Wendy's Films of 2010: A Takeshi Kitano Double Bill

Having just removed all wisdom from my head, I figured this was the best time to write reviews for the public to see and judge.

Now, some may consider this an overused joke for one having had their wisdom teeth removed, but the drugs I'm on at the moment have certainly altered my state of mind, so the joke still stands. If it can even be considered a joke. Everything sort of seems funny at the moment.

#77. Zatôichi (2003)

Let me just say I love random, excessive blood splatter and this film has enough of it to satiate just about anyone's fancy. In this, "Beat" Takeshi Kitano takes an old Japanese samurai film, television and book character and reintroduces him to a more modern generation with loads of charisma and style. Zatôichi is a blind masseur and extremely skilled swordsman who walks the roads of Japan, aiding those he comes across though they usually assume they'll be giving him a hand. The film itself is visually stunning; its vibrant colours add especially to the action sequences when red is the hue to be as blood sprays and splatters in exorbitant amounts. One of my favourite aspects were the musical undertones, which begin subtly with the rice farmers' beat as they work in the field. By the end this becomes a full blown musical sequence; colourful, transfixing and somewhat mind-boggling, it reminds me of an epic Bollywood style dance featuring Japanese townspeople. I also liked that there were moments of sincerity and real emotion in the film, and that these gave the violence reason and thus more impact. I'd definitely check this one out if you're in the mood for an action/samurai film that's funny, bloody, heartfelt and features a kick ass blind swordsman.

#78. Sonatine (1993)

So, I'll admit that the only reason I watched this was because it was on the flip side of the Zatôichi DVD, which shouldn't actually deter you from renting it as you'll probably want to see the above after my stunning review. Sonatine is quite different from Zatôichi. Besides Beat Takeshi once again performing the lead role, it is less stylized, less humorous, slower, and though it contains bloody violence, there is less of it. It's more about the inner transformation of a middle-aged Yakuza who is sent with a few men to a rural town to settle a gang war, upon arriving it's soon clear that he's been sent for quite different reasons. He spends most of his time on the beach, contemplating his occupation and falling for a young woman. It's a more poetic film, though one I doubt I'll return to.

tm Does the QT 20 Part 10: Battle Royale

Hi friends! With this review tm is halfway through the Tarantino 20. Recently someone took very angry exception to a review here on the blog, and felt it deserved an angry in-store tirade, so a word or two about opinions...

Like the kids say, they're like assholes; everyone has one. The reviews are strictly the opinions of those who write them, not the store at large, and no one makes any claims to authority. I don't agree with some of them. Take tm's review of Battle Royale, below. I think it's better than he gives it credit for being, but here it is nonetheless. It's tm's opinion, which he is sharing. Ditto for my reviews. Accept them, or don't. If you don't, write why in the comments section if you'd like! There's no reason why you should take this blog more seriously than we do! The end. - CJB

Battle Royale (aka Batoru rowaiaru; dir. Kinji Fukasaku - 2000)

Of the list of 20 movies, this is the movie that Quentin singled out as being his favourite (the rest being tied for 2nd...or 20th, I guess). And in case anybody was wondering where he got the idea of deadly uniformed Japanese school kids from Kill Bill 1, this is probably where he got the idea...
Set in the near future, Japan enacted a law where the class of one school would be forced to engage in a 3-day long battle to the death on a remote island – if one person was alive at the end of it, that person is free to leave; if more than one was alive at the end of the contest, they’d all be killed. (The reasons for the Japanese parliament passing this law are a little wanting - At the dawn of the millennium, the nation collapsed. At fifteen percent unemployment, ten million were out of work. 800,000 students boycotted school. The adults lost confidence, and fearing the youth, eventually passed the Millennium Educational Reform Act... Not exactly compelling reasons for 40 kids to kill each other but whatever...)

And just to make things further interesting, there are two kids thrown in the mix that aren’t part of the class – one quickly establishes himself a psychopath. And everybody’s been fitted with necklaces that can explode. And a former teacher of the class (who left because a student stabbed him in the leg), played by Takeshi Kitano, who’s also in charge of the Japanese soldiers that are monitoring this event; he announces who’s died, what sectors of the island are off-limits, etc.

The movie focuses on two kids – a boyfriend/girlfriend who team up and try to find allies to figure out a way to survive; they find one group of kids who’s trying to hack into the soldier’s monitoring system, one group of girls camps out in a lighthouse (I was hoping for a pillow-fight but instead get a very QT close-quarter gunfight ending in a massacre), etc. Of course, these two are one of the last few left standing, and there are questions about what will happen since only one of them can survive...

This is basically a caged, high-octane version Lord of the Flies – some kids strike out on their own, some team up despite knowing that only one will survive, some have no trouble killing classmates, others are so racked with guilt that they commit suicide. At times the plot gets a little sketchy, the editing gets a little sloppy, and acting a little stiff (but, hey, they are teenagers), but it’s a pretty good action flick.

tm sez: 7/10