Change Your Image
mccarthystuart
As well as being a film buff, I am also studying a higher education course in fine art. I am based in Liverpool, England
Reviews
Dogville (2003)
Compelling portrait of human ugliness
There probably isn't a lot I can say about Dogville that hasn't already been said, but I'll give it a shot, anyway.
To begin with, there's the plot; Dogville is set in depression-era America. The plot concerns a young woman, Grace Mulligan (Nicole Kidman) who is fleeing from gangsters, and arrives in a small Colorado backwater town. She asks to take refuge in the town, but the townsfolk are reluctant to take Grace in,but Grave eventually wins them over by offering to do chores for them. All is well until the local police start asking around about Grace. The inhabitants of Dogville demand more work as compensation from Grace, seeing as her continued presence in the town is putting them at risk. It is not long before the "good" people of Dogville begin to show their true colours to Grace and eventually enslave her completely. As well as being made to work like a slave, the menfolk have their wicked way with Grace. Grace is also made the town "scapegoat" Entually, the townsfolk decide that Grace is becoming too much of a liability to the town, so the local intellectual, Tom Edison Jr. (Paul Bettany) who brought Grace to Dogville in the first place, convinces them to turn Grace over to the gangsters who were looking for her.
The stage is set for a shocking ending..............
I was absolutely startled by the "minimalist" look of the Dogville set, but as the film progressed, I was so engrossed by the story and the acting, that it soon became irrelevant. In spite of the stagy aesthetics, I could still imagine the set looking like a typical small American town of the period-like the kind you'd most likely see in old black-and-white photographs. This is aided by the inclusion of certain visual cues, such as the bell-tower, various windows and furniture.
The performances from the cast were great all round. They actually came across as real small-town residents. The only performance I had any problem with was that of Paul Bettany. His acting was good, but for some reason, I just can't get his character in "Gangster No. 1" (2000), his first major role out of my head. Kidman imbued her character with the right amount of vulnerability-right up until the end.
Special mention should go to John Hurt, as the narrator, who was very articulate and well-spoken in his performance. He sounded like some superior deity looking down on humanity as though they were mere insects. The only outright despicable characters were Chuck (Stellan Skarsgaard) and Vera (Patricia Clarkson).
I got so involved with this film, three three-hour duration absolutely sailed by for me. The director, Lars Von Trier, racks up the tension to screaming pitch, beautifully in the last 10 minutes, that I just knew something big is about to happen. The horrific ending is, ironically, quite satisfying. As much as I loved to hate her, I couldn't help but feel sorry for Vera when she was forced to watch her children being murdered by the gangsters. As satisfying as it was to see the people of Dogville get what was coming to them, I was forced to question whether Grace made the right decision in ordering the complete destruction of Dogville and its inhabitants, who were "bad" people, but were human like Grace.
The song, "Young Americans" by David Bowie, which plays during the end credits, feels out of place. This, too, adds to the "staginess" of Dogville.
Ignore the rants of "anti-Americanism". Dogville is a powerful, if unpleasant morality play. Definitely required viewing.
Top Cop (1990)
Not up to "Die Hard" standards
First of all, I could tell just by looking at "Top Cop" that this was a low-budget action flick. The impression I got when I saw this was that it was trying too hard to be like a low-budget version of the typical Hollywood action movie. Unfortunately, in this case, it fails, but not miserably. The likes of Bruce Williis & Co. certainly won't be losing any sleep over this one.
I also felt that the Little Rock, Arkansas filming locations worked against the film-makers. They just don't have enough glamour or grit.
Criticisms aside, this film does move alone at a fairly decent pace. The main characters waste no time in getting down to the main action.
I would say that "Top Cop" is passable Friday Night fare.
The Birds (1963)
Hugely over-rated
When I first watched "The Birds" on television years ago, I was left quite cold by the whole experience. Far be it from me to knock Alfred Hitchcock as a serious film-maker, but I wasn't exactly impressed by this effort from 1963. Although there were some genuinely horrific scenes and iconic scenes (such as the famous scene showing a flock of Blackbirds sitting on the climbing frame) on offer, the ending seemed rather unresolved to me. On top of that, some of the photography effects looked extremely dated.
There is a distinct sense of coldness and isolation in the small-town setting of "The Birds" Definitely not the scariest horror film I've ever seen by a long shot, but I suppose I could do a lot worse.
