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Post by morrisondylanfan on Oct 1, 2019 2:00:07 GMT
Hi all,in hitting my target of 31 Japanese films in 30 days (review for #31 is on the way!) this was the only one I had trouble with Subs working. Thankfully,I stumbled on a different set of Eng Subs, for this much more fun than expected Comedy. Secret Chronicle: Prostitution Market (1972) 7 Going against the traditional Gridhouse grime of the genre, director Chusei Sone turns Oshin’s Pinku tricks with a playfully cheeky saucy Sex Comedy atmosphere, that stamps all over the self-importance of historical films with genuinely funny set-pieces of clueless Oshin being seduced by a scar-face lover boy who believes his eyes are enough to charm any women,plus jumping with glee into a match with a sumo wrestler,who joins the scar-face in losing to a less than happy ending. Along with the slap-stick gags, Sone also undresses a sensual side to the Pinku, circling Oshin experiencing pleasure from a woman, and closing on a surprisingly tragic incest twist, where close-ups Oshin’s lust finally fully exposed, but the perverse love she had dead underneath. Utterly clueless when sold to the brothel, sexy Yuko Katagiri skips Oshin stupidity over from becoming grating, thanks to bringing out a sweetness in Oshin’s total lack of awareness about being in a prostitution market.
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Post by Fox in the Snow on Oct 1, 2019 11:26:22 GMT
Hi all,for my 30th Japanese film of the month,I decided to watch a film I've been saving for a while. Even after 29 different films, this one stands out,due to it being one I really liked due to seeing what the makers were trying to do,but I think it's a film that could really click with other viewers, (I think you'd find it interesting Fox in the Snow)such as those who have given it glowing reviews: letterboxd.com/film/i-am-keiko/That was very cool and very restrained for Sono, whose usual sense of chaos can sometimes work against him. The brightly colored single room setting and fourth wall breaking did allude a little to his recent Antiporno (2016), possibly my favorite film of his due to it’s concise distillation of all his usual themes, tropes and obsessions. I also managed to catch another of his early experiments in hyper-minimalism, Heya (The Room) (1993) which I think I liked even more than Keiko.
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Post by manfromplanetx on Oct 1, 2019 21:08:23 GMT
Thanks again to morrisondylanfan since discovering the joys of Japanese Anime following on from Howls Moving Castle We have been enjoying the other wonders produced by Studio Ghibli ... Tenkū no Shiro Rapyuta aka Laputa: Castle in the Sky (1986) Directed by Hayao Miyazaki . I am probably the last kid on the block to have seen this amazing film , but just in case you may have missed it, Highly Recommended 10/10 !! Japanese Version... Castle in the Sky is by far my favourite of the many Ghibli films now seen. Incorporating technology and aesthetic designs inspired by 19th-century industrial steam-powered machinery ( Steampunk). The exciting anime fantasy adventure film opens with an incredibly imaginative and thrilling aerial drama involving flying machines... The film tells the story of a girl named Sheeta who falls out of the sky and softly lands in Pazu's arms. Never far away a gang of air-pirates a mysterious man & govt, dark forces who are all on their tails, for Sheeta's magic crystal. The chasers follows them as they seek a legendary floating castle that sits within an idyllic natural environment, filled with riches that once belonged to an ancient race of people... With incredible depth and dimension the animation is absolutely staggering. Exciting thrills never let up & keep you on the edge of your seat throughout, with a marvellous array of characters, a fabulous soundtrack accompanies this brilliant multi layered film, exceptional entertainment....
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Post by morrisondylanfan on Oct 2, 2019 4:00:05 GMT
Hi all,I usually think that things online tend to just happen,but the way my 31st Japanese film viewing in September (saving the best till last!) lines up with what manfromplanetx has just posted,is incredible (btw,I've not seen Laputa: Castle in the Sky yet,great review.) My Neighbour Totoro (1988) 10. Crafting what would later become the Studio Ghibli mascot in the cute King Totoro, writer/directing auteur Hayao Miyazaki invites the viewer to be a neighbour next to a atmosphere of pure joy, magicked in enchanting character designs fluidly animated, rolling up to the beaming smile of King Totoro, stepping on board the living fur ball cat bus (!),and sliding down to earth in the delicately drawn faces of Satsuki and Mei filled with wonder at Totoro, but fear over their mums stay in hospital. Bouncing deep into the woods, Miyazaki brings nature to life with a astonishing attention to detail, bringing the audience into the heavy rain the girls get caught in by dripping 1000’s of individually animated rain drops on the front of the screen, and each leaf and tree branch (all done without CGI) glowing from a lush green appearance. Originally planned to just feature one girl, Hayao Miyazaki’s move to instead create Mei and Satsuki pays off in splendid fashion, as the traditional story arc/dialogue of a boo-hiss baddie and slap-stick jokes is brushed aside with ease,thanks to Miyazaki treating the viewer with the chance to follow Satsuki and Mei’s friendship with Totoro and exploration of the woods. Partly inspired by Miyazaki growing up with his brothers as their mum spent years in hospital suffering from spinal tuberculosis for nine years,Miyazaki draws a heart-felt passion the girls express in the love for their mother, which grows along with Miyazaki continuing to plant nature as a theme across his works, in green shoots of hope coming into Satsuki and Mei’s life,from their neighbour Totoro.
