Page 1 of What I watched this week (w/e August 27th)

On DVD:

Fight Club - Probably David Fincher`s best film and a rare example of a film that`s better than the book it`s based on. With the volume turned up, the THX certified soundtrack puts the speakers through their paces. :D

Bill Hicks - `One Night Stand`, `Relentless`, `Revelations` and `It`s Just a Ride` - One of the greatest ever stand-up comedians in three of his finest performances and an interesting retrospective documentary all on one DVD. Hicks does tend to repeat some of the same material but it`s worth hearing again. :D

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension - OK, there is way too much going on as W. D. Richter attempts to cram as much as he can into 100 minutes but the sheer energy and lunacy on show, together with John Lithgow`s impersonation of Mussolini makes this a joy to watch. :)
Commentary - W. D. Richter and Earl Mac Rauch provide an interesting, although `bitty` commentary, as Rauch doesn`t want to talk but just watch the film. The `trivia track` of Pinky Carruther`s unknown facts treats the film as if it`s a documentary of a real person and is quite funny.

Creepshow - It may not be the greatest work that either Stephen King or George Romero have ever done but the stories are well put together and linked with an excellent performance by Leslie Nielsen playing against type. :)

Jackie Brown - Although `Pulp Fiction` was my favourite Tarantino movie, this is his most accomplished with stylish direction, an excellent soundtrack and excellent performances from everyone involved. :D

Virtual Soccer Academy - I have no idea who this is aimed at, nor whose bright idea it was to think Teddy Sheringham would make a good presenter so this DVD is a complete dud. >:( Full review here.

Odd Man Out - Second only to The Third Man in Carol Reed`s filmography, this beautifully shot and terrifically acted film is a masterpiece. :D Watch this space.

The Uncanny - A sad end to Peter Cushing`s career in horror, 1977 saw him star in one of the most successful films ever and duds such as this. Full review to follow.

After the 50 film box set of `Horror Classics`, comes another movie pack, this time of `Drive-In Movie Classics`.

The Devil With Seven Faces - A stupefyingly boring and predictable mystery where police in 1971 Holland are searching for a diamond. The only aspect of note is the fashions with huge sideburns and moustaches for the men and wigs and mind bogglingly short dresses for the women. >:(

Twister`s Revenge - Clearly meant to cash in on the worldwide success of Knight Rider, this story of a super intelligent monster truck that is targeted by redneck thieves hoping to hock its computer is merely an excuse for cars to be run over and a monster truck to be the star of the show - too stupid even to to be funny. >:(

Creeper (AKA Rituals) - With echoes of Deliverence and The Blair Witch project, this was clearly influenced by the former and influenced the latter but the horrible transfer and sound, together with irritating characters (is it possible to feel sympathy for a man called Mitzi?) reduced the watchability of what might have been an interesting and disturbing film. :(

Day of the Panther - One of only two film outings for Edward John Stazak, playing the same character both times, has Jason Blade infiltrate the gang of a crime boss who killed his partner. The story is predictable nonsense and the acting is nothing to write home about but the film is almost worth watching just for Stazak`s martial arts. :(

Count Dracula and His Vampire Bride - Also known as `The Satanic Rites of Dracula`, this p***-poor sequel to Hammer`s 1958 Dracula reprises Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing in their roles as Dracula and Van Helsing respectively, but the idea that Dracula should be a shadowy businessman targeting Van Helsing`s daughter (Joanna Lumley) as his bride is just preposterous and a sad end to Lee`s Dracula. :(

Country Blue - Coincidently released in the same year as Badlands (1973), this story of a man and his girlfriend who rob a bank and go on the run fails for the same reasons that Terrence Malik`s film succeeds: the two leads have no charisma, the direction is woeful and the script is horrible. >:(

Going Steady - If it wasn`t for the soundtrack, this Israeli coming of age movie (one in a series) would be dreadful due to the clichéd content and predictable ending, but the young actors do fairly well. :(

Mad Dog - A fine example of Euro trash film making about a gang who break out of prison and seek revenge on those who put them away. Helmut Berger is clearly having a great time as `The Beast with a Gun` and the OTT slo-mo violence managed to turn this into such an example of cheap 70s cinema that it found its way into `Jackie Brown`. :¦


Cinema

Snakes on a Plane - This was exactly what I expected, a horror `B` movie with almost enough laughs and scares to sustain the running time, sex and nudity, violence and a silly plot involving snakes on a plane! As genre films go, you could do worse but you could do better. :¦

John Tucker Must Die - And I wish he had, just after the opening credits so I could have gone home and not sat there with the thought that `this film must get better - it must get better` going through my head. Not only did I wish John Tucker dead, but the rest of the cast and everyone who had a creative input deserves something slow and painful imposed upon them. >:(

Television

The Rage: Carrie 2 - I have no idea why I decided to watch this dreadful remake of Brian De Palma`s 1976 horror classic but it reaffirmed my earlier view that this is one of the worst sequels ever made. >:(

The History of Light Entertainment - I think Rory Bremner is a genius and love Dead Ringers so this account of the history of impressionists was very balanced with viewpoints from both detractors and those who admire them.

F1 Turkish Grand Prix - I thought that no race this season could top the last one in Hungary but this came mighty close with some terrific overtaking and genuine racing over the last ten laps; if only the safety car had stayed in the pit lane ...

Boxing - Sky were a bit slow off the mark in showing the Holyfield-Bates and Williams-Mitchell fights so, as with last week, I had already seen them prior to broadcast.

-
David Beckett

Pan`s Labyrinth ****
Snakes on a Plane ***
A Scanner Darkly ****.5

Wait! We can`t stop here! This is bat country!

This item was edited on Tuesday, 29th August 2006, 10:35

Land of the Dead - A huge disappointment, the way the main zombie showed intelligence was a bit hammy and unconvincing, and the plot was way too predictable, if they wanted zombies using weapons, then it would have been much better if it was dead army solders against the living solders.

The Descent - started off brilliant, but the ending was s***, and up in the air, and leaving one of the characters to die was slightly out of character, maybe a punch in the face would of been sufficient.

floyd

United 93
Best film of the year already and I honestly can`t see anything outdoing it. Masterclass film making from Paul Greengrass, telling the story of the doomed Flight 93 in terrifying docu-drama style. The last 4 minutes are astonishing - scarier than any horror movie. :o :)

The Sentinel
Like 24 the movie, but with a crap version of Jack Bauer and the pretty one from Desperate Housewives. Silly political thriller, but I could think of worse ways to pass 2 hours. :¦

A Scanner Darkly
Easily the best adaptation of a Philip K Dick story, even Keanu Reeves monotone voice can`t stop this being a great film. The rotoscoped animation takes a minute to get used to, but looks absolutely fantastic. :D

Loose Change
After United 93 I decided to check out some of the backstory on September 11th and finally gave into watching Loose Change, a video produced by some idiot teenager (Dylan Avery) that supposedly reveals the Government conspiracy behind 9/11. Suffice to say, it`s the worst thing I`ve ever seen with almost no research or evidence presented, and what is said is very easily disproved. What angers me more is that so many people regard it as the gospel of conspiracy theory. Those responsible should seriously be tortured. >:( >:(

Deadwood 3x12
Slightly disappointing season finale, with the 12 episode build-up just fizzling out as Hearst leaves town. Last week was much better - poor Ellsworth... still, better than almost everything else on telly. :D