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Even as a 70-year-old man myself, I found myself drawn to this film of a protagonist who is female. The reason is because it somewhat reminds me of my own Mother who passed away a few years ago at the age of 97. And somewhat similar to the boy in this film, my own Father passed away when I was 6 years old. So I had to be raised by a single Mother the same as Yukiko in this film. But the big difference is that my Mother was a Registered Nurse.

In comparison, Yukiko is a bar hostess yet still retains her virtuousness. The most striking resemblance I see between Yukiko and my own Mother is her admirable self-restraint, that is, not getting angry in situations that would cause others to lose their temper. Even when I did things wrong, my Mother never yelled at me, and yet I still learned the difference between right and wrong. So that character trait of self-restraint is what I learned and adopted to this day.

Yukiko taking responsibility and never blaming anyone else is a trait we see in the Japanese race as a whole. That's why Japan has the lowest murder rate. Compare that with the high murder rate here in the United States. Notice that the Mass-type shootings here in the states are the result of people who blame others for their misfortune. So we can learn from Yukiko whose character trait of forbearance is actually a reflection of the Japanese ethnicity as a whole.

Admittedly it is with some bias that I rate this movie a 9--because Masakazu Tamura as well as Takao Kataoka are my two favorite actors to portray Nemuri. So that bias might have influenced my rating. Tamura is quite elderly, well into his 70s, maybe even 80s, so I was astonished to see him return in his signature role again. At least a token nod of the head is given to the background of including the priest who raised him during his childhood. In trying to give an honest review of this film I have to admit that Tamura's age affects his performance. Because in the dialogue-scenes his voice is quite raspy, which makes it difficult sometimes to understand and appreciate. But that can be remedied by a repeated viewing, which is what I did. The scene in the Buddhist temple is quite well done and enjoyable. That kind of setting is quite appropriate for the Nemuri character because for me the character has always been known for his stoicism and serenity. Somebody watching this film for the first time might think Tamura's performance as wooden but it's not that at all. Because the titular character was always meant to be shown as impassive, which fittingly reflects the stoicism and serenity of a master swordsman facing death at every turn.

Trashy ending. Even WORSE than the punchline to the episode "The Man Who Found The Money."

Besides being an itinerant salesman, Tora san also shows adeptness as a Palm-Reader. At those times he is shown promoting his Palmistry by prominently displaying a huge banner which depicts a diagram of the human palm with its designated lines.

Tora san's Palmistry is reflective of the acceptance with which Palm-reading is viewed by Japan and the Orient in general. Strolling down the Ginza nowadays, one can see an occasional Palm-Reader who has set up a table along the pedestrian walkways. Even more so in China where even their temples have a resident soothsayer. Not surprising when you consider that Palm-Reading is said to have originated in China.

What I remember from Tora san is that besides being a Salesman, he was also adept at Palm reading. To promote his Palmistry, he used to erect a big banner which showed a diagram of the human hand with the designated Palm lines.

If you take a stroll down the Ginza nowadays, you can see fortune tellers on the sidewalk plying their trade. Apparently Palmistry is more acceptable in the Orient as compared with the West. Another kind of divination is Omikuji which is done at the Shinto temples in Japan.

Along similar lines as Tora san's Palm reading is the movie "KARASUDO the Palm-reading Samurai" starring actor Shigeru Amachi. But in the movies, the first to read palms was Tora san.

It is perhaps contradictory to equate ingenuity with lunacy, yet this is exactly what happens to be the case in this movie. The only thing missing from this movie is Ed Gein's Human-Skin Lanterns. Although I appreciate Teruo Ishii's creativity in this film, I still prefer Mr. Ishii's Samurai film (BOHACHI) CLAN OF THE FORGOTTEN EIGHT because it so artfully combines Pink with Swordplay. So for those who enjoyed MALFORMED, I highly recommend Ishii's BOHACHI. What I'm trying to say is that if Ishii had included some of Bohachi's Sword-play in MALFORMED then I would have enjoyed it even more. Still admirable though-- as I said in the heading--disturbing but ingenious for its lunacy.

