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ARMOUR OF GOD
(1986, Chan)





Armour of God follows Asian Hawk (Jackie Chan), an Indiana Jones-like adventurer that collects treasures from around the world. When the girlfriend of his former best friend, Alan, is kidnapped by an evil religious cult, he reaches out to Hawk for help. Hawk, in turn, is being recruited by the same evil cult to retrieve the "Armour of God", or something like that.

For a film about a globe-trotting adventurer and explorer, I was expecting more adventure and more thrills. I suppose it is a good thing that they left most of the stunts and good action for the end, because it kinda ends things in a high note. Just not enough for me to feel great about the film.

Grade:



Full review on my Movie Loot
Jackie had a near fatal accident during the filming of the opening action scene (there's a part where he jumps and grabs a tree branch - he slipped during one of the takes and had a head injury), and shooting was on hold for several months while he recovered. So that's probably the reason it isn't as action packed as some of his other films from the era, although the action that is there is great. But the bigger problem is that the movie doesn't have a feel for the genre and saddles him with an awful co-star.



Jackie had a near fatal accident during the filming of the opening action scene (there's a part where he jumps and grabs a tree branch - he slipped during one of the takes and had a head injury), and shooting was on hold for several months while he recovered. So that's probably the reason it isn't as action packed as some of his other films from the era, although the action that is there is great. But the bigger problem is that the movie doesn't have a feel for the genre and saddles him with an awful co-star.
Yep. I went into a bit more detail on the full review about those two aspects.
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SF = Z


[Snooze Factor Ratings]:
Z = didn't nod off at all
Zz = nearly nodded off but managed to stay alert
Zzz = nodded off and missed some of the film but went back to watch what I missed
Zzzz = nodded off and missed some of the film but went back to watch what I missed but nodded off again at the same point and therefore needed to go back a number of times before I got through it...
Zzzzz = nodded off and missed some or the rest of the film but was not interested enough to go back over it



Move Over, Darling (1963) Doris Day, James Garner, Polly Bergen, and Thelma Ritter star in this comedy about a woman who returns after being missing for 5 years and presumed dead. The only problem is that her husband just got remarried that morning! I enjoyed this. It was charming, cute and fun.





Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
(2022)
4/5

Marvel's first horror film. It was f**king amazing!!



I forgot the opening line.

By It is believed that the cover art can or could be obtained from the publisher or studio., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11668728

Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid - (1982)

I remember enjoying Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid a great deal the first time I saw it, but subsequent rewatches haven't been as great an experience. It still has exceptional moments which are really funny, and reach the heights of other Carl Reiner/Steve Martin comedies, but it's a bit more hit and miss than any other as well. Of course, this one has the famous splicing in of high-profile 1940 noir movies, and if you know those movies you'll get even more of a kick out of the film. There's been some mention these days of the casual sexism and misogyny in the film, but then again, if it's spoofing those old noir films you'd see it there as well. Good moments, but also a lot of pointless plot diversions in order to fit the old footage in. It's okay, even pretty good, but not as good as The Jerk or The Man With Two Brains.

6/10


Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2544156

Fireworks - (1997)

It took me a while getting used to Takeshi Kitano's narrative style, with a film that initially jumps around in time a lot that had me confused, but once it got going, and I realised what it's main focus would be, I really started to enjoy it. This is a film that I feel I should watch again, now that I don't have to keep groping around for some kind of idea of what it's all about - I can just sit back and enjoy it. There were heaps of great ideas in the way scenes were constructed, editing and it had a very unusual pace to it - but emotionally I was fully there by the end, being especially touched by Kayoko Kishimoto as the sick wife of Takeshi Kitano's character. It had a very hard, violent edge to it, but it was the love that held it together.

7.5/10

Foreign Language Countdown films seen : 86/100
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Blade
(1998)
3.75/5

Still one of the better Marvel movies. No one is better at this than Westly Snipes.



