VERSUS

VERSUS (THE ULTIMATE VERSUS) (2000)
JP
Directed by Ryuhei Kitamura

CAST:
Tak Sakaguchi - Prisoner KSC2-303
Hideo Sakaki- The Man
Kenji Matsuda - Yakuza Leader

PLOT:
     There are 666 portals that connect this world to the other side. These are concealed from all human beings. Somewhere in Japan exists the 444th portal.... The Forest of Resurrection.

REVIEW:
      This month I've reviewed  a decent amount Japanese gore films. And I'll be reviewing more next month as well. Yet with Versus, this was one of the main reasons why the whole genre of gore films really got started. Well that and Ichi The Killer. I was planning to review this last year but other things came up and it got pushed to the back. So with me reviewing so many films this month with actors that really became famous from being in Versus, and it being out for over 12 years now, I decided that I really can't wait any longer with this review. I should note that this is going to be the review for the Director's Cut, hence the other name of the film.

     I might as well start with the actors and Tak Sakaguchi as Prisoner KSC2-303 first. Sakaguchi plays a cock-sure amnesiac that knows he's a bad ass and it shows. Sakaghuchi even though was an unknown at the time made a big enough impact with this that he now is part of the Sushi Typhoon production company and has his own stuntman group called Team Zero all thanks to his role in this film, of which his role is the second most memorable in Versus. The Man, played by Hideo Sakaki is a more toned down kind of a monster. Make no mistake he is a monster. Instead of coming in and boasting of what he can do, Sakaki instead of saying all of his lines with craziness just plays it cool and collected, as if nothing surprises him. This in return makes his character truly scary. Yet the one actor that sticks out the most is Kenji Matsuda who plays the Yakuza leader. Now the reason why Masuda sticks out is because he comes on the screen and you know he's there. He chews every scene he is in and just keeps going. Another reason is his facial expressions throughout the whole film. Versus also helped make all three of these actors big manes in Asian cinema, as before Versus all were relative unknowns and the film made audiences take notice of them.

     This film was also the launching pad for director Ryuhei Kitamura as well. Before Versus, Kitamura had only made short films. In fact Versus was only supposed to be a short film as well and a sequel to Kitamura's Down To Hell. Well thankfully everyone involved agreed that Versus was strong enough and had enough meat to the story to make it a full feature length film. Even though his camera work was still lacking in some areas, you could still tell that there was something exciting and different in the look of the film. There was a movement in it that was lacking in a lot of other Asian filmmakers. Kitamura isn't afraid to get up close to the action, though sometimes the action is lost because of this The film also had a slickness to it that is missing in most horror films, and action movies as well. My problem with Versus visual wise is that the first 15 or so minutes of it, the film looks to be shot on a home camera with to much grain and a blurriness that is persistent. Thankfully the film becomes sharper looking and more in focus as it goes on. I should point out that since this was Ultimate Versus, which means it really is the director's cut of the film, over 10 minutes was put into the film that was shot four years later and added to the movie. These scenes stick out the most due to the look of them is more stylized and quicker paced. Thankfully they blend in very well into the film itself and it doesn't break the flow of the film apart to much.

     Now the reason why Versus is one of those movies that stick out above the rest is because of what it does and is. What it does is blend multiple genres seamlessly. It takes martial arts and combines it with the horror genre without losing the impact of either one. It also blends humor and action into the mix as well, which also has been done before also. Now while combining horror and martial arts is nothing new, it's the addition of all of the above that sets this one apart from all that came before it. The film knows that all that is going on is outrageous and over the top and it doesn't apologize for any of it. Now while there is plot holes in the story. Okay, make that big plot holes. But yet after awhile you don't care about the stuff that makes no sense because you're having to much fun watching all hell break looses on the screen. From Yakuza assassins that come out of nowhere to destroy all in their path to zombies that use guns against those that buried them in the forest, it all makes sense in a weird way, no matter what odd thing shows up out of nowhere, and there is plenty. This is a cult movie for a reason, plus a launching pad for multiple people involved in it. Yet one the main things this film accomplished is it was one of the movies that helped start of a brand new genre in Asian cinema, not J-horror as that was around even before this, but the Japanese gore genre and brought it to the fore front to let people know that all rules can be broken.  Now lets all hope the sequel is realized this year! 

BEST DEATH:
     Open upper jaw surgery thanks to a right fist.

BEST LINE:
     Yeah......But this place is fucked up.

FUN FACTS:
     One of the thugs was shot dead at the beginning of the movie, because the director disliked the actor portraying him.

