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Takashi Miike roundup

PostPosted: Thu Apr 30, 2009 11:41 pm
by Chungking_Cash
Well folks as previously posted I took time out of my regularly scheduled programming in March and April to explore the cinematic world of contraversial auteur Takashi Miike after receiving Agitator. The Cinema of Takashi Miike by Tom Mes as a gift. I was not well acquainted with the director's body of work prior to reading some of the essays in the book though I had seen a handful of Miike's films in college. Ultimately, I struggled with finding the stroke of genius in Miike's work and as such I probably will never consider the man a great filmmaker. That being said, being exposed to more and more of Miike's output I struggled, equally, with writing the director off as the cinematic equivilent of a shock jock. But who am I? My favorite Takashi Miike film was and still is "Dead or Alive"; I have, after three viewings, never liked "Audtion"; and while I can find plenty of things to laugh about in "Ichi the Killer" I found "Visitor Q" utterly repulsive (both times).

In short...

Films I liked: "Dead or Alive," "Ichi the Killer," "The Bird People in China," "Fudoh: The New Generation," "Rainy Dog," "Shinjuku Triad Society," "Young Thugs: Innocent Blood," "Ley Lines," "Dead or Alive 2: Birds," "The Happiness of the Katakuris."

Films I didn't: "Andromedia," "Audition," "Vistor Q," "The City of Lost Souls," "Dead or Alive: Final."

Films I never got around to watching: "White Collar Worker Kintaro," "Young Thugs: Nostalgia," "Graveyard of Honor," "Family," "Deadly Outlaw: Rekka."

If this thread grows some legs then I will elaborate.

Happy Spring!

Re: Takashi Miike roundup

PostPosted: Fri May 01, 2009 8:17 am
by cal42
I might find that list quite useful, actually. I've only seen two of his films: Happiness of the Katakuris (loved it) and Audition (hated it), so naturally, I'm a little confused on the subject of Takashi Miike. I might track down more on your "like" list over time. I;ve got the HK version of Ichi, but it's cut quite badly and I can't see myself bothering to watch it in that form.

Re: Takashi Miike roundup

PostPosted: Fri May 01, 2009 8:57 pm
by Masterofoneinchpunch
I actually liked Audition and found it a much more cohesive film from his oeuvre. I have only seen a few from Miike and what I saw never quite turned me into a fan. However, Audition has been my favorite.

I found Ichi the Killer intermittently brilliant, but quite misogynistic and misanthropic.

I did not like Full Metal Yakuza.

I own several more, but not sure when I'll get to them. I don't think I'll ever watch Vistor Q.

Cal why have you been ignoring my Rashomon posts :D?

Re: Takashi Miike roundup

PostPosted: Fri May 01, 2009 9:19 pm
by cal42
Masterofoneinchpunch wrote:
Cal why have you been ignoring my Rashomon posts :D?


Aaaagh! If I hadn't read that, I never would have known you'd posted. The spam filter seems to dislike everything you submit with a link in it - although that other guy posted and it showed up correctly. I had to go in to my spam box manually and retrieve them - and it's grim reading in there (Cialis, Viagra, female Viagra, Levitra, horse sex, buy Soma from Canada, Propecia, Tramadol, Vicodin, Phentermine diet, gay animal sex..etc etc - I have 1060 of them in there, and yes, there really is a link to gay animal sex films). Sorry, mate, but they should all be up there now :wink: .

Re: Takashi Miike roundup

PostPosted: Fri May 01, 2009 9:31 pm
by Masterofoneinchpunch
cal42 wrote:
Masterofoneinchpunch wrote:
Cal why have you been ignoring my Rashomon posts :D?


Aaaagh! If I hadn't read that, I never would have known you'd posted. The spam filter seems to dislike everything you submit with a link in it - although that other guy posted and it showed up correctly. I had to go in to my spam box manually and retrieve them - and it's grim reading in there (Cialis, Viagra, female Viagra, Levitra, horse sex, buy Soma from Canada, Propecia, Tramadol, Vicodin, Phentermine diet, gay animal sex..etc etc - I have 1060 of them in there, and yes, there really is a link to gay animal sex films). Sorry, mate, but they should all be up there now :wink: .


OK, I'll stop using links then.

Hmmmm, what will be the next Miike film to watch though?

Re: Takashi Miike roundup

PostPosted: Fri May 01, 2009 11:56 pm
by Chungking_Cash
cal42 wrote:I might find that list quite useful, actually. I've only seen two of his films: Happiness of the Katakuris (loved it) and Audition (hated it), so naturally, I'm a little confused on the subject of Takashi Miike. I might track down more on your "like" list over time. I;ve got the HK version of Ichi, but it's cut quite badly and I can't see myself bothering to watch it in that form.


The Hong Kong print of "Ichi the Killer" is indeed cut as is the R-Rated print released to North American video stores. Takashi Miike said he has no desire to sit through a censored version of his film. I thought you might be interested in the Tom Mes take on the edited prints of "Ichi the Killer."

