Memoirs of a Geisha
- Thread starter sandi
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sandi said:Thinking of going to see this on Friday at the electric. Anyone seen it? Is it any good? I don't usually like the cinema but I'm bored stiff not drinking.
There was a prog on C4 about it the other night and I turned it over after a few mins cos I was bored, dunno if that gives you some indication
sandi said:Thinking of going to see this on Friday at the electric. Anyone seen it? Is it any good? I don't usually like the cinema but I'm bored stiff not drinking.
The reviews of it haven't been great
(Well the review in Heat wasn't great )The lengths we have to go to to keep ourselves away from wine
Morbyd said:Hi Sandi. I've just picked it up on DVD (gotta love the awards season... screener DVDs make it to Moscow's pirate kiosks in a matter of minutes
I'll watch it this week and let you know what I think...
I'm especially interested in hearing about the fact/fiction percentage breakdown please
Morbyd
Moderator
OK, Sandi. Watched the film tonight.
The verdict: well, it was OK. Pretty good. I liked it, but was underwhelmed.
I mean, I enjoyed watching it, but I'm not sure it's a film to build a night out around. It is interesting for its portrayal of a culture and system that is inherently different and in many ways fascinating. I can't vouch for the accuracy of that portrayal (a lot of Japanese were upset by the Chinese actresses playing key roles, for example) but it's a world that I enjoyed seeing. That said, I'm sure I've seen other films that showed more interesting aspects of rural Japanese life.
The acting was pretty good, but not spectacular. Some of the characters were a bit too good or a bit too evil - not many shades of grey here - but that could be the screenplay and directing as much as the actors' faults. I've read that some of the performances, especially by the lead actresses, are very good in capturing the geisha persona, but that's hard to appreciate. Ziyi Zhang is quite good.
One aside: there's an actor in the film who appeared in the classic cheese movie Mortal Combat. Every time I saw him, I kept waiting for him to say "flawless victory"
The story bugged me in a couple of places. I haven't read the book so I don't know how closely the movie adheres to the storyline. The end is a bit predictable and not as satisfying as such an ending, if you're going to bother doing it, should be.
I guess this sounds pretty negative... I do recommend seeing the film, but you'd be better off waiting until it's out on DVD.
I highly recommend Syriana if you're looking for a night at the cinema
The verdict: well, it was OK. Pretty good. I liked it, but was underwhelmed.
I mean, I enjoyed watching it, but I'm not sure it's a film to build a night out around. It is interesting for its portrayal of a culture and system that is inherently different and in many ways fascinating. I can't vouch for the accuracy of that portrayal (a lot of Japanese were upset by the Chinese actresses playing key roles, for example) but it's a world that I enjoyed seeing. That said, I'm sure I've seen other films that showed more interesting aspects of rural Japanese life.
The acting was pretty good, but not spectacular. Some of the characters were a bit too good or a bit too evil - not many shades of grey here - but that could be the screenplay and directing as much as the actors' faults. I've read that some of the performances, especially by the lead actresses, are very good in capturing the geisha persona, but that's hard to appreciate. Ziyi Zhang is quite good.
One aside: there's an actor in the film who appeared in the classic cheese movie Mortal Combat. Every time I saw him, I kept waiting for him to say "flawless victory"
The story bugged me in a couple of places. I haven't read the book so I don't know how closely the movie adheres to the storyline. The end is a bit predictable and not as satisfying as such an ending, if you're going to bother doing it, should be.
I guess this sounds pretty negative... I do recommend seeing the film, but you'd be better off waiting until it's out on DVD.
I highly recommend Syriana if you're looking for a night at the cinema
Paddy Eeziglow
Active Member
Sounds to me that you'd be better off renting 'In The Realm Of The Senses' (in spite of the naughty bits). Try to get the uncensored (as opposed to the 18-rated) version to get a deeper insight into the psyche's of the two lead characters.