Mindhunters (2004) Review

Here's a forgotten thriller form the early noughties that got panned and failed at the box office, but my goodness is it a hoot.
Featuring Christian Slater, Val Kilmer and LL Cool J, the film follows a team of FBI trainee profilers who are left isolated on an island for a test simulation, but things take a turn when the murders become real!

It follow a couple of slasher tropes and isn't a very unique movie but it's got some fun twists and turns on the go  and it definitely keeps it's intrigue throughout. It does however have some rather dumb moments plus you got LL Cool J trying to be the cool one liner guy, but the lines end-up being pretty lame..

The pacing is also little all over the place and there's some choppy/baffling editing on the go which made me audibly laugh at certain points particularly in a fight scene towards the end.

Top it off with a score that includes a wailing 80s guitar and nice bit of gore and you've got yourself a very amusing experience that'a not exactly good but still chock full of entertainment value.
One of those films to chuck on whilst chilling with friends to have a fun time, sometime that's all you need. ***1/2

Skins (2017) Review

So here's an odd Spanish film involving people with 'deformities' trying to find happiness. It's the debut feature for  Eduardo Casanova who is only 27 years old and already shows good promise as a director as I really enjoyed this.
It has a nice consistent aesthetic, is well acted and balances the drama and comedy rather well providing a few touching moments as well as a weirdly cute ending.
Some of the structuring and editing is a little bit clunky, but the run time is is just under 80 minutes and stays constantly engaging throughout.
Now there are some moments people will find discomforting but the film does have dark comical edge that may diffuse that and if anything I think it's thr overall strangeness that'll be off-putting for most people.
But if you give it a real chance there's a great little movie here to be enjoyed, one that tries to provide hope and love to those that are different, albeit in its own unique manner. ****

Venom (2018) Review

There's a good movie lurking somewhere in Venom's back gooey depths and it lies specifically in the fun Venom/Eddie Brock dynamic that serves to be the films main highlight. Tom Hardy is clearly having fun in his role which is why it mainly works well and serves to be enjoyable.
The CGI is also fine but does get a bit messy at times particularly in the climactic fight but I don't think the editing helped with that either.

My point though is that I liked the portrayal of venom here, It's just a shame that its' all wrapped in a bog standard story and some messy craftsmanship leaving you with a film that is kinda entertaining but mostly lackluster.

May have just been better if they just did a spider-man film with this venom, the problem with origin origin films is that the majority of them go down similar paths and they just don't end up being interesting enough, so I wouldn't call Venom outright bad, it's  just very meh. **1/2
.

A Simple Favor (2018) Review

take some of the hunour and tone of Paul Feig's previous films and mix it with Gone Girl and this is what you get. A fun little thriller that is based on a novel from last year which looks a lot more serious than this film ended up being.
But it's the playful tongue and cheek tone that really makes this work especially with it getting a little farcical towards the end. Though I'm sure there are fans of the novel who are displeased with this deviation which is fair.

The film is ripe with twists and turns that keep it interesting, some more surprising than others and it does a good job of leading you  in a few directions to make you guess what going on before the big reveals finally come in, though it arguably maybe takes a tad too long for the reveals to come through as my interest did wane a little bit in the middle before getting hooked right in.

Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick both put on very solid central performances playing contrasting characters that both have things that their hiding beneath and the supporting cast was pretty good too.

In the end what you get is a solid thriller with an intriguing story and a good dose of humour that may not have the heft and weight of gone girl but still provides an all around fun time. Probably Feig's finest film to date.. ***1/2

BlacKKKlansman (2018) Review

Before this I only ever seen one Spike Lee film...the Oldboy remake. Of course that movie turned out to be trash but I was always curious to check out Lee's good stuff and luckily I got a glimpse of that with Lee's latest film BlacKKKlansman which turned out to be rather excellent.

The film is based on the true story of a black detective in the 1970's who with help from his team try to infiltrate and expose the local Klu Klutz Klan residing in Colorado springs.

Now though it is based on a true story there are of course creative liberties that are taken to make things more interesting but without sacrificing the stories validity or things Spike may be trying to say.

Spike also balances the tone here tremendously well consistently switching the line between serious and funny.The best example of this being the KKK, the way they are represented is often quite farcical and not in a forced way but just inherently with their words and actions, but then there are also times where what they say and do is deeply discomforting.

Spike also does a great job of comparing and contrasting the KKK with the Black power movement which again reinforces the ridiculousness of the former, though Spike also doesn't shy away from a few of the negative aspects that were prevalent in the latter.

Spike is also clear to remind us of the racial issues we face in the modern day with a very serious and hard hitting ending which many may argue as preachy but it's Spike just enforcing his point and wanting a change.