Alien³ (1992)
(maybe) not quite as bad as I first though
OK, let me just start off by saying that, when I first saw Alien 3 on video, I was kind of left thinking "what the **** is this garbage?" and like so many of you viewers out there, i too was gob-smacked at the (rather brazen) decision to do away with the other two main characters from "Aliens" (Newt and Hicks) during the opening. Not only does it make the first two films seem pointless, but it also opens up a potential plot hole (e.g, how an alien egg managed to stow away aboard the Sulaco-even I have trouble swallowing this particular plot device) Even now, I still can't get over that. My initial impression of A3 was that of a cheap rehash of the original 1979 classic by director, Ridley Scott.
However, (in my case) time has been a little kinder to this film. Since my first viewing, I have found out a little information about the kind of "look" David Fincher had set out to create for A3, which was a dirty, squalid, low-tech look. Then, there's the well-documented stories of the director being stifled by constant studio interference, which in a way, altered my view of this film.
One of the interesting aspects of A3 is, obviously, the production design. A lot of the sets had a rather unusually "step back in time" aura about them. I did notice a few Gothic, Victorian, Edwardian Baroque, Art Nouveau, Art Deco and Streamline Moderne influences here and there-quite a mixed bag of architectural styles, you could say! (Truth be told, the whole "retrogade" look of Alien was originally a major turn-off for me.
Petty as it might seem, but one of my pet gripes about Alien 3 were the design inconsistencies between the hyper sleep chambers shown in the opening, and those used in the previous film, "Aliens"
Overall, the visual style did remind me a little of some of Terry Gilliam's more outlandish films-only played with a straighter face.
Another interesting factor that caught my attention was the way the film plays on the simmering tensions between some of the characters (in particular, the prisoner Morse(played by Harry Webb) and the screw, Aaron, a.k.a "85",so-called because of the character's IQ) Brian Glover puts in an admirably high-handed performance as the prison superintendent, Andrews. Personally, I felt Charles Dance's role was somewhat underused. Charles S. Dutton also has one of the other juicier roles as Dillon, fellow convict-cum-spiritual leader.
Another level where Alien 3 doesn't disappoint is the short, sharp shocks of bloody violence and gory death-perhaps, it might be said, the goriest the Alien franchise has seen so far.
Last, but not least, what can also be seen here is the blossoming of Fincher's cinematic style-the use of dark, dingy environs and a palate of dull, grubby colours, which goes to prove my point that A3 is not totally without merit.
All in all, I feel that Alien 3, though not entirely atrocious, could have been improved considerably. There are plenty of things I would have done differently if I had directed instead of David Fincher. However, as I had previously hinted to before, it would be rather unfair to condemn Fincher for how this turned out. We can thank the studio bosses for a lot of that.
I have not yet had the pleasure of seeing the "assembly cut" but hopefully, it will do more to Improve my appraisal of this interesting, if rather flawed entry to the "Alien" series.
Hardware (1990)
A surprisingly good, stylish sci-fi/horror flick
Now, I've not seen much of director Richard Stnaley's work, but I have seen his first two films-"Dust Devil"(1992) and "Hardware". In both films, I noticed that he uses numerous visual flourishes (such as coloured filters and dramatic lighting and shadows) Out of the two, Hardware is the film which packs the most punch, visually. I quite liked the hard-edged "techno-trash" look that the director used for this film.
I remember when this first came out, in 1990 (the fractal-pattern effects which were used certainly show the age of the film). I had read a few reviews about the film, and even saw the (rather foreboding) poster for the film. I never saw the film until fairly recently. It certainly looked very promising from the look of the trailers.
To start with, my one major bugbear (the only one) is how long this film takes to get underway. However, it is (quite literally) in the second half, that "Hardware" really breaks into its stride. Stanley treats the viewer to a relentless barrage of shoot-em-up violence and extremely stomach-churning gore effects (probably some of the most disgusting I've seen so far) Even the robotic/prosphetic effects are pretty impressive, considering the small budget that was probably spent on them. Proof that you don't always need slick CGI effects to make a good film!! Throughout the film, there is a generous serving of pitch-black humour. There are a few outstanding performances from William Hootkins-here, suitably repulsive as Nancy Travis' slimy peeping-tom neighbour, and Iggy Pop, (who is never shown) as the rather nihilistic shock-DJ, Angry Bob. one line of his I felt was pretty witty is "the good news is, there in no f***ing news!" All in all, "Hardware" won't appeal to all cinematic tastes, but for sheer fist-in-the-face viewing is an absolute must.
