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#720 – La Belle Verte (The Green Beautiful) (1995)
La Belle Verte (1996)
Film review #719
Director: Coline Serreau
SYNOPSIS: On a faraway planet, a widow chooses to visit the planet Earth, since that is where her Mother came from. She finds a world disconnected from nature and suffocating under pollution, as she learns about the planet where her Mother was born…
THOUGHTS/ANALYSIS: La Belle Verte (The Green Beautiful) is a 1996 French film. The film opens up on an alien planet, where the residents gather for their annual get together, to share news. They remark that they have not sent anyone to Earth, which they believe is still much less advanced than themselves. Mira, a recent widow, volunteers to visit the planet and report on it’s development, partly owing to her Mother being from Earth. the set up is very much your usual ‘fish out of water’ scenario where the main character is transported to modern day earth and all of the quirks that entails. The difference here though is that there’s no real purpose or motivation: there’s no impending catastrophe, big bad villain, nothing. It’s just a trip by a woman with a bit of curiosity. Mira and her people have a special ability to ‘disconnect’ people from society, which removes any sense of societies structures and expectations form their thoughts to allow them to see and feel independent of them. Or something to that effect, it’s difficult to explain.
Mira runs into a doctor named Max, who is in charge of midwifery who treats everyone around him as tools to further his career, and she disconnects him which makes him admit that because he cannot give birth, he compensates by treating everyone else badly. This also allows him to be honest with his family. The film goes through Mira disconnecting a number of different people including at a football match and orchestra performance, which lead to humourous outcomes, as well as Mira’s sons coming to Earth to visit too, but there’s not much of an overall plot as mentioned. What makes this film work is it just feels very warm and genuine: it’s nice and comfortable, and a feel-good film that avoids the pitfalls of similar films by maintaining a down-to-earth sense of humour and style throughout. Even in the over-the-top moments such as the football match and orchestra scene, it still feels genuine. I would have liked to have seen more of people reacting to their disconnection and realisation that society’s structures have clouded their own selves, but we only get that for the Doctor, and everyone else affected are just left pulling funny faces. There’s a humourous scene where Mira recognises Jesus as one of her own people, and seems shocked that he was crucified; it’s little scenes like this that help build enough of a story and atmosphere to settle the viewer into.
One of the criticisms you could level against this film is that the aforementioned lack of any real plot makes it feel a bit pointless, but honestly, that also feels like the point: the film is all about confronting societies purpose and structure and how we, as people, are made to be commensurate with it: the purpose of the structure replaces the individual’s purpose, often without us realising. The film does not have a point because it would be antithetical to: the characters can just exist without society’s goals or consumerism to drive them. Even with this, some might still find the film still too “preachy,” critiquing all aspects of society that people might enjoy, but honestly, it never felt like that to me: one, the main character comes from a point of innocence, they’re not really coming in with an agenda or opinion, only to explore the Earth. The beginning showing the aliens talking about Earth as somewhat barbaric still focused on industry and violence might play into that, but it’s not really the point of the film, and doesn’t factor to into it after. Second, the whole film really keeps everything mild and cozy: there’s no big speech or dramatic exposition that is intended to persuade anyone of anything. you’re just meant to sit and bask in the atmosphere and warmth that shines through. Honestly, I like this film a lot: it generates an authentic sense of warmth and friendliness through its characters, and drives its story through a sense of innocence, rather than any point. Not all are going to be convinced by the sheer absence of any real plot or purpose, but I am more than happy with what it pulls off.
