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damianphelps
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Brazil (1985)
Its Not You...Its Me
Hands up, I hated this movie. I just couldn't connect with it in any way. It may be the most clever film ever made but I would rather read soup ingredients.
I am totally willing to accept my responsibility in hating this movie and that others may (I don't know how) love it!
The Thing (1982)
Carpenter and Russell Do It Again!!
Is this the best sci-fi horror movie of all time?
The Thing is incredible.
It has enough atmosphere for 2 movies. Packed with suspicion, survival instincts, betrayal, fear, doubt and more. The actual Thing is important only as a catalyst to the drama instead of being a conventional 'monster'.
Its chilling (pun intended) and hooks you right in as you wonder where is it and who is going to be next.
The movie deserves the highest recommendation :)
Escape from New York (1981)
We Didn't Deserve Such An Average Sequel To This Gem!
Escape could arguably be declared the best suburban gang movie of all time. It has a wonderful cast, a killer atmosphere and a fun story.
You could of course remove almost all those elements and still have a winning film because of Snake Plissken. What a character and a perfect role for Kurt Russell.
The film's effects are now cheesy looking of course and to be honest they weren't exactly Star Wars standard at the time either. But it doesn't matter, they do enough to set the futuristic scene before Snake can get down and dirty on the streets.
This is an all time classic!
Escape from L.A. (1996)
What Were They Thinking?
Snake Plissken, one of the coolest characters ever created becomes a satire of himself.
I wanted to love this movie. I'm a huge fan of the original. However its not that great. The only reason to give this 5 stars was out of appreciation of actually seeing another Plissken movie.
I would be interested in a quality (QUALITY) reboot akin to Fury Road.
This film diminishes everything great about Snake.
Logan's Run (1976)
Considered Sci-Fi
This is one of those great examples of thought provocation meeting action movie.
Logan's Run creates a convincing atmosphere that shows a future where people who reach their used by date (of 30) get terminated as a means of creating a utopian existence for the surviving community.
The atmosphere really allows you to tie in with the story.
The characters work well and York is perfect for the role.
More Dead Than Alive (1969)
Significantly Better Than I Expected
One on hand the movie does offer a, seen it before, premise, on the other hand just when you think the movie is going in a certain direction, clichés included, it doesn't.
As a result I kept finding myself pleasantly surprised by sudden left turns the movie would take. I was literally sitting on the couch going ;oh now this will happen' and it didn't. It was great!
This weaving in and out of predictability creates a nice tension for the movie.
The ending is also a bitter of a ripper :)
My Friend Dahmer (2017)
From Disney To Dahmer
Ross Lynch does a good job of stepping outside the Disney bubble for a foray into mainstream cinema. Its funny to watch these kids I became familiar with, (Miley, Bella, Zendaya) whilst being subjected to Disney shows with my own kids as they grew up, now try to reimagine themselves. Lynch being another one. He makes a pretty gutsy choice here and he makes it work.
One factor I like about this movie is that it covers alcoholism, neglect, mental health, abuse disguised as friendship (for the most part) etc but it is never used to try to explain or justify Dahmer's actions. They surely contributed but they weren't enough, even combined together, to deliver his outcome and the movie never tries to put forward that argument. The story also doesn't try to judge Dahmer or make us feel sorry for him etc it just tells us how it was through the eyes of people that knew him.
From what I have read the movie is about 90% faithful to the book which was written by one of Dahmer's 'friends'. Its a unique perspective. I like that it stays true to itself. This is not about Dahmer the killer its about Dahmer, the kid I went to school with.
Slightly slow at times but always interesting. A well crafted movie and book.
Neds (2010)
This Is Stunningly Good
I have just finished watching NEDS and I'm still feeling it half an hour later, not thinking about it, feeling it!
An epic piece of film making that doesn't hold back when showing a window in time in Scotland.
Probably not the ideal film as far as the Scottish Tourism Board goes lol.
Brilliantly told and amazingly well acted. The way the story has been told, you feel as if you are sitting right there wanting to offer a hand of support but of course you can't.
My only complaint, and I don't think I would change it for the sake of authenticity, I had to get the subtitles on. The Scottish accent was one thing, the short cut teen/gang version, impossible.
Incredible film.
Soylent Green (1973)
Don't Eat That!
Soylent Green creators made a very smart choice casting Heston as the lead for this movie. Having delivered so well in Planet of the Apes he is completely relatable in this kind of dystopian disaster movie. He provides an earnestness and credibility to the role and therefore the story.
Yet another warning movie about a diabolical future unless we take heed. How many more warning movies do we need people :)
Another thing the movie delivers well is the feeling that something more sinister is actually going on, its a good vibe for the film.
Enjoyable, a little aged but still poignant!
Hellboy (2019)
Hellboy...Keep'em Coming!
David Harbour (wish it was still Perlman), Milla Jovovich, Ian McShane are all great in this.
Everyone else pretty much sucks.
Has some great imagery such as Hellboy and his flaming sword and a really effective usage of high quality CGI.
The story is ok but overall like all Hellboy movies to date, its a lot of fun :)
Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008)
Its Hellboy Its Good!
