In a world filled with boy wizards, and dragons, every time I think the fantasy world is dead, there’s always someone who swoops in to reclaim the throne and show us that indeed the fantasy genre is still alive and well. All it needs is much imagination and no derivation. It’s not a hard concept to grasp, and it’s not a hard task to accomplish. Every time I receive an opposing argument on that declaration, two words will come from my lips: “Pan’s Labyrinth.” This would be the part where I’d compare this to fodder like “Legend,” and “Alice in Wonderland,” but Del Toro’s film is one of its own kind. Much like Del Toro’s previous “The Devil’s Backbone,” “Pan’s Labyrinth” is unlike anything you can imagine watching.
Tag Archives: Masterpiece
Hard Boiled (Laat Sau Sen Taan) (1992)
“Give the guy a gun and he’s superman, give him two and he’s God.”
The nineties were a time of some of the greatest movies ever made; years from now movie buffs will recollect how the nineties brought about some of the greatest films in history. One of which will be “Hard Boiled.” While Woo’s crime drama may not be the greatest action movie I’ve ever seen, it sure is excellent. Plus, it’s not surprising it’s been considered a classic of the genre, and catapulted Woo as a legend. Great action movies are timeless; ‘Scarface,’ ‘Dirty Harry,’ ‘The Getaway,’ and John Woo’s action epic “Hard Boiled” has yet to show any age at all, considering it was made at the start of the nineties. Woo’s action film is a wonderful cocktail of brains and fantastic action that will keep you glued to your seat.
Half Nelson (2006)
If you’ve ever seen a friend. A loved one. Or a confidant on a downhill slope in his or her life, then “Half Nelson” will surely hit home for you. It hit home for me, and that’s because what occurs here is all too real. Basically, the universal message, the entire message of “Half Nelson” is that our heroes are in fact human, and eventually the people we look up to, people we think are invincible, are in actuality human with flaws, vices, and even addictions, and we’ll discover that eventually, and we may never be able to understand it. But our heroes will in effect be just human, that can not escape their trappings regardless of what you do for them. For Mr. Dunn, his fate is inevitable, and it’s only a matter of time before he faces that.
Hard Candy (2005)
Those upset by the ex-pedophile makes good story of “The Woodsman” may find consolation in “Hard Candy”, which is basically just a film about a pedophile that gets what he had coming to him all this time. While “The Woodsman” is basically about redemption “Hard Candy” is very much a one-sided revenge flick in the vein of “I Spit on Your Grave”, and “Audition”. Incidentally enough, both films with opposite depictions of pedophilia bear the same red riding hood metaphors. “Hard Candy” begins with the glow of a computer screen with two people chatting online and engaging in heavy flirting and finally, after a run around, decides to meet up. The two people in question are a fourteen year old named Hayley, and Jeff, a man in his thirties.
The Big Lebowski (1998)
“The Big Lebowski” is probably my favorite Coen brothers film so far, even above “Fargo” in terms of sheer brilliance. “The Big Lebowski” is sort of a celebration of being a man, or in other terms, it’s a celebration of being a dude. Or The Dude. Or duder. Or El Duderino. But the pure fact remains that Bridges is a pure bad ass in anything he’s in and he shows it by being simply “The Dude”. Don’t ever call him Jeff Lebowski, though, it’s the dude. And that’s just the way he likes it. The Dude who lives at the bowling alley, hangs out with his psychotic friends, experiences rivalries with other bowlers, and just has fun finds himself in a humongous crime plot one night after returning home. Upon his return he discovers someone pissing on his carpet and is beaten up in his apartment. It so happens The Dude has been confused with another dude by the name of Jeff Lebowski, a millionaire whose daughter has been kidnapped.
Audition (Ôdishon) (1999)
I don’t know what to say about “Audition”. For a film that’s rapidly become a standard viewing for the horror genre, I’m just dumbfounded. Why hasn’t the mainstream noticed Takashe Miike yet? I mean fully noticed. This man is a genius. He’s not just some director giving us gore, gore for no damn reason (*cough*EliRoth*cough*) but a man who provides the gore as a way of expressing his story. “Audition” is one of those films. It’s a reflection of Miike’s sick mind, a man who twists his audience in so much directions, that you leave feeling violated and stunned. With “Audition” I was offended, I was shocked, and I was stunned.
My Neighbor Totoro (Tonari No Totoro) (1988)
You’ve probably read this in my Miyazaki reviews possibly a thousand times, and I know if you say something enough it loses its meaning, but, who gives a crap? Miyazaki is a genius. There’s nothing else I can say. Words in the human language can’t express how brilliant Miyazaki is. Should I apologize for repeating this over and over in every review? I wouldn’t have to if you ever saw a film from the director. “My Neighbor Totoro” is the pure essence of Miyazaki. A man with a true clutch on the child spirit and imagination. He knows children, he knows how to touch children’s core emotions, and he uses that to express his wildest machinations. “My Neighbor Totoro” is without a doubt one of the sweetest and most heartbreaking animated films I’ve ever seen. Bar none.