One Cut of the Dead (2018)

With the current state of the world being as rough as it is, we all sometimes need lighthearted fun to remind ourselves that there’s still greatness in the world. Wakaliwood — a Ugandan production studio consisting entirely of native citizens — provides such fare and a great laugh. It came as a major, delightful surprise to me that the newest Wakaliwood film, Crazy World, was selected to be a part of YouTube’s We Are One digital film festival after it initially debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival. I’ve been craving some cheeky fun by the dedicated artists from Kampala, Uganda, and Crazy World did not disappoint in the slightest. This also helps us remember that their are real people in Uganda suffering from a regime hell bent on harming LGBTQIA+ people at the expense of actually helping their citizens.

For anyone who’s watched anything from Wakaliwood, you know what you’re getting yourself into when turning on Crazy World, but for the uninitiated, you’re about to have your eyes opened to a whole new world of filmmaking.

When it comes to film budgets, you have your big-budget films like The Avengers (appx. $220 mil), mid-budget films like Knives Out (appx. $40 mil), and low-budget films like One Cut of the Dead (appx. $25,000), but rarely do any of us watch micro-budget movies. Wakaliwood presents possibly the lowest budgets any feature films have seen, with their breakout film, Who Killed Captain Alex? made on a mere $200 budget. When you hear famous directors and other people say that there’s no excuse for you to not make films if you have the passion for it, Wakaliwood is the prime example of that philosophy. Like Who Killed Captain Alex?, Crazy World retains that charming D.I.Y filmmaking style by having the filmmakers utilizing whatever assets they had on hand to craft their art, and that dedication to making the best possible movie they could make with such little resources is what drives the main appeal for these movies. Seeing the creativity that spawns from people who have next to nothing to make a movie shows how much they care about crafting entertainment that represents their culture.

Budgetary discussions aside, Crazy World gives fans of Wakaliwood movies what they want by playing up the comedy and action just like their movies before. An amazing running theme among Wakaliwood movies is the sheer amount of on-screen talent their movies boast. Dedicated performances come from each of their actors, who sink into their roles better than many American films. The entirely Ugandan cast boasts solid line delivery, staging, and emotional weight that’s beyond admirable, but one thing truly shines above the rest, and that’s the action. I kid you not when I say the dedication put into the action scenes rivals and even beats out many American action films in sheer entertainment value and care for the craft. Watching self-taught actors swing their fists, perform jumping kicks, and perform other insane stunts is truly a marvel to witness! Although the violence is always on the cornier side of entertainment, unlike the brooding seriousness of a John Wick, a lot of the action within Crazy World connects and had me wonder how these actors were able to pull some of this stuff off; as an example, there are a few moments where bricks come into the action and are either thrown or smashed against people. I have no idea if the bricks featured in the movie are real, but it was convincing enough to make me feel the brutal impact of hard objects smashing against people’s heads.

Most of us are very familiar with or even nostalgic about Western horror movies. After all, everyone has heard about films like Scream, The Ring, Halloween, The Shining, and so many more their entire lives. However, you may be surprised to find out that quite a few of your favorites are actually influenced by or even remakes of Asian cinema! Yes, Asia is actually quite a large hub for amazing horror films even to this day, some people just never notice! Well, I'm here to change that. It's time to not let those words at the bottom of the screen scare you but instead be scared by some of the best horror you never knew about.

Premise: Seven years after the death of his wife, CEO Aoyama is invited to sit in on auditions for actresses. Yamazaki Asami catches his eye, a striking young woman with ballet training. However, Aoyama soon realizes she is not as reserved as he first thought.

Boiling Point (2021) presents itself as the perfect tool for raising awareness about current problems that every bar and restaurant worker must suffer in their day-to-day life. Philip Barantini paints a very vivid portrait of the hospitality industry and the stress suffered by all chefs, bartenders, dishwashers, and everyone who takes part in offering a great experience to the customer.

Lately, it seems like the continuous shot has become a trend in filmmaking. There are several movies edited to appear as one shot, such as Birdman (2014), 1917 (2019), Gaspar Noé’s Irreversible (2002), and Enter the Void (2009). Nevertheless, few of them are actually one single take. For instance, the recent Japanese project One Cut of the Dead (2017), the Norwegian Blind Spot (2018), or the movie reviewed here, Boiling Point (2021) are true uses of one, unbroken shot.

It seems like a lot of pictures are made using this technique just because they have the necessary means to produce them. A lot of directors don’t consider the fact that this is actually a very powerful storytelling tool. In this case, Barantini’s choice of shooting the whole film in only one take is brilliant. He doesn’t only achieve the goal of creating a dynamic idea about what it means to give a dinner service in a luxurious restaurant, but he also manages to transmit the stress that the characters are suffering, how everything works in these posh restaurants, and the problems they must cope with. You can sense the dense atmosphere and the feeling of being under pressure in every situation.