The Rum Diary (2010)
Johhny Depp plays Paul Kemp (a pseudonym for Hunter S. Thomson) who is assigned a job on a failing newspaper in Puerto Rico. However, his love of all things alcohol soon lands him in some very odd situations. It's an entertaining tale with lots of dry wit and colourful characters and Depp does well in recreating his character from
Fear and Loathing. Pitch perfect, but it's not for everyone. The real standout for me was Giovanni Ribisi as the wild and crazy Moberg who brews his own alcohol (which he cliams is an impossible strength) and a has a thing for listening to records of Hitler. All-in-all it's a brilliant film and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
The Way Back (2011)
In deepest Siberia a small group of men hatch a plan to escape and walk to the border of Mongolia - and to freedom - away from the sinister clutches of Stalin's communism. Having escaped, they begin walking and reach the Mongolian border, only to find Communism has reached there. So they keep walking....and walking. It's more interesting than it sounds and is a riveting watch. Based on a true story it's hard not to admire the sheer determination and courage of these men. Good stuff.
The Nanny (1965)
Thought I'd revisit this Hammer film via the Optimum disc and it's still a cracking psychological thriller. Cleverly written by Jimmy Sangster the film never shows its hand till the final segment and keeps you guessing. A young boy is coming home after a spell in a home for disturbed children. Upon arriving home his behaviour is wildly hostile towards the Nanny and he keeps accusing her of trying to kill him and accuses her of killing his younger sister some two years earlier. The Nanny denies all this and it's hard to decide who is telling the truth. Riveting stuff and Bette Davis is excellent as the Nanny. I'm sure that had Sangster had his way, this is the direction Hammer would've taken, but then we'd have been deprived of some cracking Hammer horrors. Whilst a very good film, I still prefer their horror offerings.
Animal Kingdom (2011)
Crime drama focusing on a dysfunctional family of criminals who specialise in armed robbery. But with the arrival of their young nephew, orphaned by the overdose death of his mother, and with the cops closing in, it's all beginning to unravel.
Grim viewing and it never glamourises the criminal lifestyle, but neither does it paint the cops in a good light either. This is a world where everyone is corrupt and no-one can be trusted. Riveting viewing and recommended.
Cobra (1986)
Stallone is tough no nonsense cop Marion Cobretti aka The Cobra. There's a new threat in town - a vicious cult of ruthless killers and it's up to Cobra to stop them. It's all corny dialogue, OTT action sequences and an inevitable love interest. Standard 80's action fare, in other words. But I don't mind it and the Blu-ray looks great - and the UK Blu is uncut too!
Demolition Man (1993)
Stallone again, this time he's John Spartan, a cop wrongfully convicted and sentenced to cryogenic freezing - along with super-criminal Simon Phoenix (Wesley Snipes). Many years later, in a future where crime has been all but eradicated, Phoenix is thawed out and he escapes. It's not long before he's on a killing spree and so the authorities thaw out Spartan to catch him. It's all big action nonsense, but nicely done. The Blu-ray looks terrific and I enjoyed revisiting this one again.
The Awakening (2011)
In 1920's England Florence Cathcart (Rebecca Hall) is devoted to the task of debunking paranormal and spiritualist activities - and exposes a few frauds along the way. However, she is approached by Robert Mallory (Dominic West) who believes there is a real ghost at the boarding school where he teaches. Having arrived there, she quickly provides a rational explanation - but something isn't quite right, in spite of the explanation...
Riveting viewing and it keeps you guessing right up until the end. Hall and West are both on top form and keep you interested in their characters. Hall is particularly outstanding, it must be said. The location itself is enough to send a shiver up your spine. Well worth a look.
Snowtown (2011)
A young lad who is repeatedly abused discovers that her mother's new man friend lives a double life as a murderer of those he perceives as abusers or 'not quite right'. It's not long before everything starts spiralling out of control. An interesting and unflinching look at the activities of real-life serial killer John Bunting, which makes it all the more shocking, with it being based on fact.
Great performances all round from the Australian cast and it is suitably grim and downbeat. Really liked this, as horrible as it was.
