Orson Welles' "F For Fake" (1974)

F For Fake is an absolutely mesmerizing documentary about forgeries and fakes. No one has had this much fun playing with an audience as Orson Welles seems to do so here. His presence is overwhelming and commanding as he narrates this fascinating tale...(read more) . He has tricks of his own up his sleeve to go along with the forgeries he discusses: Elmyr who forges paintings, and Clifford Irving who forged Howard Hughes' biography, and Oja Kodar, among other things. This is one of the most fascinating documentaries you will ever watch. The editing is sublime. It's a prime example of how we can be edited into believing whatever. F For Fake is loads of fun and can be argued as Orson Welles' greatest work of film. If you want to be dazzled, check this one out.

4.5 STARS OUT OF 5

Julian Schnabel's "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" (2007)

Right from the start of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly you can just tell that it's going to be a special film. Diving Bell is the story of Jean-Dominique Bauby, editor of Elle, and his struggle to come back and communicate from a stroke that left all but he left eye paralyzed. This fascinating and heart warming story is wonderfully acted by Mathieu Amalric, Emmanuelle Seigner, and the rest of the cast. I give a special nod to one of my favorite actors, Max von Sydow, who gives all out emotional performance as Jean-Do's father. Max proves he still has what he had during his Bergman days as he reprises all the emotion he always was able to portray.

That connects me beautifully to my next positive comment on this film. Julian Schnabel is a special director. If this film is any indication, he's going to be huge. I couldn't help but feel like I WAS watching one of the classic Ingmar Bergman films that are simply about people in strife and their relationships. Schnabel creatively shoots a lot of this film out of Jean-Do's left eye which gives it a signature touch. I felt Schnabel wonderfully handled how he delved into Jean-Do's past life giving us a little background about him, his current and former lovers, and his relationship with his father and his children. Everyone was as developed as they needed to be.

All in all, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is one of the best films of 2007 and shouldn't be missed by everyone. If you have a heart, you'll be moved by this film. It captivated me and it should do no less to you. A must see.

5 OUT OF 5 STARS

Ingmar Bergman's "The Seventh Seal" (1957)

Ingmar Bergman is one of the greatest storytellers in the history of film. With The Seventh Seal, Bergman creates an allegory for death by putting Knight Antonius Block (Max von Sydow) head to head with Death in a game of chess. The symbolic nature of this game is relevant to the time period the film is set in. It's medieval Sweden, after a war, where the country is being ravaged by some sort of plague. In the opening scene we meet Block and Death for the first time. Death had chosen it to be the knight's time but Block doesn't show any sign of fearing such a thing. This, in a nutshell, is what this film is about. In the simplest point it, to me, is a film about the confrontation and the realization of death along with the acceptance, avoidance, fear and occurrence of death. The knight's journey from place to place portrays these types of things. For example, he encounters a woman who believes she has seen the devil and the men who think she is a witch. Panic and fear has spread across the land and everyone has their own way of dealing with it.

Part of this film's success is the realistic and convincing setting Ingmar Bergman creates. I actually felt like I was taking a journey along with Antonius Block and the others he encounter during the medieval time period. One of the most stunning scenes that I can attribute to this realistic feeling is the scene where the traveling players have their performance interrupted by a parade of religious leaders and people that seem to be dying of the spreading illness or are suspected of being "witches" or the like. The culmination of the sights and sounds of this scene left me with a downright chill. From this scene to the absolutely stunning and also chilling final shots, this film is jam packed of beautiful photography.

The strange thing about this film is that for a film so filled with the thought of death there is a fair amount of humor. This can be credited to the comic relief characters and plot situations such as the blacksmith's wife running off with one of the performers, only for them to meet up later on. Every actor and actress adds their own strengths to this film making for one of the most well acted films out there. I've always loved Max von Sydow's performance as the knight Antonius Block the most. He is, after all, the central focus.

In short, Ingmar Bergman's The Seventh Seal is a masterpiece of cinema. It is my favorite film of all time. It's mostly dark, moody, terrifying, extremely powerful, and full of meaning. It's the type of film you sit down to watch and are just left in awe of every time you see it. Everything, and I mean everything, is expertly done by Bergman. I always note how his films leave me as unsettled as any horror movie (or any film for that matter). His sense of direction was unrivaled. He's the greatest director of all time in my book.

