tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25588182526677289962024-03-14T04:13:00.230-07:00Punch a Shark!JustinDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329158372081105131noreply@blogger.comBlogger203125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2558818252667728996.post-41798105278145882952011-01-05T19:28:00.001-08:002011-01-05T20:30:14.754-08:00FILMS WATCHED TODAY:- Castaway on the Moon (200) - KOREA <div><br /></div><div>- EXAM (2009. UK) The cover led me to believe this was going to be a bloody torture porn style horror flick, but I was pleasently to discover a more suspense heavy affair with no gore to speak of. The actors do great work and the only major misstep is a never ending final explanation. Highly recommended. </div><div><br /></div><div>- Kiss Me Deadly (1955): Iron fisted noir from Robert Aldrich that has nothing but mean bones in its body. Very loosely based on Mickey Spillane's novel Mike Hammer in the film is more of a dunder headed cypher then the series' hard hitting detective. </div>JustinDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329158372081105131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2558818252667728996.post-30726594394224208392011-01-04T20:45:00.000-08:002011-01-04T20:56:24.136-08:00TRON LEGACY (2010) - FILM<div><span class="Apple-style-span">Perfectly designed from a visual and aural perspective (thanks to the Daft Punk Score) TRON: LEGACY sadly has no real engrossing conflict to carry the viewer through its narrative. It starts strongly for its first half hour - with the son Jeff Brides character from the original being introduced and quickly getting sucked into the digital world. Sadly, once you get past the 'Fish Out of Water' business that generates its own internal momentum, the film comes to a screeching halt. Everything literally stop for 20 minutes as exposition and background elements are dolled out before slowly jumping back into defeating a threat that's disappointedly vague in its intent. It doesn't help that the film's two show stopping best set pieces are sandwiched together within the first half hour. The Club Battle that happens latter is too short and the Arial battle that ends the film is impressive, but feels like its missing a final punch. Lead actor <a href="http://www.google.ca/url?url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1330560/&rct=j&sa=X&ei=L_kjTc3DL4T-nAf7tM37DQ&ved=0CCwQggkoAjAA&q=imdb+Tron+Legacy&usg=AFQjCNFyX6xGRJoGS31rhomO-6qIDvzrVQ" style="color: rgb(34, 0, 193); cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none; line-height: 15px; ">Garrett Hedlund</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px; "> is charming at first, but is quickly relegated to a reactionary character that doesn't have much to do but throw in a quip here and there. Olivia Wilde is cute and attractive. Jeff Bridges hippies it up and is filled with rage doubling it up as a creepy young CGI version of himself. Recommended. </span></span></div>JustinDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329158372081105131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2558818252667728996.post-3639584279336252152011-01-03T21:01:00.000-08:002011-01-03T21:03:32.370-08:00OUR HOSPITALITY (1923) - FILMBuster Keaton's films have such good comedy set pieces that it hurts - the film as a whole and my side from laughing so hard. Keaton puts together some of the best comedy you have ever seen, but at the same time it's quite a slog of nothing to get to that point sometimes. Still, this film has a great performance, a cracker jack plot (Keaton has to stay in the house of people that want to kill him, because they won't kill him unless he's outside) and that comedy I keep talking about. Must see.JustinDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329158372081105131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2558818252667728996.post-46357222420365621512011-01-03T19:56:00.001-08:002011-01-03T20:06:28.854-08:00The Natural (1984) - FILM<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlwZa6NtLnndakt5utfsrJbZO4kN9OYTA4rt8eu_fqkVB5aWGHr9bxL31sz0fr5MpaOSCXUVF3baet5c1c_jzmH5S2Gk_VWpls5VvOCoF6wkIKxKvIf9manisKQxVO5_HEp6f2nTLznXQ/s1600/the_natural.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 210px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlwZa6NtLnndakt5utfsrJbZO4kN9OYTA4rt8eu_fqkVB5aWGHr9bxL31sz0fr5MpaOSCXUVF3baet5c1c_jzmH5S2Gk_VWpls5VvOCoF6wkIKxKvIf9manisKQxVO5_HEp6f2nTLznXQ/s320/the_natural.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558177010746983634" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><div>Just look at that poster. Take it in. Could it be more cheesy? Well, I guess you could have some puppies running along with him, or some kids, maybe an angel lifting him up to catch that pop fly. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>To accept a film like THE NATURAL you have to consciously let your intellectual guard down. The place of realism has no pace in the underdog story of Robert Redford as a baseball player that enters the majors late in his life and starts a winning streak. This film is a painterly portrait of a fictional Americana where the Good Guys (TM) are GOOD and the Bad Guys (TM) are BAD. The director has no qualms about the fact that he's painting a straight faced mythology for the audience. The picture doesn't cleverly states that Robert Redford is Christ like figure - it goes out of its way to show you in a number of different way: Redford affects weather, he hits impossible balls and he never quits. If you don't believe, you won't make it. If you're a cinema goer you're aware of the tropes that come with the Sports Story you're also aware that they can be done well and done badly. In THE NATURAL they're done wonderfully. Director Barry Levinson knows the film he's making and he sticks to those roots. No matter how syrupy the on screen action gets, the audience can go along without being torn out of it, and that's the most important part of all. </div><div><br /></div><div>It</div>JustinDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329158372081105131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2558818252667728996.post-69127513310764601042011-01-03T19:53:00.000-08:002011-01-03T19:55:48.563-08:00SHERLOCK JR (1924) - FILM<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuxjnb6k6L4KUruIWw-J1sTM72gvEnHf-PdcEnZo_cfgFgF5CqKgsQy4Vj-OxmUItXSS8dVJzP4NsQ1OyYSItV5TohhbErOHTSN6OSu2pry_rh8xCkumRbvrLEh8-JMsBfH7NBqk5eKmk/s1600/Keaton.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 176px; height: 220px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuxjnb6k6L4KUruIWw-J1sTM72gvEnHf-PdcEnZo_cfgFgF5CqKgsQy4Vj-OxmUItXSS8dVJzP4NsQ1OyYSItV5TohhbErOHTSN6OSu2pry_rh8xCkumRbvrLEh8-JMsBfH7NBqk5eKmk/s320/Keaton.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558174006174387122" /></a>A classic comedy with a series of jaw dropping gags that will astound you no matter who, what, where you are. t takes a little while to get going (about 15 minutes before the funny really starts to set in) but its undeniably awe inspiring. No one did Physical stunt like Keaton. No one. He even broke his neck during one of the takes in the film.JustinDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329158372081105131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2558818252667728996.post-74776011243301664572011-01-02T16:59:00.000-08:002011-01-02T17:08:06.798-08:00SEVEN BRIDES AND SEVEN BROTHERS (1954)<div>Yes this film has a disturbing plot line that happens half way through: Seven woodsmen kidnap seven women to make them their brides and they all get stuck in the cabin. What's even more disturbing is that the women seemingly go stir crazy and start lusting to be married and pregnant. They don't even get to know their soon to be husbands, they just abstractly want to get knocked up by the first thing that steps into their path. Up until the odd immoral shift in tone, the film is a breezy back lot musical in all its fake glory. </div><div><br /></div><div>From a musical production standpoint, it's not exactly my cup of tea because most of the numbers are of the stand around and sing variety. It gets dull fast, no matter how nice people's voice are. The biggest disappointment is that halfway through the film there's a crazed ten minute display of gymnastic fortitude from all the brothers...the most famous moment of the film...and nothing before or after even touches on it. </div>JustinDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329158372081105131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2558818252667728996.post-14301012451062762062011-01-02T01:18:00.000-08:002011-01-02T01:20:32.538-08:00The Fighter (2010) - FILM<div>Fantastic moving film with average boxing scenes but an absolute killer performance by Christian Bale. David O. Russel is a filmmaker I wish was less of a dick...only because he'd probably get more movies done that way. </div>JustinDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329158372081105131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2558818252667728996.post-70152757827691536012011-01-01T22:55:00.000-08:002011-01-01T23:26:23.896-08:00NEW YEARS RECORDING<div>New Years is here and that means resolutions. Prick up your ears for the empty promises one makes in hopes that the next flashing moments of life are better then the last. Everything can be better a little voices say, all you have to is try, or you could end up dead, painfully so. </div><div><br /></div><div>The promises are clear and in IMAX THREE DIMENSION NEON: Keep things cleaner, eat healthier, do more exercise, concentrate better at school, write more, be more creative, reach your dreams and conquer your enemies.