INTRO FOR A VIDEO GAME

Mangas and computer games can rarely be a decent material for a movie script and „Ghost in the shell” isn’t one of them, although it tries really hard to give us an explanation of the half robots-half men in the distant future.

Scarlett Johansson is there to attract the viewers, and the CGI is decently used. However, the script is kinda slow, while offering little explanation in this hugely stretched intro into a whole franchise.

„Ghost in the shell” is the material for a computer game/manga fans and not many more.

GHOST IN THE SHELL – 3/10

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DISCREET GENRE MASTER

Hirokazu Koreeda is the man of family drama. Period. Even when he doesn’t produce anything memorable, he still makes a really decent flick for the entire family.

Family is the word for Hirokazu and „After the storm” is no exception. Couple in the middle of the divorce, a child between them, a grandmother trying to patch the things and all that in the wake of another monsoon that ravages the Japanese islands for centuries.

There won’t be awesome memorable quotes or scenes, but the overall sense of warmth, human side of some difficult situations and choices and trademark solid acting of the cast selected will follow the overall strong creative control of the man who writes, directs and produces his films, Mr Hirokazu Koreeda.

„After the storm” is a solid family drama, as it is always when it comes from Hirokazu Koreeda.

AFTER THE STORM – 6/10

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MASTERCLASS IN DIRECTING

Quentin Tarantino is one of the five greatest American movie directors alive. Period. His raw talent was never too easy too hide and it simply bursts with the accumulated self confidence in his greatest hommage to kung-fu and Hong Kong movie creators, the „Kill Bill” saga.

The thing about Quentin that is so seductive is the fact he makes quality movie directing easily understandable to the average viewer. His use of camera lens, mix of short and long cuts, lighting and flashy colors will overwhelm even those who despise the fight genre he adores so much.

The story will be just one step away from parody, casting the trademark twisted dark humor and gore, as well as some great fighting scenes. The one in the japanese restaurant will just represent the masterclass in action directing.

Everything else, the great „B” list casting, acting and quality suundtrack will go along the path well lit by the man behind the camera.

„Kill Bill vol.1” is the best directed movie Tarantino made and one of the best directed movies on the turn of the centuries.

KILL BILL VOL.1 – 8/10

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MEL'S STILL GOT IT

Mel Gibson deviated from his star-spangled path on the turn of the centuries, but now shows some strong signs of recovery, lead by one of the most intriguing and fascinating war stories ever.

„Hacksaw ridge” will consist out of two clear parts. First one, deals with liberal and civic society aspects of the training of Desmond Doss (surprisingly solid Andrew Garfield), first pacifist US soldier in World War Two. Second one tells the true story about his exploits on top of Hacksaw ridge, one of the bloodiest battles that US Marines led with Japanese in the entire war. And it’s in that second part that all of Gibson’s gift for directing, cinematography and editing will kick in with all of its strength, creating some of the most vivid war action sequences in modern day Hollywood. Pathetic will step in as well, peaking towards the end, but the Australian just knows how to direct a patriotic and inspiring movie story.

„Hacksaw ridge” is hyper-pathetic, but memorably directed war flick.

HACKSAW RIDGE – 7/10

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POWERFUL MESSAGE

Japanese culture is deeply rooted into the nature and the bonds between the people and flora and fauna of the land of the rising sun is very strong.

„Princess Mononoke” brings us one of those ecological stories about the extinction of ancient animal Gods in the wake of industrial revolution in Japan. All of the possible characters will be present, from super heroes to samurai and all of them will be overshadowed by the Deer God and his strength. Script will be overplayed and periodically drowned into random and bizarre events, but that fact will not diminish the powerful message to the generation that will inherit the Earth after ours.

„Princess Mononoke” deals with an everlasting subject in a traditional Japanese way.

PRINCESS MONONOKE – 6/10

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TOO BIZARRE EVEN FOR JAPAN

Japanese folk traditional culture is somewhat unknown to the Westerners, so every trip inside it can cause a bit of a shock.

