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@thread: Some good nominations. Obviously, Japanese cinema is the best in the world, and anybody who denies this simply lying to themselves.
Japanese Film Hall of Fame
@thread: Some good nominations. Obviously, Japanese cinema is the best in the world, and anybody who denies this simply lying to themselves.
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While I don't think the themes are overbearing at all, it's been 35 years since Nausicaä came out, and many people still don't take environmental concerns seriously. So we might actually need more films preaching about awareness haha.
Many children's films (particularly those from the 80s) have a darker setting, that by today's standards don't seem to fit with what we would necessarily consider appropriate for younger audiences. The tone of Nausicaä is much the same. These films work for that demographic because the characters with unsullied child-like innocence or hope prevail. Some adults may find that juvenile, but I feel as though that contrast provides a message which promotes optimism in spite of despair, which is definitely something younger viewers should see.
1. Japanese society is very strict and people are forced to act in a very reserved and mature manner.
2. Naturally, there is a desire to rebel against conformity to these social norms.
3. This desire to rebel is expressed through a girl character who acts in a rather childish way. As acting in that way is precisely the inverse of the kind of behavior expected by mainstream society.
That is, this kind of anime that portrays the main character as a girl acting in this innocent/childish way represents a statement of rebellion against social norms. It is similar to punk rock and satanic metal bands in the West. Nausicaa, though, is not the best example of that (I think a good example would be Lucky Star).
There is an interesting article about that:https://alexy.asian.lsa.umich.edu/co...in%20Japan.pdf
Last edited by Guaporense; 11-06-19 at 09:48 PM.
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South Korean is the best
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The Third Murder (2017)
Behold! The best episode of Law and Order: Special Victims Unit ever made.
It is a rather conventional crime movie. Actually I was thinking that even when we have a Japanese film HoF 3 out of 8 movies are crime movies, I guess the crime genre is the most popular movie genre in this forum. Well, crime movies have broad appeal because they lack sci-fi or fantastical elements so it is easier to suspend disbelief while the nature of criminal phenomena, being something about the violation of social rules of conduct, make it instantly entertaining.
Overall, though, evaluated as an individual movie and not as a genre movie I found this movie to be surprisingly entertaining (since I generally do not care for the genre) and quite interesting, featuring some nice plot twists (in the end I actually was not quite sure of what exactly happened in the story of movie, well it is something that was left ambiguous).
Very well made and an interesting exploration of the Japanese judicial system. Interestingly, in Japan they have the death penalty, a lot of people I know think the US is "barbaric" for still having the death penalty, but guess what, even in the world's most civilized society they have it as well. Overall, an excellent movie featuring great cinematography, great performances, and an engrossing plot. One of the strongest movies in this HoF IMO.
Behold! The best episode of Law and Order: Special Victims Unit ever made.
It is a rather conventional crime movie. Actually I was thinking that even when we have a Japanese film HoF 3 out of 8 movies are crime movies, I guess the crime genre is the most popular movie genre in this forum. Well, crime movies have broad appeal because they lack sci-fi or fantastical elements so it is easier to suspend disbelief while the nature of criminal phenomena, being something about the violation of social rules of conduct, make it instantly entertaining.
Overall, though, evaluated as an individual movie and not as a genre movie I found this movie to be surprisingly entertaining (since I generally do not care for the genre) and quite interesting, featuring some nice plot twists (in the end I actually was not quite sure of what exactly happened in the story of movie, well it is something that was left ambiguous).
Very well made and an interesting exploration of the Japanese judicial system. Interestingly, in Japan they have the death penalty, a lot of people I know think the US is "barbaric" for still having the death penalty, but guess what, even in the world's most civilized society they have it as well.
Overall, an excellent movie featuring great cinematography, great performances, and an engrossing plot. One of the strongest movies in this HoF IMO.
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South Korean is the best
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'A Hen in the Wind' (1948)
Dir.: Yasujirô Ozu
Dir.: Yasujirô Ozu
A film about marriage, motherhood, fidelity, and honour. Asian cinema seems to do these themes so well and Ozu nails it here. Tokiko will do anything for her son, she even admits she'd sell her soul at one point. So when her husband arrives back from the war, the whole question of morals and acceptance of flaws comes in to play. Is it ok to lose your honour, if it means a better life? Ozu explores these themes very well in the short 83 minutes runtime. The two lead performances are perfect and the languid shots of industrial factories and water towers give the viewer a sombre take on what it was like in post war Japan.
I see alot of lineage to film-makers like Kore-eda in Ozu's work, which is not a surprise but nice to see what inspired modern Japanese Directors.
Great nomination.
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I wasn't sure what I was going to watch next, but I'll probably go with A Hen in the Wind since a few of you guys have already watched it, and it seems like the cool thing to do haha.
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Hana-bi
I was really looking forward to Hana-bi, so I guess I was just a little disappointed. It's still a really solid movie, with fantastic cinematography, use of lighting, and use of colors.
