Bloody Disgusting Selects recently send us over stills for their upcoming DVD release, "Cold Fish", which hits DVD tomorrow. Also don't forget that we're giving away a copy of the film. To find out the contest information, you can goto: http://www.filmarcade.net/2011/08/contest-cold-fish-dvd-giveaway.html Contest ends on August 24th.
Plot Synopsis:
COLD FISH-from Sion Sono, the director of LOVE EXPOSURE and SUICIDE CLUB. COLD FISH has won acclaim at both the Venice and Toronto Film Festivals. In the film, mild-mannered Shamoto’s teenage daughter gets caught shoplifting. A generous fellow fish-store owner and his wife appear to help resolve the situation by having her work at their fish store. Too good to be true? You bet! Shamoto soon discovers the horrific truth about this seemingly perfect couple…who inextricably weave him into their grisly rituals. Inspired by true events, COLD FISH is a twisted, brutal, blood-soaked drama that reveals the underlying insanity of an ordinary man pushed well beyond the brink.
"Cold Fish": Official Trailer
Cold Fish
Year: 2011
Director: Shion Sono
Stars: Makoto Ashikawa, Denden, Mitsuru Fukikoshi
Studio: Bloody Disgusting Selects
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Running Time: 144 Mins
“Cold Fish is the latest film from Japanese director Shion Sono, who is responsible for the cult films, “Suicide Club” and “Exte: Hair Extensions”. The film recently played at this Fantasia International Film Festival, where the film shared the Audience Award for Best Asian Film with Takashi Miike's 13 Assassins.
The film follows Shamoto (Makoto Ashikawa), a shop keeper, who’s teenage daughter gets caught shoplifting, When he and his wife go there to pick her up, they meet a mysterious shop owner (Denden). He along with his wife help resolved the situation. The owner then offers to help him straighten out his daughter, by having her work at his shop. Shamoto agrees with him, but all this seems too good to be true. He starts finding out that the owner and his wife are committing unspeakable acts and soon he gets caught up in them. Can Shamato find a way to stop the madness, before it overtakes his sanity and puts the ones that he loves in danger.
If your looking for the most bizarre film of the year, then “Cold Fish” would be in the running for that title. It’s one of those films that you can’t take your eye off, as it‘s very surreal.
Shion Sono’s direction was just great. One of the reasons that I liked his direction, the freedom that he gives his cinematographer to shoot the film at a frantic pace. This could’ve easily been your typical by the books thriller, but the cinematographer’s work makes this feel edgy and original. It grabs your attention to the material and helps makes some of the scenes more shocking. This film also has a lot of blood and gore, for a thriller. Sono uses this effectively to his advantage, by creating surreal imagery that makes the shock value work. He uses it to add a disturbing element to the story and not to make it bloody for no purpose. That’s when gore effects are very effective and shocking. The acting here is also very good. Sono carefully directs his cast, because the acting was great. This film has two very good performances from Makoto Ashikawa and Denden. Ashikawa does a very good job adapting to various changes that his character goes through during the course of the film. You see him as an ordinary character in the beginning of the story. But during the course of the film, he able to take the material and make the character darker. That’s what makes those scenes effective and that is what makes the main character interesting. Not to be out done, Denden turns in one of the best performances of the year as Murata, the mysterious shop keeper. He makes the character very odd, eccentric, and frightening all at the same time. The character gives this film its off balance feel, as he played it to perfection. It’s that performances that keeps you interested with this film, especially when the main character begins to lose his sanity to Murata’s horrific actions.
The screenplay which was written by Sono and Yoshiki Takahashi is very good. One of things that makes this screenplay good, the way that the writers focus on the ordeal that the main character goes through. The character starts off as an ordinary person. But when bearing witness to Murata’ murderous rampage, you see the character go through various changes in attitude and his view of life. That’s what keeps your interest with the main character. The writers also did a very good job putting some originality into some of film’s scenes. From the dismemberment of Murata’s victims and the sexual tension that takes place, they generate some sort of reaction. You need that, if your intention is to shock people. This film does achieve that very well. The death scenes were also creative and handled very well. The writers really put some thought into those scenes, as it effectively adds to the shocking elements and tone of the story.
Every though this is my first experience watching a Shion Sono film, it‘s one of those films that makes me want to go back and check out his other films previously to this. ‘“Cold Fish” is an original thriller that has a surreal tone to the violence and shock level, while providing an interesting character study at the same time.
Review Rating: Five Stars
Bloody Disgusting Selects and The Collective recently send us over the official poster and trailer for Sion Sono's (Love Exposure, Suicide Club) latest film "Cold Fish". The film will be starting it's limited theatrical run in New York's reRun Gastropub Theater this friday with dates in LA, Austin, Phonenix and Salem MA to follow during the month of August. Check for theater playdates and venues at the bottom of this page.
