The Man From Hong Kong 4/10

An Ozploitation movie which I was hoping to be as much fun as Turkey Shoot if not more fun as it is from the same director, but unfortunately no.
This was the directors first feature length movie and it kind of shows.
The fights went on for ever and the film itself dragged.  The film had moments of greatness but was bogged down with long drawn out scenes with no substance.
The car chase however was absolutely brilliant!  You can tell the Australians at this time in cinema history didn't know what Health & Safety was and didn't shut off roads for the car chase...  It looked real and dangerous.  Car chases nowadays are over cut to shit, so many techno gimmicks are used now to make it appear like the actor is driving amongst the action...
Even though this film wasn't as much fun as Turkey Shoot I still look forward to watching as many Ozploitation movies I can get my hands on because it is exciting cinema, unlike the corporate dribble we are fed nowadays!

Streets Of Fire 6/10

This movie cost a lot to make and bombed.  A movie from 1984 set in the 1950's.  It had a weird mix of music and fashion of the 50's and 80's which in the most part was done successfully but was slightly unhinging at the same time.
The movie looked great and the performances played tribute to the style of acting from the 50's which was cool.
My only criticism is the ending which dragged on and on!!  We had to sit through two very long songs from two performers on stage which didn't carry the story forward in any way, the songs were very 80's and in my opinion were rubbish, so I fast forwarded through them.

Turkey Shoot 8/10

A great Australian exploitation movie (Ozploitation) from 1982.
So much action and so much fun, this film is gory and hilarious!  The story isn't anything much but you wouldn't expect this to be heavy on story.
I want to see more Ozploitation movies if they are as much fun as this!

Revolutionary Road 5/10

I can, in a way, relate to the couple in this film.  They are 30 years old, just moved into their first home together and are dealing with the dilemma of having the comfy security of being in a well paid job you hate and it taking over your dreams in life which could make you happy.  Do you chase your dream or stay in your comfy mediocre life?!
However, the film felt like a slow moving TV drama and a cliche on suburban life.  Even though the performances in the most part were very good, I did feel like they needed to be restraint in parts where it became a bit over dramatic and 'stagey'!

The Road 4/10

It's a strange one, I liked watching it even though it was slow, nothing really happened at all apart from the father and son always on the lookout for food while trying not to be eaten themselves.  That's is it!
The film was very depressing and slow, they didn't explain, or I missed what happened to cause the post apocalyptic world.
The cinematography was nice but felt overly touched up in the movie version of Photoshop.  The film's colour pallet is grey and virtually monotone which matches the tone of the film that has no emotional levels to it, apart from depressing.
I won't be watching the film again but it had some touching moments like when the father says his goodbye to his son.

The Big Lebowski 4/10

Lots of people seem to love this movie and it's developed a little cult following. I on the other hand don't completely see why. I liked it but the performances felt forced and tried to be cool in it's own style. It was very "American" and felt a bit 'try hard'.
It had some funny moments and the cinematography was very good but the film didn't do anything else for me.

Buried 7/10

Interesting film starring only one actor which is very impressive.
The film convincingly makes you feel claustrophobic as if you're trapped in the box with him.
Even though I liked the film I just wish he didn't spend the entire time on his mobile phone. Buried felt to me like it was Phone Booth but the booth is under ground.
When the snake scene came it was brilliant, I just wished there was only a bit more of stuff like that in the film rather than making endless phone calls, which was still good and of course important for the story.
The British actors performance at the other end of the phone was noticeably not on par, but as a whole it was a very good achievement and a good movie.

Golgo 13 6/10

I loved the Golgo 13 manga animated movie when I was young, hoping one day to make a movie about it myself.  I recently found out Sonny Chiba played Golgo 13 in the 70's so I had to watch it.
The movie is very cool, the soundtrack is amazing and the way in which the killings were shot and cut felt like it was directly ripped out from the Manga animation which was great.
However, this film did seem a little cheap with some dodgy shaky hand held work.  It looked like a couple of scenes we were watching was actually a filmed rehearsal, but I suppose that is part of the films charm.
The audio was very poorly mixed and is always jarring and noticeable, but again, for some reason I liked it and felt it was part of the films charm.
It would've been nice to see a sequel if it were made.

