Reviews

from Danny Boyle, though i wasn't expecting a masterpiece, i was at least expecting a well-made and enjoyably above average genre film. i mean, trainspotting, shallow grave, and 28 days are perfect examples of what i'm talking about. none of them are what i'd call "great" films, but they all in their own way approach greatness. the 1st two thirds of sunshine, while not necessarily spectacular, are enough of a success to keep you believing that Danny Boyle has produced yet another clever and highly enjoyable film. sadly, the last 3rd descends so far into genre cliché that it makes the film pretty much a total failure. if a movie has a rough beginning yet ends well i could recommend it; but too many sci-fi and horror films these days start off with promise only to become insultingly stupid. don't waste your time.

I decided to watch this film because I love Cary Grant and eventually I want to see every film he made. Unfortunately, this one isn't even nearly one of his best. Far too much of the humor relies on the audience buying into those wonderful 1950's female stereotypes. I mean, we have female army officers, nurses, acting like silly little girls. It's quite revolting. In other words, far from being a classic, the film feels like an unintelligent, unenlightened piece of pop trash. Compare this to another Cary Grant film that came out the same year, North by Northwest; or Tony Curtis's Some Like it Hot which also came out in 1959. On an intellectual and artistic level, Operation Petticoat doesn't begin to come close.

i've been waiting a while to see this. i've caught parts of it here and there over the years and finally got the chance to see it last night on TCM. bleh. something just never clicked; in fact, I cut it off a little after the halfway point out of boredom. this is one of the few movies with peck where he just seems totally out of place, like he's never quite sure what kind of movie he's in. loren is fine, but the main villain is absurd. he looks like peter sellers doing kissinger in strangelove. the villains and action are too cartoonish for you to feel that there is actually any threat, thus the dramatic elements don't work either. just feels like a mess that never quite hits its mark.

3 0f 10

After being blown away by Audition I thought I'd better get more acquainted with Miike. After reading reviews and reader comments I decided to go back a little and start with Fudoh. In short, I can't believe this movie was made by the same director as Audition. There's no need to go into details of the film really given all the other reviews, just suffice it to say, if you're expecting Audition quality material, forget it. If you're looking for the Japanese equivalent of a straight to video b-movie action pic, with a script that occasionally flirts with intelligence, you might like it. I didn't.

4 of 10

what obviously could have been a decent movie got hacked into a pretty lame waste of your time. sadly, even though the film boasts the talents of james spader and angela bassett (who is just too sexy for words), this film makes one of the critical error that so many other "sci-fi" films makes these days, it believes that the action sequences are the most important part of the film. Walter Hill apparently abandoned his post as director of the film, over what i'm not sure, but the pasted together remains speak for themselves. the screen presences of spader and bassett, nor a shirtless robin tunney and decent special effects aren't enough to distract you from the feeling that you're having your brain sucked out through your eyes. though, it's not completely unwatchable, just have a movie you know is good to watch after this one because it will leave unsatisfied.

after reading many of the reviews i want to make the comment that i think movies like jin-roh should be judged as films and not just within the confines of the genre of anime. anime isn't really a genre, it's a type of film, but it's still a film and there's no reason why you wouldn't compare those elements that it shares in common with other films. i watched this film because i read so many excellent reviews for it; however, it's now clear that most of the reviews i read were looking at the film from a very narrow point of view. i'm not saying that i thought jin-roh was bad, it just wasn't very good. i have no problem with slow pacing or oblique narratives, it's just that, in the end, all this needs to add up to something. it wasn't that i was confused as to what was going on or unsure what characters were feeling etc., it's just that i didn't care. although the filmakers successfully engaged my emotions in the beginning, before long i was feeling as numb as the brooding hero, and by the end i was just thinking, "god, just get it over with."

more often silly than sinister, more of a curiosity than a classic. some very nice sets and moments where elements actually coalesce into something interesting, but i'd have to say this is not one of price's better films. made ten years after corman's poe adaptations, and even several years after rosemary's baby, this film lacks any real sophistication and intelligence. the plot often plods, and certain scenes just fail completely, yet the film has it's moments, just too few to make it really worth the investment of time to watch it. unless, of course, you are one of the many people that like their horror films to be a bit schlocky, in that case you might like it. not really my taste, hence 4 out of 10 stars.