DVD : 3/5 Rating : Evil

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IMHO REVIEW :
this movie reminds me a little of el bora in the sense that you can't judge a character by it's initial introduction.

based on the novel, Ondskan, by Swedish author Jan Guillou - after seeing the makings of - found that the movie/book is based on actual accounts of Jan's life, which is pretty scary considering the story/movie.

it takes a troubled teen of 16 whose violent and comes from an abusive family. his mother sends him to a private school in the hopes of one last chance (as no other local schools will take him). in the beginning you feel that this boy is what the title is talking about. that this boy is evil - as the movie progresses it shows him changing as he makes a friend in the private school.

things i found interesting about this movie.
1. it's based on true events
2. it takes place in finland during the 50's / 60's (right after WWII)
3. how teachers act during that time period.
4. how students acted when left to their own devices.

not a - drop everything you must watch this movie - but it's pretty good. don't let the cover fool you - it isn't a 'Fight Club In A Boarding School.'

DVD : 1/5 Rating : Tokyo Rampage

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IMHO REVIEW :
i had high hopes for this movie - mainly cause well... from the plot description. sadly when i saw it it was very disappointing.

it was very slow... and the movie didn't live up to the title of 'Tokyo Rampage.' the story was more like a.... tokyo disturbance more then a rampage.

it's basically bout a gang / yakuza fighting to establish itself and being too scared to do so. so what does the boss do? he tries to get some nut to do it for him... and the nut isn't that interesting either (shown on cover).

it just wasn't a very good gangster movie - with no real insight to that sub-culture / life. i would not recommend this movie.

DVD : 2/5 Rating : 3 Extremes

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IMHO REVIEW :
saw this finally - it took two days to watch it. the first night when i tried to watch it i had to stop. it was starting to affect my appetite...

so this movie is a collection of three shorts by three of todays best horror/uber violent movie directors. two i've heard of the third i have not.

Chan-wook Park did the vengence series. old boy, sympathy for mr. vengence and lady vengence.

Takashi Miike did ichi the killer, audition amongst many others.

Fruit Chan i've never heard of but after seeing his short i should look him up.

the three shorts were okay - it wasn't amazing or up to par from their other movies i've seen. but something that i found interesting was how the three movies seemed to mimic the styles of their countries (imho). Fruit Chan's short (chinese) was very normal paced. it seemed like a telling of a very normal story with very very un-normal plot.

Chan-woo Park's short (korean) was very raw, very rash and pretty loud. while Takashi Miike's short (japanese) was very quite and used lots of beautiful scenery which was held for effect.

overall :
Dumpling (Fruit Chan) was the best story - and the creepiest.

Cut (Chan-woo Park) seemed forced. the overall story was a bit hard to believe mainly cause it felt so rushed.

Boxed (Takashi Miike) seemed a bit slow, especially since it was the last short and it followed two movies which was faster paced in it's story telling.

i would have ordered the movie to build up the action / pace. Boxed then Dumpling and close with Cut. but that's just me. personally i'd say go for their full length movies - they're better in every way.

DVD : 1/5 Rating : Shogun Assassin

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IMHO REVIEW :
what a disappointing movie. :(

i had high hopes as this movie is based on one of my favorite comic series - lone wolf and cub. i rented it - and started watching it when to my joy the intro of the movie was familiar to me. i had heard it in Kill Bill part 2 when Uma's character and her daughter watches a movie... it's this movie.

so with gleeful content i watched, only to be utterly disappointed. first the main character choice... it was just hard for me to believe a fat-ish guy with a double chin to be a bad ass samuria, plus the movie seemed more like a compilation of fight scenes from another movie / show. the story arc was poor - if you can even find it and they butchered the characters.

they made the final villian the shogun who happened to be a wizard??!?!?! WTF?

avoid it... avoid it at all cost. read the comic series instead.

DVD : 4/5 Rating : Love Me If You Dare

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IMHO REVIEW :
saw this yesterday. rented this based on it's trailer - it looked like a romatic comedy, and it started out as such but then mid way changed.

this movie reminded me of bitter moon - where the story explores love, both it's happy side as well as it's dark side.

this movie starts out with two kids, one with an ailing mother and another a porlak from a poor family which everyone teases. they become friends and to make each other happy they play a game of dare. initially it's cute, then funny and as they grow older you see that they have something very very special.

then the turning point when the girl can not distinguish if the boy truely loves her of if it's all just a game... then the story turns very very dark.

it's a great story and well told, just not for the faint of heart and not for those looking for a happy ending. it is NOT like 'when harry met sally' as much as it seems so in the beginning.

watch it, but be forewarned it isn't your typical love story.

