so the irish are fond of the scottish then ? :)

Glory Road

The reasons I'm biased are three-fold.

1: The movie featured the Irish heavily in both good and bad light.
2: I like Billy C
3: And Willem

Being Irish only has to do with #1.


:)

if there r ne brits on here no offense please but i was
watching this commercial on tbs and it's gonna have
comedy movies on all day july4 (our independence day) and it said everybodies invited except for the british! lol

They Drive by Night is such a good movie. Unfortunately I haven't seen it in a while, but your post made me remember it. I will have to look out for it - would love to see it again.

Silver Bullet
Sleepaway Camp 2&3
Miller's Crossing
My Bloody Valentine

watched demons over the weekend for the first time... i really wanted to like this movie, but i just didn't. i usually appreciate cheesey 80's horror movies, but this one did nothing for me. i think the build-up had me too biased going in. [tear]

mothermold, is Sleepaway Camp 2 & 3 any good? For example, I loved the first and hate most otyher slashers - should I bother with the next two?

For this week;

Oldboy
Salvage
Black Night
Cruel World
Ichi the Killer
An American Haunting
Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance
Sympathy for Lady Vengeance

^^ you like Sleepaway Camp but hate most other slashers? Apart from the brilliant trashy end SC is weak. Shit.... MM mentioned My Bloodly Valentine you should be asking weather it's the uncut version.
Fuck the sequels get Maniac, New York Ripper or the Prowler.

weather or wether or...... fuck i'm drunk. booooooo go to bed ya fat dead bastard.

Pulp Fiction. No need for a review, everyone's already seen it. And if you haven't, go watch it now! Probably the most influential, important film of the 90s.

I havent seen all of it yet....just the first 20 min or so.

Lucky

Talk about a surprise. When I ordered this, I was looking for some cheese to round out my spending spree on DDDvd. I had heard about it once from Arrow (who's reviews are so on & off I really don't take them to heart) and again when it popped up in one of the movie tournaments.

Although Lucky delves a lot into black comedy, it's really rather disturbing. The story of a sad, lonely alcoholic man who writes cartoon scripts. It's dialogue driven, mainly with a lot of monologues from the main character. He is, by far, the best actor in the movie, and the director does a good job of exploiting that to its fullest.

The voice of Lucky is annoying, but it works in a strange sort of way. He almost sounds like a pimp, but you get used to it after a bit.

All in all, a great mix of comedy with a disturbing look at the desires & mental breakdown of a lonely man. Done very well for the budget it was shot on. 8/10

good to know since i did a blind buy on this one just saturday

Kung-fu Hustle (2004)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0373074/

Stephen Chow does not only star in this film, but he directed and wrote it as well. Not only that - he's also quite visually delicious (Asian-style). There's definately no way anyone could say he's not talented* in at least one of these departments, if not all.However, by saying that, I must note that I preferred his prior film, Shaolin Soccer, to this one.

Don't get me wrong, this film isn't bad at all. It's sort of average to slightly-above-average. Not as amazing as it was made out to be by those on the internet, sadly. I felt like it just tried to do too much at once. Too many genres covered, and flipping back and forth between these styles too frequently. It didn't feel solid enough, like Shaolin did.

Also, for the storyline invovled, it seemed the comedy was a little bit forced, and... well, stupid. I laughed a few times, but I yawned a lot more and didn't have a smile on my face during that time. I'm not a fan of this type of comedy, or much comedy movies at all for that matter. I think I was just not in the mood, or I was attempting to take it serious while it was not meant to be.

The premise and plot of events were rather good, in my opinion... and I itched to say this throughout the entire film. It would have kicked ass if taken more seriously. Well, like... if the movie wasn't a comedy. Rather, a martial-art / drama movie. Now, even if I feel like that, I can't see a way of making that happen. The events that were kick ass, were mainly very comic and too cheesy. If put into a more serious film, people would laugh either way - and if they were executed in a serious manner, people would sigh and most likely turn the film off. That's troubling, so I can't blame Stephen for doing that. This is his type of movie anyway. Just not my cup of tea, in this case.

One thing I will note - for a comedy, it sure did have some of the most romantic scenes I've witnessed in a long time. Pure romantic-based movies should be ashamed after seeing this. I don't know why, but the whole sub-plot of the Girl Avec Lolipop just touched me, and made me smile. It was wrapped up very nicely and heart-warmingly in the end, as well.

* Stephen's direction was great here. The scene transitions in some cases, such as the ending before the epilogue - in which a metal spin-flower splits and falls apart in to the wind, only to be transformed into a daisy blowing through another part of the city, were very ingenious - as were numerous other shots, which I felt were very artistic and well-done.

