TOMIE UNLIMITED

[sukebanboy Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close sukebanboy]

Now....before watching this one i was worried......

While the previous 8 TOMIE movies have ranged from good to bland, none have captured the main feeling of the original manga from Junji Ito....it was just too weird....

Then, when I realised that the director Noboru Iguchi (famous for machine girl, zombie ass and dead sushi among others) was next to try his hand at it...I was worried...VERY worried....

Probably as I am not a fan of the majority of the directors movies...too "9 yr olds level of humor"....too taking thing s too far in one direction..too much imagination and not enough budget....

So with baited breath i sat down to watch this movie.....

What can I say.....he surprised me by turning in a very good version of TOMIE...probably the best in the series yet....

It is BLOODY (not really scary), WEIRD and isnt very linear storywise...exactly like the "dream" it is supposed to be....It is full of creative ideas and gets as close to the imagery of the comic book as it can....

it starts ff with Tomie' death witnessed by her sister...Then cuts to one year later and the reactions of the family/friends when Tomie again knocks at the door...for the next 45 mins it works up the psychology of Tomie turning everyone violently against each other...Around the 45 min mark it goes VERY WEIRD after they kill her a second time..then NEARLY spoils it with a plot twist that it DOES recover from..and ends extremely weirdly...but the movie plows forward soaking up the weirdness and imagery....

NOW there are a few things that MIGHT put you off..a few bits of CGI are jarring..but as its supposed to be a 'dream' type of movie they are forgivable...and it is not a straightforward story...

The main thing to know about this movie is that the director plays it ABSOLUTELY STRAIGHT....no winks, no silly bits, no guns firing out of asses...although there is a slight nod to REANIMATOR in there...and a bit of BASKET CASE and a few others....

He proved he can make a decent movie when he puts his mind to it.....but that he prefers making his childish flicks like TOILET OF THE DEAD...but thats his decision...

In conclusion, a MUCH better film than SADAKO 3D, a much beter film than it had any right to be....and Noboru Iguchi has done the series proud....I enjoyed it a lot...better than SADAKO was !!

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

Very glad to hear this. I've always liked the series, as uneven as it is, and look forward to checking this out.

[sukebanboy Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close sukebanboy]

Very glad to hear this. I've always liked the series, as uneven as it is, and look forward to checking this out.

Me too....

a few of the later ones were a little bland.....but I always liked the first one....

This one would have been GREAT in the theater as it features the return of the strange "ghost moaning" noises....and teh images would have been great on a lot bigger screen

Noboru Iguchi should make a few more straight horror movies....he always seems to make better movies when he reigns in his humor a bit.....

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

Where'd you find this in English friendly format?

[Apronikoff Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Apronikoff]

I've only seen the first Tomie film (although I have a box set that either has the first 4 or 5, I forget) -- but you've definitely got me intrigued to check this one out...

[sukebanboy Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close sukebanboy]

It goes more for the UZAMAKI vibe..if anyone remembers that great film...same manga writer!!!

IAN, been out in the UK for almost a year...even on blue ray

http://www.yesasia.com/global/tomie-...0-en/info.html

[Apronikoff Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Apronikoff]

So which of the other Tomie sequels are worth seeing?

[Roderick Butthorn Find all posts View Profile Close Roderick]

It goes more for the UZAMAKI vibe...

SOLD

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

So which of the other Tomie sequels are worth seeing?

You can get the BCI boxed set pretty cheap (used for $12 on Amazon), it's worth it. I found something to enjoy in all of them, but I think for the most part the first one is by far the best.

The Uzumaki comparison (fucking LOVED that movie) has this moving higher up my want list...

[Apronikoff Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Apronikoff]

You can get the BCI boxed set pretty cheap (used for $12 on Amazon), it's worth it. I found something to enjoy in all of them, but I think for the most part the first one is by far the best.

Yeah, that's the box set I have, but I've only seen the first one. Was wondering if it was worth watching all of them or if there's some that ought to be skipped.

[sukebanboy Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close sukebanboy]

Yeah, that's the box set I have, but I've only seen the first one. Was wondering if it was worth watching all of them or if there's some that ought to be skipped.

They are all worth watching.but i think they lose the junjo ito factor the longer they go on.....kinda less weird/horror and more teenage orientated...

as for the UZUMAKI reference..this one is bloodier than that one....but as Uzumaki used Ito's ideas well, so this one too goes overboard on the images....I havent seen UZUMAKI ina while.....but this one goes a close second to it...maybe even first....they are both very good...cept this on goes more ast paced towards the end..

dont want to spoil anything but his kind of thing......

UZUMAKI



VERSUS TOMIE

[sukebanboy Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close sukebanboy]

Also, you can play "spot the homage" throughout the movie...

I didnt really npay attention to them as I was watching ...but there are a FEW that are easy to see how the director is a big fan of classic horror....

i spotted homages to ...

THE OMEN
BASKET CASE
REANIMATOR
DAY OF THE DEAD

I think there are probably more...but i will have to watch it again later and really look hard!

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

Arrow is releasing the first film on Blu-ray in November.

• High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation
• Original lossless 5.1 and 2.0 stereo audio
• Optional English subtitles
• Brand new audio commentary by critic and Japanese cinema expert Amber T.
• It’s a Girl’s World, a brand new interview with director Ataru Oikawa
• Scream Queen, a brand new interview with actress Mami Nakamura
• From Manga to Screen, a brand new interview with producer Mikihiko Hirata
• Trailer
• Image gallery
• Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing by Zack Davisson and Eugene Thacker
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork

[Zaibatan Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Zaibatan]

I remember liking some of the sequels (particularily Rebirth and Replay) much better than this first film. IIRC the entire ending scene at the pier feels like it was shot by a different director and DP using different film stock. The interviews are what's interesting me but the lack of mention of a new transfer is very worrying.