Starring: Bradley Cooper,
Leslie Bibb, Brooke Shields, Roger Bart, Ted Raimi Vinnie Jones
Plot: Leon (Cooper)
is a photographer with an obsession with the darker side of the city,
however when challenged by gallery owner Susan Hoff (Shields) to find
darker subject matter he by chance discovers a serial killer (Jones)
using the midnight subway system as an abattoir.
Review: Another
film to be adapted from Clive Barker’s “Books of Blood” short
story collection this film also marked the English language debut
from director Ryuhei Kitamura who much like Barker is equally no
stranger to blending genres. My main reason for checking this one out
those was the memory of Vinnie Jones’ role as the sharply dressed
serial killer who rides the midnight subway trains being compared to
that of Arnold Schwarzenegger in “The Terminator” and its
certainly a performance he nails here with him imposing form and ice
cold demenor.
Bradley Cooper’s
role as the photographer Leon meanwhile is kind of confusing as here
he plays a photographer obsessed with exposing the seedier side of
the city which we are lead to believe is for artistic purposes while
at the same time he shows no qualms about putting himself in harms
way when he chooses to photo graph a gang on the subway.
Frustratingly the background or reasons for Leon pursuing this work
is never made clear so why he’s willing to take such risks much
less become so obsessed with tracking down this suspected killer.
Of course seeing how
this is a film being based off a short story there is of course the
requirement to pad out the story which here questionably adds Leon’s
girlfriend who really doesn’t add a huge amount to the film in
terms of plot and really only served to bring an element of melodrama
to the final act. What is confusing though is how Kitamura manages to
craft a film which is clearly in need of some trimming as while the
additional elements certainly don’t detract from the story the film
still felt like it overstayed it welcome especially when it passed
the point I felt like we should be getting some kind of resolution.
Unsurprisingly for
Kitamura and the fact this is based on a Clive Barker text the film
is gratuitously bloody which can in some scenes work such as one
potential victim attempting to craw across the blood drenched floor
while other seem like bad 3D effects which made me wonder if this
film has ever been scheduled for any kind of 3D release. Still there
is still some inventive violence on show here as skulls are clubbed
with a meat hammer and crimson sprays across the carriages. The
highlight being when we get to see the nights quota of victims strung
up like a human abattoir.
kit
Outside of the gore
which is the arguably the obvious draw here Kitamura also brings his
underrated eye for detail in his settings as he bring a real feeling
of sleaze to the subways, while a cat and mouse style chase through
an abattoir bringing a real menace to Jones character as he stares
down a corridor of carcasses. All of which rises it about the
predicted disposable horror that the film is sold as, something also
not helped by its throwaway distribution by the studio.
A frustrating film
at time as it diverges from being an effective thriller to tedium but when it works it is an effective film but far from what fans of Kitamura have come to expect from the director who here feels at times like he's had his wings clipped.
Review: Reknown as one of the landmark titles of adult animation, this
notorious anime adapted from Toshio Maeda’s manga has continued to shock
each new generation of anime fan who no doubt were directed to it by
the previous generation. Of course when it was released in 1989 it
served in many ways to taint the impression the general public had about
anime while the hysteria lead by newspapers such as The Daily Mail began leading a public outcry to “Ban this sick filth”.
Of course looking at the film its easy to understand why audience
were so shocked when this title was released especially when there was
nothing else really like anime with the genre’s seemingly carefree
attitude its gratuitous sex and violence with the closest we had come to
such material in the west being the sporadic adult animated title such
as Heavy Metal or the films of Ralph Bakshi. Infact so uneducated
were audiences at the time especially with there being no internet to
refer to, anime was often refered to as Japanimation or Manga which was
certainly the case in the UK thanks to majority of titles being put out
by Manga entertainment.
Because of Urotsukidoji’s notorious legacy for myself it was always a
title I avoided much like many of the demon based titles, largely due
to the feeling of watching something you really shouldn’t especially
with popular titles of the era such as Violence Jack, Wicked City and Genocyber which
seemed to relish the levels of sex and violence with thie popularity of
these titles in many ways influenced the titles being available when I
started getting into Anime in the late 90’s were the focus was often on
more adventure, sci-fi and horror based titles than the staggering range
that anime fans now have available to them. At the same time with most
anime being only accessible via VHS releases / tape trading it limited
further what you could watch with the cost of these tapes often making
you more cautious about not wanting to be lumped with a tape you
couldn’t pass on. Still with the aim of trying to cross off the list
those anime titles for one reason or another I’d missed I finally
decided to bite the bullet and watch it.
Originally released as a series of three OVA’s (Original Video
Animation) which were edited down into this theatrical version for
western audiences at the same time cutting around 40 mins of gratuitous
sex and violence, something that many fans / anime sweaties are often
quick to gripe about despite there still being plenty of nudity,
gratuitous violence and demons befiling humans left in the film and
taking a look at the cuts list its nothing that I personally can’t live
without but of course if your the sort of anime fan who wants to see
such things and have the extra bucks to pay trader prices you can hunt
down the uncut version released in the Perfect collection via Anime 18.
The film meanwhile see’s the Earth realm as one of three
interconnected dimensions alongside the demon dimension of the Makai and
the more ethereal realm of the beast people known as the Jujinkai which
our antihero Amano and his sister Megumi belong to. The pair have spent
the last 300 years looking for the Chojin (or Overfiend) who according
to legend rises every 3000 years to bring the three realms together in
harmony. However despite the seemingly straightforward plot this is a
film heavy in random sub-plots and schemes being carried out by various
members of the demon realm whose encounters with humans usually end in
splatter heavy violence and more worryingly rape, something the film
certainly takes a shockingly lax approach to compared to the west.
Amano and Megumi’s mission soon leads them to encounter the shy clutz
and occasional peeping Tom, Negumo who has fallen for the popular
cheerleader Akemi and following a series of situations which
unquestionably make for awkward viewing the pair end up forming an
unlikely couple which is of course only complicated further when Negumo
is revealed to be the Chojin that Amano and Meguimi have been hunting
for. A reveal which in one of the more memorable moments sees him taking
on his gigantic demon form in a transformation sequence which sees a
trio of penis tentacles tearing through a hospital. The plot at times
can feel confusing and distracted which many fans blame on the cuts
while for myself it was mainly because of its desire to constantly work
in those graphic moments which see the film diverting off course to add
another thrill but when it works its still an interesting plot with some
fun twists along the way, especially as the prophecy might play out the
way that Amano expects.
