Dusk789
Australia
Become erect... with your heart!
I feel like this is the kind of movie that could be considered a classicI mean it already is a cult classic but I think this movie is kind of timeless
This movie does not feel like 4 hours at all, and never gets dull
If somebody saw what I looked like watching the entire last hour and a half they'd think I'm insane
Very thematically rich while delivering one of the most ridiculous and engaging stories I've seen in a film so far and hitting emotional beats very effectively, also made me laugh a fair bit
Great characters, acting was realistic when it mattered and goofy when it needed to be
If you can find a four hour time slot and are up for some wild and sometimes disturbing stuff, I wholeheartedly recommend Love Exposure
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Interesting commentary on perversion and sexualisation in Japan from some girls chasing material but empty desires, and some men who are pathetic and lonely and others who are screwed in the head.
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A wild ride but unmistakably Nakashima
Interesting movie with great directing and editing (as usual for Nakashima) with a great cast and great visuals, however the story becomes really hard to follow towards the end. Interesting character writing and themes about family and childhood.The movie was not very subtle with its themes but they also somehow get buried under how batshit crazy the final act is. It probably makes sense to somebody but that somebody is not me. The general message and ending is clear but the majority of the events in the last act are just insane.
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Lingers in your mind long after the end credits
Edit: I still find myself thinking about this a LOT. One of the most memorable movies I've ever seen, I can see myself still remembering this in decades. Probably the most impactful movie I've ever watched. It refuses to leave my mind, but I can't bring myself to give it 5 stars.A good movie with some really great moments bogged down by an overreliance on shock value which cheapens some scenes. Compared to some of Sono's other movies, I found that some of the shocking scenes didn't have as much artistic merit and it detracted from the experience.
Absolutely insane performances from everybody, the two leads being the standouts. Denden's Yukio Murata was well acted and terrifying but Kippei Shiina's Joe Murata was the better Murata imo. Mitsuru Fukikoshi's Shamoto was an interesting character and very well acted. Some scenes were genuinely chilling. The visuals were also nice in general and the soundtrack was also well used. The Skater's Waltz can be really scary (⓿_⓿).
Really uncomfortable and unnerving watch which I found more fucked than The Forest of Love. I think the reason I prefer The Forest of Love is because it was done with more sense and more tastefully, as tastefully as intense gore can be I guess. It felt like things had purpose and a meaning. I guess the point of this is it felt like it didn't have purpose or meaning. Interested to watch more Sono, he is an interesting director. If you can't stomach gore, absolutely do not watch this. This is definitely something that will linger with me for a long time.
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Awesome fight choreography
Really really awesome fight choreography, definitely lives up to its title.The plot is pretty basic but its easy to follow and get into and it helps facilitate some of the coolest and most exciting fights I've seen in a while.
The fights in here felt like exactly what live action Ryu Ga Gotoku fights should be. Thank you for the rec @bjorkshandy, this was very fun.
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Go in blind please
"All life must be treasured.""The world beyond the exit... Is it heaven? Or could it be hell?"
Better than it looks, I won't say anything but going in blind would be best. At first I watched it ironically (idk who would watch this unironically tbh ?) but ended up actually really enjoying it.
I recommend. A bit degenerate sometimes though so be warned.
If you want to watch this with English subs, just contact me
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"Flowers are meant to bloom, not to dry up."
A very bleak, angsty, and introspective but beautiful story of shattered dreams, dying and blooming flowers, and disillusioned youth lost to violence and neglect, mundane with sudden bursts of extreme brutality and violence. Well directed with a great soundtrack and some really pretty shots. Toyoda and Kasamatsu have a great eye for shot framing. Compelling and very sad throughout.Was this review helpful to you?
An adaptation which adds one good part but is overall worse than its sources
Decent movie which I feel would've benefited from a longer runtime to develop the characters further. There were several missed opportunites with the source material with some characters being much more interesting in the source material, also adding to the emotional punch of the story.Some great scenes though always love to see Kitano too I just feel what was here could've been elevated with more time for plot points to breathe and characters to grow on you.
