Reviews written by hushicho
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A Chinese Tall Story (Hong Kong Version)
A Chinese Tall Story (Hong Kong Version) DVD Region 3
(17)Our Price: US$12.49Usually ships within 7 daysRelated promotions:1 people found the following helpful
February 25, 2006 Fun Movie with a Typically Lousy EndingAs a viewer of more films than I can count, most lower-budget ventures into well-tread paths, I thought I would veer from the tried-and-true with this film. While it did satisfy at first with silly jokes and amusingly exaggerated situations, and the acting was quite good, there were some weaknesses such as the difficult-to-follow story. Even someone intimately familiar with the Journey to the West legend might find it hard to follow because of all the strange changes. However, at its root it seems good-natured...that is, until the needlessly melodramatic ending, which renders the rest of the movie entirely meaningless. If it had ended perhaps fifteen minutes sooner, it would not have been so unsatisfying (and outright insulting for any Buddhist viewers, I'd imagine).While some have bemoaned the casting of Wukong and his two compatriots, personally I thought they were quite well-cast; especially Wukong, who plays his part with obvious relish. It made me a bit disappointed to see what relatively minor parts they play in the story, appearing very little, while the virtual non-entity Tripitaka is our guide for most of the tale. However, when they are present it is usually much more entertaining and colorful.Speaking of color, the cinematography was excellent and the colors bold and beautiful, each frame appearing as a luxurious illustration in a fairy tale storybook. The special effects and computer animation were seamlessly integrated and visually spectacular, which made it an enjoyable experience for the senses.However, the ending left me feeling little to no desire to ever watch it again. What development was given to the most interesting character in the film was hastily flushed down the toilet in an insulting and pointless little stint at the end that seemed hastily tacked-on. Still, given Chinese films' proclivity towards unsatisfying endings, it probably could have been worse. I just wish, because the rest of the film was so good, that the ending had matched the film before it and been lighthearted, amusing, and entertaining. Unfortunately it was none of these things and ended up dragging down what could have been a four or five-star movie to barely a two-star one. And that is a shame. Did you find this review helpful? Yes (Report This) -
Kamikaze Girls (Hong Kong Version)
Kamikaze Girls (Hong Kong Version) DVD Region 3
(5)Our Price: US$12.49Usually ships within 1 to 2 daysRelated promotions:3 people found the following helpful
October 23, 2005 One of the Best Movies I've Ever SeenI saw this film's theatrical version and I was absolutely floored. I went in not expecting much, although I had enjoyed the trailer I saw for it, and I left with the film having really changed my life. I don't use that phrase lightly either; it was so well-done and such a perfect mixture of humor, drama, and really really excellent music by Kanno Yoko and the multitalented Kawase Tomoko, otherwise known as Tommy February 6 and Tommy Heavenly. The acting is great and the film is genuinely moving, touching, and also hilarious.Shimotsuma Monogatari is the kind of film that is needed and important not only in Japan, but in the rest of the world as well, especially in the current oppressive, conformist attitudes of the modern US. The film gives a great message of hope to those who find something that they can believe in, which fulfills them and gives their life meaning, and tells them that they need to go with it, to grab onto it with everything they have and not to let go. And it does this not with heavy-handed preaching like many recent films, but by subtly communicating this, and enjoyably communicating it, with a truly fun experience.After a massive and almost interminable string of annoying, meaningless, or just plain stupid series of films recently, Shimotsuma Monogatari is in fact a breath of fresh air. It's intelligent without being pretentious, touching without being a sobfest, funny without being idiotic, and conveys a message without being preachy. That is a miracle in the modern cinema, it seems, and I feel that this film is well worth the perfect score I have given it. If you see no other film this year...or five years!...see Shimotsuma Monogatar (Kamikaze Girls). It is a film that just might change your life. Did you find this review helpful? Yes (Report This)
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