Back in the 80’s when local convenience stores not named 7-11 and video arcades still existed there was a popular game called Karate Champ. All the older kids would be gathered in a semi circle, laying down quarters to challenge each other until their parents indicated it was time to go. Me, I was wasting my allowance on a little known game called Shinobi tucked away in the quiet recesses of Time Out, my local arcade. I loved that game. It made me want to become a ninja when I grew up.
2008 and I’m still no ninja. But the fascination with them has never left me, which is why I bought Shinobi: Heart Under Blade without a second thought. I never buy movies that I haven’t seen before, let alone, never heard of. But the title brought back the days of pure joy I would feel when playing Shinobi. It turned out to be a great purchase. Chinese martial arts blockbusters such as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Hero, and House of Flying Daggers don’t even compare to this Japanese tale.
Set in 17th century Japan, the story centers around two young lovers from enemy camps, Oboro (a delicious, little vamp from the Iga clan) and Gennosuke (an introspective, young buck with a righteous mullet from the Kouga). Under order of the Shogun, their respective camps have been under treatise for over 400 years to coexist peacefully. But a Shogun aide declares a dissolution to the treaty and pits five of the best warriors from each clan against one another for the rights of their kin to succeed the current Shogun. To add insult to injury, Oboro and Gennosuke are appointed leaders of their respective clans – therein, lies the rub.
It’s like Romeo and Juliet…ninja style. Like the timeless tale of forlorn love that precedes it, the hero (Gennosuke) is a gigantic female private part, vowing to discover the real intent behind the politicos’ actions instead of commiting unpleasantries toward his beloved or her people. Oboro, on the other hand, chooses to accept her fate even if it means killing the man she loves. It’s obvious who wears the pants in that relationship. If I were to kick her in the groin I would break my foot from her humongous balls of steel.
All kidding aside, this movie deals with various themes – loyalty, pride, warrior code, and the loss of a sub-culture by government hands – indigenous to Japanese society. Sound familiar? That’s because, although containing elements of fantasy, Shinobi essentially mirrors the plight of the samurai. The fierce dedication each tribesman has for his respective leader, the ultimate sacrifice of one’s own life for a greater purpose, scheming political figureheads with deceitful agendas – this movie reads more like a Japanese history book than the comic/anime series it’s based on…with action sequences so brilliant it would bring even the most impotent of men to attention.
Never in my life have I seen such imaginative fight scenes. The supernatural powers each warrior member of the Iga and Kouga possess are enough to make the traditional Chinese ‘leap-to-the-sky-float-in-the-air’ swordplay look as boring as two quadriplegics in a sparring session (no offense to the physically challenged).
If a beautiful seductress with poison literally running through her veins and a pro-mullet activist with the ability to move faster than time isn’t enough to entice you, I don’t know what will. Asian fetishist the world over, however, will be done in by Yukie Nakama’s (Oboro) Piercing Eye technique…like I was. She’s so hot.
And so is this movie.
MUST OWN
Monday, January 14, 2008
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Punch Drunk Love: It's as Weird as it Sounds
I first saw this movie when it was released on DVD in 2003 fully knowing it would not be a typical Adam Sandler, gut-buster comedy. And although armed with that knowledge I still managed to come out of my home theater dumber than I was going in, apologizing to my brain for putting it through the rigors of a completely unexpected – and unnecessary – workout. However, determined to figure out what the movie was all about, I immediately began studying the special features only to find more nonsensical garbage. Defeated and alone, I promised myself to one day crack the film’s weirdness and understand it in its entirety. Though not this night, my brain was too tired.
However, that day would eventually come – four and a half years later – after having watched yet another SNL alumnus – Will Ferrell – foray into a serious acting role in Stranger Than Fiction (which I will review at a later time). It was then that I recalled suffering through Sandler’s first attempt at a non-comedic role so many years ago…and the promise I had made to suffer through it a second time if that’s what it took to make sense of it all. Being a true man of my word, I prepped myself with some mental pushups, dusted off the two disc special edition DVD, and focused in on the 50” plasma like a man possessed.
Success would be mine this day, and with it a realization that some movies just need a second chance to be understood.
The story is simple: Barry Egan is a socially inept small business owner prone to sporadic fits of rage – he has his seven domineering sisters to thank for that. He lives his days lonely and depressed until a chance meeting with an attractive woman, Lena Leonard, (played by Emily Watson) outside of his office-warehouse changes his romantic fortunes. However, a previous call to a phone sex operator proves to be a costly mistake threatening his financial well being and jeopardizing his blossoming relationship.
Yeah, I know. You’re reading that last line and thinking, “What the f?” Well, it will inevitably become your mantra because you’ll find yourself repeating it all throughout the movie. That’s what makes Punch Drunk Love so pleasantly awkward. There’s not just one conflict here. There’s many. And they’re not your typical woman-falls-in-love-with-man-then-has-second-thoughts-but-ends-up-living-happily-ever-after variety. Barry faces conflict with his sisters who greet him as “gay-boy” and question every little move he makes. He faces conflict within himself, breaking into tears for no reason whatsoever. And yes, the ultimate conflict, a sex line scam involving a sex line operator/hairdresser, a pimp/mattress salesman, and four brothers who can only be described as the redneck version of Children of the Corn: The Adult Years.
Come to think of it, even the burgeoning romance between Barry and Lena could qualify as conflict. Just getting to that first date was a hassle in and of itself. And once the relationship transitions from “just dating” to “going steady” Lena’s quirks become more apparent and you begin wondering if she too is harboring any abnormal tendencies of her own. It’s a certain look in her eyes that suggest something playfully sinister about her character. In other words, she’s probably just as whacked out as Barry if not more so.
But for all the great play on conflict this movie seems more suited to film students than general audiences. Imagery, camera angles, and sound all seem to play an important part in the story’s makeup. A harmonium is a prominent feature in this movie that I still don’t quite get. My guess is it represents his relationship with Lena in that he cares for this beat up, old instrument that’s obviously been through a lot. But why wouldn’t they just represent that in the relationship itself? As well, telephones are used in just about every scene most likely to reinforce Barry’s social ineptitude. There are a number of other nuances contained in this film that serve to either annoy or entertain. I like to think the latter. If anything, it makes for good conversation with others who have seen it, observing parities between other’s interpretations and your own.
Though Sandler’s character exemplified all of his strong points as an actor – introvert capable of violent streaks – his first attempt at a more serious acting role is still memorable. There are a handful of funny moments though this film depicts them in a more refined manner.
However, if you’ve never seen this movie and are thinking of buying it…don’t. Rent it first before making a decision. I watched it a third time and got bored.
RENTAL
However, that day would eventually come – four and a half years later – after having watched yet another SNL alumnus – Will Ferrell – foray into a serious acting role in Stranger Than Fiction (which I will review at a later time). It was then that I recalled suffering through Sandler’s first attempt at a non-comedic role so many years ago…and the promise I had made to suffer through it a second time if that’s what it took to make sense of it all. Being a true man of my word, I prepped myself with some mental pushups, dusted off the two disc special edition DVD, and focused in on the 50” plasma like a man possessed.
Success would be mine this day, and with it a realization that some movies just need a second chance to be understood.
The story is simple: Barry Egan is a socially inept small business owner prone to sporadic fits of rage – he has his seven domineering sisters to thank for that. He lives his days lonely and depressed until a chance meeting with an attractive woman, Lena Leonard, (played by Emily Watson) outside of his office-warehouse changes his romantic fortunes. However, a previous call to a phone sex operator proves to be a costly mistake threatening his financial well being and jeopardizing his blossoming relationship.
Yeah, I know. You’re reading that last line and thinking, “What the f?” Well, it will inevitably become your mantra because you’ll find yourself repeating it all throughout the movie. That’s what makes Punch Drunk Love so pleasantly awkward. There’s not just one conflict here. There’s many. And they’re not your typical woman-falls-in-love-with-man-then-has-second-thoughts-but-ends-up-living-happily-ever-after variety. Barry faces conflict with his sisters who greet him as “gay-boy” and question every little move he makes. He faces conflict within himself, breaking into tears for no reason whatsoever. And yes, the ultimate conflict, a sex line scam involving a sex line operator/hairdresser, a pimp/mattress salesman, and four brothers who can only be described as the redneck version of Children of the Corn: The Adult Years.
Come to think of it, even the burgeoning romance between Barry and Lena could qualify as conflict. Just getting to that first date was a hassle in and of itself. And once the relationship transitions from “just dating” to “going steady” Lena’s quirks become more apparent and you begin wondering if she too is harboring any abnormal tendencies of her own. It’s a certain look in her eyes that suggest something playfully sinister about her character. In other words, she’s probably just as whacked out as Barry if not more so.
But for all the great play on conflict this movie seems more suited to film students than general audiences. Imagery, camera angles, and sound all seem to play an important part in the story’s makeup. A harmonium is a prominent feature in this movie that I still don’t quite get. My guess is it represents his relationship with Lena in that he cares for this beat up, old instrument that’s obviously been through a lot. But why wouldn’t they just represent that in the relationship itself? As well, telephones are used in just about every scene most likely to reinforce Barry’s social ineptitude. There are a number of other nuances contained in this film that serve to either annoy or entertain. I like to think the latter. If anything, it makes for good conversation with others who have seen it, observing parities between other’s interpretations and your own.
Though Sandler’s character exemplified all of his strong points as an actor – introvert capable of violent streaks – his first attempt at a more serious acting role is still memorable. There are a handful of funny moments though this film depicts them in a more refined manner.
However, if you’ve never seen this movie and are thinking of buying it…don’t. Rent it first before making a decision. I watched it a third time and got bored.
RENTAL
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