Fantasist, The (1986)

THE FANTASIST

Robin Hardy accomplished what many first time directors can only dream of – nailing a cult classic home run with his debut film with “The Wicker Man”. Though not a hit on its initial release, theatrical reshowings earned the film favorable reviews and praise by both critics and cult film fanatics alike. It has even earned a position as one of my personal favorite films of all time. Hardy must have felt satisfied with the reception of his debut film as he didn’t feel necessary to direct another motion picture, that until 16 years later with “The Fantasist”. For years “The Fantasist” was considered ‘that other film’ that Hardy directed, quickly brushed over and not given any attention on its initial released and it faded into oblivion on video store shelves where it made its United States debut. Now all these years later and seeing the film on DVD, it’s easy to see why it was so easily brushed over as Hardy suffered a serious case of what is commonly known as the ‘sophomore slump’.

After arriving in Dublin, a virginal school teacher becomes the target of a kinky psychopath that calls his victims before murdering them by forcing them to pose like his favorite painting.

Though Hardy has only directed three films to date (including “The Wicker Tree”), he has a trademark style that includes quirky, perverse characters and “The Fantasist” is loaded to the brim with bizarre red herrings to keep the audience guessing who the killer is. Also laid on thick is religious repressed sexuality, which is just as solid as his two “Wicker” films. The problem with “The Fantasist” is that it starts with a bang and ends with a bang, but everything in between is just uninteresting tedium with our lead character (Moira Harris, wife of Gary Sinese) making insane decisions when it comes to the company she keeps.

Since “The Wicker Man” is a favorite of mine I truly wanted to like “The Fantasist” and I ignored everyone’s opinion on how passible it is. Well, they were right, as it is downright dull with no build-up and quickly forgotten after viewing due to its lifeless plot. By the time the perverse ending shows up the audience has completely lost interest, which is a damn shame since the acting and Irish locations are damn great. It wasn’t worth the 16 year wait as fans of his debut and cult viewers looking for a horror film with some slasher and/or giallo elements are going to be sorely disappointed.

Written By Eric Reifschneider

Fight The Fight (2011)

Director: Ming-Sing Wong
Notable Cast: Tin-Chiu Hung, Sammo Hung, Kane Kosugi, Wah Yuen, Dennis To, Eric Tsang

Modern kung fu flicks seem to be getting more hot and miss as time goes on. I understand that this is mostly due to the world being smaller, i.e. there are more films being distributed at faster paces in places like the US. It still doesn't forgive some of the mediocrity the genre is seeing. Like "Fight The Fight." A film whose cast should have instantly made it memorable and/or awesome, yet comes off about as generic as it gets failing to pull on the heart strings with its underdog plot or impress with its fight work. It just falls flat.

After studying abroad for quite some time, a chance visit from his father (Sammo Hung) sends Wai Yip Chan (Tin-Chiu Hung) and his Japanese best friend back to his home in China. There they discover that his father's Choy Li Fut martial arts school is to be bought by a large fitness corporation due to its stellar reputation. Wai Yip Chan bargains the negotiator to a small tournament to see if the school will remain independent.

Two schools of fighters fighting for reputation? Now that has never been done in a kung fu movie before! If the sarcasm escapes you, this is perhaps the most cliche plot in martial arts cinema. Despite the modernization of the tale (science and corporate greed versus history and heart), "Fight The Fight" doesn't add a whole lot of anything to it either. With an execution that's mostly miss, there isn't a whole lot to draw one to the film as it sort of retreads a very well worn story.

And the execution ranges from mediocre to down right terrible too. The modern style fight sequences with some MMA mixed into classic choreography? Mediocre. The pacing and predictability of the three fight finale? Terrible. The acting of our protagonists? Mediocre. The dialogue and love triangle they have to play out? Terrible. It's as if the film makers couldn't decide if they wanted to make a 'so bad it's good' film or attempt at decency...which probably lead it to being worse than both. I would rather have a film be memorable for being bad, than being just good enough to be forgettable. It's too bad "Fight The Fight" falls into the latter.

Not only is the film forgettable (sans that horrific score which will haunt my dreams for years to come), but the reason I watched the film - the stellar supporting cast are so significantly underused it was frustrating. Sammo Hung is a glorified cameo (and a phoned in one at that), Kane Kosugi is decomposed to the best friend role where he does nothing until his one fight scene in the finale, and Wah Yuen sits in a chair for three-quarters of the film. There is one fight between Wah Yuen and Sammo that's horribly green screened as sort of a fantasy glazed flash back, but it's silly and non-impactful. With that much talent, you would have thought they would have tried to at least attempt something cool. Nope.

