Reviews

The Book of Mythical Beasts tells the story of Hua Man Teng, a flowering vine demon, whose plot to overthrow the emperor was foiled. On the night of the Great Demon Hunt, she plans to destroy the premiere demon hunters in an effort to take over the world.

Numerous demon hunters descend on the small town of Baihe, the 100 Demon Town. Friends Tian Jiao and Shui Ling work with inventor Mo Lian Huan. Tian Jiao’s father, herbologist Zi Zhong Bai, joins them as does Shui Ling’s mom, San Niang the expert of Ghost Needles. Buddhist monks Liao Yin and Liao Guo come to help save humanity. And officers Tian Can and Di Que bring the might of the Ministry of Demon Suppression. They amass at Bai Ling Long’s Inn, the owner who possesses foxlike abilities. Two bumbling samurai and 3 vengeful demon sellers also appear at the inn for other reasons. Differences of opinions arise over the dispatching of all demons as some are helpful to humanity. The problem is muddled because Hua Man Teng has turned good Buddhist animals evil against their will.

The first half of the film was slow as the above characters were introduced. Each of their abilities varied from the others. Finally, on the night of the Great Demon Hunt, Man Teng made her dramatic entrance with a cauldron of demonic bats. At that point the fight was on and the body count went up. The CGI creatures and weapons ranged from good to poor as did the different actors’ responses to the CGI creatures and vines. For an epic fight, the low production values diminished my enjoyment. As did the focus on Tian Jiao in the latter part as she wasn’t a very likeable character. I was pleased that there were several competent women warriors instead of the usual one token female. Mika Wang’s evil Man Teng did the best she could as most of the time she was rooted in one place with vines extending from her. In truth, I started this film because Yuen Wah played the herbologist father. He and Yuen Qiu made a fun sparring not-couple couple.

The Book of Mythical Beasts had entertaining moments and several compelling characters. This two-hour movie tried to give sixteen characters screen time with mixed results. So many people on screen at any given moment meant that some were going to be sidelined and the main thrust of the story would be bogged down. And the main thrust of the story was confusing at times. There were good demons, good demons who were forced to be evil, and then evil demons. Some demon hunters differentiated and others did not, calling into question humanity’s propensity for evil as well. The film ended with a new threat to humanity crawling over the mountains so the filmmakers might have other questions they want to raise.

16 October 2024

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really good plot, horrible execution

loved the story, i shed a few tears. it's has an emotional storyline. however, the male lead did not fit the role, it felt really stiff and out of character. the persona of the main character was meant to be this carefree, only out there for fun, joker kind of guy. the male lead on the other hand did not give that vibe so it felt really odd. the acting was not that great either for the other cast. and they killed of a character for no reason at all. there wasn't any emotional impact or anything to it so I found it quite odd. it was rushed and felt all over the place. other than that, I liked it, but I would not recommend watching it

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Good But Not Gripping

Decent film, but I’ve seen better in this genre. While the cinematography and acting were commendable, the slow pacing dulled the final reveal’s impact. Typically, I expect suspense/crime thrillers to keep me on edge, with adrenaline surging at every twist and turn. However, this 2+ hour movie dragged to the point where I had to skip parts and watch others at 1.5x speed. Though the storyline was well-crafted with a good twist at the end, the lack of an adrenaline rush made it merely a good watch, not highly recommended. Watch it if you’re a fan of the genre and have time to spare.

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"It's about trying or giving up"

Samurai Swordfish is a heartwarming time traveling samurai story packed into a 25-minute short film. There wasn’t time to fill in a lot of story gaps but most drama and film watchers will know how to fill in the blanks.

In 1863, Eisuke and Toramaru are best friends and samurai training partners. Toramaru is selected to the Shogun’s special unit though Eisuke is not as Eisuke is blind. Toramaru asks Eisuke to take care of his son should anything happen to him. One day while training the son, Toramaru’s practice sword with the words, “Knock and it shall be opened unto you” falls into the river and Eisuke goes in to save it. He surfaces in a modern Tokyo pool with no one else there except for coincidentally his great-great-great-grandson Ryusei. Through Ryusei he is introduced to Toramaru’s descendent who is in need of his help in learning the samurai spirit. Taiga was a competitive swimmer until he recently lost his leg in an accident. Eisuke shows him his disability can’t stop him from being a competitor by training with Ryusei and learning how to swim.

