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mobby_6kl posted:I'd also put Commando above True Lies Although the one Conan movie (there was only one Conan movie) is #1 in any rational Arnie list, like Commando, it's pure.
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Nov 7, 2023 20:14
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Remulak posted:Concur. Jim Belushi drops this and Red Heat several notches. True Lies is Tom Arnold, but same difference.
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Nov 7, 2023 20:17
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Basebf555 posted:I mean it's definitely true that Predator takes it's time getting to the actual Predator but I think that's something a lot of people love about it. You get half of a movie where it's just the most macho possible guys marching around the jungle glaring at each other and delivering one liners and just generally being action movie alpha males, and then you get the sci-fi monster movie twist for the second half. That's a part of it, but its also important because by establishing these guys as Ultra Badasses it makes their descent into panic and fear even more effective. The movie foreshadows their fate when they find the prior CIA team's bodies and evidence of a frantic firefight, but we then see them absolutely clown on a whole division of dudes, one liners and all. However, not long after they are also reduced to blindy firing into the woods in a panic and are picked off one by one.
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Nov 7, 2023 20:19
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I just remember the movie getting bogged down at the guerilla camp for way too long but it's possible I'm due for a rewatch
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Nov 7, 2023 20:24
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I haven't seen the movie in a few years but in my memory the whole guerilla camp is like 5 minutes as they observe it for a moment and then immediately wipe everyone out while dropping a few one-liners
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Nov 7, 2023 20:34
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The"aftermath" at the guerilla camp is the longest stretch after the opening where they are not in immediate danger or in active pursuit, it has the most talk about set-ups and politics and whatnot. They are still out of there two minutes after the last grenade exploded, it's fantastic.
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Nov 7, 2023 20:37
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Xand_Man posted:I'll bite It's definitely better than Conan the Destroyer. Conan the Destroyer loving sucks. Conan the Destroyer is less good than the lovely Italian knock off Conans that the 80s were littered with, even if it has Conan in it. I may be slightly better since I went into Conan the Destroyer blind, with the expectation that it might be as good as the first, which I'd loved. Instead I got something that isn't even as good as 'The Iron Warrior' morestuff posted:Predator's final act is perfect but I always forget how much it meanders to get there. Don't mind a slow burn but it never works for me, I much prefer how straightforward Commando is It meanders in the middle, but the first third is amazing. It's the first act from a completely different movie that's done so well that you don't realise that it's hijacked 30 minutes in. Predator is like if a teen slasher horror movie actually gave a poo poo about its teen victims and made you really care about them before they start getting murdered.
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Nov 7, 2023 21:55
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Xand_Man posted:
As a person who has reseen Commando somewhat recently yeah its def better than all these movies. It's so economical and focused on its plot with no deviation or fat its kinda a wonder. The pace, the music, action scenes, bad guys, and the general feeling of it being cool as poo poo trumps flabbier movies like Kindergarden Cop or Conan sequel. It kinda stands alone. There isn't really another movie that hits the same way.
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Nov 7, 2023 22:18
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I am thankful for Conan The Destroyer (and Red Sonja) because it taught me that things that might look like they are awesome and that might feel awesome at first, can in fact be terrible when you stop and pay attention. So I learned not to pay attention.
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Nov 7, 2023 22:19
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Yeah Commando is pretty unique. I used to think it was a dead on parody of its fellow 80s actioners but the timeline doesn't line up. Arnie parodied something that didn't exist yet, and then everyone else replicated it on face value. It's so self aware and so consistently funny.
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Nov 7, 2023 22:46
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Raw Deal owns. Bless its stupid heart.
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Nov 7, 2023 23:03
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trevorreznik posted:I've been on the "Wu Jing is the next Tom Cruise" train ever since seeing WW2. He's incredible and I want him to be a worldwide phenomenon. Go watch him in SPL2 if you haven't seen it, then watch his crazy henchman role in SPL 1, THEN watch the youtube remake of spl1 during covid lockdown. It's on Tubi as "Kill Zone" for anyone interested.
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Nov 7, 2023 23:46
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Punkin Spunkin posted:Thanks for the recommendations, watching SPL 1 right now and it's a lot of fun. Sammo Hung just whooping absolutely everyone's rear end. That's bizarre, because SPL2 is also known as Kill Zone!!!! Snowman_McK posted:Yeah Commando is pretty unique. I used to think it was a dead on parody of its fellow 80s actioners but the timeline doesn't line up. Arnie parodied something that didn't exist yet, and then everyone else replicated it on face value. It's so self aware and so consistently funny. It's an ENORMOUSLY influential movie, again, 75% of Last Action Hero is reducing Arnie's career down to "Commando, but he's a cop".
