Robot Stories

Starring:John Cariani, Catherine Carota, Louis Ozawa Changchien, Cindy Cheung, Bill Coelius, Angel Desai, Norma Fire, Ari Garin, Wai Ching Ho, Vin Knight, Glenn Kubota, Karen Tse Lee, Tanisha Lynn, Oliver Oguma, Gina Quintos, James Saito, Joshua Spafford, Rea Tajiri, Tamlyn Tomita
Studio: Kino Video
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

Ugh!
An experiment in psychological horror
Ahh, those pesky detrimental robots , or as you know them, "deros" ...
"Marebito": Stylish Japanese Horror That Includes Everything But The Kitchen Sink
you're not gonna wanna watch this one twice, thats for sure!

Marebito
Starring: Shinya Tsukamoto , Tomomi Miyashita , Kazuhiro Nakahara , Miho Ninagawa , and Shun Sugata
Director: Takashi Shimizu
Manufacturer: Tartan Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000E3LGMY
Release Date: 2006-03-14

Description

(Masuoka Shinya Tsukamoto, director of Tetsuo) is a cameraman possessed by the craving to understand fear. In particular, he obsesses over his footage of a grisly suicide in the subway. Returning to the scene to better comprehend the dead man's reasoning, he opens a doorway into a bizarre, cavernous underworld. Here among the ghosts and subterranean creatures he finds a beautiful, mute girl whom he takes home. As days pass he begins to suspect there is something truly inhuman about this girl. When he begins to uncover her horrifying secrets, Masuoka realizes that he has found the key to gaining the terrible knowledge he so craves...

Customer Reviews:

Ugh!.......2007-06-06

I had a very difficult time staying awake through this movie. It was rather boring and I was expecting more considering he did Juon. A camera man gets obsessed with what causes fear and just has to know what made a man he filmed in the subway commit suicide so he goes off to the subway to try to encounter/see what he saw. While down there he discovers a world within a world and the residents speaking of monsters. He delves into the center and discovers a naked girl chained up and frees her. He takes her home and names her F...So he takes her as a pet. A pet that doesn't eat or use the restroom for the majority of the film?? Anyhoo he discovers F likes to drink blood and eventually takes her out in public for a walk. He also murders a few people to feed F. He runs into a woman who claims she is his wife and he has their daughter so now our camera man doesn't know what is real and what is fantasy. This is pretty much the basis of the movie trying to determine what is real and not. He eventually returns F to the place where he found her and finally it was over!

An experiment in psychological horror.......2007-05-31

Director Takashi Shimizu took a short break from his endless re-filming of "Ju-on", between his last Japanese version and directing the new American version called "The Grudge". In order to refresh his mind from his crowd-pleasing formula, he went with something entirely different, the kind of random and brave experimental film that won him "Ju-on" in the first place. What he came up with was "Marebito".

Shot in just eight days, and filmed with a mix of film and hand-held video, "Marebito" might just be a little too experimental for most people. Shimizu took the theories of Richard Shaver as his starting point. Shaver, a 1930s madman/prophet who believed he had been given the power to read minds from a welding gun, wrote books about a secret race of underground dwellers that he named "deros", or detrimental robots, who were a degenerate sub-species living in a hollow Earth. Very few people remember the "Shaver Mystery" nowadays, so this reference gets unfortunately lost, and is a bit confusing.

The story, on the other hand, is quite simple. Masuoka, a camera-obsessed social misfit, become obsessed with the idea of experiencing true terror after watching a suicide on TV. In his quest for fear, he enters the underground sewers, where he encounters a dero-girl naked and chained to a wall. He frees her, names her "F" and takes her home as his new pet. Not a wise idea. From there, Masuoka's descent begins, along with the audience's as director Shimizu asks us to question what is real and what is not, what is sane and what is insanity.

All in all, "Marebito" is only a decent film. Shimizu's attempt to break out of his formula is respectable, if not successful. There is more psychology here than any genuine chills, and his reliance on the obscure Shaver Mystery is guaranteed to lose many viewers who are not familiar. It is short enough, at only 90 minutes, that it doesn't drag on too long, and it is a refreshing change from the usual j-horror.

