The Rapeman (1993)

"Righting wrongs through penetration."

The above quote is the actual motto of Rapeman, a man who is paid to rape people who have done wrong. Based on the manga series (of course), The Rapeman is a film that sounds rather fun on the surface (well to some people like me) but turns out to be a great disappointment. The film is totally inconsistent with its tone and atmosphere (but not in a good way) and misses the chance to go all out wacky with its silly idea, instead delivering something rather tepid and only slightly odd, with the attempt to recreate the manga's black comedy failing completely. 

Still, I give the film kudos for trying and the film still managed to spawn six sequels and two spin offs, so it certainly has an audience somewhere, but for me, it just didn't work.

**

Redline (2009)

A hugely entertaining sci-fi racing anime that is a bombastic visual thrill ride. The plot may be simple but it makes up for it with piles of creativity and great pacing. I love the style and design of the universe and characters and it's so full of energy that there's never a dull moment. Those who prefer a bit of complexity and depth to their Anime, look elsewhere,
those who love pure enjoyable spectacles full of great animation, then I highly recommend this film. Cool, slick and full of awesome.
****

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.
***

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

Mad Max returns bigger and better than ever. George Miller delivers a great action film filled with outstanding action sequences. It's glorious to see so many practical effects again, especially being executed to almost utter perfection. The cinematography is also fantastic, providing us with many beautiful shots and the actors do a fine job too, with Tom Hardy being a more than adequate replacement for Mel Gibson as Max.
Now I didn't love it as much as some people and I wouldn't consider it a masterpiece, however I do admire it's brilliant execution and while it may not offer much for those who aren't much into action. I would highly recommend those that are action fans to go see this movie, as the action really is phenomenal and needs to be seen, and you don't have to see an of the previous films to see this, as it works absolutely fine as a stand alone film.(much like the other kind of do)
Overall Miller has once again managed to outdo himself with the Mad Max series, the ambition and scope have never been higher, giving us a truly non-stop thrill ride that is truly a joy to watch. In a time where sequels and reboots can be tiresome, Mad Max: Fury Road comes hurtling forward showing how to do it right.
****

Mad Max 1-3 (1979, 1981 & 1985)

In preparation for the newest Mad Max film (review coming soon), I watched the first three in the series for the first time. So here are my thoughts on each one.

Mad Max (1979)

the first Mad Max is a solid and fun low budget action flick. It's low budget may have somewhat marred it's dystopian vison from being fully realised, but it definitely does as good as it can with it's circumstances and though it's a little messy and has a strange obsession with dissolves, it's still a very enjoyable and solid first film.
***

Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981)

Mad Max 2 greatly improves on it's predecessor, with it's bigger budget helping the films post-apocalyptic vision really come through with it's punk visual aesthetics and desert land setting. The story is kept simple and some good moments of humour, but of course the film really shines through with it's enthralling and well executed action sequences, making this a really solid and thoroughly enjoyable action film, that does everything it should, to be better than the first film. Good Stuff.
***1/2

Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985)

The third film in the Mad Max series is the one that is known to divide people. Many peoples problems with it stemming from the kids from the second half being reminiscent of the lost boys from Peter Pan completely messing with the tone of the rest of the film. I myself prefer this film to first two films(yes even Road Warrior), this is mainly due to the films greater ambition to be something more. I also really liked the lost kids and and had no issue with them, aside from some of their scenes dragging a little. The action is still really well executed, there are some great moments of humour and again the films dystopian vision is beautifully pulled off. The standout sequence of course thought is the one inside the Thunderdome which I thought was wonderful and absolutely adored. Overall it may be a little rough around the edges but this is another really solid action film, that manages to stand above it's predecessors with it's greater ambition.
***1/2

 

A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence (2014)

The latest film from Roy Andersson and final part in his 'living' trilogy which is set out exactly like first two films with each scene/segment being done mainly in one big static wide shot. The film itself is rather wonderful, you have some great comical moments and some purely wonderful moments of people just living. There was one scene in particular involving a large metal drum with horn instruments sticking out, that was completely mesmerising (a scene that certainly has to be seen). It all plays out at it's own steady pace, which may be a little too slow from some peoples tastes, but works perfectly with the films deadpan approach.
Overall this is another great film by Andersson and a great finale to his 'living' trilogy. Just wonderful stuff.
****

The Falling (2015)

The Falling is a British Coming of age drama that stars Maisie Williams who is best known as Arya Stark in Game of Thrones. The film itself concerns the identity struggles and sexual awakening of young teenage girls(that's how I saw it anyway). It is constantly intriguing and prompts the viewer to think and question the things that are happening on screen. There is also a scattering of somewhat disturbing moments placed throughout, with one scene in particular that I'm sure will make Game of Thrones fans scream "No Arya Stark, what are you doing?!". It is structured and crafted well and has some good performance from it's main cast and all in all this was a solid movie that I enjoyed considerably.
***1/2