8187 replies to this topic

[held]

WHAT. THE. FUCK.

yeah rufus? waht.the.fuck. no description. no pic.bad link.bad post.bad thread.delete board.game over.
get a real avatar wolfman.

[held]

Where do I go next? Audition? Ichi the Killer?

I loved Audition, not too much a fan of Ichi the Killer (though it's not bad).

grab em. he's nuts. go watch Ichi for crying out loud.

[JeffTweedysFatStomach]

Sick as hell so I'm home today...just watched Planet of the Apes (the original) on AMC. I had never seen it before. The overacting was a tour de force.

Two opposable thumbs wayyyyy up!

[Agrimorfee]

Where do I go next? Audition? Ichi the Killer?

I loved Audition, not too much a fan of Ichi the Killer (though it's not bad).

grab em. he's nuts. go watch Ichi for crying out loud.

Anything he touches (good or bad) is worth watching.

For a true WTF movie, try The Happiness of The Katakuris without reading anything else about it beforehand.

[Ogawa]

Anything he touches (good or bad) is worth watching.

For a true WTF movie, try The Happiness of The Katakuris without reading anything else about it beforehand.

Also, the less you know about Audition going in, the better. I know in this day and age it's probably impossible that you don't know at least a little about the movie, but when you get the DVD ignore the menu screens as best you can and avoid the trailers.

[Pavement Ist Rad]

So obviously I'm behind everyone else on this due to my movie watching dry spell, but I finally watched Oldboy just now.

Sure has been a while since a movie has left me as floored/shocked as that one. Good stuff! I have no idea how this didn't get watched earlier. Really makes me want to go back and watch all the rest of the Asian movies I've always heard about. I don't get why I never got on a tear of watching these before- pretty rare occasion when one of the hyped/famous/popular films is disappointing.

Where do I go next? Audition? Ichi the Killer?

Ichi The Killer
Battle Royale
Tetsuo: The Iron Man
Dolls

Where is Caley, he knows all about this shit.

[Undercooked Sausage]

Machine Girl Pokemon: The First Movie

[wakingrufus]

WHAT. THE. FUCK.

yeah rufus? waht.the.fuck. no description. no pic.bad link.bad post.bad thread.delete board.game over.
get a real avatar wolfman.

you cant see the image? well here is it:

and sorry, words cannot describe this move.

[vamos]

[caley]

So obviously I'm behind everyone else on this due to my movie watching dry spell, but I finally watched Oldboy just now.

Sure has been a while since a movie has left me as floored/shocked as that one. Good stuff! I have no idea how this didn't get watched earlier. Really makes me want to go back and watch all the rest of the Asian movies I've always heard about. I don't get why I never got on a tear of watching these before- pretty rare occasion when one of the hyped/famous/popular films is disappointing.

Where do I go next? Audition? Ichi the Killer?

Ichi The Killer
Battle Royale
Tetsuo: The Iron Man
Dolls

Where is Caley, he knows all about this shit.

I go through phases where I think Miike is an absolute genius, and other phases where I think he's a B-Movie director who lucked out a few times.

My Ranks
Happiness of the Katakuris: Insane mix of comedy, horror and musical. One of my favourite movies ever.
The Bird People in China: Not really vintage Miike. It's a movie about a researcher and a Yakuza who go into the Chinese wilderness to find a village with some valuable mineral deposits, and a legend that their residents can fly.
Audition: Pretty much the most terrifying movie I've ever seen. Begins with a plot straight out of a Matthew Perry vehicle (Lonely man holds fake auditions so that he can meet chicks) and ends in....*shudder*.
Dead or Alive: A friend described the opening of this film as the most kinetic bit of movie-making he's ever seen. Anyways, for the most part, this is a Yakuza flick played straight, until the insane climax.
City of Lost Souls: Seems to be a sendup of the modern action movie, with absolutely insanely funny sequences, like a cockfight with bullet-time physics.
Gozu: In which Miike attempts a David Lynch film. I'm not the biggest Lynch fan, and I'm not this movie's biggest fan. But it's absolutely crazy, and definitely worth a watch.
Visitor Q: Might just be the most fucked-up Miike I've ever seen with a demented ending that's equal parts sick and surprisingly touching. It's a satirical take on modern society and our obsessiveness with reality TV, of course, in Miike's hands, it's taken to the most extreme.
Box (His segment from 3 Extremes): Probably the best-looking film he's done, about a pair of contortionist sisters, and one's jealousy over the attention the other one gets from her father.
Ichi The Killer: I mean, I've never seen the unedited cut, nor did I ever feel like I needed to. This is really violent, and I'm not really sure what happens, and I'm not really sure what it's trying to say. But, it sure is violent.
Yakuza Demon: A Yakuza flick played completely straight, which, when it comes to Miike is a bit of a disappointment. I kept waiting for him to shoot a glowing orb, cut somebody to pieces, or some lactation at least!
Izo: I don't know what this is. I saw it, and it seems to be about a time-travelling swordsman, who kills a lot of people and repeatedly has sex with and kills his mother. I've heard of people who love this, but I'm not one of them.

