Time Of The Wolf(2004)
Directed By Michael Haneke
Directed By Michael Haneke
Drab, pointless, humorless, affectless, dreary, are some words that come to mind quickly. The first ten minutes are schock cinema at its finest, but after that it's a more realistic-than-thou, account of an end of the world scenario. 
What conclusions does it come to? People are mean, racist, xenophobic, and greedy, without social structures to guide them, but maybe, just maybe, if they cling to their humanity and mercy, things could get better, the world can be reborn, etc. 
Basically its a halfbaked and less effective version of the carjacking scene from Steven Spielberg's "War Of The Worlds". The little boy character was trite, running away, at just the right moment when the paced lagged, becaus thats what truamatized little boys in these kinds of movies do (see The Day The Earth Stood Still remake). 
Theres some nice cinematography of deep darkness illuminated by small bonfires, which is not so subtle symbolism, but then again nothing in this movie was. It's less pedantic than "Funny Games", but not as clever. It's attempts to nothing greater than to be bleak, and desperate, and dismal, which is run of the mill disaster movie, but this time given a minimalist less is more- of-the-same treatment.
A live horse is killed on screen, for our viewing pleasure! At least John Waters had his animals fucked before he slaughtered them. In fairness Yeelen, a brilliant film I loved, kills a live chicken at the beginning, but if it means anything (probably not to the chicken), like Waters' slain fowl, it was at least in a good movie. 
Does just being the opposite of the way Hollywood would film something, make it automatically artful and meaningful? 
Sure it's more realistic than Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, but it's themes of desperation, human redemption, and survival, are the same. Just less entertaining and with better cinematogrpahy. 
A real life disaster, would indeed probably go down with people crowded in barns, hating each other trying to make due, but so what? That's just a premise, not a story, and certainly not a film. 
The final scene of the train in motion suggests things get better, but as to why is just as mysterous as what caused the catastrophe in the first place. And ultimately, just as purposeful, to begin and end the movie; that's all. This movie wasnt very original, provacative, or challenging. It's intense at times but mostly lethargic, and begs by its somberness to be taken seriously, without anything at all serious to contribute.
Life sucks, and then you stand naked in front of a bonfire.
Directed By Kenji Fukasaku
The best disaster movie you will never see, and basically the prototype of Roland Emmerich's Global Destruction trilogy, "Independence Day" ,"The Day After Tomorrow", and I'd wager a guess from it's trailer, the upcoming "2012", will bring more of the same. 
If you can get the Japanese cut, it has almost an extra hour, which I imagine probably gave a lot more depth to the film, just a guess. 
The American version I did get my hands on was pretty good on it's own. 
This is not really a movie about saving the world so much as surviving the numerous apocalypses the world can throw at you. 
Even after the entire world population dies at the hands of a super virus, those surviving in Artic research stations (the virus cannot survive the cold) some 8880 men and 8 women. 
Theres a scene where the women address how 1 on 1 "relationships" are going to be impossible, is one of the most genuine, poignant, and unique in the film, the Apocalypse doesn't hit home till you realize there's 8000 horny scientists, crawling over each other to play Adam and eve, those not-if-you-were-the-last-man-on-earth scenarios horribly reversed.
And then you still have to deal with the fact that both the Russian and American automatic nuclear missile systems are still in operation, and a coming earthquake is liable to force them to launch, one of which is pointed at the Antarctic research station. 
So two men on foot, one Japanese and one American take a trip to DC, to turn off the machine.
A lot of the save the world stuff takes place in the last 20 minutes, the rest is all death and survival.
This was at the time of it's release the most expensive Japanese film ever made, and it shows, as we get scenes from Germany, Japan, America, and yes the Antarctic, real submarines too.
If you sat through "Outbreak", "Deep Impact", and many of the now numerous end of the world films, this wont be anything too new, there are some scenes which are undeniably cheesy(the "walk" at the end). 
However, because I've got a U.S. cut, and U.S. cuts, as a rule of thumb, are generally dumbed down and streamlined, sad but true. 
So I don't know how to give an accurate review, this movie as it is at the 108 minutes I saw it, was decent with a fair serving of 80's cheese, I have a feeling though with a little more time, this might have felt as epic and grand as it intimates in it's best moments.
"Virus" is also a terrible title for this film as well, which has little to do with virus', or bacteriology, it's a good global destruction movie, "The End" is a much better fitting moniker. 
Director would go on to later success with "Battle Royale".
Note: I picked this movie up because it gets referenced a lot in Junot Diaz's "The Brief And Wonderous Life Of Oscar Wao" as the title characters favorite film, and in the right cornball sentimental context, I can see why.
Directed By Richard Lester
A film about the fear of mutating into a small apartment, in a world where building is forbidden!
Or the best metaphor for a fear of progress and modern life, I've come across.
One of the oddest British films, I've ever seen too.
A satire of 60's Britain, unable to escape their post-WW2 shell-shocked mentality and unwilling to move forward with history, or so the film seems to signal.
In any event, Richard Lester must have had an impressive budget for this. 
All the sets are ruins, but they are amazing ruins; cathedrals submerged in water, escalators to nowhere, and a bed-sitting room in the middle of the wasteland.
At some point in the past England lost WW3, the shortest and most catastrophic of wars referred to as "the great nuclear misunderstanding", which has left England's surviving population of about 20 or so completely, if not near completely insane.
Those who are not insane, like Dudley Moore in his balloon powered police car, forbidding people from any kind of re-construction (less the attacks be re-provoked), while the other survivors are suffering sudden bizarre mutations, mostly into furniture.
After a Lord transforms, slowly and hilariously into a full on bed sitting room, others begin mutating, into cabinets and parrots, and moving inside of him. 
The story of the life and times of a pregnant girl and her family who have been living on the subway (riding in perpetual circles), but decide to go back to the surface world, coincides with the story of our Lord the bed sitting room, which represents a real problem; not only is the man an object, he's the first new building, and sign of civilization in years, bringing him into direct conflict with the balloon bound authorities. 
When he asks a doctor what he should do about it, "My advice, charge 20 quid rent, be mindful of drafts". 
Hijinks's ensue, and while bleak at times (a few shades light of a dead baby joke). Richard Lester's madcap "The Bed Sitting Room", is one of those odd, clever, allegorical comedies, that's ultimately too singular to forget, and maybe just too smart for it's own good. 
A film political and absurd in it's time, to have been properly appreciated, and all but forgotten now.
For people who like Monty Python, Alejandro Jodorowsky, or Steven Soderberg's "Schizopolis", of whom Richard Lester is the driving influence, this is the only post-Apaca-slapstick comedy you need to watch.. 
Ever thought you were turning into your couch, well, you are!
