Today i saw Valkyrie, and i have to give it a 10 out of 10, as there is nothing about it that i can find fault with. Hell, even Tom Cruise put in a really good performance! I now need to find the time to see Che part 1, Milk and Frost v Nixon the nightmare continues (or whatever it's called ) .

CHEMICAL WEDDING
Loved it. Maybe not for everyone, but anyone with the slightest bit of knowledge of Aleister Crowley will enjoy it. Obviously a labour of love for its creators. (Mr.Dickinson, you naughty boy...)

ZOMBIE STRIPPERS
I think films where the title says it all are great - think 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre'. In Zombie Strippers there are zombie, strippers and zombie strippers. One of those 'so awful it's great' films, you'll know by the title if you're going to like it. And I did!

CASUALTIES OF WAR
Haven't seen this for years but got it on dvd the other day. Still holds up, with Sean Penn and Michael J.Fox both giving excellent performances in arguably one of the best Vietnam movies (along with Platoon and Apocalypse Now). Harrowing, but very watchable.

FROST/NIXON 10/10 - Outstanding performances all-round, can't fault the movie

VALKYRIE 9/10 - Really impressed with this movie though you already know what the outcome is going to be it still manages to keep you on the edge of your seat as the plan to assasinate Hitler unfolds.

UNDERWORLD: RISE OF THE LYCANS 8/10 - More of the same, if you're a fan of the first two Underworld movies then you'll enjoy this one, more emphasis on the Lycans which was really cool and Rhona Mitra makes up for the loss of Kate Beckinsale (though can Kate in leather really be replaced lol)

Will hopefully get to see Che Part One and Milk very soon.

In my mind me she can't be hahah
I'll probably end up watching it on dvd though.

I just got done watching WAGES OF FEAR. I've always loved Sorcerer so I figured i check out the original. Although i still prefer Sorcerer I like how they gave screen time evenly to all 4 truck drivers In WOF. It gives the scene where the truck blows up more emotional power than it had in Sorcerer.

SORCERER is on my list of all time favorite movies. I just wish there was a widescreen dvd available....

I watched COLD PREY. I really enjoyed it. Nothing new here but it was well done, I enjoyed the characters and it was a good-looking film. The final set-piece of the movie was awesome!

I also watched AMUSEMENT. I just love anthology films. I looked past some of the ridiculous and unexplained events that happened and just enjoyed it.

Did I mention BABY BLUES? Wow, that was unexpected. This is a brutal little indie film that almost...almost...made me compare it to Inside. Now Inside is one of my new favorites and this movie isn't on that platform, but it did sport a savage maniacal woman who gave me the willies and there was some nasty stuff going on here. A little upsetting in spots, but worth a horror fan's look.

BURN AFTER READING. I had fun with this. Malkovich was great. Clooney and Pitt were funny too.

Watched a bone-crunching double bill of CRANK and TAKEN a couple of nights back. Crank is still great fun - I think its biggest strength is the sense of humour, from the car on the escalator to Statham running around in a hospital gown with a boner.... sheer comedy gold. Looking forward to Crank 2 (although I did like that Chev supposedly dies at the end of part 1 - that final shot is fantastic.)

Taken was ok, but I felt it could've been so much better. The early scenes where Liam Neeson gets to Paris were good, and I thought we were going down a gritty, nasty, morally-suspect 70s exploitation route. But no, within 15 mins we've got car chases and ridiculous gun fights and it's turned into another slick Luc Besson actionfest. Neeson was cool though, a bit like Jason Bourne's harder dad.

DIARY OF THE DEAD - not good, nothing really to add the the Mondo Movie review, just hope it's a blip for Romero. But honestly, am I the only person who would like to see him move on from the zombies now?

MAD DETECTIVE - well above average HK thriller from Johnny To. Follows a detective who appears to be suffering from acute schizophrenia (or something similar) but whose illness gives him amazing abilities. I doubt this would get a good review from any reputable psychiatric journal, and the central mystery is a lot less interesting than the characters and style of the thing. Pushes the whole broken mirrors as metaphor for broken minds thing to Argento-esqu extremes. Worth a look.

