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Paprika [Blu-ray] 
Actors : Paprika
Studio : Sony Pictures
by Sony Pictures
Release Date : 2007-11-27
Publisher : Sony Pictures
Availability : Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Number of Items : 1
EAN : 0043396208667
UPC : 043396208667
Avg. Customer Rating: (based on 63 reviews)
List Price : $38.96
Our Price : $26.00
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Product Description |
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Prepare to enter the realm of fantasy and imagination where reality and dreams collide in a kaleidoscopic mindscape of sheer visual genius. The magical tale centers on a revolutionary machine that allows scientists to enter and record a subject’s dream. After being stolen, a fearless detective and brilliant therapist join forces to recover the device before it falls into the hands of a dream terrorist in this gripping anime thriller from acclaimed director Satoshi Kon. |
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Americancivilwar.com |
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Based on a novel by the noted Japanese science fiction writer Yasutaka Tsutui, the brilliant and unsettling feature Paprika continues director Satoshi Kon's exploration of the disturbingly permeable boundaries between dreams and reality. Techno-geek Kosaku Tokita invented the DC Mini to allow therapists to enter a patient's dreams and explore his unconscious, but an evil cabal uses the Mini to create a mass nightmare that causes multiple suicides. Psychotherapist Atsuko Chiba uses her alter-identity, "dream detective" Paprika, to intervene. Entering the nightmare, she witness a bizarre parade of appliances, toys, and kitsch objects: All of her intelligence and imagination are needed to escape this nightmare and its perpetrators. As he did in Millennium Actress and Paranoia Agent, Kon effortlessly carries the audience between reality and fantasy, confirming his reputation as one of the most talented and interesting directors working in animation today. (Rated R: violence, violence against women, grotesque imagery, alcohol and tobacco use) --Charles Solomon |
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Insanely complex, but supremely captivating, movie |
Having seen Paprika only once, I'm putting down my first impressions on what may be a masterpiece of anime. I think the film will probably demand at least two more viewings just to get anywhere near an idea of what's going on, let alone to sort out the plot.
Paprika starts within a dream, and after the first viewing I'm not sure if the movie ever leaves the dream world for any semblence of the real world. There seems to be a reality within the movie, but all too often it merges with what is certainly a dream world. Don't get me wrong, this is not a bad thing, but it is intensely complicated because there's no way to be sure that there's any sort of reality to hold onto.
There is a plot which has to do with the stealing of a device that helps people enter other peoples' dreams. My question, at this point, is whether the device (which appears both within a dream and in the supposed 'real world') actually even exists in the film's 'real world' or whether it is just a figment of one of the characters' dreams.
The film seems to be exploring the boundaries of what's real, in the same way that movies like The Thirteenth Floor and, to a lesser extent, The Matrix do. However, while those other movies do reach a definite 'reality' during the course of the film, I'm not at all sure that Paprika does the same. Before seeing Paprika I had watched Millennium Actress by the same director, but while Millennium Actress is more complex than most movies it is simplistic in comparison to Paprika.
Perhaps at this point I'm trying to over-analyze the film. Maybe I should just let it wash over me for a couple of viewings and just go with the flow. It may also be that there is not supposed to be any certain interpretation, and it may be that, like a dream, it has many possible interpretations.
I'm both looking forward to - and dreading - my second viewing of this very interesting film. I'm looking forward to it in the hope that I can figure out another 10% of what the film is all about, and I'm dreading it because I may find that what I thought I knew might be completely wrong, and I might end up knowing less about the film than I think I already know. Either way though, this film experience will have been well worth the money I paid for the DVD.
This movie will not be enjoyed by folks who want to sit down and relax their brain for 90 minutes while mindless action and explosions happen onscreen - i.e. it's not for fans of Michael Bay blockbusters, but it's essential viewing for folks who are not afraid to have a film give the organ that sits between their ears a darned good workout.
Regarding the DVD itself (I bought the Blu-Ray version), the film features three or four previews, a director's commentary (which I haven't listened to yet for fear of it giving away too many spoilers), a 'making of' documentary, as well as a 'conversation about the dream' between the people behind the movie (the writer of the original novel, the film's director and the two main actors). Also, there are the usual storyboard comparisons that they throw onto DVDs whenever there's extra space, which I must admit I never bother with.