Much like it’s creator the film’s influence on erotic anime and
especially the Hentai genre can be seen throughout the film as its hard
to ignore the scenes of graphic sex and roaming tentacles which when
combined with the explict violence makes it far from the most accessible
anime even though there are titles which followed in its wake which
certainly pushed the boundaries of taste further including Toshio
Maeda’s own L.A. Blue Girl. Needless to say that despite its
importance within the history of anime, this is not going to suit all
tastes however if you can stomach the more explict aspects to the film
it is still an enjoyable…if that’s the right way to phrase such an
experience that this film certainly is.
Plot: Documentary
charting the career and life of wrestling legend Andre Rene
Roussimoff better known as Andre the Giant.
Review: If we are
to believe everything about Andre we would be lead to believe he had
three rows of teeth and could drink 107 beers in a single sitting.
But standing at 7ft 4 in Andre was as big as his legend not to
mention one of the most recognisable faces in professional wrestling
even to non wrestling fans and it’s this legend that director Jason
Hehir attempts to find the truth behind as he features extensive
interview footage with his family, his fellow wrestlers and “Princess
Bride” cast members to craft a portrait of this iconic figure. This
is a film certanly not afraid to showcase his life from the
triumphant highs to the crushing lows which lead to his premature
demise.
Charting his rise to
fame in the first half it’s clear that Hehir is as fascinated with
Andre’s status as a real life giant as everyone who saw him while
he charts the making of his legend as he starts his rise through the
wrestling ranks becoming a headline attraction back when wrestling
was still broken up into territories defined by local television
coverage. Soon ending up as one of the biggest stars of Vince
McMahon’s “World Wrestling Federation” now better known as the
“WWE” as he helped McMahon essentially bring the end to the
territories as the company rode the introducion of cable TV.
One of the strengths
of the documentary really is in how Hehir manages to make a film
which is as appealing to the establish fan as it is to the newcommer
as while there might be extensive talk of the wrestling territories
and backstage politics here memorably highlighted by Andre chasing
off his minder while he’s trying to play cards. Hehir manages to
explain the mechanics of the wrestling industry to the newcomer
without slowing down the pace of the documentary. To this extent it
can be alittle jarring to have Hulk Hogan seemingly hijacking the
documentary to talk about his own career but thankfully he’s on
refreshingly modest form and its inclusion is more to build up the
showdown between himself and Andre and their iconic match at
Wrestlemania 3.
As a wrestling fan
the film more than delivers especially with the wealth of archive
footage which is included, especially for the lesser seen early
portions of Andre’s career. The documentary also does not shy away
from the brutal backstage politics of wrestling with many of the
wrestlers interviewed openly discussing Andre intentionally roughing
up wrestlers who either annoyed him or he perceived as threatening
his spot and its refreshing that the documentary doesn’t shy away
from the more negative aspects of Andre which only adds to the build
up to his match with Hogan were going into the match Hogan had no
idea if Andre was going to go along with his match plan or not.
While a large
portion of the film is unsurprisingly devoted to his wrestling career
Hehir does touch briefly on the making of “The Princess Bride”
were he memorably appeared as the giant Fezzik a role which William
Goldman had written with him in mind. Perhaps disappointingly to fans
of the film this section is one of the briefest but it does feature
some fond memories by his co-stars Cary Elwes and Billy Crystal
aswell as Director Rob Reiner reminiscing of dealing with a drunk
Andre suspended on wires so they could film a horse riding sequence.
Unquestionably this
is both touching tribute to the legendary wrestler which wrestling
fans will certainly enjoy but at the same time accessable enough that
the uninitiated will still find much to enjoy here.
Starring: Robert
Lansing, Steve Hanks, Nita Talbot, Jo McDonnell, Martina Deignan,
Barry Nelson, Tony Rigo, Raymond Forchion, Dick Callinan, Dolores
Sandoz, Frank Schuller, Mal Jones
Plot: When a leak at
a Florida power plant dumps several thousand tons of toxic waste into
the ocean it causes the local crab population to suddenly start
growing to monsterious size and start moving in on the local
population of a nearby fishing village.
Review: The sole
film from director Hernan Cardenas while also written by Ricou
Browning and Jack Cowden who also created “Flipper” making their
move into writing a movie about killer giant crabs a perfectly
logical one. This late entry in the animals run amok genre doesn’t
exactly bring anything new to the genre outside of the fact that its
about giant crabs which compared to the numerous shark movies out
there is certainly one of the lesser seen creatures of terror. I mean
even ants to my knowledge have clocked up more movies than our
crustacean pals have but stumbling across this on Amazon Prime who
recently have become almost shameless with the kind of movies they
choose to stock their on demand library with I thought it was an
interesting enough concept to check it out.
Opening to a
research lab were they are conducting experiments in increasing the
size of crabs using warm water and growth hormones as a warm to help
increase the world’s food supplies, especially when they discover
that the local crab population near the power plant have been growing
bigger which of course is nothing to do with the fact that a few tons
of toxic waste have been dumped in their part of the ocean which
anyone up to speed on their movie logic will know already that movie
radiation equals giant monsters compared to real life were it sadly
this is never the case. It’s here though that we are introduced to
journalist Jan (McDonnell) who is writing a story on the lab only to
soon also get involved with scientist Pete (Hanks).
Elsewhere bar owner
Moody attempts to keep the small town together by acting as their
unofficial head as he keeps the peace amongst the locals usually by
keeping them boozed up in his bar while he also acts as Pete’s
adopted father after his parents were killed in a drink driving
accident caused by Jan’s father who also runs the power station
responsible for all the giant crabs. There is a small part which
hints at bad blood between the two fathers but is as dropped as
quickly as its introduced like so many of the sub-plots in the film
which includes a group of Haitian refugees who wash up on the
outskirts of town and hide out in the mangroves and whose sole reason
for their inclusion seems to be so that Cardenas could work in an
angry mob who thanks to some old school racist tendency believe that
the Hiatians are to blame for all the strange happenings in town
which they equate to voodoo reminding us once more that there are few
things as dangerous as a group of drunks with an idea.
