Like so many films out nowadays, it feels like I've seen CWW before, so that I don't really need to see it. I fancy it's a bit like the Nicolas Cage drama (which I quite enjoyed really), Lord of War. But they seem better for DVD than the cinema.
I must disagree--I posted a brief review of Charlie Wilson's War on page 183, and I think it's a very good film. The dialogue is witty and the performances are excellent. As for being "pleased with itself," maybe it is, but I wasn't bothered by that. In fact, I found the movie's message very timely--if you go to war, make damn sure you clean up after yourself or there may be consequences even more horrible than what you were fighting in the first place. And CWW is nothing like Lord of War--nowhere near as dark, satirical, or critical of U.S. policies.
By the way, yesterday I saw Juno, which is a terrific little film. Smart and funny, with Ellen Page (I think I got her name right; she was Kitty Pryde in the last X-men flick) giving an outstanding performance. It should also please Arrested Development fans, since there are major roles for Jason Bateman and Michael Cera (again, I may have that name wrong), and the entire sane-person-in-an-insane-world scenario has an AD vibe to it.
Vox clamantis in deserto
LoeffelholzThe United States, With LovePosts: 8,998Quartermasters
edited January 2008
"Cloverfield"
Quite a lot of fun---a blast, to be exact! It's gimmicky, to be sure; anyone who thought Paul Greengrass went overboard with handheld camerawork (with his Bournes) should probably steer well clear of this, which takes its stylistic cues from The Blair Witch Project...but that said, I predict 'cult classic' status for this one, versus the 'flash in the pan' that Blair has proven to be...
I'll not post any spoilers at all. You should see it before you hear too much about it.
Guaranteed excitement. Guaranteed thrills. I'll own this one when it hits disc B-)
Plus an extended Iron Man trailer, and the Trek teaser... {[]
Check out my Amazon author page!Mark Loeffelholz
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
It was OK. Nice M. Night Shyamalan twist at the end. I cant help feeling that it could have been so much better though. I dont think it was down to the cast, which was excellent ( especially liked Bryce dallas Howard ) but I felt the tension was never really there.
Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist and
Exorcist: The Beginning
Both dross. Should have been binned after the first attempt failed.
This must take the cake for THE silliest sequel ever. Just about everyone in it (with the possible exception of Barbara Bach and Edward Fox) ham it up no end, and as the film goes on you become continually bothered with the characters. By the end I doubt if anyone would care about the outcome.
"Well, he certainly left with his tails between his legs."
Amazon.com is having a practical fire sale on just about all of its high-definition DVD's so my brother and I decided to pick a few up...
Terminator 3 (HD-DVD)
I know I'm in the minority, but T3 is my favorite Terminator movie. The ending pretty much undoes everything that went on in T2, but if you can get by that it's very well paced film with good characterizations all around and a good balance of action and humor.
The Thing (HD-DVD)
John Carpenter pretty much ditches the 1950 sci-fi film in favor of a much more faithful adaptation of John W. Campbells sci-fi Novella "Who Goes There". The film is injured somewhat by the ambiguous ending, but it still holds up well and some scenes can still creep me out. Ennio Morricone's music is the very definition of the word spooky.
Fantastic Four (BluRay)
Long on character development, somewhat light on action, but still an entertaining superhero origin movie. Everybody seems to relish their roles with only Jessica Alba coming across as a somewhat weak Invisible Girl.
Casino Royale (BluRay)
Not much more to say about this one that hasn't already been said. Takes itself little too seriously for my tastes but still a well-made film.
In all cases, the high-definition transfers are head and shoulders about their standard-def counterparts. The color, sense of depth and overall clarity are really amazing and you make out all sorts little details that you would have missed otherwise. When the building is collapsing in Venice during the finale of CR, you can literally make out the individual bricks in the walls.
RogueAgentSpeeding in the Tumbler...Posts: 3,676MI6 Agent
Amazon.com is having a practical fire sale on just about all of its high-definition DVD's so my brother and I decided to pick a few up...
