Last movie you saw.

[Original Saku 1593]

was surfing the TV stations the other night and saw that Escape from Alcatraz was about to come on, so I watched it xD Classic Clint Eastwood film, been a while since I watched this one. Reminded me of how well made movies were back then. Also I never noticed this before but did Shawshank Redemption totally rip off this movie? I ask because I also caught Shawshank recently a few weeks ago on TV and my god did it seem pretty damn similar... I know that Escape from Alcatraz is based on a true story so is it just that Shawshank Redemption is also based on the same story? Even so some of the similarities are just unsettling.

[Bear 1817]

Both are based on different books, but other than being about a prison escape neither films has much in common to be honest. Two very different films that focus on very different things. Both excellent too, but I prefer Escape from Alcatraz 10/10 times.

[Bear 1817]

SPL: Kill Zone - Fantastic action-crime with Donnie Yen, Sammo Hung and Simon Yam, by Wilson Yip, the man behind the Ip Man trilogy. Great and original direction, a very strong story with good characters and a fantastic cast really offers us a treat of a film. But the best part of the film is the action sequences which is remarkable! A real treat to the eye. The alley fight with Donnie Yen and Jackie Wu are top notch, and truly something special, and the Donnie Yen vs Sammo Hung and Jing Wu is fantastic as well. Obviouly, when filming this Sammo Hung was bigger than ever and it's natural that his stamina was worse off then before, meaning they had to cut his fight scenes a bit more than I like, which is a shame, but they're still badass, though! Donnie Yen vs Sammo Hung is incredible and they are both among my favourites actors and martial artists ever, so that's cool as fuck too.

 

Likeable, yet dirty-as-fuck characters and a very surprising ending that took me way off guard, but I loved it. Our "good guys" are just as bad as our bad guys to be honest. Dishonest and dirty cops, but I like that. A lot.

 

Wilson Yi really impressed me with this film. It feels very old school, yet modern and fresh, especially for an actioner like this.

 

I thought this entire film was bloody brilliant! A modern action masterpiece.

 

[Original Saku 1593]

Both are based on different books, but other than being about a prison escape neither films has much in common to be honest. Two very different films that focus on very different things. Both excellent too, but I prefer Escape from Alcatraz 10/10 times.

 

really? The characters in the two movies seemed pretty similar to me honestly, both main characters are rather similar (the clever sort), both wardens were alike (the dickhead), both movies had a character with a  pet mouse, both had the black guy character that made a bond with the white guy main character thus transcending race, both had a older male character who had something taken away from them by the dick warden and thus died as a result.... like I could go on for a while here. both had a fucked up character who was trying to anally rape the main character and both got what was coming to em. Both movies had a main guard who was pretty much a asshole.

 

if you ask me there are a lot of similarities between the two movies when it comes to character archetypes and certain plot setups....

[Bear 1817]

Yes, you are right. There are similarities, but we're taking about prison films here and you can only do so much when the setting is a prison. Think of 98% of all prison based film, they all tend to have harsh wardens, (very often sexually fused) attacks by prison innmates and periods in solitary. These things are almost key ingredients in any films set to a prison setting. What you have to look at is the characters themself, as well as the story as a whole, in which they both differ greatly.

 

Don't get me wrong. I'm sure Stephen King borrowed/stole quite a lot from Escape from Alcatraz (book and film), like all great artists does, but these elements are small seen in the whole. The tone of the film, the way the characters both are and act. It's just very different in my eyes, making the films very different from eachother. The only similarity I find "weird" is the pet thing, the rest not so much at all.

[Bear 1817]

Bandslam - Decent enough romantic drama-comedy. What impressed me about this film was the entire tone of it and how it managed to avoid most teen cliche's, its good plot and strong characters and stuff. It's actually an intelligent teen film that feels very different, but it was just too Disney Channel for me and didn't provide enough laughs at all. I thought both Aly Michalka and especially Vanessa Hudgens was very good throughout the film. It's not a bad film at all, but I just wasn't for me. I think my mistake was going into it hoping for a new School of Rock, which it wasn't. Think I would've enjoyed it more if I hadn't.