     In the scene where Tak Sakaguchi's character holds a pistol in his mouth, the director originally called for him to rack the slide with his teeth. He tried this, and broke a tooth. One of the zombies was played by a dentist, and fixed it for him.

     First considered and even advertised as a sequel to Kitamura's movie Down To Hell with the title 'Down 2 Hell'. But because of the many fights in front and behind the camera Kitamura changed the title to 'Versus'.

TEDDY: IT'S GONNA BE A BEAR

TEDDY: IT'S GONNA BE A BEAR (2011)
US
Directed by Steve Goltz

CAST:
Keegan Bergen - Teddy
Kirk Gilbert - Jeff
Mike Goltz - Clay!

PLOT:
     The story of four college students that get more than the bargained for when a hit-and-run accident turns into murder.

REVIEW:
      Kevin Sommerfield sent me an email about this short asking me if I would want to do a review for it. Well, I make it a point if someone sends me a link or a screener for their short or feature film to make sure to try and review it. One of the things that caught my attention with this one is that while I was reading the press kit it said that the short was a throwback to the 80's slasher films. So with that I was interested. Now the question remains, can it live up to the claim its made?

     Wherever they filmmakers found Mike Goltz, who plays Clay, they found someone that you love to hate. Goltz just plays the asshole, neanderthalic so well, you have to wonder if Goltz is really that way in real life. His character is reprehensible and a full blown asshole. He wears his shirt open at all times, when he actually wears a shirt, and when he does it's usually covered in spilled beer that drooled out of his mouth. Even though the short is called Teddy, it could have easily have been called Clay, as I could have watched two hours of Clay's misadventures as he was the most interesting character in the whole film. On the other hand is Kirk Gilbert who plays Jeff. Gilbert is just unpleasant as the supposedly shy friend. It's if you can tell that Gilbert is the opposite way in real life than his character is and just doesn't know how to play withdrawn and meek. And it shows.  The rest of the cast does a decent job with the roles they were giving as they neither stood out to much or did a bad job of acting either.

     On the other side of the camera, I have to thank director Steve Goltz on some of the decisions that were made while making this short. First things first. Thank you for not using any visible CG in you short. This, to me, makes or breaks a movie these days because everyone thinks it's easier to just put in animated blood instead of taking time and realizing that CG blood looks terrible while practical effects add a greater depth of realism. Also the actors react more realistically to it because they can see it. Another choice Goltz went with that made this a fun watch is the choice of not to actually show the deaths on screen, just the after effects of them. This might have been due to money constraints, yet thanks to this the film works better than it should. Even though story is somewhat generic it works decently thanks to this being a throwback type of story, or a love letter to the 80's style slashers flicks that permeated that era. Unfortunately  it also has the same flaws as those stories do also, the main one is Teddy, the character, just isn't really that scary. But yet it's the character of Clay that raises this short above just being a so-so watch.

BEST DEATH:
     Dana's splitting headache in the frozen snow.

BEST LINE:
     You wanna fuckin' touch him? That's what I thought.

FUN FACTS:
     Shot over the course of four days and three nights.

     A freak blizzard caused writers Steve Goltz and Kevin Sommerfield to rewrite entire portions of the script the day of filming.

     The sex scene between Clay and Dana was shot in a tent in the living room of the cabin used for the finale.

UNDERWORLD: AWAKENING

UNDERWORLD: AWAKENING (UNDERWORLD: NEW DAWN) (2012)
US
Directed by Mans Marlind and Bjorn Stein

CAST:
Kate Beckinsale - Selene
Stephen Rea - Dr. Jacob Lane
Theo James - David

PLOT:
     When human forces discover the existence of the Vampire and Lycan clans, a war to eradicate both species commences. The vampire Death Dealer Selene leads the battle against humankind.

REVIEW:
      How about this. It's the fourth week of 2012 and I'm just now reviewing a movie that actually came out this year instead of reviewing movies that were released last year or earlier. I ave to admit I have a soft spot for the first Underworld as it was a interesting take on the whole vampire and werewolf mythos and how the two are constantly at war. The second film, Evolutions,  was fun yet seemed lacking as it felt rushed more than anything else. The third one, Rise Of The Lycans, I haven't seen all of so I can't really say my opinion of it. And that brings us to the fourth film in the series.

