Survive Style 5+

I'm now going to tell you about the most awesome movie ever made--according to me, at least.

Title: Survive Style 5+
Year: 2004
Land of Origin: Japan
Director: Gen Sekiguchi
Writer: Taku Tada

Sometimes there are things in life which were obviously tailored to you, and were just waiting for you to come along and discover them. Perhaps that's how people feel about their soulmate--it's certainly how I feel about this movie.
How much do I love it, you ask? The tricky thing about Survive Style 5+ is that it's still for whatever reason unlicensed. Over the last couple of years I've purchased it twice off Ebay on DVDs that never end up playing well. I've also actually purchased the legal, from Japan copy of the CD--because not only do I love this movie....I love this soundtrack.

What is Survive Style 5+? It's a story about 5 different people, for one--A guy in a trenchcoat who the film opens upon as he's burying his wife who he's just killed. You don't know why...you won't know why. That's not the point. If you can't get past that, this movie will be totally beyond you.
The next people you meet include a normal-seeming Japanese businessman, a hitman from Britain who speaks no Japanese but has a translator with him who very much enjoys translating from angry angry british, a trio of small-time thieves including a NO TOTALLY NOT GAY AT ALL guy...and the guy he has a crush on. The song they play for the passion-filled looks the two exchange must be heard to be believed.
That's three....there's also a girl who writes commercial jingles (If I recall the writer and director of the film are also into commercial-writing)......I'm not actually sure if the final person is the hypnotist or the wife. One stays dead, one doesn't. I'll let you guess which.

Actually, I lie. The wife totally comes back and the guy--Amon--keeps having to kill her. You'd think the solution to this would be to sever her head and bury it at the crossroads, right? (Maybe that's just me. It's for vampires though, so maybe?) But no. Getting dismembered just means she now has rocket arms. Guess that getting cremated does!

The costumes in this movie are AMAZING. Each outfit the wife goes through becomes increasingly intricate and batshit nuts. The final one involves a birdcage attached to her head, or something, and it's awesome.

It is a hard movie to talk about without giving everything away. But only kind of, because even if I tell you what happens, understanding why is a totally different deal. (Why does she make him the breakfast to end all breakfasts? To a polka song?) But it is safe to say that everyone's stories are ultimately connected, even is totally not in the way any sane person would envision.
Maybe that's what life's all about.

If it is, my life has been sadly bereft of karate, japanese businessman thinking they're birds, and commercials about guys who get off way too fast.
Well, maybe I could leave that last one be.

Survive Style 5+ is utter madness....but you never totally lose track of what's happening--or at least, you can pick it up again later. It's hilarious, ass gets kicked, people triumph over their shortcomings, and implausible dreams are realized. Oh, and broccoli (and a lot of other people) gets its existence questioned by Vinnie Jones.

~~~~~~~~~~~
Personally, Survive Style 5+ get s "10" in my heart.
For the general public, I give it a solid 8.5 and NO needles to the eye. (This rating will make sense later.)

It can be purchased from Japanese websites (but you'll need a region 2 DVD player) or from the lovely people on Ebay (And it will probably run on your computer, but not your DVD player.) I await the day this movie is licensed with baited breath.

~Holly
Next Time- Stacy: Attack of the Schoolgirl Zombies

Technical Difficulties....

Natually, the same week I start this blog is the same week my tendonitis reminds me that it still cares. And by 'cares' I mean 'manifests as a lingering and painful sensation in my fingers, wrist, and elbow of my right(dominant) hand.

I have watched movies, I have movies to review and notes to work from---but am currently unable to type for more than....about this much.

Many apologies, I do hope to be up and running in a week.

~Holly