This is all also backed up by some great acting with a cast that includes John David Washington, Adam Driver, Laura Harrier and Topher Grace among others all of who put on strong performances.

What Spike Lee has crafted here is great movie that has power and social relevance and whilst you can argue that certain scenes go on longer than they need to do, I personally found the film to be a compelling  experience from start to finish. ****1/2

Star Trek: the Motion Picture (1979) Review

The first in the original Star Trek film series and it's a very good one indeed.
Here Captain Kirk and his original enterprise crew reunite to investigate a huge strange energy cloud that is making its way towards earth.
It's a rather simple story but it's soaked in intrigue and kept me engaged throughout it's over 2 hour runtime as the mystery of the cloud and whatever lurks inside it are slowly unravelled.
It's almost devoid of any action which I've seen pop-up as a criticism but I really never found it a problem since I found the story compelling enough and helped by the fact that it's well acted by everyone.

There's also some great visual stuff on the go especially when they finally reveal what is hiding in the cloud with some solid set design and effects on the go, Yeah quite a bit of it look dated but it all still retains a certain charm to them and has some really cool bits.
I will admit that they do seem to stretch out a couple of these effects sequences longer than they maybe should have but i never found it much of hindrance.

But that's because it;s all accompanied by Jerry Goldsmiths fantastic score, the exact kind of majestic film score that helps keep you hooked and it's very clear to see why he ended up scoring a load of other Star trek stuff with even a slight variation of main theme from this film being used as the main them for the Next Generation series.

Overall the plot may be too thin and basic for a lot of people to enjoy but I still found it be very well executed and enjoyable making for a really solid bit of sci-fi. ***1/2

Diagnosis: Death (2010) Review

Here's a low budget New Zealand horror comedy featuring Rhys Darby, Jermain Clement and Brett Mckenzie from the  Flight of the Conchords TV Show. however despite being the main selling point they only feature in small roles which make up the best moments of the film.

As for the rest of the movie...well it's very messy but somewhat fun. It is pretty simple kind of mysery/ghost film, the pacing is all over the place and horror elements are very bare and generic but there are couple of good bloody moments in there towards the end.
There's also some awkward sexual stuff and speaking of awkward the acting from the two main characters is pretty clunky and some their interactions sound a bit unnatural.
I did enjoy the performance of the Suze Tye though who plays Nurse Magaret Bates she worked well and was fun in her role.

So yeah overall I think there's enough in there to find enjoyment, it's not that funny but still provides a couple of laughs and it's clunky execution is entertaining in it's own way. Just don't expect much from it. **1/2

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. ***

The Visitor In the Eye (1977) Review

 Video version of this review can be found here: https://youtu.be/uPXReBFKIJk

Now this a 1977 adaption of a story from the Osamu Tezuka Manga 'Black Jack' directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi.
Now I'm very unfamiliar with the Manga, the most that I know is it follows a surgeon called Black Jack who has miracle healing hands.
Here the focus isn't on him though, instead it follows a tennis student who accidentally gets hit in one eye causing it go blind. With seemingly no hope of recovery she gets taken to the surgeon Black Jack who gives her a cornea trnasplant that successfully restores her sight. However despite the surgery's success she soon begins to randomly see images of a mysterious stranger that she becomes drawn to.

This initial setup kinda makes it sound like a horror movie but it is in fact a mystery romantic drama and it is the mystery to be solved that serves as the main focus of the story, it's a pretty simple one that easy enough to unravel apart from the actual specifics, so it manages to keep a good sense of intrigue throughout as it reveals to us more and more details.

Tonally and stylistically it share similarities to Obayashi's previous film 'Hausu' with Obayashi continuing to bring elements from his earlier days of  directing commercials. This film is obviously  a lot more striaghtforward than House but is still quite melodramatic and romanticised which may be off-putting for some but works with this material particulalrly the romantic elements.

It also brings in big camera movements, matte paintings and strong mood lighting to it's visuals making for a very nicely shot and executed film that is very visually interesting.

There's also a recurring piano theme used throughout that links in with the story and characters which is quite nice.

the acting isn't bad either, as I mentioned it is quite melodramatic but it works and they have a couple of interesting people playing certain roles. Black Jack is actually played by Jo Shishido who is fun to see in the full character get-up  and makes a change of pace form his usual Yakuza roles.
Etusko Shimoi also plays a small role that is the opposite of the usual badass she is known to be in martial arts movies.
Plus Sonny Chiba has a small cameo which I didn't even realise til later on.

