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Avalon: Directed by Mamoru Oshii. With Malgorzata Foremniak, Wladyslaw Kowalski, Jerzy Gudejko, Dariusz Biskupski. In a dystopian world, a woman spends her time playing an illegal and dangerous game, hoping to find meaning in her world.

“* Directoru003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eOshii Mamuro. Known for his slow pace, attention to detail, quite complicated storylines and his moodsetting. Always works together with Kenji Kawai (sound) and Ito (story). Other movies include Ghost In The Shell, Patlabor 1/2/OAV/Minipato, Urutsei Yatsura:Beautiful Dreamer. Also contributed to Jin-Roh and Blood. All these are worth a peek, especially if you like Avalon. Strange little fact : Oshiiu0026#39;s a total dog freak. Watch his movies carefully.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e* Storyu003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWell, I can be short here. Set in an alternative present/future, a girl (Ash) sets out to find a hidden level in a VR-game (Avalon). It may be a bit thin, but a good setup for the main theme of the movie. Besides that, Oshiiu0026#39;s movies were never all that story-based to begin with, as he pays a lot more attention to general moodsetting of his alternate realities. Oh, and for those who claim itu0026#39;s too confusing, try to focus a bit. After two viewings, most of it can be understood (minus a few little details). One warning though. The pace is as slow as ever. Oshii is one to leave you a lot of time to think about certain things that happen. Some like this, most of you probably wonu0026#39;t.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e* Actingu003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eKinda hard to judge, as the movie was made in Poland, with Polish actors. Personally, I find the acting adequate. No oscar nominations here, but good work from the leading actress and the guy that plays Murphy. It all depends on what you like. To me the charm came from the exotic language, some will probably find this a turn-off. The conversation is minimal and not so important. Itu0026#39;s just there to deliver the facts, not to explain emotions. Comments about the coldness of Ash have nothing to do with bad acting, but with the character she plays (another one of Oshiiu0026#39;s trademarks).u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003en* Charactersu003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eTypical Oshii. A cold female in the leading role. The only time she shows emotion is when sheu0026#39;s in the vicinity of her dog / dogs in general. Besides that, sheu0026#39;s an ice cube. Personally, I like u0026#39;em like that. The others are interesting because of their little quirks and oddities, not because of their background stories, emotional struggles or deeper motives. All in all, theyu0026#39;re a memorable bunch, but only there because you canu0026#39;t make a movie without characters.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e* Themesu003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eEvery Oshii movie has itu0026#39;s own theme. Beautiful Dreamer was about the boundary between dream and reality, Patlabor 1 about the relationship between mankind and machinery and Patlabor 2 about war in general. Avalon tries to question the boundary between reality and virtual reality, using the first-person game genre as an ideal setup. Which world is real, which isnu0026#39;t, does it actually matter and is there a way to find out whatu0026#39;s real and what isnu0026#39;t. Oshii poses all these questions, but doesnu0026#39;t deliver any answers. Which, in my humble opinion, is the best way to handle it. When a movie does try to give you an answer (Existenz), it doesnu0026#39;t stimulate the viewer to think about it afterwards. So, it all depends on what youu0026#39;re looking for. You want some questions to think about, this is your movie, you want a quick story with cheesy moral (Existenz again), avoid.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e* Special effectsu003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAgain, the opinions here are diverse. I think itu0026#39;s one of the most visually impressive movies Iu0026#39;ve ever seen. Everything looks absolutely gorgeous, especially when you compare the original shots with the result. But allow me to stretch the term SFX a bit. This isnu0026#39;t The Matrix with twirly, flashy, in-your-face SFX. Instead, the first hour or so is completely reworked with a superb sepia-colored filter, which gives the movie a 1940 postcard kinda look. Besides that, the SFX are a lot more subtle. Those which are in-your-face (like the rendered vehicles) are done nicely. I especially liked the Citadel, and although the rendering is not perfect, the designs are marvelous.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e* Musicu003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eOshii regular Kenji Kawai made all the songs for this film. Oshiiu0026#39;s one of the last to realize the effect a good soundtrack has on a movie. And I donu0026#39;t mean finding some pop idols and putting them on a CD, but really incorporating the songs in your movie for extra effect, and even working the other way around, by adjusting the images to the sound. All the songs were written for Avalon and vary from ambient to something close to opera. Even if you donu0026#39;t like the movie or havenu0026#39;t seen it yet, the soundtrack should be part of your CD/MP3 collection.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e* General Moodsettingu003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWell, this is what makes the movie one of the best there is. It requires a special kind of taste to like it though. The charactersu0026#39; reality is a bleak and cold one, with little room for emotions, yet portrayed in such a way that it still feels kind of warm and cosy. Itu0026#39;s hard to explain but I believe itu0026#39;s best compared with the darker side of romance. The feeling you get when youu0026#39;re sitting in front of your window, itu0026#39;s raining outside and your girlfriend just left you. Itu0026#39;s a sort of gentle comforting sadness. He atteigns this through the music, the sepia filter, slow pace and briliant camera swoops/positions. One of the fears I had before I saw the movie, was that he wouldnu0026#39;t be able to capture this mood in a live action (he normally makes animated movies, which all have a certain style of their own to begin with), but he did a magnificent job. Very unique and stylish.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e* Overallu003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eI would like to say this movie has no similarities with The Matrix or Existenz whatsoever. People who expect a movie like the afore mentioned will be disappointed. This is 100% Oshii. Itu0026#39;s a bit difficult to recommend to people who donu0026#39;t know him and his way of working. My advise is, try to watch Ghost In The Shell first. It has an easier job holding your attention (if you like animation that is), but is still representative for his other work. Personally, I think this ranks among the five best movies ever. Itu0026#39;s refreshing, itu0026#39;s unique and made with passion. Hollywood fans beware, others, try it out.”

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