The Thing (HD-DVD)
John Carpenter pretty much ditches the 1950 sci-fi film in favor of a much more faithful adaptation of John W. Campbells sci-fi Novella "Who Goes There". The film is injured somewhat by the ambiguous ending, but it still holds up well and some scenes can still creep me out. Ennio Morricone's music is the very definition of the word spooky.
One of my absolute favorites from Carpenter in which I think the remake is better than the original. I love how he left that ending up to the viewers. I think I've heard several theories on that for the last 25 years.
I remember going to see this film at least 5 times summer of '82. I mean at the time, there was nothing quite like it; it just blew me away.
Mrs. Man Face: "You wouldn't hit a lady? Would you?"
Batman: "The Hammer Of Justice isUNISEX!"
-Batman: The Brave & The Bold -
One of my absolute favorites from Carpenter in which I think the remake is better than the original. I love how he left that ending up to the viewers. I think I've heard several theories on that for the last 25 years.
The high def DVD lets you see Rob Bottin's monster in really gory detail; when the scientists are examining the burned husk on the table, you can literally see its insides and make out the dogs that were starting to form.
Personally, I would have preferred a more conclusive ending; what we get is a little dramatically unsatisfying after following these characters around for 2 hours.
In Campbell's original novella, the humans prevail by destroying the alien at the end before it escape (it was building a jetpack instead of a mini spaceship).
As to what I think happened, Carptenter tends to take a dim view of the world so I suspect that he envisoned one or both of the survivors being contaminated. In fact, they drink from the same bottle at the end; so if one of them isn't what he seems, the other is pretty well doomed as well. But that's just guesswork on my part. In fact, when the movie was shown on network TV back in the 80's, it ended with some footage of another husky running around in the snow (probably stock footage from the start of the movie); the implication being that the alien had survived and morphed into a dog again, thus bringing everything around full circle.
BTW Rogue, there's another batch of hi-def DVD's on its way home and one of them is - you'd better sit down for this - Superman Returns. {:) At just $18 for the BluRay, I just couldn't resist. )
RogueAgentSpeeding in the Tumbler...Posts: 3,676MI6 Agent
BTW Rogue, there's another batch of hi-def DVD's on its way home and one of them is - you'd better sit down for this - Superman Returns. {:) At just $18 for the BluRay, I just couldn't resist. )
After that awesome post you end it like that? Talk about a buzz-killer...
"You can't buy hi-def DVDs, of very good movies like The Thing, without purchasing Superman Returns?" UUUUH,huh, huh, huh!
)
I have to talk to your brother about us assembling an intervention for you, man.
Mrs. Man Face: "You wouldn't hit a lady? Would you?"
Batman: "The Hammer Of Justice isUNISEX!"
-Batman: The Brave & The Bold -
Personally, I would have preferred a more conclusive ending; what we get is a little dramatically unsatisfying after following these characters around for 2 hours.
I thought that was meant to be the coup de grace, like a horrible twist. I think for years many never even picked up on it,
except that someone pointed out that one isn't exuding any condensed vapour in the cold conditions.
About the time AVTAK was in the German/U.S. theaters, I was sent a tape recorded version of The Thing from a friend stateside. It was my most played tape pretty much. (well that and Heavy Metal) -- Every sleep over, party, get together, etc, it would be playing. My sister and I wore out that tape out. I still love the CPR and that Spider head part. (And that steady lone bass beat) However I don't own the dvd today.
As for the ending, (which I personally love), I always thought ..
Passing a bottle of hooch around, resigned to their fate, shelter all but destroyed, I assumed they froze to death
RogueAgentSpeeding in the Tumbler...Posts: 3,676MI6 Agent
edited January 2008
Well I saw JUNO earlier today.
IMO, it's a tad overrrated by all of the praise it's gotten but it had a Wes Anderson directed type feel to it which for me was its saving grace.
Quirky would be the best way to describe it on a whole; there was good performances had from all especially any scene between Ellen Page & Jason Bateman; they had good chemistry. Jennifer Garner, who plays Bateman's frigid wife (just my opinion), was very convincing too.
