...endlessly disturbing it succeeded in what it was going for! Terrifying it lived up to it's name...
I watched RED CORNER (1997) earlier this evening on a W/S MGM tape. Just received it in the mails a few days ago. Out of four stars I'd rate it ' *** ' for 'GOOD'. I decided to rate it like the old Leonard Maltin Video Guides where they used a 4-Star System. Stars Richard Gere and Bai Ling. And James Hong has a part, too.
A premiere of "Champions" at the cinema yesterday evening, starring Wood Harrelson. Really enjoyed it, feel good movie and some genuinely funny moments. 9/10 for me. A remake of a Spanish film from 2018. Champions (2023 film) - Wikipedia
Been watching Tubi lately. Lots of movies from the 70s and 80s on there. Watched 15 minutes of My Tutor. 1/5. Made it through that much just with the shock of young Crispin Glover being in it. Then I put on The Boss's Wife with Daniel Stern. 0/5 for the 15 minutes I watched of it.
I made it through the whole thing, but I was watching with someone else. Thankfully we just watched it on HBO, so we didn't purchase it. Will they let you return it?
'Bloodrayne' My wife picks some real stinkers. So do I but hers are stinkier and this was no exception. Some kind of medieval vampire story about God knows what. And Ben Kingsley was in it which in itself is no guarantee the movie will be any good but you'd hope it would be. 1/10.
To Leslie (2022) After all the hoopla surrounding the campaign to get Andrea Riseborough nominated for Best Actress, was it worth it? It was a very good small film. Andrea did a great job, Allison Janney overacted more than I’ve ever seen her do, Andre Royo was his usual great self in a small role. Definitely worth seeing. 8/10
The Grand Budapest Hotel. Like some other Anderson films, this one could be described as a comic book on film. Picture frames and zowie visuals, a little dialog along the way. I enjoy them but this one is a little light on the story, a fun B grade.
Possession (1981) - 7/10 which means very solid. An adventurous film full of bizzare occurances, and insane people...possessed, even? The film speaks to humankind's duality, but beyond that, into a Lovecraftian spin; there are things hidden from sight that are far more frightening than what's found on the surface. I was really into the acting. The whole cast did well.
War- 6/10 Good but not great shoot-'em-up revenge flick starring the always awesome Jason Statham. A few (but not enough) good fight scenes, sufficient violence, some cool visuals, and one really good car chase. But the plot is too convoluted and there's too much time wasted on the non-Statham characters. And, worst of all, the ending is ridiculous. By the way, if you like Statham as much as I do, I highly recommend Homefront. What a great movie.
Billy Liar. Very good looking film although the lead character is awfully annoying. Can’t see why his parents hadn’t thrown him out a long time ago. Tom Courtenay looked ridiculously old to be playing a teenager
This is Where I leave You - Netflix. 5/10. Unbelievably good cast (Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Jane Fonda, Adam Driver) but doesn't really take off. Would have been better as a series where the characters could be developed more.
Saint Maud (2019) British horror / thriller / drama Holy ****. Slow burn and ultra affecting. Had to rewind the last 10 minutes. Unbelievable climax. 10/10
Tgis Doc is worth a watch. Currently on iPlayer, but here's a YT link. Greg Davies is a comedian and former english teacher, so there is a bit more focus on the book. My mother-in-law was at school with author Barry Hines (lame-claim-to-fame)
Damn The Defiant (1962) Tough Napolionic war naval drama starring Alec Guinness, Dirk Bogarde and Anthony Quayle. As much power struggle chicanery as a season of Game Of Thrones. Equally intriguing is that it wasn’t the British cut of the film entitled H.M.S Defiant. Excellent 9/10