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Have you ever done a "Top 5 Chuck Norris", Molt? I'd be curious to read which ones make it. DELTA FORCE number 1, right?
INVASION USA clobbers all competition. But I also am in the minority, because I like CODE OF SILENCE more than DELTA FORCE.
1. INVASION USA
2. LONE WOLF McQUADE
3. CODE OF SILENCE
4. DELTA FORCE
5. SILENT RAGE
There you have it. My essential Chuck. Honorable mention to HERO AND THE TERROR for trying something different with Chuck.
Also, just watched Rene favorite MANIAC for the first time. Don't know how this one slipped through my net when I was a younger horror hound. Chock full of Spinell goodness.
Armand Assante as Don Eladio. I literally laughed out loud. All your choices are pitch perfect, Erix. Especially Olmos, and Terry O'Quinn in a lead role is always a great thing. I also like that you didn't go the easy route and peg Dana Ashbrook for the Jesse role. He exudes too much of a douchebaginess to turn sympathetic and make you want to side with him. It's easier with Marshall.
Watching Cherry 2000 right now. Not exactly making me love it, as it's all over the place, but the cast, and some of the set pieces have me liking it. A good double feature with Hell Comes To Frogtown me thinks.
I dug The Wire, but I agree that it's very slowly paced. That's basically the way it was the entire series, but it kept my attention throughout. My favorite bits involve a drunken McNulty crashing his car, having sex, and waking up in bed all before the credits, and a scene involving "the committee" where Stringer Bell tells a guy "Sit yo ass down. Chair don' recognize yo ass."
Have you ever done a "Top 5 Chuck Norris", Molt? I'd be curious to read which ones make it. DELTA FORCE number 1, right?
I'm sure I've posted it before, hasn't changed much over the years:
DELTA FORCE
INVASION USA
BRADDOCK
EYE FOR AN EYE
DELTA FORCE 2
Could probably flip a coin between DF2 and LONE WOLF for the 5th spot.
Quote:
So Van Damme is the lead in this one? Was reading on the Van Damme boards yesterday that Van Damme was going to have a supporting part and the leads would be Tom Everett Scott and Orlando Jones. Hope that's not the case.
INVASION USA clobbers all competition. But I also am in the minority, because I like CODE OF SILENCE more than DELTA FORCE.
1. INVASION USA
2. LONE WOLF McQUADE
3. CODE OF SILENCE
4. DELTA FORCE
5. SILENT RAGE
There you have it. My essential Chuck. Honorable mention to HERO AND THE TERROR for trying something different with Chuck.
I'm not all that wild about SILENT RAGE, but prefer it over HERO AND THE TERROR when it comes to the "Norris Vs. Psycho Killer" films. HERO never builds any tension.
Sweet, it's on Netflix Instant. Not that I need even more films to add to my queue, but I just may have to check it out. I haven't seen too many movies from Korea so at least it will be something different.
I don't know what to say then. Maybe I'll enjoy one of their dramas more, or maybe it's just a real tough sell with me and oddball quirky films. I hope no one gets offended that I sometimes have tastes that are way different from the norm amongst those that read and posts on sites like this; even if someone does get mad at me for those opinions, I won't let it bother me.
This is the first time I had heard of Jesus Franco but I know some of his movies are on Netflix and they mostly seem to have interesting plots; the added fact of them being smutty... it sounds like something I could enjoy if only to laugh with (at?) the movie.
No surprise they'd go with something generic and Photoshopped instead of legit art from the past that is much more awesome.
I like how he is named JOEY JONES.
So, tonight I went to Downtown Disney to their cineplex and the giant ETX screen/sound system they have to check out Prometheus. I figured I should see it now, given that yesterday and today online I've come across some things about the movie which sounded like spoilers.
I'll steal Fazer's line and say that it's ProMEHtheus. Sure, it sounds and looks great (especially if it's in a format like 3D and it's an IMAX screen or something comparable to it, which is what ETX is.) The general idea of the story is certainly interesting. But at times I was perplexed by what was going on. Characters act a certain way in one scene and then for no reason at all do a 180... I can see why there have been quite a few negative reviews for it just in this thread. Now I'll have to spend what I presume will be a lot of time going through what has to be a very long Post-Release thread to get a bigger take on the general consensus. I am glad I never had the high expectations that most people had, that's for damn sure. If I would have... I'd be rather ticked off.
Idris Elba and his character was pretty awesome, though. I especially laughed at one great thing he got to do. It didn't make any sense as to why it happened as it seemed to come out of nowhere, but good job on his character's part. I also can't explain why a certain thing from 1970 is referenced; I guess old Ridley is a fan of that person.
I'm sure I've posted it before, hasn't changed much over the years:
DELTA FORCE
INVASION USA
BRADDOCK
EYE FOR AN EYE
DELTA FORCE 2
Could probably flip a coin between DF2 and LONE WOLF for the 5th spot.
