mmushrm

IMDb member since November 2010
    Lifetime Total
    75+
    IMDb Member
    13 years

Reviews

Samsara
(2011)

Visually Stunning.
Just watched this movie on Blue Ray and Im wishing I had watched it in the theatres. The images and cinematography in this is stunning. Absolutely brilliant camera work, the camera angles, perspectives, colours, the time lapse photography etc.

This movie is like a "yin and yang" of the world we live in. The images flow from one to another showing that there is two sides to everything. An example would be scenes of big modern cities and factories followed by scenes showing the overcrowding and pollution. Wealth and poverty. 2 scenes come to mind, prisoners in a Phillipino prison performing choreograph dancing in the exercise yard but under the watchful eyes of the wardens. The dancing prisoner's smiles contrasting with the sober faces of prisoners in their cells. Anotherscene is that of robots with human features, a sex doll factory and ladyboy dancers.

Some parts of this movie touched me with it beauty, others shocked me and some saddened me. Incredible for a movie with no words.

Even if you do not like documentaries or the subject and flow of the narrative, you will appreciate the skill involved in making this movie. This is ART.

Denjin Zabôgâ
(2011)

Great Remake
Imagine a 70s Japanese robo life action TV show remade in 2011 with the same low budget and slightly better special effects and you have Karate-Robo Zaborgar (2011).

For those familiar with the genre and the clichés of the storyline from the 70s, this movie has it all. The way the 2011 version incorporates it into the movie provides lots of laugh.Thankfully too as the movie does start off rather slow, the comedic elements were what made continue with the movie.

As with all Sushi Typhoon movies, the special effects are cheap and the characters are caricatures. So don't expect a serious dialogues (its all 70s action show clichés)or award winning acting.

As mentioned, slow start but it builds to be a rather fun and enjoyable movie.

Fung wan II
(2009)

Terrible, Horrible,Atrocious, Awful
Terrible, Horrible,Atrocious, Awful are some of the words that can be used to describe this movie.

I was actually excited when I got this movie having seen Storm Riders and having read some familiarity with the comics. I actually thought the bad reviews were exaggerated but I was wrong. This movie is that bad.

The acting is bad, Ekin cannot act and in this movie he is more wooden then ever, the story line makes no sense and the CGI.... whoever said the CGI was good must've been living in a cave. The CGI is over (and badly) done. Part of what makes CGI good is how it blends in with the actors and makes everything look realistic. In this movie the CGI looks totally fake. Add the really bad fighting choreography and the combination is laughably bad, actually not laughably but jaw droppingly bad.The actors are not fighting as much as they are dancing, badly and in slow motion, to the accompaniment of bad CGI.

Give this a miss, I wish I did instead of wasting my money for a DVD thats now on its way to a landfill.

Onna no kappa
(2011)

A Pinku Comedy Musical
The tagline for this movie is "A Pink Musical" and it is a kooky musical comedy.

Unlike a lot of pinku movies, this one is well acted and the story line is actually well thought and mapped out. In other words there is both acting and a plot line instead of filler for the nudity.

The movie is well shot and the main actress plays her role very well. The musical and dance number are where she shines. There is an uninhibitedness about her in those scenes and those scenes IMO make the movie.

Being a pinku movie there is of course nudity and sex, even human - mythical creature sex.

A good movie that makes you laugh and smile. Something i would definitely watch again.

Peace Maker Kurogane
(2003)

Shinsengumi as the good guys
This series is about a boy who joins the Shinsengumi in a bid to avenge his family's murder and in the process finds himself.

Given the above, the Shinsengumi are cast as the good guys as opposed to their usual portrayal as blood thirsty fanatics. It becomes the other side that are now portrayed as fanatics.

All th characters in the Shinsengumi are portrayed opposite to their usual portrayal. In fact it seems like most of the time its a bunch of lads banding together for a laugh.

And laughter there is, there are episodes which are quite amusing with comedy elements. The artwork is well rendered and consistent throughout. There is violence, rather bloody and some rather mature themes. In fact I was surprise that it brought out the idea of "shudo" (the jokes of which were pretty hilarious)

The series was entertaining although I feel that there were too many loose ends in terms of unexplained characters and the super natural story arc that abruptly ends.

Mibu gishi den
(2002)

Excellent movie
Just finished watching this movie and have to say that it was excellent.

