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I hate to admit it, but I have an embarrassingly high tolerance for sub par entertainment. As a result, I probably expose myself to it more than I should. I do try to spare others, so tend to indulge in solitude.
Bulletproof Monk. This one's been haunting my shelves for some time. Unfortunately I never lost it and ended up watching it today. It turned out to be an illegal copy, but I don't know where I got it so I can't rat them out. Most martial arts movies are painfully dumb, it's part of their charm. With that in mind, this one was charming.
Hex, the BBC series. I watched all of them. Characterization is not a strength of this show. There is no consistency in the behavior of anyone. Everyone needs medication. No one seems particularly likeable through the whole thing.
Hikaru no Go. I still don't know why I watched all 100+ episodes of Yu Yu Hakusho, this is the same kind of the same thing. I have them, they're fluff, I'll probably end of seeing all 75. Ok, that's not 100% fair. They do have something I prize in anime more than most and that's little insights into Japanese character.
War of the Worlds, with Tom Cruise. Um, it wasn't horrid. I guess on the big screen it might have been something. This was mostly vapid disaster movie filler. I feel dirty.
After all this I felt the need to break out something of value. Ikiru.
Ikiru is about Wantanbe, a bureaucrat with cancer forced to look starkly on his wasted life. Sound depressing as hell? Yeah, I thought so too. Still, it's considered one of Akira Kurosawa's masterpieces and that alone is worth the heart ache.
Surprise, I found Ikiru quite uplifting. Ok, it's sad, but it's a "Life is Beautiful" kind of sad. There's a lot of unresolved side issues, but Japanese seem to enjoy their stories like that. I'm actually happy the version I had was subbed but not dubbed. The voices of the actors added something, even if I don't know what the hell they're saying. When Wantanbe sings there is a depth of emotion that comes through wrenchingly strong.
Ikiru I can heartily recommend. The rest of the stuff, well, it was ok... ;)
Bulletproof Monk. This one's been haunting my shelves for some time. Unfortunately I never lost it and ended up watching it today. It turned out to be an illegal copy, but I don't know where I got it so I can't rat them out. Most martial arts movies are painfully dumb, it's part of their charm. With that in mind, this one was charming.
Hex, the BBC series. I watched all of them. Characterization is not a strength of this show. There is no consistency in the behavior of anyone. Everyone needs medication. No one seems particularly likeable through the whole thing.
Hikaru no Go. I still don't know why I watched all 100+ episodes of Yu Yu Hakusho, this is the same kind of the same thing. I have them, they're fluff, I'll probably end of seeing all 75. Ok, that's not 100% fair. They do have something I prize in anime more than most and that's little insights into Japanese character.
War of the Worlds, with Tom Cruise. Um, it wasn't horrid. I guess on the big screen it might have been something. This was mostly vapid disaster movie filler. I feel dirty.
After all this I felt the need to break out something of value. Ikiru.
Ikiru is about Wantanbe, a bureaucrat with cancer forced to look starkly on his wasted life. Sound depressing as hell? Yeah, I thought so too. Still, it's considered one of Akira Kurosawa's masterpieces and that alone is worth the heart ache.
Surprise, I found Ikiru quite uplifting. Ok, it's sad, but it's a "Life is Beautiful" kind of sad. There's a lot of unresolved side issues, but Japanese seem to enjoy their stories like that. I'm actually happy the version I had was subbed but not dubbed. The voices of the actors added something, even if I don't know what the hell they're saying. When Wantanbe sings there is a depth of emotion that comes through wrenchingly strong.
Ikiru I can heartily recommend. The rest of the stuff, well, it was ok... ;)