Things have gone rather quiet around director Sogo Ishii. His latest film dates from 2005 and didn't exactly enjoy a broad release (still eagerly waiting for the DVD myself). A terrible shame, though it does give one the chance to catch up on some of his older, lesser known films. And so I sat down in front of August In The Water, one of the hidden gems, yet to be discovered even by most fans.

Even more so than Shinya Tsukamoto, Sogo Ishii is the godfather of Japanese punk cinema. Crazy Thunder Road and Burst City put punk on the map a decade before Tsukamoto could even get started on Tetsuo. But Ishii also has a softer streak, put to maximum effect in Kysohin, his latest film. An ode to nature and humanity, far away from all the grit, dirt and noise so often featured in his films. Kyoshin seemed to be a serious shift in styles, but looking at August In The Water it seems he was merely revisiting themes already present in his earlier work.

August In The Water is a pretty strange mix of styles and genres. The film is part romance, part fantasy, part sci-fi and part coming of age with some meandering philosophy throw in. The balance between all these elements can be a little off at times but as a whole Ishii makes a pretty compelling film out of all this. There are still many links to his other films, but the resulting film is something completely different.

Everything starts when Izumi transfers schools and meets up with Ukiya. The first half hour is spent on their blossoming romance, but little by little the strange events surrounding their town are taking the forefront. A strange drought is started by two meteorites crashing on a nearby mountain, bringing with them a strange disease that turns people's internal organs to stone. Somehow Izumi and Ukiya end up in the middle of it all.

There's not much of Ishii's punk aesthetic left in August, but his keen eye for textures and architecture is still very much present. There are numerous impressive wide shots, abstract close-ups and neatly edited scenes that betray the hand of Ishii. Especially one sequence at the start of the film shot during a diving competition jumps out as the work of the cinematic master. On the whole not as direct and in your face, but hardly less impressive.

Even more so than the visuals Ishii lets the soundtrack do all the hard work. Dropping the punk sound completely he picks up an ambient soundtrack that gives the film a warm yet eerie atmosphere. The soundtrack really is the key to combining all the different aspects into one coherent film, making it a 120 minute trip into his surreal world. Acting is pretty decent, though some characters come off as a little silly. It's not the strongest cast, but the main characters are solid enough to keep the audience involved.

The first half hour is there to set the mood, from then on the film becomes gradually stranger and more unsettling. Never in a very direct or extreme way like Ishii's other films, but on a more subconscious level. The combination of the strange events, detached setting and ambient soundscapes reflect Ishii's typical trademark style and at the same time contradicts it just as much.

Fans of Sogo Ishii, and in particular Kyoshin, should do well to check out this film. It's probably one of his most accessible films, though there is still plenty of wonder and authorship to be admired. Without a doubt one of my favorite directors, with the ability to sculpt both subtle and extrovert films without losing any of his stylistic power. Definitely recommended. 4.0*/5.0*

Check out a short excerpt from the film.

Together with The Lovely Bones and Gilliam's Imaginarium, Burton's Alice In Wonderland is one of the recent high profile films that submerges itself into an elaborately constructed fantasy world. The tale of Alice in Wonderland isn't exactly original material, but on paper Burton is the perfect director to tackle a project of this magnitude. The first reactions are quite mixed, but for me personally Burton succeeded with style.

I'm really not that big a fan of Tim Burton. The man has without a doubt a very creative mind and a unique vision, but the result is almost never something I can fully appreciate. Popular critique on Alice is that it lacks Burton's darker side, which is true to some extent. On the other hand, I've never really liked Burton's mix of dark romance in the first place. Alice is a more straight-forward fantasy tale and works all the better because of it.

I haven't read Carroll's book, nor did I grow up with the tale of Alice. Only recently I watched Disney's original version, but it did very little for me. That said, there are so many references to Carroll's book in popular culture that it's hard to go in blank. I can't really say whether Burton did a good job at translating Carroll's vision to the screen, but going in with so little background made it easier to see this film as something that stands on its own.

The title of the film is a little misleading as the story is really a mixture of both Alice books. Alice has grown up but finds herself back in the rabbit hole when running away from a marriage proposal. The land of course needs to be saved, from there on we get a pretty basic tale of capturing the sword and slaying the dragon. If you were looking for anything more profound or complex, you'd do good to adjust your expectations right away.

On a visual level this films really shines though. I watched it in sprawling 2D (no way I was going to see this through a black filter) and was pretty amazed by the world Burton had created. The intro and outro in the real world look a bit bland maybe, but once in the magical land the visuals really jump out of the screen, even when watching in 2D. There's a perfect blend of animation and live action, helped by the superb styling of the live actors and the beautiful CG backgrounds.

Depp looks pretty nice in his orange wig with green eyes, but it's really Carter's Red Queen who makes the biggest impression. Completely stylized like a cartoon character she is without a doubt the best mix of CG and live action I've ever seen on screen. Burton allows his crazy world enough screen time and makes sure he doesn't overload his audience with ever-changing fantastical landscapes (a big problem in both The Lovely Bones and Imaginarium). He succeeds in building a thorough and fundamentally strong world in prime style, which is all I really wanted from this film in the first place.

The music by Elfman is okay-ish but not all that great. On the other hand, there are no songs or outbursts of singing during the film so I guess I should just consider myself lucky after all. The acting is quite strong, with a nice roles for Depp and Glover and some prime scenes for Carter. Same goes for the voice acting, properly helmed by people like Alan Rickman and Stephen Fry. They give the film some welcome maturity not found in its setting. And then there are of course the chubby twins, who steal the show whenever they appear on screen.

If you're coming for a good story then Alice In Wonderland might be pretty boring. Burton takes little time to build up his characters and doesn't elaborate much on plot points. If anything, he indulges in nonsensical scenes and random craziness, though very fun and often extremely entertaining to watch. By the time Burton arrives at the climax I was already sold to this film, which probably explains why I didn't mind the somewhat lacking action scenes at the end. The setting was still awesome, but sadly Burton is not one to shoot enthralling action sequences.

Even though I expected very little, the style of Alice In Wonderland is imaginative and strong enough to carry the whole film. There are definitely some technical accomplishments here, like the blend of animation and live action, but it's Burton's style that thrives the film to greater heights. One of the best Burton films I've seen so far, I hope he continues on this path, leaving out the darker elements (which really aren't all that dark to begin with). Recommended material. 4.0*/5.0*

Here's the trailer if you haven't seen it already.

Looking back, 2009 was the year that stop-motion animation found its way back to the masses. Selick's Coraline and Elliot's Mary and Max paved the way, but it's probably Wes Anderson's Fantastic Mr. Fox that holds the power to reach the biggest audience. Not my favorite of the three I mentioned here, but still a mighty fine film alright.

One thing is certain, in Belgium they had the promotion of this film completely wrong. We sat in an almost empty movie theater, being treated to horribly (Dutch!) dubbed trailers of How To Tame A Dragon and Nanny McPhee 2. They've promoted Fantastic Mr Fox as a typical children's film here, while Anderson's latest is so much more than that. But I guess animation (and especially stop-motion animation) still has that kind of effect on people.

Anderson's Mr Fox is based on Roald Dahl's book but has some added spike in the form of Anderson's rather typical sense of humor. I can't really remember reading Dahl's book (it's also a bit more complex for me as the area I'm from has its very own fox legend - Reinhaert The Fox) but I must've read or seen Fantastic Mr Fox is some or other form before, because the story felt extremely familiar to me.

Mr Fox is a family man. At least, he was turned into a family man by his wife, who made him promise to leave behind his wild days of chicken hunting in favor of raising a young cub. A good 12 years later Mr Fox can't take it any more and decides to pick up his old habits, determined to take on the meanest farmers in the neighborhood. Needless to say he lands his tail into a bucket-load of trouble, dragging the whole animal community in a battle of life and death.

Anderson's choice to pursue a retro style works like a charm, but I still feel that he could've done more with it. The puppets and settings sure look neat enough, that's definitely not the issue. Lots of brown and red colors give the film a very warm and earthy atmosphere, the retro designs do the rest. Sadly, the animation itself isn't up to par. Often too stilted and stiff, Anderson never really finds the right balance between oldskool and visually attractive. There are some 2-frame animation sequences that do work, like the cider flood, but in general it does detract a little from the pleasure.

The soundtrack is very typical and only works because it's an Anderson film. Old pop songs and golden classics are littered throughout the film, adding to the somewhat dry and musky atmosphere it tries to create. Normally I would hate this kind of soundtrack, can't really enjoy this type of music outside of film either, but Anderson just makes it work. Magically. The voice acting is pretty good too, with a strong performance of Clooney and a superb selection of side characters. Dafoe, Murray, Schwartzman and Owen Wilson all add something to make the puppets truly come to life. The downside is that some of the voices are a little too recognizable, but that's just a minor quirk.

Fantastic Mr Fox is a rather short film, making sure that it never becomes slow or boring. There's always something to look at, something to look forward to and some joke to keep close for further enjoyment. It's one of those rare film where I wouldn't have minded if the director had added another 15 minutes or so. That said, Dahl's story isn't all that strong or elaborate to warrant any more plot scene, so I'm sure Anderson did good to keep it as short and concise as it is now.

If you like (stop-motion) animation this film is a definite recommendation. The animation itself could've been better, but the whole setting is just too much fun to pass on. It's a strong film in just about every department, only missing that little extra to make it a true classic (Mary and Max is still my definite winner of 2009). So far my favorite Wes Anderson film, here's to hoping he'll keep a close connection to Clooney. I'm pretty sure the two of them can make a truly outstanding live action comedy. 4.0*/5.0*

Here's the trailer if you're still not convinced.

Ever since the success of "Hero" and "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", China and Hong Kong have been upping the productions scales of their flagship films little by little. Over a period of 10 years time they've succeeded in producing subsequently bigger and more epic films. The latest to join the group is Bodyguards And Assassins, a welcome variation on the big budget martial arts film.

How he did it, I really don't know, but director Teddy Chan raised enough money to completely rebuild the old center of Hong Kong as one insanely large set piece. It's difficult to say whether it really paid off (considering the equally insane amount of money it must have cost), but the result is certainly lavish to behold. The incredibly detailed reconstruction of the old center of the city is so much more entertaining than whatever CG graphic they could've slapped on instead.

Even though Bodyguards And Assassins falls roughly into the same category of films as Hero, The Banquet, Fearless and last year's Ip Man, its focus lies not so much on action but on retelling the events around the start of the Chinese revolution. No doubt an extremely important event in Chinese history, but I'm sure not many people in the West (including me) will know about the ins and outs. The trailers might have you believe otherwise, but the film is really not a full-on action movie and Chan takes his time to ensure the film is more than a simple martial arts film set against historic events.

Bodyguards And Assassins is constructed around the arrival of Sun Yat-Sen, a key figure in the revolution against the empire. As he is about the set foot in Hong Kong to meet the 13 district representatives, plans are plotted to get him assassinated. A group of rebels is ready to meet their destiny trying to protect Sun at whatever cost, guaranteeing the success of his mission. There's not too much room for subtlety but considering the epic proportions of this film, it's not something I expected in the first place.

There's a very clear division between the first and second part of the film. Chan uses the time before the arrival to introduce all the characters related to the events. The whole first part is virtually void of any action and relies on the characters and the drama surrounding their mission. While this is far from boring, it does become a little too melodramatic at times. Once Sun arrives the second part of the film kicks off, shifting gears and playing like one massive action scene.

The detailed and elaborate sets makes sure there is plenty to enjoy on a visual level. The scenes on the street of Hong Kong are simply amazing. Still it feels as if Chan didn't make full use of what he had in his hands. I wouldn't have minded if the city had featured a little more prominently, now Chan is a little quick to cut away from some scenes. The camera work too is a little too slick, especially during the first half. The music suffers similar problems.

As for the actors, not only production values seem to be rising, there's also a trend of cramming in as many familiar faces as possible. The cast is almost as impressive as the set, with Simon Yam, Eric Tsang, Tony Leung Ka Fai, Donnie Yen, Fan Bing Bing and Leon Lai on the team. Still nothing compared to the cast of Founding Of A Republic, but an impressive list of actors nonetheless. It is ironic though that the best performance in the film is delivered by none of the above, but by the relatively unknown Xueqi Wang. Even though his character is rather flat and boring, he brings him to life which such apparent ease and style that the man deserves at least some kind of recognition for his role.

For those of you that have trouble sitting through an hour of non-action, rest assured that the second part of the film has some very strong and raw action scenes in store. Yen is put to good use here, though his role remains rather small. Leon Lai has some cool scenes too as enigmatic martial arts master, but it remains a little strange to see him like this. The bad guys are equally impressive and form a believable threat to the heroes, putting on display some mean moves and behavior.

Teddy Chan made a good choice when he decided to split the action and drama so rigidly. It gives you plenty of time to sink into the whole setting, easing you into one long action trip at the end. As for the presentation, there is plenty to enjoy though the feeling remains that a different director could've made more of it. It might be a little disappointing considering what it could've been, on the other hand there are some truly stunning and impressive scenes to be enjoyed here.

I don't know how long they can keep up this trend. Looking at Bodyguards And Assassins and Founding Of A Republic, it's hard to image how they are going to top the scale of these films. But as long as they keep making them as impressive as this, I have little to complain about. Recommended if you've been enjoying the epic productions of the previous decade. 4.0*/5.0*

Check the trailer to get an idea of what it's all about.

When the dead roam the Earth once more ... the tagline of many a zombie flick out there. Usually a good indication that plenty of growling, lurching and brain eating will ensue in the coming 90 minutes. But some films dare to take a different approach. Some genre cinema is about breaking all the rules rather than following them. Les Revenants is exactly such a film.

The French new wave of horror films is both a blessing and a curse. Without it films like Les Revenants would have gone lost in the crowd, but due to the renewed interest in French genre cinema it is starting its second youth. On the other hand, expectations for French horror films are pretty rigid, which means that many will be expecting shock and extreme gore. Those people will be largely disappointed when they find out what its all about.

These last couple of years there's been a tendency to use popular horror icons and clichés, take them out of their native setting and create something entirely new with them. Films like Deadgirl (zombies) and Grace (vampires) are good examples of this trend. Even though they are telling stories of tired old horror myths, they seem to avoid many of the clichés inherent to these particular sub genres. Les Revenants does a similar thing but goes one step further. Even though we're basically dealing with zombies here, it's been pulled completely out of its horror context.

The dead might have returned from the grave, but it appears they've come back in rather good shape. No rotting corpses with that strange urge to eat human brains, just people who were once dead before, brought back to life. A few minor quirks maybe, but generally in good health. Instead of focusing on the trials of the dead, Campillo aims his camera at the living. We follow three characters who are reintroduced to a dead family member and see how they try to deal with the situation. Sounds pretty novel, but if you've dabbled in Asian cinema before you might be reminded of Shiota's Yomigaeri (Resurrection), which boasts an almost identical premise.

Visually Les Revenants is a tad boring. While there are some interesting shots and scenes, like the first march of the dead, it's a little plain and even a little cheap in places. It's obvious that beyond it's intent there wasn't any room for effects in the first place. There is only one real effect shot which looks remarkably poor. Some scenes are shot with a heat cam (apparently the body temperature of the dead is a little lower than ours) which does add some flair to the film, but in the end it still felt a little lacking.

The soundtrack on the other hand is spot on. Not in the least subtle but very fitting nonetheless. Moody ambient music is draped across key scenes to underline the strange and mysterious events unraveling on screen. It creates a somewhat uneasy feeling that fittingly mimics the emotions of the characters. Acting is a little uneven at times though. The main cast does a pretty good job, but supporting characters can come off somewhat amateurish. Nothing too bad, but a stronger cast could've given some extra depth to some of the characters.

While Yomigaeri approached the idea from a more romantic point of view, Les Revenants can come off as somewhat distant and rigid. There are no happy welcome back parties, Campillo is more interested how people cope in a situation where grief and closure are revoked. In that sense, the film is quite honest (you can read that as emotionally harsh). I'm sure not everyone will be pleased with this, but it does give the film a pretty unique flavor and it makes for several rather uneasy scenes.

The film remains mysterious throughout its complete running time, though nothing much is actually happening. We follow the lives of the three characters as they try to cope with what is happening to them. There aren't any big revelations or mind-shattering explanations, but the finale is satisfactory and keeps a layer of mystery hanging over the film. Les Revenants is a nifty take on the zombie genre, drawing lots of atmosphere from its score and introducing some very interesting themes. It's a definite recommendation for those looking for something a little different. 4.0*/5.0*

Check the unsubbed trailer if you feel the need to see moving images.

After visiting Paris last year it made sense to make a trip to London this time around. Celebrating our 4 year anniversary we spent 4 days in the rather luxurious Hilton Docklands Hotel. Pictures speak louder than words, so below is a selection of pictures I made with a link to their respective galleries. Enjoy!

day 1

The first day was spent visiting some of the famous London attractions nearby. Even though London isn't too far away from Antwerp, we were up quite early and had some delays along the way. To see more pics, check out the gallery of day 1.

a futuristic hallway in the London metro

little passage inside the Tower

memorial for the decapitated women of Henri VIII

day 2

Our second day was no doubt the busiest of the bunch. London Dungeon, Madame Tussauds, trailing down Oxford Street and Carnaby Street and finishing up with The Phantom of the Opera. Want more pics, check out the gallery of day 2.

feels like being inside a space station

beautiful Fornarina shop in Carnaby Street

view on Canary Wharf, taken from our hotel

day 3

The third day started off with the London Aquarium. A quick trip across the Thames and a quick peak in the Film Museum were also on our schedule. Sadly the Dali Museum had closed its door, so that one was scrapped. For even more pics, check out the gallery of day 3.

jellyfish are popular animals

the grey shark, impressive animal

the coolest queen of London, located in the Film Museum

london - day 4

The final day of our trip. We spent most of the day at the London Zoo, then made a quick trip to Oxford street and landed in a little bar near Carnaby Street for our last London meal. For the final selection of pics, check out the gallery of day 4.

a composition of Big Ben, Parliament and rays of sun

tubes and tentacles, sea stars are ugly critters

cozy bar near Carnaby Street

Plenty of things to do and see in London. Cool city, people there are friendly and helpful and time really flies. Even though we stayed for four days, we had a pretty full schedule.

Tsuruta stood at the crib of the Japanese new wave of horror films. About 20 years later things have quieted down a little and the Japanese horror scene has grown more diverse once again. The black-haired ghosts have made room for films like Tamami and Grotesque and directors seem eager to explore new horror grounds. Combining all these elements it becomes obvious how Orochi was conceived.

Tsuruta is a horror veteran. Single-handedly pulling the Honto ni Atta Kowai series his influence of the Japanese new wave is beyond a doubt. With films like Yogen (remade as Premonition), Sky High (though more of a Kitamura film) and Dream Cruise (Master of Horror series) he reached beyond the realms of the Japanese public and landed some success in the West. I've seen most of his films, but can't say I am a big fan of his work. I'm not the biggest fan of the new wave in the first place, but even then his films seemed a big lacking compared to Shimizu and Nakata's efforts.

Orochi is an adaptation of a Kazuo Umezu manga, a rather strange public figure that left a legacy of interesting horror works behind. In recent years his work has proven a good source for film adaptations, leading to a series of 6 short films based on his stories. An interesting series if you'd like to see more atypical Japanese horror films, with Kurosawa's Bug's House and Yamaguchi's Present as main attractions.

When I finished Orochi I was actually quite surprised to see that Tsuruta directed it. There is little here that links back to his previous films. Only a weak link to Sky High exists, but that's his most atypical film anyway. Orochi is a film that steers clear from the new wave clichés and reaches back to more classical horror. Not a very original move as Nakata did something similar with Kaidan and anthology films like Rampo Noir have been receiving positive attention these last couple of years, but a slight fantasy line does inject some welcome originality into the film.

Orochi is a kind of spirit that watches over mankind. While she does interfere from time to time, she derives her pleasure from simply watching us go about life. One day she lands at the house of a famous actress and gets involved with the family. It doesn't take long before the darker side of glitter and glamor is revealed, and before she knows it she gets entangled with the fate of the family.

Visually Orochi is a lot more pleasing than his previous films. Though pretty classical in style, the set pieces are impressive, with a lavishly decorated house and lovely costumes. Good, strong camera work and some interesting shots whenever Orochi is around make this film a pleasure to behold. None of that cheap "realistic" style that disgraced many of the Japanese new wave films, which is always a good thing.

The score is pretty minimal, with most of the music coming from within the film itself, be it through a singing contest or a film being played in the theater room. There are some other musical pieces but they are mostly supporting the atmosphere already there. Most of the film is actually carried by the rather soft and dreamy voices of the cast themselves. Who, truth be told, do a great job at acting out the tragedy of their respective roles. Usually horror films have little need for good acting, but since tragedy has a big part in this particular kind of horror, it's reassuring to see Tsuruta pulls such good performances from an otherwise rather unknown cast.

Though Orochi can be classified as horror, there is very little to be seen, nor are there many scares or scenes of overpowering suspension. The curse on the family is all there is to carry the film, but the tragic events following from it are more than enough to warrant the film its horror label. Just don't be expecting anything creepy, tense or gross. Orochi plays more like a Rampo horror, contrasting its gruesome scenes with a classy and classical setting.

The addition of the fantastical figure gives Orochi a somewhat novel feel though. While her character has a somewhat strange and unfitting role in the whole, it is exactly what her character is about. She is someone who observes, interprets and intervenes, but only when absolutely necessary. It's a stylish, well-developed film with a very classical base that still succeeds in coming off as rather fresh. Hopefully a fresh start for Tsuruta as I definitely prefer this film to his older work. 4.0*/5.0*

Check the trailer to get an idea of what it's all about.

Spirit Tracks is Nintendo's sequel to the first DS Zelda game. Borrowing its style from the Wind Waker (Gamecube), it continues Nintendo's fine tradition of quality gaming software, offering solid, creative and fun gameplay in a totally immersive world. Lately they have been outsourcing some of their franchises, luckily they kept Zelda within their own tight control. The result is everything you've come to expect from a Nintendo game.

Zelda has always been one of my dormant favorites. I've liked every Zelda game I've played so far, though not one of them has ever made it to my list of absolute favorites. When I tried the first DS Zelda, I wasn't all that convinced and decided to look for other things. About 30 minutes into this sequel I was proven very wrong. The controls take a little getting used to, but once you master them the game plays like a dream.

Spirit Tracks is the first game I play that actually relies on the stylus for moving around. You simply point to where you want to go and Link starts running. Tapping the screen makes Link interact with objects. He can push, pull, pick up and talk to elements within the world this way. These controls are extremely simple but take just a little time to get used to. Once you've mastered them they feel completely natural, making you wonder why you've ever had trouble navigating.

The gameplay of Spirit Tracks is divided into two sections. You have the overview map, which is navigated by train. On this map are several locations you can access which allow you to walk around more freely. Driving around with the train is pretty fun by itself. You can map your route, kill some enemies along the way using your canon and even hunt for rabbits if you want. And if you're taking passengers, make sure to stick to the driving rules or else they'll think you're a bad driver and leave your train.

The other areas feature more typical Zelda gameplay. Puzzles that need to be solved, enemies that need to be beaten. During the game you can collect special weapons granting you new options to solve certain puzzles. These weapons are essential to advance and to unlock many of the available side quests. On top of that, you have a set of bombs and your sword. While this doesn't sound like much, the makers made full use of all these capabilities to keep the puzzles and action as creative as possible.