IN THE LOOP - fresh from triumph at Sundance. Armando Iannucci's big screen version of his BBC political comedy THE THICK OF IT is a resounding success. Set in the run up to a war in the middle east it follows a group of British politicians being sucked in, chewed up, and spat out by the more glamourous political scene of Washington. It's a razor sharp satire, highly intelligent, but with a pleasing amount of dick jokes. Fans of Peter Capaldi will be glad to know that he is on particularly foul mouthed form as the Downing Street's chief spin doctor.

Last three movies....

Caught a screening of SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, which deserves every good notice it gets - its great....not as great as City of God though...

All the talk about Soderberg's Che put me in the mood for TRAFFIC - excellent film, Del Toro is fantastic, Don Cheadle is great, Tomas Milian is great, Catherine Zeta Jones looks gorgeous, and Cliff Martinez's amazing electronic score (with a little slice of Brian Eno)

Last night watched THE DESCENT, and had forgotton how grungy and grimey this movie is... The short trip in the dark up the stairs to bed was done cautiously and quietly...

Haven't watched a great deal recently but I have seen a couple via rental:

Crimson Rivers - I liked about three-quarters of this film and was then let down by the last section. Performances are OK and I liked some of the cinematography/ set-pieces but it all seemed a little disjointed in the end.

Resident Evil - Decided to rent it this one as I've been getting a little jaded of late with 70s Eurocult and exploitation. Thought the film was alright but contained nothing special (other than Milla Jovovich).

Just started to watch Rat Man but was knackered last night so only managed about 30 minutes of it (which was OK but there were some really dragged out scenes).

The doves are back baby!

And with them, John Woo returns - no, surpasses - to form. Red Cliff Part One is a bona fide masterpiece. Despite a handful of dodgy CGI shots, mainly use to convey a sense of scale, the film succeeds on every level. The action is fast and furious, grounded in relative-reality with just enough fantasy to add a sense of awe; the drama is very real, and the emotions ring true; the acting is top notch; and the film possesses Woo's most heartfelt, humorous, and romantic moments.

Even at almost 2.5 hours the film simply flies by, and when those dreaded words, "To Be Continued..." appeared on screen I was left feeling both immensely satisfied by the first part and totally longing for part two. The last time I felt this way was at the end of The Fellowship of the Ring.

DAMMIT it's good to see that Woo can still make a killer film. Let's hope he stays in Hong Kong. We need him there now more than ever. Red Cliff is brimming with that wonderful sense of fluid energy and movement the new schol era of HK cinema is known for. There is a palpable energy oozing from the screen throughout the film; it has a spark and an electrifying current of creativity.

DAMMIT, it just feels freaking great to say that Woo has made another awesome film. And we haven't even seen the titular conflict yet! Holy crap!

Part Two cannot come soon enough...from what the clerk told my at my local HK DVD store, it should be here in a week or two.

10/10

I notice Taxidermia is on Channel 4 tonight for anyone who's interested

The good lady Mrs Marabunta subjected me to Juno, and it was not a pleasant way to spend a couple of hours.

Unrealistic characters, irritating lead ( they can wax lyrical all they like about Ellen Pages performance, but I thought it was just BLOODY ANNOYING ), and just a feeling it was all trying to be far too clever and cool for its own good.

However, kudos where its due to Alison Janey who is excellent in it. I imagine post West Wing it may be we only get to see her in supporting roles - shame as I wouldn't doubt her ability to give a strong lead performance given the right material.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: There are some great bits in this, but it's way overlong and seems curiously disengaged from the various historical periods it passes through. Simply stunning makeup and digital effects, but it was a movie I admired rather than loved and I honestly couldn't imagine ever wanting to watch it again.

