What are some thoughts on Memoirs of a Geisha?
831636
This movie was a beautifully created film.  The cinematography alone made it well worth the cost of a ticket.  The costuming was beautiful, artful and relatively authentic.  As long as you are/were willing to sit through the length of the movie, it was very well done.\n\nI do agree that the use of a Chinese actress versus a Japanese actress was not the brightest call, but unfortunately, most Americans really don't recognize the differences (very sad, but also true.)\n\nI loved the story, though now that I have it on DVD, I tend to skip over the beginning where she's a child (except for the flavored ice scene - it's just beautiful).  I really love watching the development of the characters.\n\nWhile a lot of people think it isn't worth renting over and over again, let alone owning, I see it as a beautiful rendition of a lost part of history.  And to think - the book was written by a man! Go figure!
1093393
I watched it the other day. All I could think about was, what a beautiful soul! A how brave she was! Life is hard enough for kids now days, imagine how hard it is for all the other kids like Gwen!\nHer mom is so great! I just wanted to meet her and give her a big hug by the end of the movie. I can't imagine how hard it was for her to loose her daughter in that way.And a standing ovation for making such a personal story public. Good movie
953629
Wow that was an amazing movie,--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\n\n\n\n \nI'm the first to admit that I get a little sappy when writing about Dead Poets Society. I first saw the film during my senior year of high school, and 16 years later it's a movie that is still with me, one that I go back to time and time again.\n\nThere's a little bit of formula at work here: A stuffy rep school, 1950s, a collection of impressionable young boys, and a teacher that will change their lives. But there's something at work that turns what could have been a forgettable, droll piece of saccharine storytelling into a classic. Part of it is Robin Williams as Mr. Keating, a young English teacher that uses poetry to teach them how to "Sieze the day," to suck the marrow out of life, as Thoreau put it.\n\nThe poetry angle is an interested and unexpected one. And writer Tom Schulman and director Peter Weir have no confusion that the idea is a little corny. Putting a kid in front of the class, covering his eyes, and forcing him to free associate until he comes up with a verse about Walt Whitman? Sounds ridiculous, but it works. In fact, it's one of the most powerful scenes in the film.\n\nThat's because the kids in the film are just as good as Williams is here. Robert Sean Leonard is the ostensible star as Neil, a deeply repressed lad who's the class president type yet dreams of doing something artistic, despite the insistence by his father (Kurtwood Smith) that he become a doctor. And then there's roommate Todd Anderson (Ethan Hawke), an intensely shy young man who's attending Welton Academy for the first time this year and will be memorably brought out of his shell, fighting all the way, by Keating. The other students of note -- Josh Charles as a lovesick kid and Gale Hansen as the unforgettable rebel "Nuwanda" -- are equally apt.\n\nUltimately the film revolves around Neil's story, when he decides for the first time to defy his father and act in a local play -- as Puck, in A Midsummer Night's Dream, of all things. This leads to a series of catastrophic events that culminates in (spoiler alert from here on out) Neil's suicide and the scapegoating/firing of Keating for it.\n\nAt once uplifting and emotionally crushing, there's no way to leave this movie without wanting to somehow improve your life and follow Keating's advice by seizing the day. Every time I watch the film I'm compelled to complete some lingering project, plan a trip, move into a new house, or do something unforgettable. Weir's direction perfectly captures the 1950s mood -- an era of repression just on the verge of breaking wide open -- and Williams manages to keep his mania in check for the bulk of the film, trotting out an impression here or there when the story requires it.\n\nIn recent years, Dead Poets Society has become a curious platform for deconstruction and revisionism. Viewers wonder, among other things, whether Neil was so troubled because he was secretly gay. Whether Keating might genuinely be guilty of contributing to his death. Whether "Sieze the day" isn't such a great motto after all. I'm not actually supporting any of these ideas per se, but the latter-day ruminating gives the film more weight than you might otherwise think, and it makes the movie all the richer for it. \n\nI Give it 4 out of 5 stars lol
653757
Yeah i saw it! But i don't know what you're looking for exactly, a review?!! summary?!! or what? So i'm just gonnna tell you what i thought of it .. \nIt was a nice experience because its not like every other romantic comedy we usually see, the story is weird in a way which is what made the movie interesting, a bit funny, and gives a different perspective on love and marriage ...
483465
The book memoirs of a geisha is not true. it is based on a geisha's life and the author talked to real geishas to get the info, but no it is not true. it could have easily happened but the author did not write it as a true story. if you own the book, you can look in the back, it tells you all the info there. wasnt it a great book???
