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Reviews
Hatsukoi (2019)
Heartfelt Japanese film that gives Tarantino a run for his money
I'm appalled at the low ratings here. Usually I trust this place over Rotten Tomatoes but in this case, they have a far better perspective on the film overall. I also usually try to write reviews without spoilers, but there's so much fun going on in this film that it would be a disservice to only hint at what I mean.
I went into this film expecting very little, having found it in a bargain bin at a grocery store but finding the premise interesting enough. I had no idea what I was in-store for. Two nihilists accidentally unite and become a team that they realize is worth fighting for, that's the plot. This is combined well with various nods to all kinds of cinema, the main ambience feeling like that of Kill Bill, with a black bag serving as a genius plot device similar to the briefcase in Pulp Fiction. The protagonist is a boxer, so the Rocky and Karate Kid themes contrast nicely with the crime themes which the female deuteragonist is tied up in.
Once sequence nearer to the end of the film goes completely into hand-drawn animation for a few exciting seconds, and I can't help but think of old anime such as Riding Bean. In fact, the very end of the short anime series has the protagonist driving right toward a huge horde of police cars out of a parking garage, much like in the film. Not long after this scene, we also see the characters empty the black bag to hide their trail, much like something you'd see Miyazaki's rendition of Lupin III do. The police trailing behind by the dozens feels larger-than-life and evokes memories of the fantastic absurdness of old crime shows such as The A-Team. Also, the heroes themselves actually don't drive off into the sunset, which makes for a very interesting scene, perhaps the best of the film. All of the characters feel very real and you can't help but want to root for even some of the well-developed villains at times.
Themes in the film include finding meaning in life, criticism of busy & profit-driven healthcare, confidence in oneself, forgiveness, drug recovery, and much more. I found myself unconsciously physically nodding to a couple of perfectly set scenes, something I've never done with films before. The camera shots themselves, mixed with how they integrate into the plot is very well done.
I've heard complaints about not enough music, but I think this is coming from viewers who wish that Hans Zimmer would rescore every film in existence. Darkness is the absence of light, and a scene without music is the quiet before the absolute storm. There's enough super-charged sound effects and melodic Japanese spoken that even more music poured on top would honestly only dilute what the director has already put perfectly into motion. I wouldn't change the score at all. It hits that much harder when it does play and I believe this is intentional.
Something very unique about this film is that no obviously posed question or deliberately framed philosophical quandary goes unresolved. The director ensured that the story tied up all the lose ends and not in a silly or contrived way. The ending with the drug rehabilitation center contrasted with the boxing fights is film at its finest.
The title itself is something really interesting to ponder on, as the film is about a lot of "first loves" good and bad. Supposedly the director said that he simply named it to "make money" but seeing as many other films and tv shows share the exact same name, it almost feels like a James Cameron "Avatar" (deliberately not Airbender) advertising stunt, mixed with a deep amount of meaning behind it. I think the director was just being modest.
El Camino Christmas (2017)
What was the purpose of this film?
First of all, despite the title of the film, this is not a Christmas movie any more than Die Hard is. Tim Allen does a wonderful job of playing an idiotic drunk father, but one must stop and ask themselves-- is this a good thing, especially in a film marketed at Christmastime? I see this film as deliberately calculated to lure in unsuspecting families with the Christmas/Tim Allen theme, that being its only successful feature. It is so over-the-top that any meaningful discussion about police corruption or multiculturalism is lost in an attempt to make a Tarantino-style film with absolutely zero charm. By the end of the film, it feels like the writers had something to say, but it got lost along the way. The abundance of drugs, alcohol, and violence are almost used as plot devices, without which there would be little story to tell. They also evoke old stereotypes which do not blend well with the film's Hispanic setting. It was actually due to films such as this that I persuaded various family members to drop Netflix. Without box-office accountability, films seem to delve down into a chasm of nothingness.
The Howling (1981)
Extremely compelling horror film with everything just right
I don't often give a film a straight ten, but this one hits just right. Debuting not long after John Carpenter's Halloween (1978), this film lightly draws from the many exquisite details which made Halloween such a great breakthrough slasher film. Certain camera angles, lighting, music, costumes, and more fit so well together. The special effects are done so well that there were times my brain told me it was computer-animated, but keep in mind the year this film was released! Outstanding transformations from human to werewolf are not hidden with cheap camera tricks but rather featured in detail as they happen. I'd argue that what we see here is better than that of many later '80s horror films. The actors have great chemistry and play their parts well. The artwork featured is very nice to see in a film and the transformation sketch on the ground seems to have inspired a similar one in Palladium's TMNT & Other Strangeness RPG. The film opens a wide discussion for a variety of ethics, and while many seem to interpret it simply to be a promotion of veganism, it's far removed from any blanket statement or position. The film touches on topics of consumption ethics all the way to political philosophies, all the while showcasing multiple struggles for survival.
