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Reviews
Casshern (2004)
A cinematic treat with depth and intensity Go Casshern!
From the trailer for this film i was expecting an effects laden action movie oozing cool but with no real substance
.boy was I wrong. The story when summarised may seem like a pretty run of the mill "scientist plays god with disastrous results" type of tale but it is so full of depth and drama that the film is elevated beyond anything I expected. The look of this film is beautiful. Every frame looks amazing(largely in part to the fact that it was almost entirely shot on digital film with no backgrounds) and there is a "otherworldly" feel throughout. The film's message is without doubt about the futility of war. The key characters views and beliefs are tested by what is going on around them and even the supposed hero questions whether what he is doing is right. Also the lead bad guy Burai is one of the most sympathetic villains I have seen in a movie in years. He is played fantastically by the brilliant Toshiaki Karasawa who I hope we see more of soon. There are some eye popping set pieces as well and although it's not an action movie per se the few action scenes the movie does contain are brilliantly realised. Being an anime fan myself I loved the little reference to the original "CASSHERN Robot Hunter" TV show that the movie is based on. The incredible montage of devastation when the bioroids attack with their robot army looks like a manga comic that's come to life and sprang from the page. The film is also one of the only truly successful anime to film adaptations I've seen as most have been disastrous. In short: If you're looking for a sci-fi movie with some brains plus some really cool sequences that's thought provoking and visually artistic as well check this one out.
30 Days of Night (2007)
A fantastic adaptation
Like many nerdy comic fans i am always worried when Hollywood casts its gaze upon one of my favourite titles however I'm glad to say with 30 DAYS OF NIGHT I needn't have been. For one thing the screenplay came from creator Steve Niles himself and David Slade's direction captures the bleakness of Barrow perfectly along with the animalistic nature of the vamps. Because the original comic isn't very long it was necessary to add a lot of characters and completely original scenes thankfully all of these are fantastic and add to the drama of the film rather than detract from it- won't spoil it but I felt there were some really tense emotional scenes for a horror flick that I think enhanced the already good story a lot. Because it's such a good adaptation I hope they don't ruin it with a poor sequel based on one of the later comics. While the other important 30 DAYS comics DARK DAYS and RETURN TO BARROW feature great story lines and are quite creative I can't imagine them being translated very well into film. Anyway I enjoyed the movie immensely and for my money it is one of the best comic adaptations in years. Purists may not enjoy a lot of the changes but those people should loosen up and enjoy one of the darkest mainstream horror movies in years. As for the ending I wondered all the way through how well it would be done.....just one word for that... AWESOME.
The Hills Have Eyes (2006)
The return of the great American Nightmare
Thank god for directors like Alexandre Aja. It seems only an extremely small handful of people still working in the movie business these days remember what makes a good, effective horror movie and Aja is certainly one of them. This movie drips eeriness and tension, i haven't seen a film that's kept me so on the edge of my seat in so long that this film reminded me all over again how powerful cinema can be and you can't get much of a higher recommendation than that. This film harks back to a time when horror flicks had something to say rather than just being about pretty teens getting carved up. It doesn't feel like a studio film-it seems way too brutal and visceral for a studio picture but then if you've seen Aja's previous masterpiece HAUTE TENSION(SWITCHBLADE ROMANCE) you know what to expect from his twisted yet brilliant psyche. So does it beat the original? In my humble opinion yes it does, the family are far scarier this time partly due to the fact they're a lot more grotesque(nuclear fallout made them mutate in this version) but also partly due to the way they revel in killing, torture and rape and harbour no mercy whatsoever, the family's pleas falling on deaf malformed ears. The premise is as old as the titular hills itself but the intensity and shocks in this movie plus quite likable characters are what carries it through-Aja's direction is brilliant too-he captures the ominousness and vastness of the desert perfectly, the scenes in the mining town near the end being some of the most well shot in this type of movie that i have seen in a long time. It is a little similar to the original in terms of the fate of the characters but it has enough surprises to keep fans of the original entertained-most notably the brutal battle in the mining town where Doug evens the odds against the freaks with nail-biting results. If i had one criticism it would have to be that considering its theme that violence begets violence and dehumanises the victims as well as the perpetrators it perhaps makes their victory seem a bit too much like a triumph at the end but other than that it's damn near flawless.
Debiruman (2004)
Watchable but with the right amount of time and effort could've been a masterpiece
*SPOILER ALERT!* Devilman is without a doubt one of my favourite anime and Manga series of all time so when I learned they were making a movie I was more than a little excited. Was it worth the wait? hardcore devilman fans will be disappointed but it is definitely an entertaining film throughout. Okay, so the CG might not be great but the Devilman, Silene and Satan designs look incredibly cool. If you're not familiar with Devilman's manga incarnation you may not understand the motivations of some of the characters or what the hell the deal with the ending is but it's all interesting enough to keep you watching.There's some pretty bad acting too but If you like fantasy and monsters scrapping there's bound to be some fun to be had here. I wished they had explored Ryo and Akira's relationship a bit more and built up their characters more strongly before they become enemies. It seems they tried to fit too much in as well, many of the most important story lines in the manga are thrust together and too many are explored in too little depth, I wished they'd focused on just one or two and got it right. All in all a curious little film with too little substance-I certainly wasn't bored watching it once though.
Zebraman (2004)
The softer side of Miike
With ZEBRAMAN Takashi Miike proves he can do anything. This film is quite possibly the best feel good movie I have seen in 10 years, and this from a director best known for graphic violence, moral ambiguity and razor-booted kung fu kicking crybaby psychos. The movie has a simple and universal message: you can make a difference if you believe in yourself. It's sweet, poignant and Hilarious(The scene with the Sentai show Shinichi is watching on TV had me laughing so hard I almost choked on my cup of tea). The final scene with Shinichi transforming into a "real" hero is amazing and had me cheering more than any movie I watched as a kid. If that scene fails to stir you then I guess you're dead inside. Miike produces more solid gold cult classics in one year than Hollywood makes in five - he's the king in my eyes: long may his reign continue.