Touches You

Overrated and overhyped

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

6/25/18. An Oscar-nominated documentary that wasn't that interesting. It's the story about a Japanese artist and his wife who live in NYC and try to make a living from his art that he makes by boxing paint onto the campus. I suppose if you like Art you may enjoy this.

The purpose of "Cutie and the Boxer" was to show people what marriage is all about. It showed the good times and the bad times. And even after all the struggle and all the pain they are still together, Happy. "Cutie and the Boxer" was about a couple who has been together for about 40 years and were artists. Ushio and Noriko were artists that wanted to be successful so bad they have spent most of their life chasing their dreams in New York. I really enjoyed the happy times in the documentary were it just showed them being together, happy. I learned that you can't be a master at anything if you don't try. It really surprised me when their son Alex showed his artwork, he was really good. I felt as though his work was better than his parents. I would recommend this documentary to people because I really enjoyed watching this. 10/10.

"Cutie and the Boxer" has been nominated for the Oscar for Best Documentary (full-length) and this is why I chose to watch it. This is not the sort of picture I would normally chose, though I love documentaries.The film is about a very strange family of bohemian artists living in New York. Ushio Shinohara is a struggling artist who reached 80 during the filming. He seems to have a strong penchant for making odd sculptures of motorcycles as well as murals he makes by donning boxing gloves and strapping sponges to them and then punching the canvas with paint on them. For the most part, his art seems to be 'outsider art'--stuff that has not sold well and his wife and son have lived in relatively primitive conditions. As for the wife, Noriko, she is much younger and came to the US for her art. However, she soon met Ushio and pretty much gave up on her career to take care of Ushio and their son. It appears as if taking care of Ushio is pretty much a full-time job, though now that they are older, Noriko is returning to her art and making work that appears similar to that of Jean Cocteau.While I have described the couple briefly, I wasn't particularly interested in their art nor did I particularly like them. I hope this isn't the purpose of the film, as it didn't instill these feelings in me. Instead, I at least appreciated it on a sociological level. The idea of a talented woman completely subjugating herself and her art in favor of the man and his career is interesting...and a bit sad.So did I like the film? No. But I did appreciate the filmmakers' work. There were some interesting camera-work (particularly with the swimming scene) and it must have taken a lot of work following the family...as well as patience. All in all, I didn't see in the film what most other reviewers or the AMPAS (the Oscar folks) people saw in the film. It was just okay and just left me pretty flat. Of the other nominees, "The Act of Killing" and "The Square" are much, much more engaging and impressive films. So is "Dirty Wars". I have not yet seen the final nominee, "20 Feet From Stardom".UPDATE: Saw "20 Feet From Stardom". It was fun but took zero risks and did not impress me...and it took home the Oscar.

This is a stunning film for several reasons: Foremost, it is a convincingly honest portrayal of the life of two artists. I cannot recall a film that got the life of an artist right—without an agenda, without false sentiment, without noticeable dishonesty. As a writer I felt I fully understood what Heinzerling managed to convey about the Shinoharas' personal visions without his having to resort to the conventional format of most documentaries. Second, the film is a totally engrossing portrait of a complicated relationship. Unlike most films about famous people, there is no narration here telling us what to think of Ushio and Noriko. They speak for themselves. They reveal themselves, for better and occasionally for worse. I usually resist films that are charming but this one has charm that is utterly irresistible. Third, the film casts light on the kind of work these artists do and have done. Fourth, we get to see the artists when they are not creating; that is, we get to know a little more about their inner lives and their external activities. Fifth, the artists themselves are utterly compelling personalities.