Our “Frolicking Under The Sea: Mermaid Fantasy Film Festival – August 2016” continues at full speed!! Now it’s time for some scary mermaid action, Euro-style with a look at 2014’s low budget Serbian mermaid horror film “Mamula” or as it’s know most places, “Killer Mermaid”.
Our synopsis reads as follows: “Two young American women, Kelly and Lucy, go on a Mediterranean vacation for fun and sun with an old college friend from Serbia, Alex. Along the way, they will encounter a mysterious stranger and come to grips with a long held secret that will threaten their very lives when they uncover the watery lair of a man-eating mermaid siren hidden beneath an abandoned military fortress. What was once a carefree adventure soon becomes a deadly fight for survival against an ancient myth come to terrible life.”
Sounds like we have a winner here! Sexy fun in the sun, a deadly serial killer, a deserted Island with an ex-Nazi prison, and a killer mermaid with a taste for human meat… What more could this wee kitten want? Well… OK… maybe some kung-fu, but hey… you can’t always have everything… 😉
Our month long celebration of all things mermaid, “Frolicking Under The Sea: Mermaid Fantasy Film Festival – August 2016” continues! This time out, a perhaps odd little choice, the 2012 Hindi Social Drama film, “Jalpari: The Desert Mermaid”. Not reeeeaaallly a “mermaid” movie per se… but still an excellent lil’ film that Yours Truly wanted to include.
The synopsis? But of course! “Two city-bred kids, fearless tomboy Shreya and her little brother Sam travel to their dusty Haryana village for a vacation with their parents. What happens there is an adventure, which comes packed with significant life lessons. It’s not the idyllic village of their dreams but a problem-ridden place with dried up ponds, unfriendly villagers, unspoken secrets, out-of-bounds spaces, a child-eating witch and no girls, a reason why wives are imported from other states. In the backdrop of this engrossing adventure the social issue of female foeticide is subtly interwoven without being preachy and melodramatic.”
Ummmm? So this one isn’t actually a “mermaid” movie? “But… but… Neko” you ask“What about that witch in the synopsis? There is gonna be a witch, right?”Ummmm. Yeah… Gotta admit, this one sorta fooled yours truly when I was first tracking it down. It definitely didn’t turn out to be the movie I thought it was going to be. But guess what? It still turned out to be a really, really good movie that I ended up liking a whole lot. Wanna find out why? Then just “Read On”, o’ Gentle Visitors and find out! 🙂
Time for another Review in our month-long “Frolicking Under The Sea: Mermaid Fantasy Film Festival – August 2016”. This time out? How about an old B&W creature feature starring a young Dennis Hopper in one of his earliest film roles, 1961’s psychological mermaid suspense film “Night Tide”?
The synopsis reads: “While on shore leave, sailor Johnny Drake becomes enamored of Mora, a young woman who works as a “mermaid” at a sideshow attraction. But for Mora it’s no act. She actually believes that she really is a mermaid who is destined to murder men on the night of a full moon. Despite this, Johnny is still captivated by the mysterious woman, however, and begins to suspect that her boss, Capt. Murdock, may have something to do with Mora’s murderous thoughts.”
More carnival sideshow mermaid antics, along with some suspense and a bit of period fun. I first saw this one years ago on Saturday morning TV, and remembered it enough to want to take another peek just for you, o’ Gentle Visitors, so let’s jump in the “wayback machine” and get us some vintage chills and thrills… 😉
Time for another Review, and this time out it’s a trip back to the 1960’s and the heyday of the Shaw Brothers with a look at the sumptuous 1965’s Huangmei opera film “The Mermaid”based on the 16th-century Chinese play “A Tale of Goddess of Mercy’s Fish Basket (觀音菩薩魚籃記)”. A virtuous scholar, a beautiful Carp Spirit Fairy, romance, comedy, mistaken identity gags, and oodles, and oodles of singing. Yep… they don’t make them like this anymore…
Our synopsis? Well it sorts goes like this: “A scholar named Zhang Zhen who finds himself taken in by the Prime Minister after the death of his beloved parents. Soon enough, Zhang Zhen falls in love with his benefactor’s pretty, but haughty daughter, Peony. But, there are two problems preventing a union between the two. For one, her father simply won’t approve of the match, and Peony herself has no interest in the lowly Zhang as a suitor to begin with!
Stuck inside with nothing to do but study for exams, Zhang tries to brighten his spirits by feeding fish in a nearby pond. On one fateful day, a carp fairy transforms itself into a beautiful woman who just so happens to look exactly like Peony! Plenty of misunderstandings and misadventures ensue when this lovely Carp Spirit tries to adapt to life on the surface while trying to woo the scholar to whom she has lost her heart! Who will Zhang choose – his first love, Peony or the vivacious mermaid?”