[Pavement Ist Rad]

Ichi The Killer: I mean, I've never seen the unedited cut, nor did I ever feel like I needed to. This is really violent, and I'm not really sure what happens, and I'm not really sure what it's trying to say. But, it sure is violent.

Ha, there's not really much more to say about it!

The "it sure is violent" aspect probably puts a lot of people off and supports the whole "Miike is a b-movie director" line of thinking, which there is some truth in. Definitely a director whose work could easily be seen as not much more than total trash. Sort of like Sam Fuller. But if he is a b-movie director, then Ichi The Killer is the greatest, most fucked up, ridiculously violent b-movie ever made (okay, that could very well not be true, but man, good movie.)

I watched Oldboy a couple weeks after Ichi and was all like, "What the fuck, TWO super violent Asian movies where people cut their tongues off and get their teeth pulled out!" They are very different films. Oldboy is grand and cinematic and has a message... Ichi is just totally fucking brutal and awesome. You can either embrace it for the mercilessly visceral outpouring of grotesque images that it is, or be all, "What is the point of this shit?!" Although, the latter actually fuels my appreciation of the former, but that's just me.

[worrywort]

Saw A Dirty Carnival last week, it's like a "How to Succeed in Business Without Even Trying" set in the Korean crime world. I recall somebody putting it on their "best of" lists a couple years ago, but I wouldn't go that far despite a few phenomenal scenes.

[theremin]

Saw A Dirty Carnival last week, it's like a "How to Succeed in Business Without Even Trying" set in the Korean crime world. I recall somebody putting it on their "best of" lists a couple years ago, but I wouldn't go that far despite a few phenomenal scenes.

I think I had it pretty low...high-20's or something.

[hummingbird]

Ichi The Killer: I mean, I've never seen the unedited cut, nor did I ever feel like I needed to. This is really violent, and I'm not really sure what happens, and I'm not really sure what it's trying to say. But, it sure is violent.

Ha, there's not really much more to say about it!

The "it sure is violent" aspect probably puts a lot of people off and supports the whole "Miike is a b-movie director" line of thinking, which there is some truth in. Definitely a director whose work could easily be seen as not much more than total trash. Sort of like Sam Fuller. But if he is a b-movie director, then Ichi The Killer is the greatest, most fucked up, ridiculously violent b-movie ever made (okay, that could very well not be true, but man, good movie.)

I watched Oldboy a couple weeks after Ichi and was all like, "What the fuck, TWO super violent Asian movies where people cut their tongues off and get their teeth pulled out!" They are very different films. Oldboy is grand and cinematic and has a message... Ichi is just totally fucking brutal and awesome. You can either embrace it for the mercilessly visceral outpouring of grotesque images that it is, or be all, "What is the point of this shit?!" Although, the latter actually fuels my appreciation of the former, but that's just me.

After seeing Audition and being sort of blown away by it, I at least attempted to embrace Miike, only to find that I definitely stand on the trashy b-movie line of thinking. Maybe with such a large filmography, it's unfair to say that his films lack any depth, Audition excluded, but after seeing Katakuris, Ichi, Gozu, and Dead and Alive, I really just think that he is often trying too hard to be shocking, grotesque, and/or violent. Really just a lot of style, even if it's a wide range of style, but usually little substance. His films mostly just make me feel dirty and sleazy, and make me scared to think that if I had seen them at 13 rather than around 17, I would have eaten them up.

