filmnut1's Reviews

Outlawed (I) (2018)

8/10

1 March 2019

There seem to be a lot of unfairly negative reviews about this independently made, low-budget British film. Watch this film and just consider the ambition on show.

Shot in a cinematic 2.35 : 1 ratio, this is a confident and impressive directing/producing/writing debut from the inexperienced team of Adam Collins (also lead actor) and Luke Radford (also editor). It can stand proudly alongside the work of much more experienced filmmakers like Ross Boyask and Paul Tanter. There's great production values, not least in the use of a genuine historic city council building, and the film is (in my view) never dull.

It's clearly a passion project and certainly a vanity project too. Some of the situations Collins puts himself in are almost certainly wish-fulfillment. Not just the former real life Royal Marines Commando's accomplished action scenes, but the "sexy" scenes too - including an unintentionally amusing "lads mag"-style love scene.

A touchstone for the film is HARD TO KILL starring Steven Seagal. Strongly reminiscent scenes book-end the film and there are references throughout, but it's a very different film. I personally loved these touches as much as any of the other aspects of the production.

If you're a fan of action films you'll have a lot of fun with this, but expect a slightly different ride to that indicated by the poster. There's a lot of drama in here too. It's not COMMANDO.

This is one of the films I've most enjoyed seeing recently and I'm excited to see it again and whatever Collins brings us next. Well done to all involved.

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Alien Uprising (2012)

3/10

Wants to be the next MONSTERS, but it's more like an Asylum "mockbuster"

4 January 2013

Starring the offspring of iconic actors and boasting an appealing poster and a decent trailer, my expectations for the low budget British movie U.F.O. (not to be confused with the long forgotten Roy Chubby Brown vehicle from 1993) were high.

Two Seans, Brosnan (who looks and sounds quite a bit like his father Pierce) and Pertwee (son of Jon), share the screen with one of Jean- Claude Van Damme offspring and several unknowns, plus there are spaceships and fight scenes. Sounds like a real feast for exploitation movie fans. I was excited and I guess a feeling of disappointment was inevitable.

The problem is all in the execution. Sharing more in common with the all mouth and no trousers sci-fi "mockbusters" made by prolific schlock peddlers The Asylum than Gareth Edwards' similar but superior MONSTERS (2010), Dominic Burns' film makes all the wrong moves.

The problems are clear right from the start. A string of scenes that fail to engage and just go on for ages. The opening credits run over a long sequence in a nightclub which is interminable. Scene after scene is overlong (including a gratuitous sex scene) and too often the film is stylistically indulgent. The camera swings and sways and pans round and round but it doesn't make the scenes anymore interesting. There are also irritating insert shots that attempt to foreshadow the terrible things to come.

As tedious as it is ambitious, U.F.O. is as unimaginative as its title. Extremely derivative (there's a sense of déjà vu about each scene – right up to the closing moments), it takes forever to get going but then can't quite decide on a direction.

This is one of those films about a bunch of ordinary people who find themselves amid extraordinary circumstances. In this case the chaos of an alien invasion. But even after a huge spaceships appears, a lot of the film just involves spending time with an unappealing ensemble of characters talking about the situation and other things and not actually doing anything interesting. The focus is often on the crumbling of society rather than the aggressive actions of aliens but it's not involving.

When the characters do take some action and the director throws some physical conflict into the mix it all gets confusing rather than exciting. Martial artist Joey Ansah appears in a small role and fans won't be surprised that he gets to have a pretty cool fight scene, but when it happens it seems like things have shifted gears too quickly. The context for the fight is not well established so it's hard to care about what's happening. It's more confusing than exciting.

Sean Brosnan is the film's lead and fares pretty well as he's essentially still unknown. Sean Pertwee on the other hand has a number of good roles in high profile films behind him, so to see him essentially reprising his crazy act from the doomed TALOS THE MUMMY (Russell Mulcahy, 1998) in a couple of short scenes in a film this poor is somewhat depressing. Perhaps more so than when we see what Van Damme is asked to contribute.

This film's major selling point is that extended cameo from Van Damme. Something spoiled not only by the post and credits, but by a quick, out of context shot of the star moments into the film. Other shots follow periodically until his character actually joins the others late in the film.

Van Damme's appearance in this film is very curious, but alongside numerous direct-to-DVD movies the star has made supporting appearances in a number of films in various countries. He's been in Turkish, French and recently Russian films (none of which have been released in the UK yet). His glamorous daughter has her first big role as the nominal lead actress and I guess she or the producers convinced him it would be a fun opportunity for the two to work together.

Bianca Bree is usually only seen in very minor roles in her father's films (along with her brother who usually gets more screen time) but here the roles are reversed. This is indeed a novel facet to U.F.O. that fans will enjoy, especially in the final act when Bree finally gets something to do and we get to see Van Damme for more than a fraction of a second, but that in itself is not enough to make the film fun and to be recommended. Fans who endured DRAGON EYES (John Hyams, 2012) may want to avoid this as it's not much better.

The final issue I had with the film is that it didn't quite know how to end. There are several twists, each taken from other films, and one final turn of the screw and then it's all over. Which is a relief.

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Don 2 (2011)

8/10

A great Bollywood movie for those who don't like Bollywood movies

15 April 2012

When Farhan Akhtar remade the DON (Chandra Barot, 1978) in 2006, he was clearly aiming to bring a more American style to Indian audiences. The film had all the hallmarks of Bollywood (most notably the musical sequences) but had a slick look and excellent action scenes (including a skydiving one).

His sequel, DON 2 (2011) moves even further away from the Bollywood formula. There's only one musical sequence (although there's another played during the closing credits) and the whole thing feels more like an entry in the MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE franchise than your typical Indian movie. Freed from the restraints of an established framework, Akhtar could take his characters in whatever direction he chose and he chose West.

Though there was no existing template to follow, like many Indian filmmakers he's looked to Hollywood for inspiration. The only really unique aspect to DON 2 is that its hero is not a James Bond or a Largo Winch type. He's 100% villain, although it's easy to forget that sometimes. What you therefore have is a curious blending of action and gangster movie clichés. One minute you're watching a Tom Cruise-style mission (cue big stunts and even a CGI mask removing effect) and the next it's more like a standard heist/bank robbery flick.

After scenes in Thailand, Malaysia and Switzerland, the action settles in Germany, providing a stark contrast to the exotic first film. Because the story takes place largely in Berlin, those German maestros of vehicular chaos Action Concept were charged with the action.

While they are most well known for their own productions, such as English-language B-movies like FINAL CONTRACT: DEATH ON DELIVERY (Axel Sand, 2006), they have worked on other Bollywood films such as AAP KAA SURROOR (Prashant Chadha, 2007) and AZAAN (Prashant Chadha, 2011). Action director Matthias Barsch delivers action scenes that are as good as those in any Hollywood movie.

DON is one of my favourite Bollywood movies, it's cool, has great action and music and plenty of twists. Its plot is fairly absurd and like many such movies it's got a lot of characters and a three-hour running time. DON 2 is much more focused and the running time is around 2hrs 20mins, which is fairly standard in Hollywood these days. It's a Bollywood movie for those that don't like Bollywood movies. It has no national character.

Many of the great things about the first film are true of this also. Shan Rukh Khan is brilliant in the lead, it's a joy to see many of the supporting players joining him for the sequel and the aforementioned action is the film's major selling point. But elements that made the first film special are missing.

