What did you watch last week? (10-08/10-14)

Azumi 1 and 2(2003 and 2005 Netflix DVD) I rated both a 7, I found them both very entertaining if flawed films. The reuse of actors from one film playing different parts in the second film was a bit too noticeable to be completely ignored, in one case it was highlighted. The fighting was solid, but I will say that I agree with a poster from IMDB that noted that none of the Assassins in the film looked like they were better fighters than the rest. You were more told this and the results made it seem that way but while they were fighting it didn't sell itself that way most of the time.

Whispering Corridors 4: Voice (2005 Netflix DVD) 7/10 I have liked all of the films in this series so far and this was no exception. It handled itself well throughout, while I figured out the twist before it was presented I still like how it was done. Apparently girls schools in South Korea are not safe places.

The Suspicious Death of a Minor (1975 Amazon Prime) 6/10 This is more a Poliziotteschi film that Giallo. For some reason it didn't really work completely for me. Probably I simply didn't buy the tactics and role the lead actor played in the film. It did have a few enjoyable chase scenes, and mystery that was suitably solved but again its not the best thing I have watched from Italy.

Out of the Dark (1995 Amazon Prime) 6/10 This is a Stephen Chow supernatural comedy, it had a lot of hit and miss jokes and sight gags. I did find a lot of the film funny, particularly the inappropriate comments of a security guard when a child went missing, however the film doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

Cinderella (2006 Asian Crush) 6/10 This was an interesting film, what you learn at the end of the film is simply sick and twisted. The film revolves around plastic surgery and the obsession with beauty. The main character's mother is a surgeon and her friends go to her to be fixed. But things begin to go wrong when some of these friends begin to die. The film has a supernatural element to it that isn't really well explained at any point, there is a reason why it may be supernatural, but that reason is kind of contradicted by elements at the end of the film.

Brotherhood of Blades (2014 Netflix) 7/10 This is a pretty good film. Three friends within the Imperial Assassins are tasked with a mission that will entangle them in a conspiracy they may not be able to escape. The fighting in this film is very well done, the primary lead is solid and the film moves along pretty well and the story is not bad. The lead character makes a decision, that ends up being costly but at the same time no matter what he decided they were going to be in trouble. I am looking forward to the sequel to this.

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Just one movie last week:

Restless (2011, US)
A teenage boy named Enoch has lost his parents in a car accident and has difficulty dealing with the concept of death. He copes with it by attending random people's funerals and befriending the ghost of a Japanese kamikaze pilot from World War II, who is his confidant and essentially his only friend. Then at one of the funerals, he meets a free-spirited girl named Annabel who takes an interest in him and soon becomes his girlfriend. It turns out that she has cancer and only months to live, and they spend those months living to the fullest and trying to come to terms with the meaning of life and death. I really liked this movie.

I also watched the rest of the Cadfael series (1994-1998, UK) which I've been watching lately, about a Benedictine monk in 12th-century England who investigates and solves murders. Pretty good series. The main character, Cadfael, is played by the famous actor Derek Jacobi.