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    WSR Detailed DVD Review
    Vital
    Genre: Mystery Suspense

    Reviewed In Issue 106 (Mar 2006) Of Widescreen Review®

    Stars:
    Tadanobu Asano, Nami Tsukamoto, Kiki, Kazuyoshi Kushida, Go Rijyu, Jun Kunimura & Ittoku Kishibe

    WSR Review Scores
    WSR Picture Rating: 4.5
    DD Sound Rating: 3.5
    DTS Sound Rating: 3.5
    Download WSR Review
    Reference Systems
    Critics' Composite Score: 3
    Internet Links


    Special Features
    Special features include commentary with author Tom Mes, a 19-minute featurette "The Making Of Vital," 11 minutes behind the scenes of the Venice Film Festival World Premiere of the film, an 11-minute interview with director Shiinya Tsukamoto, a 10-minute special effects featurette, the Cocco "Blue Bird" music video, and the original theatrical trailer, all of which are available with optional English subtitles. There are also additional trailers.


     DVD General Information

    (Studio/Distributor): Tartan Video
    (Catalog Number): TVD3013
    (MPAA Rating): R
    (Rating Reason):

    		 For some aberrant sexual behavior, disturbing images, and brief language
    (Retail Price): $24.99
    (DVD Type): Single Side, Dual Layer (DVD9)
    (Widescreen Edition): Yes
    (Full Screen Edition): No
    (Anamorphic Widescreen): Yes
    (Running Time In Minutes): 85
    (Color Type): Color
    (Chaptered/Scene Access): Yes
    (Closed Captioned): No
    (Regional Coding): 1
    (Theatrical Year): 2004
    (Theatrical Release): Yes
    (Direct-To-Video Release): No
    (DVD Release Date): 01/24/06
    (THX® Digitally Mastered): No

     Credits Information

    (Director): Shiinya Tsukamoto
    (Screenplay/Written By): Subscribe Now!
    (Story): Subscribe Now!
    (Music): Subscribe Now!
    (Director Of Photography): Subscribe Now!
    (Production Designer): Subscribe Now!
    (Visual Effects): Subscribe Now!
    (Costume Designer): Subscribe Now!
    (Editor): Subscribe Now!
    (Supervising Sound Editors): Subscribe Now!
    (Re-Recording Mixers): Subscribe Now!
    (Executive Producers): Subscribe Now!
    (Co-Producers): Subscribe Now!
    (Producers): Subscribe Now!
    (Academy Awards): Subscribe Now!

      DVD Picture Information

    (Principal Photography): Subscribe Now!
    (Theatrical Aspect Ratio): Subscribe Now!
    (Measured DVD Anamorphic Aspect Ratio): Subscribe Now!
    (Measured DVD Letterbox Aspect Ratio): Subscribe Now!

      DVD Sound Information

    (DVD Soundtrack): Subscribe Now!
    (Theatrical Sound): Subscribe Now!
    (Theatrical Re-Issue Soundtrack): Subscribe Now!
    (DTS Bit Rate): Subscribe Now!
    (Dolby Digital Bit Rate): Subscribe Now!
    (Additional Languages): Subscribe Now!
    (Subtitles): Subscribe Now!
    (WSR Superb Sound Qualities): Subscribe Now!

      WSR Narrative Review
    Story Synopsis:
    After losing his memory in an automobile accident, Hiroshi Takagi (Asano) returns to the home of his parents. Finding and being fascinated by a dissection textbook, Hiroshi decides to attend medical school. One of his fellow students, Ikumi Yoshimoto (Kiki), takes an interest in Hiroshi but Hiroshi is more interested in the cadaver he is dissecting. The more time Hiroshi spends with the body, the more it becomes "Vital" to him to find out who she is and what part she may have played in his former life. (Tricia Spears)

    DVD Picture:
    The anamorphically enhanced 1.82:1 DVD picture can look very good. The picture is quite stylized, with scenes awash in vibrant colors that evoke a certain mood that is effective with the storytelling. Images are sharp and detailed, with finer details like strands of hair and clothing textures appearing quite natural. Color saturation is also a positive attribute to this DVD, with nicely balanced fleshtones, rich hues, and deep blacks. There is some pixelization and minor loss of finer details, but edge enhancement is not a problem. (Suzanne Hodges)

    Soundtrack:
    Both the Japanese Dolby

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