Away We Go DVD Review

Away We Go - An Alliance Films’ Release

On DVD: September 29th, 2009

Rated 14A: Coarse language, sexual content, language may offend.

Running time: 98 minutes

Sam Mendes (dir.)

Dave Eggers & Vendala Vida (writers)

Alexi Murdoch (original music)

John Krasinski as Burt Farlander

Maya Rudolph as Verona De Tessant

Jeff Daniels as Jerry Farlander

Maggie Gyllenhaal as LN

Allison Janney as Lily

Chris Messina as Tom Garnett

Catherine O’Hara as Gloria Farlander

Paul Schneider as Courtney Farlander

Special Features: "Deleted Scenes*, - The Making of Away We Go*, - Green Filmmaking*, - Feature Commentary * Subtitled same as feature

HD content: - User Guide: MY SCENES, - Playstation 3 Controller (static user guide), - The Making of Away We Go*, - Green Filmmaking*"

©2009 Focus Features LLC and Big Beach LLC. All Rights Reserved. Distributed Exclusively in Canada by Alliance Films. All Rights Reserved.

Our reviews below:

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Away We Go DVD Review By John C.

*1/2 (out of 4)

Some of Sam Mendes’ films could be described as masterpieces. His latest, Away We Go, is a minor disaster-piece. From the off-colour and really disgusting opening scene, I found myself thinking “what am I in for?”. It’s literally all down hill from there. The story follows the moronic Burt and the incredibly average Verona, who are in their thirties. They’ve been together for quite some time, but she refuses to get married. When she finally gets pregnant, they decide to take a road trip to find a better and more permanent place to settle down.

On their journey, they visit old friends and family. Almost everyone they visit is incredibly obnoxious. Some of them are also creepy. In particular the new-age family who all sleep together in the same bed. And also the mother who has adopted four kids, and does pathetic and clothed pole dances at a strip club in Montreal in her spare time. But how can you expect likable side characters when the leads themselves aren’t even that likable?

If this film was a total indie, than perhaps I would have cut it a bit more slack. But it’s mind-boggling and actually quite sad to see something like this come from an incredibly talented cast and crew. None of it is particularly funny, and by the end, when we’re supposed to feel for the characters, I felt no real emotional connection to them. The only thing I kind of liked in the film was the “indie-folk” soundtrack by singer/songwriter Alexi Murdoch.

The DVD includes the featurette’s The Making of Away We Go and Green Filmmaking. It also includes commentary with director Sam Mendes and writers Dave Eggers & Vandela Vida.

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Away We Go DVD Review By Erin V.

** (out of 4)

It is said the first five minutes, or the last five minutes, can make or break a film. Right from the get go - the opening scene - my expectations plummeted for this movie. If you're wondering, simply put, the story follows the characters Burt and Verona looking for a new place to live with the child they are expecting.

From a disgusting opening scene to the odd, boring, and repetitive travels from place to place - stating with rather boring interruptive title cards saying, 'Away to (insert name of wherever their going)' - Away We Go just never lived up to my expectations. And why did practically every character in this film have to be unlikable? It's not like the actors are bad...it must just be how the script was written.

I couldn't really recommend this film, in all honesty. I suppose, if you're interested in borrowing it from the library, or checking it out on television, it would be fine to check it out for yourself, but other than that, you can skip this one.

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Away We Go DVD Review By Nicole

** (out of 4)

Review N/A

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Away We Go DVD Review By Maureen

*1/2 (out of 4)

Review N/A

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Away We Go DVD Review By Tony

*1/2 (out of 4)

Review N/A

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Consensus: Not all that great a film. At all. *3/4 (Out of 4)

Departures Review

Departures - A KINOSMITH Release

http://www.departures-themovie.com/

Release Date: June 12th, 2009

Rated 14A for disturbing content

Running time: 131 minutes

Yôjirô Takita (dir.)

