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Elsewhere on the Web
Colorful (2005)
I’ve got to say when I say when I saw this title in Madman’s Christmas release catalog, my eyes rolled into the back of my head. Japan’s obsession with panties has been so well documented as to render it banal. And it’s not as if it is a cultural phenomenon that stands up to extended analysis. At the end of the day, it’s the adolescent male snigger that comes from discovering a woman in a short skirt has inadvertently failed … (read more)
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Sopyonje (1993)
When a film is described as a genuine Classic of Korean cinema, there’s a certain wariness about writing a review without being caught up and overwhelmed by the accolades heaped upon it previously.
It’s fortunate then that I didn’t come across those comments until after seeing the film, so my expectations were along the lines of the usual Korean drama with the standard allotment of pathos and melodrama. Opening the review with the adjective of classic, it would … (read more)
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11.9.01 SEPTEMBER 11 (2002)
Too often, we see ‘art’ (in the very loosest sense of the word) in the service of the state: film as propaganda has been with us as long as moviemaking. The likes of Black Hawk Down pitch the idealistic self-image of the world’s only hyperpower as truth, pretending to chronicle real events in a credible way. And even if we don’t all recognise propaganda when we see it, we know that it exists.
Art (in a stricter sense) in the … (read more)
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Blissfully Yours (2002)
Is there a better way to spend your afternoon than sitting around watching other people spend their afternoon?
I think not!
Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s Blissfully Yours is one of the most thought provoking, enchanting and poignant films made recently. However, you should avoid this film if you: A) lack patience, and B) lack patience. Don’t say I haven’t warned you!
Weerasethakul demonstrates his aptness to integrate his skills as an experimental artist into feature film, something that he and his Thai … (read more)
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Godzilla: Final Wars (2004)
Many scale models of many cities died to make this film.
This grand finale of the long-running Godzilla series is directed by Kitamura (Azumi, Aragami, Versus). So you know not to expect a stuffy, self-important film like the recent Hollywood remake, which took itself far too seriously. No, Kitamura is a man with a robust sense of humour, and he’s made a movie that pokes fun at every cliche of every science fiction and monster movie … (read more)
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Jin-Roh (1998)
When I first saw Jin-Roh two years ago at the original Anime festival in Sydney, the producer (I think) introduced the film. In this introduction he mentioned how, when they were making this film, there was a difference of opinion in the overall vision of the film between three key creative members. I believe one wanted a retelling of Red Riding Hood, another wanted something similar with a romantic plot involving the Wolf and Miss Red, and the last one … (read more)
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Pink Ribbon (2004)
There’s no better way to start this review than with a quote from Ben, who, on leaving the cinema, said “It’s unusual to see so many walk-outs from a movie with tits in”. Sadly, that sums up this effort. I found it hard to credit that anyone could possibly be boring, with this subject, but the film-makers managed it.
Any documentary can be made interesting: even if the subject is train-spotting, there are ways of structuring a doco so as … (read more)
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Ramblers (2003)
This film is exceptionally well-named: the characters ramble around the countryside, while their conversation rambles all over the place. It’s a gentle, quirky, surprisingly appealing movie, made on a shoestring budget. No, more like made on an aglet budget (aglets being those things at the end of shoelaces that stop them unravelling). I’m not sure that the actors were actually paid, to be honest, and at least one of them has done “I’ll work on yours if you work on … (read more)
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