Movies you have seen recently


ArtieRollins

Recommended Posts

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)

"Finally" got to see it, and it was actually not that horrible as I feared. I was about to give it a kind 6,5/10 but the last 15-20 minutes of CGI going total overdose made me change my mind. Instead of focusing on Batman Vs Superman, which was a pretty well done fight, though now where near as good as the animated one from The Dark Knight Rises Vol 2 back in (2013), instead we later got the bad, mega fight between big troll from outer-space vs Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman. Which just took the whole film and brought it down big time.

I am sick of the never ending CGI crap, where people are throwing each other at huge skyscrapers, and the generic elevator music, that is supposed to be the"epic" soundtrack. 

Anyway, Ben Affleck did an OK job as Batman not so much Bruce Wayne but overall it was slighly better than expected. 

Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor was more like the geeky wannabe version of Heath Ledger's The Joker, not great but not bad either. I guess Director's cut will come out soon, not sure if I will see it but then again I always enjoyed the Director's cut of Watchmen (2009) much more so than the theatrical cut. So hopefully it can make the film a little bit better, if not I guess that's it for a good possible live action Batman solo movie for some time, as we will probably end up with a shitload of super hero movies with lots and lots of other superheroes doing super things in CGI hell, like throwing each other at asteroids in space and fighting more huge space trolls etc.

I give Batman vs Superman an:

6/10

Edited by ArtieRollins
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Casino (1995)

Watched one of Marty's mobster "epics" this weekend for the first time in almost 10 years. 

Casino which has to be one of Scorsese's most beautiful films but sadly it was a rather disappointing re-watch, as I had almost forgotten how bad Sharon Stone's "acting" was. She's screaming and acting like a little spoilt brat in almost every scene, and I felt nothing for her character other than, well the closest thing might be anger, as she stole so much screen time. Sure, she's a total babe or at least was, but a great actress, no way! But then again she is not the only one to blame, as the whole film is very shallow. Beautiful film to look at but, it is nowwhere near the all-time-epicness that some people claim it to be. The one thing that bugged me the most and this one took up almost 70-75 percent of the films 3 hour lenght, and has to be one of the most irritating and poorly done voice-over jobs ever, as you have both Bobby D and Joe Pesci, spoon-feeding the viewer as if one cannot think for himself, and they even sound like they don't care much either.

Pesci and his angry "hardman" persona worked well in Goodfellas, not because it was so much different, but he had better characters/story around him, this time he just comes off as a poor parody and I wished another actor would have gotten the job instead.

As it was not many days ago since I saw Down For The Count Part 2, and I kept thinking about how good Joe Dallesandro was at portraying a psychopathic Las Vegas mob boss, and he did not have to stick a pen into the neck of a poor guy 50 times in a row, to show that he is not a guy to mess around with. Dallesandro just had that look in his eyes which should be enough to tell you that this is a truly frightening character and instead of screaming and killing off people, he just told his "victims" in a very calm way that his people knew all about his family and kids etc. Things like that works much better for me at last, as the angry hardman mobster is just done to pieces, and Pesci has always come off as a one-trick pony, doing the same thing over and over.

Marty and his choice of music cuts is all over the place, too much and too little. 

Bobby D cannot save the film alone, even though he does a fine job as Ace Rothstein, and James Woods delivers in the little job he got, as the sleazy pimp/leech Lester Diamond.

Compared to gangster movies such as The Long Good Friday (1980), Scarface (1983), or even Goodfellas (1990), Casino was a letdown. I like gangster films but this one was in my book not a great film, and I think Ricardo Tubbs says it the best as he did in The Great McCarthy episode in season 1, "All flash, and no dash!"

6/10

Edited by ArtieRollins
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Administrators

I watched The Nice Guys on Saturday, and I really enjoyed it! Good time period, good soundtrack, good plot, good jokes. 

Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe had good chemistry. 

I'm not a good review person, I don't have much to write, but 8/10. Would watch again.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I also saw "The Nice Guys" and found it pretty good.

They captured the late 70's disco era pretty closely, the clothes and cars were cool.

The chemistry as you said was very good and the audience reacted quite well with many laughs throughout the movie. I got some of the inside jokes ( I lived through that era) but I think it went over the heads of the younger folks. Still a pretty funny well made movie and great story line.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Went to see the latest "Bourne" series.

