What happened was that Woo and Cruise made the awful MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 2 and apparently clashed a lot during the production. From that THE DEVIL SOLDIER was dead in the water, until a few years later when Cruise makes the middling THE LAST SAMURAI, which basically just transports the same story to Japan under the guise of being a fictional story.

I always thought that was interesting. I wish I could have seen Woo’s film. His recent REED CLIFF was an incredibly entertaining epic and it proved he could do more than gunfights.

Aikido was very different to action film audiences back in the day, especially considering that we were used to mostly punching and kicking. All of the sudden this Seagal guy was using joint locks to maim people and throws that looked like they should only be done in a Gi instead of spin kicks and the like, it helped to give a real world grit to his flicks. It really was Mr. Steven Seagal that got me into martial arts in the first place.

A funny thing about Aikido is — as Todd mentioned — it was a whole hell of a lot less violent before Seagal went America on its ass. So nonviolent that it actually had no offensive attacks at all, it was all about redirection of momentum and even PROTECTING your opponent from any real harm. Now I look back at the opening of Above The Law where Nico is rag-dolling all his students and just laugh.

I’m all for a renaissance of the legit style action hero. Carano is great, I’m still down for her in a Commando remake. I can maybe even see her in an Under Siege remake; hot unsuspecting but intimidating cook who is actually a Special Forces badass has to save the day from homegrown terrorists? I can dig (giggity) it.

Seagal is special because he’s the last real martial artist turned movie star in Hollywood. Hopefully Soderbergh has brought that magic back with Gina Carano (Haywire is the closest thing to old-school Seagal Hollywood has produced). I know you can go to Asian cinema for tons of great martial arts actioners, but I have a soft spot for the combo of martial arts fights in locations like Chicago.

I enjoy Exit Wounds, but it’s clearly the last gasps of his theatrically released movies (how Half Past Dead got a theatrical release I’ll never know).

My favorite is Marked for Death, followed by Under Siege. All of his movies up until On Deadly Ground hold a special place in my movie memory. Sadly, most of the movies afterwards are pretty hit and miss to me. It seems that I’ve found more things I like in his late and most recent career than in the middle of it. No Exit Wounds for me.

One bit of a correction because I’m a bit of a MMA snob. Silva credited his kick knockout to Seagal in regards to his fight with Vitor Belfort. It was Lyoto Machida who knockout out Couture and his tooth with a similar front kick (he actually used a traditional Karate Crane Kick, it was really brilliant) and because he and Silva were from the same camp people were quick to ask him about Seagal’s involvement. Silva never got to fight Couture while he was still fighting, although I think the fight would have ended the same.

But I agree, I guess I can’t blame him for wanting one. But come on, surely he must realize that this just won’t work. They’d might as well replace Murray with a CG version of him (not to in ANY way imply that that’s a good idea).

Re Raising Arizona: No worries, I’m used to it. I don’t know if it’s the fact that it’s more slapstick or what. It just doesn’t work for me.

I just watched FARGO for the first time all the way through yesterday and thought it was pretty damn good, but a bit silly for its own good at times.

THE HUDSUCKER PROXY is so much a pastiche of Capra and Sturges I’m kept thinking why amn’t I watching the genuine article instead. But Jennifer Jason Leigh is fantastic in that movie and makes it worth watching.

NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN was also pretty good but I fail to see what was so great about Bardem in that movie. He’s been much, much better in loads of other movies. He wasn’t scary at all, just monotone and dull.

Finally I can not for the life of me comprehend how they were able to turn one of the funniest films of all time (THE LADYKILLERS) into something so desperately unfunny.

I’m going to slowly back away from your Raising Arizona opinion…I don’t understand it and am frightened…

1. NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN
2. RAISING ARIZONA
3. FARGO
4. MILLER’S CROSSING
5. BLOOD SIMPLE

While I enjoy THE BIG LEBOWSKI I never really understood the slavish devotion to it that a lot of people have for it. It’s fun and imaginative but it’s still far down my list of favourite Coen films. I hate the arbitrary and not-at-all-funny swearing in the bowling scenes and I’m not a stoner, so I don’t hero-worship Jeff Bridges’ character.

Tonn mentioned THE ABANDONED in his segment and I really liked that movie. It’s true that it’s mainly atmosphere, and I really think that director should have made the SILENT HILL movie. And it’s also nice to see a horror movie with a mature, real-looking woman in the lead who isn’t sexualised.

A note for Tonn; if you want to see a great horror collection check out a Spanish made-for-TV series called SIX FILMS TO KEEP YOU AWAKE. You can get the boxset on Amazon and they’re hour-long horror films that are still nasty and scary. In fact, of the six I think only one is a bit of a dud. The rest are really good and are done by some of Spain’s best horror directors.

They certainly shit all over the MASTERS OF HORROR series in terms of quality.

Top 5: Miller’s Crossing, No Country for Old Men, Fargo, Blood Simple Hudsucker Proxy.

On originals vs. adaptations: Miller’s Crossing is based on Hammett’s The Glass Key. Sort of… I have film geek theories about this but I will spare you. (You’re welcome!) Big Lebowski is The Big Sleep. And then A Serious Man is the Book of Job, O Brother is the Odyssey… Others (Blood Simple, Hudsucker Proxy, Man Who Wasn’t There) are original stories but still pastiches. Fargo might be the only one that isn’t referencing other movies in some way…

Also: I certainly didn’t love Burn After Reading but it is funnier if you live in/near DC and know how accurate it is. But comedy is very subjective and I guess that’s why to this day I don’t understand why everyone loves Raising Arizona. (Yes, I know, I’m wrong, fine. But ugh.)