There is unexpected depth in RENTAL FAMILY, a comedy/drama starring Brendan Fraser as an American actor living in Tokyo who takes a job with an agency that supplies actors to play a part in people’s lives. There are sweet moments but nothing saccharine in this a film that thoughtfully explores issues about identity, role-playing and self-deceit as well as human connections.
Odd as it seems, such rental agencies really do exist in Japan. Brendan Fraser gives a touching performance in RENTAL FAMILY, which is partly in English and partly Japanese with subtitles, as an American actor who has been living in Tokyo for seven years but still feels like an outsider. With work becoming sparse, the out-of-work American actor takes a one-time job with a company that provides its customers with people to play roles in their lives, such as a mourner at a funeral, or even impersonate someone in their lives. The company asks him to stay one but the actor is hesitant at first. He is persuaded to take the job when the business owner points out it is still acting, like improv, and that the service is helping people.
That is not always true, as the American finds out. Some of the assignments are short-term, but others are longer. In one such case, a single mother hires the actor to impersonate the American father her young daughter never met, in order to help her gifted daughter get into an exclusive school. In another, the daughter of an older Japanese movie star, who hires the American to play a journalist who has come to interview the once-famous, aged actor, who fears he has been forgotten. The one rule in the work is not to get too involved, which Fraser’s big-hearted character struggles with that at times. This charming, beautifully-shot drama, partly in English and partly in Japanese with subtitles, is mostly sweet, warm and sometimes even comic, but it also has some surprising, and even unsettling, food-for-thought moments, as well as offering reflections on identity, human connections and role-playing in our own lives.
While there is plenty of humor, there is also a poignancy to RENTAL FAMILY, as it explores issues around role-playing in our lives and human connections, There is a sweetness to but it is naver cloying or false in tone, and always grounded in real human connections.
RENTAL FAMILY, partly in English and partly Japanese with English subtitles, opens in theaters on Friday, Nov. 21, 2025.
Now, just two weeks ago, I reviewed the rare movie hybrid, a sports/horror flick called HIM. As it nears the end of its deservedly brief theatrical run, another sports film hits the multiplex. However, its subgenre is one that is most familiar in cinema history, the sports “biopic”. To be even more specific, this is a dramatic profile of a fighter. If you’re thinking about pugilists like LaMotta (of RAGING BULL) fame or Muhammad Ali, then you’re in a different arena. No, this week’s new release is set in the world of MMA (Mixed Martial Arts), a backdrop in action flicks going way back to 1980’s THE OCTAGAN. In more recent years, diverse actors, from Kevin James to Halle Berry, have flexed their fists and feet on the canvas. Now an action flick superstar, who first gained fame in another fighting ring, gets a chance to show off his dramatic skills (along with his impressive pecs) as the athlete dubbed (in an acclaimed HBO documentary) THE SMASHING MACHINE.
Yes, that’s the intimidating nickname of Mark Kerr (Dwayne Johnson). We’re first introduced to him as he’s being interviewed at a UFC match in the late 1990s. The undefeated champ is asked how he’d feel if he lost a match. It’s something he’s never thought about, so he’s truly at a loss for words. Later, after another victory, we observe him grabbing an extra vial or two of painkillers. Luckily, he can’t hide it from his devoted but often annoyed (Mark doesn’t “open up”) girlfriend, Dawn (Emily Blunt). In search of bigger cash prizes, Kerr joins, along with old wrestling pal and trainer Mark Coleman (Ryan Bader), the rival UFC league in Japan, PRIDE. Ultimately, Kerr’s substance abuse takes its toll as he loses focus in the ring, with one big bout ending as “No Contest”. Finally he enters a rehab facility as Coleman’s star begins to rise as a solo MMA star. When Kerr completes the “program,” his sobriety puts an even greater strain on his relationship with Dawn. But he’s still a big draw at PRIDE, so Kerr is back at the training gym, guided by his mentor Bas Rutten (himself). But will the strain of addiction, paired with a chaotic home life derail his chances at a big championship event that could have him facing his old buddy Coleman?
