One Cut of the Dead (2017 Japanese zombie movie you need to see)
02-16-19, 10:49 AM
#1
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One Cut of the Dead (2017 Japanese zombie movie you need to see)
Kamera o tomeru na!
Synopsis:
Without giving too much away, One Cut of the Dead is about a film crew making a zombie movie, only to find out they're about to be attacked by real zombies!
YOU DON'T NEED OR WANT TO KNOW ANYTHING ELSE.
Don't look for trailers... don't look for clips or reviews... many of them "spoil" the film even with the thumbnail images. Even the official trailer gives too much away, in my opinion.
I saw this last night and folks... it was so damn good.
It doesn't seem to have official US distribution (it IS playing at a bunch of Alamo locations, but I don't know if it was just yesterday or if there will be more showings), and US home video distribution may get completely halted because the film was pirated and somehow added to Amazon Prime over the holidays for a couple days before getting pulled down. That said, there's a region B Blu-ray available from amazon.co.uk. I'm planning to order it.
If you like zombie flicks, and/or films with really long cuts in them, and/or horror/comedies, and/or Japanese cinema, and/or any movies ever
, you need to see this one.
Spoilery talk for those who have seen it:
I'm probably over-hyping it... but this flick really is a special one. Seek it out if you can, and stick with it.
edit: Oh, it was made for $25,000 and ran in Japan for something like 8 months, racking up $25,000,000 in ticket sales.
edit2: as per one of my posts below, the UK Blu-ray is actually REGION FREE. I tested it on my US XBox One, and in my Oppo 103.
Arrow - https://www.arrowfilms.com/product-d...ition/TWFBD042
Amazon UK -
Synopsis:
Without giving too much away, One Cut of the Dead is about a film crew making a zombie movie, only to find out they're about to be attacked by real zombies!
YOU DON'T NEED OR WANT TO KNOW ANYTHING ELSE.
Don't look for trailers... don't look for clips or reviews... many of them "spoil" the film even with the thumbnail images. Even the official trailer gives too much away, in my opinion.
I saw this last night and folks... it was so damn good.
It doesn't seem to have official US distribution (it IS playing at a bunch of Alamo locations, but I don't know if it was just yesterday or if there will be more showings), and US home video distribution may get completely halted because the film was pirated and somehow added to Amazon Prime over the holidays for a couple days before getting pulled down. That said, there's a region B Blu-ray available from amazon.co.uk. I'm planning to order it.
If you like zombie flicks, and/or films with really long cuts in them, and/or horror/comedies, and/or Japanese cinema, and/or any movies ever
, you need to see this one.Spoilery talk for those who have seen it:
Spoiler:
I'm probably over-hyping it... but this flick really is a special one. Seek it out if you can, and stick with it.
edit: Oh, it was made for $25,000 and ran in Japan for something like 8 months, racking up $25,000,000 in ticket sales.
edit2: as per one of my posts below, the UK Blu-ray is actually REGION FREE. I tested it on my US XBox One, and in my Oppo 103.
Arrow - https://www.arrowfilms.com/product-d...ition/TWFBD042
Amazon UK -
Last edited by Dan; 03-07-19 at 09:25 AM.
03-06-19, 08:53 AM
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Re: One Cut of the Dead (2017 Japanese zombie movie you need to see)
Bumping this thread because:
1. I watched the Region B Blu-ray last night, and
2. It's still just as good as it was the first time.
3. I watched it with two people who I weren't sure would be into it, but they loved it.
Buy it. Watch it. You will not regret it.
1. I watched the Region B Blu-ray last night, and
2. It's still just as good as it was the first time.
3. I watched it with two people who I weren't sure would be into it, but they loved it.
Buy it. Watch it. You will not regret it.
03-06-19, 01:10 PM
#3
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Re: One Cut of the Dead (2017 Japanese zombie movie you need to see)
I saw this at the Toronto Reel Asian Film Festival last November and was absolutely gobsmacked by how clever it was, as was the rest of the crowd. Didn't find a thread here at the time and this one totally flew under my radar when 'Dan' started it last month.
I think the programmers were afraid some people would walk out early thinking it was just another cheapo J-horror zombie movie so they "encouraged" everyone to stick around for the twists, which was kind of a spoilery-in-itself move that wasn't necessary for a film festival crowd, but whatever.
That said, I concur beyond belief with the OP about this one. It's wildly inventive and decidedly not whatever you might think it is. This is really good stuff.