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Nov 7, 2023 23:58
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Megaman's Jockstrap posted:Dude, I think it's a pretty wild opinion but the idea that you have the authority to pass judgement on this thread is equally wild. Stop being a dork. Yeah, obviously what people like is a subjective thing. I meant my post as a joke, but obviously worded it too strongly. Apologies to all for that. It’s definitely top-ten Arnold for me, but for others it won’t be.
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Nov 8, 2023 01:07
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Snowman_McK posted:Yeah Commando is pretty unique. I used to think it was a dead on parody of its fellow 80s actioners but the timeline doesn't line up. Arnie parodied something that didn't exist yet, and then everyone else replicated it on face value. It's so self aware and so consistently funny. Right?! It's such an insane thing in retrospect. The end product of a genre that it also created. Commando just feels more advanced at whatever the hell it is than the movies that followed it. Like sort of a self aware mocking tone, from the past. And it's also a lean 90 mins. Just pure propulsion. gently caress I'm gonna haveta rewatch Commando
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Nov 8, 2023 01:16
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MrMojok posted:Yeah, obviously what people like is a subjective thing. Action movies are serious business
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Nov 8, 2023 01:18
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Shageletic posted:And it's also a lean 90 mins. Just pure propulsion. I do think there’s a lot to what many have said here, things like this. Commando is very lean, has great pacing. It just jumps right into it, and there is no slowing down as it goes on. I have always been very partial to the score. It’s got a great 80s type of… I don’t know what you call it. Kind of a Caribbean-sounding motif on a lot of it? I also have always thought the Schwarzenegger-Stallone rivalry during the 80s was amusing. Those two laugh about it today, but it was indeed fairly serious at the time. They’ve both talked over the years about how Commando was a direct response to the 1985 Rambo: First Blood pt. 2. In that one, Rambo racks up a pretty high body count, and some will disagree but I’ve always liked the big action sequences in the last 45 mins or so. So Arnold sees that and says “Okay, Sly. I’ll do you one better” LOL
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Nov 8, 2023 01:38
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Shageletic posted:And it's also a lean 90 mins. Just pure propulsion.
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Nov 8, 2023 01:58
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Watching SPL for the first time because of this thread right now
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Nov 8, 2023 02:05
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Wii Spawn Camper posted:Watching SPL for the first time because of this thread right now
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Nov 8, 2023 02:18
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https://youtu.be/ykGuoaLRWNA?si=iXUCViYMBMXLLJWf Here's the SPL parody I'm referencing.
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Nov 8, 2023 02:25
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Megaman's Jockstrap posted:That's bizarre, because SPL2 is also known as Kill Zone!!!! it's unavailable on there rn but i found another way to watch it
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Nov 8, 2023 02:42
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it's on freevee without the lovely dub. of course it opens with Mozart's Requiem in D minor. just perfect. Tony Jaa opposite Wu Jing, incredibly hyped.
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Nov 8, 2023 02:54
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SPL2 is great but nothing matches the melodrama of 1 I cackled when the guy had a dramatic goodbye payphone call, hung up, and immediately got stabbed by the bad guy sprinting in from offscreen
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Nov 8, 2023 02:57
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Punkin Spunkin posted:Yeah it's listed on tubi as KILL ZONE 2 apparently It's on Hoopla (library app) as Kill Zone 2, at least for my local library. A lot of good action flicks are on there but hard to search for. VROOM VROOM posted:SPL2 is great but nothing matches the melodrama of 1 It's an incredible moment and it's so weird that it's never done anywhere else. And half of the moments in the final fight are hysterical. Triple kicking Sammo backwards, then cut and he falls straight down. The flip over throw that makes no sense, and of course Sammo's final move But SPL2 has Tony Jaa doing a double flying knee to a bus which is also incredible.
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Nov 8, 2023 03:01
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VROOM VROOM posted:SPL2 is great but nothing matches the melodrama of 1 I read this spoiler just before this scene came on and I still laughed out loud at how out of nowhere it was
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Nov 8, 2023 03:18
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I love SPL1 because it maintains the core tenets of classic 80s Hong Kong action cinema. Insanity, brutality, Sammo Hung kicking rear end, everyone dying, and an incredibly bleak ending, all 90 minutes or less. my favorite thing about stuff like Yes Madam or Righting Wrongs, other than them being absolute bangers that have Rothrock, are the abrupt bleak endings.
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Nov 8, 2023 03:18
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TBH I was pretty lukewarm on SPL until the final fight, which redeemed the entire movie and elevated it to amazing.