The crab attack are
sadly pretty sparse here and for the most part involve actors working
with a swarm of real crabs which are actually used pretty effectivly
especially during one of the scenes highlights when they swarm the
school bus which one of the locals Amos lives in with his attempts to
battle the invading crabs showing us that the banjo is as little use
as a weapon as it is an actual instrument.
The climax of the
film though see’s the towns folk battling an 8 foot crab which
somehow has managed to remain hidden until it suddenly destroys
Moody’s house. Created by Glen Robinson who’d previously worked
on effects for “King Kong” (1976) and “Flash Gordon which far
exceeds the expectations of the films low budget especially when he
built a complete crab and not just the front portion which you’d
expect. While still an impressive looking design it sadly lacks any
real movement meaning the actors are forced to run around a lot
shooting at it with shotguns and generally trying to sell it as being
more of a threat than it really is and perhaps Cardenas might have
been better just sticking with his initial crab swarm.
The downside to the
film other than the occasionally plodding plot threads certainly
comes from the lack of lighting during the night sequences which
really make it hard to see what exactly is supposed to be happening
half the time, which one of the attack scenes is for the most part
impossible to make out meaning that it lost much of its effect.
On the whole its not
a bad film just not the sort of film that your likely to watch more
than once and even then its throwaway entertainment at best
especially if your a fan of the genre.
Starring: Michael
Dudikoff, Steve James, Judie Aronson, Guich Koock, John Fujioka, Don
Stewart, John LaMotta, Tadashi Yamashita, Phil Brock, David Vlok
Plot: Joe Armstrong
(Dudikoff) a drifter conscripted into the U.S. Army to avoid going to
prison finds himself drawing on his ninjutsu training when his unit
are caught up in a plot to steal weapons from the army being carried
out by the Black Star Order of Ninjas.
Review: A standout
title for Cannon films which would inturn spawn a further four sequels as here
they once more attempt to cash in on the Ninja trend which itself was
less focused on any kind of historical accuracy and instead more
focused on the look of the Ninja outfit and general excuse to wheel
out all kinds of fun gadgets and weapons.
Here Michael
Dudikoff plays Joe a loner who has been trained in the ways of
Ninjutsu from birth which certainly comes in handy when he’s
required to pulls out these skills throughout the film and despite
not being a trained martial artist tapped into the James Dean vibe
that Cannon films wanted after audiences struggled to get on board
with the idea of a female ninja in the equally cult “Ninja 3: The
Domination”. Certainly Dudikoff nails that James Dean persona of
the loner with a chip on their shoulder but then here Dudikoff is far
from the most expressive of actors and for some reason seems to have
the same expression throughout. Even at the end were he is the hero
surveying the smouldering remains of the battlefield does he not
crack a smile and instead maintains the same gruff expression.
Thankfully what he
might lack in expressions he does make up for in terms of his
abilities as an action star even though he didn’t have any martial
arts skills at the time of filming unlike his co-star Steve James
which turned into something of an issue between the two with Dudikoff
not wanting to be shown up with James requesting that his fight
scenes be filmed on the opposite side of the compound to Dudikoff to
avoid further problems. The pair would eventually squash their issues
halfway through the production but watching the film you could easily
believe that Dudikoff was a trained martial artist especially when
you look at scenes like the sparing session between Dudikoff and
James. James though makes for a great co-star and much more than a
sidekick which is character had originally been written as and thanks
to James changing a lot of the dialogue which was one of the main
conditions of him agreeing to do the film and certainly it makes him
much more of his own heroic character especially during the final
showdown were he gets to fight his own battle.
The action
throughout while perhaps lacking in any kind of logic especially when
you get multicoloured ninja’s but it still manages to be enjoyable
as a popcorn action flick and with it’s high bodycount and
especially during the finale which features a ninja vs ninja showdown
between Dudikoff and the head ninja played by Tadashi Yamashita in a
fight which is a mixture of the pair trading Ninja gadgets (which
include wrist lasers!!) while simultaneously engaging in an obstacle
course. Needless to say this film more than delivers in mindless fun.
Perhaps having some
kind of expectation going into this film, seeing how its an American
Ninja movie perhaps made me view this in a more forgiving light, but
when approached with the view point of just having fun with the movie
it certainly delivers while the tight runtime which dedicates a large
portion to action scenes equally helps and really makes me keen to
see what else the series has to offer.
Starring: Sammo
Hung, Max Mok, Nina Li Chi, Fennie Yuen, Suen Yuet, John Sham, Billy
Chow, Lau Kar-Leung, Sun Yueh
Plot: Lo Tung (Hung)
and his friend Malted Candy (Mok) are pedicab drivers working in
1930’s Macao while hoping to win the hearts of their respective
love interests which soon leads them into unwanted attention from the
local gangster Master 5 (Sham)
Review: When I cast
my mind back to the early titles which first got me into Martial Arts
cinema there are the obvious classics like Jackie Chan’s “Police
Story” and Bruce Lee’s “Enter The Dragon” but it was this
film which first introduced me to the unlikely superstar Sammo Hung
who despite being on first appearances looking like a parody of the
traditional kung fu hero with his portly physique but as he proves
throughout this film (not to mention his extensive career) he is more
than capable of putting together some jaw dropping action scenes
which is perhaps one of the reasons this film is held in such high
regard by fans of Martial Arts cinema.
Blending comedic
slapstick with hard hitting action scenes right from the start as Lo
Tung and his friends engage in a tea house brawl with a group of
rival pedicab drivers which includes light tubes being branded like
lightsabers, while the number of people involved in this opening
brawl is quite staggering when you look at how well choreographed the
sequence is and only added to further by the brief appearance by Eric
Tsang as the cleaver welding restaurant owner.
