[quote]csulli wrote:
Just watched Dark Skies tonight now that it’s on demand. Ending was terrible and ruined the movie IMO, but I gotta say it still freaked me right the fuck out. Those “grey” aliens are like my one big thing that scares the shit out of me. I used to have recurring nightmares as a kid just like the ones in the movie.[/quote]
I finally saw this tonight on Netflix, and bloody hell, it completely scared the crap outta me! Total nail-biter. I swear my ears were ringing after the film ended. Great horror/alien film! Thanks for the recommendation, Csulli![/quote]
It was actually an effective horror film imo. Like Csulli, those “Greys” used to freak me out too when I was a child, and this movie played on those fears quite effectively. I also really liked J.K. Simmon’s role in the film. It basically made the finale for me.
[quote]roybot wrote:
I’d also like to see a version of Theseus and the Minotaur, done like The Raid, but with a maze instead of a building. Balls to the wall action and a shitload of traps. [/quote]
Ya, that sounds cool too.
Hell, you can make effective movies out of any of the well-known Greek mythologies. It’s too bad stuff like Clash/Wrath of the Titans didn’t do well.
I watched Anchorman 2 a couple nights ago. I’ve never seen such a significant difference between the first and 2nd half of a movie. I thought the first half was really funny and it should have ended when they started the mega scrolling of graphics across the screen. I’m not sure I laughed once after that.
[quote]Steel Nation wrote:
Snowpiercer - Caught this on Netflix over Xmas weekend. It’s about a post-apocalyptic world that’s frozen, and the only survivors are all aboard this train that’s segregated by class. The poorest in the caboose, and the people get richer the closer you get to the engine. Stars Chris Evans, John Hurt, and Tilda Swinton. It’s a really twisted flick, in the best possible way. It works both on the visceral entertainment level, as well as the thoughtful, allegorical one. I highly recommend it. [/quote]
Yep! Saw it about a month ago and thoroughly enjoyed it!
Good review, SN!
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I watched it a few weeks ago as well. I don’t really have any gripes that I can remember but I also don’t think I felt very impressed. It was a decent watch for sure.
I got drunk and watched I, Frankenstein and Guardians of the Galaxy in a row on Friday night. 1st one was like another attempt at Underworld with some of the actors that just wasn’t as good (or I’m a little older). Yvonne Strahovski does a good job filling in as the eye candy for Kate Beckinsale even though she isn’t the main character.
GotG was just as awesome as the first time I watched it.
The Equalizer - This is your typical “retired super-agent/soldier” revenge flick, in the same vein as Taken and Man on Fire, but with a much less-compelling motive than the others. I thought the action sequences were very well done though, and Denzel is great in these roles (still, somehow, at 60 years old). The action does get a little too over-the-top towards the end, even bordering on campy, with more action movie tropes than you can shake a slow-motion-walk-away-from-an-explosion at.
Despite that, it’s still an entertaining movie, so it’s worth a rent from Xbox video or Amazon or whatever rental service you use.
[quote]Steel Nation wrote:
The Equalizer - This is your typical “retired super-agent/soldier” revenge flick, in the same vein as Taken and Man on Fire, but with a much less-compelling motive than the others. I thought the action sequences were very well done though, and Denzel is great in these roles (still, somehow, at 60 years old). The action does get a little too over-the-top towards the end, even bordering on campy, with more action movie tropes than you can shake a slow-motion-walk-away-from-an-explosion at.
Despite that, it’s still an entertaining movie, so it’s worth a rent from Xbox video or Amazon or whatever rental service you use.[/quote]
I saw this one this weekend as well. I agree with pretty much everything above. The bottom line is: predictable but enjoyable and entertaining.
Have you seen the Renny Harlin version starring Kellan Lutz, Derek? ducks[/quote]
That is on HBO/Cinemax right now, I keep missing it lol. I am sure that will also piss me off.
