Resident Evil: Retribution (2012)

Why is her name as big as the title?

Director: Paul W.S. Anderson
Notable Cast: Milla Jovovich, Michelle Rodriguez, Kevin Durand, Li Bingbing, Sienna Guillory, Johann Urb

I seriously didn't think it was possible. I mean, bottom of the barrel is supposed to be the bottom right? My disgust at the mockery that "Resident Evil: Afterlife" was towards the brilliant game series essentially knew no end, but being the franchise whore that I am I simply had to see the fifth entry of Anderson's popular series. I didn't think it was possible, but I am willing to lay my money down that "Resident Evil: Retribution" is one of Paul W.S. Anderson's worst films to date and considering some of the atrocities that grace this franchise, that says something.

Rodan (1956)

In an attempt to out-due their gigantic cinematic hit “Godzilla”, Toho studios decided to try something a little different with their new movie monster. First off all this new Kaiju can fly and second it was going to be filmed in glorious color. Still even with the ability to fly a supersonic speeds and the addition of being filmed in color (sadly not in widescreen; that wouldn’t happen until their 1961 film “Mothra”), “Rodan” still fails to eclipse it’s earlier reptilian brethren but is still a monstrously fun ‘guy in a rubber suit’ film on its own.

Some miners start mysteriously dying when they accidently break open a prehistoric cavern. Soon some bug-eyed insects make their presence known and in an attempt to whip them out, an even worse foe is stumbled upon when a pre-historic egg in the cavern hatches to reveal Rodan. Before long Rodan starts wrecking the town of Tokyo with hurricane level winds provided by his 500 foot wing-span. Whatever shall the Japs do?

What’s rather atypical with “Rodan”, for its betterment or detriment I’m not quite sure, is that it feels like two films in one. It starts off like a typical monster in a mine killing workers horror film and halfway through it shifts gears and becomes a giant monster flick with two ancient dinosaurs (yes there are 2 Rodans, why ‘2’ it’s never explained) threatening to destroy Tokyo… and later the world! This split in the plot is unique and allows for some surprises later in the film but at the same time it might disappoint some viewers who expect a giant monster stomping on model cities from the get go.

“Rodan” fails to eclipse Toho’s earlier film “Godzilla” but that doesn’t mean it’s a failure. On the contrary “Rodan” was a huge success and though it was never followed by a direct sequel, the flying dinosaur character would return in numerous entries in the “Godzilla” franchise. Hey, “Rodan” can’t beat “Godzilla”, he might as well join him and proved to be an amusing adversary and occasional ally. It may not have the big green guy but for fans of the “Kaiju” giant monster film, “Rodan” is a must and a classic of the genre.

"Rodan" would return in "Ghidorah, the Thee-Headed Mosnter"

Written By Eric Reifschneider

Total Recall (2012)

Director: Len Wiseman
Notable Cast: Colin Farrell, Jessica Alba, Kate Beckinsale, Bryan Cranston, Bill Nighy, John Cho

Growing up a fan of the original "Total Recall" and being a fan of Phillip K. Dick's original short story that this film is based on, I was actually kind of excited to see what this remake would do with the mind bending tale of memory lapse, spies, and science fiction. Yet the negative reviews for Wiseman's modern spin on the film poured in and I decided to wait for home video to see the science fiction actioner. Although I wouldn't claim it to be quite as bad as it was painted, "Total Recall" isn't good either. It's simply unmemorable overall. It somewhat just runs through the motions and fails to ignite any kind of emotional response to any of its events. In fact, I would consider the film to be a rather sad affair as it just falters to live up to any of the unique ideas or stronger potential it had.

Douglas Quaid (Farrell) seems to be at the top of his game. He's been successful at work and his wife (Beckinsale) supports him with loving care. There are just these dreams he has been having where he is in a gun fight with police. It disturbs him enough that he decides to visit Rekall, a synthetic memory implantation center where he can live out what happens in his dreams...too bad something goes wrong. Those dreams might actually be memories and now the police are after him accusing him of being a man named Hauser, an agent in a resistance against the government.

If I went to Rekall I would have them wipe my memory of playing Bullseye. I mean, if I was Ferrell.