Death Race 2000 (1975)
Wacky Races was never this much fun!!!
Out of all the low-budget films I've seen over the years, "Death Race 2000" is most likely the most enjoyable film I've ever watched (and possibly the most hilarious).
The two main players who steal the show are David Carradine, as the dark and moody Franskenstein (who is not without his sensitive side), and Sly Stallone (in one of his earlier appearances) who is an absolute scream as Frankenstein's rival, the hilariously foul-mouthed, obnoxious Machine Gun Joe Viturbo.
One of the things this film has going for it is that, unlike most films of it's ilk, it is not completely drenched in mindless, unnecessary gore-there are short, sharp busts of gory violence which just about manage to grab the viewer's attention. The film is also evenly-paced. There are also plenty of episodes of slap-bang action to keep even the most avid action film fan highly entertained.
"Death Race 2000" also works as a highly entertaining film on quite a few levels. Mostly, it works as a biting media/social satire. The issues it raises, such as the "no-holds-barred (to quote Mr. President), Roman games" mentality of modern TV programmes, are much more relevant today, as they were back in 1975. Another good thing is that this film does so without taking itself too seriously. It also comments on right-wing politics in America (also another relevant subject in this post-9/11 day and age) Overall, the production design of the film looks more than adequate considering its measly budget. The cars look pretty cool.
All in all, "Death Race 2000" is an immensely enjoyable experience, which is truly well-deserving of its cult classic status.
The Black Hole (1979)
I'd sooner go to see Star Wars!!
If there has been only one movie made in the history of all sci-fi movies that comes across as a complete rip-off of Star Wars, then I would have to say that "The Black Hole" is most certainly it!! Wathcing it when I was younger, it looked pretty cool, but nowadays, it makes me just cringe to watch it.
If any proof was needed that the makers of "The Black Hole" was ripping of "Star Wars", just take a look at all those gun-toting robots in black armour, and that annoying R2-D2 clone, V.I.N.C.E.N.T-speaking of which, I found this character to the major annoying aspect of the entire movie. His smart-aleck quips sometimes sometimes really got on my nerves, plus his sickly-cute appearance. I ended up wanting to throw V.I.N.C.E.N.T into a car-crusher.
That said, though, there were only three important things about this film which I thought were cool. First of all, there's that wireframe animation of the vortex which is shown during the opening credits which kind of lent an air of cutting-edge design to the proceedings (although it would probably look dated in comparison to today's technology). But secondly, (and most importantly) there's the rather sinister knife-wielding main robot henchman, Maximillian, which I thought (and still think) to be downright intimidating. Lastly, there's that hellish "dream" sequence at the end, which looked like the kind of thing you'd expect to scare the hell out of more younger viewers.
Compared to other sci-fi blockbusters from 1979 such as "Star Trek" and "Alien", "The Black Hole" comes a very poor third, although there are far worse films than this about.
Morons from Outer Space (1985)
embarrassing!
It's not often that you see a film that is pure, unmitigated crap. This is one of them. (Hell, even the 2/10 rating is generous)
The humour used is film is unspeakably infantile. Some of if, though, is very much of its time. There are some sly digs at the cult of celebrity and Britain in the 1980s.
The only thing in this film that did it for me was Mel Smith's slightly sympathetic role as the unfortunate alien, Bernard. While we're on the subject, I don't even know why Smith, and his co-star, Griff Rhys-Jones ever bothered making this piece of trash in the first place!!!
One major turn-off for me was the rather gaudy, tacky, cheaply-made look of the film. In fact, the whole thing looks rather false and plastic!!
Compared to "Morons From Outer Space", director Mike Hodges' previous effort of the decade, "Flash Gordon" look like a Bafta award-winning masterpiece.
If you've got nothing else better to do, I really would NOT recommend renting this film out!!
LazyTown (2002)
HMmmmm....................most interesting!
I have to admit that, although I'm a full-grown man, I've quite taken to the show, "Lazy Town". "Lazy Town" is one of those rarest of birds-a kids'show that is just as appealing to adults as it is to children. Another good thing this show has got going for it is the fact that it possesses a fair degree of intelligence, unlike most kids' TV shows nowadays, which tend to be rather mindless, and make no sense whatsoever.