A diminished plot in comparison to the original movie which is a shame as there is so much source material to work with.
What still works though is Ron Perlman's every waking second in the film as Hellboy. He is just fantastic and seems perfect for the character. Hopefully they can still make a third even though its unlikely with the reboot having been released. Still no reason they can't be exclusive of each other.
Give it a watch :)
Hellboy (2004)
All The Way With...GDT?
Any movie that has anything to do with Guillermo Del Toro (GDT) is worth having a look at. The man is a genius. If you haven't really come across him before now then I suggest checking him out for titles like:
Pan's Labrynth, The Shape of Water, Pacific Rim, The Strain, The Hobbit and more, he is awesome.
I had not read the comic so Hellboy was completely new to me and I loved it. Such a rich creative universe and the titular character unlike anything I have ever seen.
Pearlman is great as Hellboy delivering a great mix of humour, sarcasm, tantrums, anger and more.
Its a great big load of fun :)
Blood Money (2017)
I Am A Bit Of A Cusack Tragic
This is not really a good movie and that's being polite.
I like most of what Cusack does although not always. In this is his just par at best and the rest of the cast/movie pretty much blows!
Never Grow Old (2019)
We're Going To California...Maybe Tomorrow, We'll See
Emile Hirsch does a nice job here portraying the role of a unhappy gravedigger looking for more but not sure how to get his hands on it.
Cussack also returns to some form as he swaggers in to town to make it his own.
There are other characters in the movie, the never happy wife, the fire-breathing pastor and others but they really have little impact on the story. Its pretty much a film between Hirsch and Cussack.
It was an enjoyable film to watch and nice to see a western for a change :)
Pacific Rim (2013)
You Have To Be In The Mood!
Sometimes when I sit down and watch a movie I just want to be swept away and be dazzled with both sight and sound. The movies don't have to be dramatically perfect just capable of blowing all my sensors.
Battleship and Pacific Rim are 2 of those movies.
Pacific Rim takes a cool concept for a story, Monsters vs Machines and entwines a human element (the pilots) to result in a really fun extravaganza. The movie is not deep but has enough story to piece together the fighting sequences.
Sit down, hit the lights, pump the volume, disengage brain and have a blast :)
Chappie (2015)
Dud
This is a boring movie. I had to keep nudging myself to stay awake for the duration.
The characters are clichés and so is the giant talking toaster.
Not worth it.
Real Steel (2011)
Well Made
This movie is a perfect example of special effects adding to a story rather than compensating for one.
This movie shares a lot of similarities with Stallone's Over the Top.
Its an enjoyable film, that is not exactly earth shattering, but provides a couple of fun hours of entertainment.
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985)
Who Is Thinking Of The Children?
Why why why did someone think it was a good idea to fill Max Max 3 with a bunch of annoying kids?
Its like half way through the movie the crew was switched and they thought they were making Oliver!
Such a horrible way to end a most amazing trilogy.
Max goes from road warrior to babysitter.
Still any Max is better than no Max.
Mad Max 2 (1981)
Fast And Furious Fans Take Note!
This is how car stunts are really done, no CGI, no jumping cars from one high rise to another. Just good honest bone rattling carnage told amidst a story with equal intensity.
The only movie to come close to this in the last 40 years is Fury Road and even that can't quite cut it.
Its a special film and should be treated as such.
Mad Max (1979)
Does One Of The Great Movies Need A Review?
No.
A stunning film bested only by its amazing sequel.
Oculus (2013)
Let Down By The Ending
Oculus, by and large, was an enjoyable movie to watch. Interesting storyline, well told with a good cast. I t also did a nice job of mixing the past and the present.
Unfortunately all of those positives disappear at the end which is really a nothing ending.
I won't go into details but when the end credit hit I was like 'oh it's ended'.
One of the better movies to come out of WWE studios.
Hellfighters (1968)
Packs a Punch!
Hellfighters is a terrific movie that hits us with great drama, tension and action.
The cast are all great with the exception of Jim Hutton who provides a pretty sexist and dismissive attitude towards the Katherine Ross character. I was cognizant of this in the 80's when I first watched this movie, perhaps reflective of the time but when you watch the Wayne character he is tough but respectful.
Probably could have trimmed 20 minutes out of it to really tighten the story.
Loads of fun.
Brannigan (1975)
Old and Fat and STILL Worth Watching :)
This is one of those rare Wayne movies where you feel like he is dialling it in and playing to his own caricature. Which is strange as he made much better efforts after making this movie.
If you are like me you can watch Wayne butter toast and still enjoy it.
Far from a classic but its Wayne!
For the Boys (1991)
Bette's Best?
Obviously given her background this is hardly a stretch for Bette. However rather than dial it in she gives a bombastic performance that makes this quite an entertaining film.
The story doesn't wow you, rather it just provides a vehicle for Bette to strut her stuff.
Worth a look :)
Beaches (1988)
Highs and Lows
Beaches undoubtedly has some emotion high points as the 2 friends live their lives intertwined with each other.
It also meanders to long in places where only the excessively sentimental would find satisfaction.
Nothing wrong with the acting Bette and Babs can both act no doubt.
Just backs out of serious drama when given the chance and goes for the tears instead.