K_Todorov Reviews

Tokyo Gore Police (2008)

More Japanese splatter, more goodness

[9/10 · 2 January 2009]

Blood is a very important thing, I mean very important. Without it people, mammals in general, birds, fish, lizards, hell even insects tend to die. I'm afraid that is indeed true, luckily for us "Tokyo Gore Police" teaches us that an ordinary human body contains enough blood to put the entire European continent under water... under blood really. But blood can be very helpful, amazing I know, but "Tokyo Gore Police" shows us how we can use this completely ordinary not-so-interesting combination of some cells and some plasma as a stylish fashion accessory for our daily clothes. Even more, blood can help a human being fulfill one of his most ancient, ever since that video on youtube with that guy running around flapping his arms, and holy desires, namely to fly. To do so you must simply cut off or saw of your legs from the knee down and the endless gush of arterial blood will do the rest. Blood can also be used for offensive purposes, to accomplish this we must simply combine ordinary blood tissue with some brain and voila, bloody brain bullets with some nice visual and physical effect, also that way you can save some iron, some petrol, some gun powder thus ending the Financial crisis.

But "Tokyo Gore Police" teaches us so much more. Here are some short descriptions of the wisdom and brilliance director Yoshihiro Nishimura and writers Kengo Kaji and Sayako Nakoshi demonstrate in this film, in no particular order: - don't ever get on the wrong side with a woman who has jaws for legs. - on that same note, sex really hurts. - I mean really really hurts. - The worst thing that can happen to you if you're a policeman wearing a modern samurai armor is your friend, comrade and colleague trying to kill you with his penis. - having four katanas instead of four limbs looks kind of awesome. - having four machineguns instead of four limbs looks kind of awesome. - if you're planning on doing a chainsaw duel with a friend, don't do it in a crowded area, people might get hurt, oh, what am I saying. - don't ever buy one of those fist firing miniguns, pretty useless stuff.

And if that's not all, "Tokyo Gore Police" continually mocks itself, in a way, satirizing the whole violence-obsessed media by means of mock commercials, much in the same ways as Paul Verhoven did in his classic "Starship Troopers".

And if you seriously think "Tokyo Gore Police" is more cynical than some random action blockbuster just because it shows actual violence on screen, you need to rethink your moral values.

Seriously now, it's a wonderful splice of pure Japanese splatter, that doesn't takes itself seriously, but is actually pretty smart and inventive monster of a film. And running at 2 hours long it never bores with its head-on, full throttle pace, the only thing you could wish for is a sequel. Yoshihiro Nishimura, Kengo Kaji, Sayako Nakoshi a tip my hat off to you sirs, because this is a film worthy of the title: bloody brilliant.

Kibakichi: Bakko-yokaiden (2004)

Watch it for what it is.

[7/10 · 14 August 2008]

Directed by Tomoo Haraguchi "Kibakichi" is an entertaining piece of samurai goodness. Using a traditional Kurosawaesque plot, throwing some fantasy/horror elements, some decent amount of gore and you get 90 minutes of exploitation cinema with a moral. Fun stuff.

Samurai werewolf Kibakichi wonders into an old town populated by Yokai (Japanese demons) and aids them against the treacherous humans trying to destroy them. And there you have it, the plot in one sentence. Of course there's more to it, as first Kibakichi questions the morality of the Yokai(they eat humans). Must deal with some personal issues in a subplot that is left unresolved. Must be moved by the Yokai's peaceful ways (sort of) and the bond they share. Must decide to leave town. Must hear the evil human traitors arrive in town with their samurai and machine guns. Must go slaughter humans in full kill mode.

It's a fun film, a remainder of the 70s and 80s chambara flicks, where gore and fantasy elements mingled together creating some ludicrously fun action scenes. Choreography and sword play are decent enough and Haraguchi shot those scenes well enough. The gore is cheesy, blood fountains are cool, but it's the creature design that really shines. Reminiscent of the old monster movies, they are what sets Kibakichi apart and are really enjoyable in a B-movie kinda way. And did I mention machine guns? Yes I think I did, but for those of you not listening, there are machine guns here, more like mini-guns to be precise and that is so cool.

We can talk about acting, but that's not really a point in these kind of films. Yes you get this kind of in your face melodrama, but it's not all too unbearable plus the film isn't really marketed as an emotional experience. Otherwise the acting was fairly decent meaning it doesn't get all too annoying.

Although in it's core "Kibakichi" is a cheesy samurai/monster film, it does tackle the issue of racism well enough. Specifically racism in Japanese society which, let's face it, even today is obviously present with foreigners and Japanese of mixed blood living in Japan don't get always get equal treatment.

If you're in the mood for a high powered, kick ass, samurai exploitation flick, then Kibakichi is a good recommendation. Tomoo Haraguchi did well with this film, here's hoping the sequel is as good as this one

Bullet Ballet (1998)

Another example of tour de force film-making from Shinya Tsukamoto

[9/10 · 12 August 2008]

A visually stunning experiment in motion picture storytelling Shynia Tsukamoto's "Bullet Ballet" is a semi-revenge tale, semi-philosophical examination of the human condition. It explores themes and ideas concerning both the moral and social collapse of the modern man. As his earlier works such as "Tetsuo" and "Tokyo Fist" Tsukamoto uses the visual representation, the composition of individual scenes, minimalist colour palette, in this case a wonderfully sharp contrast between black and white, to express his ideas rather than just bombarding us with excessive amounts of expository dialogue.

From the opening Goda (Shinya Tsukamoto) seems content with his life. He has a nice job working as a commercial director, has a long term girlfriend, and at the moment he is sitting at a table apparently drinking. The phone rings, its his girlfriend. They have a nice little chat, and Goda seems pleased, and why shouldn't he be, everything is alright. The conversation ends, Goda returns home and finds his girlfriend dead. She killed herself. She killed herself with a gun. Goda doesn't understand why, everything was alright, just a minute ago they were talking on the phone and now she killed herself. She killed herself with a gun. Goda is lost. He is standing in front of an old mirror in a old room, drops of water violently hitting a half-dead cockroach on the floor, Goda raises his hand, as if a gun, he aims at his reflection, tense, and pulls the imaginary trigger three times. Titles roll "Bullet Ballet", a dance of death.

A dance of death, is the easiest way to describe the movie itself, but not in the usual way mind you. Bullet Ballet is more concerned with its characters and their lack of… connection, to put it bluntly, with the world, as Goda becomes obsessed with his girlfriend's death he tries to acquire the same gun with which she shot herself. Meanwhile he meets up with this girl he once helped, and gets in trouble with some guys from the gang she's in. The girl,Chisato(Kirina Mano), is on first impression simply suicidal, but that is just first impression. Goda's obsession grows, hardened by a burning desire for revenge against the gang, he sets out to make his own gun. And then it hits us, the reality of the situation, just hints at first, but even so it is becoming clear what is happening to this man. The gun, you see, is simply a metaphor, and of course it is a metaphor for death. He wants to understand his girlfriend's death, but he is losing himself in the process. He is losing his connection to life. Reason for being? He has none. And as the story slowly rolls forward, there is this impression that the dance of death is really the idea of facing death, witnessing death, surviving death, and then being reborn again. This idea comes the observation of the relationship between Goda and Chisato, the two characters obviously seem connected by their disconnection from the outside world. They understand each other. In a way they are one character split in two, with each segment providing hints to the overall motivation of the two. Chisato provides proof that Goda is dancing with death like she is, while Goda's past hints to a traumatic experience that lead Chisato to her current disposition.

The final scene is the catharsis of the story, when the two characters finally experience all the chaos, finally witnessing all the death, seeing its effect on others, are free from their emotional blockage.

Shinya Tsukamoto wrote, directed and produced "Bullet Ballet". He was also in charge of lightning, set design … and played a leading role. The man, much like his Tetsuo is a machine, a one man film crew. Chu Ishikawa, as usual, does the soundtrack and what a soundtrack it is, as percussive industrial music hits you like a jackhammer in some of the more dark scenes. While a gentler, more depressing, yet nevertheless more optimistic tune is composed for the film's ending scene.

Beyond all the horror of death, beyond all the disturbing scenes of violence, beyond the sociopathic behavior, "Bullet Ballet" shines with its search for humanity at the darkest places, at the darkest moments, at the darkest times.

Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989)

The reason they invented cinema was to create "Tetsuo The Iron Man"

[10/10 · 9 July 2008]

"Tetsuo The Iron Man" was shot with practically no budget, with a lot of dedication, with a lot of hard work and with a lot of talent. "Tetsuo The Iron Man" is the brainchild of Japanese film director Shinya Tsukamoto and it is a brilliant piece of industrial cinema. 60 or so minutes of mind blowing, psychedelic images, moving at 200 miles an hour, it is violent and it is disturbing and it is like nothing you've ever seen before.

