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In Training
Jun 28, 2008

This week’s Staff Pick:

Perfect Blue (1997)



Directed by: Satoshi Kon
Written by: Sadayuki Murai, adapted for the screen from a novel by Yoshikazu Takeuchi
Cinematography by: Hisao Shirai
Edited by: Harutoshi Ogata
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0156887/

Summary: “A retired pop singer turned actress’ sense of reality is shaken when she is stalked by an obsessed fan and seemingly a ghost of her past.”

This is an incredible film; I have seen it periodically over the last few years and truth be told I just watched this again today (snow day ftw). Perfect Blue is a riveting exploration of the screen, in all its forms: mirrors, frames, television screens, the frame of the film itself, etc. It’s similar to Cure (and released within a few months of it) in the way it explores ways of making sense of the senseless, turning to the violence of spectatorship and objectification as a way to potentially structure the cruelty of a burgeoning internet culture informed by fanzines. Apparatuses that control the woman at the center of the film extend their influence into an inescapable web that demoralizes and destroys the pop idol turned actress. The editing itself confuses the limits between our viewing and the viewing of the narrative spectators, flipping between modes of classical editing and frames outside the media without warning, which blurs the layers of performance to the point where the simple act of buying milk becomes fraught with tensions of voyeurism. It’s incredible and I love this movie!!!!!


As a warning, there are some harrowing scenes of sexual violence and full-frontal nudity, in case you were gonna watch it on the family TV or something. It’s also like 75 minutes long, so why not check it out! Since I already watched it I have a bunch of screenshots (close to 50 which is wayyyy more than I ever take) and will post them as people check out the movie and talk about it. If you like Perfect Blue, Satoshi Kon’s entire (sadly brief) career will likely interest you, as they deal with similar themes of spectatorship and performance in a whole host of ways and styles. Since this is an anime film there’s a million and one ways to watch this movie online but very few ways to pay for it. There’s an out of print DVD from 2000 you can buy used and a Blu-Ray that’s available for the low low price of 200 dollars.

Please check it out!

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From the Staff Picks Archives
January 31st, 2017: Cure
February 7th, 2017: Westfront 1918
February 14th, 2017: John Wick
February 21st, 2017: Red Sorghum
February 28th, 2017: God of Gamblers
March 7th, 2017: The Autopsy of Jane Doe

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Palpek
Dec 27, 2008


Do you feel it, Zach?
My coffee warned me about it.


Oh, I watched this one years ago. Highly recommended. I remember thinking that it's amazing that it's basically a full-fledged thriller that thanks to being animated can use very subtle special effects that could look too supernatural or out of place in live action. The direction, editing and camera work are top notch.

TV Zombie
Sep 6, 2011

Burying all the trauma from past nights
Burying my anger in the past

This is also available on Youtube so it's easily accessible by anyone! Saw this some time ago and it was such an enjoyable mindfuck.

Black Baby Goku
Apr 2, 2011

by Nyc_Tattoo
Hands down my favorite anime film of all time. Truly incredible

Black Baby Goku
Apr 2, 2011

by Nyc_Tattoo
It's amazing how much of an influence Satoshi had on Hollywood, the man was truly a god in his field and I miss not being able to get new films from him.

GonSmithe
Apr 25, 2010

Perhaps it's in the nature of television. Just waves in space.
Yeah, Satoshi Kon was one of the best. It took me years to see most of his movies but when you watch them, about 80% of the time you go "holy poo poo this is where they got that from?"

His works really impart a feeling in you that dozens of filmmakers wish they could convey so easily.

In Training
Jun 28, 2008

It's been a few days so here's all the pics: https://imgur.com/a/cDNSm and tomorrow I'm going to write a little bit about the editing in some key moments

TV Zombie
Sep 6, 2011

Burying all the trauma from past nights
Burying my anger in the past

Some thoughts as I watch it live:

Watching it from the beginning and it's cool how the performance scenes mesh well with scenes from what's happening in real life. It's done rather smoothly which is pretty darn cool.

