What ELSE (other than KUNG FU) has everyone been watching?

[nectarsis]

Last night was Night of the Living Dead (1968), tonight is Dawn of the Dead Ultimate Edition (1978).

[ShaOW!linDude]

BROTHER'S JUSTICE --- stars Dax Shepherd, Nate Tuck, Tom Arnold, and a cast of cameos.

Actor/comedian DS and his friend, NT, try to get a film idea off the ground. DS wants to leave his comedy roots behind and become the next MA film star despite the fact he has absolutely no training whatsoever. This is a mockumentary and has some really cool cameos of other big name celebrities he tries to entice. There's quite a few laugh-out-loud bits, I thought. Definitely worth a rental or dvr!

[AlbertV]

Was sick all weekend so instead of watching movies, I did a lot of reading...but two days ago, finally watched

Sanshiro Sugata, Part 2 (Akira Kurosawa, 1945) - my review can be found on the main page :)

[DarthKato]

"Firefly: The complete Series" (2002 DVD) Starring Nathan Fillion

[DiP]

Misery (1990)

Still get the chills and thrills watching this classic. Kathy Bates's performance as the obsessed fan is tops and is the female version of Norman Bates (ironic considering that it's clearly inspired by Hitchcock's film) played by Anthony Perkins in Psycho, except a bit more unpredictable. James Caan also performs brilliantly as the victimized author forced to play along and improvise ways to survive. Rating: 10/10

Alien (1979)

A tad bit outdated in terms of the alien design but nevertheless a film that has stood out very well for more than 30 years now. The story, acting, suspense/thrills are as great as it can get but the best thing is the art direction and visual effects. It was simply a milestone in film-making at the time (along with Star Wars) and a huge inspiration for other sci-fi films that came after it. Many say it remains the best in the franchise, no arguing there. Rating: 10/10

Aliens (1986)

A major improvement in the art direction, visual effects (the xenamorphs look so much better this time) and production designs. And the more expanding the story is, the better too. However that's where some bad things come in: the dialogue and inclusion of few actors. Can't help but cringe at some of the clichés which only undermines the suspenseful moments. While acting was great too, some actors make the film questionable in terms of toning the story's time, At times, it feels like the setting reflects the futuristic time, but some scenes it goes 1980s thanks to the acting. Good thing as well was the action. Some complain it overshadows the thrills (yeah, a bit) but to me, it seems the film was taken to a different level. And in a great way. Overall, aside the small nitpicking, great sequel. Rating: 9/10

Alien 3 (1992)

Decent sequel but quite problematic concerning the story and the alien design. I heard the story was originally going to have Newt and Hicks returning only at the neglection of Weaver who wanted the film to mainly focus on her. Couldn't imagine how the film would be if that went through though. Anyway, the story here with the whole prison system and the prison inmates was neat but the subplot with her and the prison inmate (or guard) didn't work. Plus the thing with the new queen inside Ripley was forced and an excuse to kill off Ripley, probably intended to end the franchise with Part 3. All in all, the makers tried their best and brought up some potentials, but in the end efforts put for the film aren't that much satisfying. Rating: 6.5/10

[masterofoneinchpunch]

Curry & Pepper (1990: Blacky Ko: Hong Kong)

It would not be until All For the Winner a few months after this that Stephen Chow would become a true superstar in Hong Kong though it still was a big year for Chow who acted in a total of 11 films. But here he is second billed to Jacky Cheung (Days of Being Wild, High Risk) who plays more of a straight laced role (relatively speaking). Chow is blossoming as a performer and gets to do a bit of his shtick but is tamer compared to his later films.

For the most part this is a typical buddy cop film with all the typical contrivances. Both cops are good at what they do, but take a more pragmatic approach to crime instead of by-the-book. There is even a woman reporter (Ann Bridgewater: Full Contact) that comes in between them that leads to the inevitable break-up (and later redemption) of the friendship.

The director Blacky Ko Sau-leung is also the terminator like bad-guy in the film. He had been a stuntman and supporting actor for years, known for his motorcycle jumps, so his approach to this film is certainly an action-oriented one. There are some impressive stunts, falls and fight scenes. There is a couple of very impressive pier dives early in the film. There is also a surprising gweilo fight scene where the two attempt to arrest two foreigners who are passing counterfeit bills who just happen to know kung fu (weird that in this film I have seen the most Caucasians I think ever in a Hong Kong movie; also a lot of English, which I have heard before, but some of the mangling of expletives is quite hilarious).

There is some great footage of Hong Kong and Andrew Lau’s (Infernal Affairs Trilogy) cinematography is the best aspect of the movie. There is so much on-location footage. While filming many unsuspecting audience members (sometimes though they are gathering around just to see the filming and get caught in the process) get unwittingly get caught up in the act like when Eric Tsang is trying to shake down customers to buy counterfeit watches (is that a Romex) or when Stephen Chow is trying to show to the reporter how people are hardened against crime and will not help.

Overall this is a fun film and a decent choice for those who are already immersed in Hong Kong movies. I watched the ancient (1999; has a hologram image for the DVD) Universal R0/NTSC release which has some of the typical problems of subtitle translation (getting he/she wrong; getting the spoken English phrases wrong, my favorite “Shit you, Shit you!”.) Though be warned upgrading your R0 doesn’t mean the translations are better.

[AlbertV]

I agree with masterofoneinchpunch, I enjoyed CURRY AND PEPPER myself :)

Dry Wood, Fierce Fire (Wilson Yip, 2002) - Before becoming Donnie Yen's collaborator on some of Yen's recent films, Wilson Yip co-wrote and directed this romantic comedy that stars Louis Koo and Miriam Yeung. Yeung plays Alice Tsui, a Chinese herbalist who has learned two lessons from her parents: never judge by looks and if anyone insults you, beat them up. Alice is not only an expert in Chinese medicine, but she is also a martial artist, learning Mantis Fist from her father, played by Turbo Lo Meng.

Koo plays Ryan, a magazine writer who is prone to fainting at the worst of times. When Alice meets Ryan, there is that tension there, not romantic, but he finds her annoying. However, when Ryan falls for new magazine boss Michelle (Fiona Chan), he needs Alice's help to woo her because Alice is a huge fan of Michelle's work. However, we all know where this goes...

Yeung gets to engage in fistacuffs against a homeless person, played by Cheung Tat-Ming. Choreographed by Adam Chan, it was meant to be played for comic effect, so there is wirework and stop motion used. Lo Meng and Kingdom Yuen King-Tan play Alice's parents and they do quite well at combining comic relief with their acting skills.

The title of the film refers to basically "a couple" who are opposites. In one scene, Alice, after confronting a fraudulent herbalist in the middle of a forest, calls Ryan to get her and he appears, they wind up seeing a couple get their groove on in the forest. Ryan says "Dry Wood and Fierce Fire are doing it in the forest".

Not a bad romantic comedy, but don't expect any big fight stuff, it is all meant as part of the comic elements. A decent Wilson Yip effort.

[OpiumKungFuCracker]

Assault on Precinct 13 (original 1976 version)
- I can't believe I saw that piece of crap remake before ever seeing John Carpenter's classic....

[masterofoneinchpunch]

Originally Posted by OpiumKungFuCracker

Assault on Precinct 13 (original 1976 version)
- I can't believe I saw that piece of crap remake before ever seeing John Carpenter's classic....

Now have you seen Rio Bravo to contrast where Carpenter got some of his influence from on this film (more than just the siege aspect)? Personally I really like the 1976 version. It has an offbeat, fun sometimes horror feeling to it.

[Fightingfist]

Watched Dispicable Me yesterday, quite an enjoyable animation.