New Crap?: Bunraku

Okay, I'll admit it: I don't get it.  Whatever the point of this movie was, it's just beyond me.  If you like the film, that's fine.  If you hate it, that's fine too.  As for me,...I just don't get it.  Bunraku is a 2010 film that is best described (read: how I describe it) as the bastard child of Sin City and Dogville.  Who does that?  Well, aside from some crazy Austrian or maybe Quentin Dupiex (aka Maynard's favorite Director).  So what is the film about?  Well, a guy comes into town...followed by another guy and fighting ensues.  Project it all under weird lights, make silly sets, add in some odd narration and you've got Bunraku.  Still interested?  To find out what's going on (sort of), read on...

The film begins with some odd narration about how man nearly destroyed the World and rebuilt it without bombs and guns.

While the mix of puppets and paper figurines is creative, I have to wonder what the hell this has to do with anything.  Is this necessary?

The film- whose cast includes Josh Hartnett, Gackt, Ron Perlman, Woody Harrelson and Kevin McKidd- is about two drifters- Hartnett and Gackt- who come to Town.  What is their motivation?  Who's asking?

The pair- aided in part by Harrelson- go after the big villains in Town- McKidd and Perlman, after they beat each other up, that is.  The problem...

None of this is remotely as interesting as those behind it seem to think.  I just...I just could not get into this one.  The End.

Sorry if you liked this one.  Look, I watch a lot of movies- too many, some might say.  With me, there's a fine line between being weird- i.e. Rubber, the stick puppet Dante's Inferno, etc- and just being a weird mess- i.e. We Are The Strange, Live Freaky Die Freaky.  Am I saying that Bunraku is as bad as those last two films?  No.  Very films are that bad, to be honest.  My problem with this film is that it's just kind of weird to be weird.  There's no overall theme that it's going for- like Inferno's dark humor mixed with political commentary- that would allow me to accept it.  This is just a strange film full of random Actors that did absolutely nothing to hold my interest.  I'll stick to the real thing, I guess...

Next up, a film by Wes Craven that features Sharon Stone, Ernest Borgnine and Michael Berryman.  Another day, another random cast.  Stay tuned...