Magician under the moonlight
Bill S. Preston, Esq.
Always Beaten To The Punchline. Always.
A magician and a thief. That's Badass
Posts: 15,727
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Post by Magician under the moonlight on Oct 10, 2011 23:04:17 GMT -5
When a Stranger Calls 2006 remake.
The movie is based on the urban legend "the Babysitter and the Man Upstairs", just like the original, except that in this one, the plot concentrates on the cop trying to find the killer.
Review: Did this really need to be a 1h 30 min movie? For the entire movie, nothing is happening except for the calls and and her being scared and unlike the urban legend and the original, she actually checked the children. One of the things that made the legend interesting was that she never checked them even when the caller was telling her to since she tought it was a joke. Not listening to the caller is what actually saved her life. Also in the remake, the children survive, which is again the opposite in the legend and the original. Anyways, by the time it was revealed that the guy was in the house. I did not care at all. It took way too long to get to the climax. So in the end, the story should have been bone in no more than a 30 minute episode. Expanding it longer just kills the interest of the viewers.
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El Pollo Guerrera
Grimlock
His name has chicken in it, and he is good at makin' .gifs, so that's cool.
Status: Runner
Posts: 14,894
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Post by El Pollo Guerrera on Oct 18, 2011 22:09:15 GMT -5
"NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD"Classic. 'Nuff said. However, because I've seen it so many times, I watched it with the alternate commentary from Romero, Russo and a couple of others, recollecting how the film was made, who a few of the zombines were (mainly clients of their commercial agency... they had a company that produced TV commercials and they just asked a few clients to show up to appear in the movie), etc. There's also a clip from the last (audio) interview by Duane Jones, a HUGE photo gallery, scripts, trailers, and the fan-made film "Night of the Living Bread". This is the Elite Entertainment "Millenium Edition" and it is the best looking version I have ever seen. Not grainy at all, very few film flaws, and incredibly clear and sharp. If you own a copy of this and it's not this one, you're missing out. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- "GODZILLA AGAINST MECHAGODZILLA"During Godzilla's previous attack, an error by MASER tank pilot Akane Yashiro causes the death of a jeep full of soldiers (it sweves to miss her tank, goes over the edge of a cliff and gets stomped on by the giant lizard... so, part her fault and part Godzilla's). Yashiro is demoted, and the government tries to buidl a new weapon to keep Japan safe. And they use the skeleton of the original Godzilla (?) to build... KIRYU! Which the scientist's daughter insists on calling Mechagodzilla. Kids... whatareyagonnado? Battle ensues, with Yashiro as the cyborg/robot/weapon's pilot. Lots of fun, that only slows down when they focus on the budding romance between Yoshiro and one of the project's scientists. Great effects, very nice model work and just a whole lot of fun.
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El Pollo Guerrera
Grimlock
His name has chicken in it, and he is good at makin' .gifs, so that's cool.
Status: Runner
Posts: 14,894
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Post by El Pollo Guerrera on Oct 24, 2011 23:03:39 GMT -5
"PLANET OF THE APES (1968)" Story: three astronauts crash on a planet and discover that the dominant species is talking apes, and the more human-like race is nothing but savages living in the wild. One ape scientist realizes that one of the captured astronauts is intelligent, she tries to study him, which leads to them discovering the shocking truth behind the ape's society and the planet itself. A classic, yes. Does it hold up? Definitely, especially the part about the trial, where the scientist (and her fiance, an archaeologist) try to defend the astronaut in the pursuit of scientific truth, while the leaders of the apes try to discredit them for the sake of preserving their religious beliefs. Also, it's a pretty heavy hit at the end when it's revealed that the religious leader Dr. Zaius also believes the science but has to preserve the religion for the sake of the people. The makeup for the apes is still nice. I did notice that there was a 'rubber mask' look to a few of them, especially when they would talk, but after a few minutes I stopped noticing (or stopped caring, because the story pulled me in). The only real thing that bugged me was Charlton Heston's performance. Most of the time he's fine, but there are some times when he delivers his lines like he's firing them from a bazooka (the classic line "Get your stinking paws..." line is one of these times). Also, the character he plays is really kind of a jerk... from his cajoling of his fellow astronauts after the crash to his 'take charge' attitude at the end, he's the Alpha Male trying to prove that he's the strongest. Anyways, I'm glad I finally saw it and I'm sorry it took so long. If you haven't seen it, please do so, it's very much worth it. -------------------------------------------------------- "INVINCIBLE ARMOR" Story: a fighter is framed for the death of his master, escapes the law and chases the real killer across the country, with another fighter charged in capturing him in tow, while the master behind the murder manipulates and kills the others who stand in his way. All of this ends with a big fight with the aged master. 