Machete Kills (2013)

This is everything the first Machete should have been.

Really don't get why some people are saying this is boring compared to the first one. It has more ridiculous gory and OTT action sequences and more babes, without the heavy political tones. They are present but more subtlety incorporated and don't distract from what this is foremost meant to be - a, yes, unoriginal (when was the vast majority of classic exploitation ever wholly original anyway) but kick ass exploitation film.

8/10.

Bullet to the Head (2012)

So, so action film that passes the time, by the end its one you'll realize you've seen a hundred times before. It really isn't far removed from the direct to dvd output by the likes of Seagal, Lundgren, Van Damme etc, except with more money thrown at it and a lack of East European locations.

Sylvester Stallone and director Walter Hill are clearly on autopilot throughout, though it must be said Stallone seems to have had elocution lessons since i saw him last in The Expendables sequel.

Spirits Of Death

1972 Giallo given a sparkling new transfer from Camera Obscura. A little slow to start maybe, but once it gets going it's entertaining stuff, beautifully filmed. It's great to see CO releasing rarely seen gialli such as this in such beautiful transfers. More please!

Squirm ( Blu-ray )

I love this movie! I've watched it before on VHS and the US dvd, but it has never looked as good as this. Complete with great interviews and booklet and like Deranged before it, Arrow have come up trumps again.

Hero (2002)

Well...finally watched this "newer" mainland China film (with a little HK input) and I can only agree with these quotes:

"What a Waste"
"Dull and Lifeless Spectacle"
"A disgrace"

Everything's so bland and depressing in this film:choreography,actors (good actors otherwise!) and (propaganda) message...

Zhang Ziyi is probably the only good thing and that somehow isn't right. :confused:

The fight choreography is awful imho and slow-mo/cgi effects/cutaways are used at all the wrong moments.
This kind of film is what gives "wire-fu" a bad name.

I'll stick with golden age HK wuxia instead. :nod:

Filth. Loved it. Gritty and slimy as hell and very, very British.

Backdraft on ITV4 last night, haven't seen it in years so I'd forgotten how good it is. I'm yet to see a bad film directed by this guy:

http://www.theredlist.fr/media/datab...theredlist.jpg

BTW, Henry "The Fonz" Winkler has been filming in Halifax for a few weeks, haven't seen him myself, but one of my bandmates was in the same bar as him last weekend :cool:

As expected Machete Kills is getting poor reviews from the mainstream film press.

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (Extended Special Edition)
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

I expected that because it's not Downton Abby or anything of high art

Case in point this pretentious hack job review from Empire (the same people that called The Seasoning House a 'slasher'.

Empire's Machete Kills Movie Review