bluesubn6

[Review of the Ultimate Versus edition]: The director, Kitamura, and his film crew journeyed into a forest to produce this dazzlingly weird film. The acting is certainly cliche but the stunning cinematography helps to liven deadpan reactions. The fight scenes are lovingly crafted and interesting to watch. The story and plot fall flat, and the third act drags horrendously (especially with the final battle) but this film is still refreshing to watch if you can handle its quirky Japanese flavor.

95 _87%

Fallen Angels (1995) - Rated 10 Apr 2011

While summaries of this film point to the hitman as being the central figure in this film, the other main characters really steal the movie. Wonderful cinematography is almost disorienting in how beautiful, yet distracting, the shots are. The luminescent nighttime setting of Hong Kong (as always) makes for a perfect film venue and is utilized spectacularly. Actors play their roles well. While the plot lacks in a general sense because of its experimentality, the rest of the film is remarkable.

79 _18%

Mortal Kombat (1995) - Rated 03 Apr 2011

So truthful to its source material, even this film's cheesy B-movie-ness seems sincerely intentional. The actors play their archetypes well, and the Bruce Lee-inspired tournament plot works wonders in fleshing out the video game's concept. While the special effects have certainly not aged well, beautiful intricate sets are extremely impressive.

90 _66%

Primer (2004) - Rated 03 Apr 2011

Beautifully simple, the unprofessional quality of this film is refreshing in the face of its time-travel ridden and sometimes incomprehensible plot. The narrative drowns out its own details, simplifying the film's complexity. The acting strays from melodrama, instead relying on subtle reactions to guide the viewer. The one-note synth music works, for the most part. Its heartening to see a film so burdened by with a sci-fi plot, yet so drably filmed. Like I said before, it is all very refreshing.

80 _22%

Izo (2004) - Rated 03 Apr 2011

Miike overreaches with this high-concept film but the result is still watchable. The pacing is horribly set, making the film feel awfully longer then it really is. Experimental elements liven the film but many scenes feel misplaced or pointless. Great music, especially by on-screen guitarist Kazuki Tomokawa, help immensely. The script seems overly complex but Miike's stylistic approach is heartening enough to garner a watch, especially if you more-then-stomach is previous works, like Gozu.

83 _41%

Joe Versus the Volcano (1990) - Rated 03 Apr 2011

A mostly forgotten and very quirky comedy with strong, and not heavy handed despite the material, performances by Hanks and Ryan. The film's sincere plot relishes in its hyper-fictional universe, that many would find borderlines fantasy, but never stops taking itself seriously. Weakly filmed, the script does most of the heavy lifting. Nice, if underutilized, set locations also help. This is no Citizen Kane but go in expecting a refreshing, whimsical comedy and you'll be satisfied.

90 _66%

Wristcutters: A Love Story (2007) - Rated 03 Apr 2011

Fine performances by a stellar cast help downplay this aburd low-budget, high-concept film. All the unique details and ideas ultimately fall to the wayside to center on a much stronger narrative in the character's relationships with one another. The film's dreary look is purposeful, a strong catalog of music backs the empty, lulling landscapes. The over-used road trip formula, while in play here, does not get in the way of the movie's tone or themes.

91 _77%

Unleashed (2005) - Rated 03 Apr 2011

This film's overtly heavy-handed action concept is besieged with a strong emotional narrative, a serious plot driven by tragedy, not punching. These conflicting movie tones surprisingly find a middle-ground in what is Li's finest work as an actor, not a martial artist. Freeman helps immensely in ratifying the film's absurd plot; even then, this is a very strong cast. While many cinematic elements are taken from Euro-gangster films, the classical choices in music elevates the urban aesthetics.

82 _31%

Pandorum (2009) - Rated 03 Apr 2011

More influenced by then innovative, Pandorum's space horror concept, somewhat cliche, serves as a long-winded and sincere testament to the horror sci-fi films that came before it. What really elevates the film however is the superb cast, Quaid becoming the narrative's go-to palette cleanser. The reliance on sound editing and clever cinematography to make the best of the elaborately designed set locations, rather then relying on pricey special effect shots, is rather refreshing.

93 _81%

Delicatessen (1991) - Rated 02 Apr 2011

More heart then City of Lost Children, Delicatessen revels in its unique, quirky characters and its downplayed, simple dystopian setting. Dominique Pinon gives a spectacular performance. So many visual details are crammed into each frame, it's just a wonderment of a film.