As a fan of both the original film and the original short story, I was shocked at how little this version of "Total Recall" places on the mystery and twists of 'reality.' It follows almost the exact same pattern as the 1990 film in progression. Same twists on which side he is an agent for. Same beats for bad guys to become good guys and good guys to become bad guys. There really isn't any true unique elements to the film and it rarely plays off on the emotional roller coaster this kind of journey should be for the characters. Not only that, but it also doesn't come off as effective in how it distorts reality either. You get one good scene with Farrell and his old work partner in a shoot out, but that's it. Seriously?

"Be quiet! There's a plot point coming...quickly, we need to leap into another action sequence!"

And yes, they did change the basic plot foundation from one where Quaid/Hauser is fighting for a resistance on Mars to this one where he is fighting for a resistance in Australia (known as the Colony in this post apocalyptic world). And in all honesty, I felt like the idea of playing up this issues of social class and economic strife would have been a fresh and relevant take on the basic ideas of this story...but like the reality twists, "Total Recall" fails to take this concept any further than surface level.

Explosions count for character development. Just ask Michael Bay.

Beyond the issues conceptually, "Total Recall" falters on a lot of levels. The acting is decent enough (it's a damn fine cast), but the characters tend to be a little...well, underwritten to be fleshed out. And the film doesn't spend enough time building the mystery, the plot, or the characters as it desperately fills its time with relentless action sequences. Normally I am not a man to complain too much about relentless action, but even Wiseman's ability to craft stylish action seems to be a little by the numbers here. It ends up being some pretty standard work here, a nice foot chase to kick it off, but then it sort of drifts through the motions.

Overall, I would rarely call this film 'bad'. Never was I slapping my head in disbelief at it, but I was finding myself wondering just what happened to the soul of this movie. It's unmemorable as a science fiction tale. It's unmemorable in its action. Hell, its even unmemorable as a bad movie...which is probably the worst thing that could have happened to it.

Written By Matt Reifschneider

Still think that perhaps "Total Recall" can reset those memories? Perhaps the director's cut is much better than the theatrical cut like I saw. Either way you should click on the links below if you feel the need.

Sword Art Online 2012 ep.1-25 (2012)

Young love is hard to beat!

Hello everyone, hope you all had a fun and festive holiday season. I for one am glad its over and I can have more time to do what I enjoy, like watching more anime! For those of you that are not aware, there is a delightful little anime/Asian film website called Crunchyroll.com. I strongly recommend this website. It is a great way to watch anime streaming legally. With that in mind my current review is for Sword Art Online, which I watched on said website. After stumbling across lots of articles and chat boards talking about "SAO," I decided to get to watching it. So come along if you will and share another journey with me.

First I want to say that after looking at my recent anime series I have been watching, I noticed a lot of them are based on light novels. "SAO" is no different, having been written by Reki Kawahara and illustrated by Abec and once again I found myself wrapped up in something unexpected.   
 
What I find unique about this series is that it mostly takes place in virtual reality. While I have heard of other anime series that take on this or a similar approach as well, I for one have not seen anything like this. Keep in mind that my anime watching days are still in their infancy compared to a lot of you out there, so don't be so quick to judge me if I have missed something similar to SAO.

Two worlds collide

As I was saying, this series takes place mainly in the virtual world with Kirito, a young gamer who is thrust in to the role of hero, at the center of the story. When a new MMO game comes out thousands of players rush to log on, only to learn that they can't log out. During this time the game master makes the formal announcement that everyone had feared, if you die in the game then you also perish in real life. Also if someone in the real world tries to remove your gear you will die . The only way to come out of this game alive is for someone to finish all 100 levels. Another cool thing that this program does is it forces you to play as yourself. Which means you can have a cool user name but your avatar is of your own likeness. This adds a bit of humor to the situation, imagine when you discover your online girlfriend is a dude type of stuff. After the announcement comes many players start scrambling to form or join guilds. Kirito decides to go at it alone. Having been a beta tester for the game Kirito is somewhat familiar with the first few levels of the game. However, after that, its all a game of power. Along the way Kirito meets many players that he helps out in some form or fashion, but none are  more important to him than Asuna. Now enters romance into the game of life and death.  With Asuna, Kirito has met his match of skill and strength, plus she is a pretty good cook as it turns out.  Its about this time in the series where I really fell in love with "SAO".

