Ren Zhe Da aka Ninja The Final Duel - Robert Tai - Taiwan - (1986)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091636/

 Plot  from Imbd: "The Ji Ho Ninja clan vow to destroy the monks of a Shaolin temple. To do so they must first perfect their Water Spider Assault Unit, the Iron Tiger Claw, the Ninja Rock Climbing Formation and the Ninja Heaven Death Wish Blade. Luckily the Shaolin temple finds protection in the form of a good monk, two Hare Krishna's and a monk from Harlem."

I'm dedicating this review to Zoltan, international specialist of Ninja foolishness on film.

Oh my fucking GOD !!!! I've just been blinded by this visual shuriken, that left me speechless and  looking for more Taiwanese Ninja insanity ! This is just too much: Ninja's secret techniques involving giant aquatic spiders, climbing trees with demon-cat disguises and buriing oneself in the ground, before popping out like rockets. a naked woman fighter specialized in high kicks, black and white Buddhist monks  that looks like transvestite Hare-Krisna (!!), etc......I can't tell you enough about the costumes and general art direction (all over the place) but let's just say that it is a MASTERPIECE of the cheap ninja flick genre. 

Director Robert Tai has committed another major attempt against good taste in 1999 by associating with...Rudy Ray Moore - yes, Dolemite himself -  in the "Shaolin Dolemite", that I will watch very soon.

Just go for it but remember, it is extremely important to drink heavily before watching this film. Not doing so might result in serious injuries to your brain.

Trailer:

Blue Sunshine - Joseph Lieberman - USA - (1976)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074226/

Plot by imdb: "At a party, someone goes insane and murders three women. Falsely accused of the brutal killings, Jerry is on the run. More bizarre killings continue with alarming frequency all over town. Trying to clear his name, Jerry discovers the shocking truth...people are losing their hair and turning into violent psychopaths and the connection may be some LSD all the murderers took a decade before."

For all you pills poppers and Acid eaters out there, a strange and weird 70's movie about drug's aftereffects... I watched it, not knowing anything about it and I must say that the first scene really left me extremely perplexed and really looking forward for the rest of the story. Some scenes are very creepy but it's the general weirdness of it all that creates a lasting effect. The rest of the movie is so-so, an average casting with basic acting and some lame chases. Some of the acting is so lame that it might make you laugh. Strangely, I didn't think at the time that it was so ridiculous as some appears to think. Thanks to the interesting main idea, it kept me interested all along. In the end, a freaky-funny-creepy paranoiac thriller from the 70's acid hysteria, with some really memorable scenes.

 

Trailer:

The Way of the Gun - Christopher McQuarrie - USA - (2000)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0202677/

Plot by Imdb: "Two criminal drifters without sympathy get more than they bargained for after kidnapping and holding for ransom the surrogate mother of a powerful and shady man."

To begin with, this movie has one of the best opening scene ever: watch it here. Now, let make it very clear: this is one of my favorite noir thriller of all time. Not that it's the best movie I've ever seen but it contains a certain nihilistic "je ne sais quoi" that clearly works with me. Scriptwriter Christopher McQuarrie's only directorial work, "The way of the Gun" is between a post modern Western and a Noir movie. There's also something we don't see everyday in the storytelling and dialogues: silence, emptiness... A lack of explanation that feels good. For once, the scriptwriter/director doesn't take us for fools and doesn't need to explain everything, even let some of his character's histories and motivations appart. In this aspect, it's almost an Asian movie. For example, we don't have any details on the main characters past lives. We just have to deal with them as they are. The other great aspect is the "desperate" feeling that exudes from the story and the characters. Like if they were all living on borrowed times. But ain't we all ?

The cinematography is cold, well done, almost classic. I think the Coen Brothers are very close to this kind of filmmaking in their own masterpiece "No country for old man". The acting is marvelously subtle:  in addition to the main trio - Benicio Del Toro, Juliette Lewis and Ryan Philippe (all amazing) - some old school supporting actors steps in to further improve the high level: James Caan & Geoffrey Lewis, amongst others.

Some scenes are, in my opinion, classics: the opening - already mentioned, the kidnapping/chase scene, and the final shootout are all very impressive.

It 's time to put this movie were it belongs: amongst the best of its genre. 

PS: Again a warning to the pregnant ladies out there, the final scene might not be the most indicated for you as it is "tough" to say the least. I added the label "Gore" to the post just for that scene, so beware.

Trailer: