The Returner, Knockaround Guys, and Rat Race

So, over the last few days, I grabbed three movies from the local rental place just because I was bored and felt like I’d already seen everything else out there. Honestly, I figured they were gonna be total garbage, but they actually turned out to be pretty decent and worth watching.

That’s why I’m starting this thread—kind of a spot where we can tell each other, "Hey, that movie was actually okay despite the hideous cover art or the cast being totally unknown." It happens to me all the time; I go to the video store, see some flick I’ve never even heard of, and it feels like such a gamble since 99% of the time it ends up being a total glupost.

Alright, so first up is that Japanese SF Returner, which seriously has the worst cover art I've seen in ages. Just some orange and blue mess with him standing there holding a gun... gross. You look at it and just assume the movie is gonna be just as awful. But nope—it’s actually a solid SF film with good effects, very much in that classic Hong Kong kung-fu style, a decent plot, and overall, just a good flick.

The second one was Knockaround Guys. I only picked that one up because of Vin Diesel 😁. I mean, even if the movie is dumb, at least I get to stare at Vin Diesel's ass for a while 😁. And honestly, the movie isn't nearly the glupost I thought it would be. It’s a perfectly fine way to kill a few hours when whatever is on TV is completely unwatchable.

Thirdly, Rat Raca—a comedy with an amazing cast, some really hilarious bits, and let's be real, John Cleese and Mr. Bean are always my absolute favorites. 😁

Eto, those are just a few movies that actually beat my super low expectations.

Drop your non-disappointing movie picks below so I don't end up wandering into the video store like a headless chicken!
🙂

Sophia Brown78 said:So, the first Japanese SF Returner has, without a doubt, the single worst cover I've seen in ages. It’s just this mess of orange and blue, and there he is holding a gun... it's hideous. You look at it and assume the movie is going to be just as terrible. But then, it turns out to be a perfectly decent sci-fi flick, with solid effects done in that classic Hong Kong martial arts style, a decent plot, and overall, just a good movie.

Yeah, yeah, everyone's already talking about The Returner. Though, I did hear some talk that because of the budget, it ends up looking like an American B-movie, especially regarding the special effects.

BTW, did you get it on VHS or DVD? I heard the DVD actually includes a trailer for "Cowboy Bebop - Movie"??? 😳

It seems like the US market is slowly starting to open up for more "Eastern" cinema. 😁

I have to say, Knockaround Guys was such a pleasant surprise for me too. Honestly, alongside Boiler Room, it’s probably the best Vin Diesel movie out there. And man, Malkovich is just being his usual over-the-top self, isn't he?

The Returner is going to be awesome just because of that—especially since it’s an indie production, but if it ends up being high-budget, it’ll be even better. (I have heard that Cowboy Bebop - Movie isn't quite on the level of the series, but it's still leagues ahead of those Hollywood assembly lines churning out mindless junk)
Knockaround Guys is overrated and yeah, it doesn't hold a candle to anything else, and I haven't gotten around to watching rat raca yet...

Here is the IMDb link for The Returner

Hmm... honestly, the cover doesn't look nearly as bad as what 😕
Sophia Brown78
described.

I think I might swing by the local video rental shop tomorrow to see if they’ve stocked it yet. Apparently, they already have it in 🤔New York City
.

Justin Patel> I feel like Cowboy Bebop - Movie isn't as good as the series

That's just glupost. The movie is basically its own standalone episode set right between episodes 22 and 23 of the show.

Melissa Moore32 said:I'm actually gonna swing by the video store tomorrow to see if they got it in yet. Apparently, it's already hit the shelves in NYC.

..it dropped on Friday (Thursday in NYC), but I doubt it's on DVD yet (haven't checked the shop and didn't see it on the shelf)...

...and rat raca is a great movie for me (kind of a remix of an old classic—kozz, you remember?)... the cast is killer too—Atkinson, Cleese, Cuba Gooding Jr., W. Goldberg,...

Melissa Moore32 said:BTW, did you get it on tape or DVD? I heard the DVD actually has a trailer for "Cowboy Bebop - Movie" on there. 😳

Looks like the US market is finally starting to open up for these Eastern films. 😁

Yeah, there's a trailer for the CB movie on the DVD.

Douglas Robinson12 said:Aside from Boiler Room, it's probably Vin Diesel's best film.

Eto, now I know one more that won't be a complete waste of time 😁.

To me, The Returner doesn't feel like some B-movie production at all. Honestly, I was surprised because I'd never even heard of it, but it's actually good. You could put it up against any major Hollywood flick. The ending felt a little weird to me, but hey, we're dealing with a time paradox here, so I guess it works. If you're into sci-fi, just watch it. I actually liked how (since we were watching the Japanese version) they throw in bits of Chinese, English, whatever people speak in Tibet... It adds a layer of realism when it isn't just constant Japanese. Plus, if you've seen enough anime, 🙂 you can usually tell exactly when they switch languages.

fadedsailor932 said:It's kind of a remake of an old movie.

Is that the one where they're racing to find buried treasure, which was marked with a big capital W 😁 , and everyone ends up running in circles in the park? 😁 I loved that movie. Totally forgot the title though.

There’s honestly so much value in keeping up with the threads here on the forum.
To be honest, I was totally turned off by the advertisement for "The Returner" on that T3 DVD—it just didn't do anything for me—but now? Now I’m actually thinking about giving it a shot...
My wife—who is an absolute superfan of Vin Diesel, by the way—insists that the Knockaround Guys absolutely SUCKS!
On the other hand, rat raca is such a clever little satire of a movie; it reminds me of those Zucker flicks where it's just pure, unadulterated fun from start to finish!
It’s funny how some movies look totally mindless at first glance, only to pleasantly surprise you later on. Take "Soul Survivors," for instance—it looks like your typical, cookie-cutter teen horror flick on the surface, but it actually has this really cool gothic vibe and plays with that whole "sixth sense" trope quite nicely...