Woon Park does work a lot better for me having seen Oldboy and Lady Vengeance by being as you say Pavement, grand and cinematic with a message. I hate to say it this way, but there is just something far more respectable about those films.

[brobee]

Ichi The Killer: I mean, I've never seen the unedited cut, nor did I ever feel like I needed to. This is really violent, and I'm not really sure what happens, and I'm not really sure what it's trying to say. But, it sure is violent.

Ha, there's not really much more to say about it!

The "it sure is violent" aspect probably puts a lot of people off and supports the whole "Miike is a b-movie director" line of thinking, which there is some truth in. Definitely a director whose work could easily be seen as not much more than total trash. Sort of like Sam Fuller. But if he is a b-movie director, then Ichi The Killer is the greatest, most fucked up, ridiculously violent b-movie ever made (okay, that could very well not be true, but man, good movie.)

I watched Oldboy a couple weeks after Ichi and was all like, "What the fuck, TWO super violent Asian movies where people cut their tongues off and get their teeth pulled out!" They are very different films. Oldboy is grand and cinematic and has a message... Ichi is just totally fucking brutal and awesome. You can either embrace it for the mercilessly visceral outpouring of grotesque images that it is, or be all, "What is the point of this shit?!" Although, the latter actually fuels my appreciation of the former, but that's just me.

After seeing Audition and being sort of blown away by it, I at least attempted to embrace Miike, only to find that I definitely stand on the trashy b-movie line of thinking. Maybe with such a large filmography, it's unfair to say that his films lack any depth, Audition excluded, but after seeing Katakuris, Ichi, Gozu, and Dead and Alive, I really just think that he is often trying too hard to be shocking, grotesque, and/or violent. Really just a lot of style, even if it's a wide range of style, but usually little substance. His films mostly just make me feel dirty and sleazy, and make me scared to think that if I had seen them at 13 rather than around 17, I would have eaten them up.

Woon Park does work a lot better for me having seen Oldboy and Lady Vengeance by being as you say Pavement, grand and cinematic with a message. I hate to say it this way, but there is just something far more respectable about those films.

these are so hard to discuss. i hated oldboy but really liked lady vengeance. i loved audition, liked katakuris, and hated three extremes (i went to see that with an ex, and she almost threw up during the dumplings segment). that said, both directors are incredibly talented, but share similar weaknesses. nothing wrong with ultraviolence (audition) but you've got to care about the characters more than you do about the twists or the shocks. otherwise they feel empty. that said, i'll keep trying to catch up on the one's i haven't seen, and keep aiming to see the one's they keep making.

[Ned Braden]

Recently I was very impressed by this. Just found out that this film doesn't use CGI animation and stuff so... now even more impressed.

[theremin]

Recently I was very impressed by this. Just found out that this film doesn't use CGI animation and stuff so... now even more impressed.

He actually said it does have some CGI, but "no where you would expect it". I guess some little stupid things like people's eyes and shit. I gotta get the DVD...is there commentary?

[caley]

Ichi The Killer: I mean, I've never seen the unedited cut, nor did I ever feel like I needed to. This is really violent, and I'm not really sure what happens, and I'm not really sure what it's trying to say. But, it sure is violent.

Ha, there's not really much more to say about it!

The "it sure is violent" aspect probably puts a lot of people off and supports the whole "Miike is a b-movie director" line of thinking, which there is some truth in. Definitely a director whose work could easily be seen as not much more than total trash. Sort of like Sam Fuller. But if he is a b-movie director, then Ichi The Killer is the greatest, most fucked up, ridiculously violent b-movie ever made (okay, that could very well not be true, but man, good movie.)

I watched Oldboy a couple weeks after Ichi and was all like, "What the fuck, TWO super violent Asian movies where people cut their tongues off and get their teeth pulled out!" They are very different films. Oldboy is grand and cinematic and has a message... Ichi is just totally fucking brutal and awesome. You can either embrace it for the mercilessly visceral outpouring of grotesque images that it is, or be all, "What is the point of this shit?!" Although, the latter actually fuels my appreciation of the former, but that's just me.