There is a man obsessed with metal to the point that he insert various metallic parts on his body. There is another man, an average guy, a salaryman, he has a girlfriend and a small apartment. He's a nobody who's about to become a somebody or rather a something, when he hits the metal fetishist while driving along with his girlfriend. The two dump the body in a nearby forest, then they have sex just a few meters away from the man they thought they killed. The fetishist survives of course, and plots his revenge. Soon after the salaryman begins to notice strange changes to his body. Metal starts to grow all over his body slowly consuming his flesh while at the same time fending of the metal fetishist, who uses mechanical parasites to take control of people to attack our slowly-turning-into-a-man-of-iron protagonist. This, of course, all leads to a one-on-one confrontation between the two and a bizarre but extremely satisfying ending.

Tetsuo is really the essence of Tsukamoto's cinema. It's a demonstration of his trademark style, that he uses, in various degrees, in his latter films. Shot entirely in black and white with most of the time using hand-held camera Tsukamoto keeps you up close and personal with all the carnage going on screen. It's hyper kinetic punch-you-in-the-teeth narrative, doesn't rely on dialogue but on action to tell the story. Visual metaphors play an extremely strong part in understanding the underlying message of the film. The themes of - man becoming machine, man becoming more and more dependent to machines, is beautifully explained through the disturbing special effects, stop motion animation (really, really awesome), make up, through characters or simply through the Japanese industrial landscape. The presence of the sexual element in the film is crucial as it sets the tone for the final confrontation where it becomes obvious that this really isn't about revenge or anything of the sort, it's about this strange relationship between two men/machines. Call it a love story if you would.

The soundtrack composed by Chu Ishikawa is a perfect match for Tetsuo. Raw, violent and destructive industrial music comes together with a raw, violent and destructive industrial movie, to the point you can't really separate the two. You can't listen to the OST without Tetsuo and you can't watch Tetsuo without OST.

Final verdict. This isn't something you watch while drinking beer or eating popcorn or whatever. It's not exactly what you call a comfortable movie and definitely not for the squeamish. Nevertheless as clichéd as it sounds, it is like nothing you've ever seen and in my opinion it is a cinematic masterpiece.

Sukiyaki Western Django (2007)

Gunslinger poetry

[10/10 · 18 February 2008]

If Sergio Leone's Once Upon A Time is considered an ode to the American Western with all it's fundamental elements all packed neatly in an 3 and a half hour package of visual splendor than Takashi Miike's Sukiyaki Western Django is an ode to the Italian Western through and through with all the style, violence and sound that Leone brought to the art of cinema and Sergio Corbucci used to create his most famous work "Django". A visual feast, Miike's tribute to Corbucci's work is the poetic equivalent of Tarantino's own tribute to the Italian Western (and some other cult genres) Kill Bill.

Set around, in a strikingly offbeat way to, the 12th century Heike/Genji clan wars Sukiyaki Western Django is the tale of a mysterious gunman (played by Hideoki Ito) who comes into a nearly deserted once prospering town now controlled by the two rival groups. In a sense this is the Italian West going back to its roots, it's no secret Leone was greatly inspired by the works of Akira Kurosawa with Yojimbo serving as the blueprints for the maestro's own breakthrough with A Fistful of Dollars. Corbucci's own Django used the same basic premise and now Miike follows. After some flashy display of skill, and some attempts from the two clans to persuade him to join one of them the Gunman is persuaded by Ruriko one of the few residents who remain to help the townspeople. A series of flashbacks reveal much of the background and motives behind the two clans arrival. They also open the pathway to a subplot revolving around a tragically destroyed Genji/Heike family which plays a major part in the main plot. For those of you who deem themselves Tarantino fans will have much to be happy about as Tarantino plays a bad-ass, poncho-wearing gunslinger named Ringo who introduces us to the Heike/Genji conflict and plays an important part later on.

Style is of the essence and style is what Sukiyaki has. Though a tribute to Django this is nevertheless pure Miike cinema, expect that same weird humor, surreal kinetic action, with some sexual cues (although much restrained compared to some of his previous endeavors) he's become renowned for. It's a non stop joy ride beautifully shot, the impressive set design and backgrounds, the great costumes and yes a machine gun in coffin scene, pure poetry. This is not about realism, it is not about creating a believable world but about a world that responds to the mood that adapts according to it. The final showdown represents a collision of two worlds, two genres it is the ultimate fusion of samurai and western films, the duel between the gun and the sword. There are some lovely little references only noticeable to the more vigorous Django fans, and a truly awesome ending.

What might be my only gripe with Sukiayki is the choice of language. Having the Japanese cast speak in broken-down English does sort of lessen the experience not by much comparing to some of the horrendous English dubs in some Italian Westerns but still it would have been preferable using a Japanese language track with an optional English one. That's to say the dialogue itself is a pastiche of noticeable one-liner clichés, over the top silly yet listening to entire dialogues stitched together from over used lines has a remarkably refreshing effect on those lines.

Koji Endo composes the soundtrack, it is not his first time working with Miike and hopefully won't be the last. For the film he combined, the typical Morricone-sque western music with that of the Japanese samurai flick in a modern just lightly rock adaptation.

Sukiyaki Western Django pays homage to what is now a dead genre. Dead but not forgotten. Not by Takashi Miike who uses the tools of the Italian Western to bring forth his own vision, his own take on a story well known and loved and it is a true gem.

The Machinist (2004)

The modern reincarnation of a Greek tragedy

[10/10 · 27 January 2008]

After his chilling horror "Session 9" Brad Anderson continues his journey exploring the darkest depths of the human mind with "The Machinist". This review is not meant to just show the aesthetic and structural qualities Anderson's movie has, but also to distance it from the impression of being a "Fight Club rip-off". The review CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS on both The Machinist and Fight Club and should only be read by people who have already seen these two movies.

Those who are familiar with Aristotle's view on art and specifically the mimesis and catharsis theories will find similarities here, or should I say an exact match to his idea for a "tragedy". "The Machinist" mimics the real world. It is not a supernatural or fantasy story, but something possible in the context of reality keeping to the "mimesis" theory (art should be something that imitates life, stays close to the rules on what is possible). The protagonist, a machinist, is plagued by insomnia and weight loss, the reason for this suffering isn't explained from the start, but later on. We sympathize with him, with the problems this man, Trevor Reznik, has. Why should an innocent, suffer like that, we ask. Why should he be punished if he hadn't committed a crime? The tragic catharsis, writes Aristotle, is the moment when the protagonist's sin is revealed, when we, the audience learn that the punishment he has received isn't unjust, when we know that innocence isn't subjectable to punishment, sin is. Scott Kosar wrote a Greek tragedy, Brad Anderson brought it to life.

The atmosphere? A bleak, nearly colorless look, sadness and dread combined. The gloomy melancholy, jitters the mind. Christian Bale's dedication to his craft is outstanding he takes it to a whole new level. What he underwent for this role, the performance, a range of emotions ranging from fear, shock, paranoia, regret,sorrow. It was more than Oscar-worthy, it was unreal. Director Brad Anderson creates tension and unease at places you wouldn't think it was possible, he delivers surprise after surprise in what may seem more like a hellish roller-coaster ride, then a traditional thriller. A low key musical score, perfect choice, for the tone. Quite a catching opening tune.

"The Machinist", it seems, ends with questions unanswered. The main plot line has been completed but some mechanisms that lead towards the conclusion are a bit fogged out of perception. Nonetheless they are there. The movie is, of course, open for interpretation and the following is simply my take on some of the sub-plots and characters.

On the opening scene. The opening scene is as we've learned, not a chronological first, but a sequence taken from the latter stage. Why? It exists as: –a stylistic approach to create tension, to grab the audience's attention from the start. –an early tip for the mystery the movie has (note Reznik's reaction, the shock in his eyes when dumping the body and when "someone" flashes him with a flashlight).

On the insomnia, weight loss and Ivan. The insomnia and Ivan are the reasons for "The Machinist" being a "Fight Club" ripoff argument. There were movies that used such ideas before Fight Club, Lynch's Lost Highway for example, it's nothing all too original. What these elements represent that is what's important. In "The Machinist" they are the punishment Trevor's guilt inflicts on him. We've all experienced guilt at one point or the other, and we know it can have an effect. Here that effect is taken to the extreme. Fight Club on the other hand had the Narrator's insomnia and split personality, Tyler Dyrden, created from frustration, his inability in adapting to the status quo, he can't sleep because he cannot see a reason for his existence, he makes Tyler who gives him a reason. Ivan is not a split personality, he doesn't take control over the protagonist's body like Tyler, no one except Reznik has seen or heard of him, he is a manifestation like Nicholas or Marie, he is the projection of sin and Trevor in the past. The Trevor who caused the accident, he will repeat it again in order to guide Bale's character to the truth.

