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Movies / On DVD / Last Life in the Universe
Last Life in the Universe

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Last Life in the Universe (2004)

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Reviews Counted:11

Fresh:11

Rotten:0

Average Rating:7.8/10

Rated: Not Rated

Runtime: 2 hrs 2 mins

Genre: Foreign Films

Theatrical Release:Aug 6, 2004 Limited

Synopsis: A magic-realist romance about the culture bridges we build - sometimes wish we could jump off of Last Life in the Universe brings together three of the most exciting talents in current world... A magic-realist romance about the culture bridges we build - sometimes wish we could jump off of Last Life in the Universe brings together three of the most exciting talents in current world cinema: director Pen-ek Ratanaruang, Japanese superstar Asano Tadanobu, and Hong Kong-based cinematographer Christopher Doyle. Under the guidance of this much-celebrated triumvirate, refugee elements of Japanese yakuza films, an unpredictable succession of lush and intoxicating images, and a host of eccentric narrative tics from the cutting edge of Thai cinema converge to tell the story of the mysterious Kenji, a lonely, obsessive-compulsive Japanese librarian's assistant and occasional suicide hobbyist quietly living - and hoping to die - in Bangkok. Hiding from an unknown past, the Mishima-identified and moppishly-coiffed Kenji seems determined on a premature rendezvous with oblivion: when first we meet him, he's already swinging by the neck from a makeshift noose. (Or is he?) If only Nid, the beautiful Thai woman Kenji spies between the shelves one day, hadn't managed to die first. And if only Nid's acid-tongued sister, Noi - who inadvertently begins seducing the suicidal loner back into the chaos of life - weren't leaving for Osaka on the Monday morning plane... -- © Palm Pictures [More]

Starring: Tadanobu Asano, Sinitta Boonyasak, Laila Boonyasak, Matsushige Yutaka

Starring: Tadanobu Asano, Sinitta Boonyasak, Laila Boonyasak, Matsushige Yutaka, Takeuchi Riki

Director: Pen-ek Ratanaruang

Director: Pen-ek Ratanaruang
Screenwriter: Prabda Yoon, Pen-ek Ratanaruang
Producer: Nonzee Nimibutr, Duangkamol Limcharoen
Composer: Small Room, Hualampong Riddim
Studio: Palm Pictures

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Release:

Feb 15, 2005

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Reviews for Last Life in the Universe

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1 - 11 (sorted by date)
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[Reflects] the growing interpenetration of many individual national cinemas into a cultural conglomerate that reflects the irresistible tide of cinematic globalization.

Full Review Source: New York Observer | comment Comment
10/01/04
Andrew Sarris
Andrew Sarris
New York Observer
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The film has a precise, slow pace that allows us to get to know these quiet, quirky characters, and an imaginatively experimental approach to their thoughts and dreams.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
09/17/04
G. Allen Johnson
G. Allen Johnson
San Francisco Chronicle
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An absorbing series of intricately planned shots that play like installation art at a modern museum.

Full Review Source: Denver Post | comment Comment
09/17/04
Michael Booth
Michael Booth
Denver Post
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There is some lovely filmmaking here, and nice surprises.

Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment Comment
08/20/04
Wesley Morris
Wesley Morris
Boston Globe
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The Thai locales, the stars and Doyle's expressive cinematography add up to a disarmingly seductive yet always precarious film experience.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
08/19/04
Kevin Thomas
Kevin Thomas
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The closest thing to entering a dream state at the movies right now is watching Last Life in the Universe.

Full Review Source: Salon.com | comment Comment
08/07/04
Charles Taylor
Charles Taylor
Salon.com
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The mildly surreal drama doesn't always make sense, but it sure does look great.

Full Review Source: New York Daily News | comment Comment
08/06/04
Elizabeth Weitzman
Elizabeth Weitzman
New York Daily News
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Directed by the talented Pen-ek Ratanaruang in a deadpan style that would be approved by Finnish auteur Aki Kaurismaki, the master of deadpan.

Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
08/06/04
V.A. Musetto
V.A. Musetto
New York Post
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Allusive, and enigmatic, this Thai film is a wistful mood piece whose contemplative tone is periodically punctured with eruptions of violence.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
08/05/04
Stephen Holden
Stephen Holden
New York Times
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A sort of magic-realist Thai version of Lost in Translation, Last Life in the Universe is of the unlikely romance school of comedy, at once despairingly glib and buoyantly dark.

Full Review Source: Newsday | comment Comment
08/05/04
John Anderson
John Anderson
Newsday
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Cheeky and elusive, Last Life in the Universe inhabits a high-lonesome world unto itself, a bright daydream that dissipates in the aching gap of a missed connection.

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
08/03/04
Jessica Winter
Jessica Winter
Village Voice
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