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Movies from 2012 that I recommend
So realistic that they seem redundant.
Reviews
Perfect Days (2023)
Wim Wenders always has great ideas
I first learned of Wim Wenders when my parents rented his "Until the End of the World". I've seen a number of his works since then, including his latest. The Academy Award-nominated "Perfect Days" is basically about serenity and enjoying what there is. The protagonist is a toilet cleaner in Tokyo. He doesn't have much, but enough, and he finds the beauty in everything (while taking pleasure in songs from the days of yore). A lot of the emotions and communications get expressed through gestures and expressions as he sees many of the same things and people.
You might say that the movie's gist is that we can admire what's around us without needing the latest objects. Wenders captures just about every feeling with this movie, and I'd say that if you want to go to Japan, you should see it as a reminder that there's more to the Land of the Rising Sun than we usually hear about. A fine movie in every way.
Chik loh dak gung (2002)
there's a reason why Hong Kong cinema is some of the most entertaining
Sometimes, you just have to accept that not all cinema has to be the sort of material that we got from Kurosawa, Fellini or Kubrick. Sometimes it's just brain candy. Nowhere is that more obvious than with Siu-tung Ching's "Chik loh dak gung" (called "Naked Weapon" in English). This exercise in nice, brainless fun has a female assassin - trained ever since she and a bunch of other girls got kidnapped and taken to an island - out to take charge. Since there are people after her, it's time for some truly awesome tricks.
Basically, it's the sort of movie that you watch if you want to kick back and enjoy yourself. Nothing deep about it, just silly stuff. The cast includes Maggie Q, Daniel Wu, and the recently deceased Chang Pei-pei (Jade Fox in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon").
One Week (1920)
A dreamhouse or a nightmare one?
The title "One Week" may evoke the Barenaked Ladies song, but it should be obvious that Buster Keaton's 1920 comedy has nothing to do with that. Building a house only to see a bunch of things go wrong are an occasional topic of comedy (Mr. Blanding Builds His Dream House, The Money Pit). In this case, it's a silent movie, so it's all about the gags. And boy are there a ton of them! One thing that you gotta say about Buster Keaton is that it must've been fun to participate in his movies, just to get to witness the wackiness in real time. You're sure to laugh consistently while watching this one. And damned if Sybil Seely wasn't a real babe.
Mortel transfert (2001)
Analyze what?
"Mortel transfert" ("Mortal Transfer" in English) is the first Jean-Jacques Beineix movie that I've seen; it turns out to have been his final theatrical film before he died. Certainly an intense one; a real Hitchcockian vibe to it. In addition to the basic plot, it drives home questions about the ethics of one's job, especially with regard to a psychoanalyst's patients.
I will say that the non-intense scenes tend to drag, but the intense scenes make up for that. It's not a masterpiece, but most of it kept me on the edge of my seat. I hope to see the rest of Beineix's movies now.
Just think about it the next time that you go to Père Lachaise.
Heretic (2024)
Mormon baits
If you learned of Hugh Grant from his appearances in romantic comedies in the mid-1990s, then it probably impressed you to see him start to play different roles as the years went by, including "The Undoing". Well, now we have a completely different role. "Heretic" depicts a pair of Mormon missionaries who try to convert a man, only for him to start playing mind tricks on them. This is probably the most intense movie that I've seen this year. Its basic gist is that religion is as much a moneymaking enterprise as any private company.
I recommend the movie, but just remember that you're in for some shocks. I suspect that the faithful will not be a bit happy with the movie, while the nonbelievers will eat it up.
I see that the directors cast Hugh Grant based on his performance in "Cloud Atlas". I recommend that one also. It offered a far deeper and more complex look at humanity's past and future than did the cliched, overblown "Interstellar".
What You Wish For (2023)
Is it appropriate to call this a biting satire?
To the pantheon of movies that suddenly change direction we can add Nicholas Tomnay's "What You Wish For". Nick Stahl plays a debt-ridden chef to goes to a Latin American country to stay with a friend. When he gets the chance to assume his friend's identity, he soon learns that there's a dark side to the friend's life.
This isn't a horror movie, merely a thriller. And believe me, what ends up happening is definitely a shocker. The sad thing is that it sounds like the sort of thing that some people might actually do. Aside from that, the movie manages to play with the audience, much like how "Psycho" does.
In conclusion, check the movie out. You won't be disappointed, but certainly disturbed.
