Heaven's Heroes - Seven Swordsmen part 1

I'm three discs into viewing this massive 8 dvd set of a Chinese television series that derived from Seven Swords, a muddled Tsui Hark directed epic that was released a a couple of years ago. Both are adaptations of a novel written by Liang Yusheng, called Qi Jian Xia Tian Shan. I have not read the book. Based on the little info I can find from other sites, this is a dense novel with lots of characters, relationships, plot twists, etc. that watching the tv series I can see why Seven Swords failed to impress me. It tried to be too faithful to the book, keeping so many details, characters, and subplots that it lost any coherence in the end. The Seven Swordsmen is a lot more entertaining, so far. The first few episodes are exciting, as the new Manchurian government, having gained control of China, is trying to establish their power in the Central Plains, an area of desert and mountains. In doing so an edict was passed outlawing anyone practicing or dealing with the martial arts. This gave the soldiers an excuse to terrorize the countryside, and many were executed. One group has managed to survive, holding two precious items: the children, one of whom is supposedly the rightful heir to the empire, and seeds, representing their hard work, monetary value, and their future hope. Yufang is the daughter of the tribal leader, who is a teacher to the children and is responsible for their and the seeds' safety. Her fiancee, Zhibang, and their best friend, Yuanyin, are two of the tribe who are standouts in their courage and deeds. In an initial encounter with the Manchurian troops, a mysterious man rescues one of the chidren, who somehow wandered out of the village. He is basically the Chinese Gandalf. He helps the Martial tribe and leads Zhibang and Yuanyin to Mount Heaven, to hopefully get the aid of the legendary martial arts masters who live there. They enlist the aid of four men, and are all given magical swords (each with unique abilities) to help them in their cause. They help the Martial tribe escape, first into the mountains, to a secret cave, which they later flee. Subplots abound. The main relationship so far is Zhibang and Yufang, and it isn't going so well. Zhibang is nuts about Yufang. Yufang has only known Zhibang since childhood, and wants to encounter other people (read: men), to enrich her life. The whole marriage is on hiatus unless Yufang comes around. In the course of the following episodes, she has a crush on one of the other swordsmen (who doesn't return her love), and is forced to marry another swordsman so they and the children can cross a checkpoint to safety! As of episode 14 she is an unhappy gal. Zhibang, if he wasn't busy saving her skin, engaged in combat, or helping other people, should be chasing after someone else, 'cause frankly, Yufang ain't worth the wait! Another subplot that wasted a few episodes was one of the swordsman's relationship with a prostitute named Green Pearl, who meet by chance in several places. Both of them finally end up in the clutches of one of the generals. Pointless repetition of her entering and leaving the general's quarters, giving her hero some water while he is chained up and negotiating with the general for her freedom. All the while arguing about true love and decency, whether it exists in this world, and how she doesn't have the capability to love. But she falls for the swordsman, and helps him escape. They dash off together, but she decides to kill herself. What? there is another subplot involving another swordsman, and his meeting a roving band of warriors who are led by a swordswoman clad in red. She's nasty with the whip, and is mean to all men. Of course, they are destined to fall in love. Yeech......

Soap opera? Hell yes, which is why this series has been annoying and somewhat addictive to watch. There are good fight scenes, and decent moments of drama and suspense, but overdone at times. I can't stand the slow motion to emphasize drama, nor the quick pan to show off some stylistic camera work. It doesn't work. The acting is fine for what it is. The story is interesting when they don't stray from the main theme, but wallows a lot when it does go into subplot mode. I'll add updates as I watch more -- I only have 25 more episodes to go through.

Godzilla 2 dvd edition

FINALLY! It's hard to believe that the original version of Godzilla (called Gojira), has not been issued in the United States until now. 52 years have passed. After watching it, I can see why, although it was part exploitation and shrewd marketing by a couple of American producers who watered it down to make it more palatable and entertaining to US audiences. But this should not be seen as a monster movie. Rather, a disaster film that tread carefully upon the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki 9 years before. Japan was still under US occupation, and still rebuilding, but the scars were there. Ishiro Honda, the director, was an assistant to Akira Kurosawa, and a lot of his style appears in the non monster sequences, especially the relationship between Emiko and Ogata, and Emiko and her childhood friend, now scientist, Dr. Serizawa. Think of Scandal, or earlier Kurosawa melodramas from the mid to late 40's. In fact, Emiko's father is played by one of Kurosawa's main actors from the 50's, Takashi Shimura, who plays a scientist as well. Ships are mysteriously sinking in the Pacific, with lots of casualties, and a research ship is sent to investigate, near one of the islands. They set up camp, and not too long after Godzilla appears (with a laughable rubber face), scares everyone, then vanishes into the sea. Back in Tokyo, a huge conference shows their findings, and Emiko's father wishes to find this creature to study it, because he theorizes that it was awakened by the atomic tests held in the area, and that it emits the same kind of radiation as an a bomb. But no, Godzilla is considered a threat, and an anti-Godzilla task force is made. The public is made aware, and the area cleared of people. The monster comes out of the ocean and is attacked. It then proceeds to go onto land and destroy half of Tokyo, in what is still a harrowing view of devestation, the despair of the people and their deaths. Meanwhile, Dr. Serizawa shows Emiko his great invention, the Oxygen Destroyer, a device that deprives oxygen in water, truning fish to bones, then to nothing. Emiko is of course, horrified. Dr. Serizawa was a victim of WWII, losing his eye. It still doesn't completely explain why he wanted to make this device, although it could be similar to Nobel when he made dynamite. He wanted to make this device a secret, but after seeing the devestation on tv of Tokyo, he knows that he must use it against the monster. Along with Ogata, the two men go deep sea diving to Godzilla's sleeping lair. Serizawa activates the device after Ogata leaves, who thought they were leaving together. Sacrificing himself, he destroys the monster. Salute! The filmmaking is very good, and the special effects a miracle considering the budget and materials. The glowing spine as Godzilla breathes fire is a nice touch. Some characters are not very well developed, like Shimura's role, and Dr. Serizawa, who functions only to explain what might be going on, and to end the film. Emiko and Ogata are the human focalpoint, and they are handled well. I'm glad to see this without Raymond Burr, but there is a bonus disc with the Americanized version. I'm only disappointed in the quality of the film, which is still beat up in spots, with lots of scratches, but since this came from the Toho archives, I can only assume this is the best cut. The subtitles could have used a better font; the words are smashed together. The sound is in mono and is loud and clear. Comes with a 16 page booklet, that for some reason does not list the actors and people who worked on the film. A classic made 1000 times better by stripping away the crud. This came out the same year as Seven Samurai, also by Toho -- a banner year for them, and great for us, since both dvds have come out around the same time. Recommended!

