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Post by morrisondylanfan on Oct 19, 2018 2:22:54 GMT
Hi all,for the first time in weeks I had the chance to see a few films today. After watching Ringu,I decided to see another (non-Horror) Japanese film. Reading about him for years,I decided to at last view a Mikio Naruse film: Untamed Woman (1957) 9 Saying to his muse Takamine Hideko after he retired from film making that his ideal film would be "one with no exteriors and no sets—only actors working in front of white backdrops." directing auteur Mikio Naruse displays his razor sharp eye for minimalism with the perfected composition of Oshima at the centre of the frame throughout the film, and the background being given a washed out colour, which makes Oshima and the rest of the characters shine in the middle. Making each camera move highlight what stage Oshima is in her life, Naruse & cinematographer Masao Tamai gracefully sweep the camera along the rugged terrain of a mountain village, and track Oshima down the raining streets. Set during the Taishō period (1912-26), Yôko Mizuki’s adaptation of Shusei Tokuda’s novel sparkles with an incredibly contemporary atmosphere of Oshima fighting not to be a “concubine” but her own woman. Episodically following Oshima, Mizuki makes each segment slot into a tapestry of Oshima’s life,whisking the dialogue between the thoughtful, and the surprisingly coarsely cut . Bringing up the tragedies Oshima faces in her life, Mizuki holds the gloomy events from clouding Oshima’s independent spirit, with a delicate comedic touch brimming in Oshima’s encounters with her cheating ex-husbands. Holding Oshima’s head high,Hideko Takamine gives a mesmerising, expressive performance,where every subtle change Takamine makes in Oshima withstanding all that is thrown at her, as Oshima looks everyone in the eye to tell them that she will remain untamed.
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Post by Aj_June on Oct 19, 2018 17:17:46 GMT
manfromplanetx and morrisondylanfan I finally got opportunity to watch The Hanuted Catsle (1969) that was recommended by both of you. I must say that it was a seriously impressive movie in that it combined samurai and horror genres with a great honesty. Okay, what actually appeals to me about Japanese period movies in the first place? It is the powerful characters they are able to build. Here also we see in the blind man a man with high moral values and honour. Sometimes, we can be dismissive of these qualities as being unattainable in real life but actually truth, honesty and honour are the kind of values that separate the good from the bad and have existed for real among humans from every era and every culture. The blind man was courageous in not giving away his sister to a man of low character (his Lord). The blind man was honest in saying to his master that he was cheating ( Master, in aspiring to victory you have committed an unsuitable deed). So even if the blind man had just 15 minutes of screen time he was able to make us think and feel! I gathered from another review that this movie may have been inspired from famous Russian horror VIY (1967) (which I highly recommend by the way). At least one common element between both movies would be that they are both derived from ancient folklore. I have seen plenty of horrors with cat woman but this was first one in which the cat's ghost possesses souls of its targets. Silly at first thought but if you see it as psychological representation then pretty impressive. Also, impressive were the seppuku scene and the descent into madness of the evil Lord. The one thing that I found both as a positive and negative for the movie was the percentage of movie that was shot at the night time. The night scenes were definitely creepy and added to the atmosphere the director was trying to build but they also interfered with some aspects regarding how the story was advanced. All in all, excellent movie and I thank you both for recommending it.
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Post by morrisondylanfan on Oct 24, 2018 1:02:41 GMT
manfromplanetx and morrisondylanfan I finally got opportunity to watch The Hanuted Catsle (1969) that was recommended by both of you. I must say that it was a seriously impressive movie in that it combined samurai and horror genres with a great honesty. Okay, what actually appeals to me about Japanese period movies in the first place? It is the powerful characters they are able to build. Here also we see in the blind man a man with high moral values and honour. Sometimes, we can be dismissive of these qualities as being unattainable in real life but actually truth, honesty and honour are the kind of values that separate the good from the bad and have existed for real among humans from every era and every culture. The blind man was courageous in not giving away his sister to a man of low character (his Lord). The blind man was honest in saying to his master that he was cheating ( Master, in aspiring to victory you have committed an unsuitable deed). So even if the blind man had just 15 minutes of screen time he was able to make us think and feel! I gathered from another review that this movie may have been inspired from famous Russian horror VIY (1967) (which I highly recommend by the way). At least one common element between both movies would be that they are both derived from ancient folklore. I have seen plenty of horrors with cat woman but this was first one in which the cat's ghost possesses souls of its targets. Silly at first thought but if you see it as psychological representation then pretty impressive. Also, impressive were the seppuku scene and the descent into madness of the evil Lord. The one thing that I found both as a positive and negative for the movie was the percentage of movie that was shot at the night time. The night scenes were definitely creepy and added to the atmosphere the director was trying to build but they also interfered with some aspects regarding how the story was advanced. All in all, excellent movie and I thank you both for recommending it.
