Login

Login
Lost Password?
No account yet? Register
 

AddThis Social Bookmark Button

Recent HD Reviews

Body Heat Blu-Ray (0) (0)
Category: HD Reviews
Chuck- Season One Blu-ray (0) (0)
Category: HD Reviews
Get Smart Blu-Ray (0) (0)
Category: HD Reviews
Journey To The Center Of The Earth 3D Blu-Ray (0) (0)
Category: HD Reviews
Hellboy 2- The Golden Army Blu-ray (0) (0)
Category: HD Reviews
A Christmas Story- Blu-ray (0) (0)
Category: HD Reviews
Star Wars: The Clone Wars Blu-ray (0) (0)
Category: HD Reviews
Mongol Blu-ray (0) (0)
Category: HD Reviews
Final Countdown, The Blu-Ray (0) (0)
Category: HD Reviews

Recent DVD Reviews

Star Trek- The Original Series- Season 3 Remastered (0) (0)
Category: DVD Reviews
The 4400-The Complete Series (0) (0)
Category: DVD Reviews
Tropic Thunder Unrated version (0) (0)
Category: DVD Reviews
Walt Disney Treasures: The Chronological Donald, Vol. 4 (0) (0)
Category: DVD Reviews
Dr. Syn: The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh (0) (0)
Category: DVD Reviews
Numb3rs - Fourth Season (0) (0)
Category: DVD Reviews
Wall-E 3-Disc Special Edition (0) (0)
Category: DVD Reviews
Kung Fu Panda Double Pack (0) (0)
Category: DVD Reviews
Nash Bridges - The Complete First Season (0) (0)
Category: DVD Reviews

Recent Quick Reviews

Carlos Mencia: Performance Enhanced
Zombie Diaries, The
Tsubasa Volume 9- Renegades And Strays
Pride FC: Total Elimination Absolute
Dragonball Z- Cooler's Revenge and The Return Of Cooler
Death Note Volume 7
Mister Lonely
The Perfect Holiday
Meet Dave
The Flight Before Christmas
xxxHolic- Sixth Collection
All Together Now

Enter Our Giveaway

Shaun The Sheep
 
 CLICK ON THE COVER TO 

ENTER! 

Latest Special Features

Site programming by Cory Webb

Cory Webb logo

Great DVD/Blu-Ray sites

Time Slip (AKA G.I. Samurai): 2 Disc Collector's Edition  Hot
Reviews DVD Reviews
Written by LuLu   
Thursday, 22 May 2008


Favored by 0 users (Register to add this entry to your favorites)

Time Slip (AKA G.I. Samurai): 2 Disc Collector's Edition

Grade

Content Grade: C+
Sound Grade: C
Picture Grade: B+

Specs

Japanese with English Subtitles
Unrated
Studio/Label: BCI
Studio/Label Website: www.bcientertainment.com
Sound Options and Formats: Dolby Digital 5.1
Disc Length: 139 Minutes

Review

Time Slip starts out well enough, and I was getting kind of excited for what I anticipated to be a martial arts film mixed with a more traditional modern day war movie. Wrong. AKA GI Samurai quickly wore out its welcome in my DVD player, sarting with the odd photo-negative special effects of the time slip in question. I would not have judged the scene so harshly if it didn't go on for so long and awkwardly. Even Sonny Chiba couldn't do much to save this movie like he did Kill Bill.

The story of Time Slip follows a group of modern day soldiers that get transported back in time to the Warring States era of Japanese historical eras. At first, Chiba thinks that his soldiers shouldn't take sides, but then changes his mind. He joins forces with a badass character, Kagatori, who quits working for his lord and decides to freelance in order to take over Japan. Why he does this, and why Chiba helps is still a bit of a mystery to me. Granted, I did nod off here and there.

 

The acting is stilted more so than normal in Japanese films. The director, Mitsumasa Saito, has a good idea for an interesting camera angle now and again, but for the most part, I blame the direction for the lack of coherency. Sonny Chiba tries to remain stoic, but even he had to question all the scenes in which he is just standing there, looking fierce.

 

And how the tank, truck, helicopter and boat are running despite the lack of fuel throughout the film is beyond me.


AddThis Social Bookmark Button

Picture and Sound

The picture is fine, and at times almost pretty, except the cheesy early 80's special effects for the "time slip." Sound is good as well, but as it has a very pronounced dubbed quality, it doesn't sound natural. And at times, I wanted to sound to go away all together whenever one of the many disco-inspired montage songs came on.

Extras

Lame interviews with what seems to be anyone who had anything to do with GI Samurai or at least remembers something about it. The interviews are contemporary, and all take place in a room with the poster hung up on the wall. Odd extreme close ups abound.

Summary

I am not entirely sure what this film was about at times. I thought it would be a kick-ass Sonny Chiba movie with lots of martial arts, but instead it was really long, kinda boring, and frankly stupid. Too many montages with little or no payoffs, oddly placed sex scenes, and lengthy scenes in which little happens. On the positive side, um, er, there is a really great shot of a sunrise. Oh, and there are a couple of blood fountains during some decapitations.
buy now

User reviews

There are no user reviews for this item.

To write a review please register or login.





