Movies
A fun, though somewhat limited thriller that morphs into a horror film as it progresses. It reminded me a little of 2LDK, a household battle between two people stuck in a little flat, but it never gets quite as intense or out there. Still, if you want a pleasant 80s horror (or you just want to know how Kiyoshi Kurosawa's Door 3 started out), you won't be disappointed. Yasuko lives in a small urban apartment with her family. She is getting more and more calls and house visits from shady salesmen, which starts to scare her a little. When she gets a tad violent toward a particularly pushy guy, the salesman wants revenge and tries to break into Yasuko's house. The build-up is solid, the film becomes increasingly more tense, and even though the soundtrack is a little cheesy and the horror elements are somewhat toned down compared to modern standards, the ending does feel appropriately grotesque. A fine classic Japanese horror film that won't disappoint fans of the genre.Read all
A pretty odd sequel. Don't expect a simple retread of the themes of the first film, instead, this is a more Pinku-inspired film that delivers a somewhat similar feeling of unease but does so with different puzzle pieces. It took me a while to get on board and I don't think it compares favorably to the first one, but it's not a terrible film. Ai is a call girl who loves her job. Her job excites her and she appreciates the different people she meets, even when it gets her into dangerous situations. Things get more serious when she meets Mamiya, a mysterious artist who becomes entranced by Ai. Their bond grows stronger, but Mamiya hides a darker side. The introduction is a bit too long and even though the characters are interesting, the first half hour is a bit too meandering, especially for a film that only lasts 80 minutes. The second half is more interesting, as the tension ramps up, but because the film never settled on a primary genre, it felt a little unfinished.Read all