Page 1 of What I watched this week (w/e Sunday 31st July)

Another marathon week for me!

On DVD:

Zombie Flesh Eaters (Zombi 2) - Lucio Fulci's hugely influential zombie classic is not on a par with Romero's Dawn of the Dead, which was released at the same time, but is still a highly enjoyable film; there aren't many zombies or flesh eating until the final act but when it starts, Giannetto De Rossi's FX are as good and as innovative as Tom Savini's although on a smaller scale. The acting is nothing to write home about and the film is hampered by the cast speaking different languages but Fulci's vision and directoral flair is apparent from the beginning. :)

Manhunter - The first cinematic outing of Hannibal Leckter (sic) is well handled by Michael Mann, whose direction is taut and the cast competent but not outstanding (except for the menacing Tom Noonan). The film is very 80's, with a synth score and dated clothing. :)

Red Dragon - Red Dragon has a far better cast than Manhunter and, IMO, Anthony Hopkins makes a better Lecter than Brian Cox (more so in Silence of the Lambs than here, where he hams it up a bit); Ed Norton is superb as Will Graham and Emily Watson is wonderfully vulnerable as the blind Reba McClane who is the subject of the affections of the 'Tooth Fairy' killer (Ralph Fiennes). Brett Ratner's direction is the weak point of the film but the finished piece is far better than Hannibal, as good as Manhunter but not as good as The Silence of the Lambs. :)
Commentary - Director Brett Ratner and screenwriter Ted Tally provide a fairly interesting and busy commentary which explains which elements are from the book, which are written for the film and how everyone became involved. :)

The Punisher - Jonathan Hensleigh, the brain behind Armageddon and The Saint does it again with this stinker of a comic book adaptation. Frank Castle, an undercover FBI agent and former soldier and CTU agent, busts a gun deal which results in the death of Bobbie Saint, the son of powerful crime boss Howard Saint; in revenge Saint orders the murder of Castles' family and so begins this story of revenge, or 'punishment'. Aside from the acting, The Punisher has no redeeming features; it is dark, depressing, morally bankrupt and has bizarre spells of attempted humour which detract from the seriousness of the revenge story. :(

Futurama: Season 4 - Futurama was axed shockingly early and season 4 finishes the Fry/Leela storyline well; its the best season after season 3 and has a couple of jokes at its early demise. :D

The Stepford Wives - Horrible beyond my wildest imagination, this remake of the 1975 dark and suspenseful commentary on female emancipation is as bad as it gets. I had heard rumours that several re-shoots and drastic modifications were demanded by the studio and if this is the best that they could come up with then I hope the original cuts were burned and their ashes taken into space with Discovery. The basic plot is the same with a family moving to Stepford, with the wife becoming suspicious of the behaviour of the other wives in the small town but this is where the similarity ends; Bryan Forbes' original had a decent screenplay courtesy of William Goldman and Katherine Ross and Paula Prentiss put in commendable performances. Nicole Kidman, Matthew Broderick and the rest of the new cast are lost in Frank Oz's inept direction and the finished film is a camp 'comedy' with a few lowbrow jokes and no laughs - Avoid. >:(

Starsky and Hutch - I have never seen a single episode of the TV show that the film is based on so went in to this with no preconceptions; it is a simple comedy with no ideas above its station. Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson team up again and prove that they are a decent comedy duo; Snoop Dogg is better than I expected as the informant Huggy Bear and there are enough laughs (original and predictable) to make the 90 minute running time pass by quickly enough. :¦

Little Britain series 1 - Brilliantly quotable and surreal, Little Britain doesn't tire with repeat viewings and even improves; I can't wait for series 2 to arrive on DVD. :D

Cold Mountain - Well acted by Nicole Kidman, Jude Law, Renee Zellweger and the rest of the cast (which includes Jack White!) and with some brilliant editing, Anthony Minghella's Civil War epic is beautifully filmed but seems a little overlong and disjointed at times. :)

Bride Of Re-Animator - Drs. West and Cain are back and begin the film as Doctors in a MASH type situation which provides them with an excellent opportunity to restart their experimentations on re-animating dead tissue. Borrowing heavily from Bride of Frankenstein, Dr West isn't content with re-animating dead people; he wants to create life. Wonderfully silly and with pretty good effects (for 1989), this is a funny camp horror which is let down by the overlong and ridiculous ending. :¦

