Reviews written by Kevin Kennedy
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Getting Home (DVD) (Hong Kong Version)
Getting Home (DVD) (Hong Kong Version) DVD Region 3
(1)Our Price: US$10.99Usually ships within 1 to 2 daysRelated promotions:November 21, 2009 A journey to the heart of nobility"Getting Home" is a classic road movie, a tale of the extraordinary adventures encountered by one ordinary man as he travels across China. But this is a road movie with a difference. This ordinary man, migrant worker Lao Zhao (Zhao Ben Shan), is traveling across the country carrying on his back the decaying (and pungent) body of his deceased co-worker Lao Liu. Zhao feels honor-bound to return Liu's remains to his family in his hometown near Chongqing, and he will let nothing deter him from reaching his destination. Along the way, Zhao encounters the best and the worst of human nature, as people seek to help him or to prey upon him.
It's a simple story, a story that is both universal and profoundly Chinese, and it is told with exceptional warmth and great humor. Zhao Ben Shan gives the performance of a lifetime, infusing his earthy, dogged character with true nobility. And the film looks great, providing spectacular sweeping panoramas of the gorgeous Chinese countryside. You won't soon forget this terrific film. I like it so much that I'm eager to share it with friends.Did you find this review helpful? Yes (Report This) -
The Marriage Certificate
The Marriage Certificate DVD Region 3
(2)Our Price: US$10.99Usually ships within 7 daysRelated promotions:November 21, 2009 Can this marriage be saved?In "The Marriage Certificate", a naughty teen daughter stirs up trouble between her parents with consequences the girl never anticipated. Through the manipulative machinations of Xiaowen (Li Xiao Meng), her mother Yuting (Lu Li Ping) becomes obsessed with finding her marriage certificate. Yuting tears up the house looking for the document, driving her husband, psychiatrist Gu Ming (Feng Kung), to his wits' end. The daughter then plants the seed with her mother that Gu Ming just might be having an affair with his pretty young intern. Through these suspicions and obsessions, the parents' once-complacent marriage is brought to the brink of divorce ... a divorce that they can't obtain until they find that marriage certificate!
Director Huang Jianxin is a master at illustrating the joys and stresses of family life, at merging whimsical humor with serious human issues, and at limning the comical excesses of China's bureaucratic government. He also has a knack for drawing delightful performances from child actors, as with Li Xiao Meng in this film and with the little boy in the equally excellent film "Something About Secret". "The Marriage Certificate" is very highly recommended.Did you find this review helpful? Yes (Report This) -
Something About Secret
Something About Secret DVD Region All
(1)Our Price: US$10.99Usually ships within 7 daysRelated promotions:November 19, 2009 Beautifully executed tale of guiltIn "Something About Secret", He Liying (Jiang Shan), driving a company car, returns home late on a rainy night after spending the evening drinking with her work colleagues. As she arrives near her home, her car strikes a woman riding a bicycle. Liying's first impulse is to check on the prone body of the victim, but instead she drives on to her home, leaving the body on the wet street. Liying's husband, Li Guoqiang (Wang Zhi Wen), witnessed the accident from a distance, but is unsure of the driver's identity. When she arrives home, Liying says nothing about the incident to Guoqiang and remains mum as events surrounding the victim unfold.
The victim is hospitalized in a coma. She turns out to be the mother of one of the schoolmates of Liying's and Guoqiang's son. Newspapers are filled with reports of the hit-and-run accident. The victim's daughter perches on the street corner at which the accident took place, bearing a sign that asks eyewitnesses to step forward. Liying and Guoqiang go about their daily lives, but everything has changed, as Liying becomes consumed with guilt and responds by lashing out at those around her and as Guoqiang's suspicions about his wife grow. Will Liying admit her guilt? Will Guoqiang's suspicions tear the marriage apart?
