Movie Review: Hana-Bi (aka Fireworks)

Hana-Bi, or HANA-BI, or Fireworks, if you prefer, was a fascinating viewing experience. I am not saying it was great, although it was certainly very good, it was just something that that I was completely not expecting. It is not so much a movie as it is an existential bi-polar examination of a man who seems to be so disconnected as to not care anymore, although if there is one thing that he does, it is care. It might help that I am not that familiar with the films of Takeshi Kitano, and what I do know makes it a complete surprise to know that he is famous as a comedian. I didn't see that one coming.

Movie Review: Yakuza Weapon

It has been awhile since I watched one, but over the years, I have come to really enjoy Japanese splatter films. You know, moves like Machine Girl, Frankenstein Girl vs. Vampire Girl, Helldriver, all sorts of stuff like that. As it turns out, I had a related title about to expire in my Netflix queue. I know this is October and I should be watching horror movies, but this feels close enough, like the relationship between cult horror and exploitation. The movie in question is Yakuza Weapon, a wildly over the top science fiction (well, maybe not) and action, blended with the crime film. It stars Tak Sakaguchi of Versus fame (there is another movie you should check out).

Movie Review: Godzilla Raids Again (1959)

Following the success of Gojira, Toho immediately put the production of a sequel into motion. Six months later, Godzilla Raids Again arrived on the big screen proving that Hollywood isn't the only place where sequels get rushed to theaters. The first misstep was when they did not wait for Ishiro Honda's schedule to free up for it, instead they turned to Motoyoshi Oda to take the reigns. The end result is sort of entertaining, but falls short of the horror of the original and only hints at the camp that would come through the 1960s.

Movie Review: Godzilla, King of the Monsters (1956)

It has been a long time since I have watched the original Godzilla. It is, after all, the granddaddy of all giant monster movies. There have been countless other monsters, but none of them have come close to unseating the King of the Monsters. Sure, some of them have put up a good fight, but in the end it is Godzilla who stands triumphant. He dos have an impressive track record and a fan base the encircles the globe. Now, for a movie monster with such a grand history, he certainly had an odd beginning that spanned two movies and three years.

Movie Review: Black Rat

Sometimes when flipping through choices on Netflix a snazzy poster can go a long way. It reminds me of the days when I would by an album (well, CD) based on how cool the cover art was, one of my favorite discoveries was Sepultura (that Arise art was pretty awesome). Anyway, I came across a little movie sitting oh so very lonely in my queue, its poster seemed quite inviting with a schoolgirl wearing a big rat head and holding a bat with the title, Black Rat, scrawled next to her. Hey, it's only 75 minutes long, so if it was bad it would not be a large investment of time.

Movie Review: Invaders from Space

I will not quit on you, Sci-Fi Invasion box set. No matter what kind of lame, bizarre, and boring junk you throw at me, I will keep coming back until the last movie is done. It may take some time, but I will get through. I just have to look at each movie as an opportunity, a new experience, and hopefully I will walk away with something. Good or bad, every movie adds to your experience. This latest experience is pretty unique. I cannot truthfully say I completely disliked it, but I cannot exactly recommend it either.

Movie Review: Death Trance (2005)

I have to admit, as I watched Death Trance I was never fully invested in it. It is one of those movies I had been meaning to watch for some time (meaning it has been languishing in my Netflix Instant queue). The only reason I actually watched it is because I noticed it was going to be expiring soon. I figured I should just go ahead and get it out of the way. This is not to say it is not worthy of your attention, it is more a way of saying I didn't really get what everyone was doing half the time and just let myself float along the barest surface of plot by the action sequences.

Blu-ray Review: Mutant Girls Squad

At the moment no one does splatter quite like the Japanese. They have taken the early works of Sam Raimi and Peter Jackson and gone to the next level. They have filtered the splatter genre through the organic body horror of David Cronenberg and Shin'ya Tsukamoto. The end result has been a series of some of the bloodiest, over the top, and inventive gore films to ever be filmed. With Mutant Girls Squad, the genre has found a way to yet again top itself.

Netflix'ns: Hard Revenge Milly - Bloody Battle

Netflix'ns is a series of review shorts of films, new and old, seen on Netflix, be it DVD or streaming. For better or worse, I sat through these films and have lived to tell the tale. These are not so much reviews as just comments on the film watched. Some will be first time views, others will be revisits. This is a work in progress.

Netfix'ns: Hard Revenge Milly

Netflix'ns is a series of review shorts of films, new and old, seen on Netflix, be it DVD or streaming. For better or worse, I sat through these films and have lived to tell the tale. These are not so much reviews as just comments on the film watched. Some will be first time views, others will be revisits. This is a work in progress.