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JoelDowe
Reviews
Scary Movie (2000)
They've really created whatever parodies for this film!
Scary Movie is a spoof film parodying mainly horror films, considering its premise is more or less based of Scream, a popular horror movie series at the time. However it did stop the writers and production team really putting in whatever references they could to make the movie entertaining and work at the same time. Not all the parodies are horror based. Many are pop culture based and if someone would to soak up the culture around the time of this film's release back then, then it's highly geared more towards them but newcomers in this day of age, it may interest them but then have a time unearthing and discovering those references. This movie does places in original jokes from time to time, mainly towards the end so there are some original moments to be seen which makes watching this movie worth while, to what the writers maybe wanted.
Ryû ga gotoku (2005)
A Surprising Hit To Action Gaming From Japan
Sega returns with another action adventure beat'em up game. This game, they've released Yakuza, a game set in a fictional part of Tokyo's red light district, which seems typical and screams "Japan's take on their underground world as a video game" to try to boost a sale but it seems to be worth it as this game tells a great cinematic story set in the Japanese crime scene.
Yakuza is a beat'em up where the player take control of Kazuma Kiryu who finds himself in prison, taking the blame for a murder of the chairman of his clan for his brother. He spends 10 years in prison until his release, only to find, everything has changed. It is a typical based story you'll find anywhere about a character who went to prison to be released to find their own world has changed! With that, a large amount of money goes mission where the other clans in the game are trying to find and I'm sure you'll know where the ending of the game ends up.
In terms of gameplay, Kazuma can run around the district and interact with other characters and trigger cutscenes to help him process, the challenge are the brawls, which are known in the area in the real world counterpart of this game. Kazuma knows how to fight and winning these brawls gives Kazuma experience points where he can spend unlocking new moves and getting stronger. Getting items from stores help him heal and improve his strength, which can help him a lot.
Not to be confused with a game like Grand Theft Auto, there isn't any driving in this game. It's mostly on foot (like Yakuza members drive as much as someone would expect?!), which is often the biggest misconception about this game being released around this time, competing with other open world games. This is mostly set in a district in a city, not a city.
Being a Sega game, given their history at the time and some of their pass games. I do like how some mechanics from Shenmue appear in this game. Ideas like entering a store and purchasing items and its battle system. It's that with a different premise unlike Shenmue, so it is nice to see those again, alive and active in another game. I think movies fans of the Yakuza genre which have spawned over the decades prior to this games release, may enjoy the presentation found in this game, much more. When I played this game, because I mostly was into Sega games, I hadn't noticed until I looked at Yakuza films and seen their presentation which sometimes appears in this game, so I could see why the game has such a presentation for this game.
Considering it's been a very long time since this game release and the game having a remake, Kiwami, I say off the bat, that you're not really missing out much. The game is great but prices for the original game pre-owned aren't getting any cheaper unless you really want to see the original game on its original hardware, I ended up playing the PlayStation 2 version, so they aren't easy to obtain as you'll think. The game was a great start which is surprising to see it become a series spawning so many games.
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (2002)
Presentation is gold! Hasn't dated a bit!
Vice City was the next instalment of Grand Theft Auto 3. Other then feeling like a follow up or a sequel to the game, it takes the player to another premise, being a fictional version of 1980 Miami. With that, fusing in as such pop culture references to make the player feel like they're in a different world then the previous game.
The player takes the role of Tommy Vercetti, an ex-criminal who is sent to Vice City but a deal gone wrong where he escapes and settles into the city. Maybe a more stylish reference then the previous unnamed character from the previous game but its a start.
The player drives to various locations across the city by moving on a marker, usually triggering a cutscene before the mission starts, which helps tell the game's story. The missions are a variety of anything the game has in the city, it's not one fixed mission. The main mechanics are usually driving or shooting another character, if not getting various important items to help progress the game.
As the game has some of the most ambitious ideas found in any game to date at the time of its release, it doesn't look as graphically good compared to other games. This is why I believe the style of the game helps. Despite the game ideas, with the amount of violence and drug references this game has, the cartoon like graphics somewhat help its presentation to help style the game and does balance out to why this game is presentable and fun.
Vice City has hours to gameplay and it doesn't get boring and makes use of the overall world. You'll have fun thinking about the amount of references the game has, like the Miami Vice reference, being a major one found from time to time in this game. Other then being follow up of a game being revolutionary, this game is another welcome edition to anyone's video game library. For an growing attempt of open world games, this game really takes the opportunity to deliver something new and it hardly feels dated compared to the open world games released now a days. It's no surprise the fans still see this game as a classic.
