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Subject: More films Author: John [ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ] Date Posted: 22:22:53 07/06/02 Sat John's film reviews with new and improved inane ranting! Ratings are (1)=vile, smelly nastiness to (10)=an orgasmic delight. Following (7): The first film from the writer/director of Memento (9). (Surely you guys know about the big hit Memento? I'll supply a review of that if asked.) This little black and white gem may be a bit rough around the edges due to beginner's budget constraints, but it is well conceived, written, directed and acted. You can see the connection with Memento in the fragmented time-frame. The main character is a struggling writer living alone in a depressing little London flat. Unable to write much, or sit in isolation for long, he sets out to observe strangers in the city for inspiration. He makes it into a game of following someone, anyone, to watch what they do and where they go. One day he follows a seemingly clean cut guy down a few streets and into a cafe. Writer sits a few tables away waiting to pick up the trail when his subject leaves, but the guy knows he's being tailed and confronts Writer who has to explain what the hell he's been up to. The guy was worried because he does something similar, but more extreme. He breaks into houses when people are away to see how they live and to play little mind games with them. Writer is intrigued and soon joins him on these adventures. The film has some wonderful twists and turns, a truly original concept, and some thought provoking dialog. [ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Replies:

[> Subject: Japanimation Author: John [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 22:42:09 07/06/02 Sat Metropolis (3): No, not the great silent film from Fritz Lang. This is the animated version of the manga by Tezuka. First, a little background. Tezuka was one of the greats of Japan's comic industry, pioneering much of the style that makes it what it is today. I think he started back before WWII. He had found a picture book of the film Metropolis, but didn't know the story or ever see the actual film. Those images inspired him to create his own story set in the future about a titanic metropolis, a robotic woman, and a power struggle between the ruling elite and the commoners that live down below. Even though I don't really like the style of manga I was excited to see what could come from this interesting genesis. The artwork is truly astounding. The settings and objects are rendered with skill and beauty--astounding. The characters look like stupid big-eyed manga dolls--astounding. Why produce a rich and varried environment only to populate it with crappy comic figures? Since I'm not Japanese I can't answer that one. But what about the story? Well, it seemed like it was written by a comic book artist instead of a writer. Wait, it was! Hmmmm. What I'm trying to say is that there is precious little story, almost no characterization, and a lot of boring scenes set in glorious animation. Unless you're a die hard anime fan, pass this one up. In case you're wondering, there are many Japanese animated films I do like that use more realism in depicting the human form. Also, one of my favorite films is Princess Mononoke.

[> Subject: Asoka Author: John [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 00:58:37 07/07/02 Sun Asoka (7): There should be a horizontal line over the s to make the pronounciation Ashoke. This is an Indian film about the life of King Asoka, the first ruler to adopt Buddhism. If that doesn't sound interesting to you, don't give up yet. You see, this is an Indian film. Although Buddhism originated near India in Nepal and was eventually taken up by King Asoka, over time Hinduism regained dominance again and today India is primarily Hindu. So, the filmmakers, being Hindu, are much more interested in Asoka's bloody and lusty past. In fact, this film ends just as he strides across the last battlefield viewing the senseless carnage and realizing that he will give up his warrior ways and accept Buddhism. So... if you like power struggles to gain the throne, adventures to woo beautiful maidens, swordplay, and battles with war elephants then you've come to the right film. Another facet of being an Indian film is that there will be a number of song and dance numbers resembling Indian pop MTV. It's pretty strange, but entertaining in a novel kind of way. If you want to see an exotic alternative to the standard Hollywood widget then give this a chance. The absolute best thing about this film is the actress who plays the king's second wife, the one who is Buddhist. She is one of the most amazingly beautiful women I have seen in my lifetime. A true goddess. I'm not talking about the woman on the video cover who plays his first wife.

[> Subject: Brotherhood of the Wolf Author: John [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 02:04:00 07/07/02 Sun Brotherhood of the Wolf (Le Pacte des Loups) (6): A French action/horror/mystery film. The film is inspired by the mysterious deaths attributed to the "Beast of Gevaudan" in France during the 18th century. I wish I could tell you more about the beast, but I never heard about it before this movie came out and I don't know the facts or the legend. In this film the locals believe their land cursed by a werewolf and the main character is a French naturalist who has come to disprove the monster hypothesis and get to the bottom of the mystery. He is accompanied by his Indian friend from French Canada. I guess his tribe had developed some form of martial arts because he spends most of the movie kicking the shit out of people in kung fu fashion. However, this particular detail doesn't stretch the coveted suspension of disbelief quite as much as the dramatic conclusion does. I was thoroughly enjoying the first hour of this film and given the strong opening I was hoping it would stay consistant thus earning a spot on my all time favorites list. This film almost got there. Then in an attempt at being clever and unpredictable it went all to hell as the mystery turned out to be... well, some of you may want to see this and so I will not spoil it for you. The setting is good, the premise is great, the opening attack scenes of the beast are horrifying, the main characters are interesting, and the filmmaking is skillful. If only they could have crafted a better ending to the script. Mon Dieu, they came so tantilizingly close to making a horror masterpiece. I've heard this film compared to The Ghost and the Darkness about the hunt for two man-eating lions in Africa, but I believe this film is much more like The Hound of the Baskervilles. No, the mystery is no where near as clever as one concocted by Arthur Conan Doyle, but BotW reminded me of all of those poor attempts to film that great Holmes mystery. This film tries trick the viewer with astounding revelations at the end, but the who-dunnit just doesn't prove satisfying, or plausible. Pity.

