This adaptation of a manga about a fighter would have been better served by abandoning its source material entirely. The story (a young man gets sent to prison for killing his parents and emerges a tough martial artist) and the character (a vicious, wronged thug who lacks the wits or skill to win a match) are good enough to sustain interest, but the exposition and the lack of any cohesion to the scenes ultimately make the film a bit of a disappointment.
From the director of Dog Bite Dog, one would expect a gritty, grim tale, and indeed one is provided: Shamo must mean "shat upon by society". Nice touches abound throughout: the Johnny Walker-swilling sensei, the gaudily-dressed prostitute love(?)-interest, and even The Beast (Kung Fu Hustle) as the head of the top martial arts gym.
Ranks with Zebraman for one of the best martial arts finishing moves out there.
* * * R A T I N G * * *
Shamo (NYAFF, IMDB)
Wince : [****_]
Flinch : [****_]
Retch : [***__]
Gape : [**___]
Beerequisite : [****_]
Pornability : [**___]
Obscurity : [**___]
Explicability : [***__]
Friday, June 27, 2008
The Most Beautiful Night in the World
What does one expect, exactly, from a three-hour movie about sex?
Well, certainly not two hours of a newly-transferred reporter trying to earn his way back to the city by finding a scoop on any one of the village locals.
The story basically goes as follows. Many years ago, the Jomon tribe maintained an paralleled birth rate due to their use of powerful aphrodisiacs. Eventually, they were slaughtered by jealous neighboring tribes who weren't getting laid. Years later, a medium with a lethal embrace and a terrorist master of the art of hung fu rediscover the source of the Jomon's power.
There's a lot going on in this movie, but very little to tell: it's good, it's fun, it's unique, and it makes you want to save the world through shagging.
* * * R A T I N G * * *
The Most Beautiful Night in the World (NYAFF)
Wince : [*____]
Flinch : [**___]
Retch : [**___]
Gape : [****_]
Beerequisite : [***__]
Pornability : [***__]
Obscurity : [***__]
Explicability : [****_]
Catchphrase: Jomon Power!
Well, certainly not two hours of a newly-transferred reporter trying to earn his way back to the city by finding a scoop on any one of the village locals.
The story basically goes as follows. Many years ago, the Jomon tribe maintained an paralleled birth rate due to their use of powerful aphrodisiacs. Eventually, they were slaughtered by jealous neighboring tribes who weren't getting laid. Years later, a medium with a lethal embrace and a terrorist master of the art of hung fu rediscover the source of the Jomon's power.
There's a lot going on in this movie, but very little to tell: it's good, it's fun, it's unique, and it makes you want to save the world through shagging.
* * * R A T I N G * * *
The Most Beautiful Night in the World (NYAFF)
Wince : [*____]
Flinch : [**___]
Retch : [**___]
Gape : [****_]
Beerequisite : [***__]
Pornability : [***__]
Obscurity : [***__]
Explicability : [****_]
Catchphrase: Jomon Power!
Mad Detective
A detective solves crimes by a combination of method acting and being able to see people's true selves. Of course, he can also see his former wife, and nobody else can -- but that doesn't mean he's crazy, right?
Things get interesting when the obvious villain of the piece appears, all seven personalities (played by some Johnnie To regulars) in tow. The Mad Detective teams up with a young, ambitious cop to help him solve the case of ... the Missing Gun. Well, the case involves a Murdered Policeman as well, but no-one seems to care, really.
Good crazy police fun, if a bit disorderly at times.
* * * R A T I N G * * *
Sun taam (NYAFF, IMDB)
Wince : [**___]
Flinch : [***__]
Retch : [***__]
Gape : [***__]
Beerequisite : [**___]
Pornability : [*____]
Obscurity : [**___]
Explicability : [****_]
Things get interesting when the obvious villain of the piece appears, all seven personalities (played by some Johnnie To regulars) in tow. The Mad Detective teams up with a young, ambitious cop to help him solve the case of ... the Missing Gun. Well, the case involves a Murdered Policeman as well, but no-one seems to care, really.
Good crazy police fun, if a bit disorderly at times.
* * * R A T I N G * * *
Sun taam (NYAFF, IMDB)
Wince : [**___]
Flinch : [***__]
Retch : [***__]
Gape : [***__]
Beerequisite : [**___]
Pornability : [*____]
Obscurity : [**___]
Explicability : [****_]
The Butcher
How bad is bad? Pretty bad, apparently.
Shot in POV on a low-resolution camera, this grainy mess had the potential to be a convincing simu-snuff film: five victims with cameras tied to their heads await their turn to be tortured, in pairs, as evidence of the head honcho's cinematic genius.
All of the elements of good torture porn are here: the (too-long) buildup as the victims hear their companions be slaughtered (albeit rather quickly), the "do or die" session where a victim is granted his freedom if he can stand the pain, and the inevitable loss of loyalty to friends, family, and country that comes with being tortured. And a gimp^H^H^H^Hbutcher in a pig's mask whose special technique has less to do with a chainsaw and more to do with a grunting prison nightmare.
Unfortunately, the first two thirds of this movie are wasted in a POV shot of someone's feet accompanied by frantic panting noises, and the last third is wasted in a POV shot of someone driving a car. Sandwiched in between, briefly, are a couple of bloody but not terribly cringeworthy scenes involving a chainsaw (who the hell tortures with a chainsaw, anyways?), a hammer, and a knife. Nope, not even a scalpel.
Oh, and expect the usual unconvincing acting (even in Korean!) and poor subtitles.
* * * R A T I N G * * *
The Butcher (NYAFF)
Wince : [*****]
Flinch : [***__]
Retch : [***__]
Gape : [***__]
Beerequisite : [****_]
Pornability : [*____] (**, depending on your tastes)
Obscurity : [****_]
Explicability : [**___]
Shot in POV on a low-resolution camera, this grainy mess had the potential to be a convincing simu-snuff film: five victims with cameras tied to their heads await their turn to be tortured, in pairs, as evidence of the head honcho's cinematic genius.
All of the elements of good torture porn are here: the (too-long) buildup as the victims hear their companions be slaughtered (albeit rather quickly), the "do or die" session where a victim is granted his freedom if he can stand the pain, and the inevitable loss of loyalty to friends, family, and country that comes with being tortured. And a gimp^H^H^H^Hbutcher in a pig's mask whose special technique has less to do with a chainsaw and more to do with a grunting prison nightmare.
Unfortunately, the first two thirds of this movie are wasted in a POV shot of someone's feet accompanied by frantic panting noises, and the last third is wasted in a POV shot of someone driving a car. Sandwiched in between, briefly, are a couple of bloody but not terribly cringeworthy scenes involving a chainsaw (who the hell tortures with a chainsaw, anyways?), a hammer, and a knife. Nope, not even a scalpel.
Oh, and expect the usual unconvincing acting (even in Korean!) and poor subtitles.
* * * R A T I N G * * *
The Butcher (NYAFF)
Wince : [*****]
Flinch : [***__]
Retch : [***__]
Gape : [***__]
Beerequisite : [****_]
Pornability : [*____] (**, depending on your tastes)
Obscurity : [****_]
Explicability : [**___]
Big Man Japan
Monster mockumentary about a film crew following the last of the 'Dai Nipponjin': Japanese men who, when hooked up to a power plant, grow to the size of giant monsters to defend Tokyo from the likes of Godzilla.
Times have changed, though, and the latest Dai Nipponjin commands none of the respect of his predecessors. And let's face it: he doesn't deserve it. He's dumb as a brick, he can't fight, he never trains, and his opponents could be soundly defeated by ... well, by him, or really anyone in the area who takes an interest.
Eventually the film crew becomes as disgusted with him as his agent is, and their coverage becomes more candid (and thus more humiliating) as the film goes on. We're not dealing with a sympathetic underdog, here; by the end of the film, you're rooting for his defeat along with the entire population of Tokyo.
The climax of the film arrives with Dai Nipponjin's great moment of truth, paving the way for a deus-ex-machine ending which, while gathering the largest laughs in the film, doesn't quite convince you that the producers stayed within budget.
Very fun, instant classic, all that. You'll be calling everything a Baddie after this one.
