Member DarthKato Posted August 8, 2012 Member Share Posted August 8, 2012 "The Deaths of Ian Stone" http://darthkatosreviews.blogspot.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Cesare Posted August 15, 2012 Member Share Posted August 15, 2012 Some Dante Lam. For Lung, Viral Factor, Stool Pigeon... Liked them all, especially The Stool Pigeon. It's got some profound old-school vibes to it. ...about to watch The Beast Stalker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Keung Posted August 16, 2012 Member Share Posted August 16, 2012 I would have watched Beast Stalker first, then Stool Pigeon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member MonkeyFu Posted August 16, 2012 Member Share Posted August 16, 2012 I think the better question is: Why in the world is everyone in this thread watching something other than Kung Fu!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Cesare Posted August 16, 2012 Member Share Posted August 16, 2012 I would have watched Beast Stalker first, then Stool Pigeon. I admit, the order in which I watch them is totally random. Caught For Lung on TV, liked it, thought I'd watch some more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member teako170 Posted August 16, 2012 Member Share Posted August 16, 2012 RPah4WRvFiU Cobra Verde. The fifth and final collaboration between Herzog/Kinski. I enjoyed their first team-up, Aguirre: The Wrath of God, better than this film however Kinski is over the top (as usual) in this film. A ferocious talent I once read. Couldn't describe him any better. Any fans of either Klaus Kinski or Werner Herzog? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator KUNG FU BOB Posted August 16, 2012 Administrator Share Posted August 16, 2012 RPah4WRvFiU Cobra Verde. The fifth and final collaboration between Herzog/Kinski. I enjoyed their first team-up, Aguirre: The Wrath of God, better than this film however Kinski is over the top (as usual) in this film. A ferocious talent I once read. Couldn't describe him any better. Any fans of either Klaus Kinski or Werner Herzog? I'm wearing a NOSFERATU (1982) shirt as I read this! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member masterofoneinchpunch Posted August 16, 2012 Member Share Posted August 16, 2012 ... Cobra Verde. The fifth and final collaboration between Herzog/Kinski. I enjoyed their first team-up, Aguirre: The Wrath of God, better than this film however Kinski is over the top (as usual) in this film. A ferocious talent I once read. Couldn't describe him any better. Any fans of either Klaus Kinski or Werner Herzog? Cobra Verde is the only collaboration I have not seen with those two (I have the set, but the reviews on this were all over the place). My top two favorites are Aguirre: The Wrath of God and Fitzcarraldo. The insanity that is Fitzcarraldo puts it among my favorite films of all time. One of my favorite scenes is where the "lost conductor" is so insane that it makes Brian Sweeney ponder at his insanity. While I still have tons of his films to watch my favorite non-Kinski of Herzog films is Lessons of Darkness with the beautiful helicopter shots of the destroyed Kuwaitian oil fields. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member TibetanWhiteCrane Posted August 16, 2012 Member Share Posted August 16, 2012 Love Kinski... he's weird and creepy, and strangely mesmerizing! He's in one of my all time favourite heist flicks Grand Slam! I don't think i've ever seen a bad performance from him. And i've seen way more of his "euro trash" flicks, than his artsier stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member teako170 Posted August 16, 2012 Member Share Posted August 16, 2012 I'm wearing a NOSFERATU (1982) shirt as I read this! Nice Bob. I have this flick in my H&K boxset but have yet to see. While I still have tons of his films to watch my favorite non-Kinski of Herzog films is Lessons of Darkness with the beautiful helicopter shots of the destroyed Kuwaitian oil fields. Have to track this one down. Thanks for the suggestion masterofoneinchpunch. Love Kinski... he's weird and creepy, and strangely mesmerizing! Yeah, the more I see his stuff, the more I'm really digging his work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member The Dragon Posted August 17, 2012 Member Share Posted August 17, 2012 The Expendables. What in the hell are these old-timers doing? And how do you invite Jet, but not Jackie? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DiP Posted August 18, 2012 Member Share Posted August 18, 2012 The Gods Must Be Crazy (1980) Has lost its' appeal since it came out and looks quite dated in some places. But it's still a very fun and a film packed with memorable scenes. The narration provided gives the film a docu-style feel to it and that was a nice tough as well in midst of the plot and comedy. The sped-up pacing in many scenes (specifically dramatic ones) as well as the music adds more to the whole craziness and makes things more amusing to behold. N!xau was a great addition to the story as he was the film's main gimmick but credits also goes to Marius Weyers as the professional but clumsy biologist. Rating: 10/10 The Gods Must Be Crazy II (1989) Shot in 1985 but put in the shelf for four years. The result is a film that feels more emphasized in story/characters but retaining the same elements from the original. N!xau is as funny as ever but gets less screen-time this time while Lena Farugia and Hans Strydom fill out the story added with a couple subplots of two poachers and two soldiers fighting each other. This had alot of classic moments but altogether isn't as great as the original. Rating: 7.5/10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member The Dragon Posted August 18, 2012 Member Share Posted August 18, 2012 SPIDERMAN. Willaem Dafoe is a great character actor. "Can Spiderman come out to play?!" :xd: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member masterofoneinchpunch Posted August 21, 2012 Member Share Posted August 21, 2012 Ted (2012: Seth MacFarlane) **½/**** At least two members of the audience thought this was the funniest movie ever. Their loud laughs, guffaws, bellows, spit-sounds, flatulence and various assorted noises coming from every orifice that can expel air dominated many of the jokes. They acted as the theater's laugh track. Of course some jokes I found funny were met by dead silence from the audience. Do you ever see a homage and want to state out loud where it comes from? There is a pretty big homage to Airplane which would probably be funny for those who have not seen it. Nevertheless, do you ever secretly wish that an audience member would explode like http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7KMMxAQp8I? The film starts off to great promise with narration from Patrick Stewart to the explanation of Ted's (voiced by Seth MacFarlane) anatomically incorrect creation as a Christmas wish, to his stardom and eventually his fall from fame like a modern day Corey Feldman. Now in the modern day, we have a 35-year old John (Marc Walhberg) as a rental car worker in Boston who has a stunning corporate girlfriend Lori (Mila Kunis) who tolerates his adolescent and repressed lifestyle of weed, Flash Gordon obsessing, and DVD watching, but yearns for him to make more of himself. His "thunder buddy" Ted has been a catalyst in all of this. Lori gives John an ultimatum to clean up his act. This forces Ted to live on his own. This leads to one of my favorite scenes in the film where Ted goes for a job interview in a supermarket. How long will this separation of Ted and John solve the relationship issues between John and Lori? Surprisingly this film is really a romantic comedy. It has the whole basic template of boy girl in long relationship, boy goofs-off one two many times to break-up relationship, they later get back together because boy finally reforms. Yes there is even a comedic "meet cute" in the film. Throw in a few additional familiar elements like the loser protagonist (Failure to Launch, Management, The Bounty Hunter) goof-off friend (who just happens to be a live drug addicted fowl-mouthed teddy bear) who always gets the protagonist in trouble (You, Me and Dupree) and a boss who wants to go out with the girlfriend and threatens the fabric of their relationship with lies (they even show scenes in the film from Bridget Jone's Diary). Add in a teddy bear stalker in Giovanni Ribisi (my favorite role of his was in My Name is Earl) and you pretty much know the whole arc and flow of the film. I do not particularly find pot heads funny. Some of the things they do can be peculiar or bizarre, but the act itself is not hilarious. However cokeheads are a different story -- the laughs in Scarface for instance and the party scene here with Mr. Flash Gordon himself Sam Jones. I know many of you will like the film more than I did. The film has been a critical hit and box office hit domestically (over 200 million dollars) and even worldwide where people have wanted to see a surly and scurrilous stuffed teddy bear. For me though, it was a mixed result. Where this film is funniest is when it deals with a variety of topical, cinematic and cultural references and oddball jokes. At its worst is when the plot is typical boilerplate, dime-a-dozen, cookie-cutter rom-com. Maybe I have seen too much Family Guy, maybe I was just in a bad mood, maybe my hatred toward anthropomorphic creatures are too great, but too often I was just restless with the material, though I had a decent amount of laughs. Now if there had been more hooker poop ... No extras after the credits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DarthKato Posted August 22, 2012 Member Share Posted August 22, 2012 And how do you invite Jet, but not Jackie? I have heard that it was because of the films that Jackie Chan has been in recently. Here is an article that talks a little about it: The Expendables Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DiP Posted August 22, 2012 Member Share Posted August 22, 2012 Top Gun (1986) The combination of male machosism, romance, psychological themes and jet fighters in action was a great combination. Being a Scott/Bruckheimer production - at least the start of these blockbusters before the trend got oversaturated a decade later - I think it