jasongray

Sono Sion's Love Exposure Passionately Burns Like Nitrocellulose

This afternoon-to-evening was the world premiere of Sono Sion's 4-hour opus Love Exposure (Ai no Mukidashi, 『愛のむきだし』) at TOKYO FILMeX. The English synopsis on the festival site is quite short, so here's the slightly longer one from the catalogue:

Protagonist Yu comes from a devoutly Christian family. A certain incident results in his priest father forcing him to confess his sins, which he commits daily out of a strong desire for praise. In the process Yu develops a taste for the sin of secretly taking photos of others and becomes the sneak photography king of high school students, but then he falls in love with a girl named Yoko who he meets by chance one day in town. Their relationship leads to unexpected developments involving a mysterious religious cult...With an extraordinary running time of almost four hours, Sono Sion's latest film is an unconventional masterwork that throws various aspects of contemporary Japan into its wild potpourri, depicted in the framework of an epic love story. His adeptness in presenting chaos as chaos while also realizing breathless entertainment is worthy of admiration. Nishijima Takahiro, lead vocalist of pop group AAA, gives a fine performance as Yu. Mistushima Hikari and Ando Sakura are also wonderful as the two women in Yu's life.

And from distributor/sales agent Phantom Film's press notes. I first heard details about it from the company in Pusan at the beginning of October and had known it'd premiere at FILMeX, making the wait longer:

A high school boy named Yu will go to the extreme, even risk his life to save his step-sister Yoko from a religious cult. A powerful new drama by the one and only auteur Sono Sion.

Yu is a high school boy who lives with his father who became a priest after Yu's mother died. But one day, a woman, Kaori, falls for Yu's father although she knows that he is a priest. Yu is completely against this because he does not like Kaori's eccentric presence intruding the father and son's peaceful life, and even more because she brought with her Yoko, the girl he fell in love with at first sight. He does not want the girl of his dreams to become a step-sister! One day, religious cult member Koike finds this so-called family as an interesting group and kidnaps three members of the family leaving Yu behind on purpose hoping he will join the cult soon. He will not fall for Koike's tricks, but instead will do anything to save the love of his life Yoko from this religious cult. An exciting, powerful drama based on some true events.

Don't kill me, but I'm not going to review the film. The house was packed to the rafters, with a good number of foreigners. Go on then, attempt to review it! All I can manage is a brief shopping list (potential spoilers):

Finally, worthy successors to the droogs of Clockwork Orange, and they're female. Endô Shûsaku-esque tests of Catholic faith. Childhood traumas that recall the darkest of Tezuka Osamu via Miike. A creepy cult that will make fans of Urasawa Naoki's 20th Century Boys want to sign up. The highest number of up-skirt panty shots in history. Toei Pinky Violence is truly resurrected -- Kaji Meiko's Sasori and her Stray Cat Rock personas are somehow reborn in both the young male and female leads. Samurai sword-induced arterial spray that will quench the thirst of Lone Wolf and Cub devotees. A classical and rock soundtrack that won't quit (live performance of Yurayura Teikoku's amazing title track here).

But in the end it's all about love that hurts so bad it turns tears to blood, torn from decades old pages of Sono Sion's strange circus life. It's a twistedly ambitious, gonzo indie epic. After the last frame of film, two words came to mind -- words that come only after movies with this much spirit...Bow down.

Update: Edmund Yeo has written up some extended thoughts on the film, including some of Sono's answers at the post-screening Q&A, which is useful to further understanding this beast.

Sabu's Unlucky Monkey on DVD

Have to take a couple days off from TOKYO FILMeX due to a nasty dental situation that swelled up, but look for the first of two reports in the next day or so. Things are going well at the festival, with lots of seats filled. In the meantime, check out Edmund Yeo's recap and photos on the first day here. Tony Leung Ka-fai dyed his hair specially for the festival -- how's that for participation? I, too, was going to recommend the Yokota Megumi photo exhibition which happens to be taking place at Yûrakuchô's Asahi Hall, the festival's main venue. If you happen to attend a screening please take a look (it's free). I previously wrote about the anime short produced to tell Megumi's story.

