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Post by stefancrosscoe on Jan 13, 2023 12:54:00 GMT
Die Hard 2 (1990) by Renny Harlin "Oh man, I can't fucking believe this. Another basement, another elevator. How can the same shit happen to the same guy twice?" It has almost become quite a Christmas tradition for the McClane family, to get caught up with total mayhem during the festive season, as another round of trigger happy terrorists arrive, to create chaos and panic, by holding an entire airport hostages, along with a bunch of oncoming planes. But not even the most seemingly waterproof villainous plans are safe, as they have to go up against the lone wolf that is John McClane (Bruce Willis).As always, a great and very enjoyable re-watch, probably my favorite of the sequels, and one that sure follows into the many clichees of trying to overdo the original, in stuffing in far more villains, violence, cursing, explosive stunts and of course, more of the Christmas setting. The year of 1990, specially the summer, really was a big potential for making successful and classic late 80s films, like Predator (1987) and RoboCop (1987) turned into big franchises, and while both of the mentioned 80s masterpieces, did go on to have themselves a long running but sadly most disappointing franchise, they never really reached the same kind of quality as the first three Die Hard films. And who knows how things would have worked out, if Die Hard 2 had bombed or ended up as the mediocre Predator 2 or RoboCop 2, which was no where near being as good or entertaining as the originals, and while Die Hard 2 is probably the weaker of the original trilogy, it includes everything I love about early 90s action, and cannot understand how so many, often still today labels it as one of the worst sequels in the franchise. Anyway, by this time, John McClane has turned into a trigger happy killing machine, who laughs off ridiculous one-liners, while mowing down a bunch of baddies, and just about 10-11 minutes in, and the killing begins, and from then on, there is just no time to go to the bathroom, as the second one must at least have somewhere between 40-50 villains being gunned down, stabbed or crushed to death, and if one includes the sadistic Colonel Stewart (William Sadler), who lures a desperate flight crew along with all the passangers, into a certain death trap, I guess we might just have about 250-300 people being written off, and it must be some kind of a record back then. Speaking of villains, this time there is not just 1 main villain, but 3, even though some do not appear as often as one would like, and I think it sadly overshadows Sadler and his great performance, as there is so much going on, that he ends up getting constantly bumped out of the picture, onto a new action scene, and even when he is about to hold a big speech to his men, there is just cut short and more action. I guess the most disappointing fact, is having such a cool guy as Franco Nero, who seems more confused and maybe not too motivated, but of course he did not have as big part as Sadler or John Amos. Some funny movie referances towards the fictional south American island or country that is Val Verde, which I think was first brought up in Commando (1985), then maybe later on in Predator (1987). But then again, one of the Die Hard films, was supposed to be early on, the sequel to Commando, and also one of the writers from that Arnie classic, is behind the Die Hard 2 script. Beside all the killing, there is a ton of "beeping" in this film. Everything from the beeper belonging to John McClane, to the beep-beep disucssion going on among the tecnhicians in the airtower, and of course, adding in all the cursing, where at times, almost every other word uttered, is either: "FUCK, ASS SHIT", and nothing wrong with that, but it did end up feeling almost a bit too much, like someone forced as much foul language into the script, just to make sure it went above the original. And then I guess the American tv audience, would also get a whole lot more beeping, due to cursing getting censored while it was aired, and with all the bad language, all those beep noises, it must have been quite an interesting potential to a drinking game. Die Hard 2 also includes some familiar favorites from the first film, such as Reginald Vel Johnson, who sadly does not get too much screentime, and of course the sleazy tv journalist leech DIIIIIICK Thornburg, who somehow ends up within a few feet away of Miss McClane, and all far up in the air. In newer comical sidekicks, we get the NYPD Blue favorite Dennis Franz, who almost steals the show for me, as the short tempered "big fish" in the pond, who is chief of the security, but at the end, he loosen up and realizes that it is Christmas, so "What the Hell!". All in all, the first of a very solid and enjoyable explosive 90s winter trilogy, that were soon followed by Cliffhanger (1993) and The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996), where I think the latter, are probably a bit better, but yeah, have always loved Die Hard 2, due to seeing it before Die Hard (1988), and no changes in rating or how I feel about it, since last visit. 8/10
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Post by stefancrosscoe on Jan 13, 2023 16:01:54 GMT
