FadedBlue_net

Title: Early Spring (aka Soshun)
Director: Yasujiro Ozu
Year: 1956
Genre: Drama
Format Reviewed: Criterion Eclipse DVD

Title: Tokyo Twilight (aka Tokyo Boshoku)
Director: Yasujiro Ozu
Year: 1957
Genre: Drama
Format Reviewed: Criterion Eclipse DVD

I recently bought the Eclipse Series 3 box set, and have gotten through the first two movies.  Early Spring and Tokyo Twilight are the two B&W films of the set and are quite a bit different in plot.  Early Spring follows a salaryman who becomes involved with a co-worker, while his marriage is on the rocks for reasons related and unrelated.  It is a study of interaction between people who have known each other for a long time.  Tokyo Twilight‘s main plot revolves around a much younger protagonist, who unknowingly meets her mother, who ran away with another man after giving birth, leaving the girl to be raised by a single father.  Tokyo Twilight actually feels much slower paced and has a good amount of angst.  I suppose some things in youth are universal.

Early Spring is the better feeling film, though enjoyment from an Ozu film has more to do with whether you can grow into the characters.  There is a bittersweet ending and it can be touching, as the characters are quite likable.  In contrast, Tokyo Twilight seems more distant and unrelatable, although purposefully.  It’s an interesting comparison to look into.  For Early Spring, one can understand that the love between a couple can go through hard times and yet still feel close.  As for the relation between the daughter in Tokyo Twilight and her mother, they have never met before, and although they share a mother-daughter bond, it seems that fate will always keep them separated because their love was never given time to mature.  Though there is also a meditation on the limits to what the bond the single father can have with his daughter.
Of course, if you’ve seen an Ozu film before, you know the style of film and deliberately paced family drama that you are getting into.  There are few times where you laugh, cry, get depressed, etc.  It’s the test given to a good drama.   Ozu is obviously a master of this genre, and neither of these two film disappoint fans of his.  Early Spring is interesting enough to be accessible to a newcomer to older Japanese cinema, and I would chose it over Tokyo Twilight.  It may even be a better choice to start here with Ozu rather than Tokyo Story, because it is a little less depressing and more relatable, though certainly not as moving.

The Eclipse transfer is pretty good, though I can’t compare to a film copy.  I didn’t notice any significant lack of details in dark spots.  Running through the mono-theater simulation on my receiver, they both sounded very good.

Ratings:
Early Spring – 5 /5
Tokyo Twilight – 4 /5

Title: Exte (aka Hair Extensions)
Director: Sion Sono
Year: 2007
Genre: Horror
Format Reviewed: DVD

Exte is a highly anticipated horror movie.  It has so much potential to be a really great movie: huge name actors and actresses, an excellent director, and a plot theme that can be as scary as any other.  Most of all, the combination of all these part can and do make the film a very fresh genre film to the dying genre of J-horror.

J-horror has suffered from stereotypes, poor spinoffs and sequels, and horrible Hollywood remakes.  It seems like there is little hope for true originals like Ju-on and Ringu to arise in this atmosphere.  Rather than focusing recycled products, Exte has become the gem in a crop of potatoes.  There are many things that are just done right in Exte, even if not genre-shattering, that make the film very watchable and enjoyable to fans of horror.

One may watch this movie to see Chiaki Kuriyama play a lead role (and try to figure out whether she will die by the end…. I won’t tell you).  It’s not a bad one to pick up for this reason as well.  She does a great job acting, as usual, and you can tell she’s having fun with the movie.  Her character is quite innocent and has a fairly typical personality.  It’s definitely fun to follow her through the movie and root for her.

Exte is a horror movie in the classic J-horror sense, but there really is no plot connection to other movies like The Wig.  Rest assured, you won’t feel like you’ve seen this movie already, even for veterans of asian horror.  Long, straight, black hair has been a major element in many asian horror movies, and has been done to death.  [pun]  I don’t know how, but Exte is not at all fatiguing in its use of hair.  Maybe it’s the volume..

Rating: 3 /5

Title: Imprint
Director: Takashi Miike
Year: 2006
Genre: Horror
Format Reviewed: Film and Bluray

Having seen Imprint twice, once in a small theater in Tokyo and once on bluray at my own place, I can honestly say the second viewing is just as powerful on the second viewing.  Imprint is probably a movie that will be overlooked by all but hardcore Miike fans and those who just happen to watch it in order to complete the whole Masters of Horror series.  This is unfortunate, but probably is the best audience for the film.

