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Post by rateater on Sept 16, 2017 17:05:53 GMT
escape from ny. rip harry dean stanton aka brain.
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Post by stefancrosscoe on Sept 17, 2017 15:51:52 GMT
Harry Dean always delivered. No matter what kind of roles or movies he starred in, and the part as Brain in Escape from New York are just one of many of his great and memorable characters in which he played, especially during the 80s. Don't Kill It (2016)Another bad and very annoying DTV/VOD Dolph Lundgren "classic, this time he plays a demon hunter, who seems to have more luck with the ladies than catching any demons. Well, it opens up okay, and the first 15-20 minutes are rather fast paced and even fun at times, but then the good times end and the painful (especially for the ears) annoying and constant use of horrible flashbacks, awful actors, insanely loud music and sound effects and the worst of them all, the vocal/sound effect of the demons, which do come off as some kind of a mating call of a desperate and lonely bull on the lookout for a cow, which might be fun the first or second time around, but when it is done again and again and again and well, you know the drill, it becomes unbearable and I had to turn down the volume to 1 (it goes to 100) and even then the movie sound effects annoyed the crap out of me, and things like that might easily ruin any movie, even one that was not all that horrible to begin with. It is like someone took the infamous Howie scream and made their own horny bull scream, every time we see a redneck becoming possesed by the demon, and it stops being bunny and ends up as pure torture. Anyway, Dolph and the female lead (forgot her name) does a decent job with what little they have to work from, but most of the of the cast are b-movie actors (at best) and it is clearly a film that tries (too hard) to combine horror, action and adventure all together and hopefully fool (well they got me) people into paying money and wasting their time on yet another modern "cult-classic" as some reviews/critics have described it as, some even have hailed it as an "inventive" movie and "Dolph's finest hour". Well, I guess they have only seen one of his films, or been paid a buckload of money. Anyway the film is not completely horrible and if the use of sound effect, flashback, editing and choices of music had been done a little better, it might have gotten a slight chance of a 5/10 (which in my book would be really "good", considering all the bad and below mediocre films Dolph has done in recent years), but I cannot ignore the films far too obvious faults and I think it had a promising start but then the sound and effects guys went completely overboard with their stuff, and the music used in the action scenes should rather be played at some east bloc/romanian strip club joint than in a horror movie. The positive is that the speciel effects when it comes to blood and gore actually looks quite good,, and as I mentioned earlier, Dolph does a decent job here but is let down by terrible and poorly executed movie making and I cannot understand those who gave this turd a good or even great rating/review, as it was probably the weakest Dolph Lundgren film I have seen for a while, well almost beating out the terrible Kindergarten Cop 2 (2016) and I end up with a very poor: 3/10
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Post by stefancrosscoe on Sept 17, 2017 16:31:47 GMT
The Phantom (1996) As a kid I was always on the lookout for another copy of the latest The Phantom (or Fantomet as he was called in norway) adventure, and sometimes the guest comics such as Thorgal or the tales of the Black Lagoon (that one scared me as a kid, very creepy drawings, especially of the monster) and Lee Falk's heroic figure was so popular and in demand that it was written songs of him and his girlfriend, and where the popular norwegian singer/comedian Jahn Teigen did a number called Sala Palmer (I always thought her name was Sala, not Diana which I learned only by watching this movie), and also there were official fanclubs, and the comic got somewhere between 2 and 3 releases a month at one time, and one would find candy and toys and even now the old black and white classic comic strip is daily in ono of the biggest newspapers in norway, and have been so, as long as I can remember. Even now I think The Phantom comes out once a month with a new or old adventure and I remember back in the early 90s that when Batman (Lynvingen), Spiderman (Edderkoppen) and Superman (Stålmannen) suddenly disappeared from the stores, you could always count on The Phantom to save the day and back then I thought he was just as popular to the Scandinavian fans as to the rest of the world, so it was kind of weird when learning that he was far away of that kind of