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Akira (1 1/2 views)
This movie is a disaster , a beautifully animated meticulous frame-by-frame style makes this a visual wonder - but one of the worst scripts (was there a script ?) of all time and turtle speed pacing bog this down too much to even watch the whole way.
It starts out great , neo-dystopian Japan : what a great place to make a movie. Especially with an amazing animation team behind you , the sky's the limit. Akira's limitations are easily found once you get about a half hour in - the story is nowhere to be found. I only made it through the first half of two hours and had to turn this off. Even if there was the least bit of good dialogue , a simple plot , or any worth while character - I would stick around just to see the great animation : beautiful as it is , it's not worth it.
Character's are about as important as their names , but the huge factor in why this film is so bad - is the complete lack of energy. It starts out with a bang and then it quickly unwinds , no music , no excitement - just complete dullness. Maybe there is a good movie somewhere to be found in this mess , but it's definitely not two hours long - maybe there is 50-60 minutes that would actually make a good movie , given you add music somewhere in there.
Anyway around it , it's a disappointment to see something look great and have no story to back it up. If Akira is the biggest and best anime film out there , I really do not want to see another ever again.
Das Boot - The Director's Cut (1 view)
I'll start by saying it's the best war movie I've seen , it doesn't try to go through the usual themes you always expect from a war film either - it gives you some deep honest characters to care about and a terrifying suspenseful tale of plain survival.
There several existing versions of this film , the original 150 minute version , the miniseries version weighing in at a heavy 5 hours , and the director's cut which is still an enormous 209 minutes. Each version is a different spin on this huge story , but the director's cut is the essential version in my opinion. It's streamlined for one singular film experience , but delivers on the strong character support missing from the original version. Of course if you really love the story and want to see more there's always the option to watch the miniseries version which I think is amazing (1 movie tuned to 3 different tastes).
Most of it takes place in a small German submarine , with the rare occasional shot of the exterior. It shoves you into it's claustrophobic setting not 20 minutes in and along this crews trip they will go through a teeter totter of fun , sickness , adventure , suspense , friendship , injury , hope , and the final run to get back home. You already know their fate is doomed , but when it hits you - it knocks you down. It never strongly presses it's anti-war message , until the brief final scene - but it's more powerful than any I've seen on film.
Aside from the masterfully bloated story , Das Boot packs a gigantic array of sights and sounds. Picture perfect cinematography and a catchy exciting musical score , won't let you stop watching once you've started. The small interior shots of the u-boat serve their purpose and the few gigantic moments could be framed on your wall without hesitation. The submarine setting is wonderfully constructed , detailed to the last inch - the boat is one of the characters you will grow to care about.
A daunting achievement in film right up there with Lord of the rings , it's a complete originality in the war genre and deserves a viewing by anyone looking for a great experience.
This movie is a disaster , a beautifully animated meticulous frame-by-frame style makes this a visual wonder - but one of the worst scripts (was there a script ?) of all time and turtle speed pacing bog this down too much to even watch the whole way.
It starts out great , neo-dystopian Japan : what a great place to make a movie. Especially with an amazing animation team behind you , the sky's the limit. Akira's limitations are easily found once you get about a half hour in - the story is nowhere to be found. I only made it through the first half of two hours and had to turn this off. Even if there was the least bit of good dialogue , a simple plot , or any worth while character - I would stick around just to see the great animation : beautiful as it is , it's not worth it.
Character's are about as important as their names , but the huge factor in why this film is so bad - is the complete lack of energy. It starts out with a bang and then it quickly unwinds , no music , no excitement - just complete dullness. Maybe there is a good movie somewhere to be found in this mess , but it's definitely not two hours long - maybe there is 50-60 minutes that would actually make a good movie , given you add music somewhere in there.
Anyway around it , it's a disappointment to see something look great and have no story to back it up. If Akira is the biggest and best anime film out there , I really do not want to see another ever again.
Das Boot - The Director's Cut (1 view)
I'll start by saying it's the best war movie I've seen , it doesn't try to go through the usual themes you always expect from a war film either - it gives you some deep honest characters to care about and a terrifying suspenseful tale of plain survival.
There several existing versions of this film , the original 150 minute version , the miniseries version weighing in at a heavy 5 hours , and the director's cut which is still an enormous 209 minutes. Each version is a different spin on this huge story , but the director's cut is the essential version in my opinion. It's streamlined for one singular film experience , but delivers on the strong character support missing from the original version. Of course if you really love the story and want to see more there's always the option to watch the miniseries version which I think is amazing (1 movie tuned to 3 different tastes).
Most of it takes place in a small German submarine , with the rare occasional shot of the exterior. It shoves you into it's claustrophobic setting not 20 minutes in and along this crews trip they will go through a teeter totter of fun , sickness , adventure , suspense , friendship , injury , hope , and the final run to get back home. You already know their fate is doomed , but when it hits you - it knocks you down. It never strongly presses it's anti-war message , until the brief final scene - but it's more powerful than any I've seen on film.
Aside from the masterfully bloated story , Das Boot packs a gigantic array of sights and sounds. Picture perfect cinematography and a catchy exciting musical score , won't let you stop watching once you've started. The small interior shots of the u-boat serve their purpose and the few gigantic moments could be framed on your wall without hesitation. The submarine setting is wonderfully constructed , detailed to the last inch - the boat is one of the characters you will grow to care about.
A daunting achievement in film right up there with Lord of the rings , it's a complete originality in the war genre and deserves a viewing by anyone looking for a great experience.