My Favorite Movies

One of my top five films. I seen Blade Runner in the summer of 82. I was 9 years old at the time and it was a experience that changed my life. I was pulled into the world of this film and in some ways I've never left. It a film that makes me think everytime I see it and I continue to see things I never noticed before and that is rare in any film. On to the review.
Ridley Scotts' 'Blade Runner' is, by far, one of the greatest Science-Fiction movies ever made. 'Blade Runner' takes place in the far future where mankind has developed 'Replicants', genetically engineered robotic-human clones. 'Replicants' were designed to be physically superior to humans, but possess the same intelligence as the common human being. These androids are used as slaves for the 'hazardous exploration and colonization' of other planets in our solar system. At some point in time, (which isn't specified in the movie) a violent 'Replicant' revolt ensues on a colonized planet, this event causes replicants to be declared illegal on Earth, if a replicant is found on Earth it will be immediately destroyed. The title of the movie, 'Blade Runner', refers to a policeman whose job it is to shoot and kill any replicants they might find on Earth.

(All of this, of course, is explained in the first three minutes of the movie, much clearer, and much shorter, but I decided to write about it anyways)

The story is about a man named Rick Deckard (played by Harrison Ford), an experienced 'Blade Runner' who's unwillingly brought out of retirement to finish one last mission. Deckard has to track down four rogue replicants who have escaped from a planetary colony to Earth, killing innocent lives on the way. These four highly dangerous replicants are loose on the streets of L.A., and could kill again unless Deckard can deal with them first.

This film wasn't the first time in the Sci-Fi genre for Ridley Scott. His previous film in the Science-Fiction genre is 'Alien', which is an extremely well presented Horror film in space. Ridley Scott knows how to establish a mood, in 'Alien' he makes the audience feel clustered, tense, and alone on a gigantic moving spaceship, the same in 'Blade Runner'. Deckard's' chase scene through L.A. in 2019, halfway through the movie, best describes the atmosphere of the film. Medium shots of Deckard running through the streets, culturally diverse extras constantly filling the screen, talking street lights, loud-annoying street sounds, all of the preceding things add up to a perfect feel of a technologically corrupted Los Angeles. The final segments of this chase scene use slow motion, and a very bluesy musical score that gives the scene such finesse that an audience can easily see the horror of what mankind, in the film, has become.

The overall presentation of 'Blade Runner' is very much like a gritty 1950's detective movie, with Harrison Ford in a majority of the scenes, becoming the stoic private eye who is fed up with his job. Ford has a knack for playing characters that are down on their luck, because of this he pulls off Rick Deckard's character flawlessly. Ford's calm and collected manner of performing all his actions fit the experienced 'Blade Runner' very well. All the roles in the film are played with great skill by the cast, every supporting performance adds to the magnificence of this film. The creator of the combat 'Replicant' models J.F. Sebastian is a timid scientist who lives with his homemade midget robots. William Sanderson, who plays Sebastian, portrays the shy scientist exactly how one would expect. Joe Turkel plays Tyrell, the owner of a major 'Replicant' producing company called Tyrell Corporation. Turkel also gives a great performance as an arrogant corporate owner. Also we have Rutger Hauer who plays the leader and most dangerous of the four escaped replicants, Roy Batty. The innocence he gives to the ruthlessly evil character is a scary thing to watch at times. What truly makes 'Blade Runner' a must-see film is its' dialogue, every conversation between characters has an underlying theme within it. One of my favorite lines is when Batty says 'We're not computers ? we're physical'. The manner Hauer says it will get the viewer thinking. The writing also shines at the end with Roy's last lines in the film, overall a very moving script with a ton of different conversations that are worth listening to.

