Rating: 
Summary: Taboo-incinerating, has all the pieces, but they don't click
Review: "Visitor Q" crams in every possible perversion of love imaginable and goes full-circle through all of them, from a disintegrating marriage back into maternal and wedded bliss of a sort. We get sadism, masochism, teenage prostitution, adult prostitution, incest, domestic violence,... , drug abuse, murder, rape, necrophilia, cophrophagy, lactation, and, incredibly a happy ending. It's the happy ending that may tick people off the most.Why? Probably because Takashi Miike, the director / writer / producer / madman responsible for this (and about 165 OTHER films every year since 1992), isn't just rubbing our noses in ugly behavior for its own sake, but uses it -- and the genre trappings of exploitation/grindhouse cinema -- to make points about his characters. He shows us a father, a failed TV producer, who's trying to recapture his former glory (?) by making a docudrama about "kids these days", except that instead of the usual addled, hopelessly out-of-touch approach, he gets in TOO close. His daughter's a prostitute? He'll go rent her for the hour and record the experience. His son's getting beaten up every day on the way home from school? He'll film that, too. And so on. The visitor of the title is a near-mute stranger who gets himself invited into the household (not very subtly, either: he announces his presence by bashing the father over the head with a brick) and slowly becomes a catalyst for change. I won't say how, but lactation figures into it, and before long everyone's one big happy family again. Sort of. Curiously, where the movie falls short is not because of its luridness or even in spite of it -- the movie's failings are separate from its material or even its approach. It's a little scattershot and underwritten in places (the stranger is the weakest part of the story), but if you're already a Miike fan, make this part of your collection if only as an example of what the man can do when nobody's standing in his way. If you're a newcomer, try "City of Lost Souls" or (gulp) "Dead or Alive" first. And don't eat anything.
Rating: 
Summary: Visitor Q
Review: A singular nuclear Japanese family - father, mother, son, daughter - spend a movie committing incest, physical parental abuse, necrophilia, murder and dismemberment, and various other weird and wicked deeds. A mysterious, rock-wielding, scruffy young man joins the family and, eventually, changes occur.
Words like `aberrant' and `taboo-bashing' are used inadequately to describe Takashi Miike's VISITOR Q. It's an ink-black dark comedy, one that lingers over and delights in shocking scenes that more polite sleazy movies only hint at.
For instance, VISITOR Q opens with an off-camera woman asking "Did you ever do it with your dad?" A question immediately followed by Daughter and Dad haggling over price and service. A disturbing conversation which continues through disrobement to consummation. It's a potentially unendurable scene that ends with Daughter taunting Dad by calling him "early bird." Dad's eventual remorse seems almost an afterthought. This isn't nearly the worst scene in the movie, either. I won't give it away, but that graphic and extended sequence begins with Dad saying "I don't care if you are a corpse...."
Strong stuff, but the movie holds its curiously upbeat characters at enough of a distance and blurs the difference between victim and victimizer often enough to make it safely surreal.
I liked VISITOR Q without really understanding what it meant or where it took us. For instance, the scruffy young man seemed to be a pivotal character but I don't know why he went around hitting people over the head with rocks. Maybe he was knocking sense into them. Maybe, as another character suggested, he was there to destroy the family. The final sequence is bizarre, a bit shocking, and indecipherable, as well. At least it seemed optimistic.
Rating: 
Summary: A touching celebration of family values
Review: A subversive fable from the brilliant Takashi Miike, Visitor Q is some kind of demented masterpiece. I detect diverse influences here, from Bunuel (his delight in mocking bourgeois values) to Kubrick (static, symmetrical compositions) to absurdism and surrealist film in general. Miike presents us with a family that gives new meaning to the word "dysfunctional." The father is a TV reporter so desperate for sensational topics to tackle that he videotapes himself having sex with his prostitute daughter. He placidly eats his supper while his teenage son whips and beats the mother, who also works as a prostitute. One day the father brings home a mysterious guest (the titular Visitor, although his name is never given) who casually exerts an almost godlike power over the family, bringing them together in a most unexpected manner. The film is very funny at times, sometimes in an almost slapstick way, sometimes in a VERY dark, twisted way. There's plenty of room for debate. Who or what is Visitor Q? What exactly has he done and what does it say about the nature of familial love? This daring film will haunt you for days after seeing it.