At first I thought that Page was continuing where she left off in Hard Candy again playing the feisty rebel of a teen but by the end of the picture she showed good range to wash any doubts I had about her. She's quite talented.
The only part about the movie I found was a letdown by had to be Michael Cera...does he play everything he's in like George Michael Bluth?
There were so many connections going on in this from Arrested Development to Marvel Comics movie actors but in all it's a good little dramedy of a film; I just wasn't blown away by the hype. 8-)
Mrs. Man Face: "You wouldn't hit a lady? Would you?"
Batman: "The Hammer Of Justice isUNISEX!"
-Batman: The Brave & The Bold -
Terminator 3 (HD-DVD)
I know I'm in the minority, but T3 is my favorite Terminator movie.
You're right that you're in the minority, and when I finish hunting down all the other anti-T2/T3 fans, you will be the only one. X-(
"He’s a man way out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a shoeshine. And when they start not smiling back—that’s an earthquake. and then you get yourself a couple of spots on your hat, and you’re finished. Nobody dast blame this man. A salesman is got to dream, boy. It comes with the territory." Death of a Salesman
I saw this to check out Quantum of Solace director Marc Forster's action credentials. I wasn't diappointed.
The film begins in the late 1970s Afghanistan and features two young lads who engage in the sport of kite running, where homemade kites battle it out in the skies, trying to cut the other. The last remaining kite out of maybe 30 or so is the winner, the one who catches the final kite is a hero too.
Events draw the lads apart and one stays on in Afghanistan as the Taliban arrive and the other departs for America. There he joins an aeronautical company as part of the design team, a sort of budding Barnes Wallis, while the other, digusted by the Taliban, joins the Soviet team to design a fighter than will evict the evil interlopers from his country and restore Soviet dominance.
The US exile returns to infiltrate the Soviet team on the pretext of visiting his old pal but is smoked out. Astonishingly, both are using the same techniques that made them master kite runners as kids. In a tense scene worthy of Octopussy, he must flee for the border via rickshaw, train and car, with the Soviets in pursuit in black mercs and the Taliban never far away.
It later culminates in a battle in the skies between the two adult fighter pilots in their respective MiG fighters, both able to second guess the other's tactics - but at what point will political loyalty supercede childhood ties?
Recommended.
"This is where we leave you Mr Bond."
Roger Moore 1927-2017
RogueAgentSpeeding in the Tumbler...Posts: 3,676MI6 Agent
Like I've said before, this is a pretty good Brit horror movie for tv. I couldn't find it on DVD so I watched it on a VHS tape I recorded it on many years ago from A&E. I haven't seen it in broadcast since. I've developed a tolerance to it with each viewing but that last scene is still disturbing...
I'll try and find the Susan Hill novel one of these days. B-)
This is one movie I would love to see. The stage play is still going strong ( plus it is on the school syllabus) but the movie is hard to get hold off though I'm sure good old ebay may be able to help at a price
As for the last scene, I've seen that. YouTube has clips on it. Even in isolation it was unnerving.
No doubt there will be a 'remake' at some stage. 8-)
A friend of mine went to see this play while on vacation in England a year or so ago. He said that the play was actually scarier than the film.
I'd love to able to see this live.
Mrs. Man Face: "You wouldn't hit a lady? Would you?"
Batman: "The Hammer Of Justice isUNISEX!"
-Batman: The Brave & The Bold -
I recently saw Juno. I liked it alot, and I plan on seeing it again, but I think it's incredibly overrated. Ebert named it the best film of 2007. Please! 8-)
there was good performances had from all especially any scene between Ellen Page & Jason Bateman; they had good chemistry. Jennifer Garner, who plays Bateman's frigid wife (just my opinion), was very convincing too.
The performances were indeed really good. I think that Ellen Page was fantastic and deserves her nomination (although I don't think she deserves to win.)
At first I thought that Page was continuing where she left off in Hard Candy again playing the feisty rebel of a teen but by the end of the picture she showed good range to wash any doubts I had about her. She's quite talented.
