Discs - Comments / Reviews by Magic Marmalade

Discs - Comments / Reviews by Magic Marmalade

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Member	Item		Review/Comment
Magic Marmalade 2nd Jun 2015		DVD Judge Dredd - Pathé	The newest one is much more like it... with Carl Urban in the role. (Of course, they essentially lifted the plot from "The Raid", but has a lot of it's own going for it). This one is poo :)
Magic Marmalade 1st Jun 2015		DVD Highlander - Studio Canal (2000)	Not good, but I believe it built quite a following in it's own right... just not for me. I think you have a different disc to me too monolith, I don't think mine has a picture... I'll have to dig it out and have a look later. (Guess what I'm watching this evening then!).
Magic Marmalade 1st Jun 2015		DVD Gladiator - Universal (2000)	This would have been good if it was named: Gladioli, and starred Morrisey in the lead: "I used to be a centurion, but heaven knows I'm miserable now!"
Magic Marmalade 1st Jun 2015		DVD Highlander - Studio Canal (2000)	"and this movie is bloomin' awesome!" (Shame there was not only one! - bad sequels and rubbish TV series syndrome strikes again, oh, and as if that wasn't enough, they're remaking (rebooting) it... NNooooooooo!!!!!)
Magic Marmalade 1st Jun 2015		DVD The Good, The Bad And The Ugly - MGM (2004)	You mean he rode off on Tuesday, and returned on Monday? :)
Magic Marmalade 1st Jun 2015		DVD The Good, The Bad And The Ugly - MGM (2004)	:) ....You Really Got Me!
Magic Marmalade 1st Jun 2015		DVD The Good, The Bad And The Ugly - MGM (2004)	Don't know.
Magic Marmalade 1st Jun 2015		DVD The Good, The Bad And The Ugly - MGM (2004)	I'll be out on the plain Monolith, shootin' lizerds off rocks, and the gizzerds outta, erm, uh, something that rhymes with rocks (careful Monolith!)
Magic Marmalade 1st Jun 2015		DVD The Good, The Bad And The Ugly - MGM (2004)	Thanks for posting that Greg. I've decided to dress exclusively in poncho and hat from now on, as my daily attire, and with my stubby cigar poking from the corner of my mouth, I'll lurk in doorways that separate dark interiors from vast expansive plains and vistas. ... where can I get a horse?
Magic Marmalade 1st Jun 2015		DVD The Matrix - Warner Home Video (1999)	There ought to be a rule at Hollywood studios when they have a hit... when someone comes in and says: " that did great, let's make another twelve", that person should be fired immediately!
Magic Marmalade 1st Jun 2015		DVD Aliens - 20th Century Fox (2004)	Also, the content might have something to do with it... the first film is a close quarters character film in tight places, but this is more of a fast moving action film, so my previous comment should take account of that.
Magic Marmalade 1st Jun 2015		DVD The Good, The Bad And The Ugly - MGM (2004)	Hell yeah! I might watch it again!
Magic Marmalade 1st Jun 2015		DVD The Matrix - Warner Home Video (1999)	The only one in the "Trilogy" that can stand on it's own too. They did that awful thing of making the other two "episodic", being shot and assembled in one go, and a clunky story extension from this that was written for two parts. They feel cheap in my opinion... this was original, elegantly written and just good story telling and film making. Nothing ruins a good movie like a bad sequel (s).
Magic Marmalade 1st Jun 2015		DVD Aliens - 20th Century Fox (2004)	This DVD didn't make the step up to a larger screen as well as the first... looked a bit patchy in places, and there was a little bit of drag in the pixels on occasion. I think Ridley Scott must also have used better film stock for his film than Cameron did for this in the first instance (But I may be wrong).
Magic Marmalade 1st Jun 2015		DVD Alien - 20th Century Fox (2003)	This one was able to step to a larger screen very well.
