Takashi Miike on DVD

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Pinback
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 4:50 pm

#51 Post by Pinback » Tue Sep 20, 2005 4:05 pm

In case anyone missed it, there's a R1 double-disc special edition of Izo slated for release on October 11. No word on special features yet.

Also, the website for Miike's new film, the "family-friendly blockbuster" The Great Yokai War [Yôkai Daisensô] is up.

http://yokai-movie.com/index.html

Miike seems to be totally reinventing himself recently. I still haven't seen Izo, so I'm really looking forward to seeing both of these.

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Len
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#52 Post by Len » Fri Sep 23, 2005 8:08 am

I hated Izo. The joke was really funny for 15 minutes, amusing for the first 35 but boring as hell for the rest of the film (though the school scene was amusing). Quite possibly the worst Miike film I've seen (yes, I prefer even Full Metal Yakuza and Agitator). This is just miles away from his masterpieces, Visitor Q, Audition and Gozu (I haven't seen Nostalgia yet, but will do so soonish based on the recommendations it has gotten).

I guess one could find loads of hidden meanings, symbolism and meaning in the film (certainly there was alot of stuff about the human tendency for violence and the role of violence in the evolutionary process), but to me it felt more and more like a big "fuck you" to the audience. I'm sure Miike and the crew have had a blast making Izo, but this is certainly one Miike film I never want to see again.

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toiletduck!
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#53 Post by toiletduck! » Fri Oct 14, 2005 9:37 am

Caught The Great Yokai War at the Chicago International Film Festival last night, and while I'm far too underversed on Miike (I'd only seen Happiness of the Katakuris), this was a blast.

"Family-friendly blockbuster" could definitely be used to catagorize Yokai, but it's still packed to the brim with Miike swagger and that wonderful comedic tightrope he walks between horribly dark and downright silly.

Plus, the creativity that has gone into the Yokai is worth the price of admission alone...

-Toilet Dcuk

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toiletduck!
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#54 Post by toiletduck! » Mon Dec 19, 2005 10:46 am

Sure, I'll talk again...

Just picked up Ichi the Killer at a clearance sale at Facets only to discover upon arriving home that it is the R-rated version (they really need to emblazon these things with a big red "censored" stamp right across the front). As mentioned above, my only prior Miike experience is with Happiness of the Katakuris, which I enjoyed, and The Great Yokai War, which I thought was fun as all fucking hell.

This being my first foray into 'icky Miike', will I be able to get the gist of his style from the edited version and then decide if I'm down for more? Or is the stuff that's cut gonna be make or break? I know that Ichi and Q and the like are known for their disturbing qualities -- is missing the gooiest three minutes of the film going to kill the experience?

Anybody? Bueller?

-Toilet Dcuk

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Pinback
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#55 Post by Pinback » Mon Dec 19, 2005 1:48 pm

toiletduck! wrote:This being my first foray into 'icky Miike', will I be able to get the gist of his style from the edited version and then decide if I'm down for more? Or is the stuff that's cut gonna be make or break? I know that Ichi and Q and the like are known for their disturbing qualities -- is missing the gooiest three minutes of the film going to kill the experience?
I'm probably not the typical Miike fan when it comes to his much-celebrated Ichi the Killer, since I think it's one of his weakest films. I think it's really unimpressive...cruel and juvenile with none of the redeeming features of Miike's other ultraviolent films. Obviously, if you're going to watch the film, it'd be ideal to see it uncut, but my first exposure to the film was the cut-by-over-3-minutes UK theatrical release...and I don't feel like I missed out on much.

If you want to get into Miike (which you should), I'd recommend Gozu and Visitor Q next (since you said you liked Katakuris), and then seek out Rainy Dog and Audition. I don't think you'll have wasted your time.

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Michael
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#56 Post by Michael » Mon Dec 19, 2005 2:52 pm

toiletduck!,

I agree with most of what Pinback wrote in the previous post. My opinion is that it's pointless to watch the edited version because that's not what Miike stands for. Ichi the Killer is an okay film by the way. Gozu and Audition are astonishing.. must see! My personal favorite Miike film is easily Young Thugs: Nostalgia which I've watched about 5 times this year already.

Titus
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#57 Post by Titus » Tue Dec 20, 2005 12:57 pm

I agree with pinback and Michael--you're not getting the ideal form of the film, but it's not one of Miike's best pictures. My suggestion for people just starting in on him:

-The Bird People in China
-Audition
-Rainy Dog
-Visitor Q
-Gozu

Young Thugs: Nostalgia and the original Dead or Alive could probably be subbed in, but I think that will give a beginner a pretty firm grasp on Miike, from one end of the spectrum to the other.

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toiletduck!
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#58 Post by toiletduck! » Mon Jan 23, 2006 11:47 am

So I finally got around to Ichi abridged, and it's a good thing it wasn't my first Miike. I might never have returned.

