el_nickster

This is a good re-telling of the old story about a small-town girl who dreams of getting away from her bumpkin friends and family to the big city. A chilling comedy of boxing, sexual deception, and religious epiphany.

Okay, that was a sarcastic comment.

Moonie is the "spooky chick" in the tiny tundra town of New Waterford. She loves reading and art. She wants to get away from New Waterford and see the world.

Her family is very close, and loves her fiercely. They won't let her go. She concocts a plot to get away involving her pugnacious girlfriend, her parent's religious orthodoxy, and the sexual naiveté of the town's male population. Hijinx ensue.

In the process of pulling off her scam, Moonie starts to realize what she has in New Waterford: she belongs. As it becomes clear that she is going to have the opportunity to leave, she sees the virtues in all the bumpkins she used to so resent: strength, faith, simplicity, and honor. Are these things from which a person really needs to escape?

This is Kurosawa's adaptation of "King Lear," set in feudal Japan. Lord Hidetora Ichimonji waged war all of his life to unify the valley. As an old man, he passes this throne to his oldest son, Taro, and grants vassal status to his other sons Jiro and Suburo. Jiro and Taro toady to their father, each harboring secret hopes to eradicate the other brothers (and old Hidetora himself). Suburo rails at his father's foolishness, warning him that by dividing power in the valley he invites generations of chaos and war. Enraged by Suburo's defiance, old Hidetora banishes him. True to Suburo's warnings, the country soon falls into strife as Taro and Jiro turn on each other, turn on Hidetora, and turn on Suburo.

This is a magnificent film. Ten stars is not enough. The plot is as moving as Shakespeare. The performances are top-notch. The cinematography is exquisite. The costumes and sets are wonderfully rich. This contends for the best film made by Kirosawa, who is arguably the greatest director ever to have lived. If you have access to a big flat-screen television, you should watch Ran on it if possible.

This film is a mighty fun 90 minutes.

The plot: a band of hatchet-wielding gangsters holds the city in terror. However, they leave the destitute people of the Pig Sty Alley neighborhood alone, as they have nothing worth stealing. Thsi peace ends when two "gangsta wannabe" bums, Sing and Bone, bumble into the slum and stir up trouble in the name of the gang. Soon the Axe Gang is locked in a battle with the paupers of Pig Sty Alley, and their bizarre and comical styles of kung fu.

This film is a very good slap stick comedy. There have been parodies of kung fu movies made before, but none this good. The laughs are reinforced by some really crazy characters (most notably the "Daughter of the Dragon" fat chain-smoking landlady who never once throughout the movie removes the curlers from her hair). The film is full of references to all kinds of other films, ranging from Kubrick's "The Shining" to the Looney Tunes Road Runner.