The characters were rather good as well, only one gripse about them. They changes a lot, without any developement really. Such as the landlady. Her character flipped instantly, and quite shockingly. She seemed like two different women - and I didn't dig that.

In a wrap-up... and for my defense, I'll say this. For comedy fans, and cheese-lovers, this is a real treat. It's a great comedy, with a good storyline backing it. It covers a lot of different genres, so there is something for pretty much anyone (however, if you only like a certain part you may find the other sub-genre sections to be tedious and boring). The direction is excellent, and there is some real eye-candy shots. The action sequences, while prepared with comic CGI, are very well executed, planned, and staged. You can tell some ingenious thought went in to them. Very creative and unique. The ending is great, as is the over all storyline throughout the film. It had the romance, the buddy-buddy, the childhood friend, a reunion, some twists and turns, a few gangs, some gore, and so forth. A LOT.

---

Now for a more thought-processed entry on what I would have preferred it to be - matching my tastes. Here goes;

Keep pretty much everything intact the way it was. Remove the comic CGI, and in replacement use some breathtaking more action-oriented Jackie-Chan style moves. Make the landlady more mysterious at first, so her change in character is a bit more believable. Such as, a scene with her alone where she is sort of regretting her choice to be mean to the public - to hide her true self. Her husband would then comfort her secretly. On the outside, they seem nasty and stupid... but it's all an act, for the real masters inside. Oh god, that setance itself was rather corny. Anyway, yeah, that's pretty much all I would have changed. Meh... guess I wasn't feeling the comedy. I was probably in the mood for something else.

---

http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/9927/giflet249md.gif

Hell yah, glad someone else has seen it. Try Turner Classic Movies (the TV channel) if you have it. I don't know if Australia does. Anyway, I caught it on there, so they'll be playing it again soon, I'd guess.

here here !! very cool, witty movie. everyone should really check this one out.

next up : newsies (i know, i know... i want to see christian bale sing, what can i say ?), and layer cake.

"Silent hill" 8/10

Surprisingly well done.



John Carpenter´s "Sigarette burns" 7-8/10

Would love to see it made into a full length movie.

I thought it was alright, not exactly good or bad, you're just going to enjoy it or not.



The Weather Man


Really good movie with good acting from the entire cast especially Caine and Cage(doesn't that sound like a cool tag team name?...anyway...) who both gave great performances as they always do. Very well written with a handful of good laughs scattered along a sad yet progressive story.

i enjoyed it... feel good musical. no harm in that. and christian bale can really bust a move. hehe it was fun seeing all these actors so young (i'm thinking of michael "heroine bob" goorjan).

and just finshed takeshi miike's "imprint". good lord, was that brutal ! i cringed really badly in some moments. really good installation and very in keeping with miike's fucked up universe. i can see why it was banned from airing over there.


edit : i almost forgot... not for the weak of heart or stomach, by the way. "imprint" has some very hard scenes to watch, and i'm not talking "ewwww" factor here.

An American Haunting;
This has been somewhat abused by critics and IMDb members. Not many seem to like the film, maybe a select few from a list of 100 give it an average of above 6/10. While I can whole-heartedly see why... this really isn't AS BAD a movie as they make it out to be. It's not great, hell no, but 0-3/10 is a little harsh. It's... eh, well... alright. I said I wouldn't do ratings anymore. If I did, a 5/10 would be sufficient. It's not the worst I've seen, and it's definately not the best, and it's not even in the middle. But hey, if there wasn't movies like this - what would our standards for "good" movies be? I'm being nice with this one, if you can't already tell.

Getting away from some negative comments, I'll mention the costumes, set-design and select scenes. They were all very well pulled off. The costumes looked authentic to the period, and not so perfect-and-pristine as they appear in other films set in this time. They look worn, used, what they should appear like. The set pieces are equally excellent, and look stunning. The scenes, mainly of the hauntings, were average but a few did suprise me. Pardon if they have been overused, but I did like them in this specific film. The scene in which the bible rips open and pages are flung from it's bindings one by one, the cross flying to another side of the room, and the wax candles melting instanely. Oh, and that carriage flip was just insane, hehe.

For the bad, the main point to make here is... the story, eh, no. It was so confusing, and I don't even know whether that's my fault for just not making things click, the film's fault for jumping around too much, or whether it's just simply confusing or doesn't make sense / features multiple plot holes.

