DVDs:-

Black Dynamite

Got this mostly on B.D.'s post where he extracted some of the script. Well, I'm no expert on blaxploitation, having only seen "The Return of Superfly" but this one is a much better parody than stuff like "I'm Gonna Git You Sucka" which wasn't that much funny. I loved Michael Jai White's perennial stoned deadpan expression. I loved the way the "crackers" are acting as if it was the 50s. I love the cosmic axioms the pimps and hustlers spout. And I especially love "don't interrupt my kung-fu". I, however, don't dig the ending with that Tricky Dick turkey. It's just too silly and overblown. And it is also a bit short. However, I have seen the deleted scenes and all of them didn't work, so it is a blessing that it was so short. Cool beans!

Der Untergang (Downfall)

Got this on Herm's recommendation. Only realised it was the source of many a youtube hilarity after having read its English title. It's kinda alright but not really THAT good. Bruno Ganz's portrayal of Hitler is pretty one-dimensional as he reacts to the Russian invasion - "oh, I'm delusional", "oh, I'm gonna throw a hissy fit", "oh, I've got nowhere to turn" and "let's kill some traitors". It all bloody revolves around these four responses for an hour that I felt relieved when Hitler dies. Otherwise, pretty accurate I guess as it's all from the horse's mouth - Fraudl Junge was his personal secretary during the last few bunker months.

Survival of the Dead

Watched this some time ago but waited until I had more DVDs so's I can lump them all in. This is pretty bad. It links to Diary as a group of opportunist mercenary soldiers featured in one scene there gets the entire movie to themselves here. The problem is, the story is pretty limp - Romero's pontificating about war when he doesn't really understand its dynamics and O'Flynn and Muldoon's feud just ain't that interesting. The gore also is either comical or retreads from past films. There's also too much CGI. The absolute nadir of the Dead series.

Merry X'Mas Mr. Lawrence (REWATCH)

Watched this last time as a barely teenager. Didn't get the sexual repression angle then. As a whole, though, I found this one to be more homo-erotic than overt gay stuff like "Sebastiane" which just bores me with horse-hung dicks and tanned buttocks. On the negative side, Bowie just has too much of an air of self-importance to carry out his role well. Fun seeing him in a public school uniform, though. Ryuichi Sakamoto's eyeliner is distracting. Tom Conti is very good, though, whatever happened to him? And Takeshi "Beat" Kitano is just credited as "Takeshi". He doesn't look a day older now then he was then, though.

CD:-

The Essential Judas Priest

My cassette player's wonky so I got another Priest compilation. It doesn't exactly duplicate my cassette comp ("Metal Works 73-93") but there are some overlaps. Problem is, the comp doesn't really keep up with the high standards of the opening track "Judas Rising" (from "Angel of Retribution"). The last six tracks of disc 1 is a blitzkrieg, though, with the anthemic "United", the oversexed "Turbo Lover" (though Halford is probably singing about turboing some guy's rectum) and the deliciously cacophonic "Painkiller", amongst others. Disc 2 has the exciting "Exciter" and the brilliant non-generic power ballad "Before the Dawn". Still, there are also rote metal crud like "Hot Rockin'". Doesn't deter my love for the Priest, though.