Movie Reviews: Date Archives
December 2003
Millennium Actress
by Satoshi Kon
For awhile there, anime had sort of lost its appeal to me. Not that I stopped liking anime as a whole (I doubt I’ll ever lose my love for Studio Ghibli’s work, and if I do, please put me out of my misery), but not much of what I’d seen had really done a whole lot for me.
A few series had started out with great promise—such as Full Metal Panic! and His And Her Circumstances—but for one reason or another, grew more and more disappointing. (Full Metal Panic!‘s unnecessary reliance on fan service did it in for me, and His And Her Circumstances lost much of its focus and really muddled along in the last 5-6 episodes, ending on a very disappointing note.)
But that seems to be changing as of late. Witch Hunter Robin is now hitting North American shelves (although I’ve already seen the entire series, it’s nice to have a proper translation), Last Exile blew me away with its first disc, and last but not least, I just finished watching Millennium Actress, as magical a film as you’re likely to find, anime or otherwise.
What Price Survival
by Daniel Lee Yan-Kong
When I started watching Asian cinema 6-7 years ago, and Hong Kong films specifically, it was a revelation. I truly felt like I was seeing something unique, something I’d never seen before. Of course, there were the mind-blowing action sequences. But I think, more than that, it was the sense of style that characterized Hong Kong cinema that drew me to it—the kinetic camerawork, the almost surreal atmospherics of it, as well as the often overwhelming melodrama and tragedy that flows throughout so many great HK films.
Of course, I’m not the only person to ever feel this way. I’ve read articles about critics who were simply flabbergasted when films by directors such as Jon Woo (specifically A Better Tomorrow) finally made it over to this side of the Pacific. They were completely taken by surprise by its unabashed appeal to and manipulation of the viewer’s emotions, be it with balletic expressions of violence (in John Woo’s case, his shoot-outs) or the intense melodrama that is heaped on the movie’s characters.
Watching What Price Survival, a remake of the classic One-Armed Swordsman (which I have not seen), I’m reminded of what drew me to Hong Kong cinema in the first place. While being a powerful film in its own right, What Price Survival also serves as a bit of nostalgia for me. When I first watch it, I experienced the same feelings of amazement and wonder that I experienced when I first saw The Bride With White Hair, Butterfly And Sword, Duel To The Death, and other wuxia movies. But at the same time, it presents its own unique version of the HK action/wuxia staples of revenge and honor.
The movie begins with a duel between two rival clans. Although Pai Fukuo (David Chiang) defeated Chingkuo (Norman Chu) several years earlier, Chingkuo has returned for a rematch. Using a deceptive sword technique, Chingkuo manages to defeat Pai Fukuo. But rather than take his life, Chingkuo asks to have Fukuo’s only son. Fukuo is forced to comply in order to save the lives (and honor) of his clan. Chingkuo takes the boy, Ning, and raises him as his own son, telling him that Fukuo killed his real parents.
The Last Samurai
by Edward Zwick
Anyone who knows me knows that I love samurai movies; the epics of Akira Kurosawa, the tragicomedies of Zatoichi, the swagger of Toshiro Mifune’s Samurai trilogy, the tragedy of Hara-Kiri, the slice n’ dice of Lone Wolf And Cub, etc. So naturally, I was pretty interested in seeing The Last Samurai, even if I was somewhat put off by the fact that it was both a Hollywood film and a Tom Cruise film. Well, I just got back from seeing it, and most of my fears were pretty much realized.
First of all, the movie is incredible from a technical standpoint. Cinematography, costumes, battle sequences (the scene when the samurai first appear, riding out of the misty forest like apparitions, is breathtaking), locations—all of those are magnificent. Much of the acting is topnotch as well. However, it should be noted that the finest acting in the movie comes from the Japanese cast, specifically Ken Watanabe who gives a powerful performance as the rebel samurai leader Matsumoto. And perhaps best of all, it has ninjas (personally, I believe that most movies can be dramatically improved with the presence of a few ninjas).
But the movie’s flaws are pretty numerous, as well, starting with Tom Cruise’s performance. I don’t hate Cruise, if he’s in the right movie. But in The Last Samurai, much of his performance seems to consist of “Deep Meaningful Statements” and looks that range from “thoughtful” to “tortured” to “pensive”. Indeed, much of the movie’s dialog is pretty cheesy and clunky—the movie is bookended by two real groaners.