Review of Memories of Matsuko (2006) by Adrian Z — 01 May 2011

3 - Tragic melodrama centred on a woman's life (so far, so "traditional Japanese cinema theme"), but director Nakamura adds Baz Luhrman-esque musical numbers and whimsical CG imagery, and a wide assortment of bizarre caricature characters.

The overall effect is not always convincing, specially when the music is often too jingoistic and the special effects so artificial, but Miki Nakatani is surprisingly good, putting in a performance unlike any of hers I've seen before, and the drama is real and often poignant.