Pan's Labyrinth

This week's film is made by Mexican and based in the Spanish Civil War. A fantastical experience as a young girl experiencing the harsh reality of the civil war keeps flitting to a mysterious and scary fantasy world as events unfold. An impactful film as fairy tale intersects with history with an ending you won't see coming. 5/5 (A lot of good films recently).

Unleashed

This week's film is a martial-arts thriller based in the UK but co-produced between France and the UK. Based on the story of an orphan boy Danny taken by a gang and made to fight but eventually breaking free. Danny though needs to face his past in order to have a future. Heartfelt with good action scenes yet somehow not perfect. 4/5.

The Pianist

This week's film is a hard hitting Oscar winning film about the horrors that happened during world war two following the story of one Jewish pianist under Nazi rule. This is a hard watch showing the best and worst of human nature. Recommended watching but you might not be able to watch it twice. Another 5/5 but for a very different film from last week.

Dasepo Naughty Girls

This week's film write up is of Dasepo Naughty Girls (which sounds rather dodgy which is the point). Based on a Korean webcomic this South Korean film is a comedy musical based around a class of a rather unusual high school where each class is for different religions/life outlooks. The class and students we look at are the atheist class full of promiscuous students (with the exception of the one eyes virgin student named "cyclops").

High school comedy/drama occurs whilst a mystery creeps up on the school as the students mysteriously start behaving well! Made me laugh out loud and very outlandish I give it a 5/5

Kamui: Lone Ninja

After over a year of silence I'm back! With a review of a film I saw some time ago but never wrote up - I have a few films to write up.

Today's film is a Japanese ninja film or should I say ninja pirate film (hasn't that confused the ninja vs pirate debate :P)

Based on a classic hit manga in Japan (not really known outside Japan) it follows the story of a ninja who decides to leave a job you can't really leave and the (bad) repercussions that follow. It contains good fight scenes but some dodgy CGI... I'll give it a 3/5.

The Warrior's Way

My first 1/5.

Bad film looking for any excuse for not well done fights. The plot: Some form of far east warrior is told to kill a baby to wipe out a rival clan and instead saves the child and runs off with it - to the American Wild West. Old clans then pursues him there intent on killing both of them and whoever else he had befriended on his way. Wasn't feeling the film at all.

Sakuran

 

A very pretty film - feast for the eyes. The story itself is of the life of a courtesan in a brothel, her loves and losses. With this film however it is the physical display of her gilded cage that sticks in the mind. That and some the the witty barbed remarks between the courtesans. I'll leave you with the usual trailer (sans subtitles). 3/5.