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Top 10 Japanese Horror Films - Part 2

7. Ugetsu Monogatari
Director: Kenji Mizoguchi
Year: 1953



Directed by Kenji Mizoguchi at the end (and peak) of his career, Ugetsu is a retelling of a traditional Japanese tale about a potter who is led away from his impoverished village and wife in hopes of selling his wares in the big cities. His hunger for wealth and a better life blind his judgement and he falls under the spell of a ghost.

It's a beautiful constructed film whose narrative is obscure and the surreal quality of the imagery often leaves the viewer poised between the world of the living and the dead.
As much as it is a ghost story, Ugetsu also deals heavily with the theme's of lose, greed and the monstrosities of war. Although Ugetsu takes place during the 16th-century, the social stigmas it dealt with reflected very strongly within the post-war 1950's Japanese public.
Ugetsu still stands today as one the most eminent ghost story's ever recorded on film. It's inspiration and impact on the genre is still clearly visible.

6. All About Lily Chou-Chou
Director: Shunji Iwai
Year: 2001



Not a horror film in the conventional sense yet the horrors it depicts create some of the most startling and disturbing scenes that even the most hardened horror fans will find hard to watch.

Set in modern day Japan, All About Lily Chou-Chou revolves around the lives of several 14 year-old students. The title is a reference to the fictional singer some of the characters are obsessed with.
The film delves into the lives of it's characters in an almost documentary style. The use of digital cameras and hand-held shooting helps reinforce the idea of reality. The film begins almost like a coming-off age/buddy picture before slipping into the dark realm of ijime. Ijime is Japanese for bullying, though ijime has declined in recent years it is still rampant in schools through-out the country. Ijime is one of Shunji Iwai's main themes in All About Lily Chou-Chou. Yet, it seems far more than just a theme. As you watch the film you get a strong feeling that Iwai is literally concerned and horrified about ijime and the devastating effects it can have on victims. All About Lily Chou-Chou contains some of the most heart wrenching depictions of cruelty ever recorded. The film leaves you with very little hope or resolve.
It's a bleak, emotional and profoundly disturbing journey through the dark side of Japanese adolescence.

5. Uzumaki
Director: Higuchinsky
Year: 2000

Adapted from the beautifully twisted manga by Juniji Ito comes Uzumaki, one of the most bizarre and unique horror films ever made. Based on the manga of the same name, Uzumaki is set in the small rural town of Kurouzu. It's generally a sleepy town that has little to offer in terms of excitement, yet the inhabitant's enjoy life.
Uzumaki is told from the view point of high-school student Kirie. Kirie starts to notice strange behaviour among the towns inhabitants. Whilst walking home she encounters a man recording the spiral on a snail shell, he appears almost hypnotised. It's not long until the whole town is becoming fatally and lethally obsessed with spirals. The spirals then begin to take on a malevolent life of their own. They enter and possess the townspeople, slowly and horrifically twisting and distorting their victims bodies and minds.
The other thing you'll notice about Uzumaki is the highly inventive visual style. The films heavily tinged green colour adds to the feeling of sickness that has enveloped the town. Higuchinsky employs a lot of experimental camera and editing techniques: POV shots; tracking shots; jump cuts and flash cuts; fades to black, white to red; fast motion and reverse motion. This compiled with the outstanding cinematography and eclectic soundtrack makes the audience dizzy but this visual hyperactivity only strengthens the horror and confusion Kirie is facing. We are being sucked into the spiral whether we like it or not.

Also, lets not forget that Uzumaki features some of the most horrific death scenes in contemporary Japanese cinema. You wouldn't have seen anything quite like Uzumaki.



Right, that concludes this weeks post. Next week I will reveal the top 5.
Thanks for reading.
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Top 10 Japanese Horror Films

The reason I became a fan of Japanese cinema is largely due to my other obsession: Horror.
I grew tired of Western horror films a long time ago but I never grew tired of the genre. As I started branching out and finding new ways to satisfy my horror cravings I found myself at a midnight screening of Kiyoshi Kurosawa's Pulse. I was blown away. It was everything I was looking for in a Horror film, it restored my faith in the genre and set me on my journey through the remarkable world of Japanese cinema.
In tribute I dedicate the following few posts to my favourite examples of Japanese horror cinema.
Enjoy.

