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Kammurabi
The paths and thoughts less travelled.
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Subete ga kurutteru (1960)
When Everything Goes Wrong goes so right
What a great, flowing, virtuoso bit of filmmaking. Effortless interlocking scenes moving one to the next. One character's bit of drama bleeds seamlessly into another. This interlocking style is not originated in this film but many of the more recent films have popularized something that this film did so well 50 years before. There is an apparent joyous enthusiasm with which this film is made and, while the subject matter is at times very intense and not always satisfying, there is an infectious energy on display by a doubtlessly talented director.
Crash, Pulp Fiction and other similar recent films owe a bit of a debt to Everything Goes Wrong and fans of those should take particular interest in this one.
I went into it with no expectations as I knew nearly zero about it and at the time I am posting this review only 16 people have even voted for it. A criminally under-appreciated film and it made an immediate impression on me which has continued to grow to admiration. After seeing Tokyo Drifter, Branded to Kill, Take Aim at the Police Van, Everything Goes Wrong is my favorite film by Seijun Suzuki so far.
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Häxan (1922)
Quite Possibly the Greatest Movie of All Time
When I think of perfection in the art of motion pictures I can only come to three examples. Red Beard by Kurosawa, City Lights by Chaplin and Haxan.
No film truly captures the essence of humanity as well as Haxan. Who we are as a species and how that can be communicated on screen. And when you add the production values (for the time) and the damn surreal, almost magical nature of the film, I come to a conclusion that I've never really seen a better movie than this. I am not talking about how witty a conversation can be between two actors on screen because obviously Haxan is easily beaten in this area....but for the art of the motion picture, I can't think of anything better.
10 out of 10. I watch this annually on Halloween and it rises in my estimation each year. Continued upward progress is extremely rare in the entertainment industry as a whole. This should be required viewing for all.
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KZ9 - Lager di sterminio (1977)
Disturbing and Startingly Realistic Portrayal of Life at Rosenhaus
This is a stunning glimpse of the conditions the women of Rosenhaus experienced up until the end of the war. Nazi doctors perform numerous ghastly experiments on the unfortunate female prisoners in this realistic dramatization.
The film is made more effective through the amazingly advanced color photography (considering this is 1945).
I visited the Rosenhaus camp on a recent trip to Europe and was stunned to see there are still visible bloodstains on the floor where the woman was shot with a chemical bullet.
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The Legend of Bigfoot (1975)
One of the Top Ten films of 1976
Wow this was great. I am surprised it got such a low rating.
For a documentary, this film was ahead of its time. It is hard to describe, but an odd effect descends upon the viewer when watching this movie. You get pulled into a different sort of reality than has ever been portrayed on screen before.
There are several scenes of sublime inspiration...including the random direction changes like when the squirrel gets run over by the car and the squirrel's friend comes over to check on him and then drags him off the road. Unbelievable. I'd never seen anything like that before....and who could have seen that coming in a bigfoot movie?
Apart from the 15 minutes or so that dragged a bit (about 2/3 through), I find little to complain about in this film. Whether you believe the bigfoot tracker or not, it is rather convincing in several areas. Except for the part where the ghost of the dead bigfoot being able to turn the night sky red.
Most of the rest of this film was done in quite a convincing, effective and endearing fashion.
La tumba de los muertos vivientes (1982)
Nazi Zombies? How can this go wrong? ...Well it does.
OK, as most reasonable folks might...when I find out this has to do with Nazi zombies, I think..."how can this go wrong?"
First, to the good part. A couple of the zombies were designed pretty well with swollen bulging eyeballs and live insects or worms crawling in their head... (+2 points) That is, I'm afraid, the last of the (+) points to be distributed to this film.
The zombies are only peripherally nazi. (-15 points) As in they may have been Nazis at one time but they certainly do not hold any undead yet lingering loyalty to Hitler or the national socialist party. I suppose my pre-movie imagination was firing with images of zombies in SS uniforms or at least the swastika armband and a somnambulistic goose step march. Nothing like that to be found here, these zombies appear to have rather generic former lives and never really become anything like a threat in this movie at all. No...I am afraid the real enemy here is the film itself. (-10 points) This movie could have been good if, I don't know, THE ENTIRE MOVIE HAD BEEN DONE OVER AGAIN DIFFERENTLY!?