Don't get me wrong...it was ok, had great chase scenes and the story line was pretty good as they inserted clips from when he was younger and even made a section where he meets his father using old film stock with camera tricks and insertion etc.

The plot is starting to get a bit thin though I thought. The story's direction is still him "trying to stay off the grid" but someone pisses him off and he comes back to avenge. It's getting old. If they make another one they better start getting into the story of the drugs and how the body absorbed it to make him super human and maybe even pair him up with Jeremy Renner for an expantion of that topic or something.

Maybe the two of them can go after that little dictator in North Korea??? Lets see if they ban that movie like Seth Rogans "Interview"

Hilarious.................................................

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Went to see Suicide Squad the other night.

 

It was very good, but it needed more Joker, in total he only had a screen time of 10 minutes.

 

I loved Batman V Superman, but this one was a little bit of a let down, hopefully like BvS they will release an extended cut with more Joker scenes.

Suicide Squad wasn't a big wow, hopefully next year with WonderWoman will be a wow, and I also can't wait for The Justice League film.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 8/8/2016 at 2:51 PM, ArtieRollins said:

As it was not many days ago since I saw Down For The Count Part 2, and I kept thinking about how good Joe Dallesandro was at portraying a psychopathic Las Vegas mob boss, and he did not have to stick a pen into the neck of a poor guy 50 times in a row, to show that he is not a guy to mess around with. Dallesandro just had that look in his eyes which should be enough to tell you that this is a truly frightening character and instead of screaming and killing off people, he just told his "victims" in a very calm way that his people knew all about his family and kids etc. Things like that works much better for me at last, as the angry hardman mobster is just done to pieces, and Pesci has always come off as a one-trick pony, doing the same thing over and over.

 

I agree 100% here. Joe was brilliant as Alfredo Giullini in Down For The Count II. That was what first made me a fan of his. He played a Vegas wiseguy perfectly. He was quietly terrifying, especially in the scene on the balcony with Sordoni. Joe generally plays mobsters brilliantly. He made the best ever screen Lucky Luciano in The Cotton Club and he was fantastic as a John Gotti-like gangster in the classic Steelgrave arc of Wiseguy.

 

Edited by Tommy Vercetti
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 12.8.2016 at 0:49 AM, Detective_Crockett said:

Went to see Suicide Squad the other night.

It was very good, but it needed more Joker, in total he only had a screen time of 10 minutes.

I loved Batman V Superman, but this one was a little bit of a let down, hopefully like BvS they will release an extended cut with more Joker scenes.

Suicide Squad wasn't a big wow, hopefully next year with WonderWoman will be a wow, and I also can't wait for The Justice League film.

I still have not seen the film, yet, but from what I have heard, people are either loving it or hating it. Also saying that there should be more scenes with the Joker, and that Harley Quinn stole the show. Anyway, I guess I will wait for an extended version, as I am tired of the whole "double-dip" system where you have a 2-3 different versions being released within the near future. 

I guess I am one of few, but I'm not too excited about the thought of a Justice Leage film, as I just want another Batman solo film, and as things look now, we probably have to wait some several years or more untill that happens, as they will probably milk the Justice League and their characters for what it's worth and give them their own solo films, and fans will either buy into them like crazy or go tired.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

0e387045-8a47-4a89-9ae9-6e798c623292_zps
"This is Angry Bob, the man with the industrial dick, coming to you loud and clear on W.A.R. Radio with the good news and the bad news.
As for the good news - There is no fucking good news!"
Hardware (1990) Directed by Richard Stanley
Hardware, aka M.A.R.K. 13 has often been written off as yet another low budget sleazy post-apocalyptic rip-off of titles such as Mad Max, The Terminator and Alien but for me
it has always been little gem that is really well put together and I was very glad when it came out on DVD for the first time around 2007-08 in great picture and sound quality.
Anyway, you have a female anti-hero (a little of Sarah Connor and Sgt. Anne Ripley) along with a machine with the taste for human flesh, and some weird characters thrown in, and that is pretty much the plot. Its a bit of sci-fi, horror, "romance" and includes a killer robot (one of the coolest looking and meanest) plus the stunning Stacy Travis along with sadistic neighbors and a pretty darn good soundtrack,plus a couple of nice cameos of rock legends Lemmy, Iggy Pop and Carl McCoy. 
I remember the first time this came on TV late at night and I was glued to the screen. It had a great atmosphere and the Public Image Ltd. song The Order Of Death (This Is What You Want This Is What You Get) used so good in the Miami Vice episode, Miss Little Dangerous is included.
I really miss the so-called "low budget" films like this, instead what goes for low budget these days are crap like Sharknado and all the other made to look cheap DTV films out there today.
South-african movie director Richard Stanley did another fine movie called Dust Devil (1992) and then was set up to what could have been his big commercial break through The Island of Doctor Moreau which turned out to become a disaster and was eventually directed and re-written to pieces by several other directors and screenwriters. 
 
