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Red Sun (1971) Review With Clip!

June 26th 2010 20:40

This movie had four of the biggest stars in the world, whoever casted this movie must have had some rolidex,

Here in the States, Father's day was this past weekend and I headed over to my father's place with my two brothers with some baby swiss and trail bologna and spent some time with him I realize much of my eccentricity comes from my father, while he's a bit more a practical guy, I realized just recently my love of movies was garnered mainly from him. My father loves westerns and classic adventure films, especially the Tarzan films (He preferred Johnny Weissmuller over Buster Crabbe and I gotta agree with him). Watching films with my Dad was always fun, he knew things about what happened behind the scenes, and while he's not nearly as obsessive as I am about knowing the story behind movies his little factoids about moves he liked always seemed to make a movie more fun to watch.

I've always had a close relationship with my father, but I don't think we've ever connected more over a movie than when I came into the living room one day and saw him watching “Red Sun”. Now, at first glance, I thought it just another western until I caught sight of Toshiro Mifune in full samurai Garb. Now I was intrigued, Dad knew I was into martial arts and Japanese culture and my father loved westerns so I sat down and watch. “Red Sun” is perhaps one of the most interesting, international samurai/western films ever made. It stars American superstar Charles Bronson, Swiss actress Ursula Andress, Alain Deleon from France and UK actor Terrance Young and of course veteran of “The Seven Samurai” the aforementioned Toshiro Mifune. As far as I can tell, this movie is one of first attempts and melding eastern and western film making, telling a story that unifies both genres well

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Mystery Men (1999) Review

June 15th 2010 18:47

I took the tag line's advice and Expected the Unexpected, and what I got? I still didn't expect it!

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Waterworld (1995) Reveiw

June 10th 2010 04:21

“Waterworld” was the most expensive movie of all time by far when it was made at over 170 million dollars. It was only later surpassed by James Cameron's Titanic in 1998. Combine the Hollywood clout of superstar Kevin Costner and director Kevin Reynolds and you pretty much get a blank check from any producer.

Kevin Costner may have gotten some bad press about his performance, but he did a good job here.

Waterworld almost seems like a attempt at spending as much money as possible, the concept alone screams “expensive”. In a Nutshell, Waterworld is like “The Road Warrior” without roads, or land to put the road on, a world without land. Meaning that not only the entire production was one big outdoor location shot. Keep in mind this is before the days where CGI could easily scrub out bits of land that get caught in the shot, every last set had to be built from scratch, and able to float freely in the open sea.
As summarized in the opening crawl, the polar icecaps have melted, and the world is now one enormous ocean. People eke out a living on artificial islands called “Atols” or drifters that live on rotting old fishing boats, and live a life of trade and fishing for sustenance. A third group on this bleak backdrop is the Smokers, a cabal of jet-ski riding pirates who slaughter drifters and attack atols for supplies. Against this bleak backdrop, we meet an unnamed drifter who seems to have strange abilities, like staying underwater for longer than any man should be able to. He drifts to an atol in search of supplies, to find that like most atols they have almost nothing to offer him, being that they are slowly dieing. This Atol however has something special, a little girl with a mysterious tattoo on her back, that a few of the locals believe is the way to a mythical “Dry Land” the last bit of land in the world.
The story is hardly important, this is an action sci-fi film about cool stunts and explosions right? Well, sort of, the goofy and scientifically ridiculous concept is pretty hard to ignore. While the movie is exciting, and the story is compelling, you'll constantly find yourself questions as your watching it. How do the pirates refine oil? Where do they get bullets? Wouldn't all the wood and metal be rotted away after a few decades? Could the polar ice caps melting even really cover every bit of land? However, if you manage to turn your brain off for a while and just accept the concept, you'll find a very well made movie. Kevin Costner did an excellent job in the movie, playing the mysterious, stoic hero but even his performance pales in comparison to the late great Dennis Hopper who played the evil “Deacon” who rules over the Smokers with the ruthlessness of a dictator and the twisted charisma of a televangelist. The Deacon's demented speeches are delivered flawlessly by Hopper, one of Hollywood's most underrated supporting actors

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The Bucket Hall of Fame: Shaw Brothers Studio Back lot

June 2nd 2010 00:43

In America one thing we got a lot of is land, land enough for whatever we need. Especially the movie industry. You need a desert? We got those, a forest? No problem, city streets? New York, Chicago, LA, take your pick. We have tons of abandoned buildings, malls, even old jails for film makers

When you saw this, you knew you were in for somthing good.

to ply their trade. Hong Kong however, is a different story. While the island has a large population, a vibrant economy and a rich culture, one thing it lacks (through no fault of it's own) is places to film movies. Hong Kong is only 461 square miles in area, compare that to the 551 square miles of my home country of Wayne county Ohio, and you'll realize it's a tiny tiny island. Outside the vast downtown area, most of the wilderness areas is either private estates, or wildlife preserves, both of which are difficult to get permission to film on. To make matters worse, Hong Kong films are almost always period pieces, usually taking place around the Ching Dynasty, requiring no factories or hotels looming in the background of the shot. To avoid the difficulty of exterior shots, most Hong Kong films were shot off the island (usually in Australia) or more often on a sound stage. After “The One Armed Swordsman” got people craving more and more marital arts action films, the studio realized that the restrictions of indoor sets and the expenses of filming off-island wouldn't allow them to make the martial arts show-stoppers that they wanted to.
While based in Singapore, Run Run Shaw, and his brother Runme Shaw realized that the best pool of talent was in Hong Kong, so they worked hard to found a spot of land nestled between the mountains and the sea, where they could film in a relatively pristine environment with the sea on one side, and the undeveloped mountains on the other. Using this tiny stretch of wilderness, they films over a thousand movies between 1970 and 1997
Need to have a character walk from the mountains to the sea? It was as easy as turning the camera 180 degrees! Need a temple, A martial arts school, or a restaurant? All the bits and pieces of any building you'd need were already available, and the efficient staff of Shaw Brother studios were able to whip up almost any set in a matter of hours, then tear it down and get it out of the way of the next movie just as quick. This back lot has been used in over 1000 of the Shaw brothers films, and thanks to ingenious use of camera angles and extensive sets, you can never tell that almost all of the Shaw Brother exterior shots are filmed on the same two or three acres

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Posted By: Joshua the Samurai - Category: The Bucket Hall of Fame

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The Iron Giant (1999) Review

May 26th 2010 23:52

This guy is an action figure waiting to happen

semi-obscurity as a direct result. Many of us have heard of the Iron Giant, either the film or the child's book it's based on, but how many have really seen it outside the dusty young adult shelf at your local Video Safari? To those who have missed it, you've missed possibly one of the best animated films ever made. As well, as the first mainstream movie roll of Vin Diesel, though oddly enough most of his lines are the grunts and growls of a gigantic alien robot.
Brad Bird is an excellent writer, and animator and possibly one of the most unappreciated second bananas in Hollywood. Before he did “The Incredible” and “Ratatouille” with Pixar, making his mark on animation history, he did this conventionally animated film, based on the Ted Hughs book of the same name. Hogarth Hughs is a young boy who lost his father (we're not sure how, but it's hinted his father was a pilot in the Korean War) he lives in an old farmhouse with his mother, and whatever boarders come by. Hogarth is a bit of a pre-geek geek being that the story takes place in the 1950's, he likes monster movies and comic books (you can see why I relate to this guy) and doesn't have any real friends his own age since he was moved ahead a year in school. One night, while on an expedition in the woods, he finds a enormous crash-landed robot, with a case of robot Amnesia. The child-like robot eats metal, and Hogarth befriends him and helps him find metal that's safe to eat and avoid government agents out to track him down. One of the more memorable characters is dean, the beatnik scrapyard owner who finds himself the unwilling roommate of the massive giant who survives on the abundant metal of the scrapyard.
The animation is silky smooth, perhaps some of the most impressive hand-drawn animation I've ever seen. While it has a whimsical feel to it, it also has realistic and slightly dark feel. The movie is firmly in it's t1950's setting, everything form the costumes, to how people talk, to the trusting innocence of the people of the time. The movie's a near perfect period piece, and you can feel the innocence of the past slipping away, replaced by the cynicism and paranoia of the cold war. The voice cast is as impressive as the production, with Jennifer Anniston lending her voice to Hogarth's hard working mother, as Harry Connick Jr. Speaking for the amazingly cool Dean . . . and as the Giant himself, action superstar Vin Diesel. Of course, at this time Diesel was more known for his work in independent film and hadn't yet had his big break and was mostly known for his independent film work and music. Through heavy vocal special effects Diesel belched out scant dialogue like “Rock” and “Superman” being that the iron giant himself had few real lines. Of course what the big lug did say was memorable, in fact the giant himself gave what I believe to be the most memorable line of the film

