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Reviews
Koroshiya 1 (2001)
Gory, graphic, gruesome...great!
Koroshiya Ichi is DEFINITELY not for the faint of heart. Maybe not even for the strong-willed. However, it is for movie buffs.
Ichi can gross out very easily in some scenes, and like some of the best Japanese films, the concepts for these gross-outs are original and horrible. But the storyline easily makes up for all the horror, and anyone who can stomach the film will most likely find themselves laughing at some of the more outrageous gory scenes, in the tradition (but not, in my opinion, the stupidity) of Dead/Alive.
I recommend this film to anyone who has an interest in any of the following: Japanese film: Required. Gross-out/gory humor: Required. Mob films: Recommended
And generally, anyone who can sympathize with a character who finds life so mundane that he wishes to die in the most interesting way he can.
I make it a point to mention that no one is killed by gunfire, but a lot of people die. Just to heighten your interest.
8/10.
Fainaru fantajî sebun adobento chirudoren (2005)
Terrible music.
I couldn't stand the choice of music in the final sequence between Cloud and Sephiroth. I know it was from the game, but God, it nearly ruined everything for me.
Too bad it could never ruin this movie.
I was ecstatic when I found out this film was going to be released, and I was not disappointed. I was a fan of Spirits Within, but obviously it followed no particular plot line from the FF series. Nothing wrong with that, but I was waiting for the opportunity to see it, and, in a cinematic sense, at least, only VII, IX and X had the chance for that transfer to be successful. VII pulled it off gloriously.
Although the story was hard to follow at times (trust me, I'm not good at following stories anyway), I was dazzled at every detail the movie exemplified, and even more so at the plot never straying from the initial concept of Cloud's inner conflicts. I was amazed at how...real this CG fantasy was.
I have nothing more to say...enjoy the film.
Léon (1994)
Open-minded Review
I've been on a bit of a depressing binge recently, picking many movies I like and reading the most negative reviews I could find on them. I have to admit, I couldn't really accept why I liked this film so much, seeing as I enjoy great acting more than anything and the most lines in the film (give or take) were given to a twelve-year-old, who, like so many others her age, has trouble acting her age.
However, I finally saw what I enjoyed so much about this film and had to give myself a pat on the back. Portman's acting was due to her lines, not her demeanor. She had to act as an adult in this film, albeit it took the realistic credibility away from the character and somewhat from the film. Looking past that, I realized that the relationship between Leon and Mathilda, which so many of the negative reviews I read trashed, was based on the very real emotions of a man dedicating his life to death and loneliness and a girl with nothing and no one left to confide in except her savior--Leon himself.
I don't particularly believe in much of Freud's work, but the "every son is in love with his mother" argument seems to come into play here, especially considering this "mother" is so easy to idolize--cool identity, cool job, great ability (the U.S. version wasn't called "The Professional" for nothing)--not to mention her adult-like attitude towards life clashes so easily with her childish one-track mind...kill the killers, then become an assassin. What is unrealistic about that to a child; moreover, a child taken in by a hit-man? Unfortunately, the argument that this love between Leon and Mathilda is the downfall of the movie must end, seeing as Leon is killed and Mathilda returned to her normal life before anything can become of it.
I salute all of you who commented negatively on this...you gave me the ability to see what I love about this film and the content for a much more open-minded review.
Dark Water (2005)
Thanks for the bad ratings...
...they only made the movie that much better when I finally saw it. The acting was great--when was the last time I said that at ANY movie, let alone a horror remake?--and the premise was fascinating. I read a review stating that this movie wasn't a horror, but a psychological thriller. It helps to go into the movie thinking along those lines so that any scary scenes are made more unexpected. I loved this movie mainly because I had low expectations on all levels and it genuinely surprised me. The scares are Hitchcockesque and the plot is absolutely believable (given that you believe in ghost stories...but I meant the subplot involving her custody battles.) The greatest attribute was truly young Ceci's performance. I generally don't like child actresses (including Natalie Portman, though I loved Leon), but this little girl amazed me at...how much of a little girl she was. She wasn't playing up to act older, she was just a great actress. To wrap it up, if you haven't seen it, it totally sucks. Now go see it.