Thanks, Melissa Moore32, for always providing such useful info...
By the way, what actually went down at MAMA last time?

I checked out two different video rental shops, but they didn't have The Returner on DVD—just some blank stares from the clerks. I guess you can't expect Tarantino to be running every single shop these days, right?

Justin Patel> btw what happened last time at MAMA?

I checked two different video rental stores and they don't even have The Returner on DVD; all you get is blank stares from the clerks. I guess it’s like expecting Tarantino to be running in every single rental shop around here.

I actually asked at the video store over at VG today, and the woman looked at me like I was asking if they had a movie adaptation of "Mein Kampf"... basically, she'd never heard of it and probably never will. 🤣 🙂

[OT]

Last time at MAMA, they were showing "Utena - Movie" with American subtitles. I missed it because I went to the game, and honestly, I was pretty pissed about it. (Mainly because the game itself sucked 👎 )

But people say you really have to watch Utena at least N times just to get a vague idea of what's actually going on, so eto.

Now I'm just waiting for the DVD release.

[/OT]

I mean, if someone is a massive fan of Vin Diesel, I’m guessing it’s either because they live for XXX or they’re just really into that whole car-centric nonsense. The Knockaround Guys is more of this little "old school" B-movie where the characters and the actual story carry way more weight than the mindless action—it’s almost like a modern Western, if you could even find anything like that being made these days. Basically, I don't think someone who's obsessed with XXX or those fast cars is ever going to vibe with the Knockaround Guys.

fadedsailor932 said:..it dropped on Friday (Thursday in NYC), but I don't think it's on DVD yet (I haven't hit up the video store and didn't see it on the shelf)...

...just a quick correction... The Returner IS out on DVD...

Sophia Brown78 said:Is that the one where they were racing to see who could get to that huge pile of cash—the kind with the big W 😁—and everyone just ended up running in circles through the park? 😁 I thought that movie was awesome. Can't remember the title for the life of me.

...that's the one, but I still haven't figured out what it's called...👍

Melissa Moore32 said:Last time at MAMA, they were showing "Utena - Movie" with American subtitles. I missed it because I was at the game, and honestly, I'm pretty bummed about it. (Mostly because the game was total garbage 👎 )

But people say you have to watch Utena at least N times just to wrap your head around what's actually happening, so eto.

Now I'm just waiting for the DVD release.

[/OT] [/B]

I didn't make it because of the game either, but besides that, there aren't any subways running from my part of town at that hour, and my buddy's car is completely trashed.
Will this even come out on DVD?
I highly doubt it.
In my area (meaning five different video rental stores in the greater Los Angeles area), they haven't even stocked Donnie Darko or Ken Park, let alone something this exotic. (Maybe Ringu or Shiri would have it)

Justin Patel> Is this going to come out on DVD?

Of course it'll be on DVD. I mean, how else do you think they even managed to translate it??? A buddy of mine bought the Utena - Movie on DVD, ripped it, pulled the subtitles, and did the translation himself.

I guess they'll probably put the translated version on DVD eventually... I just have no clue when.

Justin Patel said:Around my neck of the woods (like five different video stores in the suburbs of Chicago), they haven't even carried Donnie Darko or Ken Park, let alone something this niche. (Maybe Ringu or Shiri if you're lucky.)

..they aren't there for a simple reason: those movies haven't even hit the US market yet . Video stores (at least the legit ones that don't deal in pirates and Divx) can only ever buy films from the major distributors (like Blitz, Continental, VTi, Issa, Discovery, or UCD). The fact that none of those studios have them in their catalog isn't the stores' fault. From what I've seen in their listings, it doesn't look like they'll be getting them anytime soon (though they can surprise you).

...yeah..regarding Shiri, that isthe truth, that movie came out here on DVD, but trust me, you don't want to see it. Why? Just imagine a rental tape that's five years old and has been chewed up by at least 60% of the customers at a local Blockbuster. That’s exactly what this DVD looked like. It was such a mess that even the distributors—I'm not sure if it was UCD or Discovery—actually pulled it from the shelves...

I watched Shiri on VHS, and the picture quality was actually totally fine
It turns out tapes just hold up better.
As for those movies that never show up despite being hyped by our local film magazines—that’s just ridiculous. I mean, they surely get some kind of inside scoop from the distributors...
But let's be real, video rental shops only stock the guaranteed hits, like the best of Dolph Lundgren.

Justin Patel said:Regarding those movies that never actually show up despite being hyped up by our local film magazines—it just seems pretty stupid to me. I mean, they must be getting their info from the distributors or something...

I don't know, maybe not... a magazine might just be announcing movies that are available for purchase even if they don't have an official US distributor, like some > you'd find at >.

Grejp said:I checked out Shari on tape, and the picture was actually fine.
So tapes just hold up better?
As for those movies that never show up despite being hyped by our local film mags—that’s just ridiculous. I mean, they have to be getting info from the distributors, right?
Local video stores only stock the hits, you know? Like, strictly Dolph Lundgren's best work.

...it wasn't an issue with the DVDs themselves, it was the transition to the format...

...Yeah, they get the word from the distributors—sometimes even a month ahead of time. Then they hit us up at the rental shop asking why we don't have a movie yet when they already read the reviews in the paper... It's true that some flicks are available for purchase but not for rent, but that really comes down to what the distributor decides...