neumu [ cinematronic ]




	Onmyoji
	Yojiro Takita Mansai Nomura, Hideaki Ito, Hiroyuki Sanada, Kyoko Koizumi, Eriko Imai 2001		The extravagant sword-and-sorcery epic "Onmyoji" was a smash in its native Japan, with box-office receipts as big as Godzilla. If anything is lost in translation, it's found in the swashbuckling thrust and sheer visual glory of the film, which has the English title "The Yin-Yang Master." Set in an enchanted, feudal past, "Onmyoji" mixes magic (via special effects, including colorful digital animation and a now-quaint mechanical bird) with court intrigue. Minamoto (Hideaki Ito), a loyal member of the Mikado's court, enlists the amazing wizard Seimei (Mansai Nomura) when the royal family is threatened by traitorous courtier Motokata and wicked sorcerer Doson (Hiroyuki Sanada). Their world is up for grabs. The last half of the film is consumed with the battle between Seimei and Doson who toss hexes, spells and incantations at one another like they're playing catch. Spirits and demons abound. Noble, magic-challenged Minamoto and secondary characters, such as an enchanted beauty (Eriko Imai) under a terrible curse, are caught in the middle. With the actors hooked to hidden wires and flying around like angry hummingbirds, "Onmyoji" has a real buzz to it.