While the film
certainly has it’s comedic elements largely provided by Hung as he
battles the lecherous old baker Fang (Yueh) for the affections of
Ping (Chi) who works for his aunts bakery. This plot line is perhaps
played with alittle too much Benny Hill style humour which does make
Ping suddenly falling for Lo Tung more than a little surprising
especially when she doesn’t seem to really care for him. The darker
elements however come with Malted Candy’s pursuit of Hsiao-Tsui
(Yuen) who he doesn’t realise is also a prostitute owned by the
gangster Master 5.
Considering how
light hearted the film is in the first half its actually quite a
shocking switch in tone that the film suddenly takes when it comes to
Malted Candy’s romance, which at one point see’s him and his
friends throwing drinks at her and generally treating her as being
below them, even though she only became a prostitute to pay her sick
father’s medical bills and now is trying to buy out her contract.
Certainly on the first watch its a jaring shift in tone which does
take you out of the film, especially considering how until this point
the film has been playing things in a comedic slant.
As problematic as
the plotting for the film might be the real draw is the action
sequences which unquestionably more than deliver here. For those of
you have never seen a Sammo Hung movie this more than showcases his
talent with not one but three standout fight sequences for him as the
first see’s him battling with poles the head of a gambling house
played by another legend Lau Kar-leung who despite being setup for a
return in the finale bizarrely never returns. We also get to see him
battling Master 5 and his knife welding goons in the finale which
also shows him demonstrating his usual surprisingly limber move set
which is still jaw dropping to watch and worth watching the film for
alone.
For some bizarre
reason this film is notoriously difficult to find and only further
argues the point for hanging onto so many of my VHS tapes, though
why this film has not been given a better release is really quite
baffling, especially when so many fans proclaim it as a high point in
his career. True it might suffer from some sudden shifts in tone and
questionable plotting but the action scenes alone make this one worth
taking the effort to hunt down.
Title: Island of Death Director: Nico Mastorakis Released: 1977 Staring: Robert Behling, Jane Lyle, Jessica Dublin, Gerald Gonalons, Jannice McConnell, Nikos Tsachiridis
Plot:
Christopher (Behling) and Celia (Lyle) are enjoying a break on a small
Greek island, while pursuing their favourite pastimes, which
unfortunately for the locals are sex and violence, meanwhile Inspector
Foster (Gonalons) is hot on their heels.
Review:
Probably the least well known of the video nasty list, yet arguably the
most notorious seeing how it only got taken off the list here in the UK
last year, still good things come to those who wait which this film
might be anything but, but still I think it’s easy to say that this is
possibly one of the most explicit movies to have made the list,
especially as it is essentially a constant stream of soft core porn,
nudity and violence, with only the most paper thin of plots to string
the scenes together, which is hardly surprising when Director Mastorakis
seemingly had two goals when he set out to make the movie and that was
to first make himself as much money as possible, while the second was to
make the most violent and perverse film possible after after being
inspired by “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre”, well more specifically
he was inspired when he found out just how much money Tobe Hooper was
making from it.
Opening with Christopher buried up to his waist
in what will later be revealed to be a pit of lime while Celia watches
and laughs mockingly we get our first taste of Christopher’s travel
documentary esq voice over which continues to appear randomly through
the film as the film now cuts back to a few days earlier as Christopher
and Celia arrive on the unnamed small Greek island looking like any
normal happy couple. Needless to say we are just about fifteen minutes
before they are having sex in a phone box while he phones their
mother…..yes that’s right they are also brother and sister (though
confusingly at times she is also referred to as being his cousin) and
really don’t seem to care much about the incestuous nature of their
relationship. So after that surprising opening, you would think that
Mastorakis might have blown his load early, until Christopher having had
his attempts at getting some morning fun rejected instead relives his
frustration with a passing goat before graphically killing it in what is
unsurprisingly the most talked about moment in the film.
This
murderous duo are almost polar opposites to each other when it comes to
thier motives, with Christopher murderous tendencies being drawn from
his own twisted religious beliefs, making him prone to ranting about his
role as the angel of purification and how his victims have sinned as he
kills, while these zealot esq beliefs of course makes the residents of
the island prime targets for his campaign to purify them of their sins,
especially when everyone is prone to spontaneous nudity and so sexually
open. Celia meanwhile plays things like his trusted accomplice though
seemingly minus Christopher’s religious rants, as she sets up the
majority of the murders, as Christopher voyeuristically enjoys watching
her having sex and frantically photographing her in action, which
seemingly seems to be the only cure for his own impotence, especially
when each of the murders are usually followed by frantic sex between him
and Celia and more frantic photography of their handiwork.
There
is barely a moment wasted here which is not being filled with death,
gore or sex or some amalgamation of the three, with the sound of a
camera shutter between each scene, creating almost an unintentional
feeling that each scene is like a little violent and nasty short, a
feeling only further reinforced by the beyond minimal plotting on offer
here, which is pretty much abandoned by the final quarter as we lead up
to the moments were we first joined the murderous duo, though don’t
expect anything to be any clearer by the time we get to were we first
started the film, as Mastorakis instead leaps even further into the
randomness void of pure cinematic insanity which has Celia making the
nasty (literally in this case) with a inbred looking famer, after he
beats up and farts (yes you read that right) on Christopher which is
around the same point that you realise that Mastorakis really doesn’t
care anymore, let alone has any idea how to end the movie.
The
death scenes are all explicit and filmed with an almost voyeuristic
glee, as Mastorakis unleashes a variety of interesting deaths from the
traditional stalk and slash, to the slightly more creative such as a
bulldozer blade and memorably using an aeroplane wing to hang one of
their victims during flight. Still none of these are shot with any sense
of fun are largely just gratuitous violence and gore, which frequently
makes for uncomfortable viewing.
“Island of Death” is another key
example of a film which made the Video nasty list and which no doubt
otherwise would have long since been forgotten like so many of the
titles on the list and furthering the belief that the list did more harm
than anything regarding protecting the movie going public from these
kinds of movies, instead providing exploitation fans and gore hounds
with a shopping list of titles to hunt down. Needless to say you can go
through life having not seen this film and be all the better, especially
as you won’t have wasted an hour and half of your life on this film,
which left me with the same feeling I had after watching “The Human
Centipede” an equally ghastly experience, which equally was all shocks
over substance and like this film also soon realised that it has nowhere
to go and no matter how low you sink the moral standard it still
doesn’t make up for the serious lack of plotting and as such, I would
recommend this only for video nasty completists and celluloid curiosity
seekers only.
