Reviews

Guessing from the title, Basic Instinct 2, I thought the film might be something hard to follow for those who hadn't seen the first one like myself. But, now, I believe it can stand solely and, despite its rating, R-something, could even be "educational" as revealing human lusts and danger of words spoken (or written) beautifully.

There is sexual depiction but I wonder performances of this high level with the good direction be labeled "strong sexuality, nudity" alone? Those scenes are carefully designed to have messages (or warnings, if educational people would prefer) get through. Also, language is set as if flaring in the stories of lies and deceit: beautiful.

The film shows the world made up with "all villains great and small" through footsteps of a novelist (Charon Stone, the supporting actress in Cat Woman). It is entertaining as well as artistic. It may be "just a fiction", but positively much less depressing (if not at all) than finding Mr. and Mrs. Goebbels of Nazi in the real world. And if lucky, some might even expect a Cat Woman to live and fight for the better world!

Ashita no Kikoku or "remembering for tomorrow" features a man who is diagnosed as having Alzheimer's Disease. Ken Watanabe who has costarred Last Samurai play this man with considerable talent and good physical expression, which might help the non- Japanese audience understand better about the patient. His memory and thoughts go back and forth stirring up the present, while the scenes follow this condition. Pictures are kept above all stylish and the mountainous setting is to appeal mysterious functioning of our memories ("Kioku" in Japanese) .

This man called Mr. Saeki is far from a good family man; he used to be workaholic deserting family for his company business. This is understandable because he works for a major Japanese firm in Tokyo; the film does not take up this issue but strictly focuses on the development of the Disease.

Mrs. Saeki does not bring any social issues to screen, either. She is described as a woman who lives with her memories of loving her husband. By only trying to keep the family together, she might have avoided other hardship ever since they married.

Over all, this movie is a love story within a happy married couple. There are no adventure, no heroic actions, no powerful social message involved in this film, but every scene is carefully chosen and often "speaks" without words. It would show much more up- to-date image on Japanese middle class life than any costly government-endorsed tourism campaign videos and movies.

I saw this film for the first time, not having ever seen the 1968 movie, nor ever been able to frequent theatrical shows. It was therefore an exciting experience to see the highly reputed theater piece performed by stage actors alongside screen actors; then I allow myself falling in love with motion pictures (and screen actors) again rather than lamenting a life without chance to be a theatergoer.

Dialogues are funny and "deeply" cynical, spoken just they should be; but I felt they were often upstaged as every small role is played by enough eye-catching entertainer to weaken the charm of words. The Central Park fountain eruption following the scene of the successful-fiasco-seeking "producer" calling God, "old friend", seemed quite modest, playing rather good "supporting" role.

It is hard to dislike this musical, after all. The song, "I Want to be a Producer" is sweetly sung like a touching love song; I wonder this soft singing voice existed in the original 1968 film? Also, Ulla's flaring blue dress is a delight to capture in view while she elegantly moves. Most of all, now I really wish to see the full stage of the Franz Liebkind's "Spring Time for Führer" or a furor play!

The film brings the true "enemy" in a rural closed society to screen. The "enemy" that a mother (Charlize Theron) fights against is ordinary people, male or female, who would live and act not following their own conscience but what they are "supposed to do". Those, particularly male, folks are "played" amazingly well in this drama allowing the audience to understand what everyone might have been doing somehow in daily life, if were put in the situation.

Even if the court room scenes are far from reality, it shows an important aspect; the meek attitude in accordance with "what am I supposed to do?" is often what is the hardest to be changed. It can be changed only with certain type of strong, even silly kind of, mental pressure.

Having actually witnessed some similar situations, I see the mother's "victory" as making difficult change happen in the minds of her parents', friends', and people's around. Also, what is truly "great" about America may be symbolized in this case where a powerless woman makes a law.

I have just seen this film and known it was not a "joke"; it had sounded to me like a joke that the actors and actresses born and grown up in non-English speaking world perform a drama for silver screen in English. In fact, the hardest part of the movie was words or dialogs, not all because of accent but more seriously of terms. Those terms came from the class society with polygamy, poverty, and of course rich sophistication, of a long and dark tradition. I wonder, unless being a serious pupil majoring Japan study, how much the ordinary audience could follow them to merely understand a story line?

Quality of pictures, music, research, and performances are something worth and compensate well enough for what speeches fail. I think the film as a brave trial, but at the same time it's easy to imagine many people, having been unable to capture the plot outline, would get much frustrated and want the ticket money back.

True, the film is a failure both as a weighty drama and an entertainment; it does not reveal a true villain of the society, nor render some big "hurray" to the viewers. But it could be a good and necessary failure to lead a better "failure", in other word, a success. I have never rated a movie but this film might not be extremely worse than The Passion of the Christ (2004).

