Zebraman (2004)

Directed by: Takashi Miike
Runtime: 115 minutes


Time to learn some useless knowledge. Super Sentai  is genre of Japanese television programing that involves a group of costumed heroes with a gimmick. That gimmick being any combinations of magic, robots, amazingly stupid choreography, random explosions, alien technology, and or anything else that can be merchandised. The plot of these shows is a group of photogenic nineteen to twenty five year olds who get the ability to wear weird costumes and fight the forces of evil until their contract runs out. Now that's out of the way, time to cover the insanity that is Zebraman.

In 1978, a sentai set in 2010 aired about a human school teacher who turns into Zebraman and battles aliens. Due to horrible ratings the series was canceled after seven episodes. Thirty two years later the movie catches up with Shinichi. He was fan of the show, currently a teacher, and his life has more or less fallen apart. His wife is having an affair, his daughter is dating older men, and his son is being bullied at the school he teaches at. He copes with his life falling apart by making and dressing in a Zebraman costume.

This all changes when a series of violent unexplained murders starts happening and Shinichi has new transfer student named Shinpei. Shinpei is also a fan of Zebraman thanks to someone uploading the original Zebraman episodes on to a site like Youtube. Meeting this kid encourages Shinichi to be Zebraman and to fight crime. This crime fighting leads to Shinichi being able to carry out the same silly moves that the TV Zebraman could do. Also, he learns that people are being controlled by bad cgi green slime aliens.

As superhero movies go, it has less plot holes than a Marvel movie and is happier than DC movie. Overall, it is an enjoyable movie but the plot tends to drag due to showing as much information as possible about Shinichi. There are a lot of scenes that would have been better as montages like Shinichi trying to fly as Zebraman. Yes watching a grown man in a silly costume throwing himself off a bridge in the hopes missing the ground is funny but too much time is spent showing this.

This is a go see it now to any Takashi Miike fans and worth watching over all.

MVT: The way this movie takes PG-13 material and all the sentai silliness without making you feel dumb for watching it.

Make or Break: Keeping the CGI as cheap as what you find on a TV show.

Score: 7.2 out of 10

Episode #293: Bad Education at Black Rock

Welcome back to another episode of the GGtMC!!!

This week the Gents cover Bad Day at Black Rock (1955) directed by John Sturges and Bad Education (2004) directed by Pedro Almodovar!!! 

Direct download: ggtmc_293.mp3

Emails to midnitecinema@gmail.com

Adios!!!

Instant Action: Banlieue 13 (District B13, 2004)

When has putting walls up ever been a good idea, really?

Written By: Luc Besson & Bibi Naceri
Directed By: Pierre Morel

The first fifteen minutes or so of Banlieue 13 feature some truly electrifying action. Maybe dynamic would be a better word, because I found the action in this first fifteen minutes to be truly different than any other action I’ve seen before. I have little to no knowledge of parkour, the only previous experience I had with parkour was on an episode of the United States version of The Office. Based on that episode, and the little word of mouth I had heard, I never imagined parkour to be much besides people jumping off the aides of buildings. If Banlieue 13 is an example of the best usage of parkour, then count me in as a parkour fan.

The remaining action in Banlieue 13 is pretty good, but it never lives up to the first fifteen minutes. For reasons that I can’t quite comprehend Pierre Morel tones down the parkour influence throughout the rest of the film. It does pop up from time to time, but the free flowing nature of the first action sequence slowly gives way to the same action scenes we’ve seen for years now. Those action scenes were still decent mind you, but they lacked the inventiveness and energy found in the first sequence.

Story is not something for Banlieue 13 to hang its hat on. Put simply, the story in Banlieue 13 is a whole lot of been there, done that. It’s serviceable, and it gets the job done as far as getting the characters from point A to point B. However, as some of the recent action I’ve watched- Dredd, Haywire, and Get the Gringo for example- has been able to show, story need not suffer for the sake of action. The two can live and breathe together quite nicely, but that’s never the case in Banlieue 13. When the action kicks in the story sits down, and when the story pops back up it feels out of place with the action.

I was disappointed, yet impressed by Banlieue 13. It could have been a whole lot better, but the action was enjoyable and I ended up having a decent time watching the film. Monsieur Morel’s film never lives up to its first fifteen minutes, it would be most appropriate to say that it did shoot its wad far too early. Still, those first fifteen minutes are something special, and help to bolster the more traditionally choreographed action scenes that follow. Banlieue 13 didn’t rock my action world like I thought it was going to following the first fifteen minutes. It’s a decent film though, and the energy of the film stayed with me long after I finished watching. That is something that cinema should strive for more often, and I’m all for a movie that exudes energy.

Rating:

7/10

Cheers,
Bill Thompson

Episode #199: The 36th Precinct

Welcome back for more action packed podcasting from the Gents at the GGtMC!!!

This week we have our boulevardmovies.com sponsored episode for everyone's earholes and it was Large William's selection this time around. Large William chose The 36th Precinct (2004) directed by Olivier Marchal and starring Gerard Depardieu and Daniel Autiel.

We also go over some listener feedback and let you in on what we have coming for episode 200!!!

Direct download: 36Precinct.mp3

Emails to midnitecinema@gmail.com

Voicemails to 206-666-5207

Adios!!!

Episode #187: Arizona Set Pieces

Welcome to another episode of the GGtMC!!!

This week's episode is programmed by the one and only Death Rattle Aaron, a brother from another mother of the Gents, as part of our Kickstarter program. Aaron chose Murder Set Pieces (2004) directed by Nick Palumbo and Raising Arizona (1987) from the Coen Brothers.

Direct download: Arizona_Set_Pieces.mp3

Emails to midnitecinema@gmail.com

Voicemails to 206-666-5207

Adios!!!

Episode #91: The Throne of Throwdown

Sammy is back!!! The Gents discuss two more films this week and even Little William gets involved a bit in this episode.
This week the Gents cover THRONE OF BLOOD (1957) from director Akira Kurosawa and THROWDOWN (2004) from director Johnnie To.

Episode #54: Vegazz Zombiez

Well, we lost a bet....again.
This time Bill from Outside the Cinema has won and with his win he brought the thunder with his picks. Bill has chosen VEGAS VAMPIRES (2004) directed by Fred Williamson!!! and ZOMBIEZ (2005) directed by Who Cares?
The Gents' gave the films their best...ugh.

Episode #43: Cannonball Bill

Sammy has returned from vacation and is ready to review some films, this time with the thought that we should celebrate David Carradine and his work.
This week we go over CANNONBALL (1976) from director Paul Bartel and KILL BILL VOL. 2 from Quentin Tarantino.
As usual we have some great feedback and its good to be back in the studio with Large William talking some cinema.

Episode #33: Body Oil and 3-Irons

In the last episode of our Ladies Appreciation Month, we cover two VERY different films...
First up is a pick from our dear friend Emily, she chose Ruggero Deodato's THE BARBARIANS (1987) and then we go over a pick from BarbarellaCult, Kim Ki-Duk's 3-IRON (2004)....you could not ask for two more different films on a podcast my good friends....

Episode #26: The Pusher Trilogy

In the first of what we hope are many trilogy shows that we have nicknamed the Tril-O-GGtMC programs....we go over Nicolas Winding Refn's Pusher Trilogy.