70's kung-fu epic that is full of cheesy fun. The fight scenes are not bad, but the story is a twisty-turny mass of craziness that was hard to follow. Good guys become bad guys, bad guys are actually nice guys, minor characters are pivotal, major characters are red herrings... you'd think that Vince Russo wrote it. It's also very poorly dubbed (it sounded like there were only two or three actors providing the voice-overs), and the movie's sound was not synchronized with the movie (the sound effects played about a half-second BEFORE it appears on screen, which is really funny when one of the fighters is breaking clay pots before he punches then). It also didn't help that there were three masters in the movie who looked EXACTLY alike, to the point I thought they were played by the same actor. So, watching this with a bunch of friends turned out to be an evening of MST3K-style fun, hurling insults at the screen and laughing. And then the end happened. The very end of this movie had everyone in the room HOWLING in both laughter and pain. I really can't recommend the movie, but I highly recommend seeing the end. Luckily, you can find the end fight on YouTube, so go there and see it... and be amazed.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Oct 24, 2011 23:48:49 GMT -5
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
I never got into Indy growing up. I didn't hate them, they just weren't a big deal to me. Seeing the movies nowadays, I regret it. The film was very funny and engaging all the way through. Connery was great as Henry Sr (though I don't think he had great chemistry with Ford; can't really buy the two as father and son). The Road to the Grail with all the cryptic tests was of course the best part.
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El Pollo Guerrera
Grimlock
His name has chicken in it, and he is good at makin' .gifs, so that's cool.
Status: Runner
Posts: 14,894
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Post by El Pollo Guerrera on Oct 31, 2011 0:53:42 GMT -5
"THE MIDNIGHT HOUR"Story: five kids (the hero/nerd, the chick he likes, her BFF, the BFF's jock boyfriend and his jock friend) steal a trunk and some authentic costumes from the local museum, put them on in the local cemetery, find a scroll in the trunk, read it, resurrect a witch from the time of the Salem witch trials and an army of zombies, werewolves and vampires, and have a party. While the witch turns the party-goers into vampires, the hero/nerd gets ignored by the girl he likes, only to find a new love in a cheerleader costume... who is also one of the resurrected but he don't know that. Hero/nerd and cheerleader race to assemble the components to seal the scroll and stop the nightmare before midnight. - Made-for-TV in 1985, so there's no nudity, extreme violence, gore or swearing. - Some of the zombie costumes are very well done. - Lots of attempts at comedy, mainly featuring a bunch of zombies who show up at the party and try to blend in. There's a zombie midget as well. - This is the kind of 1980's small-town America that the stupid stupid Hollywood writers believed existed... a world where the cools kids didn't' smoke, drink, have sex and listened to the music of the 50's by choice. - Speaking of music, all that plays is 50's classics except for two songs: one is "Pagliacci", as sung by a zombie during a very weird scene near the end that shows the townspeople as turned zombies, and the other performed by star Shari Belafonte-Harper... who leads the cast in a completely embarrassing and out-of-place "Thriller"-like dance video.- Few scares. - Predictable resolution, but a nice (I would even say touching) exchange between the hero/nerd and the cheerleader at the end. - Seriously, what the hell were they thinking with the music video? Lots of familiar faces in the cast: - Dedee Pfeiffer (sister of Michelle) is the hero/nerd's crush - Shari Belafonte-Harper (daughter of Harry Belafonte) is Dedee's BFF - LeVar Burton ("Star Trek: TNG") is Shari's jock boyfriend - Peter DeLuise ("21 Jump Street", son of Dom DeLuise) is the other jock - Dick Van Patten is the hero/nerd's father - Kevin McCarthy ("Invasion of the Body Snatchers") is Peter's father (the town judge) - Kurtwood Smith (Red in "That 70's Show") is the town's police chief Not good, but not crap either. Not scary and not very funny, but a few nice moments between the hero and the girl. Don't go out of your way to see it (unless you're a HUGE LeVar Burton fan).
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El Pollo Guerrera
Grimlock
His name has chicken in it, and he is good at makin' .gifs, so that's cool.
