What Films Have You Seen Recently?

[nosferatu42]

I'm confused myself as to which is which, i think my anchor bay job has the extra scenes separately.
i'm sure a lot of the extra scenes were 3 stooges type shite in the windmill with miniature Ash's, stuff that i wasn't bothered about.

The main difference i can remember is the alternate ending.

All i can say is i think personally the time warp/overslept ending works is better for me.

[Susan Foreman]

The two-disc Anchor Bay version contains both cuts of the film

As Mr42 states:

Originally Posted by nosferatu42

i'm sure a lot of the extra scenes were 3 stooges type shite in the windmill with miniature Ash's

and also the fight between Ash and the 'Evil Ash' doppleganger. As expected, however, these are slapstick violence scenes, existing only to make Bruce Campbell suffer!

Originally Posted by nosferatu42

The main difference i can remember is the alternate ending

That is the most obvious difference, but surprisingly the endings are very short. The 'cinematic Ash-Vs-demon' ending runs approximately 2mins, 35seconds, while the 'directors cut sleeping ending' runs approximately 3mins, 17seconds

Originally Posted by nosferatu42

All i can say is i think personally the time warp/overslept ending works is better for me.

I disagree. I prefer the ending that takes Ash back to the S-Mart and the fight with the demon, but that was the one I originally saw at the cinema. Also, to my mind, that one brings the film full circle. It begins in voice-over, with Ash talking about the events of the first film, but more importantly his everyday life at the shop:

Ash: (Voice Over) My name is Ash and I am a slave. Close as I can figure it the year is 1300 AD and I'm being dragged to my death. It wasn't always like this... I had a real life, once. A job.
[Ash at work in present day S-Mart]
(PA: Ash to price check four.)
(Ash: Umm, hardware isle 12. Shop Smart. Shop S-Mart.)
I had a wonderful girlfriend, Linda.
[Flashback: Ash and Linda at the cabin]
Together we drove to a small cabin in the mountains. It seems an archaeologist had come to this remote place to translate and study his latest find: Necronomicon ex Mortis, the Book of the Dead. Bound in human flesh and inked in blood, this ancient Sumarrian text contained bizarre burial rites, funerary incantations and demon resurrection passages. It was never meant for the world of the living. The book awoke something dark in the woods. It took Linda, and then it came, for me. It got into my hand and it went bad, so I lopped it off at the wrist. But that didn't stop it. It came back. Big time.

When we get to the end of the film, it gives closure by returning him to (what he thinks is) his mundane life

Ash: I thought about staying. They offered me the chance to lead them, to teach them, to... to be king.
Ted: {unimpressed/uninterested} Uh huh.
Ash: But my place is here, so I swallowed the juice, said the words and here I am.
Ted: Did you say the words right this time?
Ash: Well maybe I didn't say every single tiny little syllable, no. But basically I said them yeah... basically.
ClkGrl: You know that story about how you could've been king. I... ah... think it's kinda cute.
Ash: Yeah?
{A Possessed Woman appears and starts wrecking havoc in the S-Mart}
(BANG) {Ash poses wielding a repeating Winchester}
Ash: Lady, I'm afraid I'm gonna have to ask you to leave the store.
PosWom: Who the hell are you?
Ash: Name's Ash... {reloads gun}... housewares.
{Ash attacks the Possessed Woman}
PosWom: I'll swallow your soul.
Ash: Come get some.
{Ash defeats the Possessed Woman}
Ash: (Voice Over) Sure I could've stayed in the past. Could've even been king. But in my own way, I am king.
Ash: Hail to the king baby. {Ash kisses the Clerk Girl}

[Cinematic Shocks]

Red Sparrow (2018)

I was surprised how much I enjoyed this, because I was unimpressed with the trailers, and its critical consensus is mixed, but I thought it was a very good film.

