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Reviews
Bullet Ballet (1998)
Different from Tsukamoto's earlier movies, but still a great movie.
First off, those expecting the David Lynch-on-Angel Dust style of the 1st Tetsuo movie and Tokyo Fist will probably be disappointed. Like Tokyo Fist, this is Shinya Tsukamoto at his most personal and heartbreaking. I saw this film at the Montreal FantAsia festival and came out puzzled by what I saw. Here I was, expecting Tsukamoto to cut loose again...and this movie was, by the standards of his earlier work, relatively calm. I'd compare it to Scorsese's "The King of Comedy" in that people will soon be hailing this one as a masterpiece.
The film is the story of two people linked together by ideals and tragedy. Tsuda is a director of commercials who is heartbroken by the suicide of his fiancee for mysterious reasons. He soon develops a fascination with guns.
Later on, we meet Chisato, a young woman who is the driving force behind a gang of Japanese toughs. Tsuda forms a bond with Chisato through multiple encounters with the gangs. Whereas the other members of the gang are middle-class kids looking for fun, Chisato has a death wish and a suicidal streak which propels her to violence.
Here's hoping that Bullet Ballet gets released soon, as it is technically perfect as well as emotionally dead-on.
Dead Boyz Can't Fly (1992)
Better Than Its' Title
Dead Boyz Can't Fly is a film that breaks the mold and harkens back to a day and age when exploitation films were dirty and cruel affairs. Films like this (Combat Shock and Satan's Sadists are other examples) that wallow in nihilism, hopelessness, and anger are tough going. However, this also gives them a meaning and crude energy.
Dead Boyz Can't Fly is the story of three goons, seemingly soulless and heartless, who have the sheer need and lust to inflict pain and suffering. This doesn't bode well for the art dealer who laughed at one of the goon's artwork, or anyone else who stands in their way.
As stated before, the brutality and anger of this film is shocking. Once you realise that the producer/director (himself a victim of a crime similar to the one in this movie) is using the violence as a means of catharsis, it seems natural. In short, Dead Boyz Can't Fly is perfect for the viewer who loved films like Last House On The Left or Fight For Your Life. Check it out.
Divided Into Zero (1999)
The Cinematic Equivalent of S&M...pain and pleasure entwined
Out of the wilds of Canada, wunderkind filmmaker Mitch Davis opens his heart and soul to an unsuspecting audience for 34 minutes. In the span of three years, Davis and his team of cineastes toiled on this beast of a short film, alternating between scenes of beauty, perversion, and savagery. There is imagery in this film that will pierce your heart and soul. In many ways, the film carries the multi-pronged attack of a film like El Topo or Martin. However, Divided Into Zero has enough in its' head to carry the weight of such comparisons and create its' own impression. An experience like no other...
Fight for Your Life (1977)
One of the funniest movies I have ever seen, if not the funniest.
This movie is so inept, poorly done, and crude that it qualifies as some sort of trash masterpiece. The whole movie is ultimately hilarious if you have an extreme sense of humor. Jessie Lee is by far one of the coolest characters to ever set foot in front of a camera.
Deadbeat at Dawn (1988)
One of the best US-made Action flims of all time.
Director Jim Van Bebber and his crew of film junkies have churned out what has to be one of the greatest Independent films of all time. Van Bebber makes movies that are aesthetically exciting, yet have a personal edge which makes them hard to ignore. This movie is a stone-cold classic, one deserving of much recognition from the Underground cinema naysayers. This is a fine example of regional fimmaking, announcing Van Bebber as a major talent to watch.