Casshern

Casshern
Japan (2004)
Starring:  Yusuke Iseya, Kumiko Aso, Akira Terao, Kanako Higuchi, Fumiyo Kohinata

Casshern, is ghost hero in local folklore from one of the small towns in this movie.  Based on an old Japanese anime this movie follows Tetsuya through the transition into Casshern where he might become the hero legend.  In this movie you will find there is a blur between being alive and being the ghost of the living.  I decided to get this movie for two reasons.  Casshern is a superhero in a sense and the imagination that goes into creating superheros is unique, so it piqued my curiosity.  The other reason is because I read about it being better then both of the Matrix sequels.

I found this movie to be extremely well put together.  The scenery and effects are masterful at some moments.  The concept of this superhero ghost is unique.  The plot is very different.  Kazuaki Kiriya filmed this movie in such a way that it made me think to put it together and afterward.  Granted I could be incorrectly projecting meaning where there is none, but that's part of why I like this movie.  The action though left a little to be desired.  It seems as if the beginning starts out great, but where great forces come into play later in the movie they are filmed with regular actions it seems - potentially a money saving venture aimed at reducing special effects costs.  Even so, if you like a semi-dark twisted sci-fi anime based superhero story check this one out.

Travelers and Magicians

 

Travelers and Magicians
Bhutan
2003
Starring:  Tshewang Dendup, Sonam Lhamo, and Lhakpa Dorji

When I saw this movie I watched it mainly because I wanted to visually explore Bhutan as much as this movie would allow.  It certainly satisfied some of my curiosity with some gorgeous scenery, but I know there are many spectacular wonders the cinematography in this film didn't touch.  With that said, being the first movie from Bhutan that I've watched I had to see what type of story it conveyed.   I found the beginning a little strange and almost annoying, but it was worth sticking out the first 20 minutes as the movie changed drastically.

From the beginning this movie is a story of travelers.  Dondup travels the mountain roads for days so that he can get to the capital and move to the United States.  Along the way as he rides buses and hitchhikes as he is forced to travel with a growing group of people.  One person whose path was crossed in this journey was a monk with a story to tell.  His story of a dreamland is mystical and certainly has its own meaning amongst choices the travelers will one day have to make.

Quote:  "A peach blossom is beautiful,  But you see, a blossom is only beautiful because it is temporary."

"You should be careful with dreamlands because when you wake up, it may not be very pleasant."

The Haunting - No-Do

The Haunting (aka No-Do)
Spain
2009
Starring:  Ana Torrent, Francisco Boira, and Hector Colome

No-Do is a horror movie from Spain.  In its own rights it is unique.  There are some heavily borrowed parts of this movie, but it did still contain some originality.  I found the beginning a little hard to follow, yet towards the end it all fell into place.

This movie wasn't overly gory, but did of course contain some gore.  It also had a number of spirit hauntings and one bad ass demon.  The church is featured heavily throughout the movie and plays a multi-sided stereotypical role.  Who else is going to try and expel your demons though?

All in all it wasn't a horrible movie, not terribly scary either.  There were times when the level of fright portrayed by the actors wasn't quite in line with the story, but I think that's where many horror movies go wrong anyway. It did have that famous Spanish dark overtone that you'll find in movies like Pan's Labyrinth or The Orphanage.


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Faana

Fanaa
India (Bollywood)
2006
Starring:  Aamir Khan, Kajol, Tabu, and Rishi Kapoor

You know how most Bollywood movies have an intermission because they are so long?  The second part of this movie was nothing like the first, it was truly like a second movie.  There aren't many times that I am caught off guard by the turn of events in a movie, usually I find movies predictable... this one was all but predictable.  From drama, to romance, to action, and some adventure this movie evokes many different sentiments.  The cinematography in the movie is absolutely stunning full of amazing sweeping views of gorgeous countrysides and scenery and Delhi as well.  The music is interesting in this movie.  A portion of the same tune is used in about 90% of the musical sequences.  How it changed to fit the different songs is through the whole movie and was still recognizable is unique.  The brave attempts at poetry through the whole first half was cool also; I'm quite sure this would have been a more enjoyable experience if I could understand the native audio - poetry always looses some of its constructive points in translation.

