Zeiram (1991) & Zeiram 2 (1994) Movie Review

Zeiram is a franchise created by science fiction and action film director, art designer and artist Keita Amemiya. The main character, Iria (played by Yūko Moriyama), a female space bounty hunter, has become wildly popular among Tokusatsu fans and because of the success of the first feature film outing a prequel animated series was released in 1994, months before a sequel.

The first film is about a bounty hunter named Iria who, along with her partner Bob, catches intergalactic criminals. They travel to earth so they can get Zeiram, an extraterrestrial creature that could become a great threat to humanity. Two electricians (Kamiya and Tepei) help Iria fight the alien creature in a virtually constructed alternate dimension called a "Zone", where the battle for the fate of mankind will take place.

The script for the sequel is kind of similar with a few modifications here and there. This time, Zeiram is back in the body of a robotic supersoldier and summons new minions and threats the protagonists have to defeat.

Featuring abundant dynamic action, pretty fantastic practical special effects that bring to life the biomechanical H. G. Giger-like creature designs with the charm and spectacle one can expect from Tokusatsu, both Zeiram films deliver the goods when it comes to enjoyable and fun thrills and top notch VFX for a film of its kind.

There´s also some solid direction going on, with great shots, well done cinematography and entertaining fight sequences that entertain all throughout. I will say that the actual plots are perhaps a bit too uninvolving and dry, sometimes you feel like there's not enough dramatic force or character progression going on, even feeling borderline repetitive.

Another problem is that the character of Iria isn't the main focus of the movies and she sort of steps back from a lot of the runtime and more character development is given to the human male characters, who aren't awful but are far from interesting. I think there was a lot of wasted potential when it comes to Iria, she has the personality, the looks and the abilities to be a great heroine in media but it's all bogged down because there aren't any character arcs or personal conflicts going on with her. I understand that she is kind of non-human, but you can still do a compelling story with her. Her relationship with the human guys is also quite stale and too distant to work fully, but it's far from bad or incoherent.

I think that when it comes to production design, art design and just pure kineticism these movies have you covered because they involve all of the basic ingredients for a fun time with an action flick, especially if you are particularly fond of delirious japanese sci-fi with outrageous stunts and creature designs.

Check these movies out and have some fun with the cool Iria and Bob.

Lady Dragon (1992) Movie Review

Let's continue our Cynthia Rothrock series with Lady Dragon, an action martial arts film from 1992 starring Rothrock, Richard Norton, Robert Ginty and Bella Esperance. Directed by David Worth and produced by Imperial Entertainment, the film was so successful that a sequel titled Lady Dragon 2 (1993) was released the following year.

Kathy (Cynthia Rothrock) is a tough martial artist who frequents an underground fight ring as she gets close to the mob boss (Richard Norton) that murdered her husband the day of their wedding for revenge. After a close encounter with death, she is found by a martial artist who teaches her new techniques so she can defeat the criminal boss.

Lady Dragon starts things up with a bang, with intense action right from the beginning. It's a very good idea to set everything up (setting, characterization, tone and style of action) in the first scene of the film, not only do you get a taste of our heroine's skill level and strength but you also get to see the way the underworld works and its rigid but savage way of functioning, which becomes integral by the end.

Rothrock's usual decent acting skills flourish here to good effect and her martial arts prowess is still notable (even if the film never takes full advantage of them). Her character is handled in a more intimate way than in the typical vehicle of hers, which gives a bit more of an emotional resonance to the storyline. I also like the side-characters and villains, the script delves more deeper into their personalities and motivations than in the average flick of its kind which makes it more effective overall. Norton and Ginty are also good in it but perhaps a bit wooden at point.

The cinematography is quite polished and the direction is also solid enough, with a great grasp of cinematic compositions while also making everything dynamic with its moderately rapid editing. The choreographies also shine because of it.

A real blast from the early nineties, Lady Dragon is definitely the B movie classic that will satisfy fans of the martial arts genre and casual moviegoers as well.

Annie Oakley (1935) Movie Review

Annie Oakley is a 1935 classic western movie directed by George Stevens and stars the legendary Barbara Stanwyck as the equally legendary but real western icon Annie Oakley. The film tells the life of the female sharpshooter and her romantic relationship with Toby Walker. 

