Recent viewings

[claws]

Blu-ray: Daybreakers (2009)

Movie: 3.5/5
Picture: 4/5
Audio: 4/5
Extras: 3/5

Vampires have taken over the world and blood becomes a rare thing. The bloodsuckers are desperately working on solutions but it's up the a handful of humans to cure vampirism. Futuristic Action/Horror/Thriller hybrid with a few great ideas, gory special effects but somewhat average story telling. It's missing the final "polish" but other than that Daybreakers was ok entertainment.

[Starsky]

porn, a lot of it 

[JaseSF]

The Warriors (1979): Ten members of the Warriors, A street gang from Coney Island, attend a city-wide conclave meeting held by the biggest gang's boss Cyrus (Roger Hill) who hopes to organize the gangs into a city-wide army. Things however take a turn for the worst when the leader of a rival gang assassinates Cyrus and pins the blame on the Warriors! Now unarmed, as was the rule for the gathering, the Warriors lead by war chief Swan (Michael Beck), have to try and fight their way back to Coney Island but with 20,000 cops and a city full of gangs standing in their way looking to take them down and out, how can they possibly hope to get back? Will they even survive the night?

This is a fairly simple straightforward action thriller and although it's more in the realm of fantasy than reality, it's simply brilliant in terms of execution, style and keeping viewers excited and on the edge of their seat as we root on the heroic soldiers the Warriors just attempting to get back home in one piece in the face of impossible odds. The choice of music adds much to the experience too. Even the cartoonish over the top gangs don't diminish from this one's enjoyment as somehow it all still seems surprisingly plausible even though it does seem more fantasy than reality. "Now let's get down to it boppers!" "Can U Dig It?" - yes, yes I can! **** out of ***** stars.

[Flick James]

The Warriors (1979): Ten members of the Warriors, A street gang from Coney Island, attend a city-wide conclave meeting held by the biggest gang's boss Cyrus (Roger Hill) who hopes to organize the gangs into a city-wide army. Things however take a turn for the worst when the leader of a rival gang assassinates Cyrus and pins the blame on the Warriors! Now unarmed, as was the rule for the gathering, the Warriors lead by war chief Swan (Michael Beck), have to try and fight their way back to Coney Island but with 20,000 cops and a city full of gangs standing in their way looking to take them down and out, how can they possibly hope to get back? Will they even survive the night?

This is a fairly simple straightforward action thriller and although it's more in the realm of fantasy than reality, it's simply brilliant in terms of execution, style and keeping viewers excited and on the edge of their seat as we root on the heroic soldiers the Warriors just attempting to get back home in one piece in the face of impossible odds. The choice of music adds much to the experience too. Even the cartoonish over the top gangs don't diminish from this one's enjoyment as somehow it all still seems surprisingly plausible even though it does seem more fantasy than reality. "Now let's get down to it boppers!" "Can U Dig It?" - yes, yes I can! **** out of ***** stars.

It still amazes me that I've never seen this film. I even remember when I was a kid, and too young to see R-rated movies, older kids talking about it and how they walked out of the theatre wanting to fight. Seems like one of those films that was a bigger influence than anyone ever realized.

[lester1/2jr]

I kind of like the italian rip off version better. after the fall of New york or something? the one with all the weird gangs.

[HappyGilmore]

Observe and Report

This magnificent film is incomparable to the sad excuse for comedy Mall Cop. Kevin James is not funny and never has been. 


 

I never saw the Kevin James "Paul Blart."  I loved Observe and Report though.  Good good movie.  I loved the news report where he's screaming at the flasher, in terms can't be used on a news report: "I will MURDER you.  I will gouge out your eyes, stab you in the chest and rip out your beating heart you fu*king gutless motherfuc*er.  I've got tasers and knives.  I'll fu*king make you dead."

[Joe the Destroyer]

Island of Death- Yes, it's controversial.  The narrative isn't half bad, but the movie runs out of steam after about 50 minutes.  Definitely a must for exploitation fans, but a dull watch for anyone else. 

[JaseSF]

Watchmen (2009): When one of a now retired group of superheroes is murdered by being thrown out the window of his high-rise apartment, several of his former teammates try and track down his killer.

For the most part, this movie proved a whole lot better than I expected it would. The comic series never seemed possible to me to reproduce as well as this in film form. One thing is for certain, the casting here is superb. Every character is nailed virtually down pat. I especially liked Jackie Earle Haley as the iconic Rorschach, Patrick Wilson as Dan Drieberg/Nite Owl II and Malin Åkerman as Laurie Jupiter/Silk Spectre II.  The action and thrills, shocks and suspense of the comic series are all there but they made one major change I really didn't like and that was they changed the ending, and in such a way, it doesn't have near the major impact it does when one reads the comic series. Naturally there's tonnes from the comics that just couldn't make the transition here such as a lot of backstory and side story that ties a far more complex and complicated weave in the comics than could have transitioned well to the big screen.

