Last Movie You Watched

[StarShaper7]

Takashi Miike’s 13 Assassins: Even after rewatching 13 Assassins I am still amazed that Miike was capable of putting together such a solid samurai epic. While 13 Assassins does feature a little of his trademark humor and violence there is only little of it, the movie is a traditional even if particularly violent film about samurai honor. Miike builds the story of 13 assassins going after the reckless and violent brother of the Shogun with a very careful and thorough build-up that doesn’t manage to introduce the large of cast of characters properly, but it focuses on the rich characterization of the most central characters - especially the unforgettable antagonist. It is a shame that after the magnificent build-up the monstrous fight scene at the end that lasts at least over 40 minutes throws the movie off balance. The setpiece is quite genius, but after a while it gets a tad repetitive and unfocused. I have to admit that Miike succeeded very well in leaving the audience guess how the battle will actually end, but the bloated battle is exhausting to watch and makes the ending less impactful. Nevertheless, it is rare to get to see such a good samurai epic these days so the movie deserves its praise.

Man, you watch a lot of (Japanese) movies.

I enjoyed 13 Assassins, watched it sometime last year, I think. It isn't my favorite of the Miike films I've watched, but it's still a stellar film. It sets up the villain very well, making him unsympathetic and seemingly untouchable with the atrocities he gets away with committing. I was wondering if the titular 13 assassins would be like in some action movies where they all have unique personalities, appearances and fighting styles. I'm not disappointed that they aren't, because this way it makes the film much more dramatic compared to his others, featuring characters that find solidarity in their shared beliefs, backgrounds and code of honor. It's kind of like those Oscar-bait WWII movies, except he doesn't try too hard to create an emotional connection between us and the soldiers, to evoke some sort of emotional response that so many war films aim for. It's more like a war movie in the vein of Inglorious Basterds rather than Saving Private Ryan, without being too much like either.

I prefer the films where Miike goes over the top weird and/or violent. Ichi the Killer, Gozu, Dead or Alive (man, that awesome ending), etc. They're filled with the kind of shit I love.

[Oz]

Heh, for a few years at least 80% of the movies I watch have been Japanese. I figured that once I had dug myself too deep into the Japanese culture and cinema I may as well focus on it solely since I was enjoying it so much. In the past month or so I have begun to watch films a lot like I used to do many, many years ago. That's because I'm thinking of forming a Top 100 list of the best Japanese films of the 21st century so I've been rewatching lots of films and catching up on my enormous backlog of new Japanese films. I'll be writing more about why I'm working on such a list when/if I manage to complete the list (possibly by the end of the year).

The first time I saw 13 Assassins was at a film festival and it was certainly a blast on the big screen. I guess rewatching it at home changed my mind on the film. Miike did characterize quite many of the assassins in detail, but he wasn't interested in doing it for all of them. I guess it begs the question whether he needed 13 assassins, but you could say he was restricted by the original film. As for Miike not trying (hard) to create an emotional connection: it seems so judging from the very end of the film and how the punchline of the film highlighted the insanity of the whole scenario. Too bad he didn't really do much with that theme, though.

Miike is a curious filmmaker in that he doesn't himself as a visionary. Instead he makes films like a typical Japanese salaryman: on top of making loads of them without trying to do anything particularly meaningful with them, he keeps his projects under budget limits and on schedule.

[StarShaper7]

This Miike talk reminded me that I hadn't finished his DOA trilogy. So, just watched Dead or Alive: Final and, like the second installment, found it to be kind of uneven. In the second and third DOA movies, Miike seems to show more restraint, while still managing to include a few outlandish scenes here and there. Despite the dystopian setting of the film, there isn't as much weirdness as I'd hoped. I would have preferred to see more of that kind of stuff, but I did enjoy this film. And the ending is almost as awesome as the first DOA's.

SPOILER: Show

Giant robot fusion of Aikawa and Takeuchi with angel wings and a dick (pretty much literally) for a head? Awesome. And those final few seconds. "Oh my god!"

I'd give the first movie a 9/10 and the other two each a 7/10.

