At one point in “Dead Or Alive 2: Birds,” two childhood friends who have reunited after decades of separation put on a wacky school play for a classroom of young students. They do silly voices and dance around in animal costumes. The children laugh, even as the performers make obscene gestures and simulate sex acts. The inappropriateness of it all doesn't seem to bother anyone–they're all having too much fun. As this is happening, a Yakuza-Triad gang war is breaking out in the city. Gangsters shoot and slash and brutalize one another. Killers defile their dead victims and bleeding men cry out for mercy.
This montage, like so much of “Birds,” is an encapsulation of Takashi Miike's many modes. It runs the gamut from wacky and tender to perverse and vicious, and this melding of styles makes it maybe the best entry point into an infamously scattershot filmography.
This montage, like so much of “Birds,” is an encapsulation of Takashi Miike's many modes. It runs the gamut from wacky and tender to perverse and vicious, and this melding of styles makes it maybe the best entry point into an infamously scattershot filmography.
- 7/2/2023
- by Henry McKeand
- AsianMoviePulse
Ever since features such as Dennis Hopper’s “Easy Rider” or László Benedek’s “The Wild One“, the image of the motorcycle is closely connected to notions like freedom, independence and rebellion. It has also sparked numerous clubs worldwide dedicated to the motorbike, a specific brand and, of course, its rider too, who almost feels like a modern-day cowboy in a way. Naturally, the cult surrounding motorcycles would also reach Japan, with many of its most famous clubs originating in the 1980s. In his 1986 feature “His Motorbike, Her Island” director Nobuhiko Obayashi would present his own approach to the various associations to the motorbike, what kind of person rides one and to what ends the longing for freedom would lead someone.
on Terracotta
While balancing his studies at music school and his part-time-job as a messenger, Ko (Riki Takeuchi) still finds plenty of time riding his motorcycle,...
on Terracotta
While balancing his studies at music school and his part-time-job as a messenger, Ko (Riki Takeuchi) still finds plenty of time riding his motorcycle,...
- 8/22/2022
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
Following in the footsteps of “Bento Harassment”, Renpei Tsukamoto deals with another dysfunctional family and the ways they could potentially resolve their issues, retaining the tour guide of the rural area element, while switching the concept of Bento with rally.
“My Father’s Tracks” is screening at Asian Pop-up Cinema
The protagonist of the story is Taiga Kitamura, a 29-year-old whose efforts to become an actor in Tokyo have hit a wall, as his manager claims that his performances lack soul. At the same time, the young man has already lost his mother when he was young, essentially blaming his father, whose career in rally has taken up most of his time, neglecting him, his brother, and their mother. Neither of the two siblings talk to him anymore, and his pleas for Taiga to visit the rural area where he runs a car repair shop are met with denial, even dismissal on occasion.
“My Father’s Tracks” is screening at Asian Pop-up Cinema
The protagonist of the story is Taiga Kitamura, a 29-year-old whose efforts to become an actor in Tokyo have hit a wall, as his manager claims that his performances lack soul. At the same time, the young man has already lost his mother when he was young, essentially blaming his father, whose career in rally has taken up most of his time, neglecting him, his brother, and their mother. Neither of the two siblings talk to him anymore, and his pleas for Taiga to visit the rural area where he runs a car repair shop are met with denial, even dismissal on occasion.
- 4/1/2022
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
In 2002, there was possibly no way of avoiding the presence of Japanese director Takashi Miike in his home country, given the incredible output of eight films released that year. Starting off with the final entry in the “Dead or Alive”-trilogy 2002 included such features as “The Happiness of the Katakuris”, “Agitator” as well as “Graveyard of Honor”, a re-interpretation of the original directed by Kinji Fukasaku in 1975. While some of the entries of that year have more or less disappeared into obscurity, perhaps one of the most notable development in Miike’s career is the occurrence of two films – “Graveyard of Honor” and “The Happiness of the Katakuris” – based on an already existing film. But then again, a “remake” by Takashi Miike is never just a “remake”, it is always something quite unique.
In an interview during the 2002 International Rotterdam Film Festival, Miike finds a moment of...
In an interview during the 2002 International Rotterdam Film Festival, Miike finds a moment of...
- 8/9/2021
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
To what extent is “Deadly Outlaw: Rekka” (aka Violent Fire) simply just another Takashi Miike yakuza flick, drenched in the overly common tropes of betrayal, inter-family politics, and vengeance? On one hand, this semi-maniacal reimagining of Shigenori Takechi’s script (previously adapted in 2001 as the gloriously epic “Agitator“) is an exercise in weirdness and in collaboration; a world occupied with familiar faces in the Miike canon, hanging out and enjoying making almost no sense whatsoever. On the other hand, it is a long overdue and extended music video to one of the most celebrated Japanese psych rock albums to ever grace a record player – Flower Travellin’ Band’s 1971 masterpiece Satori. What you have then is more than just some film: “Rekka” signifies the countercultural wheel yanking its tail and swallowing it whole, bound to an endless cycle of repetition and recurrences; for the most part it is an almighty blast to experience.
- 1/21/2020
- by Jamie Cansdale
- AsianMoviePulse
Among the plethora of films Miike shot on video, he was bound to include a noir (kind of at least) eventually. “Peanuts” was free of Maki’s presence, something that gave the movie a sense of style to say the least, although the writing by the three people responsible was, once more, messy.
The two peanuts of the story (from the phrase “two peanuts in the same shell) are Ryuji Hoshikawa and Kyotaro Ochiai, two peculiar individuals who dress like detectives from a noir story (costumes and hats and all) but are actually just lowlifes, and not particularly bright. As the story begins, they win a great sum in the track, but are soon swindled for all they worth, first by a supposed car dealer and then from two good looking women. A little after that, they stumble upon Makimura, and elderly fish seller who has a huge debt towards the local,...
The two peanuts of the story (from the phrase “two peanuts in the same shell) are Ryuji Hoshikawa and Kyotaro Ochiai, two peculiar individuals who dress like detectives from a noir story (costumes and hats and all) but are actually just lowlifes, and not particularly bright. As the story begins, they win a great sum in the track, but are soon swindled for all they worth, first by a supposed car dealer and then from two good looking women. A little after that, they stumble upon Makimura, and elderly fish seller who has a huge debt towards the local,...
- 12/13/2019
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
The third part and final part of the trilogy, follows the basic rules of the other two, having Ryo Ishibashi and Sho Aikawa in the protagonist roles and no other connection in terms of story, since this one takes place in the future.
The setting is Yokohama (although the film was actually shot in Hong Kong), a city which, in 2346, has closed its borders completely, essentially becoming a city-state. Furthermore, Mayor Wu runs it as a dictatorship, with his harshest law forces the overwhelming majority of the citizens to take a birth control drug, essentially canceling births and the creation of new families. His laws are applied by a police force headed by Suzuki, an extremely harsh but very capable individual, who also happens to be a family man, having a wife and a son. As the story begins, we are introduced to Ryo, a man who...
The setting is Yokohama (although the film was actually shot in Hong Kong), a city which, in 2346, has closed its borders completely, essentially becoming a city-state. Furthermore, Mayor Wu runs it as a dictatorship, with his harshest law forces the overwhelming majority of the citizens to take a birth control drug, essentially canceling births and the creation of new families. His laws are applied by a police force headed by Suzuki, an extremely harsh but very capable individual, who also happens to be a family man, having a wife and a son. As the story begins, we are introduced to Ryo, a man who...
- 10/4/2018
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
As we mentioned in the review of the first part of the trilogy, the influence of Kitano was small but significant. This time, however, it is much more evident (from “Sonatine”), although the preposterousness that characterizes Miike’s style, still manages to dominate a large part of the film.
Two contract killers, blonde-haired and quirky Mizuki Okamoto and cool and silent Shuuichi Sawada meet with each other by accident, during a “job” and soon realize that they are childhood friends. Their reunion propels them into travelling to the island they grew up together. As they reminisce the past and meet up with old friends, they learn a number of shuttering news and eventually take a big decision: to start killing for… charity, giving their earnings to the poor children of the world. Their decision, though, brings them against their old employers, the crime syndicates.
This time, Miike...
Two contract killers, blonde-haired and quirky Mizuki Okamoto and cool and silent Shuuichi Sawada meet with each other by accident, during a “job” and soon realize that they are childhood friends. Their reunion propels them into travelling to the island they grew up together. As they reminisce the past and meet up with old friends, they learn a number of shuttering news and eventually take a big decision: to start killing for… charity, giving their earnings to the poor children of the world. Their decision, though, brings them against their old employers, the crime syndicates.
This time, Miike...
