Kind of apt at the moment. Haven't watched this in years so forgot how slow it moves along and how low budget it really was. But saying that it's a very enjoyable film and the pacing doesn't really hurt it. John Carpenter always does best with a tight budget and filming time. Apparently most of the big sets like the plane crash were setup, filmed and removed in just a few hours. Kurt Russell is great as always in his urban camo, too tight leggings and knee high boots Love the synth soundtrack as well.
This would make for a great open world game I think, set in a desolate New York with rival gangs and roving lunatics.
Kind of apt at the moment. Haven't watched this in years so forgot how slow it moves along and how low budget it really was. But saying that it's a very enjoyable film and the pacing doesn't really hurt it. John Carpenter always does best with a tight budget and filming time. Apparently most of the big sets like the plane crash were setup, filmed and removed in just a few hours. Kurt Russell is great as always in his urban camo, too tight leggings and knee high boots Love the synth soundtrack as well.
This would make for a great open world game I think, set in a desolate New York with rival gangs and roving lunatics.
On to Assault on Precinct 13...
Only seen it once many years ago, but is that the one where Isaac Hayes plays a flamboyant gangster driving a car with chandeliers for headlights?
Kind of apt at the moment. Haven't watched this in years so forgot how slow it moves along and how low budget it really was. But saying that it's a very enjoyable film and the pacing doesn't really hurt it. John Carpenter always does best with a tight budget and filming time. Apparently most of the big sets like the plane crash were setup, filmed and removed in just a few hours. Kurt Russell is great as always in his urban camo, too tight leggings and knee high boots Love the synth soundtrack as well.
This would make for a great open world game I think, set in a desolate New York with rival gangs and roving lunatics.
On to Assault on Precinct 13...
Only seen it once many years ago, but is that the one where Isaac Hayes plays a flamboyant gangster driving a car with chandeliers for headlights?
Yup. he's "A-Number One! King of New York!"
Donald Pleasance is the President, and is much more credible in the job than his real-life counterpart atm...
Ernest Borgnine and Lee Van Cleef also have good parts iirc.
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Assault on Precinct 13
A small group of cops, civilians and prisoners are trapped in a nearly deserted police station by a gang. It's basically Night of the Living Dead with heavily armed misguided youths rather than zombies. As with most Carpenter films it starts slowly and builds to a last stand senario (explosion optional). Really enjoyed it with a silly but somehow believable story. Again I hadn't watched this in years so forgot most of it. Especially the bit where...
Spoiler
A young girl gets casually shot while holding an ice cream, not the raspberry ripple she asked for!!!
Also one of the characters has a really bad flu, did John Carpenter know something?
And Beyond is actually the best of the three too. In fairness, Star Trek was only really cerebral from TNG onwards; The Original Series (that the three most recent films are based on) dealt with similar sci-fi concepts, but usually the resolution was Kirk outsmarted and then outpunched their enemies. It was a product of its time, and while it's not what I think Star Trek should be today, I think it's a pretty good reworking of the sixties show. At least they went with something vaguely original for the last film too.
Is original a synonym for stupid? I mean Sabotage is a great song but jings! I think each of the new ones got slightly worse but it’s hard to order stuff you kind of hate. Still better than the last Star Wars trilogy though!
A man who could tell more truth and eat fewer pies.
Oh it's incredibly dumb, no doubt, but I actually love that scene for just how much it leans into the idiocy to create something that looked and sounded amazing.
When I said 'original', I mean at least it wasn't trying to rehash another classic Star Trek film. Into Darkness was painfully inferior to Wrath of Khan it was stealing from, almost to the point of being a bad parody.
The Maus (netflix)
I will not claim to know what the heck was going on or if it was just self indulgent tripe but I really liked that. The main actress is great and I love how it was shot. Constant shallow dof close ups of her face as shes reacting to everything and shes just spot on. Its set in Bosnia where a couple driving through the woods to the airport get stranded. The woman is a survivor of the Bosnian war, the guy a German that knows little of it. She is freaking out a bit because she thinks this area had mines at one point but they have no option but to set off on foot. Thats about all I'd say about it! It goes places and its a bit weird but powerful at times.
A man who could tell more truth and eat fewer pies.
As a concept movie this was better than expected. This being a Richard Curtis film I was expecting the smultz to be on full throttle, but he did dial it down to about 7. I found the internal conflict of trying to pass someone else's genius as your their own to be the most interesting part of the film. I had to admit I did end up hating the character of the love interest, Ellie. Some nice twists that added to the film were good. The songs were brilliant. The lack of explanation as to how Jack entered the parallel universe is just a macguffin and all the better for it.
The ending is terrible and made no sense. If you explore where this film ended - it raised far more questions (in that world) than is answered for us (in our world)
Spoiler
The fact that 2 other people apart from Jack made the leap is a brilliant idea and the fact they were not against him for doing what he did because the music is brilliant and because neither is a musician completely follows logic because the world is richer for having the music. I would have been interested to see their back stories played out more.
The reason why I hated Ellie is because it was all about her. She literally said to Jack - I want you but only if you are nobody. WTF. If someone said that to me on the cusp of changing my life I would be like - see ya. If she really loved him - she would have followed him and given he was going to be rich - did she really want to give up all that for a teaching job in a comprehensive. She even said earlier on the film - don't go into teaching and betray your desire to become a musician and when he was doing just that she about turned face and said- be a nobody instead I prefer you that way. She completely contradicted herself. Maybe Curtis understands women better than we do The only reason why Jack would have left a potential million pound lifestyle is because of guilt and the acknowledgement that he can only remember a certain number of Beatles songs and so he was on borrowed time. Still its a romance story - so yeah that threw that bone in for the girls
7/10
Games playing : Bioshock (Remastered) / Total War Britannia / Dirt 4
What a great film. I did not know of Ken Miles and I am so glad they made a film about him. Although stylised it was superbly directed. High production values. Full of humour and drama. The racing is probably some of the best I have seen on screen. Loved it. Those cars, especially the Ferrari's, are simply drop dead gorgeous.
8/10
Election
Re-watched it as it was shown on telly a couple of days ago - still brilliant and timeless fable.
8/10
Games playing : Bioshock (Remastered) / Total War Britannia / Dirt 4
Saw this was available on Prime so thought I'd give it a go despite not really knowing anything about it.
It was... ok, I guess? I mean, it was fine, but honestly by the end I'd started to find the constant 70s and 80s references exhausting they were coming so thick and fast. Also, I dunno, I guess I was expecting something slightly more cerebral, with commentary on how we're increasingly leading virtual lives and where that might lead, but really it was just a heavily CGI dumb action flick, which was a bit disappointing.
Love the synth soundtrack as well.
I mean Sabotage is a great song but jings! I think each of the new ones got slightly worse but it’s hard to order stuff you kind of hate. Still better than the last Star Wars trilogy though!