| recent viewing | ||
sunday |
Naked +
It does seem that actor David Thewlis could be responsible for coming up with most, if not all, of the philosophical rants in Naked. This makes me think whether he and the other cast members who contributed improvised dialogue should share the writing credit with Mike Leigh? Hmmm... |
 1993 DVD |
sunday |
The Chant of Jimmy Blacksmith
What a fucken great movie by Fred Schepsi. I'm surprised it's not mentioned more often when people talk about Australian cinema classics. Could it be that the subject matter and themes hit too close to home, even in our 'enlightened' society? The film follows the true story of two Aboriginal brothers who go on a killing spree after enduring abuse at the hands of white farmers. Schepsi and novelist Thomas Kenneally paint this tragedy in shades of grey, letting the viewer decide what the mitigating circumstances might have been. Besides its thought-provoking content, The Chant of Jimmy Blacksmith is also an action film with confronting moments of violence – more than I had expected. Fans of Aussie cinema need to grab the two-disc DVD release from Umbrella. It includes a fine commentary from Schepsi and about two hours of engaging extras. I hope that Schepsi's later Evil Angels receives similar treatment. |
 1978 DVD |
tuesday |
Someone Like You
All righty. This is how you make a decent romantic comedy. Confident professional gal Ashley Judd works at a television studio. She despises the chauvinism of hunky rake Eddie (Hugh Jackman) and falls for a SNAG newcomer, played by Greg Kinear. Of course, things become complicated, and a few twists are delivered by the end of the story, with the requisite misunderstandings and self-realisations. Et cetera. While the final pairing happens too neatly, Someone Like You was smarter than recent examples of this genre that have played at Toxic Towers. And it was laugh-out-loud funny in several places, for example when Eddie nails a blanket to his apartment wall to cover a dirty big hole. |
 TV |
saturday |
The Woodsman
An austere and intelligent examination of paedophilia that stars Kevin Bacon as a convicted sex offender who just finished a 12-year sentence for you-know-what. Bacon gives a jittery and believable performance. He's well supported by Kyra Sedgwick and Mos Def, to name two cast members. The Woodsman was broadcast as part of SBS's American Indie movie festival. A brave choice. |
2004 TV |
| Lord of the Rings: Return of the King +
Seeing bits of this on television inspired me to revisit not just the movie itself, but the DVD making-of documentaries as well – all 3.5 hours of them. I've also been reading more of the book, which has been collecting dust on my bedroom bookshelf for a couple of years now. Yes, the prose still sucks, but like poor Frodo, I will not give up. |
2003 DVD | |
| Clash of the Titans +
I was one of those kids who liked any film that featured monsters and mythical creatures. Hence, back in the day, a film like Clash of the Titans was totally miraculous. Today I suspected that it might be a chore and a bore to watch, which is why I never bought the this title on DVD. But did it have some latent quirkiness? Today's TV broadcast was a good chance to find out that it does not, in fact, have one milligram of quirk. The fabulous Medusa sequence near the end is probably worth enduring what comes before it. Only just. Ray Harryhausen's effects are always a joy to behold. It's a pity to see them used in, not so much a bad film, as a dull one. |
TV | |
saturday |
Lucker the Necrophagus
I've been curious about Lucker since reading about it in an issue of Mondo Gore. A Flemish production made for $30,000, the movie details the exploits of John Lucker, a weird psychopath with a bent for necrophilia. There's some unintentional humour as the socially retarded John stalks women and throws tantrums, all while wearing aviator sunglasses. The lingering kill scenes (mainly stabbings) would be more graphic if the movie had been transferred from better source material. Instead, Synapse presents what looks like a bad VHS dupe on their US DVD. At least it was in 16:9 format, as advertised. Since the director was involved, one can only assume a better print doesn't exist. |
1985 DVD |
| Gestapo's Last Orgy / L'Ultima orgia del III Reich
This oddball Nazisploitation flick just doesn't make the grade. At times I was bored enough to engage the fast forward button, something this videophile only does as a last resort. The staples of the sub-genre are present, but the whole production is so poorly executed that any impact is undermined. The most risque scene involves an unconscious female prisoner being laid out on the dinner table and cooked in cognac after the partying SS officers decide that eating Jews is a groovy idea, although one officer gags and leaves the room. The uncut DVD from Exploitation Digital is not anamorphic, despite what the cover says, which makes Gestapo's Last Orgy a disappointing package all round. Or maybe I'm getting jaded? Nahhhh... |
1977 DVD | |
thursday |
The Godfather Part II +
Shit, talk about wiping out your whole evening. Even with PAL's 4% speed-up, The Godfather Part II runs for 190+ minutes. Listening to Coppola's audio commentary, I learned that this film contains story content from Mario Puzo's original novel, as well as bits made up by Coppola that show what happened after the first film ended. It all blends seamlessly, with Al Pacino and Robert De Niro carrying both narratives. This is filmmaking as art. I won't be buying and watching Part III, which still exists in its censored form. |
1976 DVD |
sunday |
The Godfather +
I watched the restored print transferred to DVD and Blu-ray recently. It's still an outstanding piece of cinema, even if the jumps in time are more obvious and jarring to me these days. The violence stands up well, though, heh heh heh... |
1972 DVD |
saturday |
Full Metal Jacket +
Broadcast in full frame (open matte) by SBS, which was disappointing given that the latest DVD has a 16:9 transfer. Ditto The Shining. |
1987 TV |
sunday |
2001: A Space Odyssey +
The first broadcast title for SBS's Kubrick Week marathon. I certainly approve, given this is currently my favourite movie. From the looks of the image quality, SBS used the most recent HD digital transfer, although I only received it in standard definition PAL (720 pixels by 576) via RGB. |
1968 TV |
saturday |
Ben-Hur +
Awww, how sweet...the two leper ho's got cured when JC went to heaven. Well, holy Moses, it has been decades since I watched this sprawling exemplar of the biblical epic. Surprisingly it still moves along at a good clip, even with TV commercials drawing it out to a mighty length of four hours – that's one sixth of the entire day. The transfer broadcast was recently minted, but sadly not in its original aspect ratio, hence the meticulous compositions suffered. |
TV |
sunday |
Who the #!*% is Jackson Pollack?
