alice_frye Reviews

Shîsaido môteru (2010)

Charming and quirky in that inimitable Japanese way

[7/10 · 9 January 2011]

The Seaside Motel is trapped in the mountains, without even enough water to serve their guests 24 hours a day, much less having a view of a body of water of any kind.

The plot centers on the misadventures of the occupants of four rooms at the dirty, run down motel over the course of one very eventful night. A cheerful hooker accidentally calls on the wrong room and wins the heart of a young cosmetics salesman. A wealthy married couple, middle aged man and pretty young wife, suffer from his erectile dysfunction and go about solving the problem in the wrong ways. A man deceives his bar hostess date, who happens to be a germ freak, and, finally, a gambler in debt to the Yakuza and his girlfriend, with endless and annoying questions, receive a visit from Yakuza bill collectors.

What the Japanese filmmakers can do better than almost anyone else is give Fate a "last chance" workout a la The Biggest Loser. While not as funny, in my opinion, as Survive Style 5, Seaside Motel manipulates the fates of the various room occupants to collide in similar fashion.

Overall, I found it a fun movie to distract me from other concerns.

The Man from Nowhere (2010)

Not for the faint of heart or mentally ill

[5/10 · 9 January 2011]

If you liked Oldboy, you'll like this film.

I hated Oldboy, if that's any indicator of how I felt about The Man From Nowhere. I think some of the Korean directors are going for distinction in the "Cruelest of Asians" category, judging from the content of many recent films from Korea. And frankly, I worry about sharing the planet with the people who have given this movie rave reviews and high rating numbers.

This film is excessively violent and graphic, and I just could not watch the final moments. I'm already concerned that some of the images might stick unwanted in my memory.

That said, the lead actor, Bin Won (who was brilliant in Tae Guk Gi in 2004) and the little girl who played Some turned in awesome performances. Where do they find these brilliant children? This little scamp will tear your heart out, just as she did for her neighbor in the film.

I think what really bothers me about films like this is that threatening to commit the kind of cruelties they carry out here would be sufficient. Instead, nothing is left to the imagination, which is frightening enough. It's all played out in very gory fashion.

Just want to warn you, if you're a lover and not a sadistic fighter.

Kakushi toride no san akunin (2008)

Woe to those who tread on a classic!

[4/10 · 13 December 2008]

If you have seen Kurosawa's brilliant Kakushi-toride no san-akunin, known as The Hidden Fortress in the West, you may find this super-charged remake a lifeless bore, as it replaces humor with gory violence and brilliant characterizations with shallow "types." In updating the story, director Higuchi abandoned the ensemble feel of the original and created an enhanced role for boy idol Matsumoto as the peasant Takezo. Takezo is uncommonly brilliant, resourceful and socially aware for a 16th century Japanese farm boy, so the film quickly lurches into self-righteousness and holds this improbable line until the last frame. The wacky duo of peasants who brought such warmth and comic wit to the original, and inspired George Lucas in the creation of R2-D2 and C-3PO, are gone to facilitate a highly unlikely romance, and the remarkable general created by Toshiro Mifune is transformed into an ordinary samurai who can barely keep up with his little princess in physical prowess.

One aspect of the original film's genius is it's lack of class consciousness. By keeping the true identity of the general and the princess concealed for most of the film, Kurosawa could emphasize the interpersonal relationships of the characters, as well as their individual quirks. In this remake, the identities are revealed early on, making way for a pretentious and preachy class consciousness that robs the film of many laughs.

I won't bore you with more examples of other charms missing from this film. If, like me, you are a rabid fan of Akira Kurosawa, The Last Princess will be a disappointment, but, also like me, you'll probably suffer through this remake with the same curiosity that causes you to stare at train wrecks. If, however, you are a fan of CGI and seeing bodies slashed in two, you'll love this movie, which likely plays much better to people unfamiliar with the original.