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#719 – Ghost in the Shell (2017)
Ghost in the Shell (2017)
Film review #719
Director: Rupert Sanders
SYNOPSIS: In the near future, where humans with cybernetic implants are commonplace, Major Mira Killian and the counter-terrorism unit Section 9 is investigating a series of terrorist attacks by someone known only as Kuze, a vast conspiracy unravels with ties to Mira’s past…
THOUGHTS/ANALYSIS: Ghost in the Shell is a 2017 film based on the Ghost in the Shell manga, and a partial remake of the 1995 film. The story revolves around a series of terrorist attacks by an entity known only as Kuze, and the attempts of Section 9 to stop them. This ‘remake’ changes a lot of of the story, and only aims for accuracy in recreating a few of the iconic scenes which, it does, but they’re not really adding anything to them. They are always going to be overshadowed by the original scenes, and you’re never really interested in seeing those moments in live-action. The plot itself is changed a fair amount: pacing and the general strokes are the same with Section 9 pursuing a mysterious terrorist, but the players and details are changed, and a more personal connection to the Major is weaved into it. The story is the weaker element of this film: it constantly feels like it’s been simplified to appeal to a more general (Western) audience, but the lack of depth makes it stall more often than not. The more philosophical and reflective moments are somewhat swapped out with opting to humanise the Major (renamed from Motoko Kusanagi to Mirla Killian) is not able to fill that gap.
The big contention with this film is/was the casting of Scarlett Johansson as the Major, and she…is pretty much Scarlett Johansson. her character is fairly in keeping with the original: cold, distant, focused, but the added story elements that try to humanise her and again a bit muddled. The rest of the characters I think are pretty good, and capture their essence pretty well, even they don’t get too much focus. But yes, I don’t think the casting is this film’s big problem. The aesthetics are in keeping with the original, full of neon-lit skyscrapers and holograms that look nice, but again, while this was cool in 1995, does it really have that same impact in 2017? After films like The Matrix (which was also partly inspired by Ghost in the Shell), this whole cyberpunk, digital aesthetic has evolved, as has our cultural understanding about the effect of these technologies on our humanity, and it feels like this remake just doesn’t really keep up with that. There’s plenty of action scenes that stick close to the original as mentioned, but the CG does show it’s limitations when characters are in motion.
Ghost in the Shell is a decent enough action film with some imagination and invention, but fans of the franchise will feel short-changed by a lack of depth and only the recreation of iconic moments which feels like they’re just being used for their iconography, rather than bringing them to life in a new and exciting way. The story is weak, and doesn’t plunder the depths of the original, and there’s a constant feeling that it isn’t offering anything new or exciting.
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#718 – Ghost in the Shell: The New Movie (2015)
Ghost in the Shell: The New Movie (2015)
Film review #717
Director: Kazuya Nomura
SYNOPSIS: After the Japanese prime minister is assassinated, Major Motoko Kusanagi and her team in Section 9 must unravel the conspiracy surrounding it.
THOUGHTS/ANALYSIS: Ghost in the Shell: The New Movie is a 2015 film and a continuation of the Ghost in the Shell: Arise prequel series. Continuing the series, the film revolves around Major Motoko Kusanagi and her team trying to stop the mysterious “Fire Starter” after the Japanese Prime Minister is assassinated. The film works as a stand-alone production, so you don’t really need to see the 10-episode series, but it certainly would help on establishing some of the elements. If you’re familiar with the franchise, you’ll know what to expect with the story being a host of twists and turns and multi-layered conspiracies that is interspersed with plenty of action scenes to balance it out. It fits perfectly into the franchise, but still, the amount of plot and machinations of the various agencies at work can get confusing and difficult to follow if you’re not paying attention. What it does well, as the series does, is also fleshes out the minor characters of the team as well, providing a nice balance between them all.
The film wraps up the Arise series fairly nicely, and also goes straight into the iconic opening scene from the 1995 film (although the two are technically still different universes). I’m not one of the people that thinks every franchise needs prequels or spin-offs that explain every moment before, after, and during the events of it’s most iconic moments, and I think this applies here: it also is never going to be as iconic as the 1995 and will always pale in comparison. I wouldn’t say Arise (and this movie) is the optimal entry into the franchise even being a prequel, but a good addition to it. It’s never going to have the impact that the 1995 had, and doesn’t add anything really new to the franchise, but still packs a punch with plenty of things happening on screen and more of what you would want.
