A bizarre J-"horror" from the one-time golden boy of the genre Takashi Shimizu -- and oh, how the mighty have fallen. His stint in Hollywood helming Sarah Michelle Gellar movies has either sapped his abilities or his mind. Shock Labyrinth feels like a re-tread of the circular storytelling of the original Ju-On films, but with much worse acting, much less gore, and a poor-quality, murky 3D effect shrouding everything in a thick fog. Plot is deliberately dream-like (read: confusing), some kids re-visit a haunted house fairground attraction where "something horrible" happened to them years ago, only for the weirdness to get kick-started again. Put it this way, if you're scared of plush rabbit toys, this is the horror film for you. Everyone else, stay away.
Reviews
46 Reviews
Muay Thai Giant
(2008)
Disappointed by ONG BAK 2? Check out SOMTUM to restore your faith in Thai action
8 April 2009
A real surprise: who would have thought a kids film starring an ex-WWF wrestler could be this good? While the mainstream laps up the antics of Tony Jaa and Jeeja "CHOCOLATE" Yanin, the Thai film industry continues to create fresh, original, and very well made films that don't get as much attention: see SARS WARS for another example. SOMTUM is a light-hearted action comedy that mixes some fantastic kick-boxing action (both in and out of the ring) with some gentle, endearing and, very funny comedy sequences to great effect.
While Nathan Jones, as the naive tourist who "hulks up" at the taste of the spicy "somtum" dish, is a nice screen presence, the stars of the show are the two young Thai girls he befriends. Nawarat Techarathanaprasert shows a good command of English as the street urchin with a penchant for theft, but Sasisa Jindamanee, as her muay-thai kick-boxer older sister, is a total revelation! I urge Pracha Pinkaew and/or Panna Rittikrai to have her square off against Jeeja Yanin in a film as soon as possible: she's that good! The film itself is well-written, well-constructed, and solidly acted: even the "farang" actors, normally an afterthought, do well. There are two awesome cameos: Danny Chupong (BORN TO FIGHT, DYNAMITE WARRIOR) has a brilliant Jackie Chan-style kitchen-battle, and Kessarin "Nui" Ektawatkula (Chupong's sister in BORN TO FIGHT) is hilarious as a market-stall hawker using fruit-and-veg-kwon-do to beat up the bad guys.
While Nathan Jones, as the naive tourist who "hulks up" at the taste of the spicy "somtum" dish, is a nice screen presence, the stars of the show are the two young Thai girls he befriends. Nawarat Techarathanaprasert shows a good command of English as the street urchin with a penchant for theft, but Sasisa Jindamanee, as her muay-thai kick-boxer older sister, is a total revelation! I urge Pracha Pinkaew and/or Panna Rittikrai to have her square off against Jeeja Yanin in a film as soon as possible: she's that good! The film itself is well-written, well-constructed, and solidly acted: even the "farang" actors, normally an afterthought, do well. There are two awesome cameos: Danny Chupong (BORN TO FIGHT, DYNAMITE WARRIOR) has a brilliant Jackie Chan-style kitchen-battle, and Kessarin "Nui" Ektawatkula (Chupong's sister in BORN TO FIGHT) is hilarious as a market-stall hawker using fruit-and-veg-kwon-do to beat up the bad guys.
Bang-gwa-hoo-ock-sang
(2006)
Three O' Clock High in Korea
23 April 2008
Remember the 1987 high-school comedy classic THREE O' CLOCK HIGH? It seems the makers of SEE YOU AFTER SCHOOL do, as the plot is exactly the same: a new boy in school accidentally tangles with school bully and is challenged to fight after school, and the rest of the film deals with his increasingly desperate schemes to avoid the fight.
It might be plagiarism, but it still provides a very solid foundation for some good, funny comedy, in the typically "cruel", physically violent, painful style that has become the hallmark of Korean comedies like MY SASSY GIRL, ATTACK THE GAS STATION and SAVE THE GREEN PLANET. The horrors of school are mined effectively in a film that will have universal appeal, both to fans of Korean cinema, and fans of the 1980s high-school comedies that Hollywood used to churn out.
It might be plagiarism, but it still provides a very solid foundation for some good, funny comedy, in the typically "cruel", physically violent, painful style that has become the hallmark of Korean comedies like MY SASSY GIRL, ATTACK THE GAS STATION and SAVE THE GREEN PLANET. The horrors of school are mined effectively in a film that will have universal appeal, both to fans of Korean cinema, and fans of the 1980s high-school comedies that Hollywood used to churn out.
Mother of Tears
(2007)
Hilarious spoof of Dario Argento films
25 March 2008
Warning: Spoilers
In the final scene of MOTHER OF TEARS: THE THIRD MOTHER, the survivors crawl out of a manhole in front of an unconvincing background and start laughing heartily. This isn't the nervous relieved laughter of people who have just come through a horrific deal, but full-on belly laughs. The laughter is so excessive it even bleeds into the closing credits, which leads to the inevitable conclusion that somebody is trying to break the fourth wall here. The actors are laughing AT the film they've just starred in, realising the sheer ridiculousness of it all. Dario Argento has crafted a spoof.