* * * R A T I N G * * *
Dai Nipponjin (NYAFF, IMDB)
Wince : [***__]
Flinch : [**___]
Retch : [*____]
Gape : [****_]
Beerequisite : [**___]
Pornability : [*____] (*** for Stinky Baddies)
Obscurity : [**___]
Explicability : [****_]
Times have changed, though, and the latest Dai Nipponjin commands none of the respect of his predecessors. And let's face it: he doesn't deserve it. He's dumb as a brick, he can't fight, he never trains, and his opponents could be soundly defeated by ... well, by him, or really anyone in the area who takes an interest.
Eventually the film crew becomes as disgusted with him as his agent is, and their coverage becomes more candid (and thus more humiliating) as the film goes on. We're not dealing with a sympathetic underdog, here; by the end of the film, you're rooting for his defeat along with the entire population of Tokyo.
The climax of the film arrives with Dai Nipponjin's great moment of truth, paving the way for a deus-ex-machine ending which, while gathering the largest laughs in the film, doesn't quite convince you that the producers stayed within budget.
Very fun, instant classic, all that. You'll be calling everything a Baddie after this one.
* * * R A T I N G * * *
Dai Nipponjin (NYAFF, IMDB)
Wince : [***__]
Flinch : [**___]
Retch : [*____]
Gape : [****_]
Beerequisite : [**___]
Pornability : [*____] (*** for Stinky Baddies)
Obscurity : [**___]
Explicability : [****_]
Chanbara Beauty
Inspired by a video game, y'say? Hard to tell.
There's only one way to ruin a movie about a bikini-clad cowgirl slicing up zombies in a post-apocalyptic world as she hunts down her Japanese-schoolgirl rival, and that's with exposition. Slow, plodding exposition in and around every fight scene. Which themselves are filmed in the jerky digicam style that works well for riots, gang beatings and zombies, but which screams "We couldn't get a choreographer!" when applied to martial arts.
The action is dull, the attempts to further the plot are worse, the zombies oscillate between skilled/intelligent and slow-moving/dull-witted without any discernible pattern, the bikini is too large and the sword is too small. There's just not much to like here, even the tacked-on manga-style ending.
* * * R A T I N G * * *
OneChanbara (NYAFF, IMDB)
Wince : [****_]
Flinch : [**___]
Retch : [**___]
Gape : [***__]
Beerequisite : [*****]
Pornability : [**___]
Obscurity : [**___]
Explicability : [***__]
There's only one way to ruin a movie about a bikini-clad cowgirl slicing up zombies in a post-apocalyptic world as she hunts down her Japanese-schoolgirl rival, and that's with exposition. Slow, plodding exposition in and around every fight scene. Which themselves are filmed in the jerky digicam style that works well for riots, gang beatings and zombies, but which screams "We couldn't get a choreographer!" when applied to martial arts.
The action is dull, the attempts to further the plot are worse, the zombies oscillate between skilled/intelligent and slow-moving/dull-witted without any discernible pattern, the bikini is too large and the sword is too small. There's just not much to like here, even the tacked-on manga-style ending.
* * * R A T I N G * * *
OneChanbara (NYAFF, IMDB)
Wince : [****_]
Flinch : [**___]
Retch : [**___]
Gape : [***__]
Beerequisite : [*****]
Pornability : [**___]
Obscurity : [**___]
Explicability : [***__]
Adrift in Tokyo
The people behind Turtles Swim Faster Than Expected bring this similarly absurdist, more pointless tale of a walkabout.
A perpetual student who is behind in his debts is visited by a collection agent who, having killed his wife and decided to surrender himself to the police, offers to forgive the debt in exchange for company on his walk to the police station.
The result is an ambling tour of Tokyo as the two characters reminisce and encounter individuals of all sorts: a violent tatami-mat vendor, an elderly costumed locker room thief, well-known actor Ittoku Kishibe, a vengeful watch repairman, a baby hippopotamus, and a roller-skating guitarist. In fact, the only people they don't run into are the three coworkers of his wife (the spy couple and ramen chef from Turtles), who try to track her down in the midst of life's daily distractions (e.g. hair smelling funny, being cast as extras in a film, etc).
Unfortunately the leisurely stroll ends about halfway through the film, as the characters bond and try to reach some form of resolution.
* * * R A T I N G * * *
Tenten(NYAFF, IMDB)
Wince : [**___]
Flinch : [**___]
Retch : [*____]
Gape : [***__]
Beerequisite : [***__]
Pornability : [*____]
Obscurity : [**___]
Explicability : [**___]
A perpetual student who is behind in his debts is visited by a collection agent who, having killed his wife and decided to surrender himself to the police, offers to forgive the debt in exchange for company on his walk to the police station.
The result is an ambling tour of Tokyo as the two characters reminisce and encounter individuals of all sorts: a violent tatami-mat vendor, an elderly costumed locker room thief, well-known actor Ittoku Kishibe, a vengeful watch repairman, a baby hippopotamus, and a roller-skating guitarist. In fact, the only people they don't run into are the three coworkers of his wife (the spy couple and ramen chef from Turtles), who try to track her down in the midst of life's daily distractions (e.g. hair smelling funny, being cast as extras in a film, etc).
Unfortunately the leisurely stroll ends about halfway through the film, as the characters bond and try to reach some form of resolution.
* * * R A T I N G * * *
Tenten(NYAFF, IMDB)
Wince : [**___]
Flinch : [**___]
Retch : [*____]
Gape : [***__]
Beerequisite : [***__]
Pornability : [*____]
Obscurity : [**___]
Explicability : [**___]
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Mandingo
Lame Hammond Maxwell goes to town and buys a proper Mandingo slave named Mede (beating a lonely German woman at the bidding), who he trains to be a fighter. Hammond has a thing for the female slaves himself, and his jealous wife decides to reciprocate by forcing herself on the strapping young buck. Hijinks, hilarity, and a bunch of other h-words ensue.
Standout performance by James Mason as straight-talking patriarch Warren Maxwell, whose untimely death was cheered by the bulk of the audience I saw this with, and sadly lamented by myself. Ingrained racist though he was, Maxwell seemed to be the only character in the film with a lick of good sense.
All sorts of good stuff in this one: bloodsport, slavery, mint juleps, abortions, lynchings. A real trip to the dilapidated mansions down south.
* * * R A T I N G * * *
Mandingo (IMDB)
Wince : [**___]
Flinch : [***__]
Retch : [*____]
Gape : [**___]
Beerequisite : [***__]
Pornability : [**___]
Obscurity : [***__]
Explicability : [****_]
Scene Stealer: Topaz!
Standout performance by James Mason as straight-talking patriarch Warren Maxwell, whose untimely death was cheered by the bulk of the audience I saw this with, and sadly lamented by myself. Ingrained racist though he was, Maxwell seemed to be the only character in the film with a lick of good sense.
All sorts of good stuff in this one: bloodsport, slavery, mint juleps, abortions, lynchings. A real trip to the dilapidated mansions down south.
* * * R A T I N G * * *
Mandingo (IMDB)
Wince : [**___]
Flinch : [***__]
Retch : [*____]
Gape : [**___]
Beerequisite : [***__]
Pornability : [**___]
Obscurity : [***__]
Explicability : [****_]
Scene Stealer: Topaz!
The Wayward Cloud
The master of the long take brings us his Ode To The Watermelon: a musical about love, lust, pronography, crabs, drought, and urban alienation.
There is truly no way to do this film justice with simple narrative. If you haven't seen it, run right out and to the following:
1. Buy a watermelon
2. Find a victim
3. Watch The Wayward Cloud
* * * R A T I N G * * *
Tian bian yi duo yun (IMDB)
Wince : [**___]
Flinch : [**___]
Retch : [**___]
Gape : [*****]
Beerequisite : [***__]
Pornability : [*****]
Obscurity : [***__]
Explicability : [*____]
Awards:
*Best integration of a random corpse (or, at the risk of overusing the phrase, the application of Chekov's Corpse, as you know exactly where it will end up) into the storyline.
* Least quotable. Was there any dialog that didn't consist of grunting?
Best Musical Sequence: The umbrellas or the plungers? The plungers, definitely. Though the umbrella song is far superior.