Like Pinback started to touch on, this is one of the most vicious and spiteful movies I've seen. The ultraviolence and the gooey bits didn't bother me (hell, I lived with a gorehound for a while... i've seen my fair share), but every last character was completely without merit. I spent the second half observing Miike's little directorial flairs, which I rather enjoyed, because I just could not stand to watch more of these people doing what these people do.

Quite simply, Ichi made me hurt on the inside.

Like I said, it's a good thing I saw Yokai and Katakuris before this. The strength of those two are enough for me to pass over Ichi. Although I think I might ease my way into the rest of the Miike canon -- perhaps Rainy Dog or Bird People next.

If nothing else, the Pistol Opera trailer was a blast; maybe I'll sidetrack to Suzuki for a while.

-Toilet Dcuk

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chaddoli
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#59 Post by chaddoli » Mon Jan 23, 2006 2:11 pm

I certainly understand what you're feeling, but for me, the more times I watch Ichi the more I realize that it's essentially a comedy. It really is hysterical.

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blindside8zao
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#60 Post by blindside8zao » Mon Jan 23, 2006 7:56 pm

I second/third/fourth the suggestions of Gozu and Audition.

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colinr0380
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#61 Post by colinr0380 » Wed Dec 27, 2006 2:56 pm

Has anyone seen the Media Blasters DVD of The Great Yokai War and could give their opinion of it? I'm also wondering if there is any release of Miike's 2002 remake of Graveyard of Honor yet? I don't know if I missed the DVD that Tartan was saying they were going to bring out, or if it never came out at all!

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toiletduck!
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#62 Post by toiletduck! » Wed Dec 27, 2006 3:14 pm

I've got the DVD, but it's still on the 'unwatched' pile -- I know there are copious extras, but I can't vouch for their quality. Are you looking for recommendations based on the film or the DVD? If it's the former, by all means, go ahead; Yokai is a blast and a half. If it's the latter, let me know and I'll skim through it tonight and report back.

-Toilet Dcuk

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colinr0380
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#63 Post by colinr0380 » Wed Dec 27, 2006 3:54 pm

More the film (though the DVD looks packed with stuff!) - the reviews I've seen of it seem very positive so I might take a chance on it. (It might make a good double bill with Pom Poko!)

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the dancing kid
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#64 Post by the dancing kid » Wed Dec 27, 2006 4:00 pm

colinr0380 wrote:Has anyone seen the Media Blasters DVD of The Great Yokai War and could give their opinion of it? I'm also wondering if there is any release of Miike's 2002 remake of Graveyard of Honor yet? I don't know if I missed the DVD that Tartan was saying they were going to bring out, or if it never came out at all!
I rented the first disc of 'Yokai' from Netflix and I thought it looked pretty good. Probably the best looking colors I've seen on a R1 DVD of a Miike film. The subtitles were also decent, and it comes with a few sound options. I didn't get to check out the extras though. The movie itself is pretty wacky.

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toiletduck!
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#65 Post by toiletduck! » Wed Dec 27, 2006 4:33 pm

colinr0380 wrote:More the film (though the DVD looks packed with stuff!) - the reviews I've seen of it seem very positive so I might take a chance on it. (It might make a good double bill with Pom Poko!)
Well, in that case, I strongly recommend it, even as a fair weather Miike fan. It's nutty Japanimation fun done live action all with a horrificly clever sense of humor. I'd even tend to call it a fractured fairy tale through large chunks.

-Toilet Dcuk

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colinr0380
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#66 Post by colinr0380 » Wed Dec 27, 2006 8:03 pm

That's bizarre! I've just checked out DVD Savant for the first time in a week and found Glenn Erickson's review of The Great Yokai War. I'm a bit scared about this coincidence!

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Antoine Doinel
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#67 Post by Antoine Doinel » Thu Dec 28, 2006 8:21 am

I'm a little suprised at the Gozu love around here - I really found it to be tedious if not ridicously and wilfully bizarre, even for Miike, but with none of his usual payoffs.

Does anyone know where I could track down a copy of Shangri-La? It's Miike in straightahead comedy film mode. It's about as he'll ever get to doing a John Hughes kind of film, but it's a blast.

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Andre Jurieu
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#68 Post by Andre Jurieu » Thu Dec 28, 2006 12:29 pm

colinr0380 wrote:That's bizarre! I've just checked out DVD Savant for the first time in a week and found Glenn Erickson's review of The Great Yokai War. I'm a bit scared about this coincidence!
Follow the toilet cleaner's advice. It's a great little piece of entertainment. The humor is just plain weird at times, but it's hilarious even when the story is just plain wacky. How can anyone complain about a movie that finds a way to include an apprehensive talking wall?