"Something About Secret" proves to be a skillfully written and directed and an exceptionally well-acted exploration of the effects of unconfessed guilt. The filmmakers keep things from getting too gloomy by leavening events with some surprising touches of humor, mostly provided by the delightful little boy who plays Liying's and Guoqiang's son. I recommend "Something About Secret" very highly for a general audience. It tells an important moral tale without ever becoming preachy.Did you find this review helpful? Yes (Report This) -
Go-Con Japanese Love Culture
Go-Con Japanese Love Culture DVD Region All
(1)Our Price: US$10.99Usually ships within 7 daysRelated promotions:November 18, 2009 The story doesn't add up"Go-Con: Japanese Love Culture" tells of three friends who devote themselves to endless efforts to hook up with women. Each night they engage in a "game" called Go-Con, in which they invite four women to join them (and a hopeless loser that they add to the group to increase their odds of success) for a night of drinking, trivial talk, and 'truth or dare'-style games, leading (they hope) to a one-nighter. The first half of the movie plays these silly (and repetitive) antics as smutty slapstick and depicts the three friends as shallow jerks who care little for each other and even less for the endless parade of women they meet.
In its second half, the movie shifts gears and seeks to portray the guys as actually sensitive souls who have trapped themselves in their own empty routine and who actually hope to find the women of their dreams for committed relationships. The transition is rough and the movie then takes itself much too seriously; it seeks a significance that it has not earned. There is no chemistry between the three friends and the woman each of them desires and little reason to believe that these women would have any interest in the guys.
Due to its subject matter, "Go-Con" is suitable only for mature audiences, but it is hard to imagine mature audiences having much interest in a movie that is as trivial as the "love culture" it depicts.Did you find this review helpful? Yes (Report This) -
Love In Magic (DVD) (Hong Kong Version)
Love In Magic (DVD) (Hong Kong Version) DVD Region All
(1)Our Price: US$10.99Usually ships within 7 daysRelated promotions:November 17, 2009 Good performances in inconsistent film"Love in Magic" is an oddly conceived movie; the parts of the film just don't add up. The story opens as a smutty, low-brow sex comedy, as we are introduced to the dashing professional magician Ji Hoon (Yeon Jung Hoon). Ji Hoon has bedded so many women that he can't keep them all straight. One of his old conquests, the pretty high school art teacher Hee Won (Park Jin Hee), has moved on with her life and become engaged (seemingly without enthusiasm) to a plastic surgeon. However, the lives of Ji Hoon and Hee Won are turned upside down when a video of them in flagrante is found on the internet by Ji Hoon's voyeuristic assistant.
The movie then shifts gears, as Ji Hoon and Hee Won undertake a long search to determine at which hotel their love-making was surreptitiously filmed; since they apparently had 17 such sessions, there is a lot of (repetitive) ground to cover. Belatedly (long after the thought occurs to the viewer), Ji Hoon and Hee Won realize that their search is meaningless. The damage was done when the video was posted on the 'net; finding the hotel will solve nothing. Indeed, it is obvious that the scriptwriters cooked up this entire sequence to provide an excuse for comedic squabbling between the two lead characters.
After a series of heartbreaking events befalls Hee Won, the scriptwriters bring their tale to funny and heartwarming ending -- a scene that yields a comic twist on the classic ending of "The Graduate". Indeed, the ending is the best part of the movie. Yeon Jung Hoon and Park Jin Hee are attractive and talented actors and it is a pleasure watching their work. (I highly recommend that everyone check out Park Jin Hee in a dramatic role in "Shadows on the Palace" and in a side-splittingly hilarious role in the excellent "Lost and Found").Did you find this review helpful? Yes (Report This) -
Owls' Castle (Fukuro no Shiro) (Japan Version - English Subtitles)
Owls' Castle (Fukuro no Shiro) (Japan Version - English Subtitles) DVD Region 2
(1)Our Price: US$46.49Usually ships within 7 - 14 daysRelated promotions:November 15, 2009 A gorgeous, action-packed classicFans of the "Shinobi no Mono" series will love "Owl's Castle", which tells the same story from a different perspective. Warlord Nobunaga, viewing the ninja of Iga as the only roadblock to domination of all of Japan, adopts a 'take no prisoners' approach to his attack on Iga, cruelly murdering every man, woman, and child his troops encounter. The handful of survivors is bent on revenge, even after Nobunaga is long gone from this life. Juzo (Nakai Kiichi), one of the survivors, is commissioned to assassinate Hideyoshi (Mako Iwamatsu), Nobunaga's successor. Juzo, however, may have met his match in ninja turncoat Gohei (Kamikawa Takaya), who has turned his back on his fellow Iga survivors and cast his lot with the powers-that-be. Juzo's intentions also are torn between the woman he loves (Tsuruda Mayu) and the woman who loves him (Hazuki Riona).
