I am huge fan of Kung Fu movies (any martial arts for that matter) and in the early eighties devoured tons and tons of badly dubbed ones. This movies reminded me of all that and more. My dvd is currently on loan to someone because we love to share and discuss with our friends.

I watched this with out watching Dragon Inn first and was able to follow the plot line relatively easily. If you are looking for a serious movie this isn't for you. if you like well choreographed, slightly plausible fight scenes tied together with an okay premise, watch this and enjoy. It is actually one of my favorite action movies out there ..It does have Donnie Yen in it after all.

Also don't be decieved by dvd titles I had this review on the wrong title for 3 years until someone pointed it out be cause the Dvd was title "The new Flying sword at dragon gate inn"

Leia Mais

Ghengis Khan with the Edged Smoothed Down

This is a romanticized version of the historical figure that started out as Temujin and became Gengis Kahn. This is the story of him uniting the Mongol Tribes into a cohesive war machine, that we now know took over 90 % of Asia. The movie comes across as a "best of " reel of Temujin's life. Also the battle scenes were a side note but the individual stunts were very well done.

The acting is really good with all the mains pulling their weight to bring these historical figures to life. For those familiar with his story this story includes most of the important people around him, that a lot of other version leave out.

Overall this gets an 8 from me and hubby for including everyone, but not higher for defanging the wolf.

Leia Mais

First of all rating : I give this a 10. The Main Characters, if not the cast are all under 20 years old. Forced to live in this city after a meteor hit and all the adults started dying off. They are quarantined by the government, who is covering up why the city is walled off to the rest of Japan.

While it has "Lord of the Flies" elements, the violence never gets too out of hand with only one child deciding to take the easy way out rather than endure (trying not to spoiler or trigger with that sentence).

The acting was phenomenal in this, age not withstanding. The commentary on the Japanese society (at the time this was made) that once you hit 20 you are dead anyway, becoming a wage slave and heartless only following orders is poignant.

The Music: Aisareru yori Aishitai by KinKi Kids was so upbeat in contrast to what the drama was showing it stood out.https://videa.hu/videok/zene/bokura-no-yuki-opening-3YVscemiW9RbpCiz

Would I rewatch this? To share yes. And that makes it a 10 in my book.

Leia Mais

History and the regular people who lived during significant eras is a hobby of mine. This is great slice of life drama Special that doesn't harp on the horrors of war nor does it glide over it. The facts are what they are. This is a story of the descendants of survivors finding their story.

What is great is that it is not heavy handed with blame or propaganda, it is just living and surviving. It covers topics such as Survivor's Guilt and PTSD and Atomic Bomb Disease (aka radiation poisoning). It also covers that is okay to be happy even if terrible things have happened.

Re-watch value low because I know the story.

Leia Mais

This hasn't been reviewed yet so I am going to put my 2 cents up .

This movie if you google it will have rave reviews on how awesome the battles were. But that's pretty much all there was. It made me want to pull out my Ikusa board game and stop watching the film.

Yae who was on screen all of about 10 minutes total over 3 scenes was cool. She was a warrior beside her samurai lover, not kept back home.

If you enjoy large fights showing the strategic movements of large battles, you may enjoy this. I on the other hand started to pay attention to they way they treated the servants (nice touch by the way.) For example making the guy who tends you horse stand in the pouring rain while you sit inside conversing with your vassal.

I saw the movie in 2 parts and when part 1 ended, I wound up on twitter instead of jumping into part 2, That's how exciting i found this movie.

My husband might actually love it, but I was bored to death.

Leia Mais

I started watching this to see more of Aiba Masaki's acting credentials.  I liked the story and there were no drag times as there are only eight episodes to tell the story.  If you watch this be prepared to watch bartenders making at least two drinks an episode if not more.  Romance, a hint of it, but that is all,  as if there had been more episodes the friendship would have become more.  

Over all the story telling was good, there are some big names in this that you should recognized the second they come on screen.  

I enjoyed it and I hope you do too.

Leia Mais

I write this from the point of a genealogist, which happens to be my second job.  Any time I research any person from any war my heart cries, they are more than dates and places to me.  This movie effected the same emotions in me, it made them especially difficult to reign in due the age of the squad involved.  I made comparisons like, 1868 is just after the American Civil War, where children were also fighting for which ever ideal they upheld.

It portrayed well every angle of war, not just the men's, not just the women left behind, and while it is told from the Aizu point of view, you still see all sides.  The beginning was slow as the set up for the war had to be done to put the rest into context.  The modern framework seemed tacked on, but I guess it is necessary to relate to people 140 years after the incident,

I do not seek out any war movies, due to how they effect me, but I watch this to complete my Yamapi watch list.  I do not think I will ever watch it again, but it is now in my memory and I learned yet another important part of Japanese history.

Leia Mais

I never read a synopsis before I watch a drama I watching just for the actor/idol, because then I second guess watching it like I did with Flowers for Algernon. (that was a big mistake because it rocks).  So that being said I had no idea what type of drama I was getting into with this and after seeing Aiba in Kizoku Tantei I was hesitant to dive into another of his dramas.

This drama was no disappointment at all, it is a believable slice of life drama of single father-hood in Japan.  The child actress was very good and did her part excellently.  There is an unconventional love story here which I will not spoil but I promise you it is there.  The actors did their part of making you believe they are father and daughter, and I totally agree that this drama is totally under rated.  It should be on more peoples favorites list.  And to top it off Episode 10 has a guest cameo of another Arashi member.  

Now off to watch another drama.....

Leia Mais

I want to begin by stating the fact that I am woman over 40 with a family of my own so my views are influenced by my life experience.  

I read an article one time that stated the fact that every one that goes into Johnny's (it was an articles on JE so I will expand and say Asian Idol Entertainment in general) knows that this is part of being an Idol.  That the people are groomed and trained and are a part of the managing staff's Product to present to the fans or Customers.

This drama humanizes my above statement, having recently watched all the apologies from KAT-TUN in the 10ks Tour for Taguchi leaving to be with his longtime girfriend, I know that the drama represented here is real, probably dramatized, but real.  I watched this to complete "Sho-Kun's" acting list for me, but was surprised how much I loved watching all of Kanjani 8 and Nikishido Ryo in this.  The acting was well done and the situations were as real as one can get with a blended family.  As far as the romance not being to showy...comfortable love is sometimes like that.  Sharing the burden with someone you will be with for the rest of your life is sometimes more important than a kiss or even a hand hold.  You get that from this drama.

Leia Mais

I was able to avoid having to read this in high school but I did know it by reputation and really wasn't interested in it.  But being the completionist that I am I wanted to bring my Yamapi watched list to current.  I am now sorry I waited as long as I did to see it because Yamashita Tomohisa totally owned the main part in this.  His mannerisms in the beginning are spot on, we have a friend of the family who is autistic and I recognized the signs. As the story and the character changed so did the acting and you believed it.

Yamapi has been criticized in the past for his "wooden acting" but this work just blew it out of the water.

Leia Mais

This particular movie feels like a slow mover in the beginning, but you have to pay attention to the bread crumbs that are being strewn about to see how everyone is interconnect.

It is at its base a very black and white version of justice being muddied into the gray area in the name of Justice. We've all seen it before. But then it adds a politcal movement whose adgenda would rock the foundation of modern japanese society...and doesnt really do anything with it. (this thread is in the background to the main story).

This thread is why I feel they are setting up for a sequel. This movie has made me curious to research"the skeleton road" though and if a sequel comes out I will definitely watch it.

The acting was so on point, you felt the conflict of both main characters and when the tiny side love story happened it did not feel tacked on, nor was I surprised. I wasn't expecting it but when it happened there was no question like "where did that come from?"

If you like the premise, Nino or Kimura or any of the other great actors in this, it does not disappoint, it just feels unfinished...there is more to this story..and i want it.

Leia Mais

War is Absurd

It has nakid children saving freshly sold-to-the-brothel girls while singing a jaunty tune.
Seriously it is a musical about early WWII Japan before the west got involved. It is so absurd in its portrayal of the ridiculousness of the war itself shown through child's play and the seriousness of reality.

The mostly child cast carries the movie through the harshness of resource poor Japan through symbolism and play. Mock wars to mimic the actual war that is waging at the time. Its kinda deep if you know history and its effects on societies. the thing that brought the rating down for me was the unneeded use of unclothed children.

Leia Mais