Miscellaneous Japanese Cinema Thread

[Takuma]

This is a thread for miscellaneous Japanese cinema... films that don't fall under martial arts, action, cult films, or other genres/topics that are the focus of this forum, but nevertheless deserve attention.

In other words, one big thread for topics that probably wouldn't be discussed at kfc otherwise. News, opinions, whatever. Of course, if some conversation really takes off it can later be extracted into a topic of its own.

[Takuma]

Aru hi mori no naka (あるひもりのなか) ("on a certain day in the woods" or "one day in the woods")

The 39th film is the Seishun H series. Let me just quote this guy who summarized it perfectly...

Trailer:

7sr8skMRm54

Seihun H is a series of very loosely related low budget films by promising/interesting non-mainstream filmmakers. It's produced by Artport and basically sells itself as a series of slightly sexy films for young adults. A bit similar to Love Cinema and other such projects. The films get a very limited theatrical release in Tokyo (usually one week) by default, and the best ones may play in some other cities as well.

The output is very diverse: anything from surreal sex comedies to fake documentaries and dramas. There were quite a few interesting films early on, such as Sakichi Sato's Zero Man vs. The Half Virgin, Koji Shiraishi's Cho akunin, and Kota Yoshida's Solo nante kudaranai which I haven't seen yet.

The series hasn't looked so interesting recently, until I saw the trailer for Aru hi mori no naka. Among all the Japanese WTF products this looks strangely fascinating and retro. Looking forward to seeing it. Playing in Tokyo right now.

One of director Kenji Araki's earlier films was The Battle Cats (2007). You can see the trailer here (there's a link below the DVD cover):

http://www.rolans-film.com/item-detail.php?item_id=163

[Takuma]

The film I'm most looking forward to right now: My Man (2014). Directed by Kazuyoshi Kumakiri (Sketches of Kaitan City) and starring the hugely talented Fumi Nikaido (Himizu, Why Don't You Play in Hell) and Tadanobu Asano in what looks like a comeback role of sorts for him. June 14th release.

Teaser:

1kdrxzFmY10

Trailer:

h7X05TkEASk

Site:

http://watashi-no-otoko.com/

[Takuma]

Back in 2010 when new Japanese splatter films were having quite a boom, my eye caught this one cute girl wearing glasses and repeatedly appearing in the sets or in small roles in these films... back then I tried to look up info on her and wrote quite a bit on another forum. Here's a brief summary from 2010...

Here's an interesting girl. Her name is Maki Mizui. She plays Astro-Mutant in Mutant Girls Squad. Looks like she's quite closely associated with Nishimura and pals, having appeared in numerous films by them. And her blog is great. There was bit where she was writing how she "escaped" from her manager and sneaked into movie theater to see Tetsuo 3.

Not quite a pure angel though. She's got a bit side business in AV, although she doesn't appear to be a full on star. And her idol pics were enough for google to block some links based on how young she looks. Her age appears to be a national secret. August 10th birthday, but absolutely no mention of year anywhere. Not as far as I could find, anyway.

As you can see, the stuff from her blog is pretty great.

I remember her now. I've seen her in some making off docs and TGP Short Collection end credits I think... I was always wondering who's that incredibly cute girl. I probably have screencaps too... let me see

TGP Short Collection end credits (From TGP R2J DVD) and The Machine Girl Making Of (From The Maachine Girl R2J DVD)

I didn't quite expect that three years (2013) later I would meet her and talk with her a couple of times at Yubari Film Fest. Or that 4 years later (2014) she would hand me some sushi (again at Yubari)

She seems like a very nice girl indeed, but obviously hasn't had an easy life. She was kidnapped as a teenager by a sex criminal, but managed to escape unharmed (the other victims weren't that lucky). It also seems she ventured to AV when she was still underage. At least last year you could still clearly see cut marks on her arms, too.

