Fiction Movie Reviews

Wow. That's all I can say when I saw this film. Originally recommended by one of my fellow students at my Iai-jutsu class, I rented this movie, and it instantly became one of my favorites. Unlike many martial arts movies, it avoids taking itself too seriously, therefore avoiding many downfalls that are common with 'americanized' martial arts movies. It is, in fact, what I would classify as a comedy. Nevertheless, it is surprisingly historically accurate, and the martial arts demonstrated are much closer to traditional study than anything I've seen in any other martial arts movie, period. Definitely worth seeing!

This is more of a lighthearted tribute to samurai movies of the past (like the Samurai and Zatoichi series, etc...), than a parody. Although some of the humor has a greater effect with some knowledge of cultural and samurai movie stereotypes, I think, in general, it comes off fairly well even without getting references. Some people might be put-off by percieved stylistic excess, but I found it not to be distracting (especially the framing and general quality of the visuals, which were fantastic), and some of it to even have a humorous quality (as with the characters, it intentionally elaborates upon the stylistic quirks found in samurai movies). The story and performances are very warm... I havn't seen many movies where the actors seem to be enjoying making the movie as much as in Samurai Fiction... the story, too, (as cliche-derived as the rest of the movie), radiates the fun warmpth that helps make the movie so enjoyable.

Samurai Fiction isn't without its faults, but, being one of the most enjoyable movies I've seen in the last few years, I decided it's worthy of five stars (It's also vastly superior to some movies I have or would have given four stars...). A very recommended purchase, as well... I myself have watched SF three times, with no plans for stopping (it's a great pick-me-up).

Also check out the same director's 'Stereo Future' (no region 1 dvd atm), which is about as enjoyable. (ps. Nakano's other feature, AkaKage/Red Shadow is somewhat similar to SamuraiFiction, ninja in lieu of samurai, especially stylistically (though it's a bit more sad), is not such a good movie (maybe 2 or 3 stars) but also worth seeing if you liked the SFs.

I have always been intrigued by the Japanese samurai movie, but rarely satisfied by it. Even "Seven Samurai" I found to be off-putting and at times almost impossible to watch, that screechy ingénue for instance. And, for me, of all the actors in it, only Mifune registered. It was in equal parts a relief and an embarrassment when he showed up on screen Then there was the "47 Ronin" or was it 48 or 49? I'm not sure. That was total and unrelieved excruciation, almost. In that one, it was the ingénue who provided the relief as the grief stricken fiancé of the youngest ronin, determined to prove herself worthier in self sacrifice than all of them. The power of that performance made me sorry that the whole movie hadn't centered around her rather than the dry, dull and boringly self satisfied ronin.

When I found the dvd of "Samurai Fiction" at Blockbuster, I was wary. But, always hopeful, I rented it anyway. I watched the trailer first and was appalled. It described the movie as hilariously funny. The footage shown was not particularly hilarious. I steeled myself for another disappointment and clicked on play and found enchantment It is not hilarious, at least not to my western sensibility but it is light and humorous, accessible and at times humanly moving. The action and the swordplay is clean and uncluttered and still exciting.

It is a very self aware send up of a genre. But there is nothing smarmy or smirky about it nor is it overly reverential. In fact, it is perfect in tone and in all its performances. It has a certain amount of cleverness going for it, the black and white photography interspersed with flashes of red at intense moments, the musical score which uses rock and roll and even in one funny and sublime moment the music of Steven Foster. But what really sustains it and makes it all work is its warmth and real affection for the characters and the genre. It is a remarkable movie and a remarkable experience. At last, a samurai movie I can really enjoy.

This DVD has amazing action scenes in it. Wow not to mention cute guys hehe

The new Matrix DVD is reloaded with awesome bonus features and cool new scenes! The Matrix is the coolest action film ever!!!!!

if u did not own matrix dvd, get this boxset. for me, it is worth every single cent. the movie itself is also highly watchable although the story might be a bit blur. but sound and picture quality is great!!

I read somewhere that 2001 is the perfect blend of music and imagery, and its true, this film is beautiful. Its intelligent plot is deep and thought provoking. It reminds me of the classic silent films of the 1920's. This is the most realistic film about space travel ever made. Highly recommended to lovers of Kubric, silent film, and sci-fi!

