Prediction
Here at the Last Chance Salon, we like to have fun. Words are fun. Reading is fun, books. Arguing about books. Arguing about writing. And punctation.
Fine. Here at the Last Chance Salon, we are nerdy geeks.
And we like to have nerdy geek fun.
Thusly, we will be bringing to you, twice a week, the game of Prediction.
We will post a movie trailer. Luke and Shiri will each make a prediction about the merits – or demerits – of the film based on said trailer. You may all make predictions on either/or provided you follow these simple rules:
1) You cannot have seen the movie yet.
2) Don’t talk about fight club.
Actually, honestly, it’s just the one rule ’cause you can talk about fight club all you want.
For our maiden voyage, we give you:
Shiri’s Prediction: Stunningly gorgeous pastiche of semi-accurate mythology and completely inaccurate history. Keanu being stoic, which = Keanu being tolerable. Rinko Kukuchi brought, once more, so very close to her rightful place as plot driver, so close I can taste it, and then being thrust back into a Hollywood stereotype. I will be sucked in by the Curse of the Golden Flower/Hero/House of Flying Daggers visuals and decide not to give a crap about there rest of it until I get home, at which time I will inevitably do research on the actual story of the 47 ronin and be disappointed. After two or three months, I will get over it, because damn it all, it’s a beautiful movie, and will probably buy the DVD because I am a sucker for anything with a Hong Kong sensibility and Japanese mythology.
Luke’s Prediction: So, just having finished the AMAZING 47 Ronin by Stan Sakai (of Usagi Yojimbo fame), the idea of doing this story with excessive Kung-Fu/Fly-by-wire/action seems like gilding a rose. The historical story of political intrigue, Japanese manners, loyalty, pride and honor is pretty jam packed of great potential. Adding in monsters and a white guy just feels lame. And then Keanu, I challenge anyone to name a movie he stared in that would not have been improved by any actor, or a cardboard cutout of a real actor for that matter, with the possible exception of the first Bill and Ted’s.
All of that being said, if I could detach my want for a beautiful historical drama, with some action, and instead engage the over the top special effects teenage boy deep inside, this movie looks like it could be fun. The combination of the Hollywood special effects and the Japanese mythology looks intriguing. Though, I really have some problems with the plot as it seems to be shown in the preview (i.e. white man has to save us from ourselves…) and it kind of feels a bit over the top, not in a good way.
Double. Jeopardy.
Watch the trailer. Join the game in the comments!
<updated by Luke to add in his prediction>
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