Last movie watched...

[SmallBlueThing]

Yes, ive never seen Backdraft either, entirely due to the trailers at the time which made big deal of the 'flowing, liquid fire' slow-motion effect and which, along with the six milion dollar man, cemented the use of slow motion in drama with extreme and stinky fromage in my head. Ive not seen any ron howard movies, i believe, as they all look so inspid and like bloodless imitations of proper films.

Last movies ive seen are 'the creature walks among us' and 'cult of the cobra'. In the final 'black lagoon' film  the gillman suffers forced-evolution into a mammal and as a result cant go back to his beloved water. His scales and gills are burned off, his secondary lungs kick in and he's left very unhappy indeed. We quite liked it all told, and decided he managed to get back to the sea in the end and found peace. 

'Cult of the cobra' is a universal chiller in which a squad of american airmen, on leave 'in asia', investigate a local snake worshipping religion for laffs. Turns out people CAN turn into (cont)

[SmallBlueThing]

(cont) snakes- but western eyes must never see this. As result of their intrusion theyre cursed by the priest to die one by one. Sadly, what could be a brilliant early example of the 'ten little indians'/'friday the thirteenth'/'final destination' model of filmmaking is crippled by a lousy and weak romantic plot in which the cult's shape-changing assassin is... a (not very) beautiful girl, who falls in love with the lead. Sigh. The snake kills are poor, there are no makeup or special effects to speak of (the evidence of 'snake women' at the start is a dancer in a leotard filmed backwards) and the most interesting thing is that it blatantly rips off 'cat people' in its re-use of that film's celebrated motif of sudden shocks, driven by the soundtrack. There's even a brilliant bit where the audience is asked to be scared of an arm becausit looks bit like a snake, maybe.

While it fails to be in the least frightening, or as visually interesting as the better universals, there's enough here storywise (cont)

[SmallBlueThing]

(cont) to entertain the viewer not concerned at the lack of spectacle. It also has a pretty good cast, some nice setpieces and a number of lovely contemporary sequences shot in new york at night, which is always fascinating.

SBT

[radiator]

My favorite season was either that one with the Predator rip-off but with kids being hunted and then the story where they met Grand Moff Tarkin that went on for something like seven episodes, or that one where witches use magic to bring Darth Maul back to life and it goes on forever.

For all the sarcasm, it sounds like you carried on watching every single episode, so you can't dislike it that much. 

[TordelBack]

My favorite season was either that one with the Predator rip-off but with kids being hunted and then the story where they met Grand Moff Tarkin that went on for something like seven episodes, or that one where witches use magic to bring Darth Maul back to life and it goes on forever.

Foolish Bear!  That's The Clone Wars (2007-present).  The grown-ups are talking about Clone Wars (2004-5).  And while I agree completely about the worst-idea-ever rebuilding of Darth Maul (Season 4) and the interminable 'Captain' Tarkin episodes (Season 3), the Most Dangerous Game duology (S3) was top notch.  It had Chewbacca in it, and he was cool as. 

[Professor Bear]

It's all the same canon, TB - George Lucas says so.  Even the stuff that contradicts other stuff, and the stuff that invalidates other stuff entirely - just keep buying it!

For all the sarcasm, it sounds like you carried on watching every single episode, so you can't dislike it that much. 

I actually gave up during the Dart Maul storyline, about three episodes in, and that was after giving the show a second chance after the Tarkin storyline that genuinely felt like it would never fucking end - it felt like they were trying to create as many multi-part storylines as possible to bring out as feature-length edits, despite the multi-parters being the weakest episodes, and I'd just had enough.  I wasn't a fan of the Predator rip-off partially because the Predator aliens were highly similar to the Predator aliens from Star Trek Voyager (complete with "dad does not understand me" operatic sub-plot) to the point I wondered if you could be sued for ripping off someone's rip-off, but mainly because like the Darth Maul stuff it relied too heavily on nastiness to smooth over the plot cracks and lack of originality.  There are too many good cartoons on telly (Thundercats, Gravity Falls, Legend of Korra, Scooby Doo: Mystery Incorporated) to waste time on Clone Wars anymore. 
I was by that point only sticking with it out of habit, anyway, but I do note that despite jettisoning Phantom Menace's lamentable pretence of SW's universe being a place of "science not magic" with the Darth Maul Space Witch storyline, I still feel the whole thing has diminished the franchise somehow rather than repaired it.  They should have let the Samurai Jack man keep making the cartoons, in my opinion, but I gather there's too much hostility towards 2d animation for that to ever have happened.

[TordelBack]

They should have let the Samurai Jack man keep making the cartoons, in my opinion, but I gather there's too much hostility towards 2d animation for that to ever have happened.

While I agree with you re: Tartakovsky and the multi-parters, Filoni is the director of most of the first season of Avatar: The Last Airbender, and that wasn't half bad.  His jokes about George pushing unwelcome ideas on him and saying "who signs your paychecks, Dave?" do grow ever more plaintive as the seasons roll on, but there's been a lot more good in TCW than bad.  So far. 

