Bueno, he recopilado en un post los trailers mas interesantes de lo que el señor Tarantino nos tiene preparado.

Inglorious Basterds (Malditos bastardos) I

Inglorious Basterds (Malditos Bastardos) II Mucho mas brutal este trailer.

Por último pero no menos espectacular, el proyecto que está por estrenar producido por Tarantino y dirigido por Larry Bishop, HELL RIDE. Me muero por verla, más incluso que a los bastardos, es la jodida peli de mis sueños, es justo la pelicula que yo haría, es…en fin…

Había dicho que por último, pero va a ser que no, me falta Sukiyaki Western Django, el remake a lo japones de una de mis pelis favoritas del spaghetti western, Django. El remake está dirigido por el grande Miike, y está tardando un huevo en llegar a españa, si no ha llegado ya y no se me ha pasado…claro… Tarantino aqui solo actua, hace un papel de un narrador o algo así, creo…

Bueno, pues a esperar estas pelis con estusiasmo, ya sea mediante mula o derivados o a que puedas verla en los cines…como hacen los seres humanos más pateticos…como yo…

Miike Takashi’s “Sukiyaki Western Django” is a very violent and action-packed film, but it is also packed with literary and historical references, and references to Japanese art, architecture, fashion and style. It’s a wonderful mashup of Japanese and Western (as in “Wild West”, or “Western movies”) settings.

Architecture and Setting
The town is situated in the middle of nowhere, in a desert. A sign identifies the location as 根畑 (“Nevada”, the actual readings of the kanji being ne-bata(ke)), and the stranger approaches the town through a giant torii gate, as worn and aged as all the buildings in the town. The white Genji fortress is styled after Japanese castles, with their white plaster walls, and kara-hafu gables, while the red Heike fortress shows influences of the architectural style of geisha houses, painted in bengara red, and bearing kōshi latticework across the facade.

The interiors are dark, musty, dirty, old, and worn, but beautiful nevertheless in recalling the atmosphere of traditional Japanese wooden buildings (such as machiya, geisha houses, castles, etc.) mixed, I suppose, with the atmosphere of the wooden structures of the Wild West – the two blend and overlap quite nicely in fact.

I was especially amused to see the large paintings that serve as backdrops in each clan’s headquarters being based upon – replicated from, in fact – real, actual famous artworks by major Japanese painters. Whether the art director and/or set designer for the film was directly inspired by a touring exhibition of MFA Boston artworks I cannot know, but the red phoenix which so dramatically ornaments the Heike headquarters is quite obviously that of a byōbu (folding screen) by Hokusai, now in the MFA’s collections (Hokusai is also known to have painted at least one ceiling painting of a phoenix, in a very similar style and color scheme, which a little Googling reveals is located at Ganshō-in in Obuse, near Nagano, where Hokusai spent some of his later years).

The Genji headquarters, meanwhile, is graced with a painting of a white hawk, almost assuredly in the style of Itō Jakuchū, though I don’t believe I’ve seen this exact work before. Is there a white hawk painting by Jakuchū upon which this was based? Or was it derived from his painting of a white cockatoo, which is so extremely similar in style?

Costumes
It is not until towards the end of the film that we fully come to notice the three styles of fashion which are intertwined and melded to form the costumes for this film, contributing heavily, in turn, to the overall aesthetic.

The most obvious element, of course, is Wild West fashion. The unnamed main character, played by Itō Hideaki, is dressed completely in this style, with a cowboy hat, long coat, etc. Incidentally, according to the making-of featurette, Itō is quite the cowboy/Western buff and supplied his costume entirely himself, down to the boots. The Sheriff also wears cowboy boots, cowboy hat, and the type of clothing one would expect of a Wild West sheriff.

Other characters are not so simply dressed. While no major overt elements of samurai uniform come to mind, the aesthetic is very much there, in the baggy pants or coats many characters wear, producing the silhouette of kimono and hakama, in Yoshitsune’s use of a katana, and in the way he removes his shirt just partially, freeing up his arms for freer movement in one particular scene.