5 OUT OF 5 STARS

Samuel Fuller's "Pickup on South Street" (1959)

Samuel Fuller's Pickup on South Street is a gritty anti-communist film noir starring Richard Widmark as Skip McCoy, a petty thief who is fresh out of jail. When Skip nabs something from the wrong purse, he gets himself into an ordeal he just wasn't looking for. McCoy soon becomes involved with a police investigation of an international problem concerning communist activity. Samuel Fuller makes a statement here. He places this low life thief, brilliant played by Richard Widmark, as someone who is better than our Russian foes. That's at least the feeling I got from time to time.

Widmark's performance is the highlight of this film in my opinion. He's always great in whatever he does and this role was absolutely no different. This one places into the evil, creepy category for him once again. His performances are things that can simply lift a poor or weak storied film and make it something different. Luckily, Fuller has a fine story to back Widmark up with. The film is rather short so pacing is quick and kept up. Decisions are made fast and often.

Overall, Pickup on South Street is worth seeing as a film noir and time piece. It's a good realization of the kind of scare our country had in earlier years. I personally really enjoy that aspect of film. It's what makes them so timeless so very often. This is just a darn good film.

4 OUT OF 5 STARS

Elia Kazan's "Panic in the Streets" (1950)

Panic in the Streets is an ambitious film noir from acclaimed director Elia Kazan. At heart, this film is more than noir. It touches upon the distinct genres of the classic paranoia, disaster, and epidemic films. When a man that is carrying a form of the plague is killed, health worker Clint Reed (Richard Widmark) and police captain Tom Warren (Paul Douglas) have the dubious task of tracking down the man (or men) who killed him in 48 hours. Kazan captures this films tension almost perfectly. There's a sense of heated tension between the new partners Reed and Warren, for example. Thanks to Richard Widmark's great performance it comes off as convincing as can be. Tension is evident everywhere in the film. From Reed's own home to the low life thugs like Blackie (Jack Palance) who are dealing with their own problems thanks to the plague. This, in my opinion, helps the viewer become far more entangled in the sprawling story and process. There's a lot going on here making for a roller coaster detective thrill ride.

Panic in the Streets is a one of a kind film noir. Set in New Orleans and using a fair share of amateur actors that were New Orleans natives, Panic in the Streets has a sense of unrivaled realism. Kazan masterfully lays out the story in front of your eyes. This is the first Kazan film I have seen and even on the first viewing I can tell he knows exactly what he wanted and what he was doing. I've always loved film noir and have always loved films that deal with a group of people (or a city) dealing with some sort of threat of an epidemic or disaster. I always think that it's interesting to see how different people react and deal with a situation. This is greatly touched upon within the film. The mayor worries about his reputation the immediate population while Reed worries about the country, and on a larger scale, the world. The combination of these two genres with Richard Widmark leading the way on screen was essentially heaven to me. Whether Widmark is playing one of the most evil villains of all time (Tommy Udo in Kiss of Death) or a health worker trying to essentially save a city and the country, he always plays it with an edge, and it's no different this time. It's a must see for all fans of film alike.

4.5 STARS OUT OF 5

Guillermo del Toro's "Hellboy 2: The Golden Army" (2008)

In the hands of someone other than Guillermo del Toro, the Hellboy franchise could possibly have been a complete disaster. Thanks to del Toro's ability to beautifully capture the mythical and fantasy aspects of the Hellboy universe, we are treated to a sequel that improves upon the first film.

Visually, Hellboy 2 wins. This film comes to life on the big screen. This sequel takes on more of a grand "epic" scale in comparison to the first one. There are larger battles and del Toro does them justice. He has a knack for such creativity and as far as the visuals go, I was not disappointed. The monsters and mythical creatures were so brilliantly created. Whether they were his own creations or concepts taken from the comic books, I don't know, but either way, they came out stunning.

The one area that I was disappointed in was the story. I felt it was lacking a lot. The whole Golden Army concept was a neat idea that I wish was expanded on more. In my opinion, it seemed as if all the major key plot turns and outcomes came too quickly and too easily. The ending felt rather forced and unfortunately very expected. While it's hard to knock a film in this genre too hard for plot woes, the fact that it was indeed del Toro who wrote the script leaves me doing so. After being stunned by both The Devil's Backbone and Pan's Labyrinth, I was expecting a little more. Do not worry though, these complaints are about all I could find to be even close to being wrong with the film. They don't take away from any of the fun of the film.