Magic Marmalade 1st Jun 2015		DVD The Good, The Bad And The Ugly - MGM (2004)	Rated 10/10 Watched this again last night... gets better every time you see it. It's one of those films that is longer than you remember it being (Even before the added footage for this edition: this comes in at 2h:51m), but it doesn't feel long. (Compare that with another epic like 2001: A Space Odyssey, where the reverse is true... it's a lot shorter than you think... just the subject, tone, and atmosphere makes it feel longer). I'm really finding out which of my DVDs can make the jump to a larger screen without losing resolution. This one does it with ease, mainly due to the top job of remastering and restoring they did for this release... looks and sounds great. The extra footage added is an extended Tuco torture scene, which is quite brutal, but contributes to reinforcing the idea of what a tough sod Tuco (Eli Wallach) is, and what a shit Angel Eyes (Lee Van Cleef) is, and the feeling between them... ...also is a fairly brief exchange between Clint's: Blondie character, and Tuco, as they ride away from the monastery which, while consisting of only a few words, is a little jarring for the fact that their voices were added a good 30 years after they filmed the scene (A distinctive quality of Sergio Leone's films, is the "Looped" voice tracks (overdubbed at a later date)). With this scene being cut before they went to the sound studio, no original voice track existed for it in the first place, so they had to make one for the restoration. Eli Wallach had quite a gruff voice anyway, and the couple of words he speaks you don't really notice much... but Clint Eastwood's voice sounds very old, coming out of the mouth of his younger self. And I'm not sure this small scene adds anything to the film anyway... so a bit unnecessary, but doesn't disturb the film greatly. It's clear that this film is all about Eli Wallach's character Tuco, being the most rounded character in the movie, and Clint, and Van Cleef's characters are actually paper thin... mere icons (the later is actually not so great a feature of the movie, particularly in the second half, and until the end), but both make such a strong impression that it's easy to overlook what Tuco is for this film, and how good Eli Wallach is at playing him. Is this film in the Library of Congress? ....It bloody well ought to be! If it were literature, it would undoubtedly be referred to as one of the Great American Novels, but it's certainly qualifies as being a Great American Movie. 1 person found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Magic Marmalade 31st May 2015		DVD The Good, The Bad And The Ugly - MGM (2004)	Superb film... I'm about due another viewing! And it dawned on me where they got the name for the Tuco character in Breaking Bad (Currently watching it on Spike). Aha-aha aaaahhh..... wow, wOW, wow.
Magic Marmalade 31st May 2015		DVD Alien - 20th Century Fox (2003)	He he he :) don't say things like that... your comment will be deleted by the mysterious shadowy force, for being inappropriate.
Magic Marmalade 31st May 2015		DVD Aliens - 20th Century Fox (2000)	Somebody just deleted my comment! I said: In space, no-one can hear you scream (which I thought was a very witty allusion to the tag line of the first movie, but obviously someone thinks otherwise).
Magic Marmalade 31st May 2015		DVD Aliens - 20th Century Fox (2000)	I'm the opposite I'm afraid... the first was great, this (l although a good action film) missed the point for me, having been "Cameron-ised", which is odd, in that the First Terminator film is the same, and the others just fluff (I include T2 in that!), even though Cameron directed both.
Magic Marmalade 29th May 2015		VHS Dune - 4 Front (1999)	In the book, he's not the only kwikfit bladdersack (Doh, spoiler!) I remember being too young to see this at the cinema, but seeing an ENORMOUS poster board on the frontage of a cinema in London from the back seat of my Dad's car as we drove past (Forget where, but seriously, the thing was about 50ft high!). That captivated my imagination, and I've love the idea of the film, and then the film itself ever since I finally got to see it. Sean Young was pretty hot property for a spell in 1981-2, what with Blade Runner too... if you're going to have a couple of Sci-Fi credits on your CV, could do a lot worse.
Magic Marmalade 26th May 2015		Multi-Format The Polar Express - Warner Home Video (2011)	the Grandchildren eh? ...I bet you creep down at night like a secret lemonade drinker to watch it! It is a good film though.
Magic Marmalade 26th May 2015		Blu-ray Brainstorm - Warner Home Video (2012)	This is one of those movies I've got in the back of my mind to look out for on DVD when out moseying in the charities. One of three Christopher Walken films I really like.... as well as The Dead Zone (Stephen King Adaptation), and Communion.
Magic Marmalade 24th May 2015		DVD The Exorcist - Warner Home Video (1999)	The silver embossed lettering didn't come out great which-ever way I scanned it or adjusted the exposure... so please replace the images if you have better ones.
