The Tale of Zatôichi Continues 1962
★★★½
Zatoichi was so good they made a direct sequel. The film picks off where the last film left off. Tons of returning characters and callbacks. What makes this film stellar is the tighter pacing. The action scenes come more often, and the battles are larger. If you have ever seen lone wolf&cub you will feel at home here. Zatoichi's rival this time is his own brother. His brother reveals crucial plot details that will no doubt affect future films. The story is a little weaker due to due all the action scenes, but this is still a worthy sequel.
Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin IV – Eve of Destiny 2016
★★★★
Eve of Destiny is an accurate title, because it covers the events the year before the war starts. We are also shown the first MS battle. The pacing is on par with the third film, which is my favorite so far. Downside is this film is close to borderline fanservice. The fan service is too on the noise sometimes.
Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin II – Artesia’s Sorrow 2015
★★★½
The events that lead to Char joining the Zeon academy. I love all the extra details, that you can't find anywhere else.
The Belko Experiment 2016
★★★
Bellko Experiment is like battle royale but with almost three times the people. The concept is awesome, but a lot of the action is stuff you probably seen from other films. If you love the purge series, and looking for a rental this is the film.
The Tale of Zatôichi 1962
★★★★
Warning I decided to marathon the whole series, so my reviews will be slightly different.
The Tale of Zatoichi is a fantastic film, that blends the gangsta life of yakuza, and samurai. The film builds up the fight between Ichi the blind swordsman, and Hirate the ill. The final duel is amazing, and Ichi's speech of the Yakuza is something I won't forget soon. Like a mix of Yojimbo and Seven Samurai.
Mystery Train 1989
★★★★
Glad I managed to watch this before it left Filmstruck. Three awesome stories of people close to each other, but never meeting. I loved the Japanese couple the most. Their expectations of America, and the reality shock made them the most complex. Also Joe Strummer plays a British Elvis presley.
Violent Cop 1989
★★★★ rry that is outright amazing. Nothing else to say, that the title doesn't already tell you. The film is extremely violent.
Ghost in the Shell 2017
★★★
Ghost in the shell has it's problems, but it is still amazingly the best anime adaption of the year. The film makes the plot simpler to understand, but also spends more time explaining than doing. Scarlett Johansson did nothing for the film, choosing to whitewash Major was terrible. It was a weird choice, giving how everything else was faithful to the original film, even most of the scenes were the same. The live adaption has the better plot, but the original does everything else better.
Unbreakable 2000
★★★★
Unbreakable really was ahead of it's time. It takes the classic comic trope of good vs evil and reinvents it.
The Terrorizers 1986
★★★★
The terrorizers is an interesting film because the first half leaves you with a lot of questions. How do these people come to together, where is this going, and what does the film title mean. Slowly but surely everything starts to unravel, and you fully appreciate what Yang has done. By the end of the film you are left foolish for ever doubting Yang. Taste of cinema did a great breakdown of the film, and it's meaning that opened my mind for a rewatch.
www.tasteofcinema.com/2012/classic-chine...ema-the-terrorizers/