film reviews, interviews, features | BRWC

Author: BRWC

  • Deadpool: The BRWC Review

    Deadpool: The BRWC Review

    It’s hard not to like a film that praises its writers as ‘the real heroes of this movie’. Ryan Reynolds has finally got this made after years of living in The Green Lantern’s shadow and he is brilliant as the verbose anti-hero. Deadpool gleefully subverts the superhero clichés, is self-referential and full of verbal gags.

    The film gets off to a great start; I won’t ruin anything but let’s just say you’ll never listen to ‘Angel Of The Morning’ in the same way again. Told mainly through flashbacks we learn how Wade (Ryan Reynolds) became Deadpool. After meeting his soul mate in Vanessa (Morena Baccarin) he is then diagnosed with terminal cancer and reluctantly accepts help from a stranger to be tested on by the Weapon X program (which created Wolverine). A British doctor, Ajax, brings out the mutant in Wade but only by torturing and leaving him badly scarred. Wade, now blessed with regenerative powers and superior fighting skills, escapes the facility and vows to hunt Ajax down.

    Deadpool’s antagonist, Ajax, is cartoonish bad and I think a film that aims to stand out from the superhero crowd could have given us a more memorable villain. However, T.J. Miller excels as the amusing friend of Deadpool, telling him when he takes off his mask: ‘You look like Freddy Krueger face-fucked a topographical map of Utah.’

    You get the feeling that Deadpool has come around at exactly the right time.

    There are too many superhero movies (and TV shows now thanks to Netflix), so this film has a lot of fun distorting the origin story mould. Reynolds constantly acknowledges the viewers, openly mocking every aspect of the film he inhabits. The juvenile humour does grow tiresome though and the constant breaking of the fourth wall threatens to pull us out of the story but for the most part Deadpool succeeds in giving us a new, albeit warped, perspective of a superhero film.

    The last act adheres to the formula of previous Marvel films and, come the credits, you can’t help wishing the filmmakers had been a bit more risky with their choices, because they end up conforming to the superhero clichés that they were so desperate to subvert.

  • The Movies That Won The Most Oscars

    The Movies That Won The Most Oscars

    By Paul Sisolak.

    Some films receive all the Oscar hype and anticipation, but can’t seem to turn speculation into a win. Others receive abundant nominations and take home nearly every available trophy.

    The most celebrated Academy Award recipients are the pictures that have swept the awards, having been nominated for several and winning most. With the 88th Academy Awards fast approaching, the team at PrettyFamous took a look at the films that have won the most Oscars over the years. To do this, we first looked at the films that won the most Oscars and broke ties based on number of nominations. We sorted this list from fewest to most wins.

    #35. A Man for All Seasons

    Oscar Wins: 6
    Oscar Nominations: 8
    Release Year: 1966

    Winning six out of the eight Oscars it was nominated for, “A Man for All Seasons” came about in the era of religious historical films (think “The Ten Commandments” and “The Greatest Story Ever Told”), telling the story of Sir Thomas More and his support of King Henry VIII in the face of the Pope. Best picture, actor and director were a few of the awards won by this epic film for all seasons.

    #35. An American in Paris

    Oscar Wins: 6
    Oscar Nominations: 8
    Release Year: 1951

    Gene Kelly is perhaps best known for “Singin’ in the Rain,” but “An American in Paris” remains one of the actor-dancer’s Oscar winning best. In the film, he plays ex-soldier-turned artist Jerry Mulligan who, while staying in Paris, falls in love with two women: A free-spirited French woman and a rich art collecting heiress.

    Dance numbers were choreographed by Kelly, and the score, by the Gershwins, helped win the picture six Oscars.

    #33. A Place in the Sun

    Oscar Wins: 6
    Oscar Nominations: 9
    Release Year: 1951

    George Eastman is in quite the predicament; working for his rich uncle, he begins affairs with two women, leading to a complicated and twisted love triangle in George Stevens’ 1951 “A Place in the Sun.” Based on the stage play and novel “An American Tragedy,” the film’s Oscar status was anything but, winning six awards that year.