I had forgotten that she was in Hard Candy (such an overrated film IMO) and I would say that her performance in Juno is entirely different to her performance in Hard Candy. I thought she was really great in Juno (I think she was better than in Hard Candy in which IMO she was also very good.)
There were so many connections going on in this from Arrested Development to Marvel Comics movie actors but in all it's a good little dramedy of a film; I just wasn't blown away by the hype. 8-)
Me neither. What's interesting though is that this is turning into the Crash (2005) of 2007. Many people adore it, but there's now a huge backlash against it. I'm beginning to side with the backlash against it, although I do like it.
"He’s a man way out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a shoeshine. And when they start not smiling back—that’s an earthquake. and then you get yourself a couple of spots on your hat, and you’re finished. Nobody dast blame this man. A salesman is got to dream, boy. It comes with the territory." Death of a Salesman
Despite everything I do find this film very entertaining, in a 'so-bad-it's-good' sort of way. Grace Jones is off the wall, and Roger Moore has the eyes of the killer (although the work does make him look younger than in Octopussy). The whole thing is played for laughs, obviously, but everyone involved is gloriously aware of that fact. This is the first time I have seen the film on the 'Ultimate Edition' DVD; while the difference was not as clear as in the older films (especially Thunderball and On Her Majesty's Secret Service) the colours do seem more vibrant.
Watching it made for a very enjoyable evening, and it is still perplexing that almost the exactly same team that made this film would go on to make The Living Daylights.
Disappointing war movie from Werner Herzog based on the true story of Dieter Dengler, a German-born US pilot who was captured during the Vietnam war, but escaped his captors. I was hoping for an existential version of Chuck Norris's Missing in Action, but this is fairly routine stuff. Herzog has already covered this story in the brilliant documentary Little Dieter Needs to Fly. Why he felt compelled to make a feature-version, I have no idea
This must take the cake for THE silliest sequel ever. Just about everyone in it (with the possible exception of Barbara Bach and Edward Fox) ham it up no end, and as the film goes on you become continually bothered with the characters. By the end I doubt if anyone would care about the outcome.
True! Terrible film, and the book isn't much better (MacLean was on the downslide by now- having written some superb stuff earlier he now went all Hollywood, choosing the easiest options and gradually sinking into an alcoholic haze). But the film's certainly one for the Bond connections thread- Bach, Fox, Richard Kiel and Guy Hamilton.
Mr MartiniThat nice house in the sky.Posts: 2,703MI6 Agent
Requiem for a movie franchise hopefully. Awful. it makes Alien vs Predator look good.
) It certainly is no masterpiece. I didn't mind it but what really annoys me about it is that
the predator didn't really save the humans at the end in the way that a predator in the first film did; I mean, the resolution of the fight at the end was IMO quite disappointing.
Anyway, judging by the ending, there's almost certainly going to be a sequel. 8-)
"He’s a man way out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a shoeshine. And when they start not smiling back—that’s an earthquake. and then you get yourself a couple of spots on your hat, and you’re finished. Nobody dast blame this man. A salesman is got to dream, boy. It comes with the territory." Death of a Salesman
Anyway, judging by the ending, there's almost certainly going to be a sequel. 8-)
I wouldn't be so sure about that. The film did very poorly domestically where it only made about $41 million. It did somewhat better in the foreign market (approx $70 million) but I still don't think it recouped its production and promotion costs. If there is a subsequent film, I really hope they leave the humans behind and focus on a story taking place in outer space.
I haven't seen AVP:R myself but I did read about the ending and thought it rendered the film largely pointless. Both franchises have really fallen from grace and are a far cry from their respective first entries, which were cinematic masterpieces; especially compared to this dreck.
As for my Last Film Seen ... The Rock - BluRay DVD
Sean Connery and Nicholas Cage must infiltrate Alcatraz Island and stop renegade general Ed Harris from unleashing poisonous gas over San Francisco.
One of Michael Bays early directorial efforts, and a very strong one at that. He manages to get some great performances out of everyone involved. Connery and Cage work really well together as Britsh SAS operative John Mason, the only man to ever escape Alcatraz, and chemical superfreak and general fish out of water Stan Goodspeed. Connery has a hilarious swearing disease in this one (so does everyone else actually) and Cage's nervous ticks and mannerisms are used to great comedic effect. There's some great action sequences and even a few subtle homages to the James Bond movies.