10. Ring 0: Birthday
Director: Norio Tsuruta
Year: 2000
Everyone is familiar with Hideo Nakata's Ringu series. It gave birth to the Japanese Horror boom of the 90's and spawned many imitations and American remakes.

For me the best in the series was not directed by Nakata. Norio Tsuruta's Ring 0 is a prequel, taking place 30years before the events of the original Ringu. The film follows the life of Sadako, the girl who later becomes the iconic spirit that curses whoever watches her videotape. The film does a remarkable job at exploring the origins of such a feared and mysterious villain.
Surprisingly, Sadako wasn't always evil. Ring 0 portrays her as a shy and confused teenager. She joins an acting troupe and falls in love with a fellow member. Though, It isn't long before Sadako's supernatural abilities surface. The troupe fear they have been cursed be Sadako and make it their mission to get rid of her. The story reminds me of Stephen King's Carrie, a teenage girl with powers struggling to fit in and lead a normal life. Everybody has their limit, and after severe mental and physical abuse, Sadako reaches hers. The final 20minutes of Ring 0 are truly terrifying. Fans of the series will love this film but it also works well as a stand alone entry.

9. Marebito
Director: Takashi Shimizu
Year: 2004

Marebito was a real surprise for me. I had grown to think that Takashi Shimizu was capable of nothing more than his Ju-on: The Grudge series. The Grudge never did anything for me, I thought it was a rather poor Ringu imitation that relied too heavily on shock tactics and not enough genuine scares. The story lacked originality and was overly predictable.
Marebito changed all of that. The direction is far more creative and experimental and the story is much darker in tone than The Grudge series. It is hard to believe Marebito was created by the same director.
Marebito is, for the most part, a horror film. yet it wont appeal to general horror fans. The horror expressed in Marebito taps deeply into our primal fears. Fear of the unknown, fear of the dark, fear of insanity and the search for fear itself. The film moves at a slow pace and never gives to much away. It creeps into your mind and will stay there for weeks. An extremely bizarre film that works on every level.

8. Tetsuo: The Iron Man
Director: Shinya Tsukamoto
Year: 1989

Made on a small budget and running a brief 67 minutes Shinya Tsukamoto's Tetsuo: The Iron man is an extremely graphic, high octane and surreal masterpiece. The film opens with a man cutting a massive gash into his leg only to shove a large rod of iron into the wound. The opening scene perfectly encapsulates the tone of grotesque eccentricity that’s found throughout the entire film. The narrative is sporadic and the plot is thin but that only reinforces Tetsuo's charm. How else could we enjoy "the metal fetishists" metamorphosis into a hulk of twisted metal?
Tetsuo is beautifully shot in 16mm black&white. This, on top of the experimental absurdity of the films content, often draw comparisons to David Lynch's Eraserhead. Its a highly original film that is still providing inspiration to many. The manic and chaotic visual style will keep you thinking long after watching. The hallucinations and disturbing imagery will keep you awake.
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Confessions - Kokuhaku

Director - Tetsuya Nakashima

Year - 2010



The first thing that struck me whilst watching Confessions was how it differed from my expectations. I've been a fan of Nakashima's work for many years and have grown to respect and admire his style. Two of his greatest works, Kamikaze Girls and Memories of Matsuko, are both quirky comedies layered with human and social drama. Always colourful and full of bizarre and interesting characters, Nakashima's films could be instantly recognised. Until Confessions, that is.
Gone are the colourful settings, the light-hearted drama and odd-ball comedy. Confessions is a film about revenge. It's a dark and moody piece that deals with some of modern Japan's ever present social issues. Although its a detour from Nakashima's usual style he seems completely at home. One thing Nakashima does well is story and Confessions is no exception. The story unfolds beautifully, its fully realised and ends with one of the most brutally emotional set pieces in contemporary Japanese cinema.

