Karry Best movie of this year hands down!

Jeanskynebu the audience applauded

Actuakers One of my all time favorites.

Kaelan Mccaffrey Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

ranentrudgett I find that this movie would be better suited as an anime, theres no real reason why it should be live action and a lot of the characters are over the top and cartoonish, the movie is very bloody, very sexual and comedic in the most japanese kind of way... I never thought i would be laughing during a rape scene...This film starts very normal and slowly gets more screwed up as the story progresses, this is a must watch for any dark comedy fan. 8/10

Scarlet Nouveau I've decided to watch "Cold Fish"because of its acclaimed director and the good critics. I was disappointed. Though the movie was undeniably entertaining, it entertains because of its shock factor, and not exactly because it has a good plot. This is the story about two owners of aquarium shops who meet for banal circumstances. The eldest of them seems to be a nice, generous man but ends up showing that he's a serial killer. The movie explores themes like rape (very shocking scenes, which were a little unwarranted IMO), murder, domination, humiliation and authority. I could accept better the scenes filled with gore if gore there wasn't so gratuitous. Yet many of its bloody scenes are unnecessary to the plot, to the point of making the viewer bored of seeing so much blood in one movie, with no point at all. Not only that, the movie is filled with plot holes. Many aspects of the movie remain unexplained at the end of it - when a certain character disappears and his family starts searching for him, the family quickly gives up searching and pressuring the last man who saw him to tell them where the character is. The police in the movie has completely unrealistic behavior as well - fortunately Japanese policemen are much more prepared in real life than they are depicted in this movie!The ending, which is supposed to show the moral degradation of a man who used to be dignified, did not convince me. His character lacked development, and the final act to me was absurdly cliché and unjustified. If you want to be shocked for a little with a good amount of bloody scenes, watch it. Now if you expect a good psychological drama and a well-written plot, you'll definitely not find it in this movie.

Arun George 'Cold Fish' is one of those films best enjoyed with minimal prior information. The level of 'intrigue' takes you for a ride with each passing sequence. The words/actions of the characters largely define their psychotic inner selves. This is a film where not a single central character arc is left unattended to; each possessing a differential level of eccentricity. Sion Sono succeeds in delivering the kind of twisted shocks one gets only by watching Asian cinema. Mitsuru Fukikoshi and Denden are indeed the spines of the film and they're quite capable in carrying almost the entire film on their shoulders. The gore is gratuitous, but never unaccounted for. The purpose of showcasing bloodshed and dismemberment in the screenplay is clear as ice; the director never shying away from throwing abhorrent shots in the face of the viewer, nevertheless with a definitive purpose. The chaos unravels quite slowly, although there's no looking back once it has commenced.The ambiance created for the gruesome slaughters is as bizarre as it can get (and oddly interesting to observe). A house located on top of a hill, candles lit up not in the manner you'd expect, colorful lights and the queer shades of Christian symbolism strewn across the place, all add to the sinister vibe of the film. The movie handles 'psychosis' and 'flawed human persona' in a very distinctive manner. The thrills escalate exponentially, albeit with a tinge of black humor (for those who can sense it!).Denden's Murata is one character that the audience will truly remember for his peculiar behavioral traits and outspoken temperament. The womenfolk have a substantial role to play in the film: the wifely interventions further raise the weirdness to another level with their questionable (sexual) gestures. Rape/sex is oft followed by murder, followed by deranged outbursts of psychotic bliss, in a vicious cycle of events. It takes quite a bit of discernment to assimilate the various subjects touched upon in the film (astronomy, aquatic life, psychosis & human behavior). The screenplay warrants exaggerated performances and by all means, they are. If 'Coldfish' goads you to evaluate your deepest darkest (inner) demons, then the film has evidently fulfilled its job. The Editing department though, could have done some chop-chop and made the film slightly crisper.Verdict: Shocks and contemplation - a weird combo!

fac20 Love Exposure (by the same director) is one of my favourites of all time and so I was hoping for another cinematic treat. Unfortunately, this did not even come close. In fact, I found myself angry by the end of it and this was because I found the sexual violence disturbing, I did not buy into the plot twist, and most of the characters seemed unreal to me by the end of the film. These things ruined it for me.I wouldn't complain about the depiction of sexual violence if the film had more depth to it, but if there was any worthy point, then I totally missed it. My Japanese partner watched it with me and told me she had been thinking that it might be offputting to some/many Westerners since they would not understand the aspects of Japanese culture which give this film different meanings. This was certainly part of the problem for me, but further to this, it was the fact that it seemed to try to be many things (black comedy, gory horror, thriller, psychological drama) but failed to bring them together well enough.