Bullets 'n' Babes

The Chaser: 5/5
I'll tell you one thing, Tigger: when you're right, you're right.

tom2681 wrote:The Chaser: 5/5
I'll tell you one thing, Tigger: when you're right, you're right.

Glad you liked it, hopefully more people will check it out.

Killer Constable (Hong Kong, 1981) – 3,5/5
Kwei Chih-Hung is best known for his notorious horror movies The Killer Snakes and The Boxer’s Omen. Killer Constable is a swordplay film, but notably darker than most of its genre brothers. Chen Kuan Tai plays an ice cold government official who is given a mission to hunt down the men who stole the imperial gold and bring them to justice... dead or alive. Chih-Hung’s film has an unusually strong screenplay with good characterization. At times the main character seems even more cold blooded than the robbers he’s chasing. Action is plenty, but always written into the story. The brutal fight scenes also aim at a certain degree of realism. Any sort of humour is completely missing from the film. Only the slightly too fast pace in moving from one scene to another takes away some of the film’s nihilistic impact. The soundtrack features some music that was later re-used in Liu Chia Liang’s Eight Diagram Pole Fighter. A remarkable film that has received less attention than it deserves.

Masked Avengers (Hong Kong, 1981) – 3,5/5
I don’t supposed anyone’s expecting an early 80’s Chang Cheh film to lack excessive bloodshed. Yet Masked Avengers manages to surprise with it’s sheer amount of graphic violence. Every person who gets killed in the film (all 76) is stabbed 15-25 times with huge spears before their death. Sounds good? It is. Masked Avengers is another Venoms film that fails to create emotional impact, but all other types of impact are included. Fighting is first grade, although the final showdown goes on a bit too long. The evil masked bastards create a pretty decent villain, and the audience is successfully kept guessing for their true identities till the end. Unlike some other Chang Cheh films from the same period this one has a good balance between simple plot and great action.

Men From The Gutter (Hong Kong, 1983) – 4/5
Here’s an undiscovered gem of a crime / action thriller. Ngai Kai Lam’s (Riki Oh) impressive film follows multiple characters which include two hard boiled cops, three robbers and a determined Thai killer, all related to the same case. No humour or goofing around, instead a very gritty screenplay brought to the screen in equally gritty fashion. The action consists of somewhat realistic (although some of the characters are able to take a bit more damage than believable) gunplay and street fighting, often shot with handheld cameras. Audio-visually the film is both cool and moody. The stylish soundtrack could be described as Carpenter esque. It’s also not hard to see why the film won the Asia Pacific Film Festival award for best editing; some scenes, such as the armored van robbery, are brilliantly put together.

Seeding of a Ghost (Hong Kong, 1983) – 3/5
Adultery leads to black magic in this effective Shaw horror. The first 40 minutes, however, are quite restained on the horror front and concentrate heavily on story. It works alright, though, as the actors are not too bad. Especially Phillip Ko is a fitting if not overly original choice for the lead role. Gore buffs may still get bored, although the director tries his best to make up for lack of graphic violence with generous amounts female nudity. The second half is when the shocks come in. The first ones are warm up, light weight stuff like worms coming out of a (living) man’s mouth and brain eating. But just wait for the finale, it’s a hurricane special effects and gore. And it’s all surprisingly well done, not far behind films like The Thing (which obviously inspired some of the mayhem). The music at the end had me scratcing my head for some time before I realized where I had heard it before; the same piece plays in James Cameron’s Aliens (Ripley and Newt in the elevator near the end). That should raise a few questions... (reviewed: IVL dvd).

I've heard Killer Constable is supposed to be very good

@TigerCage:

I honestly doubt many people will like The Chaser as much as we do.
It's got one of the most frustrating endings I've ever seen in a film.
For about 90 minutes you think you can predict what's gonna happen, but all of a sudden the director goes: "Fuck you. This is my film and I'm gonna do whatever I want with it. I'm gonna kill the girl and let the bad guy win."

Seriously dark.
Not the kind of film "normal" people enjoy.

Killer Constable is easily the best of those four Shaw Bros movies.

Open City (Korea - 2007 - By Lee Sang-Gi with Son Ye-Jin and Kim Myung-Min): 2,5 / 5



I'm sure there's a decent film in there, hidden under this mess, but I just can't find it.

Synopsis:
A violent detective from Seoul is asked to investigate two rival pickpocket gangs which are in the middle of a war.

Nothing new here. The plot is pretty basic and the uninspired camerawork doesn't help.
On a more positive note, the actors did a good job and managed to keep me interested throughout. Son Ye-Jin is especially fun to watch as a bitchy triad boss. You don't quite buy it, though. It's like Shu Qi in My Wife is a Gangster 3.

Some of the early fights are quite pleasing (similar to No Mercy for the Rude), but then the usual melodrama takes over and ruins the film completely.
Everything is explained too clearly and there's too much crying going on. That's what I would expect from a TV drama, but not from a action / thriller film.