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Post by morrisondylanfan on Oct 3, 2019 3:49:34 GMT
Hi all,after how well last month went,I decided to kick-off October with a J-Horror I've had sitting on the shelf for ages! Beautiful Teacher in Torture Hell (1985) 7 Getting tied up in the middle of the 80’s when the Pinku genre had shifted to being glossy, debut director Masahito Segawa is joined by cinematographer Nobumasa Mizuno'o in taking Pinku back into the Grindhouse pit, via grime covered walls surrounding Morita, and jabbing panning shots at the fellow people at the school betraying Morita’s trust. For the stable rape sequences of the Pinku genre, Segawa interestingly appears divided over which way to take things, going between a psychological horror edge of the camera being carefully positioned to fill the frame with Morita’s tortured face, and the expected eyeful of sleaze, that actually helps to thread a uneasy atmosphere reflecting the sharp shifts in terror Morita’s is gripped with. Taking one of Oniroku Dan’s novels (a major inspiration on the genre) into torture hell,the screenplay by Toshimichi Saeki coils up a nicely cynical mystery, charged from Morita believing at first that she has saved a student from being attacked,only to learn that it was actually the first part in a twisted game. Even as the movie visually gets packed with skin on show, the cynicism of Saeki’s script is kept as the spine, which builds a terrific bitter picture of all those Morita has placed trusted in being utter scum, hitting a chillingly cryptic final note. Tied up and tied down,Nobutaka Masutomi gives a excellent performance as Morita, bringing out a expressive, never say die attitude within Morita, captured in the yelps and anguished face of the beautiful teacher in torture hell.
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Post by morrisondylanfan on Oct 20, 2019 18:19:07 GMT
Hi all,deciding to do a "Auteurs in '94" themed week,there was the output from that year of one Japanese film maker who came straight to mind. Miike's Bodyguard Kiba: Apocalypse of Carnage (1994) 7 “If Your brother sins,go and show him his fault just between the two of you, if he listens to you,you have won your brother over.If he refuses to listen,treat him as you would a pagan or tax collector.” Karate-chopping this straight to video flick in 62 minutes, (the credits play over twice!) directing auteur Takashi Miike displays a growing confidence in continuing to build upon a number of his major themes. Working with his future regular editor Yasushi Shimamura for the first time, Miike draws a line in the sand in the ways of the underworld, as the Heroic Bloodshed-inspired Kiba keeps his cool black shades and sharp suits on when taking tribal-dressed gang members down with swift moves hit in slow-motion. Whilst his later major theme of LGBT has yet to blossom, Miike here stylishly lays out other things, cooked up in important conversations round dining tables, and the wonderful, jangly hyper-stylised head-turning visit to a strip club. Continuing a collaboration with Miike that would last until 2006,the screenplay by Hisao Maki (who died in 2012) follows the direction Miike goes in, with a compact adaptation of the Ikki Kajiwara and Ken Nakagusuku’s Manga, high-kicking pals Tetsu Daito and Naoto Kiba trying to keep their karate dojo open by doing off the books side jobs, leading to Kiba finding himself once again getting hired as a bodyguard. My Miike ranking from outstanding to good (have yet to see a "bad" one.) 1: Big Bang Love, Juvenile A (2006) 2: Fudoh: The New Generation (1996) 3: Red Hunter: Prelude to Kill (1991) 4: Bodyguard Kiba: Apocalypse of Carnage (1994) 5: Toppuu! Minipato tai - Aikyacchi Jankushon (1991)
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Post by Deleted on Oct 21, 2019 21:31:51 GMT
Hi all,I usually think that things online tend to just happen,but the way my 31st Japanese film viewing in September (saving the best till last!) lines up with what manfromplanetx has just posted,is incredible (btw,I've not seen Laputa: Castle in the Sky yet,great review.) My Neighbour Totoro (1988) 10. Crafting what would later become the Studio Ghibli mascot in the cute King Totoro, writer/directing auteur Hayao Miyazaki invites the viewer to be a neighbour next to a atmosphere of pure joy, magicked in enchanting character designs fluidly animated, rolling up to the beaming smile of King Totoro, stepping on board the living fur ball cat bus (!),and sliding down to earth in the delicately drawn faces of Satsuki and Mei filled with wonder at Totoro, but fear over their mums stay in hospital. Bouncing deep into the woods, Miyazaki brings nature to life with a astonishing attention to detail, bringing the audience into the heavy rain the girls get caught in by dripping 1000’s of individually animated rain drops on the front of the screen, and each leaf and tree branch (all done without CGI) glowing from a lush green appearance. Originally planned to just feature one girl, Hayao Miyazaki’s move to instead create Mei and Satsuki pays off in splendid fashion, as the traditional story arc/dialogue of a boo-hiss baddie and slap-stick jokes is brushed aside with ease,thanks to Miyazaki treating the viewer with the chance to follow Satsuki and Mei’s friendship with Totoro and exploration of the woods. Partly inspired by Miyazaki growing up with his brothers as their mum spent years in hospital suffering from spinal tuberculosis for nine years,Miyazaki draws a heart-felt passion the girls express in the love for their mother, which grows along with Miyazaki continuing to plant nature as a theme across his works, in green shoots of hope coming into Satsuki and Mei’s life,from their neighbour Totoro. Some of those movies are absolutely delightful. I haven't seen them all but the Studio Ghibli movies I've seen are really nice across the board. They have a really high batting average.
