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#2
04-13-2012, 09:40 AM
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Licence to Kill (1989)
Dir. John Glen  Timothy Dalton had an unfortunately short run as James Bond, but his movies are two of the better entries in the franchise. The Living Daylights is the closest the series ever returned to the tone of the earlier Terence Young films, and Licence to Kill is a precursor to the Daniel Craig Bonds, being grittier and more violent and shedding away the campier aspects of the series. Director John Glen, who had been with the series since For Your Eyes Only, had a straighter, leaner approach that didn’t mesh well with Roger Moore’s more light-hearted portrayal of Bond, but went together great with Dalton’s take on the character, less playboy and more man of action. The things that make Licence to Kill stand out for me are the darker story (it’s interesting to see Bond acting purely out of revenge, and this adds some depth to his character), the performances (Dalton’s great in this, and Robert Davi as the drug lord Franz Sanchez is one of the series’ more grounded and more menacing villains), and the set pieces (the movie clearly took some influence from ‘80s action films, and the truck chase at the end is one of my favourite action scenes in the entire series). Easily one of my favourite Bond movies. On a side note, it's pretty funny seeing both Agent Johnsons from Die Hard pop up in this. Also, from one of the special features, I noticed that the script was originally titled Licence Revoked - it's a good thing they changed it, because that would have been a terrible title.
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LAST SEEN: Traffic (Soderbergh, 2000) -- 9/10 Transformers: Dark of the Moon (Bay, 2011) -- 7/10 Battle: Los Angeles (Liebesman, 2011) -- 3.5/10 The Music Room (Ray, 1958) -- 10/10 Satyajit Ray (Benegal, 1982) -- 7.5/10 __________________ 4K: Blu-ray Collection | Viewing Thread Last edited by Rockatansky; 04-13-2012 at 02:38 PM. |
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#3
04-13-2012, 09:56 AM
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Will check this list. Would be cool if you could comment on the quality of the transfer as well, but perhaps you are not so discriminate concerning PQ. Licence to kill is great, but not sure why they needed Wayne newton. Oh and Everet McGill is pretty awesome too.
Edit: and Del Toro who was unknown at the time.
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Homeland (S2, Showtime) ★★★★ I love how this subverts expectations. One character refuses to carry out despicable orders, a villain bargaining in return for supplying critical intel doesn't quite play out as expected and a (nearly) torture-less interrogation becomes a terrific display of acting. It's a gripping and entirely satisfying season, but I don't think Showtime should stretch this beyond 4 seasons. --------------- Olympus Has Fallen (A. Fuqua, 2013) ★★½ Perhaps the premise is ridiculous, or maybe it's only preposterous because it hasn't happened yet, but the assault (and ensuing occupation of) on the White House (and sorta my senses) was a display of such brute force conviction that I bought it wholesale. That it was coherently shot (by, of all people, Conrad Hall's son) was welcome too. Sure, the FX aren't always top drawer and cliches ran rampant, but I slurped it up with a spoon nonetheless. --------------- Oblivion (J. Kosinski, 2013) ★★ While I appreciated the general lack of mayhem in favor of a more tranquil & cerebral pace, I was surprised to discover that Kosinski rips entire ideas from other, sometimes better movies. That said, the movie certainly keeps you guessing, the visuals r memorably sleek, the score kicks ass, but the resolution isn't one that encourages repeat viewings. Moreover, the story may reach for the heart, but its grasp isn't nearly long enough. ======================= The Walking Dead (S3, AMC) ★★★★ / Bullet to the Head (Hill, 2013) ★ / Lincoln (Spielberg, 2012) ★★★½ Brandywine & Lightstorms new post: 2013 movie preview!! Last edited by Morris Schæffer; 04-13-2012 at 09:57 AM. |
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#4
04-13-2012, 10:00 AM
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Licence to Kill looks pretty good, btw.