While the plot is more focused, it's not as unpredictable and fun. The music is disappointing too. The score is intentionally similar to that in the first film but the songs are not nearly as good. In this regard it's very good that they digress only once.

For those who enjoy international thrillers and explosive action, this is a must see. It's interesting to see a big Indian action movie that can hold its own with Hollywood fare, but at the same time sad to see Bollywood losing its identity.

For years Bollywood has been on the cusp of international acceptance. Perhaps films like DON and DON 2 are exactly the kind India needs to make to reach a broader audience and will lead those that see them to check out more curious films such as MISSION ISTAANBUL (Apoorva Lakhia, 2008), HIJACK (Kunal Shivdasani, 2008), PRINCE (Kookie V. Gulati, 2010) and the excellent DHOOM 2 (Sanjay Gadhvi, 2006). Each of which imitates Hollywood-style in a distinctly Bollywood way.

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Dragon Eyes (2012)

3/10

Completely failed to meet expectations

15 April 2012

Warning: Spoilers

In 2009 director John Hyams raised the bar for direct-to-DVD action films with UNIVERSAL SOLDIER: REGENERATION. Expectations were low and so was the budget, but Hyams overcame those limitations with some jaw- dropping action scenes that included a pleasing rematch between Dolph Lundgren and Jean-Claude Van Damme. The standard set so high that I felt disappointed when I saw the trailer for Hyams' follow-up DRAGON EYES (2011).

As with the previous film, Van Damme plays a key supporting role but the headlined star is a UFC fighter. While Van Damme was not on screen a great deal in REGENERATION he was still arguably the lead but that is definitely not the case here. Despite what the distributors might want you to think. His character, Tiano, plays a pivotal role but only appears in a string of flashbacks. He is mentor to a prisoner called Hong, played by mixed martial artist Cung Le, who drifts into the town of St. Jude (state unspecified) with a clear but unspoken agenda.

DRAGON EYES is back-to-basics action of the "Cleaning up the town" variety. The kind of thing we've seen in the likes of STREET CORNER JUSTICE (Charles Bail, 1996), Latin DRAGON (Scott Thomas, 2004) and ROAD HOUSE 2 (Scott Ziehl, 2006). It's a storyline that reaches all the way back through the 1980s to the glory days of the western influenced by Akira Kurosawa's Yojimbo (1961). There's a heavily retro vibe to the whole film. This is established with a credits font that evokes the blaxploitation era. After REGENERATION I felt sure that Hyams would get a decent budget to show what he can do, but it would seem the opposite was true. The trailer indicated that the locations would be simple (back streets and abandoned buildings) and there was a limited Van Damme presence, but I felt sure any shortcomings would be overcome by great looking action.

While it appeared low budget, I was hopeful that DRAGON EYES would be something akin to the first couple of films starring Tony Jaa. Unfortunately, while Le's character is as thinly written as any of Jaa's and both are skilled martial artists the comparisons between the two end there. Le lacks charisma and isn't given much to say or do apart from the action scenes. While there are inventive action moments there are simply not enough of them. Le shows no promise of being the next big thing. It's not really his fault, Hyams just fails to deliver. There's a notable overuse of slow motion.

Looking like it was shot on video (although with a decent camera), DRAGON EYES is a major disappointment. During approximately 80 minutes of screen time, the plot meanders and seems total nonsense. Exposition is minimal (which is unusual) and the film coasts from one scene to another with no real sense of direction or momentum.

There are lots of pointless scenes involving supporting characters, including one funny one featuring a crackhead called Beech played by Eddie Rouse. Rouse and Le both previously appeared in PANDORUM (Christian Alvart, 2009) and of the two it's Rouse who delivers the most memorable performance in DRAGON EYES. That is apart from Peter Weller, always a great screen presence, clearly having a ball playing villain Mister V. He gets all the best lines.

The simple plot is overly complicated and unconvincing. We are meant to believe that Hong has been able to locate and break into all the main bad guys safes to steal their contents. This is all going on while he runs around like a ninja to make them uneasy and things take a turn when after beating up the local gangstas they seem to respect him for it.

I was confused when some guys he fought in one of the first scenes started to come to his aid when another group show up to fight him. It wasn't until this second group are shown listening attentively as he tells them to stop selling drugs to kids and put away their guns, that I realised the absurdity of what was going on. They are listening to him like he's Jesus. This just allows for more bad guys to take their trade and they do nothing. They just get shot.

As usual this all builds to a big climax (it's no surprise that it's in an abandoned building) in which Hong fights his way through some thugs to confront the villain and rescue a girl. The action's not engaging and I really didn't care. I just couldn't wait for it to be over so I could put this all behind me. It's not that it's a really bad film, it's just that it's bland and poorly put together and I expected so much more.

If you want to see a film like this with a comprehensible plot and good action, just rent the Steven Seagal movie URBAN JUSTICE (Don E. FauntLeRoy, 2007) or give Van Damme's little seen Yojimbo-influenced DESERT HEAT (John G. Avildsen, 1999) a go.

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Wicked Game (2002)

A no-budget showcase for great stunt choreography

29 August 2011

Were it not for the amazing stunt work in this film there would be very little to recommend it. Shot on a minuscule budget, as evidenced by the use of disused warehouses and wide-open spaces for the majority of the shooting, Extreme Heist aka Wiked Game is essentially a show reel for two stunt teams. The production quality may be poor and the narrative weak, but the creativity and expertise of the Alpha Stunt Team and AAC is certainly adequate compensation. Following a formula similar to the far superior Drive (Steve Wang, 1996) this is something of a companion piece, co-directed as it is by that film's choreographer Koichi Sakamoto. He and Makato Yokoyama (director of the awesome Shadow Fury (2002)) have had steady careers working on the Power Rangers franchise (still going since 1993) but have never made the action hit fans have always longed for. Sakamoto and Yokoyama obviously made Extreme Heist in between Power Rangers episodes and even roped in Johnny Yong Bosch (The Black Ranger) and Jason Narvy (bad guy Skull), to star in their venture. Like Marc Dacascos before him, Bosch demonstrates skill and agility that screams out for more elaborate and high profile work. Sadly Bosch's career hasn't hit the heights of Dacascos's. The action scenes which make up the majority of the film are superb, a testament to the way talented filmmakers can produce something from nothing. Action seems to have been choreographed from whatever was affordable, with shoddy shacks and cars serving as both locations and props for the performers. The stunts are both physical and vehicular, with many sequences bringing the two into close contact. Bosch fights off hordes of minions and has a showdown with the tall villain at the climax, but even in the quieter moments he adds impressively unnecessary flourishes to his actions. Not content to sell the film solely on fights and vehicular stunts, Sakamoto and Yokoyama injected the theme of extreme sports into the story by opening and closing the film with impressive skydiving sequences. The ending is especially notable, including an interesting attempt at gunplay as they plummet to earth.