     Kate Beckinsale, who returns as Selene, seems as if she slips  easily and comfortably back into the main role as the lead in her return to the Underworld series. Beckinsale though doesn't really have to show much emotion in this one though except for in a couple of scenes, both dealing with her "family". For the character she's playing this work very well as she's supposed to be playing a assassin, even though this is a simple way to put her character, though it fits very well. The biggest disappointment in the whole movie to me would have to be Stephen Rea as Dr. Jacob Lane. Rea usually gives such powerful performances, even in roles he has small bits in that in this one he just kinda fades into the background. Even toward the end where his secret comes out  and he has a chance to really let go character wise, Rea still stays like a person in a background, as if he doesn't really understand what he should do. The one great surprise acting wise was by Charles Dance as Thomas. Dance does what he does amazingly well and that's act. Though his role is small, Dance probably had the most challenging one as he portrays one of the last of the older vampires and trying to keep his clan all alive no matter the cost, and one that he pays for in the end.

     Now as far as the story goes it had so much potential and still does. The reason why I put it the way I did is because the story starts through the use of TV news clips. This is why I said the story had so much potential. Len Wiseman and his writing could have focused on the purging the news mentions in the first five minutes of the movie and it would have actually filled in a whole movie with all that is mentioned. One that would have been more political based, yet at the same time more filled with cloak and dagger thrills as the Vampires and Lycans would have had to concentrate on being more stealthy and dangerous due to the world both were used to falling apart. That's not to say that Awakening's story isn't bad. In fact it throws a whole new twist into the series as the world is a lot more dangerous now for the Vampires as almost the all the Vampire clans have been wiped out. The main twist in the story was pretty much broadcasted in the trailers for the movie for those that paid attention. But, it also brings out a whole other side of Selene that she never thought she had. It as well adds a whole new dimension to her character.

     The biggest flaw in the movie to was the overuse of CG. Even though the CG isn't as bad as some of the recently released movies, it still sticks out more than it should. Considering that the previous entries in the Underworld series had really great effects on the Lycans, specially the first Underworld movie, this seems like a slap in the face during parts. The one thing the series has always done well is the action. This one is no different as the action is part of the main draw for this movie. And yes it does get bloody, specially when the Lycans start showing in numbers. As I went I saw the 3D version of the movie I should mention that the movie was a lot of fun this way as the movie was shot in 3D, and not post conversion which makes things feel flat. Everything just pops in this movie thanks to it. From scenes that show wide open spaces, to the use of bombs that release silver dust that affects Lycans. The movie was fun if not a little bit empty story wise.This I think the writers did on purpose due to the studios wanting to continue the series farther and wanting a plausible way for another sequel. Other than my gripes Underworld: Awakening is a fast paced entry in the series that barely slows down to catch it's breath while adding another layer to the series that still has plenty to offer.

BEST DEATH:
     Even though it's not the bloodiest, it's after Selene first wakes back up and you realize that she still kicks ass by taking out five guards in less than 2 seconds and with style.

BEST LINE:
     This is a new war. And it's only beginning.

FUN FACTS:
     Underworld: Awakening is one of the first films to be shot on the EPIC RED cameras in 3D.

     Underworld: Awakening is released on the same day as Underworld: Evolutions was six years ago in 2006.

     The director of Rare Exports, Jalmari Helander, was offered the the job of director.

HOUSE CALL

HOUSE CALL (2011)
US
Directed by Erik L Wilson

CAST:
Aimee Bello - Janice
Michael Jordan - Steve
Janet Gawrys - Mother

PLOT:
     Janice does the unthinkable in order to start a new life with her new boyfriend. However, strange things begin to happen on the night of their one year anniversary.

REVIEW:
      I have to first start out by apologizing to director Erik Wilson for the lateness of this review. The reason why I say this is because I really should have put out my review of his short film sooner. Yet with the holidays that hit just recently a lot of things got shifted around and a lot of emails were put where they shouldn't have been. As I said before, I'm slowly getting around to the emails I thought I had lost. Well let me get right to it and start the review.

     Sometimes it's the simplest premise that works the best in movies and films. In the case of House Call, it works perfect as everything is concise and for the most part explained.  A mother is out for revenge for her son's death against those who wronged him. The character development is kept to a bare minimum which in this case works because of the running time, which is 17 minutes. The characters are introduced through their actions which takes the place of character development. You find out that Janice is a murderer of her old abusive lover and that Steve might not know of what his lover did to be with him. Or if he does, Steve never mentions it. Yet it's Michael Jordan's performance as Steve that really grabs your attention once he becomes possessed as his acting goes to a different level than everyone else's.

