Angel Dust (1994) Review

Here's a decent Mystery/Psychological dram directed by Gakuryu Ishi (known here as Sogo Ishii).
It follows a young woman named Setsuko Suma who must help solve a series of murders that are being carried out every monday at 6pm on young women. But the film is much more than just this mystery.

Setsuko is a lot like Will Graham from the Hannibal Series in that she has strong empathy and is able to get into the mind of a killer and as the film goes on the focus shifts more onto her and how the case among other things are affecting her psyche.
It's like the film is made up of two halves with the first hour being more about the mystery and the second  hour focusing on the psychological stuff.

The other important character to note is Dr Rei Aku, a man with a sense of mytsery who always seems very calm and smug. He runs an anti-brainwashing clinic and at one point we see footage of his practices which serves to be one of the films main highlights.
It's these two characters and the phycological elements that are actually the most interesting parts of this film and that's the issues as altough it manages to stay quite intriguing throughout, it never manage to fully invest me and at times I could find my mind drifting away from the film.

It is very steadily paced and has quiet and subdued atmosphere which does work to a certain extent but also feels like it's more distancing the viewer rather than absorbing them as intended. The film actually borders the line of horror but never quite steps into it and if anything maybe one of it's problems is that never goes completely full on with its ideas.
There are also a few things that are never really explained that may cause some frustration and confusion especially since it doesn't all quite gel together well enough.

The Cinemtography is decent though if not completely remarkable aside a few good visual bits and the acting is fine too.

So there's certainly is some interesting sequences and stuff going on I just didn't think it was super enjoyable. I'm sure there are other people that will get much more from the film and if you like psychological films some mystery mixed in then it could be worth checking out just be cautious of it's pacing and atmosphere which could be off-putting and make it difficult to get into the movie.

This is the 3rd Gakuryu Ishii film I have seen thus far and I've had a similar experience with all of them, where all of them were intriguing but never fully gripped me. Maybe one day I'll find a film of his I really like, but for now this was still decent. ***

A Pool Without Water (1982) Review

 Video version of this review can be found here: https://youtu.be/IQrzNB-Wv00

This is a solid film directed by Koji Wakamatsu that follows a man who has a seemingly average life with a Mundane job and family with two kids. One day he saves a girl from being raped by two men which creates a spark that slowly boosts his confidence and as he continues to encounter the girl he saved among other things, he becomes inspired as things taking a disturbing turn and he begins to act upon his perverse desires.

Now of course Wakamatsu is most well known for his Pink films which revolve around sex and this one is no different. However I must give a warning to anyone considering watching this as this film does involve scenes of Somnophillia  which is basically women getting things non-consensually done to them whilst they are asleep or knocked out....and the film is quite repetitive with it.

So this definitely is not a comfortable viewing experience and it will probably disgust and deter a lot of people. But interestingly these scenes are actually filmed quite sensually almost we're like seeing them from the perpetrators perspective which will either cause more discomfort, diffuse it or even make it funny. I have actually seen people regard this as a comedy which I wasn't exactly the experience I had with it but I can understand while people can view it that way as it does have comedic elements and things that are laughable.

Essentially this film is about a man who becomes bored with his average life and begins to do what makes him happy even if it is a little extreme and as things go on, he becomes more and more carefree in his actions and not bothered by the consequences. And He is played by actor Yuya Uchida who I think puts on good performance here.

Despite what the character does though the film is actually somewhat morally ambiguous and isn't completely against him and even in some aspects on his side. It can be very difficult to really understand what is going through this characters mind but at times it does feel like that he thinks what he's doing is actually good in some ways, especially when you consider the affects it has on one particular woman that he focuses on. Thus the film does have a rather peculiar ending and stance and his probably gonna rub alot people up the wrong way.

but that's the thing about Wakamatsu he was a provocative filmmaker that liked to question what the audience was viewing and there's always something more going on beneath his films seedy and perverse surface that make them inherently more interesting.

The film also a proper 80's electronic score which includes a rather chilled smooth synth track and a more upbeat funky one which are pretty fun.

I think there were a couple of confusing story bits early on but overall this was a really nicely shot and solid film, but it's definitely a difficult one to recommend, I think Wakamtasu fans are the ones that will most appreciate and like it but everyone else may have a more negative reaction and in particular if you cannot stand non-consensual stuff then stay well away from it.
Maybe the best way to enjoy would be as a comedy after all..either way it's not exactly great and I would probably never watch it again but it was still a pretty interesting watch. ***

Attack On Titan (2015)

Part one of the live action adaptation of the highly popular manga/anime of which I myself am a fan of, but while this film may not reach the greatness of it's source material, what we have here is still a really fun movie. For better or worse the film takes a few creative liberties and takes away alot of the character depth and story  focuses more on delivering a straight up action film. (something that has understandably annoyed alot of fan), I for one don't mind this so much as it is still a very engaging movie from start to finish, the visual effects themselves certainly aren't hollywood high standard (as expected) but they are still quite fun to look at and have some genuine good bits at times and the film still manages to feel a little different to your usual action blockbuster.
Overall the film is a bit of a disappointment but if you are willing accept the film for what it is, then there's still quite a bit of fun to be had here in this entertaining (if a little shallow) thrill ride
***1/2

HK: The Forbidden Superhero

A film about a superhero named Hentai Kamen (Lit. Masked Pervert) who wears nothing but panties on his head, a mankini and stockings and defeats people with his crotch. This will probably be too ridiculous for some to enjoy. But I found the movie to be a lot of fun with some good comedy. The CGI is dodgy as fuck which is probably the films biggest flaw, but when you look past that  there is a very entertaining film here and remember 'being a bigger pervert doesn't make you a stronger pervert'. Ridiculous fun.
***

The Man in White (2003)

The Man in White is one of Takashi Miike's obscure and rare films that exist in his vast oeuvre. The best version I found to watch, was of particular low quality (above image is a screenshot of said version), especially the night time scenes that were barely watchable. Having said that those who have not been able to see this film aren't really missing out on much anyway, as this is just another standard Yakuza thriller, that has many familiar generic elements and conventions, as well as familiar actors that pop up in many of Miike's films (Ken'ichi Endo, Renji Ishibashi, etc.).
While it may not be that unique or different, the film is still has it's moment and is quite entertaining overall, I particularly enjoyed some of the ways it used a handheld camera. I would really only recommend this though to fans who love obscure Yakuza flicks and Hardcore Miike fans that want to see as much of his work as possible (like myself). Everyone else can just leave it alone.
The film also has a sequel which I shall also be watching at some point in the future, but for now the first Man in White stands merely as an enjoyable if average Yakuza thriller, it's just a shame a better quality version isn't available.
***