Rating:
Summary: hmmmm... hahahahaha hilarious!!
Review: after reading reviews of previous Miike Takashi movies such as "audition", "dead or alive", "fudoh", etc. i chose "visitor q" as my starting point. i expected something extreme and serious, but ended up having a good laugh in a sick and demented sort of way. you'll hate everyone at first because they are TOTAL LOSERS, but that's what made the movie so hilarious! it's not the best movie, but Miike did the best he could with what he had (only [$$$$$$]budget) and i gave it 4 stars for making me laugh.
Rating:
Summary: Mother's milk heals all family squabbles!
Review: After viewing "Audition" and "Ichi the Killer," I doubted whether Japanese director Takashi Miike could shock me again. Boy, was I wrong! If you thought the piano wire scene in "Audition" went far beyond the pale, or the hot oil bath in "Ichi the Killer" left you speechless--as it did me--prepare yourself for the new nightmare that is "Visitor Q." The scenes in this film about a twisted Japanese family would make the Marquis de Sade leave the room in disgust. I have no idea what Miike was thinking when he made this film, but remember this one little fact--"Visitor Q" is a made for television movie. That's right, after viewing this movie remind yourself that this obscenity aired on Japanese television within the last couple of years. We Americans cannot put forth any prime time fodder that could even remotely compare to this atrocity, unless you count something like "Teletubbies." Thank goodness we still have a few qualms. As much as I distrust censorship of any type, I am definitely not ready to see something like "Visitor Q" on network television on this side of the pond. "Visitor Q" takes a penetrating look at your typical Japanese middle class family, Miike style. The father of this bizarre clan works as a reality television host who is always willing to go so far over the line in his broadcasts that his fellow workers shun the his very presence. The daughter of the family no longer lives at home since she is too busy putting in a full schedule at a brothel somewhere in town. The young son in this creepy household spends his days meekly submitting to a trio of bullies who beat him up after school. The mother is a real winner, a heroin addict and prostitute who allows her abused son to beat her with wicker canes. The mother and father fail to communicate on any substantive level. The son's problems with the bullies goes unheeded by the family, except when the father decides to fashion a new reality program centering on his child's beatings. The relationship between the father and his daughter is best left unelaborated on here; it is sufficient to say it is one of the most warped father/daughter connections in film history. Yes, this family suffers a host of psychological problems that would give a Sigmund Freud a coronary. All of these people are sick to the core of their souls, a problem that is about to undergo a radical change with the introduction of a complete stranger into the household. This anonymous (we never learn his name), scruffy looking youth first makes an appearance on the scene when he hits the father of the family on the head with a rock--twice. For some mysterious reason, dad brings this guy home with him for dinner. As time goes by, we see this chap increasingly integrate himself into the daily lives of the family. He sets his sights on the mother at first, rekindling a sense of motherhood in the woman in yet another unmentionable scene (there are a lot of unmentionable events in this movie). The interaction between the stranger and the mother is the most dramatic in the film, but eventually the father, son, and even daughter all fall under the spell of this enigmatic visitor. The end result of these odd encounters is a type of peculiar healing, where the family abandons their insane behavior and returns to a sense of normalcy. Obviously, "Visitor Q" is a Miike film, so the healing takes some really stomach churning turns along the way. After all, there is nothing like dismemberment and a host of other depravities to turn a family around! There has been some effort to emphasize the reality television elements of the film, but "Visitor Q" has little to do with this theme. There are only a few scenes that even deal with this element, specifically the first taboo shattering images between the father and daughter and a couple of other short bits later in the movie. What is really going on here has to do with the Japanese family and how it deals with the pressures of modern life in an industrialized society. Miike likes to shock with his films, and his target audience must surely have expressed such an emotion when they saw his take on a traditional Japanese family plagued with so many obnoxious psychopathologies. As weird as it sounds, I firmly believe "Visitor Q" is actually an extremely conservative film. Even as the director breaks the bounds of good taste, he seems to possess an earnest belief in the overriding importance of the healthy family unit. You could easily make the argument that images of the type indulged in by Miike have led to the breakdown of the family, and it would be an effective argument, but this movie does contain a strong pro-family theme. "Visitor Q" runs for about eighty four minutes, short compared to the other two Miike films I have seen. The picture quality is excellent. Extras on the DVD include four trailers--"Visitor Q," "Samurai Fiction," "Fudoh," and "Freeze Me"--some liner notes about Miike's films and a short biography about the director. Once again, Media Blasters has released another soul shattering movie to DVD. The disc I watched had a technical problem, though: whenever I hit the menu button on my remote control the picture went gray and I had to start the disc over again. Perhaps this flaw appeared only on my copy of the movie, but it's something to think about before purchasing if it is a widespread glitch. I look forward to watching more Miike mayhem in the near future. If you would like to examine this director's queasy visions, "Visitor Q" is the ideal starting place before moving on to the more complex "Audition."
Rating:
Summary: Mother's milk heals all family squabbles!
Review: After viewing "Audition" and "Ichi the Killer," I doubted whether Japanese director Takashi Miike could shock me again. Boy, was I wrong! If you thought the piano wire scene in "Audition" went far beyond the pale, or the hot oil bath in "Ichi the Killer" left you speechless--as it did me--prepare yourself for the new nightmare that is "Visitor Q." The scenes in this film about a twisted Japanese family would make the Marquis de Sade leave the room in disgust. I have no idea what Miike was thinking when he made this film, but remember this one little fact--"Visitor Q" is a made for television movie. That's right, after viewing this movie remind yourself that this obscenity aired on Japanese television within the last couple of years. We Americans cannot put forth any prime time fodder that could even remotely compare to this atrocity, unless you count something like "Teletubbies." Thank goodness we still have a few qualms. As much as I distrust censorship of any type, I am definitely not ready to see something like "Visitor Q" on network television on this side of the pond. "Visitor Q" takes a penetrating look at your typical Japanese middle class family, Miike style. The father of this bizarre clan works as a reality television host who is always willing to go so far over the line in his broadcasts that his fellow workers shun the his very presence. The daughter of the family no longer lives at home since she is too busy putting in a full schedule at a brothel somewhere in town. The young son in this creepy household spends his days meekly submitting to a trio of bullies who beat him up after school. The mother is a real winner, a heroin addict and prostitute who allows her abused son to beat her with wicker canes. The mother and father fail to communicate on any substantive level. The son's problems with the bullies goes unheeded by the family, except when the father decides to fashion a new reality program centering on his child's beatings. The relationship between the father and his daughter is best left unelaborated on here; it is sufficient to say it is one of the most warped father/daughter connections in film history. Yes, this family suffers a host of psychological problems that would give a Sigmund Freud a coronary. All of these people are sick to the core of their souls, a problem that is about to undergo a radical change with the introduction of a complete stranger into the household. This anonymous (we never learn his name), scruffy looking youth first makes an appearance on the scene when he hits the father of the family on the head with a rock--twice. For some mysterious reason, dad brings this guy home with him for dinner. As time goes by, we see this chap increasingly integrate himself into the daily lives of the family. He sets his sights on the mother at first, rekindling a sense of motherhood in the woman in yet another unmentionable scene (there are a lot of unmentionable events in this movie). The interaction between the stranger and the mother is the most dramatic in the film, but eventually the father, son, and even daughter all fall under the spell of this enigmatic visitor. The end result of these odd encounters is a type of peculiar healing, where the family abandons their insane behavior and returns to a sense of normalcy. Obviously, "Visitor Q" is a Miike film, so the healing takes some really stomach churning turns along the way. After all, there is nothing like dismemberment and a host of other depravities to turn a family around! There has been some effort to emphasize the reality television elements of the film, but "Visitor Q" has little to do with this theme. There are only a few scenes that even deal with this element, specifically the first taboo shattering images between the father and daughter and a couple of other short bits later in the movie. What is really going on here has to do with the Japanese family and how it deals with the pressures of modern life in an industrialized society. Miike likes to shock with his films, and his target audience must surely have expressed such an emotion when they saw his take on a traditional Japanese family plagued with so many obnoxious psychopathologies. As weird as it sounds, I firmly believe "Visitor Q" is actually an extremely conservative film. Even as the director breaks the bounds of good taste, he seems to possess an earnest belief in the overriding importance of the healthy family unit. You could easily make the argument that images of the type indulged in by Miike have led to the breakdown of the family, and it would be an effective argument, but this movie does contain a strong pro-family theme. "Visitor Q" runs for about eighty four minutes, short compared to the other two Miike films I have seen. The picture quality is excellent. Extras on the DVD include four trailers--"Visitor Q," "Samurai Fiction," "Fudoh," and "Freeze Me"--some liner notes about Miike's films and a short biography about the director. Once again, Media Blasters has released another soul shattering movie to DVD. The disc I watched had a technical problem, though: whenever I hit the menu button on my remote control the picture went gray and I had to start the disc over again. Perhaps this flaw appeared only on my copy of the movie, but it's something to think about before purchasing if it is a widespread glitch. I look forward to watching more Miike mayhem in the near future. If you would like to examine this director's queasy visions, "Visitor Q" is the ideal starting place before moving on to the more complex "Audition."
Rating: 
Summary: Don't waste your time with this nonsense
Review: Although slightly disturbing and gross, this film is fairly pointless and boring. I love original and somewhat strange films, however this film (despite the ongoing incest and other taboo behavior throughout the film) is senseless and almost boring. In fact I could barely sit through the entire movie, not because it was disturbing, but rather because I was about to fall asleep! I understand the concept completely, but I don't find that it helps in the least...I do agree with one thing in other reviews, the quality of this film is very poor. However I would also add that the acting is also atrocious! Overall, I would never recommend this film to anyone, unless perhaps they were suffering from sleep depravation!
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant! Deeper than most people would like to think.
Review: At first glance you think this film is a collection of scenes where the director tries his hardest to offend you. Not so. Underlying is a strong social commentary on moderns japanese society and a strong family message.
A stranger enters the life of a disfunctional family and has profond effects on them all.
It's shot on video which makes it all the more realistic and effective.
Rating:
Summary: Sick sick sick!
Review: Banned in New Zealand, on a recent trip to Japan I decided to buy this disc to entertain my curiosity. Having recently seen the brilliant "Audition" and rather bizarre "The Happiness of the Katakuri's", also by Takashi Miike, I was expecting something totally out of the ordinary and definetely on the extreme boundries of good taste. I was left without any doubt as to why this movie will never see the light of day in many countries.
"Visitor Q" didn't disappoint. It has to be one of the sickest movies I have EVER seen. Managing to squash in dismemberment, necrophilia, incest, voyeurism, murder, torture and masturbation, Takashi Miike has done everything in his power to offend every part of society. But I couldn't help but laugh at some of the scenes and rather odd jokes, including the scene where mudering a group of bullying schoolboys brings the family so close togehter - smiling fondly at each other while they slay the unfortunate teenagers!
If you are a huge fan of Japanese cinema, or incredibly strange films in general, then seriously consider adding this unique shocker to your collection. It isn't a brilliant piece of cinema by any stretch of the imagination, but in my opionion a must have for novelty value, although I'm unlikely to ever WANT to watch it again!
Rating:
Summary: jap cult classic
Review: Beginning scene OK but annoying. First hour, not that impressed. Then, the last 45 minutes is F***in crasy. The director seems to put necrophilia, rape, murder, drug use, incest, and lactation all in the grand finale. This is a must have for Jap Cult Classic collectors if for anything, to watch people look at you funny, when you tell them about this Import movie you saw.
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