There is truly no way to do this film justice with simple narrative. If you haven't seen it, run right out and to the following:
1. Buy a watermelon
2. Find a victim
3. Watch The Wayward Cloud
* * * R A T I N G * * *
Tian bian yi duo yun (IMDB)
Wince : [**___]
Flinch : [**___]
Retch : [**___]
Gape : [*****]
Beerequisite : [***__]
Pornability : [*****]
Obscurity : [***__]
Explicability : [*____]
Awards:
*Best integration of a random corpse (or, at the risk of overusing the phrase, the application of Chekov's Corpse, as you know exactly where it will end up) into the storyline.
* Least quotable. Was there any dialog that didn't consist of grunting?
Best Musical Sequence: The umbrellas or the plungers? The plungers, definitely. Though the umbrella song is far superior.
Gangster VIP
Fresh-from-prison (on a murder rap!) yakuza Goro returns to his turf and finds things radically changed: his gang are now losers, getting the short end of the stick from the other gangs.
After things get bad and Goro loses a finger, he decides to force a confrontation with a rival gang, which doesn't seem to have been a good plan in retrospect.
* * * R A T I N G * * *
Burai yori daikanbu (IMDB)
Wince : [*****]
Flinch : [*____]
Retch : [_____]
Gape : [*____]
Beerequisite : [*****]
Pornability : [*____]
Obscurity : [***__]
Explicability : [**___]
Reality Check: Flailing about in the mud is the new martial art school, eh? Really hands it to those in the hitting-like-a-girl school.
Lessons Learned: When trading your finger for the release of your friend, demand to see him first.
After things get bad and Goro loses a finger, he decides to force a confrontation with a rival gang, which doesn't seem to have been a good plan in retrospect.
* * * R A T I N G * * *
Burai yori daikanbu (IMDB)
Wince : [*****]
Flinch : [*____]
Retch : [_____]
Gape : [*____]
Beerequisite : [*****]
Pornability : [*____]
Obscurity : [***__]
Explicability : [**___]
Reality Check: Flailing about in the mud is the new martial art school, eh? Really hands it to those in the hitting-like-a-girl school.
Lessons Learned: When trading your finger for the release of your friend, demand to see him first.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Donnie Darko
Ever have one of those days where a jet engine destroys your room and a man in a bunny suit starts advising criminal activity? Young Donnie has them all the time.
OK, cult classic, coming of age film, the high-school trauma of misfits, blah blah blah. The film is successful in portraying its sociopathic protagonist in a sympathetic light. There's an end-of-the-world thread with no payoff, and a rather vague and hand-wavy time travel (or rather, hole in the fabric of space and time) wrap-up at the end.
All in all, enjoyable to watch once, but probably not more than that, and certainly a little disappointing after all of the hype (or whatever the cult film equivalent is) these past few years.
* * * R A T I N G * * *
Donnie Darko (IMDB)
Wince : [***__]
Flinch : [*____]
Retch : [*____]
Gape : [***__]
Beerequisite : [****_]
Pornability : [_____]
Obscurity : [*____]
Explicability : [**___]
Standout bits: Cool bunny costume.
OK, cult classic, coming of age film, the high-school trauma of misfits, blah blah blah. The film is successful in portraying its sociopathic protagonist in a sympathetic light. There's an end-of-the-world thread with no payoff, and a rather vague and hand-wavy time travel (or rather, hole in the fabric of space and time) wrap-up at the end.
All in all, enjoyable to watch once, but probably not more than that, and certainly a little disappointing after all of the hype (or whatever the cult film equivalent is) these past few years.
* * * R A T I N G * * *
Donnie Darko (IMDB)
Wince : [***__]
Flinch : [*____]
Retch : [*____]
Gape : [***__]
Beerequisite : [****_]
Pornability : [_____]
Obscurity : [*____]
Explicability : [**___]
Standout bits: Cool bunny costume.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Caramel
A romantic comedy centered around a beauty shop (and the crazy homeless lady next door).
It seems odd to label a Lebanese rom-com formulaic, but so it is: the non-virgin must find a way to appear pure on her wedding night, a woman having an affair with a married man cannot get him to leave his wife for her, a lesbian hairdresser is looking for love, and so on.
The titular caramel is used for hair removal, offering the only painful scenes in the film.
* * * R A T I N G * * *
Sukkar banat (IMDB)
Wince : [*____]
Flinch : [**___]
Retch : [_____]
Gape : [_____]
Beerequisite : [*____]
Pornability : [_____]
Obscurity : [**___]
Explicability : [****_]
It seems odd to label a Lebanese rom-com formulaic, but so it is: the non-virgin must find a way to appear pure on her wedding night, a woman having an affair with a married man cannot get him to leave his wife for her, a lesbian hairdresser is looking for love, and so on.
The titular caramel is used for hair removal, offering the only painful scenes in the film.
* * * R A T I N G * * *
Sukkar banat (IMDB)
Wince : [*____]
Flinch : [**___]
Retch : [_____]
Gape : [_____]
Beerequisite : [*____]
Pornability : [_____]
Obscurity : [**___]
Explicability : [****_]
Naked
Young everyman (ha! just kidding) Johnny flees Manchester after raping a barfly and makes his way down to the big smoke in a stolen car. He shows up at on an ex-girlfriend's doorstep, hooking up with her and her roommate before the two of them drive him crazy and send him back out on the streets.
What follows is a series of largely unconnected episodes that serve as a character study of the feckless drifter: commiserating with a Scottish lout, bantering with a security guard, seducing various unsuspecting females, drunken encounters with scattered laborers, thugs, and his ex-girlfriend's sex-crazed yuppie landlord.
The quality of the dialog is what makes this film top-notch: quick-witted enough to entertain, incisive enough to leave a mark. A slice o' life out of Merry Ol' E.
* * * R A T I N G * * *
Naked (IMDB)
Wince : [*____]
Flinch : [***__]
Retch : [**___]
Gape : [**___]
Beerequisite : [***__]
Pornability : [**___]
Obscurity : [**___]
Explicability : [***__]
What follows is a series of largely unconnected episodes that serve as a character study of the feckless drifter: commiserating with a Scottish lout, bantering with a security guard, seducing various unsuspecting females, drunken encounters with scattered laborers, thugs, and his ex-girlfriend's sex-crazed yuppie landlord.
The quality of the dialog is what makes this film top-notch: quick-witted enough to entertain, incisive enough to leave a mark. A slice o' life out of Merry Ol' E.
* * * R A T I N G * * *
Naked (IMDB)
Wince : [*____]
Flinch : [***__]
Retch : [**___]
Gape : [**___]
Beerequisite : [***__]
Pornability : [**___]
Obscurity : [**___]
Explicability : [***__]
Blood Diner
Two brothers open a vegetarian diner (well, it serves vegetarians, often to other vegetarians) after exhuming their sorcerer/serial-killer father and transplanting his still-living eyes and brain into a jar in order to guide them in their virgin-mutilating (and sewing back together) quest to reincarnate the five-million-year-old goddess Shitar.
Quite a mouthful, eh? And I didn't even mention the zombie-rock concert finale!
This film truly has everything. A must-see, and see-again.
* * * R A T I N G * * *
Blood Diner (IMDB)
Wince : [***__]
Flinch : [***__]
Retch : [***__]
Gape : [****_]
Beerequisite : [****_]
Pornability : [**___]
Obscurity : [****_]
Explicability : [**___]
Reality Check: Wait, the human race is HOW old again?
Character Most Likely to be Reborn as a WWF Star: Little Jimmy Hitler
Things I've Never Seen Before: Did he just cut off his own penis and threaten to use it as a weapon?
Other Notable Moments:
* Ouch! Killed by a deep fryer in the most horrible head-battered fashion!
* Who is manning that ventriloquist dummy?
* Topless Aerobics! Yay!
* Another Hitler?
* It's the build-your-own-cheerleader store!
* "The killer was last seen with a knife in one hand, and his genitals in the other."
Quite a mouthful, eh? And I didn't even mention the zombie-rock concert finale!
This film truly has everything. A must-see, and see-again.
* * * R A T I N G * * *
Blood Diner (IMDB)
Wince : [***__]
Flinch : [***__]
Retch : [***__]
Gape : [****_]
Beerequisite : [****_]
Pornability : [**___]
Obscurity : [****_]
Explicability : [**___]
Reality Check: Wait, the human race is HOW old again?
Character Most Likely to be Reborn as a WWF Star: Little Jimmy Hitler
Things I've Never Seen Before: Did he just cut off his own penis and threaten to use it as a weapon?
Other Notable Moments:
* Ouch! Killed by a deep fryer in the most horrible head-battered fashion!
* Who is manning that ventriloquist dummy?
* Topless Aerobics! Yay!
* Another Hitler?
* It's the build-your-own-cheerleader store!
* "The killer was last seen with a knife in one hand, and his genitals in the other."
Bab'Aziz
A blind dervish and his (naturally precocious) grand-daughter set out into the desert to attend a dervish reunion that occurs every 30 years. Being dervishes, they naturally have no map and no plan; each sets out in a different direction to find his own path to the reunion. To keep the story moving, Bab'Aziz and his grand-daughter encounter a number of characters in their journey, including a brother bent on revenge, a man who jumps into wells seeking the kingdom of his dreams, and a musician searching for the woman who stole his passport (and, of course, his heart).
The heart of the film is its "the journey is the destination" theme, though it is beautifully-shot and has an excellent soundtrack. The Sufi mysticism is watered-down to an almost Arabian Nights-level fantasy, which serves to make the film a bit more palatable to Westerners and irreligious types than might normally be the case.
* * * R A T I N G * * *
Bab'Aziz (IMDB)
Wince : [_____]
Flinch : [*____]
Retch : [_____]
Gape : [**___]
Beerequisite : [*____]
Pornability : [*____]
Obscurity : [***__]
Explicability : [**___]
The heart of the film is its "the journey is the destination" theme, though it is beautifully-shot and has an excellent soundtrack. The Sufi mysticism is watered-down to an almost Arabian Nights-level fantasy, which serves to make the film a bit more palatable to Westerners and irreligious types than might normally be the case.
* * * R A T I N G * * *
Bab'Aziz (IMDB)
Wince : [_____]
Flinch : [*____]
Retch : [_____]
Gape : [**___]
Beerequisite : [*____]
Pornability : [*____]
Obscurity : [***__]
Explicability : [**___]
The Death of Mr Lazarescu
European horror at the state of the Romanian health care system is what fuels this film. Mr Lazarescu, an aging alcoholic, calls an ambulance after getting a sharp pain in his guts, and gets shuffled from hospital to hospital as doctors refuse to treat him first due to his alcoholism, then finally because he will obviously not survive. All of this occurs in more or less real-time, making for a slow crawl of a movie.
To an American audience, the film rapidly becomes tedious, inured as we are to horror stories of the health care system in the States where the wrong limb is amputted, flesh-eating strep is contracted, and so forth. Hey, if the doctor refuses to treat you, that means he can't mess anything up, right?
* * * R A T I N G * * *
Moartea domnului Lazarescu (IMDB)
Wince : [*____]
Flinch : [**___]
Retch : [***__]
Gape : [**___]
Beerequisite : [***__]
Pornability : [_____]
Obscurity : [**___]
Explicability : [***__]
To an American audience, the film rapidly becomes tedious, inured as we are to horror stories of the health care system in the States where the wrong limb is amputted, flesh-eating strep is contracted, and so forth. Hey, if the doctor refuses to treat you, that means he can't mess anything up, right?
* * * R A T I N G * * *
Moartea domnului Lazarescu (IMDB)
Wince : [*____]
Flinch : [**___]
Retch : [***__]
Gape : [**___]
Beerequisite : [***__]
Pornability : [_____]
Obscurity : [**___]
Explicability : [***__]
Monday, February 11, 2008
Szamanka
An anthropology professor obsessed with shamans begins an affair with the girl renting his brother's flat, and things end badly.
This is a fairly standard destructive-love film, with a nod to Last Tango in Paris in the beginning. Of note is the girl, known only as the Italian, who is driven purely by primal urges and adds an intensity to the film that is usually lacking. Her reaction to the anthropologist ignoring her in favor of a mummified shaman dug up in an industrial lot serves at the turning point from obsession to destruction.
* * * R A T I N G * * *
Wince : [**___]
Flinch : [**____]
Retch : [***__]
Gape : [**___]
Beerequisite : [***__]
Pornability : [*****]
Obscurity : [***__]
Explicability : [**___]
Scene I'd watch on endless loop: The teacher and his students smoking up and dancing around the mummy, chanting and pouring yellow dye on it.
This is a fairly standard destructive-love film, with a nod to Last Tango in Paris in the beginning. Of note is the girl, known only as the Italian, who is driven purely by primal urges and adds an intensity to the film that is usually lacking. Her reaction to the anthropologist ignoring her in favor of a mummified shaman dug up in an industrial lot serves at the turning point from obsession to destruction.
* * * R A T I N G * * *
Wince : [**___]
Flinch : [**____]
Retch : [***__]
Gape : [**___]
Beerequisite : [***__]
Pornability : [*****]
Obscurity : [***__]
Explicability : [**___]
Scene I'd watch on endless loop: The teacher and his students smoking up and dancing around the mummy, chanting and pouring yellow dye on it.
Demonlover
A European finance company is attempting to close a deal with a Japanese animation firm that specializes in hentai films. Problem: just about everyone in the European company is working for someone else, usually at odds with each other.
The corporate intrigue eventually becomes personal as the one of the true employers, the operator of a BDSM site at demonlover.com, begins to exert its control.
Well-acted, well-shot, with a love-it-or-hate-it Sonic Youth score. Tension is fairly consistent throughout, even though the plot is mainly concerned with white yuppies trying to drive each other crazy.
* * * R A T I N G * * *
Demonlover (IMDB)
Wince : [*____]
Flinch : [***__]
Retch : [**___]
Gape : [***__]
Beerequisite : [*____]
Pornability : [***__]
Obscurity : [***__]
Explicability : [***__]
The corporate intrigue eventually becomes personal as the one of the true employers, the operator of a BDSM site at demonlover.com, begins to exert its control.
Well-acted, well-shot, with a love-it-or-hate-it Sonic Youth score. Tension is fairly consistent throughout, even though the plot is mainly concerned with white yuppies trying to drive each other crazy.
* * * R A T I N G * * *
Demonlover (IMDB)
Wince : [*____]
Flinch : [***__]
Retch : [**___]
Gape : [***__]
Beerequisite : [*____]
Pornability : [***__]
Obscurity : [***__]
Explicability : [***__]
The Glamorous Life of Sachiko Hanai
Guaranteed to be the only film you'll see where the (cloned) fonger of George W Bush is a major character!
Sachiko Hanai is a call girl specializing in teacher fetishes. In the course of killing time between clients, she gets innocent-bystandered in a shootout at a cafe. The bullet lodges in her forebrain, unlocking (in defiance of all known neuroscience) her latent potential and turning her into a supergenius.
The finger of George Bush penetrates her, er, consciousness and delivers a message: she must track down a stolen Doomsday Device before the bad guys do.
Not surprisingly, Sachiko Hanai proved itself well-suited to repeat viewings.
* * * R A T I N G * * *
Hatsujô kateikyôshi: sensei no aijiru (IMDB)
Wince : [****_]
Flinch : [**___]
Retch : [*____]
Gape : [****_]
Beerequisite : [*****]
Pornability : [*****]
Obscurity : [**___]
Explicability : [*____]
Most enduring exclamation: Noam Chomsky!
Unexpected sexual advice: The Bush Technique
Sachiko Hanai is a call girl specializing in teacher fetishes. In the course of killing time between clients, she gets innocent-bystandered in a shootout at a cafe. The bullet lodges in her forebrain, unlocking (in defiance of all known neuroscience) her latent potential and turning her into a supergenius.
The finger of George Bush penetrates her, er, consciousness and delivers a message: she must track down a stolen Doomsday Device before the bad guys do.
Not surprisingly, Sachiko Hanai proved itself well-suited to repeat viewings.
* * * R A T I N G * * *
Hatsujô kateikyôshi: sensei no aijiru (IMDB)
Wince : [****_]
Flinch : [**___]
Retch : [*____]
Gape : [****_]
Beerequisite : [*****]
Pornability : [*****]
Obscurity : [**___]
Explicability : [*____]
Most enduring exclamation: Noam Chomsky!
Unexpected sexual advice: The Bush Technique
Aachi and Ssipak
Poo, glorious poo!