The film truly rests on those (really, really big and broad) shoulders of Johnson, who utilizes his considerable charm and charisma, which propelled him on the big screen, making us believe him as this worldwide champion. And then he surprises (he’s “gone A24”) us by plunging into the darkness of this “sporting life”, showing us how the affable Kerr “cons’ the medical system with his infectious grin and “gentle giant” persona. Kudos to Johnson for getting out his “comfort zone” of the overblown action “tentpoles” (in some of them he looked a tad “unconnected”, to the point of “phoning it in”) to explore the psyche of the laser-focused competitor. Perhaps he’s at his best early on as Kerr describes the “rush” of delivering a knockout blow. Matching him in intensity is the versatile Ms. Blunt, who makes Dawn more than Kerr’s “eye candy” housemate, and keeps us “off kilter” as she lashes out over being on the “sidelines” and viewed by her beau’s team as a flitting “distraction” from battle. By the big “blow-up” in the third act, Blunt makes her a volatile “wild card’ in a verbal (and nearly physical) throw down reminicent of Albee’s George and Martha. In his first acting gig, Bader is very compelling as “friend to the end” Coleman, making us wish for a greater “dive” into his story, aside from a few brief minutes of him playing with his adorable offspring. Also solid is Rutten as, well, Bas Rutten, a tough but nurturing guru for Kerr, in and out of the ring.
Much like the creative parting of the Coen brothers, this is the first film from writer/director Benny Safdie after a long cinematic collaboration with brother Josh. And as I noted, he turns Johnson and Blunt into a potent screen team (we know her dramatic chops, but he’s doing a big career shift). It’s a shame that they’re not in service to a more compelling script. Focusing on three or four years in Kerr’s “sports rise”, we don’t get a chance to see him in his “hungry years” during the “climb”. In other ways, the story needs more ‘space”. We only see him enter and exit the rehab center, with no scenes of his “steps”. And often Kerr is so stoic, it makes us wonder what his motivations are (especially when he’s fixated on a demolition derby match), though it gives us a chance to appreciate the subtle, but superb make-up work of Kazu Hiro, chipping away at “the Rock”. Plus, the film’s pacing somewhat “lurches” from interchangeable matches (it’s often difficult to ID the fighters as they become “pretzels”) to another screaming match at the Kerr casa in Phoenix. The often overbearing (drowning out dialogue) music score (two ill-timed Elvis tunes and a “jackhammer” jazz drum solo during the big matches) doesn’t aid the film. Yes, there are a few interesting sequences, particularly when Kerr sweetly explains his job to a grandma in a doctor’s waiting area, or when he takes his pal to “press the flesh” with his Tokyo fans, but the script feels like it’s “spinning its wheels” until the big “updates” prior to the end titles. Fans of the two principals will be pleased with their taut performances, but many will find that there are more than a few hints of “rust” and strain in THE SMAHING MACHINE.
2 Out of 4
THE SMASHING MACHINES opens in theatres everywhere on Friday, October 3, 2025
It’s always great as a reviewer when you can alert folks to a film that’s truly worth their time, a real engaging story full of twists, turns, and often very pleasant surprises. An even greater “stunner” is the fact that it’s the sixth (though some may argue it’s the eighth) installment of a nearly forty-year-old film franchise. Normally, I’d suggest that you would be wise to order tickets early to see it at your favorite multiplex, but I can’t really do that. So, here’s the perplexing and frustrating part: it premieres on a streaming app. However, it’s more than worthy of an IMAX-sized screen. The last time I felt like this was three years ago, with the action/SF/thriller PREY. And, wouldn’t you know it, this is from the very same “shared universe”. By the way, did I mention that it’s an animated anthology? Just another element in the countless delights of PREDATOR: KILLER OF KILLERS. Let the “hunt” begin!
Yes, I did say “anthology”. At least for most of the movie. Each section has its own time period and title. First is “The Shield”, set in the early ninth century. This is a Viking revenge fable focusing on the angry warrior queen Ursa (voice of Lindsay LaVanchy), who is leading a crew of killers, including her own teenage son Anders (Damian C. Haas), on a quest to take King Zoran out, the man who murdered her father. But when they breach his sanctuary, Ursa and her compatriots are not alone. It turns out that the hunters are being hunted by an otherworldly demon, a Predator. We zip ahead about 800 years for “The Sword”, set in feudal Japan. This one’s a tale of family rivalry as a grim shogun pits his two pre-teen sons against each other over the ownership of his estate. One brother triumphs as the other is banished. The years go by, and the father passes on. Before son Kiyoshi claims his inheritance, his prodigal brother Kenji (Louis Ozawa) returns. Ah, but a different Predator silently observes, waiting for his time to strike. Finally, we’re in the 20th century, though at the start of WWII. In “The Bullet”, we meet newly drafted Latino-American (I’m guessing Cuban) John Torres (Rick Gonzales) is a gifted mechanic stationed on an aircraft carrier near Vichy France. He yearns to fly, but his supervisor, Captain Vandy (Michael Biehn), just wants him to make sure the planes are ready for combat, including John’s rickety fighter he’s dubbed “the Bullet”. Several pilots land in damaged planes, telling of a weird, almost invisible “enemy”. Vandy takes his squad into the “danger zone” as John finds something odd embedded in one of the engines. It’s a metal spearhead, unlike anything on this Earth. He then disobeys Vandy’s orders and takes Bullet into the battle. He arrives in time to see several squad members get taken down by a “bogey,” which becomes visible when struck. It’s an attack spaceship piloted by another Predator. When the fight ends, John’s saga is far from over as he finds himself in a locked cell on a vessel along with Ursa and Kenji. The trio, who are unable to communicate, have odd metal collars snapped around their necks and are eventually led off the ship and into an arena filled with the Predator beings. The warlord/MC informs them that they must fight to the death or their collars will explode. But John tries to inspire them to work together. But can this mismatched team survive a giant, savage alien beast and attempt to somehow find a way home?
