The Abyss in special edition form is excellent - with 30 added minutes - much better than the original theatrical cut. Unfortunately the BBFC have always censored it although strangely I have seen it shown uncut on UK television. So unless the BBFC change their minds, I'll be picking up an overseas copy when it FINALLY arrives on blu-ray. :rolleyes:

The bit with the rat doesn't bother me so much as the aspect ratio as, to the best of my knowledge, I don't think a DVD has been released with an anamorphic picture yet. That would obviously be remedied a Blu-ray Disc, but there doesn't appear to be any sign of either The Abyss or True Lies making their way onto the premiere home entertainment format yet. I wonder if James Cameron is deciding to bypass regular Blu-ray altogether and release them on 4K UltraHD discs.

Frustratingly both The Abyss and True Lies have already been mastered in high definition for blu-ray release but are still awaiting final approval from Cameron. He's apparently been too busy working on Avatar sequels and adding 3D and new cgi effects to the latest version of T2 (coming to blu-ray later this year).

As regards Terminator 2, I've seen screenshots which show that he has used cgi to add Schwarzenegger's face onto shots with motorcycle stunt doubles and has even used it on a shot where the chasing sewer truck originally lost it's windows. Examples:

Terminator 2 : Screenshot Comparison

Terminator 2 : Screenshot Comparison

Not really sure how I feel about modern cgi changes being made to T2. Undecided as to whether it's a plus or negative - imo there's a certain charm to an original "warts and all" presentation.

I can't say they are things I have noticed before as they occur so quickly and the stunt double is so similar that you'd probably have to freeze-frame to see if anything was untoward. It isn't as if the stunt double has a different skin colour or is a completely different build to Schwarzenegger.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yd-z5wBeFTU


8/10


Now watching serial mom.

50 seconds darker more like ... :lol:

The Mummy (2017, Alex Kurtzmann)
Whilst it had some good bits, with The Cruiser on board there is no real sense of peril. So it is what it is ....formulaic. Crowe surprised me again though.

Alien Covenant (2017, Ridley Scott)
So whilst Cameron sits on his laurels ... ;)
I liked it. Grumbles aside, wish I had seen this at the pictures. There is nowt like decent looking SF on the big screen imho. See also Life ;) A restrained Kenny Powers also helps this along.

Given its with mgm its likely to be available. I could see Second Sight putting it out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAcimdt8Po0

Hilariously wicked black comedy. Kathleen Turner plays the seemingly perfect suburban mother and housewife but those who mess with her family or upset her dont live to regret it as they soon end up dead! Lots of laugh out loud moments. A great dark comedy thanks largely to Turners performance. 9/10

Indeed. Love how he chucks in the references also.
Spiffing film all round
;)

Me and my eldest lad went to watch the latest instalment of Gag's favourite film franchise earlier, Transformers: The Last Knight.

Not as bad as the reviews make out, shit blows up, pretty female lead, Sir Anthony Hopkins, a C-3PO ripoff butler Transformer and Optimus Prime saving the day as usual.
It's not really any different to the other films in the franchise, so if you (like me) enjoy them for what they are, you'll probably enjoy this one too.
My only real complaint is that it's a bit too long at 149 minutes and the plot does get lost during the middle.
Having said that, I'll be sure to pick it up on BD eventually

7/10

anyone else miss the comma and read pretty female lead Sir Anthony Hopkins!:lol:

To avoid confusion, I'm talking about Laura Haddock :nod:

Attachment 192787

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3U6oLx3xy8s

Enjoyable futuristic prison escape movie with the Highlander himself Christopher Lambert as our hero and Kurtwood Smith as the usual unhinged bad guy, directed by Stuart Gordon and its should be of no surprise that Jeffrey Combs is in it with it being a Gordon film. A lot gorier than I remember. 8/10


Next up 21 Jump Street.

I haven't seen Fortress since it came out and my mum and dad rented it, I remember liking it though, might have to give it a rewatch sometime

I keep hoping Fortress may see a UK blu release. I think its a Columbia/Sony title so hopefully Indicator may eventually put it out.

