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LoganCrews (2861 KP) rated Lesson of the Evil (2012) in Movies
Nov 15, 2021
*Big band music playing loudly in the background*
Takashi Miike's 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵 - which, yes, is every bit as messy and overstuffed as that sounds; though I fear that if this were leaner you could miss out on the finer details like the weird German folklore stuff or the fleshy gun with the talking eyeball. The third act here is better than anything in even 𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘗𝘴𝘺𝘤𝘩𝘰, probably the greatest thing Miike has ever done - just as demented, tasteless, and perfectly staged as reported plus it lasts around a solid, uninterrupted 45 minutes. Simultaneously fun and hard to watch in the sense that you can't believe that not only are they actually going for this, but they're going for it *hard* (given the director, I'd expect no less). I'm confident in saying this has the most straight-up brutal use of the shotgun in film history that I've seen. Hideaki Ito is flawless as this fucked-up closet psychopath who just bleeds raw antihero charisma, this kind of character can tire so easily but him and Miike sell it in full - partly because (and this is one of the things I love most about Miike) there's zero pretension to be found here. The precise type of ethically repugnantly, formally playful, feverish trashy thrills you'd expect out of this are exactly what you get - no clichéd moral handwringing or bullshit pulled punches you see in a lot of Western cinema for this genre. This is the real shit, another bonafide cult classic from one of the masters. Plus it's generally bizarre as hell, too.
Takashi Miike's 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵 - which, yes, is every bit as messy and overstuffed as that sounds; though I fear that if this were leaner you could miss out on the finer details like the weird German folklore stuff or the fleshy gun with the talking eyeball. The third act here is better than anything in even 𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘗𝘴𝘺𝘤𝘩𝘰, probably the greatest thing Miike has ever done - just as demented, tasteless, and perfectly staged as reported plus it lasts around a solid, uninterrupted 45 minutes. Simultaneously fun and hard to watch in the sense that you can't believe that not only are they actually going for this, but they're going for it *hard* (given the director, I'd expect no less). I'm confident in saying this has the most straight-up brutal use of the shotgun in film history that I've seen. Hideaki Ito is flawless as this fucked-up closet psychopath who just bleeds raw antihero charisma, this kind of character can tire so easily but him and Miike sell it in full - partly because (and this is one of the things I love most about Miike) there's zero pretension to be found here. The precise type of ethically repugnantly, formally playful, feverish trashy thrills you'd expect out of this are exactly what you get - no clichéd moral handwringing or bullshit pulled punches you see in a lot of Western cinema for this genre. This is the real shit, another bonafide cult classic from one of the masters. Plus it's generally bizarre as hell, too.
A Great Place to Have a War by Joshua Kurlantzick is a book about the history of Laos. The synopsis caught by eye since I lived and worked in Laos for a year as an English teacher. The book is about the conflict which occurred in Laos roughly during the same period of the Vietnam War. This is an interesting and impressive book, yet depressing. Details the rise of the CIA as a war machine during the Vietnam War, which was fought to a great extent in Laos. It looks at some of people involved in building the war to epic proportions, and then withdrawing, leaving the country to collapse into yet more suffering.
This is a fascinating look at the shadow war in Laos, staged by the CIA, during the Vietnam War. It's an extremely interesting history of the how that war came to be, some of the main people involved in that war, and the rise of the CIA as an organization conducting paramilitary operations, not just spy missions. It also relates the political intrigues of the time, and the fate of Hmong who fought for Laos, and with and for America.
I learned a lot about the history of the conflict itself, and the characters on both sides of the war. This war which has been hidden in the shadows, and the author has given the people involved a chance to have their deeds, or misdeeds aired in the light of day. As with most of the little wars that occurred during the Cold War period, there is a lot of political manoeuvring which occurs in the background.
This is a fascinating look at the shadow war in Laos, staged by the CIA, during the Vietnam War. It's an extremely interesting history of the how that war came to be, some of the main people involved in that war, and the rise of the CIA as an organization conducting paramilitary operations, not just spy missions. It also relates the political intrigues of the time, and the fate of Hmong who fought for Laos, and with and for America.
I learned a lot about the history of the conflict itself, and the characters on both sides of the war. This war which has been hidden in the shadows, and the author has given the people involved a chance to have their deeds, or misdeeds aired in the light of day. As with most of the little wars that occurred during the Cold War period, there is a lot of political manoeuvring which occurs in the background.
Edith Piaf: A Cultural History
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The world-famous French singer Edith Piaf (1915-63) was never just a singer. Dozens of biographies...
National Identity in Contemporary Australian Opera: Myths Reconsidered
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Opera has been performed in Australia for more than two hundred years, yet none of the operas...
Rebecca Lenkiewicz: Plays 1: The Night Season; Shoreditch Madonna; Her Naked Skin; the Painter
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"The Night Season is unusual; no politics, no issues, no history - just a bold attempt to grapple...
Kirk Bage (1775 KP) rated High and Low (1963) in Movies
Jan 28, 2021
This movie is often touted as one of the finest non-American crime thrillers out there. It appears on many top 10 lists from renowned directors, and stands untouchable in the pantheon of post WWII Japanese cinema dealing with 20th century issues rather than samurai or traditional religious concepts. Kurasawa is known for masterpieces in both genres, and in this sphere is very much the Hitchcock of the East. The story sees self made entrepreneur Kingo Gondo, played by the ubiquitous Toshirô Mifune, being blackmailed by a kidnapper who believes he has his son, but has taken his chauffeur’s son by mistake. Cue huge moral intrigue and dilemma, leading to a chase and an unexpectedly symbolical climax and resolution.