[> Subject: a whole new world of films Author: John [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 03:17:37 07/07/02 Sun I have to admit that I don't watch much television. In fact, I think during an entire month my viewing goes something like this: see 3-4 episodes of Mad TV, catch a couple of Now shows with Bill Moyers, watch Nova or Frontline (but only if the subject interests me), and check out the latest episode of Travels in Europe with Rick Steves. So, when I moved last September I decided to redirect the $468/year cable TV bill toward my travel fund. Let's see, $39 a month for basic cable that I don't watch much of or a trip to Thailand? My courier flight is only $400 during peak Summer travel season and cheaper or free during the rest of the year. Easy choice. I do admit that when I had cable I did watch something every couple of days, primarily Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, Travel Channel and Comedy Central. The choice to drop cable was made much easier because the company here only includes the Sci Fi channel in their Premium Digital Package. The prices are already insulting enough, so I refused to continue supporting the greedy cable bastards. Do I even need a TV? Hell, yes! I still have a VCR, a laser disc player and DVD. When I want cheesy TV I pull out an old episode of Mystery Sciene Theatre 3000. God I love that show. I collected about 30-40 when I had cable. I also have a few other shows and of course my movies. I wish I had Babylon 5 on tape. I have a few of the movies, but none of the episodes like Curt does. Maybe I can borrow some of those some day, eh Curt? When I want a little cheap home entertainment I read or I rent a movie. Now that I'm broke and living alone again I have A LOT OF TIME AND NEED FOR CHEAP ENTERTAINMENT. I've been averaging about 10-14 movies per week for the last six months thanks to 2for1 rentals on Tue & Wed. I am fortunate to have the best damn video store only a couple of miles away. They have adopted DVD with a vengeance and if it has been released in that format this store will have it. They also take suggestions on purchases and I'm told that if you ask for it and it's made on video the store will buy it. So far they've purchased all of the 20 odd films I've requested. They have an incredible foreign film collection too. Well, given the rate at which I am watching these things it's only natural that I would eventually have to find new film frontiers to conquer. One day, in despiration for something new and unusual I looked through the Hong Kong section. No, I'm not a big Jet Li fan and although Bruce Lee was an amazing man I don't care for his films. I'm also not terribly interested in seeing a Chinese version of a Quentin Tarentino shoot'em up film, which seems to be what about half of the films in this section looked like. However, the other half dealt with sword wielding warriors and chinese mages. They looked like fun, and to my surprise they truly were! One of my favorite films (before discovering Hong Kong films) is Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. I bought the DVD the day it came out. I had never seen a movie like it before and I loved every moment of it. Well, now I have found the origins of this film in the Hong Kong cinema. This is a world of magic. Chi energy (as in Tai Chi, accupuncture/accupressure, and Feng Shui) is real. People can fly, carried by the power they have mastered. Kung fu is made deadlier by mystical forces. Ghosts and monsters exist. It's all very much like a Hercules film or Jason and the Argonauts, but here we're dealing with Chinese myths instead of Greek. My first rental turned out to be one of the best of them all, Chinese Ghost Story III. My reasoning went something like this. I wanted something with the supernatural and not just fight scenes. Any film worth making sequels to probably has something going for it (I admit this isn't a strong argument) and so the Chinese Ghost Story films were probably popular with the audiences. Parts I & II were usually rented which is also a good sign. Being a purist I would normally dread spoiling a good series by watching it out of order but I have to admit that with no previous experience with these films I had rather low expectations and didn't really care what got spoiled because I thought I would never get around to seeing the others. I loved this movie. I give it a strong (9). The surprising thing about this series and most of the Hong Kong films is the excellent humor laced throughout. The films are fantasy and just when they are about to take themselves too seriously they are saved by some fine humor. I've learned a great deal about Chinese myths and folklore by watching these films. Their culture is incredibly different from ours and when you begin to watch these films or read their stories it will seem almost like learning about people on another planet. I love this aspect, as well. I ended up watching parts I & II also, all in reverse order and I can tell you that this is the best way to see them! The story doesn't evolve from film to film. Essentially, everyone loved the first film and so they made more in the same mold, making them better and funnier. If you really like number III then watch the other two for more of the same, but know that they will not be quite as good as the last. The idea is that our main character seeks shelter in an old abandoned temple and encounters the ghost of a beautiful woman whose spirit is bound to the earth because the evil villain has not laid her ashes to rest, but holds them in a secret place thus controlling her to some extent for evil purposes. The ghost is played by the gorgeous Joey Wang in all three films. The evil sorcerors are always great villains and the hero always has some powerful ally such as a Taoist Priest, a Buddhist Master, or a great swordsman. The magic flies fast and furious, just like the weapons and the fists. All in all, great fun.