     The look of the film is exceptional thanks to the use of Red One cameras. As well as the use of filters which not a lot of young independent filmmakers use. Thanks to this House Call has a much more professional look than most short films do.  Yet the one part of the film that got to me is the special effects. The CG during the ritual scene was really well done as was all of the practical or in-camera effects. Unfortunately the CG used during the final scene looked halfway done as it didn't blend well with the scene and was too false looking. House Call was a fun short that didn't waste time and got to the point with it's revenge fueled story and well done effects that for the most part, and baring a single plot hole was a pleasant surprise.

BEST DEATH:
     A gut check that Janice won't ever forget.

BEST LINE:
     So, instead of seeing pink elephants, like a normal person on a acid trip, you see crazy old ladies in bushes.

FUN FACTS:
     Director Erik L Wilson also wrote and produced the film.

  

PROTEST

     I've tried to stay away from talking about anything political on this blog as it's for movies. Yet with the proposed bills of SOPA and PIPA, this site probably would have to be taken down. Not because of my reviewing movies, but because of my opinion of them.

     Let me try to explain. Even though SOPA and PIPA are "supposed" to be about piracy, it's about the control of information only. That is the basis of both bills. If someone in power doesn't like what you have to say about their property, or if you use the words "We're sorry" in your online writing or blog, the people in charge can shut down your site and put you in jail for 5 years.

     Yes, the words "We're sorry" can land you in jail if these two stupid bills pass due to someone actually copyrighted those words together.

     Below is sites you can go to to understand more what these bills can actually do to harm the internet. Also, contact you're congressman and representatives in Washington and tell them to not back these idiotic bills.

Thank you everyone,

Jason

DEMAND PROGRESS

TAKE ACTION

UNCENSORED

THANK YOU

     I just wanted to take a moment and thank everyone that has stopped by, read, skimmed though, and left comments. I've had over 15,000 thousands hit in a little over a year and a half and my reviews are used in a website as well now.

     You'll probably notice I have a ad space on my blog. This is due to I'm going to be moving soon and need the extra money for that as well as to help get extra content for the blog. Sorry if this makes some people mad, yet it's just the way things go sometimes.

     I'm also going to be running another contest soon just to let everyone have a heads up on it. I just hope this time more than one person enters it. Also the questions are going to be easier this time. I promise.

Thank you all again,

ghostwound

JIGOKU KOSHIEN

JIGOKU KOSHIEN (BATTLEFIELD BASEBALL) (HELL STADIUM) (2003)
JP
Directed by Yudai Yamaguchi

CAST:
Tak Sakaguchi - Yakyu Jubei
Atsushi Ito - Megane
Hideo Sakaki - Hoichi

PLOT:
     Battlefield Baseball is a tough game--it doesn't end until all the members on the opposing team are dead.

REVIEW:
      Before starting the reviews this year, I decided to try and see more Japanese and Asian horror films. Well last year I didn't get to review a lot of the ones I had as I concentrated more on more recent movies than trying to get a good mixture of new and older movies. Well so far this year I seem to be doing a better job at keeping the mix at a decent level of new, old , and Asian. Now I know that Asian horror has the same downfalls as all horror films. Yet for some reason, bad Asian horror films are just easier to watch it seems. That's a hint of what's to come with this review.

     Well this was one of those movies I knew nothing about, but decided to watch it due to it has Tak Sakaguchi in it. Well let me take that one back for a second. I knew the movie was about baseball of some type. I just wasn't expecting what I saw though. The camera work had some interesting shots yet nothing really stood out as most of the time the cinematographer did a adequate job at best. The sound design was actually above average for a movie of this caliber. One would have suspected that it would have been really bad, but the sound design was definitely one the more stand out qualities of Battlefield Baseball. One of the weirder things I noticed in the movie was the characters that were from Gedo High reminded me a lot of old 80's  Troma movies, where the look of the characters were more of the radiated punk style. Not just their looks but the way characters acted and behaved as well.

     Now I have to talk about the acting. The reason why is I put it that way is because I know the actors, and most of them can actually act due to I've seen them in roles where they have to act.  Tak Sakaguchi, who plays Jubei, I think had the most fun in his role as the delinquent baseball hero. The reason why is because one moment he has to act the bad ass, the next he has to look like he just discovered a pot of gold. I will say that Sakaguchi has a screen presence that usually comes off the screen, though in this one it just seems hidden and misplaced. Hideo Sakaki is the one actor I had the most problem placing in the whole film. It wasn't until I realized that he was the one who was bandaged up the whole movie that I laughed. As usual Sakaki plays the true bad guy. I love Sakaki's makeup in this movie as it reminds me of a true anime character, as well as almost all of his lines as most are so over the top that you just have to laugh.

