Dreams on Fire is the story of Yume, a girl living in Tokyo who attempts to escape her life to become a dancer. Along the way she finds herself facing harsh realities and the seedy life of Japan’s red-light district. But her passion for the art and skills to learn keep her pushing forward. And the rest plays out fairly similarly to the likes of Coyote Ugly and those Step Up films.
Well, comparing it to those films may be a little insincere, as it is a step-up (no pun intended) from those films. Especially in it’s visuals. Dreams on Fire has some spectacular dance sequences. The opening alone was an assault on the senses, with a cirque-du-soleil-esc dance of vibrant reds and glittered make-up.
The lead character being played by professional dancer Bambi Naka, in what is her first leading role in a film, it is expected that the dance scenes will stand out. There is fantastic choreography, all perfectly timed to the music. It is strange that acting is judged by how actors can speak their lines and how they can loose weight or gain muscle for a role, when dancing, stunts and fight choreography is harder to do, is more demanding and still requires them to read their lines.
In this regard, Bambi Naka does a great job. She proves herself to be a good character actress, while also doing impressive dance moves that most can only dream of doing.
Story wise, Dreams on Fire is well told. As the title suggests, it is a bittersweet film. At times uplifting, while other times it is hard hitting. It never goes too far with either, for better and worse, but on the whole it does feel very satisfying. While it should surprise nobody that it has very heavy moments, it is all handled effectively and realistically. We get a character with a dream, and we follow that dream as realistically as any film could present it. None of this straight line to fame.
None of this waiting for the right moment. Not even finding someone who proves to be more important than the dream. The kind of thing you would see from Disney. This is a character who has to balance a job, or multiple jobs, with her homelife and ambitions. An sometimes, work simply had to win out to afford the necessities of life. We have all been down this road, likely many are still on this road.
Praise must be given to director Philippe McKie, for who Dreams on Fire is the feature debut of. He has a keen eye for visuals and an ear for sound. The film is fitted together brilliantly and demonstrates a focused and distinct vision. Both McKie and Naka are what makes Dreams on Fire work. A surprisingly hard hitting coming of age drama is given more life thanks to them. It is most certainly worth the watch. It could be considered a little long at just over two-hours, but what is there is certainly worth it.
The name Truman Capote will be familiar to fans of classic cinema, classic literature or if you are a big Philip Seymour-Hoffman fan. Many still quote his works on novels and films like Breakfast at Tiffany’s and In Cold Blood. To this day the man and his works are still celebrated, with numerous studies on both Capote’s work and personal life. Yet, despite knowing the name, I myself knew little about him outside of his name and a few titles.
A documentary about Capote would be the best way to learn of the man and that is what the new film The Capote Tapes offers. A documentary similar to an increasing number of documentaries lately. We follow the life of Capote through interviews with people who knew him personally, or at least followed his life, and footage and images from times and events in his life. There is no narration, only Capote’s personal audio, or what audio comes with the footage or interviews. At points we get songs and music to tell us where we are in time.
The structure is simple enough and works effectively. It has an excellent flow, never feeling like it is slowing down or broken up by a change in time or topic. Much like the celebrated work, it reads like poetry. For such a short film (barely more than 90 minutes) an incredible amount of time is covered. The footage is incredibly well restored, with very few feeling like they were ripped from video. Even the people being interviewed, especially Capote’s adopted daughter, were all interesting to listen to. They all had great voices and knew how to tell a story. All of this is leading to the conclusion that it is a well-presented documentary.
The issue is, as stated above, I knew little about Capote going into this. While The Capote Tapes is also there to entertain, it is here to educate as well. And I felt that, once it was over, I knew about as much as I did about Capote going into the film. For how well presented The Capote Tapes was, it did not really tell us much about Capote at all. There was the fact that his was an unhappy childhood, that he was openly gay in a world that shunned homosexuality, that he was very outgoing and ultimately and tragically self-destructive. But that is all common knowledge, and it doesn’t divulge more than stating the facts and giving one or two examples of that happening.
