Last movie watched...

[Dredd Head]

The Hobbit -an Unexpected Journey. I bloody loved it.

I thought it was great as well, Annoyed that it's split into 3 films though

[Zarjazzer]

The Hobbit -an Unexpected Journey. I bloody loved it.

I thought it was great as well, Annoyed that it's split into 3 films though

i didn't think it would work but the expanded storyline seemed to go very well. The designs though, the dwarven halls and the look of the wargs and the Orc and Goblins were just fantastic. Radagast hiding inside as the giant spiders lurk around was incredibly creepy.

[Mabs]

Soldier with Kurt Russell: has it's problems but overall I quite liked it. Lot of Dredd comparisons sprang to mind. Despite not even having a helmet, Kurt Russell still manages to keep it on for most of the film.

And some nice references to Blade Runner; Kurt has 'Tannhauser Gate' tattooed on his arm, seem's as if he was a vet of the war there. Also there's Terminator skeletons in a junkyard scene. I might be wrong (as i watched this years ago) but i think it was written by David Webb Peoples who of course wrote Blade Runner and Unforgiven.

[smilersaltash]

Well remembered Mabs. If only I could get my video and tv talking to each other, I would watch again.

Watched Hansel and Gretel tonight - thankfully I borrowed dvd from my daughter - resent having to fork out for the leccy to watch it. Poor does not adequately describe.

[Hoagy]

Watching Olivia in Juno...

[ThryllSeekyr]

I watched Robocop on the telly last night.

[Buttonman]

I'd buy that for a dollar.

Unlike the post apocalyptic thriller World Gone Wild which stars Adam Ant as the baddie and it's as bad as this sounds. Followed by a slice of Dredd's bum in The Specialist.

[judgefloyd]

I watched Robocop on the telly last night.

has Robocop stood the test of time?

[MR. ELIMINATOR]

yes

[I, Cosh]

Extended catch-up post. TL;DR

I wish I could recommend The Man With the Iron Fists more as it's clearly a labour of love on the part of writer/director/soundtrack composer/star The Rza. It's a sumptuous homage to films of the Shaw Brothers school which manages to get a lot right. The nods and references are nicely done in that he conveys the spirit of the films that have gone before rather than something like Machete with its supposedly hilarious deliberate bad editing; the supporting cast are uniformly strong with Russell Crowe particularly impressing as an agent of the Emperor; the decision to focus on everyone fighting with more and more ludicrous weapons is a good one given the cast; the hip-hop soundtrack turns out to be a genius idea.

Unfortunately, the thing that lets the film down is the fighting itself. It's never downright bad but few of the fights are given room to breathe and there's a bit too much close up camera work for my taste. With Cory Yuen on action duties, I was a bit surprised but have since read elsewhere that this style was advocated by co-producer Eli Roth against The Rza's better judgement. If you genuinely like either old kung fu films or Wu Tang Clan then you'll get something out of this. Otherwise, best just wait and read about it on The Definite Article movie blog.


I'd been looking forward to seeing Rust and Bone but it was something of a letdown. I was expecting more than the cliched middle class woman suffers bizarre killer whale accident at work then learns to live and love again thanks to the attentions of a feckless loser from the wrong side of the tracks who forces her to confront reality at his backstreet ultimate fighting matches. Both the leads were good but there was an uncomfortable note of condescension about the whole enterprise.


The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift is an amusing exercise in keeping the franchise alive with no elements of previous installments intact other than some cars. Highlights would include the introduction which nicely sets up why we should be rooting for Lucas Black's character even if he's a dick and the ludicrous car chase with four cars drifting crazily through the traffic-crowded streets of Tokyo.


Merantau, the debut feature from the director and star of The Raid, isn't in the same league as the later film. Had I seen this first I think I'd be far less critical, but I still enjoyed seeing these guys
serving their apprenticeships. The pacing and overall story arc are much closer to the run of the mill, cheap kung fu film: naive young lad trying to make his way in the big city without getting into trouble but eventually has to stand up for his principles. The fights are much more spaced out, so film relies more heavily on the genial lead's acting rather than fighting skills. When the fights do come they are, initially, rather underwhelming. However, it's still interesting to see an uncommon style on film and things do ramp up as it progresses, culminating in a claustrophobic showdown with Mad Dog from The Raid and a good, old-fashioned 1 vs 50 in a shipping yard.


You may find it hard to believe I'd never seen The Omega Man but it's true. Given the amount of whining that went around when I Am Legend came out I was surprised by this. As a vehicle for Charlton Heston to run around being tough it's entertaining and reasonably atmospheric. However, it's no closer to being a faithful of the book than the Will Smith version. Might try Soylent Green next.


Cube is a decent example of filmmakers using a bit of ingenuity to get round budgetary limitations. As far as I can tell they needed one exterior FX shot, one set and half a dozen different coloured lightbulbs to produce a reasonably good proto-Saw tale of a bunch of people thrown together to try and escape from a crazy space prison full of sadistic booby traps. The locked room setting means the film focuses more on the dynamic between the characters than the occasional splash of gore. Unfortunately, the script isn't always up to that challenge. Another draft - or spending a bit more on an actor better able to carry off the role of the cop who tries to assume leadership of the group – and this could've been a real gem. As it is, still worth a watch on telly and the vague subtext of bureaucracy out of control probably holds a bit more relevance in light of the ongoing situation in Guantanamo.

[Mabs]

I rented out Cube years back from my local Blockbusters (who've since been abolished....well that one at least), and i really enjoyed it. Like you say, The Cosh, it is essentially a low budget film but the filmmakers do their best with what they have. The various ways in which our 'detainee's' meet their end was also memorable - one in particular who meets a very gruesome end indeed. I believe they made a sequel, but i never got round to watching it.

[JamesC]

I think there's a prequel and a sequel (Hypercube) but they follow the law of diminishing returns from what I recall.

[ThryllSeekyr]

I watched Robocop on the telly last night.

has Robocop stood the test of time?

I still like it enough to watch it again.

[von Boom]

I wish I could recommend The Man With the Iron Fists more as it's clearly a labour of love on the part of writer/director/soundtrack composer/star The Rza. It's a sumptuous homage to films of the Shaw Brothers school which manages to get a lot right. The nods and references are nicely done in that he conveys the spirit of the films that have gone before rather than something like Machete with its supposedly hilarious deliberate bad editing; the supporting cast are uniformly strong with Russell Crowe particularly impressing as an agent of the Emperor; the decision to focus on everyone fighting with more and more ludicrous weapons is a good one given the cast; the hip-hop soundtrack turns out to be a genius idea.

Unfortunately, the thing that lets the film down is the fighting itself. It's never downright bad but few of the fights are given room to breathe and there's a bit too much close up camera work for my taste. With Cory Yuen on action duties, I was a bit surprised but have since read elsewhere that this style was advocated by co-producer Eli Roth against The Rza's better judgement. If you genuinely like either old kung fu films or Wu Tang Clan then you'll get something out of this. Otherwise, best just wait and read about it on The Definite Article movie blog.

You aren't wrong here.

[Mabs]

I think there's a prequel and a sequel (Hypercube) but they follow the law of diminishing returns from what I recall.

A prequel aswell huh? Interesting! By the way, Robocop absolutely rocks - arguably Verhoeven's best (and definitely his best sci-fi film). I remembering being blown away by it when i watched it as a kid. As an adult, it's interesting to see the Jesus allegory which Verhoeven talked about in interviews - he even gets to walk on water just like the son of god! And the character is very reminiscent of Old Stoney Face himself - it was great seeing Karl Urban chanelling Robocop in a few scenes of Dredd too!