Young @ Heart (2008, Stephen Walker)

This is a documentary about a group of senior citizens that tour singing modern and classic rock songs. The documentary takes place as they begin to rehearse for their latest set which they will tour Europe with in a couple of weeks.

Get it? They are old and sing ROCK songs!

GET IT?!?!

Like, they sing "Staying Alive" or David Bowie's "Golden Years" or James Browns "I Feel Good" !!

GET IT?!?!

It's because they are old and they sing those songs which makes it clever!

GET IT?!?!

THEY ARE OLD AND SING THESE SONGS THAT ARE CLEVER WHEN SUNG BY OLD PEOPLE!!

DO YOU GET IT?!?!

Anyways...

It has a couple of touching moments. Sure. I get how it's nice that they are all really into it also. Sure.

But come on!

C

Gigantic (A Tale of Two Johns) (2002, AJ Schnack)

EDIT: No idea why it posted some videos twice. *Shrugs*


They Might be Giants is really,really,really,really interesting band. They seem like they would be perfect subject for an equally interesting documentary. They are only really two guys (both named John) who have made a name for themselves over the past 25 or so years because of their unique songwriting, their always interesting instrument and musical arrangement choices, and also because of the way that they truly broke out which was all because of an answering machine that played songs when you would call it. Really, just go to wikipedia and read up about them. You may or may not like their music because it really is an acquired taste but you cant deny that they are one interesting and eccentric band.

Gigantic (A Tale of Two Johns) is, however, a very messy, disappointing, and frustrating documentary about this great band. It really doesn't know what it wants to be. It spends way too much time giving you information and telling you little stories that are not really as interesting as other key moments in the bands history which are just mentioned a tiny bit, it wants to be a concert film, it wants to be a tour film, it even wants to be a behind the scenes sneak peek on the making of the new album, while it also keeps on wanting to tell you the story and history of the band and what really makes them so special.

Also, my biggest problem with the documentary is that when it keeps cutting back to its concert footage, the concert is filmed with such lifelessness that it makes everything seem super lame. They Might be Giants seem lame, the audience seems lame, the venue seems like a cheap bar also. It's not that any of this is true, it's just filmed in such a lazy manner that it just gives off this huge vibe of lameness.

Anyways...a messy documentary about a interesting and excellent (at least to me) band.

C

Now enjoy some of my favorite They Might be Giants songs via youtube.

















And my absoulute favorite song by theirs. When I first found out what this song was really about, it became one of my top ten favorite songs. I think it perfectly sums up why a lot of people think they are genius. This includes me.

Burnt Money (2000, Marcelo Pineyro)

A couple of posts ago I wrote about a movie named Semen: A Love Sample and in that post I wrote about another movie named The Method (El Metodo in spanish) and how much I was impressed by it. Well, after rating El Metodo 4 stars on netflix, netflix then recommended me this film. I clicked on it to read more and found out that it shared some of the cast of The Method and was also directed by the same director. So, after reading what it was about, seeing some really great reviews on netflix, seeing the high star rating, and then also taking into account the amount of talent involved I said "why not?" and gave it a shot and I am not sorry that I did.

Burnt Money (or Plata Quemada as it is known in Spanish) is an Argentinian film set in 1965 about 2 gay lovers and crime partners named Nene played by Leonardo Sbaraglia (you might know him from Intacto which is another super awesome little film) and Angel played by Eduardo Noriega (you might know him from Open Your Eyes) as they have to hide out with another crime partner (Pablo Echarri) after their latest robbery goes bad. Forced to live together in a small apartment and almost never able to leave they slowly begin to lose their minds as the police chase for them only becomes more intense.

What makes Burnt Money such a fast paced and fun ride is that the interactions between the characters is just well written and great stuff. Those expecting a hard boiled crime drama will get just that but the film also throws in enough comedy and also enough human drama into the mix that you will find yourself truly gripped by the story.

Now, the fact that there is a gay love story going on might scare away a lot of viewers or it might make a couple of people cringe in that it seems like an indie film cliche but in this case it is also one of the couple of decisions that makes the film feel different from other heist gone bad films. This added layer of tension between the two lead characters only makes everything more intense when shit starts to go bad.