You've really got to hand it to Magnus Scheving. That man has got more moves on him than Bruce Lee-What I'd give to have an able body like his!! The guy who plays Robby Rotten looks strangely reminiscent of Jim Carrey as Ace Ventura, especially with all that prosthetic make-up and some of his mannerisms.
One major flaw this programme suffers from is the rather "samey" feel of every episode. This is mostly because the only characters you see in every episode are mainly the core cast of live actors and puppets (which are very Jim Henson-esquire) A few appearances by other different characters from time to time wouldn't go amiss.
'Lazy Town" is an absolute pleasure to watch, and educational, to boot.
Space Precinct (1994)
No wonder this show bombed!!
I can definitely see how "Space Precinct" was such a commercial disaster when it first came out.
For starters, the quality of the special effects was not very consistent at all. On one hand, you've got fairly slick, up-to-the-minute digitally-aided effects, then you've got live action shots using models, which wouldn't look out of place on "Red Dwarf" (which is what this show reminded me a lot of) Another thing that really ruined the show were those cheap-looking sets.
Secondly, what the hell was the point behind that bloody pointless "episode introduction" It makes the programme look even more like a kiddies' show.
Another problem I had with "Space Precinct" was the rather unsuccessful way in which it was trying to appeal to both young and old viewers-for example, take the ham-fisted way in which more adult subjects were handled in the show (such as racism, religion, and other adult-themed issue) "Space Precinct" was a rather hit-and-miss affair that had so much more potential. Even "Thunderbirds" was far superior to this.
Don't give up your day job, Mr. Anderson.
Caligola (1979)
Sorely misunderstood
I had never seen "Caligula" in my life until the "Director's Cut" version was first broadcast six years ago on Channel 4. I found the film strangely compelling. I was immediately taken in by the highly atmospheric settings and production design, plus the highly emotive classical soundtrack.
In all fairness to "Caligula", it is nothing like the disgusting great steaming pile of garbage that its detractors have made it out to be. True, it is by no means whatsoever a perfect film, but what most people fail to realise is that the writer and the director of "Caligula" had originally set out to make an allegorical story about life in the corridors of power in Ancient Rome, as opposed to a hard-core pornographic peepshow, The visceral scenes of violence are alarmingly compelling. The sheer savagery of the dark underbelly of Roman life is vividly, and quite accurately captured (though not quite historically accurate).
Malcolm McDowell gives his all and all as the deranged Roman emperor, Caligula. He could certainly give Charlton Heston and Victor Mature a run for their money.
Give me "Caligula" over all the stuffy, over-earnest 50's/60's "sword-and-sandal" epics any day.
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)
Shakespeare in outer space!
Out of all the "Star Wars" films (including the original trilogy), I would have to say that "Revenge Of The Sith" stands head and shoulders out of the whole series (with the exception of "The Empire Strikes Back").
This sixth offering in the saga has overtones of a Shakespearian Tragedy. As a matter of fact, on reflection, I have noticed some parallels with Shakespeare's play, "Macbeth" in the way in which Palpatine/Darth Sidious manipulates Anakin Skywalker into doing his evil bidding (just as much in the same way that Macbeth is manipulated by his wife and the three witches). Like macbeth, Anakin/Darth Vader ends up destroying (inadvertantly) everyone, and everything he holds dear in his pursuit for power and glory.
Right from the beginning, this film grabs you by the throat. The opening space battle is truly something to behold-probably the best I've seen out of all the films. The viewer is placed right in the thick of the action. The pace never lets up for one minute.
Unlike the original trilogy, the alien environments featured in R.O.T.S are very well-realised (especially the world of Coruscant, in particular) and give the viewer the impression of looking at something that's very familiar, yet totally alien!! Despite being more pessimistic in tone, I found "Revenge" to be very entertaining. That nightmare sequence will haunt me for some time to come.
Pâfekuto burû (1997)
a riveting psychological anime.
There have been very few films that have made me almost literally sick to my stomach (with the exception of "Braindead") but I would have to say that "Perfect Blue" is most definitely up there. One scene in particular that had that effect on me was the rather nasty scene where a pizza-delivery boy stabs the photographer to death in his apartment with an icepick (a friendly warning to viewers-please beware!! this scene is EXTREMELY graphic!! If you are of a nervous disposition, or of a weak bladder, then avoid at ALL costs!!)
