Bloody Fun

I was looking for a Halloween movie to see. And I finally found one.

But it did take some doing as I needed to order it online due to the local retail stores not carrying copies.

Why would anyone want to carry the Asian movie that has the title, “Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl”? The title alone would make a person scratch his or her head. But it is a classic title. That alone should have the reason for mainstream shelves to get a hold of a copy.

But I did see it.

And liked it a lot.

More than that, I think it’s one of the best films of the year simply because it’s just whacky fun. I can’t imagine anyone with a weak stomach struggling through it. But those who like exaggerated gore high spun into a kinetic craziness that’ll make your head spin, this is for you.

And heads do spin in this film. Roll and explode in some cases.

The gore fest jacked up to the Nth degree comes from the warped minds who gave us the Asian classics “Machine Gun Girl” and “Toyko Gore Police” which parodies the alarming amounts of blood in horror movies. Times a hundred. There’s enough blood that you can jump into a swimming pool of it. Buckets of blood.

There is one scene where the vampire girl takes a bite out of a man trying to take advantage of her. The roles are reversed here where the man is usually the dominate. But here the girl is swift as a knife and has the bite of death. Literally. You’ll see the stump of his head is spraying oodles of red in a very colorful scenery. It is like watching the film scene of “Singing in the Rain”… except it’s raining blood here.

However, the story revolves one thing: love.

It is a love story. But the strangest one. Based on a Japanese manga by Shungiku Uchida.

It’s a love triangle which invokes a lot of bizarre twists and turns throughout the film which only lasts 85 minutes. It's the right length for such a film.

There is a high school transfer student/teenage vampire named Monami, forever youthful, who wants a colleague named Mizushima who she thinks is a hunk. You can’t really seen why. He’s a dork. But I like the fact that the story is told through his point of view.

But he’s already taken. He belongs to the abusive antics of the vice-principal/science professor's daughter Keiko. Mizushima isn’t sure which way he’s going. He’s confused as a lame duck and has no idea who he wants.

One of the interesting traditions in the film is the girl offering a chocolate to the boy as an expression of love. I didn’t go into the research of this. But it’s certainly a different approach to dating.

Push comes to shove. And soon the boy falls into the middle of a struggle between the two girls. This is where things go nuts.

It becomes a cat-fight between the girls over one man.

I love the visual effects of the film… there isn’t many. They're well done when there's a need. And the film is still done cheaply. But it’s clever stuff. There are some nice scenes where you see how a vampire "sees"… people become blueprints of blood vessels as they walk around.

Naturally, this film comes from a different culture. The Japanese always had an interesting take on violence. There are many themes of violence in the film. Much of it is over-the-top, which is the norm for the Japanese approach. They involve knifes, punctures and decapitations, not necessarily in that order.

I’m not surprised at seeing their twisted sense of humor going into the fast lane. I don’t mind it at all. But some people may not like seeing young women having a huge fetish for slitting their wrists here… another well-known Japanese trend. In fact, there was a contest in the film where the girl who cuts her arm the fastest and deepest wins.

But you have to understand their sense of humor or otherwise you’ll find yourself scurrying away from this film. But I didn’t. I'm proud of myself.

The music? It's great pop stuff. Suitable for a film like this. You'll see why.

Yukie Kawamura is one of the prettiest girls I’ve seen in Asian cinema. She started her career out as a Japanese gravure idol.

She plays the vampire girl with a flair of doll-like fragility while putting on a cute pose. She has a picture perfect smile and a soft demure about her that portrays a clumsy charm. I would be interested in seeing her career as it should do very well… she is able to handle comedy and horror very well in one setting such as this.

One of the interesting things about this vampire is her ability to create swords out of her blood if she cuts her wrists. It’s very bizarre. But it works very nice here.

Eri Otoguro is an equally attractive woman who plays the Frankenstien Girl who is completely crazy here. She plays an obsessed and strong girl trying to steal someone's boyfriend.