The BluRay edition DVD makes for a spectacular visual and aural presentation; the image is crytal clear, the colors are vibrant and the explosions (and there are a lot of them) reverberate around the room.
Tony, I know your our techie expert out there for DVDs and TVs! As the BluRay DVD is the newest upgrade, can it only work on a BluRay DVD player, and if so can that player also play our old, normal DVDs? And I take it that BluRay only works well with a high def TV - does it need anything else?
their respective first entries, which were cinematic masterpieces; especially compared to this dreck.
The original Alien and (especially IMO) Predator were masterpieces compared to most films.
"He’s a man way out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a shoeshine. And when they start not smiling back—that’s an earthquake. and then you get yourself a couple of spots on your hat, and you’re finished. Nobody dast blame this man. A salesman is got to dream, boy. It comes with the territory." Death of a Salesman
Tony, I know your our techie expert out there for DVDs and TVs! As the BluRay DVD is the newest upgrade, can it only work on a BluRay DVD player, and if so can that player also play our old, normal DVDs? And I take it that BluRay only works well with a high def TV - does it need anything else?
Thanks Napoleon, but I'm hardly an expert; more of an enthusiast. Anyhow...
You do need a dedicated BluRay player to play BluRay DVDs; they are, unfortuntately, incompatible with standard def DVD players. BluRay players on the other hand, will play standard definition DVD's just fine and most of them also upconvert the picture as well.
In America, if you want to get the best picture possible, you'll need a TV that can accept an HDMI connection and then run an HDMI cable from the player to the TV. HDMI stands for High Definition Multimedia Interface and is a single cable solution for hi-def picture and audio. I assume players and TVs on your side of the pond use the same standard.
If you're thinking of picking up a BluRay player, I'd say your best bet right now is a Sony PS3 or Panasonic's newest model the BD30K. This is because these are the only two BluRay players on the market right now which allow you to upgrade the firmware - and that is very important because as new BluRay features are introduced, you'll want to be able to update the player's firmware to take advantage of them.
I use a Sony PS3 for my BluRay playback. It yields a beautiful picture and also does a great job upconverting standard DVDs. It also seems to be a very sturdy piece of equipment (knocks wood). It comes with built-in wifi so if you have a home network it can go onto the web to download those updates I was mentioning wirelessly.
Going through my flatmate's PP boxed set, I realise why I've got these films mixed up. Firstly, the discs aren't actually marked with the name of the film, you have to guess from the cartoon pic on it. Secondly, The Return of the Pink Panther isn't actually on it, and that's one of the best, the first to mark Sellers' comeback in the role.
Revenge is okay stuff but the humour's not dated well, it all seems a bit sub Austin Powers. I know some of you seem to like all this, and Alex says how it's a running joke between him and his mum, and I can see why that makes a difference. Watching it on your own on DVD waiting for the laughs to unfold, it all seems a very hollow, bleak experience, especially if you're not doubled up at meaningless pratfalls.
Lots of Bondian touches in this one, from Alfie Bass turning up to gurn at events (Moonraker) to Clouseau being presumed dead (YOLT) to him producing his ID to prove who he is to a young wrench (Diamonds... ) to our hero disguising himself as Chinese in the final reel (YOLT). And Valerie Leon turns up in a black leather garb and a whip (CR, NSNA, TSWLM).
Comments
Roger Moore 1927-2017
By the way, yesterday I saw Juno, which is a terrific little film. Smart and funny, with Ellen Page (I think I got her name right; she was Kitty Pryde in the last X-men flick) giving an outstanding performance. It should also please Arrested Development fans, since there are major roles for Jason Bateman and Michael Cera (again, I may have that name wrong), and the entire sane-person-in-an-insane-world scenario has an AD vibe to it.
Quite a lot of fun---a blast, to be exact!
I'll not post any spoilers at all. You should see it before you hear too much about it.
