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Corpse Party Live Action (review)

liveaction-corpse-party-blu-rayreview provided by Andrew and Katie

Title: Corpse Party

Director: Masafumi Yamada

Studio: Kadokawa Daiei

U.S. Distributor: Switchblade Pictures

U.S. Release Date: September 27, 2016

Format and Length: Blu-ray / 94 Minutes

Genre: Horror, Supernatural, Mystery

Industry Age Rating: 17 and up

Overall Personal Rating: B-

Similar Series or Titles to Check Out: Corpse Party-Tortured Souls OVA

Fair warning: The following film contains massive amounts of blood, body parts, and entrails

Synopsis:

Horror Movie Lesson Number One: if you want to stay in touch with your friends, performing a binding ceremony on the grounds of a school that was demolished after a series of horrific murders may not be a great idea.

Otherwise, as a group of Japanese teens quickly learn to their horror, the simple ritual may open a doorway to an otherworldly dimension where the infamous Heavenly Host High still exists, and the demonic occupants within seek to redecorate the gore-soaked and carnage-strewn halls with a new set of bloody corpses.

Now, it’s a brutal education in supernatural survival as the students fight both the resident spirits and each other, where the odds of graduating alive, let alone in one piece, are sliced shorter and shorter with every heart-pounding second. Japan’s ultra-violent videogame and anime phenomenon becomes a shocking live action feature film as hell is unleashed at the CORPSE PARTY!

Commentary:

Corpse Party is a live action movie based on the anime series Corpse Party-Tortured Souls OVA and the game series by the same name. We all know how these are usually teasers to get you to buy the games. I don’t play games. I don’t have the time. Most have a tendency to end just as you are getting into it and when the story is getting interesting. I’m happy to say this was not the case. It’s complete, and in an hour and a half they are able to wrap everything up into a nice package and yet still leave something open for a sequel. This feels more like the late 1990s, early 2000s Japanese live action horror movie genre, which included titles like Dark Water, Grudge, Ring, Shikoku, and Suicide Club. It has the same ominous feeling and semi-predictability. But those are features that have endeared these types of stories to their fans. One thing is sure and that is Corpse Party does beat its predecessors with the amount of blood and gore that it shows. Makes most of the recommended titles seem tame actually.

This leads us to the storyline. Most live actions like Corpse Party lack a storyline and are not super original. They solely survive on how bloody it can be and will take another bloody death over a glimpse of story any day. That’s where it breaks from horror and goes into the mystery aspect. Corpse Party does have a couple of twists that you would not expect. Just as you think you know what happened in the past that leads to current events, it throws in something completely unexpected that makes you rethink the entire thing. The only complaint, and considering it’s only an hour and a half, is everything seems rushed. They had to connect the dots in very little time. I have to admit that I had seen the anime and they went into a little more detail in the anime, than they did in the live action. They also had to omit a few things, nothing too consequential, and they also changed up a few times when things happened. The story was pretty decent and you had to connect a lot of those dots yourself, with little explanation outside of contexts clues they give. In the end you will have a few questions left but I think they are not very large compared to the story itself. The other thing was the characters. Though not well developed (how can you with so little time) you get a general idea of everyone and you tend to figure out personalities. In the end you learn to like most of them, but don’t get too attached, as the title lives up to its name. The only other thing to mention is the music is perfect for the setting of the movie.

Because I did love Corpse Party in its animated form, I decided to give it a try in its live action form. I was not disappointed. Maybe one day, if I ever find the time, I will pick up one of the many incarnations of the game, and give it a try.

Extras:

Corpse Party includes scene select and Corpse Party trailer. This movie was released with Japanese with English Subtitles as the only language option.

Overall Grade: B-

Glove (Live Action Film Review)

GloveGlove (Live Action Film)

Director: Kang Woo-suk

Actors: Jung Jae-young and Yoo Sun

U. S. Distributor: 5 Points Pictures, Right Stuf, C J Entertainment

U. S. Release date: July 23rd, 2013

Format: DVD / Feature Film / 144 minutes

Genre: Sports Drama, Slice of Life, Romance

Age Rating: 13+

Overal Personal Rating: B+

 

Synopsis:

Kim Sang-nam (Jung Jae-young, Moss and By The Book) is a hero on the pitcher’s mound, but thanks to his drunk and disorderly behavior off the field he now faces the prospect of a lifetime expulsion from Korea’s pro-baseball league. Desperate to salvage his public image, Sang-nam’s manager hauls him to the countryside to serve as the guest coach for the baseball team at a school for the hearing impaired.

Just 10 players, Chungju Sacred Heart’s team has challenges other high school baseball teams don’t. They can’t hear the crack of the bat, so it’s harder to follow the ball. Their ability to communicate on the field is limited, making teamwork more difficult. And they have to fight against others’ pity and perceptions just to be seen as competitors.

The students and their advisers are enthusiastic about entering their first national tournament, but Sang-nam is cynical about the team’s chances – until he sees glimpses of his younger self reflected in the boys as they play. Their shared love for the game may be enough to change the course of their lives…

Commentary:

Glove is based on a true story about a deaf high school who has a base ball team and they have plenty of difficulties even pulling a simple team together. This is truly and underdog story that even in the end you fell great with hopes for the future. The down and out ball player trying to get back in the limelight is a little tiring but Jung Jae-young does a very good job at playing the part. He manage to slide into being the caring coach easily even if it felt a little detached from time to time.

The basic bones of this film are very stereotypical and some what redundant. The key to this film is not the story on its own, but rather the acting that these boys provide. The entire group do a great job of giving us a taste of what these guys really go through to just feel like a normal group of high school boys. There is one problem they just aren’t normal boys and they all know it. On the surface the story of the star player rediscovering what it is that made the game great for him stands out, but in the end it is just window dressing for the discovery of desire and realization with the reality of defeat mixed in.

There were several times I wanted to cry for these boys and other times I wanted to slap the coach. I guess that the fact that those emotions came forward say a lot for any film and it is a reminder of how strong film making in Korea really is. Glove stands out for many reasons and most of all it is a reminder of how good Asian film making is and highlights their ability to get to the heart of the matter without it feeling heavy handed.

 

Overall Grade: B+

Even though I felt as though the story itself was very heartwarming there are plenty of sports films that use the serious underdog to give credence to the film. Glove uses those plot devices but somehow manages to add something a little more special by reminding us of our humanity. I almost wish the coach wasn’t a burned out superstar who need a reminder of his love of the game. I feel as though it just got in the way. With that said, I have to say that the acting, directing and production was top notch. Glove is a keeper and I hope that people get a chance to see this heart warming film. Just remember Love is in Base Ball (G LOVE).