Beetlejuice.
Adam, portrayed by the greatest actor of all time, Arec Alec Baldwin, and his wife Barbara, Geena Davis, are staycationing in their quaint village hometown. Constantly interrupting their tranquil holiday is their real estate agent neighbour, who is adamant they should sell their house to a wealthy family from New York. On the way back from retrieving supplies from their hardware store in town, Adam and Barbara get into an accident, after which they are relieved to arrive home, cold and wet. And dead. The couple must now adjust to their spiritual setback as an unbearable new family moves in, hellbent on redecorating. In trying to scare away this new family, Adam and Barbara enlist the help of Beetlejuice, a perverse “bio-exorcist”, unaware of how dangerous he truly is. Beetlejuice is a charming, creepy, escapist, fantasy classic. Having watched it half-asleep as a very young child, some of the scenes were etched into my adolescent nightmares, and I was somewhat surprised to discover, given the subject matter, that Beetlejuice is a PG. Probably not a film for the very young, but everyone else will get a hell of a kick out of it.
Akira.
1988. World War III. Tokyo is obliterated in a nuclear Holocaust. 2019. Neo-Tokyo stands on the grave of the former city, itself a decomposing metropolis. Motorcycle gangs roam, social unrest grows in the form of anti-government riots, the army and police patrol the streets in an attempt to quash the revolution. Kaneda is the leader of a biker gang, Tetsuo his childhood friend. After Tetsuo becomes involved in a government experiment granting him supernatural powers, Kaneda seeks to free his friend with help from a band of revolutionaries. At the centre of the mystery, Akira. What unfolds is a gory, visceral, sci-fi LSD trip reminiscent of A Clockwork Orange, Blade Runner and 2001: A Space Odyssey. Wonderfully animated. Unique haunting soundtrack. Introduced anime to western audiences, just don’t go expecting Studio Ghibli.
The Last Temptation of Christ.
As far back as I can remember I always dreamed of being a messiah. The Last Temptation of Christ is a retelling of Jesus’ life on Earth, the greatest story never told. Rather than being portrayed as an almighty, all-knowing prophet, we see the trials of Christ from a human perspective. A man in pain, plagued by voices, his life ruled by fear. Martin Scorsese delivers a bold, brave, thought-provoking film that gives a new dimension to the birth of Christianity. The characters’ accents may be distracting for some, New York Israelites and English Romans, as well as at times anachronistic dialogue, but viewing with an open mind reveals the true message of the film; Jesus, as a human, felt pain, fear, temptation but ultimately his faith in God prevailed. The best review I can give for this film is that even as a non-religious person, The Last Temptation of Christ encouraged me to read more about the story of Jesus, something which other God flicks have failed to do.
Bloodsport.
Oiled up beefcakes land punch after kick on one another. Blood and sweat glistens as it flies through the air in slow motion. Training montages. Cheesy power ballads. Ultimate 80s. Jean Claude Van Damme is Frank Dux, a captain in the US military. Dux goes AWOL in order to compete in the Kumite, an unlicensed, Triad organised ultimate fighting tournament. Two police officers pursue Dux to attempt to convince him to return or, failing that, tase him and put his twitching body on the next flight home. Dux befriends fellow American Ray Jackson, and finds a nemesis in villain Chong Li, the undefeated champion who killed his opponent the previous year. Although the general feeling of Bloodsport is that of deja vu, as you’ve likely seen the exact plot before, it’s still a thoroughly enjoyable martial arts action flick. Don’t take it so seriously. Revel in the cliched, cheesy atmosphere.
A Short Film About Killing.
Krzysztof Kieslowski warns the audience of the theme in the title, and yet I was still unprepared. A Short Film About Killing revolves around three characters. Piotr is a soon-to-be barrister, taking his oral exam for entry into the bar. Jacek is a strange, violent young man, who wanders the city performing increasingly sinister acts. Taksówkarz is a middle-aged taxi driver; he cleans his car, feeds wild dogs and attempts to flirt with women much younger than himself. It is impossible to review the film properly without revealing spoilers, so I will only say that Kieslowski’s hauntingly bleak film proves the power that cinema has in effecting society. There are no excuses for not watching A Short Film About Killing, as it’s freely, and most importantly legally, available on YouTube; although the constant bombardment of adverts may detract from the subject matter somewhat.
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