You have to play the hand that's dealt...all the way...

There Was A Father is an Ozu film made during WWII. The film calls for personal sacrifice from its characters yet also shows the price to be paid for it. While well made, I can honestly say, I’m not sure whether I liked it or the message within. For over a decade a father uses his sense of duty to work, and only work, to not live with his son even when it no longer serves their relationship or his son’s future.

Ozu regular Ryu Chishu played the lead role as the father, Shuhei. Shuhei was an esteemed teacher, but when a student dies on a school outing, he accepts responsibility, even though no one blames him, and leaves teaching. He takes his son to his hometown and enrolls him in a boarding school. While the father is looking for work this sounds perfectly understandable, however, when the father finds a job in Tokyo it becomes less clear why he doesn’t take his son to Tokyo with him. The time between visits grows further and further apart. Each parting is devastating for the son who is admonished by his father when he releases his heartbreak by crying.

When the son has graduated from college and begun teaching, he tells his father when they visit a hot springs inn, that he wants to quit his job and move to Tokyo to be with his father. His father admonishes him for letting his feelings get in the way of the work that was given to him. “The happiness that you acquire after going through hardship and joy, will be everlasting.” You have to not be selfish and let go of the self.

For the father, all there was in his life was work. Though he initially worked for his son to have a better life, he also worked for his own sense of duty. I have tried to determine if this was propaganda or simply a way of life. Some Ozu enthusiasts say yes, others say no. For me it felt like it was a man who abandoned not only the teaching profession, but his own son, when he failed to live up to his own personal standards. There did seem to be propaganda inserted in places when it came to the single focus on diligent work as dignity at the loss of familial ties if necessary. “At a time like this, we must all do our part.” The father proclaims that life is better when working as hard as one can. That should be enough.

In this film, despite the father’s excuses as to why they could not live together it was obvious the two loved each other. The son adored his father and hopelessly waited for the day they could be together even as a grown man. Before the father’s death, Shuhei made sure his son would have a good wife, arranging a marriage with the daughter of an old friend.

Ozu used parallel scenes, fishing scenes and train scenes that brought the story full circle. His trains seem to always point the way home, even after death. The fishing scenes as the two cast and moved in synchronization, showed the two at one with nature even if they were not of one mind. And as he often did, Ozu explored life through a parent and child. Here he seemed to be looking at the nature of sacrifice, duty and responsibility and the familial loss that came about through them. Or perhaps he was working out his own childhood as his father had gone to work in Tokyo to make a living for his family, leaving Ozu and his mother behind. Whatever the case, I struggled to understand why the father refused to have his son with him, even after the goals had been met. Unlike other Ozu films, the director left it up to the audience to decide instead of leaving bread crumbs for us to follow, or perhaps the notion was a common one at the time and didn’t need to be explained. Or finally, perhaps Ozu made a film that the censors would approve of while subtly criticizing the political structure and its societal price to be paid. Maybe I’m looking too deeply to find meaning in this film.

Regardless of the meaning behind the father’s actions, Ryu gave a superb performance as the father stubbornly adhering to his sense of duty. Ozu’s transitions didn’t always seem as smooth as in his other films, but that could also have been that there were censorship cuts made after the war. I feel like I write this in all my reviews of his films—his teapot showed up and had its usual closeup which always brings me great joy.

This would probably not be a good introduction to Ozu’s films for most people. It is a slow slice of life with a difficult message. The best scenes were when the father and son were together, sadly like their relationship it wasn’t often enough.

12/9/22

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"The Shadow of a man can never stand up and walk on its own"

Kurosawa Akira had long dreamed of making Kagemusha. When Toho finally agreed to fund it, they were unable to finish financing it. In stepped George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola along with 20th Century Fox and Suntory Whisky to see that the movie was completed.

The story was based on real people and events leading up to the 1575 Battle of Nagashino. The warlord Shingen Takeda had longed used a double to protect himself during the tumultuous time. When his current double tired of the role, they found a thief ready to be executed who was his spitting image. When Shingen is killed the shadow has to take his place, convincing friends, family, and enemies that he is the real deal. Only a handful of advisors and guards know the truth. History would lead to a tragic end for the clan and the shadow.