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Saw it during the holidays. Very heavy on the melodrama, the plot is basically Gladiator with gods. Herc is cast in the MDM role and gets unlockable powers when he decides to ‘believe’ in Zeus. Actually not as bad as I thought It’d be, but that’s not a glowing endorsement. Some unintentional chuckles: Kellan Lutz takes onomatopoeia to a new level by shouting “Roar!”…
Last night I watched a really good British grindhouse horror movie called “Shock Waves” with Peter Cushing as an old SS scientist who created zombies to take over the world and they’re now threatening a group of pleasure cruisers who have become shipwrecked on an uninhabited island. The Nazi Zombies walk around on the bottom of the sea and come up periodically to strangle, drown or beat one of the poor people before disappearing ominously into the water. Great spooky sound score using analogue monophonic synthesisers.
The survivors take refuge in an abandoned Hotel on the island and are hunted relentlessly by the Nazi Zombies. I won’t spoil the story though. In terms of graphic violence this is pretty tame stuff for 1977. It’s like a Hammer Horror film but with slightly better production values. It’s better than most the Hammer films in my opinion.
About half English/half Chinese… takes place during the invasion of Nanjing and is supposedly a true story. Decent flick w/ out many light moments… rape, murder, suicide, it’s all there. It came highly recommended by a few folks I know. Plenty of action and melodrama. Pacing was decent. Character development was a tad rushed/shallow, but good enough. Acting itself was good enough, w/ the Chinese folks outperforming Bale (except the boy). Heavy focus on cinematography, as expected from a chinese flick.
My main grief is how it was filmed. I don’t know if it’s the cameras they used, or what, but the whole thing had the look of a soap opera. Maybe it’s the result of the HD? I don’t know, but it really undermined the movie.
I haven’t seen it but the reviews for Taken 3 were not that good. I know most movies are usually shit by their 3rd installment but I figured this one might still be worth watching.
I got myself a lot of DVDs and Blurays over the holidays:
Columbia Film Noir volumes 3 & 4 - A few good hard boiled crime thrillers from the 40s and 50s
The Big Sleep - Robert Mitchum playing Raymond Chandler’s private detective Marlowe in The Big Sleep. One of Mitchum’s last good films.
Brain Damage - Horror film by Frank Henenlotter. Crazy plot and a cult film. I think I may have seen it maybe 20 years ago but I don’t remember it. I’m going to watch it tonight probably.
Day of the Dead and Dawn of the Dead - George Romero’s best apocalyptic zombie movies. I thought I’d get a copy with the audio commentaries and documentaries. I think they were only about $8 each for the bluray editions.
Rising Sun - Sean Connery and Wesley Snipes in the Michael Crichton thriller set in the early 90’s in the world of Japanese industry/finance and Japanese culture. An interesting story and film.
I got a few Italian cult horror films by Dario Argenta and Lucio Fulci including The Beyond and Inferno. I haven’t seen them yet. I’ve possibly seen them a long time ago and I’ve known about this genre for a while and seen a few similar films.
I’m just watching the 1975 film version of Farewell, My Lovely with Robert Mitchum playing Raymond Chandler’s private eye Philip Marlowe. Obviously, this version cannot stand up to the 1944 version with Dick Powell and excellent black and white German expressionist cinematography from Edward Dymtryk. The 1944 version is called Murder, My Sweet and is one of the best film noirs ever made. The 1975 version has nice colour cinematography that gives a pastel look with blurred neon lights and reflections on wet streets at night. Good performances, especially from Mitchum. Still not in the same class as Murder, My Sweet, but it’s still one of the better crime/thriller movies of the 70’s especially if you like the hard boiled genre.
[quote]MaximusB wrote:
I haven’t seen it but the reviews for Taken 3 were not that good. I know most movies are usually shit by their 3rd installment but I figured this one might still be worth watching.[/quote]
Wasn’t Taken 2 pretty bad also? Haven’t been able to convince myself to watch it yet. The first one was a damn-near perfect revenge flick though.
[quote]MaximusB wrote:
I haven’t seen it but the reviews for Taken 3 were not that good. I know most movies are usually shit by their 3rd installment but I figured this one might still be worth watching.[/quote]
Wasn’t Taken 2 pretty bad also? Haven’t been able to convince myself to watch it yet. The first one was a damn-near perfect revenge flick though.[/quote]
[quote]MaximusB wrote:
I haven’t seen it but the reviews for Taken 3 were not that good. I know most movies are usually shit by their 3rd installment but I figured this one might still be worth watching.[/quote]
Wasn’t Taken 2 pretty bad also? Haven’t been able to convince myself to watch it yet. The first one was a damn-near perfect revenge flick though.[/quote]
Taken 2 was pretty bad. [/quote]
It lost me during the trailer when his daughter was hurling grenades at bad guys. Couldn’t pay me to watch the sequels. The first one is pretty badass though.
