05-12-2014, 11:44 AM
Zatoichi's Pilgrimage
This one starts out very cinematic with a visit to some beautiful ancient shrine and an intriguing story idea - Ichi on a walk of repentance. But that idea gets lost as the actual story gets started, which was a bit of a shame because it was a nice idea that was worth pursuing. It turns into an homage to Kurosawa. There's a dismembered hand scene, the most graphic in the series so far as most of the violence is done with spattered red blood, but no actual gore. Even though the context is completely different, the hand evokes the opening of Yojimbo. Then the story becomes essentially Seven Samurai, but instead of seven, there's only one lone blind gambler. The big finale fight is quite good, especially the opening sequence which is one extended shot of another complexly choreographed sequence. And the fate of the farmer who finally picks up a sword and fights is awesome.
Zatoichi's Cane Sword
This is an excellent one as the intertwining story arcs showcases what Ichi flix do best. The story behind Ichi's sword, and backstory of the swordmaker, plays out against the typical evil boss intrigues, leaving Ichi swordless for a large part of the film. Of course, he's good with a stick, so it doesn't matter that much. I really enjoyed the pacing of this one. A well told chapter in the tale. Ichi gains the upper hand at one point and shows what an ass he can be (quite literally) when a toady crime boss tries to kiss-up to him. It's a delightful scene as it shows Ichi's mischievousness. There are a few good plot twists, mostly predictable but intricate enough to keep it going.
Some emergent themes of the series overall:
There's a lot of women singing folk songs a capella, which is nice, not only because it documents the art form, but because the singers are pretty good usually.
Weather is harsh - Ichi is usually sweating like a pig in the Japanese heat. If not that, it's raining or snowing.
The villages are really nice. They look very authentic. Some are obviously set pieces, but Ichi wanders about the scenic countryside a lot, and I wonder about these locations - whether they still look medieval like in the films or if they are all paved now with satellite dishes.
Ichi's massage looks really unpleasant.
It's fun to watch Ichi eat rice, which he invariably stuff his face with so grains are stuck to his lips and chin, and to watch him drink sake, because he really looks like he's enjoying it. I took my mom and S out to sushi last night and I was craving sake, but I didn't indulge because I was down on sleep and had to drive my mom home through beach traffic.
There's a lot of male Japanese ass. They are all wearing mawashi (the sumo diaper, if you will) but that's almost as revealing on a man as a thong on a woman.
This one starts out very cinematic with a visit to some beautiful ancient shrine and an intriguing story idea - Ichi on a walk of repentance. But that idea gets lost as the actual story gets started, which was a bit of a shame because it was a nice idea that was worth pursuing. It turns into an homage to Kurosawa. There's a dismembered hand scene, the most graphic in the series so far as most of the violence is done with spattered red blood, but no actual gore. Even though the context is completely different, the hand evokes the opening of Yojimbo. Then the story becomes essentially Seven Samurai, but instead of seven, there's only one lone blind gambler. The big finale fight is quite good, especially the opening sequence which is one extended shot of another complexly choreographed sequence. And the fate of the farmer who finally picks up a sword and fights is awesome.
Zatoichi's Cane Sword
This is an excellent one as the intertwining story arcs showcases what Ichi flix do best. The story behind Ichi's sword, and backstory of the swordmaker, plays out against the typical evil boss intrigues, leaving Ichi swordless for a large part of the film. Of course, he's good with a stick, so it doesn't matter that much. I really enjoyed the pacing of this one. A well told chapter in the tale. Ichi gains the upper hand at one point and shows what an ass he can be (quite literally) when a toady crime boss tries to kiss-up to him. It's a delightful scene as it shows Ichi's mischievousness. There are a few good plot twists, mostly predictable but intricate enough to keep it going.
Some emergent themes of the series overall:
There's a lot of women singing folk songs a capella, which is nice, not only because it documents the art form, but because the singers are pretty good usually.
Weather is harsh - Ichi is usually sweating like a pig in the Japanese heat. If not that, it's raining or snowing.
The villages are really nice. They look very authentic. Some are obviously set pieces, but Ichi wanders about the scenic countryside a lot, and I wonder about these locations - whether they still look medieval like in the films or if they are all paved now with satellite dishes.
Ichi's massage looks really unpleasant.
It's fun to watch Ichi eat rice, which he invariably stuff his face with so grains are stuck to his lips and chin, and to watch him drink sake, because he really looks like he's enjoying it. I took my mom and S out to sushi last night and I was craving sake, but I didn't indulge because I was down on sleep and had to drive my mom home through beach traffic.
There's a lot of male Japanese ass. They are all wearing mawashi (the sumo diaper, if you will) but that's almost as revealing on a man as a thong on a woman.
Shadow boxing the apocalypse