Hi AJ,I'm sorry about the late reply, (have been busy with offline things) and I'm absolutely thrilled you enjoyed the film. I want to say thank you for the detailed take on "The blind man", which has gotten me to see him as a more important piece to the story. Funnily enough,with VIY,I've recently been thinking about taking a look at it,due to having read that it is based on the same novel as Mario Bava's Black Sunday and Djordje Kadijevic's A Holy Place (neither of which I've seen!) On the "night scenes" I do seriously suspect that budget reasons might be one of the main reasons why such a large part of the movie takes place at night.
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Post by morrisondylanfan on Oct 29, 2018 23:17:06 GMT
Hi all,after recently catching Ringu (1995),I decided to view the beginnings of the other major J-Horror franchise. Viewing half a dozen Horror flicks shot in low-res digital video over the years,this has been a format where I've never fully enjoyed a movie shot in this method (it is so flat!) until now: Ju-on: The Curse (2000) (The Grudge) 7 Filmed on low-res digital video, (a popular format used on low budget Horror in the early 2000’s) for the straight to video market, writer/director Takashi Shimizu & cinematographer Nobuhito Kitsugi cleverly use the flatness from the low-res shooting format to give the horror shocks a stinging atmosphere, with the panning shots round the house sliding straight into the jump-scare ghosts. Performing the eerie sound-effects himself,Shimizu covers the house in a prime J-Horror atmosphere of people chillingly standing round completely still, and the thrilling sight of Kayako Saeki crawling towards her first victim. The first in the series to get the official “Ju-On” title, the screenplay by Shimizu centres a loose anthology of six stories around a cursed house with a grudge. Speeding by in 70 mins, Shimizu allows each tale to place another layer of despair and ghostly screeches in a house which holds a grudge. With Eng Subs:
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Post by Fox in the Snow on Nov 1, 2018 9:59:21 GMT
Kisses [Yasuzu Masumura, 1957] Yasuzu Masumura’s debut feature is a coming a age drama about two restless youths who meet when visiting their respective parents in jail, they both need the 100,000 yen to bail them out. Sharing the same themes and spirit of similar Japanese “youth” films of the time like Crazed Fruit, The Warped Ones and Good For Nothing, as well as the French New Wave films like The 400 Blows and Breathless. Stylistically though Masumura eschews hand held camerawork and jump cuts in favour of precise elegant framing and dark expressionistic shadows. A solid first entry in what would be a long and prolific career.
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Post by Aj_June on Nov 1, 2018 10:26:45 GMT
Kisses [Yasuzu Masumura, 1957] Yasuzu Masumura’s debut feature is a coming a age drama about two restless youths who meet when visiting their respective parents in jail, they both need the 100,000 yen to bail them out. Sharing the same themes and spirit of similar Japanese “youth” films of the time like Crazed Fruit, The Warped Ones and Good For Nothing, as well as the French New Wave films like The 400 Blows and Breathless. Stylistically though Masumura eschews hand held camerawork and jump cuts in favour of precise elegant framing and dark expressionistic shadows. A solid first entry in what would be a long and prolific career. Thanks a lot for the mini review, Fox. It's a category of Japanese cinema that I need to see more. I definitely need to see more youth movies based on post world war II society of Japan.
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Post by morrisondylanfan on Nov 2, 2018 0:15:55 GMT
Hi all,for Halloween I decided to end the month with a J-Horror viewing: Ju-on: The Curse 2 (2000) 5 Appearing to be slapped together after the success of the first Ju -on on video,writer/ director Takashi Shimizu brings this Grudge to the cinema, by recalling the likes of Silent Night, Deadly Night 2 (1987) (minus the trashy humour) in stuffing the first 35 minutes with re-used footage from the first Ju-on. Reeking of a disinterested attitude, Shimizu stamps the point down by covering the film in over-saturated colours and out of focus shots, which dent attempts for a creepy mood from the striking images in the second to last tale. Continuing the episodic set-up of the first, the screenplay by Shimizu finds some new room to expand on the tale of J-Horror’s long black haired poster girl Kayako, but they lack the care of building a mystery around the house of the original, and finishing on an ill-judged comedic ending which turns this grudge into a joke. With Eng Subs:
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Post by Ass_E9 on Nov 3, 2018 2:29:41 GMT
Can anyone explain the ending to Love Hotel (1985)?
