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| Welcome to M o n s t e r l a n d F o r u m s! We are a growing, casual and friendly online community of movie fans who like to talk about giant monsters, horror and sci-fi in cinema, on television and on DVD. There are forums for sports, casual chat and video games as well. For those of you who like making art, writing stories and creating videos, our community includes a forum for these submissions as well. Check out our main index page and other board forums! Anyone is welcome to join our community! M o n s t e r l a n d F o r u m s was created on January 29, 2006 for the purpose of giving fans of giant monster films and other sci-fi/horror movies a friendly online meeting place to discuss all of their favorite films and other things of interest. -Lee "Packmule" Merritt Site founder |
| The Official "I Just Watched This DVD" Thread; Post you recent DVD viewings/comments | |
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| Topic Started: Apr 20 2006, 07:02 PM (5,110 Views) | |
| packmule | Dec 11 2008, 11:39 AM Post #601 |
Site founder - Searching for Cropsy
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Latest DVD watched by Packmule: Dawn Of The Dead(1978) on Blu-ray. I am admittedly not the greatest fan of zombie horror films but I decided to reexamine these movies, and this 1978 classic, written and directed by George Romero, is a good place to start. In the movie, a follow up to 1968's "Night Of The Living Dead", four survivors decide to hole up in a shopping mall for sanctuary from the wandering hordes of flesh eating zombies now running amok seemingly everywhere. As if they don't have enough problems the four survivors also must contend with a group of heavily armed bikers who descend upon the mall at the film's climax. Dawn Of The Dead(1978) is a showcase for the talents of makeup effects master Tom Savini, himself also cast in the movie as one of the bikers. Actor Ken Foree also gets featured prominently as well, and while this fellow is not what I'd call a good actor he functions decently here, managing to keep a straight face through some of the more campy scenes with his human co-stars. Foree got plenty of exercise in this film, literally punching and blasting his way through the zombie hordes at will, leaving behind a lot of corpses. Tom Savini's makeup effects are quite good, despite what is obviously fake blood(the color is too bright for real blood). The action scenes are violent and, not surprisingly, extremely gory, including zombies getting their heads blown partially or completely apart by firearms, decapitations, and in one scene near the film's end, one unfortunate biker attacked by a mob of zombies who feast on the victim's abdomen, munching away at intestines and other internal organs. This movie is an absolute must, I think, for any fan of zombie horror films. I have only seen a handful but Dawn Of The Dead is easily my favorite. 
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| josh TX | Dec 17 2008, 06:12 AM Post #602 |
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Speaking of zombie films - Latest DVD watched by josh TX: Night Of The Living Dead (1990 remake) This 1990 remake of NOTLD is a pretty accurate translation of the original, with a few mild changes to keep you guessing, nicely updated makeup effects, and the film is in color, of course. George Romero himself chose up and coming make-up effects artist Tom Savini to direct the film, and Savini doesn't dissapoint with the on-screen thrills and gore factor. Original NOTLD screenwriter Russ Streiner is also on hand here for the remake, and the cast of actors do pretty well including lead actor Tony Todd from the Candyman films. |
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| packmule | Dec 26 2008, 12:12 PM Post #603 |
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Site founder - Searching for Cropsy
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Latest DVD watched by Packmule: Death Race(2008) on Blu-Ray. Loosely based on the Roger Corman directed film of the 1970's called "Death Race 2000", this movie centers on one Jensen Ames(played by Jason Statham), a former race car driver struggling to pay the bills in a world in the not too distant future(about five years from now) in which crime and poverty have taken an ironclad grip on the planet. Ames is framed for his wife's murder, quickly convicted and sent to "Terminal Island", a maximum security prison run by an opportunistic and ruthless female warden(played by Joan Allen). Inside the prison Ames is quickly compelled to participate in the "Death Race", in which various prisoners, driving armored and heavily armed vehicles race each other in a three phase race, the winner the one not killed at the end. (no other spoilers). This film is your typical "escape from reality" fare of head banging fights, chases and over the top pyrotechnics. There's the expected profanity in this film, as well as as some gore. I was impressed by the vehicles, many of which sport machine guns, 50 caliber chain guns and rockets. There's also some awesome "eye candy" in this movie: I'm referring to Natalie Martinez, who is absolutely gorgeous.  Jason Statham is not an actor who is going to win an Oscar anytime soon. His character in this movie, like in "The Transporter" films he stars in, is a man of few words, always on edge, justifiable given the fact he's framed for his wife's murder, and never backing away from a fight. I think Statham is on top of his game as an action movie star right now and that's a good thing, in my book. Action movie stars should like Death Race but I'm not sure this film justifies the additional cost as a Blu-Ray DVD purchase. My rating: 7/10 |
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| Ro-Dan | Dec 26 2008, 12:45 PM Post #604 |
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Jason Statham is fantastic, in my view. I've liked him ever since I first saw him in SNATCH. |
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| packmule | Dec 26 2008, 11:59 PM Post #605 |
