Post by: Achim on April 16, 2011, 04:13:28 PM
Might not write them for all the films.
Post by: Achim on April 16, 2011, 04:28:03 PM
| (http://www.invelos.com/mpimages/08/085391156772f.jpg) | Bonnie and Clyde (1967/United States) (http://www.ya-shin.com/images/imdb-logo-30px.png) (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061418)
|
Stars:
Warren Beatty as Clyde Barrow
Faye Dunaway as Bonnie Parker
Michael J. Pollard as C. W. Moss
Gene Hackman as Buck Barrow
Estelle Parsons as Blanche
Overview:
Depression-era drifters Clyde Barrow (Warren Beatty) and Bonnie Parker (Faye Dunaway) embark on a life of crime. They crave adventure – and each other. We are unprepared for the cascading violence that follows; we learn they can be hurt – and dread they will be killed. The vivid title-role performance get superb support from Michael J. Pollard, Gene Hackman and Estelle Parsons, 1967 Best Supporting Actress Academy Award® winner, Bonnie and Clyde continually dazzles, thanks to director Arthur Penn, cinematographer Burnett Guffey (winner of the film's second Oscar®) and editor Dede Allen. Decades later, it's still a thunderous, thrilling ride.
Extras:
- Scene Access
- Feature Trailers
- Deleted Scenes
- Featurettes
My Thoughts:
I had last seen this more than 20 years and I liked it even more today. The overview is correct in praising the actors; everyone portrayed their roles very well and I only found the mother to be exceptionally wooden in what was otherwise one of the best scenes of the film. Penn does a good job in having the viewer somewhat sympathize with the murdering couple (like the scene when Bonnie realizes that her mother just explained her that they will never meet again) yet always makes sure we understand just what these two are. Just as the police bringing them down at the end are clearly not portrayed as heroes.At the time infamous for a few rather bloody scenes (this was still before The Wild Bunch!), those moments might have lost their impact on today's audience, but not their intensity.
Looking forward to see the documentary tomorrow, hoping they'll explain a little just how much artistic license was taken... (I wonder whether the poem was actually written and much the impotency was exaggerated either way).
Rating:
Post by: Achim on May 21, 2011, 09:20:12 AM
| (http://www.invelos.com/mpimages/65/654930312599f.jpg) | Death Dorm (Uncensored Director's Cut) (1982/United States)
|
Stars:
Laurie Lapinski as Joanne
Stephen Sachs as Craig
David Snow as Brian
Pamela Holland as Patti
Dennis Ely as Bobby Lee Tremble
Plot:
On the eve of Christmas vacation, a college dormitory stands condemned... the dark halls now vacant, and unsafe. Student Joanne Murray and her close friends volunteer to help close down the building, unaware a psychopathic lunatic is hiding in the shadows. As the students disappear one by one, Joanne discovers the horrifying reality that if she is to survive, she alone will have to find a way to slay the brutal murderer.
If you think you've seen this film totally uncut... think again! Synapse Films is proud to present THE DORM THAT DRIPPED BLOOD in a never-before-seen alternate version containing additional scenes, extended gore sequences, and a different sound mix. This transfer was created from the only existing 35mm answer print of the original "Director's Cut" entitled DEATH DORM, a version of the film thought to have been lost for thirty years.
Extras:
- Scene Access
- Audio Commentary
- Feature Trailers
- Interviews
- Reversible Cover with Alternate Artwork
My Thoughts:
My rating went up a little bit after watching the special features. To fully appreciate the film it does help to understand that it is practically a student film, done with minimal funding (Christopher Young provided his first score here!). It does feel a little like Friday the 13th in an appartment block. There is a limited amount of kills, but also Friday had far less kills than you might think. Other than Friday though, there directors do a good job of keeping the audience guess who the killer is and the kills are done with a variety of weapons (the drill was a favorite of mine :laugh:). The acting is better than one might expect from a student film. There is a bunch of moments where you just want to smack the characters silly, somethig along the lines of "you go back, alone, first and I will, alone, check out the scary noise we just heard" :slaphead:As a slasher film there are almost too few kills, but like I said above, all the classics of the genre came out with very few kills too. Otherwise it's a good film that kept me interested for the most part.
