Search - Pinocchio 964 on DVD

The Second Coming...

Spunk Monkey | The pit of despair | 12/31/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I going to speak to a specific audience of reader right now, and you will know who you are. You saw Tetsuo: The Iron Man years ago, and it burnt itself ito the circuitry of your brain. You watched it many times, and showed it to friends; but no matter where you looked, or what you watched, you never got the same high as you did that from watching Tetsuo. Perhaps you watched Tetsuo 2, and were disapointed; perhaps you watched Tokyo Fist, and it just wasn't the same. You watched other films by other Japanese directors, but nothing could rise to the delerious cyberpunk heights of Tetsuo...

Until now...

The Second coming has arrived...mmmm, apparently in 1992!

If Tetsuo was your cup of slime and blood, this will get you off hard. And let me tell you, this is not just some Tetsuo wanna be, a Tetsuo clone. This is a film with a world all of it own. It has a totally different aesthetic, totally different textures, totally different themes and subthemes. This is a wild, hardcore, punk rock trip into the dark side, and I loved it.

The actors go places that blew me away. Like they jacked straight into the Id, and their performances show a level of commitment that no American actors would ever dare take themselves. It seems like they are all tripping hard on LSD or some types of psychodelics. The director is incredibly self confidant, and wants to "show you" his world, not explain it will dialogue. He has his roots in some strange punk, noise rock underground scene, and he incorporates this sensibility into the film.

The use of sound in the film is truly unique, and help build layers of (un)reality. The film takes some serious twists and turns that will satisfy the philosophical side of your nature. One of the coolest part for me, was that most of the film seems to have been film (guerilla style) in public!, without permission, mostly in stores and subways. It really tickles me to wonder what people must have been thinking to have seen these freaks going nutz while they were on the way to work. If you watch, you can see some pretty shocked looks on their faces, but, weirdly enough, most people just keep walking.

This movie is a new personal favorite of mine. It lean, mean, punkrocking subversive machine- but strangely sweet.

Oh, and did I mention that this DVD has a short film on it (a rather long short film) called Caterpillar by the same director, which also is wild and weird and waiting to rock your world.

I also have found out that the director shot a prequel to this film a number of years later, and it is supposed to be every more offensive and violently psychotic! It is called Rubber's Lover and it also available on DVD. I will review that one after I have bought and watched it.
I'm speaking to you, and you know who you are. Get this, see this...I'll see you on the other side."

No real purpose

Sir Jub-Jub | Sir Jub-Jub's Lair, Alaska | 08/11/2008

(2 out of 5 stars)

"964 Pinocchio is an acquired taste. If you like movies that are wierd just to be wierd, you might like this. It really has no narrative structure and is nothing more than a series of disjointed scenes strung together for ninty minutes. The plot concerns an underground manufacturer of sex androids, one is let out and is befriended by a street person. After the first ten minutes, all real structure is thrown out and it turns into an arty student film with massive jump cutting, grotesque imagery, etc. I admit, it held my interest just to see what strange things would happen next, but overall, I wasted my time. I bought it, you should rent it-you will only need to see it once, if at all."

Unhinged cyberpunk from hell!!!

Alex Strauss | Reno, NV | 01/14/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Yowza!!! This is an amazing flick from Shozin Fukui (Rubber's Lover). This baby is filled to the brim with kinetic energy that'll blow the unsuspecting viewer away.

Previously residing in the lonely world of bootleg video, Unearthed Films released this fantastic edition on DVD. The image quality is something magnificant to behold. For a film shot on 16mm, the restoration is quite breathtaking. I couldn't believe how amazing it looked.

For me, this film isn't really about the story, it's about the experience of watching it, and it's one hell of a ride. Fukui has an impressive eye (I wish he crank out a few more films) and even though he was working within the limited aspect ratio of 1:33:1, he still manages to capture some striking compositions. His creative use of cinematography creates a very chaotic and unstable world that can become unhinged (which it usually does) at any given moment. His use of sound and performaces from fearless actors will further test of audiences' boundaries of sanity.

I saw this before I saw Tetsuo: The Iron Man, which many people accuse this film of ripping off. No way! This baby is a completely different animal. In many ways, I think Pinocchio 964 emerges as a better film. At the very least, it lives within its own creative world and I'm very happy that I can finally view it as it was meant to be seen!

Check it out!"