I watched in on BBC2 about 15 years ago, and taped it onto VHS. I can see the shitty DVD from about 2005, and some tv series or pilot for one from 2008.

I can find a Region 1 DVD from 1998, but no info on it. It has a decent looking cover at least. Amazon, being the shitarse site that it is, amalgamates the reviews for both this and the 2005 DVD, so I'm not really sure what is what.

Is this the 1998 one:-

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Andromeda-Strain-D...1403&sr=8-9

Great film, but possibly not worth £38! It is scary just how many films out there that still have such a poor quality DVD dedicated to them - and how many are still festering on VHS.

I've always been amazed nobody's got round to it - much less famous films have had multiple DVDs. The one that's readily available on Amazon apparently has the ticker tape title moments edited out and replaced by cheap subtitles to make localisation easier. I mean... that's like the fucking massive foreshadowing of the ending they just cut out! Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Just had a looksie and theres quite a few compliants about the R2 release for this and a few other films where they have player generated sub titles instead of the burnt in subs the film originally had. Google 'The Andromeda Strain ticker tape' The R1 definitely has the original subs. The R2 sticks them in the black box below. Nightwatch Bourne Supremacy and other films that had fancy animated subtitles also seem to only be affected on the R2 releases. Just looked on Amazon and as you said they have just thrown all the reviews together so god knows what you'd be buying

That's interesting what you say about Bourne, as I watched that recently and I did wonder why the titles seemed so cheap!

The thing I found most amusing about the bunch of twats who were in my particular screening was that they didn't seem to click on to the fact that the main characters were, in fact, not them, but more likely were the kids who they used to pick on or bully at school - and laughed regardless.

Watched Arthur last night. Was suprised that it wasn't as crap as I feared it might be. Russell Brand wasn't superb by any stretch, but the rest of the cast made up for it, especialy Greta Gerwig. There were some moments I felt genuinly emotional (not saying when/what to avoid spoilers), which is allways good for any film.

I give it a strong 7/10*, worth a single viewing for sure.

* my ratings are fairly loose, anything getting a 5-8 is worth at least one viewing, but to get a 9-10 there is a huge jump in enjoyment.

I recently watched Your Highness with Danny McBride and James Franco
Was it good?...Not really, at least not as much as I was expecting/as it could have been

Your Highness is one of the worst films that I have ever seen. When I'm in a really bad mood, I plan to write a full review as to why it is so shit and why everyone involved should be drowned in battery acid.

Watched The Adjustment Bureau
Shit, really shit

4/10

I watched it on Blu Ray recently, I thought it was okay, more a failed opportunity than shit. I thought the relationship between Matt Damon and Emily Blunt was one of the best I've seen on screen, it just felt so genuine and real and believable. The black guy from the Bureau was cool, shame Terrence Stamp and John Slattery were absolute balls. (and I usually love Slattery...well when he's in Mad Men)

I watched death wish on sky movies tonight its alright i just dont get the whole ''its a classic you must see it'' thing that people always say when talking about films.

Yes, the only thing this film had going was Damon & Blunt.
The Bureau guys just seemed dull & robotic at times, real shame.

What the hell are you talking about?

Super

I'll be honest anything with Ellen Page will get good reviews from me, but I liked this film anyway, fun.

A nice round 8/10

just watched Pirates of the Caribbean - On Stranger Tides, meh, really underwhelming. The whole thing just felt like a re-hash of the other movies, just cashing in. I think if they'd left the series at 1 or possibly 2 movies the Jack Sparrow character would be more fondly remembered, now the whole thing just feels like a parody of what it once was. I actually enjoyed some of the 3rd movie (which is widely regarded as the worst of the series), especially the ending but this one just didn't have the spectacle or fun of that. Disappointing.

It made a tump though so there will be a 5th.

Oh...i'd fuck the shit out of that mermaid though.

Just watched Final Destination 5 and I quite liked it but didn't see the twist coming

Just watched Rise of The Planet Of The Apes film. Pretty bloody breathtaking, and not afraid to say I got a bit teary eyed at the ending.

Not sure if it was just the DVD copy of it I had, but during the first part of the credits, theres something about a soldier or someone, going to an airport, then gets a bleeding nose. Not sure if this was a cut in of another DVD that had been on the disc prior to ROTPOTA, or was this significant in some way?