Ron Perlman is excellent once again as Hellboy. The rest of the cast is as good as they need to be. The real stars here are Red himself and the visual feast. It's a treat to see on the big screen. The film is all around fun and entertaining and one of the better summer films, so far.

3.5 STARS OUT OF 5

"The Beach Party at the Threshold of Hell" (2006)

Next stop: 2097. The Threshold of Hell. The Beach Party at the Threshold of Hell is a wildly creative and original post apocalyptic film. The first film that popped to mind when I saw the trailer for this film was Six String Samurai, with less sword play. They both feature the same kind of theme of old America is gone and a new land is being born. They both have main characters wearing suits. They both are about journeys. The resemblances could go on. Whether that film was an inspiration for the film makers here or not, I couldn't tell you. Here you'll find zany character after zany character combined with clever and funny dialogue and entertaining fighting and gore.

The viewer follows Tex Kennedy, great great (and so on) grandson of John F. Kennedy. Along with his two robot pals, Quincy and Yul, and the sometimes trusty Cannibal Sue, Tex is out on a mission to restore rightful power the young New America. This journey won't be any typical journey. There's a whole lot of fun to be had with this film. It's on a low scale and rather ingeniously made. It has b-movie qualities which give it a rather warm feeling. From start to finish, this film entertains. The filmmakers did a fine job convincing me that America was truly gone. The film plays out like a "twisted History Channel documentary" with a narrator and clips of "historians" who help tell the story of Tex Kennedy and his pals.

Some of the most entertaining scenes in this film come with the character interactions. For example, you've got the great grandsons of Fidel Castro and John F. Kennedy meeting in a jail cell. I could go on and on about many of the films characters but I think you should get the point. This film has finally hit DVD thanks to National Lampoon picking up it's rights. Don't let that fool you though, this film is much, much better than the crap they actually create. It's creative, witty, and certainly NOT the worst thing God ever puked up!

3.5 STARS OUT OF 5

Timur Bekmambetov's "Wanted" (2008)

Wanted is a fast paced action film that should please any summer movie goer. Timur Bekmambetov, director of the two Russian vampire films Night Watch and Day Watch, is a visionary artist when it comes to his films. Even the subtitles for the region one DVD release of Night Watch were stylish. Wanted is no different. Right from the beginning of this film the viewer automatically knows what kind of film this film thinks it is. What kind is that, you might ask? A fun one, and not a very serious one at that.

There's a sarcastic tone from our main character Wes right from the start that carries heavy throughout most of the film. He's a down and out guy who has not much going for him. His girlfriend cheats on him with his best friend, he hates his job, and he hates his boss. When Fox finds him things change. He is inducted into the Fraternity, a group of secret assassin's. After training him, he sets out on his mission to avenge his dads death. Revenge remains the main theme for the rest of the film and is what carries the action on and on. I will stop there with the plot details. This film has a very legitimate twist or two. Normally, you might not see such a change in story. Things might typically be more streamlined, but this was not the case. The ending left me happy and I hope it does for you. I was prepared for the worst, most typical action film conclusion and admittedly got the complete opposite.

Another aspect of this high octane action film that is different from some others of the like is that the acting is actually pretty solid. James McAvoy is a rising star as shown in Atonement and other previous work. Here he shows his versatility as an action hero. I really enjoyed his voice over. I found the humor to my liking. Angelina Jolie doesn't need to do much to appear in place in a film like this. You might find yourself starring at her too much. Morgan Freeman, in a rather non Morgan Freeman like role, is wonderful. These performances help keep this from being too mindless, which is sometimes a good thing.

I've heard people complain about the story in this film. I can't understand this complaint at all. Perhaps for someone like me, a fan of classic film noir, the plot stands out a little more. I personally love the whole secret group of hit man concept. Thinking back on it more now, this film carries a few elements of noir. Fox, in her role, is a classic femme fatale. A few of the other male characters are rather ambiguous in terms of motives. I'm getting way ahead of myself here but I'm essentially trying to explain why I think I enjoyed the plot. It wasn't confusing, anyone who says that didn't pass 5th grade yet. It was simple, added great motivation for the characters, and provided great action. Upon leaving my theater I heard one person say "that was retarded" or something of that nature. Anyone who thinks Wanted is retarded might actually be retarded themselves. Alright, that's mean, but seriously? If you go into Wanted thinking it's going to be something it isn't, you need to start thinking more. If you watch the first 20 minutes of this film and still think it is what it isn't, you might be brain dead. There is absolutely no reason as to why a person can't enjoy Wanted.