Perhaps most interesting, and most unnoticed (to me, at least, every time I’ve seen the film) until sometime towards the end, is the inclusion of elements of very modern Japanese street gang clothing, specifically that of the bōsōzoku or speed tribes. Jackets and jeans are ornately embroidered with intricate depictions of dragons and other designs, often in gold, silver, or red. Shigemori and others are very clearly wearing these anachronistically modern jackets – not unlike the kind of jacket we might associate here in the US with varsity sports, actually – in some scenes towards the end. Seeing this, we think back and realize that nearly every character has been evincing this aesthetic throughout the film. From Shizuka’s dresses, to Benkei’s pants, we see this again and again in the film once we are looking for it.

The combination sounds absurd, but Django pulls it off perfectly, bringing to mind comparisons between the warring clans of samurai, warring gangs of the streets of modern Japan, and warring factions in the Wild West. To one extent or another, in each of these societies, it is of great importance to not only act tough and be tough, but also to look tough, and to dress in some way that identifies you with your faction. There is an element of swagger, of posturing, of intimidation through powerful costume, that plays a role to one extent or another in each of these societies. … Okay, well, maybe my comparisons don’t fully hold water. But give it some thought, and there really are some incredible connections between samurai clans and speed tribes, even if Wild West factions don’t quite 100% fit in.

Culture
There is an interesting contrast between rough, tough warrior society and high-class associations with high culture. The Taira (i.e. the Reds) are represented in the classic epics, in art, literature and drama across the ages as being cultured, artistically minded, gentle-hearted courtiers. Atsumori, who incidentally does not appear in this film, in particular, is portrayed as a young courtier with a talent for poetry and music, a gentle heart and a beautiful young face whose death in war was particularly unfortunate and sad. … The Taira have gained this reputation, but historically, I doubt that the Minamoto (the Whites) were much different. In this film, we see rough, tough, uncultured thugs on both sides, living a very rough, manly, frontier existence, trying, almost laughably, to maintain some semblance of a connection to high culture. Yoshitsune speaks of Mononofu philosophy, claiming it superior to that of the samurai, though if there is any difference between mononofu (武士) and bushi (武士, i.e. samurai), I am not aware of it. Kiyomori reads from “Henry VI” to his men, making it look like he is trying to educate them in the ways of fine literature, when in fact he is just as uncultured and oblivious as the rest.

Historical/Literary/Cultural References – The Characters
Miike explicitly says in the making of featurette that this is a movie to be enjoyed first and foremost; that its primary purpose or identity is not in a deeper message. But, message or no, it is rife with clever references to the historical figures of the Genpei War and to their literary/legendary/fictional counterparts from the Heike Monogatari and the numerous kabuki and bunraku plays and other literary creations based upon it.

Yoshitsune is a pretty boy, who is amazing with a sword. Shizuka, a dancer, later enters Yoshitsune’s camp and comes to be his lover. Benkei, who in history and legend was a Buddhist warrior monk of a sort, and Yoshitsune’s most trusted retainer, is here represented, in one scene cut from the American release but included in the “Deleted Scenes” on the DVD, as competing with Shizuka for Yoshitsune’s affections, and indeed going mad with envy to the point of dressing up as a woman and dancing for Yoshitsune.

Does the name of the young boy, Heihachi, represent a combination of the “Hei” in Heike, and the “Hachi” in Hachiman, patron god of the Genji, thus reflecting his dual heritage? Or is that reading too much into it?

While this story does not end with the Genji on top, as in history and legend, it does start with the Heike bearing some greater degree of legitimacy. Namely, they have the law on their side, in the form of the sheriff. This parallels, or hints at, the powerful political position of Taira no Kiyomori at the start of the Genpei War. The Heike (Taira) had held top positions at court for some time, and dominated court politics, pushing the Genji (Minamoto) farther and farther away from power. But, as they say, “to flourish is to fall,” and so, the Heike fell. By the end of 1180, Kiyomori was dead, his clan utterly defeated in 1185, and all but completely extinguished over the course of the following years.

Silly and funny and wacky as this film may be, I think it an excellent touch that Miike included the opening lines of the Heike Monogatari at the opening of his film: “The sound of the Gion Shōja bells echoes the impermanence of all things; the color of the sala flowers reveals the truth that the prosperous must decline.”

I am sure there is much more that can be said about art in the film, and references to the Tale of the Heike, not to mention references to the War of the Roses, but I suppose I shall leave it at that. Surely, someone out there is working on a dissertation on retellings of the Heike Monogatari in later media (kabuki, etc.) and will have some far more insightful things to say about the film. Somebody’s gotta be doing it, right? Right?