"Owl's Castle" is a treat on so many different levels. It yields a captivating tale of political intrigue, lots of exciting ninja action, memorable performances from its handsome cast, and some of the most astonishingly beautiful cinematography I've ever seen. Each shot is framed to yield a gorgeous work of art. Moreover, "Owl's Castle" offers a profound meditation on an interesting, thoroughly Japanese theme: When a man's identity becomes entirely identified with his mission, then what does he do when that mission becomes pointless?
Nakai Kiichi infuses his performance with the manly appeal of Tanba Tetsuro in his prime, while adding a wry humor all his own. Mako Iwamatsu gives an extraordinary depth to his rendering of the aging ruler. Hazuki Riona brings a spritely energy and exceptional physical beauty to Kisaru, the young ninja who loves Juzo. "Owl's Castle" is a great capstone to director Shinoda Masahiro's brilliant career. I believe it belongs in the same class as such ctimeless films as "Ran" and "Sansho the Bailiff".Did you find this review helpful? Yes (Report This) -
Tokyo Friends (The Movie) (DVD) (English Subtitled) (Hong Kong Version)
Tokyo Friends (The Movie) (DVD) (English Subtitled) (Hong Kong Version) DVD Region 3
(1)Our Price: US$10.99Usually ships within 7 daysRelated promotions:November 15, 2009 For fans of the series"Tokyo Friends: The Movie" is a sequel to a five-episode direct-to-DVD series. If, like me, you come to this movie without having seen the preceding series, you will feel like you are entering in the middle of a story ... which, of course, you are. As the movie begins, Ryoko (Maki Yoko) is about to marry her co-manager at a pub, Hirono (Matsumoto Rio) is throwing herself at her ex-boyfriend, then joining a theatrical troupe, Maki (Kobayashi Mao) is working in an art gallery in Manhattan, and Rei (Otsuka Ai) is gaining a following for her band, Survival Company. Maki phones Rei and tells her that she saw Rei's old boyfriend and bandmate Takashi (Eita) from a distance on a Manhattan street. Rei drops everything to travel to the Big Apple to search for Takashi. Against all odds, in a city of 8.3 million people, Rei bumps into Takashi on a New York street. Will Rei and Takashi get together again? Will Rei pack in her singing career just when it is about to take off?
If you have seen and enjoyed the five-episode series, those questions likely will make you eager to see this movie. If you haven't, well, then those questions are not so gripping. Fortunately, the film's attractive cast and great J-Pop music make "Tokyo Friends" a watchable film even for novices like me. When Otsuka Ai gets behind a microphone and begins to sing, the film comes to life.Did you find this review helpful? Yes (Report This) -
Otoko wa Tsurai yo - Tora-San, The Matchmaker (23rd Story) (DVD) (HD Remastered) (English Subtitled) (Japan Version)
Otoko wa Tsurai yo - Tora-San, The Matchmaker (23rd Story) (DVD) (HD Remastered) (English Subtitled) (Japan Version) DVD Region 2
(1)Our Price: US$44.99Usually ships within 7 - 14 daysRelated promotions:November 15, 2009 Great showcase for Kaori MomoiIn "Tora-San, the Matchmaker", the 23rd film in the series, Tora rescues impetuous Hitomi (Kaori Momoi) from the advances of a bumbling sexual predator. We next encounter Hitomi, in the midst of her wedding ceremony to the scion of a wealthy family (Fuse Akira), hyperventilating as she feels trapped in a fate she doesn't want. She flees the wedding and makes a beeline for Toraya, where Tora is more than happy to help the young woman with whom he is smitten.
Her jilted groom does not give up his pursuit of Hitomi. However, in his own attempt to find himself, he quits the family firm, becomes a mechanic, and moves to a run-down tenement. Will Hitomi come to embrace the love of this good-hearted man? Kaori Momoi's natural, spontaneous acting style perfectly suits the character of Hitomi. Also excellent is veteran actress Koguri Michiyo as Hitomi's rather starchy mother. The film is capped off with a lovely song by Fuse Akira.