This was not one of my favorite Kurosawa films. There were very few closeups and with a huge cast made it very difficult to identify people and their particular contingencies. Nakadai Tatsuya made a great foil for Mifune Toshiro in earlier films, but I found him lacking in this role. He didn’t have enough charisma and intensity to win me over. Despite the three-hour running time, little of it was spent on character development. Many pivotal scenes took place off camera. I had difficulty connecting with any of the characters and didn’t feel invested with any of them. They felt like distant obscure images.

The long still pauses Kurosawa used to great effect in his older movies became one long film this time. You have to be very patient to watch three hours of slow, quiet interactions from dozens of characters. If they had spent some of that time delving into the imposter’s feelings and life, giving me a better sense of who he was, I would have enjoyed it more.

Most of the battle scenes were underwhelming, often filmed in the dark. Two battle scenes used red lights in the background to simulate a castle burning, much as if it were a play on a small stage. Instead of seeing the action, a character was shown hearing the battle sounds. Even the final climactic battle left much of it unseen, mostly shown through the imposter’s reactions. I did find the final scenes of stunned, wounded horses attempting to rise to their feet deeply disturbing as the human carnage lay around them.

By all accounts, Kurosawa took liberties with the final battle. A ridiculously large rainbow over the ocean, while beautiful and unrealistic, was some distance from where the army would have traveled, but it did make for a nice shot. Kurosawa wanted to show the destruction of the Takeda by its enemies’ fire power even if some aspects of the battle went differently in real life.

In the end, as a body drifts past the clan’s flag, we’re shown that the currents of time are sweeping away not just the Takeda but a way of life as well. I learned several things from this film. There is a price to be paid for an unbridled ego. Blind loyalty leads people blindly to their doom at times. And never bring a sword to a gun fight.

Kagemusha didn’t have enough character development to make it a good character study and not enough quality battle scenes to make it a good war movie. In the end, I found it to be an impersonal, dryly told story at a glacial pace. Perhaps Mifune could have elevated it as he did other Kurosawa films, but that’s only wishful thinking.

12/2/22

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"The past is past. Now is now."

Director Ozu tackled the very real problem of war orphans in the uplifting Record of a Tenement Gentleman. Ozu used a lost little boy to quietly open the closed hearts of people damaged by loss and deprivation and a cranky widow to shelter one not her own.

Ozu regular Ryu Chishu came home with a lost boy he’d found on a trip. His roommate refused to let the child stay with them. They hatched the brilliant idea of foisting the boy off on the neighbor widow, Tane. Tane was not welcoming to the idea of taking him in but relented for one night. After Kohei wet the bed, she reprimanded him and determined to be rid of him. After finding out the child’s father had apparently deserted him, she tried to desert him herself, but Kohei was too quick and determined for her. Slowly he began to wear her down and after another scolding when he ran away, she dropped everything to find him.

Tane was played by the talented Lida Choko. In her, we could see not only the grumpy middle-aged woman but also a widow making a living out of her home who had closed herself off emotionally. She portrayed a waterfall of emotions as the small boy broke her emotional dam. Seeing the gentleness in the boy she was unwilling to let him live the life of an alley cat. So great was her loving transformation that in the end she could cry generous tears of joy instead of selfish ones. Choko expertly played Tane’s regret at not having treated the boy with kindness from the beginning. It was a beautifully well-rounded performance.

Ozu showed the trauma of orphan children through Kohei. Silent for nearly 30 minutes after he appeared, and with very few words thereafter, the boy held everything inside. His stress over his abandonment and hostile environment came out through bedwetting at night. He observed homeless boys fishing along the water in order to feed themselves. In the final scene, Ozu showed numerous orphan boys at the base of a famous statue in Tokyo.

As always, every scene was composed and shot with exquisite care and Ozu’s teapot had its usual closeup. Not one for talking about the war much, he showed the piles of rubble lining the streets and even used in the tenements. The neighbors dealt with scarceness in post-war Japan, sharing information and food. He moved the scenes further outside as well and there was a gorgeous shot of Tane and Kohei on a beach right before she abandoned him. I admit to choking up watching the little boy race across the dunes to catch up with her.

The film closed with Tane and her neighbors all having been touched by the boy. They came to realize how selfish they had become, refraining from helping those in need. They vowed to be more generous in spirit. Record of a Tenement Gentleman was a film that teetered close to being overly sentimental, but for me it hit that melancholy heartwarming sweet spot.


11/16/22

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"We live in a fishbowl, and people love to talk."

Sisters of the Gion tackled a familiar subject for this particular era among directors who were critical of the class structure and state of women. Omocho and her older sister Umekichi were geishas who had different approaches to their work. Both thought they knew the best way to navigate their difficult existence. Only time would tell who was right.

