DVD's and Films You Have Watched Recently

[Vito]

RollerballA friend of mine recommended this movie to me and I'll never forgive him for it. Honestly, Rollerball is utter shit and should be avoided like the plague.Oh, and Paul Heyman's in it...

A friend of mine paid good money for that turd on DVD. He's not my friend anymore.

[Egg Shen]

aint Rollerball was one of the reasons ECW folded wasnt it? Heyman spent alot of his time and money on Rollerball or something and it helped fuck up their TNN deal or something, anyone know the story.

[LaGoosh]

That was RollerJam, a crappy roller blading TV show.Rollerball is something completely different.

[Gossy]

That was RollerJam, a crappy roller blading TV show.Rollerball is something completely different.

To confuse things even more though, Paul Heyman was in Rollerball, as was Shane McMahon.In all honesty i've never seen it with my own eyes, so they might've been cut from the movie.And they featured some useless skit with the "stars" of Rollerball, having a chat with the APA on Smackdown, I believe.

[Mr. Seven]

Slipknot are in Rollerball too, so that movie was good for about 58 seconds.

[LaGoosh]

Not really as the song they were playing was one of their shitter ones.I thought the movie sucked ass but Paul Heyman was really good in it.

[Van_Dammer]

Do The Right Thing

In Spike Lee's renowned film from 1989, tensions grow high between different groups in the Brooklyn community during the hottest time of the year, resulting in racial conflict. Do The Right Thing is executed perfectly as it doesn't feel like a film that tells a story, but rather a film about characters and their interaction with each other.

 

There's a set of distinct personalities, all of which are very well established. Within a relatively short time period, you begin to care about them, understand their background and grasp their motives. I think it works equally for each race depicted, which why the viewer can interpret many elements of Do The Right Thing in their own valid way.

 

The performances by the cast are obviously pivotal to this. The acting by Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis and Bill Nunn, in particular, are exceptional because they can emote flawlessly. Spike Lee himself delivers a decent performance, too. Do The Right Thing is probably his greatest achievement because he showcases his talent in several forms. Starring in, writing and directing this film, he's created a piece of work that is poignant, involving and can evoke a range of emotions.

 

Visually, this film is brilliant. The cinematography and vivid colour scheme excellently convey the environment and, generally, looks really stylish. There's also an array of great camera shots and imaginative scenes that provide a unique quality.

 

Although Do The Right Thing may seem dated in some regards as it features old-school boomboxes and sneakers, it appears to have captured its respective time period effectively. Nonetheless, the themes represented are still undeniably relevant today. It is definitely a strong film, but despite what anyone tries to tell you, though, it simply isn't better than Crash.

 

Dead Man On Campus

This 1998 comedy is about two college students, Cooper and Josh, who have somewhat dissimilar personalities and are roommates. After Josh is corrupted by Cooper, they both begin to fail their classes miserably. They then learn of a clause, which states that any student who suffers through the death of a fellow roommate is automatically given an A in his courses. So, they begin their mission to find the most suicidal person on campus and ask him to move in with them.

 

Throughout the course of this movie, a fair amount of the comedy is akin to that found in other college films, such as American Pie and Van Wilder. Conversely, Dead Man On Campus has a much darker edge do it due to the inclusion of black comedy. Not many films of this nature will poke fun at an issue like suicide. It succeeds on both levels, though, and the product is very funny indeed. Actually, judging by other reviews, I think this comedy is awfully underrated.

 

Nonetheless, it does have its negative points. Certain parts of Dead Man On Campus feel extremely rushed, especially at the beginning. There is ceraintly room for character development and, perhaps, some more memorable jokes.

 

Despite this lack of early development, though, the characters come across considerably well. Mark-Paul Gosselaar, who people will recognize as Zack from Saved By The Bell is exceptionally good in his role and he effectively sheds his previous image. However, the best performance is, arguably, by Lochlyn Munro. He's simply fantastic at playing a complete psycho bastard. Nearly every scene that he's in is absolutely hilarious.

 

In short, Dead Man On Campus doesn't take itself too seriously and, if you watch from that perspective, it is a totally enjoyable and entertaining film.

