My Summer With Zatoichi: The Tale of Zatoichi (01)

Around the holiday season of last year, the renowned Criterion Collection released the Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman 25 film box set as their big release for the year. If you are anything like me, then you probably have no idea who or what Zatoichi is and why it has 25 movies dedicated to it. To give you a quick summary, which the title gives away, Zatoichi is a blind masseur who is also one of the most skilled swordsman in the world. All 25 films follow the character in feudal Japan, the time of samurai and swords. What makes this character and these films special is that out of the 27 films made starring Zatoichi, he's been played by the same actor Shintaro Katsu in 25 of them, all of which are featured in this box set.

I got this box set at Christmas last year and as of late have only seen eight of he films. My goal is to watch all of the films by the end of the Summer! I'll update this series as often as I can, but I will make sure to finish this summer assignment.

To begin with, let's talk about the first film in the series, the one that started it all. This is my review of...

PLOT
During his travels, Zatoichi ends up in a small village who's local Yakuza (Mafia) gang is on the verge of war with a rival clan. He is hired by this village's Yakuza to fight for them, but tensions rise when Zatoichi unknowingly befriends the Samurai from the rival clan.


   The Tale Of Zatoichi is a very quiet film with very few action scenes. The film is more focused on the characters and the melodramatic plot lines, which I was not expecting the first time I saw the movie. In fact, what action scenes there are, they are very unimpressive with the tension coming from the situations surrounding the action rather then the action itself. Don't take this as a bad thing though, because this film's strength lies in character and slow beauty.

   What truly carries this film is Zatoichi himself. He's not your usual suave, skilled action hero; Zatoichi is clumsy, humble, and unassuming. When he first meet him, he's slowly walking along the countryside, having to take cautious and large steps. This unassuming nature makes Zatoichi all the more interesting when he see how much charisma and skill with a sword he has. This was Shintaro Katsu's first time playing the character, but already he owns it. What emotion he can't get across in his eyes (which are closed 90% of the time), he easily gets across in his face and dialogue. Katsu, and Zatoichi in turn, is just charming and instantly likeable. We like this character just 10 minutes into the film when he tricks a bunch a gamblers out of their money in a clever and funny way. Even when the situations get dire, Zatoichi knows when to make the audience smile. He's a somewhat tragic character, being a swordsman who doesn't want to kill but must in order to survive as a mercenary. The only reason he even began to train with the sword was to show smug and disrespectful people that he was more then just a sad blind man. Ichi is easy sympathize with, even when the audience knows that his blindness does little to hinder him.

   Beyond Zatoichi, the movie itself has a quiet beauty to it. Many Japanese films of this era have a similar feel, and the cinematography is only exemplified by the Blu-ray (and even DVD) transfer. While a large portion of the film takes place indoors, we still get many shots of the outside and nature itself. There's also very little use of music in the movie, with most of the soundtrack comprising of the background noise of the world. People meandering, birds chirping, life itself is the music of this film. While there is music, it only comes in to further drive to point home of many dramatic and important scenes.

  As a whole, the film is essentially a Japanese soap opera. There are many cliches, a lot of overacting, and few surprises. Many plot lines you can figure out how they end the second they begin. The only other stories I became interested in all involved the enemy village's samurai and his friendship with Ichi. The samurai is named Hirate (played by Shigeru Amachi) and he's just as sympathetic as Ichi. They also do seem like actual friends, and when that friendship is tested it does hurt a bit and gets you invested. Without this aspect, the movie would be much slower and less fun.

While a but dated and slow, The Tale of Zatoichi is a good if not great film that easily shows why this character became so popular. Shintaro Katsu is owns this role and keeps the movie entertaining throughout. The cinematography and quiet mood give the film a sense of beauty that just isn't seen today. Overall, The Tale of Zatocihi is a small, quiet, but interesting film that will make anyone excited to see the rest of series.

RATING
WALK TO

 If you would like to read my latest review, click here:http://newandclassicreviews.blogspot.com/2014/06/22-jump-street-nr-60.html
 If you want to read the next part in this series, click here: (Next Part Coming Soon!)

22 Jump Street: NR #60

AND I'M BACK YA'LL!!!!!!!!

Yes, I've finally returned. After six months, I'm happy to be back. For those of you who don't know why I took so long in my return, you can read this post I made about a week ago:http://newandclassicreviews.blogspot.com/2014/06/hey-there.

