MovieChat Forums > Kokuhaku (2010) Discussion > slow motion madness

slow motion madness

posted 13 years ago by arcade_kid
37 replies | jump to latest

i just stopped the movie at the 1h 24 min mark, i can't take it anymore, what the hell is up with all of these goddamn slow motion scenes? i thought the point of slow motion scenes was the make that particular scene stand out from the rest of the movie in some way, to make some sort of impact, but when the entire damn movie is filmed in slow motion, the desired effect disappears (in slow motion).

also, what makes it even worse is the cheap wannabe sigur rós soundtrack constantly playing in the background of said slow motion scenes. what's up with that? did the filmmaker think this would make his/her film seem more artsy?

it doesn't.

oh, and the acting, 'specially the "manic" laughter from some of the characters is just cringeworthy. i realize overacting is quite common in japanese film, but this is just ridiculous. like how the mother of the murderous kid is terrified of her own son all of a sudden and crawls up against the wall in the kitchen just because he happens to walk in the room. ffs, it's just your kid! grow some balls woman and send him to his room!

ok, that last part was just me being silly, but seriously, overacting makes my skin crawl.

anyway, i probably won't watch the last 20 minutes of this because i couldn't care less about any of the characters or what happens to them, and the fact that some people are saying this sould be in imdb top 250 is just laughable.

first imdb forum post! holla!

[–] phlexonance 13 years ago

watch again after 10 years, maybe then you'll be patient enough and mature enough to understand what makes this movie good

[–] arcade_kid 13 years ago

i'll be 40 in 10 years.

also, did you even read my post? it's all valid points, "maturity"'s got nothing to do with it. here's my list of movies i've rated on imdb:

http://www.imdb.com/mymovies/list?l=27513708

mature enough for you?

silly people.

[–] HarryOru 13 years ago

What exactly are you trying to prove with that list?
And maturity has nothing to do with age.

Silly people.

[–] arcade_kid 13 years ago

oh ffs, does anyone on this forum read the previous posts at all? it was a reply to that guy up there implying that i should watch it again in 10 years because then i'd be mature enough to comprehend it, which doesn't make any sense at all (unless i was 10 years old or something). he also said i wasn't patient enough for "confessions", so i posted my list to show that i've given much "slower" movies pretty damn high ratings, that's all.

anyway, who cares, im still waiting for someone to adress my actual complaints about the movie, instead of just throwing the equivalent of some tired old "lol go watch transformers" cliché at me.

[–] 13 years ago

[deleted]

[–] therefdotcom 10 years ago

"oh ffs, does anyone on this forum read the previous posts at all?"

yes.

"it was a reply to that guy up there implying that i should watch it again in 10 years because then i'd be mature enough to comprehend it,"

which is a very valid point.

"which doesn't make any sense at all"

actually it does.

"unless i was 10 years old or something"

which sounds pretty legit.

"he also said i wasn't patient enough for "confessions""

which he should not blame you for. remembering my own puberty, i could not go without squeezing the monkey for more than an hour either.

"so i posted my list to show that i've given much "slower" movies pretty damn high ratings, that's all. "

clap clap clap.

"anyway, who cares,"

well, YOU. obviously.

"anyway, who cares, im still waiting for someone to adress my actual complaints about the movie, instead of just throwing the equivalent of some tired old "lol go watch transformers" cliché at me."

i don't think that you would understand transformers. emmerich's "independence day" should be right up your alley. it has will smith in it and you youngsters love will smith, don't you? hey it also got plains and explosions. you'd love it.

"laugh and the world laughs with you. Weep and you weep alone." - Dae-su Oh

[–] therefdotcom 10 years ago

"silly people. "

"mature enough for you? "

obviously not.

how ironic, btw.

"laugh and the world laughs with you. Weep and you weep alone." - Dae-su Oh

[–] zachanscom 12 years ago

you're a *beep* idiot if you think pointless slow motion is "what makes this movie good"

[–] therefdotcom 10 years ago

hahaha. yeah, because i said that, right? hahah.

"laugh and the world laughs with you. Weep and you weep alone." - Dae-su Oh

[–] madeitupforfacebook 8 years ago

It's been 5 years and the movie still seems over-directed and you still seem condescending and ignorant.