The image and sound are good, although I felt the dubbed version (which I listened to) needed subtitles in a couple of places when a crowd was shouting in unison. Since subtitles can be switched on and off easily this was no problem. One thing I noticed is that the subtitles are very different from the dub, so it's hard to watch the film in English with English subtitles - it's almost as if you get two stories, so since I don't understand Japanese I'm not sure which is better - though I suspect the subtitles are closer to the director's original intent. The film is anamorphic 1.85:1, enhanced for widescreen TVs. |
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Dream Logic |
I am not too much of an anime guy, but I don't hate it either. Every now and then I like me some bug-eyed girls in mini skirts swinging giant swords and piloting giant robots. However, there are a couple of directors working in the medium that are giants in the Japanese film industry, who could proudly stand side-by-side with Kurosawa Akira, Ozu Yasujiro and Mizoguchi Kenji. Miyazaki Hayao is one. Takahata Isao is another. A third in the group is Kon Satoshi, a director who never ceases to amaze me and who's every film is a delight and a wonder.
His latest film, "Paprika", tells the story of a stolen DC Mini dream machine, a distraught police detective Konakawa, a child-like scientist named Tokita, and the beautiful but cold Doctor Atsuko Chiba and her wild dream-persona Paprika. Based on the novel by science fiction master Tsutsui Yasutaka, who also wrote Girl Who Leapt Through Time, the story is a trip into realms of psychotherapy, dream logic and pure id unleashed.
However, like all dreams, dwelling on the storyline is a mistake. It is all about the imagery and the way the rules of reality can be torn to shreds yet still make perfect sense at the time. Kon has always dealt with the themes of reality/unreality, and plays with the animation genre as no other director does. Realms shift effortlessly from one to another, leaving the viewer completely disorientated, but in a good way. Here, he is channeling his best Windsor McKay and Little Nemo In Slumberland, where physics are just a plaything to be bent and twisted.
Of course, as one would expect from a Kon Satoshi flick, the animation is absolutely spectacular. He can effortlessly flow between CGI and traditional cel animation, and in pure control of the medium there is no one who can match him. Other animators may tug on the heartstrings more, like Miyazaki or Takahata, but neither are as dazzling as Kon in the sheer mechanics of animation.
This DVD is beautiful, and they included the same extras found on the Japanese DVD release. I am sorry I missed this one on the big screen, but it is an absolute must-see in any format.
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Smart and entertaining |
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I cannot say that I follow anime very closely, but this animated film was a true find. The film idea is about dream machine that can record one's dreams which in turn can be viewed at the later time. But it turns out that dream can also be shared and merged together. In a world of ugly reality, it is the dreams that give us release. So the notion of the dream and reality transposes into ying/yang duality of the world itself: black/white, male/female, good/bad, children/adults... When worlds of these two absolutes become to merge together and the difference between the two becomes blurry - there is only one person that can put the world back in order - Paprika, an alter ego of the brilliant female scientist. Our hero is female and her beauty, intelligence and determination is the desire of every man that crosses her path. In another word, Paprika is every man's dream - she is strong and independent, she is humble and pragmatic, she is temperamental and yet professional. I liked the music, the action, the plot - this film is just hypnotizing from start to finish and it can be seen by both young and adult. Sophisticated adults will find multi-faceted meanings in this unforgetable animated movie. |
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Amazing and Thought Provoking |
The DC Mini was created to not only record and watch a person's dreams, but to actually enter them as well. It was created by Kosaku Tokita at the Foundation for Psychiatric Research and was meant to be a form of therapy to help people find the purpose of manic disorders and other manias such as fear or anxiety issues. But when the DC Mini is stolen and the same dream is being implanted into people while they're awake with chaotic results, then the research foundation takes it upon themselves to try and find out who is behind all of this. Tokita, along with Atsuko Chiba and Torataro Shima, are on the case. But who is Paprika and how does Detective Toshimi Konakawa fit into the equation?
Let me just start off by saying I loved this film. It is weird, it is unusual, and it's creatively original. I think those are some of the best reasons to like Paprika other than the fact that the animation is incredibly fluid and crisp and the story is quite good, but we'll come back to those points shortly. With a film like Paprika that is so complex and so good, there's a lot of key points to mention.