LONE WOLF is easily my favorite, but INVASION has jumped the most in my estimation. Your numerous kind words for DELTA FORCE 2 has me kind of curious. I always assumed no Lee Marvin would be a huge step down.
By the way, I have to mention two things:
I just discovered a moment ago that Henry Hill passed away today. That is sad, as Goodfellas is a movie I have rated high amongst my favorite motion pictures.
Secondly, I saw some interesting trailers while at the AMC, including Django Unchained and Premium Rush. Yes, the movie that still doesn't have an official poster on its IMDb page. I also can't explain why the audience I was with busted out laughing at PR and yet seemed to accept Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter as something plausible.
Actually, I have a third: I presume that everyone got to see that few minute long clip for Ang Lee's Life of Pi before the movie started. I saw that and... it went over like a fart in church with the audience... and me! Seeing a random guy in a lifeboat dodging flying fish and sharing said boat with a tiger... I can't say I ever want to see the movie and yet, still looks better than his version of The Hulk!
My Top 5 Chuck:
1. LONE WOLF MCQUADE
2. THE OCTAGON
3 AN EYE FOR AN EYE
4.THE DELTA FORCE
5. INVASION USA
LONE WOLF is easily my favorite, but INVASION has jumped the most in my estimation. Your numerous kind words for DELTA FORCE 2 has me kind of curious. I always assumed no Lee Marvin would be a huge step down.
My appreciation for DF2 has more to do with Billy Drago than anything. He just oozes scum every frame he's on screen. John P. Ryan does an amiable job picking up the slack for Lee Marvin in the authoritative role.
The biggest loss from the first film is the lack of Steve James. Don't know why they couldn't have brought him back to be the buddy who's slaughtered and causes Chuck to go on the warpath. Maybe Cannon felt like they already did that with HERO AND THE TERROR, but then it's not like Cannon was ever a company that worried much about repeating itself.
I've always liked Delta Force 2. Think I actually saw that one first. Of course the first one is more epic, and has Alan Silvestri's amazing score.
I'm with you there on unpopular opinions, Perfect. You know that. I loved Prometheus, though. Great way to start off the actual summer for me. Already want to see it again.
Started The Sopranos: Season 5. This is when things get into high gear with Frank Vincent and Steve Buscemi showing up. The opening episode has Anthony Jr. basically piss himself over a bear in their backyard, and Tony saying "This isn't Little House On The Fuckin' Prairie."
Forgot to mention I've also got Edward Dymytryk's The Sniper via Netflix's disc service. It's always been a movie I've been curious about from a horror book that my Dad got me when I was in 7th or 8th grade, and the picture of the sniper, and the director's name always stuck with me.
Glad to hear you enjoyed Maniac, Keith. It really is a good movie, if particularly unnerving, but it's got some legit funny stuff in it. Plus it's Spinell. The man is never unwatchable.
Fat Elvis, My Top 5 Chuck Norris are...
1) An Eye For An Eye
2) The Delta Force
3) Delta Force 2
4) Forced Vengeance
5) Lone Wolf McQuade
A review of Nic Cage's SEEKING JUSTICE.
http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Seeking-Justice-Blu-ray/37285/#Review
Thanks for the heads up!
I Red Boxed Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance yesterday. With all the negative buzz I was expecting a real piece of shit. To my surprise, it was a relatively entertaining and bonkers follow-up to a piss-poor predecessor featuring some strong instances of Nic Cage "mega-acting." I should've had more faith in Neveldine and Taylor - between them, the aforementioned Cage and an inspired Idris Elba, GR: SoV was pleasant pap.
Armand Assante as Don Eladio. I literally laughed out loud. All your choices are pitch perfect, Erix. Especially Olmos, and Terry O'Quinn in a lead role is always a great thing.
...........
I dug The Wire, but I agree that it's very slowly paced. That's basically the way it was the entire series, but it kept my attention throughout.
I figured you'd dig my recast Rene. I'm really proud of this one. I concocted it over an afternoon of procrastinating and really put a lot of thought into making my choices as authentic as I could. I almost cast CLIFTON GONZALES GONZALES (as he would have been billed back then) as Victor. But, ultimately, it dawned on me that Peña was more fit for that role. I cast Olmos as Fring because he really was the best one I could think of. His taciturn demeanor fit the character and I have no doubt Olmos was Giancarlo Esposito's inspiration. Furthermore, as brilliant as Esposito is in the role (and, man, is he brilliant! ... his stock as an actor has risen for me tremendously.) making the character supposedly an affluent Chilean who might have been involved in Pinochet's government doesn't quite gel. As someone who has been living in South America for the past 20 years, I can attest that it doesn't feel authentic. A Chilean in that position and social class most likely wouldn't be black. Most of the South American ruling class has European blood. If they had made him Dominican or Cuban, it would have made more sense.
.............
