Up first this week is Stopmotion. Overall I kind of dug the flick, but I’ll be honest, I also had no idea what was happening in the film at the same time. The title of the movie is what it’s about and it also includes stop-motion animation in the film itself. The lead character is a stop-motion creator whose mother was famous for it. While trying to finish her new film, the lead starts to lose control. There’s a young girl in the apartment complex giving her ideas to use in the film and it all spirals out of control with her friends and boyfriend. Was most of it a figment of her imagination? Did her stop-motion film come to life? I’m not really sure if I complete got it, but as someone who appreciates stop-motion animation I enjoyed seeing the character making and sculpting and shooting her project. Then seeing some of it as she watched it was cool too. It’s a psychological horror flick, if those work for you you should like it. It does have some gore which caught me off guard, but I liked that it didn’t hold back in that aspect. I recommend it even if I’m not 100% sure what was going on.
Second we have Blind War starring Andy On. There is some great action sequences in this and if you like Asian dramas with solid gun work and fighting, you’ll enjoy this. On plays a SWAT agent who gets into a gunfight in a courtroom siege that leaves him blind. He retires in disgrace, but comes back to action when his daughter is taken. In order to find the sex traffickers who took her, he teams up with someone who lies about their identity. Together they seek the same enemy, but for different reasons. It has some great action including the courtroom scene and the final fight. As Donnie Yen ages, China definitely needs actors like On to stand in for him. Ten years ago this would have definitely been a Yen vehicle, but On handles the role with ease. He’s every bit the leading man and action star. The actress he teams up with is pretty awesome as well so I hope to see more of her. The fight choreography is top notch and the story works well too. If you are looking for an Asian crime drama with good action then check this out.
Third we have Edge of Everything. The biggest issue with the film is, we’ve seen it a million times before. A 14 year old girl turning 15 loses her mother. She goes to live with her father and his new wife. She rebels with a new friend and drinks, smokes and does drugs. Her old friends don’t like what she’s doing, but stick with her and try to fit in. We’ve seen pretty much the same story in every coming-of-age film going back for years. Thirteen was very similar. I will say I thought Sierra McCormick was very good in the role even if all of it felt familiar. She takes the role head on and holds your attention throughout even if you know how things will pan out. If you are looking for a coming-of-age film this will fill the void, but it’s nothing we haven’t seen done many, many times before.
Next we have The Sales Girl about a college girl who ends up working at a sex toy shop when a fellow student gets injured. The girl is shy and awkward, but gets taken under the wing of the shop owner who has a varied past. It’s a decent film with a strong lead performance. You can tell right away how awkward the character is and how out of place she is dealing with the sex toys sales and deliveries. There’s just enough going on to hold your attention with a sort of love interest and the shop owner being mysterious and somewhat famous at the same time. Like the previous film, the lead carries the movie with an easy to understand performance.
Don’t Look At Me That Way is a bit of a head scratcher. A woman befriends another woman in her apartment complex after meeting her young daughter. Their friendship grows to more, but she also sleep with men which causes jealousy. The mother’s father was supposed to visit and watch his granddaughter, but blows them off. The non-mother woman goes looking for him and well I won’t say what happens. Plus there’s a yurt with her own grandmother. I’m not sure what I’m supposed to take away from it, but it’s well made and both lead actresses are good. The young actress playing the daughter is good too, but what exactly is the message here? It’s sexual and sexy, but by the end you question what the takeaway is.
Mute Witness is a mid 1990s movie about an American film crew making a movie in Russia. The make up effects specialist is a mute woman who gets locked in the studio and witnesses a murder in a snuff film. The Russian police are told it was a fake film made with special effects, but soon the snuff filmmakers and the man behind it all are after her. I had never even heard of this film, but it’s pretty solid. The lead actress playing the mute witness is good and there’s some good violence in it. It’s known for being Sir Alec Guinness’ last movie and it’s gone through a 4K restoration. It’s available in both 4K and Blu-ray and comes with multiple commentaries, essays and other bonus features. Even though I had never seen it before, I could immediately tell it was a 90s flick from its costuming and aesthetic and the overall 90s thriller vibe. A nice little surprise of a film that I’m sure has a cult following.
Last we have The Valiant Ones which also went through a 4K restoration for its North American 4K and Blu-ray debut. This 1975 film is the last true wuxia film directed by celebrated Taiwanese filmmaker King Hu and even has Sammo Hung in it! It’s about a group of warriors put together to fight off Japanese pirates which Hung is the leader of. It has great costuming for the era and some great action choreography which I believe Hung helped with. There’s a scene with the husband and wife warriors in the Japanese stronghold fighting off the Japanese which is great and the final sequence is awesome too. I don’t know how historically accurate it is, but it seems to take a few known historical figures and puts them all in one movie. The physical media releases are jam packed with bonus features including multiple interviews, essays and more. If you enjoy 1960s or 70s Asian epics then you will enjoy this.
The Nerds Templar 