At some point, I should like to return to this post and add in screenshots from the film to better illustrate what I’m talking about, so you won’t need the film in front of you, yourself. But for now, it’ll have to do…

I recently had the pleasure of watching the stylized and entertaining Sukiyaki Western Django, directed by the revered and frequently imitated Miike Takashi. I am by no means an expert on Japanese cinema, save for a bit of dabbling in Anime and the occasional Japanese film that generates enough buzz to make it stateside. But I am trying to get more acquainted, especially since I’ve been taking Japanese classes. I did, however, enjoy this movie to the fullest. I was instantly drawn from the opening scene which features Ringo played by Quentin Tarantino (Miike had a role in Hostel back in ‘05, so I guess he was repaying the favor) laying some groundwork for the rest of the film. Vibrant and fuzzy colors are put on display on scenery that includes a flat sun, and mountain cutout. I don’t know if that sounds bad or good, but I definitely thought it was a good thing. Ringo relays the tale of the Heike and Genji clans who war over a famed-treasure on some far off island. Miike and Tarantino are reportedly good friends and have said that they are fans of each others’ works. And while this may come off as a Tarantino-esque (oodles of blood, stylized violence, pop culture references…and Tarantino himself) film, Miike is able to execute his vision a couple of steps above what Quentin manages.

This movie is not exactly the deepest of films when it comes to plot. The introduction (as mentioned, “Heike and Genji war over…treasure”) is enough to have you in the know for the majority of the movie, save for the fact that a heroic gunman (played by Hideaki Ato), is thrown into the mix. There is, however, plenty of emotion that can be drawn from the characters. These range from a widow who loses her husband, and who must give her body up in order to exact her revenge upon his murderer, to a heroine who had long since put her past behind her and must reemerge as a gunslinger once again. There are also various themes to be followed here. Love, revenge, duty, morality, honor. All these apparent in interactions between interesting and archetypal characters.

But the main thing that caught my eye, would have to be, without a doubt, the things that I saw…with my eyes. That is too say that this is a gorgeous movie. The imagery in every scene is astounding. The mix of contrasting colors(often the symbolic red and white of the Heike and Genji), as well as the juxtaposition of Western and Japanese elements is extremely pleasing to the occipital lobe. This movie has ten-gallon hats, katanas, kimonos, revolvers (you name it) all melded together into surprisingly cohesive scenery. Even the actors, the majority Japanese, speak in English. Although their acting is superb, the accents make it, at times, difficult to decipher the dialogue. However, this only adds another dimension to the film. Miike is able to fuse so many genres into one, paying homage throughout the movie, whether it be through imitation or satire. He nods to spaghetti westerns, b-movies, anime, etc. Movie buffs will no doubt be able to draw many connections to various schools of film. I’m not the most well-versed in movie history so I’ll be picking at this thing forever. I just now understand the reference to Django. *Sigh* I’ve got a long way to go.

If you’re looking for a movie with a deep and compelling plot in the traditional sense, you might want to steer clear of this one. But if you want to see a movie about movies, with interesting characters, if you want to have fun and watch something where even the violence is beautiful (and sometimes hilarious), then you might want to check this one out.
Official Website

Laufzeit: 84 Minuten – Land: USA – Altersfreigabe: Ab 18 !

Kernige Typen, staubiger Wüstensand und knatternde Bikes – das ist die Welt von Pistolero (Larry Bishop) und seinen Jungs. Gemeinsam touren sie durch ödes Wüstenland, um hier und da Halt in der ein oder anderen erfrischendes Oase zu machen – hauptsächlich, um sich mit “Babes” und Alkohol zu versorgen. Denn sie alle leben für die “3 B’s”: Bikes, Bier und Bräute. Und dann gibt es da noch das klitzekleine Wörtchen Loyalität, welches im Zuge von “Hell Ride” eine ganz und gar große Bedeutung bekommt. Denn eines Tages flammt eine schon lange Jahre andauernder Fehde mit dem Deuce (David Carradine) und seiner Gang, den 666‘ers, erneut auf. Der “zweite Chef” der Bande ist der grimmige Billy Wings (Vinnie Jones); er spielt eine wichtige Rolle – denn auch er war im Jahr 1976 in ein grausames Verbrechen involviert. Dann hätten wir da noch Commanche (Eric Balfour) – den Jungspund der Gruppe unter Pistolero, auf den anscheinend noch die ein oder andere (grausame) Wahrheit wartet…

Was haben die Ereignisse von 1976 mit Commanche’s Geschichte zu tun… ?

Wohlan – hier handelt es sich wieder einmal um einen der Filme, in welchem der Name Tarantino auftaucht. Und diesmal fungiert selbiger als executive producer – er leiht also nicht nur seinen Namen (schrecklich, aber schon vorgekommen), sondern war auch tatsächlich in die Produktion involviert. Und, als alter Fan von Quentin habe ich den Film natürlich mit großer Spannung auf mich wirken lassen. Glücklicherweise ist der fast schon typische Tarantino-Stil wieder schnell erkennbar: so sind es beispielsweise diese markanten Szenen, in denen wir die Protagonisten sehen (oftmals  in leichter Zeitlupe), während im Hintergrund diese leicht mexikanisch angehauchte Gitarrenmusik läuft. Da “passiert” dann in dem Sinne zwar nicht allzu viel, doch man weiss sofort: hey, das ist doch… genau, ein irgendwo bekannter (und angenehmer) Stil. Beziehungsweise ist es natürlich vor allem der von Larry Bishop, der hier als Regisseur fungiert und ein “alter Hase” im Schauspielgeschäft ist. Oder nehmen wir die kurzen Szenenbilder, mit welchen die wichtigsten Charaktere des Films vorgestellt werden – das sieht einfach nur nett aus, und ist stimmig. Nach dem für mich sehr enttäuschenden Film Sukiyaki Western Django von Takashi Miike (wo Tarantino als Darsteller dabei war) haben wir nun also wieder einen Film, der besonders auf eines setzt: enorm markante Charaktere.

Immer gut gestylt… und bereit für neue Biker-Taten… !

Denn genau die sind es, die den Film interessanter machen. Und zwar als ein positiver Aspekt, neben dem kompletten technischen Part sowie den Darstellerleistungen. Denn handwerklich gibt es am Film wirklich fast nichts auszusetzen – Optik, Schnitt und Szenenwahl sind absolut perfekt realisiert, und gehen stimmig-staubig ineinander über. Einzig und allein eine Drogentrip-Szene zur Mitte des Films hat mich einiges an Nerven gekostet – hier wäre etwas weniger vielleicht mehr gewesen, zumal diese längere Szene so gar nicht in den Kontext des Films passt. Neben den bereits von sich aus interessanten Charakteren (interessant, da jeder eine unterschiedliche Motivation für das “Wüstenleben” hat), sind es die guten (nicht sehr guten !) Darstellerleistungen, die dem Film Leben einhauchen. Zugegeben: da wäre noch mehr dringewesen, teilweise wirkten die Darsteller doch leicht unterfordert (warum, dazu gleich mehr). Besonders Larry Bishop (ja, nicht nur Regisseur des Films !) hat mich überzeugt – und zwar nicht nur aufgrund seinen überaus stimmigen, kernigen Aussehens und seinem teilweise irren Blick. Nein, man nimmt ihm die Rolle als “Boss” der Bande durchaus ab – ein Mensch mal skrupellos, mal sexbessesen (nun ja, desöfteren); mal (hauptsächlich…?) ehrenhaft, da er ein bestimmtes Vermächtnis bewahrt…

So werden uns die markantesten Charaktere des Filsm vorgestellt…

Doch halt; ich muss etwas einlenken – und ersteinmal sagen: genug des Lobes… ! Denn auch die (leider zahlreichen) Schwächen des Films sind wirklich unübersehbar. Nicht dass ich die IMDB als Maßstab nehmen würde, doch auch dort gibt es einige lesenswerte (Kurz-)Meinungen zum Film; mit entsprechenden Niedrigwertungen. Gut, ganz so gravierend sehe ich es nicht – aber vielleicht kurz die Punkte, die mir aufgefallen sind. Zu allererst wäre da selbstverständlich das merkliche schwache Skript. Irgendwie wirkt die ganze Geschichte leicht motivationslos; und wird nur durch die enorm stylische Aufmachung “gerettet”. Es wurden einfach zu wenige Ideen eingebracht, im Grunde ist die hier präsentierte Story gar keine – beziehungsweise lässt sich so in jedem x-beliebigen anderen Film (vgl. “Roadmovies) wiederfinden. Da ist (leider !) absolut nichts besonderes dran ! Aufgrund dessen bleiben auch besondere Wendungen oder Twists aus – dass der ein oder andere dann mal die Seiten wechselt, ist nun wirklich nicht genug im Sinne einer ausgefeilten Dramaturgie.

