FYI, this is linked to the wrong Graham Greene.

Like the pulp novels that inspired it, the movie is cheesy fun. Fred Ward deserves more leading roles. That said, it's puzzling that having Joel Grey made up with slanty eyes and spouting a mu shu corny accent was still okay as late as 1985.

"Shurayukihime" is a play on words: "Shirayukihime" is the Japanese name for Grimm's "Snow White". "Shura" means pandemonium or carnage; it's also a reference to Asura, the anti-gods in Buddhism who are born trapped in violence and harmful passions. I was expecting kitsch but discovered unexpected complexities. Children bear the burdens of their parents' sins and hatred, unable to find peace without bloodshed.

Lovely, thoughtful science fiction with good actors, but too much navel gazing contradicts any notion of redemption and sacrifice -- it's not about the Self, FYI. Sure, Rhonda gives of herself but she never steps outside of her self-absorbed ennui long enough to gain wisdom; all she does is find a way to wash her hands of guilt. Nice little twist at the very end, though.

One star for Tilda Swinton and one star for Peter Stormare in the only memorable scene in the whole film.

Campy and strange, like lobster thermidor cooked in a microwave with Cheez Whiz.

Goodbye MCA :'-( My favorite interview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcnmNOJEAwA

A cultural, nostalgic favorite. I first watched this in Poland, of all places! Yet for 91 minutes I was in Japan.

Campy can be fun. But there's enough cheese here to cause sharp abdominal pains for the lactose intolerant. There are just enough good moments to keep watching to the end... and then I had to berate myself for wasting 86 minutes of my life.

103 wall posts so far and none capture my opinion exactly. That in itself demonstrates the dimensionality of McQueen's vision. Some seem disappointed by the lack of politicized drama, but that would have made this too pedestrian. Instead, this is a visual poem of the human experience. Like atoms, convictions and choices collide with inexorable results. Yet even in suffering, we are unified. Harrowing and beautiful.

The comparisons to "Piss Christ" are apt, aesthetically and in the sense that the viewer can be as outraged, moved or apathetic as one chooses to be. The saturated yellows of the sodium lights, the disembodied voices, the sounds of ever-present rain, and the oppressive imagery are artfully assembled to explore the dark halls of memory and psyche. Yet the story and theme are remarkably unremarkable. 30 min is enough.

I enjoy this just for Peter Firth's glib, deadpan performance delivered with tongue firmly in cheek. He hisses his stupid lines with a poker-faced angry conviction. Btw, I think the alien killed men mostly because everybody kept calling her "girl". If only the film featured more of the supernaturally perfect alien males, it might have appealed to a wider demographic than guys ogling Mathilda May.

Heijningen reportedly studied Carpenter's film with the meticulousness of a fanboy. How could he get it so wrong? Or the writers? Why are the heroics at a Norwegian camp reserved for American charcters who seem arbitrarily recruited just to make this an English-language film? Why are the threads of the first film tied to the prequel only during the end credits like an afterthought? This sad prequel needs a do-over.

You either love or hate the uncomfortable, ugly, and even cringe-worthy circumstances that arise midway, leading to a conclusion that falls far short of ideal. Self-righteous vigilantism surely can't be without a moral cost, nor can broken people always become perfectly whole. This awkwardness is its strength IMO. Wilson gets to show wonderful dramatic range, proving he can carry a film. Hope to see more of him.

The motivation to (re-)invent a new visual style is admirable but originality needs to apply to the story as well. In trying to be different, Moshe just ended up making more of the same old, same old.

Catch it here http://vimeo.com/7639721

With his debut feature, Vigalondo has created an amusing horror/thriller/farce about a bumbling accidental time traveler who neither understands nor cares about the paradoxes of screwing around with time. "Timecrimes" toys with causal determinism and free will in a darkly humorous package. A welcome addition to the genre.

Although thematically and visually interesting, the transition from the mundane to apocalyptic madness is too abrupt without sufficient context. "Bug" fast-forwards to the paranoia it wants to get to for its own sake and Agnes wilts too conveniently. Yes, she's vulnerable but how is it that her armour, built over a lifetime, dissolves without a fight? Can't fault Judd or Shannon though. The acting is stellar.

"The Brood was my version of Kramer Vs. Kramer. I was really trying to get to the reality, with a capital R, which is why I have disdain for Kramer. I think it's false, fake, candy... [The Brood is] as close to literal autobiography as I've ever come. I hope I don't come that close again." There's a potent rawness to Cronenberg's personal catharsis and Eggar's visceral performance (shot in just 3 days!) is scalding.

Btw, has anyone seen this incredible reconstruction of the film as viewed from a single static camera position? http://vimeo.com/37120554

http://youtu.be/lhzzPoQfjPw

It's mostly ludicrous but still a welcome antidote to vampires of the twinkling kind.

It has a serious case of fromage but archaically amusing. Rise of the horny robot, you could say.

Illuminating, gorgeous, mouth-watering but slightly incomplete debut effort from Gelb. Jiro Ono is a fascinating subject who reflects attitudes and a work ethic that seem nearly extinct. His sons, although fully-established themselves, are seen through the anxious eyes of the parent (the Ono women are conspicuously absent). Passing on time-honoured traditions has never seemed more tenous, essential, or affirming.

The IMDB synopsis is misleading: this isn't "futuristic". This is yesterday and today. Disturbing and real, all the ills of mankind are condensed into the plight of the little black chick. http://bturn.com/6782/the-mallet-1977-by-aleksandar-ilic-not-your-typical-food-documentary

A 105 minute commercial for hand sanitizer.

Extraordinary things happening to ordinary people are remarkably common, but Dengler is an extraordinary man revealed through extraordinary circumstances. Although molded by adversity, he wasn't broken or corrupted by it; in a similar way, Herzog's creative "collaborations" with the narrative don't affect the essence of wide-eyed Little Dieter. Fly on, Little Dieter...

A marathon viewing of the trilogy leaves one with an oppressive feeling of bricks on your chest, trapped in darkness... which doesn't sound inviting but it is an engrossing journey. The first and third by themselves are a little weak, but this strong second act elevates the whole; it is the series' moral compass, although there are other reluctant heroes along the way. Considine as Hunter is a revelation.

Please add Hysteric!

I read the manga after seeing the film; Sono has managed to elevate his adaptation to something greater than the source material. His choices and changes are inspired. In a way, the Tohoku disaster was fortuitous in that it crystallized the societal, political and economic ills and tensions that the manga tried to capture. Incorporating the devasatation was as necessary as it was inevitable. Powerful.