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This review may contain spoilers
My first inclination if you've found this movie page and are wondering whether to watch this movie is to say, "Run for your life!" or "Do not stop, do not pass go, put this directly into your NI list". But I will try to be slightly more objective than that because someone other than me may want to sit through this because they are a Shu Qi fan. Or perhaps a Vincent Zhao fan. Or you don't care how bad the acting and story are if you can watch some martial arts. Let's start with the story. Vincent Zhao's character is banished to the fictional country of Lavernia (right next to Shirleenia) for saving a plane full of passengers from a high jacker. Ostensibly it's because he didn't follow orders, but I think it's because he emptied an entire magazine into the bad guy and still didn't kill him. Lavernia is a former part of the Soviet Union and there are people sent in chanting they want to return to the USSR. A Japanese cult leader is in town blowing things up and killing people left and right in his desire for a new world order. There's a boat load of Chinese refugees offshore that are starving to death. Oh, and the Minister of Defense is on the take and a gun runner and also in cahoots with the deadly cult leader. Throw into this mix, Shu Qi's character who fled China after being a witness to the violence and carnage in and around Tiananmen Square and is also Zhao's ex-girlfriend and you have one convoluted piece of work.
The propaganda is heavy handed in this film. Shu Qi's character is berated by Zhou's character and just about everybody else throughout the movie for leaving the homeland after witnessing people wounded and dying when the protesters were crushed.
Zhou is a good kicker, but his acting felt bland to me. Even at that it was much better than the rest of the male cast. Shu Qi didn't have much to do but play the pretty damsel in distress. Andrew Lin made the most of his crazed messianic villain. His character seemed especially impervious to bullets, especially after his initial capture when his rescuers sprayed the area with bullets attempting to take out his guards.
There were places in the movie so bad I was laughing but it was hard to keep it up as the ridiculousness of the scenes dragged on. Some of the fights were good, others relied heavily on wire-fu and defying the laws of gravity. I don't mind a little wire-fu outside of fantasy movies, but in a more reality-based story it seemed badly out of place.
The movie ended with an over-wrought climax that had me begging for the final credits. The most positive thing I can say is that the movie is mercifully only 90 minutes long.
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This review may contain spoilers
Bruce Lee wrote, directed and starred in Way of the Dragon, taking the crew to Rome to film among the Coliseum ruins. Way of the Dragon begins as more of a comedic story with Bruce as the fish out of water in Rome trying to help with a family business. Nora Miao's restaurant is under attack from a developer who wants her to sell. Bruce's character plays the unstoppable force who can take on an entire army of bad guys. Ultimately, the Big Bad calls in Chuck Norris to rid him of the troublesome new guy.
I found the first half of the movie less than enthralling. Much of it was supposed to be funny but I didn't get the humor, especially a long running gag with Bruce having gastrointestinal distress.
The second half of the movie is pure martial arts magic. Some versions cut out a scene with Bruce taking on a group of thugs with not one set of, but two sets of nunchucks. It also shows why amateurs should not try those tricks at home, which was really funny. The climax of the movie with Bruce fighting Chuck Norris is a classic. Chuck was a legitimate and respected karate champion. Bruce wanted someone who could keep up with him and the fight was highly entertaining. Bruce asked Chuck to gain some weight to make him look more formidable and it would seem to not shave his back hair (chest hair was considered sexy in the 1970's). A cat watching the events played out some of the emotions of the two fighters and the audience.
Bruce Lee was artistry to watch, when he slowed down enough for us to catch even a fraction of his moves. Despite my disappointment with some elements of this film, no actor had a better "I'm through playing around now" look than Bruce had. His intensity was smoldering. The fights in the second half of the movie ran the gamut from fun to tense, to enthralling. If you enjoy martial arts movies, and haven't seen this one, you need to put it on your list. The classic fights in it are not to be missed.