A cyborg cop battles a gang of popsicle-addicted proto-smurfs while two disaffected youth try to rescue their lust-interest (and her popsicle-generating sphincter) from amidst the carnage.
Motorcycles. Oppressive government. Organize crime. Porn. Tremendous amounts of spent ammunition. Can this film do no wrong?
* * * R A T I N G * * *
Achi-wa ssipak
Wince : [**___]
Flinch : [****_]
Retch : [***__]
Gape : [****_]
Beerequisite : [****_]
Pornability : [**___]
Obscurity : [***__]
Explicability : [***__]
Scene I'd watch on endless loop: The fight scene on the steps.
Memories I want to erase: Jimmy doing his trannydance in the mob boss's jail cell.
A cyborg cop battles a gang of popsicle-addicted proto-smurfs while two disaffected youth try to rescue their lust-interest (and her popsicle-generating sphincter) from amidst the carnage.
Motorcycles. Oppressive government. Organize crime. Porn. Tremendous amounts of spent ammunition. Can this film do no wrong?
* * * R A T I N G * * *
Achi-wa ssipak
Wince : [**___]
Flinch : [****_]
Retch : [***__]
Gape : [****_]
Beerequisite : [****_]
Pornability : [**___]
Obscurity : [***__]
Explicability : [***__]
Scene I'd watch on endless loop: The fight scene on the steps.
Memories I want to erase: Jimmy doing his trannydance in the mob boss's jail cell.
Man From Earth
A caveman who never got around to dying throws a house party, where he proposes his existence as a thought-experiment to his guests. They attempt to use their expertise in anthropology, history, biology, etc to disprove his theory.
Dull, dull, dull. I had high expectations for this film, being generally drawn to minimalist (aka low budget) 'thinky' movies. This one bored the crap out of me: any bit of conflict was painfully contrived, the attempt at a twist ending was laughable, and the thought experiment wore out its welcome after 30 minutes.
The best: using the example of a ballpoint pen to explain why a ten-thousand-year-old man wouldn't have any obsidian axes lying around. The worst: dredging up yet another "Jesus was just an average Joe whose message got hijacked" revelation in a mishandled attempt to shock the audience.
* * * R A T I N G * * *
The Man From Earth (IMDB)
Wince : [****_]
Flinch : [_____]
Retch : [_____]
Gape : [_____]
Beerequisite : [**___]
Pornability : [_____]
Obscurity : [***__]
Explicability : [***__]
Dull, dull, dull. I had high expectations for this film, being generally drawn to minimalist (aka low budget) 'thinky' movies. This one bored the crap out of me: any bit of conflict was painfully contrived, the attempt at a twist ending was laughable, and the thought experiment wore out its welcome after 30 minutes.
The best: using the example of a ballpoint pen to explain why a ten-thousand-year-old man wouldn't have any obsidian axes lying around. The worst: dredging up yet another "Jesus was just an average Joe whose message got hijacked" revelation in a mishandled attempt to shock the audience.
* * * R A T I N G * * *
The Man From Earth (IMDB)
Wince : [****_]
Flinch : [_____]
Retch : [_____]
Gape : [_____]
Beerequisite : [**___]
Pornability : [_____]
Obscurity : [***__]
Explicability : [***__]
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Slither
Meteor crash-lands, parasite infects local man, spawning an alien invasion of slugs that turn their hosts into zombies. The small town is doomed!
Firefly's Nathan Fillion is horrible as usual (psst! Nathan, act!) as the town cop, but Don Thompson more than carries the weight of the film as the foul-mouthed mayor.
* * * R A T I N G * * *
Slither (IMDB)
Wince : [***__]
Flinch : [***__]
Retch : [***__]
Gape : [***__]
Beerequisite : [***__]
Pornability : [*____]
Obscurity : [**___]
Explicability : [***__]
Firefly's Nathan Fillion is horrible as usual (psst! Nathan, act!) as the town cop, but Don Thompson more than carries the weight of the film as the foul-mouthed mayor.
* * * R A T I N G * * *
Slither (IMDB)
Wince : [***__]
Flinch : [***__]
Retch : [***__]
Gape : [***__]
Beerequisite : [***__]
Pornability : [*____]
Obscurity : [**___]
Explicability : [***__]
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Phil the Alien
Take me to your leader, eh?
Phil's dad crashed the car, dying in the process and leaving Phil stranded far from home. Phil and his dad are shape-shifting aliens from a planet of peace (with periodic eruptions of ultraviolence), the car is a spaceship, and far-from-home is Canada.
A fun film with a drunken alien, a talking beaver, a whale-loving secret serviceman, a messiah cult, polychromatic fur coats, an alien dissection lab, and lots of White Dog (beer, whiskey, whatever).
* * * R A T I N G * * *
Phil the Alien (IMDB)
Wince : [**___]
Flinch : [***__]
Retch : [*____]
Gape : [****_]
Beerequisite : [****_]
Pornability : [*____]
Obscurity : [****_]
Explicability : [***__]
Best off-the-menu ordering: "Sammy the alien". See the quote on IMDB.
Phil's dad crashed the car, dying in the process and leaving Phil stranded far from home. Phil and his dad are shape-shifting aliens from a planet of peace (with periodic eruptions of ultraviolence), the car is a spaceship, and far-from-home is Canada.
A fun film with a drunken alien, a talking beaver, a whale-loving secret serviceman, a messiah cult, polychromatic fur coats, an alien dissection lab, and lots of White Dog (beer, whiskey, whatever).
* * * R A T I N G * * *
Phil the Alien (IMDB)
Wince : [**___]
Flinch : [***__]
Retch : [*____]
Gape : [****_]
Beerequisite : [****_]
Pornability : [*____]
Obscurity : [****_]
Explicability : [***__]
Best off-the-menu ordering: "Sammy the alien". See the quote on IMDB.
El Topo
El Topo or, Holy God, Why Did I Agree To This?
Attacking El Topo for being pretentious is like attacking Macbooks for having only one mouse button: a must.
Positive reviews of this film will tend to have words like "hypnotic", "mystical", "allegorical", "trance", and other vague descriptions that attempt to hide the fact that no, they didn't get the film either, and neither did Jodorowsky.
OK, there's a cowboy, a naked boy, a quest to defeat the master gunmen or whatever (which the cowboy does by cheating), a crucifixion (you knew there had to be one at some point), a town of the deformed .. well, you get the idea. The main story is something like this: drifter exacts revenge for a massacred people, wanders into the desert to become the Best Gunman, ends up becoming the object of worship for a group of deformed people in a cavern, and decides to fund a tunnel connecting them to the nearest town by (Franciscan) busking.
* * * R A T I N G * * *
El Topo (IMDB)
Wince : [***__]
Flinch : [**___]
Retch : [**___]
Gape : [***__]
Beerequisite : [***__]
Pornability : [**___]
Obscurity : [*____]
Explicability : [*____]
Best viewing method: Slam a few beers and find a midnight showing close to a university with a decent film school (in this case, NYU). You'll be the only person in the theater laughing until the students finally realize that no, it's not genius filmmaking and no, they shouldn't be taking this shit seriously either.
Attacking El Topo for being pretentious is like attacking Macbooks for having only one mouse button: a must.
Positive reviews of this film will tend to have words like "hypnotic", "mystical", "allegorical", "trance", and other vague descriptions that attempt to hide the fact that no, they didn't get the film either, and neither did Jodorowsky.
OK, there's a cowboy, a naked boy, a quest to defeat the master gunmen or whatever (which the cowboy does by cheating), a crucifixion (you knew there had to be one at some point), a town of the deformed .. well, you get the idea. The main story is something like this: drifter exacts revenge for a massacred people, wanders into the desert to become the Best Gunman, ends up becoming the object of worship for a group of deformed people in a cavern, and decides to fund a tunnel connecting them to the nearest town by (Franciscan) busking.
* * * R A T I N G * * *
El Topo (IMDB)
Wince : [***__]
Flinch : [**___]
Retch : [**___]
Gape : [***__]
Beerequisite : [***__]
Pornability : [**___]
Obscurity : [*____]
Explicability : [*____]
Best viewing method: Slam a few beers and find a midnight showing close to a university with a decent film school (in this case, NYU). You'll be the only person in the theater laughing until the students finally realize that no, it's not genius filmmaking and no, they shouldn't be taking this shit seriously either.
