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Organ

Organ

List Price: $24.95
Your Price: $22.46
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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: An interesting film
Review: A film I have been waiting to see since reading about it in Pete Tombs remarkable book "Mondo Macabro". Thanks to Synapse for releasing such an obscure film. The DVD presentation is okay, with good picture (for what was obviously a low budget enterprise) and sound. The film itself is a quite remarkable study of decay, both physical (a mad, mutating doctor who steals organs for the Yakuza) and mental (the cop reduced to a staggering, sake swilling wreck by his encounter with the doctor and his sister. Much has been made of the violence and use of puss, but watching the film is a rather tame experience. Either that, or I'm just a jaded viewer and people cutting into puss filled wounds with a scalpel is deeply affecting to some folks. Organ Vital, the film's producers, are a theatre company and it shows. The majority of the film places people in a room for an extended period of time and watches them interact. It's just that these are the kind of people who interact by beating, raping and murdering one another. Note, however, that everything in the film is dealt with in a rather restrained manner (certainly, the violence is remarkably low key). The main plus is the atmosphere and sense of dread in the film. Everyone seems tired and desperate and no one seems to act out of desire but rather need. The added intro to Organ 2 is okay, with images from the film (all very restrained and away from violence - as the director notes) with a voice over from the director as she discusses the plot and themes of the film. It certainly sounds interesting, with a more retro noir production design and nice colours - see "Zipang" for an exaple of how well the Japanese can do this kind of thing. In all, the film will appeal to Cronenberg fans and those interested in Japanese horror cinema (a remarkable sub genre which has been ignored for too long). Now, if Synapse will release "The Ring" and "Star of David" in a similar quality package I'd give Don May my first born.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Strictly Comic Book Thrills - This Ain't Horror, Folks!
Review: After all the hype, I was hoping for a hard-hitting horror film, but "ORGAN" is nothing but a comic book adventure. The effects are mostly of the "fantastic" variety (goo, slime, pus), etc. and there is nothing remotely realistic or disturbing about any of it. The most vile scene in the entire film is a shot of someone puking! Along with all the talking, bickering and fist-fights, there are countless nonsensical scenes including a woman emerging from a cocoon and an amputeed man who lives in a box with a plant....OK---next! The plot is ridiculous, there's bad dubbing (it's been looped in Japanese for some reason), it's talky and repetitive and there's absolutely no style or substance. At an interminable 105 minutes, it sorely needs an operation to have it's fat removed. Gore-hounds looking for a fix should really think twice before picking this one up! The Synapse DVD is a nice presentation and includes a "Behind the Scenes of 'Organ 2'"--(Please Spare Me! ) but, all in all, this is one organ I want amputated.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Strictly Comic Book Thrills - This Ain't Horror, Folks!
Review: After all the hype, I was hoping for a hard-hitting horror film, but "ORGAN" is nothing but a comic book adventure. The effects are mostly of the "fantastic" variety (goo, slime, pus), etc. and there is nothing remotely realistic or disturbing about any of it. The most vile scene in the entire film is a shot of someone puking! Along with all the talking, bickering and fist-fights, there are countless nonsensical scenes including a woman emerging from a cocoon and an amputeed man who lives in a box with a plant....OK---next! The plot is ridiculous, there's bad dubbing (it's been looped in Japanese for some reason), it's talky and repetitive and there's absolutely no style or substance. At an interminable 105 minutes, it sorely needs an operation to have it's fat removed. Gore-hounds looking for a fix should really think twice before picking this one up! The Synapse DVD is a nice presentation and includes a "Behind the Scenes of 'Organ 2'"--(Please Spare Me! ) but, all in all, this is one organ I want amputated.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Surreal Sickening Horror
Review: David Cronenberg once said that he would like to see a "strain" of Cronenberg-like films. Well, it's here and it's mutating. Organ's combination of body horror, surrealness, and gore makes it the equivalent of a full blown color nightmare on film. I haven't seen anything that bothered me this much since....I can't even remember when. The film starts out with an abducted man being taken to a blackmarket organ shop. The strength of this scene really got to me. Vampires and zombies can be amusing no matter how gory the film but butcher shops like the one in Organ do exist and its depiction is hard to take. Kei Fujiwara then takes a direct plunge into the psycho-sexual-mutating world of a madman. Organ just gets gorier and more disturbing as it goes on. By the end I didn't know if I saw a film or a hallucination. The DVD looks and sounds very good despite the films minor budget. A 22 minute clip for Organ II is featured on the disc.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Surreal Sickening Horror
Review: David Cronenberg once said that he would like to see a "strain" of Cronenberg-like films. Well, it's here and it's mutating. Organ's combination of body horror, surrealness, and gore makes it the equivalent of a full blown color nightmare on film. I haven't seen anything that bothered me this much since....I can't even remember when. The film starts out with an abducted man being taken to a blackmarket organ shop. The strength of this scene really got to me. Vampires and zombies can be amusing no matter how gory the film but butcher shops like the one in Organ do exist and its depiction is hard to take. Kei Fujiwara then takes a direct plunge into the psycho-sexual-mutating world of a madman. Organ just gets gorier and more disturbing as it goes on. By the end I didn't know if I saw a film or a hallucination. The DVD looks and sounds very good despite the films minor budget. A 22 minute clip for Organ II is featured on the disc.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: bleh
Review: I've seen better. It was too... too melodramatic to be remotely followable. Bleh.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A Bizare, psychidelic nightmare
Review: If you can imagine a japaneese directed by David Lynch then you have this baby. Okay special effects but excellent music that sticks in your head long after you've viewed it.

Although the violence is restraint here copies of this film was siege by customs earlier this year, with a bit of luck Organ2 may come this way soon.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: it wasn't horrible
Review: its not going to be changing anybodys life, but there are worse ways to kill an hour and a half. a lot of similarities to cronenberg but not quite as well delivered

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Horrific but oh so compelling
Review: Japanese horror movies go so much further than their American counterparts -- not just in breaking obvious taboos of the screen, but in providing a story and an atmosphere that comments strongly on the contents. Case in point: "Organ".

This is one of those films that despite its repellent subject matter and ghastly imagery, is impossible to turn off. It intertwines two stories -- one about a yakuza body-parts ring and another about a police detective looking for his missing brother -- with startling results. Obviously, this is not for the weak of stomach or sensibility. But for those who can muster the courage (and who are smart enough not to eat before seeing it), "Organ" is just astonishing. It revolts, amazes, smashes taboos, and even manages to be thought-provoking all at the same time. Those of you who want to see how far you can take yourselves should consider this an indispensible addition to your collections.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: the sickest most horrifiying movie
Review: One of the most gruesome and horrifiying movies ever. Probably my favorite jappaneese horror, full of gore and mystery. The movie is verry confussing and lots of quick flashy sceens but you are still drawn in. Ive sceen anime that dosent even come close to some of the detailed gore and surealistic aproach. Beware though i watch a lot of horror and nothing really bothers me but i was eating when i was watching this and i have to confess the movie has a verry strong disease element to it and i couldnt eat and watch it was to gruesome. If you like tetsuo you will love this


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