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Relaxing in Shibuya (it can be done...)

This week has been about coming down from FILMeX, catching up on work for Screen and getting into a couple projects I'll write about later. Last night it was time for a break, so I met up with Tom Midnight Eye in Shibuya to hit some drinking establishments. Shibuya wasn't as packed as usual (being Wed. night) and the downright cold weather seemed comfortably cool among the buildings and bodies.

We popped by the J-Pop Café, which I hadn't been to in yonks, and sat right where Kikuchi Rinko flashed her privates in Babel. Among a multitude of topics we agreed that it's a very interesting time for foreigners doing things in the world of Japanese film, whether you're talking local creators such as Michael Arias and John Williams (make room for a couple more names soon) or visiting talents such as Michel Gondry, and another French provocateur who's apparently shooting here right now.

We finished the night along Shibuya's own miniature version of Golden Gai, nicknamed nonbee yokochô (something like "drunkards alley"). There's a place called Bar Piano, which has one of the oddest, smallest interiors you'll ever see. It's all red velvet, gold trim, crystal chandeliers, antique mirrors and curios...and taxidermy.

Tokyo FILMeX Wraps!

Another great edition of Tokyo FILMeX has come to an end, capped by a fun party in Ginza (the renovated venue looked like something out of the bubble era, one guest remarked). It was great to mingle with friends, filmmakers and FILMeX staff/volunteers. I think I saw 20 films in the end -- hope to do some capsule reviews, time permitting. On to the 9th edition!

In the meantime, below is my wrap-up for Screen Int'l that ran yesterday.

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Israel's Tehilim takes top prize at Tokyo Filmex

Jason Gray in Tokyo
25 Nov 2007 13:52


French director Raphaël Nadjari's Tehilim was awarded the Grand Prize at the conclusion of the 8th edition of Tokyo Filmex (Nov 17-25). The award carried a cash prize of Y1m ($9,235).

Tehilim examines Judaism through the story of an average Israeli family affected by the mysterious disappearance of their father after a car accident. The Israel-France co-production competed for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year and was released in Israel last month.

The Filmex competition jury, headed by director Lee Chang-dong, commented on how Tehilim stood out from the field of ten. "The film brings to the fore a universal problem of today's world – the lack of orientation. It is told in a personal style, which – as world cinema – transgresses borders and religions."


The Special Jury prize, sponsored by Kodak, was awarded to Hong Kong police thriller Eye In The Sky, directed by Yau Nai-hoi. Yau has served as longtime screenwriter for Johnnie To on titles such as The Mission and the Election films. The prize was accompanied by Kodak colour negative film stock valued at $8,000.

"The jury praises Mr. Yau Nai-hoi as an upcoming talent in the Asian film industry. The sophisticated screenplay maintains the tension between the characters throughout the film," said Lee on behalf of the jury.

Eye In The Sky has been nominated in five categories, including Best Feature, at the upcoming Golden Horse awards (Dec 8).

The audience award, sponsored by French fashion label Agnes B, was given to Johnnie To's Exiled accompanied by a Y200,000 ($1,847) cash prize.

The closing ceremony was followed by a screening of Lee Chang-dong's award-winning Secret Sunshine.

The nine-day festival, held in Tokyo's Yurakucho and Kyobashi districts, featured 37 titles from Japan and across Asia as well as talk sessions and special retrospectives of Satsuo Yamamoto and Indian director Ritwik Ghatak.

FILMeX / Wakamatsu / Fingerprinting

Tokyo FILMeX is about 2/3 over. I've seen 14 movies so far with 7 or 8 to go. I hope to have time for some kind of recap after the fest wraps. Some titles that have stood out for me are Israeli competition film Jellyfish, in the special screening section Santuri, directed by Iran's Dariush Mehrjui, and Yamamoto Satsuo titles The Spy (『スパイ』) and The Burglar Story (Nippon Dorobô Monogatari, 『日本泥棒物語』).

In the meantime, I wanted to get down some thoughts on Wakamatsu Kôji's latest, with a digression into the fingerprinting of non-Japanese debate.

Yesterday there was an UniJapan/FILMeX industry screening of Wakamatsu Kôji's United Red Army (Jitsuroku: Rengô Sekigun - Asama Sansô E No Michi, 『実録・連合赤軍―あさま山荘への道程』). Last month I wrote about the film's win at the Tokyo fest (see my Oct. 29 entry), where I didn't have a chance to see it.

If you don't know the background of the Asama Sansô incident (「あさま山荘事件」), you can read about it here and there. For a more in-depth look at the various factions of Japan's extreme left, there's a 5-part interview with Dr. Patricia Steinhoff that ran back in September on Néojaponisme here.

Wakamatsu has crafted a 190-minute docudrama that barrages viewers with information, ideologies and violence in equal measure. Through the film's deft staging and editing, and most importantly the fact that Wakamatsu was close to these turbulent incidents, you feel like an unflinching fly on a wall. It's an altogether different experience than past films that have depicted, directly or indirectly, what went down.

And despite a budget that I've heard is far less than the 300 million yen he tried to raise through his official website, maverick Wakamatsu, a veteran of over 110 films (!) makes it go a long way. Shot on HD video, the film incorporates archival footage, photographs and copious onscreen titles, not to mention the gruff tones of Wakamatsu's own narration. With 72 speaking parts, characters are coming, going, monologuing and dying. Russell Edwards review sums up the different aspects well.

United Red Army ends with a shopping list of brutal acts the JRA engaged in up until the late 80s... The mandatory harvesting of biometric data of almost all non-Japanese, whether tourists or permanent residents of 40 years re-entering Japan after a trip, began on Tuesday (read the ongoing coverage on Debito Arudou's site here). To treat law-abiding, tax paying non-Japanese residents this way is paranoid and insidious. 「鎖国」 indeed, but a lot sooner than 2077. At risk of repeating what's been said in the press and on blogs ad infinitum, it hasn't been "foreigners" who've committed acts of terrorism on Japanese soil. Wakamatsu's movie painfully reminds us of that.

As I touched on previously, there are late night screenings of United Red Army, a making of documentary, and Wakamatsu classics at Theatre Shinjuku on Dec 15, Jan 5 and Feb 9. Ticket info here (Japanese only).

Finally, you can see a short trailer for the film on YouTube here, and if you go through the related video clips there's footage from the original incident and more.

Tokyo FILMeX 2007 Opens!

Today was the first day of Tokyo FILMeX 2007, now in its 8th edition. I snapped this photo from the wings of the stage as the 1500-seat theatre at the Tokyo International Forum filled up for the opening ceremony and screening of Chacun son cinéma (To Each His Own Cinema), which Cannes delegate and FILMeX competition jury member Christian Jeune was on hand to introduce.

FILMeX's regular interpreter couldn't be there unfortunately, so I was asked to deliver the English for the various announcements/speeches on stage. It all went off not too badly. It was great to relax after I was done and take in the film -- I had been waiting to see it since May.

You can read my various articles about this year's edition: Nov. 9, Sept. 26, Sept. 13.

Sagawa Issei Documentary Airs in the UK

Sagawa Issei. The story, and man, that just will not die. Every day my site is inundated with hits from people across the globe (this afternoon alone, South Africa, Wellington, London, Arkansas etc.) searching for info on Sagawa and his heinous act, finding their way here because of an essay I wrote back in April -- by far the most accessed entry in this blog's 7-year history.

Back in September I expressed doubt over the content of an upcoming UK documentary airing on Channel 5 about Sagawa. The synopsis text at the time was worryingly sensationalistic (which I expressed to the producer) but has since been changed to a more professional, objective outline of the documentary's approach. logboy has seen the film and sent me some very interesting comments, written in that logboy way, which I'm reproducing here:

there was a repeat of the very recent Channel 5 docu, part of their season on cannibals, about sagawa last night. this the one you worked on? they're not as sensationalist as they were when they started up just over a decade ago, but it's still obviously tv, still obviously somewhat manipulative, but still also quite interesting.

seems sagawa, unfortunately, has made some bad choices over how he's handled his life since the 70s and paris. if he'd kept quiet, as one guy says in the film, he wouldn't be such a difficult person to accept as being part of a society. sagawa looks to be, in many respects, a very intelligent multilingual man, but the doctor who assessed him (first time in ten years, apparently) towards the end of the hour-long show stated he is a sexual psychopath. no surprises, to a large extent, but still odd to hear it - there's a lot about how sagawa disconnects from his past and from the human aspect of people and about how people kind of forget what's actually involved in cannibalism.

still, worth watching. he was very forthcoming and talkative, in english and japanese, and he can clearly speak french too. fan of classical music, now a hater of western women (?!) and fond of living in a very odd and strangely public manner - though under a false name, so it seems.

