UPDATE: Jack Ketchum’s “Red” Now OnDemand
So I’m bumping this old post up as I just noticed Red is available right now on Comcast OnDemand in both standard definition and HD for $6.99, which is really less than most movie tickets. The film hits DVD October 28th, but for those that don’t want to wait or can’t get to a theatre to see it, this is by far an awesome choice. Expect a review soon. If you don’t already know about the film, read on for the original post.
I’m a fan of Lucky McKee (although The Woods was a pretty bad mis-step), and I was pretty sad to hear last year when he was tossed off of directing Red, an adaptation of Jack Ketchum’s book of the same name, when the film was nearly finished. To be honest, I lost all interest at that point, and I haven’t thought of the film much since. A trailer for the film has just popped up online, and let me say, it looks incredible. Apparently, McKee is still getting a co-directing credit (along with the films new director Trygve Allister Diesen), so it looks like much of the stuff that he shot will remain in the film. Being a dog lover myself, the plot of this film is something I can completely relate to. This could very well be one of those films where I find myself utterly captivated by the protagonists motivations. But enough about me, read on for the synopsis, if you don’t know it already, and the fantastic trailer.
First Criterion Blu-Ray Specs Announced!!
Okay, so what jerk-off film fan DIDN’T have a nerdgasm when they heard Criterion was going Blu-Ray? Raise your hand, because you have to turn in your elitist card NOW! But seriously, Criterion announcing Blu-Ray support was one of the best announcements so far for the format, and the initial line-up wasn’t too shabby either, mixing the older catalogue with brand new releases. The following announcement that these releases would be priced exactly the same as their DVD counterparts was nerdgasm number two (and a collective sigh was heard from millions of wallets). Hopefully, you aren’t all dried up yet, because the first 5 Criterion Blu-Ray’s are hitting the shelves in November, and they look sexy!
Transsiberian (2008)
Remember the good old days of thrillers that took place on a train? It’s such a ripe setting to create suspense, as films like Alfred Hitchcock’s The Lady Vanishes and Sidney Lumet’s Murder on the Orient Express have proven. It seems like in modern times though, with so many people opting to travel by their personal cars or planes, the genre has suffered. In recent memory, films that mainly take place on a train have been quite scarce, if not altogether absent. Director Brad Anderson looks to change that however with his latest film, Transsiberian, which travels through some of the seedier locales of Russia, picking up some trouble along the way.
Rating: 
The Girls Rebel Force of Competitive Swimmers (2007)
Another day, another oddity from Japan. This time, it comes in the form of trashy, low-budget mayhem under the title The Girls Rebel Force of Competitive Swimmers. Well, at least that title wouldn’t have you think you were getting yourself into anything other than something off the wall. It’s how off the wall the film is however, that you may not be prepared for. You’ll get soft-core lesbian scenes, a juggling fire-breathing zombie that keeps mumbling about apples and bananas, and a pussy laser…yep, a pussy laser.
Rating:
Shinobi: Heart Under Blade (2005)
If someone told Japanese author Futaro Yamada that his book The Kouga Ninja Scrolls, written in 1959, would become a multimedia explosion some 45 years later, I’m sure he wouldn’t have believed it. But that’s exactly what happened to the material, which is certainly ripe for the picking. A Romeo and Juliet style story set in the midst of rival ninja clans with magical powers is beyond awesome in my world. Obviously others agreed, and in 2003 it was turned into a 5 volume manga series entitled Basilisk, followed by a 24-episode anime series of the same name in 2005. That wasn’t all however, as at the end of the anime’s run, a theatrical live-action film was released, under the name Shinobi: Heart Under Blade. Apparently the subject matter can do no wrong, as the film is pretty much on par with everything that came before it.