Dead Bang (1989) by John Frankenheimer "I'm telling you something big is happening here, and all that grabs you is my language? What the fuck is the matter with you?" Due to a lot of brutal murders having taken place just recently, it is first when a police man gets brutally killed, that something actually happens with the investigation. The case of the murdered police officer, then ends up in the lap of an down and out detective (Don Johnson), who soon agrees to take on the job, much thanks to the overwhelming "help" of a beautiful young woman (Penelope Ann Miller). And in return, he finds himself deep into a violent and scary network full of extreme people, who are not your ordinary amateurs. Hoped to get it by Christmas, as it was seemingly a bit of a Christmas related action film, but did not arrive until last week. Think it was on the old action and adventure board, and maybe lostinlimbo who put up a thread or recommendation of this movie, and have ever since wanted to give it a go. Sadly, it just did not quite end up as what I hoped for, even though there are some really good and solid action scenes, along with some very funny and memorable moments as well, but I guess compared to the much better made The Challenge (1982) and maybe the best of the Frankenheimer 80s action bunch, 52 Pick-Up (1986), Dead Heat felt at times, a bit like a made for tv pilot, not saying it as in bad, but of course with a big tv personality like Don Johnson, who was probably more than ready to give it a chance within the world of movies, and having missed out on quite a few 80s big filmroles, does a very impressive part here, even though it is hard not to think of Sonny Crockett in several scenes, and that might be something which he had trouble getting rid off. Anyway, it was kind of strange to see the usualy typical eccentric William Forsythe in such a laid back part, and kind of felt a few of the villains would have needed some wild character like the later seen Forsythe roles within the action genre. A film I might re-watch someday, and where it could go a bit upwards, but as of now, I felt it was around a rating of: 6/10
Firewalker (1986) by J. Lee Thompson "We need a new plan." Two adventurous dare devils (Chuck Norris and Louis Gossett Jr.), ends up getting hired into bringing along, a just as adventure seeking lady (Melody Anderson) down to the South American jungles, in order to search for a legendary treasure.Not seen it since late of 2014, through a not so "impressive" nordic DVD, with awful picture and sound quality, so when I got the hold of this newer 101 Films DVD version, I thought it was about time to give it another go. I guess Cannon wanted their piece of the romantic action jungle adventures of the mid 80s, like Indiana Jones and Romancing the Stone, and did put out a few similar releases with King Solomon's Mines (1985) and Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold (1986). But with Firewalker, it is sadly too obvious from the early go, that a lot of the budget seemed to have gotten "lost", or maybe was instead put to promote the film, as it just feels and sounds rushed, and no matter how good chemistry the main trio has going, it does get boring, several places. Which is a bit sad, as I truly wanted to like it more, but yeah, this came probably at a time, when names like Norris and Bronson still were the top dogs at Cannon, and Norris got the chance of doing a more light hearted and comical performance, and I think he did that well, but just fell into a not so great film. 5/10
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Post by stefancrosscoe on Jan 16, 2023 13:50:08 GMT
Undercover Blues (1993) by Herbert Ross Oh man, another complete bummer of a so called "action comedy", where a seemingly happily married couple (Kathleen Turner and Dennis Quaid) along with their little baby, with plans on a nice and quiet little vacation down to the south, ends up getting involved into action, when they are told to return to their line of duty as super agents, and stopping some evil villain in the making. Only picked up and watched, due to how much I enjoy the early 90s comedies of Turner, such as V.I. Warshawski (1991) or Serial Mum (1994). However, Undercover Blues is not anything as funny nor enjoyable. Instead it is a very smug and painfully unfunny attempt on trying to balance between Hudson Hawk (1991) or the not far off, and superior Trues Lies (1994). Sure, Hudson Hawk got a lot of bad stuff said about it, and yet, over time, it has kind of won me over, due to the great chemistry between Willis and Aiello, along with lots of funny and eccentric bad guys, but well, Undercover Blues is just a big mess, and not one I think will benefit with further views, later on. At least Stanley Tucci as "MUERTE!!!" delivers some laughs, but they do dry out, as it just becomes very soon tiresome, watching this obvious comedy slapstick villain, being humiliated and beaten up, over and over, and over again, throughout the entire time. Was almost expecting to see the baby destroy him a few times as well. Put in a god awful villainous Fiona Shaw, and yeah, just not my kind of fun. Sadly, because I went in, hoping for a potential little gem, and instead it almost ruined the entire friday night, as I hate starting up the evening, with a downer, because it often makes me not exactly too motivated afterwards of seeing much else, and at least one good thing about the recent purchased german DVD, is that it made the film look alright, while the original artwork or poster, had I seen that one, while impulsive buyin a while ago, there is little chance it would be picked up. Smug douchy smiling sunglass wearing baby? along with "LAUGH-OUT-LOUD" Yeah, that looks like a winner, NOOOOOT!!! 3/10
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Post by stefancrosscoe on Jan 16, 2023 14:47:14 GMT
