Rhinoceros Eyes review

category: review, film, dvd

I've been looking forward to seeing Aaron Woodley's "Rhinoceros Eyes" since its release in 2003. Five years later and I finally got my chance as it was just recently released on dvd.... finally. I had read a review on the film that had heightened my expectations. Were they met? Absolutely.

Rhinoceros Eyes is a fantastical coming-of-age story revolving around Chep (Michael Pitt), a young, reclusive prop-house employee who falls in love with a detail-obsessed movie production designer named Fran (Paige Turco). Fran's need for authentic props sends Chep to great and questionable lengths as he tries to satisfy her requests, and ultimately...win her heart.

Pitt's performance is absolutely stellar as the idiot savant playing a recluse in the prop shop unwilling to leave it's safety and the fantasy world it is. After meeting his love interest, Chep's line between what is real and what is not rapidly deteriorates. He is unable to distinguish what is actually happening and what is in his head. Living in a warehouse of props doesn't help the situation as the props begin to form into some sort of living creature (done through some fantastic prop animation) that trys to convince Chep of what he must do. It's interesting to watch the transformation of the "prop creature" grow larger and more human-like as Chep dives further and further into the fantasy world. This "prop creature" also bears a lot of resemblance to the bunny in Donnie Darko and the voice actually sounds quite similar.

A very odd and rewarding experience. Much of this movie also reminded me of another one of my favorite's; "Buddy Boy". For my taste, everything in this movie was done right. It has elements of horror, drama, fantasy, thriller, and mystery. It's all there and put together quite well with great performances all around. The setting, lighting and direction are all top notch. Highly recommended to those of you that like your films a bit on the odd side.

Oh, and by the way, there is the best Halloween mask i have ever seen in this movie and the director uses it so so well. The look on the masks face is absolutely perfect for the parts in which it is worn and absolutely hilarious at the same time.

Alone review

category: review, dvd, foreign

I'll say right off the bat that I had high expectations for the new Thai thriller "Alone" from the directing duo that brought us the phenomenal and truely frightening "Shutter" film.

The story consists of two girls who were born siamese twins; joined at the hip.... errr.. actually with a flab of skin that connects to the middle of their stomachs but stretches far enough that they can sit side by side? Anyways, the story begins with one of the twins grown up after having been seperated years earlier and we find out that one of the twins had died. So, living in another city now, we find out her mother is ill and she needs to travel back home with her husband to tend to her. Well it appears the dead sister is not so happy and is doing some good ol' fashion asian horror jump scares to freak her and her mother out. I say jump scares because there may be one or two creepy moments but this film plays mainly to the quick jump scares. It trys to build the characters and obviously is building to a twist as they all must do. Problem here is the twist is quite obvious and I was able to figure it out within the first quarter of the movie. So I spent the rest of the movie waiting for the inevitable to happen between a mildly entertaining story and the occasional jump scare. The film itself looks good, well filmed... in my opinion it seemed like the directing team was going for the Tale Of Two Sister's feel with the direction, setting, cinematography and even the story to an extent. It's not a terribly bad movie, in fact, it's better than most j-horror type movies. It's just that it's all been done before and done better. No new ground covered here.

Worth a rent whenever it becomes available in the U.S. but not worth the price to order the R3 Hong Kong version like I did as I don't think i'll be watching this again.

Quick Review: The Bank Job

category: quick review, theatrical, U.S.

With all the garbage playing in the theaters right now I opted to attend a screening of a little heist film called The Bank Job starring Jason Statham. Nothing ground breaking here. Just an amusing little caper with the usual twists and turns. The clever part is how everyone this bank robbery is affecting seems to be much more of a criminal than the actual people pulling off the robbery. The director opts for the light hearted feel in the beginning, then getting into some pretty dark territory and back to light again. Not very consistent causing the film to lose a little of it's identity. Based on the choices you have at the theaters right now, i'd say this is one of your best bets.

Dead Daughters review

category: dvd, review, foreign

Russian film, Dead Daughters, from newcomer Pavel Ruminov is a ghost story horror. The story goes like this: There were three dead daughters, their mom drowned them, they were pissed, came back from the dead to kill their mom, they're still pissed so they stick around to kill more. They follow around a person for three days and if that person does something bad they kill that person and then follow the person that saw the that person alive last. Kinda remind you of watching a video and days later you die? Ring? Very similar premise. Although this doesn't deliver as well as The Ring did.