Kundo Koyama (writer)

Joe Hisaishi (music)

Masahiro Motoki as Daigo Kobayashi

Tsutomu Yamazaki as Ikuei Sasaki

Ryoko Hirosue as Mika Kobayashi

Kazuko Yoshiyuki as Tsuyako Yamashita

Kimiko Yo as Yuriko Kamimura

Takashi Sasano as Shokichi Hirata

Our reviews below:

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Departures Review By John C.

**** (out of 4)

Departures was the winner of Best Foreign Language Film at last year’s Academy Awards. The film provided one of the few surprises at the Oscars, beating out the competition of The Baader Meinhof Complex, The Class, Revanche and Waltz With Bashir.

It tells the story of Daigo Kobayashi (Masahiro Motoki), a man who plays the cello in an orchestra. When the orchestra dissolves, he finds a job listing in the paper under “departures”. What is it? A travel agency maybe? You can understand his shock when he goes for the job interview, is hired on the spot and expected to start preparing bodies for cremation.

I didn’t think the film was perfect, but it’s still excellent despite it’s flaws. I found it to falter in it’s first act. A scene where he goes into an old ladies house, to remove her two-week old body, is disgusting and I didn’t find it to fit tonally with the rest of the film. The opening scene is played for comedy, but then played again as drama later on. I’m not sure that this quite worked for me. On the contrary, the second act is moving and beautiful.

But, where the film really succeeds is in it’s uniquely moving and beautiful last act. As his business starts to take on a more personal level, everyone around him starts to realize it’s nothing to be ashamed of. The last fifty minutes of the film are handled delicately, beautifully and flawlessly, making up for all falters in the first act, and making us understand why it won the Oscar.

The music in Departures is also amazing, the sweeping cello combined with beautiful scenery is part of what makes the film so beautiful and emotional. My only question is: When Daigo plays the cello, who’s playing the piano music that starts to accompany him? But I wonder that about a lot of movies. Even if you wait for the DVD, Departures is definitely worth seeing, I highly recommend it.

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Departures Review By Erin V.

**** (out of 4)

Departures is the story of a young man in Japan, who is a cellist. After a short opening, we flash back to a few months earlier, when the orchestra that Daigo, the main character, is playing in, disbands. Daigo then has no choice but to look for work elsewhere. He sees an ad in a local paper for a job dealing with ‘departures’. He goes for the interview, and gets the job - practically before he even knows what it is for. It is not until much further along in the movie that we get back to the first scene again, although from a different tone and perspective this time...

Despite what may seem like an odd premise, this is actually a very artistically beautiful film. The Japanese ceremony of preparing people for their final departure is one that is done in a ritualistic manner, almost like a dance. We see how much closure the family members of their deceased loved ones get from watching the beautiful preparation ritual.

At first, hearing that this movie was 2 hours and 11 minutes, I was not sure how long it would feel. It feels like just the right length. Despite the fact that it is completely in Japanese and you are reading subtitles, a lot of the dialogue is not that fast, or there is just music accompanying what is happening on screen, (there are even times when this film is completely silent). So, it is not a strain to be reading subtitles for the running time, nor is it distracting to what is happening on screen.

In short, it is no surprise that this movie won at the 81st Academy Awards for Best Foreign Picture. This movie completely draws you in both visually, and emotionally. By the time you reach the ending, you will have tears in your eyes. Set to a backdrop of quiet cello music, Departures truly is a work of art.

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Departures Review By Nicole

**** (out of 4)

Departures is a beautiful Japanese film that is a piece of art in itself. The main character, Daigo Kobayashi, plays the cello in a local orchestra. Daigo has always been a cellist, but when the orchestra he plays at goes under due to poor attendance, Daigo is desperate for work. So he looks in the classifieds, and settles on a job entitled “Departures”. What Daigo thinks is a travel agency turns out to be a job at a funeral home. Desperate for money, Daigo takes the job, but does not tell his wife Mika, afraid she wouldn’t approve. At first, Daigo doesn’t like his new job. He finds it weird, and kind of dark. But over time, Daigo realizes how important his job is, when he sees the solace that the beautiful Japanese ritual brings to families.