Zooni, a young blind woman who's lived a sheltered life.  She leaves the most important thing in her life, her family, and travels to Dehli in a grand adventure with her father's reluctant permission.  Through most of the movie she is recounting quotes of her father's wisdom, which I found quite enjoyable and personally reminded me of someone I used to know.   Rehan, "God's greatest gift" in his own words, is a tourguide.  Destiny brings them together and what follows if the story of a lifetime.  The path of their relationship takes the most unforeseen twists as Zooni makes a decision to undergo a corrective surgery to restore her sight.  Fanaa is quite cheesy in an enjoyable way through the first half.

Seeing a Bollywood movie with a blind woman as the leading character was interesting to me.  Kajol did a great job in keeping her eyes from reacting to visual stimuli during filming.

In all if you're a fan of Bollywood I have to recommend this movie it wasn't my favorite, but it wasn't bad either.  It's a awesome love story and has the wft? factor going through quite a bit of it.  I'm glad I gave it the chance.

Quote:  The choice isn't between good and evil.  That's easy.  The real choices of life are choosing between the lesser of two evils, or the greater of two goods.

Fung wan II - Storm Warriors

Fung wan II - Storm Warriors
Hong Kong
2009
Starring:  Aaron Kwok, Ekin Cheng, and Kenny Ho
Awards:  Nominated for the Asian Film Award (2010)

Probably my second favorite genre of movies right now is the martial arts arena, fantasy martial arts movies are awesome because of the thought that goes into creating the worlds and the martial arts themselves.  Fung wan II is no exception to that.  Virtually all of the action sequences are friggin awesome.  The limits of reality are tested, sure, but that doesn't mean the story isn't cool.  If you liked the looks of Goemon you should certainly like the looks of this.  Some of the names in this movie were a little corny, but that very well could be something that is lost to me in translation.

I think we are coming into a new era for martial arts movies.  I have a hypothesis that the kids who grew up watching anime are becoming directors now with production budgets large enough to create the worlds and special effects their minds have been trained to imagine.  I think we're going to see a large number of flicks coming out of Asia that will rival Hollywood action productions in the next decade.

Storm Warriors has a decent plot behind it.  There is a strong element of good and evil, light and dark, and it approaches the high ranking martial arts training with that perspective.  There is a some type of a love story tied into this movie for both Wind and Cloud, but for some reason if it wasn't for the acting that wouldn't be overly apparent; the subtitles said little about it other then hints here and there.  If you like fantasy martial arts movies with good action virtually all the way through you should check this one out.

La Hora Fria - The Cold Hour

La Hora Fria - The Cold Hour (AKA The Dark Hour)
Spain
2006
Starring:  Silke, Omar Munoz, and Pepo Oliva

La Hora Fria is dubbed a horror, mystery, sci-fi movie.  It fits the sci-fi category; works with the mystery category; yet, I wouldn't call it a horror.

I keep an eye out and continue to look for new sci-fi and horror movies from Spain because there is something just a little different about them that I like.  Maybe I'll figure it out in the next 5 or 10 of them that I come across.  It could be that I understand about 85% of Spanish movies in their native language so a little less is lost in translation.

La Hora Fria is no exception.  The movie followed suite with a post apocalyptic theme, a little creepiness, and a plot that I couldn't figure out till the movie was over.  Then this one kept me pondering the situations presented throughout the plot.  The movie twists all the way through the plot and has an ending that I didn't guess or predict.  I recommend this move for anyone that enjoy's  slower moving sci-fi and mystery movies that keep you wondering all the way through.

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My Name is Khan

My Name is Khan
India
2010
Starring:  Shahrukh Khan, Kanol, and Sheetal Menon

Since the day it was released on Netflix on demand service this movie was in my queue; I left it there for months without watching it for one reason or another and I'm sad that it took me so long to watch it.