Let's not hold off any longer. This week, I'm reviewing a sequel to one of the most surprisingly great movies of the last few years, a movie I went into with mixed feelings: I love the original, but the sequel seemed unnecessary. Did it turn out as well as its predacessor? Let's find out in my review of...

  PLOT
 22 Jump Street follows Jenko and Schmidt after their success with the Jump Street project as cops, and they're still terrible at being cops. Because of this, both men are put back into the Jump Street program with a new case that is exactly the same as last time, except this time they're going to college! Schmidt and Jenko must now infiltrate the college, find the drug dealer, and arrest him/her.



Now, I'm going to try something a little different. I'm going to try and write in paragraphs instead of "PROS" and "CONS". We'll see how it goes.


  As I said before, I went into 22 Jump Street a little anxious. I love the first film, but this one just seemed forced. Luckily, directors Chris Miller and Phil Lord feel the same way. The story goes that after directing 21 Jump Street, Miller and Lord were offered a directing job on the sequel, which they declined since they were already directing The Lego Movie. After a while, and for reasons that are not clear to me, Miller and Lord decided to return to the sequel, with the idea that everyone going in to the film was afraid it would be another bad second outing. Because of this outlook, the movie is completely aware that it is the exact same thing as last time. It hits the same plot points, almost beat for beat, and rarely evolves the characters in any meaningful way. And while the film is doing this, it's constantly pointing out these flaws and making fun of them. Many films have tried this self aware outlook, but none have been as committed to the idea as 22 Jump Street. The self-referential and self-effacing humor is near constant, mixing surprisingly well with the normal jokes. Miller and Lord are masters at meta humor, they are the ones who made The Lego Movie after all, and this film just cements that fact. 

 Luckily, meta humor isn't the only funny thing in this film. As a whole, the movie is hilarious. There were many times where I was laughing so hard, I was rocking in my seat. These big laughs were also near constant with very few jokes falling flat. What makes the humor in this movie work so well is not just the writing, but Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum's performances. These two are an incredible comedy duo and work extremely well together. It's obvious that there were many improved scenes, but since these two have such great chemistry they know how to play off each other and make improv work. Their bromatic relationship is what makes these films special. There's a point in the film where Tatum and Hill's "relationship" is jeopardized, and they play the scene like a break-up in a romantic comedy. This isn't the only romantic-comedy-esc scene, and they all lead to comedy gold.

Beyond these two aspects, there nothing else really carrying the film. The supporting characters are good but not memorable. Ice Cube is hilarious, but he is doing the same thing he always does. There are a ton of cameos, not only from Jump Street alumni, but from random celebrities as well. It's difficult to critique this movie, since it's already pointing out its own flaws. Anything I could complain about, the movie already does for me and makes better jokes about these flaws as well. The movie is simple, there's no complex plot, no deep characters, no moral ambiguity, but that's just fine. 22 Jump Street is a surprisingly smart comedy that's not afraid to go dumb sometimes, it knows what movie it is and runs with the idea until it has no place go. It is one of the funniest movies I've seen and one of the best sequels too. If you love the original film, or Phil Lord and Chris Miller in general, this is a must see.


RATING
RUN TO

Hey There...

     ...So I missed this blogs three year anniversary yesterday. I felt this was a better time then ever to revitalize this blog, and to give an explanation as to why I haven't posted in 6 months.

1. In November, I got my first job. While it wasn't hard to juggle work, school, and blog at the same time at first, it became much harder once I started working more on the weekends and my school missed weeks due to snow. I then was putting most of my energy into school and work, leaving me with no creative juice for this blog.

2. Honestly, I was getting tired. After writing reviews for nearly three years on a near constant schedule, anyone will get tired. I hardly took breaks, and when I did I felt horrible about it. I know that I don't have a ravenous or huge fan base, but it was a personal goal to get one out every week. While a 6 month break is a little excessive, it has cleared my pallet, leaving me with tons of ideas and desires.

And that's it really. Not the best sob story, but one that I feel is justified. Now, after all this time, I'm ready to come back. I'm going to post reviews whenever I want! No longer they only be a Sundays, now reviews will go up once a week, but on any day I feel like and at any time. I'm also going to start a new series and a Summer review event (which I hope will go better then last time!). I'm hoping for a full come back within the week. What will I review? I have no idea. But, I'll figure it out! Hope to see y'all soon!