Yoi-dore musoken (1962)

Obviously the inspiration for Kurosawa's Red Beard

[8/10 · 10 May 2007]

Akira Kurosawa's Red Beard (Akahige) is probably my favorite filmed drama. I watch it when I am feeling hopeless or deeply depressed, because the message of the movie is so wonderfully humanistic. So imagine my surprise when, watching Drunken Sword, I realized that this film was an earlier attempt to tell the same story, that of an honorable and dedicated doctor who takes a conceited young doctor under his wing for further training and reality testing.

In Drunken Sword, there is more comedic content than its successor, but the viewer who is familiar with Red Beard will recognize many of the same scenes and plot twists. And of course, Ichikawa Utaemon lacked the power and subtlety of Toshiro Mifune in the lead role. Red Beard also lacks the over-arching villainy that Konoe Jushiro brings to Drunken Sword.

Drunken Sword is a very enjoyable movie on its own, but I was most fascinated by comparing the way that the master Kurosawa handled the story line versus this more light-hearted telling by director Sawashima.

A Chaos of Flowers (1988)

Beautiful film about excesses of passion

[8/10 · 17 February 2007]

Set in the Taisho era, which might be regarded as Japan's Hippie Phase, Hana no ran is a story about fashionable people without impulse control. :D Much of the action centers on a popular woman writer, the real-life poet Akiko Yosano, and her experiences among the literati of early 20th century Japan. Because of her independent, anti-war and often erotic poetry, she was a lightning rod for revolutionaries and other extremists, many of whom were destined to glamorous, yet ultimately pointless, deaths. The closest parallels might be the Byron/Shelley group or the people drawn to the Beat Generation.

The cinematography is lovely, and sets and costumes are faithful to the era, when old Japan was once again confronted by new styles from the West.

Gokusen (2002–2008)

Yakuza Family Values

[9/10 · 10 September 2006]

This is a delightful series, made even better for this American viewer by the quality subtitling and background explanations provided by the dedicated SARS fan-sub team.

The writing is clever & heart-warming, without plunging into the maudlin. The cast developed their characterizations over the course of the series in ways that are understandable, if sometimes unpredictable (as one would expect from both teenagers and adults on the learning curve.)

The whole package will be especially rewarding if the viewer is familiar with "ninkyo Yakuza" movies, such as the vintage ones starring Koji Tsuruta and Ken Takakura, because, at the core, "Gokusen" is about finding your own family and becoming a faithful and supportive friend to all the members.

Nin x Nin: Ninja Hattori-kun, the Movie (2004)

Great kids' movie & fun for grown-ups, too!

[8/10 · 8 September 2006]

Like "The Great Yokai War" (2005), "Nin X Nin" is the story of a lonely, sensitive kid who is befriended by an oddball with super powers. In this case, Hattori, the Iga Ninja pal, played to campy perfection by Shingo Katori, is on a mission to obtain his graduate degree in the ninja arts. To do so, he must travel to contemporary Tokyo, (from his primitive mountain retreat,) adopt a new master and, all the while, maintain the exacting code of his ancestors.

In an especially funny scene, a (historic enemy) Koga ninja describes to Hattori the ways that members of his clan have adapted to modern society, putting their ninja skills to work in benign, useful and entertaining ways. Among his fellow Koga retirees are juggler, a skyscraper window washer and a housewife preparing dinner salad. Fans of ninja movies should get a laugh from these "adaptations."

Friendship, loyalty and discovering one's special gifts are the overall themes in this delightful movie. If you watch it without a hypercritical eye, you can enjoy being a kid again.

A Quiet Life (1995)

A triumph of humanism

[10/10 · 7 June 2006]

Japanese filmmakers have a gift for translating the tenets of humanist thought onto celluloid. Akira Kurosawa created several such masterpieces, from Ikiru to the triumphant Red Beard; Shunji Iwai contributed the wacky but thought-provoking Swallowtail; Juzo Itami gave us Daibyonin (The Last Dance) and this little treasure.