The doctor and the Devils 1985

Two men take up grave digging to supply doctor with fresh bodies for his medical tuition.

This is based on the Murders of Burke and Hare while Timothy Dalton takes on the role of Doctor Rock. It's a slight disappointment as Mel Brooks produced this movie but didn't stick to the actual true story but still very entertaining.

Alien: Covenant (2017)

The most interesting aspect of this is the dynamic between Michael Fassbender’s David and Walter, and it does have some genuinely intense moments entailing well-executed set-pieces. Other than that, it’s just as middling as Prometheus.

The crew of characters are not like anybody in the original film; they’re all interchangeable fodder that I couldn’t give a **** about. I didn’t like that they flipped the script with David,. Those characters were two of the best things about the first prequel, and we can tell by how it ended that the next instalment was supposed to continue their adventures as they explore the Engineers’ home world, and their mythology that would gradually lead into the Alien mythos. But obviously, after the mixed reception to Prometheus, Fox persuaded Ridley Scott to change direction and give us a proper Alien film instead.

I’m not buying the Xenomorph’s origin story either (let’s see how they explain the Alien queen down the line), and we didn’t need one anyway. The point of us not knowing what they are and where they come from was one of the great things about these iconic cinematic monsters, and now that mystery has been stripped away.

I haven’t seen an Alien film I’ve liked since the severely underrated Alien 3, and Scott is morphing into the new Lucas.

**1/2 out of *****

Ironclad

Shit gets hacked up! Fun Middle Ages spin on The Magnificent Seven with some great gore effects as chunks of bone fill the air along with blood and guts in the fight scenes.

Ragnarok: The Viking Apocalypse

Pretty good Scandinavian family film riffing off Jurassic Park and Norse legends.

Attachment 192815

A double helping of nostalgia. I remember that when SNF was such a smash that the film was re-edited for a lower certificate so more people could see it and not just watch clips on Top Of The Pops.
When Grease came out, I was still riding high on Star Wars and most of my friends at school changed their allegiance from Star Wars to Grease. While they were playing the double soundtrack to Grease, I was listening to the double album of Star Wars.
A great double bill and a massive trip down memory lane to those heady school days.

Dunkirk

A bit of a spoiler alert..


I can see what all the fuss about and how good the film is.
But at first their was something about the film that couldn't grab me and pull me in like a lot of action and war movies ,
Its a slow build up but at same time feels like something is constantly going on , it concentrates on three groups of people. Its more of what you seen on screen than on dialogue , but I felt the the music score was at times to much and overbearing even samantha said same thing, the music score is constantly playing the whole film there in the background but still loud enough to notice, but at times felt it was to loud and overpowering , i only got grabbed into the film a fair bit into it, roughly when the jet fighter went down and he was struggling to get out the cockpit as the plane was sinking , and they was all hiding below deck on the boat and it was slowly get shot at , but still a good film none the less ..

While Gag seemed a bit disappointed by Dunkirk, I've just come out the cinema and believe that it's the best film of the year so far. Really powerful. I might go and see it again at the end of the week.

Every review i've read has been overwhelmingly positive. Delighted you enjoyed it Justin.

I have it earmarked already as my New Years Eve film.

(You know what gag's like - if he won £1m on the lottery he'd still moan about it)

A lot of reviews are recommending the IMAX presentation so if I go again I'll do that!

I haven't seen Dunkirk yet, but my brother did yesterday and said he loved the film, with special praise for the score, so maybe it's a matter of taste.

I have tickets booked to see it on Thursday at Cineworld where it will be digitally projected onto a regular screen, but I really want to go and see it at the National Science and Media Museum in Bradford where will be a full IMAX screen and 70mm film. I read that approximately 75% of the film was recorded on IMAX cameras on 70mm film and there is a distinct difference between film and digital, so it would be great to see it in both, and especially on a 60 feet high screen.

The score really heightens the tension, as Gag said there is a feeling of something happening all the way through, I'd go further to say there is a feeling of unease and not knowing what is going to happen to the lads on the beach.

I'm going to see if it's available to stream already and listen to it again, another great Hans Zimmer score in my opinion.