See, I'd disagree with that, but it's also the reason I didn't enjoy it as much as the TV series. Don't get me wrong, there were a few belly laughs (the dancing scene in particular), but it seemed to me as clear a case of shark-jumping as I'm ever likely to see.

SPOILER - Highlight the black box to read
For me, what made the TV series great and set it apart from your standardised T4 generation Hollyoaks/Skins shite was the bang-on representation of how tragically mundane teenage life is for 90% of the population. The characters and their lives were cringeworthy, but ultimately incredibly relatable. I feel like they've fucked all that off here in order to appeal to the mass market with the big, barely-credible Hollywood ending, where they all fuck models and live happily ever after despite acting like clueless cunts for the entire film. Plus, Neil has somehow become a philandering arsehole and Simon a ridiculously ignorant moron.

To me, it wasn't a series like the Office that needed that sort of ending. The 'no hugging, no learning' mantra would have worked better here for me.

Having a weird night - went to sleep at five pm (Fridays is currently a half-day for me), and woke up at ten, then me and the Mrs. watched Tangled - bit of a mess in terms of an actual plot, but plenty entertaining and well designed. Songs not much to write about, but always fun spotting folks like Brad Garrett and Jeffrey Tambor.

Now, I'm staying up till six am, so I can call my grandpa and hopefully get a ride to New Jersey to pick up supplies for this fuck off storm, and watching Mulberry Street - nothing much to write home about, but nice use of real world media to create a movie that will have a weird appeal that may be peculiarly limited to people who live in NYC (especially as it's set ten minutes from where we used to live, and the place where my grandpa gets his eye treated was just on the screen).

Finally got around to watching The Expendables. I loved it very, very much, especially the Operation Wolf style tribute.

SPOILER - Highlight the black box to read
do you remember James Franco's dick of a neighbour that the fat guy sneezes blood on? Well that's him in the end credits, turns out he is a pilot and carries it to New York!

Great movie,

I too enjoyed the Inbetweeners Movie very good fun, and saw it in a packed cinema which is always a good thing for me. My favourite bit was the old womans wheezing when having sex with Neill and pretty much the whole ending with Simon

I would also have no problem having a go with the "fat" lass...

watched a couple of films this week on bluray, first up was Dawn Of The Dead, the original since id never seen it before. It was ok, but not scary at all, infact it was part comedy really. but then again its an 80s film and horror was more campy back then.

then on thursday i got Hanna through the door, even though its not out till monday, so stuck that in and very much enjoyed it, had been waiting to see it since i saw the trailers months ago. all the actors played their parts perfectly.

and then today ive watched terry and june series 4 dvd this morning - and it still maked me laugh. they dont make them like they used to.

That twist is actual genius. Good work.

Saw Cowboys v Aliens on Tuesday. Enjoyed it. Think Red Dead Redemption meets Dead Space.

Watching "I Don't Want to be Born" - campy as fuck, totally hilarious, the kind of comedic horror I like, where it's all played dead straight.

Prior to that, "The Broken" was pants, slow going and nothing when it finally got there.

Mystic River

Was expecting quality, didn't get it. With the talent involved should have been far better, but was just dull. 3/10

I rewatched Bullitt last night and I think every time I watch it, it gets better.

Almost everything about it is perfect but it is so easy to forget how great it is because the many outstanding things in it are overshadowed by THAT car chase.

1) The opening titles are fucking ACE. They must have been an absolute pain in the arse to do back in the 1960s, but they are fucking brilliant.

2) The score from Lalo Schifrin is incredible and could not fit the mood of the film more perfectly if it tried. He is one of the greatest film score creators of all time and I think some would argue that he is THE best.

3) I think this is my favourite Steve McQueen performance. He's really understated and of course just effortlessly cool. The situation never really seems to get to him. Far cooler than, say, Harry Callahan.

4) Jacqueline Bisset is just absolutely beautiful. She really should have done a LOT better with her career, and this isn't all that challenging a role for her, but Christ she's gorgeous.

5) Robert Vaughn almost acts them both off the screen. Easily his best film performance.

6) The chase through the hospital outdoes the car chase for sheer tension.

What I will say about the car chase is that it IS great, but I wouldn't say it is THE best standing on its own - I think the ones from The French Connection, The Seven Ups and a couple from The Driver are better, off the top of my head, but in terms of the context of the film it works perfectly.

What a great film.

10/10.