Iiyo is regarded as one of society's unfortunates, a "retard" as one schoolgirl exclaims, but he has a lovely, even enviable world view, one which, admittedly, the people closest to him are slow to pick up on. In fact, the "normal" folks in this film seem almost neurotic, as they manufacture complex and troublesome meanings and motives to explain Iiyo's behavior.

Long ago, a college professor advised me and 499 classmates to try to experience the world through the eyes of a severely handicapped person. He promised that it would be a most rewarding exercise. Juzo Itami captured this sentiment on film in a beautiful and thoughtful way.

The Betrayal (1966)

Amazing!! Only Raizo could create such fury with a sword.

[10/10 · 1 May 2006]

A serious young student at a popular dojo is pressured into taking the blame for a treacherous murder in order to save the family of his lovely and devoted fiancé. The real world, which exists outside of the stuffy and hypocritical confines of samurai society, pounds (but does not flatten) the once-idealistic man with unforgettable and incredible bad luck. He endures a number of trials, only to return and discover how dishonorable his elite comrades truly are. And this is only the beginning! However grim the viewer might speculate the outcome to be, there is no second-guessing the resolution of this amazing tale. The climactic fight scene even puts "Enter the Dragon" and "Sword of Doom" to shame.

This is one of Raizo Ichikawa's finest performances, from both the dramatic interpretation and physical prowess standpoints, and it demonstrates why nearly four decades after his early death from cancer, Ichikawa remains one of the most popular Japanese film stars of all time. In a culture that values dogged persistence from its heroes, Ichikawa was one of a very select group of actors who could create a believable model of this virtue.

Before watching "The Betrayal" (Daisatsujin orochi,) I thought only Kenji Misumi could choreograph such brilliant fight scenes, but director Tokuzo Tanaka scored a place at the top with this film. I cross-checked his BO and found that he was AD on "Rashomon" and "Ugetsu." Anyone who sharpened his steel under Akira Kurosawa and Kenji Mizoguchi would definitely have a few good chops, as Tanaka demonstrates here.

Satan's Sword II (1960)

Classic Misumi swordplay and drama.

[8/10 · 6 April 2006]

While Misumi would continue to improve his riffs as a top-drawer director, this second episode shows all of the hallmarks of the mature Misumi in its fight choreography, choice of establishing scenes and camera angles, and character development.

Ryunosuke, having given up all attachments to his family and former associates, travels like a kite over central Japan, relentlessly pursued by coincidence and chance. Repeatedly confronted with his stunningly rapid karma, he seems to grow from the selfish, murderous young man of the first episode into an adult with a growing sense of responsibility for his actions.

The way Misumi set up his shots is classic Japanese cinema, reminiscent of Inagaki and even Kurosawa at times. Notice the dojo scene, when young Hyoma accepts a lesson from the wise old Lord, who has seen Ryonosuke in action. The final group fight scene is perfect in its timing, style and economy. This is what the Chinese directors acknowledged in the documentary "Chop Socky Cinema," when they gave a nod to the Japanese directors of the early 60's for innovations in action choreography. Misumi would repeat this staging effect in almost all of his later work. Eight or ten enemies surround the hero, who stands quietly in the center until he mows everyone down with just a few strokes. This scenario is the heart of the Nemuri Kyoshiro (Sleepy Eyes of Death,) Zatoichi and Lone Wolf series, all shaped largely by Misumi.

Like that other Kenji, Mizoguchi that is, Misumi was well-known for his ability to work effectively with women. He allowed his actresses to be interesting and more fully formed than the typical decorative set pieces of contemporaries. They bring a real world quality and depth to his films, one which is often missing in jidai geki.

Volume 2 is a mini-masterpiece and one which we can, thankfully, enjoy without the inevitable comparisons to "Sword of Doom" and the splendid, intense Tatsuya Nakadai as Ryunosuke. This episode has plenty to recommend it to fans of chanbara.

Woman in Witness Protection (1997)

Fun and engaging movie!