Treu, geldgierig, intrigant… oder doch alles auf einmal… ?

Doch es gibt da noch mehr. Und zwar ist dies ohne Zweifel der übertrieben hohe Anteil an Gewalt und Sexdarstellungen. Gut, ich bin nicht der übertrieben zimperliche Typ – keinesfalls ! Aber man muss schon unterscheiden ob solche Dinge als (mehr oder minder “nette”) Dreingabe dienen, oder ob sich ein Film wirklich daran hochzieht. Besonders gravierend: durch den übertriebenen Fokus auf eben diese beiden Dinge wirken die Charaktere enorm reduziert – sie haben eben NUR die “3 B’s” im Kopf, und das muss reichen. Mir persönlich ist das aber weitaus zu stumpfsinnig. Deshalb auch das Stichwort “Unterforderung” hinsichtlich der Schauspieler – wir alle wissen, dass die meisten dieser dsurchaus talentierten Riege hier viel mehr können. Dann aber müsste das Drehbuch etwas ausgefeilter sein… sodass die Charaktere merklich mehr Tiefe bekommen. Die Rolle des “verlorenen Sohnes” beispielsweise hätte man noch weiter ausbauen müssen – so haben wir tatsächlich “nur” einen relativ kurzen Racheakt (und auch keinen Blick in die Kiste, insider) – dies enttäuschte mich etwas.

Wie verfahren wir jetzt mit unserem Erzfeind, was meinst du… ?

Schlussendlich: ein Film, der wohl ausschließlich für Fans geeignet ist. Für welche Fans… ? Nun, eventuell die, die die Werke Tarantinos im allgemeinen mögen. Oder, die ohnehin auf die Biker-Thematik stehen. Denn in der Hinsicht ist der Film durchaus annehmbar – doch geht er nicht über Genre-Grenzen hinaus. Zu verkraften sind weiterhin eine enorme Fäkalsprache, eine übertriebene “coolness” der Charaktere, viel Sex und Gewalt. Alles in allem eine klare Patt-Situation – ich möchte exakt 5.0 von 10 Punkten vergeben. Denn ein abgrundtief schlechter Film (siehe IMDB) ist dies mit Sicherheit nicht. Nur eben viel zu ambitioniert und etwas ideenlos. Schade, aber immerhin. Klar dem Machwerk “Sukiyaki Western Django” vorzuziehen. Nicht zu viel erwarten !

Alles Gute auch für die Zukunft…

Gokusen, Hana Yori Dango, Crows ZERO, Sukiyaki Western Django, Hanazakari No Kimitachi e, Densha Otoko, Sakuran, Azumi, … Just a few things of the long list of works he’s done over the years.

Shun Oguri, who played the role of Hanazawa Rui in the popular Hana Yori Dango, is currently surpassing his own fame. Which, it has to be said, is pretty awesome for him.In the passing year, and ever since I saw Hana Yori Dango, I’ve come to the conclusion he’s everywhere. Much the same as Ken’ichi (Matsuyama), but even more mainstream. He’s loved, he’s sometimes even cute and hot and what do Japanese girls want more?

Right now it has been said that Shun Oguri will take on his first directing job at the age of 26. The movie’s title is still unknown but it has come to the ears of people close to the project as: surely someday.

As we already know that Oguri himself is just a young guy, no doubt will the movie be full of young and nice actors and actresses. Jun Matsumoto anyone?

In his work he’ll get help from Mataichiro Yamamoto and his father Tetsuya Oguri. The little CM right before the theater version of Crows ZERO II was apparently his first work.

More news as I find it!

An epic tale of blood, lust and greed.

