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Yukinojô henge (1963)
Tragic crust with a playful center
Yukinojo Henge, or "An Actors Revenge" in English can be appreciated on a number of different levels. First of all there is the intricate plans of revenge the kabuki actor main character carries out against those who had been responsible for his parents deaths. Secondly one can enjoy it as a period piece. Those interested in Tokugawa Period Japan will enjoy critiquing the historical accuracy of the film. However what really separates this movie from other tales of revenge and intrigue is in its playfulness.
The movie was considered a tribute to the actor who played the part of the lead. It was Kazuo Hasegawa's 300th role and the movie was a remake of the 1935 film of the same name. In many scenes you can see Hasegawa injecting himself as an actor into the movie. These can usually be picked up only if one is somewhat familiar with the behind the scenes aspects of the film. If one is aware that Hasegawa is not only playing the main character, but also that of Yamitaro the thief then there are certain parts of the dialogue that take on a new meaning.
One example of this is when Hasegawa playing the thief witnesses Hasegawa playing Yukinojo Nakamura lying to his love interest and pawn Namiji. After seeing this Yamitaro comments to himself, and also to the audience, that Nakamura is such a great actor, referring to his lies, that he shouldn't be wasting his time with his kabuki troop. Since we as viewers are aware that we are seeing a movie, as well as being aware that the one being commented on is the same as the one doing the commenting, we can see this as Hasegawa making his presence as the actor Hasegawa known. He is essentially complimenting himself saying, "I am such a great actor, why am I wasting my time doing this movie?" There are a couple more instances of similar playfulness between the three part relationship of Hasegawa as Hasegawa the actor in the reality of the film audience, Hasegawa as Nakamura the actor in the reality of the characters, and Hasegawa as Yamitaro. In one scene Yamitaro explains that the reason he is aiding Nakamura in his quest is because he has come to feel a kinship with him as if he were his brother, again playing on the audience's knowledge that the two "brothers" are played by the same person.
Another example of how playful the film is can be seen in its cinematography. The main character is a kabuki onnagata, or a male actor who specializes in playing female roles. There are a couple of scenes in the movie that play up on this fact and shoot the movie in a fashion that provides the audience with the feeling that they are watching a kabuki play. In one example there is a swordfight in a forest. Even though the movie is made in the 1960s when it would have been very possible to have realistic looking backgrounds, the trees do not look real at all. This makes the forest in which they are fighting feel more like a theater set than an authentic landscape. During this swordfight an onlooker says to herself that it is better than watching one on a kabuki stage. Since the audience is aware of the fake scenery, the characters role as an onnagata, and some would even know that the actor himself was once an onnagata, the comment takes on a whole new life than were it an onlooker in a basic action movie watching a scene and saying, "wow that was even cooler than in the movies!" With all of these inside jokes between the actors and the film audience that the characters are not aware of, the movie becomes much more interactive and thus more enjoyable for someone looking for a fun multi-layered movie.
Rock 'n' Roll High School Forever (1991)
Good Movie standing on its own
If you have seen the movie Rock n' Roll High School and are looking for a similar experience with this movie you will be disappointed, however, standing on its own I found this to be an excellent movie. Although it is a comedy, it is still a completely different genre than the first. This is more like one of those teen movies of the 80s (not the serious Breakfast Club type but the absurd Better Off Dead type). So if you like that style of movie you should also enjoy this. I believe this movie would have received better reviews if it had not made its loose connections to the first movie. It is actually best to see this movie having not seen the first at all. The characters are fun although not well developed so watching this movie does not take a great deal of thought. The plot is nothing new either, high school kids rebel against administration. If you are looking for an entertaining movie that you don't expect to have a lasting impact on you this is a great movie. Throw it on in the background at a party and look up to catch Corey being the adorable kid we all love.
The Matrix (1999)
Psudo intellectual dribble...
I know that this is one of the most popular movies of all time, but that is a flaw in the viewing public. The main reason I dislike this movie so much is because it was a rip off of a much better movie that came out a couple years before it. That being Dark City. Lets review the similarities shall we? First of all our main character wakes up disoriented and not understanding the world around him JM because he lost his memory and Neo because he is taken out of the matrix. We find that both characters have been given a false set of memories by puppeteers (be them aliens or robots) We find that these puppeteers are doing the same thing for all people in an attempt to keep their own race going (matrix as batteries DC cus they need to find the soul) Finally the main character proves to be the savior of the humans by finding they are the only one who can put an end to the false lives that the puppeteers are forcing humans to live. they both do this through the same method. by having a mentor teach them how to use the devices of their captors against them (neo learns how to hack and control the matrix while Murdoc learns how to use the machines of the strangers to alter reality. also we see stylish black leather as the main wardrobe in the matrix. black leather gowns are the main wardrobe for the strangers. moving away from the rip off problem we see that Dark City has a message implying you to ask yourself if your identity is more than just the sum of your memories. the matrix makes people feel smart for understanding the movie, but really offers no deep thought. the feel of Dark City is also better since it has the dark ambiance created by the same director as The Crow. while the matrix has nothing new or special about its "feel" just your basic action movie with a plot to try to make the viewer feel smart. Point is: same movie only better (although lacking the eye candy the public adores) is Dark City