Rating:
Post by: Jimmy on May 21, 2011, 06:10:00 PM
For me it's the end that made it even better... BTW the drill scene was re-inserted for this release (it was highly cut in the theatrical and video release).
(click to show/hide)
Post by: Achim on May 26, 2011, 08:49:57 AM
For me it's the end that made it even better... BTW the drill scene was re-inserted for this release (it was highly cut in the theatrical and video release).The special features show the cut scene vs. the original...
Quote
(click to show/hide)
(click to show/hide)
Post by: Jimmy on May 26, 2011, 08:56:31 AM
Post by: Achim on June 10, 2011, 06:32:56 AM
Synopsis:
The film follows the origins of D. X and Magneto (and Mystique and Beast, if you will). Where they come from, how they meet and originally work together all the way to their split.
My Thoughts:
First off, I am not attached to the comics in any way, never even read a single one; I am only judging this film in relation to the other three films by Bryan Singer and Brett Ratner.
In my opinion this is a great prequel. While the film of course has it's own story arc (and some seem to argue even too much crammed into that) it gives us the backstory for Dr. X. and Magneto. While some other muitants from the other films appear we get a bunch of new ones to keep things fresh. It's been a while since I have seen the others, but it appeared as if everything fits together with them very well (I guess Bryan Singer producing was helpful here).
I don't think Kevin Bacon was a good choice for the villain. I am not exactly sure what it was, but it just didn't come together. Bacon does the best he can, but he is just not the man for the job :shrug: In general acting is good, with especially the two leads (McAvoy and Fassbender) being a joy to watch.
Beast looks rather terrible. It seems they went with prostetics and simply did a shotty job on those. Other than that the mutants come across sufficently believable.
If they leave it alone here, the film ends so it can lead right into X-Men. However, I wouldn't mind if they would use this cast to have another go at the story, again with the setting in the 60s or 70s...
Post by: Jimmy on June 10, 2011, 11:34:56 AM
Post by: Kathy on June 10, 2011, 12:08:43 PM
I like prequels, as long as they are entertaining, and this sounds like a good one.
Post by: Achim on June 10, 2011, 03:02:04 PM
Can I say I'm shocked to see two good reviews for that here... Without being great the first two movies were entertaining (?) to watch and this prequel thingy is just a way to get rid of the high pay cast... Really I'm shocked to see you appreciated something that had no reason to exist except monetary one... Seriously what next? A Batman prequel. a Superman prequel, an Avenger prequel (ok it isn't done yet, but why not one just after), a Fantastic Four prequel, a Toxic Avenger prequel, a garbage pail kids' prequel, ... Really I'm shocked to see you fell for this, it's a new fad after the remake and the 3D... I guess it must suck big time to be a moviegoer those days, it isn't for nothing if the movies disapear fast from the theatre now.I agree with you, "original ideas" are always preferable. But they went there and since I liked the trailer I thought I check it out. Matthew Vaughn did a really terrific job here to keep things as fresh as possible; with support from the director of the first two films.
Well, sure, usually the go back to a prequel (or nowadays reboot) when they don't know how to go forward anymore. In the case of X-Man though, The Last Stand pretty much concluded the series, so going back to an earlier point was a necessity. In the 80s/90s the prequels were usually the ones that really sucked.
I'm looking forward to seeing X-Men: First Class. I don't think I'll watch it in the theater though, I'll be picking it up on DVD.I will be picking up the Blu-ray as well.
Post by: Jimmy on June 10, 2011, 04:32:38 PM
In the case of X-Man though, The Last Stand pretty much concluded the series, so going back to an earlier point was a necessity.I have never seen this one, like I said the first two were fun (at least tolerable for someone who usually despise Hollywood films like I do) but I never read anything positive on the third one (I wouldn't be surprised if Pete gave it a good review here... but he also like Superman 3 so :laugh:).
I have read a couple of reviews before reading yours (and the one from Marie) and they make it sounds really average (the trailer also didn't impress me). Certainly not a four or five stars movie from what I've read...
Post by: Tom on June 10, 2011, 06:00:53 PM
The movie also had two short, but really fun, cameos from the previous movies. Nice touch. Both got applause from the audience.
Though in the beginning there was a lot of laughter when Kevin Bacon spoke German. I didn't find at that bad. But it sounded like he had a touch of Swiss German in it.