Had a lump in my throat at the end of it, too. Can't think of any other zombie movie that had that effect!
I find it rather ridiculous that no American DVD/Blu distributor (or even theatrical distributor for that matter) appears to have picked this up for release. Considering all the truly schlocky J-horror that has graced North American store shelves and streaming services over the years, you'd think one of the smartest shows of all would find a willing distributor, but no.
As the OP suggests this is best enjoyed cold (especially no reviews, which I've STILL yet to read outside of the raves in Variety and THR), but I don't think the main trailer spoils much at all:
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Du2XfUDfjN0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
I think the programmers were afraid some people would walk out early thinking it was just another cheapo J-horror zombie movie so they "encouraged" everyone to stick around for the twists, which was kind of a spoilery-in-itself move that wasn't necessary for a film festival crowd, but whatever.
That said, I concur beyond belief with the OP about this one. It's wildly inventive and decidedly not whatever you might think it is. This is really good stuff.
Had a lump in my throat at the end of it, too. Can't think of any other zombie movie that had that effect!
I find it rather ridiculous that no American DVD/Blu distributor (or even theatrical distributor for that matter) appears to have picked this up for release. Considering all the truly schlocky J-horror that has graced North American store shelves and streaming services over the years, you'd think one of the smartest shows of all would find a willing distributor, but no.
As the OP suggests this is best enjoyed cold (especially no reviews, which I've STILL yet to read outside of the raves in Variety and THR), but I don't think the main trailer spoils much at all:
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Du2XfUDfjN0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Last edited by Brian T; 03-06-19 at 01:24 PM.
03-06-19, 01:14 PM
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Re: One Cut of the Dead (2017 Japanese zombie movie you need to see)
^ Yay, someone else who has seen it! 
IMO, that trailer should have ended at 0:49. The last 20 seconds are a bit spoilery... but not too much. It's a good tease.
For what it's worth...
edit: POM!
IMO, that trailer should have ended at 0:49. The last 20 seconds are a bit spoilery... but not too much. It's a good tease. For what it's worth...
Spoiler:
edit: POM!
Last edited by Dan; 03-06-19 at 01:29 PM.
03-06-19, 01:35 PM
#5
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Re: One Cut of the Dead (2017 Japanese zombie movie you need to see)
Walking amongst the crowd after the screening at the Japanese-Canadian Cultural Centre here (an architecturally beautiful, art gallery-filled building that kind of encourages lingering), I overheard many conversations about "this bit" or "that bit" or "they got me good" or "I thought it was hilarious when", etc. Worth noting too that the Reel Asian crowd is generally NOT made up of genre buffs who would be familiar with zombie movies or J-horror, like you'd find at Toronto After Dark or Fantasia or whatever sci-fi or horror fests you might have in your neck of the woods. It's more of a TIFF crowd mix, with a heavy Asian lean, obviously. Having a familiarity with the form is a bonus for sure, but the show still manages many neat surprises.
As Variety's reviewer noted, it's really
and so much the better for it!
Of course saying all this means now that someone will inevitably weigh in with how much they hated it.
As Variety's reviewer noted, it's really
Spoiler:
and so much the better for it!
Of course saying all this means now that someone will inevitably weigh in with how much they hated it.
03-06-19, 02:45 PM
#6
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Re: One Cut of the Dead (2017 Japanese zombie movie you need to see)
I think the programmers were afraid some people would walk out early thinking it was just another cheapo J-horror zombie movie so they "encouraged" everyone to stick around for the twists, which was kind of a spoilery-in-itself move that wasn't necessary for a film festival crowd, but whatever.
Had a lump in my throat at the end of it, too. Can't think of any other zombie movie that had that effect!
I find it rather ridiculous that no American DVD/Blu distributor (or even theatrical distributor for that matter) appears to have picked this up for release. Considering all the truly schlocky J-horror that has graced North American store shelves and streaming services over the years, you'd think one of the smartest shows of all would find a willing distributor, but no.
Walking amongst the crowd after the screening at the Japanese-Canadian Cultural Centre here (an architecturally beautiful, art gallery-filled building that kind of encourages lingering), I overheard many conversations about "this bit" or "that bit" or "they got me good" or "I thought it was hilarious when", etc. Worth noting too that the Reel Asian crowd is generally NOT made up of genre buffs who would be familiar with zombie movies or J-horror, like you'd find at Toronto After Dark or Fantasia or whatever sci-fi or horror fests you might have in your neck of the woods. It's more of a TIFF crowd mix, with a heavy Asian lean, obviously. Having a familiarity with the form is a bonus for sure, but the show still manages many neat surprises.