helped alot placing everything and giving the story the big punch and the elements that makes it an overall classic. The cast delivers - although Val Kilmer is somewhat underused and underwhelming in spite of his great antagonizing presence - and the finale is rough and very entertaining. I can now see why it holds up good and being talked about to this day, true gem of commercial Hollywood film-making. Rating: 8.5/10 The Last Boy Scout (1991) It was like watching the Lethal Weapon sequels but with Bruce Willis and Damon Wayans in an unengaging sport-oriented storyline with lots of dumbed-down elements. I don't why but I just can't seem to enjoy these kind of films anymore. The one-liners from Willis as well as the chemistry between him and Wayans were pretty classic though but I would say that's about it. Action scenes didn't help unfortunately either. Rating: 5/10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member masterofoneinchpunch Posted August 22, 2012 Member Share Posted August 22, 2012 Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2011: David Gelb) ***½/**** This has been one of my favorite documentaries of the past few years. I was looking forward to it before I bought it and was quite happy after viewing it. I have a fascination with monomania in individuals. While often a theme in both literature (Moby Dick) and cinema (almost every revenge film) it is interesting to see it in a real life scenario and put to good use. I read some complaints about Jiro's work ethic and how it affects his family, but I think it is something to be admired. Here is someone whose parents left him at an early age and was forced to find work at the age of 9. He is still bitter about it and this can be seen when he is visiting his parents' grave and he mentions it a few times as well. But the fact that he rose from poverty, eventually became rich (this would happen after the sons were born; they have several stories that go over how poor they were) and taught his sons a craft which they both excel at is something to admire. In fact he states he was extra hard on his sons in teaching them the craft of sushi and this is coming from a man who makes his apprentices spend weeks learning to properly wring a towel (this reminds me of the story of John Wooden who would make all new recruits to UCLA relearn to tie their shoes). Jiro Ono is an 85 year-old shokunin and the owner of Sukiyabashi Jiro a ten-seat sushi restaurant located in a Tokyo subway station, where you have to make a reservation a month in advance and was the first sushi restaurant to be given a three-star Michelin Guide rating (though it is not the only one, Mizutani who was an apprentice of Jiro and appears in this documentary also obtained one for his restaurant Sushi Mizutani; Mizutani's personality is quite interesting as well as he is completely frank about everything). His eldest son Yoshikazu is waiting to take establishment of the restaurant while his youngest son Takashi is in charge of a similar restaurant (I am not sure if he owns it or his father Jiro does, the father makes it sound like it is his sons; this restaurant has a two-star Michelin Guide rating). The film poses the question what will happen if Mizutani takes over, but also gives us the information that he was the chef every time Michelin came over to rate the establishment. You learn so much about high-end sushi in this documentary with much information coming from food critic and unabashed Jiro fan Masuhiro Yamamoto. I am certainly curious on the restaurants portrayed here, though I do not know if I could spend so much for one meal -- especially Jiro's where you are about done in 15 to 20 minutes making it one of the most expensive meals in the world. I have had decent sushi in my life and the one aspect it changed for me was that I know have trouble eating the majority of mediocre sushi out there. But one very important aspect that is mentioned time and time again in this film is the quality of your vendors. You get to meet a motley crew of very unique individuals who have the same exact standards for their profession as Jiro does. Warning, if you like sea creatures you might want to skip this. The suffocating of the octopus is the one I have read the most complaints on. Some of the extras are even more graphic in their slow demise, especially one procedure which make a fish brain dead, but keeps its body alive. The commentary by Director David Gelb and Editor Brandon Driscoll-Luttringer is worth listening to though you get the feeling that Gelb is much more knowledgeable about sushi and pretty much everything else in the film in his full feature cinematic debut. If I remember correctly, I do not think Brandon had even tried sushi by the time of the commentary. Gelb stated that some of the cinematography was directed influenced by The Fog of War. The additional extras (deleted scenes and a Masters section which goes over in more detail each of the vendors shown in the film) certainly help understanding not only Jiro but pretty much everyone else in the documentary as well. Jiro's wife however is not shown, not that the director did not try as mentioned in the commentary, but he did not state the reason(s) why she does not appear. The extras also make Jiro appear more human than the stolid portrait that is shown in the film. Did you know he is considered an excellent bowler? The DVD seems a bit high on Amazon. I bought the DVD at Best Buy for 15 dollars. There is also a separate BD release. This is a fascinating documentary and if you are a fan of documentaries and/or sushi then I think you will like this. This film has a good chance of being in my top 10 for the year as well as being upgraded to ****. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Markgway Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 The Last Boy Scout (1991) Rating: 5/10 Oh no, you didn't!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member sifu iron perm Posted August 23, 2012 Member Share Posted August 23, 2012 V/H/S (2012) I was let down due to the trailer(was expecting so much more) and hype. It was cool for what it was, but nothing special or spectacular. Horror fans should check it out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member TibetanWhiteCrane Posted August 23, 2012 Member Share Posted August 23, 2012 To Be Number One 1991 Classic triad epic about the life of Limpy Ho. Hadn't seen this since the blurry vhs days of the mid 90's and had forgot how good it is. Touch And Go aka Point Of No Return 1991 Very underrated Sammo flick directed by Ringo Lam. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DiP Posted August 23, 2012 Member Share Posted August 23, 2012 Oh no, you didn't!! I tried my best to like it, sorry. Motorway (2012) A film that lives up to its' expectations as far as vehicle chases and stunts. Also very refreshing is that these sequences were shot for real so what you see actually happens as they go and I bet it must've been a nightmare for the crew to stage and catch all this on camera whilst improvising the shots without permission, something HK action films were notorious for back in the day. Moving on to the actual plot and characters, I loved the whole set-up. Unlike similar films such as The Fast & The Furious series and Gone In 60 Seconds, Motorway utilizes a story where the vehicles aren't used as gimmickry or attraction (even if the cars used here does look beautiful) to develop the story along but instead relies on the characters to convey distinguishing traits and overall authenticity for us to believe what happens. The major flaw is that we don't get proper introductions or background on the main characters so that leaves them quite unexplored. Anthony Wong and some mainland actor playing the main antagonist - an infamous getaway driver - are the best actors and some scenes hint uniqueness in them that made them memorable. Unfortunately, we only get to see how they operate on the roads more than their past and reasons for certain things about them. But all in all, it's the best Hong Kong film so far this year. Props to Chin Kar-Lok's work - easily among his best staged action scenes in his career - and last but not least to Soi Cheang and Johnnie To for their major efforts spent on the production. Rating: 8.5/10 True Romance (1993) Tony Scott directing a crime romance story based on a Tarantino script. The result is all sorts of fun. The film is loaded with lots of nifty dialogue, extreme violence, clever humor, film references (Tarantino trademark), and peculiar and odd characters. I think another angle that worked well here was the chemistry between Slater and Arquette, which greatly showcases their affectionate and real romance - hence the title - in many good ways. Scott delivers once again. Rating: 9/10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member The Dragon Posted August 24, 2012 Member Share Posted August 24, 2012 I have heard that it was because of the films that Jackie Chan has been in recently. Here is an article that talks a little about it: The Expendables Oh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member nectarsis Posted August 28, 2012 Member Share Posted August 28, 2012 Just finished my first re-watch (in a LONG time) of the original Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956). One of the first movies to get me into sci-fi/horror, and one of my most loved movies of all time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member TibetanWhiteCrane Posted August 31, 2012 Member Share Posted August 31, 2012 Cops and Robbers 1979 HK classic from Alex Cheung. Dark, gritty, poignant, touching, with a beautiful theme song by Teddy Robin Kwan, and the creepiest badguy ever... gave me the heebie jeebies for real! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DarthKato Posted August 31, 2012 Member Share Posted August 31, 2012 Just finished my first re-watch (in a LONG time) of the original Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956). One of the first movies to get me into sci-fi/horror, and one of my most loved movies of all time. It's the best of the "Body Snatchers" films to me. I liked the 70's version, but this one still out shines it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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