Ironically what motivated me to see the movie was because Roger Ebert gave it a thumbs Down. Seems that practically every time Ebert says thumbs-down, it actually turns out to be a great movie. Not great as in poignant but great as in entertaining.

I remember when he gave thumbs down for "Shogun Assassin," it turned out to be a great movie, exceptional. So I felt a hunch it would happen with Porky's too, so I went. My hunch was right.

Clever how the Invisible Man makes a blind lady appear sighted in order to trick the murderer into confessing. Normally,blindness is a handicap but here it is used to great advantage.

It would be an insult if compliments to Monique Gabrielle are limited to only her anatomical endowments. Because in actuality, she also exhibited competent acting in taking on the same tongue-in-cheek mood as did John Terlesky. If Terlesky had done just this one movie, it would have been enough as a big feather in his cap. Priceless is his facial smirk as he prances through a constant succession of absurdities. At times, his facial expression seems to indicate what he's thinking, "I cannot believe that I'm being actually paid to do all this." In response to the other posters who have recommended bringing a six-pack of Heinekens to accompany the video, I would politely skip the six pack. Because if I got plastered, my eye sight would become too blurry to make out Monique's endowments clearly enough. Got to have crystal-clarity to appreciate them.

In a sense, this could be seen as a tongue-in-cheek version of the Invisible Man. The previous version of the series was serious because of David McCallum. But then we have Ben Murphy in this new version, his character, a surfer dude. That characterization should be taken into account in addition to the wrist watch. Because in most of the episodes, the charm of the series comes from his lighthearted and even mischievious banter with his boss, Driscoll. Adding to the fun is the lady scientist Abigail who comes off as a character who's much more tolerant of Gemini's behavior.

Ironically, I did not like Bob Denver's TV series, Gilligan's Island, at all, but here as the Uncle for The Invisible Woman, I feel that the casting choice was quite appropriate for his role as Dudley Plunkett.

Alexa Hamilton was also fun, portraying as she did the protagonist who felt embarrassed and nonplussed at her bizarre situation.

Reluctant at first but then encouraged by her Uncle Dudley, she quickly accepts and even realizes the advantages of invisibility, especially with regard to her journalistic career.

The main appeal for myself here is the special effects. Especially impressive is the bathtub scene where we can see the soap suds eerily suspended around an invisible body. Quite realistic. Another favorite scene for me is the action of applying the makeup that restores her face to normal visibility as well as the scene in the car where she removes the makeup. Quite realistic to see her face disappear bit by bit.

As a very ardent player of Cribbage, I understandably found myself drawn to this episode, as soon as I saw the title "Pinochle." Not as fun as cribbage but similar form of recreational activity. So I can easily identify with those two ladies because my long-time cribbage partner had passed away, so I have the same problem that they had. Well, at least I have the advantage of playing cribbage on-line so it keeps my head above water--an advantage that those two ladies did not have. That's why when I watched the episode, my attention was fully on the pinochle rather than on Maynard. I don't mind at all if the two Elderly-ladies had kept me a prisoner. To me, it would have been Heaven! I wish I could meet such an Elderly-lady in Real life.

Having transferred from his Kabuki career to the Cinema, actor Utaemon at first retained some of the mannerisms of his Stage-performances. But then he adapted to film and made Saotome Mondo and his trademark Crescent Scar his most popular character. In most chanbara movies, the main character is a ronin who is dirt-poor such as Toshiro Mifune's Sanjuro or Ibuki Goro's Stray-dog Samurai. In comparison to those characters who always wore very drab outfits, we see Utaemon as a very rich Hatamoto, so he's always dressed in colorful kimonos. What a stark contrast to the other two classic characters! Dressed almost like a fop, but this fop is a manly one.

