A Chinese wuxia kung fu directed by Yuen Woo-ping, starring Donnie Yen and Yu Rongguang.
A vigilante is trying to defend the residents of a town from corrupt officials. This man is also running a doctor's office. Another doctor and his son come to town and this doctor promises the officials that he will catch the vigilante. There is one official who is not corrupt and warns the doctors of the government's actions. The doctor eventually meet and join forces against the top official.
Very good! It's been about 12 years since I've seen this, so I watched it again. The plot is clear and the characters are relatively identifiable. What made this stand out to me was the professionally done production and exaggerated fight scenes. Everything was filmed and edited excellently, with good framing and camera movement. The fights used Hong Kong wire, props, dust, fire, buildings, etc... to make them each unique and interesting. There were poles used as weapons and recitation of moves, something that I really like in martial arts films. Recitation of moves is only slightly less cool than extended training scenes. The style seemed close to the newer Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (2000) style of wuxia, but it was more kung fu than swordplay, so I labeled it both. I rate this awesome because it's such an exemplary martial arts film. Watch it.
An American drama directed by Lasse Hallstrom, starring Johnny Depp, Leonardo DiCaprio, Juliette Lewis, Mary Steenburgen and John C. Reilly.
A young man tries to take care of his family after his father died. His mother is morbidly obese and his younger brother is mentally disabled. A young woman arrives in the area and forms a relationship with the main character.
Very good and very much of the time. There are 2 points I want to make clear: 1. Leonardo DiCaprio is actually only slightly retarded. 2. The mother, Bonnie (Darlene Cates) is not in acting, but was recruited because of her weight, to fit the role. There were some plot points to discuss as well. I liked Gilbert sneaking a repair man in to reinforce the floor under his mother's couch and sneaking to the chain store to buy a cake, but being caught by his boss of the local grocery store. I did not like the solution to the ending conflict and would have handled the problem differently, but it did lead the main characters to a life of vagrancy, which I approve of. It has been said that DiCaprio's performance can be difficult to watch and I agree. He seems to play the role too well and we all know he went on to star in Romeo + Juliet (1996) and Titanic (1997). We need to differentiate intelligence and greed. Using your "pretty boy" appearance to star in major Hollywood films that make lots of money is greed. I rate this adequate because it's a great film, but can be disturbing to watch.
An American science fiction directed by Adam Simon, starring Diane Ladd and Clint Howard.
A scientist who is genetically engineering chickens makes dinosaurs.
Crappy like a Syfy channel flick. An implausible, threadbare and inconclusive plot was filled with shallow characters whose dialogue was poorly written as they gave bad acting performances. I was unimpressed with most of the sets and costumes. The laboratory was not bad and they did have guys in yellow jumpsuits. Camera-work and editing looked low budget and Syfy production to me. There was some fire used, but the main special effect (the dinosaur (image)) was shoddy. Even a child could tell that it was made of rubber and moved in an unnatural manner. It would actually have been better to show less of the dinosaur. One good head puppet and some big, jointed cardboard to make a believable shadow would have worked and probably have been scarier. Audio seemed to be mixed right and the soundtrack seemed to fit. There was an annoying sound in the laboratory that sounded like the "DROOOOID" android ringtone. This has a 3.5/10 on IMDB and 11% tomatometer, 23% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. A 23% average is like marking "C" for every answer on a test. I rate this bad because it shows a lack of thought. What makes it even worse is that this was supposed to compete with Jurassic Park!
A Chinese wuxia directed by Michael Mak, starring Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Michelle Yeoh, Jimmy Lin, Joey Wong and Donnie Yen.
An old eunuch disguised as another old eunuch tries to destroy a gang of assassins. Some of this gang live together and there are romantic relationship problems.
