Movies

[caraig]

So while I've just gotten up, and getting my brain together, thought I would pass on a couple of capsule reviews. Both of these are from the DVD import kiosk, whee!

First, Azumi appears to be a live-action version of a period manga. Set in the time of the early Nobunaga shogunate, it follows the path of a group of young assassins (not really ninja/kunoichi, they're kind of direct in the way they deal with their targets... and the 100+ soldiers usually surrounding said targets.) The costuming seems pretty well-done but it has a kind of grim undertone to it. What is the extent that one is willing and permitted to go to in order to achieve an objective? I'm still watching this one.

Secondly, Immortal is not a Japanese or Chinese movie at all, but rather is all English dialogue. I believe it's French or Eastern European. It's based upon a graphic novel called The Nikopal Trilogy. It's hard to say just what the story is, since it involves seedy politics, eugenics and genetics, hypertechnology, and Egyptian gods. It's a gorgeous film, quite evocative and visually stunning. What's interesting is that there appears to be only five live human actors; the rest are all CGI (and obviously so.) It's like someone took the world of Blade Runner and made it even more monochromatic and gritty. The quality of the CGI is a cut above, say, Roughnecks, but it's not on the level of Final Fantasy. Overall it's quite fascinating and I'm enjoying watching it. yotogi, it reminds me a lot of the society of the Autocthonians, actually. Only not quite as stringently regimented.

Not much else going on. Pax.

Comments

[yotogi.livejournal.com]

Check out Casshern too, if you get a chance. :)

[graybunny.livejournal.com]

Casshern is beautiful. It's easy to get lost in the plot, but it's beautiful.

[yotogi.livejournal.com]

That's because the translation is kind of odd... and so is the plot. But for a CGI-heavy remake of a really, really silly 1970s anime, it was one hell of a show.

[graybunny.livejournal.com]

It probably doesn't help that my copy is from Hong Kong and the English is a bit iffy. :)

[yotogi.livejournal.com]

Watching the trailer really threw me.

Ningen o... shi o suru!!

My thought: Okay, that's definitely the bad guy, but why's he look like he's been dipped in flour?

[ruggels.livejournal.com]

I would have to disagree about Casshern.

it's a bit too "Operatic". Visually it's unique and mostly well done. But like most anime from the b\past 3 - 4 years it ends really badly.

It also sufferes from a style homage to the Osamu Tezuka wannabe styles of the early 70's television anime, here and there.

Visually it's best usewoud be to project the movie on a wall inside a dance club to accompany the DJ< but plot wise, it's an over wrought mess.

Scott

[graybunny.livejournal.com]

The original title was Immortel Ad Vitam. The director, Enki Bilal, is eastern European. The official film website is in French so I'm guessing it was made in France. I've never seen it but it's on my list that I'd like to get ahold of sometime.

I wish there were a way to edit comments. :P