Watched a bunch of stuff recently, here are just a few I'll write a little more in depth about some of the others I've seen when I get the chance:

The Decline of Western Civilisation Part III: Wanted to see this for a dogs age as I'm a big fan of part I (less so part II) and Hardcore in general. I was not disappointed, and would even make the argument that while it doesn't quite catch a significant musical epoch like the first film it has much more emotional depth and offers a glimpse into a sub-culture rarely given the time of day.

Jesus Camp: This documentary investigates Evangelical Christians in America, focusing on the eroding of the gap between state and church and how these religious groups are looking at youth to take back America. Absolutely terrifying, not unlike what I would imagine a documentary on Nazi Youth might have looked like pre-WWII.

I watched Grindhouse the other night. I'd never seen either of the features and managed to acquire them with all the trailers to watch the whole thing properly over a four or so hour period. Got to say, I really enjoyed both films. Kurt was the bollocks in Death Proof, which was silly as fuck but a total blast. Planet Terror was marginally less exciting, but tons of fun all the same. I made the decision before watching to not take either seriously, and turning down the shit filter made it a rather fun moview watching experience.

Highly recommended if you unscrew your brain at the start.

That Jesus Camp doc is really mental. Every American should be forced to watch that to see just how insanely their favorite religion can be interpreted. Crazy folk!

I watched DEMON WIND, starring MMA commentator/idiot Steven Quadros.

It was utterly fantastic. One of the best "so bad, it is good" films I have ever seen. A ludicrous plot, hilarious 'acting', awful dialogue, cliche overload, then a last ten minutes that seems to have been written during an awesome Acid trip. Possibly the funniest film i have seen this year.

Whole film, in 10 parts youtube

(search on the right, "demon wind" for all parts)

Just watched Thor. I'm not a comic book fan, and I don't go out of my way to watch comic book movies, but thought I'd give this a go. I thought it was OK. Entertaining enough, humorous in places, good action sequences. I imagine they'll bring out a second, and I imagine I'll watch it.

Last movie I saw was Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes. It was a lot better than I was expecting.

I want to go see 30 Minutes Or Less at some point this week. I love Jesse Eisenberg.

The Legend of Harrow Woods

This should get a 0/10

However this "horror" film had appearances from Jason Donovan, RIK MAYALL and NORMAN WISDOM

So I'll stretch it to a 2/10 just out of respect

Went to see the Inbetweeners movie last night. I laughed my pants off for most of it so obviously thought it was pretty good. Enjoyed the cinema experience with a TV show. Pity it doesn't happen more often. Thought it was true to the characters, didn't go in for any Hollywood crap though there was a sort of happy ending.

I've been anticipating this for a while and thought it lived up to my expectations and was well worth my money. £7.50 a ticket though, that's taking the piss!

See i thought the opposite. I laughed pretty hard at most of the gags but the characters were all a bit off key. Simon was pretty overwhelming with his whining and almost ruined the character for it. How am i supposed to buy in to an attractive girl pursuing him when he's that much of a nob. Jay who is usually the biggest cunt of the group was probably the most likeable and since when has Neil been a granny shagging lothario. The ending was too unInbetweenersish as well. That said the gags had some of the biggest belly laughs i've heard in the cinema and the positives definitely outweighed the negatives.

Went to see Cowboys and Aliens last night. I loved the old school western feel to the film and liked that it didn't look modern at all. Harrison Ford looked to be enjoying himself as well and was probably his best role for some time. Daniel Craig is much more likeable when not speaking too much and Olivia Wilde makes me happy in my special place. Very happy. The film fell a bit flat in the middle which seems to be a trait with Jon Faverau but after that frst act it was always going to struggle to up the pace.

I thought that too. The Simon character was always the most levelheaded and I suppose normal of the bunch. I ended up hating him during this film.

On a unrelated note, is the new Final Destination worth watching in 3D? A mate of mine recommended it but I'm not too sure after suffering through the previous ones.

Jay's never been a cunt. He's full of shit but he never actually hurts anyone. Neil is stupid enough to shag anyone.

Simon's always been a bit of a tit. He was the most normal (dull) of the four when they were together but he was always a spoilt little fucker around his Mum and Dad and a cunt to his little brother. I don't think it's unrealistic that having finally got with Carly after years of obsessing, the thought of losing her would take that obsession up a notch. I'd agree that they didn't really do enough to show why Lucy would like him so much though, they never put across his good side.