"Tora-San, the Matchmaker" is filled with funny, warm, and heartfelt moments. I recommend it very highly. This Shochiku remastered DVD provides brilliant, crystal-clear image quality, a huge improvement over the fuzzy images found on the less pricey Panorama DVD. If your budget will allow, definitely choose this Shochiku release.Did you find this review helpful? Yes (Report This) -
Stranger Of Mine (Hong Kong Version)
Stranger Of Mine (Hong Kong Version) DVD Region 3
(2)Our Price: US$10.99Usually ships within 1 to 2 daysRelated promotions:November 13, 2009 Ingeniously conceived romantic comedy"A Stranger of Mine" is a delightful surprise. It opens as a quirky comedic romance, then splinters Rashomon-style to examine fragments of that theme through strangely different perspectives, and closes by bringing those strands back together in a masterful exposition of fallen human nature. If all of that sounds too high-faluting for you, don't worry. "A Stranger of Mine" also happens to be very entertaining.
Crestfallen office drone Miyata (Nakamura Yashui) has just been dumped by his gorgeous girlfriend. His old schoolfriend Kanda (Yamanaka Satoshi), now a scruffy gumshoe, invites him to dinner at a restaurant. Kanda urges Miyata to start seeing other women, then asks a disconsolate woman sitting alone at another table to join them. Kanda then vanishes, leaving Miyata and the young woman Maki (Kirishima Reika) to get acquainted, which they do in their shy, awkward manner. Maki, it turns out, has just broken up with her fiance and has no place to stay. Miyata offers to let her spend the night in the spare bedroom of his apartment. However, after they arrive, Ayumi (Itaya Yuka), Miyata's old girlfriend comes to pick up some of her things and Maki takes the opportunity to leave. Miyata, in an uncharacteristic act of boldness and determination, sprints after Maki's taxi and, after finally catching up to it, persuades the hesitant Maki to give him her phone number.
At this juncture, the story fractures into wild subplots involving the old girlfriend Ayumi, who turns out to be a grifter, the detective Kanda who becomes entangled with her scheming, and a yakuza boss (Yamashita Kisuke), from whom Ayumi unwisely seeks to steal a pile of cash. These subplots are tautly menacing, yet laced with wild humor, putting one in mind of Itami Juzo's great films. In the end, defying expectations, all roads lead back to Miyata and Maki and their nascent romance.
Kudos to director Uchida Kenji (who also wrote the script) for pulling off an exciting, edgy, funny, and friendly little romance. "A Stranger of Mine" deserves a wide audience; I recommend it very highly.Did you find this review helpful? Yes (Report This) -
Zatoichi and the Chess Expert (US Version)
Zatoichi and the Chess Expert (US Version) DVD Region 1
(1)Our Price: US$18.99List: US$19.95Save: US$0.96 (5%)Usually ships within 7 - 14 daysRelated promotions:November 12, 2009 Ichi in love?"Zatoichi and the Chess Expert" spins an intriguing tale of detection and an exploration of Ichi's character that goes beyond anything we've previously seen in the series. As Ichi is entering a boat, a wandering samurai saves him from falling into the water; Ichi and the samurai quickly become friends and Ichi delights in the samurai's fascination with chess. Next Ichi encounters a woman and child travelling the countryside as musical performers; the child inadvertently is injured as a consequence of a scuffle between Ichi and some gangsters he had cheated. Ichi, feeling responsible, takes the woman and child under his wing and, when the little girl contracts tetanus as a consequence of her wound, Ichi goes to great lengths to obtain expensive medicine for her cure. Ichi's affection for the woman and child go beyond mere friendship and the woman reciprocates Ichi's feelings. Then a third strand is woven into the story; at an onsen, meets a sickly man and his sister (who is dressed as a samurai). The sickly man's retainer is murdered and, after a bit of sleuthing, Ichi suspects he knows who did it.
All of these strands get come together to produce a climax in which both Ichi's nobility of spirit and his self-loathing drive the story to a satisfying conclusion. The film is smoothly directed, attractively staged, and creatively lensed. The image quality of this film is much, much better than that of the previous DVDs in this Home Vision series; the pictures are sharp and the colors pop in this beautiful release of the film. All Zatoichi fans will embrace this movie; it will be a particular treat for those who prefer exposition over action. Highly recommended.Did you find this review helpful? Yes (Report This) -
The Re-incarnation Of Golden Lotus (DVD) (Hong Kong Version)
The Re-incarnation Of Golden Lotus (DVD) (Hong Kong Version) DVD Region All
(1)Our Price: US$10.99Usually ships within 1 to 2 daysRelated promotions:November 9, 2009 A Joey Wang classicBefore she is to be reincarnated, in order that she not bring into her new life past loves and hatreds, Golden Lotus (Joey Wang) is asked to drink three cups of a memory-erasing potion. She refuses to do so, swearing revenge against those who have wronged her. The reborn Lotus is a dance student during the Cultural Revolution era, when she witnesses the burning of the "Jin Ping Mei", the book that describes her former life as an ill-fated concubine. As she matures, she draws the unwanted attention of the school's master, then is thrown out of school when she is accused of stealing a pair of athletic shoes that she gives to the boy she loves (Wilson Lam).
Ten years later Golden Lotus is selling fruit along the roadside outside of Guangzhou, when tourist Wu Da (Eric Tsang) meets her and falls head over heels in love with her. Soon he is buying her expensive gifts, but the air conditioner he buys her short-circuits the electricity to her village, drawing the wrath of her jealous neighbors. Wishing to escape her meager surroundings, she agrees to marry Wu, although she has no feelings for him. However, when she arrives in his Hong Kong home she soon draws the ire of her in-laws, who consider her a golddigging interloper. Coincidentally, her chauffeur in Hong Kong turns out to be the boy she loved in her schooldays. Out of loyalty to his employer (Wu and the chauffeur grew up together in Shantou), the chauffeur rejects the advances of Lotus. Feeling dejected and hopeless, Lotus soon winds up in the bed of a degenerate photographer, with consequences that threaten to blow her marriage apart.
Through a series of flashbacks, we learn that these events mirror the same tragic circumstances that ruined Golden Lotus's former life. Can she avoid the same fate and instead find true love? Joey Wang looks gorgeous and gives one of her best performances in "The Reincarnation of Golden Lotus". This is a dense, multi-layered story; I enjoyed it the first time I viewed it and found it even more engrossing when I watched it again and could better understand the parallels between Lotus's contemporary and past lives. Given its occasionally lurid content, this movie should be restricted to mature audiences.Did you find this review helpful? Yes (Report This) -
Steal It If You Can (DVD) (Hong Kong Version)
Steal It If You Can (DVD) (Hong Kong Version) DVD Region All
(4)Our Price: US$10.99Usually ships within 7 daysRelated promotions:November 8, 2009 Can Sang Tae become king of his castle?In "Steal It If You Can", super-wealthy computer game designer Choi Kang Jo (So Ji Sub) in his spare time gets his kicks by breaking into people's homes and stealing trivial items and small amounts of cash. The more sophisticated a home's anti-burglary systems, the bigger the challenge and thrill for Kang Jo.
Nebbishy administrator Ko Sang Tae (Park Sang Myun) seems to have won the 'lottery of life'. Although his is not particularly smart, not particularly ambitious, and not at all good-looking, he somehow has managed to marry a gorgeous bride (Song Seon Mi) who comes from a family of great wealth, has two lovely children, and lives in a spectacular home. However, all is not well for our chubby hero; his wife and kids view him as a hopeless loser.
Now Kang Jo has set his sights on Sang Tae's home, breaking into it at will, each time nabbing the remote control for the family's immense TV, stealing a few bucks from the wife's pocketbook, taking food from the refrigerator, and leaving behind messages to woo Sang Tae's bride. Now it is time for Sang Tae to stand up and defend his home and, in doing so, to regain the respect and love of his family. But bumbling Sang Tae hardly seems up to the task.
The first part of "Steal It If You Can" provides uncomfortable moments as we see Sang Tae being thoroughly dissed by his family. The film picks up comedic energy as he seeks to defend his home, first by obtaining an easily-foiled guard dog, then by training with a crazed martial arts instructor, and finally by installing a host of over-the-top home-made barriers to entry. It leads to an exciting and dramatic showdown between the master thief and the hapless homeowner. Unfortunately, the filmmakers squander the climax by being a bit too clever. Nonetheless, "Steal It If You Can" provides plenty of laughs and an enjoyably different take on its familiar underdog-rising-to-the-occasion premise.Did you find this review helpful? Yes (Report This) -
Shall We Kiss aka: First Kiss (US Version)
Shall We Kiss aka: First Kiss (US Version) DVD Region All
(6)Our Price: US$9.99List: US$10.99Save: US$1.00 (9%)Usually ships within 1 to 2 daysRelated promotions:November 8, 2009 Top-notch rom-comMovie magazine reporter Yeon Hwa (Choi Ji Woo), reeling from a relationship break-up, is thrown together in her job with photojournalist Kyung Hyun (Ahn Jae Wook). Their personalities could not be more different. Yeon Hwa is a repressed, introverted bookworm who lashes out at the world because of her wounded feelings. Kyung Hyun is a stylish good-time guy, the life of every party. Kyung Hyun, however, knows that he and Yeon Hwa have in common something very important ... and, consequently, can't help but be drawn to his work-partner, in spite of her spiky personality.