Post by: Achim on June 10, 2011, 07:52:13 PM
Though in the beginning there was a lot of laughter when Kevin Bacon spoke German. I didn't find at that bad. But it sounded like he had a touch of Swiss German in it.It's good you point ghat out. Whole I appreciate the effort to speak German, it did sound rather fake. But I guess that is only a problem for native German speakers :laugh:
What's the second cameo?
(click to show/hide)
Post by: Tom on June 10, 2011, 07:56:03 PM
What's the second cameo?(click to show/hide)
(click to show/hide)
Post by: Achim on June 10, 2011, 07:57:18 PM
Haha, now that's what I call subtle...(click to show/hide)
Post by: Tom on June 10, 2011, 07:57:43 PM
Though in the beginning there was a lot of laughter when Kevin Bacon spoke German. I didn't find at that bad. But it sounded like he had a touch of Swiss German in it.It's good you point ghat out. Whole I appreciate the effort to speak German, it did sound rather fake. But I guess that is only a problem for native German speakers :laugh:
I wonder how French people perceive the French in this movie, for example. Maybe it's a similar case.
Post by: Achim on June 11, 2011, 04:03:24 AM
I wonder how French people perceive the French in this movie, for example. Maybe it's a similar case.Oh, most certainly, they are very sensitive about that... They don't like speaking English, but they'd rather do that than listen to a foreigner rape their language.
Post by: Jimmy on June 11, 2011, 04:12:05 AM
Only the French from France, us French Canadian have no problem speaking in english when necessary. In fact most of us are proud to be bilingual or even trilingual (I was at some point, but forgot most of my spanish since I never used it).I wonder how French people perceive the French in this movie, for example. Maybe it's a similar case.Oh, most certainly, they are very sensitive about that... They don't like speaking English, but they'd rather do that than listen to a foreigner rape their language.
The funny part is that the France Frenchmen for a nation so proud of his language speak one of the most ugliest french in the world... They don't talk french they talk an hybrid french/english language, good thing the ancient colonies do a better job at saving the french language.
Post by: Achim on July 04, 2011, 03:12:39 AM
| (http://www.invelos.com/mpimages/71/715515024426f.jpg) | if.... (The Criterion Collection) (http://www.ya-shin.com/images/imdb-logo-30px.png) (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063850) (1968/United Kingdom)
|
Stars:
Malcolm McDowell as Mick
David Wood as Johnny
Richard Warwick as Wallace
Christine Noonan as The Girl
Rupert Webster as Bobby Phillips
Plot:
Lindsay Anderson's If.... is a daringly anarchic vision of British society, set in a boarding school in late-sixties England. Before Kubrick made Malcom McDowell's mischief iconic in A Clockwork Orange, the actor made a hell of an impression as insouciant Mick Travis, who, along with his school chums, trumps authority at every turn, finally emerging as violent savior against the draconian games of one-upmanship played by both students and the powers-that-be. Mixing color and black and white as audaciously as it mixes fantasy and reality, If.... remains one of cinema's most unforgettable rebel yells.
Extras:
- Scene Access
- Audio Commentary
- Feature Trailers
- Featurettes
- Interviews
My Thoughts:
My personal guess is, that this is actually a fairly accurate portrayal of life at a boarding school in 1968. With a class system firmly in place, things can get pretty rough for those on the lower levels being oppressed by "the upper class".Travis' transformation from small rebellious behaviour to revolution is very well performed by Malcolm MacDowell and it's easy to see why Kubrick found his Alex for Clockwork Orange in this. The acting in general is good, including the younger cast members playing the "freshmen". It was a bit strange that in the beginning to other characters are set up very prominently, new student Jute and a new teacher, yet nothing really comes from this and the film only shows them on occasion during the second half :shrug:
The obvious political subtext is mostly lost on me, as it is apparently very British, maybe more relevant for the time it plays in, and I have never been interested in politics much. I am not sure what you'd call it (farce, satire...?) but especially at the end they completely go over the top with the final confrontation of the film (in a good way :laugh:). Beyond this the film also shows latent homosexuality as being present (it's an all-boy boarding school...) and at one point a teacher clearly touches one of the boys in a slightly inappropriate way; these topics are touched on but not made topic.
