Over the last decade, Asian horror cinema has become a major cultural export that has breached the international markets, as more exposure than ever before has shown off the immense talent making genre films over the years. Getting a chance to see the work of many different individuals in this part of the world has highlighted the work of Yeon Sang-ho, Joko Anwar, Kimo Stamboel, Timo Tjahjanto and Yoshihiro Nishimura, to name just a few, from out of the shadows of their home countries to the world at large.
Several trends emerged throughout the decade as time rolled on. The first is the South Korean onslaught of talent that emerged where the country ascended to the top of the genre market, and international acclaim and awards followed. They proved time and again that they were developing a core of talented and creative technicians that churned out some of the most...
Several trends emerged throughout the decade as time rolled on. The first is the South Korean onslaught of talent that emerged where the country ascended to the top of the genre market, and international acclaim and awards followed. They proved time and again that they were developing a core of talented and creative technicians that churned out some of the most...
- 2/2/2021
- by AMP Group
- AsianMoviePulse
Both Sabu and the zombie genre seem to be at their best in this low-budget hidden gem, which won a number of awards internationally, including ones in Dhaka Interantional, Fantasporto, and the Grand Prize at Gérardmer.
In a world where zombies have become pets, a cage with one of them arrives in Dr. Teramoto’s house. Her guidelines mention that her name is Shara and that she should not be fed meat, just fruit and vegetables. The “package” even includes a gun, in case something goes wrong.
Shizuko, the doctor’s wife, whom he does not seem to appreciate at all, orders her to scrub the courtyard, and feeds her with rotten food, a practice repeated every day. Additionally, Shara’s daily routine includes a gang of youngsters that attack her every day and Kenichi, the youngest son of the family, who constantly takes pictures of her.
In a world where zombies have become pets, a cage with one of them arrives in Dr. Teramoto’s house. Her guidelines mention that her name is Shara and that she should not be fed meat, just fruit and vegetables. The “package” even includes a gun, in case something goes wrong.
Shizuko, the doctor’s wife, whom he does not seem to appreciate at all, orders her to scrub the courtyard, and feeds her with rotten food, a practice repeated every day. Additionally, Shara’s daily routine includes a gang of youngsters that attack her every day and Kenichi, the youngest son of the family, who constantly takes pictures of her.
- 12/31/2019
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
“Guilty of Romance” was the film that established Sion Sono as the foremost representative of the genre, surpassing the previous master, Takashi Miike.
Two axes
The film unfolds in two axes, although without the usual use of flashbacks. The first one, which is loosely based on the 1997 murder of Yasuko Watanabe, takes place in the present. Detective Yoshida investigates a murder incident in Maruyama-cho, a love district in Tokyo, where a dismembered body has been found in an abandoned building. The missing parts have been replaced with the matching ones from a plastic doll.
The second axis, which takes place before the first, focuses on Izumi, a dedicated spouse and housewife, who is married to a famous erotic novelist, Yukio Kikuchi. He spends most of his day outside his home, trying to find inspiration for his books, while she tries to brew the perfect tea for him and to place his slippers the appropriate way.
Two axes
The film unfolds in two axes, although without the usual use of flashbacks. The first one, which is loosely based on the 1997 murder of Yasuko Watanabe, takes place in the present. Detective Yoshida investigates a murder incident in Maruyama-cho, a love district in Tokyo, where a dismembered body has been found in an abandoned building. The missing parts have been replaced with the matching ones from a plastic doll.
The second axis, which takes place before the first, focuses on Izumi, a dedicated spouse and housewife, who is married to a famous erotic novelist, Yukio Kikuchi. He spends most of his day outside his home, trying to find inspiration for his books, while she tries to brew the perfect tea for him and to place his slippers the appropriate way.
- 10/30/2016
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Written and directed by cult Japanese filmmaker Sabu (Dangan Runner, Postman Blues), Miss Zombie is a curious little film. The plot concerns a quiet and withdrawn family living in the suburbs of a nameless city in the aftermath of a zombie plague. When they are sent a 'pet zombie' in the mail, they decide to give her chores around the garden, but don't count on the disruption her presence will have on their lives. Shot in muted black and white and with an extremely tense and heavy atmosphere, it makes its central points early on and then takes forever to develop the story. I suspect this film could have been a wonderful short, but as a feature it's flawed and frustrating.
