COLD FISH (2010) movie review

Cold Fish (2010) (1st viewing) d. Sono, Shion

From the writer/director of Suicide Club, Hair Extensions and Himizu comes this wicked black comedy about milquetoast husband Mitsuru Fukikoshi drawn in by charismatic rival fish shop owner Denden, only to have him and wife Asuka Kurosawa instantly exert authority over the milder man’s personal life. And when we say personal, we mean it: child appropriation, spouse molesting, and that’s all before the multitude of murder to which Fukikoshi finds himself an unwitting accomplice.

Sono miraculously balances the increasingly desperate scenarios with an exuberance that buoys the disturbing subject matter, Denden and Kurosawa’s joyous high-wire psychotic enthusiasm driving the breakneck narrative so fast that we, like our hapless protagonist, can barely make sense of it all. Brought to you by the good folks at Sushi Typhoon, this is closer in tone to Takashi Miike’s Visitor Q than, say, the splatterfests of Battlefield Baseball or Machine Girl.

Fool's Views (5/28 – 6/3)

Back again, eh? You kids just never learn, do you?

Thanks to a trip to the multiplex and the generosities of the Chicago Public Library, we enjoyed that rarest of weeks, one populated with all first time views. The big screen fare was an interesting blend, with expectations likely weighting my enjoyment level of the quartet of features under surveillance – high for Avengers, low for Dark Shadows, for instance. On the home viewing front, it was a big week for both Japan and South Korea, with a civilian and horror offering from one and a superb thriller from the other, all three delivering the entertainment goods while making me long for a bottomless trough of dumplings and/or noodles. C’mon, you know you get the ramen munchies as well, don’t deny it…

As always, feel free to leave your two cents worth – we’ll make sure you get some change back.

Enjoy!