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Post by Aj_June on Nov 3, 2018 6:03:43 GMT
Ass_E9Sorry, I haven't seen it. I hope somebody who has seen answers your question. If I see it anytime soon then I will remember to get back to your question.
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Post by morrisondylanfan on Nov 6, 2018 1:12:22 GMT
Hi all,waiting round for repairmen (who never turned up!) today,I decided to view another 1957 title: Sun in the Last Days of the Shogunate (1957) 8 Presenting a title loved in Japan but largely unknown in The West,Masters of Cinema present a great transfer, with the picture retaining a film grain, the soundtrack being clear,and the subtitles being easy to follow. Released the year that the Japanese government took a hard line on prostitution and other vices, co-writer/(with Hisashi Yamanouchi and Shôhei Imamura) director Yûzô Kawashima & cinematographer Kuratarô Takamura take the viewer on a tour of the 19th century Shogunate-era brothel with magnetic fluidity,pulling the doors open for the camera to zip pass, and winding tracking shots along the maze of corridors within the building. Holding Saheiji at the brothel with a mountain of debt, Kawashima has Saheiji pay back with a criss-crossing comedic relish from the odd jobs of pointing a prostitute towards a new life on by a sea edge, and attempting to handle a group of samurai. Created as part of the studios Nikkatsu sun-tribe/teenager genre/ output, the writers deliver a sharply allegorical edge, over the samurai group being frustrated with the treaties that the Shogunate region had signed with the US, taping into protests taking place in Japan over the post-WWII treaties (a “Free Japan” sword is shown on screen.) Thankfully not letting the title be weighed down by politics,the writers allow the movie to blossom with a wicked comedic wit, playfully spun by the prostitutes using all their enticing charms to leave clients empty handed and waiting. Threading the whole tale together,Furankî Sakai gives a dazzling performance as Saheiji, with Sakai keeping Saheiji’s physical comedy exchanges flow with a rapid-fire zest, and a charming, breezy manner for the smooth comedic word-play of witnessing the last days of the Shogunate.
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Post by morrisondylanfan on Nov 10, 2018 4:41:32 GMT
Hi all,opening up Arrow's first Diamond Guys set to view the two out of the three films I've yet to see, I ended up discovering one of the most beautiful-looking Film Noir I've seen this year: FTV:3: Red Pier (1958) 10 Treating the transfer with the same respect given to Seijun Suzuki’s work in the set, Arrow present an image which is crystal clear, a soundtrack that is clean and well-paced English subtitles. Lifting a rich Film Noir atmosphere from the opening murder via crane, co-writer/(with Ichirô Ikeda) director Toshio Masuda & cinematographer Shinsaku Himeda unveil gorgeous stylisation in the crisp white clothes Tominaga lands in the port with reflected in pristine white lights lining every street and crashing against the waves, whilst subtly outlining the murky deals taking place under the pristine port. Hitting his targets with a mighty swagger, Masuda and Himeda give their loner bags of Film Noir chic spun from off-kilter camera angles curling round to follow Tominaga make his escape, and fluid, hand-held camera moves following each punch Tominaga offers up. Taking the basic outline of Julien Duvivier’s classic Pépé le Moko (1937) (a Film Noir loner flees to the outskirts to avoid the cops) the screenplay by Masuda and Ikeda brilliantly draw up the sketch to comment on the youthful Post-WWII era of Japan, by having Tominaga be one of the new “water trade” (a black market many people worked in to survive during the aftermath of losing the war) gangsters, who is a free-wheeling loner who does not follow the pre-WWII codes of “loyalty” the underworld lived by. Smoothly crossing Film Noir with the popular “Sun-Tribe”/Zoku genre, the writers hits the early sugar rush of the French New Wave by Tominaga (played by a wonderfully dashing and slick Yûjirô Ishihara) being unable to let his secret love Keiko Sugita (a very good Mie Kitahara) cross his personal space, as a harmonica plays music from the heart of Tominaga across the red pier.
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Post by Aj_June on Nov 10, 2018 5:12:42 GMT
morrisondylanfanThanks for your exciting review, Dylan. I have seen and liked Pépé le Moko (1937) so I do be very interested to see Japanese take on it. Noir is one genre where I need to see more of the Japanese cinema.
