R100 (2013)

Touches You

This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

Sometimes it's nice to watch a movie for its mere shock value. R100 is exactly one of those. On the other hand it never was able to transcend the provocative imagery and content like Fight Club or Luis Buñuel (with which the film was compared) did in their time. Director Hitoshi Matsumoto tells the tale of a masochistic man who experiences supernatural orgasms by being extremely humiliated. After a while reality and fiction begin to merge and the man starts to discover his sadistic side. Luckily this isn't a pretext to make a softcore SM movie, but it also doesn't surpass the level of a superficial b-production. The final twenty minutes are a bit too ridiculous for my taste (because they're so out of sync with the rest of the movie), that I can't say I've enjoyed R100 that much. Nevertheless it had some great moments because of the dark humor, meta-jokes and entertaining twists.

You might not like this movie and as the movie itself states several times, that might be because you're too young for it ... Obviously that is meant to be a joke. And if you don't like the nature of the joke wait til you see the rest of it. It only gets weirder and is difficult to explain in a nutshell.A man is responsible for things going crazy for him, because he hires someone for that exact purpose. You have to really get into the mood of the film to like it and to enjoy it. Something that cannot be said about the main character. On the other hand ... who knows what is really going on with him? You also get "breaks" from the movie, with some weird analysis that kind of stops the flow ... but on the other hand is a perfect fit, if you think about it.If you like weird and not really predictable, you will love this. Otherwise stay clear

In the opening scene we see a woman applying makeup in a restaurant bathroom; she then goes and sits opposite a man who starts talking about Beethoven's 'Ode to Joy'. The next thing we know she stands up and kicks him in the head! He leaves the restaurant but is attacked again. We then learn that this man has joined the 'Bondage' club. Its rules are simple; membership lasts for one year and cannot be cancelled and during that time the member may be attacked or humiliated at any moment and he may not resist in any way: protagonist Takafumi Katayama is one such member. He expects to be attacked when he is out on his own but becomes worried when the women start turning up at his work and approaching his family; humiliation in front of strangers is one thing but work and family (including his young son and comatose wife) are different. Things get even more dangerous for him, and a lot weirder, when one of the women has an accident and dies and the club seeks its revenge.This is one of those rare films that will leave the viewer wondering what they just watched; it was that weird… but in a surprisingly fun way. The viewer will often wonder if what they are watching is meant to be really happening or if it is just a twisted dream. The washed out colour, almost black and white at times, adds to the sense that it isn't quite real as it might be. The random nature of much of what we see makes the film funny, disturbing and in one scene even disgusting. It also means it isn't a film that will be to everybody's taste; some will find the weirdness a delight but I'm sure plenty will find it so weird it is boring. Overall I'd say give it a go; you might like it.These comments are based on watching the film in Japanese with English subtitles.

A businessman, raising a young son with the help of his father in law while his wife lies in a three year long coma, takes out a one year subscription to an S&M club. His life is soon complicated by dominatrices who abuse him unexpectedly, in restaurants, on the street, at his work. Just when you think "where exactly is this going?" things take a whole new turn into weird. By the time the film "climaxes" you'll either have left the audience long ago or be sitting with a wide grin on your face enjoying the spectacle. At a time when American cinema has descended into predictability, special effects, superheroes and remakes it's great to see a genuine imagination at play. It's not for everyone but, if you enjoy creativity, humour and going along for the ride then it's one hell of a ride. Recommended.