| Regular readers will know
that I'm a big fan of the DVD video format and also that I despise the
concept of region coding. I'd like to take one more opportunity to
say Screw You to the MPAA and particularly to their lying ass devil Jack
Valenti. If you don't understand this, read the news more often.
A quick trip to Altavista or Yahoo will help you catch up.
Why start this page like this? Well it comes down to the fact that I think movies should be enjoyed by anyone who wants to enjoy them and I believe in the legal concept of "fair use". If I paid for a DVD, I should be able to watch it no matter where it came from. I've been really lucky in that all my life I have had access to books, recordings and movies from other cultures and I think that my life is better because of it. If you are reading superfami.com you probably already have some interest in Japan so you know what I mean. Anyway, I assume that if you are still reading, you are sympathetic and that you have managed to either apply the appropriate patches to your PC DVD player or you have a code free player hooked up to your TV. If these things are not already taken care of, you may wish to read up here on how to do so. Now on with the DVD reviews |
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"After The Rain" |
based on a novel by Shugoro Yamamoto Ame Agaru reminds me more of Kurosawa's earlier samurai films (Yojimbo, Sevem Samurai) in that it focuses mainly on "regular folk" rather than nobles (Ran, Kagemusha). On the other hand it also has some connection to the later films like Dreams or Rhapsody in August in that the viewer is treated to wonderfull outdoor shots balancing people with nature. The story follows a ronin samurai, Ihei Misawa, with amazing skill and a big heart but not such good luck. Most people admire his swordsmanship but despise his modesty. Misawa and his wife are trapped at a crowded inn by a rainstorm. When the lord of the local han witnesses Misawa breaking up a fight without drawing his sword, Misawa is offered the job of castle fencing instructor. Is this a break in his bad luck? Watch and find out, you won't be dissapointed! |
Fukuro no Shiro "Owl's Castle" |
PCBG-00114 The two disk jewel case has a nicely printed fold out booklet and in terms of features this one is packed full. The special disc has lots of good content (unfortunately only in Japanese). The Making SFX was my favorite followed by the Making Location Map. The real life ninja feature was not as cool as I had hoped since it came off more like a lame TV show with two guys in paramilitary clothing "demonstrating" ninja techniques and weapons. OK, now that the praise is done, overall I can't say that I really liked this movie. Plot wise it seemed like there were too many sub plots which did not go anywhere and I did not feel like the story held together as a whole. At times the big money production values seemed to distract me from the story. This may sound like a strange complaint, but I prefer my samurai/ninja/western movies to be kind of "dirty". Maybe this is because most of my favorites tend to have been made on low budgets with little left to spare for "atmosphere". I kind of felt like I was watching one of those TV "jidaigeki" where everyone has perfect make up and never sweats or gets their clothes dirty in a fight. Anyway, thanks to Pony Canyon for releaseing this one with English subtitles, but I can't really recommend "Owl's Castle". |
Samurai Fiction |
PCBG-00033
SF is sort of a comedy, but at the same time it is a "serious" samurai movie. Some of the comedy elements may not make sense if you don't know Japanese humor, but most of them don't need any translation. It is probably more accurate to say that SF is a comedy because it deals with the traditions of the genre with playfull respect. The first thing is that SF is done in black and white. Why? Probably because all the best Samurai movies were, and Nakano is a self confessed Kurosawa fan. He also knows that every serious line should be yelled at the top of one's lungs and that the villain has to look cool. "Peace" is an unlikely theme for a samurai movie, but it works here. There are no blood spray shots in SF. Hotei, unlike most JPOP stars, can actually act and delivers a good performance as well as an unexpectedly good rock/blues/techno soundtrack. Veteran stars of the big and small screens Morio Kazama and Tani Kei give god performances as Hanbei Mizoguchi and Kagemaru respectively. It seems that the actors actually shaved the top of their heads instead of wearing those obvious wigs you see in most samurai movies. Props to Pony Canyon for releasing SF with English subtitles (as it was in the theaters) and double props for encoding the disk R1 & R2 so more people can see it. |