(1981)
Dir - H. Tjut Djalil
Overall: MEH
One of the most nonsensical and ridiculous movies ever made, Mystics in Bali, (Leák), has endured as a fascinating and exploitative Indonesian export. Though it was made by one of the less sophisticated production companies in the country, (which clearly shows in the cinematic "quality" of the presentation), it is overflowing with more memorably baffling set pieces than many others. The story is as bare bones as they come and mostly revolves around a young German girl getting trained in the black arts by an incessantly cackling witch while her unphotogenic boyfriend and his sorcerer uncle eventually try and stop them. Incorporating Southeast Asian and Balinese folklore with arguably the absolute worst special effects and acting in motion picture history, scenes of a decapitated vampire head with dangling entrails going down on a woman in labor, (or something), and transformations into pig and snake people, (or something), while other characters who witness such things produce no emotional reaction whatsoever are endlessly hilarious. The film's inept production qualities unfortunately become monotonous at regular intervals yet when things are cruising on batshit crazy terrain, it is rather a gem.
(1982)
Dir - Nobuhiko Ôbayashi
Overall: MEH
The television movie Lovely Devils, (Kawaii Akuma), is essentially famed surrealist filmmaker Nobuhiko Ôbayashi's idiosyncratic version of The Bad Seed. Though it was written by Machiko Nasu, the story adheres closely to Ôbayashi's whimsical interests and follows an otherworldly sort of logic where an eight-year old girl can live out a warped, fairy-tale existence where her presumed innocence allows her to murder those that threaten her material wants. Narratively, it plays with the cliche of no one believing a "hysterical" and "tired" woman who just so happened to have spent the last several years in an institution. The way that characters disregard Kumiko Akiyoshi's repetitive insistence that her niece is diabolical could be seen as a comment on people's nonacceptance to fully embrace those, (particularly women), with mental illness back into society. Elsewhere, arbitrary and playful classical music runs throughout every second of screen time, almost with one complete song following the next as if a random record is playing over all of the action and dialog. While this becomes grating rather quickly, it does seem to be deliberate in setting the highly unnatural tone. Still, it is a bit more streamlined in other areas and by not going balls-out bananas like Ôbayashi's earlier masterpiece Housu, it is more frustrating of a watch than probably intended.
(1987)
Dir - Dennis Yu
Overall: MEH
A typical, kung-fu, slapstick horror hybrid from Hong Kong genre director Dennis Yu, Evil Cat, (Hung mao), is a hyper-fast bit of silliness. Written by the much more prolific filmmaker Wong Jing, (who also plays an annoying police detective), the story is primarily nonsense, with lousy dialog and failed attempts at humor throughout. The pacing is so ridiculous that the entire movie seems to be in fast forward, but thankfully the plot is elementary enough that it is consistently easy to keep up with. Yu has an over the top, atmospheric eye though. Things are photographed rather compellingly with eerie blue light permeating most scenes, plus the ambient soundtrack creates a fittingly unnatural mood. There are also some moments of logic-defying violence, yet not enough to qualify it as a full-blown gore movie. Lots of yelling, wind, flips, and feline growls make it a cacophony on the senses, but the outrageousness works in small doses when the tones are not too clashing or obnoxious. Plus the finale delivers for the most part, even if the wickedly fun cat make-up could have afforded to make more than just a few minutes worth of an appearance.
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