While laid up I checked out BCI's recently released DVD of Sabu's Unlucky Monkey (『アラッキー・モンキー』). which Marc Walkow (aka "Tokuteneizô no Ôsama") brought over a copy of. Back in March I helped coordinate the recording of Sabu's commentary track and supply of Unlucky Monkey paraphernalia (posters, storyboards etc.)

BCI seems to have been somewhat careless with the scanned materials (I'll let Marc post about that later) but the transfer itself is about as clean as can be expected from a 16mm production. The commentary track is quite well edited and accurately subtitled. You get a good sense of Sabu's creative process, not only for this film but in general. He also relates some funny anecdotes about filming (including some yakuza tales, mochiron) and gives good background on the various actors that have appeared in more than one of his films. How his relationship with Terajima Susumu began is a classic.

Considering it was my first ever DVD commentary and done more than half in Japanese I guess my input wasn't too bad, with only a couple gaffes. Some of my questions are a bit plain Jane but sparked off interesting tangents while experienced Marc posed some of the meatier queries. I'll do better next time.

Basically, if you're a Sabu fan and not the kind of person that pulls your hair out over DVD imperfections, I gladly recommend it.

Open Casting Call: Foreign Extras Needed for Major Japanese Feature Film

Are you foreign? Are you living in Tokyo or Kanagawa, or will you be in Japan on December 4th or the 8th & 9th? If so, then you may be able to appear as an extra in a major Japanese feature film going into production.

I was asked to help spread the word, so please get all the relevant details on Craigslist here. Read everything carefully before you contact casting, por favor.

I can't say who the director/star is at this point, but I can tell you that the job pays. 15,000 yen is better than most productions pay for extra work, even when you go through one of the "talent" shops here.

Tokyo Gets Subtitled Tokyo Sonata

After my myriad of posts on Kurosawa Kiyoshi's Tokyo Sonata over the past year or so, I'm very pleased to announce that for those of you living in Tokyo or that will be here in mid-December, there will be English-subtitled screenings of the film.

Beginning December 13, you can see a subtitled print of Tokyo Sonata at Cinem@art, located in Roppongi. As of now the show times haven't been set, but it looks as if there will be two subtitled screenings a day, one of them being the last show. Bookmark and keep an eye on this page for times. I will also update my post here once they're confirmed.

The closest station to Cinem@rt is Roppongi. It's about a 2 min. walk from Exit #5. See Google Map with street view here.

Outside of film festivals such as the great TOKYO FILMeX (starting this weekend!) and the odd special screening, it can be difficult for residents and visitors to enjoy Japanese cinema with English subtitles, so don't miss it.

You've already heard about how great the film is and know about the awards it's collected around the world. Part of that success is master translator Linda Hoaglund's subtitles. She's the best (take a look at her list of credits on her updated official site).

Thanks to Tokyo Sonata's production company Entertainment Farm for the information and image.

See all my collected posts on Tokyo Sonata here.

Essay on Departures

My friend Marie Iida has written a very interesting essay on Departures (Okuribito, 『おくりびと』) on Néojaponisme here. Interesting because it addresses aspects of the film's social backdrop that haven't really been touched on yet. As always, some original artwork accompanies the post.

On the industry side, Departures is poised to score a live-action film hattrick that hasn't really been seen since the likes of Shall We Dance? in the 90s: box office success at home; critical prizes both at home and abroad; more than a token release in English-speaking territories.

Below is an excerpt from an essay on the film and Japan's current box office state I wrote that appeared in the Nov. 7 issue of Screen, before ContentFilm picked up international sales rights.

When local films do exceedingly well in Japan, celebrations follow. That was the case last week when Departures director Yojiro Takita, star Masahiro Motoki and the media gathered before a screening of the award-winning film at distributor Shochiku's flagship cinema in Yurakucho.