On the positive side, it is very well filmed with good use of lighting and natural lighting. The sound design is very nice taking full use of surround sound to build tension. However, the tension never goes anywhere. It appears the director wants to build quite a few times but as soon as it's getting good it cuts to another seen. He wants to imply whats going on rather than showing it. This works for some films such as The Sword Bearer which i recently reviewed but not this one. There is no story. The history of the ghosts are laid out at the beginning and the whole film follows these characters around until their impending death arrives. Only one of the characters decides to dig more into the story of the daughters to find something out that could save her. This is the directors first feature length film. Before this he had only done short films. This could of been a good short as only about fifteen minutes of the movie kept my interest.

A Bloody Aria review

category: review, dvd, foreign

A Bloody Aria is a disturbing look into the ongoing cycle of violence and bullying in Korea. It has no hero or even anti-hero, only protagonists and victims often one in the same. The story begins with a professor driving with a former student taking her to a remote destination with malintentions. A chain of events come into play bringing forth several other "country folk" characters that will lead to a tension filled explosion of violence linked to bullying and institutions such as the military.

The film is primarily a bleak revenge flick with offbeat characters and dark humor. The director conveys his views on violence in Korea through bullying and the circle that evolves from it. Filmed primarily in one location the story is still engaging for the simple fact you have no idea how these characters are going to react next. However, the film seems to think it's a little more clever than it is involving the twists that come into fruition. I figured one major twist out within the first 15 minutes of the film and the other large twist was hard to believe or at least hard to believably comprehend the character's actions and emotions. Some of the subplots such as the rat poison and introduction of a gun fall flat. I enjoyed the film despite its flaws and look forward to what this director brings next.

Tran Anh Hung's new film I Come With The Rain

category: news

Director Tran Anh Hung (Cyclo, The Scent Of Green Papaya) is stomping into some new genre ground with his latest I Come With Rain. Starring a fascinating mix of multi cultural actors including Josh Hartnett, Lee Byung-Hyun, Takuya Kimura, Elias Koteas, Tran Nu Yen Khe and Shawn Yue. Hartnett is not my favorite actor in the world but seeing him in Lucky Number Slevin makes me think the noir genre is where he belongs. Lee Byung-Hyun happens to be one of my favorites if for nothing more than his stellar performance in A Bittersweet Life (If you have not seen this movie, track it down now!). The synopsis is as follows:

Kline, an ex-cop in Los Angeles traumatized by slaying a serial killer, is hired by a powerful corporate boss to go to the Philippines and find Shitao, his missing son. Kline’s leads take him to Hong Kong. Torn between good and evil, caught in the crossfire between a mafia drug ring and the police, he tracks down Shitao, who has become a mysterious vagrant.

Supposedly, aside from being a violent, bloody noir film, it will contain elements of the supernatural as well and according to the few stills that have been released looks quite promising. Here are a few of the stills:

Sword Bearer review

category: review, foreign, dvd

What happens when the average joe finds out he has supernatural powers? The premise may sound familiar. The Watchmen? Unbreakable? However, the Russian sci-fi action flick, The Sword Bearer, is far from the standard stock.

The story revolves around a man named Sasha who as a boy was shunned from society, his peers and family due to a supernatural power that he possess. When he wishes or his anger allows, a sword extends from his arm piercing his own skin. Very wolverinish? Maybe... but that's not the interesting part of this film. Shunned all his life and driven by anger (and a temper he does have) our "hero" returns to his home town to turn his life around or find a reason to. The only thing he encounters here is trouble when an encounter with an old flame's new boyfriend leaves him bloodied on the ground. This is where the vengeance and anger comes into play. This is a man you do not want to cross and from this point the mafia and the police are on his tail. He meets a girl and falls in love instantly as does she and this is really what the movie is about.

