A Good Day to Die Hard (2013)

A strange one this. I enjoyed it as a straight up action film. The fifteen minute chase through the Moscow streets was terrific fun, although similarly to Olympus Has Fallen the film never topped its opening half hour.

The main problem was that whilst it was an enjoyable action film, a Die Hard film it was not. The script didn't seem written for John McClaine, it was as though Bruce Willis's classic hero was an afterthought. Many films since the first Die Hard film have seemed like Die Hard - the Under Siege films for example, unfortunately this wasn't one of them.

The fact that it made $304m on a budget of $92m suggests there might be another in the series. If that is the case then please go back to the original Die Hard template and give us a taut, claustrophobic thriller.

Superman II missed first one realised as it was finishing ,
this is classic stuff to me cant beat the original superman films terrific in every sense ,
these films are what superman are all about thats why I havent watched superman man of steel bcause I just be expecting to much from it and will feel i will only be dissapointed,

By all accounts Willis has every intention of making a 6th die hard.
I quite enjoyed A Good Day To Die Hard (despite the crap title) but I agree it lacked any sense of the siege element which the original introduced and didn't feel like a Die Hard film at all.

I hated it feel could have been so much better , very dissapointing feel they didnt concentrated making a die hard film, more of just a action blockbuster to cash in on the franchise .

I'm sure I read somewhere that it was originally meant to be a completely independent action film and that it was rejigged to become the fifth Die Hard at the last minute.
And as for Superman, Man of Steel is fantastic but if you're a huge fan of the originals then you might well be disappointed gag as MoS does take quite a different approach.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

Watched WakeWood tonight. An atmospheric British horror set in a rural village in Ireland.
A couple struggling to get to grips with the tragic loss of their daughter try to start afresh in said rural village.
I wasn't expecting much from this so I was pleasantly surprised to find it weren't half bad.
Don't get me wrong it's no classic but it has a lot of character and it had some new ideas I hadn't seen before which is always a winner as far as I'm concerned.

The Fury - some things I liked, others not so much. Worth a look, but not my favourite DePalma.

Deranged - what a great little flick, the most surprising release of the year, for me - I'm pretty sure I only ordered it to bulk up an order from Arrow. Performances were terrific, direction spot on. Some really good extras as well.

One of the worst films of the year for me. Boring as a straight-up actioner, criminally useless as a Die Hard film. Brice Willis looked bored beyond belief throughout the whole thing.


"I'm supposed to be on f--king vacation!"

No you're not! You specifically went to Russia to bail out your son!!!!

My thoughts exactly. I was bored, Bruce Willis was bored, and the whole thing felt forced and generic. As for the lines you quoted, that was one of my top three problems with the film.

Anchorman 2.

Ok, its perhaps not as good as the origional and a tad overlong but it's still the funniest damned film i've seen this year. While it has more of a 'message' than the last one it still goes to some genuinely surreal places over the course of the film. Highlights for me include the streetfight and Champ kind's chicken restaurant that serves bat instead of chicken. (their the chicken of the cave!)

Anchorman 2 - Doby - YouTube

Bodybags.

Finally a decent release. Three short films put together as an anthology. Two directed by Carpenter that have a lot of black humor while the third one directed by Tobe Hooper is genuinely creepy. Lots of guest stars throughout and you can tell everyone involved was having a great time making it.

Gojira

In my own daft manner I have set out to watch all the Godzilla movies (and some other movies in the Toho continuity) in preparation for the new Godzilla movie hitting out screens next year. Kicking off with the original and the only truly "classic" (vomit) member of the series, Gojira itself. I have always preferred the original japanese version over King of the Monsters, but thats just personal taste,mI always found the scenes with Burr to be, thought well acted, a,little tacked on, and the dub to cheesy for the tone of the film.

The build up to Godzillas first appearance are very good. Foot prints, crushed buildings, and even radioactive trace are all seen in great detail, and his eventual reveal is surprisingly effective. Keeping the bulk of the beast hidden behind a mountain, and his size being shown via a tail mark and footprints there after. His rampage through the city is a combination of notorious man-in-suit animatronics and stop motion animation, showing everything in his path being destroyed The B&W nature of the film hides a lot of the tacky scenes to a point where they look highly stylised.

Acting is on fine form, with Akihiko Hirata (Sanjuro, Attack Squadron!) pulling off a self-repressed scientist who hates his discovery despite its potential to counter Godzillas attacks. Only the female lead, Momoko Kôchi, feels a tad dated in a role that is very indicative of how women where depicted in sci-fi the time.

