proxyisalive
It's difficult to say weather I liked it or not. Its interesting and thought-provoking, with action, but it is over the top excessive with the blood and a little short on detail. I will say this, you believe that there is a city and an atmosphere past the elevator doors and you get a very good feeling for how their society works without seeing much of their world at all. The acting is good, the visuals are good, the atmosphere is very well done, but it veers off course a little. The dystopian society is great, and the sociological/psychological element are quite enjoyable, but the bloodbath was overplayed and the story was just a little loose. I would recommend it to those with strong stomachs interested in psychology, bizarre horror and Japanese suspense.
stuffkikker
The minute this movie started, it had 'cube' written all over it. The high-tech yet raw atmosphere, the lighting, even the camera-work reminded me of it. And obviously this movie was meant to capture a similar type of claustrophobic ambiance.Now I am totally into Japanese movies (big fan of Takashi Miike), and I love suspense/thriller stuff (I loved the Cube), but this movie was a total bore.. The atmosphere itself was OK, but the acting, the props, the character design, the story, the logics; utter crap. Truly, over half of what happens makes no sense. In addition, the suspense is broken over different events, so it never really builds up. Something happens, and it's resolved... something else happens, and it's resolved.. and none of these things really get to you because they are so incredibly predictable and unnecessary, mixed up with pretentious horror-like cut-scenes to spice things up, which instead ridicule the whole deal even more.. I'm giving it 3 stars for the ambiance and the chicks, but other than that, this movie is not worth your time.. unless you really, really have nothing else to do..
Splattii
I went into The Bottled Fools hoping for a lot. I knew it was low budget, but the trailer and synopsis had me very intrigued. I guess that's why companies have marketing departments. It's probably the only way to sell this film.The set/feel to the movie reminded me of the mid 70's Dr Who show. It was very low budget and almost looked like it was shot on a camcorder. This didn't really bother me however, it's more I'm letting others know what to expect. I've seen my share of low budget productions and I've grown to learn that a strong story or cast can take a movie much more powerful than it's CGI effects.So now I'll get into the story. While the concept was somewhat good, the execution was not. The story seemed pretty basic after the first 30 minutes, however upon the 45th minute passing I realized I was wrong. I guess the writer wanted to make a statement on human interaction, so he decided at the expense of the audience to keep the film going much after one would have assumed this disaster would have finished. I won't ruin the film by saying what happened, but the final scene made my laugh out loud.Not something I'd suggest anyone waste time on. I'm guessing Tokyo Shock made a killing on this one as the hype around the DVD was fairly good. I'm starting to wonder if they may have got the rights for this film for free. I wish I would have got my copy for that price.
Stan_S_Cud
I just saw this at the (excellent) Raindance Festival.Psychic girl Luchino sets off for school in a dystopia future japan where the society is based on huge great building of 200 stores connected by elevators. She accidentally causes an explosion when escaping from being caught with an illegal cigarette by the Surveillance Bureau.She boards a lift on 135th floor and as she rises towards the lower-numbered levels, she is joined by a microbiologist with a briefcase full of money and something else; a woman with a pram that she says has a baby in it; a young guy whose headphones and dark glasses seem to cut him off from his surroundings; and there's a smartly dressed and very efficient lift attendant. Then on level 99 - Penal Colony - a rapist and a bomber and their guard get on. Of course things go wrong.Like all good Japanese horror, they don't waste time unnecessarily resolving stuff. And Luchino's visions provide us with all the exposition.Paranoid, violent, gory and genuinely compelling. Visually and aurally stimulating.
AD
