dmeister72

"Rites of Spring" is a competent low-budget horror movie with a fairly interesting storyline that follows two seemingly unrelated situations as the paths of the two protagonists ultimately prove to converge and as the circumstances surrounding their connection to each other become clear. The result is part film noir, part slasher fare. But, for me at least, the plot kept me intrigued for the length of the movie.

While not necessarily ambitious, the special makeup effects were at least effective. Direction, cinematography, sound, and other "film stuffs" were all solid, at least to this casual viewer. Nothing stood as amateurish, which is obviously a potential concern for low-budget films.

The weakest aspect of this film, in my opinion, was its rather abrupt and somewhat anticlimactic ending. I was left with the feeling that the filmmakers had simply exhausted their budget, and were forced to wrap things up as quickly as possible.

The entire cast delivered believable performances, especially for such an obviously low-budget film. Anessa Ramsey, in particular, really stood out. I love low-budget, low-key horror films that are well done, because they feel more "personal" to me. So, for me at least, "Rites of Passage" was money well spent.

I've heard others suggest that too many elements of this film were borrowed from earlier films. Of course, the "earlier" films referred to by these individuals had, in turn, already borrowed much from even earlier films, so I'm not sure if there is really any point to arguing the absence of originality. At least it's not another remake!

"Sushi Girl" is a very competent crime drama in the vein of gritty, low-budget films like Reservoir Dogs. And I have no doubt that many others will make similar comparisons to this Tarantino flick.

Film industry veterans deliver competent performances in a movie that combines plenty of tension with subtle twists and turns. The violence is sometimes gratuitous but always powerful, although the torture porn promised by the trailers serves more as exhibitionism than anything.

Tony Todd arguably delivers the performance of his career. Hathaway, Hamill, Mackenzie, and Duvall all deliver competent performances that effectively keep the tension in the movie high.

Danny Trejo, Michael Biehn, and Jeff Fahey share a brief cameo scene that plays out like a Rodriguez Grindhouse reunion, although Fahey and Biehn are sadly underutilized in this movie. Sonny Chiba also makes a brief appearance.

Cortney Palm in the titular role serves mainly as eye candy for much of the movie, and absolutely fantastic looking eye candy at that, with what I would consider a perfect figure. But she also shines in those critical moments in front of the camera, whether she is delivering dialogue or just conveying subtle emotion with those expressive eyes of hers. And I'm sure that her performance here will garner her higher profile roles in the future.

All and all, "Sushi Girl" is a solid genre film with good acting, tight directing, and above average production values.