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Reviews
A Nero Wolfe Mystery (2001)
not mere background noise. deserves one's full attention and more.
I love this series passionately. A murder mystery set in the late 50s, with fast-paced wit and style. It gets you thinking not just about the murders, but about the people; how they really behave and how sharp one has to be to keep up with the threads of so many suspects lives and possible motives.
The books are just as fast paced and difficult to follow as the TV series can be. Definitely not for mothers who intend to get the knitting/ironing done while half concentrating on the TV.
But you've never seen such quality on American television - in fact, you'd almost swear it was British. The script is impeccable, the cast perfect, the performances true to the novel, and obviously Timothy Hutton is loving every minute of his role as Archie Goodwin. (a role which he has made successfully jump straight from the pages of Rex Stout's novels, onto the screen.)
But the best part; you can watch them over and over, because there'll always be an angle you missed, a glance, a witty line, a plot twist. And knowing how often TV shows are repeated isn't this a godsend? Haven't we had enough of the crud you can watch with your eyes closed, while-knitting-on-the-phone-doing-the-ironing?
Blood: The Last Vampire (2000)
too gorgeous for only 48 minutes
I love this, it's very beautiful the characters are magnetic and real, the main character seems quite distant but i believe that is part of the attraction. However it is a shame it's only 48 minutes long. The story draws you in and makes you want more, and there is so much to cover, many hints at character histories and relationships. The brevity complements the films style which is quite detatched, however i would have liked more time to explore the issues brought up in the film, clearly alot of research went into every aspect of this piece. Unusual issues for anime make this piece a treasure, such as the impact of US occupation on modern Japan and societies disregard for the old culture, tradition and superstitions of the past. Perhaps in the future i will get over it's length and appreciate it for the beautiful short feature it is.
Jisatsu sâkuru (2001)
no rhyme or reason, loved it!
As a comment on the state of modern Japanese society in relation to suicide it was very thought provoking and creative. i wish everyone could see this film! i think at the heart of it, i was drawn in watching the police reacting to such senseless violence, as the suicides get closer and closer to home, there seems to be no rhyme or reason for these deaths. i still am not quite sure of what happened at the end, even after talking with my friends and listening to the director talking about the film - probably lost a bit in translation. But it is an uplifting film, it does give you a lust for life, it has a lot of gore and while i usually can't stand that stuff, it's done in such a matter of fact manner that it didn't really bother me. i love this movie! the music is fantastic, hilarious (mail me!), the scenes are surreal.