Page 1 of What I watched this week (w/e September 3rd)

On DVD:

On with the `Drive-in Classics`:

Black Hooker - The son of the titular character has a white father and is a caucasian himself and is brought up by his maternal grandparents. This attempts to say something profound about race, but is just boring as the main character elicits no sympathy and every other character nothing but disdain. >:(

Jive Turkey - Also known as `Baby Needs a New Pair of Shoes`, this gangster film sees an Italian Mafia group attempt to take over the `Numbers` racket. The film is set in 1956 but the characters predominantly wear 1970`s clothes and 70`s style cars are frequently seen driving around in the background dispelling any illusion that the events are taking place in 1956. However, this is a decent gangster movie with a shoestring budget and some pretty good dialogue. :¦

I Wonder Who`s Killing Her Now? - A businessman caught embezzling money is given seven days to pay it back or face jail, so takes out a huge life insurance policy on his wife and then hires a hitman to kill her. He soon finds out that the policy is invalid and then seeks to call off the hit which is particularly difficult as each hitman has hired a sub-contractor at a profit. This promising premise is let down by the overly silly nature of the film which prevents it from being funny. :(

Savage Weekend - Several couples in the country for the weekend find themselves being stalked by a masked killer; this simple premise is almost subsequently used in the `Friday the 13th` movies but this feels more like a rip-off of `Halloween` from the year before and the far superior `Texas Chainsaw Massacre`. >:(

Absolution - Note to actors: never divorce Elizabeth Taylor or you`ll end up making rubbish like this and boring the film-going public to pay the settlement! There must be something about Richard Burton playing a man of the cloth in rotten films as he followed 1978`s `Exorcist II: The Heretic` with this mess of a film the year after. In this, Burton is a priest in a Catholic school who is driven insane by a pupil who confesses to a murder in confession - Burton goes to find the body and only discovers a scarecrow. He hears confessions of further murders and slowly loses his mind. Still, Billy Connelly`s film career had to start somewhere! >:(

Breakout from Oppression - A nonsensical Korean thriller about a young woman freed from prison who gets a job as a journalist and is caught between a boss who fancies her and co-workers jealous of her. The acting is bad, the dubbing is terrible and the denouement unsatisfying. >:(

Phenomena - Gruesome death scenes, a remote private school, a girl who can mentally communicate with insects and a serial killer - it must be a film by Dario Argento! Jennifer Connelly is the daughter of a famous American actor who goes to study as a prodigious Swiss private school where a previous student was brutally murdered and decapitated. Donald Pleasence is excellent a wheelchair bound Professor who specialises in insects and Connelly puts in a very good performance in only her second film (after `Once Upon a Time in America`). :)

Don`t Open Till Christmas - A serial killer is preying upon people dressed as Santa Claus, yet despite all the media coverage, the streets are full of people wearing red and white outfits and fake white beards! As such you kind of feel they deserve what they get as they are almost wearing a sign saying `Kill me`! Still, there is some partial nudity and blood sprayed at the camera but the ending is so predictable a child of ten would have guessed it. :(

Apocalypse Now: The Complete Dossier - I said I wouldn`t buy it, I said I didn`t need it, but I`m glad I was wrong. :) Full review to follow.

Aardman`s Darkside - Aardman are predominantly known for the `Creature Comforts` and `Wallace and Gromit` animated features but this is a change of direction, aimed at older teenagers and adults with offbeat humour, animated nudity and surreal stories. :) Full review to follow.

The Hustler Special Edition - A classic in every sense of the word, `The Hustler` is beautifully directed with stunning cinematography and terrific performances by everyone involved. This set has been available on region 1 DVD for a long time and it`s about time that it was available in Europe. :D Full review to follow.