THE Masterpiece - Kurosawa's Seven Samurai

Seven Samurai is considered one of the great movies of all time. As an action film, it was widely imitated -- in the US, remade into The Magnificent Seven -- ironic because Akira Kurosawa, the director, was himself influenced by westerns, especially those directed by John Ford. There are no great open landscapes, no Grand Canyon to marvel at in the background. This is a farmer's village at the bottom of a valley, placed between the mountains and the forest. The villagers are victims of roving bandits who terrorize the countryside as they seek food, drink, and women, while battling similar groups. It's 1587, a chaotic time in Japan. The farmers are mad as hell, and aren't going to take it any more, and several go into town to seek samurai willing to take up their cause. Not an easy thing, since even though times are tough, it is still a class issue, and no self righteous samurai is going to stoop so low as to risk his life for farmers. However, they luck out when they meet Kambei, a masterless samurai, or ronin, who is shown to be a soldier of heart and great intellect, as he is first seen rescuing a hostage child from a madman. He in turn recruits some others, until there are 7, the most that the villagers can afford, as they can only pay in food and shelter. Mifune plays Kikuchiyo, his famous role, an ex farmer turned rogue who fights for their cause. All of this takes place in the first hour, and for the next 2 1/2 hours we see Kambei and his men win the confidence of the villagers, prepares them for the inevitable battle which comes into the third hour of the film, and a great cinematic battle it is! Yes, this is a 3 1/2 hour film, but it never loses momentum. Kurosawa keeps everything tight, so even when there are side events going on -- one being Katsushiro, the young man of the samurai, who has an affair with one of the village women, Shino, a daughter of a man who lost his wife to the bandits in an earlier encounter. They symbolize both sides, as well as how unlikely it is for them to ever mix, even though they are fighting the same battle. For the farmers it is for their survival, for the samurai, it is for the nobility and honor of defending the downtrodden. One brief sequence I don't see mentioned at all is Shino's father, going with a couple of the samurai on a scouting mission, find the bandits in a farmhouse in the mountain. There was a night of orgy, and everyone is asleep. The samurai decide to burn the place down, and as they are setting it, they see through the window a woman, awake, in total disgrace. She turns out to be Shino's mother, and amid the burning flames, runs into her husband, who is shocked and relieved to find her alive. Ashamed of being at the mercy to the bandits, she kills herself by running back into the far, burned alive. What is interesting about this sequence is that her look of utter despair is repeated in a much later Kurosawa film, Ran, where the Emperor, played by Tetsuya Nadakai, is in his burning castle, awaiting his doom as his sons' armies converge to kill him and his men. In Seven Samurai, the scene is brief but powerful. In Ran, it is played out not only for dramatic effect but to show the utter chaos of that world. There is no sense of despair here. Just a countdown of the bodies of the enemy as they are foiled in every attempt to enter the village. Criterion has just released a 3 dvd version, and you might as well sell your old copies because this is the definitive edition. The print looks fantastic, much better than before; everything looks sharp and clean, the blacks and whites are defined, not muddied like you would see from a later generation source. The subtitles are completely redone, to better reflect the dialogue, the crudeness of Mifune's talk, for example. Sounds great as well, solid mono, with everything clear and up front. The movie is spread out over two discs, so to maintian the high digital quality, with commentaries, documentaries, and a two hour interview between Kurosawa and Nagisa Oshima, another well known director and writer. Thick booklet with essays that generally praise the heck out of this movie; a little too self serving, in my opinion. So what are you waiting for, BUY this movie! An all time classic.

Rousing Saturday Morning Adventure - Golden Peacock Castle

Golden Peacock Castle is a four part movie that runs like a Saturday morning serial: the castle, set in the southern Japanese islands, was a place of tranquility until the warring armies of the mainland, in their zeal for total control over Japan, invaded and destroyed the palace and the citizens were scattered. Twenty years later, the three children of the castle's royal family appear, in various states of life: one is adopted by the samurai who destroyed the castle, one by a wizard, and another by a loyal Peacock bodyguard. The series follows their adventures, and for its time (1960), it was exciting popular entertainment. Lots of sword fights, overenthusiastic orchestrations, cool demons (including a terifficly evil she-demon that could have come out of Kurosawa's Ran), thrilling escapes, and more! Each film builds on the previous, in story and tone, so you don't get any repeated explaining. Part 4 has a great dragon battle scene which must have been great for the viewers of that time -- however, the Godzilla films must have already topped that in terms of special effects. Lots of pixie dust and explosions and colorful light for special effects. How far we have come...... Entertaining and well worth picking up the entire series.

Italian Neo Realism - The Railroad Man

Director Pierto Germi is not as well known as an associate of his, Federico Fellini, but he did make some fine films in the 50's and 60's, notably Divorce, Italian Style, Seduced and Abandoned, and this one, The Railroad Man. It is a story of Andrea Marcocci (played by the director who is also a fine actor), a railroad man who is head of a dysfunctional family. He avoids going directly home after a couple day's work driving the train. His eldest son is a no good, living at home unemplyed slacker who gambles. His daughter is knocked up by a man who works at a store, gives birth to a stillborn, and has to suffer a loveless marriage to him. The youngest son is still a child, who is having lousy grades in school. Marcocci is involved in a train accident; a man decides to throw himself in front of the train. He takes up drinking. The elder children are kicked out of the house, and the railroad workers have a strike, which he has to break because he needs the money. His daughter has an affair. He loses his friends and his job, due to drinking. In the end though, they all eventually come back to gether one final time during the Christmas holidays, in reconciliation. Melodramatic? Yes, but it is well told and the acting is superb. You get the sense to of life in an Italian city in post war Italy; there are still large swaths of empty and cleared fields where the children play, and huge urban housing projects are being built. The family is symbolic of the problems that people faced in the 50's, and for this Pietro Germi was criticized. The story is dramatic without being syrupy. Good photography; I liked the opening sequences with the young boy running to the station, cut with shots of the arriving train. NoShame is a company that specializes in Italian movies; their reissues have been excellent in picture and sound quality, with copious notes. After a busy couple of years, they seem to have slowed down a lot in reissuing dvds. Hopefully there will be more to come. The Railroad Man is well worth watching.