Bigfoot or Bust (2022)
definitely more bust than Bigfoot
If you've seen most of Jim Wynorski's movies, then you should have an idea of what to expect with "Bigfoot or Bust". Specifically, it depicts multiple groups of big-breasted gals in search of a Sasquatch. The movie makes no pretense about what it is. There's nothing particularly memorable about the movie, unless you count cleavage as memorable. My all-time favorite of Wynorski's movies remains 1986's "Chopping Mall", which introduced me to his work (I happened to come across it in my neighborhood video store in summer 2001; people who only knew Blockbuster had no idea what they missed by not going to neighborhood video stores).
Anyway, little more than an excuse to show off buxom babes. A totally silly movie.
Strike Me Deadly (1963)
neither good nor bad, just average
A few years ago I made a list of movies that I still wanted to see, ranked by year. Having watched a number of them, I made a second list of movies that I haven't seen, ranked by director. One of the directors on the list is Ted V. Mikels. I saw the presentation of his "Girl in Gold Boots" on "Mystery Science Theater 3000" many years ago, but now I've seen his directorial debut, 1963's "Strike Me Deadly".
This look at a man and his girlfriend trying to escape a killer amid a forest fire isn't a good or bad movie, just average. The forest fire adds some extra tension, but mostly it's nothing innovative. I will say Jeannine Riley's a real babe, though.
Worth seeing if you're interested in the director's early works.
The Natural History of the Chicken (2000)
cluck of the draw
I'd read about Mark Lewis before, but I've finally seen one of his documentaries. "The Natural History of the Chicken" focuses on hens and roosters, as well as some people who own these domesticated birds. These folks have quite a few stories to tell about their feathered friends, and it gives one a newfound respect for the clucking birds.
I've never grown up around chickens, except when occasionally staying with some family acquaintances when I was little. Either way, it's impressive to see what amazing creatures they are. You're in for a real surprise with the story of Mike (I would've assumed it to be a hoax). A great documentary.
I Created Lancelot Link (1999)
my introduction to Lance Link
I had never heard of "Lancelot Link: Secret Chimp" before watching this, so it was all a surprise for me. For "I Created Lancelot Link", Jeff Krulik went and interviewed the show's creators Stan Burns and Mike Marmer, and the two explained how the show came about and also the behind-the-scenes tricks to make things happen onscreen.
I might one day watch the show. In the meantime, I recommend this documentary (you can find it on YouTube). It makes one wonder what sorts of tricks other shows used before CGI was a thing. A lot of fun.
In conclusion, this documentary short truly made a monkey out of me!
Il fantasma dell'opera (1998)
Dario Argento goes for literature
I should note that I've never read "The Phantom of the Opera". Prior to watching "Il fantasma dell'opera", I'd only seen the 1925, 1943 and 2004 adaptations (as well as Brian DePalma's rock 'n' roll version "Phantom of the Paradise"*). Basically, Dario Argento's version is all about pleasing fans of '80s and '90s horror flicks. No disfigurement here - the title character being an abandoned child raised by rats - but plenty of gore and sex.
It sounds as though the movie got widely panned. I can understand why, but I still enjoyed it. You'll like it if you like the stuff in John Carpenter's and Wes Craven's movies. The cast includes Julian Sands (who died earlier this year) and Asia Argento (Yelena in "XXX").
*It will never not be insane that some people call the yawn-inducing "Mission: Impossible" DePalma's best when he's made "Phantom of the Paradise", "Carrie", "Scarface" and "Carlito's Way".
Predestination (2014)
the past will be
If ever there were a movie that truly ties your mind in knots, the Spierig brothers' "Predestination" is it. This look at an agent who goes back in time to stop a terrorist, only to discover something entirely different never lets go once it starts. I can guarantee that you've never seen anything like it. It's the first movie that I've ever seen from the Spierig brothers, and I hope to see more from them. Moreover, it affirms Ethan Hawke as one of the greatest actors of his generation, and Sarah Snook (Shiv on "Succession") as one of the greatest of hers.
In conclusion, just think about what this movie shows if you're thinking about time travel.
Don't Move (2024)
be suspicious, lest you stop
We've seen many movies about meetings with strangers that take a sinister turn, but "Don't Move" adds a new dimension. The villain first knocks the protagonist unconscious and ties her up, but then without her knowing it he gives her a paralytic agent to freeze her muscles and stop her movement entirely. With that, she can neither walk nor talk.
It's no masterpiece, not that I expected it to be one. Just a mildly intense movie with some surprises along the way. I didn't recognize star Kelsey Asbille, but I've seen co-star Finn Wittrock in some of Ryan Murphy's works.
All in all, a passable movie. Enough to leave you wary of starting up relationships with random people.