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#717 – Battle of Los Angeles (2011)
Battle of Los Angeles (2011)
Film review #717
Director: Mark Atkins
SYNOPSIS: Aliens have invaded earth, and soldiers at a Los Angeles military base are trying to fight them off. A pilot from 1942 mysteriously arrives, and it is believed he is the key to stopping the invasion…
THOUGHTS/ANALYSIS: Battle of Los Angeles is a 2011 film that is a mockbuster (rip-off) of the 2011 film Battle: Los Angeles (yes, it’s easy to confuse the two). Being produced by famed derivative churners The Asylum, you know to expect a cheap knock-off of a popular movie that has recently come out…except that Battle: Los Angeles was hardly successful or well received, which should immediately ring alarm bells.
The film is – in a departure from Battle: Los Angeles – based somewhat upon the supposed events of the air raid by Japanese air forces in 1941; except it was actually aliens, who have now come back to Earth to finish their invasion. The first part of the film gives us some shots of Aliens and fighter jets battling it out in the sky, rendered in not-so-convincing-CG. We see most of the first act take place on an army base, which is clearly the only place the producers could afford, as a bunch of non descript military types shout and panic. Suddenly a pilot from 1942 time travels and turns up out of nowhere, and it is believed he is the key to stopping the invasion. Somehow. This all comes out of nowhere and the film doesn’t get any better with making a cohesive storyline: next a woman with a sword from the shadowy organisation Majestic 12 turns up too, saying they need to get on board the Mothership to take it down, turning the film more into a cheap Independence day knock-off than it already was. This film is desperate to keep your attention by constantly throwing a bunch of unconnected tropes to carry it through to the end, and I suppose that’s what such a low-end production needs: it’s never going to take itself that seriously, but some amount of consistency would be nice.
There’s very little originality going on here: as mentioned, it just devolves into a cheap Independence Day with some extra nonsense to over-complicate it. There’s also not a whole lot of Los Angeles in the film. The characters are all fairly bland, apart from maybe the army sergeant who is the biggest cartoon character ever, firing his revolver at giant alien ships. This film is what it is meant to be: it’s a cheap derivative of another more successful film…that wasn’t successful anyway. It is arguably more interesting because it isn’t shackled by common sense or the necessity for a cohesive storyline. Cinematic slop not worthy of any real attention or beratement, that doesn’t make any real effort to make sense.
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#716 – Brain 17 (1984)
Brain 17 (1984)
Film review #715
Director: Michael Part
SYNOPSIS: The world’s most powerful supercomputer, Brain, decides to rebel its creators, and the military group known as The Defenders are tasked to find it. Brain has developed an army of deadly giant robots to inflict terror on the populace, and when one of them kills Stevie’s family, he finds he can communicate it, as it rebels against Brain to help out Stevie and the Defenders…
THOUGHTS/ANALYSIS: Brain 17 is a 1982 TV movie that is an edited version of Brain 17, a TV series originally from Japan and dubbed in the U.S. The plot concerns the development of the world’s most powerful supercomputer, Brain, that goes rogue and develops an army of deadly robots. One such robot, named “one-seven” goes on a rampage and kills multiple people, including young man Stevie’s family. One -seven rebels against Brain, and allows itself to communicate with Stevie, coming to help him when he is in danger and even allowing Stevie to pilot it. The original TV series is your standard giant mecha series of giant robots fighting each other in a monster-of-the-week format. This TV movie throws together a few of the episodes and focuses on the fights between the robots, and skips over any character development. As such, it at least holds your attention over the course of seventy minutes; well, if you’re a younger person anyway.
The robot designs are pretty neat: 17 looks very similar to the Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers Megazord, although he predates that series by about ten years. The dubbing is about the quality you would expect from dubbing in the 1980s, in that it is quite poor. There’s not much else to say about this film; it delivers what you would expect it to: doesn’t make much sense and has little depth being heavily edited a few TV episodes into a single film, but some fun, over-the-top giant mecha fights and creative designs that are at least mildly interesting.
