Man, I watched this ages ago and it was just... brutal...
I can't recall every single detail, but I know that lack of flashy Hollywood effects and the cast of unknown actors (it is an Italian production, after all) just added another layer of gritty realism to the whole thing.
And yeah, I've heard that story about the director and the trial too...
That alone is enough of a recommendation if you're looking for something convincing...
Eric Jackson43 said:If you only stick to Dudikoff, you're going to miss out on some absolute classics. For instance, I'd suggest checking out David Bradley—he's another legend in his own right.
Look, I can tell you mean well,
your heart is clearly in the right place,
but I just can't wrap my head around a reality where Dudikoff shares the spotlight with some inferior carbon copy of himself.
Honestly, that David Bradley guy is just a jerk, and I'm not even going to waste my breath talking about him...
Since you clearly have a bit of an eye for quality, I'd suggest getting back on the right track...
Just watch two movies from this collection and you'll see that guys like DB and his peers—I'm thinking mostly of Lamas and Dacascos here—don't exactly have mistika lice as their one and only claim to fame...
Michelle Gonzalez said:Anette Haywood Carter actually explained the whole deal to me regarding why Renny Harlin keeps churning out movie after movie, despite being the guy behind some of those massive 90s bombs.
Since there isn't a dedicated thread for this movie, I figured I'd just start one here...
On Saturday at 1:10 AM on ABC, they’re airing this incredible horror flick by Adrian Lyne. The plot follows a Vietnam veteran dealing with a total psychological breakdown, haunted by terrifying nightmares after coming home from the war. If you just read that summary, it sounds pretty bleak, but the movie is actually fantastic. Horror fans will get a kick out of it, though don't go in expecting your typical slasher or some gore-fest. This is different. It's a real watch. I’d especially suggest it to anyone who digs the Silent Hill games, since the film was actually an inspiration for that series.
So, if you're into psychological horror with actual twists, this is a must see.
Apparently, the film blew minds for guys like Sam Raimi and Spike Lee, so I’m expecting some heavy lifting here... maybe something along the lines of a stylized horror-comedy, kind of like an Evil Dead vibe.
God only knows what was going on in those twisted minds of theirs 😁 , I was just reading on IMDb that they absolutely wrecked the producers during the first test screening. Apparently, the scene opens with a massive close-up of a poorly drawn Statue of Liberty, and one of the producers in the theater supposedly panicked and shouted (to quote him) "They fucked us up!" just to get them to pull the camera back and show the "normal" puppets and set design...
This movie is going to be absolute gold! (And yeah, I’m still a sucker for the Terrahawks)
🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏
Found this little nugget of trivia on IMDb:
--------------------------------------------------- Before Trey Parker and Matt Stone settled on the final plot for this film, one of their original ideas was to do an all-puppet version of Day After Tomorrow. They had been given a copy of the script and thought it was already funny as was; but thought that if they were to make it into an all-puppet movie, then it would be substantially funnier. The main reason why this idea never came to fruition was because of legal problems with the studio that owned the rights to the film. ----------------------------------------------------
It’s highly likely that before DM stepped up, he was mostly directing commercials or music videos...
That’s actually a pretty standard career path for directors looking to land bigger gigs. Take Fincher, for example. He basically came out of nowhere to helm Alien 3, but if you look closer, the guy actually had a solid track record of directing high-end video spots under his belt first.
Richard Hernandez13 said:The biggest pain was watching Oshii pull those classic anime stunts… he just manages to mess it all up perfectly every single time.
Honestly, you hit the nail on the head with that one...👍
Richard Hernandez13 said:Honestly? It’s a massive letdown.
The premise is interesting, sure, but the execution is just amateur hour.
At its best, it feels like some low-budget local news special you'd see on ABC, and at its worst, it looks like a cheap music video from Colony. I figured out what I was in for pretty early on—once I saw that blatant, tacky CGI and that outdated Red Army junk trying way too hard to look like a "spectacle." But the real cringe factor was watching Oshii pull those typical anime tropes… he manages to mess things up spectacularly every single time.
It’s obvious that in this weird mix of Japanese and Polish influences, everything that mattered just got lost in translation.
You also forgot to mention how incredibly boring it is. About twenty minutes in, I found myself mentally planning my entire work schedule for tomorrow (WORK, people!!! I never think about work while I'm watching movies)
Then there's that forced intellectualism, using opera as a motif throughout the whole thing, which eventually peaks with what felt like a full concert broadcast.