A 70 minute documentary on ABC 2 about an old female truck driver who buys a painting in a thrift shop for $5.00 and learns that it could be an original Jackson Pollack worth $50 million. Small hitch: there's no provenance (trace of ownership). In her favour: a fingerprint on the back of the canvas that matches two confirmed Pollack prints. As yet, she has refused to sell the painting, despite an offer of $9 million from a Saudi buyer. And more: every art expert has said it's not a Pollack. Your heart breaks. |
TV |
saturday |
Halloween +
I was out socialising on Halloween night in the city and then for an ex-flatmate's birthday, so I had to see this Johnny Carpenter classic a day late. Minor revelation: the scares still get me. Donald Pleasance is also hilarious to watch as the cranky psychiatrist. |
1978 DVD |
monday 1980s USA Slasherthon |
The Blob +
Despite some decent special effects and brief gore scenes, I was bored this time out, especially when the film morphs from horror mode to action adventure mode. |
1988 DVD |
| Prince of Darkness +
Here's a movie I never really paid attention to much in the past. Therefore it was great to down a cup of coffee and be totally alert during this quirky John Carpenter treatment of the well-worn story about Satan trying to set hoof upon the Earth – downtown Los Angeles to be exact, heh heh. The quantum physics angle is used cleverly here. It's just a pity that the third act descends a bit too much into the usual zombie/bodily possession shenanigans. But overall Prince of Darkness is a worth member of the Carpenter canon. Schmaltz and all. |
1987 DVD | |
sunday 1980s USA Slasherthon |
Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer +
This is one of those disturbing horror films that isn't fucking around. Henry transcends its micro-budget with a raw, in-your-face approach to the subject matter, which is loosely inspired by the infamous Henry Lee Lucas and Otis Toole killing spree in America. John McNaughton will probably never top Henry, although I wouldn't mind seeing the uncensored version of The Borrower one day. |
1986 DVD |
| The Beast Within
A bizarre yet fun creature feature from Australian director Philipe Mora, the man who ruined The Howling franchise. He shows a modicum of talent with The Beast Within, the tale of a normal 17 year old bloke who gradually turns into a giant cicada. |
1981 DVD | |
| The Funhouse +
"Are you...mad enough?" A twisted little body count movie from Tobe Hooper (Texas Chain Saw Massacre) that's also self-reflexive. For once, the highlights of this at-first-glance prosaic fright flick are not the death scenes, which are violent but not bloody, but instead other quirky aspects that stick in your mind, like the shoddy magician who performs a magic act called "The Impaler," and the verbal enticements of the side-show carnies (played by the same actor). Good stuff, albeit a tad disturbing. |
1981 DVD | |
saturday 1980s USA Slasherthon |
Hellbound: Hellraiser II +
Time has not been kind to this sequel. All involved pretty much admit that it sucks runny eggs, and that it could have been much better. This viewer agrees. Next time, assuming there is a next time, I'll have to be well and truly liquored up to enjoy this mess. Let's not even mention the other sequels in this franchise... |
1988 DVD |
| Hellraiser +
This highpoint of 1980s horror was conceived and directed by UK author Clive Barker, whose The Damnation Game and Books of Blood I'd already read and enjoyed immensely in my teens. Hellraiser itself was based on Barker's novella The Hellbound Heart. The film still works today. It's still in its MPAA-censored form and will only be restored to its original length if the cut footage is found and Clive agrees to do it. You see, he now prefers this tamer version. Be that as it may, here at Toxic Waste Hellraiser's status will remain as CFDUSTD. Watch out for the film adaptation of The Midnight Meat Train soon. Of much less interest is the impending Hellraiser remake. Groan. |
1987 DVD censored | |
thursday 1980s USA Slasherthon |
The Dead Pit +
A perfect example of having the right ingredients and resources, but fumbling the ball. The reason is Brett Leonard, an American filmmaker who could never quite tell a story properly. He always fucked it up somehow. Anyway, The Dead Pit betrays its Re-Animator influences as it plods to its inevitable zombies on the loose climax. There's at least 10 minutes of padding here that deserve FF treatment. Collectors will want to upgrade their Aussie VHS ex-rentals of The Dead Pit with the new US DVD. |
1989 DVD |
| Scarecrows +
After putting up with this film on VHS (Very Hazy System), I can only just now say that I've seen the whole movie. MGM's new US DVD is crisp and in widescreen, making the brief gore scenes all the more graphic and impactful. The story? Army grunts have stolen a few mil and are using a hijacked plane as the getaway vehicle. Before long, they find themselves stuck on a farm at night being stalked and chopped up by scarecrows. It's no classic, but it does rise above other body-count titles of this ilk. |
1988 DVD | |
wednesday 1980s USA Slasherthon |
The Stuff
Believe it or not, I never watched the local VHS rental of The Stuff. In fact, I've never seen Q the Winged Serpent, It's Alive 1-3 or God Told Me To either. The Stuff is a fun social satire on consumerism and death by consumption that may have influenced Street Trash (1987). |
1985 DVD |
| Body of Lies
The new Ridley Scott is engaging mainstream fare. It was based on a novel, so there's more plot than usual for a Ridley Scott production. That doesn't mean that horrendously over-used device of kidnapping the hero's love interest to provide motivation in the third act for stupid behaviour is not used here. It is, and painfully. The first two thirds of the story are solid. It also cannot avoid comparisons with Syriana, which featured George Clooney also suffering finger damage under torture. At least Hoyts had the image in focus. Watch out for Vince Collosimo in chav gear in a supporting role. He makes white joggers and tacky dacks look good on film. Body of Lies apparently bombed at the US box office. |
2008 cinema | |
monday 1980s USA Slasherthon |
Alone in the Dark
Review pending. |
1981 DVD |
sunday |
Satan's Baby Doll
Review pending. |
1982 DVD |
| La Settima Donna
Review pending. |
1978 DVD | |
wednesday |
Dark Star +
Oh yes, I was once fixed on this film. Nowadays it's kind of slow going. The last ten minutes are the most poignant ever committed to film. On New Year's Eve 2007, I walked into the party – BBQ, kids, folding chairs, blokes in sandles, married couples, BYO alcohol safety net, coleslaw, obligatory tour of the house, "Did you lend us this DVD?" – and guess which song was playing? 'Benson, Arizona'. This was ten years since watching the movie. You have to love those moments when you get chills of frission, but don't quite know why. Cheers to the hosts of that party, anyway! The Aussie DVD is not anamorphic, despite what the fucken cover says. Furthermore, the definitive release on home video has yet to surface. It was also interesting to note how much this Carpenter movie influenced Red Dwarf and others. |
1974 DVD |
saturday |
The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms
I have the DVD, but I fell asleep in the middle of it, so it took a screening in Sydney for me to absorb the whole tale, and what a phantasmagorical pulp yarn it is. I liked the pointed humour and chintzy monster animation by Ray Harryhausen. It was based on a story by dark fantasist Ray Bradbury, although I'm not really a huge fan of his writing. For $10 plus change, this is a no-brainer for serious genre collectors, and those who've seen the dire remake of Godzilla will see many similarities in The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms. The local DVD is anamorphic, with a decent enough black and white transfer. |
DVD |
| Wrong Turn II
A group of young attractive 20-somethings get stranded in the woods and are gradually picked off by a family of psycho killers. Sound familiar? Funny that. With the late special effects doyen Stan Winston as a stakeholder, Wrong Turn II benefits from decent production values and quality gruesome make-up work. The death scene of the girl who gets axed against a tree trunk high in the canopy so that the top half of her head stays fixed while her lifeless body falls to the ground brought the house down when I saw it with my horror comic artist friends in Sydney. All well-worn body count terror-tory, but entertaining enough to consider buying the DVD cheap. Now...I must get around to watching the original Wrong Turn, not that a lack of continuity was a problem here. Funny that. |
2005 DVD | |
thursday |
Henry Rollins Provoked: Live from Melbourne
Not sure what I was expecting. The show was recorded this year in Melbourne during the Comedy Festival. If you were in the stalls, there's a good chance your mug shows up in one of the audience shots. Rollins presents an entertaining mixture of lecturing, anecdotes and humour. He's a good bloke who actually cares. Interestingly though not surprisingly, Rollins spends much time championing Kevin Rudd and the voters who brought him to power, slamming Johnny Howard in the process, who aligned himself with the US neo-con motherfuckers and took us to war. Those used to watching standup comedy should realise that Rollins mainly talks; he doesn't try to make everything funny. The drawcard of this DVD package is that disc two contains the full 3.5 hour unedited performance. I've only seen the 90 minute edited highlights disc. |
