Paprika (Satoshi Kon, 2006)

[Michael Kerpan]

Out of your head in a dreamworld

By Mark Shilling

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[Barmy]

2nd best film of the year (after INLAND EMPIRE), in my opinion.

[Len]

Am I the only one who's ever fantasized about a Murakami adaptation by Satoshi Kon? It'd be lovely.

As for Paprika, can't wait to see it. Looks wonderful.

[soma]

Looking forward to this one. Perfect Blue and Millennium Actress were superb.

Not a bad call Len, huge Murakami fan. Actually I think Kiyoshi Kurosawa would do a wonderful job also, particularly after seeing Bright Future.

[acquarello]

Wow, I'm almost agreeing with Barmy on this one, Paprika is ending up as my #1 (although Inland Empire is a bit lower down in the Top 10). Amazing film, very heady, but great fun. The theme about collective delusion is also quite relevant.

[Doug Cummings]

I am really excited about this one.

[Grimfarrow]

I don't really understand the crazed love film this film. It seems quite blah to me. Imaginative? Yes. Overindulgent and ultimately quite meaningless? Totally. I have read the interpretation about the "collective delusion", but I actually don't find that to be particularly insightful, for some strange reason. IMO, I prefer MILLENNIUM ACTRESS and TOKYO GODFATHERS to PAPRIKA.

[Steven H]

I don't really understand the crazed love film this film.

Kon is hit and miss with me. Hit: Perfect Blue, Miss: Millenium Actress (though I wanted to like it, it felt rushed.) Hit: The first half of Paranoia Agent, Miss: the second half of Paranoia Agent. Something tells me that If I didn't take to the second half of Paranoia Agent, I might not enjoy this; then again, it's a Murakami adaptation, so there's a good amount of hope. According to IMDB, I'll probably have to wait halfway through 2007 to see it. I haven't seen Tokyo Godfathers.

[acquarello]

Well, you're not alone, I was talking to Filmbrain later that week after the NYFF screening and I think he liked it, but didn't get all the (extra) fuss that was being made about it either.

I'd agree with you about Millennium Actress (less so Tokyo Godfathers), but I think Paprika still stands on its own. I don't know, maybe it's the New York audience, but seeing how 9/11 and WTC have been appropriated for ideological purposes is something that hits pretty close to home. And the fact that eventually, the delusion no longer resembles anything remotely like what caused it and has now taken a life of its own is something that's pretty incisive. Could it just be projecting our own fears and anxieties on the film? Sure. But isn't that what a great film does?

[Michael Kerpan]

It will take a lot to get me to anything else by Kon. Seriously hated Perfect Blue, underwhelmed by Tokyo Godfathers, liked Millennium Actress (but found it seriously flawed). I find him a sloppy artist (in a bad non-Imamura-esque way).

[acquarello]

Okay, am I missing something here? I guess I'm not understanding why you'd post a favorable review to a film that you're not looking forward to seeing and probably disagree with just on principle alone. What's the point if it doesn't eventually lead to an actual discussion of the film?

[Michael Kerpan]

Okay, am I missing something here? I guess I'm not understanding why you'd post a favorable review to a film that you're not looking forward to seeing and probably disagree with just on principle alone. What's the point if it doesn't eventually lead to an actual discussion of the film?

I posted this because it was the first full review I had seen -- and thought other people might want to read about the new film. (And discuss it).

And maybe (just maybe), I'll read enough favorable comments eventually that I will break down and check this out myself. ;~}

[acquarello]

Well in that context, it makes sense. It was just the timing of it, I guess, it just seemed as though the series of detractions about Paprika were really either more about Kon in general, or in relation to his body of work. I wasn't really reading what people found problematic about the film itself, so I'm at a loss as to how to defend it. (And heck yeah, I'm itching to!) =P~

[Michael Kerpan]

I feel frustrated by Kon. I would LIKE to like his work (well -- not Perfect Blue), but in MA (a little) and TG (a lot), he keeps doing things that aggravate me. The only other director who (sort of) does this to me is Gosho (but at least he made some films I like without reservations).