</div><div><br /></div><div>All the normal stuff. </div><div><br /></div><div>Being creative is the most important thing to me (even if my parents would argue that the first four are of dire importance). Somehow against my best cowardly tendencies, I'm weeks away from finishing shooting a film I wrote and directed, which is jaw dropping in itself. The one thing that I haven't done is write a book, which i s something that I promised myself to do when I was of the tender age of 12. I have to get that. Someday. Like now.</div><div><br /></div><div>I need to watch more movies.</div><div><br /></div><div>Yes, I realize how ridiculous that sounds if you know me in the slightest. </div><div><br /></div><div>Being creative for me has always been an extension of the arts and entertainment that I consume - it's impossible for me to work in a vacuum of my own thoughts. If I see a Western, I want to birth six shooter cowboy oater. If I see Sci-Fi, I want to envision fantastical space opera dramas. If I see pornography I want to...</div><div><br /></div><div>Yet, with all the opportunities around me, I'm crippled with choice. I don't know what to watch so I watch nothing. I can't count the number of times I've just decided to take a nap instead of make a difficult decision of watching EVIL DEAD II or ARMY OF DARKNESS. I lead a sad empty existence.</div><div><br /></div><div>Jumping from the great 1001 MOVIES YOU NEED TO WATCH BEFORE YOU DIE I will watch one film from the book a day. That way I always have somewhere to jump from, I will have no more excuses of lack of quality, and I will expand my horizons. </div><div><br /></div><div>Instead of writing movie reviews for each film, especially keeping in consideration that all the films included in the book have pretty good write ups in the first place, my 'critical breakdowns' will take place in a more diary form. I have a fairly dull life (other than the constant fear of ending up shaking a tin can on the street) so thoughts on a review coupled with lines like 'I barely got up this morning because there was nothing for me to get up to so I watched MATRIX RELOADED which was way too long and cause me to go back to bed' will undoubtedly make riveting daily fiction.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm making efforts to improve (as obvious as that is) my faults, but I sadly can't make any promises. One thing I can guarantee is that 2011 will be different. Not necessarily better, but different, and sometimes that's the most important thing of all. </div>JustinDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329158372081105131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2558818252667728996.post-76303704297633443482010-12-30T20:04:00.000-08:002010-12-30T20:07:55.888-08:00The Life and Death of Peter Sellers ( 2004) - FILMGeoffrey Rush chameleons the chameleon in his award winning portrayal of funny man Peter Sellers. Sellers was a complicated and mean spirited individual and all of his major life beats are hit in classic Bio Pic style. Director Stephen Hopkins (of PREDATOR II fame!) throws in some very odd cartoony bits of style that clash straight up against the rough nature of the story being told - which while may be the point - only succeeded in taking me right out of the narrative. Still, Rush's performance is more then enough to give this one a watch.JustinDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329158372081105131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2558818252667728996.post-50062874840099037082010-12-30T19:21:00.000-08:002010-12-30T19:27:41.931-08:00Count of Monte Cristo (2001) - FILM<div><br /></div><div>Forgotten in the annals of big budget adaptations, this adaption supposedly only shares the title of the French Novel and takes liberties with everything else. From my perception of having never read the source material to base it on, the film plays like a very enjoyable expensive looking adventure that only skirts the surface weight of the material. Director Kevin Reynolds (Of WATERWORLD shame) has a knack at keeping things interesting by giving it a big budget sheen constantly moving sheen without sacrificing its classic roots. Jim Cavaziel and Guy Pearce makes appealing heroes and villains (respectively). Recommended. </div>JustinDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329158372081105131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2558818252667728996.post-80055812502578094952010-12-30T15:49:00.001-08:002010-12-30T15:54:04.095-08:00The Killer Elite (1975) FILM<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoUFiRJideUTYxnSs2PBXTjn-kyjC6WjFPQjxOB3YktvLIUw_M27hDHflmscQLXiDPR5H-2IsJg7U2WqAzU-i_Tgl8hjp5t75QMebFxz03pjiDER5TbAweJWEYxGgoFA3SGhE_rz-8AHU/s1600/killer_elite.