2008 DVD |
| Elizabeth: The Golden Years
I kept waiting to hear the David Bowie song. No luck. It's another extremely watchable costume drama from the same director and starring Catey Blanchett once again. It's a big fucken ask to compress this historical epoch into 110 minutes, therefore you get huge jumps in the narrative, but one eventually gets used to unknown characters behaving strangely in the shadows. Solid supporting roles are played by Clive Owen as Sir Walter Raleigh and Abbie Cornish as one of Elizabeth's handmaidens, not to mention Jeffery Rush, who's not given much to do this time apart from rattling chains in his dungeon. Mary Queen of Scotts loses her head, but you can only see the gory results in the DVD deleted scenes. |
2008 DVD | |
wednesday |
10,000 BC
I suspected that this prehistoric confection might be crappy. Having sat through it, I know now that my expectations were too high. Where does one begin, with the paleontological mistakes, the bullshit archeological speculation, or the lugubrious story telling? Forget all that, let's talk about the special effects. There's three different extinct anmials depicted in 10,000 BC: woolly mammoths, giant flightless birds that resemble New Zealand Moas, and a sabre-toothed tiger. All beasts look great, thanks to the mandate for photorealism. The fanged moggie is way too big, however, and the birds moved too fast for critical examination. The initial mammoth hunting sequence is fantastic; I watched it several times. The rest of the film is a load of shit. |
2008 DVD |
| Run Fatboy Run
A bloody awful romantic comedy that wastes the talents of Simon Pegg (Spaced, Shaun of the Dead) and Dylan Moran (Black Books). Directed by David Schwimmer (Friends) and co-scripted by Pegg, who should know better, it's 90 minutes of dull goofball agony. There's no sign of Edgar Wright or Nick Frost. Little wonder. |
2008 DVD | Juno
A clever teen comedy that nevertheless dwells on the pregnancy stuff too much, so be warned in advance. At least I got a few hearty laughs from it, and one of the characters is into gore films – the work of H.G. Lewis of all people, ha-ha. Juno herself prefers Dario Argento. Definitely worth watching, even if the performances are a bit too self-conscious, and don't forget that Daria covered much of this ground years ago. |
2008 DVD censored? |
tuesday |
In Bruges
Hey, bloody nice. This is familiar cinematic territory, though no less enjoyable for it. Plus Colin Farrell gets to play up his underused comedic talents in this story of odd-couple British hitmen stuck in Bruges, Belgium. Besides the situation comedy, there's a spot of hard violence and bloodshed, and even some brief gore. I'm not sure what the middle-aged crowd thought of the inevitable outcome after giggling through Farrell whining about "gay beer" and suicidal midgets, heh heh. |
2008 cinema |
saturday |
One Fine Day
File under: single parent rom-com. George Clooney and Michelle Pffeifer, paying the gas bills and car insurance together in a rather painful romantic comedy. There's worse things, I suppose. Like dislocating my finger. That was worse. And yet I sat and watched the whole movie and endured the interminable commercial breaks from Hell. As with The Wedding Date, One Fine Day is an homogenised product, short on inspiration, hence the A-list casting. Watch Michelle Pffeifer opposite Al Pacino in When Frankie Meet Johnnie for a good, more vulnerable performance in a superior romantical drama (plus it's like Scarface twelve years later). Clooney brings his usual twitchy mannerisms to this role. That's always entertaining and probably the main reason I stayed the course, instead of say, arranging my DVD collection in alphabetical order of director surname. By the way, this film has kids in it. Clooney, not being a father, was a bit too self-consciously relaxed and 'fun' around the kids. That was amusing to watch. |
TV |
sunday |
99 Women
Right. I've seen the grandmother (?) of all WIP (women in prison) flicks. This is Jess Franco in absolute top form telling a real story about women locked up in an island prison, presided over by a cruel warden and her corrupt governor. The staples are all here. I can see why producers hired Jess Franco to make 100,001 exploitation films in his career – it's largely on the strength of 99 Women, which should make the Toxic Waste Top Five list for sure. Someone should strike new prints and have a revival run in the local multiplexes. Ah, one can dream... |
1968 DVD |
| Venus in Furs
After being stirred on a number of vague levels by Vamyros Lesbos, I had high hopes for this famous and supposedly laudable Jess Franco titilation classic; a companion piece to Lesbos, as it were. In reality, if a movie could be called a "dumb blonde", Venus in Furs definitely qualifies. As revealled in the featurette, Franco wanted to make a different picture to what his producers intended for their cashola. I suppose seeing Klaus Kinski and the bloke from The Time Tunnel (playing trumpet for real, no less) in the same movie provided much needed novelty value, because the nudity and death scenes are kind of lame. Plus they're too well filmed. I need to eyeball Female Vampire again fucking pronto. Forget this populist arty shit. |
1973 DVD | |
saturday |
The Wedding Date
Insufferably contrived romantic comedy that tries to make us believe Debra Messing is an unhappy single gal living in a city of seven billion horny metrosexuals. Anyway, she hires a giggolo to be her date at her friend's or sister's wedding (I forget who) to avoid dying from embarrasement at being seated at the singles table, and of course they fall in lurve (Pretty Man anyone?) after flirting a bit and she sees his cock in the bathroom and gasps. Still, they manage to fight over two trivial points (she tries to pay for a root, he withholds damning gossip) by the end of the second act. It makes you think these scripts are all written from a Microsoft Word document template. This example of the art is below par; not much stretching here by anyone involved. But this is a genre I know well (at great cost to my IQ), therefore the sheer formulaic familiarity has in-built appeal for this aficionardo of celluloid speed dating. Bonus points if you stayed home and watched this alone on Saturday night, you sad pathetic loser. |
TV |
| The World According to Monsanto
Another DIY documentary viewed as a highly compressed DVD file. That being the case, this is some scary shit. Monsanto have bio-engineered seeds and crops, mainly soybeans, to resist Monsanto's patented pesticide. The company is now buying seed supply companies all over the world and replacing local organic seeds with their own higher priced product. Not only that, but cross contamination of pure genetic strains is occurring even in areas that have not been swallowed up by Monsanto, e.g. parts of Mexico. Plus there's much more. Basically, this feature exposes Monsanto to be a bunch of lying cunts. The M.O. of this doco is a bit suss...Using Google searches as a linking device for each thread. Memo to producers: hit counts are essentially meaningless. |
2007 DVD | |
sunday |
The Secret History of 9/11
An old documentary now, repeated by SBS. It basically proffers the 'gross incompetency' and 'comedy of errors' explanation for the 9/11 'failures'. This is the angle a lot of friends adopt to magically explain away the 100s of inconsistencies, including violations of the laws of physics, and a building certified by engineering codes that suffers total collapse when it...catches fire. Interesting. And yet when viewed uncritically in this documentary, the incompetency shtick is quite convincing. I once believed it. |
TV |
sunday |
Fool Me Twice
A local documentary with ultra-bad production values that covers two topics: the controversy in East Timor concerning what the Australian government did or did not know, and peculiarities with the Bali bombings, e.g. concrete blown completely off its reinforced steel, the crater under one of the cars, incinerated bodies via heat flash, etc. Food for thought that needs more rigorous treatment. |
DVD |
| Zeitgeist
All right, I've finally seen one of the key conspiracy theory documentaries of recent years. It covers the intriguing idea that Jesus Christ is nothing more than a sun god, 9/11 inside job evidence (nothing new here, but it presents a compact summary of the main points), and the central banking scam, which has now become very topical. All up an interesting chunk of counter knowledge, even if the JHC segment was difficult to swallow. |
2006 DVD | |
saturday |
9/11 Ripple Effect
Dave Von Kleist's follow up to In Plane Site continues to focus on two dubious aspects of 9/11, the Pod and the flashes supposedly captured as the planes hit each WTC tower. Apart from those points, the remainder of the documentary covers the same ground as In Plane Site and other suchlike titles. I saw Ripple Effect during a well-attended public screening held at the State Library on Swanston Street. |
DVD |
monday |
The Falling Man
Running for an hour plus, The Falling Man was intriguing, yet padded with too many poignant asides. Who is the Falling Man? He's one of the many people who jumped from the burning World Trade Towers on 9/11. A photographer snapped one shot of The Falling Man in a serene, head-down position. This documentary follows the photographer's attempts to positively identify the poor victim, who probably worked in the top-floor restaurant. |
