Nonureva Really Surprised!

Huievest Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

Tayloriona Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Allissa .Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

polysicsarebest Uh.. wow. Here's one you will never forget. Four disgusting and insane shorts that seem loosely connected at times (themes of torture, mirrors, obsession, love, bugs, and.. uh.. Tadanobou Asano are in most of the shorts), all lovingly filmed by 4 different directors. Great acting and beautiful visuals throughout and never a dull moment in its 2 hour running time, this film is actually shockingly beautiful and very experimental at times (see the first story which is completely silent) and is just so full of ideas and life that it should be required viewing for everyone who's into cinema that's a little bit different than the norm.Much more so than the overrated 3... Extremes, this is a film that actually manages to disturb you with its images. Just try getting the images of a disgusting, drooling, dying human caterpillar or a very realistic decomposing corpse out of your head. However, what really sets this film apart are actually the BEAUTIFUL visuals. I can't really describe what makes them so beautiful; you just have to see them.Completely unnerving and endlessly fascinating throughout, this is definitely some kind of masterpiece that doesn't have any of the monotony that bogs down most pictures of this type. In fact, it's hard to choose a favorite short amongst the 4, because they're all so good! Highly recommended.

christopher-underwood Lengthy anthology of films made from stories by Edogowa Rampo, that all seem to revolve around obsessive love and the consequences of feeling; 'Since I fell in love with you my life has been hell'. First up, 'Mars Canal' comprises a naked man walking across what appears to be a lunar landscape and recalling a naked fight with a lover (?). Not much in this one for me and 'experimental' would probably be the correct tag. Next up, Mirror Hell was a fairly interesting but rather convoluted tale involving mirrors and ladies dying after a tea ceremony. I liked a lot of this but thought it could have been better told. Caterpillar, I thought was masterful. We are confronted with a mere torso and head of a man who is being further injured and degraded (and whipped) by his wife. She says he has returned injured from war and only she can bear to face him but certainly does not treat him very 'lovingly' as we would conceive of the word. There is a lot here of love and hate, of need and possession and although it is at times very hard to watch I was most impressed. The final, Crawling Bugs, doesn't quite match up to the Sato film but is well shot and certainly well worth watching. All told a surprisingly good quartet and tempts one towards the writings of the mysterious, Mr Rampo.

greenhalcyon This film, an adaptation of four (really three) short stories penned by Edogawa Rampo, is unfortunately more stomach-churning than it is stylish. Given the uniform elegance of RAMPO NOIR's composition and design, that makes the ick factor pretty high. After the relative subtlety and effectiveness of the first piece, "Mirror Hell," the ensuing parade of erotic leeches, quadriplegic sex, sadism, mutilation and necrophilia should be enough to put almost anyone off their dinner. Potential viewers, you've been warned. The images, which are beautiful, will stay with you, but they'll probably inspire a queasy stomach more than they will a sense of fascination and horror. Here's hoping it was more palatable on the page.

Chung Mo Without actually reading a Rampo story, viewers (including me) might be at a be disadvantage appreciating this production. Long, arty in good ways and bad, disturbing and gory at times, this is not an off the shelf horror film even for Japan.The four directors bring their individual talents to each story. The first story is the most abstract and while very beautiful at times passes like an avant-garde experimental film, evocative imagery to be evoked by few. The second story is by bad boy director Akio Jissoji. Like other films from his 40 year career it's filled with incredible visual compositions and scenes of S/M sex. The story is reasonably good and the closest to a normal plot in the entire film. The ridiculous S/M scene excluded, this segment works well.The third by Sato, focuses on mutilation and torment, as a woman "cares" for her "caterpillar" war hero husband. Care includes whipping the invalid and slicing his nipple off. The entire segment takes place in a destroyed bunker, apparently right after or during WWII. The married couple share the bunker with the woman's uncle's assistant who watches over a hidden art collection. The uncle has left for an "island". Bizarre and perverse, this segment is tough to watch at times and not because of the effects. The behavior is very weird and disturbing.The fourth, apparently by a first time director, is the weakest visually although it has some excellent set design. A rash afflicted limo driver with an extreme germ phobia longs for his boss, a beautiful theater actress. This segment is essentially a head long dive into madness as the driver kills the actress to "save" her from her boyfriend who places weird leeches on her neck. The story shifts gears as the driver now has to deal with the germs rotting her body. While well photographed, after the Caterpillar segment I needed something paced better. The black humor is a relief but this one just takes too long until we get to the very disgusting ending.Total together? Moderately entertaining for segments two and three. The film has a typical Japanese running theme of violence against women. Even the third segment ends with the woman character getting something done to her by a man. Director Jissoji has been doing films like this for 40 years, get over it man! While the misogyny might not mean anything to you (it's probably the reason some will watch it) the acting might be more of an issue. There's been an unfortunate trend in recent Japanese movies to hire rock and roll pretty boys instead of accomplished actors. Both segments two and three suffer as important parts are given to actors who can't really do the roles. The S/M scene in segment two is just awful because of it.An interesting experiment in anthology horror. Is about as successful as the Italian/French "Spirits of the Damned" from the 1960's. More disgusting however.