I really loved Departures. What could have been a depressing movie, turns out to be a touching, moving, and aesthetically pleasing film. Some of the scenes at the beginning play out more as a comedy, but the rest of the film is more of a drama. I was completely taken aback by both the gracefulness and reverence in how the deceased are handled in Japan. We see how Daigo’s artistic abilities come into play at his work. The music in this film is also beautiful. I really liked how the cello music fit with the Japanese funeral ritual, which is essentially a dance.

Departures is a beautiful, emotional film, that celebrates life’s beauty in all it’s stages. An amazing look at Japanese culture, and a film that will be accessible anywhere in the world.

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Departures Review By Maureen

**** (out of 4)

Departures is a beautiful work of art. The academy got it right choosing Departures for Best Foreign Film.

Given the subject matter, preparing bodies, this could have been a very dark and depressing film. Instead, director Yôjirô Takita created a film that is gentle, warm and lovely to see and hear.

The movie opens with Daigo performing the preparation ceremony on Tomeo, a young suicide victim with a secret. This opening scene provides light humour and introduces us to the main subject, the ritual preparation ceremony for the departed. The movie goes to flashback at this point.

In the flashback, the main character, Daigo loses his job as a cellist when the local orchestra dissolves. He answers an ad for a job that he thinks is in a travel agency. When he realizes the company actually prepares bodies for undertakers he is reluctant. However, the company owner convinces him that fate has brought him there, and offers him generous financial compensation. Without telling his wife Mika, Daigo takes the job and begins the process of learning the ceremonial ritual of preparing the recently departed for their final journey.

The rest of the film deals with Daigo struggling to learn and finally mastering his new job. The story also deals with how Daigo’s decision to work with departures affects his relationship with his sweet and gentle wife Mika.

What I loved about Departures is how the subject of death is treated with such respect and dignity. I found it absolutely touching and beautiful to watch the preparation ceremony. The ritual is preformed with such grace and precision that I felt I was watching a dance. The cello music that Daigo plays and the classical music that runs throughout the film made the artistic experience complete for me.

The acting was believable and wonderfully low-key. I liked Daigo and Mika and cared what happened to them and their relationship.

From start to finish, I was engaged with Departures. Even at just over two hours of reading English subtitles. I never tired of watching beauty unfold.

If you appreciate quiet, artistic movies, then you won’t want to miss this unique Japanese film.

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Departures Review By Tony

**** (out of 4)

Before the opening credits of Departures we see a young man and an older man attending the wake of a young suicide victim to prepare the body for cremation. After the opening credits, we find the younger man Daigo (Masahiro Motoki) playing cello in a symphonic concert and then being told that his orchestra is disbanding. With his wife Mika (Ryoko Hirosue) he moves back to the house in northern Japan left to him by his mother. Expecting a job in the travel business, he answers an ad for a “departures” firm, and is surprised when the boss (Tsutomu Yamazaki) hires him on the spot with a cash advance. Only then does he discover that his job involves the preparation of dead bodies for the afterlife by ritual cleaning, making up and dressing, to be placed in coffins and burned to release their spirits. We watch with increasing admiration as Daigo handles this role in front of all kinds of grieving families with the utmost care and respect, and is usually rewarded with their gratitude. Daigo is reluctant to let his wife know what he does, and when she accidentally finds out she at first rejects him, since many still see his profession as unclean.

A lot more happens in this film. Though a bit over two hours long, it is never boring. Despite the potentially gruesome subject matter and tears of vicarious grief that we will inevitably feel, we are comforted by the quiet dignity of the rituals of death. The acting is uniformly excellent. Despite minor cultural differences we can immediately relate to and like most of the characters. The musical score by Joe Hisaishi is very effective. There is a recurring tune that we first hear Daigo playing on his cello. Some scenes are silent and in the showing I attended you could hear a pin drop.