Cliffhanger (1993)
Picked this up on Blu as I fancied seeing it again (and uncut finally). Stallone's his mumbling self and John Lithgow is good value as the villainous...er...villain. A group of thieves lose their stash of money in the snowy mountains and when they crash they craftily call the local mountain rescue team. Along come Stallone and Michael Rooker and are promptly forced at gunpoint to lead the gang to the lost loot, which have tracking devices on them. Stallone quickly ecsapes and a snowy game of cat-and-mouse begins. Overall it's a decent enough action adventure, but Stallone was never going to win any awards. I enjoyed it again, though. The UK Blu is stunning, it must be said. Pin sharp and clear as a bell. Lovely.
A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)
Jackie Earle Haley takes on the iconic role of Freddy Krueger in this remake from Michael Bay's Platinum Dunes. Haley is suitably menacing and makes sure the character is thoroughly evil and totally without humour, so I liked that about it. But is it as good as the original? Well, yes and no, some of it is quite inspired, while some of it falls flat. Not bad overall and Haley really gives it his all. But is it enough to shake off the spectre of Robert Englund? That's going to be a tough one. Be interesting to see if any sequels follow.
Whilst I didn't not enjoy it, it seemed totally unnecessary. Instead of remakes, why not reboot the franchise with a completely original story? That said, I'm glad I picked up the UK blu (it was going to cheap so I thought why not?) but I'm not sure it'll have much replay value. Time will tell.
Arthur (2011)
Blu-ray rental. Russell Brand steps into Dudley Moore's shoes to play the role of Arthur Bach in this remake. Sadly, Brand isn't half the actor (or half as funny) as Moore and is clearly out of his depth. That said, he doesn't do a bad job of playing the spoilt man-child who is brought to his senses by true love. The supporting cast around Brand are far more capable than he is and shows him to be the poor actor he is. So not a great film, but Brand wasn't quite as unbearable as I thought he would be.
Hot Potato (1976)
This is literally jaw-droppingly bizarre. Jim Kelly is Jones, a martial arts expert, who is assigned to rescue an ambassador's daughter after she is kidnapped in Thailand. That's it in a nutshell. Mostly it's just weird set pieces and odd things. Like the toy remote control police car they send whizzing around the terrorists compund for no apparent reason. Then they invade the compound on elephants. Kelly shouts charge and the elephants move at about half a mile an hour. Not exactly charging.
It's thoroughly strange but very enjoyable, from a trash cinema point of view. I'm not really sure who they were aiming this film at, at some points it seems like it's trying to be a family film, then the next it's trying to be a Bruce Lee film - even virtually ripping off Enter the Dragon's music score. A real curio and well worth checking out. It had me chuckling all the way through - I thought it was brilliant.
The old adage 'they don't make 'em like this anymore' really does apply here.
Dark Vengeance (2010)
I thought I'd rent one of Seagal's new films on Blu-ray. Well....to say it's bad is understating the case. Seagal is his usual mumbling, bloated self and he stumbles around trying to look tough. Actually, he probably is quite tough, he's certainly still got some good moves and doesn't body double in this one and is clearly seen doing all the action himself.
The story? Well, it's all a bit of a mess really, but I'll do my best. Basically, a serial killer is at work and he's bumping off strippers...sorry...
pole dancers. So Elijah Kane (Seagal) sends one of his team undercover...as a stri....er....
pole dancer. They soon catch the killer and we're only half way through the film, so Kane pauses to play some of the most awful blues you'll ever hear with probably the worst blues band in existence. No sooner has he finished than a copycat killer is on the loose (maybe the music did it?), so now the hunt is on again. While stopping once in a while to make sure his oriental friends are okay and finding time to play crap guitar. But they get their man in the end.
The most amusing thing about the film is that Kane is a cop, yet he never arrests anyone. Every criminal he meets he simply beats the **** out of them and occasionally kills them. Not exactly crimefighting at its best.
So, will I watch anymore of his newer films? I don't know, but I think, for now, after watching this, I need to go and lie in a darkened room for a few hours.
