31.5.06
When the Wind Blows
When the Wind Blows – 1986
Having seen Grave of the Fireflies, it would seem animation is the best way to tell a moving story. This one is based on a Raymond Briggs graphic novel about an old British couple, Jim (Sir John Mills does the voice) and Hilda. They are preparing for a rather sudden WW3 (between America and Russia) but not really understanding that this is nothing like the heavily referenced in this film WW2, but rather it's a nuclear world war. They survive the blast and experience the fallout, not quite grasping it and holding onto to the belief that the Government has everything under control and that help will arrive to their small country home. In reality it would seem most are dead and the Government has gone. We watch them slowly succumb to the poisoness air, thick with dust with light-hearted conversation and quite beautiful animation sequences into their pasts and thoughts. Everyone should watch this film.
The music is especially good, provided by David Bowie. Not surprisingly the director is a Japanese – Jimmy Murakami. 9/10
Shinobi 忍び
Shinobi – 2005
The film is about two hidden away ninja clans who live deep in the mountains with a long history of enmity. Recently there has been peace, until Ogen the leader of the Iga clan and Danjo the leader of the Koga clan are called to meet with Nankobo of the Tokugawa leadership. Nankobo is greatly concerned about these powerful ninja clans out of control hidden away in the mountains. He manipulates the situation in the hope that the clans will destroy each other by pitting their greatest warriors together in battle. Then he can obliterate the vunerable ninja villages with his army, once the best warriors lay slain. Each clan must put forward 5 of their best shinobi and join in battle to the death. The 10 warriors seem like they have been plucked from a beat-em-up video game and are all very cool leading to some fantastic fighting scenes.
A nice little touch is that the leaders of these two selected warrior groups, Oboro and Gennosuke, have prior to the battle secretly fallen for each other resulting in a conflicting and effective love story alongside the battles.
This is one brilliant piece of Japanese coolness and well worth watching all the way through to the inevitable conclusion. 8.5/10
A nice little touch is that the leaders of these two selected warrior groups, Oboro and Gennosuke, have prior to the battle secretly fallen for each other resulting in a conflicting and effective love story alongside the battles.
This is one brilliant piece of Japanese coolness and well worth watching all the way through to the inevitable conclusion. 8.5/10
28.5.06
Why Elder Scrolls Oblivion is simply great
26.5.06
A History of Violence
A History of Violence – 2005
Just like Road to Perdition and Sin City this story is taken from a graphic novel, and just like those two films it's pretty damn good and exceedingly violent. The good-looking (possibly the Danish in him) Viggo 'Aragorn' Mortensen plays the protagonist with cold steel. The guy is bloody excellent. The only other film I have seen him in, apart from that little trilogy he took part in, is A Perfect Murder and he was certainly not bad in that. Ed Harris plays Fogarty. Harris is always good in a supporting role. It's about a quiet small town man, Tom Stall, who runs a diner. One evening some pretty nasty criminals show up and cause some serious disturbance and so Tom shoots those fuckers dead with their own guns. Hence massive media interest, much to the Stall family's discomfort. Then history and violence come knocking in the form of Fogarty who is sure he knows Tom, after recognising him from the news stories. An interesting film and highly recommended. 8/10
21.5.06
Hero 英雄
Hero – 2002
Yeah, whoooo... I love this stuff. Some people get really pissed off with all the unrealistic flying around (and sometimes it is painfully obvious they are on strings) and the impossible defensive fighting, but ya gotta forget about it and treat the film like the art it is. Beautiful epic scenery and colours. Exquisite costumes. Clever story. And on top of that top-notch fight scenes and characters with style.
Jet Li in a role he was born to play is first-rate (I'll forgive hime for being the main star of that dripping gob shite Romeo Must Die). The deliciously clear skinned Ziyi Zhang is reasonable as Moon, but is surpassed by the wonderful Lux shampoo Maggie Cheung (actually European, growing up in Kent). In conclusion this is great entertainment, and better than Flying Daggers in my opinion. 7.5/10
12.5.06
Big Fish
Big Fish – 2003
This classic Tim Burton material forms into an exceedingly good film. It's about Edward Bloom, a dying father who embellishes his life story through myth and legend. His son (Billy Crudup) is annoyed because he believes he does not truly know his father, who cannot speak the straight truth, and as death approaches the son must seek some kind of answer to his father's obsessive story-telling behaviour. The flashbacks are colourful stories with fantastic characters and touching moments. The young Bloom is played by Ewan McGregor; the man who will play anyone, act almost anything. Brit Albert Finney creates a moving older Bloom, and you can see how he believes the stories he tells to be fact.
Steve Buscemi is outstanding as Norther Winslow, the poet. One of my fave ladies: Helena Bonham Carter features too as two different characters. The ending is quite wonderful. 7/10
Sadly the guy who played Karl the Giant died young of natural causes in late 2005. He was 7' 6" tall.