2006 DVD |
monday |
Crash +
More James Spader, this time in David Cronenberg's knockout adaptation of JG Ballard's cult novel Crash, which I read a long time ago now. What the movie lacks in terms of capturing Ballard's lyrical prose poetry, it gains from Cronenberg's highly tuned instincts for psychosexual theatre. Young Ballard in the movie (Spader) undergoes a transformation as complete as Seth Brundle in The Fly, Max Renn in Videodrome, or 'Joey' in A History of Violence. |
1997 DVD |
| sex, lies, and videotape +
This early Steven Soderbergh art house success holds up well. I'm not even sure I actually saw the whole film the first time. Perhaps it was a TV broadcast? Anyway, fans of sex, lies, and videotape – with James Spader in top form – can now grab the anamorphic DVD cheap. |
1991 DVD | |
sunday |
The Dark Knight
If I have to tell Village to focus their projectors again, I'm going to demand a part-time salary. So, here it is, the much vaunted Batman sequel. Christopher Nolan (Memento, Batman Begins, The Prestige) was involved once more, ensuring continuity of style and tone if nothing else. This time out, the supernatural elements and spectacle are mostly ejected in favour of realism. And it works pretty well. The obvious difference is Maggie Gyllenhaal stepping in for Katie Holmes as Rachel Dawes. On the plus side there's Heath Legder's great performance as The Joker. I haven't really got much to add that others haven't said already, except it's probably not as good as the hype suggests, being that it lacks moments of true frission. Christian Bale as Batman also lacks charisma, but it is gutsy superhero fare all the same. |
2008 cinema |
| The Strangers
Scary in places, though lacking substance overall, The Strangers updates the home invasion template and stars Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman. A young couple are under siege by three sub-rural crazies wearing bogeyman masks in the dead of night. For the most part, this horror fan enjoyed the standard thriller trappings offered up by writer/director Bryan Bertino. Two aspects that dragged it down were (a) the now hopelessly clichéd accidental killing of the friend-or-saviour gimick, and (b) the bullshit surprise ending. Otherwise the tone and ruthlessness of The Strangers, who're ultimately portrayed as nothing more than bogans with rather bad manners, are commendably sustained. Here's hoping that Bertino's next feature Alone has more originality. |
2008 cinema | |
saturday |
The Killer +
I finally picked up the Hong Kong Legends UK disc to fill a long-standing gap in my collection. Arguably the apex of the whole 'heroic bloodshed' genre of HK action films, it's easy to dismiss The Killer after so many viewings and seeing its influences in so many subsequent movies. You can include titles such as Smokin' Aces and Shoot'em Up as recent examples. Furthermore, having seen A Better Tomorrow and A Better Tomorrow II, The Killer seems less miraculous and more of a natural progression for Johnny Woo. I also think Hard Boiled is a better movie. The HK Legends DVD comes with 45 mins of interviews and a cracking-good audio commentary by author Bey Logan. |
1989 DVD |
| Bully +
It was a natural segue from Kids to this modern classic (says me). It still holds up as an indictment of youth culture and parental cluelessness. |
1999 DVD | |
| Kids +
I bought and watched the new local DVD, which is currently going cheap in shops. It features a crisp anamorphic transfer, but no extras. |
1995 DVD | |
wednesday |
Inland Empire
All right, then. Here's the David Lynch film that sorts out the stalwart devotees from the chaff. Shot digitally, pieced together with fragments of footage, and running to three hours – even longer in Poland – I wonder what the French cinephiles thought of Inland Empire? One thing to be said is that Lynch has now made the same movie at least three or four times. Inland Empire is probably his most anti-narrative, anti-entertainment entry so far. You don't even get to enjoy real cinematography, or even faux film stock a'la David Fincher's terrific Zodiac. Instead, Lynch emphasizes the worst aspects of digital video to reflect his lead character's corrupted psyche, so you get close-ups typical of bad XXX hardcore, deliberately burned-out images, poorly focused shots, hand-held wobbles, and desaturated colours. This whole mess has been highly praised by some. I put it into the avant-garde, experimental bucket, along with noise 'music', performance art, and abstract painting: it's the audio-visual equivalent of coleslaw. But you still have to admire Lynch for going against fashion and sticking it to his audience. |
2006 DVD |
saturday |
Mother of Tears / La Terza madre
Now that Dario Argento has stopped making Art Films, and merely churns out movies like every other chump for hire, one's expectations of his patchy horror output have gone south. So it was pleasantly surprising to discover that Mother of Tears, the anticipated conclusion to the Three Mothers triptych begun with Suspiria (1977) and Inferno (1980), is an entertaining piece of supernatural hokum with some gory highlights. Asia Argento stars as the daughter of a witchfinder who sets in motion the coming of the eponymous Third Mother in modern day Rome. Ummm...emo witches, anyone? Partially funded by film commission lira, Mother of Tears exhibits some of the old Argento magic: OTT violent deaths, Hitchcockian intrigue, shock effects, a dubious mythology, a threatened young heroine trying to solve a mystery, and a rousing music score by Claudio Simonetti of Goblin fame. It should receive a local release classified R 18+. |
2007 DVD |
saturday |
Africa Addio / Africa: Blood and Guts
Known locally on VHS rental as Africa: Blood and Guts, this extended version sporting its Italian moniker contains an additional 45 minutes of footage. Most of the material edited out covers various instances of racial villification, genocides and civil war. However, I didn't really see anything that was overly shocking – there's much worse on the Internet these days, if you can find it. The only on-screen deaths shown were summary executions of two rebel fighters. |
DVD |
thursday |
Hancock
An interesting spin on the superhero theme has drunk immortal John Hancock (Will Smith) fighting crime in LA but also producing collateral damage to public property. After saving a publicist from certain death at a level crossing, the two work on improving Hancock's public image and general misbehaviour. Like a redux of badass Spidey from Spider-man III, Hancock is mildly entertaining as he takes swigs from whiskey bottles in-flight and reacts to snotty little kids. And then there's the unlikely story twist...Hmmm. It's worth seeing if nothing else is playing. Also beware that the shaky-cam quotient is low-medium, resulting in slight nausea for this viewer. DVD should be safe. |
2008 cinema |
thursday |
The Love Guru
I was right. The best bits were in the trailer. The actual movie is a pile of crap that barely made 3.5 on the IMDB rating. I got a few giggles out of it – Mike Myers goes for broke, but it's a definitely a case of quantity over quality. Toilet humour, puns, double-entendres, and visual gags are fired at the audience like bullets. And Sir Ben Kingsley spends the whole movie cross-eyed in a piss-take of his Ghandi role. I suppose there were enough inspired moments to maintain interest, such as the Bollywood parody, various running gags that send up the self-help industry, the Guru's roadie, and funny book titles that progressively get worse until, finally, everybody in my 7:45pm session reacted to them with dead silence. Enjoy the trailer. Avoid the film. |
2008 cinema |
wednesday |
Ghost in the Shell II: Innocence
Quite a progression from the disappointing original movie. While the characters are still cell animated, most of the moving backgrounds are done with computer graphics. This lends Ghost in the Shell II a dreamy and surreal Final Fantasy look. Like a lot of manga, this one gets away from itself with existentialism, high brow philosophy, and direct quotes from Descartes through to Confucius. There's also visual references and plot devices from other SF movies, with Blade Runner being the most obvious influence. But if you can swallow all that, Ghost in the Shell II provides a lush future noir tale about pleasure robots (gynoids) that have been killing their owners, together with some droll humour. The investigation leads the detectives down a cybernetic rabbit hole that at times interferes with reality itself. Philip K. Dick, anyone? Yeah, recommended. |
2004 DVD |
sunday |
Blood Diamond
Wow, against expectations, here's one action adventure movie that ticks all the boxes. Blood Diamond explores the diamond smuggling trade out of Sierra Leone circa 1999. Leonardo DiCaprio stars as a white African diamond smuggler who gets wind of a huge rough diamond discovered by a local fishermen. However, getting the treasure out of the country proves to be rather complicated and positively dangerous. Director Edward Zwick delivers great story telling, affecting performances, tense action sequences, an appealing love interest (Jennifer Connelly), realistic violence, thematic potency, and emotional poignancy. Blood Diamond is one of the best studio pictures I've seen in a loooong time. There's two DVDs out locally, one with Zwick's excellent commentary, and an SE with bonus features loaded onto a second disc. |