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Nov 8, 2023 04:22
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im loving SPL2, it's not quite as tight but it's got some great loving scenes comparable to The Raid imo. There's something super satisfying about the fighting style of the evil Thai warden
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Nov 8, 2023 05:20
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Punkin Spunkin posted:im loving SPL2, it's not quite as tight but it's got some great loving scenes comparable to The Raid imo. There's something super satisfying about the fighting style of the evil Thai warden Max Zhang is a blast in it. I'm not an expert but I think he's getting a boost from wire work throughout while Jing and Jaa go without, which makes for a fun dynamic.
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Nov 8, 2023 05:33
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trevorreznik posted:Max Zhang is a blast in it. I'm not an expert but I think he's getting a boost from wire work throughout while Jing and Jaa go without, which makes for a fun dynamic.
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Nov 8, 2023 05:37
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That Sammo fight from SPL was heartbreaking; I’m no moron so I know he’s been doubled forever, but it was so obvious in the fight that already was loaded with pathos. I’m sure I watched it in SD when it came out and had no idea. https://youtu.be/dDi6LqmOQYo?si=5vKSVYj2eBag0rB8
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Nov 8, 2023 07:10
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I just never notice any of that action movie detail and just gawk like a slack jawed awed moron
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Nov 8, 2023 08:31
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Remulak posted:That Sammo fight from SPL was heartbreaking; I’m no moron so I know he’s been doubled forever, but it was so obvious in the fight that already was loaded with pathos. I’m sure I watched it in SD when it came out and had no idea. This is funny to me because I thought that the older overweight man was moving pretty well even if he wasn’t as spry as I remember he was in Martial Law. Also I couldn’t stop thinking about how many times Donnie hit him with that bag he throws across the room.
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Nov 8, 2023 12:10
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I can basically watch the final fight in SPL2 forever. So dope.
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Nov 8, 2023 13:55
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MrMojok posted:Yeah, obviously what people like is a subjective thing. Well now that you say it was sarcastic, I can see it. But there are good chunk of people around here that would say that in earnest and sadly they've permanently busted my brain re: what is sarcasm on the Internet.
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Nov 8, 2023 17:13
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MrMojok posted:I do think there’s a lot to what many have said here, things like this. Being lean and fast paced is definitely not a bad thing for an action movie to be, BUT it's not like a movie can't also benefit from being a little more methodical with character building. Like, the reason I think True Lies is clearly better than Commando is because of the whole set-up with Jamie Lee's character having the "affair" with Bill Paxton and then getting roped into Arnold's spy work. Cameron sprinkles the action in when you need it, but that first half of True Lies certainly takes it's time putting all the pieces in place for the second half. And the movie is all the better for it imo. The action is top notch but it's supported by extremely entertaining non-action scenes that make the action more meaningful.
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Nov 8, 2023 17:27
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Basebf555 posted:Being lean and fast paced is definitely not a bad thing for an action movie to be, BUT it's not like a movie can't also benefit from being a little more methodical with character building. Like, the reason I think True Lies is clearly better than Commando is because of the whole set-up with Jamie Lee's character having the "affair" with Bill Paxton and then getting roped into Arnold's spy work. Cameron sprinkles the action in when you need it, but that first half of True Lies certainly takes it's time putting all the pieces in place for the second half. And the movie is all the better for it imo. The action is top notch but it's supported by extremely entertaining non-action scenes that make the action more meaningful. The top thing that makes a movie good is usually being good
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Nov 8, 2023 17:31
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I still go back and forth on "Harry Tasker decides to make his wife think she's been cast as a prostitute in a spy mission" stuff. On one hand, he's been lying to her for years, and so wouldn't mind doing it a bit more. Also he's clearly about to come clean to her. On the other hand, it's really hosed up manipulation!morestuff posted:The top thing that makes a movie good is usually being good This is a discussion forum, and this little act is literally anti-discussion. C'mon dude. Post something interesting. Megaman's Jockstrap fucked around with this message at 17:38 on Nov 8, 2023 |
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Nov 8, 2023 17:36
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Megaman's Jockstrap posted:I still go back and forth on "Harry Tasker decides to make his wife think she's been cast as a prostitute in a spy mission" stuff. On one hand, he's been lying to her for years, and so wouldn't mind doing it a bit more. Also he's clearly about to come clean to her. On the other hand, it's really hosed up manipulation! Well one thing to keep in mind is that Harry already heard her say that she only came close to having an affair because her life had become so boring and predictable. She was desperate for something exciting and unexpected to happen to her, so this was Harry's (albeit misguided)attempt to give that to her.
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Nov 8, 2023 17:48
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