just got back from japan yesterday.

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what a disappointing movie. :(

i had high hopes as this movie is based on one of my favorite comic series - lone wolf and cub. i rented it - and started watching it when to my joy the intro of the movie was familiar to me. i had heard it in Kill Bill part 2 when Uma's character and her daughter watches a movie... it's this movie.

so with gleeful content i watched, only to be utterly disappointed. first the main character choice... it was just hard for me to believe a fat-ish guy with a double chin to be a bad ass samuria, plus the movie seemed more like a compilation of fight scenes from another movie / show. the story arc was poor - if you can even find it and they butchered the characters.

they made the final villian the shogun who happened to be a wizard??!?!?! WTF?

avoid it... avoid it at all cost. read the comic series instead.

this is just.... so sad.

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that's just ... i have no words.

redotted from : gravitymax

Quoted: Clip from a Japanese TV show in which a man breaks the world record distance for trampoline slam dunk!

saw this yesterday - another great flick! made in 1964 - black and white and also from the "Criterion Collection" - it's writer also wrote "Rashomon."

what can i say about this movie - it's a great story. again - shocked that it was made in 1962 - but i guess a good movie stands the test of time. it's a great story of a ronin - once a samurai down on his luck - coming to a diamyo's house to ask to use his courtyard to perform 'harakiri' - which is basically the ritualistic act of cutting one's stomack horizontally then vertically (thus the dvd cover graphic).

apparently a lot of ronins who are masterless and unable to make a living try this to get money from the various houses. so the daimyo has a plan... which turns out badly for our lovely ronin... one year later another ronin appears asking for the same thing - stating he is from the same former house as the ronin from a year ago... stories are told... things are exposed... i don't want to give too much away - but it's a great story which unfolds.

i watched some of the extras in this movie and found out this was the first 'anti-samurai' movie. meaning samurai are suppose to act a certain way - all samurai movies uses these as their main themes and measure of it's hero. the story here distroys this concept. the director / writer was raved by the critics for this theme of the movie. if you're anti-authority you'll love this movie. if you love good stories - you'll love this movie.

trust me - it's good. (warning - it is a bit long) but it's a good story. it'll suck you in.

Quoted: Amazon.com: Harakiri - Criterion Collection: DVD

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lol - oh man... more on 'Hard Gay' from japan. the odd bit is his interaction with little kids - and how they think his just funny.

Quoted: The Hard Gay Ramen episode translated by Bakafish.

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oh lordy - just watched this. i'm tearing up from laughing so hard.

great find.
redotted from : X

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lol - title says it all.

watched this movie some time ago (catching up on dots :P) which came highly recommended by eric.

it was a great movie - very very well shot. they even had a special features section on the DVD which talked about how the camera was another actor - they would be correct.

there are two main points i think make this a great movie.

1. the story - bloodie great. it's a recounting of a rape and murder told by 4 peeps - all in their own viewpoint which favors them of course. you as the viewer has to decide / figure out who is telling the truth, what part of the story is true, etc... the interaction between you as the viewer and the movie is fantastic and if the camera work was crap that would not have been able to happen.

2. the cinemontography - amazing - even more amazing because this movie was shot in 1950! WHAT! THAT'S RIGHT - 1950. but other then the the movie being in black and white - you wouldn't be able to tell it's so old. it's that great. again - in the extras portion of the DVD they talk about how this movie was the first movie every to point the camera up.... at the sky. it's visible in the very first seen - as a woodcutter goes into the woods - that whole scene is beautiful and takes you the viewer with the woodcutter - deep deep into the woods. the way they used mirrors to light the actors! BRILLIANT! (highly recommend watching the extras).

apparently because most of the movie is shot in the woods conventional lighting systems didn't work - the contrast wasn't enough and everything looked grey. so the cinemontography decided to try mirrors - to basically light the actors so that they can stand out. the results are amazing.

bottom line - like foreign flicks? like great story? like to discuss movies after watching them? like non-hollywood flicks? watch this movie - come on, it's done by Akira Kurosawa - how can you not! :P