Ao visionar este filme, de certeza que irão sentir na pele as emoções que sentiriam ao visionarem um filme de Sergio Leone, de Sergio Corbucci, John Ford, Akira Kurosawa ou mesmo de Sam Peckinpah. Takashi Miike, tenta homenagear, a sua maneira, todos aqueles que fizeram dos filme do faroeste, os classícos que são hoje. Após os créditos julgamos estar perante mais uma versão do Per un Pugno de Dollari, mas a medida que vamos avançando na história, verificamos que não existem cópias, mas sim homenagens a grandes obras. Il Buono, Il Bruto e Il Cattivo, The Wild Bunch, Il Grande Silenzio, Stagecoach são homenageados. Mas proventura irá ficar mais na retina a homenagem a Django. Mas verifica-se, em certos promenores de imagem e do argumento o que de humor, de surreal e de horror que Miike possui. (delirante a cena de tentar segurar a espada com as mãos e estar a bater palmas com a espada enfiada na cabeça). Tenho a certeza absoluta que se irá tornar um filme de culto. A presença de Quentin Tarantino, logo no inicío dáo o mote para aquilo que o filme se vai tornar.

Runtime: 98 / 121 minutes – Country: USA – Rated R for strong violence

This tale focuses on a serious conflict in a remote western town, where two eastern parties are steady fighting against each other. Both “red” and “white” clans are on a hunt for a big treasure that is promised to be hidden somewhere around here. One day a mysterious gunman (Hideaki Ito) is appearing in the middle of the city, standing between the two sides. It seems like he does not belong to any of the sides, so he decides to join the clan who would offer him the biggest fee. But he certainly intends more… a serious battle between the two sides, the gunman; and some other more or less strong characters starts to emerge. And as it is often the case, an innocent woman and her young son are standing in the line of battle as well.

Yo… you should better not mess with the “white”-side…

Well, it has almost never been so though to write a short summary here – because the film does not make anything really clear at all. It is more like a Miike-Tarantino mess, and this mixup of cultures is at the same time the setup for the overall setting and story of the film. To me it appears like some kind of mix between the western, eastern, martial-arts and the (a bit trashy) b-movie genres. Which does not necessarily mean that it is a bad thing – but well, in this case it is hard to contradict. Because this mix simply does not work out, speaking of the total impression of the film. It is kind of awkward to see bright deserts and abandoned outbacks with bales of straw flowing around; while the actual city and the involved characters seemed to be very japanese-orientated and therefore very artificial, referring to the overall scenery. Of course, hearing names like Tarantino, we would always think of films that could be some kind of hommage to certain genres – which in this case would be the so-called spaghetti-western. But is it really a hommage, or just a weak copy of past and well-known films… ?

Why must a gun ever be so big to be “useful”… ?

A though thing – since there are many irritating and questionable aspects about this film. However, I like filmic experiments with different visualizations, perspectives, styles  – but in this case it seemed like they kind of overdone it. And in this mix of different languages, costumes, locations, parties – we actually have a good story. Which is not so uninteresting at all, I think – if we would reduce it to its basic elements for now ! Which would be: a town, where the original inhabitants have nothing left to say, since two foreign parties have occupied it – surpressing the people mainly by violence and hatred. Some single characters who want to end this misery, uncertain if they are looking for the treasure themselves – having some special abilities (as well as the heads from the two clans – the “martial-arts” influence here). But, looking at the total package, I can only say that I have been kind of dissappointed. There is not even very much action (well, not that this is a criteria for me – but I expected it from the trailer), most gunning and shooting scenes are very short and not so special at all.

Erm… I thought we were in a desert here… ?

But the worst aspect of this film are certainly the portraits of the characters, as well as the corresponding dialogs. To state it, it has become rare for me to see such soulless characters, that would you – as the audience – would not develop ANY feeling for. They all seem to be replaceable, and very reduced – many things are not even indicated. All they know is how to fight, which reveals another problem: it sometimes seems like they do not even know WHY they are doing all this – they are just trampling through the scenery, no matter what would happen. If somebody dies… who cares ? As well as the audience, who does not care because of the lack of sympathy which just can not be developed here. And, especially two characters remain at least doubtful: the gunmen; and Ringo (Quentin Tarantino). At least I did not really get the meaning of these characters – maybe because of the language barrier (I watched it in english – you know that I am a native german speaker), or maybe because they simply did not reveal anything about them here. I also did not really get the finale, where the young boy got some well advised words from the gunmen – whereupon he again starts to speak (he lost his speech due to the death of his father). Why did this happen now, what does it mean… ? And, it seems like I am not the only one who is left with questions like this – a friend of mine who watched the film with me, asked exactly the same.