Departures richly deserved its best foreign language film Oscar. Go see it. You will know why.

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Consensus: Departures is a beautiful film that will show you the work of art that is the final preparation for departure in Japan. Although the subject matter could have been done in a disturbing manner, it is quite the opposite here. Completely deserving of it’s Best foreign language film Oscar, Departures is a film that is a must see. **** (Out of 4)

Tokyo! Review

Tokyo! - A KINOSMITH Release

http://www.tokyothemovie.com/

Release Date: June 5th, 2009 (at the Royal)

Rated 14A for nudity and disturbing content

Running time: 107 minutes

Michel Gondry (dir., segment "Interior Design")

Leos Carax (dir., segment "Merde")

Joon-ho Bong (dir., segment "Shaking Tokyo")

Étienne Charry (music, segment: "Interior Design")

Byung-woo Lee (music)

Ayako Fujitani as Hiroko (segment "Interior Design")

Ayumi Ito as Akemi (segment "Interior Design")

Denis Lavant as Merde' (segment "Merde")

Jean-François Balmer as Maître Voland (segment "Merde")

Yû Aoi as Pizza-Delivery Girl (segment "Shaking Tokyo")

Teruyuki Kagawa as Man (segment "Shaking Tokyo")

Our reviews below:

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Tokyo! Review By John C.

***

Tokyo! is comprised of three parts. Each one different, none of them connected. I will be rating each one separately. As a whole, the film is enjoyable and worth seeing.

Interior Design (directed by Michel Gondry)

***

This Michel Gondry directed segment is weird, but it works. It’s very funny and makes you think. It follows the story of a young couple who are crashing at a friends house. The man is a filmmaker, (we get a glimpse at his truly terrible and hilarious film), and the women is not exactly sure what she wants. Near the end it takes a twisted turn, we’re not quite sure what's happening, but in the end it’s explained visually in the best way they can. It’s interesting, thought-provoking and funny.

Merde (directed by Leos Carax)

**1/2

Definitely the weirdest of the three films, it follows the story of a mysterious creature from the sewers. The creature terrorizes Tokyo, eating flowers and cash. The film is bizarre and slightly disgusting. The creature (who looks more like a slightly deformed man, who is hairy and very dirty), is weird and crazy, although I do admit I laughed quite a bit when he starts speaking a strange made-up language. One scene where he walks fully naked and front on towards the camera, is sure to induce cringes from the audience. This film didn’t really fit with the other two fascinating social studies.

Shaking Tokyo (directed by Bong Joon-Ho)

***1/2

Shaking Tokyo is an extremely fascinating study of a man who hasn’t left his house in 11 years. When a mysterious pizza delivery girl faints at his door during an earthquake, his world is shaken up, and he may just have to leave his house. This film truly reaches a level of brilliance, with it’s study of what in Japan is called a hikikomori, someone who doesn’t leave their house for an extended period of time.

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Tokyo! Review By Erin V.

**3/4 (out of 4)

Tokyo! is in three parts, although unlike Toronto Stories, they are not all connected by a single character or anything like that. Instead, each of the three segments have a title card, and end credits, making the experience of watching it almost like that of a film festival where a few short films with some sort of link, (in this case Tokyo), will be shown together in a feature length time slot.

Interior Design (Directed By Michel Gondry)

***

Interior Design is a thought-provoking piece of cinema. It follows a young women who feels as though she is not useful. She and her boyfriend are crashing at her friend’s place, as her boyfriend pursues a not too hopeful film career. She feels as though she is practically invisible - disappearing in a sense. As the Western world expression would be, she feels like “a doormat”. A very strong three stars here.

Merde (Directed By Leos Carax)

**

Merde is an odd film about a creature from the sewers who wrecks havoc in the city, and creates fear in the hearts of those in Tokyo. Part way through the film, it turns from his marching on the city to a criminal case as he is arrested and brought to trial. While some parts of this film were funny, other parts of it were just too odd for my liking. I am giving this segment a very mild two stars.

