Out to own today:
Noah
 | “The time for mercy has passed; now our punishment begins,” Noah (Russell Crowe) Moments of bold allegory and striking imagination, NOAH is unfortunately overwhelmed by LORD OF THE RINGS stylings and strained psychology. Prior, director Darren Aronofsky hadn’t put a foot wrong (even THE FOUNTAIN wowed with its metaphysical musings). A hotchpotch of ideas threatens to sunder this biblical epic, creating incoherence out of a relatively straightforward story. [To read more, click here.] |
| UK | | | USA | |
Unforgiven
 | “Kill and kill and kill, and then be killed in return. That’s all I thought my life was,” Jubei Kamata (Ken Watanabe) It is rare for the reverse situation, where the international community remake Hollywood product. Writer-director Sang-il Lee has transposed Clint Eastwood’s masterpiece from the Wild West of America to the dying days of the samurai in 19th century Japan. The filmmakers understand that the distinctive characters and lean plot require no altering. They overlay on the formidable skeleton a similar genre deconstruction. Like the 1992 original, where gunslingers are not romantic heroes fighting for justice, this update takes apart the bushido myth. The chivalry of the samurai (a.k.a. bushi/buke) is reduced to a grubby whimper. Director Lee has made an impressive leap forward from his previous work, overblown soap opera VILLAIN. [To read more, click here.] |
| UK | | |
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