I just finished watching a wonderful movie, and I have to write about it. The film, 'Twilight Samurai,' follows the experiences of a low-level samurai who is a widower with two young daughters and a senile mother. I won't give away the details, but the plot revolves around how he gets another chance with the girl he has always loved, but complications arise. His clan becomes involved in a leadership conflict, and he is ordered to fulfill a dangerous and morally suspect task. The film, released in 2003, is very different from most samurai movies because it isn't about fighting. And rather than express a reverence for bushido, it portrays a man who puts his family above honor.*
There are two main things that make 'Twilight Samurai' so good. First, the romantic relationship 'feels right.' One can recognize the feelings that Seibei and Tomoe have for one another without any sappy melodrama. Second, the tension that builds throughout the film is excruciating. Only a few movies draw me in like this (once Plainbellied came home while I was screaming at Alec Guinness in 'The Bridge on the River Kwai'). While I kept my composure tonight, I felt nervous and genuinely 'pulled' for Seibei to come out on top.
The only thing I would say detracts from this film is a weak epilogue. Other than that, it is a fabulous film with great acting and a compelling story.
* Bushido is the samurai code of honor. When I say that Seibei put his family above honor, I'm speaking specifically about this exaggerated code to which samurai adhered. I would definitely call him an honorable man by today's standards.
Showing posts with label movies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label movies. Show all posts
The Closer
Plainbellied and I have recently become engrossed in watching the first season of The Closer on DVD. In the past three days, we've watched nine episodes, and we'll probably watch the last four tomorrow night (along with the new Psych). As you might remember, we are big fans of procedural dramas. We like having a sense of closure at the end of each episode. As the title suggests, The Closer does just that.
Yet there is something more to the series than just having a conclusion in each episode. The central character, played by Kyra Sedgwick, is everything I think is missing from most of today's actresses. In the old days, there were a lot of very strong female characters. Think of Nora Charles in the Thin Man films, or Hildy Johnson in His Girl Friday. Carrie Fisher had a similar presence in the Star Wars movies. They had strength, something many of today's actresses lack. Some of today's actresses mistake shrillness for strength.
I'm thinking specifically of today's young actresses. I find it somewhat odd that in today's society, when women have achieved more social and political power than ever before, the characters being portrayed onscreen have degraded substantially. For instance, what kind of example do the characters in Charlie's Angels teach young women about how to be strong? Perhaps part of the problem is the dialogue being written today, which does not have the same punch as older films or television.
I've wandered a bit. In The Closer, Sedgwick plays a tough, intelligent, and witty investigator. This is the type of character I think we should see more of. Law and Order had a similar character when Jill Hennessy was on the show. They present what I believe to be a very important image for young women to see. When my daughter is old enough for this type of show, I hope they still have this kind of characters for her to see.
Yet there is something more to the series than just having a conclusion in each episode. The central character, played by Kyra Sedgwick, is everything I think is missing from most of today's actresses. In the old days, there were a lot of very strong female characters. Think of Nora Charles in the Thin Man films, or Hildy Johnson in His Girl Friday. Carrie Fisher had a similar presence in the Star Wars movies. They had strength, something many of today's actresses lack. Some of today's actresses mistake shrillness for strength.
I'm thinking specifically of today's young actresses. I find it somewhat odd that in today's society, when women have achieved more social and political power than ever before, the characters being portrayed onscreen have degraded substantially. For instance, what kind of example do the characters in Charlie's Angels teach young women about how to be strong? Perhaps part of the problem is the dialogue being written today, which does not have the same punch as older films or television.
I've wandered a bit. In The Closer, Sedgwick plays a tough, intelligent, and witty investigator. This is the type of character I think we should see more of. Law and Order had a similar character when Jill Hennessy was on the show. They present what I believe to be a very important image for young women to see. When my daughter is old enough for this type of show, I hope they still have this kind of characters for her to see.
Thoughts related to film
So I watched Superman III. Well, that did it for me. I'm done. I cancelled Superman IV from my Netflix queue. I just don't think I can handle it. Instead, I have Cache coming next. I'm interested in seeing how that movie is. They say it's very good. Supposedly it links things to French Algeria, which is one of the topics I cover in my courses (we watch The Battle of Algiers).
The film I really want to see is The Wind that Shakes the Barley by Ken Loach. The film tells the story of Irish independence, but unlike Michael Collins, it focuses on rank-and-file members of the movement. It came out in the UK and much of the world last year, and it won the Palm d'Or at Cannes. Somehow, though, it never made it here. Well, the wait is almost over. It's supposed to be released in March (around St. Patrick's Day).
