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70's action thriller with Pam Grier as a Blaxplotation Dirty Hariette. As usual, Grier is tough and no nonsense, but also has moments of vulnerability. For a while, Pilot seemed like the smartest villain ever, not wanting to mess with Pam's character.... until he decided to mess with Pam's character.
Anyway, that certainly didn't happen last night with this one:
I watched the De Palma/Pacino version two or three times, but had never seen the original before. It is sheer brilliance. My BD has both the original cut intended by both Howards (93 minutes) and the later toned-down, edited version (88 minutes) to placate the censors. Needless to say I watched the former.
In any case, I agree on Hawks' Scarface, it is incredible. It's a different beast than the De Palma one, which I also like.
Was wondering if there's a version you prefer, even though they are tricky to compare?
As for the "Scarefaces", it's been a few years since I last watched the De Palma version, and I should do it again. But I do think the Howard Hawks original is so close to perfection, it will prevail in the comparison.
- Asteroid City
- Indina Jones and the Dial of Destiny
- No Hard Feelings
Of the three, I enjoyed No Hard Feelings the most.
Out of those three, I'd rank them:
1. Asteroid City
2. No Hard Feelings
3. Dial of Destiny
No Hard Feelings was a refreshingly fun throwback to those mid-00s sex comedies. I had a very good time with it.
That being said, I don't have any valid opinion on the movies that have come up since my last cinema experiences. It's just that the last two movies I've seen at a cinema were very satisfying (NTTD, IJ+TDOD).
Having played 2nd fiddle to other martial artists in the likes of Yes, Madam (1985), and Millionaires Express & Righting Wrongs (both 1986), this was Cynthia Rothrock's first starring role. In fact, this was written especially for her. It speaks volumes for Rothrocks skills as a martial artist, that a westerner (and a woman at that!), was chosen to be the star of a HK film, when they had more than enough stars to cast in the lead role.
With Rothrock finally in the lead, there are many sequences that act as a showcase for what she can do, namely a risky looking fight amongst some bamboo scaffolding, and and extended sequence that starts with a fight on some some cargo netting (the image above), and end up on the side of a speeding lorry.
It's not perfect, the filming was troubled by the replacement of the original director. Rothrock returned to the US, to begin filming the first China O'Brien, but was brought back to continue filming Lady Reporter, as the new director decided to bring the original final fight earlier in the film, and film a bigger climax. This leaves some major continuity errors as her hair was now longer and straight for China O'Brien.
Continuity gaffes aside, the film turned out really good, it's a fine showcase for early Rothrock. Recommended.
Finally, I got to see it. Missed it in the cinema, but having seen it now on bluray, I am glad I didn't get to go see it on the big screen. Big disappointment, visually, it is stunning, and there is one glorious overhead action sequence that is superbly thrilling, but it just doesn't keep you interested. I agree with other viewers, John Wick is a little too sidelined here, considering this is such a (too!) lengthy film! Nice to see Clancy Brown, but other characters just didn't make enough impact! Chapter 2 still remains the best, though I really love part 3! Having watched the first one recently, it wasn't as good as I remember!
So my service users wanted to go see this as it opened today, so we changed our plan for the day to go see it! At 2hrs 45mins, it was a bit of a chore for them, and for me too! I probably should stop watching these 😂. It was oh so dull, I pretty much gave up even before the titles rolled. They just dont click with me! I dont rate the much heralded action scenes either. The climax on the train is pretty good, but the rest is a very big Meh!
Others seem to love the series here, so I won't spoil anything, but they're just not my cup of tea!
As a footnote, my four service users nearly ran out of the place by the time the end credits rolled!
If I had a gun Id shoot the TV due to this snooze fest :D:
LIONHEART
Oh yeah, that hit the spot. Solid script and story, cool (albeit brief) fights, lots of heart (Van Damme's most family friendly film I've seen so far), great music score. The supporting cast is superb, especially Harrison Page and Deborah Rennard.
Vintage Van Damme, nice. Released over here as... A.W.O.L. I haven't seen that one.
Arguably my favourite of Corman's Poe (& Lovecraft) cycle.
The Four Musketeers: Revenge of Milady 1974 I finally got round to watching the 4K version in full, this movie is absolutely astounding one of my favorite movies of all times.
There is one scene between Oliver Reed and Faye Dunaway even though I have seen it hundreds of time is jaw dropping. The Four Musketeers: Revenge of Milady is a precursor to Indy and Star Wars and Marvel movies.
Is it the scene where Athos confronts her over D'Artagnans death warrant?
I have seen the two films lots of times and have flip flopped over which is better ( much like 'The French Connection' films) but I do think 'The Revenge of Milady' is superior, particularly the ending!
Dunaway is the personification of cold villain, brilliant actress. After watching the first film I thought maybe this one is the best, then again after watching the second film that is the best. The Four Musketeers: Revenge of Milady becomes very dark and serious which elevates it.
I also watched Universal Soldier. It's good but not among my favorite Van Dammes. The diner scene is great, along with the bus scene, which for me is the peak of action and intensity in the movie (the out of control vehicle, the grenades... terrific). Lundgren is a pretty great villain once he stops being robotic. I wish they had fleshed out Jerry Orbach's and/or Ed O'Ross' characters a bit more (the unused ending with Orbach sounds cool, but I think I would've preferred if they had further developed the character without introducing any twists). The MVP is by far Ally Walker. Because Van Damme is so stoic here, they had to balance him with a more lively presence, and Walker was just terrific. Charismatic, funny. I came for Van Damme, but stayed for her.
I was throughly gripped by this film from beginning to end, even finding myself feeling a bit saddened at the climax of the film. By all means, this film is the most accurate representation of the Titanic’s sinking (withholding the fact the ship didn’t split in two, but that discovery didn’t come along until the 80’s.) Really enjoyed Kenneth More in the film, as well as the few cameos from some Bond alumni. Honor Blackman was an easy catch, but I was also thrilled to see Desmond Lewellyn as a crew member blocking 3rd Class passengers behind a gate. Rumor has it Sean Connery even had a small role of a Titanic Crewman, but I couldn’t spot him.
One of the great final shots of any film. Extremely impactful. The horrible death toll reflected in inanimate objects.
That was a great shot to end the film on. I actually prefer this ending to the ending of Cameron’s Titanic because of how cold it leaves you.
I didn't know about this little Farrah Fawcett detective comedy, but I must say that I rather like it, no matter how silly it is. Miss Fawcett plays a ditsy blonde in an exotic location who tries to help a private detective solve a case. The result is nothing special, but the distance of time has given this film at least a strong nostalgic power that I find hard to resist.
Universal Soldier is one of my favourites. As a film series, it has had an odd evolution over the years. But the first is the best.
Agreed on Allie Walker, she was lovely. Whatever happened to her? I can't say that I have ever seen her in anything else.
Sounds like fun, where did you manage to watch it?
Doing a bit of exploration in Tony Curtis' filmography (after watching The Persuaders! of course), and this film, dare I say it, it's underrated, there's even Robert De Niro in his prime! They're all great in this film!
Their acting were a bit realistic in this one, it's almost like Method Acting, the same for Tony Curtis (he's great in this film).
This is one of the films where I'd liked to see a modern take, but performance wise, I'm not sure if they could ever topped the performances of the cast in the original.