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Post by manfromplanetx on Nov 12, 2018 7:27:25 GMT
Daisan no kagemusha The Third Shadow (1963) Umetsugu Inoue. Poor farmer Kyônosuke (Raizô Ichikawa) dreams of a glorified samurai future. An opportunity arises when a position under the local Lord is offered, Naïve young Kyônosuke is told that because of his resemblance to the Lord he is to become a body double, the third of the Lords human shadows. Say no more ! The film is a spellbinding dark tale, an incredibly creative and stylish work of cinematic art, tantalizingly evident from the credits opening moments.. Accompanied with an outstanding soundtrack which is wonderfully blended, creating a rich atmospheric tone. The b&w cinematography is sensational, the acting superb, highlighted with dynamic dual roles from Raizô Ichikawa, A superior film adaptation, the deeply absorbing story is a multi faceted darkly dramatic tale painting an unglorified image of the warrior class. Director Tadashi Imai also adapted from the author Norio Nanjo for his excellent equally dark drama the anti samurai film, Bushido, Samurai Saga (1963). Having viewed a Great number of feudal J Classics, Daisan no kagemusha shines out, an absolute gem, exceptional entertainment... Highly Recommended Classic Japanese Cinema !!!
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Post by manfromplanetx on Nov 16, 2018 20:22:15 GMT
Hi all,opening up Arrow's first Diamond Guys set to view the two out of the three films I've yet to see, I ended up discovering one of the most beautiful-looking Film Noir I've seen this year: FTV:3: Red Pier (1958) 10 Hi there MDF Finally catching up having been off line for a couple of weeks, Great to see your review of Yûzô Kawashima's film , a marvellous director a dark humourist, his biting satires are wonderful entertainment. Sadly despite a prolific career, it is impossible to track down much of his work, I treasure the handful of his films I have in my collection, most recently adding, Kashima ari , Room to Let (1959) my fav. The Graceful Brute (1962) Thanks for your glowing recommendation/review of Red Pier (1958). I mentioned a film here a few months back The Velvet Hustler (1968) also from Toshio Masuda , a stylish music filled crime action tale , Apparently it was loosely based on his earlier film Red Pier. I also greatly enjoyed Akai hankachi (1964) recently which is a tremendously atmospheric crime tale set in the port city of Yokohama, once again music is a feature, it was the directors biggest commercial success. (pic below, Yûjirô Ishihara ) Interesting to note that director Toshio Masuda recently turned 91, a living legend...!
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Post by morrisondylanfan on Nov 22, 2018 1:41:39 GMT
morrisondylanfan Thanks for your exciting review, Dylan. I have seen and liked Pépé le Moko (1937) so I do be very interested to see Japanese take on it. Noir is one genre where I need to see more of the Japanese cinema. Thanks AJ,and with only having one film left to view from the sets,I really recommend Arrow's two Diamond Guys box sets,both of which contain overlooked Japanese Noir/Crime films.
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Post by morrisondylanfan on Nov 23, 2018 18:37:59 GMT
Hi all,after a little delay I've finished both of Arrow's Diamond Guys sets (a shame poor sales put an end to the sets.) The Rambling Guitarist (1959) 7 The lone colour title in the first set, Arrow present a good transfer of a clean soundtrack and well-paced subtitles, but the picture having more spots of dirt than the other two. Launching the first of a 9 film series (!) director Buichi Saitô & cinematographer Kuratarô Takamura tune the Nikkatsu Film Noir of the past to the hip teenage market by washing the flick in stylish Pop-Art colours and distorted angles giving Taki (played by a slick Akira Kobayashi) a Pop star shine. Plucked into having to work for mob boss Akitsu, the screenplay by Kenzaburo Hara/Ei Ogawa and Hara Yamazaki plays on the generational divide between the old-school, hard nosed thugs of the war years, and the new, pretty young things loners. Whilst this approach does make the differences prominent, it also causes for the flick to have little feeling of threat, due to Taki spending the whole movie with a cocky swagger, as the guitarist rambles a new tune.
