ebossert
Member: Rank 3
Highly Recommended
Mon Mon Mon Monsters (2017) (Taiwanese Horror) - Pretty big surprise. Lin Shu-wei is a meek, straight-A student with no friends who gets harassed by his classmates. He has recently been framed of stealing the class funds, and is further humiliated in front of the class by a gang of bullies. All of them are punished and told to perform community service for the elderly, but they come across some nasty ghouls. The bullying aspect of this film is really emphasized. You do get the typical stuff like physical abuse in school. This adds a sense of frustration for the protagonist and the viewer, which is effective. But we also get a very multi-dimensional relationship between the protagonist and his bullies. This is the part that’s fascinating because it’s psychological and very fluid; your interpretation of their relationship changes at times. Also, the protagonist is pulled emotionally in a lot of different directions. I think the scriptwriters did a really good job and this theme is present throughout the entirety of the movie. I liked this quite a bit.
The Suspicious Death of a Minor (1975) (Italian Action/Thriller/Comedy) – A young prostitute is found brutally killed and one man (Claudio Cassinelli) decides to investigate the case. As the search progress he uncovers a girls trafficking ring with connections to powerful people. This is sometimes classified as a giallo, but it’s not. The killer is a hitman and you see his face every time he shows up, and the tone is more of a light-hearted suspense/action flick. The protagonist is unorthodox, a bit klutzy, and is a humorous ladies man. This is well-made with a likeable lead who gets in over his head. There’s a fun little car chase near the middle, as well as a rollercoaster shootout. Score is good too. Directed by Sergio Martino.
Virus (aka Day of Resurrection) (1980) (Japanese Drama/Horror) (repeat viewing) – After a deadly biological weapon is mistakenly released, the world’s population is systematically destroyed. This post-apocalyptic film by Kinji Fukasaku is a solid example of how such films should be made, because it actually has some balls and an overall bleak tone. The opening half is finely crafted in terms of the spread of the disease, while the second half focuses on the isolated group of survivors. There are a few plot developments that remain unexplained (and some unrealistic elements), but there are also some surprising twists late in the film. Due to the global focus of events, the cast mostly consist of non-Japanese actors, but they give good performances. The uncut 156-minute Japanese version was viewed; one should avoid the U.S. version, which cuts an insane 48 minutes of runtime.
Recommended
Letters from Prague (2016) (Indonesian Drama) – A girl named Larasati (Julie Estelle) tries to fulfill her deceased mother’s last wish by delivering a box filled with letters to an old man (Tio Pakusadewo from “The Raid 2”) who lives in Prague. This has some strong acting, well-written dialogue, and even some emotional resonance. Surprisingly good.
10 To Midnight (1983) (American Thriller) – An LAPD detective (Charles Bronson) and his rookie partner are on the trail of a psychopathic young man who is murdering young women. The killer is given a lot of screentime early on, and his method of murdering is quite clever. The actress from “Beverly Hills Cop” is in this, and she’s quite good. There are a few genuinely funny moments, especially during the party scene. This has good drama and tension as well, especially regarding the moral dilemma of the policeman partner. The finale is suspenseful. A well-made flick.
The Cutting Edge (1992) (American Romantic Comedy) (repeat viewing) – A temperamental figure skater (Moira Kelly) and a former hockey player (D.B. Sweeney) try to win Olympic gold as a figure skating pairs team. This is a surprisingly engaging and well-executed movie. The characters are nicely developed and their relationship is good too. You really want to see them end up together. The skating scenes are nothing special, but this is a lot of fun. I still have a huge crush on Moira Kelly.
Violence Voyager (2018) (Japanese Anime Horror/Comedy) – This uses a “gekimation” animation style – using hand-painted cardboard cutouts, as well as real fumes and fluids. An American boy Bobby decides to go with his friend Akkun into the mountains outside their village, but they encounter horrific events. This is very bizarre and macabre, but certainly entertaining and unique. Lots of body horror imagery present. There’s quite a bit of funny black humor as well. This is memorable.
Bliss (2017) (Filipino Horror) – After involving in a film production accident that leaves her crippled, a successful actress slowly transitions into madness after experiencing horrors and torture in her own home. Psychologically, this film puts pressure on our protagonist because the side characters are reprehensible. This movie jumps around a lot so you don’t know what events are real and what events are in our protagonist’s head. Thankfully, it does have a few scenes that are objective in reality. The final revelation and explanation is pretty satisfying. There is a bit of violence and some uncomfortable sexual situations.
Foxtrot Six (2019) (Indonesian Action) – Set in the year 2031, an elite soldier unites his former comrades to assemble a highly trained team capable of liberating their home nation. Oka Antara, Julie Estelle, and some side actors from other Indonesian action flicks show up. Shot with English dialogue, which is slightly awkward, but the actors do a surprisingly good job. Plot and dialogue are pretty generic, but the action is satisfying in its quantity and overall quality. It’s hard-hitting and fun to watch. Some high-tech gadgetry on display here, which adds some creativity.