Ahh, those pesky detrimental robots , or as you know them, "deros" ..........2007-03-20

Foremost, you may know the director of this film, Takashi Shimizu, from his work with "Ju-On: The Grudge" and "Ju-On 2." Both films employ the concept of the uncanny with shivering exactitude. Marebito is a bit different.

Film premise: Wanting to experience genuine terror, Masuoka tosses his Prozac in the garbage (literally) and descends into the bowels of the Tokyo subway system. In this dim emptiness, he encounters an apparition who guides him to the underworld. (And reveals the terrors of "detrimental robots" which rob a person of blood). In the CGI-esque realm, he finds a beautiful, nude woman chained in a cave. He "rescues" her ... toting her back to his apartment. Without spoilers, what follows is "How To Feed A Vampire 101." (Including ridiculously adorable baby-bottles!)

Thankfully, more resides beneath the surface. An encounter with Masuoka's wife begins to reveal the truth. And that Masuoka calls his new, monstrous "pet" "F" actually begins to make sense ... another name seems to begin with "F";) (You'll understand after viewing the film.)

Still, most of the film is exposition, which is frustrating. (Takashi Miike does this well in "Audition," so we know that exposition-heavy films can work ... when there is a huge "pay-off" in the end). Moreover, there is precious little dialogue: most of the story is first-person voice-over. This can become a somewhat isolating (and I am quite certain that this sense of isolation echoes Masuoka's own loneliness ... I "get" that ... but I'm just not certain it is entirely effective here).

The film is worth a rent if you are a J-Horror fan. But, if this is your first attempt at the genre, try a more "viewer-friendly" film (check the many Listmania's here at Amazon) and then return to this one once you have a "feel" for them. (Otherwise, you may lose your patience with this film).

"Marebito": Stylish Japanese Horror That Includes Everything But The Kitchen Sink .......2007-02-20

"Marebito" is, on the surface, a relatively straightforward example of the ever expanding world of Japanese horror. "Straightforward," however, may not be the first thing that springs to mind for a casual viewer. While the "story" of "Marebito" seems rather simplistic with atmosphere and mood supplanting narrative momentum, its themes suggest a myriad of different influences and interpretations. The film, by Takashi Shimizu ("Ju-on," "The Grudge"), is thematically an "everything but the kitchen sink" amalgamation of styles and dramatic allusions. The film references myths, the supernatural, vampirism, voyeurism, life after death, obsession, the nature of reality, and the descent into madness. By tackling, and co-mingling, so many different concepts--"Marebito" becomes an interesting and unique film that flirts structurally with being completely convoluted. There you have it, I've called this film "simple" and "convoluted" in the same paragraph--but that's the mixed message the film conveys and the mixed feelings I was left with after viewing this movie.

That's not to say that I didn't enjoy "Marebito" and admire its ambition, I just don't think it's wholly successful. The story, itself, is fairly sparse. A videographer witnesses and films a bizarre suicide while working with a local news station. He becomes obsessed with understanding the fear that would drive someone to such an action. Feeling emotionally muted, and wanting to know more about terror and even death, he takes a strange journey beneath the city to try and uncover the source of the man's horror. He has several (real or imagined) ethereal encounters on this journey, but ultimately finds a young woman being held captive. Taking her home with him, he discovers she is not what she may seem. I don't want to divulge more of what transpires (although others have) because the film's surprises work better if they unfold within the context of watching the story.

The film is unconventional in several other ways. Much of what we view is seen through the videographer's camera. It seems to be that "reality" for this character is what he can capture through a lens. That effect is maximized on several occasions by an interesting visual trickery. Sometimes the people and images seen in passing are blurred or flickering, and only through the camera are they fully realized. This reinforces the film's interest in both voyeurism and the "what is reality" debate. Much of the film also lacks regular dialogue--I'd say 90% of the screenplay is the internal monologue of the central character (which helps to flesh out both his obsession and his possible madness).