    #33. The Hurt Locker

    Oscar Wins: 6
    Oscar Nominations: 9
    Release Year: 2008

    Not all award-winning war films are based on World War II or Vietnam. “The Hurt Locker” looks at the lives of three soldiers during the Iraq War and their tour of duty as a trio of bomb experts.

    Director Kathryn Bigelow became the first woman to win an Oscar helming a film.

    #32. Star Wars

    Oscar Wins: 6
    Oscar Nominations: 10
    Release Year: 1977

    A space epic that became a cultural icon for more than four decades, we don’t normally associate “Star Wars” with Oscar winning performances or direction, but in fact, the original 1977 installment took home six Oscars, emphasizing its visual depiction of outer space beauty, like best costume design, best film editing and best art direction.

    #31. The Godfather, Part II

    Oscar Wins: 6
    Oscar Nominations: 11
    Release Year: 1974

    Few pictures come close to surpassing the original on which they followed, but “The Godfather Part II” — the first sequel to the magnificent mobster drama — might very well be the superior film, following the rise of Michael (Al Pacino) as he commands the Corleone family with flashbacks to his late father’s rise in the Sicilian mafia.

    Francis Ford Coppola’s Part II won best picture in 1975 along with five other Oscars.

    #30. Mrs. Miniver

    Oscar Wins: 6
    Oscar Nominations: 12
    Release Year: 1942

    Most World War II films tell the story of the battle’s aftermath, of people, veterans and families picking up the pieces. Oscar-winning “Mrs. Miniver” deals with a British family whose troubles are only beginning at the start of the war, in this compelling, vignette-driven William Wyler film that was the recipient of six Oscars in 1943.

    #28. Forrest Gump

    Oscar Wins: 6
    Oscar Nominations: 13
    Release Year: 1994

    If life is like a box of chocolates, Forrest Gump gets to taste them all, as captain of a shrimp boat, marathon star and war hero — but what’s really important is winning the heart of childhood friend Jenny.

    Tom Hanks brought his character to life in Robert Zemeckis’ “Forrest Gump,” which won best picture in a very competitive year for Oscar contenders.

    #28. Chicago

    Oscar Wins: 6
    Oscar Nominations: 13
    Release Year: 2002

    Jazz-Age hedonism, scandal and murder clash in 2002’s “Chicago.” Intrepid attorney Billy Flynn must defend two women sent to prison, and then death row, in this musical-drama that won best picture and five other Academy Awards.

    #27. All About Eve

    Oscar Wins: 6
    Oscar Nominations: 14
    Release Year: 1950

    Is Eve all that she seems? Bette Davis’ portrayal of a down-and-out fan of an aging actress, with some secretively manipulative ways, got the legendary actress and three other female cast members nominated for Oscars in this 1950 drama.

    This was one of Davis’ most famous roles, and “All About Eve” went on to become an American classic that’s been honored by the academy, AFI and the National Film Registry.

    #25. The Best Years of Our Lives

    Oscar Wins: 7
    Oscar Nominations: 8
    Release Year: 1946

    One of the first movies to address the issues that war can bring on domestic soil, “The Best Years of Our Lives” concentrates on three World War II soldiers whose lives will never be the same upon a difficult adjustment returning home to the U.S.

    The 1946 film was critically and commercially acclaimed, and won seven Oscars at the Academy Awards.

    #25. The Bridge on the River Kwai

    Oscar Wins: 7
    Oscar Nominations: 8
    Release Year: 1957

    David Lean’s penchant for historically accurate films continues with his Oscar-winning “The Bridge on the River Kwai,” following the story of World War II POWs forced to build a bridge while prisoner of the Japanese in Burma — but a plot to blow up the bridge may complicate their freedom.

    One of the greatest war films, it won seven out of 10 Oscars it as nominated for in 1958, at the height of the post-war era.

    #20. Lawrence of Arabia

    Oscar Wins: 7
    Oscar Nominations: 10
    Release Year: 1962

    David Lean’s historical biopic became the late Peter O’Toole’s career-defining lead role. As British lieutenant T.E. Lawrence, he’s anointed Lawrence of Arabia as a go-between for the English and Arabs in the search for Prince Faisal.

    “Lawrence of Arabia” won seven Oscars, including best picture, best director and best actor, among others.

    #20. Going My Way

    Oscar Wins: 7
    Oscar Nominations: 10
    Release Year: 1944

    “Going My Way” was 1944’s highest-grossing film (earning $6.5 million in 1940s dollars). It told the story of a young priest (Bing Crosby) who takes over a parish in a tough New York neighborhood, where things become complicated when the clergyman’s old flame comes back into his life. This Golden-Age musical won seven Oscars and catapulted Crosby to stardom.

    #20. Patton

    Oscar Wins: 7
    Oscar Nominations: 10
    Release Year: 1970

    George C. Scott doesn’t just play General George S. Patton in 1971’s best picture winner, he virtually is General Patton. In his most recognizable and respected role, the biopic of the famed World War II hero tells the story of Patton’s wartime campaigns and ultimate fall from military grace. Scott’s opening monologue is example enough why “Patton” was selected as a Library of Congress National Film Registrant.

    #20. The Sting

    Oscar Wins: 7
    Oscar Nominations: 10
    Release Year: 1973

    Paul Newman and Robert Redford’s second turn together (after Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid), “The Sting” made caper flicks popular again. The 1973 comedy heist follows the lives of two con men who seek revenge on a ruthless crime boss. Who can forget Marvin Hamlisch’s tinkling, ragtime piano theme?

    #20. Gravity

    Oscar Wins: 7
    Oscar Nominations: 10
    Release Year: 2013

    Many films deal with the possibility of being lost in space, but none done so artfully as Alfonso Cuaron’s “Gravity.” When two astronauts — a rookie on her first shuttle mission and a veteran set to retire — are stranded out in the galaxy, their only alternative might be to venture further into the atmosphere. Though it didn’t win its best picture nomination, “Gravity” won seven out of 10 that year, including best director.

    #19. Out of Africa

    Oscar Wins: 7
    Oscar Nominations: 11
    Release Year: 1985

    Based on the true story of Baroness Karen Blixen (in an Oscar-nominated performance by Meryl Streep), the wealthy heiress must choose between her philandering husband and an enigmatic hunter in the plains of 1930s Africa. Together with Gandhi, one of the 1980s’ most screen accurate, sweeping period pieces, “Out of Africa” won best picture and best director for Sydney Pollack.

    #17. Dances With Wolves

    Oscar Wins: 7
    Oscar Nominations: 12
    Release Year: 1990

    Released at the peak of his career, Kevin Costner took best director and best actor accolades for his own “Dances With Wolves.” The film follows a Civil War soldier whose friendship with a group of Native Americans defies his military obligations. The 1990 film won seven total Oscars, including best original score for the late, great composer John Barry.

    #17. Schindler’s List

    Oscar Wins: 7
    Oscar Nominations: 12
    Release Year: 1993

    “Schindler’s List” was the start of Steven Spielberg’s foray into deeply personal, historically relevant films. When businessman Oskar Schindler (played by Liam Neeson) joins the Nazi party and staffs his factory with Jews, he’s tasked with protecting them when the SS targets them for death. In addition to Spielberg’s Oscar win, Steven Zaillian won best adapted screenplay, and the movie won seven Academy Awards in total.

