Entry Sixteen

Tell Me Something: The only thing remarkable about this Korean cop drama is how routine it is. No cliche is left unturned as the cop tries to protect a mysterious victim from a mysterious killer. The ending is silly, too.

Drugstore Cowboy: A fine drama, with a superb central performance from Matt Dillon as the pharmacy robber.

American Ninja 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5: All pretty similar, with a wooden lead (Michael Dudikoff and then David Bradley) facing ridiculous villains. 5 is my favourite, as it's easily the worst, and by turns, best, involving ninja magic and a villain dressed as a failed superhero.

Wasp Woman: Familiar Corman trash, along the lines of the similar Leech Woman, probably made in about 3 days. Depending on your taste for bad movies, it's either wonderfully bad, or just plain bad.

The Strangers: This attempt to tap into the 70s strain of horror movies works quite well, and the director manages to build tension effectively and often. The problem I had is that though it's supposedly based on a true story, the characters behave is contradictory and "horror movie" stupid ways, emphasising the artifice of the entire thing. Another crappy ending, too.

The Boy in Striped Pyjamas: Never the cheeriest of genres, this holocaust drama takes a different perspective in the form of the son of the camp's commandant. The two young leads are good, and the script's tendency to treat them like actual kids is quite refreshing in the age of preternaturally wise youngsters. I'm not sure the end works properly, but it's very effective in displaying the hopelessness and horror of the interned Jews.