Takashi Miike

[Lucas]

Okay, so I know we have a few threads here about movies Miike has directed. Personally I like his work so I'll just start a thread with his name. we have a thread for IZO and ICHI already.

Latest movie:

Zebraman

Of course, not along the same lines as the majority of Miike's work. Its a good movie though about inspiration and believing in yourself and your dreams. One you can watch with the family.

by the end of the film, Zebraman is one bad mofo though.

NEXT:

The Great Yokai War

[Jimbo]

My favorite Miike movie might be Gozu. I think it's one of those movies that people either like it or hate it; no in-between. Often described as 'Yakuza horror', it's kinda slow, but I like all the weird, psycho characters. Probably the only 'normal' person in it is the lead guy, a young Yakuza gangster.

[Lucas]

just put that on my list.

have you seen the dead or alive trilogy?

[jethro]

I haven't seen much from Miike that I've liked. I didn't like Gozu, DOA 1 and Izo. Yakuza Demon is a little above average. Weird to see a normal type of movie from Miike. Fudoh is good. And then there's Deadly Outlaw Rekka. One of my favorite movies of all time. The music, the action, the acting... Amazing movie. I think that's all the Miike movies I've seen. I still have to see Ichi the Killer. EVery time I see it at Best buy or at a used store it's the R rated version. Hopefully I'll find the unrated version some day.

[doug maverick]

gotta go with fudoh:the next generation. girl who shots darts out of her box=the win.

[Shaolinlueb]

gotta go with fudoh:the next generation. girl who shots darts out of her box=the win.

yeah fudoh was the ****.

ichi the killer i thought was overated.

full metal yakuza was pretty bad ass.

zebraman isn't new is it?

d.o.a. was f*cked up. i have to really catch up on his movies. there are so many i missed i want to see. i do enjoy his sick twisted way of telling stories.

[GeneChing]

Miike kid films don't compute for most until you see these two flicks. They're really enjoyable.

Zebraman is a total homage to Tokusatsu (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=53001). It's brilliant on so many levels. The whole take on nerdy adult fanboys is hysterical, yet respectful.

Great Yokai War is a lot like Zebraman on steriods. Terry Gilliam-esque CGI terminators versus Japanese ghost story fable characters (suited monsters ala Ultraman). Cheesy effects overall. Predictable to a point. I was raised with some of these myths so, like Painted Skin (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=47527), many of the creatures are recognizable to me, which made it very nostalgic. It had some Miike moments for sure, but very tame, a kid film like Zebraman, but a little intense because some of the Japanese demons are disturbing if you aren't familiar with them. The kappa (precursor to Mutant Turtles if you will) was funny. It could have been far creepier, but it tends to go for goofy demon humor like the umbrella demon (a rather lame puppet) saying 'I'm just an umbrella'.

[Lucas]

man now im really stoked to watch the great yokai war. i might have to set aside time tonight for it.

i really liked in zebraman (spoiler) when he realizes that he actually is zebraman after everyting matches up. the year, his job, etc. also the final transformation to zebra man is bad ass. as soon as i saw him get up and flash into zebraman, with that slick costume i was like 'hell ya'

[Kansuke]

That's already been on come cable channel or other a bunch of times. Kind of a wierd movie.

[Lucas]

d.o.a. was f*cked up. i have to really catch up on his movies. there are so many i missed i want to see. i do enjoy his sick twisted way of telling stories.

i like when the world gets nuked

:D

[AdrianK]

Has anyone seen Sukiyaki Western Django? Its pretty amazing.

[Lucas]

Has anyone seen Sukiyaki Western Django? Its pretty amazing.


Ya i watched that. Loved it. I think the main character pulled of the cowboy really well. He had great manerisms for an old west gun slinger. and his introduction scene to the two gangs is super slick.

[Jimbo]

I had forgotten about Deadly Outlaw Rekka. For some reason, that one didn't do it for me. I really can't explain why.

I've seen parts of Audition, not the whole thing. I don't think it's something I'd want to see.

Miike also contributed to a movie (forget the title, I think it's "3 (something") which featured a horror story each by three directors; Miike, Fruit Chan, and Park Chan-Wook. IMO Fruit Chan's contribution was the worst, Park's the most intense/violent, and Miike's was surprisingly peaceful and sedate.

[GeneChing]

...Miike's new ones.

Anyone seen Yatterman or Crows Zero II yet? They're top of the box in Japan, right behind Red Cliff 2. (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=46417&page=6). I brought up Yatterman on the Martial Arts in Anime thread. (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=49294&page=10) Just to refresh, here's the trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_fL-TVMkiw).

Here's the Crows Zero 2 trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmdo8avHMGE). I never saw CZ1. Should I?

We discussed SWD here. (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=52606)

[Lucas]

im going to have to check those out. gosh i still need to make time for the great yokai war. its hard to set time aside to watch movies lol

[jethro]

I saw Crows Zero at Suncoast. $29.99!!

