Reviews

I have always respected fantasy-set films that try and take themselves seriously as cinematic pieces. When a director takes the actual construction of the film seriously, or tries to, I can respect the intent. As such "Night Watch" is difficult to judge. The cinematography is excellent: the camera-work is superb, the mood is perfect, the effects are beautifully rendered (and not overused), and the timing of individual scenes is consistent throughout the piece. The problem is the overall timing of the film. For over half the film, the overall plot and premise is ignored. It is very much as if we are watching two different episodes of the same TV series; the characters are the same, the premise is the same, it is clear how the plots fit together visually and thematically, but otherwise they have pretty much nothing to do with one another. They are not disjointed in their construction or presentation, it is simply that the plot threads are mostly unrelated.

It is worth pointing out that this is the first film in a planned trilogy. Every hanging plot/character moment in the film is very strongly intended to be followed through upon in the next two films, and it shows. Characters and references are not simply tossed aside, but are led into gently just enough to let the audience know that greater things are intended. While I'm not particularly a fan of this kind of thing, Night Watch does it very well, and I await the sequels with anticipation.

Many people on this board have made comparisons to Star Wars EpI-II, and for the life of me I haven't the faintest clue why. The concept of Imperfect Good vs Seductive Evil within the human soul was hardly invented by George Lucas (though vampires in Star Wars would be pretty freakin' cool), and its presentation in Night Watch is tight and interesting. There is no resemblance whatsoever, this is one of the more original films that I have ever seen, and I recommend it both for its flaws and perfections.

Like many people, it seems, I had severe doubts for this film. From the trailer, it seemed very much like a Dances with Wolves knock-off at best, and typical Hollywood tripe at worst. I am grateful to say that this film surprised me and impressed me on all accounts.

Having studied in the field of Eat Asian Languages and Culture, I was worried about the film's historical accuracy, or lack-thereof, given the period, but I was very impressed with how closely they managed to come while remaining far enough away from the actual historical record to make the events of the film plausible. Most of the major characters, with the exception of the Emperor, are either completely fictional, or based on real historical figures, but with different names. Katsumoto (Watanabe), for example, is obviously based on Saigo Takamori, Japan's greatest cultural hero, and the leader of the 1877 rebellion against the Meiji government (but not the Emperor).

In any case, this film is excellently paced, most thanks to the excellent spot-on acting job across the board from the entire cast. You can actually feel the greater ideas and issues at the core of the conflict, and while many of them remain verbally unstated, they are nonetheless clear to any viewer. Visually, this film is one of the most beautiful films I have ever seen, for the breathtaking backgrounds, the vibrant colors, the attention to minute details such as the cut of clothing, and the ugly beauty of the battles. The soundtrack is perfect.

Just as impressive is Algren's (Cruise) own subplot, about his own quest for personal worth that he is pushed into through the events in the film. Despite what could have been a horribly campy plotline, much of the emotional content of these scenes are implied and left completely unstated, but just as apparent. This act of restraint, so atypical of Hollywood, is one of this film's major strengths.

It's obvious I enjoyed this film, but to put aside many people's apparent fear of the "ethic-woman-loves-minority-killing-white-guy" syndrome, you will not find it in this film (despite the trailer), at least, not as you might expect.

Tom Cruise is excellent in this film, but he is completely overshadowed by the amazing Ken Watanabe as Katsumoto. It should be expected really, as Saigo Takamori, even after his death, defined the very core of the Japanese national mindset. There were only two ways that this character could have turned out, and fortunately for the audience, and this film, it turned out the best way.

Highly recommended.

This short film numbers among Chaplin's best, and is a stunning example of his skill as a silent physical comedic actor. However, one has to enjoy silent, completely non-verbal, comedy in the first place. While I laughed almost non-stop through this entire film, close friends of mine, who were not entertained by Chaplin's physical gaffes, quickly lost interest.

I must confess that I don't understand the pure hatred for this film that seems to be out there. It's as if that people are either convinced that anything older than they are is automatically High Culture, and everything else is nothing but cheap knockoffs. Mystery of the universe...

In any case, I quite enjoyed this latest installment of the Bond movies. I thought this film began brilliantly with Bond's unexpected capture and disgrace. From there, the little surprises kept on returning, from the villain himself to Zao's car. The dialogue was delightfully tongue-in-cheek, something that TWINE's dialogue was not, and the plot was no less ridiculous than any other Bond movie I have seen, though it did not remotely compare to the brilliance of TND or the unfortunately mispresented ingenuity of TWINE. I grant that there was much corniness to behold, such as this year's gimmick for the Bond car, but for His sake people, it's a Bond movie! If you all can accept Bond having sex in fifty feet of water in Octopussy (which I should point out is physically impossible since you cannot remain buoyant if you don't breathe, and your lungs, brain, and eardrums would either bleed or explode depending on which way you were headed) then you should be able to accept Bond simulating a cardiac arrest, which is at least possible.

