|
|
Post by Heineken Skywalker on Sept 5, 2008 18:00:20 GMT -5
THE LAUGHING POLICEMAN (1973)
With that title, and the fact that it stars Walter Matthau, you'd probably think this is a screwball comedy, but it's actually a gritty 70's crime drama, in the vein of DIRTY HARRY or SERPICO.
Matthau and his new partner, played by Bruce Dern, investigate a late-night massacre on a city bus, whose victims included an off-duty cop.
Other than a couple of shootouts though, this one was kind of dull. Nice to see Matthau in a different kind of role though.
4.5/10
MILLER'S CROSSING (1990)
Albert Finney is a mob boss and Gabriel Byrne is his right-hand man in this good looking and very stylized, prohibition-era gangster film by the Coen Brothers.
As the Coens tend to do, the dark humor is blended well with the violence.
8/10
|
|
|
|
Post by ZapRowsdower on Sept 5, 2008 22:40:25 GMT -5
Point Break (1991, Kathryn Bigelow)
One movie that really gets its audience to ask questions. Namely, "Have you ever shot your gun into the air and said 'AHHHHH'?" All joking aside, I thought this was a pretty fun movie. The action was solid, the surfing was cool, and the writing worked pretty well. I really enjoyed the fist fight at the end. And yes, Hot Fuzz made me want to pick this one up. 8/10
|
|
|
|
Post by Bartwald on Sept 7, 2008 4:51:40 GMT -5
Just saw "No Man's Land: The Rise of Reeker", an OK sequel to "Reeker". While the first movie is a rather traditional horror flick, the second one uses a cops and robbers formula to get the plot going. An old sheriff and his son try to capture a group of bank robbers somewhere near the Mexican border, but suddenly they find themselves trapped in a world of the title stinking monster. The first hour or so is at times truly shocking and surprising, but the predictable finale spoil the overall impression. An improvement over "Reeker", though. 6/10
|
|
|
|
Post by slayrrr666 on Sept 7, 2008 10:16:03 GMT -5
Just saw "No Man's Land: The Rise of Reeker", an OK sequel to "Reeker". While the first movie is a rather traditional horror flick, the second one uses a cops and robbers formula to get the plot going. An old sheriff and his son try to capture a group of bank robbers somewhere near the Mexican border, but suddenly they find themselves trapped in a world of the title stinking monster. The first hour or so is at times truly shocking and surprising, but the predictable finale spoil the overall impression. An improvement over "Reeker", though. 6/10 I'm pretty sure that violates the "Theatrically-released only" rule, Bart. The Thomas Crown Affair-2000 I really, really wanted to like this one. This one started off like the reverse of the James Bond films, only with Bond pulling off the heist and making it look easy, and then it all goes wrong when it comes to the investigation angle. Rather than staying interesting, all the back-and-forth angling over who has the lead in the mind games just doesn't really stay interesting over the long haul and it feels rather slow-going at times. The full-on sleaze at the island is a nice pick-up, and the final rush at the end does redeem it somewhat, but the middle is a little slow for me and kinda brings it down a little. 6/10 Gone in 60 Seconds-2000 Another 2000 remake, and actually one I like a little more. Even though pretty much all the technical details on the cars is lost on me, the fact that this one decides to spend most of the time playing around and has a lighter air to it makes it easier to go down, a marked improvement over the more serious other one. Of course, none of this means anything without the final chase, which here is really fun and enjoyable. Certainly not the best car chase I've ever seen (that goes to The Rock) but the length allows for a lot of great gags and such to be thrown in to make it feel interesting and exciting, which is where most of the fun comes from. The stealing of the other cars works as well, but it's the chase that really earns this one. 7.5/10 |
|
|
|
Post by ZapRowsdower on Sept 7, 2008 12:16:57 GMT -5
Beverly Hills Cop (1984, Martin Brest)
Finally got around to seeing this. It was very funny, and Eddie Murphy can kick some ass when called upon. Kinda makes you wonder what happened to him, Judge Reinhold, and Martin Brest. 8/10.
