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What Have You Watched Recently?


Susano

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Re: What Have You Watched Recently?

 

Saturday I picked up the "director's cut" of Musa (The Warrior) on DVD. I own a domestic Tai Seng release of Musa, which clocks in at 135 minutes. Having been told it was cut down, I've spotted a few areas where I'm sure the film was edited. The version I picked up Saturday is a whopping 158 minutes(!) and should have everything I was missing.

 

BTW -- if you want to see Cinematic-level martial arts/Fantasy Hero action at its finest, watch Musa. The plot is simple, in 1375 a Korean diplomatic envoy to China is accused of being spies, enslaved and sent to die in exile on the frontier. "Saved" by Mongols who slaughter the Chinese soldiers guarding them, they then decide to escape back to Korea. However, the delegation's leader hatches a plan to rescue a beautiful Chinese princess (played by Zhang Ziyi) from the Mongols and return her to China, thus winning back his lost honor as well as possible rewards (and so on). But the Mongols don't give up their treasures that easily....

 

The action scenes are fantastic (IMO), especially those involving Yeo-sol the former slave, who is a literal whirl-wind of death with a spear. Excellent costumes, cinematography, and music by (IIRC), the composer for the anime Neon Genesis Evangelion.

 

I've been watching a lot of sub'd movies lately. Shinobi last week and before that Versus, Azumi and Timeslip.

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Re: What Have You Watched Recently?

 

I've always loved the theme song for Thunder Road, with Robert Michum. Finally watched it the other night. Interesting relic from the late '50's. I recommend seeing it, and checking out the comments on IMDb.

 

According to the IMDb, it is a fairly accurate look at 'shine running in the -then contemporary- '50's.

 

What struck me most was how *unstylelized* it was. You can either say it had no plot (it did) or that it took many story telling cliches and upended them. For example there are a couple of "this will be important later" plot points: Except they aren't, they are just color.

 

The characters were not "from central casting" either, like the "almost as good" character. He is almost as good a driver as the protagonist, in love with the girl who can't see him exist, lost as she is for the lead character, etc. In a standard script, he would be the one who either became the antagonist, or became a mole for them. Nope: He has an important function, but that isn't it.

 

I'll avoid more spoilers, on the off chance this movie is on anyone's to watch list. I'll give an alert for people who like to watch for glitches, though. ;)

 

In the first action scene, right at the beginning of the movie, The Whipporwill tries to do a bootlegger reverse. The camera was still rolling when the car lost control and flipped, but the next camera view has an unscathed car come out of the dustcloud and shoot past the Feds. :rolleyes:

 

It didn't harm my suspension of disbelief, but YMMV.

 

Midas

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Re: What Have You Watched Recently?

 

I recently saw Pan's Labyrinth and The Last King of Scotland in theaters, and rented Little Miss Sunshine. All great movies, though I must note that the last is basically National Lampoon's Vacation with much better dialogue and acting and the Little Miss Sunshine pageant substituting for Wally World. :D

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Re: What Have You Watched Recently?

 

In the past week I've seen Ulimate Iron man- good, the Libertine- not so good, and 300- visually stunned.

 

This week I plan on seeing Wallace and Gromit's Curse of the Were-Rabbit, Night Watch, and Curse of the Golden Flower.

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Re: What Have You Watched Recently?

 

it's not showing anywhere near me!!! :weep:

 

Uh... you gonna write-up the monster? :D

 

Probably not. ;)

 

It's not that tough. Very strong, fast, some damage reduction but not a ton, main defense is a high Recovery and some Regeneration. Apparently no teeth. Mostly it smashes into people.

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Re: What Have You Watched Recently?

 

Recently I have seen

 

Taxi 3. This is the French film not the American remake with Queen Latifah. It does have cameoes from Sylvester Stallone and Bai Ling which is nice.

 

Brick. Cross a pulp detective 40s story with a teen school story and this is what you get. This is really, really good. Go see or rent.

 

Thank You for Smoking. A tobacco lobbyist at work. Fun.

 

Blood Work. A Clint Eastwood film from a couple of years back. Based on the book of the same name by Michael Connelly. I have read Connelly's other character Harry Bosch and I enjoyed this film as well. Clint playing to his age. And the fact that his character had a heart transplant.

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Re: What Have You Watched Recently?

 

Casino Royale, where my wife fell in love with Daniel Craig: the UnBond. We both agreed that he was the best Bond of them all.

 

Pan's Labyrinth, which was a masterpiece. Visually lush, compelling story, and messes with your sense of "what is reality anyway?"

 

Bridge to Teribithia, not as strong as the others, but still an important movie. It lulls you into a sense of warm-fuzzy-bunnies before it kicks you in the groin.

 

300, a totally awesome blockbuster. A cross between the Lord of the Rings movies and Sin City.

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Re: What Have You Watched Recently?

 

Casino Royale, where my wife fell in love with Daniel Craig: the UnBond. We both agreed that he was the best Bond of them all.

 

 

I'll admit I liked the new Bond and the way the show went. I don't think it will last though. I am sure someone with just have to "improve" the next one.

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Re: What Have You Watched Recently?

 

Princess Mononoke - Japanese anime. Holy smokes, go rent this now. Might feel kinda left winger for you die-hard rightsters, but still a monumental achievement in animation. Six outa five stars.

 

Batman Begins - pretty good, much better plotted, acted and directed than any of the the other Bat-sequels. This is as good as the first Batman movie, if not better. Four outa five stars.

 

Big Trouble in Little China - funny and weird action flick. Not great but was probably pretty good for it's time. Wire work pre-sequels current wire-work in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and other big buget Hong Kong action movies. (Note: BTLC is not big budget.) Three outa five stars.

 

Sky High - I might be the last person here to see this, but it was fun never the less. Not great, probably aimed at kids in the young teen catagory. Still reasonably entertaining for the adults. Note: Kurt Russel plays the dad here, and also Jack Barton in Big Trouble in Little China. Weird seeing the two films close together. Three outa five stars.

 

Stargate - the first one. Another Kurt Russel movie! I didn't do this on purpose. Campy fun action flick. Good ideas for RPG premise. Watch evil alien get nuked with his own transporter. Desert Arabs get ahold of a few guns and kick the snot out of technologicaly superior foes. Why didn't Bush watch this movie? Three outa five stars.

 

Syriana - very good. Action/thriller film with a lot of thought. Misses the mark by feeling just a bit too preachy, but the acting, direction and story telling are superb. Four outa five stars.

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Re: What Have You Watched Recently?

 

Back in the day, Big Trouble in Little China was the movie. It's hard to see what was so innovative about it now; we have dead easy access to Hong Kong action films, Hong Kong action choreographers are working in Hollywood, and the standard level of Action in films has gone up. Still, I was blown away by Big Trouble when I first saw it in 1986, and I still get a kick out of it today. Great movie to serve as the basis of a campaign as well.

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Re: What Have You Watched Recently?

 

Back in the day' date=' Big Trouble in Little China was the movie. It's hard to see what was so innovative about it now; we have dead easy access to Hong Kong action films, Hong Kong action choreographers are working in Hollywood, and the standard level of Action in films has gone up. Still, I was blown away by Big Trouble when I first saw it in 1986, and I still get a kick out of it today. Great movie to serve as the basis of a campaign as well.[/quote']

 

It still holds a revered place on my movie shelf. To me it is still one of my favorites. There may be better movies out there now, but I still think BTiLC holds its own.

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