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This review may contain spoilers
In a small city on the Mongolian border in China stands a statue of an Englishman. Unlike so many white savior stories, The Children of Huang Chi is based on the real life of George A. Hogg, an Oxford graduate in economics who ended up leading 60 war orphans safely to Shanshan 700 miles/1000km from where they started in Huang Chi. Writer James MacManus visited the town and interviewed survivors making the basis for this film.George Hogg was played by Jonathan Rhys Meyers with more or less success. For me, he is an acquired taste. Hogg was a reporter stuck in Shanghai away from the action. He managed to make it into Nanjing masquerading as a Red Cross driver. He got there in time for the massacre and ended up nearly being killed for taking pictures of the atrocities. He was rescued by a communist guerrilla, Chen Han Sheng, played by the charismatic Chow Yun Fat. West Point educated in engineering, Chen was very good at blowing things up. When Hogg is injured, an American nurse, Lee Pearson, played by Radha Mitchell, suggested Chen send him to Huang Chi to recover, learn some Chinese and take charge of 60 orphans hiding out there.
What Hogg found when he arrived in Huang Chi were 60 boys, malnourished, suffering from various diseases, and barely sheltered. Devastated from the loss of their families, they did not welcome Hogg with open arms. He was just another foreigner. Hogg wasn't thrilled to be there either. With some encouragement from Lee and few other prospects available, Hogg began slowly improving conditions at the estate and winning the boys' trust. As the boys healed, they were faced with one of two eventualities-the Japanese who were nearing the estate would practice their scorched earth policy on them of Kill All, Burn All and Loot All which the boys had already survived once. Or, one of the Chinese armies would conscript the young boys to fight. At this point Hogg knew he needed to take the boys as far north as he could. With the help of Lee and Chen they began the boys' long journey through dangerous territory to the Gobi Desert.
As a co-production of China, all the characters were on equal footing. This wasn't a story about a heroic white guy who saved China. It was the human story of a man who saw the needs of 60 boys and stepped up and did what was necessary, what was right, as did the other characters trying to help them and survive the invading Japanese armies. More meaningful than even the movie, were the interviews during the credits with the real-life boys, now old men, Hogg helped.
The scenery and cinematography were beautiful. The stunning shots of the mountains, lakes, and desert were suitable for framing. Though understated the score fit the scenes perfectly.
Even though the film touches on the atrocities committed on the Chinese civilians, this is not an action movie or thriller. It's a story of courage and love, of building relationships and family. It's a story of love for the children who had suffered and seen more than anyone should have to. It's a story of how people stepped up and put their lives on the line for those children. At its heart, The Children of Huang Chi, like the statue erected in his honor, was a love story to George Hogg and the devotion he had for children not his own.
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Beijing Rocks follows the lives of what amount to be poor, itinerant musicians hoping for their big break as long as they don't have to change who they are. Daniel Wu played Michael, a wealthy Hong Kong musician, whose money came more from his father than any money he made in the Hong Kong Music industry. Awaiting trial on an assault charge he traveled to Beijing to learn Mandarin and finish a song he was working on. He quickly fell in with an underground rock band led by Road (Geng Le) and his free-spirited girlfriend Yang Ying (Shu Qi).
Beijing Rocks see-sawed between shots of vibrant, loud night scenes and ordinary daytime markets. The rockers went on a road trip or hole hopping where they traveled and then put up a tent to bring on the noise. Road was a character who could be hard to like. He was talented but sabotaged every shot the band got, cheated on his girlfriend and ran away at the sign of trouble. Shu Qi brought the thankless role of the devoted girlfriend to life and the movie lacked spark when she was not on the screen. At first glance she appeared to be a party girl, but Yang Ying's effervescence belied her darker thoughts. Michael, a fairly bland character, acted much like our window into the world Road and Yang Ying navigated that was on the thin boundary of poverty and fell into violence occasionally. The tipping point for Road and where his path slipped into melodrama was when he realized the record companies wanted obedient rockers who only acted rebellious, not actual independent minded rockers.
For me, the rock music, especially at the beginning was high school garage band at best. Near the end I actually enjoyed the song Good Night Beijing. Or maybe I had finally fallen into the rhythm of this quirky film.
Whether you think this movie rock and or rolls may be determined by how much you fall in love with Shu Qi and this flowing narrative of rebellious rockers.
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The Master was a failure on multiple fronts. The acting both from the Asian cast and the American cast was atrocious. Yuen's performance was at least interesting. Jet Li's try at comedy fell flat and I'll never understand why they kept that Timmy Turner baseball hat glued to his head during his fights. The American cast was at a high school play level at best.
