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Reviews
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: Mascara (2009)
Amazing direction!!!
This has to be one of the best directed episode of CSI, or indeed any network show, in many years. The original vision, the tense atmosphere, the gritty violence, and the unique cinematic vision, make this episode seem more like a feature film than an episode of TV.
This episode looks so good compared to the others, that you wish CSI (which is becoming tired and is showing its age) could deliver an hour of TV this awesome every week.
I like CSI, though I think it's only a shadow of what it was in the first few seasons. Still, this episode is among the best ever. The fact that it the story mixes, voodoo, Mexican wrestling, and hallucinations only plays to Friedkin's directing strengths.
Best line from this episode: "Don't do anything weird!" Jim Brass.
XX (ekusu kurosu): makyô densetsu (2007)
Excellent
I saw this film at the Los Angeles Film Festival, not knowing what to expect, and I was really pleased. The closest comparison I can think of is EVIL DEAD 2. X-Cross hits the perfect blend of horror and comedy. Few films can both deliver the scares and the laughs the way this film does.
I admit, this film won't be for everyone. The plot doesn't really go from A to B. And the visual comedy might be too over-the-top for some viewers. The comedy also has a kind of absurdist edge that could leave some mainstream viewers shaking their heads in confusion. But if absurd comedy suits your tastes you're likely to be very impressed.
The film also just looks beautiful. Set in a mist-shrouded mountain vacation village in rural Japan, this film doesn't have a frame that's not amazing to look at.
Overall one of the best films I've seen in a long time.