My Name is Khan is an amazing movie consisting of a well knit web of difficulties.  The movie is centered around the struggles of Muslims and Hindi in America before and after 9/11.  The main character, Khan, faces struggles of his own throughout his childhood and adulthood both in India and in the United States.  The circles of struggles touch on the relationships between Indian Muslims and Hindis, family, religions, countries, cultures, racism, discrimination, acceptance, love, loss, innocence, and so much more.  I don't know that I have ever seen a movie that involved so much that was so well done; I had assumed this movie wouldn't interest me and instead when I started watching it in the middle of the night I couldn't go to sleep until I finished watching it (5am).  This is simply a must see.  

I will be the first to admit that I do not know much about the Great Divide in India, what caused it, or why it still an issue.  I'm not sure if the Great Divide is the same as the Partition of 1947.  But, it is sad that there are so many people who struggle to this day with religion and in the case of Khan's homeland the caste system as well.  This movie didn't involve the caste system, but was but did depict the struggles from two cultures from the same country while in a foreign land.  It also involved the struggles of the Indian Muslim and Hindu population living in the United States and how they also began to divide after 9/11.  This movie is simply and amazingly eye opening and moving.  

There could not have been more horrible things happening to a man who was simply trying to do his best to live in a world where he was different then everyone else.  Khan's struggles with Asperger Syndrome and with his own identity.  Even being shunned by society at large and struggling on so many fronts a warmer heart and soul could not have been written into his character any better.

Through the struggles of one man and his actions this movie reminds us that one individual can be a powerful force, no matter who they are.

While I was in the process of due diligence on this movie I found an article that broke my heart.  While the article is a compilation of stories and says the actions of those involved had more to do with cricket in India than the religious or cultural differences portrayed in My Name is Khan the actions by religious groups shows otherwise in my mind.  It is sad that different cultures struggle for acceptance from each other in their home land and add the struggle of acceptance of a nation to that difficulty when they come here.  As borders grow less obscure in the way the world is trending currently hopefully mankind will learn to accept itself at large no matter what culture or background someone comes from.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/news/2010/02/100212_my_name_is_khan_nh_sl.shtml

Quote(s):  "My Name is Khan and I'm not a terrorist"

Ammi: "This is you Rizvan. And this is the person who has a stick in his hand.  And he is beating you."
Rizvan: "It's bad, beating is bad."
Ammi:  "Yes, it's bad.  Now this is you again Rizvan and this is the person who has a lollipop.  And he gives it to you.
Rizvan:  "Lollipop is sweet.  It's a good thing."
Ammi:  "Good boy.  Now tell me which of these is a Hindu and which one a Muslim?" Looking at stick figure drawings.
Rizvan:  "Both look alike."
Ammi:  "Good.  Remember one thing son, there are only two kinds of people in this world.  Good people who do good deeds and bad people who do bad.  That's the only difference in human beings."

Het Leven Uit Een Dag - Life in One Day

Het Leven Uit Een Dag - Life in One Day
Netherlands
2009
Starring:  Matthijs van de Sande Bakhuyzen, Lois de Jong, and Tygo Gernandt
Awards:  Nominated for Best Cinematography at Camerimage and for the Dutch Film Critics Award at the Netherlands Film Festival

Life in One Day is a unique movie.  At first I thought that it might have followed the storyline of a movie called Wristcutters, though it did show a small resemblance the movie was far from what I anticipated.

This independent film from the Netherlands explores love and relationships through experiences that take place in two parallel worlds.  One world is nearly the same as the other with a couple major differences; if one were to pick at some of the possibilities of the "alternate" world there are some fundamental issues that could be addressed, but the fact of the matter is that movies are a vehicle, a image if you will, from someone's mind as it imagines the possibilities and impossibilities in life and creates stories.  Het Leven Uit Een Dag is no exception.  This movie started out a little twisted, but surprised me as it continued.  The plot flows smoothly throughout the movie.  I am most positive I would thoroughly enjoy the movie in its native language.

The plot is that of two lovers who desire the impossible and strive towards it; this impossible being eternal love.  The story flows along this line all the way through.  There is quite a bit of eroticism, nudity, and sex through the movie - go Europeans.  How can one have an eternal love without considering sex and nudity in the relationship?  Through the exploration of life and satisfaction this movie journeys through situations ironically humorous and sad at the same time.

