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

saltysam · Post by **saltysam** » 15 Jun 2007, 07:46

Wicker Man (2006) 1/5

Fucking awful remake-the one star is for the nice looking location

Vacancy 2.5/5

Watchable thriller,short and worth watching.not a keeper.

thelostdragon · Post by **thelostdragon** » 15 Jun 2007, 10:38

Markgway wrote:The Brigitte Lin of her generation.

Not until she is thrown through a lot of glass.

Lourdes · Post by **Lourdes** » 15 Jun 2007, 12:18

Markgway wrote:2046 isn't a patch on In the Mood For Love.

It's half good/half pretentious waffle.

Not worth spending too much time dissecting as the script was made up as they went along and desn't really mean anything deep.

Agree entirely.

Yi-Long wrote:Stray Dog - 4.5/5

Next very hot day I'm breaking it out, great film, ahead of its time.

Shingster · Post by **Shingster** » 15 Jun 2007, 13:03

Stray Dog is definitely one of the great master's best. Really great film.

Yi-Long · Post by **Yi-Long** » 15 Jun 2007, 13:47

I never said I DONT like Cecilia. Like many, I adored her in King of Comedy, and all that. But come on. I'd definately go for the MILF instead of the occasionally too skinny chick. I would like to see how cecilia looks with short hair, though. I love short hair.

Btw, neither Wong nor Cheung is as pretty as Kara Hui.

Markgway · Post by **Markgway** » 15 Jun 2007, 19:09

Yi-Long wrote:I love short hair.

I'm the opposite. I prefer long hair. Short hair comes off as butch on most women. It takes a real stunner to pull it off. I don't even like Halle Bery's hair when it's cropped and she's got a beautiful face.

I suppose for Cecilia to become Brigitte we'll next Jackie to remake Police Story and apeshit on the sugarglass.

HungFist · Post by **HungFist** » 15 Jun 2007, 21:47

Death Proof - 4,5/5
Second view, and just as good as the last time. The first half is very enjoyable but the second is undeniably better. Those girls are just so much fun to hang around with. You almost wish the action wouldn't start so soon. And when it does... lets just say Tarantino shows the new age posers how to direct real car movie...

captainjoe · Post by **captainjoe** » 15 Jun 2007, 22:07

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang: 4/5

Knetan · Post by **Knetan** » 16 Jun 2007, 09:34

hey,

Young Policemen In Love 2/5

Amusing Wong Jing/Chu Yen-Ping witch brew of much not their own, mainly Fight Back To School. Some left over big bloodpacks from Requital is put to use also...

Knetan · Post by **Knetan** » 16 Jun 2007, 18:52

hey,

Kawashima Yoshiko 2/5

On paper, a picture to view after The Last Emperor as it focuses on the character of Eastern Jewel as played by Maggie Han in that film. Eddie Fong (Amourous Wong Of Tang Dynasty, The Private Eyes Blues) directs a perfectly cast Anita Mui in the film about the life of the character. But being small in scale and running time makes it all come off as a snapshot rather than a thorough examination and while Mui is terrific throughout, it's only the ending scenes that allows for some room emotionally.

HungFist · Post by **HungFist** » 16 Jun 2007, 21:08

Death Proof - 4,5/5
This movie mother fuckin' owns. Third viewing, and more enjoyable than ever (and I quite liked it before, as the old ratings suggest). I never knew american girls could be this much fun, lol. And the b/w scene I was talking about in the other thread; definitely my second favourite scene in the film. I don't even want to see the Grindhouse cut now as it's missing that scene.

tom2681 · Post by **tom2681** » 16 Jun 2007, 22:10

Guns and Talks (Korea - 2001 - By Jang Jin with Shin Hyun-June and Shin Ha-Gyun): 4 / 5

Brilliant stuff !

Comedy + Cop thriller at its best.
Good acting, great plot, great music...
Many useless camera tricks and flashy effects, but the director knows when to calm down for the important scenes.

Every single assassination scene is brilliant in its execution.
Every single comedy sequence is millimeter perfect.
I'm gonna try Righteous Ties and The Big Scene, now.

Watched it. Loved it. Will buy the recently released french DVD.

captainjoe · Post by **captainjoe** » 17 Jun 2007, 03:25

Masters of Horror: We all scream for ice cream - 2.5/5

The ghost of an ice-cream man comes back to seek revenge on the now grown-up kids who played a prank on him which led to his death. Average tale, director Tom Holland had some nice shots that reminded me of Thinner and Child's Play. Seems like a story that's been told before. Acting was pretty bad but the killer was creepy.

Markgway · Post by **Markgway** » 17 Jun 2007, 05:41

The Butterfly Effect. 3/5

Surprisingly good psycho-thriller. Pretty disturbing for a '15' rated film and better than any film starring Ashton Kutcher has a right to be.

Doesn't quite make it to the end without tying itself in over-complicated knots... but I appreciated the ambition and the intelligence.

slasher13 · Post by **slasher13** » 17 Jun 2007, 12:51

Markgway wrote:The Butterfly Effect. 3/5

Surprisingly good psycho-thriller. Pretty disturbing for a '15' rated film and better than any film starring Ashton Kutcher has a right to be.

Doesn't quite make it to the end without tying itself in over-complicated knots... but I appreciated the ambition and the intelligence.

Which version did you watch, I much prefer the director cuts, where Ashton kills himself in the womb, so he is never born

EvaUnit02 · Post by **EvaUnit02** » 17 Jun 2007, 13:03

Butterfly Effect was okay, I'd give it the same score as Mark. Hardly the "superb underrated gem" everyone makes it out to be.