I wasn't disappointed with it , just didn't grab me in for while like some was \ action films do.

Is that because it's not an action film and based on actual events?

No because if it was a action film then I go for fast and furious , transformers and micheal bay films and their the type I avoid .

So why lump it in with action films in your original post?

Personal Shopper (2017, Oliver Assayas)
More 'post horror' :rolleyes:
Bella lives in Paris. She has a scooter. Her job is to pick new stuff for a famous model. But her vocation is to contact her deid brother. ;)
Pass. Whilst one sequence could feasibly be described as scary, it just doesn't hold together for me. Does she always have to look so sour also? As when she smiles she has a certain boyish charm.

Dogsitting again so I'm back on the Twin Peaks binge. :nod:

I almost bought this in my supermarket shop but went for Francesca instead.

Wise choice
Checked trailer for Francesca after ye posted. Duly noted. ;)

Francesca (2015)

Yes i did type that correctly - 2015. Because Francesca is quite obviously an early 70's giallo. The music, the story, the way it's filmed and comes over on screen... Except yes, it was made just a couple of years ago but at no point from start to end would you ever guess so.

The viewer is drawn in immediately, the film is about a series of murders that may have some connection with the disappearance 15 years earlier of a young girl named Francesca. Director Luciano Onetti delivers all the typical giallo traits - the gloved killer, innovative murders, a couple of detectives on the case, copious amounts of J&B porn, yet also delivers his own stylish flourishes. Witness some of the outrageous camera angles and a hell of a way to film the simple delight of a drinking a glass of Scotch. The film is full of striking musical motifs, rich colours and references to The Divine Comedy, as well as traits the killer leaves behind on the victims for the police to find.In short it's a quite stunning audio visual delight.

Francesca isn't a love letter to the giallo genre like say, Amer. Francesca is a giallo. It's the real deal and i can't give it any more praise than that.

Make sure you stick around after the end credits too.

Fricking sold then.

I'm saving a bit whilst I is here, so will stick order in wed :nod:

I've got the blu ray sat in my Amazon basket ready to preorder (it's not out on that format until the end of September), this has just convinced me to checkout :nod:

Watched Curse of Chucky from 2013.

My wife didn't want to watch it (ditto with Child's Play 2) so my viewing was whilst she was at work. I think one Chucky film was more than enough for her! (we watched the debut film a few days back). Whilst I did think that Curse of Chucky wasn't as good as the original Child's Play and it's first sequel, I really rather enjoyed it.

It's surprising that it was a direct-to-video film and it showed that the idea of a 'serial killer in doll's body' could still be a bit creepy despite previous sequels that were too comedic. It's certainly a much better film than Child's Play 3, Bride of Chucky and Seed of Chucky. This is a film that I actually want to keep.

I am a bit surprised that it was a certificate 18, seemed like 15 territory to me - but I should now by now that the BBFC are very tricky to judge. Final film score - 6.75/10.

Glad you enjoyed the Chucky film SF.:cool:

Dunkirk

For a short while, Christopher Nolan's depiction of the Dunkirk evacuations feels a little 'off'. He's opted to split things into three stories each with different timescales. Land, which is the men on the beach getting ever more desperate for rescue, this is one week. Sea, a small pleasure craft crewed by civilians heading to assist in the evacuation, this is one day and then Air, with a team of spitfire pilots tasked with keeping enemy aircraft off the ships and soldiers, this is one hour. The stories are not running concurrently. However as the film progresses its clear that this isn't Nolan trying to show off as such, as a narrative device it pays off dividends where as an audience we know something is going to happen because we just saw it, however as we see it from a separate perspective it plays off like hitchcock's bomb under the table and the tension is palpable. The film is well paced at 105 minutes and Nolan cleverly has the spitfire pilot (Tom hardy) represent the efforts of the air force, Mark Rylance as the captain of the civilian vessel represents the sea rescue and so forth. By doing that, the film becomes somewhat intimate in spite of its scope and keeps the plot running smoothly. Definitely a must see.

That's a very specific number! Wouldn't it be better as one decimal place? ;)