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire NR #59

So after my top 10 list, and this slow January month, I've decided to do catch-up with reviews! This week's movie you already know I love, but now you get to see why! This one is a sequel to one of the most popular movies of the last few years. This is my review of...

PLOT
Taking place right after the first film, "Catching Fire" picks up with Katniss and Peeta touring the districts after their dramatic win during the Hunger Games. While their win was was a way to survive in Katniss' eyes, the rest of the world saw it as a spark for rebellion against the capitol, including President Snow. He tells Katniss that if she does anything to further this rebellion idea during the tour, he will kill her family and friends. Now Katniss must deal with Snow's threats, keeping her relationship with Peeta looking real, and stopping revolts from breaking out in her name.



PROS
Jennifer Lawrence never ceases to amaze me. In every movie I see her in, I'm wowed by her performance, and "Catching Fire" is no exception. Luckily, she's not the only one doing a great job. Everyone gives their best and never falters.

President Snow, who was kinda of an afterthought in the last film, steps up and becomes a truly menacing villain. He's the kind of bad guy where he doesn't yell, he doesn't get angry, but that makes him even more terrifying. You don't know if he's actually happy with you, or if he's been planning to stab you in the back the moment you entered the room.

The romantic triangle plot is actually handled very well and never became boring. In the first film, the romance was there but never really explored. Here, they do a much better job with the whole thing.

Thankfully, the action scenes are actually visible this time! No more shaky cam crap, the action is there for all the see. While they still don't show most deaths, director Francis Lawrence hides these in more clever ways that never become distracting.

The special effects have greatly improved since the last film. It obvious a lot more money was put into the effects, and it pays off.

As you've probably guessed, there's another Hunger Games style tournament. Luckily, this one is different from the previous arena. The battleground has a unique gimmick to it that I won't spoil here, but it does add more death traps, many of which are quite scary.

The other players in this new Hunger Games are much more interesting then the previous contestants. These players are veterans of the Games and are more interesting to watch. My personal favorite is the tag team of Wiress and Beetee, two technologically inclined tributes who are very weird and very fun.

The cliffhanger ending of this film is spectacular, it rivals that of "The Empire Strike Back". It perfectly sets up the stakes, gets you excited and pumped-up, then cuts off at the perfect moment, leaving you angry yet ultimately excited for the next film.

CONS
We don't spend enough time with the other tributes in the Games, which means we never get to know anyone outside the core group. This is a shame, since a lot of them seemed to have interesting personalities are stories behind them.


CONCLUSION
When I walked out of "The Hunger Games" I thought "That was good, maybe I'll see the next one". When I walked out of "Catching Fire" I thought "WHY DO I HAVE TO WAIT SO LONG!!!!" This does what all great sequels have done before, improve on every aspect of the previous installment. I became more involved with the story, the characters, the world itself. I know understand why everyone and their mom loves this series, and now I'm one of them. If you've yet to try out this series, stick it through the first film, because at the end of it you get to see the greatness that is "Catching Fire"


RATING
RUN TO!!!

My Top 10 Movies of 2013

While I still haven't completely caught up with all of my reviews, but I decided I may as well get my best films of the year out of the way. Now, just to clarify, these are movies that I've actually seen, which means other highly regarded movies like "Dallas Buyers Club" are not on the list. Also, all of the movies, except for number one, are in no particular order, these are just 10 movies that I personally felt we're the best of the year. Now let's begin with...

Number 10

Now I know what you might be saying, "How can this be on the list? It's not nominated for an Oscar, it's just some dumb summer blockbuster." All of that is true, except it's an incredibly fun summer blockbuster. One of the funnest times I had in a theater this year was in "Pacific Rim". While certainly not a perfect movie, "Pacific Rim" is like last year's "The Avengers", where it's just so much fun and awesome to watch, I had to love it and put it on this list. If you've yet to see this, buy it on Blu-ray, get your friends together, and have a great time with this blockbuster.