A Bug's Life - The best looking Pixar film to date with solid voice acting and a brilliant story, A Bug's Life isn't the best Pixar film (that honour goes to the peerless Toy Story 2) but is an excellent film that is often overlooked. :D

The Girl Next Door - Whilst not as funny as American Pie, The Girl Next Door is a fairly good romantic comedy with adequate performances by Emile Hirsch, (the incredibly attractive) Elisha Cuthbert and Timothy Olyphant who is the pick of the actors; it is slightly hit and miss with some bizarre plot moves but the ending is well worked SPOILER:
if you buy the idea that a sex education video featuring minors would be widely distributed throughout the school system. :¦
Commentary & Trivia Track - The commentary is quite interesting and well delivered by director Luke Greenfield who thinks much more of the film and the performances than I do. The Trivia Track is interesting with lots of facts, some relating to the film, some not. :)

La Règle du jeu (The Rules of the Game) - Whereas Renoir's best known work is probably La Grande Illusion, La Règle du jeu is, in many ways, a better film. When it opened in France in 1939, audiences railed against its commentary on class divides and when the Nazis invaded, the film was banned. In 1939 Europe was on the brink of war and the hunting scene seems a prophetic message of things to come with birds being shot out of the sky and the upper class taking great delight in ridding the estate of rabbits with a volley of gunfire. Thinking back to Citizen Kane and Welles' great use of deep focus (in which the background is lit so as to allow action to be displayed from all parts of the set), it is clear that Renoir was a major influence on Welles as the use of deep focus together with some wonderful camera moves make for a tremendous film. :D

Casshern - A preachy and poorly scripted film which spends 140 minutes delivering the obvious message that war is bad. The thin narrative is stretched to breaking point as it jumps from different places in time, space and genre with little explanation, rhyme or reason. Shot entirely against green screen, it looks like an expensive computer game but some of the shots have obvious 'lines' where the actor ends and the background begins. Casshern makes little sense and is hard work; I struggled to make it to the final credits. >:(

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: Director's Commentary - An excellent commentary by Terry Gilliam which moves along at a brisk pace and is full of interesting anecdotes and information on the film. :D

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: Hunter S. Thompson Commentary - Recorded late at night when Thompson is possibly slightly the worse for wear, he cackles and goofs around for the length of the film, making bizarre noises along the way in a hotel room with his assistant Anita, producer Laila Nabulsi, and Michael from Criterion. :)


On cable:

Hungarian Grand Prix - A pretty good race which again shows the effect of the new regulations on overtaking (or the lack of it). :¦
The Twenty20 Final - With the rain interruptions, the three games of finals day accounted for 12 hours of cricket with three excellent games and some superb cricket; you don't have to be a cricket fan to enjoy this short version of the game which is sure to win some people over. :)
Ginger Snaps Unleashed - As far as sequels go, this is a very good one as it follows Bridgitte's struggles with the werewolf blood which is coursing through her veins; her attempt to control the symptoms are not helped when she is admitted to a rehab clinic as a drug addict and is refused access to wolfsbane. Whilst not having the fresh feel or camaraderie between the two sisters that Ginger Snaps does, this is a solid and enjoyable film. :¦


At the cinema:

Madagascar - Slightly better than Shark Tale, if only because it knows what it's target audience is, Madagascar starts off well enough but grinds to a halt as the animals land on the eponymous island offering nothing to anyone over the age of 10. :(

Fantastic Four - Badly paced and scripted, Fantastic Four spends no time in developing the characters and giving them powers then uses most of the film showing the characters trying to get rid of/get used to their powers before the fight at the end which seemed rushed and opens the way for a sequel which I have no interest in. Chiklis and Evans are the pick of the actors and Jessica Alba looks good in her underwear which is the highlight of the movie. :(

Dark Water - The most impressive remake of an Asian horror to date, Walter Salles uses the directorial flair he showed in The Motorcycle Diaries to produce an intelligent and mature horror which does not butcher the original as The Ring and The Grudge did. Jennifer Connelly is impressive in the lead and John C. Reilly is wonderfully sleazy as the estate agent who sells Connelly an apartment with a past. The ending isn't as good as in Hideo Nakata's superb original but the film works well thanks to the strong cast and cinematography. :)