DVD : 4/5 Rating : El Bola

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IMHO REVIEW :
just finished watching this movie.

it's good - but very very hard to watch. it's a movie of a 12 year old boy who lives with an abusive father. the story is told very well showing a slice of life of a 'normal kid' and a 'bad kid' and the family life each lives. they become friends and the 12 year old boy is exposed to a happy family.

he then has to go back to his home where his father awaits. the voilence isn't gratuitous but the movie will have you at the edge of your seat as there are moments of tension where you think something will happen and hope that it won't.

it's a great movie on a very hard subject matter.

fyi - the movie is from film movement (i'm guessing it's the distribution company) and i'm gonna have to rent more movies by them.

ADDITION :
just finished watching the extras on this dvd and i'm very glad that i did. there was a makings of which was mildly interesting, but it also had a short movie called 'More' directed by Mark Osborne which received an Academy Award nomination in 1998. it's a great animated short. don't forget to view it when you rent this dvd.

DVD : 3/5 Rating : Audition

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IMHO REVIEW : *WARNING*
i heard about this movie from a friend of mine who went to see it at the theatres during the showing various people left and puked... the last 20 minutes is that violent.

mind you this movie is directed by the same director (Takashi Miike) who directed Ichi the Killer. the difference with this movie is that Takashi explored the more emotional aspect of violence / terror. for the bulk of the movie you're just tense... there are just things that isn't right. there are moments when you just feel creeped out.

so the overall plot of the movie is this - widowed film maker (who has a son) is told by a friend that he should remarry. when the film maker states how is he gonna find the right gal his friend suggests that they use a movie audition as an excuse to find him a wife / date. needless to say they go through various gals until the director finds one who he likes.

they go on one date and the director is wondering if he should really persue this. during this lull Takashi shows a scene where the gal is sitting on the floor of an empty room - except for a telephone and what looks like a bag filled with dirty laundry (it looks like a duffle bag). he holds this scene - with her head down for a bit.... then he shows it again - she has not moved.

then the phone rings... she picks up.... and there is a scene where out of nowhere the bag starts to tussle/move. - bloodie creepie! later in the movie you actually see what's in the bag.

it's an amazingly creepy violent movie - interesting story + telling only if you can stomach it. again - when it showed in theaters many people walked out puking (so my friend told me) and after having seen the movie i understand why.

DVD : 3/5 Rating : Ichi the Killer

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IMHO REVIEW : *WARNING*
another ultra-violent movie. if you liked old boy this would be it for stylized cartoonish violence. not for the faint of heart.

the reason i have a warning on Takashi Miike is known for doing ultra violent movies and pushing the boundaries. his other famous movie is 'The Audition' - but unlike that movie this is just trying to show you the gore. there are moment's when the violence seem cartoonish - especially towards the end. but this movie is not for the faint of heart.

what is the plot? it's basically about a sadistic gangster whose boss (also a sadistic bastard) was murdered - very messy like. so this gangster is out to try to find the killer. you later learn that this killer is 'Ichi.' in addition to this the gangster (his the guy on the cover) goes about trying to find his bosses' killer by torturing random / various people.

mind you there are moments when i thought - damn, that's pretty creative (and very very creepy) but there are more moments when you just have to look away.

Ichi the Killer combines sadism and a murder mystery. it's an entertaining watch - but be WARNED it's amazingly visually violent.

DVD : 3/5 Rating : Howl's Moving Castle

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IMHO REVIW :
watched this movie yesterday - via Netflx.

all in all a pretty good flick, but not as great as i had hoped. a part of that could be cause i'm such a huge fan of Hayao Miyazaki's previous works. works such as my neighbor totoro, nausica of the valley of the wind, spirited away and my personal favorite princess mononoke (in case you're wondering what mononoke means - ghost (angry), specter).

howl's moving castle has a similar feel - creepy creatures, magic, spirits and the like. his creativity of how the castle works is pretty amazing. his characters are super sweet - but it seemed lacking. the movie felt long, the story slow to develop and the ending seemed very abrupt. everything tied up very nicely in 5 minutes and left you wondering... really. that's all you had to do?

this would be a rent for me. if you are curious - i'd strongly suggest his other works - especially Princess Mononoke.

