Blu-ray Review: PICTURE OF A NYMPH (1987)

 

PICTURE OF A NYMPH

Directed by:  Wu Ma

Distributed by:  88 FILMS / MVD Entertainment

"CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON meets THE EVIL DEAD" 

  I love when I come across a film for review that I know nothing about.    PICTURE OF A NYMPH is one of those films.   I had not even heard of this film before it arrived in my mailbox for review.  The film was released in 1987 and I am amazed that it is not more well known.   Maybe it is, and I just somehow missed it, but I never see it talked about in any of my film groups on facebook or other social media platforms.    Hopefully this changes with the amazing new release of the film from the fine folks at 88 FILMS.  

 Before we go any further, her is a brief plot synopsis from the 88 FILMS website:

  A hauntingly beautiful tale of love, art, and the supernatural, Picture of a Nymph (1988) stars Yuen Biao in one of his most tender and visually stunning roles. Set in ancient China, the story follows a gentle scholar whose chance encounter with a mysterious young woman leads to a love that transcends the boundaries of life and death. But when he unwittingly releases a vengeful demon from centuries of imprisonment, the spirit of his beloved becomes the demon’s only hope for regaining power.
To protect her, the scholar paints her likeness, allowing her to hide within the portrait — but his devotion soon draws the wrath of dark forces. Blending romance, fantasy, and dazzling martial arts spectacle, Picture of a Nymph is a visually rich masterpiece of Hong Kong cinema that captures the eternal struggle between passion, sacrifice, and destiny.

  This is a very strange movie, but in a good way.  It's not a horror movie per se, but it definitely has some horror elements to it.   It's actually very hard to describe this film, as there are element of so many different genres.  In fact, I think that's one of the reasons I liked this film so much.  Part Drama, part Fantasy, part Supernatural Horror, with tons of martial arts mixed in....there is definitely something  for everyone here!    

 The film starts out like a pure horror film, with a party walking through the forest getting attacked by an invisible entity.   The first thing I noticed was the homage to 1981's, THE EVIL DEAD.   You get a first person view from this ghost as it moves along the trail towards the group of people.   At least I assume this was an homage....if the filmmakers used that filming style without seeing or knowing about THE EVIL DEAD,  it would be one heck of a coincidence!   

  The rest of the film is more of a martial arts drama film, with lots of supernatural elements mixed in.   Our main character is in love with a ghost, and other ghosts and demons are trying to keep them apart. 

This creates many instances of fighting in some very fun and unique styles.   One scene that was particularly interesting to me was a fight scene involving a man in a sedan chair.  Ghosts appear that are all inside Sedan Chairs as well, and we get a typical fight scene except everyone remains in their Sedan Chairs and the chairs fight each other!   That might be hard to imagine, it's a scene that must be seen to be understood.  It sounds silly, but they make it work! 

  Another scene that was so much fun was a fight with a demon that looked like an old man.  His long gray hair grew extremely long on demand and he used his hair to fight!   This was a very fun scene for sure!

 One thing I have to note is the beauty of this film. the sets, scenes, and cinematography are all amazing.   The release itself is beautiful as well.  The colors in this film really pop on this new release, and the picture quality and clarity is amazing.  You would never know you were watching a film that is over 30 years old just by looking at it.  The new transfer is truly amazing!

 This was such a fun film and one I cannot recommend enough!  If you are a fan of  the Shaw Brothers films, this one will be right up your alley!