The film is highly impressionistic with bold colors and noir overtones spliced with short yet extreme action sequences. This is art house at it's core, beautifully filmed with such attention to details in every scene over gruesome sci-fi action. It's this odd mash that interests me so much in this film. The directors approach for this genre is refreshing focusing on the emotional journey of Sasha and not a straight action film. Don't worry though, the action is there and plenty of it. However, much of these sequences show only implied violence with pictures of the horrific aftermath. This is not to say that action is not shown. These scenes are here and are fantastic (especially the ending where we see Sasha's full powers unleashed in desperation). The director chooses to imply the violence of many scenes to keep the focus on the character's emotional struggle at hand. This is a tragic love story and a refreshing entry into the genre.

The Warlords review

category: DVD, foreign, review

Last night I had the opportunity to view one of the best films i've seen in a very long time. One that stays with you far after the closing credits. One that requires time after viewing to untie all the knots in your stomach.

Peter Chan's "The Warlords" is a period epic in every sense of the word. Chan covers alot of ground here depicting war and the consequences thereof consisting of his anti-war sentiments. It tells the story of three "brothers" played brilliantly by Jet Li (Fearless), Andy Lau (Infernal Affairs) and Takeshi Kaneshiro (House Of Flying Daggers) who make a pact of brotherhood to one another that consists of killing anyone who harms one of the brothers and killing any brother who harms another brother as they lead an army through war after war taking over city after city.

It's incredible to watch the thought process of making vital decisions during a battle or within their own army to defy humanity for the "greater good". It shows the internal and external struggle of these decisions by opposing points of view. The emotions felt by these men translate in any language and leave you emotionally drained after watching the film through to its tragic end.

The cinematography is outstanding, the budget is huge, the directing brilliant and the war scenes brutal as can be. We're talking decapitations, gushing blood, limbs sliced off and a man being blown up by a cannonball. Chan is delivering a truth in the brutality of war rather than dressing it up to keep (most of it) realistic.

War is hell.... and this film will take you there and back. Highest recommendation.

Park Chan-wook finds a leading lady

category: news, foreign

Park Chan-wook (Oldboy, Sympathy for Lady Vengeance) finds a leading lady for his next film "BAKJWI". KIM Ok-bin has agreed to do the role which will require a number of explicit sex scenes. Park was having trouble finding someone willing to play the part because of this (see 5 posts below for the original post). She will play a married woman who has an affair with a man turned vampire. Haven't seen any of her previous films (although i've had the horror ARANG in which she stars sitting on my shelf for weeks) but if she acts half as good as she looks then I think we'll be ok.

Production to begin in March.

Breaking Bad makes television good again

category: television

Break Bad (v.) 1. to challenge convention 2. to defy authority 3. to raise hell

Chemistry: the study of change. Meet Walter White, a high school chemistry teacher sleepwalking through life when, boom, a terminal diagnosis changes everything. Liberates him. Empowers him to use his chemistry skills anew: to man a rolling drug lab and finance the future for his struggling family. It's an uncontrolled experiment with the American dream. And it finally wakes him up. Breaking Bad: Change the Equation.

Breaking Bad is by far the best new television series i've seen in quite some time. A darkly funny drama starring Bryan Cranston (yes... that man in the picture is the father from Malcom In The Middle). The fourth episode premieres this Sunday and you can catch up on all the previous episodes by watching AMC On Demand, checking for the marathons on AMC or watch them all on the website here.

Doomsday Is Coming!!!

category: theatrical release

Neil Marshall's new film, Doomsday, is coming to theaters very soon. I'm a huge fan of his last movie, The Descent, which I felt was one of the greatest horror movies in years. That being said, i'm interested in anything this guy is going to do next.... even if it sounds like the offspring if Mad Max and 28 Weeks Later had sex in Escape From New York. Here's the synopsis and link to the trailer.

After a lethal virus wipes out hundreds of thousands of lives in the United Kingdom, a massive wall is built to keep those contaminated from leaving the country of its origin: Scotland. Those who try to escape are killed, and the wall itself is a massive barrier fully armed with advanced weaponry to prevent any escapes. Nobody gets in. Nobody gets out. Scotland has been shut off from the rest of the world - forever ...