I could never quite figure out what the use of black and white represents. It seems a bit inconsistent to me, as every time I thought I figured it out another scene would come up that "should have been" black and white but wasn't. Unless somebody can tell me, I may have to try the commentary for this.
Here is the link to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If....) for further information. It was here that I saw that apparently two sequels were made:
O Lucky Man! (1973)
Britannia Hospital (1982)
Rating:
EDIT:
As commented by Dave and also mentioned in the special features of the DVD, the use of black and white was actually rather random and initially based on an economic decision (the lighting of the church was cheaper for black and white than it would have been for color).
As for the political subtext, I was apparently spot on in that it was a comment on the British class system. The film also happened to coincide with the student revolts in France and other countries, which gave it an eerie actuality at the time.
Post by: dfmorgan on July 04, 2011, 08:20:28 PM
I could never quite figure out what the use of black and white represents. It seems a bit inconsistent to me, as every time I thought I figured it out another scene would come up that "should have been" black and white but wasn't. Unless somebody can tell me, I may have to try the commentary for this.
My understanding has always been that Lindsay Anderson had a fixed limited budget with which to make this film. He shot as much as he could afford in colour but to keep within the budget he had to finish on the cheaper B/W stock. Apparently B/W works out cheaper in two ways 1) the actual cost of the film stock and processing is less and 2) setting up lighting is also easier and cheaper.
ETA: This review reawoke my interest and I looked up Sanctus from Missa Luba as featured in this film and because of that I have now just ordered the CD Missa Luba by Troubadours Du Roi Baudouin who perform the relevant song.
Post by: Achim on July 05, 2011, 03:32:44 AM
My understanding has always been that Lindsay Anderson had a fixed limited budget with which to make this film. He shot as much as he could afford in colour but to keep within the budget he had to finish on the cheaper B/W stock. Apparently B/W works out cheaper in two ways 1) the actual cost of the film stock and processing is less and 2) setting up lighting is also easier and cheaper.This was confirmed by the special features I watched last night. The trigger were apparently the scenes in the church, which would have been too expensive to light for color, so they used black and white. From that point on they made more scenes in black and white, whenever Anderson or the DoP thought it was emotionally right (quote from the DoP!).
Post by: Achim on July 05, 2011, 02:31:08 PM
| (http://www.invelos.com/mpimages/50/5050582371864.4f.jpg) | Screamers (1995/United States)
|
Stars:
Peter Weller as Hendricksson
Roy Dupuis as Becker
Jennifer Rubin as Jessica
Andy Lauer as Ace
Charles Powell as Ross
Plot:
After 10 years of devastating warfare on Planet Sirius 6B, a distant mining planet, Commander Joseph Hendricksson (Peter Weller) is assigned to protect his outpost from the New Economic Block. His scientists have created a perfect weapon, designed to destroy all enemy life - a blade wielding, self-replicating race of killing devices known as Screamers.
But something has gone wrong - the Screamers continue to evolve without any human guidance, cloning themselves into human form and obliterating all forms of human life.
Betrayed by his own political leaders and disgusted by the atrocities of the endless war, Hendricksson decides he must negotiate peace with the enemy. But to do so, he must first destroy the very weapon he helped to create...
Screamers!
Extras:
- Scene Access
- Feature Trailers
- Production Notes
My Thoughts:
More of a B-movie from the mid-90s. I believe it was overshadowed by some other bigger release that year, which I can't remember what it was (maybe Species...?). However, this film is great on DVD. Good production values (they used an abandoned industrial area which gives it a great look), good acting by Peter Weller (he is very cool in this one!, to bad he never really got very far) and a solid B-movie (read: people we never really heard of) supporting cast. The special effects hold up very well, with only some minor use of CGI, and there is some gore, but not much of it. With only a few rather obvious continuity slips and mostly congruous writing this is good science fiction entertainment.Rating:
Post by: samuelrichardscott on July 05, 2011, 02:35:07 PM
Post by: Achim on July 11, 2011, 03:32:17 PM
| (http://www.invelos.com/mpimages/04/043396101449f.jpg) | Relentless (1989/United States)
|
Stars:
Judd Nelson as Arthur 'Buck' Taylor
Robert Loggia as Bill Malloy
Leo Rossi as Sam Dietz
Meg Foster as Carol Dietz
Patrick O'Bryan as Todd Arthur
Plot:
A sadistic serial killer holds Los Angeles in the grip of unspeakable fear in this hard-hitting action-thriller.