[quote]MaximusB wrote:
I haven’t seen it but the reviews for Taken 3 were not that good. I know most movies are usually shit by their 3rd installment but I figured this one might still be worth watching.[/quote]
Wasn’t Taken 2 pretty bad also? Haven’t been able to convince myself to watch it yet. The first one was a damn-near perfect revenge flick though.[/quote]
Taken 2 was pretty bad. [/quote]
Not awful. Not good. I suppose pretty bad is a fair statement.
[quote]MaximusB wrote:
I haven’t seen it but the reviews for Taken 3 were not that good. I know most movies are usually shit by their 3rd installment but I figured this one might still be worth watching.[/quote]
Wasn’t Taken 2 pretty bad also? Haven’t been able to convince myself to watch it yet. The first one was a damn-near perfect revenge flick though.[/quote]
Taken 2 was pretty bad. [/quote]
It lost me during the trailer when his daughter was hurling grenades at bad guys. Couldn’t pay me to watch the sequels. The first one is pretty badass though.
[/quote]
Dude, its even better than that. She’s hurling grenades so her dad, who is tied up, can figure out where she is in relation to him based off the sound.
[quote]MaximusB wrote:
I haven’t seen it but the reviews for Taken 3 were not that good. I know most movies are usually shit by their 3rd installment but I figured this one might still be worth watching.[/quote]
Wasn’t Taken 2 pretty bad also? Haven’t been able to convince myself to watch it yet. The first one was a damn-near perfect revenge flick though.[/quote]
Taken 2 was pretty bad. [/quote]
Not awful. Not good. I suppose pretty bad is a fair statement. [/quote]
[quote]roybot wrote:
Hercules - this isn’t the long overdue movie version of the demigod’s twelve labors; it’s an adaptation of a graphic novel (Hercules: The Thracian Wars), which posits that the son of Zeus is really a mortal warrior who completed his labors with the help of a crew of mercenaries, and the ‘myth’ as we know it is just a front to intimidate enemies and maybe coax some extra gold from grateful kings’ purses (one-man armies don’t come cheap).
While it does explore mythicism and heroism --taking several creative liberties with mythology to do so – it really works best as a popcorn flick. That shouldn’t make sense when it’s about an enduring figure in legend, but most of the cast seem to be having a blast (The Rock, in Nemean lion hoody, gives the most solemn performance) and the mood is kept relatively light throughout --even in the darker moments-- without resorting to parody.
Even so, one scene in particular gives a tantalizing glimpse of what a proper Hercules movie would look like, and it’s no coincidence that it’s one of the high points in a production that’s best enjoyed while totally sozzled.
[/quote]
To put succinctly:
IT SUCKED
Sorry Roy I had hopes for this movie, but they bent it over the couch and raped the hell out of it. [/quote]
Saw it by accident on cable. The slow motion, freeze frame action scenes sucked!
[quote]MaximusB wrote:
I haven’t seen it but the reviews for Taken 3 were not that good. I know most movies are usually shit by their 3rd installment but I figured this one might still be worth watching.[/quote]
Wasn’t Taken 2 pretty bad also? Haven’t been able to convince myself to watch it yet. The first one was a damn-near perfect revenge flick though.[/quote]
Taken 2 was pretty bad. [/quote]
It lost me during the trailer when his daughter was hurling grenades at bad guys. Couldn’t pay me to watch the sequels. The first one is pretty badass though.
[/quote]
Dude, its even better than that. She’s hurling grenades so her dad, who is tied up, can figure out where she is in relation to him based off the sound.
It’s watchable, but nothing like Taken. [/quote]
Hahaha. That’s almost as ridiculous as Arnold telling the random soldier in Commando to make sure he’s not downwind of Bennet’s incoming invaders. When the soldier looks at him all puzzled and asks, “you think they can smell me” Matrix replies “I did”. God I love Arnold.
