Recensioni di S_Craig_Zahler

The first dozen episodes of Ultraman Leo are quite special.

These have great Showa era kitchen sink monster designs with tons of textures and spew real fire or vapor or soap. The fights end with lots of violent dismemberments---Leo often rips out fangs and fins and then stabs his enemies with these weaponized bits. Also, the drama portions of these shows are largely brutal martial arts training sequences akin to those found in Lau Kar Leung's Enter the 36th Chamber and 8 Diagram Pole Fighter.

BUT the show then progresses to more toddler-centric story lines with shrill kids shrieking and overacting and making almost all of the non-fight stuff a bit of a chore to sit through. The monsters remain cool, especially the UFO/flying saucer designs, but the battles are toned down/less violent by the last third as well.

The original Ultraman series and Ultraman X are better uses of your Ultratime.

Ultraman X is perhaps the most consistently enjoyable tokusatsu show of the 30+ I've watched in their entirety, though it lacks the engrossing larger narrative and emotional crescendos of shows like Gaim, Go-Busters, and Shinkenger and even the dramatic highs of less solid shows like Jetman, W, Kuuga, and Fourze.

The protagonist/Ultra-partner Daichi looks and acts a bit too slack-jawed and clueless throughout the show, but the rest of the cast is earnest and likable, especially the two commanding officers.

The original monster designs, classic creature reinventions (esp. Red King, Mecha Gamora, and Cyber Gamora), ultra-armor, occasional forays into slice of life drama, and 24-episode length make this show a pleasure to watch from the very first episode. The sense of scale is quite good, and the miniatures constructed for the city buildings and cars are especially good---though I wish the Xio Team vehicles were all practical objects as well (they resorted to CG for these).

Ultraman X is lots of fun, and a good entry point for anybody who wants to see what tokusatsu shows are about.

Although the phrase 'The best Michael Bay movie ever' may not be an actual compliment in a lot of circles, '13 Hours' is a solid 7 out of 10 and better than almost every movie that I saw in 2015. It is the successful modern warfare movie that the highly confusing 'Black Hawk Down' and the very dull 'Zero Dark Thirty' were not.

Showcasing a big cast of likable (and discernible) characters and some good (albeit slightly confusing) action set pieces, this movie bears comparisons to the HBO series 'Band of Brothers' and 'Generation Kill,' which it more strongly resembles, but it is actually a bit better than those good shows, thanks to the very likable, better differentiated ensemble cast of characters and the uncomfortable, but steady ratcheting of the plot. And unlike 'Black Hawk Down' and 'Zero Dark Thirty' almost all of the drama here actually works. The grisly moments are well--and dryly--handled, and the performances are good, and in some cases--such as with Schreiber, Denman, and Krasinski--very good.

None of the flaws are severe. Mostly, they are limited to the (expected) overcutting of the material, the occasional stylistic flourishes that don't quite gel with the rest of the movie (e.g. the mortar shell point of view), some scenes that are explained rather than shown (eg. the guarding the ambassador during his public appearance), and a handful of line readings of the wisecracking dialogue that don't seem as natural as those that are in the rest of the movie.

In terms of morals and messages, '13 Hours' was noticeably grayer than I was expecting it to be, especially considering the director and that it was based on a true story. If I did not know who directed this, my first guess would actually have been Michael Mann--the visuals really have that lose, purposefully ugly 'Collatera'l and 'Miami Vice' (2006) feel--though this is certainly a much more sentimental picture than anything that Mann has made in decades. A surprisingly good ensemble war event along the lines of 'Men in War' (1957) and 'Battleground' (1949). Recommended.

Without question, Go-Busters has the best robot battles I have seen in a tokusatsu show, which is of no small importance in a Super Sentai series. The robots are really well done and the staging of their battles is superb. Tons of great mecha designs, each with multiple forms, and a more modern take on the sentai suit designs as well.

Although the series might crescendo twice, the likable cast and central mystery (about a missing group of scientists that disappeared to another dimension to aid humanity) keeps things fun and engaging in every single episode, even if it is a bit sillier than most of my other favorites.

Yet another thoughtful, well planned work by writer Yasuko Kobayashi.

Beware of chickens!

Surprising turns, cool speculative concepts, and a big likable cast make this my favorite tokusatsu series to date. Despite the inherent silliness of the fruits concept, Kamen Rider Gaim is an emotional, exciting, and philosophically deep fantasy adventure. An incredibly ambitious fighting science fantasy show only hindered by some pretty nutty fruit costumes and the overacting typically found in tokusatsu, though some of the cast is very solid--Kouto and Mitsuzane in particular. It's not surprising that this show was scripted by Gen Urobuchi, who also was behind Puella Magi Madoka Magica, a truly boundary pushing, beautiful, and superb magical girl anime. Kamen Rider Gaim is wholly unpredictable and smart--this one's a great gateway into tokusatsu for those who wonder at its merits, though I've not yet seen it's equal.

Deliberately paced vivisections are the meat of this nearly plot less gore exploration, which in quite a few ways tops the original Japanese Guinea Pig series whence it sprung. Although many will complain of the lack of dramatic content, this movie is a hideous spectacle that displays creativity in ways other than developing an interesting "plot" or "characters"...and these ways are for the most part exceedingly nasty. Some angles and films stocks and effects look more realistic than others, but most of the rough stuff plays pretty well or very well. It is no small achievement that after nearly an hour of carnage, Biro, Koch, Bebber, and company manage plumb the most disturbing depths in the final gore sequences and epilogue.