Action films are probably not what they are, but considering some of the incredible stunts and racing scenes, and not sure if there ever was a own thread put up, for "Last seen comedy movie". Anyway, have been through a bit of a ski-themed films, few highlights, but even the bad ones, have a nice amount of babes, sleaze and some ridiculous scenes, so that got me through them. Snowboard Academy (1997) by John Sheppird It is the main event of the season, where to rival siblings tries to sabotage one another in the tracks, which makes their father, who also happens to run the place, setting up a big final competition, where the skiers will take on the snowboarders, and where the can be only one winner!Damn, this was bad, real bad. I kind of knew that already, by seeing the awful poster of the film, and also few sub genres as the ski comedy, comes with so many smug assholes, as these type of movies. And if the main goal, was to put the snowboard into a more favorable light, then something went horribly wrong, early on. As take away the always likeable Jim Varney, comedy veteran Joe Flaherty and the sexy as hell Brigitte Nielsen, all you is left with, is a bunch of douchebag assholes, you wish pain and more pain upon, but you just knew all along, that is not gonna happen. Another straight to video release, where former kid and teen star Corey Haim, is acting alongside Brigitte Nielsen, and well, as always with these type of snowy adventures, 30-40 percent of the time, is spent on watching top athletes, do dangerous and incredible stunts, all while what little is left of a "story", is paper thin. The assholes is not really the "bullies" aka Jocks, but the "outsiders" or slobs, who are so despicable and annoying, that yeah, I hate how this is always a thing for these ski-comedies, at least make a few of them a bit more likeable, but no, everyone is an asshole, and sadly, one thing missing was some nice dosage of tits and ass nudity, but since it was made as more of a light hearted (at times almost children entertainment), I guess we did not get any of that. I needed two nights, to manage to get through this turd, and even then, I almost collapsed on the coach, due to either boredom or just being so angry at what I got in return for most of the time. 3/10
Ski Patrol (1990) by Rich Correll Another "impressive" ski comedy, once more, you got the jocks vs. the slobs, and we all know what comes up next. It was a bit more "fun" than Snowboard Academy, but the jokes are just at the bottom of the barrell, all the way through. It feels not too far off other "classics", like Ski School (1991) og Hot Dog: The Movie (1984), but at least those did back up all the terrible stuff, with some damn fine babes, who had a certain talent, of loosing all their clothes, specially while it is icy cold outside, and yeah, Ski Patrol has no scenes of that. Instead we are treated with rauncy comedy, a farting and burping dog, George Lopez, that black sidekick guy (forgot his name), who ends up parodying far more famous black actors of the 80s, and of course the blonde 80s bully, and the partygoing antihero. However, one rather surprising thing, is that the most likeable and funny guy in this film, is none other than Paul Feig, the same guy who produced the "masterpiece" that was Ghostbusters (2016). And I guess that says about everything one need to know about Ski Patrol. Sure, not everything was a complete waste. Again, lots of great stunts and action scenes, beautiful and stunning nature, some very hot and fine women in tight skiing clothes, and some ridiculous dude who goes under the name of "Suicide", and wears two different masks around his head, along with making weird noises and voices. All in all, few of these ski-winter comedies ever really comes close of matching those I believe are at the "top", such as Better Off Dead (1985) or the much later Hot Tub Time Machine (2010). Anyway, not sure when or of it will ever get a DVD or Blu-ray release, but a film I still somehow have been wanting to look up: 4/10Downhill Willie (1996) by David Mitchell A cynical company, decides that the best way to lure their customers into buying their brand new and "tasteful" energy drink, is by setting up a spectacular ski race, which will help them to promote the very latest of sporting drink.A surprisingly funny idiotic comedy, that manages to do what pretty much all the other (recent seen similar themed) films failed at, by delivering likeable and funny characters, and some hilarious scenes and jokes, so stupid they actually work. Again, lots of ski stunts, hot babes and still, it has a solid pace and the ridiculous fine Staci Keanan (from Step by Step), and so, I just could not go any lower than a very kind: 6/10 Copper Mountain (1983) by some dude Only saw it, due to knowing it had an early Jim Carrey in it, along with being set at a snow themed hotel. And well, instead you do get Carrey, for a few minutes, as a "shy" regular fella, who just happens to end up acting like a clown, or attention seeking maniac, as soon as he gets the chance, but most of the "plot" is just him doing some not that impressive nor funny gags, while we get a 50-60 minute of commercial, from different type of Canadian artists, and yeah, once more, lots of ski stunts. Still, the Charles Bronson bit, never gets old, and Carrey does put a smile on my face a few times, but this is only for the most die hard fans, who may feel the need to watch every single film or role he ever did, long before his big break through as a movie star, over a decade later on. 3/10
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Post by lostinlimbo on Jan 16, 2023 22:18:47 GMT
Double: Ffolkes (1980) aka North Sea Hijack & Avalanche Express (1979) Both were very average, almost bog standard action-adventure films. ‘Avalanche Express’ had some decent set-pieces, but brought down by an uninteresting, clunky plot & behind the scenes disruptions. While I wished ‘Ffolkes’ had a bit more bang for its buck, as it had its quirks but never did I find it all that suspenseful. What made them watchable, mainly fell on its stars. Especially Roger Moore in ‘Ffolkes’.
