Rate the Movie You Recently Watched

[PunkNinja]

Use the Ninjas for rating (copy and paste)

Half Ninja = Terrible

1 Ninja = Poor

2 Ninjas = Ok

3 Ninjas = Good

4 Ninjas = Very Good

5 Ninjas = Excellent

Spoiler

 

[Sigill]

Last watched Juice. One of my favourites, great old skool soundtrack!

 

[Hewitt89]

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (Extended)
8/10

War For The Planet of the Apes
7/10

 

[Last Lizard]

Cemetery of Splendour

Thoroughbreds

 

[Lollard2002]

Dracula: Prince of Darkness 1964.

A film I come back to periodically and it's not hard to see why. A superb script, one of the best ensemble casts ever in a film and pretty much the classic template for Hammer films. Characters that are introduced quickly with broad brushstrokes, No background stories here, Here is X and on with the story. Slow but important build up to the main villain, Lee's Dracula, a film of 3 acts. The setting up of Dracula's resurrection, The escape from Dracula's castle and the hunting of Dracula. Nothing is wasted on screen and the 1 hour, 25 minutes flies back. Particular note should be made of Andrew's Keir's Abbott, a great character every bit as good as Cushing's Vampire hunter in Dracula 1958. I'm amazed that Hammer made a follow up film with Andrew Keir's Abbott. So much potential there. Lee has very limited screen time but that's for the better. His limited appearance makes his presence all the more horrifying and no attempt is made to build on his character from the 1st film. It's not needed.

If anyone ever wonders what inspired the Gothic Classic era of Tom Baker's Doctor Who with Phillip Hinchciffe at the helm look no further than this film. You can pretty much see the template here from everything from The Ark in Space to Seeds of Doom. Nothing wrong with that. All films and shows are usually influenced by something in the past....

Yield to the Night 1956 (called Blonde Sinner in the USA)

A grim story in which Diana Dors character is on death row for a murder she committed. The background to the murder is played out but it's the grim waiting in the prison and the countdown to her execution that makes this film a benchmark of cinema. As much a story of the wardens who have to guard her as her last days. You can't help sorry for her character despite the cold killer she is and I'm sure it (on purpose) asked a lot of questions about capitol punishment. It's interesting to note the film is produced by Lee J. Thompson not noted for doing UK productions. I suspect the subject mater would have been impossible to do in the USA at the time. Diana Dors excels here and shows what a great actress she was, whom I felt never achieved the potential she should have had.......

Airplane 1980

What can i say. I had to watch it again after watching it the other week. I'd forgotten how funny it was.
My favourite bit

"Excuse me stewardess I speak jive' Brilliant!

 

[Space Cadet]

(Finally) BR 2049 : 5/5

(When I copy/paste those ninjas they go all over the place, maybe they disagree ...)

 

[Noodles]

Chinatown (1974)

Polanski's The Godfather... equally as boring/overrated.

 

[Noodles]

Quadrophenia (1979)

 

[Sigill]

Last watched Happy Death Day. Decent movie, basically Groundhog Day but with horror! Definatly worth checking out for something original!

 

[Noodles]

Superman (1978)

 

[Lollard2002]

The Colossus of Rhodes 1961

This is the 1st major film directed by Sergio Leone and a great sand and sandles epic it is too. No cliche left unturned and all the more fun for it.
My viewing was the Warner Archives all region blu-ray from the Archive Collection. Easily the best of the Anthony Mann/Stewart collaborations.

The Man from Laramie 1955

A superb revenge Western from the 50's starring James Stewart that rattles alone with a few surprises along the way.
My viewing was the Master of Cinema blu-ray region B only

 

[Noodles]

Superman II (1980)

 

[Lollard2002]

I thought Superman 11 was a very good film as well. Certainly on a par with the 1st one. Loved the line when the President goes "Oh God" and Terrance Stamp's character goes "No Zod"

 

[Noodles]

The Big Sick (2017)

 

[Noodles]

Deliverance (1972)

 

[Lollard2002]

The Camp on Blood Island 1957

This is a tricky one to review. It's one of the four films on the new Hammer box set from Indicator which I received on Monday.
Basically it's an amalgamation of all the atrocities the Japanese committed on POW's during the Second World (and hopefully Last) War. There is and was no blood island so this is not a factual film but a fictional version of various events in one pot.
It's a tricky watch in that it takes what are clearly incidents that were probably committed in various camps and basically uses it for entertainment. The Japanese here are one note 1 dimensional monsters with various actors "blacking" up to play the roles. By rights it shouldn't work but it does. My problem is that it portrays the Japanese in a stereotype way but at the same time there were brutal and vicious during the conflict and this film pulls no punches in that respect.
It's astonishing what the film gets away with that even at the time should have been pulled by the censors. A lot of stuff here you would not be allowed to show today or would be toned down.
Certainly the legacy of this film is that it's the basis of every Japanese prisoner of war saga you have ever seen wether it be Merry Christmas Lawrence, Isla She Devil of the SS or TV shows like Tenko. You can clearly see the influence.
If anyone is interested all 3 Hammer sets from Indicator are region FREE.
It's not surprise that the last time this film was shown on British TV was 1979 and even then it was it's 3rd and last appearance.

 

[Sigill]

Last watched I Killed My Mother, it was decent. Pretty amazing to think Xavier Dolan made this when he was only 19.

 

[Lone Crusader]

Batman Vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)

Justice League (2017)

 

[Lollard2002]

Yesterday's Enemy 1959

This is another Hammer film about a group of soldiers behind enemy lines. Easily the best Hammer war film and a top notch war film period. It asks a lot of awkward questions and does something unheard of in films of that time. The British Tommy is not portrayed as the square jawed hero of the likes of the Dam Busters but a a product of war and yes if you do watch this film that is indeed Master Kan from Kung-Fu in a leading role in a Hammer film. His voice is so distinctive, I was immediately thinking of his scenes with Young Caine.
Again a brutal film that doesn't try to glorify war but says "This is what war is like, not a pretty picture is it".

Both the British and Japanese don't come out of this film smelling of roses, that's for sure! and unlike Camp on Blood Island the Japanese here are 100% real living breathing human beings.
Again part of the Hammer Volume 3 blu-ray box set from Indicator.

 

[Lollard2002]

The Stranglers of Bombay 1959

Another b/w Hammer film about the infamous cult. Again very brutal and the sequence between the mongoose and the corba has to be seen to be believed. No way would that be allowed today. See if you can spot two famous guest stars who made very famous Dr Who appearances.

This blu-ray is part of the Hammer Horror box set Volume 3. This is the complete version of the film.

 

[Noodles]

The Killing (1956)