I don't know how exactly she met Yoshihiro Nishimura, but she's been working for him at least since she was 14 years old. Due to Nishimura's close associations with Sion Sono, Mizui also worked as an assistant in Sono's movies such as Noriko's Dinner Table at the age of 15.

This year she was once again in Yubari with Nishimura, but not only as Nishimura's assistant, but also as a first time director whose debut film Kept (Ra) was nominated for the Grand Prix. When it didn't win, Mizui walked on the stage and asked the president of the jury (Kichitaro Negishi) why? I saw her later and there were tear in her eyes all evening. I wish I could have said something nice to her, but being essentially a stranger I felt it might not be appropriate.

Kept is based on her own experiences as the victim of a kidnapping. It's a very powerful, extremely dark movie with a magnificent soundtrack based on Alex Proyas' film Spirits of the Air, Gremlins of the Cloud. There are some symbolic scenes that don't quite work, though, and the characterization somewhat cuts corners. Nevertheless, it's a very interesting and highly personal film. It was produced by Nishimura, who also served as Mizui's assistant and co-editor.

Here she is with Nishimura in Yubari this year:

And another picture (via Zeonic Dragon)

And a few old ones from 2005 and 2006 via Nishimura's blog

I must say I'm really happy for her, and its somehow heart warming to see how she and Nishimura work together. They seem almost like father and daughter, except that fathers rarely stick a fake penis into their daughter's forehead for a special effects movie

Poster, trailer and website for Kept (Ra)

- http://vimeo.com/86968100

- http://www.mmizui.com/ra

My full review of Kept:

http://sketchesofcinema.wordpress.com/2014/03/25/kept/

Another review:

http://www.efilmcritic.com/review.php?movie=26524&reviewer=371

[Secret Executioner]

The output is very diverse: anything from surreal sex comedies to fake documentaries and dramas.

Boy, sounds kinda like European exploitation cinema from the 1970s/1980s. I could be into seeing these, I bet there must be some gems here and there. The latest film Aru hi mori no naka (あるひもりのなか) looks weird (by the poster), but I'd watch that - along with some other glorious Japanese masterpieces like Godzilla vs Megalon.

[Secret Executioner]

The film I'm most looking forward to right now: My Man (2014). Directed by Kazuyoshi Kumakiri (Sketches of Kaitan City) and starring the hugely talented Fumi Nikaido (Himizu, Why Don't You Play in Hell) and Tadanobu Asano in what looks like a comeback role of sorts for him. June 14th release.

Teaser:

1kdrxzFmY10

Trailer:

h7X05TkEASk

Site:

http://watashi-no-otoko.com/

That looks like a nice film too, I enjoyed the trailer though I couldn't make out who was who and what was going on (my Japanese is very poor). It looks a bit artsy (not in a bad sense, mind you) and I guess - if it gets a theatrical release over here - that I could catch it at the theater where I've seen several Asian films in the original language, including the theatrical version of Penance (Shokuzai 贖罪) (hopefully not in 15 years like it happened with Nobuhiro Suwa's 2/Duo that I also saw at that theater)

[Takuma]

Boy, sounds kinda like European exploitation cinema from the 1970s/1980s. I could be into seeing these, I bet there must be some gems here and there. The latest film Aru hi mori no naka (あるひもりのなか) looks weird (by the poster), but I'd watch that - along with some other glorious Japanese masterpieces like Godzilla vs Megalon.

From the one's I've seen Zero Man vs. the Half Virgin (2011) is a the best. It's a trendy romance /drama / comedy / fantasy directed by Takashi Miike screenwriter Sakichi Sato's (Gozu, Ichi the Killer). The film follows a policeman who wakes up with no memory, but instead a new skill. He can see the number of other people’s past sex partners (as the figure appears on their foreheads) when he "touches himself".

Despite the potentially rauchy concept and pink star Shijimi getting rid of her clothes once it's actually a very romantic film. Sato makes most out of his limited budget, utilizing wonderful pop/rock soundtrack and some visually mesmerizing scenes. The film is 20 minutes too long, but the energy and innovative camera angles keep it running.