From the opening scenes of a horribly industrialized Los Angeles, to the chase on L.A.'s crowded streets, and finally the gruesome fight scene which concludes the movie, 'Blade Runner' is one of the breakthrough films in the Sci-Fi genre. This movie is a non-stop journey through a very realistic rendition of the future. The thing to watch out with this movie is also considered to be a Film-Noir. This means that certain characteristics will constantly take shape in the film. For example a Film-Noir will only promote the cynical side of human nature, thus the genre 'Film-Noir' is a very ugly look at life. Many factors in 'Blade Runner' add up to a classification of Film-Noir some of them are: - Deckard's primary job is hunting and killing androids, not a very joyous job. Deckard himself has a very cynical way of saying things. - L.A. is portrayed as a city overrun by smoke and fog. The exterior shots of the city usually incorporate rain. Many scenes take places in dark, gloomy, and empty streets. - As you watch the film you will notice that bright colors are rarely used and the city streets are in constant darkness(because of the pollution blocking the sun).

Film-Noirs are often filled with ambiguity and the protagonist is usually a depressing kind of guy. This might discourage people from watching it, but I highly recommend picking the 'Blade Runner' dvd just to see at least one Film-Noir in your lifetime. This genre is one of those things that you either love or you hate, a proper Film-Noir will usually not have a picture perfect ending so don't expect one from 'Blade Runner'

It is a highly overlooked film nowadays, when the common movie-goer thinks of Sci-Fi immediately big name titles like: The Star Wars Saga, Star Trek, The Matrix Trilogy, The Terminator, etc. are what they would think of. Blade Runner is the true definition of the Sci-Fi genre; it doesn't have the fun and games of Star Wars, or the huge firefight scenes of the Matrix, but delivers thoughts on what it means to live, what our future holds, and a serious outlook on humans in general.

Best known for directing the classic independent horror film "Halloween", director John Carpenter works wonders in another of many of his movies that I absolutely love- "Escape From New York".

"Escape From New York" is to give a quick plot rundown about Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell), a former war hero who is now a criminal. He is ordered by Bob Hauk (Lee Van Cleef), the calm, but stubborn U.S. Police Commissioner to go into New York City, now the country's only maximum security prison and rescue the President (Donald Pleasence) in twenty-four hours. Some of the scenes in this movie are terrific such as Snake eluding the Crazies, Snake finds Brain (Harry Dean Stanton), an old friend of his who betrayed him in a robbery, and the car chase across the 69th Street bridge that is mined. To just name a few off hand.

Kurt Russell gives a perfect performance as Snake and the film gets solid supporting performances from Cleef, Stanton, Pleasence, Ernest Borgnine as the last cab driver in the Big Apple, Adrianne Barbeau, Issac Hayes as the vicious Duke, and Frank Doubleday as Romero, who manages to steal some scenes in the movie with just his freaky appearence alone. The story was written by Carpenter and Nick Castle. It is smart and very well detailed. Also, Carpenter makes a terrific musical score that pays off in some of the key scenes. Dean Cundey's cinematography is top notch as usual.

"Escape From New York" is as mentioned before one of my favorite John Carpenter films. I could go on and on about it. In the end even though its dated due to the timeframe its set in ( 1997) the film is a timeless classic

"Escape from New York" is to me a classic film, it's memorably dark, seedy, suspenseful and even funny. Alas, "Escape from L.A." is not nearly as memorable - in fact, it plays out as nothing more than a remake of its far more thrilling predecessor.

Both films have essentially the same premise; corrupt government officials send criminal tough guy "Snake" Plissken to infiltrate the ruins of a once-great city and retrieve some MacGuffin for them. In both films, Snake is reluctant to cooperate, but the government secures his compliance by threatening his life. So, Snake duly treks off to an urban wasteland, wasting thugs and meeting a variety of wacky characters on his way to completing his desperate mission.

This sequel is a step down from the original movie. The villain is inferior, the president is inferior, and even the special effects are inferior (note the positively laughable CGI when Snake pilots his submarine to L.A.; the approach to New York in the first film is infinitely classier.)

And, though both films have some very dark humor, I find that the jokes in the first are simply better. In "L.A.," there are some attempts at social satire, but by and large they don't work to well. For instance, the much-praised "plastic surgery" segment feels really isolated and pointless to me. It's a one-joke sequence that goes nowhere and contributes nothing to the plot. Ultimately, I think the first film has the edge in the humor department because it was co-written by Nick Castle, who reportedly lightened up the script and was quite a wit in general (though Castle is credited on this movie, I believe it's only because he wrote the original film.)

