Lawbolisted Powerful

Dorathen Better Late Then Never

Comwayon A Disappointing Continuation

FuzzyTagz If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

tomgillespie2002 Part of the Japanese New Wave of the 1960's and early 1970's, - which, like the French Nouvelle Vague developed a new form of cinema, largely made up of film critics, and deconstructionists - Yasuzo Masumura's deeply psycho-sexual drama about power and sensuality, explored ideas such as the changing roles in society (particularly of women), surprisingly - unlike the French wave - through the studio system. Based upon Rampo Edogawa's novel, published in 1931, the film has been previously compared to John Fowles's excellent 1963 novel, 'The Collector' - and certainly some of the themes are similar.Self-proclaimed "disliked model," Aki (Mako Midori), begins the film in a gallery, her modelling career not going to plan within the commercial world, she had taken a job posing for a famous photographer in "erotic" S&M style images. The exhibition is a success, but here, now, it is early, and she views a strange man fondling a sculpture effigy of her, that resides at the centre of the room. Having hired a masseur, the blind, Michio (Eiji Funakoshi), enters her flat and begins lasciviously to touch her body, proclaiming she has the most perfect body. Michio, along with his mother kidnap Aki, and take her to his warehouse studio - there he states his aim to create a new genre of art, made by and for the blind that is based upon the sensation of touch alone.As Aki begins to bring deception and manipulation into the mother-son relationship, things begin to spiral out of control, their relationship develops into a strangely symbiotic form, that increasingly leads to a masochistic tryst. As their depravity progresses, the masochistic tendencies become more dangerous (which could easily be seen as absolute influence on Jennifer Lynch's famous failure, Boxing Helena (1993) - it would be surprising if she had not seen it).Most of the film is set within the cavernous, yet claustrophobic warehouse, which lends an air of stage play. However, the production design is absolutely beautiful, with abstractions of lighting, and the walls covered with hundreds of clay body parts - over sized eyes, noses, legs etc, - of all the women he has previously touched. It is a very interesting film, that will endure for it's psychotic and debasing character studies, and the destruction of the traditional family unit.www.the-wrath-of-blog.blogspot.com

Roman James Hoffman The career of Japanese director Yasuzo Masumura is littered with provocative and disturbing gems which plunge the viewer into the shadow of civilisation to explore the darkest, most twisted, aspects of the human condition. 'Manji' (1964) tells the story of a lesbian love-triangle, dark wartime romance 'Red Angel' ('Akai Tenshi', 1966) is epically bleak, and 'Irezumi' (1966) is a story of bitter vengeance wrecking a woman's soul. However, even among such subversive company 'Moju' ('Blind Beast', 1969) is not only the most bizarre and freakish in his oeuvre, but one of the most psychologically disconcerting films in cinema. An adaptation of the story of the same name by famed Japanese mystery writer Edogawa Rampo, whose stories were known for what became known as "eroguronansensu", ("eroticism, grotesque, nonsense"), 'Blind Beast' begins with a young model called Aki (Mako Midori) who is soon abducted by Michio (Eiji Funakoshi), a blind sculptor with an obsessive fetish with exploring the female form through the sense of touch. He takes her to his warehouse, which has been grotesquely adorned with various sculptures of over-sized female body parts (lips, eyes, breasts) and a centre-piece of a giant nude, where a bizarre sado-masochistic exploration of their respective psyches is undertaken.It is surprising and refreshing that, in a cultural landscape that has made torture porn a mainstream genre, a film like 'Moju' still manages to unnerve, and indeed does so in a deeper, more penetrating way, than any gore-laden splatter flick. What makes the film so unsettling for me is that the psychology of the characters is so rich with different layers of perversity that the boundaries that define each of them shift throughout the film before finally merging in an infernal, transcendent symbiosis which collapses the distinction between Michio and Aki, captive and captor, as well as pleasure and pain.However, while the grotesque eroticism of the film's bizarre premise is by itself discomforting, the cinematography and music are equally haunting and evoke a surreal, nightmare ambiance which captures the claustrophobic internal landscape of the characters perfectly. All told, the film is a compelling hallucinogenic journey through a realm of taboo and, while it may not appeal to all tastes, is certainly recommended for those with a fascination with the darker aspects of the human heart as well as those that enjoy films with genuine artistic aspirations rather than films that merely wish to entertain.

ElijahCSkuggs Heading into Blind Beast I knew nothing about it. Nada. An IMDb Horror Boarder told me there were huge breasts in the flick. So naturally, having Asian fever and a love for gazungas I jumped at the chance. Well, I found out there were gigantic breasts, but not the type I was looking for. Oh, and also, the movie turned out to be a nice trip into the weird world of sex.Blind Beast is basically about a blind sculptor who kidnaps a very sexy model. The model constantly attempts to escape through various means, but with the help of the blind man's mother, she remains put. What follows is a trip into obsession and sexual behavior at the highest level.Blind Beast sounds like a film that would be really graphic, with lots of steamy sex ala Realm of the Senses. But it's not. Though, there's a good amount of brief nudity, a nip here and there, and some nice panty shots. Personally I think the film would have benefited more if it was a little more graphic. But, even without lots of nudity, the film still gets the message across, easily.Overall, the film is a really well made piece of work. From the fantastic acting, the gorgeous lead actress, the intriguing writing and story, the great directing and amazing set, it's one flick any fan of Asian cinema should definitely check out.

meepz Firstly, it's worth pointing out that this film is a somewhat rare example of me completely disagreeing with conventional star ratings. I notice that this was ranked ** by the MPAA, and I found myself disagreeing more and more as I watched. This movie isn't some dull, barely plausible piece of work; on the contrary, it's a masterpiece. The acting was riveting, the plot sublime. It was a full-cycle tragedy, intense in its creepiness, its high-strung emotion, and the perverse way in which it ultimately made so much sense to the demented, severely compromised victim and her sympathetic audience. The beauty of this work probably lies way in which nothing obscene or gory is ever shown; like a good novel, the worst bits are left to the reaches of your own imagination, and the story is poetically executed about them, without any crude excesses. I think the cultural impact of this film is vast. Presented with a world of ecstasy, no human would ever want to return to their own world; the illicit and often tragic hedonism of society is often ignored as well. Tendencies like sadism and masochism, not to mention other addictive patterns, are ridiculed in culture, yet quite common and pervasive in their milder forms. Anyone approaching this as a piece of softcore porn will find themselves feeling conflicted instead. This is a piece of art; by its very definition, it evades pornography. The intimacy of this film is compelling. Approach it with an open mind...it implores that you accept its convoluted approach. The real horror of this film will exist in your understanding, not your dismissal and revulsion.