On a slightly more positive note, "Perfect Blue" gives an excellent insight into the way in which many artists/performers are used and abused in the entertainment industry. I kind of feel sorry for people like the film's lead character, Mima (short for Mimarin) in a way.
what is interesting about this film is how the viewer's sense of distinguishing between fantasy and reality is blurred along with that of Mima. You are left not being able to determine what is real or fantasy, and end up feeling very disorientated! The animation on show in "Perfect Blue" is very sharp and crisply-drawn. The drawing style used for the characters is of the more "realistic" school of Anime, which is what I prefer the most.
"Perfect Blue" is a cut above you average Japanese animation.
The Shining (1980)
Jack Nicholson at his unhinged best!!!
"The Shining" is without doubt, one of the scariest films I've ever had the privilege of watching.
What really does it for me is the way in which the film charts the main character, Jack Torrance's slow, day-by-day descent into madness, Jack Nicholson's powerhouse performance frequently veers from being darkly funny to downright terrifying. I certainly wouldn't want to be left alone in the same room as someone Like Jack Torrance when he's having one of his turns! All throughout the film, the director, Stanley Kubrick's trademark attention to small detail shines through-from the eerily lavish production design (such as the deserted opulence of the Gold Room), to the sweeping Steadicam shots.
Some have criticised the pace of "The Shining" for dragging too much, though personally, I have found that after quite a few viewings, it doesn't seem to drag anywhere near as much. It could have done with explaining in a little more detail the strange telepathic link between Danny and the hotel chef, Halloran (Scatman Crothers)
There is an effectively cold and isolated atmosphere throughout this film.
All in all, "The Shining" is a beautifully well-crafted shocker.
Zombi 2 (1979)
Not bad for a 'zombie' film.
There are certainly a few things that can be said about this film.
Granted, it won't win any Oscars, but it's certainly not without its merits. First off, the film-makers have made good use of filming locations (which lends the film a certain amount of authenticity).
Secondly, there's the wonderfully repulsive make-up effects of the zombies, which show up rather well the rotting, brain-oozing, maggot-covered nightmarish beauty of the creatures-surprisingly convincing for B-film make-up.
And last, but not least, there's the energetic, highly atmospheric synthesizer score by composer, Fabio Frizzi (give or take the odd cheesy muzak-type tune) which helps to give certain key scenes in the film a heightened sense of urgency-especially the scene in which a shark is attacked by a zombie (now there's something you don't see every day.) Also, 'Zombie Flesh Eaters' gallops along at a fair pace, compared to most Italian Horror/Giallo movies I've seen so far. Action-movie fans certainly will NOT be disappointed-especially leading up to the end, which neatly concludes the film!!! There's plenty in this movie to keep everyone happy (with the exception of young children, of course!)
The Specials (2000)
The Mystery Men did a far better job
Maybe it's just me, but personally, I think that "The Specials" could have been SO much better!! One of the things that worked against it was the fact that the film was full of unsavoury, obnoxious, detestable, self-centred characters (with the exception of a few of them). I could see the irony the makers of this film were trying to get across, but it could have done with having just a little bit more super-hero action injected into the proceedings.
As a biting satire on the super-hero/comic book industry, the "Mystery Men" movie was far more entertaining, and had far more action. Its appeal was far more wide-reaching.
Violence Jack: Baiorensu jakku: haremu bonba-hen (1986)
Passable Hentai fare!!
It has to be said that this first entry into the 'Violence Jack' saga is not the most well-animated Anime there is on offer (the animation in the other two episodes is much better)and it really is starting to show its age a bit, but you could certainly do a whole lot worse than watch this.
To begin with, there's certainly plenty of gore and typically sadistic Anime violence to keep the viewers happy.
I found the earlier version of Jack in this cartoon to be surprisingly quite fearsome. He looked pretty much like some giant, satanic 'Hell's Angel'. He was every inch the cold-blooded demonic killer you'd expect him to be with a name like 'Violence Jack'.
What I did find a little disappointing, though, was that the ending seemed to me to be somewhat unresolved.
Overall, okay if you're looking to kill some time.
Rating: a reasonable 5/10
Animalympics (1980)
Pretty OK for its time!
I found this film, on a whole, highly enjoyable. The soundtrack by 10CC really compliments the film.
One major letdown, though was the glaringly inconsistent animation styles. At some points, the characters and backgrounds are very slick pretty well-drawn (such as characters like Dean Wilson). At others, the whole execution of the animation is pretty sloppy-almost as if a five-year old kid had animated it! Certainly not up to Disney standards.