My Neighbor Totoro is sweet and plentiful without being aggressive. It has no real villain, no one whose antagonistic actions further the plot. But it's an adventure and almost a love story between the child and her imagination. I actually think it's more mature than it leads on because it deals with child escapism in...a friendlier way, but similarly to films like Pan's Labyrinth and Spirit of the Beehive. Those films are more war-centered but they're mature movies with children for main characters. Children make for interesting main characters. On that note, Jojo the Rabbit is hitting theaters soon and I hope it's similar to some of those movies. It can't be easy directing kids, let alone getting terrific performances from them. Spirit of the Beehive and Pan's Labyrinth are darker, but their connective tissue with some of Studio Ghibli's best offerings is the complexity of a child's point of view in contrast to adults. Wes Anderson does this sometimes too. He makes good use of complicated children and adults who underestimate them.
Anyhow, My Neighbor Totoro is just a lovely, delightful film packed with imagination. There's a certain weightlessness that comes with it and I think it's supposed to imply how liberating a child's imagination can be. They were literally flying by the end.
The Studio Ghibli films are a class all their own. My Neighbor Totoro is delightful. I loved Princess Mononoke, Castle in the Sky, Spirited Away. I just watched Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind and that was really good too. They consistently have sincere characters (usually optimistic, well-mannered characters who're good people), dazzling visuals and imagination on display that makes for great eye-candy. They also consistently have subtle but not too subtle themes about innocence, man's relationship with nature (environmentalism, overstepping boundaries, animal welfare), family, precocious children, wonder and selflessness strewn about their catalogue.
I haven't seen one I wouldn't vouch for yet, so in no official order:
My Neighbor Toroto Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind Castle in the Sky Princess Mononoke Spirited Away Kiki's Delivery Service From Up on Poppy Hill The Wind Rises
I was lucky enough a few years ago to see a screening of Princess Mononoke in a theater. On a screen that size, just beautiful.
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Post by morrisondylanfan on Nov 11, 2019 20:15:15 GMT
Hi all,having recently seen a French Film Noir (the very good Le faux pas (1965)) I've been in the mood to catch a Noir from Japan,and finally did it today. The Yellow Line (1960) 9. “The Yellow line laid bare.” The first and only entry in the “ Chitai” series to be shot in colour,writer/director Teruo Ishii & cinematographer Hiroshi Suzuki enter the murky side-streets assassin Amachi stays in hiding, with startling blemishes, via the crimson red and brown walls of the gangsters seedy apartment being broken by Ozuki’s ruby red shoes marking her kidnapping, picked up on by her journalist boyfriend Mayama, who enters the underworld like a homing beacon in his pristine white trench coat. Unrolling a unique long zoom-in shot between the legs of a woman (!) Ishii superbly reels in a documentary rawness, spinning on the stylisation of Film Noir, where sawn-off tracking shots curl on Mayama just missing from catching the Gangster and Emi in his sights. Greasing palms so no questions are asked in the flat the Gangster holds Emi in, Ishii presents the Casbah as a maze of corruption built on a intense Film Noir atmosphere, weaving the camera in tightly held tracking shots dipping into each drug den/ brothel Mayama enters in the hope of reuniting Emi with her shoe. Left to fend for himself after the backers leave him high and dry once the target is killed, the screenplay by Ishii brilliantly taps into the high-wire anxiety just under the surface of the Gangster/hit-man brute confidence, whose simmering gun-point phone call hold-up with Ami, leads to IshII freeing Ami to come up with invented note write in a attempt to leave a paper trail. Keeping Ami on his knife edge over threats if his orders are not followed, Shigeru Amachi gives a mesmerising turn as the Gangster/ hit-man, whose to-the-point dialogue is delivered with a brittle relish by Amachi. Entering the Casbah as a outsider, Teruo Yoshida gives a terrific performance as Mayama, with Yoshida bending Mayama’s fearfulness when confronted with the laid bare underworld, with a rush of blood to the head desire to free Ami from this Casbah. Taken at gun point to join the Gangster, the alluring Yoko Mihara gives a outstanding turn as Emi, via Mihara balancing Emi’s burnt-edge raw nerves with a sharp slyness to fold the Gangster plans on him.
