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Pterodactyl (2005)
No classic, but it's fun
When I saw the preview of this film, I thought, "Another dumb Sci Fi Channel movie. They're rejecting the new DOCTOR WHO series for this?" But then I read a review of it in today's paper that made me decide to watch it anyway and I'm glad I did. The CGI effects were well done (Unlike, say, the Pendragon WAR OF THE WORLDS) and the dialog was hilarious. But the thing that I enjoyed the most were the "Tuckerisms" (Named after Wilson "Bob" Tucker, the famous Science Fiction author and long time fan who liked to use the names of other writers for his characters), with most of the characters named after SF writers> The hero is named Professor Lovecraft and the heroine's last name is "Heinlein" (though it should be pointed out that Robert Heinlein was in the Navy, not the Army) and the troops had the names Zelazny, Clarke, Serling, Yolan, among others. If you get a chance to see this, do so. But don't expect another JURASSIC PARK.
Tampopo (1985)
A Fun movie about cooking
When I recently got TAMPOPO on DVD, I, of course, thought of IRON CHEF, that Japanese series involving contests between major chefs. What I saw was one of the funniest films I ever saw about cooking that makes you forget about chairman Kaga and his team of master chefs. The main story involving a cowboy type who helps a young widow perfect her technique of making noodle dishes that will create long lines at her resturant was funny enough. But we also have several viginettes all involving food in some way or form. I especally loved the scene in the grocery store with the old woman who insists on feeling every food item. I highly recommend this film to everyone who has a love for Japanese cooking
or for Japanese cinema (Or both!)
Screaming Dead (2003)
Let down by the script
I liked the acting and the directing in this film, but, alas, the script left a lot to be desired. First of all, do you really think that Neal would have as much clout, considering the subject matter of his photographs? I have my doubts that they would end up in all those prestigous galleries, if they did, I'm sure that feminists would picket them or they might be shut down by the authorities for indecency (Can you imagine if he tried to show in Cincinatti, for example?). I would say that if Rogan got fired for telling off Neal that he could take his ex-boss to court and press charges against both of them. After all, I'm sure that even New Jersey must have laws against this type of "art." As it is, the acting, photography and the directing was quite well done, especially considering this being a low budget film, but the script left my suspension of disbelief hanging there.
Kiss Me Deadly (1955)
The First Pairing of Noir and Science Fiction
Even before the end, which is quite shocking (Especially if you see the director's cut), the film enters the realm of science fiction. We have Mike Hammer having an answering machine, over a decade before they appear on the market (True, it's quite primitive, being an eight-track tape machine set in the wall, but remember the year this movie came out). The opening of the film reminded me of Jean Rollin's film NIGHT OF THE HUNTED, making me think that Rollin had been influenced by Aldrich. Obviously it also influenced Jean Luc Goddard in making ALPHAVILLE, in combining the two genres. Lemme Caution was very much modelled off of Ralph Meeker's version of Mike Hammer. And the ending reminded me of Joseph Losey's THESE ARE THE DAMNED.
Dead or Alive: Final (2002)
A tongue-in-cheek nod to Science Fiction
This film makes several nods to various science fiction films. The prologue reminds me of the one for the original theatrical version of THX-1138 (the trailer for BUCK ROGERS, here it was clips from some early Japanese SF TV show). Then the opening shot of the city in 2345 has the dragon blip flying overhead with a billboard, reminding one immediately of BLADERUNNER. The BLADERUNNER aspect comes even
more pronounced when we meet the hero, who is called a Replicant (He is blond haired and is called Ryo, a homage to Roy Batty, Rutger Hauer's character in BLADERUNNER?). A battle scene soon ensues which reminds one immediately of THE MATRIX. The government forcing the population to take drugs is like THX-1138 and the chief enforcer, while looks like a cross between Elvis and Dan Ackroyd, turns out to be a robot, very much like the TERMINATOR. The end battle reminds one of TERMINATOR 2 and the end result is hilarious. Probably not one of the best SF films out there, but is enjoyable, certainly a lot more enjoyable than tripe like BATTLEFIELD EARTH.
