Topic: November Alphabet Marathon - Discussion/Review Thread

[richierich]

12/11

Rocky Balboa



Never give up, and never stop believing.

When he loses a highly publicized virtual boxing match to ex-champ Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone), reigning heavyweight title holder Mason Dixon (Antonio Tarver) retaliates by challenging the Italian Stallion to a nationally televised, 10-round exhibition bout. To the surprise of his son (Milo Ventimiglia, TV's Heroes) and friends, Rocky agrees to come out of retirement and face an opponent who's faster, stronger and thirty years his junior. With the odds stacked firmly against him, Rocky takes on Dixon in what will become the greatest fight in boxing history, a hard-hitting, action-packed battle of the ages!

Talk about flogging a dead horse - no wonder you can find this dvd in bargain buckets acrosss the UK now!
Better than the 4th (can you remember how gay that was), and nearly as boring as the 5th, Sly is just too old and plastic now for me to find this in any way believable. I was surprised to read good reviews on this, but personally it missed the mark and the plotline was just too old hat and obvious to catch my attention.
Current fighter gets in the ring against a 60+ retired fighter = one dead old guy. Sorry but thats the truth.
One to miss 

[Najemikon]

Now, behave! I haven't seen Rocky Balboa because I'm not keen on the original ones, but I haven't seen it in any bargain bins or significantly cheaper than other titles in sales. As you say, critically RB was a decent success, with many saying it went back to the original idea instead of being just another sequel. They didn't go as far as to agree it was a marvellous film, after all you're right about that basic idea being flawed, but they did seem to consider that it was a noble, good hearted effort.

[richierich]

£3.99 delivered - to me thats bargain basement for such a recent film   

[Najemikon]

£3.99 delivered - to me thats bargain basement for such a recent film   

In line with other DVDs recent or not. right back at ya!

[DJ Doena]

I must say, I like Rocky Balboa. I don't like the fourth and have never seen the fifth, but how Rocky came back was cool. It was agood conclusion to the series IMHO.

[richierich]

13/11

Lost mission



A psychological thriller, about a training mission deep into the Alpine Mountains of Northern Italy, and deep into the minds of the soldiers who are about to be tested for life. Five American soldiers in training are sent deep into the woods of Northern Italy, where they encounter a deadly sniper, who seems to be following every move they make. The soldiers, led by a lieutenant that is in over his head, must escape to their rendezvous location. It's a mission their lives depend on, but will they be able to trust their own eyes and ears, or their fellow soldiers, as they struggle to survive?

Are there words to describe how awful this is? What a terrible blind buy, once again lulled into buying a dvd based on overview and cover 
It must have been made on a shoestring, terrible acting to the point it becomes entertaining, continual shots of them walking through the same part of forest (you can see same goalposts in background!!) right through the film, that it looks like a scooby doo sketch. I would bet my life a group of 13 year old kids could produce a more entertaining film in their media studies class.

Avoid like the plague 

[richierich]

14/11

Only the lonely



Danny Muldoon is a sweet-tempered Chicago cop who has lived with his overbearing Irish mother Rose his entire adult life. Rose's relationship with her son is challenged for the first time when he meets Theresa, the shy, romantically inexperienced daughter of a mortician. Mama's boy Danny must overcome both his passivity and his overwhelming sense of Catholic guilt as he struggles to untangle himself from his mother's apron strings and take control of his own life.

First off I have to say I am a big Candy fan, I have always enjoyed his acting and am blind to the obvious stereo-typing and one-dimensional criticism his career assessment usually evokes. I had seen this film on tv before, and this was a first watch on dvd.
It's a gentle easy watch, completely unchallenging comedy, perfect for a rainy afternoon to relax to, Candy plays the perfect bumbling son who falls in love, and Maureen O'Hara steals the film with a wonderful performance as the overbearing Irish mother.
Best line in the film is when the mother is first introduced to the new beau (Ally Sheedy) at a posh restaurant and says "Where are her breasts?"
Good film which you can pick up fairly cheaply now   

[richierich]

16/11

Air that I breathe



Sometimes the things we can't change...end up changing us.

A drama based on an ancient Chinese proverb that breaks life down into four emotional cornerstones: happiness, pleasure, sorrow and love. A businessman (Whitaker) bets his life on a horse race; a gangster (Fraser) sees the future; a pop star (Gellar) falls prey to a crime boss (Garcia); a doctor (Bacon) must save the love of his life.

This film is perfect for the intellectual farts in cardigans, smoking pipes, and critic wannabes, to analyse and debate the various moods and hidden meanings within the film. It takes itself way too seriously, stylish but with no substance underneath.
I can add to this debate - it was boring shite
Talk about squandering an impressive cast list and large budget! I thought at first it was tongue-in-cheek, and I could have enjoyed the film more on that basis, but then you start to realise no this is actually meant to have meaning and be entertaining - NOT

Yawnsville just opened it's gates for another Hollywood stinker 
 

[richierich]

16/11

Bringing out the dead



Ambulance driver Frank Pierce (Nicolas Cage) -- on the verge of a nervous breakdown -- stumbles through three sleepless nights on the job accompanied by a callous crew (John Goodman, Ving Rhames and Tom Sizemore). As Frank navigates through the dead and dying, he finds humanity in an unlikely friendship with a heart-attack victim's ex-junkie daughter (Patricia Arquette). The film, helmed by Martin Scorsese, is based on Joe Connelly's memoir.