It should also be noted that the decision for the lead characters to be a gay couple wasn't done to be edgy, or different, or anything like that either. No. The reason the filmmakers decided to go with this angle is just because the whole film is also based on a true story. So, knowing that everything you are watching is actually based on real events and knowing that everything actually went down this way only makes the film that much more interesting and great to watch.

However great I thought the film was I also had one giant issue with the film that I still don't know how to work out in my mind about how I feel about it. I loved,loved,loved the first hour and 40 minutes of the film and was just about ready to call it a overlooked little masterpiece of a film until the final act happened.

The final couple of minutes of this film is just plain odd in how over the top it feels. Characters begin to act crazy and different from one moment to the next and the film only continues to go more and more over the top until the final couple of minutes. I would have a major problem with this in another movie but the fact that this really did happen just like this in real life makes me just feel confused about my feelings towards it. I guess I cant hate the films ending because it actually did end like that in real life but I can however hate how odd the tone shift was handled by the director. I just wish he would have ended on a much more subtle, or at least quiet, note than the all of a sudden over the top note that he decided to go with. It really is a shame because everything preceding it is excellent stuff.

Still, don't let the final couple of minutes scare you away from the film. This film also goes into my pile of overlooked gems which I feel proud of about of kind of finding. It is definitely worth your time if you are willing to give it a chance.

B+

Snow Angels (2008, David Gordon Green)

David Gordon Green is absolutely one of my favorite directors not only working right now but of all time. If there is one thing that makes certain movies extremely great for me are the small little moments which give the film character. It's these little moments which for me always pushes a great film into a special one. David Gordon Green seems to be a master of these small quiet moments which make his films stand out so much and Snow Angels is without a doubt a perfect example of this. It might also be his 2nd best film to date after All the Real Girls, at least in my opinion.

A young teen (Michael Angarano) in a small suburban town begins to fall in love with a new classmate (Olivia Thirlby) meanwhile his old babysitter and now coworker (Kate Beckinsale) continues to have problems with her ex husband (Sam Rockwell)

I'm going to stop writing about the plot right there. Part of the "charm" of the film is how the story of the film seems to be so loose and non present through out most of it until a certain thing happens about 3/4s of the way through the film which all of sudden makes every little scene and detail of the film take a certain new kind of importance and perspective as the films culminates in one of the most devastating, bleak, and downright depressing final acts I have seen in a long time. Not knowing what the film is really about is spoiling the sudden punch that the film gives you right in the gut. To me, at least, it wouldn't be the same knowing this certain "left turn" in its plot.

In the first paragraph I wrote about how David Gordon Green is a master of creating these small moments which stand out in your mind long after the film is done and Snow Angels is no exception. It's hard to really write about but once you see the film you will know what exactly I am talking about.There are so many tiny little moments between the characters that just make this film so unique and makes it feel so real that when the final 20 or so minutes come you truly realize how much you really care for all of these characters and what happens to them.

I really have no idea what else to write and I feel that I did not do the film justice at all either. I just want someone I know to watch it so that we can then both begin to talk about how amazing it was but until that day comes I have to hold in my huge love and appreciation for the film inside and just give a little bit of a hint of it when I recommend it to people.

I should also mention that it will be a true shame when the film is completely overlooked come awards season. Sam Rockwell delivers what might be his best performance to date (and that's saying a lot) and everyone and everything is just down right perfect.

Just watch the film and let it wreck your shit. Really.

A

Still have 6 more write ups to do before I am fully up to date

Yeah.

I'm taking a day break for right now.

I will get to them soon.

Croupier (1998, Mike Hodges)

I really like films set in casinos. I really like heist films. I really like noirs and neo noirs. I really like Clive Owen. I really like the idea of a neo noir film (complete with a voice over too) existing that is about Clive Owen working as a croupier in a casino and getting involved in a heist that is going to take place there. I, however, did not like the film at all.

I hate that I can not even explain why I didn't find myself liking this film so much. I saw this film a couple of weeks ago and I honestly don't remember too much about it. The odd part is that when I first saw the film and only a couple of days had passed I had already forgotten that I had watched it.

The whole film is a bit way too low key to really hook you in. The moody atmosphere and coolness that it is trying to achieve doesn't work all that well either due to some cheap DV camera being used to film the film which takes you out of the movie (well, it at least took me out of the movie). I really expected much more from it. It had all the ingredients to be one stylish and moody neo noir film and even though it tries to be just that, it really does fail at being it.

At least Clive Owen is awesome in it but then again when isn't he?