success in other countries, where in my he was treated like an icon, right up there with Batman, Superman and Spiderman and so on. Anyway, I never saw the film as a kid, it was released in 1996 and I had the chance several times to buy the VHS copy but my days as a big Phantom fan, was to end around 96-97, and I had discovered new comic heroes such as Todd McFarlane's Spawn which seemed to be heading out to a more "adult" audience. I do remember having seen other retro 30s, 40s super-hero, fantasy/adventure and action films such as The Rocketeer and The Shadow, both which I really wanted to enjoy, but I do not remember much from them, well beside the stunning Jennifer Conelly in The Rocketeer, and I am kind of glad I did not see The Phantom movie as a kid, as that would have been a huge disappointment. It is quite "impressive" to see that the film had a budget of almost 50 million dollars, and ended up looking so, cheap and low budget. I wonder where most of the budget went, as it was not a big gallery of movie stars that was included. Sure names such as Billy Zane, Kristy Swanson, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Treat Williams and James Remar are probably not unfamiliar with most movie goers these days, but back then it was still a few years away before Zeta Jones hit big in Hollywood and I guess the closest Zane came was with Titanic a year later. The problem is that the tone/atmosphere is all wrong, the comic was great, adventorous, fun and at times scary, this movie felt like a dumbed down b-movie from the very beginning and Billy Zane (not a bad actor) was just wrong as Kit Walker/The Phantom, he looked too goofy and more like parody than some bad ass, heroic legendary figure, and the rest of the cast also seem very rushed into their parts, and it is a shame that such a great comic figure finally ended up with a movie and sadly one which ended up as a mediocre (at best) attempt and deservedly so, a big box office flop. If I try to ignore that it is a very poor attempt on doing a The Phantom movie, and since it does come with a likeable cast and is not really a bad adventure/action movie and so, I think I have to give it some credit and end up with a: 5/10
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Post by stefancrosscoe on Sept 19, 2017 8:31:07 GMT
The Lego Batman Movie (2017)Yeah, I know, maybe not so much of an action movie, however it is or tries to be a superhero/comedy/adventure/parody featuring a lot of action scenes thrown in, so I decided to write up my little experience with this "hilarious" huge piece of S..., well I am gonna come back to that one later. Anyway, I really enjoyed the Batman Lego games that was released on PS2 and PS3 and I think at least three games (could be more) were made, and where I enjoyed the second and third the most. Beautiful games, with lots of fun for both kids and growns ups (and is even better for those who loved the classic Bat flicks from Adam West, Michael Keaton and up to the Schumacher ones, but also the Nolan trilogy) and is filled with nostalgia, likeable characters, great use of references, music and later in the second and third one (where they speak) use of voice talents, and I could say almost the exact same about the film which got a direct to video release after the second Bat game called Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes (2012) and the film was titled Lego Batman: The Movie – DC Super Heroes Unite (2013). I was expecting some mediocre, milk the Bat cow till there is nothing left dumbed down for little children, however, it turned out that it was a very enjoyable, funny and beautiful made DTV release, in fact maybe the best Batman movie I have seen since the Nolan trilogy, and while the seemingly endless follows ups of this 2013 DTV release have gotten at least somewhere along 5-6 or maybe 7 or 8 "sequels" and sadly it turned the Lego Batman Universe from something exciting and fun, to becoming another overused and rapidly poor product, and where I kind of had some small hopes that with an upcoming big monster budget Lego Bat movie, they would finally make another film that was as fun as the the first Lego Batman adventure from 2013. How wrong was I to think so. Turns out that the big budget 2017 film, is nothing more but a dumbed down, annoying as hell, unfunniest movie I have seen in many, many years. And this comes from someone who just recently survived both Son of the Mask (2005) and three, THREEE Adam Sandler movies within 1 day, and still, I would watch those turds anytime over, than having to sit through and waste any more time on this raw smelly sewage that is the Lego Batman Movie. 2 minutes in to this piece of SHIT and I am thinking to myself: "When is this hyperactive, commercial gonna end?", move on 10 minutes into the film: "You gotta be fucking kidding with me, right?" 