Edited June 22, 2006 by Van_Dammer

[Van_Dammer]

Pulse (2001)

The American remake of Pulse will be out shortly and since I'd already heard much the original Japanese horror, I decided to check it out. The plot concerns a group of young people, who investigate a number of suicides that are somehow linked to the internet. Interactions with ghosts soon follow as more and more people begin to disappear.

 

Don't expect an endless array of shocking scenes and gore from Pulse because it's not that type of film. Its sense of horror is created through the incredibly eerie atmosphere, creepy moments and brooding feeling of hopelessness. It's practically all psychological.

 

Fittingly, the fims central theme is loneliness. Throughout, there are several forms of symbolism that are associated with this key element, as well other underlying meanings. In fact, a great deal of the material in Pulse can be interpreted in different ways. Some may be less important than others, but it all contributes to the overall message.

 

The film truly excels because of its visuals. The dull interiors, dark skies and lifeless colour schemes are essential to the atmosphere and really emphasise all that they aim to.

 

There are only two criticisms that I can think of for Pulse. The first is that, at two hours, it is slightly long, but that's important to the gradually-building tone of the film. Secondly, I'm not sure how those accustomed to straightforward horrors will react to it.

 

Anyway, Pulse is quite a haunting experience. It may not be as tense as the Ring(u) movies or as extreme as Suicide Club, but it's still an original and great film. I certainly don't like that it's being bastardized by an American remake.

Edited June 22, 2006 by Van_Dammer

[ukedge87]

Magnum Force

 

This is the follow up to Dirty Harry, and sees Clint Eastwood return to the role of Harry Callaghan. Thats where most of the similarities end with the gritty and gripping original.

 

The writing and plot for the sequel is sloppy, cliche'd and so obvious a toddle would be able to work it out. It follows Harry and his new partner after a number of high profile criminals are executed vigilante style. Throughout the film you are shown Harry's perspective as he works out who the murder(s) are and trys to stop them.

 

Unlike the predecessor, which dark tones really sold it, this film seems to ignore what made the first so good. The dark setting and location are changed to sunny San Fransico, and even Harry's character seems to have done a 180. In the first film where he would have stayed at home brooding, in this film he visits a single mom and has dinner with her kids, as he plays with them. Killing off the character which made the first film so good, was not a great idea was it?

 

On the other hand the film does deal with the interesting concept of can vigilantism (sp?) be morally argued, if it simplying doing the job that the court cannot because of political reasons?

 

Plus Eastwood is on top form as per-usual, and really does carry the film and doesn't let it totally slaughter the character of Harry.

 

This is a good action film in it's own right. The script is cheesy, but it is shoot well and the fast pace ensure it doesn't become a bore. It's shame then that they go for the mainstream 'dumbing down' attitude, content with the fact it doesn't live up to Dirty Harry.

[Van_Dammer]

Pumping Iron

Hilarious.

 

I'm a huge fan of Arnold Schwarzenegger and I have a lot of respect for him, but I also like the numerous comedic aspects of his personality, such as the musclehead image and thick accent. In my opinion, there isn't much funnier than listening to him compare training to cumming day and night, being gawked at by a bunch of prison inmates and saying the words, 'air,' 'shoulders,' and, 'whole,' many times.

 

In all seriousness, though, Pumping Iron is a very good documentary. It takes an insightful look at the world of professional bodybuilding as it follows several competitors and focuses on their aims.

 

A Night At The Roxbury

This movie spawned entirely from the hilarious Saturday Night Live sketch, The Roxbury Guys. It featured Will Ferrell, Chris Kattan and Jim Carrey and can be seen here (YouTube link).

 

In A Night At The Roxbury, Ferrell and Kattan reprise their roles as Steve and Doug Butabi, respectively, from the SNL bit. They aspire to open their own night club after they're denied entry elsewhere. However, they have other problems, such as their stern father and that they're totally uncool.

 

The chemistry between Will Ferrell and Chris Kattan is fantastic. They perfectly play a pair of lazy, uncool, idiotic and borderline-metrosexual brothers and even the simpliest things are incredibly funny when these two are on screen together. Individually, their performances are good, too, especially Ferrell's.

