WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE [2009]

Spike Jonze takes up the near impossible task of turning Maurice Sendak's children's book Where The Wild Things Are into a feature length film.  

Now it was this book and Jim Henson's imagination that molded me into the wreck that I am today, so I went into this film with extreme caution.  So I was happy to come out of it satisfied and in awe of what Jonze did with the story.  It captures the feelings of a child's frustration, rage and imagination quite well, while he is learns to see his own self through the lives of these confused and larger than life monsters.  

Also, there was something in my eye a few times throughout the film.  

3½ owls of nonsensical wisdom out of 5

Countess Dracula (1971)

Hammer Horror starring Ingrid Pitt. Despite the Dracula name being up there, there are no vampires in this one. It’s the story of the infamous and cruel Countess Elizabeth Báthory. It more closely resembles a court scandal period drama than a typical horror. It gave Ingrid the role she became most famous for, but there are much better films to be found in the Hammer catalogue. Ingrid lovers will be after my blood now.

2½ gentlemanly moustaches out of 5

Fire and Ice (1983)

Fire and Ice is a collaboration between director Ralph Bakshi and fantasy illustrator Frank Frazetta, using the same rotoscoping technique that Bakshi used in previous films. It’s a technique that gives the character movement a vibrancy and authenticity that traditional hand drawn animation had at that time struggled to emulate effectively.
Sadly, the plot is thinner than muslin cloth. A girl with a fat ass runs a lot, and two kingdoms go to war because of her. That's really all there is to it.

3 but only if you're a fan of Frazetta or animation out of 5

Crying Freeman (1995)

The Freeman is a Chinese assassin that exists in myth and legend, called upon only when needed. If you're unlucky enough to see him in action, then you too must die. That's his code. That's his curse.
CF is one of my guilty pleasures. I adore every minute of it. It's based on a Japanese comic book that was also adapted into a successful anime.
The acting is just above average, not helped at times by the last-minute ADR.
The story drifts into mystical bullshit halfway through.
The ending is both wonderful and face-palm bad. And yet, it's so much guilty fun. Viewed as a live action manga/anime, it's a huge success.

3½ Sons of the Dragon out of 5

Cold Fish (2010)

When compared to Love Exposure, Cold Fish feels almost ordinary. Sure, it's a movie about tropical fish salesmen and old man sex and ghastly murders, but it has a reasonably coherent plot and a 2 and 1/2 hour runtime. Sounds like fun for the whole family!

The editing is spectacular, full of rapid back and forth scene changes that feel completely fluid. Shamoto very hard to read, but that makes him fascinating, and his transformation is riveting. However, the violence in the film is brutal, intense, and misogynistic in a way that can be excruciatingly uncomfortable to watch. Sometimes I felt like Sono was more interested in cruelty than his characters, but it's called the Hate trilogy for a reason. Still, the black comedy is well executed, and if I have the stomach for it, I might go back and watch this again.

3 bones covered in soy sauce out of 5.

A MIGHTY WIND [2003]

Christopher Guest continues with the funny with his hilarious folk music mockumentary A Mighty Wind.  Guest opts to go for more of an emotional story than his previous films and it gives the chance for the actors to show they aren't just funny but can really capture realistic character traits as well.  It's done so well I swear if I didn't know it was a Guest film I would have thought it was a real documentary with really weird people in it.  It's not Guest's funniest film but certainly his most heartfelt.

4 folk rockin' Spinal Taps out of 5

ARGO [2012]

With two great films under his director's belt, Ben Affleck proves that he didn't just get lucky with the old school styled thriller Argo.  Based on the events of the Canadian Caper, Affleck wisely decides to lighten the mood a  bit compared to his previous films with some dark humour while never sacrificing the tension he does so well at building up.  Acting more like a thriller from the era the story takes place in, Argo hits you with story & character development rather than flashy, loud edits and sound.
It's get some of it's facts wrong but in the end it doesn't matter, as it keeps you gripped to your seat with excitement and intrigue.