15 minutes in: FUUUUUUUUUUUCK!!!!!!" well, I managed to sit through the first 45 minutes, then I had to take a break and watch the rest of the film a day later. It was that bad, and even worse, ANNNNNNNNOOOOYING!!!!!!. I decided to watch the rest of the film a day later and, well it got a little bit better from 50 minutes into the movie, as the ridiculous (in a horrible way) pace and use of "hilarious" references, voice-overs decreased, finally and somewhere in there, a story or plot actually tried to show it self. I guess, this is the kind of "entertainment" todays (something has to happen all the time on screen, or else the viewers/kids will loose the interest and began playing with their brutally overpriced computers and mobile phones) and as a result you end up watching a movie that includes a big amount of famous people loaning out their voices (doing a real shitty job at that too) to some of the most annoying, self centered, unlikeable, unfunny and biggest bunch of hyperactive (cannot for one second shut the fuck up or sit still) douchebags ever created. Beside that, is it the worst movie of all time? Well, of the ones I have seen from 2017, without a doubt, YES. But of all time? Probably not. 2/10Evidence of how one should start up a movie, containing bad ass music and then how to ruin it, even before the film has actually begun, with an annoying, douchy voice-over that just won't shut up:
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Post by stefancrosscoe on Sept 19, 2017 9:05:06 GMT
Viper aka Bad Blood (1994) I have seen this Lorenzo Lamas action "classic" before, and I decided to have a go at it, for a second time. Here he plays a former cop who tries his best to stay out trouble and get his act together, however all that goes down the drain when his "beloved" kid brother gets into deep trouble with the wrong kind of people. Turns out that Travis Blackstone (Lamas) must once again stand up and bail out his brother due to his neverending misadventures, that got his older brother locked up. Viper is without a doubt a b-movie, very typical mid 90s action, not all unlike the PM! Entertainment products, with lousy acting, ridiculous bad guys and action scenes along with some nice portion of female nudity. Directed by Tibor Takács (The Gate, The Gate II and I, Madman) this is actually one of Lamas better or more entertaining mid 90s adventures, and much thanks to the two stunning ladies (Frankie Thorn and Kimberley Kates) along with one of the least menecing bad guys I have seen for a long time where Joe Son plays the laughable main villain, Chang. A small, chubby asian crime boss who we are to believe runs a mighty operation, and does so with his hilarious squaky voice. The fight scenes is actually pretty decent, in fact I kind of miss the b-movie 80s, 90s action sequences, it looked often ridiculous but was fun, and with little or no use of CGI effects involved. The bodycount is not bad, in fact rather impressive. I think Lorenzo ends up taking out somewhere between 25-30 or maybe even more bad guys within 80 minutes or more, and there is several funny moments thrown in here, where our hero shows off his impressive athletic jumping skills, or his way with the ladies. There are 3 sex scenes thrown in here, and a bit more and it could have easily been passed on as another sleazy but fun filled Andy Sidaris movie.
All in all, Viper aka Bad Blood is not all that bad, and are packed with enough laughable moments that it never becomes boring and I end up with a:
5/10
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Post by alpha128 on Sept 20, 2017 12:13:22 GMT
I am still waiting for the DVD version of Security to be released or at least in my country that is. Looks like a fun action filled ride, and hopefully it will live up the trailer I have seen. So stefancrosscoe , did you get a chance to see Security (2017)? If so, what did you think of it?
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Post by stefancrosscoe on Sept 20, 2017 15:07:30 GMT
No, I have not yet seen it, but the DVD/Blu-ray I noticed, is up for norwegian release next monday, so I guess I will have at least one new film release to look forward to.
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Post by alpha128 on Sept 21, 2017 0:19:53 GMT
No, I have not yet seen (Security), but the DVD/Blu-ray I noticed, is up for norwegian release next monday, so I guess I will have at least one new film release to look forward to. I hope you enjoy Security. I, and the friends I watched it with, all liked it.
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Post by stefancrosscoe on Sept 23, 2017 8:46:22 GMT
Thanks, I like that Banderas are going for a bit of late 80s/early 90s action nostalgia with this film, or at least that is how I thought it looks, Die Hard or Under Siege in a shopping mall.