- 10/2/2018
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
In Takashi Miike’s vast filmography, there are some films that could be considered as trademarks of his ever-changing style, like “Ichi the Killer”, “Visitor Q”, “Audition” and many others. I feel though, that if one would like to present a title that is the embodiment of his style, the “Dead or Alive” trilogy is the perfect choice. Today, we are going to deal with the first part.
After an 8-minute sequence filled with punk music, sex, and violence that largely sets the tone of the film, the narrative cools a bit down, in order to present the story. Jojima is a competent police officer who happens to retain connections with the local Yakuza and their leader, Satake. Jojima is about to ask for a loan to pay for his daughter’s medical expenses. Around that point, Ryuichi, another outlaw, this time of Chinese ancestry, and his...
After an 8-minute sequence filled with punk music, sex, and violence that largely sets the tone of the film, the narrative cools a bit down, in order to present the story. Jojima is a competent police officer who happens to retain connections with the local Yakuza and their leader, Satake. Jojima is about to ask for a loan to pay for his daughter’s medical expenses. Around that point, Ryuichi, another outlaw, this time of Chinese ancestry, and his...
- 9/29/2018
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
When you allow yourself to be immersed in the world of Takashi Miike you do so with the knowledge that you are going to be taken to some really messed up places. Then of course he tricks you and gives you something completely different. The Dead or Alive Trilogy is an example of three films where Miike takes you to the absurd, but also to the surprisingly sentimental.
Starting with Dead or Alive, we have the battle between Yakuza Ryuuichi vs Detective Jojima (Shô Aikawa). Ryu and his small group are looking to take over the Shinjuku underworld by taking out the Chinese and Japanese mafia kings. The only person who stands in his way is Jojima. While this battle is raging, we see the connection with family, which is a connection between the three films of the trilogy.
With Dead or Alive, the film starts in a way to...
Starting with Dead or Alive, we have the battle between Yakuza Ryuuichi vs Detective Jojima (Shô Aikawa). Ryu and his small group are looking to take over the Shinjuku underworld by taking out the Chinese and Japanese mafia kings. The only person who stands in his way is Jojima. While this battle is raging, we see the connection with family, which is a connection between the three films of the trilogy.
With Dead or Alive, the film starts in a way to...
- 3/28/2017
- by Paul Metcalf
- Nerdly
Beginning with an explosive, six-minute montage of sex, drugs and violence, and ending with a phallus-headed battle robot taking flight, Takashi Miike’s unforgettable Dead or Alive Trilogy features many of the director’s most outrageous moments set alongside some of his most dramatically moving scenes. Made between 1999 and 2002, the Dead or Alive films cemented Miike’s reputation overseas as one of the most provocative enfants terrible of Japanese cinema, yet also one of its most talented and innovative filmmakers. In Dead or Alive, tough gangster Ryuichi (Riki Takeuchi) and his ethnically Chinese gang make a play to take over the drug trade in Tokyo’s Shinjuku district by massacring the competition. But he meets his match in detective Jojima (Show Aikawa), who will do everything to stop them. Dead or Alive 2: Birds casts Aikawa and Takeuchi together again, but as new characters, a pair of rival yakuza assassins...
- 2/3/2017
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Title: Tokyo Tribe XLrator Media Director: Sion Sono Writer: Sion Sono, Santa Inoue (based on Manga) Cast: Ryohei Suzuki, Young Daisz, Akihiro Kitamura, Riki Takeuchi, Ryûta Satô, Tomoko Karina, Akihiro Kitamura, Hitomi Katayama, Nana Seino, Yôsuke Kubozuka Running time: 116min Rated: Unrated (violence, blood, bare breasts, implied rape) Theatrical, VOD And iTUNES Release Date: October 23, 2015 Based on the Manga by Santa Inoue, Tokyo Tribe takes place in an alternate/futuristic town in Japan, street gangs have a peace treaty that becomes disrupted when Merra, leader of the Wu-Ronz tribe of Bukuro attempts to kill Kai, member of the Musahino Saru; he kills Kai’s friend Tera by mistake. Tera is a beloved go-between of all the tribes, to which his [ Read More ]
The post Tokyo Tribe Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post Tokyo Tribe Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 10/26/2015
- by juliana
- ShockYa
Why Don’t You Play in the Streets?: Sono’s Overblown Street War Musical
Many consider Sion Sono to be Takashi Miike’s succeeding enfant terrible, both in the sheer magnitude of prolific output as well as his provocative depictions of violence and sexuality. His meta-bizarro 2013 entry, homage to B-action film tropes Why Don’t You Play in Hell? was championed by many for its Grand Guignol celebration of overzealous filmmaking, though it showcased many of the director’s worst tendencies as regards his ability to concisely edit himself. Fans of his desensitizing overloads of maddening visual stimulations, particularly those who considered the two hour continual explosion of Hell to be a cornerstone masterpiece in his filmography, should certainly appreciate his 2014 follow-up Tokyo Tribe, a hip-hop musical street turf face-off, as a pleasurable aftershock. Others will find its elaborate visuals to be marred by endless tone-deaf musical performances, much...