On how Trevor Reznik lost his memory about the accident. During the sequence at the theme park where Trevor and Nicholas are walking through the dark tunnel, Trevor notes the similarities between his childhood and Nicholas's current life. Both lacked or lack a father-like figure in their life both are in a good relationship with their mothers. This is not an accident, since Nicholas is merely one of the manifestations in Reznik's subconscious mind there is little doubt that he is also a mirror image of Trevor as a young boy living with his mother. His subconscious guilt fills the gaps and fleshes out the two fictional characters using bits and pieces of his past life. This is done in order to make the two manifestations become believable to Trevor's now doubtlessly distorted perception. If Nicholas is in fact Trevor then what happened to Nicholas during the ride through "Route 666" is what actually happened to Trevor shortly after the accident. Epileptic shock as explained by Marie causes loss of memory "he will forget it ever happened". And indeed Trevor forgot, partially, in his subconscious the memory still existed.

Complex but structurally sound "The Machinist" is the dark, modern reincarnation of a Greek tragedy. Twisted and disturbing, sad but liberating, Scott Kosar, Brad Anderson and Christian Bale create a work of high caliber. Not something that can be enjoyed the way a Hollywood Blockbuster can be enjoyed, it is exhausting, yet pleasing in its own way.

Dust Devil (1992)

The "High Plains Drifter" of horror

[10/10 · 11 January 2008]

A mesmerizing look into African lore and ghost stories, Richard Stanley's Dust Devil is an ingeniously crafted piece of cinematic marvel. A Sergio Leone western imbued with supernatural horror and surrealism it is a self-destructive journey filled with sorrow and regret.

Loosely based around the stories of a Namibian serial killer "Dust Devil" is the supernatural tale of a creature, ancient as the earth itself. He takes many forms, wandering throughout the deserts, searching not for salvation but for Death. He is attracted to those (if only subconsciously) wishing, praying for their own demise. Hungry for souls he can only offer his prey a less painful death. The true gruesomeness comes afterwards, the flesh is torn, the body severed, some parts eaten, the blood is drained and used for what it seems a ritual, the whole act after the death is a ritual. That thing caring the disguise of a man (John Robert Byrke), that Dust Devil as the people of the Namib had named him, takes a finger from his victim as a souvenir and leaves, searching for the next one. On his trail is a broken-down police detective tortured by his own inner demons. He chases the Dust Devil refusing to believe that maybe he is dealing with something supernatural. A woman, runs away from her husband, she travels past the SAR border and into Namibia. The dying town of Bethany is where she first crosses paths with the creature. There will be some romance, beliefs will be put to the test, there will be regret and there will be blood.

"Dust Devil" has this gloomy mystical atmosphere like a "High Plains Drifter" or a "Once Upon A Time in The West", whichever you prefer. The way the story is told, through small hints rather than a complete explanation about everything, it leaves room for interpretation. The way the tension builds up from the opening introduction to the Dust Devil legend and with every bit of information we learn about him after wards until the culmination. There isn't an explosion, and the tension doesn't leave after the credits start rolling, it stays with you for sometime.

Surreal imagery combined with what looks like an Italian western. Marvelously shot. The scenery combined with the Leone-sque camera-work, the least to say is that it's beautiful. The lifeless desert becomes a character of its own, brought to life thanks to Richard Stanley's stylistic choices. Simon Boswell's grim score is a perfect match to the movie's feel, endless torment for those involved in the plot.

Stanley's choice for a small cast is a good one, not just for financial concerns. The trio leading characters are fleshed out, whether likable or not, when the final confrontation comes you know you've learned everything you need to learn about them. The acting is sort of a mish mash, there some things that could've been done better I suppose but still overall pretty good stuff.

"Dust Devil" is what "High Plains Drifter" would have been had Eastwood pumped up the supernatural factor. It's a horror movie with superb atmosphere and griping plot, shot brilliantly. A forgotten masterpiece, Richard Stanley crafts artistic terror equal to some of the greatest classics in the horror genre.

Killer7 (2005 Video Game)

Bloody brilliant from start to finish

[10/10 · 3 January 2008]

A surreal, psychedelic, dark comedy about political manipulation Goichi Suda's"Killer7" stands out as one of the most unique, complicated and mature videogames made. Like a Takashi Miike movie spliced with a bit of Seijun Suzuki it plays with some very disturbing themes in a bizarre darkly humorous manner and expressionistic visual style. It's gameplay a cross-genre between a first person and 3d person shooter with adventure elements and a prefixed rail-movement scheme. The weirdest of the weird, hate it or love it you haven't seen a video game like this one before.

Explaining the plot is a complicated deed and useless in the sense that it spoils too much, so I'll just give the barebones. Killer7 is about a struggle. That struggle could be between good and evil, it could be between two countries it could be between two entirely different cultures it could be all that combined and probably is depending on how you wish to interpretate. But above all else Killer7 is a struggle between two men, friends and enemies at the same time. Harman Smith is the Killer7 a man who has seven split personalities each a psychopathic assassin and Kun Lan mastermind behind the Heaven Smiles, invisible laughing zombie-like creatures who explode on contact this game is about their battle. A confrontation loaded with guns, guts, ghosts, smiles, wrestling, talking heads, flying brains, organ dealers, psychopaths at every corner and more.

Graphically it is not much different to its plot in terms of weirdness that is. The cell-shaded animation provides a striking minimalistic approach in terms of scenery and detail, lots of contrast between colours. An expressionist fan's wet dream. Camera work and cut-scene direction are top notch with some interesting stylistic choices such as for example the introductionary shots, some of the more violent scenes or the change in cut scene animation.

The gameplay as mentioned before is a combination of 3rd and 1st person shooters along with some puzzles to boot. During the course of the game we take control of the Killer7 detecting (hear laughing and you've got yourself a Smile nearby) and destroying large array of Heaven Smiles. Now, just shooting at them will suffice but aiming at the critical point on a Smile's body is a recommended course of action during battles because a direct hit means a direct death for the Smile and the direct death results to an explosion of blood that will be consumed by the Killer7 and can be used for healing and upgrading their skills, also it's awesomely cool. One of the more interesting and ambiguous parts of the gameplay is the on-rail movement scheme. Which means that moving is limited to just two directions: forward and backward, there are junctions where it's possible to change the rail a character is moving on and follow a different path. The idea of such a limit to exploration is to establish one simple fact: the characters, the Killer7 know more about the outlying world than the player. They know where to go and what to do at times when the player might not have a clear idea. This is done to provide the sense of mystery vital to the game's bizarre plot, playing part in the creation of the surreal atmosphere.

Bloody brilliant from start to finish. Beautiful in its visual appearance and direction and mind blowing in the plot compartment though flawed due to the supposedly missing levels. Director/writer Goichi Suda uses the video game format to present a unique story and vision that doesn't follow the clichés most games fall into, doesn't try to so desperately to emulate cinema. It is believe it or not a sign, a sign that videogames are evolving, becoming more mature and open for adapting complicated stories, with much more character and plot than a simple arcade shooter.

Furîjia (2007)

The gunplay is the central beauty in this moody tale of revenge and regret

[7/10 · 28 December 2007]

"Freesia" has one of these nifty "Battle Royale"-ish ideas where something otherwise believed to be taboo is turned into a part of your everyday common Japanese folk's life. The goal of the matter is to present themes which effect human emotions or in the case of "Freesia" lack of emotions. Directed by Kazuyoshi Kumakiri the movie is a mixed bag of impressions. Kinda of weird actually because some of the stuff was extremely good while other parts were sort of disappointing. Such contrast between good and bad in a movie isn't exactly common, and it makes me wonder. Why wasn't it all good ? Surely some will like it more than I did but that's them, not me.

"Freesia" opens with it's two major plot points on-screen in text.

One is about a government law allowing people to exact their revenge on those who have wronged them. This happens through a so-called retaliation agency, they deliver a court order to the target and assign the hit men who are supposed to kill him. The target himself has the right to hire a bodyguard to defend him. The two sides receive the same weaponry, usually a handgun with a limited amount of ammo. The battle usually takes place around the defendant's home with the whole area sealed off by the military until the end of the execution. Nice concept but it's a shame the mechanism pulling it is mortally flawed thanks to the lack of information we receive about it from the movie's narrative. For example what happens to a defendant who succeeds in defeating his assassins? Or what does a success rate of 80-90% percent for a bodyguard mean, seeing as how the whole execution act is played to the death by both sides? Questions that are never answered. A shame really, a working concept becomes believable in a sense. Just look at "Battle Royale", flawless.