1110223
all right... it was a very painful movie, not because it's boring and not good at all but because it was so powerful you'd feel real pain watching some scenes in the movie. it's also directed by the great miike (he's seen in the movie hostel!).\n\nhere goes. this man just lost his wife and his son's actually okay with the idea of his dad being remarried again. he held an audition but that was a front - because he really wanted to meet the girl he would want to marry through this, so he met this girl. but it turned out that this girl had a very dark past and led him into something really painful. painful is just the right term for all of this. anyway, i don't want to tell you all the details. i suggest you try to find a copy of this movie and watch it. trust me, it's good. :)
437686
Yep i just watched it recently. I thought it was good, but not great. It was a bit slow in places, but it was kind of touching too... to see from an outsiders perspective how screwed up their lives are, and how much I appreciate my life. \n\nFrom a technical perspective, I thought the filming was AMAZING. Insanely well done. I don't know off the top of my head who the director was, but they did such a fantastic job.\n\nDefinitely a good arthouse film, worth watching if only for the excellent directorial and filming illustration.
548411
it sone of the best films ive seen ...\n\nclearly raises the question of how accurate do we or should we portray a historical figure.  \n\nits a mockumentary that reflects the sensibilities of ever individual that has seen all the rizal movies.  \n\nits funny and full of sense rarely seen in pinoy cinema
1117320
My favorite character is Ayame. He's a doll! Oh, and I love the interaction between him and Shigure and Hatori (or as he says Gure-san and Tori-san).\n\nI've seen the anime and have been reading the manga as well. They are very different but I think that's because the manga is on going still so when they were making the series they didn't know where some of the storylines were going in the manga series. That happens when the books are still being written. So they picked storylines that had a conclusion to them in the book series and used those to build the anime series around. Sometimes they move around the chronology of the storylines too, having certain events happen sooner or later than they did in the manga. Scripting a graphic novel is a bit different than scripting an episode of an anime so sometimes they change things so that they work better on screen. I also think that sometimes they make changes simply because they like their idea of what should happen in a scene better than what actually occurred in the manga. Some sudden bolt of inspiration from the director where he goes, "You know we should have them do this. . ." I'm not sure if they have to ask the manga-ka about it or not when they make changes. It would be nice if they did :)
1159675
"[Note: Spoilers for the Kakashi Gaiden.] There is something about the idea of Kakashi/Rin that appeals to me, even if I can't say why. I just... I like the idea of Kakashi and someone more gentle and warm to balance out his world-weary, tired life, so the way this was written really sort of appealed to me. It wasn't fluffy, exactly, but there was a certain chemistry there, a certain connection/bond between these two teammates, a certain... I guess it was a certain yearning I felt, that maybe Kakashi could have something more positive in his life. It was the understanding present, right from the moment Rin talked to the plant in Kakashi's apartment, I knew I would kind of like these two together. The writing was lovely and the ending was lovely, hitting the notes it was trying to achieve. Surprisingly good story about a pairing I was a little wary of. "
303675
I read the manga, I have not seen the anime. In my opinion the story was cute romantic comedy and not too sexy. Rent it and decide for yourself.
1079534
You don't have to be Japanese to know this. A Geisha is a woman who has undergone a lot of training to be elegant, graceful, and to provide company to men. It is not solely sexual as some people think. That is a misunderstanding that dates back to the days of Pearl Harbor where the American men in Japan who were seeking prostitutes came upon the Geisha women who could no longer make a good living because of the war and so gave themselves willingly for a price. The Americans miss-pronounced their name as "geesha".\n The real Geisha would be hired for get-togethers where the men would have no other company than themselves if these women were not there. They made pleasant conversations and made the men feel comfortable about themselves.\nIf you want to know more just watch Memoirs Of A Geisha.
638586
I love the novel. The glowing eyes, the 'is it a cat or Erik' mystery, the house on the lake, the torture chamber, the rat catcher, all of it.\n\nIt's a great novel, especially when begun with Gaston Leroux's sworn statement that the whole thing is true.
1092975
The first answer is correct, the story is good.  It's a great example of how women were (and are still in some cases) treated and how detrimental it can be.  Definitely worth reading!!
195742
i thought it was a good story. and you see mithun chakraborthay after years. sushmita sen was excellent.\nwatch it. its not bad at all!
303598
i saw it yesterday. it was hilarious! the part with the grudge with the sterotype japenese was funny. i thought it was good, but not the best. i can't really compare it to the others cuz i only saw this one and the third. but it was still good.
389714
K.\n\nShojo- Fruits Basket, Kare Kano, Tarot Cafe. REALLLLY GOOD. Kare Kano has a sex scene though, so watch out for that.\n\nAction- Full Metal Alchemist all the way. It's hilarious, yet touching. A lot of people like InuYasha, but I don't really like the drawing style. \n\nKids- Card Captor Sakura, probably. And .hack//Legend of the Twilight.