Rejected from the police force on psychological grounds, Buck Taylor (Judd Nelson) exacts revenge by committing a string of brutal murders and taunting the LAPD. The only clues are pages torn from a telephone book and victims who appear to have somehow participated in their own deaths. But when a brash rookie detective (Leo Rossi) pairs up with a cynical veteran (Robert Loggia) to track down the killer, the cat-and-mouse game ends in a deadly fight to the finish.
Extras:
- Scene Access
- Feature Trailers
- Closed Captioned
My Thoughts:
Probably the most mainstream film by William Lustig that I know. While not a masterpiece, this is a solid thriller but with some turns in the story line that sets it apart from similar films of the same era. I was surprised by the amount of well known actors (mostly by face not necessarily by name) this movie had to offer. Besides Nelson, Loggia, Rossi and Foster (she is such strange eyes...) there is also Edward Bunker, Roy Brocksmith and George 'Buck' Flower.A buddy cop movie, a serial killer movie and eventually a revenge movie, Lustig does a great job balancing the elements so they don't get in the way of each other. Sure, the motivation of the killer is rather stock standard, but otherwise this film offers some solid entertainment.
Rating:
Post by: Achim on July 14, 2011, 03:05:06 PM
| (http://www.invelos.com/mpimages/02/025192866326f.jpg) | Brick (Spotlight Series) (2005/United States)
|
Stars:
Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Brendan
Nora Zehetner as Laura
Lukas Haas as The Pin
Noah Fleiss as Tugger
Matt O'Leary as The Brain
Plot:
Brendan Frye is a loner, someone who knows all the angles but has chosen to stay on the outside. When the girl he loves turns up dead, he is determined to find the "who" and "why" and plunges into the dark and dangerous social strata of rich girl Laura, intimidating Tug, drug-addled Dode, seductive Kara, and the ominous Pin. But who can he really trust? These are the ingredients of Brick, a gritty and provocative thriller that critics describe as "a clever, twist-filled whodunit!" (Claudia Puig, USA Today)
Extras:
- Scene Access
- Audio Commentary
- Bonus Trailers
- Deleted Scenes
- Featurettes
My Thoughts:
It had been a while since I read the reviews by Matthias (http://www.dvdcollectorsonline.com/index.php/topic,3213.msg93544.html#msg93544) and Jon (http://www.dvdcollectorsonline.com/index.php/topic,5638.msg97094.html#msg97094). So I was just going by the synopsis on the cover when I sat down to watch this film. I am not really sure4 what I was expecting, but I certainly didn't get it (again, going by the cover ;)). Instead I got this awesome Film Noir, where I occasionally had to remind myself that it is actually playing out with high school kids! (I know, had I a better memory I should have known this from the other reviews :bag:.)While parts of the ending let me down a little bit (the reason for the murder and the retelling of the motives at the end, although the latter is clearly typical film noir tropes), I was engaged by the story with all its twists and turns all the way through. In big parts this was due to the acting and the greatly written characters (Brendan, Tugger and Laura).
Rating:
Post by: addicted2dvd on July 14, 2011, 03:09:05 PM
Post by: Najemikon on July 14, 2011, 09:45:00 PM
Post by: Achim on July 15, 2011, 06:07:39 AM
Post by: goodguy on July 15, 2011, 07:24:17 AM
Johnson's new sci-fi, time travel thingie Looper is due in September btw. With Emily Blunt, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis.
Post by: Achim on July 15, 2011, 10:00:58 AM
Johnson's new sci-fi, time travel thingie Looper is due in September btw. With Emily Blunt, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis.Sounds intriguing... Too bad it's only September 2012...
Post by: goodguy on July 15, 2011, 10:16:59 AM
Too bad it's only September 2012...
Oops. :-[
Post by: Achim on July 15, 2011, 11:05:39 AM
I was quite surprised to see that myself. Because there is an actual release date, not just the window "September"... Normally blockbusters get their dates set early on, but this is neither a postential blockbuster nor is September blockbuster season :shrug:Too bad it's only September 2012...
