What are you watching?

[Dom D Spoon! Find all posts View Profile Close Dom D]

Up above I was talking about McQueens Lost Movie and Grand Prix. Well while Grand Prix knocked out McQueens own F1 racing movie the bug to get a racing off the ground never left McQueen.

The result, Le Mans. Well it looked in the Lost Movie like McQueen was taking this racing movie as about as seriously as a man can and Le Mans is about as serious a racing movie as your going to get. It clocks in at just under two hours and I'd hazard a good 80 minutes of those is spent just watching the cars go round and round. Very little dialogue. No story to speak of. Because LeMans is closed cockpits you can't even see that its McQueen in the drivers seat which I think was the most important point about the earlier failed project.

Its a very strange vanity project that can only be recommended to your serious petrol head. Still preferred it to Grand Prix.

[paul h. woly boly Find all posts View Profile Close paul h.]

I, the Jury - Man those crazy pills really kicked in! Damn. It's a wild sleazy ride. Nice to have the blu.

[Newt Cox Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Newt Cox]

The Bits of Yesterday

Amazon Prime

Wanted something to listen to before I took a nap today. Ended up watching all of this. Standard retro video game documentary. They go around talking to a pile of Youtube retro video game collectors. Wasn't bad but nothing new in this documentary.

Blood & Flesh: The Reel Life and Ghastly Death of Al Adamson

Shudder

While I have never been a big fan of Al's films I do enjoy a good documentary. And this was a great documentary. After finishing it I'm gonna give Al's films a second chance.

[Andrew Monroe Pallid Hands Find all posts View Profile Close Andrew Monroe]

NEWS OF THE WORLD - Damn, this was so fucking terrific. Tom Hanks is typically great and young Helena Zengel is a star on the rise. I bawled like a baby during a certain scene near the end. It's a western, set in the 1870s. Hanks is a Civil War veteran who runs into a young girl who has been rescued from the Kiowas who abducted and raised her. He agrees to take her to relatives and they travel hundreds of miles together on the way, running into some bad people at times. It's about family and needing people and so much more. Can't recommend this enough.

[agent999 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close agent999]

NEWS OF THE WORLD - Damn, this was so fucking terrific. Tom Hanks is typically great and young Helena Zengel is a star on the rise. I bawled like a baby during a certain scene near the end. It's a western, set in the 1870s. Hanks is a Civil War veteran who runs into a young girl who has been rescued from the Kiowas who abducted and raised her. He agrees to take her to relatives and they travel hundreds of miles together on the way, running into some bad people at times. It's about family and needing people and so much more. Can't recommend this enough.

This one seems to be quite polarising. It didn't do much for me or family members who watched it (it's on Netflix in the UK). It's certainly a handsome film but just didn't really click with me. I didn't have problems with the pacing, but the story just seemed unremarkable, at times convenient and indebted to The Searchers. Apart from the sequence where Hanks incites unrest in the town it didn't seem to have much of the Paul Greengrass signature.

[Andrew Monroe Pallid Hands Find all posts View Profile Close Andrew Monroe]

This one seems to be quite polarising. It didn't do much for me or family members who watched it (it's on Netflix in the UK). It's certainly a handsome film but just didn't really click with me. I didn't have problems with the pacing, but the story just seemed unremarkable, at times convenient and indebted to The Searchers. Apart from the sequence where Hanks incites unrest in the town it didn't seem to have much of the Paul Greengrass signature.

There is definitely a SEARCHERS influence. It's low key and deliberately paced but I was mesmerized. There's enough action and character development to keep you involved. And that emotional scene between Hanks and the girl near the end just hit me straight in the heart.

[Matt H. Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Matt H.]

KILLER FISH - This was a nice surprise. I thought it was totally fun and I've never enjoyed a Karen Black performance more - she's great in this! I think I actually prefer it to Dante's PIRANHA; the piranha attack footage is superior and it's generally more involving. The Scorpion Blu-ray has an amazing special feature: a nearly hour long discussion between William Lustig and Frank Pesce (who appears in the film) as they sit in a restaurant. It's basically just Pesce telling awesome Hollywood stories.

TINTORERA - Second or third time watching this and what ruined it for me this time is the endless, brutal footage of real sharks being killed. I understand that the main characters are shark hunters but did we really need to see over a dozen sharks killed? They could've shown one sequence where they killed a shark and we'd get the picture, but there's at least three different sequences where they go underwater and spear sharks in the head and we watch them bleed out for a couple minutes. It got on my nerves and it started to become really obnoxious and spoiled what is otherwise a really interesting hang out movie that I still think is worth watching.

[Matt H. Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Matt H.]

BUCKTOWN - Decent Blaxploitation featuring the great Thalmus Rasulala and, of course, The Hammer. It has basically the same plot as VIGILANTE FORCE, made the following year, but in an urban setting. One thing that bothered me was how whiny Pam Grier is in this - she's really annoying.

VENUS FLYTRAP - Above average SOV rip-off of HOUSE ON THE EDGE OF THE PARK that has a lot of oddly heartfelt dialogue scenes that really seem out of place in a home invasion exploitation flick.