28th Hall of Fame

Cuties (2020) -


I wasn't eager to watch this film given the controversy it got, but I'm still happy I gave it a fair chance. With that being said, while I didn't hate this film, its point ultimately fell apart for me. Firstly, no, this film isn't child pornography by any means. The film clearly has different intentions in mind. I also think the type of content shown in this film can function in the right context, in the same way that extreme portrayals of violence and racism in media can be used to create a point on both subjects. Rather, where this film falls apart for me is that the young actresses don't have the ability to properly consent to being portrayed the way they are in this film, which includes wearing revealing clothing, dancing in sexually suggestive ways, and showing close-ups of them twerking. While I appreciate the point Doucouré was making with this film, I think it would've worked better if the content was either shown in a different medium or if the film took the route that many high school sex dramas/comedies take by having adults play younger kids (though, the latter suggestion would've obviously been hard to pull off since the girls in this film are supposed to be 11, as opposed to 16 or 17). I will give the film some credit in a few areas though. Fathia Youssouf does a great job as Amy, a naïve young girl slowly falling out of touch with her religion as she spends time with Angelica and her friends, all the while being unaware of the consequences her actions have on her and other people. There's also some technically impressive moments here and there, like the opening and closing shots. I also thought there were some non-problematic disturbing scenes in the film here and there, like a scene where Amy walks in on her friends watching porn in a bathroom or when Amy's asked to photograph a random boy's penis. I wouldn't say these aspects outweigh my issues with the film and I wouldn't say I enjoyed watching it, but I do think there's a fair share of compelling bits mixed in with the problematic bits which made it easier to stomach. Anyways: Right intentions, wrong execution of them.
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Ordinary People (1980, Robert Redford)

This won 'Best Picture' in 1981, and I can kinda see why — it's a well directed family drama with some excellent acting performances, very low-key and understated, and very... how can I say it... 'classic Hollywood' in its vibe. I really, really liked the ending - it almost fools you into thinking there's a horrible 'twist' incoming but none comes, it's like a reverse 'twist' of sorts. The film addresses a number of themes related to family relationships (alienation, guilt, etc.) and does so in a lovingly nuanced way, focusing on the story and the psychology of the characters, rather than aiming to shock or impress the viewer.

Good film but let's face it - either Raging Bull or The Elephant Man should have won instead.



Never Rarely Sometimes Always (2020)


Contemporary material to watch given the ongoing Roe v Wade discussions, but the movie itself didn't do much for me. It is pretty minimal in terms of dialogue and plot points, yet the emotion does carry through heavily in a few scenes.







SF = Z


[Snooze Factor Ratings]:
Z = didn't nod off at all
Zz = nearly nodded off but managed to stay alert
Zzz = nodded off and missed some of the film but went back to watch what I missed
Zzzz = nodded off and missed some of the film but went back to watch what I missed but nodded off again at the same point and therefore needed to go back a number of times before I got through it...
Zzzzz = nodded off and missed some or the rest of the film but was not interested enough to go back over it



matt72582's Avatar
Please Quote/Tag Or I'll Miss Your Responses
Family Life - 7.5/10
This is not the Ken Loach "Family Life" also from 1971... This is a Polish movie with the same title/yr... I gave both movies the same score.





Society ennobler, last seen in Medici's Florence
Everyone Says I Love You (1996)

I came across it browsing the TV channels two days ago. Probably my sixth view of this film.

It is amazing how easy is for Woody to create a masterpiece, this time including musical elements.
Sweet, clever and funny as always. The scene in the family apartment when everybody argues with everybody including the old Bavarian maid-servant and the witty joke with the WWII belligerent groups is outstanding.

(9/10)
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Raven73's Avatar
Boldly going.
Dr. Strange and the Multiverse of Madness
6.5/10.
I thought it was okay, but not great. Certainly not one of Marvel's best.
WARNING: "spoilers" spoilers below
Wanda's transformation into a villain came out of nowhere - it wasn't even foreshadowed. Couldn't she have just adopted? Found a new love after Vision?
I was ecstatic to finally see Prof. X and Reed Richards in a Marvel movie, but they were only in the movie for 20 minutes and then they died! The movie also suffered from an overabundance of CGI.
The first Dr. Strange was much better, IMO.

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Boldly going.



Everyone Says I Love You (1996)

I came across it browsing the TV channels two days ago. Probably my sixth view of this film.

It is amazing how easy is for Woody to create a masterpiece, this time including musical elements.
Sweet, clever and funny as always. The scene in the family apartment when everybody argues with everybody including the old Bavarian maid-servant and the witty joke with the WWII belligerent groups is outstanding.

(9/10)
I think you and I are the only people on the planet who like this movie.



I think you and I are the only people on the planet who like this movie.
I’m a big fan of it. Very excited to finally see it on bluray since that Woody Allen set got released with most of his 90s output.