|
|
|
|
Post by Bartwald on Sept 7, 2008 12:18:20 GMT -5
I'm pretty sure that violates the "Theatrically-released only" rule, Bart. Well, it was shown in theatres before the DVD premiere - I think I'd read about it in some imdb reviews long before it appeared on DVD... But I won't argue if Heineken decides that ain't enough, of course. And since I'm here: The Thomas Crown Affair remake is one of my genre favourites, I'm surprised you didn't like it! Gone In 60 Seconds, on the other hand, was rather boring. |
|
|
|
Post by Heineken Skywalker on Sept 7, 2008 15:13:15 GMT -5
I'm pretty sure that violates the "Theatrically-released only" rule, Bart. Well, it was shown in theatres before the DVD premiere - I think I'd read about it in some imdb reviews long before it appeared on DVD... But I won't argue if Heineken decides that ain't enough, of course. I've never heard of it, but if you say it was in theaters first, that's good enough for me. Zap, you'd never seen BEVERLY HILLS COP till now? Wow, that's really surprising. I have a stack of dvds currently sitting on my tv that fall into this month's genre and that one is among them. If you haven't seen it, I would also recommend 48 HRS., another great early Murphy film that fits this month's genre. Over the last couple of days I watched: BAD LIEUTENANT (1992) Harvey Keitel is the title character. A Police Lieutenant who has pretty much every vice you can think of, from drinking and drugs to gambling and strange sexual behavior. He's really good in the role, but the story's kind of weak. And really, you just want to take a shower when the whole thing's over and get the feeling of "eeeewww!!!" off of you. 6/10 THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY (1999) A chance meeting at a party results in a man offering Tom Ripley (Matt Damon) $1,000 to go to Italy and bring back his spoiled rich son, Dickie Greenleaf (Jude Law). While there though, Tom befriends Dickie and his friends and soon starts craving his lifestyle, and his actual life, for his own. The friendly young man starts showing his true colors, a master at forgery and impressions, and ultimately reveals himself to be a psychopath who will go to great lengths, including murder, to get what he wants. Good cast, also with Gwyneth Paltrow and Phillip Seymour Hoffman, and nice scenery. Takes a little while to get going, but gets darker and darker as it goes. 7.5/10 IN BRUGES (2008) After a botched hit, a pair of hitmen are sent to Bruges, Belgium, by their boss, to lay low until further instructions. Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson are the hitmen and they're probably the most entertaining on-screen hitmen since Jules and Vincent discussed foot massages and Quarter Pounders. An original, quirky black comedy with moments of serious emotion. Thought it was great. 9/10 |
|
|
|
Post by ZapRowsdower on Sept 7, 2008 22:45:46 GMT -5
Bangkok Dangerous (2008, Oxide Pang Chun; Danny Pang)
Nicolas Cage plays a hitman for hire who, on his Bangkok assignment, begins to have second thoughts about his profession. The direction was stylish and cool, but the writing was the stuff of brainless action fodder. Basically, Steven Seagal, Jean-Claude Van Damme, and Arnold Schwarzenegger would have all fit comfortably in Nicolas Cage's role. The Pang Brothers definitely have a unique style, and that kind of offsets the bad writing, but don't go out of your way to see this one. 7/10
|
|
|
|
Post by Heineken Skywalker on Sept 8, 2008 0:33:16 GMT -5
RENO 911!: MIAMI (2007)
Big screen version of the tv series about a group of Reno cops who are followed around by a camera crew and have their actions documented, much like the series, "COPS". But this being a Comedy Central series, it's played for laughs, mockumentary style.
The film's plot has the main characters as the only cops left who can keep law and order in Miami Beach after a terrorist attack at a police convention causes all other police to be quarantined. It's a slim plot, and it doesn't all work, but there are some really funny moments. Most of them of the "so stupid you have to laugh" variety.
6.5/10
|
|
|
|
Post by Heineken Skywalker on Sept 8, 2008 0:43:06 GMT -5
An update. The scores for this month so far.
