Film Illiterate, wherein the proprietor records movies seen, and sporadic progress through assorted lists of the "best". Originally started after regretfully renting something forgettable for the third time. I've forgotten what, but never again! A tedious endeavour since 2005. Hello. 🙂
This piece of absurd, technicolor brilliance interweaves the barely-related stories of a man whose wife won't stay dead, another who thinks he is a bird, a woman who dreams up dreadful advertising campaigns, a group of petty criminals, and a British hit-man who asks them all, "what is your purpose in life?" It's surreal but tremendously engaging, and takes place on the most incredible, bubblegum-bright sets, particularly Aman's (Tadanobu Asano) amazingly artistic house in the woods.
Like most feature films made by directors best known for their music videos, Survive Style 5+ has the feel of one. Gen Sekiguchi has managed to tie the disjoint stories together, however, and the visual style is so delightful that it makes you wonder: perhaps the movie world would be better if less directors started out with obscurantist black-and-white short films, and more with vibrant pop music.