301 - Love And Death - 3 stars
Woody Allen seems to be a Marmite style filmmaker, you either love him or hate him. He also always seems to be having "a return to form" which really means that he makes a bad film then a good film then a bad film then a good film.
For me I think I go through phases of liking Allen and wasn't sure which one would turn up tonight.
This was decent Allen fare as he transfers his New York Jewish humour to the Russian battlefields as Woody gets involved in the war and a plot to kill Napoleon, all really in an attempt to impress his cousin/wife Diane Keaton, who for some reason has her hair styled like Princess Leia in A New Hope.
Combining slapstick with a comic slant on the philiosphical musings of Russian writers this has a high gag rate which is still classic Allen.
Best joke - Sonja: Oh don't, Boris, please. Sex without love is an empty experience. Boris: Yes, but as empty experiences go, it's one of the best.
416 - Bad Taste - 2 stars
What I couldn't believe is that the same Peter Jackson that directed this went on to become the Oscar-winning director of the Lord Of The Rings trilogy.
This is pure student budget filmmaking and while I applaud anyone who can actually get a film made on their own, this one was made over 4 years, it is not a great film by any stretch of the imagination.
The plot, if there was one there as it only becomes clear about 20 minutes before the end, is that government agents are trying to rescue someone kidnapped by an alien species who are transporting human flesh back to their home planet to sell as a delicacy.
Acting is not good at all, although Peter Jackson does deserve credit for being unrecognisable as Derek, he shaved his beard off, who spends most of the movie trying to put his brains back into his head before going postal on the aliens with a chainsaw. His character also gets the best line in the film; when told to run as the aliens are coming for him, he replys with "I'm a Derek, and Dereks don't run!".
Talking about the brains, the one area where the film does succeed is in the special effects and make up which are very good for done on a shoestring budget, especially the end showdown which features the unique sight of a man with a chainsaw divebombing an alien and coming out of his arse shouting "I've been reborn".
Days remaining - 209 Films remaining - 274
How did you not kill yourself laughing at this film? The awful acting is part of its "charm". I love the fact that PJ has the model of the aliens house in his garage, as seen in the extras of LOTR. Also those moments in later films that are classic PJ splatter movies moments: "Looks like meat's back on the menu boys!", followed by orc guts flying up in the air!
ReplyDeleteI'm amazed Bad Taste is on the list, is Braindead as well?