Het Leven Uit Een Dag, Life in One Day, was worth seeing once.  I enjoyed the movie enough that I came back and finished watching it; dread the movies that I can not do that with.

Quote:  In the world where I was born, life lasts one day.   One day in which you experience everything only once.

Cargo

Cargo
2009
Switzerland
Starring:  Anna-Katharina Schwabroh, Martin Rapold, and Regula Grauwiller

Cargo is a Swiss sci-fi movie.  With that said not many sci-fi movies have come from Switzerland.  Cargo is unique in some of the environment that the story takes place in.  The ship is cool and there are some really cool looking scenes.  Production wise this movie is visually entertaining.

I've had a problem with Hollywood specifically for the better part of the past decade though:  Hollywood can't seem to do anything original, everything is a prequel, a sequel, or heavily borrows plots and story lines from already produced movies.  This movie though far from a Hollywood production follows suite there.  The plot was paper thin and could be predicted before you were halfway through the movie.  It also borrowed from the plots of a half dozen or more blockbuster sci-fi movies ranging from the mid 50s to nearly present day.  There are a couple of blunders if one picks apart the science involved in the move, but a movie is a move some scientific blunders are acceptable in my book.

With all of that said, I am more then happy to help support independent film and watch this movie.  It does have some uniqueness about it and is unique in the way some of the material is presented throughout the movie.

Quote:  You were right, earth won't make it.

Soon to come

I have unfortunately been lax in my reviews, however I have not been so in watching the movies. Soon to come (next few days) will be reviews of Cargo, Zeitgeist, Het Leven Uit Een Dat, Strigoi, Action Replay, Ip Man 2 & 3, Black Death, Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame.... amongst a couple of others. Check back soon ;)

MirrorMask

MirrorMask
2005
Canada
Starring:  Stephanie Leonidas, Jason Barry, and Rob Brydon

MirrorMask falls into many different categories.  It is an adventure, a drama, a family movie, a fantasy, and is full of carnies all the way through.

I think Jim Henson had a run in with some bad acid from the 60s when he wrote this.  This movie was a visual trip all the way through.  I can only imagine the people who created it.  It is done by the creators of Dark Crystal and Labyrinth.

With that said, if you can deal with the trippieness of it all it is quite an imaginative adventure.

The story begins in a carnival where one of the stars of the show is fighting with her daughter.  After those often exchanged words between the rebellious teenager and parents watching out for them.  Soon she finds herself in a world where everyone mysteriously wears masks..



Quote:  If I told you something wierd, would you think I'm crazy?

Die Verlassenen - The Abandoned

Die Verlassenen - The Abandoned
Spain, Germany, UK, Bulgaria
2006
Starring:  Anastasia Hille, Karel Roden and Valentin Goshev


The Abandoned is a unique horror film.  Much of what I've watched in the past 10 years for horror is simply gore and boring or teen humor and kind of funny.  This movie puts a bit of suspense and some freaky moments back into the horror category.  I wasn't overly impressed with the cinematography, but it served its purpose in this movie.  The story alone was unique and what I truly appreciated of this movie.  


The movie begins with Marie on her way to claim her father's will back in Russia.  From there the mystery just gets deeper and deeper till...   


I would recommend The Abandoned for anyone who enjoys a good chilling horror flick.  

Veer-Zaara

A

Veer-Zaara
2004
India
Starring:  Shahrukh Khan, Preity Zinta, and Rani Mukherjee

This review is biased, mostly because I fell in love with both Bollywood and Preity watching this movie.  In my mind no greater love story has ever been written.  The depiction of honor, beauty, and valor in Veer-Zaara is epic by any standard.  So much did this film move my heart I could write pages on how this movie made me feel, but that would require spoilers :)    This movie was the first Bollywood movie I had ever watched and has eternally earned the spot of the number Bollywood movie ever; I know someone will argue that.  The culture displayed through this movie was quite interesting as well.  This movie depicts in subtle ways the multiple cultures that exist through northern India and Pakistan.

Veer, a pilot in the Indian army, and Zaara, a gorgeous woman from Pakistan, crossed paths in the strangest way as she was fulfilling a promise made to her beloved grandmother.  The most beautiful love that could never have formed began.  The rest is all in the movie.  The love story in this movie is the foundation for one of the most beautiful struggles I have ever seen.  If I could I'd name constellations after this couple.