Wanted is a satisfying release in the midst of terrible summer blockbusters. Every summer we get a handful of quality action and big budget films and Wanted appears to be the first of them in the dog days of summer 2008. Grab a friend and go check this film out in theaters before it's too late, as the experience does it justice.

4 OUT OF 5 STARS

Antonia Bird's "Ravenous" (1999)

Ravenous is one of the most underrated gems in the horror genre. Guy Pearce and Robert Carlyle both give outstanding performances in this cannibal film laced with gore and black comedy alike.

I think what really made this film work was the simple premise combined with a very interesting cast of characters that were created by a very strong cast, especially for a film of this type. Robert Carlyle's performance is very convincing whichever way you look at it. People who've seen the film will know what I mean when I say that. Guy Pearce is given a sort of quiet, timid role for most of the film as he plays just that type of solider. He backed down in the face of the enemy but managed to cross enemy lines and take control of their post by pure chance. Of course, that was then, and this is now. He can't stand the site of blood, and that won't come in handy in his upcoming endeavors with cannibalism.

Ravenous is a gory film that succeeds in all it tries to do. It's a seriously funny film, to be honest. You must check this gem out when you get the chance!

4 OUT OF 5 STARS

Sam Raimi's "Darkman" (1990)

Before raking in the cash with the Spider-Man franchise, Sam Raimi directed Darkman, a stepping stone to his current success. While I won't argue whether the Spider-Man films are good or not, I will say I don't really enjoy them that much. In fact, most super hero films, outside of a few of the Batman film, don't leave me wanting more. Darkman, on the other hand, surely does.

Sam Raimi made this original super hero film at the height of his early success. It was after the cult classic schlock films Evil Dead I and II and before the third installment in the series, the more comedic Army of Darkness. Raimi took this notable success and translated to a different genre, and succeeded.

As the title of the film suggests, Darkman is dark. Although this film has it's rather cheesy moments, the story of Darkman and how he came to be is still a rather grim one. Dr. Peyton Westlake's studies of synthetic skin are interrupted when Robert G. Durant and his gang trash his lab and torture him in the search for a paper that contains information that could hurt him and his boss. When Durant finds what he wants, he leaves Westlake for certain death in a fiery explosion. Unfortunately for Durant, Westlake survives and returns to society with a vengeance.

Liam Neeson is just fine as Dr. Peyton Westlake. He has the perfect touch of humor that lends to the cheesy-ness of this film. For example, the carnival scene comes to mind. "Take the fucking elephant!" will never be forgotten by me. I know everyone would have loved Bruce Campbell to play Darkman as he was originally supposed to, but hey, life's not fair. We can't hate on Liam for that, he did a fine job. Larry Drake's portrayal of Durant is so god damn evil. Colin Friels' played the cackling Louis Strack perfectly in my opinion. He had the menacing "I BUILT IT ALL" attitude down pat. These performances really helped the film achieve what it wanted. It makes the revenge theme of the film so much sweeter.

As I mentioned before, this film is a little cheesy. I personally think it could work better 100% serious, but that's okay with me. I'm a fan of serious, non serious, whatever. It's all good to me, I just think that a dark tale like this could be handled much more effectively without all that. Overall, Darkman is a solid film with an original super hero that is well worth watching. Enjoy Sam Raimi and his signature film making outside of the possessed woods and before Spider-Man

4 OUT OF 5 STARS

Paul Verhoeven's "Total Recall" (1990)

Total Recall is a perfect blend of bloody fun sci-fi action and an intelligent science fiction story a la Blade Runner. Paul Verhoeven, who's a mildly controversial individual, took a Philip K. Dick short story as inspiration and created a fantastic science fiction film starring Arnold Scwarzenegger.