The ending was very Inbetweenerish. Still managing to fuck things up, whether winning or losing.

Just re-watched Resevoir Dogs last night, I got the Blu-ray a while back and had the Bank Holiday blues.

Sad to say its not aged as perfectly as I hoped it would, i'm a big fan of Tarantino's work both as a writer and director, but on the extras some critic pointed out that's probably because it's been parodied and copied so many times it's lost it's impact somewhat. There are still some cracking techniques used and shots filmed (such as the whole Mr Blond bit, as he turns up at the warehouse during the stand-off between White and Pink).

So many quoteable lines too.

I had the pop-ups on, and they provided some good nuggets of info. Most of them i'd read about in a couple of books about QT, but a few were new to me. One example is that when Pink/White and Orange are the first 3 back at the warehouse, in the back room where White is doing his hair, there are some bottles on the shelf. They are filled with.......either pink, white or orange liquid.

Other things of note were the unused 'ear-cutting' scenes that were more graphic, but going with the pan-away was clearly the best option. Leaving the audience to imagine what was going on. Oh and they interviewed some of the stars in 2002 and boy, had Chris Penn put some weight on.

I went to see Rise of the Planet of the Apes, and loved it. Plenty of "Ooh fuck, someone's gonna get hurt" moments, and brilliant facial expressions on Ceaser. The only weird thing is that both the humans and the apes are the bad guys.

Super. Another vigilante superhero movie. Very much tongue in cheek for the most part, though quite violent. It might not be everyone's cup of tea, but if you can tolerate it, the last 10-15 minutes were some of the most intense, violent and brilliant bits of film I have ever seen. It literally transformed from a silly comedic film into a big dramatic and intense finale (before returning to the former for the close of the film). Well worth a watch just for that.

Watched two films the other night, both excellent in different ways.

First up was Tucker and Dale Versus Evil. If you're a fan of comic horror, I can't recommend it enough. Starts off with the obvious 'kids going to stay in a cabin in a wood' bit, then turns the whole premise on its head. It's laugh out loud funny all the way through, too. Very good.

Then watched Stakeland. Think Zombieland but with Vampires, and not played for laughs, at all. It's pretty much unrelentingly bleak, but is very, very good, and paints an interesting post apocalyptic future that's not totally cliched and obvious.

All in all a good night, but the person hosting the bash runs gorepress.com so she always picks good films.

went to see it this week and had a great time. honestly one of the funniest films ive seen. a great fim to watch with mates. the 3d was very good and was basiclay the only reason i went.

after one of the deaths it took about a minute and a half for a lot of people in the theater incudling myself to stop laughing.

it's never gunna win any awards but for a good laugh and a bit of fun i recommend it

Also, not sure if it was intentional, but did anyone else pick up on the hints throughout the film of a space mission? Again, please bare in mind I haven't seen any of the other Planet of the Apes films, but is this something to do with any others? Or a hint at things to come?

There were absolutely shit-loads of nods to the original film, both in homages and plotwise (eg: "Bright Eyes" is what the scientist calls the human in the cage in the original film).

On the TV at the sanctuary the news tells of the first manned mission to Mars. A newspaper later on tells of the ship being lost. At some point that ship will return to Earth, by which time the apes will have taken over and the pilots will assume it's a different planet altogether.

Odeon offer starting on September 2 and running until October 13, where you can get 40% off any tickets.

Here's the link to the voucher

You can use it as much as you want.

I've just finished watching Armageddon, with Rutger Hauer and Mark Dacascos. Now, with those two in, and the DVD sleeve warning of "frequent, strong nudity", this film should be almost guaranteed brilliant.

But it's not. The plot is dull/convoluted/confusing, Hauer is phoning it in, and the random attacks by naked female assasins do nothing to lift the feeling of "I'm watching this, why?"

Dacascos has a goatee, that's how we know he's the bad guy.

Mark Dacascos was great i might pop on Drive and bask in his direct to dvd goodness

Apollo 18

Direct to video, sci fi horror on the big screen

Crap

1/5 - purely for the sci-fi aspect

After seeing Rise of the Planet of the apes (which was excellent), I picked up the boxset of the original films. Id only seen the first one before but found myself enjoying all of the following movies, I especially enjoyed the final 2 films, Conquest and Battle.
My order of favourites of the original 5.
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