Author Topic: 1990s Far East Bracket: Verdicts  (Read 561934 times)

Teproc

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Re: 1990s Far East Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #2380 on: July 06, 2017, 12:55:09 PM »
Nice reviews, pix and PA. We're getting so close ! Only 3 matches left right, plus a few resurrection verdicts ?
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pixote

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Re: 1990s Far East Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #2381 on: July 06, 2017, 06:39:00 PM »
Round Four Resurrection Review



Moonlight Whispers  (Shiota Akihiko, 1999)
Won over Maborosi (verdict by smirnoff)
Won over Rhapsody in August (verdict by Bondo)
Won over Ju Dou (verdict by 1SO)
Lost to Spring in My Hometown (verdict by Jared)

I can only reiterate what all four bracket verdicts have said previously: Moonlight Whispers starts with so much promise but then goes off the rails. The decisions of the script make thematic sense and sound interesting on paper, but the problem is that the two leads are such appealingly real and cute characters in the first act, and what follows seems a betrayal of that, sacrificing their characters to thematic ideas. (It's funny that this movie faced Ju Dou, which I felt had similar issues.) I'd love to see a remake that stayed true to the characters and really explored the bravery and motivations of teens finding their way into pup play. Is "perverted" even an accusatory adjective in high school parlance these days, or is that usage one of the things that dates this film?

Resurrection Standings (the top three films will earn resurrection)

Up next: Only Yesterday.

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BlueVoid

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Re: 1990s Far East Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #2382 on: July 06, 2017, 10:14:03 PM »
Great writeups Pix and PA! Happy that another Tsai is in the next round.
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pixote

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Re: 1990s Far East Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #2383 on: July 07, 2017, 07:57:19 PM »
Round Four Resurrection Review



Only Yesterday  (Takahata Isao, 1991)
Won over Tokyo biyori (verdict by worm@work)
Won over The Geisha House (verdict by ProperCharlie)
Won over Dreams (verdict by Melvil)
Lost to Farewell My Concubine (verdict by oldkid)

Adult-at-internal-crossroads-haunted-by-childhood-self couldn't be more in my cinematic wheelhouse, and yet Only Yesterday underwhelmed me, at least a little. I'm actually not sure if it's because the move drags a bit (as ProperCharlie mentions) or because so many moments were catalysts for mental detours. (Protip: presenting a character in need of math tutoring is a sure-fire way to lose my attention, all but guaranteeing that I'll I daydream about the coolest way to demonstrate that mathematical concept.) So with all this, I'm not sure if the past and present stories of Taeko are as disconnected as they seem or if I was just too unfocused a viewer to pick up on the threads. There are certainly many nice moments, though surprisingly few of them really seem to take full advantage of animation as a medium (I seem to disagree with worm@work on this point). Like with The Ocean Waves, I often would have preferred seeing real faces (or even safflowers) to animated ones. Moments like the ascension into the sky make fantastic use of animation's possibilities, and I wish there were more inspirations like that. I like that some verdicts expressed greater engagement with the adult sections and some with the childhood sections, as if the film works as a kind of litmus test for the viewer. That speaks volume's about the film's appeal. Both sections felt familiar and relatable to me, but the younger Taeko had almost all the best moments: the thrill of first love, making the most of her one line in the play, feeling encouraged by cartoon theme songs. The twentysomething Taeko's attachment to the countryside always felt a bit more written — which made sense, afterwards, when I learned that the childhood scenes come from the source manga, but Takahata added the adult frame story to give the film structure.

Resurrection Standings (the top three films will earn resurrection)

Up next: Sleeping Man.

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« Last Edit: July 07, 2017, 08:01:41 PM by pixote »
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BlueVoid

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Re: 1990s Far East Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #2384 on: July 07, 2017, 10:15:52 PM »
Interesting see its high rank with your middling review. I'm a huge fan of 'Grave of the Fireflies', but found the rest of Isao's work underwhelming. That said I'd still be interesting in checking this one out if it does get resurrected.
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pixote

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Re: 1990s Far East Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #2385 on: July 07, 2017, 10:47:24 PM »
Interesting see its high rank with your middling review. I'm a huge fan of 'Grave of the Fireflies', but found the rest of Isao's work underwhelming. That said I'd still be interesting in checking this one out if it does get resurrected.

Ha, I wondered if anyone would catch that. I wrote the first half of a review focusing on the negatives and meant to add another paragraph on the positives but I never got around to it, and now I'm too far removed from the viewing to do it. It's a good movie, though, just not as good as I had hoped.

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PeacefulAnarchy

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Re: 1990s Far East Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #2386 on: July 07, 2017, 11:30:05 PM »
I didn't think twice since most of the other reviews haven't been that positive.

From your review of the current number one:
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Audition definitely would have been resurrected after the third round. I suspect it'll fall just short this time around, but we'll see.
and number three:
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There are so many good moments but it's all ultimately so stupid.

Sounds like the right films have been voted out, good movies but not strong enough to hold up as the matchups get tougher..

pixote

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Re: 1990s Far East Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #2387 on: July 07, 2017, 11:39:18 PM »
Yeah, I've been very disappointed in this batch of resurrection candidates overall. Hoping for one or two really deserving ones in the last few left to watch.

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pixote

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Re: 1990s Far East Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #2388 on: July 08, 2017, 12:09:59 AM »
^ That being said, the current top three are some of the marquee Asian films of the decade, and each has its ardent supporters here. So if those are the three that end up earning resurrection, it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.

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oldkid

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Re: 1990s Far East Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #2389 on: July 08, 2017, 12:00:49 PM »
Even though I turned it down, I'd be very happy to see Only Yesterday resurrected.
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