Powered by jReviews
 
< Prev   Next >

Featured Review

Earthquake

Category: DVD Reviews
Sensurround was a gimmick dreamed up in the 70s by Universal Pictures for their most successful entry in the disaster movie sweepstakes, "Earthquake". In theaters where the movie played, speakers the size of Volkswagens were installed. During key scenes these speakers emitted a bass-heavy rumble, loud enough to (sort of) vibrate your seat as though you were experiencing the quake too, much like I used to experience my upstairs neighbor's love of R. Kelly every weekend before I finally lost my mind and shot him (to this day, whenever I hear "I Believe I Can Fly," I believe I can kill again). Sensurround was one of those gimmicks that William Castle would be proud of; it ain't some technological breakthrough - anyone with the same stereo system as my late, bullet-riddled neighbor can accomplish the same thing - but it's an idea no one had thought of at the time. While today all movies are presented in Mega-Dolby-THX-5.1-Dodeccophonic-Digital-Thunder-Of-The-Gods-Christ-My-Ears-Are-Bleeding-Surround sound, back then there was only Sensurround, simply because someone thought to stick huge speakers at the back of the theater. Universal would use the gimmick in later films (like "Midway" & "Rollercoaster"), but it was only really effective in "Earthquake," when the idea was still new. That as much as anything helped make it a box office hit.

Movie Quotes

Play it, Sam. Play “As Time Goes By".

Humphrey Bogart
Casablanca

Latest Reviews

The 4400-The Complete Series

The 4400-The Complete Series The 4400-The Complete Series

Daniel

Daniel Daniel

Warner Gangsters Collection, Vol. 4

Warner Gangsters Collection, Vol. 4 Warner Gangsters Collection, Vol. 4

Alfresco

Alfresco Alfresco

Doctor Who- Beneath The Surface

Doctor Who- Beneath The Surface Doctor Who- Beneath The Surface

Mind of Mencia - Season 4 Uncensored

Mind of Mencia - Season 4 Uncensored Mind of Mencia - Season 4 Uncensored

Nash Bridges - The Complete First Season

Nash Bridges - The Complete First Season Nash Bridges - The Complete First Season

Desperate Characters

Desperate Characters Desperate Characters

Walt Disney Treasures: The Chronological Donald, Vol. 4

Walt Disney Treasures: The Chronological Donald, Vol. 4 Walt Disney Treasures: The Chronological Donald, Vol. 4

Popeye the Sailor: 1941-1943, Vol. 3

Popeye the Sailor: 1941-1943, Vol. 3 Popeye the Sailor: 1941-1943, Vol. 3

Tropic Thunder Unrated version

Tropic Thunder Unrated version Tropic Thunder Unrated version

Kung Fu Panda Double Pack

Kung Fu Panda Double Pack Kung Fu Panda Double Pack

Dr. Syn: The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh

Dr. Syn: The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh Dr. Syn: The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh

Primeval Volume 1

Primeval Volume 1 Primeval Volume 1

Guyver- The Complete Series

Guyver- The Complete Series Guyver- The Complete Series

Recent Music Reviews

Duran Duran - Classic Albums: Rio (0) (0)
Category: Music Reviews
Legends:Live At Montreux 1997 Blu-Ray (0) (0)
Category: Music Reviews
Down The Tracks: The Music That Influenced Led Zeppelin (0) (0)
Category: Music Reviews
Lynyrd Skynyrd: Sweet Home Alabama (0) (0)
Category: Music Reviews
Talk Talk: Live at Montreux 1986 (0) (0)
Category: Music Reviews
High Definition poll
 

Nov. 18, 2008 releases

3-Day Weekend
300
Abraham Lincoln/The Struggle
The Avenging Conscience
Bachelorman
Black Belt
Bones - Season 3
Burke's Law: Season One Volume Two
Cannibal! The Musical: 13th Anniversary Edition
Caveman: V. T. Hamlin & Alley Oop
Charmed: The Complete Series
The Clique
The Complete Monty Pythons Flying Circus - Collectors Edition Megaset
D.W. Griffith: Father Of Film
David Lynch The Lime Green Set
Devil's Playground
Devils Curse
Doctor Who - The Complete Fourth Series
Dog Whisperer With Cesar Millan: Celebrity Edition
Doughboys
Encounters at the End of the World
Everest: Season 2
Executive Koala
Fanfan La Tulipe
Garden Party
Gene Simmons Family Jewels: The Complete Season Three
Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson
Goya
Hannah Montana: The Complete First Season
Hawaii Five-O: The Fifth Season
Heathers: Limited Edition Locker Set
High School Musical: DVD Game
Jeff Dunham: Very Special Christmas Special
The Last Klezmer: Leopold Kozlowski - His Life and His Music
McHale's Navy: Season Four
Monty Python Holy Trinity
The Odd Couple: The Complete Series Pack
The Odd Couple: The Final Season
Of Love and Eggs
Randy Savage: Macho Madness
Razzle Dazzle
The Rug Cop
Saber Rider & the Star Sheriffs
Sally Of The Sawdust
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2
Spongebob Squarepants Season 5 Vol 2
Stanley: Special Edition
Star Trek: The Original Series - Three Season Pack
Star Trek: The Original Series - Season 3 Remastered
Tougher In Alaska: The Complete Season 1
Tropic Thunder
Ultimate Death Trance
Wall-E
Wall-E Blu-Ray
Way Down East
The Wedding Director
The Who - Kilburn 1977
Wild Combination: A Portrait of Arthur Russell
A Wonderful Night in Split
The World Sinks Except Japan
The Zombie Diaries

AddThis Social Bookmark Button