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Reviews
Waiting for Guffman (1996)
great comments
just a short remark to say that some of these other user comments are as hilarious as the movie itself. In this year and age some people still don´t get the joke, funny, eh?? I just watched "Best in Show" and it´s up there with Guffman and "Lick My Love pump".
Ringu (1998)
Japan rules once again
I have just watched Ringu and the sequel at the annual night film festival here in my home town of Copenhagen and what at treat! The first film is by far the better although the sequel isn´t bad either, it just can´t compare with the first one.
The outline of the film has been told several times in other user comments, so I would just like to point out a few details I found interesting.
The Ringu saga integrates modern and ancient myths to combine the background for the tragic and horrible story it tells. For many this integration of modern and ancient constitutes a key to the understanding of the Japanese.
It is interesting the way the writers have expanded the universe of the story as we go into the second chapter. I haven´t read the novel so unfortunately I´m unaware if the author dealt with the topics told in Ringu2.
But the force of this film is the continuation from the point where Ringu ended. (An ending that has to be seen, to be believed!) To compensate for this Ringu2 opens with a psychological shock, when we are told about the plight of the poor Sadako in the well.
So we pick up where we left the antagonists of the first film, but cleverly the film takes focus on fresh characters. These are introduced in Ringu but left at the periphery of the story. Therefore the theme of the ring, of inevitability becomes stronger as they are dragged into the flux of things in the second chapter. The main characters of the first chapter still play an important role because they make up an integral part of the background story.
The focus on the ancient myth building is a welcome insight into the old ways of Japan, as we visit the underwater cave in Ringu2, where the unwanted new born are left for the tide . It becomes clear that the birth of Sadako is the main catalyst of the story; Just the first of many horrible events to occur. However we are still left to ponder the identity of Sadako´s father, which is hinted at in Ringu but downplayed somewhat in R2.
That´s all for me folks, I hope you enjoyed my ramblings. I´ll end with suggesting that you CATCH THESE MOVIES IF YOU HAVE THE CHANCE!!
Ôdishon (1999)
lots of surprises
This one of the movies you have to see if you´re a true movie buff!
I had no preconception of the story, and the way it turns and twists is one of the reasons I am a fan of Japanese film. Sure it has unpleasant scenes but they work in context with some of the dreamlike moods making an even flow in the storyline .
If you have the chance, be sure you also catch the movie "Raigyo" by Zeze, you won´t be disappointed!
Ugetsu monogatari (1953)
black and white poetry
This is a fine piece of Japanese filmmaking and I recommend it to everyone. It is filled with haunting moments and told in a pace modern filmmakers seldom use. I especially like the part during which one of the heroes has an affair with a beautiful noble lady who turns out to be not quite what we expect. Upon discovering this he decides to return to his wife and son. As he returns to his home at first it seems deserted but the camera pans around the room and now we see his wife sitting by the fireplace. A brilliant technical move making the scene a truly melancholic moment. The hero goes to sleep satisfied that everything is as it´s supposed to be, but awakens to a surprise.