Guaranteed excitement. Guaranteed thrills. I'll own this one when it hits disc B-)
Plus an extended Iron Man trailer, and the Trek teaser... {[]
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
It was OK. Nice M. Night Shyamalan twist at the end. I cant help feeling that it could have been so much better though. I dont think it was down to the cast, which was excellent ( especially liked Bryce dallas Howard ) but I felt the tension was never really there.
Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist and
Exorcist: The Beginning
Both dross. Should have been binned after the first attempt failed.
This must take the cake for THE silliest sequel ever. Just about everyone in it (with the possible exception of Barbara Bach and Edward Fox) ham it up no end, and as the film goes on you become continually bothered with the characters. By the end I doubt if anyone would care about the outcome.
Terminator 3 (HD-DVD)
I know I'm in the minority, but T3 is my favorite Terminator movie. The ending pretty much undoes everything that went on in T2, but if you can get by that it's very well paced film with good characterizations all around and a good balance of action and humor.
The Thing (HD-DVD)
John Carpenter pretty much ditches the 1950 sci-fi film in favor of a much more faithful adaptation of John W. Campbells sci-fi Novella "Who Goes There". The film is injured somewhat by the ambiguous ending, but it still holds up well and some scenes can still creep me out. Ennio Morricone's music is the very definition of the word spooky.
Fantastic Four (BluRay)
Long on character development, somewhat light on action, but still an entertaining superhero origin movie. Everybody seems to relish their roles with only Jessica Alba coming across as a somewhat weak Invisible Girl.
Casino Royale (BluRay)
Not much more to say about this one that hasn't already been said. Takes itself little too seriously for my tastes but still a well-made film.
In all cases, the high-definition transfers are head and shoulders about their standard-def counterparts. The color, sense of depth and overall clarity are really amazing and you make out all sorts little details that you would have missed otherwise. When the building is collapsing in Venice during the finale of CR, you can literally make out the individual bricks in the walls.
One of my absolute favorites from Carpenter in which I think the remake is better than the original. I love how he left that ending up to the viewers. I think I've heard several theories on that for the last 25 years.
I remember going to see this film at least 5 times summer of '82. I mean at the time, there was nothing quite like it; it just blew me away.
Batman: "The Hammer Of Justice is UNISEX!"
-Batman: The Brave & The Bold -
The high def DVD lets you see Rob Bottin's monster in really gory detail; when the scientists are examining the burned husk on the table, you can literally see its insides and make out the dogs that were starting to form.
Personally, I would have preferred a more conclusive ending; what we get is a little dramatically unsatisfying after following these characters around for 2 hours.
In Campbell's original novella, the humans prevail by destroying the alien at the end before it escape (it was building a jetpack instead of a mini spaceship).
As to what I think happened, Carptenter tends to take a dim view of the world so I suspect that he envisoned one or both of the survivors being contaminated. In fact, they drink from the same bottle at the end; so if one of them isn't what he seems, the other is pretty well doomed as well. But that's just guesswork on my part. In fact, when the movie was shown on network TV back in the 80's, it ended with some footage of another husky running around in the snow (probably stock footage from the start of the movie); the implication being that the alien had survived and morphed into a dog again, thus bringing everything around full circle.
BTW Rogue, there's another batch of hi-def DVD's on its way home and one of them is - you'd better sit down for this - Superman Returns. {:) At just $18 for the BluRay, I just couldn't resist.
"You can't buy hi-def DVDs, of very good movies like The Thing, without purchasing Superman Returns?" UUUUH,huh, huh, huh!
I have to talk to your brother about us assembling an intervention for you, man.
Batman: "The Hammer Of Justice is UNISEX!"
-Batman: The Brave & The Bold -
I thought that was meant to be the coup de grace, like a horrible twist. I think for years many never even picked up on it,
Roger Moore 1927-2017
As for the ending, (which I personally love), I always thought ..
BTW, if anybody is interested in reading Campbell's original novella, it's available online here:
http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Highrise/3756/jc/who/bonusid.htm
IMO, it's a tad overrrated by all of the praise it's gotten but it had a Wes Anderson directed type feel to it which for me was its saving grace.