Trailer (which doesn't make it look half as good as it really is):

Yod-lcjwdbE

Another interesting, though not entirely successful entry is horror director Koji Shiraishi's (Grotesque, Noroi) Cho akunin ("Super Villain"). The fake documentary style film follows a super-evil serial rapist who invites a pair of journalists to interview him. It's often hilarious and has a nice theme song, but the bland visual delivery can't quite carry the entire film. The majority of its 90 minute running time is basically people talking to the camera, which makes it feel too long for what it is.

Trailer:

aOylxRthyiE

[Takuma]

Another interesting, though not entirely successful entry is horror director Koji Shiraishi's (Grotesque, Noroi) Cho akunin ("Super Villain"). The fake documentary style film follows a super-evil serial rapist who invites a pair of journalists to interview him. It's often hilarious and has a nice theme song, but the bland visual delivery can't quite carry the entire film. The majority of its 90 minute running time is basically people talking to the camera, which makes it feel too long for what it is.

Trailer:

aOylxRthyiE

Interestingly, Shiraishi's new film A Record of Sweet Murder (2014) sounds almost like a modification of Cho akunin. The film follows a serial killer who escaped from mental institution invites a reporter to make a story of him.

The film is a co-production between Nikkatsu and a Korean company, with most of the cast being Korean (including Kim Kkobbi, who has been in several Japanese films recently). Nikkatsu had another international co-production last year with Killers.

Teaser:

AoOohrIYYNw

Site:

http://satsujinsha-kiroku.jp/

Variety review:

http://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/hong-kong-filmart-review-a-record-of-sweet-murder-1201149808/

Opens in Japan in September.

Director Shiraishi specializes in POV/Fake Doc/Found Footage style films. Although it's a bit of an old trick by now, he did one of the best films of that genre ever with Noroi - The Curse back in 2005. I also love his 2010 movie Shirome, but that's more of an idol satire than horror film (that it's misleadingly marketed as) and probably won't be understood without strong knowledge of Japanese idol culture. The genius of that film was that Shiraishi let his young stars, the pop band Momoiro Clover, believe they're filming a documentary of a haunted house for TV when in reality Shiraishi had his special effects team working secretly to scare the shit out of the girls who started to believe it's all real. Cruel, but hilarious.

And speaking of Momoiro Clover, their agent deserves a big glass of beer. The same man also put them into Ninifuni - indie director Tetsuya Mariko's minimalist arthouse film in which Momoiro Clover perform as themselves.

I reviewed the film a while ago:

http://sketchesofcinema.wordpress.com/2014/01/21/ninifuni/

[Secret Executioner]

Koji Shiraishi sounds like an interesting director - love the concept of that "idol movie" he made, sounds downright hilarious.

[Takuma]

Koji Shiraishi sounds like an interesting director - love the concept of that "idol movie" he made, sounds downright hilarious.

It suffers a bit from the fact that was sold to audiences as a real horror movie, and as a result there are some scenes in the film where the movie pretends to be a real horror film. Also, it's not explained in the film until the ending credits that the cast didn't know they were in a film. But I think this is only due to studio pressure to make it more commercial.

If you know that the cast was unaware of what was going on, and just ignore the few silly "horror movie" bits, it starts to work on a whole different level. I'm pretty sure this was Shiraishi's intention - or if it wasn't, then he produced accidental geniusness

Trailer:

ikCPJXkRlQk

He's also quite notorious for directing Grotesque, which was banned in a number of countries. Naturally the film can't be recommended to anyone except those with the strongest stomach, but it's also been unfairly bashed by people who couldn't see beyond the blood and guts, or never saw the film in the first place

(you know, reading about extreme violence and imagining it in your head always makes it stronger that what is actually in the film... I remember the ridiculous fuzz around Human Centipede 2 before anyone knew it's a parody of the first film, and all in black & white on top of that )

[Takuma]

Here's something interesting under the Japanese idol sky that you may have missed - BiS (Brand New Idol Society).