The Wire is very novelistic in its pacing and structure. It's a real slow burn procedural that draws you in with great acting and dialog rather than flashy action or plot twists. And there are so many characters that I think I may need a chart to keep track of them all. Molt is right that the first episode is off-putting, but I stuck with it because I figured a show with that level of acclaim had to get better. I really appreciate the attention to detail and sense of authenticity. But it's also because of that density that I am watching this one episode at a time. I won't be blasting through the whole thing in a month like I did with Breaking Bad.
Also, I have to admit I've been spoiled by the recent cinematic quality of most good shows nowadays. And this show still feels like TV to me (not helped by the fact that it's formatted at 4:3 - surprising for a 2002 series). But I definitely see this one growing on me as I start to get more sucked in. I'm sure it'll have me in its pocket by the end of the season for sure.
Yeah, that is true. I just know that I've been about the unpopular opinions as of late. Although after looking through that Post-Release Thread, most of the posters there seemed to be disappointed with the film; I was expecting it to be more even.
A review of Nic Cage's SEEKING JUSTICE.
http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Seeking-Justice-Blu-ray/37285/#Review
Oh, so the movie is as generic as its title; that's unfortunate.
A few minutes ago I saw a commercial that I am sure will make most people laugh, given that most people around here don't think too highly of 50 Cent; it was an energy shot commercial with him and JOAN RIVERS. Poor 50. Then again, while looking online, I saw that he was recently on QVC shilling fancy headphones. I guess he's not really a tough thug like he used to be given that he's on a home shopping network selling shit.
I figured you'd dig my recast Rene. I'm really proud of this one. I concocted it over an afternoon of procrastinating and really put a lot of thought into making my choices as authentic as I could. I almost cast CLIFTON GONZALES GONZALES (as he would have been billed back then) as Victor. But, ultimately, it dawned on me that Peña was more fit for that role. I cast Olmos as Fring because he really was the best one I could think of. His taciturn demeanor fit the character and I have no doubt Olmos was Giancarlo Esposito's inspiration. Furthermore, as brilliant as Esposito is in the role (and, man, is he brilliant! ... his stock as an actor has risen for me tremendously.) making the character supposedly an affluent Chilean who might have been involved in Pinochet's government doesn't quite gel. As someone who has been living in South America for the past 20 years, I can attest that it doesn't feel authentic. A Chilean in that position and social class most likely wouldn't be black. Most of the South American ruling class has European blood. If they had made him Dominican or Cuban, it would have made more sense.
.............
The Wire is very novelistic in its pacing and structure. It's a real slow burn procedural that draws you in with great acting and dialog rather than flashy action or plot twists. And there are so many characters that I think I may need a chart to keep track of them all. Molt is right that the first episode is off-putting, but I stuck with it because I figured a show with that level of acclaim had to get better. I really appreciate the attention to detail and sense of authenticity. But it's also because of that density that I am watching this one episode at a time. I won't be blasting through the whole thing in a month like I did with Breaking Bad.
Also, I have to admit I've been spoiled by the recent cinematic quality of most good shows nowadays. And this show still feels like TV to me (not helped by the fact that it's formatted at 4:3 - surprising for a 2002 series). But I definitely see this one growing on me as I start to get more sucked in. I'm sure it'll have me in its pocket by the end of the season for sure.
You posting about the show was something magical, because I got the 4th season in the mail today. It's the Best Buy exclusive that comes with a t-shirt. 20 bucks very well spent. Looking forward to revisiting the season.
The Wire is 4:3 all the way through the series. Agreed that it's surprising, as every episode of The Sopranos is 16:9, and that's a show that started in 1999.
I Red Boxed Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance yesterday. With all the negative buzz I was expecting a real piece of shit. To my surprise, it was a relatively entertaining and bonkers follow-up to a piss-poor predecessor featuring some strong instances of Nic Cage "mega-acting." I should've had more faith in Neveldine and Taylor - between them, the aforementioned Cage and an inspired Idris Elba, GR: SoV was pleasant pap.
Same here. Christopher Lambert is wasted in his role though.
Drew from HitFix hated the shit of this film. Called it the "Worst Marvel Film ever". Much as i admire Drew's enthusiasm for movies and his writing style, he's a little off base in his reviews though.
You gotta be kidding me. These must be the most fake looking vamps, i've seen in a while.
Watched most of Broken Arrow on blu this morning. Thanks to whoever brought this one up in the thread (probably Elvis) a week ago. I hadn't seen it in forever and I remembered thinking it was crap, but I'm glad I took a break from it because it is just great action cheese! This and Hard Target are some great John Woo american B action cheese!
Then I went to order Hard Rain on blu-ray, but amazon wanted 18 DOLLARS for it!?!? So I'm gonna wait on that for a price drop. Instead I ordered a Seagal 3 film dvd with Fire Down Below, Out for Justice (of course I already own this classic on blu-ray), and On Deadly Ground (I could've sworn this was on blu-ray), so I could own both Fire and On...only 8 bucks.
