13 Assasins -Jûsan-nin no shikaku - Takashi Miike - 2010 - trailer

Can't wait for this Miike chambara remake:

 

Nikutai no Mon aka Gate of Flesh - Seijun Suzuki -Japan - (1964)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058409/

Plot by imdb: "After World War II, some Tokyo prostitutes band together with a strict code: no pimps, attack any street walker who comes into our territory, defend the abandoned building we call home, and punish whomever gives away sex (who falls in love). Maya, a young woman whose family has died, joins the group. Into the mix comes Shin, a thief who's killed a G.I. The women allow him to hide while recovering from wounds, but then he won't leave. Maya is drawn to him, discovering as she falls in love that she can feel again; she's now more fully human, but at the same time, she's endangered herself and her livelihood. Can she and Shin make it out of Tokyo to establish as a couple?"

A sexploitation plot, a realistic historical background, the pop/flashy colorful aspect of Seijun Suzuki frame composition, his desperate romanticism and his fascination for outlaw groups, in this case prostitutes, all these are turning this movie into an instant cult classic for me. 

How can I describe how magnificent is the movie ? Just watch the trailer and the screencaps. It's mesmerizingly beautiful. Having been shot in the Nikkatsu studio with all the crafty technicians around and  a comfortable budget allowed this very stylish director to fully control every aspect of his creation. It will go even further in his following works, "Tokyo drifter" & "Branded to kill", pop insanities disguised as yakuza eiga, leading to his firing by the Nikkatsu in 1968, supposedly for "making incomprehensible pictures". Those fucking  dumb suits ! 

A wonderful dive into the dark underbelly of post-war Japan, a huge sense of desperation and bitterness is felt all along the movie, that really explains a lot about the generation of directors that emerge in the 60's: Suzuki, Fukasaku, etc.... Having lost their illusion on mankind in their childhood during the war, they went on making "genre" movies that were extremely cynical and quite desperate, but who showed an incredible vitality.

"Gate of flesh" is amongst those movies. A sense of constant emergency and at time, hysteria is only compensate by the inner feeling of the main characters that "there  is more to life than this". "This" in that case is stealing, robbing, being a prostitute, etc... Anything that can make you survive in a desperate situation.

The cast is top notch, all the prostitutes having their own strong personality but the main roles belongs to  Yumiko Nogawa and Jo Shishido (and his silicones cheeks), both great.

Another amazing piece of work from Suzuki and a movie that goes really beyond its exploitation genre.

Kiru aka Kill ! - K.Okamoto - Japan - (1968)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063186/

Plot by Imdb:"Two ronin - an ex-samurai and an ex-farmer - get caught up in a local officials complex game of murder and betrayal."

Technically impressive and beautifully framed, this classical tale of two extremely different characters, one disillusioned ex-samurai and a poor farmer wannabe samurai, being thrown into a local treacherous politics maneuvers, finds its originality in its constant humor and ironic comments on Japanese Medieval stereotypes. Kihachi Okamoto knew his craft well, having directed such Chambara classics as "Samurai" and the amazing "The sword of Doom" (both with Toshiro Mifune), and once again he delivers. Photography, framing,  lightning, editing, etc, all technical aspects are excellent and should be praised but what really tops everything else are the actors performances. The two main characters are likeable and complex. They try to find their own way in the mist of the violent and erratic events happening all around them.  Tatsuya nakadai, who'll be a Akira Kurusawa favorites many years later, is just wonderful in his depiction of a cynical character in search of his own way.

Apparently inspired by Sergio Leone and its Spaghetti western original style, the "comic book" approach is clearly visible here. Once again, a Japanese classic Jidaigeki happens to be a very special movie: a Chambara satire, hilarious, deep and exhilarating at the same time. Highly recommended for fans of the genre.

Trailer:

 

SATOSHI KON R.I.P

SATOSHI KON

(1963-2010)

Maybe my favorite contemporary animation director. 

Paprika (2006), "Paranoia Agent" tv series (2004), Tokyo Godfathers (2003), Millennium Actress (2001), Perfect Blue (1998). All cinema masterpieces. Full of poetry and intelligence.

He also was the scriptwriter of "warudo apatomento hora", the Otomo live directorial debut. He was working on "The Dreaming Machine".

It's a gigantic loss. He passed away at only 46 years old. 

All animation fans are orphans today.

R.I.P
Okuyami moshiagemasu. 

Perfect Blue:

Millenium Actress:

Tokyo Godfathers:

Paranoia Agent Tv serie:

Paprika:

Eat the schoolgirls: Osaka Telephone Club - Naoyuki Tomomatsu - (1997) - Japan

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0450004/

Plot by Imdb: "Two young adults are doing dirty works for a yakuza gang, making sadistic rape/snuff films. Both of them are sexually obsessed; one is addicted to telephone sex whilst the other can only function sexually, whilst seeing mutilated female corpses."

Before joining the  Nikkatsu's "Sushi Typhoon" production team, alongside with Iguchi, Nishimura and many others, Tomomatsu made this very disturbing picture, that has very little to do with his futur absurd-gory-tongue-in-cheek productions, like Vampire Girl vs Frankenstein Girl. More a Pinku movie turn gross, "Eat the schoolgirl" is to be handled with care, as it is obviously not for everyone. Not for your girlfriend, for example.  The amount of misoginistic sadism and extremely deviant male behaviour is difficult to believe. But the real interesting thing is the stylistic archievment that this movie represent: It is as weird, twisted and unsafe as other masterpieces of the genre like "Angst" or "Henry". Higly recommended if you can stomach this style of production, it shows once again that even a small production in a sub-sub-genre (pinku horror) can result in an impacting and memorable movie. 

A dark, dark shocker from an interesting director. Watch it at  your own risk.

Video clip made with images from the movie (the "music" has nothing to do with the movie)

Koara kachô aka Executive Koala - Minoru Kawasaki - Japan - (2005)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0830581/

Plot from Imdb:"Keiichi Tamura is a hardworking executive in a pickle company, who is making a big merger at work and struggling with memory loss and the mysterious disappearance of his wife three years prior. He's also a koala, which doesn't seem to bother people too much, but then the president of the company is a large white rabbit. Tamura enters the sights of the police when his current girlfriend is found stabbed to death and his murky past seem to imply that he is not the well-mannered Koala he appear to be."

Maybe the best work of Kawasaki, this "false" nonsensical thriller is filled by excellent ideas and witty artistic direction. The acting is great...or the animal masks are good, whatever you prefer. The gruesomeness of some scenes is made hilarious by the oddity of the costumes, until a certain point. Not unlike the masterpiece of adult animation from Satashi Kon "Perfect Blue", the childish aspect of the characters is becoming more and more odd, if not unsettling, as their behaviors grows more sinister. Perfect balance between the usual intimate stories told by iconic figures (a classic of Kawasaki, in Calamari Wrestler for example) and a denunciation of schizophrenia of the modern workplace, Executive Koala is a delightfully weird moment of cinema.  If you never had the chills on front of a maniac koala, now is just a good time.

PS: I, personally, discovered a few years ago, in Australia, that they are vicious little bastards, Eucalyptus junkies without moral or ethic !!! But that’s another story...

Tense moment at the precinct (extract): 

Japanese trailer: