Some DVDs and CDs I got (Part 1):-
DVDs -
Cube - Interesting use of a minimalist set - it's only one room with six exits. Supposedly there are about a few thousand rooms set inside a huge cube, of which some rooms are booby-trapped. Can't say I'm too impressed with this. A lot of bitchin' and not enough suspense. The traps are hardly imaginative either although the intro is quite cool. Worthwhile only if the viewer worship maths.
New York Ripper - A bit of a let-down for those expecting the carnage of Lucio Fulci's other horror films, like The Beyond and Zombie (like I would know, I've only seen film stills). Mostly shot giallo-style, although I did find the killer's voice unnerving, funny, whacko and disturbing all at the same time - he talks in a Donald Duck voice, along with the quacks. Rather boring kills, except the broken bottle scene and the realistic eye-cutting. My second Fulci movie after a heavily cut City of the Living Dead. Still trying to find Zombie and The Beyond, which trailer scared the shit out of me as a kid.
Ichi The Killer - I loved this. Probably the goriest and most cartoonish of all the Takashi Miike films, I found the OTT violence hilarious. The plot doesn't make much sense neither does the open-ended ending. Lotsa offal, gallons of blood, one arm-yanking, one nipple-cutting, opening titles formed of semen, I just wish all Asian gangster films were like this.
The Pink Panther (1963) & A Shot in the Dark (PP2) - Mostly watched this cos I liked the remake. Total let-down. The film centres on David Niven instead of Peter Sellers, who is mostly an arbitrary character. The sequel to PP, however, is pure genius. Brilliant comic timing and none of the forced humour of the 70s sequels. The use of Cato is still fresh, not the over-used idea it later became.
Death Proof - Have lost interest in Tarantino as of late but was still desirous of checking this out. The first half is cool, brilliant music, likeable characters, ominous creepy-looking car, all culminating in THAT spectacular crash. The second half does away with all the jump cuts, squiggles, missing frames and has an extended chick version of the coffeehouse talk intro in Reservoir Dogs, which is hardly as interesting. Still, the chase sequence does evoke how it's done in the 70s and makes me recollect all those chase movies I watched as a kid. At the very least, it makes me wanna check Vanishing Point and Dirty Mary Crazy Larry. Got Planet Terror as well but haven't watched that yet.
Night Watch - Sci-fi horror apocalyptic action thriller set in Moscow? Rather inventive ideas, good acting and some nice effects. Pretty much the Matrix of Russian cinema. I liked this. Got its sequel, Day Watch, as well but haven't watched it yet.
DVDs -
Cube - Interesting use of a minimalist set - it's only one room with six exits. Supposedly there are about a few thousand rooms set inside a huge cube, of which some rooms are booby-trapped. Can't say I'm too impressed with this. A lot of bitchin' and not enough suspense. The traps are hardly imaginative either although the intro is quite cool. Worthwhile only if the viewer worship maths.
New York Ripper - A bit of a let-down for those expecting the carnage of Lucio Fulci's other horror films, like The Beyond and Zombie (like I would know, I've only seen film stills). Mostly shot giallo-style, although I did find the killer's voice unnerving, funny, whacko and disturbing all at the same time - he talks in a Donald Duck voice, along with the quacks. Rather boring kills, except the broken bottle scene and the realistic eye-cutting. My second Fulci movie after a heavily cut City of the Living Dead. Still trying to find Zombie and The Beyond, which trailer scared the shit out of me as a kid.
Ichi The Killer - I loved this. Probably the goriest and most cartoonish of all the Takashi Miike films, I found the OTT violence hilarious. The plot doesn't make much sense neither does the open-ended ending. Lotsa offal, gallons of blood, one arm-yanking, one nipple-cutting, opening titles formed of semen, I just wish all Asian gangster films were like this.
The Pink Panther (1963) & A Shot in the Dark (PP2) - Mostly watched this cos I liked the remake. Total let-down. The film centres on David Niven instead of Peter Sellers, who is mostly an arbitrary character. The sequel to PP, however, is pure genius. Brilliant comic timing and none of the forced humour of the 70s sequels. The use of Cato is still fresh, not the over-used idea it later became.
Death Proof - Have lost interest in Tarantino as of late but was still desirous of checking this out. The first half is cool, brilliant music, likeable characters, ominous creepy-looking car, all culminating in THAT spectacular crash. The second half does away with all the jump cuts, squiggles, missing frames and has an extended chick version of the coffeehouse talk intro in Reservoir Dogs, which is hardly as interesting. Still, the chase sequence does evoke how it's done in the 70s and makes me recollect all those chase movies I watched as a kid. At the very least, it makes me wanna check Vanishing Point and Dirty Mary Crazy Larry. Got Planet Terror as well but haven't watched that yet.
Night Watch - Sci-fi horror apocalyptic action thriller set in Moscow? Rather inventive ideas, good acting and some nice effects. Pretty much the Matrix of Russian cinema. I liked this. Got its sequel, Day Watch, as well but haven't watched it yet.
posted by Patrick the Madman @ 3:46 pm
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