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Site founder - Searching for Cropsy
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Latest DVD watched by Packmule: Poltergeist(1982) on Blu-Ray DVD. This film still holds my attention as much now as the first time I saw it in a theater. Written by Steven Spielberg and directed by Tobe Hooper, Poltergeist is an absolutely marvelous blend of drama, suspense, horror and visual/sound effects, as the Freeling family must contend with disgruntled ghosts who have snatched away their youngest child, little Carol Ann, to God knows where. A medium is called in to help the family retrieve their daughter from these menacing spirits. This film is among my all time favorite movies and is an absolute pleasure for me, even more so now that I can enjoy it in high def and enhanced audio. |
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| Ro-Dan | Dec 27 2008, 11:32 AM Post #606 |
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Last night, my girlfriend and I watched the Director's Cut of TROY on blu-ray. This cut was over 3 hours long but it didn't feel like it. I really feel this is an underrated film. It boasts and excellent cast (Brad Pitt, Eric Bana, Peter O'Toole, Sean Bean) with beautiful cinematography, all excellently directed by Wolfgang Peterson. |
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| TrentonFella | Dec 27 2008, 02:28 PM Post #607 |
Monster Land's Private Ninja
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Troy is a fantastic movie in my book and looks great in Blu-Ray. It's definitely not accurate but then again I didn't expect it be accurate. the battles were epic not to mention filled with blood and gory...right up my alley 
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| Ro-Dan | Dec 27 2008, 03:24 PM Post #608 |
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Hey, Trenton, good to hear from you. How was your Christmas? |
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| packmule | Dec 28 2008, 01:14 AM Post #609 |
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Site founder - Searching for Cropsy
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Latest DVD watched by Packmule: War Of The Worlds(2005). There are a lot of things I really like about this re-imagining of the 1953 classic: the rendering of the 100' tall Martian war machines and the Martians themselves. I also think the special effects are marvelous. I did not like the fact the invaders come up out of the ground and still believe the invasion should have been rendered as a huge descent of these extraterrestrials from space, like the original classic. I also prefer Gene Barry's acting chops to that of Tom Cruise. |
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| Ro-Dan | Dec 28 2008, 11:57 AM Post #610 |
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Yeah, I agree with that. I also find that every time I watch this DVD I skip past the Tim Robbins/basement section. Don't know why, but that entire sequence just bores the heck out of me. |
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| packmule | Jan 2 2009, 12:49 AM Post #611 |
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Site founder - Searching for Cropsy
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Latest DVD watched by Packmule: The Day The Earth Stood Still(1951). I recently bought the 2-disc collector's edition DVD of this movie, a timeless, entertaining and thought provoking science fiction film directed by Robert Wise. In the film the Earth is visited by humanoid Klaatu and his eight foot tall robot "Gort". Klaatu has a message for Earth's world leaders but encounters suspicion, fear and paranoia, as well as personal injury, the latter courtesy of the local military. This film, while possessing good special effects for the time(1951), is not going to overwhelm anyone watching it with brilliant visual effects. Rather, the movie is, more than anything, a study of humans and the human condition. The score for this movie is marvelous and the use of shadows and back lighting by director Robert Wise is very effective. Michael Rennie is quite good as the even tempered, calmly deliberate "Klaatu" and Patricia Neal equally good as "Helen Benson". The Day The Earth Stood Still(1951) is widely considered one of the greatest science fiction films ever made. This movie is also available on Blu-Ray DVD. The film's trailer: |
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| Ro-Dan | Jan 6 2009, 01:36 AM Post #612 |
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I can't imagine--or justify--buying an older movie like The Day the Earth Stood Still on Blu-ray. I mean, is there really a noticeable difference? There's only so much resolution you can get from film footage shot 50-60 years ago. |
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| packmule | Jan 17 2009, 06:02 PM Post #613 |
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Site founder - Searching for Cropsy
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Latest DVD watched by Packmule: Babylon A.D.(2008). I considered buying this film on Blu-Ray format, paying an additional $10. Good thing I didn't. I am a big fan of Vin Diesel. The guy kicks ass and does it with a hairstyle the same(or very similar) to my own. That said Babylon A.D. is a weak and uninspired science fiction film. The movie was made for $70 million and took in only $54 million worldwide, as of late 2008. There's nothing in this movie I haven't seen before in a sci-fi action movie: shootouts, hand to hand combat, eye candy(in the form of lovely French actress/model Melanie Thierry and the older but still very attractive Michelle Yeoh) and some periodically slick visual effects. Perhaps the most interesting effect in this film is the makeup used to make French actor Gerard Depardieu look like Quasimodo, minus the hunchback. This film is worth a look as a rental if you're a hardcore sci-fi film fan. For those who are more casual fans of this genre, I would not invest $20 in a DVD of this film.