Filled with colorful characters and great humor, simmering with yearning for true love, and capped by an exceptional performance by Choi Ji Woo, "First Kiss" is an almost-perfect romantic comedy. And it gets better with repeated viewings! I recommend "First Kiss" very highly.Did you find this review helpful? Yes (Report This) -
Hua Yao Bride From Shangri-La AKA: A Bride From Shangri-La (Hong Kong Version)
Hua Yao Bride From Shangri-La AKA: A Bride From Shangri-La (Hong Kong Version) DVD Region All
(1)Our Price: US$10.99Usually ships within 7 daysRelated promotions:November 8, 2009 Colorful display of minority culture"Hua Yoa Bride from Shangri-La" is filled with thrilling music, colorful costumes, exciting dances, an attractive cast, and creative cinematography. In short, it looks and sounds great and its depiction of the minority culture and lifestyle is interesting. It has a good premise: A 'wild child' young woman is betrothed to a traditional young man, but the local culture dictates that they must live apart during their three-year betrothal. The willful girl chafes at this arrangement, leading to sparks flying between the couple. Can this marriage be saved? This premise is set against the backdrop of the training of a team of women dragon dancers for a big competition, which offers many opportunities for great song and dance.
The film, unfortunately, has two failings. First, the story remains on quite a superficial level. The audience gets few glimpses into the hopes, dreams, fears, and motivations of the film's characters. Second, the director clearly encouraged a very broad acting style from his cast. We see lots of mugging, lots of overblown expressions, and very little subtlety in these performances. This is particularly disappointing in the case of lead actress Zhang Jing Chu, who displayed fine acting skills in "Peacock" and "Red River", but here is reduced to doing exaggerated schtick.
Despite these failings, "Hua Yoa Bride" provides a colorful and entertaining display and is well worth a look.Did you find this review helpful? Yes (Report This) -
Best & Covers (2CD+DVD)(Hong Kong Version)
Best & Covers (2CD+DVD)(Hong Kong Version) DVD Region 3
(1)Our Price: US$18.49Usually ships within 1 to 2 daysRelated promotions:November 5, 2009 Put on your dancing shoesShimatani Hitomi was almost entirely new to me; before buying this collection, I had heard only the first track from the "Cover Best" disc. This, however, is such a generous compilation, offering 26 songs and a DVD of 17 videos, that I figured I would take a chance. And I'm glad I did.
Miss Shimatani has a strong, clear voice and seems comfortable singing in a variety of styles. The sixteen song Original Best disc features lots of catchy, infectious dance tracks. Indeed, it actually overdoes the dance tracks. Of the sixteen songs, fourteen of them are uptempo numbers and, after a while, all those whomping dance beats become quite numbing. I recommend that this disc be played just a few songs at a time for optimal appreciation. The two ballads on this disc are terrific; they left me longing for more of them.
Many of the ten tracks on the Cover Best disc will be familiar to even casual fans of J-Pop. I love this disc! With its great diversity of rhythms, tempos, and arrangements, it really shows off Miss Shimatani's vocal chops. She makes these cover versions just different enough from the originals to make for fascinating listening.