Cinema

Me, You and Dupree - Shockingly this is devoid of laughs and the tagline `Two`s company, Dupree`s a crowd` couldn`t be further from the truth as if any character should have been omitted from film it was Matt Dillon`s `Carl`. :(

Severance - After the surprisingly not-scary `Creep`, Christopher Smith deftly balanced the high-wire act that is a `Horror/Comedy` described as "`The Office` meets `Deliverance`". Apparently a big hit at Frightfest, `Severance` has the ability to make you jump one minute and then laugh the next. Similar in style to `Shaun of the Dead`, this is one of the funniest films I`ve seen all year and one of the best horrors. :)

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Television

England vs. Pakistan Twenty20 and first and second ODIs - A washout and a thrashing - I can`t see us winning a game this series.

The Forbidden Planet - :D

2010 - :¦

Westworld - :)

Also:

How Green Was My Valley - Despite the fact that there`s not a Welsh accent anywhere, this is an excellent film although how the Academy judged it better than `Citizen Kane` is a mystery. :D

Northampton vs. Newcastle and Leicester vs. Sale - The first live rugby of the season saw two excellent games: the former was a `game of two halves` and the second was a terrific game which has set the benchmark for game of the season already!

Big Fight Live - I thought Woods would just beat Johnson and scored the fight 116-112 to him in a terrific scrap. The Amir Khan roadshow rolled on after the news in another piece of curious scheduling from ITV.

David Beckett

This item was edited on Monday, 4th September 2006, 11:17

A couple of things regarding the new Apocalypse Now release.

1. I`m not happy that the movie is spread over 2 discs
2. I really want to hear Coppola`s commentary
3. Damn it, it isn`t complete without "Hearts of Darkness"
4. I wish I could afford the tenner for it!

X Files Season 8 - A totally unnecessary season that should of ended at 7, Doggett is okay with Scully but when Doggett and Monica Reyes are together there is no chemistry whatsoever, especially in season 9 which I`m half way through.

The non alien stories are okay, but would of been much better if they were investigated by Mulder and Scully, and the alien conspiracy saga goes from s*** to even s***ter.

SPOILER WARNING REGARDING SEASON 8

SPOILER:
What was with those aliens with those lumps at the back of the neck? The series had gone from government conspiracy to Invasion of the body snatchers; they ripped of everything from that movie apart from the aliens growing in pods.

Ok so we have a new breed of alien, but there are also the ones that burst out your chest, the aliens with the sown up eyes, the ones that just abducts you and runs tests where are they?

Also were they good or bad? They spent half the season trying to kill the agents, and then right at the end they do nothing other than witness the birth!!! Couldn`t they of done it without the unnecessary violence against the agents.

What`s going on???

What happened to the people with the sown up eyes? What happened to the alien bounty hunter? Yes he was killed before but the Alien Bounty hunter has been killed many a times in previous seasons but he still kept coming back. How can Mulder waltz back in and out of the FBI building, in to meetings when Kersh refused to re-instate him? Why don't aliens bleed green?

How can the black oil become in-active, even after the host is dead, it moves on to the next victim, but no it's killed by the main host of the black oil? What happened to Gibson, he played a major role of the alien conspiracy; it seemed to me that they couldn`t think of a continuation, so they just forget about him.

What happened to Marita Covarrubias, since she aided Krycek in the death of smoking man? No mention of her in season 8, not even from Krycek!!!

Also what`s happened to Mulder`s sister that kept popping up in clone forms, surely she would of been one of the super solider proto types? They cloned millions of her.

And what was with that metallic thing that was spinning round which was making another Billy Miles, no mention of this in any of the other previous seasons.

This season was so inconsistent it makes me wonder whether Carter and the writing staff were basically clutching at straws and hoped for the best. I get the feeling as I'm watching season 9 none of these questions will be answered, as Carter and the crew will make up another set of rules that will contradict the previous seasons.