C

Citzen Dog (2004, Wisit Sasanatieng)

This film gets a ton of comparisons to Amelie and seems to have been dubbed "The Thai Amelie" by the movie geek community. This is what originally got me interested in checking it out but once I saw some screenshots (more on that later) I was completely sold and checked it out and yeup...it really is "The Thai Amelie" and I think that is a good thing.

Pod (Mahasamut Boonyaruk) is a simply country boy who one day decides to go live in Bangkok even though his grandmother warned him that he would grow a tail if he would do such a thing. Although he doesn't grow a tail, he does get into one crazy adventure after the other all while he falls in love with Jin (Saengthong Gate-Uthong) who works as a cleaning lady at his new job.

Citizen Dog is a tough film to describe. It's told through a lot of different segments/chapters/stories that deal with Pod or Jin and their various encounters and adventures. When one bit falls flat you don't have to wait so long before the film focuses on another little story and then quickly moves on to another. All of these odd side stories involve everything from a zombie motorcyclist, to a business man who likes to lick everything, to a rain of helmets,to even a mountain made of water bottles. The film never really stops attacking you with its various subplots and side stories through out its short running time. Normally this would be kind of annoying but its all in the films nature and it adds up to why its such a charming and whimsical film.

Now let me post up some screenshots of the film in order for you to see how unique and colorful this film really is. When you combine the film colors and style with its eccentric story, you are bound to have one fun and happy film. It's odd,surreal, and it's silly nature can be a bit too much at times but it is still one very,very,very fun and "cute" film.

I dare you to watch this movie and not find yourself smiling through out it all.




Just look at those colors.

B+

In Bruges (2008, Martin McDonagh)

In Bruges tells the story of two hit men (Colin Ferrel & Brendan Gleeson) who are hiding out in the Belgium city of Bruges after their recent assignment. Told to wait there they find different ways to pass the time until they are contacted by their boss (a scene stealing Ralph Fiennes) who delivers some shocking news and a new assignment.

Revealing too much about In Bruges is ruining most of the fun of it all. This is truly one of those films that takes you by surprise. You might think you got the film and its style figured out at first but the film offers so many surprises and excellent shifts in tone that you wont know what will happen next. I haven't seen a film balance comedy, melodrama, and action so well since...uh...forever. (?)

Martin McDonagh's debut feature really feels like a breath of fresh air. The confidence that he displays in not only his direction but also in his writing is something to really admire. He has already recieved some comparisons to the Coen Brothers and it is a fitting comparison. I only hope that he has the same kind of longevity as them. .


If you have already heard from friends or have already seen In Bruges as being the most overlooked film this year so far and you have yet to check it out, you should. It will live up to the hype and much more. If you haven't already heard from friends or haven't seen In Bruges being listed as one of the most overlooked films this year then you should still watch it and join its minor, but very vocal, cult following. It deserves more fans and deserves any bit of love that it gets.

A

The Pope of Greenwich Village (1984, Stuart Rosenberg)

This has to be without a doubt one of the biggest disappointments that I have ever experienced during my years of watching movies.

I am a big fan of early Eric Roberts. His performance in Star 80 is in my top ten favorite performances ever. I am also a big fan of early Mickey Rourke and especially his work in Angel Heart. So, the thought of these two actors when they were young and in their prime teaming up to do a little crime/heist film seemed like a perfect idea for a great rental.

The problem is that I got way,way,way too much of what i was hoping for. I was hoping for some excellent performances from Rourke and Roberts and at first it seemed like I would be getting just that. The excellent performances only lasts for about 20 minutes though before the two just begin to overacting to the extreme. Shouting, punching walls, crying while shouting and punching a wall. It is all here and it is cringe worthy bad.

As for the plot? Rourke and Roberts play two small time crooks who after various get rich quick schemes only make them poorer decide to pull off a small heist. Everything that can go bad does and the friendship between Rourke and Roberts is tested as they both try to survive while being chased down by the local mafia that they stole from.

As good as the story might be (which it isn't) the overdose of overacting just absolutely kills everything the movie has going for it. Either way the films storyline is frustrating as well since t goes by at a snails pace while the film keeps getting distracted by little subplots which are supposed to enhance the characters but instead just gives the actors some more time to overact. If all this wasn't enough the characters themselves are just annoying because of just how amazing stupid they are. Plus, the constant shouting and crying just gets to your nerves.

