I’ve been watching a lot of movies lately most likely due to my lack of creativity when it comes to planning stuff to do. The good part is, I’ve seen a few really good films.
- Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman / Sonatine – This is a double DVD rental, so you get two different movies to watch by the same writer/actor/director, Kitano “Beat” Takeshi. Zatoichi (trailer) has a lot in common with the samurai films of Akira Kurosawa, especially Yojimbo. If you like stories involving stoic samurai meting out retribution to corrupt bandits, you will enjoy it. I was surprised to discover that Zatoichi has been portrayed in over 25 films and is one of the most popular characters in japanese culture. Sonatine (trailer) is a modern yakuza film that is a lot more complicated and slow-paced. The violence is there, but it is more numbing and meaningless than exciting. The emotional ambiguity expressed throughout the film left me feeling a little depressed. Here’s a good review of it by someone else.
- Sideways – This movie hit me in the best kind of way and sticks with you. It will resonate with anyone who has done any living since what it’s really about is life and relationships. You will relate to something in it, the story, the experiences, the characters. It is an admonition to keep living and fighting and most importantly to stay involved in your own life. Everyone will benefit from the message to keep living even when painful or difficult things happen. Sideways is real. The film itself was very well done and ends without a simple conclusion so you leave carrying the story with you.