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Revenge of a Kabuki Actor, a review by AntaresRevenge of a Kabuki Actor (1963) 81/100 - A wonderful performance from Kazuo Hasegawa and a vibrant color scheme go hand in hand in this rather quirky revenge film from Kon Ichikawa. Supposedly, Ichikawa was being punished by Daiei for being a little too self-indulgent in his previous films. So instead of playing by the rules, he pulls out all the stops and makes a visually daring and beautifully crafted vision of Kabuki theater. The story itself, plays a back seat to Ichikawa's indulgence and though it is a good story, it kind of lacks the punch needed to make it a masterpiece. I kept waiting for some kind of payoff, but it never really came. But that's OK, because Hasegawa does a magnificent job with the two roles he's given, and getting any chances to gaze upon Ayako Wakao, is time well spent. I'm pretty sure that my score for this unique film, will increase upon a second viewing. I made the mistake of choosing the 'all subtitles' option on the Anim-Eigo DVD, which not only translated the dialog, but also threw in pop up descriptions of terms and subjects that were being used in the film. Trying to read two sets of subtitles in different portions of the screen became difficult at times and I missed a few things along the way. I don't think I would recommend this to anyone virginal to Japanese cinema, but for anyone who has dabbled and found an appreciation for this kind of film making, it's definitely an interesting, conceptual film. What the color coding means... Teal = Masterpiece Dark Green = Classic or someday will be Lime Green = A good, entertaining film Orange = Average Red = Cinemuck Brown = The color of crap, which this film is (From Antares' Short Summations on July 18th, 2013) Canyon Passage, a review by AntaresCanyon Passage (1946) 85/100Teal = Masterpiece Dark Green = Classic or someday will be Lime Green = A good, entertaining film Orange = Average Red = Cinemuck Brown = The color of crap, which this film is (From Antares' Short Summations on July 11th, 2020) "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" Marathon, a review by DJ DoenaNext to all the science fiction I need a bit of fantasy in the mix. I have ignored Buffy for many years and only in 2007 I watched the pilot for the first time on TV. And I have to say, it intrigued me. I ordered the first season, watched it, wanted to know how it would continue and ordered the entire show. But there was a movie first: Kristy Swanson ... Buffy Donald Sutherland ... Merrick Paul Reubens ... Amilyn Rutger Hauer ... Lothos Luke Perry ... Pike Michele Abrams ... Jennifer Hilary Swank ... Kimberly Paris Vaughan ... Nicole David Arquette ... Benny Stephen Root ... Gary Murray Thomas Jane ... Zeph Synopsis: Buffy is a normal high school freshman and member of the cheerleading squad. But then she meets Merrick and he shows her what she really is: The Chosen One, a Vampire Slayer. Born with the strength and skill to fight the Vampires, to stop the spread of their evil and the swell of their numbers. But she wants to stay a normal girl and wants nothing to do with such rubbish. My Opinion: This movie may not be what Joss Whedon had intended or will do on the TV show. But it definitively falls into the category of "guilty pleasure" and is a lot of fun if you're willing to accept its cheesiness. And the dialogue is unmistakably Whedon. Also, Lothos used a Samurai Katana, that's a plus in the book. And then there was the show. (From "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" Marathon on March 14th, 2009) |