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Ravenous (1999) Review

May 21st 2010 02:41

Cannibalism, has there ever been a more disgusting, yet appealing plot for a horror film? It's such a taboo subject it's almost guaranteed to get an audience squirming in disgust. From the despicable Hannibal Lecter, to the unfortunate documentarians of “Cannibal Holocaust” Hollywood has had a mixed relationship with this particular social taboo. The majority of the time, cannibalism plays a part in nightmarish horror/crime films or unintentionally hilarious grind house

At one point, production was halted becuase they ran out of fake blood . . .yeah

films. It's certainly hard to stand out in this crowd, but today's movie, “Ravenous” is a bizarre movie in no matter what crowd it's in.
“Ravenous” is the story of US army officer Jon Boyd, who fearing death cowardly played dead during a battle in the Mexican-American war. He found himself in a pile of dead soldiers behind enemy lines, and due to an unexplained burst of courage and energy, takes the Mexican command post. Knowing that Boyd wasn't really a hero, his superior officer punishes him by sending him to a remote mountain fort, populated by stoners, drunks, rejects and crazies who were likely assigned there to get them out of the way, similar to Boyd himself. Wintering in the distant mountain outpost isolated from support, the group rescues a frostbitten traveler who tells them a grisly story of survival and cannibalism. To give away any more would ruin plenty of well timed surprises so let's just say that by the end of this movie everyone at that fort winds up on the buffet, or standing in line with a plate.
As much as the film turns your stomach, it's dark sense of humor will have you laughing uncomfortably during what should be the movie's most tense moments. Often what your seeing is so absurd, disgusting, and believable you can't help but chuckle. The film's bizarre soundtrack is a mix of bluegrass, jazz and Native American chants, (I'm not joking) courtesy of “Foster's Social Orchestra” an experimental musical group. This soundtrack is odd, unsettling and surprisingly catchy, perfectly setting the mood for the grandiose horror of the film

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Only the Strong (1992) Review

May 18th 2010 20:34

The 80's were rife with martial arts mania, the combination of Kung Fu

Music give me power too,

Films as well as god-awful movies like “American Ninja” and such got people interested in martial arts. Sheldon Lettich was many of the film makers to cash in on this martial arts craze, giving us a number of martial arts films of note, like Kickboxer and Bloodsport. These weren't the goofy, flying swordsman wuxia films of the 70's they were brutal, realistic and had fairly interesting stories. Sheldon Lettich worked for realism in his films, giving us real American heroes, (Ironically played by a Jean Claude Van Damme, a Belgian). In 1991 he close to try and take his films in a new direction.
With the success of “The Karate Kid” and it's sequels, Lettich decided to try his hand at making a coming of age martial arts action film. Instead of going the Karate of Kung Fu Route, Lettich decided to go for something a bit unique. “Only the Strong” the story of Louis Stevens, a special forces soldier who spends time in Brazil, learning of the ways of Capoeira, a Brazilian martial art that as much a dance as it is a fighting style. He retires from the military and returns to his native Miami Florida, where his skill is displayed when helping one of the students fight off a drug dealer at his old high school, which by this time is a crumbling inner-city cliché of gang bangers and assorted delinquents. His old teacher friend comes up with a plan to reform the school, the badest of the bad became Louis' students, and learn the art of Capoeira hoping to reform them. Of course, this angers some of the local gangs for various reasons, and awakes a rival coporista in the neighborhood, and Louis must fight for his students future.
While it's predecessor “The Karate Kid” was from the kid's point of view, “Only the Strong” focuses on the adult, though seeing the change he effects in the kid's life is indeed inspiring. Controversial martial arts figure Frank Dux choreographed the fight scenes (he also choreographed the battles in Bloodsport, Lionheart and Kickboxer) and made one of his only on-screen appearances, in a fight scene as a man in a welding mask in a garage fight scene. Capoeira is one of the unusual and visually stunning fighting styles I've ever seen, and despite not being trained in the art himself before production leading man Marc Dacascos (the chairman himself) does an excellent job. The fight scenes are a bit tame compared to other Letich films, but are nonetheless satisfying. While some of it is a bit too reminiscent of an after school special, it definitely has it's strong points. As cornball as it is, I find it satisfying to see a guy fighting back against drug dealers and gangsters who take advantage of his students, and beating them to an inch of their lives. While this kind of thing is a poor way to affect real social change, it makes for a great movie. Check out “Only the Strong” and you'll agree Capoeira is a real show stopper.

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Phantasm AKA Never Dead (1972) Review

May 12th 2010 21:40

The 70's and 80's saw a wave of new and interesting horror films.

