From Mamoru Oshii comes the masterpiece of Ghost in the Shell. A cyberpunk anime about a cyborg, Motoko Kusanagi, in a special police unit. Ghost in the Shell does what few movies can, it weaves complex characters into a story where no dialogue is pointless and no image is wasted. While the Characters are from a manga, Mamoru Oshii created the film from his mind's eye and is not simply recreating the manga through film. The thematic material is mainly existentialism and evolution, however Oshii dabbles (as he usually does) in religion. Ghost in the Shell is a film that requires multiple viewings to truly be appreciated because of its subtle characters and fairly complicated story. Watching it once is hardly enough. It should also be noted that Ghost in the Shell has influenced an array of directors and films, most notably The Matrix.
Reviews
5 Reviews
Six-String Samurai
(1998)
Six-String Samurai
5 March 2010
The comical tale of a wandering warrior in the post-apocalyptic world of Nevada. While not an extremely deep film the rock and roll falls nicely in place with the martial arts making a surprisingly good action comedy. A lot of influence from Akira Kurosawa and Chinese action which surprised me the first time I saw this American film. The acting is fresh and fits nicely with the overall tone. Altogether Six-String Samurai accomplishes more than the average action and sticks out among the throng of post-apocalyptic movies. It has some beautiful images too. Six-String Samurai is worth watching for anybody looking for a fresh comical approach to Chinese/Japanese style martial arts.
Police Story
(1985)
One of the most important Jackie Chan film
27 April 2009
Police Story is one of Jackie Chan's classic films that helped shape the Hong Kong cinema. It is a masterpiece that should not be missed by any action movie fan. From the beginning it is obvious that Jackie Chan's stunt team literally risked their live to make this film. Both the action and the stunts are extremely realistic and innovative. Even today, no movie has outdone police story in dangerous stunts. Many people were hospitalized in Police Story including Jackie Chan. The fighting is not as indisputably exceptional as the stunts but the fighting in this movie helped change and define Jackie Chan's use of props. Throughout the film Chan uses odd object to stop attackers and is constantly throwing assailants through thick glass. The action feels real because the stuntmen are giving the movie all they have to give and Jackie Chan's coordination is outstanding.
The rest of the aspects of the film are not without flaws but they will not disappoint any action fan. Chan not only plays a believable risk taking cop but shows the powerful changes that his character goes through as he falls into escalating desperation. The plot is powerful but a modern viewer may find it tedious at times. While the comedy will provide a good number of laughs it does not always distract the audience from the lack of action. However, for the time period it was made in, the driving aspects of the plot are entertaining. There a good number of interesting and well played characters dispersed throughout the film as well.
Overall police story is without a doubt one of the best action movies ever made. And even in Hollywood the influences of this one film are not to be ignored.
The rest of the aspects of the film are not without flaws but they will not disappoint any action fan. Chan not only plays a believable risk taking cop but shows the powerful changes that his character goes through as he falls into escalating desperation. The plot is powerful but a modern viewer may find it tedious at times. While the comedy will provide a good number of laughs it does not always distract the audience from the lack of action. However, for the time period it was made in, the driving aspects of the plot are entertaining. There a good number of interesting and well played characters dispersed throughout the film as well.
Overall police story is without a doubt one of the best action movies ever made. And even in Hollywood the influences of this one film are not to be ignored.
The 36th Chamber of Shaolin
(1978)
The 36th Chamber of Shaolin is a very good but not perfect 1978 martial arts movie
25 October 2008
In this review I will compare The 36th Chamber of Shaolin to Drunken Master which was made in the same year. I gave The 36h Chamber of Shaolin a 9 out of 10 because of one main problem: The fights were not that good. Drunken Master had fast, exciting, energetic fights that were extremely good. However The 36h Chamber of Shaolin had slower less interesting fights so as a martial arts movie I do not think it deserved a 10 out of 10. However there are many things that The 36h Chamber of Shaolin did very well and that is why it received a 9 out of 10. Firstly I thought that Chia Hui Liu (Gordon Liu) played his part very well. At the end he is a great bad ass monk. It was a very linear and clear story. Which is both good and bad but I think that the way Gordon plays it is great. The viewer really feels and understands what is going on. Secondly the training segments are good making us believe that San Te really is training and learning to become the great junior monk he becomes. And finally the quality of the movie is good making it a easy watch.
So in the end it is a very good martial arts movie with a lot of good aspects. However the action is not perfect so a viewer should be slightly wary.
So in the end it is a very good martial arts movie with a lot of good aspects. However the action is not perfect so a viewer should be slightly wary.
Gungrave
(2003–2004)
An Anime that Reflects the Main Character
24 October 2008
Gungrave is a brilliant anime. The construction of the story, the characters, and the motifs/themes are all outstanding. When I watched this anime I was addicted after the 3rd episode because of the story and characters. The anime plays like a revenge tragedy, a Doctor Faustus of sorts. Except the way the story is told is all jumbled up which reflects back on the mind of the character Beyond the Grave. The entire anime reflects the mind of Beyond the Grave and in the end we understand and know who he is even if his actions sometimes confuse us. By doing this we see the past that lead Beyond the Grave to revenge in the same way that he remembers the past. We learn with Beyond the Grave what cause The Organization to become corrupt. And the evolution of the human psych drives us to watch further and deeper understand the relationship between the characters. These characters raise questions, motifs, and themes that make the viewer realize that The Organization is more complicated than the mafia may have first looked. Motivation for sins, for betrayal, and loyalty are core concepts in this anime and by the end there will be more questions than answers. But the anime closes as nicely as it unraveled with the story clear but the implications of the story sticking with the viewer long after it is over.
So far all of that is outstanding but the anime does falter in the actual animation. There are times where the animation feels forced or awkward. That being said it hardly takes away from the experience and will probably be only a slight annoyance in the beginning
Overall I gave Gungrave a 10/10 because all together the simplicity and precision of the anime overall the slight imperfections.
So far all of that is outstanding but the anime does falter in the actual animation. There are times where the animation feels forced or awkward. That being said it hardly takes away from the experience and will probably be only a slight annoyance in the beginning
Overall I gave Gungrave a 10/10 because all together the simplicity and precision of the anime overall the slight imperfections.
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