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The Shaft (2001)

Satirical horror film and a good example of a decent American remake

29 August 2011

Released in the US as The Shaft, this is Dick Maas remake of his own striking debut. 1983's The Lift was a blackly comic chiller about a skyscraper's lift that begins to take the lives of its occupants. This beefed up version keeps the original premise intact, right down to the odd bio-mechanical explanation, but takes place in New York City, pre- 9/11. Beginning with an extravagant pan through the Manhattan skyline and onto the observation deck of the CG rendered Millennium Building, Maas's film looks ever bit as stylish as its $15 million budget would suggest. Given its blockbuster production values its easy to take this absurd movie at face value, but those familiar with the original may recognise that Maas is actually attempting deadpan parody. Slickly directed in widescreen frame, Marc Felperlaan's cinematography complements both the city (which was used only for exterior shots) and the gorgeous art deco production design of the building itself. James Marshall, as the rugged young hero, has something of Christian Slater, Mark Whalberg or Josh Hartnett about him, while his love interest is none other than Naomi Watts, who shortly after became a star in another US-set remake of a foreign classic. In this and that other film she plays a reporter investigating an absurd concept, here a killer lift, there killer videotapes. They are supported by respectable cast of character actors Michael Ironside, Edward Herrman, Ron Perlman and Dan Hedaya. Kicking off the scene with the sounds of Aerosmith's Love in an Elevator, an extravagant race takes place between two incredibly skilled risk takers through New York traffic and into the basement parking garage of the Millennium Building. One of the skaters is then sucked into the lift, in an unexplained supernatural moment, only to be thrown out from the top floor. Bold, inventive and darkly humorous, this brief sequence, which has no dialogue or featured performers present, displays Maas' talent with his rehashed material to the greatest effect. This film was, unfortunately, somewhat prophetic and is laced with unintended irony as a result. Released over two years after the destructive assault on the World Trade Centre, it's not difficult to see why. The very first shot shows us those twin towers, which will forever provoke gasps of remembrance in whatever film they appear, and soon we are in a similar building where horrifying acts are occurring. This seems at first a rather tenuous reason to delay a release, but then the moment arrives when the narrative enlists comments from the fictional President, in which he expresses fear of the occurrences as a terrorist act. This remake is something of a cross between its inspirational text and the likes of high-rise horror's Poltergeist 3 (Gary Sherman, 1988) and The Tower (Richard Kletter, 1993), and is certainly superior in the execution of its novel concept than either The Mangler (Tobe Hooper, 1994) or sequels. The only thing that really lets this film down is the bad language. The F-word is used gratuitously and repeatedly throughout.

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Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li (2009)

Perhaps a better title would have been Chun-Li Begins

29 August 2011

Made 15 years after Jean Claude Van Damme donned a blue beret to star in the first live-action adaptation of the popular Capcom video game, I wonder if it'll be another 15 before they try again after this second failure.

A melting pot of recycled ideas, not many of which have been taken from the Street Fighter universe, this may as well have been called Chun-Li Begins. The Legend of Chun-Li takes cues from Christopher Nolan's hit Batman reboot and the similarly back-to-basics Superman series Smallville, with Kristin Kreuk (a half-Chinese Canadian) taking the lead as Chun-Li.

Ming-Na played the role in the 1994 Streetfighter (directed by Steven E. de Souza) and this version sees her taking centre stage. But that isn't the only thing that distinguishes the two films. Gone are the primary colours and theatrics and instead we have a "real world" story with a handful of fantasy elements.

Shadaloo is no longer a place but the name of a criminal organisation, pronounced Shadal-ow. M. Bison isn't the elaborately dressed cartoon dictator fans are familiar with, instead he's smartly dressed gangster with an Irish accent.

As befits a martial arts movie, this is a revenge tale but there's a lot of other stuff going on too. Whole sub-plots that serve no purpose. The Legend of Chun-Li doesn't remind you of the Street Fighter game but it does remind you of a lot of other movies. Not only the aforementioned superhero adventures either. Every scene or plot point gives you a feeling of deja-vu. Director Andrzej Bartkowiak even rips off a memorable scene from one of his own movies (Romeo Must Die, 2000). Several moments (especially the ending) imitate Batman Begins but the results are similar to Catwoman (Pitof, 2004).

Tipping its hat to video game predecessors by featuring Robin Shou, this is a curious failure, the whole thing feels more like a TV pilot or a B-movie than the major motion picture it's supposed to be.

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U.S. Seals II (2001 Video)

One of the best of Nu Image's military actioners

29 August 2011

Nu Image were once the most prolific producers of bland action films for the video market. They followed in the footsteps of Cannon films and PM Entertainment, emerging in the early 90s with their own stable of stars and distinctive low-budget aesthetics. The identifiable Nu Image style was a result of their reliance on dated methods of filmmaking, recycled themes and their recourse to South African and Eastern European production locations. U.S. Seals 2 is just one of many military action films made to this formula and it is the manner by which it exceeded expectation that has led many to highlight it as a minor classic in American action film history. Director Isaac Florentine has shown a great deal of promise in his career so far, despite failing to produce a 100% satisfactory product in my opinion, his work is notable for the injection of Hong Kong-style action choreography. U.S. Seals 2 was something of a breakthrough in his career and still one of his best films. An in name/theme only sequel to a typically dire Nu Image production, U.S. Seals 2 manages to surprise and amaze with its fight choreography, courtesy of Andy Cheng, a former member of Jackie Chan's exemplary stunt team. The film has many flaws, action clichés are present in abundance and the story is merely an excuse; the plot is a hybrid of Thunderball (Terence Young, 1965), The Rock (Michael Bay, 1996), Enter the Dragon (Robert Clouse, 1973), Broken Arrow (John Woo, 1996) and M-1:2 (John Woo, 2000). The characters and their actions are all drawn from familiar paradigms; from the hero who re-enters military service to face an old adversary, to the dying soldier who pleads for a message to be passed to his beloved. While some may be unable to stifle laughter during a viewing, Florentine and Cheng (co-starring and serving as 2nd unit director) deliver undeniably impressive action scenes that ensure this is a must see. If you approach it in the correct frame of mind you will applaud the creativity and forgive the flaws in logic. This is a martial arts film that requires an excuse to unite a team of skilled professionals to perform almost super-human feats. As such the plot is constructed on the premise that the villain is hiding out on an abandoned island, clouded in a methane gas. This means that guns are not permitted, requiring hand-to-hand combat. Genius. Unfortunately the concept is weakened by the fact that chains and bladed weapons are clashed with aplomb. But oversights in common sense just make this even more fun!

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Shade (2003)

Stallone brings class to an old-school RKO thriller

29 August 2011

The first thing that struck me about this movie is the RKO Pictures logo. It's something I associate with some of the classics of cinema, like Citizen Kane (1941), but I'd never seen it on a contemporary film. To see a new, enhanced version of the logo, with the familiar beeps of the radio signal, was quite exciting and raised my expectations for this straight-to-video release. It didn't let me down. A stylish production, overshadowed at the time of its release by the similarly themed, and higher profile, Confidence (2003), Shade was an ambitious production with a great cast, as many modest star names as an independent film could wish for, and 2.35: 1 aspect ratio cinematography. Shade is an ensemble film. Two Irish actors, one up and coming and the other an old school favourite, with proved track records in a string of Hollywood projects, lead this L.A. lensed tale of double crossing card sharks. Jamie Foxx and Thandie Newton add notable support, but it's Melanie Griffith and Sylvester Stallone the stand out the most, the latter casting a tremendous shadow over his co-stars. With the aid of his own personal make-up artist, hair stylist and costumer, Stallone makes his character of "The Dean" stand out from the rest of the cast. His skin pale, his lips a bold red, his hair streaked with grey; Stallone reminds us of a classical style of performance, evoking memories of Cary Grant or Dean Martin. Proving once again why his career has had such longevity. One of the best films of its type, this light-hearted thriller, which owes a clear debt to the classic The Sting (1973), features great performances from all the principles, as well as fun supporting roles for Hal Holbrook, Bo Hopkins, Michael Dorn and B-Real from Cypress Hill. Without wishing to elaborate on the plot, the non- linear narrative requires close attention and the twists never fail to amuse.

