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Reviews
Ringu (1998)
X-Files meets Videodrome in Japanese Horror Movie.
Nakata Hideo's twisty-turny horror movie, based on series of novels by Suzuki Koji, borrows motifs from such diverse genre pics as VIDEODROME, CANDYMAN and ONIBABA. Mix in a healthy dose of one of X-FILES better episodes and a closing shot ripped straight from THE TERMINATOR and you'd probably expect an unholy mess. Well, you'd be half right because this is one of the most disturbing cinematic experiences in recent memory. The premise, a cursed videotape that dooms the viewer to a bizarre death exactly one week after watching it, may seem hard to swallow but Nakata plays it straight and an atmosphere of dread pervades the film. Characterisation is minimal but effective with good performances from the two leads as an estranged husband and wife fighting against time to save themselves and their young son from the curse. What really makes this film work though, in ways that superficially similar Hollywood efforts often don't, is a plot that constantly throws suprises at you right up until the final scenes. There is also some startling and genuinly unsettling imagery and very clever editing. RINGU may be nothing more than an effective little shocker but it makes most big budget Hollywood "psychological thrillers" look as anaemic as Sadako, the melancholy spirit at the center of the madness. Miles Pieri
Storefront Hitchcock (1998)
Robyn Hitchcock starts making sense.
When Jonathan Demme made the Talking Heads concert movie Stop Making Sense in 1984 he set a standard that no director since has been able to match. The stark visuals and unique music of the band along with an amazing performance by main man David Byrne created an experience that many consider to be the last word in "rockumentary" film making. Fourteen years on Demme returned to the genre with StoreFront Hitchcock, a concert movie of arguably one of Englands finest, certainly one of it's most idiosyncratic, singer/songwriters Robyn Hitchcock. Filmed over two days StoreFront has Hitchcock performing his music in a NYC shop window, a bizzare concept but totally in touch with the singers famously "unusual" sensibilities. Demme films Hitchcock, along with Violinist Deni Bonnet and Bass player Tim Keegan, with their backs to the window as bemused passers by stare in (look out for producer and regular Demme cameo player Kenneth Utt!) As in Stop Making Sense we can hear the audience but not see them, instead sharing their Point of view to give us the feeling of being part of the live experience. Hitckcock himself is far less a visual performer than David Byrne which may be part of the reason Demme gives him an ever changing New York street as a backdrop. Instead of big suits and stage acrobatics, inbetween songs, Hitchcock includes some of his bizzare monologues and surreal observations. These tend to grate after a while although some are quite amusing. And there's always the knowledge that they're probably going to be followed by a fabulous, if completely unconnected, song. Many of these are taken from Hitchcocks then current Moss Elixer album with a few oldies and some of his work with The Egyptians thrown in. For those of us who feel that Hitchcocks music always sounded at it's best in it's most pared down, stark incarnations this is a joy. The fact that this is in essence an "unplugged" session brings his voice to the fore and it's rarely sounded better. A good example is the version of "The Yip Song" - that insanely manic number with it's "Vera Lynn" chorus appears here as a far more melancholic piece, aided by an on-screen dedication to Hitchcocks father Raymond. Maybe comparing this film to the Talking Heads movie is a little unfair. Demme may have used a similar technique but it does have it's own distinct flavour, perhaps unsuprising considering it has such a colourful artist as its subject. It never reaches the exhilarating levels of seeing Stop Making Sense in a movie theatre but Demme should be congratulated for having the smarts, ability and just plain good taste to bring such a unique talent to the big screen. Miles Pieri
Hana-bi (1997)
Hana-Bi (Flower-Fire/Fireworks)
Hana-Bi, Kitano Takeshi's 7th film as writer/director is something of a departure from the (albeit quite poetic)Yakuza pictures for which he is known in the west.It is a beautiful, lyrical story of an ex-cops coming to terms with his last shot at personal redemption. Kitano shows a warmth and humanity not displayed in his previous films,the scenes between Nishi and his wife being particularly moving. All of Kitano's films have a tableux quality with their long static shots and here he takes this to the logical extreme by using paintings (his own) to display the emotions of a crippled cop considering suicide. Kitano employs his usual deadpan humour carefully at key moments throughout the film, often in the most violent scenes.And nobody else can film a scene set on a beach like "Beat" Takeshi. Special mention should also be made of Joe Hisaishi's beautiful jazz influenced score. This is Kitano's most mature work, a marvellous intelligent picture from one of the major talents in modern Japanese cinema. Miles Pieri.