    #16. Shakespeare in Love

    Oscar Wins: 7
    Oscar Nominations: 13
    Release Year: 1998

    What happens when William Shakespeare’s own love life is fictionalized in a way only the Great Bard could pull off? You get “Shakespeare in Love,” the 1998 winner of best picture, best actress and best supporting actress (for Gwyneth Paltrow and Judi Dench, respectively). Broke and struggling, the young writer strikes up a romance with a young woman, who acts as his muse for what would become “Twelfth Night.”

    #14. Cabaret

    Oscar Wins: 8
    Oscar Nominations: 10
    Release Year: 1972

    Many musicals speak of a darker thematic undertone, and “Cabaret” is one such example. As the Nazi party rises to power in Germany in the early 1930s, a free-spirited Weimar nightclub singer is torn between two lovers as the country turns to war. Bob Fosse’s direction and choreography won him best director, while Liza Minelli won best actress.

    #14. Slumdog Millionaire

    Oscar Wins: 8
    Oscar Nominations: 10
    Release Year: 2008

    When an Indian teenager looks to break free from his impoverished upbringing by participating on a game show, he’s accused of cheating and, while tortured by authorities, reflects on his life in flashbacks. “Slumdog Millionaire” was nominated for 10 Oscars, winning eight in 2009.

    #12. Amadeus

    Oscar Wins: 8
    Oscar Nominations: 11
    Release Year: 1984

    Milos Forman filmed this period piece off the 1979 play of the same name, continuing a tradition of slightly fictionalized biopics that still stayed true to history. “Amadeus” was nominated for 11 Oscars in 1985, and won eight.

    #12. Gandhi

    Oscar Wins: 8
    Oscar Nominations: 11
    Release Year: 1982

    Like “Chariots of Fire” before it and “Amadeus” after, “Gandhi” continued an impressive tradition of 1980s historical dramas that were true to period. The film was a career-defining showcase for Ben Kingsley as he portrayed the fallen Indian holy man.

    “Gandhi” took home eight out of its 11 Oscar nominations, including best director and best actor.

    #11. On the Waterfront

    Oscar Wins: 8
    Oscar Nominations: 12
    Release Year: 1954

    After the success of “A Streetcar Named Desire,” Elia Kazan again cast Marlon Brando in “On the Waterfront.” The plot originated from a series of Pulitzer Prized journalistic exposés about union corruption along the ports of Northern New Jersey.

    Kazan and Brando both walked home with golden trophies, for best director and best actor, respectively, while Eva Marie Saint won best supporting actress — not bad for her film debut.

    #10. My Fair Lady

    Oscar Wins: 8
    Oscar Nominations: 12
    Release Year: 1964

    Teaming Lerner and Loewe for another Oscar-winning musical, this adaptation of their famous stage play borrows from Shakespeare’s “Pygmalion.” The film follows a poor, lower class English girl who receives charm lessons from an aristocratic professor to groom her for high society.

    Filmed at the height of Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison’s respective career peaks, “My Fair Lady” won eight Academy Awards in 1965.

    #8. From Here to Eternity

    Oscar Wins: 8
    Oscar Nominations: 13
    Release Year: 1953

    Three American soldiers deal with conflict, love, friendship and war immediately preceding the attack on Pearl Harbor in World War II. “From Here to Eternity” starred legendary screen icons like Burt Lancaster, Frank Sinatra and Montgomery Clift, winning eight of its 13 Oscar nominations.

    #8. Gone With the Wind

    Oscar Wins: 8
    Oscar Nominations: 13
    Release Year: 1939

    To Scarlett O’Hara, Rhett Butler might not give a damn, but that’s not what the academy thought of “Gone with the Wind,” honoring it with eight Oscar wins, such as best director, best picture and best screenplay, adapted from the only novel ever written by Margaret Mitchell.

    Perhaps even more significant than its Academy accolades is the film’s recognition by the American Film Institute and the Library of Congress as one of cinema’s most enduring, persevering classics.