The difference between this Arnold flick and another is that the content of the film is much deeper than normal and will actually make you think. Although fairly cheesy at times, the film just works as a serious science fiction tale. This film even works on a pure conceptual level. What if your whole life was just a memory implanted in your brain? What if you were tricked to do what's wrong? Even if Verhoeven didn't create such a visually astonishing, fun, entertaining, and thought provoking film, the concept would be another to draw on.

Verhoeven makes everything look just right. This was his first film after the classic Robocop and Verhoeven definitely delivered with the seemingly high expectations he had been given. The film is shot well, paced well, and given just the right atmosphere. There's hints of humor all around, even among such dark subject matter.

Total Recall should be an appealing film to any science fiction fan. Anytime a film in this genre comes along that is both good old fun and thought provoking, it's definitely worth watching.
4 OUT OF 5 STARS

Ngai Kai Lam's "Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky" (1991)

Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky is an amazing film. The absurdity of this film is incredible. Ricky is the tough new guy in one of the most odd and corrupt prison systems in the world. He takes matters into his own hands (and they're fucking deadly hands) and knocks off each thug one by one until he can get final revenge on the warden. Each time you think you've seen about as bad ass a villain as you're going to get, they keep throwing even crazier and tougher guys at you. A b-movie like this NEEDS these types of memorable characters to stay watchable over multiple viewings. The Story of Ricky excels in this area. I'll refer back to a series like Troma's "Class of Nuke 'Em High". The first film in that series is and OUTSTANDING b-movie for that reason. The other two are far more absurd but they lacked the funny and memorable characters the first one contained. It's an essential part of the lure of b-movies.

The best thing about the fights in this film is how Ricky practically gets the shit beat out of him every time but ends up destroying his opponents with a punch or two that ends up absolutely destroying some part of his foes' body. Whether it means punching a hole in their stomach or making their head completely disintegrate, it's fun to watch. Ricky has every trick in the book to take on the countless bad guys he does. The level of gore and violence in this film is up there. A lot of the gore looks really ridiculous but once you see it you'll realize that it won't matter at all. This film is just too great, too funny, too insane, too absurd, and too entertaining to care about any like that.

Whether you watch this film in the always hilarious English dubbing or in the original Cantonese language version, you'll have a great time. Ricky is a supreme bad ass that completely wrecks everyone's shit while earning the respect of his fellow prisoners. He's a character with compassion, heart, dedication, and fists made of steel. Fuck. Ricky, you're the man.

5 OUT OF 5 STARS

Shinya Tsukamoto's "Tetsuo: The Iron Man" (1989)

Tetsuo is a film that is stranger than a David Cronenberg film and David Lynch film put together. I know the comparisons between Shinya Tsukamoto's utterly brilliant visual feast Tetsuo: The Ironman and work from Cronenberg like Videodrome and work from Lynch like Eraserhead has been made plenty times before but I'll make it again. This film might not exist if not for those two. Tsukamoto kind of takes the idea of technology becoming a sort of disease this one man has to deal with. As far as the plot goes, it's confusing. Without reading outside material to help better understand what was going on, all I could deduce from what was going on before my eyes was that there was a hit and run accident that dealt with a metal fetist that resulted in this man that hit the person becoming a half human half cyborg piece of machinery. Go figure. The message I mentioned before is highly prevalent and although a bit exaggerated, the point gets across.

This film is dark. The dirty look it's given thanks to diluted black and white shots is menacing. The visual feast doesn't stop once it begins. It just never lets up. Violence, sex, perversion, and so on. There's a lot to look at with this abstract film. Anyone who's a fan of the kind of work David Cronenberg and David Lynch do (and their subject matter) should definitely check out this twisted picture from the East.

4 OUT OF 5 STARS

William Keighley's "The Street With No Name" (1948)

The Street With No Name is a neat little film noir given a documentary like vibe right from the get go. The film lets the viewer known that it's based off a true story straight from the files of the FBI and used as many authentic location and people as possible. Richard Widmark is the real star of this show. In this, his second film role, he absolutely nails his role as the boss, Alec Stiles. He's got the perfect demeaning, evil tone that complements every facet of this solid little film. Without Widmark I think I'd drop my score a half point or so, but he really puts this film into the category of really worth seeing. The story isn't bad either with the whole undercover, who's the rat, set-up routine. Definitely check this one out if you're looking for something new in the genre.

4 OUT OF 5 STARS