Really, other than Daryl Hannah producing some eye candy, the film doesn't have much going for it all.

D

Semen: A Love Sample (2005, Daniela Fejerman & Ines Paris

A couple of months ago I stumbled on to a true hidden gem of a movie named The Method (El Metodo in Spanish) and was absolutely blown away by not only the direction and writing but also the performances from the ensemble cast. The one performance in the film that was a stand out for me was the performance given by this actor named Ernesto Altero who, in my opinion, absolutely stole the show with his minimal screen time. So, when I stumbled on to this film where he is the lead and gets to show his comedic chops I became very interested in checking it out.

I like to try and discover hidden or overlooked gems a lot. I would say that 1/3rd of my movie watching is spent on trying to discover these gems. Most of the time they end up being "ok films" and far from gems and even though Semen: A Love Sample (Semen: Una Historia de Amor in Spanish) is not a true hidden or overlooked gem, it is still a pretty fun film that deserves some more love.

Ernesto Alterio plays Serafin who has been cursed with bad luck since his childbirth and now works as a doctor in a fertility clinic. One day while riding his bike he hits a girl named Ariadana (a very cute Leticia Dolera) and it is love at first sight for him but because of his shyness he is unable to even talk to her. However, to his surprise, he finds out later that day that Ariadana is his newest patient. Serafin wanting to give her the best sperm that he has in his lab in order to make sure she gets her wish and gets pregnant accidentally breaks the best sperm sample he has and decides to just donate his own sperm instead. What follows is a series of adventures and mishaps as Serafin and Ariadana fall in love even though she doesn’t know that he is the father of her yet to be born baby.

Now, if the plot description that you just read sounds silly it's because it really is just that: silly. That is not a bad thing at all though. The film tries to go for a screwball like execution in its plot, humor, and performances and for the most part it does it all very well with a nice subtle visional style to it all. Things get goofy and over the top but the direction and especially the performance by Ernesto Alterio let us not take everything too silly and just have fun with whatever comes next.

This screwball like and over the top nature to it all also happens to be the films main weakness though as it also sometimes pushes its own limits with its self consciously absurd plot and story. It's all fun and its all entertaining but for the same reason that it’s so over the top it also loses most of its emotional subtleties and because of this the main love story of the film is always sweet and cute but never really as touching as it might want you to believe.

Semen: A Love Sample (I am not a fan of the English title by the way) is a film that is almost impossible to hate. It's too much fun, charming, and entertaining to warrant any hate what so ever. If you are able to accept how crazy and silly the film gets then you are sure to have a fun time with it. It sure is a lot better than any romantic comedies that I have seen lately.

B+

R.I.P. Mitch

I can't help but be a little bit sad after hearing Mitch Hedberg's last ever comedy album even though I was laughing almost non stop through all of it. It's hilarious and genius and its worth checking out if you are a fan. Even though I think if you are already a fan you have already listened to it during the past couple of days.

Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart at the River Styx (1972, Kenji Misumi)

So, a couple of posts ago I wrote about how I the first of this 6 part series about a samurai seeking revenge against the clan that framed him for treason and killed his wife was a little bit annoying because it set everything up before things got really juicy. I also wrote about how I wasn't a fan of the odd romantic subplot involving a prostitute that was introduce in the last act.

Now, Baby Cart at the River Styx, eliminates the set up (since that was already done in the first film). There is also no romantic subplot here. There is just non stop pure action and kick assness for 81 minutes and it is glorious. When I first heard about this cult classic series, this is the kind of films I pictured coming out of the series and I couldn't be happier that this one turned out exactly as I was hoping it to.

In this entry we now join Ogami Itto and his young son Daigoro, which he pushes around in a baby cart, as he is hired to kill a traitor who plans on selling his clans secrets. Things get tough for Itto as he not only learns that an all female ninja clan are seeking to kill him but also three expert fighters named "The Gods of Death" will be standing in his way protecting the traitor.

There is a stylish fight or duel every couple of minutes and the film only escalates more and more until the final showdown with the 3 "Gods of Death" in a desert which is one of the coolest fight scenes I have ever seen. There is also one sequence where Itto first encounters the all female ninja clan in the forest which is also just too damn great for words. Oh, and limbs and blood fly everywhere as well once again.