I admired much of "Marebito," but it does have a very deliberate pace. As a shorter film (and it's only 90 minutes), I think the concepts could have been more refined and a tremendous film might have been lurking inside. It is very effective at setting a mood, though, the creepiness and unease is genuine and involving. But with so many themes struggling in the subtext, the picture loses some of its impact. Some late revelations in the film are intriguing--but because you never know what's true or not, it just adds another plot strand that may or may not be significant. Maybe Shimizu wanted a film that was left open to different interpretations--and, in that, he succeeded. But for me, it was too much--too many possibilities, not enough answers. Ultimately, I'd rate "Marebito" at 3 1/2 stars--but after being genuinely fascinated by the first half, I was a bit let down. KGHarris, 02/07.

you're not gonna wanna watch this one twice, thats for sure!.......2007-01-14

nothing against the film, but it will either leave you wanting go smoke a cigarette or not be able to comprehend much of it at all. i dont want to go too far into detail(this is a film that should best be explored with the smallest knowledge possible) but this film basically centers around the object of fear; a deeply disturbed man who has never been able to feel fear, slowly unravels as he becomes obsessed in learning everything about it: what is fear? why do people fear? what truly causes your brain to feel fear?, etc.

the directing was so-so, at times it created some really captivating scenes, while other times it felt like they were being dragged on. i personally felt it ironic that Shimizu had cast Shinya Tsukamoto in the lead role, as this film seemed to reflect much of the fellow director's trademark subject matter(ex:protagonist succumbing to the pressures of city life, as well as obsession) aside from a few scenes few minutes too long, the imagery is wonderful; disturbing yet very captivating, much like the film itself altogether.

overall decent acting, decent characters, decent direction, & an above-decent & more original horror story.(you must give it credit amongst all the ring & grudge rip-offs being unloaded)

Average customer rating:

The gentlest SF ever
Is the future of humankind bleak or promising?
good indie film
Philip K. Dick would be proud!
four short films about the role of technology

Robot Stories
Starring: John Cariani , Catherine Carota , Louis Ozawa Changchien , Cindy Cheung , and Bill Coelius
Manufacturer: Kino Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0006Z2NMW
Release Date: 2005-02-15

Customer Reviews:

The gentlest SF ever.......2006-12-10

The title should have one more word in it: "Robot Love Stories." Despite it's decidedly SF premise, it's hard to call these stories SF. The themes are far more human than the title gives any reason to expect.

The first vignette, "My Robot Baby," is about mother love. Face it, that's not something that comes easily to every woman (or man, for that matter), and there's something to be said for making all your mistakes on a robot instead of a human child. The next story, "The Robot Fixer," is about familial love again, faced with a terrible family tragedy. The robots this time are toys, mementos of a loved one, when that love holds on long after it needed to let go. "Machine Love" points out that, in making robot minds in the image of our own, we're likely to succeed far too well. That new underclass will have a lot to overcome, expecially in pursuing the rewards in their lives that were never part of the product specification. Finally, "Clay" presents robot love in yet another way, the kind that appears when the distinction between human and robot blurs completely - or maybe not so completely, in ways that matter most to sculptor Johnny.

They are all exceptional and warm stories, enhanced by the extras on this disk. Deleted scenes and alternate endings show other directions that the thoughts could have gone. A ten-minute short, "Mouse," also appears among the extras. It stands away from the robot theme, and I'm wholly sure what to make of it.

These loving, literate stories have my highest recommendation. This quiet set deserves a lot more attention than it's generally gotten.

//wiredweird

Is the future of humankind bleak or promising?.......2006-07-28

The first story was about a couple wanting a baby and to prove worthy they had to take care of a crude looking robot baby. The second story was about a man who was clinically dead and his mother refused to accept it gracefully. She needed to find parts to the broken toys that he kept from childhood. All futuristic robot type toys with their accessories. I think she felt if she could put them together he too would be "fixed". Kind of like Humpty Dumpty. The third was the humorous one, with robots that looked human and could interact with people. Two of them "fell in love". I thought it was a sweet story...in a freaky kind of way. The last story was disturbing. You had to, by law, become pure consciousness via computer. I've always found the idea of living forever as my "self" rather repugnant. I think if we live forever I rather have a rest and return as another sentient being. To know other ways of living besides as a human. Maybe return as an animal or on another planet.

good indie film.......2006-04-26

interesting low budget sci fi . some good touching moments , which deal with a changing world , pick of the bunch CLAY , does anyone know if the soundtrack got released

Philip K. Dick would be proud!.......2005-09-11

This film is actually four short films... One film (The Robot Fixer) actually has little to do with technology or "robotics" as we usually perceive it (Lets play, "One of these films is not like the others"), while the others are very good speculative fiction pieces which make you go hmmm. I thought that Pak made the most use of his time and pulled the viewer into each story universe quite thoroughly.

