Dave's DVD/Blu-ray Reviews

[Jon]

I thought Eastern Promises was a very weak film. Such a disappointment after A History Of Violence... http://www.dvdcollectorsonline.com/index.php/topic,971.msg74699.html#msg74699

[dfmorgan]

I thought Eastern Promises was a very weak film. Such a disappointment after A History Of Violence... http://www.dvdcollectorsonline.com/index.php/topic,971.msg74699.html#msg74699

I thought about a 2 for this but decided that because of the twist I would bump it up to a 3. I did look at your review after I wrote mine as I usually look to see if anyone else has reviewed the films once I have written mine, I find it too easy to copy what other people have said so try to avoid seeing them before mine get posted. Although I own A History of Violence it sadly lives in one of my TBW piles, maybe I need to move it up ready for the H, nope that's reserved for The Hurt Locker, ok then the V, nothing in place for that so far.

Dave

[Antares]

I have seen at least a little of one of these spaghetti western movies..but I have no idea which one.  It was years and years ago.

Marie all three are very good but as I said above The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is my persoal favourite, but I do enjoy the other 2. I ought to get hold of and watch Yojimbo to see where A Fistful of Dollars and Last Man Standing drew their inspirations from.

Dave

Do you have any plans to watch Leone's best, Once Upon a Time in the West?

[dfmorgan]

Do you have any plans to watch Leone's best, Once Upon a Time in the West?

I have got and seen that on DVD

Once Upon a Time in the West

Think I'll have to sort it out and give it a rewatch/review as well as this one

A Fistful of Dynamite

Dave

[Jon]

Glad you're making room for A History Of Violence. Great film. And by the way, I liked Dynamite, but it's nuts...

[Achim]

Glad you're making room for A History Of Violence. Great film. And by the way, I liked Dynamite, but it's nuts...

a.k.a. "Duck You Sucker"

Dynamite is better than I had originally expected. Given that it is the rather unknown second entry in Leone's Trilogy:
Once Upon a Time in the West
A Fistful of Dynamite
Once Upon a Time in America
It just pales against the other two, really...

[dfmorgan]

Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Year: 2008
Director: Nicholas Stoller
Cast: Jason Segel, Kristen Bell, Mila Kunis, Russell Brand
Overview: Struggling musician Peter Bretter (Jason Segel, Knocked Up, How I Met Your Mother) has spent five long and wonderful years idolising his celebrity girlfriend, television star Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell, Veronica Mars, Heroes). His perfect world comes crashing down when Sarah suddenly dumps him for 'that guy' (Russell Brand) from that band'. But his plan to leave his troubles behind backfires when he arrives to find his worst nightmare has only just begun!

Watched: 7th Jul. 2010
My Thoughts: I was hoping for a good comedy but find this only mildly amusing. Russell Brand played Russell Brand as Russell Brand, I haven't seen too much of him but what I have caught seems to me to be just the same as what he was doing here. Jason Segel I know even less about, just Knocked Up, but he didn't make me want to be on his side. Kristin Bell and Mila Kunis though gave performances I did enjoy. Some of the other supporting cast I recognised from other films and in varying degrees I liked or disliked them.

My Rating: A mildly amusing 3

Dave

[dfmorgan]

Given that it is the rather unknown second entry in Leone's Trilogy:
Once Upon a Time in the West
A Fistful of Dynamite
Once Upon a Time in America

Thanks. Another one to dig out and then watch them in the above order.

Dave

[dfmorgan]

Gamer

Year: 2009
Director: Neveldine/Taylor
Cast: Gerard Butler, Amber Valleta, Michael C. Hall, Kyra Sedgwick
Overview: Gerard Butler (300, RocknRolla) stars as Kable, condemned criminal and globally famous super-soldier in the ultimate multiplayer game, "Slayers." Human controllers direct each thought and move of real-life prison inmates battling in hyper-intense environments - where the goal is freedom and the penalty is death. But when Kable suddenly decides he wants out, his rebellion threatens the twisted plans of game creator Ken Castle (Michael C. Hall, TV's "Dexter"), who will stop at nothing to crush the renegade commando in this taut, adrenaline-packed action-thriller.

Watched: 8th Jul. 2010
My Thoughts: An interesting concept, an extension of the reality show shown in The Condemned combined with a first person shoot-em-up (fps). Ken Castle (Michael C. Hall) has invented two reality games. The first "Society" allows people to interact via avatars in another enclosed environment except the avatars are real people. "Society" reminded me of the PlayStation3 on-line game PlayStation®Home but taken to a higher level with real people. The second "Slayers" is a fps where again the player is controlling a real person but this time they are trying to kill other real people. The playing pieces in "Slayers" are all convicts trying to win their freedom.

A couple of things came to mind whilst watching this film.
1) When I hear of The Fat Controller from Thomas The Tank Engine now I will have a totally different image than the smart dressed man from the books/TV show.
2) When Kable, Gerard Butler, and his wife are running from the other killers through various parts of the "Society" environment it reminded me of the film Logan's Run when Logan and Jessica are running through their environment trying to escape the other Sandmen.

My Rating: A slightly enjoyable 3

Dave

[Achim]

I like the concept of Gamer but thought they could have handled it better. Mainly, I found the "Society" bits highly annoying and thought it went a step to far. The action segments where enjoyable though and Michale C. Hall as the baddy was fine too.

