This is the movie about a boy who goes looking for his mom and a middle aged man accompanies him on his trip. Never seen it but I've always wanted to and I saw it at Blockbuster for $7.99, previously viewed. Anyone seen it?

Great film. Great transfer. Takeshi Kitano is primarily known for his yakuza dramas, but his gentler fair, such as KIKUJIRO and SCENE AT THE SEA, are equally good. KIKUJIRO really shows off his comic skills and while the story does verge on the overly-sentimental, it never crosses the line into Spielbergian sap. It's a very moving, and very funny, film with a beautiful score and gorgeous photography. For $7.99, you can't afford to miss it.

Excellent movie, although I though Central Station pulled off the whole child in search of lost parent theme better. This one kinda got goofy at the three-quarter mark.

Just my opinion, but I thought the story was really sappy. And I love Takeshi Kitano- Fireworks is one of my all-time favorites.

Story: 8/10
Might be a little "nice" for some and a bit violent to others. I think it pulls it all quite nicely. I think this is quite different than Central Station as it's only partly about the kids search for family. It's mostly about kids relationship to a very different kind of adult. And Takeshi Kitano's character's relationship to the boy. Very moving.

Video: 7/10 It's a clean transfer. Much better than other Takeshi Kitano films but nothing really spectacular. Then again if they all looked like this we'd have a lot less to complain about.

Sound: 7/10 I think it sometimes could be better but in general the music and vocals come out clean.

I definitely recommend both this DVD and film in general. The soundtrack is very catchy too.

Shawn

A film with a smile behind the mask. It has a marvelous cinematography that adds to the screenplay with a remarkable precision in the humor. Me, personally, I really enjoyed this film, since there are a lot unexpected events that the boy and the man encounters on the journey to the boys mother. For $7.99 at blockbuster, do not hesitate. A hidden gem. :)