Further credence to the notion that Argento is sending himself up can be found in gaping plot inconsistencies and ludicrous dialogue exchanges that litter the film. In the past, this has been accepted as part of Argento's style, a result of the English-as-a-second-language nature of the production, but this time round there are two American screenwriters on board, who certainly could not overlook the baffling motivations of Asia Argento's character as she throws her mobile phone out of the window (because "they can trace you with it") only to immediately choose to return home. Sorry to break it to you, Asia, but anybody willing to go to the trouble of tracing your mobile phone to find you is also going to be staking out your home. Another gem has Asia knocking on a door and asking to speak to Professor so-and-so. "May I know your name?". "It wouldn't mean anything to him." "Oh, you'd better come in then". Awesome security! Watching the film as Argento doing self-parody gives a whole new level of enjoyment. You can look past the fact that Argento has broken his own mythology (the Mother of Tears was never the "most cruel"), that the evil witches look and act more like Cradle of Filth groupies than disciples of pure evil, that the film feels more like an OMEN/NINTH GATE retread than a SUSPIRIA/INFERNO follow-up, and start to appreciate the comedy value inherent in seeing an overweight Daria Nicolodi as a poorly CGI-ed "Ghost-Mum" appearing at random to give truly valuable generic advice to her daughter such as "Go on!", "Be careful!" and "Use your powers!". So what about those awesome white witch powers? Well, Asia makes herself invisible a couple of times. And.... oh yeah, that's it.
All this can only be seen as Argento toying with his "core" audience: you think my films have been bad since OPERA? You ain't seen nothing yet! You want gore? I'll give you totally gratuitous pointless gore! Characters are wheeled on out of nowhere to say a couple of lines, then get slaughtered, with absolutely no impact on the plot, or on Asia, whatsoever. Only three deaths leave any kind of impact, and one of them is entirely gore-free! The best scene in the whole film involves Asia sitting in the back of a taxi, INFERNO-style, with absolutely nothing happening. This "quiet" scene somehow stands out because the rest of the film is so jam-packed with hysterical overacting and gore effects. Is Argento's point that the fan's obsession with stylish murder set-pieces has driven him to a film where the only scenes WITHOUT gore are the ones that leave any lasting impression?
At this point, manym readers might be thinking: "No. He's just made a bad film, that's all". Am I over-thinking this? Your honour, I present the final evidence for the prosecution: the way the Mother of Tears is finally defeated. Six hours of setup, including the two previous films, 27 years of build-up, for the final confrontation between good and evil. White magic versus black magic. Broken mirrors versus broken minds. What happens? I don't want to spoilt the best comedy moment in the whole film, but if you thought the climaxes of SUSPIRIA and INFERNO were a disappointment, they will feel like CITIZEN KANE in comparison to MOTHER OF TEARS' hilarious finale.
The film is destined to be misunderstood by most viewers, as the tone is deadpan throughout, with Argento never once winking at the audience to reveal its parodic nature, but if you can look beyond the surface level, the truth will be revealed: "what you see does not exist. What you cannot see is truth".
Further credence to the notion that Argento is sending himself up can be found in gaping plot inconsistencies and ludicrous dialogue exchanges that litter the film. In the past, this has been accepted as part of Argento's style, a result of the English-as-a-second-language nature of the production, but this time round there are two American screenwriters on board, who certainly could not overlook the baffling motivations of Asia Argento's character as she throws her mobile phone out of the window (because "they can trace you with it") only to immediately choose to return home. Sorry to break it to you, Asia, but anybody willing to go to the trouble of tracing your mobile phone to find you is also going to be staking out your home. Another gem has Asia knocking on a door and asking to speak to Professor so-and-so. "May I know your name?". "It wouldn't mean anything to him." "Oh, you'd better come in then". Awesome security! Watching the film as Argento doing self-parody gives a whole new level of enjoyment. You can look past the fact that Argento has broken his own mythology (the Mother of Tears was never the "most cruel"), that the evil witches look and act more like Cradle of Filth groupies than disciples of pure evil, that the film feels more like an OMEN/NINTH GATE retread than a SUSPIRIA/INFERNO follow-up, and start to appreciate the comedy value inherent in seeing an overweight Daria Nicolodi as a poorly CGI-ed "Ghost-Mum" appearing at random to give truly valuable generic advice to her daughter such as "Go on!", "Be careful!" and "Use your powers!". So what about those awesome white witch powers? Well, Asia makes herself invisible a couple of times. And.... oh yeah, that's it.
All this can only be seen as Argento toying with his "core" audience: you think my films have been bad since OPERA? You ain't seen nothing yet! You want gore? I'll give you totally gratuitous pointless gore! Characters are wheeled on out of nowhere to say a couple of lines, then get slaughtered, with absolutely no impact on the plot, or on Asia, whatsoever. Only three deaths leave any kind of impact, and one of them is entirely gore-free! The best scene in the whole film involves Asia sitting in the back of a taxi, INFERNO-style, with absolutely nothing happening. This "quiet" scene somehow stands out because the rest of the film is so jam-packed with hysterical overacting and gore effects. Is Argento's point that the fan's obsession with stylish murder set-pieces has driven him to a film where the only scenes WITHOUT gore are the ones that leave any lasting impression?
