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Payback: Straight Up- The Director's Cut, a review by Jon

Payback was released in 1999 and it was based on a book called The Hunter by Richard Stark. The same source material for John Boorman's Point Blank starring Lee Marvin. I must give that earlier film another go; I saw it years ago and liked the story, but not the style, or even the ending.

When Payback came out I really liked it. It was the same story, but low key and to the point. And the point was usually being used to batter someone! Grimy, violent little film that it is!

I didn't know that the film I saw in 1999 wasn't what was originally intended and that apparently it didn't test well, so Brian Helgeland the director was kicked off because he refused to change it, a new section filmed with a new ending and the whole thing edited different. Now Brian has gone back to his original footage and pieced it back to how it originally was. As I said, I did like that theatrical version, so I was reluctant to get Straight Up. Especially when you think he directed The Sin Eater, so maybe he doesn't know what the heck he is doing and perhaps the theatrical Payback was a rescue job.

I just watched Straight Up and I like it more than the standard Payback. Leaner and meaner, it harks back to the 1970s (Helgeland's original intention apparently) and removes a lot of stuff that was added just to spell things out to the audience. It's lost some humour, but the stark brutality makes more sense. Somehow the theatrical version seems a bit silly to me now. You may think different, but both versions are worth seeing.

So anyway, if you like gritty 1970s style crime films, I recommend this. If you've seen the original Payback, I really recommend it, if only for novelty value. But if you don't fit either of those slots, I still implore you to get this modestly priced DVD because the extra features give a fantastic glimpse into the bonkers world of Hollywood. Payback demonstrates all that is right and wrong and right again with the filmmaking business, and the 'Making of' featurette is one of the best I've seen.

Normally in situations like these you have to wait until someones dead (Orson Welles, Touch of Evil) or it becomes tit for tat grudge crap (The Exorcist: Dominion) before you see definitive (or hacked!) versions. Here though, the 'making of' is made up of interviews by people with only positive things to say about the whole affair, including Mel Gibson. They still stick strongly to their original intentions, but I think the fact Straight Up exists at all is miraculous. They are all gracious about each others intentions, so it's a pleasant half hour.

Parts of the interviews, especially the composer of the new score, are often quite moving even. And Brian Helgeland has the last line and tearfully puts everything in perspective, especially if you were starting to think of Gibson as the villainous producer... 

There's a good interview with Richard Stark too.

(From Payback: Straight Up- The Director's Cut on December 13th, 2007)

The Awakening, a review by Danae Cassandra

The Awakening
Year of Release: 2011
Directed By: Nick Murphy
Starring: Rebecca Hall, Dominic West, Imelda Staunton, Isaac Hempstead-Wright
Genre: Suspense/Thriller, Horror

Overview:
They say, the boy was scared to death. When the death of a child at a boarding school is blamed on a ghost, hoax exposer Florence Cathcart is certain that science and reason can explain it. But the truth she discovers is more terrifying than she could ever imagine, and soon the ghost hunter becomes the hunted. Starring Rebecca Hall (The Town), Dominic West (John Carter) and Imelda Staunton (Harry Potter films), The Awakening is a terrifying mystery filled with haunting twists that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

My Thoughts:
This was a beautiful, melancholy ghost story.  It's an elegant little film, with a wonderful, thick atmosphere filled with grief and guilt.  The cast is quite strong in their roles, especially Hall, West and Staunton.  It isn't a particularly scary film, but it is haunting.  However the film moves at a slow pace, taking its time to develop the story, and while I don't mind that, and think it works well for this story, some viewers might.  Also, the ending is somewhat ambiguous, which again, I think works for the story, but some might object.  Recommended if you like old-fashioned ghost stories and don't mind the slow pace.

Bechdel Test: Pass

Overall: 4/5

(From Month Long Horror/Halloween Marathon on November 9th, 2014)

Tom's Random Reviews, a review by Tom

Title: Curb Your Enthusiasm: Season Seven
Year: 2009
Director:
Rating: TV-MA
Length: 317 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78
Audio: English: Dolby Digital 5.1, French: Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Stars:
Larry David
Jerry Seinfeld
Jason Alexander
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Michael Richards

Plot:
Larry David leads a troubled life — he's got a high-maintenance girlfriend he'd like to dump, an ex-wife he'd love to win back, fed up friends, and offended celebrities wishing him physical harm. So how can he turn it all around?

See Larry woo a paraplegic, offend a midriff-baring assistant, bludgeon a pet swan, and let loose on nine-year-olds, all while planning the much anticipated Seinfeld reunion. Will reviving his former show bring Larry's old life back as well...or only invite more problems?

Awards:

Primetime Emmy Awards	2008	Nominated	Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series	Allison Jones
Primetime Emmy Awards	2008	Nominated	Outstanding Comedy Series	Larry David , Jeff Garlin , Gavin Polone , Alec Berg , David Mandel , Jeff Schaffer , Tim Gibbons , Erin O'Malley
Primetime Emmy Awards	2008	Nominated	Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series	Shelley Berman
Primetime Emmy Awards	2008	Nominated	Outstanding Picture Editing for a Comedy Series (Single or Multi-Camera)	"The Bat Mitzvah": Steven Rasch

Extras:
Bonus Trailers
Closed Captioned
Featurettes
Interviews

The closest we will ever get to a Seinfeld reunion. Larry David (who was the co-creator and executive producer on Seinfeld) is organizing a Seinfeld reunion show. This season was the most fun since season four where Larry David was cast by Mel Brooks in a "The Producers" stage production.
We get all four Seinfeld cast members back and even Wayne Knight (Newman) and Estelle Harris (George's mother) appear. And they have rebuild two sets of the Seinfeld series. Jerry's apartment and the diner.
When they are playing the Seinfeld characters on these sets, it is hard to believe that already ten years have past since the Seinfeld finale. Seeing these scenes you can very well image them doing another full season without big differences to the old series.

Here the final few minutes of the last episode where we see the final product of the Seinfeld shooting (spoilers!):

#	Episode	Rating
01	Funkhouser's Crazy Sister
02	Vehicular Fellatio
03	The Reunion
04	The Hot Towel
05	Denise Handicap
06	The Bare Midriff
07	The Black Swan
08	Officer Krupke
09	The Table Read
10	Seinfeld

(From Tom's Random Reviews on June 26th, 2010)