 

[Original Saku 1593]

Yes, you are right. There are similarities, but we're taking about prison films here and you can only do so much when the setting is a prison. Think of 98% of all prison based film, they all tend to have harsh wardens, (very often sexually fused) attacks by prison innmates and periods in solitary. These things are almost key ingredients in any films set to a prison setting. What you have to look at is the characters themself, as well as the story as a whole, in which they both differ greatly.

Don't get me wrong. I'm sure Stephen King borrowed/stole quite a lot from Escape from Alcatraz (book and film), like all great artists does, but these elements are small seen in the whole. The tone of the film, the way the characters both are and act. It's just very different in my eyes, making the films very different from eachother. The only similarity I find "weird" is the pet thing, the rest not so much at all.

I see. Thanks for your opinion, it has explained a lot. Also I agree Escape from Alcatraz 10/10 all day xD

[Bear 1817]

Cheap Thrills - Pitch black comedy-thriller that's as hilarious as it's thrilling, with a small but excellent cast, nice direction and a twisted plot. It takes some time going and is very slow, but it's very rewarding at the end of the day. The humor, pitch black as I said, is most excellent and the film just gets funnier and funnier as the film goes on and gets quite daring after a while, as well as unpredictable. You just never know where the film is going after this and that event. And because of the tone, setting and feeling it's almost so that you feel bad for laughing at some of the event sin this film, but at the same time you just can't hold it in you because it's too god damn funny.

 

The cast is more or less Pat Healy and Sara Paxton who played the two leads in The Innkeepers, Ethan Embry who surely does the role of his life and David Koechner who is great. They're the main cast, and they're all fantastic!

 

I thought this entire film was god damn superb, and I'll even go as far as to call it a must-see. Brilliant!

 

[Jigsaw9 6783]

^ Agreed, really entertaining movie.

[Tokage 5930]

Liza, a rókatündér: Basically what you would get if Wes Anderson was a Hungarian weeaboo, and I don't necessarily mean that in a bad way. While I do think the movie was sort of trying a bit TOO hard to be quirky at some points, it was still pretty damn entertaining. It's aout a woman whose prospective romantic partners keep ending up dead in ridiculous ways due to the influence of an evil kitsune (who spends most of the film looking like some type of Showa-era jpop singer)

 

[Bear 1817]

The Flag of Iron - Classic CHang Cheh flick that feels like a mix of his costume epics like The Heroic Ones and exploitation-esque kung fu films like Five Deadly Venoms. The Flag of Iron stars several Venom Mob members, both from the original crew and 2nd tier members, which is very cool. Kuo Chui, Lu Feng, Chiang Sheng, Lau Shi Kwong, Lung Tien-Sheng and Yu Tai Ping. Fantastic cast!

 

The plot is fairly typical and straight-forward. Who killed the master? The "mystery" is as simple as it get, but you won't watch this for its mystery. You watch this for the immensely choreographed fight scenes and acrobatics. The choreograhy is tremendous, and a real treat to the eye. They're so fucking good! They're the type of fights that'll give you huge eye and make you wonder "how the fuck did they do this, and how the fuck did they do that?" Crazy good choreograhy, crazy good film!

 

[YuyoDrift 1540]

Just came back from watching Zootopia.

 

That damn movie touched me in ways I couldn't imagine. (insert wise crack here)

 

Seriously, I was impressed with the detail in the film's artwork. I was smiling more than half the time, and it felt nostalgic, regardless if the movie just came out.

 

Not gonna ruin it for anyone if they plan to watch it, but this was way up there with Monsters Inc, in terms of delivery.

 

Would watch again for sure.

[Bear 1817]

Clan of Amazons - Fantastic wuxia-inspired martial arts film by Chor Yuen. As a film this is compareable to some of Chor Yuen's pevious films, such as The Sentimental Swordsman trilogy. Which is no conincident considering they are all based on Gu Long's Chu Liuxiang novels. As with The Sentimental Swordsman trilogy, Clan of Amazons' main focus is the mystery-side of it all. It's an epic swordplay mystery with a shitload of characters, maybe a bit too many for a lot of people who tries it as I am sure it'll confuse the shit out of a lot of people, but it works beautifully. The dialogue is playful, smart and very sharp throughout, the characters are nice, the plot is great and the mystery is fantastic.