APT - High rise horror

This is another in a long line of long black haired, evil women who seek for vengeance horror flicks. The Ring and the Grudge were successful because they blended elements of old ghost stories into a contemporary setting; with few exceptions, everything else that has been influenced by them are cheap, weakly directed imitations. APT at least tries to borrow from different sources -- Rear Window, Misery, and One Missed Call, but fails to use them effectively. A designer who lives alone in her high rise apartment encounters a woman in red in a subway, who commits suicide and tries to take the designer with her. Meanwhile, people in her high rise complex are mysteriously dying, at the same time each night, after the lights mysteriously turn off. A woman who looks similar to the woman in the subway lives across from the designer, who can't walk. Her parents had died in a freak car accident, and she lives alone, but is being taken care of by all the neighbors. They become friends, but unbeknownst to the designer, her friend is being abused by all those who are claiming to help her, an outlet for their own desires. And there is a crazy guy living in the building as well. What's the connection? You'll be disappointed when you find out. It should have been a more interesting movie, but it isn't. Tired cliché suspense build ups, weak main characters and plot twists sink this film. Pass this one by.

Bewitching Attraction - a dark, star-crossed comedy

This is categorized as a romance, but there is none of the usual elements that crop up in Korean romances. For one thing, the man and the woman in the film do not get together and have a life changing blissful experience. Eun Sook, in a fine performance by Moon So-Ri, is a professor in an arts college who has affairs with many of the male staff. She is also an enviromentalist who, in the beginning of the film, has a torried one nighter with a reporter. Her relations with men are seen as flowing from one to another, scene after scene being paired with the men in her professional and personal life, from dinners, to work, to clandestine meetings. She uses the men not just for sexual pleasure (a few on camera, and others implied through dialogue). It's for the companionship, as well as hiding from herself her own ghosts. Suk Gyu, played by Ji-Jin Hee, plays a comic book artist who becomes a professor at the same school, and it is apparent that when he and Eun Sook meet, they avoid looking at each other, as if they dislike each other immediately, which surprises the coworkers -- he is handsome, and the men were fearful of another rival. In a flashback, as teenagers they had known each other, Eun Sook dating his brother. In a tragic incident, a third friend rivalling for her affections is killed after falling into an empty swimming pool, running from the two brothers to escape a beating. Since then they went in different directions, convinced that when their paths meets, innocent friends of theirs are hurt. Mr. Yoo, another professor, discovers this past and tries to make Suk Gyu acknowledge this, but he does not. Eun Sook has an on and off relationship with the reporter, who is married, and wants to run off to Japan with her. Suk Gyu and Eun Sook do get together, not romantically, but because of their past, and the death of Gyu's mother and Mr. Yoo convince them that they cannot be near each other. This is a muddled movie; the story is too dense and not many characters are fleshed out enough. The humor in this film is dry and subtle, expressed mostly in the men's rivalling for Eun Sook's affections, and her surfing on their waves of emotions. The conclusion is not that satisfying, especially given all the plot elements that are developed. The reason to see this film is because of Moon So-Ri. She sells her character as this beautiful yet flawed woman. Eun Sook has a limp (reasons for which are not known, since in the flashback she walks and runs normally) that drives the guys wild when she moves. Her face is polished, almost bronzed, with pale lipstick and dark eyeliner that makes her severe yet alluring. She doen't bend the men to her will so much as lets things happen as they may; her mere presence is enough of a persuasion for possibilities. Sook breathes a lot of life into her role and this film, but it isn't enough. Her other notable roles were in Oasis and A Good Lawyer's Wife, both outstanding films. I would check those out instead of seeing this one.