Umekichi's patron, Furusawa had recently gone bankrupt and left his wife and children. He moved in with the sisters much to the younger sister, Omocho's, chagrin. The more traditional Umekichi felt an obligation to Furusawa. Omocho was the exact opposite. Men used them for what they could get out of them, she felt they should do the same to men. She hated men's predatory behavior and was willing to do whatever was necessary to gain a patron and stable lifestyle. Behind in their rent and unable to buy one good kimono between the two of the them, their new houseguest was a luxury they could not afford. Omocho worked to find both of them patrons and enough money for Furusawa to take the train back to his wife.

In the process of procuring a silk kimono and gaining a patron, Omocho made a dangerous enemy. Umekichi also found out how important she was to Furusawa when his fortunes changed.

Sisters of the Gion was an interesting look at the life of rank and file geishas in a time when their popularity was waning. The sisters were on the bottom rung of society and struggling to make ends meet, depending on men's needs and money to provide for them. Though one sister played by the rules and the other tried to be more independent, both were stuck in a world neither wanted to be in but with very few options for a way out. Director Mizoguchi never candy coated their miserable existence nor did he make Omocho vicious in her intentions. The women were dependent on whatever they could gain from their male clientele, men who could use them or forget them on a whim. It was no wonder Omocho despised the men she had to enthrall in order to eke out an existence. Like everyone she wanted to feel safe, but with her low status that entailed a great deal of risk.

Some of the director's choices could make it hard to connect with the characters. The camera was often set up high and at a distance which made it difficult to see facial expressions. This was complicated even more when a character had their back to the camera. It's not easy to feel empathetic when you can't see how characters are feeling. Fortunately, Yamada made good use of her voice to reel this viewer in. There were only a couple of scenes with a close-up, one put to good use in the final scene when Omocho let loose a tirade of despair and agony too long held back.

Yamada Isuzu had the strongest performance as the modern, more feminist sister bent on securing them a better life. The story gave her plenty to work with. Umemura Yoko was saddled with playing the demure, compliant sister willing to do whatever her former patron needed, making sure he was happy and comfortable even at the loss of her own happiness and comfort. The men came across as largely interchangeable. Given the theme, that may have been by design.

At times cynical, at other times humorous, SotG refused to serve the viewer up a happy or hopeful ending. Despite the sisters' opposing philosophies, both failed. Both suffered. In the end, neither gained anything for their troubles except more trouble. The final scene while cathartic, also came across heavy-handed as the director spelled out his opinion of the sisters' status. Despite the difficult topic, Sisters of the Gion is a film worth seeking out if you like older films and especially this gifted director's works. Sisters of the Gion won the Kinema Junpo Award for Best Film in 1937.

11/10/22

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Are you better off with him or without him?

In this film, Director Naruse took the viewer behind the scenes of two performers, delving into their professional and personal lives. Jurio and Toyo had been together since training under her mother and must now decide whether to marry and continue on or break up the act.

This was a difficult film for me to rate so I will simply list some pros and cons.

Cons:
Jiro was an egotistical jerk who constantly criticized Toyo's shamisen playing but never reflected critically on his own performance.
Toyo was told repeatedly that as the woman it was her duty to capitulate to Jiro's demands.
If you don't enjoy or have a background in these types of performances, they can be less than enthralling and there are plenty of them. On the converse side if you enjoy them, you are in for a real treat!
There is a lot of bickering between the main couple

Pros:
Toyo rarely capitulated and often defended herself well against Jiro's barbs standing up to him and their manager.
This was a love triangle with real stakes, there was no foregone conclusion who Toyo would eventually end up with.
Toyo truly loved performing and struggled with whether to give it up in an era when being married and continuing to work were not always compatible. I liked that she wasn't ready to jump on the marriage train simply because it was expected of her. She was also willing to do what was necessary once she made up her mind.

As much as I've enjoyed other Naruse films, I can't say that l enjoyed this one. I never liked Jiro, he was self-absorbed and felt the world revolved around him and his "talent". I sympathized with Toyo's plight, especially during the times she was living in. Jiro may have gotten some comeuppance which led to a modicum of personal growth, but it still wasn't enough for me to care about him. I kept wanting to tell Toyo, "Run girl, run for your life!"