 

Oh, and the villain, our The Embroidery Bandit, is god damn awesome! So fucking badass! It's almost a shame he didn't get more on-screen time.

 

A masterpiece of complex martial arts cinema. Brilliant!

 

 

Duel of the Century - Sequel of Clan of Amazns, and it plays out much of the same way. Fantastic martial arts scene, sharp, smart, good and witty dialogue and nice characters, but as with Clan of Amazons it focus on the mystery and has a shitload of characters to keep a track of. As with Clan of Amazons it's beautifully directed and shot, and has plenty beautiful sets and nice, colourful costumes. If you like epic swordplay films that plays out almost like an opera, then this is for you! Keep focused and give the film time. It's magnificent!

 

"That's the way the martial arts world goes: the more famous you are, the more trouble you'll have."

 

[TetsuAkira 289]

Finally got round to watching Mad Max Fury Road.

 

Holy balls, was that entertaining. Some awesome shots in there, the action is on point and the story line is just interesting enough. Tom Hardy has like 3 lines it seemed but still amazing.

[Peace Heavy mk II 7200]

I think the last movie I saw was Deadpool, and right before that I saw Hail, Caesar.

[Bear 1817]

Winners & Sinners - Of all the Sammo Hung-directed films I've seen, Sinners & Winners, the first in the Lucky Stars-series, is easily his weakest effort. It's not bad by any means, but it just doesn't live up to his other films. Unlike the other Sammo-films I've seen Sinners & Winners lean a lot more towards comedy than martial arts, and is more of a situation-based comedy with very little martial arts to it, but the few martial arts scenes we do get are most excellent though. It's one of many films with "the brothers" Sammo Hung, Jackie Chan and Yuen Biao, but Jackie Chan has a small role and Yuen Biao only has a cameo whch is a real shame because this trio is magnificent together. It's silly and fun, but not excellent at all. The jokes are a bit too hit and miss for me. But I enjoyed it, but not as much as I did 15 years ago. But if we rewatched the VHS we used 15 years ago, I'm sure the martial arts scenes would've been worn out while the rest would've been like new. Says it all really. Heh.

 

 

My Lucky Stars - The second film in the Lucky Stars-series, and while a bit better than the first, it's not excellent either. Sammoy Hung is once again the star here, while both Jackie Chan and Yuen Biao only ha small roles. Which again is a shame. The jokes are a bit hit and miss and a few of them goes on way too long, but at times, such as with the hotel-resturant scene, they are absolutely spot on and they're sure to crack you the fuck up. Best part i the scene with Sammo Hung and the girl, though. So god damned funny! But this film is also a bit more on the action-side of things, despite still  being a situation-based comedy. But it worksa lot better than the first film IMO. The fights are excellent!

 

 

That's so funny. Can't stop laughing at that shit. That video is a must-see for sure. Brilliant!

[Bear 1817]

Dragons Forever - Hilarious martial arts-comedy co-directed by Sammo Hung and Corey Yuen, two geniuses in my eyes, starring Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao, as well as Pauline Yeung, Deanie Ip, Yuen Wah and Benny "The Jet" Urquidez, the man who, together with Jackie Chan, is responsible for one of the best fights ever in the earlier Sammo Hung flick Wheels on Meals. When you have Jackie, Sammo and Yuen together in this big roles you are sure to end up with something fantastic. Three brilliant actors, martial artsts and comedies, and they are all spot on with every single move in this film. This film is exciting and hilarious, and one interesting aspect of the film is that the three stars play roles against type. An example is Jackie who plays a womanizing, sleazy lawyer which is totally different from what one is used to seeing him as.