The gang's all here!

The story was everything I was hoping for and so much more. With action, comedy, and some romance mixed in, "SAO" is a solid choice. Now I am not a gamer per se, I do dabble but never with an MMO however, I can see that changing in 2013. "SAO" opened my eyes to the possibilities of gaming on my PC among other things. The unique thing about this series is you really have to treat episodes 1-12 and 13-25 as almost 2 different series. This is difficult to explain without giving away too much information. I will say the first half is a lot more action packed and almost exclusively virtual. Whereas the second half jumps back and forth from virtual to real world. It has taken me a little while to really sit back and appreciate everything about "SAO". I am sure even now I am not hitting on every mark.

With that being said, "SAO" has a lot to offer the viewers, the artwork here is beautiful. Almost all of the battles are beautifully orchestrated like a ballet of sorts using vibrant coloring and great animation. The character development and solid story telling are what really hooked me and reeled me in for the duration. If you are looking for fan service and the like "SAO" does not offer up any of that. I found myself impatiently waiting for Saturday to come so I could watch the next episode. I personally hope that Aniplex: a) does a second season. and b) dubs this series and releases the dvd/blu ray very soon. I have recently had a few people actually thank me for recommending this series. So with that said I offer my highest of praises, I strongly recommend this series. It will surprise you and fill your heart with all that warm stuff people talk about.

Written By John Price

If you feel like watching something similar to "Sword Art Online" then check out the following recommendations:

 

Tai Chi Zero (2013)

Director: Stephen Fung
Notable Cast: Yuan Xiaochao, Angelababy, Tony Leung Ka Fai, Eddie Peng, Qi Shu

Many people tend to think that kung fu films are redundant. In many ways, those people are right. There is definitely a type of formula to the kung fu film that is a foundation to really build upon in the genre. Yet, it's films like "Tai Chi Zero" that really make that formula unique. In an odd mixture between classic kung fu and the visual comic book style of steam punk, "Tai Chi Zero" modernizes the kung fu film with ambitious energy and the resulting explosion of style and heart is something that may not appeal to everyone, but will certainly garner a vicious and dedicated cult fan base. A cult fan base that I would be more than happy to lead.

Lu Chan (Yuan Xiaochao) was born into a tough world. A birth defect that resulted in an odd bump on his head was the disdain of his father and when his mother perishes, the young boy takes refuge under the watchful eye of a kung fu master garnering troops for a war. What Lu Chan discovers is that this bump is the key to his immense kung fu power and prowess, but when his master is slain in battle he retreats to a remote village to learn inner kung fu. Unfortunately, the locals are not that interested in teaching him and when a scorned young man returns bearing western technology they have bigger issues to deal with.

As someone who always has martial arts films in my watching rotation, I've seen quite a few unique films. I've seen ultra realistic flicks. I've seen ridiculous anime inspired flicks. I've seen everything in between. I have yet to seen anything quite like "Tai Chi Zero." The first of two films (the second film, "Tai Chi Hero" was filmed back to back with this one and the trailer can be seen during the credits), "Tai Chi Zero" is so energetic and silly that despite some of its flaws in overall narrative and simplistically written hero, the film will never fail to entertain. The design of the film is gorgeous from its locales, to the costumes, to the massive "iron monster", and it's even better in the Blu Ray format I consumed it on. And the fight sequences, directed by legendary Sammo Hung, are massively fun and impressive. The over the top nature of its fantasy like elements mostly come into play with its wire work in these moments, but Sammo Hung's brilliance in pacing and strong chemistry of fight sequences is on full display.

BOINK.

This is all slathered in a very tongue in cheek humorous style. Stephen Fung chooses to grace the screen with all kinds of animated wording, odd cartoon swipes for editing, and silent movie style flashbacks. It's pretty obvious that his choice was to modernize the style of film to its max and he does so with full intention. At times the humor can be a bit hit or miss and so can the ridiculous amounts of stylish comic book design, but damn if the film isn't entertaining.

