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Takashi Miike's First Love

10/20/2019

By Christopher Kai House

Takashi Miike's FIRST LOVE was the first film I saw at the 2019 Milwaukee Film Festival and it could not have been a wilder time. Miike is known in the west mostly for the wild "Ichi The Killer" and FIRST LOVE is no different, its pure insanity from start to finish. The film centers on the Japanese Yakuza and one member, Kase (Shôta Sometani) who double crosses the gang to steal a drug shipment for himself with the aid of a crooked cop.
The duo schemes to blame a drug addicted prostitue named Monica who sees the ghost of her father on stealing the shipment and use her as a scape goat. A boxer named Leo (Masataka Kubota) is diagnosed with a non operational brain tumor and is told he doesn't have much time left. Leo runs into Monica (Sakurako Konishi) as she is fleeing from the crooked cop after he kidnapped her. From there, the pair outwit and outrun the Japanese Yakuza, the Chinese Mafia and the crooked cop who all want Monica dead. It's a wild film and great pick for the festival's Cinema Hooligante program. Miike is known for his wild, over the top style and FIRST LOVE really shines as a perfect example.

The one thing I kept thinking through the screening is the similarity to Tarantino. It was like a Tarantino directed Yakuza film, just wild over the top antics. FIRST LOVE premiered at TIFF last month to rave reviews and also screened at Fantastic Fest so it was a real treat Milwaukee Film was able to score 2 screenings for this year's fest.
You can check out a screening of FIRST LOVE on October 24th at the historic Oriental Theater and if you are in the mood for a wild ride, I highly reccomend it.
Score tickets for the screening here: https://mkefilm.org/events/mff2019/first-love-(hatsukoi)

Annabelle Comes Home Review

6/29/2019

By Christopher K House

Annabelle Comes Home is the latest film in "The Conjuring" franchise started by James Wan in James Wan in 2013.
Annabelle is the possessed doll seen in the opening scenes of The Conjuring taken by Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) to be kept safely in their occult museum. Annabelle Comes Home picks up directly following that scene with Ed and Lorraine driving to their home with Annabelle in the backseat. The film, based very loosely on the real life exploits of Ed and Lorraine Warren, paranormal investigators and demonologists. By no means is this story based on real events. nor does it claim to be it's a competent horror film in it's own right.

Ed and Lorraine however are only briefly seen in the film having to leave on a trip and entrusting the care of daughter Judy (Mckenna Grace) to babysitter Mary Ellen (Madison Iseman) and friend Daniela (Katie Sarife). Daniela, becoming interested in the items in the museum unwittingly unleashes the demonic Annabelle and the horror tropes begin. Annabelle and some of the other items then torment the trio as the night goes on. There is a suit of Japanese armor, haunted coins, a TV that shows the future and a few other spooky things that want to possess the girl's spirits.

Directed by Gary Dauberman in his directorial debut, Dauberman has written some very well received horror films in recent years like IT and the previous Annabelle offerings. He shows a lot of horror chops and it will be interesting to see where he goes next. Annabelle Comes Home wasn't a great horror film but it was a very competent one. What it did, it did very well. Overall, I do recommend checking it out but maybe wait for a DVD or digital stream. It's not a film you really need to rush out and see unless of course, you are a huge fan of Wan's Conjuring universe.

Spider-Man Far From Home Review

6/27/2019

By Christopher K House

I'll just get this out of the way first and foremost, I did not really like Spider-Man: Homecoming all that much. Mostly, I just found it "meh" and not really interesting. But now that Peter Parker has found his footing in the MCU and his character fleshed out, did director Jon Watts find the right spider formula? In a word, yes.

Spider-Man Far From Home continues Peter's story after the "decimation" from Thanos' snap that left half the planet missing. We see how the world is adjusting to both that and, a world without The Avengers. Reminders of Tony Stark are everywhere for Peter as we watch him try and find his place as both a teenage boy and a super hero. Far From Home picks up right after Endgame and it caps off Phase 3 wrapping up the whole storyline that has been played out over the past decade. Peter (Tom Holland) has fallen hard form MJ (Zendaya) and is looking forward to spending time with her on the big class trip overseas. While his best friend Ned (Jacob Batalan) has other plans, being two eligable bachelors in Europe. Ned gets more screen time this go around and had some of the funnier moments in the film. But, with growing threats and The Avengers all scattered, Nick Fury turns to Peter Parker aka Spider-Man for help. Creatures called The Elementals are destroying cities across the globe. Fury tries contacting Peter but, all Peter wants is a vacation from both life and, Spider-Man. But, Fury usually gets what he wants and convinces Peter to join the fight. A new hero, Quentin Beck (Jake Gyllenhaal) shows up to fight them with Spider-Man's help.