The film as a whole is a completely cohesive unity, in that all of its parts are absolutely crucial to the functioning of the whole. Any attempt at censorship or toning down the violence will have the opposite effect and will in fact make the film more exploitive and thereby undermine its critical stance. Excising scenes of violence, particularly the 'painful' scenes, will harm the symbiosis between the 'playful' and 'painful' violence, which forms the basis for Miike's critical approach. One forms the context in which the other can function. In the version of the film that was released in Hong Kong, both scenes of the rape and beating of Sara and the cutting of the woman's nipples were taken out by the censor. These are three crucial scenes, without which the entire effect the film has on the audience changes drastically: because it leaves only the 'playful' violence intact, the film now only lets the audience indulge itself in consuming violence, with no moment left for critical reflection (Mes, T. Agitator. The Cinema of Takashi Miike, 242-3).

Re: Takashi Miike roundup

PostPosted: Sat May 02, 2009 4:13 am
by Brian Thibodeau
cal42 wrote:. . . and yes, there really is a link to gay animal sex films


Yes, but from which country? You see, the best ones are made in . . . oh, umm . . . nevermind.

Incidentally, I actually rather liked the psychological aspects of AUDITION, though the ending put me off dinner that night. And walking. CITY OF LOST SOULS I really liked, though that was my first Miike, so who knows how it will hold up on a revisit. KATAKURIS and RAINY DOG were quite good also in my opinion. I've seen many of the others mentioned here and have found things to like and things to hate about nearly everything the man has done. "Agitator" is an apt characterization of Miike in general, but his prolificity--and that hit-and-miss track record--makes it difficult for me to take him too seriously as the provocateur he often seems made out to be.

Re: Takashi Miike roundup

PostPosted: Mon May 04, 2009 4:51 am
by PAUL MARTINEZ
Well I condsider myself a Miike fan. I loved Audition. I have found when it comes to Miike either you love him or you don't with most people I talk to. I have seen quite a bit of his enormous catalog of films. The ones I liked would be.


Audition
Ichi The Killer
Shinjuku Western Django
Dead or Alive 1 & 2
Like A Dragon
Deadly Outlaw Rekka
The City of Lost Souls
Rainy Dog
Ley Lines
Shinjuku Triad Society


Ones I was less than thrilled with

One Missed Call
The Great Yokai War
Sabu
Visitor Q

I own about half a dozen more that I still havent gotten to

Re: Takashi Miike roundup

PostPosted: Sat May 09, 2009 9:51 pm
by cal42
Well, I've just watched Ichi the Killer (fully uncut and all). You know when you're bracing yourself for something really evil and it ends up not being so bad? It turned out like that a bit for me. While I wouldn't say I enjoyed it (the word enjoyment seems a little out of place given the subject matter) it certainly struck me as a lot more intelligent than I thought it would be.

Brian, did you get a vomit bag when you went to see this? According to the Wiki, they were handed out in Toronto. Might be worth a bit now :wink: .

Re: Takashi Miike roundup

PostPosted: Sun May 10, 2009 5:35 am
by Brian Thibodeau
cal42 wrote:Brian, did you get a vomit bag when you went to see this? According to the Wiki, they were handed out in Toronto. Might be worth a bit now :wink: .


I did. I thought it was a clever gimmick at the time. I don't usually keep that kind of stuff, but I'm sure that one's floating around here somewhere. Actually, it was the first of two vomit bags I received at screenings hosted by TIFF programmer Colin Geddes (a member here); the other was a showing of MARK OF THE DEVIL at one of the short-lived Toronto Fantasia Festivals pre-turn of the century. The latter film, of course, contained nothing that would require the use of such a bag; ICHI THE KILLER, though, did suffer a few walkouts that night by people who were probably tempted to theirs. :lol:

Re: Takashi Miike roundup

PostPosted: Tue May 12, 2009 7:49 pm
by cal42
As an aside, can anyone tell me how "Miike" is pronounced please? I genuinely don't have a clue.

OK. All your subliminal messages are getting through. I will rewatch Audition some time in the not to distant future. Happy now? :wink:

Re: Takashi Miike roundup

PostPosted: Tue May 12, 2009 9:15 pm
by Masterofoneinchpunch
cal42 wrote:As an aside, can anyone tell me how "Miike" is pronounced please? I genuinely don't have a clue.

OK. All your subliminal messages are getting through. I will rewatch Audition some time in the not to distant future. Happy now? :wink:


Yes, yes quite happy, well a little hungry and a little angry so more like hangary.

"me eek kay" I believe.

Re: Takashi Miike roundup

PostPosted: Wed May 13, 2009 6:08 pm
by cal42
:lol:

Cheers! I thought it was something like that.

Re: Takashi Miike roundup

PostPosted: Tue Oct 20, 2009 12:14 am
by AV1979
cal42 wrote:As an aside, can anyone tell me how "Miike" is pronounced please? I genuinely don't have a clue.

OK. All your subliminal messages are getting through. I will rewatch Audition some time in the not to distant future. Happy now? :wink:


It's pronounced "Mee-E-Kay" :D

Speaking of Miike, he has announced that he is going to film Zebraman 2 with Show Aikawa returning to the role, taking place fifteen years later after the first film's events.