[> Subject: Re: More films Author: Jeff-Hey I got a crazy-ass idea! [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 10:26:08 07/07/02 Sun Yes, I watched Memento. Very Good. I am going to watch Being John Malkovich this evening. I fell it love with it when I saw the first time. (John, I suggest you create a page on website for movie reviews from the House of Arkam.Can you image the camera as a POV(similar to Tales from the Crypt), walking onto the sanitarium grounds, through the front door, past the receptionist, down the hall, through the reinforced door window, into the padded room where a madman sits in the corner wearing a straight jacket.)Yes he is mad. And he is a film critic!!!!! Why is he mad? He tells it like it is, for no sane man wants to hear the truth, he has a demented sense of humor that only a madman can contain within his cranium AND he admitted himself because only the safety of a sanitarium allows him to risk seeing such films. (Hey I've just written a new show for hollywood! Fuck you guys...I'm leaving for LA in the morning!)

[> Subject: Two thumbs and one big toe Author: Ken [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 16:58:24 07/07/02 Sun Hey, I love all these movie reviews. John, you ought to take Jeff up on his insane reviewer idea. I regret I haven't seen many movies recently, and certainly nothing as exotic as you two have mentioned. I think I have mentioned I enjoyed "A Simple Plan" and the "The Usual Suspects." I detest most of the Hollywood movies, although I enjoyed "Enemy of the State" and I intend to see "Minority Report" pretty soon. Jeff, I read a review of "The Secret Lives of Altar Boys" and it sounds like something you'd like. It's about altar boys, of course, but it revolves around their fantasies of being superheroes and is cut with zillions of animated sequences by the creator of "Spawn." I have been working stupid hours and haven't much time for anything beyond my weekly Magnetron instalment. I would tell you that I am now on vacation and intended to get my car fixed finally so I could drive down to Tucson and visit John, but it is just so ludicrously ironic that no one would believe me even though it's true. By the way, John, that goofy hogatubbies banner took me about an hour to make. Fifteen minutes to cook up the concept and steal the graphics, another fifteen to lay out the frames, another fifteen to animate, and another fifteen to upload and update the link. Anyway, I am here and now have lots of free time!

[> [> Subject: Re: Two thumbs and one big toe Author: Jeff [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 00:56:18 07/08/02 Mon You think THAT is something. I am in the wrong business. I may create a new role for myself as I professional idea-man for companies. I'll charge 1,000.00 a day and help others brainstorm to sell their products OR come up with products. Example I just help a guy at work come up with a product. He wanted to combine alcohol with water, kinda like a water substitute and still get a buzz. WHich brings up...how much water can you put in a product to be considered a water product. He wanted to call it "Booze". I came up with "AQUAHOL". Brilliant isn't it? Another man wants to open up his own business. Its a barber shop, designed like Floyd's shop in Mayberry. We talked about this and came up with a brilliant scheme. The service is not haircuts...its men getting together and talking. You pay 8.00 which is a covercharge. Haircuts ARE FREE. You can have coffee, sit down and just talk. Great for retirees. THe Name: JAWJACKIN' JOES. I just went over my list of ladies I am emailing and a few I've had first dates. 12....mother fuckin 12 women I am in contact with. I already have dates lined up for Wed, THurs, and Fri. I just contacted woman number 12. I am telling you....I have three men who want to know what the fuck Im doing.....I gotta write a fuckin book on this. Ken, don't forget the ideas I sent you for banners. I have some more. The Banana Splits.....and the Three Musketeers OH, and The Chipmonks....one of us needs to be the guy..David Savell....probably Curt. Has anyone seen the movie SHINE??????? Please respond if you have....I have a question about the end of the movie. Also listened to the Koyanniquatsi soundtrack. In the past Phillip Glass used to irritate me to no end....NO, I am enjoying his works. All for now....I'm finally getting tired. Ken, if you need something to do....what about that friggin logo?

[> [> [> Subject: secrets of the universe Author: John [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 01:44:35 07/08/02 Mon I have already planned on making a section of my website for reviews. Remember when I mentioned that a few weeks ago? Unfortunately, I never get anything accomplished due to my expert powers of procrastination so I decided to post some reviews here before flying off. I like Jeff's sanitarium idea, but I have some ideas of my own. Phillip Glass? Uggghhh. I never knew a metronome qualified as a composer until I heard this guys repetitive droning. There is only one thing he has ever done that isn't terrible--the soundtrack to Candyman. Even that has to be taken in moderation. Jeff, I have to get you some more Dead Can Dance stat. I'm sorry, I had no idea you were in such a desperate listening situation out there. :-) Ken, there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that you were never going to make it down to Tucson this Summer so I don't feel guilty about taking off at all. You might want to take that repaired car of yours and get the hell out of Phx for a while. Enjoy your vacation. Well guys, I'm leaving for the airport in less than four hours. Wish me luck going through the shooting gallery, er, I mean LAX. As I was telling Jeff a few weeks ago, LAX is the only place I feel unsafe during my trips to SE Asia. Strange, but true. Stay in touch. Remember that I check my email regularly, so give me something to chuckle about when I'm killing time in an internet cafe. Ciao.