I wish Japanese moviemakers would make more comedies like this one instead of following the latest trend (horror or special effects or whatever is current). I can't add much more than the other positive reviews except to say the main actress really shines in the role of the heroine. The scene in the elevator is hilarious!
Reviews
3 Reviews
The Twilight Samurai
(2002)
No spoilers in this review!
20 July 2003
This is an unusual samurai movie because the hero is willing to fight but is reluctant to kill anybody. At the end of each workday he returns home to his family instead of carousing with his co-workers at the hostess bars. Thus the "twilight" moniker. The movie dwells more on his home life with his young daughters than on swordplay although there is the inevitable one-on-one showdown at the end. There are some nice cinematic touches you expect in any film directed by Yoji Yamada. A nice samurai flick even if you don't like samurai films.
The Castle of Sand
(1974)
Nice to see an (almost) forgotten movie again
14 June 2003
This movie has three stories which are skillfully merged together at the end. One story is about a determined detective who is searching for a murderer. The second story is about a composer with social aspirations who is preparing to perform the debut of his piano concerto. I won't spoil it by describing the third story which is a flashback 30 years into the past. The third story has very little dialog and shows what silent movie fans have always known: you don't need much dialog to tell a good story.
The English subtitling on the dvd version I saw is not great, but passable. As a minor quibble, the subtitles are not present to translate written documents when a newspaper article or arrest warrant is shown on the screen.
There are some nice visual scenes which are quite effective. I last saw this movie in the 1970's and although I forgot the movie title, I never forgot the scene where the two detectives ride silently on their way to arrest the murderer. When I viewed this movie again recently, I was surprised to see how brief this scene actually is.
The English subtitling on the dvd version I saw is not great, but passable. As a minor quibble, the subtitles are not present to translate written documents when a newspaper article or arrest warrant is shown on the screen.
There are some nice visual scenes which are quite effective. I last saw this movie in the 1970's and although I forgot the movie title, I never forgot the scene where the two detectives ride silently on their way to arrest the murderer. When I viewed this movie again recently, I was surprised to see how brief this scene actually is.
Tell Your Friends