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Interesting but hard watch
I had a lot of doubts going into this but I was pleasantly surprised that it was actually pretty interesting. The whole porn part is not there to be pleasing or something, instead it is intentionally unsettling, which I am happier about than the alternative. Very surreal and trippy, goes some absolutely crazy places and really fucks with your mind, I still feel a bit dazed and confused writing this review. Packed full of symbolism and philosophical dialogue to the point where it bordered on being pretentious but I'm glad it didn't cross that line for me.Some well executed commentary on freedom, trauma, taboo, feminism/antifeminism, repression, and hypocracy that almost gets lost in Sono trying to make something really artistic.
I recommend... with caution.
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20th Century Boys 1: Beginning of the End
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A terrible adaptation but a fun time if you've already read the manga
A terrible adaptation of one of my favourite manga series, but if you have read the manga before you are in for a fun time. The story is so confusing it's almost comical, so much material, both characterisation and central mystery, is glossed over, and it would be impossible to comprehend without the manga. Although, I would be lying if I said I didn't have a blast watching it.If you haven't read the manga already, please do, it's excellent, please don't watch this trainwreck first.
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Slow, meditative, and compelling movie about two depressed lonely assassins.
Extremely pretty cinematography makes this a treat to watch. Made the most of a low budget and has an awesome ending. Dialogue is sparse but great when it's there.Reminds me a little of if 428: Shibuya Scramble and Wong Kar-wai had a baby, not as good as 428 but it's hard to beat perfection.
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the G-Boys will stay in my heart forever ?
Mann I could watch this forever I'm mad this ended so fast ?Extremely entertaining and enjoyable, funny and serious and just a really fun and memorable ride.
Dripping with style, the visuals work really well with very frantic but fluent editing and costumes and sets which perfectly showcase the culture and fashion of the time. Great acting and tons of likeable and memorable characters, a few of which get unexpected development near the end. Some portions of the show are episodic and some progress the overarching story, both elements are handled really well imo with some great story revelations and emotional beats. Amazing final few episodes.
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This review may contain spoilers
Fate is harsh.
Sion Sono is a madman. Not sure how or why Netflix funded this guy but it resulted in this. Absolutely insane, ramping up with each episode, almost to the point of parody. Despite this, the plot is very compelling with complex characters and its themes are presented in interesting ways. So much is packed into this thing it's insane.Kippei Shiina as Joe Murata is probably one of my favourite portrayals of a villain in anything I have seen so far. Genuinely chilling and unnerving one second and really goofy the next. A terrifying man especially towards the end. Scary to think he is based on a real guy.
This is something that will stay in my head for a long long time. Very well directed, some really memorable scenes, very well shot throughout and fantastic use of music. Mushi no Onna is never leaving my head.
I think watching all the episodes in one go like a long movie is the way to go, to be honest it never felt boring and was paced very well. I know others have said this but I cannot see how a shorter cut would even work. I would recommend but it is really fucked and graphic, with a LOT of gore and nudity. If you are sensitive to gore I think it would be a good idea to stay away from this.
I'm writing this at 4am so this might be a little dodgy but ignoring the true events that inspired the series and Murata I guess you could look at Murata as a kind of metaphorical character bringing out the madness in people. Manipulating everyone around him he strips them down to very primal instincts like lust, bloodlust, and pleasure, leading them to embrace hedonism finding sadomasochistic pleasure in the most twisted and vile things. Initially appearing charming and enticing, over time he begins to abuse you and start destroying who you are.
But maybe even stripped bare they might remember a fishing trip they had with their friends. Maybe you'll remember Romeo and try to run. Maybe you'll remember Romeo and end it yourself.
Some people were more susceptible to him than others, particularly broken people weighed down by trauma or jealousy, those already embracing pleasure, and those who have had their desires suppressed. In the end though no matter who you are he can still come to you.
If you let Murata into your life and get swept up by him you'll eventually end up no longer being the director of your own life anymore. But not all of the characters chose this path. Maybe it was chosen for them.
Go to hell, Joe Murata.
Fate is harsh.
That was a lot of me trying to sound smart but pretty much as long as you know what you're getting into I fully recommend this, it was great.
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