This is the 2nd time I have tried to enjoy the film, but it just doesn't work for me. I come away after the film feeling down and grey, it is disturbing and in some ways bleak, low-lifes and victims in dark dangerous streets with unbalanced good guys. There is no relief throughout the film, despite Cage as the lead, and is definately not a feel-good movie.
However, enough interest remains to keep you watching until the end, as desperation grows for Cage as the dishevelled and grim paramedic. Kudos for the soundtrack which was probably the best part of the whole movie for me.
 

[richierich]

20/11

Young Frankenstein



Mel Brooks' monstrously crazy tribute to Mary Shelley's classic pokes hilarious fun at just about every Frankenstein movie ever made. Summoned by a will to his late grandfather's castle in Transylvania, young Dr. Frankenstein (Gene Wilder) soon discovers the scientist's step-by-step manual explaining how to bring a corpse to life. Assisted by the hunchback Igor (Marty Feldman) and the curvaceous Ings (Teri Garr), he creates a monster (Peter Boyle) who only wants to be loved.

I will no doubt be unpopular by questioning the hype on this film, I'd read in so many places how funny this is, top 10 comedy movie etc etc. I thought it was plainly boring and self-absorbing.
Perhaps Mel Brooks is like marmite, you either love him or hate him. Unfortunately I veer on the side of disliking his comedies and him (except Blazing Saddles strangely enough  ).
The jokes are banal, adolescent and obvious, I am surprised they didn't use canned laughter. Large gaps in-between laughs made the film seem stretched and quite a viewing ordeal.

The positives:
Shot like the original movie in 1:85 ratio it was visually appealing. Teri Garr - great knockers (Shank you Doctor Fronkensteen), and Marty Feldman (Are his eyes really like that?) were perfect in their roles.

Perhaps this is just dated and the concept overdone, if I had seen it in the 70's when it was fresh and unique it may have made a much more positive impact on me. However, for me today on first viewing, this was a 

[Najemikon]

Nah, it definitely is you. Young Frankenstein is great and has my all-time favourite comedy moment in it: Gene Hackman trying to serve dinner! The monsters face as he sees him light his thumb is wonderful! But you're right about Brooks being Marmite. There aren't many of his I can get on with.

Bringing Out The Dead is bleak, but I've always been fascinated by its more surreal edge. I find it strange that it never gets mentioned amongst Scorcese's greats. I rate it above Gangs of New York and The Aviator at least. It is similar to Taxi Driver in many ways. Are you a fan of that?

If you're struggling, the answer you're looking for is "yes, of course"...

[Kathy]

I love this movie. I recently did a marathon of Legacy Collection (which has all the Frankenstein movies in it) and Young Frankenstein; it made me remember what a genius Mel Brooks, and this movie, really is. 

[richierich]

22/11

Paddy McGuinness live



Synopsis
Fresh from the success of PHOENIX NIGHTS and MAX AND PADDY'S ROAD TO NOWHERE, Bolton-based funny man, Patrick McGuiness branched out into stand-up comedy with his 'Dark Side Tour'. Riotous adult comedy at its very best.

A nice change from films and TV, some stand-up comedy from one of the UKs newer comedians. As the lesser known performer from Max and Paddy, he is not as dynamic, slick and funny as Peter Kay when live, and the material was too predictably coarse and one-tracked to be considered very entertaining. Foul mouthed and short of laughter, this is easily a 

[richierich]

22/11

Elektra



Shrouded by mystery. Tainted by tragedy. Trained to kill. Then left for dead. But for Elektra (Jennifer Garner - Alias, TV Series) death was just the beginning. Now she is back with a vengeance.

Despite low expectations this film was not that bad at all. Basic comic book stuff really, special powered hero, OTT hollywood violence, bad guys and gals with evil special weapons etc. Not quite Daredevil, and certainly not up in the realms of spiderman and batman, but fairly entertaining fare. Nearly worth watching just to view Jennifer Garner in her red outfit.
 

[richierich]

23/11

Kiss of the dragon



The writers of THE FIFTH ELEMENT, Luc Besson (who also directed the Bruce Willis film) and Robert Mark Kamen, have teamed up again to deliver Jet Li in the action thriller KISS OF THE DRAGON. Li stars as Liu Jiuan, a Chinese agent so dedicated to his job that he has no friends, no family, no dreams. He is sent to Paris to help the French police capture a Chinese gangster, but France's top cop, Jeanne-Pierre Richard (Tcheky Karyo), has set Liu up to take the fall for a brutal killing he himself carried out. On the run in a strange city, Liu keeps a low profile until he unwillingly becomes friends with an American hooker, Jessica (Bridget Fonda)--who just happens to hold the key to his innocence. But Richard is always one step ahead of them--he has Jessica's daughter. Li and Fonda make a great team; their relationship is at the core of the film, as neither character has ever been able to put his complete trust in another person before. The action scenes, directed by Corey Yuen, are fast and furious and very violent, featuring mesmerizing moves by Li, especially one involving a billiard ball. Chris Nahon, in his directorial debut, makes excellent use of the location, including numerous shots of famous Parisian landmarks as the bad cops try to machine-gun down Liu in the streets and sewers and on the Seine.

Definately not Jet Li's greatest movie.
As opposed to the last film I reviewed I had high expectations, and although in essence I quite enjoyed the flick, the high praise I'd heard and read about Kiss of the Dragon set it up for a fall.
The Action, although atrractively relentless, is artificially sped up, occasionally to the point of being distracting, all the main characters are fairly uninspired and the dialogue was entirely functional, humorless and shallow.
Ill stick with Hero or Romeo Must Die in preference, but it justly deserves a