Chocolate: new film from the makers of Ong Bak, central character is an autistic girl whose starcrossed lover parents are a Thai debt collector gone straight (ish) and a Yakuza. All get menaced by a motley collection of gun toting transvestites and Thai gangsters in terrible wigs. Fortunately the girl has the ability to learn martial arts from watching Tony Jaa films on video and soon commences on the first of many mass ass-kickings. Needless to say this is absolute nonsense, but the fight scenes are fantastic culminating in a protracted punch up conducted on tiny ledges on the front of an apartment building. Weirdly has an opening message dedicating the film to all the "special children". Alternative title could be Enter the Rain Man/Girl. Looks very nice on Boo Ray too.

The Wrestler (9/10) - I'm not sure why everyone is screaming about Marissa Tomei being an Oscar worthy performance. Definately average at best and I think you really could put in anyone just as trampy and still pulled it off. Very generic. Mickey Rourke, UNBELIEVABLE!! This is an Oscar performance. The last half of the movie I was so emotionally frayed from watching this man's life completely crumble before me. He gave 100%, did most of his own stunts and actually cut himself with the razor in the beginning. Remakable!

Let The Right One In (9/10) - Only reason this didn't get a ten was because of the sexual tension between twelve year olds. Now hold on! I understand that it was completely necessary for the story line and I understand how difficult it is to pull off a coming of age film. I too understand the culture gap of American cinema to the rest of the world. However, for some unexplained reason it still left a funny taste in my mouth. And the CG with the cats I thought was unnecessary. Two minor flaws, but fantastic film!! I especially love the restraint in gore in the first. All the gore was saved for the end and was given to the viewer a little more each time, WELL DONE!!

Videodrome (10/10) - I've been wanting to see this for a long time and was never in the mood, mainly because I was told it was a commitment and you really HAD to be in the mood to watch it. I love Cronenberg dearly, he's truly one of my favorite directors and after seeing this I want to strike the person in the throat that held me back from watching it. What can I say, BRILLIANT! Everything I love about Cronenberg, Sociological undertones, technology gone awry, his weird obcession with sticking appendages or objects into newly formed bodily orifices. My favorite Cronenberg so far, but I'll never forget you "Shivers"

Tokyo Gore Police

Much better than I expected. While Machine Girl was a fun little gory romp, TGP is far more subversive and satirical. It reminds me a lot of the film Stacy in the way that it lampoons Japanese pop-culture in a surprisingly scathing manner. The fake commercials during the film are fantastic, especially the one for "Wrist Cutter G," a designer series of cute-themed knives for girls to cut themselves with. TGP is surprisingly dark, and I couldn't help but help but to think of a mix between Clive Barker and Takashi Miike. It's also really well made, with fantastic practical effects and a handful of beautiful shots throughout. This really is the ultimate in body horror, and it might have even surpassed Cronenberg in this department. It definitely takes that sub-genre to the next level.

7/10

Painted Skin

Based off of the classic Chinese novel, this film tells a supernatural and tragic love story. King Hu also made a film based on this classic starring the go-to-girl of the time, Joey Wong. This new version stars Donny Yen, in a great performance, and the new girl-of-the-moment Vicky Zhou Wei. Zhou Wei's performance belongs in a much better movie. She's proven herself a great comedic actress (Shaolin Soccer), a fine dramatic actress (Red Cliff), and here she continues to impress. Unfortunately, the film is not so great. The best parts of the story, the murder mystery, are conveyed through a montage flashback lasting only a few scant minutes in length. The rest of the film is the same scenario repeated over and over again until the final confrontation between Yen, an exorcist, and a lizard demon. While I can't really recommend this film, I cannot easily dismiss it either. There were more than enough moments that held my interest, and some of the action is entertaining. It contains a nice mix of classical and modern aesthetics, and some gorgeous cinematography. The worst part of the film is the score which couldn't be more overbearing and sappy. The constant piano noodling did its best to destroy any amount of subtlety and nuance given in the dramatic performances.

6/10