There is an additional challenge as princess Zelda is tagging along on your journey. For the bigger part she just comments on what is happening, but in the tower she can enter the body of Phantoms and she becomes and extra playable character. It's a handful controlling two characters at once, but it does add a lot to the variety of the gameplay.

While the main path of the game is pretty episodic and straight-forward (4 areas, two main stopping points, one tower to rebuild), the side quests and sub games provide all the diversion you'll need. Transporting people and supplying goods to the towns grant you gems, activating new tracks on the map and allowing you to travel to new places. These side quests take up a large part of the game, making it last a lot longer than the main story arc would have you believe at first.

Visually the game is extremely pleasing. It does depend on whether you appreciate the typical Wind Waker style, but it works very well on the DS, making the characters very emotive and recognizable. The 3D is nice, though a little flat on the maps, the other areas are pretty varied and feature the regular details you'd expect from a Zelda game. Including the chickens (though they call them cuckoos now - still looks like chickens to me).

The soundtrack too is pretty enjoyable, which is a rarity for DS games. Nice, recognizable tunes that are perfect to hum along with. There is no voice acting, just some small samples of people umpfing ans grunting. The microphone is also used to full effect, as there are a couple of tunes that need to be played on a flute. Cool stuff, just be aware that you'll be looking like a complete idiot doing it in a public place.

Spirit Tracks is a pretty vast game, though it doesn't really look it at first. The maps are quite small, but there are enough locations and plenty of side quests to add to the length of the game. No matter whether you're taking passengers, collecting stamps, hunting rabbits or doing some renovations on your train, there's always some place to go or some job to finish before continuing the main story arc.

The game is perfectly balanced, making full use of all the options on the DS. The gameplay is natural and intuitive, the puzzles varied and creative, the difficulty level just about steep enough. It's definitely one of the best games I've played on the DS so far, the first one is already awaiting my attention. Definitely recommended. 4.5*/5.0*

Check the trailer if you're interested

Noir is back and even Hong Kong cinema has jumped onto the bandwagon. The latest film to join the select group of dark-edged films digging into the Asian underworld of crime, crooks and nooks is Chi-kin Kwok's The Moss. A film not afraid to glorify the ugliness of what lies below the mask of a bustling city, revealing a hidden world of people living on the edge of society.

If you feel the need to compare this film, there is no better option than Pou-Soi Cheang's Dog Bite Dog. Both films share a pretty identical setting and styling. A certain grainy darkness that pours from every shadow and character. It's still a little strange seeing this type of film emerging from the Hong Kong film scene, which is usually more taken with sparkling and well-washed celebrities doing their thing.

The Moss finds itself dealing with Jan, an undercover cop turned bad. Part cop, part criminal and completely lost. In love with one of the whores from a whorehouse he raids from time to time with his chief in command, he goes about his life and job as if he has little left to lose.

Things take a turn for the worse when the son of a local mobster goes missing. When she starts pulling some strings Jan ends up in the middle of a violent little mob war. And to add to the fun, some young Pakistanis are aiming to take over control of the neighborhood with the help of a rather shady killer for hire. Throw in some heavy contrast with a 12 year old girl representing purity and you have all the ingredients for a gritty tale from the slums.

Visually there is plenty to enjoy here. Kwok finds the right balance between shaky, close to the skin hand-held action and clean, controlled camera work. His use of color is pretty much perfect, with warm, deep color contrasting the heavy and shadowy blacks of the gloomy setting. It dictates the feel and atmosphere of the film, making the somewhat improbable story that much more believable and immersive.

The soundtrack is equally nice. Dark, brooding and just a little off-beat. Not too present or dominating, but doing a good job of enhancing the already gritty atmosphere. Acting is overall strong too, especially Shawn Yue who's putting in quite an effort. Even though his character is hardly original he knows how to put in some genuine intrigue and emotion. The supporting cast is just as dedicated to keeping the quality of the film high, with a neat little cameo of Eric Tsang to finish it off.

The film takes a couple of strange turns in the middle. The addition of the Pakistani gangsters is a little odd, so is the beggar/killer character. But through the lock-tight atmosphere it never becomes too weird or alien. Kwok hurls his characters from gritty slum to slum but keeps a tight focus on the different story lines waiting to hit each other dead on, never letting the film meander too much.

The Moss is not a wildly original film, but executed so well that it impresses from the very first seconds right until the final credit fades from the screen. Kowk's direction is marvelous as he lets nothing slip by. A tightly paced story, good acting, solid soundtrack and visual splendor are all part of the fun. It never turns into a true masterpiece, as some elements do feel a little quirky and the story does take some strange directions, but it's good to see people follow in Cheang's footsteps. There's a bright future for HK noirs, if you pardon the pun. 4.0*/5.0*

And of course the trailer if you want a sneak peek.

For 6 long years the Saw franchise has been dominating the American torture horror market. There hasn't been too much competition and keeping a genre fresh with only a few sequels is a pretty impossible task. So fans have been awaiting a new contender to take the stage. The Collector could very well be just that. A nifty piece of gruesome horror and sadistic entertainment.

From the very first minutes it is clear that Dunstan had a decent budget to work with. Maybe a little surprising for a first-time director, but some extra digging reveals that Dunstan isn't exactly new to the the world of film. He scripted Saw 4-6 and the complete Feast trilogy, which seems to have earned him enough credit in the American gore scene to land him in the director's chair. With The Collector he continues his fine tradition of sadistic horror and goes head to head with the Saw franchise.

The concept of The Collector is pretty simple. The titular criminal is guy who loves to collect humans. His motives remain vague and unclear, his methods on the other hand are explained in full and lavish detail. He derives his pleasure from entering a house and setting traps to catch all inhabitants, playing a rather cruel cat and mouse game before finishing them off. When an unsuspecting thief breaks in while our collector is doing his thing, the thief is in for the surprise of his life.

It doesn't really sound like much, but with films like these it's not so much about original concepts or smart storylines. The execution is what makes or brakes the film. And so The Collector turns out to be a true genre piece that bends as little rules as possible, but tries to indulge the fans with as much gory details as possible, leaving very little to the imagination of its audience.

Dunstan proves himself quite skilled with the visual side of things. Most of the film plays at night, granting the film in a very dark and brooding atmosphere. This in heavy contrast with the scenes in the basement of the house, which are draped in an eerie green glow. The editing is snappy and crisp as you would expect from a film like this, increasing the tension and always keeping a tight pace. The film is rather short, so there's little time for filler.

The soundtrack is decent enough, though pretty predictable. Except for the opening track that is, which literally cleaned the dust from my speakers. Distorted and gritty industrial techno set to an onslaught of bright, high-contrast images. Shame this particular style was only used for the opening credits. Acting performances were sufficient, with many young faces having little ambition to belong to the greats of modern-day actors. On the other hand, better actors wouldn't have made this a better film. These kind of films are not really about touching performances or dramatic impact.

The collector himself could've been styled a little better. His posture is impressive and there are some nifty little touch-ups giving him almost demon-like eyes, but the lame SM cap makes him look a little cheap. As one of the many masked maniacs he comes of as pretty plain. Luckily his methods of torture are way more fun and are aimed to entertain the fans of mean-spirited horror. The ending is wide open and leaves plenty of opportunities for a sequel, though I'm not letting that spoil my fun yet. I'll worry about that when an actual sequel is announced.

The pacing is fast, the tension strong and the concept fun enough to make it a lovely little genre film. Dunstan proves he has more to show than writing scripts for the rest of his career and delivers a film that is quite sure to please the fans. It's a simple film, there's not much here except atmospheric cruelty, but what it does it does extremely well. The definition of a good genre film is you ask me. 4.0*/5.0*

Like always, check the trailer only if you must.

Oxide (The Detective, Som and Bank)and Danny (Seven 2 One)Pang are known to go berserk when they can get their itching hands on CG, with varying results. It's not that they lack creative vision, but their budget doesn't always allow for great excesses. The Storm Warriors changes all that. Epic in all respects, this is the moment both brothers were able to prove their worth. And they did.

The Storm Warriors carries quite a legacy. The original saga comes from a manga, which spawned a number of TV series, an animated film and one live action film. It's a huge franchise in the East, sadly it never really caught on in the West. This makes it a little harder for newcomers to get a good grasp on the whole Storm universe, though the Pang Brothers made sure to keep it accessible for outsiders.

The Pang Bros film is not a direct sequel to the first film but features the same core cast and characters. It's a pretty complex web of intrigue, drama and tragedy served in epic proportions. Though the story itself is somewhat muddled and complex, the film really isn't. Short bursts of plot progression catapult the film forward, bridging the gaps between huge stand-offs and grand battle scenes. Considering the scale, Oxide and Danny kept the film surprisingly small and pure.

The story finds Cloud and Wind (together they form a storm, get it?) fighting together to beat an evil warlord. The lord is looking for a sacred spine which grants him control over the Central Plains. Cloud and Wind fail to beat the warlord and are in desperate need to enhance their strengths. Both venture their own paths in trying to increase their fighting powers, resulting in what must be one of the longest stand-offs in movie history.

Visually the Pang Bros go wild. Though the CG environments look a tad fake and shabby at times, the Pangs more than make up with superbly executed fantasy martial arts spells and some truly stunning art direction. The big fights early in the movie are based on the same fighting aesthetics seen in 300 but are executed in a style almost resembling animation. It's simply jaw-dropping beautiful to behold.

The fights later on are of a smaller magnitude and feature more common action aesthetics. And yet, the "liquid smoke" effects are equally stunning and justify the almost obsessive way the Pang Bros use them to fill scene after scene. Sadly the actual one-on-one battles do look a bit poor in comparison, featuring camera work which is a little too hectic to impress. These scenes are rather rare though and don't hurt the overall visual grandeur of the film.

The soundtrack is a little too epic for its own good. The brothers have a way of incorporation some electronic influences, sadly they can't be heard in this film's soundtrack. The theme tune is way too cheesy, the score itself a little overdone. Acting performances are a little divided too, with Kwok and Cheng proving they can't even carry a film like this. Yam, Tse en Luet on the other hand make sure that it's not all negative. Though only Yam has a key role in the film, they're all able to add something substantial.

The Storm Warriors is an easy film to burn down. It's a true effects film, focused on posing, epic drama and excessive visual effects. The plot is only there to jump from one fight to the next, the tragedy is a simple result of the epic proportions of the story. It never attempts to truly engage or to evoke genuine emotion. It's all about the cool and the grand magic spells.

I truly believe the Pangs made the right decisions making this film. It's not the type of story that asks for a serious execution. All plot is filler so the more you minimize it, the less filler you have. The story and setting are beyond epic and so it's better to blow everything completely out of proportion. And that's exactly what they have done.

The Storm Warriors is definitely not a masterpiece, but taking it at face value, it's an almost perfect piece of entertainment featuring some stunning art direction. It has some of the grandest and baffling fighting sequences I've seen in a long time. With that, I don't really care about some shabby acting performances or a poor soundtrack. A worthy upgrade from the original film, but approach with care. If you want epic with a ridiculously serious rendition of a stupid plot, stick to the Matrix', LOTRs and Avatars of this world. 4.0*/5.0*

Check the trailer only if you want to spoil yourself.

In times of financial crisis a company should be more than happy to have plenty of work, but when that work keeps piling up and time proves itself unwilling to bend, measures need to be taken. And so Internet Architects, the company I work for, is looking to reinforce its development team. Here's your chance.

A short introduction of our company is probably a good place to start. Internet Architects is an Antwerp-based company involved in the creation of websites. Our aim is to be good at what we do, making sure both our clients and us can be proud of the work we deliver. We handle everything from strategy to front-end development, going through information architecture, wireframing and design phases in between. What we don't do is the actual implementation of a site, which is handled by partners, allowing us to chose freely between possible technologies for each site.

We are currently looking for someone to help out with front-end development. Your job will be to create static templates based on wireframes and graphical designs, using html, css and javascript. You'll be doing this together with my colleagues and I who will help you in reaching the quality levels we try to uphold. This will include browser testing, writing flexible and manageable html, css and javascript and working with concepts as accessibility, graceful degradation and unobtrusiveness in mind.

If you've not mastered all of these skills yet, don't despair. We are looking for people with a soft spot for front-end development and with the unquenchable drive to get better at it, questioning everything and everyone in the process. Even ourselves. Do note that we are stationed in Antwerp (Belgium) and you will be required to work on site. Knowledge of the Dutch language is also considered a big plus.

So if you feel up to it (or know anyone that would be interested), be sure to drop us a note at jobs@internetarchitects.be and we'll be sure to contact you for further arrangements. Don't let this chance slip by!

If the gripping title isn't reason enough to make you watch this film, then the appearance of Masatoshi Nagase should surely suffice to spark some interest. Still doubting ... then hopefully the following review will make you change your mind, because notwithstanding its faults Gelatin Silver, Love is a film that deserves to be seen.

Kurigami is one of those photographers turned director. After seeing Corbijn's Control not too long ago I became a bit weary of those, but Kurigami is clearly playing in a different league. For his first feature film he explores familiar territory as photography plays a big rather part (Gelatin Silver appears to be a reference to black & white photography), but he applies this familiarity to bring something new to the world of film.

Gelatin Silver, Love is cyberpunk cinema without the cyber and without the punk. What it did inherit is the extreme fascination for tiny details. Kurigami isn't ashamed to dwell on them resulting in a film that's more visual than it is narrative. It will take a while before the viewer can figure out what the hell is happening and where Kurigami is leading you, but that time is happily spent enjoying other things.

The story starts when Nagase takes on a new job. He is a photographer by profession, but bills have to be paid, so he spends the rest of his time as a stalker for hire. Up in his little flat he is asked to observe a girl and tape her every action inside. Not much happens until Nagase starts to notice a couple of unusual patterns in her behavior. Before he knows it, he is enthralled by the girl and tries to track her down when she leaves the house.

Visually there is plenty to enjoy. Kurigami's love for details translates itself to plenty of close-ups, worn-down settings and a meticulous use of color. He has a little more trouble when he ventures into uncontrolled settings (the scenes outside featuring a bigger cast) but most of the film is kept small and intimate. Add to that a nice and dreamy visual flow with little to no sharp edits or manic camera work and you have a very pleasing, controlled and accomplished looking film.

Wish I could say the same thing about the soundtrack, sadly Kurigami falls short here. He uses a large blend of different styles, overshadowed by the most atrocious 80s-like sounding guitar solos. A recurring theme I didn't really understand as it effectively destroys the atmosphere in a couple of scenes, especially in the beginning of the film. There are some electronic tracks too, though the processed sounds of the ambient track didn't convince, nor did the fabrication between IDM and industrial a bit later on. Gelatin Silver, Love could've been a masterpiece, but the score prohibits it from being truly magnificent.

The acting on the other hand deserves some extra praise. Nagase is cool as always, sporting a dark and somewhat impenetrable attitude. The man still knows how to pick his films. He acts opposite of Rie Miyazawa, who, with the little she has, does a fine job too. I was a bit surprised by the addition of Koji Yakusho, not someone I'd have expected in this film, but he teams up pretty nicely with Nagase. He doesn't have too many lines or scenes but succeeds in making the best of them.

Retelling the story would be missing the point. It's one of those typically Japanese tales of obsession, with a strange focus on eating eggs and paid killings. Little details that will matter a lot as the film progresses. It's a little weird, it's a little different, but it's fun and pretty intriguing. If you can go along with it at least.

Kurigami makes a pretty good impression with his first film. Visually Gelatin Silver, Love is almost perfect with strong use of color, solid camera work and plenty of close-up work creating a tight atmosphere. The story is intriguing, the acting top notch, the only real problem is the horrible soundtrack. It might sound like a little thing, but in a film like this, almost solemnly depending on atmosphere, it can be a real killer. Still worth checking out though as there is plenty to like. 4.0*/5.0*

Check out the trailer, it's worth it.

For some obscure reason I seem to like Joel Schumacher's work, especially his more recent output. I don't follow him too closely, but whenever I see a chance to watch one of his newer films I like to grab it with both hands. So when I heard Schumacher was dipping his toes in the horror pool, I got pretty excited. And not without reason.

Even though Schumacher's films aren't all that unique, they seem to possess a certain quality not often found in Hollywood cinema. Even though the broad strokes seem to answer to the Hollywood cliches, the details are usually a lot more interesting and colorful. Add some nice visual touches and I'm pretty much sold. Though I have to warn you, I'm probably the only person alive who considers Batman & Robin the best Batman film out there, so a certain level of caution is advised.

Town Creek is a rock solid USA horror flick with some fancy dashes of European flavor. Even though the setting, characters and plot all hint at Hollywood, the pacing, directness and lack of filler do refer to the current European style. It makes Town Creek an interesting blend of money and passion, though one that requires you to be at peace with the mix of worlds which Schumacher serves.

The film starts with a 10 minute flashback. Some crazy nazi dude is looking for some old runes and lands himself in the home of a rather unsuspecting family. After the quick introduction, we jump to current time where we meet the main character, a paramedic who's brother went missing in the wood. The brother quickly return and the both of them leave for a good portion or revenge. They end up at the house of family from the introduction, who appear very much untouched by time. This all in a mere 20 minutes.

Visually the first 10 minutes are shot in truly lushious black and white. I was actually quite disappointed when the film switched back to color after the introduction, though it doesn't take Schumacher long to reboot his visual trickery. Similarly to The Number 24, Schumacher likes to play with light to bring more atmosphere to the images, and does so with great succes.

Especially for a horror film atmosphere is key, and with half the film playing during night time Schumacher makes sure to grab the opportunity to use dark shadows and functional camera wrok to cover up some of the sillier effects. Creature effects are decent enough, but would surely fail in broad daylight. Add some fires casting flickering yellow lights and gone are your worries.

The soundtrack is pretty decent, though at points a little overblown for a film like this. It's probably Schumacher working too long in Hollywood already, but a little more subtlety or snappy power would've been better. Some scenes are set to longwinded, emotional and somewhat bombastic music which doesn't really help the overall atmosphere. Acting is on the same level, as nobody really falls below acceptable norms, though I'm sure none of the actors are going to win any prizes either.

4.0*/5.0*

Find the trailer if you must, but I'll advise against it.

It's no secret that I'm a pretty big fan of the Pang bros. While they usually work in team, they also reserve time off for solo projects. I already reviewed The Detective and Som and Bank, two of Oxide Pang's solo projects, now it's time to let his brother receive some of the praise. The film worth praising is Seven 2 One, Danny Pang's latest solo effort.

I've always considered Danny Pang the lesser talented of the two. His solo projects never really spoke to me and the one I've actually seen (Forest of Death) was a small disappointment. Luckily I prefer stone-cold facts above prejudice so when the opportunity presented itself to watch Danny's latest I jumped at it without thinking twice. A good thing I did as there is plenty to enjoy.

Seven 2 One is one of those films centered around a single event, catching multiple angles leading up to it. Ever since Tarantino directed Pulp Fiction this has been considered rip-off material and truth be told, Seven 2 One isn't the most original of films. That said, Danny Pang does add some neat twists to the whole. He starts off with the main event, then goes on by showing various short cuts from selected scenes within the film. After that, he works his way from start to finish, often switching between characters and keeping a pretty asynchronous structure.

The main event is a robbery of a 24/7 mart, resulting in a violent stabbing incident. A good few people are involved and the film quickly retraces its steps to show you the full picture. It takes a while to get a good grip on all the main characters, but once you do the stories quickly start to tangle up and the film races towards its finale. The pacing is excellent.

I always figured Oxide Pang was the one with the most visual flair, but Danny sure knows how to plan his revenge. Seven 2 One is quite simply stunning. It's pretty unbelievable how he manages to turn the drabbest of sceneries into visually arresting scenes. Use of color is truly magnificent, as is the delicate camera work. Every new scenes is a pleasure to behold, greatly increasing the enjoyment of watching all the events unfold.

The soundtrack is nice enough, though a little underdeveloped. Films like this usually have little in the way of a good score, but some scenes did feel a little lacking because of it. It never becomes a true issue, but I'm sure a better score would've raised the overall quality by a notch. Acting is decent, especially considering that most of the actors were probably selected based more on looks than talent. Apart from the goofy guy with glasses they all do what they were paid to do without making complete fools out of themselves.

The film leaves you little time to adjust to the story. From the start it presents a pretty fragmented puzzle that slowly comes together as a whole. Clues and revelations are well spread throughout the entire running time and even though the actual outcome is not much of a surprise, the films remains engaging. There is that extra ending that feels quite out of place, but since it's just an afterthought added during the end credits it is quickly forgotten.

Above all Seven 2 One is true visual feast. Danny Pang, while showcasing a somewhat different style from his brother, proves he has his own set of skills to perfect in his solo projects. Seven 2 One is cool, hip, visually arresting and short enough to please the visually inclined movie fan. Those looking for a deep and original story will quickly discard this film as unnecessary, but that is missing the point rather bluntly. 4.0*/5.0*

Do check the trailer if you still need convincing.

Some films are best approached without knowing anything about it. The Fourth Kind is such a film, so unless you really want to know, I advise to watch first, read after. I found this film through the small buzz it generated online but paid little attention to it until finally the occasion presented itself to watch the film. Needless to say I was pleasantly surprised with the result.

Film is make-belief, by nature. But once in a while a director tries to trick his audience into actually believing they're watching something real. Just think Blair Witch Project and Cannibal Holocaust. Enter The Fourth Kind, which goes head to head with Paranormal Activities to win best 2009 entry in this specific category. And while I was bored to death by Paranormal Activities, The Fourth Kind goes way beyond and does a way better job at succeeding in its goals.

The setup of the film is pretty much brilliant. Rather than play the "found footage" card, Osunsanmi makes his film a reenactment of archive footage, enriched with audio fragments and the so-called actual archive material. He turns his film into a sensationalist TV-show creating a strange and new sense of reality. This draws away the attention from faults in the recorded material which effectively destroyed a film like Paranormal Activities.

The story is that of a little town in Alaska, coping with a series of abductions over a pretty long period of time. Abigail Tyler is a psychologist continuing the work of her late husband, looking into the strange disappearances. Through several of her sessions we learn that a good few people in the town suffer from insomnia, linked to the appearance of an rather ominous owl. That's when things start to go wrong for Dr Tyler.

Visually it's a pretty interesting film. By using split screens to show both archive footage and reenacted footage in the same shot, Osunsanmi manages to slip in a sense of realness that would've been lost otherwise. On top of that, he is still able to use some cool tricks and effects in the reenacted footage so the audience doesn't have to sit through 90 minutes of interviews and amateur camera work. A perfect trade-off.

The soundtrack is pretty cool too, with atmospheric audio fragments running together with the regular scenes. Again it creates a certain sense of reality that logically shouldn't be there. The score itself is decent enough, but nothing too spectacular. Typical moody background music usually found in a film like this. Acting is strong and believable in the realm of the film. Seeing how there's different layers of reality though, it's actually a bit tricky to get a firm grip on the quality of the actors' performances.

While the idea of The Fourth Kind isn't too original, the execution surely is. It's pretty much a hit and miss affair which will win as much supporters as it will spawn haters, but for me it worked miraculously well. Watching the film knowing that it's all a big hoax is like watching a cunning trick revealed. Osunsanmi aims sharp when he tries to fool his audience and makes his film into a enthralling experience.

