Varied Celluloid Dot Net

Kitano Returning to Yakuza Flicks?
June 24th 2009

A couple of things first. One, sorry for not posting so far this month guys. If you read the forum, you’ll know I’ve taken on some awkward living situations as of recent and don’t have a whole lot of time to myself these days. So, look for stuff on Sundays more than likely, but even then sometimes I can’t get to a computer. Anyway, the second thing, I may be the only person in the world who hasn’t enjoyed Takeshi Kitano’s recent forays. I thought Zatoichi was overyhyped, Takeshis was overywrought with silliness and truthfully I’ve lost a little bit of that anticipation for Kitano’s latest. However, hearing he’s returning to his Yakuza roots is definitely promising. It could be just more of his recent arthouse pap, but I’m hoping he really gets something out there with this one. Here’s the report from ryuganji.

Kitano ‘Beat’ Takeshi’s 15th feature film looks set to go before the cameras in August.

“It hasn’t been officially announced yet, but it’s unmistakably going to be about modern yakuza society. Also, in line with the wishes of investors, the cast will not feature actors from Kitano’s regular stable, but has Shiina Kippei as well as Kitano himself in the leading roles, with Miura Tomokazu and Kase Ryo in support.” (according to a film industry insider)

We also understand that it will be shot on location in Kobe, the home ground of the Yamaguchi-gumi.

“It seems Kitano was a bit spooked when he first learned he’d be filming in Kobe, but then he heard from local film people that the gang had shifted their base to Nagoya, and also found out that only recently lawyers had held anti-mob demos around the gang’s offices, so he was relieved to hear that their influence in Kobe was diminishing.” (according to a TV producer close to Kitano)

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The Woods – Review
May 31st 2009

I know, haven’t been too terribly active as of late. My fault. Had a lot of personal stuff popping up this month that kind of kept me away. Anyhow, I have several reviews already written, just need to get time to post them. Which is what I’ve found today! Some time! And here we are with my review of Lucky McKee’s “The Woods”, a very well told spook story set in a all girl’s school. Definitely worth a look for fans of the filmmaker and those looking to see what the younger generation of horror fans are bringin to the table.

The Plot: Heather Fasulo (Agnes Bruckner) is a troubled young lady. She simply can not stand authority figures and does everything in her power to take them down a notch. However, this attitude has got her into a fair amount of trouble and that’s why she’s headed to Falburn Academy, a boarding school for young women. Once there though, she begins to wish she never started any of the trouble that upset her mother the way it did. She’s an immediate outcast to most everyone, and the teaching staff treat her like some kind of vile creature unworthy of their attention. The only thing that keeps poor Heather sane is the meeting of her new friend Marcy, the one girl at school that actually seems to have any sense in her head. The rest all just bully the two of them. Things grow more worrisome as Heather begins to have nightmares on a regular basis, with the woods whispering to her and visions of a young girl. With this and several students coming up missing, just what is Heather in for while staying at Falburn?

…CONTINUE READING THE REVIEW HERE…

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HARD REVENGE MILLY!
May 28th 2009

Hey guys, quick little series of questions for you. Nothing too hard, just some basic stuff I want to throw at you. First, do you like action? Do you like this new breed of gore flick from Japan, often featuring the FX work of Yoshihiro Nishimura (The Machine Girl, Tokyo Gore Police)? How about nunchucks and swordfights? If you answered with a resounding yes, then the two of us have a lot in common – and you’ll probably find the following trailer for Hard Revenge, Milly: Bloody Battle pretty interesting!

Recently picked up along with the first film in this series to play at the New York Asian Film Fest, which if you don’t know is going ballistic with awesome stuff this year. Oh how I wish I lived closer! Anyhow, the basic plot for the sequel seems to pick up where the previous film left off with Milly having revenged the death of her husband and child, only now she must fight off the evil followers of the dastardly gent who had them killed. Probably not going to be a ton of plot to this one, and the English translation on the main site which you can see here, isn’t all that clear especially for those of us who haven’t seen the original. Who cares though, we’ll check both of ‘em out if Nishimura is involved! Now check out that trailer!

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Late Bloomer Review by Jon Jung
May 20th 2009

Well Jon’s been a pretty busy little bee here lately, but managed to take in Go Shibata’s new classic Late Bloomer. I caught this one a while back myself, and essentially agree with him on all counts. Not a perfect film, but unique and interesting in all the right ways. Definitely worth catching simply for the experience.

The Plot: Late Bloomer documents a severely disabled man, Sumida-san, who has made a life for himself hanging out with friends, drinking beer (a lot, at that), and checking out shows. In addition, Sumida-san is the director of a disabled home (as is the real-life actor, Masakiyo Sumida in a bit of verisimilitude) and well-cared for. Though this may seem like a rather content life, Sumida-san’s anger and frustration toward his disabilities provoke him to embark on a murderous rampage.