Starring: Vince
Vaughn, Jennifer Carpenter, Don Johnson, Udo Kier, Marc Blucas, Tom
Guiry
Plot: Bradley Thomas
(Vaughn) a former boxer and drug mule finds himself drawn back into
his old life when he is laid off from his job at an auto-repair
company. However when a pick up gets botched he finds himself
imprisioned and with a debt to repay to his former employer Eleazer
(Mucciacito) who has now kidnapped Bradley’s wife Lauren
(Carpenter). Now Bradley has to assassinate a fellow inmate being
held in a maximum security facility.
Review: Perhaps if
Tarantino had not been on his own kick to revitalise the Western
genre with “Django Unchained” and “The Hateful Eight” we
would perhaps see director S. Craig Zahler in much more of a
mainstream light especially with his own take on the Western with
“Bone Tomahawk” memorably bringing cannibals to the wild
west while somehow managing to combine intelligent plotting with jaw
dropping violence and now with this film he attempts to do the same for
the prison drama.
Continuing the
recent move into more serious fare for Vince Vaughn following his
memorable turn on the largely forgettable second season of “True
Detective”. Here Vaughn is very much the velvet glove inside the
steel fist as he plays the hard hitting Bradley who thinks little of
the brutal damage he inflicts on those who stand in his way and this
is after we’ve seen him dismantle his wife’s car with his bare
hands after he discovers that she has been cheating on him. At the
same time he’s not just some mindless psychotic thug with his soft
spoken and straight to the point attitude while frequently insisting
he’s called Bradley and not Brad which makes him a very much a
different sort of character than you would expect, especially
considering the journey that we follow him on as he has to get from
his initial imprisonment at a medium security facility to the maximum
security facility of Redleaf by essentially beating the living hell
out of anyone he can.
On equally strong
form are the supporting cast which see’s Udo Kier as the go between
from Bradley’s former employee and whose dark threats regarding the
fate of Bradley’s wife in perticular the fate of their unborn
child which hints at the violence to come. Don Johnson is on equally
great form as Warden Tuggs who also uses the threat of violence and
the generally dire conditions of his prison and much like Bradley
plays against type as he constantly retains an air of cool, even when
the situation around him is getting increasingly out of control never
giving us the balistic meltdown we expect him to be building towards.
Despite the premise
this is far from he all out action fest that you might expect. Yes
there is certainly a lot of action here with some incredibly shot and
wide framed brawls really making the most of Vaughn’s boxing
training he undertook for the role but much like with “Bone
Tomahawk” Zahler teases out these moments, spending the first hour
establishing his characters and the botched drug deal which leads to
Bradley being incarcerated but its never boring especially with
Zahler showing the same kind of flair for dialogue as he has for
violence
Shot with an
intentional grindhouse eye for violence here it’s most jarringly
cartoonist in how its approached with arms being broken and noses
blooded it only gets worse when Bradley finally reaches the titular
cell block 99 located in the depths of Redleaf and were order is
maintained through the use of shock belts and less than humane
treatment of the inmates considered problematic to be sent down
there. Unquestionably these moments are cringe inducing and even
slightly nauseating in places thanks to the fantastic sound design
which really makes you feel the full impact of these moment. However
compared to the superhero style of action and quick cuts its almost
refreshing to see how Zahler holds back and just shoots the action
almost from the view point of the onlooker. Yes Bradley might be
overpowered in the damage he’s able to inflict with no real
explanation as to how he’s able to achieve some of these almost
superhuman acts of violence.
As of now Zahler
might be one of the few directors alongside Richard Kelly, The Soska
Sisters or Quentin Tarantino who I’m excited to see what they do
next which at the time of writing is the equally evocatively titled
“Dragged Across the Concrete” which will see him taking on the
police procedural which after seeing his first team films has me only
the more excited to see what other dark delights are yet to come.
Starring: Eun-Kyung
Shin, Ahn Jae-mo, Park Sang-myn, Kim In-kwon, Jang Se-jin, Yeon Jung-hoon, Lee
Eung-kyung, Kim In-mun, Gye-nam Myseong, Shin Shin-Ae
Plot: Eun-jin
is a high ranking gangster in the Korean Mafia who suddenly finds herself being
forced to find a husband to forfill the wishes of her dying sister who much
like Eun-jin’s new husband has no idea of her ties to the criminal underworld.
Review: The
first film in a trilogy, this action comedy is something of a double edged
sword as here we get solid action sequences alongside the comedic attempts of
Eun-jin to play both a wife and continue her role as a crime boss. Now this is
not exactly the most original of plots especially as there have been a slew of
comedies based around one party trying to hide their actions from their
significant other, much less ones based around a character having to act
against their general personality.
Opening to a rain drenched fight between two rival
gangster clans we are introduced to Eun-jin or more her legend as Mantis who
easily dispatches her gangster foes using her preferred weapon of choice can be
best described as a pair of scissor blades.Of course even without her unleashing bladed death Eun-Kyung Shin has
just as much of an intimidating presence when she’s just drinking tea and reading
the newspaper with Director Jo Jin-kyu thankfully playing things largely subtle
as he prefers instead to play up her tough and largely cold persona which
needless to say makes her attempts at finding her softer side only the more
amusing.
Predictably a lot of the humor is derived from Eun-jinn
attempting to play the dating game and find her softer side, initially though
some interesting advice from the make up artist that her henchmen find to help
her find a more feminine side to her look. It’s a chance encounter though that she meets
future Kang Soo-il (Park Sang-myn) who is astonishingly clueless about his wife’s
criminal activities not to mention extremely accepting of her cold demeanor as
any attempts her make to romance her usually end with him being kicked
comedically across the room.