The Slaughter
"You can't spell slaughter without laughter!" And apparently you can film The Slaughter without a slaughter.
Six college students (the jock! the slut! the misfit! the valedictorian! the pothead! the other one!) with a crappy job (clean up an abandoned house, where have I heard that before) are attacked by a racked demoness. Throw in a sleazy corporate exec and his aide, drop some blood on a buried occult book, stir, and let set.
OK, there are some potentially funny references to other horror films ("what kind of zombies are those?", "we're not going to split up like they do in the horror films"), but the timing is quite bad, and the quality of the acting isn't exactly top-notch either.
Ultimately an enjoyable college-kids-killed-by-demons-and-zombies film, though it does overreach a bit.
* * * R A T I N G * * *
The Slaughter (IMDB)
Wince : [*****]
Flinch : [***__]
Retch : [***__]
Gape : [***__]
Beerequisite : [*****]
Pornability : [***__]
Obscurity : [***__]
Explicability : [***__]
Important zombie fact: In addition to slow-moving Dawn of the Dead zombies and fast, kung-fu master Evil Dead zombies, there are slow-moving-with-fast-reflexes Slaughter zombies.
Six college students (the jock! the slut! the misfit! the valedictorian! the pothead! the other one!) with a crappy job (clean up an abandoned house, where have I heard that before) are attacked by a racked demoness. Throw in a sleazy corporate exec and his aide, drop some blood on a buried occult book, stir, and let set.
OK, there are some potentially funny references to other horror films ("what kind of zombies are those?", "we're not going to split up like they do in the horror films"), but the timing is quite bad, and the quality of the acting isn't exactly top-notch either.
Ultimately an enjoyable college-kids-killed-by-demons-and-zombies film, though it does overreach a bit.
* * * R A T I N G * * *
The Slaughter (IMDB)
Wince : [*****]
Flinch : [***__]
Retch : [***__]
Gape : [***__]
Beerequisite : [*****]
Pornability : [***__]
Obscurity : [***__]
Explicability : [***__]
Important zombie fact: In addition to slow-moving Dawn of the Dead zombies and fast, kung-fu master Evil Dead zombies, there are slow-moving-with-fast-reflexes Slaughter zombies.
Election
A democratic election is taking place to determine the new leader of the Hong Kong triad: longtime gangster Lok, or ambitious moneyman Big D. No prize if you can guess who wins, and who gets pissed off.
Slow-moving but captivating film, with a race to recapture a sacred triad artifact and one quite good found-object fight scene. In fact, that last bit is so important it deserves its own category.
* * * R A T I N G * * *
Hak se wui (IMDB)
Wince : [*____]
Flinch : [****_]
Retch : [*____]
Gape : [****_]
Beerequisite : [*____]
Pornability : [*____]
Obscurity : [**___]
Explicability : [*****]
Scene I'd watch on endless loop: The spoon-eating scene. Or maybe those crates being rolled down the cliff.
Slow-moving but captivating film, with a race to recapture a sacred triad artifact and one quite good found-object fight scene. In fact, that last bit is so important it deserves its own category.
* * * R A T I N G * * *
Hak se wui (IMDB)
Wince : [*____]
Flinch : [****_]
Retch : [*____]
Gape : [****_]
Beerequisite : [*____]
Pornability : [*____]
Obscurity : [**___]
Explicability : [*****]
Scene I'd watch on endless loop: The spoon-eating scene. Or maybe those crates being rolled down the cliff.
The Four of the Apocalypse
Mysteries abound. Who are the Four? What happened to the Apocalypse? Why did I rent this?
Fulci's spaghetti western is a confused, meandering film about four misfits (a gambler, a drunk, a whore, and a retard) who flee a violent western town and strike out across the desert. They meet some quakers, a peyote-loving psychopath, a town of (only) men, and all sorts of other Jodorowskyesque elements. Pretty much everyone dies, albeit not apocalyptically. And there's a standout urine scene.
* * * R A T I N G * * *
I Quattro dell'apocalisse (IMDB)
Wince : [****_]
Flinch : [**___]
Retch : [**___]
Gape : [**___]
Beerequisite : [****_]
Pornability : [**___]
Obscurity : [**___]
Explicability : [**___]
Fulci's spaghetti western is a confused, meandering film about four misfits (a gambler, a drunk, a whore, and a retard) who flee a violent western town and strike out across the desert. They meet some quakers, a peyote-loving psychopath, a town of (only) men, and all sorts of other Jodorowskyesque elements. Pretty much everyone dies, albeit not apocalyptically. And there's a standout urine scene.
* * * R A T I N G * * *
I Quattro dell'apocalisse (IMDB)
Wince : [****_]
Flinch : [**___]
Retch : [**___]
Gape : [**___]
Beerequisite : [****_]
Pornability : [**___]
Obscurity : [**___]
Explicability : [**___]
Black Night
The world is shrouded in darkness save a few minutes of daylight each, er, day. Why? What effect does this have on society? What irreparable psychological damage will result?
These are not important enough questions to warrant screen time. What *is* important is that the main character, an entomologist specializing in moths, has dreams of the younger sister that died when he was a kid. As is usually the case, one of the staff (black+ imported - educated = a slave?) where he works appears in his bed, feverish and pregnant, and after getting killed forms a cocoon from which emerges, naturally, his ex-sister incarnated as an adult.
Don't expect any more sense out of this one: an atmospheric film with absolutely zero payoff (except for frequent breast shots).
* * * R A T I N G * * *
Nuit Noire (IMDB)
Wince : [****_]
Flinch : [*____]
Retch : [*____]
Gape : [***__]
Beerequisite : [*****]
Pornability : [**___]
Obscurity : [****_]
Explicability : [_____]
These are not important enough questions to warrant screen time. What *is* important is that the main character, an entomologist specializing in moths, has dreams of the younger sister that died when he was a kid. As is usually the case, one of the staff (black+ imported - educated = a slave?) where he works appears in his bed, feverish and pregnant, and after getting killed forms a cocoon from which emerges, naturally, his ex-sister incarnated as an adult.
Don't expect any more sense out of this one: an atmospheric film with absolutely zero payoff (except for frequent breast shots).
* * * R A T I N G * * *
Nuit Noire (IMDB)
Wince : [****_]
Flinch : [*____]
Retch : [*____]
Gape : [***__]
Beerequisite : [*****]
Pornability : [**___]
Obscurity : [****_]
Explicability : [_____]
Hollywood Shuffle
Robert Townsend drives right to the heart of the modern dilemma: How does one succeed as a black actor in Hollywood without playing any stereotypical, derogatory roles? Answer: work for the Post Office!
A send-up of 80s Hollywood that for obvious reasons is a bit hit-or-miss to watch now. Worth watching for the Movie Biz thread, but try to avert your eyes during the Bat Boy scenes.
* * * R A T I N G * * *
Hollywood Shuffle (IMDB)
Wince : [***__]
Flinch : [*____]
Retch : [*____]
Gape : [**___]
Beerequisite : [****_]
Pornability : [_____]
Obscurity : [**___]
Explicability : [***__]
A send-up of 80s Hollywood that for obvious reasons is a bit hit-or-miss to watch now. Worth watching for the Movie Biz thread, but try to avert your eyes during the Bat Boy scenes.
* * * R A T I N G * * *
Hollywood Shuffle (IMDB)
Wince : [***__]
Flinch : [*____]
Retch : [*____]
Gape : [**___]
Beerequisite : [****_]
Pornability : [_____]
Obscurity : [**___]
Explicability : [***__]
Monday, January 28, 2008
Imprint
Billy Drago returns to 19th-century Japan to find the woman that he loved and abandoned years before. He has tracked her down to an island inhabited only by demons and whores, where a disfigured prostitute explains to him the (naturally horrific) fate that befell her.
This is everything you want in a Takashi Miike film. The acting is very, very poor. The torture is very, very good. The ending is very, very odd. Maestro!
* * * R A T I N G * * *
Masters of Horror: Imprint (IMDB)
Wince : [****_]
Flinch : [****_]
Retch : [***__]
Gape : [****_]
Beerequisite : [****_]
Pornability : [***__]
Obscurity : [**___]
Explicability : [**___]
Line that sticks with you: "Do I have your attention now, mister?"