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoUFiRJideUTYxnSs2PBXTjn-kyjC6WjFPQjxOB3YktvLIUw_M27hDHflmscQLXiDPR5H-2IsJg7U2WqAzU-i_Tgl8hjp5t75QMebFxz03pjiDER5TbAweJWEYxGgoFA3SGhE_rz-8AHU/s320/killer_elite.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556627651384111890" /></a><br /><div>There's a fun action film hanging around the insides of Sam Peckinpah's did-it-for-the-money film THE KILLER ELITE. The problem is that it's lost in so much padding. James Caan is fun as the swarmy CIA agent that's betrayed by his partner and left for a cripple. Instead of giving up, Caan learns some martial arts (which he barely uses) and teams up to save a Japanese client that's being chased by some Ninjas. The action is fun, in slow motion, and bloody, but there isn't nearly enough of it, and the story is a complicated mess of goobellygook. Mildly Recommended.</div>JustinDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329158372081105131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2558818252667728996.post-78919901667444445852010-12-30T08:49:00.000-08:002010-12-30T08:54:42.320-08:00My Year of Flops - BOOK<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I'm usually fairly uninterested in books that have to do with bad movies. It's just not fun to me. Yes, I realize they did something bad, and yes, it's sometimes quite funny to sit there and continually repeat "I can't believe they did that!" but it can only take me so far. </div><div> </div><div>In MY YEAR OF FLOPS, writer Nathan Rabin doesn't want to make fun of the films he's considering in his essays, but wants to find them as something more than the original public did. He's always looking for a diamond in the rough. </div><div><br /></div><div>And throughout the book he not only finds films that deserve a second chance, but he evaluates a lot of films I had never even heard of (the greatest compliment I can give to a book of lists). And even when he analyzes easy targets (Battlefield Earth anyone?) he still finds enough interesting things, from a production trivia perspective to a more analytical outlook, to make it worth reading over. </div><div><br /></div><div>Highly Recommended. </div>JustinDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329158372081105131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2558818252667728996.post-62162810522545179422010-12-30T08:45:00.000-08:002010-12-30T08:48:31.233-08:00The Cincinnati Kid (1965) - FILM<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic76to7f7JQ3cwxHDf69Lkq73-1nKxWuDz5BV-odW-Ggd2PaWOk6V0zAI9ZjasjvXCDmrUbc-iM8bGTQY9aPC4gTAVzO_XCb824bQp7cQe1wwqqJ8tUmdcHVV5NH1ZuGsDLFcaDY22C_g/s1600/144116the-cincinnati-kid-posters.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 206px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic76to7f7JQ3cwxHDf69Lkq73-1nKxWuDz5BV-odW-Ggd2PaWOk6V0zAI9ZjasjvXCDmrUbc-iM8bGTQY9aPC4gTAVzO_XCb824bQp7cQe1wwqqJ8tUmdcHVV5NH1ZuGsDLFcaDY22C_g/s320/144116the-cincinnati-kid-posters.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556517702528584338" /></a>Norman Jewison crafts a solid motion picture that allows Steve Mcqueen to act as cool as ice (as per usual). The whole gambling idea just doesn't have much at stake, I never felt there was much danger to Mcqueen or the outcome meant much other then a personal point of pride for the main characters. I need a little something more if I'm expected to watch them play Poker for forty five minutes.JustinDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329158372081105131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2558818252667728996.post-13586480597514410972010-12-29T21:13:00.000-08:002010-12-29T21:17:16.109-08:00POINT BLANK (1967) - FILM<div style="text-align: center;">"I...want my money."</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji_f1u7R9b_8AHxpON28mVVfnwlv6ChZg7BvmERj4MwT2QX22YfMroOmNg0mLC1YYr2NGyho7tohpnG3AZAmyAiXun7fCF-P6OeU5Rw9jflRDTvZhSC6q8GBN2JZX8RSU98YcLw9DKBvE/s1600/Pointblank.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 182px; height: 277px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji_f1u7R9b_8AHxpON28mVVfnwlv6ChZg7BvmERj4MwT2QX22YfMroOmNg0mLC1YYr2NGyho7tohpnG3AZAmyAiXun7fCF-P6OeU5Rw9jflRDTvZhSC6q8GBN2JZX8RSU98YcLw9DKBvE/s320/Pointblank.