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l_boger
Reviews
Du bi quan wang da po xue di zi (1976)
A cult classic, bar none.
A friend recently notified me that this fine, fine film is being rereleased by Pathfinder Pictures---with a new print and English subtitles, no less. I can't imagine this without the bad dub, but needless to say, if I can't see this in a theater, the DVD is anxiously awaited. After seeing this on a local UHF station in high school, I finally found a VHS copy in college. It quickly became a cult favorite amongst my friends, and we all have fond memories of watching the great "Master of the Flying Guillotine" (pronounced "gill-o-teen," thank you very much, for all of you Philistines out there). This is quite simply the very definition of a great cult flick. More people just need to see it. View it and you will be under its spell.
Also, note the '70s Chinese Nirvana/Nine Inch Nails sound of the intro song, which I'm pretty sure was a pioneering effort in industrial music; and the competition scene, which no doubt influenced the makers of Street Fighter.
It's really hard to find a copy of this right now, and even if you do, you'll likely find a scratched up dub of a dub of a dub. But hey---at least it's still widescreen! Pray for a DVD release. PLEASE Pathfinder Pictures, give us a Remaster of the Flying Guillotine!
"Good jumper!"
Conte d'été (1996)
Some interesting instrospective moments...
I feel very split about this film. Certain aspects of the writing, primarily the bits of conversation centering around self-discovery and instrospection (whether or not Gaspard is correct about his beliefs about himself or not). There's certainly a good bit of clever banter, in particular between Margot and Gaspard. And Gaspard's own declarations about himself and the way he is basically kept me watching. However, I think Melvin Poupaud's performance as Gaspard was not only amateurish, but downright distracting. It's one thing to play a nervous character, but I'm convinced Poupaud simply had no idea what to do with his hands. He strokes his chin every ten second, and when he's not doing that, his arms are crossed. He can't even hold a girl's hand. The whole "chasing Lena" scene is awkward beyond watching an awkward character. We're watching an awkward actor, and it makes a huge difference in effect on the viewer. He has no idea what to do with himself when he's quiet. And, unfortunately, half of the film is dialogue-free, and the direction, while adequate, isn't artful enough to make up for that. If a better lead had been cast to play Gaspard, I think this film could have been much, much better. Instead, what we end up with is what might as well be an undergrad's film project, interjected with several bits of entertaining self-philosophies.
High Fidelity (2000)
A thoroughly enjoyable, cerebral and funny film.
I'm going to keep this short, since I think that, rather than listening to me spout off, you should just go see this film and decide for yourself. Perhaps one of the only things that might hurt "High Fidelity" --- and this is what pretty much has made up the few negative reviews I've read --- is that it thrives on the dark, self-centered and simply moronic side of people when it comes to "being with" others. And I think that maybe it's too intelligently written for some people. But I'm betting that it's not you, because you're doing your homework by reading this little comment. It's a fine film, especially for those "Say Anything" fans out there (not to use that comparison to reduce or compartmentalize either film --- they're very different in their own rights), and one that I looking forward to owning.
The ONLY problem I had --- look for the Evil Dead 2 reference. Is it just me, or does it seem like they mean Army of Darkness, rather than Evil Dead 2? 14th century shotgun shells? Great soundtrack? I dunno...
Pink Floyd: The Wall (1982)
This film needs your undivided attention.
The first time I saw this film, I was by myself, in a dark room and completely sober. To put it quite simply, The Wall blew my mind. You're doing yourself a great disservice if you treat this is a party movie --- just sit back and take it in. It's really the only way to experience it. Watch it with friends only after you've all already seen it. That's not to say everyone will love it. Films this surreal and graphic are not for everyone. But for those who are willing to just open their minds for a couple of hours, give it whirl and it'll be one of those films that leaves an indelible impression.
Entropy (1999)
Not amazing, and slightly cliched, but much better than expected.
I must say that I wasn't expecting much before I saw this film, but I ended up being very pleasantly surprised. I can't agree with another purely negative comment on here about it, because I think there were moments of brilliance in Entropy. It wasn't an all-around wonderful picture, but I'm certainly glad I took the time to watch it. What's most frutrating to me about the film is that, as far as both writing and visual elements, while it could be easy to say for a great deal of it that it's overdone or cliched, there are also some great moments in Entropy that I think have been overlooked. The visual style, while certainly not terribly original, is extremely cool at points. Unfortunately, it's also a bit too aware of itself. At the heart of the film is your basic neurotic lover syndrome and that message that "there's only one person like her," but there are just enough wonderful parts in the movie that set it apart from its less-than inspired foundations, that I found myself really enjoying watching it. For instance, the ultra-realistic talking/smoking cat part. It's the little surreal yet somehow relatable moments like that that make Entropy worthwhile viewing.