The movie is set in the last days of the Tokugawa Shogunate and the Boshin war. It revolves around a poor samurai who joins the Shinsengumi to provide for his family.

The opening of the movie is a little slow and confusing but persevere and you will be greatly rewarded. Doing a quick read up about the shinsengumi will ease the confusion. This movie has all the elements of jidaigeki movie; samurai, honour, swordfights, duty.

The ending may be a tad sentimental, it did bring a tear to my eye, but it does end the movie right.

Highly recommended.

Abe Sada: Saigo no nanokakan
(2011)

Not bad...
The is another retelling of the (in)famous Abe Sada story.

For those of you unfamiliar with Abe Sada, she gained infamy for being arrested for killing her lover, cutting of his genitals and for carrying the bits with her when she was caught. The story made headlines in Japan when it occurred. Since then there have been many movies made about the incident. The most well know of these being "In the Realm of Senses" by Nagisa Ôshima.

While the topic is the same, this movie is of a totally different style and tells the story from the view of her interrogation by police.

This movie has the feel and look of a B pinku movie. Its based mainly on the records of her interrogation and has her recounting the incident to the police with flashback scenes. Being a Pinku movie the flashback scenes usually involves the juicier part of the story.

The acting and settings is B movie quality but the actors do approach the story with a measure of seriousness.It lacks "atmosphere".

Incredibly (for me anyways) this movie cannot and does not out do "In the Realm of Senses" in terms of nudity, sexuality and graphic imagery.In fact its rather tame in comparison by all counts.

Gogal
(2008)

Exhausted from watching this.
Im exhausted from watching this movie. It is plain awful.

This movie is shot to mimic old 8mm movies. From the shaky shots, to the grainy texture to the washed out colours. Most of the movie's shots are people walking outside in a bleak industrial setting. The combination of which makes for photography thats hard on the eyes.

The movie is as boring as heck, just the 2 main characters walking, chasing each other and fighting each other. The camera work actually makes the action scenes even harder to watch. Imagine old 8mm film thats moving rapidly.

The story pointless. In fact I would say this movie is retardploitation movie (as opposed to sexploitation, nunsploitation etc). My apologies for the very unpolitically correct term as I cant find a better term. Its shows a mentally retarded girl being exploited and abused by a probably mentally retarded, but at a more capable level, guy. He whores her out, beats her etc. In fact a full 3/4 of the movie is like that.

The final 1/4 of the movie came out of nowhere its like the producers realized they made a film of nothing and needed a shocker ending. It is pretty shocking, bloody and gruesome. But I really don't see how or why it ties into the movie.

This movie reeks of art house pretentiousness. But IMO, you can dress it up as art all you like but a load of manure is still a load of manure.

The Notorious Cleopatra
(1970)

From a different ERA.
I was going to summarize this movie with "A failed attempt at a sex comedy" then I realized this movie was made in 1970.

This movie had all the clichés of the 1960s sex comedies; the one liners, wooden acting, girls constantly naked, group orgies and the music.

While it may have worked in that era, watching it now in 2012 the movie is just, plain bad. The comedic one liners fall flat, the girls are not that pretty, the dancing very 60s, the music jarring and the sex extremely boring.

Basically the sexual scenes all drag on for too long and the orgy scenes were a complete waste of time. Its simply bodies writhing together.

I cannot recommend this movie. There are others of the genre and era that still translate well into the current time. This movie does not.

Metal Evolution
(2011)

A look into how the heavy metal and its different genres came to be.
Metal Evolution is an 11 episode documentary that looks at the influence of Heavy Metal and chronologically how it changed stylistically to form the different genres, glam, power metal, death, trash etc. It starts with how heavy metal came to be in the 70s, what influenced the musicians to create this new form of music. Personally I found it rather generic as it can be argued that most if not all forms of modern music can directly draw its roots from classical, jazz or blues. From there it follows a chronological timeline from the 70s to the present day. Each episode ends with how the genre in that episode led to another genre. So each new episode is a new genre. The narrative includes the narrotors personal view of the music as well as interviews with musicians, magazine editors, music writers and even anthropologist. Some of the linkage IMO is rather far fetched, example is grunge being a genre of metal. Yes it can be argued that some grunge musicians listened metal and definitely grunge happened as a backlash to glam metal. But stylistically grunge is more a descendant of punk. (creed was totally disavowed by all...hahahaha). In summary an entertaining piece of work with a lot of information and personal perspective from the musicians involved.