At this point, manym readers might be thinking: "No. He's just made a bad film, that's all". Am I over-thinking this? Your honour, I present the final evidence for the prosecution: the way the Mother of Tears is finally defeated. Six hours of setup, including the two previous films, 27 years of build-up, for the final confrontation between good and evil. White magic versus black magic. Broken mirrors versus broken minds. What happens? I don't want to spoilt the best comedy moment in the whole film, but if you thought the climaxes of SUSPIRIA and INFERNO were a disappointment, they will feel like CITIZEN KANE in comparison to MOTHER OF TEARS' hilarious finale.
The film is destined to be misunderstood by most viewers, as the tone is deadpan throughout, with Argento never once winking at the audience to reveal its parodic nature, but if you can look beyond the surface level, the truth will be revealed: "what you see does not exist. What you cannot see is truth".
Silent Hill
(2006)
Dear Christophe Gans, Hollywood has nothing for you
21 April 2006
Gans is a very talented filmmaker, BROTHERHOOD OF THE WOLF was a spectacular film, and if there is one thing that SILENT HILL proves, its that Christophe Gans can work wonders on even the most shoddy material. And this is shoddy material. Its a miracle that Gans' visual imagination is able to bring so much imagination to the look (and sound) of the spooky town and its denizens, when the plot involves a woman running from one location to another for unspecified reasons, being menaced by unspecified things for unspecified reasons, for the entire over-extended running time.
If there's another thing SILENT HILL proves, its that Roger Avary is a talentless hack who clearly had little or nothing to do with the PULP FICTION script. If copy-and-pasting scenes from a video game into a film script is called "screenwriting" these days, I'm sure there is an infinite supply of 11-year-old schoolboys willing to do it for free. There are two simple options here: go for a dream-like mood-piece in the style of a Dario Argento film that doesn't explain anything, or go for a "uncover-the-secret" type straightforward mystery that explains the entire back-story and all the goings-on. Avary tries to do both, tagging on a long explanation about the secrets of Silent Hill (that smacks of stealing from THE RING), and thereby falls between two stools.
Radha Mitchell does her best in a very limiting role, like Gans she doesn't have much to play with, and her support is extremely poor (weak child actors, Sean Bean trying to do an American accent). The best actors are the CGI-monstrosities, creep amorphous blobs and a giant demon with a massive knife and a triangle on his head. The scenery steals the show.
If there's another thing SILENT HILL proves, its that Roger Avary is a talentless hack who clearly had little or nothing to do with the PULP FICTION script. If copy-and-pasting scenes from a video game into a film script is called "screenwriting" these days, I'm sure there is an infinite supply of 11-year-old schoolboys willing to do it for free. There are two simple options here: go for a dream-like mood-piece in the style of a Dario Argento film that doesn't explain anything, or go for a "uncover-the-secret" type straightforward mystery that explains the entire back-story and all the goings-on. Avary tries to do both, tagging on a long explanation about the secrets of Silent Hill (that smacks of stealing from THE RING), and thereby falls between two stools.
Radha Mitchell does her best in a very limiting role, like Gans she doesn't have much to play with, and her support is extremely poor (weak child actors, Sean Bean trying to do an American accent). The best actors are the CGI-monstrosities, creep amorphous blobs and a giant demon with a massive knife and a triangle on his head. The scenery steals the show.
Khun krabii hiiroh
(2004)
"We have zombies, a bomb, and now a giant snake..."
6 January 2006
Sheer unadulterated genius. SARS WARS is a gut-wrenchingly funny, utterly deranged, deliriously original, absurdist zom-com from Thailand.
A team of thugs kidnap pretty schoolgirl Liu and hold her hostage in an apartment block. Little do they know, a zombie outbreak is taking place in the very same apartment, a giant snake is on the loose, and the government have set a timer to blow up the building to contain the outbreak. Think that sounds crazy? We haven't met the good guys yet: Khun Khrabii, a stoic hero sent to rescue Liu, his master Thep, a balding lecher with a battery-powered light sabre, and sexy scientist Dr. Diana, creator of an antiviral shot that has a 25 in 26 chance of accidentally making the patient's head explode. And then there's the bad guys...
Director Taweewat Wantha and his team of writers have crafted something akin to the fevered imagination of Peter Jackson's BRAINDEAD, combined with the wild "mo-lei-tau" surreal/spoof humour of Hong Kong's Stephen Chow. The actual zombie and horror-themed content is surprisingly well realised, with excellent make-up effects, some great CGI sequences, and a real sense of tension; but its in the ridiculous send-ups of everything from Japanimation to John Woo to Star Wars to The Crying Game that the movie really takes off.
Thoroughly self-aware, characters constantly make references to the film's attempts to "make money, not win awards": a little unfair, because there is far more craft and ability on view in this film than in a hundred Hollywood blockbusters put together. Certainly none of the recent crop of zombie films pouring out of Hollywood come close. Even Stephen Chow, the acknowledged king of this style of comedy, should feel threatened: this is a better film than KUNG FU HUSTLE, and is possibly even better than SHAOLIN SOCCER too.
