Directors Even More Directors Series - Volume Twenty - Takashi Miike (2 Viewers)

[Martin Teller]

Three... Extremes (2004) (segment "Box") - 6/10
Gozu (2003) - 7/10
One Missed Call (2003) - 7/10
The Happiness of the Katakuris (2001) - 8/10
Ichi the Killer (2001) - 6/10
Visitor Q (2001) - 6/10
Dead or Alive (1999) - 6/10
Audition (1999) - 6/10
The Bird People in China (1998) - 7/10
Even when his films are flawed, he's always fascinating.

 

[Rich Malloy]

"Imprint" 1 star.

This is unfortunately the worst Miike film I've seen. Very unfortunate as it would seem to have so much promise on paper. Same screenwriter as "Audition", and very similar in style and subject matter to "Box" and even "Gozu", two of my favorite recent Miike films.

This film was a trainwreck. Yes, I know Billy Drago is only a television and genre film actor, but that doesn't mean he's not the worst actor on the planet. Let me put it this way: he was out-acted in this film by non-English speaking actors reciting their lines phonetically. And they sucked, too.

Not a thing works. The pathos and bathos was laughable. The "rashomon" like iterations of the flashback story became quickly tiresome and led nowhere. Even the last possible virtue of this film - it's supposedly uncompromising subject matter that apparently caused Showtime to not air it - was limply executed and utterly failed even suggest something shocking or taboo.

The torture scene was partially straight out of "audition", at least the needles and their deliberate placement, and this caused me some small amount of squirming. But then it became purely an aesthetic tableaux, with cribs from Japanese bondage. The eye/mouth needles held some intrinsic aesthetic value. But again purely superficial.

I have no idea why Showtime failed to air this episode, at least for the reasons they provided. It might not have deserved airing simply because it sucked so bad, but that certainly hasn't stopped Showtime before. I guess one simply can't broach the subject of abortion, even as an aside? At any rate, there's no reason to defend this film on any basis. It is an utter failure.

 

[SteveGon]

The Great Yokai War *** out of ****

 

[Jim_K]

Updated Master list...............................

 

[Bill McA]

UPDATED:
Sukiyaki Western Django (2007) :star: :star:
Seen 26
Own 31

 

[Bill McA]

UPDATED:
Visitor Q (2001) :star: :star: :star: :star: :star: (Own the DVD)
Seen 27
Own 32

 

[Michael Elliott]