Position on the Audition-Needle-O-Meter: Off the scale.
This is everything you want in a Takashi Miike film. The acting is very, very poor. The torture is very, very good. The ending is very, very odd. Maestro!
* * * R A T I N G * * *
Masters of Horror: Imprint (IMDB)
Wince : [****_]
Flinch : [****_]
Retch : [***__]
Gape : [****_]
Beerequisite : [****_]
Pornability : [***__]
Obscurity : [**___]
Explicability : [**___]
Line that sticks with you: "Do I have your attention now, mister?"
Position on the Audition-Needle-O-Meter: Off the scale.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Persepolis
There's not much to say about Persepolis: it is the (animated) film adaptation of Marjane Satrapi's semi-autobiographical comics about life as an Iranian ex-pat (and pre-ex-pat and ex-ex-pat), and it is excellent.
Obviously there is good culture insight on the difference between Tehran and Vienna or Paris, as well as the impact of Western culture on Iranian citizens during and after the Islamic Revolution. Marjane pursues rock, punk, alcohol, and partying as a form of rebellion against the state authority that executed her neighbors and family members; this alienates her in Iran as much as being Iranian alienates her in the West.
* * * R A T I N G * * *
Persepolis (IMDB)
Wince : [_____]
Flinch : [*____]
Retch : [_____]
Gape : [*____]
Beerequisite : [_____]
Pornability : [_____]
Obscurity : [*____]
Explicability : [****_]
Obviously there is good culture insight on the difference between Tehran and Vienna or Paris, as well as the impact of Western culture on Iranian citizens during and after the Islamic Revolution. Marjane pursues rock, punk, alcohol, and partying as a form of rebellion against the state authority that executed her neighbors and family members; this alienates her in Iran as much as being Iranian alienates her in the West.
* * * R A T I N G * * *
Persepolis (IMDB)
Wince : [_____]
Flinch : [*____]
Retch : [_____]
Gape : [*____]
Beerequisite : [_____]
Pornability : [_____]
Obscurity : [*____]
Explicability : [****_]
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Colma: The Musical
Colma: the indie musical! That's either two reasons to love it or two reasons to hate it, depending on your taste.
The story itself is straight-up indie belated-coming-of-age tale: angsty post-high-school kids hunt for jobs, struggle with relationships, and try to move out of their parent's place. Who needs suspension of disbelief? This stuff happens every day!
The sense of unreality, therefore, must be enforced with musical numbers. Some of them are flat and uninspired, seemingly supplied out of genre necessity ('Colma Stays', 'Crash the Party'); some poke fun at indie films, Colma included ('Friend Joseph' aka 'Quirky, Quirky, Quirky'); and some are just plain fun ('Goodbye Stupid').
What is there to say? You'll hate it if you hate musicals, you'll hate it if you hate indie coming-of-age films, and you'll either hate it or like it otherwise. Personally, I hated the first half but liked the second half, when the tone seemed to change from whiney to humourous.
* * * R A T I N G * * *
Colma: The Muscial (IMDB)
Wince : [****_]
Flinch : [*____]
Retch : [*____]
Gape : [**___]
Beerequisite : [****_]
Pornability : [*____]
Obscurity : [***__]
Explicability : [***__]
The story itself is straight-up indie belated-coming-of-age tale: angsty post-high-school kids hunt for jobs, struggle with relationships, and try to move out of their parent's place. Who needs suspension of disbelief? This stuff happens every day!
The sense of unreality, therefore, must be enforced with musical numbers. Some of them are flat and uninspired, seemingly supplied out of genre necessity ('Colma Stays', 'Crash the Party'); some poke fun at indie films, Colma included ('Friend Joseph' aka 'Quirky, Quirky, Quirky'); and some are just plain fun ('Goodbye Stupid').
What is there to say? You'll hate it if you hate musicals, you'll hate it if you hate indie coming-of-age films, and you'll either hate it or like it otherwise. Personally, I hated the first half but liked the second half, when the tone seemed to change from whiney to humourous.
* * * R A T I N G * * *
Colma: The Muscial (IMDB)
Wince : [****_]
Flinch : [*____]
Retch : [*____]
Gape : [**___]
Beerequisite : [****_]
Pornability : [*____]
Obscurity : [***__]
Explicability : [***__]
Cloverfield
Hyped in Manhattan, hated by Ron Jeremy*, compared with Blair Witch due to its "found footage" approach.
This is a simple film: a monster is rampaging through Manhattan, the main characters are idiots, everyone dies. The film's big money shot, the head of the Statue of Liberty getting rolled down some LES street, is shown fairly early to let you know that it's time to just sit back and watch everyone get killed.
Very enjoyable, for what it is -- what it is being a monster movie with no script to speak of and a lot of shaky camera work (which, if you follow modern cinema at all, shouldn't bother you). Seeing it in Manhattan makes you leave the theater cringing, constantly on the lookout for CGI tentacle-legs to come crushing down from above.
The monster is a vague CGI thing that seems different every time it appears (oops?), the introductory party/romance scene is far too long and dull, and the character with the camera not only fails to point it in the right direction, but is so annoying that you find yourself pray he dies so that someone else can take a turn behind the lens.
All in all: fun to watch, more fun to bitch about at the pub afterwards.
* * * R A T I N G * * *
Cloverfield (IMDB)
Wince : [****_]
Flinch : [***__]
Retch : [***__]
Gape : [**___]
Beerequisite : [****_]
Pornability : [_____]
Obscurity : [_____]
Explicability : [**___]
* Ron Jeremy does not appear in or around this film; He simply expressed His great Displeasure at a book-signing shortly after seeing this.
This is a simple film: a monster is rampaging through Manhattan, the main characters are idiots, everyone dies. The film's big money shot, the head of the Statue of Liberty getting rolled down some LES street, is shown fairly early to let you know that it's time to just sit back and watch everyone get killed.
Very enjoyable, for what it is -- what it is being a monster movie with no script to speak of and a lot of shaky camera work (which, if you follow modern cinema at all, shouldn't bother you). Seeing it in Manhattan makes you leave the theater cringing, constantly on the lookout for CGI tentacle-legs to come crushing down from above.
The monster is a vague CGI thing that seems different every time it appears (oops?), the introductory party/romance scene is far too long and dull, and the character with the camera not only fails to point it in the right direction, but is so annoying that you find yourself pray he dies so that someone else can take a turn behind the lens.
All in all: fun to watch, more fun to bitch about at the pub afterwards.
* * * R A T I N G * * *
Cloverfield (IMDB)
Wince : [****_]
Flinch : [***__]
Retch : [***__]
Gape : [**___]
Beerequisite : [****_]
Pornability : [_____]
Obscurity : [_____]
Explicability : [**___]
* Ron Jeremy does not appear in or around this film; He simply expressed His great Displeasure at a book-signing shortly after seeing this.
Red Handkerchief
After killing a witness during a scuffle at the police station, ambitious young policeman Mikami is force to resign. He leaves Tokyo only to be found by a colleague, years later, eeking out a guilt-ridden existence as a guitar-playing laborer and drifter.
Convinced to return to Tokyo, Mikami finds his former (and also forcibly-retired) partner has become a successful, and smells something fowl. He uses his old street smarts to scour the Tokyo underground for answers, often getting beat up for singing the title song.
* * * R A T I N G * * *
Akai hankachi (IMDB)
Wince : [***__]
Flinch : [**___]
Retch : [*____]
Gape : [*____]
Beerequisite : [**___]
Pornability : [*____]
Obscurity : [***__]
Explicability : [***__]
Convinced to return to Tokyo, Mikami finds his former (and also forcibly-retired) partner has become a successful, and smells something fowl. He uses his old street smarts to scour the Tokyo underground for answers, often getting beat up for singing the title song.
* * * R A T I N G * * *
Akai hankachi (IMDB)
Wince : [***__]
Flinch : [**___]
Retch : [*____]
Gape : [*____]
Beerequisite : [**___]
Pornability : [*____]
Obscurity : [***__]
Explicability : [***__]
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Long Dream
A patient at a rather run-down hospital is troubled by dreams of increasingly longer length: in a single night, the patient will live hours, days, years. As the duration of the dreams increases, the doctors begin to wonder what will happen when his dreams become infinitely long.