Status: Runner
Posts: 14,894
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Post by El Pollo Guerrera on Oct 31, 2011 2:57:00 GMT -5
"THE DIVINE WEAPON"A friend picked this up on a trip out of town, at a Chinatown-like area of a nearby large city. I tried to watch this movie. Really, I tried. I've heard that this was a great story about a Korean army fighting off a huge Chinese army with a new weapon, gunpowder rockets. I heard it was based on a true story. I heard that the fight scenes were great. I heard there was a bit of a romantic comedy in here. We couldn't get more than 30 minutes into this. Whenever our group of friends watches a foreign movie, we watch in the native language with the subtitles on. The subtitles for this movie must have been translated by Google's free language translator, typed by Yoda and the last line of text set to appear just below the screen's edge. If there is another company's version of this on DVD, that's been remastered, please let me know.
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El Pollo Guerrera
Grimlock
His name has chicken in it, and he is good at makin' .gifs, so that's cool.
Status: Runner
Posts: 14,894
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Post by El Pollo Guerrera on Nov 14, 2011 23:21:30 GMT -5
"THE STRANGERS"A young couple is trapped in an isolated house and terrorized by a trio of strangers. This movie tries to use a lot of suspense, which seems to be a lost art in Hollywood these days. Much of what seems to happen is heard and not seen, and when it is seen it's in a glimpse of something in the background or a flash of something passing the screen. I suppose that the movie deserves a little respect for trying that and not going straight for the throat. However, it just peters out about half-way through, retrying the same jump-scares it used earlier on. I didn't mind the ending, though... cliche' but it does kinda fit with the movie. One thing really bothered me, though... the camera work. I can understand that in a scary or action-filled situation that a little camera movement is all right, but in this movie the camera does not hold still for one freaking second. It shakes CONSTANTLY! I just wanted to slap the cameraman! If you're looking for a really good movie about someone being trapped alone in an isolated house, watch "House of the Devil" instead. Nice try, but not worth watching. ------------------------------------------------- "THE MURDER MANSION" (a.k.a. "La Mansion de la niebla") A group of people lost in the fog in the country hold up in a spooky old mansion that was supposedly the home of a witch/vampire who died 30 years earlier. People start to disappear. A Spanish/Italian mix of horror and thriller. Lots of atmosphere (by that, I mean fog). When the movie hits the 'final reel', it switches from a supernatural-theme to a mystery. A little interesting, but not transferred very well from video, resulting in a grainy-looking screen. The dubbing also leaves much to be desired, making it hard to hear as well as look at. Why? Well, I picked up this horror DVD set before Halloween... ... and decided to start at the beginning. This was Disc 1, Side 1, Movie 1. Good: 0 Meh: 1 Trash: 0
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theryno665
Grimlock
wants a title underneath the stars
Kinda Homeless
Posts: 13,571
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Post by theryno665 on Nov 15, 2011 12:50:23 GMT -5
Jackass 3
Still not 100% sure why this was in 3D. Even seeing it in theaters wasn't that impressive. What was impressive, however, was the overall quality. Since they filmed it with super hi-def Phantom cams, it's the clearest picture you could possibly get. This actually was my original reason for upgrading to Blu-Ray but I didn't think I was going to upgrade anytime soon so I bought the DVD instead. But I finally picked this up on Blu-Ray and it's glorious. If you want to see it in 3D, the Blu-Ray comes with the movie on DVD with old school anaglyphic 3D. Yep, the blue and red glasses. I haven't watched it that way yet but still, this movie doesn't need to be in 3D to be entertaining, so I'm glad they went this route instead of releasing a super-expensive 3D Blu-Ray.
Also, I miss Ryan Dunn. :-(
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El Pollo Guerrera
Grimlock
His name has chicken in it, and he is good at makin' .gifs, so that's cool.