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Postmortem (I) (1998)

Charlie Sheen: Down and out in Glasgow

29 August 2011

Charlie Sheen's career has had many highs and lows and back in the late 90s he found himself out of favour with Hollywood's elite. Before resurrecting his career on television he was only able to exploit his star power in direct-to-video releases. In an effort to be taken more seriously, Sheen tried formalising his name for films such as Postmortem. Nobody noticed. Directed by Albert Pyun, the serial killer thriller was arguably a career low. Sheen plays a borderline alcoholic ex-cop drawn back into the field of serial killer profiling when a girl is found dead. Although this sounds fairly standard, the film's location is unique. Postmortem was made in Scotland! The sight of Charlie Sheen wandering around bars in Glasgow is pretty surreal. Featuring a supporting cast of local talent and various unknowns, what Postmortem lacks in Hollywood production qualities (it's cheaper looking than an episode of Taggart) it at least makes up for in curiosity value.

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Slash (2002)

5/10

A decent but flawed South African slasher

17 March 2011

Warning: Spoilers

Eradicating its South African origins, pretending that the open plains of the country are those of America's Midwest, this is an imitation of an American slasher movie with ageing character actor Steve Railsback imported to lend minor star power. His image and performance are eerily similar to that of Anthony Perkins in the latter Psycho sequels.

Slasher formula dictates that we have a killer, a group of youths and an isolated location in which to kill them one by one. The killer is a combination of both the Creeper, first seen in Jeepers Creepers (2001), in his scarecrow-like clothes, and Leatherface, wearing a crudely constructed mask. His weapon of choice is a scythe, giving him an additional reaper quality.

The youths themselves, here twenty-somethings, are members of a band called Slash whose lead vocalist is the protagonist. He's a typically sculpted, Whalberg-esque type whose aesthetic potential is exploited in one especially gratuitous woodcutting scene.

His uncharacteristically feisty girlfriend is the bass player, played by British Zuleikha Robinson, familiar from the short-lived "Lone Gunmen" series (2002). The group is rounded out with a guitarist, drummer, keyboardist (!), groupie and manager. Circumstance brings all these characters together to play 'unravel the mysterious past and discover the identity of the killer' on a farm, eliminating requirements for extras and exploitation of a selection of buildings and cornfields.

It is clear that this is not some cheap wannabe, but a genuine attempt to create a respectable genre entry. This is a straight but tongue-in-cheek movie, there's even a farm owner called MacDonald and the characters joke about this just as we would. Sex and gore are present but in keeping with the more subdued nature of the recent American films, as evidenced by its 15 certificate, which it shares with the likes of Jason X (2001) and Halloween Resurrection (2001). While the content may be cliché, it is in the striking cinematography that the film truly shines. Cinematographer Mark Lennard shoots the rural locations with the same eye as Daniel Pearl, including a striking use of low angle shots and a sharp focus on the clouds in the sky.

The patented mix of postmodern slasher conventions, including pop culture dialogue, unfolds over just under 90 minutes. The hero returns home, uncovers his family's dark past and puts a stop to the dastardly "Harvest of Blood." Setting the tone with a stylishly shot 'couple get killed' scene, director Neal Sunderstrom delivers everything we want from a film like this and caps it off with chase through a corn field by a threshing machine and typical twist ending.

At times Sunderstrom seems to be blatantly breaking the rules of the genre, with the only two sexually active members of the group surviving the carnage, but this is nowhere near the standards of the best in the genre. There is an attempt to take emphasis from gore and lean toward performance, but unfortunately the cast are unable to compliment the standard set by Railsback and the film disappoints as a result. While the idea of making the protagonists a band is an interesting one it ultimately weakens the clichéd narrative; the beginning and ending of the film are drawn out with insufferably dire ballads.

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Nowhere (1997)

9/10

An imaginatively nightmarish teen movie from Gregg Araki

16 March 2011

A real aesthetic triumph, what Nowhere lacks in narrative it more than makes up for in imagination. Certainly an acquired taste, Gregg Araki's film is bitter eye candy. One could describe it as Kids (1996) meets Natural Born Killers (1994), Dazed and Confused (1993) on acid, Beverly Hills 90210 meets Requiem for a Dream (2000). Each shorthand description is apt.

Running barely 75 minutes (without the credit sequences) this modestly budgeted film is pure trash art. With a loose plot thread taking our teenage protagonists through a single day, culminating in an obligatory party, Nowhere is essentially a series of deranged vignettes. Each offsetting its sickly sweet colour schemes and "whatever" dialogue with a bleak undercurrent. Punctuating the tragicomic melodrama with moments of extreme violence.

Araki struck gold when he assembled his cast.Headed by indie favourite James Duval as a pretentious and melancholy Keanu Reeve's-type, each beautiful young performer gets a chance to shine in this deranged neon nightmare.

Here are just a handful of examples. Christina Applegate is brilliantly cast against her "Married With Children" sex bomb stereotype. One-time "Baywatch" teen idol Jaason Simmons bravely presents himself as a less than desirable dream date. And teen icons Shannon Doherty (loathed TV icon) and Traci Lords (one-time underage porn idol) are zapped by an alien after some inane chatter.

What is interesting is how time has changed perception of the film. Whereas once we watched unknowns and marvelled at the subversive presentation of pop culture icons, such as John Ritter as an evangelist, now we see a film cast with movie stars. Post-Nowhere ascension to stardom from some of the ensemble and subsequent turns in more typical teen movie fare reinforcing the film's off-kilter themes.

The final part of a trilogy, following Totally F***ed Up (1993) and The Doom Generation (1995), Nowhere benefits from a decent budget which allowed for not only a high calibre cast and a decent glossy look but also for impressively rendered set design. The bedrooms in particular are exaggerated to reinforce the fantasy of the world presented. Each with a motif entirely impractical in reality.

The L.A. of Nowhere is a disturbed worldview. He uses subversive signs, such as seen in his other films, in the background to clarify the fantasy. A convenience store has no name – merely the word CONSUME and posters with BUY and MORE on the windows. Next to a nervous young characters a sign on a bench says GOD HELP ME.

Much of the modest production value is achieved through creative design and colourful lighting used in otherwise bland sets. It's clear Araki had very little to work with and invested money where it was needed most. There are no elaborate visual tricks such as in the similarly themed Spun (2002) (which features Mena Suvari – making her debut here), Natural Born Killers or Domino (2005).

As twisted as the far less polished Tromeo and Juliet (1996), Nowhere is a fantastic subversion of the teen movie. With less emphasis on homosexuality than Araki's earlier films, except for gratuitous posterior shots and a sensitive romance unfolding though the course of the film, Nowhere is certainly more accessible to mainstream viewers. Something of a prototype for his bi-sexual romantic comedy Splendor (1999).

Like Larry Clark's borderline mainstream endeavour Teenage Caveman (2002), Araki's film world is a comical yet disturbing extreme. One in which escapist indulgences both sexual and narcotic lead to no life lessons. Love does not triumph and there is no hope for the future. They go nowhere and the nightmare never ends.