There seems to be so much going on in the film even though it pretty much centers around one dream and it's a dream for the ages. One of the things I love about Paprika is that whenever this dream is implanted into somebody while they're awake, they just start spitting this random gibberish that doesn't make sense until you actually see the dream and see this parade. The way this parade bleeds into not only Detective Kogawa's dream, but into the real world is also a sight within itself.
Over the years I've found that not only anime fans but fans of foreign cinema prefer to watch the film in its natural language with subtitles rather than the English dubbed version. I'm not talking about someone who just watches anime occasionally, but die hard fans. The English dubbing used to be pretty bad on a lot of anime titles, but it's either progressed quite a bit since I last watched a dubbed title or this film is an exception. I had no problems watching the English dub of Paprika. The voices all fit the characters, it was synced up well, nothing really sounded out of place. I'd actually recommend the English dub over the subtitled version. The audio, in general, was very good. The soundtrack also fit Paprika like a glove. The music during the parade dream is a perfect example of this.
The animation of Paprika is where the film really shines. Each surreal dream is illustrated beautifully and each cel of animation flows in an almost realistic fashion. It's some of the best animation I've seen in an animated film that isn't entirely CGI. The story also reeled me in since what started off as something somewhat simple wound up being more complex than what I once thought. Most of Tokita's dialogue where he's describing why he created the DC Mini and it's purposes are a huge mouthful of scientific jargon that's hard to comprehend to its full extent on the first viewing of Paprika. I got more than what I expected story-wise and I was extremely happy with that.
Paprika is an extremely well animated, intelligent, trip into one's imagination that I'd recommend to anyone. The best way I can describe the film is by saying it's kind of like Akira with a story that actually makes sense. Track this film down, whether you're a fan of animated films or not. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.
Theatrical Release Date: October 7th, 2006 (New York Film Festival)
DVD Release Date: November 27th, 2007
Director: Satoshi Kon
Genre: Animation, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Runtime: 90 min
Cast: David Lodge as Dr. Torataro Shima (voice: English version)
Yuri Lowenthal as Dr. Kosaku Tokita (voice: English version)
Cindy Robinson as Dr. Atsuko Chiba / Paprika (voice: English version)
Paul St. Peter as Detective Toshimi Konakawa (voice: English version)
Doug Erholtz as Dr. Morio Osanai (voice: English version)
Michael Forest as Dr. Seijiro Inui (voice: English version)
Overall Rating: 9/10 |
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Fantastic movie |
I really love this movie. I knew I would ever since I saw the trailer in the theater, the visuals of which gave me chills - reality breaking like glass, businessmen happily diving off a balcony like synchronized swimmers diving into a pool, a man screaming as he explodes into a swarm of blue butterflies, and so on. But there are just as many graphic elements of this film that are stunning on their own, without the added element of bizarre, metaphorical goings on - the sunset over a city skyline, an abandoned amusement park at dusk, or two friends simply walking along a sidewalk.
Coupled with the breathtaking imagery is a storyline that rivals The Matrix in easily simplified inventiveness - what if we had the technology to look at each other's dreams? What if we could actually go into them? And what if using said technology frequently could send one into something like an allergic reaction, the body, instead of recreating the harmful physical effects of a jellyfish sting actually sent one into the dream state? Now, what if the lines blurred in all of these scenarios to create one giant, involuntary collective dream? Throw in people who want to use the technology for individual power versus those who see only its potential for doing good and you've got a great story.
But the characters are what makes Paprika appealing on that personal level, the level that draws in people who have never watched or enjoyed a Japanese, anime or animated film. They are all unique, fun to watch, endlessly interesting, incredibly distinct from one another and play together in a fantastic ensemble. There's the hilarious, obese, childlike genius who invented the dream machine; his cold, facts-only co-worker; the playful and seductive dream girl Paprika; and so on, and so on. That they are all so entertaining on their own and together turns this from a great premise and story to a great film.
I will say this, however. All the jumping back and forth from dream to reality as well as all the simultaneous subplots can be a bit confusing on first viewing. The second time you watch it, however, I doubt it would be confusing at all for most. But that confusion is one of the elements that makes it all the more dreamlike, and the fact that it explains just enough to provide a path without pointing at how clever it is or over-explaining things makes it all the more appealing to the intelligent audience. |
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