Uberreiniger's move reviews part 2
Jul. 30th, 2004 08:52 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
uberreinigerWhile house sitting I also got to enjoy some fine slices of Japanese horror.
Juon: The Grudge (2003) - Starring a bunch of Japanese people you've never heard of. Directed by Takashi Shimizu
I didn't rent this. Dean and Lesley had a crude pirate copy lying around so I threw it in and watched it. Unfortunately, the damn thing choked to death and I didn't get to see the ending! With that in mind, I shall review it from an ascetic standpoint rather than a plotline one.
A very short film, Juon manages to cram a great deal of suspense and "GOTCHA!" moments into its seventy minutes. It starts out with a young elementary school teacher who grows concerned for a student who's quit showing up for school and who sets out to the boy's home to investigate. But the boy happens to be the son of a former college acquaintance and the house in which the family lives has, as homes in horror movies often do, quite a few dark, nasty secrets.
Juon has something for just about every type of horror fan: Excellent use of sound and lighting, edge-of-the seat suspense, likeable heroes, and nubile teenagers getting ripped to shreds. Juon takes a very novel approach, however. Usually in horror movies the teenagers die from their own stupidity more than anything and we laugh at their deaths accordingly. Not here. In the few minutes we get to know them, these young folks come off as reasonably smart and capable of handling themselves. When the terror sets in they do everything they can to stay alive and it just... doesn't... work. Meanwhile Juon also explores the farthest boundaries of a tried and true horror movie premise: the notion that adorable little children can be Really. Fucking. Scary.
It should be warned that this film is incredibally low budget, but this is in the film's favor. The makers are forced to rely on creativity to get the horror across and they pull it off admirably for the most part. Sadly, as much as they are able to mold the sub-basement level budget to their advantage, there are times when it still turns against them. In particular there's one CGI special effect of a facial disfigurement which, sadly, isn't very special.
So yeah, Juon. Go out and rent it before the big-budget remake with Sarah Michelle Gellar hits the screen. And then mail it to me so I can find out how the damn thing ends!
Audition, a.k.a. Odishon (2000) - starring Ryo Ishibashi, Eihi Shiina, and some other Japanese people you've never heard of. Directed by Takashi Miike.
Now this is a genuinely interesting film. A middle-aged widower (Ishibashi) decides to end his lonliness by remarrying. Having been out of the dating scene for quite a while he has no idea how to go about it until his slick movie producer friend suggests the idea of interviewing women to be his wife - under the pretext that they are auditioning for a role in a major motion picture. Sadly, the talent doesn't seem very promising until he encounters Asami (Shiina), a shy ballet dancer whom he just can't stop thinking about...
At first glance, Audition bears a resemblance to other recent Far Eastern horror flicks such as Ringu, but with its use of hallucinations and heavily-subtextual dialogue between shy, emotionally-inhibited characters it actually owes a great deal to the works of Ingmar Bergman right up until it throws caution to the wind for the bone-crunching climax. The two leads are what truly make this film work. Shiina is a beautiful and incredibally versatile actress who makes you truly empathize with her character even at times when you feel you really shouldn't. But it's Ishibashi who truly shines in his role as the shy, gentle widower. His hangdog facial expressions and kind, clumsy demeanor don't seem the least bit acted in anway. According to an interview with the director, Ishibashi-san is something of a rock star in Japan and in movie roles typically plays Yakuza crime lords. It would be interesting to see some of his other work to get a feel for his full range.
Angel Sanctuary (2001) Directed by Kiyoko Sayama
Okay, this isn't actually a horror movie but it should be. Angel Sanctuary is an anime that I picked up on a lark while hankering for some quallity manga fare. The premise looked interesting: Angels and demons warring over the soul of a young man whose angelic alter ego may awaken at any moment and obliterate Tokyo in the process. Sounds like a cool premise, right? Wrong. This thing makes a girl working an eighteen inch anal toy at the center of a 100-man bukkake look like an episode of Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood.
It could be worse, I guess. This isn't Hentai by any means; there's no tentacle rape. Unfortunately, what there is is more brother-sister incest than you'll find at a gathering of ancient Egyptian royalty in Arkansas. It's not even just window-dressing or character background. Incest literally drives the entire stinking plot. I was expecting Paradise Lost meets Akira. What I got was The Devil's Advocate meets Flowers In The Attic.
One thing Angel Sanctuary has going for it is some truly gorgeous animation. The designs of the angelic characters are truly breathtaking. And some of the relationships between characters who AREN'T spunking into or being spunked into by their own genetic equivalents are genuinely touching and draw the viewer's interest. The central character is a pretty likeable fellow too and if the love of his life didn't have rocks inside her head you might even genuinely want their doomed romance to succeed. Seriously, the girl is so dumb you'd get sick at him dating her even if they weren't related.
Angel Sanctuary. No Hentai. No tentacles. Just a huge, HUGE potential for Downs Syndrome babies.
Juon: The Grudge (2003) - Starring a bunch of Japanese people you've never heard of. Directed by Takashi Shimizu
I didn't rent this. Dean and Lesley had a crude pirate copy lying around so I threw it in and watched it. Unfortunately, the damn thing choked to death and I didn't get to see the ending! With that in mind, I shall review it from an ascetic standpoint rather than a plotline one.