The production values were bottom of the barrel. You could even see the mats in one shot where they were supposed to fall. Tsui Hark, the director, probably wishes he could take this one back.
The side characters were a mixed bag. There was a possible romance with a banker, Crystal Kwok, but she seemed way more into Jet Li's character than he was into hers. Three Latino gangsters became his unwanted disciples. And Yuen Wah had a blonde gymnast as one of his few remaining students. Most of these characters were around for comic relief and I use that term lightly.
The fights were okay, but not terribly inspired. Jet Li injured his wrist in filming which meant they had to work around it for the final fight scenes. Jerry Trimble and Jet Li made good sparring partners and at least there was some effort near the end to make the fights more exciting even if the sets were basic. Yuen Wah had some fun moments near the climax as well.
I hate to write disparaging comments about this movie because I had looked forward to watching Jet li and Yuen Wah in a movie together. With a heavy heart I have to write that it was painful to get through with only a few brief, entertaining moments. There is a reason this 1989 movie set on the shelf until 1992 after the release and success of Jet Li's and Tsui Hark's Once Upon a Time in China. If you are a fan of Jet Li it might be worth watching this earlier, pre-fame movie where the wirework was minimal. Just keep your expectations low.
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This review may contain spoilers
Writer/Director Vivian Qu delivers a caustic commentary of the treatment of women and young girls in China. Shown primarily from a female perspective she lays bare the inequality of the sexes by a society still focused on a girl's virginity as a primary virtue. And also casts a dark lens on the men who exploit that limited virtue for themselves.Two twelve-year-old girls are lured to a hotel by a powerful middle-aged man and raped. Mia, a young runaway working at the motel sees him break into the girls' room. Director Qu takes a risk in not having one protagonist, but two. One of the twelve-year-olds, Wen, was already suffering at school as a child of divorced parents. Qu largely focused on her experience as well as Mia's quandary of not wanting to help for fear of losing her job. Mia comes across as self-serving and hyper focused on her own survival, always one step away from homelessness. Wen must not only deal with her own experience but also her mother's response and the adults who should be protecting her but don't. The only two people seeking justice are Wen's father and her lawyer.
Warning! What follows may have spoilers...
The performances are spare but powerful. There are no histrionics, no sobbing uncontrollably and screaming. The girls and the lawyer know they are fighting a battle that will likely not be won, but keep moving forward, keep enduring, keep fighting.
Set against the backdrop of an ocean vacation town, with a giant statue of Marilyn Monroe, the seedy happenings were not done in the dark corners but in plain sight making it even more disturbing. It feels like Qu was able to shine a light without the censors cracking down because she might have been alluding to the Western influences of the objectification of women in the statue and possibly in all of the brides dressed in Western wedding gowns having their pictures taken on the beach as a source of the problems. But Western influences did not cause a powerful middle-aged man to rape two children. Or cause the corrupted police force and medical community to cover it up. Or cause a mother to blame her daughter for what happened. Or cause other parents to profit off of their daughter. Or leave a runaway without a safety net. Or cause an older girl to risk her health, fertility, and life to have a fake hymen implanted. Or cause a teacher to treat Wen as less than because her parents were divorced. These are societal failures for women and girls and Qu did not shy away from showing the toll they take.
Angels Wear White is a difficult movie to watch with no easy answers. It may cause despair and anger on the part of the viewer. But perhaps in giving an unflinching and unsentimental view it knocks down one more brick in the wall separating women and children (regardless of gender) from justice, justice lacking not just in China, but worldwide.
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Jimmy Wang Yu played the top student at a kung fu school. A disgruntled former student returned after learning judo and roughed up a bunch of students and then was promptly dispatched when the master showed up. The master explained that while kung fu was used for sport and self defense, karate was used for killing. Later, the former student showed back up with a crew of Japanese karate experts led by Lo Lieh in a bad wig. The karate experts went on a killing and eye gouging rampage in the school only leaving a few wounded alive, including Jimmy's Lei Ming. The karate thugs seized the opportunity to take over the town and made it into an illicit gambling den.
The familiar plot ensued. After Lei Ming recovered, he secretly learned the Iron Fist technique and light body skills. Then it was his turn to to on a bloody rampage. The fights were okay, Jimmy wasn't a martial artist and it showed. Blood spurted a plenty and the movie sported a high body count. Lei Ming taking on a bunch of katana wielding samurais in the the tall grass was entertaining. Too many of the fights were chop and block and not terribly fast. Lo Lieh, as always, had great screen charisma even if he wasn't on screen much and was required to do some screaming that seemed out of place.
The sets were all very nice and most were nicely destroyed with fists, kicks, and bodies thrown through them. Fake snow and real snow abounded. It's one of the few final fight scenes I've seen where there was snow and ice on the ground which seemed hazardous for the actors and crew. You could tell where they cleared a few areas off down to the dirt to provide a better place to spar.
It was fun to see these actors when they were very young, aside from Wang Yu and Lo Lieh, Chen Sing, Yuen Woo Ping, and Chen Kuan Tai, among many well known martial artist bit players were in the background.
There was an unnecessary rape scene that took away from the movie for me. Also several birds were killed which left a bad taste as well.
Jimmy's acting wasn't as stiff in this movie as in others I've seen him in and his directing was quite good. As a first entry into the "modern" kung fu era it was a respectable entry and worth watching for the historical implications at the very least.
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The basic plot is the evil eunuch desires a magic red pill created to heal the emperor and grant him immortality. In the process of stealing it and securing his position he secretly pits the Wu Dang clan against the Lunar clan. The white-haired witch belongs to one clan and the impetuous fighter who falls for her in the other. A few misunderstandings and an astonishingly high body count later and you've got the gist of the story.
The acting was fine for what was required of the actors. Most weren't on screen long enough to form any real bond or hatred of. The actual running time was probably closer to an hour, making it shorter than some drama episodes which means there was a dearth of character development. At one point I wasn't really sure who belonged to which clan because there hadn't been enough of an introduction for me to identify the characters in even the most vague way. Not to give too much away, but by the time I figured out who belonged to which team it was pretty much irrelevant anyway.
The CGI was good for a film that felt low budget and the fights were entertaining. I'm always happy to see a strong female protagonist who can wield a sword and long, lethal hair. There were some creative fight elements and magical weapons and abilities which kept the fights interesting.
I wouldn't put this movie high on a kung fu watchlist but it was an entertaining hour of CGI fights, betrayals, and a little romance thrown in for good measure.
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Amanda/Fream and TJ/Fuffy are the perfect married couple, just without the sex, living together, and marriage license part. They are tactile and completely supportive of each other. The film follows the romantic rollercoasters in their respective lives, especially Amanda's. At the beginning of the movie TJ says he will write her 1001 letters and his narration of them throughout the movie hint he may have had deeper feelings for her, something that is left up to the audience to decide.
Both Amanda and TJ have ups and down in their romantic relationships but the constant source of love and support is their friendship and almost constant banter. Fuffy was handsome, strong, with an unknown source of income, and always there for Fream, he would have tempted any other female lead into succumbing but time and again they stated there was no physical attraction between them, much to the chagrin of Amanda's grandmother.
Secondary characters were barely more than out of focus movement in the background. Fream and Fuffy were the nucleus, without the actors' powerful performances, this movie would have floundered. De Rossi could be manic and comedic in one moment and tearful and vulnerable the next, her performance was the heart of this movie. If she was the energy, Piolo Pascual was the sturdy foundation, given the more difficult role of appearing to be the 2ML in his own movie.
The Philippines setting felt like a character in and of itself. The film used many lush and beautiful locales for the friends' conversations and interactions.
My Amanda isn't a perfect film, and at times it was hard to be sympathetic with Amanda's poor life decisions. Though the story dragged in places the journey to the end was worthwhile. It's a film which doesn't seem to go anywhere, and maybe that was the goal, to show the anchor of love between two friends when storms and change raged around them and whether the anchor could hold and whether it should hold.
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Despite his unkempt appearance, Mifune Toshiro saunters into town with a posture like an old-time gunfighter ready for a fight. In this town gambling, lying, cheating, and murder reign supreme. Prostitutes and townsfolk peer out of windows watching the play unfolding before them. The people are dirty and you can practically smell them in the desolate landscape. Western heroes before this were squeaky clean, but this ronin is roughly dressed and seems to scratch at fleas in his hair. I kept expecting to see a tumbleweed skitter across the dirt road in front of him.
