Creepy (2016)

Detective Koichi Takakura (Hidetoshi Nishimjima) feels he has a good grasp of criminal psychology. He attempts to talk down a dangerous killer during a hostage negotiation – and it all goes to hell, Koichi barely survives. He retires from the force and takes up a teaching position, moving to a new home with his wife Yasuko (Yuko Takeuchi). Yasuko wants to be a good neighbor and brings home made sweets to the other two families on the little street. One gives her a cold reception, the other… well he’s just creepy.

Meanwhile Koichi’s old detective buddy asks him to help out on a strange case of a missing family. Koichi goes behind his wife’s back to help (she doesn’t want him in danger any more). And Yasuko starts to see the creepy Mr. Nishino (Teruyuki Kagawa) doing off putting and bizarre things. Is he just an awkward man with no social skills, or is there something sinister behind his simpering smile? Things start to spiral out of control as they meet Mr. Nishino’s daughter Mio (Ryoko Fujino) who whispers that she isn’t his actual daughter. Koichi’s investigations start to point to serial killer who uses drugs and manipulation to ensnare his victims. He begins to suspect that Mr. Nishino is much more than just Creepy.

Good Points:

• Kagawa’s performance is the perfect mix of creepy, cowardly and sinister
• Very unnerving as the scenes build in a methodical but horrifying way
• Some moments of unexpected comedy help break up the tension

Bad Points:

• The slow pacing moves a little too slow at times
• You are either going to buy into the premise of the killer or find it stupid
• The ending is going to annoy/disturb some viewers

Overall:

I really like director Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s take on horror. His film Cure is still one of the most unnerving films I’ve ever seen. While this film isn’t as good, it has a lot to recommend. Kagawa is amazing. He’s the most passive aggressive villain I’ve ever seen in a film. He is despicable, funny, and sinister all at once, a difficult combination to pull off, but he does it. His performance makes the film work as well as it does. The rest of the cast does a fine job, especially our lead detective and his wife. We watch as the tension between them slowly tears the relationship apart and drives either one to more and more desperate acts. Like Kurosawa’s other films there are lots of thematic elements you can pull out of the movie and talk about, which is always welcome. It isn’t nearly as obtuse as Cure, but Creepy does have the same slow pacing and measured filming technique. It works well, but isn’t for everyone. I enjoyed it quite a bit, and recommend it as a bit easier to digest over the more abstract (but also more fascinating) Cure.

Scores (out of 5)

Visuals:  4

Sound: 4

Acting:  4

Script:  3

Music: 3

Direction: 4

Entertainment: 4

Total:  4

Curious about a full review, sent me an email and I’ll make additional thoughts to this review.

Enjoying the content? Click and ad before you go and support this blog.

Humanoids from the Deep (1980)

In the little fishing town of Noyo things aren’t going so well. Not only do all the boats and cars seem to be filled with oily rags (because they explode all the time), but there are a bunch racist jerks lead by Hank Slattery (Vic Morrow) doing everything in their power to bring a new cannery into town against the wishes of the local native American Johnny Eagle (Anthony Pena). Meanwhile another local fisherman Jim (Doug McClure) and his wife Carol (Cindy Weintraub) try to keep things from going overboard (pun totally on purpose).

But enough of the late 70s environmental message – bring on the MONSTERS. This movie has them rising up from the waters, all fishy and slimy. They attack half naked teenagers and take the females back to their lair to mate with them (ewwww). Seems like Dr. Susan Drake (Ann Turkel) has a theory about what is going on. But what can these helpless fishermen do against the Humanoids from the Deep?

Good Points:

• Hey, James Horner with one of his first movie scores! Cool!
• When it goes full grindhouse it is stupidly fun
• Creature effects aren’t too bad

Bad Points:

• Half the movie feels mired in the late 70s eco-horror style
• Pacing is all over the place with the movie dragging way too often
• Some suspect acting (but you knew that was coming)

Overall:

I heard of this movie for two reasons. First was that it is thinly inspired by the H.P. Lovecraft classic Shadow Over Innsmouth. But more likely it can be considered a remake of Horror at Party Beach. The other reason I knew about it was because of James Horner’s involvement early in his career (around the same time he did Battle Beyond the Stars). In any case, the movie is a mess. Director Barbara Peeters was making a serious horror flick with a message. Producer Roger Corman wanted more boobs and blood, and so the movie was reedited and reshot. This resulted in a movie that can be dumb fun when it wants to be, but the strange pacing keeps it from ever taking off. I’d say check out the creepier and gorier Dagon for a similar take but with a better grasp on the Lovecraftian roots.

Scores (out of 5)

Visuals:  3

Sound: 3

Acting:  2

Script:  2

Music: 3

Direction: 2

Entertainment: 2

Total:  2

Curious about a full review, sent me an email and I’ll make additional thoughts to this review.

