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Malgorzata Foremniak,
Malgorzata Foremniak,
Wladyslaw Kowalski,
more...
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Mamoru Oshii,
Mamoru Oshii
see all cast/crew...
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: Miramax
: Science Fiction , Cyberpunk
: English, French
: English, French
see additional details...
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Following up on his cult anime masterpieces Patlabor 2 and Ghost in the Shell, Mamoru Oshii makes his live-action debut with this virtual reality thriller set in a near-future cyberpunk wasteland, in which the youth of an unnamed central European nation are enthralled with violent and illegal virtual reality computer games. Ash (Malgorzata Foremniak) is a ruthless "Class A" fighter and reigning queen of the games. She's itching to move to the next level of playing. Aside from her gaming, she lives a loner's life with her pampered dog. She learns from a former team member, Stunner (Bartek Swiderski), that former game master Murphy (Jerzy Gudejko) was crippled after entering the game's most rarified level, "Special A." The level is only accessible under the right set of unusual circumstances. Once admitted, there is only one way out -- to win. Ash can't wait to prove herself and conquer the game. This film was screened at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
Subtitled in English and Chinese. Dialogue in Japanese (unfortunately, this import does not retain the Polish language track). Extras include multiple variations of the theatrical and television trailers.
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| Slow, brooding Cyberpunk
by MrMiscreant
February 16, 2005 - 1:21 AM PST
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1 out of 1 members found this review helpful
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I'd never even heard of Avalon before I came across it late one night on Cable. Which is downright strange because its a film that's right up my alley from several different directions.
1. Its made by an anime director
2. Its got wierd pedigree (A film with Polish actors shot in Polish, writen by an anime writer and directed by a cult icon anime Director?)
3. Its Cyberpunk
4. Its a cult film
Its not hard to see why people either love or hate this movie. As a cyberpunk film its more Existenz and Gattaca than The Matrix. The action sequences are few and far between and not very impressive by the standards of the genre. It's a slow and contemplative movie. Exploration of reality and the human condition and all that. Avalon resembles what a Philip K. Dick book reads like as opposed to what the movie adaptations turn out to be. Questions are raised all over the place and a lot are purposely left unanswered.
The movie also carries a certain distinctly anime style. Its shot in a soft filtered sepia tone that give the backgrounds a cell shaded look. There's extensive use of strangely angled shots and long silent scenes. It also seems to make reference to the "Ghost in the Shell" the director Oshi's more famous work.
I rather enjoyed it, but its obviously not everyone's cup of tea. |
| a rare find
by bakedpotato
December 22, 2004 - 6:01 PM PST
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2 out of 2 members found this review helpful
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Thanks to a fortuitous mix of deception, luck and a dime bag of thai stick, I am pleased to present a bakedpotato exclusive. What follows is a private meeting between top Miramax executives. Names have been omitted to protect the guilty. Enjoy!
"Next on the agenda is the film Avalon by some guy named Oshii I've never heard of. Apparently, Mr. Oshii has a cult following in America because of an anime I've never seen called Ghost in the Shell. I'm sure it's not very good because, as all good red-blooded Americans know, animation is for children. Gentlemen, I have had the extreme displeasure to watch a 5 minute clip of this disaster called Avalon and I didn't understand a thing that was happening. Suggestions?"
"Um, let's dub it and cut it to pieces! That'll show the Japanese who's boss."
"You're on the right track but I want outside the box on this one."
"I know. Let's pretend like we care and leave the film as the creators intended, but during the boring dialougeless scenes we'll subtitle in a backstory!"
"Brilliant! Now, if you'll excuse me gentleman, I have to go buy another Oscar."
Just because I'm stoned doens't mean I can't follow a plot more complicated than the last episode of the OC. Miramax drops the ball ... again.
Miramax's frequent insults to every film lover's intelligence with their poor handling of Asian film - 0 Leaves
Avalon - 4 1/2 Leaves |
| Huh?
by Duncan
March 20, 2004 - 1:20 AM PST
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1 out of 8 members found this review helpful
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I was really looking forward to watching this. I even got a Polish friend of mine to come. He went online and read the same reviews and got equally excited as I was.
When it was over, we were both scratching our heads.
Huh? That's it? |
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