Why are Japanese films so terrible?

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We rented "Suicide Club" last week - really good, albeit disturbing. Much graphic violence, much mystery, much schoolgirls leaping to their deaths on the subway track. What more can you want?

― Layna Andersen (Layna Andersen), Sunday, 18 July 2004 23:29 (twenty-one years ago)

Has anyone seen the three most recent Seijun Suzuki films released on DVD (Underworld Beauty, Kanto Wanderer, Tattooed Life)? The first is a yakuza noir and the latter two are period yakuza films in color, I believe.

I found UB at Borders this weekend, but haven't had a chance to watch it.

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Sunday, 18 July 2004 23:57 (twenty-one years ago)

Julio (and any other interested parties): I saw Pitfall tonight, and it was GREAT! I'm really looking forward to the next two now.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Tuesday, 20 July 2004 21:24 (twenty-one years ago)

yeah, saw 'woman...' and almost certain to see it again, I did a thread on ilm abt toru takemitsu just after seeing it.

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Tuesday, 20 July 2004 21:44 (twenty-one years ago)

So is anyone on for Rikyu on Wednesday (8.20) or Friday (8.40) night? I'm definitely going.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Monday, 26 July 2004 18:07 (twenty-one years ago)

DVDs of the two Ju-on TV movies (predating the Ju-on:Grudge two theatrical versions) arrived this morning, hopefully I'll get the chance to watch at least one tonight. Are they really better than the 'remakes', as I've read?

Suicide Circle/Club is genius, yes - but is it any better than Uzumaki? I think not, although for non-horror material Wild Zero is about as good as it gets.

Someone on this thread might know... I've managed to pick up a fantran of the second Ringu TV series (Saishuushou/'The Final Chapter') - has anyone ever seen a subbed version of either the first (Ring: Kanzenban, admittedly only a one-off rather than a series) or third series (Rasen: The Series)?

― aldo_cowpat (aldo_cowpat), Tuesday, 27 July 2004 07:45 (twenty-one years ago)

the new sarah michelle gellar movie (remake of ju-on) is directed by takashi shimizu!!

― amateur!st (amateurist), Tuesday, 27 July 2004 14:36 (twenty-one years ago)

I should be going on friday martin.

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Tuesday, 27 July 2004 14:39 (twenty-one years ago)

Great! I'll go on Friday too!

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Tuesday, 27 July 2004 15:52 (twenty-one years ago)

cool, see you there.

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Tuesday, 27 July 2004 15:57 (twenty-one years ago)

three months pass...

revive!

director mentioned upthread:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,7943-1342630,00.html

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Thursday, 4 November 2004 21:22 (twenty-one years ago)

I am about to watch Kiyoshi Kurosawa's "Cure". What should I expect?

― adam... (nordicskilla), Thursday, 4 November 2004 21:27 (twenty-one years ago)

it is um... extreme

― A Nairn (moretap), Thursday, 4 November 2004 21:29 (twenty-one years ago)

I do not know if I will enjoy it, then. Is it like Takashi Miike? The jacket promises noir. I want noir.

― adam... (nordicskilla), Thursday, 4 November 2004 21:31 (twenty-one years ago)

yeah, it's kind of Noir. The most famous movie it's like is Seven, but more noir than that.

― A Nairn (moretap), Thursday, 4 November 2004 21:32 (twenty-one years ago)

anybody see "Thirteen Consecutive Slaughter" ?
The entire plot consists of this guy killing 13 women one after the other while free-jazz sax wails in the background. It was ok.

― Loose Translation: Sexy Dancer (sexyDancer), Thursday, 4 November 2004 22:30 (twenty-one years ago)

i have Visitor Q because someone loaned it to me and I never got around to watching it. Is it good? Will it unnerve me?

― kyle (akmonday), Thursday, 4 November 2004 22:35 (twenty-one years ago)

No, haven't seen that one!

xpost

― adam... (nordicskilla), Thursday, 4 November 2004 22:35 (twenty-one years ago)

Visitor Q is great if you're in the right mood. It's attempts to disturb you are pretty hilarious.

― Dan Quisenberry (deangulberry), Thursday, 4 November 2004 22:38 (twenty-one years ago)

You just like it because it's Japanese.

― adam... (nordicskilla), Thursday, 4 November 2004 22:39 (twenty-one years ago)

it's good. if you can make it past the opening scene (which is disturbing, the sense of humor becomes more apparent.

it's just a nice story about the modern japanese every-family.

― (Jon L), Thursday, 4 November 2004 22:41 (twenty-one years ago)

Visitor Q is a very odd movie, really unpleasant to watch in places, but also hugely entertaining.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Thursday, 4 November 2004 22:55 (twenty-one years ago)

I am about to watch Kiyoshi Kurosawa's "Cure". What should I expect?

the best movie ever!! well second best. but certianly the scariest. hook up your player to your stereo if you can because the soundtrakc is crazy like eraserhead.

― :| (....), Thursday, 4 November 2004 23:39 (twenty-one years ago)

I watched akira kurosawa's 'throne of blood' today, strangely apposite that he should change the ending of macbeth so that the army do not advance on the fort and kill the macbeth character but (haha naively hopeful? idealistic?! sigh) he has the mad crazy tyrant's own troops revolt and gun him down in a hail of arrows, eventually (haha holy figurative guacamole batman!) being speared through the throat (or voice-box) literally 'silenced'. would that republicans watched kurosawa.

― cºzen (Cozen), Thursday, 4 November 2004 23:43 (twenty-one years ago)

I thought the film ok by the way and I'm not normally trapped into such ropey reductive mathematical nuts bolts brass tacks addition and subtraction analysis of films but I thought it kinda apt just this once to say. you know, it stuck in my craw.