So, basically, Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart at the River Styx is just a bad ass awesome samurai movie that is so bad ass and awesome because it knows that it is being bad ass and awesome and it only keeps on getting more self consciously bad ass and awesome as it goes along. Really.

A=

Been Busy (small update)

I've been busy the past couple of days covering the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival and that has kept me from doing any updates. I really want to do a write up for each movie that I have watched but I doubt that I will get to do that for the movies that I have watched during the past couple of days since after this film festival ends I will be pretty busy writing. i will try my hardest to try and do it though.

Ma Baker

I can't stop watching this.

Movie Posters the I Love - Gun Crazy

Top Ten for 2002

A couple of my friends are doing top ten lists from random years. You can check out their ongoing lists here and here.

I chose to go with 2002 just because it seemed random enough.

1. Talk to Her (Pedro Almodovar)

2. Punch-Drunk Love (Paul Thomas Anderson)

3. City of God (Fernando Meirelles)
4. In America (Jim Sheridan)

5, Adaptation (Spike Jonze)

6. About Schmidt (Alexander Payne)

7. Signs (M. Night Shyamalan)

8. Road to Perdition (Sam Mendes)

9. Catch Me if you Can (Steven Spielberg)

10. The Pianist (Roman Polanski)

Batman: Year One by Frank Miller

I think I have heard about this comic book/graphic novel ever since I first got into comic books when I was, like , 8. This one, The Killing Joke, and The Dark Knight Returns were huge when I was little and I got around to The Killing Joke and The Dark Knight Returns when I was a kid but I just never got around to Batman: Year One for some reason. I just never found Batman's origin a must read since I had already seen the origin told a number of times already.

So, I finally decided to check it out the other day and, yeup, it was the Batman origin story once again as I had expected. True, it has some excellent writing (mostly told through voice over) and the use of a years calender to tell the story through one year is a pretty cool way to show Batman's first, and very rough, year as the caped crusader.

However, to my surprise what really made this an excellent read wasn't Batman's story at all but instead Lt. (soon to be Commissioner) Gordon's story. Miller decides to not only tell Bruce Wayne's first year as Batman but also Gordon's first year in Gotham City. The narrative is then split between both stories. On one side we get to see Batman training, building his costume, and his first night outs while on the other side we get to see Lt. Gordon begin to slowly clean up the streets of Gotham while getting in trouble for exposing the corrupt cop system that exists. Both stories are good but Lt. Gordon's is excellent in that is gives his character a history that truly enhances the bond that he will develop later on with Batman. The final moments when both stories meet are without a doubt the high points of the entire story.

However, I'm still not a fan of origin stories when I already know the origin. It's my own fault but I just cant seem to get into it so much. The only thing that truly kept me turning the pages in this case was Lt. Gordon's storyline and the eventual meet up between the two. It was also pretty cool seeing Miller throwing Harvey Dent and Catwoman into the mix without ever going "HEY! THIS IS GOING TO BE CATWOMAN!!!"

That is really all I have to say.

The Long Night (1947, Anatole Litvak)

Kino is a company that I trust. So, when they proudly proclaim on the cover of the dvd that this is a "rediscovered American classic" I was interested in checking it out since: A) That quote B) I love a good noir C) Henry Fonda and Vincnet Price in a noir movie sounds awesome.

The movie did not let me down at all.

As the film begins a blind kid is walking up the stairs of an apartment building. As he reaches the top he hears a a gunshot and a badly injured Vincent Price falls out of a room and down the stairs dead. Out of the room walks out Henry Fonda holding the smoking gun. He then walks into his room again where he locks the door and refuses to come out meanwhile the police and neighborhood gather outside. Through a moody voice over and flashbacks we begin to find out how he got to this position.

Everything you would want from a noir shows up here.

Voice Over? Check.
Flashbacks? Check.
A flashback within a flashback? Check.
Moody black and white photography? Check
A shady magician who likes virgins played by Vincent Price? Check

After that little checklist I don't know what else to write. It's not a perfect example of the genre but its a fun, wild, and pretty pulpy 90 minute film. All the trademarks of the noir genre do their thing while Henry Fonda delivers another slow burn performance and Vincent Price does his evil bastard with a cool moustache thing again.

It's worth your time if you are a fan of the genre even if it introduces nothing new.

