BLACK WATER (Allan Ungar; Pasha Patriki, 2018)

[Jox]

Fight rehearsal video with Dolph and James Bennett
https://www.facebook.com/19700519099533 ... 199923355/

[Jox]

Japanese theatrical release on July 28 in Tokyo and other cities in September
http://www.interfilm.co.jp/steelthunder/
https://ttcg.jp/human_shibuya/movie/0483500.html

Japanese trailer


Poster artwork




Chirashi flyers

[lt.brannigan]

Preordered the US disc for $15USD. Seemed like a good deal to me.

[Jox]

Not sure what these are (stickers?) but they'll be given away to the first Japanese audiences
https://ttcg.jp/human_shibuya/topics/20 ... _4052.html
http://www.interfilm.co.jp/steelthunder/

[Jox]

[Jox]

BLACK WATER: Jean-Claude Van Damme & Dolph Lundgren Are Buds On A Sub
https://cinapse.co/black-water-jean-cla ... 6f71674df3

[Jox]

Japanese DVD out November 2
https://www.amazon.co.jp/スティール・サンダー-DVD-ジャン-クロード・ヴァン・ダム/dp/B07G7C5NHT/ref=sr_1_2?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1534591549&sr=1-2&keywords=ドルフラングレン

[Jox]

[lt.brannigan]

My copy will be here Tuesday. Along with Bleeding Steel.

[lt.brannigan]

This one was really rough, the acting was all over the place, some people just can't act to save their lives, some couldn't figure out how to play their character and were inconsistent.

The exterior under water sub shots were hysterically bad.

The sets were unconvincing

Twists were obvious, most of them.

JCVD was lethargic

The fight scenes lame

Though Dolph was oozing charisma and did what he could in his brief 10 minutes.

Directors really need to figure out how to properly utilize Dolph, he's often the most charismatic performer in these DTV efforts where he just appears briefly. He needs to either be made co-lead or have a beefed up cameo, because when he's not on screen things just come to a screeching halt.

[shooby]

Black Water on C8 chanel in France this evening :
https://www.mycanal.fr/guide/programme/ ... =185226554

[Jox]

US Blu-ray review + screenshots
http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Black-Wat ... 21/#Review

Video Quality 4.0 of 5
Black Water is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. Pasha Patriki served as both director and cinematographer for this effort, and while I haven't been able to find any real technical data about the shoot online, this features competent technical merits, even if Patriki has the rather odd tendency to fill the frame with out of focus "blobs" in the foreground (typically people, but not always), with the supposed "focal" element (no pun intended) further back and to the side of the frame. That distancing element, along with a number of pretty murkily lit sequences in the submarine, can keep fine detail levels tamped down at times. That said, the film utilizes the kind of unnatural lighting environment of a sub to rather evocative effect at times, with deep reds and blues permeating the frame. In normal lighting, the palette looks natural and fine detail levels perk up considerably. There are some passing moments of noisiness in some of the darker sequences, though these tend to be fleeting.

Audio Quality 4.0 of 5
Black Water's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track gets the job done, but perhaps with just a bit less force than action adventure adrenaline junkies may have wished for. There are certainly bursts of forceful LFE in the gunfight exchanges, and the "thrum" of the submarine underwater also resonates nicely through the subwoofer and surrounds, but in a lot of scenes the sound design is kind of uninspired, with a minimum of really impressive surround activity. That said, dialogue and an overwrought score are both presented clearly and cleanly, with no signs of any distortion or other problems to warrant concern.

Special Features and Extras n/a
While the Main Menu touts supposed "Special Features", those turn out to be trailers for other Lionsgate releases and a Bookmarks feature, neither of which I consider a "scorable" bonus offering.

Overall Score and Recommendation 2.0 of 5
That perhaps perplexing "Monogram Soldier?" comment under the title of the film above is my probably bonehead attempt at a pun based on what is arguably the best remembered previous collaboration between Van Damme and Lundgren, Universal Soldier. If "Universal" is understood as a studio, my comment is meant to suggest that this effort is decidedly smaller scale, a B-movie at best, in the time honored tradition of "poverty row" consortiums like Monogram. Fans of either or both of these performers may find enough here to warrant a look, but this is by the numbers filmmaking on any number of counts. Technical merits are generally solid for those considering a purchase.

[Jox]

100% agree

Casting Dolph as a top-secret prisoner who enjoys literature, using his personal drawings as his cell’s wallpaper, and meditates to pass the time is amusing regardless of the story he finds himself in.

http://cityonfire.com/black-water-2018- ... -lundgren/

[savagesketch]

Early Christmas present here! Chad Law, the writer of BLACK WATER, was gracious enough to speak with the show about writing BLACK WATER, as well as his experiences writing in the realm of action movies!

https://imustbreakthispodcast.wordpress ... ack-water/

Please help spread the word and leave a review on iTunes or Stitcher! Enjoy!

[bomaz]

Finally saw this one. Well, it's not as bad as I thought it would have been, but it's not a great flick either. JCVD looks tired, Dolph is clearly enjoying himself in a fine part (that is way too short) and the movie is not that ugly for a quickie one. The plot is random as possible, probably been used 103 times before, but hey ...
Anyway, a little movie to wait for his next effort.