January 12, film 9: Innocence

(Added Japanese trailer, because it is so much more poetic than the American trailer)

What?
A series of androids, designed to be used as sexbots, all of a sudden disobey their programming, and start murdering their owners. Unit 9 starts to investigate the cause.

Where?
At parent’s place.

With?
On my own.

Why?
After seeing Ghost in a Shell, I felt like seeing Innocence again (which I remembered as being the better of the two films).

Worth it?

This is the first time that I saw the film and I could follow (and contain) the story from beginning to end. It is as good as I remembered it to be. I had some favorite scenes that I looked forward to, and they were still as good as I imagined them to be (one is the scene where Batô goes on a rampage in a mini-mart, the other the scene with the feverish music in the house of the hacker). It was still astounding how full the movie is with images and ideas, and how much it stands the test of time. Also, the opening sequence of this film is extremely good, so I’m just adding it in for your enjoyment.

9/10

January 10, film 8: Ghost in the Shell

What?
It’s 2029. Most people have cybernetic enhancements, and crime has evolved alongside. Unit 9 has been put on a case of a defecting programmer and a mysterious hacker called ‘Puppet Master’

Where?
Parents’ place

With?
On my own

Why?
Ghost in the Shell is one of those I like to revisit every once in a while. It is one of those original movies that a lot of modern movies and television series are still referring back to.

Worth it?
For some reason the storyline in Ghost in the Shell doesn’t ever really stick in my brain (GitS 2: Innocence has the same issue). Nevertheless I never get bored of seeing this film. The atmosphere is great, it’s funny to see where the Wachowski brothers got the title sequence design for the Matrix from, and it still leaves you with lots to think about, esp. when it comes to what defines humanity, and whether machines can be human.I love the work of this director, and I didn’t remember that the posters with the dog (that have an important role in Avalon) showed up in this film too. Time to put Innocence on my to watch list.

8/10