B+

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World by Bryan Lee O'Malley

I'm actually surprised that Scott Pilgrim has stayed somewhat underground and is still considered a cult favorite. I fully expect that as the film adaptation comes closer that it will slowly emerge into the mainstream where it will then be adopted by the trendy crowd. I can see the shirts now. I also want to buy one of these shirts.

I like to describe Scott Pilgrim as "Video Games + The "indie" Movement + Wes Anderson + Anime" I'm sure I am missing one other word that belongs in that equation but to me all of those things summed up best describe the inspired insanity that is Scott Pilgrim .

Now, for those that don't know Scott Pilgrim and the 4 books that are out right now explore the issues of a socially awkward 23 year old named Scott Pilgrim who upon meeting and falling in love with the new girl in town named Romona flowers finds out that in order to date her he must defeat her 7 evil ex boyfriends in fights that are straight out of Street Fighter 2 . Characters defy gravity during fights, random objects are used as weapons, and when a character is defeated he leaves behind gold coins or an object.

It might sound stupid and it definitely has a whole "wtf" vibe to it all but Bryan Lee O'Malleys makes it work perfectly and creates one of the most entertaining, creative, and often times hilarious things that I have ever read. I hardly ever laugh while reading something and Scott Pilgrim is constantly able to bring out this emotion in me.

Really, just check it out if you can or check it out when its huge in about an year. I just want more people to check it out.

The movie is now my most anticipated thing at the moment. If its even able to capture only half of the greatness of these graphic novels then we are in story for something truly special.

Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance (1972, Kenji Misumi)

The first of a 6 film series about a samurai turned assassin and his son that he pushes along in a cart as he hunts down the clan that framed him for treason and murdered his wife is a pretty solid first film in what promises to be an epic series.

Sword of Vengeance in a sense sets up the world that the following films will take place in. Given that this is the first film in the series most of the mandatory story has to be set up and told before the series and action really take off. It's because of this that the first half hour or so is about the betrayal of Ogami Itto (soon to be know as the assassin "Lone Wolf and Cub"), the murder of his wife, his decision to leave his samurai code of honor and work as an assassin, and his decision to travel with his child on this quest for vengeance. Once all of that is out of the way the film really begins to churn out the goods.

After everything is laid out the film follows Ogami Itto and his son on their first mission as assassins for hire. A chamberlain hires Itto to go and kill a rival and his henchmen who are a threat to the chamberlain's lord who are staying at a hot springs spa and as Itto accepts the job you just have to wait it out until the inevitable final fight scene takes place where you know things will get crazy...oh...and crazy it does get



The charm of Lone Wolf and Cub, and what really makes it so much fun, is that when the fight scenes come up (and they come up frequently) the film doesn't hold back with its "holy shit!" type of moments. Heads get decapitated, limbs fly off left and right, and when Itto delivers a fatal blow the blood sprays out his victims in an exaggerated anime kind of way (think Kill Bill). So, when you have heads, arms, legs, and blood flying everywhere mixed together with some very impressive fight choreography you are guaranteed to be into every single fight scene while saying "oh!" or "fuck!" every couple of seconds. So, basically, awesome samurai film has awesome samurai fight scenes. Shocking, right?

Although every fight is top notch stuff I am not the kind of person who is easily amused by a good fight scene that he decides to shrug off any of the films flaws. I wish I could turn a blind eye towards what bothered me in Sword of Vengeance and just decide to focus on how awesome the fight scenes were but really there is one plot development towards the end of the film that just left me scratching my head towards why it was included.

When Itto is staying at the hot springs spa and waiting for the right moment to kill everyone a prostitute is introduced into the mix that, in my opinion, only serves to make the film have an extra couple of minutes of exploitation "goodness"" but somehow the film tries to pull if off as another way for the film to show you how great Itto's moral code is. Itto is forced to have sex with her in front of group of people in order to save her life and Itto being the noble man that he is accepts the task and so begins one of the most unnecessary sex scenes I have seen in awhile. What is even more unnecessary is how she actually becomes a main character for the final act of the film while adding almost absolutely nothing to the film (except for nudity).

Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance is a very solid and often times entertaining "set up film" that due to its obligation to set up everything for the first hour or so becomes a bit of an annoying task that you know you have to get through in order to fully enjoy the the greatness that lies ahead. When everything is out of the way the film delivers on what it promises and also delivers on what the first film of a series should, which is the hint of even bigger and better things in the following films

B