barleeku

I haven't reviewed a movie in a while but after seeing the 3.4 rating for "The Kill Hole", I felt compelled to respond. I gave it a 10. Not that it's truly one of the great movies like "Apocalypse Now", which it echoes in some ways, but its exceptional qualities are very distinctive. The writing is outstanding. If you're looking for an action movie, then you came to the wrong place. I was ready to turn it off immediately if I found it too slow, but the dialog was compelling and dealt with moral issues central to war: personal responsibility, relationship to authority, how sanctioned violence changes those who act under its mandate and so easily drifts into the indefensible. The acting is superb. Boseman and Kittles give Broadway-level performances and they bring a sizzling commitment to the dialog. It's a true confrontation, filmed with interesting cuts that actually work rather than simply trying to be hip or jarring. Billy Zane is great as the leader of a vets support group and the non-actor veterans who appear in the group speak from the gut and clearly speak their personal truths. The "bad guys" are very much so but acted with pizzaz and, despite being reprehensible, are used to explore the line between punishment and revenge. Landscapes are rendered beautifully, the city scenes are convincing. This could have been a 2-person stage production with the vets group acting as a Greek chorus of sorts; view it as a compelling play fleshed out somewhat for the screen and one won't be disappointed by the lack of action.

I first saw Chushingara in 1972 in Boulder, Colorado on the CU campus. I racked up 3 additional viewings in the next couple of years, one at Boston's Park Square Cinema, long gone and lamented. The Park Square often showed Japanese films and I saw the Samurai Trilogy there as well as some of the other classics. I've since seen in again in theaters and now have the video. I was struck, reading some of the other viewer comments, by how many people felt exactly as I did, remembering each viewing as though it were a superb meal to be savored the rest of our lives, rather than simply "seeing a great film". The other comments articulate the reasons why quite well, but I'll add my two cents. Aside from being perhaps the most gorgeous film ever made, its beauty is integral to the psychological mood of heroism intensified by each moment's transience and each life's fragility. The great trial and seppuku scene, framed by that stunningly beautiful music and the equally intense cherry blossoms, stands as one of the most concise statements of life's tragic beauty as well, of course, as the soul of Bushido. The course of action pursued by Chamberlain Oishi creates the emotional hook and the humorous scenes, highlighted by Toshiro Mifune's wonderful character, keep things barreling along. In the end, though, it is the whole package - the stunning sets, many of them modeled fairly closely on classic Japanese woodcuts; the brilliant acting and direction; the loving detail of so many aspects of Japanese culture; the unfolding of justice; the close relationships and their exacting depiction; the revelation of a code that is so alien to anything in contemporary western life; the self-conscious gamble to make this film a cultural monument that breathes life; and of course, the final battle - wow! - certainly one of the greatest movies ever made. It is a shame that it is not more accessible on the large screen - the bigger the better - but as it sustains multiple viewings, see it on video anyway - it's worth it and you can always watch it again.

I saw this at Boston's (Brookline's) legendary Coolidge Corner Theater and consider it an important film for several reasons. One, it is a very warm, compassionate, humane film - and how often can we say that nowadays. The stars are real people, community members in Brookline, Massachusetts, either elderly people in an elderly housing project or children. While the movie is built around a fictional conceit, its sub-text is the real story - the powerful interaction between the two sets of actors who are 2 or 3 generations apart. The commentary at the end in which the participants talk about the impact that the experience of making the movie had upon them caps a powerful experience; both elderly and children felt the shock of recognition and engagement of two groups that normally have little to do with one another, except intra-family. I immediately recommended this to several friends who teach in the service professions, i.e., social work, recreation therapy, and education, because I can't imagine any viewer coming out of this uninspired or unenlightened by it. The production quality is excellent and the directing and editing highly professional, not surprising, as it was made by top-flight pros. All in all, a wonderful experience and, as noted, a terrific resources for professionals and students in any of a number of service-oriented fields.