The Masters of Horror series was great for horror fans, although the films were hit and miss, which I’ve also heard said about Miike’s own filmography.  Don’t let the fact that Imprint was “made-for-TV” turn you off.  The movie is long enough at 63 minutes (in fact, any longer may feel too long) and has enough plot elements and twists to keep you interested all the way through.  Nor does the made-for-TV status limit it’s gore or horror.  In fact, that’s half of the reason it was never released on TV.  The other is the other weird part of the movie, which would be a spoiler.

All of the actors speak English in this movie, though only one of them is a native speaker.  This gives Imprint authenticity plot-wise, but often times pulls the viewer out of  the movie.  I would bet many people won’t even understand several spoken lines.  Nevertheless, some scenes do not need words.  And the horror, which is better classifies as torture, will not be forgotten.  You’ve been warned.  If you’ve seen Audition, I’d say this movie is the closest thing to that torture scene than anything else.  Although the motives are not as powerful this time (Audition‘s strongest feat), the torture scene is done much more aesthetically.  The visuals of Imprint can be stunning, especially on a good media.  Stunning in a more ways than one.

Imprint delivers for those who are already interested in it.  And for fans of Audition, this and Strange Circus are two next two movies that you should see.  Each one takes one of the things that Audition is known for and does them separately: torture and reality.  If you only liked one of those themes, then here’s your chance to watch one without the other.  Even on Showtime, I’m not sure if you’d like to accidently turn this movie on while channel surfing… you should be ready for it before you start.

Rating: 3 /5

Title: Strange Circus
Director: Sion Sono
Year: 2005
Genre: Horror
Format Reviewed: DVD

Whether you’re coming to this film a newcomer to Sion Sono’s work or having seen Suicide Club or Noriko’s Dinner Table, you may have heard it classified a horror movie.  But if you know either of those movies, it’s hard to say they were horrifying in a typical horror sense.  There were no ghosts or demons in either of them.  In fact, if you watch all of Sion Sono’s work, you begin to wonder: just what is horror?

The most horrifying aspect of Sono’s movies are the characters.  What’s curious about them is their duality of being super realistic, yet so far from the norm.  Each one has a main character who is trying to find their place in the world.  This is certainly a huge theme Sono’s movies, but for most other directors “trying to find your place” is a premise for a happy or bittersweet ending.  Strange Circus is the ultimate and complete opposite.  What lies underneath the characters of Strange Circus is indeed horrifying.

The story has a lot of plot twists… think Audition.  Unless you were really paying attention, you might not know what is real and what is fake.  This all adds to Sono’s objective as a story-teller to make the audience question their perception.  The characters are unique and have genuine motives.  They could care less if their story was being told, as they are serious about accomplishing what they put out to do.  What’s the point of doing it if you don’t go all the way.  Clearly Sono has taken his own piece of advice in making horror film!

While it certainly can be accessible to a wider (emphasis on the “er“) audience, you have to be able to tolerate some taboo themes (to Americans – which isn’t saying much) and some slightly gross-out moments.  I’ve seen worse in a horror film.  But if you can do that and really pay attention, you will certainly be rewarded at the end of this film.  It is rich, deep, powerful, and at it’s best, horrifying.

Rating: 4 /5

Title: Uzumaki
Director: Higuchinsky
Year: 2000
Genre: Horror
Format Reviewed: DVD

Uzumaki is quite an old horror movie in the context of J-horror that has made it’s way to North America.  In fact, it was in theaters years before Ringu, Ju-on, or even Kairo came out.  So you can’t very easily say Uzumaki rips off other J-horror movies or their styles.  As a cult film, Uzumaki is quite unique among Japanese horror and is somewhat refreshing to watch for those sick of scary little kids.

Although it doesn’t necessarily follow J-horror conventions, Uzumaki has a style similar to Tetsuya Nakashima’s seen in Memories of Matsuko: off-the-wall close-ups and poor acting in some parts.  This was my biggest complaint of the movie.  Uzumaki certainly isn’t going for the straight horror, but rather a weird and almost quirky feeling.  Often times gruesome, but still not too heavy.

The horror aspect of Uzumaki is fine and it’s plot is interesting enough to hold your attention.  If not, then snail people will.  Let’s just say that some images in Uzumaki may very well be never duplicated again.  That’s probably the biggest reason to watch this movie.  It’s so strange that you’ll never forget it, although it’s probably best suited  for hardcore fans of asian horror.

Rating: 2 /5

Title: Onibaba
Director: Kaneto Shindo
Year: 1964
Genre: Horror
Format Reviewed: Film

The rich history of Japanese film can be overlooked these days, due to the prevalence of remade 90′s and 00′s J-horror movies which have over-saturated the American market.  It may seem that Japanese film has only had one type of horror: your long-haired little girl, or pale-paced boy that seems to teleport to the scariest location right behind you.  Although I believe a lot of this imagery stem from more ancient Japanese folk ghost stories, which can be seen on scrolls in some Japanese museum, there is a lot of original stuff out there, old and new.  Onibaba is a great example of a very unique horror movie with a straightforward plot, a deeper message, and haunting silent imagery.