Rating:
The Face of Another (1966)
July 30, 2008 by KamuiX
Filed under Psychological, Review
The idea that your entire identity can be lost upon a horrible disfigurement to your face is nothing new to the world of cinema. Films such as Georges Franju’s Eyes Without a Face and Jess Franco’s The Awful Dr. Orloff have explored these themes before with varying degrees of success. These same themes in the hands of auteur Hiroshi Teshigahara and surrealist Kobo Abe however produce a beast altogether different than anything seen before. The Face of Another is a film far ahead of its time, and a masterpiece of identity lost.
Rating:
Directing Ong Bak is Apparently Bad for You
I’m sure some of you may already know that Ong Bak 2 is in the works, with the star of the original, Tony Jaa, pulling double duty as not only the star but also sitting in the directors chair. He’s been working on the film for a while, and it still isn’t done. Word is that Jaa had become extremely stressed over directing the film (it’s his first), and he walked off the set 2 months ago. That’s not TOO weird, but it’s what Thai news sources are reporting he’s been doing in these past 2 months that may be some cause for concern.
New Resident Evil: Degeneration Trailer!
Our own MikeyB reported on Resident Evil: Degeneration a few weeks ago, and if you missed that post, it’s an all-new Resident Evil film done in full CGI that’s based on the storyline that was built in the game series. In other words, it means this might actually be good. Well, this past weekends San Diego Comic-Con has brought with it a new, full-length trailer for the film, and it definitely looks interesting. Seems like Resident Evil has gone the route of Dawn of the Dead, only in an airport. There’s also the introduction of a completely odd-looking new monster at the end of the trailer. Continue on for the trailer in very good quality.
Mothra (1961)
Note: This review is for the original Japanese version
I hold a special place in my heart for Japanese films involving giant monsters laying waste to entire cities. In my younger days, I used to look so forward to Saturday’s when some local station would usually play one of these films on the “Creature Feature”. Unfortunately though, I think many that didn’t grow up as a fan of these films look at them as being nothing more than low-grade, cheesy entertainment. And I can’t blame them, as the US dubbed versions of most of these films are cringe-worthy. Many people probably don’t realize that the Japanese version of Godzilla (or Gojira to us purist snobs) is actually a meditation on the dangers of nuclear testing, and that most of these films are heavily altered upon import. Sure, many of them are just good escapist fun in their original forms, but there are those few that stand above the others and attempt to do something other than just provide monsters on the rampage. Mothra is one of those films, and it’s one of the most unique entries in the Kaiju genre.
Rating:
“The Spirit” Gets His Pimp On in Sin City
So, can anyone tell me what in the hell that was?? I don’t pretend to know much about the source material, but the little I do know doesn’t indicate in the least that it’s as hyper-stylized as this Sin City-esque trailer. Nor did it ever seem like it was a “camp” comic book. It seemed very noir-ish and pulp-crime oriented. This looks campy as hell, and feels like Frank Miller overly indulging himself in green screen masturbatory excess. Someone needs to tell Frank to calm the hell down. I don’t know, it could end up being trashy fun, but compared to the original teaser, this is nothing like I expected.
The Akrid Set to Invade Your Local Theatre
Yes, videogame adaptation usually always blow the big one, so I’m probably setting myself up for a disappointment, but Lost Planet seems like it could prove history wrong. Warner Brothers has optioned the rights to bring the game to the big screen. Having played the game, it could translate well to cinema; think Aliens meets the setting from The Thing. For those not familiar with the source material, read on for the prologue straight out of the booklet from my Xbox 360 version of the game, as well as why I think this might not suck!
The Wachowski’s Get Stretchy with Keanu
Sounds like the Wachowski Brothers and Keanu Reeves could be reuniting to bring the DC Comics superhero Plastic Man to the big screen. It was reported that the Wachowski’s had wrote a treatment up for the film before they became megastars with The Matrix, and that script could be the basis for the new film. It seems with their new found pull in the industry, they’re attempting to go forward with it, with Reeves in the title role.