[heavytread]

I saw Transformers Age of Extinctionon Friday.

I honestly cried when

SPOILER: Show

they killed Ratchet and shed manly tears of joy when Grimlock and the dinobots started ripping through China

And this how I view they characters:
Crosshairs: Douch baggy mad gunmen.
Hound: Basically a cross between Kup Ironhide and G1 Hound. And a Fat Ballerina.
Drift: Cliché Samurai type character. Should have been more like his IDW counterpart.
Bumblebee: Less annoying than in the last three, and kinda cool.
Optimus: Badass knight who's finally realized humans aren't worth protecting.

Lockdown: Total badass.

Dinobots: see lockdown

Grimlock: despite not having any lines best character in the movie.

Cade, Tessa, and Shane: Humans that are actually likeable for once.

[Oz]

Shuichi Okita’s The Woodsman and the Rain: It is not rare to see feel-good films about people of different generations bonding regardless of the generational gap. Okita’s The Woodsman and the Rain twists the scenario even further by bonding characters who are only of different generation, but are nearly complete opposites. A no-nonsense woodsman ends up helping an unmotivated young director film his zombie movie. The film’s comedy rises out of how the grumpy woodsman is completely out of place in the film shoots, but gets more and more interested as he gets to see himself on the big screen. The film relies on the chemistry of the two characters and it works brilliantly. It is not so only because Okita portrays them with enough sympathy for their faults, it works also because the two actors (Koji Yakusho and Shun Oguri) make their key scenes so hilarious. In one hilarious sequence the young director tries to describe the film’s story to the interested woodsman who doesn’t even know what zombies are. The film is essentially a series of well-written scenes of observational humor. While there are moments of drama with the woodsman’s family and the director’s self-confidence issues, but the film is more interested in the light-hearted humor. And that humor delivers one of the best feel-good films of the past decade.

Eisuke Naito’s Let’s Make the Teacher Have a Miscarriage Club: When I first heard about Miscarriage Club, I was sure it was just an attention-seeking trash film that may have only value as an exploitative film. My expectations for the film did not change that much even when I heard good things about it. Finally getting to actually watch it proved me wrong. While the idea of schoolgirls coming up with very dangerous pranks for their teacher in order to kill her unborn baby could easily lead to disgusting and terrible exploitation, Miscarriage Club avoids that. The film doesn’t rely on its subject’s shock value as much as one would imagine. Instead it is genuinely concerned about the scenario’s issues and explores them in a surprisingly mature and effective way. Considering that the film is loosely based on a similar real event, it is not completely unreasonable for the film to bring up such a repulsive subject. However, the film is not only good for exploring a topic left untouched by other films. It is also audiovisually good despite being shot on a shoestring budget with low-end cameras and measly production values.

Miwa Nishikawa’s Dear Doctor: Dear Doctor begins with a village panicking over the disappearance of the liked village doctor. The film mostly consists of lengthy flashbacks while the police are investigating the disappearance. The film gradually builds the doctor’s image and personality by showing he takes care of his patients, but the mystery surrounding the doctor becomes even thicker as he is clearly lying about his background. It is not much of a spoiler to reveal that the doctor is actually fake since the police discover it halfway through the film. At the same time as Dear Doctor is a very delicated and touching portrayal of an unusual protagonist, it contemplates on the health care system and the values of modern society. The film doesn’t lecture about them, but raises questions and gives bypassing hints of the crucial problems. The film is also very concerned with the ethical questions that the protagonist’s situation brings up - especially after the fallout that his disappearances causes.