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Post by delon on Nov 24, 2018 13:00:29 GMT
Yuki yukite, shingun (1987) : Japanese war documentary by director Kazuo Hara. It centers around Kenzo Okuzaki, a 62-year-old veteran of Japan's campaign in New Guinea in the Second World War, and follows him around as he searches out those responsible for the unexplained deaths of two soldiers in his old unit. Though Okuzaki ultimately holds Emperor Hirohito accountable for all the suffering of the war, ("I hate irresponsible people...the most cowardly man in Japan, is the Emperor Hirohito"), he painstakingly tracks down former soldiers and officers, coaxing them into telling him about the deaths, often abusing them verbally and at times physically in the process. When these elderly men do break down and decide to speak out, their testimonies are some of the most chilling, harrowing descriptions of wartime desperation ever committed to film. In a creation of this provocative and subversive piece, director Hara was guided by his own words that " the documentary must examine occurrences that people do not wish for to be examined, discover what was hidden and analyze reasonings for why it was hidden ". Focusing on a protagonist who is likely mentally unstable, relentless in his pursuit and very aggressive, so much that film crew needed to restrain him during some of his conversations with former soldiers, using the method of Cinéma vérité, director chronicles his cathartic odyssey. Yuki yukite, shingun ( The Emperor's Naked Army Marches On) was awarded with Caligari Film Prize in 1987.
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Post by petrolino on Nov 24, 2018 13:17:39 GMT
Hi all,after a little delay I've finished both of Arrow's Diamond Guys sets (a shame poor sales put an end to the sets.) It's a shame they price their sets so high it puts people out of the market. These are hard times for many.
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Post by Aj_June on Nov 24, 2018 13:24:17 GMT
Yuki yukite, shingun (1987) : Japanese war documentary by director Kazuo Hara. It centers around Kenzo Okuzaki, a 62-year-old veteran of Japan's campaign in New Guinea in the Second World War, and follows him around as he searches out those responsible for the unexplained deaths of two soldiers in his old unit. Though Okuzaki ultimately holds Emperor Hirohito accountable for all the suffering of the war, ("I hate irresponsible people...the most cowardly man in Japan, is the Emperor Hirohito"), he painstakingly tracks down former soldiers and officers, coaxing them into telling him about the deaths, often abusing them verbally and at times physically in the process. When these elderly men do break down and decide to speak out, their testimonies are some of the most chilling, harrowing descriptions of wartime desperation ever committed to film. In a creation of this provocative and subversive piece, director Hara was guided by his own words that " the documentary must examine occurrences that people do not wish for to be examined, discover what was hidden and analyze reasonings for why it was hidden ". Focusing on a protagonist who is likely mentally unstable, relentless in his pursuit and very aggressive, so much that film crew needed to restrain him during some of his conversations with former soldiers, using the method of Cinéma vérité, director chronicles his cathartic odyssey. Yuki yukite, shingun ( The Emperor's Naked Army Marches On) was awarded with Caligari Film Prize in 1987. Thanks, Delon, for the review and for bringing this movie to our attention. I am not big on animation but I have enjoyed 2 great animation movies from Japan based on second world war. The documentary movie you have listed seems to be pretty interesting too. Would very much love to see it.
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Post by morrisondylanfan on Dec 1, 2018 3:27:49 GMT
Hi all,opening up Arrow's first Diamond Guys set to view the two out of the three films I've yet to see, I ended up discovering one of the most beautiful-looking Film Noir I've seen this year: FTV:3: Red Pier (1958) 10 Hi there MDF Finally catching up having been off line for a couple of weeks, Great to see your review of Yûzô Kawashima's film , a marvellous director a dark humourist, his biting satires are wonderful entertainment. Sadly despite a prolific career, it is impossible to track down much of his work, I treasure the handful of his films I have in my collection, most recently adding, Kashima ari , Room to Let (1959) my fav. The Graceful Brute (1962) Thanks for your glowing recommendation/review of Red Pier (1958). I mentioned a film here a few months back The Velvet Hustler (1968) also from Toshio Masuda , a stylish music filled crime action tale , Apparently it was loosely based on his earlier film Red Pier. I also greatly enjoyed Akai hankachi (1964) recently which is a tremendously atmospheric crime tale set in the port city of Yokohama, once again music is a feature, it was the directors biggest commercial success. (pic below, Yûjirô Ishihara ) Interesting to note that director Toshio Masuda recently turned 91, a living legend...! Hi Planet X,I hope you are doing well and getting all set for Christmas. Knowing nothing about it before the viewing, Red Pier caught me completely by surprise, and turned out to be the best of the 3 (very good) films in the Arrow set. With Velvet Hustler, I actually picked up a DVD with an OK print (really difficult to pick up on much of the detail on screen) a few years ago. I want to say thank you for your Hustler comments, which encouraged me to search round,and finally find a great print (which I'll hopefully be watching soon.)
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