So things have been quite busy lately, so reviews have been few and far between. But, we do have capsules!

Underworld:Evolution
Kate Beckinsale, Hollywood’s current monument to manufactured good looks, once again dons her melt-in-the-sun vinyl cat-suit on her quest for killer vampire vs. werewolf action. Betrayed by the vampires she once thought family, Selene, with hybrid boy toy in tow, now floats between worlds, searching for the truth behind the centuries of lies responsible for the current vampire/werewolf state of affairs. After the rather dull exercise that was the first entry the filmmakers have opted to go story-lite. There’s enough to keep you interested, but if you choose not to pay attention, you certainly won’t miss much, and once the film concludes you’ll be hard pressed to remember anything.

Most of the film’s runtime is taken up by sequences involving the pouty lipped primadonna donning her best girls-with-guns poses, walls of special effects (I must note these look far better than those of the first) and blood squibs popping like the fourth of July. For those teen boys that have waited patiently, there’s a brief, “tasteful” sex scene between Selene and her beau — meaning both actors are carefully masked and no one’s parts quite line up. Tyra Banks too, should take notice, for although this film affords her nothing in the ways of poise and presence, Beckinsale’s mastered the eye-fire pop. For everyone else, Underworld: Evolution will prove tedious. Hoevever, when compared to the first film, it does deserve an award for most-improved franchise endeavor.

Shogun’s Ninja
I must say I’m becoming a fan of Norifumi Suzuki. After Sex and Fury, Girl Boss Guerilla, The Street Fighter, and a handful of others, I’ve started making a conscious effort to seek out more of his films. My most recent acquisition: Shogun’s Ninja. Although it is one of Suzuki’s lesser lauded efforts, you’d be incorrect to surmise it a lesser film. In fact, this ninja-action tale is far more thrilling than any number of the modern martial arts films I’ve seen this year. Shogun’s Ninja is jam packed with tumbling, flying feats of supernatural awesomeness, top notch martial arts. Like many other martial arts films, this one is a period piece peppered with historical personalities, only this one has the addition of hidden clan gold, a prodigal lord, and ninja spies, replete with Suzuki’s trademark anti-authoritarian musings. Okay, so maybe it’s not that different from other tales, but it’s a lot of fun, and goes to show how far computerized effects have taken us away from genuine, hard won thrills.

But I must admit, in spite of all my praise, the film is certainly not without its flaws. For one, the film’s oddball soundtrack, ranging from playful disco-funk to full on 1980’s department store muzak, erupts with the onset of every action sequence, regardless of whether the tunes really suit the flurry of punches and kicks on screen. As such it really takes you out of the picture. If I hadn’t seen other similar genre entries of the time (ie: Legend of the Eight Samurai) I’d be sure that Suzuki selected it as a joke. A mute button, or a stereo preloaded with tunes may be wise to equip when watching this film. Furthermore, while marketed as a Sonny Chiba film, Chiba-san is hardly in the picture. And, as much as I enjoyed the picture, I’m not sure how many times I would watch it again. But, these complaints aside, Shogun’s Ninja is one I’d defintely recommend.

Monday
I first heard about Sabu from an article in Giant Robot. Supposedly the next biggest director in Japanese cinema, I decided to test him out. Well, sad to say, but this may just be another case of Giant Robot making a big deal out of nothing (a year’s worth of issues with articles on the Z-Boys, anyone?). An equal mix of Falling Down and Groundhog Day, Monday concerns a young man who awakes in a hotel with no idea where he’s been. As he struggles to reconstruct the events of the previous day, using the items found in his pockets, he comes to the stunning realization that what started as an innocuous funeral attendance somehow turned into a night of drunken dancing and vigilantism. Being writer and director, the responsibility for this drawn out mess of a film that solely rests on the shoulders of Sabu. When presenting a scene of humor (most of which are genuinely funny, initially), he focuses on a single punchline and relies on endless repetition, much like a late 90’s SNL skit. Likewise, scenes of tension drag to the point where you no longer care. The attempts at social commentary are so ham handed they would make even a junior high student scoff. Worthy of note is Sabu’s direction of the other Sabu, Susumu Terajima, of which Kris and I are fans. But, his scenes are brief, and can’t constitute a recommendation for the film. I’m willing to view Sabu flick, though I must say I hope Monday is not indicative of the quality of the rest of his work.

Chris Nelson is a Technical Writer turned Java Developer, living in the Silicon Valley. He has been a film fan since age 6. When not writing reviews and code, he is studying for a Software Engineering degree at San Jose State University. Yah, he’s busy.