The film opens with school teacher, Moriguchi played by Takako Matsu, addressing her unruly class about the news of her retirement. As she speaks it is apparent the students have absolutely no interest in listening to her. Instead their main concern is finishing their milk, chucking the cartons around the room, texting, shouting and basically acting like monkeys. Moriguchi has lost control of her class but there is a much more serious reason for her early retirement.
Moriguchi's four-year-old daughter was found dead in the school's swimming pool. The death was ruled as an accidental drowning, yet through pieces of evidence she gathers alone, Moriguchi discovers the death wasn't accidental. Furthermore, she knows exactly who the murders are. She reveals to her students that her daughter was murdered by two pupils in the class.
Enraged by the fact that even if she bought the two murders to justice their status as minors would protect them from any serious legal penalty.
She decides to take the matter into her own hands. Moriguchi calmly informs her students that she has mixed HIV-infected blood into the milk of the guilty pair. She goes onto to say that they will soon contract the disease and die a slow and agonising death. Horror, fear and revulsion rips through the class and it's not long before the paranoid students start turning on one another.



The story is told through a series of 'Confessions', each from a different characters view point. Its an extremely effective and complex narrative technique which leads to layered characterisations. As we shift backwards and forwards in time and revisit the same scenes through the eyes of a different character we learn there is more to the story then what was presented at the start. Revelations and motivations are unravelled and we're left wondering whose side we should really be on. It's a fascinating journey and each 'Confession' will leave you shocked and eager for the next.

Confessions is a purposefully gloomy film. Rain is an ever present theme and the foreboding storm clouds grow thicker as the film progresses, lending a sense of impending doom, as if the clouds could burst at any minute. It creates a thick and claustrophobic atmosphere. The visual aesthetic perfectly mirrors the tone of the story. It's heavily stylised, not just through cinematography but also through visual effects. The camera will often delve into slow-motion at exactly the right moment, unnatural lighting will occur to emphasise a scene, montages are used wonderfully. The overall effect gives Confessions a dreamlike quality, nothing seems quite real and we find ourselves wondering what is true. It effectively helps put the viewer into the same mindset as the characters.

The soundtrack is brilliant. Each track has been carefully selected to mirror the images on screen. There is a wide variety of music used in the film, from internationally famous bands such as Radiohead to more obscure artists. Whether it's the screeching guitar-driven rock of Boris or the insanely poppy tunes of AKB48, rest assured, this soundtrack is one worth purchasing. It works just as well outside the film as it does in it.

Overall, Nakashima has outdone himself. He's proven that you can completely reinvent yourself before becoming repetitive and predictable. This truly is a remarkable film. Thought-provoking, emotional, super-cool and stylish. Confessions wont disappoint.
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Norwegian Wood

Norwegian Wood



Country - Japan
Year - 2010
Director - Tran Anh Hung

Cast
Toru Watanabe - Ken'ichi Matsuyama
Naoko - Rinko Kikuchi
Midori - Kiko Mizuhara


I think, like most people who have read Haruki Murakami's Norwegian Wood, I approached this film with high hopes and low expectations. How can such a novel be adapted? but more importantly, will the transition from page to screen be any good?... Well, Norwegian Wood isn't a terrible movie but it's definitely not an adequate adaption.

For those who haven't read the novel will find the film confusing and extremely bare. Those who have read it can fill in the gaps but will be disappointed in having to do so. This is a huge problem with all novel adaptions, 2 hours is not enough time to convey a 400 page novel. Especially when the novel in question has been hailed as one of the greatest pieces of modern Japanese literature. But before I get into my grips let me lay down the plot.

Norwegian Wood is set in the late 1960s and revolves around university student Toru Watanabe (played by Ken'ichi Matsuyama). After the unexpected suicide of his best friend, Kizuki, Watanabe decides to move away from his home town and attend a university in Tokyo hoping to start a new life. Watanabe starts to read a lot and spends his spare time working various part time jobs. One day, whilst enjoying a book in the sun Watanabe happens by chance to run into Naoko (played brilliantly by Rinko Kikuchi), Kizuki's ex-girlfriend. Watanabe and Naoko haven't seen each other since the death of Kizuki and Watanabe's departure and the couple soon become close. They never speak of Kizuki's death but the loss and experience draws them ever closer as they continue to spend more and more time together.

