| Slow, brooding Cyberpunk |
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| written 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 |
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| written 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? |
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| written 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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