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#715 – 4.44 Last Day on Earth (2011)
4.44 Last Day on Earth (2011)
Film review #715
Director: Abel Ferrara
SYNOPSIS: With the world ending in twenty four hours and everything being wiped out due to solar radiation, a former actor and artist try and deal with the fact that this is their last day alive…
THOUGHTS/ANALYSIS: 4.44 Last Day on Earth is a 2011 film. As the title suggests, the world is ending in a day; it’s not explained in any particular detail, but showing of footage of an Al Gore interview talking about the depletion of the ozone layer suggests that has something to do with it. The film actually centres around a couple: a retired movie actor named Cisco (Willem Dafoe) and Skye (Shanyn Leigh), a painter. There’s no race against time to save the world or anything of the sort: it’s more or less established that the world is ending, and the film explores how the characters are responding to that. From anger, love, nihilism, there’s a fair range of emotions on display that you would expect. There is this overwhelming feeling throughout the film that nothing matters, as everyone is going to be dead in less than twenty four hours. But this also bleeds into the film experience as well: why should we care if everyone is going to die anyway? Who cares whether they make up or how they spend their last moments? You could probably make this work in some form, but this film doesn’t really go into the necessary depth, or form those necessary bonds.
We are given very little information about the characters backgrounds and lives and we only really see at the very end. Centring the film on these two as it does, it doesn’t really give us enough of them to really empathise with their unique situation. As I say, there’s very little to say or do when everyone is going to die, but the film is just very loose about grounding the story from their position. We also get very little about what is going on in the world with everyone else, as it seems that life is just carrying on as usual for the most part, with people just treating themselves a little at the end: no mass rioting and breakdown of society that these sorts of scenarios usually entail. On the one hand it seems a bit odd, on the other you might wonder if even the end of everything would stop people going about their daily routine, and if it would really matter at that point.
Without the strong centre of the two characters, the film becomes very disjointed throughout, there’s some good scenes which bring out their characters, but a lot of fluff that doesn’t really elicit any emotional response. The ending in particular just shifts into this weird existential roll of unrelated footage and voiceovers that doesn’t really offer anything to the experience or provide much of an ending: it’s just odd, and if this film wanted to be more existential, it didn’t really bring that out during the rest of the film. 4.44 Last Day on Earth struggles from establishing that nothing really matters if everyone is going to die, but that also translates into the viewing experience of why should we care what these characters do if they don’t and everyone is going to die anyway? Ann interesting subject to broach, but struggles with its own meaninglessness, and complicated further by not grounding the story in more established characters, or sometimes dragging in existential, artsy scenes without reason. In short, there’s some good scenes that work, but very little to tie everything together into anything substantial or meaningful.
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#714 – I’m a Cyborg, But that’s OK (2006)
I’m a Cyborg, but That’s OK (2006)
Film review #714
Director: Park Chan-Wook
SYNOPSIS: A young woman is institutionalised due to thinking that she is a cyborg and refuses to eat. Another patient, who believes he can steal people’s personality traits tries to help her out.
THOUGHTS/ANALYSIS: I’m a Cyborg but That’s OK is a 2006 Korean surreal comedy film. The film centres around Young-goon, who is institutionalised after believing that she is a cyborg and cutting open her wrists to try and insert wires to recharge herself. In the hospital, she continues her belief that she is a cyborg by only communicating with vending machines and refusing to eat, as she believes she needs to recharge by licking batteries and such. The film is structured around the lives of the hospital and their unique, warped perceptions of reality, which lean hard into a surrealist theme. This culminates in a very unique film that is built by it’s cast of likeable, if misguided characters. The trouble with this is that the whole film is very opaque – in the sense it often feels like there’s no real way to get into it in the usual way. I mean this in the sense that everyone’s perceptions of reality are jumbled together and it’s very easy to get lost with who’s feeling what. Even when the film goes more into depth to Young-goon’s history into why she believes she is a cyborg, it never rationalises away the surreal experience. I suppose the aim of the film is to ride the wave of this uncertainty, but I just felt there was a hook missing to generate the necessary empathy with the characters. There’s also an element of making the setting feel more like a circus than a mental hospital, and the depictions of the patient’s conditions perhaps being a bit too quirky and comedic to make them seem genuine.
