Share Signification's profile
 
Facebook Twitter
 
 
Signification
 
 
 
Signification's stats
 
  • Review count
    107
  • Helpfulness votes
    76
  • First review
    October 9, 2007
  • Last review
    May 2, 2008
  • Featured reviews
    0
  • Average rating
    4.8
 
Reviews comments
  • Review comment count
    0
  • Helpfulness votes
    0
  • First review comment
    None
  • Last review comment
    None
  • Featured review comments
    0
 
Questions
  • Question count
    0
  • Helpfulness votes
    0
  • First question
    None
  • Last question
    None
  • Featured questions
    0
 
Answers
  • Answer count
    0
  • Helpfulness votes
    0
  • First answer
    None
  • Last answer
    None
  • Featured answers
    0
  • Best answers
    0
 
 
Signification's Reviews
1 2 3 4 5 ... 11 >>
 
Evil Dead 2 meets Street Fighter by way of The Matrix in this wild and woolly zombie/yakuza/samurai/kung fu/splatter flick directed by Ryuhei Kitamura. Throughout the world there are 666 portals to the other side; the 444th is Japan and is called the Forest of Resurrection, where good has battled evil for time immemorial. The film opens with prisoner KSC2-303 (Tak Sakaguchi) and his fellow cellmate escaping a maximum-security prison and ending up in the forest where they are supposedly to be picked up by a band of gangsters in a shiny Mercedes and taken to a safer place. Instead, the gangsters try to use them and a female hostage (Chieko Misaka) as pawns in a larger power struggle. A gunfight ensues killing KSC2-303's colleague and the mob boss, but just as the standoff is about to yield more violence, an odd thing happens -- the dead get up and attack the living. In the chaos, KSC2-303 and girl disappear into the forest with a band of slickly coifed yakuza in hot pursuit. High-kicks, machine guns, and rampant disembowelments ensue. This film was screened at the 2001 Toronto Film Festival.
 
Customer Rating
5 out of 5
5
Brilliant.
on May 2, 2008
Posted by: Signification
from Indiana, United States
As far as mindless action films go, this is certainly one of the best. There is practically no character development, and none of the characters are even given names. The film is two hours long and never once becomes boring.
The film is about an escaped prisoner who ends up in a forest with some yakuzas. He starts fighting the yakuzas after a disagreement concerning a female hostage, and they all eventually stumble upon some zombies. So, they all start killing zombies -- who still have guns and can still fire the aforementioned guns. Then, some other people show up, and there's more fighting. In essence, it's two hours of fighting.
These fights, however, are immensely entertaining. Plus, the film is full of funny situations and dialog. It's also one of the coolest films I've ever seen in terms of cinematography. It's certainly a refreshing break from recent American big-budget action films.
The two-disc special edition contains the original unrated director's cut (as opposed to the slightly censored R-rated cut or the newer extended Ultimate Versus 3-disc). The second disc contains some documentaries that provide a few interesting anecdotes from the film's production. The interview with the editor was also great. Highly recommended.
What's great about it: excellent film, great special features on 2-disc version
What's not so great: none
I would recommend this to a friend!
+1point
1of 1voted this as helpful.
 
