Member Bus Posted January 8, 2016 Member Share Posted January 8, 2016 Monster Squad, Dog Soldiers, Dead Snow, Samoa Joe: Don't call it a comeback, and the best of pwg volume 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member AlbertV Posted January 8, 2016 Member Share Posted January 8, 2016 Watched a 1980's Cannon action gem: Exterminator 2 starring the late Robert Ginty as former Vietnam vet turned flame-throwing vigilante John Eastland, who stops thugs using a flame thrower and then finds a new enemy in underground gang boss X, played by Mario Van Peebles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Lady Jin Szu-Yi Posted January 8, 2016 Member Share Posted January 8, 2016 13 hours ago, Secret Executioner said: Before the South American rain forrest, South Eastern Asia looked like the top spot for cannibals. Umberto Lenzi's Man from deep River (Italy, 1972) also takes place in this area (technically it's set in Thailand or Burma, not Philippines though) and IMDb mentions this was initially to be a sequel of sorts to Man from deep River. I only sat through Man from Deep River a few years ago because of Ivan Rassimov. I know he's in a later, more gory Cannibal film. But judging by your synopsis Secret, this sounds a lot like it would be a direct sequel to Man from Deep River (what little I remember of it.) Personally, I'll view Deodato's crime films to his cannibal output (Live Like a Cop, Die Like a Man anyone?) Ditto for Lenzi, his giallos and crime films over this stuff. Thanks for the review. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Secret Executioner Posted January 8, 2016 Member Share Posted January 8, 2016 Ivan Rassimov is also in Jungle Holocaust, he plays another guy lost in the jungle but who isn't attacked by the cannibals. I haven't seen Man from deep River yet (in spite of being fascinated by the DVD artwork for something like 10 years now), but the two have indeed somewhat similar premises. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Lady Jin Szu-Yi Posted January 8, 2016 Member Share Posted January 8, 2016 1 hour ago, Secret Executioner said: Ivan Rassimov is also in Jungle Holocaust, he plays another guy lost in the jungle but who isn't attacked by the cannibals. Oh, that's right. When it comes to Rassimov, I'll take him in giallos and his crime work please. If you want to see a fun Dirty Harry-like turn from him check out SuperBitch. That's an insane Italian crime film and Rassimov can mirror Eastwood pretty well. Thanks for the refresher, Secret. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Secret Executioner Posted January 9, 2016 Member Share Posted January 9, 2016 Hell of the Living Dead (Italy/Spain, 1980) In this Bruno Mattei, I mean, "Vincent Dawn" movie, a big incident occurs in a research center located in New Guinea and leads to the release of a chemical that turns people into zombies hungry for human flesh. A group of elite soldiers is sent with a secret mission, but they bump into a pair of TV reporters trying to get a big story out of this business. Let's be honest, this isn't one of the greatest zombie movies from Italy. It's not a bad film though, as you have some suspense, well-done gore and the characters aren't too annoying in spite of a lot of bickering. The movie's main weaknesses are some of the make-up for the zombies that looks so cheap it's hilarious (while TBH there's also nice make-up work) and that it drags at points. The film is 100 minutes long, but if you remove some bickering and trim down some of that overused stock footage, you could get a decent 80-something minute film. The stock-footage is not only way overused, but also pretty obvious - it's grainy or of inferior quality compared to the actual movie, and it sometimes doesn't make sense (a lot of it consists in random shots of animals, and you often see animals that don't live in this area - like a bunch of elephants). Beyond these nit-picks, the movie is okay. I liked the looks of some of those zombies (though some of them look cheap), the characters can be fun and there are so many elements that don't make sense that I won't bother listing them all, but when you see the equipment of people supposedly checking a dangerous area of a research center or the way the female lead infiltrates a local tribe, there's some good cheese. And speaking of cheese, the cheesiest part has to be one of the soldiers exploring a house looking for zombies dropping his rifle and playing dress-up for no reason (other than finding stage costumes in a room). Moments like this and the erroneous (though sadly overused) stock-footage showing unrelated locations and animals having nothing to do with New Guinea - I won't comment on the tribes displayed as I'm nowhere near a specialist -, along with some good gore, a couple of good scares and disturbing moments, as well as a Goblin soundtrack (*cough* Dawn of the Dead *cough*) and you get an entertaining movie that will probably please bad movie fans (and maybe some zombie fans who aren't too picky). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Lady Jin Szu-Yi Posted January 9, 2016 Member Share Posted January 9, 2016 (edited) X-Men First Class (we were just discussing this here a few days ago.) Still my favorite of the X-Men films, because it gave you so much character and was a very fun tweak on the Cuban Missle Crisis (if such a harrowing event could be entertaining, this is the way to do it.) Made Magneto human and you almost sympathized with him. I loved the era specific details too (not just in the dialog and performances), but the sets / costumes etc. While Azazel wasn't a good character in the comics, I loved the tweak Jason Flemyng gave him here (made him Russian.) In other words, I was beyond when I saw what Bryan Singer did to the character in Days of Future Past. It wasn't just that, I will just politely say I am not a fan of Bryan Singer or his X-Men (this was the only X film he's had a hand in that I enjoyed because Matthew & Jane also were involved with the screenplay.) I'd like to see Matthew Vaughn tackle another big comic franchise and leave Mark Millar's work behind. He seems to really understand that characters are reason why we enjoy and get into stories and his visual eye is super. Edited January 9, 2016 by Lady Jin Szu-Yi 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DragonClaws Posted January 10, 2016 Member Share Posted January 10, 2016 Mad Max (1979), Australian action classic that helped boost the careers of George Miller & a young Mel Gibson. Commando (1985) Arnold does his own take on the one man army idea as Colonel John Matrix. American Graffiti (1973) George Lucas's ode to the lifestyle of his youth with a cast of future Hollywood talent in the form of Richard Dreyfuss, Harrison Ford & Ron Howard. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member teako170 Posted January 11, 2016 Member Share Posted January 11, 2016 (edited) I (re)watched 8½ (1963) and Nine (2009) the other week. I realize Federico Fellini is lauded as one of the great Italian directors but I haven't seen enough of his films to make a personal opinion. I listened to the commentary track, which certainly helped, plus seeing Nine (a film adaptation of the stage musical inspired by Fellini's 8½) a few days prior helped to enjoy the earlier film. The latter film doesn't get much love (5.8 on IMDb) but I highly enjoyed it. Not a big musical fan but some of the numbers are superb. Fergie (Saraghina) was spicy and fun to watch. Marion Cotillard (Luisa Contini) piece "My husband makes movies" was very heartfelt. I also enjoyed the upbeat Kate Hudson sequence and Penélope Cruz certainly knew how to put on a show. Great choreography, stylized cinematography plus Daniel Day-Lewis who was quite masterful as the tormented director. Edited January 11, 2016 by teako170 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Lady Jin Szu-Yi Posted January 11, 2016 Member Share Posted January 11, 2016 4 hours ago, DragonClaws said: Mad Max (1979), Australian action classic that helped boost the careers of George Miller & a young Mel Gibson I'm almost embarrassed to say I never saw this until late in 2013. Such a good movie. I can see why Kurt Russell was so inspired by the intensity of the film and the costume design to push John Carpenter into making Snake and the NY Max convicts look so dangerous / feral in Escape From New York. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DragonClaws Posted January 11, 2016 Member Share Posted January 11, 2016 11 hours ago, Lady Jin Szu-Yi said: I'm almost embarrassed to say I never saw this until late in 2013. Such a good movie. I can see why Kurt Russell was so inspired by the intensity of the film and the costume design to push John Carpenter into making Snake and the NY Max convicts look so dangerous / feral in Escape From New York. Nice fact Lady Jin Szu-Yi. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Secret Executioner Posted January 11, 2016 Member Share Posted January 11, 2016 (edited) 11 hours ago, Lady Jin Szu-Yi said: I'm almost embarrassed to say I never saw this until late in 2013. Such a good movie. I can see why Kurt Russell was so inspired by the intensity of the film and the costume design to push John Carpenter into making Snake and the NY Max convicts look so dangerous / feral in Escape From New York. Didn't see it until mid-2015 when my local theater hosted a double bill with the first two films. I found the first okay (a bit too harsh at times, though it was strange seeing a very young Mel Gibson and some of the chases were pretty intense) and I had a blast with Road Warrior, while in the mean time I still haven't seen Beyond Thunderdome and I wasn't interested in Fury Road in the first place(the style didn't appeal to me), and that constant praising like it was the best thing since slice bread ended it for me so I skipped it altogether. Will probably pick up a DVD set with the whole series at some point, cause I only have RW so far. Edited January 11, 2016 by Secret Executioner 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DragonClaws Posted January 11, 2016 Member Share Posted January 11, 2016 3 hours ago, Secret Executioner said: Didn't see it until mid-2015 when my local theater hosted a double bill with the first two films. I found the first okay (a bit too harsh at times, though it was strange seeing a very young Mel Gibson