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An error has ocurred. Please try againNote: Didn't count Piranha 2 since he only got to direct scenes
Reviews
Mutafukaz (2017)
Disappointing
Starts off on a strong foot and gets inventive when it wants to, but the style isn't able to keep this from being an obnoxious, directionless mess that stops escalating fast. For a movie that unleashes the beast when a heart is set on fire, it's beat flat-out stops when it counts thanks to characatures that never develop past their introduction and a story that gives up. Such a shame for what seemed like a hip-hop mash-up of Akira and Tekkon Kinkreet.
1987 (2017)
The kind of film that makes national pride feel good
This movie goes between a nail-biting spy thriller, a gorgeous display of nature amid chaos, a hard-to-watch document of torture, and a rousing cry of patriotism all without slipping into exploitation. Contrary to what some people have said, I thought the movie found a way to celebrate the need for democracy amid oppression without painting the oppressors as cartoonishly evil. Every character had a role to play in this ensemble, in a story that truly encompassed a nation. Definitely paying more attention to this director for providing this masterpiece.
Koroshiya 1 (2001)
Interesting combination, but disappointing film
Rarely am I so conflicted on a film I dislike like "Ichi the Killer", but I guess that's appropriate for a movie that tries so much. I appreciate its attempt at marrying sadomasochism and abuse with tropes of yakuza films, slasher flicks, exploitation revenge fantasies, and superhero stories. There's some creative kills, trippy editing, and the theme of pain cycling between danger and pleasure is present. But how it's reflected in the story comes off as convoluted, overindulgent, and inconsistent in tone. The portrayal of sexual violence flip flops between cartoonish and disturbing, robbing it of impact despite it's notorious reputation. Ichi and Kakihara overshadow pretty much any character in terms of relevance (even Ichi's handler), yet only one of them has a fully-fleshed out arc. And while the plot points all tie together, it's done in a way that kills any momentum it built during its stretched-out runtime to where the climax is just one pathetic joke. Some of my complaints could be excused with "it's a black comedy", but in execution I found I was laughing at the movie rather than with it.
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
This is why I think this is the worst Indiana Jones film
To be honest, this isn't really a review, but a short statement of why I hate this movie, EVEN IF it is far from the worst movie ever. The big issue with this movie is how it handles it's tone. It's fine to change between tones to a certain extent in order to bring up its point, whether it be fear or laughs. The problem with this movie is that it ditches the previous tone altogether only to bring it back in the end.
When you start off your movie as a family adventure, then end up showing child slavery, graphic violence and an overall mean-spirited tone, you can't expect the viewers to laugh again once it reaches the end. Sure the first Indiana Jones had its share of gruesome violence, but it still kept the adventurous tone from start to finish.
There may be other problems, such as annoying characters and offensive stereotyping of Hindu cults. But considering the well-paced action and haunting music, these could be easily forgiven as cheesy fun.
The real reason why I hate this movie is that entire issue with the tone. If you want to be mean-spirited, keep it that way. If you want to be family-friendly, keep it that way. But don't expect that you can keep both of them and make an enjoyable experience.