Two is about a military experimental missile that on impact unleashes a cold wave that freezes the surrounding area. As the story moves on we discover that a class of orphans were used as guinea pigs to test the missile's destructive power. The trio central characters played a part in that experiment. One is left after revenge, another left numb and feeling no pain is on a conscious self-destructive course, and the last full of regret just wants to be left alone. The movie ends with a bloody confrontation, comparable only to a Sergio Leone stand-off.

Now I have to hand it to director Kumakiri what he did with "Freeasia" was a cold, merciless and morally ambiguous film that at times, for thematic reasons, goes over the top gory (a woman hand is blown off). It's characters scarred by their experience with violence, show a complete lack of any emotion. Bloody and raw, the gunplay is impressive in it's simplicity. Just short outbursts of violence. Devoid of modern stylization techniques such as slow motion or the balletic acrobatics. Characters do not display Neo-like abilities. The way a gun is handled, that professional touch, those wonderful far camera long-shots and the minimalistic sound approach (no techno-metal-rock soundtrack here) that was what made the shootouts impressive. Sadly enough camera work beyond the action sequences was not so memorable. At some scenes it was either too shaky or it moved in strange angles or both. Perhaps to give the movie a more raw-documentary style, perhaps something else. What matters is that made it look amateurish when it shouldn't have.

"Freesia" is as cool, dark and brutal as it's sub-title suggests. But it's flawed plot nevertheless takes something away from the otherwise decent presentation. Kazuyoshi Kumakiri's movie was an enjoyable experience close to being something more than that.

Dead or Alive (1999)

This motion picture is like nothing you've ever seen

[9/10 · 22 September 2007]

In what has already become his trademark, Takashi Miike disregards all cinematic laws, censorship, tight budgets as he turns what should have been a straightforward yakuza movie into a mind-blowing experience. From the opening scene Miike's "Dead Or Alive: Hanzaisha" grabs the attention of the audience. Synchronized to the beat of instrumental rock music Miike floods our senses with images of sex, violence and drugs. Moving at such high speed that overwhelm our ability to comprehend just what the hell is going on. The highly kinetic pace soon let's go and leaves for a more standardized narrative to take it's place. And as the story progresses everything starts making perfect sense.

"Dead Or Alive: Hanzaisha" is about the conflict between two men. A vengeful yakuza named Ryuuichi played by Riki and a determined cop Jojima played by Sho Aikawa.

Ryuuichi along with his small gang start a brutal war against the local crime syndicates leaving countless dead behind. Jojima is the men in charge of the investigation against Ryuuichi and his cohorts. While at the same time he too fights his own war against the same yakuza. Two men on different side of the laws, polar opposites. At least that's the way it looks from early on. But as the story develops and more facts about them are revealed we find that this is not quite true. Both Jojima and Ryuuichi care for their families and their well being. Both lose friends and loved ones either in their wars against the yakuza or during their own conflict. The final confrontation between the two who are the different sides of the same coin, breaks all cinematic conventions. What should have been a rather standard shootout Miike turns into an absurdish battle with devastating consequences. You cannot get both heads and tails when throwing a coin. That defies basic logic. When logic breaks, chaos emerges, destroying all. In this context such an ending is to be expected, but not by cinematic law. That is what makes the final scene so unbelievable, that's what makes Miike one of the few who think outside the box.

Visually "Dead or Alive" retains the characteristics of a yakuza movie. The cinematography keeps to the established look and feel of the genre. While Miike as usual throws in his usual amounts of bizarre humor along with some stomach churring violence with the touch of perversion. It becomes immensely entertaining to watch because you never know what to expect next. Testing the limits of censorship with it's content.

At first "Dead Or Alive" might seem like an ordinary movie. It is everything but never ordinary. Whether he did just to anger the production company or censors, Takashi Miike forged a cult classic movie that stands as an example of daring, creative and original film-making.

Meatball Machine (2005)

The visceral pleasure of watching cyborgs tear each other apart

[8/10 · 22 September 2007]

Directed by the duo Yudai Yamaguchi (Battlefield Baseball) and Jun'ichi Yamamoto "Meatball Machine" is apparently a remake of Yamamoto's 1999 movie with the same name. I doubt I'll ever get a chance to see the original so I'll just stick commenting on this one. First of what is "Meatball Machine" ? A simple in noway pretentious low budget industrial splatter flick packed with great make up effects and gore. It's not something you'll end up writing books about but it's nevertheless entertaining if you dig this type of cinema.

"Meatball Machine" follows the well known plot. Boy loves girl but is too afraid to ask her on a date. Boy finally meets girl. Girl gets infected by a parasitic alien creature that turns her into a homicidal cyborg. Boy, in turn does also transform into said thing, and goes on a quest to save his love. Will he succeed? Who gives a damn, as long as there is carnage and death I'm satisfied.

The plot is simple, relatively clichéd but it does it's job well enough setting the movie's course straight forward into a bloody confrontation between the two leading characters. There is a subplot focusing on how the parasite that infected the girl came into to their lives. And yes it too luckily shows more violence. I'm happy. Acting is what you would expect from a no budget splatter film. It's not exactly painful for the ears but it's not exactly good either.

The movie's main attraction besides the violence and gore (like I haven't mentioned that enough already) are the cyborg designs. Done by Keita Amemiya who's work in creating outlandish creatures and costumes for both movies and video-games is well known. The necroborgs as they are called in "Meatball Machine" look stunningly detailed. Without the usage of CGI Amemiya's designs are a breathtaking fusion of flesh and metal, painfully awesome in their appearance. Able to transforms various parts of the body into cool weaponry such as saws, rocket launchers, blood-firing shotguns and so on and so on. Though you can easily recognize the cheapness of the film, necroborgs are A-movie class.

"Meatball Machine" is "Tetsuo The Iron Man" mixed up with "Alien" all done in low budget and extra ketchup mode. It's an immensely entertaining film that disregards modern special effects and proves that the splatter genre is still alive and kicking.

Begotten (1989)

An interesting idea shot-down by the exploitation of a gimmick

[4/10 · 21 September 2007]

Directed by E. Elias Merhige "Begotten" is an experiment with a few interesting ideas that don't quite succeed in what they were trying to do. The film is a 76 minute ultra slow, questionably effective, irritating experience that tries to present an intriguing philosophy about the creation of the Earth and human nature.

It opens with god presented as a chair-bound psychopathic man who tears open his stomach using a knife. From the guts, blood and human waste Mother Nature emerges. She proceeds to impregnate herself with the dead god's semen. Later she gives birth to the Son of the Earth. A retard who is constantly abused a group of cannibalistic people whom I believe to be the representation of mankind.

"Begotten" takes a twisted and disturbing look on the origin of life. Demonstrating the self-destructive nature, violence, lust and greed that have become a trademark for mankind. The problem in the movie come from two points. One is that the film is just too slow in it's exhibition. What we get is a good thirty minutes spent on showing how the Son of the Earth is constantly shaking naked on the ground while at the same time being molested and tortured by mankind. Such tasteless prolonging gets boring pretty fast and lacks the punch in delivering a blow to the viewer's senses.

Another point is "Beggoten's" visual appearance and sound. The grainy, inverted, black and white low frame cinematography enchants the disturbing factor of the plot, but such novelties often work in only short periods of time. Then gradually begin to lose their effect as the audience becomes accustomed to the look. The audio suffers from the same problems. It's constant repetitive and similar sounds become annoying so fast I had an urge to turn off the volume. "Begotten" loses it's charm shortly after it begins. It tries to be original and creative but it fails to expand on the ideas hinted by the vague plot instead it repeats the same scene again and again.

The conclusion is that "Begotten" is stuck in one moment. Even though plot-wise it tries to move forward, the visuals and audio remain the same throughout. Showing the same action in a slightly different way with just slightly a different sound. A gimmick cannot alone make a movie. It also needs pace and variety, something Merhige seems to have forgotten.

Hellraiser: Inferno (2000 Video)

An unstoppable, terrifying assault on the senses

[9/10 · 21 September 2007]

The first "Hellraiser" movie I ever saw. "Inferno" left me scarred and disturbed. The whole experience of watching the film was that of sheer terror that grows with each passing minute. Now after having seen all of the movies, read the novel and becoming accustomed the Hellraiser mythos I recently got a chance to watch it again. To see if my opinion on this fifth sequel changes. It didn't.

Yes "Inferno" does not follow the ideas established by Clive Barker in his novel "Hellbound Heart" which is the basis for the Hellraiser series. And yes it basically uses the status of Pinhead as a horror icon to draw an audience. But I'll be damned if I say that it is a bad film for just those reasons. "Inferno" is in fact a well constructed, technically superb sequel with an interesting plot and characters.

The film centers on Joseph Thorne played by Craig Sheffer. A brilliant but corrupt detective who during a homicide investigation comes into the possession Lemarchand Configuration. He opens the box and then it begins. Reality for Thorne soon turns into a nightmare that grows more and more powerful as his investigation leads him towards a mysterious figure known only as The Engineer.