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Post by stefancrosscoe on Sept 23, 2017 9:21:15 GMT
Jack Reacher (2012) Tom Cruise continues his neverending alpha male fantasy by doing with one big budget action movie a year, and with Jack Reacher "Get me JACK REACHER!" it becomes more a parody than a bad-ass adventure. The women throw themselves at him, no matter if he is 30 years older (or more), he has such a powerful way with the ladies that one of them almost "faints" the very moment the hero takes off his bloodsoaked t-shirt, and later on a sweet 19 or 20 year (might be younger) teenage girl is offering herself because she just saw Jack brutally wounds and mutilates 5 or 6 of her "friends", while she looked on as some crazed fangirl who almost wet herself. And of course, no matter how big or how many the bad guys are, Jack Reacher always comes out on top, without any real problems. He just loves to humiliate and dominate his opponent, no just with his fists but with his far superior perfectly timed Batman/detective intellect and smug/douchy speeches, it could be King Kong or the Terminator as his next opponent, but Reacher is just "too much" of a badass. In one hilarious scene two big thugs are attacking him in a tight little bathroom, they smash a baseball bat in the backside of his head, and one has a crowbar and they still cannot overpower the unstoppable force that is Jack Reacher. Then we have Jai Courtney as the main henchman who is supposed to be a worthy opponent, but is of course completely destroyed "I will beat you into a bloody pulp and drink your BLOOOOOOOOD from your sweaty, filthy and nasty boots" or something like that is what Jack tells him, after his little teenage flirt goes missing. On top of that we have Werner Herzog doing his best Donald Pleasance as some kind of a goofy and not scary looking Ernest Blofeld copy, who has eaten his own fingers and maybe even one of his eyes? to prove that he is such as bad ass that he dares to fuck with Jack Reacher. The always reliable Robert Duvall shows up and ends up teaming up with Tom Cruise, and the end.
The good parts is that film is a laughable and never once boring "riot" if you do not take it serious, where Tom Cruise once again delivers a big monster budget ego trip, and the action scenes are done very well, but it ends up as usual (for me that is) just another one of his "generic" watch-once then never again films, and I rate it with:
6/10
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Post by lostinlimbo on Sept 25, 2017 13:58:50 GMT
Viper aka Bad Blood (1994)I have seen this Lorenzo Lamas action "classic" before, and I decided to have a go at it, for a second time. Here he plays a former cop who tries his best to stay out trouble and get his act together, however all that goes down the drain when his "beloved" kid brother gets into deep trouble with the wrong kind of people. Turns out that Travis Blackstone (Lamas) must once again stand up and bail out his brother due to his neverending misadventures, that got his older brother locked up. Viper is without a doubt a b-movie, very typical mid 90s action, not all unlike the PM! Entertainment products, with lousy acting, ridiculous bad guys and action scenes along with some nice portion of female nudity. Directed by Tibor Takács (The Gate, The Gate II and I, Madman) this is actually one of Lamas better or more entertaining mid 90s adventures, and much thanks to the two stunning ladies (Frankie Thorn and Kimberley Kates) along with one of the least menecing bad guys I have seen for a long time where Joe Son plays the laughable main villain, Chang. A small, chubby asian crime boss who we are to believe runs a mighty operation, and does so with his hilarious squaky voice. The fight scenes is actually pretty decent, in fact I kind of miss the b-movie 80s, 90s action sequences, it looked often ridiculous but was fun, and with little or no use of CGI effects involved. The bodycount is not bad, in fact rather impressive. I think Lorenzo ends up taking out somewhere between 25-30 or maybe even more bad guys within 80 minutes or more, and there is several funny moments thrown in here, where our hero shows off his impressive athletic jumping skills, or his way with the ladies. There are 3 sex scenes thrown in here, and a bit more and it could have easily been passed on as another sleazy but fun filled Andy Sidaris movie. All in all, Viper aka Bad Blood is not all that bad, and are packed with enough laughable moments that it never becomes boring and I end up with a: 5/10
Now those were the days when you could make out what was happening in an action set-piece... oh and they would use a camera tripod too. Like you said, while sometimes ridiculous and even sloppy, at least it was mainly exciting. When you look at most cookie-cutter action these days, the low-budget 90s weren't too bad and the stunt work was at the top of its game.
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Post by stefancrosscoe on Sept 27, 2017 10:52:54 GMT
Bounty Tracker (1993) Lorenzo Lamas is John Damone, a tough bounty hunter who wants to avenge his brothers death by going after the ruthless mercenary Erik Gauss (Matthias Hues). This one was not as action-filled as Viper but that did not matter much as the film is fast-paced and comes with a worthy villain (this time) with the intimidating german actor/fighter Matthias Hues in the evil bad guy part. Bounty Tracker is no great movie, but when it comes to Lamas and his earlier 90s movies, this one turned out to be ok entertainment, where I was a bit disappointed at how they did not manage to make Matthias more of a scary/frightening figure, as he just 2 years earlier had completely towered above Dolph Lundgren as an evil, drug-baron/alien from another world, as in Bounty Tracker he is of course not a guy you want to mess around with, however the final fight scene was a bit of a letdown, but I guess they did what they could from what they had, and all in all, I think it is the second best Lorenzo Lamas 90s movie I have seen of him.