Speaking of PREY, the same talented director is behind this. Dan Trachtenberg works with co-director Joshau Wassung to create this compelling, original exploration into the mythos of these iconic movie alien a*#kickers. They’ve even taken animation feature storytelling to a new level, expanding on the dramatic possibilities opened up by the “Spider-Verse” films. Yes, there have been many dramatic/ action animated features before (BATMAN: MASK OF THE PHANTASM immediately springs to mind), but this tackles the brutal intensity of any live “R-rated” horror/action epic. While most of the straight-to-home-video films feel close to the “four-color” comic books, this is more akin to the darker balck and white “graphic” magazines from the Warren company (“Creepy”, “Eerie” and “Vampirella”, the “unholy trinity”), though Marvel would “dip their toe” with “Savage Tales” and its ilk. Basically, the carnage is more straightforward, as the Predators chop and dismember with ghoulish glee. Oh, and the creature design is inspired. Yes, each has that “crab-pincer” mouth, but each segment has wild variants with weird weapons. Fighting the Vikings is a Hulk-like, near seven-foot-tall alien (one of the crew calls it “Grendel”), sporting a “repulsor/sonic blaster” for a right claw. In Japan, we get a leaner. graceful sword-wielding hunter with a spear on a whip-like chain. The “battle ace” beast has a smooth dome as it propels all manner of devices (constricting nets, grappling hooks, etc..) from its armored hull. And the animation is superb, though it appeared a bit stiff in the early scenes. Perhaps this was to make the battle energy more impactful (it does). And each “chapter” has a distict tone, with “The Shield” looking dark and chilly”, “The Sword” giving a Springtime feel with the forest landscapes, as opposed to the 1940s early “recruitment poster color” of “The Bullet”. It’s all paced perfectly with an “Easter egg” final shot that will have fans jumping from their couches. And that’s my only real complaint. In a “just world” I’d have been swept up in these sprawling stories by being engulfed in the biggest screens, with booming Dolby-type audio. Nope, this is only streaming, and its quality is on par with any of the other recent franchise entries. Bravo to Trachtenberg and company. Those “trilling/growling” hunters are in great hands. And I anxiously await your next live-action installment in November, PREDATOR: BADLANDS. But for the next few months, fans will be delighted, becoming eager “trophies” for the animated epic PREDATOR: KILLER OF KILLERS.
3.5 out of 4
PREDATOR: KILLER OF KILLERS streams exclusively on Hulu beginning on Friday, June 6, 2025
Brad Pitt and Bad Bunny star in BULLET TRAIN. Photo By: Scott Garfield. (C) 2022 CTMG. All Rights Reserved
Fans of frenetic, bloody action comedies like SMOKIN’ ACES, SHOOT ‘EM UP, KUNG FU HUSTLE or just about anything from Guy Ritchie are gifted this summer with a likely candidate for their list of escapist favorites. The title of BULLET TRAIN refers not only to Japan’s ultra-modern railway system, but to the collection of assassins and thugs who wend their way through the cars and each other for a variety of reasons. The mix of players and agendas will make little sense… until it does.
David Leitch enhances his credentials as stunt man who worked his way up to becoming a first-rate director, following the examples of Clint Eastwood, Hal Needham, John Ford, John Landis and others. After nearly 20 years of stunt work, with a bevy of acting gigs in the mix, he got his first chance to direct parts of JOHN WICK. Since then, he’s helmed ATOMIC BLONDE, DEADPOOL 2, and FAST & FURIOUS PRESENTS: HOBBS & SHAW. The dude knows how to serve up slam-bang action laced with humor, and does it here in fine style.
A bunch of hired guns are given assignments that put them all on one train from Tokyo to Kyoto. Two of them, code named Tangerine and Lemon (Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Brian Tyree Henley) for this mission, are tasked with retrieving both the kidnapped son and the briefcase of his ransom money for the country’s biggest baddest crime boss, not so affectionately known as “White Death.” Brad Pitt (code name Ladybug) is hired to grab the briefcase, returning to duty after a hiatus of a Zen-like quest for meaning and inner peace. Several others are on hand seeking to avenge an assortment of wrongs. All that plus a supremely deadly boomslang snake that would have ruined air travel for Samuel L. Jackson if he had been making this trip by rail.
The action on board as these disparate, and increasingly desperate, thugs keep stumbling all over each other is supplemented by a batch of hilariously bloody flashbacks and contemporaneous developments outside the train than shape the action within. Those sequences fill in backstories and advance the plot quite smoothly.
Leitch’s pacing and scene switching makes the film seem shorter than its 126-minute running time. Parts of the score enhance the action, while others add to the comedic side. The script by Zak Olkewics, based on Kotaro Isaka’s novel, gives us an excellent set of highly diverse personalities and agendas, balancing the laughs with the mayhem, and eventually ‘splaining all coherently enough to please most genre fans with the product they’ve just seen.
A couple of side notes: Brad Pitt reportedly did most of his own stunts. If so, that’s quite an achievement for anyone – more so by a guy on the far side of 50. Also, don’t leave when the credits start. There’s a scene in the middle you shouldn’t miss.
Once again a lauded international filmmaker is taking an unfiltered look at family life. You might think that I’m talking about the current awards “darling” ROMA from director Alfonso Cuaron, in theatres and streaming on Netflix (really). No, this new film may be giving it some competition in the Best Foreign Film category (it has snatched up the prize in a few festivals and year-end critics group awards). Oh, this film is set in modern times, is in color, and its setting is half the planet away. And the ROMA family is, at least, upper-middle-class. These folks, well, definitely lower, much lower. This Tokyo-based clan truly struggles to survive and provide. That’s the main reason (along with misfortunate and misery) this family becomes SHOPLIFTERS.
As we meet two of them, the aforementioned crime is well in progress. “Papa” Osamu (Lilly Franky) and nine-year-old Shota (Kairi Jo) are roaming a grocery store, stuffing food into their clothing as they act as “lookouts” for each other (and distracting the clerks and managers). As they head home they notice a familiar sight. A sweet-faced five-year-old girl named Yuri (Miyu Sasaki) is alone and neglected, sitting in the cold patio outside her apartment. Fearing for her safety, Osamu impulsively reaches in and takes her with them (thinking that a hot meal will help before bringing her back). This causes quite a ruckus in the squalid tiny apartment that the duo shares with “Grandma'” Hatsue (Kirin Kiki), “Mama” Nobuyo (Sakura Ando), who works at a dry cleaners, and nineteen-year-old Aki (Mayu Matsuoka) who spends her days as a “hostess” at a “gentleman’s private club”. Actually, Hatsue is the main provider as she receives a monthly pension check via her late husband and a regular “gift” from the offspring of the woman who was her late hubby’s second wife. Plus the apartment is in her name only, so they all have a “hiding plan” in case of a visit from the landlord. Life becomes direr as Osamu is injured on the job at a construction site (no insurance, of course) and Nobuyo is let go (after she’s rifled through the pockets of all the clients’ clothes). After discovering some suspicious scars, Yuri becomes a part of the “family”, and soon the local media reports of her “kidnapping”. She’s quickly given a new name and haircut, and to Shota’s chagrin, trained in retail thievery. When a heartbreaking tragedy occurs in the household, a hard decision is made that further puts everyone at risk. Will the authorities discover their actions and break-up the loving, but illegal household?
Writer/director Hirokazu Koreeda touches upon several themes of friendship and family he explored previously in AFTER THE STORM and the unexpected charmer OUR LITTLE SISTER (which was based on a popular manga-style graphic novel). The superb camerawork conveys the near-claustrophobic living conditions in just one or two rooms that seemed to be constantly caked with grime and grit. Still, there’s a sense of mystery and wonder in these muddy back alleys and ramshackle confines. Even in the daylight hours danger hangs heavy in the air as Shota and his different “aides” try and slip past the unaware shopkeepers. Despite the title, the family (especially Shota) has a “code of honor”, perhaps to justify their actions. They believe the things they take out of bins and shelves don’t belong to anyone until purchased (twisted logic, eh). Luckily the young lad’s eyes are finally opened when a line is crossed (a bit of B and E). Koreeda guides the great ensemble expertly, with Kiki terrific as a tough and cynical matriarch. Franky is a clown full of pathos, yearning to connect with his “kids”, while Ando, as his partner, seems more world-weary than her “Grandmama”, her eyes dulled by disappointment. The most tragic may be Matsuoka, who is pinning all her hope for the future on a handsome and wealthy young “patron”, thinking that he will be the “Prince Charming” to whisk her away from the filth and famine. Yes, the story is sympathetic to these criminals, but their activities are never played as noble (other than the rescue of Yuri) or fun. And the pacing drags a bit, making us wish for a fifteen or twenty trim to tighten the story’s flow. But this is an engaging look at the class system of a different culture and how families are formed and survive. Plus it helps that these SHOPLIFTERS are also scene stealers.