Yep… sweet, sweet romance and magical hi-jinx abound. But will I be able to sit through all the singing and dancing? Guess we’ll find out, won’t we? 😉
Time for another entry in our “Frolicking Under The Sea: Mermaid Fantasy Film Festival – August 2016”, and for some spooky fun we’re taking a peek at 2001’s pay cable remake of a 1956 classic, “She Creature”. Made for the Cinemax pay cable TV movie channel, it was part of a series of 5 Halloween films called “Creature Features”, all of which borrowed the titles of some of American International Pictures classic films of the 50’s and 60’s to make new films that weren’t strict “remakes” in as much as inspired tributes to those old classic movies. Of them all, “She Creature”, I personally think, was the best, and had the most lasting impression on this wee Catgirl. So much so that I naturally picked up a copy once these were released on DVD.
A quick synopsis? How’s this then: “Two Irish carnival workers, Angus and Lily, operate a lackluster sideshow for a tacky rundown circus. All of that has the potential to change when they meet an old sailor, Mr. Woolrich, who happens to possess a real mermaid. With visions of fame and success running through his head, Angus abducts the mermaid and boards a boat to America with Lily. However, the mermaid is not as docile as she seems, and as the voyage begins to go terribly wrong, crew members start mysteriously disappearing.”
Yep… a real honest-to-goodness period piece mermaid horror story. Neko just loves those…. Wanna hear the details and find out if it’s worth hunting down for a look? Then Gentle Visitors, you know what you gotta do, right? 😉
“Splish, splash!!” Our Mermaid fun continues here at the Litterbox with another of those odd little Indonesian Horror goodies that your Favorite Catgirl Princess just can’t seem to live without. Up this time out for our “Frolicking Under The Sea: Mermaid Fantasy Film Festival” we have 2011’s “Arwah Kuntilanak Duyung” or… if my Indonesian translating skills are improving “Demon Mermaid Spirit”. 😉
Our synopsis is as follows: “Linda and Ardo meet and fall in love on a beach. Ardo was so happy to have Linda, so he purchased a beach villa for his beloved wife. But the beach was haunted by the spirit of a murdered woman Ayshah who has become a mermaid demon who causes much mischief as she seeks out her killer to get revenge for her untimely death.”
Yep… it’s our old friend Dewi Perssik, Indonesian dangdut singer and wannabee actress donning the “Fins & Tail”still trying her darnedest to be Indonesia’s Top “Scream Queen” and horror movie star. Persistent lil’ lady isn’t she? Here’s hoping she’s managed to elevate this one above the usual “craptastic” standards that most low budget Indonesian horror seems to revel in. But… hey… Your Favorite Catgirl Princess isn’t holding her breath with anticipation, Hehehe!!!
With our August “Frolicking Under The Sea: Mermaid Fantasy Film Festival” currently chugging along in full swing here at the Litterbox, you Gentle Visitors just know this Catgirl Princess couldn’t pass up a chance to do her own review of HK filmmaker Stephen Chow’s latest romantic comedy “The Mermaid”, just available here on Region 1 DVD release. Sigh… Neko’s got a real soft spot for sweet magical romantic comedies…💖
Did somebody say synopsis? Yep, and it goes like this here: “Pretty, naive young mermaid Shan is sent to the human world on a secret mission by her people to play the part of a sexy temptress so she can assassinate Lui Xuan, a spoiled millionaire developer with a real estate project that threatens to destroy the last remaining ecosystem of her race. But despite her resolve to finish him off, Shan ends up falling in love with him instead. Can she put aside her feelings and save her people or will the mermaids fade away once and for all and become nothing more than legend?”
💕 Awwwwwww!!💕 Sweet adorable magical girlfriend romance movies… This wee lady can never ever get enough of those. Ghosts, Fox Spirits, Aliens, you name it… so why not one about one with a cute girl who is half human and half goldfish? Yeah… I’m there. The fact that this one is by the director of one of my all time favorite films, “Kung Fu Hustle” only makes me want to see it even more.
It’s a surprising smash hit in Asia, but will it live up to this wee lady’s hopes and expectations for movie goodness? Guess we’ll all find out…
So for our first entry to this month’s “Frolicking Under The Sea: Mermaid Fantasy Film Festival – August 2016”, I have for you a review of a 2011 Thai horror comedy that has been just about impossible for this wee kitten to pin down over the years since it first came out, “Gancore Gud” aka “Dead Bite”. Impossible to track down? Ha!! Not for a reeeeaallly determined Catgirl if she’s patient and sets herself to the task…
Our synopsis goes like this: “A Thai Hip-hop group, Gancore Club, traveling to a promotional photo-shoot by ship becomes stranded on reputedly haunted Mermaid Island, run afoul of strange aquatic zombies and the vicious locals who try to hunt them down as sacrifices to their mysterious and sexy island mermaid goddess.”