There are some spoilers here, but hey, there are in all my reviews. It's a ghost story, and an entire family + teacher witness these ghostly encounters. But later scenes in the film imply it was not a haunting but rather the father who had been raping his little girl in the middle of the night. This is one big plot hole in my eyes. Like, if they made it so the girl just experiences the hauntings, or certain individual members through a slightly opened door (such as the Mother witnessed the girl's back-arch). But no, apparently there was some sort of ghostly apparition? I'm just fully confused and don't know how the hell to figure this out. Sorry, but I'll try...

So, the hauntings were maybe the girl's imagination (she imagine it all), as a way of dealing with his father's abuse of her. Or maybe the family witnessing it didn't see the father doing it and thought it was a ghost? Doubtful... Okay, how about... the ghostly apparition was on part of the girl who was trying to torture herself for not doing anything about it, as well as the father who commited the actual crime. Still, this lacks sense. Any sense at all, and I find it ridiculous.

Blegh. That's the main gripe for this specific feature. CONFUSING AND I DON'T GET IT AT ALL. Was there a Ghost? Wasn't there? Was it rape? Wasn't it? CONFUSION MAKES YOU THINK AND IT IS GOOD IN SOME CASES BUT NOT HERE. Baaah.

I'm glad it stuck to the 90 feature-length minimum runtime. it was tedious and somewhat repetitive. But an ace for this was the final scene in which the Mother in present-day re-enters the house after sending her daughter with her divorced-husband for the weekend. She sees the ghost of the girl after just reading the journal entry, and rushes outside only to see her daughter's worried face, biting her nails, peering through the window as they drive off in to the distance.

I liked that, a lot. If only the rest of the movie was good. :(

I bought the Sleepaway Camp "Survival Kit" for about 15$ the price was right.As for part 2 and 3....lets just say they don't live up to the first installment but Pamela Springsteen does a good job as a comical quirky Angela.


Last viewed:16 Blocks

I just watched Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera. I love it because of the music. The actual movie isn't all that, but the songs are beautiful. The melodies blend together perfectly, and if you've ever studied music you know what I mean. The song arrangements make my eyes tear up, and I still wish I had seen it on Broadway when I had the chance. Unfortunately, my parents weren't too keen on my musical aspirations, and I wasn't allowed to go. Narrow minded bible thumpers...

Sorry. But who would I tell, if not strangers I'll likely never meet?
I could have been a great singer. Now I scream out my frustrations in garage bands....and it's doubtful they would appreciate Andrew Lloyd Webber:)

Dagon -

Impressive and pacy, yet a bit bleak. Maybe direction was not on par, or maybe the plot-holes in the script. Nice effects, some good jumpy scares. A decent watch IMO, but not the best adaptation of Lovecraft's work by any stretch of the imagination.

06/10

The first story of Kwaidan: The Black Hair.

I really enjoyed it, and I'm hoping the rest are as good or better. You nerds keep suggesting good horror movies like this, and I'll have to keep eating Ramen;)

i think it did capture ther lovecraftian sense of doom and helplessness better than any of the others ..
i found it to be creepy and foreboding...the rain .. the setting .. the type of threat presented ..

i thought it was probably the best reperesentation of the atmosphere of lovecraft - if not the exact literary representation..

They really are all that good.:)

...
 

"Click"

I thought it was a really good movie. A few parts were so sad... :( It's definitely more of a movie than people think, not just a dumb comedy.

bah. ignore this post

What?! you're crazy. :p Best slasher movie, hands down.

Room 6 - I now see why this was DTV. It's like a car wreck (which plays a central point in the movie); it's got bits and pieces of what could be a good movie all over the place, but no one can put them together properly. The acting (especially Christine Taylor and the young nurses) is pretty bad. The storyline is absolutely ludicrous. A few of the special effects are pretty cool, but not cool enough to save the movie. Definitely save your money and time on this one. If you do watch it, look for Kane Hodder as the bum.

The Ghost and the Darkness - Except for Micheal Douglas' overacting, I really like this movie. And his overacting isn't all that bad. Just finished reading a book about maneating lions in Tsavo, where the true events of the movie took place. There are a few inaccuracies in the movie, but that's to be expected.

X-Files Fight the Future - Every time I watch this movie I start watching reruns of the show, one of the best shows on television. And as I've posted before, AHHHHHH David Duchovny.:D

I watched some of that movie being filmed in Chicago.



My last seen were Night Watch and The Serpent and the Rainbow.

Both were very good films. I thought Night Watch was so kickass. It's kind of like The Matrix meets The Lost Boys or something.