Many consider Sion Sono to be Takashi Miike’s succeeding enfant terrible, both in the sheer magnitude of prolific output as well as his provocative depictions of violence and sexuality. His meta-bizarro 2013 entry, homage to B-action film tropes Why Don’t You Play in Hell? was championed by many for its Grand Guignol celebration of overzealous filmmaking, though it showcased many of the director’s worst tendencies as regards his ability to concisely edit himself. Fans of his desensitizing overloads of maddening visual stimulations, particularly those who considered the two hour continual explosion of Hell to be a cornerstone masterpiece in his filmography, should certainly appreciate his 2014 follow-up Tokyo Tribe, a hip-hop musical street turf face-off, as a pleasurable aftershock. Others will find its elaborate visuals to be marred by endless tone-deaf musical performances, much...
- 10/23/2015
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
If only director Sion Sono can keep up the current pace he’s working at, this universe may very well still be worth saving.
After a handful of gorgeous and criticially beloved features like Love Exposure, Sono blew the doors off of 2014’s year of cinema with his brilliant and in many ways definitive Why Don’t You Play In Hell?. Well, he’s back once again with what may very well be his most anarchic and revelatory achievement to date.
Entitled Tokyo Tribe, Sono takes to the world of gangsters in what is ostensibly a Tokyo sometime in the near-ish future. For all intents and purposes an action film in the body of a musical, Sono’s latest is based on the manga series Tokyo Tribe 2 from Santa Inoue, and melds Shaw Brothers-esque clan battles with a futuristic setting and rap music. Think The Kid With The Golden Arm...
After a handful of gorgeous and criticially beloved features like Love Exposure, Sono blew the doors off of 2014’s year of cinema with his brilliant and in many ways definitive Why Don’t You Play In Hell?. Well, he’s back once again with what may very well be his most anarchic and revelatory achievement to date.
Entitled Tokyo Tribe, Sono takes to the world of gangsters in what is ostensibly a Tokyo sometime in the near-ish future. For all intents and purposes an action film in the body of a musical, Sono’s latest is based on the manga series Tokyo Tribe 2 from Santa Inoue, and melds Shaw Brothers-esque clan battles with a futuristic setting and rap music. Think The Kid With The Golden Arm...
- 7/5/2015
- by Joshua Brunsting
- CriterionCast
Tokyo Tribe (2014) Film Review from the 58th Annual BFI London Film Festival, a movie directed by Shion Sono, starring Hitomi Katayama, Akihiro Kitamura, Tomoko Karina, Ryôhei Suzuki, Young Dais, Riki Takeuchi, Nana Seino, Yôsuke Kubozuka, and Shota Sometani. Tokyo Tribe went a long way, through some very vile & violent [...]
Continue reading: Film Review: Tokyo Tribe: Hardcore Hip-Hop Kabuki, If You Dare [Lff 2014]...
Continue reading: Film Review: Tokyo Tribe: Hardcore Hip-Hop Kabuki, If You Dare [Lff 2014]...
- 10/16/2014
- by Sam Joseph
- Film-Book
To experience Shion Sono’s hyperkinetic hip hop opus, Tokyo Tribe, with a packed crowd all simultaneously engaging on it’s chaotic wavelength is like a spiritual ceremony of pure cinematic ecstasy. Harmony and anarchy frenetically assaulting the senses through a dystopian riot. Ambitious gonzo filmmaking and a shot of adrenaline to the soul, this is Sono’s Streets Of Fire. Offensive, heartfelt, fantastical and whimsical are all words that perfectly describe this optimistic call to arms in the chaotic shambles of a graffiti drenched turf war. As the chanting echoes of “Tokyo Tribe, never ever die!” drift in harmonic bliss, it was like a hypnotic trance that tightened it’s grip and refused to let go.
After a determined youth’s vow to bring hope and joy back to the gang-ravaged wasteland where the 23 tribes have broken their peace, a captivating swoop through the madness of this dystopian Tokyo...
