Uzumaki

Higichinsky, director - written by Takao Nitta, based on the Manga by Junji Ito. 2000, Elite Pictures [however, Elite might simply be the company that produced the DVD in the USA - I'm not too certain].

OK - now as I was reading the back and saw "manga" several things about the movie came into perspective - it's actually filmed like a "live-action" anime. It has the same shots the same abrupt and "explosive" emotional expressions, which, in all honesty, is a little off-putting.

I don't know if the manga is continously running or a complete story with a definite end, but taking the movie on its own merits, I have to say that there were almost none. Believe me, I like most movies and it takes a real dog to turn me off, and this one did it.

The premise could have been wonderful: an entire townsfolk become obsessed and eventually insane with the uzumaki - the spiral, which can be found in all things: snails, fingertips, smoke patterns, etc.

But the premise isn't played out in any coherent manner - the viewers are assualted (and insulted) with a p-poor plot, no buildup, and climactically we have everything from human snails crawling up walls and spiralling hair wrapped around telephone wires and self-contorted bodies (as well as one in the washing machine - which, despite the lunacy, was actually one of the few parts that might have been put to good use if someone had actually known something about plot!)

Two of the commentaries compare this to both Lovecraft and Tim Burton. Lovecraft, I can understand, because despite his popularity, let's face it, the man also didn't know how to craft a story, preferring instead to throw the bizarre at his readers simply because he liked the bizarre. Were I Tim Burton, I'd be insulted, and think to myself, "All of my pieces have the standard storytelling tecniques, simple things such as, oh I dunno - characterization! suspense! appropriate creation of mood!"

'Nuff said about this doggerel.

VG