What Emmanuelle Movie Did You Just Watch?

[Ed Hocken]

For some reason, I keep thinking if Clive Owen were Bond. We would have gotten something like Lazenby with a lot better polish.

Still, he should have had another chance.

And I bet that voice has to do with the fact the guy's an aussie so he had to disguise his accent.

[Matt]

Still, he should have had another chance.

That's Lazenby's fault. Watch the documentary on the OHMSS DVD and he even admits that it was his own fault. He made some bad choices and followed some bad advice in regards to his career as BOND. In the doc, George comes off as a very likeable man who is very aware of the mistakes that he's made, the missed opportunities that he's had, and the 'could have been' aspects of his life and career. Indeed, if he had shown that level of charisma and charm in OHMSS, he would have been great.

[Ed Hocken]

According to Wikipedia, the producers considerd a then 21-year old Timothy Dalton. But even Dalton thought he was too young.

[BillyG]

2. His flat stare: He has the Christopher Lambert stare going on, as if nothing is in focus for him. Experience and some coaching would have fixed this as well.

At least Lambert has an excuse.

[Bobby Bear]

Clash of the Titans (2010.)

Not bad, but not anything I've not seen before either. Slow start, clunky script throughout, and no real heart to speak of, but a lot of nice design work, some game combat from Worthington, and Liam Neeson picked things up.

Ralph Fiennes' voice was a little misjudged I thought. He tried to play it too close to the "Broody Bad Guy" template and just ended up coming off oddly.

I'm a bit fed up with giant beasts in these kinds of movies being treated really well to start - teasing glimpses, excellent ideas in evidence on the design - only for things to go south with the seemingly inevitable reveal of a lame, conventional "head" and "face." I don't want the Kraken to look like some rejected Cloverfield concept. I want it to look like goodness knows what. A big playdough head with boring teeth on an interesting body isn't really the same thing.

2 Radiant Isla Fisher's Out Of 5

[Martin]

Martin approves your rating system.

[Bobby Bear]

Thanks very much!

I considered a 2.5, but couldn't in good conscience halve that wee face.

[Ari]

Watched Black Dynamite again this weekend. I love that film so much. Michael Jai White just fucking nails it.

[Timothy225]

Frenzy (1972): This Alfred Hitchkock film (his next to last, I believe) has a bit of significance to me as I dimly recall watching parts of it with my folks at one of the drive-ins when I was a wee tyke.

A crime drama filled with suspense (I defy anyone to not feel that dread as you watch a victim nonchalantly enter the killer's apartment as the camera pulls away from the door, down the stairs, and out in the street below where folks are going on about their typical day, unaware the victim is being raped and strangled at that precise moment) and bits of dark comedy are mixed in to enhance the horror on the screen.

Of particular note is the (only, thankfully) onscreen rape and death of one of the victims. Truly disturbing, and it evoked some of the same emotions I had when I first saw Henry, Portrait of a Serial Killer. That murder definitely sticks with you for a bit - it hammers home the fact that rape and murder are brutal, ugly, and any sane person would've beheaded the killer (or anyone that would treat a woman in such a way) on the spot.

The humor, as mentioned before, is dark but not quite gallows humor. More slice-of-life than anything else, although there is one scene involving a potato truck that did raise a chuckle. It was also cool seeing London circa 1972 - the fashions (tweed jackets with leather pads! Awesome!), the hairstyles (sideburns, baby!), the ladies... I was definitely flashing back to Austin Powers at points.

Hitchcock is on his game here for the most part (a couple of scenes seemed slightly off to me, but even so, this is Hitchcock we're talking here. His worst scenes still dust most of his competitors at the time). Definitely a must watch, and I'm sorely tempted to watch some more Hitchcock at the moment.

[Captain Russ]

La Femme Nikita followed by half of Man Bites Dog.

Strangely (and fortunately) on both counts, neither film showed many signs of age.

I forgot Jeanne Moreau made an appearance. It kind of shocked me out of my beer coma.

I wish Besson would get his portly French ass back behind a camera again.

The latter film was black comedy in the form of a documentary crew following a serial killer around. Leslie Vernon ain't got shit on Benoit.

[Matt]

Got halfway through 'Gorky Park' last night. It's not as good as I remember it being (it's a tad slow), but I'm gonna finish it off. I'm also having issues with William Hurt's performance...I can't quite put my finger on what it is, but his affected British accent (while playing a Russian cop) is just not sitting right. Lee Marvin looks really, REALLY old in this film.

Of interest: the Emperor himself, Ian McDiarmid, is in the film. He plays a Russian scientist who, when presented with the decapitated heads of the victims, restores their faces by using clay. He even gets to do a bit of the Emperor snarl with his voice...pretty funny.

[Abraham Smashington]

Man Bites Dog is fucking great.

[Martin]

Man Bites Sog is awesome, but you guys lose a lot of comedy that's tough to translate.

[gravedigger]

THE DARK KNIGHT- Still love this. I wish there weren't so many fame whore doctors who loaded Ledger up with extra prescriptions. I also wish he wasn't an addict who OD'ed. They could have built an entire franchise out of Batman vs. Joker movies and I'd have been okay with it.

[Ingrid]

Watched Night at the Museum 2 earlier. It was ok. Not nearly as good as the first. Just finished Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa. The first 30 or so minutes actually had me snorting with laughter. The rest was cute, but not great. David Schwimmer was perfect. Then as the credits rolled they put in a tribute to Bernie Mac that caused some dust to get in my eyes...

Debating now between Gladiator(for the gazillionth time) or and episode of Charmed as I go to bed.