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Films seen in April
[10/2] Note – New commitments at work have proven to deprive me of all my writing time. I will put a couple of sentences on everything from now on to share my thoughts, however I don’t see myself churning out anything substantial anytime soon…
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01. The Lookout (2007, USA) Scott Frank -

a must see [B-]

02. When a Woman Ascends the Stairs (1960, Japan) Mikio Naruse -

Masterpiece

03. Super Inframan (1975, Hong Kong) Shan Hua -

worth seeing

04. Walking Distance- The Twilight Zone 1.5 (1959, USA) Robert Stevens - not recommended

05. Escape Clause- The Twilight Zone 1.6 (1959, USA) Mitchell Leisen - average

06. Turistas (2006, USA) John Stockwell -

worthless [F]

07. Who's Camus Anyway? (2005, Japan) Mitsuo Yanagimachi -

a must see [B+]

08. Birthday Boy [short] (2004, South Korea / Autralia) Sejong Park - not recommended

10. Roman (2006, USA) Angela Bettis -

a must see [B]

I’m not a fan of the cruddy DV look and the Pop/Rock soundtrack was overused by the second reel, but none of this was enough to keep me from enjoying every second of this fascinating little experimental horror film. As in May and Sick Girl, the cutesy McKee and Bettis sensibility is firing on all cylinders, perhaps a little too much for the gorehounds and just enough to alienate the art crowd, leaving this picture somewhere smack dab in the middle of esoteric-ville. It deserves a wider audience -- and in time as McKee’s career takes off perhaps it will gain resonance -- but for now this little introvert of a film will have to be content leading an existence similar to that of its title character.

11. Charlotte's Web (2006, USA) Gary Winick -

has redeeming facet [D]

Let’s just say, with a source story like this, you’d have to suck pretty bad to mess this one up.

13. Womens Prison Massacre (1983, Italy) Bruno Mattei -

worth seeing

Albina: Take my advice and die!
Laura: I'll bite your nipples off!
Now this shit is Grindhouse…

14.Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film (2006, USA) Rachel Belofsky & Rudy Scalese -

worth seeing [C-]

Like an extended DVD Extra, this is a series of film clips and interviews with an abundance of superfluous trivia. By no means essential, this will prove entertaining viewing for fans of the genre and snooze worthy for everyone else.

15. I Drink Your Blood (1970, USA) David E. Durston -

worth seeing

One for the grindhouse/exploitation pantheon to be sure, I was more taken with the rugged cinematography than I was the strained depravity.

16. Pervert! (2005, USA) Jonathan Yudis -

worth seeing [C]

Yudis doesn’t quite pull it off, mainly because Meyer is a FAR more gifted filmmaker (and editor) than he is often given credit for, so he needs more than just big tits to match those works. Still, here’s hoping Yudis continues making movies in this direction. Perhaps more John Waters and less Russ Meyer next time?

17. The Cage (1964, Japan) Shuji Terayama [short] -

Masterpiece

18. Emperor Tomato Ketchup (1971, Japan) Shuji Terayama [short, 27 min. cut] -

a must see

19. The War of Jan-Ken-Pon (1971, Japan) Shuji Terayama [short] -

has redeeming facet

20. Butterfly (1974, Japan) Shuji Terayama [short] -

a must see

21. Laura (1974, Japan) Shuji Terayama [short] -

worth seeing

22. Friday the 13th (1980, USA) Sean S. Cunningham [3rd viewing; no change in rating ***]

25. Invisible Waves (2006, Thailand) Pen-Ek Ratanaruang -