An expectant mother, who finds herself home alone a lot with no company but her own, stumbles across a mysterious key when snooping around her house. She and her partner discover that the key unlocks a parallel universe, in which there is a couple identical to themselves living in a replica of their own home. Her boyfriend goes to investigate this strange occurrence, and cut to a few months later, he still hasn’t returned…
Director Heath C. Michaels has previous experience in the technology industry, perhaps explaining his gift for the sci-fi aspects of his film making. The World Over is somewhat a mixed bag of genres, with the main elements being fantasy, a splash of horror, and just the right dose of fantasy.
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Tess Granfield and Brett Keating are convincing in the way they inhabit different versions of the same character, creating that confusing and somewhat disturbing kind of ending where you don’t know who is who and how many of this person there are. The reclusive nature of Granfield’s character makes it all the more terrifying that she suddenly finds herself in the company of another, slightly altered her.
The film is creepily enjoyable, and it packs a good amount of drama into the running time. The idea behind it is clever, and feeds into our own paranoia in a effective way. It is a great portrayal of loneliness and isolation, and the ending contains satisfying twists and turns. Definitely worth a watch!
THE WORLD OVER
When a reclusive mother-to-be discovers a door leading to a mirror image of her home, her husband goes snooping inside and never returns. Fearing the worst, she gathers her courage and goes in search of him, but instead finds her doppelgänger on the other side.
With the impending release of Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019), it is only fitting to revisit some of the classic Blaxploitation flicks that have had such a clear impact on his filmmaking techniques. One such case, would be Martin Van Peebles’ 1971 picture, Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song.
Sweet Sweetback tells the story of a young orphan who is sexually assaulted by a prostitute at a young age, who gives the title character his moniker. Twenty odd years later, Sweetback is working as a performer in the whorehouse, performing sex shows for an audience. One night, the LAPD comes to the whorehouse looking for a suspect accused of murder. Although fully aware he isn’t there, they ask the manager if they can book Sweetback for the night and then release him, only to keep up appearances. He agrees and Sweetback is taken away by the police. On their way to the police station, the police stops and arrests a young member of the Black Panthers, Mu Mu. The two officers proceed to viciously beat Mu Mu to a pulp, until Sweetback fashions his cuffs into brass knuckles, knocking out both officers. What ensues is a long night of fleeing the law and making a run for the Mexican border.
This movie, as with many in the Blaxploitation genre, openly addresses race relations in the 1970’s America. It portrays the injustices and persecutions African Americans suffered, not only at the hands of a corrupt and heavily white police force, but as well as the institutions of everyday life, this is made evident in a scene portraying a mixed race couple in which the white woman is left unscathed while the man is violently beaten. When the police realise that he is not the man they are looking for, they dismiss the whole affair with a sardonic “So what?”
There are many cinematic elements to enjoy in this film. The soundtrack is notorious for being performed by a then unknown, Earth, Wind and Fire. The film has a distinct funky groove that carries out through the picture, often undercutting moments of extreme violence and tension to great effect. There is a clear sentiment of perseverance in the emphatic music carrying throughout the picture. Much like the title character, it simply can’t be stopped. Additionally the use of innovative fast cuts, crash zooms, frantic editing and stylistic orange title credits over freeze frames can all be traced along movie history to this day, with the aforementioned Tarantino.
Sweetback’s Song is a prime example of its genre, although some do not consider it to be a part of it. Its use of over the top stereotypes and exaggerated scenarios thinly paint over a clear feeling of frustration and desire for justice. It’s definitely worth a view, and if for nothing else, it’s got incredible soundtrack.
It’s now available on VOD in North America through Xenon Pictures.
It’s no wonder why Tears of the Black Tiger is a cult favourite. A product of the Thai New Wave movement of the late nineties and early noughts, writer/director Wisit Sasanatieng’s film is madcap, frantic and, though billed as a western, is a thoroughly unrecognisable example of the genre – but is very much aware of the fact.