But that doesn't automatically make a movie great. Hana-bi lacks the personal characters and motives that I like in movies, even if it makes up for them in the technical aspects and overall good plot line. I enjoyed our main character for the most part though, he was well written and had decently good motives. His violent rampages got me annoyed by the end though. You could see every one coming, and it would do nothing to propel the plot line except induce severe eye rolling.
I guess I don't have that many real complaints for Hana-bi. It was just that something about it overall made me feel cold and left out of the story it was trying to tell. I guess that's just me, and it was a good movie, just will never be a favorite.
I was really looking forward to Hana-bi, so I guess I was just a little disappointed. It's still a really solid movie, with fantastic cinematography, use of lighting, and use of colors.
But that doesn't automatically make a movie great. Hana-bi lacks the personal characters and motives that I like in movies, even if it makes up for them in the technical aspects and overall good plot line. I enjoyed our main character for the most part though, he was well written and had decently good motives. His violent rampages got me annoyed by the end though. You could see every one coming, and it would do nothing to propel the plot line except induce severe eye rolling.
I guess I don't have that many real complaints for Hana-bi. It was just that something about it overall made me feel cold and left out of the story it was trying to tell. I guess that's just me, and it was a good movie, just will never be a favorite.
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A Hen in the Wind / 風の中の牝鶏 (1948)
Directed by Yasujirō Ozu
Starring: Kinuyo Tanaka, Shūji Sano, Chieko Murata
While A Hen in the Wind focuses on one family's story rather than outwardly discussing the impact of the war on Japanese society, it's possible to draw parallels between the characters' struggles, and those of Japan as a whole. The film handles some of its subject manner in a similarly subtle manner, since the audience knows what Tokiko did to pay for her son's hospital bills without seeing it on screen, and without it even being expressly named in the subtitles.
I'm still undecided on how I feel about the performances. At the start I found the unnaturally cheerful manner in which the women discussed serious issues to be a bit strange, but upon reflection I wonder if the characters were just meant to be forcing smiles to be polite, because that's what was expected of them. That would certainly make sense, especially since we later see Tokiko drop the facade and let her true emotions show through.
Some reviews online claim that A Hen in the Wind is dreary and depressing, but I was actually pleasantly surprised at how optimistic the film was, at least in comparison to the post-war films I'm used to watching. The German rubble films in particular tend to deal in collective guilt and forcing themselves to come to terms with the past, but here the suggestion is to accept and move on from past mistakes instead of dwelling on them. “Forgive and forget” may seem a little simplistic, but I think the idea and willingness to move forward together reflects a positive outlook on the future.
I'm still undecided on how I feel about the performances. At the start I found the unnaturally cheerful manner in which the women discussed serious issues to be a bit strange, but upon reflection I wonder if the characters were just meant to be forcing smiles to be polite, because that's what was expected of them. That would certainly make sense, especially since we later see Tokiko drop the facade and let her true emotions show through.
Some reviews online claim that A Hen in the Wind is dreary and depressing, but I was actually pleasantly surprised at how optimistic the film was, at least in comparison to the post-war films I'm used to watching. The German rubble films in particular tend to deal in collective guilt and forcing themselves to come to terms with the past, but here the suggestion is to accept and move on from past mistakes instead of dwelling on them. “Forgive and forget” may seem a little simplistic, but I think the idea and willingness to move forward together reflects a positive outlook on the future.
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I like how the nominations have only been up for a couple of days, and we're already at what...17 reviews?
I might not get to any films this weekend though, since I have acompletely pointless bi-annual store meeting to attend, and there are 2 films in the theatre I plan to go see. I'll probably still try to get through one nomination though, just to keep up the momentum haha.
I might not get to any films this weekend though, since I have a
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I have already watched all the movies I didn't watch before. Which makes me less enthusiastic about re-watching the remaining ones. I should confess I did not re-watch Nausicaa for this HoF but since I had watched it about 15 times already I don't think I need too.
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I have already watched all the movies I didn't watch before. Which makes me less enthusiastic about re-watching the remaining ones. I should confess I did not re-watch Nausicaa for this HoF but since I had watched it about 15 times already I don't think I need too.
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I like how the nominations have only been up for a couple of days, and we're already at what...17 reviews?
I might not get to any films this weekend though, since I have acompletely pointless bi-annual store meeting to attend, and there are 2 films in the theatre I plan to go see. I'll probably still try to get through one nomination though, just to keep up the momentum haha.
I might not get to any films this weekend though, since I have a
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You guys are going bananas here, and I haven't even started!!!
Bravo people, bravo. I'll updated the reviews in the morning again!
Bravo people, bravo. I'll updated the reviews in the morning again!
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I have already watched all the movies I didn't watch before. Which makes me less enthusiastic about re-watching the remaining ones. I should confess I did not re-watch Nausicaa for this HoF but since I had watched it about 15 times already I don't think I need too.
I always rewatch all films personally for the Halls, which is usually why I nominate something I haven't seen in awhile rather than something I just watched.
