Cult Films

STUDIOCANAL Announce The 4K Restoration of Jean-Luc Godard’s New-Wave Masterpiece LE MÉPRIS

I felt so many weird emotions watching this, just running the gamut from one extreme to the other. It's like this is what film should be used for, to provide a new experience and to just make people feel something, anything, whether it's shock or disgust or even moments of self reflection where you wonder why you can't allow yourself to laugh when there's genuinely funny moments in this movie. I can honestly say I've never seen a film like this before. And even considering the subject matter, it never feels exploitative. I found myself thinking if I would have liked this as a young ghoul, but I don't think so. Not only would I have not gotten it, but I would have felt weird treating it like another gore or shocker tape to show off to my friends. It's about sociopathic moral bankruptcy, not about gross out thrills. But that sociopathy is orders of magnitude grosser than any ultra graphic faux snuff film I may have popped in the VCR at sleepovers to dare my buds to watch. There's very few people I know that I would recommend this to, but to the handful I would I believe they'd feel the same way I do.

⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2 out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A HK comedy film with horror elements, maybe my expectations were skewed by seeing that many sequels had been made for this and so it must be "that good". There are some genuinely laugh out loud moments in this, such as the scene where they meet in a fancy "western tea" house and have no idea what to do, drinking a gulp of coffee and then a gulp of cream and putting sugar on their custards like you would your coffee. But for the most part I found the humor to be kind of tiring and on the nose. The horror elements aren't done very well either. The makeup and fx really look low effort. I don't know, maybe this concept of a Chinese vampire comedy was just so novel at the time that it gained a reputation. I mean I still like the film, but I definitely don't see the hype it generated, especially when compared to superior HK genre films like A Chinese Ghost Story.

⭐⭐1/2 out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

What a slick little thriller/horror film. You can do a lot with a little if you're creative. I wasn't expecting much but I was pretty surprised after watching, also surprised that somehow this flew under my radar all these years. Rainbow Harvest is great as a goth gone wild, heavy Winona Ryder vibes but not as annoying. There's some genuine tension and scary moments here and although the fx are underwhelming, the acting is solid enough to carry the frights. Cool seeing Lily Munster as well.

⭐⭐⭐1/2 out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The first two thirds tend to drag a bit and even though it looks pretty good, if you're going to draw out long panning shots and make the audience wait, it better be beautiful, and it's not really that. The last third the movie becomes interesting and is basically The Last Temptation of Christ. The CGI is not very good, and I'm not saying that because of my practical fx bias, but it just seems cartoonish and unconvincing. I believe it is above average, but it's probably my second least favorite A24 film, right after The VVitch.

⭐ ⭐ 1/2 out of ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

If this movie is anything, it's sincere. The direction and writing show a true love for not only the horror genre, but gratuitous titties as well. They do their best with what limited funds they have and yeah, so it's not scary, and it can be annoying, and the acting is bad, and plot points pop up that either make zero sense or are never resolved or explained, and the camera work is amateur hour, but it does have a cool green monster that shoots lasers out of its eyes and vomits green slime that dissolves a guy's skin. Maybe that's all you need.

⭐ ⭐ 1/2 out of ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Interesting and genuinely touching film with a cast of non-actors that adds a sense of realism to this story of a clash between rural China and the rapidly advancing urban landscape. A young girl is placed in an impossible situation of teaching and wrangling 28 unruly kids as a substitute in the mountain region when one student runs away to the city to find work and she has promised not to let anyone leave the school during her watch. Her tenacity in finding the kid thrusts her into the nation's spotlight. The photography is very well done and getting great performances out of regular people is no easy task. Recommended for those looking for a somewhat artsy and uplifting experience.

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ out of ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

This is a pretty average spaghetti western until the last 10 min, but that last 10 min is what made this a genre defining moment in western film history. Kinski is great as usual as the villain, all the way to the end. The mute played by Trintignant does manage to convey quite a bit of emotion without saying a word. I really enjoyed the snowscapes and Italian mountain scenery, and the acting was decent enough, but without the ending, I can't say I would have given it a second thought.

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 1/2 out of ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

This is kind of a strange one. A gang of bandits attack a village and all the adults are killed but the kids get away and are helped by a pair of monks. The monks teach the kids kung fu to get revenge on their attackers. Normally I don't like kid fights in movies, mainly because they're just not very good. But this is a group of Chinese acrobat kids that were cast and they are pretty awesome. Lots of cool stunts and their striking is clean and crisp as well as great acrobatics. What makes it strange is the tone of the film. There will be children singing in the background and the kids laughing as they brutally beat the bandits to death and blood sprays everywhere. The atmosphere is childish and grim and gory at the same time. I can honestly say I've never seen a kung fu film quite like it.

⭐ ⭐ 1/2 out of ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