30 years later, the virus named “The Reaper” has been all but forgotten until a new case rears its ugly head in London. With no choice and the fear of another epidemic at hand, the government sends in an elite group to venture past the great wall, a territory not touched by those uncontaminated in over 30 years. The group must recover the work of Dr. Kane, who was close to finding a cure to “The Reaper” when it first was exposed. What lies beyond the wall is a mystery, a hellish environment left in ruins. What they will discover is far beyond the reaches of anything they could have imagined.

Doomsdayiscoming site

Cohen Brother's to adapt Chabon's "The Yiddish Policemen's Union"

category: News, Hollywood

The Cohen Brother's are going to be adapting Michael Chabon's novel, The Yiddish Policemen's Union, for their next film. Here's a synopsis from Variety:

"Chabon sets up a contemporary scenario where Jewish settlers are about to be displaced by U.S. government's plans to turn the frozen locale of Sitka, Alaska, over to Alaskan natives. Against this backdrop is a noir-style murder mystery in which a rogue cop investigates the killing of a heroin-addicted chess prodigy who might be the messiah."


Looks like it's right up the Cohen's alley. I'll be looking forward to this.

Pang Brothers doing a U.S. remake of their own BANGKOK DANGEROUS

category: news, remake, foreign, U.S.

The Pang Brothers are well known for their super stylized films but not so much for their story lines. They've had several successes in the past with The Eye (the original, not the U.S. remake starring Jessica Alba out now), The Eye 2 wasn't too bad and I even liked Re-Cycle for the fantasy horror world it brought you in. Usually anything these guys make is at least pretty to look at. Their first film Bangkok Dangerous is one of their best to date which was originally released in 1999. Well..... looks like this one just got a U.S. remake starring Nicolas Cage... yes, i said Nicolas Cage. Hmmm... not sure what to think about this. Could be a hit or miss. Either way, check out the original first. You can check out the trailer for the remake which just came out here

Also, while on the topic of the Pang Bros, if you haven't seen the original The Eye then I would definitely suggest it if you're a fan of asian horror films. I haven't seen the recent U.S. remake out in theaters now and have actually heard they stayed pretty close with the source material and not bad for a remake but i recommend it how the directors meant for it to be.

Park Chan-Wook to begin production on his latest film

category: news, foreign

Oldboy director, Park Chan-Wook, is about to start production on his latest film!! This has me very excited as I consider Park one of the best directors in film today. Not to mention this new film involves vampires! Park and vampires.... you can bet this won't be your ordinary vamp flick. The title of the film has been variously reported as Bat, Evil Live and Thirst. So unsure which will be the actual title if any but i'm excited to see production on this preparing. However... there is a slight hiccup in getting the whole thing rolling. Apparently Park cannot find a leading lady to play the role as it is reported that the film has extremely explicit nudity and sex scenes. Here's hoping he finds one willing and able soon....

Stephen Chow's CJ7 hitting theaters in March!

category: news, theatrical release, foreign

If you're a fan of Stephen Chow's work (Shaolin Soccer, Kung-Fu Hustle) then you'll be interested to know that his new film, CJ7, will be hitting the big screen in March!

Here's the synopsis:

Featuring the trademark Chow slapstick humor, CJ7 is a comedy about a poor laborer father, Ti, played by Stephen Chow, and his young son, Dicky. When a fascinating and strange new pet enters their lives, Dicky, an elementary school student, sees a chance to overcome his poor background and shabby clothes and impress his fellow students for the first time in his life. The “pet” however has other ideas and when Dicky brings it to class, comedic chaos erupts including a showdown with the terrifying school bully, Storm Dragon!

Interesting side note: The child star in the poster on the left is actually a young actress playing a young boy!

trailer

There Will Be Awards!

Finally caught up and saw P.T. Anderson's There Will Be Blood last night. I'm a big fan of his previous work including Punch Drunk Love and Magnolia. There's been plenty of press on this film so I won't go into a detailed review. The movie was exceptional with great performances, great cinematography, perfect sound desgin, and an interesting brutal story. I did not want to review this film but wanted to put my two cents in by saying Daniel Day-Lewis deserves the best actor award that he's up for this year. I've seen the big competitor, Cohen's Brothers "No Country For Old Men", which I enjoyed immensely as well. Talking about each film as a whole I enjoyed No Country a bit more than There Will Be Blood (mainly due to the slow nature of the film and long running time) but Daniel's performance is one that will be put in your head for good..... or maybe bashed in your head is a better way of putting it.

Angel-A Review

category: Reviews, foreign

Luc Besson is definitely one of my favorite directors / writers of all time. I mean come on... we're talking the director of films such as The Fifth Element, Nikita (La Femme Nikita), and my personal favorite Leon (The Professional). He has an incredible eye behind the camera, knows how to tell an original story, and a style where you know you're watching something Luc has had his hands in whether it's producing, directing or writing.

Angel-A starts out with the down and out character, Andre (played quite well by Jamel Debbouze) finding himself in debt with a slew of different parties and no way out. In his despair he decides to climb on a bridge and jump off ending his worries and lonely life. However, as he is about to jump he looks over and sees a rather tall, beautiful blonde about to do the same. She jumps from the bridge and Andre jumps into the water to save her. Upon saving her life he finds out that her name is Angela (Angel-A). A series of events occur and we find it is Angela who is actually saving Andre's life. We also come to find that Angela is not your typical woman and "fell from the sky" to save him.

Filmed in black and white and with subtitles this film has some stunning cinematography often associated with Besson's work. The story itself is primarily about loving one's self and ultimately loving others. It's engaging, interesting and a beautiful tale. Highly recommended if you're a fan of Besson's work.

Buy the DVD here

The Warlords

category: dvd release, foreign, theatrical release

Peter Chan's The Warlords is a period war epic recently playing theaters in China to much of a buzz. Currently the highest nominated film for the Hong Kong Film Awards with 13 nominations and starring three powerhouse actor's including Jet Li (Fearless), Andy Lau (Infernal Affairs), and Takeshi Kanshiro (House Of Flying Daggers). The cinematography looks outstanding, the cast phenomenal and appears to have action o'plenty. This will have a limited release here in the states but after hearing that it will most likely be a cut of the film that director Peter Chan didn't approve, i'd rather see the uncut version. Fortunately, if you have a region free player, you can purchase the dvd now! Check the links for a trailer and to purchase the DVD which was released this past week.


trailer
buy the dvd here

Grindhouse: The Complete Box Set available March 21st

category: DVD release, foreign

Thus far the only releases available for Grindhouse have been separate releases of Quentin Tarantion's "Death Proof" and Robert Rodriguez's "Planet Terror". Japan is releasing the first Grindhouse complete box set including both features (including all the fantastic trailers shown between the films) and a ton of extras. Not to mention this thing is beautiful looking. This is a R2 region release and will only play if you have a region 2 dvd player or an all region so be sure you do before you buy as this set comes in at a hefty $102.75 price tag and is limited edition.


Buy it here from yesasia.com

I'm A Cyborg But That's OK

category: foreign film, review

Park Chan-Wook’s latest is similar to the directorial styles of his well known films such as Oldboy, Sympathy for Lady Vengeance, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, and Joint Security Area (If you don't know these titles, you need to become familiar quickly). So is the screen filled with beautiful images full of color and life? You betcha… however… the content of the film is a far cry from the Vengeance Trilogy. Park’s new film is more of a love story, odd as can be, but still a love story at heart. So if you’re expecting Oldboy 2… don’t bother.

This is a romantic comedy of sorts, but not a light one. Park does dive into some serious subject matter. The film revolves around it’s lead actress Im Su-jeong (who you may recognize from the wonderful horror; Tale Of Two Sisters). She plays the part of a sad girl in a mental institution where most of the film is played out and believes she is a cyborg who refuses to eat. As her health deteriorates, an interest is acquired by another patient played by pop star Bi (Rain). What ensues is a melancholic turned lovely tale of two characters dealing with their past finding each other in the most odd of circumstances.

This is not played out like a typical rom com; I.E. machine guns coming out of Im’s fingers blowing away all the nurses. This is a sad yet amusing love story told like nobody besides Park could tell it. The story is touching, sad and funny. The visuals, effects and set designs are simply beautiful. Again, if you’re looking for a blood filled, revenge story this is not for you. If you’re looking for a non typical romantic comedy with style to spare then this is it. There's someone for everyone..... even if she may have machine guns as fingertips.