Anyway, Hardware is fine little sci-fi/horror film that stands out as one of the best killer-robots titles of the 90s and is well recommended to fans of The Terminator and Alien.
 
7,5/10
Edited by ArtieRollins
Link to comment
Share on other sites

60a05062-b1bd-480d-8950-c8a172077644_zps

Road Games (1981) By Richard Franklin

American truckdriver Patrick Quid (Stacy Keach) job is to spend most of his days on the seemingly endless roads through Australia's hostile desert. His only companionship is through a much less verbal, four legged and furry friend, and to keep up the focus on the road, Quid decides to play a little game where he will begin to keep an eye on other drivers and what they're doing. But poking your nose where it doesn't belong could lead you in some serious trouble.

Richard Franklin, has always been influenced by masters such as Alfred Hitchcock (whom he would later pay a fantastic tribute to, with the highly underrated sequel to Psycho from 1983) and in the big year of the slasher movie, Road Games (Rear Window meets Spielberg's The Duel) would go on to prove that this was a guy who meant serious business.

In 1980-81, the glory days of slasher movies, were almost every serious movie company would do their best to cash in on the Friday the 13th mania, and when you had a film starring scream queen Jamie Lee Curtis (who already had done 4-5 horror/slasher movies at the time) in what seemed like, just an ordinary horror flick. I guess most movie goers felt a bit let down, as they were expecting another Friday the 13th/Halloween, but what they got what something else.

Instead of just another cheap slasher copy with a crazed killer running around in the woods, killing off horny teenagers, you have a very exciting, unpredictable and beautiful psychological thriller, along with some fantastic acting by Stacey Keach and Jamie Lee Curtis, who probably were getting a bit tired of doing the same role over, and over again and here she proved that she could deliver more than just being a pretty scream.

But it is Keach who truly steals the show, as he plays a rather lonely character that spends most of the films length, talking to himself just from going crazy or letting his imagination get the better of him. He comes off a bit wise cracking in the start, but as the madness begins he changes and so does the film with him.

The music is adventurous and thriling as one should expect when it comes to a great composer like Brian May (not the Queen guitarst) but the one from the land down under, and is right up there with his work on the original Mad Max movies with George Miller. 

Road Games might have Hitchcock written all over, but for me I can't help but think that Franklin have been inspired heavily by the great italian giallo movies of the early 70s.

A great little midnite gem, that really surprised me the first time, as I was expecting just another teen slasher, but I liked that it did not underestimate its viewers and that it really kept you on your toes throughout the films entire run.

8,5/10

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 12-8-2016 at 10:08 AM, Tommy Vercetti said:

 

 He made the best ever screen Lucky Luciano in The Cotton Club and he was fantastic as a John Gotti-like gangster in the classic Steelgrave arc of Wiseguy.

 

I had never heard about Wiseguy, just started watching tonight and I'm glad I did, it's brilliant! Don't know how I ever missed this!

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Underworld (2003) by Len Wiseman

"Finally" got to see this horror-adventure-action flick, but I got to admit if it weren't for Kate Beckinsale, I would never sit through nearly 2 hours of this mess.  It's your ordinary trashy looking film filled up with lousy and overdone CGI/video game style doing the same boring slow-motion (The Matrix - Max Payne) action sequences, already done to death.

The soundtrack is mostly cheap nu-metal/ along with some gothic elevator music, and the whole film feels like it would suit better if it were a made into a video game, rather than a movie.

Another thing that keeps bugging me, why with all their money and "fantastic" CGI animation in hand, can Hollywood still not come up with great werewolf transformations. Sure An American Werewolf In America set the new standard, but that is over 30 years ago and one that still holds up. But my favorite is from another werewolf horror from 1981, and not because it is any better than the film I mentioned, but because it is creepy as hell. 

