Category Archives: Movies

Cinderella

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3 stars (out of 4)

Released 2015

Cinderella 2015 is the live-action remake of Disney’s animated film from 1950. However, it was because the images in the trailer reminded me of another movie, Ever After: A Cinderella Story (1998), that I was intrigued to go out and watch this new film.

First of all, I do have some criticisms. Ella had a mantra that was taught to her by her mother, and it was plain overused. Even though I could agree with the sentiment, it lost its significance from the excessive repetition.

Cate Blanchett was grand as the stepmother. I was somewhat less convinced at the portrayal of Ella’s stepsisters, though. If they had acted like entitled selfish bitches, I could’ve bought that; but I found it hard to believe that they would be as uncultured and gaudy as they were, given their seemingly high-class upbringing.

And nitpicking, but I was a bit disappointed that they decided to keep the name Lucifer for the cat. It’s a real stretch that these women would give such a moniker to a beloved pet. But then, who knows? Maybe it was the girls’ late father who came up with the name.

In spite of my complaints, this Cinderella represented a vast improvement over what I remember of the original animated feature. The scenery and costumes were gorgeous; and the stunning ballroom dance scene alone was worthwhile to be seen in theatre.

I also thought it was a nice touch to include 2 of the songs from the original movie in the closing credits, performed by the new Cinderella and Fairy Godmother.

All that being said, I can’t help but feel it paled in comparison to Ever After in, well, just about every way. Which is no different from what I was expecting, since few movies can hold a candle to Ever After, in my estimation, Cinderella story or no.

FLY, DAKOTA, FLY

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2 stars (out of 4)

Released 2013

Based on the true story in which a British transport plane made an emergency landing on the shores of Sado Island in early 1946. It had only been a few months since the end of WWII and the Japanese people were still scarred from their losses during the war. The residents had to overcome their fears and misgivings and find it in their hearts to help the stranded pilots.

First, I’ll state my problems with the film. It had possibly the worst subtitling work I have ever seen on the big screen. The translations were often excessively literal, frequently not even in proper sentences. There was at least one glaring spelling error, that I remember; and by the second half of the film, I was challenging myself to improve on some of the dialogue by rewriting the lines in my head.

The staging and the mannerisms of the actors were more befitting of a live theatrical production than a feature film. The pauses during the delivery of lines were noticeably unnatural. And don’t get me started on the overacting. One guy was hamming it up as if he were in a yakuza comedy, not in the completely sombre affair which was FLY, DAKOTA, FLY. Plus, I almost laughed out loud when another character just suddenly turned evil.

Production issues aside, the actual story was a worthwhile one. It was a heartwarming tale, somehow very Japanese in the way it preached tolerance and promoted working together to help others while bettering yourself in the process.

The God of Ramen

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2.5 stars (out of 4)

Released 2013

An intimate, rather low-budget documentary that follows Yamagishi Kazuo over several years during the twilight of his career. Yamagishi is the founder of Taishoken in Ikebukuro, a ramen restaurant that now has many branches across Japan and also some locations worldwide.

Surprisingly, the film makes no mention of the fact that Yamagishi is credited as being the inventor of tsukemen (dipping noodles served separately from soup).

It also does not even try to explain what made the ramen at his Taishoken so good that devoted customers would line up for hours to have it. Yamagishi freely shared his recipe; and yet, it was only when he prepared it personally that the taste was divine. I suppose that was what made him a god – his touch was magic.

The obvious comparison is with the 2011 documentary “Jiro Dreams of Sushi”. That film actually left me feeling a bit saddened at the knowledge that Ono Jirou’s dedication to his calling came at the expense of his relationship with his family.

In contrast, Yamagishi started his business with his wife and it was always a family affair. The toll his devotion to his craft eventually takes is of a more personal nature.

INTERSTELLAR

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2.5 stars (out of 4)

Released 2014

Love, like gravity, is a force that transcends time and space. Love is all you need.

I had no expectations when I went to see this movie. I did not watch any trailers or read any reviews or plot descriptions. I didn’t even know who was starring in it.

INTERSTELLAR is an out-of-this-world sci-fi adventure. The special effects are phenomenal. Get ready for wormholes and black holes… and plot holes.

For those who have not seen the theory of relativity applied to a movie plot before, that aspect might also bring a certain wow factor. However, it’s definitely not my first time.

The pacing was often slow, especially in the beginning, and yet, too many things were still left for inference instead of being clearly explained. For instance, it took me quite a while to realize that the catastrophe we were seeing only in that little farming community was supposedly happening all over the world.

It didn’t help that the dialogue was frequently difficult to hear, as well. The worst example was the deathbed speech made by one of the characters, in which I estimate I made out not even 20% of what he said. It was not a huge deal, since you could figure out what was happening, usually, by events that followed, but what was the point of even having that dialogue then?

In the end, the one thing I really couldn’t get over, even though I saw it coming, was the “ghost” reveal. Some details of that were, to me, unnecessary and needlessly nonsensical. Of course the whole conceit of the story is that things may not make sense to someone, such as myself, who can only comprehend things in 3 dimensions; considered in 5 dimensions, anything is possible. Right.

Robotic TARS was the best character, albeit in a wish-fulfilment kind of way: smart, funny, and completely subservient.

UZUMASA LIMELIGHT

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2.5 stars (out of 4)

Released 2014

This drama was a very pleasant watch, though the story was quite simple. Rather than being heavy on plot, it was more of a love letter to the dying art of kirare-yaku, actors who specialize in being cut by the sword and dying gracefully in historical-period filmmaking in Kyoto. There’s also an underlying theme about taking pride in and giving your all to what you do, no matter how insignificant it may seem in the grand scheme of things.

The film features real-life kirare-yaku Seizo Fukumoto, in his first starring role after decades of being killed onscreen, and martial artist Chihiro Yamamoto playing his student.

We attended the Toronto premiere at the JCCC last week. But there will be another chance to see it in this area: UZUMASA LIMELIGHT begins a limited run at Dundas Square Cineplex on December 5th.

HAL

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2.5 stars (out of 4)

Released 2013 (in Japan)

Here’s an excerpt from the official description of the movie on Funimation’s site: “Kurumi had given up on the world, but a brilliant scientist devised a plan to win her back. By melding futuristic technology with the binary equivalent of human emotion, they created an ultra-lifelike robotic surrogate to take Hal’s place…”

HAL is worth seeing for its gorgeous animation and gentle story of healing after a loss.

Personally, I wasn’t really sold on the plot-twist ending, though. Yes, there were some clues along the way, but it didn’t make any sense. I was also left asking the question: Who was funding this project, and to what purpose? Surely sentient robots which look and act convincingly human would not come cheap.

I have to apologize for the not-timely nature of these posts. HAL was streaming for free at Funimation this past weekend to promote the DVD. Both the subtitled and dubbed versions were available (I watched the sub). But uh, that promotion is over now.

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY 3D

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3 stars (out of 4)

Released 2014

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY is a reasonably enjoyable sci-fi/superhero flick. I liked that it didn’t really take itself seriously. Events that veered into overly dramatic or cheesy territory were quickly and deftly subverted to humourous effect.

Going in, I never expected that a smart-mouthed anthropomorphic raccoon and a tree creature could be so adorable.

SEVEN SOULS IN THE SKULL CASTLE (Dokuro-Jo no Shichinin)

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3 stars (out of 4)

Released 2013 (in Japan)

This is the filmed version of a contemporary Japanese stage play which mixes elements of traditional kabuki with modern rock sounds in its tale of upheaval, set in the Warring States period following the death of Oda Nobunaga.

First of all, I’ll state that I’m not really into live theatre, so I wasn’t sure how much I would enjoy this. I did, however, find the storytelling and plot twists to be actually quite good. The sword-fighting choreography was very impressive as well, especially when you consider that everything was performed live in front of an audience.

NARUTO THE MOVIE: ROAD TO NINJA

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3 stars (out of 4)

Released 2012 (in Japan)

Naruto and Sakura are targeted by Madara and thrown into an alternate reality where things are a little off. Their friends have different personalities; and Naruto’s parents are alive, while Sakura’s are the ones who fell heroically in battle long ago.

The film works pretty well as a standalone story. Don’t expect any development of the primary plot, but it does shed some light on Naruto’s past and recalls the parents he never knew.

ROAD TO NINJA features the usual ninja battles and light humour you would expect from the franchise, but there’s more of an emotional element with this installment. Sakura’s annoyance with her family was believable; the writers might have done too realistic a job in the depiction of her parents’ behaviour. And just try not to cry during a flashback scene in which Naruto’s mother Kushina speaks to her infant son for the last time.

I wasn’t as bothered by Sakura’s portrayal as I usually am. She seemed a little less useless, as portions of the film were actually told from her point of view. Unfortunately, she was still called upon to play the role of damsel in distress.

The screening I saw was English-dubbed, which was fine, since I’m already familiar with the voices from watching the original series on YTV years ago. It’s an excellent dub overall. It’s obvious they took a great deal of care with the pronunciation of Japanese names.

X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST

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3 stars (out of 4)

Released 2014

The film begins with an apocalyptic scenario: mutants and their sympathizers are facing certain extinction, having no effective defense against the highly evolved Sentinels sent to kill them. In desperation, Wolverine (actually, his consciousness) is sent 50 years to the past in order to change a key event which triggered the development of the current situation.

Admittedly, it’s been a long time since I watched First Class, but I recall that movie having a more complicated plot and being heavier on the philosophy. This one was more straight-up action. And time travel.

I thought it was really creative the way the casts from both the X-Men trilogy and First Class were incorporated into this story.

Just in brief: the action scenes were stunning, the Sentinels were truly frightening, and there was a satisfying amount of humour. Quicksilver only had a small part in the film, but he really made it count. And it’s not that I was necessarily rooting for him, but Magneto was so cool.