‘Wearing a mask is a human right’
Nov. 14th, 2024 01:07 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowhiveSo Monday and Tuesday I continued the J-horror Rising run with disc 3, yipee! So now there’s only disc 4 left to go which I’m really looking forward to, (and I’ve got the the included booklet thing to read to).
Carved: The Slit Mouthed Woman - 7/10
Premise time! After an earthquake children start to go missing and it seems to be related to the urban legend of the slit-mouthed woman. Two teachers decide to put a stop to it.
So I’m gonna preface this before I get into it, this film is about child abuse so that’ll be mentioned. (Also if you’re thinking of watching it, kids also die too)
There is something about the slit mouthed woman that feels like she is more of a threat than the other things so far on the boxset. I think it’s because of her modus operandi, she goes after young children, abducting them and mutilating them.
And as I mentioned above there’s also abuse of those children as well. In fact three characters (including the titular woman) abuse children over the course of the film.
What makes the woman so scary, other than targeting children, is her implacable nature. She seemingly can’t be stopped and when you try it turns out that she’s actually possessed someone and you’ve killed the person she’s possessed. The fact that she can seemingly possess any woman at will also makes her scary, especially as it seems to be mothers.
The two teachers are quite contrasting too. While they both serve as joint protagonist the female one is the one you see more of and… at first she seems nice enough, but then her reaction to an abused child is just wrong for a teacher but then it makes sense when, just a few scenes later, you learn that she abused her child (who is now with her ex).
While they both drive the plot (she sees said abused student abducted by the woman in front of her) it’s him that does so more, because he’s connected to the woman and so can hear her.
Overall though it felt very different to what’s come before and damnn, that last scene.
Persona -7.5/10
Premise: Students start turning up in schools wearing masks. At first it seems like it’s a form of empowerment, since most are bullied, but then the deaths start…
Again, Persona is very different to the others, which I did like.
The thing about Persona is that it’s a tricky film to describe. Mostly this is because it’s a film that seems like it’s setting up certain things or to go certain ways but then it takes a completely different direction. And, while that’s done well, I can’t help but wonder how things could’ve gone differently if they explored certain other things instead.
Take the premise above. It makes you think the focus will be on the masked students and, indeed, the first 10-15 minutes makes out like it’s gonna go that way. At that point it kinda felt like it was gonna play out like American horror films where it’s set at a campus and strange things and killings happen. I was quite interested to see what a Japanese take on that would be, but instead it pivots instead. While stuff still happens at the campus it feels more incidental, which does feel a shame.
Again, around that point, it feels like the masks are gonna be supernatural, only it’s a concept shown in two brief moments and not touched on again. Which, again, would’ve been an interesting concept.
What they do though is interesting, exploring the concept of masks and their ability to conceal the identify of the person wearing them, giving them a new identity. If it’s to make you brave enough to face bullies, hide from trauma, act badly or steal someone’s identity, all of that is here and it’s done pretty well.
Of course in large part the success of it is due to the masks themselves, which manage to be sometimes pretty, sometimes creepy.
The whole thing does feel more mystery than horror, (which means I’m doing my best to avoid specifics after the first 20 minutes) but it was still pretty good and I really liked it.
What I find really sweet in the special features, which have featured new interviews with directors for some of them, is how they’re all so happy that they’re getting a release like this. Most haven’t had an international release and even those that have, have become obscure, so they’re so thrilled to get a release like this. It’s so sweet. And I’m glad for them most can see their stuff now.
Next week is the final disc, which is Noroi! Which is the one film on the set I’ve watched and know is so so good.
***
So my head is still a little hazy. Less so than earlier in the week but it comes and goes. It’s really super annoying and it’s making my focus so off which… ugh.
It wasn’t helped that I saw an old phone I thought lost and, yesterday, tried to get it working after charging it. It ‘works’ but it’s an android tied to Google to get apps sorted and it just wasn’t co-operating. I logged in with the right password, then it wanted me to do an ‘are you human’ test, then insisted sending a code to the backup email and even after I did all that it still wasn’t satisfied. Like, what more do you want from me??
I ended up giving up as the food shop was due. But it further makes me dislike phones.
Anyway, when I put the tv on the other day I saw a thing for a film on Amazon prime called Teh Lazarus Effect so I’m kinda curious cause it has Evan Peters (not that he’s seen more than a brief glimpse in the trailer) and Donald Glover (though he seems like he’ll die first). I think I’ll try and watch it soon though I dunno when.
Also from Amazon I picked up Thanksgiving cause it was still on offer so I’ll watch that close to the day, though not on the day cause the Sleep Token gig is then (ah! 2 weeks!!).
Yesterday was also tiring. Mum ordered something from TK Maxx to pick up and it was ready yesterday (actually Tuesday, but food shop) and I was meant to be going alone but mum inside on coming cause the litter didn’t come with the shop. As a result what was meant to be a quick trip ended up being a bit longer and we got more stuff which weighed heavy and so was tiring. It didn’t help that I woke up not particularly feeling up to going but not wanting to say it.
So off course when I got back I was all exhausted and flop.
Today is gonna be a rest day though. I wanna try and work on fic, then there’s Seapeekay’s squidcraft stream (he’s made it to day 3! Yipee!) and the Taskmaster final. (Alas this series hasn’t felt as good, but we’ll see who the next team is gonna be after it. Junior taskmaster was surprisingly good!) and then I wanna watch Stranger Things. Maybe I’ll watch more than just one ep but we’ll see.