Best to judge for yourself though. How you go into the film will have a big influence on your appreciation. If you don't like the trick Osunsanmi is pulling you'll quite probably hate it. But if you go along with it, emerging yourself in the mystery of the little town, there are plenty of creepy and uneasy scenes to be enjoyed. Essentially The Fourth Kind is a splendid "less is more" horror flick, though Osunsanmi's trickery is actually anything but "less is more". 4.0*/5.0*

Find the trailer if you must, but I'll advise against it.

Mutants is one of latest batch of French horror films that fell prey to the hype. It's not a bad film, by far, but it simply cannot stand up to the high standards that have been set by some of its predecessors. As soon as you can accept that, there's actually plenty to enjoy here. If you don't mind "not-actually" zombies that is.

These last couple of years we've been spoiled by the French horror scene. It all started with Haute Tension, followed by a solid body of work containing Ils, A l'Intérieure, Frontière(s) and Martyrs. It was almost impossible for the new batch to live up to the expectations, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that in the end they didn't. Proof is found in the rather long waiting time for their actual releases. Lukewarm receptions at film fests and the local market have been hindering international availability.

Mutants is the first entry in the French zombie genre, though true fans will point out that Mutants doesn't have any actual zombies. The infected aren't actually dead and act more like dogs with rabies than the sludging zombies of yonder. Think along the lines of 28 Days Later, a good companion piece for Mutants, as it also shares a somewhat similar deserted setting.

Morlet takes a flying start and catapults you right into the action. In the first 10 minutes the setting is sketched, though any concrete details remain absent. We don't learn much except that there was an outbreak of a rather hideous virus, turning normal people into fierce cannibals. There is a rumored safe base though nobody knows how real it actually is. Apart from that, there's snowy mountains and the occasional survivor. Not exactly groundbreaking stuff, but a nice setup for a genre flick nonetheless.

Visually Mutants remains close to its peers. A gritty, grainy and dark look, making maximum use of the contrasting snowed-down landscapes. Blood has an eery black color, dirt and decay is everywhere and the creature effects are top notch. Morlet uses a monochrome color palette with lots of grey/blues to give his film an extra dreary dimension. Camera work is pretty vivid and shaky, though done in a solid and believable way. Nothing to complain about here.

The soundtrack is effective though sometimes a little underplayed. Most scenes are set to some subtle ambient soundscapes, often hardly audible but subtly raising the uneasy feeling in a good selection of scenes. Acting is decent enough, though some of the secondary characters are a little odd, unfitting or even unneeded. The main characters are putting in good performances though, displaying a vivid sense of urgency.

Even though the film bursts open right away, the first half of Mutants is actually spent with only two characters and very little action. We see how one of the characters is affected by the virus, turning into a full-fledged mutant, while his wife (a medic by profession) does everything to save him. Around the halfway point a group of survivors enters the film, bringing with them a more action-filled second part, though still keeping a tight focus on the emotional undercurrent.

Those expecting lots of action, bucket loads of gore and continuous high tension will feel a little underwhelmed. Mutants is a more downplayed experience that skillfully crafts a heavy atmosphere, weighing down on the viewer. Compared to its big brothers, it's nowhere near as gripping or extreme, but on its own it's still a great zombie flick with a sublime finale. One for the fans, just don't expect another masterpiece. 4.0*/5.0*

Check out the trailer to warm you up.

Diebuster is the OAV sequel based on Hideaki Anno's original Gunbuster series. Considering the impact of the original it's hard to image how incredibly overlooked this 6-part OAV follow-up series is. Tsurumaki is the one bringing the 15-year old original back to modern standards, completely in the spirit of Gainax, and doing a pretty great job at that.

Gunbuster is the series that kick-started Anno's career. An important event in the history of anime, as he would later go on to direct Evangelion. At the same time, it marks the rise of legendary anime studio Gainax. The original is a series that still stands its ground today, but is somewhat unknown among younger anime fans.

Tsurumaki's sequel is not so much a continuation of the original story, but an update of the source material to match the need of today's anime viewer. It shares some common elements with the original, often smaller details (like flight suit design) but also the general story outline. The main plot though stands firmly on its own and has minimal links with the original series. Not a bad choice, as both series do target a somewhat different audience.

Diebuster is about a young girl (Nono) running away from home to make it big in the military. No time for mech school this time, as mech pilots are chosen by the natural presence of supernatural abilities (or a special state of mind as described in the series). Nono is obviously lacking but still manages to infiltrate the group of prodigious kids. From there on, things grow more grotesque with each passing episode, resulting in an insane space showdown pretty much blowing up the whole universe as we know it. Standard anime stuff in other words.

Visually Diebuster received a serious boost. The style lies closer to series like FLCL and Abenobashi than it resembles the original. Bold, flashy colors and fatter outlines, animated with strong, extreme movements. It's an acquired taste, and those hoping for some of the magic of yonder will probably be disappointed, but I liked it a great deal. The level of animation does decline a little as the series goes on, coming to a virtual standstill in the first half of the last episode, only to go completely mental for those last 20-25 minutes. I guess they were saving up on budget for a reason.

The soundtrack is quite forgettable and the voice acting as you'd expect from an anime like this. It's always fun to see the galaxy saved by a character with the voice of a 4-year old Japanese toddler, though I'm sure the joke will be lost on many. It's all pretty standard stuff in the audio department, apart from the magnificent scream of the final galaxy-eating enemy. That one spooked me for a minute and is used with great effect.

Those hoping for a serious sci-fi series will be left in the cold. It is after all a Gainax product, so there's plenty of fanservice material (often so silly they must've been well aware of it) and crazy anime nonsense flying around. It's not so much sci-fi as it is comedy/mecha with some strange blurps of science thrown in (which reminds me, I did miss the science interludes of the original).

Diebuster is a series aimed at fans of the original who still have a place in their heart for modern anime. Those people are admittedly a little rare, so in the end it's not all that strange that the series never became that popular. I must be one of the few though, as I appreciated all the grotesque but fun-filled idiocies for what they were. Pure and simple anime fun with a good wink. Hard to recommend, this one, but if you think you fit the description, well worth the try. 4.0*/5.0*

No trailer this time, but the opening credits give a good enough idea of what to expect.

With a title like this you're either watching a self-indulged socially engaged arthouse flick directed by a mid-thirty year old or a funny, deadpan comedy which is only too aware of its own silliness. Heslov made the latter, which is a great relief. A rare chance to watch a bodily cast of big names make a complete fool out of themselves.

Heslov based his film on the book by Jon Ronson, a study on psi-warfare in the USA. While the book sticks to the facts, Heslov's film is a tale of fiction based on Ronson's book. Not a bad move, seeing how ludicrous many of the described events are. Rather than raising too many eyebrows on the "based on true events" label the film drapes a comforting screen of fiction over its story, making it a lot easier to enjoy.

It's a small miracle how a relative newcomer like Heslov gathered such an impressive cast. Even though the premise is reason enough to watch the film, names like McGregor, Clooney, Bridges and Spacey will grant the film a pretty wide audience. Maybe a little too wide, as the humor is not really all that accessible, but watching so many big names lend themselves to a film like this is always comforting.

The actual story is quite simple. After some personal issues McGregor becomes a journalist looking for a story to tell. When he runs into Clooney, psi-warrior deluxe, he somehow ends up in his world and slowly uncovers a truly strange tale of Jedi fighters and men who can kill goats simply by staring at them.

Stylistically The Men Who Stare At Goats is a very simple film. There are some nice shots, but considering the setting very little is done to turn it into a visually pleasing experience. The soundtrack is equally forgettable, mostly using some classic rock tuned linked to a remark made by Clooney halfway through the movie. It's not at all bad or ugly, just rather uninteresting.

Acting on the other hand is more than solid, with a truly splendid effort of Clooney who feels very much at ease in his role. He does a lot of staring, avoids any smirking or winking and plays a deadly serious army dude who believes he can mindbend anything and everyone to his command. Spacey is a little underused, Bridges maybe a bit too close to his role in The Big Lebowski and McGregor a tad too happy, but the three of them complement Clooney's character rather well. The whole cast is visible enjoying themselves, always a good sign.

Watching this in theater, not too many people seemed to enjoy the joke. The downside of such a cast of stars no doubt, as deadpan humor is wildly unappreciated. Their loss, because Clooney and company are really putting on a terrific show. The source material is genius of course, but the way it is downplayed is just as praiseworthy.

Genuinely funny big budget American comedies are very hard to come by. In a time where best picks involve films like The Hangover it's refreshing to see a film like The Men Who Stare At Goats hit the big screen. Two thumbs up for Heslov for getting this film off the ground. 4.0*/5.0*

Watch the trailer at your own risk.

Thai horror is doing good for itself. Proof of that is the second installment of the Phobia anthology project. This time around 5 directors get the chance to show their skills in a set of horror-themed shorts. Three of the original crew return, the other two are fresh meat. Bottom line: the sequel is every bit as good as the first one.

The first Phobia was an anthology project driven by the name recognition of the directors of Shutter and Alone. It was a lovely set of horror films displaying the skills of the directors involved. Thai horror is one the rise, blending Asian suspense (ghosts and specters) with European gore (they won't frighten you to dead but beat you to a bloody pulp) and effectively pleasing fans of both sub genres.

The concept is the same as the first film. Five directors get the chance to show their vision on horror (or horror-related) cinema. Where the first film still tried to link the four short stories together, this time around they exist separately from each other. Even though the connection in the first film was a rather fun extra, it's not something that's actually missed while watching Phobia 2.

Starting off the second anthology is Purikitpanya, who directed my favorite short of the first film. Again, he delivers the best short, though his style is more subdued this time around. I actually prefer his more extreme, vivid style to the one on display here, but it's still very clear the man has a sublime eye for gorgeous shots. It's a pretty simple story about a boy being haunted in a forest, but the imagery on display really turns it into something special. Couldn't wish for a better start. 4.5*

Poolvoralaks takes place in the director's chair for Ward, second short of the film. A pretty short but fun interlude about a boy hospitalized after a crash. He ends up in the wrong room, sharing it with a near-dead leader of a cult (or sect, or whatever). The man is dying but not planning to leave our planet yet, eagerly looking for a new body to use. Not really scary or gory, but quirky and amusing. 3.5*

The middle part is helmed by Sugmakanan who delivers a true Asian zombie flick. Two Japanese backpackers end up on the wrong truck and fall at the mercy of two local smugglers. Things get messy when their cargo (a trunk full of people and drugs) ends up dead, but only for a short while. Sugmakanan's direction is impressive, though not exactly original. Still, there are some truly gripping moments, especially the unloading of the bodies and the car crash will stick with you for some time after the movie. 4.0*

The fourth short is in the hands of Wongpoom, first of the Shutter/Alone duo. Sadly, his short is the least interesting of the bunch. Not exactly bad, but the concept is pretty stale, the execution just barely lifting it above average. The setting is a garage where crashed cars are sold for new. The victims of the crashes decide to take revenge on the saleswomen, resulting in some ghostly appearances spruced up with a tad of gore. Not bad, some nice imagery, but there are just so many films already that do exactly the same, only better. 3.0*

Finishing off is Pisanthanakun, the other part of the famous duo. For his short he revives the three geeks from the first film, placing them on the set of Twins 2 (a fake sequel to Alone). It's obvious from the very start that Pisanthanakun aims to make fun of the genre, and he does so with plenty of winks and smirks. It's a pretty good thing he's also able to place his own work in perspective, a welcome touch of humor that lifts the film far above the average. Some crazy twists and truly funny moments make this one to look out for. Think Scream, only way funnier. 4.0*

The result is an anthology with no weak entries, though Wongpoom's short felt a little too lazy for its own good. All the other shorts are interesting in their own right and bring something valuable to the whole. After two films Purikitpanya is clearly my favorite, followed by Pisanthanakun who displays a great sense of humor and makes sure it's not all guts and gore.

Phobia is a good start for people interested in Thai horror, though it does lack the truly gory stuff that resides in many of it's full-length competitors. Still, both films are projects with quality output and a varied selection of stories and styles. Phobia 2 doesn't disappoint and keeps you entertained for 2 hours. Definitely recommended. 4.0*/5.0*

Check the overly long trailer for a quick introduction to the five shorts.

Another adaptation of a fantasy book for kids? Well yes, in a way, but helmed by the infamous Spike Jonze and with enough layers to appeal to a more mature crowd. Needless to say, this is not the next Narnia or Harry Potter, but a film with the potential to please both children and arthouse audiences. A rarity indeed.

Jonze's film is based on Sendak's children's book, supposedly quite famous though I have to admit I hadn't heard of it before. Interviews will Sendak reveal that Jonze took quite a lot from the book (setting, monster design, setup) but still managed to make the film stand on its own two feet. Welcome praise from a writer who's obviously quite protective of his own work.

The film sparked much discussion on whether Jonze's version is actually suitable for kids. Which, in my opinion, is a huge underestimate of the capability of children in general. Probably not really suited for the youngest, but depending on what they are used to, this is exactly the type of film with potential to become a kids favorite film throughout his entire childhood. Not all children's films have to be happy, jolly and filled to the brim with musical interludes.

The film introduces us to Max, a little rascal craving attention and approval. Sadly Max is out of luck. His older sister prefers to hang around with her own friends and his mom is preoccupied with trying to keep her job going. Such is life, but for a little boy these things are quite hard to grasp. When Max bursts, he runs away and ends up on the island of the Monsters. Wild, furry and somewhat dangerous creatures who sport very childlike behavior. They are the inner emotions of Max come to life.

The monster design is taken directly from the book, but the way they are brought to life in this film is quite simply stunning. A perfect blend of CG and suits, the monsters look huge, detailed and sport an incredible sense of belonging. These are not CG chunks battling with gravity and their surroundings, but actual lumps of fur enhanced with CG, making the interaction with their environments quite surreal at times.

Jonze chooses a camera that's quite active and close to its main characters. The mood is helped by the atmopsheric play of light during magic hour. This elevates the level of reality to heights quite unknown for a fantasy film aimed at kids. Very cool indeed.

The soundtrack, though fitting, is probably the weakest link in the film. It goes well with what is happening on screen, but it lacks identity and rather than improving the film, it keeps it at exactly the same level. A missed chance, though it never feels out of place or misguided.

Acting is good too. Max is pretty believable in his role of slightly overactive little kid. He's not the most charming of kids, but that's due to his character, not bad acting. The monsters too are a lot of fun. Good voice acting all around, increasing their distinctive feel.

Where The Wild Things Are sees Max conquering some of his own shortcomings. It's a film about growing up in the purest sense of the word. The ending is short, to the point and lacks a clear morale, other than that problems can be conquered and the experience will make us wiser, even better as a person. It's not about big lessons in life, but about living itself.

But most of all, Where The Wild Things Are is a magical, fantastical film presented in a pretty realistic and believable way. It's not following a strict narrative but flows to the waves of childlike wonder and pleasure. Jonze's execution is flawless, making it a marvelously surreal trip through Monsterland. Highly recommended. 4.5*/5.0*

Only check thetrailer if you're ready for some small spoilers.

Another one of these down-tempo Taiwanese dramas? In a sense, but one that quite openly deals with male homosexuality. A subject still prone to shock in some parts of our world. Apart from that, Eternal Summer simply proves to be among the best of its peers, enough reason to put it in the spotlight.

Leste Chen started out with Heirloom, a stylish and atmopsheric horror flick that didn't revolve around gore or scares. Such films are pretty hard to market so it wasn't too surprising his first didn't land him much success. Eternal Summer is a very different film and reaches out to a more typical Taiwanese arthouse crowd. Much easier to sell and so the praise he received for it was accordingly. The world isn't fair, nothing much you can do about that.

Even though Eternal Summer is considered gay-themed, it's actually a bit more complex than that. Central to the story are three characters who form a perfect love triangle. Carrie loves Jonathan who quickly discovers his heart lies elsewhere. He is secretly in love with his best pal Shane, while Shane is slowly falling for the charms of Carrie. Enough romantic troubles for a solid 90 minutes of film.

The plot thickens as the relationships between the three become more complex. Plenty of opportunities for melodrama and epic emotions, but Chen keeps everything under control, maintaining a somewhat lighter atmosphere and playing down some of the more emotional scenes. Not as drastic as seen in Japanese cinema, but it's nice to see these themes handled without 90 minutes of aching sobs and puppy eyes.

Chen is obviously raised on Taiwanese aesthetics. Even though his visual style is more colorful and a tad more stylized, some very typical Taiwanese elements surface in this film. Mainly the day scenes in nature, combining vivid blues and greens, will appear very familiar to fans of Taiwanese cinema. Visually Eternal Summer is a little more varied though, sporting some truly stunning shots and scenes with strong singular colors. Not the major leap in style that some others made, but good progression nonetheless.

The soundtrack brings a similar experience. Mostly subdued piano music weaving a nice setting but feeling just a little too familiar, though from time to time Chen shift gears to music with more balls. In particular the track during the party scene, pretty cool stuff. Acting is very strong too, all three main characters putting in very solid performances. Not the easiest of parts as some on-screen openness was required, but the three of them handle it extremely well.

Eternal Summer is a pretty straightforward arthouse film, but one that does things just a little better than average and gives you these tiny flashes of brilliance which lift it above the competition. Just don't expect anything earth shattering. I'm pretty sure this film won't convert many people to Taiwanese cinema, but for those who already have a soft spot for it Eternal Summer will come as a welcome addition to the collection.

After only two films Chen is well on his way to become a personal favorite. He has a keen eye and is quite versatile. Eternal Summer is a lighthearted, dramatic and somewhat dreamy film about three kids that share a little too much love for each other. A strong blend of puberal wonder and melancholic musings 4.0*/5.0*

Check the trailer if you're still not convinced.

Jiang Xiao's Electric Shadows gathered her plenty of international attention. A sweet little film about two young kids growing up between movies. While very cute and endearing, it wasn't the most challenging of films. pk.com.cn, Xiao's second film, is a different story altogether. The film went by mostly unnoticed but is (almost) sure to leave a bigger mark in the long run.

Try to find a number of reviews on pk.com.cn and you'll notice that most of them attempt to label the film as part of the MTV-style. While somewhat understandable I've come to hate this particular description. Not only because MTV is very much a product of the 90s (and lost much of its core appeal in this new millennium), but mostly because it is used for everything even remotely reflecting modern youth culture, regardless of its actual stylistic characteristics and merits.

pk.com.cn isn't part of the MTV-generation, it's a film belonging to the flourishing internet generation. A generation that undoubtedly carries an MTV legacy, but has different ideals and motives. The fact that the film originated from an internet novel is part of that, product placement of websites another, but it's mostly a stylistic and structural thing. The short attention span of the surfer, the redo/rework/mashup attitude of the creator. Both are very apparent in pk.com.cn, in every department.

Apart from the last 20 minutes it is extremely hard to grasp anything more from the film than a simple look at two guys and a girl, contemporary style. Almost 7 years after graduating Li receives an email for a reunion. Most of the film is dedicated to his past, exploring the bond between Li, his best friend and a girl joining the both of them. This exploration is not so much narrative as it is emotional, expressing the state of characters and their evolution in its purest form. Only near the end of the film does Xiao reserve some room for morals and reflection.

Visually pk.com.cn is a collage of styles. It takes, imitates, mixes and blends different visual styles together to form a pretty unique flavor. While boasting quick edits and bold stylistic choices the whole is more organic and less jolted than what we got in the 90s. The score is an equally interesting mix of styles. Alternative pop, hip-hop and electronica are fused together, resulting in something that does not belong in either worlds but stands on its own two feet.

The style determines the pacing and the progression of the story. Regularly the film is paused for musical interludes featuring modern dance. Or simple stylistic reflections on the characters. And of course there's that guy in a polar bear suit that appears a couple of times throughout the film. All these things are part of the proud tradition of mashups, creating something new and fresh from existing bits and pieces.

Cinema is known to lag behind a little, so there's no doubt this films comes a good 10 years too soon. There is a bottom line, clearly defined in the last 20 minutes of the film, but the rest of it exists of snapshots, flashbacks and expressive collages. It's not really that pk.com.cn is difficult to follow, but keeping interested in a seemingly aimless story might be a bit much for most film fanatics.

Personally I really loved pk.com.cn. It's a production in touch with the state of mind of young people today while keeping a level of professionalism not often found in their creations. From afar, due to some fast editing and fuzzy storytelling this film might seem a victim of the MTV-style, but upon closer inspection you'll see there is something else going on. Something more post-2000. 4.5*/5.0*

Watch the unsubbed trailer for a taste of what to expect.

Balagueró is without a doubt one of the brightest talents of the Spanish horror scene, but it wasn't until he launched [rec] together with partner in crime Plaza that he received true international recognition. Reactions to the news of a second installment were quite mixed, as is always the case when sequels are announced. Undeservedly so, as [rec]² proves to be a very worthy sequel indeed.

The film starts off where the first one halted. Quite literally as the last shot of the first is the opening shot of this sequel. From there on, we switch to a team of special ops who are to join a doctor inside the sealed off house. All the elements you need for another ninety minutes of manically filmed fun with infected people.

At first Balagueró and Plaza seem to fall in the trap of explaining too much. The first film kept rather vague about the specifics of the infection, the first part of [rec]² reveals a complete background story. While not quite original, the good news is that both directors actually use these explanations to add a couple of neat twists to the film. Rather than destroy the whole atmosphere, they succeed in making it more intriguing. A bold choice, but one that pays off.

Halfway through the film the perspective is changed from the special ops to a group of kids trying to enter the building through the sewers. An interesting switch that brings some needed variation and is incorporated quite naturally into the film. Again Balagueró and Plaza take a gamble as it does pull the audience away from the building and the action, releasing the tension a little. But the interlude is short and proves a big asset later on in the film.

Visually there are some new tricks with head cams for each soldier, resulting in even crappier image quality (scanlines and everything) yet even cooler shots. Pretty awesome stuff making the small rooms even more claustrophobic. Camerawork is still in the same vain as the first film, so people with a grudge against it can safely ignore this sequel. Others can rejoice, as both directors made sure to perfect their skills.

But it's the sound design that raises the film to even higher levels. While the idea behind [rec] is on-the-spot realism, both films remain extremely stylized. Not like horror competitor Paranormal Activities, which looks as if you and I could make it ourselves, but tinkered and twisted to perfection. It lies in small things, like the dying, softly distorted buzz whenever a camera switches off, but these little details let the film rise high above the competition. The sound design is simply terrific, making it creepier than it has any right to be.

Acting is more or less on the same level as the first. This means solid, immersive performances, but lots of screaming and manic acting. If it gets on your nerves, this might just as well destroy the feel of the whole film. If it doesn't, it gets you right on the edge of your seat. There's probably not much middle ground, so it all depends which side you're on.

The surprise of the first film is gone. There's little you can do about that. But Balagueró and Plaza inserted enough original elements to make the film stand on its own two feet while still functioning as a direct sequel. Not everyone will like these changes, such is life, but I believe they added something substantial to the [rec] saga. At the very least they allowed for some rather creative changes and ideas.

If you didn't like the first film, I can't see how you'll like this one. Stylistically the films are very much alike, though the directors made better use of the style this time around. The surprise effect is gone, but that loss is almost nullified by the new elements inserted into the film. Not as chilling as the first film, but still extremely atmospheric, a true blast to watch on the big screen and a hell of a ride. A pretty perfect sequel if you ask me. 4.0*/5.0*

Still hesitant, check the trailer.

Another year has past, the time for closure is upon us again. I'm happy to repeat what I did last year. The following list of films is not the top pick of 2009-released films but rather the best films I've seen in 2009. It was not an easy pick, plenty of films didn't make the list, but the following films all deserve a little extra attention. Enjoy!