     Okay, I'm not going to beat around with this last part. The movie was just god awful. Yet, it was so bad that it was hilarious. Every action the characters do is so overdone, that it's telegraphed before they do it. The story is all about a delinquent who has giving up baseball due to his ability to throw a ball at speeds of a bullet which killed his father while playing catch. Even with his dad was wearing a glove half the size of his body. Another weird aspect is one of the characters, Bancho. Bancho dies three times throughout the movie and each time he comes back his look has changed to someone younger with no explanation of how. The rival baseball team is made up of zombies and monsters, and one zombie in particular carries around a dried out cadaver and uses as a puppet. Later on toward the end the Dried Out Cadaver is n a fist fight with Jubei which just adds to the over exaggerated aspect to everything that is this movie. Battlefield Baseball is so full of out of the blue scenes, including a musical number and a family revelation that it's impossible to actually keep a straight face during. Yet the one scene that made me laugh at the complete blatancy, is when the character Jubei breaks the 4th wall and describes the positive effects of baseball. Either the director is a genius for making a movie he knew was so terrible he tried to make it as funny as possible, or he really had no idea he was making one the worst movie I've seen in a long time. Either way, I laughed throughout the entire movie.


BEST DEATH:
     The amazing catch only to find out the ball is rigged by the unsuspecting player.

BEST LINE:
     This is Gedo High's new weapon, the poisoned bat named "Poison Bat."

FUN FACTS:
     The movie is referenced in Ban The Sadist Video (2005).

     The movie was based on the manga by Gataro Man.

     Ryuhei Kitamura produced the film while also releasing three of his films in the same year. These films include; Aragami, Azumi, and Skyhigh.

     The manga was recently remade as Deadball for the Sushi Typhoon production company last year with Tak Sakaguchi returning as the lead character Yakyu Jubei and Yudai Yamaguchi returning to the director's chair.

SOLOMON KANE

SOLOMON KANE (2009)
CZ/UK/FR
Directed by Michael J. Bassett

CAST:
James Purefoy - Solomon Kane
Max von Sydow - Josiah Kane
Rachel Hurd-Wood - Meredith Crowthorn

PLOT:
     A mercenary who owes his soul to the devil and has renounced violence, is forced back into his past violent life.

REVIEW:
     This is one of those movies that was released overseas, yet never made it in the US, even though the film got good word of mouth and favorable reviews. This is also one of the movies I always wondered about as I remember seeing the trailers for it, and thinking that it might be a fun watch. Yet a year later it still never appeared. So this is one of those movies that the US film distributors had no idea what to do with. Which means that it had an original story, wasn't based on another movie, isn't a remake, and isn't a sequel. So that equals basically now dead in Hollow-wood. Thankfully is was released in Europe and I was able to get a copy of it to review.

     Why the hell was this not released in America? Oh, that's right, the film is completely serious is why. And it sold it as well. If the filmmakers had tried to make Solomon Kane fun or funny, it would have ended up making a mockery of itself. The reason why I say this is because the story is about Kane, who is told that his soul belongs to the Devil. This basically drives him to renounce all violence and what amounts to hiding in a monastery trying to make the world forget he even existed. It's only when Kane is faced with a choice and his inaction causes a innocent to die in front of him and the boy's family does he finally understand that he truly had no choice in what path in life he has to live. The difference between the way Kane was at the beginning of the film to when he takes back up arms is that instead of killing for glory and self profit, he kills to save someone, as well as trying to save himself, even though Kane knows his soul is damned. It's this duality in Kane that really drives the story more than anything else as the character truly shows and feels remorse for his past life. Yet when Kane is pushed he becomes more of a demon than those he is chasing and is singular in his path.

     James Purefoy, who plays Solomon Kane, plays the character with no humor to him, but with a sadness through most of the film that is just always below the surface. It's this sadness that drives Purfoy's acting in the first third of the movie. It's this that shows in Purefoy's eyes and his depression of trying find his way in a world that his character left behind. The second and third acts in the film though is when we see the Purefoy's Kane become a demon and his lack of remorse. It's during this that we find out just how much of a badass Kane is thanks to Purefoy's acting. Pete Postlethwaite, who plays William Crowthorn, does a great job as usual. I really don't think he can give a bad performance no matter what he tries. In this, Postlethwaite's character plays the moral center to Kane. I say this as when Crowthorn first meets Kane, Kane is lost in more ways than one both spiritually and mentally and Crowthorn's patience and caring slowly brings Kane back to a place that can be considered living and able to function in society once again.