The modestly budgeted drama has stayed in the top 10 for eight weeks, grossing over $26m on 2.2 million admissions. The event highlighted the film's international success to date; the grand prix at the Montreal World Film Festival; the Golden Rooster for best picture in China; the audience award at the Hawaii International Film Festival; and Japan's official Oscar bid for best foreign film.

The display on stage indicated Japan's increased awareness of "global success" in a market that has remained fundamentally self-sufficient. Small films that enjoy critical acclaim abroad, such as Cannes and Locarno winners The Mourning Forest and Rebirth, often barely register at their home box office. Conversely, most local megahits continuously fail to sell to English-speaking territories. Departures looks set to succeed in both arenas.

Fortissimo Takes On Mishima

Our Screen team in London has got the scoop on Fortissimo Films picking up international rights (ie. excluding North America and Japan) to Paul Schrader's 1985 film Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters.

There was a bit of discussion about the film in the comments section of my obituary for lead actor Ogata Ken last month.

Musical Chairs at the Pink Cinema

After the big screen entertainment of Heaven's Door last week, I suggested Tom Mes have his first pink cinemagoing experience. And so, a few nights ago we met on Ikebukuro's west side and headed for the CineRoman along the tracks (see my August 5th entry).

For the uninitiated, the one sentence definition of pinku eiga: non-hardcore one-hour sex films shot on 35mm and projected in dedicated cinemas across Japan. This is perhaps the last country where this sector of film production and exhibition still exists. Recently some of the more skillfully made titles have been making their way overseas to festivals like Nippon Connection and Austin's Fantastic Fest. Look for a new video label specializing in the genre coming out of L.A.

Out of the houses I've been to in Tokyo, the CineRoman is one of the better maintained and cleaner locations to take in celluloid sleaze. They always show a triple bill that includes one Nikkatsu roman porno and usually two Xces titles ("Xces" is Shin-Nihon Eizô's brand).

After buying our tickets at the special foreigner discount of 1,300 yen we proceed through the padded doors and into the dark. The third film on the bill is just ending and the first being threaded up. We scope the place for a couple of minutes. Salarymen? Hai. Sleeping grey-hairs? Si. No women? Non. A loud buzzer goes off, exactly like this one in Shimbashi's Roman Gekijô, and the curtains open. A couple of ojiisan awake from their slumbers.

First up is Four Devils director Satô Hisayasu's 2002 title Chikan to Nozoki: Meiki Shindan, 『痴漢と覗き　名器診断』. It's about a young woman with cancer that's treated by a twisted doctor who cures his female patients through "special treatment". Though produced in 2002, like most pink films it somehow seems mired in the late 80s. Other than some creepy lighting and music cues that suggest earlier Satô it's all hyperactive hospital humping scenes.

Everything seems "normal", and then we begin to notice that people are changing seats and walking the aisles of the cinema with alarming regularity. Men, salaried and otherwise, enter, prowl rows, cast furtive glances and finally choose their spot. Others get up and relocate to different quadrants.

There's someone in a knee-length beige skirt and black blouse. He/she flashes a leering smile at me in the dark, momentarily illuminated by a daylight scene onscreen. Remember Captain Howdy in The Exorcist? Another beauty in a white pleather jacket and copper coloured wig also makes rounds. Beige skirt cozies up to a guy in a trench coat and hat and whispers sweet nothings in his ear. No sale.

Then, a young clean-cut worker held by his briefcase hesitantly maneuvers down to the front row and cautiously sits next to an older man with a comb over who looks like a driver for Nihon Kotsu. They exchange a few words and settle in to some sub-armrest comunicazione. Young worker periodically looks over his shoulder, paranoid. A chance meeting with a colleague could spell the implosion of a career.

Satô's film wraps and the lights come up. Chunky 70s rock plays over the PA. A staff member who looks like David Proval in Mean Streets gives the aisles a cursory sweep. Being able to play his own tunes over the house system makes it worthwhile.