"Inferno" explores the possibilities of redemption. Sheffer's character is certainly a very flawed individual and he knows it. But his determination to solve the case and hopefully save a human life is in his mind the path to redeeming himself, in front of his own eyes, his family, and those around him. Sheffer delivers a convincing performance which greatly helps in solidifying the idea. Other members of the cast include Nicholas Turturro playing Thorne's naive and honest partner Tony Nenonen, James Remar as a doctor Paul Gregory a psychiatrist and good old Doug Bradley once again playing his iconic role as the rational sadistic demon, Pinhead.

Visually speaking "Inferno" is as impressive as the first two "Hellraiser" movies. Gone are the b-movie quality effects and Cenobite designs which played part in the failure of the third and fourth films. Pinhead's image is not overused and he only appears during the final portion of the film when the nightmarish atmosphere is at it's highest. Delivering the final crucial blow to Thorne's broken psyche. The new cenobites are freakishly well done, and cleverly fit in to the movie's psychological character driven plot.

Severely underrated Scott Derrickson directed a great horror film that leaves strong a impression. Like a never-ending nightmare it keeps you constantly on the edge, expecting the unexpected.

Junk (2000)

Entertaining tribute to the masters of Italian horror

[7/10 · 20 September 2007]

"Junk" is as it's own name suggests, well junk really. A low budget Japanese zombie film that can neither impress with great visual effects nor strong acting or plot. But what does do and does well in my opinion, is to recreate the feeling and entertainment value of eighties Italian zombie flicks. In other words "Junk" is trashy fun.

After successfully pulling of a jewelry heist the group of four robbers head of towards an abandoned warehouse where the supposed buyer would be. Unknowingly to both parties, that same place was the dumping ground for a failed American military experiment on bringing the dead back to life. Needless to say what happens when our heroes arrive. It's a simple well known plot that doesn't demand any form of thinking. You just sit-down with a beer-pack and some popcorn in hand and enjoy the on screen carnage. The unpretentious design is what holds "Junk's" charm and of course the violence does also help in that matter.

The acting again in the spirit of Italian horror leaves something to be desired. The Japanese actors did relatively well for this sort of film. Which basically means they didn't get on my nerves with absurd performances or just monotonic line reading. American actors on the other hand were awful, unbearable. Director Atsushi Muroga should have written their characters off plot and sticked with only Japanese actors. The reason for the bad performance does not fully fall on the actors's hands. In this case it's easy to see that the language barrier and Muroga's inability to properly direct the English speaking cast due to his own apparent lack of knowledge in that language are the true problems.

The action is fairly good. Practically most of the movie's running time is filled with shootouts, zombie attacks or both combined. Muroga keeps a fast pace and with a short running time "Junk" doesn't get boring. As any other zombie movie so is this one packed with gore. Necks bitten, legs and arms cut off, people being eaten, heads smashed it's got the needed ingredients to deliver a fun experience.

Atsushi Muroga' "Junk" makes for a delightful yet forgettable zombie film. Mainstream audience should definitely pass the chance on seeing it. But highly recommendable to fans of the trashy low-budget horror genre.

A Cat in the Brain (1990)

Even in his declining health Lucio Fulci still proves that he can make a great splatter.

[9/10 · 13 June 2007]

"Cat In The Brain" is a series of extremely violent sequences knitted together by a plot that feels more like an overview, describing director Lucio Fulci's most notorious years of film-making. The movie could also be seen as a dark comedy of sorts, effectively spoofing the various claims that violent cinema causes violence in real life. Fulci goes further than that, he casts himself as the star, the central figure of the film thus showing the audience who is the man behind all the cinematic gore. "Cat in The Brain" is not about presenting a clear story and following it. Instead it pokes fun at some of the clichés that have been surrounding the horror genre for years.

Lucio Fulci plays himself as a horror director struggling to keep his humanity intact. Years of violent film making have finally began to reach him. It starts slowly, steaks and meat in general begin to disgust him, his colleagues assure Fulci that all he needs is some rest. But that doesn't help and soon the grotesque ideas for his movies begin to overwhelm his daily thoughts. In an attempt to find a cure for his dangerously maddening mental state Lucio starts going to the local psychiatrist. Unfortunately that does more wrong than good and Fulci is thrown into an even bigger mess, as the psychiatrist turns out to be a psychopath, who mimics the murders from Fulci's films in real life.

The film retains all the trademarks of Italian splatter cinema, good or bad they are all here. So any comments about the acting or the technical aspects and budget constrains are quite irrelevant as to the quality of the film. It is a visual experience, no doubts about it. Fulci throws in an incredible amount of violence easily surpassing pretty much everything he's made. Amputated by chainsaw limbs, cannibalism, child murder, decapitation, these are just some of the many grotesque acts witnessed in "Cat In The Brain". Some of them are obviously recycled from a few the director's less profile movies but they don't stand out of the context, and actually feel quite at home here. As I noted before the movie exists much better as a satire of the genre rather than a serious piece. The way some of the violence is presented does help establish that idea. Such sequences shortly after climax are rejected by the reality in the film, as they are revealed to be actually scenes inside a movie that Fulci's character is directing. This sort of "film in film" presentation lessens somewhat the impact of the gore. But in no way does it make it an easy to watch film. Oh no this is far beyond and above the levels of gore found in mainstream horror, and gorehounds will in no doubt be satisfied with that fact.

Lucio Fulci was a very polarized figure. People either hate his work or love it. "Cat in the Brain" won't convince any of Fulci's detractors in the opposite but it is nevertheless an interesting part of his filmography. One that fans should really check out.

The Wild Bunch (1969)

The end of the West through the eyes of the late great Sam Peckinpah

[10/10 · 1 May 2007]

Sam Peckinpah was a person born in a wrong age. He lived with the ideal of the Old West in a time long past it. But cinema gave him a chance to recreate all the tales he grew up with, and it was here where he found solace. His vision was not the idealized, sugary concept of the Hawkes and Ford era, nor the operatic, anti-hero, Italian western this was an entirely new representation. Dark, violent, gritty yet so human and believable one could really accept that this was the way it was. "The Wild Bunch" remains as Peckinpah's most famous example of his "West". A multi-layered narrative that progresses so perfectly on all levels it becomes astounding to watch. It propelled modern action movies to a whole new direction even though it itself could hardly be considered action. Why? Because Peckinpah's idea of violence isn't an idealization of the act of killing, he doesn't glamorize it. Instead shows us the consequences it has on the people caught in the crossfire.

The end of the Old West is drawing near. Vehicles have began replacing horses and semi-automatic weapons have started replacing the revolvers. It is at this fabled time, where our story takes place amidst the desert badlands of the U.S. – Mexico border. A group of aging outlaws led by Pike Bishop (played by William Holden) scour through in hopes of completing one final job before retiring. They are relentlessly chased by a band of bounty hunters led by Deke Thornton (played by Robert Ryan) a former associate and friend of Pike who has been forced into to service against his old friend. The relationship between the two men plays a crucial part of the plot. The way it unfolds, we get a very clear indication of who these men are, what are they like. Setting their motivations clear and opening the path to the final realization of what has become of them.

"The Wild Bunch" is one of the most morally ambiguous movies I have ever seen. Peckinpah doesn't waste his time in telling us who is good or who is bad, he doesn't try to convince us what is morally right or wrong. Instead he just tells this story of a group of outlaws this Wild Bunch who face the reality of their actions leading up to the point where they no longer find what they do compelling and in a final gesture of conscience, they decide to do what's right. In those moments before the epic finale we see Pike question himself as he drinks from the nearly empty bottle of whiskey while sitting on an old bed in a run-down shack. He questions his whole life, practically comparing it with the empty bottle in hand. That moment seals it, he knows what he must do, he knows he won't live through it, but it doesn't matter his time is over. The land had changed but Pike couldn't, they all couldn't. In their last breathe of defiance the Bunch sacrifices itself, finally keeping up to their oath "never leave a man behind".

Peckinpah's vision of the West becomes fully alive with the great performances by the cast. But it was Holden who made the biggest impression, his character is such a morally complex individual and yet he did with such precision, capturing the image of Pike Bishop in the fullest. I truly doubt anyone could have done it better than Holden. When it comes to the other aspects of the movie, Sam Peckinpah continues to excel. His direction is bloody and vicious, has more in common with an war movie. Action scenes are a battlefield where innocents are often caught in between the line of fire. It's not really meant to be entertaining or beautiful. Peckinpah wasn't searching for style when he used slow-motion during death scenes, he was trying to send a message, violence is not pretty. Yet somehow so many people misunderstood him.

Whether people like it or not "The Wild Bunch" will remain a great movie. To this day no one has told the story of the end of the West better, and it's doubtful someone ever will. Peckinpah's masterpiece has been huge influence on cinema it opened the way for the modern action genre, inspiring dozens of directors.