Toshiaki Toyoda’s Monsters Club: After seeing 4 films by Toyoda I can finally say that one can never know what he is going to do next. Each film differs a lot from the ones that precede it. When I began watching Monsters Club I was certainly not expecting a Japanese Unabomber story. The film opens with a scene of the protagonist constructing a bomb in a cabin in the middle of a snowy forest and sending it to a TV station president. As if this opening alone was not enough to underline the film’s seriousness, the next sequence features the protagonist’s long and radical rant of the rotten society. After the explosive beginning the film proceeds to show the protagonist’s battle with his inner demons as he is haunted by surreal creatures and his past. Toyoda cleverly doesn’t let the camera out of the forest until much later in the film. With very dim light and uncharacteristically long and stiff takes Toyoda plunges into the protagonist’s mind as he doesn’t know what to do with his life. While Toyoda’s early films seemed like the work of a director not in control of his craft, Monsters Club is the opposite: he is clearly in charge, but the final result is slightly problematic. The actors are quite out of place and Toyoda’s thematic punchline remains unclear even though he tries hard to refer to Kenji Miyazawa’s poetry among other things to deliver his message. Nevertheless, Monsters Club is an interesting and compact film as it is only 73 minutes long and has no boring moments.

[Trajan]

Oz, I think we need to stage an intervention and force you to watch some movies that aren't made in Japan.

[Blue Monday]

Chronicle (2012): Love this film, probably the third time I've seen it. Testament to the fact that the found footage format can still spin a good yarn and the casting is absolutely brilliant, aiding the strong character driven story; Michael B Jordan is terrific as always (been a fan since seeing him in Friday Night Lights) and Dane DeHaan's Andrew is, for me, sympathetic 'til the very end - giving the movie the feeling of a Greek tragedy, which sort of makes sense, considering some of the armchair philosophy Matt spouts off early on. For anyone who hasn't seen it yet, think Akira meets Carrie.


Super (2010): This one's a charming little flick but unfortunately fails to live up to its full potential with a few missed opportunities along the way. A blood-thirsty, black comedy about a guy (Rainn Wilson) who assumes a superhero identity to "save" his recovering drug addict wife (Liv Tyler) from her new strip club owning, drug dealing boyfriend (Kevin Bacon), also acquiring a sidekick in the form of the local comicbook store assistant (Ellen Page). Plenty of good laughs with a few genuinely touching moments, I was surprised at how poignant the ending was. Ellen Page is straight-up crazy in this film but I can't help crushing on her hard - funnily enough, her role's pretty much an anime archetype as well.

[Oz]

Oz, I think we need to stage an intervention and force you to watch some movies that aren't made in Japan.

Well, I have at least watched Joshua Oppenheimer's The Act of Killing and The Look of Silence (because I went to a film festival) during the past few weeks. I do have a bunch of non-Japanese films both on DVD and my computer waiting for me to watch them, but I need to get the Japanese films out of my way first. That may take another month or so, though.

[BrikHaus]

Kon-Tiki: true story, nautical adventure, would watch again 8/10.

[Oz]

Miwa Nishikawa’s Dreams for Sale: There is no lack of originality in Dreams for Sale, or at least Nishikawa works with the story’s elements so that everything feels fresh and new. The films begins when a couple lose their own pub in a fire. While working hard to raise money for a new one, they find out that the husband has a knack for making women pity him and loan him money. Instead of dumping his husband, the wife decides to turn this discovery into their advantage and soon the two begin to con lonely women. While the film does have small bit of black humor, it is not interested in turning the scenario into a series of gags. Instead, Nishikawa is more interested in studying the two protagonists who are fully-fletched, three-dimensional characters with tangible emotions. After seeing two films by the director, I could even go as far to say that she is one of the best (if not the best) director to handle scripts that dig deep into their main characters. Even though the film is long (at 2 hours and 17 minutes) and develops lots of side characters, it manages to be very focused and tight because all of it ties up neatly into the rich character development of the two characters. Judging by Dear Doctor and Dreams for Sale, Nishikawa is certainly one of the many female directors to keep an eye on.

Nobuhiro Yamashita’s Ramblers: Ramblers is one of Yamashita’s early films before he made his breakthrough with Linda Linda Linda. His early films were uncompromising deadpan comedies that don’t pull punches in terms of absurdity. Ramblers follows two filmmakers who have come to a remote town in order to shoot a film, but their lead actor refuses to come. As they keep waiting for their star the two try to find ways to spend time at the village while getting to know each other and a mysterious girl that tags along. The film revels in its lack of direction - it is just as lost as the main characters, but that is on purpose. The story tugs along at a calm pace from one eccentric scenario to another, including a horrible inn that could compete with Trainspotting’s “Worst Toilet in Scotland”. Yamashita’s deadpan comedy works so well because he knows how to reveal the characters’ background bit by bit and because their characterization works so well.