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Post by lostinlimbo on Jan 16, 2023 22:30:52 GMT
Undercover Blues (1993) by Herbert Ross Oh man, another complete bummer of a so called "action comedy", where a seemingly happily married couple (Kathleen Turner and Dennis Quaid) along with their little baby, with plans on a nice and quiet little vacation down to the south, ends up getting involved into action, when they are told to return to their line of duty as super agents, and stopping some evil villain in the making. Only picked up and watched, due to how much I enjoy the early 90s comedies of Turner, such as V.I. Warshawski (1991) or Serial Mum (1994). However, Undercover Blues is not anything as funny nor enjoyable. Instead it is a very smug and painfully unfunny attempt on trying to balance between Hudson Hawk (1991) or the not far off, and superior Trues Lies (1994). Sure, Hudson Hawk got a lot of bad stuff said about it, and yet, over time, it has kind of won me over, due to the great chemistry between Willis and Aiello, along with lots of funny and eccentric bad guys, but well, Undercover Blues is just a big mess, and not one I think will benefit with further views, later on. At least Stanley Tucci as "MUERTE!!!" delivers some laughs, but they do dry out, as it just becomes very soon tiresome, watching this obvious comedy slapstick villain, being humiliated and beaten up, over and over, and over again, throughout the entire time. Was almost expecting to see the baby destroy him a few times as well. Put in a god awful villainous Fiona Shaw, and yeah, just not my kind of fun. Sadly, because I went in, hoping for a potential little gem, and instead it almost ruined the entire friday night, as I hate starting up the evening, with a downer, because it often makes me not exactly too motivated afterwards of seeing much else, and at least one good thing about the recent purchased german DVD, is that it made the film look alright, while the original artwork or poster, had I seen that one, while impulsive buyin a while ago, there is little chance it would be picked up. Smug douchy smiling sunglass wearing baby? along with "LAUGH-OUT-LOUD" Yeah, that looks like a winner, NOOOOOT!!! 3/10 I actually caught around an hour of this film last Wednesday. It was on the tv in the hospital waiting room, as I was waiting for my mother while she was in physio. While the sound was muted, there were subtitles. Still you could tell they were going the cartoonish route, and smug is probably the perfect way to describe the humour. I thought Kathleen Turner was fine, but everyone else really played up the goofiness. It did grow tiresome quick.
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Post by stefancrosscoe on Jan 17, 2023 1:05:36 GMT
Double: Ffolkes (1980) aka North Sea Hijack & Avalanche Express (1979) Both were very average, almost bog standard action-adventure films. ‘Avalanche Express’ had some decent set-pieces, but brought down by an uninteresting, clunky plot & behind the scenes disruptions. While I wished ‘Ffolkes’ had a bit more bang for its buck, as it had its quirks but never did I find it all that suspenseful. What made them watchable, mainly fell on its stars. Especially Roger Moore in ‘Ffolkes’. Only seen the Roger Moore film, North Sea Hijack (at least that was the title of my former DVD), and yeah, I remember very little about it, beside it having Roger in the lead. Doubt I will ever re-watch it again, but I said something similar with Fire, Ice and Dynamite (1990), and somehow I have re-purchased it, and even though it is not exactly a Roger Moore film, more like a cameo by him, it still has a certain feel-good in a cheesy b-movie way.
