VHS and Betamax You Have Recently Rented

[FLips]

My copy of Goodfellas is a double sided disc which I didn’t know existed, but also is shit quality and letterboxed to fuck. What is going on here.

 

Edit: I had to manually zoom my TV in the settings and now it’s zoomed and looks VHS quality!
Bet it looks great on my CRT but it wasn’t made for this TV.

Edited April 10, 2025 by FLips

[Mr_Danger]

Kurasawa must be the most influential film maker of all time. I think I’ve only seen the brilliant Throne of Blood but I’ve seen so many iterations of his films that have been either directly or indirectly remade. He’s heavily influenced some of the most influential film makers of all time too. 

[Devon Malcolm]

1 minute ago, Mr_Danger said:

Kurasawa must be the most influential film maker of all time. 

It's between him and Hitchcock, isn't it. Cinema as a whole is completely different and historically poorer without them.

[Mr_Danger]

9 minutes ago, Devon Malcolm said:

It's between him and Hitchcock, isn't it. Cinema as a whole is completely different and historically poorer without them.

Yeah Hitchcock is definitely a front runner. His influence on The Simpsons alone gets him in the race. 

[Dr. Alan Grant]

1 hour ago, FLips said:

Quickly popped into CEX after work on the way home and grabbed a few more for the DVD collection.

Seven Samurai - £6
Dredd - £2
Sanjuro - £8
Jackie Brown - £1.50
Goodfellas - £1.50
Clint Eastwood Collection (Fistful, Few More, GBU, Hang Em High) - £5

CEX is my go to for Blu Rays since HMV charges about £500 for each of theirs. Picked up Tremors, Bill & Ted Face The Music (most likely awful), Sunset Boulevard, Sinbad And The Eye Of The Tiger, The Accused, Don’t Look Now, Scream 3, Futureworld (Westworld sequel), M3gan and The Rover today. If they didn’t charge delivery per item, I’d no doubt get more from them online.  

[HarmonicGenerator]

35 minutes ago, Dr. Alan Grant said:

Bill & Ted Face The Music (most likely awful)

I really liked it - far more than I was expecting to. It may have been its release happening between lockdowns but it was just what I needed at that time and I ended up feeling quite moved by it!

[Devon Malcolm]

Face the Music is really good. Not as good as the first two but about as good as could reasonably expected of it. Jack Haven as Keanu's kid is brilliant.

[FLips]

Navy SEALS
Charlie Sheen and Michael Biehn stars as Navy SEALS in a film that's all the unlikeable meathead macho bullshit but none of the action. We struggled through the first hour, my wife went "Michael Biehn's not a very good actor is he?" and I agreed and we turned it off with 40 minutes to spare.

Goodfellas
Ray Liotta rises up through the ranks of the Mafia as he mingles with nearly every single major cast member of The Sopranos on the way. Absolutely brilliant film that shares a lot with The Sopranos not just in cast but in narrative. The deeper into the game Liotta gets, the more it turns to shit and his personal and professional life fall apart around him. It's unfair to make the comparisons though because this came first.

Funny in all the right places while always keeping you at arms length with it's violence and unpleasantness, there are no winners only losers. The downfall of Liotta and his completely complicit wife comes to a brilliant conclusion when De Niro also goes completely off the deep end and starts offing everyone. The whole thing is great but that last 30 minutes is edge of the seat stuff. Is there anything more sinister than De Niro dressed like a friendly Grandad, trying to usher Lorraine Bracco into her death?

NOW GO HOME AND GET YOUR FUCKING SHINE BOX.

[Cousin Jim Bob]

3 hours ago, FLips said:

My copy of Goodfellas is a double sided disc which I didn’t know existed, but also is shit quality and letterboxed to fuck. What is going on here.

 

Edit: I had to manually zoom my TV in the settings and now it’s zoomed and looks VHS quality!
Bet it looks great on my CRT but it wasn’t made for this TV.

 

That takes me back. I had this version, it was one of the earlier made DVD's and was an absolutely awful and lazy digital transfer. As well as the turn the disc over halfway through shit.

There was a later 2 disc Special Edition that sorted it all out and had some good making off documentary's on it plus 2 commentary tracks. One had Scorsese and the other had the real Henry Hill. Wish I still had that tbh.

[SuperBacon]

From the age of 12 to about 15, I would come home from school and watch Goodfellas. I'd say I probably watched it at least 3 times a week. It's genuinely a comfort film for me.

And I've turned out such a well adjusted person!

[SaitoRyo]

9 hours ago, FLips said:

Navy SEALS
Charlie Sheen and Michael Biehn stars as Navy SEALS in a film that's all the unlikeable meathead macho bullshit but none of the action. We struggled through the first hour, my wife went "Michael Biehn's not a very good actor is he?" and I agreed and we turned it off with 40 minutes to spare.

Every time. 

 

[gmoney]

There's a scene at the beginning of Navy Seals where they're driving in a convertible across a bridge and one of them to show how mental and daredevil they are jumps out of the car, off the bridge into the water in one swift move. It's a pretty crazy stunt, and it's the only thing I can remember about that film. I've got not other memory of it whatsoever. 

[FLips]

1 minute ago, gmoney said:

There's a scene at the beginning of Navy Seals where they're driving in a convertible across a bridge and one of them to show how mental and daredevil they are jumps out of the car, off the bridge into the water in one swift move. It's a pretty crazy stunt, and it's the only thing I can remember about that film. I've got not other memory of it whatsoever. 

Yeah that’s Charlie Sheen and as a one-off stunt it’s an impressive thing, but it’s baffling.

We both got confused and shocked by it as we had no idea why he did it or what it accomplished. It’s genuinely like they thought of the stunt but had no reason to put it in the film, so just picked a spot and had them do it with no context.

[LaGoosh]

The original Bill & Ted movies were two of my favourites growing up and still to this day think Bogus Journey is a highly underrated brilliant film. Face The Music just made me feel sad watching it and I had to turn it off pretty soon into it. Visually it's such a flat and dull movie - basically has that modern complete lack of decent lighting, colourless, crystal clean and totally lifeless look that most movies have now. If any of you haven't seen Bogus Journey in awhile I would recommend a re-watch - it's a beautiful and vibrant film with loads of really interesting visuals and creative sequences. All the stuff in Hell in particular is just great.

Edited April 11, 2025 by LaGoosh

[gmoney]

5 minutes ago, FLips said:

Yeah that’s Charlie Sheen and as a one-off stunt it’s an impressive thing, but it’s baffling.

We both got confused and shocked by it as we had no idea why he did it or what it accomplished. It’s genuinely like they thought of the stunt but had no reason to put it in the film, so just picked a spot and had them do it with no context.

I'd imagine cocaine had something to do with it. 

That's not the worst film Sheen was in that year, which is Men At Work. Totally unbearable comedy that can't be saved even by a great (as always) Keith David performance.