Johnnie To is one of the more productive directors among my list of favorites, that's why reviews of PTU, Mad Detective and Sparrow graced this blog before. His latest film Vengeance continues his winning streak and makes it clearer than ever that To effectively reinvented himself these last ten years to become a true author.

Vengeance is a little different though. His regular cast is still very much present (Anthony Wong, Suet Lam, Simon Yam), but the lead role is reserved for someone else this time. Johnny Hallyday, famed French singer and occasional actor is the main man this time, lending the film a very specific direction. A pretty daring move, but one that works well.

Hallyday's inclusion raises a pretty big language issue, as Hallyday is a native French speaker while the rest of them speaks Cantonese. Middle ground for both parties is English, spoken with rather fat accents. To handles it well though. I actually don't mind bad English and stilted dialogues if they feel real enough (opposed to say an entire Japanese cast trying to exclaim complex English dialogue for no reason at all). It's personal preference of course, but I'm glad To didn't decide to dub Hallyday in Cantonese, opting for a more realistic approach. It even adds some charm to the film.

The story, like in most of To's films, is rather simple. A basic revenge tale with a couple of twists and turns hurling the film forward. Grandpa Costello travels to Hong Kong after his daughter's family is murdered. His daughter barely survives and demands revenge. After some meager attempts Costello realizes he needs locals to help him out, so when he runs into the group run by Anthony Wong he hires them to do the job for him. Like I said, pretty basic stuff.

To makes sure to put his visual stamp on Vengeance. Brooding slow-motion, dark corners, lots of posing and scarred faces. It's all here again. It has become a crucial element for his films, which thrive on the tension created between two opposing fractions. It's amazing what he can accomplish with a floating camera, tempo changes and two groups of people standing in front of each other.

The soundtrack is not as quirky or as present as in his previous films. It almost seems as if To was scared to surprise his audience with his somewhat atypical choice of music, especially for a film with a broader international appeal. Vengeance is rather silent, but it works well with the slow motion and dark images dreamed up. Acting is as solid as you can expect from the To regulars, even Hallyday puts in a fitting performance. Yam has a pretty small role this time, but Anthony Wong en Suet Lam fans will find enough screen time for both to look forward to.

All that said, if there's anything that defines To these last couple of years it's the addition of certain funny, frivolous elements, granting his films a level of vitality and quirkiness completely absent in comparable films. Somehow it underlines To's love for cinema, and Vengeance doesn't escape from his signature style. Some lovely details (like the bike, the kite-like thing and the stickers) liven up the film without actually hurting the dark atmosphere.

Vengeance is a film that will do well with most Johnnie To fans. There's a chance that the use of different languages will put some people off, or maybe To's playful side will come as a surprise, but apart from that Vengeance is another shining star on To's ever-growing repertoire. A very solid film in all departments, allowing you to sink back into your couch and let the film drift over you like a warm, dark blanket. 4.0*/5.0*

Try the trailer for a glimpse of To's magic.

Michael Arias is a patient man. He fought a very long time for a chance to prove his worth as a director, grabbing it with both hands when it finally came along. And with success, as the world took notice. And yet, for his second feature film interest seems rather limited. Completely unjustified in my opinion, as it's easily one of the best films of 2009 (so far).

With only two feature films to his name, Arias' career is already worth a bunch of studies and books. He was the first American ever to direct a film at Studio 4°C and almost beat them at their own game. Tekon Kinkreet is one of the greatest animes to have come along in the last couple of years, displaying a sense of style and energy not often seen beyond the Japanese borders.

Perhaps fans of Tekon are still awaiting Arias' next animation project, but in the mean time he took some time to direct a live-action film. Again he traveled to Japan to make a film that feels very Japanese. Heaven's Door is wildly different from other outsiders' attempts at capturing Japan, most notably failing efforts of Gondry (Tokyo!), Carax (Tokyo!) and Coppola (Lost in Translation). Arias' film still differs from the locale cuisine, but succeeds in adding something other than a failure of cultural understanding.

Heaven's Door contains serious nods to Kitano's oeuvre, especially Kikujiro and Hana-bi, though the story leans closer to Kazushi Watanabe's 19. Heaven's Door, a rework of a German film, brings together two dying souls. Both of them are terminally ill and decide to enjoy their last breaths together. Somewhat oblivious of the law they start their trip in a stolen car to catch one last glimpse of the sea. When they find out the trunk of the car is loaded with money, they let their inhibitions slip while being chased by the police and the rather shady owner of the car.

Arias already showcased a very keen eye for visual glamor in Tekon and confirms his talent in Heaven's Door. Though more down to earth and a bit more sober, the camera's movements are meticulously planned, as is the use of color. While the film doesn't really contain wild flashes of visual brilliance, the overall effect is mesmerizing and very stylish indeed. Add to that some wicked editing tricks and you have a film that knows how to seduce.

For the soundtrack Arias turned to Plaid once again. I must admit that their sound works way much better in film than it does on CD. I'm not a big fan of Plaid, but as gentle background music or soft leading score it works miracles. All of this comes together in the hotel scene around halfway through, creating a rather perfect blend of visuals and sound. Acting is solid too with Tomoya Nagase reminiscing Odagiri's style of acting and Fukuda making sure her part is believable, even within the somewhat strange and unnatural setting.

Though the film features a series of strange side characters and has a rather elaborate subplot centered around a criminal businessman, the film's main focus is the young couple's blossoming friendship. As the film progresses Arias inserts something touching and real, and when at one point the much younger Fukuda takes Nagase in her arms in assures him he need not be afraid, that everything will be alright, set to the dying notes of Plaid's piano, Arias hits the spot with the biggest emotional sledge hammer you can imagine. It's a key scene in the film demonstrating that Heaven's Door is more than a simple feel-good, hip and funky road flick.

Arias' sense of humor is considerably different from Kitano's, but Heaven's Door could be mistaken for one made by a Kitano apprentice. Arias has a more modern sense of style and direction, giving the film its very own face, but there's just something very familiar about the couple reaching the beach in the final scene of the film. Arias is nice enough to serve the audience the ending they've been longing for, which in this case is the least cruelest way out and totally justified. So for all fans of Tekon and Kitano out there, give this one a chance. Chances are Arias won't disappoint. 4.5*/5.0*

Check the no subs trailer for a glimpse of the atmosphere.

When Tian makes a new film, I take notice. Without a doubt my favorite Chinese arthouse director, though his somewhat modest productivity makes it difficult to built a solid view of his style and strengths. The Warrior and The Wolf is his latest, and even though he's seemingly pursuing a more commercial route, it won't take long to realize it's all just a façade.

Ang Lee (Crouching Tiger) and Yimou Zhang (Hero) started an ongoing trend in Chinese cinema, leading arthouse directors to direct big, epic and action-filled period pieces. And while the world is still waiting for Hsiao-hsien Hou's The Assassin, Tian is filling the current void. Though it must be said, Tian's The Warrior and The Wolf doesn't really compare well to Zhang and Lee's efforts, but lies closer to grittier films like The Warlords or Battle Of Wits.

Those expecting another straight-forward genre piece, be warned. Tian may be treading in this particular territory, that doesn't mean he simply changed his style accordingly. There is not much action and even less heroism to be found in his film. Where films like this are usually about heroics, victory and conquering armies, Tian's film is about loss, pain and bewilderment. It's not epic, nor is it an easy watch, though that doesn't mean you should simply toss it aside.

The story isn't very easy to summarize. Central to the tale is Odagiri's character, who is recruited into an army during the first act of the film. From there on, we follow his transformation from peaceful country bumpkin to commander of the army. And beyond. The second and third act are small story arcs by themselves, centering around the same set of characters, but highlighting a different period in their lives. Tian lets his film flow like a mountain stream, twisting through space and time. The narrative structure is highly unconventional, rather hard to follow and disjointed, but this does not hurt the themes and sentiments of the film. For many this will be a big hurdle, I myself appreciated this free-form way of storytelling.

Visually The Warrior and The Wolf is a shimmering masterpiece. Tian's color pallete is moody and menacing, littering the screen with dark shadows and desaturated blues and greens. This works wonderfully well when outside, but the indoor scenes turned out just a little too dark to my liking. The narrative was hard enough to follow as is, but peering to see what happens on screen can become a bit much at times. It's only a small issue in a few particular scenes, but it does harm the second act a little, which is mostly playing between four walls.

The soundtrack is pretty awesome, working with modernized interpretations of traditional Chinese music. Tian's use of music is as subtle as ever, especially considering the genre he's operating in. It's not as refined as in his earlier films, but it works miracles with the visuals. Acting is very strong too, with Odagiri in yet another powerful role. His international career is taking off like a rocket and he holds up pretty well in foreign cinema. Maggie Q complements him, and the chemistry between the both of them does light up the second act. The rest of the supporting cast is equally impeccable.

Short intertitles explain the gaps and holes in the main story. Flashbacks and flash forwards tell you what you need to know, though many of the details are hidden deep within the dark shadows that leap over the screen. Multiple viewings will probably sculpt a better picture of various scenes and plot points, but the overall impression is crystal clear. Tian's vision of epic period pieces is one that is dark, gritty and unpleasant. The mythology is fascinating, raw and as pure as the cruel surroundings the characters reside in. The result something that compares difficult to other films in the genre, but stands proud on its own to feet.

If you're looking for an action-filled film leaving you behind in a victorious state of mind, The Warrior and The Wolf is probably not for you. If you're looking for typical dramatic arthouse-light fare, you can just as well skip Tian's latest. But if you're up for a good 90 minutes of alternative, arthouse-inspired genre cinema, this might be just the film for you. Ignore (or embrace) the fluttering storytelling and let yourself be swamped by the majestic and dark images of Tian's film, and you'll have no problem uncovering the heart of The Warrior and The Wolf. Superb cinema. 4.5*/5.0*

Check the short trailer for some sneak peeks.

If you've been keeping track of the film reviews on this blog, you might remember Pou-Soi Cheang from his previous film Shamo. He's slowly establishing himself as one of my favorite directors, so with much anticipation I was looking forward to Accident, his latest. Cheang was nice enough not to disappoint.

Accident was made under the caring wings of Johnny To. Not only did he produce, but the film was also co-released by his very own Milkyway. Lately To's doing a really good job of turning his production company's logo into a true seal of quality. With his own recent output and a quality selection of films like Eye In The Sky I'm more and more drawn to films coming from the Milkyway stables.

With Accident Cheang leaves his more cult-oriented background and takes on a sub genre that's been gaining popularity in recent years. The Brain is the leader of a small gang of sophisticated crooks. They are calculated, immaculate, precise and most importantly, extremely good at what they do. In essence they are a team of killers for hire, but they specialize in cases that need to look like accidents, erasing all suspicion of a real murder.

Half of the fun is seeing the murders planned and executed. Rather than aim for action and grit, Cheang tries for a more stylish approach. The build-ups are slow and well-planned, the characters silent and pensive. And even when the story twists halfway through the film and it appears they are being set up themselves, the style does not change much, though a sense of urgency is added to the film.

Cheang loves darkness. Throughout the whole film (and also apparent in his earlier films) he tries to fill each frame with dark corners, hidden alleyways or blind spots. Accident is not as colorful as his previous films though, reducing the contrast and creating an ever darker cinematic world. There are little shots or scenes that jump out, but as a whole the cinematography and styling is very strong and extremely consistent.

The soundtrack too is nice, supporting the events on screen in a rather subdued yet still leading manner. After the end credits have faded it's hard to remember particular songs, but the overall quality of the soundtrack will stick nonetheless. The acting is overall strong too, with a splendid performance of Louis Koo as lead actor. He was probably chosen because Simon Yam was busy or on holidays, but Koo manages remarkably well. The supporting cast is superb too, with the ever-present Suet Lam taking on another good role. I like that man.

While the first and second act of the film are pretty straight-forward and predictable, the ending takes a rather surprising turn. It's the expected twist, but with a twist. I actually loved those final minutes, as they left me quite stunned like few other films have managed. I'm sure it's a hit and miss affair and most people will be quite unaffected by these final events, yet it's remarkable how simple an ending can be without losing its strength, even gaining from its simplicity.

Accident is a very good film. Not really excelling in anything particular, but strong and stylish in every department, forming a very solid and tight whole. Visually consistent, great characters and acting, a strong soundtrack and an excellent plot. It's all you've come to expect from a modern To film, but directed with the flair and personality of Pou-Soi Cheang. Highly recommended. 4.0*/5.0*

For a quick peek, try the trailer.

When Kiriya unleashed Casshern onto the masses he divided the audience like a real pro. Those of you hoping he learned from his first film will do good to lower their expectations before sitting down to watch Goemon. On the other hand, if you loved Casshern, brace yourself for another two hours of Kiriya goodness.

With Goemon Kiriya confirms his style. He makes it clear that Casshern wasn't just an accident coming from an unskilled freshman. As many "faults" his first film might have had, many of them were intentional and based on mere taste, rather than bad film making. Now I know many of you won't agree with this, but it is the simple truth.

Kiriya is not one to tell a story straight. Of course his films need a storyline, as they are over-the-top epic and he's in dire need of dramatic moments to play around with, but as a director he has other priorities. His films are extremely visual, but even visual storytelling is not really on his list of things to worry about. Just forget about the story. It's there, it's used for its hooks, but that's about it. Goemon is about the direct link between visuals and emotion. It's visual film making, not storytelling.

The Goemon character is a Japanese Robin Hood. A thief that steels from the rich and gives to the poor. A popular figure that even featured in some videogames (remember Ganbare Goemon on the SNES?) and who's name is often misspelled as Goeman or even Geoman. The film borrows a couple of other historical figures and throws them into a mix of betrayal, struggle for power and superhuman mysticism. Nothing you haven't seen a hundred times before, so I was happy enough to settle for the somewhat underdeveloped story.

Kiriya is a man of visuals. It's true that he regularly aims way to high and completely misses the mark, but those moments hardly compare to the times he does hit the spot. The first big fight scene was a pretty big let-down, so were the scenes that involved horses and ninjas running around. Whenever the scenery was supposed to flash by the CG faltered, revealing its cheap texture. The second action scene (on the boats at night) easily made up for this, so did the grand ending. But the most beautiful moments are those when the camera remains static and the exuberant details of the costumes and backgrounds can be enjoyed to their fullest. This is where Kiriya truly excels.

The soundtrack is little more than wallpaper decoration for the dramatic and epic moments. It's not really bothersome and never too present, but could've been a tad better as a whole. Acting is decent enough too, though it takes a little time to get used to the comedic interludes of Eguchi. Supporting cast is nice, with good work from Hirosue, Osawa and Okuda. But in the end, I enjoyed the role of Terajima the most. Even though it's another submissive role, he must've been quite happy to play a guy like Hanzo Hattori.

Goemon is a film where the great parts easily outshine the lesser. But only if you appreciate it for what it is. Kiriya is aiming for sensory overload and tries to connect his epic chaos directly to the nerve ends of the audience. This is a film that doesn't need brainpower, but thrives on good old-fashioned primordial thrills. If you expect the story to pull you in, either narratively or visually, you'll have little to be excited about. Seen from that angle, Goemon plays like a 2 hour recap of the whole LOTR saga with twice as much epic moments and half the emotional involvement (at least, if you're capable of that while watching films like LOTR).

Kiriya serves a roller-coaster ride, but one that makes sure that the better moments can be relived late at night while lying in bed with your eyes closed. Not everything works, it's pretty chaotic at times and it feels quite out of control. It's up to you to decide whether these are good or bad characteristics of a film. I enjoyed it a lot. With ever-improving techniques and cheaper budgets I'm sure Kiriya still has a masterpiece hidden inside of him. Until that time comes, he can keep making films like this, I'll be there to support him. 4.0*/5.0*

Check the trailer for a good taste of Kiriya's style.

I like urban fantasy, a lot. But it appears to be a difficult genre to translate to the silver screen. It seems that creating an elaborate modern fantasy world is just too much trouble for a mere 90 minutes adventure. Ink is one of the rare few that dares to tackle the genre full on, and does a marvelous job at that. All hail to director Winans for taking the leap.

If you haven't heard of the film before, it's because Winans has had quite some trouble getting it distributed. A little strange considering its strength and merits, especially when you know this is one of those no-budget affairs. I would've loved to see this on the big screen, but as it is I'll just settle for the DVD. I just hope Winans has better luck with his next film.

Winans created his world from scratch, avoiding the easy way of adapting just another comic book series. He sculpts his tale in modern-day society somewhere between the worlds of the living and the dead. Several fractions exist within his universe, all of them well-developed but not explained in full. They live within the reality of the film, but the film itself never sees it as an obligation to explain their motives and being in complete detail. Not to everyone's liking I presume, but I enjoyed this patch of mystery a lot.

The story centers around the kidnapping of a little girl. She is kidnapped by an Ink, a dark creatures that lives in the shadow of our world and comes at night. He works for the Incubi, a group that brings nightmares. Up against the Incubi are the Storytellers, bringers of dreams and happiness. Their mission is to protect the people from the Ink, if they happen to have malicious intentions. This might sound like I've explained half of the movie already, but rest assured, this is just the setting. The story itself might not be too innovativy (battle of good against evil and all), but the setting sure is wildly original.

Winans has little budget but decided to make the most of it. He applies a very bold style that is somewhat reminiscent of Toy Reanimator. Bright and screaming colors in overexposed settings, sharp and energetic editing and pretty wild camera angles. The lack of funds for expensive CG is hidden by the bold style and allows Winans to do some very cool things with the styling of the inhabitants of his world. The Incubi in particular are pure genius, with their weird face masks distorting their facial expressions.

The soundtrack too is captivating. Maybe a tad too in your face, but it features some genuinely likable music enhancing the atmosphere a great deal. Sound effects too are strong and flow very well with the editing, creating a very solid audiovisual experience. Acting on the other hand is a little below par, especially the role of the father could've used a better actor. Only a minor issue as the acting felt hardly as a priority in this film, but it does manage to leave a nagging feeling through some of the scenes.

The film follows a rather predictable path, twist included. Mind you, it's one of those semi-twists where the audience is quite aware of the facts without being explicitly told. Predictability aside, the film's reality is so elaborate and vast that every scene still has plenty of creativity to enjoy. The visual bombardment alone is enough to warrant a viewing, though in the end that's just part of the fun.

Winans lack of budget does show a little. The styling of Ink could've been a bit better, some of the characters might've deserved an extra-grade actor and the visual trickery is sometimes a little too bold in order to conceal its shortcomings. Only little points of critique that Winans can easily get rid of with a bigger budget and a little more financial security. Ink shows enormous potential, executed well beyond what anyone could expect considering the limitations. A little gem that will one day find its audience and is destined to become a cult hit, much like Dark City and Delicatessen. 4.0*/5.0*

The trailer is rather spoilerific, but gives a good indication of what is to come.

Thai action cinema has been pretty successful ever since Ong-bak arrived on the scene. And even though they've enjoyed considerable international commercial success so far they've avoided swamping their audience with a bucket-load of inferior films. Raging Phoenix is the latest in the steady rise of the Thai martial arts film, and one that is sure to please the fans.

Raging Phoenix sees the return of Vismitananda who debuted rather well in Pinkaew's Chocolate. Though this time around she gets help from a few back-up fighters who help to broaden the range of moves seen in the film. While it's always a little tricky to put lots of fighting styles in one film (see Ong-bak 2), Limtrakul makes sure that the different fighters flow well together and don't just perform separate from each other.

The angle that needs to sell this film is the mix of Muay Thai, drunken style and breakdance. It might sound like a rather crazy blend of styles, but the result is very impressive alright. It's always cool to see the drunken fighting style, but coupled with the agile legwork and fluidity of Muay Thai it creates a very special flow within the fights.

The story, as usual, is not too interesting and simply functions to draw the main cast from battle field to battle field. Deu is a lost and lonely soul that almost finds herself kidnapped by a band of notorious criminals. She is saved by a group of victims that are after the criminal organization. Of course they know martial arts and around halfway she's found capable enough to join them. Nothing new there.

Raging Phoenix is a film that belongs to the colourful Thai film school, meaning lots of pretty and bright colours tampered for a little extra effect. I love the vibe coming from these films as each frame and scene seems to jump from the screen. Not really sure why it is so dominant in Thai cinema, but it's always an extra reason to look forward to these films. Direction is slick but good, the editing very fitting and the locations beautiful. Especially the hideout of the gang looks otherworldly. The only point of critique is the dark setting in the final part of the film. Could've used some better strategic lighting as some of the moves are too much obscured by darkness.

The music is pretty nice too, though I'm sure the Thai hip-hop tracks will be met with some weariness. Not that I would play the stuff myself, but it flows well with the fight scenes and gives some context to the strange dance moves the fighters are doing in between. It's not the first (and definitely not the last) time martial arts choreography is coupled to dance choreography, but it's nice to see a modern version for a change. Acting is pretty nice too, giving some extra flair to the already strange team of characters, just don't go expecting any award-winning performances.

Even though all the filler is nicely shot, it's the fight scenes that will draw all the attention. I was particularly taken with the early fights, demonstrating the best mix of drunken style and Muay Thai. Fun fights with a slight dash of comedy, yet very controlled and awesomely choreographed. Some people have complained about the staged character of the fights, which is a given whenever drunken style is used, so be warned. The latter fights are not as fluid and focus more on elaborate killer moves. They are still fun but do lack the agility of the first few fights. The actual finale kicks ass though, so the film is sure to close on a positive note.

Raging Phoenix is another very solid entry in the Thai martial arts selection. Not only are the fights well-choreographed, the fighting style is original, the film is beautifully shot and the characters are a varied and fun bunch. But when all is said and done, it's still very much a martial arts film, so if you're not a fan of unrealistic show fighting this film is probably not for you. For all the others, enjoy the ride. 4.5*/5.0*

Check the trailer for a little warm-up.

Financially well-developed stop-motion films are hard to find. 2009 has been a good year though, with Selick's Coraline getting the most attention and Anderson's Mr Fox getting raving reviews all over. In the shadows of these films another one was made. One that's had a hard time getting commercial recognition but is every bit as good. And so I present to you, Mary and Max.

Mary and Max is a little Australian film that popped up on the radar rather unexpectedly. It's a rather dull title and doesn't really invite immediate investigation, but behind that somewhat boring literary façade hides a very rich and accomplished film. Mary and Max is obviously a work of love, but with the proper financial backup to turn it into a true marvel.

The film is a celebration of old-fashioned artistry. All the little characters were made from polymers, clay, plastic and metal and are hand-animated. Some of the settings took people more than two months to construct. I'm not going to spoil all the neat little stats, you can check the official Mary and Max website for that, but it's telling for the amount of work that went into this film.

Best of all though, the film is more mature than most of its peers. Coraline is a lovely fairytale and films like Wallace and Gromit are nice enough, but they are all a bit childish by nature. Mary and Max tells the tale of two lonely souls who find each other by accident. The 7-year old Mary writes to the 50-something year old Max for advice and they become pen palls. Mary's lack of confidence and Max' suffering from Asperger syndrome puts a big strain on their relationship and it doesn't take too long before they find out that having friends can be a painful experience.

Visually Mary and Max is probably the best thing ever conceived using claymation. Mary's world (a little village in Australia) is seen through a sepia filter, Max' (New York) is modeled in contrast-heavy black and white. The settings are superbly detailed and look grand. Character animation is smooth, the character style is adoring and the camera work earns a special mention. Though completely different in style I think it easily defeats Coraline.

