I am using this quotation to refer to overzealous critical opinion. The film itself suffered a budget cutback in the sound and fury department.
I had the misfortune to live through this with a friend at the Fant-Asia Festival in Toronto in August. I was laughing by the end as the film just got stupider and stupider without ever really passing through a scarier and scarier phase. The finale is a riot of derisive laffs.
The film's stylishness -- what there is of it -- is all stolen. The soundtrack is ripped off from one or more of Goblin's old scores for Dario Argento. Teller of Penn & Teller said on the box the other day (in a special about magic) that imitation is *not* the highest form of flattery. It's just theft. Teller rarely speaks, but when he does he's right.
The film *is* gross; I'll give you that. Personally, the infrequent carnal delights were really the only thing I found in its favour.
I gave this film a bad rating at that time; I in fact had to create this IMDb page first, plus 4 other Ikeda pages. Back in August, there was only one Ikeda page: Kagi. But I didn't bother to review the film since, hey, who's ever going to see it? But now it's popped up in an ad in Asian Cult Cinema, so now I have to warn the WORLD. Just like Kevin McCarthy in Invasion of the Body Snatchers. I do feel some qualms since ACC is backing it -- I would award the magazine a high rating if given the opportunity.
I have had an unusually high opinion of Oliver Stone for a long time. I'm in a minority, so what. I like him not for his commercial instincts, or for his disregard for historical accuracy, but rather for his willingness to take on challenging topics in mainstream films. But I don't know what to think since seeing his high praise for this film. Perhaps his comments were taken out of context. Or perhaps there's a kernel of truth in those scurrilous exposés.
I had the misfortune to live through this with a friend at the Fant-Asia Festival in Toronto in August. I was laughing by the end as the film just got stupider and stupider without ever really passing through a scarier and scarier phase. The finale is a riot of derisive laffs.
The film's stylishness -- what there is of it -- is all stolen. The soundtrack is ripped off from one or more of Goblin's old scores for Dario Argento. Teller of Penn & Teller said on the box the other day (in a special about magic) that imitation is *not* the highest form of flattery. It's just theft. Teller rarely speaks, but when he does he's right.
The film *is* gross; I'll give you that. Personally, the infrequent carnal delights were really the only thing I found in its favour.
I gave this film a bad rating at that time; I in fact had to create this IMDb page first, plus 4 other Ikeda pages. Back in August, there was only one Ikeda page: Kagi. But I didn't bother to review the film since, hey, who's ever going to see it? But now it's popped up in an ad in Asian Cult Cinema, so now I have to warn the WORLD. Just like Kevin McCarthy in Invasion of the Body Snatchers. I do feel some qualms since ACC is backing it -- I would award the magazine a high rating if given the opportunity.
I have had an unusually high opinion of Oliver Stone for a long time. I'm in a minority, so what. I like him not for his commercial instincts, or for his disregard for historical accuracy, but rather for his willingness to take on challenging topics in mainstream films. But I don't know what to think since seeing his high praise for this film. Perhaps his comments were taken out of context. Or perhaps there's a kernel of truth in those scurrilous exposés.