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Eric_Cason
Reviews
Zatôichi (2003)
Breaking all the Rules
It's a kind of "what the hell" type of movie, as in "what the hell, let's throw in a dance scene," as in "what the hell, let's play with 50 years of mythology' as in 'what the hell is an action movie really?" I liked it. It had a desert dry humor about it, the action scenes were amazing (yes, the blood is supposed to look fake!) and I just liked the shear audacity of it all. Kitano made a crowd pleasing action film with out sacrificing his art. It isn't the plot that makes this one go, it's Kitano's refusal to play to anyones expectations. It's not a perfect movie, but it's amazing to watch a film maker at the top of his game just showing off for his own selfish pleasure.
Tonari no Totoro (1988)
A Perfect View of Childhood
This is my favorite Ghibli Film because it so represents what it's like to be a child: Curious about everything, afraid of the dark and being alone, finding everyday sounds hilarious, being annoyed with little or big siblings, making believe, getting lost then getting found, being excited about things that seem magic, making funny noises, etc. The smile never leaves my face through the whole film. You can watch this movie without the subtitles and just listen to the music and watch the images and it's just as magical. It's truly like no other kids film in that there isn't really any conflict, just kids discovering, dreaming and being like kids. Just Perfect.