On Naoko's 20th birthday the couple sleep together. We find out that it is Naoko's first time. Watanabe is surprised at this and asks her why she never slept with Kizuki. After this comment Naoko becomes upset and the following day she gives up her apartment and leaves Tokyo without a word to Watanabe. This upsets Watanabe a great deal as he has come to care greatly for Naoko. Finally, after months without hearing anything Naoko sends him a letter. She explains that she has been staying at a remote sanitarium, deep in the woods. She hopes that staying there will help her to control and understand her unstable emotions and feelings of loss. Watanabe visits Naoko on several occasions and makes his feelings for her very clear. Naoko unfortunately cannot return his love as her condition is worsening.

During this time Watanabe also meets fellow student Midori (Kiko Mizuhara). Midori is the anti-Naoko. She is out going, funny, self-confident and isn't ashamed to let her true feelings for Watanabe known.

The film then explores Watanabe's own feelings and how he is torn between the two women in his life.



All of the elements that made the novel a masterpiece seem to be present in the film yet the film skips and rushes to many important details and dwindles too long on unimportant aspects. One example in particular is Midori's character. In the novel she was as predominate as Naoko in Watanabe's life. This created the conflict and confusion inside Watanabe's mind as he tried to helplessly decide which of the two relationships he wanted. She was a great character and the couple had some truly amazing scenes together but alas that is not the case in this film. Midori's screen time is so limited she has gone from major love interest and plot driver to a bit of fluff Watanabe hangs out with when he's not visiting or moaning over Naoko. To be honest I don't understand why Midori even falls in love with Watanabe, they only spend a few scenes together and in most of those scenes he somehow manages to piss her off or blabs about his love for Naoko. Not the greatest qualities in a man.

Its not just Midori's character that suffers. Watanabe is portrayed as a dull, boring and emotionless teenager (eventhough Matsuyama looks much older than 19). His only hint of true emotion comes toward the end of the film and it's not acted so well. In the novel Watanabe was a drama student and an intellectual who was interested in Western literature. There is absolutely no mention or evidence of this in the film. Half the time I forgot he was at University seeing as he spent so little time there.

In fact, the only character true to the novel and interesting in this adaption is Naoko. Kikuchi does an outstanding job at playing the emotionally and mentally troubled teenager. If it wasn't for her I don't think I would have sat through the entire film. She really does hold the whole thing together.

Ok, enough of the comparisons and negativity. There are some things to like in Norwegian Wood.

It looks stunning. Cinematographer Mark Lee Ping Bin has done a spectacular job at capturing the 60s colour palette. Often colours are subdued and warm, saturated and bleached. Each scene is coloured to perfectly convey the mood. Often the characters in a scene will have no or little dialogue but the cinematography speaks volumes.

The music is also superb. Norwegian Wood has a varied soundtrack ranging from orchestral pieces to 1960s psychedelic rock and of course The Beatles Norwegian Wood (This bird has flown).

Overall, not unwatchable. If you have read the book you'll probably be disappointed and if you haven't read it you'll have no idea what's going on. You should just go out and buy the book. It's vastly superior and cheaper.
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Lala Pipo (A Lot of People

Director - Masayuki Miyano

Year - 2009



As you may have guessed I am a huge fan of Third Window Films. The films they are releasing in the west are outstanding and their newest (not so new now) Lala Pipo is no exception.

Lala Pipo (A Lot of People) was written by my personal favourite, Tetsuya Nakashima. Nakashima is the guy who bought as Kamikaze girls and Memories of Matsuko. Even though Lala Pipo was only written by Nakashima, debut director Masayuki Miyano does an outstanding job at bringing Nakashima’s over-the-top story to life in a hail of colour, decorative sets, effective editing and camera work plus plenty of homage’s to the man’s previous work.

So what’s Lala Pipo about?... well it’s about Tokyo’s porn/sex industry. But more specifically its about 6 different people (whose stories are loosely connected) working within the sex trade. Each character is lured into the sex trade against their will or through manipulation. Even though Lala Pipo’s central genre is an up-beat comedy there is a great deal of drama throughout. It’s like a candy coloured doughnut with a staving Ethiopian filling. Many of the characters are set up in comic settings yet the actual consequences of their actions tend to leave them and the viewers feeling used and guilty. I found the hardest story to watch was that of Tomoko. A young beautiful girl without much going for her in life. She works in a department store and both her parents are washouts. On the way to work she is approached by a sex scout named Kenji (who gets his own story and comeuppance). Little Tomoko is persuaded to work in a lingerie bar but finds the drug and gang girls she works with difficult. Unfortunately she has fallen for the douche bag Kenji who has been faking a relationship with her in order to make money. Before long he’s having her work in hand-job bars, then suck bars and eventually in porn films. She does it because she loves him but he’s in it for the money. GOD even writing about Kenji makes me mad! Luckily Kenji has a slight relapse toward the films end and has to rethink his outlook... still... he’s a dick.