Man, I like the scene of when she gets the fax and the it just pans out yet we still get to see her somewhat clearly until she finally draws her curtains. That wasn't all animation right?

The glassy eyed look on her face was pretty disturbing and the constant shifting of her face from one side to the other fit the ...chaos of that scripted rape scene.

Man, the quick zoom in and zoom out as she chases her pop idol self really sells the frantic nature of the scene.

The Deja Vu of her in the bedroom is one of the scenes that really freaks me out because it's so disconcerting in trying to figure out what's real. So cool, yet disturbing.

Mina seems to have really lost her mind at having almost killed the guy at the same spot where she was nearly raped as it happened in the television series.

Man..what upbeat music for the end...Kinda creeped me out. Love this movie.

In Training
Jun 28, 2008

Its hard to pick a favorite shot in the film but I really love this:

In Training
Jun 28, 2008

The best part of this movie is the way it utilizes the most common shorthand techniques for unobtrusive narrative filmmaking (shot reverse shot, 180 deg rule, establishing shots etc) to actually disrupt the filmic space. All the scenes that are shot like that at the beginning only to reveal a few shots in that Mima is performing on a set, or you're watching a taped recording, or the 180 degree rule will be broken and you will see the predatory cameras are incredibly well done. Makes you hyper aware of the ways in which all narrative cinema is trying its hardest to trick you into believing the performance, and its especially cool coming from an animated film where breaches of the classic style like that are generally more tolerated (no one is watching animation and assuming a link to reality at all).

In Training
Jun 28, 2008

https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3814263 next movie, although Im going to continue posting periodically in this one probably. Especially if I watch some other Kon movies



thinking about this shot again today...

Escobarbarian
Jun 18, 2004


Grimey Drawer
Not seen this in a decade, note to self to bloody get on with it

I remember Millennium Actress being my favourite Kon film (with Paranoia Agent my favourite overall work) but I saw them both way after this. Seen everything but Paprika which I hear is a little samey if you've already seen his other work?

Also reminder that Darren Aronofsky bought the US rights to this movie so he could steal a scene for Requiem for a Dream

Hector Beerlioz
Jun 16, 2010

aw, hec
I enjoy this movie

In Training
Jun 28, 2008

Escobarbarian posted:

Not seen this in a decade, note to self to bloody get on with it

I remember Millennium Actress being my favourite Kon film (with Paranoia Agent my favourite overall work) but I saw them both way after this. Seen everything but Paprika which I hear is a little samey if you've already seen his other work?

Also reminder that Darren Aronofsky bought the US rights to this movie so he could steal a scene for Requiem for a Dream

Paprika is my second fave behind this one, but I'm a fan of any film that explores the connection between films as expressions of human dreams

TV Zombie
Sep 6, 2011

Burying all the trauma from past nights
Burying my anger in the past

What scene was stolen for Requiem for a Dream?

In Training
Jun 28, 2008

TV Zombie posted:

What scene was stolen for Requiem for a Dream?

This is the video I've seen before:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anlHmGA-Bvs

but from what I understand the "rights were purchased" is a hoax. There's nothing really concrete I've ever seen that's corroborated it, and it came up again a lot when Black Swan came out and people were like "this is just Perfect Blue!!! Darren you HACK!!!!" without realizing it was way more Red Shoes than Perfect Blue and also a pretty neat movie in its own right.

Escobarbarian
Jun 18, 2004


Grimey Drawer
Looked it up and the rights thing seems to be largely based off a roughly translated Japanese interview, so it's still possibly legitimate, but also possibly the result of bad translation.

Shinjobi
Jul 10, 2008


Gravy Boat 2k
Thanks to this thread I'm gonna go back and rewatch this movie.

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Sleng Teng
May 3, 2009

just finished this. absolutely phenomenal film, and now probably my favorite animated film over patlabor 2. really need to watch the rest of the kon directed movies

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