Another middle-aged guy walks up to taxi driver and his "passenger" and greets them. Some kind of weird dynamic. Moments later, the lights dim. Next up is 1974 Nikkatsu entry OL Nikki: Nureta Satsutaba(『ＯＬ日記　濡れた札束』), directed by Katô Akira.

As usual the production values are a cut above, with some interesting political backdrop. During a lull in the second act I go outside to use the washroom and notice beige skirt sitting in the lobby puffing on a cigarette. It's late-era Johnny Thunders in drag. Or Ron Wood, on a good day.

Back inside, the game of musical chairs intensifies. There's a method to the movement. There seem to be "magic rows", others that serve as dugouts and a blind spot behind a big pillar that functions as a batting circle. At one point there are no less than five people jockeying for positions. I laff out loud.

Here's a random Japanese language blog entry from 2001 where a guy describes a similar experience.

Two businessmen (who look like they actually do business) in their 40s wordlessly agree to close the gap of seats that separate them. They don't exchange business cards. Meanwhile, young worker leans back in his chair but taxi driver's head is nowhere to be seen. At some point the popcorn scene in Diner comes to mind. The sound of a fly zipping up was the last laugh before the whole scene became tiring. Pleather jacket leaves in a huff. No sales.

The movie ends and we vacate. Never mind popcorn, they should be selling moth balls in the lobby. Tom grabs a stamp card.

I had seen one or two mildly curious things at other shows, but it must've been a full moon. We agreed it was a movie night to remember but I definitely prefer seeing my Nikkatsu at Laputa in Asagaya (see past entries), where the only distraction are the attractive women that staff the cinema.

And what arrived in my mailbox after getting home? Jasper Sharp's magnum opus Behind The Pink Curtain. I'm sure I'll be posting about the contents of this beast at a later date, but you don't need me to tell you how impressive it is.

Sabu Boards the The Crab Cannery Ship

As I mentioned several times previously, Sabu is in pre-production on a new domestic film (while Korea's Finecut turn the wheels for foreign project Arrested Memories). I couldn't reveal what it was but hinted at it in the comments section of Néojaponisme's feature on famed Japanese novel The Crab Cannery Ship (Kanikôsen,『蟹工船』) back in the summer.

Well, Tokyograph has just translated a short news item about Sabu's adaptation of the novel here (original article here) so I'll chime in with a little extra news.

Echoing what the article states, Sabu said that despite the original material being atypical for him, he'll definitely be doing it his way. Storyboards and sets are furiously being worked on now.

He was hoping to check out Nightmare Detective 2 in Pusan to get a closer look at star Matsuda Ryûhei's most recent performance (a good one, at that) and is looking forward to working with him.

I was asked to play a Russian sailor and brush up my (nonexistent) Russian folk dancing skills, but it looks like my annual trip to Thailand may conflict. Damn.

Update: Here's an article I wrote for Screen which contains some further info you cannot find on the interweb.

Heaven's Door Premiere

Last night I crossed the city to see the Japan premiere of Michael Arias' Heaven's Door (『ヘブンズ・ドア』) at Lalaport in Toyosu.

You already know that it's a remake of the 1997 German hit Knockin' on Heaven's Door (whose producers are credited as associate producers on the new film). You can read a bit of background and see the trailers on Twitch here and there.

You also already know that this is the live action debut of Arias, the man behind Tekkon Kinkreet and mind-bending software that's helped to enhance the movies of Miyazaki Hayao, chief among them Howl's Moving Castle.

In the original film it was two terminally ill men making a run for the ocean. This time it's TOKIO star Nagase Tomoya and 14-year-old L: Change the World cutie Fukuda Mayuko. If you know how popular titles such as Luc Besson's Leon are in Japan, as well as the power of idol culture and the fact that the biggest hits usually appeal to both genders, it's not a stretch to understand the new pairing. Arias spoke on stage before the film about changing the two leads to polar opposites from different worlds.

