Van_Dammer

I'm a huge fan of Quentin Tarantino and I'd always meant to get round to watching Natural Born Killers, as he had a part in writing it. From what I understand, he wrote the screenplay and they changed it to such an extent, and he was so displeased with the final product, that he no longer wanted his name on it...Anyway, I finally watched Natrual Born Killers when it was on Film4 recently. I love the premise, but, other than that, I think the film is absolute shit. My main gripe with it is that it's ridiculously over-directed to the point that it's annoying, especially when it switches from black-and-white to colour every 10 seconds in certain scenes.As daz says, it really lacks the edge that it needs and I couldn't take it seriously. Thus, it seriously drags even half way in.

This is a really horrific and tragic situation. There's just so much about it that's really unsettling and hard to comprehend, as others have already said.I can't help but think about what's occured in the wrestling over the last few weeks. First, WWE start an angle in which Vince McMahon dies, which is followed by a real-life death; Sherri Martel. Despite this, they continue to run the angle and give little attention to Sherri's death, whilst Vince's supposed death is given a full-on creepy tribute that makes a mockery of previous ones. Then, a show that is meant to a fictional memorial ends up being a real memorial when not only a member of the active roster is found dead, but also his wife and child. Now, the bizarre and disturbing details of this case have just made it worse.Fuck knows what Benoit's motive or frame of mind was, but this is a tragedy involving the death of three people, including a seven year old boy. I think anyone who watched FOX News' coverage will agree that their style of reporting is absolutely horrendous. They've done nothing but sensationalise this story.

Awful, awful news. RIP Chris Benoit and family.

WCW really was like some crappy B-movie:

 

Dog Day Afternoon

Holy fuck, what a film. Al Pacino's in the lead role as Sonny, a man who robs a bank alongside his friend, Sal. Soon, the whole thing turns into a media circus.

 

I can't really fault Dog Day Afternoon at all. It's excellently directed, tells an intriguing story and the acting is tremendous. I honestly can't speak highly enough of Pacino's performance, in particular; it's easily one of the best I've ever seen, if not the best. How Dog Day Afternoon isn't known alongside other classics from the 70s, like Rocky and The Godfather, is beyond me.

Lady Vengeance is on Film4 at five to 11 tonight.

Maybe I'm being picky, but I absolutely hate the fact that Film4 are cramming the picture right at the top and, at the bottom, combining the spaces that the black bars would create as a huge block for the subtitles. I just can't watch it.

Guest House Paradiso - Alot of people hate it, but I found it to be an entertaining film, with the same slapstick humour as Bottom and a good cast (Simon Pegg, Fenella Fielding, Kate Ashfield, Bill Nighy, Vincent Cassel, H

Chris Rock - Never Scared

If I'm not mistaken, Chris Rock hadn't done taken to the stage for four years prior to this. However, it doesn't show. Never Scared is arguably on par with Bring The Pain, which I consider to be his best stand-up.

 

Chris Rock's first major topic in Never Scared is that of the entertainment industry. He talks about how he's sick of defending Hip-Hop and that many people seem to hate it. As several rappers' murders haven't been investigated to much of a degree, he deduces that even the government hates Hip-Hop. "If you wanna get away with killing somebody, just put a bullet in his head and stick a demo tape in his pocket."

 

Chris Rock's trademark style is most evident towards the middle. He scrutinizes political and social issues and presents his own views, but keeps his material very funny by highlighting irony and generally taking the piss. Like Bring The Pain especially, whenever he delves into controversial or questionable themes, he always shows the other side of it right before he goes too far.

 

The end is mainly about relationships, but not entirely sex. Chris Rock jokes about the situations that relationships bring on, which is quite refreshing. The part about his wife trying to get him to talk to people at social events, in particular, is hilarious.

 

All-in-all, I'd say that Never Scared is an outstanding stand-up.