    #6. The Last Emperor

    Oscar Wins: 9
    Oscar Nominations: 9
    Release Year: 1987

    Legendary director Bernardo Bertolucci is cemented as of cinema’s most innovative craftsmen, but the only of his films to sweep the Oscars was his epic “The Last Emperor,” which was nominated for nine Oscars in 1988, winning each.

    Captured during the height of grandiose historical period pieces filmed during the mid-to-late 1980s, it was the first Western film permitted to be filmed in Beijing by Chinese officials.

    #6. Gigi

    Oscar Wins: 9
    Oscar Nominations: 9
    Release Year: 1958

    Just one of three films on this list that swept the Oscars (winning each nomination), the Lerner-Loewe adaptation of a girl groomed for Parisian high society was based on the popular Colette novella. Academy Award accolades for “Gigi” ranged from best picture to best original score, best director and best costume design.

    #5. The English Patient

    Oscar Wins: 9
    Oscar Nominations: 12
    Release Year: 1996

    During World War II, four strangers’ lives become intertwined in an Italian villa, where a nurse, a thief, and a British soldier help a burn victim who remembers nothing but his ability to speak English. Based on a Booker Prize-winning novel, “The English Patient” won several awards of its own in 1997, including best picture, best director and best supporting actress.

    #4. West Side Story

    Oscar Wins: 10
    Oscar Nominations: 11
    Release Year: 1961

    The Sharks and the Jets; alley rumbles; Tony and Maria. Just those clues alone remind us that “West Side Story” will always remain an American musical classic, seamlessly interpreted for the big screen in 1961 courtesy of Robert Wise, whose “Romeo and Juliet”-inspired romance-gang story won 10 Oscars — a record still held by any musical, 55 years later.

    #3. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

    Oscar Wins: 11
    Oscar Nominations: 11
    Release Year: 2003

    The third and final installment of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, “The Return of the King” put to rest the notion that sequels are, as a rule, inferior to their original installments. Critically and commercially successful (grossing $1.1 billion), this third installment of the Tolkien classic won each of its 11 Academy Award nominations in 2004. It was the first fantasy-themed feature to win best picture.

    #2. Ben-Hur

    Oscar Wins: 11
    Oscar Nominations: 12
    Release Year: 1959

    It’s rare to see a remake trump its original version, but William Wyler’s 1959 version of “Ben-Hur” did just that when it was nominated for 12 Oscars that year, winning 11, including best picture, best director, and best actor, in what may be Charlton Heston’s career-defining role.

    The epic of all gladiator epics, it held the biggest budget for its time (at $15.1 million), paving the way for successors like “Gladiator,” “Troy,” “Clash of the Titans” and others.

    #1. Titanic

    Oscar Wins: 11
    Oscar Nominations: 14
    Release Year: 1997

    There’s a reason why “Titanic” shares the record for most Oscar nominations (14), winning best picture and best director: James Cameron’s sweeping opus balances a love story and a disaster epic with delicateness and majesty. Arguably the greatest film of the 1990s, it made household names out of Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet and grossed over $2.1 billion at box offices worldwide.

    The Films With the Most Oscar Wins: Ranked

    Compare Movies on PrettyFamous

  • Point Break: The BRWC Review

    Point Break: The BRWC Review

    Point Break started with four lines of clunky exposition and didn’t really improve from there. I’m probably a bit biased, I loved the original Katheryn Bigelow film and after watching the trailer for this I was certain they’d ruined it. The original film stood out because of the characters. And without the charisma of Patrick Swayze and the intensity of Keanu Reeves this film becomes like any other action film, a bland combination of chases, shootouts and ridiculous stunts.

    The story is not especially original; a young FBI agent, Johnny Utah (Luke Bracey) goes undercover to infiltrate a gang of robbers, led by the mercurial Bodhi (Edgar Ramirez). Whilst there, Utah’s loyalties are tested as he gets to know these criminals. Instead of locating the film on a Californian beach (like the original) we follow the gang around the globe as they try one crazy stunt after another in order to achieve the impossible eight tasks set by their late guru, Ono Osaki.

