The Last Samurai [Blu-ray]
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Movie Reviews of The Last Samurai [Blu-ray]
Movie Review: One of my favourites
Summary: 5 Stars
I don't care what the negative reviewers think, it's just a story, make-believe! Fiction doesn't have to be absolutely perfect, nor absolutely accurate either. You'd be hard-pressed to find any fictional films/stories that are.
And if a few liberties were taken with the historical element well, that's nothing new where Hollywood is concerned is it, and the film isn't meant to be historical in that sense anyway, just uses that period as a backdrop really. Poetic licence.
A number of people have likened it to 'Dances with Wolves'. Sorry but no. 'Dances with Wolves' bored me to tears. But 'The Last Samurai' is a lovely film, very emotive and with a nice soundtrack, and some great perfomances from all concerned. The themes were ones we could all do with being reminded of.
The only things about it that I didn't like were:
1. It didn't go on for as long as I would have liked it to.
2. The battle at the end seemed just a touch not right.
I've lost count how many times I have watched this film.
Movie Review: My thoughts of why this movie was not popular in the US
Summary: 5 Stars
My profile 43 yo no qualifications as a movie critic
Browsing through the reviews (there is just too many), I stopped after finding out one reviewer who reflected on why this movie was not that popular in the US and why it it was almost not mentioned in the Oscar (that was my impression at least).. Well, the reviewer said something about the view of the "whiteman's burden" made have caused unpleasant reactions.. that could be part of the reason, but my opinion is, the movie was released at a bad political timing and was censored by Hollywood as part of the "Patriot" canpaign designed at getting moral support to the invasion of Irak
Now you may label me now as a "conspiracy paranoid", but let me deliniate some aspects too see if they are not logical.. in the movie, americans go to Japan as mercenaries with a agenda of opening the big arms trade with imperial Japan.. to make matters worse, an ethical crisis occurs to the character of Tom Cruise.. an actor who is still remembered as a patriotic pilot who shot down those dreaded MICs in "Top Gun" ( a movie destined to make the public feel good at their defense expenditure)... talk about a bad timing to reflect and see that your goverment; not only sends you to genocide the american indians, now its time to continue somewhere else!! and what's even worse, he joins the other side!!, not exactly the kind of attitude you need on the troop morale sent to invade Irak under weak grounds.. hell, was it not enough the catharsis done by all those Vietnam movies? (where Tom Cruise did a Nam veteran).. well that was then this is now... lets face it.. why such an epic movie, a superb production and what I consider Cruise's pass to inmortality in the world of true films, was given a "foreign movie" treatment??!!
Perhaps after the dust settles and a new peace period begins, this movie can be seen in its proper context..
Movie Review: HD DVD PQ
Summary: 4 Stars
I only review the picture and sound quality of this HD DVD here.
First of all people who claim there is no difference between this and the SD DVD is either blind, or have bad equipment issues. While it is a definitive step up from the SD DVD I would agree that this isn't among the best I've seen. There is nothing particularly wrong with the transfer, but it lacks that "3d" look that some of the best HD DVD titles offer.The goods are very accurate colors and contrast level, black level is also good with ample shadow detail.Film grain is at minimal, and don't see any edge enhancement.Sharpness is where the problem lies, and so is detail is lacking a bit. This movie didn't have the typical big action picture sound, though it had a sweeping score, and some battle related sound, but it won't be your new demo disc. The Dolby Digital+ sound does as much as it can with the source, and it's by no means is bad, it's just not all that great. All in all it's an above then average discs, and if you like the movie then this is the best it looks right now on home video.
Movie Review: Pretty silly
Summary: 2 Stars
Tom Cruise as a Samurai warrior?--my curiosity got the better of me! Be prepared to suspend all disbelief for
2 1/2 hours for this film. Drunken, guilt-ridden, Indian War veteran is hired by Japanese government to stamp out rebellion, gets captured, dries out, and over the course of a few months becomes a disciplined, fierce, Zen-like Samurai warrior. In his spare time he becomes fluent in Japanese. He switches sides, becomes a master tactician, kills countless Japanese soldiers and a few Americans along the way, and lives to tell the tale.
The scenery was nice, the Japanese actors terrific, and thankfully the incipient love affair wasn't allowed to blossom on screen, which would have violated every norm of Japanese culture of the time. Maybe I'm taking it too seriously, but the notion that a Westerner could enter this proud, ancient culture with such relative ease seemed almost disrespectful to me. Several reviewers had trouble "getting" the idea of honor portrayed in the movie--that's just a measure of how totally impossible the plot is. No Westerner could ever do what Cruise does in this movie. Strictly for fun--don't expect anything remotely realistic.
Movie Review: The Good/ The Bad/ The Ugly
Summary: 3 Stars
I can't stand Tom Cruise, but he sure was a hottie in this film. It's amazing what long hair on a guy and losing the whole Scientology thing can do for a person....
Anway, 1) I agreed with the whole sad Native American slaughter tragedy-the fact that it was horrible and I can't believe people actually did that. 2) Loved the scenery in Japan 3) Still don't/can't relate to the whole Japanese obsession with " honor" that is actually pride (Doesn't the Bible say that pride goeth before a fall)????
This movie was worth watching, but I wouldn't watch it again as it was way too sad. I can appreciate all the effort that went in to making this film