VHS and Betamax You Have Recently Rented

[DEF]

1 hour ago, johnnyboy said:

I didn't realise that.  The last time I watched the film itself it would have been from the 2017 blu-ray release so it should have been there, but I'd have been more focussed on Henrietta's comedic boob-flash dress.

Yeah the 2017 Blu would have been Uncut but everything before that was cut.

[SaitoRyo]

Cadillac Ranch

During COVID I spent some time putting together a big list of films I wanted to watch. Of all the obscure stuff I put on it, the one I'd never been able to source (besides a Russian dubbed version) was Cadillac Ranch, a 1996 indie crime comedy about three sisters searching for a load of money their father left before 'abandoning them' 22 years earlier. 

Imagine my surprise when I randomly checked and, yes, somebody had uploaded it to ok.ru just a few days ago!

Was it worth the long wait? Not really, but it was enjoyable enough and I had fun with it as the three female leads are good (especially Renee Humphrey) and it has that 90s indie feel and plenty of western iconography. Christopher Lloyd puts in a shift as the villainous ex-Texas Ranger and, at 98 minutes, the film doesn't outstay its welcome. 

[cobra_gordo]

The Accountant 2. I was enjoying it but wasn't fully sold until the final third when it really comes in to it's own with a brilliant gun fight. Will definitely get a rewatch. Also, not enough J.K. Simmons.

Ghost Ship. A film I first saw in the cinema the night before travelling via ferry on an exchange trip, that I still refuse to chuck my DVD copy of because it's got a cool animated, flip cover. I bloody love Ghost Ship and having not watched it for a few years, I'm pleased to say it still holds up. The opening scene is iconic but the rest is just great fun. It's more spooky than scary and way less gory than some modern horror but it's got a real charm to it. Makes me want to go on a nostalgia trip to the early 2000s and revisit the likes of 13 Ghosts and Darkness Falls.

Edited June 9, 2025 by cobra_gordo
Spelling

[Lorne Malvo]

26 minutes ago, cobra_gordo said:

 

Ghost Ship. A film I first saw in the cinema the night before travelling via ferry on an exchange trip, that I still refuse to chuck my DVD copy of because it's got a cool animated, flip cover. I bloody love Ghost Ship and having not watched it for a few years, I'm pleased to say it still holds up. The opening scene is iconic but the rest is just great fun. It's more spooky than scary and way less gory than some modern horror but it's got a real charm to it. Makes me want to go on a nostalgia trip to the early 2000s and revisit the likes of 13 Ghosts and Darkness Falls.

As long as you avoid Boogeyman (2005), you're all good.

[SaitoRyo]

Powwow Highway

A nice road trip movie about two Cheyenne men who drive form Montana to New Mexico to bail out one of their sisters after she is set up for a crime she didn't commit. I love a good road movie and this one had something a bit different about it as it was more about Native American culture, faith etc. It's not overwhelmingly original, of course, but it features some performances and chugs along nicely. A bit of a hidden gem. 

[Carbomb]

4 hours ago, SaitoRyo said:

Powwow Highway

A nice road trip movie about two Cheyenne men who drive form Montana to New Mexico to bail out one of their sisters after she is set up for a crime she didn't commit. I love a good road movie and this one had something a bit different about it as it was more about Native American culture, faith etc. It's not overwhelmingly original, of course, but it features some performances and chugs along nicely. A bit of a hidden gem. 

I like the sound of this. Will put it on the list. Thanks.

[Hannibal Scorch]

How To Train Your Dragon - Even less necessary then Lilo and Stitch as it’s SOOOO close to the original, but it’s a lovely story told well with decent effects. I really liked it but mileage may vary.

Edited June 11, 2025 by Hannibal Scorch

[SaitoRyo]

The Big Empty

Jon Favreau is an unsuccessful wannabe actor drowning in debt when he's offered a bunch of money to deliver a mysterious blue suitcase to a 'cowboy' in a small desert town. Naturally, the job isn't as easy as he presumed and things quickly get complicated as he encounters all manner of quirky characters. 

I liked this one more than I thought I would, to be honest. It's a real easy watch and is littered with recognisable faces like Bud Cort, Kelsey Grammer, Daryl Hanner, Joey Lauren Adams and Sean Bean, who all do their bit. 

It's not too eccentric as to be annoying and, though clearly inspired a little by the the Coens and Tarantino, it doesn't come across like a cheap ripoff. Regrettably, the ambiguous 'twist' ending a really dodgy CGI shot (it was released in 2003 after all) undid a little of the goodwill it had built up with me, but didn't ruin the film or anything. 

[FLips]

Just spent £37 on a copy of The Brave Little Toaster on DVD. Turns out the PAL Region 2 release is like gold dust because every copy after that starts at £77 and ends around £115. CEX have it for £32 but that's a lot to risk not seeing a description of quality or any photos.

I haven't seen it for around 10 years, and haven't owned it since my VHS as a kid, but it was my favourite film growing up so in spite of the stupid price I'm thrilled to finally be owning it again. Criminally underrated film.
Oddly enough it popped into my head because Geek Retreat or whatever it is in the Metro Center had a pin badge of Toaster in there a few weeks ago (which yes I bought immediately).

[SaitoRyo]

Happy, Texas

Two small-time criminals escape and end up in the small town of Happy, Texas, where they are mistaken for a gay couple who put together kids' beauty pageants. 

Read a lot of praise for this and wanted to like it, but didn't really think it was all that. Has a few funny moments and there's some good actors in it (William H Macy, Ron Perlman), but it's not the heartwarming indie some reviews make it out to be. A few good country songs on the soundtrack, mind, which always helps. 

Also can't quite believe it caused a bidding war at Sundance, with Miramax coughing up in excess of $10 million for it. Mental. 

[LaGoosh]

Michael Clayton - hell of a movie. Easily George Clooney's best performance. On paper/first appearances he's the guy who should have everything but turns out to be the guy who has basically nothing. A masterful screenplay which perfectly balances being ruthlessly efficient and giving all the characters and moments space to breathe. The type of film they sadly don't seem to know how to make anymore. The death of the DVD market really killed off these types of movies.

[Chili]

Literally all seven Police Academy movies back to back and ass to mouth. Really sadistic behaviour, but I was really poorly in bed, hadn't seen any of them in a decade and they're such a nostalgic part of my renting videos from the man with a van as a kid that I'll always be fond of them, regardless of how shit they are. George Gaynes and especially G.W. Bailey always to their credit put in a decent shift, plus find me anyone who doesn't enjoy Zed.

Edited June 12, 2025 by Chili

[TibBo]

The first Police Academy was on TV over Xmas in the daytime, so it was edited to make it ok for kids to watch. They had to cut so much out, it barely made sense anymore.  
When we were kids it always seemed to be Police Academy 5 they would put on TV during the day as it is much more PG, so ripping the first one to shreds seemed an odd choice.

I have never mustered the courage to re-watch #7

[Chili]

The first two were rated 15 over here and the rest were all PG releases. Yeah it's extremely weird showing the first one given that there is A LOT of stuff that wouldn't fly pre-watershed.

Don't bother finding the courage to watch 'Mission to Moscow', it genuinely doesn't need revisiting even out of curiosity. 

[Devon Malcolm]

The Police Academy code is 1.