The DVD contains 17 tracks, including all of the songs from the Original Best disc and the cover of the Kiroro song. I really appreciated this DVD -- not just because Miss Shimatani is easy on the eyes, but because watching these videos really helped me to distinguish among all of those dance tracks from the Original best disc. All in all, this is a sweet package at a nice price for all J-Pop otaku.Did you find this review helpful? Yes (Report This)
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The World Sinks Except Japan (Hong Kong Version)
The World Sinks Except Japan (Hong Kong Version) DVD Region 3
(2)Our Price: US$10.99Usually ships within 1 to 2 daysRelated promotions:November 3, 2009 Silly disaster film parodyIn "The World Sinks Except Japan", seismic shifts cause one continent after another to sink beneath the oceans. Only Japan is left above water and it is to Japan that the world's refugees flock. This disaster film parody has a great premise and takes delight in skewering corrupt politicians, Japanese xenophobia, the pomposity of Hollywood movie stars, and other themes.
Unfortunately, the film suffers from crummy production values and dreadful performances by some of its amateurish cast. Comedy usually requires dialogue to be delivered at breakneck speed. Comic dialogue is like table tennis; the conversational ball needs to be batted back and forth sharply and deftly. Here, however, the dialogue too often is delivered much too slowly, draining the comedic energy from the scenes.
Intermittently amusing, "The World Sinks Except Japan" is worth a look. Its conceptual humor often is hilarious. However, in between the bits that work, there is an awful lot that, through poor execution, simply doesn't work.Did you find this review helpful? Yes (Report This) -
Slave Love (AKA: 100 Days with Mr. Arrogant) (DVD) (Hong Kong Version)
Slave Love (AKA: 100 Days with Mr. Arrogant) (DVD) (Hong Kong Version) DVD Region All
(1)Our Price: US$10.99Usually ships within 1 to 2 daysRelated promotions:November 1, 2009 Occasionally funny mess of a movie"Slave Love" (or "100 Days with Mr. Arrogant") has a premise which conceivably could be amusing and has committed performances by its two attractive and talented lead actors, but it squanders these assets with a chaotic story and a host of truly disgusting gross-out humor. Disconsolate after breaking up with her boyfriend, Ha Young (Ha Ji Won) kicks a pop can lying on the road; the can then smacks Hyung Joon (Kim Rae Won) on the noggin, causing him to crash his expensive car. He demands repayment for his damages, but high school student Ha Young has no money. Consequently, Hyung Joon seeks repayment in services, forcing Ha Young to become his 'slave' for 100 days. In more skillful hands, this set-up could have been mined for comic gold, but here the story is allowed to stray on pointless tangents that wreck the film's pacing.
My favorite parts of the movie are Ha Young's wildly comic fantasy sequences; Ha Ji Won shows off an impressive gift for physical comedy. Unfortunately, the film-making here is so ham-handed and some of the humor is so tasteless that the movie is unsuitable for children and unlikely to appeal to many adults.Did you find this review helpful? Yes (Report This) -
Otoko wa Tsurai yo - Tora-san's Talk-of-the-Town (22nd Story) (DVD) (HD Remastered) (English Subtitled) (Japan Version)
Otoko wa Tsurai yo - Tora-san's Talk-of-the-Town (22nd Story) (DVD) (HD Remastered) (English Subtitled) (Japan Version) DVD Region 2
(1)Our Price: US$44.99Usually ships within 7 - 14 daysRelated promotions:November 1, 2009 Solid entry in the Tora-San series"Tora-San's Talk of the Town", the 22nd film in the series, is a prototypical Tora-San movie. The film begins with a funny dream sequence featuring 'Tora Buddha' showering riches and good health on his family. Then, over the title sequence, we once again see Tora walking by the Edogawa causing a ruckus as he returns to his home. Naturally, once he returns home it doesn't take long for him to stir up trouble there. And, of course, Tora will encounter a great beauty and fall head over heels in love with her. We see these elements over and over again in the Tora-San films -- and yet they never lose their charm, they never fail to engage us and cause us, once again, to laugh and cry along with Tora's family.
Tora's uncle is bothered by back pains. The family decides to ease his burden by hiring someone to help out at Toraya and do the delivery work. They are stunned when Sanae (Ohara Reiko), a pretty, professional-looking young woman, shows up to apply for the job. She is hired and is embraced by the entire family. But Sanae harbors a secret. She is married, but she is separated from her husband, who she acknowledges to be a decent man, and is seeking a divorce. Tora's family is shocked. (One wishes the story might have explored Japanese perceptions of the morality of this nice woman divorcing a good man.) Tora, naturally, falls in love with Sanae. And she turns Tora's world upside-down when she tells him that she likes him. But Tora is not the only man smitten by Sanae's charms; her cousin has loved her since they were children and now hopes that he may have a chance with her.