Mercenary (1996) (American Action) (repeat viewing) – A businessman (John Ritter) decides to get even against a group of criminals, so he hires a mercenary (Olivier Gruner) and tags along for the ride. Ed Lauter and Martin Kove (“The Karate Kid”) are also in this. This has a surprisingly good script and character motivations. Even the action is good, with the exception of the helicopter scene that uses very dodgy special effects. Solid flick.
Showdown In Little Tokyo (1991) (American Action) – Two L.A. cops (Dolph Lundgren, Brandon Lee) with opposing views on what is the best way to uphold the law have to work together to bring down the Yakuza, while trying to protect a smoking hot woman (Tia Carrere). The bad guy from Mortal Kombat is the villain (he’s really evil in this too), and there are some other recognizable Asian-American supporting actors in this. Brandon Lee is surprisingly funny, and his chemistry with Lundgren is good. Scriptwriting is basically crap, but it’s also cheesy enough to be funny (the shirts of the yakuza are totally early 90s style). This is also nicely paced and has a bunch of action to satisfy. “And when we get done, we’re gonna go eat fish off those naked chicks!”
Ninja 3: The Domination (1984) (American Action/Horror) – An evil ninja attempts to avenge his death from beyond the grave, by possessing an innocent woman’s body. Starts off with a fun little ninja attack on a golf course where the ninja kills a bunch of people. This evil ninja dude is really tough! There are some really entertaining possession scenes that use weird lighting effects. Some unintentionally funny stuff too. Sho Kosugi shows up as a good guy. Entertaining schlock.
Not Recommended
The Debutantes (2017) (Filipino Horror) – After an awkward high school gets publicly embarrassed by a prank, crazy horrific events follow. The trailer makes the movie look like a rip-off of Carrie, but it’s very different. The supernatural entities do look pretty good – there’s a humanoid monster thing, and there’s an evil-looking woman in red. Unfortunately, the horror sequences are set up and constructed in cliched, underwhelming ways. The protagonist is not interesting and the backstory is merely okay. The ending is kinda lame.
Love You . . . Love You Not (2015) (Indonesian Romantic Comedy) – A love triangle gets complicated when a female English tutor unknowingly gets between a hot-tempered guy and his off-to-the-United States girlfriend (Chelsea Islan). Islan is likeable but the “psycho” male lead is badly acted and his jokes are not funny at all. The script is this film’s worst aspect. It’s mostly unwatchable.
It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963) (American Comedy/Action) – A group of motorists hear about a crook's hidden stash of loot, and race against each other to get to it. This has a nice energy to it, with a few cool stunts near the end, but the characters are way too obnoxious with their non-stop screaming. That’s basically what this movie is: a bunch of people screaming for 2 hours and 40 minutes. No thanks.
Mon Mon Mon Monsters (2017) (Taiwanese Horror) - Pretty big surprise. Lin Shu-wei is a meek, straight-A student with no friends who gets harassed by his classmates. He has recently been framed of stealing the class funds, and is further humiliated in front of the class by a gang of bullies. All of them are punished and told to perform community service for the elderly, but they come across some nasty ghouls. The bullying aspect of this film is really emphasized. You do get the typical stuff like physical abuse in school. This adds a sense of frustration for the protagonist and the viewer, which is effective. But we also get a very multi-dimensional relationship between the protagonist and his bullies. This is the part that’s fascinating because it’s psychological and very fluid; your interpretation of their relationship changes at times. Also, the protagonist is pulled emotionally in a lot of different directions. I think the scriptwriters did a really good job and this theme is present throughout the entirety of the movie. I liked this quite a bit.
The Suspicious Death of a Minor (1975) (Italian Action/Thriller/Comedy) – A young prostitute is found brutally killed and one man (Claudio Cassinelli) decides to investigate the case. As the search progress he uncovers a girls trafficking ring with connections to powerful people. This is sometimes classified as a giallo, but it’s not. The killer is a hitman and you see his face every time he shows up, and the tone is more of a light-hearted suspense/action flick. The protagonist is unorthodox, a bit klutzy, and is a humorous ladies man. This is well-made with a likeable lead who gets in over his head. There’s a fun little car chase near the middle, as well as a rollercoaster shootout. Score is good too. Directed by Sergio Martino.
Virus (aka Day of Resurrection) (1980) (Japanese Drama/Horror) (repeat viewing) – After a deadly biological weapon is mistakenly released, the world’s population is systematically destroyed. This post-apocalyptic film by Kinji Fukasaku is a solid example of how such films should be made, because it actually has some balls and an overall bleak tone. The opening half is finely crafted in terms of the spread of the disease, while the second half focuses on the isolated group of survivors. There are a few plot developments that remain unexplained (and some unrealistic elements), but there are also some surprising twists late in the film. Due to the global focus of events, the cast mostly consist of non-Japanese actors, but they give good performances. The uncut 156-minute Japanese version was viewed; one should avoid the U.S. version, which cuts an insane 48 minutes of runtime.
Recommended
Letters from Prague (2016) (Indonesian Drama) – A girl named Larasati (Julie Estelle) tries to fulfill her deceased mother’s last wish by delivering a box filled with letters to an old man (Tio Pakusadewo from “The Raid 2”) who lives in Prague. This has some strong acting, well-written dialogue, and even some emotional resonance. Surprisingly good.