The hour 22 duration felt like it took forever. The pacing was really choppy, with slow scenes right next to fast ones. The plot was nearly incoherent and the characters were difficult to differentiate. Most of the dialogue and acting were misleading because everyone was either lying or being snarky to one another. What I could see of the sets and costumes looked good. Unfortunately, the copy that I got was pixelated like a motherfucker. I'm talking big, square blocks here. 432 x 224 resolution and 211MB file size may be to blame. Given that information, looking for good camera-work was not top priority while I was watching this. The special effects were as over the top as I expected. There was flying people and items, magic, fire and a building collapse. The audio was not exactly good, but I did like the soundtrack. It was probably the best part. The sound effects were like an old kung fu flick: extremely annoying. Stylistically, this fit the early '90s wuxia mold. It has a 6.1 on IMDB. I rate it tolerable.
An American science fiction fantasy directed by Charles Band, starring Tim Thomerson.
Characters from Dollman and Bad Channels fight characters from Demonic Toys.
What a cluster-fuck spinoff! It wasn't even an hour long! The plot was pretty straight forward, but seemed to work just fine. Using characters from three previous films is kind of in bad taste, but ties the films together to create a mythology better than each could have alone. I watched Bad Channels before I started this blog, so like over seven years ago. The video was mostly big sets and creative editing. They didn't even bother with forced perspective or compositing. The audio was mostly fine, but the baby and the clown were making some horrible noises that bothered me. Overall, only worth watching if you've seen the previous films. I think I actually like this more than the others because it just goes straight in and gets the job done. I rate it adequate.
An American drama directed by Philip Haas, starring James Spader, Mandy Patinkin, M. Emmet Walsh and Charles Durning.
A pair of strangers meet. One of them is a gambler and the other has money to bet. They go in together on a card game against millionaires who seem easy prey. When they lose, the gamblers agree to build a wall for the millionaires, but things don't seem quite right.
This was pretty cool. The plot definitely held my interest and the characters were developed amazingly well in a relatively short amount of time. I think the steady pace is what made all the difference. Events take place at regular intervals and the rise and fall of action and pacing is minimal. The video was expertly done to the point that, even with my editing experience and critical eye, it looked seamless. The audio was mostly good. There were a few sections of quieter dialogue and louder music, but not enough to cause a problem. The classical music soundtrack was definitely appreciated. Overall, quite a nice flick that I enjoyed watching. I rate it adequate.
An Italian Canadian American horror directed by Joe D'Amato and Fabrizio Laurenti.
Because a nuclear power plant dumped toxic waste in a forest, the roots and vines have mutated and attack people.
I could accept Troll 2 having goblins. They may not have been trolls, but at least they were mythological humanoid characters. The acting and lighting were it's worst aspects. Camera-work followed closely behind. The only good thing in the whole film was Paula, the hooker. This movie was worse than Troll 2 because you can mock that easily, but this is more difficult to poke fun at because it's just bad. Overall, it's not worth watching at all for any reason. I rate this bad. DO NOT WATCH!
An American horror romance directed by Brian Yuzna.
A young man's father works at a secret army base that is testing zombie gas (trioxin). He steals his father's key card and brings his girlfriend to spy on the father's work. When they get into a motorcycle accident, he brings her to the army base and resurrects her with the gas.
This was so different from the first two films! The plot was actually substantial. The characters had back-stories and were more than just survivors of a zombie apocalypse. They were also acted quite well. The video was pretty standard of the time. Although much of it was dark, it didn't look underexposed because of proper lighting to balance the darkness. The special effects were pretty cool. The girlfriend pierces her skin with many objects and the Latino gang all get horribly mutilated. The zombies from the barrels were over the top in this installment as well. The audio was good. I could hear all of the dialogue. Although this did not feature the punk/metal soundtrack of the two previous films, the background music fit the scenes. Humor was completely left out of this as well. Overall, those watching through the series in order will get a surprise here. I rate this adequate.
An American action thriller directed by Wolfgang Petersen, starring Clint Eastwood and John Malkovich.
A secret service agent is on the case of a man who threatens to kill the president.