A team of thugs kidnap pretty schoolgirl Liu and hold her hostage in an apartment block. Little do they know, a zombie outbreak is taking place in the very same apartment, a giant snake is on the loose, and the government have set a timer to blow up the building to contain the outbreak. Think that sounds crazy? We haven't met the good guys yet: Khun Khrabii, a stoic hero sent to rescue Liu, his master Thep, a balding lecher with a battery-powered light sabre, and sexy scientist Dr. Diana, creator of an antiviral shot that has a 25 in 26 chance of accidentally making the patient's head explode. And then there's the bad guys...
Director Taweewat Wantha and his team of writers have crafted something akin to the fevered imagination of Peter Jackson's BRAINDEAD, combined with the wild "mo-lei-tau" surreal/spoof humour of Hong Kong's Stephen Chow. The actual zombie and horror-themed content is surprisingly well realised, with excellent make-up effects, some great CGI sequences, and a real sense of tension; but its in the ridiculous send-ups of everything from Japanimation to John Woo to Star Wars to The Crying Game that the movie really takes off.
Thoroughly self-aware, characters constantly make references to the film's attempts to "make money, not win awards": a little unfair, because there is far more craft and ability on view in this film than in a hundred Hollywood blockbusters put together. Certainly none of the recent crop of zombie films pouring out of Hollywood come close. Even Stephen Chow, the acknowledged king of this style of comedy, should feel threatened: this is a better film than KUNG FU HUSTLE, and is possibly even better than SHAOLIN SOCCER too.
King Kong
(2005)
A turkey of gigantic proportions
18 December 2005
I'm not happy that KING KONG has been a box-office bomb.... i'm ABSOLUTELY ECSTATIC!!!! KING KONG is one of the worst things i've ever had to sit through in my entire life! a completely worthless, self-indulgent, bloated, empty cgi-crap-fest juvenilia that sucks 3 valuable hours from your life and leaves you with nothing. If some idiotic universal studios exec want to give Peter Jackson free reign to play his schoolboy fantasies thats fine, but don't torture the general public with it! i know now exactly why nobody wants to see this turkey, its far too long, slow and boring for kids (i could easily chop an entire 90 minutes out of this film without losing anything entertaining or significant) and its too empty-headed, childish and pointless for adults. Seriously, if you've seen any other incarnation of Kong you don't need to see this. if you've seen JURASSIC PARK you don't need to see this. hell, if you've seen VAN HELSING you don't need to see this (in fact i thought i was watching VAN HELSING when T-Rex, Kong and the gang are all swinging from vines defying gravity).
TURKEY OF THE YEAR. KING KONG = KING BOMB.
TURKEY OF THE YEAR. KING KONG = KING BOMB.
Born to Fight
(2004)
Not ONG-BAK... and not intended to be.
17 December 2005
Where ONG-BAK is a traditional martial arts film that strings a series of muay-thai fights and Jackie Chan-style chase scenes together with a simple plot, BORN TO FIGHT is an action film more akin to DIE HARD. That means plenty of John Woo-esquire gun battles and an incredibly high body count, with a sprinkling of brutal stunts. BORN TO FIGHT is not a sequel to ONG-BAK, its not "the next ONG-BAK", its simply a highly entertaining actioner that will keep fans of this director satisfied until TUM YUM GOONG is released.
The opening sequence, featuring people leaping between 2 moving trucks, is reminiscent of similar classic scenes from POLICE STORY. The story then switches gear, seemingly heading towards simple martial arts film territory (our hero is challenged by a local thug over the affections of a girl) before a hail of gunfire signals a massive change in direction. The next portion of the film is a relentlessly brutal slaughter-fest, as the evil villains randomly gun down villagers without a second thought, to levels you would never see in a Hollywood film. Hans Gruber has nothing on these guys! Finally, after a few false starts and a rendition of the Thai national anthem, our plucky villagers rise up, although quite how they manage to slaughter so many villains in revenge despite being outnumbered, unarmed, and constantly being killed in the gunfire is never entirely clear. What is clear is that the ridiculously gimmicky "gymnastics fights" are fun to watch, the ball-kicking guys who fire kettles and things at the heads of their enemies deserve a SHAOLIN SOCCER type film of their own, and there's nothing cuter than seeing a little kick-boxing girl kick the hell out of a baddie.
Our hero has a few moves of his own, but the film's focus is wider than ONG-BAK, concentrating on the efforts of a team rather than a lone individual, nevertheless he is the star of two wonderful gun battles shot in single takes without cuts: forget DOOM's first-person-shooter scene, this is the true visual embodiment of the modern shooter game, a breathtaking yet agonisingly short sequence inspired by similar sequences in John Woo's HARD BOILED and John Carpenter's THEY LIVE.
What BORN TO FIGHT lacks in coherence, it makes up for in energy. This is the modern equivalent of the kind of crazy rule-breaking action films Hong Kong could churn out so successfully in the 1980s. And its the perfect appetiser for TUM YUM GOONG to come.