One thing I loved about"Escape from L.A." is its social commentary. I agree with some of this film's criticisms of the religious right, some may find the presentation of these criticisms to be superficial, condescending, and obnoxious. To me I guess its just fun satire, even though some aspects of the film hit close to home. Suffice to say, if you're conservative, this movie will annoy you, and who knows even if you're an open-minded liberal, it might annoy you. To each his or her own.

To sum up here Escape From L.A. has got some good cameos, a few decent scenes, but in the end...it just ain't the original. A fun film to watch but not a great film

What can I say but I love this film. Its one of my all time favorites. I will try to keep this as short and sweet as I can because I could just go on and on about this film. Angel Heart is a winding psychological thriller that -- in 1987 -- was far ahead of its time. So far that audiences didn't `get it' and the film bombed at the box office. Only now over the past few years are we beginning to see endings like this one surface in horror movies. Had Angel Heart been made a decade or so later, perhaps it would have succeeded.

As it is, the movie which has a strong cult following is still nothing short of mesmerizing. I would even go so far to call it a masterpiece. It is scary, disturbing, influential, thought-provoking, and a lot smarter and more atmospheric than most movies being made today.

It stars Mickey Rourke as Harry Angel, a private eye from Brooklyn in the 1950s who is hired by Louis Cyphere (Robert De Niro) to locate a mysterious singer named Johnny Favorite, who disappeared in the early ?40s and hasn't been seen since.

Angel's journey takes him from the streets of New York to jazz clubs in Harlem and, finally, to the sweltering swamps of Louisiana. He meets a variety of characters, all of who have little to say about Favorite. All we seem to know is that he was a singer, entered the war, and was shot, had his face reconstructed, was taken out of hospital care, and apparently vanished from the face of the earth.

Most people who watch it now will see the twist coming a mile away
but that's not to say that the movie won't affect you. Notorious when released for some controversial scenes (including a sequence involving Rourke and The Cosby Show's Lisa Bonet), the movie's moody atmosphere is its strongest element.

The acting, too, is very strong. This is Rourke's finest performance, as Harry Angel, a scumbag detective with nothing to lose. Rourke's acting here is Oscar-worthy.

The role of Louis Cyphere is also one of De Niro's most interesting and ambitious performances; he delves entirely into character and leaves a lasting impact on the viewer.

The film was directed by Alan Parker, the famous British filmmaker (of, among others, Midnight Express). Some say this is his finest film ,wonderfully crafted, beautifully shot, masterfully edited and I'd have to agree.

This version of Solaris has a very different feel to it than Tarkovsky's original, this is, by Soderbergh's admission, one third the original, one third the novel (by Stanislaw Lem) and one third Soderbergh's own imagination. Its also somewhat of a departure for all involved, particularly Clooney and Soderbergh, though bearing the fingerprints of his style.

It must be said that this is not the film that the terrible marketing campaign at the time of it release offered - it is not a funky space-set romance, though it does take place in space and is a romantic story. It is however, a very slow, deliberate film. Only essential information is given and, going from a 61-page script to a 90-minute film, there is little dialogue but a lot of detail. Many will find it too slow and possibly boring and I do have to say its not a film for everyone. But there is so much here to appreciate. It is a film of mood and feelings, creating a beautiful and emotional atmosphere, in which events unwind gradually, rather than an intense plot-driven mish-mash of ideas.

Soderbergh's intention is to question the very nature of existence and of love - if you knew something wasn't real, would you avoid getting attached to it, even if it was the one thing you always wanted, more than anything? If it meant never seeing home again, but spending forever in a tiny space with just that person, would rationality cease to exist? Do we only need that one thing that we crave to survive? Beyond this, there are semi-religious overtones added as well - is Solaris heaven? A place where all wishes are granted at the cost of "human" life?