Jian mo
(1992)

Softcore B movie
Despite the title this is not a horror movie.

Instead I would classify this as a comedy softcore sex B movie. The acting is bad and the storyline is pretty absurd. Its about a guy who drinks a potion made from a possessed mandrake root. The root is sex obsessed and takes over the man's body and turns him into a stud!!! The possessed stud goes around having sex and even leaves his body to have sex with women.

Lots of nudity and some of the girls are rather pretty with nice bodies. The sex is comical and there is nothing stimulating about the sex scenes. The editing with the movie is pretty bad as well and its totally disjointed (either that or the version I saw was censored).

I would say if you want a laugh or to see some Asian girls naked, watch this. If you want to be titillated, don't bother.

Gosurori shokeinin
(2010)

Action Revenge Movie.......and nothing else.
Girl has her birthday celebrations interrupted by a group of hooded killers who burst in cripple her father and kills her mother.

Now she is in a journey to avenge her mother, hunting down and killing the killers one after another................. while dressed as a Gothic lolita doll.

Why is she dressed as a Gothic lolita? No clue as the movie does not explain. Why did the killers kill her mother? 'cos she's a monster. Why is she a monster? no clue. Who are the killers? no clue and there is no history or development.

That sums this movie up. Expect no character development or even any plot of story development. This movie is all about action, action and action. She shows up fights the killers and kills them.

Some of the fight scenes are quite well done but others are a little too drawn out. Add the lack of any form of character or plot development, the movie seemed repetitive. I found myself fast forwarding through parts of the fight scenes (which is basically the movie).

Nihon bundan: Heru doraibâ
(2010)

Comedy, Gore and Horror.
Another Yoshihiro Nishimura and Sushi Typhoon production, Helldriver has all the elements that are the mainstays of the producer and studio. You will find gore and horror mixed in with an abundance of absurdity.

I personally enjoy the absurdity of the Yoshihiro Nishimura and Sushi Typhoon movies and this was no exception. This movie is a cheaply made exploitation B movie. The producers know this and don't try to foist it off as anything other then what it is. This is what makes it watchable.

Helldriver does start off rather slow. It took me several attempts to finish this movie. In fact I would say the setup, the starting 1/3 of the movie was rather dull. Then the action starts.

Once the action gets going it really gets going zombies, exploding zombies, zombie gangsters, flying zombies, transformer zombies and the good guys fighting them.

The acting is minimalistic, probably because no one could act but then again its a zombie action movie. The girls all look good showered with blood and screaming/shouting in anger.

Im only giving this movie a 6 due to its slow start. I started watching the movie then got pulled away and it took me months to get back to this movie again. However the 2/3 made up for it. Im looking forward to more movies from these guys.

Joshû Shiguma
(2006)

Not too bad
For those of you who are familiar with the Female Prisoner Scorpion movies, this movie is NOTHING like those.

Female Prisoner Sigma is a B Pink movie. The plots is minimal. Basically a girl going into prison to investigate and avenge her sister's mysterious death.

All the women in prison staple are in the movie, sadistic warden, sadistic female guard, turn coat prisoner and some nudity. The only things missing were the shower scenes and the lesbian scenes.

The plot is simplistic and the acting too. However it is not that bad of a movie. Take it for what it is a B Pink prison movie that is shot on the cheap, cheap effects, cheap sets and probably cheap actors. A good way to waste an hour.

The Adventures of Tintin
(2011)

A very good adaptation
This movie is visually very good. There were times when I almost forgot that it is an animated feature and not live action.

The story plot and pacing is straight out of the TinTin adventure comics. I have to admit that it is a throw back from the action anime movies that we are now used to (dark, gritty, suspense etc). So while watching I felt that the movie was missing something. But when I thought about it and the TinTin comics I had read as a child, the movie is a true adaptation of the comics. A simple tale of mystery, action and adventure

The best way I can summarize and praise the movie is that The Adventures of TinTin is a visually stunning and accurate adaptation of the TinTin comics.

Space Battleship Yamato
(2010)

We all know how its going to end.....
The live action version of Space Cruiser Yamato. It is quite faithful to the Yamato story lines, hence my summary above.... (for those of you not familiar with the Yamato animes, they all end the same way).