Enjoying the content? Click and ad before you go and support this blog.

Suspiria (2018)

Susie Bannion (Dakota Johnson) is accepted to a prestigious dance academy in Berlin. Since the film takes place in 1977, it is in West Berlin. She is excited to work with the famous Madame Blanc (Tilda Swinton) who sees something special in the girl. Unfortunately for Susie, that isn’t the only thing special about the academy.

A girl named Patricia (Chloe Grace Moretz) was the favored dancer before, but now she’s gone missing. The last one to see her was Dr. Josef Klemperer (Swinton again!), and he is obsessed with finding out what Patricia’s ranting about “witches” really meant. He enlists the help of another dancer Sara (Mia Goth) to do some digging. Will Sara and Susie discover the supernatural truth hidden in the academy, and does it all tie back to the ancient name Mator Suspieriorium?

Good Points:

• Impressive acting by Johnson and Swinton
• Some eerie and disturbing sequences
• Attempts to retell the story in a new an interesting way

Bad Points:

• Is never able to sustain its dread, or horror for every long
• The attempt to fuse the historical events of 1977 Berlin with witches doesn’t come together
• Never reaches a good flow, and ends up slogging quite a bit

Overall:

The original Suspiria is a film I admire, but don’t really like all that much. So I was excited to see it getting a remake treatment. I think there was a lot of interesting material to explore in the original. While Guadagnino takes everything in a new direction, the whole conceit never really gels into an engaging film. He attempts to draw many thematic ideas into the film using the setting of 1977 Berlin, but it feels at odds with the personal horror at play. There are some excellent performances, and some disturbing visual sequences for sure. In the end it didn’t quite work. I’d dare say I actually like the original film a bit more.

Scores (out of 5)

Visuals:  4

Sound: 3

Acting:  4

Script:  3

Music: 2

Direction: 3

Entertainment: 2

Total:  3

Curious about a full review, sent me an email and I’ll make additional thoughts to this review.

Enjoying the content? Click and ad before you go and support this blog.

Coherence (2013)

Emily (Emily Baldoni) is heading off to a dinner party on the night a strange comet swoops very close to earth. On her way to the party her phone’s screen shatters. Upon arriving at the party she finds that several other guests had a similar experience. They start talking about other events that occurred when comets got too close to earth, including a strange instance where a woman insisted that the man in her house was not her husband… because she killed her husband the night before.

Suddenly the power goes out, and while the group is gathering candles and glow sticks, they notice another house down the street has power. They send a couple of guests to head down to that house to see if their phone works. That is when things get really strange. They find a bizarre note on their door. Other people seem to be moving around outside the house. And eventually a box full of cryptic clues is discovered. As the night progresses people start to behave strangely and Emily wonders if she is losing her mind or reality is losing Coherence.

Good Points:

• Presents an intriguing mystery that does not give its secrets easily
• Some excellent performances by the cast keep you guessing
• Creates an eerie and uncanny feeling

Bad Points:

• Some of the characters are annoying (on purpose)
• It takes some time to really get rolling
• The camera work and editing are often distracting

Overall:

What a neat surprise this turned out to be. The film was a bit slow to start off, and some of the party guests were a bit on the insufferable side. But once the mystery kicked in, I was invested. Baldoni gives a great performance as she tries to navigate the oddities around her. Also kudos to Nicholas Brendon for poking fun at himself and providing an intense performance. The film would be a hidden gem if it weren’t for the camera work and editing. Because the movie is dialogue heavy, the camera work is constantly shifting focus, moving and cutting in strange ways to keep things interesting. Instead I was annoyed and distracted by it. I really wished they stopped trying to spice things up. But if you can look past that, you’ll find an engaging low budget thriller with a neat sci-fi angle… or is it?

Scores (out of 5)

Visuals:  4

Sound: 3

Acting:  4

Script:  4

Music: 3

Direction: 3

Entertainment: 4

Total:  4

Curious about a full review, sent me an email and I’ll make additional thoughts to this review.

Enjoying the content? Click and ad before you go and support this blog.

Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018)

So Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) should be feeling pretty good about capturing criminal mastermind Solomon Lane (Sean Harris) back in Rogue Nation. Alas a whole new set of rogues is taking up Lane’s cause and are threatening to unleash some serious destruction using nuclear devices. Hunt teams up with his crew of Stickell (Ving Rhames) and Dunn (Simon Pegg), but the plan falls apart and now there is a bomb to recover. As usual the head of the CIA , Erica Sloane (played with intensity by Angela Bassett) doesn’t think the IMF is up to the challenge. So she sends her watchdog, August Walker (Henry Cavill) to keep an eye on things.