Unfortunately, the film does falter at times giving us the depth needed to sustain the energetic bursts of high wire fighting and oddities of humor. I can't really fault the film too much in how its plot progression works and the odd character development that it cuts out because it does have one thing that prevents me from truly analyzing it as a whole...it's only half of the story. The film literally just ends half way. We don't get any kind of falling action, we don't really see any end to any characters full arcs, and we sure as hell are left with a cliff hanger. In all honestly, I have to dock the movie a bit for leaving me in a frenzy by not knowing how it ends...but then again now I'm stoked to see the next one.

Man vs. machine. The ultimate show down.

"Tai Chi Zero" is a very entertaining film. It's glorious to look at with its art design and direction. The fighting is top notch and deliciously over the top. It does stumble a bit with its structured narrative and character work and seeing as it's only half of the intended full product it does get docked, but only a little. Fans of the ridiculous and modern style of kung fu are bound to devour this film with relish as it does layer it on thick and despite its flaws, even I was completely enthralled and solid on the idea and style.

When does "Tai Chi Hero" come out?

Written By Matt Reifschneider

You know you want to experience the kung fu steam punk style of "Tai Chi Zero." Do yourself a favor, click the links below, order the film for its January 22nd release date, and then show all of your friends. It's a service to society. Trust me.

Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964)

MOTHRA VS. GODZILLA

Aka "Godzilla vs. The Thing", "Godzilla vs. Mothra"

“King Kong vs. Godzilla” proved to be a monster success at the box office stomping and demolishing all the competition so Toho knew that monster battles were the future of the “Godzilla” franchise. Toho spent a pretty penny licensing the character of King Kong from an American studio so they decided to keep Godzilla’s next foe in-house and what better enemy than the title character from their 1961 hit “Mothra”. Could a giant, divine Moth prove to be a respectable opponent for the ‘king of monsters’? That would be a BIG hell yes as the combination resulted in one of the strongest sequels into the entire “Godzilla” franchise.

A typhoon wefts Mothra’s egg from her island home and it washes up on a beach in Japan where a money grubbing capitalistic pig “buys” the egg in order to make a gigantic profit. Mothra’s twin fairies (again played by ‘the peanuts’), whom Mothra has a symbiotic relationship with (this weird plot device is explained in “Mothra” so make sure to watch that film first), appear warning the humans to give the egg back but they refuse thus Mothra soon appears angry as hell. In the meantime Godzilla reappears (rising from the ground in one of most bizarre appearances) and soon it becomes a fight to the finish.

Despite enjoying the original “Mothra” I was still questionable if the character would make a good fight for Godzilla. The only powers Mothra truly has is the ability to flap her wings causing massive winds of destruction. My doubt was subdued as Mothra kicks Godzilla’s ass by hilariously dragging his it around by his tail. When Mothra’s offspring arrive, they also outwit the enormous reptile by spitting webbing all over his ass. The filmmakers quelled any doubt by making this an immensely entertaining fight for the masses

Godzilla, despite being a clumsy bastard when he first arrives by getting his tail stuck and tripping into buildings, has never been so badass. The filmmakers go to great lengths to show his indestructibility here. The helpless humans try everything in the book to stop his ass, including a barrage of tanks, planes, nets, ships and even electricity but nothing seems to stop him. It’s a shame that the image of Godzilla would get watered down later on in the franchise.

If people didn’t think Toho couldn’t out due their monster mash in “King Kong vs. Godzilla” then they need to think again. They outdid themselves here making an immensely entertaining monster melee that is even better than the entry that came before. The child in any viewer with a soft spot for giant monsters should lap this entry into the “Godzilla” franchise wholeheartedly as the franchise was at the peak of its enjoyability. “Mothra vs. Godzilla” would be confusingly retitled “Godzilla vs. The Thing” in America as distributors didn’t think enough American movie-goers knew who the character “Mothra” was…. I think they were dropped too many times on their head as a baby.