3.5 Out of 5
SHOPLIFTERS opens everywhere and screens exclusively in the St. Louis area at Landmark’s Plaza Frontenac Cinemas
2017 is a milestone year for a true master of modern cinema. He harkens back to a time when the most celebrated directors were as big a star as the actors in their films. And, like many of those revered film makers, he’s recognized primarily by his last name. He’s part of a roll call along with Hitchcock, DeMille, Lean. Oh, but he made his name well past the era of the big studio system, one of those hungry “young rebels” that bent all the rules. These products of the college film departments, who “cut their teeth” in TV and drive-in quickies: Coppola, Spielberg, and Scorsese. Martin Scorsese has now been directing feature films for fifty years (his first was 1967’s WHO’S THAT KNOCKING AT MY DOOR?). While his film making contemporary, Frances Coppola, has largely stepped away from the cameras, Scorsese continues to craft highly personal films attracting big talents eager to work with a “master”. He’s tried to make this new film for half of his directing career, not surprising since it contains themes from several of his earlier pieces. And it’s based on a book just over 50 years old, named SILENCE.
The story begins with a letter written by a priest from Portugal, Father Cristovao Ferreira (Liam Neeson) in 1633. He was leading a missionary mission in feudal Japan when the country’s rulers banned Christianity, believing the West was exerting too much influence, and destroying the culture. Ferreira writes of how he was forced to watch the torture of his Jesuit brothers. The letter is smuggled out and finally makes its way to father Alessandro Valignano (Ciaran Hinds) in 1640. He reads it to two of Ferreira’s pupils, Father Rodrigues (Andrew Garfield) and Father Garupe (Adam Driver), and tells them that, if Ferreira is still alive, he has renounced his faith, committing apostasy. The young men don’t believe this and insist on making the dangerous trek to Japan and find their mentor. Valignano finally consents to their plan, but flatly states that they will be the last priests sent their on a mission. The priests hear of a Japanese Christian guide in Macau that will smuggle them into his native land. After much pleading, the drunken Kichijiro (Yosuke Kubozuka) takes them to a hidden coastal village where several natives still practice the forbidden religion. While hiding in a tiny cabin in the mountains, the priests conduct mass, while waiting for nightfall to venture outdoors (there is a high bounty on the padres). Eventually the Grand Inquisitor and his men arrive at the village and dispatch three of the worshipers. Thinking that their presence together endangers all of their flock, Garupe and Rodrigues separate. While Garupe leaves for Hirado, Rodrigues continues his quest for Ferriera with Kichijiro, hoping he can find out the truth about his teacher while evading the cruel, determined shoguns and samurai.
In the past year, with this role and his stirring performance in the recent HACKSAW RIDGE, Garfield establishes himself as one of the screen’s most compelling actors. He could have coasted with his two blockbuster Spider-Man flicks, following up with simple “fluffy” projects, but he tackles a most complex character here as young priest trying to keep his beliefs while being dragged down in a sea of sorrow. Garfield shows us the conflict brewing inside the mind of Rodrigues, whose body and soul are battered almost into submission. He’s an interesting counterpart to Driver, whose Garupe is equally idealistic, but more adamant and forceful in his approach to the mission. He believes his will can withstand any test. After his excellent motion capture work in A MONSTER CALLS, it’s great to see Neeson stepping away from his TAKEN sequels and variations, as the object of the great quest. His eyes convey the enormity of the tragedy as he’s forced to witness the sacrifices of those who followed him. The actors playing the locals bring a sense of gritty realism to this tale, especially Kubozuke as the energetic and unpredictable Kichijiro who seems to be walking a tightrope between the combatants. Also making a strong impression is Tadanobu Asano as the wily, bitter interpreter assigned to Rodrigues.
Scorsese has explored devotion and faith in many of his previous works, so much of this film plays as a mix of KUNDUN (Buddhism) and THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST (though this film won’t elicit any of that firestorm of controversy). The subject matter is treated with much dignity and reverence, almost becoming a tad, well for lack of a better term, “preachy”. The result is a film that’s too long, with four or five scenes of brutality (although another director of recent religious epics might have wallowed in gore and guts) bookended by long stretches of theological debates which really derail any real momentum. Plus the performance styles often clash, with some interpretations feeling almost comic, with menacing rulers right out of “The Mikado”. The cinematography from Rodrigo Prieto paired with the music score by Kathryn and Kim Allen Kluge give the exotic locations a mesmerizing beauty. But by the end of the film we’re left with too many questions about the decisions made by the principals. SILENCE is not quite up to his greatest works, but Scorsese continues to remain a major force in film. Here’s to his next fifty years of cinema.
