DVD Corner

Cutie And The Boxer Blu-ray Review

While not exactly subtle, “Cutie and the Boxer” is a poignant documentary.

“Cutie and the Boxer” is a documentary film that revolves around an old married couple (Noriko and Ushio) living in New York. Ushio is an 80 year old man who has struggled with alcoholism and trying to hit it big in the art world. Despite gaining notoriety for his unique boxing art (he literally boxes the canvas to create his work), he barely makes enough money for the two of them to scrape by. His younger wife (Noriko) is also an artist, but she cast aside her dreams to support her husband and raise a child (Alex). While this film was being made, however, we see Noriko stepping out of her husband’s shadow to try and revive her art career.

In a year (2013) of great documentaries like “Stories We Tell,” “The Act of Killing,” “Sound City,” “A Band Called Death,” and “Rewind This!,” it’s odd that “Cutie and the Boxer” seemingly came out of nowhere to nab an Academy Award nomination. While the film is a touching piece about love, art, marriage, creativity, and the past and present, it’s not without its flaws. Instead of digging deeper into the couple’s past (and especially Noriko’s life), the film spends more overstating ideas that are so clearly presented early on. It often feels like director Zachary Heinzerling is getting his subjects to say aloud (or act out) what he wants to be conveyed which feels a little cheap and insulting to the audience. A documentary shouldn’t have to spell out what is going on as we (the viewer) are meant to be observing like a fly on the wall. Perhaps ‘Cutie’ would have been more effective had it been a short instead?

Criticisms aside, ‘Cutie’ is still an attention grabbing documentary from start to finish. While seeing the couple create their art is no doubt fascinating, the film is as its best when it explores who Ushio and Noriko. Noriko in particular proves to be the heart of the film as she talks about how her marital struggles made her the artist she is today trying and tries to gain her husband’s support and respect as a fellow artist. She’s clearly trying to life how she has always wanted to live and it’s inspiring to see her finally do so.

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 1.85:1 1080p. How does it look? The documentary varies in quality as it contains archival footage, animated sequences based on Noriko’s art, and newly shot footage. With that said, the hi-def transfer is still impressive.

Audio Track: 5.1 DTS-HD MA. How does it sound? This is generally a quiet film, but the 5.1 track does the job.

Extras:
* Radius TWC and The Weinstein Company trailers.
* 5 deleted scenes.
* “Q&A At The Sundance Film Festival”- A Q&A with Noriko, Ushio, Kiki Miyake, and Zachary Heinzerling after a Sundance screening of “Cutie and the Boxer.”
* “Shinohara: The Last Artist By Rod McCall”- The entire short film about Ushio (as partially featured in ‘Cutie’).
* “Action Is Art: A Study Of Ushio Shinohara’s Boxing Painting”- A short slow motion look at Ushio’s boxing painting in motion.

Overall Thoughts: Is “Cutie and the Boxer” an Award worthy documentary? Probably not, but it’s still an honest and intimate film nonetheless.

February 20, 2014 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | Academy Award Nominated, Boxing Art, Cutie And The Boxer Blu-ray Review, Documentary Oscars, Noriko and Ushio