This scene freaked me out as a kid, and is truly one of the most evil looking creatures from any horror film, and for me is right up there with endoskeleton rising from the fire in The Terminator (1984)

Anyway, back to Underworld. The story is more or less Vampires vs. Werewolfs and then throw in some romance and that's it. The acting part is mostly Kate Beckinsale looking all serious and sexy, with her mouth halfway open, with lots of close-ups, every other second. Anyway, I can't complain, as she more or less saves the film from a 3,5/10 with her tight spandex suit, and sultry looks and I end up with a very kind:

4/10

Edited by ArtieRollins
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Salton Sea (2002)

I really wanted to like this one, as it had a great cast and includes some very interesting and bizarre moments, but in the end the films feels like an "wasted" opportunity, and seems rushed, like they were out of money and time. A bit noirish here and there but the music/atmosphere was a bit of a let down for me, too trashy and some of the scene looked like typical wannabe Tarantino/Guy Ritchie stuff, just put in there to look cool and hip, but instead fails big time. I was almost expecting to see Mark Renton and his gang from Trainspotting in there too.

Badgers are truly scary looking creatures, when they're hungry.

6/10

Midnight Run (1988)

As I mentioned in the films thread, in Off Topic, this one is a classic. And one I always find a bit surprising to never see get on the top lists when it comes to Robert De Niro's best movies, and has somehow become a bit of a "forgotten" 80s gem, over the years. 

9,5/10

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Last night I re-watched the great and very underrated Robert De Niro title, Mad Dog and Glory (1993), and I still cannot understand why this little gem never gets the kind of recognition that it truly deserves.

It is a very fun ride, (not funny in your face, all the time fun) but as the late Roger Ebert put it in his review:

"Mad Dog and Glory" is one of the few recent movies where it helps to pay close attention. Some of the best moments come quietly and subtly, in a nuance of dialogue or a choice of timing. The movie is very funny, but it's not broad humor, it's humor born of personality quirks and the style of the performances.

De Niro's character, Wayne Dobie comes off as a bit of an pathetic, shy loner and his co-workers have given him the nick name, Mad Dog (because of Wayne's shy nature and that he hasen't seen much action for the past 15 years), and his much younger partner, Mike (David Caruso) is the total total opposite: "If I ever had an intelligent thought, I would die a lonely guy", still he cares for his friend, in what later on ends up in hilarious fight sequence with Mike Starr, in Wayne apartment were the two fighters are trying to kill each other, but at the same time, tries not to break the apartment to pieces. 

Starr, probably most known for his little but fun role as the hitman character, (The Gasman) in Dumb and Dumber (1994), shows that he can do so much more than just being the scary heavy guy. Some of the funniest scenes comes when he opens his mouth, and he has a likeness to him, even though you know he's a bad guy: "That's Phil fucking Donahue".

The role of the sleazy small time gangster, Frank (The money store) Milo was actually planned to be handed De Niro, but as he wanted to take a break from playing yet another macho-mobster role, it ended up in the hands of funny man, Bill Murray. And he does an excellent job, dominating and making De Niro seem like a little school kid at times, towering above him, but as a true psychopath, he at first seems like a "great" guy, but of course, if you're late with your payment then there's another version of Milo, you really don't want to know.

Uma Thurman plays the part of Glory, who is sent to Wayne as a "thank you present" after Wayne saves the life of Frank earlier in the film. But the reason for Glory's involvement, is because her brother is in deep money trouble: "Going to Frank is like taking heroin to cure an alcohol problem, ya know?" and I guss the whole blossoming romance between Glory and Wayne might be a bit to Hollywood for some, but I liked it.

Kathy Baker and Tom Towles does also a fine job in smaller parts, especially the scene were Mike (Caruso) handles the violent bully in front of his friend, was fantastic. And of course later on, Wayne, feeling very low on him self, after witnessing how "easy" his partner took care of the problem, he ends up having a little mental breakdown in full daylight, taking out his anger on a junkie who tries to sell him some dope: You wanna go dodge city Motherfucker!

With the whole erotic-thriller scene going on, where Madonna, Sharon Stone, Shannon Tweed etc were trying to take it further and further, by showing more and more skin and doing "gutsy" love scenes, which ended up being amost an parody in the end, Mad Dog and Glory came up with a rather untypical love scene at the time.

Sweet, quirky and funny without having to do another soft porn/erotic thriller scene, with sleazy saxophones and overblown orgasms and screams, every other second. Just a clumsy but fine little moment with two lonely people and I always cracks up when Wayne says: I should do some sit-ups, and Glory then asks: Right now?, Wayne: No, I mean in general.