― cºzen (Cozen), Thursday, 4 November 2004 23:44 (twenty-one years ago)

you've changed.

― adam... (nordicskilla), Thursday, 4 November 2004 23:45 (twenty-one years ago)

I can change back.

― cºzen (Cozen), Thursday, 4 November 2004 23:46 (twenty-one years ago)

damn we should have watched that on halloween rather than the comparatively unfrightening albeit good The Dead Zone

― kyle (akmonday), Thursday, 4 November 2004 23:48 (twenty-one years ago)

It wasn't as good as I remembered, frankly.

― adam... (nordicskilla), Thursday, 4 November 2004 23:50 (twenty-one years ago)

you've changed.

― cºzen (Cozen), Thursday, 4 November 2004 23:51 (twenty-one years ago)

a private eye who is flamboyantly gay in a prussian way

I wish I understood what this meant.

xpost I know

― adam... (nordicskilla), Thursday, 4 November 2004 23:51 (twenty-one years ago)

imagine john banner from hogans heroes channelign alan cumming and youre almost there. have you seen cure already?

― :| (....), Friday, 5 November 2004 00:04 (twenty-one years ago)

No, still at work.

― adam... (nordicskilla), Friday, 5 November 2004 00:08 (twenty-one years ago)

http://www.buddycom.com/dinos/images/trexruns.gif

― latebloomer (latebloomer), Friday, 5 November 2004 00:46 (twenty-one years ago)

I just watched Kinji Fukasaku's Blackmail Is My Life, it was a lot of fun, even if a couple of parts didn't make sense (which I think was a problem with the subtitling). I need to get the other two DVDs of his that just got released.

― milozauckerman (miloaukerman), Sunday, 7 November 2004 08:47 (twenty-one years ago)

And Ozu makes it hard for me to remember if I've seen a particular film, since every other one is called 'Late Spring' or 'Early Autumn' or 'That Bit Just Before Winter When All The Leaves Have Finally Fallen But It's Not That Cold Yet' or something like that.

Late Spring is just sooooo good. I can understand why younger directors rebeled against Ozu because he was very *tranquil* but still Ozu rules! :-)

We also saw Audition which wasn't perfect but still very good. Also about Japanese society.

― jesus nathalie (nathalie), Sunday, 7 November 2004 10:10 (twenty-one years ago)

one year passes...

Kiyoshi Kurosawa's "Pulse" has been released from Miramax Purgatory -- playing in a few cities, DVD shortly. I saw it 3 years ago, and a couple shots in particular haunts me still.

Prob'ly off to see Mizoguchi's "Sansho the Bailiff" tonight...

― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Tuesday, 15 November 2005 20:39 (twenty years ago)

I just sprung for the Criterion Ugetsu the other day.

― k/l (Ken L), Tuesday, 15 November 2005 20:46 (twenty years ago)

sansho is so great

― s1ocki (slutsky), Tuesday, 15 November 2005 21:02 (twenty years ago)

The 47 Ronin was on recently, but I didn't get around to watching it.

― k/l (Ken L), Tuesday, 15 November 2005 21:25 (twenty years ago)

Koji Wakamatsu's 'Go Go Second-Time Virgin' from 1969 is harsh stuff but worth tracking down if you like Miike's 'Audition' and 'Visitor Q'

I've been overdosing on the 3 DVD set of Toshio Matsumoto's Experimental Film Works 1961-1987. I can't believe I didn't know about this guy, utterly beautiful abstract film & video works all set to blazing period electronic scores -- expensive but worth it -- if you're only getting one, get Volume 2

― milton parker (Jon L), Tuesday, 15 November 2005 21:30 (twenty years ago)

Wild Zero is endlessly classic.

― kingfish hobo juckie (kingfish 2.0), Tuesday, 15 November 2005 21:34 (twenty years ago)

haven't seen Matsumoto's Funeral Parade of Roses yet though

Black Lizard, one of my favorite films. not on this thread yet. I think there are very few people on this thread who wouldn't love that film.

― milton parker (Jon L), Tuesday, 15 November 2005 21:36 (twenty years ago)

"Go Go Second-Time Virgin" is OK, but the Wakamatsu interview included on the DVD is golden!

Wild Zero is amazing!

http://www.pwi.racknine.net/guitarwolf.jpg

"LOVE KNOWS NO NATIONALITIES, BOUNDARIES OR GENDER! ROCKNROLL!"

― Polysix Bad Battery (cprek), Tuesday, 15 November 2005 22:00 (twenty years ago)

Companion threads:

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― M. V. (M.V.), Wednesday, 16 November 2005 01:56 (twenty years ago)

Why are Brazilians so bad at soccer?

― k/l (Ken L), Wednesday, 16 November 2005 03:26 (twenty years ago)

have we done a why are american films so terrible?

we should

― Lovelace (Lovelace), Wednesday, 16 November 2005 05:27 (twenty years ago)

two weeks pass...

anyone seen any imai tadashi?

― cozen (Cozen), Monday, 5 December 2005 14:02 (twenty years ago)

Not I.

I watched Mizoguchi's Sisters of the Gion last night... short, bleak and grim. I prefer his '30s visual palette to Ozu's or Naruse's.

― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Monday, 5 December 2005 14:37 (twenty years ago)

six months pass...

Swa Kobayashi's Harakiri the other night -- yow, that early bamboo sword scene...

― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Friday, 23 June 2006 13:18 (nineteen years ago)

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