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Sushi Girl (2012)
Amazing Story with A Huge Shock Factor
Two things brought me to this movie initially: the casting of Mark Hamill, and the description of it as "crime fiction". I watched this movie last night after recording it, and it quite honestly exceeded my expectations.
A criminal named Fish has been let out of jail after 6 years. He is brought to an abandoned restaurant, where his old crime buddies Francis, Duke, Crow, and Max are waiting. Also in their presence is a naked girl covered in sushi, who has been told that she cannot move or speak, no matter what she sees or hears. It turns out that the diamonds from heist that the group had pulled six years earlier are missing, and the others all place the blame on Fish. Thus begins a night of relentless torture for Fish, and the reveal that Francis was wired to record the meeting for the police, Duke planned to have them all dead, and a shocking tie-in involving the sushi girl.
I've heard that this is a retread of Reservoir Dogs, and some even say a bad one at that. I haven't seen Reservoir Dogs, but it is certainly possible that this movie is trying to be that movie, and that Kern Saxton is trying to be Quentin Tarantino. However, taking that out of it, Sushi Girl works incredibly well on its own. The style reminds me of any Tarantino movie, but the setup is creative in my opinion. I loved looking around the restaurant they are in, and the flashbacks of the actual heist taking place are very well done.
The cast is this movie's other strong suit. Tony Todd does excellent as Duke, the "mob boss" of them all. Noah Hathaway, the actor behind The Neverending Story's Atreyu, makes you feel for him, despite him being a criminal. The torture done to him is brutal in every way (by the way, the makeup artistry is great) and it's hard not to feel sorry for him. But the best has to be Mark Hamill as Crow. Crow touches both ends of the spectrum by being not only hilarious, but also downright intimidating. He is willing to put anyone's life on the line but his, and his menacing smile and voice just complete the picture. Every character, while somewhat of a cutout, is unique and has their own quirk to them.
The movie is NOT appropriate for kids at all. There is nudity, an abundance of swearing, and like I mentioned before, intense blood and gore. If you are able to stomach all of that, and want a great character study, this film is for you,
The Naked Civil Servant (1975)
Fantastic Film!
Certainly you've all heard how great this movie is, how it's ahead of its time and that it's one of John Hurt's greatest performances. I wholeheartedly agree, and I don't think I can say anything that hasn't been said already. This movie came to me as a kind of surprise, and I'm glad it did. I'd just discovered who John Hurt was (Oh my God, he was the chestburster guy in Alien!) and was doing research into his work. When I stumbled upon this film, after reading the synopsis, I was fairly certain I would at least like it a little. A movie about a real homosexual man's life, trying to make his way through it, at the mercy of the world, sounded interesting to me. This movie gave me so much more than I'd anticipated, thank goodness. First of all what drew me in was that it was based on the life of a real figure, Quentin Crisp. "Oh, that's pretty cool." After that, the sight of Hurt in long red hair and walking with a feminine gait really grabbed hold of me. Sure I found it kind of funny, and of course great, but my major thought was, "How brave must an actor be to display himself in this way to thousands of people, and make them believe it's real!" And of course, the silent-film style text slides on the screen provided several laughs: "Some roughs are really queer, and some queers are really rough". Taken in fully now, I paid close attention to his performance through the rest of the film. It was a phenomenal performance! I am constantly recommending this movie to friends and I love going back and seeing it again. I am all for equality, and this movie deals with it in an amazing way, from the standpoint of a person who never knew that his was a widespread mental state. His directness and bravery reminded me of how I wish I was: willing to stand up for anything I believe in and "tell it like it is"! Highly recommend it; just don't be afraid to shed a few tears. ;)
The Tigger Movie (2000)
A Childhood Favorite... what's changed?
This is the first movie I saw in theaters, when I was 2 years old. I loved anything Winnie the Pooh as a little girl, so the franchise is very near and dear to my heart. I watched this movie so many times during my childhood, but then kind of let it go. A few years ago, though, I was really sad that I wasn't a child anymore (teenage crisis), and so I remembered this movie and popped in the old VHS. I cried like a little wussy.
The movie begins with Tigger telling us that he wants to hear a story about HIM for a change instead of that "silly old bear". He then proceeds to bring us into his story. Tigger started to feel helpless and distraught at being the only Tigger. Thinking he must have come from somewhere, he sets out to find his family tree, and thus, the other Tiggers. All the while, his friends help him out, from writing a sweet-as-hell note from his "family" to dressing up as Tiggers to surprise him. When Tigger runs away in a snowstorm, the group, led by Roo, go after him to help, leading Tigger to discover that family is not always bound by blood, but by those who care the most.
This movie, while not quite as good as the original Pooh film, is a dang good movie. The story is simple enough for children, and it is great fun for children to see where Tigger goes to find his family, but this may be the most intense Pooh film, in terms of action. Of course, it all ties up with a happy ending. To my knowledge, this was the first time Tigger was NOT voiced by Paul Winchell, but by Jim Cummings, who continues it to this day (as well as Pooh Bear). I was delighted to find out that the movie's narrator was wonderfully voiced by my favorite actor, John Hurt. The atmosphere is great, and you really feel for all of the characters.
All nostalgic bias aside, this movie makes me feel now the way I did then. I couldn't put my finger on the one specific emotion that was constant throughout. There was happiness, sadness, anger, loneliness, but the prevailing emotion is love. No other way to describe it. Check it out and see for yourself!
Big Fish (2003)
Big Fish is a Big Masterpiece
In my opinion, this movie does not get NEARLY enough love. It deserves to be seen by everyone. Big Fish brought me to tears, much like Forrest Gump. In fact, this movie feels a lot like Forrest Gump, but it is quite different.
The movie follows Edward Bloom, an old man with a gift for storytelling. He tells many fantastic tales about his adventures he had in his youth; about how he wouldn't stop growing, his parachute landing in a circus in the war, and how he met the love of his life. His son, though, does not believe any of his tales, and sets out to prove them wrong. However, he does discover that his dad was telling great stories because that's what he is- a storyteller.
This film does a great job of creating its own identity and not being an exact copy of Forrest Gump, while keeping a similar tone. It paints a beautiful portrait of one man's life and tells us that amazing things can happen to anybody. Ewan McGregor plays young Edward, and aside from the fact that I find him smoking hot, he does an awesome job capturing the essence of this character and playing him believably. His unending love for his girl and his sheer honesty are played great. Alfred Finney, another favorite actor of mine, plays older Edward, and once again is just fabulous. The best scene comes near the end, when Edward Bloom is dying. His son drives him in a shiny car to a lakeside and carries him to the water's edge. Along the way, they are surrounded by all of the important people in Ed's life, ending with a vision of his wife in the water. I just cry like a little wussy every time. This movie is one of my favorites (I'm a sucker for those sentimental "slice of life" movies) On a final note, Big Fish contains one of my favorite quotes from any film ever: "The man tells his stories so many times, that he becomes the stories. They live on after him, and in that way, he becomes immortal." Something along those lines. :)