 

Princess Mononoke

I had very high expectations for this film and it actually lived up to them. It's a fantasy anime in which the main character, Ashitaka, is cursed with a severe ailment by a demon boar god after defending his village from it. He has to travel to Western Japan in order to find a cure.

 

Everything about this Princess Mononoke is done well. First and foremost, it has a great story. The characters within it are interesting and the important ones all add a significant amount of drama and emotion in their own way. Amidst the storytelling, the action is terrific and the film features some of the most unforgettable imagery ever. It's simply an epic fantasy as it should be.

 

Princess Mononoke is certainly worthy of the praise and the many awards. I've seen four Studio Ghibli film now and I'd rate Princess Mononoke as the second-best.

Open Hearts

I love the story to this film. A young couple, C

Silent Movie

This film is essentially a double-parody. It takes aim at silent movies of years gone by and parodies itself, too, as Mel Funn (Mel Brooks) and his comrades try to recruit Hollywood stars - who play themselves - to act in their silent movie.

 

There's an abundance of slapstick and wit, as you'd expect from Mel Brooks. Being 'silent,' the film relies heavily on exaggerated visuals and physical comedy. Marty Feldman, who's probably most famous for his role as Igor from Young Frankenstein, is very particularly well-suited to this and I reckon his performance is certainly a highlight.

 

Overall, I think Silent Movie is relatively good, but lacks the true hilarity of some of Brooks' other work. It had the potential to be better.

 

Gregory's Girl

A film with a lot of charm that sees Gregory (John Gordon Sinclair) fall for Dorothy (Dee Hepburn), the one and only girl on the football team.

 

The main reason as to why this film is effective is because of how genuinely awkward Gregory seems; he is extremly gawky. He's alright around his friends and elders, but very nervous around girls his age. The other main characters are more or less conventional. As such, two gormless guys provide the comedy and there's a stereotypical hottie, Dorothy, alongside a brunette who's less popular with the lads, Susan (Clare Grogan). I always find the latter more attractive than the girl that the audience is supposed to perceive as the better looking one, though. To me, Boof was more appealing than Pamela in Teen Wolf. Likewise, I liked Allison more than Claire in The Breakfast Club.

 

Anyway, Gregory's Girl is a good film. It has several quirky and strange qualities to it that make it somewhat unique in some respects.

Since a few people have asked for one in this thread before, PM me if you want a source to download movies from.

Being John Malkovich

I think this movie is genius. It opens in a fairly strange way, which effectively sets the tone, and doesn't really let up at any point. Craig Schwartz (John Cusack) is a puppeteer and quite a sad guy. His wife, Lotte (Cameron Diaz), isn't much better and is obsessed with animals. Craig starts a new job and, there, discovers a tunnel that leads into the head of John Malkovich, who plays himself as the title suggests.

 

So, it's a weird film, much to my liking. It's not necessarily trippy, though, but very interesting and rather unique. It does make you think at times and, throughout, you draw comparisons between aspects of the story.

 

There are plenty of great scenes, such as the journey into Malkovich's head and then seeing through his eyes and the restaurant bit, but the unorthodox moments are definitely the best. The comedy in this film is just as good. There were at least two parts that had me rolling.

 

Excellent stuff.

ive been catching up on Steve Martin films, ive already watched Sgt. Bilko and The Jerk this week...

I just have to say; The Jerk is awesome. Anyone who loves comedy and hasn't seen it should definitely check it out. It's easily Steve Martin's best film.

I've never seen any of the old Pink Panther movies either so i cant compare

Rent them now!

The Castle Of Cagliostro

As I said a before, I rate Spirited Away extremely highly and wanted to check out some more Studio Ghibli films. Porco Rosso, which I watched a couple of weeks ago, was a dissapointment. The Castle Of Cagliostro, however, has redeemed Studio Ghibli in my eyes. It truly is a great movie.