Ummmm? Crazy Thai Hip-hop guys? Oodles of pretty Thai girls in Bikinis? Killer islanders with butt loads of pointy weapons and a thirst for blood? Mermaids and zombies? All in the same movie? Heck yes!!! Neko is sooooo there! 😉
So. Wanna hear the crazy plot and find out if it’s maybe gonna jump to the top of your “Don’t Miss” list too? Then by now, Gentle Visitor, you know the drill…. 😉
Yep, another month has slid by, and in an attempt to revive my postings, I’m thinking it’s time for another themed Film Festival. I always seem to do better with my postings when I’m doing one of those. 😉 Our theme this time out? Well…. naturally first Yours Truly has to get herself really inspired…
Luckily for me, Life has done just that as a number of things lately have coincidentally conspired to tickle my brain and get the ol’ imagination humming. You know… this crazy Catgirl and her penchant for wild fantasies and goofy daydreams… Yep. For some unknown reason, Miyuki’s been hearing the siren call of the Sea these last few weeks. Soft breezes with the scent of the ocean blowing in my ear all the faint sounds of some exotic south sea conch shell… strange given that I still can’t swim a lick. 😉
Yes… yes.. Carolyn is still in there doing her best to try to get lil’ ol’ me to feel safe and comfy in the water. (💗 Personally… I think she just craves any excuse or opportunity she can find to get me in my bikini… the sly vixen… 💕)
We’ve visited the beach a couple of times the last week or so as time has allowed for some relaxing fun and even an evening cookout with friends. I’ve done some splashing around and floating about on an old inner-tube in the shallows drinking fruity margaritas, but real swimming has still been eluding me… must be my well honed Magical Catgirl instincts. Oh well. At least it’s been a great way to flirt with my sweetie and beat the heat… I even managed to get a slight tan rather than burning myself to a crisp. 😉
Anyways… combine this with some recent serendipitous smiles from the “Movie Fairies” in the way of a couple of long overdue foreign movie goodies finally falling into my clutches… all featuring Mermaids in some form or other… and it seems somebody’s trying to tell this wee lady something. “Psssst!! Miyuki!! You know ya wanna…. Come join us under the Sea!!! We all float!” Ummm? Wait a darn minute… Didn’t I hear an evil clown saying that in some movie? 🙂
Well… how about it, Gentle Visitors? Wanna venture beneath the waves with your Favorite Catgirl Princess for fun and frolics… and maybe even some horror thrills and chills too? Then feel free to jump right in and enjoy the next few weeks of our “Frolicking Under The Sea: Mermaid Fantasy Film Festival – August 2016” here at the ol’ Litterbox.
Oooooohhhh!!And to get you in the mood for what Neko has in mind, how about a couple of short films to get us all primed? Here’s “Kiss of the Siren”, voted Best Film at the 2014 International Fashion Film Awards and Alex Pearson’s short film “Bait”.
Well, it’s Summer, and on warm Summer evenings hereabouts there’s nothing better to beat the heat than to slip off to our local cinema for a “Movie Nite/ Date Nite” mashup, just my sweetie and I and a blissfully cool air-conditioned theater for an evening of movie watchin’ fun. Last week we managed such a combination, and had the opportunity to choose from two different “Ocean themed” films. One… a big budget animated romp under the sea with the talking fishies…. or one with a tiny cast and deadly danger from one sinister insatiably flesh-devouring monster shark. Hehehehe…. guess which one this wee lady picked. 😉
Our synopsis? “Still reeling from the loss of her mother to cancer, medical student Nancy Adams travels to an idyllic secluded beach in Mexico for some much-needed solace. Abandoned by her friend and despite the danger of surfing alone, Nancy decides to soak up the sun and hit the waves anyways. Suddenly and without warning, a great white shark attacks, wounding her badly and forcing her to swim to a giant rock for safety. Left injured and alone and stranded 200 yards from shore, the frightened young woman must now fight for her life as the deadly predator circles her in its feeding ground. Now her desperate fight for survival is really on…”
Eeeeeehhhh!! I just love survival stories… and man-eating monster critters… and we get all that and a spunky heroine for our main character too!! How could this not be a great lil’ popcorn crunchin’ roller-coaster ride of guilty fun? I was soooooo ready for this one, even if my darling Carolyn seemed a lil’ less enthusiastic. Yep. We just had to pick this one…. and we could always “Find Dory” another time. 🙂
So was this a good choice for “Movie/Date Nite”? One way to know o’ Gentle Visitors… 😉
An insatiably curious lil' kitten with admittedly odd tastes in film and music, addicted to spicy food and berry wine coolers.... generally playful but with a surprising fierceness when annoyed. But don't worry... she's had all her shots!