A very short film, Juon manages to cram a great deal of suspense and "GOTCHA!" moments into its seventy minutes. It starts out with a young elementary school teacher who grows concerned for a student who's quit showing up for school and who sets out to the boy's home to investigate. But the boy happens to be the son of a former college acquaintance and the house in which the family lives has, as homes in horror movies often do, quite a few dark, nasty secrets.
Juon has something for just about every type of horror fan: Excellent use of sound and lighting, edge-of-the seat suspense, likeable heroes, and nubile teenagers getting ripped to shreds. Juon takes a very novel approach, however. Usually in horror movies the teenagers die from their own stupidity more than anything and we laugh at their deaths accordingly. Not here. In the few minutes we get to know them, these young folks come off as reasonably smart and capable of handling themselves. When the terror sets in they do everything they can to stay alive and it just... doesn't... work. Meanwhile Juon also explores the farthest boundaries of a tried and true horror movie premise: the notion that adorable little children can be Really. Fucking. Scary.
It should be warned that this film is incredibally low budget, but this is in the film's favor. The makers are forced to rely on creativity to get the horror across and they pull it off admirably for the most part. Sadly, as much as they are able to mold the sub-basement level budget to their advantage, there are times when it still turns against them. In particular there's one CGI special effect of a facial disfigurement which, sadly, isn't very special.
So yeah, Juon. Go out and rent it before the big-budget remake with Sarah Michelle Gellar hits the screen. And then mail it to me so I can find out how the damn thing ends!
Audition, a.k.a. Odishon (2000) - starring Ryo Ishibashi, Eihi Shiina, and some other Japanese people you've never heard of. Directed by Takashi Miike.
Now this is a genuinely interesting film. A middle-aged widower (Ishibashi) decides to end his lonliness by remarrying. Having been out of the dating scene for quite a while he has no idea how to go about it until his slick movie producer friend suggests the idea of interviewing women to be his wife - under the pretext that they are auditioning for a role in a major motion picture. Sadly, the talent doesn't seem very promising until he encounters Asami (Shiina), a shy ballet dancer whom he just can't stop thinking about...
At first glance, Audition bears a resemblance to other recent Far Eastern horror flicks such as Ringu, but with its use of hallucinations and heavily-subtextual dialogue between shy, emotionally-inhibited characters it actually owes a great deal to the works of Ingmar Bergman right up until it throws caution to the wind for the bone-crunching climax. The two leads are what truly make this film work. Shiina is a beautiful and incredibally versatile actress who makes you truly empathize with her character even at times when you feel you really shouldn't. But it's Ishibashi who truly shines in his role as the shy, gentle widower. His hangdog facial expressions and kind, clumsy demeanor don't seem the least bit acted in anway. According to an interview with the director, Ishibashi-san is something of a rock star in Japan and in movie roles typically plays Yakuza crime lords. It would be interesting to see some of his other work to get a feel for his full range.
Angel Sanctuary (2001) Directed by Kiyoko Sayama
Okay, this isn't actually a horror movie but it should be. Angel Sanctuary is an anime that I picked up on a lark while hankering for some quallity manga fare. The premise looked interesting: Angels and demons warring over the soul of a young man whose angelic alter ego may awaken at any moment and obliterate Tokyo in the process. Sounds like a cool premise, right? Wrong. This thing makes a girl working an eighteen inch anal toy at the center of a 100-man bukkake look like an episode of Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood.
It could be worse, I guess. This isn't Hentai by any means; there's no tentacle rape. Unfortunately, what there is is more brother-sister incest than you'll find at a gathering of ancient Egyptian royalty in Arkansas. It's not even just window-dressing or character background. Incest literally drives the entire stinking plot. I was expecting Paradise Lost meets Akira. What I got was The Devil's Advocate meets Flowers In The Attic.
One thing Angel Sanctuary has going for it is some truly gorgeous animation. The designs of the angelic characters are truly breathtaking. And some of the relationships between characters who AREN'T spunking into or being spunked into by their own genetic equivalents are genuinely touching and draw the viewer's interest. The central character is a pretty likeable fellow too and if the love of his life didn't have rocks inside her head you might even genuinely want their doomed romance to succeed. Seriously, the girl is so dumb you'd get sick at him dating her even if they weren't related.
Angel Sanctuary. No Hentai. No tentacles. Just a huge, HUGE potential for Downs Syndrome babies.
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no subject
Date: 2004-07-30 10:10 am (UTC)Audition absolutely fucking rules.
Ju-on: The Grudge was damn good visually. Pick up your own copy, I'll be doing so.
no subject
Date: 2004-07-30 10:31 am (UTC)Another good one that I've seen is "The Eye." You should be able to find that one at Blockbuster.
no subject
Date: 2004-07-30 04:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-07-30 06:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-07-30 06:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-07-31 12:16 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-07-31 01:09 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-07-31 01:19 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-07-31 01:36 am (UTC)http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0368296/
Looks pretty twisted. I'm adding it to me "must-see" list.