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Post by stefancrosscoe on Jan 17, 2023 15:00:54 GMT
Escape from New York (1981) by John Carpenter "The rules are simple: once you go in, you don't come out." Due to the many misfailures of trying to stop the extreme increase in crime. America has decided to given up on a large part of New York, where as now, most of the Manhattan area, serves as one gigantic and tightly secure prison cell. But with the news that the Airforce One has suddenly crash landed into The Big Apple, and fallen on the wrong side of town. A desperate rescue mission is soon set up, in order to locate and make sure that the most powerful man on the planet, along with a very important briefcase, is saved. However, to attempt such a risky plan, will require a very special kind of a man. One who will enter hell on earth, knowing full on, that there is few chances of ever coming back alive. But still for Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell), he will take what little he can get, as if he succeeds within 24 hours, he might just get his own life back, instead of heading for a lifetime sentence or worse. Decided to bring forward this absolute classic early 80s action adventure, as it turned out that the legendary John Carpenter celebrated his 75th birthday yesterday, and I was thinking of watching The Thing (1982), but I was in the mood for a bit more "upbeat" late night entertainment, and The Thing will soon be re-visited, that's for sure. Anyway, been a while since my last view of Escape from New York, and no big changes in how I feel about it, it just drags you straight in from the very first go, and comes with a fantastic cast, lots of atmosphere, love those early 80s "doomsday" minimalistic and pulsating synths, and then you have Kurt Russell in the lead, as one of the biggest bad asses of the 80s, and yeah, I had a blast. Was wondering if I should go straight to the much later on sequel, but sadly, no matter how many times I go in, expecting or maybe more fitting, hoping that it will this round, impress or entertain me a bit more, it just is such a complete downer, compared to the original. However, I might just see if it can change my mind a little, as maybe one might re-watch it when I am so motivated for more of Carpenter and Russell action film. All in all, I told to myself while early in, "damn, this could have been straight out of the future flashbacks of The Terminator", as two desperate inmates, are trying to get away over the water on a raft, only to get blown to pieces by a police helicopter. And the whole scenery, with the haunting sight of Manhattan miniature in the background, along with the huge bridge, and below, it kind of looks like human skulls are lying around, which is most likely stones, but anyway, I think James Cameron worked on this film, and so that is probably no some coincidence. The pace of this film is also a huge reason to why I love it so much. Sure, the first 25-30 minutes, for some, it might feel like a "drag", but I like it, it gives you a chance to get to know the characters, not to up close, but enough to know they are not to kid around with, and also how much that is at stakes out there, over in the chaos and lawless world of the Duke and his gang of wild animals. After that, there is a short scene where Snake decides to sit down for a bit, but soon realizes that is not so clever, as up from the depths, comes a new threat known as the Crazies, and I think even the mighty Duke do not want anything to do with those suckers. So, in a way I could see why many would want a bit more info about the different gangs and people living inside this giant rathole, formerly known as Manhattan. But that would most likely end up screwing with the pace, and add on at least 30-40 minutes of time. I think I will stop there, as there is just so many great scenes and characters showing up, some stay on for far longer, where as some still manage to be memorable, even if they only appear for a few seconds. A favorite of the eccentric baddies, is the solid character actor Frank Doubleday, who portrays Romeo, Duke's creepy looking second in commmand, or Steve Buscemi meets Peter Pan, or Peter Punk, with spiky hair and an hissing snake voice to go with. His introduction is just such a great way to show off that these guys do mean serious business, and I really felt for Donald Pleasance, as he shivering and full of bruises and obviously been tortured both physically and mentally, hell I even felt for poor Frezno Bob, even if you only heard about from when Snake visits his old "pal" Brain. Oh, yeah, Maggie is also quite the babe, love how she tries to come off as careless and bad ass, but later on when Brain is down, she showcases her true feeling for him, and would have loved to see Adrienne Barbeau in more action roles, as she did so well in this one. Well, I will stop there, but love the film, it might not be as great as The Thing, but in pure entertainment, memorable characters, scenery, music and atmosphere, it is still one of a kind, and sadly along with The Road Warrior, both of these legendary post apocalyptic films, had few if any, who managed to follow in the same kind of quality, in stead most of the "rip-offs", were usually dirt cheap b-movies (at best), but still, a few of the cheesy italian ones, are so ridiculous and funny, so they at least are worth to look up, but yeah, no changes in rating: 10/10
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Post by politicidal on Jan 17, 2023 17:58:49 GMT
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Post by FridayOnElmStreet on Jan 18, 2023 3:02:06 GMT
- 4/10 - 5/10 - 10/10 - 10/10 - 5/10
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Post by politicidal on Jan 18, 2023 3:54:01 GMT
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Post by stefancrosscoe on Jan 18, 2023 11:41:05 GMT