Adding to the comedic element are her loyal henchmen who
are drawn into the attempts to find her a husband while at the same time mainly
relying on the resources open to them as seen by them filling up the church
with hostesses from their karaoke bars and fellow mobsters. Thrown into the mix
is the cousin of her henchman, who fresh from the country has big ideas about
being a mobster but zero clue of how he’s supposed to conduct himself let alone
the fact that his preferred weapon of choice is a the shin bone from a horse
really speaks volumes about him while at the same time largely being played for
laughs.
Were the comedy tends to fail or perhaps just gets lost
in translation are usually with the scenes between Eun-jin and Kang Soo-il with
him trying to undress her while she is asleep or her suddenly being tasked with
having a baby taking to essentially raping him as she forces him to continually
have sex with her in her attempts to get pregnant. Thankfully the comedy and
action of other scenes make up for these awkward moments which make it easier
to stomach.
In a Jackie Chan vein the action sequences blend
perfectly alongside the comedic moments with Eun-Kyung Shin showcasing some
incredible fighting ability, while the variety of these set pieces choreographed
by Kim Won-jin which include a knife
fight in a field being shot almost like a showdown between two samurai and a
warehouse gang fight really giving the kind of action I wasn’t expecting from
such a largely comedic film.
An entertaining watch if for a few tricky comedic moments,
the blending of styles works perfectly here while ending on a sequence which
had me eager to check out the sequel.
Starring: Charlize
Theron, James McAvoy, John Goodman, Til Schweiger, Eddie Marsan, Sofia
Boutella, Toby Jones, Roland Møller, Jóhannes
Jóhannesson
Plot: It's 1989 and
days before the collapse of the Berlin Wall, MI6 agent Lorraine Broughton is dispatched to recover a microfilm that contains the details of every intelligence agent on both sides of the Cold War active in Berlin, only to soon
discover that she’s not the only one who wants to find it.
Review: I’m
frequently surprised by what films are adapted from graphic novels with “Road
to Perdition” and “A History of Violence” being prime examples and this is
certainly the case for this film which is adapted from “The Coldest City” by
Antony Johnston which has since the release of the film been renamed “Atomic
Blonde” to strengthen the connection to the film.
While the idea of Charlize Theron being an action star
might seem like a new direction for her career following on from show stealing
turn as Furiosa in “Mad Mad: Fury Road” but at the same time it could be argued
that she’s had this edge to her career since turning up in the problematic yet surprisingly not terrible remake of “The Italian Job” or “Promethus” were she’s
seen doing push ups when she leaves her cryo-pod while her fellow crew mates
are too busy throwing up. Needless to say much like Linda Hamilton she really
is the hidden gem of an action heroine as she certainly proves here as she
teams up with Director David Leitch who here minus his “John Wick” co-director
Chad Stahelski is clearly attempting to continue in his efforts to re-invent
the modern action movie.
While it might be sold on the premise of being a female
John Wick a moniker that is almost as cringe-worthy and lazy as Hayao Miyazaki
being refered to as the “Disney of Japan”. Sadly this really is not we ultimately end up getting here despite Theron efforts to really deliver
something special and to her credit she really is one of the few remarkable
things about this film, more so when her performance was the only thing I
really wanted to save while the rest of the film just left me wanting to just
tear it down to the studs and start over.
For Theron this film is something of a passion project
and from her performance it’s certainly clear with her training for the film
which saw Theron not only cracking two teeth but also sparring with Keanu
Reeves who at the time was also gearing up for “John Wick 2”. When you see them
results of her hard work on screen you really have to commend her hard work
especially when it adds a sense of realism to her performance. More so when it
comes to the action scenes which much like “John Wick” certainly have a kinetic
flow to them as well as a touch of realism as her character is frequently
beaten up and blooded from each encounter while being shown taken ice baths to
deal with the injuries so that she can drag herself through to the completion
of her mission. If anything it was these action scenes that I wanted to revisit
more than the confusing plotting surround them.
The idea of setting the film during the cold war might
seem refreshing it really doesn’t give the film much outside of providing a significant
event to set the finale against. More so when going into the film I had no idea
that it was even supposed to be set in the late 80’s instead believing that I
was going to be watching Theron kicking ass in a post Soviet Russia especially
seeing the random ass get up of fellow agent David Percival played here by an underwhelming
James McAvoy who I ended up wishing they’d cut from the film or better still
just have Joaquin Phoenix reprise his performance from “Buffalo Soldiers” whose
character is what Percival essentially is once you remove the spy antics. Sadly
due to his significance to the plot we are lumbered with him.
Elsewhere we get do get smaller and more effective performances
from Toby Jones who plays Theron’s MI6 superior and much like John Goodman who
plays his CIA counterpart is someone I never really tire of showing up in
surprising places like this, but here he is really one of the few performances
that I wanted to see more of here.
Ultimately the downfall of the film can be found in the
plotting which packed with double agents and the inevitable double and dare we
say triple crosses end up turning into a confused mess as the relevance of
certain characters becomes all the more questionable the more twists that are
added while others such as Sofia Boutella’s French agent Delphine are given
things to justify their presence in the story which in the case of Delphine
seems mainly to provide an unrequited lesbian sex scene between her and Theron
which like so much of the padding here added nothing to the story bar some
brief titillation, even though the film makers have been quick to defend her
role as being a way to humanize Theron’s character despite the fact we are
shown numerous shots of her pining for her lover and fellow agent we see being
killed at the start of the film.
Soundtrack wise it’s as predictable as to be expected as
the usual 80’s pop hits are dusted off because seemingly we can’t have any
mention of the cold war without Kaleida’s “99 Luftballons” working its way in
there while George Michael’s “Father Figure” just feels miss placed.. We do get
a couple of highlights in David Bowie’s “Cat People (Putting out fire)” being
used to the same effect it was in “Inglorious Bastards” with our female ass
kicker putting on her make up while “London Calling” by the Clash works equally
well.
Ultimately this is a forgettable spy thriller with some
memorable action scenes which much like Theron’s performance will no doubt be
one of the few things you remember about it when it’s over. Certainly this is a
character I would see developed or dispatched on a less confused plot as this
was far from the introduction it deserved.