Massacre Time (1966)

Fulci + Western + Nero equals good fun

[7/10 · 26 April 2007]

The idea of a Lucio Fulci western is compelling to say the least. Known for making some of the most gory, brutal and sadistic horror movies during the eighties, Fulci's first western "Tempo Di Massacro" is an early sign of his coming transition to the splatter genre. It lacks the gore but it certainly does not lack on the brutal and sadistic trademarks which have made Fulci famous around horror circles. Alright so there were some things that were basically copied from other Italian westerns it was still a fun movie to watch and it's not like that's a big revelation considering the whole commercialized nature of the genre.

The movie begins with a shot of a man being chased by a hunting party. The kind that usually hunts animals for sport only this time they're hunting people. Needless to say what happened when they caught him. Did I mention that this movie was sadistic and this is not the only proof there's more further along? Anyways "Tempo Di Massacro" stars Franco Nero as Tom Corbett a prospector whom after receiving a mysterious letter about his family, returns home. But things have changed a lot since he's been gone and Corbett realizes this as soon as he arrives. His family's ranch has been taken over by a rich landowner and his demented son (the guy that was leading the hunting party earlier). One might say that story is a slow mover, I disagree. I found it's pace to be very precise setting up the outline for the final confrontation. The story is coherent enough so that it makes sense. There are a few twists here and there so as not to get too boring when waiting for the showdown.

In a movie that supposedly starred Franco Nero, his character Tom wasn't all that impressive, gone was that cynical attitude with which he portrayed the titular character in "Django" and his clothing, well it's obvious where they were taken from (small hint: an Italian western movie with Clint Eastwood). Instead more focus was put on Tom's brother Jeff played by George Hilton, a drunkard with a bit of a temper and the sadistic son of the landowner played by Nino Castelnuovo. Both these men were the highlights of the movie. Respectively performances are well done considering that this is a spaghetti western. The score by Lallo Gorri is good, very catchy song in the beginning.

Now what really makes "Tempo Di Massacro" fun is it's finale. There Fulci demonstrates that he is more than capable of directing action. With commendable choreography, masterful synchronization between the shooting and victims's death. It's a hard task to create a long entertaining action scene, most of the times everything wears out after a couple of minutes not here though. Variety is the key to success in such sequences and Fulci packs the scene with outdoor, indoor shootouts making it an entertainingly diverse gunfight. The film ends with a symbolic white dove flying away, possible this is from where John Woo got his dove gimmick from.

Anyways "Tempo Di Massacro" is one of the better Italian westerns out there. It's a good movie on all accounts, worth the look from fans of the genre or even horror fans intrigued with Lucio Fulci's pre-horror work.

Samurai Reincarnation (1981)

Compelling samurai/dark-fantasy epic by one of Japan's most revered filmmakers

[9/10 · 25 April 2007]

When you blend historical figures with fictional stories that go way beyond realism, you often get mixed results. Well to be honest you really don't get good results. Suffice to say it's a dangerous line to tread. Luckily when you have an experienced director like Kinji Fukasaku and a great cast of actors like Sonny Chiba and Tomisaburo Wakayama you can't expect anything less then good. And "Makai Tenshu" is good, really really good. Flawlessly using legendary figures from Japanese history such as Jubei Yagyu and Myamoto Musashi in a thick supernatural plot about vengeance, along with some of the most stylish action sequences I've seen in chambara movies.

"Makai Tenshu" is an adaptation of the book bearing the same name. A pseudo-historical variation of the story about the Christian rebellions during the opening years of the Tokugawa Shogunate. And their subsequent, brutal conclusion. That event seals the fate of thousands upon thousands of Christians. It is here where our tale begins, amidst the bloodied aftermath of the massacre. After a mysterious ritual is performed, the leader of the Christians Shiro Amakusa returns from the dead to exact his revenge on the Shogunate. He vows the destruction of Japan and it's rulers. But before that can happen he must gather his retinue. Tortured, wretched souls whose life has been incomplete, unfinished. He offers them a second chance. Reincarnation, as demons like himself. This leaves the Yagyu clan with Jubei Yagyu (Sonny Chiba) and his father Tajima Yagyu (Tomisaburo Wakayama) as the only ones capable of confronting them.

I enjoyed very much how this story was handled. Divided into two parts the movie spends it's first hour on establishing the villains and their present motivations. Everything is written so that it makes sense, Amakusa's chosen for minions is not random and each has a role to fulfill. For example he uses the female he's risen, under a different name and background to seduce the Shogun and cloud his mind. While the ninja is used to used to eliminate anyone who has been curious about her "past". This level of detail is certainly satisfying when it comes to nitpicking every single detail. And it's not just the villains that are developed well. The relationship between Jubei and his father is also explored and plays an interesting part in the story. Fukusaku directs this first part of the film accordingly, while keeping his trademark kinetic action direction for the expositional second portion of the movie. There, the entire build up from firts part explodes into a series of stylishly directed action sequences. Fukasaku demonstrates his skill once again, using the sets and landscapes as an effective tool that enhances the experience of watching samurai duels. Skillful swordplay is not absent with the likes of Chiba and Wakayama both chambara veterans. This is not a movie that depends on strong acting ability to express itself, but even so performances are still commendable and at a higher ladder than most movies in the genre.

Visually speaking "Makai Tenshu" is a feast for 80s cinema fanatics. If you love old-school special effects as I do, then you've come at the right place. There is some lovely use of montages and the classic lighting effect does add up to the whole experience of watching a movie about demons and sorcery. But what really takes the cake in terms of visual goodness is the awesome set design. A tremendous amount of work has been put in the creation of these sets and it all pays out. Looking at that great opening shot of the massacred Christians was a chilling, beautiful moment as a twisted horroresque picture was laid upon my eyes. Bodies piled up, heads stabbed on pikes, crosses everywhere and the scorched sky, mesmerizing shot.

Kinju Fukasaku once again delivers a truly visceral experience. A story so carefully written and so visually stunning that it makes me long for the time when there was no CGI or Digital Cameras, when directing a movie was not just a question of budget but of skill and creativity.

Tôkyô zonbi (2005)

Zombie movie from Japan... the usual weirdness

[7/10 · 23 April 2007]

Zombie movies have been taking rather weird turns in development recently. We got romantic zombie movies ("Shaun Of The Dead"), we got super-fast zombie movies ("28 Days Later" and "Dawn Of The Dead"), we got super-hero comic book zombie movies ("Resident Evil: Apocalypse) and we got non-zombie, zombie movies (again "28 Days Later"). Well things just continue getting weirder and weirder, and now we got this, "Tokyo Zombie" a completely offbeat, comically silly representation of a zombie Holocaust in Tokyo. Even stranger, the choice of weapon against the undead scourge is neither, swords or guns. It's wrestling, Jujistsu to be more precise. I was interested enough with it's premise but when I heard it starred two of my favorite Japanese actors, Sho Aikawa and Tadanobu Asano, well I really had to watch it.

"Tokyo Zombie" as it's name suggests takes place in the Japanese capital. There, due to the unpleasant habits of the local population to throw away their garbage wherever they like to, has caused a large mountain of trash to appear. But people are not content with just that, oh no, they continue burying more and more stuff in that mountain. Ranging from refrigerators, old cars, even people there really is no limit. This is where our heroes enter the story, Fujio (Tadanobu Asano) and Mitsuo (Sho Aikawa), two obsessed with wrestling garage workers who end up accidentally killing their boss. Of course that mountain prompts the obvious solution to their disposition and they naturally decide to bury him there. What they don't know and later find out is that all the dumped trash has created a chemical reaction that causes the dead buried in the mountain to rise again, as flesh eating zombies.

Instead of trying to make a relatively serious story director Sakichi Sato takes a turn for the comedic. The plot is an obvious pastiche of classical zombie scenarios. Starting with the zombie epidemic to the post-apocalyptic society, Sato presents an over the top comical side to this all too familiar plot. The overview of how the post-epidemic survivors continue to exist is quite funny, Sato answers one of the biggest mysteries of zombie movie. How do people create electricity when the entire world is supposed to be overwhelmed by endless hordes of undead flesh eaters ? Well the answer is simple. Squeeze Electric a company that supplies all the pollutant-free electricity citizens would need. It works by using state of the art technology, requiring just a few hundred people whose's daily work includes squeezing an electric pod that in terms creates the all needed energy. Everything is completely ludicrous. Characters are no exception, with quirky outright funny dialog and a strangely obsessive singe-minded behavior, they breathe a fresh air of unseriousness to this already not very serious situation.