Escape from L.A. (1996) by John Carpenter "Fuck you, I'm going to Hollywood..." 16 years after the last adventure in New York, cult hero Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell) is once more, called upon as an "voluntary" saviour, who now must head for the former city of Los Angeles, in order to get hold of an important black box, and for his and the humanity's sake, hope that he gets the job done, before time runs out.Kind of had to give this another go, last night. As usually I have ended up watching the two Escape films, very far off each other, and well, the sequel has never truly done much beside frustrate me, as what feels like a missed opportunity, and should have been made, way earlier, but what the hell, Kurt and John gave us another Snake Plissken chapter, and I guess that is not all too bad. The difference between the two films, is pretty much summed up on the backcover of the two DVDs I own, where the 1981 film is being described as: "A nerve-wracking and suspenseful movie, filled with incredible stunts and highly creative effects, along with hard hitting action scenes"Where as the sequel is put down as: "Don't miss the excitement of seeing Snake Plissken surf his way down the Wilshire Boulevard, play basketball in the Coliseum and paragliding into the amusement park Happy Kingdom" Yeah, I guess had they made another one, continuing on the "fun" part, then he would probaly end up be seeing playing a few rounds of golf and later crashing into McDonald's or some Starbucks for a "wild ride". Somehow, I have always wanted to love Escape from L.A. much more, but it just feels like a watered down and rather rushed re-take of a superior movie, and here Carpenter had probably ten times the budget of the 1981 cult classic, and still it looks so damn cheesy and cheap, several places out, from awful CGI to just campy movie sets, and one wonder where the hell did all the money end up at? Escape from New York was a dark, menacing and constant threatening ride, filled with trills and danger around every corner, and all of a sudden, years later, what is Snake up against? Some forgettable clown, who surely would not last a second if he had ended up in the Duke's territory, back in The Big Apple. Just not an worthy opponent, to the meanest and baddest dude on the planet. Anyway, Carpenter has once more, hired in a whole bunch of familiar and well known character actors, some more recognizeable than others. Where as Steve Buscemi, kind of take on a bit of the same role as Ernest Borgnine had with Cabbie, but maybe more unpredictable and slimy, where as the Blaxploitation queen that is Pam Grier, sadly is reduced into a really bad joke, with trying to comine the characters of Brain (Harry Dean Stanton) and Maggie (Adrienne Barbeau), along with a god awful man voice. In the 1981 film, Snake was in constant danger, but in 1996 he just strolls around like he owns the place, and why should he not, where is the threat coming from? Oh yeah, instead of putting him into a lethal fight against a man beast, to the death, he is given a bit of a varm up on the threadmill, before heading out into the arena, for some basketball and ends up just turning into Michael Jordan. Then you have him surfing with Peter Fonda, and I was halfway expecting to hear him shout: "COWABUNGAAA, DUDE!", and then we get the paragliding and the generic post-grunge alternative boring rock music, which just fitted in as background noise, but gave little tension nor atmosphere in return, at least to my ears. And yeah, I guess it sounds like I had a horrible time last night, and that is actually not the case. It did become a bit more enjoyable than former visits, but it also might have something to do with the fact I had wasted over 2 hours on the awful Rise of Skywalker (2019), earlier, and was in badly need of anything, to cheer me up by then. Everything is of course not bad, Stacy Keach I thought did a god part, maybe not up there with Lee van Cleef, but okay, as well as Buscemi, while I really wanted to see more of Bruce Campbell, as the creepy head surgeoun, who was a far more frigthening villain, than the main dude, but of course, if you had blinked your eyes a few times too many, you might have missed him. Also the updated guitar version of the main theme, was pretty good, so yeah, I decided to bump the rating up a tiny bit: 6/10
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Post by politicidal on Jan 22, 2023 2:50:24 GMT
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Post by lostinlimbo on Jan 22, 2023 21:09:24 GMT
Double: Ffolkes (1980) aka North Sea Hijack & Avalanche Express (1979) Both were very average, almost bog standard action-adventure films. ‘Avalanche Express’ had some decent set-pieces, but brought down by an uninteresting, clunky plot & behind the scenes disruptions. While I wished ‘Ffolkes’ had a bit more bang for its buck, as it had its quirks but never did I find it all that suspenseful. What made them watchable, mainly fell on its stars. Especially Roger Moore in ‘Ffolkes’. Only seen the Roger Moore film, North Sea Hijack (at least that was the title of my former DVD), and yeah, I remember very little about it, beside it having Roger in the lead. Doubt I will ever re-watch it again, but I said something similar with Fire, Ice and Dynamite (1990), and somehow I have re-purchased it, and even though it is not exactly a Roger Moore film, more like a cameo by him, it still has a certain feel-good in a cheesy b-movie way. While ‘North Sea Hijack’ wasn’t as thrilling as I hoped. I still thought it had offbeat moments. It was mainly centred around Roger Moore and Anthony Perkins. The film’s tone and their performances made it such an odd film. I would probably rewatch this one again then I would ‘Avalanche Express’, which the latter I do own on dvd. Watched ‘North Sea Hijack’ on YouTube. Not the greatest visual quality, but watchable.
