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Avalon (2001)

Avalon (2001)
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Following up on his cult anime masterpieces Patlabor 2 and Ghost in the Shell, Mamoru Oshii makes his live-action debut with this virtual reality thriller set in a near-future cyberpunk wasteland, in which the youth of an unnamed central European nation are enthralled with violent and illegal virtual reality computer games. Ash (Malgorzata Foremniak) is a ruthless "Class A" fighter and reigning queen of the games. She's itching to move to the next level of playing. Aside from her gaming, she lives a loner's life with her pampered dog. She learns from a former team member, Stunner (Bartek Swiderski), that former game master Murphy (Jerzy Gudejko) was crippled after entering the game's most rarified level, "Special A." The level is only accessible under the right set of unusual circumstances. Once admitted, there is only one way out -- to win. Ash can't wait to prove herself and conquer the game. This film was screened at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi

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Starring:
Malgorzata Foremniak, Wladyslaw Kowalski, (more)
Director(s):
Mamoru Oshii
Theatrical MPAA Rating:
R
Format(s):
DVD
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Synopsis of Avalon

Following up on his cult anime masterpieces Patlabor 2 and Ghost in the Shell, Mamoru Oshii makes his live-action debut with this virtual reality thriller set in a near-future cyberpunk wasteland, in which the youth of an unnamed central European nation are enthralled with violent and illegal virtual reality computer games. Ash (Malgorzata Foremniak) is a ruthless "Class A" fighter and reigning queen of the games. She's itching to move to the next level of playing. Aside from her gaming, she lives a loner's life with her pampered dog. She learns from a former team member, Stunner (Bartek Swiderski), that former game master Murphy (Jerzy Gudejko) was crippled after entering the game's most rarified level, "Special A." The level is only accessible under the right set of unusual circumstances. Once admitted, there is only one way out -- to win. Ash can't wait to prove herself and conquer the game. This film was screened at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi

Theatrical Feature Running Time:
107 mins

Complete Cast of Avalon


Director(s):
Mamoru Oshii
Writer(s):
Kazunori Ito
Theatrical MPAA Rating:
R(Violence)
Categories:
Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Warning:  This product is intended for mature audiences only. It may contain violence, sexual content, drug abuse and/or strong language. You must be 17 or older to purchase it. By ordering this item you are certifying that you are at least 17 years of age.

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    Craig B.

    Talk about blurring boundries. Japanese anime director Oshii shoots a live action in Poland, in Polish, with Polish actors. English track seems to be voiced by the actual actors in most cases. Top notch cinematography and lighting effects combine with a high class digital effort that makes it difficult to tell where the effects leave off and the live shoots pick up. Combined with a VERY matrix-themed plot that doesn't run too thin and leaves you wondering which movie came first, this movie is a gem. Light on action, but well acted. A cyber-punk must-see that could have been a P.K.Dick or Wm.Gibson short story. SPOILER:: To get the most out of this movie, realize that the Basset Hound is the real clue to the nature of this reality. CraiGrrr

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    Jim K.

    The premise is great. Unfortunately, the director could not pull it off. From the terrible photography to extremely boring segments which seem to stretch forever, I had to force myself to not turn this movie off at least five seperate times. Until I saw this movie, I thought that Ed Wood was the all time worse movie ever. However, I believe that this movie has beat Ed Wood hand over fist to achieve my #1 worse movie.

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    Lisa and Gustave Z.

    The director is introspective in all of his works (that I am familiar with) and that can come off as slow and plodding to some. In this case, the introspection hits you over the head like a bottle of sleeping pills. The story concept is good, the plot progresses well but it's slow paced. You don't need to hit us over the head with it. Replaying the same scene several times in the movie shows that life is dull, but playing multiple scenes repeatedly while developing very slowly is too much. It's sad as they the cinematics and acting all work well otherwise.

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