Oops. :-[
Post by: Najemikon on July 15, 2011, 09:36:16 PM
While The Brothers Bloom wasn't on the same level as Brick, I enjoyed it a lot. Not sure what Jon is getting at by saying Johnson misunderstood something about those kind of movies, because the con/caper clearly is more of a pretext. Maybe that was too obvious? Pretentious? ;) Even so I can hardly think of any better ones (Remember that I'm the guy who thinks Ocean's 12 was the best of Soderbergh's three).
:laugh: No, not pretentious this time! I liked the characters and idea, but by misunderstood, I refer to the failure to engage the audience because of one too many twists that instead of making you think, undermine what has gone before, mainly because of a serious flaw in the narrative that leads to a final act tragedy that is impossible to find any emotion within. It's a while since I saw it, but I seem to remember clearly thinking that they had focused on the wrong brother; that Brody didn't change, yet Ruffalo had a huge arc to follow and the audience were not part of it. Also, you know how much I admire Rachel Weisz, but she was short-changed by that character.
It was basically too thin.
As for breezy caper comedies that work, look no further than The Italian Job, the original Ocean's 11 (bloated, but works), Catch Me If You Can, Lock Stock And Two Smoking Barrels or even Kelly's Heroes. I'm trying to think of something less action/thriller focused and I haven't seen How To Steal A Million, but it often gets mentioned. Ooh, The Thomas Crown Affair, remake, I've just remembered.
Post by: Achim on July 16, 2011, 04:48:33 PM
| The Stunt Man (1980/United States)
|
Stars:
Peter O'Toole as Eli Cross
Steve Railsback as Cameron
Barbara Hershey as Nina Franklin
Allan Goorwitz as Sam
Alex Rocco as Jake
Plot:
It defied all odds to become the most unexpected and acclaimed cult hit of the '80s, and it remains one of the most slyly subversive and thrillingly original action/comedy/drama motion pictures of all time. The legendary Peter O'Toole – in an iconic Oscar®-nominated performance – stars as director Eli Cross, a deliciously megalomaniacal madman commanding a film-set circus where a paranoid young veteran (Steve Railsback) finds himself maybe replacing a dead stunt man, possibly falling for the beautiful leading lady (Barbara Hershey), and discovering that love, death and the mayhem of moviemaking can definitely be the wildest illusions of all. THE STUNT MAN now features a stunning HD transfer supervised by Oscar® nominated producer/director Richard Rush, plus a revealing audio commentary, four exclusive new featurettes, a feature-length documentary and more, all in the ultimate edition of the classic that the Los Angeles Times calls "as innovative today as CITIZEN KANE was in its time!"
Extras:
- Audio Commentary
- Feature Trailers
- Deleted Scenes
- Featurettes
- Interviews
My Thoughts:
Not knowing why the young veteran is on the run (one of the funniest things in the movie when we find out later on) gives him a mysterious edge, as we don't know how dangerous he just might be. The director has his own agenda why he protects the young veteran from the police. The lead actress of the movie being filmed creates a triangle among those three, that will slowly but steadily get out of control. There is comedy, action and romance and the director balances all elements competently throughout; I only found one scene misjudged (when the young veteran tells the lady he loves why the police is after him). The ending lacks a bit of closure for some of the plot lines, but the open endedness is rather typical for the time the film was made in.Good acting, Peter O'Toole gives a particularly great performance (hence the Oscar nomination) although Steve Railsback seems to struggle occasionally, an interesting story and occasionally inventive camera work make this a pleasant watch.
Rating:
Post by: Jimmy on July 16, 2011, 05:09:58 PM
now I have to wait 11 more days to get mine...
Post by: Achim on July 16, 2011, 07:31:51 PM
I was surprised to find that this film is actually rather mainstream compared to your usual selections :P (Oscar nominations and all...). And I was surprised that this had never crossed my path before, except maybe that I read about the difficulties making it. Looking forward to watch the 2 hour documentary tomorrow.
Post by: Jimmy on July 16, 2011, 09:13:58 PM
I was surprised to find that this film is actually rather mainstream compared to your usual selections :P (Oscar nominations and all...).Hey Last Summer (http://www.dvdcollectorsonline.com/index.php/topic,5062.msg83001.html#msg83001) is on my list of the best movie ever made and it was nominated for an Oscar (Catherine Burns - Best Actress in a Supporting Role) :laugh:
and sadly it will never be release on DVD as MGM offer this film on its MOD-DVDR program (wich is too much trouble when you aren't living in the US).