[–] ebossert 7 years ago

IMDb boards are shutting down. Feel free to check out my YouTube channel - the Asian Movie Enthusiast - if you're interested in Asian movie reviews (see link below).

YouTube Asian Movie Review Channel
https://www.youtube.com/user/anticlimacus100

[–] mamadkoulibali 13 years ago

oh my god ; this has got to be the weirdest i have ever seen

i was literally dying of boredom when i stopped watching at exactly 1:24:22

and came here to read complains about the slow pace

this is weird

[–] inuimari 13 years ago

It's been a while.... but I loved the film!
To each his own, I suppose. I hated, hated, hated, hated Shawshank Redemption.

I thought the slow-mo was effective in the sense that it created a surreal (dream-like) atmosphere.

[–] VipR 13 years ago

OMFG!

You hated Shawshank Redemption? Wow.. I think that's the first time I hear someone say that, Im not judging, I'd just be curious to know why...

Anyway, I can understand why some people would hate Confessions, the slow-mo can be annoying and some other things, personally I liked it, but would never make this a top 250 entry

<I Will Make You Hurt>

[–] Xixaw 13 years ago

irony is that you are the one whos over reacting to it

[–] RoentgenSS 13 years ago

Okay yes, I'll give you, it was a slow movie. And anyone regarding the need to mature part, I'm 21 and am not the most mature person in the world, but I loved it. ABSOLUTELY loved it, could not stop watching it. I'm tempted to start it again and I finished it about 45 minutes ago. Definitely intend to buy it.

Perhaps it's due to my previous viewing. Have you by any chance watched any Korean films? Most (not all, most) Korean films are extremely slow moving with VERY little dialogue. Take Mother/Madeo/마더 for example. That movie is EXTREMELY slow moving, almost too much for me even. That's just it, however, it's a big thing with some of their movies. It was very well stylized and I'm sorry you couldn't see that.

[–] reisereise 13 years ago

I didn't think this movie suffered from overacting at all. The lead performance from Takako Matsu is downright great and I thought the kids were terrific.

Regarding the soundtrack, are you referring to the Radiohead song that is used throughout the film? If so, I think you are probably the only person in the world who has accused Radiohead of being Sigur Ros wannabes.

[–] killa_man23 12 years ago

Your excuse is shallow at best. Sure, I've noticed the overuse of the slow motion and the slow Coldplay like music constantly playing in the background, but that's not what holds my attention when I watch the film - it's the story. The story the damn good and the payoff is even better. Watch it next time without being too superficial.

Don't Get Caught

[–] moody_mary 12 years ago

The song playing in the background of the slow motion scenes is "Last Flowers to the Hospital", by Radiohead, which I thought was perfect for the movie.

I understand that people get bored by slow motion scenes, but I think it's because we're too used to seeing constant action and dialog in movies. Personally, I really enjoyed the movies and thought the slow motion was jusr right. It made a contrast with very violent acts and events and I think the whole movie was very well put out. Not to mention the message in the movie about juvenile agression and complete lack of respect for life and for others. Although they were only kids, I thought they deserved punishment.

Overall, I thought it was a great movie.

[–] expiry223 12 years ago

They also played a Boris song like 10 times throughout the film, almost always starting at the same point of the track. It annoyed the heck out of me. I actually love alot of Boris' music, but it was simply overused in this movie, and instead of putting me into an emotional state it just angered me.

As for the payoff and the twists, I thought the whole "is this happening or is it not"-ending was too clever for it's own good. It was sort of funny, but I think the film had a cheap resolution. As for the rest of the story, I think it was a bit slow also, mostly because they explained some things too well. You don't always have to be explained everything from ten different angles, and while I understand that's the whole stylistic choice of the movie it didn't always work for me. I also think the way the story was put together was more complicated than it needed to be.

When that is said, I found the second half of the movie to be more rewarding than the first. So to those who quit it after an hour-something, you missed out on the best part!

[–] 12 years ago

[deleted]

[–] The_Inverted_Necroyeti 11 years ago

I could also have done without the constant pop songs (not the ambient droning tunes; thought they added well to the atmosphere) and the slow-motion was a bit overdone. But that aside, this was a great film that kept on the edge all the time, with lots of unexpected twists.

'Marxism is the opiate of the unstoned classes' - Art Kleps