If your expectations are low enough, you might like this.
But I'm afraid this is just another low-quality big-budget korean snooze-fest.

Lovers Are Wet (Japan, 1973) – 2,5/5
Typical early 70’s Tatsumi Kumashiro film; technically impressive, heavy on characterization and blessed with a title that has little to do with the content (that was the price Kumashiro had to pay for his artistic freedom). It also feels just a little bit dry, like many other belowed (by the critics) Kumashiro films from the same era. Nevertheless, there’s a large number of impressive scenes, such is the great ending, and the film is generally interesting to watch. The story is about a young man who is on the run from the yakuza and settles down in a small seaside town. He starts working at a local movie theatre playing pink films. Nikkatsu fans can spot numerous Meisaku Roman posters on the backgrounds.

Platonic Sex (Japan, 2001) – 2,5/5
How do you know Platonic Sex is a Japanese movie? You have a 16 year old actress playing an 18 year old real life porn star Ai Iijima. The film itself is mainstream as japanese drama goes... to the extent that it feels almost like a TV film. The AV industy isn’t given much exposure as most of the film consists of sentimential relationship drama. It’s all surprisingly entertaining although terribly cliched. Some ridiculous supporting characters don’t hurt the film as this isn’t something to take too seriously... even if it’s probably meant to be. Saki Kagami isn’t terribly convincing in the lead role but again, it doesn’t really matter. Joe Odagiri I’ve always liked. The final 15 minutes drags, with some lazy screenwriting making matters worse.

Beast Cops (Hong Kong, 1998) – 2,5/5
This one surprised me a bit. I was expecting more asshole mayhem from Anthony Wong, but instead the film turned out quite serious. If fact it seems it was some sort of half-documentarism that director Gordon Chan was aiming at. His directing is a rather enjoyable, perhaps partly unintentionally as the film is sometimes more entertaining than convincing, which probably isn’t what he was trying to do. Either way it works. It’s the cast, however, that really shines. Anthony Wong is typically excellent and Michael Wong isn’t too bad either. Kathy Chow is almost charming as a hooker. Too bad the film can’t retain the quality till the end; the last few scenes are messy.

How come you're only give Beast Cops 2.5 out of 5 when it sounds like only the end you disliked? I'm just wondering .

I hear Beast Cops is very good.

I watched it years ago and thought it was pretty good; for some reason I've never watched it again though, I'm pretty sure I still have it.

bradavon wrote:How come you're only give Beast Cops 2.5 out of 5 when it sounds like only the end you disliked? I'm just wondering .

1.0 = Worthless
1.5 = Poor film with some enjoyable elements
2.0 = Decent enough one time watch
2.5 = Average entertainment
3.0 = Thoroughly good
3.5 = Impressive
4.0 = Excellent
4.5 = Masterpiece
5.0 = Exception

It would've been 3 if it wasn't for the last 15 minutes.

I thought 2.5 out of 5 meant to you it was 50% good, no? Your review seems to say it's more than average, anyway thanks .

Last time I maybe gave a bit bad explanations and even got a bit confused myself in the explanation process. And my scale may have gotten a bit harsher since then. Anyway, above is the current explanations for my ratings.

2.5/5 stands for average entertainment, in other words something I enjoyed as a whole. It’s definitely a positive rating. 2/5 would be a mixed bag, but still slightly on the positive side, hence making it a viewing that I don’t regret.

How I see it is that there’s no point in deep analyzing crap. Bad movies, boring movies, horrible movies, unremarkable movies... they can all go under the same rating, 1/5. To get anything above the film need to have real merits. I don’t give any points out of pity or because the movie is considered important. Although 1.5/5 may seem like a very low rating, it means I genuinely enjoyed some elements in the film. Otherwise the rating would be 1/5.

EDIT: as for that 50% I certainly didn't say 50% good, but I probably did say that 50% of the movies I see are better that 2,5/5. But it wasn't the wisest thing I've said so please forget it.

bradavon wrote:How come you're only give Beast Cops 2.5 out of 5 when it sounds like only the end you disliked? I'm just wondering .

The end is the best part. Not a great film IMO.

Thanks Hung.

I tend to read your reviews too (if the film interests me) as your rating system is like no other.

I don’t give any points out of pity or because the movie is considered important.

Me either but I would for example make note of Citizen Kane being technically way ahead of it's time, otherwise it's dull as dishwater.

grim_tales wrote:I've heard Killer Constable is supposed to be very good

it's fucking ace Grim. the dvd could be better though,anyone know if any of the usa distributors have picked this up?

bradavon wrote:Thanks Hung.

I tend to read your reviews too (if the film interests me) as your rating system is like no other.

Thanks, nice to hear.

saltysam wrote:

grim_tales wrote:I've heard Killer Constable is supposed to be very good

it's fucking ace Grim. the dvd could be better though,anyone know if any of the usa distributors have picked this up?