Nobuhiro Yamashita’s A Gentle Breeze in the Village: There are fans of the director Yamashita who claim that his mainstream outings are not as interesting or good as his more adventurous films, such as his early comedies. I personally find them great as well, especially Linda Linda Linda which is my favorite of his films. However, A Gentle Breeze in the Village certainly feels like a compromise. While the film remains true to Yamashita’s usual observational style, the film has made some adjustment to be more appealing for the mainstream audience. The film is set in an idyllic village in the countryside where all the characters speak an obnoxious hillbilly dialect, all the adults are nice and friendly and the few kids living in the area play together. The film starts with the arrival of a transfer student from Tokyo: a spoiled brat who becomes the only classmate and the love interest of the naive, wide-eyed heroine who is constantly like a deer caught in the headlights. Neither the acting or the characters’ depth is reminiscient of Yamashita’s usual level though I admit the film does its best with the protagonist - especially her visit to Tokyo is a good bit of characterization. Ignoring the occasional silly schmaltz and iffy hijinks, A Gentle Breeze in the Village is good film that is certainly more likable and honest than many others of its kind.

Takashi Miike’s Lesson of the Evil: Good God. Miike, what the hell have you done? Lesson of the Evil starts out as a chilling horror film as we get to see how a popular teacher seduces his students and kills them off one by one. Following him creep up on each student and teacher is chilling to the bone, but the film is not without its hint of black humor with the teacher’s naked training session at his wrecked home or his weird English-language flashbacks. Nevertheless it plays out like a straightforward horror film that is building up towards a menacing and bloody climax in which he locks an entire class of students into a school to hunt them down. But Miike can’t help himself. Even though he had such a good film in his hands, he goes and ruins it by ending it on a completely ridiculous note that suggests the film may have been just one big joke, but there is no point for the jokes. Some say the film is supposed to be a parody of the genre, but I don’t really see it that way. First of all the way Miike puts together the film for the bloody climax is way too atmospheric and serious to make the film work as a parody. If it is indeed intended to be a parody, then I’m not sure what the ending is even supposed to imply. Miike doesn’t just flip the bird - he sticks it up your ass. The bloody climax itself is very well executed even though slightly repetitious. Without the nonsensical final twist the film would have been a perfectly fine as a controversial thriller with good black humor, but the film simply falls apart thanks to the ending.

[cyharding]

Peking Opera Blues. The story was pretty good and the action sequences were fun to watch. I'm not as descriptive as some of the other posters in my opinion, but I do know that I liked it.

[Oz]

Yojiro Takita’s Departures: In this Oscar-winning film, a celloist returns to his home in the countryside after his orchestra breaks up. The film’s drama begins as he takes up the job of taking care of the dead. The film certainly likes its exaggerated acting and overt sentimentality as the protagonist’s struggles with acceptance, death and family are overwrought with emotion. The melodrama surrounding the stigma of working with dead bodies seems a bit weird for someone who has not grown up in a culture that despises anyone working in the industry. However, Departures has the much-needed dignity for the morbid subject and the emotional depth for beneath the melodramatic surface. I can understand why it won the Academy Award: it is the right sort of tearjerker film that introduces the foreign audience to an “exotic” culture of tradition and rituals. And it is indeed a very good film although I do not think it deserves as much praise as it has received.