After a determined youth’s vow to bring hope and joy back to the gang-ravaged wasteland where the 23 tribes have broken their peace, a captivating swoop through the madness of this dystopian Tokyo...
- 10/9/2014
- by Sean McClannahan
- DailyDead
Dear Danny,
I also rode the Tokyo Tribe rollercoaster, and my head hasn’t stopped spinning yet. Slamming together the most rabid excesses of the worlds of manga comics and hip-hop music, it’s a continuous blitzkrieg: Sono’s ne plus ultra of sheer brio, and, along with Godard’s Adieu au language, the festival’s most assaultive sensory experience so far. Its pinwheel neon hues, inflamed camera movements and acrobatic gangland mugging are straight-up dilations of Seijun Suzuki’s vintage gonzo pulp—indeed, the first time I ever heard Japanese rapping on screen was during a brief interlude in Suzuki’s mock-opera Princess Raccoon. I doubt even that veteran iconoclast, however, could have dreamed up the bit in Tokyo Tribe when the vile underworld kingpin (Riki Takeuchi), swollen like an obscene parade float, pulverizes a field of warring gangs with a Gatling gun held, of course, crotch-level. Such moments of absolute glee abound,...
I also rode the Tokyo Tribe rollercoaster, and my head hasn’t stopped spinning yet. Slamming together the most rabid excesses of the worlds of manga comics and hip-hop music, it’s a continuous blitzkrieg: Sono’s ne plus ultra of sheer brio, and, along with Godard’s Adieu au language, the festival’s most assaultive sensory experience so far. Its pinwheel neon hues, inflamed camera movements and acrobatic gangland mugging are straight-up dilations of Seijun Suzuki’s vintage gonzo pulp—indeed, the first time I ever heard Japanese rapping on screen was during a brief interlude in Suzuki’s mock-opera Princess Raccoon. I doubt even that veteran iconoclast, however, could have dreamed up the bit in Tokyo Tribe when the vile underworld kingpin (Riki Takeuchi), swollen like an obscene parade float, pulverizes a field of warring gangs with a Gatling gun held, of course, crotch-level. Such moments of absolute glee abound,...
- 9/9/2014
- by Fernando F. Croce
- MUBI
Takashi Miike's Yakuza thriller opens with a barrage of sleaze featuring cocaine, stripping and guns. It's brilliant
Warning: contains explicit images
Why we love … the cast of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest … movie computers … the quarry in Breaking Away
Reading this on mobile? Click here to watch
I'm slightly ashamed to admit how much I enjoy the opening scene of Dead or Alive, Takashi Miike's violent Yakuza thriller. It's essentially five minutes of continuous sleaze, resembling more an 18-rated trailer than it does the establishing moments of a film. It's certainly not something I'd recommend sitting down to watch with your family – not unless your family's really weird.
It starts with a count-in – "One, two; one two three four" – before a rock riff kicks in, there's a scream, and a (not entirely convincing) body is seen falling from a building. It hits the pavement, a shady figure...
Warning: contains explicit images
Why we love … the cast of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest … movie computers … the quarry in Breaking Away
Reading this on mobile? Click here to watch
I'm slightly ashamed to admit how much I enjoy the opening scene of Dead or Alive, Takashi Miike's violent Yakuza thriller. It's essentially five minutes of continuous sleaze, resembling more an 18-rated trailer than it does the establishing moments of a film. It's certainly not something I'd recommend sitting down to watch with your family – not unless your family's really weird.
It starts with a count-in – "One, two; one two three four" – before a rock riff kicks in, there's a scream, and a (not entirely convincing) body is seen falling from a building. It hits the pavement, a shady figure...
- 8/28/2013
- by Adam Boult
- The Guardian - Film News
Director: Takashi Miike. Review: Adam Wing. It seems strange that it’s taken this long for Takashi Miike’s hardcore Yakuza film to reach British shores, but Deadly Outlaw: Rekka is finally available on DVD courtesy of Arrow Films. Following the death of his boss, crazed killer Kunisada (Riki Takeuchi) dyes his hair grey and embarks upon a violent quest for revenge. Driven by madness and volatile temper, he finds himself up against both his enemies and his own Yakuza allies. The hunter becomes the hunted then, in one of Takashi Miike’s most accessible films to date. Pursued by a pair of hitmen, Kunisada becomes a pawn in a complex, not to mention occasionally perplexing, game of double crossing villainy. With his situation spiraling out of control, Kunisada realises he must take extreme violence to the next level if he has any chance of survival. It helps of course...