Lala Pipo’s 6 main protagonists are a bunch of absolute rejected, self centred, perverted, insane and nymphomaniac weirdo’s you’ll ever see on film. Having said that you’ll also find something to like in each of them. Actually you may not like any of them but you’d certainly find them entertaining. I found the Power Ranger from space who is trying to rid the world of sex particularly funny.

Oh yeah! Before I forget one of the last segments of the film is a complete replica of the final scenes of Memories of Matsuko. I won’t say what that is here because I don’t want to ruin it for others. But when I watched that scene I thought “Wow! Has a director EVER shown so much admiration for another man’s work?!” and I’m obviously talking about the Masayuki Miyano/Tetsuya Nakashima, Writer/Director business here.

I can’t recommend this film enough. If you want a gritty ride through the lives of gangsters, pimps, whores, porn stars and hostess of Tokyo then watch Lala Pipo. It’s a ride (no pun intended) you won’t forget.
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The Bargain Bin

I was rummaging through Book Off (cheap second-hand DVD/book/CD shop) and found some proper bargains. Here are a few of the titles I have watched recently:

Kaidan
Director - Hideo Nakata
Year - 2007

Nakata takes his obsession with soaking wet, long haired, dead girls back to its roots. Kaidan is a period piece based on a traditional Japanese folktale. Seeing as Nakata has been heavily borrowing from Japanese folklore over the years it makes sense that he'd pay tribute to the stories and traditions he obviously loves.
Kaidan tells the story of a young man who falls in love with an older woman. She unfortunately disfigures her face and becomes a recluse. The young man soon falls out of love with the now minging and weird women and falls in love with a beautiful young girl. Well, the old woman dies and her avenging spirit tracks down and kills both her former lover and his new bird.
Much like Nakata's previous films Kaidan is a psychological horror as opposed to a in-your-face-make-you-jump-go refest. Nakata uses tension perfectly and their are several truly creepy moments in which the two young lovers are hunted by the evil spirit.
The sets and costume are extremely well done and the cinematography is gorgeous! sepia and saturated colours really give the film a fairytale quality. Defiantly worth watching if your a Nakata fan but optional if your not. I am... so I loved it.

Teenage Hooker Became A Killing Machine

(South Korea)
Director - Nam Ki-Woong
Year - 2007

I think the title says enough.
THBAKM is a bizarre little movie (only 45mins). Its plot is extremely vague and very difficult to follow. I think that the Teenage Hooker is murdered by her teacher, who she loves. She is chopped up into pieces and her body is ditched. Then somehow she is transformed into a Killing Machine. The transformation sequence shows startling similarities to those of Tetsuo. The people who transform her (I have no idea who they are, where they come from, or who they work for)assigned her the job of assassin. Along the way she also kills those that murdered her. On paper it sounds great, but the director managed to balls it up. The film tries to hard at being avant garde and in the process ends up being random, dull and utterly confusing. The story is broken up by long bouts of slapdash nonsense. One particular scene has the Hooker and her Teacher dancing at each other for nearly 10 minutes, this 10 minute sequence has 3-4 camera shots and a crap song playing in the background. If you cut out these pointless sequences THBAKM would be about 15 minutes long. Also the film looks ugly. Its dark, murky and at times hard to see. The film is entirely shot on DV, which isn't always a bad thing, I like DV when its used effectively as I think in some cases its aesthetically pleasing but in this film it looks cheap and amateurish.

