Moderator One Armed Boxer Posted March 17, 2011 Moderator Share Posted March 17, 2011 I just got through watching this movie so thought I'd post my thoughts.....I guess I should start by firstly saying - at last! Finally a Japanese movie which is daring and adventurous without falling into the category of the current "look how much crazy out there gore and splatter we can fit into one movie" genre! Director Sono Sion, also responsible for 'Suicide Club' & 'Exte: Hair Extensions', has crafted an epic masterpiece of....well...of what I'm not exactly sure! It's a love story, mixed in with some drama, satirical comedy, action, gore, sight gags, all set to a score of classical music, Japanese punk, and just about anything else you can think of! & by epic, I mean it weighs in at 4 hours long. Yes 4 hours, that makes it longer than any of the 'Lord of the Rings' movies, hell it even makes it longer than 'Ben Hur' and 'Gone With the Wind'. However whereas those movies where big budget lavish Hollywood productions filled with sumptuous sets and grand set-pieces, 'Love Exposure' is a decidedly low budget affair in comparison. So what do we get instead? How about kung-fu up-skirt photography, genital mutilation, the main character cross-dressing as Meiko Kaji from the 'Scorpion' movies, an all punching all praying heroine dressed in school uniform, an evil villainess who likes to keep a budgie for company, car chases, lesbian kisses, school massacres, uncontrollable erections, street brawls, sword ramapages, religious imagery....and most of this is just in the first 2 hours! It's a crazy ride of a movie, but one that gets you totally immersed in it's characters, so that by the time the story drops the comedy for a more serious and drama heavy final 90 minutes, you are completely caught up with them and there is no way you'll be taking your eyes off the screen. To say anymore would really be spoiling what really is a unique movie expreience, if anyone hasn't seen this, which I'm guessing would be the vast majority of members on this forum....I'd strongly recommend to check it out as soon as possible! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Takuma Posted March 17, 2011 Member Share Posted March 17, 2011 I've been showing this film to friends since 2009 when I first saw it. Ended up watching it alone twice, and then two more times with friends. That's 16 housr of Love Expo! It's a pretty strong candidate for the best Asian film of the decade. Pretty much a perfect movie. Amazing soundtrack, amazing screenplay, just amazing everything. And you gotta love a film where the title screen doesn't come until around 1 hour mark. On later viewings I've really come love some smaller, quiter scenes. Yoko bringing Koike to her home for the first time, Koike entering the church for the first time, Yoko's little sister telling her about the boy she has a crush on... wonderful scenes. Sono and the screenplay (370 pages) The special effects for the film were done by Yoshihiro Nishimura, who is Sono's friend from student years. Nishimura did special effects for Sono already during their school years. The action choreography is by Tak Sakaguchi's Team Zero. I remember when I watched the film when I was living in Japan. Some week later I was having dinner with a few Japanese girls and they were talking to each other about the arrest in out school. A guy had been caught doing tosatsu (upskirt photography). I literally spit my rice on the table when I heard that. And they were like "who do you know what tosatsu means???" Turned out none of my friends had falled a victim. The guy had only been taking photos in of the high school girls (there's a high school right next door... and Aki Maeda (angel! ::: :: actually shot a film there about 5 years ago....) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member ShaOW!linDude Posted March 17, 2011 Member Share Posted March 17, 2011 This sounds really interesting. I'd like to see it at some point......but seeing as I'm married w/2 kids and couldn't watch it until they went to bed, I don't know if I could stay up 4 hours to see it all in one sitting. Well, it's not going to happen in the near future anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Takuma Posted March 17, 2011 Member Share Posted March 17, 2011 Part of the soundtrack was done by Yura Yura Teikoku. Here's a live performance of one of the song featured in the film: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z68pQlYWcec The film is actually partly based on true story. The main character was influenced by Sono's friend, and some of the family stuff comes from Sono's own life. When Sono was younger he moved to New York, mainly to slack around and watch porn. He hanged around with some strange people and nearly ended up joining a terrorist organization. His earlier (and fucking great) film Noriko's Dinner Table was also infuenced by these events. Sono also hates typical Japanese family films. He has gone as far to call Ozu Anti-Christ. But while Catholism gets its share in Love Exposure, Sono respects the core values of Christianity. You can see it very clearly in Love Expo: “Jesus Christ was cooler than Curt Cobain.” A few screencaps from the film: The caps are from the R2J. I believe the Germad dvd has better transfer, but I'm hesitant to buy as i still have hopes for Blu-Ray emerging from somewhere... The deleted scenes are somewhat interesting too, if not just for featuring more nudity than the film does: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member OpiumKungFuCracker Posted March 17, 2011 Member Share Posted March 17, 2011 Sion Sono is my favorite Director right now.. His films are mesmerizing; a complete mind fuck!