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Angel Blade (2002)

2/10

Why would a Christian make such a sleazy film?

15 March 2011

In the long tradition of burned-out cops with tragic pasts, David Heavener plays a detective investigating a string of violent murders that take him into the dark world of S & M. A very low-budget production, which has obvious shades of Tightrope (1984) and Basic Instinct (1992), Angel Blade is a vehicle for the charisma-free Heavener (who also wrote and directed) which does have a few surprises, not all of them welcome. The most disturbing being a gratuitous bum-shaving scene. In addition to his film career, Heavener writes and records Christian music and this makes his decent into such sleaze rather odd. Angel Blade doesn't have a lot to recommend it but does feature the troubled Margot (on-time Lois Lane) Kidder as a sex shop owner and Marc (Beastmaster) Singer trying vainly to cling to his sex symbol status.

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Alien Hunter (2003)

6/10

An entertaining sci-fi B-movie

15 March 2011

Warning: Spoilers

James Spader returns to territory familiar from his experience on the doomed Supernova (2001), as a cryptographer brought in to consult on a possible extra-terrestrial discovery. But instead of developing a traditional Alien (1979) scenario, which it appears to initially, this combines elements from several much more complex SF films.

The Andromeda Strain (1971): Confined within their laboratory, a skeleton crew have to deal with the possibility that they have been exposed to an alien contagion which will threaten the world.

The Thing (1982): After an alien is thawed out, tensions rise amid the group, who are isolated in the Antarctic.

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977): The aliens, which bear a striking resemblance to those in Independence Day (1996), are discovered to be benign.

Shot in Bulgaria by the prolific Nu Image, this quickie also has a notable supporting cast. Spader is joined by familiar Scots actor John Lynch, champion Olympic sprinter Carl Lewis (!), Heather Graham's sister, Aimee, Kier Dullea, aka Dave from 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) and character actor Roy Dotrice.

Despite being derivative, Alien Hunter is actually a pretty good movie. A charismatic performance from Spader and some excellent computer effects work elevates this beyond the usual B-movie expectations.

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Tail Sting (2001)

4/10

Scorpions on a Plane!

12 March 2011

Warning: Spoilers

The air disaster is one of the most popular scenarios in the disaster movie genre. There was a time when these movies had some of the biggest movie stars. Now the genre is almost exclusive to DVD and television and relies on ever more absurd hooks.

The most outrageous and high profile was Snakes on a Plane (2006), but that was only one of a series of films that saw everything from killer bees to zombies causing airborne chaos. Tail Sting has no recognisable actors and practically no budget, but it does set giant scorpions loose on an airliner in a fairly amusing and vaguely satisfactory manner.

The makers were clearly inspired by Aliens (1986), allusions are obvious throughout. Despite their size, the scorpions move covertly through the aircraft, emerging from ceilings and floors. There's a human villain prepared to accept the human death toll in order to ensure these biological weapons survive. At the finale, the plucky young heroine puts on a wetsuit with a defibrillator strapped to the back to battle with the scorpion queen.

Another interesting element is the subversion of fears about terrorism. Tail Sting was released just before September 11th when xenophobia was to run high and here there are two suspicious Middle-Eastern characters who turn out to be chasing the American dream and play a vital role in helping the all-American heroes save the day.

Tail Sting is not a spoof but it does have tongue planted firmly in cheek and it's a shame the makers didn't have the kind of budget later lavished on the more bombastic but less amusing Snakes on a Plane.

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Crocodile 2: Death Swamp (2002)

4/10

From the people that brought you Shark Attack 2 (2001), Spiders 2 (2001) and Octopus 2 (2001)

12 March 2011

While Tobe Hooper's Crocodile (2000) was very much a poor relation his Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), in both a bunch of teens in the middle of nowhere encounter a deadly local threat, the sequel is more akin to the likes of Anaconda (1997), with a mature cast and the added presence of a human threat.

This time instead of partying youths, the protagonists are bank robbers and hostages. During a storm the desperate criminals hijack their flight to Acapulco and it crashes as a result. Exploiting weaknesses in airport security, pre-9/11, the thieves had been able to smuggle aboard weapons with laughable ease.

Stranded in a Mexican swamp, the thieves hold fellow survivors captive as they attempt to make their journey to safety with their loot. Unfortunately they have landed in the feeding ground of a ridiculously large crocodile. As they are eaten one by one, a plucky young heroine attempts to overcome the human and reptile threat to be united with her boyfriend.

A parallel plot in which the boyfriend becomes aware of his girlfriend's danger and sets out to find her fills out the running time and seems copied from I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998). There's nothing original in this movie and even the shocking denouement is a steal from Carrie (1976).

Stage scenes evoke the kind of creature features shot in the 1950s and Martin Kove lends quality support to a cast of unknowns doing a Harrison Ford impersonation with shades of Robert Shaw. Intertextual elements such as these mean that there is never a dull moment for genre fans.

While the settings for the film are the United States and Acapulco, it is quite clear from the closing credits that this film was made far beyond the fringes of Hollywood. Prolific production company Nu Image, who churned out a number of creature features in the early 00s, have made many of their films in South Africa and Bulgaria, but this was shot in India.

How much you enjoy Crocodile 2 will largely depend on your expectations and mood. I loved this when I first saw it and found it very bland the next. There's a modest amount of gore to please post-pub viewers of all ages but there's little that's memorable.

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Boa vs. Python (2004 Video)

7/10

Bayhem on a B-movie budget

12 March 2011

Boa vs. Python is the kind of movie the term B-movie was invented for. Its title is absurdly evocative, low brow and basic. It's also obviously exploitative, cashing in on a trend for big snake movies and franchise crossovers. Made around the time of Freddy vs. Jason (2003) and Alien vs. Predator (2004) and Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid (2004).

Bearing little connection to its predecessors, Boa (2001), Python (2000) and Python 2 (2002), Boa vs. Python is appropriately tongue-in-cheek and well made within its limitations. It's ambitious too, the casting, cinematography, editing and music imitate Michael Bay's blockbusters, but this is strictly in the tradition of the cheapest and simplest of monster movies.

Despite the presence of a nerdy good guy scientist and a macho playboy, the instigator of the carnage, this is classically sexist filmmaking. The duo of scaly stars may be the selling point but two female stars are just as important to the movie. Displaying their charms to keep things interesting until it's time for the chaos to begin.

Playboy playmate Jaime Bergman leads the cast in the role of intelligent but non-threatening blonde heroine, a marine biologist introduced wearing a bikini. While her opposite is a tattooed bad girl (Angel Boris). Both characters are lifted straight out of the James Bond formula and invite a good deal of attention from male onlookers both on screen and off.

Of particular note is an extended nude scene, in which the villain's girlfriend takes a bath, then performs a full-frontal dialogue scene (carefully shot to avoid being overtly sleazy). Perhaps it's appropriate that a film about phallic figures objectify women so blatantly.

Unfortunately the novelty of the sexy casting, flashy camera moves and militaristic score wears a little thin after a while. When the snake vs. snake set-pieces take centre stage things start to deflate just when they should be getting good. The computer generated "stars" are far too poorly rendered and too briefly seen, it becomes a touch tiresome and their all too brief final showdown leaves us disappointed. Although certain moments stand out, such as a risqué scene in which a young woman is orally pleasured by a giant snake.

