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Reviews
Fong Sai-Yuk (1993)
Surprisingly good natured kung fu film
Essentialy a kung fu comedy, this film was quite enjoyable. Jet Li and especially Josephine Siao give good comic performances and the martial arts while extremely silly and unbelievable are very well done.
Two problems prevent this film from being a martial art classic for me. Director Corey Yuen or the cinematographer for some reason shot much of the film with medium shots with a wide angle lens. This has the effect of obscuring the action in the many fight scenes. The last thing anyone should do is obscure Jet Li moving around. Also the film starts with a very graphic fight scene and ends with several comic characters getting killed. This is very out of line with the lighthearted nature of the rest of the film.
Otherwise it's a great rental. Get it on DVD if you can.
Harlock Saga: Nibelung no yubiwa 'Rhein no ôgon' (1999)
Welcome, if imperfect, return of the space pirate
Having first seen Captain Harlock, subtitled, on a Japanese UHF-TV channel here in New York in the late 70's, I was hooked on the highly stylized, sci-fi melodrama. The 42 episode series was quite unlike anything that was on TV at the time and it's unfortunate that it hasn't found some sort of re-release in Japan or here in the U.S. That said, Harlock has been seen here in the US release of the Galaxy Express 999 feature film and the unusual "Arcadia of my Youth" which was produced later but is a prequel to the original TV series. One thing to note is that the author of the all of the comic books, TV series and movies is very loose with the chronology and he doesn't mind changing the background stories of the characters to suit the plot of his present project.
That said, anyone who remembers the original series or the other works will have to accept that two of the recurring characters, in this release, have been changed yet have the same names. This collection of a six episode limited series is loosely based on the Wagner Ring operas and the excellent music heard is either Wagner or very closely based on Wagner. The animation style is very much like the original 1970's series, right down to the sometimes clumsy perspective rendering of the highly detailed spaceships. The story seems to have been patched together rather quickly and there are some large plot holes because of it. A big disappointment is the promised big battle between Harlock's ship, the Arcadia, and the main villain's massive space force. Each episode starts with an opening montage that shows the battle about to start but when we finally get to it in episode six, it doesn't happen. Something else rather interesting happens but no super battle.
It's great to have Captain Harlock back in series form and many of the qualities that made the original series memorable for me in the late 70's are here too. It's hard to enthusiastically recommend this to anyone who is expecting the usual anime pyrotechnics and bombast. Harlock has always been more of a hard drama. Hopefully we may someday see the original series released on DVD.
Planet of the Apes (1968)
Allegorical Sci-Fi is much better then I remembered
I had to ignore this film for 20 years before being able to enjoy it on an intellectual level. It's actually quite funny at times. A lot of this film is very smart once you get beyond Heston's at times ridiculous acting and some of the slow scenes at the beginning. I think they must of taken Heston's acting ability into account because he plays not a very likable character at all, a sort of anti-hero. Considering the intelligence level of sci-fi in US cinema at the time, this is one of best of the 60's and even the 70's.
Pola X (1999)
Yeah, Yeah... Let's watch people think
Take about 1 hour from this film and we might have something really worth watching. Starts with one of the most impressive visual starts for a film I've ever seen but goes down hill real quick. There's also a great computer generated dream sequence. All the characters are mysterious so it takes a few days to figure out what you saw and even then you still will not really understand the motivation for some of them. It's too bad because there's some very good working material here. Add a rather explicit love scene (with body doubles doing the hard work) and some overall oddness and you've got your basic French art film. Yeah, yeah....
L'humanité (1999)
Beautiful , disturbing 2hrs 20mins. but only 40mins. of real plot
This was a test of my watching limits and I really enjoy Tarkovsky.
Enigmatic film stays with you even though it may not have been the best watching experience. It's hard to exactly know what's with the main character as it's never really explained. Looking for a lively study of human nature, go far away from this film. If films like Tarkovsky's "The Sacrifice" appeal to you this may be a wonderful, thought provoking experience.
Gekijôban Poketto Monsutâ Kesshôtô no Teiô Entei (2000)
Hey it's the best one yet (That might not be saying much for some)
Seeing how many adults despise Pokemon, my comments might strike those as the ramblings of a social oddball. But so what?