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556339737430498930" /></a><br /><div>Lee Marvin is the baddest of badasses in John Boorman's Neo Noir masterpiece. Marvin stars as Parker, a man on an unstoppable path for the money that's owed to him. Grim, funny, perfectly paced and filled with bursts of crazed non-linear editing that the film is still remember for to this day. See it now.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>JustinDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329158372081105131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2558818252667728996.post-5117637523847472912010-12-29T18:36:00.000-08:002010-12-29T18:38:39.462-08:00BULLIT (1968) - FILM<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGAynn6VN1yKql8lXtbVrBYc63kdI_VnaLZmCDoi9AFR1jShyphenhyphengmF8a_EEgnelUCqcayOtC4gdHFWhTDUfTMZ_h3nZ8ox3k9cLwU9VrGtgMHvA7X1O3jbohR2AxU6AzjPtLul1k_4tf4HE/s1600/Bullit.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 230px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGAynn6VN1yKql8lXtbVrBYc63kdI_VnaLZmCDoi9AFR1jShyphenhyphengmF8a_EEgnelUCqcayOtC4gdHFWhTDUfTMZ_h3nZ8ox3k9cLwU9VrGtgMHvA7X1O3jbohR2AxU6AzjPtLul1k_4tf4HE/s320/Bullit.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556298935357650082" /></a>Peter Yates energetically directs a story that doesn't have much going on about it. Steve Mcqueen exudes quiet cool. There's one wicked (and deservingly famous) car chase. Everything else is kind of dull.JustinDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329158372081105131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2558818252667728996.post-45087287231474762432010-12-29T17:42:00.000-08:002010-12-29T17:46:19.874-08:00WITNESS (1985) -<div><br /></div><div>I'll be completely honest and state that I wouldn't really be interested in this film if it wasn't for the charming presence of Harrison Ford. And after viewing the film, I know I would have never made it through if it was for him. Director Peter Weir is a master of creating atmospheric tome poems, and he doesn't fail here when it comes to visually illustrating the world of the Amish. There just isn't much going on here, no discoveries made, or hard beats it, the film just plays itself out as a visually stimulating slow paced 80's cop film that happens to take place in an interesting locale. Odd 80's score from the man that scored LAWRENCE OF ARABIA. </div>JustinDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329158372081105131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2558818252667728996.post-48509743111178808972010-12-29T10:41:00.001-08:002010-12-29T10:44:58.515-08:00ELECTION (1999) - MOVIEI'm surprised it took me so long to see this film in its entirety. As a kid, I saw the ending one night on TBS and felt that I really didn't want to see something that seemingly ended in a downer.<div><br /></div><div>I was a fool.</div><div><br /></div><div>A stylish black comedy about High School politics that involves many complex emotions (and humans just asking like flat out jerks) but presented in a poppy style. You barely realize the horrible things going on because it's so much dang...fun. </div>JustinDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329158372081105131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2558818252667728996.post-13722032514855112712010-12-29T09:10:00.000-08:002010-12-29T09:13:10.969-08:00KRAMER VS KRAMER (1979) - FILM<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh10v3ogppBaqN_ZNlUgRwlPRMo0wSznMCnaQwmlUhSer-wUswgU-GgK04ZSv5REXJeAZQANA7mJgYQjHTCtTIZIqpjkxIU9OyzbLPpXatKJaqrAuiHanInnNmIpZyRK39g9eiclH088Yo/s1600/Kramer.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 210px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh10v3ogppBaqN_ZNlUgRwlPRMo0wSznMCnaQwmlUhSer-wUswgU-GgK04ZSv5REXJeAZQANA7mJgYQjHTCtTIZIqpjkxIU9OyzbLPpXatKJaqrAuiHanInnNmIpZyRK39g9eiclH088Yo/s320/Kramer.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556153329688046738" /></a><div>Classic film about a father )(Dustin Hoffman) fighting his wife that left for fifteen month (Meryl Streepe) for the custody of his son. Every note is hit perfectly. The ending is a little saccharine and pat, but the performances pull it through and make it believable. </div>JustinDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329158372081105131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2558818252667728996.post-71623894518139156612010-12-28T13:48:00.001-08:002010-12-28T13:58:31.625-08:00FILMS I WATCHED TODAY<div><br /></div><div>It feels like a lazy Sunday I had when I was ten years old - flipping through the channels and only finding old movies and new stuff I didn't