obsidian-8

After Samurai Fiction this is another attempt at pushing a classical Japanese movie genre in the new century. Even the bad guy from the before mentioned movie has a cameo with what seemed to be the same character. Without getting in the story too deep, it's quite complex and with my limited understanding of Japanese I couldn't catch every twist of it. But it was great fun all the same. It delivers fast editing, new style martial arts and a sound track of electronic and guitars that fits very well the fast paced action-sequences. I hope to see a subtitled version someday so I'd understand a little more of what's going on and why, but I strongly recommend it, if only for the looks of it.

Although the epic measures of his previous work can't be matched (and maybe he wants it that way), Miyazaki's new Sen is an equal beautiful movie to look at. It's a kind of "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" story that can only be executed in Japanese animation. The character design is wonderful as ever and now that it's not of that grim undertone that Mononoke had, it's full of strange characters doing funny things (or vice-versa). And some of them are cute as might be. Furthermore all the while (2 hours and 20 minutes) there's no singing or disturbingly silly behaviour on any part. So let's hope to see this movie in an adequate way in the west as well for it's not your usual for-the-kids-summer-animated-feature. But, then again, no one would have expected this, right?

Now, this is a party movie at its best. You get Yakuza zombies and all sorts of asian movie fighting (gunplay, swordsplay and hand to hand combat) all presented in a very stylish way. Add the best posing since Pulp Fiction and nice fitting music and your time will not be wasted. If you're not afraid to see some blood that is.

3 boys spend their summer holidays observing an old man in their neighborhood to be the first to see him dead. After some time they develop a relationship to him and try to help. The title giving "summer garden" represents the old man's character ranging from the harsh beginning to the nice end. If you liked Shunji Iwai's "Fireworks" this is a movie for you. It has even some lynch-esque moments.

This is really an intense masterpiece. Not only its length of more than 2 1/2 hours, but the carefully developed characters and the twisting story qualify it for a top rank in movie-history. The story itself takes place in the outskirts of Tokyo where a lot of non-japanese people live, looking for the fast Buck (or Yen), for returning home rich. To tell more of the story would be unfair, but be assured it consists of violence, romance, hope and (best of all) the Japanese singer Chara performing "My Way". This is the kind of movie leaving you more than once with a big smile in your face and tears in your eyes, just because this moment is so...I don't know...joyful. Watch it!

This is a really great movie. The first few minutes are one long shot without any cut...and it tells a story covering several days! But not only the style is worth looking as the character development reaches an intensity only to be seen in Asian movies (this is my totally subjective point of view). The story itself deals with a young girl getting adopted by a family that holds her like a slave and then being "freed" by a young man working for this family´s company. 10 years later she gets involved in the murder of one of her step-sisters. This movie will please all the fans of films like "Swallowtail Butterfly" or even "Hana-Bi".