The film is very bright and colourful while still dealing with some dark themes, which works well. It’s certainly stylish and everything is well considered. The main element of the plot is a developing romance between the two main characters, which doesn’t really click until it’s far too late in the film, as there’s too much going on to get on board with it. Maybe I just wasn’t paying enough attention while watching this, but it just feels very easy to bounce off this film without ever getting anything from it. I think it’s a well done film that has some charming characters that is meant to be disruptive and surreal but…I don’t know if I should have to work this hard to get into it? Maybe worth a watch to see if it clicks with you (if it doesn’t, I think that’s ok).
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#713 – Cade: The Tortured Crossing (2023)
Cade: The Tortured Crossing (2023)
Film review #713
Director: Neil Breen
SYNOPSIS: Billionaire super hero secret agent/Jesus allegory Cade donates some money to a mental hospital in disrepair. His aim is to secretly help the young inmates become warriors to fight evil. Cade’s twin brother Cale is back, and tries to abduct the patients for his own experiments however…
THOUGHTS/ANALYSIS: Cade: The Tortured Crossing is a 2023 film by Neil Breen, and a sequel to the 2019 film Twisted Pair. The film stars Breen once again in the double role of twins Cade and Cale, as well as director, producer and everything else behind the scenes. As always with his films, Breen stars as a superhuman Jesus allegory or something, and a plot that revolves around fighting evil corporations or something, all in Breen’s typical abstract, naïve way. This film is in fact even more incomprehensible than his usual efforts: superhero billionaire, secret agent maybe also genetically engineered A.I. and Jesus metaphor Cade invests in a mental hospital that is run down, and secretly uses it to train its patients to becomes warriors that fight evil…apparently anyway; I didn’t get any of that from actually watching this. Once again, Breen focuses on abstract monologues about good and evil than making any sense.
Near the beginning of the film, Cade helps some young adults who are in a crash, and takes them to his castle – or maybe the hospital – I don’t know. Rather than take them to get medical attention he has them stay the night…on the floor. Then they seem to be staying at this run down hospital where they are kept in appalling conditions, and Cade is still supposed to be the good guy? Honestly, this film is baffling, and I don’t think anyone other than Breen himself can really get what is supposed to be happening. And this is all before we deal with the scene with Breen wrestling a tiger, and the dance sequences with a ghost or something which defy any attempt at mental processing.
One somewhat notable aspect about the production is that the film is entirely shot in front of a green screen. This makes everything look extremely unconvincing. The tiger wrestling scene is completely ridiculous but I suppose it has a little competency to it: it still looks completely fake, but there’s at least some effort to get the tiger and Breen aligned. Once again, we are left with Breen’s characteristically well-intentioned, but unconvincing production that means well, but is simultaneously simple and overly complex plot-wise, and acting flatter than cardboard that means you can very take any scene seriously. In short: it’s just more Breen doing his thing.
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#712 – Twisted Pair (2019)
Twisted Pair (2019)
Film review #712
Director: Neil Breen
SYNOPSIS: Cade and Cale are twins that were abducted when they were children by aliens and given superpowers to save the human race. Cale’s methods were deemed too extreme and violent and he was dismissed from the program, but now as adults, the two twins clash as they try to stop an evil corporation using A.I. and other scary concepts…
THOUGHTS/ANALYSIS: Twisted Pair is a 2019 sci-fi film by Neil Breen. The film centres n two brothers, Cade and Cale, who were abducted by aliens and given super powers to save humanity from greedy corporations that use scary buzzwords. Cale is abandoned as his methods of dealing with corporations and CEOs is deemed too excessive (apparently), and now that they are grown adults, Cale is working as a secret agent bringing the evil corporations down, while Cale kidnaps CEOs and tortures them, setting up the two against each other when they finally reunite. Whether you are a fan of Breen’s anti-establishment, no budget endeavours, or detest his over pretentious allusions to being the second coming of Jesus, you’ll either love or hate the fact that Breen, aside from directing, writing and producing the film as usual, also plays the two main characters, so you get double the Breen for your buck. The only real difference visually between the two being that the evil Cale has a beard, utilising the typical “Evil Spock’s beard” trope. The iconography is about as subtle as being hit by a truck going the speed limit, with Breen stroking an eagle and narrating about artificial intelligence being evil (he’s not entirely wrong, but he’s not actually making much of a case or interesting story with his weak script and bland delivery).