DVD : 3/5 Rating : Last Life in the Universe

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IMHO REVIEW :
finally watched the movie last nite and here's my review.

1. initially it seemed very slow (meaning the story telling was slow) and so it annoyed me. then i noticed that it was intentional. that the movie was trying to tell stories with images / scenes without any interactions with the actors. there were shots / scenes of empty rooms with nothing happening. you were allowed to view the empty space and get the story.

2. so i got the bit of how they were trying to use images to help tell the story. there were many things which suggested at importance but didn't explain further. this annoyed me. so i decided to watch it again with the commentary on. the commentary was by the cinematographer and he talked more about 'image making' and towards the end he actually stated. the movie / images are what they are. they don't have to be explained. when you look at a painting you don't ask why - you just enjoy it.

3. bloodie hell! so the movie didn't explain it's images / scenes.... but after some thought i found this interesting. the movie - with it's lack of hand holding to tell the story - makes you get involved. makes you think about the visuals, the pacing the interactions between the two main characters. it makes you think.

overall : if you're into 'image making' of diciphering visual language, you'll like this movie. this is not a hollywood type flick so don't watch it if you want to be 'entertained - and forget about your day.' DO watch it if you want to interact with the movie. ideally watch it with a friend and discuss it afterwards.

DVD : 4/5 Rating : Downfall

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IMHO REVIEW :
saw this movie the other day... it was a very hard movie to watch. the movie covers the last few days of Adolf Hitler in his Berlin bunker at the end of WWII.

i think if you're a huge history buff (especially war buff) + you have a high tolerance for gore you'll like this movie. i for one had a very hard time with it - because the gore (sawing off someone's leg / arm - killing children via poison) was just too much. the realism as well as the casualness of some of these scenes (which i'm only guessing to be what it might be like in a war situation) was just too much.

i turned away many a times hoping the scene would end. but as for the acting and the storytelling it was great. especially the actor who portrayed Hitler. the character starts off being a strong figure and as the movie moves on starts to become this frail defeated shell of a man. the characters around him / the mood and everything starts to errode and turns chaotic.

i would not recommend this movie (even though i think there's some good acting / story / etc...) unless you're a war / history buff. i had a very hard time viewing it due to the content in this movie... and anyone who knows me knows i don't get freaked out too easily.

THEATER : 4/5 Rating : Welcome to Cavite

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IHMO REVIEW :
just saw this movie tonight - it's playing this week at the varsity theather in U District, if you miss it it'll be on netflix soon.

so here's my review.

if you dislike violence or/and have bad motion sickness this movie isn't for you. (two peeps walked out of the movie)

but if you like great story - edge of your seat - indie - smart movies then this is for you. there are two main characters in this movie and they are the writers of this movie. one filmed it while the other was the main character which you follow + the director also played the second character which you never see. it's a slice of life - it's scary and it's very very believable. it takes you to the phillippines and exposes you to their culture as well as what happens to some unfortunate souls.

roldy originally dotted this with a summary so if you want to read it - go ahead, but i would suggest (if you're interested in viewing this) to view it without reading the summary. it'll keep you at the edge of your seat. the way the story is told is great.

PLUS if you're someone whose thought about making a movie i'd highly recommend watching this. i'm very curious to know how much was spent making this movie. it seemed very low budget - but the story was great. i'd say this is a great example of how with enginuity you can still make a compelling movie.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED (as long as you're okay with violence and motion)

DVD : 3/5 Rating : Night Watch

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IMHO REVIEW :
saw this the other day. i know that i reviewed this movie (kinda) sometime ago stating i didn't like it much... but i got it via netflix and watched it again. here's my second review.

the first time i watched it was over at a friends house after a food coma... i was half falling asleep trying to read the subtitles. this time around i was wide wake and enjoyed the movie very much. to my shock.

one odd thing though... in the language selection they only had english, french and spanish. no russian... whatever. the story was pretty good - i especially enjoyed how everything tied in. if you enjoy fantasy, epic stories that you'll be very entertained. it won't move you - it won't leaving with an epiphany, but it will leave you entertained.

