What did you watch today?

[Davy_Lee]

I was thinking of getting these titles but didn't want to make a blindbuy, so watched it first f.o.c.:

One Man's Justice a.k.a. One Tough Bastard (First viewing) - 6.5/10
This Brian Bosworth's vehicle could almost reach its potential if it were not for the "simplified" narrative. There are too many contrived coincidences in the plot that oversimplify the resolutions to the conflicts, which leaves viewers thinking "What a small world!". Pass.

Tower of Evil a.k.a. Horror on Snape Island (First viewing) - 5/10
The US blu-ray cover is actually what attracted me to include this on my buying list Having watched this, I must say that the plot feels like an adult version of Scooby Doo (without Scooby of course). An average attempt at horror. Very pedestrian plot, directing, and acting. Pass.

Curse of the Crimson Altar a.k.a. The Crimson Cult (First viewing) - 5/10
If it weren't for Christopher Lee's and Boris Karloff's presence,I wouldn't have watched it. Rarely have I watched a so-called horror film which casts three horror icons that is this muddled, dull, and unsuspenseful. One of the unsatisfying parts is what happened in the end to Barbara Steele's character as the green-faced 17th century witch Lavina, which is left unresolved - Was she real? Was she actually involved in the mystery? Pass.

The Beast with Five Fingers (First viewing) - 7/10
Atmospheric, good old-fashioned mystery thriller with the great Peter Lorre. His performance as a demented secretary to a famed paralyzed pianist is engaging, but his performance in Mad Love is even better!

[Ain_Uussaar]

The Trip (2010)
Mortdecai (2015)
Blood Diner (1987)

[Ain_Uussaar]

The Truth About Emanuel (2013)

[Davy_Lee]

Today's menu:

Kill the Golden Goose (First viewing f.o.c.) – 4/10
I came across this while browsing for some German hardboxes to add to my collection. The title and the cover art got my attention, so I thought this unknown film might be worth a look. I wasn't familiar with the cast, except for Master Bong Soo Han - the Korean taekwondo champ who would later play as the bad guy in Force: Five. The film itself? Well, the goose didn't lay a golden egg for me. I guess some films are better left unheard.

Neon Maniacs (First viewing f.o.c.) – 4.5/10
Another title from the video days that I thought I would add to my collection. Cool monster make-up effects, 80’s jazzy tunes, pretty girls, explicit violence… but a totally nonsensical plot. Pass.

Nomads (First viewing f.o.c.) – 5/10
Watched this on video decades ago and was not impressed. It tries to be unique but fails, and the plot is convoluted. John McTiernan, Pierce Brosnan, and Lesley-Anne Down couldn’t save this so-called “horror” flick. The reason I revisited this is because the BD is coming out in August and Brosnan is one of my favorite actors. I’ll pass.

[Ain_Uussaar]

The Ballad of Cable Hogue (1970)
Kung Fury (2015) [short] - Kickstarter funded 80's spoof available for free on YouTube.

[Vincent_Bouche]

99 - Godzilla (Broadcast)
Standard quality monster movie… 6/10

100 - Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist (US Blu)
I discovered this is the exact same story than "Exorcist: The Beginning", with most of the same actors, but shot by a different director! I think the Renny Harlin version is better… never got into this one. Poor directing - 4/10.

101 - La Tête Haute (Theater)
French movie about a teenager having trouble to live in the society. It does remind "Mummy", even if it's not as great… good actors - 7/10.

102 - Macbeth (Welles) (French Blu)
Great adaptation from Welles. In can seem a bit "outdated" compared to the marvellous Polanski movie, but this is nonetheless a very good movie with several unforgettable scenes… 8/10

103 - The Two Faces of January (Broadcast)
All right suspense movie with Viggo Mortensen… nothing special here - 6/10.

104 - The Zero Theorem (UK Blu)
Hard to get in, but interesting Gilliam movie with a remarkable performance by Christoph Waltz - 6/10.

105 - Le Bureau des Légendes: Season 1 (Broadcast)
Realistic French spying series with Mathieu Kassovitz. Good story with several contemporary subjects (Syria, Iran…) - 7/10.

106 - On demande une Brute (Short, US Blu)
Almost the first short film starring Jacques Tati. Poor quality, but quite funny story - 6/10.

107 - Gai Dimanche (Short, US Blu)
Another short film starring Tati from the 30s - 6/10.

[Davy_Lee]

Yesterday:
A Town Called Hell (First viewing f.o.c.) – 6.5/10
A slow-paced but quite interesting spaghetti western drama. The editing is rather poor and some subplots are not resolved, which leave viewers scratching their heads. Despite that, the film is still worth a look especially if you like Robert Shaw, Martin Landau, and Telly Savalas. The US BD will be available on August 18.

[Alister_Manson]

American Sniper - 8/10

Great war drama, with very tense well executed war scenes. Nice dynamic Dolby Atmos track too

[Ain_Uussaar]

CIA Code Name: Alexa (1992)
CIA II: Target Alexa (1993)
The Voices (2014)
The Stag (2013)

[Davy_Lee]

Extreme Justice (First viewing f.o.c.) - 7/10
Mark L. Lester's violent police thriller tells about the Special Investigative Service (SIS) - an undercover LAPD deathsquad led by Detective Vaughn (Scott Glenn) whose primary operation is to 'witness' a crime taking place and terminate the perpetrators on site! These criminals are lowlifes and repeat offenders, whom the police believe to be better off dead. The squad starts to heat up after Detective Powers (Lou Diamond Phillips) was recruited to replace one of their wounded members. Powers who is the SIS captain's old friend questions his teammates' 'kill-em-all' way in dealing with the criminals disregarding the lives of innocent bystanders. Meanwhile, the deathsquad existence is being investigated by a crime reporter (Chelsea Field), who happens to be Powers' girlfriend.