Felicia's Journey (1999)
Another Very British Psycho
This film reminded me a lot of PEEPING TOM. Like Mark Lewis, the protagonist of the Michael Powell classic, Bob Hoskins' character was subject to torment from a parent's profession (The Psychologist father in PEEPING TOM, the cooking show mother in this film) and has video records of his crimes (Here, videotape). Both even end up committing suicide at the end, though PEEPING TOM's end was a bit more graphic. Egoyan even makes a little nod to the other master of suspense, with the scene of Hoskins bringing the drugged drink up the stairs, a scene that brings to mind Hitchcock's SUSPICION. A great homage to the British thriller.
Honogurai mizu no soko kara (2002)
Not Nakata's Best
Thankfully I saw this film BEFORE I saw RINGU, as the latter film was by far the better of the two, in fact, I prefer his earlier GHOST ACTRESS over this one. At least in both of those two films, Nakata delivered the chills that this one lacked at the end. Sadako coming out of the set in RINGU and the appearance of the title character in GHOST ACTRESS delivered more scares than the end of this one does with the now- teenage daughter confronting the ghost of her mother in the end of this one. Yes, the buildup was well-done, which is why I gave it as high of a rating that I did, but the ending was a big disappointment.
Uzumaki (2000)
Japan's Answer to Lovecraft
I saw UZUMAKI about a year ago and was mesmerized. The only Japanese horror film I had seen before this one was KWAIDAN (Which I proudly own on DVD, by the way), superb! The idea of a town being absorbed by spirals sounds exactly like something out of Lovecraft. Certainly it reminds one of SHADOW OVER INNSMOUTH, of the inhabitants slowly turning into monstrosities (in this case giant snails). And who can forget the washing machine sequence? I hope we will soon see this one available on Region 1 DVD (I see that Sundance has recently screened it on US TV, hopefully they'll do it again very soon) so that we can all see it. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!!!
Telmisseomding (1999)
Korean Giallo
Just saw this film last night on Sundance and one thing that struck me about this film was the similarity to the works of Dario Argento, even down to the gloved hands of the murderer (albeit white gloves, instead of the black ones in Argento's films), did the director use his hands like Argento does as well? Still one good, if a bit gory, suspense film. I was surprised by the ending and if it is going to be remade in the west, I hope they can get Argento to do it.
Joyû-rei (1996)
Precursor to RINGU
After watching this film last night on Sundance, I realized that much of Nakata's style was first done in this film. Here we have many of the same elements of the RINGU series, especially the idea of the media being the source of the supernatural. Instead of the cursed videotape, we instead having a haunted studio and strange images appearing on film. In fact, the strange images appearing on film brings immediately the cursed videotape in RINGU to mind. The only thing missing was the obsession to water that runs through Nakata's later films. The final scenes are quite chilling, with a bit of a nod to Murnau, what with the door opening by itself ands the ghost entering the room, reminds me immediatly of
NOSFERATU. A chilling movie that will make think twice about going up to a catwalk.
The Ring (2002)
Horses in Place of Volcano-A different look at a horror masterpiece
Now that I've seen the original Japanese version of THE RING, I would be hard-pressed to choose between the two films. Both films are not that faithful to the novel, I understand (Can't verify it until an English translation comes out), but the US version is generally a mirror of RINGU. Except that the female protagonist in the US version is a much stronger character than her Japanese counterpart. That is because of the difference in our cultures.
Another difference is that we seemed to replace the volcano from the original with the strange death of one woman's horses. The horse-owner replaces the psychic, placing more of the power in the daughter (It's also interesting that it is the mother in the US version who throws the daughter into the well, while it was the father in the Japanese version). Verbinski (or the script writer) was wise to set it in the Seattle area, so to echo the original's obsession with water. One last observation, The scene at the hospital was taken from RINGU 2.
