Instant Swamp is a colorful light-hearted film about a woman trying to see-to believe in the magic of life. But director Satoshi Miki makes his point within the first minutes, and has to fill the rest of the film with funny situations, weird but deeply human characters…
It’s kind of frustrating as it never tries to go beyond, or develop, the starting point. It prefers repeating over and over the same fact about life, and showing fun-absurd-kawaii ideas to make you smile, if you’re not already sleeping – 3,5/10
Hong Kong director Dante Lam reuniting the cast from The Beast Stalker! But based on this trailer, The Stool Pigeon looks more like a psychological drama with some violent action scenes than a pure urban hard-boiled thriller. Anyway, the official synopsis;
Policeman Don Lee often works with informants but numerous too-close calls and failed missions cause him to see the world as one betrayal after another – then he meets Guy, and is given a new chance to change his views.
Via EMP, TFC
Few interesting things to notice in this film: Read more…
21st March 2010
Category:Videos
Almost ten years after Kobayashi’s Human Condition, director Satsuo Yamamoto (Zatoichi 16, Ivory Tower) directed an epic war trilogy called Men and War. Three films set during the Second Sino-Japanese War, and starring some well known actors like Rentaro Mikuni and Yujiro Ishihara. Any feedbacks? Japanese dvds are available since 2005 (no subs).
Thanks Mnauce!
Jackie Chan as the funny and good-hearted soldier, who captured a general, and hopes to be rewarded. Little Big Soldier is a friendship story between these 2 completely different men, set during the Warring States period in China.
Don’t be fooled, this is more of a road-movie than an epic warrior tale. The main point of the film is to reveal the cruelty of war. It’s quite naive, not so subtle, with Jackie Chan doing funny stuff in front of a bored and captive high-ranked man. Adding to that some strangely edited fight scenes and an uninteresting subplot involving a conspiracy (bad guys inside). Disappointing, but somehow entertaining – 5/10
If you’re wondering what happened to Japanese cinema between the years 1895 and 1925, the book “Visions of Japanese Modernity: Articulations of Cinema, Nation, and Spectatorship” – coming out on May 1st, 2010 – should give you some answers;
Japan has done marvelous things with cinema, giving the world the likes of Kurosawa, Mizoguchi, and Ozu. But cinema did not arrive in Japan fully formed at the end of the nineteenth century, nor was it simply adopted into an ages-old culture. Aaron Gerow explores the processes by which film was defined, transformed, and adapted during its first three decades in Japan. He focuses in particular on how one trend in criticism, the Pure Film Movement, changed not only the way films were made, but also how they were conceived. Looking closely at the work of critics, theorists, intellectuals, benshi artists, educators, police, and censors, Gerow finds that this trend established a way of thinking about cinema that would reign in Japan for much of the twentieth century
You can pre-order it at Amazon; more details available on the publisher’s website.