The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
The Idiot of Wall Street
I was really disappointed with this film. Roger Ebert once said that film doesn't shape culture, but rather reflect it. I disagree. I believe this film to have influenced an entire generation of men to "go their own way" and to fear women and success. I realize that it's based on a true story, but to what ends does retelling a dramatic version of it help us experience something useful? I am no stranger to Martin Scorsese films, and I thought Taxi Driver was an absolute masterpiece. There, heavy subjects are discussed with resolve to fix them. In some ways, The Wolf of Wall Street plays out like a bad Disney film. The antihero protagonist makes a ton of mistakes, but in the end it's fine because the plot saves him anyway. A Tarantino film has more to say about morals and society than this film does. At least with Tarantino, the consequences of nihilistic behavior are part of the plot. This is not so with this film. Gratuitous sex and drug use are shown intermittently throughout the entire duration of the film in a way that makes me very uncomfortable for all the underage and impressionable seventeen year-olds who were legally allowed to watch this. Dicaprio does fine in the role of an insane entrepreneur, yet his acting feels somewhat predictable and derivative of actors of the past. Also, his New Jersey accent in the film is not believable, slipping in and out of use. He was better suited for a film like Inception. Margot Robbie, on the other hand, plays a very believable rich wife. I also enjoyed seeing Kyle Chandler back on the big screen. As usual, he plays a relatable character with a certain amount of cool confidence. He was a great pick for this role. Overall, is this film worth a watch? Of course! Just don't expect anything really meaningful from it. It is not one I need to rewatch considering that the entirely gratuitous thing is already now burned into my brain for eternity.
Dirty Harry (1971)
Awesome, thoughtful film that set the standard for its kind
I'm far younger than this film, and in many ways I'm not qualified to analyze it, but that isn't stopping me from putting down all the thoughts I've been having about this gem. How I even found this film is somewhat of a mystery, though I recall seeing it labeled on recorded VHS tapes (thinking it was perhaps a porno) and of course the iconic phases it coined are even heard today in everything from music to memes. Regardless, this film is one that sticks with you. For an early '70s film, the camera work is simply stunning and in some ways, I wish we still did more camera work they way they did here. The angles used, the color pallet, hell... even the film grain, the way it all hits the tape is very beautiful. The music is just a wonderful, with the live drums and distorted bass uniquely driving the momentum in a cool, casual-but-serious way. It sets the tone very well.
The plot itself is a very interesting one. I'd say its deliberately written to appeal to multiple audiences simultaneously. I divided the different entities used in the film into: antihero, villain, bureaucracy, and the actual rights/laws themselves. On face value, this is a fun action film with a individualistic antihero who saves the day. There is nothing wrong with this interpretation; the director deliberately steers the audience in this direction with Eastwood's awesome delivery. There's more to be found on deeper introspection, however. How much was intended by the director is hard to say, but it's interesting to dive deeper if we wish too, and there's certainly enough material to do so. A key point worth analyzing is that Harry understands the killer, far better than anyone else does. At one point, he even randomly states that he knows the young girl is already dead, though nobody else has even had the thought yet. Could it be simply experience? Perhaps, but Harry seems to relate quite a bit with the killer. As others have hinted at here, it's almost as if the killer could be a young Harry from another timeline, albeit with a very poor upbringing. Even more interestingly, Harry doesn't even want many of the jobs which the bureaucrats force on him. Their incompetency forces them to resort to enlisting Harry in the first place, knowing that he's a wildcard. Then, you have the law and our rights as citizens to consider. The villain uses them to his advantage and Harry decides to bypass them-- with the red-handed villain hoping for this lucky break as a way to get Harry into trouble! The interplay between these four entities makes the film interesting and potentially complex. In the end, I can't help but wonder if the bureaucrats are the real villain in the story, unable to handle just one of their citizens gone-off-the-rails, yet they hold significant leverage over Harry, the ransom money, and the city as a whole. Again, this is my reading of the film and I don't think it's the only correct interpretation. The ambiguity exists deliberately and rightfully so; it allows the viewer to see the film from different angles on each viewing. There's certainly a lot to consider. This film went on to inspire all kinds of '80s cop shows, anime, and even video games. If you're reading this, wondering if you should see it, I give you an emphatic, "YES".