The earlier graphic violence deadens the ending's impact too much and as such, it never seems near as brutal as it should have been. The comic series too did have lots of graphic violence in it but here it just works to lessen the impact of what should have been the film's most climactic scene. The sexuality put on display here too is far more than I expected and borders on softcore pornography at one point, which seemed a little unnecessary to be honest but had they not upped the violence and sex, they probably would have been accused of toning things down from the comics so I guess it's a bit understandable they did things the way they did. The other major flaw the film has for me is it looks way too polished, it lacks that grimy, dirty feel the comics had. Richard Nixon here too never looks truly believable and seems more a caricature than a real person. A good film but of course not as good as the original comic series. ***1/2 out of ***** stars.

Terminator Salvation (2009): In 2018, a group of resistance fighters lead by John Connor (Christian Bale) struggles to survive against Skynet and its machine forces. Connor knows he must find and protect Kyle Reese (Anton Yelchin) to ensure both his own and the resistance's continued existence. Meanwhile, a man from the past named Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington), condemned on death row, finds himself now suddenly thrust into this frightening future.

This movie has many major flaws, some plot holes that seem almost big enough to drive a mack truck through, and some serious flaws in logic. Here's a list of just some of them (WARNING: SPOILER territory for the next 4 paragraphs):

John Connor and the Resistance makes lots of noise and create many explosions in their search for Marcus & Blair at one point yet aren't spotted by the Machines aside from those underwater when they probe that area.

Why doesn't Skynet have the machines simply kill Kyle Reese once his identity is confirmed? Or John Connor later for that matter? The machines using them as bait for one another seems pointless when Kyle's life ending would wipe out John Connor's existence. Also why take so long to strike knowing the Resistance location?

Marcus not realizing the truth about himself seems suspect. Wouldn't one notice they could see at night, not have to eat, use the bathroom, etc.?

The whole heart thing? Um seems like damaged goods to me.

I'm sure there's even more I'm not mentioning here but those seem the most major ones. That said, the film is surprisingly enjoyable albeit mindless entertainment. There's lot of action cliches, battles, chases, explosions and a neat surprise appearance by an old familiar face. Also Christian Bale and Sam Worthington give good performances given what they were given to work with here. **1/2 out of ***** stars and that's being generous perhaps because I thought this would be even worse.

Benny & Joon (1993): Benny (Aidan Quinn) is an hardworking mechanic who's sacrificed a lot of his own life and happiness to look after and protect his mentally ill sister Joon (Mary Stuart Masterson). Joon however is starting to want to have her own life, especially after meeting the quirky Buster Keaton-isque Sam (Johnny Depp), a friend's cousin who Benny & Joon essentially come to take in.

This is a sweet little movie about love, family, self-sacrifice and knowing when to let go and let those we care for have their own lives.  This has its ups and downs and misunderstandings but overall it's just a touching, good film with likable, realistic characters. Great performances from all involved especially Depp, Masterson and Quinn. If it has any flaw, it's that it gets a bit sidetracked with Benny's own romantic desires. ***1/2 out of *****.

[lester1/2jr]

Crime Wave (1946) low budget movies have to make you appreciate what's not there a la modern art and this one suceeds. In some places it flirts with too much not being there. There's very little music except what emanates from jukeboxes in the movie itself and not alot of different camera angles. On the one hand the spareness is effective, on the other hand when you have a long shot of a guy sitting there talking you can't help but start to think about the camera and so forth which cuts down on the ablity to get lost in it.

Plot is a stick up goes wrong and a guy gets shot so he shows up at an old friend who's gone straights apartment. The guy tries to navigate all the crime stuff dropped on his doorstep while not losing his new life. Making this harder are his a***ole gangster buddies who show up and haven't changed a bit from the old days (they keep pulling me back IN). No frills directing by André De Toth and rock solid script by Bernard Gordon who was later blacklisted after appearing before tailgunner Joe and the HUAC in DC and evidently striking out.

4.25/ 5

also on this disk was


Decoy (1946) This starts of kind of confusing and the entire thing is totally implausible in many ways but it's still fun. A pretty lady with a british accent corrals all these men who are in love with her to try and get to this box with $400,000 in it. One of them is a doctor, one of them is a gangster and the other one is also a gangster. Men are dense but not this dense. The idea of bringing a dead man back to life after an HOUR with an injection is ridiculous, and the one doctor totally ignores his smoking hot secretary but we are supposed to believe he is willing to do all this stuff for some tail. Relative to other second movies on disks it's very good. Directed by Grade Z A-lister Jack Bernard (Unknown Island, Blonde Ice)I did not listen to the expert (not people involved in making of the film) commentaries on either.

4/5

also saw


They Drive by Night (1940) - this was a good working class drama about truck drivers and their hardships and rough life where they drink beers and act rough and get screwed over by the loan sharks and bosses. Pretty much your typical American style / new deal era socialist propaganda. I liked Ann Sheridan as the redhead (black and white so you have to take her word on it, though historical records back it up) one of them picks up at a diner. I thought Ida lupino was a little one dimensional as the truck company owners wife but I guess that is part of the message? It was too over the top even for an evil capitalist woman.