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Post by morrisondylanfan on Nov 12, 2019 2:22:51 GMT
Hi all,for my 30th Japanese film of the month,I decided to watch a film I've been saving for a while. Even after 29 different films, this one stands out,due to it being one I really liked due to seeing what the makers were trying to do,but I think it's a film that could really click with other viewers, (I think you'd find it interesting Fox in the Snow )such as those who have given it glowing reviews: letterboxd.com/film/i-am-keiko/That was very cool and very restrained for Sono, whose usual sense of chaos can sometimes work against him. The brightly colored single room setting and fourth wall breaking did allude a little to his recent Antiporno (2016), possibly my favorite film of his due to it’s concise distillation of all his usual themes, tropes and obsessions. I also managed to catch another of his early experiments in hyper-minimalism, Heya (The Room) (1993) which I think I liked even more than Keiko. Hi Fox,I hope you had a good weekend,and I'm really sorry about my reply being so late. I was happy to read you enjoyed Keiko,I think it is a film which offers different expirences depending on what the viewer brings to the title. On Sono,I'll hopefully be catching his take on long black-haired J-Horror girls in Exte: Hair Extensions (2007),and the link you kindly shared for Heya looks like it would make a great Sono double bill with it.
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Post by Fox in the Snow on Nov 12, 2019 10:12:41 GMT
That was very cool and very restrained for Sono, whose usual sense of chaos can sometimes work against him. The brightly colored single room setting and fourth wall breaking did allude a little to his recent Antiporno (2016), possibly my favorite film of his due to it’s concise distillation of all his usual themes, tropes and obsessions. I also managed to catch another of his early experiments in hyper-minimalism, Heya (The Room) (1993) which I think I liked even more than Keiko. Hi Fox,I hope you had a good weekend,and I'm really sorry about my reply being so late. I was happy to read you enjoyed Keiko,I think it is a film which offers different expirences depending on what the viewer brings to the title. On Sono,I'll hopefully be catching his take on long black-haired J-Horror girls in Exte: Hair Extensions (2007),and the link you kindly shared for Heya looks like it would make a great Sono double bill with it. Hi MDF, no problem. You actually inspired me to catch up on some more Sono myself. Over the past month or so I caught a few of his early experiments, including some shorter works, most of which unfortunately fell near the bottom of his filmography for me. A little unfocused and messy. I did finally catch Noriko’s Dinner Table and quite liked it, one of his more restrained efforts. Most recently I saw The Whispering Star, beautifully shot in B&W, with minimal dialogue and a very slight narrative. Hypnotic from start to finish, it could be my new favorite from him, but very atypical compared to most of his more well known work. Exte is in many respects one of his more straightforward works, outside the odd subject matter it plays like a relatively traditional horror film. A lot of fun.
