joekats Reviews

Area 88 (1985– )

A real classic!

[16 May 2010]

Area 88 had blown the mind of every boy that saw it for the first time, during the 80's.It wasn't just the great design and amazingly realistic aerial battle scenes. It was a great story also.

Shin Kazama a promising young pilot of Yamato airlines, is just starting his career. He seems to have everything, his childhood friend and also a pilot Satoru Kanzaki and his fiancé Ryoko (daughter of Yamato Airlines president) are his closest people. He never realizes how jealous Kanzaki is of his good fortune until its too late. He will be tricked to sign a contract as a mercenary fighter pilot in an organisation that resembles Legion Etranger and fights in favour of the government forces in the Arabian Kingdom of Arslan. The unit's sector code is Area 88. There are only 2 ways to leave Area 88. Finish a 3 year old tour or buy your contract for 1,5 million dollars. Each comfirmed kill and successful mission means extra money, but every pilot has to care and buy how own equipment. Anyone who tries to escape is punished by death and its evident that the organisation has a long reaching arm.

Shin understands that the only way for him to find peace is to last through the violence of war. Killing is the only way to be free but every killing seems to erase a part of his old self. He meets various characters as Rocky the reporter, McCoy the old black market master, who sells from toilet paper to missiles. Every pilot has his story and we see many characters, from bloodthirsty mercs to traumatized Vietnam ex pilots. Ryoko is trying to trace Shin, without knowing what really happened, while Kanzaki sieges her and the company of her father, getting closer and closer to his goal with plots.

We get to see the hell of war, allong with the pain of romance and the frustration of self doubt.

Wanted (2008)

What a waste of money...

[1/10 · 25 June 2009]

Thats what i thought after I finished watching the movie and the very few extras on DVD. Action movies are not famed for their deep meanning. But usually there is a basic plot justifying the action. Well not here. Its not just the lack of a believable plot (even in the action Hollywood context), but also the absurdity of it. A fraternity of assassins dated back to Middle Age, with highly trained personel and high-tech equipment, kills targets dangerous to the world safety and order. The problem is that the decision about who is dangerous for the world, is extracted by analysing the fabric produced by a ''devine'' weaving machine, based in an old factory resembling a castle.

Its not just idiotic but impressively dangerous idea the one passed around here. It tells us that extremely capable and intelligent persons take as granted everything a ''divine authority''tells them. Nobody questions the procedure. They just do what the voice of fate tells them for the good of mankind. Who wrote that thing George Bush? They don't even explain how the magic machine came up and why it isn't a medieval one, but industrial age, model.

The only good thing was McAvoy imo. I think he fitted the role. Angelina was there just for the label. But the plot was so weak and absurd that not even her legs could save it. I wont get at all into the clichés ''son against father'' but i would like to comment that the extermination of the arch villain is presented along the ending title sequence as something trivial.

Some scenes were shot in Prague. The fraternity castle-factory ones. The art director explained the trouble they went into covering the European type brickwalls with rubber American type ones. The attention to little details in the CGI creation of backgrounds. As a graphic designer im always fascinated by these things. But this time i felt so sorry for the art crue. They got into all this detail chase for a movie that had not the most basic thing. A sound storyline.

Sukiyaki Western Django (2007)

Bored to death.

[1/10 · 16 June 2009]

OK not to death (i cant be reviewing this from Hades) but certainly to sleep. When i rent this film i knew already that it wasn't a standard western. I expected a highly stylised movie with surrealistic elements and perhaps humour. Well none of those happened at least in the right way. I liked the idea of a Japanese influenced western. No problem with that. The language also didn't annoyed me that much since all the films in Greece have subtitles. It rather was on the good side of weirdness of this film.

The problem was with the plot. There wasn't any!! At least one that made sense! A gunslinger walks in a village torn between two gangs searching for gold. Thats it! Nothing more! Its absolutely childish and SLLLLLLLOW. OK you may think that many fun films have week plot which they match with great action. Well not here people.. The action shots are nothing special and many times they don't even show the result of the action. There is not even the extra gore element present, to spice things up. The performances had nothing special. Including Tarantino who propably was there just to have fun and get some bucks also.

I was thinking to see this in cinema, but thank god i had no time then. I rent it so they only fooled me in losing 2 euros. I fell asleep for 10min while watching it (wasnt even tired that day) and i didn't got back to see what i missed. That says a lot.

The Red Baron (2008)

It takes more than money and costumes to make a movie

[2/10 · 4 February 2009]

There are spoilers in this comment. Be warned.

I saw the Red Baron this noon. Generally i think that European cinema produces movies that may lack in CGI effects and budget, but have more depth and artistic value than the Hollywood ones.

This is not the case. This movie has a good deal of CGI graphics, they may not be a technological miracle but they are pretty decent and not annoying. The costumes are great and the scenery - especially the battlefield one- is really good. There seems to be a decent research about the aircrafts of the era and the insignia on them.

So this movie has a good production. If it had a good script and most of all a decent direction, it wouldn't be the mess that is now. I will pass on the historical left out parts, due to the notion we have today to represent other times, the way that suits our political correctness. When i see a film about Red Baron i expect a film full of spectacular air battles (the thing that did the man famous), a good representation of the WWI pilot character. What drives these men, what are their beliefs. The film just hints to the moral code they have but never lets us fully understand why does it exist. Why these men believe that they are whats left over European chivalrous spirit. The film never really shows, rather hints what divided Red Baron from the rest of the imperial army officers. The whole romance thing stretches too long. For Gods sake Red Baron was the absolute hero of his time. At the top of his youth. The man simply was a rock star before that term was even invented. Offcource he had romantic affairs. This whole thing could be done with in 2 scenes not the whole movie. The direction in some parts is just a joke. I mean you see the squadron getting ready to repel an English heavy attack. Everybody is dead serious and the Baron has a grim face. You think ''now its gonna be the big battle scene''. NAH!!! Gotcha! The next scene shows the planes landing and some heroes are just not in the movie anymore. Close to the end of the movie the whole thing shows that the big final battle of the Baron is about to begin. Again they prepare for the flight, they say their goodbyes by words or eyes and start the engines. You think ''oh boy its gonna be great''. Gotcha!! There is no final battle. You understand that the greatest aviator of WWI died because the nurse-girl visits...... HIS GRAVE!!!! My God this must be the most stupid ending of all times in a film named after the main role. I cant understand if they run out of money before they film the great battle, or the director skipped classes at school.

Westender (2003)

the definition of a pointless movie

[3 May 2008]

Many people say that this movie was bad. Its something more. Its pointless. There is no case, there is no climax. There is a guy dressed in a period costume wandering in slow pace through forest and desert. There are some phrases heard every 15-20 minutes and then walking again. Sorry but period/fantasy films require by definition budget. If its a students work they should stick to a comedy or a cult horror b-movie.

The reason why i write this review is not only because i just watched it as a late night show (4am)and left with a ''that was it?'' in the end. Mostly i write because i see an absolutely crazy propaganda from some people that write extremely good reviews for that thing. Propably most of those people are friends of the creators if not the creators he he he. People don't mind those critics. These are not real. The movie is horrible.