I mean, the concept isn't bad, but the delivery is just terrible...
Sean Lee7 said:Let’s be real here. Peace and Love isn't their best work, period. For me, Red Roses for Me and Sodomy & The Lash are the peak—that’s where you really hear that punk edge bleeding through. Even Shane started out in a punk outfit called Nipple Erectors. If I Should Fall... is definitely the commercial heavyweight and the critic's darling, but those first two still hold the top spots in my book.
Those first two are great, sure, but they leaned so hard into that folk sound, almost like they were afraid to stray too far from the roots. It felt safe. Once they finally decided to push the envelope and experiment with different textures, things got interesting. I’ve always respected a band that actually evolves instead of just running in circles playing the same three chords. That's why I don't bother with Mejdene anymore😛. I agree though, If I Should Fall... is probably the best
so far..
Dana Anderson4 said:Besides, if you want proof of their solid rock foundation, just look at their cover of Honky Tonky woman...
Totally slipped my mind... that was a killer cover... 👍
Dave said:For me, they were at their peak when they started messing around on "Peace and Love," trying to break out of those genre boxes. They were dipping into jazz, classic rock—you could hear just about everything. It’s a gorgeous record. But people tore them apart, sales tanked, and they realized they were being pigeonholed into that folk niche. To stay relevant, they felt they couldn't stray from the script. They can flirt with different ethnic sounds, sure, but they wouldn't touch "commercial" genres. I don't know, looking back, everything after that feels a bit like selling out, though there were some nice moments here and there. That’s always the tragedy of a punk band, even if it's folk-punk. All in all, a great band, but I get the sense they never quite hit their ceiling. They could have done so much more.
Honestly, they went downhill fast. Once Shane left, they thought they could make it if they just cut ties with that drunken mess, but the thing is, that drunk was basically 80% of the engine driving those songs...
I just wish they had pushed those experiments further. You listen to those early tracks and you really feel like you're hearing a band just hitting its stride, like the best was still yet to come...
Dana Anderson4 said:What I mean is, by default, they were a much bigger rocker band, but everyone latched onto that folk vibe and they just couldn't escape it. I'm not saying it didn't suit them, but I agree with Dave—they absolutely could have leveled up genre-wise. I consider the Pogues one of the best bands from the eighties and early nineties, but if they had played around with more patterns, they could have become something like the new Clash.
tooo... 🙏
I'm with you on that. 👍
Ever heard their take on London Calling?
I think Strummer might have even produced most of those albums...
Just sitting here waiting for the new Cave album to drop while spinning the Best of... Pogues. Honestly, I can't help but wonder how the hell Shane is such a freaking genius...
Man, the guy writes lyrics that just blow your mind. I’ve always had a soft spot for those folk melodies, but sometimes you just get that sudden urge to grab a drink and head out to dance some jig, maybe even throw on a kilt, commando style.
You start thinking these tracks are just fuel for a bender, and then Fairytale of New York hits you right in the feels—damn that sentimental masterpiece—along with Waltzing Matilda, and that absolute gem Rainy Night in soha. In my opinion, it’s probably the best song ever written. I mean, the way they layered it with Pips and some postal worker who can't sleep? Total chaos, but brilliant. 😲 It’s wild what can come out of the mouth of a scruffy, drunken little guy like him... seriously, props to Shane. Sometimes it just makes you want to sit there and cry while the rain pours down outside. Life is messy like that.
Why is there zero discussion about the Pogues on this board? Let's change that. We could
well, damn, Summer in Siam just started playing...
I know he did those Coffee and Cigarettes shorts a while back, but this feels like a quick little thing
Been waiting forever for this to drop... honestly, if it isn't because of Jim Jarmusch, it's definitely for Tom Waits and Bill Murray...
Anyway, nothing but respect for Jim Jarmusch 🙏 . To me, the guy has always been the cinematic version of Nick Cave. I’ll never forget those scenes from Lights out, specifically the stuff about the Japanese pistols and the smoking cessation cigarettes 😁 (which is funny, because I’ve actually been trying to quit for a month now myself)
casualotter21 said:Well, that didn't exactly sound like a recommendation, did it? But then again, it wasn't. Watching Van Helsing is a lot like watching Kill Bill or Kung Pow—it’s a very... specific vibe. Don't go diving in unless you're 100% sure you actually want to deal with it. 😬
Now I'm absolutely certain I want to dive right in...