Is On Deadly Ground coming to blu?
Need to try and finish up Max Payne 3, but hard mode is a bitch. Gotta go to work now though so maybe another day.
Anybody hear anything about this The Girl from the Naked Eye? Watched some of the trailer, looks good, plus Sasha Grey (I love you Sasha)!
18 dollars for HARD RAIN? Glad I DVR'd it off of HBO!
Tonite: after watching NBATV's THE DREAM TEAM doc, I'm paying my respects to Henry Hill by giving GOODFELLAS a spin (Paraphrasing what the Chud legend Phil said on Twitter, nobody likes a snitch, but we owe him for this fantastic movie).
I was the one resurrecting the love for Broken Arrow!
18 dollars is WAY too much for Hard Rain. Think I only paid 10 for the blu-ray when it came out.
Was going to continue The Sopranos: Season 5, but decided to start up Breaking Bad: Season 4. I'd forgotten how quiet and subdued the season premiere is.
Then I went to order Hard Rain on blu-ray, but amazon wanted 18 DOLLARS for it!?!? So I'm gonna wait on that for a price drop. Instead I ordered a Seagal 3 film dvd with Fire Down Below, Out for Justice (of course I already own this classic on blu-ray), and On Deadly Ground (I could've sworn this was on blu-ray), so I could own both Fire and On...only 8 bucks.
HARD RAIN is $6 on Walmart.com:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/13250440
Not really a favorite of mine, though to be fair I saw it once like 12 years ago. Don't recall a whole heckuva lot about it.
Finished up REVOLVER, the 1973 Oliver Reed Poliziotteschi (ha, copy and paste, fuck that word), not the 2005 Guy Richie movie that I don't plan on ever seeing. Phil was right, it's pretty good, and Oliver Reed gives a great performance. The Italians have a convoluted and circuitous way to make a point, and this flick is no exception, but I dug what they were trying to say here- Some nice ruminations on such lightweight fare as capital punishment.
Anyway, here's the lovely main theme, by some dude named Ennio Morricone:
REVOLVER really is crazy fantastic. Such a fun Oliver Reed performance. And love the Morricone theme.
I've said this before when watching GOODFELLAS, but as good as Ray Liotta is, can you imagine the movie with Scorsese's original choice for Henry Hill, William Petersen?
And it really took Scorsese to make Clapton's music cool again, at least for my generation.
I love that main theme, and the trailer that's on the Blue Underground dvd a lot. Love the movie as well, but damn if the plot isn't confusing as all hell. I've seen it a lot of times, and I still don't really have a handle on it. I just enjoy the music and seeing Oliver Reed and Fabio Testi teamed up.
Watching Breaking Bad: Season 4. I had missed seeing Badger and Skinny Pete, then they show up, get hopped up on junk, fall asleep, and then Jesse wakes up Badger. Badger then proceeds to slap Skinny Pete on the ass, and says "Wake up bitch!"
Right now I'm on the episode "Shotgun" which is one of my favorites from the season due to it basically just being about Mike and Jesse. Vanessa's seeing it with me right now, and she's digging it. I believe she's seen one or two episodes with me previously.
Must catch up on my movie watchin'. The last few days, only two have made it to the DVD player.
ALIEN RESURRECTION (expanded DVD version): Jeunet's comic booky Xenomorph adventure isn't perfect nor scary but it's pretty FUN - thanks to the silly script, playfully nutty dialogue (from Joss Whedon) and memorable performances. Bless these guys for casting Sigourney Weaver (in her single sexiest and most dangerous film performance), Perlman (greatness), Ryder (I still say she's cute in this), Hedaya (oafishly hysterical), Freeman (he should've Daned it up though), Dourif (WTFFFF?) and the awesomeness that is Michael Wincott. I swear, this guy needs a Mamet script or a network TV show or something. It's friggin' ridiculous that he's not a household name by now. And yes, even though it's an action-comedy, really, and completely gonzo... I think it's better than Prometheus.
THE FALCON AND THE SNOWMAN: Spies and drugs in the 70's with Timothy Hutton and Sean Penn. Schlesinger's light-hearted true story of Intelligence agencies and betrayals of family and friendship holds up great. Paranoid, efficient, identifiable and occasionally poetic. Well written, directed, performed... nice score by Pat Metheny (and a single by David Bowie that I've never forgotten all these years). And keep an eye out for a ten second walk-on at the end by Michael Ironside.
Thread legend Ernie Hudson gets his own "Random Roles"!
http://www.avclub.com/articles/ernie-hudson-talks-oz-and-losing-out-on-the-ghostb,81124/
Must catch up on my movie watchin'. The last few days, only two have made it to the DVD player.