For a zombie movie "Tokyo Zombie" is pretty light hearted. Anyone expecting bucket-loads of gore and blood will be disappointed, there is really only one situation that could be described as disturbingly gory. A zombie starts chewing on a wrestler's guts, the whole thing lasts for less then a minute and honestly rather than disturbing it's quite funny when the victim starts making those silly facial expressions. Midway through the film there is a rather pleasant animated sequence that describes the aftermath of the zombie apocalypse. Other effects are generated using CGI and it's a hit or miss thing. Some look pretty well while other effects are plain cheesy, which is not a bad thing considering the fact that it's a comedy.

"Tokyo Zombi" is wacky, wild and in typical Japanese way quite weird. It's fun over-the-top plot makes it worthwhile to watch. Or if you just want to poke fun at the already way too familiar clichés surrounding the genre, this is as good as it goes.

Django the Bastard (1969)

It has a cool name... not much else though

[3/10 · 18 April 2007]

I'm always interested in seeing a horror/western and this unofficial sequel to "Django" directed by Sergio Garrone and starring Anthony Steffen promised to offer just that. But evidently my impression wasn't positive. It's promise of combining the two genres, was overblown. "Django The Bastard" tried to create a seemingly supernatural atmosphere while at the same time keeping as close to reality as possible. And it failed.

Anthony Steffen stars as Django a loyal, honest soldier who is betrayed by his officers in the Confederate army and seemingly killed along with his whole detachment. Now he apparently has risen from the grave to exact his revenge. In the opening scene we see Django carrying a cross through town. He stops in front of a building, and pins it in the ground. The men inside suspiciously examine Django, while finally discovering that the cross bears the name of them. Further more, on it is written the day of his death, today. What follows is a traditional shootout that leads to the obvious conclusion, Django now triumphant proceeds to punish all those responsible for the death of his comrades and his in a similar fashion.

This movie has often been compared to Clint Eastwood's "High Plains Drifter", claiming that it's more or less been the inspiration. Honestly the only similarity found in both these movies is that they are presented as quasi-supernatural westerns. On the threshold between supernatural and natural, both posses characters that could or could not be spirits of vengeance. Such story is not anything new though and tales of such content have long existed in the western mythology. But "Django The Bastard" suffers from the inability to exploit it's features. The plot is shaky at best, often contradicting itself. At one point we have the titular character displaying unexplainable supernatural abilities, such as appearing from nowhere, disappearing, and even becoming transparent. While at another sequence Django gets, beaten, practically tortured, forced to run and hide from bad guy's henchmen. These plot elements did a great job at leaving me confused, but did little in creating that mystical atmosphere which was the supposed goal of the entire film. Django didn't feel supernatural because he was being beaten and didn't feel real because at one moment he became transparent. On other points of interest, namely the acting. Anthony Steffen does have the intimidating look, but his performance was lackluster and quite frankly it was flat. Nothing different can be said about the supporting cast. There was not a single character that made an impression, in fact to be honest I forgot most of them shortly after I saw the movie.

Cinematography was a mixed bag. There were some really nicely directed tracking shots and overall stable, camera work. But the shootouts were unimpressive. Gorrene could have at least tried to put some more work in creating memorable action scenes to compensate for the second-hand plot. Ultimately what we get is a series of boring, uncreative, unsynchronized shootouts. What's even worse is that the gunned-down people tend fall in a slow irritating manner, it's as if they are being careful not to get hurt. Hello ? They are a supposed to be dead. Finally, the last thing worth commenting, namely the score. It is as forgettable as everything else in "Django The Bastard" I was neither able to remember who composed or any specific tune.

"Django The Bastard" might have a cool sounding name, but it doesn't have much else to offer. It's a forgettable experience failing to tap on it's quasi-supernatural plot, with just a few minor sequences sticking out from the otherwise bellow-average presentation.

Django (1966)

Django you must go on...

[10/10 · 17 April 2007]

And go on he did. With an alleged estimate of over 100 unofficial sequels and one official Sergio Corbucci's "Django" is one of the most popular and loved Italian westerns, often regarded as one of the best non-Leone ones. It forever immortalized Franco Nero as a personal favorite actor amongst fans of the genre. While Sergio Corbucci himself was given high credit for his work. Here he demonstrates his creative skills, even through the limits of the genre he spins a violently fresh tale of racial hatred, deceit and vengeance.

Franco Nero stars as Django, a lone rough-cut gunslinger in worn-out clothes and duster. He travels through the grim, dirty badlands dragging a coffin behind him. In the opening scene Django rescues a woman from a group of men wearing red ties around their necks. He leads her back towards the nearby town, a secluded nearly ghostlike place with only the local saloon operating. It seems the town had been torn apart by countless battles between a group of racist Southerners that wear red ties as indication of their "beliefs" and the forces of a rebel self-proclaimed Mexican general. Unlike "A Fistful Of Dollars"' Joe, Django doesn't play it both ways, he makes his position clear very early on, he is after money and nothing else. There is no double play here, Django doesn't act with the same grace and precision Joe did, and he doesn't' care much for it either, Nero's character is a killing machine, and the contents of the coffin he drags show that ability of his.

First things first. When watching "Django" it is recommended that you see the Italian version. The English dub is not only corny but it also cuts a crucial portion of the plot regarding racial discrimination. So if you have a chance to see the movie in it's original language I suggest you see that version.

Anyways. There is an established consent that "Django"'s plot is a remake of Leone's "A Fistful Of Dollars" which in turns was a remake of "Yojimbo". While I agree that at some point "Django" does present a variation of the same story found in those films, I fail to agree that it is a complete remake. As noted above "Django"'s characters hold no similarity to those found in the previously mentioned movies. Further more Corbucci's own brand of story-telling tends to be a bit more brutal and violent than normal, his vision is accompanied with such acts that could leave a normal audience disturbed. One particular scene comes in mind. There a character has his ear cut off, is forced to eat it and is then gunned down. Such displays of brutality supplemented with the racist elements in the plot, greatly deviate "Django" from the movies that it's allegedly remade of.

Any negative comments on Franco Nero's performance are simply impossible, he does his job perfectly in creating Django's threatening, grim, bad-ass image and the entire movie and Corbucci's direction is focused around it. And speaking about direction, Corbucci demonstrates his style in perfect fashion. Once again as in Leone's films the sets are used as an enchanting factor during shootouts, with the great cemetery duel taking the cake for it's artistic level of detail. It is noted that Corbucci employs several elements that he would later re-use in his most powerful work "The Great Silence", for example the protagonists in both movies had their hands crippled shortly before their final confrontation with the antagonist, or their duty-bound temper that leads them to that moment. Both movies use those elements for different goal, but let's not detract on that. Unlike Curbucci's previous "Navajo Joe" here the score is supplied by Luis Bacalov, who does a commendable job with an especially catchy opening theme song.

Evidently enough Sergio Corbucci's "Django" is a one of the best Italian westerns you could find. It's rough, brutal nearly sadistic content makes it hard for most mainstream audiences, but if you have the guts and open mind and love the genre this one is a definite must.

Kansen (2004)

A medical procedure goes awfully wrong and apparently cinematicly wrong

[4/10 · 15 April 2007]

"Kansen" had a chance at being a potentially good horror movie, and I do mean HAD. It attempted to devote enough focus on both characters and suspense thus creating the perfect atmosphere for a horror movie. The likable characters mean that these people meant to die wouldn't be just faceless victims but people with lives and worries of their own. Sadly enough, bad film-making ruins this opportunity and regrettably we are stuck with another one of those below-average horror movies.

Directed by Masayuki Ochiai "Kansen" centers around a hospital on the edge of bankruptcy. With only minimal staff, and equipment the remaining doctors and nurses left are under severe pressure trying to do their jobs. Things get even worse when due to a momentary block Dr. Akiba (played by Kôichi Satô) accidentally orders the injection of sodium chlorate on a burnt victim, killing him instantly. After a brief moment of panic and confusion where the characters engage in a lengthly conversation about what to do, they are finally persuaded by Dr. Uozumi ( played by Masanobu Takashima) not to report the accident and thus not ruining their own careers. The real fun begins when a mysterious man bearing a highly contagious decease is found near the emergency room shortly after the burnt man's death. The decease is extremely lethal as the staff soon discovers.

First things first, the plot. It's an interesting premise, one that holds a lot of potential, and it's a shame because it wasn't exploited nearly as good as it could have been. The psychological elements are weakly developed, the plot twist at the end turns the whole thing into confusing mess that barely makes any sense at all. Perhaps director Ochiai wanted a more open for interpretation finale, but he seemed to forget that in order for such thing to exist one must first add enough content in the movie itself. And this is not done. Anyways, moving toward other points. Characters. They are just too stereotyped, with Dr. Akiba being the moral conscience of the group while Dr. Uozomi his stellar opposites. In fact when thinking about it all the characters present a certain type of behavior and another character would often exhibit the opposite manner (the clumsy, weak nurse and the bossy nurse come in mind). This whole limitation of their point of view does hurt the movie, because it makes these people unrealistic, like comic book characters, they are too strongly defined as following just one type of behavior. And there is that problem involving some of the supporting characters (mainly patients) being a bit too annoying (yes I do mean the crazy old lady with that one). For all the good it does, the main actors did their jobs commendable, nothing all that astonishing in terms of skill but it didn't detract the movie's quality further.