The opening sequence, featuring people leaping between 2 moving trucks, is reminiscent of similar classic scenes from POLICE STORY. The story then switches gear, seemingly heading towards simple martial arts film territory (our hero is challenged by a local thug over the affections of a girl) before a hail of gunfire signals a massive change in direction. The next portion of the film is a relentlessly brutal slaughter-fest, as the evil villains randomly gun down villagers without a second thought, to levels you would never see in a Hollywood film. Hans Gruber has nothing on these guys! Finally, after a few false starts and a rendition of the Thai national anthem, our plucky villagers rise up, although quite how they manage to slaughter so many villains in revenge despite being outnumbered, unarmed, and constantly being killed in the gunfire is never entirely clear. What is clear is that the ridiculously gimmicky "gymnastics fights" are fun to watch, the ball-kicking guys who fire kettles and things at the heads of their enemies deserve a SHAOLIN SOCCER type film of their own, and there's nothing cuter than seeing a little kick-boxing girl kick the hell out of a baddie.
Our hero has a few moves of his own, but the film's focus is wider than ONG-BAK, concentrating on the efforts of a team rather than a lone individual, nevertheless he is the star of two wonderful gun battles shot in single takes without cuts: forget DOOM's first-person-shooter scene, this is the true visual embodiment of the modern shooter game, a breathtaking yet agonisingly short sequence inspired by similar sequences in John Woo's HARD BOILED and John Carpenter's THEY LIVE.
What BORN TO FIGHT lacks in coherence, it makes up for in energy. This is the modern equivalent of the kind of crazy rule-breaking action films Hong Kong could churn out so successfully in the 1980s. And its the perfect appetiser for TUM YUM GOONG to come.
Giallo
(2005)
Deep Yellow
27 September 2005
An excellent Lebanese murder-mystery in the Italian "giallo" style, that easily gives even giallo-master Dario Argento's own recent works a run for their money. It manages to cram in multiple murders, red herrings, some comic relief, people speaking Arabic, people speaking French, and even a funny beard into its short running time.
There is some overly stiff acting, disappointingly bloodless murder scenes, and the odd silly plot point, but there is really nothing serious enough to detract from the Argento-inspired fun. The beautiful photography and lighting (reminiscent of SUSPIRIA and INFERNO), and the highly effective electronic score (reminiscent of DEEP RED and TENEBRAE) are stuff that even the 1970s Italian horror-maestros themselves would be proud of.
There is some overly stiff acting, disappointingly bloodless murder scenes, and the odd silly plot point, but there is really nothing serious enough to detract from the Argento-inspired fun. The beautiful photography and lighting (reminiscent of SUSPIRIA and INFERNO), and the highly effective electronic score (reminiscent of DEEP RED and TENEBRAE) are stuff that even the 1970s Italian horror-maestros themselves would be proud of.
The Descent
(2005)
Colossal Cave
18 July 2005
Wow, a decent modern British film! Its a miracle! THE DESCENT is a very effective, if not original, girl-powered survival horror flick. It doesn't bear close analysis, but is a very entertaining theatrical cinema experience. Its closest recent companion (in style if not in content) would be HAUTE TENSION.
I haven't seen director Neil Marshall's previous DOG SOLDIERS, but on the strength of this will seek it out. The cave scenes are beautifully shot, light is used very cleverly, and the sound design is fantastic. The first half of the film, which to all intents and purposes is a straight caving movie, really builds tension, and is incredibly claustrophobic. The second half, when the monsters are introduced, switches gear to standard survival horror mode, and ratchets up the "jump-scares", brutal monster attacks, and blood, to an amazing degree. There is rarely a moment to relax.
There are some notable problems: the 6 girls, while attempts are made to flesh them out and give them characterisation, are very similar-looking and interchangeable. This is a problem in dark cave scenes where its difficult to make out who is doing what. Obviously they're all monster fodder anyway, but i can only remember the names of 2 of the girls, and the personalities of 2 more. i.e. 2 of the girls are completely anonymous.
Secondly, the "science" of the monsters is rather dubious: supposedly blind underground dwellers who use ultrasound to locate their victims, they cannot hear somebody say "They're blind" directly behind them but can hear an alarm clock, they apparently cannot hear loud footfalls, apparently cannot even smell, and in fact are killed very easily, and yet we are expected to believe they have survived by going to the surface and hunting animals. Highly unlikely, but its a horror film so its excused.
Finally the motivations of the "final girl" are somewhat unclear: her actions at the end of the film seem unjustified and unfair, its difficult to understand why Marshall chose to present her as the (morally justified) "hero", I certainly had more sympathy for the "villain" of the piece.
But despite this, overall its an excellent film, its scary, has attractive leads, has some fun with the standard genre stereotypes, has a fantastic beginning, and a great, downbeat ending. What more could you ask?
I haven't seen director Neil Marshall's previous DOG SOLDIERS, but on the strength of this will seek it out. The cave scenes are beautifully shot, light is used very cleverly, and the sound design is fantastic. The first half of the film, which to all intents and purposes is a straight caving movie, really builds tension, and is incredibly claustrophobic. The second half, when the monsters are introduced, switches gear to standard survival horror mode, and ratchets up the "jump-scares", brutal monster attacks, and blood, to an amazing degree. There is rarely a moment to relax.