Perhaps a longer runtime to flesh out certain point would have been beneficial. At the same time, there is a limited number of tapes and material to work from without it feeling padded out. It was just unfortunate that it didn’t teach much. This affected the enjoyment of the viewing as well, making it feel longer than it was. It feels like a shame to say so, because the film itself is well made.
Certainly, people who already have an interest in Capote will find love here. For everyone else it will likely leave you feeling wanting. Looking up on Capote does show that he was an interesting man to say the least. It is just a shame that such a well presented film could not be so too.
Halloween is upon us once again. And after the horror show that has been the year 2020, there is no better time to watch a scary movie to forget about the real horrors. If you are struggling to find something to give you some joyful, creepy thrills, then look no further than these two characters.
Freddy Kruger and Jason Voorhees have become more than icons of horror. They are as inseparable to horror as the zombie and the witch, Frankenstein and Dracula, spiders and bats. It is hard to think of modern horror media without them. The films they make, the A Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th series’, continue to entertain, terrify and influence fans of horror to this very day. Even when the films they are in are less than stellar – which, admittedly, is most of them. It says something about their staying power when even the poorest films are popular enough to warrant making more.
Whether it’s killing teens in their dreams or at camp, alone or even together, there is no escaping the pair of them. With them having a staggering total of twenty films between them, there is a lot to look at. But which is the best of them, and which go out with a whimper? And what are the best kills the psychotic duo can deliver?
The best place to start is from the bottom up.
20. Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991)
As will soon become apparent, the Elm Street movies tend to be the better of the two. Overall, they tend to be more narratively creative and visually interesting. But not Freddy’s Dead. The sixth installment in the Nightmare franchise is not only the worst of Freddy’s offerings – it is one of the worst horror films ever made! You name it, it fails at it.
From the director who would later give us Tank Girl, Freddy’s Dead is as fake as they come. The sets look like those of an early 90’s tv show. The story is nonsensical – focusing on a child that Freddy (apparently) had, now all grown up and having to destroy her father’s evil spirit. The 3D used towards the end of the film is nothing more than a gimmick – which the filmmakers were likely ashamed of with how late in the runtime it is used. Horrible acting, with Freddy actor Robert Englund trying his best to work with the material he’s given. Despite attempting to be more humorous than the ones before it, it isn’t even remotely funny.
It is embarrassing to see the Elm Street franchise fall to such low levels. As a viewer, I have never been able to finish it in a single viewing. There isn’t anything to recommend. Everything here is recycled from the other, better films. All this film adds – the daughter, the 3D, the strange subplot about the town forbidding children from setting foot there – is all wince inducing. And Freddy’s death, despite being the title and final line of dialogue, is very anti-climactic. Thankfully, it was not the last we saw of our favorite dream killer.
The Best Kill: The film’s only remotely fun scene involves Freddy causing a deaf victim’s head to explode. This is done when he gives him a hearing aid that enhances all sound. After some Looney Toon-esc antics, Freddy scratches his claws on a chalkboard until the young man’s head can’t take any more. It’s silly, for sure, but it is also surprisingly well handled. It doesn’t make up for the rest of the film though.
19. Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning (1985)
With Jason having been killed off in the finale of Part IV, the plan was to have someone else take up the reins from this point forward. Not an inherently bad idea (as people will point out, Jason wasn’t the killer in the first film), but it is in the execution that this one fails. And it is only slightly better than Freddy’s Dead.
Outside of the copycat-killer plot, there is nothing new to this film. After being preceded by four eerily similar films, stale does not do it justice. The directing for the Jason films is typically workman like, but this one is just amateurish. Bland, boring and sleezy – it is boring when there is no killer, and it isn’t better when there is one.
The death scenes would be completely forgettable if they weren’t so violent – even by Friday standards. Admittedly, the effects are good and the kills look painful, but they aren’t effective. There is an uncomfortable scene where the camera just lingers on a naked woman for some time – whenever this scene plays, I remember that it was directed by a director of pornography and the need to shower quickly follows.
The return of Tommy Jarvis isn’t even enough to save this one. It is simply nasty, uncomfortable and forgettable.
The Best Kill: None really stand out as highlights of the series. But looking for the best, it would have to go to the man who has a strap wrapped around his face, which is tightened until his eyes are crushed. It looks nasty, it sounds nasty, and it sums up what watching this one was like.
18. A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)
While it has calmed down now, there was a period when the classic slasher films were getting remade left, right and center. Some were fine, most were trash. And Elm Street was, unfortunately, one of the worst of them. Produced by Michael Bay’s Platinum Dunes, the remake aimed to be a verbatim retelling of the original, with only one major reworking and more CGI heavy effects and gory kills.
As a remake there isn’t much to say. It is what you would expect. We get repeats of classic scenes (at times shot-for-shot) and countless references that only succeed in making you want to re-watch the original version. The effects are awful – they may be the worst out of all twenty listed films – with some of the worst CG effects from the 2010’s.
According to cast members, the making of the film was like pulling teeth, and that shines through. Rooney Mara looks like she is one wrong word away from storming off set. Jackie Earl Harley is a strong replacement for the beloved Robert Englund, but the script keeps him from truly coming into his own.
The final nail in the coffin is how unpleasant the film is. Yes, it is about a dream demon killing teenagers, it isn’t exactly a happy tale. But the film is ugly with a cruel atmosphere. That alone isn’t bad, but coupled with the change to Freddy’s backstory is another matter. Seeing a child murderer return to kill those that got away is a fun idea – the kind of story you tell around the campfire. Seeing a child molester kill the now grown kids that he had assaulted is in stomach-churningly poor taste – because that’s what we want in a horror fantasy film.
The Best Kill: The best this one has to offer is the redo of Tina’s suspended death scene. That’s it. The best the film has to offer, we have already seen done. And much better too.
17. Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989)
Well, that title is a blatant lie. A more accurate title would be Jason Take a Boat. Or maybe Jason Mucks Around for Over an Hour. Often considered the low point of the series, this was the film that finally convinced Paramount Pictures to cut their losses and sell Jason to New Line Cinema. Honestly, it is hard to disagree with any of those statements.
Kane Hodder returns as Jason Vorhees, giving all he can to make the hockey mask wearing psychopath as intimidating as possible. It is admirable to see and does lead to a couple of effective moments. There is also that amazing shot of Jason in Time Square. Other than that, there is nothing to recommend in this one. It may hold some guilty-pleasure moments here and there that could entertain, but you would have to be very forgiving of it to really enjoy them.
Despite trying to be a serious horror film, Friday Part VIII is way too silly to be taken seriously. It is one of the longest films of the series, and you feel every minute of it. The kills are very tame, with most being almost entirely bloodless (likely due to cuts to get the rating it wanted). There isn’t anything to talk about other than the nonsensical ending (where Jason melts away into his child self – I think that’s what happened anyway). All that can be said is that it is terrible, even by Friday standards.
The Best Kill: In one of the only memorable scenes, there is a fist-fight between Jason and one of the teens on top of an apartment. The teen really lays into Jason (with Kane Hodder noticeably taking real punches) before Jason ends things with a single punch. The kid’s head flies clean off and lands in a dumpster. Hey, at least Jason doesn’t litter, what’s your excuse?
Senior Love Triangle is a story that follows an old man who, after falling in love with two women of similar age, decides that it is up to him to save them from the retirement home that they all live in. It is a sweet concept that lends itself well to many audiences and genres of film. It is unfortunate then that the film itself, for all its good intentions, is mostly unengaging.
The cast is strong and doing a fine job. All deliver believable performances with an offbeat edge to them. It is charming to listen to and watch. The best performance coming from lead actor Tom Bower, who many might recognize from Die Hard 2 as Marvin, or possibly from The Hills Have Eyes or Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans. He plays it like a man who has seen hard times, and is currently going through hard times, but is working to keep those he cares about happy.