2006 DVD |
| Raiders of the Lost Ark +
Awww, the poor Nazis dudes all got fried. Well, I bought this title for dad, but wanted to see how it held up in its original aspect ratio more ten years since I last watched it in on TV. Obviously, compared to the latest chintzy sequel about crystal skulls and CGI, Raiders of the Lost Ark kicks arse. Even though audiences always thought of it as over the top, the main thing that struck me this time around was how restrained and controlled it actually is. Good fun. Bonus trivia: the special effects guy (Chris Walas) who made the Nazi's face melt went on to create the creature effects for The Fly, and to direct the dire sequel, The Fly II. |
1981 DVD | |
thursday |
Frontier(s) / Frontière(s)
More gutsy French horror. Sadly, this outing is more derivative of several well-known genre titles, both classics and newer releases. Those that come to mind include The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (family of redneck killers), Hostel (torture and casual executions), and even The Descent (the crawlspace sequence). The pace never lets up and if anything, it's a little too hyperactive, especially during the opening reel. Having to read subtitles during action scenes didn't help matters either, one supposes. The gore and violence was strong enough to garner a US NC-17 rating. In 'Straya it might get a hard MA 15+ or possibly an R 18+. It's not as extreme or nihilistic as Inside though, which I assume will receive an R 18+ without equivocation from our OFLC board members. Frontier(s) directory Xavier Gens went on to make the bloody crime thriller Hitman, now uncut on DVD. |
2007 DVD |
tuesday |
Inside / À l'intérieur
With Haute Tension, the soon to be viewed Frontier(s), and now Inside, there seems to be a new French New Wave. Except that this is a new wave of blood. Inside is a claustrophobic intruder flick with a simple plot that produces a devastating array of carnage. The brutal special effects are well handled and done without computer assistance, from what I could tell, all of which earns Inside the honorable label of "chunkblower". One complaint is the extreme low lighting levels featured in most scenes – a tad irritating. Woe to anyone who (a) doesn't have their TV black levels set properly, (b) watches this movie on an el cheapo LCD panel, or (c) owns one of the faulty Sony Bravias, heh heh. All up, Inside is a treat for jaded gorehounds which bodes well for Frenchy horror. Imagine what these filmmakers could do in France with a decent budget. Shit, this film even makes me think of Haute Tension in better terms. Fingers crossed for a preview screening at this year's MIFF or MUFF. |
2007 DVD |
saturday |
Gigi
Winner of nine Academy Awards in 1832 or whatever year it came out, Gigi is a frothy comedy about absurdly rich high society types that wrung more than a few chuckles from this viewer. Kudos to Channel 9 for showing Gigi in its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio for its free to air broadcast – a very welcome trend for a commecial network (SBS has been doing it for years). And yes, the film looked sumptuous. |
TV |
thursday |
The Incredible Hulk
It was fantastic. The trailer for the new Mike Myers comedy, that is. You see, Mike Myers plays an Indian trantric seducer of women who goes to America (of course) and mixes things up with his mystical ways. I couldn't help laughing all the way through this preview, much to the bemusement of Code Monkey, not to mention the rolly polly boy sitting on my right all by his lonesome. He never stopped munching snacks and siphoning Fanta from his jumbo sized cup during the whole feature. But back to Mike Myers and The Love Guru. It looks completely, utterly ridiculous, and as I mused presciently to CM, the best bits were probably in the trailer. BTW it's got Jessica Alba and Jessica Simpson in it. Naturally there was the requisite shot of a disheveled Jessie Alba rising from the Love Guru's bedsheets with an awestruck expression on her face. Is the Love Guru a distant relative of Austin Powers? I'm sure they're debating this possibility right now at Ain't It Cool. Plus there's the scene of the Love Guru holding Mini-Me and pretending to give an Academy Award speech ("Wow, they are heavy"). Ben Kingsley, looking embarrassed, also stars as the Master Love Guru. Sorry gov'nr, that should be Sir Ben Kingsley. I've definitely got to catch it theatrically (alone I suppose, unless my 'Super-size Me' friend is there) and report back. An amazing coincidence: the film opens in Australia on July 10th, my birthday. At least I now know that the Grand Occasion falls on a Thursday without needing to consult a calendar, heh heh. If that's not a good omen, I dunno what is. |
2008 cinema |
saturday |
The Deer Hunter +
Hmmm. I had forgotten about the horrible moment that happens right at the end of this somewhat notorious Viet Nam movie – you think everything will be OK, but instead you're ambushed by a cruel twist. The scene nearly made me run out of the room, screaming and vomiting. It's when Meryl Streep sings at the dinner table. Raw, terrifying, and gruesome: that's 1970s filmmaking for ya. Seeing The Deer Hunter again, I was struck by how clumsy some parts of the film are. Even at three hours, it's obvious that key bridging scenes are missing. The whole Viet Nam sequence doesn't flow properly, and what's up with the stock footage? The Deer Hunter is still worth owning for a number of classic moments and casting choices, and it was nice to experience the original aspect ratio for the first time. Now, the various DVDs around are compared here. If you have the old Aussie disc, it should be more than adequate until you upgrade to HD. |
1978 DVD |
sunday |
Faceless +
A perverted favourite of local gorehounds when it was released here uncut on VHS, Jess Franco's Faceless boasts much better production values than many of his previous features combined. What was lost in the bargain was the peculiar Jess Franco ineptitude that connoisseurs of his work relish. My own favourite is the entirely ridiculous Female Vampire. Flashes of his wooden directing 'style' appear momentarily in Faceless, for example when the camera pans leeringly over women's bodies, but it's standard 1980s Eurohorror mode for most of the running time – that's good enough for a lot of fans. This one included. One day I might even catch the hardcore sex version of Faceless that is rumoured to exist. |
1988 DVD |
| Barb Wire Dolls
Today, while waiting for How Much is Your Dead Body Worth? at 8:30pm on SBS, I thought it was high time to indulge in a Jess Franco double-bill, starting with this WIP (women in prison) opus. Containing much intentional sleaze even more unintentional humour, Barb Wire Dolls doesn't quite reach the standard of Ilsa the Wicked Warden aka Greta the Mad Butcher. That said, it is fairly entertaining, with its unconvincing torture scenes, horny inmates, and hornier Nazi wardens. There's also the requisite bad dubbing, which extends beyond awful lip syncing to include the worst footstep Foley work I've ever heard. And how could I forget to mention the Caucasian guard who's been dubbed to sound like a blaxploitation character? It's all very pants-wetting stuff. |
DVD | |
monday |
The Thing +
One of the best horror films ever made, John Carpenter's remake of The Thing (1951) is claustrophobic, suspenseful, terrifying, disturbing, bizarre and gory. I still only have the non-anamorphic US DVD purchased about ten years ago, but it will suffice until I upgrade to (uncompressed 4K) high definition. Also watched the 83 minute making-of documentary again. |
1982 DVD |
sunday |
Blade Runner: The Final Cut +
I can't believe it's been six months since I caught the 4K digital projection at The Astor here in Melbourne. After seeing the DVD tonight, the extra footage, restored violence, and digital tweaks now feel perfectly integrated into the film. For me, this is the only legitimate version of Blade Runner. The temptation to watch the Dangerous Days documentary again came and went. It might have been a long weekend, but even a videophile has to draw the line somewhere. |
1982 DVD uncensored |
| Hot Fuzz +
I bought an ex-rental DVD cheap – no problems with skipping, despite minor scratches. They are fine if they're not deep. What DVD players and any optical media player can't handle are marks that stop the laser reading the data. Light scratches in the plastic are still transparent and should pose no problems. Should. Anyway, it's nice to own Hot Fuzz despite my reservations about the film. Shaun of the Dead was just a difficult act to follow. |
2007 DVD | |
saturday |
Shaolin Soccer
I thought Stephen Chow's Kung Fu Hustle would be a new favourite. Since buying it, however, I have only watched it once, and even then I nodded off at some point and missed a reel or so. So it was with only mild anticipation that I scheduled a viewing of Chow's berserk earlier outing Shaolin Soccer on SBS. It started out OK, then became less coherent and more over the top. The actual supernatural soccer action kicked off way down in the third act. Yawn. One has to commend Stephen Chow for his flair and enthusiasm. Just be warned that he's an acquired taste. Incidentally, SBS must have chosen this title to coincide with Euro 08 and the women's World Cup competitions. |
TV |
