I must first say that i saw clips of the Masters of horror series on the web from friends-and at that point i knew i had to get that show. So i got the first season (which is excellent). Great episodes all around, i was thrilled , each one better than the next. Then, yes then i came to "Imprint", now i hadn't seen any of Miike's other films I just had heard that they were shocking supposedly and somewhat gory. "Sweet!" was my reaction, i like things that are new and different, i figured i'd like this episode just the same as the others. I WAS DISAPPOINTED BEYOND BELIEF! it was terrible. Now, hear me out, cause in the beginning i was quite impressed with the cinematography and the story seemed intriguing enough. (all this time i'm waiting for the shocking stuff to happen) And then outta no where there comes this(in my opinion comical) "torture scene" with lots of random needles in weird places and it was pretty dumb the reason why the girl was tortured (they thought she stole a ring, so i guess that's punishable by fetish needle torture >.<) anywho, that scene had me doubting this episode. Then it just seemed to repeat itself between the disfigured whore and the american guy going "your not telling me something" and then "ok here's my REAL story" (insert 5-15min recap of life with more dumb twists). Anywho then the big hype that we're lead to is that really the freak disfigured prostitute is actually........you guessed it- a freak disfigured prostitute! (gee, didn't see that one coming >.>)
Only the thing that (i'm guessing) is supposed to freak me out is that she isn't just a disfigured prostitute, no no i might forgive it if that was the case, no no on her head is her "sister" in the form of the Hamburger helper hand. Well, without the glove anywho, but it's a hand from the south with buck teeth and all.
Now at this point i'm gone, laughing, rolling on the floor. I mean come on, a hand on her head that makes her do evil things? i'm not buying it.
Well, in the end the script goes from trying to just dumb and yeah. So if ya have to see this "shocking" episode and don't believe what i say, go ahead, just be sure to help yourself to more rice-a-roni, the san fransico treat :P
August 20, 2008 |  | Miike = style over substance |  |
"Imprint" is basically a cross between Miike's "Box" and Chan's "Dumplings", two short films from "Three Extremes" collection. Unfortunately, while both of those two shorts are great, "Imprint" is far from it. I wanted to like it, and up to a certain point I did. It's beautifully filmed, and is quite disturbing. I did look away from the screen a few times. Fact is, the story is simply too weak to make up for the beauty and the freakishness of it. Yes, the graphic violence is awful, but it's also strangely detached, making it impossible to feel the victim's pain. Besides, you could cut out all that violence and still loose nothing essential to the story. And I don't know about others, but I found Billy Drago's acting much more disturbing than the notorious torture scene. It's so bad that at times it's downright laughable. So is the "twist" when it comes. Two words: Hamburger Helper. I'll say no more - watch it and you'll know what I mean. It's funny, and not in a good way. Because it means to be serious, scary and haunting. Another problem with the film is that it's entirely in English. It's obvious that many of the actors can't speak English, and are simply reciting memorized lines. Which, of course, makes the dialogue wooden at best. The ending had me completely lost. The weak story, the uninspired acting, the long and purposeless torture scenes all turn "Imprint" into a rather tedious and unredeemable experience. It's obvious that, while having a great eye, and the courage to explore taboos, Miike seriously struggles with his ability (or lack thereof) to tell a decent tale. He doesn't build up tension, doesn't use subtlety to get under the viewer's skin - instead he uses gratuitous and twisted violence to get your attention. That's hardly a mark of a great director. If you're a Miike fan, then this is probably a must see for you. All others, only see this if you like long-winded stories with no real direction, terrible acting, and extremely brutal torture scenes.
July 27, 2008 | | Fantastic Film That Proves Horror Isnt Dead | |
While not as frightening or disturbing as the staff that helms Showtime productions, this film definetly proves that horror and creative filmmaking aren't dead. In this pseudo rebellious, bought off society of vaccous proportions, its great to see someone who still cares enough about film to slap the living hell out of the audience. More of this is needed in todays banal and nondescript rock and roll experience called....oh yeah, life.
June 14, 2008 | | One of the better MOH episodes. | |
The opening scene in IMPRINT really sets the mood for the whole film. A boat slowly traveling to a brothel off the coast of Japan comes upon a dead bloated body floating in the water. Strangely enough, this is one of the least sickest scenes in the film, which runs the gamut from torture, incest, domestic abuse, prostitution and murder. Miike was just being Miike on this one, it seems, and it's not hard to see why it was "banned from cable", as it's advertised on the DVD.
First, the good. The color scheme in this movie was interesting, especially the bright splashes of red. At one point in the film a young girl is led away from her house by a pimp whos dressed like Willy Wonka after one too many hits of acid. The actual plot of the story was very good, which differs considerable from some other MOH episodes that I know of. A lot of the little touches that Miike adds to his story (such as the character talking in the present while a past event is occuring behind him, in one scene in particular) are nicely done. And in general I think that Miike is a very good director; "Koroshiya 1" is one of my favorite films of all time.
The bad? Well, the glaringly obvious bad point in the film is the dialogue. The English language just doesn't sound right in the film. Also related to the dialogue was Billy Drago's performance, which was pretty bad. Finally, the ending involving the hand was absurd. But that's just my opinion.
Anyway, if you like Miike's other films like "Gozu" and "Audition", I'd definitely give this one a shot. It has it's flaws, but ultimately is pretty good.
June 13, 2008 | | definitely Miike, but its no Gozu or Ichi | |
It's the story of an American man and his search for a lost love. but that barely scratches the surface of the forces at work in this movie. when our main character arrives at this particular island, his search may finally come to an end, but the world he is about to enter may be too much for his own sanity.
there really are no redeeming or happy qualities to this movie, its a descent to a place most people wont be able to stand to watch. a story ripe with torture(one of the most drawn out, cruel torture scenes ive seen), death, and lots of other dark elements, including primitive abortion proceedures and disposal of dead fetuses in the river(probably why it got banned from American cable)
if your a horror fan that isnt bothered by the content i listed above, by all means check this out, its more than worth the price.
May 7, 2008More reviews at Amazon.com ...
Daily Birthdays
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