HCF Review - Gun Metal

BULLET BALLET (1998)

One day I hope to enjoy life with even a small amount of the insane energy found in the 16mm films of Shinya Tsukamoto. Which is a strange thing to consider in a story like this which seems preoccupied not with the meaning of life, but that of death and destruction. To some readers the title may suggest an action film because of the way this phrase is associated with Hong Kong cinema, but the reality is less straightforward. It’s true that there are guns, there are gangs, and there’s an overall punk sensibility to many sequences. But this is also a melancholy drama about obsession, in which characters are frequently found meditating on the right way to die.

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HCF Review - Pumping Iron

TOKYO FIST (1995)

One day I hope to enjoy life with even a small amount of the insane energy found in the 16mm films of Shinya Tsukamoto. There’s no better example of this kind of kinetic electricity than in this fusion of sports and horror. You didn’t think a boxing underdog story and a series of surreal nightmares would be a good match? Think again. After flirting with the mainstream by directing the yokai adventure Hiruko the Goblin and making the first of two Tetsuo sequels, Tsukamoto returned to form in this brain smashing genre mash-up. In some ways it’s the true successor to the iron man concept, as two rivals punch their way through repressed memories and self denial.

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Scorecard

MAY

FILM OF THE MONTH: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre ☆☆☆☆