What Women Want (2000)

Did Adam Sandler turn this piece of shit down or something?

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Suicide Squad (2016)

The cons: For a film with such a paper-thin plot it sure was messy. The same could be said about the action sequences - messy. The new Joker was cheap, low-rent and more pimp than arch-villain. Surely they could have found a better character incentive than stealing the old "bomb in the neck" ploy from Escape From New York? The villain and villainess were weak, silly and underused. Far too long.

The pros: A killer soundtrack. Assorted anti-heroes spouting just the right amount of wise-assery (unlike Deadpool). Fun in the places where it didn't take itself too seriously.

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Doll Boy (2010)

A great little low-budget, indie horror short that's worth 30 minutes of anybody's time. Ellie thought it was ok.

[I was watching a few Tormented Imp-style Christmas films with my 15 year-old daughter, Ellie]

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Evil Dead (2013)

Not bad at all and the MC5 t-shirt is a big plus. Oh, and Ellie liked it.

Kick out the jams, motherfuckers!

[I was watching a few Tormented Imp-style Christmas films with my 15 year-old daughter, Ellie]

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The Others (2001)

I was in need of a Christmas ghost story and this is a damned sight better than either "Strictly Come Dancing" or "Paul O'Grady: for the Love of Dogs at Christmas". A terrific homage to Henry James and with a great, spooky 5.1 sound design!

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Cool Runnings (1993)

A fun film that fills the time.

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National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)

Still one of the greatest Christmas films... fuck that... one of the greatest films ever made.

An older and longer review here

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The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978)

More chopsocky than you can shake a Qi Mei Gun at!

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Satan’s Blood (1978)

Sex (a lot), cannibalism (not much) and black-candled, goat-worshipping flimflam (much more than normal) - just the way I like my Satanistic horror films. A few points:

• Why is the non-black dog called Blackie?
• How can they be following a car and then the same car approach them from behind?
• The ouija shit went on far too long.
• Stars an actress who looks very much like Jenny Agutter but gets her kit off even more.
• Was that magick lard they were smearing on each other?
• Who the hell was the bloke in the wooly hat?
• Why do they want to eat all the time?
• After the male satanist gets shot in the head, Jenny Agutter helpfully advises that "he needs a doctor"!
• Just how many times will they try and leave the house of the devil?
• What was with that doll?

A strange mix of bonkers and earnestness.

Note that the pretty crappy subtitles on the Screenbound blu-ray are often a little hard to read - small, white on white text is not good.

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The Shining (1980)

I don't know what's more scary: the sound design, isolation, score, time contraction, torrent of blood, twins, symmetry or Danny's machine-knit jumpers.

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Shaft (1971)

That intro with John Shaft just casually walking across a busy street and expecting cars to just stop for him, builds his character perfectly. No exposition or flashbacks needed; just a bloke walking across a road. Shaft is indeed a bad mother-fucker and he owns his city.

Great dialogue, terrific NYC locations, full of great fleshed-out characters, THAT score by Chef and The Bar-Kays, the final rescue, Richard "I'm a handsome fucker" Roundtree.

Cool as fuck.

The "Soul in Cinema: Filming 'Shaft' on Location" extra on my DVD was pretty damned fine as well and includes Isaac Hayes and The Bar-Kays recording the score.

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