Mamoru Oshii Cinema Trilogy Collection (Talking Head/Stray Dogs/The Red Spectacles) + Soundtrack CD

Rating:
Summary: Great work with some flaws
Review: I loved these movies and the soundtrack that came with them. Mamoru Oshii is a genius but there were quite a few flaws that kept me unsatisfied. I wouldn't recommend these for everyone but only for those who like Oshii and anime. If you do it's a definate buy!

Rating:
Summary: Unique
Review: These movies certainly won't appeal to everyone, but I personally found them refreshingly different, interesting and very enjoyable. Whether or not you will enjoy them depends not only on personal taste but also what you intend to get out of seeing movies. If you've dismissed movies such as David Lynch's "Eraserhead" or "Lost Highway" as 'arsty pretentious rubbish', these won't be the films for you. The directing draws attention to itself (especially in "Talking Head"), which means if you just want to be told a story, you're already missing the point. These can be seen as 'experiments' in movie-making, and the results are very interesting, provided you're into that sort of thing.

Understandably, some people may be interested in these movies because of the connection to the Oshii-written anime "Jin-Roh". Don't expect a similar film, or much relation to it. At first, these films seem to have little relation to each other, let alone other films. Don't expect action, either. There are occasional action scenes, though if that's why you're watching the film you're once again likely missing the point.

It occured to me that "The Red Spectacles" is, in a way, a parody of itself. Any event or aspect of the storyline that may have been slightly far fetched, silly, or seen as a mistake in a normal film, is made very deliberate, exaggerated and displayed in an over-the-top manner that is somewhat remeniscent of comedic anime.. yet it doesn't feel out of place. It seems to fit right into the world Oshii has created in the film.

"Stray Dog" is a mellow, aesthetically beautiful film, rich in color, which is a startling contrast to the schizofrenic "Red Spectacles", which was predominately in black and white, and generally far from mellow. If you're not a fan of slow movies, or are expecting some action, you'll likely look at the time an hour into the movie and be amazed that seemingly nothing's happened yet. This isn't actually the case, of course, and while the film may be less complex, and generally less active, than the other two in the series, it still has plenty of ideas to express. This is the film that probably has the most in common with Jin-Roh, but again, don't expect the same film.

"Talking Head" defies convention even more than "The Red Spectacles" did, and presents a story about filmmaking full of bizarre characters and events, and commentary on various aspects of the art. This should be fascinating viewing for appreciators of 'arty' cinema, not just for it's bold direction and quirkiness, but also for the ideas expressed about the medium of film (and more specifically, animation), and the creative process.

I've long appreciated Oshii's animated works (such as Patlabor 2, Ghost in the Shell and Jin-Roh), and was very interested to see his live action films. Between his anime films, these films, and the absolutely stunning "Avalon", Oshii has shown diversity and unique vision, and has more than earned a place among the giants of cinema.

Rating:
Summary: I'll be honest...
Review: These movies flat out suck. For one thing, the box art and movie trailers will show you that these movies are action packed (by showing constant gun fights, and armored soldiers running around), when in fact they are not. My main reason for buying this set was because I loved Jon-Roh, as well as Ghost in The Shell. So I figured a live action version would be awesome, but it's not. In Jon-Roh, there was quite a bit of action involving the awesome looking armors the soldiers wear. In the live action movies, you barely see this at all. At the start of the films you see a tiny bit of action, and then for almost an hour and a half later, it's nothing but slow pacing footage of people wondering what's going on.

In Red Spectacles, a former Kerberos soldier comes back to Japan to find his team mates he left behind, and goes to find out what's been going on ever since he left. He finds out what happens to his buddies, but the ending leaves you questioning if he did in fact find out anything at all. The Movie starts off in color, but the rest of it is in black and white, which gives the movie an odd look. Also, instead of being a serious film, the characters end up trying to be comical like in anime, but it's never funny because trying to do cartoon gags in live action never turn out right because live action films never get the timimg right.

In Stray Dogs, most of it is serious, but at times they will go off doing stupid gags that never work (again, because the timing is off). And just like Red Spectacles, we never see any action except towards the end. In Stray Dogs, a former Kerberos soldier is released from prison, and he leaves japan to search for his master. The pacing in this movie is too slow as well. Most of the movie is just wandering around, not really doing anything. When there's a small fight between these two characters, it's all in one angle, and one angle only. Not only can you see the kicks not even making contact (they just swing them over each other) but the actors reactions for being hit are way off. One guy kicks, delay, other guy finally reacts. Had they had quicker timing for this, and different angles and sound effects, it would have been better, but instead just looks cheesy.

I haven't even watched the third film yet. The soundtrack for Stray Dogs that came with this set is pretty good, but I'm afraid this may be the only good thing this set has to offer. My advice: don't buy this set at all. It's embarrassing
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