The performances were well done, Hasegawa Kazuo and Yamada Isuzu, here in their youth showed why they would go on to have lengthy careers. If you are a fan of either, enjoy the shamisen, a creative love triangle, or are a Naruse fan, this is a film worth checking out. It may not have been captivating, but it had some entertaining moments.


11/5/22

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"Gamera! You're so cool!"

When watching Gamera vs Jiger it helps to remember that this was a 1970 Kaiju movie aimed at children. Gamera meets his match with Jiger and even gets impregnated! And yes, still a children's movie!

Two young boys are once again featured and do their part to save the world and Gamera from destruction. They weren't as annoying as some of the kids in previous movies so that was a win.

The film takes place at the Osaka Expo Center where 70 different countries have set up their science exhibits. One of the groups wants to transport an ancient statue from Wester Island to the Expo despite the protests from a chief that it is cursed. Doesn't take long to figure out what the curse is, because not long after they pull up the statue and cart if off Jiger appears and has it out with Gamera. The crew transporting the statue becomes mysteriously sick. Jiger takes Gamera down by propelling spikes into his elbows and knees leaving the big tusked turtle helpless on his back. After immobilizing his enemy, Jiger becomes a speeding hydroplane heading to Japan and destroying any ships in his way. Gamera is not one to stay down long and follows Jiger to Japan where he is rampaging. This time Jiger drives a long spike into the tusked hero, impregnating him with a Jiger larva and seemingly killing him. Didn't even buy the big guy dinner!

The kids and their mini-submarine take a Fantastic Voyage (1966) into Gamera's body to find the mini-Jiger. They, of course, discover how to destroy the giant Jiger and it has to do with the statue. They manage to reanimate Gamera and get him back into the fight.

Gamera vs Jiger was actually not bad for a children's Kaiju from this era. Even Godzilla was aiming his movies at kids during this time. Gamera had a formidable foe in Jiger. Jiger had numerous weapons, even one that could turn humans into skeletons! The monster suits were decent for this time period. The action was close to non-stop, the kids weren't annoying, and the monster fights were creative with the limited funds and limited special effects capabilities. Most of the acting was bearable as was the kids always riding to the rescue. It was a common theme in these old children's movies so best to roll with that aspect. You may grow tired of hearing the Gamera theme song repeatedly sung by the end, "Gamera, you're so cool!" Other than that, if you enjoy Kaiju movies from this era, Gamera vs Jiger is one to try if you can keep your expectations low. As always, I grade these old niche movies on a curve.


10/26/22

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It's turtle vs squid!

I don't know what bills or gambling debts Gamera had to pay for him to get involved with this movie, but he should have passed and hibernated somewhere until it was safe to come out. Gamera vs Viras had an okay beginning and an okay end, but the middle was largely comprised of clips from previous Gamera movies which was a huge letdown. And the okayish parts were bad enough the giant turtle should have called his agent and fired him for signing him up for this awkward mishmash of clips. Plus, he had to take a backseat to two Boy Scouts and was only vaguely the star of his own movie. It's enough to make an amphibian rampage on Tokyo---in black and white and in color!

Aliens decided Earth was a good place to colonize only they ran afoul of Gamera in space. Long story short, they kidnap two precocious Boy Scouts so they can attach a control chip to Gamera and have him do their bidding. And thus begins the barrage of city destroying clips from previous movies, badly spliced together. Eventually, it's revealed the aliens are big squids and finally near the end of the movie Gamera is able to make fried calamari.

The Boy Scouts weren't as annoying as other kids in Kaiju movies, at least I wasn't rooting for a monster to eat them. If you want a shortcut to catch up on the previous movies, you can watch this one, otherwise, only if you are a huge Gamera fan-or maybe calamari.

10/21/22

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Run for your life!

This is an independent film that was intended to be the last in the Raiga/Reigo trilogy. It was more of a fan service made on the cheap and perhaps a Kaiju satire? It’s only for die hard Kaiju fans that are completionists.

Normally, I’d give some of the story, but the story boils down to water loving Raiga is challenged by lava loving Ohga with two cities for their fight grounds. A variety of defense groups work to stop them. The Prime Minister was hoping one town would be destroyed by the Kaiju or the defense forces so he could scoop up cheap property and build a casino. Oh, and the Blues Brothers show up, too.

Many weapons made out of childrens’ toys IRL are deployed against the monsters. The acting is akin to what you would find in a 20th century Saturday morning television show, if they cussed and died. There was a lot of repurposing of monster action from previous Raiga movies.