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Post by stefancrosscoe on Jan 23, 2023 11:14:06 GMT
While ‘North Sea Hijack’ wasn’t as thrilling as I hoped. I still thought it had offbeat moments. It was mainly centred around Roger Moore and Anthony Perkins. The film’s tone and their performances made it such an odd film. I would probably rewatch this one again then I would ‘Avalanche Express’, which the latter I do own on dvd. Watched ‘North Sea Hijack’ on YouTube. Not the greatest visual quality, but watchable. Would not surprise me if it was the same version/copy, as the one I owned on DVD. Very grainy picture and not exactly "great" sound either. Avalance Express was on Youtube as well, but through some french version, so I might pass on for now. However often the search function is not all up to what it used to be, as many recent seen films from the 80s and early 90s, has never appeared when I try to look them up, yet if one enters certain Youtube users/profiles, with lots of full length titles available, then it is more down to luck or random browsing, and suddenly they appear out of the blue. Might have something to do how the uploader do not put in to many taglines, due to increasing the chances of having the account banned or taken down.
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mgmarshall
Junior Member
@mgmarshall
Posts: 2,045
Likes: 3,297
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Post by mgmarshall on Jan 26, 2023 21:17:25 GMT
Death KissWelp, he sure does look like Charles Bronson. I can't say too much else positive about this log of sh*t, but I'll give them that. This is just bargain basement garbage from start to finish. Cheaply shot, choppily edited, poorly lit, atrociously acted, featuring some of the worst sound mixing I've heard in a long time. It is beyond amateur hour. The plot, as it is, is basically nonexistent. Bronzi meanders around, murdering drug dealers and pimps and then robbing their corpses (how f*cking noble) so he can continue to anonymously support a struggling single mother (Eva Hamilton) and her paraplegic daughter. The action scenes are almost always intercut with Daniel Baldwin as a talk radio host spewing authoritarian invective into the void. And that's basically the whole movie. Bronzi shoots. Baldwin rants. Rinse and repeat. And then there's Bronzi himself. Again, he certainly looks the part, but he can't act in English apparently. So he's overdubbed by what sounds like just some guy the whole movie. They couldn't find anybody who could do a halfway decent Bronson impression? What's the point? I think the movie's technical incompetence (and overall nastiness) is best on display in a protracted sequence where a group of scumbag bikers coerce a reluctant member of their gang into beating his own father to death before the rest of the gang forces him to watch at gunpoint as their leader rapes his girlfriend (really seems like overkill...) Of course, Bronzi intervenes, though not early enough to actually prevent the innocent victim getting murdered. Anyway, the scene is supposed to be intense and disturbing before Bronzi shows up (y'know, like something out of the the original Death Wish), but the acting from everyone involved is so laughable that it never once has the desired effect. The guy beating his dad to death actually mimes slow motion as he does it. But moreso than the utter ineptitude and lack of craft on display here, what really puts me off is the messaging. I don't think any one of the real Death Wish movies could ever hope to be as blatantly fascist and violence-glorifying as this piece of crap. There is never once any remote hint of moral ambiguity. Every criminal is a monster deserving nothing but execution in the street and Bronzi is totally justified in killing anyone he sees fit. He even has Baldwin cheering him on every step of the way. It's just kinda hateful and unpleasant to watch. Ultimately though, I think the broader purpose of these Bronzi flicks is to see almost-Charles Bronson do stuff the real one never got to. Wanna see Charles Bronson tie a man to a tree and douse him in barbecue sauce so he can be devoured by wolves? (Or crappy stock footage of wolves, anyway...) Well, now you can! If you can stomach the rest of the movie, that is.
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Post by lostinlimbo on Jan 27, 2023 0:15:31 GMT
Death KissWelp, he sure does look like Charles Bronson. I can't say too much else positive about this log of sh*t, but I'll give them that. This is just bargain basement garbage from start to finish. Cheaply shot, choppily edited, poorly lit, atrociously acted, featuring some of the worst sound mixing I've heard in a long time. It is beyond amateur hour. The plot, as it is, is basically nonexistent. Bronzi meanders around, murdering drug dealers and pimps and then robbing their corpses (how f*cking noble) so he can continue to anonymously support a struggling single mother (Eva Hamilton) and her paraplegic daughter. The action scenes are almost always intercut with Daniel Baldwin as a talk radio host spewing authoritarian invective into the void. And that's basically the whole movie. Bronzi shoots. Baldwin rants. Rinse and repeat. And then there's Bronzi himself. Again, he certainly looks the part, but he can't act in English apparently. So he's overdubbed by what sounds like just some guy the whole movie. They couldn't find anybody who could do a halfway decent Bronson impression? What's the point? I think the movie's technical incompetence (and overall nastiness) is best on display in a protracted sequence where a group of scumbag bikers coerce a reluctant member of their gang into beating his own father to death before the rest of the gang forces him to watch at gunpoint as their leader rapes his girlfriend (really seems like overkill...) Of course, Bronzi intervenes, though not early enough to actually prevent the innocent victim getting murdered. Anyway, the scene is supposed to be intense and disturbing before Bronzi shows up (y'know, like something out of the the original Death Wish), but the acting from everyone involved is so laughable that it never once has the desired effect. The guy beating his dad to death actually mimes slow motion as he does it. But moreso than the utter ineptitude and lack of craft on display here, what really puts me off is the messaging. I don't think any one of the real Death Wish movies could ever hope to be as blatantly fascist and violence-glorifying as this piece of crap. There is never once any remote hint of moral ambiguity. Every criminal is a monster deserving nothing but execution in the street and Bronzi is totally justified in killing anyone he sees fit. He even has Baldwin cheering him on every step of the way. It's just kinda hateful and unpleasant to watch. Ultimately though, I think the broader purpose of these Bronzi flicks is to see almost-Charles Bronson do stuff the real one never got to. Wanna see Charles Bronson tie a man to a tree and douse him in barbecue sauce so he can be devoured by wolves? (Or crappy stock footage of wolves, anyway...) Well, now you can! If you can stomach the rest of the movie, that is. Somewhat amusing for 10 mins, due to Bronzi’s uncanny resemblance. But the visual gimmick does wear thin, and it wasn’t much fun to watch. Bad film indeed. Death Kiss is the only one I‘ve seen with Bronzi, and he has been in a few now. Don’t know if I would seek out his other films, but Escape from Death Block 13 seems to be rated his best one thus far. Might check it out if I stumble across some day.