Carved: The Slit Mouthed Woman - 7/10
Premise time! After an earthquake children start to go missing and it seems to be related to the urban legend of the slit-mouthed woman. Two teachers decide to put a stop to it.
So I’m gonna preface this before I get into it, this film is about child abuse so that’ll be mentioned. (Also if you’re thinking of watching it, kids also die too)
There is something about the slit mouthed woman that feels like she is more of a threat than the other things so far on the boxset. I think it’s because of her modus operandi, she goes after young children, abducting them and mutilating them.
And as I mentioned above there’s also abuse of those children as well. In fact three characters (including the titular woman) abuse children over the course of the film.
What makes the woman so scary, other than targeting children, is her implacable nature. She seemingly can’t be stopped and when you try it turns out that she’s actually possessed someone and you’ve killed the person she’s possessed. The fact that she can seemingly possess any woman at will also makes her scary, especially as it seems to be mothers.
The two teachers are quite contrasting too. While they both serve as joint protagonist the female one is the one you see more of and… at first she seems nice enough, but then her reaction to an abused child is just wrong for a teacher but then it makes sense when, just a few scenes later, you learn that she abused her child (who is now with her ex).
While they both drive the plot (she sees said abused student abducted by the woman in front of her) it’s him that does so more, because he’s connected to the woman and so can hear her.
Overall though it felt very different to what’s come before and damnn, that last scene.
Persona -7.5/10
Premise: Students start turning up in schools wearing masks. At first it seems like it’s a form of empowerment, since most are bullied, but then the deaths start…
Again, Persona is very different to the others, which I did like.
The thing about Persona is that it’s a tricky film to describe. Mostly this is because it’s a film that seems like it’s setting up certain things or to go certain ways but then it takes a completely different direction. And, while that’s done well, I can’t help but wonder how things could’ve gone differently if they explored certain other things instead.
Take the premise above. It makes you think the focus will be on the masked students and, indeed, the first 10-15 minutes makes out like it’s gonna go that way. At that point it kinda felt like it was gonna play out like American horror films where it’s set at a campus and strange things and killings happen. I was quite interested to see what a Japanese take on that would be, but instead it pivots instead. While stuff still happens at the campus it feels more incidental, which does feel a shame.
Again, around that point, it feels like the masks are gonna be supernatural, only it’s a concept shown in two brief moments and not touched on again. Which, again, would’ve been an interesting concept.
What they do though is interesting, exploring the concept of masks and their ability to conceal the identify of the person wearing them, giving them a new identity. If it’s to make you brave enough to face bullies, hide from trauma, act badly or steal someone’s identity, all of that is here and it’s done pretty well.
Of course in large part the success of it is due to the masks themselves, which manage to be sometimes pretty, sometimes creepy.
The whole thing does feel more mystery than horror, (which means I’m doing my best to avoid specifics after the first 20 minutes) but it was still pretty good and I really liked it.
What I find really sweet in the special features, which have featured new interviews with directors for some of them, is how they’re all so happy that they’re getting a release like this. Most haven’t had an international release and even those that have, have become obscure, so they’re so thrilled to get a release like this. It’s so sweet. And I’m glad for them most can see their stuff now.
Next week is the final disc, which is Noroi! Which is the one film on the set I’ve watched and know is so so good.
***
So my head is still a little hazy. Less so than earlier in the week but it comes and goes. It’s really super annoying and it’s making my focus so off which… ugh.
It wasn’t helped that I saw an old phone I thought lost and, yesterday, tried to get it working after charging it. It ‘works’ but it’s an android tied to Google to get apps sorted and it just wasn’t co-operating. I logged in with the right password, then it wanted me to do an ‘are you human’ test, then insisted sending a code to the backup email and even after I did all that it still wasn’t satisfied. Like, what more do you want from me??
I ended up giving up as the food shop was due. But it further makes me dislike phones.
Anyway, when I put the tv on the other day I saw a thing for a film on Amazon prime called Teh Lazarus Effect so I’m kinda curious cause it has Evan Peters (not that he’s seen more than a brief glimpse in the trailer) and Donald Glover (though he seems like he’ll die first). I think I’ll try and watch it soon though I dunno when.
Also from Amazon I picked up Thanksgiving cause it was still on offer so I’ll watch that close to the day, though not on the day cause the Sleep Token gig is then (ah! 2 weeks!!).
Yesterday was also tiring. Mum ordered something from TK Maxx to pick up and it was ready yesterday (actually Tuesday, but food shop) and I was meant to be going alone but mum inside on coming cause the litter didn’t come with the shop. As a result what was meant to be a quick trip ended up being a bit longer and we got more stuff which weighed heavy and so was tiring. It didn’t help that I woke up not particularly feeling up to going but not wanting to say it.
So off course when I got back I was all exhausted and flop.
Today is gonna be a rest day though. I wanna try and work on fic, then there’s Seapeekay’s squidcraft stream (he’s made it to day 3! Yipee!) and the Taskmaster final. (Alas this series hasn’t felt as good, but we’ll see who the next team is gonna be after it. Junior taskmaster was surprisingly good!) and then I wanna watch Stranger Things. Maybe I’ll watch more than just one ep but we’ll see.