And boy is there a bunch to keep an eye on. Turns out Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson) has an impossible mission of her own – is she working with or against Hunt and his team? There is also a black market dealer known as the White Widow (Vanessa Kirby) who wants a piece of the action. And that action ramps up with a battle royale in a bathroom, an insane car/motorcycle chase in Paris and one of craziest helicopter pursuit put to film.  As the mission gets more and more impossible even Hunt has to wonder – have they actually bit off more than they can chew?

Good Points:

• Top-notch action scenes and thrills
• Some excellent performances
• Keeps the plot moving with intensity and intrigue

Bad Points:

• Goes for the full serious approach to the franchise 
• Goes for a more grim visual style
• The score’s more modern approach may not work for everyone

Overall:

This series just keeps delivering solid thrills and action. This film makes for a fine follow-up to the last film. It also manages to work in elements from all the previous films. It was great to so many familiar faces returning (Baldwin is back and he’s a blast). But the overall tone is so serious and grim, that the fun nature of the previous installments is missed. Still, had a great time with this one, and while I think I enjoyed the previous installment a bit more, Fallout is well worth seeking out.

Scores (out of 5)

Visuals:  4

Sound: 4

Acting:  4

Script:  4

Music: 3

Direction: 4

Entertainment: 3

Total:  4

Curious about a full review, sent me an email and I’ll make additional thoughts to this review.

Enjoying the content? Click and ad before you go and support this blog.

Jupiter Ascending (2015)

Jupiter Jones (Mila Kunis) hates her life. Her family is obnoxious. She spends her days cleaning toilets for rich people who don’t appreciate her. And she can’t manage to get enough money to buy a lovely antique telescope she really wants. But don’t worry Jupiter, Caine Wise (Channing Tatum) is on the way to throw you into an intergalactic war between power-mad siblings. No seriously.

Turns out Balem Abrasax (Eddie Redmayne) is obsessed with controlling earth, because it is a rich source for the most valuable substance in the universe. Of course he may have to enslave humanity to get it, but them’s the breaks. Turns out Jupiter is the key to complete control. Now intergalactic forces are trying to nab her and convince (or coerce) her to their side. Some insane combat explodes across the screen, Mila Kunis falls from great heights several times and hey is that Sean Bean? He is always great. In the end, Jupiter will have to decide how she can best help save the earth, even if she is just a normal girl who hates her life.

Good Points:

• Full of amazing visuals and exciting action sequences
• Creates a unique and engaging world beyond our solar system
• Goes over the top in an entertaining way (including Redmayne’s performance) 

Bad Points:

• Feels like it is a bit overstuffed at times
• Jones isn’t a very pro-active character (but you could argue that is her story arc)
• The over the top feeling may turn off some viewers.

Overall:

Ok I had a good time with this one. I know it bombed in theaters, but I think it got a bit of a harsh treatment. Lots of new stuff on display here and the story is a unique one in modern space opera. I love Michael Giacchino’s score (one of his best). And I think Kunis does a good job in the role. But the movie moves at a breakneck pace and is so packed with craziness it does end up distancing you from the characters. I wanted to like them more than I did. That said, it was worth an evening’s viewing and I’m actually kicking myself for not seeing the flick in theaters – because… damn, those visuals are really something else.

Scores(out of 5)

Visuals:  5

Sound: 5

Acting:  4

Script:  3

Music: 5

Direction: 4

Entertainment: 4

Total:  4

Curious about a full review, sent me an email and I’ll make additional thoughts to this review.

Enjoying the content? Click and ad before you go and support this blog.

Anime Juke Box - Princess Nine - Princess Nine

Been a while since we popped in a quarter into the anime jukebox, so I figured it was time. We are in the middle of summer and that means - baseball! And what does baseball mean to me? ANIME of course. One specific anime, Princess Nine. Oddly this little show actually helped me appreciate baseball as a sport. I didn't know until watching this how much strategy and tactics are used in the game and how much talent you actually need to have. Being the bookish nerd, I just figured sports are sports are sports.

Princess Nine tells the story of a girl's prep school creating an actual baseball (not softball) team and all the trials the players, coaches and school administrators go through to make the dream a reality. Of course it has the usual high school drama mixed in, and the team is composed of an unusual group of misfits. It is very entertaining and something we will pull out every few summers to enjoy. The ADV dub is solid (if a little squeaky) and while you can predict how some of the sports story tropes are going to play out, we always have a good time with it.

The music was composed by Masamichi Amano who managed to secure the Warsaw Philharmonic for the score! Princess Nine has a lush score with some wonderfully bombastic moments and drama. Very entertaining stuff. He also was able to work the opening theme song as a theme in the score to the series. That means you've got the full power of the philharmonic playing during the opening credits. I couldn't find the full version of the song, but here is the opening credits version of Princess Nine from Princess Nine.