Before The Hunger Games There Was Battle Royale

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Publish Date

May 9, 2012

Battle Royale

Before The Hunger Games there was Battle Royale, director Kinji Fukasaku’s dystopian fantasy about students forced by the government to kill each other. Being a horror and fantasy film buff, I looked forward to the Blu-ray release of the film and, boy, did it deliver! It includes the director’s cut, theatrical version, sequel, and a disc full of extras — overkill in every possible way.

San Diego Opera audiences probably think I sit around listening to opera or going to the Metropolitan Opera HD broadcasts at movie theaters. I don’t. But that didn’t stop me from ordering one of the sexiest, most intriguing and shocking Don Giovannis I’ve ever seen, a film of the 2008 Salzburg Festival production starring the very hot British baritone Christopher Maltman. Edgy, violent, erotic, and perfect for opera newbies.