Mystery
Noah’s Barks pages relating to the mystery genre.
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The Big O
‘The Big O’ is an excellent post-modern, neo-noir tone piece and surreal mystery that will test the limits of how much you believe a story is about the journey and not the destination. (read more)
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Monster
The themes of ‘Monster’ aren’t particularly deep, and it occasionally dabbles in ridiculous melodrama. That’s not as important as the fact that this is an original premise for an unpredictable thriller. (read more)
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Drifting Net Café
While Shūzō Oshimi normally handles sexual content with tact, ‘Drifting Net Café’ is possibly his most exploitative work. How much does it drag the work down? (Warning: Review is currently only unedited notes.) (read more)
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Village of the Damned
‘Village of the Damned’ is some solid stuff. Feels of its time in a way that makes it feel like a long ‘Twilight Zone’ episode. I’m a fan. (read more)
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Inside Mari
In ‘Inside Mari,’ an early-adult shut-in finds himself suddenly inside the body and personal life of a high school girl. Shūzō Oshimi explores gender dynamics and alienation in this somewhat comedic psychodrama. (read more)
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The Vanishing (Spoorloos)
Unforgettable ending, but what makes a truly great twist-film is when the scenes before it are strong enough to distract from the surprise and hold up on their own. The Vanishing is always engaging, but it’s mostly because of the momentum of its mystery, not for the scenes it takes to get there. I could… (read more)
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Sleepy Hollow
It’s difficult to imagine any other popular director of the time who could command such a budget for an old tale and do it better than Tim Burton. Sleepy Hollow doesn’t fully transfer the power of the original story, but the soul is there. Johnny Depp’s timid and conflicting character holds the narrative together as… (read more)
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Speed Grapher
‘Speed Grapher’ is an absurd, exploitative thriller that is nonetheless entertaining and shocking in its creativity (among other things). (read more)
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Paranoia Agent
Normally a movie director, Satoshi Kon uses the Paranoia Agent TV series as a vehicle to deliver many of his ideas for short stories. Results vary, but ultimately impress. (read more)
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Touch of Evil
Touch of Evil is a gigantic, ruthless bore for the first half, making no effort to have an engaging hook: a murder mystery about a case where the victims or the crime itself don’t actually matter. The main story about a detective jurisdiction dispute lacks fire when Orson Welles’s jabs are minor and ignored by… (read more)