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Movie Metropolis (309 KP) rated The Wolverine (2013) in Movies
Jun 10, 2019
Darren Aronofsky was originally chosen to direct this second Wolverine solo outing but had to drop out due to travel restraints. Instead, James Mangold was brought in to helm this thrilling adventure as Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine was the fish-out-of-water that the series needed. Set for the majority of the runtime in Japan, and with an exciting action sequence set atop a bullet train, The Wolverine was a reasonable return to form for the X-Men solo movies.
https://moviemetropolis.net/2019/06/01/the-entire-x-men-franchise-ranked/
https://moviemetropolis.net/2019/06/01/the-entire-x-men-franchise-ranked/
James Koppert (2698 KP) rated Shiver in Books
Jan 28, 2020
Original horror
Junji Ito has an amazing imagination. I feel often in the West the story tellers try really hard to explain every detail. In Japan things can just exist and it's so refreshing and means you can just dive into a story and experiance it.
These are some crazy wonderful stories to give you chills. Stories I've never even conceived before. I'm going to order his others now. It's a must have
These are some crazy wonderful stories to give you chills. Stories I've never even conceived before. I'm going to order his others now. It's a must have
Aaron Katz recommended Equinox Flower (1958) in Movies (curated)
Mothergamer (1517 KP) rated Giri/Haji in TV
Jan 24, 2022
This show is excellent. The story about two brothers who are on different sides is interesting because you see how much they care about each other, but the conflicts make things difficult. The settings between Japan and London are beautifully done. The cast is great especially Will Sharpe as Rodney who steals the show with every scene he's in. It's a shame the show only got one season because it is fantastic with the story, music, and characters melding together perfectly. Giri/Haji is definitely worth checking out.
Hideo Kojima recommended 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) in Movies (curated)
Sarah (7798 KP) rated The Forest (2016) in Movies
Apr 15, 2018
Promising premise but poor execution
A horror film based on a real life suicide forest in Japan sounds like it's made to succeed, but sadly The Forest doesn't deliver.
Natalie Dormer is alright as the lead and she does fairly well, the problem is she doesn't have much to work with. The film isn't particular scary and I feel they could have done so much more to raise the fear factor instead of throwing in some obligatory and obvious jump scares. The ending was quite good and actually fairly unexpected, but parts of it were a little silly.
Natalie Dormer is alright as the lead and she does fairly well, the problem is she doesn't have much to work with. The film isn't particular scary and I feel they could have done so much more to raise the fear factor instead of throwing in some obligatory and obvious jump scares. The ending was quite good and actually fairly unexpected, but parts of it were a little silly.
Cori June (3033 KP) rated Emperor of the Eight Islands in Books
Jan 16, 2020
Once I got used to the writing style, (I had to read the first page like three times) the book was really intriguing. There are some incredibly disturbing and disgusting things that happened on the book especially in how the mask was made although it took me a minute to realize what was actually meant. It was a quick read.
It is set in what could be considered medieval Japan. There is mythical creatures, spirits, and mysticism.
I'm not sure if I'll reread it ever again but I'll continue to the next book to see where it goes.
It is set in what could be considered medieval Japan. There is mythical creatures, spirits, and mysticism.
I'm not sure if I'll reread it ever again but I'll continue to the next book to see where it goes.
Alan Arkin recommended Seven Samurai (1954) in Movies (curated)
Darren (1599 KP) rated Mr. Holmes (2015) in Movies
Sep 13, 2019
Characters – Sherlock Holmes is one of the iconic characters in any mystery tale, this time we following him in his latter years, as we follow the three moments, the last case he didn’t solve, the trip to Japan and how he is writing the story about his last case. This character is interesting to find because we see a great mind struggling to remember everything that he should. Mrs Munro is the housekeeper looking after Sherlock while he focuses on his projects and bees, she does want to move away with her son because she finds Sherlock more in need of a nurse than a housekeeper. Roger is her young son that Sherlock takes under his wing, he is eager to learn more about his stories and the bees which can leave him in trouble at times. Tamiki has invited Sherlock to Japan, claiming to be a big fan, but he has different motives for this, we don’t really see enough of this character though.
Performances – Ian McKellen is fantastic in the leading role, but could we expect anything less from one of the greatest of all times? Laura Linney has always been able to mould herself into any supporting character and here is no different. Milo Parker is good for a child star, nailing the important scenes and keeping his innocence about him. Hiroyuki Sanada is a man we would have liked to have seen more in this film, I feel there is a lot more that we could have had from his character.
Story – Sherlock Holmes, the icon, the legend, the detective that solves every case, is now old and trying to put together parts of his memory o finish a final book, as he tries to remember the chapters of his life. Following the three different stages of his elderly life, can in places become confusing, but everything is tied up by the end and plays into the idea of what is real or part of a story well. The pace of the story is slow in places which doesn’t help keep on top of everything though.
Mystery – The mystery side of the film, comes off slow, we have a couple of mysteries Holmes wants to solve, but we never get left in a position to want to see them unfold.
Settings – The settings play into the late 40s well, Japan is haunting for this, the beach/cliff top location looks beautiful too.
Scene of the Movie – Japan and the aftermath.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – It is very slow.
Final Thoughts – This is a slow mystery movie that does focus on certain parts of the later life of a Holmes figure which is different as it is him battle against his own mind while trying to remember or solve the cases.
Overall: Slow, but interesting.
Performances – Ian McKellen is fantastic in the leading role, but could we expect anything less from one of the greatest of all times? Laura Linney has always been able to mould herself into any supporting character and here is no different. Milo Parker is good for a child star, nailing the important scenes and keeping his innocence about him. Hiroyuki Sanada is a man we would have liked to have seen more in this film, I feel there is a lot more that we could have had from his character.
Story – Sherlock Holmes, the icon, the legend, the detective that solves every case, is now old and trying to put together parts of his memory o finish a final book, as he tries to remember the chapters of his life. Following the three different stages of his elderly life, can in places become confusing, but everything is tied up by the end and plays into the idea of what is real or part of a story well. The pace of the story is slow in places which doesn’t help keep on top of everything though.
Mystery – The mystery side of the film, comes off slow, we have a couple of mysteries Holmes wants to solve, but we never get left in a position to want to see them unfold.
Settings – The settings play into the late 40s well, Japan is haunting for this, the beach/cliff top location looks beautiful too.
Scene of the Movie – Japan and the aftermath.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – It is very slow.
Final Thoughts – This is a slow mystery movie that does focus on certain parts of the later life of a Holmes figure which is different as it is him battle against his own mind while trying to remember or solve the cases.
Overall: Slow, but interesting.
Suswatibasu (1701 KP) rated Lost In Translation (2003) in Movies
Aug 9, 2017
A love story of loneliness
I love this film for its whimsical outlook of expatriates in Japan. It's a love story of loneliness between two people incredibly unsuited to one another. An older man, Bill Murray, married with grown kids, and the newly wed Scarlet Johannson, left to her own devices while her husband was at work. It's bittersweet for what it is. Having lived in China for three years I could empathise for some part, but unlike the protagonists who made zero effort to integrate, I learnt to speak the language. That's my only complaint.