To even start to talk about the plot in Onibaba would tell you most of the story.  Not too much happens in the movie overall, though this isn’t to be meant as a fault.  A mother and daughter live in a field of tall grass (seen in the poster) during wartime between samurai, and they live by trading dead samurai’s equipment for food.  Along comes a neighbor who is looking for company from the daughter, but the mother doesn’t want him to split up the mother-daughter living arrangement.  She has to find some way of keeping her daughter from running away to him.

Like most Japanese horror, the horror of Onibaba doesn’t come from thrills of killing, but rather from a chilling atmospheric presence of inhumanity.  This is really where the black & white color scheme actually is a complement to the film.  Silent, still shots of scenes by the river contrast with sloppy and frantic close up shots of running through the fields.  Slow-motion, flowing grass seems to characterize some sort of unknown life in the night.

The simple and slow-moving horror that builds through the night scenes climaxes with a horrific realization about the mother.  Themes of sin and punishment, as well as war and humanity run throughout the plot, and the audience is left with a situation where one ultimately decides their own fate.  Onibaba is a commentary on how little one often understands those consequences.

Rating: 4 /5

Title: One Missed Call 2 (Chaku-shin ari 2)
Director: Renpei Tsukamoto
Year: 2005
Genre: Horror
Format Reviewed: DVD

Oh great, another sequel to a J-horror flick, right?  While One Missed Call 2 is obviously the successor to the hit and well-liked One Missed Call, it actually departs from the formula in the first movie quite a bit.  Rather than being a gory anticipation game, OMC2 is actually more of a detective movie.  There really aren’t any gross-out moments, and deaths are quick, fairly bloodless, and not very inspired.

So whether or not the movie is enjoyable is up to your open-mindedness.  At first, I was turned off by the fact that not many people bite it in interesting ways (one of the most important parts of an asian horror movie), but after I started to see the direction OMC2 goes, I changed my mind.  You can’t blame the writers to go in a different direction, since J-horror sequels and spin offs have become so ubiquitous that a straight-forward sequel would get lost in the mix.

What’s good about this new direction?  Well not really that much.  I mean the acting is sub-par to the point of being a little annoying, and the emotions are a little cliche.  That said, I still found myself caught up in the story.  I think the never-ending anticipation of the premise that OMC has built around killer cell phone messages is legit and it goes to show how interesting an idea it really is.  So to keep the same basic principles and change the audiences’ vantage point allows for a sequel that is less dull than some others, considering the arguable over-saturation of the J-horror market.  I guess it’s more the pace of the story that is different, since we are still following a main character who is trying to solve her own case of living longer than her voicemail.

The step from OMC to OMC2 is very similar to Ju-On to Ju-On 2.  The first was very fresh, interesting, and viewable to non J-horror fans, but the sequel is really only going to be liked by close followers to the genre.  To end on a positive note, the ending of OMC2 is satisfying for viewers who make it that far and makes up for a lot of its faults.

Rating: 2 /5

Title: The Great Yokai War (aka. Yokai Daisensou)
Director: Takashi Miike
Year: 2005
Genre: Children’s Movie/Fantasy/Adventure
Format Reviewed: TV (Sundance Channel)

Let’s get it out of the way first: this is going to be a love/hate review.  If you have ever seen a Miike (pronounced: “mii-kay”) film before, you probably either thought he was insane, awesome, and most likely both.  Unfortunately, it’s a little harder to see the awesome side in The Great Yokai War.  It’s hard to judge this, though, since it is so obviously meant for a child similarly aged as the protagonist.  There are certainly good elements in the film, but the average movie goer (and especially for the Western audience) isn’t going to enjoy it at all.  It’s so bizarre and cheesy at points, at times I was just laughing at the fact that this was even a movie.

So what’s up with this movie?  It’s got an incredibly talented director.  Most of the actors do a fine job, though they tend to purposefully stick to their superficial role in the movie.  Probably a choice made to simplify things for its younger audience.  Speaking of young, there’s no denying Chiaki Kuriyama (you’ll know her from Kill Bill or Battle Royale) taking on yet another semi-evil, semi-awesome role.  I think fans of Kuriyama already have enough to see this film.  She doesn’t disappoint with her usual type of character and spot in the story, as well as some sexy poses.