This plain awesome "anti-idol" band started in 2010. In 2012 they starred in the film Idol of Dead, which to my great pleasure turned out to be a splatter film. I missed it in Yubari in 2013, but caught it in cinema in 2014 when it played as a double feature with the sequel: Idol is Dead: Non-chan's Great Propaganda War. I wrote my reviews some months back: http://sketchesofcinema.wordpress.com/2014/02/18/idol-is-dead-2012-idol-is-dead-non-chans-great-propaganda-war-2014/

Trailers for both films:

PP6_9hWPy8c

_piwk22I_e8

Though the first film isn't quite that great, and the second even less so, it was love at first sight! These girls are special! I mean, how many bands can go from this:

…to this (BiS Kaidan)…

… and motherfucking Tetsuo in their

music video!

In fact, their music video's are some of the best stuff I have seen anyone do in ages. They are a mixture of good music, social commentary, splatter, idol acts, anti-idol acts, and stylish as hell modern, experimental and retro visuals.

And here’s another one:

and Ash

And the absolutely brilliant, slighly Hideaki Anno esque

ja

Unfortunately Yufu Terashima left the band last year... and now the entire band is disbanding in July.

- http://nihongogo.com/2014/02/brand-new-idol-society-to-disband-after-yokohama-arena-tour/

Such a shame. Wonder if I should get a ticket for their final gig.

[Takuma]

Aru hi mori no naka (あるひもりのなか) ("on a certain day in the woods" or "one day in the woods")

The 39th film is the Seishun H series. Let me just quote this guy who summarized it perfectly...

Trailer:

7sr8skMRm54

Seihun H is a series of very loosely related low budget films by promising/interesting non-mainstream filmmakers. It's produced by Artport and basically sells itself as a series of slightly sexy films for young adults. A bit similar to Love Cinema and other such projects. The films get a very limited theatrical release in Tokyo (usually one week) by default, and the best ones may play in some other cities as well.

The output is very diverse: anything from surreal sex comedies to fake documentaries and dramas. There were quite a few interesting films early on, such as Sakichi Sato's Zero Man vs. The Half Virgin, Koji Shiraishi's Cho akunin, and Kota Yoshida's Solo nante kudaranai which I haven't seen yet.

The series hasn't looked so interesting recently, until I saw the trailer for Aru hi mori no naka. Among all the Japanese WTF products this looks strangely fascinating and retro. Looking forward to seeing it. Playing in Tokyo right now.

This was totally cool! Lovely retro special effects, consistent vision (of madness), just restained enough, much more imaginative than any of the recent pop films by Takashi Miike, Noboru Iguchi or Lisa Takeba. Oh, and it's also a tribute to Godzilla vs. Hedorah.

The storyline is about a yellow bear that comes to planet earth with a space ship to conquer the planet but warns us about it first. He forces a schoolgirl to spread to word or he will explode her panties. It later turns into a romance with a mad scientist's son (and we get the compulsory sex scene)

The Japanese retail dvd will be released tomorrow. The rental was already out so I watched it today.

[Takuma]

I finally translated my Finnish review (in slightly shortened form) for Love's Whirlpool (Ai no uzu):

http://sketchesofcinema.wordpress.com/2014/06/07/loves-whirlpool/

In short: It's absolutely fantastic! Excellent study on group behavior, anonymity vs. openess, sex vs. feelings. Does many things contrary to expectations, including placing Mugi Kadowaki in the most sexually explicit role. The only flaw is a couple of slightly naive turns which make the film more romantic and less realistic. Visually stylish as hell.

Story summary:

"The story revolves around a nightly gathering in which a group of men and women attend an orgy event held in the back of a sex shop from midnight to 5am. This situation leads to much of their time being spent sitting around in bath towels having awkward conversations with each other as they decide who to have sex with."