 I really felt that Humphrey Bogart badly upstaged the main character George raft though. Let's face it: he should have been the star and Raft should have been the brother. The ending is more socialism. If you are a big Barack Obama fan check this out.

3.75/5

[3mnkids]

Solomon Kane~ Loved it, loved it, loooooved it     This is my kind of movie.    The scenery is absolutely stunning in this. The action is great, the CGI really, really good considering the budget, the acting was good(a couple of moments made me giggle because of the cheesy dialogue) and its got a decent plot. I enjoyed the hell out ot it.

XSDZNHYLDOY

[claws]

Blu-ray (Region B): End of the Line (2007)

Movie: 3.5/5
Picture: 3/5
Audio: 3/5
Extras: 4.5/5

Low budget Filmfestival fave about religious nuts killing people in order to save their souls because of approaching apocalypse. Crafty execution, gory special effects and a solid ending that screams 'sequel'. There are a few annoying characters though, and a few scenes are borderline bad.
As much as I appreciate Blu-rays I must question the (European) HD release of End of the Line. Except for two or three scenes the rest was pretty much DVD standard.

[Jack]

Journey To The Center of the Earth (2008) - Watched this again.  A group of hot babes in tight tank tops get teleported 600 km beneath the surface of the earth, where they're menaced by bad CGI dinosaurs.  They run around and get all sweaty.  Meanwhile, Greg Evigan and Dedee Pfeiffer race to save them in an underground tunneling machine.  Pure cheesy goodness - 5/5.

[Rev. Powell]

PARIS JE'TAIME (2006):  Anthology of short films from 22 directors (mostly French), all set in Paris and revolving around the theme of love.  It's definitely a "box of chocolates" experience---many of the stories are yawners, maudlin, or inconclusive---but there are enough good ones to make it worth a watch.  The Coen Brothers segment, a hilarious sketch starring Steve Buscemi demonstrating why you should never look someone directly in the eyes on the Paris Metro, is the best.  Other memorable pieces are a silent vampire story (starring Elijah Wood) and the almost heartbreaking story of a dying Nigerian immigrant who wants a coffee date with the cute paramedic who comes to his aid.  Followed by an installment called "New York, I Love You." 3.5/5.

[Sleepyskull]

Fright Night (1985)

This was a truly fun movie! The characters were great and I enjoyed the entire story.

12.8 out of 13 stars

I'm not sure why I'm not giving it a perfect score, but that is how I feel.

[JaseSF]

District 9 (2009): After their spaceship breaks down over Johannesburg, South Africa, millions of extraterrestrials are forced to live in a slum-like district. A weaselly conniving MNU agent named Wikus Van De Merwe (Sharlto Copley) is assigned the task of evicting all the aliens of District 9 by using whatever means necessary to trick them into agreeing to move to a more tent-like concentration camp style structure called District 10. However a sudden and accidental contact with a piece of alien biotechnology forces Wikus to see the truth about the alien's plight in a whole new light.

This made for absolutely fascinating viewing. I soon found myself caught up in the story and couldn't look away even when sometimes I sort of wanted to turn away. It shows the savage depths to which humanity can stoop and the story here is entirely believable in terms of how humanity is likely to respond and deal with the sudden interjection of an entirely alien species into our environment. The economic stresses, social stresses and weird cultural clashes just being the proverbial tip of the iceberg. The aliens too here are far from perfect. Some of them seem savage, ferocious and preoccupied with their own immediate concerns...umm kind of like some human beings are to if you really stop to think about it. But what's most fascinating here is seeing a man like Wikus transformed both literally and figuratively as he comes to understand more fully the true plight of the aliens he'd been previously assigned to control and designate. The most sympathetic of the aliens proves to be a brighter than usual alien named Christopher Johnson and his young son, who together are searching for a means of harvesting the fluid necessary for a return flight to the mothership and eventually their own planet - a process that's taken them all of the 20 years the aliens, called "prawns" have been stranded on Earth.

It is Wikus's meeting and eventually getting to know Johnson that sets events in motion so that Wikus eventually comes to understand the truth about those for whom he works and what is really happening to the aliens on Earth. This movie is similar in set-up to Alien Nation but unlike that film, which essentially becomes a cop-alien buddy film, this explores the true ugly reality likely inherent in such a traumatic event as the sudden arrival of millions of aliens from outer space suddenly stranded and being forced to live on Earth with us human beings.  It is interesting to note that with all the alien technology and weaponry, the aliens themselves never or very rarely ever actually use any of it in the film while it is humans who actually are most preoccupied with them in the story. The movie doesn't explain everything and many of the things that aliens do seem very vague and mysterious but in a way, that's part of this film's charm. Instead of the aliens here alone being hideous monsters from space, we eventually come to learn humanity itself has its own very ugly side too. Perhaps even uglier than the aliens. ****1/2 out of *****