 

The main character, Lupin, who I believe was originally seen in an anime and manga series, is a flamboyant thief. After a robbery, Lupin and his gang aim to overthrow an evil count as they discover that the bills are all counterfeits produced by him.

 

The story is definitely one of adventure and a romance soon comes into play. Combined with some funny slapstick, exciting action and a set of colourful characters, The Castle Of Cagliostro is superb. It's like a perfectly executed mix of Indiana Jones and James Bond.

 

I've got Princess Mononoke to watch next, which I hear is quite good.

Overall, Snakes On A Plane is pretty good in a cheesy way. It's the type of movie that Arnold Schwarzenegger should make a cameo in. I think those calling it the best movie of the year are getting a bit carried away, though, because V For Vendetta, Lucky Number Slevin and Cars are better in their own right.

But Cars is nowhere near being one of the best films of the year.

It's better than Snakes On A Plane.

Filthy, Rich & CatflapI love this show. UK Gold have aired it recently, but they made many edits for a number of reasons. In some cases, entire scenes were cut, which is why it's worth having the DVD.Filthy, Rich & Catflap is about showbiz has-been, Richie Rich (Rik Mayall). I suppose one of the reasons that I'm so fond of this comedy series is because I'm a fucking huge fan of his. Anyone who likes Mayall's other work will definitely enjoy this as he plays a very lively, over-the-top character, which he excels at. Edward Catflap (Adrian Edmondson) is Richie's minder. However, he inflicts more violence on him than anyone else. As always, the comedy duo of Rik and Ade are a lot of fun to watch. I think Nigel Planer deserves much more credit than he often receives for playing Ralph Filthy. He's great as a seedy talent agent.Filthy, Rich & Catflap is interesting because it occasionally satires the entertainment industry and takes aim social and political issues. By no means is meant to be taken too seriously, though. It mostly comprises of an abundance of explicit toilet humour and slapstick violence and is totally enjoyable. It's not as good as The Young Ones or Bottom, but acts a nice transition between the two and is certainly funny in its own right.Snakes On A Plane

On board a flight over the Pacific Ocean, an assassin, bent on killing a passenger who's a witness in protective custody, lets loose a crate full of deadly snakes.

Snakes On A Plane really is a throwback to old-school movies. Everything from the thin plot to the exaggerated situation and 80s-esque dialogue is in place.Once we're introduced to the snakes, the film becomes quite entertaining. At times, it's surprisingly tense and has more thrills that I had anticipated. It's also funnier than I expected, whether you're laughing at actual comedic moments or directly at the film. For some reason, Samuel L Jackson pushing an old lady out of the way and saying, "move it, Grandma!" stands out as a highlight to me. As for the negatives, Snakes On A Plane does drag towards the middle. Jackson's big line is out of place and should have been put to better use. Also, I realize that it's meant to be corny, but there a few instances of when it's just too corny. The ultra-gay ending, in particular, exemplifies this.Overall, Snakes On A Plane is pretty good in a cheesy way. It's the type of movie that Arnold Schwarzenegger should make a cameo in. I think those calling it the best movie of the year are getting a bit carried away, though, because V For Vendetta, Lucky Number Slevin and Cars are better in their own right.

Etrnal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind Biggest load of wank ever. It started off quite well, and usually I'm a fan of films out of chronological order, but Christ this one is simply too complicated to follow. A man (Jim Carrey) wakes up one day to find that his girlfriend doesn't know who he is anymore, due to having the recollection of him erased from her memory. The whole film is based around flashbacks and shit like that. And the ending is stupid and dull.

It's really not all that hard to follow and understand. It's put together magnificently and the ending is pretty much perfect.

Etrnal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind is mind-blowingly amazing. I got into it instantly, enjoyed every minute of it and, when it finished, I wanted to watch it again. There are only a few movies that have that affect on me.

Ready To Rumble

Gordie (David Arquette) and Sean (Scott Caan) try to help their favourite wrestler, Jimmy King (Oliver Platt), regain his glory after some backstage politicking results in him being beaten and losing his job.