Sasanatieng said in interview the film was partly a reaction to Thai audiences’ apparent distaste for homegrown cinema. This does explain the vast homages to westerns from the likes of Sergio Leone and Howard Hawks, as well as nods to 1953’s From Here to Eternity and the works of John Woo and Quentin Tarantino. Yet even with all the allusions to its outside influences, Sasanateing still manages to give Tears of the Black Tiger a distinctive, uniquely Thai feeling.
Chartchai Ngansam plays the Black Tiger of the title, a sharp-shooting enforcer for gang boss Fai (Sombat Metanee). When we first see him, he and his associate Mahesuan (Supakron Kitsuwon, sporting a knowingly fake moustache) enter the house of a rival gang member and Black Tiger pulls off a gun shot so improbable and cool, the film shows it again in slow motion just to emphasise how improbable and cool it was.
Apparently jealous of Black Tiger’s rising stock in the gang, Mahesuan approaches him as he is playing harmonica against a painted backdrop and challenges him to a duel. Black Tiger can not be beaten in a quick draw, but he spares Mahesuan’s life, and the two then proceed to swear a blood oath in a Buddhist temple and get drunk on wine.
Through flashback, we get to see what Black Tiger was like as a young man, and he couldn’t have been more different. He was an unassuming boy named Dum who was not prone to violence, but a moment of tragedy led him to pick up a shotgun, where it turned out he was a natural. Fai recognises his shooting talents and helps him exact the revenge he wanted, but at the price of becoming a wanted outlaw.
Meanwhile, tying the film together is Rumpoey (Stella Malucchi), who, as a young girl, had her heart won by Dum. Though he did have feelings for her, Dum was reluctant to act on them because of the large wealth gap between them, despite Rumpoey’s frequent admissions of affection. As his new life as Black Tiger begins, Dum disappears, leaving Rumpoey heartbroken. In her grief, and believing she will never see him again, she agrees to marry Kumjorn (Arawat Ruangvuth), the local chief of police and, coincidentally, the man tasked with catching Black Tiger.
In between the major story elements are the film’s marquee moments of madness, which include include moments told through song, shootouts with missiles, and kill shots that are equally ingenious, elaborate and baffling. It’s clear that Sasanatieng is a director not afraid to try anything, and Tears of the Black Tiger’s self-awareness and low-budget ingenuity gives him great scope to do so.
Falling into that sensibility is Fai’s gang, who all wear Stetsons and neckerchiefs, carry revolves and ride horses – the only thing recognisably western in this otherwise modern landscape. The clothing, weaponry and transport of every other character is modern, and the colour scheme uses a lot more vibrant pinks and blues over the more rugged tones of a traditional western. There is also no internal explanation for why Fai’s gang operates this way, which makes it all the more amusing.
While this film’s aesthetic is not overly-recognizable as a western, its themes of redemption, individual heroics and lost love are all in-keeping with the genre. What’s more, Sasanatieng also finds time to address more pressing issues, such as class warfare and the failings of upholding outdated societal values and conventions. After all the absurdity, it’s a little bit surprising to see that behind its giddy exterior there is a (somewhat) sensible side to the film.
On initial release, Tears of the Black Tiger was a hit outside of Thailand, receiving critical acclaim and becoming the country’s first entry to Cannes. However, the film was cut by its international distributor Miramax in an attempt to broaden its appeal (Harvey Weinstein’s evil knows no bounds). That didn’t work. The version available today is not the original version, but is still very much worth seeking out.
Tears of the Black Tiger is showing at New York’s Walter Reade Theatre on July 5th as part of the New York Asian Film Festival. It is also available on DVD from Magnolia Pictures.
Given the rising popularity of the horror film crossover genre, it is surprising no one had thought of combing a Prison movie with Vampires. And that’s exactly what the makers of Fanged Up have put together. Starring Daniel O’Reilly, better known by his stage/social media name Dapper Laughs, Fanged Up presents us with the story of a man down on his luck being sent to jail for the weekend, only to find it is overrun with vampires. It is a fun and promising concept, but that’s about all it is.