Yuya ishii’s The Great Passage: Yuya Ishii is known for his unique comedies that are inhabited by the lower spectrums of the society. So it is surprising to see him take on a script like The Great Passage. It is about an eccentric, socially inept bookworm who is scouted by a publisher to take on a monstrous dictionary project. The film is merely a depiction of the ups and downs of the project and in the meanwhile he falls in love with his landlady’s granddaughter. It is a very straightforward comedy that takes its occasional drama very seriously. While the protagonist’s weirdness and seclusiveness are exaggerated for laughs, the laughs never feel cheap as the character is portrayed with a lot of warmth. The romantic subplot takes up surprisingly little of the film’s running time and the film is mostly about the creation of the dictionary. I never believed that a script like that would work at all. Furthermore I never believed it would make for a very gripping and involving film. The film’s charm lies in its subtlety and optimistic outlook. The protagonist’s character development is not particularly underlined yet easily understood. Sometimes Ishii uses simple shots to tell so much even though in the end the film doesn’t have that much content - both in terms of thematics and plot. Yet the film feels so rich and rewarding with its simplicity. The film is simply masterful at depicting how the introverted protagonist feels. As feel-good entertainment The Great Passage is top-notch. It is so delicate and charming that I want to see it again soon to fully enjoy its craft.

Mamoru Oshii’s The Sky Crawlers: It is easy to recognize that The Sky Crawlers is directed by the visionary Mamoru Oshii. The film’s allegorical setting gives it away: unaging manchildren are fighting in a meaningless war waged by companies as if it was a mere game. Couple that with the film’s downbeat and contemplative mood that borders on spooky and you have a full-blown Oshii film in your hands. His trademarks, social critique and otherworldly atmosphere, are at their best in The Sky Crawlers. It is a challenging film for many - not for its content which is fairly straightforward, but for its extremely laconic style and dreamy pacing.

Isao Yukisada’s Go: It is well-known that Japan is one of the most ethnically homogeneous countries in the world. Thus the country has more problems with handling its ethnical minorities, most notably the Zainichi Korean. Yukisada’s Go depicts a teenager of North Korean descent who decides to enter a Japanese high school after attending 9 years of North Korean schools in Japan. With his kinetic and flashy style Yukisada paints a vivid picture of the minority - of their problems, fears and dreams. The film’s narrative jumps from one scene to another in a free-falling way in order to depict its fascinating protagonist in detail. He feels alienated both from the mainstream Japanese culture and the patriotic North Korean community. While at first he comes off like a rough fighter who trades blows just as often as he talks, but he is revealed to be a much more complex character. The film digs deep into his psyche as he faces challenging questions of nationality, ethnicity and identity. Yukisada directs the film with huge self-confidence as the scenes switch back and forth between contrasting tones (even resorting to meta) yet the film never falls off its tracks. Above all, he creates strong images in his exploration of xenophobia and family roots. It is no wonder that the film is so critically acclaimed in Japan: it tackles a touchy subject in a bold but sophisticated way.

[Guy Nacks]

Gone Girl


It's Fincher. You should know by now that it's gonna be a roller coaster of a good film. I was actually impressed at the fact that he found a perfect role for Ben Affleck, seeing as how the guy gets shit for how he isn't the best actor in the world actually was quite perfect for his character in the film.

For a 2 and half hour movie, it held my interest all the way through as the plot keeps unraveling itself like a crazy fucked-up onion. Haven't read the book, but will look into it seeing as how the author, who also wrote the screenplay, gave the film a different ending so as to not spoil the original book ending.

[StarShaper7]

^ Wanted to watch Gone Girl tonight. But ended up watching Let's Be Cops with some blood relations. I'll probably go to the theater tomorrow after classes and watch GG.

Let's Be Cops wasn't really anything special. It's a buddy (pretend) cop comedy. It made me chuckle a few times, but that's not really hard to do. There aren't any moments that stand out as particularly funny. It's no "This is the End," which was full of hilarious moments and the most recent American comedy that I enjoyed. This was pretty meh.

I am looking forward to Gone Girl though. Hopefully I'll be able to post about it here tomorrow.

[Gus Hanson]

Transformers: Age of Extinction

Though it drags on for quite a bit, the more identifiable human and robot characters this time around give it a balance that the Witwicky family was sorely lacking for three movies straight. Mark Wahlberg plays his part well, far more likeable protagonist than Shia LaBeouf. And unlike where the action in the first two sequels tended to get messy and incomprehensive at times, the fighting flows fluently for the first time in a long time.