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colinr0380
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#69 Post by colinr0380 » Thu Dec 28, 2006 12:53 pm

Antoine Doinel wrote:Does anyone know where I could track down a copy of Shangri-La? It's Miike in straightahead comedy film mode. It's about as he'll ever get to doing a John Hughes kind of film, but it's a blast.
According to the availability index in the Tom Mes book, Agitator, it seems that there was only a Daiei video available in Japan, and no DVD was released. However the situation might have changed since, as the book only runs to 2002 (although the book's details say it was revised and updated in January 2006 and there are some recent DVD releases listed)
Antoine Doinel wrote:I'm a little suprised at the Gozu love around here - I really found it to be tedious if not ridicously and wilfully bizarre, even for Miike, but with none of his usual payoffs.
I really liked it, but then I also think Ichi The Killer was a fantastic over-the-top black comedy and I really like Visitor Q so I'm probably not the best judge of these things(!), and I'd probably rate those two films over Gozu. My current top three are probably his more conventional films with less bizarre elements: Audition (of course), Agitator (although I've only seen the shorter version) and Sabu. I just knew I was going to enjoy Gozu when the yakuza boss started twirling the tiny dog round his head by its lead in front of its horrified owners, with the rest of the gang looking on agast through the window of the restaurant!

From that list it is probably already obvious I haven't seen the Black Society trilogy, Bird People In China, Happiness of the Katakuris or Michael's favourites, the Young Thugs films yet, so I have a long way still to go. I have seen the first Dead or Alive though, and that for me is the film I haven't been able to connect with at all - I find the really bizarre elements grate against some of the more realistic plotting (especially the ending), which I don't mind so much when the entire film is completely off the wall, as in Gozu.
Last edited by colinr0380 on Thu Dec 28, 2006 2:45 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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Antoine Doinel
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#70 Post by Antoine Doinel » Thu Dec 28, 2006 1:13 pm

Cool, thanks for the Shangri-La info! Maybe I'll try and track down the video release or see if Daiei ended up doing a DVD.

I actually enjoy over-the-top Miike - and I am also a big fan of Visitor Q and Ichi The Killer. I think Audition is a bit of a stunt piece of filmmaking that doesn't do much for me, but the stunt of having a gang of child killers in Fudoh was great. The City Of Lost Souls is also hilarious and breathtakingly kinetic as well and that's one fans should definitely track down. I think the pacing of Gozu, which I found to be molasses slow, did me in, but perhaps I should try it again.

Titus
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#71 Post by Titus » Thu Dec 28, 2006 1:57 pm

colinr0380 wrote:My current top three are probably his more conventional films with bizarre elements: Audition (of course), Agitator (although I've only seen the shorter version) and Sabu.
While I only liked pieces of Sabu (the beginning is achingly beautiful), I'm in complete agreement on Agitator, having just watched it for the first time within the last couple of months. Aside from it being played a lot more seriously than Miike's typical Yakuza film, thus possibly catching a lot of viewers off-guard, I have yet to figure out why it's so neglected amongst his work. I thought it was fantastic.
Antoine Doinel wrote:I think the pacing of Gozu, which I found to be molasses slow, did me in, but perhaps I should try it again.
The pacing is one of the reasons I'm fond of it. The lead character (and the audience) are thrown into this overwhelmingly strange world and are allowed to explore it up and down, without any real burden of a story impeding on that. I'm skeptical as to whether there's any significant thematic depth, but the casual, unhurried exploration of this universe was interesting to me, sort of a probing (or even analysis) of the kind of surreal world that David Lynch popularized.

zombeaner
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#72 Post by zombeaner » Fri Dec 29, 2006 12:18 am

I'm a huge Miike fan. If we're throwing out recommendations I'll get in this one. One film of his that NEEDS a decent R1 release is Zebraman. I purchased a bootleg (sorry, it happened, I will be the first in line to buy the R1 when it comes out this year) and was blown away. Sho Aikawa is excellent as usual and the film is really very touching. Visitor Q is my personal favorite, I was actually afraid to watch it at first. After reading a lot about how extreme it was I finally decided to give it a go, and found it very touching with an uplifting, if terribly bizarre, ending. Agitator is very good as well, I just picked up a copy of this a few months ago. Bird People In China is a fabulously low key film from Miike as well. I could go on and on. I've not seen most of his Yakuza films yet, but there are a lot to get through, so it will just take me some time. What amazes me is the horrible video quality of some of his work that is available. The Agitator UK disc is horribly dark and unsharp. The US Ichi disc isn't much better. The fact that all of these films were made in the last 10 years makes me wonder how you could even get a transfer so wrong with relatively new elements like that.

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blindside8zao
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#73 Post by blindside8zao » Wed May 23, 2007 10:36 pm

has anyone here seen izo? Only person I've heard that saw it was a Miike fanatic that was very displeased.

zombeaner
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#74 Post by zombeaner » Wed May 23, 2007 10:41 pm

blindside8zao wrote:has anyone here seen izo? Only person I've heard that saw it was a Miike fanatic that was very displeased.
I have seen it, and I think I need to watch it again. Most people hate it. I find it hard to believe that I actually dislike it as much as I think I do, so it deserves another chance. Seems like one that would require multiple viewings anyway.

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barrym71
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#75 Post by barrym71 » Thu May 24, 2007 12:12 pm

I hated it, hated it, hated it. Granted, I am not a Miike fanatic, but I saw it with three people who are and no one was very taken with the film. It was pretentious in a way that I haven't seen in other Miike films.

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