The story skipped over Eisuke coming to terms with being in the future-he just accepts it. It skipped over Ryusei and Taiga questioning whether he’s from the past-they just accepted it. The story skipped over the intricacies of learning how to properly swim freestyle-Eisuke seemed to know how. And while the synopsis maintained that Eisuke drown, he never died. As I said, most viewers who have watched time travel dramas/films will understand the steps glossed over due to the lack of time. The central focus was Eisuke’s sense of duty to Toramaru’s descendent, a surrogate for Toramaru’s son. Eisuke was willing to do whatever was needed to help Taiga succeed and regain his spirit. In the process of doing that, he was also helping Ryusei who had given up swimming when Taiga could no longer compete.

This short film could easily have been made into a full-length film. I liked how it highlighted the Paralympics by introducing two medalists who served as motivation for Taiga. Eisuke was able to show Taiga some of the Bushido principles of loyalty, bravery, and honor. Taiga and Ryusei discovered their inner samurai spirits through the efforts of a blind samurai who never gave up. Definitely worth 25 minutes of your time if you are in need of something uplifting.

15 October 2024

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It's bananas!!!

What happens when you add the quirky 1970’s with one of Japan’s quirkiest directors? You get an insanely creative film like House. Obayashi Nobuhiko took old elements that go bump in the night and used surrealistic effects to create something new for the time. When Obayashi is in the driver’s seat, hold on because it is going to be one wild ride!

Seven school girls travel to spend some time with Gorgeous’ aunt in her huge mansion on a hill. Gorgeous, Fantasy, Professor, Mac, Kung Fu, Sweet, and Melody descend upon the old woman living in her cobweb infested house. One by one the girls go missing as more and more bizarre incidents begin to take place.

The film started out slow as the girls discussed their plans. Gorgeous discovered her dad was getting remarried which propelled her to make the fateful decision to visit her deceased mother’s sister. When the other girls’ plans fell through, they followed Gorgeous. The train and bus rides had almost picture book backgrounds that were obviously fake. Gorgeous told the sad story of her aunt’s lover being killed during WWII with her aunt vowing she would wait for him forever. The story was told in sepia form with the girls all being able to see it. It did not take long for the nightmare to begin once they crossed the mansion’s threshold. A scary old well, creepy clocks, dusty pianos, luminous chandeliers, a skeleton, and an abundance of cat pictures which might normally make the hair on a person’s neck raise took on deadly proportions as the night went on. Obayashi used the special effects of the day and created a few of his own. The special effects were primitive by today’s standards, but this was before George Lucas took effects a giant step forward with Star Wars. Strangely, as gruesome as some of the scenes were, many came across as grotesquely funny and rarely scary.

When Gorgeous was relating her aunt’s story, she and the other girls seemed almost unfamiliar with WWII and the terrible suffering associated with it. Only 30 years out from the war, the girls lived in a peaceful society completely unaware of the price paid for it. The aunt had been unable to let go of her loss and bitterness. Little by little she began to destroy the oblivious young people chaining them to her pain and insatiable hunger. The film turned on its head two common tropes---A man will save us! An adult will save them! This ravenous haunted house hidden in the fog under a full moon had no mercy on anyone.

House is a hard film to define. It was a horror film with a devilish sense of humor. Obayashi seemed to revel in creating a macabre world of the ghostly realm and the teenagers powerless against the inexorable pull of the inevitable. Experimental, weird, and totally bananas (sorry Togo!), House felt like a bad acid trip that shouldn’t have worked but did. Mostly. Screw black cats, I’ll never look at white cats the same.

15 October 2024
Trigger warnings: Dismemberment, so many body parts. Blood

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Depth

I read the synopsis and I was hooked, I honestly love story of people giving life a second chance or turning a new leaf, and this is the perfect example of what. So many moments with valuable lessons and I love how she found her "people". You know you know I really love this. People that "actually" wants a second chance should always be given an option to do so. Side stories were just enough it didn't steal anything from the main story. But the thing that hit me the most was when she was asked what she did before and she was able to say she used to work at a "Bento Shop" it felt empowering IDK.