After a week of working 16 hour days in the astrodome after the Hurricane Katrina survivors came in, it was the perfect way to spend my first evening back with the family! I highly recommend.

four short films about the role of technology.......2005-05-04

This anthology of four short films by Greg Pak addresses the role and meaning of technology in our lives; in particular, the filmmaker is interested in robots and artificial intelligence, and identifies both positive and negative effects. My Robot Baby tells the story of a couple and how they deal with a robotic "test baby"; The Robot Fixer follows a mother in her attempts to refurbish her comatose son's toy collection; "Machine Love" explores looks at an artificial office worker and his growing sense of isolation; "Clay" is the story of a sculptor facing a difficult decision at the end of his life.

I enjoyed all four of these films, the first two in particular. They were well acted and written, and introduced interesting ideas about possible uses of technology and the impact on our lives.

Extras include an 11-minute short, director's commentary and deleted scenes. No subtitles are available.

I Spy - A Runaway Robot and Other Stories

Average customer rating:

My 4-year-old loves it
ok, if you want to play with remote the whole time...

I Spy - A Runaway Robot and Other Stories
Starring: Tara Jayne , Ellen Lee , Cindy Creekmore , Big Al , and Big Al (III)
Director: Cote Zellers
Manufacturer: HBO Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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I Spy - A Mumble Monster Mystery and Other Stories
I Spy - A Thing That Flings and Other Stories
I Spy - A Rockin' Bronco and Other Stories
I Spy A Circus
I SPY Treasure Hunt (Win & Mac)

ASIN: B00009OOFE
Release Date: 2003-07-29

Description

Animated series produced by Scholastic Entertainment, award-winning producers of Clifford The Big Red Dog, Dear America, Goosebumps and Scholastic's The Magic School Bus. This new interactive stop motion animated series airing on HBO Family, inspired by the magical book series, brings I Spy to an entirely new audience. Two delightful new "claymation" characters, Spyler and CeCe, lead young viewers through search and find adventures set in an imaginary world. The series' eclectic soundtrack musically complements the visual assortment of bright objects in the series, incorporating sounds made by everyday objects as musical notes, further encouraging young viewers' imaginations and engagement in the game. Includes: A Runaway Robot; A Little Lost Lamb; A Starry Sky; Circus Things In Three Rings; A Mumble Monster Picture Day; Clouds Roll By

Customer Reviews:

My 4-year-old loves it.......2004-06-21

My son loves this video and a DVD we have from the same series. The DVD will only play two 15 minutes episodes (there are 6 oon each DVD) before returning to the menu, there is no "play all" feature, but my son dearly loves the show and watches closely to spot the clues first. There are bonus challenges (additional items to look for) that will challenge slightly older children as well.

ok, if you want to play with remote the whole time..........2004-01-21

The stories were good. Very entertaining, but I am selling mine on Ebay because I am tired of having to start from the menu again and choosing the next story to continue evey 15 minutes. I like a movie to play through. It was annoying.

Average customer rating:

MY BELOVE - FIVE STAR STORIES
finally!
Beautifully-designed 1980s anime with complex backstory
Great Intro to an Epic Manga

The Five Star Stories
Starring: Five Star Stories
Manufacturer: Adv Films
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Five Star Stories #22 (Five Star Stories)
Twilight of Dark Master
Mobile Suit Gundam F91: The Motion Picture
The Place Promised in Our Early Days
Mobile Suit Gundam 08th MS Team DVD Complete Collection

ASIN: B0007D4MDQ
Release Date: 2005-03-15

Description

Within the five star systems known as the Joker System, the struggle for power has spanned centuries. Under the guidance of the Emperor Amaterasu, the brave Headliner knights, along with their Fatima counterparts, pilot powerful battle robots to ensure the safety and stability of the empire.