Its pace is sluggish, but there’s plenty to keep us intrigued. It’s not an escapist spy thriller with loads of shit blowing up like a Bond outing, with the emphasis here on realism, and what with the Russian government’s recent behaviour, its narrative is timely. Jennifer Lawrence delivers one of her best performances with a bold portrayal. It explicitly shows us the nasty shit a sparrow (essentially a whore secret agent) has to go through. There’s graphic torture scenes, the sequences of brutal violence are executed with a sudden impact that catches us off guard, and all of this makes for extremely uncomfortable viewing. The nudity is bountiful, and the depiction of her training is like something out of a sexploitation flick. I didn’t see the end coming, despite the litter of clues I picked up on during the last two thirds of the proceedings.

Overall, rock solid and well worth seeing.

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

[Cinematic Shocks]

Tomb Raider (2018)

This is pretty good fun. An entertaining action adventure yarn reboot, with a more satisfyingly grounded approach to the source material than before. Alicia Vikander carries the film convincingly well, embodying strong feminism, and **** the trolls - her body is rocking. It's never boring, and the set-pieces are well executed. It could've done with a more inspired origin story, and a couple of its scenarios play out similarly to Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, but it’s very decent stuff. You could spend a couple of hours doing worst things… like watching one of the Angelina Jolie efforts. And the awesome Walton Goggins plays the villain, which is more than enough reason to see it.

*** out of *****

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Empire thought Tomb Raider was dull.

https://www.empireonline.com/movies/tomb-raider/review/

Digital Spy describing Vikander's "arrogant, selfish, entitled" character as "the worst thing about her own movie".

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-43415838

[Cinematic Shocks]

I disagree. I was quite entertained for a couple of hours, and I enjoyed Vikander.


Death Sentence (2007)

James Wan shows Eli Roth how it’s really done making a solid Brian Garfield related action revenge thriller. Unfortunately, I don’t have the unrated version to watch, which is a tad better. I still have it on DVD back in England, lying around in my mum’s garage somewhere.

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

[Cinematic Shocks]

Rambo (2008)

Not as good as First Blood, but definitely the best sequel, and one of the purest action films of the last decade. I still haven't seen the extended cut.

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

[Demoncrat]

Mississippi Burning (1988, Alan Parker)

"Did ya smile? Did ya??"
Guess who I spots playing one of the G men? Jigsaw.
A sort of horror film really. But whilst it features far worse racist acts than Fight For Your Life, I bought a British release of this, whereas I have to import FFYL. The mind boggles. Hackman's perfornance for me is the core of the film. Incendiary at points tis.

[Nordicdusk]

EnforcerColorKey.jpg


CALLAHAN: Hypothetical situation, huh? All right, I'm standing on the street corner and Mrs. Grey here comes up and propositions me... that if I come home with her, for five dollars she'll put on an exhibition with a Shetland pony.

MRS. GREY: If this is your idea of humor, Inspector...

BOARD EXAMINER: All right, what are you trying to do here, Callahan?

CALLAHAN: I'm just trying to find out if anybody in this room knows what the hell law's being broken... besides cruelty to animals


9/10

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Trancers (1984)
Trancers II: The Return of Jack Deth (1990)
Trancers III: Deth Lives. (1992)

Following a promising first film starring the charismatic Tim Thomerson as Jack Deth, the cop sent from the future to 80's LA to kill zombie like Trancers also from the future, who quickly shacks up with the likable Helen Hunt in what is an enjoyable rampage, swiftly becomes a muddled cross between Blade Runner and The Terminator in later films to the extant that i became bored especially in hackneyed third outing Deth Lives.

Whereas the first film was quite straightforward, the second and third films are badly convoluted time travel hodge podges and Thomerson's wise cracks grow wearisome especially in said third film where the ideas had seemingly run out altogether...

...or perhaps not! Apparently the fourth and fifth films are actually the best in the series so it's a shame 88 Films couldn't be arsed releasing the full set rather than just a trilogy. See Subspecies and Puppet Master for further 88 series shambles.