Yeah, I didn't mean my write-up to sound like I didn't enjoy Ichi...well, "enjoy" is not the right word. I didn't dislike it, I guess, is what I'm trying to say. I would honestly like to see it again, but it seems kind of pointless to watch the edited version, and it's too much effort to try and track down the unedited one. I do think it was trying to say something about violence and heroism and vigilanteism, but Miike gets distracted by his own desire to shock people and often undoes his own message (

Spoiler

I mean, the whole idea of a masochist seeking to confront Ichi because he wants to get the shit kicked out of him, only for Ichi to kind of be a lovable fuck-up who isn't out to hurt him, and the main guy killing himself in light of this disappointment is interesting. But then the final shot of the main guy sitting there, and his jaw unhinging for no real reason whatsoever just makes the viewer go "WTF?" I mean, what the hell was that?!

)

After seeing Audition and being sort of blown away by it, I at least attempted to embrace Miike, only to find that I definitely stand on the trashy b-movie line of thinking. Maybe with such a large filmography, it's unfair to say that his films lack any depth, Audition excluded, but after seeing Katakuris, Ichi, Gozu, and Dead and Alive, I really just think that he is often trying too hard to be shocking, grotesque, and/or violent.

I didn't actually find Katakuris shocking or grotesque, I actually thought it was quite charming. And Dead or Alive plays it mostly straight and unshocking/grotesque until that final showdown (

Spoiler

One guy takes out an impossibly large bazooka and the bad guy pulls a glowing orb out of his chest and they blow up Japan!

). But I agree that Ichi and Gozu were really taking aim at the shocking/grotesque.

Really just a lot of style, even if it's a wide range of style, but usually little substance. His films mostly just make me feel dirty and sleazy, and make me scared to think that if I had seen them at 13 rather than around 17, I would have eaten them up.

In terms of the 'B Movie' comment I made earlier, I was speaking somewhat in jest (Miike, himself, once said in an interview with a film magazine that he's merely a B-Movie Director), because I actually do think he's a great director. The problem is when you have 78 projects (TV and film) directed in your career, that has only spanned some 18 years, you're gonna get some half-baked ideas and weak movies. In some respects, I'd love to see him slow down to a pace of about one or two films per year, and be able to put some more oomph behind some of his ideas. On the other hand, he's kind of like The Family Guy of movies, in that he puts out this ridiculous amount of films per year, and chances are, one of them should be enjoyable, the way FG throws out a million jokes per epsidoe, so that you're bound to laugh at least once.

these are so hard to discuss. i hated oldboy but really liked lady vengeance. i loved audition, liked katakuris, and hated three extremes (i went to see that with an ex, and she almost threw up during the dumplings segment).

To be fair, he was only responsible for the third segment of 3 Extremes. Speaking of 3 Extremes, I'm far from an Extreme Violence kind of guy, but was anyone else not really affected by the 'Dumplings' segment? I saw the twist coming a mile away and it just never even grossed me out.

that said, both directors are incredibly talented, but share similar weaknesses. nothing wrong with ultraviolence (audition) but you've got to care about the characters more than you do about the twists or the shocks. otherwise they feel empty. that said, i'll keep trying to catch up on the one's i haven't seen, and keep aiming to see the one's they keep making.

Apparently he has a gay prison romance movie out that my local HMV carries for some reason. I almost want to see it, but I'm also afraid to see it.''

By the way, the two Miike movies I rented and couldn't get through were Rainy Dog which was boring and The Great Yokai War which was too weird for words (A Takashi Miike kids movie!?!?) that I actually just ran out of time on.

[Ned Braden]

Recently I was very impressed by this. Just found out that this film doesn't use CGI animation and stuff so... now even more impressed.

He actually said it does have some CGI, but "no where you would expect it". I guess some little stupid things like people's eyes and shit. I gotta get the DVD...is there commentary?

It does have some commentary/making of stuff, but I have yet to watch it.