Status: Runner
Posts: 14,894
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Post by El Pollo Guerrera on Nov 21, 2011 22:55:14 GMT -5
"DEATH RAGE"Disc 1, Side 1, Movie 2 of the "Chilling Classics" 50 DVD set is this Italian-made mobster action flick. After an American mobster is killed in Italy, a retired hitman played by Yul Brynner ("The King And I") is sent to kill the killer after he's told the man behind the murder also killed Brynner's brother. He arrives, is pursued by the lead detective in the case (played by Martin Balsam ("12 Angry Men"), chased by Italian mobsters and does the horizontal mambo with a stripper (played by Barbara Bouchet (Miss Moneypenny in the Peter Sellers' "Casino Royale")). Brynner gets his revenge, helps train a young mob-wannabe, and makes the hit. There's also a twist ending that you wouldn't see coming if you didn't watch the beginning of the movie. Predictable action, highlighted by a better-than-this-movie-deserves performance by Brynner. His scenes with Bouchet seem a little off, however (there were reports that the two did not get along during filming, so that may have had something to do with it). These are made up for by the fact she isn't wearing a lot of clothing during those scenes. Not everything works, however. Brynner's character keeps having flashbacks of his brother's killing, which become splashed on the screen in blood red, in greater detail as the movie goes. There's also a subplot about Brynner losing his eyesight, that may or may not have been connected to the mental trauma of seeing his brother die. An interesting idea on paper, but it never becomes a fully developed point and just seems to pad out the running time of the film. One of Brynner's last movies and not a very memorable one at that. Good: 0 Meh: 2 Trash: 0 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "MEDUSA"Disc 1, Side 2, Movie 1 of the "Chilling Classics" 50 DVD set. INSANE story about a playboy with massive gambling debts (played the perma-tanned George Hamilton, who also produced), who is killing the people who might be carrying a will that removes his inheritance. Also involved is his sister and her new Greek husband. Character actor Cameron Mitchell plays Angelo, the wise-cracking mobster that Hamilton owes. I said insane... Hamilton's performance is part Pierce Brosnan, part Jim Carrey, part coke addict. He chews so much scenery in this movie I'm surprised there isn't a bite missing from my remote control. There are some scenes where he is genuinely creepy but they are immediately undercut by his impressions of Cary Grant and John Wayne. Mitchell also eats up the screen like it's coated with chocolate, in a performance that tries to out-crazy Dennis Hopper's "Blue Velvet" performance (and fails). As for the relationship with his sister... well, let's just say we're getting into the 'creepy' territory again, and yet her husband is either the most understanding guy in the world or COMPLETELY in the f'n dark. There's also an interesting bit that happens during some of the murders... Hamilton is talking to the victim about philosophy or ranting about something while the victim is strangled from behind by an unseen person, and for the first half of the film, I was left to wonder if the scene was being shown through Hamilton's crazy eyes and he was disasociating himself from the death, or he was a multiple personality 'watching' another personality doing his dirty work... but the explanation is unfortunately more mundane: {Spoiler}It was his sister. This movie is nicely filmed by Gordon Hessler ("KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park"), with tons of the authentic Greek scenery to ease the pain of the plot and execution. Proof positive that some actors should not produce their own work. If Eddie Murphy had watched this movie, he may not have made "The Adventures of Pluto Nash". There was one great scene, however... at the beginning, Hamilton shows up at his sister's wedding hammered and dressed like Elvis, trying to sing while standing on a table. Find that scene on YouTube, ignore the rest. Good: 0 Meh: 2 Trash: 1
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El Pollo Guerrera
Grimlock
His name has chicken in it, and he is good at makin' .gifs, so that's cool.
Status: Runner
Posts: 14,894
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Post by El Pollo Guerrera on Nov 26, 2011 0:41:05 GMT -5
"POSTAL"Yeah, I saw it. I didn't like it. It did have some funny bits, I will admit. And the story was at least something you could follow. But it tried SO HARD to be offensive... it's like putting up with a little brother that is trying everything he can to be 'cool' so you can hang around with you and your friends, and everything he does just succeeds in being annoying. Each joke doesn't just happen, it's foreshadowed with neon signs that say "SOMETHING FUNNY IS GOING TO HAPPEN!!!" and then ends with a clown with cigarettes on his breath screaming in your face "NOW WASN'T THAT FUNNY, BOYS AND GIRLS??? OH LOOK, HERE COMES ANOTHER ONE!!!" (Actually, the last bit there isn't the movie, it's the friend who got us to sit down and watch this movie.) I do like offensive humour ("South Park"), but it has to really make me laugh. I just found this, for the most part, annoying.