There are some notable problems: the 6 girls, while attempts are made to flesh them out and give them characterisation, are very similar-looking and interchangeable. This is a problem in dark cave scenes where its difficult to make out who is doing what. Obviously they're all monster fodder anyway, but i can only remember the names of 2 of the girls, and the personalities of 2 more. i.e. 2 of the girls are completely anonymous.
Secondly, the "science" of the monsters is rather dubious: supposedly blind underground dwellers who use ultrasound to locate their victims, they cannot hear somebody say "They're blind" directly behind them but can hear an alarm clock, they apparently cannot hear loud footfalls, apparently cannot even smell, and in fact are killed very easily, and yet we are expected to believe they have survived by going to the surface and hunting animals. Highly unlikely, but its a horror film so its excused.
Finally the motivations of the "final girl" are somewhat unclear: her actions at the end of the film seem unjustified and unfair, its difficult to understand why Marshall chose to present her as the (morally justified) "hero", I certainly had more sympathy for the "villain" of the piece.
But despite this, overall its an excellent film, its scary, has attractive leads, has some fun with the standard genre stereotypes, has a fantastic beginning, and a great, downbeat ending. What more could you ask?
Gusha no bindume
(2004)
Imagine CUBE with just one room...
13 March 2005
The low-budget origins and "arty" look initially had me worried this would be another Shinya Tsukamoto-esque Japanese film, high on style but low on content. Thankfully, HELLEVATOR is a very accessible, very watchable science fiction flick that is not trying to answer the meaning of life, just deliver 90 minutes of first class entertainment.
It resembles CUBE in that respect, making the absolute most of its location, and building the tension around the personalities of the characters accidentally thrust together in a high-stress situation. In fact, it could be seen as an ultra-minimalist riff on that film, confining the action to just one single room, but providing breathing room via the schoolgirl's telepathic "visions", and varying the tone via the comical parade of passengers getting on and off.
Great fun.
It resembles CUBE in that respect, making the absolute most of its location, and building the tension around the personalities of the characters accidentally thrust together in a high-stress situation. In fact, it could be seen as an ultra-minimalist riff on that film, confining the action to just one single room, but providing breathing room via the schoolgirl's telepathic "visions", and varying the tone via the comical parade of passengers getting on and off.
Great fun.
Drowning Ghost
(2004)
Generic Hollywood teen slasher... in Swedish
13 March 2005
Yet another generic Hollywood teen-slasher with lots of attractive kids getting picked off at a boarding school... except its not a Hollywood slasher, its Swedish! Of course its fun to see this kind of genre film coming out of Scandinavia, but its less fun when its simply aping Kevin Williamson films and borrowing heavily from Friday the 13th (the "lake" motif et al). Any unique Swedish identity is lost as it slavishly follows all the standard clichés of the genre: lots of confusing back-story to uncover, difficult-to-distinguish characters who exist solely to get killed etc etc.
Its disappointing that Swedish genre cinema has regressed to this after the awesome high-point of 2002's DEN OSYNLIGE, which similarly dealt with ghosts and teen murder but in a brilliantly original, fantastically entertaining manner that did not feel the need to follow any established genre rules or conventions. THE DROWNING GHOST's "by-the-book" cookie cutter approach ultimately means it will be ignored by any potential international audience in favour of identical Hollywood teen slashers, simply because they happen to be in English.
Its disappointing that Swedish genre cinema has regressed to this after the awesome high-point of 2002's DEN OSYNLIGE, which similarly dealt with ghosts and teen murder but in a brilliantly original, fantastically entertaining manner that did not feel the need to follow any established genre rules or conventions. THE DROWNING GHOST's "by-the-book" cookie cutter approach ultimately means it will be ignored by any potential international audience in favour of identical Hollywood teen slashers, simply because they happen to be in English.
Dragon Head
(2003)
Who knew the apocalypse could be so boring?
29 March 2004
"Hey, I've just been to Uzbekistan and found lots of places that would make a great post-apocalypse location shoot! Lets do it!" A film that seemingly exists just to show off the geography, and has no story of interest (2 people escape from a train wreck in tunnel, on reaching the surface they discover the world is ended, nobody knows why, there are a few survivors struggling for existence etc etc), and no characters of interest (a couple of dull teenagers, a sprinkling of nut cases, only some twins who have been operated on to have their fear removed spark any interest).
Its hard to believe this is based on a manga: who would read such a dull comic? Nothing happens: at the end, it feels like it was just a feature-length first episode of a mini-series. So what about this geography? Well, yes, its definitely desolate, colorless, cold, post-apocalyptic. But 2 hours of looking at people stumbling through it? No thanks.
Its hard to believe this is based on a manga: who would read such a dull comic? Nothing happens: at the end, it feels like it was just a feature-length first episode of a mini-series. So what about this geography? Well, yes, its definitely desolate, colorless, cold, post-apocalyptic. But 2 hours of looking at people stumbling through it? No thanks.
Celebrate and dance for free...