First thing you should know is that this a highly fictionalized version of Annie's real life and becomes more palatable for a Hollywood audience but it's also perfectly structured as a western melodramatic story. So I will review it as it's own thing. The good news is that it works, being a highly enjoyable piece of old Hollywood, if perhaps somewhat dated. 

This was a pretty enjoyable and riveting old-timey western spectacle. The main conflict probably gets lost a bit in between the different shows and shooting sequences but it's entertaining all throughout. I liked the chemistry between the two leads and their relationship was very solidly constructed and performed by the actors, whose on screen presence is quite engaging.

Annie is a nice feminist character in western cinema, often being more capable and talented at shooting than her male counterparts (something incredibly obvious if you know anything about the title character), however, in a key scene for the plot she misses intentionally and makes her family lose money. Now, you might think that she missed because she wanted to protect her opponent's fragile masculinity or because of societal pressure but instead it is revealed shortly after that she did it because she had the hots for him. Ok then...

It's likely that the film is about the progress and continuous advancement in society from the late 1800's to the 1900's, embodied by the feminist Annie. I say this because the whole movie gives me a vibe of long gone male dominated era to enter a more egalitarian and modern one, this is further confirmed by the remarks some old people make about how women weren't allowed to do certain things like smoking in previous times, something laughable considering how normal those things were even during the making of the film, lines like that are delivered ironically and for perhaps satirical purposes.

Overall, with a nice pace and short runtime, Annie Oakley might me romanticized version of the female shooter's life story, but it stands on its own as a romantic and funny American myth (back when Hollywood could change things with a purpose), complete with a nice love story. There's no real "action" but it's far from boring.

This wouldn't be the first or last time Annie was featured in a film. The real life Annie shot a short film titled Annie Oakley in 1894, showing her shooting prowess. As a fictional character, Annie would later appear in the second best known movie about her: Annie Get Your Gun (1946) and several other films and TV shows would continue adding to her legend.

The Brave One (2007) Movie Review

The Brave One is a 2007 crime-thriller-action film directed by Neil Jordan and starring Jodie Foster, Terrence Howard, Naveen Andrews, Zoë Kravitz and Nicky Katt. It was written by Roderick Taylor, Bruce A. Taylor and Cynthia Mort. The film was a box office bomb (keep in mind, Foster got paid $15 million for this film) and reviews were mixed at the time. After all, it's an interesting depiction of post-traumatic stress disorder and of women who don't want to be victims and take action.

Erica Bain (Forster) is a New York radio host who lives an average life. One day, Erica and her husband are attacked by a group of muggers. She is badly wounded and her man is murdered in cold blood by the criminals. After her recovery, she spends most of her time as a vigilante, killing robbers and low lifes with her handgun (one she got from the black market after failing to buy a weapon). Meanwhile, detective Sean Mercer (Terence Howard) is going after the recent acts of vigilantism Erica committed.

This plot right here is essentially a very modernized version of the notorious and controversial seventies film Death Wish, it has pretty much the same structure and themes as a whole, the message of the movie about "justice" is also just as questionable. However, the film wasn't as polemic during its release and was seen as a rather tame entry in the revenge sub genre but one that delivers what it promises when it comes to cheap thrills.

That's certainly a good assessment because The Brave One is sort of a more violent and slightly more socially conscious film than average that manages to create a more gripping experience than the original, making the story be a bit more interiorized and ending up being more emotionally effective and captivating than the other film.

Jodie Foster is great as the vigilante lady, she manages to make you care about such a normal trope of a character with her conviction and acting skills. The supporting actors do their job competently but most of them never actually stick into your mind and some of them are annoying, like the officer who is onto the protagonist's antics. The direction and technical aspects are honestly pretty impressive and well done, always stimulating and dynamic with its editing and camera work.

I could recommend The Brave One if you are up for a decently done action crime film from its era, it doesn't overstay its welcome and has some nice acting moments from Foster but it's nothing particularly special and has several flaws in its logic and its derivative nature is surely tiresome.