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator One Armed Boxer Posted March 18, 2011 Author Moderator Share Posted March 18, 2011 On later viewings I've really come love some smaller, quiter scenes. Yoko bringing Koike to her home for the first time, Koike entering the church for the first time, Yoko's little sister telling her about the boy she has a crush on... wonderful scenes. Agreed.... I think these scenes are what gives the movie something that is missing in so much Japanese cinema these days - heart. Amongst all the craziness, when you boil it down the movie is essentially a love story of a boy trying to get with a girl against seemingly impossible odds....and that's what keeps you glued to the screen more than any of the wild acrobatic upskirt-photography, as laugh out loud funny as it is, and the occasional blood geysers that are scattered throughout the run time. Next on my Japanese movie watching schedule is 'Outrage' and 'Confession'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator One Armed Boxer Posted June 22, 2011 Author Moderator Share Posted June 22, 2011 On a more, how shall I put it....visual level....if anybody needs another reason to watch this movie other than the one`s mentioned, it should definitely be for the gorgeous Hikari Mitsushima, who has just become the subject of Twitch`s latest `Mr DeMille` feature, I give them respect just for their excellent choice of article photograph! - http://twitchfilm.com/news/2011/06/hikaru-mitsushima-is-ready-for-her-extreme-close-ip-mr-demille.php Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member OpiumKungFuCracker Posted June 22, 2011 Member Share Posted June 22, 2011 Damn, baby let me booty slap you with my........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Markgway Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 Ask Takuma what I thought of it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Takuma Posted June 22, 2011 Member Share Posted June 22, 2011 Mark found it overwhelming. He can't wait to see it again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member TheDenizen Posted June 24, 2011 Member Share Posted June 24, 2011 Sion Sono is my favorite Director right now.. His films are mesmerizing; a complete mind fuck!!! Agreed, I saw Strange Circus recently and it was one of the most bizarre flicks ever. Love Exposure was already on my "To Watch" list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Markgway Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 Mark found it overwhelming. He can't wait to see it again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Takuma Posted June 25, 2011 Member Share Posted June 25, 2011 Should I copy-paste-quote our conversation here? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member TheDenizen Posted July 22, 2011 Member Share Posted July 22, 2011 So I just watched Love Exposure earlier this week. It was visually brilliant, but also bursting at the seams with ideas that I needed a couple of days to fully assimilate. The genre-defying scope of everything it covers in 4 hours is astonishing, yet in the end there doesn't seem to be an overarching theme any more complex than "love is the most important thing in life" and "there should be no limits to how love can be expressed". Fascinating stuff. I also like that Sono seems to side with the basic ideals of Christianity, while savaging the institutions of organized religion and cults. I agree with Takuma, too...some of the smaller, quieter moments in the film come across as the most beautiful. The long, almost wordless scene with the two main characters sitting in an old bus on the beach was fantastic. That Sono could put a static scene like that more than 3 hours into a movie and NOT have it be boring at all is a testament to his film making skills. A totally unique film, and a breath of fresh air. I never would've believed that a 4 hour movie could rush by so quickly and be wildly entertaining the whole time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Takuma Posted December 21, 2011 Member Share Posted December 21, 2011 http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film3/dvd_reviews55/love_exposure.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Takuma Posted July 10, 2012 Member Share Posted July 10, 2012 Japanese Blu-Ray Amuse Soft (Japan) Region Free BD-50 (actual size: 43.6 GB) Video: 1080 progressive Audio: Japanese 5.1 DTSHD-MA Subtitles: English Extras: none The much awaited Blu-Ray edition of Sion Sono's divine masterpiece. The Japanese release titles itself as the "Ultimate Edition", though it hardly is. All extras are absent, despite them being plentiful on the original Japanese 3 Disc DVD release. Contrary to the early announcements, the disc does feauture English subtitles. The new transfer is, according to the front cover, supervised by Sono himself. The minor optical censorship (a few seconds of partial shots of a fake penis) is still present. The UK DVD was previouly reported being uncensored. Somewhat amusingly, the cardboard sleeve (probably limited to the initial pressing) is full of English language quotes -perhaps because the Japanese critics hated the film, though local audiences made it the biggest arthouse hit in Tokyo movie theaters ever. The regular blue case found inside the sleeve comes with awesome, new artwork, as depicted in the scan below. Note that US and UK Blu-Ray editions will be released shortly. With all three coming out withing three months after three years of wait, it's not hard to guess all will utilize more or less the same source. The UK edition, however, would appear most promising with its set of extras and low price tag (and possibly region B encoding). Screencaps (click for full size) Rough refence comparison to R2J 3 Disc DVD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Takuma Posted January 28, 2017 Member Share Posted January 28, 2017 Love Exposure has been edited into a five hour (10 x 30min) TV series. Will contain additional scenes not in the (4 hour) movie. Premiers next month on J:COM. Info (in Japanese):http://www.cinematoday.jp/page/N0089259 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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