     The look of the film was interesting due to different reasons. One of the main things that didn't register with me until after the movie was over was the use of weather throughout. What I mean by this is in that each stage of Solomon Kane's journey the atmosphere and weather changes as well. When the film starts it's nighttime which can also represent Kane's soul. I mean this by he wittingly kills indiscriminately and with pleasure. This changes to Kane being asked to leave a monastery after hiding for a year and it's snowing. During this it seems as if no one is there for Kane. Those are just two of the changes in the film which I think director Michael J. Bassett did brilliantly as it's blended in so well with the story and the cinematography that it just becomes part of the overall experience of the story. Yet there was only a couple of things that bothered me though. One was the use of CG at two points in the movie. One was toward the start of the film where it shows a city being besieged by Kane and the second was toward the end of the film with the ending creature when it first shows up. The next was that the film was building up to Kane's fight with Malachi was a little underwhelming, though it didn't really take anything away from the overall film. The biggest problem with this film unfortunately is that it was never released in the US with no reason giving. I guess it's just too original for the Hollywood remake machine. 

BEST DEATH:
     Kane's vicious beheading of a nameless thug.

BEST LINE:
     If I kill you, I am bound for hell. It's a price, I shall gladly pay.

FUN FACTS:
     An article in the Daily Mail in a interview with Rachel Hurd-Wood mentions that Bassett is into extreme measures "so his cast and crew have been working in the cold, the rain, and as much mud as possible."

     Solomon Kane was the first movie in a planned set of a trilogy.

      In 2001 it was announced that Christopher Lambert was offered the role of Kane and was seriously considering it as it's a very compelling part.

     According to Paradox Entertainment CEO Fredrik Malmberg, the film's budget was $40,000,000 USD.

     Solomon Kane is another creation of Robert E. Howard, who also created Conan, the Barbarian. 

LONGINUS

LONGINUS (2004)
JP
Directed by Ryuhei Kitamura

CAST:
Atsushi Sakurai - Mysterious Man
Takehiro Katayama - Soldier
Toshiyuki Kitami - Doctor

PLOT:
     A war rages on, its end unknown, a group of soldiers bring in one of their own to a field hospital, wounded by a large, vicious, bite-like wound. Suddenly, an enigmatic man appears and starts to tell them the legend of the Lance Of Longinus.

REVIEW:
      As I mentioned earlier this month in a review, Ryuhei Kitamura is one of the fathers of the modern Japan Gore films thanks to his film Versus. When I find a director I like I try to see everything by him, or her, if possible, though sometimes it's easier said than done. Kitamura was one of those directors who knows how to handle the aspects of over-the-top silliness without sacrificing the dramatic punch of a film which is something a lot of the newer Japanese gore directors haven't gotten a hold of yet. So when I found out about Kitamura's Longinus I just had to track it down. And now, here we are with my review of it.

     Kitamura just has a feel that translates onto the screen of how to handle limited space yet at the same time how to make the most of it. It's also his use of camera angles that help expand the universe we are seeing. Even though he's not the best action director, one thing he does well is keep the camera steady on the action where everything is on full view. Another thing he does reasonable well is he tries to keep most performances grounded in reality as much as possible even when the story goes into unrealistic territory. It's this grasp of direction that helps keep the viewer attached to the screen. And as with most of Kitamura's films he doesn't shy from using gore, but doesn't go over the top where the entire cast is covered in red like so many of the more recent horror directors from Japan.

       While most of the acting in Longinus is decent enough some stand out more than others. Some are just average such as Atushi Sakurai as the Mysterious Man. This was Sakurai's first role and despite that he does a adequate job though he could have shown just a bit more emotion. Hedio Sakaki is still great as a bad guy. Sakaki knows that to be menacing he doesn't need to act crazy or talk as if he owns the world. He understands that by talking softly as well as with authority can be much more alarming. And in Sakaki's role in this he carries a lot more weight thanks to his acting.