The nice thing about the film is that you learn about the vampire girl character. You feel sorry for her as she lives a long life of loneliness. You don’t know her age. But then again, you never ask a girl her age. That would be rude. Someone tries to wiggle out an answer from here, and she simply says she lost count.

But it is the end when you finally learn the ulterior motive of the vampire girl. She may have seemed like the good girl type. After the ending, you begin to wonder about her. I won’t tell you any more as it’ll ruin the story. But it is a very nice surprise. It adds an extra zing to the love story which is the center of the film.

The film isn’t as gory as its predecessors are. But it is still stomach churning in good portion of the film. I found “Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl” is more interested in telling the story and putting the blood and guts down a notch. So it seems much more tame.

However, the film is still worthy of seeing for its breezy direction and the fun parodies of known horror themes… I don’t think there are many other films that’ll be like this. The Japanese remains the crowning king of gore festivals, make no mistake. They know how to make a good horror film and still make you laugh at the same time. It’s a very rare combo.

Is this a kind of movie you should take your date to because it’s about a romance? I’ll let you decide on that.

A Darker Shade of Animation...

Sometimes the mainstream media isn’t what it used to be.

For example, I’ll look for out-of-the-way Asian films that wouldn’t have much of a niche here. Some of the stuff is just nuts to find. I’ve looked for one Japanese horror gore spread called “Vampire Girl Vs. Frankenstein Girl” in hopes of doing a blog on it.

Couldn’t find it anywhere. I’m not surprised. Didn’t find it anywhere in the Fox Cities. None of the Best Buy locations had it. Neither did Barnes and Noble. Nobody had it. I felt left out.

So I had to order it online. Which seems to be the way to go these days. But there’s nothing like finding a movie beneath all the other tripe in the crowded shelves of a retail store.

Those days are gone. They had about twenty thousand copies of “Predators” sitting around regarding some dumb alien who didn’t know how to use his invisibility properly. Such a dumb alien. And a dumber movie. But no “Vampire Girl Vs. Frankenstein Girl.” The title alone is a winner.

But I did find a copy of the most recent Batman/Superman animated feature called “Apocalypse.” And I’ll review it right here.

Isn’t that nice of me?

It’s got the go-head from Bruce Timm who produces the best Batman animation in recent years. Have I told you that I met him in person? Did I tell you already? I did? Well, I’ll tell you again. He’s one of the nicest guys in the world if you’re lucky enough to cross paths with him.

The recent animated film is a sort of Justice League reunion between the three major characters from the DC Universe: Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman. It’s an interesting film that plays between the constant conflict between them. Some of it is playful bickering. But beneath it all they have a respect for each other. Even though they don’t agree with one another.

And that’s the core of the film.

A newcomer comes to earth in a crash landing and it turns out to be woman who may or may not be a survivor of Krypton—the very same world in which Superman comes from. Batman doesn’t trust her. Superman welcomes her with open arms. Wonder Woman wants to take her to Paradise Island where the morals of women can be taught in a military way.

This is the fight over the fate of Kara… or better known as Supergirl. This is the story of her.

The dynamic of the film plays well between all the major characters. Kevin Conroy is a welcome guest as he supplies his familiar voice to the dark knight character. As does the part of Tim Daly who gives his voice to Superman. Both of them are originals from the animated series from the 1990s which Timm also produced. It is interesting to see how far they’ll go with their disagreements and how much they’ll set aside to work together to reach a goal.

The only one that is missing, and it is a big factor, is the voice of Darkseid… Michael Ironside does not voice the character this time around. And it’s unfortunate. The current voice is not menacing enough… nor it is scary at all. He sounds like another Republican wanting to seek office in the senate. That’s what he sounds like. I would have preferred Ironside in the part with his rich tremors of voice. Oh well. You can’t get everything.

