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Reviews
Kôshônin (2003)
Caught me off guard
As the others have said, this is not your typical crime movie. Just when you think it is unfolding to a hostage - negotiation scenario, it take a turn toward conspiracy. I only wish U.S. movies would be so daring.
It is interesting to see why the two main characters are involved with each other. Is it a secret love affair? Are they more than just counterpart? The Negotiator is not so simplistic, but all the pieces fall in place in the end.
I found this movie to be very engaging from start to finish. When you think about the title 'The Negotiator', negotiations are not just in hostage situations, sometimes life itself is a negotiation.
Pinpon (2002)
A movie you can watch over and over and over
From the first seen with Peco jumping off the bridge, the engaging soundtrack reels you into to a story about two friends.
While we may have see this type of friendship before, the subject matter is....well another matter. After all, to most of us in the US, ping pong is more of a recreational sport. The action is maybe a little too fast, but Ping Pong the movie slows it down and uses CG to create a surreal, manga-like atmosphere.
The movie succeeds in combining CG, quick editing and cinematography colors to create a whole new world. But that is just the look of the movie. The two main characters Peco and Smile are opposites, but a friendship emerges when each wants what the other has.
Peco wants Simile's god-given ability to play ping pong, and Smile wants the care-free personality of Peco. Along with the drama is some light hearted comedy. Like Peco singing what sounds like "bong, bong, bong" but it is actually "born, born, born". Simile replies 'in the USA'.
I personally like movies that develop the characters. In this case, the focus is on the players. You will not see the players parents or where they live. Everything takes place at the gym or "ping pong dojo".
I'm surprised, like other have stated, that this movie didn't make it to wide release in the US. Just how "Shall We Dance" peaked our interest in ballroom dancing, "Ping Pong" might have made thousands of us dust off the ping pong table sitting in the corner of the patio.