With its cast of beautiful people, bikini-clad extras, an emphasis on style over substance and a rock soundtrack - this is modern American genre filmmaking at its most formulaic. But when judged against films such as it's own predecessors, Boa vs. Python is to a certain extent a triumph. Exceeding expectations if even for a short while. It's certainly better than either Snakes on a Plane (2006) or Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus (2009).

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Trancers 6 (2002 Video)

5/10

Thomerson fails to return, so the franchise gets a sex-change reboot

10 March 2011

Lacking even the mediocre production values of its predecessors, including Tim Thomerson as the arrogant Dirty Harry inspired hero of the franchise, Trancers 6 adds a gender-swap twist to the overextended franchise.

In an early trick that sets the low-budget tone of the film, series star Thomerson appears to hold a conversation with another character through use of clips from the previous films. Thomerson, who is thanked in the closing credits, is a spectral presence in the film; appearing in flesh only courtesy of a body double.

In typical "Quantum Leap" style, this latest adventure puts hero Jack Deth into the body of his own daughter as he tries to preserve the integrity of the timeline and stop an alien invasion. The paradoxical novelty of this idea enables the filmmakers to essentially remake the first film to lead the series in a new direction. In fact the closing scenes make it quite apparent that this is the intent.

B-movie sci-fi flicks from the 1960s and 1980s were characterised by representations of the future which were essentially cheap display of props and flashing lights and Trancers 6 continues this tradition.

The majority of the film is set in Los Angeles in 2022 but there is nothing despite a title card to suggest this fact. Everything looks the same as now! Shot mainly in fairly ordinary looking rooms and old industrial locations, this form of production design is present throughout the film. In true Ed Wood tradition, offices are identified by maps pinned to walls and laboratories are endearingly characterised by fluorescent liquids in smoking test tubes. As if this wasn't enough to evoke those late night movies of old, the main prop is a ray gun.

The great thing is that it isn't laughable. You actually find these aspects comfortably familiar and they help draw you into the B-movie world. Trancer 6 doesn't take itself too seriously, but it isn't unintentionally funny either. The direction and the performances of the largely inexperienced cast make this fun for all the right reasons.

What is interesting is the treatment of the theme of male/female relations. There are a lot of dated, chauvinistic clichés which seem vaguely offensive. Jack's sexist words coming out of a young woman's mouth is an attempt to undermine his macho persona.

The idea of a female hero is a popular one, but even now all are essentially male fantasies. In this case the integrity of its female heroine is undermined by giving her the mind of the male hero of the franchise. But there is no effort to concentrate on the complex differences between the sexes, which are laughably reduced to a single scene in which Jack/Jo attempts to put on tights.

If one were to give the film a look over from a "Newsnight Review" perspective, one could say that Trancers 6 comments on the very manner in which female protagonists remain essentially controlled by male ideals. This would certainly give a greater significance to the other dated aspects of the film which I have already mentioned.

This film is filled with female stereotypes, each worthy of consideration. The heroine is, prior to transformation, a shy scientist, while Deth's supervisor appears to him in the body of a prostitute. There is an instant contrast. Jo Deth is petite and fragile looking, which obviously adds to the novelty value of her suddenly acting macho, but this is the very form which audiences seem to appreciate most. It's a valid point to consider that if the roles were reversed, that the buxom actress was in the lead, it would undermine the integrity of the film.

Highlighting female sexuality degrades a film. Trancers 6 parodies the Hollywood casting of such sexless, nonthreatening heroines. As is usually the case in films like this there is a similarly sexed antagonist. Again her sexuality is seen as negative. She's a man-eater, a manipulator using her body to control weaker men. A Lady Macbeth figure, she is very definitely representative of the 'woman-behind-the-man' mode of thinking. In many ways she may be superior to her employer, but she embraces the mainstream acceptance of a male-dominated society.

Reviving the franchise 8 years after Trancers 5: Sudden Deth (1994) was always going to be an interesting proposition. The sex change novelty has breathed new life into the series. The opportunities for intelligent discussion are merely a bonus.

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Turbulence 3: Heavy Metal (2001 Video)

4/10

It wanted to be Passenger 57 starring Marilyn Manson

10 March 2011

The bizarre pitch for this airborne thriller is Passenger 57 (1992) starring Marilyn Manson. It involves a controversial heavy metal group performing an internet-streamed gig aboard a jumbo jet, co-piloted by Rutger Hauer, that's hijacked by Satanists.

Screenwriter Wade Ferley clearly had no shortage of ideas, the problem is he didn't know how to develop them and so the film skitters between several characters involved with or observing the unfolding mayhem.

Despite all the onboard chaos, much of the time is spent with additional characters on the ground. A pointless sub-plot involves a Clarice Starling-style FBI agent tracking down a notorious computer hacker and other scenes involve Joe Mantegna.

Director Jorge Montesi has an extensive history in television and a handful of features under his belt. Unfortunately his experience fails to give the film anything more than a cheap TV movie feel. Locations are suspiciously absent of extras and very bland to look at, while the principle cast members spend the majority of the time in separate locations from which the fail to venture far from.

An early indication of budgetary limitations is the opening sequence. Craven is identified as this fictional world's Marilyn Manson, a character whose popularity is equalled only by his controversial status. Greeting him at the airport are his legion of dedicated fans and protesters clearly representing the religious right. But either side's numbers are so few it's difficult to suspend disbelief and enter into the story.

However, once you accept its limitations of budget and scale, Turbulence 3 becomes a fun thrill ride surpassing the majority of Airport (1969) clones. While its use of air disaster clichés, such as the on-board threat, communications with the tower/ground authorities and the final landing sequence (followed by the shot of emergency vehicles and survivors exiting the plane), place it within a specific genre, it's cultural themes to mark is very much as a film of it's time. It has a unique identity and it's trying to capture the zeitgeist; it just does it badly.

This is one of those movies in which there are plenty of familiar faces and names, but none of these are the main characters. Many in Turbulence 3's supporting cast have a history in the air disaster genre. Craig Sheffer returns from Turbulence 2: Fear of Flying (1999) but portrays a different character, unconvincingly cast as a hippie hacker. Sheffer and co-star Gabrielle Anwar and Rutger Hauer were also together in Flying Virus (also made in 2001) and he completed a quadrilogy of air disasters with TV movie Cabin Pressure (2002). Co-star Joe Mantegna had earlier appeared in Airspeed (1998).

The most complex sequences take place aboard the plane and feature none of the headlined stars. Unknown John Mann got a chance to shine in the dual role of Slade Craven and his psychotic doppelgänger. Craven is not as embarrassingly cartoonish as he could have been and Mann makes the role his own, exploring not only the public and private dimension of the rock star, but also his truly deranged double - enhanced with a vocal dub.

Mann, who performs 2 mediocre tracks as Craven, does a good job in stripping away the theatrical aspect of his character without ever removing his make-up. Unfortunately the impact is undermined by a late moment where our mock-satanic hero takes a moment to pray, as if to confirm he is indeed a good man.

The starring role in Turbulence 3 didn't do much for Mann's career. He eventually made it to the higher profile films in roles such as as "bouncer" in Catwoman (2004), "convict" in The Chronicles of Riddick (2004) and "Viking doctor" in Pathfinder (2007).