Also included is actor Okawa Hashizo. Also a former Kabuki performer, he adapted very quickly to film, because even in his early roles, his acting was quite natural. In some of his roles, he appears somewhat feminine but this is because it is a carryover from his Kabuki days when he took on female roles. On the other hand, the role in which he appears masculine is his titular role of Zenigata Heiji, a detective in feudal Japan. When he did the TV series version, Okawa won the Guinness Book of World Records for the longest running TV series in which the same actor played the same role for the entire series. Over 800 episodes with Okawa in every episode! Some can be even seen on YouTube. Back to the main actor Utaemon, his Swordfighting skills are not as polished as they would later become. Even though the movie overall is very entertaining, but if I want to see excellent Swordplay, I would prefer to watch the TV series that he did later on, which was a continuation of his crescent-scar movies.

While the Ichikawa Raizo version of Nemuri was known for his ruthlessness and womanizing, the Tamura version here is a "saint" by comparison. Because in this Tamura version, Nemuri even uses his own money to compassionately redeem a prostitute who suffers from terminal tuberculosis. Far from the ruthlessness of the Raizo version, here Nemuri seems so different in character that one wonders if the original author Shibata Renzaburo had anything to do with it.

Although in all fairness to the other version, even Raizo's Nemuri had him making an annual pilgrimage to his Mother's grave to pay his respects, his reverence. Here in Tamura's version, we see a poignant scene where Kyoshiro's Mother has expired, and the child (at that time) has to bury her by himself.

A surprise here is a different take at Nemuri's distinctive Sword technique, the Engetsu. It is confirmed here that he needs the actual Moonlight in order to make his technique work. So his enemy attacks on a moonless night. How Nemuri escapes that situation is up to you to see by watching the movie.

In this version of Nemuri Kyoshiro starring Kataoka, there is one episode where Kyoshiro mentions his relationship to his Sword, the Muso Masamune. What he says is quite brief, and his statement is open to multiple interpretations.

What he says is that his Sword is Female. The first impression I got is that it has to do with Shintoism in its animistic belief of different spirits or dieties inhabiting certain objects. Compared with the Raizo version in which Raizo showed Kyoshiro as a lecherous womanizer, the Kataoka version is entirely different in that he instead shows aloofness toward women. That is in addition to his concern for women, as opposed to the Raizo version of ruthlessness. Along the way from Raizo to the version with Tamura Masakazu, the Nemuri character underwent an evolution in which Kyoshiro went gradually from ruthless to remorseful to compassionate.

In one episode with Kataoka, Nemuri even blames himself for the death of a Woman even though it's not his fault at all. That is, when assassins from the Satsuma clan attacked him, the Woman was an innocent bystander who got killed Indirectly during the Swordfight. If it was the Raizo version, Nemuri would have cared not the slightest whit about the Woman's death. This seemingly drastic change in Nemuri's character seemed to have begun in the Tamura Masakazu version and reached its culmination with Kataoka Takao. Evidently, the Female-Spirit in his Sword which the Kataoka version mentions has much to do with his newly-found conscience.

What makes for actor Kataoka's charismatic appeal is that he masterfully conveys the serene impassiveness of a master swordsman totally unafraid to die, yet without looking wooden. If you really think about it, it's a tough balancing act to appear serenely impassive but without looking wooden. In a sense, this is what actor Leonard Nimoy successfully portrayed with his Spock character, that is, an alien who suppresses his emotions but without looking wooden. Actor Kataoka runs in somewhat the same vein, but also different because in this case the cold impassiveness of Kyoshiro is Not suppression of emotions but rather a Swordsman's total acceptance that he can die at any moment.

While I acknowledge the oft-used interpretation of Kafkaesque Existentialism for this film, I actually see Kobo Abe take a different spin, that of an explanatory effort at Buddhism.

