MOVIE: The Machine Girl (2008)

The Machine Girl
2008
direction: Iguchi, N.
screenplay: Iguchi, N.

quickie:
“YOU KILLED MY BROHTER! RAWR!”

general impression:
Campy. Mostly good for laughs.

lows:
Degree of violence ranges from hilarious to disgusting.

highs:
Tempura arm! Sentai poses! Drill bra! Oh yeah, and strong female protagonist.

notes:
Assuming you won’t be looking for the meaning of life here, Machine Girl is an absolute laugh trip. It’s, of course, a bad movie with cheap effects, a questionable plot and average (bordering on awful) acting.

There are times when you’re laughing at the violence and times when you’re cringing so I suppose this movie is still not for the squeamish. Like most Japanese movies, lots of high pressure blood squirting all over the place.

If you watched Planet Terror, there’s a good chance that you might start comparing the two. That would be up to you. I prefer taking The Machine Girl as this disgusting funny movie rather than the action film that Planet Terror was.

It’s cheap, disgusting and funny. What else is there to say?

FINAL RATING:
[2] out of [5]

SPECIAL – Paramore

Artist: PARAMORE
Albums:
All We Know is Falling (2005)
RIOT! (2007)
More Information:OFFICIAL WEBSITE
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Upbeat, surprisingly positive, loud but not angry or whiny. They’re young and proving that young does not equate to stupid or green.

Admittedly, their debut album All We Know is Falling sounds less polished or perhaps less produced but it is a great album. They avoid being whiny and generic or perhaps I’m completely blinded by how catchy their songs are. Songs to keep an ear out are Let This Go, My Heart, and my personal favorite, Here We Go Again. All We Know is Falling shows off the potential the band has in terms of their music and lyrics.

RIOT! on the other hand, is better produced and the band has found comfort in their sound. It beats All We Know is Falling in terms of catchy-ness. Their hit singles Misery Business and Crush Crush Crush are the rather weak songs of the album containing too much pop and too little depth. However, all the songs eleven songs are a pleasure to listen to. Assuming you’re not initially antagonistic of this generation’s punk bands, you’ll find yourself quite amused as you listen to That’s What You Get, When it Rains and Miracle.

They are of course, not without fault. They’re young and they have so much room to grow. Right now, they’re amusing to look at because of all the potential they are showing off.

The fun part of listening to Paramore is a sense of knowing that these kids are having fun. That kind of thing is contagious.

Check them out!
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See them here:
Paramore @ LJ
Paramore @ MySpace

MOVIE: Brick (2005)

BRICK
2005
Direction: Johnson, R.
Screenplay: Johnson, R.

quickie:
Good old fashioned detective story done with great style. Dig?

general impression:
Great take of a classic tale, amazing and amusing

lows:
Tug

highs:
chicken pitcher, Joseph Gordon Levitt, witty dialogue, Pseudo-noir feel, fresh, camera work is interesting

notes:
Brick is fascinating to watch and look at. It’s basically a noir spin of a high school tale (or a high school spin of a noir tale?) and it is done with style.

It takes itself seriously enough for the feel to be really felt but not so seriously that it becomes cheesy. Granted, noir flicks are generally cheesy but… well, if you know your noir, you know what I mean.

It has all the right elements: the “jaded” detective-type hero, the trusty information source, the damsel, the other mysterious hot chick, the not really evil “mob” guy and – best of all – clever use of language.

It strays from visual effects and focuses more on composition, editing and camera ‘tricks’ (yeah!) which makes it so much more interesting to watch. On top of that, Joseph Gordon Levitt gives a brilliant, brilliant performance. He’s a really talented actor and I’m so glad he makes such excellent choices.

The movie is just good. It’s a little funny, it’s thrilling (i.e. you really want to know what’s up) and I’m just going to rant on and on about why you should check it out…

FINAL RATING:
[5] out of [5]