jcunanan
Lifetime Total
1+
IMDb Member
23 years
Reviews
Bridge to the Sun (1961)
Excellent!
I just saw this at the SF Asian American Film Festival. Apparently, there is only one print in existence and no VHS or DVD releases. I hope that you are as lucky as I was and get an opportunity to see it.
The lead, Shigeta, was at the screening and spoke a few words to the audience and answered some questions. He got a standing ovation. I was glad that he is still sharp and articulate.
The good:
1) James Shigeta is outstanding. He's handsome and skilled. He plays Terasaki with passion and sophistication.
2) It's a view of WW2 from the Japanese side, which is all too rare.
3)It's based on a true story, which makes the film resonate even more.
4) The dialogue is wonderful. The opening scene is written and acted with a lot of wit which had the audience laughing.
5) It was produced in 1961. Unlike many Hollywood films of the time, Asians have a reasonably accurate portrayal and not just crude caricature (e.g. "Breakfast at Tiffany's").
The bad:
1) The film is set in the 1930s and 40s but the costuming and furnishings are straight out of 1960. I'm a bit of a vintage clothing geek so this was jarring.
The lead, Shigeta, was at the screening and spoke a few words to the audience and answered some questions. He got a standing ovation. I was glad that he is still sharp and articulate.
The good:
1) James Shigeta is outstanding. He's handsome and skilled. He plays Terasaki with passion and sophistication.
2) It's a view of WW2 from the Japanese side, which is all too rare.
3)It's based on a true story, which makes the film resonate even more.
4) The dialogue is wonderful. The opening scene is written and acted with a lot of wit which had the audience laughing.
5) It was produced in 1961. Unlike many Hollywood films of the time, Asians have a reasonably accurate portrayal and not just crude caricature (e.g. "Breakfast at Tiffany's").
The bad:
1) The film is set in the 1930s and 40s but the costuming and furnishings are straight out of 1960. I'm a bit of a vintage clothing geek so this was jarring.
Swing (2003)
too bad
I wanted to like this movie. Heck, many of my friends and I performed as background dancers for it. Some of the scenes were shot in our favorite club, Broadway Studios of San Francisco.
The cast was pretty good. Jonathan Winters was hilarious in his supporting role. Sadly, the script was pretty bad. It's basically an ABC After School Special retelling of the Saturday Night Fever story, which doesn't really work. Saturday Night Fever worked as a story because its conflicts felt authentic and had an edge. Swing's conflicts lack the urgency and edge to involve the viewer.
Another puzzling feature of the film is that the main character is entranced by swing dancing and music. However, his own band doesn't play swing and he exhibits no interest in playing any kind of jazz. They play a lot of folk rock.
The only people that have rendered good opinions on this film have a vested interest in it. All of my friends who attended the cast/crew screening were disappointed.
The cast was pretty good. Jonathan Winters was hilarious in his supporting role. Sadly, the script was pretty bad. It's basically an ABC After School Special retelling of the Saturday Night Fever story, which doesn't really work. Saturday Night Fever worked as a story because its conflicts felt authentic and had an edge. Swing's conflicts lack the urgency and edge to involve the viewer.
Another puzzling feature of the film is that the main character is entranced by swing dancing and music. However, his own band doesn't play swing and he exhibits no interest in playing any kind of jazz. They play a lot of folk rock.
The only people that have rendered good opinions on this film have a vested interest in it. All of my friends who attended the cast/crew screening were disappointed.
Enemy at the Gates (2001)
Read the book "War of the Rats"
David L. Robbins wrote an account of the sniper duel which took place during the Battle of Stalingrad. It is a gripping tale. The book diverges factually from the film Enemy at the Gates. For example, in the book, Zaitsev starts his military career as a naval clerk pressed into infantry service. Also, the book's German sniper is SS Colonel Thorvald, rather than Wehrmacht Major Konig. The book also presents much of the fieldcraft used by the snipers on both sides. Crucially, the book's plot is much more credible than the film's.
The film is beautifully photographed and the actors are skilled but the story is not nearly as good as the book's.
Some of the other reviewers mention the film "Stalingrad", the Wehrmacht's view of the battle. That is an excellent film and I highly recommend it. It's the German infantryman's "Das Boot".
The film is beautifully photographed and the actors are skilled but the story is not nearly as good as the book's.
Some of the other reviewers mention the film "Stalingrad", the Wehrmacht's view of the battle. That is an excellent film and I highly recommend it. It's the German infantryman's "Das Boot".