[Takuma Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Takuma]

Vampire Lovers (UK, 1970) - 2/5
Dated Hammer horror with plastic beauty Ingrid Pitt seducing naí¯ve countryside girls behind men's backs. Loads of nudity, but the whole thing feels silly, clumsy and morally conservative. Peter Cushing only shows up in the beginning and end. Twins of Evil did something similar far more convincingly a year later.

Twins of Evil (UK, 1971) - 3.5/5
Sisters Mary and Madeleine Collinson, one virginal and the other not so, move in with uncle Peter Cushing who just happens to be a man of faith who spends his nights chasing sexy young girls and burning them to death in the name of God! A later day Hammer film with a welcome blurring of lines: evil is seductive and the good guys are blind. Some great supporting characters, surprisingly grizzly violence at the end, and nudity mixed with classic Hammer magic. Cushing (having just lost his wife in real life) is excellent in the dark role, too!

Countess Dracula (UK, 1971) [VoD] - 3/5
Old and ugly Ingrid Pitt discovers how she can become young and beautiful Ingrid Pitt again - by bathing in virgin blood. Late Hammer with some blood and boobs, but the film is remarkably tame for the era, and the tale itself sits comfortably with older incarnations of the same / similar tales. It is a reasonably good film, however. Pitt is better than she was in Vampire Lovers, and Nigel Green is great as the envious lover who constantly gets traded for younger flesh. The ending is painfully predictable, though. Based on "Blood Countess" Elizabeth Bathory.

Dracula A.D. 1972 (UK, 1972) [VoD] -3/5
A bunch of kids resurrect Dracula in modem day London. Thankfully Peter Cushing is in town (as the old grandson of Van Helsing). Not a highly regarded film (and admittedly one has to wonder why they brought Dracula to modern day and then essentially limited his movements to one old church?) but it's a rather entertaining movie nevertheless. Lee & Cushing are always watchable together, and the modern twist at least makes it more interesting than Dracula has Risen from the Grave (1968) or Taste the Blood of Dracula (1970).

Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell (UK, 1974) [VoD] - 3/5
A young medical student caught playing with body parts is sent to a madhouse, the same one they sent Dr. Frankenstein to some years prior (yeah, some serious incompetence on the court's part here!). You can guess the rest. Gory, occasionally disturbing Hammer with a pinch of old magic remaining. It was behind the times, but works pretty well in retrospect. But no boobs. Bummer.

[Newt Cox Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Newt Cox]

Hack O Lantern-Joe Bob airing on Shudder. Way better than I expected. Was surpised to see Jenna Fine in this.

[Takuma Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Takuma]

Bond, part 1

Dr. No (UK, 1962) [BD] - 4/5
Stylish, exciting spy film with exotic locations. Connery is terrific, full of charm, but not without menace. This is also pleasingly low-key compared to some of the later films. The limited budget only hurts the ending, which is a bit bargain basement.

From Russia with Love (UK, 1963) [BD] - 4.5/5
Elegant, romantic follow-up is an almost a Hitchcock level thriller. Beautifully written, filmed and scored, with wonderful performances. Robert Shaw makes a great villain, and Daniela Bianchi is a pleasure for the eye even if her role is a bit sexist. Lotte Lenya is admittedly cartoonish as hell.

Goldfinger (UK, 1964) [BD] - 4/5
One of the highest regarded Bond films this may be, it doesn't quite have the elegance of From Russia with Love. It's a pulpier, more superficial action film, with some tonal misfires (the bloody cowboy culture bits), but it's still full of enjoyable 60s swing.

Thunderball (UK, 1965) [BD] - 2.5/5
A rather dated adventure, with expensive underwater sequences that fail to excite 55 years after. Tom Jones' theme song and some clever moments (the ending, the discussions between Connery and Adolfo Celi etc.) are what the film's got going for it. Not bad, buy a bit underwhelming. Connery looks a bit uninspired in the role, too.

You Only Live Twice (UK, 1967) [VoD] - 4.5/5
Imaginative, tremendously exciting adventure, also a great example how utilize Japan in a foreign film: integrate the setting into the plot, marry the hero to a Japanese girl, cast local superstars and hottest young talent (Tetsuro Tamba, Akiko Wakabayashi, Mie Hama) in well written roles, and bring in grandmaster Masaaki Hatsumi to help with your ninja action! Also features a great score, Little Nellie, couple of delightfully insane scenes (e.g. Bond turning Japanese) and Donald Pleasence as Blofeld. Oh and Wakabayashi is a goddess, and Hama is hot too.

On Her Majesty's Secret Service (UK, 1969) [VoD] - 2.5/5
Despite the neglected gem reputation, this is a messy, overlong mishap. From Bond posing as a genealogy lecturer (in kilt!) to planning a marriage with a gangster's daughter, this is ridiculous to the point of turning into a self-parody (which may, but should not have, been their intention). Oddly enough, the action is abysmally edited despite director Hunt being a former editor. But the film does have a fantastic Barry score, beautiful scenery, and a great ending, so it's still worthwhile despite it all!