Eddie Murphy: Delirious (1983)
This has aged, nicely!
This being Eddie Murphy's first televised stand up Delirious, it is a treat to watch this, even in this age of day. As its follow up comedy Raw, is much more televised and also hold up, it quickly overshadows Delirious., So, if you managed to find and go to watch this, then its safe to say, it was worth it.
What makes this aged, well. Being recorded almost in the mid 80s, the audience really captures the life of the late 70s/early 80s. Just seeing how many people were willing to drive and go to visit, just to watch Eddie Murphy, makes me wanted to be part of that road trip and his popularity at the time. Being recorded then, as camera quality in other works vastly improved but isn't used in this recording. It looks rather dated at the time in terms of camera quality but it worked because Eddie Murphy is more of a 70s guy, with that street yet fun attutide. It shows that the production of this show, really did whatever it could to get Eddie Murphy's performances and Eddie Murphy, with his performance really made it work. At the time, it was hard to get a performance like this, someone who was really willing to come out of New York, where he grew up, to perform and delivers it.
That aside, the jokes, they are a bit dated, I watched this the first time back in 2004, I personally don't know who Ralph Kramden and Ed Norton are and that's just about the only person mentioned in his jokes, that I don't know and continue to age. Thankfully with the internet around, I get an idea who those people were and get understand the jokes but there's not that many of this. That said, it is nice that Eddie's performance, really capture the time of when the jokes were being told and makes it worth the re-watch, sometimes many times over.
Katyn (2007)
Deserves to be noticed, much more!
It's nice to know there's a movie about this. The Katyn massacre deserves more focus and a movie helps as World War 2 war crimes are mostly focused on Auschwitz or the Great Escape or whatever. If someone went out of their way to watch this movie, without some mainstream assistance, this is pretty much it and well done.
The movie does many clever executions in terms of production value and the idea it wants to get across. Being a 2007 film. Many German vehicles reconstructed or bought onto the set, making that feel of German occupation realistic and the Polish officers being detained, I'm not sure if that was ever real but gives an interesting insight with how it had happened. The scene does feel realistic to think that's actually happened.
It does feel like it's just another angle or telling another story that occurred in World War 2 across, so there's nothing wow or in awe or shocking but should it push the boundary in film making or should it rank together with the other films, on a subject, just like this, to be competitive to be watched by anyone?!
Kidô senkan Nadeshiko: Prince of Darkness (1998)
A Daft "follow-up" for the TV Anime Series
Prince of Darkness is a movie loosely followed from the popular 1990s anime Martian Successor Nadesico. Maybe fans wanted a movie of the series and the studio decided to make one, so here it is. Colorful but storywise, what choice did they have, typing this?! I saw the movie back in 2003. I grew up watching Nadesico and when I was 17 (in 2003), with I started to work and have money, having to purchase the TV series DVD box set and then the movie, it's went I sat and watched it, before I went rushing in watching all the movies that I could get, as I slowly forgot about the Nadesico series, for me to decide to review it and give my opinion on what I thought about it.
Unlike the TV series, the film's central character follows Ruri Hoshino who was seen in the first film who helped on board the first Nadesico in the TV series but this time, she takes control of a new battleship named the Nadesico-B, a successor of the previous battleship.
Ruri and her new crew take on board a mission where Ruri later finds herself meeting up with old crew members from the former Nadesico battleship, which rails the story to making it the follow up, for what it is trying to do. Due to this, the two main central characters from the TV series, Yurika and Akito are later revealed with their story arcs. Since the TV series departs from Akito and Yurika getting each other, so it's hard to imagine how a follow up from them would be but somehow this movie makes it work. It just seems tacked on, with how the fit their story arc into this movie and did whatever they could to get it different because of that dynamic. Of course they want to be left alone but it feels very forced and rigid with the follow up.
During the film, Akito finds himself trying to recuse Yurika who is kidnapped and placed in a ruins for her energy, where Atiko tries to save her, where Ruri finds herself trying to help him and try to reunite the rest of the crew. As the film follows from the TV series and aims to unite the previous characters with Ruri and allowing them to team up with her new crew-member. It gives a chance to see where those characters are up, too before embarking on that mission to help Atiko save Yurika.
The film takes a heavy glimpse in city life, unlike the TV series. The TV series was mostly bold, natural like settings such as rocky to forest terrain, city ruins and of course, outer space. In this film it's mostly set in and around a lively inhabited city. More or less, the kind of vibe you get from Tokyo. It maybe allows to get a quick glance into the lifestyles of various characters, they're trying to get back onto the crew, to give this sense on how they moved on but because there were so many stories for these characters in the TV series, there's almost little time to settle in with those characters, with their lifestyle back in their civilian lives.