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it's odd he goes unchecked, and it's odd that he has so many fans that he (at least on a few occassions) gone on holiday with, paying their expenses. it would be a hard call - from this show alone, at least - to say you couldn't feel sympathy for the man, but it's hard not to think he's perhaps manipulating the perception of himself both to hide the reality of what he did and what he would like to do at the same time as giving a certain amount of contradictory information that intends to perpetuate a source of income, friendship and fame.

logboy

So there you have it. I've got nothing to add. Thoughts from anybody else who's seen it? Still awaiting my copy.

Beowulf Does Battle in Yurakucho

It was back to Yûrakuchô yesterday to catch the Japan premiere of Beowulf with airport-style metal detectors and bag check adding to the excitement (though it's true that Japan is no longer the "good" country in Asia as far as piracy anymore).

Usually my eyes glaze over at the thought of brave warriors doing battle with dragons and other creatures -- it's just not my genre. I left it all behind in the 80s with D&D and films like Clash of the Titans (which I've heard R. Rodriguez is remaking?). And yet, I had a very good time watching this movie. Thematically and viscerally, very little has been dumbed down or softened. I'll let the scholars debate the merits of the movie vs. the original poem, but there's definitely enough meat in Heorot for audience members of all types (except the squeamish). And I think Crispin Glover's Grendel one ups Gollum, but I don't live these things. Angelina Jolie recycles her accent from Alexander for her role as the cave-dwelling temptress. Ray Winstone (I'd like to see his Beowulf do some lines from Nil By Mouth), Malkovich, Hopkins, Brendan Gleeson, Robin Wright Penn all good. -- Possible Spoiler -- The battle with the dragon at the end was epic and thrilling, with the added drama of the flying lizard being Beowulf's own son.

Robert Zemeckis furthers the technology he used in The Polar Express, with something here that's truly between CG and flesh. At times I was mesmerized, especially by the closeups. The dialogue managed to be literary and popcorn at the same time, thanks to the script co-written over many years by Neil Gaiman and Roger Avary, which leads into my next paragraph.

It's common to talk about influences in films and music, but what about the web? Back in the late 90s and early noughties, well before the term "blogging" existed, Roger Avary ran an online journal detailing his ongoing projects, weaving together posts about his Hollywood meetings, filmmaking, hobbies, and travels. He offered up scripts from his archives and was quick to reply with friendly emails. The site was an influence on the decision to start my little thing in 2000. His site is back up in beta form here. To quote Killing Zoe, "super cool."

Adrift in Ever Morphing Tokyo

A week ahead of Tokyo FILMeX opening in Yûrakuchô, I was in the area this evening and was surprised to see the development on the east side of Yûrakuchô station now complete. Some of the old shops under the Yamanote tracks (what were they?) have been completely exhumed and you can walk through the big archways uninhibited. It's surely not going to stay that way for long. This opens into a large square and the "YURAKUCHO ITOCiA" office and shopping complex, which features a new branch of Marui and the ITOCiA Plaza, with a new 2-screen cinema in the expanding Cine Qua Non chain (the FILMeX night screenings are at the Cine Qua Non cinema above Bic Camera on the other side of the tracks).

Now I can sympathize with complaints of gentrification. In Tokyo it happens in areas that already have sky high property values but are ugly and out of date. But do consumers, especially those in Ginza, really need yet more pristine places to purchase brand goods? I like unplanned urban chaos to a degree, but the bottleneck on that side of the station used to drive me crazy when I was trying to get to screenings so I'm happy for the space more than the shops.

The picture above is of a Tokyo Velotaxi letting some passengers off at the new square. The people-moving service is an eco-minded non-profit organization that started up in Germany in the 90s and is now here.