HungFist · Post by **HungFist** » 17 Jun 2007, 13:06

Markgway wrote:The Butterfly Effect. 3/5

Surprisingly good psycho-thriller. Pretty disturbing for a '15' rated film and better than any film starring Ashton Kutcher has a right to be.

Doesn't quite make it to the end without tying itself in over-complicated knots... but I appreciated the ambition and the intelligence.

When I first read that post I somehow thought it was by Tom, not Mark. I don't know why.

But then again, if it was Tom reviewing the film the rating would've been 4,5 or something, right Tom?

tom2681 · Post by **tom2681** » 17 Jun 2007, 13:12

Loved Butterfly Effect, although I was a bit disappointed by the plot (not complex enough).
The DC is worth a good 4/5 for me.

thelostdragon · Post by **thelostdragon** » 17 Jun 2007, 13:20

I love "Butterfly Effect", too. In the video rental I work at it is one of the top ten most recommended films. 4/5 for me.

Knetan · Post by **Knetan** » 17 Jun 2007, 14:15

hey,

He Ain't Heavy, He's My Father! 3/5

Shallow and corny, this time-travel adventure wants to be as good as Back To The Future but "just" being warm and pleasing works for its local HK audience and to a far extent, for us from the outside looking in too. Sometimes a parade of stars is all you need and UFO certainly populated this one with a lot. The wo Tony Leung's, Carina Lau, Anita Yuen etc etc.

HungFist · Post by **HungFist** » 17 Jun 2007, 19:29

The Executioner - 3,5/5
When you have a 1974 action film with Teruo Ishii behind the camera and Shinichi Chiba in front of it, the outcome shouldn’t come as a surprise. The Executioner is by far one of the rudest, trashiest and most over the top karate actioners ever made. The humour is totally off the wall and Chiba is meaner than ever. The supporting cast includes lots of familiar faces, most notably Yasuaki Kurata, Makoto Sato and and the very young Hiroyuki Sanada.

Karate Inferno: The Executioner 2 - 3,5/5
When the Toei bosses asked Ishii to direct a sequel for The Executioner (agains Ishii’s wishes), he replied by delivering an insane slapstick comedy. The action and the ultra violence is mostly limited to the great finale, and the rest of the movie plays out for laughs. The film requires repeated viewings as your brains may deny ever having witnessed some of the more over-the-top gags... Ishii has taken his madness to a new level.

Virus (Fukkatsu no hi) – 4,5/5
”The entire world is a graveyard”. Kinji Fukasaku’s amazing Virus is simply the best end of the world movie ever made. While the budget sets its limitations Fukasaku makes most of the film’s huge scale. The events take place around the world and at least five different languages are spoken. The international cast includes such big names as Ken Ogata, Robert Vaughn, Olivia Hussey, Sonny Chiba, Edward James Olmos, Isao Natsuyagi and Yumi Takigawa. Acting is sometimes poor and the plot is full of holes but it fits the film’s style. Overall a huge cinematic achievement.

thelostdragon · Post by **thelostdragon** » 17 Jun 2007, 21:58

Letters from Iwo Jima - 4/5
Watched it again on DVD tonight. Had a different impact than it had the two times I watched it on the big screen, but it's still a great film and far better than Flags.

Yi-Long · Post by **Yi-Long** » 17 Jun 2007, 23:33

Infernal Affairs 2: 4.5/5

2nd or 3rd time I've seen this (but due to lousy memory on my part I hardly remembered anything), and it's just a great movie. Some see this as the worst of the 3, but TBH I find it very hard to pick a best and a worst in the trilogy. I've liked them all 3.

Only downside is maybe Edison. He's not awfull or anything (except for the brief scene with the English officers, including Bey), but I dont know... he just doesnt do anything for me. Shawn Yue is OK, not terrific or anything but he copes. The real highlights are ofcourse the elder generation, with Eric Tsang (absolutely brilliant), Anthony Wong, and Francis Ng. Plus it has 1 or 2 brief scenes with Kara Hui, who isnt as scene-stealing gorgeous and charismatic as she normally is (she's quite tame in this one), but still nice to see here.

Just a great movie, with good use of locations, great cinematography, lots of plot-twists, good acting, very good music at times (could have been more) and it just keeps you glued.

DangerousLeeHandsome · Post by **DangerousLeeHandsome** » 17 Jun 2007, 23:55

IA3 is easily the worst of the trilogy.

Shingster · Post by **Shingster** » 17 Jun 2007, 23:56

HungFist wrote:Virus (Fukkatsu no hi) – 4,5/5
”The entire world is a graveyard”. Kinji Fukasaku’s amazing Virus is simply the best end of the world movie ever made. While the budget sets its limitations Fukasaku makes most of the film’s huge scale. The events take place around the world and at least five different languages are spoken. The international cast includes such big names as Ken Ogata, Robert Vaughn, Olivia Hussey, Sonny Chiba, Edward James Olmos, Isao Natsuyagi and Yumi Takigawa. Acting is sometimes poor and the plot is full of holes but it fits the film’s style. Overall a huge cinematic achievement.

Virus is a fantastic film, arguably Fukusaku's best. Must say I disagree strongly about the acting, it's generally excellent! I reckon only Henry Silva and the guy who played the American doctor who was sent into the loony bin were just about the only ones who struggled a bit.