No loving shots of guys in rubber suits demolishing buildings and oil refineries. Instead there were rubber toys with cheap home computer overlays and designs substituted for movement and action. Lots of squiggly lines, blurriness, fireworks, color splats, and fire over the monsters and weapons. How bad was it? Really, really bad.

They must have run out of money for real actors because they used action dolls to take their place for a super secrety secret group, something like the movie Thunderbirds.

If you can enjoy it for the complete bonkers, cheap, over saturated, bad acting, almost incomprehensible story with terrible computer graphics you might want to try this one but better safe than sorry and skip it. Or better yet, run for your life!


10/13/22

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#Justice for Manda!

Godzilla royalty-director Honda Ishiro and composer Ifukube Akira were behind the Kaiju and Sci-fi movie
Atragon. Given that pedigree I expected it to be better. With all the allusions to the destroyer goddess Manda, I definitely expected to see her before the last 15 minutes of the film and for more than 5 minutes. Atragon instead focused on old naval officers and whether to resurrect an Imperialistic Japan.

The film opens with two photographers taking pictures of their bikini clad model at midnight near the bay because everyone knows the lighting is so good at that time of the day. When up from the water comes a steamy man. There's an investigation regarding the steam man that leads nowhere. The photographers spend a lot of time hunting down a beautiful woman they see on the street so that they can make her a model. Turns out the would be model is the daughter of a naval commander who disappeared during the war and she became the ward of a retired admiral. Next thing you know a man with special powers from the ancient submerged city of Mu shows up to kidnap the woman and the admiral to take them back to Mu and make them slaves. His plan is foiled by the nosy photographers. After some city destruction by the vapor creatures the admiral finally realizes he's going to have to reveal that her father is not dead and take her to him. Not the happiest of reunions after 20 years especially since dear old dad has created a super sub that can also fly and burrow through the earth and has a freeze ray all in order to resurrect Imperial Japan. Not sure if that means he wants to go back on a destructive rage against China, Korea, and the US, but the admiral and his daughter try to change his mind. Only when the Mu kidnap his daughter and threaten to overthrow the world does he decide to use his sub for good.

Given that this was a Honda film, Manda was a huge disappointment in both design and execution. She's just the third female Kaiju in this particular franchise and she didn't show up until late in the movie and was dispatched rather easily. The high tech sub and city miniatures were all beautifully created for the time and budget. Ifukube recycled Godzilla's music for this one, I kept expecting to see the big guy stomp onto the scene. Goodness knows it might have made this movie more interesting.

The story tended to wander around in circles for much of the movie until they showed up at the secret island with the sub's inventor. The last 15-20 minutes were the best part of the film. It was concerning that when they destroyed the hidden city of Mu, they destroyed everyone. The genocide was a bit concerning even for a Kaiju movie.

While I applaud the makers effort to try and craft a different kind of monster film and focus on more sci-fi aspects, I found it rather disappointing. Better to watch Destroy All Monsters, even though she only had a cameo in it, Manda had more to do than in this one. Only for those Kaiju fans who would like to see Manda's original film or have an interest in sunken cities where the people wear bright colorful wigs.


9/30/22

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Two for one coffins on sale!

The Lady Constables was an entertaining Taiwanese kung fu flick starring Angela Mao and Chia Ling. Deadly flying umbrellas, kung fu magnets, and a plethora of coffins, this movie had it all, but mostly it had two of the best female kung fu stars in the business featured.

Angela starred as the Sheriff hunting down a gang of criminals who had stolen the Five Shining Pearls. Chia Ling was the niece of the chief escort killed during the theft and she was looking for payback. Wang Kuan Hsiung played the silent trusted bodyguard of the prince from whom the pearls were stolen. The running gag with him is that he wasn't a mute he just chose not to speak and had an endless supply of pre-transcribed notes to share his ideas and orders with. Other running gags included the ever present coffins for bodies to fly into. There was a problem with who had jurisdiction as the three combated and tried to outwit each other in the journey to recovering the pearls and bad guys.

The three rivals worked with and against each other as they hunted down each of the masters who had their own gangs in order to bring the thieves to justice and recover the pearls. That was easier said than done but an amusing rivalry road trip. A beggar and a coffin salesman follow them around ostensibly looking for a handout and more business.

