Another passable giant monster movie from Japan. The its predecessor there is absolutely nothing interesting about the human characters and the monsters don’t seem to pose any tangible threat. But watching guys in rubber suits smash model cities is always fun.
I wanted to watch a somewhat “modern” take on a Japanese giant monster movie. This was okay. The effects aren’t much better than they were in the 60s and Gamera is more of a kids character than a seriously threatening monster.
A group of young theater students and their chaperone (played by Florinda Bolkan) are held captive by a trio of bank robbers on the run. Despite the awfulness of the robbers, there never felt there was really any tension or suspense. However, it’s worth sitting through if only to get to the crazy ending in which the girls get their revenge with various garden implements.
It’s time to return the steampunk world of Dishonored in which you sneak around and strangle everyone who crosses your path. Dishonored 2 should be commended for allowing players to complete their goals in a variety of ways. I usually prefer the stealthy, non-lethal approach, but if you want, you can murder everyone in sight or even ignore the enemies and run to the end of the level.
As you play you begin to acquire super-powers allowing the player to teleport, see through walls, etc. The teleportation power is the first one you get and it is by far the most useful. I felt like I was cheating because I was allowed to zap myself above and around obstacles. The challenge became trying to collect all the charms strewn throughout the world without ever being detected or using lethal takedowns.
Once again I finished the game without ever killing anyone, but I still was tagged for 2 or 3 deaths along the way. I wish there was a progress screen so I would know mid-level if I accidentally hid a sleeping enemy in a killer rats nest or whatever. There was also a glitch where bodies weren’t where I left them when loaded a save, causing them to be detected by guards. I really don’t have the patience to replay the game and attempt a perfect run especially since the various endings are just quick voiceovers that change slightly based on your actions. I got my “good” ending and that’s enough for me.
In many ways this is a continuation of The Future and Its Enemies with a heavy emphasis on open borders and free trade. The concept is simple: human progress is largely tied to open, dispersed systems of knowledge and exchange.
The sorta-sequel to Revenge of the Ninja doesn’t quite rise to its levels of unmatched 80s action. What it lacks in stunts and fights it makes up for in exorcisms, aerobics, and golf.
Ladies and gentleman, it’s officially the one-millionth time a movie has been based on Poe’s The Black Cat! This time it’s the soft-core, Japanese version. The real reason to watch this is the bonkers final act in which the ghost of the killed protagonist gets revenge on her assailants. It’s very reminiscent of Suspira except everything is blue instead of red.
I respect the ambition of James Cameron and his plan for his Avatar sequels so I figured I should finally see the first one. It’s okay. I suppose I am losing something by watching it on a tiny computer screen without the 3-D effects. There’s just something corny and uninspired about the character designs which prevents me from being impressed. It looks like a video game from 2002 and the creatures are animated with floaty, unrealistic movements. These is especially apparent because the cartoon is mixed with live-action actors. For all the technical innovation, everything else about this movie is a cliché. It’s an entertaining spectacle but there are no fun surprises.
An Alien or Predator rip-off starring Rutger Hauer which takes place in the post global warming world of 2008. London is knee-deep in water and a killer is on the loose eating hearts and carving astrological symbols in his prey. You never really get to see much of the monster, so the action is mostly characters shooting at and reacting to things that are off-camera. The dialogue is horrific but the actors seem to be having fun within the constraints of this awful story. In the hands of a more energetic and skillful director this could have been a good B-movie. As it is it’s mostly boring.
I wasn’t exactly sold on this movie. Most of it comes across as a sophomore art project with cheap sets, bad acting, and indecipherable dialogue. I saw many a performance art pieces while I was in art school that felt exactly like this. But there came a point about halfway through when I began to appreciate it. I was fully aware that it was using the style of German expressionist cinema and that everything was very deliberately exaggerated and, doggone it, even those cheap sets began to look cool by the end. I still don’t really get what the point of it all was, but there are some genuinely hilarious moments (in a sort of John Waters sense of hilarity) that make it worth a watch.