It makes the movie feel more zany then the relaxed vibe that was from the TV series. Makes me wish this was more of a TV series, even if it was a short as 6 to 12 episodes, it could have fitted it well as the sequel it is making itself, out to be, giving those characters the time to form stories to a similar or even slightly shorter length to what was found, then. Clearly it was maybe a movie to anyone new to the Nadesico series but I think they would just feel a bit lost and maybe having more fun, watching this film then anyone, like myself who watched the TV series, before watching this.
There's is a change, a minor change in almost all the characters, maybe just to get to recognize them from the first film but maybe worth noting that the most dramatic change of character design is the central character Ruri Hoshino, who is a young girl in the TV series and with the movie set two years later, where she's sixteen and is a captain of the Nadesico-B. Maybe fitting to notice that, which does help with the continually to help the film take off and get into but maybe would have been fitting if all the other characters had a bit more added to explain where they are up to. The other characters were interesting, so it was a shame they weren't portrayed as well in the film unlike the TV series. It feels like the movie was quick to end and didn't care how almost all the characters were, other then, they moved on and are pulled, for that one last mission, I think they could have just taken their time with it and not place it as a film. Take a quick buck from the fanbase who enjoyed the stories across all characters, told from the TV series and have this film distract us with a colorful pop culture, style presentation.
2012 (2009)
Loaded with Special Effect for a Disaster Film
2012 is a disaster film of the 2012 Mayan Prediction event of its time, when everyone was speculating if 2012 would happen. This movie pretty much takes everything said about that event and really places a good movie out, to show how the world will dismantle itself as "fore told" a thousand years ago.
Like any disaster film, the movie has characters, usually a family who makes their entire last moments worth while, trying to outrun hazards caused by the event itself. This family is usually teamed up by a scientist of some sort and they venture off, to try to find some place to stay safe.
Maybe what I should have expected is how the era, this movie was made in, back in 2009, how they at least placed special effects in some scenes, well, they really made so many scenes, loaded with special effects and they are wonderful. What I really didn't expect and in a way, what I did enjoy was how the dark, terrifying scenes, really contrast against the characters in the film, to tell its story and it made it worth while to look at. Maybe it's not some peoples interest by it just adds more to what goes on in the movie.
If you really want to feel lost, this movie is for you and it does a great job doing that. Maybe not for everyone in that scene as the movie is almost 3 hours long and sometimes I think the movie slowly gives a predictable resolution to the situation but I suppose I can't complain. It has to end somewhere. This movie really takes away the show of a disaster film.
Sydney White (2007)
Writing could have been better!
Very straightforward but then a good movie if you're looking for something different, you've found it. Sydney White is pretty much Amanda Bynes' lead role in a teen movie. She plays a very tough tomboyish lead role in a very generic university setting. Looking closely on the movie title, the full tagline being Sydney White and the Seven Dorks, a clear play of words of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
In terms of the movie, it is a straight forward story of a struggling lead character who finds her way to be the strong individual that she is and it plays out well, with its setting, maybe common for a 2007 film considering there's already enough teen films, many of which already take the spotlight and push the genre, as much as it needs to be. Sydney White at least steady's what it has and at least offers something different and new, in an already saturated genre of teen films (at the time).
The modern day parody of Snow White many be too playful but here's where it does wrong, the idea that the title itself is almost tacked on, mainly the use of the word "dorks" in it's fine print in the title. I have no problem with usage of crude language and maybe back then, it was just a way to burn off how some may view someone. I get it. Maybe it's a bit too crude, it just makes this movie age horribly. I think someone got carried away when naming this movie, that they fine printed that on the movie poster. The play of words, maybe worked for Bynes' previous film, She's the Man, but "the Seven Dorks"?. Could have found a more friendly yet less crude way if explaining what it was going for, which is a shame, because the production of the film is great and tells its story well, to the point where you hardly notice it retells the story of Snow White. It does have a good presentation if it's able to put that together.
Kobiety mafii 2 (2019)
They've completely lost it!
Women of Mafia was an interesting take on the underworld. The first film had a great premise without edging to be tacked together. Women of Mafia 2 lets go and divorces almost everything that held the first movie together and becomes a writing free for all. Zany plotline, wild adventure, extremely comical! You could tell they didn't take the movie seriously and really wanted to rip the movie apart! Even one or two actresses seem lost to where they were and just didn't care! The biggest extreme found in the movie, was how the movie sub-story was set in Columbia and taking part of the drug trade to having to take another female character who just happens to be a doctor, to helps to complete and continue the plotline. Why into Columbia and its illegal drug trade, I'm sure it's anyone's guess but it's brazen that it's been tacked on to try to deliver something but the only element this movies does well, is its good production values.
