Product Details

• Directors: Marc Rosenbush
• Format: Anamorphic, Color, Dolby, DVD, Full Screen, HiFi Sound, NTSC, Surround Sound, THX, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Region: All Regions
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: Magic Lamp Releasing/Zenmovie LLC
• DVD Release Date: November 14, 2006
• Run Time: 71 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000LUBZDU
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #75,346 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Zen Noir" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Can it be both Stupid and Brilliant? Yes., October 19, 2008

By 

Brian Schell "DailyBuddhism.com" (Dayton, OH) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Zen Noir (DVD)

I saw the trailers for this movie last winter, and it looked hilarious, so when I finally had a chance to watch the film, I jumped at it. Zen humor is not something you see everyday, and this was obviously advertised as a comedy. I figured I'd have one more great review for the DailyBuddhism readers.

The movie is narrated in the first person by a 30's hard-boiled detective type, clearly a Mike Hammer parody, complete with tough-guy monologues and beard stubble. The action starts out with a chuckle, as an old Zen monk sits in a room with other monks meditating. He keels over and dies, but the others are so into their meditation they don't even notice. When the detective arrives and starts asking questions about the murder... Well, you know what kind of answers you get when you ask a question in Zen.

The first 25 minutes or so were rough. The back and forth rapid-fire questions and non-answers got old fast, and the overuse of Noir and Zen cliches got to the point of silliness, which was probably intentional, but still wasn't very funny. By around the 20-minute mark, I was ready to declare this the "stupidest movie ever." Then the silliness slowed down and the Zen took over.

There was still the occasional funny line, such as when the detective asks the Master,

"What happens when we... you know... die?"
"Don't know."
"Why not?"
"Not dead yet!" OK, so humor of that sort is in the delivery.

There are dozens of images of oranges and glimpses of oranges In different scenes and positions flashing onscreen throughout the drama. Once the meaning of the orange is explained, many things become clear, both in the movie and in real Zen itself. There really is a lot of Zen in the movie, and it was obviously very cleverly written.

Yet, I still have to ask myself, is it entertaining? The problem is that even after watching the movie, I cannot answer that one. This is definitely one of those love-it or hate-it movies, and I suspect most audiences are going to be split down the middle. If someone is fairly knowledgeable about basic Zen ideas, then there is a message in the ending; however, for the person who isn't very familiar with Zen ideas, this is going to be a seriously boring movie that makes no sense whatsoever.

I'm going to give this one a 3/5 since I really just don't know what to think... Or maybe I should give it a 5/5 for the same reason. Let's compromise and call it a 4.

Sigh. Zen makes me crazy sometimes.

61 of 75 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars The sound of no hand clapping, May 18, 2007

By 

nozama (Champaign, IL USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Zen Noir (DVD)

I purchased this DVD based in part on the reviews here at amazon, which to date all give the film many stars and glowing descriptions. I beg to differ. Yes, there is a Zen element to the film, as well as a definite nod to the Noir genre. Of course, there as also acting, directing, and plot. All of these named elements of the film were shallow and amateurish in my humble opinion. And by the way, just because the lines are delivered excruciatingly slowly and there are long pauses between the lines does not make it more Zen. After viewing I looked at the awards and critical acclaim quotes on the cover of the DVD, as well as viewing again the glowing comments on amazon, and wonder if they all were made by friends and family members of the film's creators, a little too anxious to like this movie. I hesitate to negatively review things, but I wanted to throw a word of caution to others considering purchasing this movie. It may be worth seeing but not worth owning.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Good Movie is Like an Onion, January 1, 2008

By 

Diana S. Daniels "Dhyana" (Southeastern Massachusetts) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Zen Noir (DVD)

A good movie is like an onion with many layers of meaning, and this is a good movie. It requires paying attention. What I learned most from it is to acknowledge fears, sit with the feeling and then, and only then, can we move on. Death is a universal fear and avoiding acknowledging our fear is a universal way of dealing with it. Zen Noir is a powerful and healing meditation on death but it is also funny and a love story. It clearly deserved the many awards it won...and I'm going to watch it again and again.