- http://www.nipponcinema.com/blog/sosuke-ikematsu-and-mugi-kadowaki-to-star-in-sex-themed-film-ai-no-uzu

In case you don't know Miura, he's a controversial playright famous for driving his actors to the verge of nervous breakdown with his ultra-realistic and largely unscripted theater plays. Miura's previous films, Boys on the Run, was one of the more delighting Japanese films in recent years. It's a mainstream romantic comedy (or anti-romantic film with dislikable characters, as one reviewer put it) but has Miura's touch in it, resulting in a fresh romantic comedy with bite.

Trailer:

QRUNt0TtUpg

(screencaps from youtube trailer)

Japan Society will screen this in New York in July, I think (in case you're there). They're also screening The Tale of Iya, my favorite Japanese film of 2013.

[Takuma]

Interestingly, Shiraishi's new film A Record of Sweet Murder (2014) sounds almost like a modification of Cho akunin. The film follows a serial killer who escaped from mental institution invites a reporter to make a story of him.

The film is a co-production between Nikkatsu and a Korean company, with most of the cast being Korean (including Kim Kkobbi, who has been in several Japanese films recently). Nikkatsu had another international co-production last year with Killers.

Teaser:

AoOohrIYYNw

Site:

http://satsujinsha-kiroku.jp/

Variety review:

http://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/hong-kong-filmart-review-a-record-of-sweet-murder-1201149808/

Opens in Japan in September.

Korean Poster

- https://twitter.com/shiraishikouji/status/488130278628409345/photo/1

[Takuma]

The film I'm most looking forward to right now: My Man (2014). Directed by Kazuyoshi Kumakiri (Sketches of Kaitan City) and starring the hugely talented Fumi Nikaido (Himizu, Why Don't You Play in Hell) and Tadanobu Asano in what looks like a comeback role of sorts for him. June 14th release.

Teaser:

1kdrxzFmY10

Trailer:

h7X05TkEASk

Site:

http://watashi-no-otoko.com/

Saw My Man last month. It’s almost as good as its trailer. A well written story of a middle aged man who takes care of an orphan girl who lost her family in an earthquake, and then develops a love affair with her when she becomes a teenager. Well acted by Tadanobu Asano and Fumi Nikaido, and filmed by Kumakiri with his usual realistic, grainy and understated way. Visual beauty on offer as well, with most of the film set in snowy Hokkaido. The soundtrack is by Jim O'Rourke again. The only flaw is a couple of artistic/symbolic scenes underlining the devilish nature of the relationship – something totally unnecessary in an otherwise fine film.

+

"We are proud to announce that Kazuyoshi Kumakiri's My Man won the best film award at Moscow Film Festival and the best actor award to Tadanobu Asano."

- https://www.facebook.com/nikkatsu.co/posts/886263744722622

[Takuma]

although I haven't been so impressed with Ryuichi Hiroki recently, this sounds semi-interesting:

Shota Sometani and Atsuko Maeda to star in Ryuichi Hiroki's "Sayonara Kabukicho"

- http://eigapedia.com/blog/shota-sometani-and-atsuko-maeda-to-star-in-ryuichi-hirokis-sayonara-kabukicho

Written by Haruhiko Arai, who has scripted many wonderful films like Distant Thunder, Oh Women! A Dirty Song, Tragedy of W, Vibrator, It's Only Talk). A bit less excited about the cast, although Maeda proved in Moratorium Tamako that she can be a rather good actress.

Already finished filming. January 2015 release.

(Empty) Website:

http://www.sayonara-kabukicho.com/

[Secret Executioner]

This was totally cool! Lovely retro special effects, consistent vision (of madness), just restained enough, much more imaginative than any of the recent pop films by Takashi Miike, Noboru Iguchi or Lisa Takeba. Oh, and it's also a tribute to Godzilla vs. Hedorah.