[soma]

I can understand and even perhaps support any and all reservations on Perfect Blue (even though I tend to forgive it its flaws and think its an interesting and entertaining, albeit twisted piece), I was also underwhelmed by Tokyo Godfathers (but it's cute, yes? - although perhaps too so)... however, Millennium Actress is a masterpiece in my opinion. Next to Miyazaki and Oshii and Otomo, this is the greatest Anime I've ever seen. A sheer joy from start to finish.

[Doug Cummings]

I think we're all pretty much agreed that Millennium Actress is very solid and perhaps a masterpiece, and Tokyo Godfathers less so; I felt a little removed from its broad strokes, and some of the humor and characterizations seemed a little over the top, but I still respect it as a piece. Michael, did you have similar criticisms?

[Michael Kerpan]

I think we're all pretty much agreed that Millennium Actress is very solid and perhaps a masterpiece, and Tokyo Godfathers less so; I felt a little removed from its broad strokes, and some of the humor and characterizations seemed a little over the top, but I still respect it as a piece. Michael, did you have similar criticisms?

I started out liking TG -- but got more and more aggravated as the film progressed. By a week after the time I saw it, I was totally disenchanted. I initially liked MA a lot -- but I am positively afraid to re-watch it now -- lest my fond memories be shaken. ;~}

As to what bothered me about TG...

The character designs did not wear well. The script struck me as pretty second-rate (and rather careless). The direction was often often exceedingly manipulative.

Looking back at MA, I recall some careless writing (that I was willing to look past -- when I first saw the film). But I think the characters were generally better designed over-all. (and this counts a lot for me in Japanese animation -- as I can't even begin to watch 95% of anime due to intolerable character designs). ;~}

[Steven H]

According to twitchfilm.net this is going to be released by on DVD by Sony on May 28th, in the UK. There's also a listing at play.com March 5th.

[Antoine Doinel]

It's getting a North American theatrical release in May. Here's the trailer.

[Lino]

Saw this one today. Wow. Easily his best work. Shame about that Princess Mononoke ending but that's ok.

[Michael Kerpan]

Except for the undeniable visual flashiness Kon brings to his projects, this struck me as as unimaginative and empty. I will never understand the acclaim this guy gets for works that are far inferior to those of Abe and colleagues. Not even close to the level of accomplishment of "Lain" or "Texhnolyze". I see no virtue in his work beyond superficial glitter.

I went into this hoping I'd be at least as impressed with this as I was with "Millennium Actress". I wasn't. Probably my last foray into Kon territory.

[Rich Malloy]

The only Satoshi Kon that I've connected with is "Paranoia Agent" (but, like others, I find it to be somewhat lesser than series like "Lain", or the films of Oshii, etc.).

But "Paprika" strikes me as being something I may like, and I'm curious about the "collective delusion" aspect which calls to mind "Paranoia Agent". Now that I think about it, this may be a more common theme is his work, but it's been awhile since me single viewings of "Mill. Actress" and "Perfect Blue".

[Michael Kerpan]

This sounded like it could have been a PK Dick-ish sort of film -- but it was nowhere close to that level.

[The Elegant Dandy Fop]

Saw this one today. Wow. Easily his best work. Shame about that Princess Mononoke ending but that's ok.

First thing I thought too, but it fits very well withing the context of everything else. The film is all about memories and ideas being stretched and distorted, and most of the memories tend to stem from movies they've seen.

The crater at the end is out of Akira, the scene where he's explaining film techniques he's dressed like Kurosawa, he participates in Roman Holiday and From Russia with Love. I honestly belived the Monoke refrence was intentional.

Outside of that, the movie looks beautiful, but flew right above my head. I pretty much didn't get a thing.

[Robotron]

It's a bit unusual for me to see so many people casually dismissing Perfect Blue. I think it's the perfect companion piece to Peeping Tom, except for the silly ending.