Time again for another cinematic look at fractured, non-conventional families, a subject that’s also popular on TV and in novels. This story concerns a quartet of sisters, ranging from 13 to 29, sharing a home with no parental figures in sight (for most of the tale). You might think you’ve seen this “drama-dy” before , but not in this way, or in this unique setting. This family fable is not set in the US or Europe, but rather in Asia, Japan to be precise. It’s not adapted from a stage play, nor a standard literary best seller or “young adult” novel. This film springs from a comic book, which US academics now call “graphic novels”, but best known in the far East as “manga”, a medium usually thought to feature mind-blowing science fiction and strange supernatural fantasies. Hey, if our comics can delve into subjects other than superhero epics, then manga can certainly present a look at modern households. And another surprise is the identity of one of the studios involved, the beloved Toho Studios. Yes, Toho, the home of that green, mean icon Godzilla. No buildings are smashed in this flick, but a few hearts are broken in OUR LITTLE SISTER.
The first sister we meet is 22-year-old Yoshino Kouda (Masami Nagasawa) as she awakens after a “sleep-over” with a slightly younger suitor, who asks her for a small loan till payday. This request nearly makes her late for breakfast at the house she shares with her two sisters. Head of the household is level-headed, 29-year-old Sachi (Haruka Ayase), a nurse, and 19-year-old Chika (Kaho), who works at a sports equipment shop in their seaside village. After their parents split up, the sisters took over the house of their late grandmother. They’ve had no dealings with either parent for years. All that changes, when Sachi reads a letter informing them of the death of their father. Married for a third time, he was the owner/manager of a resort many miles away. When the sisters take the train to the resort, they get another surprise. Seems that papa had a child with his deceased second wife (the one that he left their mama for), a daughter, 13-year-old Suzu (Suzu Hirose). This thrills Chika, who is not the “kid sister” anymore. Sachi observes that Suzu has little emotional connection with her newly widowed stepmother. This gives the elder Kouda an idea, which she shares with the others: Suzu should return home with them and the four sisters will share the ancestral house. Suzu readily agrees, and over the course of the next few months, she settles into her new school, becoming a soccer star and crushing on a teammate. Life goes on for the three older sisters has they experience love and loss, while opening their hearts to their new arrival.
By calling SISTER a sweet, disarming film full of charm and vitality may not fully do the work justice. Audiences expecting hugs, hearts, and flowers may be taken aback by the tougher aspects of the story and its characters. The most complex one may be Sachi, who seems to be the moral backbone of the family until we learn of her attempt at romance. She’s having a secret affair with a married doctor she works with at the hospital, a man who insists he will marry her once his wife is released from a mental health facility. Perhaps this accounts for her anger with her own parents, particularly her estranged mother who returns briefly for a family function, as Sachi is disgusted by her own trek into adultery. Ms. Ayase conveys this self-loathing with great sensitivity. Kaho displays a deft comic gift as the eccentric Chika, especially in the exchanges with her co-worker/beau who brags of losing several toes during a failed mountain climb (“I’ll take off my shoes and you can feel where they were, if you like!”). Hirose is also a delight as the lost teenager who begins to blossom with the help and guidance of her newly-discovered older siblings. The first big laugh in the film is courtesy of the energetic Nagaswa as the free-spirit Yoshino when she arrives at the spa that will host her dad’s memorial. Throwing her bags down on the floor of her guest room, she loudly proclaims “I need a beer!”. Prim and proper, demure young ladies? Not always, but they’re authentic. Nagaswa subtlety shifts her performance to reflect ‘Yoshi’s new maturity (no more deadbeat guys for her!).
Director Hirokazu Koreeda, in adapting Akimi Yoshida’s manga, never goes for the melodramatic. We’re always “a fly on the wall”, just observing this quartet over the course of several months. It’s a “slice of life” that often seems like a stir-fried mix of LITTLE WOMEN and SKINNY AND FATTY, the much-beloved 1958 Japanese film that aired as part of TV’s “The CBS Children’s Film Festival” (the first entry in 1967). The seaside village is a visual dream and the exotic meals will entrance “foodies” (gotta’ try that “whitebait” sometime). But most entrancing is the warm spirit of family reunion, forgiveness, and discovery that permeates every frame of OUR LITTLE SISTER.