The aspect that stands out first and foremost the acting. Viola Davis is wonderful, Jeremy Davies is never less than interesting, and finally Clooney and Natasha McElhone deliver great performances, some of the best of their careers so far. Expanding his range even more after Out of Sight and O Brother Where Art Thou?, Clooney reaches depth you wouldn't have expected of such a matinee-style star. His Chris Kelvin is sad, intense, smart and realistic - the scene where Clooney wakes up to see his dead wife is a wonderful moment of acting, watching him try to bring himself round and shake off the image, only to realise its real. And McElhone is perfectly cast and surprising as the other half of the emotional core. Having been efficient in Ronin and The Truman Show, she seems to have acquired untapped gravitas and beauty in this film, looking absolutely beautiful in a very virginal, pure sense, belying the complexities and internal grief of her character. She too has many moments that just seem incredibly real, as if she forgot to act and just believed in what was happening.

The cinematography and effects are very proficient without being showy, creating a believable environment within which the bizarre events are grounded in a reality not so unbelievable. Solaris itself is simply gorgeous to look at, conjuring up images of planets and cells at the same time, hinting at a universality which is not one thing nor the other, but all things which cannot be explained in one term, again suggesting a godliness to it. And the music is brilliantly subtle, flavouring the images to give it that atmosphere of longing and loss and also beauty, never suggesting what we should feel but rather what the on-screen characters are feeling.

Soderbergh has made a very mature film here, eschewing the "cool" editing and camera tricks of films such as Traffic, Erin Brockovich, The Limey and Out of Sight for a more stately, sophisticated tone. It never feels forced or unbelievable and, while some of its twists are somewhat predictable, you dont feel cheated at all by the end, rather that everything played out as it should: dramatic and sad in places, beautiful in others, unsettling at times and ultimately quite profound. There really isn't anything wrong with this film, if you are in the mood to have a film wash over you and cause you to ruminate on the ideas of mortality, loss and redemption.

Thriller: A Cruel Picture also known as They Call Her One Eye ( the title I prefer)is among the most infamous films in exploitation cinema. It was eclipsed by I Spit On Your Grave which was made a few years later. I can honestly say it fully deserves its reputation as a truly depraved film. Its also a rather original film that remains unique even today. The art-house approach to grindhouse material isn't always successful, I've seen some that have been a little too pretentious, This is one of those b-films where the filmmakers obviously wanted to create something quality as opposed to just collect a rent payment and yet not slide into the pretentious category

Bo Arne Vibenius's direction, as mentioned earlier, makes a unique aesthetic. The material is great exploitation film fodder, some of the grittiest and sleaziest stuff ever caught on camera. However, he manages to make a sympathetic protagonist out of the main female character who always remains easy to root for even when he revenge becomes just as sadistic as her previous tormentor's actions. There are some flaws to the film, mainly the overuse of slow motion when the violence occurs. While it can sometimes lend an eerie, almost poetic quality to the film (such as the scene with the cops in the warehouse), it detracts the sudden impact the material could potentially have. The film would've moved at a better pace without this unnecessary technique. Also, the hardcore porn inserts are often awkward and really interrupt the flow. I really wonder what Vibenius was trying to achieve by inserting these sequences.

However, whenever Vibenius occasionally fumbles, the lead performance of Christina Lindberg is always fantastic. She never speaks during the entire film but her performance has the subtlety many other aspects of the production lack. Shes also an incredibly beautiful women capable of projecting both innocence and sex appeal. Its no wonder she has a sizable cult following - shes an extremely talented performer. "Thriller: A Cruel Picture" is a completely successful exploitation cult film, despite the flaws I mentioned it works really well and is a film worth checking out if your a fan of grindhouse cinema.

English writer Sarah Morton (Charlotte Rampling) needs a break from London and wants to write her new novel in seclusion. Her publisher sends her to his Italian house--miles away from anyone. She loves it but then the publisher's daughter Julie (Ludivine Sagnier) shows up. Things get tense...and REALLY strange. To say anymore would be unthinkable. You'll have to see the movie to find out. I don't want to give to much away here

This is the kind of movie that switches gears halfway through--but pulls it off. It starts as a character study of Morton but when Julie shows up things take a decidedly unexpected twist. This does fall into " its not a film for everyone" category, for one reason you have to pay strict attention to catch all the twists and turns and alot of people are not up for that, In fact it doesn't totally make sense till the very end. Beautifully directed (and cowritten) by Francois Ozon--a real director to look out for.