My child likes Pokemon and I happen to like the Pokemon show, it's not always great but it good to see a show that teaches kids to strive for a goal that is not reachable in half an hour. Name any other children's show where the characters take an entire season to reach a stated goal. In a funny way this show is more realistic then any other children's show on American TV. The program is very tolerant of people's differences and celebrates everyone's unique talents. And I like the different Pokemon creatures and my son and I enjoy playing the N64 Pokemon Stadium 2 game together. He really enjoys explaining the different Pokemon to me as we play. I have a friend who runs tours at a local science museum using the Pokemon as a way to get the kids into natural history and sciences. It really sparks some of the children into learning more.
That said, the movies have been a different story. The first was a very dark movie and the second, although better, still had a strange apocalyptic undercurrent more typical of Japanese animation for older audiences. I missed the light hearted nature of the TV show. The new one is different, the story is more suited to young audiences and it's mostly more coherent to adults who are with the young ones. (Although the kids will have to explain some plot elements to you if you haven't kept up with the show.) The film also has a much better story than the first two. There is still quite a bit of large scale fighting at the end but it's not the end of the world stuff of the first films.
Do I recommend the film to regular audiences? No, but I do suggest to parents that you don't make excuses to not take your child. This should not be the torture you may have experienced with the first two.
The Bat Whispers (1930)
Over the top Super Villain / Creepy House Classic
I was just amazed when I saw the 65mm transfer of this film. It's a fun and evidently tongue in cheek crime mystery. The use of miniatures is totally fake but works great. They didn't even attempt to hide the slots in the ground for the miniature cars to be pulled along by. The actors are in total theater mode and are probably from the NY Theater scene of the time. Don't take it seriously and you'll probably have a good time but be sure to see the wide screen version.
Gamera 3: Jashin kakusei (1998)
Probably one of the best Japanese Monster Movies ever!!!
This is the darkest Japanese monster movie I've seen. Hundreds of innocent people are accidentally killed by Gamera who is triing to protect them from various giant monsters (this film refers to the two previous films). One survivor gains control of a super evil monster and goes on a quest to destroy Gamera. This as some of the best monster effects ever out of Japan and was a clear influence on "Godzilla 2000", an inferior film. But a warning, like Godzilla 2000, the film doesn't really end (hence the title) but seems to be pointing to a sequel. Let's hope.
Django 2 - Il grande ritorno (1987)
Django? This is Django?!!
Basicly comes off like any number of Franco Nero action films from the 1980's. He's got a machine gun so he must be playing Django, right? And a hearse this time instead of the coffin. Nero could just as well be playing "Keoma Strikes Back". Sergio Corbucci was not the greatest director but he knew how to set up some atmosphere. This "Ted Archer" directs like he graduated Filipino school of film quickies.
Not worth the rental, watch the original instead.
Inferno (1980)
Great Visuals but ultimately goes nowhere
Some fantastic sets and surreal visuals are balanced against what seems to me as a complete lack of purpose to the story. The weird New York apartment building that is the center of the film is a clear inspiration for "Ghostbusters" a few years later. The story starts to make something out of ancient alchemistry and it's strange beliefs (something that film makers have not done very much with at all) but we end up with a film that seems to be stuck with just trying to kill off all the main characters in unique ways. The connections of some of the people in the film to each other just don't add up. When the film ends it's just that... over. Some of the spookiness will linger with you for a while although.
Mosura (1996)
Great looking fantasy film
I was surprised how well designed this film was compared to the concurrent Gojira series. In fact I found it to be better then most of the recent Gojira series. It resembles the Kaiju films of the sixties in spirit. Mothra still looks like a flying Beanie Baby but the rest of the special effects are very good, especially the explosions and light beam effects. There are some strange plot errors but overall the film should be highly enjoyable for Kaiju fans.
Daimajin ikaru (1966)
Majin smashes more samurai and their evil warlord
Not much different from the first film except that Majin now resides on the top of a mountain instead of the side. Great art direction, nature photography and overall excellent special effects elevated what is essentially the same story as the first film. Evil warlord enslaves and kills innocent townspeople and Majin rises up and kills all the samurai. The warlord even dies the same way as in the warlord in the first film. The middle of the film is beautifully photographed but really boring as the children travel over Majin's mountain to rescue their fathers from the warlord. Akira Ikufube's score is really good too but you can't help but notice it's almost an exact copy of his work for the Toho monster films at the same time.