The soundtrack is fun, quirky and with sudden dashes even emotionally touching. The film makes use of some commonly known musical pieces but knows how to put them in a new context. Voice acting is surprisingly strong too, with an almost unrecognisable Philip C Hoffman playing a big part in laying out the atmosphere of the film. Plenty of use of voice overs though, which might deter some people, though I didn't find it an issue at all.

The true beauty of Mary and Max lies in its smart balance of comedy and drama. The film has a rather dark edge and while many little facts and details are portrayed as funny, as the film progresses you find out there is more to the jolly façade of the film. In a few scenes Elliot tears away the comedic layer and I found it surprising how fast he could go from dark comedy to uneasy dramatic moments, even delivering some straight punches. One scene in particular near the end of the film is not what you'd expect to see in a "mere" claymation animation film.

There is not a dull moment to be found. The film is littered with funny anecdotes, cute visual jokes and some very telling scenes. It's funny, endearing and dark at the same time, hitting a very rare balance. Add to that the mastery coming from every frame and you have a true gem that should appeal to a pretty large crowd, if they are willing to put themselves past their initial fear of (clay) animation. Easily one of the best films of 2009, deserving of a large and loving audience. Availability is still very limited, but don't miss the chance to see this one. 5.0*/5.0*

Still not convinced, check the trailer.

Buried underneath a mountain of farm and animal sims the DS has a strong line of RPGs granting the hand-held plenty of flair. Suikoden is one of the latest to arrive in Europe and even though it can't compete with the best, it's a solid purchase if you're aching for turn-based stats fun and can stand the Japanese hairdos.

Suikoden is a long-running series that started its life on the first PlayStation. I never played any of the previous installments, but I heard a lot of good about these first games. For fans it's important to note that Tierkreis is not a direct continuation but a spin-off, as it not as closely connected to the core of the 5-part storyline. I can't really judge how well it compares to the other games, but as a stand alone effort it manages pretty well.

The start of the game is like many other J-RPG. You're a young kid in a somewhat peaceful village, but trouble is brewing. The peace lasts through the short introduction, after which the earth needs saving and you start your journey. The villains are evil, you are good and off you go for 50 hours of numbers, swords and magic.

I found it a little hard to get into the game as the start is somewhat bland and the mechanics of the game need some getting used to. You can't simply walk through villages but have to pick destinations in the village which you can then visit. There's a somewhat strange trade system that gets you the necessary money to buy stuff and the fights appear quite random at the start of the game. But most irritating of all is a small quirk which prohibits you from selecting the standard option during conversations. This is probably done to counter unwanted selections, but it's hardly a graceful solution.

Visually Tierkreis is almost impeccable. The 3D battle sequences can look a little muddy and edgy at times (a few camera issues with bigger enemies that obscure hit counters and such) but towns, areas and maps look truly gorgeous. The animated videos in between are of high quality too, which is not too surprising if you know that they were done by the people of Production I.G. Add to that the varied and detailed character designs for 100+ characters and you have a game that will go easy on the eyes.

The music too is pretty nice, though nothing out of the ordinary. Battle and victory music is nice enough and most towns and areas have their own recognizable background tunes. Sadly the voice overs are a completely different story. Grating English dubs that go way too fast and manage to be more than merely annoying. Not just a little issue, as there is a lot of conversation during the game, most of which is dubbed.

The battle system is rather advanced with several types of weapons belonging to one of three categories. All enemies have varying resistance to each category of weapon. There are magic spells for each character (of which you can select 4 for each character) and there are group attacks for specific combinations of characters. If you know that there's a total of 108 characters there enough fun to be had. On the other hand, the difficulty level of the game is pretty low, so most of the time standard attacks will suffice (and will be quicker than watching the elaborate animations of fancier moves).

The problem with Tierkreis for me was that the format of the game could've been tailored better to the needs of the DS. For a hand held console the game is pretty strict and demanding. It's not an easy game to pick up as there is lots of conversation and a serious lack of save points. This either means starting over or leaving the DS on if you have to leave before you reach a save point. On the other hand, if you have the time Tierkreis is a very engaging game that outshines its flaws with ease.

If you plan to buy this game for some quick dashes of RPG fun you will be disappointed. But if you have the time to spare and are willing to spend the time needed to engage yourself to the Suikoden world, it's a cool game with a vast team of playable characters, lots of secret missions and items and an interesting storyline that adds shades of grey with every hour you'll play. The choice is up to you. I was lucky enough to play this during my vacation, so I enjoyed it immensely. It's telling though that I spent 2 weeks on the first 40 hours, then two months to finish the last 15. 4.0*/5.0*

Check the trailer to get warmed up.

Neveldine and Taylor stormed the scene in 2006 when they unleashed Crank onto the masses. Crank 2 established their style and Gamer is the film that takes it even a few steps further. How many fans they're going to lose along the way is hard to predict, but if you're looking for hyperactive craziness, there really is no alternative.

Crank was a fun little action film that abused its simple storyline to put as much adrenaline in its short running time as possible. It was a low budget affair that showcased the duo's talent and would redoubtably lead to more expensive films. As usual I was a little weary of their next projects as more money often results in more studio involvement, ultimately putting a handbrake on their hyperactive and action-infused style. Gamer proves there was never any reason to worry.

The concept of Gamer is quite fun. It takes the Second Lives of this time and adds some little twists. Not only can you choose an avatar to play with, you can also become the avatar and be played with. A somewhat perverse idea that gets exploited pretty well by the directors. Of course, not long after the initial launch of this technology the concept is applied to gaming software and before you know it there's a bunch of death row convicts killing each other in FPS-like battlefields. Hooray!

Neveldine and Taylor create a pretty fun vision of the future, though not one I'd like to live through. They've taken the trends of the web (nerds, messaging, porn, spam) and enlarged them in their typical uninhabited way. Almost bordering on parody of the current state of the web, their vision is a mix of extremely colorful bubblegum consumerism within a darker and grittier reality. Not that Gamer has much value beyond its fun factor, it's hardly trying to convey a serious message, nonetheless the vision of the director's duo is a welcome addition to the scifi genre and much more in tune with our everyday reality than usually the case.

The directors learned a lot from the Crank franchise and went a serious step forwards visually. They cranked up the pace a notch or two, bombarding the viewer with flashy images, hand-held action shots, strobes, tumbling cameras, extreme colors and rather outrageous color corrections. The result is something that is hard to describe and needs to be seen to be believed. Many people will be put off by the flashy appearance, crazy camera work and swift editing, but it is executed with such precision that it is hard not to love.

The soundtrack is quite funny and applied with some big nudges (Bloodhound Gang, really?) but ultimately could've been a little better. Not that it's bad or irritating, but a more mechanical and electronic soundtrack would've served the film a lot better. Acting is decent with Butler leading the film in a pretty good direction. He is cut out for a job like this, though he can't really surpass Statham. The supporting cast is a little uneven though, with Hall and Sedgwick putting in subpar performances.

Gamer is one upping Crank in every department. From the reactions it's obvious that many people consider it simply "too much". But for those of us that can only snigger when they hear comments like "too much" it's an extremely fun and densely detailed film that knows no equal. Neveldine and Taylor are a very playful duo and put on a show that not many could or would dare to mimic.

If you're looking for a short, fun and action-filled film than Gamer is prime choice. Don't go in expecting anything serious or realistic and you might even be surprised with the satire running below the entire film. Gamer is a film perfectly tailored to my needs. It's extremely visual, fast and without compromise. And above all, it's executed remarkably well. I wonder what the duo could do with a budget in Bay's league.4.5*/5.0*

Check the explosive trailer if you're interested.

After watching Adrift In Tokyo not too long ago I was excited to dig a little deeper into Satoshi Miki's oeuvre. This title immediately drew my attention as it looked pretty quirky and a little less dramatic than former film. It turned out to be exactly that, which can only be a good thing if the film is coming from the hands of Miki.

Even though Turtles cuts down on the drama, the atmosphere and feel of the film is still pretty much the same. After watching three Miki films it's obvious the man has a very unique style which he likes to explore in different gradations and settings. All of his usual traits are present, just a little wackier, bolder and more colorful than I'm used from him.

It's hard to explain the story without giving away too much, but central to the story stands Suzume, a rather plain and boring housewife living her life in general mediocrity. Her everyday rituals are numbing her down and when she rather unexpectedly gets the chance to liven things up a bit she accepts reluctantly. From there on, things get stranger by the minute.

Visually Turtles is a bit more colorful than the other Miki films I've seen so far. In some ways it even reminded me of Sasanatieng's earlier films, with brightly colored wallpapers, interior decorations and costumes blasting out of the screen, though Miki is hardly as visually capable as his Thai peer. Still, framing of the shots is strong, the editing is cute enough and the flashy colors do lend the film a brighter façade.

The soundtrack can be called pretty typical for a Japanese film. Some soothing piano tunes and light-hearted melodies carry the viewer through the whole film. Nothing too out of the ordinary but suitable and pleasant nonetheless. Acting is pretty decent too with a somewhat plain main character (which you could say is part of the setup) and some very good supporting roles. The Ramen Chef in particular has some pretty funny moments, but the other actors also deserve their share of the praise.

The film knows a rather vast cast of secondary characters, some returning, others merely there to lighten up the atmosphere or to add some freakiness to the film. The humor is never laugh out loud funny, but it is ever present and often coming from places you wouldn't have expected. Turtles is a strange little film following a weird story outline, but without ever feeling disjointed or out of place. Miki possesses the rare comedic gift to make this work, which is quite unique even outside the borders of cinema.

Turtles is a film that will go down well with people who have a certain affinity for Japanese comedy and have a good idea of what to expect. It's a fun, quirky and silly film that slowly grows on you and leaves you behind with a warm smile. It's probably a little too odd to fearlessly recommend it to everyone, but if you know what you're in for it's a damn fine experience. 4.0*/5.0*

Here's the trailer, no subtitles though.

While recent Chinese and HK action films are going through an early 90s revival, some film like to travel back even a little further. Coweb is not unlike HK action films coming from the late 80s, updated to match modern standards. Whether you believe this is a welcome genre reconnaissance or a boring retelling of times past is entirely up to you.

Coweb might be Xiong's first directorial effort, he's not exactly new to the film scene. For years he dabbled in acting and stunt coordination in some of HK's most prolific action films and built quite a name for himself. For Coweb he called on Jiang Lui Xia, a fresh martial arts talent discovered by a Jacky Chan hosted reality show and on her way to revive the female ass-kicking in action films. This makes Coweb a good companion piece to Pinkaew's Chocolate.

If you want a good storyline Coweb is not your film. The setup is cheap and doesn't even try to engage the audience. All it does it build up an excuse for several bouts of martial arts battles to be fought. The "big twist" can be guessed after a good 10 minutes into the film and the filler in between the bouts is a complete bore. Add some shabby acting performances in supporting roles and you might wonder why I even bothered reviewing this one.

Coweb is a film which caters to a pretty specific audience. It doesn't bother with many a thing people look for in a good film. The core of Coweb is the sequence of fighting bouts and luckily that's where it excels. The fights are spread evenly throughout the film (a point where the film differs from those late 80s HK films, which often kept the interesting bits strictly for the finale) making the filler less of an issue as it never takes very long before arms and legs start flying again.

It's obvious that Coweb wasn't a very expensive film to make, that said it does try to liven things up a bit from time to time. Visually it's not exactly bad but during the filler parts it does get a little boring. The fight scenes are excellent though, with smart editing and some great angles showing some unexpected limbs flying by in many of the fights.

The music in the film is pretty dull, the sound effects on the other hand make for a pretty cool experience. Similarly to Dog Bite Dog they are a little distorted, bolder and almost symbolic (featuring some funky animal noises) to spice up the fights. I understand people not liking this but I appreciate the effect, ultimately making the fights more fun to watch. And it's not as if these kind of films are any serious to begin with.

Jiang impresses as leading fighter, with some cool moves, great speed and a pretty mean look. The action choreography isn't too original but thrilling nonetheless. A nice variety of styles and fighters, great locations and very good use of the surroundings to liven up the fights. Together with the poignant cinematography it creates more than enough pleasure for actions fans to rejoice.

Coweb is little more than an excuse to show some nicely choreographed fights and that's what it delivers. All the rest is filler and is handled accordingly. If you're not a true genre fan there is enough irritation material around, but if you're looking for some great and fun fight sequences, here's your chance. 4.0*/5.0*

Try the trailer for a preview of the action.

Mongolia is faraway, barren and mostly unknown territory for us Westerners. Most of us know very little about it, except maybe a little trivia about Genghis Kahn. Rowan Lee Hartsuiker took the time to visit the place and document his findings, granting us a quick peek into a culture most of us didn't even know existed. The 30-minute documentary Chandiman Sum is the result.

I'm not much of a documentary fanatic myself. Not that I lack interest in the varied range of subjects (name it and there is probably of documentary on it), but I find the format very limiting. As part of the film medium it does very little with images and sound, making the audiovisual experience neglectable. On top of that most documentaries prove very manipulative and subjective, not exactly when I have in mind when watching badly shot images with little to no artistic direction. I know this is not the case for all documentaries, but unless proven wrong I consider them the exceptions to the rule.

Chandmani Sum is clearly one of those exceptions. Hartsuiker traveled to Mongolia and stayed there for 6 months in a tiny village, spending time on getting to know the people and their customs. His camera observes them in their everyday lives, but rather than simply capturing life in Mongolia, his documentary tries to convey his experience over there. For that, he is not shy to experiment with all means necessary.

Visually Chandmani Sum is a true beauty. Completely presented in a light blue monochrome color, only rarely allowing other colors to come through, the documentary gives a very unique look at the desolate countryside of Mongolia. Hartsuiker has a great eye and knows to capture some magnificent scenes, giving them a rather daunting and otherworldly feeling. In some scenes the editing reminded me of Aronofski's Pi, with very quick and sharp cuts, creating a streak of chaos within the quiet and barren landscapes.

The soundtrack is almost completely composed of Mongolian) vocal music, but plays mostly like illbient. It calls a dark and moody atmosphere, creating a perfect flow with the images. In several short sequences the performers are visible themselves, demonstrating their vocal skills which is actually quite impressive to see. On top of that layer of sound Hartsuiker provided a couple short monologues. Their muffled appearance, trying to become part of the soundtrack but ultimately failing as the brain is too conditioned to make out the words, is probably my only real issue with this film. Of course this is only an issue for those who understand the Dutch language.

Hartsuiker explained that his main goal was to give people an image of Mongolia they would remember. I can only speak for myself, but with his documentary he surely achieved his goal. In a rather ironic twist all extra stylistic additions help in creating a more believable view on the Mongolian people and their lives. On top of that, the film's a blast to watch and to listen to.

Chandmani Sum is not your everyday documentary. It presents reality in a stylized way but doesn't lose any of its incredibility. Hartsuiker succeeds in his mission, delivers a visually accomplished document with a superb soundtrack and transports you to a world not quite like ours. And the best part? It's entirely free (in a legal way), a quick look around the web will guide you to the source. 4.5*/5.0*

Check the trailer to get an idea of what to expect.

When directors duo Pisanthanakun and Wongpoom made Shutter in 2004 they stormed the Asian suspense scene and convinced tons of people of their talent. But like many before them, they were soon forgotten and returned back to relative anonymity. Completely unjustified as their later output easily outshines Shutter. I already reviewed 4bia before, up next is Alone.

I was never a big fan of Shutter as it did very little for the genre. It was a pretty basic genre piece that went through the motions rather blandly. Take some long-haired ghosts, some jumpy noises and a good little twist at the end and you have a film that's very much like all these other Asian horror flicks. Ironically, the same could be said about Alone, and yet I found it to be way better than Shutter.

The premise of Alone is pretty standard. When Pim's mom falls ill Pim and her husband return to Thailand to visit her in the hospital. There, Pim is confronted again with the death of her twin sister who died during an operation to separate them from each other. Old wounds are reopened and it doesn't take long before visions appear and loud noises are added to create some big scares. Ah yes, the perks of Asian suspense flicks.

Like many other in the genre, Korean suspense films in particular, there's a very strong dramatic line running below the entire film, creating a mixture that goes beyond simple horror and easing the audience in a somewhat subdued state. Only to scare them awake at given points in the film. An old trick, but one that works if executed well.

Visually Alone is a definite step up from Shutter, with meticulous shots, good sharp editing and impressive sets. There's something about those Thai houses with their green/blue walls that is very attractive to the eye. The cinematography gives the film that extra notch of class that is largely absent in most of its peers.

The soundtrack too is pretty solid, only at the end becoming a tad over-dramatic. Apart from that, the timing is excellent and the noisy scares actually transcendent cheapness. Acting is also strong, with good performances from both leads and their younger versions. Nothing too fancy, but more than sufficient for a film like this.

All things considered, Alone is just another Asian suspense film following in the footsteps of a gazillion others, but executed so well, with so much precision, that it rises far above mediocrity. The difference with Shutter is that it's simply better in each and every aspect, gluing things together in a more cohesive way and creating a far more enjoyable overall experience.

Fans of Shutter should really try and find this film as there is little that can disappoint them. If you were a little disappointed by the directors' first film you should still give this a go, unless you're looking for something original and creatively sparkling. Alone is Asian suspense done right, remaining firmly within the limitations of the genre yet getting as much out of it as possible. 4.0*/5.0*

Check out the somewhat lengthy trailer.

Wingard is pretty new to the scene, but with Pop Skull he makes sure people will have a hard time forgetting his name. Not that his film will become a big commercial success or cult favorite, but even those that hate it will carry the experience for some time to come. Pop Skull is not an easy film to shed off.

The ironic thing about Pop Skull is that its very core lies one of the most conventional and over-used themes in cinema. Daniel is a rather normal guy that one day finds himself dumped by his girlfriend. Unable to forget her he retreats from social life and even estranges himself. Sounds like a good start for a solid romantic drama featuring moody autumn-like settings and wailing guitar music, but Wingard decides otherwise.

I do believe that Pop Skull can still best be described as a rather straight-forward drama, only occasionally drawing from other genres to enhance Daniel's feelings. There are equal parts mystery and horror mixed in for added effect, but even by saying that you won't have a good impression of what this film is actually like.

Pop Skull plays like a mixture of Vincent Gallo and Tsukamoto with some dashes of Noé. The setting, characters and general mood seem to be lifted from Gallo's films. Daniel is a rather scruffy-looking character, numbed down and floating through life as if he isn't even there. The dark, sharp and brooding drama feels like Noé's territory, and as for Tsukamoto's part, that's where the hyperactive editing, crazy strobe effects and tampered soundtrack come in.

Wingard starts his film with a short epilepsy warning. I managed to suppress a little snigger, but only 10 minutes later it was obvious he wasn't just kidding or playing safe. Daniel's first crazy scene involves some scary use of partial, full and multi-colored strobe effects (the red and blue ones were killer). Later on Wingard goes even beyond by cross-editing certain scenes in a strobe-like manner. Scenes with similar setups are entwined together in one aggressive visual trip, alternating each other every frame.

Crazy editing tricks aside, the film features some strong camera work, an elaborate range of filters and Wingard has a strong sense of color. Most scenes are rather dark but things never become vague or unclear. All of this was done with virtually no budget and in a certain sense it shows in the uncompromising and unrelenting way the film was put together.

The soundtrack is pretty cool too, featuring a various range of electronic and guitar-based ambient tracks, underlining Daniel's moods and granting the film plenty of extra atmosphere. All of this adds up to a very emotive, tangible film that is more interested in making you feel than making you follow a simple narrative.

The film is not overly long but since it is quite demanding that's not really a big problem. You'll have your hands full with all the crazy visuals, mad editing tricks and trippy cuts. The horror aspect is used sparsely but adequately and only helps to further immerse the viewer into the barren world of Daniel. The drama, as simple as it might be, is very strong and effective. Just don't be expecting a straight genre film, Wingard is aiming higher than that.

Films like these don't come around too often, so they should be treasured. It's a difficult film to recommend as it's not really your average drama which can be enjoyed with a bucket of popcorn and a couple of handkerchiefs ready. Pop Skull is an experience that will take you to rather unpleasant places in a pretty straightforward and bold manner. It's the kind of cinema I like and love, so here's to hoping Wingard's next film will be just as impressive. 5.0*/5.0*

The trailer might be a little subdued, but you'll get the basic idea.

Horror and comedy are two genres that mix surprisingly well, although the mixture is often not to the taste of everyone. Some classic cult and pulp films came forth out of this unlikely marriage, Zombieland could just as well be considered next in line. That is, if you can stand Woody Harrelson popping zombies with a smile.

I wasn't expecting a whole lot from this film. The zombie rage is already subsiding again and previous attempts at mocking the brain-munching corpses didn't amount to much (not a Shawn of the Dead fan myself). The trailer and poster didn't look too promising either, so it was lack of better options that drove me to watch this one. Sometimes this leads to unexpected surprises.

I doesn't take the film too long to get up to speed. The first five minutes have some gooey deaths and a list of aptly visualized rules on how to survive zombies. Eisenberg's ever-present and self-introduced voice-over might not be to everyone's liking, but it sets the mood for a somewhat silly and dry-humored trip through the land formerly known as America.

Story-wise there is not much to talk about. Zombies have overrun the country, only a few survivors are left and four of them meet up to tour around together. Not as willingly as you might expect, but clich&éacute;s dictate that in the end they get along just fine.

Visually Zombieland is quite fun and playful, although not actually pretty. Fleischer loves playing around with onscreen text, resulting is some rather humorous scenes and effects. It's a cool addition that found it's way into many films these last couple of years, but Fleischer manages to give it his very own twist. The rest of the film doesn't look too bad, but apart from the cool, deserted setting it's not exactly visually striking.

As for the acting, the film has solid performances all around. Most of the humor comes from Eisenberg's character. It took me a while to get over the fact that he looks and sounds a whole lot like Michael Cera (even plays a similar role), but his dry voice-overs and somewhat dorky presence work very well within the boundaries of this film. Harrelson is visibly having fun and the both of them make a good zombie-killing duo.

The film starts slacking just a little halfway through, but only for a couple of minutes. It's not a long film and the first and final part are plenty of fun, so there's not much time to actually get bored. The film has a surprisingly balanced focus on both comedy and horror and features some memorable scenes and interludes to increase the fun factor.

If you're up for an entertaining, funny and fast zombie flick than Zombieland should be first pick. Even though it's not wildly original it hits all the right notes. The presentation is fun and quirky, the humor somewhat silly and dry. Add to that some genuinely gory bits (though nothing too insane) and you're up for a fun and undemanding ride. 4.0*/5.0*

Don't forget to check the trailer, though I liked the film a lot better.

Frank Miller entered the Hollywood spotlights when people started turning his graphic novels into films. Sin City and 300 were great successes, but now Miller himself is taking place behind the camera. To remake one of his own comics? Nah, too obvious. Miller is taking one of Eisner's and tries to make it his own. Whether to say he succeeded is not an easy task.

People will tell you The Spirit is exactly like Sin City. Chances are they will then tell you how Sin City is better, effectively explaining why this film isn't really like Sin City at all. Visual style withstanding, there really isn't all that much common ground between both films. If you will, The Spirit relates to Sin City in the same way Batman & Robin relates to The Dark Knight.

The Spirit has a very typical superhero setup. There's the main hero, protecting the city with his cape and face mask. He has a love/hate affair with the local police and ties with some secondary villains. All of this acts as filler, juicing up the time not spent on battling his arch enemy Octopus. There's some fighting, some gun-slinging, lots of fancy talk and in between some very serious drama.