Now the film is pretty shallow and doesn't have much depth to it, but it manages to keep your interest through it's mystery and the way that it is filmed/

It may not offer more beyond that and I'm not sure what fan of the manga think or if this is even a successful adaptation, but as a simple mystery film with a dash of romance it's pretty solid overall. ***

Paradox (2018) Review

This bizarre little film was ported straight to Netflix a couple of months ago and is directed by actress Daryl Hannah and stars Neil Young and his backing band Promise of the Real.
It's a kind of psychedelic Western with musical excerpts mixed in, performed by Neil Young and is band which were written and recorded for specifically for the film.
Now It's a bit of a mess in all honestly and seems to lack any sense of direction with even it's camerawork and editing seeming to be little all over the place.
There's no narrative to speak of it's mainly string of sequences featuring the characters doing stuff.
I couldn't tell you what any of it means but I did actually enjoy it to a certain extent. The music is pleasant and pretty decent overall, the runtime is only 72 minutes so it's a relatively short ride, the hazy atmosphere is consistent and there's enough going on to keep your interest even if it it is baffling and doesn't seem to make much sense.
Also Willie Nelson shows up and robs a bank with Neil I guess?..so yeah if you like Neil Young and want to see him in something odd then check it out, other than that I'm not sure many people will find much to enjoy here outside the music. ***

Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984) Review

This 80's christmas slasher is one that can be described as half decent.
All the origin stuff in the first half I found to be quite interesting and actually had some ok acting, once it shifts into the actual slasher stuff though, things get a bit mixed. There's a few nice kills and bloody moments (in the uncut version at least) but there's also a few dull moments, with some sequence being padded out to fill the run time.
The movie is certainly sleazy and twisted but surprisingly tackles a few issues like trigger happy policemen and the certain effects of abuse and trauma, of course its all done in the most basic of ways, so its not particularly depthful, but its still oddly there
Overall I think this isan enjoyable enough slasher flick, nothing great but not too bad. ***

A Taxi Driver (2017) Review

Here's a Korean film based on a true story about the Taxi driver who helped transport a german reporter into Gwangju during it's democratisation movement in 1980.
Its a drama with some thriller and action elements mixed in, one that is deeply moving and utterly fantastic.
Song Kang-Ho plays as the Taxi driver and puts on a superb performance as you'd expect. I definitely got engrossed with his character and he's backed up by a really good supporting cast including Thomas Kretschmann as the reporter. There's a great dynamic between Kretschmann and Kang-Ho's character especially in trying to overcome the language barrier between the two.

The film actually starts out quite light hearted with a fair amount of humour, but it gradually turns more serious whilst retaining some of its humour and includes a few tense sequences, as well as strong emotional moments that had me in tears. The film is certainly a little romanticised and is very sentimental but it still works really well and manages to remain very engaging and moving.

Cinematography is also good and there's one particular standout scene in the film set at night time where only orange light is used to illuminate the setting and it looks incredible. The contrasting orange and black makes for some stunning imagery and mixed with the added smoke helps create a perfect atmosphere and setting for the events that ensue.

The film does have a hefty runtime of 137 minutes, but it certainly never drags and unfolds at a good pace. The only thing I wasn't too keen was a car chase scene, which seemed a little too fantastical  and a bit needless, but It's still effectively done and doesn't detract much from the film at all.

Overall this is a really great film fronted by strong performances that effectively sheds lights on a horrific event and represents well those unsung heroes of vital importance who never necessarily expect or want the recognition, but certainly deserve it. Highly recommended. ****1/2

Chaw (2009) Review

So here's a pretty fun but kinda lackluster South Korean monster movie about a mutant killer boar who roams the forests of  small village, killing and eating any person it comes across.
The film has a fun tone, playing out like a black comedy, though some of its humour doesn't quite work and feels a bit off.
The films execution is also a little rough, some of the editing and camerawork are a bit messy and its really lacking in the gore department which is bit of a shame.
Still some of Monster action isn't bad, the Boar being brought to life with a mix of practical and CG effect which are decent and works well enough.
The film also has its fair share of odd moments including couple of weird characters and despite is execution I quite enjoyed this overall. Its run time is almost 2 hours, which is too long for this kind of film but I wouldn't say it dragged at all and I think it's the films inherent oddness that keeps your attention.
Overall it's not the best but there's enough there to make it fun. **1/2

Writhing Tongue (1980) Review

AKA Furueru shita.

