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wolfovic
Reviews
Gun Crazy: Episode 1 - A Woman from Nowhere (2002)
A bumpy ride on planet Cheese!
At first I have to admit, that I had my share of fun with 'Gun Crazy: Episode 1'. You certainly are not surprised about the fact you do not get a masterpiece of modern cinema, as the movie never pretends to be. Nevertheless the impact of wooden acting and lurid dialog is quite a blast. If you can handle this, perhaps with the help of some alcohol, switch of all higher brain activities and .... voila the raw & simple story develops a certain kind of charm. The heroine is cute and her garment plus arms look good as well. Gun battles are the movies central element and they are not something never seen before - partially even plagiarizing - , however they do not let you down. I was not bored at all and enjoyed the hour watching. Besides, the two GI's at the beginning are my favorite bad guys. Wooohah! Do I recommend 'Gun Crazy: Episode 1 - A Woman From Nowhere'?
No way, people with good taste could ruin their sensitiveness.
6/10
Failan (2001)
This movie broke my heart and now i am trying to put the pieces back together.
I watched Failan yesterday and i still feel my nerves vibrating when i think about the most intense moments. I could loose myself now praising the protagonists actors Min-sik Choi and Cecilia Cheung, but to keep it simple i only say they did a incredible good job. Korean cinema delivers one masterpiece after another, as 'A tale of two sisters' watched a few days before, manages to define a new standard as well. Now i have to regenerate for a while before i am able to fully appreciate another emotional challenging stuff like this. Absolute recommendation. 10/10
Unagi (1997)
Well balanced movie wandering from dark existentialistic to warm light-hearted situations and back.
In the majority of movies I am most attached to the relations between characters and the evolution of this process. 'The eel' for that part is quite interesting as it focuses on a male protagonist with a dark past and a female counterpart equally in troubles.
I was moved by the convincing performance by the two main characters. Besides them there are are only few, some really odd, other persons acting in the story.
As others mentioned before in most parts of the movie the pacing is slow as it can get. This is not unusual for cinema from Asia and I am really comfortable with it, regarding this as some kind of watching meditation experience.
The shooting is at times beautiful and stunning - the violent scene at the beginning or the colorful, vivid, surrealistic looking field of flowers the man finds the woman.
Disliking programmed happy endings of romantic Hollywood movies I enjoyed the unfolding narration of 'The eel' having no clue what is going to happen next and in the end.
Without the one situation which I found weak (one reviewer stated it as slapstick - the 2nd struggle in the barber's shop), there are numerous magical and disturbing moments in this movie.
I fully recommend viewing Shohei Imamura's little gem.