In the film he mentions that he haven't made love in 2 years but I think there is something true about his line earlier on: "It's the first time I pulled out my gun in 15 years." and he seems very uncomfortable, but of course knowing that Glory is both a total babe, much younger than him and sent to him by Frank in the first place, might be the another reason.

An of course the scene afterwards, Louis Prima, the best!

Mike: What, you got laid last night?

Mad Dog: I don't get laid, I make love.

I guess many fans and critics had a hard time believing and seeing that Raging Bull got his ass beaten by Dr. Peter Venkman, even the test audience demanded that the fight scene in the end had to be redone, in a more positive way for Wayne. Then of course, the promoting part was probably not the easiest job either, as the film is a "dark" comedy, but at the same time feels a bit like an old film noir/romantic crime film, with the jazz/big band sountrack and its visual style and all.

Anyway, I think Caruso's character Mike said it the best: Different strokes, for Different folks

I give the film an well deserved

8,5/10

For me, one the best performances of De Niro in the 90s, (right behind Heat and Goodfellas).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think Bill Murray was miscast in MD&G. Bill Murray as an Italian mobster? Really??! He's way too Irish

This film proves that David Caruso was once a good actor though. Before Horatio Caine made him a parody

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dutch (1991) by Peter Fairman

One of the films I had on my wishlist for years, but I kept hoping the brutally overpriced DVD copies (Anchor Bay) back in 2012, would go down, it did not and tired of waiting, I ended up paying probably far too much for a very badly used DVD copy that same year. Now as the Blu-ray is out, the price on the DVD is suddenly very low, but sometimes shit happens.

As a big fan of both Ed O'Neill and John Hughes, I had my hopes that it would be a nice ride. Ed haven't excactly been in a lot of leading roles, so I was looking forward to seeing him in the title role of Dutch Dooley. 

On the DVD cover it has 4 out of 4 stars, with a tagline "I'ts like Home Alone with Bart Simpsons", more like a cheap and badly mix of Over The Top (1987), Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987) and Uncle Buck (1989), (all great movies by the way) stuffed into one. 

Sadly, Dutch is now where near the quality of the films mentioned above.

Where Neal Page (Steve Martin) and Del Griffith (John Candy) from Planes, Trains and Automobiles seemed to catch on an became good friends, you just felt that there were no similar chemistry between Dutch and Doyle, just two bland and very forgettable characters, stuck in a mediocre film, made to cash in on far better titles.

Sure Ethan Embry does a fine job, portraying the snobby, spoilt, rich kid, but the fun moments are far too stretched, as the same lame jokes get repeated time, and time over again. 

Ed O'Neill deserved better leading roles than this, but at the same time it is not Ethan or his fault that the film doesn't work well. The film seems to be far too rushed and not half as well written as other John Hughes productions from the same era such as, Home Alone (1991) or Only The Lonely (1991).

Another thing that bugs me is the films lenght, almost 2 hours and it could have easily been trimmed down by 20-25 minutes or more. The good thing is that Dutch never gets boring, and there are some memorable stuff in there, like the car ride with the hookers and Yello's - Desire played in the background, but most of the time it is scenes you have already seen before, many times and much better.

I will probably keep it in my collection, as a fan of John Hughes/Ed O'Neill but not one I will see anytime soon.

One of the better parts in the film, where Ed get to show that he can do more than just being a funny guy:

I end up with a:

5/10

America's Sweethearts (2001) by Joe Roth

I dont know why I ended up watching this one, but it came on late on TV, and I had nothing better to watch or do, so I gave it a shot. 

Typical "romantic" Hollywood production, Julia Roberts plays yet another "ugly duckling with the Clark Kent syndrome", but of course once she drops the glasses and some weight, everybody who treated her like air, is blown away by her beauty. 

Billy Crystal is just not funny and the scenes with the doberman trying to eat his crotch, is "comedy" at it's absolutely lowest. But then again he wrote the damn film, so I am not surprised by the lack of good humor. 

Catherine Zeta-Jones, Billy Crystal, Julia Roberts and John Cusack have the main roles, along with Christopher Walken, Alan Arkin, Stanley Tucci and Hank Azaria in smaller parts. And they are the ones who actually makes the film a bit more "funnier" than it should be.

