Truly Dreadful Film

It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

I'm not sure how to even begin a critique of this film. The best analogy that I can think of is a bit like the first time I ever went into a sushi bar. - It wasn't just that the food that I ate was completely different to a palate more used to hamburgers or fish & chips, but that the rules were different too. Instead of having a waitress write down the order, I picked out colourful dishes off a conveyor belt, and ate some wonderfully exotic food. All of this wrapped up in a culture that was decidedly Japanese....and I loved it!!Exactly the same is true of Survive Style 5. It was completely different from the usual movies I watch, the rules were broken, the experience was extremely colourful, wonderfully exotic, it was decidedly Japanese...and I loved it too!! The film focuses on several story lines, from the fairly tame (the sexual confusion of a group of young friends), to the surreal (the murdered wife who keeps returning to beat up her husband in ever more bizarre ways), to the absurd (the man stuck in a trance thinking he's a bird after the hypnotist is killed)...and beyond.The first thing that struck me was the brightness & colour of the film. The words 'kitsch' do not do the sets justice, with big pink fluffy 'Hello Kitty' cuteness or neon manga-esquire style. The movie is not drab in the slightest! Also the film wears its 'Japaneseness' on its sleeve, which is further highlighted by the inclusion of the very un-Japanese Vinnie Jones (playing a hit-man who asks the question "What is your purpose in life?" indiscriminately to air stewardesses and pieces of broccoli).Amongst all this mish-mash of colour, lunacy, absurdity, and surrealism lies a a big heart. While almost completely disparate in some places, the movie ends in a surprisingly satisfying manner (In fact, it's one of the best endings I could imagine for a movie so off-the-wall).Maybe the film won't be to everybody's taste, especially those who really do not want to try something different, but what can I say? I like to try something new once in a while, and if you're like me, this might be a tasty plate of Futomaki for you!

What is Survive Style 5+? One of the best films I have ever seen in my life. This film is about 5 ( or more, you decide) styles of living, depicted in a seemingly haphazard and bewildering form. The use of song, colors, cinematography will ensure most people have no excuse BUT to be captivated by every scene. Even those that simply miss out on all the symbolism and allegories for every day life will find this movie highly entertaining simply from the excellent performances and superb overall presentation.The movie opens up with a man, who's apparently murdered his wife, burying her in the forest with a couple of meaningful comments about murder itself. That serious moment opens up a floodgate of seemingly subconscious events and comedy that is meant to jar you from the underlying essence of the movie for a moment. The film introduces other "styles of life", for example a group of bumbling burglar teens, a hit-man (Vinnie Jones) and his translator, an advertising guru who thinks every think she makes is the pinnacle of hilarity, and a family that apparently has a few issues of their own to deal with.Each layer of bizarre is followed by another layer of bizarre, until the ending will most likely leave you with your jaw on the floor. The great thing about SS5+ is that deep within the layers of apparently non-sensical comedy and action, there is a meaning to unearth, most people will come up with their own ideas as to "what it all means" and THAT is the best aspect of SS5+, enjoy.

Maybe that's not quite the right description but it's the first thing that came to mind while watching it. Several stories, all comic and surreal, intertwine until the very end where something is resolved. What, who knows?The art direction is spectacular especially in the main protagonist's mansion. It's unexplained how this mope and his girlfriend came to live in it. The pace of the film is wonderful and the soundtrack is very well designed. This film is a real treat if you don't need linear story telling or a rational plot line. While there is no nudity, there is a lot of crude sex talk. The violence is very modest except for a couple of scenes but it's cartoony bloodletting. Unfortunately, the film does starts with the customary Japanese male violence against women but at least it turns into something interesting as the film progresses.Very recommended.

By far one of the oddest, yet most brilliant movies of 2004. Five separate stories led by each story's own bizarre set of characters, end up tying together in a set of unusual consequences. Fantastic Cinematography, characterization, and story. This movie is truly one of kind.Other movies containing the basic storyline of character's lives tying together in unusual consequences, such as "Magnolia," can't compare to the charm Survive Style 5+ has. From director, Gen Sekiguchi, who directed commercials of his own (those who have seen the movie know what I'm referring to) in Japan prior to Survive Style 5+. The movie contains brilliant colors, especially in Aman's mansion. Magnificent colors of bright blues, reds, and greens make the movie worth turning your head for straight from the beginning.Some of the characters include Aman (Tadanobu Asano) who is fantastic in the role of a silent killer. Murdering his wife only to have her stirring in her grave for revenge. A game show hit called "Viva Friends" hosted by an awkward man with strange behavior who is able to hypnotize his audience, only to be murdered by a foreign hit man (Vinnie Jones).An everyday family having an obsession with the game show "Viva Friends" which only leads to their father being hypnotized into thinking he is a bird. Upon the hypnotists death, the dad is unable to recover from his hypnotism, and is forced to be bird-dad from then on.A young group of miscreants thieving neighborhood houses while still entertaining those watching the movie with their humorous conversations, and relationships between the trio. Finally a women named Yoko who creates commercials for several companies such as one led by Kazama, the Advertising Company President (Shinichi Chiba) that distributes aspirin pills. Her commercials have a bizarre joke tone to them, and most of the commercials end up being rejected due to the lack of understanding of what the product actually does for the consumer.How the stories pull off tying each other together is truly brilliant. Definitely a great ending the movie deserved, but I'll let you see that for yourself. Anyone who can laugh at bizarre situations, and conversations will love the dialogue and the movie altogether. 8.5/10