JayKeeley said:
Yeah there is a love theme, but the real emphasis is the take on Lord of the Flies surely. Doing what it takes to survive etc. Glad you agree that it's a great flick - I def want that second DVD.
Yes, that may well be the case for many, but not for me.. From my experience having talked to people who like the films there are three different attractions to fans.
One I've come across far more often than I like are the people who say "oh yeah, great film, you know it was banned here yeah? Loads of violence, I love it, it's extreme", which slightly irritates me as (IMO of course) this negates the overall message and completely ignores the meaning of the film.
Then there the fans who love it for its LotF's survival element - getting sucked into the story, wondering who is playing the game and the lengths people will go to to survive. Which is only slightly different to how I see it
What makes the film so truly effective and amazing, for me, is the fact you put yourself in the situation - if it came down to it, and you were in Kawada's position, would you kill yourself to save the person you loved? Or kill them to save yourself, or let you both die? And to me that is taking the love of another person to it's furthest point - would you kill yourself for another? Coupled with the developing relationship between Nanahara and Noriko, to survive for the love of each other against all odds. It just touches me far more than the survival aspect, and what I love so much about Battle Royale is its suffocating intensity, the fact you get so totally wrapped up in it's bleak yet ultimately uplifting plot
Or maybe that's just me
That's pretty much why I believe it is a love story, but like I say, it's subjective, and mine is by no means the accepted view
Anyway, yes it's one of my favourite films of all time, mostly because it is so powerful! The second DVD if you are a fan is weeelll worth having, and not only do you get two dvds in a tin box you get a frame of film from an original theatrical release a booklet and a collectors card
A nice package overall. I had to pay £30 for it tho ($50?)
JayKeeley said:
Yep, my Ring and Ring 2 are on Tartan Asia. The only thing is, Tartan has distribution predominantly in the UK (they even have the BBFC certifications printed on the cover). Getting it out here in the US means ordering it from blackstar or Amazon UK and shipping it in.
I know, it's great isn't it!
I can get them in vrtually any video store here, often for less than many other DVD's!
JayKeeley said:
I generally prefer to order from HKflix - they have all the stuff as soon as it hits the shelves in Japan, Korea, or HK - but since they are Hawaii based, I only pay domestic shipping costs!
That's cool about the early release dates, but I'd have to ship them over here which would be expensive
JayKeeley said:
Own it. Studied it. Raved about it forever! Puts his directing efforts of Mimic and Blade II to shame, although I have not yet seen Cronos!
And welcome to the forum Russel.
Yes, I was lucky enough to see it at the cinema, it was great!
I have Cronos on DVD, but I have yet to watch it, I think I bought a few too many DVD's last week
I'll watch it straight after Amores Perros I thinks!
Thanks for the welcome