 

Everything, with the exception of some of the romance, is spot on here. The fights are TRULY excellent. I love watchinf all of these three fight. I still don't get how Sammo Hung, a man of big size, is able to do what he does. It simply shouldn't be possible. I mean, the guy is simply fat, yet he's got strength, speed, power and jaw-dropping technique. How the fuck? What a man! And Yuen Biao too. He makes every single move look like the most natural and easiest thing in the world to do. Underrated men, both of them! Jackie is Jackie. Brilliant!
 Benny "The Jet" Urquidez i good too. Not much of an actor, but he's not known as The Jet for no reason at all. Superb guy!

 

Brilliant film! The worlds had deserved so many more films with the three brothers, but as far as I know this was the last to feature them all. A shame.

 

[Bear 1817]

Let's pump this thread to life again. What people's favourite films of the 2000's so far? Make a list of 3, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50, 57 or what the fuck you feel like, and a comment, be it half a sentence or ten, about what makes the film appear on your list. If someone post a list including a film of 10 that you disagree with, discuss it and shit. Be polite, but add some life to this fantastic, but sadly forgotten thread.

[Bear 1817]

I will work on mine later today. It's so hard to make out one list.

 

Lords of Dogtown - Biographical drama about the Zephyr crew that revolutionized the world of skateboarding back in the mid 70's. It's smoothly directed and tells a fine story, but some of the acting is subpar and it never gets as interesting as the documentaries on the subject. It just leaves out too much for my liking, and starts too late into the years. It should've started a few years earlier so that we would get a portrayal of who these boys actually were before they started skating. The original story is a lot more interesting with a lot more angles to it with the peole ending up with different fates and such. It's a lot sadder than this.

 

Recommended, but watch the documentaries on the Zephyr boys first.

 

Catherine Hardwicke showed a lot of potential by making this film, but this was obviously lost because she decided to follow it up with The Nativity Story, a film I have not seen, and fucking Twilight and Red Riding Hood. Stupidity!

 

Nice cameos by Tony Alva, Stacy, Skip and Tony Hawk though.

 

[Bear 1817]

Now, my top 10 of the 2000's so far:

 

1. The House of the Devil

This isn't just my favourite film of the 2000's, it's one of my all-time favourite films. The House of the Devil is Ti West's own homage to the 70's and early 80's horror films, a slow-burning horror film that in many ways resemble films like The Omen, Rosemary’s Baby, The Innocents and The Haunting. Ti West knows what makes a horror film good and he uses that knowledge for all it's worth creating a masterpiece out of this world!

 

2. Hero

With 2001's Hero Zhang Yimou was one of two directors helped breathe life to a genre that was close to dead, namely wuxia that was so very popular from early/mid-60's and to the early 90's. Hero is a beautifully shot and wonderfully told wuxia-epic with striking, breathtaking cinematography and fantastic action-sequences that stays true to the origins of the genre, yet dare to explore new grounds. Beautiful film!

 

3. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Ang Lee's wuxia masterpiece is undoubtedly the film that kickstarted the genre again, and with it's fantastic story, breathtaking cinematography and excellent direction it brought wuxia to the masses while at the same time pleaing old school fans of the genre. A most excellent film!

 

4. The Good, the Bad, the Weird

Kim Jee-woon has several fantastic films to his name, but this is and will most likely forever be his ultimate masterpiece. A western-adventure inspired by The Good, the Bad and the Ugly and spaghetti western in general, yet manage to stay original, unique and asian in its own way. Always fresh and never boring, thrilling action and hilarious humour. A perfect adventure!

 

5. The Call of Cthulhu

Black and white silent horror from 2005, based on L.P. Lovecraft's masterpiece novella and made to look like a film from the 20's. When thinking about it you can always see that it's a tad modern and digital, but it's made in such a way that it's very easy to forget, and it manage to feel like a 1920's film anyway.

 

6. Blancanieves

Another black and white silent film, but this time not a horror film. Blancanieves is a fantasy-drama, and it's something quite different. It's basedon Snow Shite, but with a new twist or six to it, and it truly does evoke the feeling of a 1920's film, even more so than The Call of Cthulhu. It'd call this film melancholic romantic, eerie and erotic in its own way. An incredible film!