Ringu 2 (1999)
Great sequel, but ruined by bad transfer
Saw RINGU 2, along with RINGU on Saturday, August 2, 2003 and must say that I felt that both films were quite well done. However, I felt that the Hong kong import DVD that a friend had that I watched was quite inferior to an otherwise excellent film, for one thing, it was obviously cropped, and equally obvious that it was taken directly from a videotape, as you can hear the tell-tale whirring throughout the movie. to add to this, the subtitles were blurring and white with no dark outlines, which means whenever someone in white is in the scene he obliterates the subtitles, thus making it hard to follow the storyline. Otherwise, the film itself was well-done and logically follows the storyline. An interesting sidenote is the fact that there is one scene (The first visit to the hospital), which was recreated in the US version of the first film. While not as good as the original, I still recommend it, if you can find a better print of it on DVD.
Ringu (1998)
Makes a Great Comparison with the US Remake
Personally, I have a hard time choosing between the two films. I saw the American version first when I bought the DVD the day after the World Horror Convention in Kansas City. I just RINGU for the first time last night (August 2), along with RINGU 2 (In a very poor Hong Kong release DVD) and noted both the similarities and the differences. The US version had the business with the horses, the original had the volcano, something the is unique to each culture, as is the business of the lead female protagonist being subordinate in the original and much stronger in the US version. I found it interesting that the US version had to have her falling into the well, while she goes down willingly, trading places with her ex-husband. Both movies are superb and I recommend them both.
The Atomic Submarine (1959)
The amazing changing submarine
Watched Atomic Submarine in a double feature with The Abyss. Guess which one I preferred? If you say the Abyss, you're right. This film was filled with bad cliches and even worse special effects. What was even more laughable was that the stock footage weren't even consistent with what type of sub it was. In one scene we first see a shot of the Nautilus (the Navy sub, not Captain Nemo's), then that of a totally different class of sub. What's worse, the model (filmed in a fish tank) didn't look remotely like any of the stock footage. The interiors were no better, who ever heard of square doors on a sub. It also had too much room and where were the rest of the crew? All in all, a film suitable for the MST3K treatment.
The Lathe of Heaven (1980)
A lost classic returns!!
I remember seeing Lathe of Heaven when it was on our ;local PBS station way back in 1979 and remembered liking it alot. Now that it is at last available on video and DVD, I can
definitely say that it is one of the best science fiction films of
all time (and you'll note I do NOT say "Sci-Fi"). For once we
get to see a science fiction film that doesn't rely too much
on special effects and shows SF is more than "rockets and
rayguns". As a bonus, there is a superb interview with Ursula K.
LeGuin. See it today!!!
Jason and the Argonauts (2000)
Close, but not quite the original
Sure the story was better (and thank God, Jason finally got revenge for his family's murder). But the effects wasn't Harryhausen and the music wasn't Herrmann (despite the fact that Boswell did do several homages in the score to Herrmann). I was really disappointed that the Hydra didn't return in this version as I am sure that a CGI version WOULD be an improvement (couldn't you Jason hacking off each head and two more growing back, as in the Greek myths). Otherwise, I still prefer the original, though it IS an improvement over Hercules.
Carnival of Souls (1962)
A Little Film That was Ahead of Its Time
I guess I am prejudiced, living in Lawrence where most of the film was made. However, I find this film is still one of the best horror films ever made. I also find that it has much in common with the recent masterpiece THE SIXTH SENSE. Both films involve a person seeing dead people and the ending of both films are quite similar ....... Yes, CARNIVAL has flaws, the acting isn't it could have been. However, the camerawork and directing compels you to watch this film all the way through.
The Laughing Dead (1989)
Mayan zombies and the basketball game of death
This film may not be one of the greatest horror films of all time, but for a film that had only two professional actors in the film, this isn't all that bad. The real interesting thing about this film (as a writer) is that several of the top roles were played by SF/horror writers (including director Somtow himself (currently the president of the Horror Writers Association) who played the villian. And that basketballl game near the end
Highly recommended-as long as you have a sense of humor.