"Fight The Fight" isn't the worst film I have ever seen, but it doesn't make the cut as a good or all that enjoyable film. There was a bit of potential in the concept and casting, but the rest is a let down flip flopping around like a fishing dying on the beach. Unless you are a die hard fan of any of the cult actors then I suggest a big ole skip on this film.

Written By Matt Reifschneider 

Bay, The (2012)

Director: Barry Levinson
Notable Cast: Kether Donohue, Kristen Connolly

To start off, there wasn't a whole lot that attracted me to the entire idea of "The Bay." Another found footage horror flick, this time centered around an outbreak in Chesapeake Bay, that's directed by the man who gave us "Good Morning, Vietnam" and "Sphere." Yawn. Been there, done that. Then some of my horror colleagues started to say how good it was and how effective it used the style. This intrigued me. Perked my curiosity. Unraveled the preconceptions I had about it based on basic knowledge. What "The Bay" delivered was a pretty intense and utterly frightening film experience. One that defies all of the things that could have gone wrong by focusing on the reality of the horrors that lie all around us and overcomes its faults as it catapults to rise above the 'found footage' style into something a bit more effective. In essence, it blew me out of the water.

Times seem to be going well for a small seaside town off of Chesapeake Bay. Their economy is up, the town mayor has everyone in good spirits, and despite those two pesky environmentalists that were found half eaten by unknown causes, the town is still going to celebrate Fourth Of July in fashion. A young reporter (Donohue) remembers these events like yesterday. How people started developing a rash. How it spread so quickly. How people began to feel the things inside of them...

Keep reporting or get the fuck out? KEEP REPORTING!

Well if there is any movie to make you afraid of water since "Cabin Fever," it's "The Bay." Although the film is done in the over-done 'found footage' style, it's a lot more stylish and thoughtful then many of its peers. "The Bay" is done more along the lines of a documentary, compiling "confiscated footage" to build an artistic type of 'found footage' film that has better pacing and can use more 'cameras' to build better tension. This style partnered with a very realistic portrayal of a horrific "outbreak" (it's much simpler than I assumed going into the film, but I still won't spoil the fun for you) makes for a film that damn near feels like a documentary of real events...a trait that most certainly makes the style work.

"It will be all right. It's just an epidemic."

Although the ending of the film seems to come at a rather rapid rate, almost cutting off the climax in a way and leaving too many subplots dangling, the voyage there is a rather intense one made that way by strong executions. The acting is top notch by all involved - including a rather heart racing moment where police enter a house and all we hear are the voices while we stare at a still frame of the outside of the house - and Levinson ably injects massive amounts of atmosphere to balance out the brief (if not intense) moments of gore that occur in the last half. Although the low budget hinders some of the CGI effects, it's the realism of the film and the practical effects that really sell the entire concept too.

Although "The Bay" is not a perfect film, as I mentioned some of the subplots like one concerning a family with a child on their way to the town for a visit seem fairly unfinished, the film is a massive success. It's frightening in all the right places, slathering the entire film in a realism rarely seen in horror, and I was completely engrossed in the 'mystery' of the film even if it's essentially laid out in front of you by 30 minutes in. It might not be for everyone, but "The Bay" is a must see horror in my book.

Written By Matt Reifschneider

Rebirth of Mothra (1996)

REBIRTH OF MOTHRA

Aka "Mothra"

Fans were distraught after Toho killed off Godzilla in “Godzilla vs. Destroyah” to make way for America’s big budget 1998 remake. Though Big G was dead (for the time being) Toho promised that they were not done with Kaiju films and thus decided to reboot the “Mothra” franchise. The first of what would become a new trilogy was simply titled “Mothra” (retitled “Rebirth of Mothra” for the United States) but this is not a remake of the 1961 film of the same name. It is instead a completely new story built around the original Mothra mythology with a major difference… to fans dismay this one is strictly geared towards kids.

During a deforestation project, a father unwittingly removes a sacred stone which awakens a giant monster known as “Death Ghidorah” (a four legged version of the Godzilla villain Ghidorah that makes elephant sounds). Now Mothra and her twin fairies have to defeat an evil fairy to trap Death Ghidorah before it destroys the world.

