What Films Have You Seen Recently?

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Sam

Bit of a mixed bag this week...

Dekalog pt 6 aka a Short story About Love - superb. A compelling and intriguing study of obsession, loneliness and the fleeting nature of love, with a real sense of historical and national identity. Yes this is bleak and somewhat depressing but it undoubtedly leaves a lasting impression and is thought-provoking. Looking forward to watching the rest of the set.

Have you seen the film version? An absolute favourite of mine. Heartbreaking but utterly brilliant.

[Sam]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

Have you seen the film version? An absolute favourite of mine. Heartbreaking but utterly brilliant.

I haven't, does it vary greatly from the shorter version plot-wise?

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Sam

I haven't, does it vary greatly from the shorter version plot-wise?

I'm not going to say anything about it plot wise, sorry. It's worth watching cold for the first time. It more or less expands on the 60 min version.

I only really watch the film version now, i love it so much, the ending is an improvement i feel. It comes full circle but with Magda becoming obsessed in a way. The shorter cut i see as a curiosity.

[Screaming Queen]

Last night I watched Mother's Day (1980). I got the 88 Films Blu Ray and it looked pretty great. What a crazy film! For the uninitiated, it's a rapey revenge horror where three city girls go on a camping trip and come a cropper at the hands of a pair of hick hillbilly psychos and their deranged Mother.

There's a truly horrific but kinda hilarious scene where Mother makes her sons act out rape scenarios with one of their captive girls. She critiques their attack methods! It's a very tongue in cheek film that deals with some quite shocking things but always has a satirical feel to it too. I was impressed. Not a perfect film by any stretch but definitely recommended if you like Last House on the Left etc.

[Inspector Abberline]

Trespass (1992 )
While trying to rescue an old man from a burning building two firemen Vince (Bill Paxton) and Don (William Sadler),are given a map by the old man who is then killed in the ensuing blaze. Turns out the old man stole whole load of loot and gold and hide it in an abandoned building in St. Louis, somewhere in the floorboards. So off Vince (Bill Paxton ) and Don (William Sadler) go looking for hidden treasure, unfortunately nothing is that simple and while there exploring the abandon building they witness the murder of a drug dealer by King James (Ice-T) and his gang including Ice Cube as Savon. Well you do not have to be a genius to work out that this scenario is not going to end well. Directed by Walter Hill a man not unfamiliar with urban thrillers and gang wars, this mixes new wave of Blaxploitation that came with Colors and New Jack City with a touch of Treasure of the Sierra Madre. Its a fair old action film with plenty of gunfire,and some nice set pieces. I never really thought much of Ice Cube's acting, and he does nothing here to disprove this, but Ice T manage's to convey a certain amount of authority as the gang leader. Bill Paxton is as always outstanding, doing his usual thing going from coward to hero, while William Sadler is the badass out of the two but is eventually corrupted by the gold. Fun but put brain into neutral.

Judgement Night (1993)
When a group of nice guys go out for a drive and go and see a boxing match, the inevitable everything that can go wrong will and does, from getting stuck on the highway, to bouts of road rage with other drivers, to getting lost in the maze of disused housing down town to occidentally running over a man on the run. OH and the rather large mobile home is not even owned by Ray Cochran (Jeremy Piven) but loaned to him. what next I wonder? a bunch of gang member's hunting them down? don't you just hate it when that happens. Well never fear as our clean cut good guys can handle themselves also, we have Frank Wyatt (Emilio Estevez) as the sensible one, John (Stephen Dorff) as the tear away younger brother, Mike Peterson (Cuba Gooding, Jr.) as the loose cannon and Ray Cochran (Jeremy Piven) as the one that complains alot. On the other side we have Fallon (Denis Leary) as the main nasty, Everlast as Rhodes,ex white rapper and Peter Greene as Sykes, most famous for trying to bugger Bruce Willis in Pulp Fiction. Its a fairly by the number action film, but has a nice desolate feel mainly due to the setting in a rather bleak and desolate housing estate. Its all Mutha F@$Ka this and that and the dialogue is all abit childish at times but the acting is pretty good and Leary makes a good villain, and it was nice change that the baddies were a white gang, instead of rolling out the usual black stereotypes. It may be my imagination but it felt alot like the recent Purge 2 film in parts. Not going to win any Oscars but its a fun but daft film, put brain into disengage.