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Post by morrisondylanfan on Dec 1, 2019 3:56:43 GMT
Hi all,after recently seeing a JPM Noir,It was finally time for me to play a Japanese Noir which has been sitting on my shelf for far too long. Branded to Kill (1967) 10. “We're beasts! Beasts! Beast needs beast. That's the best way. You and I are beasts.” Getting the role thanks to being the only actress comfortable appearing naked, Mariko Ogawa gives a buoyant turn as Femme Fatale Hanada. A burlesque dancer off-screen, Ogawa brings withering body language moves to Hanada, which along with casting brittle Noir vines across the screen, also gives Hanada a seductive temptress appearance. Driving in as a number, not a free man,Jo Shishido gives a magnetic performance as Noir loner Number Three Killer,whose sniffing of rice and black glasses-wearing Shishido plays with chic glamour, which Shishido pairs with a rumbling anxiety on relisation that all the other number killers have his number on their kill list. Mentioned later by the director that he wanted Killer Number 3 to be a quintessentially Japanese killer by having a rice sniffing habit,since "If he were Italian, he'd get turned on by macaroni, right?" the screenplay by Hachiro Guryu/Mitsutoshi Ishigami/ Chusei Sone and Atsushi Yamatoya boils up cracking, hip New Wave-flavoured Noir dialogue, served up in Killer Number 3’s laid-back remarks, brimming with confidence over fulfilling the easy job. Missing a target which causes him to become a target to his old underworld bosses, the writers rub Killer Number 3’s status with raw paranoia, fuelled by obsessive love for Nakajo, (a devilishly seductive Annu Mari) and all the other numbers who had links to him,wanting to cut his number off. Working for the 6th and final time with Jo Shishido on a production that left him with one day for editing and a decade blacklisted from making films, directing auteur Seijun Suzuki flies in on a astonishing Japanese New Wave Noir (JNW) creation. Taking the experimental corners of his past works, Suzuki and his regular cinematographer Kazue Nagatsuka gloriously twist the JNW and Film Noir inside out with a Acid Jazz atmosphere, sliding across the screen in drawn pelts of rain and whistling birds hitting the screen in Suzuki’s continuing to expand his surrealist flourishes. Backed by a brassy Jazz score from Naozumi Yamamoto, Suzuki pulls the Killer glasses off with ultra-JNW stylisation, getting the number down in steamy Noir low-lighting, struck by fluid JNW whip-pans/zoom-ins to burning bullet holes, and fractured daring wide-shoots diced with brooding shadowed close-ups leaving Killer Number 3 branded to kill.
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Post by morrisondylanfan on Jan 19, 2020 18:53:59 GMT
Hi all,I usually think that things online tend to just happen,but the way my 31st Japanese film viewing in September (saving the best till last!) lines up with what manfromplanetx has just posted,is incredible (btw,I've not seen Laputa: Castle in the Sky yet,great review.) My Neighbour Totoro (1988) 10. Crafting what would later become the Studio Ghibli mascot in the cute King Totoro, writer/directing auteur Hayao Miyazaki invites the viewer to be a neighbour next to a atmosphere of pure joy, magicked in enchanting character designs fluidly animated, rolling up to the beaming smile of King Totoro, stepping on board the living fur ball cat bus (!),and sliding down to earth in the delicately drawn faces of Satsuki and Mei filled with wonder at Totoro, but fear over their mums stay in hospital. Bouncing deep into the woods, Miyazaki brings nature to life with a astonishing attention to detail, bringing the audience into the heavy rain the girls get caught in by dripping 1000’s of individually animated rain drops on the front of the screen, and each leaf and tree branch (all done without CGI) glowing from a lush green appearance. Originally planned to just feature one girl, Hayao Miyazaki’s move to instead create Mei and Satsuki pays off in splendid fashion, as the traditional story arc/dialogue of a boo-hiss baddie and slap-stick jokes is brushed aside with ease,thanks to Miyazaki treating the viewer with the chance to follow Satsuki and Mei’s friendship with Totoro and exploration of the woods. Partly inspired by Miyazaki growing up with his brothers as their mum spent years in hospital suffering from spinal tuberculosis for nine years,Miyazaki draws a heart-felt passion the girls express in the love for their mother, which grows along with Miyazaki continuing to plant nature as a theme across his works, in green shoots of hope coming into Satsuki and Mei’s life,from their neighbour Totoro. Some of those movies are absolutely delightful. I haven't seen them all but the Studio Ghibli movies I've seen are really nice across the board. They have a really high batting average.
My Neighbor Totoro is sweet and plentiful without being aggressive. It has no real villain, no one whose antagonistic actions further the plot. But it's an adventure and almost a love story between the child and her imagination. I actually think it's more mature than it leads on because it deals with child escapism in...a friendlier way, but similarly to films like Pan's Labyrinth and Spirit of the Beehive. Those films are more war-centered but they're mature movies with children for main characters. Children make for interesting main characters. On that note, Jojo the Rabbit is hitting theaters soon and I hope it's similar to some of those movies. It can't be easy directing kids, let alone getting terrific performances from them. Spirit of the Beehive and Pan's Labyrinth are darker, but their connective tissue with some of Studio Ghibli's best offerings is the complexity of a child's point of view in contrast to adults. Wes Anderson does this sometimes too. He makes good use of complicated children and adults who underestimate them.
Anyhow, My Neighbor Totoro is just a lovely, delightful film packed with imagination. There's a certain weightlessness that comes with it and I think it's supposed to imply how liberating a child's imagination can be. They were literally flying by the end.