With the media dubbing him "Mysterio", Beck gains the trust of both Fury and Peter. But, anyone that reads the comics knows, Beck isn't exactly what he appears to be, or is he?
This is Director Jon Watts' second outing in the MCU after the first Spider-Man film. He had previously directed some amazing indie films like "Cop Car" and, the amazing "Clown".
I think he really shines here, Far From Home was funny and charming and, just the right mix of the two. It's amazing that Kevin Feige gives indie directors chances at these
huge budget films like Far From Home. We see some of the best films from directors like Watts, Taika Waititi, Scott Derrickson, Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck. You don't need to be a big
marquee director to make an amazing film.

Some of the MCU's biggest moments happen in their post credit scenes and, with no more MCU films on the horizon anytime soon is there a post credit scene in Far From Home?
Yes, yes there is and it's a biggie you won't want to miss. All in all, Far From Home was a super fun comic book film and I do recommend you check it out on the big screen the way it was meant to be seen, I had a blast with it.

Does Godzilla: King of the Monsters Earn It's Crown?

6/3/2019

By Ron Purtee

3 out of 5I’m conflicted about the review for this one because going in I wanted to love it so much, but at the end of the day, I was left wanting so much more.

The movie starts with a segment that takes place during the events of the last Legendary outing and features Dr’s Mark and Emma Russell looking for their son either during or directly after a battle between Godzilla and the MUTOs. and sets the stage for all of the events to take place during the course of the film.

I know it’s just a monster movie but I don’t wanna spoil too much of it for the reader because i feel that folks are entitled to their own opinion on things like this, regardless of it being an Oscar-worthy film, or a movie about monsters destroying each other and us in the process. But here are some takeaways:

1 .The film has just about the same amount of human drama as the last film. Everyone seems to be saying that this film has nothing but Godzilla and in actuality, we get about as much (if not more or it) as we do in the first one. Every time some cool fight between the “titans” was about to commence, they would find a way to block it so we don’t see it. Much like the last movie but on a much grander scale.

2. You see more in the way of monster battles and what you see is awesome but at the same
time is kind of a letdown. Almost like we’d seen it before. When I go to see a film called

KING OF THE MONSTERS, I kind of expect a giant battle royal between the beasts that just tears the fabric of the planet into turmoil.

3. The nostalgia was a nice touch. The twins, the original themes, they all played very well in
the heart of the old Godzilla inside of me.

In the end, though, KING OF THE MONSTERS doesn’t earn it’s crown. It’s definitely a movie that you need to see on the big screen because watching this on a laptop isn’t going to the amazing visuals justice. Those alone are worth the price of admission. So that’s why I am giving GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS 3 out of 5

Birds Of Passage captivates

10/23/2018

By Christopher K House

BIRDS OF PASSAGE really caught me by surprise. Hands down of the the best films I've seen come through the Milwaukee Film Festival in years. A tale of the early days of the Colombian drug cartel days this has all the tropes of the best mafia films from The Godfather to Scarface.

BIRDS OF PASSAGE tells the story of a man named Rapayet (Jose Acosta) who we are introduced to courting his future wife but to marry her, he must secure a dowry. Realising his alcohol running won't do the job, he decides to sell marijuana.

Set in the decades of the 1960's and 1970's it was fascinating to see the rise of the violent drug cartels of Colombia. We see the evolution between the "old ways" and the new world.

Directed by Cristina Gallego and Ciro Guerra and written by Maria Camilla Arias and Jaques Toulemonde Vidal it was a true pleasure to see the film on the big screen in a festival setting.

The acting was wonderful and the cinematography was nothing short of breathtaking. Clocking in at just over 2 hours, I thought this would feel a bit too long for a subtitles movie but, I was so wrong.
It grabs you and keeps you invested in the characters and story.

What Keeps You Alive is tense and gripping

10/19/2018

By Christopher Kai House

From writer / director Colin Minihan, one half of the "Vicious Brothers" best known for the excellent "Grave Encounters" comes "what Keeps You Alive". A revenge tale in the vein of Get Out or I Spit On Your Grave.
Young newlyweds Jackie (Hannah Emily Anderson) and Jules (Brittany Allen) celebrate their first anniversary at Jackie's family cabin in a remote woods. Things about Jackie quickly start becoming more and more ominous when Jules finds out Jackie isn't the person she thought she was.

Soon, Jules becomes the hunted and Jackie is the hunter, with the goal to kill Jules for the insurance money. Or so we are led to believe.

The fact is, Jackie is a pure psychopath and watching her traverse that road was gripping and you couldn't take your eyes off it.

Both lead actors we very well cast and able to carry the weight of a feature film excellently.
The cinematography ranged from fantastic to bone jarring (literally) and the score was subtle but effective.
This film has been making the rounds of the film fest circuit and is one to keep an eye out for. It wraps a tense, tight suspenseful film perfectly in one package.

"Hell Fest" or "Halloween Wannabee"

10/11/2018

By Chad Halvorsen

First off, hello, my name is Chad. I watch a lot of movies, it’s sort of my job. I’m a middle aged freelancer who can help produce and edit short films, commercials, documentaries, and so on. My film cohorts and I have won multiple awards for our work, we even had one of our shorts play at Festival de Cannes last year (ugh… I can hear the voices in my head yell “name dropper!”). Between freelancing and being a #stayathomechad, my only other activity is watching movies on Tuesday nights, for 5 bucks. Why am I telling you this?

I’m lonely for attention Context I am but one of many, many different voices out there writing film reviews, and objectively, way better than I could ever be. So don’t take what I say too seriously, they’re just movies kids

So on to this week’s 5 dollar flick. It was either this or the new Predator, and I heard that was a turd sandwich. So I’m probably pushing that off another week. I just can’t take another shitty attempt at a re-boot. Sorry, I’m straying off topic.

I can sum up Hell Fest with the help from the movie’s tagline and definitely not something I made up on the fly: Hell Fest “The movie equivalent of dry humping for an hour and a half.” For fuck’s sake movie, horror is a genre that heavily depends on tempo and tension. This movie stays at a predictable pace, and then crashes into hyper mode in the 3rd act.

Spoilers ahead

For instance, the opening credits were awkward and uninspired. It’s just a bunch of jump scares in a haunted house. It’s supposed to set the tone for what’s to come, but all it does is clumsily introduce the antagonist. He stalks a college girl, stabs her, and hangs her in the haunted house… sigh… okay… why? What happened to the slow burn? What happened to 2nd drafts?

Spoilers end

Do you remember when the almighty JC (John Carpenter) bestowed Halloween to us? Of course you do, praise be to the Father, the Fog, and the Holy Pliskon. Halloween was the right amount of long breaths, mixed with striking moments of chaos. The opening scene, Michael goes from hiding outside, stalking his sister, grabbing a knife, ascending the stairs, and murdering her. We see the panic and the anxiety through Michael’s own eyes. I know movies are made differently now, but it’s an excellent example of character introduction. Especially in a horror movie, motives are key. Why does Michael Myers kill? Because Loomis told us that when he met Michael he had “this blank, pale, emotionless face, and... the blackest eyes - the Devil's eyes.”

The killer in Hell Fest seems to be a Michael Myers clone, in the worst possible way. Yeah he stalks and maims his prey, like Myers, and I’ll admit, he had some cool fatalities. None of that matters though, because this movie takes place in a horror theme park. It’s too easy for the killer to get around anywhere, there’s no tension in that. Every employee at Hell Fest is antagonizing and scaring patrons, inserting a killer who hides in this massive group, is just lazy. In Halloween, the backdrop is “All Hallow’s Eve,” with all the cute kids in costumes, begging for their next sugar rush. There’s something innocent and evil happening at the same time. Myer’s roams in plain sight, but it’s different. We’re in a affluent neighborhood, where nothing seems to happen, and everyone is living their lives.

Let me rag on one more thing and then I’ll talk about what I did like. The script. It was just paint by numbers. No attempt at any actual backstory other than “hey I’m in college” or “hey you’re hot.” I know that horror is not meant to be Bill Shakespeare, but character development is key for making me give a shit about anything. Mini Spoiler Let’s say you introduce the protagonist’s hot crush. He says funny one liners, tries to impress her, thinks she’s great, etc. Now cut to the moment when he gets his head crushed by an oversized mallet. In that moment, I could care less that he died. Not that the acting was bad, but the writer’s decided that it was more important that the movie had the killer look at camera 50 fucking times, rather than write meaningful dialogue for Gavin... and his newly crushed face. End Spoiler The jokes were lame too, and they stepped over each others lines a lot. I don’t know if that was a editorial choice or the director just let the actors shoot from the hip. Here’s a pro tip: unless your actor actually has a background in improv, don’t let your actor riff.

I know what you’re thinking “Chad is just salty” or “your films are garbage!” Which first off, ouch. Second, I’m about to give some compliments now… you jerks. For me, anytime it’s a female protagonist, I’m in. Horror, almost every time, works best with a Laurie Strode or an Ellen Ripley. You can disagree with me, but you would be wrong. Traditionally, and sad to say even today, women are mostly seen as weak, emotional, and a step below their male counterparts. Horror is always an awesome lens for female driven stories because it’s the ultimate “fuck you” to every sexist piece of shit out there. A lot of killers will use knives, or “big objects” to kill their victims. These devices serve another purpose. “Psst… it’s a penis.” That’s why we always see a close up of the entry wound when the knife slides in. It’s to signify penetration, something that women aren’t capable of (debatable, Google it). When you turn it around, and give that same knife to a bad ass chick with a chip on her shoulder, now she’s in charge. Bend over, Mr. Man.

I will also compliment the lighting and cinematography. I can’t blame the camera department on this one, everything was by the book. The sets looked great, even though by the end of it, I’m sure most of the art department was tired of making haunted houses. Overall, I’m sure hard-core horror fans will dig this. I just like a little more substance with the horror genre, especially if it’s going to be a stalker movie. Don’t show us the killer so much, it’s easy to do and a distraction. More time could be spent on making me care about the people you’re about to kill.

And just to round it off, let’s take one more shot. The ending was predictable and lame. It’s fine to leave questions for the end, but the way it was executed was cheap. Which really sums up this entire movie. It’s definitely not the worst piece of shit out there, it’s just cheap, uninspired, and not uncommon for other entries in this genre.

Solo - A Star Wars Story Review

5/29/2018

By Christopher K House

Disney and Lucasfilm ruffled more than a few feathers with The Last Jedi. Almost dividing the Star Wars fan base in two. Personally, I was on the did not like side of the force and honestly didn't have much hope for the future of the franchise. Solo had been rife with ridicule almost from the beginning with fans upset with everything from casting to there even being a young Han Solo movie in the first place. Going in, I had very low expectations for Solo and guess what? I had an absolute blast with it.

Young Han (Alden Erenreich) and his main squeeze Qi'ra (Emilia Clarke) are well cast and have great chemistry together. But, the main friendship we are concerned with is the one with the Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo) and I'm pleased to say it plays itself off brilliantly. Both Han and Chewie settle into their respective roles very well. The film was nagged by production issues seeing its original directors fired and a new one (Ron Howard) brought in to reshoot much of the film. All in all, for what Howard inherited he did an excellent job of making this HIS film.

It's a shame this was thrown in with all the Star Wars anger because it really is a fantastic film. It stands on it's own
and is a thrilling ride. Set aside all your preconceived notions and check it out. You may just find yourself cheering Han on.

Stumped Review

10/3/2017

By Christopher K House

Stumped was part of the documentary series of the 2017 Milwaukee Film Festival. Always look forward to the festival's doc series and this year is no different. Stumped is the story of film maker Will Lautzenheiser and his personal journey losing his limbs and adjusting to life. Lautzenheiser lost both arms and legs due to complications from staph infection.

Intermixed with interviews from Lautzenheiser's friend's and family we get a close look into their lives. Lautzenheiser is chosen to have a donor's arms transplanted onto his own arms. We learn more about limb transplant through interviews with Lautzenheiser's doctors. The thing that is missing is more detail of the emotional journey of when Lautzenheiser became sick and what he and his family went through when he did loose his limbs. It's there, just not the detail that would make us invest emotionally. It's glanced over.

One thing that makes a documentary great is one of those "hooks" when something happens to turn the story on it's head. Nothing like that happens here. It's still a fascinating story, it just doesn't have an emotional hook.

A great doc that captivates but, doesn't have a hook.

3 out of 4 stars

Harry Dean Stanton's Lucky is a bittersweet sendoff

10/3/2017

By Christopher K House

One of my most anticipated films at the 2017 Milwaukee Film Festival was Lucky. Harry Dean Stanton's final film. Would it be a bittersweet send off to one of Hollywood's most beloved and versatile character actors? Lucky isn't a plot heavy film but more of a character study of an old man named Lucky, a man who goes about his day to day routine like clockwork. One of those guys everyone knows and likes.

After an incident that sends him to see his doctor, it's found Lucky is in perfect health and is just getting old. It's at this point Lucky starts to realize his own mortality.

With a great ensemble cast that includes Tom Skerritt and David Lynch, Lucky is the directorial debut of David Caroll Lynch. Lynch's foray into directing is off to a good start. Lynch is another great character actor known for quirky roles in films like Zodiac and TV such as American Horror Story.

There was a bit of sadness behind watching Lucky, knowing Stanton himself passed away very recently at the age of 91. Unable to enjoy the accolades this film will sure to receive. Stanton is the reason to watch.

With a great ensemble cast and a wit as sharp as a knife, Lucky isn't plot heavy but it makes up for it in charm.

3 out of 4 stars

For older reviews check out our previous blog at www.dogmoviereviews.blogspot.com

About Steve

A lover of all movies. Steve will watch anything from classic silent films to modern horror films. Obsessed with the Oscars and Film festivals. Steve prides himself on watching every movie on the AFI 100 Greatest Movies and every Oscar winner.
Follow on Twitter @TheFilmBully

About Chris

A film fan from an early age, Chris is a true cinephile. Starting with his first big screen experience, Star Wars to the current indie films, it's obvious he is obsessed with film. Chris has been writing about film and television since the early days of the internet. Chris is also a member of OFTA, the Online Film and Television Critic's Association.
Follow on Twitter @Kai_Jurgens

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