This movie starts out with a couple bimbos in short shorts who are obviously on an afternoon drive to try and see the world outside of Los Angeles; only somehow they drive into the middle of Saharan North Africa. They deserve what they get. (-5 points)
There were 15-20 minutes of footage that I could not even see. Not the cringe and look away kind of thing, no...I actually couldn't see what the hell was happening. (-20 points) Maybe that was a blessing in disguise because the parts I did see, I really didn't want to see. As in most Bad Movies, there are always scenes where nothing is really happening and you are either watching a car drive down the street for 1 or 2 full minutes or you are watching a guy standing around looking at nothing in particular for a full minute or more....well Oasis of the Zombies has all this and more! (-15 points)
There were moments where I had the feeling the filmmakers were trying to make an homage to Ed Wood's Lawrence of Arabia, if Ed Wood ever actually made a Lawrence of Arabia movie...which he didn't. (-7 points)
What is with the dude who keeps saying shee-it? Someone refers to him sounding like he is from Brooklyn. I found this to be about the most intelligent dialogue in the whole film. (-2 points) Anyway this weird and annoying loser gets a girl. (-5 points) And we have to watch him attempt to make love to her. (-7 points) Oh yeah and this is after she has already been attacked by zombies once and yet, inexplicably, stays at the campsite instead of taking the opportunity of fleeing to civilization and relaxing to a life of popping out moron babies. (-2 points)
OK let me get to the end which I will now spoil for you below if you haven't watched the thrilling controversial final scene yet. This was the best scene in the movie (possibly because I knew it was nearly over). The two survivors of the zombies are found lying in the sand by the sheik on a camel. Then all of a sudden after a cut they are in a jeep and driving alongside the sheik on a camel. As if he towed the jeep out there to them. How nice. (-7 points) It took about 5 minutes for them to travel far enough away from the camera so they could finally say The End. It would have been quicker but the jeep nearly gets stuck in the sand twice as they struggle to keep up with the sheik on a camel. (-5 points)
Total Positive Points Earned: 2 Total Negative Points Earned: 98
One of the Bottom Ten Worst movies I've ever seen. Final Score: 2 (out of 100 possible)
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Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)
Best TV Drama of All Time
Not being a fan of television shows in general, it is that much more
surprising when I find one that is not only regularly watchable, but
actually elicits a sort of childlike glee at some moments. I will
smile in spite of myself and whenever that happens I know it is a
winner. Star Trek : The Next Generation is just that.
The writing in particular is excellent and, barring a few exceptions,
seems to be a league ahead of other shows of it's time and
especially of present day. As it is assumed to be science fiction television and has a cult
classic series as it's roots, acting seems like it could be a sticking
point. However Patrick Stewart is always excellent in his role and,
while the rest of the cast do not always appear comfortable in the
roles during the first season, a gradual and astonishing
transformation (unaided by special effects) takes place and it can
be discerned that each actor has discovered his or her role and
has made peace with it. It can also be discerned that a great
camaraderie exists among these people and that is translated to
the viewer. Overall, despite missing a few beats early on..the show grows, in
all facets, into a production of class and high quality and that is at
times utterly brilliant.
Each season seems to have a different level of quality but little
doubt could be had that the best seasons of Star Trek: The Next
Generation rivals the best shows ever "beamed" to our screens.
Hexed (1993)
Are you Hexed?
What's wrong with you people? Is everyone crazy? This movie is hilarious. At the time I voted, this
thing had a 4.4 which is way too low. It is not best picture and has
no best actors but among the genre of modern comedy (which is
horrible), I give this an 8.
They should put this out on DVD tomorrow.
The Quiet Earth (1985)
One of the best films of 1985
Very well crafted film. The musical score is even of a top rank.
To the point: Deals with not only the stark loneliness of a world suddenly devoid of people but also expertly portrays the psychological impact of being possibly the last person on earth. This is a best picture nominee with different actors and a different final 30 minutes.
I liked this movie fine with the actors involved and the final 30 minutes that ARE there, don't get me wrong.
If I were to make a list of top 10 movies of 1985, this would surely be on it.
The Aftermath (1982)
Quite Entertaining actually
This movie is pretty entertaining really. It borrows from The Planet of the Apes, The Omega Man or The Last Man on Earth, and The Stand among others (although every movie borrows from something). Yet the movie still has a style all its own and while it is mostly a very funny movie that was supposed to be serious, it does offer a bit of creativity. Has several scenes that most directors would not have included, that's not a bad thing. A good movie for the fatalist. Worth watching for everyone else. Except kids I guess, there are some scenes of gore. (head explodes, a knife through the head via the eye, lots of bullets flying, dead bloody kid, mutants, and decayed bodies).
Kingdom of the Spiders (1977)
Scariest Movie I have ever seen
Scariest mainly because I am an Arachnophobe. Still this is a classic horror film. It drags a bit at the beginning but once the spiders organise into an army...this thing really takes off baby. Shatner is pretty entertaining as usual.
Things to watch for: -The spider siege on the town. -Shatner's line "She's smooth as a gnat's ass ain't she?" -Defending the Hotel. -The half eaten people. -The different ways the citizens die. -The Attack Shatner scene. -The classic ending.