     Even though the film is only 40 minutes long, it feels so full and has no real slow parts in it. Even the scenes of everyone standing around questioning the Mysterious Man, has a sense of urgency to them. The story is so concise and tight that it doesn't seem like anything is missing, except for the background of the war that is going on. I'm sure that if the running time was longer for the film, the full story of the war would have also been explained as from what they tell of it in the film it seemed like the war has been going on for years on end. Also at the beginning of the film when they were burning the Doctor's body you could tell they were in a city, yet it seemed like the city was dead or evacuated. The other thing that could have been done better with the film, apart from a few minor gripes, is if it had a longer run time, as in if it was full movie.

BEST DEATH:
      The rupturing of the Commander's crown.

BEST LINE:
     In the ashes of war, death and violence are everywhere. They have no reason to hide themselves anymore.

FUN FACTS:
     The film was released in 2004 in Japan.

     The film was never officially released in the US.

    Director Ryuhei Kitamura was offered the job directing The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, but turned it down, citing a poor script.

DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK

DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK (2009)
CA
Directed by Jen Soska and Sylvia Soska

CAST:
Rikki Gagne - Junkie
Jen Soska - Geek
Sylvia Soska - Badass/ 1989 The Cunt

PLOT:
     Set in beautiful Vancouver, four friends set out on an everyday errand and end up in a fight for their lives when they discover the body of a dead hooker left in their trunk.

REVIEW:
      So as most can tell by now I've geared back up and getting back on the review wagon. I just want to apologize for those that sent my their indie and short films I haven't gotten to yet. I'm going to be making my way through my emails that have sent me links and watching them all in the next month or so. So today it's the indie feature Dead Hooker In A Trunk.

    The acting for the most part in the movie was surprisingly decent. Usually in low budget productions the acting is the one area that almost suffers the most, thankfully the female cast members were more than decent in their roles. In fact, I would have to say that they were the main reason I kept watching the movie. Now C.J. Wallis who plays Goody Two-Shoes I have to say improved throughout the movie. When we're first introduced to his character it just seemed like Wallis was lost at what to do, though later on he seems to finally get a grip on his character and his place in the movie. As for Loyd Bateman as Killer/ Priest, he does a much better job in his role as the Priest. Yet once he takes on the role of Killer he tries too hard to be threatening, hence he comes off as almost a joke. But when Bateman speaks quietly he can pull off a decent antagonistic role with some menace.

      I will give the Soska sisters, Jen and Sylvia, some applause for trying to pull off a homage to the grindhouse movies of the 70's.They have the look from that time period down quite well, as well as from the 80's, 90's, and 00's. But, in certain scenes the camera is out of focus which detracts from the viewing. There's is one thing that I was really pleased with though and that the Soskas do use different lenses, as well as used filters during editing of their movie. Another drawback of the movie is the sound, as during some parts of the movie it's just fine and sounds very professional, yet at other times it seems like the tried to use the mic on the camera they were using, which doesn't have a wind-screen on most camera mics. Another drawback is the use of CG during one scene in the movie, in which Junkie gets her arm tore off by a semi-truck. Yes, it was meant to shock at first, then laugh at what happened (I laughed my ass off at this scene). But it was also the most unrealistic scene of the production due to poorly executed CGI.

   The overall feel of the film was not one I expected. The reason I'm saying this is because when the film starts I was completely lost and had no idea where it was going. There is still points in the film I'm trying to  figure out such as the Purple Cowboy Pimp. He shows up at one scene as a door keeper then disappears.   Nothing wrong with that in general, yet he shows back up later on a horse going after Badass. Now this might not seem that out of the blue, yet how did he find her in the middle of nowhere. And it just seems too perfect that there was a farm nearby, hence the horse he rides in on. One of my biggest complaints abut the movie is the use of Deus Ex Machina. Now this isn't that unheard of in movies that paint themselves into a corner, but rarely do they actually bring in God. Yes, you read that right. They actually bring in God to move the story forward and actually drops one of the characters off in front of a house where Geek is at and both ask how they got there. I know that the movie is a self financed and independent feature but nothing is quite unforgivable as not giving you're audience the respect they deserve by not believing they have a brain.

BEST DEATH:
     Not really a death but watching Geek lose a body part was completely unexpected but fun.

BEST LINE:
    YOU EVER BEEN SKULLFUCKED AFTER ASS RAPED??? Jesus doesn't love you.

FUN FACTS:
     C.J. Wallis not only played Goody Two-Shoes in the film, but also edited, shot, sound tracked, marketed, and did all post on the film.

     The first screenings of the film took place in February of 2010. The very first screening being at the Ghouls on Film Festival in the UK with the second being the Pretty/Scary DOA Bloodbath Film Fest in Texas a few days later.

