Our first feature was the 2015 Japanese film Yakuza Apocalypse. It's written Yoshitaka Yamaguchi and directed by Takashi Miike. I'm hit or miss on that director, I like some of his later movies more than his earlier works, his Zatoichi movie is my favorite of his works. This movie is a yakuza vampire story with other fantasy elements. That bike riding big green frog is a dangerous Kung Fu opponent.
Turns out Yakuza Boss Kamiura is a vampire. No one knows but a few people, not even his right hand man Kageyama. One day some gangsters from Kamiura's past come to town. There's some fighting and Kamiura is killed. Before he dies he bites Kageyama. Now a vampire Kageyama bites some more people, who bite some other people, and pretty soon the town is filled with vampires.
There's plenty of action and violence as Kageyama gets his vengeance on. The giant frog guy turns up and there's more fighting. A giant green frog guy turns up at the end of the film and there was some confusion as to what happened. It's about average for Miike, not up to his Zatoichi remake.
We watched 30 Minutes Or Less next and it took a while before I remembered I had seen it a couple of years ago. It's a 2010 movie from Zombieland director Ruben Fleischer. This crime comedy has Jesse Eisenberg in it too. He's a pizza delivery guy who gets forced into robbing a bank. Danny McBride is a big slacker asshole who lives with his rich father Fred Ward. Nick Swardson is Danny's pal. They talk a big plan but they sure can't deliver. Danny is brow beaten by Fred for being totally useless, and really, Danny deserves it. Danny is a selfish, self-absorbed piece of shit, so, it's really no surprise when he decides to kill Fred for an early inheritance. Dad's old, it's doing him a favor. A stripper named Juicy puts him on to Chango who will do the hit. Michael Pena plays Chango and he's a hoot. To get the money to pay Chango, Danny and Nick kidnap a convenient pizza delivery guy, Jesse, and strap a bomb to his chest. Now he has to go rob a bank to get the $100,000 that Danny needs. Jesse goes to his best friend, a school teacher, at his job. So Jesse is in a school with a bomb strapped to his chest. He's that stupid. The best friend is played by Aziz Ansari and he's got a cute sister that Jesse is in love with. Of course Jesse puts her in danger and she's also kidnapped and nearly killed. Jesse and Aziz fight back and Nick and Danny take a mighty beating for their ignorant plans. It was a pleasure watching those guys take it in the nuts. It's a fun story with goofy things happening and explosions and gun fire. The actors all do a great job. It's not going to appeal to everyone but it's good for a laugh.
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