I confess I haven't seen the original, but the plot seems relatively untouched. Nagase's delinquent musician/mechanic (Masato) finds out one day that he has a massive brain tumor and only about three days to live. In a daze, he checks into a hospital where Fukuda's character (Harumi) has spent half her life, suffering from bone cancer. She only has about a month left on earth. The two quickly bond over cigarettes and tequila (hence the lemons) and decide on a whim to head for the ocean, which Harumi has never seen. Conveniently, there's a luxury sports car parked right outside -- too bad it's owned by a cult-like corporation's president who'll stop at nothing to get his wheels back.

Masato and Harumi embark on a cross-country crime spree, holding up gas stations and post offices and shopping for clothes before they realize where the real dough is -- stashed in the trunk of the car. With cops and corporate minions on their trail, will the two (platonic) lovebirds make it to the big blue before Masato succumbs?

The chemistry between Nagase and Fukuda is quite good, as are their performances. For J-cinema trainspotters, there are some star cameos including Tsuchiya Anna and Yoshimura Yumi (Puffy) and one other by a talented young male actor that the press was requested not to reveal at this point. His scene is set in a host club and is one of the film's best moments, I thought.

On a technical level I was quite impressed. I've mentioned before that I'm a fan of United Cinemas' facilities and the screen in Toyosu is the biggest in Japan, which I didn't know. It served the anamorphic images well. The film looked to be shot on the viper or some other high end video format, lending to the dream-like quality of the visuals. Arias favourite Plaid return to create an original soundtrack. I liked the retro Clockwork Orange-esque keyboards during scenes at the villain's office, with its huge eyeball mural. The sound design seemed a cut above, too.

I think younger audiences will find the tragedy of Heaven's Door palpable. Especially fans of Nagase, who just turned 30 and spoke about the film marking the end of his (and TOKIO's) 20s and being the start of a new phase for him.

For someone like me who devoured American cinema of the early 70s, tearing up at films like Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, I might not be the best judge. Who knows, Heaven's Door may become the new Leon for the teen set here and regarded as a minor indie classic overseas. We'll hear from the professional critics before its domestic release on February 7th. Production company Asmik Ace hopes to get the film into Berlin and I was told German rights were part of remake deal (Alex Z, take note).

With Toyosu only being one stop away from Tsukishima, the evening ended with monjayaki, natch.

Takenori Sento's "J-Movie Wars" Continue

Today came news of the demise of Japanese production company Rumble Fish Inc. (they never did have a website, I don't believe). Who were they, you may ask? For some background see this short article I wrote for Screen this afternoon.

If you're interested in modern Japanese cinema, whether created by horror helmers, arthouse artisans or punk poets, you've probably seen at least one of the many titles former Suncent CinemaWorks head and Rumble Fish president Sentô Takenori (仙頭武則) produced. See his credits on imdb here or a much more complete Japanese list on allcinema here.

I've never met Sentô though I know people who've dealt with him, but I'd like to hear comments on his considerable efforts to produce interesting films over the better part of two decades. Comments from those who were weaned from afar on 90s new wave J-cinema to those who lived through it on the ground here.

Sentô figures fairly prominently in Tom Mes and Jasper Sharp's The Midnight Eye Guide to New Japanese Film and Mark Schilling's Contemporary Japanese Cinema.

Update:: After the news I thought I'd watch one the Sentô-produced titles from the 90s, so I rented Aoyama Shinji's debut feature, Helpless.

On paper, Helpless is an 80-minute small town crime drama with an extremely simple plot. On celluloid it firmly establishes the stylistic and thematic motifs that continue in Aoyama's work to this day (not to mention his future collaborations with Asano Tadanobu). I can appreciate Sad Vacation (see collected posts here) and Eureka better now.

Helpless would hardly seem dated if it were released today (save for the lack of cellphones). It's a popular title at Tsutaya, Japan's largest video rental chain, where it's still only a 3-day rental instead of the usual one week for older titles.

To My American Friends...

