Bullets 'n' Babes

Opium and the Kung Fu Master: 4.25/5

Very good film (can't decide if it's a 4.5/5), genuinely moving and effecting in places and the fights are great The reason I can't decide if its a 4.5/5 is despite the "Opium is evil" theme throughout the film, showing how it destroys lives, families etc, it has a standard ending where Ti Lung avenges 2 people's deaths. I guess if he had lost twice it would have been too tragic

Day of the Dead - 3/5
Just not as good as the other two.

Intentions of Murder (Japan, 1964) – 2,5/5
Shohei Imamura’s intelligent and provocative drama tries to analyze the difference between love, obsession and abuse. The film is interesting but ultimately too long (150 min). Some of the flashbacks and symbolic images don’t convince either. The lead actress Masumi Harukawa gives a very good performance, though.

Like a Dragon (Japan, 2007) – 3,5/5
While not one of Takashi Miike’s very best movies, Ryu ga gotoku (aka Like a Dragon) is still better than all the previous video game adaptations put together. If you haven’t played the game, the film should work as an entertaining diet Miike. However, if you are familiar with the game, then it’s unlikely you’ll be disappointed. The film is a faithful adaptation, but also makes enough changes to prevent you from ever getting bored. The cast is throughly well chosen, and the visual look is superb. Soundtrack works nicely as well. The film was rated pg-12 in Japan, so this isn’t your old school Miike splatter, but it’s still surprisingly violent. There isn’t much blood, but the amount of baseball bat headshots is on world record level.

I really recommend Opium and the Kung Fu Master if you havent seen it Mark, its very good

Sounds very familiar... or at least it was some Opium SB film that I recall reading about recently. I was gonna buy the IVL dvd but didn't for some reason (probably found out some US distributor had the rights...).

How many other Opium films are there?

I don't know. I just remember the film I read about had the word opium in its title

grim_tales wrote:I really recommend Opium and the Kung Fu Master if you havent seen it Mark, its very good

Lol, of course I've seen it.

Waddaya think?
I thought Ti Lung acted well in it

Fist Of Fury 3 2/5

Average Bruce Li vehicle,a definite step down from the decent pt 2. He spends most of the movie as a peripheral figure and gets framed for murder,however after the easiest jailbreak in prison history (old guy and daughter amble into a deserted cop shop and bust him out),he lets loose for the final 20 minutes,meeting the villainous Ku Feng.pity the superior pt 2 seems impossible to find in scope,a much better film.

Whisper of the Heart - 4/5
By far the best animated Ghibli film with background art by Naohisa Inoue (Iblard Jikan) and so much attention to detail both in foreground and background. But it is not a fantastical adventure ala Miyazaki and it's not the perfect school romance like Ocean Waves, it's rather inbetween and not altogether there.

Live Free or Die Hard - 2/5
The whole concept of this film and its overall plot, characters, presentation etc are all ten years out of date. We have a bald and too old for action films Bruce Willis getting involved in some really unconvining and stupid - even by Hollywood standards - action-CGI set-pieces as he fights a hacker and that's about it.

Gattaca - 3/5
I like Gattaca but it's still a B-Movie with a cast, costumes and sets that don't tell you otherwise.

Scent of a Woman - 3/5
Bit of fun but average and there's nothing more to say on that point. I'm sure some people think it's a poignant masterpiece, I do not.

We have a bald and too old for action films Bruce Willis

Rubbish. I thought he was as good as he's ever been. I would be happy to see him return in a fifth episode. Never mind the ageism.

Ageism? He's old, bald and haggard but still trying to play a fit and tought action hero - I'm just stating facts. Receeding hairline = no lead action role, remember Diamonds are Forever?

Grannies in action films is always a good thing. Die Hard 4 failed on (all) other areas.

HungFist wrote:Grannies in action films is always a good thing. Die Hard 4 failed on (all) other areas.

But the scene with the F-35 was the best ever. It was so real.


Ahem.

Lourdes wrote:Ageism? He's old, bald and haggard but still trying to play a fit and tought action hero - I'm just stating facts. Receeding hairline = no lead action role, remember Diamonds are Forever?

No, you're stating opinion. And a pretty ignorant one at that. So what if he's bald? He wore a wig in the first three parts. He hardly looks any different than he did ten years ago so you can forget the haggard shit. The man is only in his early 50s for fuck's sake. Sean Connery was awesome in The Rock and he was 66 - yes, you read that right - at the time. So all it is is ageist bullshit. Diamonds Are Forever being shit had nothing to do with Connery's age (he was only 41 - about the same age as Daniel Craig) or hairline(!) If you don't like the movie that's fine... just don't insult us by giving a stupid reason.