 

7. Housebound

One of my all-time favourite horror comedies, and one that might climb the list with a rewatch or two. Housebound is at times frightening and creepy, at other times hilarious and full of suspense. The film is part haunted house, part ghost story, part murder-mystery and part comedy, and it pays homage to the genres very well, taking the best from each genre and mixing it together.

 

8. Bone Tomahawk

A unique blend of western and horror that takes its time to build atmosphere and suspense, and for many it takes too long. But if you got patience you'll be rewarded because this film is most excellent. It mixes classic late 60's western with late 70's exploitation horror and just takes it to a whole new level. Superb!

 

9. The Hateful Eight

I'm a huge fan of Quentin Tarantino and I consider most of his films real treats and masterpieces, but this is easily among his best. A real slow-burning, dialogue-driven western, but at 3 hours it never gets boring. Not even close. It's brilliant from start to finnish, and the dialogue are easily among the best he's ever written. Such a film!

 

10. Yellow

A 26 minute long neo-giallo. Stylish, atmospheric and topped off with a brilliant score. Nothing moe to say really.

 

 

 

This is the 10 films of the 2000's I've given 10/10, so this was easy. The order might be a bit different tomorrow, but it would feature the same 10 films for sure.

 

And a list of the 10 best documentaries of the 2000's, just because all of these are so god damned fantastic!

 

Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday the 13th

Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy

Ray Harryhausen: Special Effects Titan

A Band Called Death

Indie Game: The Movie

The King of Kong

Jiro Dreams of Sushi

Rewind This!

Video Nasties: Moral Panic, Censorship & Videotape

Best Worst Movie

[Jigsaw9 6783]

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice - Well, it was okay I guess. Far from perfect, but it more or less delivered what I expected. Snyder continues the serious superhero treatment characteristic of the two protagonists and adds some not-so-welcome elements (I wanted to shoot Jesse Eisenberg after like 5 mins, lol). The visuals look cool, the atmosphere is there (at times it's a bit too much tho, bordering on the ridiculous), so I'd recommend watching it at least once. Oh, and Gal Gadot easily stole the show. Wish there was more of her character (oh well, there's still that Wonder Woman movie coming!).

[Tokage 5930]

Filth - Based on the Irvine Welsh novel of the same name. Really, really fucking solid adaptation, if you ask me. I really like the novel and I think the film does it justice. Solid acting, especially by James McAvoy in the lead role. The black comedy and dramatic elements mix very, very well, and the way the main character is sort of mentally unraveling as the movie progresses is intriguing to watch. You'll almost start feeling bad for him. Almost. Ah, and Scottish accents are awesome, of course.

[peffy 3568]

I finally went to see Deadpool and it was great.

[Gaz 1097]

went to watch Batman vs Superman with my co-workers and was highly disappointed with it. i mean, it wasn't just bad, it was extremely awful and super shitty. fuck, i'd rather take a shower of shit than watch through it again! i just can't believe that very same director had brought Watchmen to us, and that Christopher Nolan was an executive producer here. seriously, i don't recall last time when i watched a movie and regretted it so badly. i was kinda happy that my co-workers were also displeased with this, so we could all rant about it after the movie has ended ^__^

[Original Saku 1593]

I feel like Batman vs Superman is a movie that we should of gotten like 6-8 years from now... I don't understand why they would start off their cinematic universe with something like this that takes place so far in the batman timeline.... and because of that the whole movie is a hot mess script wise, and has zero real character development.

 

I feel like they are rushing to catch up to Marvel and that's just not realistic. Marvel has built their cinematic universe very well by developing characters across multiple movie franchises for almost 10 years now, establishing those characters, building them , then they do the big action mashup between said characters. When that time comes we already know who they are and what they've been through and most importantly we are emotionally attached to those characters, and that's why it works.

 

DC it seems took the shortcut and decided not to lay any of the ground work, and this movie suffers for it. Don't get me wrong the action in this movie is terrific and the CG is out of this world, the movie itself is a very serviceable "popcorn" flick. And that is where the problem lies, it's supposed to be something more than that and it just isn't... really disappointing.