I recommend this movie 100% and to those who don't like it, well don't watch it twice :)

The most amazing love story that has ever been conceived is right here in:  Veer-Zaara

Quote:  "Give me this, one day from your life.....I know a day is very precious to you.   But, I promise that you'll never forget this day."

Shin ge jeon - The Divine Weapon

Shin ge Jeon - The Divine Weapon
2008
Korea
Starring:  Jae-yeong Jeong, Eun-jeong Han, and Jun-ho Heo

We all know that China invented gunpowder right?  So this wonderful invention that for centuries in written history did nothing but flash Korea found a way to turn into a propellant.  Korea developed the first rocket propelled arrows.

This movie is a great movie detailing the formulation of a weapon and what it can take out of a family and a nation when one is on the right path of destruction.

Between the development of the fire arrow, martial arts, Korean period outfits, and a decent story I really have to say I enjoyed this movie.  Korean movies are a little difficult to follow sometimes, but this one was worth the effort.  I learned quite a bit about what modern weaponry developed from by watching this movie and I truly just enjoyed the story itself!

I recommend this movie for anyone that is a weapons or martial arts fan; sure there are some slow parts, but it's not that bad if you love the first two qualifiers.  Korea did historically create advanced weapons from gunpowder anyway.  This movie was both entertaining if you dig Korean cinema and insightful in a slightly historic way.  No matter what you're after this movie was cool.

Quote:  "We'll test the Grand Singijeon in the morning, then it will all be over."

Ye yan - The Banquet

Ye yan - The Banquet
2006
China
Starring:  Ziyi Zhang, You Ge, and Daniel Wu

Ye yan, is credited with being an adaptation of Hamlet from China.  Ye yan
is about a prince who has turned his back on being a future ruler of his kingdom; he would prefer to study the arts then to take the crown and play aristocrat.

The Banquet is complete with back stabbing, forbidden love, poison, family struggles within the government, assassins, and a few good ass kicking scenes.  Wu Luan, the crown prince, has the cards stacked against him from the beginning.

This movie has some spectacular martial arts scenes.  If it is available in HD it would be worth the acquisition. For the lovers of martial arts movies and Chinese period flicks this is a must watch.  If you enjoyed Crouching  Tiger Hidden Dragon for the art and martial arts then you will most certainly enjoy this movie.

Quote:  "Why do you wear a mask when you perform?"
"It transports an actor to the highest state of his art.  Without a mask, happiness, anger, sorrow and joy are simply written on his face.  But, with a mask a great artist can convey to the audience the most complex and hidden emotions."

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Jadesoturi - Jade Warrior

Jadesoturi - Jade Warrior
2009
Finland
Starring:  Tommi Eronen, Markku Peltola, and Jingchu Zhang

Is a fusion of an epic Finnish poem called The Kalevala and Chinese feudal wuxia this movie is the first from Finland to make it into Chinese cinemas.

Kai, the main character in this movie, remembers his past when he was a master blacksmith in China.  His blacksmith past from another life is riddled with mystery, love, sacrifice, and challenge.

I rated this movie a 3 on netflix because I liked it, but I didn't love it.  This movie wasn't overly spectacular and I was watching a subtitled version, but it did have some cool concepts.  A blacksmith must save the world for his love of lifetimes ago to be his again; can he rise to the occasion?  For the story alone I would rate it a 4 or 5, but I personally have a hard time with most movies from Scandinavia; sad, yet true and I cannot say why.  Even with all that said I would recommend this movie.  The action and intrigue come in irregular intervals and just in time to pull your attention back to the story.  Check it out for yourself and let me know what you think.  In cases like this one I am more than happy to pay for the rental just to do the little I can to encourage the cross cultural collaboration.

Quote:  "That kind of oath should not have been sworn alone.  It becomes a curse."

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Jeon Woo-chi - The Taoist Wizard

Jeon Woo-chi
2009
South Korea
Starring:  Su-jeong Lim, Yun-seok Kim, Dong-won Kang

Jeon Woo-chi was a whole lot of fun to watch.  This movie is a fusion of fantasy, adventure, action, humor, and deities.