and some of the chases were pretty intense) and I had a blast with Road Warrior, while in the mean time I still haven't seen Beyond Thunderdome and I wasn't interested in Fury Road in the first place(the style didn't appeal to me), and that constant praising like it was the best thing since slice bread ended it for me so I skipped it altogether. Will probably pick up a DVD set with the whole series at some point, cause I only have RW so far. My girlfriend got me the BR box set for XMAS and I'm going to re-watch them all over the next few weekends. Been a big fan of the series I intended on watching Fury Road even if fan/critics didn't like it. I understand why you might want to dodge Fury Road due to the hype but given a chance one day. Beyond The Thunderdome is the weakest of the three in my opinion but I love the visual look and the action set pieces. The finale is still a great example of a well staged and epic chase scene with no use of CGI at all. The stuntmen who made this films really deserve more praise. Surprised to see no extras dedicated to them on the BR/DVD releases. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member masterofoneinchpunch Posted January 11, 2016 Member Share Posted January 11, 2016 (edited) 22 hours ago, DragonClaws said: Mad Max (1979), Australian action classic that helped boost the careers of George Miller & a young Mel Gibson. Commando (1985) Arnold does his own take on the one man army idea as Colonel John Matrix. American Graffiti (1973) George Lucas's ode to the lifestyle of his youth with a cast of future Hollywood talent in the form of Richard Dreyfuss, Harrison Ford & Ron Howard. Quick note: American Graffiti (and the sequel) take place in Modesto (they were not filmed here because Modesto had changed too much in the meantime). Lucas had gone to school here (Downey High School, my Mom went to school with him for a few years) and then he went to MJC (Jeremy Renner also went here.) The streets mentioned in the movie are real, though at the time Mel's was not. Modesto has a few statues and plaques and various things up to commemorate Lucas. He is the favorite son, though Lucas never was a big fan of the town (much smaller when he lived here.) Edited January 11, 2016 by masterofoneinchpunch Why the hell did I write Davis 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member masterofoneinchpunch Posted January 11, 2016 Member Share Posted January 11, 2016 18 hours ago, teako170 said: I (re)watched 8½ (1963) and Nine (2009) the other week. I realize Federico Fellini is lauded as one of the great Italian directors but I haven't seen enough of his films to make a personal opinion. I listened to the commentary track, which certainly helped, plus seeing Nine (a film adaptation of the stage musical inspired by Fellini's 8½) a few days prior helped to enjoy the earlier film. The latter film doesn't get much love (5.8 on IMDb) but I highly enjoyed it. Not a big musical fan but some of the numbers are superb. Fergie (Saraghina) was spicy and fun to watch. Marion Cotillard (Luisa Contini) piece "My husband makes movies" was very heartfelt. I also enjoyed the upbeat Kate Hudson sequence and Penélope Cruz certainly knew how to put on a show. Great choreography, stylized cinematography plus Daniel Day-Lewis who was quite masterful as the tormented director. What is interesting about Fellini is how different his films can be. When you look at his early career like Variety Lights and La Strada you see a neorealist strain that is so much different than his later films. They are still good though. Orson Welles was a huge fan of The White Sheik (his second film). I do think they are worth watching especially if you like Roberto Rossellini or Vittorio De Sica. You see him start to transition in La Dolce Vita (a Roger Ebert Great Film who was also a big Fellini fan) with more surrealism and moving away from neorealism. I've seen 12 of his films and I've seen 8½ a few times (I have the Criterion release of this.) Like with Tarkovsky's The Mirror it really does pay to have seen a certain amount of Fellini films before seeing that movie since it is quite autobiographical (listening to the commentary as you stated does help.) My favorites: Nights of Cabiria, 8½, Amarcord, Juliet of the Spirits and La Strada. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DragonClaws Posted January 11, 2016 Member Share Posted January 11, 2016 2 hours ago, masterofoneinchpunch said: Quick note: American Graffiti (and the sequel) take place in Modesto (they were not filmed here because Modesto had changed too much in the meantime). Lucas had gone to school here (Downey High School, my Mom went to school with him for a few years) and then he went to MJC (Jeremy Renner also went here.) The streets mentioned in the movie are real, though at the time Mel's was not. Modesto has a few statues and plaques and various things up to commemorate Lucas. He is the favorite son, though Lucas never was a big fan of the town (much smaller when he lived here.) Interesting that your mum went to school with him MOOIP. Ive yet to see More American Graffiti (1979). I think every young person at some point feels dissatisfied with their hometown. You see how this influenced some parts of American Graffiti/Star Wars A New Hope. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member AlbertV Posted January 12, 2016 Member Share Posted January 12, 2016 In honor of the late David Bowie, I re-watched Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence and decided to re-post my review from 2010 from my old film blog to my new film blog. https://worldfilmgeek.wordpress.com/2016/01/11/review-merry-christmas-mr-lawrence-1982/ 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Secret Executioner Posted January 16, 2016 Member Share Posted January 16, 2016 (edited) Treated myself to a late night horror/science-fiction double feature with this little DVD tonight. The Neanderthal Man (USA, 1953) The first of the two movies deals with a scientist who has a theory that the Neanderthal man was actually as smart as the current human being. When a presentation of his theories go awry with other scientists mocking him and him losing his temper and insulting them, he decides to prove his theory by experiment as it turns out he perfected a formula that can turn a being back to the form of a previous step in evolution. By this summary, you can tell it's pretty much another take on Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - it pretty much completely goes that way in the second half actually. The movie is overall okay, with some solid suspense, the special effects are relatively good (some stuff may look fake or even laughable, but it's still not too bad) and you get likeable characters in the mix - I was quite intrigued by the scientist character, as he looks (somewhat) and sounds (a lot) like Vincent Price (which IMO makes the part even more enjoyable). Also, the plot about Neanderthal men actually starts 20 or so minutes in. The movie actually begins as a killer animal sort of thing with a mysteriously big feline (described as having tusks) being spotted and roaming the area (based on the plot, I'll let you guess where this comes from). The Brain Eaters (USA, 1958) A mysterious metallic cone is discovered in the woods near the small town of Riverdale, Illinois. An investigation leads to a senator coming up and teaming up with the scientists to find out about it. In the mean time, people in the town start acting up with outbursts of violence due to mysterious slug-like parasites pricking them in the neck. The first film was somewhat enjoyable, but this one is not. I can get past the bad video quality that makes it hard to make out what's on screen at times (dealing with that a lot whenever I watch independent MA movies), but when you have a a story that doesn't invest you at all (never found myself concerned about these characters) and that seems to be going nowhere (which it kinda does, since the discovery of the nature of the invaders and the ending feel very Deus ex machina-esque)... Actually, it manages to drag a lot in spite of its very short running time (barely 60 minutes). The most interesting thing about the film could be that writer Robert A. Heinlein sued the producers for plagiarizing his 1951 novel The Puppet Masters (that was actually made into a movie in 1994). Overall, I don't regret buying this DVD, but I probably won't be watching The Brain Eaters again. However, I did enjoy the little easter egg in the form of a Flinstones cereal commercial that plays before the movie when you choose to watch The Neanderthal Man. Edited January 16, 2016 by Secret Executioner 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Morgoth Bauglir Posted January 17, 2016 Member Share Posted January 17, 2016 (edited) I'm on a mission right now to find an Italian mystery/suspense type movie that's as good as Footprints on the Moon. I watched 7 giallos recently and they are nowhere near as good as Footprints. But, they are all enjoyable. Here's how I rank them. 1 My Dear Killer 2 The Bloodstained Shadow 3 Short Night of Glass Dolls 4 The Fifth Cord 5 Forbidden Photos of a Lady Above Suspicion 6 Who Saw Her Die? 7 The Pyjama Girl Case A nice surprise was that I got 5 Morricone scores, 1 from Riz Ortolani and 1 from Stelvio Cipriani/Goblin. The scores range from good to very good. The Fifth Cord (Morricone) is the only one that comes to mind where the score was just average. Edited January 17, 2016 by Morgoth Bauglir 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Lady Jin Szu-Yi Posted January 17, 2016 Member Share Posted January 17, 2016 (edited) 18 hours ago, Morgoth Bauglir said: I'm on a mission right now to find an Italian mystery/suspense type movie that's as good as Footprints on the Moon. I watched 7 giallos recently and they are nowhere near as good as Footprints. But, they are all enjoyable. Here's how I rank them. 1 My Dear Killer 2 The Bloodstained Shadow 3 Short Night of Glass Dolls 4 The Fifth Cord 5 Forbidden Photos of a Lady Above Suspicion 6 Who Saw Her Die? 7 The Pyjama Girl Case A nice surprise was that I got 5 Morricone scores, 1 from Riz Ortolani and 1 from Stelvio Cipriani/Goblin. The scores range from good to very good. The Fifth Cord (Morricone) is the only one that comes to mind where the score was just average. Forgive me Morgoth I have no idea what you've seen and