Sala samobójców. Hejter (2020)
Komasa's Follow-up of Broad Internet Youth culture. It delivers!
The Hater is a surprise release of the year! Written and directed by the same person who had placed his talents to make Suicide Room, went to make a loose follow-up, titled The Hater. The film uses the same formula found in Sucide Room with a different story, costed with a more higher class feel to the movie! Fusing together another set of characters and perspective on how lost someone can be using a computer with an internet connection but has a more fiery role unlike Komasa's previous role. The Hater focuses on a disgraced law student who tries to fit into society and takes up a job in a firm who uses social media to create posts aimed to upset and cause drama on behalf of the company he works for.
The lead character is your current generation advisor type. I wouldn't think he would hide using a computer alias to try to get the people they want, to cause havoc across the landscape of people's lives to try to make it the firm to be worth while. The idea the character isn't as tech savvy but somehow understands the way people think, to make such post, to get what he wants and the drive he has, makes him a formidable character to think about.
While it loosely followed the previous film, it is more of a fresh take on the current generation of the Internet, with how users engage to grab an influence online and how easy it is for a user to go against it, the movie follow it with a dark story and making it feel like it's worth the profession, giving the backbone of this movie as it soak into it, the more refined and tuned teen culture found in Poland. At times, you couldn't help by cringe as the story is told but it works for film, for the turn towards the end!
One of the bigger surprises is the return of Beata. Agata Kulesza reprises her role in the film, which gives the movie the connection to Suicide Room, while maintaining the fresh premise of The Hater. I thought that would be the end of Suicide Room, but nope. I was wrong! It was an easy watch for myself personally, having seen and enjoyed the previous movie and as helpped greatly.
The Hater takes the current culture of the Internet we live in and really pours an elegant movie in a rounded world that reflects the world we live in with the commination technology we have and delivers an original fulfilling story. Having the same formula as Suicide Room does add and sometimes subtract something new to this film, because it's a rehash of that formula, so it's not that original and I would have liked more scenes of characters in a video game, maybe that's being saved for elsewhere, not as appealing today or that's just me, as it was well featured enough in Suicide Room.
Testosteron (2007)
Great production, could have been better.
The production is great, if not at best however the story is just clumped together. A bunch of guys settling their troubles after a dramatic intro and then settling their differences aside until the final part of the film. Nothing else. Could tell they're trying to make the characters as interesting, can't complain. Would like more in the movie to expand the premise a bit with how great they placed the set together but maybe that's the point. The style of the film cutting from one scene to another and another, trying to entertain with what's better, you could tell what they're really trying to push but it gets in the way of trying to tell the main story.
Popetown (2005)
The animators seem to know where they were going with this!
Popetown is extremely clear to get people talking. Firstly most of the show is a mix of 3D rendered environments of a town, maybe because it would have been a pain to hand drawn them and the actual 2D animation of the characters, which are quickly drawn and animated. Maybe trying to pioneer a mix between the two rendering styles, which looks tacked on, sloppy and don't match, so it doesn't impress anyways. What does anyone do? Make the show really reach the idea that the media are talking about it, saying how controversial it is, get it banned and have such a tagline anyways, maybe to make more sales and this is what exactly Popetown does..It really reaches to a height that it just begs to get noticed considering the animation and rendering techniques are all tackled on together.
Story wise, all the characters are there. Does tell a story, a predictable story and gives episodes to justify its point and it is interesting in a way that the cartoon does try to prove a point. The characters at least are something to make Popetown worth the watch. Nice to know as there's been animations of this quality that have been fall out awful but I think you'll find that the lawd presentation helps the character stand out a bit and gets away with trying to fight the production value anyone would expect to a set of characters who people expect to have loads of value but with the media sometimes giving them the value many feel they don't live up too.
Girlboss (2017)
Good show for a frantic premise!
Girlboss tries a lot to prevents making the show predictable, especially as show is a true story. After the first set few episodes, it feels like there's little reason to see everything else and it's very easy to ignore the future episodes because that were most of the good moments in almost every department where this show was making despite it's low budget. The first episode sees the lead character and main focus Sophia as someone who's seen as bratty and rather juvenile yet struggling in life and trying to survive in the extremely beautiful charming streets of San Francisco. She has dreams and ends up encountering what she find she's good at. She starts pursuing her success as a business making loads of money by exploring and selling vintage clothing.