@Lourdes:
If you think Bruce Willis was too old for Die Hard 4.0, then how do you feel about Harrison in Indy 4?

Although I have to agree with you on this:
I don't believe that a bald 52 year-old man could jump from a falling truck onto an out-of-control airplane and then slide for a hundred metres on pavement without hurting himself.

This particular scene is ridiculous (as is the whole film).

Markgway wrote:No, you're stating opinion. And a pretty ignorant one at that. So what if he's bald? He wore a wig in the first three parts. He hardly looks any different than he did ten years ago so you can forget the haggard shit. The man is only in his early 50s for fuck's sake. Sean Connery was awesome in The Rock and he was 66 - yes, you read that right - at the time. So all it is is ageist bullshit. Diamonds Are Forever being shit had nothing to do with Connery's age (he was only 41 - about the same age as Daniel Craig) or hairline(!) If you don't like the movie that's fine... just don't insult us by giving a stupid reason.

Are you old and/or losing hair perchance?

Old:
http://img89.imageshack.us/my.php?image=ndvd001bo9.png

Not old:
http://www.imagebam.com/image/2a3c114026271

Where is that hair?
http://www.casinos.net/diamondsareforever.jpg

No longer relevant:
http://www.v7design.com/sean/sean-connery-good.jpg

tom2681 wrote:@Lourdes:
If you think Bruce Willis was too old for Die Hard 4.0, then how do you feel about Harrison in Indy 4?

Decrepid old artefact chasing after decrepid old artefacts, perfect! He just needs a set of sticks or a zimmerframe and a divorce from his wife so I can steal her.

Lourdes wrote:

tom2681 wrote:@Lourdes:
If you think Bruce Willis was too old for Die Hard 4.0, then how do you feel about Harrison in Indy 4?

Decrepid old artefact chasing after decrepid old artefacts, perfect! He just needs a set of sticks or a zimmerframe and a divorce from his wife so I can steal her.

Callista Flockhart?! Anorexia = ewwww.

Her playing Ally McBeal overrides all.

The Blue Jean Monster (Hong Kong, 1991) – 2,5/5
I’m not sure whether madness or insanity describes Blue Jean Monster better. What we’ve got here is action, fantasy, z-grade humour and an undead police officer (Shing Fui-On) as the lead character. None of it makes any sense, and some of the jokes make you want to hang yourself, but you won’t get bored, only amazed. Amy Yip’s bunny girl fits the easter timing.
- dvd / Joy Sales

Sword of the Beast (Japan, 1965) - 3,5/5
Mikijiro Hira plays the memorable lead role in Hideo Gosha’s second movie. Although the storyline is not the most original, the characters and cinematography are very good. The director keeps the film moving swiftly. An enjoyble and rather dark samurai film but not one of the best examples of the director’s talent. Gosha was one of the most important Japanese directors, however this and the stylish chambara adventure Tange Sazen: The Secret of the Urn are his weakest from the 60’s.

Lourdes wrote:Are you old and/or losing hair perchance?

I'm 28 and not balding in the slightest.

I just don't like stupid ageism.

The Thing - 3/5
I was expecting more from this and whilst it started out strong I later found myself disappointed and later bored.

The Lives of Others - 3/5
Fine example of the problem with continental cinema. Every European film involves romantic artists living in apartments and having parties, even in East Berlin under the Stasi. Here the Stasi are depicted as civil servants with moustaches who hide behind trees, talk to you sternly and perv on your lovemaking with surveillance equipment. Far cry from the reality of the oppression that persisted at that time.

The Tailor of Panama - 2/5
Can't say I've read the book (le Carré - no thanks) but I get the distinct impression that this film failed because it tried to too closely emulate the novel it was based upon, rather like Catch-22. Too ludcicrous for live action.

History of Postwar Japan as Told by a Bar Hostess (Japan, 1970) – 3/5
The title says it all (and what a great title it is). Imamura’s documentary depicts the postwar history of Japan through the experiences of a bar hostess. Those experieces don’t always come together with official history writing. The film is raw but endlessly interesting. News clips are used to great extent. The only distraction is the obvious question; how much of this is real? All? Most? Hard to say. Some of the footage is obviously staged but was that only to re-create the happenings that Imamura failed to capture on celluloid in the first place? To make the grainy 100 min interview piece slightly more cinematic? Or to intentionally distort the reality? Fascinating stuff, nevertheless.

Where'd you get hold of that? Sounds most interesting.