Blog Archives

Fear and Trembling (2003)

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Posted on November 25, 2005 by Alison

“In old Japan, the Emperor was to be approached with fear and trembling”. Thus the title of this French/Japanese film is justified. And if you don’t think while you’re watching, it’s reasonably watchable.

But once you engage the brain, you’ll find this film rather irritating, as I did. The lead character, Miss Amélie, is probably supposed to have a quirky charm, although she often just looks dishevelled and confused. The Japanese characters are all one-dimensional and uninspiring, and it’s hard … (read more)

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Unleashed (2005)

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Posted on August 25, 2005 by Justin

David and Margaret of The Movie Show didn’t really like Unleashed, giving it a good panning, although admitting that they liked the action sequences and some of the performances. This raised my hackles a little — I liked this film, though I can see why some would feel that it’s a little cliched and lacking in dramatic depth. Nonetheless, I really think it’s the best thing that Jet Li’s done in the Western cinema world and very like several … (read more)

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Samurai (2001)

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Posted on December 2, 2004 by Alison

Okay, well, it helps to know the genre of any film before you start watching, and this one falls into the category of “Japanese computer geek samurai and sci-fi thriller”. Oh. Like a lot of Japanese films, devilishly hard to pigeonhole, and therefore usually entertaining, because so much variety usually throws up something worth a look.

The best thing about this film is undoubtedly the actor playing the cop Fujiwara: veteran actor Yasuaki Kurata, perhaps last seen in Fist Of … (read more)

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