The only other issue I have, and it is a minor one, is the habit of cartoon films trying to cram everyone into a 78 min. film. It’s not very noticeable here. But it doesn’t help to distract from the main three characters who are going out of their way to lend a hand to the sole female survivor of Kryton.

But there are far too many characters for one’s own good. There’s Supergirl! There’s Big Barda! Hey look, there’s Krypto! Here’s Harbinger! There are too many supporting characters that were really not needed in the story. Most important were Supergirl who played a major part in the film. And Big Barda would make sense because she was a former warrior belonging to Apocalypse. The other characters were just throwaways.

Though I have to admit it was very cool to see Krypto.

However, the story is very focused on the conflict between major characters. And the design and look of the film is one of the best… it is a very clear style that is soothing and well as chiseled as if you’re carving the characters out of stone like the Greek sculptures did. They look very good in cartoon form particularly Batman. There are some nice touches of Jack Kirby art if you are a comic book fan… as you know that the world of Apocalypse was created by Kirby’s own hands. Not Stan Lee, the credit hogger.

The animation is stunning. It's darker too... And some of the best parts of the film is the last half hour of the film where Superman and his cousin Supergirl go into battle with Darkseid who is able to hold his own against the super being with his brute strength and his omega beams. He comes from a philosophy of warriors and savages who lays destruction to other worlds through concentrated violence. Some of the final battle sequences are very well done.

There is an assured confidence in the way the film is made here. They are going at it with full speed ahead. And you can almost feel the heroes charging through the animation.

Whether you are a fan of comic books or not, it’s well worth a look. Animation fans will be allured by the stark beauty of the drawings done in the film. There is a good balance of hand drawn art and computer graphics making this one of the best looking films to come out. And bear in mind that Batman comes across very well here even though he was pushed into secondary character status… he still has the greatest weapon of them all. His smarts. And you see that he is able to fend for himself when he confronts Darkseid himself. Just a human being. Not an easy feat to do.

“Apocalypse” does have some small letdowns… but it’s not enough to distract you from what is easily one of the most enjoyable animated films. It does hold a promising future for other projects in line. There is still a history of comic books for them to choose from… and enough chapters from comic books sources to make your head spin. It’s funny how some people never grow out of comic books. It’s not a bad thing.

It is the voice of Kevin Conroy that helps carry the film greatly because it hits a note of nostalgia right there. Bring Conroy back for more animated projects. It’s always a joy to hear him again.

Asian Western

Once in a while, you’ll see something a little weird.

Case in point: the Asian western film being brought to the video store shelves right now. It’s called “The Good, the Bad and the Weird,” owing its title and plot in debt to the original classic spaghetti western.

An Asian western? Who would have thought? It’s complete with horses, Korean, Japanese and Chinese cowboys, a treasure map and… motorcycles?

First, Asians did horror. And now they're doing for westerns what they did with the horror genre.

It’s a hard one to describe. It's set in 1930s Japanese occupied Manchuria. And yet I find this particular film pushing well into the science fantasy realm… and the reason why this film find its way into this column. I would call this film an alternative reality, a different world version than the one we are used to. Instead of the American west, we find a western set some action in Korea. Not a bad idea after all.

But if you can accept the idea of the alterative world theory that I’ve put forth, changing the rules a little, you might be in better place to accept “The Good, The Bad and the Weird.”

The story centers on a treasure map that would lead the pursuers to a pot of gold. Or at least that is what they are led to believe. The film borrows greatly from the old Clint Eastwood movie and then more. It borrows from themes from the familiar cowboy myths and tweaking them just a bit more to make it fit into the Asian world.

It’s a lot of fun.

The stunts in the film are old school. There’s hardly any special effects involved except for a couple of visuals peppered throughout the film. But it’s mostly people doing stunts and wowing audiences with their daring efforts on bikes, horses and gun fights. There is a great scene with the good guy tangling with a group of rogues while holding a rope to swing from one building to the next. The director Kim Ji-woon still believes in the old ways of making a good movie. The stunt work here is well conceived. And it’s a pleasure to watch filmmakers still taking the old methods when creating a movie. Nothing wrong with that.