The film starts and ends badly, but the rest it rather watchable stuff and therefore I hand out a very generous:

4/10

Edited by ArtieRollins
Link to comment
Share on other sites

188bdf73-fddd-4935-95cf-90b816d72a26_zps

The Frighteners (1996) by Peter Jackson

I remember the film's fantastic and very cool looking movie poster as kid. It was to be seen all over town and in several of my local video stores in summer of 96. But somehow it never showed up at the cinemas, and by the end of 96, most of us kids had already forgotten about it and moved on. 7 years later, and Peter Jackson was now not just a "cult" director, but a real big shot as his fantasy/adventure gamechanger trilogy, Lord of the Rings had set the tone for modern epic movies and it was time to cash in on his lesser known titles, and in summer of 2003 I bought a 4 movie box set (DVD) that included, Bad Taste (1987), Meet The Feebles (1989), Brain Dead aka Dead Alive (1992) and The Frighteners (1996).

The first three were more in the vain of typical 80s low budget, b-movies that often seem to pay tribute to the likes of Troma productions, with the over-the-top violence, tons of splatter/blood scenes and hilarious badly made monster special effect etc. But for me, the true standout film here, was The Frighteners

It was a comedy, but darker than the other ones, and featured a much bigger budget, names and heavy use of CGI animation. It was clearly a movie that the studios hoped would be huge box office blockbuster, kind of like the Ghostbusters of the 90s, but sadly it tanked big time. I guess some of the reason was just poor marketing, as I remember there were only a short 25-30 seconds teaser clip that kept popping up on TV around summer 96, and it did not do any justice to the film in any way, and looked like it was right out of a Jim Carrey slapstick comedy. Those people who saw that and went in thinking it would be laughing riot, would probably end up wanting to get their money back.

Even though it starts off as a quirky, overnatural comedy/adventure film, not that unlike of say, Tim Burton and his classic, Beetlejuice (1988), it soon becomes very clear that The Frighteners is not only about the laughs, as it changes to a more violent and dark tone, which I guess upset many viewers.

It was the last leading role of Michael J. Fox and he went out in style. He gives a powerful performance, and shows that he could handle slapstick comedy just as good as the more dramatic and darker moments, and I think Frank Bannister is one of his finest movie roles.

The film is filled with great characater actors, and specially those who have a past within the horror film/TV background, Jeffrey Combs does one of his most memorable roles of the 90s as the crazy Special Agent Milon Dammers and scream queen Dee Wallace Stone may have delivered her best work as the psychotic Patricia Ann Bradley. Then you have the great John Astin, (Gomes Addams from The Addams Family) as a crazy ghost along with Chi McBride and Jim Fyfe, plus Jake Busey as the Grim Reaper. 

Sure it has it's ups and down, a bit uneven here and there, but the acting and characters are truly well made and it never gets boring or out of hand. Many people might have problems with the heavy use of CGI animation, but as the film is now 20 years, I actually think they look quiet good. They are not just put in there to look cool, and does not take anything away from the fine acting. 

The only thing I have a "problem" with is the music by Danny Elfman. It feels very rushed, like he had only a couple of hours to come up with something new. I like Elfman and his work with Tim Burton, but this was not one of his best moments.

Anyway, The Frighteners is in my opinion one of Peter Jackson's best moments, and certainly one of his most underrated pictures. I would have loved to see a great 20th Anniversary Blu-ray editon, but I think that my old DVD from 2003 is good enough at the moment.

8/10

 

Edited by ArtieRollins
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1. Thief (1981) -- Mann

This film gets more impressive the more I see it, James Caan is great at playing badasses, Tuesday Weld is fantastic. Robert Prosky must be one of the most underrated villlains, The score by Tangerine Dream is pure magic and ahead of it's time. Ties with The Insider as my favourite Mann film. 10/10

2. The Big Lebowski (1998) -- Coen Bros.

We decided to watch the UFC on saturday night but it's on late here in the UK, so we had a few drinks and watched Big Lewbowski before it came on and I enjoyed this more than I normally would have. Everything is more entertaining at 2am after a few beers.:) 10/10

3. Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)

I finally got around to seeing it and was pleasantly surprised how good it was. This is what the Phantom Menace should have been. Now we can erase the Star Wars Prequels from our memories and pretend that George Lucas never destroyed our childhood. 8/10

4. Starman (1984) -- John Carpenter.

This was very strange. It stars Jeff Bridges as an alien who travels to Earth after intercepting the Voyager spacecraft and listening to record installed on it. Then he arrives on Earth and takes the human form of a woman's(Karen Allen) dead husband. Bizarre. 