The cinematic use of Sand is unmistakably Japanese Buddhism when we look at Japanese Zen Gardens where its gravel is raked in specific patterns. As part of their training, Buddhist monks use a rake to create specific patterns in the gravel as an aid to meditation and development of spirituality. Gazing at the ripple patterns for a protracted period of time can gradually give meaning to one's life. And this is what we see in the Dunes film.

Compared to the Japanese Zen Gardens, the movie has more of an impact because of the animated nature of the sand. In order to cope with the unrelenting stresses and vicissitudes of life, we are told in Zen Buddhism to "go with the flow." Although that usually refers to the flow of Water, it could just as easily be used as an analogy to Sand with its obvious flowing quality.

The Sand-woman with her acceptance and resignation at the inexorability of the Sand represents Buddhist stoicism and austerity and maybe even the extreme self-denial of asceticism. On the other hand, the man Junpei represents the Non-Buddhist with his aggressiveness. But the more he resists, the more frustration he suffers.

So the Sand represents not only the stressful vicissitudes of life that bedevil us but, to me, mostly represents human emotions, the aggressive-type emotions that can cripple us and even destroy us.

It's wrong when psychologists say that we should express our anger instead of bottling it up. After all, look at Road-Rage where a motorist gets ballistic, actually takes out a gun and shoots someone. Instead, let us be like the Sand-woman with her resignation and stoicism.

So contrary to what other reviewers have said on the Sand representing the pointlessness of life, I instead see the Sand as our lifelong struggle...with emotions. Life is never pointless to me. Instead it's our emotions that cause all the difficulties. Anger and frustration that Junpei feels at the Sand, and the loneliness felt by the woman. In my own life, my Buddhism conquered my anger but I still have my loneliness to work on.

Again, as I said, the Sand's parallel to a Japanese Zen Garden is Unmistakable, and therefore its parallel to Buddhism. Other reviewers have a different interpretation, and they are certainly entitled to those views. But this Buddhist view is how I see it and I'll stick by it because I find it meaningful.

Actor Goro Ibuki is underrated and certainly deserves to receive more credit than he gets. Back during the 1970s I bought a 45-RPM vinyl record which featured Mr. Ibuki singing the theme song from his television series, Omimiyaku (Samurai Secret Agent). I felt he was perfectly suited for that TV role. Yet on the other hand I felt Mixed emotions about his Bohachi role-- as compared to Tetsuro Tanba whose looks and demeanor were well-suited for the decadence of his Shiro character. Yet Ibuki did the best he could, and the end result was passable. If samurai fans want to see Ibuki at his best, they should see him in his Omimiyaku series. Also in his other tv series, Muyonosuke (Stray Dog Ronin) in which he portrays a ronin similar to Mifune's Sanjuro. Another great appearance from television was where he appeared in a single episode of "Seven Duels of Yagyu Jubei" in which Ibuki fought the titular character. Of those 3 roles, only the 7-Duels is Subtitled and currently available on DVD. Highly recommended.

While I understand the points made in Chung Mo's critique, I still have to insist that Tamura's performance gratified me. Admittedly it is with some bias that I get that evocation from Tamura. What I mean from that bias is that I had so enjoyed Tamura's version of NEMURI KYOSHIRO with Tamura's brooding presence. Somehow that same presence can be found in his portrayal of Ogami. Here, though, there is the additional emotional component of sensitivity, which coupled with the brooding presence, created a charismatic characterization.

Much as I hate to sound sacrilegious about the 1940s version, I have to honestly say Langella surpassed Tyrone Power. How Langella did it is with his voice. As another previous poster described it, Langella with that chocolatey voice. In the same way we gents enjoy Peggy Lee's sultry voice on her song, "Fever," so does Langella's voice project the perfect air of foppishness. Note Langella's use of the aristocratic handheld monocle that he uses when he gazes at Captain Esteban. In the hands of another actor it would look artificial. But combined with Langella's lazy-eyed look, it looks so natural.