Also green is walking -- lots of it. The title of this post references director Miki Satoshi's (三木聡監督) latest film Adrift in Tokyo (Ten-ten, 『転々』), which just opened in cinemas yesterday. Mark Schilling writes a highly positive, extended review of the film in The Japan Times here. I have to agree -- it's a well-made and often hilarious buddy movie, a sub-genre I like. Some of them are my favourite movies ever, including Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, The Pope Of Greenwich Village, Midnight Run and California Split. The interplay between Miura Tomokazu and Odagiri Joe is excellent and the male bonding manages to be overt and subtle at the same time. Production company Stylejam is on a roll lately. Did you know that Korea will prebuy Odagiri Joe movies sight unseen?

Tokyo FILMeX overview in The Japan Times

In today's issue of The Japan Times there's an overview of this year's Tokyo FILMeX that I wrote. You can read it online here.

Save money and get your advance tickets through Pia (information here).

Can I Have a Standing Ovation, Onegai?

There's an established pattern of media coverage for major films in Japan. It generally includes a kisha kaiken (press conference) announcing the production itself, which often occurs once shooting is underway or even after it has wrapped (which throws foreign news editors for a loop). After post-production is complete, there are kansei hirô kaiken (production wrap press conferences), shishakai and masukomi shishakai (preview screenings and press-only preview screenings). Usually there's news of which big artist is doing the shudaika (theme song) for the film. Finally there's the fûkiri/kansei hirô jôeikai (premiere), where the director and stars get up on stage to offer comments and answer a few light questions about the film. This is the butai aisatsu (stage greeting). For films that enjoy high profile premieres outside of Japan, such as Sakuran, The Mourning Forest, Dai Nipponjin and Glory to the Filmmaker!, there's of course extra coverage at foreign press conferences, red carpet events and Narita airport.

This is how things are done and it rarely goes awry. Once in a while there's an Erika 'betsu ni' Sawajiri incident, which is blown out of proportion precisely because the usual 'workflow' is so smooth and painless.

Which brings me to an interesting story that appeared in Nikkan Sports regarding the Saturday opening day preem of Always: Sunset on Third Street 2 (Always zoku san-chôme no yûhi, 『ＡＬＷＡＹＳ　続・三丁目の夕日』). The headline reads "Toho Takes Desperate Measures for Stage Greeting, Requests Standing Ovation." The article details what followed the screening, stating that an announcer from one of the big networks who was emceeing the event said「出演者の方がそろったら、スタンディングオベーションで迎えてください。ご協力よろしくお願いします」"Once the cast are all present on stage, please give them a standing ovation. Your cooperation is appreciated."

The Nikkan piece posits that Toho, who distribute the Always films and Sawajiri-starrer Closed Note (the above mentioned controversy), want to avoid anything less than 100% positive butai aisatsu events. A Toho ad rep openly stated that they secretly planned the requested SO to make the cast members happy and create a harmonious mood.

Now, in any entertainment industry there are applause signs shown to audiences and of course the standard "Let's have a big round of applause for..." and the like, but to direct audiences to cooperate in a standing ovation is a bit much, no? I assume Japanese people view SO's as everyone else does -- it's more than just a notch up from zealous clapping. Especially when the cast members and director were so bowled over by it.

"For everyone to stand and applause like that...I'm moved," said Koyuki. "I almost cried," said Miura Tomokazu. "I wasn't expecting a standing ovation at all. I'm happy and stunned," said director Yamazaki Takashi. These are quotes from other articles (1, 2, 3) that covered the premiere/SO news as if it happened naturally. Whether this was omission to maintain good relations I don't know but what did the cast members think the next day when they read the news?

Just to show I'm not a complete party pooper, there's a comprehensive campaign at 7-11 with some fairly cool showa-style tie-in products and prizes.

Now, can some of my small band of regular supporters out there help direct some "greatest film blog ever" comments my way -- I need a boost. Your cooperation is appreciated.

Update: According to reports, Always earned over Y500m ($4.37m) on opening weekend, which is a decent haul. But it was beat to the pole position by Biohazard 3, though. Huh?

Update 2: Don over at Ryuganji obviously thought it was as silly and interesting as I did and he's got his own coverage here (with more on the Sawajiri back story).

Audition Makes "Top 25 Horror Movies" in Time Magazine

So says Richard Corliss in this article. The entry on Audition can be found here.

This will be the last mention of Miike for the remainder of 2007. Oh wait, his Zatôichi stage play opens next month. Take a vacation already, man!