THe promotonal art had to be paid for by the studio, since the production was broke when release time came around.

In the past, Horror films were cautionary tales with mad scientists, mysteries and scary castles. They were classy, high society kind of affairs where men wore suits and sipped fine whiskey while regaling each other with arcane tales of the macabre. In the 70's horror films stopped being classy, they started being lowbrow gross out pictures with raunchy sex scenes and blood and guts scares. One of the Pioneers of these changes, is 1972's “Phantasm” a cult classic horror film that will make your skin crawl. Many have heard of it, few have seen it.
The Film tells the story of two brothers, who lost their parents before the film started. During the funeral of a murdered friend, Mike (the younger brother) sees the massive undertaker steal the casket after the funeral, putting the 600-pound casket into the hearse single handed. Weird to be sure, but form this point on the movie steadily increases in eeriness as it goes on. Starting fairly normally, and ending up at the point where you can't tell if what your seeing is a dream or reality.
The film received little backing from studios, and was made for remarkably little. Every penny was pinched during the production, the crew rented film equipment on weekends so they'd get it for an extra day, and instead of using Little people performers for the “Evil Dwarfs” (who are union, and therefore, expensive) the producers used children in heavy robes. However, watching the movie you can never tell it was made on a shoestring budget. the special effects are spooky because they're not typical special effect, but unusual things you may not have seen before. The 6-5 Angus Shrimm plays the real star of the movie, the infinitely creepy and seemingly invulnerable “Tall Man” who mercilessly torments the main characters, and presides over all the ensuing weirdness. One of the more memorable evil creatures in the

I've had migraines that felt something like that

movie is the infamous "Ball" that flies under it's own power, and kills you by hooking itself into your skull and drilling into it, pulling your brains out though a tiny hole. One of the more frightening and original movie bad guys ever

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Bucket Snippet: Movies Lost forever

May 10th 2010 18:38

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Big Man Japan (2007) Review

May 6th 2010 06:13

Well he's from japan, and he's pretty big. The movie delivers what it promises!

I see a lot of strange films, a casualty of my particular interests. In my quest to find the best unknown films of all time, I've seen the surreal and bizarre, the freaky and the frightening, the grotesque and the vulgar. Japan seems the be the land of weird, as far as movies go, so it's no surprised a Japanese independent film would possibly be one of the weirdest things the islands could produce. Big Man Japan, is an independent film by Hitoshi Matsumoto who wrote, directed and played the staring role.
It's hard to categorize this movie, but I'd have to say it's a dark comedy, done in the form of a TV show mockumentary about a Superhero named Masuru, who has the ability to grow to the size of a giant when jolted with enough electricity. Most of the film is from the point of view of an anonymous interviewer who follows Masuru around though hisdaily routines. We find most of his life is fairly mundane, he shops, gets noodles at a restaurant, sits in the park, only occasionally does he have to use his powers to fight of bizarre and grotesque giant monsters who cause trouble in the city. Aside from fighting giant monsters, his life kinda sucks. He's a failure as a husband to his estranged wife who can't stand him, and while he loves his daughter, she could care

The Life of a Superhero can be pretty mundane sometimes,

less about him or what he does. While a bit of a coward Masaru seems like a genuinely good man who only wants a little respect.
Strangely enough, despite the fact he is the only one protecting the city from the big monsters, Masuru isn't to popular with the Japanese people. People interviewed people complained about his flabby looks, noise pollution and collateral damage caused during his battles. The glory days of monster fighters was during Masuru's grandfather's time, when giant heroes like him were major celebrities. Masuru's house is decorated with pictures of his grandfather and father, as well as merchandise like trading cards and action figures. The fantasy of this movie is made totally believable though clever and subtle special effects. The directing is superb, though the giant monster fights are a bit amateurish, but the rest of the film's documentary style footage is believable and a joy to watch. It's a laugh out loud parody of the monster Genre

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Red Sun (1971) Review With Clip!	Mystery Men (1999) Review	Waterworld (1995) Reveiw
The Bucket Hall of Fame: Shaw Brothers Studio Back lot	The Iron Giant (1999) Review	Ravenous (1999) Review
Only the Strong (1992) Review	Phantasm AKA Never Dead (1972) Review	Bucket Snippet: Movies Lost forever
Big Man Japan (2007) Review	Bucket Hall of Fame: The Toho Big Pool	Mercury Man (2006) Review
Chocolate (2008) Review	Equilibrium (2002) Review	A Flower of Flesh and Blood (1984) Review