     During the end credits this line appears:
No hookers were harmed during the principal photography of this feature film production.

SENTO SHOJO: CHI NO TEKKAMEN DENSETU

SENTO SHOJO: CHI NO TEKKAMEN DENSETU (MUTANT GIRL SQUAD) (2010)
JP
Directed by: Noboru Iguchi
                   Yoshihiro Nishimura
                   Tak Sakaguchi

CAST:
Yumi Sugimoto - Rin
Suzuka Morita - Yoshie
Yuko Takayama - Rei

PLOT:
     Rin, a sixteen-year-old mutant girl, meets a gang of rebel mutants who aim to take revenge on humans for persecuting their race.

REVIEW:
     While Japan has been no stranger to over the top gore in their movies, it is only in the past 10 years or so that it's truly become a sub-genre of it's own. Even though Takashi Miike has been doing films with plenty of gore and over the top action set pieces, it wasn't really until Miike's Ichi The Killer and Ryuhei Kitmura's Versus was released in Japan and in the states that this genre of movies became popular cult films. One of the key features in these films is how quickly they can be filmed and released while inventing new and even more over the top gross out gags that rivals Troma pictures itself.

     While the acting at most was average for the most part, some of the actors stood out more than the others, and not always in a good way. Tak Sakaguchi, who also directed the first segment of the movie, plays the transvestite Hiruko leader Kisaragi, and is for the most part subdued except for at the end when he just goes overboard with trying to act like he has an ultimate power. Yet, it is fun to watch him though. Naota Takenaka on the other hand is just so over the top in his roll as the head of the Anti-Hiruko Task Force Koshimizu. Now when you first see him it doesn't seem that way. Yet right before his character is killed he stops to pick up a bowl of food and comment on it while bleeding from the forehead. I could swear he was trying not to laugh throughout the entire scene. Mutant Girl Squad is just filled with so much bad acting that it get's so where you just stop caring how bad most everyone is, specially the extras that are killed, and you just start to have fun watching it.

     As for the movie itself, the best way I can put it is to compare it to a Troma movie but yet better special effects for most of it except for after Astro-mutant starts cutting off it's own limbs. I am not joking about that either. First it cuts off it's hands which is still capable of being controlled and then the feet get cut off just to keep on kicking someone in the face repeatedly for at least two minutes. All this is going on while Astro-mutant is doing its own self-propelled act in mid-air with jets of flame coming out of it's body where the hands and feet were. I will admit that toward the beginning of the movie to me is the best scene which is after Rin goes mutant for the first time and she goes on a rage fueled rampage through a shopping center. So many different characters are seen in this part that it becomes a blur (which might be why I like this scene the best). Also during this scene weapons are used that I have never seen trying to be used as a weapon before. For example, a corncob is used for a weapon, or at least tried to be used. Yet the weirdest weapon was a human being being used as a type of sword.

     As the movie is filmed by three different directors, each of the three acts have a different feel to them. The first act directed by Tak Sakaguchi feels the most together and complete. This might be because it's also the least weird out of all the segments in which Rin is introduced and how she's is basically a ball of rage just simmering at the breaking point. The second act is when we're introduced to the rest of the Hiruko and is hinted at just how weird the movie is going to get. It is also the last time in the movie that the story makes any sense for the most part. The third act is when the movie goes completely off the rails and becomes a live action anime in every sense of the word. The character Kisaragi becomes a monster. It is also in this act that the special effects go from mostly practical which I loved about the first two acts, to mostly CG which just ruins the feel of the movie which was one of fun to one of overt sloppiness. While the movie is nowhere near as bad as the worst movie I've seen, it's also a movie best left to be watched with friends, like let's say a bad movie night viewing. I do have to admit though that I was laughing after about the first five minutes and didn't stop until the movie was finished, even with all the "WHAT THE FUCK" moments and really bad dialogue throughout.

BEST DEATH:
     Eyepatch Assassin impaled through rectum by her own sword. It's also a homage to Cannibal Holocaust.

 

BEST LINE:
     This is Lemme's Butt-Sword. A sharp matter, huh?

FUN FACTS:
     At the Stiges Film Festival Mutant Girl Squad won the award for Best Motion Picture in the Midnight X-Treme section.

     For the Japanese DVD release of the film, Noboru Iguchi created a short prequel film titled Yoshie Zero that focuses on Suzuka Morita's character.

     Each director directed one third of the film with Sakaguchi directing the first part, Iguchi the second and Nishimura the third.