Customer Reviews:

MY BELOVE - FIVE STAR STORIES.......2005-11-25

OH MY GOD> Finally come to american market. I am crazy about FFS for 20 years, GOT TO READ THE BOOK. MAMORU NAGANO, such a great musician, designer, artist also a writer. He has the all. If you love FFS, try find the music album, hope they will re-produce the old music album in US, because NAGANO is a great compsor as well.

finally!.......2005-07-01

another anime dvd brought onto dvd, i could have bought a laserdisc player, but now that FSS is on dvd i could buy it and get started into anime.

Beautifully-designed 1980s anime with complex backstory.......2005-06-26

THE FIVE STAR STORIES (1989) is just over an hour long and is so far the only animated OAV volume yet made from Mamoru Nagano's long-running manga about war, politics, ritual and romance amidst the four solar systems of the Joker Galaxy in the year 2988. (The planet on which this volume takes place, Delta Belune, looks and sounds an awful lot like Earth of past centuries.) Those anime fans who are only concerned with how a storyline plays out and how it ends may not be pleased with the way numerous details of the backstory are glimpsed but never fully explained and the way the ending leaves room for sequels which never come. If, however, you're enamored of the look and feel of 1980s anime and you appreciate beautiful artwork, a dreamlike mood and imaginative imagery, then FIVE STAR STORIES just might enthrall you as much as it did me.

There is just enough of a comprehensible storyline to keep one's interest. It has to do with the impending debut of two new "Fatimas," beautiful young female androids who are to choose masters for whom they will pilot giant mecha fighting machines called Mortar Heads. They are expected to choose from among assorted noblemen and a class of fighters called "Headliners." The handful of major characters include the two Fatimas, Clotho and Lachesis; a roving Headliner named Voards Viewlard; and Ladios Sopp, a handsome long-haired young man in the "bishonen" mode who knew Lachesis as a little girl and has plenty of flashbacks to those days. The gluttonous, hard-drinking mini-tyrant Duke Juba has designs on both Fatimas and takes custody of them from their father/creator Dr. Chrome Ballanche. Other characters flit in and out as needed.

There's not much suspense or dramatic tension since the good guys seem to outnumber the bad and have various allies, such as the Mirage Knights, popping up frequently to lend a hand (or chop one off, thanks to their lethal light-sabers). We see some mecha action and occasional bursts of blood-spouting violence as the blades of light slice through opponents' heads, arms and bodies quite effortlessly. But overall, it's a piece that's more character- and dialogue-driven. A lot of thought went into the art direction, the backgrounds and the design of the characters, costumes and mecha. It's a breathtakingly beautiful hour of animation. As long as you can get past the occasional narrative confusion and plot omissions. And the weird names (Voards Viewlard?!).

There are detailed liner notes, including a timeline, accompanying the DVD, although you may want to read them after viewing because of spoilers and then view it again armed with all the extra info you may need to understand it all.

Great Intro to an Epic Manga.......2005-05-14

Based on Mamoru Nagano's epic manga "The Five Star Stories" that was serialized in Japan's Newtype magazine, the anime adaptation was released in 1989 as lavish and big-budget motion picture. Based on an early part of the manga, the film was set to become a huge event in Japan but was quickly overshadowed by Katsuhiro Otomo's "AKIRA" which opened in theaters just a few months later. The motion picture had been largely forgotten - so much so that ADV Films couldn't do an english dub for this 2005 US release as many of the original sound tapes have been lost. Thankfully the Japanese soundtrack survives and here many US viewers have the opportunity to see a great piece of classic anime.

Thes story takes place in the Joker system which is filled with countless kingdoms, all vying for dominance. Battles are fought with Mortar heads, large hulking mecha which are piloted by Hedaliners and Fatimas-beautiful android women. The Fatimas are key to the story as they choose their pilot and the two latest Fatimas have secretly been given Free Will.

The story is a great intro to the very epic manga (26+ volumes in the US alone!) and a nice one off story. The animation is surprisingly crisp even compared to todays vivid anime.

Big Robot fans will no doubt want to take a look at Mamoru's Mecha as will most Sci-Fi anime fans. A great release!

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