…CONTINUE READING THE REVIEW HERE…

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Sion Sono, Black Metal, English Language and… some guy from Twilight?
May 19th 2009

In news that makes you go “wait, hold on, WTF?” or possibly “Are you serious?”, Sion Sono (best known as the director behind Suicide Club and Noriko’s Dinner Table) really delivered with the strange on this one. I won’t lie, I don’t keep up with Sono’s career that much. He’s making waves currently with Love Exposure, which is supposed to be absolutely mind blowing and yet is also nearly four hours in length. I’m sorry, after Philosophy of a Knife it’s going to take some serious hype to get me to sit down that long again for one story. Although an interesting character, I just haven’t been in the type of mood to handle his recent films as of late.

Apparently, however it may have happened, he has been tapped as director for the upcoming Lords of Chaos feature film. His first English language production, it seems those interviews with his English teacher plastered all over youtube (some quite funny, search it out) have come in handy and he’s ready to take on directing a fairly large feature. Based off of a book that covered (amongs other things) the story of Varg Vikernes (AKA: Count Grishnackh the man behind Berzum and former bassist for Mayhem), who during the nineties helped burn down several churches and ultimately ended up killing fellow black metal musician Øystein Aarseth (AKA: Euronymous from Mayhem) by stabbing.

The really strange part is the lead, Varg will be played by Jackson Rathbone – teen heartthrob from Twilight. Although I haven’t seen Twilight (I have testicles and no girlfriend, why WOULD I see Twilight?), it’s just an overtly strange bit of casting but possibly indicative of how big this feature might be. Good for Sono, however I hope the production remains in his hands. This one could be a classic bit of “weird as hell” cinema!

Thanks to NipponCinema for the heads up!

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Kitano Returning to Yakuza Flicks?

The Woods – Review

HARD REVENGE MILLY!

Late Bloomer Review by Jon Jung

Sion Sono, Black Metal, English Language and… some guy from Twilight?