FYI - this is the first film of a trilogy. on the dvd they had extras showing the director / writer talking bout it with them filming the second film. i'll be waiting for the second installment.

DVD : 4/5 Rating : Day Watch / Dnevnoy Dozor

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IMHO REVIEW :
just watched this over at harolds place - bloodie great movie. the timing on the subtitles were slightly off, but other then that the movie was great.

day watch is the second installment of a trilogy. the first was night watch, the second is called day watch.

here's my review - without giving too much away. the second movie seemed like they had a bigger budget (the first was a huge hit in russia) and they dive in deeper into the story and explore more about the world - exploring it. the overall setup is great. there are two forces - the dark and the light. these forces have a truce... and there are peeps to enforce that truce, should the truce be broken - there will be all out war. simple yes, but the way the story works within the setup is great.

the creativity of the writer or production person or whoever came up with all the cool stuff is fantastic. the bit i love most is how they take common objects and give it a back story, making these objects interesting. example - flashlight, in the first movie the flashlight was a weapon, which can expose and harm the 'dark.' in this movie they introduce more stuff - such as the camera, a piece of chalk, a childs toy. it's great.

the second movie has a complete story - if you haven't seen the first movie you can still enjoy this story, but you'll enjoy them slightly more if you have seen it as all the characters from the first movie is in the second. the completeness of this story was great - all i can say is i have no idea how they are gonna top this one and what story they will do for the third... it was that complete.

if you're interested in watching this movie now and not wait... go to scarecrow videos on roosevelt (seattle).

DVD : 3/5 Rating : Empire of the Wolves

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IMHO REVIEW :
saw 'empire of the wolves' the other day and here's my review. it's pretty darn good! the movie - as i see it - is in three parts. part one: creepy! - part two: mystery + twist. - part three: build up + conclusion. in that sense it kinda threw me of initially - cause the first 1/3 of the movie seems like it's gonna be a horror flick (meaning - it has some visually gross stuff... so if it's not your thing - look away) but after that it goes in deeper to solving a mystery...

the mystery is great - there are multiple characters all unique which all seems to be converging. some characters : young cop trying to find a serial killer. corrupt cop who was fired - but knows the turkish underwold. government official wife whose memory is failing her. the serial killer. those are the four main characters - but they have a slue of supporting casts which are all very well played out & given time to develope.

overall - a very entertaining movie. my only grip was the very end... it ended too 'neatly.' i dislike movies that end too neatly - especially when the whole movie was spent building up towards the end... where you're wondering - what the shits gonna happen next! and then it's... oh - is that all. :(

but still a good mystery story with lots of twists and turns you don't expect (i didn't). if you're up for a mystery - this would be a good flick.

DVD : 3/5 Rating : Osama

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IMHO REVIEW :
had heard alot about this movie - finally got it via netflixed and watched it the other day.

here's my review. it's a poorly shot movie with a really sad story. i say poorly shot because there isn't really anything exciting about the cinematography but the story itself is a sad one. it's about a 12 year old afghan girl, her mother and grandmother who has to live in a society run by the Taliban.

it's a story of oppression, of daily life in this part of the world and time. it's a very very sad movie. i saw the extra and learned some gems about this movie.

1. the girl playing the 12 year old Afghan girl never seen a movie or television. the girl grew up and has her own experiences with the Taliban.

2. the boy who helps her is also a street kid who was capturing stray dogs and selling them to people as pets.

the director wanted to have real people in his movie who brought with them real experiences.

3. the movie is based on / stiched together from real stories the director had heard / read. the real girl which the main story is based on was a girl who went to school - when the Taliban took over they forbade girls from attending school. she cut her hair and pretended to be a boy so she could attend school. the Taliban found out and the principle of that school was 'repremended' - it doesn't go into details of what happened to the principle.

if you've read some of my reviews i hate 'neat' hollywood endings - well this movie doesn't have one. it ends with a situation which makes you wonder what will happen to all the characters. it's a very realistic ending - which i'm guessing happens / happened.

the only reason the movie doesn't have a higher rating is because the movie feels like various stories stiched together and the cinematography wasn't great. other then that the story is an insightful sad one.

