|
|
Post by iank on Jun 21, 2021 21:28:00 GMT
The Rock. When Alcatraz is occupied by renegade soldiers armed with rockets filled with lethal poison, chemical weapons expert Nicolas Cage finds himself roped into going into the field for the first time - along with the only man to ever escape the prison - Sean Connery. I haven't seen this mid 90s action flick in roundabout 20 years but it remains a kick-ass load of fun.  |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 23, 2021 8:38:49 GMT
Watched the 1988 Mighty Joe Young remake recently. Got to say it’s pretty ok and one of the least offensive remakes I’ve ever watched. Joe himself is fantastic, with the practical effects being superb and the cgi being pretty good for the time, in fact it hold up better then some stuff from Jurassic Park these days. I also appreciate that they based Joe’s design off of a Western Gorilla, as this helps him stand out from his spiritual father King Kong.
The animal conservation theme of the film is a bit old hate these days, and the film dose nothing knew with the idea, but it’s not unwelcome. Sadly this may be why this film is mostly forgotten, aside from Joe the film has no real strong highlights. It’s very risk free (in the original Joe gets drunk, smashes up a nightclub and fights lions) as a result is easily lost in a sea of other films. That and the disaster that was Godzilla 1998 pretty much overshadowed the film at the time to.
Bill Paxton is ok but again the film is playing it safe and as a result he’s a bit wasted playing the straight up good guy with no quirks to his personality. Charlize Theron Is likewise very good, and pretty, and give the best performance in the film next. It’s funny I’m so used to he playing more villainous characters that I was caught off guard by her playing a more likeable person. Everyone else ok but nothing to outstanding either.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 23, 2021 14:49:02 GMT
Predator (1987)
Arnie's best film. Incredibly tense and violent affair that's just oozing with testosterone. Exceptionally well directed and acted and the special effects hold up. What a year 1987 was for movies.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 25, 2021 14:50:03 GMT
Predator 2 (1990)
Some people on here have listed this film as one of their favourites, but sadly I'm not in the same boat. The action and effects are on point, but I found the characters to be less compelling than the ones in the original. I didn't dislike the film by any means and it's not as bad something like RoboCop 2, but I'm not the biggest fan of it.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 26, 2021 16:48:57 GMT
Predator 2 (1990) Some people on here have listed this film as one of their favourites, but sadly I'm not in the same boat. The action and effects are on point, but I found the characters to be less compelling than the ones in the original. I didn't dislike the film by any means and it's not as bad something like RoboCop 2, but I'm not the biggest fan of it.  In all seriousness though I can understand why. I think the film leans a bit on it's Cop movie trops a bit, a type of film that was very popular at the time and with me, but in doing so it doesn't feel the need to go the extra mile with it's characters. It assumes you can fill in the gapes of the genre on your own. Thats actually the way I wish this series had gone. Do different kinds of genre films with the Predator and reveal more about them subtlety rather then the on the nose shit show we've had in resent years. Noir, Crime, Sci fi, Adventure, you can put the predator in a lot of different types of stories and make it work, and the comics have done so over the years. What also wins me over is the cinematography and the setting, I love urban environment setting in these types of films. |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 26, 2021 22:03:13 GMT
It's one of the better sequels of 1990, I admit. I'm still not crazy about it although I can see why it has such a cult following. I probably won't check out the later ones.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 26, 2021 22:10:46 GMT
It's one of the better sequels of 1990, I admit. I'm still not crazy about it although I can see why it has such a cult following. I probably won't check out the later ones. What ever you do, don't watch The Predator... unless money is involved. |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 27, 2021 15:49:35 GMT
The Terminator (1984)
Haven't watched this in ages. A solid science fiction action flick with a distinctive horror movie vibe too. I prefer RoboCop personally, but this is a great film with some awesome chases and memorable shootouts. Am I the only one that finds Linda Hamilton to be really hot in this? Must be her hair. Oh, and I love the 80sness of it all especially the scene at the tech noir. The 80s synth score is incredible also.