The film owes a bit to The Quatermass Experiment as it was an early instance of post-modern, period science fiction. Although set at an indeterminable time in the future, it's clearly of the time period it was filmed. Which takes me onto the next pro-point. The anti-nuclear weapon message in the film is fairly clear, as the film regularly makes reference to how the unfolding events where triggered by the Hiroshima bomb. This could be translated to Godzilla being the manifestation of the earth rebelling against humanities unnatural experiments, and how if we continue down this path, we can only be held accountable for our own destruction. Or it could jus be a loud of silly balls.

Over all, I love this film, it's stylish, it's science it utterly baffling (Dinosaurs became extinct 2 million years ago? Seriously?), the destruction scenes are fun Top job, 4.5/5, go and see it kids.


BTW, the BFI dvd can be bought from Fopp around the country for a meagre £5. Highly recommended.

Tonight I saw The World's End for the first time. I had spent some time preparing myself for disappointment, but in the endI needn't have worried as I really enjoyed it!

Kafka, 1991

Cyberbully rubbish on so many levels, couldnt decide what it wanted to be .
was to girly girly to be a thriller etc but not to girly to be a girly film,
at times the film was pathetic and annoyed you on so many levels how some situations where dealt with in realistic or make believe life, for starters when you found who started all the bullying you wouldnt be best friends with them after when near commiting suicide, if you read online that you gave someone a std when you a virgin you wouldnt run off crying , you would at the very least write somerhing back like erm how dickhead when im a virgin so who the idiot now you tossser , the way they dealt with other bullies was kind of weak feable dull and boring, exscuse me youre a bully could you please stop it, here here I agree, bully then goes off crying wtf YAWN very unrealistic . If only dealing with all bullies in life was that simple . Kind of felt the film was a week unrealistic films based on a true story for the sky true story movies channel, and a very bad one at the best of times,

So I wander in to work at 6pm to a series of confused looking people.

"What are YOU doing here?"

"It's 6pm and time for my shift to start"

"you had better go talk to the section leader"

One quick discussion later and I find out my contract had been terminated xmas eve. Just seems no one bothered to actually tell me or send a letter or anything like that. Stopped at my mates xmas party that I was going to miss due to work and then headed home to watch LIFE AND DEATH OF A PORNO GANG.

Very good film indeed. Unlike Serbian film there were no parts of this that I felt existed simply to shock. It's a dark piece of film making to be sure and it doesn't look as slick as Serbian film but in my opinion its a much better film.

Lots to do Sunday but looks like i'll be getting a few films watched this sunday evening instead of going to work.

Given the general nafness of the Asda job i'm not especially sad about losing it, just feel the way it happened was totally shitty.

Recent viewings

http://i40.tinypic.com/fayb76.jpg

Watched the German Koch Media blu-ray of Buckaroo Banzai last night. Didn't think it looked great tbh. Seems to be from an HD master from a few years ago, and could've done with being spruced up a bit. Really surprised Arrow didn't pick this one up from MGM along with Remo Williams.

It might well have been. I never predicted Withnail and I getting released by Arrow but was pleasantly surprised.

I have a mate who adores BB, but i hate it.

Perhaps it was too much of a marmite release and Arrow possibly saw it as a poor seller.

What Films Have You Seen Recently?
 

I don't see how. It's no more a risk than Remo Williams, and the fact that the UK was shafted with zero extras on the Banzai dvd, makes a special edition BD release a safer bet than Remo. Maybe that's just me that thinks that though. But as I said before, most of these films Arrow release are risky.

hobbit desolation of smaug

One word. Fantastic not seen a movie that had me on the edge of my seat the whole way through and enjoyed so much in a long time, a much better film than the first, only downside waiting for the next part. What a place to have a cliffhanger. 9.5/10

Given arrows record lately its likely if arrow do release bb itll get some extra resoration.

Typical,after the Christmas rush they don't need so many people anymore I guess.

Hope you find something better soon.

Murder obsession

A bit of a bonkers one this. Sleaze and gore with some laughable effects, it also can't make up its mind if it's a giallo or horror. But it also has a very dream like quality and and a very disturbing and weird dream sequence. On the whole it's a lot better than I make it sound, a acquired taste. 8/10


The prowler

A superior slasher which is also part who whodunit, if it was not for the gore and violence, with the setting and characters it could be a episode of murder she wrote. 8.5/10

Watching 2019 after the fall of New York, which seems to fall into the so bad it's good category. If enough time. Tonight mountain of the cannibal god(first time) and the curse of the werewolf.

Managed to watch a lot so far this weekend,"thanks" to collapsing into bed after a very busy day at work on Friday.