Major disappointment and season 9 doesn't seem to get any better.

floyd

Quote:
1. I`m not happy that the movie is spread over 2 discs
2. I really want to hear Coppola`s commentary
3. Damn it, it isn`t complete without "Hearts of Darkness"
4. I wish I could afford the tenner for it!1. Neither was I but it`s not that big a deal as the break is worked well.
2. It is excellent.
3. I quite agree.
4. It was just over £6 at DVD Pacific which I though was pretty good value.

David Beckett

Quote:
X Files Season 8 - A totally unnecessary season that should of ended at 7

Totally disagree (but I know I`m in the minority).

Doggett taking the dominant male role, as the antithesis of Mulder, gave a flagging show a much needed boost in the arm. The mythology takes a much needed back seat, and makes room for the best `monster of the week` stories since season 5.

You`re right about the chemistry, though. The pairing of Reyes and Doggett falls flat a little too often, and contributes to the fact that season 9 is a bit of a stinker.

Scully also looks particularly sexy in year 8.

Apart from review discs, I think all I really watched this week was the Star Wars prequels. The Phantom Menace is worse than I remember, Attack of the Clones is a big improvement over Episode I, yet doesn`t really shine until the third act, and Revenge of the Sith is far and away the best of the lot.

Saying that, at least TPM doesn`t have any of the hapless romance that plagues II & III. Though that could have made things more interesting...

Quote:
David Beckett on Monday, 4th September 2006, 11:23

1. Neither was I but it`s not that big a deal as the break is worked well.
2. It is excellent.
3. I quite agree.
4. It was just over £6 at DVD Pacific which I though was pretty good value.
Thanks for that David, will try & lay down the cash when I can. Looking forward to your review. :)

Night Watch - Finally got round to watching this and thoroughly enjoyed it. Watched it on a German DVD which fortunately had English subs, but not `the subs` which change to reflect the action on screen. Anyone tell me if it`s worth getting it from England to experience the subs? :D

Inside Man - As ever Denzel was good and I was impressed with Clive Owen. Overall an enjoyable enough film but probably not one I will end up watching again (and is it just me or does Jodie Foster just get better with age?) :)

Running Scared - Really enjoyed this. Plenty of action and flashy camera moves and I really liked the mini flash-backs to explain aspects of the plot which took place off screen. And it was nice to see a full on action film rather than a tame downgraded one. Oh and I didn`t expect it to end the way it did! :D

True Lies - Still ranked as one of Arnies best IMHO. So over the top I can`t help but love it. :D

Alias Season 1 - 12/16 - Okay Okay so I`m really late in watching it but you try watching it dubbed into German - it`s a pain in the ass as you keep trying to lip read what the actors are saying. Nevertheless I am really enjoying it and have already obtained season 2.

Alien Directors Cut - was so long since I last watched it that I am not sure what difference the DC made. Still a tense film that makes me nervous to be alone in the house :D

This item was edited on Wednesday, 6th September 2006, 09:39

Quote:
Night Watch - Anyone tell me if it`s worth getting it from England to experience the subs?

I enjoyed it, but knowing the films are based on novels left me with the feeling it wasn`t fleshed out enough.
Quote:

and is it just me or does Jodie Foster just get better with age?

No, not just you. It`s actually something I alluded to in my review., I believe the word I used was dazzling... :x

Alias is great, but watching it dubbed in German? Sounds like more work than it`s worth!

For the DC of Alien, Scott removed a little of what he saw as flab and slotted some deleted scenes in, including the scene of Ripley frying Dallas in the cocoon (previously available as a deleted scene on other DVDs) back into the movie. Some (including Scott) think it interferes with the `race against time` aspect of the escape from the Nostromo, other, like me, prefer it.

EDIT: From the Wiki:

It restores many — but not all — of the deleted scenes that have already appeared as bonus materials on previous laserdisc and DVD releases of the film, and makes some interesting deletions from the original cut. However, unlike the Star Wars "Special Editions", it does not appear to digitally enhance any of the film`s original special-effects footage (though the film`s original negative did undergo some digital cleanup and restoration). However, the new release added some minor effects to the film, such as the shot of the sunrise on the planetoid, the lights on the helmets of Dallas, Lambert and Kane move under a natural arc on the left side of the screen. Also, when the Nostromo aligned itself to the planetoid, effects added a field of stars to the background.