All criticism aside, this cartoon is a perfect way to kill a few hours of time.
Heartbreak Ridge (1986)
one of the most HILARIOUS war movies ever!!
I have to say that I really enjoyed watching this movie.
The grizzled, maverick war veteran, Sgt. Tom 'Gunny' Highway must be one of Clint Eastwood's more comedic roles (apart from the 'every which way' films) He had me bursting out laughing every time he even opened his mouth. One particular line that had me in stitches was when he was telling a cadet to put his Kevlar helmet back on by 1900 hours 'or he wouldn't have a head to wear it on'-pure class!! I've always liked Clint for his tough no-nonsense roles. This one is no exception! As a matter of fact, there were plenty of 'laugh-out-loud moments in this film to keep everyone happy-like the smart-ass remarks from the punk cadets.
The showdown between Highway and 'The Swede' was highly enjoyable, too.
'Heartbrake Ridge' is certainly a lot more lighter and easier to swallow than the similarly-themed 'Full Metal Jacket'.
This film certainly passes as perfectly adequate, undemanding popcorn viewing.
Nuda per Satana (1974)
What the hell is this?!
could somebody PLEASE tell me what the plot of this film is all about?
OK, I gathered from the synopsis that it was about two weary travellers who stop off at a creepy castle for help, and they get into bother. Other than that, though, the film made absolutely NO sense whatsoever.
'Nude for Satan' just comes across as a rather pathetic excuse for loads of soft-porn love-in sessions.
The production design itself was very reasonable (apart from the odd dodgy special effects, and wobbly bedpost)
At one point, I was practically falling asleep while watching this film.
A similar movie, 'Bloodsucker leads the dance' is far superior in comparison (by the way, if you've seen "Bloodsucker Leads The Dance", you'll have noticed that the very same sets used in "Nude For Satan" also appear in that film).
The only thing to recommend this film is a highly atmospheric music score, otherwise, this is certainly one film I certainly wouldn't go out of my way for!!
Chôjin densetsu Urotsukidôji (1989)
Big, mean, slimy and NASTY!!!!
Okay, so what can be said about 'Urotsukidoji'?
Well, to begin with, the original Manga on which this anime is based was
penned by Toshio Maeda-possibly one of the sickest minds working in the
Manga business, who was also responsible for creating 'Adventure Duo'. It
amazes me to learn about the tastes of most male Japanese comics/cartoon
fans. They must be psychologically warped by reading material like this! Mind you, if you tried to publish something with the kind of graphic smut and violence contained in 'Urotsukidoji' over here in this country, you'd most likely be
prosecuted under the obscene publications act. When's the next flight out to
Japan?
The main flaw that 'Legend of the Overfiend' suffers from mostly is that it is crippled by a rather confused, convoluted storyline, as is the case with the other films in the 'Urotsukidoji' saga. I couldn't make head nor tail of the plot at times.
On the plus side, though, the settings and cast of monsters in the film are very imaginatively executed and suitably grotesque. The whole film exudes an
oppressive, forbidding atmosphere. The viewer is often tempted to sense an
overall feeling of hopelessness and defeat (especially towards the finish).
There was plenty of hardcore sex and general unpleasantness to go around for
everyone (if you happen to be into this sort of thing). As well as the frenzied demon/human sex orgies, the rather visceral bloodshed in 'Urotsukidoji' was
extremely graphic and gross-even by Japanese standards. A number of gory
episodes managed to make me wince and cringe, such as the scene of
Nagumo's corpse lying on the slab in the morgue with his eyes and mouth
wide open, too!
On a scale from 1 to 10, I'd have to rate the animation in 'Urotsukidoji' as either a 7 0r an 8 (both rather respectable scores).
The bottom line, however is that 'Legend of the Overfiend' is a rather acquired taste for viewing, and may not appeal to everyone. In fact, most western
audience might find this anime repulsive in the extreme, but I'll certainly give it two thumbs up!!
La sanguisuga conduce la danza (1975)
This film does NOT do what it says on the tin!!!
You know something? It amazes me just how much that some film-makers get away with. 'Bloodsucker leads the dance' is billed as a vampire movie, yet it turns out to be anything but!! It's little more than
a cheesy soft-porn 'whodunnit' murder-mystery thriller
Atrocious dubbing and misleading synopsis aside, this film does have
a few things going for it. Firstly, the music score is quite airy and atmospheric, and the period costumes are quite nice, and the sets are quite elaborate (even though quite a few of them can be seen in the film, 'Nude for Satan')Mind you, some of the set do like as if they're made out of Cardboard.
