The Happiness of the Kakaturis Blu-ray Review

The Happiness of the Kakaturis Blu-ray Review

Review: The issue with reviewing a film as twistedly insane as The Happiness of the Kakaturis is trying to convey just how sick, perverse and down-right strange it really is. Under the expert control of Japanese cult legend Takashi Miike, this pitch-black comedy horror-musical is a must-see for Miike purists, but absolutely not for the uninitiated. Combining his customary bloodlust with technically astonishing musical numbers and bizarre animated deluges, Miike has created that rare thing: a truly unique experience. Whether or not this experience proves pleasurable will hinge largely on one's penchant for horror tropes and screwball comedy. And Japanese pop music. It doesn't happen often, but I am honestly lost for words here. I'm reasonably sure I liked this movie, but looking back now, I'm starting to doubt myself. Perhaps that is the film's greatest strength: putting an audience in an indescribable headspace from which even the most evangelical of film critics emerge uncertain. I can't honestly call it a great film, yet Miike's technical proficiency and the (very occasionally) heartfelt story of family and acceptance make this acid-level headtrip, at the very least, an unforgettable one. Side note: a Being John Malkovich-style trip into Miike's mind would be deeply fascinating, whilst also deeply disturbing. Just like his films, then...

Extras: Besides Arrow Video's ever-impressive restoration and collector's booklet, this edition features commentaries with Miike and critic Tom Mes, a new interview with Miike, a making-of documentary, archive interviews with the main cast, a featurette on the animations, a visual essay on Miike's career by Mes and trailers (everyone loves a trailer to the film they've just watched, right?)

Score: 4/5 (I think)

Extras: Nothing is real. Help me.

The Happiness of the Katakuris is out on Blur-ay on 22nd June

Milano Calibro 9 Blu-ray Review

Milano Calibro 9 Blu-ray Review

Review: The first instalment of Italian director Fernando di Leo's "Milieu Trilogy", Milano Calibro 9 is a strikingly evocative entry into the poliziottesco (crime thriller) sub-genre. Utilising a muscular (in more ways than one) lead performance Gastone Moschin, this chilling depiction of Milan's sleazy underbelly stands as a unsung classic, due for re-appraisal with the arrival of a pristine 2K re-release from Arrow Video. Moschin plays Ugo Piazza, an ex-con just released from prison, who is greeted by the sociopathic Rocco (the impressively moustached Mario Adorf) and led back into the world of treachery he is so desperate to escape. Lionel Stander fills the Marlon Brando role as the Americano, orchestrator of this barely-controlled madness. Replacing the genre's typical exploitative sleaze with a thoughtful, almost tender approach, di Leo soap opera proves all the more affecting for its (comparably) subdued nature. The outbursts of ultraviolence are beautifully framed in all their barbarous glory: one-take beatings and a show-stopping climactic shoot-out put most American thrillers to shame. The unsapring dialogue, courtesy of di Leo and Giorgio Scerbanenco, author of the source novel, is particularly strong in the ideological debates between the hot-headed commisioner and his newly appointed colleague. This juxtaposition of intellectualism and poor taste give the production an unpredictable edge, along with cosmopolitan appeal. See it for astute social commentary. See it for the heart-pounding slaughter. See it for the gorgeuous Barabara Bouchet. Regardless of your motives: see it.

Extras: Besides the exemplary restoration and Arrow's customary collector's booklet, this worthy package also includes documentaries on the making of the film, poliziottesco, and the careers of both di Leo and Scerbanenco, an interview with Mochin and trailers.

Five-Word Verdict: A masterpiece, through and through.
Score: 5/5

Jurassic World Mini-Review

Jurassic World Mini-Review

It's taken 22 years and 3 attempts, but we finally have a Jurassic Park sequel worthy of the title, courtesy of the director and writer of the wonderful indie sci-fi comedy Safety Not Guaranteed (stop reading this and watch that movie. You're welcome.): Colin Trevorrow and Derek Connolly. The world's mutual man-crush Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard lead this playful send-up of Hollywood's attitude towards sequels of (understandably) dormant franchises: bigger, scarier, more teeth. As it turns out, when the bean-counting executives of the now-functioning dinosaur theme park create a new hybrid attraction, this model is far from fool-proof. Trevorrow frames his barely-family-friendly film with a Spielbergian sense of awe, the frequent low-angle shots giving a true sense of scale to the chaotic proceedings. The director's lack of blockbuster experience is easily masked by his expert handling of the numerous heart-pounding action scenes, the standout being a spine-prickling jungle chase, facilitated by the joyously dopey inclusion of human-trained velociraptors. Unfortunately, his mastery with a camera does not extend to his and Connolly's slightly lacklustre screenplay, which opts for stupid-for-a-stupid-movie subplots about militarised dinos and two precocious (if serviceable) kids for his leads to rescue, instead of, you know, the thousands of other innocent people being eaten alive. Michael Giacchino has always excelled in nostalgic charm and childlike wonder, and his latest score may be his finest work to date; perfectly blending John Williams' classic themes with new, pulse-pounding compositions. The two leads share an easy-going chemistry, making their inevitable romance both believable and compelling, however unnecessary.  Jurassic World is a silly, explosive and surprisingly brutal crowdpleaser that knows exactly what it is and excels at it, whilst providing a sly nod to its own existence. I loved it, and if you can tune into its brand of gleeful destruction, so could you...

The Spider Complete Series DVD Review

The Spider Complete Series DVD Review

Review: At one point in The Spider, Ole Christian Madsen's brilliant Danish noir thriller, femme-fatale Lisbeth Gordan (the radiant Stine Stengade) tells her beau, the over-zealous reporter Bjarne Madsen (Submarino's Jakob Cedergren) that "you're sick. Journalism is a disease and you've got it". This delightfully vitriolic outburst is customary both of the miniseries' excellent hardboiled dialogue and its generally pessimistic worldview. There are no heroes in this story, merely residents of various subscripts of grey. Due for a UK DVD release on 15th June (from the lovely people at Arrow Films. Seriously, these guys are the best!), now is a perfect time to discover easily one of the best TV shows of the 00s. Cedergren commands the screen as a journalist increasingly overwhelmed by his duties, desperate to lead a normal life with Lisbeth and support his self-destructive brother Ole (Lars Mikkelsen, recently seen playing Magnussen in BBC's Sherlock). His latest endeavour, to uncover a gangster's corruption of the police department could well destroy everything he hopes to build. The cast are universally magnificent, Cedergren being the clear standout with a staggeringly honest portrayal of an imperfect man navigating a morally ambiguous underworld. The mystery itself, although disorientatingly complex at times, coolly pulls you into a web of intrigue (ha!), before bunking off major players with gleeful abandon, all under Madsen's (the showrunner) careful control as he slowly tears down the life of his on-screen counterparts. Boasting a wickedly dark sense of humour, a hypnotic score from Soren Hyldgaard and some of the Dutch-est Dutch angle ever to grace the small screen, this is unmissable television for crime fans and  hat enthusiasts alike...

Extras: None. 

Five-Word Verdict: "I really need that hat"

Score: 4½/5