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[THE FOREIGNER]

If you where looking for something to wash the taste of LAST BLOOD out of your mouth, Jackie Chan vs. The IRA might tickle your fancy, THE FOREIGNER on Netflix right now.

Does for Chan's POLICE STORY what GRAN TORINO was for DIRTY HARRY.

[Tetsuo: The Iron Man]

Also watched Tetsuo: The Iron Man for the first time and it was pretty intense. Can see where the reputation comes from! More arthouse than I expected, I thought I'd be getting B movie splatter but it's more like if young David Lynch had a horror nightmare after watching a Cronenberg film. Mostly interesting to realize how much of what I was into in the early '90s was clearly influenced by it, Trent Reznor definitely saw it and had his life changed, because the influence of its visual language and the industrial soundtrack are all over his Broken/TDS era output. More disturbing than enjoyable, but one of those movies that's unlike anything else, which given it's 30 years old is pretty impressive.

One of my all time favorites. Shinya Tsukamoto's entire catalog is worth a watch, especially Tetsuo II: Body Hammer and Tokyo Fist.

[Rambo: Last Blood]

Rambo: Last Blood. Awful. Just awful.

Whats funny, is I remember initially enjoying it for a pulpy slice of exploitation nonsense.

But upon my second viewing, I was struck by what a hateful, nasty bit of film making it is.

Nice one indeed Colin! This forums very own Adventurer alongside his Fincast pals got me onto Copra many years ago when Fiffe was still self publishing. It really is a super bit of comic bookery and i'm so glad it's got a long and successful publication ahead of it, one of my favorites of the last decade.

One of us, one of us!

Hawk, don't think that way. November is a long way off. I'm hopeful for Thought Bubble 2020.

It's not so much to length of time on it's own, where it so i'd be certain it was still a-go. It's Harrogate Convention Complex being used as a Nightingale Hospital. Though not confirmed yet it seems to be mostly agreed none of the MCM complexes will be hosting comic cons this year because of...well, the whole morgue aspect, being deeply upsetting and  concerning for both organizers and attendees.

A bit macabre and pessimistic maybe, and I truly want nothing more right now than to know be in the pub come November, nattering over some zines and comics. But man, 2020 is putting everyone through the ringer.



Anyhow, just read Spooks Book 4 and it's brilliant, so Books 5 and 6 will be on my shopping list! Ah hah!

Bringing my collection out of storage for the move post lockdown has made me realize how many Cinebook series i've got but need to actually read. Antares, Namibia, Lament of the Lost Moores, and the 4th Spooks book. Happy weeks reading ahead.

I highly doubt Thought Bubble will be happening this year which make me sad, it's  been a good three years or so since I checked out the Cinebook stand, shame on me.

The entire website has had broken assets and artifacts for me since it's last update...

I remember seeing Audition on 35MM at the Prince Charles.

You could tell when THE moment happens, who in that screening hadn't seen it before.

Sheer. Bloody. Terror.

His most recent film, comedy yakuza come boxing drama FIRST LOVE seemed a bit divisive but I thought it a brilliant self satire of his early mob movies.

You will laugh out loud quiet a bit during it's madness.

[Arrow Video]

Arrow Video is having one of its perennial sales until April 22nd, where amongst other classy and cult movies, Future Shock! The Story Of 2000AD can be picked up for the measly price of £5.00 on Blu-ray!!!

Bag a bargain!

https://arrowfilms.com/product-detail/future-shock--the-story-of-2000ad-blu-ray/FCD1540

Arrows blu-ray of Future Shock has become my ultimate comfort watch, chased down with the entire 90 minute Pat Mills rant-a-thon.

[Hands Of Steel]

Hands Of Steel - mid-80s Italian trash originally shot and released as Vendetta dal futuro about a cyborg assassin who goes on the run from his evil industrialist creator John Saxon - or was Saxon playing an evil CIA operative?  I genuinely can't remember and it doesn't matter.  Complete horseshit, but enjoyably so, like when it just stops doing Terminator and does Over The Top instead, with all disagreements between butch men getting settled in arm wrestling matches or highway chases in big rigs.

Any movie with George Eastmen in it is worth a moment of any ones time.

[Bojak Horseman]

Finally watching Bojak Horseman, just started Season 5 and as messed up as the road to it was, i'm glad Season 4 ended on a positive note.

Now, how are our cast of absolute bastards going to ruin it for one another, eh?

[AVENGEMENT]

Fans of gritty and bitty Brit mob movies should give Jesse V. Johnsons new prison thriller AVENGEMENT with Scott Adkins in full brutality mode. Haven't flinched at fist fights this rib cracking since Raid 2.

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs: it's an anthology western by the Coen brothers. For some of you, that'll already have sold it. The first segment (the actual Ballad of the title) made me laugh so hard I thought I might die.

I've only watched three of the six vignettes so far: but it's already worth recommending to ... all of humanity.

"Ain't no man compel another to engage in recreation, especially not one as surly and ill tempered as yourself."

[PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE]

Oh man, not reported in for awhile, binged a bunch of stuff in isolation, but prior to that caught the simply divine PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE the day all my local cinemas closed. What a gorgeous bit of film making, a strong contender for top 10 of the year.