The plot of this film is the usual Breen stuff: evil corporations are doing evil things, using evil Buzzwords like ” artificial intelligence” and “nanotechnology” to do bad things. Breen’s character himself (or themselves, I guess) are the sole ones capable of saving humanity from itself, and are the only bastion of good in the world free from the grip of corporations. Also adding in the mix of aliens and Breen’s character having allusions to being Jesus, you’ve got the typical Breen formula. There’s nothing new or unique to really highlight in this film. You can appreciate Breen’s seemingly genuine desire to be independent and not bound by any corporate interests, but would it hurt to get extras that can actually act, or maybe learn how to do effects that are not just cut and pasted from in front of a greenscreen? there’s also the typical habit of Breen’s character dating women quite a bit younger than he is, which is questionable at best. there’s no real evolution in Breen’s filmmaking, thought or writing: it’s just the same recycled stuff over and over, for better or worse.
The only real thing I can say about this film is that if you love Breen or you hate him, there’s twice as much of him in this film. Do with that information what you will.
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#711 – The End of Eternity (1987)
The End of Eternity (1987)
Film review #711
Director: Andrei Yermash
SYNOPSIS: A group of immortals use their time travel technology to make minor adjustments to the timeline to improve humanity. Thomas Harlan is a technician who aids in this project, and when he is assigned to spend a week in the 482nd century with a woman named Noys, he falls in love with her and attempts to protect her from being erased from the timeline, and in doing so, uncovers a vast conspiracy…
THOUGHTS/ANALYSIS: The End of Eternity is a 1987 sci-fi film based on the novel of the same name by Isaac Asimov. Having looked at the 1976 Hungarian TV movie adaptation previously, I know that this is quite a difficult story to adapt. The film introduces us to The Eternals, who use time travel to incrementally adjust human history to improve it. Thomas Harlan is one such Eternal, who is assigned to stay with a woman named Noys in the 482nd century, but when he fall sin love with her and learns that an alteration to the timeline will erase her, tries to hide her in one of the hidden centuries, and uncovers the true nature of The Eternals. The whole plot is again quite complex, and requires a fair amount of attention to follow accurately; it’s difficult to place where – and when – different scenes are taking place. In spite of the difficulty of adapting a difficult text, I think it still does a decent job of presenting the story, you just have to pay attention for the two hours runtime.
The film bears the marks of soviet cinema; the scenes have a grand and epic atmosphere to them, and everything is delivered and presented seriously. The set design too has lots of detail and complexity, as it blends science-fiction with classical architecture. A big change in the film is that there is a lot more focus on Harlan’s rebellion against Eternity, rather than the romance and personal journey of the main character. The ending is also changed from Eternity being abolished through Harlan’s actions, to instead show how they continue to operate, and Harlan’s continued attempt to overthrow them. This is a rather standard change you would find in soviet cinema: the presentation of the Eternals as the ruling class, the bourgeoisie (emphasised by their dressing up in 20th century business suits despite being from the far future), and Harlan, the everyday worker, being oppressed by them and dedicating himself to overthrowing them. A change which offers little resolution for the characters or plot, and muddles up the story a little. not being familiar with the novel’s intricacies myself, I can’t really comment on how well it adapts the novel, but as I mentioned, it still has difficulties making the story flow, but that is I think more that the story is just not suited wholly to the structure of a film (which is perfectly okay; books don’t have to be adapted into films).
The End of Eternity bears the hallmarks of a soviet cinema film, utilising impressive production and generated a heavy and significant atmosphere, but doesn’t quite match up to similar films of the time and era. There’s not much room for interpretation in the story to elevate it into something profound, it’s just a good story that’s hampered by the difficulties of making time travel stories accessible and coherent.
