Films I Own (That are in the Database)

The begining is an interesting view of an artistic obsession spiralling out of control, but I feel the ending was somewhat lacking in punch despite how graphic it was.

Okay, so this isn't Ring. It treads no new ground in the Onryou (vengeful ghost)film genre. What it does have is a low budget, a fairly solid plotline, some reasonably decent actors, and a showdown with a very pissed off and crazy ghost. It won't win an Award for 'best foreign film'. But, if you're a bit of an Onryou fan like me, it'll be a good way to spend an hour or so. Watch out for the showdown. It's a bit of a corker.

Great fun fantasy film, though it is sad at the end.

Incredibly confusing, this film twists and turns all over the place. However, with this film it isn't necessarily a bad thing, it keeps you guessing far longer than most, more straightforward plots - giving the final revelations far more of a punch. It also has the creep factor evident in many asian horror films, which gives it a thumbs up from me.

"Kiri kiri kiri...."
I adore this film, the character of Asami and Eihi Shiina. True, the film does take a while to build up to the brutal climax, but I think it's worth waiting for.

Okay but in places really dull.

My favourite of the Batman films. Looks wonderful and has substance too.

Brutal, gory yet at times poingnant. A masterpiece. Shame about the sequal though.

Okay but nowhere near as good as the first.

Okay, so it's not as creepy as it was when you thought it was real. Still, you've got to admire the uniqueness of the idea. and I love to watch the smug characters get more and more afraid.

Great adaptation of the novel, though some may find it drags a little in places. Gary Oldman is a great count!

the plot of this film appealed to me because I hadn't before seen a reworking where they integrated the teller(s) of the tale into it.


The plot in itself was reasonable. While I'd never before imagined the Grimm Brothers as traveling con men it seems reasonably justified within the film. I was slightly less happy about the presence of the 18th Century French army, and I'm pretty sure that they could've found another way to bring the Brothers to the actual enchanted forest and keep them there. I'm guessing the French were there in order to be little more than a figure of fun, the Americans not being too fond of the French at the point the film was made.


Just about every fairy tale cliche was shoehorned in to the plot: wicked queen, glass slippers, kissing Sleeping Beauty, Red Riding Hood, werewolf (less common but is there), trail of breadcrumbs...I could go on. This overpopulation of fairy tale cliche didn't really hurt the film that much in my opinion, but made it fit more into the canon that it was involved with. All these competing images make for some very nice visuals - but also create two of it's biggest flaws. The Gingerbread Man, for example, was ridiculous and not in keeping with the tone of the film (which was trying to take itself seriously despite the content and occasional comedy). I could say the same for the horse swallowing the girl, but aside from the clumsy after-effects I thought the idea was actually a pretty good one.

There was also an overabundance of rooks, which could produce part of the Brothers Grimm Drinking Game: down a shot every time you see one. Of course this encounters problems as in a couple of scenes there are at least 10 in a group (so maybe only take a drink when you see less than three in shot, or a close up of a lone rook).


Acting was fine. A lot of the actors I recognised, and were all well versed enough to know what they were doing (or at least look like it). I would like Mackenzie Crook to do something other than be part of a common comedy double act though, I like him.

Great adaptation of the Stephen King novel.

I shouldn't have those kind of thoughts about a cat. It's wrong. But dammit, Baron is such a genteel and dapper gentleman.

Slick graphic novel adaptation. Plot isn't that bad, but not brilliant either.

I like this even more than Nightmare Before Christmas (though people will hate me for saying so). Corpses, Victoriana, Johnny Depp and Helana Bonham Carter...what could be better?

One of the best Hammer horror films in my opinion.

I used to love this. A 'homage' to the horror anthology films of the 70s and 80s, it's not meant to be taken seriously. It's so bad it's good!

Good teen-orientated version of Dangerous Liasons. Not as good as the adult film adaptation though.

Interesting ideas but stale.

Great adaptation of the Koji Suzuki short story.

A tragic love story is universal.

Ah Dead or Alive. Being a fan of the games I wasn't looking to expect much from this in terms of accuracy or plot. However, aside from Helena (who is given characteristics more like Hitomi than her game self) and Hayabusa's costume all the back stories, clothing and personalities were pretty accurate. Of course, even in the game the plot is thin but this delivers a reasonable mix of comedy and the martial art action. Not enough Ayane for my taste though.

Brilliant low-budget take on a werewolf movie.

Weird, beautiful looking but with some clunky effects. There's also a rather sad backstory between the female protagonist and the 'girl in red'. The ending always threatens to make me cry, because I'm soppy like that.

Blah. It looks clunky, but attractive in a kind of way that only unrefined computer graphics can. The character designs are alluring, but the script is so poor that even the pretty explosions can't keep me happy. It was adapted from a cartoon/manga strip, and it shows in the fact that action scenes or 'plot' points come like the domino effect. And why is Ingrid Pitt given high billing when she (or her voice) is barely in it - to market this, I feel. Still, the DVD is partly redeemed by a Synthetic music video. I still feel cheated as I expected so much more.

Makes you think about what you would do to be/stay young, slim and beautiful. A great shock film for the modern age, not only showing 'women's vanity', as some would put it, but the reason most become so obsessed - the love and attentions of men. And as in real life, it shows how easily it is lost.

Great although the Alcatraz opening is not.