Assault on Precinct 13 (2005)
Pretty much doing everything in reverse compared to the original version,setting the film in the winter instead of the sweltering heat of the summer,making the main bad guy black,and the main good guy white,having the main bad guys cops instead of gang members and giving the main character a back story about getting his fellow officers killed in an undercover drug bust.It all pretty much adds up to more of a re-imagining than out and out remake.I suppose you could argue what's the point in remaking it if you do not add something different,then again what's the point remaking it and changing everything that made the original so great,ohh my head hurts. For me the original has that sweaty 1970's feel,the heat and the humidity contributing to the claustrophobic feel of the run down police station as the gangs slowly converge, This is all but lost in the remake which feels more like a Die Hard 2 knock off,with its band of corrupt cops with there tactical gear and laser pointing artillery..Ethan Hawke as Sgt. Jake Roenick is the cop with a tragic past etc,Laurence Fishburne as Marion Bishop is the guy the cops are after and Gabriel Byrne as Capt. Marcus Duvall is the chief bad guy,but is sorely under used and is pretty much sleep walking his way to another pay check.It is not a bad film,just another in a long line of missed opportunities at a decent remake (if any was needed). Cast wise while the lead actors look bored there are a couple of nice parts in there,John Leguizamo as Beck is extremely good as a greasy con who has verbal diarrhoea of the mouth and good old Brian Dennehy as Sgt. Jasper O'Shea, does what he can with a thankless task of being the wise old cop about to retire,and being a bit cranky when needed to be.Would all viewers please hand there brain in at the foyer.

[J Harker]

Originally Posted by Inspector Abberline

Trespass (1992 )
While trying to rescue an old man from a burning building two firemen Vince (Bill Paxton) and Don (William Sadler),are given a map by the old man who is then killed in the ensuing blaze. Turns out the old man stole whole load of loot and gold and hide it in an abandoned building in St. Louis, somewhere in the floorboards. So off Vince (Bill Paxton ) and Don (William Sadler) go looking for hidden treasure, unfortunately nothing is that simple and while there exploring the abandon building they witness the murder of a drug dealer by King James (Ice-T) and his gang including Ice Cube as Savon. Well you do not have to be a genius to work out that this scenario is not going to end well. Directed by Walter Hill a man not unfamiliar with urban thrillers and gang wars, this mixes new wave of Blaxploitation that came with Colors and New Jack City with a touch of Treasure of the Sierra Madre. Its a fair old action film with plenty of gunfire,and some nice set pieces. I never really thought much of Ice Cube's acting, and he does nothing here to disprove this, but Ice T manage's to convey a certain amount of authority as the gang leader. Bill Paxton is as always outstanding, doing his usual thing going from coward to hero, while William Sadler is the badass out of the two but is eventually corrupted by the gold. Fun but put brain into neutral.

Judgement Night (1993)
When a group of nice guys go out for a drive and go and see a boxing match, the inevitable everything that can go wrong will and does, from getting stuck on the highway, to bouts of road rage with other drivers, to getting lost in the maze of disused housing down town to occidentally running over a man on the run. OH and the rather large mobile home is not even owned by Ray Cochran (Jeremy Piven) but loaned to him. what next I wonder? a bunch of gang member's hunting them down? don't you just hate it when that happens. Well never fear as our clean cut good guys can handle themselves also, we have Frank Wyatt (Emilio Estevez) as the sensible one, John (Stephen Dorff) as the tear away younger brother, Mike Peterson (Cuba Gooding, Jr.) as the loose cannon and Ray Cochran (Jeremy Piven) as the one that complains alot. On the other side we have Fallon (Denis Leary) as the main nasty, Everlast as Rhodes,ex white rapper and Peter Greene as Sykes, most famous for trying to bugger Bruce Willis in Pulp Fiction. Its a fairly by the number action film, but has a nice desolate feel mainly due to the setting in a rather bleak and desolate housing estate. Its all Mutha F@$Ka this and that and the dialogue is all abit childish at times but the acting is pretty good and Leary makes a good villain, and it was nice change that the baddies were a white gang, instead of rolling out the usual black stereotypes. It may be my imagination but it felt alot like the recent Purge 2 film in parts. Not going to win any Oscars but its a fun but daft film, put brain into disengage.