THE FALCON AND THE SNOWMAN: Spies and drugs in the 70's with Timothy Hutton and Sean Penn. Schlesinger's light-hearted true story of Intelligence agencies and betrayals of family and friendship holds up great. Paranoid, efficient, identifiable and occasionally poetic. Well written, directed, performed... nice score by Pat Metheny (and a single by David Bowie that I've never forgotten all these years). And keep an eye out for a ten second walk-on at the end by Michael Ironside.
One of my favorite films of the 80's. Penn is amazing, and Hutton is really good, too. That Bowie song has haunted me all these years as well.
http://www.avclub.com/articles/ernie-hudson-talks-oz-and-losing-out-on-the-ghostb,81124/
HARD RAIN is $6 on Walmart.com:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/13250440
Not really a favorite of mine, though to be fair I saw it once like 12 years ago. Don't recall a whole heckuva lot about it.
WE JUS' WANT THE MONEH!
Anyway... HT will probably be along shortly to tell you about this, but we just had a watchalong of the little seen 1987 treat COLD STEEL.
It's an action picture starring Brad Davis as an LA cop who seeks revenge after Jonathan Banks and Adam Ant murder his dad on Xmas. The rest of the movie doesn't take place on Xmas, unfortunately, but it does still live up to the ridiculousness set up by that premise. Directed by Dorothy Ann Puzo (yes, related), the movie doesn't have wall to wall action but it still packs enough absurdity into its brisk 90 minutes to make it worth watching at least once, if not twice and three times or maybe once a year at least. It features the most insane fucking car chase I've ever seen in a supposedly serious action film. At some point, a car flies through a hot dog stand or something, and I'm pretty sure the stand explodes. I almost had a heart attack I was laughing so much.
See also for Sharon Stone with baby fat and a cheesy power ballad soundtrack. One of the songs is called "Take Me Away" And the title of the song makes up 80% of the lyrics. The other 20% is made up of the word "away" being used in some other context.
Oh... By the way... In the tradition of villains from a Frank Miller comic book... Banks has a voice box and speaks all his lines like an android, while Adam Ant snorts coke in every one of his scenes.
Basically, see this movie guys.
That movie sounds incredible!
I sorta recall seeing COLD STEEL on some UHF station many moons ago. Didn't leave much of an impression but it's likely all the good parts were cut up anyway.
Thread legend Ernie Hudson gets his own "Random Roles"!
http://www.avclub.com/articles/ernie-hudson-talks-oz-and-losing-out-on-the-ghostb,81124/
Nuts! No SUBSTITUTE or SUGAR HILL memories. Still a good interview.
Also led me to a link of one they did with Bruce McGill a week ago:
http://www.avclub.com/articles/rizzoli-isles-bruce-mcgill-looks-back-at-animal-ho,79692/1/
Dug his take on his classic Miami Vice appearance. Never knew that part was supposed to be played by Dennis Hopper.
Yeah, that interview with Ernie Hudson was pretty cool. Glad to know he's proud of his career, and considers Monroe Kelly his best role. Congo is great!
Added Cold Steel to my Netflix list and bumped it up to number 1. Looking forward to seeing it.
You gotta be kidding me. These must be the most fake looking vamps, i've seen in a while.
Well, it's fracking Twilight... I would be shocked if it wasn't awful-looking.
I can't say I had heard of the movie until you brought it up. I laugh that Dominique Swain is in it; what an odd career she has had.
Finished up REVOLVER, the 1973 Oliver Reed Poliziotteschi (ha, copy and paste, fuck that word), not the 2005 Guy Richie movie that I don't plan on ever seeing.
That is one movie I wish was on Netflix Instant. Oh well, there's still a few more movies in that genre that are on there and that I'll check out sometime this month.
Anyway... HT will probably be along shortly to tell you about this, but we just had a watchalong of the little seen 1987 treat COLD STEEL.
Between what was said about it here and on Facebook, it sounds hilariously great and something awesome to laugh with... and at. A guy who looks like William Conrad gets a fish-related death! That is yet another movie I have to track down; dammit. I hadn't heard of it until tonight but it sounds tremendous.
I should be back in about an hour and a half to talk about something so strange that is somehow on Netflix, it doesn't have an entry on the IMDb! I stumbled upon it as it was recommended to me on my main page, and it should be quite the experience.
All the talk of Cold Steel and whatnot has me in the mood for this:
I'll have to track it down.
"As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster. To me, being a gangster was better than being President of the United States."
You know that high you get from watching a great movie? The first half of GOODFELLAS is a rush like few others. Scorsese clicking on all cylinders. It's pure cinema. Also, man, DeNiro. How great is he in this movie? His reaction to finding out Tommy got whacked gets me everytime. He's just brilliant here. A genius at the height of his powers. And of course, Pesci. The whole scene at the bar with Billy Batts. When he comes back from dropping off his girl he's like a hurricane of unbridled rage. CASINO scary. The dinnertable scene with Pesci's mother - so funny! ("One dog looks one way, the other one looks the other way") And the music! Can you pick just one fave musical cue? Who else but Scorsese could think to use "Layla" like that? This is a masterpiece, not just a gangster film, but like SCARFACE a commentary on American decadence in general - the whole second half rubbing our face in excess and the self-destruction that comes with it. In conclusion, what a great fucking movie!