Quirky would be the best way to describe it on a whole; there was good performances had from all especially any scene between Ellen Page & Jason Bateman; they had good chemistry. Jennifer Garner, who plays Bateman's frigid wife (just my opinion), was very convincing too.
At first I thought that Page was continuing where she left off in Hard Candy again playing the feisty rebel of a teen but by the end of the picture she showed good range to wash any doubts I had about her. She's quite talented.
The only part about the movie I found was a letdown by had to be Michael Cera...does he play everything he's in like George Michael Bluth?
There were so many connections going on in this from Arrested Development to Marvel Comics movie actors but in all it's a good little dramedy of a film; I just wasn't blown away by the hype. 8-)
Batman: "The Hammer Of Justice is UNISEX!"
-Batman: The Brave & The Bold -
I saw this to check out Quantum of Solace director Marc Forster's action credentials. I wasn't diappointed.
The film begins in the late 1970s Afghanistan and features two young lads who engage in the sport of kite running, where homemade kites battle it out in the skies, trying to cut the other. The last remaining kite out of maybe 30 or so is the winner, the one who catches the final kite is a hero too.
Events draw the lads apart and one stays on in Afghanistan as the Taliban arrive and the other departs for America. There he joins an aeronautical company as part of the design team, a sort of budding Barnes Wallis, while the other, digusted by the Taliban, joins the Soviet team to design a fighter than will evict the evil interlopers from his country and restore Soviet dominance.
The US exile returns to infiltrate the Soviet team on the pretext of visiting his old pal but is smoked out. Astonishingly, both are using the same techniques that made them master kite runners as kids. In a tense scene worthy of Octopussy, he must flee for the border via rickshaw, train and car, with the Soviets in pursuit in black mercs and the Taliban never far away.
It later culminates in a battle in the skies between the two adult fighter pilots in their respective MiG fighters, both able to second guess the other's tactics - but at what point will political loyalty supercede childhood ties?
Recommended.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
A friend of mine went to see this play while on vacation in England a year or so ago. He said that the play was actually scarier than the film.
I'd love to able to see this live.
Batman: "The Hammer Of Justice is UNISEX!"
-Batman: The Brave & The Bold -
Interesting you say that as the direction (the whole changing seasons thing) really annoys me. I find it too cutesy for comfort.
The performances were indeed really good. I think that Ellen Page was fantastic and deserves her nomination (although I don't think she deserves to win.)
I had forgotten that she was in Hard Candy (such an overrated film IMO) and I would say that her performance in Juno is entirely different to her performance in Hard Candy. I thought she was really great in Juno (I think she was better than in Hard Candy in which IMO she was also very good.)
Me neither. What's interesting though is that this is turning into the Crash (2005) of 2007. Many people adore it, but there's now a huge backlash against it. I'm beginning to side with the backlash against it, although I do like it.
Despite everything I do find this film very entertaining, in a 'so-bad-it's-good' sort of way. Grace Jones is off the wall, and Roger Moore has the eyes of the killer (although the work does make him look younger than in Octopussy). The whole thing is played for laughs, obviously, but everyone involved is gloriously aware of that fact. This is the first time I have seen the film on the 'Ultimate Edition' DVD; while the difference was not as clear as in the older films (especially Thunderball and On Her Majesty's Secret Service) the colours do seem more vibrant.
Watching it made for a very enjoyable evening, and it is still perplexing that almost the exactly same team that made this film would go on to make The Living Daylights.
Disappointing war movie from Werner Herzog based on the true story of Dieter Dengler, a German-born US pilot who was captured during the Vietnam war, but escaped his captors. I was hoping for an existential version of Chuck Norris's Missing in Action, but this is fairly routine stuff. Herzog has already covered this story in the brilliant documentary Little Dieter Needs to Fly. Why he felt compelled to make a feature-version, I have no idea
True! Terrible film, and the book isn't much better (MacLean was on the downslide by now- having written some superb stuff earlier he now went all Hollywood, choosing the easiest options and gradually sinking into an alcoholic haze). But the film's certainly one for the Bond connections thread- Bach, Fox, Richard Kiel and Guy Hamilton.