Daimajin (1966)
Samurais vs. Giant Stone Statue
Surprisingly good Japanese monster movie. Evil warlord enslaves townspeople until one prays to the mysterious unfinished stone statue on a mountain. The statues comes to life and goes on a rampage. The special effects are much better then what you may be used to from Japanese monster movies of the sixties.
Mission to Mars (2000)
De Palma falls asleep, leaves film to technicians
This script must have been computer generated along with the special effects. 2001, The Abyss, Close Encounters and Destination Moon are all brought in the mix. Add some idiocy about the Face on Mars and you get a film that could have been at least watchable fun but someone forgot to ask Brian de Palma to show up and direct his actors. He seems more interested in simulating zero-gravity then stimulating action. The first encounter with the artifact on Mars is astounding. Just watch the actors not react to incredible danger. It's like a 2 hour version of the Imax film " L5", great effects, run and hide story.
Gekijôban Poketto Monsutâ: Myûtsû no Gyakushû (1998)
Dark version of TV series
The show is usually light and fun with slapstick humor, Poke fights and a bit of Japanese style cartoon drama. This film, however, is more typical of Japanese anime intended for teens or young adult males as the main villian, MewTwo, is an angry mutated psychic clone bent on world destruction. The film starts with the complete destruction of an island of evil scientists by MewTwo and ends with a Poke battle that more resembles a violent WWF free-for-all then the usual fantasy battles on the TV Show. There's also a lot less of the silly wordplay and slapstick of the show. The kids I took were happy to see it but they really like the show better. The short before the film is a throwaway that seems to have been originally intended for very young audiences on TV. It's odd how this release misses the intended age group both ways.
Panelstory aneb Jak se rodí sídliste (1980)
Incredible "Unknown" film
This is an incredible film that deserves to be better known in the US.
Using a hand-held verite camera style, Panalstory follows the live of several residents of a communist-bloc apartment complex from hell. Shot in a real unfinished housing project, the film is one of those things you can't believe got past the state censors. However don't think this film is only about life in the Soviet bloc. It one of the best universal human life films, I've seen. The filming and editing are superb and once again the director predates filming styles that are all the rage now.
If you live in New York City, the City University cable channel runs this film occasionally.
Keoma (1976)
A Very Good (but flawed) Italian Western
Way better than average Italian Western features great art direction and photography, a good story line and a good performance from Franco Nero. The director maintains an mysterious atmosphere through-out the film and a number of sequences are extremely effective.
The drawbacks come with a very intrusive Greek chorus like songtrack that describes what the main characters are feeling. It is mostly ignorable when a woman is singing but becomes painful when it seems like Franco Nero is actually doing the singing (not on-screen). It also seems like Nero did his own dubbing for the English language version which comes off strange as he is playing an Indian/Caucasian half-breed in the film. There are also points in the film where the editing gets way too arty for no clear reason.
But I would recommend it as it is miles above the usual Western.
Il grande silenzio (1968)
Gorgeous snowbound western is a bit depressing
Klaus Kinski and Frank Wolff stand out in this film about legalized "Dead or Alive" bounty hunting gangs in the Old West. Incredible scenery and snowbound sets make this an unusual spagetti western in the fact it wasn't shot in the usual places in Spain.
Be forewarned, this is not your typical super-gunslinger wins all story. In fact, if you expect that you'll be extremely disappointed. I was until I thought about what the film was trying to say. Give it a chance on a day you're looking for a non-Hollywood style ending.
Navajo Joe (1966)
Good hard working Italian Western
Great soundtrack by Moriccone. "Navahoe Joe" defends town against a murderous band of Indian scalp hunters who are enlisted by a mysterious man to rob a town of it's money.Nothing surprising here but it's good watching for Italian western fans.
Django (1966)
Good start, boring middle, better end
Great opening as Django drags a coffin across a muddy expanse into an equally muddy town in the Old West. He comes into conflict with a cult leader Ex-Confederate major who is terrorizing the helpless and near abandoned town. As long as the film stays within this conflict it's quite good. Unfortunately the plot strays for much of the middle, there's too much of director Corbucci's trademark massacre scenes and I started to loose interest until the Major was brought back towards the end. Then the film gets good again. Worth a watch.