Diamonds are Forever (UK, 1971) [VoD] - 3/5
A tougher, 70s style crime film with Connery back after 4 years (somehow he seems to have aged 14 years!). The film's second half goes for the more outlandish Bond spheres, which is also when it starts losing steam. Shirley Bassey's theme song is the best in the series!

[George Barry Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close George Barry]

They Call Me Jeeg (2015) Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTREJN2NWSo

My enthusiasm for super hero and take off on super hero movies is generally very modest, but I did like this. I found the film a bit long and it did take me a while to get into the story, but I'm glad I watched it. Free online, Amazon Prime, Kanopy, Tubi (with ads) and elsewhere.

[Dom D Spoon! Find all posts View Profile Close Dom D]

Promising Young Woman: Carey Mulligan hangs around bars feigning drunkness, laying a trap for predatory, opportunistic men who will pick her up and take her home. Sounds like the setup for an exploitation pic with lots of nudity, rape and castrations galore. Sadly none of that. This is more of a preachy, state of the union film.

At the centre of it there's an historical rape case. When Mulligan was at Med school her smashed friend was raped while a bunch of the rapists mates cheered him on. The case got swept under the rug. The rapist goes onto become a successful.doctor while the victim committed suicide (I think? Certainly shes not in the film).

Probably it's a topical film everywhere but particularly here in Oz right now. Recently a top government MP was accused of raping one of his high school friends who has since died after making the allegation. It's a nightmare situation for everyone. How do you deal with that? You can't really send the guy to prison as there's no evidence for something that happened decades ago. You just have the word of a woman who's not even around anymore to back up her claims. At the same time you can't have him in government can you? I mean we assume he's probably a rapist. Messy!

The film wears it's topicality on its sleeve. Mulligan meets a man and starts dating. He's a "nice guy" - the terms used repeatedly as it's a buzz term at the moment. Their scenes are unbearably "meet cute". Every romantic comedy has the "meet cute" scene, and its always unbearble, but these two do it every single time they're together. Have a pillow handy. Youre going to want to punch something. The guy went to Med went school with her and the rapist. Can you see the twist coming? If you can't now you will half an hour before the film gets to it. Is there anything more frustrating than waiting for a film to catch up with you?

This just won the Oscar for Best Screenplay. I had hoped that Parasite cleaning up was a sign that the Oscars were turning a corner. Clearly not so much. No script this simplistic should be winning anything. It's on potentially interesting territory. There's no desire to explore it though. I've long said that good movies have Themes, movies that win Oscars have Messages. Who was it who said if you have a message use Western Union? It's good advice. Anyway, this is a movie with a message. Go in with your expectations adjusted accordingly.

[Paul L Scholar of Sleaze Find all posts View Profile Close Paul L]

Promising Young Woman: Carey Mulligan hangs around bars feigning drunkness, laying a trap for predatory, opportunistic men who will pick her up and take her home. Sounds like the setup for an exploitation pic with lots of nudity, rape and castrations galore.

The copy I've read about this reminds me greatly of THE BRAVE ONE or, alternatively, Michael Winner's DIRTY WEEKEND.

[Matt H. Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Matt H.]

Promising Young Woman: Carey Mulligan hangs around bars feigning drunkness, laying a trap for predatory, opportunistic men who will pick her up and take her home. Sounds like the setup for an exploitation pic with lots of nudity, rape and castrations galore. Sadly none of that. This is more of a preachy, state of the union film.

At the centre of it there's an historical rape case. When Mulligan was at Med school her smashed friend was raped while a bunch of the rapists mates cheered him on. The case got swept under the rug. The rapist goes onto become a successful.doctor while the victim committed suicide (I think? Certainly shes not in the film).

Probably it's a topical film everywhere but particularly here in Oz right now. Recently a top government MP was accused of raping one of his high school friends who has since died after making the allegation. It's a nightmare situation for everyone. How do you deal with that? You can't really send the guy to prison as there's no evidence for something that happened decades ago. You just have the word of a woman who's not even around anymore to back up her claims. At the same time you can't have him in government can you? I mean we assume he's probably a rapist. Messy!

The film wears it's topicality on its sleeve. Mulligan meets a man and starts dating. He's a "nice guy" - the terms used repeatedly as it's a buzz term at the moment. Their scenes are unbearably "meet cute". Every romantic comedy has the "meet cute" scene, and its always unbearble, but these two do it every single time they're together. Have a pillow handy. Youre going to want to punch something. The guy went to Med went school with her and the rapist. Can you see the twist coming? If you can't now you will half an hour before the film gets to it. Is there anything more frustrating than waiting for a film to catch up with you?

This just won the Oscar for Best Screenplay. I had hoped that Parasite cleaning up was a sign that the Oscars were turning a corner. Clearly not so much. No script this simplistic should be winning anything. It's on potentially interesting territory. There's no desire to explore it though. I've long said that good movies have Themes, movies that win Oscars have Messages. Who was it who said if you have a message use Western Union? It's good advice. Anyway, this is a movie with a message. Go in with your expectations adjusted accordingly.

Bill Maher spoiled the ending on Real Time a couple of weeks ago. Such a dick move, even if it is predictable.