[8/10 · 4 February 2006]

Itami's final film is not easy to locate outside of Japan, but Marutai no Onna (Woman in Witness Protection) is worth the extra effort. Miyamoto portrays a vain, shallow, middle-aged actress who witnesses a brutal murder and chooses to stand up to a deadly cult and its thoroughly slimy defense attorney. Realizing that the very public life of the woman makes their sole witness vulnerable to the killers, the police provide her with specially trained witness protection officers until the trial. In the interim, the lives of the actress and everyone surrounding her are changed in unexpected ways.

Masahiko Nishimura, familiar to fans of "Welcome Back, Mr. McDonald," plays an uptight police officer assigned to guard the unconventional witness. His transformation provides the funniest moments in the film. In a couple of brief scenes, Daisuke Ryu (Kagemusha, Ran, Gojoe) is sufficiently menacing as the cult's bad-ass leader. And Toru Emori creates a real bottom feeding defense lawyer, complete with the worst comb-over on the planet.

This isn't a brilliant or moving film, but Marutai is good entertainment, and it does suggest that it's never too late to become a better and/or more interesting person.

The Fall of Ako Castle (1978)

Chushingura/47 Ronin

[8/10 · 8 September 2005]

This is director Kenji Fukasaku's contribution to the 47 Ronin story, and it represents something of a combination of Mizoguchi's 1941 version and the 1962 version from director Inagaki. Supposedly, Fukasaku wanted to turn the much loved story on its head, but star Kinnosuke Yorozuya used his then extremely high influence with the studio to keep the traditional telling. Fukasaku did get his way with the fight scene, which was choreographed and led by Sonny Chiba, so viewers can expect lotsa action.

Lord Asano is not as well fleshed out as he is in Inagaki's effort, so you learn more about the depth of the insult and its significance from the remarks of his loyal samurai. Kira's greedy and conniving personality, so wonderfully conveyed in Inagaki's film, are also less emphasized. Strong supporting performances are delivered by Hiroki Matsukata (the stuttering Shogun Iemitsu in "Shogun's Samurai",) the ubiquitous Tetsuro Tamba and one of my personal favorites, Mikio Narita (the chess player in "Zatoichi and the Chess Expert".) Mifune has a small, but critical role, as well.

The movie is a visual treat for fans of jidai-geki (period films,) and maintains a better pace than the 90 minute longer film from 1941. But I recommend seeing Inagaki's "Chushingura," first, if you are not familiar with the remarkable 47 Ronin. Then pick up "The Fall of Ako Castle" for the fight scenes.

Zatoichi and the Chess Expert (1965)

Mikio Narita as Jumonji, the Chess Expert

[9/10 · 8 September 2005]

I agree with the positive remarks left by others about the overall charm of this movie, but the real treasure is actor Mikio Narita (January 31, 1935-April 9, 1990.) He was one of the better character actors of his generation, which is obvious when you compare this performance to his portrayal of an effete imperial minister, who happens to be deadly with a sword, in "Shogun's Samurai", a/k/a "The Yagyu Clan Conspiracy." As Jumonji, Narita borrowed Sam Spade's unique gesture from "The Maltese Falcon," that is, when contemplating a problem, he rubs the side of his nose and then snaps his fingers when inspired with a solution. The script gives him plenty of opportunities to emerge as a full and unforgettable character, and his presence in this episode of the Zatoichi franchise is reason enough to see this film.

Kill! (1968)

A truly rewarding samurai movie!

[10/10 · 3 September 2005]

Nothing prepared me for the laughter and all-around entertainment offered by this film. The writer, director and actors manage to have fun with icons of Japanese society (e.g., a card shark priest, an honest bureaucrat who has never visited a brothel, a noble peasant, etc.,) while maintaining a good pace with the swordplay and forward movement of the story line. Nakadai is brilliant as the "been there, done that" samurai, who reveals much of the story's insanity to us through whispered comments and observations. Viewers might need a scorecard to keep track of all the double-crossing and back-firing that takes places, but Kiru is tremendous fun from beginning to end. And it's the only movie I've seen with the ugliest chicken in the world serving as a leitmotiv.