Post by: Achim on July 24, 2011, 08:54:30 AM
| Elvis (1979/United States) (http://www.ya-shin.com/images/imdb-logo-30px.png) (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079103)
|
Stars:
Kurt Russell as Elvis Presley
Shelley Winters as Gladys Presley
Bing Russell as Vernon Presley
Robert Gray as Red West
Season Hubley as Priscilla Presley
Plot:
Just two years after Elvis Presley died, Kurt Russell brought him back to life in the original biopic about the King of Rock 'n' Roll. Broadcast on ABC in 1979, Elvis marked the first time director John Carpenter and actor Kurt Russell would work together in what would become a legendary pairing in film history (Escape From New York, Big Trouble In Little China, The Thing and Escape From L.A.).
Tracing Presley's life from his impoverished childhood to his meteoric rise to stardom to his triumphant return to Las Vegas, Elvis features Shelley Winters (Gladys Presley), Season Hubley (Priscilla Presley), Bing Russell (Kurt's real-life father as Vernon Presley), Pat Hingle (Colonel Tom Parker), Joe Mantegna ("Memphis Mafia" member Joe Esposito) and Ed Begley Jr. (drummer D.J. Fontana) in an all-star supporting cast for an effort that garnered numerous Emmy® nominations including Outstanding Lead Actor for Russell.
Extras:
- Scene Access
- Audio Commentary
- Featurettes
- Gallery
My Thoughts:
After Halloween John Carpenter went on to make two TV movies, this is the second one (after Someone's Watching Me!). Carpenter puts in a strong effort with this one, mostly letting things unfold by themselves and just having the camera observe what is happening with the characters. The film mostly ignores the business side of things, we merely see a few songs during key performances or events so that the audience gets a frame of reference. Instead we get to know the man that shot to fame rather quickly and how he has to deal with the (at the time) unprecedented popularity. Maybe Carpenter was too much of a fan, maybe the Presley estate had a big hand in avoiding controversial material (this was only two years after Elvis' death and the film was apparently allowed to shoot a few scenes at Graceland), maybe there is actually not much to report, but there are only a few scenes showing Elvis' darker side, when he is struggling with the enormous popularity (he is very rich yet a prisoner in his own home), his artistic integrity (when a producer changes the song without consulting him) and the balance between his entourage and his private life with his wife. The film also puts strong emphasis on his relationship with his mother and how her death influenced his music towards religious themes.I enjoyed this film very much. The rather interesting success story of Elvis, undoubtedly one of the main forefathers of modern rock music, is supported by a great performance by Kurt Russell and an his supporting cast (Pat Hingle, Charles Cyphers). There is a good selection of songs in this, although not original; Kurt Russell is doing good lip-syncing to Ronnie McDowell's cover versions. May the film be rose-tinted or maybe they cut off at the Las Vegas concert especially to avoid the troubled later years, even at three hours length it was a compelling story and I never found myself bored.
Rating:
Post by: Achim on August 07, 2011, 09:14:07 AM
| Damnation Alley (1977/United States)
|
Stars:
Jan-Michael Vincent as Tanner
George Peppard as Denton
Dominique Sanda as Janice
Paul Winfield as Keegan
Jackie Earle Haley as Billy
Plot:
The world is devastated by a nuclear holocaust, causing the Earth to tilt on its axis and bringing vast meteorological chaos. As the weather stabilizes, mutated insects start to emerge, preying on the survivors. Luckily, the remaining crew at a U.S. Air Force bomb shelter in the Mojave Desert picks up radio signals coming from Albany. The crew's commander, Major Eugene Dalton (George Peppard, TV's The A-Team), unveils two armored vehicles he has constructed and announces a plan to corss "Damnation Alley," the hundred-mile-wide strip between areas of radiation hazard, to join the other survivors. They set off, taking on two civilians — a novice singer they find in the ruins of Las Vegas and a wild teenager (Jackie Earle Haley, Watchmen) — along the way. The journey is also beset by giant mutated cockroaches, storms and crazed survivalists, making for some hair-raising encounters in this post-apocalyptic thriller.