Dolph tweeted two pics of his zombie slayer part in the humans vs. zombies & robots flick BATTLE OF THE DAMNED
https://twitter.com/#!/Dolph_fans/media/slideshow?url=pic.twitter.com%2FOTxeiG86
Those are some cool pics of him. Hopefully the movie is at least halfway decent.
As for The Annihilators, that ad makes it look great. After finding this clip, the movie still looks great, but for a different reason.
It's like a low-budget version of Death Wish 3.
Related to that, I watched a no-budget movie on Netflix Instant that is on there for Christ knows what reason; I only say that as it's so obscure, it's not even on IMDb. It's an '85 (or '86) movie set in '79 (or '80) and made sometime in the early 80's called Revolt. The only information about the film can be found on a few obscure movie review sites (I mean, just about as obscure as my movie reviews blog) and that's it. The general consensus is that it was made by some Iranian-Americans who wanted to portray their people as being the good type who are against drug dealers. It's incredibly amateurish-to use the understatement of the week-to the point that it looks like all the dialogue and sound was ADR'ed in after the movie was filmed; it was dubbed like a Godfrey Ho flick and that make it hilarious.
For no good reason the first few minutes you see some random clips of drugs being purchased and sold and a narrator who says his SH's like SCH's tells us that drugs are bad, mmmkay? After that the story starts. In a random California town you get to follow Steve and his family, which is a mix of white and Iranian. Steve's bro ends up as a driver for the big drug dealer in the area, Macintosh, after he fires another driver, Curtis, for being shitty at his job. Things go wrong, the bro gets killed (neither him nor Curtis deserve a scorpion jacket), and Steve ends up looking for revenge.
There's also a sheriff (a deep-voiced guy who looks like a mix between Tom Atkins and modern Kris Kristofferson) who is controlled by Macintosh but now resents it, Steve's son and Mac's son, who of course are pals in the same school, the hot 80's blonde girlfriend of Curtis, and a bunch of guys with mustaches. Honestly, most of the guys in this movie have mustaches, which is great. Even the hero sports one. He's a totally generic-looking brunette dude.
Technically, this is some God-awful filmmaking. But, the story is fine for exploitation fare so it's not a punishing 72 minute watch; it's just a funny one due to the technical problems. When there's opening credits that include such gems as "Still Photography: D. Victory", "Assistant Cameraman: B / Boatman" and "Screenplay: Shield", you should not have high expectations.
The highlights include:
* Steve's son being killed after he runs away after he gets called a "half-breed" and a "pig" and he accidentally gets run over by a car.
* There's a totally gratuitous rape scene. You only see the woman's face while it happens, but before that her outfit gets lifted up to show her pantied ass and one of the guys sticks his tongue out in an exaggerated manner. That brought me uncomfortable memories of that gang rape scene in Death Wish II.
* The score is all over the place. Among other things, sometimes it sounds like generic 80's synth, and other times it's generic 70's cop TV show.
* The villain... I have no idea which actor he was but he was great. He looked Persian but yet was totally anti-Persian. He resembled a chubby Saddam Hussein (I know, it's a real bad thing to compare an Iranian to an Iraqui person and vice versa) and as one site described him, he was like a psychotic Yosemite Sam! As he wore cowboy clothes most of the time and sometimes wore a hat, it was an apt description. Some of his outfits literally made me laugh out loud.
* There is a random few minute stretch where part of the Iran Hostage Crisis is shown live (!), thus that's why I say it's set either in '79 or '80. You can get some preaching about how Iranians should feel safe in America as they're Americans and yeah yeah yeah.
* The ending is a real fustercluck. Among other things, it's totally disjointed, one character looks like Reb Brown about to go to war, a car chase has the villain's family involved, and once it ends, there are no end credits.
Again, I have zero idea how something like this ended up on Netflix, but God Bless it for happening. I am glad I got to watch something so odd and obscure. And now everyone should have some good recommendations after all the oddball mentions the past few days.
I put that in my instant queue the other day. Now I'm intrigued.
"Doesn't deserve a Scorpion jacket" will probably make its way into my vernacular now.
Yeah, that interview with Ernie Hudson was pretty cool. Glad to know he's proud of his career, and considers Monroe Kelly his best role. Congo is great!
Added Cold Steel to my Netflix list and bumped it up to number 1. Looking forward to seeing it.
You're going to have a blast, Rene. I predict you trying to find the soundtrack as well. The songs suggest Greg Allman and Kenny Loggins going on a crack binge together and making an album.
"As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster. To me, being a gangster was better than being President of the United States."