To all my fellow Japanese film fans in the US who frequent this blog, some of whom I've had the pleasure of meeting:

I would never tell you who to vote for in your own country, but I will ask you to seriously consider one candidate -- Barack Obama. The world will thank you for it!

Update:
THANK YOU!

Goemon Site Renewal

I don't have time to squat on Japanese film official sites waiting for them to update (Nippon Cinema is great for that) but someone mentioned to me that the one for Kiriya Kazuaki's Goemon has been overhauled.

I remember writing about the casting of Eguchi Yôsuke and background on the film for Screen almost a year ago -- and that was after principal photography had wrapped. How many terabytes of CG are we talking about here? Looks quite impressive.

The Big G in HD

Following the fun screening of Godzilla vs. The Smog Monster at TIFF (see my Oct 25 entry), Japan residents might be interested to know that the Nihon Eiga Senmon Channel is broadcasting all 28 Gojira productions over the next three months (info here). To celebrate their 10th anniversary on the air, they spent money on repairing prints, cleaning them, and HD telecine transfers.

I just watched some of the classic Destroy All Monsters (Kaijû Sôshingeki, 『怪獣総進撃』) and was very impressed with the crystal clear anamorphic image and vibrant colours. There's an accompanying blog that includes a map of Godzilla's stomping grounds in the various movies.

I can't claim to know and have been transformed by G the way some people have, but I've been watching him since I was about six. I love him, but I still say his head looks like an angry moggy.

Japanese Films at AFM

Below is an article I wrote for Screen's annual American Film Market issue on some of the Japanese titles at market. I've never been to the AFM, but it's basically a much bigger version of Pusan's AFM -- if you cut away a cross section of the The Loews Santa Monica hotel it would look like that old coin-op Elevator Action.

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AFM buzz - Japan
Jason Gray
31 Oct 2008

Despite successes at home, Japanese films continue to be a difficult sell to English-speaking territories.

Even in Asia, where pre-sales were once commonplace, skittish buyers are demanding to see finished product. While Japanese companies introduce new titles at continental events such as Hong Kong's Filmart, Pusan's Asian Film Market and Tokyo's Tiffcom, they often reserve full premieres for AFM.

Japan's TV networks continue to be a dominant force in film production, with Nippon Television (NTV) developing a slate of big-budget spectacles in the wake of the massive success of the Death Note and Always films.

NTV is showcasing the world premiere of urban period action epic K-20: Legend Of The Mask, directed by Shimako Sato, to the AFM. It stars popular Asian leading man Takeshi Kaneshiro as a daring circus acrobat who seeks to clear his name after being falsely identified as a legendary thief. Led by special FX wizard Takashi Yamazaki, the team behind the Always films create high-flying sequences above the fictional city of Teito in 1949.

Buyers will also be able to see the now-complete Tokyo typhoon disaster epic 252: Signal Of Life, starring Umizaru and Sukiyaki Western Django actor Hideaki Ito, and check out the first installment of $60m trilogy 20th Century Boys - already a major hit in Japan and a hot seller in Asia.

Second World War-set films are a continuing trend in Japan. Broadcaster TBS will hold the first screening of recently completed I'd Rather Be A Shellfish, starring singer and TV star Masahiro Nakai as a soldier on trial for wounding a US prisoner of war.

TBS will also screen the international premiere of local hit Ikigami: The Ultimate Limit. The film depicts an alternative Japan in which a law giving certain people only 24 hours left to live ensures national prosperity.

Big-screen adaptations of television dramas such as Hero and Partners continue to see local box-office success. Pony Canyon begins international sales of Fuji TV's hit Suspect X. Based on a smash television and book series, the murder mystery stars Dororo and Shaolin Girl actress Kou Shibasaki.

Manga also seems to offer a bottomless well of inspiration for Japanese hit-makers. Toho brings Toshio Lee's colourful heavy-metal comedy Detroit Metal City to market for the first time. The film had a raucous world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival and is a hit in Japan. Ken'ichi Matsuyama stars with a cameo from Kiss rock star Gene Simmons.