Edited by thedeparted94
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 31.8.2016 at 6:57 PM, thedeparted94 said:

Robert Prosky must be one of the most underrated villlains

One of the best and most intimidating scenes in any of Mann's movies, and right up there with the meat hook scene in another classic gangster flick, The Long Good Friday (1980). Guys like Tarantino or Guy Ritchie could only dream of coming up with such a simple, yet bad ass moment without having to rely on their typical "look how cool this is" moments.

 

Edited by ArtieRollins
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, ArtieRollins said:

One of the best and most intimidating scenes in any of Manns movies, and right up there with the meat hook scene in another classic gangster flick, The Long Good Friday (1980). Guys like Tarantino or Guy Ritchie could only dream of coming up with such a simple, yet bad ass moment without having to rely on their typical "look how cool this is" moments.

 

Good scene - thanks for posting !:D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Donnie Brasco (1997)

One of the best mobster films of the 90s and for me, Johnny Depp who I think, has too often done the usual "weid" type of characters, delivers one of his best moments as the "straight" guy. I only wish he would do these kind of roles, more often. Pacino on the other hand comes off as a rather sympathic guy, considering his character is an ice cold killer and seem to have fine chemistry with Depp, throughout the film. A couple of scenes were a bit hit or miss, especially the restaurant scene, which was more like something out of a Sopranos episode or Joe Pesci going berserk, once again in a Scorsese film. 8/10

The Mask of Zorro (1998)

I haven't seen this since around 2003-04, and it was a little better than I expected. The film starts of great but the last 20-25 minutes it goes way off with its action sequences, and the whole henchman rivalry between Zorro and his nemesis felt way overlong. 6/10

Top of the World (1997)

Peter Weller, Dennis Hopper, Tia Carrere, Peter Coyote, Joe Pontoliano and Martin Kove, sounds like a pretty good ride. Sadly this is your typical straight to video trash by Nu Image films. I gotta give it that it does feature some fantastic action scenes, which still looks very impressive even today, but the whole movie is just too lazy and in some part it looks like the director just said: "Screw this" halfway through, and went home. As it almost becomes a parody of a Roger Corman production. One scene it is night time, then next second it is fully bright daylight. Of course the first thing thrown out of this film was realism, and that might just be the reason why it works better than it should. 3/10

Edited by ArtieRollins
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Edward Scissorhands (1990)

Have not seen it since 2003, but the movie still holds up rather well and I had almost forgot that "80s geek" Anthony Michael Hall had the part of the stereotypical high school jock. A role he did great. Kathy Baker did also a fantastic job as the sex starved, lonely suburbia wife along with Alan Arkin who played his part to almost perfection. One of Burton's most known, but not best films, still the music and settings are something else, that and a little bit of nostalgia, which ends up with an 8/10 

Rob Roy (1995)

A film many critics and fans claimed were being unfairly overshadowed by the success of Braveheart, that same year. Rob Roy is a good movie, but not a great one. One of it's faults is rathr poor choice of actors, such as Jessica Lange who just takes up too much time, and almost every scene with co-star Liam Neeson feels forced, and the film gets dragged down by their many "romantic" moments. Still, Tim Roth in the role of Archibald Cunningham is one sadistic and evil villain, you won't forget anytime soon, that's for sure. For me, the film does not come close to Braveheart in pure entertainment, as it feature just too many forgettable scenes, which many of them seem to drag on forever, but the last final scene, or duel with Roth and Neeson is surerly worthy the almost 2 hour wait. 7/10

Ed Wood (1994) 

Another Tim Burton/Johnny Depp collaboration, but one I have to say worked much better than expected, as the last time I saw it, I think I gave it a 7/10, but that was years ago. Since then my love for b-movies and especially older monster films have grown over time. After re-watching Ed Wood. last night I can't help but think that it just might be the best thing Burton/Depp ever did. The film is hilarious and incredible well acted. It really stands out as a fine testament to all those hard working underdogs in the movie business, the ones that does not care much for the money or the big prizes, but who just loves being able to make movies, even if it may be the "worst" ones ever made. The film is even better and funnier now, after finally seeing most of director Ed Wood's original 50s cult-titles, such as Glen or Glenda, Bride of the Monster or his Citizen Kane, the infamous Plan 9 from outer Space. 9/10

Pull the strings!

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.