September: COPS AND ROBBERS
Heineken Skywalker = 9
Slayrrr666 = 5
ZapRowsdower = 4
Bartwald = 1
|
|
|
|
Post by slayrrr666 on Sept 8, 2008 10:22:06 GMT -5
I'm pretty sure that violates the "Theatrically-released only" rule, Bart. Well, it was shown in theatres before the DVD premiere - I think I'd read about it in some imdb reviews long before it appeared on DVD... But I won't argue if Heineken decides that ain't enough, of course. And since I'm here: The Thomas Crown Affair remake is one of my genre favourites, I'm surprised you didn't like it! Gone In 60 Seconds, on the other hand, was rather boring. Well, the thing is, in the US, that went straight-to-DVD, although if it went to theaters outside, I wouldn't have any knowledge of something like that. Unless that's something Heiney can clarify-If it went to theaters anywhere or just in the country of origin. A little help on this.  And TCA took too long for me to get into it, and the mind-games both were playing just weren't that interesting for me. And I love car chases, so Gone was always going to be entertaining. Plus, it's one of the only non-horror films to make me jump out of my seat, when he backs the car up after exiting the aquaduct and rams the mirror into the car on the side of the road. I don't know how they do it, but every time I see that, like clockwork, I jump at it. You can bet money on that fact, and I know it's coming, I know the scene, it just does it for me. The Departed-See thoughts in Movie Review thread. |
|
|
|
Post by ZapRowsdower on Sept 8, 2008 12:10:54 GMT -5
Face/Off (1997, John Woo)
I haven't seen this in about a decade... But this was John Woo's best work Stateside. His signature action sequences are all intact, and this seems to be the only film where a Hollywood studio allowed him complete freedom to create his film. Travolta and Cage were fantastic - in a sense where I almost believed after the face switch, that the other actor was actually beneath the face. The transition was so seamless, that even though the procedure is just a little bit preposterous, it seems like it could be done. Very well-made. 9/10
Dirty Harry (1971, Don Siegel)
Quite possibly the most bad-ass movie ever made. I suppose you could call this a "Movie Police" worthy entry, as this is only my first time watching this. This had one of the most memorable characters in film history, one of the most quoted lines of dialogue in film history, and one of the most satisfying climaxes in film history. Do you feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk? 10/10
|
|
|
|
Post by Heineken Skywalker on Sept 10, 2008 1:58:23 GMT -5
Well, it was shown in theatres before the DVD premiere - I think I'd read about it in some imdb reviews long before it appeared on DVD... But I won't argue if Heineken decides that ain't enough, of course. Well, the thing is, in the US, that went straight-to-DVD, although if it went to theaters outside, I wouldn't have any knowledge of something like that. Unless that's something Heiney can clarify-If it went to theaters anywhere or just in the country of origin. A little help on this. Hmm... is this a whole new can of worms? This could be more controversial than my ruling that cheerleading and marching band are not really sports. Because a lot of times, movies that go straight to dvd in America do have theatrical runs in other countries, I'm going to allow this movie, and any other, if it happened to play in theaters in Poland, where Bart lives, even if it was only released on dvd in the U.S. and other countries. I'm pretty sure Bart is the only one participating in this, who lives outside the U.S., so it shouldn't be an issue for anyone else, I think. In a nutshell, if it played in theaters in Poland it can count for Bart, even if it was only released on dvd in The States. I think that's fair since a lot of movies that are readily available on dvd here in the states are not easy to get in Poland. Is that clear and does everyone think that's fair? EASTERN PROMISES (2007) David Cronenberg and Viggo Mortensen ( A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE) re-team for this tale about Russian mobsters, a baby, a midwife and a diary. Mortensen gives probably his best, and most fearless, performance in a film that wasn't completely satisfying, but definitely has some entertainment value. And that scene in the bathhouse, wow. Worth the price of admission, or a dvd rental, right there. 7/10 |
|
|
|
Post by Bartwald on Sept 10, 2008 5:36:37 GMT -5
Because a lot of times, movies that go straight to dvd in America do have theatrical runs in other countries, I'm going to allow this movie, and any other, if it happened to play in theaters in Poland, where Bart lives, even if it was only released on dvd in the U.S. and other countries. I'm pretty sure Bart is the only one participating in this, who lives outside the U.S., so it shouldn't be an issue for anyone else, I think. In a nutshell, if it played in theaters in Poland it can count for Bart, even if it was only released on dvd in The States. I think that's fair since a lot of movies that are readily available on dvd here in the states are not easy to get in Poland. Is that clear and does everyone think that's fair? That'd be fair, I think - and it doesn't happen very often, so I guess it wouldn't exactly turn the final results topsy-turvy. Unfortunately, this isn't the case with The Rise of Reeker which is straight-to-DVD in Poland. Two things made me think the movie counts, though: - it had been announced as having limited theatrical release when I first heard about it, - before it was released on DVD I'd read imdb opinions on it stating that the reviewers "saw it at a screening". The question is - is limited theatrical release good enough? |
|
|
|
Post by slayrrr666 on Sept 10, 2008 10:12:21 GMT -5
Ok, so if it goes to theaters where you live, it counts. Fine by me, just wanted to clear it up.
Sisters-1973
Some things happened, there was a murder or two, I just didn't give a damn. Too slow and barely felt like a horror film, which didn't keep me interested at all. First murder was pretty brutal, just wished I would've been able to see the gore a little clearer.
2.5/10
|
|