Mifune Toshiro’s subtle and fluid body language and ever-changing facial expressions conveyed more than 10 pages of dialogue could about his character. He is the coolest ronin ever. Masterless, broke, and hungry he strolls into town taking inventory. While he has compassion on the townsfolk oppressed by two vicious rival gangs vying for control, he also needs to make some money. He has no problem doing what needs to be done to turn the gangs against each other and pocketing a few coins. This is not the cowboy with a white hat who adheres to an unbudging ethical code, this ronin toys with his prey before ultimately killing it. Sanjuro (the name the character chooses at random) is a classic anti-hero and fascinating to watch.
There is humor interspersed among the mayhem. One of my favorite scenes is after Sanjuro had stirred up trouble between the gangs, he climbed to a high point to gleefully watch the confrontation.
I’m no film student, but my amateur eye can pick up on the skill that went into the cinematography of this film. Every shot and frame felt filmed with care and an eye toward what was necessary for the story to be told.
The music varied from ominous to playful with some kooky 1960’s horns and cymbals thrown in for good measure.
Yojimbo is not a non-stop action film, though there are a few good action scenes in it. Sanjuro is as deft with his strategy as he is with his sword which is fun to watch as he pits people against each other. Yojimbo is a classic for a reason and well worth trying. I found it highly entertaining.
29 June 2021
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Even for a Godzilla movie, you have to leave your rational mind at the front door to enjoy this story. Either when Godzilla was battling Biollante or Mothra in a previous movie, his G cells made it into space, ended up in a black hole (whole other set of problems if a black hole is that close to Earth), collided with crystals, star making stuff, and maybe some space pollution to create a Godzilla that has powered up crystals on his back, can fly and can summon these powerful destructive crystals from the ground. Space Godzilla is fueled by rage and destructive tendencies even taking his anger out on Baby Godzilla. A mistake to be sure, because that brings Godzilla into the fight. Initially beaten by SG, we all know Big G needs his nose bloodied and to get angry before the climatic fight. Suffice it to say, eventually Godzilla, Space Godzilla, and the successor to Mechagodzilla II-Moguera meet up for a royal rumble.
The humans are at least a fairly entertaining group. Major Yuki is obsessed with destroying Godzilla after his best friend was killed in a previous encounter with the beast. His friend's sister is a scientist working on controlling Big G telepathically. Miki, the telepathic scientist from several Godzilla movies is back, and her powers have grown. My biggest complaint is that she isn't a very strong actress, probably the weakest in the cast. Her love interest and his comedic side kick round out the G Force team.
As a Mothra fan I was happy to at least see her in the opening, and her besties-the Cosmos-visited Miki several times as well as Fairy Mothra.
The big battles were well done and there were some good overlays to convey the size of the monsters. This mechanical Godzilla felt almost like a Transformer in that it could change shape, fly, walk upright, and burrow into the ground. Space Godzilla was a worthy adversary for Godzilla and he learned why you don't stomp around in Big G's territory and challenge him.
At the end, they tried to throw a moral of the story in, something about the danger of space pollution-truly out of place for this mindlessly fun film. Not a great movie by any stretch, but for fans of Godzilla it was entertaining if you didn't think about it too hard.
19 June 2021
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The best part of this movie for me were the villains, especially the dastardly Dr. Hu and his plot to use Kong to dig Element X from under the North Pole. Given that in the dubbed version I watched the voice actor was Paul Frees who voiced many characters in Rankin Bass Christmas stop action movies (the Berger Meister Meister Berger!) I fully expected to see Santa's castle in the mythical land. Dr. Hu with his great teased white hairdo, magnificent cape and malevolent voice was easily the most entertaining part of the movie. His cohort in crime, Madame Piranha/Madame X, played by Mie Hama, a bond girl in You Only Live Twice, played a great femme fatale.
The Good Guys were a bland and mostly ineffectual lot, although I enjoyed seeing Takarada Akira who performed in several Toho productions going back to the original Godzilla. The object of Kong's affection/friendship in this movie, played by Linda Miller, isn't afraid of Kong and tries to help him out of trouble as I guess Kong speaks English or Japanese depending on the version you watched. Maybe he's multilingual?