Killbots (2023)
Just what is Jim Wynorski good at?
I first learned of Jim Wynorski in 2001 when I rented his 1986 horror flick "Chopping Mall" from my neighborhood video store.* To horror fans, it's a masterpiece; to those who prefer serious cinema, it's beyond schlock (my dad called it not even a B movie, more like a C movie). I don't recall having seen another Wynorski movie until I caught his "Murderbot" on Tubi.
Basically, this story of an android trained as a soldier (and looking like a busty babe) who escapes a military facility and goes on a killing spree is for people who want quick, cheap entertainment. Nothing more than that. Looking at his filmography, it seems like this stuff is the majority of Wynorski's repertoire. Not at all that interesting.
*Those whose idea of video stores was Blockbuster have no idea what they missed by not going to neighborhood video stores.
The Descent (2005)
the deeper you go, the horror you find
After making his directorial debut with "Dog Soldiers", Neil Marshall turned his attention underground with "The Descent", about some women who explore an uncharted cave, only to discover the horrifying reason why it remains unknown.
This is almost certainly one of the most claustrophobic movies out there. It was interesting to see a horror movie with a mostly female cast; I suspect that the movie passed the Bechdel test. One scene towards the end reminded me of an intense watery scene towards the end of "Poltergeist".
All in all, it feels like something that could actually happen - to some extent, anyway. If you've ever had an interest in speleology, this is sure to temper it. Like "As Above, So Below", it reminds us that we don't fully know what lies beneath the Earth's surface. Maybe we don't want to.
Worth seeing.
The Hot Heiress (1931)
I've seen this sort of story in a few movies
I happened to read about "The Hot Heiress" while looking at a list of Clarence Badger's movies, so I decided to check it out. Pretty hackneyed plot, with a construction worker catching sight of a attractive gal in an apartment across the street, so they start up a relationship, but she has to hide his working-class background from her inner circle.
I think that it's safe to say "Dirty Dancing" did a much more interesting job with this kind of story (at the very least, it wasn't a musical). While this one contains some stuff that wouldn't have been acceptable under the Hays Code, it's mostly nothing interesting.
20,000 Years in Sing Sing (1932)
Spencer Tracy gets intense
If you only know Spencer Tracy from his nice guy roles, then you're in for a shock with Michael Curtiz's "20,000 Years in Sing Sing". Tracy plays a cocky hoodlum sent to the notorious prison but remains determined to escape amid constant humiliation. Nonetheless, he and the warden grow to respect each other, despite being on opposite sides of the law.
Since this got made before the Hays Code got enforced, it contains some material that would've probably been unacceptable just a few years later. Spencer Tray's and Bette Davis's intense performances, plus the support from the other cast members, make this one that you have to see. You won't be disappointed. It could make an effective double-billing with "I Want to Live!", "The Birdman of Alcatraz", "The Shawshank Redemption" or "The Green Mile".
This Day and Age (1933)
When is "aggressive justice" okay?
Cecil B. DeMille's "This Day and Age" has some commendable characteristics (an integrated school) and some questionable ones (glorifying what is essentially vigilante justice). I couldn't tell which position - if any - the movie was taking. What I can say is that there's a line or two marking it as a movie released before the Hays Code (you'll know them if you see the movie).
It's not any sort of masterpiece, especially because the students turn into what is basically a lynch mob; it apparently got banned in the Netherlands for having fascist tendencies. I guess that it's something you could check out to see a different kind of DeMille if you only know him as the director of biblical epics. Worth seeing in that regard.
Cow (2021)
old McDonald had an unpleasant farm
We've heard a lot about factory farming in recent years, and even seen movies and documentaries about this process. The more "normal" kind of farms might be different, but not always for the animals. Andrea Arnold's "Cow" focuses on a dairy farm and the lives of the cows thereon.
An unusual method that this doc uses is to keep the focus almost entirely on the cows. On this farm, the bovines exist only to give birth and produce milk. And of course they get separated from the calves.
Like I said, this might not be exactly the same as the factory farms that supply the fast food chains, but it might make you think twice about drinking milk. I recommend it.
Mr Crocket (2024)
Hulu enters one of the horror genres
The genre in question is childhood icons going terribly wrong, and boy does this icon go wrong! Brandon Espy's "Mr. Crocket" also functions as a warning about letting one's child spend all day in front of the TV, or gaining too much control over the household. There are plenty of tykes out there who don't appreciate the sacrifices that the parents make.