| Dr Strangelove +
Another classic must-see film broadcast by ABC2. I sent a few SMS texts to friends flagging this event, only to realise I got the time and channel wrong, heh heh. Sorry to those of you who don't have digital set top boxes yet. P.S. It's about time you upgraded, anyhow! |
1965 TV | |
wednesday |
Michael Clayton
True, there's no aliens, zombies, freako mutants, or psycho killers in Michael Clayton, but it's an okay movie just the same. Of course, it does have The Cloooneeey, who is always interesting and watchable, even in average gigs. So yeah, he ditched the young model with the big breasts who convinced herself that he was going to marry her. Sorry honey, hate to tell you this, but it was just sex. Hey, look on the bright side: the paparazzi will now stop their constant harrasment and you can go back to being a nobody. Sorted. Right, back to the critique. Like a cross between The Insider and Erin Brokovich, Michael Clayton is a taught legal thriller that cloaks a simple plot with non-linear story telling. The whole tale is revealed in fragments, and it takes the first act to join the dots, but from that point to the final scenes, you will be riveted. The film scored 9/10 and even 10/10 from some critics, with no less than seven Oscar nominations. Hmmm, I dunno...a giant spider or some undead cheerleaders may have pushed it's Toxic Sinema rating higher. Nevermind. At least The Clooney's hair scored a solid 10/10. RIP Sydney Pollack. |
2008 DVD |
sunday |
Apocalypse Now Redux +
This bookend to what many describe as the greatest decade of cinema still holds up quite well. Since I'm staying out in the suburbs for another six or more months, it's a good chance to play classic films that have superb audio soundtracks cranked up loud – the way they were meant to be heard. Just make sure to set aside 3.5 hours for this extended version of Apocalypse Now. Which reminds me, where is Heart of Darkness on DVD? |
1979 DVD |
saturday |
Taxi Driver +
Boasting a crisp and colourful transfer, the ABC broadcast of Taxi Driver had bits censored from the hotel massacre sequence, for instance the knife going into the guy's hand. Still, the novelty of seeing this on television made it worth while. I just replayed the climax from the uncut DVD afterwards. |
1974 TV censored |
thursday |
The Toxic Avenger +
Well, ya know what? Fuck Spielberg and his ETs. Here is the first and the best Troma film as an antidote. How can you not respect a movie that was taken off the shelves of Aussie video rental shops to erase the shot of a kid getting his head run over by a car? Sniff in that wonderful "Aroma of Troma". Luckily the DVD is uncut. There are too many delights in The Toxic Avenger to list in a pissant little capsule review. Let's just say it still makes me laugh, which probably explains why I'm not married. Am I allowed to speculate that any woman who doesn't like this film isn't worthy of Yours Truly? Me thinks the case can be made! |
1986 DVD |
tuesday |
Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Sporting the silliest title of the franchise (that probably took 20 uncredited screenwriters to pen), Indiana Jones IV was viewed by the Toxic Waste film critics panel at The Jam Factory. True, the panel was sober, but it had low expectations anyway. The story is set in the 1950s, so you get: Russians as baddies, maximum communist paranoia, atomic age iconography, brawls with rockers vs jocks, shady government agents, and UFO mythology. Don't worry, because there's plenty of school teaching, tomb raiding, vine swinging, waterfall jumping, trap evading, attacking natives, killer ants, killer drysand (?), improbable stunts, cartographic montages, crystal skull volleyball, and mystical Mayan malarkey to be enjoyed by fans of the series. It's the kind of stew that Steve Spielberg stirs with gusto. Unfortunately, in the first and second acts, an embalmed Harrison Ford delivers his corny lines with all the enthusiasm of a terminal cancer patient calling out bingo numbers. Catey Blanchett is OK as the Russian dominatrix, and Shia L. acquits himself as the young sidekick, but everyone else is disposable. The CGI effects really take their toll on the thrill factor, and Spielberg's continuing boner for hairless, androgynous aliens is starting to get creepy. Meh. |
2008 cinema |
sunday |
Final Destination II +
Repeat viewings are taking the shine of this one. Hence it works best with the element of surprise. Without that, the elaborate set-ups become a bit tedious to sit through as the world outside the darkened lounge room passes the dedicated gorehound by. But I still maintain this is superior horror fare, especially considering it's (a) from a major studio and (b) it is a sequel. |
2002 DVD |
sunday |
Night Watch
The Russian supernatural opus from a few years back. It even has a sequel out, called Day Watch, with a third entry in the trilogy (based three novels) on the way. Well, that's the background, but is it any good? In my opinion, it's a bit of a fucken mess. The director is yet another graduate from the academy of rock video production, so expect every trick photographic process to appear throughout the running time. Most work on a wow level. The problem here is the same that affects many promising Japanese manga films: the story telling and/or narrative construction and/or basic premise sucks. Let's hope part II, now on DVD, shows more restraint. |
2004 DVD |
saturday |
Night Shift +
Review pending. |
1982 DVD |
| Ed TV +
Review pending. |
1999 DVD | |
| The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation
Review pending. |
1994 DVD | |
friday |
Next Door
An enjoyable psychosexual drama from our Scandinavian friends in Norway. A gaunt young bloke is seemingly seduced by two seemingly slutty women living down the hallway from his apartment. And yet, for some reason, the girls keep their front door barricaded with a heavy wardrobe. The yellow walls outside are a sign that madness and death stalk these corridors. It's great to see SBS screening these macabre little European horror films. The other week Michael Hanke's disturbing S&M treatise The Piano Teacher gave local night owls a terminal dose of the creeps. I was one of them. Keep your eyes glued to the TV guide in case there are more continental shockers coming up. |
TV |
sunday |
Iron Man
The latest Marvel comics movie adaptation delivers a gritty story – this could be the most violent Marvel movie of them all. Robert Downey Jr stars as a brilliant weapons designer who is captured by Arab extremists (who else) in the Middle East. The experience results in a change of direction: a metal combat suit powered by a new type of energy. Unfortunately, corporate piranha Jeff Bridges has plans of his own. Gweneth Paltrow also stars as Ironman's ditzy love interest. Obviously the first in a trilogy, Ironman takes a while to get going. The main action occurs in the third act, although there are a few explosive set-pieces earlier. Downey Jr suits the role of a boozer and womaniser turned reluctant super hero and nice guy. I guess being a super hero is the in-thing for A-listers to add to their résumés these days. Though solid enough, Ironman won't support repeat viewings, so it's best seen in the cinema. |
2008 cinema |
| In Plane Site: Director's Cut +
I bought the Australian DVD to see if this 9/11 doco still held up, and it does. Channel 10 actually broadcast this documentary twice about three years ago – I caught the second screening at 10:45pm one evening. Someone at Ten was deliberately trying to get the message out in one of the very few (only?) examples in the world of the mainstream media daring to broach this subject. While the segment about the pod and WTC 'flash' are dubious, the coverage of the Pentagon and New York incidents are quite solid and still convincing. 9/11 completists should definitely own this DVD. The disc runs for 72 minutes, it's not anamorphic, and there are no extras. |
2004 DVD | |
saturday |
Cat People +
To be honest, this talky fright 'classic' is a bit of a yawn-fest. Not enough happens, but well done to ABC 2 for continuing their mini-festival of SF/horror genre flicks. I ought to watch the 1982 remake again for comparison. |
1943 TV |
tuesday |
Taxi to the Dark Side +
Review pending. |
2007 TV |
| Torso
Review pending. |
1972 DVD | |
saturday |
Flushed Away
Repeat viewing. |
2006 DVD |
monday |
Vanishing Point
Yet another early 1970s film, and that's not such a bad thing either, if you're a fan of this decade. A workmate told me how Death Proof was in part a homage to Vanishing Point, which I knew absolutely nothing about. Anyway he lent me the DVD yesterday and the viewing experience was surreal and exhilarating. How many more gems like this from the 70s have I missed? At its core, the movie is an extended car chase across three states, with brief flashbacks to the hero's past as a daredevil – or adrenaline junkie in modern parlance – and skeletons in the closet. But there's much more to it than that. Throughout Vanishing Point, many familiar elements recycled in everything from Mad Max to the Need for Speed computer game are apparent. The US DVD comes with two versions...might as well see the longer UK edition featuring a cozy scene with Charlotte Rampling. |
1972 DVD |
saturday |
Silent Running +