4.5 Out of 5
OUR LITTLE SISTER opens everywhere and screens exclusively in the St. Louis area at Landmark’s Plaza Frontenac Cinemas.
Three short years ago, a devastating earthquake shook Japan and a massive tsunami followed, wiping out all signs of civilization in its path. Lives were lost and property was destroyed. As with any natural disaster, the damage is immense and recovery is a long, slow and emotional process. THE TSUNAMI AND THE CHERRY BLOSSOM, directed by the talented young non-fiction filmmaker Lucy Walker, chronicles the efforts by survivors of the tsunami to rebuild what was taken from them as it coincides with the beginning of the cherry blossom season.
The opening four minutes of THE TSUNAMI AND THE THE CHERRY BLOSSOM consists of one, continuous shot of the massive wave bulldozing over the land, moving in closer and closer to onlookers as they watch from atop a nearby high hill. This footage, presumably taken on someone’s camera phone, offers an unflinching depiction of the destruction, as well as an audio insight to the emotion and heartbreak of those most closely associated with the disaster and the pain it has produced. It’s a long, arduous four minutes to endure.
From here, Walker cuts to some beautiful close shots of cherry blossoms radiating in the sunlight, inter-cut with someone painting in watercolor. An extreme juxtaposition, to be sure, and a stunning metaphor for the subject of the film. Walker collaborated with Richard Melville Hall, better known as Moby, who wrote and performed the moving score for the film, which further enhances the film’s dichotomy of beauty and destruction. This becomes apparent as the film transitions from stories of death and loss into recovery efforts occurring at the start of cherry blossom season. In Japan, the cherry blossom (“sakura”) symbolizes the harbinger of spring. Rebirth ad renewal.
THE TSUNAMI AND THE CHERRY BLOSSOM manages to capture a great deal within its limited 39-minute running time. As if the fickle force of nature had not created enough misery on its own, perhaps best depicted by one survivor’s account of some 70% of a nearby school’s students bodies found washed up miles away, the worst hit areas are also dangerously near the Fukashima nuclear power plant that was severely damaged by the earthquake, which caused the tsunami, which in turn led to radiated water leaking from the power plant. Not only must survivors struggle to rebuild and cope with loss, they must also deal with a locally annihilated economy and the potential for health issues caused by leaking radiation.
Walker brilliantly illustrates the wonderful hope and wisdom of the survivors, most vividly through their connection with a massive, sprawling cherry tree said to be over a thousand years old. We’re given a fascinating glimpse into the Japanese philosophy of life, spirit and our connection with nature. Perhaps it’s not the natural world that is changing, so much as our relationship with it and our ability to adapt and cope with its ever-changing moods. I found myself in awe of so many survivors interviewed for this film. Their strength and willingness to embrace these harsh realities with an openness to making the best of the worst is just mind-boggling.
The film, despite the spectacle of bigger than life events and the beauty of nature at its finest, never loses focus on its heart. The Japanese people and the amazing culture that so often seems so foreign to western life. The most heartbreaking moment in the film is a scene depicting so many lives lost, shots of closely spaced graves, each marked only with a plain wooden stake a sign and a number. The numbers grow into the hundreds as the camera pans and the film cuts from shot to shot, then into the thousands. Even with this, the survivors persist in conveying their sense of vitality and resilience in life. A truly beautiful story of humanity told masterfully by Lucy Walker in a beautifully shot and compassionate work of cinema.
Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
The 39-minute documentary short released through iTunes on March 11th, 2014, the 3-year anniversary of the tragic natural disaster.
Every so often a film will open the door to a childhood memory or an almost forgotten film. Or sometimes both. Settling in to watch I WISH, the film’s two young leads took my mind back several decades as I watched the big family TV on a Saturday morning that was nearing the afternoon (Mom was probably deciding what to whip up for lunch). Space Ghost, Spider-Man, and all the other animated heroes had bid adieu and a new live-action show was making its debut: “The CBS Children’s Film Festival.” Hosted by kid show pioneers Kukla, Fran, and Ollie (Fran was the human, the other two were hand puppets), this program presented family flicks from around the globe. The premiere offering was a tale of friendship from Japan, 1958’s SKINNY AND FATTY. These two little guys were about my age, but they lived in this almost alien land. Despite the clunky English dubbing (even then I could see that the sound didn’t match their mouths), I was fascinated and quite moved by this sweet little story. I WISH is set in 2011 and deals with a much more mature story, but I hoped to be wrapped up in another story of Japanese schoolboys.