Included are some quite memorable usages of needles, a crucifix, and branch clippers...

Another atmospheric, creative and original gem by my favorite horror director of the 21st century, Brian Paulin. More of a slow build experience than his last three movies, so be patient with this one. It contains stronger performances than in his previous outings (both Olsen & Paulin) and a stunning end sequence.

Like other Paulin movies, Cryptic Plasm is a DIY confluence of Italian Horror (especially Fulci), the Guinea Pig series, Tetsuo: Iron man, anime, and 80s horror, but in the end, his approach and varied influences yield a very distinct art. Nothing else feels quite like a Brian Paulin movie...except other Brian Paulin movies.

Like Blood Pigs, Bone Sickness, and Fetus (which is my top favorite Paulin movie), Cryptic Plasm shows things that few micro budgeted movies would dare attempt and for me these achievements in scope and vision overwhelm any and all technical flaws...and often enhance the atmosphere and personality of the piece.

Recommended to people who want to see distinct, homegrown, creative indie horror.

Although Michael Todd Schneider is probably best known in the horror underground for his role as Maggot in the envelope-pushing Mordum picture in the August Underground series, his movie ...And Then I Helped is more compelling in all departments.

Surely, people who want a gorefest or an easy experience or a conventional one might be frustrated by the deliberate pace of this moody picture, and its obscured narrative, which is rather dreamlike. This isn't for everyone, though I think the artistic merit might actually appeal to people outside the hardcore gore crowd. Though yes, there is some quality splatter here.

Blurry and at times opaque, ...And Then I Helped is a visual poem---often free form with pinwheeling camera moves, odd cutaways and very over-saturated colors. It is engaging when no violence is upon the screen, though not from a character or plot standpoint as much as from the atmospherics and lush visuals and interesting angles. I'd prefer for it to have fewer edits in some of the scenes, though Schneider (also the editor) does find good rhythms most of the time. The textures, tone and trajectory had me involved for it's duration.

Reference points are things like Inland Empire, Mutilation Man, Lost Highway, Julien Donkey Boy, Easy Rider, and Natural Born Killers, as much as they are the more typical (and of course excellent) horror pictures like Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Don't Torture a Duckling. So yeah, I'm pointing to a pretty varied palette to describe what Schneider is doing, because it is unique.

Patient viewers will be rewarded: ...And I Helped is in no rush, which is part of its appeal, and it gets better as it progresses, heightening tension and atmosphere and overall interest.

Schneider has a distinct voice and it's clear he's bringing varied influences and a lot of talent to a genre overpopulated with people who are content to simply copy the masters. I purchased a limited edition DVD directly from his site and advise others to do the same and support this talented fellow.

sharknado is the very best asylum / syfy TV movie i've ever seen and actually one of the only ones to rise above a 4. i'm glad to see the best one have such success--i saw it at a midnight screening in union square new york.

i hate the term guilty pleasure, because i feel no guilt when i enjoy a movie that delivers what it promises. sharknado delivers. it does not promise existential dilemma nor poignant allegory. it promises a feature length experience centered on the concept of sharks in a tornado...and succeeds.

the only real close competition from the syfy folks is air collision, which is an incredible piling on of the unbelievable and the illogical that seems conceived of by an imaginative child. like air collision, sharknado is a commendable example of how to take one event and stretch it out to feature length, which is no easy task when the event is 'sharks in a tornado' or 'two planes are about to crash in midair.'

amazingly, sharknado does not pad it's first act with drama minutiae, but quickly deliver some action and so the escalation of events really continues throughout the whole movie. and when the sharknado is finally glimpsed, it is actually pretty stunning to look at---certainly the zenith achievement of cg visual fx in a syfy movie.

intentional and unintentional humor fills the movie, and there's also stuff where i can't tell if they knew it was funny or not---such as the melodramatic monologues---but i had tears pouring down at one point i was laughing so hard. and there is a coincidence towards the end that may be the single funniest and least likely coincidence in movie history.

sharknado whirls quickly from one creative set piece to another and is engaging throughout.

a solid b picture from asylum, and their finest hour. i hope to see more at this level, because i like this energetic and creative low budget picture far more than most of the 100 million dollar pieces of junk i've seen come out of Hollywood in the last few years.

The content of French indie gem Blackaria is the style--- its lush and oblique presentation of its giallo content.

Giallo can mean a lot of things, but here I use the term to mean stylishly-photographed horror-mystery with lingering shots of gore and unclothed females and a puzzling sensibility throughout akin to dreaming. No more or less logical than things like House by the Cemetery or Inferno, and similarly entertaining, Blackaria is a collection of dreamy and lush visual sequences. Lighted with the strong reds and blues of vintage Argento and misty like Fulci, Blackaria is an atmospheric and convoluted concoction of blades, blood and breasts.

I saw an Argento interview where he said that Sergio Leone told him that the center of Once Upon a Time in the West was not the plot or actors, but the camera and Blackaria follows in that tradition, offering an experience that is violent, erotic, puzzling and atmospheric.