haven't seen so... my giallo suggestions: A Lizard in a Woman's Skin (Mondo is releasing a blu ray next month. This is as close to the unsettling weirdness of Footrprints as you'll get I think - plus it's Florinda Bolkan again) These are more traditional like the ones you've watched - only vastly superior to anything on that list. What Have You Done to Solange? The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh (definitely more thriller like) Tenebre (my favorite Dario Argento, I wish Synapse would hurry the heck up with the blu ray already...) These are decent: Black Belly of the Tarantula Bird with the Crystal Plumage Opera Perversion Story (this is more of a Hitchcock like thriller really.) --- Today's viewing included Coming to America (thought the actress who played the Queen to James Earl Jones' King was terrific. This is a cute movie), Sleeper and She. Edited January 17, 2016 by Lady Jin Szu-Yi 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Morgoth Bauglir Posted January 17, 2016 Member Share Posted January 17, 2016 Thanks. None of those were on my radar except for Lizard. It's too pricey I think right now but tax season would be a good time to get it. I think I've seen 2 other giallos. Don't Torture a Duckling which is my least favorite, and Blazing Magnum which is my favorite. The murder mystery part of Blazing Magnum is well done but nothing special. And it has a couple amazing car chases. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Lady Jin Szu-Yi Posted January 17, 2016 Member Share Posted January 17, 2016 (edited) 16 hours ago, Morgoth Bauglir said: Blazing Magnum Blazing Magnum is not a giallo, it's an Italian police / crime film (I can't remember how to spell that term in Italian ;)) Duckling... I'm not fond of either in spite of good performances from Marc Porel and Tomas Milian. That film tackled a still taboo subject in a way that felt really sleazy - I suppose that was Fulci's point, but damn. Edited January 17, 2016 by Lady Jin Szu-Yi 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Morgoth Bauglir Posted January 17, 2016 Member Share Posted January 17, 2016 (edited) I figured Blazing Magnum was a giallo because it follows the same formula as a lot of the other movies I just watched. A killer is on the loose, there's a lot of suspects, and we don't find out until the end who the killer is and why they are killing. But I always considered it more of an action movie. Stuart Whitman has way too many fight scenes for a guy his age. Edited January 17, 2016 by Morgoth Bauglir 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Secret Executioner Posted January 17, 2016 Member Share Posted January 17, 2016 (edited) Interesting giallo talk guys. Treated myself to some Italian cinema too with an Enzo Castellari triple feature today. The last Shark (Italy, 1981) A seaside town is terrified by the appearance of a very big and ferocious shark (a "great white" according to one of the alternate titles). First in the triple feature is some typical Jaws ripoff. The movie had a low budget, so there's a big fake head (that looks pretty bad TBH), a small mechanical shark that seems a bit strange and a ton of stock footage with various kind of sharks (though the great white is the most preeminently featured) for the shark scenes. The shark seems to go from a basic shark attacking swimmers to a powerhouse that can do anything over the course of the movie - it traps divers in a cave, takes an helicopter down... Some ridiculously OTT stuff happens here. Concerning the humans, you get the typical bunch: a politician who's all about carreer and winning the election, dumb teenagers, a fisherman who's out after the shark, a scientist, a bunch of reporters trying to get a scoop out of the shark. And special mention to a hunter that shows up in the last third who has to be a shark specialist. You can tell by his outfit that looks like he's from a ZZ Top tribute band (minus the beard) or something. Beyond the kinda laughable shark and the stereotypical characters, it's a rather neat movie. There is a lot of tension and suspense with the shark scenes (courtesy of a very sinister and threatening theme that plays in every scene with our aquatic friend), the characters aren't too annoying and you eventually feel invested in them rather than put off and wishing the shark would eat them (except for the scientist's daughter who's a very annoying brat) and it's not too bad for a cheap knock-off - it's actually enjoyable if you like exploitative stuff. The original poster adds an extra touch by looking close to potentially being Jaws 3 (which would come out 2 years later) French poster - note the big 3 on the sail. and while some countries (USA notably) had it banned due to plagiarizing Jaws (thank you Universal...), others like Japan had it distributed as a Jaws film. Japanese VHS cover Bronx Warriors (Italy, 1982) NYC, 1990: the Bronx is now an area separated between various gangs (including our hero's bikers, a gang that looks like bad cosplays of A Clockwork Orange and a bunch of rollerskaters with hockey gear). The authorities have given up trying to enforce law and that's precisely where a girl from Manhattan runs away to. She