Assault on Precinct 13 (2005)
Pretty much doing everything in reverse compared to the original version,setting the film in the winter instead of the sweltering heat of the summer,making the main bad guy black,and the main good guy white,having the main bad guys cops instead of gang members and giving the main character a back story about getting his fellow officers killed in an undercover drug bust.It all pretty much adds up to more of a re-imagining than out and out remake.I suppose you could argue what's the point in remaking it if you do not add something different,then again what's the point remaking it and changing everything that made the original so great,ohh my head hurts. For me the original has that sweaty 1970's feel,the heat and the humidity contributing to the claustrophobic feel of the run down police station as the gangs slowly converge, This is all but lost in the remake which feels more like a Die Hard 2 knock off,with its band of corrupt cops with there tactical gear and laser pointing artillery..Ethan Hawke as Sgt. Jake Roenick is the cop with a tragic past etc,Laurence Fishburne as Marion Bishop is the guy the cops are after and Gabriel Byrne as Capt. Marcus Duvall is the chief bad guy,but is sorely under used and is pretty much sleep walking his way to another pay check.It is not a bad film,just another in a long line of missed opportunities at a decent remake (if any was needed). Cast wise while the lead actors look bored there are a couple of nice parts in there,John Leguizamo as Beck is extremely good as a greasy con who has verbal diarrhoea of the mouth and good old Brian Dennehy as Sgt. Jasper O'Shea, does what he can with a thankless task of being the wise old cop about to retire,and being a bit cranky when needed to be.Would all viewers please hand there brain in at the foyer.

Now that Inspector is a decent triple bill. I don't know why but Trespass and Judgment Night seem like very similar films, and even Assault is a respectable remake.

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by J Harker

Now that Inspector is a decent triple bill. I don't know why but Trespass and Judgment Night seem like very similar films, and even Assault is a respectable remake.

I haven't seen Trespass or Judgement Night, but the Inspector's excellent reviews have really piqued my interest. I quite like the Assault on Precinct 13 remake, even though it is vastly inferior to Carpenter's original, and those three sound like a fine night's viewing.

[Sam]

Originally Posted by Nosferatu@Cult Labs

I haven't seen Trespass or Judgement Night, but the Inspector's excellent reviews have really piqued my interest. I quite like the Assault on Precinct 13 remake, even though it is vastly inferior to Carpenter's original, and those three sound like a fine night's viewing.

Love Judgement Night, leave your grip of reality and sense of incredulity at the door and you can have a lot if fun with that one...

I used to have the OST to Judgement Night too, which consisted of rock-rap hybrids featuring the likes of Sonic Youth, House of Pain and Cypress Hill. I used to like it at the time but no doubt it has dated since

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

I also really like Judgement Night. It's an almost perfect urban nightmare film. Although i think i'd have dumped Piven as a mate a long time before this ever occurred.

I haven't seen Trespass since i owned the ex-rental vhs many moons ago. I did enjoy it and could do with buying the dvd.

Together with the Assault remake, which is a fine action film, it makes, as J said, for a great triple bill.

[iank]

WarGames. Matthew Broderick is a high school computer whiz who hacks into what he thinks is a games company only to find himself playing Global Thermonuclear War with the computer intelligence network that's just been set up to run the US Defence network. Dabney Coleman and Ally Sheedy star in this dated but still fun and surprisingly relevant early 80s techno thriller.