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Reviews
The Dark Knight (2008)
Predictable and Cliché Mainstream Film
While no doubt a big budget, box office hit, the hype surrounding this movie is what I feel the '9.1' score is based off, rather than quality film making, scripting and acting. Let me explain...
Christian Bale delivers a solid batman performance once again, but his raspy 'batman' voice gets laughable at times and one cant help but to think he may have blew an o-ring trying to add some nuts to the voice. Supporting cast (freeman, etc) is all around decent, but definitely loses points in my book for dropping the lead actress from the first film. Perhaps Kate Holmes was going through Scientology boot camp.
Gary Oldman was the real treat here, watching him act is always a pleasure and I'm very excited that he landed the role of Gordon (and kept it). Definitely one of the best actors of our time. And finally, the Joker. Don't get me wrong, Mr. Ledger did a fair job at playing the Joker, but his performance seemed based off Nicholson's joker a little too much for me. Talk of a Best Actor award for this role is for the birds, but will probably be awarded by default to the late Heath Ledger (RIP).
The film makers claimed to have finished filming by the time Mr. Ledger passed, but I couldn't help but feel that the ending was rushed and felt entirely incomplete, since we never really see what finally happens to the Joker, unless they have already shot footage for the 3rd installment...like how they closed things up with scarecrow in the beginning of this flick (which also felt too rushed). After Harvey Dent's transformation into two-face, his role in the batman universe was NOT done to justice. He had about a 20 minute screen time appearance that was pretty sparse in between other plot lines. I feel two-face is a big part of the Batman legacy and should have had more focus. In the end he felt like a character that was stuffed in quickly in a re-draft to add more sub plots... They should have not had him at all, or waited for the right time to bring him in full swing and for a longer stay.
All in all, it's a pretty solid eye candy kind of movie for the kids on a Friday night. There's not much thinking that needs to be done on the sidelines, however at a 152 minute runtime, the movie begins to wear out it's welcome at points and does catch some drag on the mushy plot spots... A mildly enjoyable follow up, but not better than Batman Begins.
5/10
Kiseichuu: kiraa pusshii (2004)
No one is safe!
While placing an order on Discotek media's site, I ran across this title and decided to have a go at it. The copy I watched did have subtitles, but viewing wouldn't be affected without them... Also, the copy I received did blur out a discrete vagina shot during a nude wrestling scene, but teen breasts panties and camel-toes are shown in their full glory! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED
The movie opens with a backpack team in a Jungle in search of a certain animal that can 'split the earth', which turns out to be some kind of fish. They are warned by a crazy witch doctor guy to stay away, but they ignore his warning and soon fall victim to THE KILLER PUSSY!
The next shot goes to 5 or so teens hiking in the jungle/forest who stumble upon an abandoned home/warehouse (which happens to have smut magazines on hand, a giant walk in freezer and a bathtub already filled with warm water). The teens partake in sexual acts and soon release THE KILLER PUSSY! Pandemonium ensues, along with blood, spit and ass flying everywhere.
At an even 60 minutes, this film doesn't overstay its welcome and is a recommended time waster if you like the genre... after all, who doesn't enjoy a T & A flick with cheesy FX and horrible acting once in a while?
Gore/Violence: 2.5/5 Nudity/Sex: 4/5
I give this cheese 6/10
Iki-jigoku (2000)
A movie that tries so hard, but falls substantially short...
I grabbed this one online for 2 bucks after reading a few positive reviews here. Reading the comment on the package, "Takashi Miike and John Waters would approve", I thought this would be quite a treat.
After a brief murder scene/investigation, we are introduced to Yasu, a 22 year old in a wheelchair who lives with his older brother and sister. One day, their father arrives in town and tells them about 2 family members (an old woman with Alzheimer's and a 22 year old girl who doesn't talk) who will be staying with the 3 children. Right away, Yasu notices that something isn't quite right about the new additions to the house. He is forced to stay home alone with them while the brother and sister work, and from there things get weird...
The director does a pretty good job at making Yasu feel alienated and somewhat of a burden from his siblings due to being disabled, and you do begin to feel a bit sorry for him. However, he can be rather annoying at times and there are tons of 'drop-jaw' shots of him that are meant to add to the suspense, but come off rather laughably. There are some creepy shots in this movie that do play effectively, but a "Chainsaw Massacre' it IS NOT. Overall, the movie takes almost an additional hour to wrap things up after most viewers will be able to predict what is going on well within the first half of the film.
Worth a few bucks if you can find it cheap. The DVD comes with several short films by the director which are mildly entertaining. BE WARNED: If you are looking for some good gore, look elsewhere. 99% of the violence and gore is done off-screen.
I give it a generous 4/10