5/10
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Post by stefancrosscoe on Sept 29, 2017 12:54:54 GMT
Caged II: The Arena of Death (1994) Lou Ferrigno and Reb Brown stars in this movie which reunites two former war buddies into a bloody cage-fight, set up by a former enemy who have drugged up and taken advantage of the sheer strenght and fighting skills of Billy (Ferrigno) and is about to hit an alltime deal with some sleazy cable TV show, but when that is set, it will mean that he has no more use of Billy anylonger.
A below average, low-budget martial arts/action movie that is very uneven with several scenes which are all over the place, as we are introduced to Lou and Reb as they are doing some shopping, then suddenly a bunch of goofy looking/sterotypical baddies show up and ruins the day. Next we see Ferrigno fighting in some ridiculous cage/arena. I like that Lou gets some more to work on, than just be the big and mean fighter, but the film is just too poor to back it up and it goes on for far too long, with a runtime of almost 1 hour and 50 minutes, and it could have easily been sliced down to 80-85 minutes instead. The fights are well done, but not exactly groundbreaking.
Anyway, similar kind of films such as the Shootfighter movies with Bolo Yeung was a lot of fun and had a entertaining story/characters along with laughable villains and some pretty good fight scenes, and Caged II is just not up to the same "entertainment standard" as the ones I enjoy. Cheesy/b-movie but not much more, but it was nice seeing Lou getting some decent lines/scenes.
4/10
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Post by Captain Spencer on Oct 1, 2017 16:28:57 GMT
Last night I watched Murphy's Law (1986). Straight off the Cannon assembly line, this is the one about an alcoholic cop (Charles Bronson) framed for the murders of his ex-wife and her lover. He escapes from jail handcuffed to a female crook, then tries to find out who framed him so he can clear his name.
This is one of my favorite Bronson flicks from the 80s. It's the kind of gritty urban action thriller that they just don't make anymore, unlike most of the over-produced action junk that is made these days. It's a bit on the noir side, and clearly influenced by Dirty Harry. Director J. Lee Thompson sure knows how to stage a good violent shootout, and the climax at the Bradbury Building is particularly exciting. Hey, I even like that cheesy music score.
Kathleen Wilhoite steals the show as the foul-mouthed street youth who tags along. She spews out some really colorful expletives, and I've always wondered if they were scripted or improvised. And Carrie Snodgress does a fine job as the villain.
Murphy's Law is definitely a must for Bronson fans. I may sound like an old man for saying this, but I sure do miss the days of these gritty action flicks.
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Post by sdrew13163 on Oct 2, 2017 4:16:09 GMT
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
A really good movie. I love the performance from both Terminator's, especially Schwarzenegger. He saved the movie from slipping a bit too much in the middle. I've got to be honest, though: Hamilton as Sarah Connor just pissed me off this time around. I don't know what it was, but she seemed too hammy.
I won't even get into the child actor. I'm notoriously harsh on child actors (which is a fact I am not proud of), so there's no point explaining why he annoyed the hell out of me.
The pacing is a little slow in the middle, but man-oh-man that action. The action is so damn good. So good. It's almost shocking to see it done for real with so much ambition! We don't get that almost at all today. The two truck chases are all-timers. Brilliant work from the stunt team and Cameron's camera work.
Two little details that I also loved in this movie: 1) The terrifying nuclear blast sequence and 2) The incredible performance by Joe Morton as Dyson.
That nuclear blast sequence floored me. It was honestly absolutely terrifying. Incredible stuff by the effects team.
Lastly, Joe Morton did so good as Dyson. He was perhaps my favorite character in the whole movie besides Arnie. He really stole almost every scene he was in and got my adrenaline pumping.
A few character and pacing problems keep this from being a masterpiece, but it's truly very good.