- 11/24/2010
- 24framespersecond.net
Beginning with the shrieking, pounding sound of The Flower Travellin’ Band’s Satori Pt. I and a montage that is probably only bested by Miike’s other incredible montage opening in Dead or Alive, Deadly Outlaw: Rekka announces its intent swiftly and ruthlessly.
The opening also gives us our first glimpse at the film’s lead character Kunisada (Riki Takeuchi) who promptly jumps through what is most likely bullet proof glass and fights off a bunch of guards. Kunisada is, as the voiceover attests to, a wild animal, a dangerous outlaw and a violent anti-hero of almost superhero like capabilities. The fact that Kunisada is played by the wonderful perma-gurning Riki Takeuchi only cements the character as impossible to ignore and hard not to love.
Any fans of contemporary Japanese genre cinema will most probably be familiar with Takeuchi from a number of Yakuza pictures and his memorable performance in...
The opening also gives us our first glimpse at the film’s lead character Kunisada (Riki Takeuchi) who promptly jumps through what is most likely bullet proof glass and fights off a bunch of guards. Kunisada is, as the voiceover attests to, a wild animal, a dangerous outlaw and a violent anti-hero of almost superhero like capabilities. The fact that Kunisada is played by the wonderful perma-gurning Riki Takeuchi only cements the character as impossible to ignore and hard not to love.
Any fans of contemporary Japanese genre cinema will most probably be familiar with Takeuchi from a number of Yakuza pictures and his memorable performance in...
- 11/24/2010
- by Craig Skinner
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
One part of Arrow Video's collection that we have not explored are the great exploitation titles they currently offer. They don't quite qualify as Video Nasties, however, they are no less entertaining and, in some cases, important to the history of exploitation film. Unfortunately for the UK, exploitation cinema is somewhat underrepresented in the home video market. Here in the Us we have several labels solely dedicated to the proliferation and salvation of these films. The UK has not been so lucky. So, when a label like Arrow Video decides that these films are worth showing, it is certainly welcome.
In this column we'll also explore a couple of upcoming releases, including Arrow Video's first visits to the Far East to deliver some films that will surely get fans (like me) drooling!
So far, Arrow Video's exploitation offerings include three really great titles. One is a big budget disaster that...
In this column we'll also explore a couple of upcoming releases, including Arrow Video's first visits to the Far East to deliver some films that will surely get fans (like me) drooling!
So far, Arrow Video's exploitation offerings include three really great titles. One is a big budget disaster that...
- 10/14/2010
- Screen Anarchy
Yes, you read the headline right; Battle Royale, the 2000 Japanese film directed by Kinji Fukasaku, is being given the 3D conversion treatment for a re-release later this year.
Battle Royale is a stunning film, based on a book by Koushun Takami, in which Japan implements the Br Act creating a deadly game where high school students are trapped on an island and forced to kill each other. The film was fantastic and dealt with fascinating themes. The film never pulls any punches and the violence throughout is brutal and extreme.
Fukasaku lived through WWII in Japan, seeing atrocious death and devastation and this had a big influence on how he approached the film. The island can also be seen as a microcosm of modern Japan and this blending of Japan’s history and modern issues helped make the film such an interesting and layered experience.
As is probably obvious, I...
Battle Royale is a stunning film, based on a book by Koushun Takami, in which Japan implements the Br Act creating a deadly game where high school students are trapped on an island and forced to kill each other. The film was fantastic and dealt with fascinating themes. The film never pulls any punches and the violence throughout is brutal and extreme.
Fukasaku lived through WWII in Japan, seeing atrocious death and devastation and this had a big influence on how he approached the film. The island can also be seen as a microcosm of modern Japan and this blending of Japan’s history and modern issues helped make the film such an interesting and layered experience.
As is probably obvious, I...
- 5/17/2010
- by Craig Skinner
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Perhaps it’s best to start at the end. After a perfunctory showdown (a two-on-two variation on the end of Dead or Alive [Takashi Miike, 1999]) in which the film’s antiheroes appear to be killed, Deadly Outlaw: Rekka (Miike, 2002) returns to the serene pagoda first seen at the start of the film. An old yakuza sitting meditatively addresses the camera: “Death is just part of one man’s training.” Another old man (Yuya Uchida) killed at the beginning of the film materializes, Yoda-style, and shouts in English, “Rock and roll!” The screen goes black, and the first minute of a song by Uchida’s band, Flower Travellin’ Band, plays. As it continues, Miike inserts what looks like outtake footage of the lead actors hanging out. One shot, moving in its implied intimacy, shows Miike regulars Riki Takeuchi and Kenichi Endo buying coffee from a vending machine.