Extras:
- Audio Commentary
- Feature Trailers
- Featurettes
My Thoughts:
I had wanted to see this film for 30 years, ever since I saw the pictures of the could tank they drive and the giant scorpions that threaten them. Seeing that this was a 20th Century Fox film, yet distributed by Shout Factory leveled my expectations, which was a good thing. This film is "forgotten" for a reason, it has aged incredibly bad. There are three interesting scenes in it (scorpions, cockroaches and hillbillies), otherwise the film outstays its welcome even at only 90min :stars: Too many scenes just have nothing happen in them. A post apocalyptic road movie that bores the hell out of us. They could have redeemed some if the badness with a proper ending, but instead went with something that even defies the film's own logic :slaphead:Rating:
Post by: Achim on August 07, 2011, 09:56:25 AM
 | Død snø (2009/Norway) (http://www.ya-shin.com/images/imdb-logo-30px.png) (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1278340)
|
Stars:
Vegar Hoel as Martin
Stig Frode Henriksen as Roy
Charlotte Frogner as Hanna
Lasse Valdal as Vegard
Evy Kasseth Røsten as Liv
Plot:
With a car packed full of ski equipment and enough beer to fuel their escape from everyday life eight medical students head out on their Easter vacation.
Isolated in the snowy hills the group begins to realize they came to the wrong resort, as deep in the hills lay an unthinkable evil.
Extras:
- Scene Access
- Feature Trailers
- Featurettes
My Thoughts:
I had a lot of fun with this one. My friend and I were enjoying that this Norwegian film did not use the same patterns an American film would have used, which in whole made it feel fresh. my friend did however complain about the unrealistic use of the human anatomy, especially that of intestines :laugh: (he is a surgeon...). There are a few laughs in this, as well as a sufficient amount of gore. So, while obviously not a masterpiece of a film, it is great fun for that Saturday night with some friends over.Rating:
Post by: Achim on August 22, 2011, 03:10:58 PM
| (http://www.ya-shin.com/phpdvdprofiler/images/thumbnails//5055201806710.4f.jpg) | Los cronocrímenes (2007/Spain) (http://www.ya-shin.com/images/imdb-logo-30px.png) (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0480669)
|
Stars:
Karra Elejalde as Héctor
Candela Fernández as Clara
Bárbara Goenaga as La Chica en el Bosque
Nacho Vigalondo as El Joven
Ion Inciarte as Héctor Ocasional
Plot:
Lauded short-film director Nacho Vigalondo makes his feature debut with this tense, unstoppable vision of science and natural law gone awry.
Héctor (Karra Elejalde) is relaxing on a lawn chair outside of his new country home, surveying the nearby hillside through a pair of binoculars, when he catches sight of what appears to be a nude woman amidst the trees. Hiking up to investigate, he is attacked by a sinister figure whose head is wrapped in a grotesque, pink bandage. Fleeing in terror, his next actions set in motion a brain-twisting, horrifying chain of events.
Drawing from the best traditions of classic science fiction and crime fiction, TIMECRIMES plays games with the genres and the audience, giving the protagonist a Russian-doll like shell of identities that are shed so often that Héctor can be playing one of any number of whodunit archetypes at any given moment as he becomes increasingly more complicit in the complicated mess that he's trying to fix.
Extras:
- Scene Access
- Feature Trailers
- Bonus Trailers
My Thoughts:
Where Primer did my head in with it's high-level approach this was a lot of fun to watch. Kept much simpler and more approachable than before mentioned film, Timecrimes is an interesting watch. It is unfortunately held back by a weird pacing, giving the audience lots of information too early, so we are left to merely observe how things unfold. This is especially true in the middle section and even in the "climax" little is done to keep us on the edge of the seat. That leaves the viewer ultimate with, as I said, interesting but mostly unengaging story.Rating:
Post by: Achim on December 30, 2011, 05:31:27 AM
FAIL
Of course, I never said I will review every movie I watch for this marathon and therefore coulds just fill the list with what I watched last year but a) I am not sure that would complete the list for all years and B) I am too lazy to do that.
Post by: goodguy on December 30, 2011, 05:53:19 AM
...and therefore coulds just fill the list with what I watched last year but a) I am not sure that would complete the list for all years and B) I am too lazy to do that.
I just took a quick look at the movies I watched in 2011 and I came pretty close without even trying.