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Toho do Hammer

Of the Bloodthirsty trilogy, Evil of Dracula feels the most traditional of the lot; yet, I thought only Hammer would have attempted to set a vampire loose amongst girls' college with predictable results. It certainly feels like the type of film Hammer would make given the gratuitous amounts of bare flesh and blood that permeates the runtime, all that's missing is Christopher Lee. It's noticeably crueller than its predecessors adding a layer of disturbing unpredictability but also relishes in a dose of campy surrealism with director Michio Yamamoto delivering a healthy portion of atmosphere and unnerving imagery, especially towards the end. The attempts to mimic Hammer's early gambles are appreciated, especially given the talents of the crew involved, with a particular scene midway through that certainly sticks in my mind. While several elements are revisited from the previous movies, the back story is the most expansive of the two and also adapts ideas straight out of Stoker's novel. It's another gorgeous effort in terms of visual design with strong performances and another so-so-jazzy soundtrack, Evil of Dracula may not break any major new ground for its subgenre but remains chilling enough to frighten even the most timid of viewers.

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Watery Hench

While The Vampire Doll was a fantastic fusion of Western and Japanese elements with an alluring mystery, Lake of Dracula takes a more straight-laced approach but still offers just as much chills and atmosphere as its predecessor. The film has some incredible horror high points during its runtime, from a good old hide in the cupboard from the monster sequence to some drowning Gothic atmosphere, digging its hooks into the viewer right from the beginning. It wastes little time getting into the meat of things with Michio Yamamoto's incredible direction setting the tone and mood straight away, offering plenty of great scares and unnerving tension building throughout. While not delivering a new perspective on the fantasy of vampirism or Dracula, the film is absolutely gorgeous, all accompanied by some terrific performances and another jazzy musical score by Riichirō Manabe, it's not great but it works well in tandem with the film's visual design. Despite the mess of the story, that does not stop Lake of Dracula from delivering a splendid and highly atmospheric homage to the gothic icon. Offering all that a fan of blood-suckers looks for, draped in an alluring, unheimlich atmosphere and decorated with some effective moments of gore.

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Effectively creepy spin on the vampire mythos

The first entry in Toho's Bloodthirsty trilogy, The Vampire Doll, is an aspiring and brilliantly atmospheric spin on the classic vampire mythos. It has all the gothic trappings you'd expect from its Western counterparts while retaining all the eccentricities that come with Japanese filmmaking. A slow-burning and technically fantastic film, Director Michio Yamamoto tells his grisly story with a cool taciturn detachment, with plenty of scares lurking around the bend, some of it even hair-raising. Moody photography and classy art direction sell the isolated mansion setting with eerie grace and although the relatively simple story may not be anything new, it is written exceptionally well and told at a steady pace to keep maximum attention, the fantastic performances from the cast certainly help to sell it. The film's dark spot for me is Riichirō Manabe's score, while ominous, melodic and gloomy it feels overly repetitive and cheap. Fantastically made and brightly hued, The Vampire Doll is not entirely faultless but for fans of old-school atmospheric scares, it's a corker.

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What makes someone a mother

what makes someone mother? is it giving birth? or gender? this story shows that thats all from outside perspective, probably the child can answer better if someone is a mother.
it was a good movie, her conversations with his daughter were very open and maturely handled, in a way movie used the kid as a means to give viewers a better understanding about her gender, biology, feelings and more importantly how she is just a person like everyone.
people hate what is unknown and i think this movie succeeded in making that unknown into more understandable by using kid who is not prejudiced or judgemental but just curious to know, the movie encourages viewers to know.

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Lots of ghosts-no vampires

Mr. Vampire 3 left the hopping vampires behind and embraced ghosts, both the friendly and unfriendly kind, in this installment of the franchise. Lam Ching Ying’s vampire slayer was joined by a fellow Taoist played by Richard Ng. Stronger than the second film, it lagged behind the first for me.

Uncle Ming, a Taoist priest who utilizes two ghostly brothers to help him make money exorcising “haunted” houses finds himself in the middle of a skirmish between villagers and deadly horse thieves. Uncle Nine leads the villagers and figures out very quickly that the bandits who are impervious to weapons have had a heavy dose of black magic. Uncle Nine convinces Uncle Ming to release his ghosts, but they might just need them when the bandit’s leader, the Devil Lady, decides to seek revenge against the village.