Quite a departure for Aunt's usual Saturday night TV syllabus. Silent Running, the early 1970s science fiction yarn about environmental conservation and hippy madness, was presented in a fine anamorphic transfer, framed at 1.78:1. I think the local DVD still has a mediocre letterboxed transfer. Anyway, seen today, Douglas Trumbull's social SF movie exhibits too much naïvety and unconvincing special effects – ironic given that Trumbull also worked on 2001 (1968), Close Encounters (1977), and Blade Runner (1982). The kitsch elements and Bruce Dern's performance as the stallwart astro-greenie make Silent Running worth seeing once. Just be ready to mute the audio when those awful 'summer of love' tunes come on. |
1972 TV |
| Frightmare +
Pete Walker fans rejoice! Chuck away those ex-rental VHS tapes, because the first of the Brit's macabre syllabus has arrived on local DVD with a sharp anamorphic PAL transfer. There's a few film artefacts here and there, and the audio suffers brittle distortion, but this is the best Frightmare will look until it's restored (if ever) in HD 1080p. The movie holds up bloody well, too. I had very little recollection of it despite owning a copy of the ex-rental tape (he announces proudly), so it was like seeing this demented tale of an old woman and her power drill for the first time. This punter is now looking forward to adding House of Whipcord, The Confessional Murders, Schizo and others to the Toxic Waste DVD coffers. Note that the Pete Walker Collection UK boxed set includes five titles, all featuring audio commentaries by Walker and others. |
1974 DVD | |
tuesday |
Cutting Class
File under: late 1980s high school stalk-n-slash fright flick. Brad Pitt has third billing in the credits as the pretty boy basketball jock. Although he doesn't die violently like Paris Hilton did in House of Wax, Brad still gets a fair amount of abuse. The art teacher dismisses him with, "Shouldn't you be bouncing a ball somewhere?" He's also denied sex by cheerleader girlfriend Jill Schoelen (The Stepfather) who always has to study, spits the dummy in front of a basketball scholarship judge, gets chastised by dad, suffers detention, and is beaten up by the killer. Poor Brad, I felt sorry for him. Bahahahahaha! Even worse, he gets his head stuck in a vice while petite girlfriend Jill dispatches said killer with a claw hammer to the head and a circular saw spinal tap. Objectively, Cutting Class (geddit?) is quite lousy, but it's 80s vintage and formula approach imbue it with ample entertainment value. It also has a sleazy edge (upskirt shots of Jill, a leering janitor, one pair of breasts, Roddy McDowell as a pervy headmaster, cheerleading sans nickers), and the DVD I watched is Lionsgate's unrated US release. With such minimal gore on offer, the cut version must have been a TV assembly. All up, good Tuesday night viewing. I'm not sure yet if the Aussie M 15+ VHS rental and DVD are the cut version. The UK DVD is longer than the US unrated edition. WTF? |
1989 DVD censored |
sunday |
Saw IV
This is the first Saw movie I avoided seeing at the cinema because I thought it would probably be a censored version. Ostensibly uncensored, but tagged "extended", Saw IV sticks to the tried 'n' tested formula, therefore it should be commended for that reason alone. The downside is that it's the least engaging entry – emotionally and intellectually – of the whole franchise. Gore and bloodshed is plentiful, even though it pulls its punches too often. At least it kicks off with a meaty autopsy scene which kinda reduces the deceased John Cramer to messy jigsaw parts. Also messy are the traps. They include a scalping machine, a dismembering apparatus, a two-victim winch, and other surprises. What gets annoying this time out are the dozens of recorded tapes, neatly typed messages, slogans written in blood, mocking photographs, and constant flashbacks – it all became a tad fucking repetitive. Actually, the whole film is a one loooong flashback. Meh. |
2007 DVD uncensored |
friday |
From Dusk Till Dawn +
There's a good film in here trying to escape. Sadly it falls off the rails in the second half, with too many silly elements and dopey special effects. Yeah, I know it's meant to be a 'fun' horror comedy in the Peter Jackson vein, but to me it's a wasted opportunity, especially in light of Planet Terror. Plus it's still censored. Then again, this is an essential item in the collection for a handful of classic scenes, with George Clooney holding it all together. The making-of documentary Full Tilt Boogie is currently going cheap on Aussie DVD. For some inexplicable reason, I've yet to see From Dusk Till Dawn II despite seeing (and enjoying) part III. |
1996 DVD censored |
monday Grindhouse Double |
Planet Terror
Fuck yeah, this is more like it. Though totally derivative, Planet Terror wears its exploitation stripes with pride, while also going further than most grindhouse examples of yore. Basically a zombie film (agent: green toxic gas; culprit: the military; effects: corrupted flesh, loss of coordination, hunger for humans; transmissible by: slime contact, bites; kill methods: headshot or bodily destruction) Planet Terror has fun with the premise, and yet it manages to feature a large number of unique characters drawn vividly with minimal dialogue and minimal screen time (I liked the pathology geek). There's lots of explosions, plenty of action, slow beats that are interesting not boring, funny one-liners, cool inventive gimmicks like McGowan's prosthetic machine gun leg and the missing reel, extreme gore, 80s 'Casiotone' music cues, appealing leads, comic book violence, Tom Savini, Fergie, Michael Biehn, Josh Brolin, Jeff Fahey and others in supporting roles, a sleazy edge, bloody gunshot squibs, a collection of scrotums, vehicles running down zombies, and frequent splatter effects. I'm not sure how much rewatch potential Planet Terror has, but one thing is true: it delivers more than its trailer promised, whereas Death Proof delivered less. Now that Rodriguez is on fire again making films for adults, I wanna see Machete or a violent Joe R. Lansdale adaptation. Savage Season or Hot Chili as a movie would be awesome. |
2007 DVD extended |
| Death Proof
It's bad, it's awful, it's dull. It's pretentious for no reason, which goes against the whole 'grindhouse' attitude. I have a theory about why the "5th Movie by Quentin Tarantino" turned out to be crappola. Quentin realised Rodriguez' script for his gore flick Terror Planet was way better than Death Proof could ever be, so he channelled more of Miramax's Grindhouse budget toward Terror Planet at the expense of his own obvious dud, Death Proof (which was shot after Terror Planet, by the way). Explaining what's wrong with Death Proof needs a full-length review. To sum up: too much pointless dialogue, patently try-hard dialogue, a plot as thin as Gladwrap, large chasms of time between (x2) action scenes, non-existent motivation for Stuntman Mike's psychopathic behaviour, a shit ending, loose plot threads, deadend character arcs, poor casting of stuntwoman Zoe Bell and Eli Roth, technological anachronisms (iPods, mobile phones, ATMs), sudden villain incompetence (SVI as defined by Mondo Gore), etc. I understood that QT was taking a stab at those 1980s stalk-and-slash pictures, but the retro film stock and show-offy hipness all jarred. Kurt Russell could have been good in his role if he had better material to work with. There's a grisly midpoint moment to anticipate (with bonus Michael Parks recap), and the last reel features some superb stunt work that should jolt you out of your loungeroom stupor. Suck proof? Hardly. |
2007 DVD extended | |
sunday |
The Rules of Attraction
Fiction adaptation #3. In my opinion, The Rules of Attraction was a tedious book about college life by Bret Easton Ellis of American Psycho fame. With Roger "stuck in QT's shadow" Avery helming the movie adaptation, I thought he'd be able to set off some fireworks with the material, and he does. Unfortunately, the plodding nature of the source results in a dull movie that can only boast a handful of highlights, and those are mainly technical. The drug taking, promiscuous sex, and other unruly behaviour on campus is no longer shocking, titillating or funny these days, and you sense that Avery knew this and tried his best to make it fresh and interesting. A few of the devices – split screen, reversed footage, non-linear narrative – do grab your attention, but nothing changes the fact that the movie arrived 20 years too late. The performances are okay, though lacking the necessary grit. For all its subversive content, The Rules of Attraction somehow plays too clean and too straight, like an R-rated Dawson's Creek. The local DVD, which I bought new for $8.00 and is labeled "uncut version", comes with three commentary tracks. |
2002 DVD |
saturday |
Last Exit to Brooklyn +
Fiction adaptation #2. Chuck away your VHS and DVD copies. The latest DVD release from Hopscotch contains a solid video transfer, a making-of documentary, and a feature length documentary on the late Hubert "Cubby" Selby, Jr. Based on the controversial 1964 cult novel, Last Exit to Brooklyn tells the story of several low-life characters living in a Brooklyn neighbourhood. Having never read the book, I can only assume it's probably more graphic than the film, which is still hard-hitting enough to receive an R 18+ classification for "high level violence, high level sex scenes, course language". My main beef with an otherwise excellent movie is that the 100 minute running time means that the narrative feels compressed. Two and a half hours would have given more time to develop the story more. As with Selby's Requiem for a Dream, Last Exit to Brooklyn remains one of the better literary adaptations of recent times. |