Customer Rating
5 out of 5
5
Amazing album.
on February 23, 2008
Posted by: Signification
from Indiana, United States
Opeth's Deliverance album is one hour in length, but it goes by very quickly. It has some of the band's heaviest moments and some of their prettiest acoustic moments. In a word, it's outstanding.
"Wreath" is a beast of an opener. It's 11 minutes long and only contains one brief acoustic guitar part and a few lines of cleanly sung vocals at the end. The rest of the song is heavy and performed with death metal growls; this is the only band I listen to that utilizes this vocal technique. "Wreath" is probably Opeth's most intense song. The lyrics -- like most from the band -- are very poetic. Although nowhere near as odd as The Mars Volta lyrics, Opeth's lyrics paint a mental image even if they don't make sense as a whole. "Wreath" also has two excellent guitar solos -- the first is melodic and the second is crazy.
"Deliverance" starts with a great heavy riff and continues into a verse with death metal growls. After about a minute and a half of Opeth at their most brutal, the song goes acoustic and features some excellent clean vocals. The song then switches back to being heavy for several minutes with both clean and death metal vocal parts. There are also two great guitar solos in this track as well. The song goes acoustic again before having an amazing finale, which I have mixed feelings on. Sometimes, I think the riff at the end repeats too many times. Other times, I think it's the perfect length.
"A Fair Judgment" is the only song to feature only clean vocals, and it's a beautiful song. The guitar solo at the end is one of the band's best. The song, however, ends with a riff that repeats far too many times.
"For Absent Friends" is a nice instrumental that features some excellent clean guitar riffs and pretty acoustic playing.
My favorite song, "Master's Apprentices" starts off with a slow, heavy riff and great lyrics. The clean vocals in the chorus sections about four or so minutes in are my favorite from the album. The following acoustic minutes are among the band's most relaxing. This section ends quickly with a heavy outro. The riff at the end of the song is nice, but it repeats too many times -- a motif for this album that's its only detractor.
"By the Pain I See in Others" closes the album. The first two verses feature death metal growls over an acoustic guitar, which is odd to hear but ends up being engaging. I love the overall heaviness of this song, and the single clean vocal section sounds great. The song ends with reversed vocals from "Master's Apprentices."
Steven Wilson's production is amazing. I love the guitar sound on this album, and Wilson does many minute things in the mix that are excellent -- such as the reverse echo in "Master's Apprentices."
Either this album or "Still Life" is my favorite Opeth album, but I've been impressed with all of their work. Highly recommended.
What's great about it: great songs, outstanding production
What's not so great: a handful of riffs are played too many times in a row
I would recommend this to a friend!
+1point
1of 1voted this as helpful.
 
Customer Rating
5 out of 5
5
Will probably be the best album of 2008.
on February 22, 2008
Posted by: Signification
from Indiana, United States
This album is just as great as any other Mars Volta album. It is a little overwhelming to listen to it in its entirety the first time. But after breaking it apart and taking in the songs separately, listening to the whole album is a great experience.
"Aberinkula" is a great opening track; I especially like the guitar riffs towards the end. "Metatron" has multiple parts that flow seamlessly into each other, and it's one of my favorites. "Ilyena" is the album's catchiest song, but it still manages to be artistic. "Wax Simulacra" is a great song, but it doesn't seem to make for a very good single -- it took me three listens to really get it. "Goliath" is good, but it's one of my least favorite songs. "Tourniquet Man" is a little disappointing; I just don't really like the vocal melody in the chorus.
"Cavalettas" really took a while to sink in, but it's one of my favorites now. "Agadez" is another excellent song with great vocals. "Askepios," "Ouroboros" and "Soothsayer" are all great. "Conjugal Burns" is amazing and one of the band's best. Highly recommended.
What's great about it: excellent songs
What's not so great: none
I would recommend this to a friend!
+1point
1of 1voted this as helpful.
 
Customer Rating
5 out of 5
5
Best in the series.
on February 21, 2008
Posted by: Signification
from Indiana, United States
"Saw III" is easily the best in the series. The film adds much more to the franchise's plot -- the flashbacks to the events from the first movie were brilliantly done.
A nurse named Lynn (Bahar Soomekh) is kidnapped by Amanda (Shawnee Smith). Lynn has to keep Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) alive while another man, Jeff (Angus Macfadyen), completes a series of tests. Jeff's son was killed in a car accident and the drunk driver responsible got a very light sentence. The purpose of his test is to make him forgive and forget about what happened to his son.
The director's cut adds even more violence than the unrated version, which itself was pretty gruesome. The rest of the additional seven minutes are made up mostly of two scenes -- Amanda seeing Adam's ghost and a fight between Lynn and Amanda. Both of these scenes add to the film. There is also an alternate ending, which goes on longer and is much more unsettling.
The special features are disappointing. Aside from the commentaries, there are featurettes on traps from the first three films. There's also a how-to about dressing up as characters for Halloween and a preview of the first trap from "Saw IV." Highly recommended.
What's great about it: best version of the film
What's not so great: disappointing special features
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
 
