I oscillated between sympathy and disgust for the protagonist, who struggled to keep his and his sister’s lives from falling apart after their home was destroyed and mother killed in a WWII bombing run. I suppose I’m just supposed to sit back and absorb the tragedy of it all, but I wouldn’t have done the things he did.

Action, adventure, magical flying creatures. All experienced on my fabulous new home theater system. Yay for Dolby Surround.

Who knew that a Russian play would work so well set in the slums of Edo? The characters are outstanding and are exceptionally well portrayed by Kurosawa’s standard crew. It also occupies a comfortable spot between film and theater, using the confines of the tenement to keep the focus on the characters and their interaction but without making one feel that the camera is trapped in a run down flophouse for two hours.

I liked the first one more; perhaps Eddy Murphy was more annoying this time around. That said, it was satisfying entertainment, with occasional bits of inspired humor hidden among the fart jokes.