While nothing is set in stone, if it does turn out to be happening, it could definitely be a load of fun. This could be DC’s answer to Marvel’s upcoming Ant-Man film, which Edgar Wright is attached to. All superhero films really don’t need to be serious, and I’m certainly up for a few campy ones. Read the full story over on CHUD.
Dark Floors (2008)
It’s nothing new for musical acts to get themselves into the film game. With films like KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park, Cool as Ice, and the most horrific of them all, Spice World, history has proven that this is generally not a good idea. Once in a great while however, it works, like David Bowie in The Man Who Fell to Earth. Finnish hard rock band and GWAR worshippers Lordi have decided to attempt and crossover into the realm of cinema with the horror film Dark Floors. Not surprisingly, history has repeated itself and Dark Floors fails at everything it attempts to do, although it may very well be the best comedy of the year.
Rating:
The Chaser (2008)
Most people would probably have to admit that an announcement about a foreign film being optioned for a remake only 3 weeks after it’s made its debut in its home country will make you sit up and take notice. When you hear the people that optioned the remake are the same people behind The Departed, one of the very few remakes that is just as respectable as its source material (Infernal Affairs), you might just color yourself very interested. That’s exactly the case for The Chaser, one of South Korea’s top grossing films of 2008 thus far. More surprising than all of this however is that this is writer/director Hong-jin Na’s first film…ever. Could this film really live up to the buzz? In one word: Yes.
Rating:
Violated Angels (1967)
July 12, 2008 by KamuiX
Filed under Exploitation, Review
As a new fan of Koji Wakamatsu, I was really interested in checking out what seems to be his most well-known and controversial film outside of Japan, Violated Angels. Also of note is that the film was inspired by the Richard Speck murders, which happened just one year earlier. I can’t really think of many films that were made so quickly after tragedies like this, but Wakamatsu is definitely not one to shy away from controversy. While the film is effective in what it sets out to do, I find it pretty disheartening if this is indeed his most well-known film outside of Japan, as it unfortunately lacks the artistry that makes many of his other films more than just mere exploitation flicks.
Rating:
Retribution (2006)
After the experimental but ultimately disappointing Loft (review), Kiyoshi Kurosawa is back with Retribution, a crime thriller with ghostly elements akin to Cure and Kairo. While I won’t tout this as Kurosawa’s return to form, it is a culmination of many of his films previous styles, and once again has a lot to say about the current cultural climate of Japan.
Rating:
Insanitarium (2008)
As a newcomer to the world of horror, I suppose you couldn’t ask for more than what Jeff Buhler is getting in 2008. He wrote the screenplay for Clive Barker’s Midnight Meat Train, which if the early reviews are any indication, has turned out pretty damn good. He’s also directed his first film, which he also wrote, titled Insanitarium which will be hitting DVD in the very near future. Don’t let that fact fool you, however. This one doesn’t suck, and it may very well be a good indication that Jeff Buhler is one to keep your eye on.
Rating:
All the Boys Love Mandy Lane (2006)
It’s been quite a long time since a quality slasher film has come down the horror pipeline. There have indeed been a few of note, but there really haven’t been any that captured the spirit of the genres 80’s heyday. Slasher fans can finally rejoice however, as right from the awesome opening title card, All the Boys Love Mandy Lane captures the elusive feel of the 80’s slasher film and recreates it pretty damn impressively.
Rating:
Chocolate (2008) - KamuiX
It seems as if Thailand is now the place to go for martial arts films featuring shockingly realistic fighting. This really came to the attention of the world at large with Ong-Bak, a film with fight scenes so intense that the legitimacy of them is still debated today. While I found the fights to be amazing in that film, the story left me rather cold. I really haven’t been back to the genre at all since then, but the premise of Chocolate, the newest film from Ong-Bak director Prachya Pinkaew, really caught my attention. I’m glad I gave this style of film a second chance, because to put it simply, Chocolate kicks ass.