Jeon Woo-chi is about a wizard, Wooji, who is grand in all aspects except that of the reality painted in the movie; his character is acting inside of acting.  He is a jester, adventurer, a wizard, wise, and a prankster.  His character makes the movie.

This movie is another from South Korea that explorers time travel and integrates it into the movie.  In Jeon Woo-chi the part of the movie takes place in the distant past and part in some time that resembles our present.

The way magic is used in this movie is a new portrayal of the subject to me.  This movie uses Taoist magic consisting of charms or spells written on pieces of paper which are only good once as best as I can tell.  The use of Taoist magic is a fitting compliment to the gods that are portrayed in the movie.

I have to say I enjoy what I call outlandish outfits used in many of the period movies of South Korea.  They make me smile.

All in all I had a great time watching this movie; it was fun, a good laugh, entertaining, and presented some really unique CGI/magic.  If you're into the fantasy martial arts genre this is a movie for you.

Quote:  "I am a wizard.  What is a wizard you ask?  A ruler of the winds, a bringer of the rain on dry lands, who leaps through space and governs the world with a swift blade, but handles that sword like a gentle flower.  A wizard's duty is to aid the helpless.  The head is where all decay begins!"

Aragami

Aragami
2003
Japan
Starring:  Takao Ohsawa, Massaya Kato, Kanae Uotani

Have you ever seen a movie that takes place in 1 room?  This whole movie takes place inside a remote mountain temple.  You will certainly not have a problem following the cast in this movie.  There are only 3 main characters and 1 or 2 others.

Aragami, for those sword and weapon loving martial arts fans, is a movie that one should see.  I don't recall it being overly impressive, however, the story is decent - even though it can be understood very early on in the movie.  It's a movie I wouldn't rush out and try to buy, but it's a nice reserve when you just feel like a little action with few other complications.  Check it out.  Alcohol plays a funny part in this movie too.

Quote:  Now this liquor is from a land called Russia.  They call it vodka.  It's pretty strong.

Ip Man

Ip Man
2008
Hong Kong
Staring:  Donnie Yen, Simon Yam, Siu-Wong Fan

Ip Man is an awesome movie!  If you're a martial arts fan all the of the Ip Man trillogy really are must see movies.  Donnie Yen pulls of some of the smoothest bone crunching, jaw dislocating moves I've seen in a movie in years.  This movie will certainly go down in the annals of martial arts movies as one of the greatest.

Ip Man was a teacher to many world renown martial artists; one of the most famous was Bruce Lee.  This movie is a semi-biographical account of Ip Man's life prior to teaching Wing Chun in Hong Kong.  From the annoying sessions of being challenged in front of his wife, to kicking ass all the way up the local Japanese command during their occupation in Foshan Ip Map is nonstop action done with some class.  This movie is not to be missed!!

Quote:  "Good Kung Fu does not depend on age or sex, but on how well you fight.  You will understand in a bit."

Heer Ranjha

Heer Ranjha:  A True Love Story
Punjab
2009
Starring:  Neeru Bajwa & Gurchet Chitrakar

Heer Ranjha is a true love story from Punjab.  The story is said to be over 300 years old.  Heer and Ranjha have a mausoleum shrine in Jhang that is visited by lovers to this day.  Every year to date in this town there is a festival thrown in their honor.

This movie follows the story of this couple dubbed the Romeo and Juliet of the east whose story of love, dedication, pain, and loss has spanned hundreds of years.  The legend of these lovers has only grown in recent years; their story epitomizes what every hopeless romantic dreams regardless of the centuries that have passed.

I do not remember the dance sequences in this movie because they were all overshadowed by the depth of the story.  The cinematography in this movie wasn't super spectacular.  I think the movie was made to carry a small anti-drug message as well; it is the first Bollywood movie that I have seen where they mentioned marijuana and opium then portrayed those who smoked it as slow and dimwitted.  All in all for the story alone this movie is a must see.  Again Bollywood has brought us an epic love story that will make your heart yearn and tears fall; this movie is well worth its time.

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