Customer Rating
5 out of 5
5
Among Scorsese's best
on February 20, 2008
Posted by: Signification
from Indiana, United States
Although not as good as "Casino," "Goodfellas" or "Taxi Driver," "The Departed" is still a great film from Martin Scorsese. The film is about a criminal (Jack Nicholson) who has a friend working for the police in Boston (Matt Damon). There's also an undercover officer working for the criminal (Leonardo DiCaprio). During the film's two and a half hours, these storylines intersect and make for one excellent film.
Mark Wahlberg and Martin Sheen are outstanding as superior officers. The plot twists are natural and engaging. The violence is quick and brutal. The characters are believable -- it's good to see Matt Damon playing a real character who has a personality instead of the boring, soulless Bourne.
While big fans of "The Departed" will want the two-disc edition, the single-disc version is sufficient for causal fans. The film has a nice widescreen transfer and the theatrical trailer. Highly recommended.
What's great about it: great film
What's not so great: no special features other than trailer on single disc version
I would recommend this to a friend!
+1point
1of 1voted this as helpful.
 
Customer Rating
5 out of 5
5
Excellent anthology.
on February 19, 2008
Posted by: Signification
from Indiana, United States
The best horror anthology since "Tales from the Darkside: The Movie," "Three... Extremes" is composed of three great films from three great Asian directors.
The film starts off with Fruit Chan's "Dumplings," which is about an aging actress who begins to consume dumplings that will make her appear younger. This is an incredibly disturbing short, and its subject matter will most likely offend most people.
The next short is Chan-Wook Park's "Cut." A disgruntled extra kidnaps his film's director for one of the most elaborate torture sequences of all-time: For each five-minute period that the director doesn't kill a small child, the extra will cut off one of the director's wife's fingers -- which are superglued to a piano. Full of haunting images and even a few big laughs, "Cut" is my favorite of the three shorts.
Takashi Miike directs "Box," which I was the most let down by. I had watched "Audition," "Ichi the Killer" and the "MPD Psycho" mini-series prior, so I was looking forward to Miike's segment the most. It's a slow-paced thriller and is very creepy. Although not a failure by any means, it left me a little underwhelmed overall -- despite an excellent ending.
The two-disc DVD box comes with the feature-length cut of "Dumplings," as well as a making-of for this short. Takashi Miike provides commentary for his short also. Highly recommended.
What's great about it: great film, nice special features
What's not so great: none
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
 
Customer Rating
5 out of 5
5
Great drama.
on February 18, 2008
Posted by: Signification
from Indiana, United States
Edward Zwick's second best film, "Blood Diamond" tells the story of one man who hides a diamond and is separated from his family (Djimon Hounsou) and one man who wants to find the diamond (Leonardo DiCaprio). Together, they try to help each other meet their goals -- much like in a working economy, supply and demand are balanced.
While not quite as good as "Glory," the film manages to be compelling and among 2006's best dramas. At 143 minutes, the film never feels too long.
The DVD's special features are extensive. Fans of the film will want to purchase the 2-disc special edition over the decrepit single disc. Highly recommended.
What's great about it: widescreen version of the film, good special features
What's not so great: none
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
 
Sam Mendes' gangster film Road to Perdition comes to DVD with a widescreen anamorphic transfer that preserves the original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1. English soundtracks are rendered in Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS Surround, and Dolby Digital Stereo. A French soundtrack has also been recorded in Dolby Digital 5.1. Spanish and French subtitles are accessible, and all three English soundtracks are closed-captioned. Supplemental materials include a commentary track recorded by Mendes, a making-of featurette, deleted scenes, and production notes. This is a solid release from Dreamworks.
 