We meet husband and wife Teramoto and Shizuko (played by Toru Tezuka and Makoto Togashi) and th [Continued ...]...
We meet husband and wife Teramoto and Shizuko (played by Toru Tezuka and Makoto Togashi) and th [Continued ...]...
- 6/23/2014
- QuietEarth.us
Director: Sono Sion. Review: Adam Wing. Completing Sono Sion’s famed ‘Hate Trilogy’, Guilty of Romance walks the same path as serial killer shocker Cold Fish and Love Exposure. Megumi Kagurazaka’s outstanding talents team up with the famed director once again, along with Makoto Togashi (Memories of Matsuko), Miki Mizuno (Hard Revenge Milly) and Kanji Tsuda (Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl). The story revolves around a bored housewife who awakens her sexual identity by thrusting herself into a world of prostitution. This being a Sono Sion film, there’s also time for a little degradation and murder. This being a Sono Sion film, a significantly longer cut played out to a packed house at Cannes, but the UK version comes in at just under 112 minutes, with less emphasis on the crime investigation and more time put aside for boobies. Guilty of Romance is available on DVD and Blu-ray now.
- 12/12/2011
- 24framespersecond.net
by Steve Dollar
One of the attractions of a film festival is the chance to join a vital, engaged audience that can't wait to debate the merits of a movie seconds after the credits roll. As the day or week passes, you keep running into other fans and industry folks with strong opinions, often sharply opposed to your own, which only makes it more fun to argue about—even when things get a tad explosive.
One of my favorites at the 44th annual Sitges Film Festival was Japanese provocateur Sion Sono's Guilty of Romance. Along with Cold Fish and Love Exposure, it completes his so-called "Hate Trilogy," and shares with both films characters who are maniacally obsessive, oppressed by their circumstances, and capable of dangerous extremes of behavior. Purportedly based on a true story, Romance is framed by a police investigation of a grisly discovery at a love hotel. The...
One of the attractions of a film festival is the chance to join a vital, engaged audience that can't wait to debate the merits of a movie seconds after the credits roll. As the day or week passes, you keep running into other fans and industry folks with strong opinions, often sharply opposed to your own, which only makes it more fun to argue about—even when things get a tad explosive.
One of my favorites at the 44th annual Sitges Film Festival was Japanese provocateur Sion Sono's Guilty of Romance. Along with Cold Fish and Love Exposure, it completes his so-called "Hate Trilogy," and shares with both films characters who are maniacally obsessive, oppressed by their circumstances, and capable of dangerous extremes of behavior. Purportedly based on a true story, Romance is framed by a police investigation of a grisly discovery at a love hotel. The...
- 10/25/2011
- GreenCine Daily
by Steve Dollar
One of the attractions of a film festival is the chance to join a vital, engaged audience that can't wait to debate the merits of a movie seconds after the credits roll. As the day or week passes, you keep running into other fans and industry folks with strong opinions, often sharply opposed to your own, which only makes it more fun to argue about—even when things get a tad explosive.
One of my favorites at the 44th annual Sitges Film Festival was Japanese provocateur Sion Sono's Guilty of Romance. Along with Cold Fish and Love Exposure, it completes his so-called "Hate Trilogy," and shares with both films characters who are maniacally obsessive, oppressed by their circumstances, and capable of dangerous extremes of behavior. Purportedly based on a true story, Romance is framed by a police investigation of a grisly discovery at a love hotel. The...
One of the attractions of a film festival is the chance to join a vital, engaged audience that can't wait to debate the merits of a movie seconds after the credits roll. As the day or week passes, you keep running into other fans and industry folks with strong opinions, often sharply opposed to your own, which only makes it more fun to argue about—even when things get a tad explosive.
One of my favorites at the 44th annual Sitges Film Festival was Japanese provocateur Sion Sono's Guilty of Romance. Along with Cold Fish and Love Exposure, it completes his so-called "Hate Trilogy," and shares with both films characters who are maniacally obsessive, oppressed by their circumstances, and capable of dangerous extremes of behavior. Purportedly based on a true story, Romance is framed by a police investigation of a grisly discovery at a love hotel. The...