4  "argo fuck yourselves" out of 5

LOOPER [2012]

Writer/director Rian Johnson works with a bigger palate on his third feature film, the sci-fi thriller Looper.  Casting Joseph Gordon-Levitt as a young Bruce Willis is a little distracting at times, due to bizarre looking contact lenses & make-up but as the film progresses you forget due to the fascinating story unfolding before you.  Nerds will piss & moan about the time-travelling plotholes but that's missing the point of the film.  It's not about time-travelling...it's about choices & consequences.  It may not be a perfect film but certainly a damned fine entertaining one.

4 froggy warnings out of 5

BEST IN SHOW [2000]

Christopher Guest assembles his usual group of actors to bring on the funny with their knack of incredible improv in the mockumentary Best In Show.  

The film focuses on a group of flaky, neurotic individuals who all live their lives through their canine companions, as they all come together to compete in a national dog show.  There's more than enough folks who just simply didn't understand the humor in this film but for those that do, it's a piss-your-pants laugh-a-thon.  

4 telepathic bloodhounds out of 5

Hitman (1998)

aka: Contract Killer

Martial arts action comedy that I think would've benefited from having less of the comedy and more of the martial arts. Jet fumbles through most of it with a Jackie Chan style innocence, until the finale lets him show what he can do when untamed. He kicks better than he acts.

I enjoy watching Eric Tsang, but he too is capable of much more than this.

2½ new suits out of 5

The Vampire Lovers (1970)

Hammer Horror starring Scream Queen Ingrid Pitt and featuring the wonderful Peter Cushing. The film attempts to disguise its lack of plot by having Ingrid’s cleavage heaving all over the frame and lusty busty lesbian embraces, but anyone over the age of twelve will see through that instantly.
Besides its enjoyably shameful tactics it’s a fun frolic through the vaults of alternative vampire lore in the usual Hammer style.
It’s the first part of the loosely connected Karnstein Trilogy; the others are Lust for a Vampire (1971) and Twins of Evil (1972).

3 not very clever pseudonyms out of 5

Bangkok Dangerous (1999)

Kong doesn't flinch as he kills because he can’t hear the cries of his victims or the thunder of the gun; he's deaf and mute.
An early film from the Pang Brothers in which they try hard to find an artistic voice and succeed most of the time. It’s exciting to watch it develop; like early John Woo. It’s dark, visually and thematically, lit partly by the surfacing emotions of the hard-boiled protagonist, but mostly it stays in the shadows.

3½ stylish kills and equally stylish cuts out of 5

THIS IS SPINAL TAP [1984]

Rob Reiner's theatrical feature length directorial debut, This Is Spinal Tap is probably one of the funniest rock music satires ever.

This mockumentary cult classic captures the lifestyles of the '80's heavy metal band so well, many real metal musicians of it's time failed to see the humor in it, some going so far as to saying "it's exactly like us. Why is it so funny?"

Spinal Tap members themselves, Christopher Guest, Michael McKean & Harry Shearer are top-notch ab-libbers and seem like the genuine thing, something they would only get better at at they prove in Guest's future films.  

4 crotch zucchinis out of 5

WAITING FOR GUFFMAN [1997]

Writer/director Christopher Guest (This Is Spinal Tap's guitarist) returns to his mockumentary roots in Waiting For Guffman.

Edited down from 60 hours of completely ad-libbed material, Guest's hilarious concept is brought to life with an insanely funny & talented cast.  It's got enough upfront funny bits but with repeat viewing you'll notice all sorts of little subtly placed jokes and gags that easily cements it as a comedy diamond in the rough.

4 Stool Capitols of the World out of 5

GOON [2012]

Michael Dowse, writer/director of the hilariously disturbing Fubar films, hits the ice with the Jay Baruchel & Evan Goldberg scripted Goon.

It's pure Canadian hockey humour that will probably fly over most folks' heads and possibly shock some along the way.  It's brutally violent and filled with some overly filthy Canadian language but somehow manages to ground itself with a lot of heart.  It's a little unfocused, flat on character development and rushed at times but packs in just enough laughs to be forgiveable.  

3 Trailer Park Boys out of 5