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Mungo wrote:Yep, though I don't understand Domino's dislike of the movie.

Great story idea. Why is it that the family is always separated in these modern movies? And why is it cliché? Because that is Hollywood's job; to break up the family. Highly enjoyable except for the family problems and the unnecessary language.

neurys wrote:i could not make to 20 minutes..prob worst movie i seen in a while..those loud drums in he background made me wan to punch the tv..it was way too loud couldnt hear the dialog and got really confusing and frustrating cause the sound didnt make sense with the scenes..maybe the movie was supposed to be weird but it must be some kind of balance..like i said i had to turn it off...HORRIBLE

domino harvey wrote:We found the author of the review, tenia's parents!

Multiple Amazon reviewers who had seen the same movie wrote:very little action..very slow and boring, this movie is the exact same triangle love story as the movie 'preal harbor'
save your money, the trailer is misleading.

This is absolutely the worst movie and most boring movie I have ever seen, I've never filmed or directed a film, don't even know any actor personally, and I believe I could capture e audience more so with my dog or goats than this movie, couldn't wait till it was over. If they made alka seltzer for a bad movie I would have over dosed to get some relief. Ive never given a review because Ive never seen a movie so bad that i felt it deserved it but I have now! Don't wast your money, I'm absolutely astonished at those that gave this movie such a great rating, they must have seen another film or slept through this one. The bad thing is, I bought this movie because of the reviews and previews, had I just watched the previews I wouldn't have been as disappointed, and that all I have to say about that.

Most... boring... movie... ever! I could take the historical inaccuracies by themselves. What else can you expect from Hollywood? But then combined with everything else. ARRRGHH!!! This movie is more of an artistic piece than anything else- very little dialogue, some brooding narration here and there, scenic shots, etc. Normally I'm okay with that, but not when there is such poor acting, no apparent character development, very little to move the story forward, and then what does move it forward moves it at such a slow pace that I probably could have gone out to eat while leaving the movie playing, and it still would not have been over by the time I'd get back. I don't think I've ever wanted a movie to end so badly. The last ten minutes dragged on and on and on, and left me wondering when the heck it was going to wrap up! Inwardly I was screaming "MAKE IT STOP!!!!" If you're not prepared to be bombarded with supposed "artistic" monotony, then please take your money elsewhere!.

William Flanagan wrote:(Editorial Note: Criterion folks, this exceptional film "cries out" for digital restoration. Commercially releasing it [on HULU] in this condition is deplorable!) Film = solid three (3); cinematography = four (4) stars; interior set design = 4.5 stars; subtitles = three (3) stars; sound = 2.5 stars; restoration = zero (0). Director Kenji Mizoguchi has created a back-stage photo play about all-male Kabuki (dance combined with drama) troupes circa mid 1800s. This is essentially a Kabuki-flavored movie (see below) about performing Kabuki. Popular Kabuki actors are depicted as the rock stars of their time complete with extravagant promotional parades, parasitic hanger-oners, and groupies. There are no surprises in the scenario. All outcomes are telegraphed well in advance. You do not have to be a fan of Kabuki (an acquired taste?) to enjoy this film. Kabuki performances are kept to a minimum except for the last third of the film which does suffer a bit from Kabuki overkill to underline a plot point (easy remedied by the fast-forward button on your remote!). Because of the absence of restoration, facial expressions of actresses and actors can not be determined (even in close-ups), hence depriving the viewer of seeing complete performances. Actress Kakuko Mori plays a totally self-sacrificing character (from under-appreciated wet nurse to scapegoat actor's wife); she easily steals every scene she is in with understated bravado performances. Not so much for leading actor Gonjurô Kawarazaki who seems to have something other than acting on his mind (being called up for military service, perhaps?). Mizoguchi uses open-wall interior sets which enable the camera to follow actresses and actors as they move from room to room and floor to floor in single long takes (no cuts). (These are some of the best--if not the best--dolly [tracking] shots in Japanese sound films to date!) (The Director's long takes foreshadow what Hitchcock used to prevent Selznick from re-editing his films.) Perhaps most notable is Mizoguchi's remarkable death bed scene (at the film's end) which goes on for seven uninterrupted minutes or so. This technique can be a double-edged sword, however. The middle of the film sags precisely because of overly long takes of performers doing very little (or nothing). Cinematography is also exceptionally creative for exterior scenes with long-tracking point-up shots predominating. The score has a heavy flavor of Kabuki music; except for the opening credits, it consist of a solitary background singer, drums, shamisen, and other instruments commonly used in Kabuki performances. Opening credits are accompanied by a small under-rehearsed orchestra with frequent audio distortions. Microphone placement often picks up loud thumping of actors' feet on interior-set floors. Subtitles are close enough, but none of the solitary background singer's lyrics are translated. Highly recommended especially when digitally restored. WILLIAM FLANIGAN, PhD.

Mungo wrote:I guess what ticked me off was his constant complaints about the lack of "restoration," when in reality the release was very badly hurt by excessive post-processing.

Gregory wrote:In his review of the Oshima Eclipse set, he writes his name in all caps four times throughout the review so that no one forgets which person with a PhD wrote all the insulting and shallow comments on the films. Apparently he's a fan of fast-forwarding through parts of films if the actors aren't attractive enough for him, and he claims that the repetition built into the structure of Three Resurrected Drunkards was used "to stretch out what is really a 12-minute short to reach an 80-minute release time."