TRASH IN MY EYE Reviews: international cinema

Showing posts with label international cinema. Show all posts

Saturday, August 16, 2025

Review: Kurosawa's "HIGH AND LOW" Remains a Superb Police Thriller

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 35 of 2025 (No. 2041) by Leroy Douresseaux

Tengoku to Jigoku (1963) – Black and White

High and Low – English title

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Japan; Language: Japanese

Running time: 143 minutes (2 hours, 23 minutes)

Rating: Not rated

DIRECTOR: Akira Kurosawa

WRITERS: Hideo Oguni & Ryuzo Kikushima and Eijiro Hisaita & Akira Kurosawa (based on the novel by Ed McBain)

PRODUCERS: Ryuzo Kikushima and Tomoyuki Tanaka

CINEMATOGRAPHERS: Asakazu Nakai and Taiko Saito

EDITOR: Akira Kurosawa

COMPOSER: Masaru Sato

DRAMA/CRIME/THRILLER

Starring: Toshiro Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai, Kenjiro Ishiyama, Kyoko Kagawa, Tatsuya Mihashi, Isao Kimura, Yutaka Sada, Takashi Kato, Takashi Shimura, Jun Tazaki, Nobuo Nakamura, Yunosuke Ito, Masahiko Shimazu, Toshio Egi, and Tsutomu Yamakazi

Tengoku to Jigoku (Heaven and Hell) is a 1963 Japanese drama and crime thriller from director Akira Kurosawa and starring Toshiro Mifune. The film is best known by its English release title, High and Low (which is the one I will use for this review). The film is a loose adaptation of the 1959 novel, King's Ransom, which was written by Evan Hunter (a pen name of the American crime and mystery fiction author, Ed McBain). In High and Low, a Japanese businessman becomes a victim of extortion when his chauffeur's son is kidnapped by mistake and held for ransom.

High and Low introduces wealthy Japanese businessman and executive, Kingo Gondo (Toshiro Mifune), who lives in an elegant hilltop house with his wife, Reiko (Kyoko Kagawa). He is currently engaged in a struggle to gain control of the company where he works, National Shoes. The board of the company is split between executives seeking to make cheap and low-quality shoes and the “Old Man,” the company's largest shareholder who who wants sturdy but unfashionable shoes. Gondo rejects both sides. He has envisioned a strategy of requiring high production costs for long-term profitability by producing high-quality shoes. Gondo has secretly set up a leveraged buyout to gain control of the company, mortgaging all his property for the money he will need for the buyout.

Just as he is about to put the plan into action, Gondo receives a phone call from someone claiming to have kidnapped his elementary school age son, Jun (Toshio Egi). The kidnapper demands a ransom of 30 million yen, which Gondo is prepared to pay, but he soon dismisses the call as a prank when Jun returns home from playing outside. However, Gondo learns that the kidnapper has mistakenly taken Shinichi (Masahiko Shimazu), the child of Gondo's chauffeur, Aoki (Yutaka Sada).

The kidnapper has realized his mistake, but he still wants the ransom. Gondo is forced to make a decision whether to use his millions to complete the buyout of National Shoes or to pay the ransom to save Shinichi. Meanwhile, the police arrive, led by Inspector Tokura (Tatsuya Nakadai), who becomes the chief investigator of the kidnapping case, and who is ably assisted by his partner, Chief Detective “Bos'n” Toguchi (Kenjiro Ishiyama). Can the police discover the identity of the kidnapper before Gondo is forced to pay the ransom, which would lead to his financial ruin?

High and Low apparently was and still is a big influence on films belonging to the crime sub-genre known as the “police procedural,” which focuses on the investigative procedures of law enforcement officers and agencies with them also being the protagonists. [This genre excludes private investigators (P.I.).] High and Low has been remade and adapted into other films and has also influenced other films and televisions series. It is currently the subject of a reinterpretation by director Spike Lee in his upcoming film, Highest 2 Lowest, starring Denzel Washington.

High and Low are like two mini-movies joined into one longer feature film. The first half of the film focuses on Toshiro Mifune's Kingo Gondo and his conflicts and struggles. Most of the first half takes place in the living room of his home, with Gondo stalking the space like a caged lion or besieged king. Akira Kurosawa constructs this part of the film like a stage drama, and here, he shows a remarkable sense of staging and in film blocking (facilitating performances in a film via the precise arrangement of the actors). Kurosawa seems to be composing his action as if each moment is a painting.

The second half of the film fully embraces the police procedural. Kurosawa moves Gondo a little to the side and the police's chase and hunt of the suspect kicks into high gear. Lead by Inspector Tokura and Chief Detective “Bos'n” Toguchi, the police attack the case at every angle they can imagine. They race across the region, working a series of clues involving geographical vistas, background sounds and noises, and a variety of locals connected to the street life and roads in and around the city. I got the biggest kick out of watching this part of the film. I followed the the lead investigators as they pound the pavement and as the young police officers chase the suspect, who wears one of the eeriest pairs of reflective sunglasses I have ever seen in film. There is a trip into the underground lair of zombie-like heroin addicts that is as chilling as any found in a horror movies and as breathtaking as a jaunt through the most sumptuous set.

I loved the actors' performances which emphasize action, procedure, and personality more than narrow characterization. As usual, I adore seeing Toshiro Mifune, especially when paired with the great director, Akira Kurosawa. I have seen Kurosawa's great films, such as Rashomon (1950) and The Seven Samurai (1954), which also star Mifune. I think High and Low should join these two films as being among the great Kurosawa's best works.

9 of 10

A+

Friday, August 15, 2025

The "Criterion Collection" Blu-ray of HIGH AND LOW is available at Amazon.

NOTES:

1963 Golden Globes, USA: 1 nomination: “Best Foreign Film” (Japan)

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Tuesday, July 22, 2025

Review: "MARIA FULL OF GRACE" Remains a Timely Film

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 15 (of 2005) by Leroy Douresseaux

Maria Full of Grace (2004)

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: USA/Columbia; Language: Spanish/English

Running time: 101 minutes (1 hour, 41 minutes)

Rating: MPAA – R for drug content and language

WRITER/DIRECTOR: Joshua Marston

PRODUCER: Paul S. Mezey

CINEMATOGRAPHER: Jim Denault

EDITORS: Anne McCabe and Lee Percy

COMPOSERS: Leonardo Heiblum and Jacobo Lieberman

Academy Award nominee

DRAMA/CRIME/THRILLER

Starring: Catalina Sandino Moreno, Yenny Paola Vega, John Alex Toro, Guilied Lopez, Patricia Rae, Orlando Tobon, Fernando Velasquez, and Jaime Osorio Gomez

Maria Full of Grace is a 2004 Spanish-language drama film from writer-director Joshua Marston. The film is a co-production between the U.S. and Colombia. Maria Full of Grace focuses on a pregnant Colombian teenager who becomes a drug mule for a trafficking ring in order to make desperately-needed money for her family.

Catalina Sandino Moreno earned a 2005 Oscar nomination in the category of “Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role” for her performance as a teenage coke mule in Joshua Marston’s Maria Full of Grace. Maria Alvarez (Catalina Sandino Moreno) is a spirited 17-year old girl who lives with three generations of her family in a cramped house in impoverished rural Columbia. After learning that she may be pregnant, Maria suddenly quits her job stripping roses at a flower plantation after her boss continually hassles her because of her morning sickness.

She meets a handsome, motorcycle-riding young man named Franklin (John Alex Toro), who introduces her to the risky and ruthless world of international drug trafficking. She meets his boss, Javier (Jaime Osorio Gomez), who pays Maria a lot of money to swallow over 50 latex pellets containing cocaine. With the pellets in her stomach, she flies to New York City with three other coke mules, including her friend, Blanca (Yenny Paola Vega) and a somewhat experienced carrier named Lucy (Guilied Lopez), where they are too deliver the drugs to men waiting in a hotel. Complications arise, and Maria must gain the grace to survive and move towards a brighter future.

Maria Full of Grace is a quiet and compelling drama, but it is also as riveting and as thrilling as the best edge-of-your-seat crime films. Catalina Sandino Moreno gives a gripping performance as a strong of heart young woman who is quiet savvy in even the worst circumstances. A lot of Ms. Moreno’s performance is shown through her face and soulful eyes, and she engages her audience without any flashy tricks. Writer/director Joshua Marston gets similar performances from all of his talented supporting cast, and his film is similar in tone to 2003’s Dirty Pretty Things, meaning that it’s a superb, taut drama that I highly recommend.

8 of 10

★★★★ out of 4 stars

Edited from the original: Sunday, July 20, 2025

NOTES:

2005 Academy Awards, USA: 1 nomination: “Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role” (Catalina Sandino Moreno)

2005 NAACP Image Awards (NAACP): 1 nomination: “Outstanding Independent or Foreign Film”

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Saturday, July 5, 2025

Review: Ken Colley's "GREETINGS" is Small, But Big on Chills (R.I.P. Ken Colley)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 28 of 2025 (No. 2034) by Leroy Douresseaux

Greetings (2007)

Running time: 72 minutes (1 hour, 12 minutes:

Rating: Not rated by the MPAA / TV-MA

WRITER/DIRECTOR: Ken Colley

PRODUCER: Ken Colley

CINEMATOGRAPHER: Denis Cullem

EDITOR: Andy Coughlan

COMPOSER: Darren Miller

HORROR

Starring: Mel Stephenson, Matthew Reynolds, Kirsty Cox, Ben Shockley, John Rackham, Henry Dunn, Maria Long, and Kenneth Colley

Greetings is a 2007 British supernatural horror film from writer, producer, and director, Ken Colley. The film apparently received some kind of limited theatrical release in the United Kingdom because the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) does not list it as a television movie. In the United States and Canada, the film was released on DVD. Greetings focuses on a group of friends who gather for a birthday party and find strange things starting to happen after they play with a Ouija board.

Greetings opens in a English flat where a group of eight friends and acquaintances have gathered for a special occasion. It is the one-year anniversary of the couple, Cathy (Mel Stephenson) and Matt (Matthew Reynolds), and it is also Cathy's birthday. Cathy and Matt have been in the flat for about a year. Also in attendance are another couple, Kirsty (Kirsty Cox) and David (Ben Shockley), and friends Alan (John Rackham), Henry (Henry Dunn), Maria (Maria Long), and Ken (Kenneth Colley).

At some point during the festivities, one of the guys realizes that a small end table in the apartment is actually part Ouija board. Four of the friends start playing with it, and right from the start, they get a message. The friends all think that one of the group is playing a prank. The boys are out for some harmless fun, but when strange things start to happen, they blame each other. Soon, however, it all starts to seem like a joke that has gone too far. Then, they realize this isn't a joke because something is with them in the flat.

Recently, the English film and television actor, Kenneth “Ken” Colley (1937-2025), died at the age of 87, Monday, June 30, 2025. He was part of the repertory of actors who appeared regularly in the works of the late English director, Ken Russell (1927-2011), such as 1971's The Music Lovers. Colley also played “Jesus” in Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979). Colley may be best known for the role of “Admiral Piett” in The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return of the Jedi (1983). Piett is the only “Imperial officer” to appear in two films in the original Star Wars trilogy and be played by the same actor.

While recently reading Colley biography and filmography, I learned that he directed three films, two short films and one feature film, 2007's Greetings. I became curious enough to want to see the feature. I found that Greetings was available via the “Tubi” streaming service, so I gave it a viewing. The few viewer reviews of the film that I came across on the Internet generally panned the film, but I like it a lot. Greetings is a micro-budget film – reportedly produced for about ten thousand pounds, but it scares and thrills are not at all small and insignificant.

The setting, apparently a flat, gives the sense of claustrophobia. Even when the focus is down to four characters, the flat seems too small to hold even a quartet and the unseen menace that is harassing them.

I don't find Greetings as talky as some do because I think the the conversations are what make the actors seem like real friends. The performances are tight so that the conflicts between the friends have a sense of genuineness; their feelings of offense have a bite to them. Conversely, their various bonds of friendship also come across as bona fide. Also, I really like both the cast and the characters they play. I could watch them all again in another production.

I'm impressed that Mr. Colley got so much out of his small budget. The film is good, but not great while still managing to be quite entertaining. I think Colley's screenplay for Greetings could easily be adapted into a larger and pricier horror film. I generally avoid movies about Ouija boards and seances, because they scare me and make me uncomfortable. Greetings did exactly that, so I will recommend it to fans of spirit boards and spirit mediums.

6 of 10

★★★ out of 4 stars

Saturday, July 5, 2025

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Thursday, April 17, 2025

Review: Merchant Ivory's "SHAKESPEARE WALLAH" is a Tale as Old as Time

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 17 of 2025 (No. 2023) by Leroy Douresseaux

Shakespeare Wallah (1965) – Black & White

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: USA/India

Running time: 120 minutes (2 hours)

Not rated

DIRECTOR: James Ivory

WRITERS: R. Prawer Jhabvala and James Ivory

PRODUCER: Ismail Merchant

CINEMATOGRAPHER: Subrata Mitra (D.o.P.)

EDITOR: Amit Bose

COMPOSER: Satyajit Ray

DRAMA/ROMANCE

Starring: Shashi Kapoor, Felicity Kendal, Geoffrey Kendal, Laura Liddell, Madhur Jaffrey, Utpal Dutt, Praveen Paul, Prayag Raaj, Pinchoo Kapoor, and Jim D. Tytler

Shakespeare Wallah is a 1965 romantic drama film from director James Ivory and producer Ismail Merchant. It was the second film produced by Merchant Ivory Productions. The film is co-written by Ivory and novelist and screenwriter, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, who wrote in some capacity 23 of Merchant Ivory's films. Shakespeare Wallah focuses on a traveling family theatre troupe that performs Shakespearean plays in towns across India even as demand for its work dwindles in the country.

Shakespeare Wallah introduces “the Buckingham Players,” a traveling family theatre troupe led by a British couple, husband Anthony “Tony” Buckingham (Geoffrey Kendal) and wife Carla Buckingham (Laura Liddell). Their young daughter, Lizzie (Felicity Kendal), is also an actor in this nomadic troupe. The Buckingham Players travel from town to town in post-colonial India, performing the plays of William Shakespeare before local audiences. However, demand for their work is dwindling as audiences begin to prefer the movies of “Hindi cinema,” also known as “Bollywood.”

One day, Lizzie meets Sanju Raj (Shashi Kapoor), a playboy. The two fall in love, but what Lizzie does not know is that Sanju is also romancing the actress, Manjula (Madhur Jaffrey), a very popular Bollywood star who is also very jealous.

2025 is the sixtieth anniversary of the original theatrical release (1965) of Merchant Ivory's second film, Shakespeare Wallah. As one of the production company's early films, it set the tone for future Merchant Ivory films that focused on cross-cultural romance and relationships.

Shakespeare Wallah is loosely based on the real life of actor-manager Geoffrey Kendal and his family. Kendal, his wife, Laura Liddell, and their daughter, Felicity Kendal, were part of a real-life traveling Shakespearean company that performed in India. That is how Geoffrey apparently earned the nickname, “Shakespearewallah” (with “wallah” being an informal term meaning a person involved in a particular thing or business).

Shakespeare Wallah being the second Merchant Ivory film showcases what many of the company's films would depict – seismic shifts in society and changes in culture. Tony and Carla have been performing Shakespeare across a specific region of India for decades, but the couple, essentially British expatriates, begin to wonder if time has passed them by and if they should return to England.

Meanwhile, their daughter, Lizzie, is experiencing a clash not so much of culture, but of gender roles. Her playboy paramour, Sanju, is wooing two actresses, but in truth, he does not think of acting as a proper role for a woman, especially more so in the case of Lizzie than in the case of Manjula.

The best thing that I can say about Shakespeare Wallah, and I can say a lot of good things about it, is that the film's emotions and feelings seem authentic. Manjula's jealousy is alive, dangerous, and electric. Lizzie and Sanju's romantic feelings are natural, but are also fragile and vulnerable because they are not only different people, but also are from different cultures and outlooks on life. The overall naturalism and relaxed pace of the narrative are also genuine.

The beautiful film score by Satyajit Ray embellishes the melancholy nature of the film when it comes to love. Whether one's love is another person, the nomadic life of a traveling troupe, or the profession of performing Shakespeare on the stage, it is bittersweet. Shakespeare Wallah, however, is the sweet art of cinema.

8 of 10

★★★★ out of 4 stars

Thursday, April 17, 2025

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Monday, December 30, 2024

Review: Original "BLACK CHRISTMAS" is Still a Gift (In Memory of Olivia Hussey, 1951-2024)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 62 of 2024 (No. 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux

Black Christmas (1974)

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Canada

Running time: 98 minutes

MPAA – R

PRODUCER/DIRECTOR: Bob Clark

WRITER: Roy Moore

CINEMATOGRAPHER: Reg Morris (D.o.P.)

EDITOR: Stan Cole

COMPOSER: Carl Zittrer

HORROR

Starring: Olivia Hussey, Keir Dullea, Margot Kidder, John Saxon, Marian Waldman, Andrea Martin, James Edmond, Douglas McGrath, Art Hindle, Lynne Griffin, Michael Rapport, Martha Gibson, Leslie Carlson, and Dave Clement

Black Christmas is a 1974 Canadian slasher horror film from director Bob Clark and writer Roy Moore. One of the earliest films belonging to the horror sub-genre known as the “slasher” film, Black Christmas is the first in a series that includes two remakes. Set during a university Christmas break, Black Christmas focuses on a group of sorority girls who are being stalked and killed by a stranger in their house.

Black Christmas opens on the campus of an unknown university located in a Canadian town named “Bedford.” Located on 6 Belmont Street is the Pi Kappa Sigma sorority house where a Christmas party is being held. An unseen man climbs the exterior of the house and enters it through the attic.

During the party, the house phone rings and sorority sister Jess Bradford (Olivia Hussey) answers it only to discover that it is an obscene phone call. It is also from a person who has called before, a caller the sorority sisters have nicknamed “the Moaner.” Jess and the other sisters listen as the caller rants and screams in a series of strange voices that range from male and female and from adult to small child. The name “Billy” comes up a lot during this and subsequent calls from the Moaner. The calls end the same; he abruptly threatens to kill the Pi Kappa Sigma sisters and hangs up.

Soon after the first call, the stranger who broke into the house begins killing the sorority sisters one by one, with no one in the house aware that a killing spree has begun. Jess seems to be the focal point of the calls, and the police, led by Lt. Ken Fuller (John Saxon), believe that the caller is someone close Jess. But the killer is closer than anyone seems to realize.

As I write this review, Sunday evening, December 29, 2024, it is two days (Friday, December 27, 2024) after the passing of actress Olivia Hussey (1951 to 2024). Hussey may be best known for her breakthrough film role as “Juliet” in director Franco Zeffirelli's 1968 film, Romeo and Juliet. However, many movie fans remember Hussey specifically for her starring role in Black Christmas.

Directed by Bob Clark (1939-2007), Black Christmas is a seminal film in the “slasher” sub-genre of horror films. It is apparently a direct inspiration for John Carpenter's 1978 film, Halloween, which kicks off what some consider the “Golden Age” of slash films (1978-1984). The film has been remade twice, Black Christmas (2006) and Black Christmas (2019). Strangely, Clark's other best known films are probably the raunchy, high school sex comedy, Porkys (1981) and the beloved Christmas perennial, A Christmas Story (1983).

Many have already written about the legacy of Black Christmas and about the individual performances and achievements that make up the film. For instance, I want to shout out Carl Zittrer's pitch-perfect, psycho-perfect film score, and Margot Kidder's (1948-2018) scene-stealing turn as Barbara “Barb” Coard.

For this review, however, I would like to talk about Olivia Hussey. There is a natural quality to her acting in general and to her performance here that makes this film seem more earthy than contrived and fantastic. Jess' struggles, both with the the Moaner's phone calls and with her increasingly frantic boyfriend, Peter Smythe (Keir Dullea), come together to enrich the character drama. Black Christmas is not just a film about a killer stalking girls, but it is also a tale that revolves around Jess and her external and internal struggles.

Here, Hussey is both vulnerable and endangered and calm and stalwart. Watching Hussey in this film, it becomes obvious that her performance as Jess Bradford is the template for the common horror character or trope known as the “final girl,” which is the last girl or woman who survives to fight the killer in a horror film. In Jess' final struggle, which takes her from the top of the sorority house to its very bottom, Hussey carries the film to victory. Hussey's Jess seems so genuine and real that I found it difficult to focus on Black Christmas' nonsensical and inconsistent elements.

I was sad to hear of Hussey's passing. I find her performance in Black Christmas to be unforgettable, and I think she makes the film unforgettable. I watch Black Christmas whenever I get a chance because I love watching Hussey in it. She makes me root for her Jess every step of the way. As important as Clark's direction, Moore's writing, and the other actors' performances are, Hussey is “the Star of Bethlehem” in Black Christmas.

8 of 10

★★★★ out of 4 stars

Monday, December 30, 2024

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Friday, November 15, 2024

Review: "Y TU MAMA TAMBIEN" is a Serious and Sexy Standout

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 49 of 2024 (No. 1993) by Leroy Douresseaux

Y tu mamá también (2001)

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Mexico; Language: Spanish

Running time: 106 minutes (1 hour, 46 minutes)

MPAA – initially not rated

DIRECTOR: Alfonso Cuarón

WRITERS: Alfonso Cuarón and Carlos Cuarón

PRODUCERS: Alfonso Cuarón and Jorge Vergara

CINEMATOGRAPHER: Emmanuel Lubezki (D.o.P.)

EDITORS: Alfonso Cuarón and Alex Rodríguez

Academy Award nominee

DRAMA

Starring: Maribel Verdú, Diego Luna, Gael García Bernal, Ana López Mercado, Nathan Grinberg, Verónica Langer, María Aura, Silverio Palacios, Mayra Serbulo, and Daniel Giménez Cacho (narrator)

Y tu mamá también is a 2001 Mexican coming-of-age comedy-drama and road film from director Alfonso Cuarón. The title is Spanish for “And Your Mother Too.” Y tu mama también follows two teenage boys and an older woman as they embark on a road trip with Mexico's late 1990s political upheaval as a backdrop.

Before Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) and Children of Men (2006) brought him mainstream acclaim, Mexican film director Alfonso Cuarón burst onto the international film scene with Y tu mama también. It became one of the most talked about movies of 2002.

Y tu mamá también introduces rich teenage friends, Tenoch Iturbide (Diego Luna) and Julio Zapata (Gael García Bernal). Abandoned by their girlfriends for the summer, they are on the prowl for new sexual experiences. At a wedding, they meet the alluring Luisa Cortes (Maribel Verdú), the Spanish wife of one of Tenoch's relatives. Both boys are smitten with her and try to impress her by weaving tales of Boca del Cielo – Heaven’s Mouth, a beautiful, secret beach.

Of course, there is no such place, but the boys are trying to get Luisa to join them on a road trip to the fictitious locale. Although she at first declines the sweet offer, Luisa changes her mind when she receives two pieces of bad news practically simultaneously. Once on the journey, however, the trio finds that their little escapade is riddled with conflict and sometimes interrupted by moments of seduction.

Y tu mama también is an original take on the road movie. Occasionally harsh (lots of painful revelations and venomous quarrels between the two boys) and often funny (the good-matured ribbing and frank conversations among the trio), the film is filled with witty banter. The poignancy is found in the fact that this coming of age journey that both strengthens and builds bonds also means that things are coming to an end. The sense of death, finality, and dissolution infuses this film giving even the sun-drenched Mexican locale a melancholy air.

Y tu mama también is also politically astute, with Cuarón and his co-writer Carlos Cuarón nimbly and skillfully dropping in commentary about political corruption and fraud rampant throughout the corruption (via the narrator). Cuarón also presents the rampant and widespread poverty among Mexican citizens offering it as a veritable visual feast. Everywhere the boys go, there is abundant evidence of the impoverished lives of so many people.

Perhaps, Cunard's best choice as director is allow his film to feel so natural, especially in the acting of the three main actors: Maribel Verdú, Diego Luna, and Gael García Bernal who give smooth, flowing performances. Cuarón doesn’t portray anything as being stages, and he presents this film as if we were peaking through a window that gives us an intimate view of these three lives in transition. Cuarón doesn’t just put us there; he makes us feel. That makes Y tu mama también such a wonderfully entertaining film that reaches out to touch the viewer on a personal level.

8 of 10

★★★★ out of 4 stars

Friday, November 15, 2024

NOTES:

2003 Academy Awards: 1 nomination: “Best Writing, Original Screenplay” (Alfonso Cuarón and Carlos Cuarón)

2003 BAFTA Awards: 2 nominations: “Best Film not in the English Language” (Alfonso Cuarón and Jorge Vergara) and “Best Screenplay – Original” (Alfonso Cuarón and Carlos Cuarón)

2002 Golden Globes: 1 nomination: “Best Foreign Language Film” (Mexico)

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Tuesday, October 1, 2024

Review: "TOMIE" is Weird as Sh*t - Happy Halloween

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 153 (of 2004) by Leroy Douresseaux

Tomie (1998)

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Japan

Running time: 95 minutes (1 hour, 35 minutes)

Not rated

DIRECTOR: Ataru Oikawa

WRITER: Ataru Oikawa (based upon the manga by Junji Ito)

PRODUCERS: Yasuhiko Azuma, Youichiro Onishi, and Shun Shimizu

CINEMATOGRAPHERS: Akira Sakoh and Kazuhiro Suzuki

EDITOR: Ryûji Miyajima

COMPOSERS: Hiroshi Futami and Toshihiro Kimura

HORROR/THRILLER

Starring: Miho Kanno, Mami Nakamura, Yoriko Douguchi, Tomorowo Taguchi, Kouta Kusano, and Kenji Mizuhashi

Tomie is a 1998 Japanese horror film from director Ataru Oikawa. It is the first entry in the Tomie film series, which totals eleven films as of 2011. It is also based on the manga (Japanese comics), Tomie, which was published from 1987 to 2000 and was created by Junji Ito. Tomie the movie focuses on a traumatized young woman who is haunted by the name, “Tomie.”

Tsukiko Izumisawa (Mami Nakamura) is seeing a psychiatrist, Dr. Hosono (Yoriko Douguchi), about her problem sleeping at night. She also has repressed memories of some trauma in her past. Detective Harada (Tomorowo Taguchi) believes it has something to do with the murder of her friend, Tomie (Miho). Trouble is that going back a century’s worth of records, Harada finds Tomie as the name of several victims of horribly violent crimes. Is this Tomie the same one involved with Tsukiko? And what about that guy with a severed human head in a plastic grocery bag?

Tomie was the first in a series of popular Japanese horror movies starring the mysterious Tomie and her machinations, and the film is based upon the Junji Ito comic (manga) of the same title. Tomie isn’t as intense as that most popular Japanese horror film, Ringu, but it’s fairly suspenseful in its own right. Actually, Tomie is more a suspense film than a horror or a thriller. Director/screenwriter Ataru Oikawa drenches his film in shadows and the atmosphere bleeds creepiness and weirdness. It’s an atmosphere that can have the viewer always hanging on for what’s going to happen next. What makes the film as effective as it ever gets is Oikawa’s use of a real world setting. He shot the film as it if were just a pedestrian TV drama. That banality coupled with the pulp madness that surrounds the Tomie character and the eventual revelation of what she is makes the film turn out to be something much better than it seemed a third of the way through its running time.

Tomie is not for every body, but Tomie is perfect for the horror flick fan on the prowl for something real different. The film also has a frankly bizarre musical score.

6 of 10

★★★ out of 4 stars

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Saturday, June 29, 2024

Review: "GODZILLA MINUS ONE" Recalls the Original Spirit of Godzilla

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 26 of 2024 (No. 1970) by Leroy Douresseaux

Godzilla Minus One (2023)

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Japan; Language: Japanese

Running time: 124 minutes (2 hours, 4 minutes)

MPA – PG-13 for creature violence and action

DIRECTOR: Takashi Yamazaki

WRITER: Takashi Yamazaki (based on characters owned by Toho Co., Ltd.)

PRODUCERS: Gô Abe, Kazuaki Kishida, Keiichiro Moriya, and Kenji Yamada

CINEMATOGRAPHER: Kôzô Shibasaki

EDITOR: Ryûji Miyajima

COMPOSER: Naoki Satô

Academy Award winner

SCI-FI/DRAMA and HISTORICAL/WAR

Starring: Ryunosuke Kamiki, Minami Hamabe, Sakura Ando, Munetaka Aoki, Kuranosuke Sasaki, Hidetaka Yoshioka, Yuki Yamada, Yuya Endo, and Sae Nagatani

Gojira Mainasu Wan is a 2023 Japanese historical war drama and science fiction film written and directed by Takashi Yamazaki and produced by Toho Studios. It is Toho's 33rd Godzilla film and 37th entry in the Godzilla film franchise. The film's English-language title is Godzilla Minus One, the title by which I will refer to it in this review.

Godzilla Minus One won the Oscar for “Best Achievement in Visual Effects” at the 96th Academy Awards earlier this year (March 10, 2024). The director, Takashi Yamazaki, was one of the four men who each received an Oscar statuette for the win. In Godzilla Minus One, a former kamikaze pilot is struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder when the giant monster of his nightmares returns to attack post-war Japan.

Godzilla Minus One opens in 1945, near the end of World War II. Kōichi Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki) lands his Mitsubishi A6M Zero at the Japanese base on Odo Island for repairs. Shikishima is a kamikaze pilot (the military units that flew suicide missions for Japan during WWII). The base's lead mechanic, Sōsaku Tachibana (Munetaka Aoki), deduces that Shikishima had fled from his suicidal duty by pretending his plane had technical issues. Later that night, Godzilla, a large dinosaur-like creature, attacks the island garrison, and only Shikishima and Tachibana survive.

Shikishima returns home to find his parents were killed in the bombing of Tokyo. Plagued by survivor's guilt, he begins supporting a woman, Noriko Ōishi (Minami Hamabe), whose parents also died in the bombing. With an orphaned baby girl, Akiko (Sae Nagatani), left in Noriko's custody, Shikishima forms a kind of family unit. He even finds employment aboard a minesweeper tasked with disposing of naval mines from World War II. Still, Shikishima can't leave the war behind and is reluctant to ask Noriko to marry him.

Meanwhile, the United States' nuclear tests at the Bikini Atoll leaves Godzilla mutated and empowered. Baptized within the horrific power of the atomic bomb, Godzilla now re-emerges, more powerful, and begins to battle Japan on land and sea. Can Shikishima emerge from his guilt and help save Japan from a monster that can unleash the power of a nuclear weapon?

North American audiences are familiar with the modern, rebooted version of Godzilla that stumps around the Legendary Entertainment's “MonsterVerse” an American multimedia franchise that includes a suite of movies that began with 2014's Godzilla and includes the most recent hit, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024). In Japan, Godzilla also received a modern reboot, known as the “Reiwa era,” and that began with the 2016 film, Shin Godzilla. Godzilla Minus One is the fifth film from this era.

Godzilla mainly appears in three major sequences in this film, and they are absolutely awesome. The initial one, the attack on Odo Island, is as good any dinosaur attack depicted in Jurassic Park (1993) and its sequels or Jurassic World (2015) and its sequels. The second sequence, when Godzilla attacks Ginza, a district in Tokyo, took my breath away. I believe that the Ginza attack probably earned Godzilla Minus One the votes it needed to win its special effects Oscar. This film's Godzilla is the old-fashioned one that looks like the man-in-a-suit original from the early Godzilla films, beginning in the mid-1950s. However, modern special effects takes the classic and gives him more character, making him more a force a nature than a mere monster.

Godzilla Minus One is as much an ensemble wartime drama as it is a monster movie. It is not perfect, because it does drag quite a bit in places between Godzilla's appearances. The cast, led by Ryunosuke Kamiki as Koichi Shikishima, personifies the lives of people living and struggling through the aftermath of a defeated Japan. In a sense, Japan's imperial ambitions and overreach brought that suffering on the people. However, dropping two atomic bombs dropped on Japan (on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945) was some other country's decision. Nor is Japan at fault for the monster that Godzilla becomes as a result of the United States' atomic testing in the Pacific.

Godzilla Minus One is a depiction of Japan's post-WWII efforts to save itself from its own actions and the actions of others. I found myself rooting for them in that epic final battle much in the way I root for the U.S. of A in American war cinema. However, Godzilla Minus One is not so much about nationalism as it is about national survival, and it is quite well-made and entertaining, also.

8 of 10

★★★★ out of 4 stars

Saturday, June 29, 2024

NOTES:

2024 Academy Awards, USA: 1 win: “Best Achievement in Visual Effects” (Takashi Yamazaki, Kiyoko Shibuya, Masanori Takahashi, and Tatsuji Nojima)

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Thursday, October 12, 2023

Review: "THE MUMMY'S SHROUD" is a True Scary Movie

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 46 of 2023 (No. 1935) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Mummy's Shroud (1967)

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: United Kingdom

Running time: 90 minutes (1 hour, 30 minutes)

DIRECTOR: John Gilling

WRITERS: John Gilling; from a story by Anthony Hinds

PRODUCER: Anthony Nelson Keys

CINEMATOGRAPHER: Arthur Grant (D.o.P.)

EDITOR: Chris Barnes

COMPOSER: Don Banks

HORROR

Starring: André Morell, John Phillips, David Buck, Elizabeth Sellars, Maggie Kimberly, Michael Ripper, Tim Barrett, Richard Warner, Roger Delgado, Catherine Lacey, and Dickie Owen

The Mummy's Shroud is a 1967 British horror film that was directed by John Gilling and was released by famed British film production company, Hammer Film Productions. The film focuses on the members of an archaeological expedition who become victims of a curse after they discover and enter the tomb of ancient Egyptian child prince.

The Mummy's Shroud opens in 1920. A team of archaeologists led by scientist, Sir Basil Walden (André Morell), discovers the lost tomb of a boy who was to be pharaoh, Kah-To-Bey, in Ancient Egypt. His father, the Pharaoh, was betrayed and murdered in a palace coup, but Kah-To-Bey was saved when his father's manservant, Prem (Dickie Owen), spirited him away deep into the desert.

Stanley Preston (John Phillips), the wealthy businessman who is funding the expedition, arrives to join Walden and his team. The expedition enters the tomb of Kah-To-Bey, although they are warned against doing that by Hasmid (Roger Delgado), who claims to be the tomb's guardian. After the expedition returns to Cairo with the contents of the tomb, strange things begin to happen, and people begin to die. Now, Preston's son, Paul Preston (David Buck), and Claire (Maggie Kimberly), another member of the expedition, may be the only people who can discover who or what is behind a series of brutal slayings. And it will require them to find and decipher the sacred burial shroud of Kah-To-Bey.

I have been a fan of movies about the curse of Egyptian tombs since I first saw Hammer Film Productions' The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb (1964), so I dove into my first viewing of The Mummy's Shroud, which the cable network, Turner Classic Movies (TCM), aired Monday morning, October 9, 2023. Of course, I am a huge fan of actor Brendan Fraser's “The Mummy” trilogy. The second film of that trilogy, 2001's The Mummy Returns, seems to borrow a few elements from The Mummy's Shroud. Tom Cruise's 2017 film, The Mummy, also has a few elements similar to The Mummy's Shroud.

I really got a kick out of watching The Mummy's Shroud. For one thing, it has a very handsome cast, and Maggie Kimberly as Claire and Elizabeth Sellars as Stanley Preston's wife, Barbara Preston, are gorgeous blondes. They fascinated me, and I became more attracted to them with each screen appearance. Both actresses also give good performances, as do the male actors. The film's script gives the cast character types to play, but they are up to the task of injecting those types with personality. No actor is really over-the-top, so much as they are engaged in their performance.

As for the film's horror elements, the mummy and the curse, well, they are quite gruesome. I would describe The Mummy's Shroud as a genuine scary movie, and the murders don't feel like a body count so much as they seem like true revenge – the cost that the members of the expedition must pay for violating the curse of an Egyptian tomb. I love Hammer Film Productions' horror movies, and I look forward to seeing them again. I have seen The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb a few times, and I plan on shaking the dust off The Mummy's Shroud again.

7 of 10

B+

★★★½ out of 4 stars

Thursday, October 12, 2023

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Thursday, October 5, 2023

Review: "THE BROTHERHOOD OF THE WOLF" is Crazy (Literally), Sexy, Cool

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 6 (of 2002) by Leroy Douresseaux

Pacte des loups, Le (2001)

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: France; Language: French, German, Italian

The Brotherhood of the Wolf (2002) – USA title

Running time: 142 minutes (2 hours, and 22 minutes)

MPAA – R for strong violence, gore, and sexuality/nudity

DIRECTOR: Christophe Gans

WRITERS: Stephane Cabel and Christophe Gans

PRODUCERS: Richard Grandpierre and Samuel Hadida

CINEMATOGRAPHER: Dan Laustsen

EDITORS: Xavier Loutreuil, Sébastien Prangère, and David Wu

COMPOSER: Joseph LoDuca

DRAMA/HISTORICAL AND HORROR/MYSTERY/THRILLER with elements of adventure

Starring: Samuel Le Bihan, Vincent Cassel, Emilie Dequenne, Monica Bellucci, Jérémie Rénier, Mark Dacascos, Jean Yanne, Jean-Francois Stévenin, and Jacques Perrin

Le Pacte des loups is a 2001 French period film, action and horror movie directed by Christophe Gans. The film was released in the United States in early 2002 by Universal Pictures under the title, The Brotherhood of the Wolf (the title by which I will refer to this film in this review). The film's plot is loosely based on the legend of the “beast of Gévaudan” and a real-life series of killings that took place in France in the 18th century. The Brotherhood of the Wolf focuses on a French knight and his Native American companion who are sent to investigate the mysterious slaughter of hundreds of people by an unknown creature in the county of Gévaudan.

At the beginning of The Brotherhood of the Wolf, Old Thomas d'Apcher (Jacques Perrin) recounts a fantastic fable/story of his youth. It is France of 1765, and the King sends two envoys to the Gevaudan province (which no longer exists) to investigate a series of brutal murders of which the locals believe is committed by a mysterious beast. The envoys are the Chevalier Gregoire de Fronsac (Samuel Le Bihan), a naturalist, and his companion, Mani (Mark Dacascos), a Mohawk Iroquois shaman of New France (Canada). They arrive in Gevandan to find the provincials bigoted and superstitious, even in the midst of the death all around them.

Among the colorful cast of characters include a mysterious and powerful priest, Henri Sardis (Jean-Francois Stevenin), and a sly and dangerous one-armed hunter, Jean Francois de Morangias (Vincent Cassel). The young Thomas d’Apcher (Jeremie Renier) becomes a hunting companion of Fronsac and Mani. Two strong female characters compete for the attentions of the virile and intelligent Fronsac: Marianne de Morangias (Emilie Dequenne), Jean Francois’s beautiful younger sister, and the nubile and hypnotic courtesan Sylvia (Monica Bellucci). As Fronsac and Mani pierce the veil of mystery and terror that covers the province, intrigue and deceit surround them, and the beast continues to kill.

Directed by Christophe Gans, The Brotherhood of the Wolf bends genres as easily as the film’s beast tears through its victims. Horror, thriller, western, martial arts, and mystery, the film is filled with suspense, terror, romance, eroticism, and political intrigue. It is at times intoxicating and mind bending and at other times, languid and thoughtful. It is difficult to categorize, but the movie is largely fantasy and action, but different from most of the movies that both genres recall.

Fronsac is a man of reason who sees a human conspiracy behind the killings that is darker and more insidious than any beast of Hell. Still, this man of science also understands the mystic worldview and belief system of his friend and blood brother, Mani. Fronsac is enlightenment’s soldier against the backward and ignorant peasants and nobles of Gevaudan. The provincials fear the ways of a city like Paris, and Sardis and Jean Francois resent the capital’s intrusion into their world. They disdain the confidence and intelligence of the King’s envoys. The beast is a physical manifestation of the provincials superstitions, isolationism, hatred, and evil that feeds upon the populace, and the creature resists the authority of the government.

The movie’s creature is a computer-generated image (CGI); at its best is fearsome. At its worst, the creature, especially during some daylight scenes, is hokey. However, Gans wisely holds revealing the beast in scenes that go by so quickly that we rarely get a good look at it. Sometimes, just the unseen beast’s roars, growls, and footsteps are enough to set the heart racing.

Le Bihan as Fronsac is strong and strongly confident. He is the romantic lead upon which the audience hitches its wagon. When he and Mani arrive early in the movie, after the film’s opening murder, they appear in a driving rainstorm, masked minutemen with the presence of demigods. Mani’s assault upon the villagers recalls fight scenes from The Matrix, but his are down to earth and more physical, more visceral; the threat of danger to him from the attackers is much greater. Decascos is mostly very good on the screen as Mani, though a few bits of his screen time are a little flat. When Gans unleashes him late in the movie, Decascos is a beautiful force a nature, a small storm in human guise tearing through his antagonists.

Vincent Cassel’s Jean Francois is the serpentine equal to Fronsac. He dominates all of his screen time, except for his scenes with Fronsac, in which both must share the screen. The movie nearly bursts from having to contain both their magnetic presences. They alone are worth the price of admission, but the rest of the cast, both veterans and newcomers, make the most of their roles.

Although a little long, The Brotherhood of the Wolf is wonderful; a dark horse, it is one of the best films of the year 2001. Gans and his screenwriting partner, Stephane Cabel, created a script that melds raw action with social intrigue, and the result is quite an accomplishment. The Brotherhood of the Wolf is plainly good entertainment. Not quite high art, it is eye candy that is very smart and very fun.

8 of 10

★★★★ out of 4 stars

Edited: Wednesday, October 4, 2023

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Tuesday, September 5, 2023

Review: "LAPUTA: CASTLE IN THE SKY" is in the Sky with Diamonds

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 41 of 2023 (No. 1930) by Leroy Douresseaux

Laputa: Castle in the Sky (1986)

Tenkū no Shiro Rapyuta – original Japanese title

Running time: 125 minutes (2 hours, 5 minutes)

MPAA – PG

DIRECTOR: Hayao Miyazaki

WRITER: Hayao Miyazaki

PRODUCER: Isao Takahata

CINEMATOGRAPHER: Hirokata Takahashi

EDITORS: Hayao Miyazaki, Yoshihiro Kasahara, and Takeshi Seyama

COMPOSER: Joe Hisaishi

ANIMATION/FANTASY and ACTION/ADVENTURE

Starring: (voices) Mayumi Tanaka, Keiko Yokozawa, Kotoe Hatsui, Minori Terada, Fujio Tokita, Ichiro Nagai, and Hiroshi Ito

Laputa: Castle in the Sky is a 1986 Japanese animated, action-adventure fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. Laputa is also the first film fully produced by the Japanese animation studio, Studio Ghibli. In North America, the film is known simply as Castle in the Sky, the title by which I will refer to it in this review. Castle in the Sky follows the adventures of a young boy and girl who must race against time, pirates, and foreign agents in a bid to find a legendary island that floats in the sky.

Castle in the Sky opens on an airship. Aboard the aircraft is a young girl, Sheeta (Mayumi Tanaka), an orphan girl abducted by the government agent, Colonel Muska (Minori Terada). The airship is attacked by Captain Dola (Kotoe Hatsui) and her gang, “the Dola Pirates” (all of whom are apparently her sons). Dola is seeking Sheeta's necklace, which holds a small orb made of pure “etherium” crystal. Attempting to escape, Sheeta falls from the airship, but is saved by the magic of etherium in the now-glowing crystal, which lowers her slowly to the ground.

On the ground, Sheeta is caught by a young boy, Pazu (Keiko Yokozawa). Soon, Pazu is on a mission to protect Sheeta from both Dola and Muska. Pazu and Sheeta's goal is to reach the mythical flying island, “Laputa,” which is connected to both children's past, but in different ways. The mystery of Laputa is what exactly is it – a paradise, a treasure trove, or something dangerous.

I have previously reviewed the following Miyazaki-directed films: The Castle of Cagliostro (1979), Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984), My Neighbor Totoro (1988), Princess Mononoke (1997), Spirited Away (2001), Howl's Moving Castle (2004), Ponyo (2008), and The Wind Rises (2013). As Netflix is shutting down its DVD-by-mail division, I am hoping to get to the Miyazaki films that I have not previously watched. This is the first time I've watched Castle in the Sky.

For me, the most wonderful thing about Castle in the Sky is that it is steeped in Hayao Miyazaki's affinity for flight, a theme that dominates many of his films. He fills this film with wonderful flying contraptions, such as the government's flying fortress, “Goliath,” and the Dola pirates' airship, “Tiger Moth.” Even the robots of Laputa can become wonderful flying machines. As with many of Miyazaki's films, Castle in the Sky is breathtaking, visually stunning, and mind-blowing, especially when the narrative takes to the air.

One of the film's most dominant themes is the innocence of children, as seen through the eyes of Pazu and Sheeta. That shows in the two characters' resilience and determination in the face of constant turmoil and ceaseless obstacles. Their relationship is the counterbalance to the film's darker elements, especially its focus on on humanity's relationship with nature and with technology. Most of the film displays technology in harmony with nature, taking place in a fantasy version of the nineteenth century. There is a “retro-future” aesthetic that finds a balance between mankind's technological creations and the natural world at large. Castle in the Sky would go on to have a strong influence on the then emerging science fiction sub-genre known as “steampunk.”

I believe that if you, dear readers, have never seen a Miyazaki film, the first one you watch will validate the great things you may have heard about him. When you see your second Miyazaki, you will certainly become a true believer. Castle in the Sky is the kind of animated film that will make just about any movie fan a true believer in Hayao Miyazaki. It is one of the greatest adventure films ever made, and one of the greatest animated films of all time. Castle in the Sky mixes vivid imagination, eye-popping inventiveness, and stunning beauty in a way only the best animated films do. Every frame of this film belongs on a wall in a museum. If it were a Disney animated feature, Disney would call Laputa: Castle in the Sky an instant classic. It certainly is a classic.

10 of 10

Tuesday, September 5, 2023

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Thursday, August 10, 2023

Review: "NAUSICAA IN THE VALLEY OF THE WIND" Soars to the Animation Heavens

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 36 of 2023 (No. 1925) by Leroy Douresseaux

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)

Kaze no Tani no Naushika – original Japanese title

Running time: 117 minutes (1 hour, 57 minutes)

MPAA – PG for violence

DIRECTOR: Hayao Miyazaki

WRITER: Hayao Miyazaki (based upon the manga by Hayao Miyazaki)

PRODUCER: Isao Takahata

CINEMATOGRAPHERS: Yasuhiro Shimizu, Koji Shiragami, Yukitomo Shudo, and Mamoru Sugiura

EDITORS: Naoki Kaneko, Tomoko Kida, and Shoji Saka

COMPOSER: Joe Hisaishi

ANIMATION/FANTASY and ACTION/ADVENTURE

Starring: (voices) Sumi Shimamoto, Goro Naya, Ichiro Nagai, Hisako Kyoda, Yoji Matsuda, Yoshiko Sakakibara, Iemasa Kayumi, Kohei Miyauchi, Joji Yanami, Minoru Yada, Mina Tominaga, Mahito Tsujimura, and Rihoko Yoshida

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind is a 1984 Japanese animated, post-apocalyptic, fantasy film from director Hayao Miyazaki. The film is based on Miyazaki's manga (Japanese comic), also titled Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, which first began publication in 1982. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind the movie focuses on a princess who is both warrior and pacifist and her desperate struggles to prevent two warring nations from destroying themselves and her homeland.

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind opens one thousand years after the event known as “the Seven Days of Fire.” It was an apocalyptic war that destroyed civilization and caused an ecological collapse, creating something called “the Sea of Decay.” This is a poisonous forest of fungal life and plants that swarm with giant mutant insects, the largest and most dangerous being the the trilobite-like and armored “Ohm.” The poison from the plants can kill humans, and every day, the Sea of Decay spreads, encroaching on what little open land remains.

Nausicaä (Sumi Shimamoto) is a teenage warrior and princess of the Valley of the Wind, a land that has remained, thus far, free of the Sea of Decay. Riding the wind and sky in a powered glider, Nausicaä explores the jungles of the Sea of Decay and communicates with its creatures. That is how she is reunited with the explorer and great swordsman, Lord Yupa Miralda (Goro Naya), who has returned to meet with Nausicaä's father, Jihl (Mahito Tsujimura), the King of the Valley of the Wind.

But tragedy strikes. The Valley of the Wind is soon at the epicenter of two warring nations, the Kingdom of Tolmekia and Pejite. Princess Kushana (Yoshiko Sakakibara) has led the Tolmekian Frontier Forces into the Valley. Thus, Nausicaä must forge a relationship with Prince Asbel of Pejite (Yoji Matsuda), but there is something worse than two warring nations. Destruction is headed towards the Valley of the Wind, and it will take all of Nausicaä's talents, skills, and tricks to save her home.

I have previously reviewed the following Miyazaki-directed films: The Castle of Cagliostro (1979), My Neighbor Totoro (1988), Princess Mononoke (1997), Spirited Away (2001), Howl's Moving Castle (2004), Ponyo (2008), and The Wind Rises (2013). As Netflix is shutting down its DVD-by-mail division, I am hoping to get to the Miyazaki films that I have not previously watched.

Apparently, the work of the legendary French comic book creator, Jean “Moebius” Giraud (1938-2012), influenced Miyazaki in the creation of his manga, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. The influence of Moebius remains with Miyazaki's film adaptation of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. I also see the influence of the famed animation director, Ralph Bakshi, especially of his 1977 fantasy film, Wizards. J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings novels (1954-55) are clearly influences, and Frank Herbert's famed science fiction novel, Dune (1965), is also an influence. In fact, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind the film would arrive in theaters almost nine months before the first film adaption of Herbert's novel, director David Lynch's 1984 film, Dune.

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind is a beautifully and practically designed film in the sense that the environments have both a sense of naturalism and realism to them while the insects are fantastical creations that seem more practical than impractical because they are based on real insects. This makes the world of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind seem like a credible future world or at least genuine post-apocalyptic future. Yes, Nausicaä's glider is impractical, but the animation gives it such beauty in motion that I believe in it and I believe in the way Nausicaä flies it.

The film's plot and subplots are strongly environmental and ecological and the conflict is a series of familiar tribal tropes. However, what carries plot and narrative are the inventive and engaging characters. Every players, regardless of the size of his or her role, is inviting and intriguing. Yes, Nausicaä is a star born, a heroine out of fairy tale, folklore, and mythology who captures hearts and holds our imaginations captive. Still, the denizens of the Valley and the feuding and conniving citizens of Tolmekia and Pejite are a delightful bunch, not good and evil, so much as they are selfish, but likable, each in his or her own way. The legendary Yupa, like Nausicaä, stands as a typical heroic figure, although he stands behind Nausicaä.

A long time ago, I told a fellow Miyazaki fan that Spirited Away was my favorite of the director's films. He insisted that I see Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. Now, I'm not so sure which is my favorite. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind is like no other animated feature film, and I certainly consider it one of the greatest that I have ever seen.

10 of 10

Thursday, August 10, 2023

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Thursday, August 3, 2023

Review: "GRAVEYARD OF THE FIREFLIES" is as Powerful as Any Live-Action Wartime Film

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 35 of 2023 (No. 1924) by Leroy Douresseaux

Grave of the Fireflies (1988)

Hotaru no Haka – original Japanese title

Running time: 89 minutes (1 hour, 29 minutes)

MPAA – not rated

DIRECTOR: Isao Takahata

WRITER: Isao Takahata (based on the novel by Akiyuki Nosaka)

PRODUCER: Toru Hara

CINEMATOGRAPHER: Nobuo Koyama

EDITOR: Takeshi Seyama

COMPOSER: Michio Mamiya

ANIMATION/WAR/DRAMA

Starring: (voices) Tsutomu Tatsumi, Ayano Shiraishi, Akemi Yamaguchi, and Yoshiko Shinohara

Hotaru no Haka or Grave of the Fireflies is a 1988 Japanese animated World War II drama and historical film directed by Isao Takahata and produced by Studio Ghibli. The film is based on the 1967 short story, “Grave of the Fireflies,” by Akiyuki Nosaka. This was the fourth animated film produced by Studio Ghibli and the first one directed by studio co-founder, Isao Takahata. Grave of the Fireflies focuses on a young boy and his little sister as they struggle to survive in World War II Japan.

Grave of the Fireflies introduces a boy, Seita (Tsutomu Tatsumi), and his little sister, Setsuko (Ayano Shiraishi). They find themselves on their own as a result of one of the American raids that was part of “the Bombing of Kobe” campaign during World War II.

One day, a group of American Boeing bombers firebombs Kobe. Though Seita and Setsuko survive the bombing, their mother (Yoshiko Shinohara) is severely injured and later dies. Seita conceals their mother's death from Setsuko in an attempt to keep her happy. Seita does not know the status of their father who is an officer in the Imperial Japanese Navy. The children move in with an aunt (Akemi Yamaguchi), but although Seita tries to accommodate his aunt's demands, she becomes resentful of the children being in her home.

After leaving their aunt's house, Seita and Setsuko move into an abandoned bomb shelter located near a pond. The place is swarming with fireflies, which delights Setsuko. For a time, Seita and Setsuko are happy, but like the life of an adult firefly, the children's happiness is short-lived.

Previously, I have only reviewed two Studio Ghilbi films that were not directed by Hayao Miyazaki. They are Tales from Earthsea (2006), which was directed by Miyazaki's son Gorō Miyazaki, and The Secret World of Arrietty (2010). As Netflix is shutting down its DVD-by-mail division (in September 2023), I am hoping to get to more Studio Ghibli films that I have not previously watched.

I think Grave of the Fireflies has received much praise because it is not only a powerful war film, but it is also a truly unique war film. Grave of the Fireflies is not an anti-war film, although it depicts the suffering that wartime can bring, mainly through Seita and Setsuko, but also via background characters. The film is haunting and achingly sad, but at the same time, life goes on, even in wartime. Seita and Setsuko make the best of life, a nearly inseparable pair enjoying life the best that they can. The film portrays how Seita watches over Setsuko so that she can still live the life of a small girl, frockling, having adventures, and using her imagination. Her smiles and happiness permeate this film even in its darker moments. One might question the choices that Seita makes, but he did not make them out of concern of his own pride. He made them so that his little sister could live in dignity.

Grave of the Fireflies proves that animated films can tackle the most achingly human conditions, including the heartbreaking experiences that afflicted many Japanese during World War II. The animation's glorious colors might suggest a vivid pastoral fantasy, but the story is a depiction of the human pastoral. Thematically, the film's fireflies can represent many things, from birth and decay to the flight of planes that attack Japan. However, I usually thought of the spirits of children in flight when I saw a scene of fireflies gently moving upwards.

Grave of the Fireflies is a film that no fan of animated feature films should miss. It has a timeless quality, and I found it hard to believe that this year (2023) is the thirty-fifth anniversary of the film's original Japanese theatrical release. The story that it depicts may be from a long-gone time, but like Seita and Setsuko, the spirit of Grave of the Fireflies still stirs.

9 of 10

A+

★★★★+ out of 4 stars

Thursday, August 3, 2023

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Thursday, July 27, 2023

Review: Miyazaki's "THE CASTLE OF CAGLIOSTRO" is Something Else Entirely

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 34 of 2023 (No. 1923) by Leroy Douresseaux

Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro (1979)

Rupan Sansei: Kariosutoro no Shiro – original Japanese title

Running time: 102 minutes

MPAA – not rated

DIRECTOR: Hayao Miyazaki

WRITERS: Hayao Miyazaki and Haruya Yamazaki (based upon the manga by Monkey Punch)

PRODUCER: Tetsuo Katayama

CINEMATOGRAPHER: Hirokata Takahashi

EDITOR: Masatoshi Tsurubuchi

COMPOSER: Yuji Ohno

ANIMATION/FANTASY/COMEDY and ACTION/ADVENTURE

Starring: (English voices – Manga Entertainment dub) David Hayter, Bridget Hoffman, Kirk Thornton, Kevin Seymour, John Snyder, Dorothy Elias-Fahn, Milton James, Michael Gregory, Barry Stigler, and Joe Romersa; (Japanese voices) Yasuo Yamada, Eiko Masuyama, Kiyoshi Kobayashi, Makio Inoue, Goro Naya, Sumi Shimamoto and Taro Ishida

Rupan Sansei: Kariosutoro no Shiro or Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro is a 1979 Japanese animated action-adventure and comic-fantasy animated from director Hayao Miyazaki. An English-language dub of the film was first theatrically released in the U.S. in 1991 under the title, The Castle of Cagliostro, the title that I will use for this review.

The Castle of Cagliostro focuses on a master thief, Lupin III. The film Lupin is based on the manga character, Lupin the Third, created by late manga artist, Kazuhiko Kato (1937-2019), who is best remembered by his pen name, Monkey Punch. In the film, a dashing thief struggles to free a princess from an evil count who needs her in order to gain a mysterious treasure.

The Castle of Cagliostro opens in Monaco. There, Master thief Lupin III (David Hayter) and his partner, Jigen (John Snyder), flee the National Casino with huge quantities of stolen money. As they will soon learn, however, the stolen bills are actually distinctive, high-quality counterfeits known as “Goat bills.” Lupin decides to seek out the source of this counterfeit money, the country known as the Duchy of Cagliostro.

Shortly after arriving, Lupin and Jigen see a young woman being chased by armed thugs. It turns out that she is Lady Clarisse de Cagliostro (Bridget Hoffman), and she is running away from her fiancé, the Count de Cagliostro (Kirk Thornton), the regent of the Duchy of Cagliostro. The Count has arranged a marriage with Lady Clarisse in order to cement his power. The marriage will also help him recover the fabled ancient treasure of Cagliostro, for which he needs both his and Clarisse's ancestral signet rings.

Lupin is determined to save Clarisse from this arranged marriage. In addition to his partner Jigen, Lupin calls in the highly-skilled martial artist and swordsman, Goemon (Michael Gregory), and the rival professional thief, Fujiko (Dorothy Elias-Fahn). Meanwhile, Inspector Zenigata of Interpol (Kevin Seymour) sees Lupin's activities in the Duchy of Cagliostro as a perfect opportunity to catch the thief he has been chasing for so long. Can Lupin rescue Clarisse? Will Count Cagliostro destroy them both? And just what is the treasure of Cagliostro?

I have previously reviewed the following Miyazaki-directed films: My Neighbor Totoro (1988), Princess Monoke (1997), Spirited Away (2001), Howl's Moving Castle (2004), Ponyo (2008), and The Wind Rises (2013). As Netflix is shutting down its DVD-by-mail division, I am hoping to get to the Miyazaki films that I have not previously watched.

I had heard of The Castle of Cagliostro in connection with Miyazaki, but I had put off seeing it. I wish I'd seen it earlier, as it is a delightful and maniacal comedy. The film is not without flaws, as it stretches credulity a bit far, even for a Japanese animated film. Lupin is not just a master thief; he is also apparently a super-human thief with supernaturally good luck.

Still, I treasure The Castle of Cagliostro's loopiness because Miyazaki and his co-writer Haruya Yamazaki are imaginative when it comes to the comic and action-adventure possibilities of the twists and turns this quasi-mystery takes. As both designer and storyboard artist, in addition to being director, Miyazaki is inventive in the way he stages the action as a series of chases and fights that are as defined by feats of aerial stunts and gymnastics as they are by martial arts and combat skills.

The characters are quite nice, especially gallant Lupin, who is apparently more ruthless in the original manga, and his partner, Jigen, the amiable, but quite skilled tough guy. However, the star here is Miyazaki in his first feature-length film. He makes the action unrestrained by gravity, natural law, or architecture. Thus, the film is a rollicking adventure with a humorous tone that belies the threat of brutal violence and death that frequently pop up in the story. I really like The Castle of Cagliostro, and I highly recommend it to fans of Hayao Miyazaki and to those searching for the great animated films. I also plan on buying my own physical copy.

8 of 10

★★★★ out of 4 stars

Thursday, July 27, 2023

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Saturday, July 22, 2023

Review: "GOTHIC" is a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Movie (Remembering Julian Sands)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 33 of 2023 (No. 1922) by Leroy Douresseaux

Gothic (1986)

Running time: 87 minutes (1 hour, 27 minutes)

MPAA – R

DIRECTOR: Ken Russell

WRITERS: Stephen Volk

PRODUCERS: Penny Corke

CINEMATOGRAPHER: Mike Southon (D.o.P.)

EDITOR: Michael Bradsell

COMPOSER: Thomas Dolby

DRAMA/HORROR/HISTORICAL

Starring: Gabriel Byrne, Julian Sands, Natasha Richardson, Myriam Cyr, and Timothy Spall

Gothic is a 1986 British psychological horror film and historical drama directed by Ken Russell. The film focuses on a group of five people whose activities on the night of June 16, 1816 invite something dark into the mansion where they are staying.

Gothic is a fictional account of the events that happened at the Villa Diodati on night of June 16, 1816. To understand Gothic, there is the need for some historical reference.

English novelist, Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin (1797-1851); her future husband, the radical English romantic poet, Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822); and their son, William (1816-19); accompanied Mary's stepsister, Claire Clairmont (1798-1879), to spend the summer of 1816 with the English romantic poet, Lord Byron (1788-1824). They arrived in mid-May 1816, and by then, Mary was calling herself, “Mrs. Shelley,” although she was not yet married to Percy. Byron was renting a mansion, the Villa Diodati, located near Lake Geneva, Switzerland. The Shelleys rented a place nearby. Byron's young physician, John William Polidori (1795-1821), also joined the gathering.

This summer of 1816 became legendary in literature. On the night of June 16, 1816, Byron, Mary, Percy, Clairmont, and Polidori entertained themselves with German ghost stories from the Fantasmagoriana, a French anthology of such stories published in 1812. This amusement led Byron to propose that they each write a ghost story. Because of poor weather, the group famously spent three days together creating stories to tell each other. Coming out of that contest were two completed landmark works of Gothic horror fiction.

The first is Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley's 1818 novel, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, a landmark in Gothic fiction, Gothic horror, and science fiction. The second is John Polidori's 1819 short story, “The Vampyre,” which is considered the first modern vampire story and also the beginning of the romantic vampire genre. Polidori's short story is also based on Byron's contribution to the ghost story contest, a vampire horror story that he turned into prose, but which Byron did not complete. It was first published in 1819 as “A Fragment,” but is now known as “Fragment of a Novel.”

The film Gothic opens in the summer of 1816. Mary Godwin (Natasha Richardson); her future husband, Percy Shelley (Julian Sands); and her stepsister, Claire Clairmont (Myriam Cyr), arrive at Villa Diodati on the shores of Lake Geneva in Switzerland. They have been invited to spend some time there during the summer by the poet, Lord Byron (Gabriel Byrne), who also introduces them to his physician and friend, Dr. John Polidori (Timothy Spall).

On June 16th, the group is forced to stay inside the mansion as a storm rages outside. Mary, Percy, Claire, Byron, and Dr. Polidori amuse themselves by engaging in a game of hide-and-seek, and later read from Phantasmagoria, a book of German ghost stories Byron purchased. Reading these stories inspires the five of them to hold a séance while gathered around a human skull, during which Claire has an apparent seizure. Later, each member of the group begins to have strange and horrifying experiences, dreams, and hallucinations. Percy believes the group collectively gave birth to something during the séance. That something is a creature that not only manifests their worst fears, but also their worst behaviors. And that creature could destroy them all.

The English actor Julian Sands went hiking in the San Gabriel Mountains northeast of Los Angeles in January of this year, 2023. He was reported missing afterwards, and his remains were later found in the area he was visiting. He is best remembered for his breakout role in the 1985 British film, A Room with a View, which was released in the U.S. in 1986. Although I did see that film, the first film in which I saw Sands was Gothic. It was also the first film I ever watched at the LSU Student Union Colonnade Theater, a movie theater on the campus of Louisiana State University. [From what information I've gathered on the Internet, the theater no longer exists.]

The identification of Sands remains and the subsequent memorials of his life got me to thinking about Gothic, which I had not scene in its entirety since that first time I saw it. I remember not being too crazy about it, but I have been feeling the need to acknowledge Sands' passing, as I was and still am a fan of his.

Also, I have seen a few of Gothic director Ken Russell's films, including the notorious The Devils (1971), which I also saw at the Colonnade. However, the only one of his films that I have previously reviewed for the Negromancer blog is The Music Lovers, his 1971 biographical film about the 19th-century Russian composer, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. So re-watching Gothic is also a chance to acknowledge Ken Russell (1927-2011).

While Gabriel Byrne as Lord Byron and Sands as Percy Shelley get top billing in Gothic, the film's main focus of this ensemble is Mary Godwin/Shelley, played by the late actress, Natasha Richardson (1963-2009). Gothic is indeed a psychological horror film because writer Stephen Volk's screenplay forces the character to confront their deepest fears and their most troubling desires. Volk also lays bare the characters' relationships, especially the dynamics between Byron and Clair, Byron and Polidori, and Percy and Mary. Volk seems to use Mary to center this, including her own tribulations

Mary has recently delivered a premature baby girl who died, a loss which haunted her (also based on real events). The death of the child is a recurring motif in this film, usually via the sound of small child crying or in the images of vague, doll-like baby corpses. Russell, who was known for being typically over-the-top, uses the raging storm, the characters' ingestion of hallucinogens, and their worst nightmares to create a grand vision of a house haunted by its occupants' craziness, selfishness, and psychological issues. Russell and Volk put Mary Shelley either front-and-center or at least near the most bizarre confrontations (real and imagine) and hallucinations.

Gothic is more about impressions than reality, and to that end, the cast gives good performances. Sands and Cyr are a little overdone at times, but it's clear this screenplay considers them the most troubled. As the film progresses, I appreciate Gabriel Byrne's performance as Lord Byron. I've been watching Byrne for decades over a career full of performances in which one is not like any other, but here, I really believe he is Lord Byron. Natasha Richardson gives Mary Shelley such depth of character that I wish this film was longer so that Richardson could give us more of Mary.

Gothic has excellent production values. The costumes are perfectly fitted to the character's personalities. The lighting and sound bring the raging storm and the raging emotions and madness to life. The art direction and set decoration offer sets that are straight out of a fairy tale dream, although it is mostly for a story that is nightmarish and melodramatic. The hair and make-up sell the madness and troubles of these characters and is a perfect match the surrealistic mood.

And just as soon as it began, Gothic's long nightmare is over, and the light of day returns, but with a foreboding. In real life, the three main male characters would all be dead within eight years of this summer known for being a pivotal time in the history of Gothic fiction. When I first saw this film, I only kind of understood the importance of what it was fictionalizing. Since then, I have become more fascinated with that place and moment in the summer of 1816, and I have become more enamored with this dreamlike film. In a nod to nostalgia, the recent passing of Julian Sands has raised Gothic in my estimation. It's time for me to buy a physical copy so that I can watch it any time I want without bothering with streaming.

6 of 10

★★★ out of 4 stars

Saturday, July 22, 2023

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