You know that high you get from watching a great movie? The first half of GOODFELLAS is a rush like few others. Scorsese clicking on all cylinders. It's pure cinema.
Yes. Great as the whole movie is. Nothing comes close to matching the delicious pace of that first hour and change. It's pretty addictive.
Must catch up on my movie watchin'. The last few days, only two have made it to the DVD player.
ALIEN RESURRECTION (expanded DVD version): Jeunet's comic booky Xenomorph adventure isn't perfect nor scary but it's pretty FUN - thanks to the silly script, playfully nutty dialogue (from Joss Whedon) and memorable performances. Bless these guys for casting Sigourney Weaver (in her single sexiest and most dangerous film performance), Perlman (greatness), Ryder (I still say she's cute in this), Hedaya (oafishly hysterical), Freeman (he should've Daned it up though), Dourif (WTFFFF?) and the awesomeness that is Michael Wincott. I swear, this guy needs a Mamet script or a network TV show or something. It's friggin' ridiculous that he's not a household name by now. And yes, even though it's an action-comedy, really, and completely gonzo... I think it's better than Prometheus.
I've always felt that ALIEN RESURECTION has a bum rap. It's got a lot of interesting ideas (Underwater Aliens, Liquid Cube Drinks) and is never boring. Agreed its more watchable than Prometheus anyday.
Looking forward to the new RESIDENT EVIL: RETRIBUTION Trailer coming up later today.
felix, Yes! A trailer for the continuing adventures of...Alice vs the...EEEEEEEvil Residents in the...Wonderland, known as...Racoon City!
Nice to know that i am not the only one looking forward to this, fleed.
I think the new trailer should be up in a few hours.
So, guys, Cold Steel.
You guys all have to owe it to yourself and buy the DVD right now
Co-written and directed by Dorothy Ann Puzo, this is far from the sort of legacy you'd think the creator of The Godfather would preserve. It plays out like a live-action McBain movie as directed by Michael Mann (though I think the hero gravitates closer towards MacGarnagle), and it's so washed up in its effort to be an action movie that it makes Action Jackson look like To Live and Die in L.A. in comparison.
Plot's pretty simple: renegade cop Johnny Modine (Brad Davis) goes into rage mode when his elderly father gets slashed up by a psycho with a tracheotomy (Jonathan Banks) on Christmas Eve. Said crazy guy is evil because he has a robot voice and he was Modine's ex-partner and hates him for not letting his throat get butchered, but other than that he's evil because he's Jonathan Banks and he talks like Ned from South Park, so there's no motivation for him to be a villain, but this movie has a pretty firm "fuck logic" message throughout. It's so completely off the rails in how things unfold, you'd think it was an especially violent and brooding episode of Sledge Hammer! Seriously, there's moments where you're certain that Davis is going to just say "Trust me, I know what I'm doing" before committing some feat of brutality. There's even a moment where his lieutenant, played by real-life Popeye Doyle Eddie Egan, is screaming at him about going to prison that I thought there was going to be some absurd "BYE BOOK" moment. You'd have to assume someone ran into a Simpsons writers' meeting with this VHS when they conceived McBain.
Anyway, Modine wages an all-out war on the beloved character actor and his henchmen (Adam Ant and Sy Richardson!). What ensues is pure MAGIC.
A young Sharon Stone plays femme fatale (what else?) and falls for Brad Davis after a sad-sack, drunken pity-me monologue about his dad getting killed.
The soundtrack is nothing but power ballads and wailing porn sax.
That car chase Erix mentioned? Let's just say it spills into a demolition derby and after 45 minutes of HARD EDGED COP DRAMA, the film suddenly shifts gears into outtakes from The Cannonball Run. It gets to a point that Davis's car and Adam Ant's car are flipped over, crashed, next to each other, into the bleachers. Upside down. Literally a minute later, Davis has Ant pinned to a wall and angrily demanding answers from him.
Jonathan Banks kills a man with a pet fish, and said man looks like a trashier, younger William Conrad. He also sells crystal meth to Anthony LaPaglia.
Adam Ant is Banks' henchman/gay lover and there's a tender moment where he shoots Banks up with heroin and then walks away to do some coke (needless to say, Ant's not a goody two-shoes here).
I know I missed talking about moments like Modine's partner having issues with vending machines and the fact that Coca-Cola and Miller payed a mint for product placement, and I don't want to spoil the THRILLING CONCLUSION, but I'll go out on top before I start becoming the Harry Knowles of obscure 80's action movies.
Just buy the DVD
And that Annihilators movie looks fantastic! As does another film I'm curious about, the Lee Van Cleef/David Carradine thrill ride Armed Response. Anyone seen that?
Those are some cool pics of him. Hopefully the movie is at least halfway decent.
As for The Annihilators, that ad makes it look great. After finding this clip, the movie still looks great, but for a different reason.
It's like a low-budget version of Death Wish 3.
