The Legend of Hei (2019)

image host

My daughter has gotten into anime in a big way. She watches a lot of the series and some of the movies. She’s started reading the mangas and her art is often based around those characters (not to mention her cosplaying). She tries to get me into some of it. Sometimes it takes, but often she’s enjoying it at a much faster pace than I can tolerate.

I don’t think she’s seen this film, as I wrote my review of it in 2021 which I think was before her obsessions with the format began, but I’ll have to show it to her as I remember it being quite good.

The Prince’s Voyage (2019) Blu-ray Review

image host

I’m an amateur film reviewer. I don’t do this for money. The closest I get is landing some free Blu-rays from Cinema Sentries. I do this for fun. I like movies. I like talking about movies. I think I’m pretty good at it, but I’m not professional. I didn’t go to film school.

I follow a lot of professional film writers on social media. Sometimes they complain about amateur film writers like me. Sometimes they complain that bad reviews just talk about the plot of a movie. Good reviews should talk about a film’s themes, about the filmmaking, and style. Plot synopsis can be found on Wikipedia.

I get that to a degree. But I’d also argue that it depends on what type of review you are doing. Often a review exists simply to give an opinion on whether or not the film is worth watching. To do that you are going to need to talk about plot. At least a little bit. People want to know what a movie is about before they decide whether or not they want to watch it.

I think about these things when I’m writing a review. I think about them when I read old reviews. Because I’m an amateur, because I’ve never studied film in a formal way I don’t always have something meaningful to say about a film. When I don’t have much to say I revert to talking about the plot. I hope I do it in an entertaining, or at least interesting way. I try not to give too much away while still letting you know something about the film. I never think those reviews are my best, but sometimes that’s what you get.

That is a lot of words to say that my review of The Prince’s Voyage is mostly about the plot. That’s actually good for me because I remember very little about it. I wrote this review back in May of 2021. Now you can read it too.

Foreign Film February: Hokuriku Proxy War (1977)

image host

I continue to sing Radiance Films praises. They are carving out a nice little niche market in the larger Boutique Blu-ray landscape. Their focus seems to be on foreign language arthouse films that are lesser known. The type of film that would be skipped by Criterion but are generally still quite good.

Hokuriku Proxy War is a fun little Japanese Crime Drama that is a bit confusing in the story department but more than makes up for it in its action. You can read my full review here.

Conclave (2024) 4K UHD Review

image host

My wife and I lived in France for about a year back in 2004-2005. While there we traveled a bit around Europe. One of my favorite activities was visiting old Cathedrals. These monuments to Christ and the Church fascinate me. I come from the Church of Christ and they abhor pomp and circumstance, rituals, and any type of artifact or icons. Those visits started a lifetime fascination with the rituals of High Church.

Conclave is about one of the biggest Church rituals – choosing a new Pope. It pays out like a murder mystery/thriller and is tons of fun. Its stacked cast includes Ralph Finnes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, and Isabella Rossellini. You can read my full review here.

The Tall Target (1951)

image host

There are loads of different types of film noirs but The Tall Target might just have the strangest subject matter of them all – protecting Abraham Lincoln from an assassination attempt (no not that one, but a different one. On a train. One that kind of, sort of really happened.)

It is pretty great, too. Dick Powell stars as a copper who thinks the President is going to get killed in Baltimore on a stop he’s making to speechify before he gets inaugurated.

It is a good little mystery with some great noir photography. You can read my full review here.

The Sign of the Cross (1932)

the sign of the cross bluray

I love a good Pre-Code film. These films were made before the censorship of the notorious Production Code really took effect. Most of them are pretty tame by today’s standards, but there is something wild about watching a film from the early 1930s that is more progressive in its dealings with sex and violence than most of the films that came after it for 30 years.

The Sign of the Cross is one of the most notorious Pre-Code films, for a lot of reasons but mainly because it features Claudette Colbert taking a naked milk bath.

It is completely wild, but it is also a pretty good movie. You can read my full review at Cinema Sentries.

Se7en (1995) 4K UHD Review

se7en uhd cover

As I mentioned in this week’s Pick of the Week I’m a big fan of David Fincher’s Se7en. What’s astonishing is that this was just his second feature film. He’d made numerous music videos before entering the world of movies, so he knew his way around a set and behind a camera. But his first feature film, Alien3, was a disaster. The studio constantly interfered, the box office was disappointing and critics mostly hated it (there has since been a “Director’s Cut” of sorts and it’s actually pretty good).

My point is that it is something of a small miracle he was able to make another film at all, that he made something so audacious, so freaking good as Se7en is a testament to Fincher’s confidence and vision so early in his career.

They just released a nice 4k UHD version of the film and it looks amazing. You can read my full review here.

Japan Organized Crime Boss (1969)

japan organied crime boss

Kenji Fukasaku’s Japan Organized Crime Boss is a film about a man lost in time. He’s an old Yakuza who still lives by a code. But he’s been in prison for a while and that has made him want to live a quiet life. But like Michael Corleone the people all around him keep dragging him back in. But those people don’t have a code. The world is changing and it’s left him behind.

This is a good film, but a more thoughtful film than you might imagine with that title. It is shot like a documentary and is building a mythology around the Yakuza that probably never existed. You can read my full review over at Cinema Sentries.

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)

the cabinet of dr caligari 4k uhd

I’m still trying to learn how to watch silent movies. I have the hardest time keeping my mind from wandering. It helps when the film is full of interesting visuals like The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and when it comes with a beautiful new transfer like this release. Ditto when it has some good music to go with it. Read my full review over at Cinema Sentries.

Little Women (1994)

little women 4k cover

Though I am the right age to have grown up with this adaptation of Little Women, I only first watched it a few years ago. I’ve come to love both the story (or at least cinematic adaptations of the story, for I’ve never read the book) and this particular adaptation. This new 4K UHD release is a stunner as you can read in my review over at Cinema Sentries.