HAH! Now I don't need to sneak on other staff computers to post reviews! Some think The Reasoner is glib, shallow and anonymous because he doesn't have the guts to stand behind his opinions.
1. THEY AREN'T OPINIONS PEOPLE!! The Reasoner only speaks unmitigated truth!
2. Only Todd knows who I am because if the rest of you knew it would cause your hair to go white and you'd have to take off your shoes in my presence.
3. Movies are as shallow as you let them be. Respond, dialogue, talk to me people...how will the world ever know I'm right if you people don't talk to meeeeeeee?!!!!!!!
Here are reasons to stop reading about Vital on ScreenAnarchy and get your own copy!
1. This is no simple genre flick. It's directed Shinya Tsukamoto whose past films have included Tetsuo The Iron Man and A Snake of June. While I'm no fan of the extremely erotic Snake I can appreciate the pedal to the metal (or is that flesh) of Tetsuo and the bottom line is this is a director for anyone who calls extreme cinema home.
2. Tsukamoto was recently the subject of an entire book by highly respected Midnight Eye editor Tom Mes who also does a commentary on the disc. GREAT CHOICE Tartan.
3. The film carries over Tsukamoto's compelling exploration of that murky territory between mind and body. A young man named Hiroshi returns home after a near fatal car accident that wiped out his memory to discover an old dissection textbook from his med school days. Returning to school he becomes an object of romantic interest for fellow student Izumi. But when the students are assigned their cadavers Hiroshi finds himself obsessed with the body on his dissection table instead. His fascination only increases as he takes the woman slowly apart and he begins receiving flashes of a life he does not remember living.
4. It is hauntingly and lyrically photographed and garners empathy for all of it's characters even as they struggle with private demons that make them quite unlovely to behold. I think Tsukamoto is right to insinuiate that truth must be felt deeply as well as grasped initellectually to transform and his cautions about losing our soul in the search for physical world are right on.
5. It contains a great-understated performance by none other than Tadanobu Asano. Known as the Asian Johnny Depp Asano proves here why he is actually an Asian version of Bill Murra. By betraying almost no emotion we ache for what must be going on inside him. However there's no doubt Asano would be the wrong choice for Groundhog Day or What About Bob? And does anybody really want to see Murray in a remake of Ichi The Killer- no, wait… that might be wonderful.
6. The other special features include a making of, footage from the Venice premiere, an interview with Tsukamoto and cast, FX featurette, trailers and music video.
7. We gave a copy away on ScreenAnarchy-, which means we like it.
8. We reviewed the sucker three times.
Listen to reason?