Ruined Heart: Another Lovestory Between a Criminal and a Whore (2014)

I don't know how it is for other folks, whether they be professional, amateur, hobbyist or otherwise, but, speaking for myself, when it comes to putting together words to describe a viewing some are easy, some are challenging, and a special few, like Ruined Heart, are damn near impossible.
It has a dreamlike quality; not in a colourful and floaty way, but in how it moves from scene to scene, from emotive event to artistic intent. With almost no dialogue to aid comprehension it relies on feelings, delivered primarily via a combination of imagery (cinematography by Christopher Doyle) and peculiar music courtesy of Dir. Khavn and bizarre duo Stereo Total, amongst others.

3½ conceptual lines out of 5

47 Ronin (2013)

47 Ronin is a very lean film. There's nothing present here beyond what is absolutely necessary. However, it isn't hollow or sparse like many current efforts. I will still joyfully admit that I brought a lot into it myself, and that it is very much OF myself. I cannot begin to guarantee that Keanu will wring emotion out of you the way he does for me. However, if you can recognize the appropriateness of the spartan execution, given the subject matter, and are willing to look into yourself as experiencing it, you may find similar fulfillment.

4 Minus Three Degrees of Yayoi out of 5

Nutted by NEG.

SILENCE [2016]

After 27 years of toying with the idea, director Martin Scorsese finally tackles Silence, a film adaptation of Shūsaku Endō's novel of the same name.
Set in 17th Century Japan, a time when the Japanese were brutally exterminating anything or body related to Christianity.  two Jesuit priests quietly sneak into the nation in search for their missing mentor.
It's such a huge story but Scorsese scales it down into such intimacy it's very apparent the director approached the project with immensely personal feelings about it.  However dry the film might be in spots it never stops asking questions with emotional complexity to keep you captivated.  No matter how much it asks it seldom supplies answers and instead begs the viewer to seek out their own, should they ever find the correct one.

4 confessions too many out of 5

Zatoichi (2003)

aka The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi (in the US)

Stepping into Shintarô Katsu’s well-worn sandals is a very tall order. I can think of no one more deserving of the honour than Takeshi Kitano.
Katsu’s Ichi shone even when acting nonchalant. Kitano chooses not to. He fades into the background often. Consequently, the secondary characters come across as being better written, making Ichi seem like less of a focal point and more of a supporting player in his own story. I'm sure it was intentional, but, even though the swordsman’s persona has been well-established previously, I feel the two halves ought to have been at least on equal footing, because for many folks it'll be their first ever Zatoichi film.
I’ve vented hatred for CGI blood in previous posts; pairing it with CGI blades elicits and qualifies for an even greater level of disgust.

3 dancing farmers out of 5

Gohatto (1999)

Gohatto is Nagisa Ôshima's final film. It's a beautifully orchestrated period piece about a group of samurai during the bakumatsu era (here 1865).
It's unusual in that it deals with a rarely explored subject within the often strict genre: it's about the love of one samurai by another and how it fits in with their codes of practice and honour.
Ôshima's mastery of his art is evident in every facet of the production. The camera movements are so perfect that you don't even notice them unless you're looking for them. The sword fights are superb. And everything is given an extra dimension with the addition of some traditional in style but atypically sinister music by Ryûichi Sakamoto.

4½ leanings out of 5