As I mentioned last month, I have decided to a monthly review of the films I've watched instead of writing them randomly. I didn't watch quite as many this month as last month for the simple fact that this is the shortest month of the year and I didn't take advantage of my local DVD rental store's half-price campaign. But still, I think there's enough variety to satisfy any picky film watcher.
THE SHEPHERD: BORDER PATROL (2008) - Oh my, I almost thought I had rented Val Kilmer's "Conspiracy" again. Another one man against a small town plot - but wait, that's not quite right. After watching the French movie "Narco" in which a Jean-Claude Van Damme makes a cameo appearance, I just had to watch an action film starring Van Damme himself! He may be aging as well but at least his action scenes aren't all done in slow motion (a la Steven Seagal)! But the story does use the plot from the first "Lethal Weapon" movie. Ex-military men who fought in Afghanistan are now working in Mexico and controlling the drug trade. Van Damme’s daughter died because of bad drugs and now he’s out to stop the pushers. 
7-10 SPLIT (2007) – This is so bad it’s not even funny. It’s one of the those films you would have seen on Showtime or HBO late at night. Struggling actor supports himself by working as a pizza delivery boy. His outlet for stress is to go bowling. There he is scouted by some Bowling Association producer who wants him to join the league to give a boost to a sport that’s virtually ignored. After getting fired from his pizza delivery job, his only option is to become a star as a bowler. Go find yourself the nearest toilet so you can retch at your heart’s desire after watching this low rate flick that doesn’t even deserve to be called a B-movie.
THE HUNTING PARTY (2007) – First you must suspend your belief that a veteran war correspondent and his camera man buddy along with an out of college green journalist wannabe can go out and capture by themselves a dangerous war criminal from the Bosnian/Serb war and then you might be able to enjoy this. Richard Gere plays the veteran prize-winning journalist, who fades from view after he witnesses a incident in a small town in Serbia. His camera man buddy gets a cushy job with some news station and years down the road, the camera man is filming a piece for the anniversary of the ending of the Bosnian/Serb war. Here he meets with his journalist buddy who says he’s got the scoop of a lifetime, and would camera man be interested in working like old times again. Gere happens to have information on where the most wanted war criminal is hiding out and suggests that they go find him. Camera man thinks it would be great to get an interview with him, but has second thoughts as he learns that Gere doesn’t want to interview the man, but wants to capture him and bring him to justice! If only real-life were like this film. Aside from Bin-Laden, the two biggest war criminals from the Bosnian/Serb war are still at large and living a chushy life. One of them has even managed to have two books and a play published as well. When you read stuff like that, you have to wonder what use is the United Nations anyway? What makes this film great though, is that a lot of the crazier events and characters are based on real people. Entertaining. 
隠し剣 鬼の爪 (KAKUSHI KEN ONI NO TSUME) International English Title [THE HIDDEN BLADE] (2004) – This stars Masatoshi Nagase and Takako Matsu. It’s a samurai movie but if your expecting sword-fighting action a la Kurosawa films, then you will find this to be a bit of a disappointment. But if you enjoyed “Bushi no Ichibun” (Love and Honor) then you might find this to your liking. Munezo (Nagase) says good-bye to his friend Yaichiro who has taken a post in Edo. Munezo still lives with his mother and sister and also has a housemaid named Kie (Matsu). Mom dies, sister gets married, Kie is married into a merchant family. But Kie is abused by her new family so Munezo rescues her the new family. Although he longs to marry her he knows he cannot as they are from two different castes. Words are said about Munezo being single and still having a housemaid so he sends Kie back to her father’s farm. In the meantime, Yaichiro is dishonored and sent back to his hometown. Although he escapes, the local daimyo orders Munezo to kill him to prove his innocence of not being a part of Yaichiro’s plans. Although Munezo knows that Yaichiro is the better swordsman, Munezo goes to their old teacher who teaches Munezo something new. The movie kind of plods along but the scenery is great. It’s a good thing I didn’t spend rental money on this as it was aired on network television.
RESIDENT EVIL: EXTINCTION or BIOHAZARD 3 (as it’s known in Japan) (2007) – The conclusion of the “Resident Evil” franchise, based on a video game, and made popular by Milla Jovovich. What can I say, I had to see how this series ended. It has everything you would expect – the evil Umbrella Corporation, more zombies than you can shake a stick at, and a few remaining uninfected humans going in search of a sanctuary where the earth is affected by the virus the Umbrella Corporation created.
MR. MAGORIUM’S WONDER EMPORIUM (2007) – Simply put this is “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” wherein the chocolate factory is a magical toy store, Willy Wonka is replaced by Mr. Magorium (Dustin Hoffman), and Charlie is replaced by Molly Maloney (Natalie Portman). And you don’t need to know anything more. 
JUNO (2008) – An excellent independent film starring Ellen Page as a senior in high school who gets pregnant. She decides that she will have the baby and searches for what she believes will be caring adoptive parents. But what really makes this film great is the dialogue along with the relationship between her father and stepmother. It’s such a feel good movie and does not try to set an moral standards about abstinence from sex or choosing an abortion. Page’s boyfriend is played by Michael Cera, one of the nerds from “Superbad” – another great teen movie. 
銀色のシーズン (GIN IRO NO SEASON) International English Title [THE SILVER SEASON] (2008) – Another Japanese film that was aired on network television. This stars popular Japanese actor Eita and Rena Tanaka. The story centers around Eita who was an Olympic hopeful for the freestyle mogul but retired after taking a big fall in a major tournament. He now works as a nandemo yarira (all around handyman) with two of his buddies in the small ski resort town where he’s from. A young bride-to-be (Tanaka) wants to have her wedding in a chapel made of ice. But when Eita and his buddies fire off some cannons that set off an avalanche so they wouldn’t have to worry about setting one off when they ski down the mountain, unknown to them, the avalanche destroys the ice chapel. When the chapel owners call the brides family to cancel the wedding, they discover that her groom-to-be died in a car accident six months prior. Okay, I didn’t really care about the story. I only watched this because I’m a gib fan of Rena Tanaka.
DETROIT METAL CITY (2008) – OMG, this is such a great flick. Shoichi Negashi dreams of becoming famous in Tokyo by playing folksy, happy, feel good music in a nice trendy café. However, he finds himself as the lead vocal of a death metal group called Detroit Metal City. Though he longs to quit so he can play the music he loves, the boss of his record label refuses to listen and tells him his future lies in being the King of Death Metal. Gene Simmons also makes an appearance in this film as the reigning Death Metal King. There is also a love interest for Negishi who thinks the band Detroit Metal City is one of the worst things around and that Johannes Krauser II is the most evil man alive, not knowing the Krauser is none other than Negishi. Now my only hope is that Hollywood will not create a pathetic remake of this.I do have some films I'm looking forward to watching - "The Incredible Hulk", "Iron Man", "The Visitor". Actually, the film I'm most looking forward to seeing isn't released until April 25 - Barry Eisler's "Rainfall" which a Japanese production has adapted. I'm also looking forward to watching "Slumdog Millionaire" based on Vikas Swarup's book "Q & A".
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