really WANT to see but will watch because it holds a vague interest to my sensisiblities. </div><div><br /></div><div>-<b>The Magnificent Seven: </b>Classic on every level. </div><div><br /></div><div>-<b>Death Race 2 (2010):</b> Above average DTV flick that doesn't have an ending and is pretty slack on the whole 'racing' </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>JustinDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329158372081105131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2558818252667728996.post-70280034954862378392010-10-04T14:46:00.001-07:002010-10-04T14:55:56.044-07:00Lethal Panther (1990. HONG KONG)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0R_wo6bHXtRY2u4XmObSqnT1daIjH90mJMXs7jmMzekr3rel4OHYmzr_UMP_bHSM_F8MZk3iwWJBFYnU0iZa0NjYeylfJczP2omHCC5_UR52XAn2y-3fSpR3Cg7ihjyW8SJWsT1jbPcI/s1600/Lethal.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0R_wo6bHXtRY2u4XmObSqnT1daIjH90mJMXs7jmMzekr3rel4OHYmzr_UMP_bHSM_F8MZk3iwWJBFYnU0iZa0NjYeylfJczP2omHCC5_UR52XAn2y-3fSpR3Cg7ihjyW8SJWsT1jbPcI/s320/Lethal.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524312933014951266" /></a><div>(ALSO KNOWN AS DEADLY CHINA DOLLS)</div><div><br /></div><div>Cut and Paste Master Extraordinaire Godfrey Ho, famous for taking unfinished films, shooting ten minutes of new footage, and editing the whole thing together and releasing it as "NINJA VERSUS SOMETHING OR OTHER" tries his hand at the Girls with Guns craze that was sweeping Hong Kong in the mid-nineties. </div><div><br /></div><div>As per usual, he delivers a sleazy by the numbers product that goes the extra mile to deliver the goods. </div><div><br /></div><div>To my eyes, this seems like a straight up original job without any extra footage, but I could be wrong. The final product is still as disjointed as ever, and it deals with two assassins, a police woman and...some other girl...blowing away anyone in a suit and tie. They hate people in suits because one of them killed an entire family of bears. </div><div><br /></div><div>To be honest, the subtitle on my copy kept hiding right under the screen, so the plot wasn't much of a concern. I had to keep myself interested by the constant barrage of uninspired gunfire, the full frontal nudity, and the non-acting gweilos. The major problem with the film is that most of the action is pretty rote: Close up of gun firing, close up of person being hit, cut to person rolling out of the way. </div><div><br /></div><div>I actually got *gasped* bored about thirty minutes in. </div><div><br /></div><div>This is trash ladies and gents. The girls look pretty. The violence is violent. The story is inconsequential. It does nothing new with the genre, in fact, it's fairly happy with flat out ripping scenes off. Hey look! The assassination scene for A BETTER TOMORROW! </div><div><br /></div><div>Was that Carpenter's Halloween theme song I just heard? </div><div><br /></div><div>And then the movie just ends.</div>JustinDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329158372081105131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2558818252667728996.post-50635787468782398452010-10-03T20:56:00.000-07:002010-10-03T21:16:14.459-07:00MY HEART IS THAT ETERNAL ROSE (1989. HONG KONG)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgAzlA9mIZSOu9FLxSVLoVKABsc5WHDC1PW-zbp0JnRtmF_xEHznE1lYwPstiZra7kZrtbHFidaaW-kbUBx-fHtjQN1rTETJRK6o03HXuntkvCtAWgIdxAwTtYU8dGXdHtJUE-3ixzGo4/s1600/myheartisthateternalrose.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 236px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgAzlA9mIZSOu9FLxSVLoVKABsc5WHDC1PW-zbp0JnRtmF_xEHznE1lYwPstiZra7kZrtbHFidaaW-kbUBx-fHtjQN1rTETJRK6o03HXuntkvCtAWgIdxAwTtYU8dGXdHtJUE-3ixzGo4/s320/myheartisthateternalrose.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524037529541858466" /></a><br /><div>An oddity in the usual 'churn them out' gangster action genre. </div><div><br /></div><div>Two young lovers (Kenny Bee and Joey Wong) are broken up when one of them has to go on the run. Six years later they come together again, only to find themselves tangled in even more complications. Heavy handed melodrama peppered with explosive squibs is ensue. </div><div><br /></div>A good looking film drenched in colored lights (Thanks to the cinematography by Christopher Doyle) that's filled with strong performances from a game cast held back by a fairly routine Heroic Bloodshed plot. Art-House Director Patrick Tam does his best with the trite material, but it can never escape its script. Most Heroic Bloodshed translate the overwrought drama into explosive choreographed gun play, but in this film the action is short and perfunctory. It exists only