10 To Midnight (1983) (American Thriller) – An LAPD detective (Charles Bronson) and his rookie partner are on the trail of a psychopathic young man who is murdering young women. The killer is given a lot of screentime early on, and his method of murdering is quite clever. The actress from “Beverly Hills Cop” is in this, and she’s quite good. There are a few genuinely funny moments, especially during the party scene. This has good drama and tension as well, especially regarding the moral dilemma of the policeman partner. The finale is suspenseful. A well-made flick.
The Cutting Edge (1992) (American Romantic Comedy) (repeat viewing) – A temperamental figure skater (Moira Kelly) and a former hockey player (D.B. Sweeney) try to win Olympic gold as a figure skating pairs team. This is a surprisingly engaging and well-executed movie. The characters are nicely developed and their relationship is good too. You really want to see them end up together. The skating scenes are nothing special, but this is a lot of fun. I still have a huge crush on Moira Kelly.
Violence Voyager (2018) (Japanese Anime Horror/Comedy) – This uses a “gekimation” animation style – using hand-painted cardboard cutouts, as well as real fumes and fluids. An American boy Bobby decides to go with his friend Akkun into the mountains outside their village, but they encounter horrific events. This is very bizarre and macabre, but certainly entertaining and unique. Lots of body horror imagery present. There’s quite a bit of funny black humor as well. This is memorable.
Bliss (2017) (Filipino Horror) – After involving in a film production accident that leaves her crippled, a successful actress slowly transitions into madness after experiencing horrors and torture in her own home. Psychologically, this film puts pressure on our protagonist because the side characters are reprehensible. This movie jumps around a lot so you don’t know what events are real and what events are in our protagonist’s head. Thankfully, it does have a few scenes that are objective in reality. The final revelation and explanation is pretty satisfying. There is a bit of violence and some uncomfortable sexual situations.
Foxtrot Six (2019) (Indonesian Action) – Set in the year 2031, an elite soldier unites his former comrades to assemble a highly trained team capable of liberating their home nation. Oka Antara, Julie Estelle, and some side actors from other Indonesian action flicks show up. Shot with English dialogue, which is slightly awkward, but the actors do a surprisingly good job. Plot and dialogue are pretty generic, but the action is satisfying in its quantity and overall quality. It’s hard-hitting and fun to watch. Some high-tech gadgetry on display here, which adds some creativity.
Mercenary (1996) (American Action) (repeat viewing) – A businessman (John Ritter) decides to get even against a group of criminals, so he hires a mercenary (Olivier Gruner) and tags along for the ride. Ed Lauter and Martin Kove (“The Karate Kid”) are also in this. This has a surprisingly good script and character motivations. Even the action is good, with the exception of the helicopter scene that uses very dodgy special effects. Solid flick.
Showdown In Little Tokyo (1991) (American Action) – Two L.A. cops (Dolph Lundgren, Brandon Lee) with opposing views on what is the best way to uphold the law have to work together to bring down the Yakuza, while trying to protect a smoking hot woman (Tia Carrere). The bad guy from Mortal Kombat is the villain (he’s really evil in this too), and there are some other recognizable Asian-American supporting actors in this. Brandon Lee is surprisingly funny, and his chemistry with Lundgren is good. Scriptwriting is basically crap, but it’s also cheesy enough to be funny (the shirts of the yakuza are totally early 90s style). This is also nicely paced and has a bunch of action to satisfy. “And when we get done, we’re gonna go eat fish off those naked chicks!”
Ninja 3: The Domination (1984) (American Action/Horror) – An evil ninja attempts to avenge his death from beyond the grave, by possessing an innocent woman’s body. Starts off with a fun little ninja attack on a golf course where the ninja kills a bunch of people. This evil ninja dude is really tough! There are some really entertaining possession scenes that use weird lighting effects. Some unintentionally funny stuff too. Sho Kosugi shows up as a good guy. Entertaining schlock.
Not Recommended
The Debutantes (2017) (Filipino Horror) – After an awkward high school gets publicly embarrassed by a prank, crazy horrific events follow. The trailer makes the movie look like a rip-off of Carrie, but it’s very different. The supernatural entities do look pretty good – there’s a humanoid monster thing, and there’s an evil-looking woman in red. Unfortunately, the horror sequences are set up and constructed in cliched, underwhelming ways. The protagonist is not interesting and the backstory is merely okay. The ending is kinda lame.
Love You . . . Love You Not (2015) (Indonesian Romantic Comedy) – A love triangle gets complicated when a female English tutor unknowingly gets between a hot-tempered guy and his off-to-the-United States girlfriend (Chelsea Islan). Islan is likeable but the “psycho” male lead is badly acted and his jokes are not funny at all. The script is this film’s worst aspect. It’s mostly unwatchable.
It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963) (American Comedy/Action) – A group of motorists hear about a crook's hidden stash of loot, and race against each other to get to it. This has a nice energy to it, with a few cool stunts near the end, but the characters are way too obnoxious with their non-stop screaming. That’s basically what this movie is: a bunch of people screaming for 2 hours and 40 minutes. No thanks.