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| packmule | Jan 24 2009, 05:30 PM Post #614 |
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Site founder - Searching for Cropsy
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Latest DVD watched by Packmule: There Will Be Blood(2007). Actors who can carry a film all by themselves are generally the exception rather than the rule. Saying that actor Daniel Day Lewis is most definitely the exception, as his marvelous performance in this film illustrates. Lewis doesn't act in many films and never has. He's notoriously picky about movies and movie characters. That said when this actor goes to work he usually turns in a gem of a performance. In There Will be Blood Daniel Day Lewis plays "Daniel Plainview", a hard bitten and even more hard driven California oil prospector in 1902 who finds oil, and a personal rivalry of sorts, in a town in California. Plainview arrives in town and sets up his business, which is drilling for oil, finding the oil, piping the oil out and making his profits. The town's youthful preacher, "Eli Sunday", has ambitions of his own, which include the expansion of his church. Sunday is young but a stubborn and determined fellow who manages to lock horns with the older, deliberate and, we find out later, borderline psychotic Daniel Plainview. Daniel Day Lewis's character "Plainview" is a mixing bag of things: determined, strong willed and driven. He's also paranoid and has a general disdain for just about everyone he meets. Plainview is also a man possessing a temper and a decided mean streak, as "Eli Sunday" discovers late in the film. The movie itself is gritty and the cinematography quite good. The best part of There Will Be Blood is the game of cat and mouse played out by the characters "Daniel Plainview" and "Eli Sunday". At the conclusion of this movie there is no doubt who was the cat...and who was the mouse. This movie is one of the best dramatic films I've seen in the last fifteen years. Here's the trailer: |
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| packmule | Feb 8 2009, 12:36 AM Post #615 |
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Site founder - Searching for Cropsy
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Latest DVD watched by Packmule: Storm Warning(2007). I bought this Australian horror film on used DVD last year from Blockbuster Video and finally got around to watching it this evening. Director Jamie Blanks has helmed a solid horror movie which is quickly and efficiently paced, features effective acting and some really psychotic bad guys. The film's story: a couple go out on a small boat for some privacy and a little fishing. The problem: they get lost and venture up a small inlet of water, making landfall as a storm begins to drop a deluge of rainfall on them. The couple seek shelter in an isolated farmhouse, and soon encounter a trio of deranged men, a father and his two sons. The couple are assaulted and psychologically tormented by the trio of men...until they finally turn the tables on their psychotic captors. (no other spoilers) Observations: a solid piece of horror here. The pacing of the movie is brisk and the face off between the couple and the deranged father and sons is developed very effectively by director Jamie Blanks. I'm not sure what looks worse in this film: the nasty and completely horrendous looking interior of the farmhouse or the apparent complete lack of oral hygiene among the father and his two sons, who look like they haven't brushed or flossed in over a decade. The gore in Storm Warning is not excessive but is rather well placed and fits well within the film's overall storyline. The gore is also, at times, extremely nasty, including a scene in which one of the sons has his head repeatedly blasted by a claw hammer and the family dog, a hostile rottweiler that attacks the father and proceeds to feed on the man's genitals and intestines. Storm Warning on DVD is a keeper for all serious horror movie fans. Casual fans of the genre may want to rent this title first and check it out that way. |
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5:32 AM Nov 25