Some good ones in there:

http://oi43.tinypic.com/2e378gj.jpg

Perfect Friday (1970)

Late (1970) but very enjoyable 60's style heist/caper film (a genre I love).
Andress is great here but everyone is really...and I didn't see the ending coming at all! :)

I watched the new Network blu (/dvd combo) btw.

Highly recommended.

Ursula Andress & Stanley Baker "Perfect Friday" 1970 - YouTube


http://oi42.tinypic.com/2ebzjmu.jpg

The Breaking of Bumbo (1970)

Again a late (1970 again) 60's style film,an "anti-establishment" film with a difference this time.
This could well be considered a (very) British answer to the American film I Love You,Alice B. Toklas! (1968). ;)

Recommended.

Btw noticed Network describe their dvd of Bumbo as uncut but it seems there's a few scenes (including some nudity) missing,I did some investigating and found all the deleted scenes combined in an avi,so if someone is looking for those just contact me.

"Breaking of Bumbo": Out on DVD 23/09/2013 - YouTube

SUCKER PUNCH. Utterly bonkers, all over the place, tale of sexual violence and the suppression of women as seen through the eye of a fan boy's dick! I have no idea of this films stand point on it's subject matter, it seems to be pretty much every view on the subject all at once, at any given moment. Questionable on every level and all the better for it. I liked it.

VENDETTA. Danny "hair transplant" Dyer's return to form is a fairly moody revenge thriller set on those lawless London estates, low budget British films love so much. Dyer is very good in his role and appears to be enjoying himself actually acting for a change rather than acting out his self created media identity. In some ways, it could be seen as a companion piece to the Nick Love film OUTLAWS with which it shares a similar political out look.

Couldn't agree more. Brilliant sequel and one of the few films I've seen in years that I really didn't want to end!

Prepare yourself for a major forum kicking like i got when i said i liked it. :deadhorse:

I'm a self confessed Danny Dyer fan, nothing can harm me.

Went out last night to see The Physician. Which is a pretty average adaptation of the book of the same name. Set in the 11th or 12t hcentury It's about a young English barber who travels around the world to study medicine at a Persian madras. He pretends to be a Jew in order to be accepted into the Muslim city (Christians are banned). For my money the films shallow portrayal of the Muslim community verges uncomfortably close to the muslimphobic.

From 1946:
Best Years of Our Lives
Tarzan and the Leopard Woman
The Big Sleep
Humouresque
Terror By Night
My Darling Clementine
A Matter of Life and Death
Dressed to Kill
The Postman Always Rings Twice
Gilda

Good grief!! Appalling Scrooge like behaviour. Glad to see LADOAPG still doing the rounds though....

Well at least ratings of Eastenders has gone up by one and down by a few hundred, thats if you dont already watch it ? I detest it so annoying depressing and each episode consist of who can shout the loudest the longest .and if I lived there each xmas I go away because you can guarantee some either gets killed or attempted to kill at christmas time .

Watched Curse of Chucky last night. Best of the series so far IMO. A/V quality on blu was outstanding and some really great and interesting behind the scenes mini docs also feature on the disc. Great job by Don Mancini. Some of the death scenes were great too :woot:

Hope you watched right until the end for the post credits scene.

Watched A Streetcar Named Desire at mates. Kept thinking what JF would have done with the story COUGH.

Tender And Perverse Emanuelle (1973, JF)
some honest-to-goodness filth to wash away the sentimental hogwash of the season, grim and sleazy yadda yadda....went well with my lovely new calendar (more of which later...)

Street Angels (Billy Tang, 1996) hideously trimmed MIA dvd.

Guardian Angel (Richard Munchkin (?), 1994). Wish it had been hideously trimmed, only watched it for old times sake, haven't seen so many staged looking fights since Springer cough...oh, well.

Autoluminescent (2011, Lowenstein & Milburn) Rather spiffing doc on Roland S Howard. Aussie dvd (well, duh....) with some decent features (just more anecdotes, but still...). If anyone doesn't know the name...here he is doing his thing....
PS he's the one on the right mostly....
The Friend Catcher// The Birthday Party - YouTube

I did indeed, got everything ;)

2019 the fall of New York

Enjoyed this Italian post apocalyptic film about a man sent on a mission to find the last fertile woman on earth. Over the top and very silly with some gore. Will never win any awards but was a lot of fun and will happily get again if released on blu ray. 8/10

Mountain of the cannibal god

Seemed very tame compared to most cannibal movies, but still enjoyable with some decent acting 7/10

Now watching tenebrae steelbook and people are right it looks stunning . Will give my rating now 10/10 a masterpiece

Went to see FROZEN with the kids earlier this evening. Best Disney film I've seen in years. Highly recommended by me, the boy MTDS (aged 6) and the girl MTDS (aged 8).