 

It's been years since I saw this film. Watching it now, the 'it's so good it's bad' factors of it are easier to appreciate. There really are loads of problems with with Ready To Rumble. Firstly, Gordie and Sean are a terrible portrayal of wrestling fans, even if it supposed to be a comedy. They're far too old be screaming, "Wrestling's not fake!" at anyone who questions their interest; no fan over the age of thirteen would do that. I doubt anyone over the age of five would cry over a heel winning, either, as they do. The lame attempts at comedy are just as bad. In one of the first scenes, Sean asks, "Hey, Gordie, why does it look like you've got your finger up your butt?" and Gordie responds, "Because I do." That pretty much sets the tone for the movie. Then, when you see the likes of Randy Savage, Sting, DDP, Golberg and other WCW wrestlers on screen, you just can't help but laugh at them for being involved in something so shit. And to think Vince Russo actually put the belt on David Arquette in order to promote this film!

 

Ready To Rumble is pure Wrestlecrap. Most fellow wrestling fans will laugh at it and, at the very least, get a kick out of it. The film does have some sort of strange entertainment value in that sense and there's some nice eye candy in it, too. However, non-wrestling fans will probably use the film as ammunition to take the piss.

 

By the way, it's quite strange that there are a couple of WWF references in Ready To Rumble, considering that it's a WCW film. Also, is Jimmy The King supposed to be a dig at Jerry Lawler?

I agree with Garrett and children of bodom on the American version Dark Water; it is shit. However, while the ending isn't perfect, it's easily the only decent thing about the film.

Is this available in your local high street store?

I could be wrong, but I think it will be from mid-September.

McMahon

I watched the documentary portion of the DVD. All-in-all, it's a pretty interesting watch just to hear some of the comments from the McMahon family, but it has its fair share of positives and negatives.

 

It starts off by leaving out any information on Vince's childhood and essentially jumps straight to 1984. Then, there's another overt jump to 1997; this time to the Montreal incident. Of course, we get more of the usual, "Bret screwed Bret." The subsequent Attitude era segments are enjoyable. There's a look at plenty of classic Austin Vs. McMahon moments and some interesting bits on how Triple H and Stephanie's relationship formed. By the way, I forgot how incredibly hot heel Stephanie used to be, circa 2000.

 

Although some of the documentary is clearly used to stroke Vince's ego, I'm glad that there is a balance of opinions at times from WWE employees and even other members of the McMahon family. Vince's reasoning in defending his bad ideas is usually thin or unconvincing. I wonder why they didn't even mention the WBF, though.

 

The latter half of the documentary is fairly weak. When it covers Vince's activity over the last couple of years, it's apparent that his character has become very stale.

Ichi The Killer - Episode 0

Complete and utter shit. The animated prequel to Takashi Miike's live action film aims to give an insight into Ichi's past and is a total mess from beginning to end.

 

It tries to shock and fails miserably practically every time. I like violence, but, like anything else, it has to be done well. In Ichi The Killer - Episode 0, the violence seems too forced and doesn't flow well within the film. Likewise, stuff like Ichi's parents enjoying S&M appears to have been thrown just for the sake of it. Everything else is lacks any significance due to the terrible writing.

 

It's quite amazing that the original Guyver series from the 1980s looks much better than this anime. Ichi The Killer - Episode 0 is quite poor, visually, which is another reason as to why it fails to shock with its bizarre scenes.

 

It's simply one of the worst things ever.

On the subject of comedy, I reckon The Naked Gun is the funniest movie ever made. Yes, I like it even more than Airplane. Like I've said before, Leslie Nielsen is God and he's just brilliant as Detective Frank Drebin.

Who trained Teddy Hart? I just won't believe that it was Stu.

Monty Brown's promo from Hard Justice 06:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIseCKABxCM