DVD Collectors Online

Zatoichi Meets the One Armed Swordsman, a review by Antares

Zatoichi Meets the One Armed Swordsman (1971) 77/100 - Well I guess that old saying that Third time's a charm is adequate for this installment in the Zatoichi series. Toho, in the first two films they produced, seemed unable to grasp what it was that made the series so spectacular for Daiei. They'd try all of the motifs that had been used, but never quite got it to gel. But with Zatoichi Meets the One Armed Swordsman they finally find the correct balance of action, comedy and pathos that make this film a real treat for Ichi fans. Another interesting idea, but I hope it's just used this one time, is the crossover with the successful Hong Kong film star Yu Wang. I've never been a big fan of chop-socky films, but here in tandem with the Zatoichi character, it makes for a fun romp. The story also throws a bit of ambiguity into the mix as the two main stars can't communicate with each other, due to their language barrier. Is Ichi responsible for ratting out the one armed swordsman for a reward? Of course, if you've watched any of the previous films, you know that's not the case, but it's addition into the screenplay makes for a nice diversion to the usual plot lines in the series. If you're a fan of Shaws Brother's films, then this may be a good starting point for you if you're thinking about delving into this wonderful series of films. The only disappointment for me is that I wish Criterion would have secured the rights for the Hong Kong release of this film, as it was released with a different ending. It would have been interesting to see Ichi meet his demise in that film, and there definitely was plenty of room on the Blu-Ray to fit it in.

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 November 14th, 2014)

Whisper of the Heart, a review by dfmorgan

Title: Whisper of the Heart
Original Title: Mimi wo Sumaseba
Year: 1995
Director: Yoshifumi Kondo
Rating: G
Length: 111 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, Japanese: Dolby Digital: 5.1
Subtitles: English

Stars:
Youko Honna
Kazuo Takahashi
Takashi Tachibana
Shigeru Muroi

Plot:Extras:
Scene Access
Feature Trailers
Bonus Trailers
Featurettes
Storyboard Comparisons
Closed Captioned


I had forgotten what a gloriously gentle romance this film was until I rewatched it this afternoon. Whilst Hayao Miyazaki produced and wrote the screenplay for this there are aspects that show that he didn't have a hand in the drawing, the main one being the wind and its effects. In this film the wind does ripple the characters clothing and hair but only on few occasions did it cause ripples in the background trees, grasses, flowers or waters. However that does not detract from the fact that I think this is a wonderful film. The film starts with Olive Neutron Bomb Olivia Newton-John singing "Take Me Home, Country Roads" which Shizuku, a junior/high school teenager, is translating for her best friend Yuko. Shizuku likes to read books and is intrigued when she notices that all the books she has recently read were also borrowed by the same person Seiji Amasawa. On a journey to the library she notices a cat on the train and so starts an adventure as she follows the cat to an old shop. Part of this adventure involves Shizuku finding herself and another part is for these young teens finding love. I said it in my first sentence and I'll say it again here, a glorious film with a gentle romance.

A wonderful 5 from me


(From dfmorgan's Studio Ghibli Marathon on July 21st, 2010)

Birds of Prey Marathon, a review by addicted2dvd

1. Pilot
Birds take wing. Oracle, Huntress an Dinah work as one against Quinn's 'New Gotham' power grab.

My Thoughts:
Even though I definitely enjoyed it... the pilot episode was not quite as good as I remember it being. In this episode Oracle and Huntress first meet Dinah... and take her in after she helps them with the case they are working on. It has someone preying on people's fears similar to the way the Batman villain "The Scarecrow" did... minus the costume and such. We also hear the story on how Oracle and Huntress gets together... and what happened to Batman. So that really is a lot of information to put into an hour long pilot episode.

2. Slick
Go with the flow. The Birds face a baddie who turns from solid to liquid. Meanwhile, the Helena-Reese attraction grows.

My Thoughts:
This was a good episode. The girls must stop a meta-human (think mutant) that can change from solid to water from stealing an armored car filled with military grade weapons. Dinah tries to get closer to Huntress to gain her trust.

3. Prey for the Hunter
Takes one to kill one? A slayer usurps metahuman talents - in order to murder metahumans. Dinah ditches school.

My Thoughts:
This was another good episode. In this episode a Meta-human that can mirror other Meta-human's powers goes on the hunt... killing off Meta-humans with their own powers. We also get our first look at No-Man's Land... a secret bar/hangout for the Meta-human population. Even though I enjoyed this episode... I have to admit that the ending (how they stopped him) was pretty obvious... I saw it coming early on in the episode.

4. Three Bird and a Baby
Big trouble in a tiny bundle. Helena rescues an infant, unaware that her good deed will lead to danger.

My Thoughts:
Once again... another really good episode. In this episode Helena (Huntress) rescues an infant baby boy... to discover he isn't what he seems. He was actually created in a laboratory... to go through an entire lifespan in 3 days. And is programed to become an assassin.... with a mission to complete. But can the girl's friendship overcome the programming and stop him in time?  Watching this episode... I came to a realization that some of these stories seemed to inspire episodes of Smallville... first you have the man that can transform himself into water. And now this one with an infant going through a complete lifespan in a matter of days. Both of these have very similar Smallville episodes. I know 2 episodes is not a huge sign... but it will be interesting to see if there are any more familiar storylines here.

(From Birds of Prey Marathon on July 17th, 2008)