Monday, October 18, 2010

Perfect Blue


(1998) ***1/2

J-pop idol Mima decides to leave her rock group for a career in acting. She quickly finds out that ex pop idols don't start at the top when she is forced into doing a brutal rape scene. Some of her fans are outraged with her actions including an obsessed stalker known only as Me-Mania. The pressure seems to close in all around her and Mima cracks. She drifts in and out of reality as her world crumbles and the people around her start showing up dead.



I know I said I was specifically targeting non-anime horror but Perfect Blue isn't your typical anime horror. There are no tentacled creatures or mutants. No vampires or zombie beasts either, just a crazed fan and a delusional ex pop idol turned actress. The story is solid and mature, a good thriller. Following Mima through her mental break was mesmerizing. It was an interesting look into the unseen world of a pop idol. So many of them either disappear or show up later in the news when they get arrested but we never really hear much about what happened in between point A and point B. I would imagine mentally and emotionally there are many similar stories. I won't waste any more time trying to sell you on an anime film, you either like them or you don't. I personally found Perfect Blue to be a unique film but then again, I do like anime.

1 comment:

Octopunk said...

Oh yeah! I've seen this. It pulls a bit of filmic deception I'm never sure if I like or not, having to do with one character's perception of events vs. the others'. I don't want to say too much, but this is an interesting flick.

Malevolent

 2018  ***1/2 It's 1986 for some reason, and a team of paranormal investigators are making a big name for themselves all over Scotland. ...