8.5/10
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Post by stefancrosscoe on Oct 2, 2017 11:50:31 GMT
Last night I watched Murphy's Law (1986). Straight off the Cannon assembly line, this is the one about an alcoholic cop (Charles Bronson) framed for the murders of his ex-wife and her lover. He escapes from jail handcuffed to a female crook, then tries to find out who framed him so he can clear his name. This is one of my favorite Bronson flicks from the 80s. It's the kind of gritty urban action thriller that they just don't make anymore, unlike most of the over-produced action junk that is made these days. It's a bit on the noir side, and clearly influenced by Dirty Harry. Director J. Lee Thompson sure knows how to stage a good violent shootout, and the climax at the Bradbury Building is particularly exciting. Hey, I even like that cheesy music score. Kathleen Wilhoite steals the show as the foul-mouthed street youth who tags along. She spews out some really colorful expletives, and I've always wondered if they were scripted or improvised. And Carrie Snodgress does a fine job as the villain. Murphy's Law is definitely a must for Bronson fans. I may sound like an old man for saying this, but I sure do miss the days of these gritty action flicks. Jack Murphy: The only law I know is "Jack Murphy's law." It's very simple. Don't fuck with Jack Murphy! You remember that.
Great review, Dramatic Look Gopher. of a underrated/forgotten classic 80s Bronson/Cannon release. I bought a used DVD copy of this film back in summer of 2006 (when I first began to really discover the awesome action legend that is Charles Bronson and his 70s and 80s movies, and Murphy's Law did not disappoint me. A fast paced, action packed adventure with lots of memorable quotes/scenes and a fantastic team/buddy duo between the beautiful and fierce Kathleen Wilhoite and the always reliable and tough, no-nonsense Charlie B. Beside his classic Death Wish franchise, of all the Cannon pictures, the only film I thought should be given a sequel was Murphy's Law (1986). It fitted right in with the buddy-cop genre of that time, but as you said, also comes with a more serious/gritty/noir vibe and a very nasty/evil and memorable performance by Carrie Snodgress. I might have to re-discover this gem, as I seen that I have not watched it for some time, and the last time I gave it a 7/10. It also comes along with a very peaceful/calm theme for such a chaotic/angry character as Arabella.
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Post by stefancrosscoe on Oct 2, 2017 12:07:33 GMT
Terminator 2: Judgment Day A really good movie. I love the performance from both Terminator's, especially Schwarzenegger. He saved the movie from slipping a bit too much in the middle. I've got to be honest, though: Hamilton as Sarah Connor just pissed me off this time around. I don't know what it was, but she seemed too hammy. I won't even get into the child actor. I'm notoriously harsh on child actors (which is a fact I am not proud of), so there's no point explaining why he annoyed the hell out of me. The pacing is a little slow in the middle, but man-oh-man that action. The action is so damn good. So good. It's almost shocking to see it done for real with so much ambition! We don't get that almost at all today. The two truck chases are all-timers. Brilliant work from the stunt team and Cameron's camera work. Two little details that I also loved in this movie: 1) The terrifying nuclear blast sequence and 2) The incredible performance by Joe Morton as Dyson. That nuclear blast sequence floored me. It was honestly absolutely terrifying. Incredible stuff by the effects team. Lastly, Joe Morton did so good as Dyson. He was perhaps my favorite character in the whole movie besides Arnie. He really stole almost every scene he was in and got my adrenaline pumping. A few character and pacing problems keep this from being a masterpiece, but it's truly very good. 8.5/10 I have not seen T2 in a long while, it once used to be my favorite movie but since summer of 2003 the first one have taken over that spot, and is now maybe among my 5-10 favorite films of all time, while the second one is a classic and all, but I have not felt the need to rewatch it as often as I once did. Anyway, a very informative and well written review sdrew13163, thanks for posting. I agree with very much of what you wrote, and I think the last time I watched it, I gave it a 9/10 as Ed Furlong and Linda Hamilton (specially Furlong) were not as likeable as they once were (for me that is), and Joe Morton hands out an impressive performance that is only beaten by Arnie. The nuclear blast sequence along with the future-nightmare-war scene in both of Cameron's films scared the hell out of me as a kid/teenager, and they still provide something which none of the other Terminator films have come close to of trying to re-create, they bring along that terrible fear of what might happen when the machines become too powerful, and the complete hopeless situtation that the human species find themselves in the future.
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Post by Captain Spencer on Oct 3, 2017 1:37:30 GMT
Jack Murphy: The only law I know is "Jack Murphy's law." It's very simple. Don't fuck with Jack Murphy! You remember that.