bounds with the leader of a biker gang, but an infiltrated cop is sent to get her back and in the process tries to divide gangs and cause a gang war that would "clean up" the place. French poster that showcases members of a police force seen only in the final battle... Not only is that plot strangely familiar (Escape from New York anyone ?), but the movie is also strongly influenced by the 1979 classic The Warriors and its whole gang thing. Some people even add Mad Max 2 AKA The Road Warrior to the list of movies it borrows from, though I failed to see any connection - however, the hero loses some people dear to him, which may be reminiscent of the first Mad Max movie. Beyond that, well... That movie is strangely not that interesting. Sure one has to enjoy the lack of charisma from Marco di Gregorio/Mark Gregory as the leader of a biker gang, the OTT appearances of the other gangs seen in the movie, some fun performances here and there by side-characters and a pretty neat performance by Fred Williamson who is mainly featured in the second half as The Ogre, AKA the "King of the Bronx". But beside that, there isn't much action (tension is built up but rarely results in action), the movie seems to drag at times and the story is a bit confused at points - like the fact the hero needs to go through the whole Bronx to meet with Williamson, but he reaches him in barely 10 minutes and there's only like 2 or 3 gangs between the two guys' territories. The soundtrack feels a bit off, the music doesn't fit the visuals that well - like when you have the bikers gathering or being together on the road, but the music doesn't feel near rock 'n' roll enough. Overall, it's kind of a letdown and probably the weakest of the three movies I've seen today. Worth a watch for the curiosity, but not something I see myself wanting to revisit in the future. Escape from the Bronx AKA Bronx Warriors 2 (Italy, 1983) To conclude this Castellari marathon, we join Mark Gregory again as the Bronx is under the threat of being torn down to make way for a new city without crime, poverty and all the vile stuff you'd find in the Bronx. While the last few remaining inhabitants are being brutally expelled from their home to be deported to New Mexico (or simply burnt alive), we see the various gangs have gathered underground and want to strike back - a reporter who joined them suggests to kidnapp the president of the evil company in charge of the project, which leads to a gigantic battle. French VHS cover Well, this one fares quite better than its predecessor. It's no masterpiece and many elements may seem familiar (one of the titles is a direct ripoff of a certain John Carpenter movie for instance), but at least it's more engaging and doesn't drag as much as the previous entry. Well, the first half has exposition and is a bit slow at points (though you have a lot of action and the colorful gang members - including some from the first film - are entertaining, especially their OTT hispanic leader), but the second half is non-stop action with shootouts, explosions and a crazy amount of casualties that would make Chang Cheh jealous (174 deaths in the uncut version, which I assume must be the US version since it runs 89 minutes against the 85 minutes of the French version I have). Actually, the size and length of the final battle somewhat reminded me of the ultra-long, big and quite brutal finale to Jimmy Wang Yu's Beach of the War Gods. My call on all this ? I say Escape from the Bronx is the most fun of the bunch, but The last Shark is also a quite enjoyable film. Bronx Warriors feels a bit tame and boring compared to these two. All pictures taken from nanarland.com Edited January 17, 2016 by Secret Executioner Changing an image 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Lady Jin Szu-Yi Posted January 17, 2016 Member Share Posted January 17, 2016 (edited) Bless you for sitting through some of the worst films Enzo ever made, Secret. Boy did you nail how wooden Marc Gregory is! After Escape from New York came out, Italian directors lost their minds and thought this would be the next great filone to produce. So between that film, Mad Max and The Warriors they tried to create some kind of edgy post apocalyptic SF that was often more bad than good. 2019 After The Fall of New York is schlockly as hell and unintentionally funny in spots (personally I think these are much funnier), but it has its charms. I'm not sure how much Castellari you've seen, but if you haven't watched The Big Racket (try to get the Italian print if possible), High Crime, The Heroin Busters or Keoma, you're in for a treat. You may like Street Law too. I adore Enzo's 1970s films. He was a fine western director, but his true genius was in crime / police films. His eye for action was particularly good in those and the characters / situations were very intense. I was very surprised he made something as gruelling as The Big Racket, as that film is so ugly it just doesn't seem to fit Enzo's personality (perhaps that's the angry boxer coming out in him I don't know.) Edited January 17, 2016 by Lady Jin Szu-Yi 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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