„Spirited away” is one of those hyper bizarre tales about and enchanted city that is being ruled by ghosts and where people are being used as livestock or labour force. Plethora of characters and randomness of the script will cause you to loose track of the plot very early inside the flick and not to pick it up even after this cartoon comes to an end.

„Spirited away” is too much, even for a die hard fan of Japanese animated movies.

SPIRITED AWAY – 2/10


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SHATTERING

Japanese animated flicks are nothing like the ones in the West, especially when it comes to the subject of their scripts. Devastating story about an orphan boy and his little sister and their struggle to survive US napalm-bombings and the starvation that follow it is one of the most heartbreaking in the history of cinema.

Graphic style is of the highest level, just as always when it comes to „Ghibli” studios, but the animated medium falls into backplan of the merciless story. Symbollism will be one of the most powerful ever, making your eyes wet throughout the entire course of this dramatic cartoon. And like in all great Asian movies, the end will be brutal, bearing a powerful message that these things can never happen again, while simoultaneously raising an epitaph to the entire generation of children that were burned in the furnace of war like the fireflies.

„Grave of the fireflies” is the most serious animated flick ever and one the best ones as well.

GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES – 8/10


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MAINSTREAM BIOPIC

Hayao Miyazaki is the visually most dominant Japanese anime author, and his reputation soldiers on in a biopic about one of the most famous airplane constructors between two world wars.

However, the storyline fails to follow impeckable graphic style with a too oflat lined story, which gives little or no surprises. Dreamworld in which the main character habitates and draws the inspiration for his constructions is just occasionally shadowed by the illness of his spouse and looming war predictions throughout the entire course of the movie.

„The wind rises” is just too „ordinary” for a Japanese animated flick.

THE WIND RISES – 4/10

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UNREAL, PATHETIC AND SPECTACULAR

Korean historical war movies tend to overact with pathetic patriotism and the story about one of the greatest naval victories in Second war with Japan in late 16^th century is one of those scripts.

Also, entire concept and strategy described will stay pretty much doubtful when it comes to the level of reality. Acting will be solid, led by reliable Choi Min-shik, while the show will be stolen by some really innovative action sequences and quality CGI.

„The Admiral” is a true spectacle, but also a one huge exaggeration of historical facts.

THE ADMIRAL – 4/10

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BANAL SOFT PORN

Chan Wook Park gave us some really powerful and quality movies in the past and his every next flick is the one being closely monitored. And so ist the story about the Korean con trying to hussle his way into a wealthy Japanese family with the help of his protege, a handmaid.

Besides deceit, love will form the second backbone of „The Handmaiden”, this time focusing on the emotional relationship between two women. Unfortunately, that lesbo moment will overtake the entire flick and almost completely diminish Park's trademark mystery twists.

„The handmaiden” is just too erotic and banal for a mystery movie.

THE HANDMAIDEN – 4/10

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BEST HOLOCAUST MOVIE EVER!

Little is known worldwide about one of the bloodiest conflicts of the 20th century, The Second Sino-Chinese war, that began in 1937 spanning all the way to 1945. During that war many fierce atrocities have been made by Japanese, amongst which the so called Nanking massacre ranks as one of the goriest.

Nanking was the capital of China and fell in to Japanese arms in 1937, resulting in thousands dead soldiers and civilians, as well as some 300.000 women raped. That’s right, 300 THOUSAND.

Young Chuan Lu directs his epic war drama masterpiece around those historical facts bringing us some of the creepiest, most brutal and heart stabbing individual stories behind the numbers of casualties. Camera is simply flawless, climaxing the massive scenes and wide angles as well as the effervescent focus exchange. Screenplay is the world for itself, bringing some of the most striking characters into the genre of war drama, a short but mighty Chinese soldier Lu (Buster Keaton like Ye Liu), unbelievably potent Sino-civilians Mr. Tang (Wei Fan) and Mrs. Jiang (Yuanyuan Gao), as well as the immortal male lead, Japanese soldier Kadokawa (Hideo Nakaizumi). Performances will be extraordinary, as well as the timeless lines overflowing from every major scene and twist in the story. The patriotism will be omnipresent, but so discreet and reduced to a symbolic level that you won’t even sense it. There will even be a place for some seed of hope. Tiny one, but undoubted.