MechaKong definitely looked cooler than King Kong although lacking in weaponry like MechaGodzilla. Kong's fights with Gorosaurus and MechaKong were okay. The fight with MK was far too short. The doll he carried around at times which was supposed to be the blonde female had red hair which was funny.
This is silly escapism that requires checking your adult brain at the door because little of it makes sense. Depending on how well you can do that will determine how much you might want to escape with Kong from this movie.
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When two young Shaolin monks are kicked out of the temple and have to find their way in the world, one chooses evil and one chooses good. The friends' choices, of course, put them on a collision path to betrayal and destruction.
Jet Li handles the fights scenes just as you would expect him to-marvelously. He's fast and believable even in some over-the-top wire scenes. Michelle Yeoh is agile and elegant whether wielding a sword or in a flying table fight. Their characters help each other out in their darkest moments without resorting to a forced romance. It was refreshing to see a friendship built on mutual respect for each other and each other's abilities.
Chin Siu Ho, who plays the friend who chooses the wrong path, does an admirable job of falling down the well into power and greed. The supporting cast of characters were fleshed out enough that I cared about what happened to them.
My only quibble is the comedy/madness portion of the movie which goes on too long even if it results in Jet Li's character developing his new skill set. This isn't a true spoiler for kung fu movie enthusiasts, it's the common formula. Good guy gets beaten, goes off to develop a new kind of kung fu, goes back and confronts the bad guy. In a movie with a high body count, those supposedly funny moments dragged on too long for me.
The cinematography is good but not great. The focus is on the fights and Yuen Woo Ping excels as always in coming up with creative ways to stage fights--even a giant game of kung fu Jenga!
The movie may be dated, but Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh make up for any story deficiencies. Tai Chi Master has spectacular fights throughout the movie featuring two of the greats of the genre, definitely worth the price of admission.
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When Aryoung has to lay low in Korea with a bunch of goofball gangsters, the gangster farce begins. I actually enjoyed most of the comedy, especially the translator's liberal and less than literal translations. The five disparate characters bonded quickly into their own familial gang.
Shu Qi's deadly, fearless, and taciturn character played well off the three stooges of crime. I'm always pleased when the female lead isn't a damsel in distress. In this case, she played the rescuing or avenging hero more often than not and she was glorious when she was fighting.
This is one of those strange mash-ups of straightforward crime story and ridiculous crime comedy. For the most part it worked for me. Shu Qi can conjure up chemistry with just about anyone but I never bought the romance between her and the mullet-headed and not too bright leader of the Stooges, and would have been happy if they had not introduced a romance between them. Other than the forced romance and some of the over the top slap stick comedy I enjoyed this strange amalgam of Hong Kong and Korean movie.
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Shuna Lijima plays Jun who wants to be an actress and is paying her bills by working as a "hostess" in a seedy bar where her boyfriend works. All she has worked for is destroyed in one night with his betrayal leading her to return to the home she hasn't seen in five years. Home is not a safe haven, but she's hoping to get a share of an inheritance to start a new life. She hooks up with an old childhood friend after she returns to the small town. This would seem to be a natural place to infuse some sort of healing instead the hits keep on coming and spiraling ever downward sometimes inexplicably.
Lijima is the highlight of this film as she gives a powerful performance throughout. The male actors are adequate but not much more.
The cinematography and score are excellent, the fault isn't with the technical movie making. There is no breathing room in this film, no moment of light in the dark and tormented places in this woman's life. None of the characters are particularly likeable, including Jun. Her childhood friend, Yuki, makes a bad decision that seems drastically out of character. There is an awful lot of bad behavior from every character in the movie which can make it difficult to watch. The problem I have is that the focus could be interpreted as being around Jun leads to bad things. I'm more inclined to believe that she finds herself drawn to bad people because of her childhood experiences. This doesn't mean she doesn't make some horrendously bad choices, because she does, without ever looking for an answer that wouldn't lead to disastrous consequences.
Bad Poetry Tokyo may not be a bad film but I didn't find it to be a particularly good one either.
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