    Point Break can boast to have some of the worst dialogue I’ve ever heard. It’s not just bad, it’s just so formulaic, so derivative that you wonder who actually thought lines like, ‘We can get these guys. I just need more time’ and ‘The only law that matters is gravity’ would sound good? In fact the dialogue was so poor at times I felt like I was watching a parody, I half expected Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg to appear to put us out of our misery.

    Hollywood churn out sequels and remakes by the pound these days so it should come as no surprise that any vestiges of the original’s charm has been glossed over and replaced with beautiful scenery and one-note characters. It’s perhaps a sad reflection of Hollywood’s current mindset that they’d prefer to remake a film from twenty years ago rather than take a gamble on an original story.

    None of the actors cover themselves in glory, especially not Ray Winstone who’s laboured performance seemed particularly desperate. I also felt like I was watching a clothes advert for many parts of the film. Highlighted in the arbitrary scene in which Utah and the gang decide to eat their dinner on an idyllic hillside. This film is meant to be about morally ambiguous criminals, not fashionable hipsters.

    The only way I’d have enjoyed this and felt narratively engaged was if I cared about the characters. I didn’t. And that’s the films greatest flaw.

    All in all, this is a carbon copy of the original but without the charm, intelligence or intensity. The films denouement was almost laughable it was so devoid of drama. Save yourself some money and re-watch the original. I wish I had done.

  • Vicious (Park, 2015) – Horror Short Review

    Vicious (Park, 2015) – Horror Short Review

    By Last Caress.

    Vicious, the writing/directing debut of  Somerset rising star Oliver Park, is an 11-minute anxiety attack, dread-soaked from start to finish. Make sure you watch it alone with the lights off and the sound up.

    It’s late at night on a quiet residential street in Anytown, England. A woman – the credits identify her as “Lydia”, though she’s never referenced as such – has parked her car and is headed to her home. As she reaches the door, she notices the door is already slightly ajar. Gingerly pushing the door open, she calls a nervous “Hello?” into the silent gloom of the unlit house, and makes her way to the kitchen, where she appropriates a kitchen knife. She then proceeds to inspect the property room by room. Who’s in here? Is anyone in here?

    Is any thing in here?

    Anyone who has read one of Stephen King’s short story compilations or the works of HP Lovecraft – most of which are shorts – will be able to attest to the fact that, when done well, short-form storytelling fits the horror genre magnificently. No exposition or explanation. No background baggage. Not even any real reason is required for the nightmare being presented. All killer, no filler. That’s not to say that it’s easy, though. The creator of a bite-sized frightener only has a limited time and means with which to ratchet up the tension, or to get us to give a monkey’s for their protagonist. In the case of Vicious, Oliver Park knows what he’s doing and imbues his piece with a sense of great unease from the off, his slow camera movements through the long shadows of the house reminiscent of Jennifer Kent’s The Babadook (2014)  assisted by an unsettling soundscape score which ably keeps the sense of foreboding and despair as high as the heart-rate, even during the periods of relative inaction. Vicious is a gore-free ghost-em-up but when Mr. Park decides to pay off the suspense, he does so with considerable aplomb.

    Vicious
    Vicious

    So is Mr. Park an important new voice in the UK horror scene? Well it’s probably still a little early to say for sure, but the potential for just that is there, and there in spades. Another short – Still – is next up for him but if it’s as promising as Vicious, a feature-length debut cannot be far away. Then, we’ll see what we’ve got on our hands in Oliver Park. I’m watching with keen interest.

    www.viciousmovie.com

    www.oliverpark.co.uk

  • Kikujiro (Kitano, 1999) – Blu-Ray Review

    Kikujiro (Kitano, 1999) – Blu-Ray Review

    By Last Caress.