The story itself is kind of what makes the movie blow up.  The formula for this film is a little bit of Japanese folk lore, a little bit of obviously evil guy, a kid who has to swing a sword, a million absolutely bizarre creatures, and a puppet cat that is probably left-over from Labyrinth.  Specificially, our hero is chosen at a Japanese festival and is hesitant to participate in some great battle, which may or may not be linked to some guy in a business suit?  Yeah, we really don’t get too much of the pieces to fit it all together, but there are a few things we do know:  cats need to be saved, swords can apparantly be broken and mended perfectly, and the bad guys need to bite it before things get too out of hand. Not too crazy for a child’s fantasy movie, right?  Even for a child, this movie may be a bit too scary and gory, though.  Again, it’s a touch of Miike, but nothing like what you’re used to with his work.

On paper, The Great Yokai War, might have been alright, if you forgive it’s dumbing down and slap-stick humor.  But no.  Yokai suffers from horrible special effects (though really, this is standard for mainstream Japanese movies), useless characters, and a lack of focus.  All-in-all, I don’t think anything actually changed from the beginning to the end of the movie.  On the other hand, Miike has a select few scenes where you can really see his great use of camera, horror, off-beat comedy, and seductive villians.  These are great for the fans of his work, but I just don’t think it’s enough to label Yokai even worth watching for them.  It looks as if Miike is making a very slight message about environmentalism and garbage waste, but it is so dilluted and set aside the minute it comes up that there is no focus for it either.  If you’ve got to see everything Miike has made or Kuriyama is in, then go right ahead… but don’t expect anything that makes the film itself good.  Because in the end, it’s just a superficial children’s story with a lot of make-up, costume, and a handful of laughs; though, you may be laughing at the movie, and not with it.

Rating: 1 /5

Alright, another year of free, great Japanese cinema courtesy of yours truly’s alma mater. I’ve been going to these series (summer and fall) for several years, since I took a Japanese Cinema course at UofMichigan. I highly recommend viewing of any and all of these if you happen to be in the area. I’ve seen half of the films on the list for this summer, and will include my rating for them on the side.

I will really be looking forward to seeing the ones that I haven’t seen yet, and am always up for seeing Kairo again. Don’t be fooled… it’s not the junky American version of Pulse! Retribution was not bad, and Audition is a must-see for any serious fan of film, horror, or Japanese film.

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Summer 2008 Film Series: “Summer Chills: Japanese Horror Films”

Friday, July 18th ~ PULSE (KAIRO) – Rating: 5/5
Friday, July 25th ~ ONIBABA
Friday, August 1st ~ KWAIDAN (KAIDAN)
Friday, August 8th ~ HELL (JIGOKU)
Friday, August 15th ~ RETRIBUTION (SAKEBI) – Rating: 3/5
Friday, August 22nd ~ AUDITION (ODISHON) – Ratin: 5/5
Link: UofM Ann Arbor – Center for Japanese Studies

Title: Bright Future (aka Akarui Mirai)
Director: Kurosawa Kiyoshi
Year: 2003
Genre: Drama
Format Reviewed: TV (Sundance Channel)

Is there no wrong that Kiyoshi Kurosawa can do? Certainly there has to be one movie in his past that doesn’t live up to the hype. Or so I thought going back to this lesser praised (but still praised) work. In the Kurosawa filmography, Bright Future is placed between Kairo (I’ve seen) and Doppleganger (haven’t seen). It’s fun to watch an auteur like Kiyoshi, because you can see different sides of the same world that his mind must work in. Clearly Bright Future builds upon the social loneliness and meaninglessness of life, or so is felt by the main characters, that is present in his other movies, but it is not quite as polished or apocalyptic as Kairo. But since I view Kairo as possibly the best horror movie ever… I won’t judge it solely on it being worse than that!

Indeed, I like Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s movies because they have a distinct realism of everyday life and a purposeful silence in conversation; a point where Bright Future excels. The protagonist is as well-rounded as you’re going to get from a Kurosawa film. That is to say that he doesn’t often work very hard to show background in his characters, or many of their motivations, and at least you see a few different sides of Nimura. Some other classic techniques of Kiyoshi present include the normal moving and looking post-death ghost, on screen in the first shot and invisible in the second. Suicide and general illegal activity is portrayed as the end result of being pushed into some limit by one’s situation, as well.

So what makes it different than a typical Kiyoshi film (if there were such a thing)? Well, for one, the ending. I feel that the ending is really quite satisfying compared to others that he has done. It kind of takes the feelings from throughout the movie and puts them aside… releasing your thoughts onto present life rather than pounding remorse or loneliness into the viewer, as I’ve found Kurosawa to do sometimes. I suppose Bright Future lives up to its name then, as it does seem to give hope in a world without any. And while it’s not as clear as the messages in his other films, he seems to provide some solutions for society, rather than just the cause of despair.

Rating: 4 /5

cultural note: there is a visual reference to the Japanese Obon festival in this movie. If you don’t know what that is… look it up first!