It’s a moment that exists outside the narrative,...
It’s a moment that exists outside the narrative,...
- 4/12/2010
- MUBI
Takashi Miike's Dead or Alive 2: Birds (2000) alternates between ultraviolent scenes of yakuza war and a tender story set around a country orphanage. While there are countless action movies with a sentimental streak (most notably those by John Woo), this one feels without precedent in suggesting two separate movies run simultaneously. The mosaic approach is still disorienting, since Dead or Alive 2 remains uniformly sincere regardless of whether it's being familiar or absurd. You never sense quotation marks around the genre elements —or carelessness behind the non-sequiturs, for that matter. Miike simply invests himself in every moment as though it were a wholly new experience, much like a child watching his first film.
Much of Dead or Alive 2, appropriately, is about childhood. Two hitmen hiding out from a yakuza war--independent contractor Mizuki (Sho Aikawa) and yakuza strongman Shuuichi (Riki Takeuchi)—return to the island village whose orphanage they grew up in.
Much of Dead or Alive 2, appropriately, is about childhood. Two hitmen hiding out from a yakuza war--independent contractor Mizuki (Sho Aikawa) and yakuza strongman Shuuichi (Riki Takeuchi)—return to the island village whose orphanage they grew up in.
- 4/7/2010
- MUBI
Chicago – The Round-Up is back with a quintet of standard DVDs that may have gone unnoticed in your latest Best Buy circular. There’s at least one very good movie in here and a few unique independent offerings that you might want to take a peek at. We wish we had time to cover these titles in more depth, but here are the details - synopsis, cast, features - that you really need to know.
“Horsemen” was released on July 14th, 2009.
“Bad Lieutenant,” “Bart Got a Room,” “Big Man Japan,” and “The Great Buck Howard” will be released on July 28th, 2009.
“Bad Lieutenant: Special Edition”
Photo credit: Lionsgate Synopsis: “Harvey Keitel is a nameless New York cop, hopelessly addicted to drugs, gambling, and sex. As he makes his way to various crime scenes, he is concerned only with taking bets from his fellow cops on the outcome of the ongoing National League playoffs.
“Horsemen” was released on July 14th, 2009.
“Bad Lieutenant,” “Bart Got a Room,” “Big Man Japan,” and “The Great Buck Howard” will be released on July 28th, 2009.
“Bad Lieutenant: Special Edition”
Photo credit: Lionsgate Synopsis: “Harvey Keitel is a nameless New York cop, hopelessly addicted to drugs, gambling, and sex. As he makes his way to various crime scenes, he is concerned only with taking bets from his fellow cops on the outcome of the ongoing National League playoffs.
- 7/27/2009
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Episode 12 of the cult podcast Revolving Video. This episode the guys talk about Arnold Schwarzenegger's role in Sylvester Stallone's The Expendables. Shinya Tsukamoto's long awaited Tetsuo III, the passing of Dom Deluise and the upcoming Rotoscoped Spaghetti western ‘Hired Guns’. Along with Jackie Chans ‘Chinese Zodiac’ and news that Fox is suing an Indian company over a re-make.
Then Chris reviews The Yakuza Way, which stars the legendary Riki Takeuchi (Big Man Japan, Fudoh: The New Generation, Dead or Alive, Deadly Outlaw: Rekka). Jamie reviews The Da Vinci Code and looks forward to Angels & Demons.
All that plus some music and as usual weird news to start including a man who ate his own fingers as a protest and a stone baby. Plus they get to mention Gary Daniels (Fist Of The North Star, Cold Harvest, Knights) again.
For full show notes and to comment / leave feedback...
Then Chris reviews The Yakuza Way, which stars the legendary Riki Takeuchi (Big Man Japan, Fudoh: The New Generation, Dead or Alive, Deadly Outlaw: Rekka). Jamie reviews The Da Vinci Code and looks forward to Angels & Demons.
All that plus some music and as usual weird news to start including a man who ate his own fingers as a protest and a stone baby. Plus they get to mention Gary Daniels (Fist Of The North Star, Cold Harvest, Knights) again.