The special effects are good, on par with previous “Godzilla” films especially with the evil fairy Belvera and her flying dragon. The fairies, played by different actresses, are also just as adequate. The opening 30 minutes are also beautiful with amazing visuals of the northern forest in Japan, a welcome deviation from the model city settings of Godzilla films. So what’s the problem? The film is just too damn childish for my taste.

I thoroughly enjoyed the original “Mothra” and like many fans of the “Godzilla” franchise I was sorely disappointed by the new younger audience approach to this reboot. Sure the “Godzilla” films also have an appeal to kids but they are equally enjoyable for adults, much along the lines of “Star Wars” films. This however will try the patience of adult fans of the Kaiju “Toho Universe”. As a kids film it’s got great visuals and amusing fairy battles, but adults might want to pass. Hopefully sequels to come will appeal more to my adult sensibilities.

Written By Eric Reifschneider

Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. (2003)

GODZILLA: TOKYO S.O.S.

Aka "Godzilla, Mothra and Mechagodzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.

Finally after four films in the millennium era of the “Godzilla” franchise that ‘reboot’ the story line, we finally have a direct sequel! And what better film to have a direct sequel than “Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla”. Why? Because Mechagodzilla is uber bad ass and the more films Godzilla’s robotic counterpart appears in, the better. Thankfully unlike the 1975 film “Terror of Mechagodzilla” which was a direct sequel the 1974 film “Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla”, this direct sequel is just as good as its predecessor.

After getting his ass kicked (while dishing out a fair share of his own ass kicking), Godzilla is hibernating in the pacific ocean to heal while the Japanese Government is franticly try to repair MechaG before Godzilla rises again. A problem arrises when Mothra and her fairies appear, warning a mechanic to close down the MechaG project and to return the original Godzilla’s bones to the sea (it’s a long story… read my review of the last film for that ridiculous plot concept).

Thanks for Toho making this a direct sequel, time doesn’t have to be wasted on ‘re-establishing’ Godzilla like all the other damn reboots and we can get right into the meat-and-potatoes of the film. Fans of Toho’s universe will enjoy seeing Mothra in the mix but why exactly does Mothra give a shit about the original Godzilla’s bones? And why does Mothra and the faires warn a measly mechanic as opposed to someone with actual authority? These are just minor quibbles that I have with what seems like every “Godzilla” film. I did appreaciate the fact the filmmakers brought back actor Hiroshi Koizumi reprising his role from the 1961 film “Mothra” make a nice connection to the older films in the Toho Universe.

“Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.” is a fun 27th entry into the franchise with nifty special effects and a lot of destruction, but let’s face it as it has become “the same ‘ol same ‘ol”. Watching as many of these films in a row as I have might wear on the nerves a bit as really nothing new is introduced into the Godzilla formula. Still it’s great to see a sequel with actual continuity without ‘rebooting’ the damn series again and the ties to the older Toho Universe films is pleasing to fans. Sadly the continuity would end here as the next film, the ‘final’ entry into the franchise, again cuts all ties.

Godzilla will return in “Godzilla: Final Wars”

Written By Eric Reifschneider

Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla (2002)

GODZILLA AGAINST MECHAGODZILLA

Audiences loved the last entry “Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack” so Toho decided to keep with the formula by mimicking the 90s era of the franchise and re-inventing classic Godzilla monsters. Here it’s Mechagodzilla for the third time in the franchise as a whole. Much like the 1993 entry “Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II” titling became a problem so instead of calling it “Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla III” for stateside release, they changed the wording a bit to “Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla” but even this title can cause some confusion. Titling issues aside this is a bad ass modernizing of one Godzilla’s greatest foes.

The plot is a reboot AGAIN! Seriously why the fuck did Toho decide the Millennium era of the franchise shouldn’t have continuity between the films is beyond me. This is the fourth time in a row they’ve done this and it’s getting fucking annoying. Well AGAIN this entry ignores all the sequels that came before and AGAIN is a direct follow-up to the original 1954 version of “Godzilla” (sigh). So the plot spends some time setting up Godzilla AGAIN before introducing Japan’s mechanical defense against him with Mechagodzilla, a giant cybernetic creation built around the bones of the original Godzilla that died in the original film (seriously… why would they do that?). This is where the plot goes bat shit crazy as the bones have a genetic memory and soon Mechagodzilla goes on a rampage!

The plot elements of Godzilla’s bones having a genetic memory is absolutely hilarious and kept me laughing for some time. The look of the new Mechagodzilla is awe inspiring mixing the viciousness of the original 70s version with the sleekness of the 90s version to make a nice happy medium. The filmmakers however decide to make the film more ‘realistic’ by having Mechagodzilla constantly run out of power and by having it being flown around with aircraft as opposed by blasting off itself. The film is about a giant cybernetic organism with genetic memory bones fighting a giant mutant dinosaur… why the fuck do we need shit like this to be more ‘realistic’.

