CGI Does Not Live Up to the 47 Ronin's (Moral) Standard

Just a few words about 47 Ronin, which came out in 2013 and was directed by Carl Rinsch. I saw it on television almost five years later. The movie, a mix between fantasy movies like the obligate Lord of the Rings productions and samurai action movies, undoubtedly aimed at a large public. There's some computer graphics in it which make it more sensational or obviously more fantastic. Not that it's overloaded with cgi but a good movie can do without. This is proven by the last scene, a collective ritual, which is very powerful.

     Hiroyuki Sanada as Ōishi Yoshio, leader of the forty-seven rōnin © Universal Pictures

Besides there's plenty enough action, drama and samurai philosophy in this story to not warrant these artificial film techniques. I prefer movies where the viewer can use his or her own imagination to fill the gap that is now taken by the graphics. At some point it is a bonus like in the Tengu forest when there's a depiction of a psychological test or battle. The shapeshifting witch can do some handy tricks too without not looking grotesque but that's over when becoming a monster. Monsters in this film or even the Tengu priest are a bit too far away from reality and perhaps even from imagination.

Never beyond stereotypes

All in all I didn't mind watching 47 Ronin but it never gets beyond the stereotypical movie be it fantasy, action or both. Hiroyuki Sanada, as the leader of the masterless rōnin, and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa as the shogun are good casts but in general acting and action scenes are not above average. Neither are the turns nor the plot. Of course this is not abnormal as this is a well known historical story. But the film does not add anything to it and so isn't Keanu Reeves. 

"Keanu is primarily a 'name' on the poster for the public to go and watch this motion picture"

That I almost forgot him says enough I guess: he's primarily a 'name' on the poster and credits for the public to go and watch this motion picture. In the end the high code of honour of these Japanese gentleman-fighters is the most you will remember from this scenographic work. And if you like Japanese culture and fantastic movies there's a reason to watch. But nothing more than that.

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       • 47 Ronin (2013, Universal Pictures, United States) 

☆ Directed by Carl Rinsch. Starring Keanu Reeves, Hiroyuki Sanada, Tadanobu Asano, Rinko Kikuchi and Ko Shibasaki

☆ The movie is based on Chūshingura, Japanese fictionalized stories involving the forty-seven rōnin and their historic mission to avenge the death of their master

☆ Blade of the 47 Ronin, its sequel, was released on Netflix at the end of october 2022

10.01.2018

The Bridge Season 3, Inventive but Probably Too

I have recently watched the third season of the Swedish-Danish crime drama series The Bridge, which was released in 2015. I can not say that it was a sublime one neither that it was a bad one, the last mainly because of the fast turns in the unrolling of the plot, the many entertaining story lines and the entailing suspense.

But I must emphasize that I found the story at times too unrealistic, especially at the end of the series during episodes 7, 8 and 9. It's quite difficult to imagine that the serial killer did not have an accomplice. If he did all the preparatory work by himself, he then had to be a very technically skilled and probably rather experienced person and I find that hard to believe of a young art museum employee who particularly knows his job subjects in theory. Not even speaking of an overloaded time-schedule, the act of self-torture and as a consequence his calculated capacity for fainting out somewhat later pretty much exactly in front of the accidental passer-by.

Artificial

The scenarists have been very inventive in creating this art murder plot. It chased away the boredom for sure, but to me art can pretty fast result in artificial. Besides there are way too many deaths in much too short time to keep this story credible.

        Sofia Helin as detective Saga Norén and Dag Malmberg as Police Commissioner Hans Petterson © Carolina Romare / SVT

Also the connection between the culprit and the Afghan veteran is not sufficiently explained in my opinion. Did they have the same father or not? The truth about this former soldier's origin has been neglected in the finale and remains hazy as such which is a shortcoming as he was a critical figure for the murder mystery to be revealed.

"Bron III lacked the realism you find in the Swedish  Wallander TV series, not necessarily the slowness"

All in all I did have a good time with Bron III but the whole lacked the realism you find in the Swedish Wallander TV series,  not necessarily the slowness.

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       • Bron | Broen 3 (TV series, 2015, Sweden-Denmark), 10 episodes

☆ Created by Hans Rosenfeldt. Written by Hans Rosenfeldt and Camilla Ahlgren

☆ Starring Sofia Helin and Kim Bodnia

☆ Production companies are Filmlance International for Sweden and Nimbus Film for Denmark

☆ When season two premiered in the UK, it got the highest number of viewers for an international TV series in the history of BBC4

07.09.2016

Circle of Eight, Just a Matter of Understanding

This film which came out in 2009 seems a bit weird but is definitely worth a view. There have been some questions about the understanding of Circle of Eight which have sufficiently been answered on the internet. But I'd like to mention my remark on the core message of the movie, so if you have not watched the movie already stop reading here or it will spoil your watching experience! I get the message of the movie, I think, that humans do not easily learn to do the right thing whether in one life or in many as the movie suggests.

But the situation where the main character does need to learn from is not correct in my view. Who's in a life threatening situation where he/she can save a life but decides not to do therefore is not in fault. Humans are genetically programmed to flea or fight in these situations. 

"Who chooses to flea instead of fight in a life-threatening situation is not wrong in my opinion"

Who chooses to flea is not wrong in my opinion, it's just a perfectly natural reaction on a threat. I don't believe we need to come back to learn to fight, because the spirit would then not be harmonical to nature's capacities.

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       • Circle of Eight (2009, Paramount Pictures, United States) 

       

☆ Directed by Stephen Cragg. Starring John Bishop, Ryan Doom, Austin Highsmith Garces and Kirk Bovill

☆ This movie is labeled horror, mystery and sci-fi by imdb.com

☆ Setting is a L.A. based apartment building called 'The Dante', a strong reference to Italian poet Dante Aligheiri and his seminal work La Divina Commedia

26.08.2016

Egon Schiele Under Attack

As you probably do not know I'm a fan of the work of Egon Schiele. I'm not really an expert into the painting art but for my feeling he is one of the greatest painters that have been. It is said his work is alienating, I would say it is a bit distorted as was his life. Egon lead a rather difficult short life which was filled with scandal and death. He painted expressionist portraits of himself and other people, among which lots of erotic ones, some city views and landscapes all done in a unique, maybe childish style but never simple.

"Egon Schiele lead a rather difficult short life which was filled with scandal and death"

It is also said Schiele was more a drawer than a painter because of the prominent use of lines after which he did the colouring. In a way I can cope with that as I could easily see his works figuring in an experimental comic strip album. Just watch his portrayal of the Port of Triest or his Self-portrait as Saint Sebastian here symbolising the suffering of the artist.

 Self-portrait as Saint Sebastian. Poster, gouache, black crayon and ink on cardboard, 19.6" x 26", 1915 © IMAGNO/Wien Museum

The latter he used for his own exhibition at Galerie Arnot in January 1915. Today his works are shown above all at the Leopold Museum in Vienna. With more than 220 works, they established the world's most comprehensive Schiele collection. I can highly recommend a visit!

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       • Leopold Museum (Collection of Austrian art)

☆ MuseumsQuartier, Museumsplatz 1, 1070 Wien/Vienna

☆ Open daily from 10h till 18h, also on public holidays. Closed on tuesday.

☆ The Leopold collection gathers more than 8.300 Austrian art works from the second half of the nineteenth century and Modernism

☆ Husband-and-wife art collectors Rudolf and Elisabeth Leopold created this collection from the mid-fifties on - when Schiele and Klimt were still considered taboo - during five decades

20.06.2016