Not as far as I know. Or otherwise I've fucked up (I'm only buying those IVL's that have mono and are not picked by US companies). DD, MB and BCI don't have it. Image I'm not sure what they have but it wouldn't make a huge difference anyway. There's also a fifth R1 Shaw disributor. Can't remember the company but their first release(s) should be up for pre-order.

But I wouldn't consider the HK disc too bad. Conversion of course but thankfully original mono.

I thought Beast Cops was very good, though I havent seen it again since I think

How to Become Myself (Japan, 2007) – 4/5
As far as subtle cinematic language goes Jun Ichikawa, when at his best, is probably the greatest director in Japan, maybe better than anyone else in the world. How to Become Myself is another beautiful film although not as powerful as some of the director’s earlier films. The wonderful title describes the content perfectly. Riko Narumi plays a 14 year old girl who during her last day of school has a conversation with another girl in her class (Atsuko Maeda). Two years later she accidentally finds out her email address and decides make friends with her, but without revealing her identity. She starts writing a story about Hina and Kotori, Kotori being a fantasized, ideal version of herself. Both girls take different roles in their real life and are affected by friends, parents and their own ideas of that they should be like. Some scenes in the film, the ever so slightly sentimential ending included, don’t work to the fullest. Still, films as poignant as this are few and far between. Acting is great from both leads, with Riko Narumi giving a stunningly good performance. Quite a charming film.

A Blue Automobile (Japan, 2004) – 2/5
Very nice title, a bit less nice film. It appears to be director Hiroshi Okuhara’s fifth film, but feels more like a debut. It’s a low key drama about two sisters and a guy, with no big surprises. The director tries to avoid the most typical mainstream style, but then the screenplay introduces tragic childhood traumas and silly nightmare scenes. Thankfully the ending is good, even if nothing too special. The cast doesn’t convince entirely; the talented Aoi Miyazaki looks like she’s having her day off from good films, and Arata has nice hair. Okay one time watch, but hardly more than that.

The World of Geisha (Japan, 1973) – 1,5/5
"The acting is perfect, and the film is humorous. In its praise for female beauty and derision for male stupidity lies the generous spirit of Jean Renoir." No, that’s not me trying convince you a pink film can have real qualities. That’s François Truffaut describing Tatsumi Kumashiro’s The World of Geisha. And, as expected, I don’t care much for the film. It reminds me of Noboru Tanaka’s masterfully boring Jitsuroku Abe Sada; a talented director trapping himself between four walls and delivering an uninteresting characterization piece. The structure is slightly interesting, though. Half of the film consists of Junko Miyashita’s geisha spending a hot night with a customer. The rest is about several different characters and their affairs. All stories take place in the same house and are told simultaneously, but the timescale differs. Some obviously expand over several days while the main story is just one night (appart from the very end). Kumashiro is in no hurry to point out what takes place before the other, and what comes after.

A Man and a Woman Behind the Fusuma Screen: Enduring Skin (Japan, 1974) – 1/5
Sequel to The World of Geisha (aka A Man and a Woman Behind the Fusuma Screen), only even less impressive. Kumashiro is still helming, and Miyashita appears in a supporting role. Usually the director is interested in characters and technical experimentation, but this film unusually heavy on sex (including some gay humping, which surprised me). You can see those Kumashiro touches here and there (b&w film clips, varying aspect ratios etc.), but it does make you wonder if the film was made only because the original was a hit. Meika Seri’s supporting role, one classic line of dialogue and some history bits alone are not enough to save this overlong film from being utterly unnecessary.

Evangelion 1.0: You Are (Not) Alone - 3/5

There's not much to talk about really, pretty much a 80% direct remake of episodes 1-6, shot-for-shot more often than not.

Some of Shinji's minor character development was deleted out of necessity, but it's pretty much all there.

The animation and sound mix were good, worthy of a large budget animated feature.

They're really looking to be shaking things up with Part 2 though, judging by the preview after of the end credits.

PTU: 3 / 5
Average movie, saved by a brilliant ending.
Will surely buy the Hong-Kong BD.

tom2681 wrote:PTU: 3 / 5
Average movie, saved by a brilliant ending.
Will surely buy the Hong-Kong BD.

I don't know why, but when I got this back when it was released, I couldn't follow it all even when I tried watching it a few times. Needless to say, I was fairly unimpressed with the film.

EvaUnit02 wrote:Evangelion 1.0: You Are (Not) Alone - 3/5

Is that the new film?

Sorry, I haven't seen any of the show and don't know shit about Evangelion (as you see). But it sounds like something I could watch without knowing anything about anything. I believe it's gonna be a Finnish film festival in a few months.

HungFist wrote:

EvaUnit02 wrote:Evangelion 1.0: You Are (Not) Alone - 3/5

Is that the new film?

Sorry, I haven't seen any of the show and don't know shit about Evangelion (as you see). But it sounds like something I could watch without knowing anything about anything. I believe it's gonna be a Finnish film festival in a few months.

Yes, it's an entirely new production, aside from the writing (obviously). As I said, it's a remake of the first six episodes.

I guarantee that it will work without seeing the series.