American comics usually handle this stuff in a rather grave, serious tone. Miller's adaptation of The Spirit does not. It's light-hearted, fun and even a little tipsy. Oh sure, everything might look dark and moody, but the tone of the film is almost humorous. There are even some manga-esque influences, best seen in the over-the-top character of Johansson, making dry comments from the sidelines at the weirdest of times.

Visually the parallels with Sin City are plenty, as The Spirit more or less adapts the same visual style. Not too surprising of course, Sin City based its visual style on Miller's original comic, but as this is filmland we have to give some credit to Rodriguez. That said, I liked The Spirit a whole lot better. Technically not perfect, but artistically way more impressive than Sin City. There are tons of landmark shots, smart play of shadows, nifty contour shots and Miller shows us a superb use of colour. The Spirit is a visual feast and screencap heaven.

The soundtrack is not as interesting, sadly, as it is composed of a rather typical superhero comic book score, featuring crappy tunes and lifeless melodies. Acting is equally horrible, with only Samuel L. Jackson making the best of his character. He goes completely over-the-top, clearly having the time of his life. The other characters are plenty of fun too, but most of the cast just doesn't cut it. Prime example is Johansson, who completely fails as Silken Floss, a role that should'nt have been too hard to play. Luckily, her character manages to survive nonetheless.

Even though the acting is quite bad and the humour doesn't work all that well, the tone of the film is just right for a story like this. It's nonsensical garbage and the film is quite aware of this fact. Miller blows everything out of proportion and has a lot of fun along the way, often felt in his over-the-top approach of the simplest of moments. All of this is carried to a big and explosive finale, giving me everything I would ever hope to expect from a film like this.

Fans of more serious adaptations will probably feel betrayed by Miller's film. Fans of Batman felt the same way with Schumacher's second Batman masterpiece. I say blah to that. I prefer my comic book adaptations like this. Silly, quirky and fun, drowning all seriousness in a puddle of over-the-top goofiness. The Spirit is just that, so beware before you venture any further. 4.0*/5.0*

Watch the trailer if you want a taste before trying out the real thing.

Belgians have a hard time recognizing their own talent. That's a fact of life. We're simply not good at promoting our own stuff, even when it's obviously quite awesome. We don't expect to make things that matter in the global view of things and somehow we can't seem to grasp the idea that someone outside our tiny borders would be interested in our products. Want proof? Check out Nuit Noire.

Smolders' film played some festivals and got some good reviews (check out the ones on Twitch), but locally this film did nothing. Until a couple of weeks ago I never even heard of the film. Which is strange considering it doesn't look like your everyday low-budget experimental flick. While watching I had to keep reminding myself that this was a film coming from within the confines of our little country.

Nuit Noire exists very much in a reality of its own, but some parallels to other directors and films can be made. The film is best summarized as a mixture of early Lynch (think Eraserhead and The Grandmother) and Cronenberg's Naked Lunch, while still retaining its very own unique style. And Smolders makes sure to do proud to his influences, as Nuit Noire manages to surpass his influences on several points.

The story is hardly coherent and mostly symbolic. As an audience, you simply have to go with the flow of the film, hanging on to whatever strands it throws your way. Multiple viewings are advised, but it probably works best with an audio commentary to get all there is to get. Oscar is a rather peculiar guy working in a museum. He loves insects and spends his whole day among them. In his spare time, he wrestles with his past and tries to paste back his memories of his lost sister. Those are the basics.

Visually Nuit Noire is almost impeccable, with superbly designed sets, smart color design and some very strange and inventive imagery. There is much symbolism hidden in the imagery, some very direct (plenty of bug shots), some a little harder to spot. Sadly there is also a downside. The dreams of Oscar are depicted in a very stage-like manner, almost resembling a theater play registration. A visually accomplished one, but the feeling of stage performances is carried over to the other scenes, creating a definite awareness that everything is played on set. This is a bit of a shame, as the film isn't trying to break through the 4th wall. A little disappointing.

The soundtrack on the other hand doesn't disappoint at all, with dark drones and eerie waves throughout the whole film. It brings the film tons of atmosphere which helps to build a rather unsettling feeling. Acting is stark and emotionally distant, but without a doubt intended to create a darker and edgier reality.

Around halfway through you'll be wondering what this film is all about, though the main themes come through rather well. Oscar's struggle with his lost past is at the core of the film, but those trying to find a coherent narrative will have a hard time following the film. Luckily the atmosphere remains consistently strong and some of the imagery is simply stunning to behold.

It's a real shame that the dream sequences weren't handled in a different way. It would've been the final touch to an already strong film. Now they distract a little and even hurt some of the other scenes, which could never have been Smolders' intention. It's definitely not a film for everyone as it's strange as hell and is rather impenetrable on the first viewing, but it's a very accomplished piece of cinema that should find its way to an enthusiastic fanbase. Check it out if you have the chance. 4.0*/5.0*

Check out the trailer to warm you up.

Since the early Brain Training releases on the DS the handheld has welcomed many puzzle games, making the quest to filter simple cash-ins from truly well-developed games a little tricky. But with Layton, it will take you less than a minute to realize that the game is far beyond the reach of all those other puzzle games. It's rather unique really.

While most of these puzzle games on the DS aren't bad perse, they often lack presentation and/or uniqueness. Some of them are straight ports from existing platforms, others are juiced up versions of free online puzzle games. Only a few actually try to go beyond and manage the look and feel of a uniquely developed game.

Layton and the Curious Village is exactly that. The very core of the game is made up of 135 puzzles. Simple riddles, action puzzles or deceptive brain teasers. A pretty varied bunch of challenges that will keep you occupied for quite a while. Once your mindset is adapted to the puzzles (for me it was around 30 puzzles in the game) it does get a little easier as you'll have learned what details to look for and what pitfalls to avoid.

The developers (Level 5) could've just slapped on some nice artwork and title boards for each puzzle and left it at that, luckily they didn't. They extended the gameplay by introducing an actual, well-developed storyline and some point and click action to actually get to the puzzles. So rather than go from puzzle to puzzle, you have to stroll around the village, gather information about mysterious events and try to uncover the location of all these puzzles. And all of that while looking for the main treasure of the game.

The storyline is quite fun and engaging, with quite a few mysteries popping up early on in the game, hiding the true secret of the village. The puzzles are challenging and fun, while the harder ones can be made a little easier through the use of hint coins. Each puzzle holds tree hints, making it a little harder to get actually stuck. These hint coins are scattered throughout the village, so random clicking can help from time to time, as to uncover some extra coins.

Puzzles can be repeated if not answered correctly, though this will reduce the amount of points you'll receive for finishing them. Some extra bonus games were also included with the game, so you'll find yourself reconstructing a painting, building a strange machine and rearranging both hotel rooms of the main characters along the way. All these extra missions will lead to bonus puzzles later on.

Not only the added storyline, but also the presentation of the game makes Layton into something special. The game features a rather bold but attractive visual style and some very impressive animated sequences illustrating the adventures of our duo. Rather than showing a few static screens and basic artwork it really makes the story come to life. The music is nice too, although it can be a bit repetitive further on in the game.

Layton is a very accomplished game, mixing engaging storytelling with impeccable presentation and good puzzle fun. It might be a bit short (even though there's a weekly free-downloadable puzzle) but apart from that it's a pretty immersive and addictive little game. If only more puzzle games were like this one, can't wait to lay my hand on the sequels. 4.0*/5.0*

The trailer gives you a pretty good idea of what to expect.

Satoshi Miki is a rising star in the Japanese film scene. His first film established him as a somewhat strange and atypical director, Adrift in Tokyo only seems to underline this classification. His films succeed in blending drama and comedy in a pretty interesting way, creating something larger than the sum of its individual parts. Adrift In Tokyo is no different.

On the surface Adrift In Tokyo looks pretty simple and basic. Even that is an accomplishment, as the premise of the film is pretty outrageous. Odagiri plays a student down to his last cent and carrying a whopping 800.000 yen debt. When the debt collector makes his final visit he makes Odagiri an offer. Walk with him through Tokyo for as long as he demands, offering Odagiri 1 million yen in return. When was the last time that ever happened to you?

The first hour of the film is spent travelling through the streets of Tokyo, slowly revealing the background of both protagonists. Some pretty strange revelations are made in subtle, down-played conversations, but somehow they never feel out of place. Miki also knows the traits of the Japanese drama by heart and applies them graciously throughout the film. Plenty of quiet moments, silent characters and observant shots. Action fans be warned.

Miki's uniqueness lies in these quiet moments, which he not only applies for subtle drama but also for some pretty dry and oddball comedy moments. They pop up rather unexpectedly and are often gone as quickly as they came, but they manage to give the film a rather dreamlike and warm atmosphere. There aren't too many laugh-out-loud moments, but chances are you'll be wearing a rather big grin the entire running time, maybe even some time after.

Visually Adrift In Tokyo is a little uneven. From time to time Miki wakes up and throws in some visual candy, on other times he seems to forget about this rather important aspect of cinema. The film never looks cheap or dull, but some scenes can be a bit boring, making you wonder if he shouldn't have tried just a little harder.

The final half hour sees Odagiri and Miura settle down to wrap things up. Two new characters are introduced and with them a whole lot of extra warmth creeps into the film. The drama setup starts to pay up while the comedy level remains constant. The film works up to a pretty simple but engaging finale which left me somewhat in trance. Not because big and important things had happened, but simply because reality started to seep back into the room.

Adrift In Tokyo is a rather lovely film. It knows how to blend comedy and drama into a perfect mix of blanket-like warmth, covering the viewer with a world he'd somehow like to inhabit. Visually the film has its faults and there is not much in the way of a soundtrack, but the acting is superb and the comedy works magic, acting as fuel for a simple and light-hearted dramatic finale. 4.0*/5.0*

Try out the trailer if you're interested.

With the resurrection of the horror genre a shortage of clever concepts was imminent, and so the American remake machine geared up for another run. Most of the true 70s and 80s classics are already blessed a make-over, but now it seems these remakes are actually spawning sequels of their own. It makes you wonder where all of this is leading to, on the other hand it doesn't necessarily make for bad films. Enter Zombie's Halloween II.

Halloween II is already the 10th installment in the famous Myers series. The first remake (also by Zombie) was not so much a simple remake as a prequel and remake in one. The first half of the film was new, the second half a pretty strict retelling of Carpenter's original film. Now Zombie made a sequel, referring slightly to the original Halloween II but ultimately traveling a different path. Pretty messy for those trying to keep track of the saga, but not a bad choice as the second Halloween film from the original series wasn't all that good to begin with.

The first remake changed a few things about the Myers legend, mostly related to Myers' own character. No longer was he the silent outline behind the bushes transporting from point A to B with supernatural swiftness, but he became a person with a background who was able to produce noises of his own. This didn't work too well in the first film, but somehow it's less of an issue in Zombie's sequel. It seems that Zombie needed his first film to recreate the setting, waiting for this sequel to recreate the icon. And he does so with plenty of flair.

The story picks up where Zombie's first film stopped. Laurie survives, Myers is left for dead, everything seems wrapped up. The first fifteen minutes roughly follow the original Halloween II outline, then Zombie shift to a different gear and follows his own path. Zombie's sequel puts a bigger focus on Myers' relationship with his mother and makes Myers into a killer out to reunite his family in death.

Visually Zombie takes several steps forward. He makes splendid use of lighting to craft Myers into a massive lump of human madness, often lighting the killer with spots from the back, accentuating his massive outlines. The camera work is still rock solid and heightens the adrenaline during the killings. Even though somewhat freehand and shaky, it's not difficult at all to make out what's happening.

The soundtrack is decent, but Zombie's background in music isn't always beneficial to the film. His choice of music certainly isn't mine, though for the most part the music flows rather well with the images. Acting is pretty good for a film like this, with Dourif in one of his best roles so far, and even the scream queens being semi decent. Add to that the dark 'n dirty setting and you can rest assured that the typical Zombie stamp is as present as ever.

Halloween II is very much a slasher movie with a focus on the killings. They might not be too original, but they are very brutal and graphic. There is a back story pushing the film forward but it's definitely not as present as in Zombie's first remake. The scenes with Myers' family do add a lot though, as they are chillingly mysterious and superbly shot.

Halloween II might not be the purest of films, driven by the purest of choices, but the result is a smashingly good slasher flick. It's raw and dirty, recreating a different Myers and succeeding with ease. Zombie really made the series his own, making it easier to forget the old Myers and accept the new one. He needed two films for that, but I'm actually a bit disappointed to hear he won't continue this Halloween series. Possibly the best Halloween film, including all the old ones. 4.0*/5.0*

Check out the trailer for a taste of Zombie's vision of Halloween.

Miike returns with a sequel to one of his slickest films ever. The original Crows Zero was a huge box office hit in Japan, making a sequel almost inevitable. For Crows Zero II Miike takes control again, delivering what must be his first straight-forward sequel. There is a first time for everything, and it seems when you're talking about Takashi Miike you should take that "everything" quite literally.

I enjoyed the first film so didn't really mind this sequel, but there was another reason for looking forward to watching this. It's the 50th Miike film I've seen, which officially makes me a fan I guess. His recent output seems to lack a little flair and goofiness (though I still need to see Yatterman), but nonetheless his films remain interesting and entertaining, always something to look forward too. Crows Zero II is no exception.

Miike's first straight-forward sequel is as straight-forward as can be. There is no time, character or settings trickery to reminds us of Dead or Alive, only a simple continuation of the Crows story. Not a big surprise, as this sequel too is based on the Crows Zero manga, but still a welcome warning for Miike adepts. Don't be tempted to believe he trampled sequel conventions again. And people expecting a more surreal or humorous film based on the whole setting are advised to watch Cromartie High instead.

Oguri crawls back in the skin of Genji, but is faced with bigger enemies this time around. For starters he breaks a peace treaty with a neighboring gang, obliviously lighting fire to a dormant gang war. Besides that Genji is still at war with himself, trying to find peace with his father and looking for a goal in life. Worst of all, he does a pretty terrible job at combining the two and in result is struggling for support from his underlings.

Visually Crows Zero II is still looking incredibly slick. Maybe not as many landmark shots, but the dense and graffiti-laden backgrounds make for a tasty looking film alright. The fighting scenes are still a blast to behold too, with strong, intense and action-driven camera work and some tight editing to keep the adrenaline flowing. In the end though, during these two hours you might start missing the more edgy style of former Miike films. I guess it depends on where your preferences lie.

The soundtrack is still a little disappointing, though luckily not quite as bad as the first film. Not as many R&B intermezzos (just one really), and some rather silly but functional J-Rock stuff. Acting on the other hand is rock solid, especially the key roles portray their characters with plenty of flair. Oguri is perfect in his role, but the supporting cast also deserves some credits. It's not high-profile drama acting, but what they do, they do extremely well.

Crows Zero II is a rather strict sequel, following the exact same route as its predecessor. It's almost like a film split in half. Visually nearly identical, same characters and same side stories (the yakuza line is back again, so is Oguri's father). There's a comedic interlude about a blossoming romance and Oguri's girlfriend gets a little screen-time too. All things considered, the sequel is a bit more fight-oriented, which is probably the biggest difference between both films. Proof of this can be found in the massive 30-minute brawl finale, featuring little to no breathers.

Crows Zero II will probably appeal to the people who liked the first film and can bear a second, almost identical, serving. There's still plenty of posing, lots of fighting and some drama in between. It's a little weird seeing Miike do a sequel like this, but he pulls it off rather well. A bit more entertaining than the first film, but (of course) a whole lot less original. Though you can wonder how original a manga adaptation is in the first place. Recommended for fans of the original, others shouldn't bother at all. 4.0*/5.0*

Check out the trailer for some teaser poses.

Every once in a while a film arrives that speaks to you instantly, but still manages to slip by. All the right people like the film, all the promo material looks stellar, but still you can't find the time to actually site down and watch it. Bronson could've been such a film, and boy am I glad I made that ultimate attempt to catch it anyway.

I'm not too big on trailers, reading previews or digging into a film before I've actually seen it. I didn't even know Refn (you might remember him from the Pusher series) had directed Bronson. So I simply sat down and went in blank. After the first few words I paused and switched the subs on. Love that British accent, but without subs I don't get too far.

Bronson is the story of Michael Peterson. He's young, he's bored, he's married, and so he robs a bank. Sadly he gets caught and ends up in jail. Still, determined to become famous, he doesn't give up his battle with life. His short fuse and violent nature help him in his quest, and not much later he becomes Britain's most famous and violent prisoner. He even takes on a stage name, hence the title. And if all of this sounds a little crazy, know that it's based on real facts.

Refn, rather than turning the film into a simple biopic, decided to make something more special out of it. The entire film is presented by Michael's character himself, in true cabaret monologue style. These scenes glue the story together and provide a good insight in Michael's main goal in life: becoming famous, by whatever means necessary. It's a bold choice of presentation, but one that works like a charm.

Visually Refn has progressed a lot since the Pusher series. The films is visually fun, cool and quirky. A rather strange blend of Ritchie and Jeunet, with some other minor influences thrown in. Refn also does some smart tricks with the lighting to convey Michael's moods, which leads to a couple of very memorable scenes. Add to that some fast and snappy editing, and you have a visually impressive, fast-moving film.

The sound is equally solid, with suiting classical music and some messed up poppy tracks (Pet Shop Boys) thrown in for balance. But when all is said and done, it's Tom Hardy, the actor playing Bronson, who steals the show. The way he portrays Britain's most notorious prisoner is sublime, with his bald head, mean eyes, muscular body and goofy mustache. Bronson is a crazy character, switching from laughs to violence in mere split seconds, hiding a warped mind behind a fearsome front, but always radiating a weird sense of humor. No doubt one of the best performances of the year.

The most surprising element of Bronson is that it's really a rather pure and good-natured comedy. Not exactly what I was expecting, considering the nature of the subject, but Refn pulls it off brilliantly. Every aspect of the film is tailored to make it all a bit more amusing, though underneath the film remains a somewhat darker and viler stream of thought. As funny as it might be, there's still plenty of tragedy to be found too.

Bronson's form is not your typical choice for a biopic, or for a film in general. This might put people off, especially when they're expecting a more serious version of his story. The only films it really relates to is Chopper, which showcased a somewhat similar attitude towards its main character. So people who like their films just a little different, a bit more daring and served with a dash of freshness will do good to check this one out. Highly recommended. 4.5*/5.0*

Still no idea what to expect? Check the trailer.

Slowly Taiwan is expanding its cinematic interests to other genres. A couple of years ago it was near impossible to find anything besides slow-paced, moody drama films, now other genres are emerging from Taiwanese shores. Do Over can still be considered a drama film, but its definitely putting a more modern, slick and edgy style on display. Gone are the days of dreamy bike rides against the slopes of a green mountain covered in mist. Enter drugs, discotheques and murder.

Yu-chieh Cheng is a director with a background in commercials, and while those kind of directors are often looked down upon, they usually fare quite well in film land. Their storytelling skills might not be up to par, but they have a way of conveying emotions through images and sound that many home-bred film directors seem to lack. I guess you could say that Cheng is a 100% match to the stereotype, which should be a good indication whether the film will appeal to you.

The story of Do Over centers around a director having trouble completing his film. Do Over spans a period of 24 hours, following 5 stories related to the director. It's a pretty typical Pulp Fiction-type setup, with some jumping back and forth in time but with each segment told in a straight line. The stories are quite varied, ranging from some gangster drama and brotherly love to bored youngsters and blossoming love. Cheng does a good job of combining all these storylines and delivers a somewhat surprise ending, though original it is not.

From the first frames on it's obvious that Cheng is aiming for something more than your average drama film. The framing of the shots is exquisite, the use of color, even though not too in your face, marvelous, and the lighting often harsh but playful. Cheng doesn't neglect to make a visual statement with his first feature film. There's not a dull shot to be found, mixing quite a few styles and applying a rather broad range of cinematic tricks, without ever hurting the uniformity of the film. Quite impressive indeed.

His taste in music is equally nice. The soundtrack is composed of electronic-oriented background music draping a crisp, modern and yet dreamy atmosphere over the film. Especially the scenes driving around at night are some of the best in the field. Acting is all around solid, with some good performances. And with a rather large main cast, the absence of weak performances is quite a feat in itself.

Thematically the film is rather broad and the whole "director doesn't know how to finish his film" concept does come off as a little self-centric. On the other hand, Cheng leads his audience to a rather fulfilling finale and avoids coming off as too pretentious (though I guess that fully depends on how much you feel the film).

One thing is certain though. Cheng has style and he has a clear vision he wishes to share through his films. His addition to Taiwanese cinema (and cinema in general) is a very welcome one. Do Over is stylish, modern and sheds some light on the somewhat overlooked age group of 20/30-year olds, without having to resort to marginality or poverty. An interesting film, on many levels, and one that stayed with me for some time after the end credits had faded. 4.5*/5.0*

The trailer gives a good impression of what to expect.

It's been almost 15 years since Mamoru Oshii blessed the world with his adaptation of the Ghost in the Shell manga. A true anime milestone and a film that flared the hunger for anime in the West. For the 2.0 version Oshii revisited his masterpiece and granted it a little polish job. Question is, did he kill off his own masterpiece or was he actually able to improve on it?

Touching a classic is always dangerous. Just ask Ridley Scott or George Lucas. You're bound to piss of some angry fanboys who consider the film more than a simple film but a relic of its time. On the other hand, you might reach a new audience which doesn't really feel the need to try out the films of yonder. Sound and color touch-ups are usually quite harmless, but Oshii also decided to redo some sequences to connect it closer to the second film.

Ghost in the Shell was my favorite film ever for a long, long time. When I first saw it, I was quite blown away with the structure and lack of narrative urgency. My favorite scene has always been the long trek through the city in the middle of the film. Five minutes of good solid atmosphere to lose yourself in. But over the years some cracks appeared. Innocence was every bit as good as its predecessor and some scenes became a little murky and gray. So if done right, I wouldn't really mind the new paint job.

Visually some important changes were made. The most obvious one is the switch from green overtones (the wireframe views and intro) to sepia, diminishing its imposed relation to The Matrix and tying it closer to Innocence. Apart from that, some extra CG scene were included, mostly in the beginning of the film. While the CG is nice enough, it's not the same quality as in Innocence and it doesn't always blend it too well. The whole new intro isn't really an improvement, the helicopter flight (with the shark-copter) on the other hands looks a lot nicer.

Some extra cleaning was done, making the colors more vivid and the city views more crisp. There's more detail in the backgrounds, enhancing the overall visual impression of the film. As for the audio, some of the effects were obviously redone, capturing more of the surrounding noises and giving more audio feedback of what's happening on screen. They even redid some of the voices, most notably the Puppet Master himself who received a more fitting voice. It's these neat little things that give the film a more polished feel.

Overall I would say that the polish job resulted in a draw. The CG is somewhat intrusive and doesn't always add anything new to the film, the smaller touch-ups hold more value but aren't really all that groundbreaking. For people new to the series, I believe 2.0 is probably the best place to start, as it gels better with Innocence and narrows the gap between both films just a little.

It was a while since I last watched Ghost in the Shell, but the film still feels like a dream. It's a collection of stellar scenes and passages, drenched in atmosphere and showcasing a level of maturity not often seen even in live action films. The 2.0 version is good and a worthy attempt to make it easier to appreciate for younger film fans. Older fans might be a little disappointed by the lack of groundbreaking changes, but shouldn't fear a demolished masterpiece. Oshii did quite good. 4.0*/5.0*

Check the trailer for a few glimpses of the improved material.

