Review: Memoirs of a Geisha

I promised a review of Memoirs of a Geisha and here it is. This film is a beautiful and emotional portrayal of a period in history that is often overlooked in favor of the samurai and ninja movies or the horror and techno films that Japan is so well known (and loved) for producing. The film begins with a scene that is spoken in Japanese without the convenience of English subtitles. However, no words are needed to understand the gravity of the scene. Young Chiyo and her sister are sold by their father to a man who delivers them to a Geisha house. Here Chiyo is kept, but her sister is passed over. Later we learn that she has been sold to a pleasure house. The two try to escape together, but Chiyo has an unfortunate accident and is brought back to the Geisha house. Her sister is never heard from again. This begins the story of Chiyo and her ascent from a young peasant girl into a glorious and most famous Geisha.

I’ll leave out the details of the rest of the movie so as not to spoil it for anyone who has not seen it. However, I will give my brief comments on the film as a whole. From the moment of the opening scene until the final scene I found myself fully engage (a true feat for a movie runtime of 145 minutes). It is often times difficult to endure the uncomfortable theater seating with movies expanding to a near three hours these days, but this film made me forget about my seat and the theater and the rest of the audience in favor of its beautiful representation of early to mid-century Japan.

The gorgeous scenes filled with beautifully colored kimonos were starkly contrasted with the horrendous, emotional conflicts of the young women fighting there way to the top of the Geisha world. This film has a most excellent villainous. She is horrifying and awe inspiring in her antics to keep Chiyo from out shining her own beauty. My one complaint is that the last scene is too abrupt. Again, I will not spoil it, but I’ll only say that for a film which is specific in its intent to climax at a certain point, it would be nice if that moment is stretch out longer than the thirty (or so) seconds that it lasted.

As far as all the negative press that this film received (regarding its Chinese actors in a Japanese film) I say ignore the talking heads and view the film for yourself. After all it won three Oscars and had another eleven wins and thenty-three nominations. If you love movies about Japan and want to watch something really worth your time than this is the film for you.

Memoirs of a Geisha

As I am a big fan of all things Japanese I'm now off to watch this movie. Then I'm off to a party. I'll let you know how the movie is if I can remember after the party.

Pop Culture Pandemonium

So last week...on American Idol, the top twelve contestants were chosen. I disagreed with a few of America's decisions, but how can I argue since I didn't vote. However, after this week's performances of Stevie Wonder songs it is clearly obvious that Kevin cannot sing at the caliber of his contemporaries. His "puppy" qualities are wearing thin and if the decision were mine, I'd vote him off. What do you think?

American Idol: Who Let The Dogs Out?

Have you ever stopped to notice how much American Idol is like the Eukanuba Dog show? In the show ring contestants are divided by sex, brought into a ring, and made to perform. Dogs have handlers; American Idol contestants have managers. Dogs have groomers; American Idol contestants have fashion/appearance consultants. Dogs have trainers; American Idol contestants have vocal coaches. In the end, both are judged to find the Best in Show.