Just a terrific film but like I said not for everyone. In the end it may be too quiet and require to much attention for some and there is a lot of nudity in this (mostly female) and if your of the prudish type then you might want to stay away but if your looking for a great story with alot of twists and turns you can't go wrong here.

While not the classic that Night Of The Living Dead and Dawn Of The Dead are Lucio Fulci's Zombie is still one of the best zombie films out there. The film hits the ground running with a fat zombie attacking a coast card off Manhattan, the film then grinds to a halt for fifteen minutes, but once the unnecessary exposition is done with, the film earns its living dead stripes.

What separates ZOMBIE from its genre brethren is atmosphere and special effects. Lucio Fulci knew how to create great atmosphere in his films and he also knew when to take a special effect way, way over the top.

The rotting, walking carcasses in this potboiler are just so wonderful as they walk and stalk and chow down on anything that moves.

The famous "eyeball" scene is a showstopper and the scenes where zombies sit around a corpse eating slowly, so as to savor the taste, are priceless.

The flaming finale shows real passion for the genre and the voodoo background never becomes boring.

This is one of my favorite Fulci flicks, I also harbor affection for THE BEYOND and GATES OF HELL. both films rich in atmosphere.
In the end despite its flaws like the bad dubbing and a few slow spots the film more than makes up for it with great atmosphere and delivering the gory goods which is what counts in these kind of films

This is a film almost everyone knows about even if you haven't seen it. Night Of The Living Dead is the story of, well, basically life on Earth as we know it coming to an end; the title says it all. The dead are "living", or at least roaming about devouring any human (that isn't dead) that they come in to contact with. We see this story through a group of random people gathered together in an empty farm house fighting for their lives.

The opening scene of this movie, you have a brother and sister visiting their fathers grave site. The brother continually teases his sister who is obviously disturbed by this. "They're coming to get you Babara. Look There is one now." He says this pointing to an elderly man walking in their direction. Some of the last words he will ever speak. The elderly man approaching them (of course they don't know he is a zombie) attacks the Barbara. Her brother tries to fight him off, but is killed in the struggle. And so begins one of the best and most influential horror films ever made.

The tension is gradually raised through out the film as peoples personalities, and ideas on how to combat the gathering mob of living dead outside of their temporary hideaway, begin to conflict with one another. The acting is not top notch I will admit. There are so many other pluses that this matters little if at all, in fact it may add something for some viewers. The story is original in it's telling, and one of the earliest movies of this type before ten low budget copies came out every year.

This is not a gore fest, if you want that check out Dawn Of The Dead, instead more of a psychological thriller with some gore scenes here and there.

This, along with films like Psycho, The Exorcist, Halloween and The Omen, changed the way horror movies are made, and viewed. It was a influence on many directors such as John Carpenter. Though horror films are generally looked down upon, films like these allow us to not feel guilty for admiring the genre

20 years after "Day of the Dead", George A. Romero finally returned to his highly revered series of classic zombie films with this enjoyable and respectable horror / action film. In a world where zombies are higher in number than ever, some folks (basically, the have nots) are forced to fend for themselves, while the others live in relative safety inside a fortified city. Meanwhile, the zombies themselves are evolving, learning how to use tools and weapons and becoming capable of creative thinking, and end up being mobilized by a hulking zombie named "Big Daddy" (Eugene Clark).

Our main plot has Riley (Simon Baker) forced to go after former comrade Cholo (John Leguizamo) after the latter embarks on a vendetta against arrogant fat cat Kaufman (Dennis Hopper), stealing an awesome-looking truck named "Dead Reckoning" and intending to obtain payment from the rich jerk by threatening to destroy his stronghold. With sidekick Charlie (Robert Joy) in tow, Riley picks up other cohorts along the way, including Slack (Asia Argento).