This was the beginning of the end for Clint Eastwood's acting career. He plays the "loose cannon" cop/detective. The only other character worth mentioning is his (way too young for him) romantic interest. They both piss each other off and end up liking it. The plot was boring to me and drawn out over two hours made it seem like it would last forever. Video was of good quality, but the camera-work and editing were nothing to brag about. The audio was similar. I could hear everything and it was mixed well. It just didn't float my boat. I turned it off at about 45 minutes because I had watched it about 7 or 8 years ago and didn't need to see it again to remember how bad it was. In accordance with my turn off policy, I rate this shit. DO NOT WATCH!!!
An American comedy drama written and directed by Richard Linklater, starring Jason London, Milla Jovovich, Wiley Wiggins, Ben Affleck, Parker Posey and Matthew McConaughey.
It's the last day of school in 1976. Some teenagers are out for violence, others for sex and others for pot and beer. They all intermingle to get beaten, stoned, drunk and laid.
Another Wiley Wiggins film. Please refer to my previous and unlabeled posts including him for more info on that. I had actually seen this long ago, but realized that it was not included in my blog. So I watched it again. It's not bad. The plot is simple, but there is an absolute army of characters. Getting everyone in the right place at the right time must have been difficult, which may explain the fast editing cuts and short shot lengths. If you like '70s rock, the soundtrack is good. I appreciated the two Alice Cooper songs so close together. My favorite moment of video is Wiley Wiggins pitching baseball while the seniors threaten him with custom-made beating sticks. Overall, it was more fun to watch when I was closer to the age of the characters. I rate it adequate.
An American horror comedy written and directed by Mark Jones, starring Warwick Davis, Ken Olandt and Mark Holton.
An old man traps the leprechaun in a box in his basement. Years later, a father and daughter move into the house. They befriend the painting team and accidentally let the leprechaun out.
The original Leprechaun film. Obviously, one of the better ones. It reeks of Full Moon. The theme music, camera-work, editing and credits font all reminded me of Puppet Master and Subspecies. I really like the leprechaun as a comedic villain with limericks and clever puns. The painting team was cast excellently. They really fit their roles. Overall, major points for seeming like Full Moon. I rate this good.
A Japanese daikaiju science fiction directed by Takao Okawara.
A baby Godzilla is born in a laboratory from an egg found by scientists. Godzilla and Rodan try to retrieve the egg, but are opposed by scientists who have created a robot to fight Godzilla.
Pretty lame, as expected. The special effects were actually not that bad, but the stereotypical plot made me want to shout at the screen as characters repeatedly made poor decisions. For example, here comes Godzilla because the baby is calling it: let's hide the baby! Stupid. The monsters were what made this worth watching. To quote Wakka from FFX, "Some things little boys never grow out of". Overall, pretty dismal and abyssmal with alright monsters. I rate this tolerable.
A British black comedy directed by Mike Leigh, starring David Thewlis.
This film follows the adventures of Johnny, the smart-ass vagrant, his ex-girlfriend and her current roommate.
Wonderful! The plot was a little desultory, but that worked out for the best. The characters were absolutely priceless! Johnny had a Malcolm McDowell style personality that just lit up the screen. The dialogue was all amazingly well written. The video had that gloomy Dolores Claiborne look of decreased saturation. All of this was put together to create a film that made me want to watch it again right after it was over. In order to fully understand how amazing this is, you should watch it. I have to rate this best.
An American Taiwanese drama directed by Ang Lee, starring Winston Chao and Sihung Lung.
A Chinese man is living with his gay partner in New York City, but his parents in China are pressuring him to marry a woman. They arrange a fake marriage with a young Chinese woman in New York so she can get her green card, but things don't go as planned.
This was really sappy. It was well-mad and there were a few funny moments though. The plot held my interest, but was not what I would have liked to watch. The characters were identifiable, but not all that well developed. The video and audio were good. This is another instance of part Chinese part English and another instance of Sihung Lung playing the grandfather. The pacing was moderate, but surprisingly fast for this type of subject matter. Overall, not what I like watching, but not bad. I rate it o.k.