Sukiyaki Western Django (2007) :star::star:
Big Bang Love: Juvenile A (2006)
Yôkai daisensô (2005)
... aka Hobgoblins & the Great Wall (literal English title)
... aka The Big Spook War (USA)
Izo (2004)
Three... Extremes (2004) :star::star::star:1/2
Paato-taimu tantei 2 (2004) (TV)
... aka Onna to ai to misuterii 146 (Japan: series title)
Zebraman (2004)
Chakushin ari (2003)
... aka One Missed Call (USA)
... aka You've Got a Call (Japan: English title)
Kôshônin (2003) (TV)
Kikoku (2003) (V)
... aka Yakuza Demon (USA: DVD title)
Gokudô kyôfu dai-gekijô: Gozu (2003)
... aka Gozu (International: English title) (USA)
... aka Yakuza Horror Theater: Gozu (USA)
Yurusarezaru mono (2003)
... aka The Man in White (International: English title)
Paato-taimu tantei (2002) (TV)
... aka Onna to ai to misuterii 94 (Japan: series title)
Jitsuroku Andô Noboru kyôdô-den: Rekka (2002)
... aka Deadly Outlaw: Rekka (International: English title)
... aka Violent Fire (USA: DVD box title)
Pandoora (2002) (V)
Kinyû hametsu Nippon: Tôgenkyô no hito-bito (2002)
... aka Shangri-La (International: English title)
... aka Tôgenkyô (Japan: short title)
Shin jingi no hakaba (2002)
... aka Graveyard of Honor (Japan: English title)
Sabu (2002) (TV)
Onna kunishuu ikki (2002)
Dead or Alive: Final (2002)
Katakuri-ke no kôfuku (2001)
... aka The Happiness of the Katakuris (Japan: English title) (UK)
Araburu tamashii-tachi (2001)
... aka Agitator
... aka The Outlaw Souls (poster title)
Ichi the Killer (2001) :star::star:1/2
Visitor Q (2001) :star::star:
... aka Family 2 (Japan: video title (second part title))
Kikuchi-jô monogatari - sakimori-tachi no uta (2001)
... aka Kumamoto monogatari (DVD title)
Zuiketsu gensô - Tonkararin yume densetsu (2001)
Dead or Alive 2: Tôbôsha (2000)
... aka Dead or Alive 2: Birds
... aka Dead or Alive 2: Runaway (literal English title)
Tengoku kara kita otoko-tachi (2000)
... aka The Guys from Paradise
Hyôryuu-gai (2000)
... aka The City of Last Souls (Hong Kong: English title: DVD title)
... aka The City of Lost Souls (USA)
... aka The City of Strangers (International: English title)
... aka The Hazard City
"Tajuu jinkaku tantei saiko - Amamiya Kazuhiko no kikan" (2000) (mini) TV Series
... aka MPD Psycho
... aka Multiple Personality Detective Psycho - Kazuhiko Amamiya Returns (Japan: English title)
Tsukamoto Shin'ya ga Ranpo suru (2000) (V)
... aka The Making of 'Gemini' (informal English title)
Tennen shôjo Man next: Yokohama hyaku-ya hen (1999) (TV)
... aka Man, Next Natural Girl: 100 Nights in Yokohama (literal English title)
... aka N-Girls Vs Vampire (USA: informal English title)
Sarariiman Kintarô (1999)
... aka Salaryman Kintaro
... aka White Collar Worker Kintaro (USA: video title)
Dead or Alive: Hanzaisha (1999)
... aka D.O.A. (Japan: short title)
... aka Dead or Alive (USA)
Silver - shirubaa (1999) (V)
Nihon kuroshakai (1999)
... aka Ley Lines
"Tennen shôjo Man" (1999) (mini) TV Series
... aka Man, a Natural Girl (Japan: English title)
Audition (1999) :star::star::star:1/2
Kishiwada shônen gurentai: Bôkyô (1998)
... aka Young Thugs: Nostalgia (USA: DVD title)
Blues Harp (1998)
Andoromedia (1998)
... aka Andromedia (International: English title)
Chûgoku no chôjin (1998)
... aka The Bird People in China (International: English title)
Full Metal gokudô (1997) (V)
... aka Full Metal Yakuza
Gokudô kuroshakai (1997)
... aka Rainy Dog
Jingi naki yabô 2 (1997) (V)
Kishiwada shônen gurentai: Chikemuri junjô-hen (1997)
... aka Young Thugs: Innocent Blood (UK) (USA: DVD title)
Gokudô sengokushi: Fudô (1996)
... aka Fudoh: The New Generation (USA)
Kenka no hanamichi: Oosaka saikyô densetsu (1996) (V)
Rakkasei: Piinattsu (1996) (V)
Jingi naki yabô (1996) (V)
Shin daisan no gokudô II (1996) (V)
Shin daisan no gokudô - boppatsu Kansai gokudô sensô (1996) (V)
Shinjuku kuroshakai: Chaina mafia sensô (1995)
... aka Shinjuku Triad Society
Naniwa yuukyôden (1995) (V)
Bodigaado Kiba: Shura no mokushiroku 2 (1995) (V)
Daisan no gokudô (1995) (V)
Bodigaado Kiba: Shura no mokushiroku (1994) (V)
Shinjuku autoroo (1994) (V)
... aka Shinjuku Outlaw
Oretachi wa tenshi ja nai 2 (1993) (V)
Oretachi wa tenshi ja nai (1993) (V)
Bodigaado Kiba (1993) (V)
... aka Bodyguard Kiba (USA)
Ningen kyôki: Ai to ikari no ringu (1992) (V)
... aka A Human Murder Weapon (Japan: English title)
Redi hantaa: Koroshi no pureryuudo (1991) (V)
Toppuu! Minipato tai - Aikyacchi Jankushon (1991) (V)
Rasuto ran: Ai to uragiri no hyaku-oku en - shissô Feraari 250 GTO (1991) (TV)

 

[Brook K]

Updated:
Sukiyaki Western Django - C-
Miike has never been this limp and uninspiring.

 

[Bill McA]

UPDATED:
Crows Zero (2007) :star: :star: :star: (Own the DVD)
Seen 28
Own 33

 

[Jim_K]

Update:

Sukiyaki Western Django (2007)

 

[Brook K]

Updated:
 
Kicking off Round 2 of Miike-fest, This time around I think I have about 10 on deck that have been released in the 4 years since my original binge.
 
Graveyard of Honor - B+ (feels like I'm underrating this as images are haunting me today. fascinating lead character. superb filmmaking and a scene so visceral and disgusting that even a hardened gorehound like me had to avert my eyes)
 
Zebraman - B- (has its moments, but more cheesy/silly then genuinely funny. It's no Kick-Ass)

 

[Brook K]

Updated:
 
The Great Yokai War - B+
Demon Pond - B (another departure, this is a filmed, minimalist staged play complete with live audience)
Silver - B- (answers the question "what if Miike directed a Skinemax film")

 

[Jim_K]

Update:

Izo (2004)

 

[Bill McA]

UPDATED:
 
[COLOR= #f00]13 Assassins [/COLOR](2010)
 
Seen 29
Own 33

 

[Brook K]

Good to hear, I thought what little I saw of 13 Assassins looked good.
 
Updated:
 
Yakuza: Like a Dragon - B+ (based on a videogame, this is the kind of hilarious violence, strangeness and strong characterizations despite sometimes incomprehensible subplots that Miike is so good at.)
Detective Story - B (could maybe go higher on this, the lead gives a fine comic performance, but falls just short of Miike's better output)
Big Bang Love, Juvenile A - C+ (I either didn't understand this at all or am thinking it is much more complex than it actually is)

 

[Brook K]

Updated:

Family - C

 

[Brook K]

Updated:

Family 2 - D

 

[Brook K]

Updated:

Osaka Tough Guys - B

Really low budget J-vid, but a pretty funny/entertaining yakuza parody in Miike's unique style.

This was the 40th Miike film I've seen.

 

[Bill McA]

UPDATED:

Detective Story (2007)

Seen 30
Own 33

 

[Bill McA]

UPDATED:

Bodyguard Kiba: Apocalypse of Carnage (1994) (V)
Bodyguard Kiba (1993) (V)

Seen 32
Own 33