  PICTURE OF A NYMPH is available now on an amazing Deluxe Limited Edition Blu-ray set that features the following Special Features:

*  Limited Edition Rigid Slip Case wtih new artwork by Sean Longmore

*  Limited Edition 40 Page Perfect Bound Book

*  Limited Edition Premium Artcard

*  Brand New 2K Restoration from the Original Negative

*  Remastered Original Cantonese Monoaural Soundtrack

*  Newly Translated English Subtitles

*  Audio Commentary by Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival)

*  Audio Commentary by David West

*  Image Gallery

*  Original Trailer

CLICK HERE to purchase the Limited Edition Blu-ray direct from 88 FILMS

CLICK HERE to purchase the Limited Edition Blu-ray from MVD Shop

Blu-ray Review: HELTER SKELTER (2012)

HELTER SKELTER

Directed by:  Mika Ninagawa

Distributed by:  88 Films / MVD Entertainment

"Why do the Gods give us youth and beauty....then take them away?"

"Youth is beautiful, but beauty isn't youth"

  I love when I get a film in for review that I have never heard of before.  HELTER SKELTER is one of those for sure.   The only HELTER SKELTER film I knew about was the 1976 TV mini-series about Charles Manson and some of the newer films of the same name about the Manson Murders.   This HELTER SKELTER has nothing to do with that at all.   HELTER SKELTER in this case is just a term for total chaos, which is what our main character, Lilico, goes through throughout the film. 

  IMDb.com classifies this film as Body Horror and Psychological Drama.  I wouldn't really call this a horror film by any means, but it does have one bloody scene.  This is definitely more of a very dark drama film.   I just want to make sure to point that out so you don't go into this thinking you are going too see anything scary or frightening.   

  This might be a hard film to review, just because it is so hard to describe.  So much is going on in this film and it's hard to categorize.  Here is the basic plot of the film courtesy of the 88 Films website:

 Top model and fashion idol Lilico (Erika Sawajiri) is used to being the centre of attention – the living epicentre of her own universe and of a multimedia-saturated hyperreality in which everything is airbrushed and colour-adjusted to perfection. When she begins to suffer traumatic side effects from her repeated illegal cosmetic surgery sessions, she finds fame comes at a cost, as she is plunged into a nightmarish world where her sense of self-image and identity begins to fracture. 

 One thing I loved about this film was the cinematography.   The way this movie is filmed  is so interesting, and kudos to whoever edited this film.  So many quick cuts and scene changes had to be a pain to edit.   The most striking thing about this film were the sets and the use of color.    The color in this film is amazing and total eye candy for sure.  

 The film follows Lilico, starting at the height of her popularity.  She is on the cover of every fashion magazine and just a huge star.  She starts to see her popularity fade and a new young model starting to take her place.   To combat this, Lilico goes to a cosmetic surgery center and undergoes multiple surgeries and uses multiple pills and supplements to keep her looking young.    Over time, all these procedures start causing some side effects, starting with dark spots on her body.   Unfortunately she his becoming darker inside as well as she starts becoming a horrible person, and treating people worse and worse, taking advantage of her notoriety and fame. 

 I can't help but think the creators of the film THE SUBSTANCE must have got a lot of inspiration from this film.    THE SUBSTANCE took the same plot and ideas, but multiplied them drastically.    While the character in THE SUBSTANCE turned into a literal monster, Lilico turned into a monster of a person.   

 This is a strange film for sure, but one I thoroughly enjoyed.   I highly recommend it!

 HELTER SKELTER is available now and contains the following Special Features:

*  Numbered OBI Strip [4000]

*  Original and Newly Commissioned Artwork by Luke Insect

*  Booklet Essay by Violet Burns

*  High-Definition Blu-ray Presentation in 1.85:1 Aspect Ratio

*  Original Japanese 5.1 / Stereo Audio with New English Subtitles

*  Interviews with Erika Sawaji and Director Mika Ninagawa

*  Behind the Scenes Footage of the Making of Helter Skelter

*  Production Site Press Conference

*  Japanese Premiere Stage Greeting

*  Opening Day Stage Greeting

*  Taipei Film Festival Introduction by Mika Ninagawa

*  Stills Gallery

*  Teasers and Trailers 

*  Region A/B Coding

This was released as a limited edition Blu-ray with a run of only 4000 units, so get your copy before it's gone!