Angela and Chia have had better fights but there was some challenging action as they beat down their enemies and had one quick fight with each other. Lots of wire-fu in this movie though some of it was funny, bordering on the absurd at times. The last couple fights were better and faster and both of the ladies acquitted themselves well, Wang was slower and far less interesting to watch. Thankfully, with his vow of silence the women took center stage, a rarity in this particular time. Oh, and there were a couple of guys dressed like knights in crappy armor, where the kung fu magnet comes into play. Never thought I'd write that.

The sets were re-used and recycled throughout the movie and like many old Taiwanese movies much of the fighting took place outdoors. The costumes were bright but fighting appropriate, no gold or silver lame` in sight. Standard kung fu fighting OST. The copy I watched and been cropped on the sides obscuring some of the action which is always disappointing.

The Lady Constables featuring a fierce Angela Mao and a confident Chia Ling was fun and didn't take itself too seriously as the fists, kicks, and coffins flew.



9/11/22

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Never underestimate a kung fu zombie!

Seven Men of Kung Fu had an impressive cast stuck in an unimpressive and bizarre story. Director and writer Cheung Hang only made 4 movies and that was probably 4 too many if this movie is any indication.

Seven Men of Kung Fu was a confusing, horrendously edited movie. It's the old Mings rebelling against the Chings but with characters, plot, and motivations thrown into a blender. Characters appeared and disappeared, plot elements appeared and disappeared, and some people were at odds but their reasons were never explained. Just to make it more bonkers, Doris Lung and a kung fu zombie, presumably caught in a time loop because they came slowly over the same hill about ten times randomly during the movie with no explanation until the final scene. I cannot express how badly this story was written and filmed.

Old school Chang Yi was the Big Bad complete with a flame red wig and large white owl-like eyebrows. He was the Emperor's Supreme Constable and seemingly unstoppable, tasked with bringing in the murderers of some raping tax collectors. Chang Fu Chien starred as the Ming rebel leader. They never made it clear whether he was gathering men to fight the Chings or if they spontaneously began to gather. Often cast as baddies, Lo Lieh, Chen Sing and Phillip Ko sort of joined his ranks even though they didn't fight as a group. Characters were introduced and then never seen again or briefly during a brawl with the Prince's elite fighting corp. Random fight scenes came out of nowhere. We were shown a minion who could hang from the ceiling by his hair only to never see him again. Pretty sure one guy was killed twice.

While most of the good guys are shown suddenly fighting in town, Chen Sing is shown running and running and running. You know it was him because his shirt was open, he never missed a chance to take his shirt off in these old movies. Lo Lieh came riding into a town on a horse smaller than he was after the dust settled. All while they showed Doris and her zombie coming over that same hill-again. Have I mentioned this movie was bizarre?

The body count was high in this one. And I cannot express how weird the ending was. As of the writing of this review, I've watched over 150 kung fu movies and this had the strangest ending I've ever seen. Let's just say Doris and the zombie finally showed up and randomly figured in to it. I use the word random a lot because so much of this movie was random.

The fight scenes utilized trampolines, cartwheels, and wires quite a bit. Some of the fights bordered on kung fu posing, while others, especially the one with Chen Sing moved faster. An early fight with Lo Lieh combating a bunch of Ching policeman was amusing as he took them out and the chief officer ran a tally of his offenses and his "bill" as the fighting raged on.

This was a cheap Taiwanese movie, much of it being filmed outdoors. The film itself was badly degraded and faded. At least this version hadn't been cropped on the sides so much of the action was viewable.

Seven Men, a Couple of Women, and a Zombie is only for hard core kung fu fans as it was poorly made and at times incomprehensible. But for those few hard core fans the ending is worth watching because it was unique.


9/6/22

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"You're surrounded by bums." "But they are relatives"

Lightning is the slice of life of a dysfunctional family dealing with death, infidelity, and becoming independent. Director Naruse weaves together the lives of four grown children, the mother, and various in-laws and a pesky suitor with these troubling topics knowing exactly when to bring a bit of levity to their dilemmas.

The quarreling family's mother had the four children by four different fathers and each child has a very different personality. Kiyoko is a 23-year-old bus tour guide still living at home and her family wants to marry her off to a seemingly wealthy by comparison 35-year-old baker. Her brother is a ne're do well who can't hold down a job and is usually out playing pachinko. Observing her older sisters' unhappy marriages Kiyoko is uninterested in their matchmaking efforts. Her sister Nui is tired of her unsuccessful husband and hooking up with the baker financially and personally. A death in the family causes problems when life insurance is involved and everyone wants a piece of it including a mistress! Everyone that is, except Kiyoko. As the situation escalates, the only child with a steady income and good head on her shoulders, moves out.