That's awesome. My crowd (the first time) was a weekly horror movie thing, and it was preceded by Juan of the Dead, so the crowd was much more tailored for this sort of thing, but I do agree that it's totally accessible enough even for people who aren't really into zombie films in general.
As Variety's reviewer noted, it's really
and so much the better for it!
Spoiler:
and so much the better for it!
absolutely! One of the comments I heard wasSpoiler:
and I think that's totally true.
Of course saying all this means now that someone will inevitably weigh in with how much they hated it.
There will always be those who say a film was over-hyped... but this is one I'd outright recommend to anyone looking for something unique to watch.Also, apparently the Region B Blu-ray may actually be region free! I noticed today that a week or so ago, the distributor mentioned this on their twitter account, saying it was meant to be Region B, but in the authoring process, it was left region free.
I played this on my Oppo, and I had already set the region of my player to B, but I'll switch it back to A to confirm...
But for those who want to buy it regardless of region coding, it's about $26 USD shipped.
Arrow - https://www.arrowfilms.com/product-d...ition/TWFBD042
Amazon UK -
EDIT: The UK Blu-ray is indeed region free, so there you go. Everyone on this forum needs to buy a copy now.
Last edited by Dan; 03-06-19 at 06:22 PM.
03-06-19, 06:28 PM
#7
DVD Talk Hero
Re: One Cut of the Dead (2017 Japanese zombie movie you need to see)
Thanks for posting about the region coding. I heard about this movie earlier this week. They said it's the best horror movie you can't see.
03-07-19, 10:28 AM
#9
DVD Talk Legend
Re: One Cut of the Dead (2017 Japanese zombie movie you need to see)
It won the Audience Award at the Asian Film Festival I work for, and that normally only goes to "Serious Movies", not something fun like One Cut.
Fun fact: Total budget for the film was $27000.
And at the risk of being redundant, please allow me to say......POM!
Fun fact: Total budget for the film was $27000.
And at the risk of being redundant, please allow me to say......POM!
03-07-19, 10:38 AM
#10
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Re: One Cut of the Dead (2017 Japanese zombie movie you need to see)
EDIT: Just checked and discovered this won the audience award at Reel Asian as well! Normally I don't bother voting in film fests here, but this one was tough to resist casting a ballot for.
Last edited by Brian T; 03-07-19 at 11:18 AM.
03-20-19, 01:57 PM
#11
Re: One Cut of the Dead (2017 Japanese zombie movie you need to see)
Japanese Sleeper Hit ‘One Cut of the Dead’ Heads for English Remake (EXCLUSIVE)
https://variety.com/2019/film/asia/j...ke-1203167733/
https://variety.com/2019/film/asia/j...ke-1203167733/
03-20-19, 03:51 PM
#13
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Re: One Cut of the Dead (2017 Japanese zombie movie you need to see)
Shit.
Well, I guess that explains its relative scarcity over here (as I alluded to in post #3), and why we'll probably never see a domestic disc release until this comes to fruition. Not a problem considering the UK disc is region-free.
Certainly the concept could be transposed to any culture with an indie or otherwise small-scale genre film industry, but even after the ReelAsian film screening I was trying to imagine this inevitably being redone in the context of an American indie film and I just couldn't picture myself liking the characters. I wondered if that's because I've been watched too many cynical, mean-spirited, in-jokey American indie movies about American indie movie-making and the neurotic "dreamers" and assholes within to think that the ONE CUT characters could be as believably likeable as they are here. If that makes sense. The Japanese no-budget indie world seems like a considerably different beast than the U.S. counterpart. I fear an American version of this would feel a lot less heartfelt and way more phony. Guess we'll see.
Well, I guess that explains its relative scarcity over here (as I alluded to in post #3), and why we'll probably never see a domestic disc release until this comes to fruition. Not a problem considering the UK disc is region-free.
Certainly the concept could be transposed to any culture with an indie or otherwise small-scale genre film industry, but even after the ReelAsian film screening I was trying to imagine this inevitably being redone in the context of an American indie film and I just couldn't picture myself liking the characters. I wondered if that's because I've been watched too many cynical, mean-spirited, in-jokey American indie movies about American indie movie-making and the neurotic "dreamers" and assholes within to think that the ONE CUT characters could be as believably likeable as they are here. If that makes sense. The Japanese no-budget indie world seems like a considerably different beast than the U.S. counterpart. I fear an American version of this would feel a lot less heartfelt and way more phony. Guess we'll see.