DVD : 3/5 Rating : De La Calle

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IMHO REVIEW :
picked this up from blockbusters - mainly cause the cover stated it had won 11 mexican academy awards.

watching this movie reminded me of 'City of God' and because of that comparision the review isn't higher.

here's my review. it's a story about a boy whose a delivery boy of drugs for corrupt cop(s) - he is accused of stealing and so he does. meaning he steals the money from the last delivery and sets out to leave the place with his girlfriend + her baby.

but before doing so he discovers his father is still alive and thus he starts looking for his father before leaving... what comes next is a journey to find his father interwined with daily life / survival. this journey reveals his desires and his realities. it's not a hollywood movie - meaning it doesn't have a 'neat' happy ending or heighted melodrama. the story plays out like something that might / could happen anywhere.

overall - very enjoyable (but sad). if you can't handle the violence of City of God i'd say watch this movie, BUT if you can handle violence then watch City of God instead.

DVD : 0/5 Rating : The Crimson Rivers 2: Angels of the Apocalypse

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IMHO REVIEW :
okay... picked up this movie cause the last movie with jean reno i saw was pretty good (Empire of the Wolves). well this movie was utter crap.

this movie was utter crap (i thought) as it tried to be an action / mystery / drama / buddy flick - and doing non of them well. the action sequences was really... out of place? there was all this fight sequences - but not by jean reno whose kinda like the main character - but by some rookie cop... what the shit? so are they like buddies - like leathal weapon or something? nope - the interplay between the two doesn't even happen til the middle of the movie and done poorly.

the mystery - eh... not much mystery there. meaning there really wasn't that much buildup. whenever they tried they'll screw it up by randomly inserting an action sequence - which distracts from the mystery / drama factor of the movie. sadly i didn't notice that this was part 2 of a movie by the same name.... (grrrrrr....) i had heard that part one was good and part two was crap. well let me tell ya - this was crap.

don't watch it. there's so many other good movies to waste your time on. :)

DVD : 3/5 Rating : The Warrior

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IMHO REVIEW :
saw this two days ago... here's my review.

i was expecting something different. when i saw the preview for this movie it made it out to be an action adventure movie - it is not an action adventure movie - it's more about a spiritual journey of a man who wants to change his life. it's a movie where the story is told mostly through imagery. the dialog is very minimal and the story would fall apart was it not for the lead actor whose presense is amazing.

the overall story is about a 'warrior' who tries to change his life - he is meet with challenges which temps him to seek revenge, to strike back but instead he chooses to find peace. it's a very spiritual movie with various mystical elements. it has sweeping landscape shots which are amazing as well as sutle close ups. it's beautifully shot - just poorly edited.

i state that it's poorly edited because the flow doesn't work with the way the story is told (i think). the story is very 'zen' like but there are moments where the cut seens are too fast which seem jarring. it kinda takes away from long peaceful shots of the beautiful landscape.

overall - good movie if you're in the mood for indie - slow - inner journey type movies. if you're looking for action and bloodshed - this isn't for you.

DVD : 4/5 Rating : Tsotsi

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IMHO REVIEW :
saw this the other day and enjoyed it very much - especially after seeing such slow paced movies as 'the warrior' and 'junebug.'

the story is very typical - thug who has a ruff life has something happen to him which sets him into a journey which allows him to recapture his humanity - but with that said it's still a very well told story. the cinemontography was nice - it had a look of high gloss (think bling bling mtv like music video) but the things being shown on screen is gritty and dirty.

the actor playing tsotsi is also great - i'm starting to see the importance of good actors, especially when the story is so based around that one character. there are moments when you see the sterness in him - he has a look where you don't want to meet him in a dark alley - there are moments when he looks like a scared little boy (which when you think about it... he is. his only in his teens after all) and at other moments he is a mixture of emotions as he does horrific things as he looks mortified...

there are moments of violence which are totally senseless - which helps with the believablity of the overall movie (i think). the way the movie ended will leave you wondering what next - so watch it with someone - and talk bout it afterwards.

it's gritty, it's dirty, it's an engaging story. watch it with some peeps.
FYI - do watch the extra short story by the same directory - it's also gritty - sad - but still pretty darn good. (it's in the extras section of the DVD)