Starring: Rodger
Bumpass, John Candy, Joe Flaherty, Eugene Levy, Alice Playten, Harold
Ramis, Percy Rodriguez, Richard Romanus, John Vernon
Plot: An anthology
of tales adapted from the pages of the mature comic book “Heavy
Metal”
Review: For those
not familiar with the mature comic “Heavy Metal” it's no doubt a publication best known for its focus on
fantasy and sci-fi stories which are presented with a healthy dose of
nudity, violence, drugs and erotica. It’s also a comic which
interestingly is also owned by Kevin Eastman who lets not forget was
also responsible for giving the world the “Teenage Mutant Ninja
Turtles”.
The film itself is a bumper collection of nine tales tied together by a mysterious green orb called the Loc-Nar
which also describes itself as “the sum of all evils” and as we soon
discover has been responsible for influencing societies throughout
time and space while usually bringing misfortune to those who
encounter it. Each story has its own distinctive style from the “Sin
City” style noir of the opening story “Harry Canyon” through to
the ultra violent barbarian fantasies of “Den” and “Taarna”
which makes it an easy film to get into especially as if you don’t
like one story its not long till you move onto a new one.
Directed by Gerald
Potterton who is no doubt best known for his work as an animator on
arguably the best Beatles movie “Yellow Submarine” here his style
is just as experimental incorporating elements of rotoscoping aswell
as a distinctive hand drawn animated style which brings to mind the
work of Ralph Bakshi. More so when characters frequently can be found
engaging in some form of bad or deviant including (but certainly not
limited to) a pair of alien pilots snorting mile long lines of coke
off the floor of their spaceship.
While the animation
style might look a little more dated there is still unquestionably a
charm to this hand drawn style of animation and it perfectly suits
the stories being told much like the voice cast who might be
surprising to see attached to this film and no doubt the result of
Ivan Reitman being attached as the producer, but they all really play
their roles well with John Candy’s voice work in particular really
left me wishing that he had done more voice work as here he really
shows a talent for it.
Adding to the action
is a classic rock soundtrack which thankfully forgoes the usual
obvious choices and instead gives us lesser known tracks from the
likes of Cheap Trick, Grand Funk Railroad and Sammy Hagar which
really is the kind of soundtrack you want when you open your film
with a Corvette being driven out of a spaceship and landing on Earth
by it’s astronaut driver (or should that be pilot). Still
regardless of the setting of each story the soundtrack somehow works
well with the onscreen action, though frustratingly one of the
stories being cut due to production delays meant that we lost “Time”
by Pink Floyd from the soundtrack.
It’s true that due
to the voyeuristic style throughout the film which much like its
source material is not something that will suit all tastes, but if
you liked the brash style of “Sin City” you will no doubt find
this film very much its kindred spirit. Yes it’s rude, foul mouthed
and seemingly devoid of even the most base morals but at the same
time it’s so much fun that it’s hard to draw too much of an issue
with it’s frequently outlandish world view and for fans of adult
animation, especially those who came up through the anime boom of the
late 80’s and early 90’s will no doubt get a kick out this one.
Adapted from the
indie comic series of the same name by Charles S. Forsman the series
follows 17 year old James (Alex Lawther) who believes he’s a
psychopath and fellow classmate Alyssa (Jessica Barden) who has her
own issues including a problematic home life which includes being
sexually harassed by her stepfather. Wanting to escape their problems
the pair set out on a spontaneous road trip / crime spree.
Switching between
it’s two leads who take turn to narrate the story its clear from
the start that both James and Alyssa are outsiders. James more
obviously as he keeps to himself while observing his fellow students
as he attempts to find the perfect victim to evolve his growing
psychotic tendances which thanks to some Wes Anderson style framing (which sadly isn't carried past the pilot episode)
we see has until now been restrained to various animals. Alyssa on
the other side of things feels that she can’t connect with anyone
around her as her so called friends want to talk to each other
through text messages even when they are sitting across from each
other. Equally with her explosive temper and general Don’t give a
shit attitude especially with her mother seemingly more focused on
living her life of domestic bliss to seemingly notice anything that’s
happening with her daughter.
Thrown together the
series initially is more focused on wether James will kill Alyssa or
not, especially as his every other thought early on seems to be
having fantasies of him killing her, but surprisingly its once the
series moves past this and focuses instead on these two lost souls
finding themselves through each other that the story really starts to
find it’s grove with the pair finding themselves soon on the run
from the law after a run in with an actual psychopath end messily.
Both Lawther and
Barden are great as the leads and really manage to make this unlikely
relationship work though the character of James does suffer from
being at times limited especially for the first half of the series
were he’s essentially limited to his psychotic fantasies and while
his character is more redeemed in the second half of the series
especially when we find out more about his troubled past. Alyssa
however remains a fun and feisty character throughout especially when
she’s seemingly unable to find any situation she can’t find
someone to fallout with or to subject to her wrath.
Outside of the pairs
Bonnie and Clyde antics, the show receives strong support from an
interesting mix of characters in particular Gemma Whelan and Wunmi
Mosaku as the detectives trying to track down James and Alyssa, while
dealing with their own relationship being strained by a misguided
advance but like everything in this series nothing should be taken on
first impressions and this is certainly the case here as well and to
watch them evolve over the course of the series only makes the world
more believable as characters are given ample time to be fleshed out
into multi-level characters rather than just being included to give a
sense of tension to James and Alyssa’s journey.
Certainly this is one of the
more unique series of last year it went largely unnoticed despite
receiving a strong advertising push. Recently though the series got
picked up by Netflix which is possibly the platform that it needs,
especially as this fast paced black comedy is still worth
discovering.