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agent817
Fry's dog Seymour
Doesn't Know Whose Ring It Is
Posts: 21,868
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Post by agent817 on Nov 26, 2011 1:11:18 GMT -5
I had myself a mini-marathon recently, so here it goes: Plot: Xander "XXX" Cage is the notorious underground thrill seeker who until now has been deemed untouchable by the law. NSA Agent Gibbons forces XXX to cooperate with the government to infiltrate an underground Russian crime ring and avoid going to prison. Betting XXX can succeed where other conventional spies have failed, Gibbons sends XXX to enter this world of crime undetected, using his natural athletic prowess and a whole lot of attitude. Enlisted for a dangerous covert mission, he must combat a clever, organized, and ruthless enemy far beyond the scope of his experience. Review: Okay, I remember doing a thread about this a while back but this time, I watched the unrated director's cut which I bought over the summer. I will say this: The movie is entertaining for what it is, but it is by no means a great movie. I remember watching this at the theater on my 16th birthday and even I had the same opinion then, entertained yet I saw how cheesy it was. I will always prefer Bond or Mission: Impossible over this, but if I want to turn my brain off and have fun, I'll watch it. Also, the movie has not held up over time. You can very well tell who this movie is trying to appeal to and the fact that the movie was definitely of the times and it seems very outdated now. Again, entertaining, but not great, either. Plot: Agent Augustus Gibbons has selected an imprisoned former US Navy SEAL Darius Stone, a new agent in the XXX program, travels to Washington D.C., where they track a splinter faction of the U.S. military that attempts to overthrow the U.S. government and assassinate the President, led by Secretary of Defense and former 4-Star General George Deckert, Stone's former commanding officer whom he once led a mutiny against. But he's been targeted for assassination by a radical splinter group of dissenters deep within the United States government. The new XXX agent must uncover the insurgents from within. It is the nation's only hope to stop the first coup d'etat in American history. Review: Okay, I will be honest, I actually liked this one better than the first xXx and I am well aware how disliked the second movie is. A lot of people didn't accept Ice Cube in the lead role, but I actually liked how it was more American this time around, rather than dealing with Eastern Europeans. Plus, it appeared that Cube's character had personal history with the villain (Willem Dafoe), as well Sam Jackson's character. The movie was very over the top, yes, but movies of this nature don't really need to realistic. Try watching the final chase sequence and see how realistic that was. Yes, I did say that I'm well aware of how disliked this movie is. I can see that it was bad, but I still enjoyed this movie a lot.
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Post by lez 3:16 on Nov 26, 2011 8:58:01 GMT -5
Horrible Bosses It is a really funny film. Silly, but very funny. 'Ah, Toyota...' 'I don't make a lot...' The cocaine scene was hilarious, the whole audience was cracking with laughter which does not happen very often. Fortunately, Jennifer Aniston playes just a small role, so she could not spoil the film. If you want a good laugh, go for this one.
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Post by deafangelboy23 on Nov 26, 2011 16:22:13 GMT -5
City Hall (1996) The movie starring Al Pacino, John Cusack and Bridget Fonda was not bad. City Hall earned about $33 million while the budget was $40 million. This movie was a box office disappointment for Columbia Pictures. It got a lot of politics in the film and it is a mixture of police and political drama. I miss Bridget Fonda and she had not been in movies for almost 10 years. If you love violence and backstabbing...this movie is for you If you love sex and romance....this movie has none Yet it is rated R why? Language and some violence In my opinion, good run of the mill movie but not the gold standard movie that we expect from Al Pacino. If Bridget Fonda going to read this: Please come back and make more movies!
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El Pollo Guerrera
Grimlock
His name has chicken in it, and he is good at makin' .gifs, so that's cool.
Status: Runner
Posts: 14,894
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Post by El Pollo Guerrera on Nov 28, 2011 23:40:40 GMT -5
"I EAT YOUR SKIN"Disc 1, Side 2, Movie 2 of the "Chilling Classics" 50 DVD set. Made in 1964, and filmed in glorious black and white. Story: hunky playboy/novelist, along with his publisher and the publisher's wife (who sounds like she's from New JOY-sey) fly to an isolated island to turn reports of voodoo, human sacrifice and zombies into a new novel. He finds the hot young daughter of a scientist trying to cure cancer with snake venom, and saves her from the zombies and the voodoo worshipers. It turns out the scientist was using radioactive snake venom to turn the villagers into zombies for the island's caretaker, so that he could take over the world with an undead army. How is unspecified. The scientist then redeems himself by setting the radioactive-thingy to explode and destroy the paper mache' island at the end. Strangely enjoyably bad, almost Ed Wood-level bad but somehow kinda fun to watch. Hammy acting, broken logic, and poor editing are just parts of the fun. I did say that the movie was made in 1964, but it actually looks like it's from the 30's... and a cheap production at that. Sadly, no skin eating. The zombies are under the cult's control and don't go wild and start eating people. The makeup for the zombies is cheap but still somewhat unsettling. There's a great example of stupidity of the story here: the hero knocks out a guard and dumps the guard and his rifle in the water. He then rummages through supplies and finds a flare gun, because "It's better than nothing." Damnit, you just let a LOADED RIFLE sink to the bottom of the inlet! And then there's the music... imagine Ricky Ricardo's big band playing a calypso theme night. Over and over and over again. The one part that I thought was actually well done was the voodoo ceremonies, which looked less like 'evil ceremony' and more like 'African-American interpretive dance'. So, I'm going with a 'meh' on this one because it's almost "Plan 9" bad but not worth seeking out by itself. Good: 0 Meh: 3 Trash: 1 So far, my investment in this pack is not panning out...
