Last movie watched...

[pictsy]

I was going to suggest that Universal Soldier - Regeneration would have benefited from being shorter - but I just checked the runtime and it's 90 minutes.  Oh dear.

There are good ideas in the film.  A lot of stuff is done competently.  Ugly quick-cut action scenes aside, it's shot well.  The soundtrack was atmospheric but not necessarily in keeping with the tone, so created a bit of dissonance (and maybe, with its creepy ambiance, foreshadowing for the film to come).  There were some decent/good performance, but it wasn't universal.
Overall, however, there was a lot of redundancy.  A 90 minute film shouldn't feel that long so there is clearly a shit ton of padding.  I think it was going for a particular tone - given the soundtrack, editing and framing - but it missed the mark entirely.

The Return was a lot worse, but I feel like it's going to stick in my head for a long while.  Regeneration feels like it will be easily forgettable.  Which is a shame, because it's the better film and it's doing some good stuff.

[pictsy]

Universal Soldier - Day of Reckoning

Certainly an improvement over the previous two films.  I like that it went at the concept from a different angle.  The film made good use of what was available.  Nevertheless, I think it was clear that both JCVD and Dolph Lundgren were only available for a day or two and that there was a limited budget.
Not a film for the literal minded as it eschews coherent exposition and narrative in favour for esoteric storytelling - which I'd say was the right call.  If you're going to have to cobble a movie together due to budget restraints then make it a feature rather than a failure.  I'd say I enjoyed it.

[JayzusB.Christ]

I've found myself, not for the first time in my life, going through a temporary Stephen King film obsession. Just finished The Mist (2007). The CGI isn't quite good enough to convince but the ending is an incredibly brave move for Hollywood, and also incredibly powerful.

Also took me a while to recognise Carol and Andrea from the Walking Dead, and the Punisher.

[JohnW]

The Mist was OK. On a par with the novella anyway, and – as you say – a brave ending of the sort that even King had largely chickened out of.
I can't think of any adaptations beyond Stand By Me and The Shawshank Redemption which actually qualify as good cinema, mind.
That said, the TV version of Salem's Lot scared the bejesus out of me long before I ever even saw it. It was lovingly described to me in 4th class (possibly by guys who hadn't seen it either, but knew it by hearsay and could embroider a fine tale) and ever after I dreaded the sound of fingernails at my window.
To lend weight to my fears, the truly scary paperback leered out at me from every shelf in every bookshop. This, as you'll all remember, was back when popular paperbacks were sold in all manner of establishments, so there was no getting away from those eyes and those teeth.
Brrrrr!

[Jim_Campbell]

I can't think of any adaptations beyond Stand By Me and The Shawshank Redemption which actually qualify as good cinema, mind.

Misery...?

[JohnW]

Misery...?

There you go. I keep on forgetting Misery for some reason -- maybe because I liked neither the book nor the film.
It's a strange complaint to make about a Stephen King, but I found it uncomfortable reading/viewing. Some days I just want booga-booga monsters and wild supernatural shenanigans over more plausible nastiness. Go figure.

[Funt Solo]

Sideways Scuttleton says "I only clocked I wuz in anuvver dimension when I realized that The Shining wasn't considered a classic of the cinematic wotsit."

[GoGilesGo]

I can't think of any adaptations beyond Stand By Me and The Shawshank Redemption which actually qualify as good cinema, mind.

Misery...?

Dead Zone also. I watched three months ago and it stands up, not least due to the two central performances.

[JohnW]

The Shining

OK, yeah, well.
I mean, if you're going to bring The Shining into it.
Well, yeah. OK.

(Although for some reason I've fallen out of love with that movie.)

[JayzusB.Christ]

That said, the TV version of Salem's Lot scared the bejesus out of me long before I ever even saw it. It was lovingly described to me in 4th class (possibly by guys who hadn't seen it either, but knew it by hearsay and could embroider a fine tale) and ever after I dreaded the sound of fingernails at my window.

I knew the plot of Terminator inside out at about the same age, because it was described in detail from start to finish by my brother's mate John in a big scout tent in a field one night.  His description was just as entertaining as the actual movie when I finally saw it, despite the former spoiling every single plot twist of the latter.  In fact, the SFX of the eye-removing scene in my imagination would prove superior to the ones in the film. 

I still know John well - he's a pilot and a trained weapons enthusiast (but a vegetarian and pacifist - we've shot tin cans together in the woods).  And he has a complete collection of the Fighting Fantasy books, and once made his own Rambo adventure game which I kept and presented to him at a party 25 years later.  (Rambo was fighting Koreans, for some reason, but it was really well made.)

Back to Stephen King - I'm not as bowled over by the Shawshank Redemption as most are, I have to admit.  I mean, of course it's a good film, but IMHO far from the best film ever made, as I've heard a few people say.  The Shining, though - well, it may be more Kubrick than King, but horror doesn't get much better than that.

[JohnW]

Dead Zone

And The Dead Zone, obviously.

(Now would you all please stop making fun of my failing memory and refrain from bringing up any more good Stephen King adaptations? Please?)

[JayzusB.Christ]

Dead Zone

And The Dead Zone, obviously.

(Now would you all please stop making fun of my failing memory and refrain from bringing up any more good Stephen King adaptations? Please?)

I liked The Green Mile, me.

[JohnW]

I liked The Green Mile, me.

Stoppit!

Anyway, besides its fine cast, high production values, and whatever else it had going for it, was The Green Mile actually any good?
(It's been a while, and I know I didn't care much for the book.)

[JayzusB.Christ]

It's been a while for me too, and I never read the book.  But I do remember quite enjoying the film, while recognising that it wasn't exactly classic cinema.  There were some genuinely heartbreaking scenes there and I found myself deeply invested in some of the main characters and their stories.

And Michael Clarke Duncan is a fecking brilliant actor - like John Malkovich, he's equally convincing as both a lumbering man-child as seen here, and a ruthless, calculating mobster in other films. 

[Link Prime]

Watched the new David Fincher movie The Killer on Netflix last night.

Surprisingly good, despite the pretty poor promo and "Can I make it through this?" opening credits montage.

I know it's already on the Hollywood cards, but Fincher and Fassbender are only a blonde wig away from a decent Button Man adaptation as it stands.