Basically a well-thought out Outer Limits episode, with about the same quality of acting and effects. Fun though.
* * * R A T I N G * * *
Nagai yume (IMDB)
Wince : [***__]
Flinch : [*____]
Retch : [*____]
Gape : [**___]
Beerequisite : [***__]
Pornability : [_____]
Obscurity : [****_]
Explicability : [***__]
Basically a well-thought out Outer Limits episode, with about the same quality of acting and effects. Fun though.
* * * R A T I N G * * *
Nagai yume (IMDB)
Wince : [***__]
Flinch : [*____]
Retch : [*____]
Gape : [**___]
Beerequisite : [***__]
Pornability : [_____]
Obscurity : [****_]
Explicability : [***__]
Saturday, January 5, 2008
I Stand Alone
The touching story of the budding relationship between a man and his gun.
A butcher finds himself alone in the world after his release from prison. He tries to make a new start in life, moving in with his pregnant mistress and her mother, but cannot silence the inner voice that fuels his hostility. He returns to Paris to search for work and his daughter, and finds himself alone and desperate in an hourly-rate hotel room.
Despite its reputation for extremity and the danger-danger "You have 30 seconds to leave the theater" warning, there is nothing truly shocking in this film -- as a viewer, you can see it all coming well in advance (except for Pachebel's Canon, introduced at an entirely unexpected moment).
Gritty, misanthropic, a muttering curse of a movie that sets itself against all that is good, nice, and complacent. Highly recommended.
* * * R A T I N G * * *
Seul contre tous (IMDB)
Wince : [*____]
Flinch : [**___]
Retch : [**___]
Gape : [**___]
Beerequisite : [**___]
Pornability : [****_]
Obscurity : [**___]
Explicability : [***__]
A butcher finds himself alone in the world after his release from prison. He tries to make a new start in life, moving in with his pregnant mistress and her mother, but cannot silence the inner voice that fuels his hostility. He returns to Paris to search for work and his daughter, and finds himself alone and desperate in an hourly-rate hotel room.
Despite its reputation for extremity and the danger-danger "You have 30 seconds to leave the theater" warning, there is nothing truly shocking in this film -- as a viewer, you can see it all coming well in advance (except for Pachebel's Canon, introduced at an entirely unexpected moment).
Gritty, misanthropic, a muttering curse of a movie that sets itself against all that is good, nice, and complacent. Highly recommended.
* * * R A T I N G * * *
Seul contre tous (IMDB)
Wince : [*____]
Flinch : [**___]
Retch : [**___]
Gape : [**___]
Beerequisite : [**___]
Pornability : [****_]
Obscurity : [**___]
Explicability : [***__]
Friday, January 4, 2008
The Peeping Tom
Are you a peeping tom? Well, you're going to feel like one at the start of this movie! The opening sequence is from a camera focussed on the legs of pedestrians. From there the film moves on to the obligatory woman-masturbating-in-a-shower scene, then the girls undressing scene, and so forth. Really puts you in the right frame of mind for what follows: fixating on women's legs is normal, right?
What makes this movie work is the serial killer himself: a delightfully sociopathic performance. The teashades, the cut-here dotted lines drawn on victims with a sharpie, the total disregard for -- well, for just about everything.
* * * R A T I N G * * *
Chik juk ging wan (IMDB)
Wince : [****_]
Flinch : [***__]
Retch : [***__]
Gape : [**___]
Beerequisite : [***__]
Pornability : [****_]
Obscurity : [***__]
Explicability : [**___]
What makes this movie work is the serial killer himself: a delightfully sociopathic performance. The teashades, the cut-here dotted lines drawn on victims with a sharpie, the total disregard for -- well, for just about everything.
* * * R A T I N G * * *
Chik juk ging wan (IMDB)
Wince : [****_]
Flinch : [***__]
Retch : [***__]
Gape : [**___]
Beerequisite : [***__]
Pornability : [****_]
Obscurity : [***__]
Explicability : [**___]
The Taste of Tea
A family drama, and a bit of a dress rehearsal for Funky Forest (including as actors Guitar Brother and one of the duo of galactic comedians). Character-driven surrealism culminating in a sunflower supernova.
The inimitable Yamada from Sharkskin Man, Peach Hip Girl provides another memorable performance here as the eccentric grandfather who drives everyone else's success -- including the production what may be the most irritating, and at the same time most catchy, pop songs to be featured in a film.
* * * R A T I N G * * *
Cha no aji (IMDB)
Wince : [**___]
Flinch : [***__]
Retch : [*____]
Gape : [***__]
Beerequisite : [***__]
Pornability : [_____]
Obscurity : [**___]
Explicability : [**___]
The inimitable Yamada from Sharkskin Man, Peach Hip Girl provides another memorable performance here as the eccentric grandfather who drives everyone else's success -- including the production what may be the most irritating, and at the same time most catchy, pop songs to be featured in a film.
* * * R A T I N G * * *
Cha no aji (IMDB)
Wince : [**___]
Flinch : [***__]
Retch : [*____]
Gape : [***__]
Beerequisite : [***__]
Pornability : [_____]
Obscurity : [**___]
Explicability : [**___]
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Killing Time (24/7)
The first thing you say to yourself when watching this film is "Wait, it's not dubbed."
The second is "Holy crap, does that guy piss a lot!"
Jake is a hired killer (more glorified terms such as hitman or assassin would imply some sort of skill or planning involved in his work) who lives (and sleeps?) with his sister. Sex, violence, and family issues with the more bloody scenes curiously replaced with low-quality animation.
* * * R A T I N G * * *
Killing Time (24/7) (IMDB)
Wince : [*****]
Flinch : [***__]
Retch : [**___]
Gape : [***__]
Beerequisite : [****_]
Pornability : [***__]
Obscurity : [****_]
Explicability : [**___]
The second is "Holy crap, does that guy piss a lot!"
Jake is a hired killer (more glorified terms such as hitman or assassin would imply some sort of skill or planning involved in his work) who lives (and sleeps?) with his sister. Sex, violence, and family issues with the more bloody scenes curiously replaced with low-quality animation.
* * * R A T I N G * * *
Killing Time (24/7) (IMDB)
Wince : [*****]
Flinch : [***__]
Retch : [**___]
Gape : [***__]
Beerequisite : [****_]
Pornability : [***__]
Obscurity : [****_]
Explicability : [**___]
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Freaked
Bill S. Preston, Esq., brings you this timely meditation on the price of fame. Washed-up actor Ricky Coogan sells out to endorse lethal chemical Zyglot-24 for the EES corporation. In the course of attempting to seduce an activist protesting the product, he ends up getting captured and freakified by circus showman Randy Quaid.
Countless sight gags and cameos abound as Ricky attempts to save his fellow freaks (including Mr T as the bearded lady, and Bobcat Goldthwait as a man with a sock-puppet for a head) with the help of his annoying troll soulmate, Stuey. Incidentally, Freaked contains some of Keanu's finest acting in an uncredited role as Ortiz the revolutionary dog-boy.
* * * R A T I N G * * *
Freaked (IMDB)
Wince : [****_]
Flinch : [*____]
Retch : [**___]
Gape : [****_]
Beerequisite : [****_]
Pornability : [*____]
Obscurity : [***__]
Explicability : [***__]
Memorable lines:
"Ugly enough to burn the nose hairs off a dead nun."
"I just laid a turd that's the spitting image of Kim Basinger. she's naked too!"
"Rastafar-eye!"
Countless sight gags and cameos abound as Ricky attempts to save his fellow freaks (including Mr T as the bearded lady, and Bobcat Goldthwait as a man with a sock-puppet for a head) with the help of his annoying troll soulmate, Stuey. Incidentally, Freaked contains some of Keanu's finest acting in an uncredited role as Ortiz the revolutionary dog-boy.
* * * R A T I N G * * *
Freaked (IMDB)
Wince : [****_]
Flinch : [*____]
Retch : [**___]
Gape : [****_]
Beerequisite : [****_]
Pornability : [*____]
Obscurity : [***__]
Explicability : [***__]
Memorable lines:
"Ugly enough to burn the nose hairs off a dead nun."
"I just laid a turd that's the spitting image of Kim Basinger. she's naked too!"
"Rastafar-eye!"
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