Lam Ching Ying owned this role and despite this being his third outing as the unibrowed Taoist priest gave it his all. Richard Ng was a welcome addition as the Taoist priest who had fallen on hard times yet still had some magical chops. His relationship with the two friendly ghosts was one of the sweeter parts of the film. Pauline Wong, who played a ghost in the first film and a hopping vampire in the second, returned this time as the malevolent Devil Lady. What caused me to drop my rating for this film was the overuse of Billy Lau. As an antagonist with limited screen time in the first he accomplished his task. In the third installment his sycophantic, contemptible disciple of Uncle Nine grated on my nerves. I was rooting for the Devil Lady to tear him apart instead of his friend. Sammo Hung, Wu Ma, and Corey Yuen made guest appearances at a birthday party when they served up a “foreign moon cake” with candles.

This film had very little kung fu unlike the first, which was a shame. Lam Ching Ying in action is a sight to see although he did have a few cool moves in this film. Like the other films in this franchise, the wires were rarely edited out and I could see them in several scenes when the supernatural fights took place. There were rudimentary special effects for the ghostly battles and a deep-fried ghoul scene to top it off. Director Ricky Lau kept the action coming from start to finish.

Mr. Vampire 3 was entertaining for the most part and I enjoyed Richard Ng and his ghosts, though I could have used less of his bare behind. Lam Ching Ying and his twitchy brow were worth watching the film alone. If the writers and director had remembered to dial back the most annoying character it would have been far more enjoyable for me.

14 October 2024

***Trigger warnings: Cockroaches and bats***

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"I want to get that foreign fish fried!"

Lam Ching Ying and his unibrow returned to fight the undead in Vampire vs Vampire. This time he was aided by a Little Vampire, 2 inept disciples, and a fierce Mother Superior. He would be confronted not by hopping vampires, but a European vampire impervious to his magical talismans.

Disciples Ho and Fong disturb a palm ghost and attract her attention. Master Unibrow helps them out but now the ghost will not leave them alone. The two have to find her body so that she can be properly buried. Meanwhile, Master Unibrow is helping the village leader who is having a feng shui problem with the land. Master Unibrow shows him where to dig a well for better water and fortunes. Unfortunately, bats move the marker and workers dig in the wrong spot the next day. During these misadventures a handful of nuns are attempting to rebuild their church. The local captain vows to burn the church down but the nuns are persistent. When the well workers begin digging they find more than artifacts, unbeknownst to them they uncover a European vampire staked in the heart by a cross with a giant ruby in it. The greedy captain and his girlfriend awaken the beast when they try to steal the ruby. Master Unibrow has his hands full when trying to dispatch this new foe.

Vampire vs Vampire was a similar set-up to Mr. Vampire (1985). Lam Ching Ying was once again the adult in the room and constantly helping everyone around them whether it was a bat infestation, blood sucking vampire, or distraught ghost. The casting of Chin Siu Ho promised a few acrobatic fights which he delivered on. Lam Ching Ying who also directed the movie was able to get his kung fu on as well much to my delight. Sandra Ng played the self-absorbed girlfriend who was bitten by the vampire and was able to show a completely different side of her acting. Billy Lau who seemed to be in all of these movies played the character I most wanted to be blown up-the pompous captain. Lam Jing Wang brought the adorable to his Little Vampire, a character familiar to those who watched Mr. Vampire 2 even though it was set in the future. With these movies, logic was never a consideration.

Vampire vs Vampire had plenty of slapstick comedy for those who like it, I’m not one who does. There was low budget special effects and once again I spotted wires in various shots when characters went airborne or amphibians. But the film had a few tense moments when the bats attacked the sisters, maybe because bats* freak me out. The European vampire was scarily funny yet also a good opponent for Master Unibrow. The Dracula wannabe became more gruesome looking as the fights went on. Master Unibrow had to think outside the box to bring down the fanged baddie. Fortunately for him, the sisters were willing to help as well as his incompetent disciples and his cute TNT carrying Little Vampire. If you enjoyed Mr. Vampire, this is one you might want to give a try. (Rated on a curve)

14 October 2024

Trigger warnings-bats and a snake

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