DVD's and Films You Have Watched Recently

[Garrett]

Alien Seige: This is one of those sci fi original movies that the US sci fi channel churns out frequently. The plot is about a deal between humans and Aliens: the governments will sacrifice a few hundred thousand lives to the aliens, who need human experiments to battle some illness that is killing them. A renowned professor's daughter is chosen in the lottery to decide who's for the chop, and he immedietly sets out to free her with the help of a resistance movement, who fight against the aliens.I know they weren't setting out to make a front runner at the academy awards, but this is still pretty bad. The aliens look human and speak perfect English ( this is explained by someone saying "we shall speak their language while we are here" which is paper thin at best.) The special effects are laughably bad, and since I hear they have budgets of around 2-3 million dollars for these things, could have been way better. The characters are cardboard cuttouts, and the aliens are just portrayed 100% evil, no attempt is made to sympathise with them at all. It's not even a so bad it's good B movie. It's just bad. God help Chris Jericho if he's starring in movies like this.Shutterspeed: Found the VHS of this the other day. Sting (the wrestler not the singer) plays a tough but sensitve detective who gets caught up in a tangled web of murder and lies. Sting isn't a great actor by any means, but he's not embarrassingly bad either.And it's no worse than any of Hogan's movies. On an interesting note: the screenlay was by the same guy that wrote house of wax.

Edited August 24, 2006 by Garrett

[bAzTNM#1]

Alien Seige: This is one of those sci fi original movies that the US sci fi channel churns out frequently. The plot is about a deal between humans and Aliens: the governments will sacrifice a few hundred human thousand lives to the aliens, who need human experiments to battle some illness that is killing them. A renowned professor's daughter is chosen in the lottery to decide who's for the chop, and he immedietly sets out to free her with the help of a resistance movement, who fight against the aliens.I know they weren't setting out to make a front runner at the academy awards, but this is still pretty bad. The aliens look human and speak perfect English ( this is explained by someone saying "we shall speak their language while we are here" which is paper thin at best.) The special effects are laughably bad, and since I hear they have budgets of around 2-3 million dollars for these things, could have been way better. The characters are cardboard cuttouts, and the aliens are just portrayed 100% evil, no attempt is made to sympathise with them at all. It's not even a so bad it's good B movie. It's just bad. God help Chris Jericho if he's starring in movies like this.

Is this the one being shown on Sky Movies recently with Carl Weathers of Rocky fame. I keep on meaning to catch this.

[Garrett]

Alien Seige: This is one of those sci fi original movies that the US sci fi channel churns out frequently. The plot is about a deal between humans and Aliens: the governments will sacrifice a few hundred human thousand lives to the aliens, who need human experiments to battle some illness that is killing them. A renowned professor's daughter is chosen in the lottery to decide who's for the chop, and he immedietly sets out to free her with the help of a resistance movement, who fight against the aliens.I know they weren't setting out to make a front runner at the academy awards, but this is still pretty bad. The aliens look human and speak perfect English ( this is explained by someone saying "we shall speak their language while we are here" which is paper thin at best.) The special effects are laughably bad, and since I hear they have budgets of around 2-3 million dollars for these things, could have been way better. The characters are cardboard cuttouts, and the aliens are just portrayed 100% evil, no attempt is made to sympathise with them at all. It's not even a so bad it's good B movie. It's just bad. God help Chris Jericho if he's starring in movies like this.

Is this the one being shown on Sky Movies recently with Carl Weathers of Rocky fame. I keep on meaning to catch this.

Yeah, he's a general in it.

[The Cum Doctor]

As much as I dislike Seven, he's absolutely right.It's okay for people to have positive opinions on the VD reviews, and discuss the reviews in that light. But when it's negative reviews, you come in and try and stamp it out. Complete and utter bullshit.

