Ping Pong
Ping Pong (2002) is amazing. It's a sports movie, but since it's (a) Japanese & (b) about an individual sport, it can avoid the tropes of Western team-sports movies. And boy, does it. I really thought it was going in a different direction. The director is an fx guy, & he threw some neat visual effects in the movie in a few places. Judicious use of special effects, I would say.
Apparently the manga that it's based on is by the same mangaka who did Black & White, which I think I read some of & hated. I love this, though. Maybe the best movie about sport I have ever seen, in its themes.
Most of the main cast are supposed to be in high school, but several of them were about thirty when it was shot & look it. Ah well. And most of them find their appropriate endings, which is interesting to me.
I like the coach character. I didn't realize the actor was one of the guys from Shall We Dance? (When the DVD extras mentioned that, I visualized the wrong character in fact!)
Natsuki Mari played the only major female character. She's hot for a 50ish Japanese lady. (I am not Box.)
Apparently the manga that it's based on is by the same mangaka who did Black & White, which I think I read some of & hated. I love this, though. Maybe the best movie about sport I have ever seen, in its themes.
Most of the main cast are supposed to be in high school, but several of them were about thirty when it was shot & look it. Ah well. And most of them find their appropriate endings, which is interesting to me.
I like the coach character. I didn't realize the actor was one of the guys from Shall We Dance? (When the DVD extras mentioned that, I visualized the wrong character in fact!)
Natsuki Mari played the only major female character. She's hot for a 50ish Japanese lady. (I am not Box.)