For full show notes and to comment / leave feedback...
- 5/19/2009
- by Leigh
- Latemag.com/film
We're all for getting out in the summertime, but there might not be anything more refreshing than cooling off in a movie theater... or seeing a movie in the comfort of your air-conditioned home on demand, on DVD, or online... or better yet catching a classic on the big screen at a nearby repertory theater. With literally hundreds of films to choose from this summer, we humbly present this guide to the season's most exciting offerings.
May 1
"Eldorado"
The Cast: Bouli Lanners, Fabrice Adde, Philippe Nahon, Didier Toupy, Franise Chichy
Director: Bouli Lanners
Fest Cred: Cannes, Warsaw, Glasgow, Palm Springs,
The Gist: When Elie (Adde), a hapless young thief attempts to rob Yvan (Lanners), a 40-year-old car dealer, the two form a unlikely friendship that leads to a road trip across Belgium in this slight comedy that won the Best European Film at the Director's Fortnight at Cannes last year.
May 1
"Eldorado"
The Cast: Bouli Lanners, Fabrice Adde, Philippe Nahon, Didier Toupy, Franise Chichy
Director: Bouli Lanners
Fest Cred: Cannes, Warsaw, Glasgow, Palm Springs,
The Gist: When Elie (Adde), a hapless young thief attempts to rob Yvan (Lanners), a 40-year-old car dealer, the two form a unlikely friendship that leads to a road trip across Belgium in this slight comedy that won the Best European Film at the Director's Fortnight at Cannes last year.
- 5/6/2009
- by Stephen Saito
- ifc.com
Freshly off a screening of Fumihiko Sori’s Ichi - a partial re-envisioning, partial continuation of the classic Zatoichi saga - I feel quite confident about two things.
First, though he now has only three feature films to his credit Sori is arguably Japan’s most wildly diverse director. Thus far he has made a charming indie comedy (Ping Pong), an animated scifi spectacle (Vexille), and now a traditional swordplay drama. All are impeccably crafted and all vary so wildly in style and approach that you’d never guess that the same man directed all three if not for his name in the credits.
Second, if there is any man on the surface of this planet with a fighting chance to out-do Riki Takeuchi in the crazy-face department then that man must surely be Shidou Nakamura. Yes, both are in this film and, yes, both break out the crazy-face on a regular basis.
First, though he now has only three feature films to his credit Sori is arguably Japan’s most wildly diverse director. Thus far he has made a charming indie comedy (Ping Pong), an animated scifi spectacle (Vexille), and now a traditional swordplay drama. All are impeccably crafted and all vary so wildly in style and approach that you’d never guess that the same man directed all three if not for his name in the credits.
Second, if there is any man on the surface of this planet with a fighting chance to out-do Riki Takeuchi in the crazy-face department then that man must surely be Shidou Nakamura. Yes, both are in this film and, yes, both break out the crazy-face on a regular basis.
- 10/10/2008
- by Todd Brown
- Screen Anarchy
You cannot possibly be a fan of Japanese cult film without being well familiar with the iconic Riki Takeuchi. The man has appeared in literally hundreds of films - most of them cheaply produced, straight to video gangster fare, though he does turn up in a good amount of higher profile stuff as well. So, what do you do if you’re Takeuchi and you have conquered the world of film? Well, you reinvent yourself as a pop star, of course! And how do you prove that you’re tougher than an other pop star out there? You fight a bear in your music video, that’s how!
Don’t try to understand, just watch and marvel at the goodness that is Takeuchi. It’s below the break.
Don’t try to understand, just watch and marvel at the goodness that is Takeuchi. It’s below the break.
- 9/18/2008
- by Todd Brown
- Screen Anarchy
- It’s a genre-specific crowd and not necessarily nigh people who fill up the seats for Tiff’s Midnight Madness sidebar. This year’s mix is comprised of a couple of Cannes titles, legendary horror genre filmmakers bringing some new product and some filler content that usually gets a great deal of buzz from buyers. Here’s 8 titles that will make up the section… George A. Romero's Diary Of The Dead George A. Romero, USAIn his first independently produced zombie film in over two decades, George A. Romero returns to ground zero in the history of the living dead. When a group of film students making a horror movie in the woods discover that the dead have begun to revive, they turn their cameras on the real-life horrors that suddenly confront them, creating a first person diary of their bloody encounters and the disintegration of everything they hold dear.
- 7/24/2007
- IONCINEMA.com
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