Overall this is a pleasing entry into the franchise with eye-catching special effects and a nice update for one of Godzilla’s nastiest villains. What keeps the film being as good as it’s predecessor “Giant Monsters All-Out Attack” is that it has to spends so much time re-setting up the return of Godzilla when they could have blew past that if these films actually had FUCKING CONTINUITY! Thankfully Toho decided to actually have continuity after this entry as the follow-up film with be a direct sequel. THANK GOD!

Godzilla will return in "Godzilla: Tokyo SOS"

Written By Eric Reifschneider

Alley Cat (1984)

ALLEY CAT

I have a soft spot for revenge flicks of the 70s and early 80s, especially gritty urban flicks in the mold of “Savage Streets” and “The Exterminator”. When news broke that Scorpion Releasing was unleashing the 1984 urban revengesploitation flick “Alley Cat” on DVD I quickly snagged it hopping for some homegrown urban revenge goodness. Well it is a homegrown urban revenge flick… but good? Hardly. Let’s just say it’s in the mold of films like “Savage Streets” and “Angel” but not near as entertaining as either.

Karin Mani is fed up with crime in her area of the city so she earns a black belt in karate to take care of scum that try to steal her tires and rape her when she’s jogging (which seems to happen all the time). Her anger begins to boil when her grandparents are attacked, causing the death of her grandma. Her anger boils over when she stops a rape only to be jailed for use of a fire arm without a license. Now the shit hits the fan as she beds a hunky young cop to get vengeance on the douche bags that killed her G-Ma.

Karin Mani is a sexy little thing that pulls her weight in both kicking ass and look hot while doing it but the problem lies with her acting… and what’s sadder is she is the best of the cast. Her boyfriend and gang leader give cringe worthy  performances so the mish-mash of three different directors (holy shit!) load up the film with exploitative nudity to make up for the lack of likeable characters… I mean LOTS of nudity so fans of female flesh will be served plenty of skin to look at (with our main star even gracing the audience with a full frontal shot). I did get a little annoyed at the INSANE decisions she makes, like always jogging in the middle of the night. It’s not like she’s looking for trouble on purpose Paul Kersey "Death Wish" style, she just jogs at night and nearly every time some goons attempt to rape her. Go to the gym for Christ sake!

“Alley Cat” has some trash entertainment value but falls short compared to other similar films in the genre, especially when it comes to gritty violence. The combination of three separate directors gives the film a somewhat disjointed feel and the atrocious acting can make some portions of the film hard to sit through. Thankfully when this ‘pussy’ gets aroused it results in enough nudity to keep the attention of the mostly male audience. If you want to add “Alley Cat” to your revengesploitation collection, make sure to pick up the Scorpion release as the old Legacy DVD is a poor full screen transfer.

Written By Eric Reifschneider

Four, The (2013)

Directors: Gordon Chan, Janet Chun
Notable Cast: Anthony Wong, Lui Yi Fei, Collin Chou, Ronald Cheng, Chao Deng

Although Gordon Chan has been relatively hit or miss with films lately (too often his visual style has to carry sub-standard scripts so it’s not really his fault), I was pretty excited to see "The Four." The film seemed like a kung fu superhero film mixed with a bit of "Detective Dee" mystery to spice it up and, if anything, "The Four" looked entertaining as hell - which fits my tastes quite nicely. As is, the film is quite entertaining, despite some nagging issues, and any fans of old school kung fu will find plenty to love in its hijinks and ridiculous characters.

Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (2001)

GODZILLA, MOTHRA AND KING GHIDORAH:

GIANT MONSTERS ALL-OUT ATTACK

After fan disappointment and poor box office returns with “Godzilla vs. Megaguirus” Toho knew they had to get their act together or else their third era of the “Godzilla” franchise would come to an end much sooner than expected. The end result with the exhaustive title “Godzilla, Mothra, and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack” (why didn’t they just call it “Giant Monsters All-Out Attack”?) not only proved to be arguably the best of the Millennium era of the franchise, but one of the best “Godzilla” movies overall.