All in all, this was an enjoyable entertaining movie, which is all it was meant to be. If someone wants to see a deep, intelligent spy story, they should read Susan Isaac's "Shining Through", though the Michael Douglas movie was only so-so. Oh, and if you like Bond in general, you should see "North by Northwest".

What sets this film apart from others in the fighting-game-turned-anime genre us that the plot and character setup are especially important to the actual portrayal of the character. Don't expect to be able to jump into this film and like it, because you won't. If, however, you choose to watch it from the beginning and actually empathize with the characters, you will most likely enjoy yourself.

Street Fighter Alpha (the videogame) was the turning point of the street fighter universe because Ryu ceased to be the wandering, invincible (and emotionless) street fighter who is thrown into the plot by accident, and became the central character of the story, in a far more convincing fashion than Guile and Chun Li ever really managed in Street Fighter II. This movie is the expression of that story in film.

The fighting scenes are spectacular and the story well-paced, but in the end, if you're looking for the kind of popcorn-action flick that guys watch during frat parties, the original Street Fighter Animated Movie is much more your cup of tea (or beer). If, however, you're looking for a sensitive film which deals with the personal side of each of the characters involved, Alpha is much better.

This series will amuse both newbies and hardcore fans immensely. It has the solidarity of the characters, combined with excellent animation, voice-acting, and plot to make it one of the best entrances into anime for the uninitiated. It's real treat however, is for the anime veterans, who will see throughout the entire series, parody after parody of series after series of longtime favorites and classics. This show is shameless in parody, filled with comdey and drama, and everyone will love it.

Given the rest of the comments on this site, I will refrain from waxing loquacious, and simply say that I enjoyed this film immensely for its suspense, its wonderful cast, and the way that it completely captured me until the very last second. Unfortunately I will never see this film again by myself, because that one question, "Who is Kaiser Soze(sp?)?" sets the suspense level for the entire movie, and knowing the answer, it is not possible to watch it again and enjoy it as much, except in the company of people who haven't seen it, during which you are watching THEIR reactions to the film rather than the film itself.

Despite the name of the movie, I understood the moment I saw that Jet Li would be in it for his fighting skills that this movie would not be string on plot. Face it, he's a decent actor, but the only movies in which he starred which had good, developed plots, were never released in the USA. I was right. While the background premise is good, there was far too much focus on the African-American gang compared to the very little focus on the Asian gang. As a result, some aspects of the plot seemed quite forced and somewhat unconvincing.

Aside from the plot, I enjoyed this film enormously. Both Jet Li and Aaliyah give it their best, and while there is no real conception of romance, there is a lot of small, warm, pervading impressions of friendship which I found to be quite charming. Anthony Anderson was hilarious and while Russel Wong could have benefited from much more screentime, he played his part with great style.

I don't think that I need to say much about the fight scenes. In two words, incredibly choreographed. Yes, it's true, Jet Li does defy a few natural laws of physics, namely momentum and gravity, but at that point you should already be sucked into the film and will forgive anything in the name of martial arts. If you won't, then you've already decided that you despise the film and there's no point in talking about it.

To sum everything up, this movie is meant to be entirely non-serious. It is only a movie, after all. If you go to this film expecting to see a passionate and developed love story, then you will be sadly disappointed. If, on the other hand, you go, leave your dignity and sophisticated movie-critic alternate personality on the doorstep, and walk in solely to be entertained, you will walk out more than satisfied and in immensely good humor. (8/10)

Miyazaki has had a long history of amazingly deep and thought-provoking movies with, nonetheless, very simple themes. "Tonari no Totoro" and "Kiki's Delivery Service" are prime examples. His characters are often tastefully understated and normal human beings, in terms of their character. Unlike the typical US-ported anime movie, Miyazaki's films contain none of the stereotypes of anime, such as the big-breasted, small-brained woman, the enormous weapons, and the bad guys who are always Americans. Instead, his films are dignified by the relentless observation to the rich detail of the animation and fullness of the soundtrack. "Mononoke Hime" is no exception. Or rather, it is the exception in that it surpasses entirely all of Miyazaki's movies to become his finest. The animation, the music, and the voice-acting were all masterfully done. Even the American-dubbed version was very well adapted. The plot was convoluted in content but simple in nature, which successfully emphasized the individuality of each of the major characters. This is the movie to see, however you see it. I've always judged a movie by whether I could forget I was watching a movie and let myself fall into the story. With Mononoke Hime, I fell in by the end of the first five minutes.