The storyline is about a yellow bear that comes to planet earth with a space ship to conquer the planet but warns us about it first. He forces a schoolgirl to spread to word or he will explode her panties. It later turns into a romance with a mad scientist's son (and we get the compulsory sex scene)

The Japanese retail dvd will be released tomorrow. The rental was already out so I watched it today.

Saw My Man last month. It’s almost as good as its trailer. A well written story of a middle aged man who takes care of an orphan girl who lost her family in an earthquake, and then develops a love affair with her when she becomes a teenager. Well acted by Tadanobu Asano and Fumi Nikaido, and filmed by Kumakiri with his usual realistic, grainy and understated way. Visual beauty on offer as well, with most of the film set in snowy Hokkaido. The soundtrack is by Jim O'Rourke again. The only flaw is a couple of artistic/symbolic scenes underlining the devilish nature of the relationship – something totally unnecessary in an otherwise fine film.

+

"We are proud to announce that Kazuyoshi Kumakiri's My Man won the best film award at Moscow Film Festival and the best actor award to Tadanobu Asano."

- https://www.facebook.com/nikkatsu.co/posts/886263744722622

Two very different movies that I really would be into seeing. I may have already mentionned it, but these reviews make them even more interesting to me. Maybe My Man getting an award in a festival could help it get released in more foreign markets.

[Superfly]

If you are looking for something a bit different. No pervert sex or violence. Check out The Snow White Murder Case. Its basically about a murder and how someone can be tried thru social Media & shock Journalism. A lot of funny parts and a real frank look at today's society. I thoroughly enjoyed this film. Top 5 Japanese films I ever seen. 8 of 10

[mpm74]

Here are a couple of OSAKA movies being released by Pathfinder on September 30, 2014.

http://www.cityonfire.com/osaka-badass-dvd-pathfinder-home-entertainment/

http://www.cityonfire.com/osaka-violence-dvd-pathfinder-home-entertainment/

[Takuma]

"Osaka Badass" (God, what a terrible new title) is actually Snake of Violence (Osaka jadou), discussed here and here

[mpm74]

"Osaka Badass" (God, what a terrible new title) is actually Snake of Violence (Osaka jadou), discussed here and here

Thanks for that info.

So what's the original title for Osaka Violence?

Edit: Never mind, that one was released as its original title.

[Takuma]

Thanks for that info.

So what's the original title for Osaka Violence?

Edit: Never mind, that one was released as its original title.

Yeah, thank god for that. I think they were originally planning to retitle it as "Osaka Kick-Ass"

[mpm74]

Yeah, thank god for that. I think they were originally planning to retitle it as "Osaka Kick-Ass"

LOL! No sh*t!

[One Armed Boxer]

The quote on the cover of 'Osaka Violence' from Twitch - I think it'd be hard to find a better example of a comment being taken out of context! -

Ishihara employs a cast of unknown, largely non-professional actors in his film, recruited as much for their unique looks as their acting abilities, with understandably mixed results. There are strong lead performances from the principle gangsters, but some of the younger cast lack the experience to bring to the screen the degree of realism for which the film is clearly aiming. The film's visual aesthetic is also somewhat flat and lacks a layer of noirish grime that would have helped the film establish its moody tone, despite the authenticity of being shot on location in the rural suburbs surrounding Osaka. However, despite these flaws, OSAKA VIOLENCE still manages to grab your attention and draw you into its world of crime and abuse both at home and on the streets.

http://twitchfilm.com/2012/02/yubari-2012-review-osaka-violence.html

Great to see 'Snake of Violence' getting a release though, even if it is with a ridiculous re-title, I'll definitely be picking this one up.

[mpm74]

One Armed Boxer... lol figures. "It's so good, it's bad!" would be quoted as "It's so good...!"

Anyways, Tokyo Shock is releasing this on October 28, 2014...