Starring: Brandon
Lee, Michael Wincott, Ernie Hudson, Rochekke Davis, Bai Ling, David
Patrick Kelly, Angel David, Jon Polito, Tony Todd, Sofia Shinas,
Michael Massee, Laurence Mason
Plot: One year after
being murdered Eric Draven (Lee) is resurrected by the power of The
Crow to extract revenge on the gang who killed him and his fiancée
Shelly (Shinas)
Review: An iconic
cult movie for a number of reasons especially in terms of style and design aswell as the tragic death of leading man Brandon Lee in an event echoing the death of
his own father Bruce Lee. More so when this film much like “Enter
The Dragon” is frequently seen as the film which would have finally launched
Brandon into the mainstream having previously put in memorable turns
in “Showdown In Little Tokyo” and “Rapid Fire”. Certainly
for myself it was one of those films whose VHS cover drew me in long
before I knew anything about the film or it’s tragic and highly
problematic production as I discovered it of all places in my local
(and long since defunct) record store and since that initial
discovery has remained a film I still love to go back and revisit.
Based on the equally
cult comic book by James O’Barr who had originally wrote the
story as a way of dealing with his own personal grief when his
fiancée was killed by a drunk driver, while drawing further
inspiration for the story from a newspaper article he'd read about a
young couple who were killed in Detroit for a $20 engagement ring.
At the same time it should be noted that while the source comic is
still an incredible piece of work and certainly raw emotion with its
distinctive black and white illustration it’s not a piece which
works as a straight adaption. As such instead of following the source
material’s path of unflinching violent revenge between bouts of
Eric’s emotional torment we get a more traditional revenge movie
yet one which still retains the core elements of the source material.
Proyas brings the
world certainly to life here as he paints a crime riddled vision of
Detroit were it is almost permanently night and raining, only
allowing some colour into the world once Eric gets close to
completing his quest for revenge. Proyas had though originally wanted
to shoot the film completely in black and white and only use colour
for the flashback sequences which the studio unsurprisingly wouldn’t
get behind especially for what was already a risky concept. Still
while perhaps not the vision he had intended this city of almost
permanent midnight is still an effective playground for the story to
playout in.
While he might not
have been the first choice for the role of Eric with O’Barr citing
Johnny Depp as his personal choice for the role, while River Phoenix
and Christian Slater were also seen as being up for consideration
for the part. Brandon Lee though was of course much more of an
unknown talent and no doubt better known for being the son of a
famous martial artist than his previous films, but watching the film
now and seeing how he embodies the role of Eric its hard to see
anyone else in the role and even now after numerous sequels it’s
still Lee which we see as being the definitive embodiment of the
character. What further helps Lee’s portrayal of the character are
the moments of humanity he gets throughout rather than just being a
vessel for revenge on T-Bird and his gang and while the flashbacks
might be a little too smaltzy he does manage with these brief flashes
of his former life manage to give us an idea of who he was before he
became “The Crow”.
Considering Lee’s
background as a martial artist it might seem strange in the fact that
he doesn’t in fact get to do much bar a move here or there with the
film being much more focused on heroic gunplay. Were it does pay off
though is with his body movements and much like the casting of
dancers like Michelle Yeoh in Martial Arts movies here it equally
pays off as Eric is shown as moving with cat like movements
especially as he prowls the city roof tops in search of the gang
members on his list. The fact that he is so charismatic and hypnotic
in his performance is only an added bonus.
Opening on “Devil’s
Night” the night before Halloween were the city gangs cause acts of
vandalism and arson throughout the city, which surprisingly was
actually a thing in Detroit until the mid 90’s when it was Detroit
official's organised “Angel’s Night” were volunteer patrols
protect their neighbourhoods from arson attacks. Here though it’s
seen as a calling card for the city’s top crime boss Top Dollar
(Wincott) a minor character in the comic who here gets a promotion to
the film’s big villain which is only added to by the charismatic
Michael Wincott which might be his most iconic role to date outside
of voicing “Death” in “Darksiders 2” and as such has meant
that its always been kind of disappointing to see him frequently not
getting to play more of these kinds of roles in the films he’s made
since.
Top Dollar is really
the perfect sort of villain for this Gothic vision of Detroit as he
carries himself with the right amount of theatricality, while his
half-sister / lover Myca (Ling) helps to fill in the rules for the
crow by adding the subtle element of mysticism without the action
getting too fantastical, which really isn’t the easiest thing when
your essentially dealing with a supernatural force of vengeance. At
the same time the gang responsible for murdering Eric along with his
fiancée lead by the Milton quoting arsonist T-Bird (Kelly) are all
colourful and unique in their quirks which ultimately become the
tools of their demise and really add to this “Sin City” style
world which Proyas creates here and which he would carry across to
the criminally underrated “Dark City”.
The soundtrack
throughout really makes the film a time capsule of it’s release
with Proyas compiling a suitably grungy soundtrack featuring the
likes of Stone Temple Pilots, Rage Against The Machine and the
Rollins band. Nine Inch Nails also fittingly provide a cover of the
Joy Division track “Dead Souls” tying the film further to the
source material. Proyas also features live performances by both
Medicine and My Life With The Kill Thrill Cult the later whose club
performance soundtracks the boardroom shoot-out. The only real
downside to the soundtrack is the use of “Burn” by the Cure which
is not down to the track which itself perfectly matches Eric applying
his harlequin styled face paint but rather the issues come with the
fact its a choppily edited version which really stands out if your
familiar with the track. Unsurprisingly the grunge / goth ascetic of
the film combined with the soundtrack which still holds up now saw
the film being often sold in record stores, which is certainly how I
first came across it were it was displayed amongst the VHS copies of
“REM: Road Movie” and “Nirvana Live Sold Out”.
A fantastic film
which unfortunately broke the mould so that any of the attempts to
expand the mythology through different souls either in the films
which followed or the numerous spin off comics / books none came
close to matching what Brandon Lee gives us with Eric more often than
not characters being left feeling like they were in some way
attempting to mimic his performance and or character. As such this
remains a beautiful curiosity and one which like any actor who dies
when they are just getting noticed if this would have been his
breakout film or not. Sadly we will never know but it remains a
fitting end note to go out on.
Basically this is my love letter to the cinema I adore, with the main focus being to look away from the mainstream and instead look more in the direction of Cult, Foreign and Obsure cinema and everything that comes in between. This blog is also about keeping movie going fun and embracing the randomness, that can often be found, while also uncovering the occastional hidden great, often in the most unlikely of places.
I try to add somthing new atleast once a week, but I'd rather keep this blog fun to write and so i'm not neglecting commitments outside of this blog.
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