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LAST SEEN: Traffic (Soderbergh, 2000) -- 9/10 Transformers: Dark of the Moon (Bay, 2011) -- 7/10 Battle: Los Angeles (Liebesman, 2011) -- 3.5/10 The Music Room (Ray, 1958) -- 10/10 Satyajit Ray (Benegal, 1982) -- 7.5/10 __________________ 4K: Blu-ray Collection | Viewing Thread |
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#5
04-13-2012, 02:40 PM
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The Killer (1989)
Dir. John Woo  Out of the John Woo movies I’ve seen, this is easily my favourite, and I can see why it’s so revered. The action scenes are brilliantly shot and choreographed, and for once Woo’s tendency to go for easy sentimentality works with the story, and film is genuinely moving as a result. Woo said he intended the film as an homage to Jean-Pierre Melville’s Le Samourai and Martin Scorsese’s Mean Streets, and while those films’ influences are apparent (the lone hitman trope is taken from the former film, and the latter clearly influenced the use of slow motion and colour), Woo takes makes them his own, resulting in one of the most visually distinctive action films I’ve seen. My only knock against it is that there are a few aesthetic choices that I might normally forgive (one scene clearly uses sped up footage, and another has some awkward looking freeze frames, and these choices kill some of the momentum of their respective scenes), but stick out like a sore thumb here (especially when the fluidity of the action is one of the film’s major strengths). I was a little bummed out by the picture quality of this Blu-ray. It looks really rough (I understand the transfer is 1080i instead of 1080p, despite the back of the box saying otherwise), and a film that looks this good deserves better. The interview and Q&A featurettes with John Woo are worth a watch, though.
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LAST SEEN: Traffic (Soderbergh, 2000) -- 9/10 Transformers: Dark of the Moon (Bay, 2011) -- 7/10 Battle: Los Angeles (Liebesman, 2011) -- 3.5/10 The Music Room (Ray, 1958) -- 10/10 Satyajit Ray (Benegal, 1982) -- 7.5/10 __________________ 4K: Blu-ray Collection | Viewing Thread Last edited by Rockatansky; 04-16-2012 at 10:16 AM. |
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#8
04-13-2012, 03:52 PM
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 Loved Wayne Newton in License to Kill. And the Dragon Boat sequence from The Killer, including the ensuing chase, is not only my favorite from Woo but one of my favorite action sequences of all time.
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Your hand will lead you to fruit -- Bill Murray |
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#9
04-13-2012, 04:01 PM
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Doesn't Bond drink a Budweiser in License to Kill? That's reason enough to strike it from the canon. That's actually a pretty apt metaphor for everything that was wrong with that movie, in my opinion.
I liked Dalton for his intensity, and moderately enjoyed The Living Daylights for down-scaling the character back to an operative, instead of a world saving superhero. But License to Kill felt like a bad American action movie, not a Bond film to me. (I apologize for butting in on your Collection thread, but I thought some of the other comments on the movie invited discussion).
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. Last edited by Phell; 04-13-2012 at 04:14 PM. |
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#10
04-13-2012, 04:16 PM
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Also, Daniel Craig is going to have a Heineken in Skyfall. Hehe.
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LAST SEEN: Traffic (Soderbergh, 2000) -- 9/10 Transformers: Dark of the Moon (Bay, 2011) -- 7/10 Battle: Los Angeles (Liebesman, 2011) -- 3.5/10 The Music Room (Ray, 1958) -- 10/10 Satyajit Ray (Benegal, 1982) -- 7.5/10 __________________ 4K: Blu-ray Collection | Viewing Thread |
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#11
04-13-2012, 04:19 PM
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I'm sure I can conceive of Bond having a beer. But on no account can I imagine him willingly putting Budweiser into his mouth.
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. Last edited by Phell; 04-13-2012 at 04:20 PM. |
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#13
04-13-2012, 04:32 PM
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It's not that I think Bond exists solely on a liquid diet of incorrectly mixed martinis. It's that I can't imagine any European willingly drinking Budweiser, let alone Bond. Obviously, it was only for marketing reasons, but brands and labels matter to the character, and have all the way back to the books. It was a minor detail, but like I said, a metaphor for much of the unwelcome tone and American character of that movie, in my opinion. Not to mention the terrible female lead character in that flick.
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. Last edited by Phell; 04-13-2012 at 04:45 PM. |
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#14
04-13-2012, 04:37 PM
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I don't think I've seen License to Kill, or if I did, I don't remember. Been meaning to rewatch some old Bond though, so I'll get to that one.
Never seen John Woo's early films either.
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Last 5 NEW films seen: Yojimbo = B+ ● Premium Rush = B ● Dr. Strangelove = A- ● Holy Motors = WTF! ● Lincoln = B ● The Road = A- My thread milestones: 1K - 2K - 3K - 4K - 5K - 6K - 7K - 8K - 9K - 10K - 11K - 12K: Films 1977-2012 Last 5 Blog Entries: Argo ● 12 Angry Men ● Conspiracy ● Bridge to Terabithia ● Holy Motors |
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#16
04-13-2012, 05:28 PM
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I hate the dark, the sharks liars. And the stems of cherry... Hellraiser II (Randel, 1988) 9/10 Revanche (Spielmann, 2009) 9/10 Lola Montes (Ophuls, 1955) 7/10 The Merry Widow (Von Stroheim, 1925) 8/10 Make Way for Tomorrow (McCarey, 1937) 8/10 |
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#17
04-13-2012, 05:39 PM
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I'm going to be cranking out another entry soon.