Eduardo Sanchez, should his name not ring a bell, is 50% of the success behind The Blair Witch Project. Altered, his second full-length feature, proved to be a tremendous flop (and rightfully so), which left him stranded as a failed talent. At the same time it relieved some of the pressure Sanchez must have felt after the success of Blair Witch. Seventh Moon is his third film, and a reassuring poke in the right direction.

Seventh Moon is based on the Chinese tradition of the Hungry Ghost Month, a familiar subject for those who dabble in the realms of Chinese and HK horror films from time to time. It looks like this tradition is catching on in the West, as They Wait (a Canadian film from 2007) based its story on that same tradition. A somewhat remarkable fact, as Western horror films aren't usually very prone to pick up on Asian influences.

Sanchez takes the concept one step further and transports his main characters to mainland China rather than Chinatown. Yul and Melissa are newlyweds celebrating their honeymoon in China, playing the happy tourist in search of Yul's family. When it turns out their guide isn't as friendly as initially assumed, things go from bad to worse very quickly. A rather simply setup for a simple horror film, but complexity is usually not high on the list of expectations for a film like this.

Seventh Moon plays like a typical trip into madness. When the couple is confronted with the first body you know they're in for a pretty scary ride, with things getting a lot worse before they'll get any better again. The film's only perspective is that of the young couple, keeping the audience equally clueless throughout the film.

Sanchez tries to heighten this experience by mimicking handycam camera work, making the audience the third person there. And while the idea is good, the execution is simply too poor. Contrary to what many seem to believe, there's more to it than randomly swinging a camera up and down. While the tempo and editing are all quite nice, the actual camera work is a little disjointed and sometimes fails to capture the action. Sanchez is not able to convey the same level of urgency seen in films like Cloverfield and [REC], which is a serious issue.

Luckily Sanchez has another trick up his sleeve. The soundtrack and sound design of Seventh Moon is absolutely brilliant. Superbly atmospheric ambient music and eerie sounds paint a picture of the surroundings way more effectively than the images do. Where the images fail to capture the tension, the music jumps in and grabs the audience, spraying a very unnerving and grim atmosphere across the whole film.

Even though the acting is nothing more than decent, it suffices to enjoy the journey of the couple. While they have little to work with, they're not as irritating as most horror fodder. As the film nears the ending the tension is increased and explodes in a terrific finale. I was a little dazed when watching the credits, somewhat fazed out due to the ambient score and slightly surprised by the solid atmosphere captured in the film.

It's a shame that Sanchez couldn't get the camera work right, otherwise Seventh Moon could've been a contender of films like [REC] and Blair Witch. As it is, Seventh Moon is still a strong film, sporting some good tension, cool creatures and a terrific soundtrack. 4.0*/5.0*

Check out the trailer trailer to get a glimpse of what to expect.

District 9 is without a doubt the media hype of 2009. Through clever internet marketing and by shrouding the film in a veil of mystery many have been eagerly anticipating the film for quite a while. It just opened in Belgian theaters and even though I didn't really expect all that much from it, it seems that marketing did its job well. Most obvious question is of course whether the hype was worth the wait.

When I first watched the District 9 trailer I immediately turned it off after spotting the alien creature. I'm not a big fan of spoiler-heavy trailers, but this particular one made me wonder why they would reveal this much, this plainly, so early on. It could only mean there would be more to the film than simple alien appeal. Luckily there was.

The premise of the film is quite interesting, featuring a shipload of aliens stranded on Earth. Rather than taking the typical "alien flick" road, these particular aliens get a pretty rough deal as they are shipped away to a slum district on the edge of Johannesburg, controlled by military forces. The slum develops as most slums would, proving a perfect breeding ground for crime, violence and even interspecies prostitution. This is all presented in a news-like/documentary fashion with short interviews and typical news station fragments in between.

Cool stuff, but that's about all there is to the film. Beyond the interesting premise it's still very much a typical blockbuster film, as the developing story quickly illustrates. It doesn't take long before the main character becomes infected with alien genes, turns into the prime target of an international concern and goes into hiding trying to save himself. Standard stuff.

Visually District 9 is something else though. The typical documentary visuals don't sound like too much of a graphical treat but seeing how tremendously believable the CG is integrated it becomes almost unsettling to watch. Alien movement is still a little shaky, but apart from that everything feels solid, real and actually "there". The action-filled ending is absolutely amazing, featuring lush mech designs and awesome firepower without ever only slightly resembling something coming from a gaming console.

CG is often applied in a manner where the camera follows a pretty slick and premeditated path to improve the blend of CG. It gives it a fake dimension which is difficult to ignore. District 9 takes the Cloverfield approach and cleverly builds on that. The only real downer is the alien design, which is quite uninspired and dull compared to the rest. The soundtrack is decent enough but is rather secondary. The only remarkable thing there is the alien language which comes off as quite developed and original. Nice little touch.

As the film progresses the premise is mostly forgotten and all that matters is action, explosions and alien gear. People expecting a more intelligent approach might be disappointed, I on the other hand wasn't expecting anything at all and felt that there wasn't much more to be done with the premise anyway. Throw in some comedic interludes at regular times and you have a pretty basic blockbuster outline, but presented in such a way that the experience is completely different.

I liked District 9. A lot. It's a blockbuster, but as blockbusters should be. Near perfect use of CG, superb mech designs and great action scenes. Some funny moments and a premise interesting enough to kick-start the whole thing. Add some popcorn and you're gone for a good 100 minutes of alien fun. Hollywood should take notice, it's pretty amazing what Blomkamp achieved with the relatively low budget (compared to regular blockbuster budgets that is). 4.5*/5.0*

I would advise against it, but if you want a quick preview, check out the trailer.

The new millennium brought us a new kind of martial art flick. Gone were the years of manic camera work, blue overtones and quirky humor. Films like Hero and House of Flying Daggers dominated the Eastern martial arts market for a good 10 years. But just like about everything else, old becomes retro hip and Tracing Shadows is eager to demonstrate. Mak and Ng reach back to the 90s style of martial arts while doing their best to maintain modern standards.

Tracing Shadows is quite clear in its intentions. The first scene features some heavy and agile fighting fun, the second one relies more on comedic relief. The storyline? Something about martial arts masters in exile, lost treasures and roaring revenge. The golden days of Chow and Jet Li are never far away, yet Mak and Ng make sure it's more than a simple rehash of the old days.

Besides co-directing the film, Ng is also taking on the lead role. Ng's character has taken his leave from the martial arts world, but not before humiliating his second in line. Nonetheless he is granted the title of No1 martial arts master, but simply can't forget about his defeat to Ng. Meanwhile, Ng has retired to a little village where he lives with his thieving wife and adopted daughter, trying to locate a long lost Ming treasure. In between you get some funny scenes featuring a trio of Li/Lau/Chan impersonators and a rather greedy village chief. Prime stuff.

Visually Tracing Shadows is all you'd expect from a film like this. While it honors the traditional and agile style of filming, it also integrates some more modern techniques to give the fight scenes extra flair. Framing and use of color is particularly noteworthy, giving the film a more polished feel than its ancestors. Add to that detailed decors and the result becomes very pleasing to look at. The soundtrack too is quite interesting, bringing more modern rhythms and sounds while still using traditional instruments. It suits the film particularly well.

Acting is pretty decent though nothing out of the ordinary. Chinese comedy is prone to overacting so if you can't handle that you might have some troubles watching this film. Luckily Ng and Wu prove to be strong leads and the rest of the cast also play their roles with conviction.

The comedy is a bit more self-referential than usually the case, but hey, it's a post millennium film after all. The film remain amusing to follow, features some genuinely funny moments and definitely delivers on the action side of things. On the other hand, it won't win any new fans to the genre, and if you've had difficulties before trying to appreciate the martial arts vehicles of the 90s this film is probably not for you.

I assume that most fans will appreciate this film for what it is, unless you're expecting a 1-on-1 copy of the older work. Mak and Ng gave the film a unique style and flavor while royally quoting older films from the genre. Amusing, fun and quite lovely to look at. Great fun altogether. 4.0*/5.0*

Want to know what I'm talking about? Check out the trailer.

I admit, I'm somewhat of a Yudai Yamaguchi fan. He's not the most famous of directors, but you might remember his name from Tamami and Ten Nights Of Dream. Cult fans on the other hand will surely feel more at ease with films like Meatball Machine and Battlefield Baseball. If you are one of these people, Cromartie High comes highly recommended.

It's a given that most kids don't like school too much, but Japanese kids in particular seem rather traumatized by their years of education. Proof of this can be seen in the somewhat strange sub-genre of films where high schools are ruled by violent gangs and loner punks. Films like Blue Spring, Volcano High or Crows Zero are all the result of this strange trend which started in mangas from the 70s. Cromartie High walks a similar path, but doesn't take its subject matter nearly as serious as its peers.

The Cromarty universe originated from a manga, was later turned into an anime by Production IG and finally found its way into theaters through this live action adaptation. Rather than underline the coolness of school gangs, it takes a more humorous approach, shamelessly making fun of the poser attitudes often seen in the genre. And Yamaguchi turned out to be the perfect man to transfer the less than subtle humor of Cromartie to the silver screen, seeing how closely related it is to his first film, Battlefield Baseball.

Cromartie High is the story of Kamiyama, a bright young kid who makes one erroneous decision and ends up on Cromartie High. Determined as he is, he vows to change the attitude of his fellow students, but needless to say, this is easier said than done. The first half of the film is almost entirely dedicated to introductory scenes for the main characters. Much as in the anime series this is done through sketches rather than fluid storytelling. Around the halfway point the main story is introduced, or at least what passes as a storyline. Coherence is not high on Yamaguchi's list, fun and weirdness on the other hand are off the charts.

Visually there's plenty to enjoy here. It's obvious Yamaguchi was working on a tight budget but he surely made the most of it. The agile camera work and crisp editing help a lot, some well-placed filters do the rest. The scenes that demanded an excessive amount of money were tackled from a different perspective, using old-fashioned and crude special effects for comedic effect. A perfect solution that only adds to the fun. Only a few scenes lack the level of competence expected from a professional film, but those are few and far between.

Cromartie High is rather hard to recommend to people. It all depends on how familiar you are with the source material or how many leaps of faiths you are willing to take if you aren't. From what I have read the film takes quite a few elements from its source material and thus runs the risk of alienating people not familiar with it. On the other hand, if you like this kind of humor it's not too hard to simply sit back and fill in the missing gaps yourself.

If you don't mind a bunch of 40-year old actors playing 16-year old high school student with greasy hair and no manners to speak of, you're probably fine. Unless of course you dislike monkey costumes and mecha students. Cromartie High is a prime example of crazy and weird Japanese humor, and Yamaguchi is the perfect man to lead it all to a fulfilling climax (though the actual climax of the film is completely eclipsed by a totally bizarre insert featuring Kenichi Endo). Bizarre and goofy, and incredibly funny to boot. 4.0*/5.0*

Want a taste of the highlights? Check the trailer, though I advise you just watch the whole film instead.

A new Lars Vor Trier film means a guaranteed buzz. This time around he outdid himself though. He succeeded to shock Cannes and even managed to score some actual puke reactions at TIFF. Perfect marketing for your film as many people will automatically want to see it, even when they're not directly drawn to Von Trier's work. Question is of course, did Antichrist (and Von Trier) deliver?

Von Trier has been straying from the Dogme path for some time now, but Antichrist is his first film in a long time where he returns to a more traditional styling. While films as Dogville, Manderlay and The Boss Of It All are clearly separated from the Dogme movement, they remain very minimalistic and still seem to pursue the original ideology behind the Dogme movement.

The opening of Antichrist leaves little to the imagination. Ultra-stylized, artificial and controlled. Playful use of slow-motion and Händel playing in the background. This is no Dogme alright. After letting the film sink in for a while I was surprised how much it made me think of some recent Belgian films. Both Linkeroever and Vinyan came to mind almost instantly when looking for films to compare Antichrist with.

At its very core Antichrist is a drama, but quite faithfully presented as a horror film. While revealing its actual premise would be quite the spoiler, it follows a very similar path to Linkeroever where a tragic (or at least dramatic) event is distorted into horror. When the son of Gainsbourg and Dafoe tumbles through the window three stories high while they are happily making love in the bedroom, all is in place for a nice little guilt trip. Gainsbourg suffers, Dafoe (being a psychologist) tries to pull his wife through these difficult times.

Von Trier uses a range of horror tricks but divides them rather strictly between the first and second act of the film. The first part is mostly suggestive, depending on moody drones and ominous images of simple everyday objects to create an uneasy atmosphere. The second part is way more direct and involves the gruesome scenes that most people will have heard about. That said, Antichrist is not really shocking as the gore really is quite limited. The explicit sexual nature of the film is probably what made people so edgy in the first place, if you look past that there isn't all that much worth puking for. Not a bad thing really as the film works perfectly well as is, just a pleasant warning for people expecting to be revolted from start to finish.

Visually there's also a clear division within the film, between the hyper-stylized and superbly orchestrated scenes and the much rawer and grittier parts in between. While this grittier style might feel closer to Dogme it's still far away from the uncaring and "laisser faire" film attitude of Von Trier's former baby. Even during the rawer scenes the camera work feels more controlled and composed than in any other Dogme film. The soundtrack is equally important and resembles the ambient soundscapes found in Vinyan and Linkeroever, often somewhat crudely edited between regular scenes and eerily effective in creating a heavy atmosphere. One scene in particular stands out, when the sounds of rustling trees is suddenly added to create an almost noizy soundscape. Impressive stuff.

From the moment Dafoe and Gainsbourg travel back to Eden the film takes a more symbolical approach and the actual story might be a bit more complex to follow. Not long after that Antichrist shows his gruesome side, creating a rather big shift for viewers to bridge in the middle of the film. It's also quite hard to take everything in with only one viewing and people not really familiar with the subject at hand will have a hard time completing the puzzle. Luckily the internet provides some very clear answers for those wanting to get a complete (and fitting) answer as to what it was all about.

Antichrist is atmospheric, moody, technically impressive and pretty mysterious. It's gory and contains a couple of harsh scenes, but never actually shocking (let alone added for simple shock value). The mix of drama and horror works very well and the actors give their all (or almost, as they used body doubles for two scenes) to make it work. It's certainly not a film for everyone, especially not if you're looking for simple and pure horror or drama fun, but if you like to be surprised, there's plenty to enjoy here. Hope Von Trier continues on this path, it would be a shame to see his talent further wasted on any more Dogme films. 4.5*/5.0*

Check out the trailer for a taste of what to expect.

Food horror is a rather small sub genre in the big puddle of horror films, but one with good potential to shock. Meat Grinder is an aptly named entry in this sub genre, but there's a little more to it than watching a cook grid humans to meatballs. Meat Grinder travels outside the boundaries of its limited genre classification and delivers a more powerful punchline.

The film plays as a mix of Dumplings and Art of the Devil with a little mindfuckery thrown in for good measure. The subject matter ties it closely to Dumplings as it doesn't take long before human meat finds its way into the noodle soup. On the other hand, Meat Grinder is way more direct in its delivery, containing a few scenes perfect for image building and drawing in audiences looking for more Art of the Devil-like Thai horror.

But there is more than meets the eye. Meat Grinder's story centers around Bus, a single mother running a small noodle restaurant. Life is hard and Bus has quite a handful bringing up her daughter, not really helped by her own troublesome childhood. When a dead guy ends up in her restaurant she decides to see it as an opportunity and word about her delicious soups starts spreading. At the same time she has to make sure that her love interest doesn't find out about her ominous occupation. Rather typical horror material so far.

Visually Meat Grinder is quite the treat. The film looks absolutely lush from start to finish, royally showcasing Moeithaisong's talent. He applies quite a few styles throughout the film, all aptly tailored to the mood of the separate scenes. It does detract a little from the story, if that's what you're after, but the high-contrast black & color photography is just too good to pass up. In other scenes color filters, scratches, shaky camera work and anxious editing are added to the equation, but always neatly executed and sprawlingly pretty to look at.

The score too flows well with the film, although there's only one scene where it actually stands out. The track played during the police raid is some genuine electronic music, a rarity even in modern-day film. Acting efforts are also solid, with good performances of all characters central to the main story. Supporting actors can be a bit flakey (referring to the guy that looks like a Thai version of Suet Lam) but are little more than a small blip on the radar.

As the film progresses it becomes more and more apparent how deep Bus' troubles run and how they can all be traced back to her childhood. The story contains quite a few twists and revelations but the film never really presents them as such. They appear as simple parts of the story, posing a possible danger to those who like to judge a film's quality on whatever twist they seem to find within a film's main storyline. While they are most obviously there, they simply aren't part of the main course.

Meat Grinder's strength lies with the excellent mix of ingredients put into the film. Even though the film twists and twirls through several themes, styles and atmospheres it remains centered around Bus' warped mind, grounding the stylistic experimentation into a solid focus. It takes some time to adapt to the film and I feel that many will be put off by its bold approach (the film is not exactly subtle), but I liked it a lot. The horror elements are pleasing, the dramatic angle works and all of it is packaged as a visual feast. More please! 4.5*/5.0*

The trailer gives you a good taste of what to expect.

Just before Kitamura traveled to America to direct Midnight Meat Train he made one last film in Japan. LoveDeath would mark Kitamura's return to his Versus form, but somewhere along the line something went wrong. The film didn't get picked up overseas and was left to rot in Japan leaving only a few English-language reviews, mostly burning the film to the ground. Boo to that.

Ever since Kitamura was given an actual budget to make his films, he saw his fanbase decrease. His urge to make more commercial films was not appreciated, turning him into a cultfan enfant terrible in record time. That said, I never had too much trouble enjoying his later films (safe for Azumi). They are far from perfect, but still fun and entertaining. And even though his latest films have earned him some renewed respect, LoveDeath was obviously the victim of this downwards spiral. A film that should have had no trouble at all finding its audience in the West was left for dead, leaving hardened Kitamura fans with empty hands.

The film is not really what you'd expect from a Kitamura film though. It's hip and flashy and reaches back to Versus a couple of times, but it might be better suited as a companion piece to Katsuhito Ishii's Shark Skin Man & Peach Hip Girl (or Party 7 for that matter) rather than being compared to his own body of work. The two films bear many resemblances, ranging for similar storylines and crazy character to equal amounts of seemingly random Japanese weirdness.

LoveDeath is the story of Sai, a rather cool assassin who one day run into Sheela, lethal girl material and a yakuza boss' girlfriend. The fact that Sai runs away with Sheela is bad enough, but to make things worse it turns out Sheela just robbed the yakuza gang for all they're worth. Needless to say, an army of yakuza henchmen and crooked investigators is released to recapture the couple. There's some extra fluff about Chrysalis Day (the turning point in your life) but that's just to get things rolling.

With its 150 minutes running time LoveDeath is a rather long film, but it needs that time to cycle through its enormous list of characters. Very few of those characters are interchangeable as they all have their own quirky characteristics. Aside from the huge list of main characters there seems to be an ever bigger number of cameos with quite a few scenes thrown in just for laughs and showing off Japanese (b-list) celebrities. Acting is decent and appropriate all around and I was especially pleased to see Susumu Terajima in a fleshed out role again. Hilarious performance.

Visually Kitamura is still strong, certainly when there's not too much CGi around to play with. LoveDeath is colorful and vibrant, showcasing all style and no substance camerawork and throwing in some extravagant costumes to liven up the visuals as well as the characters. For a 150 minute film it's good to see that Kitamura is able to keep the level of visual playfulness consistent throughout the whole film. The soundtrack is equally pleasing and features quite a few electronic-based tracks to keep the adrenaline pumping. Nothing mind-blowing but exactly what a film like this needs.

Some reviews brought up names like Tarantino and Rodriguez, or referenced films like Smokin' Aces. For those remembering the initial reception of Ishii's Shark Skin Man this should be considered ultimate proof of its likeness. Even though these comparisons hold a certain truth (empty dialogues and stretched out scenes) DeathLove is simply too Japanese to compare it to its American counterparts. LoveDeath exists in a world where manga-influences dictate the rules, so don't be surprised if you run into dildo guns and nurse costumes along the way.

If you liked Katsuhito's first film there is plenty to like here, though LoveDeath is not exactly the better of the two. It does equals Ishii's first film but being a good 10 years younger people might be expecting a bit more. On the other hand, LoveDeath brings a guaranteed 150 minutes of fun if you accept it for what it is. It's all fluff, all style, no substance and utterly weird, but that's what makes these films so much fun. It's probably Kitamura's best film since Versus and a treat for all that love manga turned real. 4.0*/5.0*

If you're interested you can skip through the overly long trailer to spot some of the freakier scenes.

Loneliness is a welcomed theme when making films about the big city. But even simple guys in little community-driven towns can be lonely. Lars is such a guy, and when he finally decided to reach out it's not how people expected it to be. Lars and the Real Girl turns out to be a surprising film coming from the man who blessed (*cough*) us with Mr. Woodcock earlier that year.

Comedy is a difficult genre. Not only because tastes in humor vary wildly, but also because defining sub genres is almost impossible. Lars and the Real Girl contains very high doses of dry humor with a dark rim, but "dry humor" is a term with many interpretations. I've seen it used for films ranging from Groundhog Day to The Big Lebowski and even the likes of Scary Movie. And yet, Lars and the Real Girl isn't like any of those films.

To me dry humor is humor with no real jokes. It's delivered in a deadpan manner, served as drama but ultimately so freaky or weird that it becomes fun. My favorite example is Dai-Nipponjin as it takes the concept one step further and goes documentary style. But Lars and the Real Girl is a refreshingly good attempt seldom seen coming from an American director. It's a lovely tragicomedy delivering drama and humor in impressively balanced amounts.

When Lars finally brings a woman home it turns out to be a doll. An anatomically correct doll, though that doesn't matter much since Lars is a dedicated Catholic. His brother and expecting wife don't really know how to handle it at first, but when the town community decides to play along with Lars he slowly builds up a social life. It's remarkable how quickly the audience adapts to the situation as well. The reaction of the community is highly unlikely and almost entirely dictated by the feel-good vibe of the film, but at the same time we as an audience are quick to accept Bianca (the doll) as just another character in the film.

Typically the beginning is more focused on comedy while the ending has more dramatic impulses. Or maybe it's because over the course of the film Lars' character grows on you and the funny parts becoming more tragic as we get to feel for him. Lars is played by Gosling who's putting in a tremendous effort. Strictly speaking his job isn't too difficult as Lars is a typical character with obvious characteristics and some obvious mannerisms, but around halfway through the film he adds a much-needed amount of flesh and blood to his character, something quite rare for a comedy. The supporting cast is equally strong, especially brother Gus is a important asset to the humorous side of the film.

Visually not much is happening in the film. It's not really Hollywood, it's not really arthouse. Extremely functional and quite grey and boring (though that is a huge part of the setting), not much is done to make it stylistically stand out. The music is similarly bland but functional. I would usually fault a film for this but since this blandness becomes part of the setting it's not really a big issue. Alternative, this is one of those rare films where drama and comedy are strong enough to carry the film on those merits alone.

Lars and the Real Girl is rare gem blending dry humor with well-dosed drama and a feel-good vibe. Many people seem to miss the humor but I've been smiling and laughing throughout the whole film. The acting is strong, making sure the somewhat bland presentation never becomes a real issue. Good stuff and refreshingly funny. 4.0*/5.0*

Don't forget to check out the cute little trailer if you're interested.