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Post by Sarge on Jan 27, 2023 0:40:29 GMT
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Post by stefancrosscoe on Jan 27, 2023 13:31:46 GMT
Death KissWelp, he sure does look like Charles Bronson. I can't say too much else positive about this log of sh*t, but I'll give them that. This is just bargain basement garbage from start to finish. Cheaply shot, choppily edited, poorly lit, atrociously acted, featuring some of the worst sound mixing I've heard in a long time. It is beyond amateur hour. The plot, as it is, is basically nonexistent. Bronzi meanders around, murdering drug dealers and pimps and then robbing their corpses (how f*cking noble) so he can continue to anonymously support a struggling single mother (Eva Hamilton) and her paraplegic daughter. The action scenes are almost always intercut with Daniel Baldwin as a talk radio host spewing authoritarian invective into the void. And that's basically the whole movie. Bronzi shoots. Baldwin rants. Rinse and repeat. And then there's Bronzi himself. Again, he certainly looks the part, but he can't act in English apparently. So he's overdubbed by what sounds like just some guy the whole movie. They couldn't find anybody who could do a halfway decent Bronson impression? What's the point? I think the movie's technical incompetence (and overall nastiness) is best on display in a protracted sequence where a group of scumbag bikers coerce a reluctant member of their gang into beating his own father to death before the rest of the gang forces him to watch at gunpoint as their leader rapes his girlfriend (really seems like overkill...) Of course, Bronzi intervenes, though not early enough to actually prevent the innocent victim getting murdered. Anyway, the scene is supposed to be intense and disturbing before Bronzi shows up (y'know, like something out of the the original Death Wish), but the acting from everyone involved is so laughable that it never once has the desired effect. The guy beating his dad to death actually mimes slow motion as he does it. But moreso than the utter ineptitude and lack of craft on display here, what really puts me off is the messaging. I don't think any one of the real Death Wish movies could ever hope to be as blatantly fascist and violence-glorifying as this piece of crap. There is never once any remote hint of moral ambiguity. Every criminal is a monster deserving nothing but execution in the street and Bronzi is totally justified in killing anyone he sees fit. He even has Baldwin cheering him on every step of the way. It's just kinda hateful and unpleasant to watch. Ultimately though, I think the broader purpose of these Bronzi flicks is to see almost-Charles Bronson do stuff the real one never got to. Wanna see Charles Bronson tie a man to a tree and douse him in barbecue sauce so he can be devoured by wolves? (Or crappy stock footage of wolves, anyway...) Well, now you can! If you can stomach the rest of the movie, that is. That poster along with the taglines, cracked me up. I wonder what might be the reaction, if one of his biggest fans had fallen into a coma back in the early 90s, only to wake up today, and then stumble upon this DVD/Blu-ray artwork, all while not knowing the original Charles Bronson died years ago. Just wondering how the heck this guy can still keep it up, and delivering the "goods": "One scumbag at the time" Still have not yet seen any of these Bronzi releases, even though I guess he has been making a few since 2016-17, but from the look or sound of it, I guess they can be lying around for a while more, as I still have so much unseen Bronson movies left, and would rather see a bad Bronson film, than probably a even worse Bronson rip-off film. Thanks for the review, or should I say warning but yeah, I have often wondered how this guy would sound like, as he sure looks like the part, but probably sounds nothing alike.
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Post by politicidal on Jan 27, 2023 16:31:29 GMT
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