 I actually went into this expecting a wacky horror especially with a name like 'Writhing Tongue'. However that was not the case at all, instead I was pleasantly surprised to find that this actually a great drama that shows the mental and emotional struggle of a couple who are stuck in hospital with their sick daughter who has a form of tetanus, as the doctors and nurses do their best to keep her alive and help her recover.
Now though its not a horror, the film does still have a couple of disturbing elements, there's some creepy synth music that comes in every now and again and few of things the doctors do to help the young girl which are quite discomforting. To be fair these elements still made me feel the film was gonna turn into full blown horror and it was about 35 minutes in that I realised thats probably wasn't happening.
The film was still really engrossing though, the acting was very good and there was some very nice framed shots, as well as a bluey/purple colour filter which is used a couple of times that I thought look really pretty.
the film also has a couple interesting dream sequence's that were integrated well and overall I really liked the direction and execution.
I think my only main issue with it, was that the ending did feel a bit rushed, it comes very suddenly and feel could have used  more time to play out.
Overall though I enjoyed this alot and thought it was great drama that was simple and effective, this is the second film I've seen from Yoshitaro Nomura and he's definitely impressed me so far from what I've seen, so hopefully I'll delve more into his work in future. Definitely recommended ****

Spirited Killer (1994) Review

AKA Plook mun Kuen ma kah 4 is a low budget Thai Martial arts film from the early 90s featuring a young Tony Jaa. Now the DVD set I bought put all the focus on Jaa as you can tell in the above international DVD cover. But he is in fact only in one segment of the film, but does get to show off some of his skills before making his exit.
The film follows a bunch of travellers out in the Thai rainforest, who must help a local village take down an evil man who is wreaking havoc in the rainforest, fighting and killing all who he encounters.
It's minimal on plot, but heavy on the action with a fight occuring pretty much every 5-10 minutes. The action is well choreographed and fun, though the film does get a little tiresome towards the end and feels a little excessive, like the opening setup which is needlessly padded out to almost 20 minutes.
Now the version I watched had an english dub which was of course awful and threw in some stupid humour, though interestingly when there was no talking they kept to the original audio. A thai dub was available but with no english subs, though I probably still would have been better off with it, its not like there's much to follow.
Overall the movie is fun to a certain extent but could have shaved some of its time off, even if it is only 90 minutes. **1/2

When Worlds Collide (1951) Review

Here's a 50's technicolor Sci-fi film that's pretty solid. It's about a rogue star and it's orbiting earth-like planet that are hurtling towards earth which will cause it's destruction. With no way of avoiding the apocalypse, a decision is made to build a spacecraft that will fly to the planet orbiting the rogue star and start a new life  for humans there.
Majority of the film involves all the preparation for the fight but it's livened up with some dramatic conflicts that make it a little more interesting. There's also a cool little earth destruction sequence that was really nicely done and has some fun effects.
Overall there are some very good moments here but they mostly happen in the second half and the rest of the film is perfectly fine but  nothing inspiring. It's still certainly a decent watch though.

Maniac (1980) Review

Maniac is a grimy slasher flick that follows the killer's POV. It's mainly made up of main character monologues and a bunch of killings that have some nice gore effects provided by FX wiz Tom Savini. It then delivers a very strange and pretty awesome ending as the killers psyche breaks down from what could be argued to be his guilt.
The killer is played by Joe Spinell who puts on a commendable performance but most of the supporting acting and dialogue is pretty bad and at times laughable.
The film also has some pacing issues and it can be a little too slow in places. I think there's one chase scene in particular that goes on far too long and lacks the suspense to merit it's length.
Overall Maniac is a pretty solid slasher though that bring some differences to the usual fare. ***

Zone Troopers (1985) Review

Zone Troopers is a 1985 "sci-fi" movie set in jolly old World War II. It follows a bunch of American soldiers serving in Italy trying to fight off the Nazis in the area. While two of them are captured they encounter an alien that the Nazis have also caught and help it escape with them. the alien and her fellow bretheren then help the soldiers fight off the Nazis and return home to their planet. Yeah it's a very simple film with a very light tone that is arguable comedic but I didn't find much to be funny here, in fact I found the whole movie to be kind of boring.
I just really didn't connect to it all,the main alien looks pretty good but he brethren are literally just green men, since she's the only female among them(which of course is a joke in the film). The film is only 85 minutes long but the plot is so basic that it's stretched out in a rather dull way, there is alot of shooting in the movie, but there's no blood or effects here, so it's just a bunch of people fake dying to the ground and it's all a bit pants.
I feel like the movie would have worked way better if it was more hard edged with lots of blood and gore every way, instead what we get is a rather limp movie that does have an odd charm about it, but nothing much else going for it all. oh Well. **

Invaders from Mars (1986)

Tobe Hooper's remake of 1953 film of the same name, is a rather simple but fun movie. It has a basic plot involving Martians invading earth and taking over peoples bodies, with the main character being a young boy who enlists the help of the army to stop them.
The acting an dialogue isn't all that great but the film's main highlight are the special effects which are awesome and the most enjoyable aspect of the movie. Both the martians and spaceship look really cool and there's even some very minor body horror thrown into the mix.
The film does have a bit of a cop-out ending that I thought was kinda bullshit, but aside from that this is a bit fun that doesn't have much going for it, but has enough there to keep you entertained. If you want much more than just flashy visual effects, then this film is certainly not for you. ***