|
|
|
|
Post by iank on Jul 2, 2021 21:41:39 GMT
Just Before Dawn. Five youngsters head up to the mountains for a camping trip... stop me if you've heard this one before. It's all fun and games until the local inbred maniac comes out with a machete. This early 80s slasher horror is nicely atmospheric, but takes a while to get going, though I did like the midpoint twist (which actually made me gasp) and the heroine's rather...er... novel way of dispatching the killer at the end.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 5, 2021 15:37:41 GMT
Predator 2 (1990) Some people on here have listed this film as one of their favourites, but sadly I'm not in the same boat. The action and effects are on point, but I found the characters to be less compelling than the ones in the original. I didn't dislike the film by any means and it's not as bad something like RoboCop 2, but I'm not the biggest fan of it. In all seriousness though I can understand why. I think the film leans a bit on it's Cop movie trops a bit, a type of film that was very popular at the time and with me, but in doing so it doesn't feel the need to go the extra mile with it's characters. It assumes you can fill in the gapes of the genre on your own. Thats actually the way I wish this series had gone. Do different kinds of genre films with the Predator and reveal more about them subtlety rather then the on the nose shit show we've had in resent years. Noir, Crime, Sci fi, Adventure, you can put the predator in a lot of different types of stories and make it work, and the comics have done so over the years. What also wins me over is the cinematography and the setting, I love urban environment setting in these types of films. To be honest I was probably a bit harsh on the film. To be fair, it has that late 80s/early 90s "anything goes" attitude. I mean, it's bloody brutal at times and it's all one giant action sequence from the subway scene onwards. I will probably buy it on DVD and give it another watch actually. As far as 1990 sequels go it wasn't that bad. I think the first one is still far better, but I was wrong to write off the second all the same. If you liked the stuff with the dark stuff with the Jamaican posse you might like a film called "Marked for Death" which also came out in the same year. Predators is on Disney plus but I don't know if I'll watch it just yet. To be fair, the trailer looks decent. The Predator sounds like a bag of shit. |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 7, 2021 15:38:21 GMT
In all seriousness though I can understand why. I think the film leans a bit on it's Cop movie trops a bit, a type of film that was very popular at the time and with me, but in doing so it doesn't feel the need to go the extra mile with it's characters. It assumes you can fill in the gapes of the genre on your own. Thats actually the way I wish this series had gone. Do different kinds of genre films with the Predator and reveal more about them subtlety rather then the on the nose shit show we've had in resent years. Noir, Crime, Sci fi, Adventure, you can put the predator in a lot of different types of stories and make it work, and the comics have done so over the years. What also wins me over is the cinematography and the setting, I love urban environment setting in these types of films. To be honest I was probably a bit harsh on the film. To be fair, it has that late 80s/early 90s "anything goes" attitude. I mean, it's bloody brutal at times and it's all one giant action sequence from the subway scene onwards. I will probably buy it on DVD and give it another watch actually. As far as 1990 sequels go it wasn't that bad. I think the first one is still far better, but I was wrong to write off the second all the same. If you liked the stuff with the dark stuff with the Jamaican posse you might like a film called "Marked for Death" which also came out in the same year. Predators is on Disney plus but I don't know if I'll watch it just yet. To be fair, the trailer looks decent. The Predator sounds like a bag of shit. Predators is an ok film but it’s not on par with 1&2. It’s got a good caste and good ideas but spends to much time playing it safe. The Predator stands shoulder to shoulder with the like of Halloween Resurrection and Nuwho. It’s an insult both to the franchise it’s attached to and anyone watching it. I actually, and for the only the third time in my life died a little inside while watching a film/tv series and i have most never touched all Alien and Predator material beyond a certain point as it’s painfully clear no c*nt know how to write for either franchise anymore. The one exception was Alien Isolation. |
|
|
|
Post by iank on Jul 9, 2021 21:15:08 GMT
The Final Terror. More youngsters get chopped up in woods in 1981. This one was pretty poor, marred by male characters that are utterly unlikeable (save Mark Metcalf's (Buffy's Master!) who is killed off first) and female characters so staggeringly underwritten (even by slasher movie standards) that despite a young Daryl Hannah and Rachel Ward being in the cast, I just didn't give a toss about anyone. Disappointing esp after Madman and Just Before Dawn.
|
|
|
|
Post by iank on Jul 11, 2021 21:33:42 GMT
The Prowler. 35 years after a double murder at a 40s Graduation Dance in a small town, the killer resurfaces... Another slasher from 81, thankfully better than The Final Terror. This one's not bad, bit slow at times but with a good atmosphere and a genuinely scary climax.
|
|
|
|
Post by iank on Jul 13, 2021 21:51:55 GMT
Curtains. An actress commits herself to an asylum to prepare for a role, only to have the scummy director leave her there and then start casting again! At his remote cabin he starts "auditioning" actresses, even as the original actress escapes... and then the killings start. This early 80s Canadian horror seems to have loftier ambitions than the usual slasher (lots of themes about actresses selling their souls for success, and John Vernon as a very Harvey Weinstein type director), though its troubled production makes it feel rather disjointed at times. It's still pretty interesting though, with a good cast (including Samanthan Eggart and The Avengers' Linda Thorson), memorable "old hag" mask killer and some striking sequences (the murder on ice is beautifully frightening). Strange but compelling.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 14, 2021 14:14:14 GMT
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
The lovely Heather Langenkamp stars in this famous and imaginative slasher. It's obviously a great film with superb direction and a cracking story. The appearance of Freddy himself is very striking while the death scenes of the characters are memorable and over the top. I confess to not actually watching any of the sequels. I know that Heather returns as Nancy in the third movie, but I hear the second film isn't all that. Then again, I'll give them all a try as I usually like films that others don't.
|
|
