(***+ / *****) :: deliciously pulpy Yakuza flick rife with excellent characters – each member of the Special Division crew, especially, stood out and had a unique story – anchored by Hitoshi Ozawa channeling a perfect Eastwoodian fury. That being said, the film could’ve done with more imaginative direction: felt like it wanted to be more throughout – but you could do a lot worse on a Saturday night.
At last, the wine is put to good use.
Already wish I could experience it for the first time all over again.
I really need to revisit EYES; it’s been far too long.
Christiane’s paintings serve as more than decoration. Their floral subject matter reinforces the movie’s themes of lust and decay. Another work titled Homage to Van Gogh, an imitation of the Dutch master’s work seen in the background as the characters eat breakfast and watch TV, evokes the concepts of truth and authenticity, which play a central role in this story about a troubled marriage.
As author Juli Kearns explains in a frame-by-frame analysis of the film:
“What is authentic and what is not the real thing? What hasn’t fidelity? Butter is not butter and what represents itself as a bear is instead honey. In the Looney Tunes cartoon, Santa proves to instead be the Tasmanian Devil when the soot is removed. And then there’s Christiane’s rendering of Van Gogh flowers in homage of him.”
(via artnet)
Went into this one more skeptical than it deserved - no doubt because of how much I loved the second episode of the Moffat / Gattis DRACULA that covered the same chapter of the novel - and came out satisfied. Nothing spectacular, but not a bad film by any means: solid performances throughout, some great shippy-atmosphere, and an Orlock-infused Dracula. That being said, all of the above deserved a less pedestrian direction; can only imagine what a more visceral, artistic director would have made of it. Can’t stop thinking that DEMETER would have been a perfect fit for John Carpenter or Ridley Scott (especially given its ALIEN inspiration). (*** / *****)
Beautiful, twisted insanity. Looks like Gaga (unsurprisingly – she’s perfect for Harley) nails it; hopefully it lives up to the first film.