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which two films were you thinking of seeing?
And as is the tradition with every Stephen King adaptation, my mom is coming in town on Sunday so we can go see Doctor Sleep. He's been her favourite author since well before I was born, but she doesn't like seeing horror films alone. My brother's going to come too, so it's like a family event haha.
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I've been impatiently waiting for the wide release of Jojo Rabbit, and it's finally here. The mall (where the theatre is) is having a big yearly sale this weekend, so I'm still trying to figure out the best time to go see it, where I'm less likely to get hit by a car while walking across the parking lot haha.
And as is the tradition with every Stephen King adaptation, my mom is coming in town on Sunday so we can go see Doctor Sleep. He's been her favourite author since well before I was born, but she doesn't like seeing horror films alone. My brother's going to come too, so it's like a family event haha.
And as is the tradition with every Stephen King adaptation, my mom is coming in town on Sunday so we can go see Doctor Sleep. He's been her favourite author since well before I was born, but she doesn't like seeing horror films alone. My brother's going to come too, so it's like a family event haha.
Let me know about jojo rabbit, been VERY curious about that one
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Let me know about jojo rabbit, been VERY curious about that one
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High and Low (1963)
I've never been a huge Kurosawa fan. I don't deny his talent but he's like Tarantino of his age; he would have needed someone to put reins on him and edit all the fluff away. In that aspect High and Low is very typical Kurosawa film and would have benefitted from heavy editing (probably closer to 30 minutes). Everything goes on for too long and the pacing is messed up.
Introduction of Gondo is fine and it shows the man he is. After the boy is kidnapped the back and forth between paying the ransom and buying the stock goes on forever. I was also wondering how the 30M ransom would ruin him completely (it was worth 9% of the company and he already owned 32% at the time - maybe I'm just missing something but to me it seems that he could have paid his debt with his shares).
Quality of the film improves after they leave the apartment. Train sequence and the investigation of the crime are the best parts of the film. Still most of the scenes go on for too long. Last act is little odd (what, and how, exactly are the police trying to achieve). Last scene is pretty good though.
I do like Kurosawa's cinematography (maybe my only issue related to that is little too theatrical compositions especially on the first act). Mifune is good as usual and acting in general is fine (again my only issues are during the first act where the police are acting weird). It's disappointingly OK film that could have been great with heavy editing and way more intense pacing.
I've never been a huge Kurosawa fan. I don't deny his talent but he's like Tarantino of his age; he would have needed someone to put reins on him and edit all the fluff away. In that aspect High and Low is very typical Kurosawa film and would have benefitted from heavy editing (probably closer to 30 minutes). Everything goes on for too long and the pacing is messed up.
Introduction of Gondo is fine and it shows the man he is. After the boy is kidnapped the back and forth between paying the ransom and buying the stock goes on forever. I was also wondering how the 30M ransom would ruin him completely (it was worth 9% of the company and he already owned 32% at the time - maybe I'm just missing something but to me it seems that he could have paid his debt with his shares).
Quality of the film improves after they leave the apartment. Train sequence and the investigation of the crime are the best parts of the film. Still most of the scenes go on for too long. Last act is little odd (what, and how, exactly are the police trying to achieve). Last scene is pretty good though.
I do like Kurosawa's cinematography (maybe my only issue related to that is little too theatrical compositions especially on the first act). Mifune is good as usual and acting in general is fine (again my only issues are during the first act where the police are acting weird). It's disappointingly OK film that could have been great with heavy editing and way more intense pacing.
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Warning: Potential Spoilers for High and Low Below
He mortgaged everything he had in order to raise 50 million for the extra stock he planned to buy, so with only 20 million left after paying the ransom, he had no way to pay back the loan since everything now belonged to the creditors.
Gondo mentioned leveraging the company's cash flow, but I don't remember if that was to pay off the rest of the purchased stock (with the 50 million being a down payment) or if that was part of his loan as well. While it's not outright stated in the film, it is possible that he was buying stock above its actual value, because the sellers would know how much power those shares had in regards to the company's management.
Regardless, he had no authority to use company money to pay off his mortgage because he wasn't a majority shareholder without those extra stocks, and now his colleagues were banding together to vote him out. So by paying the ransom he would have no job and no assets, but millions of yen worth of debt.
I was also wondering how the 30M ransom would ruin him completely (it was worth 9% of the company and he already owned 32% at the time - maybe I'm just missing something but to me it seems that he could have paid his debt with his shares).
Gondo mentioned leveraging the company's cash flow, but I don't remember if that was to pay off the rest of the purchased stock (with the 50 million being a down payment) or if that was part of his loan as well. While it's not outright stated in the film, it is possible that he was buying stock above its actual value, because the sellers would know how much power those shares had in regards to the company's management.
Regardless, he had no authority to use company money to pay off his mortgage because he wasn't a majority shareholder without those extra stocks, and now his colleagues were banding together to vote him out. So by paying the ransom he would have no job and no assets, but millions of yen worth of debt.
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