Anyway, this is nothing special, but the title character makes it fun to watch. I hope that more people take the time to watch this movie, as well as some other movies about TV shows that start turning sinister (most recently we had "Late Night with the Devil", but another one is 1992's "Stay Tuned", which inadvertently predicted reality shows).
All in all, fun movie.
Live Wires (1946)
The East End Kids become the Bowery Boys
Enjoyable if unspectacular flick about a hothead who, unable to hold down a job, gets a job where he starts running into gangsters. Phil Karlson's "Live Wires" was the first movie in which the group previously known as the Dead End Kids got called the Bowery Boys. There's nothing particularly original about this movie, but the protagonist's short temper and Archie Bunker-like malapropisms provide plenty of laughs. Leo Gorcey's accent certainly drives the role.
I should note that the only movie in which I've previously seen this crowd was the 1937 crime drama "Angels with Dirty Faces", starring James Cagney, Pat O'Brien and Humphrey Bogart. Obviously this is a completely different kind of movie. It's not the greatest comedy, but an okay way to pass an hour and a half. Quite silly, but likable.
Heavy Metal Basement (2001)
I never knew all this about heavy metal music
It appears that I'm the first person reviewing Jeff Krulik's "Heavy Metal Basement". I understand that it got released as a special feature on a DVD. In my case, I watched it on YouTube.
Anyway, it features an interview with a man showing off his collection of Judas Priest albums, describing the changes in heavy metal music reflected by each album (including one that he thought tried to be too mainstream).
As someone who's never been into heavy metal, it wasn't easy for me to follow everything that the man was talking about, but it was nonetheless impressive to hear his deep knowledge of Judas Priest's work. It just goes to show that everyone has to have a passion, and this man has one of the deepest passions. Worth seeing.
Mr. Skeffington (1944)
avoiding religious indoctrination is a way to prevent bigoted views
Bette Davis had another masterpiece with Vincent Sherman's "Mr. Skeffington", playing an empty-headed heiress who surprises everyone by marrying her brother's Jewish employer (the title character). With World War II well underway and news of the Nazis' atrocities coming out, it made sense for movies to not only feature Jewish characters but to address antisemitism directly. Part of what makes the movie so great is not just the performances and direction, but the changes that the characters go through. Some of it is physical (look what happens towards the end), but also emotional changes in response to events.
One scene really hits home an important matter. Job is in a restaurant with Fanny Jr. He struggles to explain his Jewish background to her, and simply says that he and her mom are of different faiths. Having gotten raised with no religion, Fanny Jr. Sees no difference between them. This just goes to show that when parents refrain from hammering indoctrination - especially religious fundamentalism - into a child, the child will not grow up with bigoted views of other races, religions, ethnicities, etc. As Nelson Mandela put it, no one is born hating anyone.
Anyway, it's an undeniable classic. Bette Davis and Claude Rains received Oscar nods for their roles, with Davis losing to Ingrid Bergman for "Gaslight" and Rains losing to Barry Fitzgerald for "Going My Way" (a problematic movie, considering that it depicts a priest teaching children; do I have to go into everything that's questionable about that?).
Definitely check it out.
Back to Bataan (1945)
OK, there are some things to talk about
On the one hand, yes, the Japanese forces committed some horrific atrocities in their colonization of East Asia and the Pacific islands, and their treatment of POWs flouted the Geneva Conventions. On the other hand, the US colonized the Philippines at the turn of the last century and waged the predecessor to the Vietnam War. Malolos? The US army razed that town during the occupation of the Philippines.
Which makes it all the more ironic that Edward Dmytryk's "Back to Bataan" casually depicts the US as the hero. Of course, I wouldn't expect otherwise from a John Wayne movie (never mind that Wayne never served in the armed forces). I suspect that the Filipinos themselves got to the point where they saw any outside power as an invading force (even though the Japanese were easily the most sadistic).
The point is, Dmytryk's movie is a typical popcorn version of World War II. It doesn't make sense to take any John Wayne movie as a serious version of history (even if some of the movies were well-crafted).
Gone in the Night (2022)
one of those movies that has a good plot but is put together awkwardly
Eli Horowitz's directorial debut starts off good but then starts to drag out too much. I liked how "Gone in the Night" was trying to make a point about its topic, but it suffers from pacing problems. Most of the movie's strength comes from its performances, namely leads Winona Ryder and Dermot Mulroney.
While watching it, I wondered if it was going to do what "Barbarian" (also about a residence used as a hotel room) did. It only did so in the loosest sense. Otherwise, it felt wasted.
The point is that if you want to see a sinister movie about a vacation, a far more interesting one is "Speak No Evil". This one has an interesting plot but drags out too long.