Turtles Are Surprisingly Fast Swimmers
Director - Satoshi Miki
Year - 2005



Turtles follows bored housewife Suzume. Her husband works away from home, she has one friend, and spends her life feeding her husbands pet turtles. Her life takes an unexpected turn when she finds a 'Spies Wanted' sign. Curious, she rings the number on the sign and is introduced to Shizuo & Etsuko Kugitani. The Kugitani's inform Suzume they are spies and that they are looking for another agent. Suzume accepts and begins a strange journey that leads to run-ins with a wide variety of interesting and comical characters.
Its and entertaining comedy at best. It has a lot of witty moments and the script is well constructed but the plot is far to silly and the ending is a HUGE let down (plus poo jokes aren't funny). This film also suffers from an identity crisis, it cant make up its mind what it wants to be! It goes through short spurts of slapstick comedy and emotional drama without any consistency or thoughtful pacing. All in all, its a bit of a jumble... but an adequate jumble.

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Living in Japan

Sorry I have been absent for so long. The past few weeks have been hectic to say the least.

I have left the UK and have started my new life in Japan. This has been my dream for a very long time and after 2weeks I still can't believe I am here.



So, now that I have settled I will continue my weekly film reviews. Also, now that I live in Japan the amount of material for me to review has increased by 100%!! So expect film news and new release here first!!

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Ashita no Kita Yoshio (Kita Yoshio's Tomorrow)



Slight change from the norm. Ashita no Kita Yoshio is a TV Drama not a film. I thought I'd share it though as it'd be a darn shame to miss it. I must admit I'm not up to scratch with Japanese TV shows and have only seen a handful of titles (and hardly any right through to the end) but Kita Yoshio stood out from the plethora of Japanese dramas. The pilots opening 5 minutes hooked me in and I just had to watch every episode back to back.
The man in question is Kita Yoshio. Kita Yoshio is the worlds unluckiest man and he's decided enough is enough. He wants to kill himself. Yoshio has chosen his best friends death anniversary as the day he'll end his life, which is 11 days away. The number 11 has played a significant role in Yoshio's life, the number has plagued him with bad luck and been present at important life turning events. He was born on November 11th, his school roll call number was 11 and he and his wife divorced 11 years prior. The TV show follows the last 11 days leading to his death date, with each episode representing a day in his life.



Yoshio withdraws all the money he has left (and borrows a considerable amount of money) and plans on spending his last 11 days doing the things he's always wanted to do, one of the things on the list is reconcile with his ex-wife, with whom he is still infatuated with. Unfortunately things don't go to plan when he is inadvertently introduced to Yashiro Heita. From this moment onwards Yoshio's last 11 days are far from what he expected.
With top quality acting and superb storytelling Kita Yoshio is a sublime example of how dramas should be made. The show falls in to many sub-genres with elements of comedy, gang crime and romance. The plot moves at hyper-speed and constantly keeps you guessing. The characters are all wonderfully portrayed and written, each person has a different motive and like most dramas their true colour are devious and selfish. Expect a lot of backstabbing, love, betrayal, crime, deceit, awesome fun, mystery and the sexiest woman to appear on TV (you'll know when you see it). Yoshio is a brilliant show, shame its soooooo expensive
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More fun on the way



Third Window Films have been releasing some quality titles over the years and the line up for the near future makes sure its kept that way. Forget Tartan! If your looking for a slice of contemporary, quirky Asian cinema than pick up any one of TWF's releases (except Dasepo Naughty Girls, avoid that at all cost! don't even look at the cover! I feel dirty just writing the title), TWF's have bought us Tetsuya Nakashima's Kamikaze Girls and Memories of Matsuko, Sion Sono's epic Love Exposure, Yosuke Fujita's underrated and hilarious Fine, Totally Fine and a whole host of other films from Japan, Korea, and China.
As I said TWF have got 3 new and promising films on the way. First up is:

Kakera - A Piece of Our Life



Kakera is Momoko Ando's feature debut. Based on the manga Love Vibes, Kakera follows the lives of two young women who start to realise there is more to life than dead-end jobs and relationships with boys, yep, its a coming-of-age/coming-out movie.

It stars Hikari Mitsushima (the fit one from Love Exposure, who oddly enough played a bi-curious teenager in that as well) and Eriko Nakamura. Its also worth noting that James Iha wrote the score for the film! sweet!! It'll be released on 2nd April.