CLICK HERE to purchase the Limited Edition Blu-ray

Blu-ray Review: THE UGLY (1997)

THE UGLY

Written & Directed by:  Scott Reynolds

Distributed by:  Unearthed Films / MVD Entertainment

  THE UGLY is one of those films that I had always known about, but have never seen.  I feel like it's not talked about much, which is why I probably never made a point to see it.   After watching this film, I am shocked it is not talked about more often. 

Here is the basic plot synopsis from the Unearthed Films website:

 Confined to a mental institution, disturbed young serial killer Simon (The Rule of Jenny Pen's Paolo Rotondo) is tormented by cruel orderlies and his own personal demons including “The Ugly” which compels him to kill. Now at his request, Dr. Karen Schumaker (The Brokenwood Mysteries’ Rebecca Hobbs) arrives to discover whether Simon is fit to be released back into society. As the terrifying secrets within Simon’s mind are revealed, no one will be left unscathed by the horrors about to be unleashed.

  If you are a fan of serial killer films, this one is a must see.  This is New Zealand's answer to THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, and while not on the same level of that film in terms of budget and production values, it's extremely well made and very entertaining.   The acting in this film is very good, especially from the two main stars, Paolo Rotondo who plays the killer (Simon) and from Rebecca Hobbs who plays the Doctor sent to judge whether or not Simon is fit to be released from prison.   They have a great onscreen chemistry.   

 The movie is pretty simple in terms of production and set.   The film pretty much just takes place at the prison Simon is being held at.   Most of the film is the Doctor and Simon talking in an interrogation room.   The doctor is trying to get inside the mind of Simon to figure out why he killed and to figure out if she thinks he will continue to kill if released.    The doctor asks about all his past kills, in which Simon gives us the details.  We are shown flashbacks to each of his kills, so we see the scene he is describing.   Some of these are pretty brutal, and there is a bit of gore.  

 What sets this film apart from all the other Serial Killer films out there, is the addition of this supernatural element.   "The Ugly" is what Simon calls the vision he sees in his head telling him to kill.   It basically a group of what look to be dead people in a living state that torment him until he kills.   Killing is the only way to make "The Ugly" go away,  yet they always come back eventually and he has to kill again to get them to go away.  

 The film does a good job of showing how "The Ugly" started, with a traumatic experience Simon suffered as a child.   I found this very interesting and was glad to find out how "The Ugly" got it's name!

  

  One thing to note about this film was that in all the gore scenes, the blood was black.  It wasn't in black and white as the scene is in full color, but instead of being a crimson red like expected, it's always a dark black color.   I searched around online for an explanation.  Some say that it's black because Simon doesn't view his victims as human.  He sees them more as a machine or entity, and the black is like the oil that makes the machine run.   Another explanation I saw was that it enhanced the film's dream-like, unsettling aesthetic instead of just conventional gore.   Either way it was an interesting choice by the filmmakers.  

  If you haven't seen THE UGLY, I highly recommend it.  If you have the old DVD  (which if memory serves me was an old Blockbuster exclusive),  you'll definitely want to upgrade to this new Blu-ray.  

 THE UGLY is available now from Unearthed Films and contains the following Special Features:

• NEW 4K restoration of the film from the original 35mm interpositive
• NEW Original Theatrical 2.0 Stereo and 4.0 DTS-HD MA Surround
• NEW Commentary with actors Paolo Rotondo and Rebecca Hobbs, moderated by Nathaniel Thompson
• NEW Scott Reynolds short films 'A Game with No Rules' & 'The M1nute'
• NEW 1997 Radio New Zealand Interview with Scott Reynolds
• NEW Isolated Score
• NEW Photo Gallery
• NEW Original Theatrical Trailer
• NEW The Ugly Visual Essay
• NEW Collectable Booklet
• Reversible Cover

CLICK HERE to purchase the Blu-ray from Unearthed Films

CLICK HERE to purchase the Blu-ray from MVD Entertainment