[Shaolinlueb]

I saw Crows Zero at Suncoast. $29.99!!

i am watching crows zero right noqw. im at the date scene. it has me rolling! this movie is great!!

zebraman, not so good.

[Lucas]

Finally got around to; The Great Yokai War.

This movie was a lot of fun. It was really cool to see all the yokai in live action. Especially to see the kappa, for me anyway. That character was great lol.

Also you get to see Chiaki Kuriyama play another bad girl. Always fun.

The magic sword was pretty bad ass too. I wish I had a magic sword like that.

[doug maverick]

i got a magic stick. lmfao

[GeneChing]

Kappa were the original TMNT (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=45508) ;)

I liked the lamp and umbrella demons. I've always thought those were odd in Ukiyo-e and apparently, so does Miike. And the long-necked demoness was classic.

[Lucas]

Kappa were the original TMNT (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=45508) ;)

I liked the lamp and umbrella demons. I've always thought those were odd in Ukiyo-e and apparently, so does Miike. And the long-necked demoness was classic.

lol ya, the long necked demoness reminded me of beatleguise lol. only...hot...idk if thats strange or not...:D

oh and the wall demon LOL that was hillarious.

the film almost had a 'labryinth' 'neverending story' feel to it. its another childrens classic imo

ive noticed its not a movie you can talk to many people about though, no one freaking knows what a kappa is....and for that matter a yokai...

[GeneChing]

I was raised with some of that stuff. I had this book of Japanese fables as a kid, done in a classic ukiyo-e style. That left a huge impression on me. So seeing GYW really worked for me since I have the fable underpinning. I wonder how it works for someone who's completely unfamiliar with the myths.

[Lucas]

I was raised with some of that stuff. I had this book of Japanese fables as a kid, done in a classic ukiyo-e style. That left a huge impression on me. So seeing GYW really worked for me since I have the fable underpinning. I wonder how it works for someone who's completely unfamiliar with the myths.

well i tried to explain it to a couple people today, i just gave up after seeing them look completely confused the whole time.

i tried to correlate the yokai with europian myths of fairies, ogres, trolls, goblins, gnomes, etc. even though its not the same that kinda helped.

[GeneChing]

Yatterman and Crows Zero (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=53809) (p1 & p2) are top of my Miike to-be-viewed list now. ;)

Yatterman Anime Movie Green-Lit for August 22 (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2009-05-09/yatterman-anime-movie-green-lit-for-august-22)
posted on 2009-05-09 13:18 EDT
Takashi Miike's earlier live-action film about duo of heroes opened in March

A preview website has announced that a new anime movie version of Tatsunoko Production's Yatterman science-fiction comedy anime series has been green-lit. The film will open in Japan on August 22. The website promises that the film will bring together new Yatter Mecha for the Yatterman duo of heroes to use in their fight against evil.

The original Yatterman television series premiered in 1977, and it spawned the first Yatterman anime film that same year. A new Yatterman televison series began running in Japan last year.

Takashi Miike (Crows Zero, Ichi the Killer, MPD Psycho) cemented his newfound mainstream film success by directing a live-action Yatterman film with Arashi singer/actor Sho Sakurai (Honey and Clover). The live-action film opened in Japan in March after Miike and Sakurai held its world premiere at New York Comic Con in February . It became the #1 film at the Japanese box office for four straight weekends.

[Jimbo]

I ordered Miike's The Happiness of the Katakuris, described as "The Sound of Music crossed with Dawn of the Dead." It looks to be really good, and most online reviews I've read on it seem very positive.

[GeneChing]

It was entertaining. It's not quite a kid's film, despite having all the trappings. There was too much breast humor for kids, like slo-motion groping the villainess and a mecha with machine gun nipples and tit grenades. It reminded me a little of Speed Racer (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=49394) in that it was a kid film redone on this outrageous special effects level. I never watched yatterman, but I could feel the kid show devices, like the goofy henchmen and youthful heroes (yatterman was built in a toy factory). Yatterman looked like Robo-Clifford. Still, I was very entertained throughout the film. The costumes and effects were cool. And that villainess (http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/underwire/images/2009/02/04/yatterman3shot1200.jpg) was smoking hot.

[Lucas]

im so putting that on my netflix, just for her outfit.

thats one thing that i love about japanese live action scifi/fantasy, the costumes all the wonderful lovely costumes.

[KTS]

miike is definitely a modern day genius of a filmaker. it is like a compulsion of mine to buy a miike film when i see one.

anybody seen Scars on the Sun w/ english subs in an american store yet?

man, full metal yakuza was just so unexpected haha. that robo yakuza guy is packing! lol. i especially love the scene where he kicks a severed head across the city right off the balcony of a building. great stuff!

[GeneChing]

Wow, we're way behind on this here thread.

Here's his latest - JOJO'S BIZZARE ADVENTURE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2_-AHg4tMA