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LAST SEEN: Traffic (Soderbergh, 2000) -- 9/10 Transformers: Dark of the Moon (Bay, 2011) -- 7/10 Battle: Los Angeles (Liebesman, 2011) -- 3.5/10 The Music Room (Ray, 1958) -- 10/10 Satyajit Ray (Benegal, 1982) -- 7.5/10 __________________ 4K: Blu-ray Collection | Viewing Thread |
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#18
04-13-2012, 05:42 PM
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You've wandered from the proper path, haven't you? |
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#19
04-13-2012, 05:44 PM
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Crank (2006) & Crank: High Voltage (2009)
Dir. Mark Neveldine & Brian Taylor  I enjoyed the first Crank for consciously doing away with any pretense of an actual story and getting straight to the action, but I didn’t find the action itself quite that satisfying and the film works much better when it goes purely for humour (Exhibit A: the public sex scene). The reason the second film is better is because it doesn’t try to be anything resembling a traditional action film and instead goes for every batshit insane gag it can think of. This consists of seemingly trying to outdo not only its predecessor, but possibly every movie I’ve ever seen (highlights include sodomy by shotgun, a rehash of the public sex scene with a CG horse penis thrown in for added effect, and a fight scene inspired by Japanese monster movies). The reason that any of this works is largely due to the directors’ style. Neveldine and Taylor are willing to do pretty much anything and everything for effect with no regard for good taste, and display a remarkable amount of invention and a real understanding of the strengths of digital cinematography. (I should emphasize how great these movies look on Blu-ray.) I think both films start to wear out their welcome towards the end and could use a bit of trimming. Regardless, they’re both strong examples of ADD-inflected action films done right.
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LAST SEEN: Traffic (Soderbergh, 2000) -- 9/10 Transformers: Dark of the Moon (Bay, 2011) -- 7/10 Battle: Los Angeles (Liebesman, 2011) -- 3.5/10 The Music Room (Ray, 1958) -- 10/10 Satyajit Ray (Benegal, 1982) -- 7.5/10 __________________ 4K: Blu-ray Collection | Viewing Thread Last edited by Rockatansky; 04-13-2012 at 05:48 PM. |
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#21
04-13-2012, 05:52 PM
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LAST SEEN: Traffic (Soderbergh, 2000) -- 9/10 Transformers: Dark of the Moon (Bay, 2011) -- 7/10 Battle: Los Angeles (Liebesman, 2011) -- 3.5/10 The Music Room (Ray, 1958) -- 10/10 Satyajit Ray (Benegal, 1982) -- 7.5/10 __________________ 4K: Blu-ray Collection | Viewing Thread |
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#22
04-13-2012, 06:02 PM
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[edit] I removed my elaboration because I didn't want to lay that big a turd in Rock's DvD thread, and because nobody cares anyway. 
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. Last edited by Phell; 04-20-2012 at 03:02 PM. |
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#24
04-16-2012, 01:05 AM
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Loathe the Crank movies, just bad everything. They may be excessive, akin to a road runner cartoon like some might be prone to comment, but No road runner cartoon ever lasted beyond 5 or 10 minutes.
As for The Killer, I thought it was ok. In a way, I like the story and visuals of Face/Off more. It just strikes me as a more polished offering although there's no denying the leads in the killer are badass. By the way, if I'm not mistaken, all the Bond flicks are coming to blu-ray this year so there'll be a few I'm going to pick-up!
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Homeland (S2, Showtime) ★★★★ I love how this subverts expectations. One character refuses to carry out despicable orders, a villain bargaining in return for supplying critical intel doesn't quite play out as expected and a (nearly) torture-less interrogation becomes a terrific display of acting. It's a gripping and entirely satisfying season, but I don't think Showtime should stretch this beyond 4 seasons. --------------- Olympus Has Fallen (A. Fuqua, 2013) ★★½ Perhaps the premise is ridiculous, or maybe it's only preposterous because it hasn't happened yet, but the assault (and ensuing occupation of) on the White House (and sorta my senses) was a display of such brute force conviction that I bought it wholesale. That it was coherently shot (by, of all people, Conrad Hall's son) was welcome too. Sure, the FX aren't always top drawer and cliches ran rampant, but I slurped it up with a spoon nonetheless. --------------- Oblivion (J. Kosinski, 2013) ★★ While I appreciated the general lack of mayhem in favor of a more tranquil & cerebral pace, I was surprised to discover that Kosinski rips entire ideas from other, sometimes better movies. That said, the movie certainly keeps you guessing, the visuals r memorably sleek, the score kicks ass, but the resolution isn't one that encourages repeat viewings. Moreover, the story may reach for the heart, but its grasp isn't nearly long enough. ======================= The Walking Dead (S3, AMC) ★★★★ / Bullet to the Head (Hill, 2013) ★ / Lincoln (Spielberg, 2012) ★★★½ Brandywine & Lightstorms new post: 2013 movie preview!! |
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#25
04-16-2012, 10:15 AM
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Face/Off is definitely slicker on the surface, but I was more emotionally involved in The Killer. (It does however, lack Nicolas Cage and John Travolta trying to outdo each other in the amount of scenery they can chew). I need to pick up The Living Daylights, On Her Majesty's Secret Service and Diamonds are Forever and I think I'll have all of them on DVD or Blu-ray between my brother and myself.