That more mature theme of I WISH is divorce, or more accurately, a family separated. Koichi, a serious twelve year-old boy, lives with his mother and her parents in a small village beneath an active volcano (part of his morning ritual is cleaning the ash off his bedroom floor and furniture). His younger brother, the carefree Ryue, lives with his father in a town many miles away. The two boys haven’t seen each other in several months but exchange frequent cell phone calls. Koichi’s village is a buzz with news that one of the super-fast bullet trains will make one of its stops there. The boy also hears a rumor that when two of the trains pass each other so much energy is generated that anyone within close proximity will get their wishes granted. Koichi is so desperate to re-unite his family that he grabs some railway maps, makes some calculations, and hatches a plan. He and his brother will journey to this passing point and make this wish (that way they’ll double their chances). The boys confer over the phone, and with the assistance of some classmates (and a couple of adults), travel to a magical (they hope) rendezvous.
A pretty simple story, right? Unfortunately the film makers have clogged the film with too many unnecessary subplots. The boys’ Grandpa wants to open a bakery at the train station. One classmate wants to be an actress. Another wants to marry his teacher crush. The father is making music at clubs again. These diversions help make I WISH at least 30 minutes too long. I really wanted it to stay focused on these brothers who share a special bond in those preteen years, although their personalities are quite different. Koichi is very determined and serious, while happy-go-lucky Ryue seems to always have a smile on his face and a bounce in his step (he grins so much I sometimes wondered if the young actor understood his dialogue in some of the more dramatic scenes). Also, their friends seem to be much more engaging than most of the adult characters. The cinematography is terrific especially the shots of that looming volcano. It’s also interesting to note the differences in the Japanese school systems, so it’s a fairly interesting, educational travelogue. But if only the film makers had taken a cue from those two best buddies I discovered on that long ago Saturday and focused on the film’s emotional core, then I WISH would have zipped along faster than any ole’ bullet train
In many ways, Takeshi Kitano is perhaps as close to a one man machine as you will find in the filmmaking business. As is generally the case with most of his films, Kitano wrote, edited directed and starred in his latest film to hit the United States called OUTRAGE (2010). Once again, Kitano delves into a story centered on the Yakuza life. As is often, but not always the case, OUTRAGE contains more than a fair share of violence bordering on gratuitous, but relevant given Kitano’s ideology of showing the Yakuza in the extreme light and ironic nature that he often does with his storytelling.
Kitano, credited under the fitting pseudonym of “Beat” Takeshi, plays Otomo, an experienced Yakuza enforcer with an implied history as a boxer. The boss of the head family, known as Mr. Chairman, orders his lieutenant to crack down on the drug trafficking being perpetrated by a lesser branch of the Yakuza gone rogue. The complications quickly arise when Mr. Chairman reveals himself as a ruthless, backstabbing boss that has strayed from the old ways and code of the Yakuza. As they say, the “shit flows downhill” and Otomo ends up being at the bottom where he discovers his years of loyalty have meant nothing.
For the first third to half of OUTRAGE, the plot feels somewhat slow and messy, twisted and fragmented, but be patient and follow along as best you can, as it all comes together in the end. In some respects, this is a typical revenge story, but told in a very atypical fashion. Kitano’s chopping editing and fragmenting of the story serves to accentuate the manufactured chaos being designed by Mr. Chairman, paying off with a multi-faceted string of plot twists in the end.
“Beat” Takeshi is always a joy to watch play a badass. His common tendency is to wash emotion and expression fro his character’s face, resulting in an oddly serene but serious persona that could, in an instant, snap and do some serious damage to the person confronting him. As a filmmaker, Kitano is extraordinarily adept at visualizing his stories through the camera. Composition of frame is one of the key elements that continually draw me to Kitano’s films, meticulously constructing frames of beauty out of the simplest setting, like the art of Zen gardening with shrubs and stones.
One of the most fascinating examples of Kitano’s eye for the camera in OUTRAGE is a shot taken from a high angle over a long stretch of two-lane road. This stretch of road follows the coastline and travels into the distance, disappearing into the top edge of the frame, playing on the horizon perspective, while the angle itself offers a tremendous visual dynamic to an otherwise drab setting. This shot follows one of the most brutal, albeit creative, Yakuza kill scenes, and lingers for a moment.
OUTRAGE is not amongst the best of Kitano’s undertakings, but is certainly worth seeing. One may think his continued source of inspiration in the Yakuza would get dry and overused, but surprisingly, it does not. One element that adds to my enjoyment of OUTRAGE is the uncharacteristically electronic score from Keiichi Suzuki, giving the film a fresh edge. In the end, OUTRAGE is a superficially complex tale of criminal bosses in a power struggle with each other, riddled with deception and hair-trigger violence, but levels out to reveal itself as an ironic twist of fate with a melancholy ending.
Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
OUTRAGE opens today in St. Louis at Landmark’s Tivoli Theatre.