Exposed (2016)
Diamond In The Rough
Exposed is not your typical film. If you're looking for some fun Matrix/John Wick/007 action (as could be expected from the lead actors) then you'll be sorely disappointed. This film is very much a drama which progressively becomes more like a thriller, and an intelligent one at that. Written and directed by Gee Malik Linton, a physics major and athletic trainer who worked with Tobey Maguire, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Anne Hathaway, there is imagery and commentary here which most people seem to not understand. Yes, the film was cut against his will, but I believe much of it remains intact. This is a film about avoiding hard truths and the lasting impacts of doing so. Despite all the religious imagery, I don't see it as a religious film in any sense of the word. The angels Isabella sees all have explanations. The man walking in the air is a delusion created to block out the fact that a real person has just been killed. The other angel is Detective Galban. This is how Isabella knows that someone is missing and shocks everyone else while looking for him. It is likely that she was never allowed to talk to the police as young Elisa, but they were often more kind to her than her own parents, so she begins to see Galban as an angel watching over her. By the end, the detective isn't even angry with her because he understands that she's having a mental breakdown due to multiple incidents of abuse in the past. She, however, is just barely beginning to see this. She confides in religion by the end, but it's not exactly in an optimistic light. Galban isn't stupid; he realizes that she likely committed all the murders. And all of this was a domino-effect of his former partner's secret of raping people and generally supporting crime under the table. People knew, but nobody cared enough to stop it or even admit that it happened. It makes you wonder what Galban would do next. There's a lot going on in this film; I've probably missed various aspects still and it remains surprisingly unsettling and suspenseful for its entire duration. I'm surprised that Frequency (2000) hasn't been mentioned here, because this film has a very similar feeling to it. The soundtrack is perfect and the surreal nature of it calls back to Ridley Scott films. Coincidentally, Ana de Armas would star in the sequel to Blade Runner just a year later. I firmly believe that this film helped set the tone for her acting in that film. Overall, this is worth a watch and it certainly keeps you thinking, both about the ending and what we can do in our communities to fight internal corruption and crime.
Five Nights at Freddy's (2023)
Surprisingly good film
I went to this with a friend who is big into the game franchise; I've never even played any of the games myself. I am familiar with the basic premise, however. This franchise has made quite a name for itself over the last decade and I figured that it would make for a fun Halloween film.
The intro begins perfectly, with the Universal Pictures intro suddenly glitching and quickly bringing us into what seems to be the early 2000s. People have brick cell phones and they're watching VHS tapes still. We're quickly introduced to the main character and his sister.
The lead is a very introverted young male who is torn between taking care of his sister and trying to find his lost brother. He sleeps next to a copy of "Dream Theory" much like Neo in the Matrix safeguarding "Simulacra and Simulation". There are also many dream flashbacks, which work effectively to show the desperation of the lead and how reality itself isn't necessarily concrete.
Rubio plays a very convincing young girl. Her personality portrayed has become somewhat of a trope aligning with films such as Logan, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, etc. But she does a very good job with what's been written for her and you care about her safety. All the kids do very well in their parts.
I had no idea Matthew Lillard was going to be in the film until he showed up on the big screen. I know him from his goofy '90s hippie persona (Hackers, Scooby-Doo, etc.) and it was exciting to see him play a far more serious part.
I didn't learn that the Jim Henson Studio made the animatronics until after watching the film, but I do recall thinking more than once during the film, "they look so real and detailed... the shading and integration looks oddly realistic". In retrospect, even the way they move should've given it away but I didn't know the studio was even still operating. A very nice touch.
Female director-writers are shockingly still very rare even in the current year and I enjoyed what Tammi has brought to the table. The humor was dry and perfect for the setting. NI also appreciate that the film was kept relatively family-friendly in this "Blood & Honey" age. I suspect a great deal of the police officer and her backstory were largely inspired by Tammi and Lail does a great job portraying the conflicted police officer. Lail and the lead are nearly the same age, though she seems a bit more older/mature visually and it works.