This year's vacation took us to Santorini, one of Greece's most applauded islands. And honestly, it didn't disappoint at all. We spent a terrific week over there, but rather than talk my way through it I'll let the pictures do all the talking. Enjoy!

the hotel

We spent the week at the Volcano View hotel, without a doubt the best hotel we've stayed so far. Constructed in typical Santorini style, built against the flanks of the volcano crater and very close to the capital and airport. Three swimming pools, not too busy and superb food. We even had a jacuzzi bathtub!

morning view of the top part of our hotel

sun setting behind the first of three pools

more pics in the hotel gallery

santorini towns

Towns in Santorini are tiny but pittoresque. There are only 14.000 people living on the island, the capital houses around 4.000. All towns are built in the same style, using white or light pastel colors. Bricks don't seem to exist on Santorini. Churches are easily recognized by their blue tops and white crosses on top and since the island has more than 450 churches you can't help but to run into them everywhere you go.

white walls and little towers

typical view of a church

more pics in the town gallery

nature

Santorini is a volcanic island with no natural water sources. The island is quite dry but the volcanic landscape (and particularly the flooded crater) make for some awesome sights.

view at the crater from our hotel

lava rocks on the active part of the volcano

more pics in the nature gallery

sunsets

From our hotel we could see the sunset every night. The restaurant was located right at the edge of the cliff so it wasn't always easy dividing your attention between the food and the magnificent sights. It sure made for some pretty pictures though.

mist over the island makes for lovely pics

we got 7 of those, pure magic

more pics in the sunset gallery

various

Of course we did a little more than linger around our hotel watching sunsets. We went on some nice trips exploring various parts of the island. Santorini isn't too big so a week is more than enough to visit the most important places.

a passing ship after the sun had set

vin santo, local dessert wine and very welcome after a Greek meal

more pics in the various gallery

Affordable luxury, great surroundings and superb food and drinks. It was all around hot (nearing 40 degrees at some point) and sunny. The last two days we got some mist in the morning and evening but even that was an impressive sight on Santorini. Definitely recommended.

While slowly travelling back in time through Johnnie To's oeuvre I keep running into good films. I've already written reviews for PTU, Mad Detective and Sparrow before, now it's time to sample a film from To's more romantic/dramatic selection. Turn Left, Turn Right turns out to be a cute and little inventive film demonstrating To's broader range of directing capabilities.

Turn Left, Turn right is a combination of drama, comedy and romance served in equal portions. On top of that, it features some of To's quirky goodness that will either win people over or will pull them right out of the film. An essential part of any recent To film and more often than not a serious pitfall for unsuspecting audiences, so be warned.

"Even two parallel lines might some day meet". Though the film starts off with a poem which is revisited a couple of times during the length of the film, it's this little tagline (actually an ad featured during the film) that sums it up quite well. The two main characters live only a wall apart and live seemingly parallel lives, but fail to meet up. And when they finally do run into each other, fate plays a cruel trick on them and drives them apart again right after.

Takeshi Kaneshiro and Gigi Leung play a couple obviously meant for each other. Both are lost souls, drowning in their creative passion and left alone in a world where money is the driving force. When they meet up they find out that fate united them before, but little do they know it's coming back for seconds. Again they lose sight of each other while fate keeps setting them inches apart from each other, without ever letting them cross each other's paths.

It's a pretty cruel film where two soul mates are living the same life only breaths apart without ever meeting up. The film reflects this with parallel scenes and storylines. It's a bit of a surprise that To doesn't revert to using split screens to get his message across, yet he places his characters in the same building only separated by a single wall. This allows him to at least get them into the same frame on several occasions.

Visually the film is nice enough, though a little lifeless in some places. It's neither a straight comedy, nor a real drama and the choice of color is trapped between those two worlds. It would've been nicer if To had developed a bigger contrast between the two, using bright colors against a darker setting. Still, there are plenty of nice shots, To keeping his camera high and far, allowing for plenty of symmetrical and parallel views.

The soundtrack is nice and quirky, which is another typical To thing. Not really the kind of music you'd expect, though it works really well within the film. Acting is decent although I must admit I've seen better roles from both. The supporting actors are actually more fun to watch, but that might just be due to the more frivolous nature of their characters.

Turn Left, Turn Right is a simple, light-hearted drama, but conceptually quite strong and pure. The film demands that you go along with its concept and leave it at that. The story is extremely unlikely and heavily constructed, and those wanting a more realistic plot will be quite frustrated. To's world is governed by To's laws and those are all in function of the basic premise. Accept this and you'll find an endearing and sweet but quite cruel romantic film. Not among To's very best but still highly entertaining and fun to watch. 4.0*/5.0*

Leaving you with the trailer so you can make up your own mind.

After watching the first selection of Genius Party shorts a couple of weeks ago it was difficult not to get excited about the second part. Not only because I wanted more of the same, but mostly because the most promising directors were still to come. Genius Party Beyond features work by Tanaka and Morimoto, two personal favorites of mine.

Since the running time of the entire project clocked in around three hours 4°C made the right decision of splitting the whole anthology in two. The styles and themes of the short are all quite different and three hours of Genius Party would've been a bit much al right. The first part already featured some impressive work, but the best was obviously left for last.

The second part starts of with Gala, a short directed by Mahiro Maeda. One of the most prolific anime directors of today with some interesting titles to his name. Sadly, he is the only one to really disappoint with his short in this second act. The style is a bit bland and boring. Even though the animation is quite good, it looks a little too generic for a 4°C produced short. It picks up about halfway through, when the more psychedelic sequence starts, but even then it fails to really impress. As a whole it reminded me somewhat of the musical woods sequence in µ Katsuhito Ishii's Funky Forest, only not as cool or crazy by far. 3.0*/5.0*

Luckily that's about all the disappointment there is to be had in this second series of shorts. Gala is followed by Moondrive, a superb little short directed by Nakazawa. The style of animation is not unlike Dead Leaves, though the pacing and mood are a bit more subdued. The drawing style on the other hand is something else, with very static, card-like drawings. Nakazawa continuously breaks the fourth wall by showing the edges of the drawing cards and showing grid lines outlining the action. Visually Moondrive is extremely dense and detailed, the action quite extreme and the humor somewhat dirty and perverse. A perfect combination of artistic and vulgar, and one awesome little piece of animation. 5.0*/5.0*

Expecting a little drawback from the next entry, I was completely blown away by Ohira's little doggy short. Without a doubt the most original and revolutionary film of the bunch. The style is simply outrageous, mixing children's doodles with chalk-style animation and then some. In some ways, it reminded me of the drawing style used in Windy Tales, though less angular. Wanwa looks like an extremely detailed and lively children's drawing come to life. As a little boy finds its way through a wobbly world of magic you can only wonder what exactly you are looking at, but the overall effect is superb and extremely engaging. Within its short timespan it becomes completely immersive and leaves you with a sense of enormous wonder. 5.0*/5.0*

Up next is Tanaka's short. Tojin Kit is a continuation of a short piece Tanaka once directed for Digital Juice, so it doesn't feel quite as refreshing as the other shorts do. The basic style and movements are still there, but Tanaka's world has expanded and actually found a story to tell. It's a little surprising to see some cuter elements added to Tanaka's typical grey sceneries of wicked machinery, but the creature effects look amazing and the whole short just oozes style. The animation itself seems to lag behind only a little, possibly because there hasn't been too much updating since Digital Juice, but apart from that it's amazing to see Tanaka's trademark style translated to animation. 4.5*/5.0*

Finally, making sure Genius Party finishes off with a bang is Morimoto's Dimension Bomb. In many ways a sequel to Mix Juice, his entry in the Digital Juice anthology (and also featuring a shot with the same character), Dimension Bomb is an equally disjointed series of settings and characters set to a rather defining musical score. It's hard to tell what Dimension Bomb is about exactly, but the superb designs and terrific animation are simply spectacular to watch. Morimoto's creativity seems infinite, only enhanced by his keen eye, delicate animation and smart use of the soundtrack. His works as a DJ really paid off, always has. Not the best or most surprising short of the bunch, but definitely the most accomplished one. Morimoto proves yet again why he is one of the most important anime directors alive today and delivers a short that begs for a feature film. 5.0*/5.0*

Apart from the somewhat disappointing opening short, Genius Party Beyond is worthy of its title. Not only is it a collection of genius directors, they really go beyond with their collection of shorts. Studio 4°C establishes and confirms its title of best and most interesting animation house out there and dishes out a set of short films that challenges the medium in all sorts of ways. If you have an interest in animation that goes a little beyond the typical American products, you should feel obliged to give these shorts a try. 5.0*/5.0*

Make sure you check out the trailer if you're still not convinced.

Ever since Chow's Shaolin Soccer mixed the worlds of sports and martial arts, there's been a steady stream of Asian films following in its footsteps. Maybe not enough to speak of a hype or subgenre, but at regular intervals new titles keep popping up. Pongsuwan's Fireball is the latest to join that list, and does so with a bang.

Even though Shaolin Soccer seems to have kick-started this line of films, the concept probably links back to all that 80s sports manga and anime, portraying sports games with outrageous moves and crazy athletics. And while Fireball obviously belongs to this rather small pool of films, there are plenty of elements that set it apart from its peers.

The story is quite simple and only takes up a small portion of the film. When Tai is released from prison he finds his brother in a coma. His brother's condition is directly related to the sum needed to bail him out of prison and so he vows to uncover the truth and find vengeance for his brother's current physical state. It doesn't take too long before Tai starts frequenting the Fireball crowds and so the games begin. In between we get some relevant background information but very little is done with that besides giving the characters a motivation to participate.

The game itself is a mix of basketball, Muay Thai and street fighting. Two teams of five players meet up, the goal of the game is to make one single basket. Aside from that, anything goes. If no basket is made, the game stops when there's only one man left standing. A good excuse for Pongsuwan to put a lot more focus on the fighting aspect of the game rather than on the actual basketball. There is one scene where a more equal balance exists but the other matches are all about simultaneous one on one bouts with little eye for the ball.

Fireball's digital roots are pretty obvious when watching the film. The regular scenes look a bit pale and dull, unable to cover up the somewhat mediocre acting capabilities of some of the actors. On the other hand, going digital really paid off during the action scenes. The games are agile and vivid, raw and fast. The camera works well in the dark and smoky playgrounds setting a great mood and places you right where the action is happening.

This being a Thai film you can expect some raw stunts, and Fireball delivers. No reel of failed stunts at the end this time, though I wouldn't be surprised if some actors left with several cuts and bruises after shooting the film. Adding some extra atmosphere is the soundtrack. Only really noticeable during the more dramatic scenes but well chosen and not as cheesy as you'd expect.

Fireball has its focus straight. The dramatic elements are kept to a minimum and the film revolves around four matches and one training exercise. The bouts are quite lengthy but well choreographed and more than able to keep the juice flowing. People unable to distinguish a Thai from a Japanese might be quite confused by the agile camera work but everyone else won't have too many trouble keeping track of the court action.

The raw and unrelenting bouts are really spectacular and make this one of the best action flicks I've seen in a long time. The little drama which was added does not detract from the film and provides all the necessary context for those ready to indulge in the violent mix of Muay Thai, street brawls and basketball. Highly recommended. 4.5*/5.0*

Check out the trailer to get a good taste of what this film has to offer.

The Final Fantasy Tactics series mixed the RPG elements of the originals together with turn-based strategic combat and created a whole new gaming experience for Final Fantasy fans. After a successful reincarnation on the GBA the Tactics series found its way to the DS. It was the first time I was able to play a FF Tactics game, so I made sure not to miss the chance.

The Tactics series is rather notorious for its vastness, something which is difficult to fully grasp for those who've never played the game yet. You often see a completion time of 120 hours advertised, but somehow that doesn't really sink in until you're actually playing the game. Believe me, those numbers aren't made up simply for marketing purposes. Tactics A2 is a massive game with a huge amount of quests, side-quests and lots of timing spent on developing your characters. In the end it took me 118 hours to finish, leaving only a few unlisted side-quests untouched.

And still, the actual storyline game is pretty limited. From the 400 missions in total, only 25 are immediately related to the continuation of the story. Of course it will be quite impossible to finish the game playing only those 25 missions, but I guess it wouldn't be too hard to complete the game with only half of the quests completed. The other missions are either unlisted or appear as side-quests. There's a nice little mission board giving you a good overview of all mission with their respective status and specifics. Apart from all that, there's a three-part tower mission, each part lasting a good hour to finish.

Equally vast is the job/weapon system, which will eat up a lot of your time. Each of your characters is of a certain species, allowing to progress in certain jobs. Some jobs are unlocked through missions, other by mastering a certain amount of skills. These skills are learned by equipping swords or armor. To make things more complex, armor and weaponry can't be simply bought in stores, but should be assembled using materials (loot). These materials are gained during missions and should be assembled in shops. It's a cool system, though it introduces an aspect of luck as the game won't show you what you are assembling until you have agreed to process it. In the end, you never really know how a certain weapon will help your characters, taking away an extra level of strategy.

Visually the game is very pleasing, though from what I've seen of the GBA version its really only an extension on its predecessor. The designs haven't changed a lot, though some detail was added to the sprites. The style is bold and colorful, most of the effects look gorgeous and slick. The sound is a little less appealing and felt like the only weaker part of the game. Not that it was bad, but again I failed to keep it on at all times.

You play with a team of 24 characters max, some who can't be refused, others you can hire along the way. Keeping all these character occupied with learning skills and advancing jobs is quite a task, but lots of fun to do. Until very late in the game you'll still be looking for loot and you'll still encounter new abilities to play around with, keeping the fights entertaining and fun.

The game itself is not too hard, only the start knows a rather steep difficulty curve. Once you have a series of strong skills and buffs you won't be too bothered by most missions. An extra level of difficulty was added in the form of a judge. He lays down rules which you need to follow in order to gain extra loot and to be able to revive your characters during battle. If you break the law, you lose the extras and characters can't be revived. Only a few missions require you to follow the law, but certainly in the beginning of the game the extra loot is crucial to your success. Some laws are a bit far-fetched and not all laws can be controlled, but it's a fun addition to the game.

Finally there is an interesting auction system allowing you to win extra weapons and to gain control over areas. This control will give you discounts in shop and taverns and will trigger some unlisted battles with local clans. Further variation is added by making some missions only available in certain months. This all adds to the vastness of the game. Funny thing is that even though there is so much to do, the game never overloads you with information or options. It all grows naturally and flows like it a dream.

While playing the game I never felt bored, I never felt like taking a break and I never felt lost. Even though it took a good 115 hours to complete I never got bored of the mechanics or the gameplay. The game isn't too difficult and even slides down to fairly easy near the end, but that's only if you opt to complete all the missions in the game. It's been a long time since I've been this immersed in a game and it's the first time a game kept my busy for such a long stretch of time. Definite recommend for fans of the series, although people who've played the earlier installments might recognize a whole lot more than I did. 5.0*/5.0*

After Ringu was brought to the West it wasn't easy finding Japanese horror that wasn't somehow related to a face-covering black-haired ghost, floating around the house. The Asian suspense wave took a firm grip on Japanese horror territory and even though other variants were still being made they had a very hard time finding their way over here. Apparently Shimoyama's St John's Wort found a little loop hole.

Most of the film is set in a deserted mansion. Shimoyama sends his characters there for inspiration as they are working on a new video game idea. In addition, the mansion is the place where one of the main characters grew up, giving her a chance to uncover some of her lost past. It's a pretty convenient setup for a horror flick but it works just as well. The proceedings are a little tried and tested even though some bizarre twists are featured near the end, but the location itself is atmospheric enough to carry most of the weight.

While the first 60 minutes start of rather subdued and slow, the film shifts gears after that. The first half is somewhat reminiscent of The Blair Wwitch Project as most of the exploring is seen through a hand-held camera. The film isn't really aiming for a Blair Witch effect as many shots come from static security cams and normal cameras footage, but it does help in establishing the ominous atmosphere. The technique is mostly dropped in the latter part of the film as it is much more open and direct, relying less on suggestion.

Most striking aspect of this film is Shimoyama's visual style. It might come of as pretty distracting and chances are that many will find it ugly as hell, but it is quite interesting alright. Especially during the first quarter Shimoyama goes completely wild with the color scheme. And I mean completely wild. A trip through the forest has a shifting color palette going from pink to purple to yellow. Not really your typical forest colors.

Later on the effect is downscaled a little, but Shimoyama continues to play with contrast and colors to create more interesting images. I liked the effect a lot as it gave the film a pretty unique flavor. Not always exactly pretty to look at, but compelling nonetheless. Shimoyama also applies a few other tricks, like using rpg style conversation in some scenes to hide the identity of some characters, creating an extra bridge to the game universe.

The ending is a little over the top and doesn't make a whole lot of sense, though it wasn't something I was bothered with. The visuals keep the film attractive, the setting keeps the atmosphere hanging and the story is fun enough to follow. St. John's Wort isn't a long film either, playing like a roller-coaster ride on acid.

It is far from a perfect film, maybe not a film that will stay with you for a very long time, but it sure sticks out from the rest. It's nice to see something different for a while, even though some aspects of the film are still very cliché. If you're looking for an Asian horror film that stays clear from simple ghost stories this is a pretty good bet, unless you are bothered with Shimoyama's visual style. 4.0*/5.0*

Interested? Be sure to check out the trailer.

When the Japanese release a film named "Grotesque" you can be sure the title will be aptly chosen. When the cover says it makes Saw and Hostel look like kid's fair, you can only wonder if marketing isn't trying to sell the film to the wrong crowd. And if you notice the film only lasts for 70 minutes, you know they will get right down to business. Grotesque is not for the queezy, so buckle up.

Somewhat out of the blue Grotesque was released onto Western audiences. To ease people into checking it out the cover links it to Saw and Hostel, trying to make sure people don't suspect another Asian ghost flick which they are bored of watching. While this might sound like a smart thing to do, many people will be getting something they aren't expecting. Even though Grotesque shares some common elements with Saw and Hostel, it's in an different league entirely.

It's fashionable to call horror flicks featuring torture sequences "torture porn", especially those films that are pushing the boundaries. Grotesque kindly demonstrates where the exact difference lies between graphic horrors featuring torture and actual torture porn. Grotesque doesn't really bother with a storyline. The setup is shown during the opening credits, one or two flashbacks are added to give a little more depth to the situation, but aside from that it's all about torture. This minimal setup is highly reminiscent of Flowers of Flesh and Blood (for those of you who know about the Guinea Pig series), only with a little background added. A madman captures a young couple, hangs them in his basement and tries to get sexual pleasure from their will to survive. Want more than that, find another film.

About five minutes into the film the torture starts. The films goes through a loop of psychological, sexual and purely physical torture at high speed. The spectacle is indeed quite grotesque as everything is done to embarrass and mutilate the young couple as much as possible. The fact that they are played out against each other helps a lot in making it a more painful experience for the viewer. Another strong-point of the film is actor Shigeo Osako who puts in a tremendous effort in playing the deranged kidnapper. Even though his manners are timid and polite, his eyes flare with evil and his stern expression breaths fear into his subjects.

Visually Grotesque is quite nice too, which is rather surprising. Camera work is decent, but the use of color in particular adds a lot of atmosphere to the visual side. Many shots are taken up close, resembling the Japanese punk style, though with the added effect that it helps to cover the amount of gore just a little. This might sound strange, though in the end this film is not about the gore. The soundtrack is mostly comprised of classic music creating a contrasting atmosphere between the often soothing music and the gruesome images. All things considered, Grotesque is not quite unlike Cerda's Aftermath, which can only be a good thing.

The final "test" for the couple is pretty inventive and sick at the same time. It would be quite something to see Saw's Jigsaw pull such a stunt, that's for sure. Things do get a little out of control at the end, but that's Japanese film for you. And even though the actual ending doesn't come as a surprise, it's really the only way to end this film.

Grotesque is a bit more than a simple exercise in gore effects, but not by much. It builds upon Flowers of Flesh and Blood by adding a small storyline, including a second victim and keeping the kidnapper more believable, but the story is really kept to a minimum. Stylistically it's an accomplished movie which is quite rare for these type of films. And finally, linking it the likes of Saw or Hostel is really no fair since it aims only to shock and repulse in ways as direct as possible, without wasting much time on character development or story lines.

Grotesque is for all those people who need a lesson in what torture porn flicks really are. And hopefully it will cure them from saying horror flicks like Saw or Hostel, even Martyrs fall into this category. It might not be as gory as you'd image, but it sure is sick enough and has its focus straight. Grotesque is what this film is, and it's damn good at it too. 4.0*/5.0*

Check out the rather graphic trailer if you're interested.

onderhond.com has still some time to go before its second birthday, but that doesn't mean there's nothing to celebrate. As I've reached the 250 post mark I feel it's time for another round-up of what has been going on with the site these last couple of months, maybe even have a little peak at what the future might bring.

In between hundreds, even thousands of horror flicks, it's sometimes difficult to stand out. Some try to push the limits by being as gory as possible, others simply remain mediocre and hope for a good cover design to sell their film. Hewitt takes a slightly different approach by adding some solid drama to the mix, taking a pretty big risk. And surprisingly, he pulls it off with flair.

Horror doesn't usually mix well with drama. The actors in horror films are often crap and story elements are so ridiculous any form of seriousness is killed right from the start. The only safe way to make both work together is to start from a strong dramatic base and gradually add small horror elements. Which is exactly how Hewitt goes about constructing Acolytes.

The story centers around two boys and one girl stuck in a typical triangle relationship. When one of the boys runs into a dark figure burying something in the woods, they suspect it might have something to do with the missing girl and go investigating on their own. It's a simple setup, but Hewitt takes his time to focus on the three kids and their somewhat recluse style of life. It isn't until the third half of the film that things get nasty, though sharp editing and strong use of a moody soundtrack set the atmosphere right, early in the film. It keeps the film interesting and at the same time creates some sort of bond between the audience and the three.

Acolytes is one of those films where things are brooding without knowing what is going on exactly. Hewitt seems to have mastered this quite well as he guides the audience through the first half of the film, revealing only very little of the actual plot but keeping the tension ever present. In the final part, things start moving swiftly and the film ventures more and more into horror territory. Hewitt does overreach a bit in the final part as there are one or two surprises too many, but by that time the film is gripping enough to ignore these little hiccups.

Visually Hewitt suppresses most colors. His vision of Australia is empty, dark and grim, featuring many deserted places coated in darkness. The film is stylized but in a very realistic way, as if you're looking at Hewitt's world through a pair of strong sunglasses. The camera work is nice enough, the editing precise and spot on. The visuals are aided by a strong soundtrack which is featured at just the right moments. Even the poppy music coming from the girls earphones is integrated well and doesn't hurt the atmosphere, no matter how bad the music itself might be.

Acting is all around good, though none of the characters are very lovable. The kids cross the line of adorable rascals a couple of times, throwing them into the territory of nihilistic little criminals more than once. The people they are up against are even worse, Edgerton's character being the most charismatic character of them all. The acting won't win any awards, but the solid performances of the whole cast are crucial to the success of the film.

Acolytes could've failed in many ways, but in the end it didn't, which is quite the accomplishment. Mixing horror with drama is a hard thing to do, putting three teenagers in the spotlight to carry the film even harder. But Hewitt's direction is strong, the acting is good and the atmosphere is convincing enough to pull it all off. The ending might be a bit much, but that's easily forgiven seeing how strong the rest of the film is. Australian horror is getting itself noticed, Acolytes might be a good place to start. 4.0*/5.0*

Check out the slightly misleading trailer if you want.