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Reviews
Hokuto no Ken (1984)
Dystopian Masterwork
Don't get me wrong, this manga production is seriously flawed in places. As most would point out, it is excessively gory. Heads pop and people explode, frequently. The plot, basically about a guy searching for his kidknapped girlfriend, in a post nuclear war ravaged planet, is kinda weak. The japanese humour may also annoy the less tolerant viewer but, and this is an important one- the excellency of this anime story is its perfect atmospherics and ambience. Forget the over-hyped Akira, (though it was much more stylish). FOTNS is a triumph for its desolate tone, and great portrayl of post-apocalyptic isolation.
Mute Witness (1995)
russian rollercoaster
In today's world of advertising and teenage horror and sensationalism it is very rare that one gets to see a movie and no nothing about it. Movies like Psycho and Blair Witch, while being great in suspense (both with great build ups) are spoiled by the fact that we know all about the best scenes and at least the plot before we see them. With Mute Witness, a rare treat, I stumbled upon this film and watched it, scared witless, in the middle of the night. I was scared by the menacing Russian ambience, the 'snuff' theme and the claustrophobic plight of the mute and the fact that the (amusing, which always leads to likeable) characters could meet the end at any second. Since this is a low budget and rare film we watch it without any expectations. It also has Fay Ripley in a rare movie role, watch and prepare to be excited, scared and thrilled in totally unexpected ways.
The Opposite of Sex (1998)
Good film-GREAT actress
(SPOILER).This has to be the funniest movie in a long time that I have seen. And the thing that makes it so funny is the one and only Lisa Kudrow. She get's all the best lines and uses them like dynamite. She and her character manage to keep the balance in a film that is very orientated towards Ricci's character.Also, Lisa's performance really struck a note with me and managed to make her character endearing, wise and funny. Some would say annoying but I cant since Lisa's acting got to me so much. The line 'how does anyone get so bitter'- 'observation' is a complete knockout and I know this because I totally related to her character.How anyone can watch this movie and not be amazed by her versatility is beyond me. I also loved this movie because the great dialogue and subtle acting (especially from Lucia and Bill) kept me up to date. There was a real interaction between all the characters. (SPOILER) The overtly sentimental ending and irony was the icing on the cake.