The weird guy provides plenty of comedy relief. He’s not a buffoon or a clown as he is a clearly dangerous opponent when he is armed. His handling of the gun may not be as good as the other title characters… but he uses his wits to get out of a situation. Such as donning a diver’s helmet for protection… a variation of the old Clint Eastwood stunt used in a previous cowboy movie.

Song Kang-ho plays The Weird. He's been in many blockbuster movies… “The Host,” one of my favorite movies “Thirst” and a couple of Park Chan-wook' Vengeance movies. He’s a very likable actor who always takes on very unflattering roles… but he’s a lot of fun as he broadens his comedy talent here.

Much of the film is carried by the three title actors. The most familiar may be the one who plays The Bad: Lee Byung-hun. He has already hit Hollywood heights by playing Storm Shadow in the god-awful G.I. Joe movie from last summer… apparently the enormous stupidity of this war adventure movie did nothing to put a dent in this actor’s career.

I’ve never seen the actor who played the Good. This is the first time I’ve seen of Jung Woo-sung… and I thought it was interesting to see someone unknown in the role while the other title characters are played by well known actors. But he’s very intense as the silent man… very few lines, but providing good expressions with his polished features. His face is well chiseled with youth… yet his acting is very explosive.

All three actors are in the same range which makes them all very appropriate to be acting in this film.

One of the opening shots is phenomenal with the railroad train robbery. You would think nothing more can be done with the train routine. But they are able to do more with the train sequence as it gave them groundwork to introduce the characters in a very inventive way. Especially when the Good and the Bad sees each other for the first time while in different carriages of the train. It’s one of the funniest scenes in the film.

From the very beginning to the end of the train sequence, it remains one of the pivotal parts of the film. It’s worth seeing twice just for this particular part.

Not very many women actresses in the film. But then again, neither did the original film. There is a grandmother who actually lives through the movie… and she is one of the funniest actresses.

With the recent horse apple known as Jonah Hex being the deluded piece of garbage made into a Hollywood movie, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised to find that Asia is able to create a better cowboy movie by using their own artistic sensibilities. They were able to bring a quality of strangeness to their film of “The Good, The Bad and the Weird” while still making it very accessible to the audiences.

I do not know if it was meant to be an alternative world story. There is nothing in the description that suggests this. But if you can believe that a western can be made in Korea, then you would have no problems getting through this. But there is something bizarre about seeing someone riding a motorcycle through the desert which rings the bells of the old Mad Max movies. But this cowboy movie holds its own against the most recent made westerns.

“The Good, The Bad and the Weird” gives a much needed knee-jerk to the creativity vibe of westerns, and there is a sense of rejuvenation here. You can feel this film almost giving a rebirth to what westerns should be able again… plenty of gunfights and action. It’s a good sign.

Doctor Who is Not a Children's Show

Yesterday I managed to upload another video for the youtube website concerning my thoughts about recent comments made on my page.

Most of the attacks from passerby youtubers went along the lines of this: “Doctor Who is a children’s show and you should grow up.”

There were a couple of things that went through my mind. Number one, I never bothered these guys on their page so why did they have to come around my side of the woods and drop their inane comments?

Number two, what gave them the idea that Doctor Who is a children’s show?

But the complains are the same. It is the same for any science fiction TV show in general which often gets to be the butt of the joke for unimaginative folks. They believe that shows with monsters in it are for children. They think that any piece of fantastical TV viewing should only be for children. Because the show has cheap sets and boxy surroundings in the older Doctor Who series should be regarded as adolescent nonsense.

Don't make the same mistakes as these complainers did.

I do remember PBS stations around here televised Doctor Who series late at night for many years about twenty years ago. On Sunday nights around 11 p.m. Not exactly the best time for children as they are going to school the next morning.