Quentin, the “godfather” of films… ? Not anymore.

As I already said, the technical part works out nice – but at the same time is kind of disturbing in its total impression. We have severe switches referring to the general atmosphere and outlook (day to night, colourful to grey, real to some kind of “fantasy”-orientated stage). Also kind of awkward: the switch between the desert and the winter-landscape with snow falling down (just to give the final fight a better atmosphere ?). Single scenes however seem to do not fit at all, just take the dancing scene of the woman; or the final fight here – which seem to be just taken from “From Dusk Till Dawn” and “Kill Bill”. The thinly-spread comedical elements (like awkward sound effects) made us laugh at some point – but they do not manage to balance the severe weaknesses of this film.

Sorry, Mr. Takashi and Mr. Tarantino, I expected way more from you – I am kind of disappointed. This film seems like nothing new – but more like some kind of clash of many past films from both america and japan. I like the aspects of a historical-orientated story with the influence of a few very special characters – however, there are many films who make it way better (simpler, clearer, more epic) than this one. Only 3.9 from 10 points from my side.  The trailer:

Feel free to tell me what you think; or; if you would like (and if you are able to), you could explain the two characters I mentioned above… as well as the ending…

Follow-up post about the movie Sukiyaki Western Django that I posted about a couple days ago..

Sukiyaki Western Django is like a mix of Clint Eastwood-style spaghetti westerns and a samurai movie…so pretty much it has elements from both cultures while simultaneously being from the same time period. It takes place in what is supposed to be Nevada during the gold-rush but the two rival clans  are Japanese. Quentin Tarantino is in it, he is the character that somewhat narrates the story, popping up here and there throughout the movie. There are no subtitles or dubbing. The English that the Japanese speak is actually pretty damn good. Of course there are accents, some thicker than others, but it is understandable and does not need dubbing or subtitles. The cinematography is pretty good as it was made less than 2 years ago. And the storyline rules pretty hard too.

Oh yeah, this guy rules so fucking hard…

Watanabe Ken

Nothing too exciting to post about.  Saw a silver R35 on the highway and an S2000 CR last night in the city. Both very beautiful obviously. First time seeing a CR for me in person. Did not get to snap any pics of it, not like it matters anyway because I am starting to believe my USB cord has been sucked into a black hole. Saw a white R35 today at a store that I went to and snapped a couple of it, but again, will not be able to post anything that I take pictures of until I find that blasted cord.

Onto other non-related subjects…
I purchased Kanye’s 808’s & Heartbreak today. I am warming up to it. It is quite different but it is not bad. Also got this movie today too:

Sakiyuki Western Django

Probably going to watch it tonight or tomorrow. Pretty stoked about it, Tarantino is in it and it just looks pretty bad ass. Has a typical Spaghetti Western style story line to it and I really dig those movies. It should rule.

Last week, I got to watch one of director Takashi Miike’s (Ichi the Killer, Zebraman) latest films, Sukiyaki Western Django.  It’s a play on the spaghetti westerns of the 1960s, particularly the spaghetti western Django. It’s mixes Japanese history, such as the Genji and Heike clan riverly, into the western genre. In this movie, the Genji and Heike clans (also referred to as the whites and the reds respectively) are both claiming stake in this small village. A lone gunman comes into town and decided to help this mother and son caught in the middle.

So what’s special about this movie? For one, it’s in English. By that, I mean the Japanese director Takashi Miike made a film with an almost entirely Japanese cast and crew (exception being Quentin Tarantino), and he had all the actors speak primarily in English. It’s a neat idea, but it can be hard to follow at times with the heavy accents if you watch with just audio.

So how’s the movie? It’s pretty decent and enjoyable. The action was fun, and there was plenty of blood and loss of limbs as one would expect from Miike. Mostly gun fights, but there’s some sword usage.