The Street Fighter's Last Revenge 4/10

Definately the weakest in the Street Fighter series. Poor direction, camera angles sometimes not well thought out, it was very repetitive (Chiba gets money, money gets stolen from Chiba, Chiba gets money back, money gets stolen again...). Their was a lack of gore which is what made the other two movies pretty damn cool!
This film went down the James Bond road. Chiba was given some awful disguises which were actually played by other actors until Chiba rips off the fake rubber mask to reveal it was him all along - very silly and unfitting.
Even though the film was made in the 70's it felt dated by a decade, but that was probably a directors choice to give it a 60's esque Bond feel.
Overall the film is weak but had small moments of greatness notably from Chiba himself.

Best Worst Movie (documentary). 7/10

This is the documentary about the film Troll 2. The director of this documentary is the child star of Troll 2, which was made in 1990.
This is a very loving tribute to the film and to all involved with the making of the film and of course it's fans.
It's such an interesting insight into the obscure film and it's Italian film makers that you can see why the film has developed cult status. It's made me want to watch Troll 2 again!

Return Of The Street Fighter 6/10

Again, Sonny Chiba is spectacular.  The film was very good fun with lots of action.  I felt the exact same way about this film as I did the first installment.
My only real criticism is these films have a very wide aspect ratio and their is a lot of handheld camera work, which even though I really like and it gives this film a look I feel suits very well, it can however become frustrating to watch in parts.
Also the last part of the film happens at night, the image is very dark, I struggled to see some of what was going on and felt a bit disengaged from it.
Over all I really like these movies but Chiba makes these movies better than what they actually are.
I'm looking forward to watching the third installment - The Street Fighters Last Revenge.

The Street Fighter 6/10

Sonny Chiba is fantastically great.  The film however isn't so.  Don't get me wrong the film is bloody good but I became ever so slightly bored towards the end.  The character Chiba plays is great and the film is very cool in parts.  The gore is incredible, Chiba rips out throats, genitalia, and eye balls with his bare hands with convincing and cool prosthetic effects.
The film moved swiftly and it was a good adventure with lots of action, but the extreme widescreen ratio hindered my viewing pleasure a bit.
I am looking forward to watching Return Of The Street Fighter and The Street Fighter's Last Revenge.

Troll 2 3/10

Interesting fact, this film wasn't intended as a sequel to the 1986 film Troll.  It was originally titled Goblins but the studios didn't think the film will do well as a stand alone movie so they retitled it Troll 2.
The funny thing is their are no Trolls or any references to Trolls in the movie, they are called Goblins.
I really like this movie for all the wrong reasons!  The acting was terrible and the dialogue laughable.  The Goblin costumes were insanely bad, but I loved it for all of that.   This would be a great movie to invite friends over to have drinks with and be entertained by this bad movie, which has been credited as one of the worst movies ever made.
Unlike the first Troll movie, Troll 2 is most definitely in the "It's so bad it's great" category and well deserves it's cult following.
I very much want to see the documentary about Troll 2 called "Best Worse Movie".
I gave this a 3/10 as it is pretty bad in all areas and a little tedious towards the last quarter, but I had so much fun that it's become a guilty pleasure and only as guilty pleasures go I would rate it an 8/10!

Troll 5/10

Troll is actually a pretty good movie! It's the sequel Troll 2 that has gone down in history as a cult movie, credited as the worst movie of all time! A big statement but that is for my next blog update.
Troll is a good movie because it's fun, it doesn't take itself too seriously, it has some kitch but decent special effects for it's time - 1985 I think.
The little girl who gets possessed and switches from being a Troll and back to a little girl again is great! Her performance and mannerisms are spot on and pretty cool! She was directed very well and the other child actor who plays her elder brother also held his own very well.
The climax is insane which is perfect for this film. Let's not get too over excited about this film though, it's not in the "it's so bad it's good" category, I would say it falls into the "it's so good at being bad" category.
I can't wait for Troll 2......

Class Of 1984 9/10

A brilliant 80's cult movie.  It had everything, action, sex, drugs, thugs and gore. 
The rape scene was strong enough to repel you but you never got to see any nudity which was cleverly executed.
I invested in the characters and really felt frustrated and angry by the evil kids and felt for the protagonist teacher!  It had a very good climax and when the film ended I felt satisfied.  I really enjoyed this movie.
It has Michael J Fox in his first acting role and Roddy McDowell the star from all of the Planet Of The Ape movies, camping up his role in great style.
Lalo Schifrin composed the music too which felt similar to his Dirty Harry work which gives this film an added spark.