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Nov 28, 2011 23:51:47 GMT -5
Arthur (2011)
Surprisingly I enjoyed this movie. Bonus points for a lesbian Simon and Garfunkel sighting.
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El Pollo Guerrera
Grimlock
His name has chicken in it, and he is good at makin' .gifs, so that's cool.
Status: Runner
Posts: 14,894
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Post by El Pollo Guerrera on Dec 5, 2011 23:02:01 GMT -5
"TUCKER & DALE VS. EVIL"You already know what this one is about. Very funny movie, with only a couple of minor points that I didn't like (a couple of the kids' deaths seemed contrived, they didn't really explain who the mains were and where they came from, stuff like that). Worth owning. ------------------------------------------------------------------ "ERIN BROCKOVICH"I wasn't planning on seeing this last night, but it was on TV while I was flipping channels and I just couldn't stop watching it. I've realized now that this is one of those movies I cannot get tired of. Story: Erin is a single mother who just talked her way into a job for lawyer Ed Masry, when she uncovers the truth behind what appears to be a simple real estate deal, leading to the biggest cover-up of a dangerous chemical spill and the biggest decision in favour of the plaintiffs (at the time). I just can't get enough of Julia Roberts' performance in this movie. It's the one role from her that I didn't find overly sweet or helpless or too cute or... just helpless. She nailed it as a person with a good heart (and a nice set of lungs) who's been through a personal hell and has given her a tough skin and a sharp tongue to fight back with. She's not perfect but she's right and she'll fight to prove it. Albert Finney also is great as Masry, perplexed as Erin's boss, astounded at her work and tough as nails as the lawyer trying to help the victims. I even liked Aaron Eckhart as Erin's love interest/babysitter... he nails the "Mr. Nice Guy" role here. Fantastic movie. I never thought I'd see anyone shout down Berta like in this movie... (Conchata Ferrell a.k.a. Berta in "Two and a Half Men", plays one of Masry's secretaries).
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El Pollo Guerrera
Grimlock
His name has chicken in it, and he is good at makin' .gifs, so that's cool.
Status: Runner
Posts: 14,894
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Post by El Pollo Guerrera on Dec 12, 2011 23:38:41 GMT -5
"SCREAM BLOODY MURDER"Disc 2, Side 1, Movie 1 of the "Chilling Classics" 50 DVD set. Story: As a child, Matthew kills his father (and runs over his own hand with a tractor). Once let out of the mental hospital, Matthew finds his mother has remarried... and doesn't like it. After killing Mom and his new Dad, Matthew goes on the road, ending up in the big city (which looks like Venice Beach, California) where he falls for a hooker named Vera. Oh, the things Matthew does to impress Vera... First and foremost, Matthew is an Oedipal wreck. After killing his mother, he starts to hallucinate her whenever he sees a woman in a vaguely sexual position. Second, while Matthew is an adult, mentally he appears to be an eight year old. When he doesn't get what he wants, he takes it, no matter who gets hurt or killed. This is a bad movie, no doubt, but there is a strange "I can't believe I'm still watching this" quality to it. Some of it is interesting, like the character of Vera, who is much stronger than the usual helpless female victims that populate these types of movies. When Matthew kidnaps Vera and 'sets up house' with her, she finally sees his weakness and uses it to her advantage. Frankly, I wouldn't be surprised if this was a movie that inspired some current filmmakers to make the current crop of 'torture-porn' like "Hostel". This also could be turned into a fun MST3K episode. Good: 0 Meh: 4 Trash: 1 ----------------------------------------------------- "BELL FROM HELL"Disc 2, Side 1, Movie 2 of the "Chilling Classics" 50 DVD set. Story: A young man returns home after his extended family has him committed to an asylum, and he has some very complex plans for revenge. Very interesting visuals, but the sound was so bad that I could barely make any dialogue out. From what I could understand, the main character is trying to get his inheritance back from his crooked (and wheelchair-bound) aunt and her three daughters, and he does this by playing elaborate pranks on them to try and drive them mad. He eventually kidnaps them all and holds them in a dungeon... well, look at the poster. There's also a connection to a very large church bell that is being transported to town... Apparently, the director of the movie (Claudio Guerin Hill) died on the last day of shooting, on set after falling off the tower that held the bell. I was going to give this a 'trash' rating, just because the audio in this version is so bad... but I'm going to bump that up to a 'meh' because I still find the visuals so interesting. I would LOVE to find a better version of this, so that I could find out what the hell is going on! Good: 0 Meh: 5 Trash: 1 ------------------------------------------------------ "UFO"Story: Earth is being invaded by an unknown alien race, and the secret organization SHADO is fighting back. Lead by Commander Straker, SHADO uses advanced technology to track and stop the UFOs before they reach Earth, but sometimes it isn't that simple... Cult classic TV series which was the first live-action show from producers Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, who were better known for creating 'Supermarionation' series like "Thunderbirds" (if you've seen "Team America: World Police", you'll know what it is). The series was meant to be a more adult-oriented drama with a science-fiction backdrop and they succeeded, but the series ended after only 26 episodes because broadcasters were expecting something more meant for kids. Some of the episodes are pretty dark, too. - a common point in the series is that the aliens are taking humans for parts... it's never established if the being seen are real aliens or just vessels made for interstellar travel built from human parts. - a UFO interrupts a woman's plan to kill her husband, and SHADO have to choose between letting the humans know about UFOs (and having it become common knowledge and cause a panic) or brainwash the humans of the events and let them go, knowing that her intentions for murder are still there. - one show has Straker having to choose between having one of SHADO's ships stopping a UFO or deliver medicine that will save Straker's son. - Straker is nearly driven crazy using a drug to keep his reactions super-human during a period of time when everyone else in SHADO's hidden base is time-frozen. - one episode chronicles the start and end of Straker's marriage, along with the founding and setup of SHADO. Great special effects, with some fantastic model work from the Andersons. There were plans for a second series after this, but the ratings started to drop and the distributors started to back away... until Gerry Anderson reworked the second series plot into a more adventure-base idea, which would become "Space: 1999". Side note: I don't recall seeing many of the main actors popping up in any other shows, but there were a couple of faces in the back that I did recognize... Nick Tate, who would go on to be a regular in "Space: 1999" is in one episode, as well as Lois Maxwell (a.k.a. Miss Moneypenny in a ton of James Bond movies). There's also a note that one of the regularly-appearing-but-never-spoke-a-word-characters is the wife of Michael Caine. I mention this because there's a bit on the Wiki page that says Anderson once lost his temper with her so back that he's afraid that Caine is gonna punch him in the face one day. Highly recommended.
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El Pollo Guerrera
Grimlock
His name has chicken in it, and he is good at makin' .gifs, so that's cool.
Status: Runner
Posts: 14,894
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Post by El Pollo Guerrera on Dec 31, 2011 0:57:19 GMT -5
"METAMORPHOSIS"Disc 2, Side 2, Movie 1 of the "Chilling Classics" 50 DVD set. Story: scientist finds his funding cut off, uses experimental drug (to stop aging) on himself, slowly changes into monster. Boring. I nearly fell asleep three times. None of the actors have ANY type of charisma. There's nothing going on with them that is compelling or interesting or even average... it's like no one knows how to convey any feeling or emotion. Everyone reads their lines like they were helping someone else audition for the part, and they got it by mistake. And the ending is ridiculous. The movie plays like a Jekyll/Hyde-type story, but at the end *SPOILER* he turns into a full-on monster, something that looks like it fell out of a 70's Godzilla rip-off. I think I found a cure for insomnia... Good: 0 Meh: 5 Trash: 2 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- "NAKED MASSACRE"Disc 2, Side 2, Movie 2 of the "Chilling Classics" 50 DVD set. Story: a Vietnam vet stranded in Belfast breaks in to a house and tortures and kills eight young nurses. Also known as "Born For Hell". Based on the true story of Richard Speck, who tortured and killed eight nurses in Chicago in 1966. A very stark and disturbing movie. The guy who is the lead is like a blank slate... you can't read him. You can't pick out his emotion or thought process or anything. That gives the ending of the movie more impact. I did find it a little strange that the story was set in Belfast, during "The Troubles"... it does add a curve ball to the movie, putting you a little on edge, not knowing what to expect next. Right at the beginning of the movie, the main character is in a church that is bombed. No warning, no collection of clips showing the bombers... just BOOM! Damn, this is a dark movie... kind of like an early version of "Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer" on a lower budget. And it's the kind of movie that will stay with you for a while. Good: 1 Meh: 5 Trash: 2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ "DEMON OF THE LUTE"Story: a young thief and his son team with a group of warriors to stop someone from using a demonic lute to... kill heroes and take over? This movie is a BLAST! Tons of martial arts, lots of wire work, lots of wild characters and weapons and... it's just a ton of fun. Recommended. I'd love to see a remastered version of this, but see whatever copy you can. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ "PULGASARI"Story: an apprentice blacksmith tries to rally his village against the king because they are taking all the metal. The master is jailed, and before he dies he makes a small figurine and imbues it with his spirit to protect his daughter. The figure gains life from a drop of the daughter's blood and starts to grow. The apprentice uses the monster to rally the villagers and fight the king's army. But the monster needs to eat metal to survive... Yes, this is the movie that Kim Jong-il had made by having a movie director kidnapped from South Korea. The movie feels more like a drama, with some pretty good special effects... at least for the situation it was made under. The thing is, the movie plays out to be more of a pro-government story. As the story progresses, the villagers' rebellion costs them more and more of their livelihood. It seems to be that the message of the movie is "Stay with us or you'll get messed up!" Recommended. Very interesting movie. I'd like to find a better copy but that doesn't seem likely. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "MIRAI NINJA"Story: a mercenary takes a group of young soldiers to rescue a princess from an evil warlord. They join forces with a rogue cybernetic ninja who's is trying to get his body back. Kick ass mix of samurai/ninja adventure and science fiction, with a good dose of Power Rangers costumes. Tons of fun. Recommended.
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Post by Cela on Dec 31, 2011 1:45:27 GMT -5
Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)
This movie severely needed an editor. Fans of the book will love it most likely, as it seemed very faithful (note: have not read the book). However the movie suffered from this, and frankly the first half took too long to get going, the 3rd 4th was good, and the last part was an underwhelming reveal, and way too much unnecessary film after the climax. It is still an interesting thing to watch and worth a ticket, but it needed some severe cuts.
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El Pollo Guerrera
Grimlock
His name has chicken in it, and he is good at makin' .gifs, so that's cool.
Status: Runner
Posts: 14,894
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Post by El Pollo Guerrera on Jan 2, 2012 22:45:18 GMT -5
"HAUNTS"Disc 3, Side 1, Movie 1 of the "Chilling Classics" 50 DVD set. Story: A killer is attacking women in a small farming community. A very religious (and sexually repressed) woman named Ingrid is attacked, but no one she tells believes her. Is the killer Ingrid's oft-missing Uncle Carl, or the butcher Frankie, or the new guy singing at the church... or is something else going on? Well, okay, something else is going on. This is more a story about Ingrid and her troubled past than it is about a rampant rapist killer. It's almost like that killings have nothing to do with the movie, other than to set the story of Ingrid on it's path. I won't spoil it, but it is well handled... maybe a little confusing but that's expected because the movie is, for the most part, from her perspective. There are a few slow spots, and the ending does seem to be dragged out for the sake of a 'heart wrenching performance' but it does end on a very spooky note. Low budget, very early 70's looking, grainy transfer to DVD but well done, with a great performance by Aldo Ray as the sheriff (who has to deal with the problem of his own daughter as well as the murderer). Good: 2 Meh: 5 Trash: 2 ----------------------------------------------------- "WEREWOLF IN A GIRLS' DORMITORY"Disc 3, Side 1, Movie 2 of the "Chilling Classics" 50 DVD set. Story: a disgraced doctor comes to teach as a reform school for bad girls at the same time that a suspected werewolf starts attacking people in the surrounding forest. This also reveals some questionable goings-on at the school. Is it the teacher, the rich (and lecherous) benefactor of the school, the principal, the groundskeeper, the chauffeur... or is it even a werewolf after all? Made in Spain in the early 60's, it feels more like a murder mystery from the 30's with a supernatural twist. More of the story centers around one of the school girls trying to find why her friend was in the woods in the first place, leading to her uncovering the hidden secret of the school. Lots of red herrings in this one, leaving the view guessing. Unfortunately, because of the old-school presentation, it also gets a little boring as the story moves along. Good but not the kind of movie you'd go out of your way to find. Side note: the doc/teacher is a dead ringer for a very young Kevin McCarthy, and the caretaker looks very much like Peter Lorre. Good: 2 Meh: 6 Trash: 2
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