Shaking Tokyo (Directed By Bong Joon-Ho)

***

Shaking Tokyo is probably the most interesting of the three stories, (although closely followed by Interior Design). It is the story of a man who has lived as a hikikomori, (like a hermit), for the last 10, or so years. He never has to leave his home as he can just order everything to his door. And anything, like cans or boxes that things come in, never leave his house, instead being meticulously organized in neat piles. Every Saturday, he orders pizza, and when a young pizza delivery girl faints at his doorstep during an Earthquake, it is the first time he has had any real interaction with someone after all this time. Once she leaves, he wants to see her again - but how? He is a hikikomori... This short has such an interesting concept behind it, and the resolution is amazing. This is a very, very strong three stars for me.

- Overall, I am only giving Tokyo! two and three quarter stars. Had the middle segment been something more along the lines of the first and the last, I think that I probably would have enjoyed the whole all that much more. At least it had a strong opening and strong ending. I just wish that all three of the segments would have been as thought-provoking as Interior Design and Shaking Tokyo.

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Tokyo! Review By Nicole

**3/4 (out of 4)

Tokyo! is a series of three short films that celebrate the unique culture and people in this well known Japanese city. Since this is a collection of short stories, I will be reviewing each short film separately.

Interior Design (Directed By Michel Gondry)

***

Interior Design is a funny little comedy about a young adult couple who are trying to find a place to call their own. They are bunking out in a friend’s apartment, while the two try to earn money. The young man aspires to become a filmmaker, but his films are so bad, that no legitimate theatre will show them. As for the girl, she can’t find any employment. Everything seems to be going wrong. The girl does not feel useful, and goes through a bizarre transformation. After literally feeling sat upon, the girl develops a purpose in life. An unusual little fantasy that is worth checking out.

Merde (Directed By Leos Carax)

*1/2

Merde is a homage to both old Japanese monster movies and French clowning and mime art. A strange troll-like man escapes from his sewer home, and wrecks havoc in Tokyo. When the clown/troll finally gets caught, nobody can understand him, as he communicates only in grunts and gestures. Except one defense lawyer from France (who sports the same long-red troll beard as the creature), understands and can speak troll. The troll, whose name is Mr. Merde (French for , well, you know), is sentenced to hang, but, being a troll, of course, he does not die. Merde is a cheesy troll/clown/monster film and is almost reminiscent of a Monty Python sketch. Merde is a really bad and bizarrely funny film, that doesn’t really fit with the other two short films, but is amusing on it’s own.

Shaking Tokyo (Directed By Bong Joon-Ho)

***

Shaking Tokyo is an interesting social commentary about how people are too isolated in our modern world. This story follows a shy, eccentric man, who, as an attempt to avoid social interaction, has lived as a hikikomori, or hermit, for the past 10 years. Every thing that enters his house is kept and stacked; nothing can be thrown away. And every Saturday the man orders pizza. But this time, a lovely, and eccentric woman delivers his pizza. An earthquake occurs, and the woman faints in the man’s doorway. Not knowing what to do, he pokes one of her button tattoos, and she wake up. Later, the man finds out that the eccentric woman has become a hikikomori. Now it is up to the man to leave his home, if he wants to ever see her again.

Out of all the stories, Shaking Tokyo was my favorite, (with Interior Design being a close second). I found it interesting and believable, how the hikikomori would find both human interaction and various sensory input overwhelming, but something that he has to learn to face, in order to have a life.

Tokyo! is an interesting collection of short films. However, the collection may be best watched as individual films on DVD. Over all, Tokyo! is definitely worth seeing, and eventually adding to your DVD collection.

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Tokyo! Review By Maureen

**1/2 (out of 4)

Tokyo! is an interesting collection of three short films all set in Tokyo.