I really liked Kiyoko as she quietly watched the comings and goings of the rest of the family, privy to their secrets and foibles. Occasionally serious, but often with a knowing smile on her face as she stayed out of the fray as much as possible. When the time came, she didn't make a grand scene, she simply found another place to live and put into plan her goals. Eventually, Kiyoko and her mom had it out, and Kiyoko confronted her mother about her pain and having never felt happiness as they talked during a lightning storm.

Takamine Hideko was ethereal as Kiyoko. She moved seamlessly from problem to problem, completely believable as the youngest daughter who was unwilling to give up her dream of further schooling or settling for a boorish husband. Though beautiful and soft spoken she showed Kiyoko's backbone made of steel.

At one point Kiyoko tried to open her mom's eyes at the predicament the family had put her in. "You're surrounded by bums." To which her mom responded, "But they are relatives." Many a person knows this particular refrain when dealing with family. Most of us have had people in our families who are their own worst enemies and then can't figure out why bad things keep happening to them and think it's someone else's fault. Kiyoko's struggles mirror the struggles of many young people dealing with the push and pull of family as they discover who they are and where they want to be in the world. In these ideas, Naruse's work is timeless.

I loved the settings, the lively world of the suburbs of Tokyo came to life. Every scene was beautifully shot. The emotional piano music at the beginning and also played by one of the characters revealed the undercurrent of thunderous emotions. The film was exquisitely put together.

The film can be a challenge as Naruse drops us right into the middle of the story. The character introductions weren't always clear and it took me a while to sort everyone out. It is a true slice of life film as it begins and ends where the characters are and leaves resolutions up to the viewer. Many questions are left unresolved. We're not sure where Kiyoko's story goes though there are hints. Despite not tying things up with a pretty bow, I found this film charming and thoroughly enjoyed watching Kiyoko's journey to independence. Lightning was shockingly good, grounded in realism, and a bolt of pleasure. Sorry, I couldn't resist a few meteorological puns.

9/2/22

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"It would be amazing if I lived!"

Hopping vampires! Ghosts! Count Dracula! Kung Fu from Beyond the Grave had it all. Except for decent special effects and a coherent story. It had me at hopping vampires, one of my favorite bonkers things in kung fu movies.

Billy Chong's Chun Sing wasn't always the sharpest knife in the kung fu drawer, but he was diligent in pursuing revenge for his murdered father, once his dead father's ghost appeared to him during the ghost festival a year after his death. Revenge is revenge even when it comes late.

Lo Lieh played the evil Big Bad who had his chief priest Addy Sung, and his henchmen, murder the good citizens of the area and steal their hearts to perform an unholy blood spitting rite to make him immortal and impervious to weapons and kung fu.

Chun Sing had his hands full fighting the priest and his black magic kung fu. In one fight he hired some hopping vampires to aid him and Addy hired Count Dracula in return! Thank goodness for kung fu garlic! The story bounced around, often making little sense. Somehow torch wielding mobs knew just when to appear and prostitutes threw female accessories that could thwart evil.

Kung Fu from Beyond the Grave had rudimentary special effects, a step up from a high school play. Pretty sure they were able to film this for $12.99 (USD). Having said that, the movie was funny---in all the wrong places. I laughed at the absurdity of many scenes. The dialogue was hilarious, probably unintentionally in some places. When Count Dracula pops up-"hahahaha!" I thought I was going to lose it. It was good laugh therapy. The lighting often went from daytime to night to daytime to night again, sometimes in the same scene!

The fight scenes could be uneven. A couple of the beginning fight scenes were quite well done, aided by Chong's quickness, kicks and fluidity. I have enjoyed his fighting in the movies of his I've seen. Later fight scenes were poorly choreographed looking like they were made up as they went along. Lo Lieh, at 50, was starting to lose a step in the fights but still made for a believable villain, a role he seemed to be relegated to.

Kung Fu from Beyond the Grave was campy, comical, cheaply made, and only for hard core fans of old martial arts movies. But honestly, how could you pass up hopping vampires?



8/29/22

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Japan's first color sci-fi movie made full use of the technicolor palette. One-eyed blue starfish aliens show up on Earth causing the natives to wonder if their actions are friendly or nefarious.