The Cove (documentary) 6/10

The trailer grabbed my attention, was very interesting and it didn't seem true that all this dolphin slaughtering was actually going on.  The trailer built the documentary up to being full of intrigue, etc.
However, when watching the film, it was still very interesting and I couldn't believe what I was seeing, but there wasn't enough content to fill up its feature length run time, the film would've been much more effective if it was shorter.  Their is only so much beautiful slo-mo montage shots of dolphins swimming you can watch before wanting to fast forward to the story parts.

Unknown 5/10

Liam Neeson has fallen into a genre which fits him quite well with films such as Taken and now Unknown.  Basically in a nutshell:
TAKEN - Liam Neeson goes to France and his life gets fucked up. 
UNKNOWN - Liam Neeson goes to Germany and his life gets fucked up.
The film had an interesting concept, until the twist 3/4 of the way through which even though was good, it was too unbelievable.
The film as a whole was pretty poorly executed, it was way over long, running at nearly two hours, there wasn't enough action and the script was poor.  It's very run of the mill. 
Unknown had some very good thrilling moments but unfortunately some very good moments doesn't make a very good movie.

Super Size Me 8/10

I've seen this documentary a few times now and it always keeps my interest.  It's a well made documentary and the main focus Morgan is entertaining and amusing which keeps us happily amused at how potentially dumb some Americans are. 
I mean how large do you need to get before you realise the crap food and the sugary drinks you're consuming are making you fatter and sicker?! 
One middle aged couple, the husband laying on a hospital bed waiting for an operation, revealed they drink 2 to 3 GALLONS of coke per day - sometimes more!!  This isn't rare for some folk in the states.  One gallon of coke equals approximately 84 teaspoons of sugar!  It is just plain dumb to consume that huge amount of sugary drink... 
The documentary is very interesting and entertaining.

Out Of Time 7/10

I remember going to the cinema to see another film but was unable to get in so decided to go see Out Of Time not knowing what it was about.
It was one of the best, most memorable cinema going experiences of my life. I remember the film starting and thinking "oh dear this looks crap" but even though the 1st half of the film was the Set Up for the thrilling 2nd half, it still engaged me. When the film entered the 2nd half and the Thriller element kicked in, it was intense, thrilling (of course) and exciting, I was quite literally on the edge of my seat (yes that sounds cheesy and lame, I don't care) this film rocked!
However, after getting it on DVD I lent it to a few friends who found it very easy to work out the twists and ultimately thought I was crazy liking it.
I watched it again the other night after not seeing it for a number of years and the film has most definately lost some/most of it's spark.
Half of the film didn't need to be the Set Up, the 2nd half (the thriller part) needed to come in a lot sooner!
But overall I really like this movie, but I'm not 100% sure why!

The Kings Speech 8/10

There is a lot of hype with this film and this time I think this film deserves it.
Regardless of the film being completely faithful to the truth this is a very good film.  It isn't particularly the type of film I would head off to the cinema to go see but I did and I think the film benefits from being viewed theatrically.  The film never dragged, it always kept me into the story and the characters/performances were top notch.  Why Colin Firth is getting all the praise and poor old Geoffrey Rush isn't is a mystery as Rush' performance is first rate.
It was a pleasant surprise to see Guy Pearce as Bertie's brother...
Overall a very good film and is worthy of another view.

Drive Angry 3D 4/10

The first film of 2011 I was waiting to see and it failed miserably to deliver.

The opening was great but fell into the same trap as Machete where it became boring and failed to actually get started.  The characters were boring and loaded with unnecessary back story which stopped the action from 'driving' forward!

Savage Streets 6/10

Exploitation movie from the 80's starring Linda Blair from The Exorcist fame.
After watching the terrible trailer which went on for ages and told the story in chronological order I didn't want to watch the movie.  But I'm glad I did.
It has most of the elements you want from an exploitation film, it has bad acting, cool but dated and now cringe-worthy dialogue, nudity, rape, gore, revenge... and the film doesn't slow down or bore me, even though it isn't riddled with action, it still held my attention.  Worth a watch.

Frankenhooker 6/10

Very kitsch and low budget comedy horror exploitation movie.  The fact it was a very low budget helped the film greatly.  If it had been made with a "real" budget it would've been a different film and would've probably sucked!
A lot of fun and very silly.