In February 2002, I happened to be in London and read an article titled "Hitler's secretary in his final hours dies just days after publishing her memoirs." (The Independent, Thursday 14 February 2002, page 16) Now, I watched the film and it has given me satisfaction like finding a key piece in a jigsaw puzzle; that important fragment is women, married, unmarried, and mother.

Not being particularly a fan of war movies, I had been quite reluctant about viewing this film, but now I believe, within my limited experience, this is the one that women should see or be encouraged to see. Many battle movies may feature females as a kind of symbol of love, peace, and victory, but in reality women do fulfill a big function making a driving force to create and support a great evil, villain, or monster. Japan does have such women as well and what nations in human history don't? Their story are usually untold as they come from good quality valued highly in society.

This work projects calm but strong light on a hidden part with unruffled and delicate pictures. I also think actors and actresses (Corinna Harfouch, in special) perform excellent for difficult roles.

This film featuring the final year of artist Modigliani's may look but a melodrama; however, I rather appreciate its motif on deaths, natural and suicidal, hidden under a simply dramatic story of love and art.

The meaning of success and living as a loser make only obvious part of the plot and the director's view about the painter's contradictory inside is clearly shown. Actors and actresses play beautifully in harmony as if creating another picture work.

The artist lives in a world ordinary people would not share. But the movie, revealing his lover's family and social background then, might question the audience what sacrificial life and death would be like and why it had to end in tragedy.

I do not read comics and know nothing about them. But when possible, I try to watch action fantasies starring women as a fighter or worrier as well as men. That's why I picked this flick at the cinema.

Surprisingly, there are a few lines and words spoken in Japanese, that was a bit "treat", because action movies usually use very limited scripts, therefore they should be selective to express meanings to the images.

This film would have given birth to, not one, but two beautiful assassins if only their enemy was analyzed deeper and described better. The villain in the film was as vain and null as sugarless cotton candy topped with strange artificial colorings. One enemy, Typhoid, did slightly better in the concept where a woman can bring death to a life via her charm, but she didn't look playing a role of any importance; she was there like a meaningless decoration. If girl heroes in a fantasy must fight and kill, I'd wish they slay what is worth; I would hope they battle and butcher a "monster", not a bunch of sword opera dancers.

With the use of foreign vocabulary, one could imagine such tangible enemies found in Asia and other parts of the world as human trafficking, child slavery, sex trade, power thirsty empresses or vicious tyrants. But this heroin was driven to fight by her fearsome past so her enemy might be just a smoky illusion. Over all the film was a stylish martial ballet, no less, alas! no more.

I have seen the movie three times at the cinema, partly because it shows the world and children's language I have otherwise no chance to see and hear. I also took girls whom then I taught to watch it at the theater.

My experience of viewing films is not long and I have no knowledge to judge about acting; but knowing some reality about teaching, I believe coach Conor O'Neill (Keanu Reeves) is just as bad as most real teachers are. One mustn't forget,"Those who can -- do. Those who can't -- teach." What makes difference about teachers is, in many cases, pupils' collective quality and school budget.

While teaching, I noticed kids tended to understand and amuse themselves with such SF fantasies as The Matrix which I hardly understood. If The Matrix star would make a picture together by playing baseball, how children would be delighted! This film tells simply a dream for anyone holding a teaching position. But at the same time, I am sure those little movie stars who "worked" for this flick enjoyed the experience and had an unforgettable time. Imagining their smiles (and tears), I was happy to buy the cinema tickets even for that!

I am 50 years old later this year (2005) and still fond of this film which many critics say targets preteen audience. Little children can spot cool things in it, but probably with age the eyesight may get weaker; in fact, my most favorite scene in this movie is not a "scene" but the sound it contains.

Stripes is gifted in running but naturally fears of being captured in a small cage-like box called "gate" with horrible noise, frightening cameras, and a shower of abusive language all around. Then, with the good trainer and lots of love from friends and family, the zebra learns to listen to something faintest of all, a sound like calling voice from afar, deep beyond the noisy surroundings. At this moment, actually winning at the Kentucky Open or not, Stripes has won his race.

I read a review saying it goes enough with video and is not worth traveling to the theaters. I honestly do not know if this faint distant melody of mysterious force would reach one's ears if it runs in a living room on a video machine while someone is doing dishes.

I was shocked to know this film had attracted so many bad reviews and wanted to comment as a fan who watches movies outside of their original world. I appreciate the film for the following reasons:

1. words are not spoken by "cowboy" accent (N.B. I think strong American accent is charming, too, but surely not for this type of story)

2. the film shows how some failure "towers over other men's successes" and makes us realize about value and truth of lives

3. it contains universal appeal or questions and features variety of peoples