Has anyone else seen it? What are your thoughts?

my favorite scene… to my new favorite movie…

Takashi Miike film

full trailer

ウチのテレビの設定が悪かったからなのか、日本語、英語、プラス字幕という

何が何やら分からない状態で鑑賞。

三池監督作品の中ではスタンダードな印象。でも石橋貴明が出てると

なんだかコントみたいな感じで（狙ってるのかもしれないけど）

一気に醒めちゃうんだよなぁ。

三池作品に期待してるのはDead or Aliveとか殺し屋1みたいな感じなので

★★★☆☆

Dead or Aliveは大好きです。オチであれほどたまげた映画もありません。

The Good, the Bad, the Weird.

The Good, the Bad, the Weird on IMDB

El título debería bastarte para salivar. Léelo otra vez: The Good, The Bad and The Weird. Viniendo de Corea del Sur, sabes que puede ser buena o mala, pero definitivamente será rara. Miike sacó su spaghetti western que no fue tan malo, pero si vas a ver una película del oeste producida por asiáticos, mi dinero lo pongo es esta.

Así lo tuittée en su momento: “Jesús a punto de experimentar The Good, The Bad and The Weird…”

[Quentin Tarantino -que justamente salió en Sukiyaki Western Django con una actuación para el olvido- hace unos años le dio una segunda oportunidad a ese clásico de Santa Esmeralda -que no es original de ellos- "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood", y la usó en una escena trascendental de Kill Bill Vol. 1. Funcionó en aquella ocasión por la cualidad cuasi épica de la canción. The Good, The Bad and The Weird la utiliza en un momento tan perfecto, que hará que te olvides de la caída de O-Ren Ishii.]

[2007's #9: Ils [Them].. Dir. David Moreau & Xavier Palud.
[2006's #9: EMPATEDon’t Come Knocking.. Dir. Win WendersNotes on a Scandal.. Dir. Richard Eyre
[2005's #9: Syriana. Dir. Stephen Gaghan]
[2004's #9: The Dreamers. Dir. Bernardo Bertolucci ]
[2003's #9: 28 Days Later. Dir. Danny Boyle]

I watched this movie mostly to learn from what I thought was great cinematography from the trailer. My interest was also peaked because the it was a movie from the director of the very controversial ICHI THE KILLER. TAKASHI MIIKE is infamous for very bloody,visually odd, and kinetic movies. He’s the Tarantino of Japan, which made sense when I saw that Tarantino was in the movie and barely involved(like he always does with his “presenting”). Now just like with Tarantino, I’m not a fan of Miike as a storyteller but I find his artistic choices and visuals interesting. The movie is pretty much the classic YOJIMBO done by a director with no where near the talent of Kurosawa. It’s just like when Tarantino pays “homage”(cribbing) to(from) old filmmakers. YOJIMBO is one of my favorite movies of all times and to see this odd and strangely cartoony “homage” didn’t impress me. The story is basically about a stranger coming to a town split apart by two rival gangs. DJANGO then proceeds to tell the most insanely incomprehensible/cringe inducing bad stories stuck with bad acting I’ve seen in a while…at least for a movie that strives so hard to be a grindhouse artsy flick. The movie is horrible and out right disgusting at times, but that’s what you watch a movie directed by Takashi Miike. I also didn’t understand why I had to sit through these actors awful tries at English dialogue. On the dvd there’s no option for Japanese because the actors only speak in English. Even though the dialogue is in english I still needed to turn on subtitles to even follow the dialogue. There’s also a bit at the beginning as the stranger rides into town that there’s Japanese characters on the screen, multiple times but we don’t get to know what they say. There’s even a scene towards the end where Tarantino’s character speaks Japanese but he has to repeat what he said in english because it’s not translated by the subtitles. I didn’t expect this to be good, I knew it was trying to be Grindhouse artsy or Japanese Shock(terms I’ve just come up with but fit this movie perfectly). I just wanted it to be somewhat enjoyable if they were going to rip off the story from one of my favorite movies.

CHARLES’ GRADE: F

PROS: THE DVD WORKED

CONS:THE DVD PLAYED, THE UTTER BOWEL MOVEMENT ON ONE OF THE BEST MOVIES OF ALL TIME, THE ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE DIALOGUE FOR A JAPANESE MOVIE, MIIKE’S VISUALS WEREN’T UP TO HIS USUAL QUALITY

Vi este filme no fim-de-semana e adorei! Recomendo a todos os fãs de Tarantino… está demais!