Although the very slickness and Hollywood feel of this project go against the appeal of Romeros' earlier entries, there's no denying that this serves a fair dose of rousing entertainment. The unrated version on DVD delivers a marvelously outrageous amount of gore and violence, the kind guaranteed to leave some viewers quite satisfied. The moody photography, excellent sets, and great locations add to the overall impressive look of the film. Romero gets solid performances out of his cast, all of them low-key (even Hoppers') but effective. Best of all, the director hasn't lost his touch at injecting his material with intelligent commentary on various social issues.

While not as memorable or as potent as Romeros' earlier works, "Land of the Dead" is, I think, worthy of some respect, and is pretty fun to watch. I consider it a treat to see the man get back to doing what he does best, and his love and dedication to this particular niche is always welcome.

If you haven't seen it, be sure to look out for the cameos from Tom Savini and "Shaun of the Dead" boys Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg

This is one of my favorite films. Heat is an ingenious crime sprawling epic crafted by Michael Mann, which in my opinion is his magnum opus. Heat at its core, is a cops and robber story like none other. This crime drama, a poetic-yet-gritty storytelling is elevated by the magnetic cast, the masterful cinematography and the brilliant staging of the action sequences.

The movie spans a little less than three hours but the pacing doesn't falter the entire films runtime. Heat is a movie that can be appreciated on subsequent viewings. There are many layers of detail that viewers will grasp and notice how intricately Mann has woven the story.

Both leads are solid in their roles. DeNiro, here plays a master criminal dealing in high stakes robbery. He is very disciplined, meticulous and ruthless. Pacino, on the other side of the same coin is an obsessive cop, who's edgy and passionate in his work. A high-stakes cat-an-mouse chase between the two characters culminates until the final showdown where only one can emerge in victory.

Part of what makes Heat interesting is the exposition on the characters and a great supporting cast also helps elevate the story. Here with some marvelous performances from Val Kilmer, Jon Voight, Tom Sizemore, and Ashley Judd, just to name a few. The majority of the characters are strong enough to show their own inner reasons for their actions, without needing additional explanation, although there are several players who dart in and out with insufficient attention paid to them. All of these combined leaves an impressive, mostly gripping, character study of near-identical twins.

The main action set piece, the bank heist during midday in Los Angeles is so amazingly orchestrated with such precision and impact that makes you feel immersed as in a documentary style execution. Mann's choice of soundtrack compliments the on screen beautifully, it is powerful but not overwhelming. A staple of Mann's artistic talent.

This is plain and simple one of the best films ever made. Check it out.

Jack Burton is a trucker in San Fransisco whose friend Wang Chi's girlfriend Miao Yin is kidnapped by a streetgang called the Lords of Death. It transpires she has been chosen as the bride for David Lo Pan, an evil sorcerer who must marry a woman with green eyes to rid himself of an ancient curse. Jack and Wang, with the help of some friends, delve into the underworld of Chinatown to try and rescue her and defeat this evil menace.