What plot holes? Care to elaborate?

you know after the two disastrous sequels to "the matrix" i went back and watched the first and i realized that i didn't like the original either (i think i must have been really high at the time)... i have "night watch" in my possession, but just can't find enough time to sit down and watch it. the anticipation is killing me; i hope this doesn't ruin the movie for me.

Well, if you didn't like the Matrix series, chances are you won't like Night Watch.

RECCOMENDED.

Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance;
Chan-wook Park has just become one of my favourite directors. Added to the list which already contains Alexandre Aja, Rob Zombie, and Quentin Tarintino. Short list.

This film is not for everyone, so you must accept that before even feeling the need to watch it. Please don't take this review to heart, go out and buy it, watch it, dislike it, and then run to me saying it's trash. You need to have a certain taste to enjoy this. It's Korean, it's subtitled, there is a majority of silence and a lack of a vast amount of dailogue. It is a character-driven film, that pours atmosphere and realism. It all works, whether you accept it or not.

The first thing you will notice while watching the film is that most of it is very quiet. There is little background music, and scenes are often filled with nothing but background noises. Background noises you can hear in everyday life. The director has accepted the fact that a film does not need to have a soundtrack inserted into every little open area. Even the ending, while the credits role, has very little music and is only filled by the crying of a dying man. Beautiful.

The second thing you will notice is that the film is carried by it's characters. They are well established, acted, and defined. They are real, and the director uses every oppertunity to show this to his audience. The way they act is not typical to most movies, the way they act is typical to our lives. Some of their movements may make you wonder, and turn away in shock - but you cannot deny the fact that, in this very situation, such a response is very real indeed. The actions are explained, not by words, but by past events and situations we have experienced our self.

The title, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, is very vague once you've seen the film - and you realize it works. What you will notice as you progress in this film is that you do not exactly feel more sympathy for one character, then another. All have reasons for what they are doing, all take drastic actions against another. They are all good guys, and they are all bad guys. Just like in life. Two sides of a coin.

Another thing to note, I often get bored in at least one part of every move I watch. Where I look at the clock, check the runtime, and yawn. I did not do that ONCE in this film. I was transfixed in the silence, and genuinely interested in the events taking place on screen. It's funny how a simple thing called life can be so much more exciting then movie sof other genres.

---

Salvage and Oldboy tonight. Creep and Sympathy for Lady Vengeance tomorrow night. Ichi the Killer coming up sometime later, as well as The Talented Mr. Ripley and The Promise. Oh, and The Matrix (embarrasing to admit I've never seen it.)

like there's this scene when the guy jumps from a building, crashing through a glass sheet on the other building and landing on his butt (ouch!) and getting up with only a limp(??).

The cgi effects. They were disappointing, especially of the creature itself, which I thought was lame. But maybe cuz its a low-budget flick, the makers didnt have much to develop it better.

The acting was a big letdown. There just wasnt much atmosphere created by the leads to keep the movie pacy.

The climax was ok. Clever and original.

Altogether, it started off very interestingly. A small island in the middle of nowhere, a guy all alone looking around claustrophobically wondering where his friends disappeared to, the people of the rainy coastal town giving him glares...definitely creepy and eerie stuff. But the second half of the movie took it down.

The problem with Dagon is depiction of too much gore. I admit I loved some really nice scenes, like the skinning scene (thats awesome!) But according to the pace of the movie, too much gore wasnt needed. More solid performances, and a better script could have made it a better movie than it is.

Stuart Gordon may be the best director when it comes to handle Lovecraftian tales, but the genius of Lovecraft needs a lot more than Gordon can give it. The human psyche, the horrific and glaring depictions which come from reading his books, need atmospheric touches to make em more horrifying.

Thats where movies like Se7en score over movies like Dagon. It isnt the act of murder depicted in minute detail which horrifies people, its the knowledge that such a gruesome act has been done, is what makes it horrifying. Hope that made sense.

Last seen movie: Vampire Hunter D Bloodlust
Last seen live action movie: House of Wax

*Major Spoilers for Dagon*

I'll agree that the CGI was awful, and that some of the acting wasnt great. I thought Ezra Godden [Paul] was great though, he really gave a realistic performance IMO.

The "plot hole" isnt really a plot hole when you look at the whole plot. Look at how resiliant/hard to kill all the Imbocans are. I think the fact that Paul was relatively unharmed shows the first hints of his transformation.

What do you mean by too much gore? Aside from the face skinning and Paul's burnt body, there really wasnt much gore at all.

I agree with Urge 100% about the atmosphere:

I couldnt say it any better.

Personally, I love Dagon. It's one of my all-time favourite horror films. Too bad you didnt like it:(

Independence Day
A special effects packed ball of fun.