03-20-19, 06:41 PM
#14
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Re: One Cut of the Dead (2017 Japanese zombie movie you need to see)
Watched this recently and liked it a lot, and it's been growing on me ever since. As someone who works in the low-budget film world many of these aspects hit the mark. Wonderfully done.
04-09-19, 08:01 AM
#15
Re: One Cut of the Dead (2017 Japanese zombie movie you need to see)
Shudder, the horror specialty streaming service of AMC Networks, has acquired all rights in North America to the hit Japanese zombie comedy “One Cut of the Dead.” The company said that it had also licensed rights to the film for Australia and New Zealand, where it plans to launch later this year.
04-09-19, 01:26 PM
#18
DVD Talk Legend
Re: One Cut of the Dead (2017 Japanese zombie movie you need to see)
Not to derail this into a Shudder conversation, but it's worth it for the Joe Bob Briggs-hosted double features on Friday nights. They just started on March 29 and will run for 7 more weeks. The movies so far have been C.H.U.D./Castle Freak, and Q: The Winged Serpent/Society.
But if you're only going for the free 7 days, then yeah, be sure to watch One Cut of the Dead.
But if you're only going for the free 7 days, then yeah, be sure to watch One Cut of the Dead.
04-10-19, 01:13 AM
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Re: One Cut of the Dead (2017 Japanese zombie movie you need to see)
Can I watch the Joe Bob double features any time or are they just aired at that time?
Also, when does One Cut hit? I was about to cancel, but I could hold on for both of these.
Also, when does One Cut hit? I was about to cancel, but I could hold on for both of these.
04-10-19, 07:16 AM
#20
Re: One Cut of the Dead (2017 Japanese zombie movie you need to see)
Joe Bob is live on Shutter TV at 9PM EST on Fridays, but the episodes get uploaded on Saturday, I’m not sure what time they’re uploaded exactly, but probably a few hours later.
I want to see One Cut of the Dead too, it’s not up yet.
I want to see One Cut of the Dead too, it’s not up yet.
06-28-19, 11:23 PM
#21
Re: One Cut of the Dead (2017 Japanese zombie movie you need to see)
I couldn't wait for the October Horror Challenge and finally watched this. Fortunately I went in spoiler-free, only knowing that it was a horror/comedy about a film crew attacked by zombies. After 30 minutes I was thinking "This was overhyped ... and how can it possibly stretch out for another hour?" And then ... well, you know Now I want to go back and watch those first 37 minutes over again.
Now I want to go back and watch those first 37 minutes over again.
Last edited by brainee; 06-29-19 at 02:30 PM.
06-29-19, 11:42 AM
#22
DVD Talk Ultimate Edition
Re: One Cut of the Dead (2017 Japanese zombie movie you need to see)
Has this shown up on Shudder yet? I'm not finding it in the listings anywhere, but I wanted to ask in case I'm just missing it somehow.
07-06-19, 12:10 PM
#24
DVD Talk Ultimate Edition
Re: One Cut of the Dead (2017 Japanese zombie movie you need to see)
Thanks to all of the positive comments in this thread, I broke down and ordered the Region B Blu-ray. I didn't want to wait for it to show up on Shudder.
I completely concur with all of the comments you guys have made. It was easily one of the most enjoyable first-time viewings of a film I've ever had. The sheer joy of creating something out of almost nothing that the film showed really touched me. Lump in the throat? You betcha. To be completely honest, I had to wipe away a few tears after it was over.
Thanks, Dan, for posting about this; I might never have heard of it otherwise.
I completely concur with all of the comments you guys have made. It was easily one of the most enjoyable first-time viewings of a film I've ever had. The sheer joy of creating something out of almost nothing that the film showed really touched me. Lump in the throat? You betcha. To be completely honest, I had to wipe away a few tears after it was over.
Thanks, Dan, for posting about this; I might never have heard of it otherwise.
07-08-19, 01:41 PM
#25
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Re: One Cut of the Dead (2017 Japanese zombie movie you need to see)
Glad to hear you enjoyed it! It really is a special little flick, so the more people that come across this thread and check it out, the better.