- 10/25/2011
- GreenCine Daily
Japanese auteur and explorer of the darker recesses of human behaviour Sono Sion follows up his off the wall serial killer shocker “Cold Fish” with more true crime psycho drama in “Guilty of Romance”. The film again reunites the director with gravure idol turned actress Megumi Kagurazaka, with whom he worked with on “Cold Fish”, and who also features in his upcoming “Himizu”, starring here alongside Makoto Togashi (“Memories of Matsuko”), Miki Mizuno (“Hard Revenge, Milly”) and Kanji Tsuda (“Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl”) in a tale of a bored housewife falling into depravity as she explores her sexual identity. Having played in a significantly longer 144 minute form to a packed house at Cannes, the film has now been released in a director approved international version, edited to 112 minutes, presumably to more specifically focus on its themes and main protagonists. The film is framed by a murder investigation carried out...
- 10/4/2011
- by James Mudge
- Beyond Hollywood
Melancholia (15)
(Lars Von Trier, 2010, Den/Swe/Fra/Ger) Kirsten Dunst, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Kiefer Sutherland, Alexander Skarsgård. 136 mins
Never have crippling depression and the end of the world looked so appealing. Personal and planetary orbits are fatalistically set on collision course in Von Trier's latest, as two sisters struggle with life, the universe and each other, but despite the grimness, its strange beauty stays with you.
The Debt (15)
(John Madden, 2010, Us) Helen Mirren, Jessica Chastain, Sam Worthington. 113 mins
A trio of Israeli agents try to abduct a former Nazi, then deal with the fallout decades later in this structurally (over)ambitious spy epic.
Red State (18)
(Kevin Smith, 2011, Us) Michael Parks, Melissa Leo, John Goodman. 88 mins
Smith takes aim at Christian fundamentalism in this cultish horror, which doesn't have the firepower it needs.
The Green Wave (Nc)
(Ali Samadi Ahadi, 2010, Ger) 80 mins
Documentary on Iran's 2009 democratic uprising, mixing reportage, animation and tweets and blogs.
(Lars Von Trier, 2010, Den/Swe/Fra/Ger) Kirsten Dunst, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Kiefer Sutherland, Alexander Skarsgård. 136 mins
Never have crippling depression and the end of the world looked so appealing. Personal and planetary orbits are fatalistically set on collision course in Von Trier's latest, as two sisters struggle with life, the universe and each other, but despite the grimness, its strange beauty stays with you.
The Debt (15)
(John Madden, 2010, Us) Helen Mirren, Jessica Chastain, Sam Worthington. 113 mins
A trio of Israeli agents try to abduct a former Nazi, then deal with the fallout decades later in this structurally (over)ambitious spy epic.
Red State (18)
(Kevin Smith, 2011, Us) Michael Parks, Melissa Leo, John Goodman. 88 mins
Smith takes aim at Christian fundamentalism in this cultish horror, which doesn't have the firepower it needs.
The Green Wave (Nc)
(Ali Samadi Ahadi, 2010, Ger) 80 mins
Documentary on Iran's 2009 democratic uprising, mixing reportage, animation and tweets and blogs.
- 9/30/2011
- by Steve Rose
- The Guardian - Film News
Yes! Sion Sono's new flick Guilty Of Romance made its debut at Cannes this year and there's a new trailer for it, ahead of it's September 30th UK release. Not due out in Japan until November, the film is yet another dark, violent drama from the man behind Cold Fish, Love Exposure and Suicide Club. This one stars Miki Mizuno (of Hard Revenge Milly fame). Makoto Togashi (Inugami) and Megumi Kagurazaka (Cold Fish). No word on a Us release yet, but hopefully we'll find out about that soon.
- 8/19/2011
- 24framespersecond.net
The Japanese poster for Sion Sono's true-crime drama Guilty of Romance has been released. If nothing, it gives you a good look at the three main female characters in the film. Starting from top to bottom we have Miki Mizuno as Kazuko, the police officer investigating the grisly murders. Then Megumi Kagurazaka as Izumi, the neglected housewife who find new life in the adult entertainment industry. And Makoto Togashi as Mitsuko, a professor of literature who doubles as a street hooker at night.And then there is one of the corpses at the bottom, the missing body parts having been replaced by pieces of mannequins. Nice. Set just before the turn of the 21st century, a grisly murder occurs in Maruyama-cho, Shibuya -- a love hotel district -- a woman was...
- 8/1/2011
- Screen Anarchy
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