Related to that, I watched a no-budget movie on Netflix Instant that is on there for Christ knows what reason; I only say that as it's so obscure, it's not even on IMDb. It's an '85 (or '86) movie set in '79 (or '80) and made sometime in the early 80's called Revolt. The only information about the film can be found on a few obscure movie review sites (I mean, just about as obscure as my movie reviews blog) and that's it. The general consensus is that it was made by some Iranian-Americans who wanted to portray their people as being the good type who are against drug dealers. It's incredibly amateurish-to use the understatement of the week-to the point that it looks like all the dialogue and sound was ADR'ed in after the movie was filmed; it was dubbed like a Godfrey Ho flick and that make it hilarious.
For no good reason the first few minutes you see some random clips of drugs being purchased and sold and a narrator who says his SH's like SCH's tells us that drugs are bad, mmmkay? After that the story starts. In a random California town you get to follow Steve and his family, which is a mix of white and Iranian. Steve's bro ends up as a driver for the big drug dealer in the area, Macintosh, after he fires another driver, Curtis, for being shitty at his job. Things go wrong, the bro gets killed (neither him nor Curtis deserve a scorpion jacket), and Steve ends up looking for revenge.
There's also a sheriff (a deep-voiced guy who looks like a mix between Tom Atkins and modern Kris Kristofferson) who is controlled by Macintosh but now resents it, Steve's son and Mac's son, who of course are pals in the same school, the hot 80's blonde girlfriend of Curtis, and a bunch of guys with mustaches. Honestly, most of the guys in this movie have mustaches, which is great. Even the hero sports one. He's a totally generic-looking brunette dude.
Technically, this is some God-awful filmmaking. But, the story is fine for exploitation fare so it's not a punishing 72 minute watch; it's just a funny one due to the technical problems. When there's opening credits that include such gems as "Still Photography: D. Victory", "Assistant Cameraman: B / Boatman" and "Screenplay: Shield", you should not have high expectations.
The highlights include:
* Steve's son being killed after he runs away after he gets called a "half-breed" and a "pig" and he accidentally gets run over by a car.
* There's a totally gratuitous rape scene. You only see the woman's face while it happens, but before that her outfit gets lifted up to show her pantied ass and one of the guys sticks his tongue out in an exaggerated manner. That brought me uncomfortable memories of that gang rape scene in Death Wish II.
* The score is all over the place. Among other things, sometimes it sounds like generic 80's synth, and other times it's generic 70's cop TV show.
* The villain... I have no idea which actor he was but he was great. He looked Persian but yet was totally anti-Persian. He resembled a chubby Saddam Hussein (I know, it's a real bad thing to compare an Iranian to an Iraqui person and vice versa) and as one site described him, he was like a psychotic Yosemite Sam! As he wore cowboy clothes most of the time and sometimes wore a hat, it was an apt description. Some of his outfits literally made me laugh out loud.
* There is a random few minute stretch where part of the Iran Hostage Crisis is shown live (!), thus that's why I say it's set either in '79 or '80. You can get some preaching about how Iranians should feel safe in America as they're Americans and yeah yeah yeah.
* The ending is a real fustercluck. Among other things, it's totally disjointed, one character looks like Reb Brown about to go to war, a car chase has the villain's family involved, and once it ends, there are no end credits.
Again, I have zero idea how something like this ended up on Netflix, but God Bless it for happening. I am glad I got to watch something so odd and obscure. And now everyone should have some good recommendations after all the oddball mentions the past few days.
Good God, that scorpion jacket joke killed me. Count me in on this one.
And the only psycho Yosemite Sam in action movies is Richie Madano, thank you.
Forgot one last Cold Steel bit that I loved: at one point, Banks, Adam Ant, and Sy Richardson go steal shit from a gun store and are cornered by cops. What does Banks do? He takes the grenade launcher-equipped assault rifle he just bounced and fires a grenade at the cop car. It bounces off the grill like a fucking Nerf projectile, and still the thing goes up in flames.
Jesus Christ, I haven't felt so special discovering something like this since Quiet Cool.
Nice to know that i am not the only one looking forward to this, fleed.
I think the new trailer should be up in a few hours.
It's here!
Mila looks damn good with short hair. And Sienna Guillory is back! Nice.
Didn't she look like that in the last one? This looks like it picks up where the last one left off. I could be wrong, though. I've seen all of these movies and I have no idea what's going on.
All I know is the last movie was the best one because it had an army of Millas and the bad guy throws his sunglasses at the audience.
I haven't seen any Resident Evil movies but I guarantee you none of 'em have Adam Ant snorting coke in the background of any shots.
Advantage, Cold Steel.
So fleed and Felix are responsible for the ongoing Resident Evil movies. Cut it out.
I kid, I kid. I've only seen the first one. Can't believe they're still getting theatrical releases thirty five films into the series.
The "bad wig" guy from The Annihilators is the legend PAUL KOSLO.