Please tell us you saw the unrated version. It's just not the same without
Requiem for a movie franchise hopefully. Awful. it makes Alien vs Predator look good.
Anyway, judging by the ending, there's almost certainly going to be a sequel. 8-)
I wouldn't be so sure about that. The film did very poorly domestically where it only made about $41 million. It did somewhat better in the foreign market (approx $70 million) but I still don't think it recouped its production and promotion costs. If there is a subsequent film, I really hope they leave the humans behind and focus on a story taking place in outer space.
I haven't seen AVP:R myself but I did read about the ending and thought it rendered the film largely pointless. Both franchises have really fallen from grace and are a far cry from their respective first entries, which were cinematic masterpieces; especially compared to this dreck.
As for my Last Film Seen ... The Rock - BluRay DVD
Sean Connery and Nicholas Cage must infiltrate Alcatraz Island and stop renegade general Ed Harris from unleashing poisonous gas over San Francisco.
One of Michael Bays early directorial efforts, and a very strong one at that. He manages to get some great performances out of everyone involved. Connery and Cage work really well together as Britsh SAS operative John Mason, the only man to ever escape Alcatraz, and chemical superfreak and general fish out of water Stan Goodspeed. Connery has a hilarious swearing disease in this one (so does everyone else actually) and Cage's nervous ticks and mannerisms are used to great comedic effect. There's some great action sequences and even a few subtle homages to the James Bond movies.
The BluRay edition DVD makes for a spectacular visual and aural presentation; the image is crytal clear, the colors are vibrant and the explosions (and there are a lot of them) reverberate around the room.
A really fun movie all around.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
The original Alien and (especially IMO) Predator were masterpieces compared to most films.
Thanks Napoleon, but I'm hardly an expert; more of an enthusiast. Anyhow...
You do need a dedicated BluRay player to play BluRay DVDs; they are, unfortuntately, incompatible with standard def DVD players. BluRay players on the other hand, will play standard definition DVD's just fine and most of them also upconvert the picture as well.
In America, if you want to get the best picture possible, you'll need a TV that can accept an HDMI connection and then run an HDMI cable from the player to the TV. HDMI stands for High Definition Multimedia Interface and is a single cable solution for hi-def picture and audio. I assume players and TVs on your side of the pond use the same standard.
If you're thinking of picking up a BluRay player, I'd say your best bet right now is a Sony PS3 or Panasonic's newest model the BD30K. This is because these are the only two BluRay players on the market right now which allow you to upgrade the firmware - and that is very important because as new BluRay features are introduced, you'll want to be able to update the player's firmware to take advantage of them.
I use a Sony PS3 for my BluRay playback. It yields a beautiful picture and also does a great job upconverting standard DVDs. It also seems to be a very sturdy piece of equipment (knocks wood). It comes with built-in wifi so if you have a home network it can go onto the web to download those updates I was mentioning wirelessly.
Hope that answers your questions.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
Going through my flatmate's PP boxed set, I realise why I've got these films mixed up. Firstly, the discs aren't actually marked with the name of the film, you have to guess from the cartoon pic on it. Secondly, The Return of the Pink Panther isn't actually on it, and that's one of the best, the first to mark Sellers' comeback in the role.
Revenge is okay stuff but the humour's not dated well, it all seems a bit sub Austin Powers. I know some of you seem to like all this, and Alex says how it's a running joke between him and his mum, and I can see why that makes a difference. Watching it on your own on DVD waiting for the laughs to unfold, it all seems a very hollow, bleak experience, especially if you're not doubled up at meaningless pratfalls.
Lots of Bondian touches in this one, from Alfie Bass turning up to gurn at events (Moonraker) to Clouseau being presumed dead (YOLT) to him producing his ID to prove who he is to a young wrench (Diamonds... ) to our hero disguising himself as Chinese in the final reel (YOLT). And Valerie Leon turns up in a black leather garb and a whip (CR, NSNA, TSWLM).
Roger Moore 1927-2017