It plays like two films for the price of one, the first a claustrophobic mood piece with a staged feel, reminding me of Hitchcock’s Rope, and the second a frantic chase movie where the forensic evidence is picked apart in intricate detail, like a less graphic Seven. The print on BFI is not great, so it actually feels older than it is. It is also pretty long at 143 minutes, and feels like it takes an age to get going. Therefore, although some moments and key images have stayed with me, I can’t honestly say I felt gripped or tense in any way. The stakes didn’t feel as high as I would have hoped for, and tonally it is a little uneven. In conclusion, it has much to offer and details in isolation are very impressive, but for me it was something of a let down.
It plays like two films for the price of one, the first a claustrophobic mood piece with a staged feel, reminding me of Hitchcock’s Rope, and the second a frantic chase movie where the forensic evidence is picked apart in intricate detail, like a less graphic Seven. The print on BFI is not great, so it actually feels older than it is. It is also pretty long at 143 minutes, and feels like it takes an age to get going. Therefore, although some moments and key images have stayed with me, I can’t honestly say I felt gripped or tense in any way. The stakes didn’t feel as high as I would have hoped for, and tonally it is a little uneven. In conclusion, it has much to offer and details in isolation are very impressive, but for me it was something of a let down.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Bright (2017) in Movies
Feb 8, 2018 (Updated Feb 8, 2018)
Orcz in da Hood
Fantasy-cop movie mash-up which probably sounded cool at the pitch meeting but doesn't really work as a full movie. Will Smith plays a careworn LA street cop saddled with an Orc (Joel Edgerton) as his partner, as this is a world where humans and fantasy creatures co-exist. The two of them end up contending with the anti-Orc racism of the LAPD and a cult of evil Elves seeking to use a magic wand to bring about the end of the world (Noomi Rapace and her cheekbones are well-cast as the baddie).
David Ayer seems much more comfortable handling the cop movie angle than the fantasy, but then at least this bit of the script actually makes a degree of sense. The movie no offers no clues as to how a world with Dark Lords and dragons and near-omnipotent magic wands ended up so closely resembling our own, with roughly the same history, countries, and cities (they even have Uber, for God's sake). And you have to wonder what kind of social commentary writer Max Landis is intent on when he implicitly draws parallels between Orcs (strong, dim, violent) and real-world ethnic groups.
Looking on the (wait for it) bright side, there is some snappy dialogue and good performances from Smith and (particularly) Edgerton, and most of the action is well-staged. One of those movies that works better if you just don't think about it, but let it wash over you; apparently a sequel is in the works and maybe they will address some of these issues there. David Ayer should definitely stick to writing his own scripts in future, though.
David Ayer seems much more comfortable handling the cop movie angle than the fantasy, but then at least this bit of the script actually makes a degree of sense. The movie no offers no clues as to how a world with Dark Lords and dragons and near-omnipotent magic wands ended up so closely resembling our own, with roughly the same history, countries, and cities (they even have Uber, for God's sake). And you have to wonder what kind of social commentary writer Max Landis is intent on when he implicitly draws parallels between Orcs (strong, dim, violent) and real-world ethnic groups.
Looking on the (wait for it) bright side, there is some snappy dialogue and good performances from Smith and (particularly) Edgerton, and most of the action is well-staged. One of those movies that works better if you just don't think about it, but let it wash over you; apparently a sequel is in the works and maybe they will address some of these issues there. David Ayer should definitely stick to writing his own scripts in future, though.
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FML has been around for almost 10 years now (give or take a few years), and we're not going to stop...
Prayer for the Dead
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Sunday Times bestseller Prayer for the Dead is the fifth novel in the bestselling Inspector McLean...
LoganCrews (2861 KP) rated Impractical Jokers: The Movie (2020) in Movies
Sep 21, 2020
As someone who's been an "Impractical Jokers" fan since the very first episode aired way back on December 15th, 2011 (and still to this day) - I'm not sure how *this* big of a downgrade was managed going from a TruTV show to a major motion picture. The narrative framing device is un-fucking-watchable and the best bits from the pranks themselves are less convincingly faked than even some of the more middling episodes of the show. I - with the general consensus - vote this should have just been a ~90 minute episode rather than this pat material padding out a small handful of pranks. Not 100% sure if this just isn't really isn't good overall or if its chintziness in the extreme let it down; the "Drake & Josh" movies are seriously more well built than this. I think these four very original guys are hilarious, each brim with distinct personality, and have some of the best comedic timing of the 2010s decade (and there still is a lot of funny stuff in here delivered with that same knack) - so it is confusing to see them flounder so hard in just about every other thing they try besides the show. The (still staged) broken-down car bit and Paula Abdul saying she has more power than the cartel are high points, much of everything else is a depressing low for this IP. Even the admittedly awesome in theory ending punishment falls flat. A dud, honestly not awful but there's literally no point in paying to see this in a theater even despite being able to watch more high quality entertainment from these guys on YouTube or home television. Tonight's biggest loser: the audience. Sidenote: they didn't censor fuck or shit, but did so for pussy? Twice?