And now my main gripe with "Kansen". You see I could have swallowed the loose plot and unmemorable characters had there been some good frightening moments. Well to be blunt, the only frightening thing is that someone actually thinks that green slime is scary. Green slime ?! What the hell? And that is practically the main moving mechanism of the "chill" inspiring horror direction oh and, throw in some random shots of swings swinging that will get the mood up, yeah right. So for future references, unless we are talking about "The Blob" green-slime equals laughably bad way of creating tension.

"Kansen" is a so-so psychological horror movie that lacks atmosphere, lacks strong characters, lacks coherent plot. Masayuki Ochiai just failed to tap on the potential offered by the premise, a story about a medical mistake could have been turned into something far more interesting had he decided not to use the god damn green slime.

Samurai Commando: Mission 1549 (2005)

To be honest . I wasn't really expecting something like this

[7/10 · 14 April 2007]

A name like "Samurai Commando Mission 1549" does create an obvious expectation of a movie produced with cheese, written with cheese and directed with cheese. By cheese I of course mean low budget b-movie quality. Strangely enough "Samurai Commando" is nothing like that. And even stranger, it's actually pretty good, considering you value straight entertainment dazzled with a light but pleasant plot about time travel. I know I liked it.

"Samurai Commando Mission 1549" is the second movie adaptation of a novel written by Ryo Hanmura. The first being the campy and fun, 1979 "G.I. Samurai". Starring cult favorite action star Sonny Chiba. Notably, the two movies have very little in common besides their basic plot-outline. A small squadron of the Japanese Self Deffense Force including vehicles are sucked into a time-warp and find themselves in the middle of the Senguko period. A very bloody era when Japan was torn by countless battles between power-hungry warlords. Seeing as they have no apparent way of returning home the men of the SDF taskforce decide to do their best and adapt to this time. And by adapt I do mean exploit their superior military equipment so that they could dominate Japan. This is as close as the two adaptation get from one another. "Samurai Commando Mission 1549"'s main group of characters are actually the rescue team sent to find/stop the missing squadron. It seems their tinkering in the past has made the present a bit more unstable and it's up to these men (and woman) to save the modern world from disappearing.

Granted, yes the story does get a bit melodramatic at some points, but is still surprisingly well written. Plot holes are kept to a minimum, characters are good, nothing all that impressive but not detracting either. Their motivations are well fleshed-out, dialog is acceptable, lack of backgrounds does hurt the overall quality though. Also one other essential ingredient is missing, Sonny Chiba. Not that the actors here did their jobs bad or anything, but the absence of Chiba's charismatic presence becomes quite evident once you've seen the original movie.

Another surprise was the quality of the visual effects. Which I honestly thought, would've come straight from a 80s sci-fi flick. Costumes looked really good and authentic. Some pretty good CGI animation was used for some of the more complex scenes involving vehicles and explosions. And talking about explosions, that is something we have plenty of in "Samurai Commando Mission 1549" and director Masaaki Tezuka does a good job at distributing it in equal measures throughout the movie, while keeping the best for last. There is some blood here, but no vast amounts of gore or arterial fountains (sorry guys). Action scenes are decently directed, choreography is good but not phenomenal.

"Samurai Commando Mission 1549" is a pretty average but fun movie, that can easily be mistaken for a b-movie cheese-fest (I know I did). And for that I guess we have to thank the English translator team seeing as how the original Japanese title doesn't really translate as anything close to "Samurai Commando Mission 1549". Still it's not a complete waste of time even if you did expect campy fun, and if you've got 90 minutes to lose, there's no reason not to watch it.

Moon Over Tao: Makaraga (1997)

Some good old cheesy fun

[7/10 · 13 April 2007]

"Moon Over Tao" is a wacky, entertaining movie that successfully blends together the samurai, fantasy and sci-fi genres. It feels very much like a retro-piece with a lot of silly effects and of course, chambara level of gore and blood splatter. Direcor Keita Amemiya directs it accordingly with a less focus on story than in action. And it pays of in the end.

Story is that of two men, one a Buddhist monk with magical powers and the other a highly skilled samurai warrior with an indestructible sword. The two have began a journey to discover the source of the indestructible swords. Along the way they meet a young girl working as a beekeeper. Respectively the girl later meets three alien samurai chicks that start fighting without a reason, as one of them is mortally wounded she enlists the girl to help them find and stop a the strange beast/weapon. After a mutual agreement with the help of the two men, the three of them set of and discover the source of the indestructible swords and the strange beast/weapon. It does not take long before said beast/weapon is awaken and then all hell brakes loose.

To put it simply, the story is silly. Characters are as complicated as those found in a Jean Claude Van Damme movie, some even border on the annoying level, yes I do mean the girl beekeeper with that. All you really need to know is who are the good guys, who are the bad and how many walking meat-bags are there on their side. In this case a lot. And thank God for that, because fights scenes tend to get bloody with some good all classic chambara effects, such as the blood geysers and chopped of limbs. It get's even better when the beast/weapon gets loose. You see it has a certain habit that involves eating it's opponents. Amemiya does a good job with the action and gore and it's all just fun to watch. Choreography is reasonably well done, with the individual showdowns standing up from the more massive scenes. Creature effects are surprisingly good, combining CGI and a designed prop for close-up use. While everything else is done in the old fashioned way, meaning none to minimal use of any other CGI. One other concern that Amemiya has with "Moon Over Tao" is the ever lasting question of how many people can cram in an action scene. Luckily the cannon fodder is plenty. The showdown between our two warriors and the evil warlord's henchmen is pretty massive in terms of body count and respectively entertaining.

"Moon Over Tao" should not be taken as a serious movie, or as a highly intellectual movie. Those that do take it as such will definitely hate it. What Keita Amemiya really made is a homage to the old days of chambara movies where gore and wackiness was abundant. And really this is for people that loved this type of cinema.

Alive (2002)

Very slow build up into ... nothing

[4/10 · 13 April 2007]

I've seen most of Ryuhei Kitamura's work and I've come to the conclusion that he has a knack for action. Scenes are kinetic and fast often combining elements of martial arts, gun fights and samurai fights with camera work that effectively captures the on screen carnage. With "Versus" and "Aragami" Kitamura demonstrated that creativity and showed that he his more than capable of working with a low budget. So what happened in "Alive" ? To be more blunt, the answer would be - nothing. Nothing happened in "Alive" it was a two hours plus movie with little to no action and little to no characters and plot.

Adapted from a comic book by Tsutomu Takahashi "Alive" is an examination of the life of one Tenshu Yashiro (played by Hideo Sasaki) a death row convict who survives his execution. He is then given a choice of either to repeat the execution or to subject himself in a bizarre series of experiments. He chooses the latter and soon after that is placed in a room along with a rapist and later with a girl infected with a strange parasite that in exchange for it's host's humanity grants supernatural powers. Naturaly at some point that parasite moves into Yashiro, the bad thing is that doesn't happen very soon.

Similar to "Aragami", "Alive" sets it's first half in establishing the basic exposition. Characters are introduced, their motivations are set and their relations between each other are uncovered. The whole thing even takes place in just one set. The first major problem of that comparison is that while "Aragami" was just a 70 minute movie, "Alive" drags on for more than two hours thus making the first part over one hour long. That length could have been justified had the characters been made a bit more interesting but alas that is not the case. Dialogue is dry, monotonous, delivered without any sense of emotion or depth, characters themselves aren't much interesting. There were some small attempts at making "Alive" a bit more moral ambiguous but in the end it all came down to the classic : evil government people against, super-powered protagonist, whom yes you guessed it, saves the girl in the end. Like I previously said the entire film practically takes place at just one set, and after two hours that does get boring, even worse the set design itself wasn't even interesting to begin with, and doesn't do much to improve on other aspects of the film.

Now, after that first part is over, one might think that Kitamura would at least make some entertaining action scenes to make up for the boring beginning. Sadly that is not the case. The two only fights are actually rehashes of similar fights from Hollywood movies, complete with bullet time effects and psychic powers. They're just not interesting or fun, Kitamura's creativity from "Versus" is gone, the small set even limits his often very impressive camera-work and it all boils down into generic and expectable fights, a shame really.

Evidently "Aragami" was better on all accounts and "Kitamura" had learned something from "Alive". So it wasn't at least a total loss watching this movie. If only to understand the errors made, how to fix them and create a better more entertaining movie.