Godzilla would return in “Ghodorah, the Three-Headed Monster”

Written By Eric Reifschneider

Silent Night (2012)

Director: Steven C. Miller
Notable Cast: Jaime King, Malcolm McDowell, Donal Logue

Far be it for the cult fan in me to say, but I was kind of excited for this "Silent Night, Deadly Night" remake. The original one is certainly a fun and off beat cult classic, but there is most definitely room for some improvement. The problem with Steven C. Miller's new take on the killer Santa holiday horror flick is that it really doesn't improve on the original. It does some solid enough things with style and contains a few clever ideas, but once again the balance between horror and humor seems off with this film and it leaves a rather odd aftertaste when the credits roll.

Deputy Bradimore (King) and Sheriff Cooper (McDowell) are anxiously awaiting the massive 'Parade Of Santas' that their home town hosts every Christmas. Unfortunately, there is a new Santa in town. One with a sack full of weapons. One that is out to punish the naughty. As the body count piles up, these two law enforcers are going to have to use every available option to try and beat the madman to his next victims...and they just might be on his list.

You have to admit, it's so ridiculous that it is awesome.

The premise is simple here. Killer slasher Santa on the loose and two officers have to take him down. We've seen it before, so when it come down to it - the film better have some clever plot twists or strong execution to make it work. "Silent Night" rarely is exceptional at either. It tries very hard to do both, adding in entire back stories to who the killer might be through some historical flash backs and Miller adds enough style to the film to keep it interesting, but ultimately it can't save the film.

In these attempts to add depth to the story while keeping it light hearted enough to still pull elements from the original film (including that damn crazy Grandpa scene), the film fails to balance itself. McDowell is obviously the comedic relief of the film where he spouts arrogant things about being awesome and references "CSI: Miami" at one point, but the humor tends to feel forced. Then Jaime King's character is built to be a protagonist we really care about (and her rather impressive acting performance does help), but too often her character's story is too vague. We don't even know who her lost loved one is...I assume it was a husband...

Fuzzy hats. Definitely a great character trait for anyone.

Don't get me wrong though, in the end "Silent Night" is a slasher and it does have the elements of a slasher in full. Gratuitous violence? Our killer does kill a little kid with a fireplace poker in like the first half hour. Gratuitous nudity? Our killer does chase a porn model shirtless through an empty tree lot only to find a piece of machinery that tends to be pretty gruesome when used. Clever kills? Santa with a fucking flame thrower. Yes. Give that one a check. Not to mention that director Miller does his best to keep the film flowing with enough style to keep us interested. Although the finale tends to be a little by the numbers, he throws different rooms into green and red glows for some Christmas giallo like spirit for example. In many ways, I was reminded of the over the top feel of the "My Bloody Valentine" remake even if "Silent Night" fails to take it to that sort of level.

Lighting up the room with Christmas!

"Silent Night" is what it is. It's a modern slasher with enough style and slick production values to make it an entertaining watch, but as a remake it never really tops the original in any sort of way. It still fumbles at balancing the horror, story, and humor and despite some solid acting performances (and a fun asshole role for Donal Logue) just fails to progress past its more cliche moments. Slasher fans will still want to see it, but its not something that's a "need right now" kind of flick.

Written By Matt Reifschneider 

If you feel the need to add "Silent Night" to your collection for some holiday horror all year round, then click the links below and add it. We thank you in advance.

Death Warrant (1990)

Director: Deran Sarafian
Notable Cast: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Patrick Kilpatrick, Cynthia Gibb, Robert Guillaume

Growing up one of my favorite action stars was Jean-Claude Van Damme and by now you would have thought I was able to see most of his movies. Yet "Death Warrant", one of his more popular ones and one that he was able to build a chunk of his career on, was a film that I had somehow overlooked. Then they made it available on Blu Ray and I decided it was high time to rectify this situation. In an attempt to work my way through his Damme filmography starting with his 90s films and kicking it off with "Lionheart," the next film up with the elusive "Death Warrant." Although it lacks the heart and depth that surprised me with the previously mentioned film, this actioner does showcase the charm and fight skills of Van Damme even if it places him in some ridiculously odd situations to do said showcasing. "Death Warrant" might not make a whole lot of sense (and when it does its a little cliche), but I'll be honest...it was pretty entertaining.