The Maul thing was kind of a breaking point for me too.  I didn't mind the Dathomiri using what looked like out-and-out magic (from our perspective) to Hulk-out 'Randy' Savage, but magically creating robo-legs for Eric-the-half-a-Maul was a step too far.  I haven't even managed to get past that to watch the Season 4 finale yet.

As to the Predator thing, the aliens in question are Trandoshans, Bossk's folk, and they have been ascribed an entirely hunt-based culture by the EU for at least 25 years: any resemblance to the Hirogen is as likely to run the other way.  The plot and its specific accoutrements (organised hunts of captive sentients, new member being blooded), has been purloined by just about every drama and SF show ever, and is as old as the hills, with the main thrust going back at least to The Most Dangerous Game (1932).  This was a well-executed version, using established SW tropes and characters, and with an exciting guest-star filled climax.  Given the show's tendency to build some of its best episodes around explicit homage (Seven Samurai (S2's 'Bounty Hunters') and Godzilla (S2's 'The Zillo Beast' two-parter) being the real stand-outs), I can't hold it against them just because almighty crap-fest Voyager did the same. 

[Spaceghost]

I watched The Raid at the weekend and thought it was fairly good. It wasn't the 'Action Film To End Them All' that I'd been promised by all the breathless hyperbole of the internetz, but it was decent enough.

I found it very hard to overlook, what I interpreted as, the plagiarism of the Dredd script to be honest. From the use of slow motion in action sequences to the basic plot, I saw the influence of the Dredd script throughout. I don't know whether the makers of The Raid read the leaked script but I would be very surprised to learn that it was all a big coincidence.

The plot is very simple, a SWAT team enters a building owned and dominated by a drug-leading gang boss, which has always been a no go area, even for the police. They sneak in undetected until a young boy raises the alarm. This results in a bloody battle, during which most of the SWAT team is killed and the boss announces to the block tenants, over the speaker system, that whoever kills themselves a cop will be awarded with a free room for life.

Many fight scenes ensue. The fight choreography was impressive but no more so than your average 80's Jackie Chan film and nowhere near as impressive, innovative, imaginative or visually stunning as Tony Ja at his best in Ong Bak or Warrior King. In fact, during a protracted fight scene in a bare room between 2 of the 'good' guys and a sub-boss, I found myself getting bored and wishing it would come to an end.

When it finally does, you're left expecting an exciting climax which never comes. The film just sort of peters out and ends without the big finale you've been waiting for.

I've seen a lot of action films, and a lot of martial arts films too, and while The Raid wouldn't come anywhere near the top of my list of favourites, it was enjoyable, throwaway fun. Just don't expect the rule book to be re-written.

[Colin Zeal]

Jaws: the Revenge was on the tv last night. Quite why I watched this when I could have been doing something useful such as scratching my arse I have no idea. Considering how dreadful this film is, there were actually a couple of good bits in it. These are basically how bloody a couple of the death scenes are, especially the woman who gets grabbed from the banana boat. One other problem I had with the film thouugh, is that there were only three deaths in it. The first film has more, despite not being overloaded with them and 2 and 3 have got too many for me to remember.

[Greg M.]

One other problem I had with the film thouugh, is that there were only three deaths in it. The first film has more, despite not being overloaded with them and 2 and 3 have got too many for me to remember.

"How many killings?" 

[Spaceghost]

"How many killings?" 

"...Seven."

[Tiplodocus]

IP MAN 2.
My thoughts on this coincide with those I've seen from other boarders but I can't quite remember where.
(I paraphrase)
"Not a patch on IP MAN but still good fun"
"Worth watching for Sammo Hung's turn"
"Any Wilson Yip/Donnie Yen combo is worth watching".
Am I part of the hive mind now?

[Mardroid]

Jaws: the Revenge was on the tv last night. Quite why I watched this when I could have been doing something useful such as scratching my arse I have no idea.

That's the one with Michael Caine right?

Amusing part of that film, Caine pops up out of the sea having been off screen for a while after some major shark shenanigans with the rest of the cast.

"How did  you escape?"
"It wasn't easy." (And not other explanation.)

Or words to that effect.

Well it tickled me.

[Dark Jimbo]

There's a great Caine quote where someone asks him why he did such a terrible film and he says something to the effect of - 'I haven't seen it, but I've seen the house it paid for, which is terrific, thanks.'

[bluemeanie]

Fast and the Furious 5
Only seen the first one before this. As far as this one goes....

If you want a fun action/heist movie where lots of shit blows up in between serious bro-mances, you cant ask for more than this one. All the cast seem to be enjoying themselves which really comes across and you cant go wrong with The Rock as far as I'm concerned.

The way they pull of the job at the end is FUCKING RIDICULOUS, but it's also lots of fun and makes for a very cool action sequence so no complaints.

Does what it says on the tin really.