Here's a link to my review: http://newandclassicreviews.blogspot.com/2013/07/pacific-rim-nr-47.html

Number 9 

 I'll admit it, this is another guilty pleasure. I love Joss Whedon, so when I heard he was doing Shakespeare, I got excited. When I heard the cast, I was dying to see it. After finally seeing it, "Much Ado About Nothing" can stand up there with some of the best Shakespeare adaptations. It's funny, dramatic and works extremely well in the modern day. It's also great to see all these actors, who are all friends in real life, get together and have some fun. While my bias might be fueling this choice, I still love this movie.

Here's a place to put my eventual review!

Number 8

What is up with all of these oddball choices? Well this one is not based on any personal bias. "It's a Disaster" is a criminally unknown black comedy that came out last year that's one of the funniest and most clever movies I've seen. While it has a slow start, once the ball gets rolling, it never stops. There's always a new twist or character revelation that keeps you invested in these horrible people, and everyone reacts in ways that almost anyone would react in an end of the world situation, just in a more selfish way. With a twist ending that makes the whole movie, "It's a Disaster" is a movie that's a must see. Also, I believe this is still on Netflix streaming, so you really have no excuse.

I'll probably put a link to the review here, you know, if it ever comes out.

                      

 Number 7

If you know me in real life, you know how much I love this movie. I love it so much, I saw it three weeks in a row, no joke. "Gravity" is a visual masterpiece that masters tension and realism. Every time I saw the film, even though I knew what was going to happen, I still felt tense and excited. There's also a ton of excellent camera work here, with many shots going on for over 10 min. But, let's not forget both of the actors, with Sandra Bullock carrying this film mostly by herself. While not the deepest in terms of storytelling, "Gravity" is an experience that will not soon be forgotten, especially when seen in 3D.

Here's a link to my review: http://newandclassicreviews.blogspot.com/2013/10/gravity-bling-ring-nr-52-cr-43.html

Number 6

Believe me, I'm just as surprised as you probably are. While I wasn't a huge fan of the first film, and I've never read the second or third "Hunger Games" books, "Catching Fire" is the definition of a great sequel. Not only did it improve on everything wrong with the first film, it got me excited for the next installments. Full of great performances, action, story, special effects, characters, villains, and twists, I was fully enthralled by this film. And, with one of the best cliffhanger endings since "The Empire Strikes Back", "Catching Fire" is easily one of the best films of this year. Now let's hope the other two can live up to this one.

Once again, I'll put a link here when I get to my review...maybe...

Number 5

I'm so glad that I'm starting to discover Woody Allen now rather then earlier. "Blue Jasmine" is Allen at his finest, packed to the brim with great performances and incredible dialogue. Of course, the person who steals the show is Cate Blanchett, Jasmine herself. She is what brings this movie above the greatness is already was. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, and hope that the next Allen film can keep the trend going.

Here's a link to my review:http://newandclassicreviews.blogspot.com/2013/09/blue-jasmine-nr-49.html 

Number 4

Being as huge a fan of Edgar Wright and his Cornetto/ Blood and Ice Cream trilogy (Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz) as I am, how did you not expect this on the list? It has everything you could ever want from an Edgar Wright film. Fast paced hilarious comedy, check. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, check. Nerdy and clever references, check. Call backs to the original two films that range from the obvious to the obscure, check. What this film brings to the table is an unexpected drama aspect and spectacular action scenes. The dramatic moments are just as good if not better then the comedy, and the actions scenes are some of the best put on the big screen this year. If you love "Shaun of the Dead" and "Hot Fuzz' and still haven't seen this masterpiece, what are you waiting for?

Here's a link to my review:http://newandclassicreviews.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-worlds-end-nr-48.html

Number 3

The most fun I've ever had with a movie, "The Wolf of Wall Street" is another classic under Scorcese's belt. This film, while it does have an underlying message, is more about having fun for 3 hours then it is about enlightening you on anything. Funnier and crazier then most movies released this year, "The Wolf of Wall Street" deserves to be seen by those who can handle to vulgar material.

Here's a link to my review:http://newandclassicreviews.blogspot.com/2013/12/the-wolf-of-wall-street-nr-56.html

Number 2

While I only recently saw this film, "Her" has already left a huge impression on me. It's been nearly 24 hours since seeing it, and I can't get the movie out of my head. The acting, the filmmaking, the style, the message, everything is done masterfully. It's a Sci-fi film that, ironically, tells a more human and relatable story then most romantic movies attempt to do. It's also funny and heart-warming, while making you question yourself and relationships in general. "Her" is the reason why I love film, because every once in a while, you get a movie that changes the way you look at things and leaves a huge mark on you. Obviously, "Her" is one of those films.

Here's a link to my reviewhttp://newandclassicreviews.blogspot.com/2014/01/her-nr-58.html:

Number 1

Of course it's "12 Years a Slave", what else could it be? No other movie this year has made me feel so depressed, so angry, and yet made me want to see it again and re-experience this all over again. This movie made me cry, which I go into in my review, let's just say that's a big deal for me. Spectacular acting, direction, dialogue, everything. This is also just an important movie. For people like us who live in this modern era, we have no real idea what slavery was actually like, and "12 Years a Slave" might be the closest we get to seeing this dark time in American history. Every person who is of age should see this movie, even if you can't handle torture or pain, I still say see this movie, it's that important. This is one movie I will never forget. 

Here's a link to my review: http://newandclassicreviews.blogspot.com/2013/11/12-years-slave-bad-grandpa-captain.html

Her: NR #58

I know I should be doing my catch-up reviews, but I just had to talk about this movie. It's one I'd been dying to see ever since I saw the trailer, and my excitement went up the more I heard from critics. From acclaimed director and regular Jackass cast member Spike Jonze, this is my review of...

PLOT
Taking place in probably the not too distant future, "Her" follows Theodore, a man who's job is to write personal cards for people. He's recently divorced and hasn't been able to get back out there in the dating scene. One day, he decides to buy the newest operating system that is touted as the most intelligent and ever evolving A.I. ever made. After taking a short survey, Theodore is introduced to Samantha, his new operating system. Theodore soon starts to fall in love with Samantha, and has to deal with everything that comes along with this type of relationship.


PROS
While we all like to laugh at Joaquin Phoenix and try to forget about that documentary stunt he pulled a few years ago, nobody can deny that this man has some serious talent. Phoenix gives a stunning performance in this film, playing a character who, while low in his life, is not a loser and is instead a human being. Most of movie is just him acting along side a voice, and when taken in that context, his performance becomes something much more.

Serious props should also be given to Scarlett Johansson, who plays Samantha. While we only hear her voice, she still gives an incredibly human performance, which is a feat unto itself. If anyone doubted her acting ability, this is the movie to prove them wrong.

While "Her" does have the initial draw of watching a man fall in love with his computer, the film does so much more with that concept then anyone could expect. It becomes a deconstruction of relationships and love, a character study of a character we genuinely like, and a love story that's more believable and sweet then anything hollywood could dream of. While I could go on and on about how great these aspects are, which believe me they are, the real accomplishment here is that all of them are in this movie at once and are done so much better then most films that try to tackle just one of these subjects.

Speaking of great relationships', Theodore and Samantha's relationship is one of the most believable and sweet I've seen on film. Even though it's a man talking to his phone, their love feels real and the movie does a great job at making you believe this could actually. I mean, I don't know about you, but if Scarlett Johansson replaced Siri, I might fall in love with my phone too!

It may seem like a very high-brow movie from the way I've been describing it, but "Her" is smart enough to have human moments in it as well. For example, Theodore plays this video game where he meets a tiny creature on an alien planet. This creature only talks in curse words, for example, "F*ck you you sh*t eating sh*t face!". And you know what, that's funny. It's great to see that this film isn't so obsessed with it's message that it can't have silly moments like that in-between the intellectual parts.

One aspect of the film I really enjoyed was how nicely everyone reacts to Theodore's relationship. This also leads to world building, where it shows that many other people are developing other relationships with their OS' and that Theodore isn't a special case. The only one who reacts negatively to their relationship is Theodore's ex-wife, which has some meaning and context in the film that I won't spoil here.


CONS
I hate to keep doing this, but I honestly have nothing negative to say about this film.



CONCLUSION
"Her" is one of the best films released in 2013, maybe even in this decade, and yes I know it will be a while before the decade's over, but I still hold it in that high regard. This film does what the greatest Sci-fi stories have done in the past but have rarely done as well, tell a story and convey a message that could only be done in a Sci-fi setting. It's a smart, funny, romantic, and analytical movie that does all of those tones and aspects almost perfectly. "Her" is one of the most original movies I've seen in a long time, and you owe it to yourself to experience this masterpiece of a film at least once.


RATING
CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT!!!!