Rating:
Crows Zero (2007)
Adapting manga to film is nothing new for Takashi Miike, nor are films based around rival factions going to war. What is new to Miike however is the backing of big studios and being given a large budget to work with. Crows Zero is backed by Toho, one of Japan’s biggest film studios. I’m sure many were wary of Miike working with a big studio, as much of his work is fiercely independent. I’m happy to say that even working commercially, Miike can still pump out a film that’s wildly entertaining without sacrificing much of what makes his films so special.
Rating:
Don’t Deliver Us From Evil (1971)
June 26, 2008 by KamuiX
Filed under Exploitation, Review
I’m a big fan of Peter Jackson’s Heavenly Creatures. I feel it’s one of the most overlooked films of the 90’s, and a turning point in Jackson’s career. After having seen it, I became really interested in the true-story behind it, one of two girls whose lives were so mundane and boring that they needed to create a fantasy world with one another to make it through the day, and would even resort to murder to keep their imagined world whole. So imagine my surprise as I was watching Joël Séria’s Don’t Deliver Us From Evil and noticing many similarities. A quick Google search confirmed that Don’t Deliver Us From Evil is indeed loosely based on the same story. That alone would make it a pretty scandalous film for 1971, but add in all of the anti-Christian sentiments and teenage temptresses and you have a film that would still ruffle many feathers today.
Rating:
The Good, the Bad, and the F’n Awesome
Over here in the states, Chan-wook Park is well known, and highly respected among foreign film fans. It baffles my mind why one of his peers, Ji-woon Kim, isn’t as highly touted. Don’t get me wrong, Park is great, but Kim is an equally fantastic director. Chalk it up to the fact that A Tale of Two Sisters is really his only highly-publicized film in the US (it’s a travesty that his amazing A Bittersweet Life is still not available on DVD on these shores), but Kim is just as deserving of your attention as any other Korean directors today. If the trailer for his upcoming film The Good, the Bad, and the Weird is any indication however, his name will be on the tip of everyone’s tongue very shortly. Read on for a synopsis, and an incredible trailer.
The Power of Metal Compels You!
Apparently God’s light is finally shining down on me, because a film featuring two of my favorite things in the world, samurai and metal music, have finally converged!! The film is called Metal Samurai, appropriately enough, and it looks like a complete goof, but a fun one at that. Read on for a synopsis and a power metal filled trailer!
The Embryo Hunts in Secret (1966)
June 24, 2008 by KamuiX
Filed under Exploitation, Review
I was so impressed after watching Koji Wakamatsu’s Go, Go Second Time Virgin that I’ve really made a point to seek out more of his work as well as read up on him as a director. Firstly, the man was a workhorse, much in the vein of Takashi Miike, making well over 35 films a decade in the 60s and 70s (including a dizzying 20 between 1963 and 1965!). He was also firmly entrenched in making films on his terms and in his own way, going so far as bailing on a lucrative contract with Japanese studio Nikkatsu when they handled his first foray into the Pink genre poorly, due to fear of retaliation from the government. So he decided to self-finance his films, creating his own Wakamatsu Studios, and The Embryo Hunts in Secret was its first production. Wakamatsu obviously knew what was good for him creatively, because more than just having a cool title, The Embryo Hunts in Secret is a claustrophobic nightmare that regardless of being his first foray into independently produced cinema is just as effective and assured as his later work.
Rating:
Black Water (2007)
While I may be in the minority on this, I thought Open Water was a pretty effective little film. It was far from perfect, but it captured a raw feeling of danger and dread, one where you were always on edge for an eventual shark attack. The film must have made some fans other than myself, because directors David Nerlich and Andrew Traucki have clearly channeled the film in their debut feature, Black Water. Unfortunately, while the template is in place, that constant feeling of being in danger has been replaced by a constant feeling of boredom.
Rating:
Loading ...
I’ve seen this! - 
Just coming to post this. It looks great. - 