Then we have:

Instant Swamp

Acclaimed director Satoshi Miki (In the Pool, Turtles are Surprising Fast Swimmers) once again delves humorously into the life of an unfortunate young protagonist. Said Protagonist is Haname Jinchoge (Kumiko Aso). Haname has been forced out of her job and is then hit by the news of her mothers near drowning, leaving her in a coma. Haname learns of her real Fathers name and seeks him out. She finds him running a bizarre antiques shop. Haname pretends to be a distant relative and starts working in her Fathers store. Released on 26th April.

And finally...

Fish Story



Out of the three, Fish Story is certainly the most out-there title. Yoshihiro Nakamura tells a story that spans over 30years, the story starts in 1975 when failing rock band 'Gekirin' release a song called Fish Story. The story ends in 2012 and the world is in fear of annihilation as a comet speeds toward Earth! Between these two dates are 3 other seemingly unrelated story lines set in a different decade. Well as it turns out the stories aren't as separate as initially thought and the song 'Fish Story' ends up saving the world...

...Interesting. Due for a cinema release in May.
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Death Note



Director: Shusuke Kaneko
Year: 2006
Cast: Tatsuya Fujiwara - Light Yagami
Ken'ichi Matsuyama - L
Erika Toda - Misa Amane

"The human whose name is written in this note shall die".

Death Note was already a huge deal in Japan before the live action adaptions surfaced. The original manga spans a total of 108 chapters, the anime series ran for 25 episodes and countless other mediums have embraced the franchise.

Having been a HUGE fan of the Death Note manga series I approached this film with some apprehension. After all, we know how badly comic-to-screen adaptions can be... spiderman...x-men... fuckin' fantastic four. But before I share my views I shall briefly explain the plot for those who know squat about Death Note. (I am referring to the film. The manga/anime/novels etc... differ slightly)...

Light Yagami (stupid name) is a highly intelligent teenager who hopes to become a Police Detective just like his farther. But unlike his farther, Light believes that the Japanese justice system is a disgrace. Using his mad computer skills Light is able to hack into the Police database, he is shocked and appalled to find that some of Japan's most notorious criminals are getting away scott free.

Enter Notebook.

Whilst walking home one night Light finds a notebook on the ground. On the cover is printed 'Death Note'. As it turns out the notebook belongs to The God of Death (seriously), Ryuk. Ryuk introduces himself to Light and explains that if a humans name is written in the notebook they will die 40 seconds later of a heart attack unless a death is specified. Light gladly takes the notebook and becomes a serial-killing vigilante, wiping out all the criminals who have wrongfully escaped the justice system.



As time goes by and the death toll rises the general public label the unseen killer as Kira. Many praise Kira for his actions while others scorn them and think of him as nothing but a worthless criminal himself. The police finally decide the killings must end and that Kira must be caught. But how do you catch a killer who is never present and apparently in more than one place at a time? Well you call upon L, an equally intelligent (yet slightly creepier) young man. From this point onwards Death Note spirals into an excellent cat and mouse chase. The closer the police and L get to catching Kira, Light is forced to come up with more ingenious and elaborate ways in which to avoid them. Never have I said "Ah that's clever" as often as I did during Death Note.

Instantly you can recognise the manga influence in Death Note, the film moves just like a comic. Its fast, stylised and action packed. From the get go the film is relentless, the opening sequence alone shows the sudden death of five people just to get us in the mood for the following 2hours of mayhem. The director and screenwriter have captured the the fluidity of the story and the natural narrative progression that made the manga series so enjoyable. The characters aren't as complex and fleshed out but how much can you fit into a 2hour adaption?? Also Light seems to have a human side in the film that he lacked in the manga. This gives the dynamic between Him and L a refreshing twist. In the manga I was always on L's side but in Death Note I found it difficult to place my allegiance and its always fun to love a bad guy.

This film will appeal to everyone. If anyone thinks "Nah its not for me" I say "Watch it before you judge it bitch". The reason it'll appeal to all is because Death Note manages to combine so many genres effectively. You'll find comedy, drama, supernatural, mystery, thriller and some hints of noir.

If you've not seen it watch it NOW! SUKI DESU!!!

8/10
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I have no other blogs :(
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