goldenhairedone

The first three "Female Convict Scorpion" movies, which are the only ones directed by Shunya Ito, are part of the same series but are entirely different entities structurally. The first one is a fairly straight-forward 'women in prison' flick, the second is a piece of great avant-garde film-making, and the third is a slow paced character study. In fact, for most of the movie it is pure Japanese drama, especially the first half, and most viewers would be hard pressed to pigeonhole the movie with just calling it an exploitation film.

Not to say it is completely separate from the other two. Matsu is still her usual quiet self, albeit with a few more lines than normal, and the men are still complete scumbags. She's still running from the cops and using any pointy object she can get her hands on, but she is also keeping a steady job sewing, which is a strange sight to see for any fan of Matsu's previous exploits. She soon finds herself in a situation defending herself and two prostitutes against a local gangs, and violence obviously ensues.

So is it actually any good? For most part, yes, yes it is. The pacing is definitely slower but works well with its new rhythm. It just that it really does not go anywhere with all its character development that fills the first half, and the carnage that ensues does not the fun spirit of its predecessors. Its still a very colorful and stylish film, with some really memorable scenes, but it leaves you wondering why such an otherwise energetic trilogy had to end on a period, and not the exclamation point that its avid fans had all been expecting.

6/10

When I first saw the box of Vulgar at Blockbuster, I thought of it as just lowest common denominator B-flick. And as if "Killer Klowns from Outer Space" wasn't enough, we now have yet another killer clown movie. What I found out was that it had two big differences. For one thing: they were not from outer space. The other being that the movie that the character of Vulgar inhabits is actually a pretty good one.

The story involves a clown(played by Brian O'Halloran of "Clerks" fame) who lives a fairly happy life. You see his everyday life and his trials and tribulations. No surprises yet. Fast forward about 30 minutes and you'll find that he gets a mysterious birthday party request, which he unfortunately goes to. It is here that he is brutally raped. The filmmakers go just far enough to make the scene shocking, but they tastefully do not go overboard. It is from here that he deals with it the best he can, which of course culminates in him taking revenge on his violators. Sort of like a "I spit on your Grave" with clowns.

This is an ultra low-budget feature though, so it comes with the necessities such as poor shots, lousy production values, and some atrocious acting(with O'Halloran being the notable exception). It is a fun movie though, assuming you can look past the rape scene. And with Kevin Smith producing it (as well as a cameo!), it really does not matter what I say. Even if the film was just nonstop clown sodomy, it probably could not turn the average Askew fan away from it.

Although being known for practically starting the vigilante genre, "Death Wish" is not the daring masterpiece one would expect from a "first" in cinema. But it is a entertaining little picture, predictable but entertaining, poorly acted yet impassioned, and with a clever use of a society that was already becoming obsessed with serial killers, ideas that would later be used to full effect in films such "Natural Born Killers" and "Man Bites Dog". Unfortunately, in this movie it's more of just a plot device to have a happier ending.

Which is probably just what this movie needed. Even in the optimistic early scenes of Paul(Charles Bronson) together with his wife Joanna(Hope Lange) have a very dry and lifeless feel to them. This of course goes from bad to worse when she is brutally killed by three random hooligans. Their daughter survives but is raped in the process and becomes a vegetable for the rest of the movie.

Surprisingly, Bronson does not immediately grab the closest gun in sight. He just kind of shuffles around mourning over his family. Filmmakers would basically get rid of this type of scene in all subsequent films of this genre, including the "Death Wish" sequels. Probably for the best though, as they become dead weight in a genre not known for it's emotional side. Afterwards though, is when the real movie begins. And not to spoil anything, but he kills a lot of people. All the while the media eats it up, causing many New Yorkers to proclaim him a present day hero.

If it weren't for these last 30 minutes, this film would not receive it's present score. Instead its a soulless B-movie, but with a healthy amount of action and Bronson at top form. For better or worse, this is truly one of the best of it's kind.