LATEST FORUM TOPICS "If YOU Could Remake A Flick..." "What Are You Listening to Right Now? (+ Optional Lyrics!)" "The Rue Morgue Sickest Films List" "The Wrestler" "Art of the Devil" "Ichi (Female Zatoichi Flick)" "Kitano to return to Yakuza?" THE RSS FEED Archives June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 May 2008 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 Links Bloody Disgusting C.H.U.D. FEARNet IGN Movies KFC Cinema KoreanFilm.org Mike Bracken’s Entertainment Reviews MonkeyPeaches Monsters At Play Nippon Cinema Rogue Cinema Severed Cinema Spaghetti Western.Net The Grindhouse Database The Horror Geek The Movies Made Me Do It The Tarantino Archives Twitch Film	Kitano Returning to Yakuza Flicks? June 24th 2009 A couple of things first. One, sorry for not posting so far this month guys. If you read the forum, you’ll know I’ve taken on some awkward living situations as of recent and don’t have a whole lot of time to myself these days. So, look for stuff on Sundays more than likely, but even then sometimes I can’t get to a computer. Anyway, the second thing, I may be the only person in the world who hasn’t enjoyed Takeshi Kitano’s recent forays. I thought Zatoichi was overyhyped, Takeshis was overywrought with silliness and truthfully I’ve lost a little bit of that anticipation for Kitano’s latest. However, hearing he’s returning to his Yakuza roots is definitely promising. It could be just more of his recent arthouse pap, but I’m hoping he really gets something out there with this one. Here’s the report from ryuganji. Kitano ‘Beat’ Takeshi’s 15th feature film looks set to go before the cameras in August. “It hasn’t been officially announced yet, but it’s unmistakably going to be about modern yakuza society. Also, in line with the wishes of investors, the cast will not feature actors from Kitano’s regular stable, but has Shiina Kippei as well as Kitano himself in the leading roles, with Miura Tomokazu and Kase Ryo in support.” (according to a film industry insider) We also understand that it will be shot on location in Kobe, the home ground of the Yamaguchi-gumi. “It seems Kitano was a bit spooked when he first learned he’d be filming in Kobe, but then he heard from local film people that the gang had shifted their base to Nagoya, and also found out that only recently lawyers had held anti-mob demos around the gang’s offices, so he was relieved to hear that their influence in Kobe was diminishing.” (according to a TV producer close to Kitano) Share and Enjoy: 1 Comment » The Woods – Review May 31st 2009 I know, haven’t been too terribly active as of late. My fault. Had a lot of personal stuff popping up this month that kind of kept me away. Anyhow, I have several reviews already written, just need to get time to post them. Which is what I’ve found today! Some time! And here we are with my review of Lucky McKee’s “The Woods”, a very well told spook story set in a all girl’s school. Definitely worth a look for fans of the filmmaker and those looking to see what the younger generation of horror fans are bringin to the table. The Plot: Heather Fasulo (Agnes Bruckner) is a troubled young lady. She simply can not stand authority figures and does everything in her power to take them down a notch. However, this attitude has got her into a fair amount of trouble and that’s why she’s headed to Falburn Academy, a boarding school for young women. Once there though, she begins to wish she never started any of the trouble that upset her mother the way it did. She’s an immediate outcast to most everyone, and the teaching staff treat her like some kind of vile creature unworthy of their attention. The only thing that keeps poor Heather sane is the meeting of her new friend Marcy, the one girl at school that actually seems to have any sense in her head. The rest all just bully the two of them. Things grow more worrisome as Heather begins to have nightmares on a regular basis, with the woods whispering to her and visions of a young girl. With this and several students coming up missing, just what is Heather in for while staying at Falburn? …CONTINUE READING THE REVIEW HERE… Share and Enjoy: No Comments » HARD REVENGE MILLY! May 28th 2009 Hey guys, quick little series of questions for you. Nothing too hard, just some basic stuff I want to throw at you. First, do you like action? Do you like this new breed of gore flick from Japan, often featuring the FX work of Yoshihiro Nishimura (The Machine Girl, Tokyo Gore Police)? How about nunchucks and swordfights? If you answered with a resounding yes, then the two of us have a lot in common – and you’ll probably find the following trailer for Hard Revenge, Milly: Bloody Battle pretty interesting! Recently picked up along with the first film in this series to play at the New York Asian Film Fest, which if you don’t know is going ballistic with awesome stuff this year. Oh how I wish I lived closer! Anyhow, the basic plot for the sequel seems to pick up where the previous film left off with Milly having revenged the death of her husband and child, only now she must fight off the evil followers of the dastardly gent who had them killed. Probably not going to be a ton of plot to this one, and the English translation on the main site which you can see here, isn’t all that clear especially for those of us who haven’t seen the original. Who cares though, we’ll check both of ‘em out if Nishimura is involved! Now check out that trailer! Share and Enjoy: No Comments » Late Bloomer Review by Jon Jung May 20th 2009 Well Jon’s been a pretty busy little bee here lately, but managed to take in Go Shibata’s new classic Late Bloomer. I caught this one a while back myself, and essentially agree with him on all counts. Not a perfect film, but unique and interesting in all the right ways. Definitely worth catching simply for the experience. The Plot: Late Bloomer documents a severely disabled man, Sumida-san, who has made a life for himself hanging out with friends, drinking beer (a lot, at that), and checking out shows. In addition, Sumida-san is the director of a disabled home (as is the real-life actor, Masakiyo Sumida in a bit of verisimilitude) and well-cared for. Though this may seem like a rather content life, Sumida-san’s anger and frustration toward his disabilities provoke him to embark on a murderous rampage. …CONTINUE READING THE REVIEW HERE… Share and Enjoy: No Comments » Sion Sono, Black Metal, English Language and… some guy from Twilight? May 19th 2009 In news that makes you go “wait, hold on, WTF?” or possibly “Are you serious?”, Sion Sono (best known as the director behind Suicide Club and Noriko’s Dinner Table) really delivered with the strange on this one. I won’t lie, I don’t keep up with Sono’s career that much. He’s making waves currently with Love Exposure, which is supposed to be absolutely mind blowing and yet is also nearly four hours in length. I’m sorry, after Philosophy of a Knife it’s going to take some serious hype to get me to sit down that long again for one story. Although an interesting character, I just haven’t been in the type of mood to handle his recent films as of late. Apparently, however it may have happened, he has been tapped as director for the upcoming Lords of Chaos feature film. His first English language production, it seems those interviews with his English teacher plastered all over youtube (some quite funny, search it out) have come in handy and he’s ready to take on directing a fairly large feature. Based off of a book that covered (amongs other things) the story of Varg Vikernes (AKA: Count Grishnackh the man behind Berzum and former bassist for Mayhem), who during the nineties helped burn down several churches and ultimately ended up killing fellow black metal musician Øystein Aarseth (AKA: Euronymous from Mayhem) by stabbing. The really strange part is the lead, Varg will be played by Jackson Rathbone – teen heartthrob from Twilight. Although I haven’t seen Twilight (I have testicles and no girlfriend, why WOULD I see Twilight?), it’s just an overtly strange bit of casting but possibly indicative of how big this feature might be. Good for Sono, however I hope the production remains in his hands. This one could be a classic bit of “weird as hell” cinema! Thanks to NipponCinema for the heads up! Share and Enjoy: No Comments » « Previous Entries	[az-index id=18]