    Released in 1999, Kikujiro is something of a departure from the blood-soaked, action-packed affairs most often associated with its writer/director/star, the legendary “Beat” Takeshi Kitano. A quirky, offbeat and frequently improbable road trip, Kikujiro is also a warm, funny and melancholy tale of a young boy determined to find his mother and the hapless curmudgeon charged with looking after him, and it arrives on Blu-ray next week courtesy of Third Window Films.

    Kikujiro
    Kikujiro

    Masao (Yusuke Sekiguchi) is a 9 year-old boy, living with his grandmother in suburban Tokyo. She’s a pleasant lady but she has to go to work, leaving Masao to his own devices for much of the time. His father is dead, his mother… well, she’s “working away”, according to grandma. Masao wears the countenance of  one too young and powerless to do anything but accept his lot.

    Rooting through some drawers in search of a stamp, Masao finds a photograph of his mother, and an address. She lives in Toyohashi, 150 miles away. Packing his little bag in the way kids do (colouring books, pencils, a little over a tenner in cash), Masao takes off on foot to find her. He doesn’t get far before being robbed by some local teenage louts, but he’s saved by a friend of his grandma and former neighbour who, upon hearing Masao’s plan to visit his mother, instructs her husband Kikujiro (Kitano) to accompany him, giving him £300 for the trip. Kikujiro, a former low-level gangster with his prime far behind him, is a feckless waster and within a day he’s blown all of their money at the races, and from there it’s a 300-mile there-and-back hike in which Kikujiro and Masao encounter a variety of misfits and oddballs; mostly nice, some not so. To begin with, the destination is all that matters to Masao. None of it matters to Kikujiro at all. But, as they go along, it seems that the journey might be something they both needed…

    Largely a straightforward road trip, Takeshi Kitano sprinkles Kikujiro with odd touches, bizarre dream sequences and episodes which don’t necessarily play into the typical tropes of the kid-centric buddy picture. Whilst this doesn’t always hit the mark – an early encounter for Masao with a child molester which wouldn’t work in a film of this nature if it was played straight is played for laughs instead, and it still doesn’t work – this approach keeps Kikujiro well clear of the mawkish and saccharine fare it might have become in less adventurous hands, and is to be applauded, although you may appreciate Kikujiro‘s charms more if you don’t ruminate for too long on the shaky premise, and just ride with it (I have a 12 year-old son. If my neighbour ever catches him attempting to abscond 150 miles on foot with no money, provisions or clue, I expect that neighbour to return him to me instantly, not hand him to a middle-aged spiv to assist him on his trip whilst lying to me about taking my son to the beach for the day).

    Kikujiro
    Kikujiro

    Third Window Film’s blu-ray presentation of Kikujiro in 1.85:1 is clean and artifact free, and colours are vibrant when they present themselves. If I were nitpicking I’d say that the picture resolution is a little on the soft side, though this I’m sure is a trait of the source negatives rather than a result of Third Window’s restoration. Besides, this isn’t Avengers: Age of Ultron. Bleeding edge resolution is not a priority here. The 2-channel DTS-HD Japanese audio sounded perfectly crisp and clear on my soundbar (the score – particularly the piano-driven main theme – by Joe Hisaishi was tearjerkingly sweet and evocative, and a highlight of the movie). The English subtitles were visible throughout and were never out of sync. The extras are limited to just the one “Making Of” feature but it’s huge – over 90 minutes – and even though it’s basically a collage of raw behind-the-camera footage, it’s never dull and frequently funny.

    Overall then, Kikujiro might not be to everybody’s tastes and fans of Takeshi Kitano, looking for an adrenaline fix from the man who brought them Violent Cop, Boiling Point and Hana-Bi, may well be bemused to find nothing of the sort here. But if you’re after an easy-going left-of-center tale which is sad, sweet, funny and odd all at once, Kikujiro would be well worth your time.

    Third Window Films’ Blu-ray presentation of Kikujiro is out 22/02/2016.