-
Archives
- April 2023
- February 2023
- January 2023
- December 2022
- November 2022
- July 2022
- February 2022
- December 2021
- November 2021
- October 2021
- September 2021
- August 2021
- July 2021
- June 2021
- May 2021
- January 2021
- November 2020
- July 2020
- June 2020
- May 2020
- April 2020
- March 2020
- February 2020
- January 2020
- December 2019
- November 2019
- August 2019
- July 2019
- May 2019
- August 2018
- July 2018
- June 2018
- May 2018
- April 2018
- March 2018
- February 2018
- January 2018
- December 2017
- November 2017
- October 2017
- August 2017
- July 2017
- June 2017
- May 2017
- April 2017
- March 2017
- February 2017
-
Meta
Author Archives: David
Review: Daguerreotype (Japan/France 2017)
Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s latest horror film represents a major change in at least one respect. Filming in French, with a non-Japanese cast, takes Kurosawa out of his comfort zone, but he demonstrates that his touch with mood and actors remains constant … Continue reading
Posted in Reviews
Tagged 2017, Horror, Japan, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Mathieu Amalric, Tahar Rahim
Comments Off on Review: Daguerreotype (Japan/France 2017)
Blade of the Immortal (Japan 2017)
Takashi Miike’s Blade of the Immortal is an adaptation of the long-running (30 volumes) and extremely popular supernatural samurai manga about an immortal ronin named Manji. I never made it past the first volume of the series, but it’s easy … Continue reading
Posted in Reviews
Tagged 2017, Chiaki Kuriyama, Japan, Samurai, Takashi Miike
Comments Off on Blade of the Immortal (Japan 2017)
Trick ‘R Treat (USA/Canada 2007)
Trick ‘R Treat is a interesting recent take on the ’60s and ’80s phenomenon of the horror anthology film with some good points to recommend it. I enjoyed the novelty of an anthology that carefully weaved the threads of its … Continue reading
Posted in Reviews
Tagged 2007, Anna Paquin, Canada, Dylan Baker, Horror, USA
Comments Off on Trick ‘R Treat (USA/Canada 2007)
Review: The Rift (aka Endless Descent) (Spain/USA 1990)
I was poking around in Amazon Prime the other day when I came across a movie I’d never heard of, The Rift. Cause for excitement? Not necessarily, low budget underwater monster flicks are not uncommon, and rarely entertaining enough to … Continue reading
Posted in Reviews
Tagged 1990, Horror, Juan Piquer Simon, R. Lee Ermey, Ray Wise, Spain, USA
Comments Off on Review: The Rift (aka Endless Descent) (Spain/USA 1990)
Review: Helter Skelter (Japan 2012)
Based on a manga by enfant terrible Kyoko Okazaki, this collaboration between photographer-turned-director Mika Ninagawa and controversial idol/actress Erica Sawajiri is a fascinating bit of Cronenbergian body horror set in the world of fashion and plastic surgery.
Posted in Reviews
Tagged 2012, Erica Sawajiri, Japan, Japan Cuts, Mika Ninagawa, Nao Omori, Sho Aikawa, Susumu Terajima
Comments Off on Review: Helter Skelter (Japan 2012)
Review: The Throne (South Korea 2015)
The Throne is a perfect example of turgid, by-the-numbers Korean historical drama. This looong story of about a medieval king who infamously locked his son in a rice chest for 8 days until he died is full of weeping and … Continue reading
Posted in Reviews
Tagged 2015, NYAFF, Song Kang-ho, South Korea
Comments Off on Review: The Throne (South Korea 2015)
Review: Death Warrior aka Olum Savascisi (Turkey 1984)
I’ve seen a lot of crazy old Turkish genre movies over the years, ranging from the relatively well-crafted and genuinely enjoyable Kilink and Tarkan films to bananas mindbenders like Turkish Superman and 3 Dev Adam, in which Turkish El Santo … Continue reading
Posted in Reviews
Tagged 1984, Cuneyt Arkin, Turkey
Comments Off on Review: Death Warrior aka Olum Savascisi (Turkey 1984)
Review: Reign of Assassins aka Jian Yu (Taiwan/China/Hong Kong 2010)
Reign of Assassins is one of the best wu xia films of the past decade, marrying old school pleasures with comic book aesthetics and inventive action instead of relying on the grim seriousness mandated by the Hero model. Characterization is … Continue reading
Review: Atomic Blonde (USA 2017)
A hard-R gender-flipped Bond film pretending it’s The Spy Who Came In From The Cold, Atomic Blonde is one of the clearest cut cases of style over substance I’ve seen in a while. The film – a mess of double … Continue reading
Posted in Reviews
Tagged 2017, Charlize Theron, David Leitch, David McAvoy, John Goodman, Toby Jones, USA
Comments Off on Review: Atomic Blonde (USA 2017)
Review: The Frisco Kid (USA 1979)
I feel like this movie never really evolved beyond the elevator pitch. “Gene Wilder will play a rabbi who gets into hijinks in the Wild West! And Harrison Ford will play his desperado sidekick! The comedy will write itself!” Unfortunately, … Continue reading
Posted in Reviews
Tagged 1979, Gene Wilder, Harrison Ford, Robert Aldrich, USA, Western
Comments Off on Review: The Frisco Kid (USA 1979)