The plot is again a ‘reboot’, ignoring all previous films except the original 1954 “Godzilla” (hmmm… this is becoming a trend here and I’m not liking this aspect). It seems Godzilla has returned after decades of slumber to wreak havoc on Japan. A reporter and some friends uncover some legends of ‘good’ monsters (Mothra, King Ghidorah and Baragon) and head out to release them from their prisons in order to self defend their homeland against Big G.

What I truly love about this entry is how fucking evil Godzilla is. Not only is he far removed from that ‘hero of the earth’ bullshit that infected that latter half of the original run of the franchise, but he is just pure animalistic evil bent on killing and destruction… what Godzilla should be damnit! His new look only heightens his evil nature with his more traditional suit design with blank, white, soulless eyes. Bring back familiar monsters for fans was also a smart move as Mothra gets an amazing update and having King Ghidorah as a ‘good monster’ was a nice twist. The underground burrowing beast Baragon, the least known of the monsters, was a nice addition (even though he didn’t get his name in the title) as he is an underrated monster that first appeared in “Frankenstein Conquers the World” and “Destroy All Monsters”.

 The plot has plenty of hogwash moments, especially how Godzilla is fueled by the souls of dead Japanese soldiers during World War II. Uhhh.. what?! And there’s an old dude that has a connection to King Ghidorah that just gives me chuckles but what’s a Godzilla movie without some ridiculous plot elements. Toho also went all out with fight sequences as Godzilla and the other monsters are absolutely destructive to the max, with filmmakers even going to great lengths to show all the damage they cause and people they kill. So much in fact that it might bother some young kids that try to watch it.

"Godzilla, Mothra, and King Ghidorah: yadda yadda yadda” is one of my personal favorites of the franchise and it is hands down one of the best entries… period. The addition of fan favorite monsters, heightened special effects, Godzilla’s mega evil presence and overall destructive and violent nature of the film kept me glued to the screen. Hell even some of the ridiculous plot elements got me to chuckle with glee. Definitely one of the must see entries of the series that easily makes up for the misstep with “Godzilla vs. Megaguirus”.

Godzilla will return in "Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla"

Written By Eric Reifschneider

Godzilla vs. Megaguirus (2000)

GODZILLA VS. MEGAGUIRUS

Toho made a successful reboot (the second time in the franchise) with “Godzilla 2000” in order to apologize for the craptacular American remake that raped the “Godzilla” name and quickly followed it up with “Godzilla vs. Megaguirus”, the second in the Millennium era of the franchise and 24th overall. Originally going to have an American theatrical release it was quickly scrapped when “Godzilla 2000” failed to attract American audiences to a ‘true’ “Godzilla€€" film. It was probably for the best as this entry is hands down the worst entry into the Millennium era of the franchise and the most disappointing since “Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla”.

For some reason Toho decided not to make a follow-up story to “Godzilla 2000” and instead decided to ‘reboot’ once again and make a direct sequel to the original 1954 “Godzilla”. Seriously why the fuck wouldn’t they have continuity?! Well it seems the military is developing a ‘black hole’ weapon to kill Godzilla (yes you read that right) but when they test the weapon, a huge insect comes through the hole and lays an egg. A young boy unwittingly throws the egg into the sewers where it hatches. The resulting insect kills some people before laying tons of eggs and before you know it Japan is swarming with the damn things. Once the insects get a sample of Big G’s blood and  inject it into a large egg they create the monster of the title, a fast ugly son-of-bitch to give Big G a run for his money in conquering the world.

Though the plot of Godzilla fighting another monster is getting really tired by this point, my main beef is the overall look of the film. It just reminds me of a SyFy channel original that just happens to have Godzilla. The special effects are even below par for a "Godzilla" film with some really crummy CGI for insects and a swimming Godzilla. In praise I did like how graphic the kills were by the insects (reminiscing more of a horror film) and the ridiculous idea of a ‘black hole gun’ was at least an attempt to change things up a bit than just having the military fire tons of missiles. The insects also are a tie back to the 1956 film “Rodan” where they first appeared so fans of the franchise will appreciate the connection.

“Godzilla vs. Megaguirus” is a tired entry into the 'mega'long franchise no doubt detrimented by a hurried production due to the success (in Japan at least) of “Godzilla 2000. A few notable items in the story isn’t enough to make up for the SyFy channel look, lower tier special effects and tired plot devices, not to mention the most ridiculous Godzilla attack since the tail slide in “Godzilla vs. Megalon”. You’ve got to be a hardcore “Godzilla” fanatic to truly enjoy this one. Thankfully the Millennium era of the franchise would only get much better from here.

Written By Eric Reifschneider