However it was a pretty good night for adults who like to stay up late and watch some things to challenge the mind with ideas and concepts. In England, they broadcast Doctor Who around the 6 p.m. time which is considered family time… as adults will be able to view it. This isn’t a Saturday morning cartoon.

I hate it when people say Doctor Who is a children’s show. I want to give them a rhetorical punch to their faces with some of my writing.

I’ve already made my case in the near twelve minute video arguing that the horror themes of the series makes essential adult viewing as the episodes do borrow greatly from the most frightening stories such as Frankenstein and any vampire myths.

But I have only scratched the surface for it in my video clip called “Doctor Who is Not a Children’s Show.” There’s more to say.

The audience was greeted with bloodier than usual Doctor Who in the 1970s. There were scenes of one man being crushed to death in the Seeds of Doom episode during the always excellent Tom Baker period. In fact, the same episode portrayed a rather grotesque transformation of a human being into something hideous. Other stories to use this theme was in “The Ark in Space” and “Planet of Fear.” Many of the horror elements continue to frighten the children… and remains potent for adult viewers as well.

One of the things I didn’t cover in my video was the nature of the fourth Doctor's attitude to killing every now and then. When he finds that it may save the thousands of lives, he’ll give the villain and good thumping… and pull the rug from under him when he least expected it. The fourth Doctor, abandoning his trademark scarf for a Victorian period suit, locked horns with a maniac butcher from the future in "Talons of Wang Chiang."

In this show, he threw the arch-nemesis Magnus Greel into an extraction chamber as his life was sucked away… leaving him like a pile of dried old leaves. Such a callous behavior of the hero shows that he dismisses a “life” when it comes to killing the villain. What would the children think? That all heroes kill the bad guys? It must have been a dilemma for children to face when they realize their hero had a dark side to him.

However, killing the villains came to a forefront during the mid-eighties when the Doctor entered his sixth persona donning a multi-colored suit (played wonderfully by Colin Baker)… and his personality became even more fractured than before. Striking, arrogant, and egotistical, the sixth Doctor was perhaps the most violent of any of his incarnations.

It was here that we saw him poison a man in the episode “The Two Doctors,” lure others into a trap involving toxic jungle vines and shove some poor slob into an acid pool as he did in “Vengeance on Varos.” Such symptoms of violence were a cut above the average making it a departure from being a children’s show.

I’m not sure why the few still call the series a children’s show when it clearly isn’t. And they leave behind rather adolescent remarks suggesting that I should grow up. It is almost as if they are trying to bully me on the youtube website. It isn’t working out very well for them. They keep suggesting that I should leave Doctor Who behind in the past. Why is that? Why would I want to do that?

These are the same people who probably spend all their time on the weekends watching sports. Such games like football, soccer and baseball… isn’t that all children's games you played when younger? If this is true, then perhaps these people should leave behind their adolescent interests of sports. These are all games which are enjoyed by teenagers and youngsters. For them to say that I should leave behind Doctor Who and grow up is both wrong and insulting. These jokers will need to abandon their childish interests of sports if they’re going to say the same thing about a science fiction show.

There is always violence everywhere. But Doctor Who does remain very responsible in portraying the violence as an evil thing. The title hero of the series does abhor violence to a great degree unless it’s as a last resort. Even then, he doesn’t like it. The Doctor Who series does use violence to portray the ugliness of life and often the wrongdoing of people against others. Which makes it a very good moral play for the series both old and new. And the Doctor Who series teaches about the ethics of violence. Therefore, if anything, making the Doctor Who series not a children’s show.

And Doctor Who is a good education tool for portraying violence. You may recall Tom Baker saying in the episode the classic episode “Robots of Death” before leaving the safe comforts of his time traveling police box, “If they see you’re not carrying any weapons, they’ll never hurt you… nine times out of ten.”

Violence remains a huge part of the Doctor Who saga.