One of the director's trademark - brutal hardcore action sequences can be seen here, just like in his other works: Commando, Class of 1984, Class of 1999, and Showdown in Little Tokyo, to name a few. If you like thinking-man’s police thriller, interspersed with violent action scenes, this should satisfy you.

[Ain_Uussaar]

Whiplash (2014)

[Davy_Lee]

From a Whisper to a Scream (First viewing f.o.c.) – 7/10
B-movie horror anthology that is surprisingly eerie and grisly, about the dark past of Oldfield, Tennessee told through an old librarian (Vincent Price) to a reporter who visits him one night for an interview. There are four tales of horror, the first and the third being the most horrific. Worth a watch if you are into horror anthologies like Tales from the Crypt and the Twilight Zone.

Breakthrough (First viewing f.o.c.) – 7/10
Richard Burton, Robert Mitchum, Rod Steiger, Curd Jurgens, and Michael Parks star in this WW II drama set during the Allied forces invasion of Normandy. Andrew V. McLaglen directs. Not available on DVD with English audio.

[Ain_Uussaar]

The Signal (2014)
Superfast 8 (2015)
Black Eagle (1988)
The Night of the Hunter (1955)

[Ain_Uussaar]

Sex Tape (2014)
Erin Brockovich (2000)
Barely Lethal (2015)

[Davy_Lee]

Lugosi Karloff Triple Thriller

The Raven (First viewing f.o.c.) – 7/10
Here, Lugosi is the mad doctor.

The Black Cat (First viewing f.o.c.) 7/10
Here, Karloff takes his turn as a devil-worshipping architect. While watching this, I just realized that Lugosi and Karloff were very tall, even Lugosi was taller!

Murders in the Rue Morgue (First viewing f.o.c.) 6.5/10
Again, Lugosi plays a lunatic scientist by the name of Doctor Mirakle. The problem with this is that it is a talkie but not accompanied by any music arrangement, and some parts of the film are rather dull, especially the romantic scenes. However, Lugosi’s performance and the German expressionistic cinematography (at least in certain scenes) make up for it.

[Ain_Uussaar]

Avengers Confidential: Black Widow & Punisher (2014)
Invasion Quartet (1961)

[Ain_Uussaar]

96 Minutes (2011)
Blackhat (2015)

[Ain_Uussaar]

Forty Guns (1957)

[Davy_Lee]

The Curse of the Werewolf (First viewing f.o.c.) - 6.5/10
A decent take on the werewolf legend. Too much narration is spent on the werewolf's childhood and there is not not enough terror, let alone horror.

"80's Men-on-a-Mission" Double Feature:
Rescue Team (1983) - 3/10
- Richard Harrison, Romano Kristoff

Wild Team a.k.a. Thunder Squad (1985) - 5/10
- Antonio Sabato, director Umberto Lenzi

Rescue Team was produced in the Phillipines when Vietnam-War-themed films were all the rage following the success of First Blood. The other one came from Italy but takes place in some South American country. Besides the plot and the title, which has the word 'team' in it, there is another thing both share in common - bad movies

Although both are bad, the better-directed, and scripted, Wild Team makes Rescue Team looks extremely awful in comparison.

[Vincent_Bouche]

108 - Soigne ton Gauche (Short - US Blu)
Another short from Tati in which he gets involved into boxing practice - 6/10.

109 - L'Ecole des Facteurs (Short - US Blu)
First time Tati ever played the famous "postman" role that he was going to reuse in "Jour de Fête" after the war - 7/10.

110 - Tenebrae (UK Blu)
A great Argento movie, among the best of the director, with an unforgettable soundtrack - 8/10.

111 - Senso (US Blu)
First viewing of this "classic" Visconti: a "romance" story taking place in an occupied Venice - 7/10.

112 - Boyhood (Broadcast)
Shot throughout 15 years with the same actors, this is also a very interesting story with many "life" pieces - 8/10.

113 - Starred Up (Broadcast)
Good jail movie in which a violent 19-year old teenager gets imprisoned in an adult jail. Great actors - 7/10.

114 - Mad Max (Theater)
Almost everything we could expect! Charlize Theron is the true main character, eating up Tom Hardy - 8/10.

115 - Man of Tai Chi (Broadcast)
Pleasant action movie in which an "innocent" tai-chi student gets involved in undergroud fights. I liked it - 7/10.

116 - Jour de Fête (US Blu)
First movie directed by Jacques Tati, taking back ideas/scenes from "L'Ecole des Facteurs". Tati plays the same postman in a small village in which a fair is getting prepared - 7/10.

117 - Caprica #1 (French Blu)
Really disappointed by this prequel of Battelstar Galactica, poor script, unconvincing actors (except for Eric Stoltz)… - 4/10.

118 - Game of Thrones #5 (Broadcast)
Too much is too much…again almost nothing happens until the last three episodes. A few good scenes aren't enough to make it the series it should be. Many things "unfold" in the last episode, and I must recognize things don't evolve the way we expected - 7/10.

119 - Vikings #3 (Broadcast)
As good (or even better ?) than the first two seasons. Brilliant - 8/10.