Whispering Corridors (Yeogo goedam)

stale korean horror film

after seeing lots of good asian horror films, one like this just doesn't compare. a high school is being terrorized by the ghost of a former student who commited suicide. her former friend, and new teacher at the school is investigating what happened, and meanwhile 2 girls are trying to contact spirits... a few people end up dead, and overall it's kinda confusing. i just didn't like it as much as other more recent asian horror films involving ghosts. this is somewhat of a classic now, and has inspired some sequels.

Dark City

good, not great sci-fi thriller

alex proyas' thriller dark city is pretty good. the story involves aliens who have taken control of humans and their city is nothing but fabricated reality. they do this in order to understand humans, and see what their soul is, because they are dying. this is all pretty good and original (even before the matrix), just the execution wasn't as good as i had hoped. there is style, and good actors, william hurt, jennifer connoly, and keifer sutherland... but the story drags a bit and the main character is too creepy to care that much about. he's a good actor, just not that great at being the hero, or even antihero. not to mention that the film is entirely in darkness. it is "dark city" after all.

Lupin III: Tokyo Crisis (Rupan sansei: Honô no kioku Tokyo Crisis)

LUPIN the THIRD!

i fucking love lupin III. he's one of the few manga/anime characters that i really like, and that alone made me enjoy this little adventure of his. The story isn't too great, and the usual Lupin humor isn't there... but hey, its lupin the 3rd. Lupin and his gang are up to their thieving ways and trying to steal valuable plates from a collection while Zenigata is on the hunt with a reporter named Maria who is a psychic. nothing too amazing, but the action and Lupin himself make this one enjoyable.

Happiness

sadness = happiness

i really like todd solondz films. i am not totally sure why, but they seem to be very real in a totally unreal kind of way. happiness is a pitch black comedy about people and their perversions, struggle to find happiness, and love. the ensemble cast is amazing, and even with the very disturbing subject matter the characters still are seen as very human and 'likable'. it is pretty hard to watch billy talk to his pedophile dad about masturbation and cock size, but somehow todd solondz pulls it off and makes it work.

jon lovitz of all people gives a KNOCKOUT performance as joy's ex-boyfriend. seriously, i never thought of him as an actor. but he is amazing in the opening scene in my opinion.