I can't believe the number of MTV generation viewers who rate this movie low because they don't have the patience, intellectual curiosity or attention span to watch this film. Man, I remember between glued to the set when I first watched 2001, and I was 10 years old! I'm also amazed at how many people clamor for a neat and tidy hollywood ending. I think one of the legacy of 2001 is its sobriety: not everything is answered or should be; gorgeous camera angles and the brilliant stroke of making space so utterly silent. Instead of filling the screen with lasers and music and nonsensical violence, Kubrick lets our minds travel and our brains work. I recommend the novel, as well.

Talk about being blown away! This film about a journey into another realm of thought and time is a one of a kind masterpiece. There are so many special effects and visually stunning scenes that at times it seems that actors aren't necessary, but Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood are effective as two astronauts traveling to Jupiter with a complex and disturbed computer called HAL. Director Stanley Kubrick here fashioned a profound and deeply moving meditation on the meaning of the universe, a film which lifted the science-fiction genre to a new level of complexity. The innovative special effects by Douglas Trumball won an Academy Award and are still quite dazzling today. Kubrick received an Academy Award nomination as best director for this film, and Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke both received nominations for their screenplay. Haunting.

I know most of the published reviews said the directors cut was better than the original, but I beg to differ. If I hadn't seen the original, I would have been much more lost about what was going on in the diretors cut. I liked the "corny" voice overs that other reviewers complained about, which DID help you understand what was going on better. I also liked the "happy ending" from the original. It was such a dark movie otherwise, I thought the happy ending gave hope about the future instead of the more pessemistic view of the directors cut version. I thought the unicorn scene from the directors cut added absolutely nothing to the original story, I didn't see the point of putting it in there. If something isn't broken, don't fix it.

John,

Goleta, ca

The movie bares hardly any resemblance to the book on which it's supposed to be based upon, which is not too bad, because I didn't like the book ("Do androids dream of electric sheep?").
Also, I saw the director's cut when it came on the screen and I like the studio's cut better. Once you see "Blade Runner" and naturally admire the director's achievement, it's tempting to take his side on this issue and on any other he likes, but this is what I felt after having seen both versions. The unicorn scene is a lovely piece of visual poetry, but it adds nothing to the film. It just seems out of place and de trop.
Harrison Ford's narration did add a great deal, though, and it's a waste to see the movie without it. I don't care if Harrison tried to botch it up: the jaded, tough Phillip Marlowe rendition works. In Humphrey Bogart's detective movies (my all time absolute favorite actor) you can see how the two characters share the same tough but secretely vulnerable personna. There's even a scene when Ford pretends he's a nerdy, sexually neutered jerk to get informations, that makes me wonder if it might not have been inspired by a scene from "The Big Sleep" - a twist, by the way, that was invented by Bogart himself.
I think here one sees Harrison Ford at his best. I'm sorry to see his acting skills deteriorating more and more with age, and it adds to the melancholic experience of watching this film to know that he's never been in such a great movie, or ever acted that wonderfully again, except in "Frenetic", by Roman Polanski.
Another spoiler was an interview with Sean Young that I once read, where she denounced how badly she and Harrison Ford got along on the set. The love scene, that I always thought was so electrifying, does nothing for me now, thanks to her. She said Harrison actually did throw her violently against the window for real, and that those tears one sees her cry aren't the tears of the cracks in her character's armor showing, but of her real and actual physical pain.
Nevertheless, it's still a mind-blowing experience. I'm not objective enough about this work to be able to tell if it's dated or not - I hope it isn't. I suppose one could say "Casablanca"'s dated, but it's beyond that thanks to its timeless quality. The same, I hope, could be said of this work.
The beauty of the movie (the sets, the clothes, the lighting, the make-up, the music by Vangelis of course) is unbeatable.
There are so many details I love about it: the city, the geisha add, Sean Young's entrance, Harrison Ford's character remembering how his wife used to call him sushi (cold fish), Daryl Hannah's acrobatics and eye make-up, Rutger Hauer's coolness, the hunger for life only the dying can experience, its slick dirtiness and tragedy.

The true test of a classic, as everyone knows, is how it survives the passage of time. Blade Runner is a classic. It is as stunning a film today as it was when released more than twenty years ago. Those who think the plot is too slow and the acting subpar are those raised on a diet of explosions and mayhems every two point five minutes in any given movie in order to sustain their interest. Ridley Scott is a master of the mise-en-scene. The "slow pace" serves to heighten the suspense just as it did in the first "Alien," and the theme of the modern man losing his humanity is as appropos today as ever. There has been enough written about the set design and the music that I don't need to repeat the obvious. The only disappointment with this DVD is the picture quality and the lack of bonus materials, both of which, rumor has it, will be remedied in a three disc set to be released some time next year.
Let's hope it will do this film full justice.