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LAST SEEN: Traffic (Soderbergh, 2000) -- 9/10 Transformers: Dark of the Moon (Bay, 2011) -- 7/10 Battle: Los Angeles (Liebesman, 2011) -- 3.5/10 The Music Room (Ray, 1958) -- 10/10 Satyajit Ray (Benegal, 1982) -- 7.5/10 __________________ 4K: Blu-ray Collection | Viewing Thread |
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#26
04-16-2012, 10:25 AM
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The Crank movies are worth watching just for the fight scenes alone.
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Clarice Starling: If you didn't kill him, then who did, sir? Hannibal Lecter: Who can say. Best thing for him, really. His therapy was going nowhere. |
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#27
04-20-2012, 02:35 PM
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Leaves of Grass (2010)
Dir. Tim Blake Nelson  This was a film I was anticipating heavily back in 2010, and it’s kind of a shame it didn’t get wider distribution. It has a lot of similarities with a film like Fargo, and director Tim Blake Nelson shows a lot of the same skill as the Coens in creating lighter comedy without doing so at the expense of the characters, and weaving it together with heavier drama (often in the same scene) without it feeling jarring. The best thing about this film is Edward Norton’s double performance. He flawlessly creates two distinct characters (twin brothers, one a respected philosophy professor, the other a pot dealer who has run into some trouble), and the film fully develops and treats each of them with respect, resisting the temptation to turn the pot dealer brother into a caricature. Leaves of Grass probably qualifies as a stoner movie, but it manages to avoid going for easy stoner humour and is instead very thoughtful, well acted and well made (and yes, very funny).
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LAST SEEN: Traffic (Soderbergh, 2000) -- 9/10 Transformers: Dark of the Moon (Bay, 2011) -- 7/10 Battle: Los Angeles (Liebesman, 2011) -- 3.5/10 The Music Room (Ray, 1958) -- 10/10 Satyajit Ray (Benegal, 1982) -- 7.5/10 __________________ 4K: Blu-ray Collection | Viewing Thread Last edited by Rockatansky; 04-26-2012 at 09:20 PM. |
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#28
04-20-2012, 05:12 PM
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Young Frankenstein (1974)
Dir. Mel Brooks  It’s safe to say that Mel Brooks is one of the greatest directors to work in the comedy genre. The Producers and Blazing Saddles are two of the boldest and most relentlessly funny comedies ever made, Young Frankenstein and Silent Movie are impressive achievements, and Life Stinks shows that he can be thoughtful without sacrificing the laughs. Young Frankenstein isn’t the most consistently funny of his films, but that’s part of the point, as the film is equal parts comedy and legitimate Frankenstein film. I liked that in the earlier portions of the film, Brooks keeps the humour relatively subdued and uses it to support the atmosphere. The decision to shoot in black and white to achieve the look of old Universal horror films also plays a big part in why the film works as both parody and homage. Once the monster is introduced, the film gets much funnier, and Young Frankenstein has some of Brooks’ very best gags (“seda-give”, Gene Hackman’s cameo, and the performance of “Puttin’ On The Ritz”). It’s not my favourite Mel Brooks film, but it’s a very impressive comedy nonetheless.
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LAST SEEN: Traffic (Soderbergh, 2000) -- 9/10 Transformers: Dark of the Moon (Bay, 2011) -- 7/10 Battle: Los Angeles (Liebesman, 2011) -- 3.5/10 The Music Room (Ray, 1958) -- 10/10 Satyajit Ray (Benegal, 1982) -- 7.5/10 __________________ 4K: Blu-ray Collection | Viewing Thread Last edited by Rockatansky; 04-26-2012 at 09:19 PM. |
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#30
04-20-2012, 08:39 PM
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We take a handful of sand from the endless landscape of awareness around us and call that handful of sand the world. - Robert M. Pirsig My Blog |
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