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Skyscraper (1996 Video)

5/10

Anna Nicole Smith as John McClane?

6 March 2011

Imagine Die Hard (1988) starring full-figured Texan centrefold Anna Nicole Smith instead of Bruce Willis but filmed on a fraction of the budget. It's a concept that captures the imagination, but is it worth seeing?

The second collaboration between Smith and director Raymond Martino, following To The Limit (1995), a thriller co-starring Joey Travolta (brother of John), Skyscraper is one of a string of bland but bombastic action movies produced in Los Angeles by the now defunct PM Entertainment.

Smith plays Carrie, a pilot for private helicopter travel operator Heliscort, used by businessmen to get through the city from one meeting to another in the quickest way possible. Our first glimpse of Smith comes during the opening aeriel sequence in which we see her inappropriately long red nails as she guides the helicopter.

There is then a brief interlude for a little exposition in which we learn a) her husband is a cop, and b) she wants a child and he does not. Obviously, both these attempts at characterisation come into play as the narrative unfolds.

Carrie is unwittingly involved in a villain's activities, transporting him from one death scene to another, just as Jamie Foxx would do later in Collateral (2004). Her husband is, coincidentally, investigating the deaths and when his partner is killed it becomes personal.

When she becomes aware of her unwitting role in the day's events, Carrie fights back. Doing all she can to keep a valuable briefcase out of the villain's hands, protect a small child and rescue the hostages.

Following in the footprints of soft porn action filmmakers such as Andy Sidaris, Skyscraper is a more competent action film than one might expect. Against the odds, this is a production of some quality. A satisfying action film that just happens to have a sexploitation gimmick as its unique selling point.

An early shower scene becomes a typical softcore scene and another sex scene follows later. When the action plot is in full swing, Smith pauses to reflect on better days and a ludicrous exploitation of the flashback device. As the situation becomes more serious, Smith loses some of her clothing in an attempted rape scene that sat uncomfortably with the light tone of the film. Aside from all this PM's action formula is pretty much the same as in films starring the likes of Sam Jones, Gary Daniels and Jeff Wincott etc.

Smith handles the action material as well as can be expected. She has a brief gun-fight and gives the villain a pounding with a couple of slight martial arts moves. Her character is not an elitely trained soldier or a cop, as in most films of this type so we don't expect a great deal from her.

As this is a rehash of Die Hard it seems only appropriate that she get to do a take on Bruce Willis' famous fire-hose-jump sequence; her character swings around for a few minutes before busting through the window.

This minimal amount of Smith-led action is simply not enough for a PM audience to be satisfied, so we have the actions of the villains, as well as the cop husband, to fill out the standard PM action quotient. There is a small amount of martial arts – including a detachable sequence involving two bit players, of the kind you would only get in a B-movie.

One of PM's trademarks is the rocket launcher, and so these are used a half dozen times, another is the man-falling-from-building stunt. There are three of these. With a couple of man-on-fire sequences round out the mix.

There's plenty here to keep genre fans amused.

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Straight Shooter (1999)

6/10

Is a German action movie featuring Dennis Hopper worth watching?

5 March 2011

An elitely trained former Legionnaire embarks on a vengeful killing spree. Utilising the techniques which prepared him to avoid capture and survive behind enemy lines, Straight Shooter (Heino Ferch) kills a number of high ranking officials he blames for the death of his family. The government bring in his former commanding officer, the only man with intimate knowledge of the killer's methods and psychology.

Made in Germany, with a view to international release, this First Blood (1982) variant casts American actor Dennis Hopper in the lead role of former commander Frank Hector, while the German cast members have their voices dubbed for the English-language version.

Straight Shooter is interesting because it's characters are not clear cut heroes and villains. When we are first introduced to Hector he is telling his girlfriend she has to get an abortion, when she says she does not want to he violently slaps her.

This opening scene bears little relevance to the plot but does put the audience in an intriguingly awkward position as the love story between Hector and the District Attorney he is working with unfolds. In contrast, the film's villain is portrayed sympathetically as a loving husband and father driven over the edge.

Both characters occupy a grey area which makes this stand out against other black and white, good versus evil thrillers.

The film has an unusual look, which emphasises a unique vision. Bohn incorporates grainy and bleached flashback sequences and one excellent scene uses computer morphing technology to take us from an empty building exterior to the middle of a war zone and back again.

There is also a good car chase / action sequence in the final half hour in which Straight Shooter is chased by a police squad car (a Porsche) and a BMW. He lures the cars into his lair and blows them up with a grenade booby trap and a rocket launcher.

Use of space in Straight Shooter is particularly striking. Notable for its lack of claustrophobic locations and camera-work, director Bohn uses a series of long-shots and medium long-shots throughout the film, which give even the modestly sized house and apartment interiors a sense of openness. Shot in 2.35:1 widescreen, in addition to the bold photography of urban exteriors and cityscapes, the majority of the film takes place in architecturally vast buildings, which use wide spaces and glass partitions to emphasise the vulnerability of the characters.

This is not an extraordinary film but it is a very interesting one. Well worth seeking out if you're a Hopper fan or interested in European films influenced by Hollywood.

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The Onion Movie (2008)

Don't be deterred by the desperate title change for this long-shelved sketch comedy

5 March 2011

Since the Scary Movie films, we've had to endure Date Movie, Epic Movie Disaster Movie, Dance Flick ad nauseum; it seems this trend will never end. 20th Century Fox, who are distributing The Onion Movie clearly didn't know how to handle this movie in the UK, so they slapped the new title News Movie on it.

The Onion Movie is a lot better than the collection of weak parodies it's been lumped in with. While it is true that some of the satire has dated and more than a handful of the jokes lack great punchlines, the fact is that this is still an amusing way to spend 75 minutes.

The majority of the film takes the form of mock news broadcasts, from America's Finest News Source – The Onion. Eventually a slight narrative thread begins to link the sequences and a denouement brings it all together. But like some other films with the "Movie" moniker it's all essentially an afterthought.

Steven Seagal almost steals the movie in a spoof trailer for a film called Cockpuncher but it's the over-the-top Britney Spears parodies written by Asche & Spencer that are the highlights. Performed by Lisa Marie Furth, the songs of the imaginary Melissa Cherry character (played by Sarah McElliot) are near perfect imitations of conventional pop tunes and it's a shame that no soundtrack is available.

Directed by Tom Kuntz and Mike Maguire (but credited to James Kleiner), The Onion Movie was produced by David Zucker, director of the first two The Naked Gun movies and the last two Scary Movie sequels among many others. While it doesn't come close to the former it's certainly no worse than the latter. In this age of lazy comedy writing that's probably the most praise one give a film like this.

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Triangle (2007)

5/10

Three of Hong Kong's iconic directors

5 March 2011

A notable collaboration between three of the most iconic directors in Hong Kong, Triangle is a complex crime film from which one should expect the unexpected.

This is a not a Pulp Fiction (1994) or Three Extremes (2004) style anthology, but instead a single, linear story in which the baton is passed from one director to the next, a bit like The Signal (2007).

Tsui Hark, Ringo Lam and current favourite Johnnie To each used their own scripts and production teams to create 30 minutes of this crime drama.

Tsui Hark's first act establishes the characters, handing over to Ringo Lam for an intense second act and it's therefore down to Johnnie To to wrap things up in the chaotic final act. These are directors who know how to use conventions, such as the mcguffin, the chase and gunfight, but delight in adding unexpected twists to subvert our expectations.