Magic Marmalade 24th May 2015		DVD Blade Runner: The Director's Cut - Warner Home Video (1999)	My first DVD. I bought the DVD player to get this disc. I'd never seen it before without the voice-over, which is how I grew up with it on T.V, and then the VHS that I wore out.... twice! An absolute revelation without it. It goes from being an excellent Sci-fi Sam Spade type thing, to a work of art and humanity that transcends cinema (OTT?). You don't watch this movie, you swim in it, and it always reveals new depths every time you watch.... actually better than the book, and how often can you say that? Many people will go into it expecting a Star Wars action adventure sci-fi light show, and so of course, are disappointed. But if you understand it has a slow (timeless) pace before you watch for the first time, and it is a thoughtful and dramatic Sci-fi, you might just love it. This edition does have a flaw though: the Titles and text at the start are wobbly... but the film is fine. ...Oh... and found out the commonly used term for these cases: "Snapper Cases"
Magic Marmalade 23rd May 2015		DVD RoboCop - MGM (2004)	"I'd buy that for a dollar!"
Magic Marmalade 22nd May 2015		DVD In The Mouth Of Madness - New Line Home Video (2000)	I remember this! has one of the scariest (yet one of the simplest) ideas in a movie, when he wakes up on the bus and everything is blue.... absolutely everything, and everyone on the bus acts as if nothing has changed.
Magic Marmalade 22nd May 2015		DVD Excalibur - Warner Home Video (2000)	Review This is one of those weird early cases made of card, with a plastic tray seated in it with a plastic hook over clasp... I don't know what they are called. This is still the best film of Arthurian Legend by a long stretch. Any attempt, as has been tried a few times recently on both TV and Cinema, to place King Arthur as a historical figure entirely misses the point of the legend that was created, and accrued it's essential elements over a couple of centuries (from 13th -15th). ... as such, they lack the power to act on the imagination they way they his legend intended to. Anyone wanting get into Arthurian Legend should start here, as it has successfully used the strange dialects and language style found in those mediaeval books, justmade slightly more intelligible for a modern audience. It is best to learn the legend backwards, with the more recent, and complete legend as this summarises, and then go to the various components. My recommended reading list: T. H White: The Once And Future King (Comprised of Three Books, the first of which: The Sword In The Stone, was the basis for Disney's animation. Suitable for early teens, it is largely contemporary with The Lord Of The Rings, and The Chronicles Of Narnia, and philosophically deals with ideas of justice, society, and Good Leadership... some of the most brilliant writing I've ever read too, as Arthur is transformed into various animals by Merlin to teach him about their social structures through experience... also mentioned in X-Men) then: Sir Thomas Malory: Le Morte D'Arthur (The Death Of Arthur) (Which White drew from, and was the first to bring all the elements together in one narrative) Geoffery Of Monmouth: History Of The Kings Of Britain (Bit of a charlatan and mischief maker... Merlin And Arthur stories small parts of the book, and are separate from each other, yet linked... set in motion the popularisation of Arthur among the British) Cretien De Troyes: Arthurian Romances Wolfram Von Eschenbach: Parzival (Cretien's Book has a few stories about knights from the round table on quest, including the unfinished book The Story Of The Grail (Perceval), which Eschenbach retold, and concluded. Percival is the original finder of the grail, as Gallahad had not yet been created by Malory in his stead) Robort De Boron: Various tales Gawain And The Green Knight The Mabinogion The High Book Of The Grail Further reading: Alfred Lord Tennyson: Idylls Of the King (From which Kate Bush drew: "The Ninth Wave") Edmund Spenser: The Fairie Queen (Arthur appears occasionally to help the knights on quest) And from there, the endless array of Arthurian literature that exists. But you won't find any historical evidence! Bede The Venerable: Ecclesiastical history of the English People mentioneth him not, but works like this can prove useful in building a picture of the truth. 1 person found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Magic Marmalade 22nd May 2015		DVD Benny & Joon - MGM (2004)	This is one I'd been looking out for, that was stored in the back of my brain, so was very pleased, when as if by magic it appeared on the shelf in front of me almost as soon as I'd thought to look. Features the song by the Proclaimers: I. Would. Walk. Five. Hun. Dred. Miles....etc.
Magic Marmalade 22nd May 2015		DVD Dune - Castle Home Video (1999)	This is what happens when a director bites off more than he can chew... a good cult film, mainly for it's short comings (oooh that kid is annoying!) but it was doomed from the off, as the book is a huge sci-fi epic, which goes deeper into ecology, religion, and politics than could have been found space for in a movie, so a lot of it was lost in translation. I believe there was a TV series (Mini-series) which attempted to address this problem, and expand into the other book in the series, but I haven't personally seen them. Soundtrack by Brian Eno and Toto.

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