Customer Rating
5 out of 5
5
Great film.
on February 17, 2008
Posted by: Signification
from Indiana, United States
Sam Mendes' best film, "Road to Perdition" tells the compelling story of a hitman Michael Sullivan (Tom Hanks). His son (Tyler Hoechlin) sees his father's dirty work accidentally one night. The father drives his son away while another man (Jude Law) comes after them with the intention of killing. Paul Newman also gives a great performance as Tom Hanks' character's surrogate father; it's certainly one of his best roles since "The Verdict."
This is a slow-paced film that barely earns its R-rating, and I like the film because of it. If it were fast-paced and ridiculously bloody, the story wouldn't work.
The scenes involving the bank robberies and the scene where Michael Sullivan teaches his son how to drive are my favorites.
I'd say this is Sam Mendes' best film because -- unlike "American Beauty" -- it has rewatchability. I've watched it three times, and I'll watch it again within the next year.
The DVD's transfer is pretty good. The making-of is informative, but it could have been lengthier. The deleted scenes were great as was the director's commentarial reasons for deleting the scenes. Highly recommended.
What's great about it: great film, some special features
What's not so great: could have used a few more special features
I would recommend this to a friend!
+2points
2of 2voted this as helpful.
 
Customer Rating
5 out of 5
5
Excellent slasher film.
on February 16, 2008
Posted by: Signification
from Indiana, United States
I was looking forward to this movie for years. Like many others, I saw the title and thought it was an adaptation of the book about the kid whose plane crashes and he has to live in the woods. Seconds later, I read that Kane Hodder was in it, and I was even more confused. Then, I find out it was a horror film and had nothing to do with the book. I was mildly interested at that point, but I got really excited when I read the first reviews over a year ago.
I waited, and then the film got a distributor. A while later, the film got an NC-17 rating and then was cut down to an R. Then, I found out it was being released theatrically, but it didn't show anywhere close to where I live. The DVD was then announced to come out just in time for Christmas.
After all this waiting, if the film wasn't great, it would be a huge disappointment. I'm happy to say that this is one of the best horror films of the decade and one of the best films of 2007.
The film doesn't really contain anything new, but it's so entertaining that it doesn't matter. The jokes are funny, and the characters are likable.
The unrated (NC-17-rated) cut does not disappoint. The kills are very bloody. I liked that a few of the kills had two parts to them or went on for a while -- for example, one death involves numerous hacks with a hatchet, whereas most other films would cut away after one hit.
I also appreciated the shots of blood splashing on trees and the shot of blood flying off the hatchet after it was pulled out of a victim. Also, the 360-degree shot before a character's death -- in addition to being necessary to creating the effect without CGI -- is simply cool.
The documentaries contained on the DVD are informative and lengthy. Highly recommended.
What's great about it: great film, wealth of bonus features
What's not so great: none
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
 
Customer Rating
5 out of 5
5
Izo
on February 15, 2008
Posted by: Signification
from Indiana, United States
I'm fairly new to Takashi Miike films, and I started off with the basics -- "Audition," "Ichi the Killer," "Dead or Alive" and "Gozu" -- and a few others. I stumbled upon this film, "Izo," one day on the Internet and read its plot, which sounded too good to be true. The film is about an assassin who is crucified and then spends the rest of the film jumping randomly through time and space and killing everyone and everything he can. Plus, it's full of philosophy. I immediately knew it was the next film I needed to see.
This film does not disappoint. I've never seen such a pretentious film that I've enjoyed so thoroughly. There were some excellent camera shots throughout the film -- including one fight shown upside-down and one presented as if it were an old film with scratches and other print damage. Most importantly, the film is always entertaining -- there was an absolute perfect staggering of philosophy and fighting.
Some people may not enjoy "Izo" because of its repetitive cycle of violence -- they may find it boring or repulsive. Even though Izo kills over a hundred people in the film, there are only a handful of very bloody scenes.
It's nice to see an obscure film get a 2-disc special edition release. The film may be confusing, but it raises questions about human violence and manages to be entertainingly action-packed as well. Highly recommended.
What's great about it: amazing film, great 2-disc special edition
What's not so great: none
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
 
1 2 3 4 5 ... 11 >>
 
Signification's Review Comments
 
Signification has not submitted comments on any reviews.
 
Signification's Questions
 
Signification has not submitted any questions.
 
Signification's Answers
 
Signification has not submitted any answers.