Ralph Bakshi’s Wizards may not be the animator’s best film, but it’s arguably his most ambitious. The movie takes place millions of years after a nuclear war has destroyed virtually all life on Earth. From the ashes an anti-technological utopia has emerged, led by gentle fairies and elves, and other… Continue reading
Review by Trylon rural diegeticist Ben Schmidt There’s a moment in The Last Picture Show where a young man named Sonny hops into his old, busted-up truck and drives it out of town. It’s late at night. And as Sonny rolls down Main Street, he looks through the windows of… Continue reading
Review by Trylon contract assassin Ben Schmidt The Killer isn’t the only killer in The Killer. This ‘89 entry into John Woo’s filmography also features a tough cop who plays by his own rules, and a washed-up Triad who serves as the Killer’s mentor and friend. But as… Continue reading
One one level, Sergei Eisenstein’s Strike is the baldest sort of early Soviet propaganda. The villains are cigar-chomping, top-hatted Capitalists who own a factory in Tsarist Russia, ca. 1903, men who laugh heartily over the money they make exploiting the workers. The factory owners’ despicable henchmen (who have nicknames like… Continue reading
Review by Trylon senior railroad bandit Thorn Chen The outlaw Zhang Muzhi (played by the director, Jiang Wen) arrives in town, impersonating its mayor. In order to get his way, he has to oust the incumbent warlord, the villainous opium merchant and human trafficker Huang Siliang (Chow Yun-fat), who currently… Continue reading
Review by Trylon volunteer Maria Gomez Lush green backgrounds, descending waterfalls, and robust mountains provide the backdrop for Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. The film stars Chow-Yun Fat in his first martial arts film as Li Mu Bai and Michelle Yeoh as Yu Shu Lien. Long time respected friends,… Continue reading
In Walter Hill’s stylized and slightly surreal cult hit The Warriors, the street gangs of New York dress in matching theme outfits, as though they are all British pop groups from the 1960s. There are the Baseball Furies (heavy face paint and pinstriped uniforms); the High-Hats (mimes, basically); the Lizzies… Continue reading
Hard Boiled was the last Asian crime drama John Woo made before he decamped to Hollywood and began turning out profitable but ultimately forgettable fare like Broken Arrow and Face Off. Woo’s American films suffered without their distinctive Hong Kong backdrop; and also suffered for the lack of his go-to… Continue reading
From the moment you read its title on a theater marquee, it’s clear that EARTH VERSUS THE FLYING SAUCERS is the kind of movie that means business. This economical little thriller imagines aliens from a dying solar system attempting to conquer our planet, and they are not the sort of… Continue reading
In an unspecified future, a number of planets have been discovered that harbor life that closely resembles that on Earth. One of these worlds is Arkanar, muddling through a period of history that resembles Medieval Europe. 30 scientists infiltrate the population and observe the planet’s technological and sociological progress. But… Continue reading