because the genre demands it to exist. Tonly Leung is the stand-out (When isn't he?) as the body guard that goes beyond his calling.JustinDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329158372081105131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2558818252667728996.post-88873373299968742552010-10-03T17:55:00.001-07:002010-10-03T18:08:38.131-07:00RAPED BY AN ANGEL (1994 USA)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioEFSEJOAIF7FwhJPYT0nB8llbKLTFqAN3rT8hreAM-InvIqZ46wEjgVOHzsqz4_Q2og6kb1DuZ-zl25nJ2I7iwCgvhnPLMqB9jqam0OUgVrJGXRK-JerHPuAMjBpJbb7kw1D_ohCP4j8/s1600/Raped_by_an_Angel_1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 228px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioEFSEJOAIF7FwhJPYT0nB8llbKLTFqAN3rT8hreAM-InvIqZ46wEjgVOHzsqz4_Q2og6kb1DuZ-zl25nJ2I7iwCgvhnPLMqB9jqam0OUgVrJGXRK-JerHPuAMjBpJbb7kw1D_ohCP4j8/s320/Raped_by_an_Angel_1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523991379338734098" /></a><div style="text-align: left;">Did I...Did I...Just see a man force a mentally handicapped child to rape a woman?</div><div><br /></div><div>Wong Jing does it again. He's only writing this time around, but it's the same old low-brow exploitation trash. The story deals with a young women who breaks up with her rape loving boyfriend, and then he proceeds to rape her for real, prompting her best friend to take legal measures that the rapist weasels out of, and then shit goes to hell as everyone vies for revenge. </div><div><br /></div><div>Director/Cinematographer Andrew Lau (who later went on to Direct INFERNAL AFFAIRS and STORM RIDERS) delivers a solid looking picture that mixes the Hong Kong's usual 'soft visuals' with gritty hand held camera work to accentuate the brutal going ons. It's technically sound, but personally, I don't find much to withhold my interest. It's a lot of filler, broken up by a few rape sequences, followed by a ten minute set piece of HOME ALONE style pay back (I kid you not). </div><div><br /></div><div>There's a lot of flesh on display, but as usual, Chingmy Yau does nothing but tease and Simon Yam, the hardest working CATT II author alongside Anthony Wong, shows up to chew up a little scenery.</div><div><br /></div><div>Not my cup of tea. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>JustinDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329158372081105131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2558818252667728996.post-72925976477521099272010-10-03T16:12:00.001-07:002010-10-03T16:33:28.109-07:00FUTURE COPS (1993. HONG KONG)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwwOg1OGBajm-2Tn3eNX7syTZtVwkOSuP78NnjkvrMXty72z6krcH62jURGE1lRlEVqQCkaalh3fzDmJi6vLqT14yUJo_UpGIHNU44iieebUnOolutDg89CeBQ5eZc-3ivAs7bi3HloOY/s1600/Future-Cops-poster.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 226px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwwOg1OGBajm-2Tn3eNX7syTZtVwkOSuP78NnjkvrMXty72z6krcH62jURGE1lRlEVqQCkaalh3fzDmJi6vLqT14yUJo_UpGIHNU44iieebUnOolutDg89CeBQ5eZc-3ivAs7bi3HloOY/s320/Future-Cops-poster.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523967033154413458" /></a><div>It's difficult to try to write a little about Wong Jing without giving the reader a ten volume set on the man's exploits. He's the lowest common denominator man working in Hong Kong, he churns out rip-offs, fad followers, and pure commercial fluff on what seems like daily basis. The man has 91 directorial credits, 125 producer ones, and 121 writing ones! He has no shame, he wants to make a buck, and his kitchen sink approach to production usually guarantees at least a vaguely entraining product that will kill some brain cells in the process</div><div><br /></div><div>Which brings us to SUPER COPS</div><div><br /></div><div>Originally conceived as a official adaptation of Wong Jing's obsession STREET FIGHTER 2 that starred all of the most popular Hong Kong pop stars. (Andy Lau, Aarow Kwok, Jackie Cheung) Jing lost the rights at some point, and instead of scrapping the project he used all the costumes in a film that has nothing to do with the video game property. The characters look like STREET FIGHTER 2 characters, they use the same MOVES as STREET FIGHTER 2 characters, and some of them are even named off of STREET FIGHTER 2 characters...but this ain't STREET FIGHTER 2</div><div><br /></div><div>Instead, it's a weird re-tread of the Wong Jing produced FIGHT BACK TO SCHOOL. The bulk of the running time concerns itself with a Stephen Chau rip-off getting into wacky Zucker Bros style slapstick comedy with the time travelling Video Game characters (Don't ask) in High School. It's not very involving stuff, but it is continually inventive, and