 

The trademark head-bopping scene just isn't as funny without Jim Carrey, but it's still good and used well in this film. A Night At The Roxbury offers a lot more, though, as it's loaded with awesome quotes, silly moments and great physical comedy. In some respects, it's pretty unorthodox, but completely entertaining throughout.

 

A Night At The Roxbury is a criminally underrated comedy, but I get the feeling that people will either love it or hate it. I absolutely love it.

 

Pulp Fiction

Tremendous.

Edited June 23, 2006 by Van_Dammer

[dopper]

I didn't hate Rollerball as much as most people but I was impressed by Heyman's performance. I don't understand why people hire Chris Klein for films at all. Why not just pay the extra and get the REAL Keanu Reeves? It was Jerry Lynn who said on the "Forever Hardcore" documentary that Heyman claimed to be in L.A. during the summer of 2000 trying to get a new TV deal for ECW, but in reality he was there filming Rollerball.Just seen the trailer for the forthcoming Adam Sandler film "Click" and - while a 2 minute trailer isn't much to go on - it looks like his worst film yet.I really like some of his movies, Wedding Singer and Happy Gilmore would be in my top 50 films ever, but he's done some absolute shite in his time. Walken looks shit in it. Hasselhoff is his boss, which after the initial "Ha ha that's David Hasselhoff!" reaction he's still shit, and while Sandler is often convincing as the average, everyday New Yorker character - Kate Beckinsale seems a little unbelievable as an average everyday New York housewife.My expectations are really really low, but I expect I just wont bother watching it like with "Spanglish".

[This thread scares me]

Welcome to Collinwood

2 hours of my life I will never get back

Edited June 24, 2006 by bootcleaner

[Van_Dammer]

Cannibal Holocaust

Released in 1980, this is one of the most notorious 'video nasties.' After being banned in numerous countries, Cannibal Holocaust is now available in a slightly edited form...

 

A group of documentary filmmakers journey to the amazon, hoping to produce a piece on cannibal tribes. When they don't return, an anthropology professor and a rescue team are sent to the same location in order to find them. The professor finds that the original crew have been killed and returns to America with their footage.

 

Cannibal Holocaust is a surprising film in the sense that it is very serious. The majority of video nasties are absolutely laughable and look incredibly cheap. This is actually quite well-made and features some good direction. At times, it's tranquil, brutal and manic.

 

There's no doubt that's disturbing, though. This film has several shocking, unsettling, horrifying and uncomfortable scenes. If I didn't have such a high threshold for material of this nature, I'd probably describe some scenes as, 'sick.' However, it isn't all mindless. Cannibal Holocaust does hold a thought-provoking message.

 

As one would expect, a great deal of controversy has followed this movie. The director has been taken to court over it and had to prove that it isn't a snuff film. In a recent interview, he said that he now wishes he hadn't have made it because of its strong content.

 

Although Cannibal Holocaust could be more entertaining, it deserves your attention because it's an intense film and a unique experience - if you've got the stomach for it. You'll also see that it probably influenced The Blair Witch Project.

Edited June 24, 2006 by Van_Dammer

[Kostas]

I watched Milos Forman's "One flew over the cuckoos nest" with J.Nicholson again last week. I love this film, as is the case with most of Forman's work: "Amadeus", "Man on the moon", "Larry Flint vs. the people", "Forrest Gump". This director always delivered quality work and always portayed borderline disturbed, anti-conformist characters in such a likable way. I watched Milos Forman's "One flew over the cuckoos nest" with J.Nicholson again last week. I love this film, as is the case with most of Forman's work: "Amadeus", "Man on the moon", "Larry Flint vs. the people", "Forrest Gump". This director always delivered quality work and always portayed borderline disturbed, anti-conformist characters in such a likable way.

[bAzTNM#1]

"Amadeus" is an awesome film. Tom Hulce (who played Amadeus) really missed the boat to stardom with that one. "Amadeus" and "Parenthood". After that I can't think of anything major he starred in.

Cannibal Holocaust

Was it the Vipco version of the film?Cut to shreds if it is. Still tremendous though.