I am caught between disappointment and being satisfied with this movie so I will break it down into pros and cons.

Pro - Great CGI work especially the space action sequence. Pro - It adheres to the Yamato story lines. Pro - Quite abit of action.

Con - unfortunately the CGI accounts for very little of the movie, less then 10% IMO. Most of the movie is filmed in badly and cheaply made sets. It goes from the beauty of the CGI to bad B movie sets. Con - The acting in this movie is WOODEN. The anime characters are able to portray better feelings and emotions!! The lead actors acting abilities are almost non existent.

Hanyo
(2010)

Looks good - Feels empty
After watching this movie thats what I came away with. It looks good but thats about it. The plot seems straight out of a TV soap. In fact the characters, plot and storyline are staples of TV soaps in East Asia.

A girl joins a rich family as a housemaid, she is seduced (and is a willing participant) by the husband. Maid gets pregnant and is found out. The "evil" mother in law (a staple of Asian soaps)schemes with her daughter the wife to make the maid lose her unborn child. maid vows revenge. Then an ending that makes no sense.

And the scenes goes accordingly to the above, there is hardly any character or plot development. No suspense at all is generated. The ending comes suddenly as there is no lead up to it. Just a sudden horrendous action.

I read in other reviews that the movie is alluding to a class struggle. I don't see it, it shows rich people behaving as they please which is again a staple of almost every movie or soap.

I expected more from this movie and it did not deliver. Better to watch one of those Korean soaps that are so popular now.....and the ending actually reinforces that thought.

Global Metal
(2008)

BANG your head!!!
The follow up to Metal: A HeadBangers Journey, Global Metal is rather disappointing.

Its failure lies in trying to compress a global metal scene into a 90 minute feature. It states that its purpose was an anthropological study into the heavy Metal scene globally and how (if at all) it adapts and reinvents itself in each culture. By trying to do this, it reduces its study into snippets and soundbites. Brazil (sepultara), Japan (Marty Friedman (Megadeth) and X-Japan, China (Tang Dynasty), Indonesia, India and Mid East. Imagine cramming all of this into 90minutes.

This would have been better served if it was a multi episode documentary done on A&E or Discovery.

The plus, the music. I admit to listening to metal since my childhood (Iron Maiden - Number of the Beast). Nothing gets the old heart rate up then the a good solid metal gallop. Also the introduction of some bands that we would not normally hear of in this side of the world. (Unfortunately most of the time is spent on bands (western) we all know).

Well worth a watch but don't expect an anthropological study.

Li xiao long
(2010)

Read the book instead
Recently watched this on a trans pacific flight.

It is not a bad movie and the pacing was pretty good, the 2hours went by without me noticing. The pacing was good and the story was interesting. Visually it is very good. It was well shot and it actually gave me some insight into the era my father was growing up in (same time50-60s in Asia). So I will say i like this movie.

However if i was to analyze this movie, I would say the makers are confused into what genre of movie to make. It is definitely NOT a documentary as I am pretty sure artistic license is taken. But how do you make a Bruce Lee movie without the action? So action scenes are thrown in, this however makes the movie go into the realms of "fantasy". I am pretty sure pre Hollywood Bruce got into fights but..running through rooftops and scaling scaffolding? the fight in the warehouse?.

I guess thats the problem with making a Bruce Lee story for the cinemas. It has to be interesting enough to attract investors and movie goers so the rather long and probably fictionalized action scenes are thrown in.

Good movie but I think the book would be better.

Môjû tai Issunbôshi
(2001)

I am upset.....
as it says above, I am upset that I wasted my time to (1)get this movie and (2) watch this movie.

With a title like Blind Beast vs Killer Dwarf, the potential is enormous. Throw in SM, a dwarf, over the hill actress (nudity), starlets trying to get into the biz (so willing to get their kit off), dwarf abuse and the "VS" in title the movie sounded like even though it would be bad it would be at the very least be worth a few laughs and be entertaining.

WRONG on all counts. This movie is bad. The acting by all involved is horrible, the sets are laughable, (white fabric is supposed to look like a cave?) The blind beast is a skinny blind guy wearing an iron chastity belt!!! and doing what he does for art, he's (censored) blind for (censored) sake!! The dwarf is a dwarf who wants to be normal.

