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Films seen in January
Note – I’ve tried time and time again to offer up brief reviews of every film I watch, which by now I have to confess is an impossible chore for me stay on top of. To keep myself somewhat dedicated to this site, I’m going to at least try to offer reviews of all the recent films I see. So anything I see made within the last 3 years, plan on finding a review in this log.
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Only in Japan can a film this crazy actually get made and with the modest production values it deserves. We are talking about a professional wrestling film that deals with a mysterious 8ft. squid bent on claiming the championship title. Similar to Takashi Miike’s Zebraman, Kawasaki manages to easily top that film by abandoning CGI effects in favor of campy ‘theme-park’ style costumes and a hilariously awful approach to the action. It’s a bit long at 90-minutes, however I can’t imagine anything this original could disappoint even the most jaded of viewers. As parody of American sports films like The Karate Kid and Rocky, it’s absolutely priceless. How TIFF ‘Midnight Madness’ programmer Colin Geddes passed on this is beyond me.

The directorial debut from the man responsible for the impressive make-up effects in Matthew Barney’s ‘Cremaster Cycle’ turns out to be a colossal disappointment. An ultra-low-budget Craven/Hooper rip-off involving a family of freaks who slaughter unsuspecting tourists, the film is made even worse by its surreal “anything goes” approach, a gimmick used mainly to conceal that the filmmaker hasn’t the slightest idea what he is doing. Not even Warwick Davis, appearing as a demented plate-wielding midget named (yep, you guessed it) Plates, could get me to muster the slightest bit of interest in this.

16. Tales From the Crypt - Season 2.1 "Dead Right" (1990, USA) Howard Deutch -

has redeeming facet

17. Tales From the Crypt - Season 2.2 "The Switch" (1990, USA) Arnold Schwarzenegger -

worth seeing

19. Escape from L.A. (1996, USA) John Carpenter -

worth seeing

20. Tales From the Crypt - Season 2.4 "Til Death Do We Part" (1990, USA) Peter Iliff -

worthless

21. Tales From the Crypt - Season 2.5 "Three's a Crowd" (1990, USA) David Burton Morris -

worth seeing

22. Duel in the Sun (1946, USA) King Vidor -

a must see

23. Tales From the Crypt - Season 2.6 "The Thing from the Grave" (1990, USA) Fred Dekker -

has redeeming facet

It’s a little late to convince anyone on this film -- most seem to either love it or hate it -- and I doubt there is a whole lot I can add to either side of the debate as I find myself pitching tent on the awkward grounds somewhere between the love and the hate camps. Ang Lee’s film is a worthwhile reworking of Western iconography, most notable for the way that he forgoes the usual cinemascope frame in favor of a framing that can include more vertical information (1.85:1). This works exceptionally at the beginning of the film where Lee tends to frame every actor against the backdrop of the mountain, creating some beautiful compositions, while at the same time deconstructing the image of the ‘Cowboy.’ Somewhere midway through the film however, Lee seems to lock into storytelling mode and the picture becomes an unremarkable string of quick scenes as time passes and his characters get older. By the time the film finally finds its poetic heart and delivers one hell of a crushing ending, I was willing to forgive the uneven center and give in to the tear-jerking soundtrack that I had been relentlessly fighting. Hats off to Heath Ledger, this is his film all the way, and bullshit politics aside, it should be his Oscar as well.

25. Masters of Horror : Episode 9 - "Fair Haired Child" (2005, USA) William Malone -

has redeeming facet

27. I Was Possessed by God (2000, USA) Caveh Zahedi [short] -

worthless

29. 2LDK (2002, Japan) Tsutsumi Yukihiko -

a must see [2nd viewing; no change in rating]

30. Tales From the Crypt - Season 2. 7 - "For Cryin' Out Loud" (1990, USA) Jeffrey Price -

has redeeming facet

31. Tales From the Crypt - Season 2.8 - "The Sacrifice" (1990, USA) Richard Greenberg -

worth seeing

I must confess a certain amount of adoration for the eccentric and frighteningly ‘cutesy’ worlds that McKee effortlessly creates in both this, and his previous film, May. Each of these works would not be so successful were it not for the truly splendid reticent performances from Angela Bettis, who seems to be so in-synch with her director, one can’t help but be reminded of the Depp/Burton collaborations. “Sick Girl” is one of the best episodes of this series, which if you haven’t already done so, you owe to yourself to check out. Directors like Argento, Carpenter, Dante, and Gordon have churned out some of their best work in years, and in my book, McKee has earned a spot next to those names. [editor's note: I’ve not seen All Cheerleaders Die, Lucky McKee’s first film, but if anyone knows where I can find a copy please drop me a line.]

35. Tales From the Crypt - Season 2.10 - "The Ventriloquist's Dummy" (1990, USA) Richard Donner -

has redeeming facet

37. Tales From the Crypt - Season 2.11 - "Judy, You're Not Yourself Today" (1990, USA) Randa Haines -

has redeeming facet

38. It's All About Love (2003, USA) Thomas Vinterberg -

worthless

39. The Professionals (1966, USA) Richard Brooks -

a must see

41. Plaga Zombie: Mutant Zone (2001, Argentina) Pablo Parés & Hernán Sáez -

has redeeming facet

44. Tales From the Crypt - Season 2.12 - "Fitting Punishment" (1990, USA) Don Mancini -

worth seeing

45. Junebug (2005, USA) Phil Morrison -

a must see - DVD reviewed here

47. In the Bathtub of the World (2001, USA) Caveh Zahedi -

a must see

I’ve been putting off writing something about this, as I’ve felt I am too much in awe of it to say anything worthwhile, and while this still may be the case, forgive me as I try not to fawn (too heavily) over the best film of 2005. This is a great, goddamn masterpiece of a movie. A picture of uncompromising beauty and lyrical sweep, this is at once an excellent historical drama and a timeless tale of love and human connection. Malick edits his images with a grace that defies classification. Images seemingly flow into one another simultaneously evoking the insight of great prose, the elegance of a brush stroke, the passion of a major chord. His characters feel real, yet his approach to them is far more abstract, inflecting an almost transcendent quality to them. The performances are all first rate with Colin Farrell and Christian Bale exceeding all expectations, but it is the incomparable Q'Orianka Kilcher, who at just 15 years old, turns in the performance of a lifetime. With just a single glance, her stunning, subtle portrayal of the love torn Pocahontas was capable of making me weep like a child. Ten years from now I expect I will still be talking about it, but of course we will be referring to this film as a classic by then.