The result is a surprisingly natural film experience. Distinctive styles, such as Tsui Hark's intense visuals, may make the audience aware of who is in control but generally it's almost impossible to determine which director's work we are watching at any given time. Cinematographer Cheng Siu-Keung deserves credit for maintaining a beautifully atmospheric tone throughout, even during the many unusual moments.

As is appropriate for a film with three directors there are three lead characters. Simon Yam, Louis Koo and Sun Honglei play desperate men planning a robbery when a mystery man approaches leaves in their possession a piece of gold which sends them in a new direction, toward buried treasure.

It's the set-up for a conventional heist movie, the kind of film we have seen many times before, but in the hands of these skilled artists it becomes much more. The triangle of the title can be interpreted to mean one or several things. Meaning extends beyond simply referring to the collaboration between the trio of filmmakers.

It can be said to refer to the three-stages to this story and the journey the audience accompanies the characters on. The poster art presents the words "destiny" "jealousy" and "temptation" on each side of the shape, hinting at a philosophical construction. Triangle is an ambiguous film from which we can take from what we wish.

I was personally drawn to the "love triangle" interpretation. At the heart of the film is a woman, the wife of one of the criminals, who has been having an affair. For a notable three years. Awareness of the betrayal has a direct influence on the direction of the story and things become increasingly unpredictable. I'm being intentionally vague about whose wife she is and with whom the affair is taking place as there are so many wonderful nuances and surprises in the narrative that it would be a shame to spoil them.

Simon Yam, a serious actor with a surprising number of action films in his filmography including Wake of Death with Jean-Claude Van Damme, is a Johnnie To regular and it's his cold, emotionless performance which grips the audience most. From the moment he is introduced on screen we never know what to expect from him.

Louis Koo (with whom Yam and To worked on the Election films) is also good as a small-time criminal getting in over his head with some nasty characters. The only weak link is Sun Hong Lei as an antique store owner who aids them in their heist. Too often off-screen and unmemorable when he is on it.

Triangle is an intriguing piece of work. Those seeking a fast-paced thriller would be advised to look elsewhere, but if you enjoy slow- burning character studies then this will not disappoint.

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Species: The Awakening (2007 TV Movie)

3/10

A tame Species movie that exists only to exploit fans

5 March 2011

MGM's Species franchise, like Wishmaster and The Crow, is a perfect example of the law of diminishing returns. Roger Donaldson's 1995 hit Species was a stylish, self-consciously trashy homage to B-movies. One that has had its scenario rehashed three times now.

One would expect a low-budget sequel to revel in sleaze and gore, but since 2004, when the concept was resurrected, 6 years after the cinema release of the disastrous Species 2 (1998), for the direct-to-DVD market, there has been a surprising resistance to the gratuitous ingredients of sex and violence. Species 3 paid little more than lip service to the desires of the target audience and the same is true here.

Deviating from the plot line established by the first three films, which featured Natasha Henstridge, The Awakening is a standalone feature that references and reimagines the ideas of the first film. It posits an alternative scenario; what if the scientist played by Sir Ben Kingsley in the original had not kept the young girl like a rat in cage? What if he'd raised her like his own?

This could have made for an intriguing exploration of nature versus nurture. Had Henstridge's Sil been allowed to develop in a more normal way could her dangerous, alien side have been suppressed? Alas there is little such depth to this cheap cash-in.

Kingsley's role is reinterpreted by fellow British thespian Ben Cross, while Swede Helena Mattsson (who looks a bit like Nicole Kidman) takes over where Henstridge and Sunny Mabrey left off. With only four key cast members and no sign of even Michael Madsen, The Awakening is the weakest of exploitation films. Only the audience is being exploited.

A studio like MGM isn't short of cash, so the explanation for the cheapness of this film is clear; they knew they can get away with it and turn an easy profit. Studios like The Asylum have their desperately limited resources to explain their crass and dissatisfactory efforts, but there's simply no excuse for a Species film to be as unspectacular as this.

Feeling more like a cross between a vampire movie and a retelling of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein than a sexy sci-fi movie, Nick Lyon's film merely coasts on tenuous links to its predecessors. There are the HR Giger-inspired creature costumes and the promise of flesh is vaguely satisfied but there's not much effort or imagination. Were it not for a few gratuitous moments and aggressive curse words this could have been made for mainstream TV.

Lyons does well to pay homage to the original film and its subtext but seems to have forgotten how tongue-in-cheek it all was. Species 4 should have taken things to a cartoonish extreme. Instead what could have been knowingly amusing is just po-faced and embarrassing. From Dominic Keating's terrible Aussie accent to the fact that the alien hybrids use their tongues as weapons, at one point they shoot icicle-like spears from their mouths in bullet-time, the experience is one of contradiction.

The original Species really went for it. Utterly shameless titillation. The sequel went further, but in a misjudged, sleazy and misogynistic direction. Perhaps this is why the following two instalments have been so tame. The Awakening, as evidenced by its 15 rating, delivers the bare minimum that one could expect from a film with the Species title. Cautiously exploitative.

Like its heroine, The Awakening is in denial, trying its best not to give in to its primitive instincts. There's the potential for a wild ride in its concept and its plot, but Lyons takes it so seriously that the only laughs come unintentionally. This is a film in which a back alley scientist creates sex-crazed human/alien hybrids that run around Mexico! One of them dresses as demonic nun and leaps between rooftops, lassoing potential prey with its tongue; this is potentially hilarious stuff! But it's stripped bare, like its heroine in the final act, devoid of emotion. This is a film of wasted opportunities.

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Infection (2005)

2/10

A disappointing experiment from B-movie auteur Albert Pyun

5 March 2011

Director Albert Pyun does not inspire confidence. His name evokes groans and memories of cheap and often pretentious genre films. But when I heard that his latest project was a single uninterrupted shot I was as intrigued as anyone to see the results. The fact that Infection (retitled Invasion when it DVD) was getting praise from critics only served to heighten my interest.

The film's novelty is that it is a science fiction film told from the fixed view of a high definition camera mounted on a police car. With a cast of mostly unknowns and an aura of mystery, Infection inspired a similar level of intrigue as the much higher profile Cloverfield (2008). If only the results were as exciting. Whether the consequence of budgetary limitations or a misguided artistic aspiration, Infection is a huge disappointment.

Shoddy-looking news footage and title cards set the scene as the film begins with a Police officer driving down the dirt roads of a national park. He meets a local resident acting very strangely. Once again something alien has come to small town USA, but while the soundtrack provides plot information the visual element is an endless steam of footage of bland dirt roads.

Pyun is both a prolific hack and a talentless artist and has been consistently disappointing viewers for nearly 30 years. One can theorise that this event-free narrative experiment and its largely meaningless visuals are intended to isolate viewers. To hypnotise or unsettle an audience used to seeing everything. If that was the artistic intent that's fair enough but it simply doesn't work. While I respect that using a single traveling camera to encounter various characters is a complex undertaking I can't help but feel that he could have done more.

Set within an urban location and with a larger cast this could have been, like Cloverfield, an extraordinary film. As it is it's just a bore. The fact that over-the-top sound design, a smattering of dubious visual effects and an admittedly interesting score seek to shatter the faux-realism of the found footage merely adds to the overwhelming sense of disappointment.

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