Barry_the_Baptist

R.O.T.O.R. is one of those films us Homo sapiens should put into a time capsule so that future generations/civilizations can witness a glorious achievement in 'film' which captures the zeitgeist of the nineteen eighties. Forget the Berlin wall falling or the end of the Cold War, R.O.T.O.R. is the greatest achievement of 1989 and director Cullen Blaine was Man of the Year. Not only is this the cinematic gem the worst thing ever put on celluloid, it also shares the dichotomous distinction of being the funniest film ever made. A perennial favorite at 'bad movie nights with friends', this piece of solid gold belongs in a film museum somewhere.

Taking his cue from American film noir, Kurosawa gives us a painstakingly detailed detective film. Though the setup is extremely deliberate, the film really picks up with the feverish pursuit of the criminal, with some laudable acting all around. Kurosawa deftly touches upon the economic divisions within Japan at the time as well as the sociological ills (heroine) facing the youth at the time. While Kurosawa's labored pedantry sometimes works against it, this is solidly directed/acted picture and a great nod to the film noir of the 1940s and 50s. However, I would more highly recommend Kurosawa's other detective film 'Stray Dog' which I felt was slightly stronger.

Score: 7/10

Troy Duffy's "Boondock Saints" is an execrable mess filled with atrocious editing, a terrible soundtrack and appaling performances. After seeing this film I felt compelled to go straight to confession and receive expiation for my sin in buying into the overwhelming hype surrounding this 'slick, stylish film'. Everytime Mr. Duffy faded to black needlessly, I thought about denouncing my Catholicism. It gets three stars out of ten, one for the father, one for the son and one for the holy spirit. - Amen