Downloads:

Family Guy Episode 410 - Lois takes up modelling and the greased up deaf guy puts in another welcome appearance; still very funny but not up there with the rest of the season. :)

The 4400 Episode 206 - Back to more familiar territory after last week's head scratcher, this excellent episode proves that this season has plenty to offer. :)



My Top 20 Horror Movies ---- My DVD Collection
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This item was edited on Sunday, 31st July 2005, 23:44

Wossname - I`ve just looked at your "Top 20 Horror Movies" - where`s "Halloween"? (it`s not even in your "just missing out" section!?). :/

I think it`s probably the greatest horror movie ever made - chilling, atmospheric, great music and genuinely scary....

I agree with a lot of your list - although I would have had "The Omen" in the Top 10. And "Jaws" (that can count as a horror film I think...?).

:D

This item was edited on Monday, 1st August 2005, 00:34

Halloween and Jaws were both on my list but have drifted off it over time; I like The Omen and would put it on my list if it was a list of 30. Probably time to update my `just missing out` list.

Edit - It`s now updated. :)


My Top 20 Horror Movies ---- My DVD Collection
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This item was edited on Monday, 1st August 2005, 08:49

DVD

The Exorcist - Been a looong time since I`ve seen this, so it was like watching it for the first time again. Still a great film, and chilling to watch at night in the dark.

In Good Company - Suprisingly decent comedy drama set at an advertising company from Director Paul Weitz. I expected it to be more of a romantic comedy - the front cover would certainly have you believe that - but the romance is more of a subplot. The type of film you won`t mind watching it if your girlfriend wants to watch something `lighthearted`.

Urban Legends 3 - Bloody Mary - Shockingly bad. Don`t let the fact that it got a semi decent review on AICN and that the writer of the film is Michael Dougherty (who scripted the new Superman Returns film and X-Men 2) fool you into watching this. It`s tripe. Borrowing ideas from Ringu, and not even coming close to matching the half decent original, the whole thing is so anti-climactic you`ll feel like you`ve wasted two hours of your life.

Shallow Ground - Slightly better than UL3, this film is mostly muddled, and seems very loosely tied together. Some decent effects for a low budget film though. I was confused by the very last shot of the film, so if anyone has seen it and can clear it up for me I`d appreciate it. :p

Dig! - A great documentary about the Brian Jonestown Massacre and The Dandy Warhols and their attempts at hitting the big time. Worth watching just for Anton Newcombe, a gifted individual with a few screws loose. I couldn`t believe it when he called a member of the audience out to the front - who had shouted some abuse - and kicked him full on in the head as he stood in front of him at the stage. :o

The Jerk - I had forgotten how awesomely funny this film was. Steve Martin at his best. :D

TV

Twilight Zone Season 1 (80`s) - Very hit and miss so far, but some particular stand out episodes. The Peace and Quiet Episode directed by Wes Craven had a great conclusion I must add.

Convoy - Enjoyable Sam Peckinpah film, with a very cool theme tune, great cast and some very excellent car and lorry stunts, which must of inspired Smokey and the Bandit 2.

Flesh Gordon - Good for a laugh, a good tribute to the Flash Gordon seriels, but in a more perverted sense. Nothing really shocking, I mean I couldn`t see what the BBFC found offensive enough to cut 1 min and 16 secs, it was very tame compared to what you see in a mainstream 18 film.

Quote:
Wossname - I`ve just looked at your "Top 20 Horror Movies"

I`ve re-done my list, As there`s so many good horror films, I`ve started to list my fave horror films, I`m seeing if I can do a top 20 Sci Fi list now, because that`s what my original list comprised of really.

floyd


DVD collection

This item was edited on Monday, 1st August 2005, 13:33

Cinema

Wedding Crashers - Quite funny but a little too sentimental. Vince Vaughn is on fire for much of the film, spluttering out the dialogue as if it was improvised. Well worth a watch.

Madagascar - Ok kids film. Not much for adults and nowhere near the same level of filmmaking as Pixar`s output.