[StarShaper7]

Managed to watch Gone Girl. It's one of my favorite movies of the year. I don't really want to write about the plot, since it's a recent release and the twists are aplenty, but I consider it to be equal to (or maybe even greater than) Se7en. I was having such a fun time at the theater I actually giggled with glee at the best parts (mostly in the last 1/3). I was smiling through most of the second half. Those familiar with Fincher films will not be disappointed. I'll definitely have to watch it again to make sure, because some movies like this just don't work as well on the second viewing. I get the feeling that it'll hold up though.

[Ray]

Am I the only one here who didn't give up his manhood to Michael Bay?
- - -

Now on to the last Movie I watched.

Rurouni Kenshin


This is how you do a good action movie! This is how you adapt a manga! This is how you make an action movie interesting and engaging.

But what makes it so good? Little to no CGI, real choreographed Fight Scenes, and time set aside to develop Kenshin as a truly flawed and relatable human being. For a movie that sells itself as an action movie it sets a lot of time aside to allow us to get to know Kenshin and his new friends.

Takeru Satoh is perfect in the role of Kenshin. He's very easygoing, friendly, and humble to a fault as Himura, but cross him or hurt someone he cares about and he instantly turns into the most intimidating, scary character you'd ever see, the Batousai.

If there is a flaw in this film its that it doesn't take as much time to develop the other characters as the Manga and Anime did. Which helps the story move along at a brisk pace, true but it still is a touch disappointing. Sanosuke is more a traditional comedic sidekick than genuine character with faults and failings and tragic past. Kaoru and Yahiko don't get much development either. Megumi gets some, but shes absent from the film after the siege on the mansion towards the end of them film.

Speaking of that, the main villain in this film is also underdeveloped. Udo is scary and intimidating and a genuine threat but he's not at all that interesting. The Supporting Villain, Kanryu is far more interesting, Koji Kikkawa gives a phenomenal performance, making his Kanryu scummy, unlikable, manipulative, and just. . .Ugh. Which makes it kind've a letdown that Kenshin didn't break his jaw like he did in the Manga, the Payoff was weak IMO.

Now don't get me wrong, for everything this movie does wrong it does far more right. The fight scenes are really engaging, and the Star of the Show gets more than enough development for this movie to be engaging.

In a world where so many American action movies focus on spectacle rather than engaging characters, its refreshing to see not everyone has forgotten what makes a movie engaging. when to hold back on the spectacle and focus on development.

So, good movie best action movie I've seen in a while to be honest.

8/10

looking forward to the sequel!

[delispin25]

Am I the only one here who didn't give up his manhood to Michael Bay?

Given how much you talk about the man, I'm surprised you haven't already given up your manhood to him.

[Bagheera]

Am I the only one here who didn't give up his manhood to Michael Bay?

Christ on his cross, Ray, will you give it a fucking rest already? That shit was old when you first started spewing it, and it hasn't aged well. You hate Michael Bay, we get it. But we are not obliged to agree with you, and if we have the temerity to WATCH THE GODDAMN MOVIE and make up our own minds on the matter that doesn't make us soulless zombies who'll lap up anything fed to us. It just means we're not willing to rush to judgement without even knowing what we're talking about.

[Guy Nacks]

Am I the only one here who didn't give up his manhood to Michael Bay?

If by "giving up manhood" you mean "enjoy his films," then I'm pretty sure this forum has its share of Bay haters. Me, personally, I can honestly say that I enjoy The Rock for being a fairly well constructed action film and its glorious Nic Cage and Sean Connery hamminess, and Armageddon will always be a guilty nostalgic pleasure: It's stupid and nonsensical at times, but the energy throughout the film is almost constant with characters that are a likeable band of misfits. It's not high-art and I still am flabbergasted that it's part of the Criterion Collection, but it is enjoyable if you grew up with it in the 90s.

All of Bay's filmography post-Armageddon, however, I really don't care too much about.