Author Archives: Deni

The Good – Throne of Blood

Kurosawa and Shakespeare getting together so well, almost like peas and carrots.

The Bad – Ashes of Time Redux

Sure it’s looks incredible but the pacing is so horrible that I fell asleep.

The Weird – Imprint

It was a toss up between this and Oldboy, but as both share similar themes and high levels of violence, it came down to which one was generally weirder, and Miike doesn’t disappoint. … (read more)

The Good – Red Cliff

Is, without a doubt, John Woo’s best film since Bullet in the Head. It’s also his first “real” Chinese movie since leaving HK in the mid-1990s. Red Cliff could wear the subtitle: The Emperor and the strategist. It stars Tony Leung and Zhang Fengyi as opposing figures in this historical epic based on the famous Sino text “The Romance of the Three Kingdoms”. A perfect blend of character and action with spectacular CGI. It’s guaranteed … (read more)

The Good – Triangle

Tight, crisp, and startling on the palate, with great acting and a mood so strong you’ll be hugging yourself with glee.

The Bad – Battle of Wits

Good because it had Andy Lau in it (for whom I’d watch 3 hours of laundry spinning), but otherwise pretty much a waste of celluloid.

The Weird – Imprint

No-one besides Miike could have come up with this. I want to wash out my brain with soap. … (read more)

The Good – Sukiyaki Western Django

Single-handedly responsible for a personal resurgence of interest in and appreciation of Sergio Leone, Miike’s Cowboy extravaganza almost made my Weird list – until I realised it was Miike and the trick is just not to think about it too hard…

The Bad – Hellsing Ultimate

God, I wanted to like it, I really did. But this spit-polished, bloodier remake of what was in my opinion a series already worth the viewing time just … (read more)

Best

The Host: I can quite easily say that this is the best creature film that I’ve seen in the last ten years. Cloverfield has a lot to live up to now.

Paprika: Satoshi Kon’s latest film while not his best work still is something to behold in all its wonder and beauty.

Aachi & Ssipak: A strange film but it entertained me and kept my movie nerd-dum alive and well with subtle pop culture references … (read more)

1. Gankutsuo: An exotic passion-play with a sci-fi twist; Albert is the perfect sacrificial victim and the Count is the perfect flawed monster. The classics never looked so good!

2. Election 2: And I thought Election was good! Louis Koo made me change my mind about him (good). And minced meat (bad).

3. Starfish Hotel: Dark and dreamlike, all its elements part of a deeper whole. Gorgeous and fascinating.

4. Hold up Down/Dead Run: … (read more)