Category: 2001
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Compilation of three short films by director Harris. The first is a segment for the TV news about a young man in Utah who likes to get into Olivia Newton-John drag and perform. Second is Sean Penn reenacting that segment, only while addressing the damage Harris’s handling of the actual news item did to the…
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Initially derivative, then good story of Korean teenager Kubozuka Yôsuke growing up in Japan and suffering racism. Lots of good stuff with the family and the friends, with the romance and the comedy coming in a distant third (and fourth). But then all of a sudden the romance gets good. Sometimes rocky–even through the denouement–but…
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The modern Japanese drama tends to be emotive. Even when they aren’t good, they succeed in making the viewer care for the characters. Turn is, ostensibly, a Japanese Groundhog Day. Only not funny. Where Groundhog Day was about Bill Murray interacting with people with no consequence, the character stuck in turnover in Turn is alone.…
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Let me annotate the opening cast crawl with my thoughts at the time…. James Spader–great, love him on “Boston Legal.” Melora Walters–from Magnolia, love her, she’s in nothing. Jay Mohr–liked him in Picture Perfect when I saw it, now can’t believe I liked it… Catherine O’Hara, Bill Murray… solid people. So what happened? It’s actually…
The Stop Button 