Dark Water - Not really a horror film at all, more a psychological childhood trauma film. Absolutely no atmosphere, but Jennifer Connoly is always worth a watch. Strange film, because it`s nothing like the trailers make it out to be.

Charlie & The Chocolate Factory - Quite liked this. Similar age group that Fantastic Four was aiming for, but much much better. The first half is much better than the second, and it has some problems with structure, but it`s a solid kids film with plenty for adults too.

DVD

Saw - An ok horror/crime/thriller. Stands up well to repeat viewing, but it`s just a little too cheesy to be anything more than fun.

Band of Brothers - Great TV series (like you haven`t heard that before). I watched Episode 6, which is quite a tense distant chapter following a medic.

Ghost Ship (2002) - horror thriller which starts out quite interesting and fairly gory too. A group of salvage experts track down a ghostly 1960s luxury liner that seems to be haunted by its passengers. Sadly the film descends into the usual cliches a nd cgi overload plus the characters are all pretty stereotypical (ballsy female, stoical leader, cool black dude, a couple of practical jokers etc). A missed opportunity.

Mon Oncle (1958) - more Jacques Tati as Monsieur Hulot at odds with the modern world. Some great humour in this one - particularly the houseproud couple and their dream home with the unusual water feature that only gets switched on when important guests arrive.

Danger Diabolik (1967) - comic book fantasy from Mario Bava featuring master criminal Diabolik. Totally bonkers story but visually great. My only problem with it was that Diabolik is a bit of a dull character and because he actuallly kills innocent policemen he is not really a likeable rogue or diabolical enough to be a nasty villain. Batman made its villains much more over the top and comic which makes them more interesting. Excellent cheesy psychedelic score from Ennio Morricone.

Bloody Pit Of Horror (1965) - an early Italian horror featuring muscleman Mickey Hargitay as the owner of a castle who terrorises a group of visiting glamour models and their entourage. Story is stupid but gets quite nast at the end as he gleefully tortures everyone. Very camp in places but a watchable b movie with a totally inappropriate jazz lounge score.

Andy

Finding Nemo - - still charms depsite its syrupy storyline. The animation is really inspired.... :D

Pretty Poison - - really chilling 1968 movie featuring Anthony Perkins and a very attractive Tuesday Weld. Perkins plays a fantasist who leaves jail and starts to act like a secret agent. He soon attract the attention of a young but naive thrill-seeker ...but this has twists a plenty and in the end you don`t know who`s manipulating who...a very nice edition too with audio commentary by Director Noel Black. :D

Onibi - the Fire Within - a yakusa movie thematically similar to `Another Lonely Hitman` though not as convincing... :)

Towers open fire / The Cut ups - visual experiments made as a collaboration between William Burroughs, Brion Gysin and Anthony Balch in the late 1960`s in London. I can`t posit an objective opinion on these pieces as I have used the original rushes from these pieces (with permission) in some of my own work on Burroughs...for those with an interest they have a fascinating historic resonance. ;)


That`s possibly the lot!

This item was edited on Tuesday, 2nd August 2005, 23:05

Wossname and Chewie - do you guys really go to the cinema 3 or 4 times a week!? (yikes!)

These are the movies I`ve managed to squeeze in between my many hours of watching Big Brother - urrrm - I mean my busy social life.... (I`ll keep it brief):

Dawn Of The Dead (remake) - ok

Cold Creek Manor - pretty good

Lost In Translation - yawn (this was Oscar nominated!?)

Scary Movie 3 - poor

Mystic River - not bad

Kill Bill Vol.1 - great stuff!

Van Helsing - dire

Shaun Of The Dead - disappointing

Frankenstein Parts 1+2 - quite good

Hey - this reviewing lark is pretty easy! ;)

This item was edited on Wednesday, 3rd August 2005, 03:39

No, I only go twice a week as there are normally only two new movies to see each week or one new release plus a film I want to rewatch; last week was an exception as I was making up for only going once the week before. Thanks to the UGC (now CineWorld) Unlimited card, a trip to the cinema costs very little and is one of the only times I stop watching DVDs and leave the house! ;)

I like the brevity of your reviews, I might give it a go one week if I`m short of time or have a bumper week of watching.


My Top 20 Horror Movies ---- My DVD Collection
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