Returner
03.29.2004
W/ no TV in my Sopocachi apartment, I rent DVDs to watch at home most nights. Spoiled from enjoying Kalamazoo's Video Hits Plus (the largest movie rental place in Michigan w/ three stories & thousands of titles), the selection at my neighborhood Sky Movies is rather limited (six shelves & dozens of titles). That said, sometimes you find a few unexpected gems.
Like. Returner. It's got this amazing blend of anime sensibilities w/ the gritty look of Blade Runner. Wow. The action's anime quality, w/o looking overdone (they hardly used wires, ever). The heroes are classic, even walking in that über elegant, exaggerated anime style. The villain is perfectly over-the-top. Plus, Anne Suzuki's Milly is the cutest kid-from-the-future action hero.
If you're looking for a 1980s-style post-apocalyptic sci-fi pulp action movie (I know lots of people who are), this is it. It's got that look & feel, but w/ modern cinematography & amazing aesthetic design. I'm now a Takashi Yamazaki fan.
Posted by Miguel at 10:53 AM
Comments
Takeshi Kaneshiro!! The hunk!! He's candy for the eyes!! What do you think of him? He started in the Taiwanese scene abt 12 years ago as a singer. Switched from acting in mandarin movies to japanese movies.
Posted by: Stephanie at March 29, 2004 11:21 AM
I kid you not, I stood in a Hollywood Video two days ago looking at The Returner DVD cover wondering whether to spend the four bucks to see it. B/c my significant other (who's Japanese) prefers drama and psychological thrillers, I chose anotehr film The Weight of Water (starring Sean Penn and Elizabeth Hurley - it stunk, by the way).
She's introduced me to many Japanese pulp films that I've liked. (See "Samehada otoko to momojiri onna" ["Shark Skin man / Peach Hip Girl"] - it's one of my favorites. Also based on Manga.
I love this genre. I'll carve out time in my schedule to see The Returner, based on good advice.
Posted by: tom at March 29, 2004 01:20 PM
Our store is out of The Returner everytime I try to rent it. Someone underestimated its appeal and only ordered two copies.
Posted by: Scott Barnard at March 29, 2004 05:52 PM
Amazingly, Sky Movies in Sopocachi has three copies.
Posted by: Miguel at March 30, 2004 04:47 PM