The creepiest bit of this film is the weird smile of Butler on the cover

[dfmorgan]

I like the concept of Gamer but thought they could have handled it better. Mainly, I found the "Society" bits highly annoying and thought it went a step to far. The action segments where enjoyable though and Michale C. Hall as the baddy was fine too.

The creepiest bit of this film is the weird smile of Butler on the cover

True enough Achim. I suppose that they included "Society" to show where he was coming from and further details may well be in the commentary track or the Making Of dissection, I had a quick glance at the Making Of and they seemed to be taking you through the whole film giving a true breakdown of how they made it. Yes the action parts were good and he made a fine baddy. Yes that is one weird smile on his face.

Dave

[dfmorgan]

Robo Geisha

Year: 2009
Director: Noboru Iguchi
Cast: Aya Kiguchi, Hitomi Hasebe, Takumi Saito, Taro Shigaki

Overview: GET READY for the most unashamedly over-the-top and deliriously inventive cinematic experience of your life, as the Japanese masters of movie mayhem achieve a brand new level of JAW-DROPPING CRAZINESS.

To help them achieve their goal of taking over the world, a megalomaniac Japanese businessman and his son recruit a vicious gang of Geisha assassins. These include two feisty sisters with an amazing range of surgically added weapons.

But when one of these Robo-Geishas refuse to kill an innocent group of ex-employees, its butt-blades versus wig napalm and machine breasts against killer-cleaver socks as the assassins take on the Geisha's in one of the most mind-bending movie battles of all time.

Throw in the buildings that bleed, the Giant Castle Robot and the Breast Milk From Hell, and you have a wonderfully insane Kamikaze movie that will have you laughing out loud!

Watched: 9th Jul. 2010
My Thoughts: From the director of The Machine Girl comes this addition to the Japanese Gore Fest. Two sisters become part of gang of Geisha assassins whose bodies have been enhanced with add-on weapons. So instead of drill bras and machine gun arms we have machine gun breasts, breast milk from hell, cleaver socks, armpit swords, mouth swords, butt ninja stars, butt swords and wig napalm. Also the castle of the evil company turns into a Giant Robot Castle leaving a trail of bleeding buildings, in the tradition of Japanese Gore Fest with fountains of blood. Our heroine also transforms into a tank at one point. Stupidly enjoyable  

My Rating: Slightly better than The Machine Girl so a 3

Dave

[dfmorgan]

The House Bunny

Year: 2008
Director: Fred Wolf
Cast: Anna Faris, Colin Hanks, Emma Stone, Kat Dennings
Overview: When the mansion’s favourite bunny, Shelley (Anna Faris), is kicked out of the hottest favourite house in town, she gets lost in the wilderness of Beverly Hills. But when she stumbles into the sorriest sorority, Zeta Alpha Zeta, she finds a home where she can finally put her talents to good use. Then when Shelley meets a beau she'd like to tie on for good, she really has something to flirt for and thinks she might have a chance at life on the outside. Now the race is on to make over the girls and make Zeta the hottest house before the University shuts them down. Move in with The House Bunny and laugh your tail off!

Watched: 12th Jul. 2010
My Thoughts: A mildly amusing film. No real surprises.

My Rating: A mildly amusing 3

Dave

[dfmorgan]

Inkheart

Year: 2008
Director: Iain Softley
Cast: Brendan Fraser, Sienna Guillory, Helen Mirren, Jim Broadbent
Overview: When Mo Folchart reads a story, the characters leap off the page. Literally. And that's a problem. Mo must somehow use his magic powers to send the interlopers back to their own world... and save ours. If ever a task was easier read than done, this is it. Mo and his daughter Meggie, aided by friends real and fictional, plunge into a thrilling quest that pits them against diabolical villains, fantastic beasts and dangers at every turn.

Brendan Fraser (The Mummy films, Journey to the Centre of the Earth) leads a splendid cast (including Academy Award® winners Helen Mirren and Jim Broadbent) in an all-fun, all family film of Cornelia Funke's bestseller.

Watched: 12th Jul. 2010
My Thoughts: An entertaining film. As a person born in the star sign of Capricorn I'm not too sure about Capricorn being a baddy but Andy Serkis came over quite well in that role. I enjoyed this film and am looking forward now to reading the books which are sitting in one of the TBRs pile close to my TBW piles.

My Rating: An enjoyable 4

Dave

[dfmorgan]

Jodhaa Akbar

Year: 2008
Director: Ashutosh Gowariker
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Sonu Sood


Overview: Jodhaa Akbar is a sixteenth century epic romance about a marriage of alliance that gave birth to true love between the greatest Muslim Mughal Emperor that rules Hindustan (now India), Jalaluddin Mohammad Akbar , and the fiery young Hindu Rajput Princess, Jodhaa.

The film stars Hrithik Roshan as Emperor Akbar and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan as Princess Jodhaa.


Watched: 13th/14th Jul. 2010
My Thoughts: Following Asoka and Black this is my third Bollywood film, the second one full blown with song and dance. An immensely enjoyable experience although I couldn't watch it in one sitting, my own fault as I didn't start until 21:30ish on the 13th and at 214mins it wouldn't have finished until 01:00ish. Putting aside the song and dances, there were only 5 or 6 not sure if that is the average, this was a very enjoyable historical drama/romance. There were some decent battle scenes but I wasn't too sure about the sizes of the armies and the distances and locations that they fought in.

My Rating: A very enjoyable 4

Dave