Ridley Scott has stated that he did not really think that Alien required this tweaking, and that the term "Director`s Cut" was used for marketing reasons only (and inconsistently as well). In the Alien Quadrilogy materials, he goes out of his way to state his preference for the original: "rest easy, the original 1979 theatrical version isn`t going anywhere". He recut the film himself, only after viewing the studio`s attempt to do so; a version that he felt was "too long" and ruined the film`s pacing.

A brief rundown of the restored footage or cut scenes, in the order that the scenes appear:

* The Nostromo crew listening to the alien transmission
* Kane took out his weapon in the egg chamber.
* The scene in which Ripley asks Ash if Mother has analyzed the alien transmission (and in which Ash replies "No") has disappeared. Instead we see Ripley simply playing with the computer console and sitting down while a binary sequence displays on the computer screen.
* Lambert slapping Ripley for refusing to let them bring Kane back aboard the ship.
* Some dialogue deleted during the scene where Ripley confronts Captain Dallas in the corridor over letting Ash keep the dead alien facehugger. Dallas` lines about the replacement of Nostromo`s original science officer by Ash at the last minute have disappeared. This interesting deletion removes a bit of foreshadowing that all is not as it seems with the character of Ash.
* Cut of the scene where Ash leaves the infirmary after Ripley has confronted him for breaking quarantine procedures.
* A handful of shots added to Brett`s death scene, including one clearly showing the alien dangling from above, and another where Parker and Ripley rush into the room just after the alien grabs Brett. As they look upward, dripping blood covers them.
* Cut of a brief sequence showing Dallas querying the ship`s computer, Mother, about his odds of killing the alien, and getting no reply, before he enters the ventilation ducts.
* A new brief shot of Lambert added as the crew regroup and weigh their options after Dallas` death.
* Restoration of a portion of the film`s arguably most famous deleted scene — Ripley discovering the alien`s nest and the bodies of Dallas and Brett. But the Director`s Cut does not include Ripley`s lines to the dying Dallas ("What can I do?" and "I`ll get you out of there") before she kills him with the flamethrower.
* A quick extension of a shot as Ripley discovers the alien blocking the path to the shuttle; the alien appears staring at Jones the cat in his catbox, then it swats the catbox out of its way. This extended shot had never aired before, even on DVD.

The Director`s Cut also deleted brief snippets of footage:

* Part of the sequence where Ripley gains entry to Mother
* Parker going through the ship alone and watching out for the alien
* An almost unnoticeable cut as the last three surviving crew members round a bend in the corridors of the ship

The Alien Quadrilogy boxed set released on December 2, 2003 includes both the Special Edition and the original theatrical version.

Note that due to the scenes cut from the original release to accommodate the new footage in the "Director`s Cut", the "Director`s Cut" actually runs a full minute shorter in time than the original theatrical release.

This item was edited on Wednesday, 6th September 2006, 09:54

Quote:
I enjoyed it, but knowing the films are based on novels left me with the feeling it wasn`t fleshed out enough.
but do you think the innovative subs added anything to the film?

Quote:
No, not just you. It`s actually something I alluded to in my review., I believe the word I used was dazzling...
I`ll have to check out your review and see if I agree with the rest of it! :D

Quote:
Alias is great, but watching it dubbed in German? Sounds like more work than it`s worth!
You`re right, that`s why I had to wait until I `acquired` it on DVD (30 quid is a lot to spend if you don`t know whether you will like it.)

Thanks for the Alien info - based on that I am in no rush to watch the original version at the mo.

Day Watch is excellent, and TBH I can`t see how they can do a third film after the way they ended the second movie.

floyd