The direction from Kelly Blatz, in his feature film debut, is refreshingly restrained. Blatz seems more focused on letting the actors and characters carry the material, which can work for a film like this. It is honestly preferable to do so than to over-stylize the film, making it feel pretentious. The budget did hamper things a little, but you find films looking far worse on Netflix and Shudder. There is little flash, but in a film about senior romance there does not need to be flash.
The problem comes from the script. I would not call Senior Love Triangle a bad film, it isn’t, but it is overlong and uninteresting. It is obvious that the director has only done short film directing before, as Senior Love Triangle feels like it is full of padding. Like it should have been a short film, but the filmmakers stretched it beyond capacity to reach a feature length. Senior Love Triangle may only reach the ninety-minute mark, but it feels longer. At a point, if a film feels like it is an hour longer than it is, then the audience is just going to say that it was a long film.
Outside of the theme of sexuality among elderly couples, which is sweet and interesting, the film just doesn’t feel remarkable. I have seen more dramas about the elderly feeling imprisoned that left more of an impression. And that is Senior Love Triangle’s biggest sin. It just isn’t memorable. Most of the start of the film was a blur not long after first watching the film. At the end of the day, it is preferable to watch a film that was bad but left an impact than one that was decent but swiftly forgotten.
I do feel bad for coming off as harsh, as it wasn’t a bad film by any stretch of the imagination. There are some great performances and the craft of the filmmaking is on point. It is sadly not entertaining enough or interesting enough to engage for the length of the film. A few more drafts of the script would have helped a lot for the pacing issues. It is still worth a watch and may well strike a cord with many, for its sincerity and sweet topic alone.
Clementine is the story of Karen. A young woman who has just broken up from a long relationship and is, understandably shattered by the experience, decides to go to a lake house that is owned by an ex of hers. However, there she meets Lana, and things get complicated again. It is a mix of being a coming of age drama and a thriller, I guess, about a hurt woman in a new relationship.
What I liked about this film was that there was an obvious passion for the project. The cast does well enough. They clearly have talent and their chemistry, particularly when they are wordlessly acting against each other. I can’t say that I am familiar with either of them, but I wouldn’t be against seeing either of them in more down the line. While I don’t have much of an ear for music, I thought that the score was very atmospheric and added to what tension the film had.
I also loved the long shots. At times there is an almost Hitchcockian in nature. They capture the character’s feeling of loneliness and emptiness perfectly. It is in these moments that the score accompanies so well. At times Clementine feels as melancholy as a Lars Von Trier film. I mean that as a positive.
Unfortunately, there is a major issue with Clementine. You see, the point of a film is to entertain you. Now, this can mean a bit of fun – mindless or lighthearted – which is what the film world is filled with lately. Or it could mean something that is slow, methodical and demands you to think – the questions posed, and the artistry of the project can be entertaining in their own right.
The Evil Dead is fun, The Witch is not, but The Witch is so masterfully crafted and keeps you guessing and thinking long after it’s done that it is still entertaining. It is all about how the film engages with the audience. I bring this up because Clementine is one of the least engaging films I have seen in some time.
The story has the potential to be something great – a close look into Karen’s mind that will be relatable to those who have had a rough breakup. But despite the suspense we don’t really go anywhere with it, or at least it feels like we don’t. Things happen, certainly, but they all feel small in the big picture. And when the actors talk it is with that very slow, quiet whispering – the same way that all people speak in an M Night Shyamalan film. The dialogue suffers as a result, falling flat and making the film feel more uninteresting.
There are also times when the score and camerawork came as a detriment. While the long shots are effective and the opening scenes are gorgeous, the rest felt pedestrian and just disengaging. The score is loud in this film, perfect for quieter scenes but it gets annoying and distracting in the louder or more dialogue heavy ones.
Despite some promise I simply did not enjoy Clementine. It feels like the bad points were just missing the mark and more practice would sort it out. It felt like one more draft of the script or adjusting the shots the slightest bit would have helped matters. As it is, I find it hard to recommend. If it sounds of interest then give it a go, otherwise I wouldn’t bother.