[Van_Dammer]

HazeWhen I downloaded this, the file was named 'Haze - Sick, Twisted Japanese Horror.' I think this film falls slightly short being sick, but it's pretty good, nonetheless. It's about a wounded man who awakens to find that he is locked in an extremely cramped concrete 'maze'. There is so little space that he can barely crawl.From the very beginning, Haze is atmospheric and tense. It manages to maintain that feel and offers a good few uncomfortable moments as it progresses. The only problem is that it seems like an imitation of Saw and Cube, but doesn't incorporate some of the strengths of those movies. For instance, there isn't really much of a back story provided. Also, while the ending leaves room for interpretation, there are a couple of lose ends that could still be tied up.At a running time of fifty minutes, though, Haze is a fun little ride. It's well-directed and, being a fan of Saw, I got a kick out of it.Carlos Mencia - Not For The Easily OffendedCarlos Mencia begins this stand-up by saying that you will probably enjoy most of the show, but there's bound to be at least one part that will piss you off because he'll be making fun of you. I think most of us can take a joke, though. Anyway, he does indeed take aim at practically everyone and everything.This stand-up is a bit weak at the beginning, however. Mencia starts with a few easy targets that have been done to death already, such as Michael Jackson and Steve Irwin. The real treat begins when he criticizes society, schooling and current affairs. Not For The Easily Offended is a bit like Chris Rock's Bring The Pain in the sense that Mencia puts across his own views effectively. It's humourous because, although he appears fairly angry, he highlights irony and double standards.When he moves on to topics like race and sexuality, Mencia is totally unapologetic. His act is definitely un-PC as he jokes about some questionable issues, but it's all very funny. Then again, Mencia's weakness is that wherever his material is somewhat thin, he simply begins to act silly or exaggarates his mannerisms.I've certainly seen better stand-ups than Not For The Easily Offended, but it's decent stuff.

Edited August 25, 2006 by Van_Dammer

[Martin Pedersen]

Excellent reviews Van_Dammer

[bAzTNM Fan]

I do not mean to cause any offence but I am on the same boat as Mr. Seven and skip every review Van_Dammer posts, mainly because his reviews of films have an air of superiority around them as if to say: "here's my wordy review, read this as I know more about film than you do".People labelling these reviews "journalistic" should perhaps spend a day working for a newspaper, or alternatively, get an education. They are riddled with contractions and generally seem like he has a thesaurus handy or is word-drunk.

[Van_Dammer]

Sympathy For Mr. VengeanceFirstly, this film has an interesting story. It's about Ryu, a deaf mute, who tries to help his sister; she is in need of a kidney transplant. It gradually develops into a grim tale of revenge, which Chan-wook Park seems to be very good at.Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance is quite minimal in some respects and does sustain a consistent mood. I think it could be of a faster pace, though, and, doesn't have as much impact as it could at times, but the film still has plenty of positives. Violence, for instance, is used sparingly, but is well-orchestrated. It also features a couple of really memorable scenes.Overall, it doesn't create the great impression that Oldboy does and I don't think it's put together as well, either. Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance is good, but I hope Sympathy For Lady Vengeance is better.

Edited August 26, 2006 by Van_Dammer

[HBAndy]

Monty Python and the Holy Grail

 

A film with more laughs per minute than this may not exist. I'm not really a fan of the TV series but I love the films and this is definitely my favourite, yes, there's no plot, characterisation or great acting, but who cares, the jokes and hilarity make this a work of genius. Essentially, it's just funny set-pieces loosely strung together but it contains some of the most classic moments in comedy history, the Knights who say Ni, "It's merely a flesh wound", The French castle and so many others.

 

It's just pure hilarity. The only film which I think compares on this level is Spinal Tap.

[ukedge87]

I personally thought Spinal Tap, although amusing, was over-rated.The mockumentary style was fresh but still a little rough around the edges, and in my view The Office in terms of mockumentary, totally owns it.

[Garrett]

Snakes on a plane: just got back from seeing this. It was a really enjoyable movie, and everyone in the cinema burst into a round of applause when Jackson said THAT line. Kennan Thompson (from Kennan and Kel fame) has some funny moments as a rapper's bodygaurd who flies the plane based soley on his video gaming experience.

[Van_Dammer]

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.

[LaGoosh]

I saw Walk The Line tonight and it was fucking brilliant. Pheonix and Whetherspoon(sp) are both incredible.

[Mr. Seven]

I found Walk The Line to be pretty average and very biopic-by-numbers.

[Van_Dammer]

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.

Edited August 27, 2006 by Van_Dammer