There are also some convincingly grisly scenes of severed heads to spice things up a little.
At the risk of giving too much away, what I noticed about this film is the way in which it plays around with the viewer's suspicions and makes you think at first that the creepy butler was behind the murders. I shan't reveal who the real killer is, though!
All in all, this film won't win any Oscars, but if you happen to be into Italian 'Giallo' cinema, then you can't go wrong with little number.
Scanners (1981)
Probably one of the best sci-fi social commentaries of our time.
Well, were to begin?
First off, when I first saw Scanners, it really didn't do that much for me. Nowadays, I've learnt to view the film through more enlightened eyes, and appreciate it for the masterpiece that is most rightfully is.
Apart from the much-lauded 'exploding head' scene (which could have used a little more blood spattering everywhere) one of the film's most chilling scenes is at the very beginning when the lead character, Cameron Vale (Stephen Lack) causes a woman to have a fit in a shopping mall before being captured by a pair of heavies. The scene was so convincingly played out that it really shock me up.
The more interesting aspect is the fact that most of these 'scanners'(or telepathic curiosities as the CEO of Consec calls them) are usually forced to live on the fringes of society as their telekinetic powers are feared and misunderstood by many. It would seem that the director, David Cronenberg, was using this plot device as a metaphor to comment on society's prejudicial attitudes towards the mentally ill. Like many of his low-budget horror films right up to 'The Fly' (1986) 'Scanners' has a very subversive, fly-on-the-wall take on society's ills. The modern society portrayed in 'Scanners' is a world viewed through the eyes of the outcast.
Throughout the film, there is a general feeling of starkness, from the synthesiser-tinged score by Howard Shore, to the general sparse look of the film. This gives the viewer a rather apt feeling of coldness and isolation.
Michael Ironside steals the show as the unhinged renegade scanner, Darryl Revok, who has a vast army of scanner converts at his disposal ready and willing to annihilate anyone unfortunate enough to stand in their way.
The only down side, however is the casting of Stephen Lack as Cameron Vale. Although he makes a fairly decent effort of playing his part, Lack just doesn't seem to have that much-needed 'spark' to bring his character to life.
All in all, 'Scanners' comes highly recommended as a 'must-see' feature.
Total Recall (1990)
The more I see this film, the worse it looks!!!
I must say that 'Total Recall' is without doubt one the most mindless, derivative pieces of Sci-Fi/action trash I've ever had the misfortune to watch.
The plot (if it can be described as such) concerns Douglas Quaid, an average, everyday construction worker on earth, circa 2084 who is plagued by recurring dreams of him visiting the planet Mars. It's not until he has problems while getting a memory transplant of a holiday on Mars that he starts to learn that he actually HAS been there. He travels out the the red planet to piece things together, and gets involved with Martian resistance fighters in their fight against the local dictator, Mies Coehagen.
What follows is a zero-brainpower orgy of unnecessarily gory violence, frequent shoot-outs, and tacky set pieces. Among the film's few redeeming features is a wide-sweeping Special effects shot of the underground atmosphere generator. The rest of the production design featured in this film looks like it had been made out of wood and cardboard, and been garnished like Christmas trees with a lot of rather tacky gaudy-coloured neon. The 'Venusville' slum/shanty town set looks like one big museum for 80's kitsch. With the exception of the scene wher that dummy head opens up, even the make-up and prosthetic effects aren't much up to scratch, considering the big budget that was lavished on this turkey of a movie.
Makes you wonder how this festering pile of garbage,'Total Recall' ever became such a huge box-office smash.
Ridley Scott did a much better job of predicting the future as one big filthy, rat-infested neon-lit red light district in his piece de resistance, 'BladeRunner' which 'Total Recall' steals a lot of its ideas from.
Throughout the film, Arnie spends most of the time cheerily blasting away hordes of gun-toting bad guys with a wise-ass remark and a smile on his face. The highlight out of all of these moments is when Quaid Kills his wife (playde by Sharon Stone) who is in fact an enemy agent, and just sarcastically says 'consider this a divorce'.
All in all, this film is a rather tragic waste of time and money. This is certainly a comedown for director Paul Voerhoven from his 1987 classic, 'Robocop', nor anywhere near as witty.