Friday The 13th Part VII: The New Blood (Region 1)
Or as it was no doubt pitched to the studio execs Jason meets Carrie as Jason comes up against a girl with telekinetic powers. Sticking to the rule (even good, odd bad) this is a pretty poor entry in the series, it may be called The New Blood but there’s precious little on display. Even the showdown between Jason and Car…sorry, Tina isn’t really up to much and the surprise ending runs part three a close second in the dumb idea stakes.
On the plus side this did give us the commanding presence of Kane Hodder as Jason for the first time and the make up when his mask is removed is pretty good.
Friday The 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (Region 1)
This breaks the trend of even numbered films being the good ones although I suppose it deserves some credit for trying something different. The title is a misnomer really; Jason Takes A Cruise would be a more fitting one as he takes an hour to arrive in New York. Even when he does finally arrive it wastes good opportunities for action; when confronted by a street gang, instead of killing them, Jason just shows them his face under the hockey mask and they run away. It’s a moderately amusing moment but hardly what the film needs. There are a couple of funny scenes, the best coming when Jason arrives in Manhattan and finds himself confronted by a billboard featuring a hockey mask.
The films biggest fault (as is the case with most of the series) is the ending; Jason gets returned to the form of a child after a bath in toxic waste. Inane.
Friday The 13th Part IX: Jason Goes To Hell (Region 1)
Probably the best, with the exception of the first one, of the odd numbered films, just don’t get the idea its good.
On the positive side -
It tries something different.
There’s more blood and gore (not to mention sex and nudity).
Steven Williams has a ball as bounty hunter Creighton Duke.
The action scenes are quite well done.
There are some decent actors in it – Billy Green Bush, Erin Gray (Wilma Deering from the Buck Rogers TV show).
Now for the bad -
The idea is a little silly even for a franchise renowned for silliness
We don’t get enough Jason (he only really appears at the beginning and end of the film)
The decent actors don’t really get anything to do (apart from die)
The ending sets the film up perfectly for Freddy vs. Jason but instead they made Jason X next.
Jason X (Region 2)
Part ten of the Friday the 13th series sees Jason going where no hockey mask wearing serial killer has gone before – into the future and outer space! Nice idea that’s unfortunately poorly handled by director James Isaac.
David Cronenberg turns in a two minute cameo that must have been done as a favour to Isaac (he’d worked on a few of Cronenberg’s films) but it’s so small he may as well not have bothered. As for the future setting well it’s just window-dressing really and people certainly haven’t gotten any smarter.
The film wastes its best idea, a cyber Jason, only bringing him out for the finale and then not letting him do much. On the plus side we get the lovely Lexa Doig running around in a skimpy top with a big gun but that’s nowhere near enough.
Freddy Vs Jason (Region 2)
Watched as an action movie rather than a horror film this is a lot of fun. The plot really doesn’t matter as it’s only there to set things up for the big showdown between the two horror icons, it’s like a modern day Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man.
The action scenes are amazing, almost like a superhero clash but with added gore. Director Ronny Yu orchestrates the carnage like a master and Robert Englund looks to be having more fun playing Freddy than he’s had in years. Kane Hodder is replaced by Ken Kirzinger as Jason and even though he’s playing a totally mute character he still makes an impression. In fact Jason almost comes across as sympathetic and he’s certainly the one you’re rooting for in the final showdown.
Considering how successful this was it’s a surprise they haven’t made a follow-up already.
Born On The 4th Of July (Region 1)
The first of Oliver Stone’s biopics is as much a tale of lost innocence as it is about the Viet Nam war., not just a man’s innocence but a country’s as well. The film gave Tom Cruise his first chance to show he really can act and he makes the most of it. He gets great support from Willem Dafoe and Frank Whaley but its Raymond J, Barry’s performance as his father that provides some of the most moving moments in the film.
This was the time when Stone could still tell a simple tale without the need to use a hundred different types of film stock to do it; all he needed was good actors and a well written script. Maybe one day he’ll return to that. I hope so.
Bullet in the Head (Region 2)
A tale of three friends who leave Hong Kong for View Nam in an attempt to make their fortune during the war. It’s nice to get a different perspective on things than the usual American Nam film and here we see things through the eyes of people not tied to either side.
This is John Woo’s most epic film and possibly his most personal. The action scenes are as explosive as ever but at the heart of the film is the relationship of the three friends torn apart by the war.
Barton Fink (Region 1)
I must confess that I’m not really a Coen brothers fan. Of the films I’ve seen some I’ve liked (Blood Simple, Fargo) and some I haven’t (Raising Arizona, The Ladykillers) but many I’ve yet to see. This one now tips the scales on the positive side.
It’s a surreal black comedy about a New York writer selling out by going to Hollywood. There’s so much going on here – a satire of old Hollywood, a murder mystery, even a little horror – that it would be hard not to find something to like.
John Turturro is great as Barton and so is John Goodman as his neighbour with a secret. Steve Buscemi is sadly underused as Chet an employee at the hotel where Turturro and Goodman are staying. Best of all though is Tony Shalhoub as Ben Geisler a studio exec, he also gets the best line -at a restaurant with Barton he sees the writer is unsure what’s expected of him in Hollywood and recommends he seek guidance from another writer. When Barton asks who he replies ‘Jesus, throw a rock in here, you’ll hit one. And do me a favour, Fink: throw it HARD.’ It’s a great line but it’s the delivery that really makes it work.
There’s even a clever ending the leaves you with a smile on your face and questions in your mind. For some reason the film put me in mind of Polanski’s The Tenant but I’m not sure why.
Bitter Moon (Region 2)
Roman Polanski’s tale of sexual obsession is compelling viewing thanks to Peter Coyote’s superb performance. Two couples on board a cruise ship find themselves drawn together. Hugh Grant and Kristin Scott Thomas play the English couple celebrating their seventh wedding anniversary but it’s Peter Coyote’s American invalid and his French wife played by Emmanuelle Seigner that the film really revolves around.
Most of the film is told in flashback by Coyote to Grant (who’s obsessed with Seigner) and details his relationship from a chance meeting on a bus to his ‘accident’ that put him in a wheel chair and on to his wedding. It’s a tale of desire and revenge taken to far.
Polanski’s a master at this kind of thing and gets great performances from the leads, with the exception of Grant who’s a little to lightweight for the part. There are some nice moments of black humour to enjoy as well and the shocking finale fits the tone of the film perfectly.
City War (Region 3)
Fairly standard Hong Kong action movie, about an ex-con out for revenge on a cop (Ti Lung) who’s best friend and fellow cop Chow Yun Fat is in love with the criminals girlfriend.
What elevates it a little above the norm is the presence of Chow Yun Fat and a violent final third of the film with some very shocking moments. The action scenes are decent but director Chung Sun is no John Woo.
Tags: Chow Yun Fat, Roman Polanski, Barton Fink, John Woo, biopic