The worst part is there is no VS. I had assume they would eventually go head to head ....errr probably not since one is a dwarf...but go toe to toe. NOTHING of that nature at all.

You can read about the plot line in the other reviews, I cant say i paid attention much to the story, I was fast forwarding through this amateurish, terrible, waste of time.

Kaidan nobori ryû
(1970)

Weird mix
I found this movie to be a weird mix and to be totally honest, I am not sure if I like this movie. This movie seems to have a weird mix of visuals from gore, psychedelia,Jidai Geki and yakuza elements. I personally found it a little off putting and there were parts of the movie, the psychedelic gore parts with the visuals and colouring, that I did not enjoy. Meiko Kaji stars as tachibana doing her soon to be trademark stoic, unspeaking character. Like her later characters Scorpion and Lady Snowblood, she does not say much nor shows much emotion. While it worked (very successfully) with these characters it does not work in this movie. Instead of driven she looked uncertain. Not the best movie but an interesting movie and a look at the development of meiko kaji as an actress.

Joshû 701-gô: Sasori
(1972)

Still good after 39 years
Just watched Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion 39years after it came out and it is still a good movie.

This is the 1st of the Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion series (I had actually watched it backwards from 4 to 1), and it shows how the "Scorpion" ended up in prison and how hard she is. The Scorpion is HARD.

The movie has all the prison exploitation themes, sadistic guards, naked prisoners, mean prisoners, torture etc. But it also has the Scorpion; imagine Cool Hand Luke but who does not talk, with no humour, a willingness and readiness to kill/injure/maim her tormentors and a single mindedness quest for vengeance. Meiko Kaji (actress) is more widely known for her Lady Snowblood character and movies but IMO her Scorpion Character is way more awesome.

I recommend this movie just so you have a lead up to the second movie Female Convict Scorpion Jailhouse 41 which is a MUST watch.

Joshû sasori: Dai-41 zakkyo-bô
(1972)

Wow
Meiko Kaji rocks as the Scorpion.

This movie is great. I am watching this in 2011, 39 years after it came out and I am still entertained and think its awesome. Wonder where Tarantino gets his ideas and visuals from? Its movies like these.

This movie is a mix of art and exploitation. The visuals and lighting are very well done. Some of the shots made me go "wow". The acting by Kaji aka Matsu/Scorpion is great. She says nothing until the 72minute of the movie and those 6words are the only words she speaks throughout.

Story is rather formulaic (especially in 2011) but its a visually good and exciting movie. I highly recommend.

Ryû ga gotoku: Gekijô-ban
(2007)

Entertaining
The movie thats based on the game "Yakuza" (part 1).

The movie is rather entertaining with its visuals and pacing. There are comedy elements as well as action which are done quite well.

The only downside of the movie if you are not familiar with the game are the characters that seem to randomly pop up. Unless you have played the game, these characters seem like excess pieces. No character development, no idea who they are or whats their purpose. It makes things rather confusing. The plot also seems to have no meaning especially the ending.

To those that are familiar with the game, the movie will seem to be lacking in depth- characters and story. But I guess condensing at 15hour game into 2hours isn't easy. The thing is, the movie is good enough to be a stand alone movie and I thing Miike may have erred in trying to make too much like the 1st Yakuza game.

Good movie, it kept my attention throughout. However it does feel shallow, disjointed and disappointing (the ending).

Jûsan-nin no shikaku
(2010)

A modern "old school" Chambara movie
13 Assassins is a throwback to the samurai movies of the 1950s-60s. No fancy CG work or special effects. Just guys in well choreographed sword fights, mêlées and battles.

Miike's version is slightly different from the original in the ending and atrocities committed by the lord. If you were to compare the original and Miike's, Miike's is lacking in some areas. The pace is faster and does not convey the suspense and gravity of certain scenes. Also black and white is better at portraying the nastiness and desperation of battle.

However if you have never watched the original, Miike movie is good. The 1st part is a bit slow but the 2nd half is battle. Best comparison is to 7 samurai. Body count 212. Desperate men fighting desperately to stay alive. Nothing pretty and no gravity defying swordsmanship. Simple hack, slash and stab. Oh and being a Miike movie, you see gushing blood, decapitations and dismemberment,

I hope it starts a trend where movies of this genre move away from all the CG.

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