I just watched "The Bad Sleep Well," and finished reading the other viewers comments. So I will comment on both. "Seven Samurai" is perhaps my favorite film of all time, and I really like Kurasawa's work. Other than the brief plot summary, I didn't really know what to expect from "The Bad Sleep Well." The beginning can be somewhat confusing, as the reporters throw out lots of Japanese names and the viewer must struggle to understand what's going on and who is who. But as the film progressed, I found myself drawn in and completely absorbed by it. Don't worry if you don't get it at first, all will become clear. I found this to be an excellent film, and I would recommend it to any Kurasawa film. Sure, it's not action-packed like his samurai films. And yes, it is somewhat slow in pace. But I must say that I didn't really mind that. I found it quite engrossing. There are enough plot twists and turns to keep the viewer interested. I din't think that Toshiro Mifune did a bad job either, as some other viewers thought. He's not wild and crazy like in "Seven Samurai" or "Rashomon" but I didn't think he was badly cast. Sadly, I am not intimately familiar with "Hamlet," so I can't comment too much on the similarities. It seems to be the general opinion that this "The Bad Sleep Well" is loosely based on Hamlet, but I also agree that this won't detract from your enjoyment of the film in any way, and that knowing "Hamlet" doesn't mean that you will know what happens in this film. I agree with those who say that this is another underrated Kurarsawa masterpiece, and well worth seeing. Give it a chance!
Reviews
3 Reviews
Kill Bill: Vol. 1
(2003)
An OK film, but certainly not Tarentino's best work
11 March 2006
I just watched "Kill Bill" 1 & 2 back-to-back, first viewing. Gotta tell ya folks, I found it a little boring. I think it's too long, and could easily have been one film. I don't think the films can be considered separately; "Kill Bill 2" is not a sequel, it is simply a continuation of the film, much like "Matrix Reloaded" and "Matrix Revolutions" cannot be considered separately, nor any part of the "Lord of the Rings." Neither part stands alone. "Kill Bill" is obviously an homage to Hong Kong lung-fu films, in which realism does not necessarily play a part (e.g. gravity). Take for example "The Cruel Tutelage of Pai Mei." There was also a bit too much Monty Pythonesque spraying blood for me. But okay, if those sorts of things don't bother you, then it's no problem. The movie(s) are certainly beautiful, and the cinematography is excellent, certainly up to the standards we have come to expect from Tarantino. There are many excellent scenes, and overall the plot is pretty good. There are, however, several scenes that are just too long, too overblown, and frankly, to dull. There are also a few scenes that could have been completely cut out as they add NOTHING to the film; e.g. the scene where Michael Madsen goes to work at the topless bar. What was that all about? There were other scenes that were included that I found not important, and not all that interesting, like the scene in "2" with Esteban. I almost found the animation segment sub-standard. It could/should have been much better. While watching these films I got the impression that maybe Tarantino has been reading too much of his own press. I found "Reservoir Dogs," "Pulp Fiction" and "Jackie Brown" all to be better films. The "Kill Bills" aren't bad, but I would disagree with anyone who says that they are Quentin's best work. Just my opinion.
Ichi the Killer
(2001)
Great Flick!
6 April 2005
The first time I saw Ichi the Killer I thought of it as real, and therefore it was way too gross. I found some of the scenes hard to sit through. However the 2nd time I saw it, I watched it like a comic book, and I enjoyed it a lot more. Enough to buy the DVD. If you haven't seen it yet, beware that it contains some rather violent scenes, sometimes way over the top. There are also scenes of violence towards women that are rather distasteful, but try to remember that this is a movie adaption of a Japanese manga (comic book), which can be pretty raunchy. Remember: cartoon violence! It's kind of a crime movie with superheroes. VERY Japanese. If you didn't enjoy this movie because of the violence, try looking at the violence as cartoon violence, and it's actually a great flick. And Kakihara's clothes are just SO COOL! The film has a lot of atmosphere to it. I was also impressed to hear (in the DVD extras) that the director, Takashi Mike makes all of his films doing each scene in only 1 take.
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