John Carpenter's name is hardly synonymous with comedy, but this charming, amusing, silly, action-packed, deliriously goofy movie belies that fact. It's great strength is in never taking itself too seriously but always striving to entertain, through great performances, a wild story, terrific martial arts sequences, gorgeous fantasy sets and costumes, and great characters. Jack Burton is beautifully out of whack; he's completely out of his depth, stumbling around, trying to maintain his facade of bravado, but he's totally lovable because of these faults, so he really is the hero in the end, even if his friends do all the hard work. Russell gives a fearless, hilarious performance in the lead, but the whole cast leap into the lunacy feet first and the result is magical. Wong and Hong in particular have a whale of time as the kindly old sorcerer Egg Shen and his fearsome nemesis Lo Pan respectively. W.D. Richter's script absolutely rockets along, giving the movie a giddying, agreeably disorienting pace, but in Carpenter's skilled hands it flows along evenly, with the fights and the gags timed to perfection. It's full of terrific moments and lines ("A man'd have to be some kind of fool to think we're all alone in this universe !") and I love the way it literally dips gently from present-day San Fransisco to the magical underworld of Lo Pan's domain. It also contains one of Carpenter's richest scores, a wailing, mystical-acoustical electronic tempest which buoys up all the mythic elements and races around the action; the whole wedding / final fight / escaping sequence is just awash in fantastic music, and Carpenter even sings (he's the bass voice) on the end credits ! Sadly, this movie was not a hit on its release - it was much too satirical and wild for mainstream audiences - and was one factor which prompted Carpenter to return to low-budget independent work. However, like so many of his films, it was a big success on video and has become a cult classic. I love its sense of daring by having a goofball of a hero and mixing every genre it can think of into the same movie. It looks fabulous, and it's just so much fun to watch. If you ever need cheering up, and you have an open mind, this picture will do the trick every time. Featuring terrific visual effects by Richard Edlund, and fabulous choreography by Jim Lau and James Lew (who both play Chang Sings). Trivia - after meeting on this film, stuntman/actor Jeff Imada (who plays Needles, the hood with the knives at the airport) has been the stunt co-ordinator on every subsequent picture Carpenter has made. If movies are fundamentally meant to entertain - and make no mistake, they are - this is what so many should aspire to. Check it out.

Everyone who know me knows I am a horror movie buff. Jaded to say the least. For a film to scare me takes quite a bit. But this film, gave me a run for my money. The worst part about it is you don't even know it's going to be a horror movie for the first hour or so.

The film is about Aoyama. A lonely middle aged widower movie producer whose been alone too long. Thinking it's time to get remarried (even his teenage son thinks it's time, when this happens you know its gotta happen) he begins to think of ways to find a suitable bride. His friend comes up with the crackpot idea of holding a fake audition for a movie. Seems pretty far fetched. Amazingly it works! It is here we meet Asami, a very cute, pretty young girl with a chip on her shoulder and a mysterious past. We all know she is going to win Aoyama's heart from the beginning because he was quite smitten with the profile of her given to him. The two get together and have some very sweet moments with each other. At first

Does this sounds like the beginning of a crappy romantic-comedy to you or what? I can just see the Hollywood version of this now. All they need is for her to be married or engaged to some rich jerk. It will star either Meg Ryan or Julia Roberts as the cute and troubled audition. Have Richard Gere as the lonely widower (a part he has perfected). Some random, handsome, snobby British guy as the rich jerk. It will be set in a major metropolitan city, and it will be directed by Penny Marshal.

Fortunately, this film goes from the cute romantic comedy set up to a nightmarish apparition that could give David Cronenberg a run for his money. There is no really messy gore in this movie at all, well sort of in one scene. Something that surprises me after seeing some of the other lunatic category 3 horror movies from the East I've seen in recent times (Entrails of the Virgin, anybody) . The movie relies on hallucinogenic images and unsettling scenery to get it's scares. Something it does very well. The sets are very dark and foreboding. The lighting is kept to a minimum while color is brought in shades so the characters seem to be encompassed by them. Red seems to the flavor of the day here. But it is a good choice, red means dread, and that becomes the feeling that comes over us as the film reaches it's sadistic climax.

Audition is a great movie. The lighting, cinematography, and overall feeling of doom are well set up and increased tenfold as the movie goes on. If you are a horror fan and haven't seen Audition, I recommend you take a look at this little gem. However, it can be a bit confusing at first. But stick with it and give it a chance, you won't be sorry.

A strange, ominous figure prowls the desolate Namibian desert and slaughters those he meets in an apparent ritual of black magic origin, although the truth may well be even more alarming.

'Dust Devil' is an extraordinary film from director, Richard Stanley that at once manages to be chilling, creepy, surreal, elegant and beautiful. In a visual sense alone, this film is purely a masterwork with such luscious imagery that can be strikingly picturesque yet in an instant become frightfully lurid and menacing. The desolate terrain of the Namibian desert is often presented with a vivid red tint, as if the landscape itself is drenched with the blood of the Dust Devil's victims. Such magnificent, awe-inspiring backgrounds s