Production wise, the production is reasonably good and there are moments where some of the episodes were they looked really fun with what they've made. Maybe a bit dated but it works. The shows does place to lead all the characters into an adventurous and spaceful world where she has to think and try to achieve the goals and what they want. There's no storage of that in Girlboss. The writing and dialogue was great, if not good. The show however, since it set alittle over 10 years ago, feels like it's occurring today to the point where it feels like it was set yesterday to the point where it feels eerie but it feels that way because the show is set in a location that hasn't changed a bit.
The episodes are 30 minutes long so it's easy to watch unlike many of the other shows on the website it originated made for the service, makes it more desirable to watch compared to many of the other shows I wanted to show.
XOXO (2016)
Settles in the electronic crowd anywhere, not just for music fan!
I decided to watch the movie because of the title and it felt like a treat. I said to myself 'Hey, let's find a modern term used often in texts and internet messaging as a movie title and this is what I've found and it was worth it.
XOXO follows a popular internet DJ who embarks in showing off his music work live at a music festival however meets a lot of people who help him along the way but face the cliché of challenges. Each of the characters have their moments and the movie wastes no time showing this off and the trouble they run into feels expected. The characters also look a bit unreal and very unappealing as they sweat as they journey throughout the movie. Maybe adds to the typical struggle they face like any other movie but still, am I missing something, but in a way, I like it, the kind of characters I would expect to meet on a road trip to the festival.
I praise the use of production value considering the other genres of music that are dominating the scene right now. Surprisingly good use of camera-work right down to their wardrobe and make up. Not just for the music itself. It's worth the watch as the build up to the ending was built very well.
Adulthood (2008)
An Unforgettable Mystery Drama
The characters progress from the previously made movie 'Kidulthood'. this time around the story focuses on Sam, the person who was sentenced for murder, only to find himself stuck in the problems he created and finding out that people are out their to get him for what he did.
Sam gets released from prison, he quickly finds someone is out to get him for this actions from the first movie which he decides to investigate, turning this more of a mystery thriller, thus making this more engaging to watch.
The other characters from the first movie return and new recruits whom take part in the action. Many of the returning characters are a bit minor however they don't really contribute to the movie as much and quickly move on, thus making the movie more focused on Sam finding who's after him.
Even thou the returning and new characters take part in minor parts, the acting is great and they do express themselves well. The goons sound and look as threating and the people expressing how much they were hurt during the past events really do express them well in the movie.
One of the more interesting things the characters do, is that they question each others behaviour, at one point one of the characters questions the use of language from the lead character after using a slang term which wasn't understood. There a lot of this during the movie which adds a lot of suspense on what's going to happen next which makes it worth the Drama.
I wouldn't called this a sequel to Kidulthood but more of a standalone mystery which helds on it's own and it does a good job of it. The characters including the lead character Sam are all likable characters, the story ties up and the story is memorable.
Good Hair (2009)
Worth Your Time!
I didn't quite get what and why this movie was made but it's clear that Chris Rock did it for a reason and after watching it, it was worth it.
Just as you thought I knew it all, this movie came along. Being a documentary and a shocking one that is, who better to do it then Chris Rock.
Seeing Chris Rock investigate and almost challenged by the trend of African American hair and it's culture and how it came about. Chris Rock fits the role (even for a documentary) perfectly.
Believe it or not after watching the movie for fifty minutes into it, you'll find that Good Hair affects more then just the people but also the pop culture, lifestyle and people's finances affected by African American hair and by the end of it, you'll be sitting down almost amazed that such a massive culture exists as featured in this movie.
Even thou the movie does clearly present what 'Good Hair' is about, it does feel a bit like a tidbit or accessory to watch but it's good enough to recommend.
Kidulthood (2006)
A Challenging Watch
I never got into Kiduthood, the way the movie betrays how everyone as 'heroes' of some sort and people to look up too with the limelight, like we already know who the good and bad guys from the beginning and how we are challenged that the good character are the way of life.
The protagonists aren't as great either and are not really likable. There more of the actors who are the good guys but not the character themselves.
The endless amount and the effort of trouble most of the character while wearing their urban street gear, tools of violence and negative influences surrounding them does make it challenge to watch and there are the 'Sorry, I got caught moments so I'll change' and the 'You got lucky and it will never happen again' which comes across as unrealistic! It does tie into together and for a movie anyways however it still as average and sometimes I ask how the character are even living their lives.
The story and the massive amount of drama makes it worth the watch and the movie makes the characters work together to put an end of what's going on in the movie. A bit over dramatic however it works and the ending is satisfying.