The Studio Ghibli films are a class all their own. My Neighbor Totoro is delightful. I loved Princess Mononoke, Castle in the Sky, Spirited Away. I just watched Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind and that was really good too. They consistently have sincere characters (usually optimistic, well-mannered characters who're good people), dazzling visuals and imagination on display that makes for great eye-candy. They also consistently have subtle but not too subtle themes about innocence, man's relationship with nature (environmentalism, overstepping boundaries, animal welfare), family, precocious children, wonder and selflessness strewn about their catalogue.
I haven't seen one I wouldn't vouch for yet, so in no official order:
My Neighbor Toroto Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind Castle in the Sky Princess Mononoke Spirited Away Kiki's Delivery Service From Up on Poppy Hill The Wind Rises
I was lucky enough a few years ago to see a screening of Princess Mononoke in a theater. On a screen that size, just beautiful.
Hi The Cat, I hope the weekend is going well,and I'm so sorry about the late reply (I got caught up in offline things.) I want to say thank you for the wonderful, expressive comments on My Neighbor Totoro. In your comments you touch on the unique point,that Totoro is one of the few films I've seen (in any genre) which does not have a "baddie", with the drama being drawn from the mature characterization of the script. Whilst not quite having the same subtle touch,I recently picked up the 2009 Anime Redline,and found it to be a very stylish creation:
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Post by Deleted on Jan 30, 2020 1:18:44 GMT
Some of those movies are absolutely delightful. I haven't seen them all but the Studio Ghibli movies I've seen are really nice across the board. They have a really high batting average.
My Neighbor Totoro is sweet and plentiful without being aggressive. It has no real villain, no one whose antagonistic actions further the plot. But it's an adventure and almost a love story between the child and her imagination. I actually think it's more mature than it leads on because it deals with child escapism in...a friendlier way, but similarly to films like Pan's Labyrinth and Spirit of the Beehive. Those films are more war-centered but they're mature movies with children for main characters. Children make for interesting main characters. On that note, Jojo the Rabbit is hitting theaters soon and I hope it's similar to some of those movies. It can't be easy directing kids, let alone getting terrific performances from them. Spirit of the Beehive and Pan's Labyrinth are darker, but their connective tissue with some of Studio Ghibli's best offerings is the complexity of a child's point of view in contrast to adults. Wes Anderson does this sometimes too. He makes good use of complicated children and adults who underestimate them.
Anyhow, My Neighbor Totoro is just a lovely, delightful film packed with imagination. There's a certain weightlessness that comes with it and I think it's supposed to imply how liberating a child's imagination can be. They were literally flying by the end.
The Studio Ghibli films are a class all their own. My Neighbor Totoro is delightful. I loved Princess Mononoke, Castle in the Sky, Spirited Away. I just watched Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind and that was really good too. They consistently have sincere characters (usually optimistic, well-mannered characters who're good people), dazzling visuals and imagination on display that makes for great eye-candy. They also consistently have subtle but not too subtle themes about innocence, man's relationship with nature (environmentalism, overstepping boundaries, animal welfare), family, precocious children, wonder and selflessness strewn about their catalogue.
I haven't seen one I wouldn't vouch for yet, so in no official order:
My Neighbor Toroto Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind Castle in the Sky Princess Mononoke Spirited Away Kiki's Delivery Service From Up on Poppy Hill The Wind Rises
I was lucky enough a few years ago to see a screening of Princess Mononoke in a theater. On a screen that size, just beautiful.
Hi The Cat, I hope the weekend is going well,and I'm so sorry about the late reply (I got caught up in offline things.) I want to say thank you for the wonderful, expressive comments on My Neighbor Totoro. In your comments you touch on the unique point,that Totoro is one of the few films I've seen (in any genre) which does not have a "baddie", with the drama being drawn from the mature characterization of the script. Whilst not quite having the same subtle touch,I recently picked up the 2009 Anime Redline,and found it to be a very stylish creation: No worries about the late reply my friend. It's never too late.
Redline was awesome! It's definitely a different flavor. Less whimsy, more Akira meets Death Race. It's amazing you mention it too. I own a copy and I've only watched it once. I came really close to watching it a week or so ago but I caved and put on City of God instead. The deciding factor being City of God was a first time viewing (and what a viewing!).
Also by coincidence I watched Howl's Moving Castle last night, which was also predictably delightful. I don't know how but those movies get it so right!
Cheers.