It got some mixed reviews in the UK, because it takes a relatively strong anti-British stance. It's a little problematic because most of us think about the mess in Northern Ireland when we think about conflict between Britain and Ireland, where the IRA refuses to give up its weapons and such. In the early part of this century, however, the British did a number of incredibly brutal things in Ireland, though, sending in the notorious Black and Tans to quell unrest. This is probably the first time a British filmmaker has taken these abuses seriously.
The film I really want to see is The Wind that Shakes the Barley by Ken Loach. The film tells the story of Irish independence, but unlike Michael Collins, it focuses on rank-and-file members of the movement. It came out in the UK and much of the world last year, and it won the Palm d'Or at Cannes. Somehow, though, it never made it here. Well, the wait is almost over. It's supposed to be released in March (around St. Patrick's Day).
It got some mixed reviews in the UK, because it takes a relatively strong anti-British stance. It's a little problematic because most of us think about the mess in Northern Ireland when we think about conflict between Britain and Ireland, where the IRA refuses to give up its weapons and such. In the early part of this century, however, the British did a number of incredibly brutal things in Ireland, though, sending in the notorious Black and Tans to quell unrest. This is probably the first time a British filmmaker has taken these abuses seriously.
Superman
Last week, I watched the first two Superman movies. It was really exciting for me because I hadn't watched them for many years, and the first movie has been made into a special edition. Her Nibs, a huge fan of the Incredibles, loved them. I was incredibly surprised that she kept up with what was going on. Even when Superman loses his powers in the second movie, she knew what was going on.
Personally, I'm interested to see Superman 3, which is coming today from Netflix. You see, the man who directed the first movie and much of the second, Richard Donner, got fired before he could finish, and Richard Lester took over. Donner's stuff is much better than Lester's and Lester did the entire third movie himself. I saw this movie years ago, but I'm thinking that Richard Pryor just won't be a good villain. The fourth movie will be the real test of my will. I've never seen it, and by all accounts it is terrible. It's coming next week, and I may not get through it. I may need to watch the Richard Donner Cut of Superman II to excise all memory of 3 and 4 from my mind.
I didn't bother to see the new Superman movie because the ads made it seem lame. The whole Lois Lane has a kid angle put me off. I will give it some credit: they pretended as though Superman 3 and 4 had never happened. It's kind of like an unsuccessful Batman Begins, I think. Batman Begins completely reinvented the Batman saga, and I am really excited to see the next film. As for Superman, I think his day is past.
Personally, the only film series I think have successfully gone past two movies are Star Wars (not counting the new three), James Bond, maybe Lord of the Rings, and Rocky. Indiana Jones doesn't count because the second movie was so terrible. And don't laugh at me for including Rocky. Rocky 3 and 4 were awesome. I mean, they have some of the best movie quotes of all time in them. Then Rocky 5 happened. I don't know what they were thinking.
Maybe we should institute the term limits ban on movies.
Personally, I'm interested to see Superman 3, which is coming today from Netflix. You see, the man who directed the first movie and much of the second, Richard Donner, got fired before he could finish, and Richard Lester took over. Donner's stuff is much better than Lester's and Lester did the entire third movie himself. I saw this movie years ago, but I'm thinking that Richard Pryor just won't be a good villain. The fourth movie will be the real test of my will. I've never seen it, and by all accounts it is terrible. It's coming next week, and I may not get through it. I may need to watch the Richard Donner Cut of Superman II to excise all memory of 3 and 4 from my mind.
I didn't bother to see the new Superman movie because the ads made it seem lame. The whole Lois Lane has a kid angle put me off. I will give it some credit: they pretended as though Superman 3 and 4 had never happened. It's kind of like an unsuccessful Batman Begins, I think. Batman Begins completely reinvented the Batman saga, and I am really excited to see the next film. As for Superman, I think his day is past.
Personally, the only film series I think have successfully gone past two movies are Star Wars (not counting the new three), James Bond, maybe Lord of the Rings, and Rocky. Indiana Jones doesn't count because the second movie was so terrible. And don't laugh at me for including Rocky. Rocky 3 and 4 were awesome. I mean, they have some of the best movie quotes of all time in them. Then Rocky 5 happened. I don't know what they were thinking.
Maybe we should institute the term limits ban on movies.
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