13 October 2003
Okay so its just an extended music video, but so what? If you were intrigued by the One More Time video, or even just liked the sound of that track, you'll get something from INTERSTELLA 5555. The retro-nostalgic 70's and 80's japanimation style perfectly fits Daft Punk's "old-school electronica" music. The story is dialogue free but tells a remarkably dense tale, characters are well-defined, and there is some great comedy (Daft Punk's cameo at the awards ceremony).... but at the end of the day, its all about the music baby - before, I only really knew Daft Punk from their 2 major singles, now I want to rush out and buy the album!
Aragami
(2003)
"Ninja stars are for losers"
29 April 2003
The director of VERSUS is back, and this time he gives us an old-school samurai sword-fighting flick. ARAGAMI was apparently made in 7 days as a challenge with a fellow director. Its minimalistic to the extreme: 3 actors, one big room as the only location, a plot structure as simple as it gets: dialogue - fight - dialogue - fight - dialogue - fight. And what fights! They're as hyper-kinetic, exciting and fun as the dialogue is bizarre & funny. ARAGAMI is 100& crowd-pleasing action. This one deserves to be a big international hit.
Trece campanadas
(2002)
Picks up after a slow start
28 March 2003
This tale of a young sculptor haunted by the malicious ghost of his dead father takes its time to get going, but once it does it becomes an interesting, watchable tale with a nice satisfying conclusion. It cleverly keeps the audience guessing about whether the ghost is real or the result of schizophrenia, and has some great looking locations. Its all a little low-key but is definitely worth a look.
A Snake of June
(2002)
Typically bizarre Tsukamoto
20 March 2003
If TETSUO was about hating your body, SNAKE OF JUNE is about embracing it. Fans of the former will know what to expect in terms of style: black-and-white, wild photography, bizarre imagery etc. What they won't expect is the relatively accessible and easy-to-follow storyline in the first half, as a woman discovers her own desires through the promptings of a blackmailer. About half-way through the focus is switched to her husband, and here we revert to total obscurity, in the TETSUO and TETSUO 2 mould. Tsukamoto buffs will find it all very interesting, others will be left baffled.
3 Blind Mice
(2003)
What a mess!
19 March 2003
Edward Furlong must be the most unappealing, uncharismatic, unlikeable leading man EVER. If you found him annoying in Terminator 2, you'll be wanting to see him end up like the victims being murdered live on their own webcam sites in THREE BLIND MICE. Meanwhile Emilia Fox tries her best to swear convincingly but you still can't imagine her using even the mildest profanities in real life. If the performances and dialogue aren't bad enough, we get a central concept that has already been done much better in last year's MY LITTLE EYE, and a plot that whizzes by at 100 miles per hour but is totally uninvolving. Not the best advertisement for UK-France co-productions.
Second Name
(2002)
Highly engrossing horror-mystery
17 March 2003
Second Name follows the female mystery-investigation storyline that has been used so successfully in recent horror/suspense films like Ring, The Eye etc. This time round our heroine investigates the suicide of her father in strange circumstances, leading her to uncover the secrets of her own past, and the discovery of an ancient religion dedicated to the ritual killing of their first-born.
I have not read the novel but judging by the film Ramsay Campbell has crafted a clever, twisting-turning tale with that elusive what-happens-next factor that will keep anyone guessing. Direction and performances are restrained, which thankfully suits the film (none of the gimmicks that damaged the US remake of Ring). And the bleak ending really packs a punch. Recommended.
I have not read the novel but judging by the film Ramsay Campbell has crafted a clever, twisting-turning tale with that elusive what-happens-next factor that will keep anyone guessing. Direction and performances are restrained, which thankfully suits the film (none of the gimmicks that damaged the US remake of Ring). And the bleak ending really packs a punch. Recommended.
The Inside Story
(2001)
Neighbours with added magic & mystery
17 March 2003
This fantasy film from a first-time director appears to have the budget of an episode of Neighbours (with acting to match), but he does wonders with such a small cast and limited number of locations. The central premise is not 100% original (its certainly been seen in short stories and TV shows before) but it is taken in several unexpected directions. Cleverest is the fact that there is no way for the viewer to visually distinguish the "real" world from the fantasy world. The ending is a little anti-climatic but still this is a debut with real promise.
Conman in Tokyo
(2000)
Hits the jackpot
28 August 2002
A very silly & funny Wong Jing film spoofing the whole "GOD OF GAMBLERS" genre of films. The third in the series, this episode displaces Nick Cheung and Christy Chung to Tokyo, where they find the previous Conman living in exile. Lots of wild kung-fu, that guy who kills people with playing cards in CITY HUNTER doing his stuff again, and Christy Chung looking good. Very entertaining.
Born to Be King
(2000)
Triad gangster politics... yawn...
26 January 2002
Having never seen another "Young and Dangerous" movie, watching part 6 in isolation is rather like viewing a single episode of a long-running soap-opera, in which you have no idea who the characters are or what their backgrounds might be.