Warning from Space was both complex and quaint. You cannot take the science seriously---at all, but the story does bring forth a rather frightening threat which could end all life on Earth. Unlike the earlier Godzilla, who came to town stomping and shooting his atomic breath, in Warning from Space strange starfish aliens attempted to make contact but only caused panic. Determined to communicate with the Earthlings, the Parians were able to take human form to try and find a way to convince the local Tokyo scientists of a cosmic threat. A rogue planet, Planet R was headed straight for Earth and the only way to stop it was for all of Earth's nuclear weapons to be shot at it to either change its trajectory or blow it up. A simple enough idea but the World Council had to agree to it and they were unconvinced of aliens or a rogue planet. As the sky tinted red with temperatures and radiation rising, gigantic tidal waves and flooding appearing, the World Council agreed to using nuclear weapons to stop the impending doom. By now, everyone who could had gone underground as life on the surface was starting to cook. Would the nuclear weapons save Earth?

Warning from Space's sets and scenery were lush and vibrant. Great care was taken in creating this world. The aliens were simplistic, actors in blue starfish costumes, but this was 1956 and CGI didn't exist yet. They did remind me of Maggie Simpson in her starfish winter coat, or the Gorg from the cartoon movie Home (2015). Overall, the world building was quite effective. Miniatures were used for flooding and earthquake scenes, some better than others.

There were lessons about global and galactic cooperation, the use of nuclear weapons and the dangers of even more potent weapons. Though the movie is for 7+, scenes of animals dying on the surface could be disturbing.

Like I said, you can't take the science seriously, it was the 1950's with duck and cover nuclear bomb drills in real life. With that in mind, the ending and much of the middle didn't make sense. You have to put yourself in a simpler, less informed time.

The cast was rather large so most of the characters tended to come off as dry and ill-defined but the majority of the acting filled the bill. The story lagged at times, especially when the aliens inexplicably disappeared for a bit. Even with the detractions, the question of the Earth's fate as humans hid underground dealing with the fallout of the rogue planet hurtling ever closer did give it an edge.

Warning from Space had some intriguing concepts and beautiful cinematography for a 1956 film. Certainly not for everyone, but if you enjoy old sci-fi movies, Japan's first color sci-fi might be one to try out.




8/20/22

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You sank my battleship...and this movie!

Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the water...never mind, there was nothing scary about this horrible Kaiju named Reigo. For some reason the makers of this movie decided to set it during WWII using the real world Battleship Yamato and its crew as the hero of the piece.

In 1941 a young Japanese man, Takeshi, bids his schoolgirl girlfriend goodbye as he sets off on the Yamato. The Yamato was one of two warships with enormous guns, the pride of the Japanese navy. During a routine mission the ship fires on a strange object in the ocean killing a baby Reigo. Big mistake. Now mama or daddy, nobody got close enough to check, sought vengeance on the fleet of destroyers and subs accompanying the Yamato. The Yamato was at a great disadvantage because of the size and angle of the guns. They couldn't fire up close, close being closer than 25k/16mi. Everyone should have felt safe on the great warship with Commander Yamagami in charge. Kurobe Susumu who played the level headed commander had been in half a dozen Godzilla movies before this. Unfortunately, he gets promoted in mid-battle and sent back to Japan leaving a former professor in charge. Between the professor and Takeshi, the cutie pie student, they must come up with a way to alter the guns as Reigo destroys each member of the flotilla.

In order for Kaiju movies to be entertaining they have to give us two things: fun and a compelling monster. I can not overstate how truly terrible the CGI was in this movie. They would have been much better off with a guy in a rubber suit and using miniatures. Reigo, the bone fish, the ships, and the ocean were of the worst video game quality. It's hard to immerse yourself in the movie when you are constantly confronted with the terrible CGI. The interior shots of the ship weren't much better, they looked like they were shot in an office building. It didn't help that this giant warship appeared to have a crew of less than 20 men.

In real life, the Yamato never fired its massive guns until 1945 not long before it was sunk by the American navy. In a strange ending complete with a Kabuki narrator and styling, the Yamato's fate was briefly told right before the credits. It was a strange juxtaposition of monster tale and WWII reality which didn't work for me. Actually, nothing in this movie worked for me-not the human story, the monster, or even the Japanese speaking American they fished out of the ocean. For die hard Kaiju fans only and even then it might not be worth checking out.



8/16/22

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