Great review, Dramatic Look Gopher. of a underrated/forgotten classic 80s Bronson/Cannon release. I bought a used DVD copy of this film back in summer of 2006 (when I first began to really discover the awesome action legend that is Charles Bronson and his 70s and 80s movies, and Murphy's Law did not disappoint me. A fast paced, action packed adventure with lots of memorable quotes/scenes and a fantastic team/buddy duo between the beautiful and fierce Kathleen Wilhoite and the always reliable and tough, no-nonsense Charlie B. Beside his classic Death Wish franchise, of all the Cannon pictures, the only film I thought should be given a sequel was Murphy's Law (1986). It fitted right in with the buddy-cop genre of that time, but as you said, also comes with a more serious/gritty/noir vibe and a very nasty/evil and memorable performance by Carrie Snodgress. I might have to re-discover this gem, as I seen that I have not watched it for some time, and the last time I gave it a 7/10. It also comes along with a very peaceful/calm theme for such a chaotic/angry character as Arabella. Arabella's Theme; that one in particular is my favorite track. Thanks stefancrosscoe!
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Post by stefancrosscoe on Oct 3, 2017 11:51:06 GMT
I really miss these kind of small but very memorable movie themes, where as in so many of todays modern movies, it can go years after years before I stumble upon something that resemble a melody, instead it is most of the time just a huge overdose of generic, dull and completely forgettable stuff that leaves me with nothing to feel for.
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Post by stefancrosscoe on Oct 8, 2017 10:42:25 GMT
End of Days (1999) I decided to take a little time-out from watching horror movies this weekend (but will continue with that again very soon) and ended up taking a re-watch of one of my least favorite Arnold Schwarzenegger movies of the 90s, End of Days. The film obivously tries (too hard) to make some last minute attempt of cashing in on the whole year 2000 hype and instead of having some "pathetic" computer crisis end up destroying the "greatest" party of them all, satan himself is introduced as the ultimate party-pooper as he just wants to get laid, one last time before the 90s end, and that lovely innocent beauty is the woman that will help him bring along a child which will be the end of life as we know it.
I have not seen the film for a while and even back in early 00s I remember being disappointed by it, as it was maybe not as weak as Jingle All the Way (1996) but everything about End of Days feels mediocre and very rushed in, and I think that the leading role of the tragic figure that is Jericho Cane (Schwarzenegger) was to be played by another actor, maybe someone like Keanu Reeves or Val Kilmer, but somehow none of them decided to take on the role, so director Peter Hyams (who is no stranger to action movies) ended up in the last minute getting a hold on the now fading action star Arnold Schwarzenegger to take upon a much more serious and darker role of what he usually had done in the 90s. However with that sudden change, the film seemed to turn away from a horror/thriller-drama/mystery and becoming just another overblown special effects every other minute fast-paced action-thriller that relies on to many and very annoying cliches, along with a poorly made attempt of creating a comedic buddy/sidekick relationship between Anie and Kevin Pollak and then throw in some heavier names that can help make the film look more serious and well acted such as Rod Steiger and Gabriel Byrne.
The first scene of the film sets the "tone" where we see Arnold sitting all alone in a dark and messy apartment with a gun to his head, which kind of tells the viewer this is not gonna be the ordinary Arnie action routine, but then Kevin Pollak comes along and ruins what could have been a very powerful scene with one of many annoying attempts on creating a "buddy-cop" tone with his partner Jericho. I do not blame Pollak, it is not his fault, but I hate how they "dumb" down scenes like that by adding uneeded comedy relief which most of the time in a film like this, end up not working well, and already from the beginning it has more or less outwore its welcome. Later on we meet up with the devil himself, played by Gabriel Byrne who does mostly a good job, but the director seem to try too hard of making him as some rebellious pop-idol, cool as fuck and which make up for some very uneeded and ridiculous overlong scenes and again, it is not the actors fault (I think). Robin Tunney (stunning as usual) does a solid job as the terrified mother to be of Satan's child but the dramatic scenes often drown out due to unecessary violence and gun-fights.
I can see why Arnie wanted to try out something else and looking at the talents that are involved, Peter Hyams, Stan Winston, a solid cast, a soundtrack filled with big acts and a budget of around 100 million dollars (or more) and still it ended up as one of his most bland and mediocre films, where I wished they had gone much darker with Arnie character and not brought in the dumb and loud action effects which most of the time did not work well at all with the films plot.
I ended up with the same rating as I gave it back in 2001 and then later on, and that is a poor and very forgettable:
5/10
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