Recently seen movies #5

Matsugane ransha jiken (Japan, 2006) – 4/5
Yamashita directing a mystery thriller after his mainstream hit Linda 3 didn’t sound like a good idea, but I thankfully I was wrong. In fact, Matsugane not even that much of a mystery thriller, it just sounded like one. Dark but slow moving small town comedy would be a better definition. The film isn’t as good as the director’s early works, and feels more slick, probably because of the bigger budget, but still, it’s very recognizable Yamashita. There aren’t really any obvious crowd pleasing elements other than the storyline which however isn’t nearly as bizarre as it could be. Some hippy promo pics and posters that had made me suspicious about the film turned out to be just an ad stunt, none of that stuff is in the film.

Recently seen movies #4

Gemini (Japan, 1999) – 1/5
Shinya Tsukamoto’s awful identity horror features some slightly interesting psychological dimentions, but it’s not enough to save the film from being a horrible mess. Tadanobu Asano appears for a few minutes and manages to bring in some dignity with his voice. The man himself is under heavy make up and looks ridiculous… which is pretty much in line with the rest of the content. The original novel by Edogawa Rampo was also used as one of the several sources for Teruo Ishii’s legendary Horrors of Malformed Men.

Recently seen movies #3

No One’s Ark (Japan, 2003) – 4,5/5
Before reaching for the mainstream success with Linda Linda Linda Nobuhiro Yamashita was one of Japan’s most interesting directors. His near-perfect second film No One’s Ark is even better than my previous Yamashita favourite, Realism no yado. The well written storyline of a young couple trying to set up their own business in the early 90’s Japan is simple but engaging. There are several scenes that in the hands of a less talented director could easily turn awkward but Yamashita handles them masterfully. The film is filled with silent humour, and director’s skill with music and visuals create several impressive scenes. The acting is perfect.

Recently seen movies #2

Kantoku Banzai! (Japan, 2007) – 2,5/5
It’s official, Kitano has gone mad. Kantoku Banzai! makes his previous work Takeshis’ look line a coherent piece of cinema. No wonder he shot this movie in secret. While the first 40 minutes, where Kitano plays a film director with no success at the box office, actually make some slight sense, the rest is just 100% Kitano’s brain waves transcribed into film frames (and those ain’t no Hana-Bi waves). Everything is incredibly stupid and childish, but also confusing enough to be funny. Shame about Anne Suzuki’s talent being wasted in a mess like this, but then again, the film is all about Kitano and nobody else. I wonder if any director has ever made a film as egocentric as this before.