were amiable enough... but they should've stopped there.

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 15 Mar 2007, 09:36

The Double Life of Véronique - 4.5/5

A slow burner at first, but still an excellent romantic drama/mystery. Irene Jacob is superb in the dual role of both Véronique and Veronika, and looks great

Born at the same time 20 years ago in Poland and France; Veronique and Veronika are identical in every way, yet share neither mother nor father. They grow up to lead eerily similar lives; both are left-handed, like to walk barefoot, have sublime singing voices, share an extraordinary musical talent and suffer from the same barely discernible heart problem.

Veronika is young, romantically obsessed and on the verge of her debut as a professional singer. She is haunted by disturbing visions and by the feeling that "she is not alone". In Paris, Veronique is consumed by the feeling that she is "missing someone". A series of strange objects she receives leads her to pursue the mystery further.

Kieslowski's film is a cryptic and sensual tour-de-force, an enigmatic tale of love, grief and loss.

I think the twist is The two women are just characters written into an author's book, right? (Something like that).

I'm tempted to get the Criterion but I can't afford it ATM.

slasher13 · Post by **slasher13** » 15 Mar 2007, 14:26

Markgway wrote:
romerojpg wrote:hey I thought that ending was esspecially dire, I felt no sympathy for them scumbag suicide dicks at all, I just wished they had killed themselves sooner and ended the film.
Yeah, that was out of the blue.

Lose your job, become a suicide bomber in two easy steps.

Very pat.

My take on it was they were p***ed off being treated as dirt by the arabs. That does happen, when I went to Dubai and Abu Dhabi, I saw this other side, where indian workers and pakistani were really treated like dirt, but the money is better than where they was working before.

dragonhero005 · Post by **dragonhero005** » 15 Mar 2007, 15:07

Markgway wrote: The first two were amiable enough... but they should've stopped there.

That's what I think as well. Haven't seen the 5th part yet, but it's said to be even worse than part 3...

thelostdragon · Post by **thelostdragon** » 15 Mar 2007, 16:02

"Aces Go Places 3" rules, with Sean Connery's real-life brother as Sean Connery.

Also, I love the subway chase. Classic!

Knetan · Post by **Knetan** » 15 Mar 2007, 19:47

hey,

The Spirit Of The Dragon 2.5/5

A Bruceploitation movie from 1997...sort of. It's uneven but it both amuses and acts as a proper tribute to the inspiration Bruce Lee brought to the people. Little of which has to do with being a top fighter and Michael Chow trying to be as smooth when taking off his robe and using the chucks...but failing...is very funny.

Barbarian King · Post by **Barbarian King** » 15 Mar 2007, 21:49

Casino Royale...

...again...

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 15 Mar 2007, 23:17

The Bootleg Beatles (Sit down gig) - 4.5/5

Very good indeed, often superb. Musically bang on, the "Paul" and "John" characters were especially good, ("Yesterday" "Hey Jude" etc) and "George" did an excellent "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" too. Some funny banter as well

The costumed Sgt. Pepper was fun

Yellow Submarine, though naff is a good singalong

dragonhero005 · Post by **dragonhero005** » 16 Mar 2007, 06:37

thelostdragon wrote:"Aces Go Places 3" rules, with Sean Connery's real-life brother as Sean Connery. Also, I love the subway chase. Classic!

Wow! Didn't know that was his real-life brother!
The chase was nice yes, but overall the movie sucks if you ask me. Richard Kiel's performance is embarrassing!

Anna and the King

It was on TV yesterday so I swore myself not to miss it again. Did like it a lot. It's another great film with probably the most charismatic actor on earth: Chow Yun-fat. In my eyes his best American movie yet.

5/5

thelostdragon · Post by **thelostdragon** » 16 Mar 2007, 10:24

Have you watched "The Corruptor"?

DangerousLeeHandsome · Post by **DangerousLeeHandsome** » 16 Mar 2007, 17:50

The Corruptor was good, much better than Replacement Killers but IMO, Anna & the King isn't his best American feature either. He hasn't had a great American film yet.

HungFist · Post by **HungFist** » 16 Mar 2007, 21:11

Smokin Aces – 3/5
Someone asked why flashy editing make a movie bad? Because it’s irritating and meaningless. You rarely achieve anything with it. And when you don’t, the only explanation for it is that you’re trying hide the films weaknesses. That sums up the first 70 minutes of Smokin Aces. One hour worth of character introductions (which is funny considering they’re all extreme caricatures). That’s all there is. Some might find that a bit boring so hey, lets apply some editing techniques. Or maybe Carnahan was trying to achieve something else (the essence Vegas came to my mind a few times) but without much success. Lack or originality and poorly written dialogue doesn’t help. It’s still not all bad. The actors are obviously enjoying themselves and the characters are mostly good even if ”a little” one dimentional. And what follows is 40 minutes of A-grade stuff, or at least almost. Good old no holds barred movie violence that I didn’t think would get past MPAA. Jeremy Piven’s acting is quite excellent and the ending is ridiculous enough to be satisfying. Good stuff.

saltysam · Post by **saltysam** » 16 Mar 2007, 22:16

The Sword 3.5/5

Decent Wang Yu wuxia from the early 70's, Crash has released this much sought after gem in anamorphic (windowboxed) widescreen. prepare to squint heavily at the screen trying to read the small burnt in subs though

Rambo Trilogy 4/5

Great 80's actioners that still hold up well today.