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Post by wmcclain on Mar 14, 2020 18:12:51 GMT
The Twilight Samurai (2002), directed by Yoji Yamada. A poor samurai -- a clerk, not a soldier -- is so shabby and unkempt that he is an embarrassment to his clan. A widower, he dotes on his two young daughters and tries to care for his mother, far gone into dementia. He has no illusions about his place or the justness of his society, but quietly enjoys the beauty of the world. When the sister of his best friend -- they were all childhood playmates -- reenters his life, he has to step forward to defend her from her drunken, bullying ex-husband. He duels with a wooden short sword because using steel would get him into more trouble. This is always a satisfying moment in film, when the honorable man who doesn't want to fight is forced to do so and amazes us with his mastery. Now he has more problems. Based on his performance the clan gives him an opportunity for advancement: times of political turmoil require assassins. He doesn't want the work, but samurai cannot refuse orders. Anything less than absolute obedience is not permitted. A lot of these stories are about the individual fighting back against the code. In this case, our hero is so alienated from his culture that compliance is unjust and even insane. He doesn't want to fight, but what can he do? It is more of a romance than a swordfighting film. We have only two combat scenes and neither goes as we might expect. He sits and talks with his second opponent, obviously sympathetic to him. They have similar life stories. It doesn't matter, there will be blood. This is fine filmmaking, thoughtful and moving. Hiroyuki Sanada has become a familiar face in movies and television outside of Japan. Available on Blu-ray from Twilight Time. This disc has something seriously wrong with the grayscale and color saturation. It looks like a gross error in the transfer. I rented this and so did not see the Twilight Time booklet and do not know if they have an explanation. DVDBeaver has comparative screen caps. Both Twilight Time and another Blu-ray edition from "Panorama (HK)" look worse than the DVD versions in color and black levels.
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Post by morrisondylanfan on Mar 29, 2020 4:18:44 GMT
Hi all,I hope everyone is having a good weekend,and I decided to pull this swift flick out of my Japanese viewing pile: Kita no san-nin (1945) 7 “In Tokyo the cherry blossoms must be in bloom by now.” Flying onto screens less than a month before Japan surrendered in WWII, leading to it being the only “new release” on the big screen in the country for August 1945, director Kiyoshi Saeki & cinematographer Asakazu Nakai late attempt at propaganda has a oddly defeatist atmosphere, with even the ending message of endure your hardships for the greater cause taking a bumpy landing, due to the characters coming across as less than fulfilled by the final results. Wisely keeping away from visible flag-waving,Saeki flies in on a elegant Melodrama atmosphere of stylish dissolves stubbing the Morse Code across the screen towards guiding the planes to safety, landing at glamour shots of the three air traffic controllers. Made near the end of WWII, the screenplay by Yusaku Yamagata surprisingly does not go for macho posturing, instead wearing the stripes of silky Melodrama and “Woman's Picture”, as the air control trio of Ueno,Matsumoto and Goto stay cool under pressure to guide the pilots to safely. Kept in rooms with only air control kits, Setsuko Hara, Hideko Takamine and Hisako Yamane each give excellent performances as the air control trio, with Takamine tugging at Matsumoto’s moments of doubt,Yamane bringing a sense of camaraderie out of Goto,and Hara sliding all the pressure placed on Ueno’s shoulders off into the air.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 5, 2020 8:47:21 GMT
What a great thread. I haven't even got to read it all yet so I'm not sure if this has been mentioned.
Funeral Parade of Roses It's hard to define this film. An underground, new wave, LGTBQ, Japanese subculture film? A favorite of Stanley Kubrick, it was a major influence on his vision of A Clockwork Orange Toshio Matsumoto was heavily influenced by the French New Wave films of the 60's. The story is kind of a reverse Oedipus Rex story. Somewhere it becomes a film about a documentary about a movie about making a movie. The actors are questioned about their feelings often in the middle of filming a scene during the movie totally tearing down the 4th wall. It also becomes an experimental film in many aspects. Especially using non-diegetic images. It takes you on a wild ride right until the crazy ending.
Way ahead of it's time in not only subject matter but filming techniques.
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Post by manfromplanetx on Apr 14, 2020 23:08:08 GMT
Kuro no tesuto kâ , Black Test Car (1962) Yasuzô Masumura Rival automobile corporations jostle for market supremacy , keeping one step ahead requires cunning and some ruthless undercover work to gain the significant economic advantage... Masumura's excellent film is an absorbing thought provoking noir thriller set in the cut-throat world of Industrial espionage. Unlike his earlier corporate based story the fabulous pop art Giants & Toys there is certainly no colour or humour to be found here. It is a bold an incisive dark look at the human sacrifice the moral degradation of the executives and those close to them within Japan's rapidly expanding economic corporate sector. A fabulous cast express great depth of character, heartless ambition undermines moral decency , however ultimately in a system that is intrinsically rotten we bring into question our own righteous ideals, the survival of the company can only be assured with some devious covert cold-hearted industrial espionage... Stunning cinematography from Yoshihisa Nakagawa in sharp contrasting wide screen black and white confines & encloses the drama in shadowy light, generating a potent evocative atmosphere in which the profound human dramas play out... Highly Recommended !! second time view, Outstanding...
