11-06-2014, 05:20 PM
This film is as old as me. It was well received at Cannes and I can see why. It's four J ghost tales, 4 surreal trips into the yokai world, seen on HULU+. It's also spellbinding, if that's a sleep spell. It put me to sleep. Four times. But I really liked what I saw and was very frustrated that it put me to sleep each time. Something about the glacial pace, the lack of soundtrack (save some jarring traditional biwa and shakuhachi), maybe it was the vast panoramic backdrops. I started it around Halloween and it took me 4 nights because each chapter put me to sleep.
On the good side, it's a good flick. Amazing sets - complete forests and an ocean scene where a sea battle was staged - all in a studio so those crazy colorful sky backdrops could be used and the lighting could be controlled. No CGI here. It even predates green screen. Those effects are solid camera tricks for the most part. Story 1 was a shallow samurai who leaves his loyal wife to gain position, and then tries to return to her with predictable results. 2 featured the soulful eyes of Tatsuya Nakadai, face to face with a snow demon. 3 was the centerpiece - Hoichi the Earless - a blind monk musician is charged to play for an army of the dead. The head priest is Takashi Shimura, lead ronin in the Seven Samurai. Good swordfights, with arrows and lances too, all a top boats. Plus it's crazy surreal, even by today's standards. 4 is an unfinished work. They say so at the beginning. Then it ends unfinished. Kinda pissed me off because I was awake for that and all of a sudden, it's over, totally unresolved. Might as well have fallen asleep.
All in all, a fascinating peak into early J horror.
On the good side, it's a good flick. Amazing sets - complete forests and an ocean scene where a sea battle was staged - all in a studio so those crazy colorful sky backdrops could be used and the lighting could be controlled. No CGI here. It even predates green screen. Those effects are solid camera tricks for the most part. Story 1 was a shallow samurai who leaves his loyal wife to gain position, and then tries to return to her with predictable results. 2 featured the soulful eyes of Tatsuya Nakadai, face to face with a snow demon. 3 was the centerpiece - Hoichi the Earless - a blind monk musician is charged to play for an army of the dead. The head priest is Takashi Shimura, lead ronin in the Seven Samurai. Good swordfights, with arrows and lances too, all a top boats. Plus it's crazy surreal, even by today's standards. 4 is an unfinished work. They say so at the beginning. Then it ends unfinished. Kinda pissed me off because I was awake for that and all of a sudden, it's over, totally unresolved. Might as well have fallen asleep.
All in all, a fascinating peak into early J horror.
Shadow boxing the apocalypse