After Detective Burke (Van Damme) spends a good amount of time and energy going undercover to snag the elusive killer The Sandman (Kilpatrick), his reputation has started to grow. It grows enough that a couple of concerned politicians decide to send him undercover into a penitentiary to investigate some mysterious deaths of the inmates. With a young attorney (Gibb) acting as his wife and partner in the investigation, Burke is ready for almost anything with his strong fighting talents and determination. What he uncovers at the penitentiary though goes much beyond his skill set and its going to take everything he has just not to get killed.

The mustache only makes this more awkward...

At its core, "Death Warrant" is a fairly standard action affair. Tough cop and macho man fighter goes into a prison to find a killer. He has to fight his way to earn some respect. He finds a conspiracy. It all goes to hell. End. It's a fairly predictable plot progression that hits all the right beats in the right places (even throwing in the obvious romantic subplot between Burke and fake wife), so in many ways if you are an action fan you've seen it before. Can't really blame writer Goyer for this one, as it was one of his first scripts, but it does tend to go by the numbers far too much. 

When the film does deviate though...man, it throws it out there. The twist of why the deaths are happening is pretty blatant by the end of the first act, but its how our hero gets there that makes it so strange at times. By the time he goes to visit a red eyed 'godfather' type figure in the prison named Priest who lives in a cage decorated with sheets and keeps a few transvestites at his sides, I was thoroughly entertained by the ridiculousness of the film. It helps that the casting of the film adds quite a bit of charm with Van Damme showing just why he would be a star later on and a supporting cast that seemed to realize just how ridiculous the script was and knocking it up a notch. The overall plot might be predictable, but I'll give it to "Death Warrant" that it did its best to keep us invested the entire time.

Most memorable moment in the film.

Now that I've written two paragraphs on the damn story, let's get to the real reason someone watches a film like "Death Warrant"....THE ACTION! Unfortunately, the action is a little light here. It's relatively meaningful (unlike the ridiculousness of the fights in "Lionheart" which are more entertaining), but overall the lack of strong fights does hinder the film. The film obviously wanted to be more of cop investigation thriller than a straight up action film and this focus does tend to lean the overall experience of action to be disappointing during the film.

That is, until the finale, of course. Here we have the only truly memorable sequence of the whole film. A massive showdown between Burke and The Sandman, man vs man, in a massive underground multi story boiler room. Rarely does it make sense (Why is this boiler room like four stories tall and built like a maze? Why does Sandman open the furnace? Why doesn't Van Damme see that massive wrench flying at him before it slams him in the face?), but when it comes to entertainment I'm willing to suspend my sense of logic and belief. If you do this for the finale, I guarantee you will be entertained.

"Death Warrant" might be a relatively by the numbers action film, but it doesn't get by without some of that charm to make it entertaining. The action is too light, the plot is too goofy at times only to be too serious at the next moment, and it's predictable. It's not a great film by any means, but by God, it has charm with its casting and in its finale. That counts for something, right?

Written By Matt Reifschneider

Merantau (2009)

Director: Gareth Evans
Notable Cast: Iko Uwais, Sisca Jessica, Mads Koudal, Yayan Ruhian, Laurent Buson

After experiencing the brilliant action and martial arts of "The Raid: Redemption" (both in theaters and repeatedly on home video), it became necessary that I experience "Merantau" - the first film from the combo of director Gareth Evans and actor Iko Uwais. Luckily the film is on Netflix Streaming for those interested in just viewing it, but as far as I'm concerned this is a must own martial arts film. It's heart felt, action packed, and Evans uses just enough of an artistic eye to make it deeper than your average film. It might not be quite the intense experience of adrenaline that "The Raid" is, but "Merantau" is almost as good in every aspect.

Yuda (Uwais) is a simple farm boy. He's from a loving family, he farms, and he has been practicing Silat martial arts to start his own training facility. So for his merantau, a journey away from home in becoming a man, he travels to the big city to find his way and start his school. The problem is that he is unprepared for the horrors of city. He finds a young 'dancer' being beaten by her handler and decides to uphold justice by using his martial arts skills. Now Yuda must fight his way to protect himself and his new found friends as a whole string of thugs come after him.

