Humbersi The first must-see film of the year.

Ava-Grace Willis Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

Ezmae Chang This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Cheryl A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

T&R W Yaji and Kita is a film that, as one other reviewer wrote, was definitely written for the Japanese. It's legendarily filled with pop culture references, including plenty of ones obscure enough to throw even a native Japanese viewer, and has its share of language jokes too. While you may pick up on some of those, chances are good that most of them will pass you by completely. My wife and I caught only a handful of them, and chances are you'll catch a few yourself, but you won't get them all.But it doesn't matter. In the end, the reasons why many Japanese viewers thought this film was brilliant will be lost on most Western film fans - but like all good films, this one isn't relying on just pop culture and language to make you laugh. The film is full of outright humor that DOESN'T get lost in translation; from the very beginning to the very end, this film was making us laugh. What's lost in translation just isn't enough to stop this film from being great, great fun! I usually loathe musicals, but the musical set pieces in this film are just outright hilarious.If you enjoy bizarre humor, especially visual gags, then you'll get a kick out of Yaji and Kita : The Midnight Pilgrims. The characters are very bright, very colorful and very vivid, and the humor is extremely off the wall, imaginative and playful. There's a story underneath it, and although the film never discards it, it's really about the comedy. The film featured a fair few respected actors, and their talents help to make every small piece of this movie worth a watch - from start to finish, there are set-piece situations and running gags that will keep you laughing and smiling.We may never see this film the way a Japanese watcher would...but so what? It's great anyway!

CountZero313 One of those strange films that I like but find difficult to say 'why' exactly. Surreal, touching, bizarre, obscure, confusing, culture-bound - but also laugh-out-loud funny in parts. Having read other reviews I am not sure how much of the film I got, but this film had its moments, including strong performances all round, a distinctive look and feel based on clashing modern and Edo themes and strong primary colours, and a convincing love story propping it all up. I'd recommend it to anyone who has spent any time in Japan or feels an affinity with the place. I can only guess at what audiences with no experience of Japan would make of it. Probably not very much...

Sam Cremean Without a doubt the best movie I have ever seen, in every respect. With excellent effects, to the many themes covered, entertaining, colorful, crazy. I couldn't sit still in my seat and definitely have to grab a copy of this any way I can! Its like Brokeback Mountain meets Sailor Moon, on speed.It really shows you that the American film industry don't know anything about the gay community, or for that matter have the ability to produce anything exciting new and original. This is a masterpiece, its one of those films that has to power to make you laugh and cry in the same night, and enjoy laughing and crying.5 thumbs up.

indexFinger Be sure not to miss this most irreverent "jidai-geki" (period piece) from first-time director Kudo Kankuro. Loosely based on an earlier movie about two men escaping their wives, the postmodern treatment of the subject is indeed a treat. As one critic in Japan commented, the director must have been drunk while filming -- offbeat isn't quite the word, and off-the-wall goes only so far. But if you've ever wanted to see Tetris with dead people floating down the river on rafts, anachronism at the most unexpected times, or just shut off your brain and enjoy a movie which is really impossible to follow, Yaji and Kita's Midnight Pilgrimage will not disappoint. It's half-serious way of dealing with, in the best road movie traditions, two gay lovers, one a drug addict popping blue pills, make their way from medieval Edo to Ise and then when you least expect, burst out the absurd (motorcylces, TV shows, modern-day Tokyo). The translations occasionally fell flat (since the movie includes a lot of verbal jokes in Japanese) or were just plain unintelligible, but watching the miniature Tamiya tankers roll by needs no translations. So, sit back and enjoy the ride.