During his travels, Tora encounters Hiroshi's father. This odd couple always is a source for comic gold, as the dour, bookish old man is bemused by Tora's pleasure-seeking. Tora seeks (and inevitably misunderstands) the wisdom the old man imparts, wisdom around which Tora seeks to shape his life ... until he encounters the next pretty face. "Tora-San's Talk of the Town" is a slight, but very enjoyable, film. The Shochiku remastered DVD is a joy, delivering clear, crisp images. The inexpensive Panorama DVD is adequate, although its picture has a yellowish hue. I actually prefer the looser, less formal translation found in the Panorama disk's English subtitles.Did you find this review helpful? Yes (Report This)
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28 Days Later (Widescreen; Lenticular) (US Version)
28 Days Later (Widescreen; Lenticular) (US Version) DVD Region 1
(1)Our Price: US$14.98Usually ships within 7 daysRelated promotions:November 1, 2009 A good one to watch on HalloweenDanny Boyle, the director of "Trainspotting" and "Slumdog Millionaire", here manages to create a very creepy and scary tale on a very small budget. The movie begins with a group of animal rights activists who break into a primate research center to free a group of chimpanzee's who have been subjected to horrific testing. A researcher begs them not to release the chimps; they have been infected with "rage" and, if released, will spread this terrible virus. But the activists disregard the researcher's pleas.
Twenty-eight days later, in a hospital in London, Jim (Cillian Murphy) emerges from a long coma to find the hospital entirely empty. He stumbles onto the streets of London to find them equally empty. He strays into a church and their encounters a priest who appears to have lost his mind and is bent on savagely attacking him. He bashes the priest and flees, finally encountering two normal people who take him in and explain what has happened -- people infected with "rage" have destroyed society. The remaining handful of healthy people are in an unending battle for their lives. The receive a radio broadcast from Manchester promising sanctuary, so they head for that destination ... but what they encounter there may be even more disturbing.
"28 Days Later" is wonderfully tense and atmospheric and takes the time to develop characters about which the viewer comes to care. I had two quibbles with the film. First, while the few survivors necessarily are quite a cagey crew, on a couple occasions they do something very stupid and the viewer knows that they are about to be attacked by "the infected". It strained credulity to think that they would behave so foolishly. Second, the screenwriters littered the script with f-bombs. Its always "f***ing" this and "f***ing" that. All the swearing becomes very, very tiresome. Nonetheless, I can recommend "28 Days Later" to a mature audience; it is a truly frightening film that is much more than merely manipulative.Did you find this review helpful? Yes (Report This)
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My Life as McDull (Movie Version) (DVD) (New Version) (English Subtitled) (Hong Kong Version)
My Life as McDull (Movie Version) (DVD) (New Version) (English Subtitled) (Hong Kong Version) DVD Region All
(1)Our Price: US$10.99Usually ships within 7 daysRelated promotions:October 30, 2009 Enchanting animated tale"My Life as McDull" is one of the funniest, most heart-breaking, and most heart-warming animated films I've ever seen. Not particularly bright, not particularly handsome, and not particularly lucky, McDull is your average, everyday Hong Kong kid (or, in this case, piglet). He loves his mom, loves his school, and loves his school friends, although he sometimes struggles with all of the above. He wants to make his mark on the world, but, given his lack of special talents, it is not clear how he can make it happen. And he dreams of traveling to the Maldives, but his mother has no money for such a trip. Somehow, out of these unprepossessing circumstances, the filmmakers craft a loose-limbed tale filled with laughter, optimism, and genuine affection.
The film's animation is superficially crude, but its imagery and effects create a fully-realized world. Indeed, that world -- the city and culture of Hong Kong -- is captured so vividly and exquisitely that it becomes almost a character of its own in the movie's tale. The film's story is told in anything but a linear fashion; it goes off on tangents and flights of fancy that can seem baffling at first, but which add wealth of richness to the characters and the setting.
While "My Life as McDull" certainly will appeal to children, I don't regard it as truly a children's movie. Lots of the story will go way over the heads of small children, but will leave adults in stitches (and, in some cases, in tears). In short, this is a movie that will appeal to viewers of all ages. "My Life as McDull" is a delight!Did you find this review helpful? Yes (Report This)
United States - English
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