The only real problem I had with the film is that you can tell they are rushing the plot. It's difficult because I'd like to have seen this more the length of a film like Blade Runner 2049, but that would have excluded a large part of the target audience. The film keeps moving and it's likely intentional, so-as to not lose the attention of the younger viewers. A video game adaptation has every right to do so, I just feel the plot could've actually been dumbed down more to allow scenes a little more breathing room and mystery.
Overall, this was a fantastic film and continues the modern trend of video game films actually performing well. Ever since the Reebok Mario Bros film three decades back, video game adaption films have released with a large amount of skepticism; but, that seems to be changing. Mario, Sonic, Pikachu, and now this film have shown that they can easily compete alongside other modern blockbusters.
Army of Darkness (1992)
Very fun film of the early '90s
So, I haven't reviewed a film for quite some time. I picked this up cheap after hearing about it for so long. My first exposure to it was through the roleplaying game of the same name by Eden Studios. Little did I realize, this is as much of a comedy as it is an action-horror film. And it works.
I knew Bruce Campbell from Burn Notice, so it was interesting to see him age backward here. He's retained much of his confident, relaxed personality over the years. Many quips he makes throughout the film are reminiscent of Bob Hope, while others seem to have been influential on shooter video games to come. I think it's safe to say that many of his one-liners here defined certain popular phrases of the time, much like Buffy would later do for 2000s slang.
Notable points of the film include the unique magical book, which is easily the most badass interpretation of a trope. Everything from The Care Bears Movie to D&D had books with faces in decades previous, but this one is absolutely terrifying. It's easy to imagine actually possessing it. There's also the masterfully animated skeletons. A high point for them is a scene where they are talking and moving their heads, all with a flame flickering in the background. Simple stop motion would avoid having a flame as the still frames would make it look choppy and unrealistic as a result. The skeleton's stop motion walk cycles suffer from low frame rate at times, but they certainly hold up to the expected Terminator stop motion of the time. Robots and skeletons can't make complex expressions which make them prime candidates for stop motion animation. Overall, it's a breath of fresh air to see villains who aren't digital models. The soundtrack is very unique, a blend of Elfman's bouncy melodies mixed with LoDuca's huge symphonic score. The music adds to the playful yet dangerous atmosphere the film is set in.
Some low points include a long scene which utilizes miniaturization, a common trope of the time seen in films such as Honey, I Shrunk The Kids and Indian in the Cupboard. It just hasn't aged well and feels far too childish for an R-Rated film. There's also this persistent feeling that Star Wars and The Terminator influenced various aspects of the film. Regardless though, this film has gone on to inspire works such as Chainsaw Man and Doom.
In conclusion, this action/comedy film is certainly worth seeing if you enjoy Campbell's acting and want a blast from the past. A great deal of '90s culture is contained in this film and by the end, you'll wish that a certain department store still existed today.
Vinasu senki (1989)
Great film which surpassed my expectations
I tacked this cheap Blu-ray onto a Sentai Filmworks order for free shipping, hoping just for a coherent plot, knowing nothing about it. Boy was I in for a surprise! As the intro credits start rolling, I noticed the mention of composer Joe Hisaishi who would later do the scores for enormous films such as Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke. I was quickly drawn in by the visuals and surprisingly decent voice acting; I often start an anime in English but if it sounds too poorly executed I'll switch to Japanese. Influences such as Akira, Megazone 23, and Madox-01 are readily apparent with the major difference being that Venus has a dystopian Mad Max law system which allows for activities such as gambling on dangerous monocycle racing. The illegal monocycle racing is extremely fun and I believe it made an impact on later film and games such as Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds, Square Enix, Poet Anderson, and perhaps even Star Wars Podracing. It just has that neat vibe you really didn't see much back then or even now for that matter. To top it off, one of the main characters is a reporter from Earth, hoping for an exclusive story but she's slowly finding out that life on Venus is rough. At one point she's in a sewer with her videocamera and I realized that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles had come out just two years prior. I'm not saying she's April O' Neil but it's an interesting potential nod to the Western animated series. My biggest letdown was expecting to hear Cam Clarke at some point, given that he'd been in Akira and Ninja Turtles, but it's a silly one. This film has a lot to offer and while the action can get over-the-top, it's drawing beautifully well. If the soundtrack, visuals, plot, and voice actors don't interest you, I'd be surprised. In such a case, count how many times SONY is deliberately spelled wrong on electronics featured to avoid trademark infringement.