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Post by manfromplanetx on Apr 14, 2020 23:33:09 GMT
What a great thread. I haven't even got to read it all yet so I'm not sure if this has been mentioned. Funeral Parade of RosesIt's hard to define this film. An underground, new wave, LGTBQ, Japanese subculture film? A favorite of Stanley Kubrick, it was a major influence on his vision of A Clockwork Orange Hi there and welcome to the JC thread opus hope you get a chance to look back at some of the great posts and recommendations shared here. hope you don't me jumping in with an iconic image. Funeral Parade of Roses A fabulous insightful cinematic blend combining elements of arthouse film, documentary and experimental cinema. could only have been possible produced independently through the inspired Art Theatre Guild company... Pîtâ as Eddie
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Post by manfromplanetx on Apr 22, 2020 0:33:04 GMT
Chijin no ai , A Fool's Love (1967) Yasuzo Masumura's 'A Fool's Love' is an eccentric wildly entertaining classic film, it is an adaptation of author Jun'ichiro Tanizaki from a novel titled Naomi first published in 1925. A writer of modern Japanese literature, of the "modan garu," of sexuality and destructive erotic obsessions, the original influential story is set in the rapidly changing period following WW1, the films setting also is in equally dynamic changing times, the mod late sixties. Joji is an educated well-off young man, a secretive mild mannered electrical engineer he has an enthusiastic interest in the Westernized culture which is becoming ever popular in Japan. Aloof at work all he lets out to his inquisitive fellow workers is that he has a pet "cat" ? at home, curiously a rare spark of delight in his seemingly uneventful life... Privately Joji endeavours to educate/groom a rather common girl, the titular Naomi having become obsessed with her exotic looks following a chance encounter. He arranged to have Naomi move into his home and earnestly embarks on efforts to mould her into the perfect modern Western wife. He pays for English-language lessons and funds Westernized activities, fostering her love of movies, dancing, magazines and her psychedelic fashion. Despite his desperate infatuation Joji makes no sexual advances toward Naomi he begins the relationship as the dominator. However overtime weakened as his obsession grows, Naomi's cruel manipulation puts her in the position of power over him, especially since tormented Joji has conceded to everything she desires... Masumura's film is a vivid beautifully composed pensive tale, an unconventional cinematic story of abnormal obsession. Ultimately under the master directors firm command & with a twist of his very own all of the films peculiarities & weirdness culminate in the final moments for a profoundly touching finale... Second viewing entrenches my appreciation outstanding, Highly Recommended !!
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Post by manfromplanetx on Apr 22, 2020 1:25:11 GMT
Hi to all Japanese Classic fans, I was surprised by a significant recent jump in interest in the films of director Yuzo Kawashima … a brief background overview of the director is on page 2 here.
His excellent melodrama Fûsen , The Balloon (1956) in particular I had with only 13 votes on my 100 votes or less list at imdb suddenly the film now has over 200 votes. Maybe a dvd release ? a festival screening ? You may know morrisondylanfan … anyway thrilled to see such a revival exploring the master directors classic works Shitoyakana kedamono , The Graceful Brute (1962) Our opening introduction to Mr & Mrs Maeda follows the pair as they hurriedly stash out of sight all their valued possessions, for on the way up the apartment stairs their son's boss with an accountant to present accusations of large-scale embezzlement... So begins this brilliant cynical social satire you could almost say chamber drama, stay tuned, unravelling in a volatile atmosphere the offbeat story has some extraordinary surprises ahead... The outstanding film is a delirious black humoured distinctive work from two masters of their art director Yûzô Kawashima and writer Kaneto Shindô, complimented in expressive colour cinematography artistically composed cleverly within the tight setting by Nobuo Munekawa . I first gave a top vote some years back, spellbound again from the opening moment following a recent reappraisal I feel compelled to include my thoughts here , to give an extra Shout-Out for this absolute classic gem, a film that still mysteriously lingers somewhat in obscurity. A knockout cast of flawed characters excel in the confined apartment setting , but one role in particular I will single out. Every captivating performance from Ayako Wakao is always her best, here she is exceptional. Yasuzo Masumura reflected in a 1970 interview that Wakao was, "selfish and calculating ... she's hardly a pure-hearted woman and she knows it." A formidable natural, the very essence of her chic, scintillating role as the firms manipulative accountant Yukie, the graceful brute ! Say no more, Shitoyakana kedamono lives-on, for me a top class favourite, a treasured essential of Japanese Classic Cinema. Highly Entertaining, Highly Recommended !!
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