stuff is always...moving? </div><div><br /></div><div>Forget any kind of choreographed action from credited martial arts supervisor Ching-Siu Tung. The action in FUTURE COPS is a complete recreation of the repetitive moves from the video-game. It's an odd choice that could have worked better for one scene, but doesn't keep the viewer interested for AN ENTIRE FILM! Check out Wong Jing's classic Jackie Chan picture CITY HUNTER for a solid STREET FIGHTER parody. </div><div><br /></div><div>Like most Wong Jing pictures, this isn't a real movie. It's a collection of very odd scenes, untranslatable humor, and pure spectacle trotted out for the audience's enjoyment. And enjoy you will, even if it may be with a trace of horror. </div>JustinDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329158372081105131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2558818252667728996.post-84965785407617035962010-10-03T16:01:00.000-07:002010-10-03T16:08:39.445-07:00SLUMBER PARTY MASSACRE: DVD REVIEW<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0x1gluPYTVL83df4qrOPstWoTAFKg1PmgQBxzYHd6_HoWYZJEC2DuIidMcLStXCVPQ3Owt0NSTUNfWijnurbLEuottglRWQKMqTeqRId-GGzbB78pzbp1IWwGLIBDOOhY0f4Vcazqyjk/s1600/Slumber-Party-Massacre-Collection-DVD.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0x1gluPYTVL83df4qrOPstWoTAFKg1PmgQBxzYHd6_HoWYZJEC2DuIidMcLStXCVPQ3Owt0NSTUNfWijnurbLEuottglRWQKMqTeqRId-GGzbB78pzbp1IWwGLIBDOOhY0f4Vcazqyjk/s320/Slumber-Party-Massacre-Collection-DVD.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523960620311454962" /></a>Right from DAY 2 I'm going to go off and cheat and review a DVD instead of an actual film. The SLUMBER PARTY MASSACRE films range drastically in quality, but all in all, they're not 'good' films by any stretch of the imagination. The first is a straight ahead slasher with zero frills (You even learn who the killer is fifteen minutes in) and some interesting gags, the second is a a weird musical/hallucinogen hybrid that doesn't work in the slightest but is interesting to see crash, and the third is a routinely competent slasher Directed (as you will learn in the special features) by someone who didn't, and still doesn't, have any interest in horror films. <div><br /></div><div>The new 2-DISC set of SLUMBER PARTY MASSACRE: THE TRILOGY released by SHOUT FACTORY is everything a fan could ever want. It has commentaries by the cast and crew on every film, an in-depth hour and change documentary on the making of all the films, and a vaguely remastered picture.</div><div><br /></div><div>I bring up the vague part, because PART 2 still has the crappy sound that my partner in arms (and SPM super-fan) Adam 'The Riot' Thorn has been listening to since he got his first VHS copy of the film. I'm sure that SHOUT FACTORY did its best from the material it could pull out. The films were never meant to be seen in pristine condition after they hit theaters, and any complaints are mere nit picks against this amazing package. </div><div><br /></div><div>If you're a slasher fan, or just a little curious, take the time out to check these out! Even if you're not a huge fan, the conceptualizations that the SPECIAL FEATURE add are worth the price of admission. </div>JustinDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329158372081105131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2558818252667728996.post-62568421532313751232010-10-01T21:05:00.000-07:002010-10-01T21:12:08.781-07:00Witch from Nepal (1986. HONG KONG)<div>Chow Yun Fat stars as a descendant of a mighty warrior that can only defeat an evil one eye browed dude by holding on to a pair of...testicles? </div><div><br /></div><div>"DUEL TO THE DEATH is one of the crazies films of all time Mr.Cing-Siu...Could you remove all that energy for your next picture? </div><div><br /></div><div>Very tame effort from wire-fu expert Ching-Siu Tung that seems to be trying really hard to be a 'hollywood art' picture: A very languid pace, not much action, but a very pretty look. Chow Yun-Fat (still in his Box Office Poison phase before A BETTER TOMMOROW) does what he can with the paper thin material, and keeps a straight face through all the out of nowhere explosions, but it's all rather tame stuff from a director that was famous for his insanity. Wire-Gags don't translate to something interest. We need action choreography! </div><div><br /></div><div>Notable stand-outs is a bizarrely out of palce scene with George Romero style zombies (That don't really do anything) and a villain that loses his face before he explodes. </div><div><br /></div><div>Skip it. </div>JustinDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329158372081105131noreply@blogger.com0