The first one ‘Interior Design’ focuses on a young couple trying to find an apartment, employment and purpose in life. The young man is an aspiring film director who ends up earning money wrapping gifts. His supportive girlfriend is an artist but is having trouble finding any direction in her life other than being supportive of her boyfriend. In this interesting social commentary the viewer sees the young woman literally lose herself to other peoples needs. This is visually portrayed in a really strange but oddly sensible way. I won’t spoil the surprise by saying what happens to her. Interior Design is well worth checking out. ***

The second film, ‘Merde’ was a little too strange for my liking. Basically, it’s the story of a troll-like man living in the sewers of Tokyo (that’s why he’s called ‘Merde’) who comes out to terrorize the Tokyo streets and eat flowers among other things. The monster gets caught but in true horror movie fashion dead isn’t always dead and you know he’ll be back. When this comes out on DVD, I’ll skip this one. However, monster movie fans may find this one oddly amusing. *1/2

The third film, ‘Shaking Tokyo’ is nicely done. This is the story of a hikikomori (a recluse) man who hasn’t left his home for ten years. His only contact with the outside world is through the deliveries he orders by phone. When an earthquake hits and a pretty female pizza delivery girl faints in his doorway his whole world is shaken in more ways than one. Ultimately he realizes that literally and figuratively if he stays inside he will die. ‘Shaking Tokyo’ makes a touching statement about self-imposed isolation. This was a nice film to watch. ***

Overall, Tokyo! is an interesting film experience. If you enjoy the format of other similar ‘city’ films and don’t mind listening to Japanese dialogue while reading English subtitles, then check this one out. Because Tokyo! is in limited theatre release, you may have to wait for the DVD. It’s worth the wait.

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Tokyo! Review By Tony

*** (out of 4)

Like its counterparts from New York, Paris, and most recently Toronto, Tokyo! is a series of short films from different directors set in the title city. In this case, the first two films have French directors–Michel Gondry and Leos Carax, and the third is directed by Korean Bong Joon-Ho.

In the first story, Interior Design, Hiroko (Ayako Fujitani) and Akira (Ryo Kase) are a young couple from out of town crashing in the apartment of Hiroko’s school friend Akemi (Ayumi Ito) until they find their own place. Akira has brought an experimental film with him to be shown in a few weeks to potential backers . Meanwhile, he gets a part-time job wrapping store packages, while Hiroko looks in vain for a decent flat. As Akira’s filmmaking career takes off, Hiroko undergoes a strange metamorphosis consistent with her increasingly subservient role.

The appropriately named title character of Merde (Denis Lavant) is a repulsive creature with claws, a genie beard, and vacant look from his one good eye, who emerges from the sewers to run through the streets. Initially merely obnoxious, he wreaks havoc after discovering an underground cache of hand grenades from the imperial Nanking campaign. Dragged out of his lair, he is tried and sentenced to hang, despite the efforts of his only advocate, a French jurist (Jean-François Balmer) who strangely resembles him and can translate his language of grunts, shrieks and face slaps to and from French while another interpreter goes between French and Japanese. Extensive local news coverage incites fierce public reaction both for and against him, including demonstrations, icons, effigies and even Merde language classes.

In Shaking Tokyo, Teruyuki Kagawa plays a hikikimori (agoraphobic) who has not left his flat for ten years. Supported by cash from his father, he has all his needs delivered, including Saturday night pizza, for which all the boxes have been neatly stacked up. One Saturday, he breaks his rule of avoiding eye contact when a young woman (Yu Aoi) brings the pizza and faints into his doorway during a sudden earthquake. When she comes to, she is inspired by his lifestyle and he feels drawn to her. When he finds out later that she (and just about everyone else) has become a recluse, he has to emerge from his cocoon to find her.

Though much weirder than I would generally like, all three films are interesting and amusing in their own ways, and worth checking out.

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Consensus: Tokyo! is an interesting set of three short films. While like always with these kinds of films, some segments are better than others, this is still worth checking out. **3/4 (Out of 4)