Have to disagree with y'all slightly on 2049. Looked great, and did an excellent job of capturing the mood of the original film without resorting to outright plagiarism. The story was too simplistic to justify the film's run time though, the characters and dialogue quite generic and overall just wasn't as iconic or intelligent as the original movie, which IMO is one of the few film adaptations to outstrip the source material. Best sci-fi of this decade? It's good, but not special enough for that accolade. I'd go for something more original like Ex Machina, Upstream Colour or The Signal.
I actually have the Sci/Fi Channel first season on DVD. I think it's a 2 DVD set. But I agree it's better than the movie. DeLaurntis style effects have dated in look all these years, though I find the studio effects still cool in movies like Flash Gordon or Danger Diabolik! But yes, the effects though amazing for the time have dated and don't look like Star Wars effects do now. And to think the film cost 40 million in the early eighties to make.
So you think the movie is so hard to make that the new director will run like
Lynch did?
Speaking of Delaurntis and Science Fiction, I was watching the opening credits for https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbarella_(film) and noticed that they look like they simply put Jane Fonda on the floor and shot the segment from above, then replaced the background?
I think that to make Dune in a decent runtime is a serious challenge for any film maker. The complexities and characters are just far too dense to do it justice in a theatrical format.
Genre-bending film noir which moves from familiar private eye territory into something more sci-fi and apocalyptic, reflecting the preoccupations of the Atomic Age; the devastating power of nuclear weapons and McCarthy's means-justifies-the-ends approach to rooting out communist propaganda. Robert Aldrich adapted Mickey Spillane's pulp best seller and brought Mike Hammer to the screen as a crass, two-bit PI whose investigate style is every bit as brutal and imprecise as the blunt instrument of his name. Hammer is a true antihero - cynical, sleazy, selfish and misogynistic - the kind of guy who takes pleasure in inflicting pain for no real reason. At several points, the camera lingers on his sadistic smile as he smashes an informant's fingers in a drawer or breaks a collector's prized record. It seems the censors failed to see the satirical intent with Hammer and of the movie in general, passing it as a B movie, which meant it got short shrift from critics at the time. Only later did its reputation as a key film noir start to be restored - Claude Chabrol praised it as having "taken this threadbare and lackluster fabric and splendidly rewoven it into rich patterns of the most enigmatic arabesques."
The dialogue maybe doesn't sparkle as much as in some other noirs, and a few of the minor roles are slightly woodenly acted, but there's an almost surreal energy to the film, Hammer's quest for the big score leading him deeper and deeper into a web of violence and paranoia populated by bizarre characters conspiring to conceal a deadly secret. The real scene-stealer is Wesley Addy's Lt. Pat Murphy, who keeps Hammer on a short leash and wears an expression of languid contempt on his face at all times. Warning Hammer about pursuing the case to its bitter end, Murphy tells him cryptically, "Manhattan Project, Los Alamos, Trinity." It's a warning Hammer would do well to heed, but his greed ultimately causes him to disregard them and run headlong into oblivion.
A Mogwai isn't just for Christmas... The plot of Gremlins is surely known to everyone; how highly you rate the film probably depends what generation you're from - it'll either be a cheesy 80s puppet fest or the quintessential Christmas movie. I'm definitely in the latter camp
The main draw to watch it again on the big screen last night was a Q&A with Zach Galligan, who played Billy Peltzer, the boy whose dad buys him a cute, singing fur ball which comes with a list of instructions - all of which are duly ignored, with deliciously chaotic results. Galligan confirmed that the film was originally intended to be a lot darker; more of a straight up horror, and said that Spielberg insisted on several script rewrites, including Billy's mum being decapitated and her severed head rolling down the stairs! Another scene that most people involved in the film wanted to be cut was Phoebe Cates's monologue where she reveals why she hates Christmas. The fact Dante insisted on keeping that in was a masterstroke as it's a hilarious What moment:
Action scenes were just really fun to watch. There's shortage of action movies now a days unfortunately. Very good choreography, and screenplay for the action scenes. Non-stop fun, there was hardly a period of boredom, I love action. LOL.
Really miss the classic era of HongKong action cinema.
That was a quote from Johnny Wang Yeah, Hard Boiled is one of the best action films ever made IMO. Pre-Hollywood Woo was ace! Have you seen Manhunt yet, his new one? it's supposed to be something of a return to his HK days.
Very boring movie. I expect to be entertained when I watch movies, but I was so bored watching the movie throughout. Movie was very slow paced, and even take place in a greater stretch of short period of time than other war movies I've seen. Nothing unique that really stood out as interesting in the movie, just boring with no character development(although I see reasons why in this particular case, but this is matter of taste as I've seen plenty of war movies with character development). I guess it was to achieve a sense of realism, and with PG-13 rating(not that I have something against making a movie of rating that reduces the age restriction in access), and it is what you'd expect when it comes to war movie of such rating. Filmed beautifully, and cinematography is one of the high points, but I expect more an involved movie, and expect more for movie that has been hype up to such level. My type of war movies are Saving Private Ryan or Black Hawk down, and this is not that type of movie. It's nothing like that.
That was a quote from Johnny Wang Yeah, Hard Boiled is one of the best action films ever made IMO. Pre-Hollywood Woo was ace! Have you seen Manhunt yet, his new one? it's supposed to be something of a return to his HK days.
I don't know if John Woo can go back to his movie making prime. I think usually the creative mindset degrades as people get very old(Lucas, Spielburg,etc..).
Will we ever see a movie of the level of a better tomorrow? Can come off a bit over dramatic, but I loved the drama with so much emotion. Are there movies you can feel the emotion now a days? I have doubts Woo can get back to this level of art.
I don't know if John Woo can go back to his movie making prime. I think usually the creative mindset degrades as people get very old(Lucas, Spielburg,etc..).
Will we ever see a movie of the level of a better tomorrow? Can come off a bit over dramatic, but I loved the drama with so much emotion. Are there movies you can feel the emotion now a days? I have doubts Woo can get back to this level of art.
Probably not, no. IMDb doesn't seem to like it much and I see a review saying it's Woo trying to recapture a certain moment in his career but producing a pale imitation of his past glories. A Better Tomorrow was a very early effort, and I think that shows personally - he hadn't quite perfected that balance of cheesy drama and balls out action at that point. I think Hard Boiled is a far more proficient film.
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri - 9.5/10
Easily one of the best i've seen this year and not just in the theaters.
Lady Bird - 9/10
My rating took a huge nose dive during the middle, but somehow it redeemed itself by the end.
A bit slow during parts, but I enjoyed most of it. I actually went to see this because I like Saoirse Ronan as an actress.
Loved her previous film "Brooklyn". I was glad to see this playing in my city. Unfortunately only 3 other people in the theater at 10:30pm on a Sunday.
Into Thin Air - 4/10
Some of the worst acting i've seen in years.
It's based on a book about climbing Mount Everest.
I didn't know the events of the movie were also in "Everest" (which is a far better movie).
Action scenes were just really fun to watch. There's shortage of action movies now a days unfortunately. Very good choreography, and screenplay for the action scenes. Non-stop fun, there was hardly a period of boredom, I love action. LOL.
Really miss the classic era of HongKong action cinema.
A couple years ago there was a limited hard drive production of every Shaw Brothers Film. I’m not much into martial arts from the Shaw Brothers but they did a couple great ghost story movies.
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Yeah, Hard Boiled is one of the best action films ever made IMO. Pre-Hollywood Woo was ace! Have you seen Manhunt yet, his new one? it's supposed to be something of a return to his HK days.