The film is surprisingly talky, with lots of double-dealing and back-stabbing, and the odd action set-piece to spice things up. The sub-plot concerns Chicken's attempts at communicating with his new Japanese wife (the highlights of the film, very funny). The moral of the tale seems to be "why can't we (Taiwan, Hong Kong, Beijing, Japan) just get along?".
Overall, its all rather baffling to an outsider, and I would definitely recommend watching the previous films in the series first.
The film is surprisingly talky, with lots of double-dealing and back-stabbing, and the odd action set-piece to spice things up. The sub-plot concerns Chicken's attempts at communicating with his new Japanese wife (the highlights of the film, very funny). The moral of the tale seems to be "why can't we (Taiwan, Hong Kong, Beijing, Japan) just get along?".
Overall, its all rather baffling to an outsider, and I would definitely recommend watching the previous films in the series first.
Ma qiao fei long
(1997)
Josephine Siao to the rescue!
6 January 2002
What could have been a rather mundane, forgettable gambling/kung-fu movie is saved by a brilliant comic performance from Josephine Siao. Her timing, facial expressions, and deadpan delivery as a down-on-her-luck Hong Kong police woman are a joy, making Mahjong Dragon into an often hilarious comedy.
King of Beggars
(1992)
Elaborate, funny, but ultimately uninvolving riches-to-rags tale
5 January 2002
Something of a departure for Stephen Chow, as he drops the zany over-the-top humour of his more well known comedies to play a real legendary figure, So-Hat-Yi a.k.a the "King of Beggars". Although you wouldn't notice its not supposed to be a typical Chow comedy until well into the second half, because the convoluted, meandering story allows Chow to do all his usual comedy gimmicks before turning into a more serious historical action adventure.
There is plenty to admire here: a fun cameo from directing legend Yuen Woo Ping, the "sleeping fist" kung-fu style, some well mounted large-scale battle scenes, and the usual fantastical action sequences typical to the fantasy/swordplay genre.
Unfortunately, its all a bit baffling, the plot is uninvolving, and its all rather inconsistent in tone (one minute Chow is a bumbling idiot, the next he's a stoic hero).
Worth a look, particularly if you prefer martial arts to comedy, but not Stephen Chow's best.
There is plenty to admire here: a fun cameo from directing legend Yuen Woo Ping, the "sleeping fist" kung-fu style, some well mounted large-scale battle scenes, and the usual fantastical action sequences typical to the fantasy/swordplay genre.
Unfortunately, its all a bit baffling, the plot is uninvolving, and its all rather inconsistent in tone (one minute Chow is a bumbling idiot, the next he's a stoic hero).
Worth a look, particularly if you prefer martial arts to comedy, but not Stephen Chow's best.
Ammoru
(1995)
A distinctly different slice of Bollywood
18 November 2001
AMMORU manages to combine all the usual Bollywood pre-occupations (marriage, familial bonds, hinduism) with an amazingly wild mythological fantasy storyline, some great CGI special effects, and quality production, to form one of the most interesting films to come out of India in a long time.
The prologue, as we watch a Shiva-style goddess become Ammoru, the protector of a village, sets the tone well, with the actress giving an engaging Brigitte Lin style performance. Unfortunately, she has little else to do for much of the film.
The central drama concerns a girl who witnesses an evil sadhu attempting to bury a virgin alive, in a bid to gain magical power and riches. The sadhu's mother, unhappy he has been jailed for life, vows to get her revenge on the girl, and proceeds to make her life a misery. This first half of the film works well, with great performances by the evil family, and the special mystical effects used sparingly but effectively.
It shifts tone for the second half, with Ammoru manifesting herself as a child to save the girl, and the sadhu himself being released early and seeking his own revenge. The film eventually begins to submit to standard Bollywood conventions, but redeems itself by upping the fright-factor and the crazy special effects, and bringing back the original adult incarnation of Ammoru to kick some ass!
AMMORU will be of interest to world viewers, as it gives a fascinating insight into the strange culture of southern India, a world where demons, goddesses walk among us as avatars, and it manages to do it without resorting to lowest-common-denominator movie-making as in 99.9% of the other movies coming from the sub-continent.
The prologue, as we watch a Shiva-style goddess become Ammoru, the protector of a village, sets the tone well, with the actress giving an engaging Brigitte Lin style performance. Unfortunately, she has little else to do for much of the film.
The central drama concerns a girl who witnesses an evil sadhu attempting to bury a virgin alive, in a bid to gain magical power and riches. The sadhu's mother, unhappy he has been jailed for life, vows to get her revenge on the girl, and proceeds to make her life a misery. This first half of the film works well, with great performances by the evil family, and the special mystical effects used sparingly but effectively.
It shifts tone for the second half, with Ammoru manifesting herself as a child to save the girl, and the sadhu himself being released early and seeking his own revenge. The film eventually begins to submit to standard Bollywood conventions, but redeems itself by upping the fright-factor and the crazy special effects, and bringing back the original adult incarnation of Ammoru to kick some ass!
AMMORU will be of interest to world viewers, as it gives a fascinating insight into the strange culture of southern India, a world where demons, goddesses walk among us as avatars, and it manages to do it without resorting to lowest-common-denominator movie-making as in 99.9% of the other movies coming from the sub-continent.
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