Don't live in any of those cities, no problem. The film will be released on DVD and iTunes on August 26th.
Plot Synopsis:
COLD FISH-from Sion Sono, the director of LOVE EXPOSURE and SUICIDE CLUB. COLD FISH has won acclaim at both the Venice and Toronto Film Festivals. In the film, mild-mannered Shamoto’s teenage daughter gets caught shoplifting. A generous fellow fish-store owner and his wife appear to help resolve the situation by having her work at their fish store. Too good to be true? You bet! Shamoto soon discovers the horrific truth about this seemingly perfect couple…who inextricably weave him into their grisly rituals. Inspired by true events, COLD FISH is a twisted, brutal, blood-soaked drama that reveals the underlying insanity of an ordinary man pushed well beyond the brink.
Theatrical Playdates:
NYC: August 5 thru 12. reRun Gastropub Theater.
LA: August 12 and 13. Cinefamily
Austin: August 15 thru 18. Alamo Drafthouse
Phoenix: August 19 thru 20. The Royale
Salem, MA: August 26 thru Sept Cinema Sale
"Cold Fish": Official Trailer
The Collective and Bloody Disgusting Selects recently send us the DVD and theatrical information regarding the next film in the Bloody Disgusting Night Terrors series, "Cold Fish"
Press Release:
WHAT: COLD FISH-from Sion Sono, the director of LOVE EXPOSURE and SUICIDE CLUB. COLD FISH has won acclaim at both the Venice and Toronto Film Festivals. In the film, mild-mannered Shamoto’s teenage daughter gets caught shoplifting. A generous fellow fish-store owner and his wife appear to help resolve the situation by having her work at their fish store. Too good to be true? You bet! Shamoto soon discovers the horrific truth about this seemingly perfect couple…who inextricably weave him into their grisly rituals. Inspired by true events, COLD FISH is a twisted, brutal, blood-soaked drama that reveals the underlying insanity of an ordinary man pushed well beyond the brink.
View the official trailer at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieTAZUXrBD0&feature=player_embedded.
WHEN: NY: August 5 thru 12. Check local listings for show times.
LA: August 6 and 7. Check local listings for show times.
Austin: August 15 thru 18. Check local listings for show times.
Phoenix: August 19 thru 20. Check local listings for show times.
Salem, MA: August 26 thru Sept. 1. Check local listings for show times.
DVD & iTunes: August 23, 2011
Amazon DVD Pre-Order Now: http://www.amazon.com/Cold-Fish-Asuka-Kurosawa/dp/B004ZKKKW4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1310146654&sr=8-1
TV Video on Demand: September 23-November 22, 2011
WHERE: NY: reRun Gastropub Theater, 147 Front Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201
LA: Cinefamily, 611 N. Fairfax Ave., Los Angeles, 90036. (323) 655-2510
Austin: Alamo Drafthouse, 1120 S. Lamar Blvd., Austin TX 78704. (512)476-1320
Phoenix: The Royale, 108 W. Main St., Mesa, AZ 85201
Salem, MA: Cinema Salem, 1 East India Square, Salem MA 01970 (978)744-0660
MORE: Sion Sono made his debut as a poet at the age of 17. In 1985, his short I AM SONO SION! (1985) was screened in competition at the prestigious Pia Film Festival, and two years later, he won the Grand Prize for OTOKO NO HANAMICHI. A subsequent Pia Fellowship financed his feature BICYCLE SIGHS in 1990. The film toured the festival circuit for two years and played at over thirty venues in Europe and Asia, including the Berlin International Film Festival. LOVE EXPOSURE (2009) won the Agnes B. Audience Award at the Tokyo Filmex. It also won the Caligari Award and the International Jury Award at Berlin. Sono remains active as a poet and novelist.
WHAT ELSE: The Collective, a full-service entertainment management and content company, along with leading theaters and distributors, and #1 Horror website BloodyDisgusting.com, have partnered to acquire and distribute the best new horror and thriller titles from the festival and international markets to theatres across America.
Bloody Disgusting premieres a new title in the series each month across multiple major US markets. After their theatrical runs, films from the series are available to fans of the genre in DVD, Video on Demand (VOD), online and television. Released though The Collective’s home-video partnership with Vivendi Universal, DVDs for titles in the Bloody Disgusting series can feature unrated content, bonus features and special packaging for each title. The first, RAMMBOCK, was released June 28 on DVD and VOD. YELLOWBRICKROAD streets on August 2 on DVD and digital VOD. YELLOWBRICKROAD will run on TV VOD from September 2 through November 1.