Forget about „Schindler's list”, „Pianist” or even the „Son of Saul”.  Chinese „Nanjing! Nanjing!” (original title) is the ultimate war movie, war drama and holocaust drama!

„City of life and death” is one of those movies that you will be able to watch only once, but also one the flicks that you’ll remember for life. I’ll guarantee that.

CITY OF LIFE AND DEATH - 10/10

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TRUE JAPANESE, BUT SOMEWHAT EMPTY

Hirokazu Koreeda is a director and scriptwriter focused almost entirely on family relationships and when you hear he has a new title, you know it's going to be good, complicated and full of hope.

„Our little sister” will take you on a journey through both traditional, as well as the modern Japan, and will picture the entire society flawlessly. However, the story itself will not take you anywhere, besides some occasional laughs and not much more. Script about the young girl that decides to live with her three half-sisters after the death of the common father deserved a little more elaboration and conclusion.

„Our little sister” is a movie for hardcore lovers of Japanese culture and not many more.

OUR LITTLE SISTER - 4/10

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SLOW TO THE VERY END

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Modern Samurai flicks tend to go on steroids in the past couple of years, so ”13 assassins” is no exception.

Story is very clearly laid out, with the vicious young shogun terrorizing other samurais and their families, as well as the common folk in its centre. His behavior triggers 13 outcasts and honorable samurais to join their forces together on the road of revenge that will lead to the dead of merciless shogun.

Characters are typical, but only basically detailed, while the overall tempo is really slow. However, every single of the separated events at the end lead to a spectacularly overacted battle in one of the villages between 13 assassins and hundreds of shogun’s personal guards.

”13 assassins” is a pretty much empty slow tempo samurai flick with an spectacular ending.

13 ASSASSINS - 4/10

LAST MOVIE IN THE UNIVERSE TO SEE

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When you know that a movie script is based on a book written by Yukio Mishima, naturally you expect something different and special.

Thai-Japanese adaptation of ”Lizzard King” just fails in every aspect of the written word it was intended to depict. Non-existent course of action, totally confused characters and the overall pointlessness of the entire flick is something most of you won’t be able to bear. So, don’t.

”Last life in the universe” is basically the last movie in the universe you should see.

LAST LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE - 1/10

CLASSIC SAMURAI FLICK

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Samurai movies have a very rigid script. Honor, treason, reconciliation, major showdown at the end.

”The hidden blade” has all that, as well as the traditional Asian overacting. Brutality is also there, but only occasionally used to spice up the slow rhythm of the entire flick.

If you are a fan of samurai culture, this is a movie for you. If not, better to stay away.

THE HIDDEN BLADE - 5/10

QUALITY AND TIMELESNESS

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Japanese legends represent one of the major topics for their cinematography, but with variable success rate.

”Love and honor” is in its core basically an epic folk poem about the young samurai that turns blind after tasting poisonous food for the local shogun. His misfortunes that follow the accident are pretty much typical, including one of the major subjects of the traditional Japanese movie, adultery.

Overall rhythm is slow, but very intense, including the much expected catharsis of our hero that wins the hearts of everyone in the audience with his persistence and reverence. Camera is pretty much consistent, focusing on the wider shots. The end, is as always different from those that people from the West are used to.

”Love and honor” is one of the finest Japanese traditional tales ever to see the big screen and a warm recommendation for every true movie lover.

LOVE AND HONOR - 9/10

PLAIN AWFUL

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Serbian movie is the only thing with less quality than the Serbian football. All the disadvantages of the modern Serbian movie are quite obvious, even inside trilateral co-production with Korean and Japan.

Overacting, ridiculous lines of the naïve script, cheap backdrop of Belgrade and a pathetic story of a successful tenor coming parts with his life after the thyroid gland surgery is just unwatchable.

”Tenor” is a waste of your precious free time and your hard earned money and deserves none of your attention.

TENOR - 1/10