The film starts by introducing Jimmy, a local layabout very evidently not liked by anyone. After causing a fight to break out at the nightclub he works at, Jimmy is sent to prison over the weekend. Upon arriving he finds that his ex-girlfriend Mary has just started a job as the prison’s physician. As the two get re-acquainted, they unravel the prison warden’s plan to bring small time criminal offenders to the prison to serve as feeding fodder for his legion of vampires. Aided by a ragtag group of misfits from the prison, Jimmy and Mary attempt to escape the prison.
There nothing inherently horrible about the movie. O’Reilly makes for a solid lead, transitioning from his online videos to a full-fledged role. He seems quite comfortable on camera, and delivers a confident and self-assured performance. Sadly he seems to be the only one. His supporting cast delivers lines in a wooden and lifeless delivery, never quite finding the balance between comedy and horror.
The movie has a competent plotline, with familiar elements like strangers becoming a family, a reunion with an old flame, and surviving the night. Its biggest problem is a distinct lack of identity. Although a horror comedy can be tremendously successful, such as Shaun of the Dead, it needs to maintain its awareness of the world of the film. In Fanged Up, every scene is punctuated by rapid-fire banter and jokes. And while those could have worked perfectly in moderation, the sheer volume of them takes away from the characters being immersed in the situation they are in. Any opportunity for the characters to be scared or shocked is quickly traded by the chance to make a joke at the expense of the lead characters genitals (which happens entirely too often). Additionally, the emotional scenes of the film feel very telegraphed and forceful. Aided by a swelling section of strings, moments of characters making noble sacrifices and delivering soliloquies about the meaning of family are thrown off the cuff as if they were yet another cheap joke.
The horror portion of the film is equally neglected. There is no build up to the reveal of the vampires, which can be attributed to budgetary constraints of an 80-minute film. But that jumping of the gun is not traded off for character development or to even allow them to process what is happening. If you tune out for 2 minutes, you will miss the entire section where Mary discovers that the warden is a vampire, explains it to Jimmy, and they kill off their first vampire.
You can tell there was a lot of good intention going into the film. The design of the vampires and use of the special effects allude to classic vampire films, and the jokes as they are spouted by the characters read as if they perhaps really worked on the page, but no one took the time to revise them once filming got underway. Unfortunately, this movie wastes a fun premise by not knowing what it wants to be, making for a hollow, forgettable experience.
Even When I Fall, as the title suggests, is a tale of redemption. The subjects of the documentary, the real life issues rampant affecting them, and Tibet as a country all go through redeeming journeys through the course of this documentary.
The doc starts on a low and ends on a massive high. First, we learn about the circus industry through Tibet and India, and how it’s a big front for smuggling children and women away from their families and into a gypsy-like community where they are forcibly married and bred. As these women are rescued and rehabilitated, their inner psyche is fascinating as they come to grips with the outside world. It’s a triumph to see them rise above their challenges and perform to crowds of thousands, even making it to Glastonbury Festival in a very moving performance.
Sheetal was married to the ringmaster’s son, and enjoyed a relatively privileged life in the circus. After she was rescued, she goes through many stages of anger, denial, even wistfully remembering her old life where she didn’t have to worry about anything, but now, being a single mother and needing to support two boys, life legitimately becomes a lot harder. We forget that she is actually a teenager (the girls do not know their exact ages), and of course would have this reaction. A poignant scene of her playfully interacting with two girls, showing them photos of her old life, and the sassy jokes that follow show a relieving turn to normalcy from a girl who, two weeks ago, wouldn’t speak to anyone at the refugee facility.
If anyone wants an inspiring feminist story, this is the doc for you. There is a brutal scene in which the group who was rescued has formed a legitimate circus of their own, Circus Kathmandu, to earn their living with the skills they have and the community they share. The women in the circus lament that they are immediately branded as prostitutes and gypsies, despite having no choice in their previous life. They are slandered and treated like lepers, and their frankness in these truths show how difficult breaking these stereotypes are.
Even When I Fall shows that being yourself, and living your life, is enough. For everyone. It’s about rising from your own ashes and creating your own fate. As Tibet goes through massive challenges – the 2015 earthquake showcased in the doc is one – Circus Kathmandu faces it’s own disaster and rehabilitations. The resilience of the people and the country is enough to show anyone that, even when you fall, life can still pick you up.