A German American documentary directed by Werner Herzog.
Various belief systems of Russian people are examined with interviews of leaders and followers.
This was kind of cool. It showed a wide range of spiritual ideas and an even wider array of characters. If I were asked to pick a religion based on this film, I would be with the people visiting the shaman in the beginning. They seemed reasonable enough. They had come for some advice and to have incense blown on them. This section also contained throat singing performances by local musicians. There was also an interview with a former film projectionist who now rings church bells. He seemed relatively sane too. Everyone else seemed bat shit nuts to me. Most of all, I would never follow the Jesus impersonator. The best story was told by a woman at the end who went to a lake that supposedly contains a sunken city. She told of her encounter with angels there and hearing bells from the sunken city. Overall, pretty cool and good variety. I rate this adequate.
A Mexican horror fantasy directed by Guillermo del Toro, starring Ron Perlman, Claudio Brook and Margarita Isabel.
A antiques dealer accidentally discovers that he owns a device made by an alchemist for immortality. A wealthy and sick man has a younger relative trying to track down the device because he owns the instruction manual for it.
This was half in Spanish and half in English. The plot was interesting, but not as I would have made it. The characters were good and the viewer wants the heroes to win. Pacing felt a little odd, possibly too dynamic. The video style started out very clear and correctly exposed, but transitioned to all too dark and underexposed by the end. This did correlate with the main character's condition, but I still didn't like it. Overall, not too shabby. I rate this adequate. You may want to check it out.
An American horror directed by John Carpenter and Tobe Hooper.
A comical mortician relates 3 stories about death. A gas station attendant has a rough night, a man has issues with hair restoration and a baseball player loses his eye.
This was actually not too bad. Why it was listed in Wes Craven's filmography is a mystery though. The plots were simple and to the point, with fast pacing to get their stories in. The duration was like episodes of The Twilight Zone, but with a much darker, graphic and more violent style. The camera-work all looked good. There were some nice shots that got held for a little while to let them sink in as well as faster cuts and some movement. Overall, pretty decent. I rate this adequate.
An American crime action film directed by Philip Kaufman, starring Sean Connery, Wesley Snipes, Harvey Keitel and Steve Buscemi.
A woman has been murdered at a party attended by Japanese businessmen. A young cop and old cop get the case and track down a missing surveillance video to find the murderer.
Standard issue '90s American bullshit. The predictable plot with overdone combination of characters and all-star cast made sure of this. I normally don't watch this type of crap, but I'm going through a list of films associated with Michael Crichton and this was on it. Well, it wasn't painful and I didn't turn it off so I have to rate this bad. DO NOT WATCH!
A British drama directed by Angieszka Holland, starring Kate Maberly.A British girl in India's parents die in a fire and she goes to live with her reclusive uncle. She finds a locked and forgotten garden there, as well as her cousin. The cousin is supposed to be sick and is hidden away.I liked the beginning. It was mysterious and a little dark, but as the film goes on, it becomes brighter and more cheerful. This is one of the books that my mother read to my sister and myself when we were very young, so it has a little sentimental value. Being a Warner Brothers flick, the children of course practice black magic and the sick cousin is a domineering elitist. I'm rating it o.k. because of a balance of good and bad things. The 1987 version is on it's way and I hope that the year rubs off on the film.
A set of dramas by Krysztof Kieslowski.In each film, the characters get into ironic situations that are designed to demonstrate liberty, equality and fraternity. In the blue film, a wife's husband and daughter are killed in a car accident and she goes to great lengths to "reset" her life. In the white, a husband and wife get divorced and the husband turns to illegal activities and revenge. In the red film, A young woman with an obsessive boyfriend who is away on a trip hits a dog with her car and finds that the owner is spying on his neighbors.The style and production value of all these films was great. Unfortunately, the plots were not all good and the pace was extremely slow. It would be accurate to describe them as very French, as they had that European artsy style to them. I'm rating them o.k. because the premise was great, but the delivery lacked interest.
