04-18-2006, 01:34 PM
There's this thread on the KFM forum about sword hotties (see http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/sh...hp?t=41007). Azumi is the epitome of the archetype. My weakest point in martial arts films is for sword hotties. Long life sword hotties!!
Azumi is from Japanese director Ryuhei Kitamura, the genuis who brought us Versus. And there's great news - he's working on Versus 2. He also did Godzilla: Final War, the 50th Anniversary flick which I never saw. Kitamura directs action in a frenetic way, at one point spinning the camera above and below a fight on a gang plank, to great effect. The choreography is mediocre, but that is somewhat redeemed by the camerawork. Many of the fighters end with the same upward sword stroke, what I might call an exaggereted high septime for the fencers here. It's a dramatic pose that showcases the actor well, but it gets really old and if we were to play the ol' fight choreography drinking game, whoever called that move would be in a sorry state.
The focus of this film though, is the sword hottie, beautifully embodied by Aya Ueto (see http://www.aya-ueto.net) who's pouty lips are perfect for an orphan assassiness, and who's long legs are equally perfect for her mini-keikogi outfit. She's clearly the centerpiece for a film that seems straight out of samurai manga. It starts slow, but gets really cooking at the hour and a half mark when most movies are over (Azumi clocks in at around two hours). There some great samurai chanbara action: lots of wacky ninjas (they die quickly but they keep coming), lots of ronin with really bad hair (one villian sports an almost Wolverine-esque do), buckets of blood (Azumi is soooo cute when she's spattered with blood), some very picturesque scenery, flying about (one scene is lifted straight from Crouching Tiger), and some interestingly cheesy CGI. Unlike the new Zatoichi, this film negotiates CGI blood with real fluid, and finds a reasonably happy balance.
I almost gave up on this film midway through. My DVD player at home crashed and I had to watch the remainder at work on lunch break. Glad I did. The final fight was fantastic. The villain was a perfect foil for Azumi, all clad in white, always carrying a red rose. A great martial arts film needs a great villain. Some of the earlier stuff could have probably been fast forwarded over.
This is almost worthy of a DOOM showing, but I've borrowed this DVD and this version has dicey subtitles because it's a weird platform. I see there's an Azumi 2, although not its by Kitamura. Nevertheless, but I'll have to check that out someday...
Azumi is from Japanese director Ryuhei Kitamura, the genuis who brought us Versus. And there's great news - he's working on Versus 2. He also did Godzilla: Final War, the 50th Anniversary flick which I never saw. Kitamura directs action in a frenetic way, at one point spinning the camera above and below a fight on a gang plank, to great effect. The choreography is mediocre, but that is somewhat redeemed by the camerawork. Many of the fighters end with the same upward sword stroke, what I might call an exaggereted high septime for the fencers here. It's a dramatic pose that showcases the actor well, but it gets really old and if we were to play the ol' fight choreography drinking game, whoever called that move would be in a sorry state.
The focus of this film though, is the sword hottie, beautifully embodied by Aya Ueto (see http://www.aya-ueto.net) who's pouty lips are perfect for an orphan assassiness, and who's long legs are equally perfect for her mini-keikogi outfit. She's clearly the centerpiece for a film that seems straight out of samurai manga. It starts slow, but gets really cooking at the hour and a half mark when most movies are over (Azumi clocks in at around two hours). There some great samurai chanbara action: lots of wacky ninjas (they die quickly but they keep coming), lots of ronin with really bad hair (one villian sports an almost Wolverine-esque do), buckets of blood (Azumi is soooo cute when she's spattered with blood), some very picturesque scenery, flying about (one scene is lifted straight from Crouching Tiger), and some interestingly cheesy CGI. Unlike the new Zatoichi, this film negotiates CGI blood with real fluid, and finds a reasonably happy balance.
I almost gave up on this film midway through. My DVD player at home crashed and I had to watch the remainder at work on lunch break. Glad I did. The final fight was fantastic. The villain was a perfect foil for Azumi, all clad in white, always carrying a red rose. A great martial arts film needs a great villain. Some of the earlier stuff could have probably been fast forwarded over.
This is almost worthy of a DOOM showing, but I've borrowed this DVD and this version has dicey subtitles because it's a weird platform. I see there's an Azumi 2, although not its by Kitamura. Nevertheless, but I'll have to check that out someday...
Shadow boxing the apocalypse