With martial art talent like this, you would answer your own prayers.

There is a great classic martial arts foundation to "Merantau" that this film builds on. A wandering hero comes into a corrupt place to use his kung fu talents to uphold justice. The Shaw Bros studio used this same idea a hundred times and its modern films like this that prove it can still work. Although the idea might be a well treaded one, it's the combination of of sincere acting, Evans' ability to add depth and artistic merit, and stunning fight work that make "Merantau" a riveting watch.

To be honest, I'm stunned at how strong the character work was in this film. "The Raid" went light with exposition, but "Merantau" slathers it on thick. A few fellow kung fu fanatics claimed the film is a little long in its first half and to an extent this is true. It spends a good portion focusing on building up our hero and establishing some solid chemistry with a few supporting characters. This includes a few scene stealing moments from Yayan Ruhian (who played Mad Dog in "The Raid") as a fellow Silat expert that pays off in dividends in the final act. The heart and character work here is irreplaceable in the end though as it really builds up a great performance from Iko Uwais and establishes a connection with audience that makes the finale much more impactful.

"Say hello to my little foot!"

It's the second half that is much more like the Evans and company that "The Raid" made a household event. Uwais carries this film with strong character work, but its his fighting talents that are going to make him one of the biggest action stars in the world. And its damn near non stop. The fighting might not be as intense as we would see him do later, but the benefit of stronger sets (abandoned storage units, alleys, and dance club for example) and use of weapons make for a pretty unique experience too. The highlight, sans the extensiveness of the finale, does happen to be a stunner fight inside a closed elevator though. The action is simply top notch.

I was shocked how much I enjoyed "Merantau." Gareth Evans' debut film is a brilliant martial arts that contains a ton of heart and some great character work. At times it tends to be pretty predictable with its plot beats, but that doesn't stop it from being deep enough to connect and action packed enough to entertain. Just what I want from a film like this.

Written By Matt Reifschneider

Mothra (1961)

MOTHRA

The kaiju (monster in Japanese) film genre had been extremely kind to Toho studios with “Rodan”, “Vanan the Unbelievable” and two “Gozilla” films earing generous returns in profit. Times were changing though and the formulaic monster on the loose plot was growing tired so they decided to mix it up a bit by making their new monster creation, Mothra, a divine female that only destroys when it’s two twin miniature fairies are in danger. It sounds strange only because it is.

After a ship sinks in a typhoon and the survivors are rescued off an island utilized for nuclear testing (what’s a Toho film with a nod to atomic horrors). They speak about a indigenous tribes though the island is supposed to be desolate. A scientific team is dispatched to the island where they discover two twin singing fairies (played by real life singing duo ‘the peanuts’). A corporate ass kidnaps the girls and takes them back to Japan to exploit their talent, unaware that their protector, a giant moth, is on its way to rescue them and destroys anything in its path to do so.

Director Ishirô Honda previous giant monster flicks were mostly downbeat focusing on death and destruction. Here he takes the idea with lighter heart making the film more of a colorful adventure. Speaking of colorful, he previously made Rodan in Color (“Godzilla” and “Varan” were shot in ‘old-fashioned’ black and white) and he utilizes his color palet more creatively here by loading the film up with lush colors and backdrops. The special effects, for an early Toho film, are also good (much better than later Toho productions) with Mothra’s transformation from a caterpillar to a winged insect quit memorable.

In my humble opinion “Mothra” is one of Toho’s best kaiju efforts despite its monster not being nearly as threating as a towering fire-breaking reptile. The cast, effects, direction and photography are all top drawer material from the company making Mothra Toho’s second most famous monster second to the obvious Godzilla. Mothra, along with her two twin fairies, would make multiple appearances in the Godzilla franchise to come, the first being his main opponent in “Mothra vs. Godzilla” and later in the 90s breaking free to star in the “Rebirth of Mothra” trilogy.

Written By Eric Reifschneider

Own the original "Mothra" by clicking the link below!