DVD |
| A Clockwork Orange +
Fiction adaptation #1. I watched the remastered DVD, which finally has an anamorphic transfer. The Warner two-disc set also has making-of documentaries about A Clockwork Orange, a feature length documentary about Malcolm McDowell, and a commentary track with the now aging actor, who is very chatty about the production and his part in it. And the movie itself still holds up. "Viddy well, little brother, viddy well!" |
1971 DVD | |
tuesday |
Rambo
"Fuck the world" – John Rambo. Sly Stallone is back as the laconic soldier of misfortune. Since Rambo III, he's been collecting cobras for tourist trap operators in the Thai jungle, just near the Burmese border. For kicks, Rambo offers his consulting services to the impoverished Burmese rebels, who're fighting a hopeless war against mad military types. Toss in kidnapped christians, a sexy choir girl who plucks John's heart strings (which we know are made of catgut), impolite battle-hardened mercenaries, hungry pigs, high caliber ordinance, and all hell breaks loose. For an action movie, the screen violence and carnage is at the upper end of Chas Balun's 'Gore-Score' rating: throat rip, stabbings, people burned alive or cut down by bullets, amputations, exploding heads and bodies, rotting corpses, etc. Even a nominal disembowelling. Much of it is obviously CGI assisted, so don't listen to keyboard jockeys who claim Rambo is a return to old school SFX. That's bullshit. The footage also suffers from the inevitable hyper-editing. But the sheer cumulative intensity of the key attack scenes, especially the finale, make up for any grumblings about technique. In terms of theme and character development, Rambo boils it down to seven mumbled words: "Live for nothing, or die for something." Like Christian Bale in The Machinist, Sly (pushing 60) deserves a special Oscar for Best Creature Effects Without Make-Up. Yeah, definitely a popcorn movie, but it's not as bad as mainstream critics say. I suppose the R 18+ was awarded for the rapey material, and I suspect it was censored prior to release. "When pushed, killing's as easy as breathing" – John Rambo. |
2007 cinema censored? |
monday |
Saving Private Ryan +
If I'm going to move into an apartment this year, I suppose it's a good idea to play back some choice surround sound titles nice and loud. Saving Private Ryan has one of the best movie soundtracks ever recorded, with a damn good film behind it. This viewing complemented the excellent documentary series The War, now showing on the ABC. |
1997 DVD |
sunday |
Commando: Director's Cut +
Uncut at last! Uncut at last! Uncut at last! Uncut at last! Uncut at last! Uncut at last! Uncut at last! Uncut at last! Uncut at last! Uncut at last! Uncut at last! Uncut at last! Uncut at last! Uncut at last! Uncut at last! Uncut at last! Note that the Definitive Edition release has two discs. Disc 1 is the censored theatrical version. Disc 2 is the unrated director's cut. None of the Region 4 packaging states this. The DC has also got the Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, rather than the old Pro-Logic mix. The extra violence is brief and mostly concerns the infamous garden shed scene. There's also some extra dialogue included. For this viewing, Commando wasn't as funny or kitsch as I remembered it being. It probably needs to be seen with a rowdy group of friends. Beer and pizza optional. |
1985 DVD uncensored |
wednesday |
The Mist
Frank Darabont is the man. His Stephen King adaptations to date are all winners: The Woman in the Room (short), The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, and now The Mist, which is based on the novella first published in Kirby McCauley's Dark Forces and later reprinted in King's excellent Skeleton Crew collection. Now, let's say this up front loud and clear: The Mist is a real fucken monster movie. People die horribly. Good people, bad people, dumb people, all sorts. The suspense and scares are reasonable, but this is – like the original story – a horror film first and foremost. So there's gore and blood, but not overly much to spoil mainstream tastes...again, in keeping with the source material. What also comes through in spades here are the characters. This is where much of the tension comes from. As for the 'extended' ending, it contains a dark, ironic twist that you should enjoy, heh heh. Consequently, the film makes explicit a potential outcome the novella only hints at. What else? Beware of some dodgy looking CGI, but apart from those bits, the movie is technically superb (and while watching it, I finally worked out why CGI on projected film can look bad). Strangely, Darabont prefers The Mist to be seen in black and white, an option he's providing on DVD. Since the colour print I saw lacked for nothing, I can't see the point of paying homage to 1950s big-bug creature features. Tonight, me and a handful of punters saw what was probably the last session for The Mist in Melbourne at Hoyts Chadstone, so for fuck's sake catch this on DVD. |
2007 cinema |
tuesday |
There Will Be Blood
"I'm...finished." Muuuwahahahaha! Here it is, the new Paul Thomas Anderson, and the first film of his I've seen theatrically since Magnolia. So, there's no PTA regulars here, not even a miscast Adam Bloody Sandler. Just Daniel Day Lewis chewing scenery as Californian oil baron Daniel Plainview, surely the most reprehensible and non-cuddly movie protagonist since Bazza Lyndon. The critics were cautious and reserved with their praise for There Will Be Blood, therefore I knew something held it back. It wasn't the mean spirited behaviour of Daniel Plainview. After all, No Country for Old Men featured more bloodthirsty killing than the last Saw sequel. Rather, the story spirals in on its bitter, demented little self with ever smaller turns until it inevitably snuffs out all together. However, as a portrait of early 20th Century corporate greed in a perfectly realised historical milieu (turn of the century), it's totally recommended. There's also plenty of visual metaphors and juicy thematic undercurrents (just like the oil itself) to savour if that's your thing. But a new classic it ain't. |
2007 cinema |
sunday Spaghetti Horror Feast Final Day |
The Church / La Chiesa +
Review pending. |
1989 DVD | Massacre in Dinosaur Valley
Review pending. |
1985 DVD |
Hell of the Living Dead / Night of the Zombies / Virus +
Review pending. |
1980 DVD |
New York Ripper +
Review pending. |
1982 DVD |
Contamination +
Review pending. |
1980 DVD |
sunday Spaghetti Horror Feast Day 6 |
Cannibal Apocalypse / Apocalypse Domani +
Review pending. |
1980 DVD | Phantom of the Opera
Review pending. |
1998 DVD |
Opera / Terror at the Opera +
Because I'm lazy, here is Hank Hankerson's review of the Aussie pan-and-scan VHS rental from his zine Mondo Gore (issue #20, Sept 1989). "Australia is on a roll, an uncut Day of the Dead (finally) followed by an uncut Opera. Despite it having the cut version's title this has it all, it is either the 3 week totally uncut Italian version or the 1 minute trimmed subsequent version. Either way it kicks, this is Argento at his best. The story is somewhat simplistic in Argento terms. Four great moments of mayhem, including an inside the throat shot, a great peephole/bullet scene and some bird/eyeball interactions. I'm sure I missed some subtleties of the opera music selections, but it didn't detract from my enjoyment. The use of Metallic music to emphasize the violence works well. Similar in tone and visuals to Phenomena / Creepers only better. The only drawback is the failure to letterbox the film, especially in the peephole scene. More proof that Italians rule." |
1988 DVD |
| reviews/articles |
| anticipated |
|
W 9/11 Mysteries II Avatar |
| subtitles |
|
Every movie I watch gets a capsule review, and they appear here in exact viewing order. I generally rate movies within genre and then adjust across all genres if necessary. This means, for example, that an exploitation film may receive a high rating compared to accepted mainstream classics. Budget, dubious morality or subject matter should not limit the ranking of one film over another. I also rate the capacity for repeated viewings highly, although this is a more subjective judgement that may propel an unlikely title to a five-dot rating. One recent example is Larry Clark's Bully, which I think is a contemporary masterpiece. I don't write full reviews very often anymore. I realised that in the time it takes me to write a proper review, say upwards of four hours, I could have watched two or more new films. Since there are plenty of competent reviewers out there in print and on the Internet, there isn't much I can say that is fresh or different without spending a week dissecting a film. Actually, I'm planning to do that for the Matrix trilogy one day. The + symbol denotes films I have seen before. 'CFDUSTD' is an abbreviation of "censored for dumbfuck US theatrical distribution". The term 'Follywood' refers to the increasingly desperate major studio system that continues to suffer from salination of the intellect and anemia of the imagination. Finally, mucho thanks to anyone who has lent me movies to feed my celluloid addiction. Special thanks to Heathen and Mr Anthony for lending various tasty titles viewed, chewed, and reviewed here. |
