Okay, so I know we have a few threads here about movies Miike has directed. Personally I like his work so I’ll just start a thread with his name. we have a thread for IZO and ICHI already.
Latest movie:
Zebraman
Of course, not along the same lines as the majority of Miike’s work. Its a good movie though about inspiration and believing in yourself and your dreams. One you can watch with the family.
by the end of the film, Zebraman is one bad mofo though.
My favorite Miike movie might be Gozu. I think it’s one of those movies that people either like it or hate it; no in-between. Often described as ‘Yakuza horror’, it’s kinda slow, but I like all the weird, psycho characters. Probably the only ‘normal’ person in it is the lead guy, a young Yakuza gangster.
I haven’t seen much from Miike that I’ve liked. I didn’t like Gozu, DOA 1 and Izo. Yakuza Demon is a little above average. Weird to see a normal type of movie from Miike. Fudoh is good. And then there’s Deadly Outlaw Rekka. One of my favorite movies of all time. The music, the action, the acting… Amazing movie. I think that’s all the Miike movies I’ve seen. I still have to see Ichi the Killer. EVery time I see it at Best buy or at a used store it’s the R rated version. Hopefully I’ll find the unrated version some day.
[QUOTE=doug maverick;929729]gotta go with fudoh:the next generation. girl who shots darts out of her box=the win.[/QUOTE]
yeah fudoh was the ****.
ichi the killer i thought was overated.
full metal yakuza was pretty bad ass.
zebraman isn’t new is it?
d.o.a. was f*cked up. i have to really catch up on his movies. there are so many i missed i want to see. i do enjoy his sick twisted way of telling stories.
Miike kid films don’t compute for most until you see these two flicks. They’re really enjoyable.
Zebraman is a total homage to Tokusatsu. It’s brilliant on so many levels. The whole take on nerdy adult fanboys is hysterical, yet respectful.
Great Yokai War is a lot like Zebraman on steriods. Terry Gilliam-esque CGI terminators versus Japanese ghost story fable characters (suited monsters ala Ultraman). Cheesy effects overall. Predictable to a point. I was raised with some of these myths so, like Painted Skin, many of the creatures are recognizable to me, which made it very nostalgic. It had some Miike moments for sure, but very tame, a kid film like Zebraman, but a little intense because some of the Japanese demons are disturbing if you aren’t familiar with them. The kappa (precursor to Mutant Turtles if you will) was funny. It could have been far creepier, but it tends to go for goofy demon humor like the umbrella demon (a rather lame puppet) saying ‘I’m just an umbrella’.
man now im really stoked to watch the great yokai war. i might have to set aside time tonight for it.
i really liked in zebraman (spoiler) when he realizes that he actually is zebraman after everyting matches up. the year, his job, etc. also the final transformation to zebra man is bad ass. as soon as i saw him get up and flash into zebraman, with that slick costume i was like ‘hell ya’
d.o.a. was f*cked up. i have to really catch up on his movies. there are so many i missed i want to see. i do enjoy his sick twisted way of telling stories.[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=AdrianK;929902]Has anyone seen Sukiyaki Western Django? Its pretty amazing.[/QUOTE]
Ya i watched that. Loved it. I think the main character pulled of the cowboy really well. He had great manerisms for an old west gun slinger. and his introduction scene to the two gangs is super slick.
I had forgotten about Deadly Outlaw Rekka. For some reason, that one didn’t do it for me. I really can’t explain why.
I’ve seen parts of Audition, not the whole thing. I don’t think it’s something I’d want to see.
Miike also contributed to a movie (forget the title, I think it’s “3 (something”) which featured a horror story each by three directors; Miike, Fruit Chan, and Park Chan-Wook. IMO Fruit Chan’s contribution was the worst, Park’s the most intense/violent, and Miike’s was surprisingly peaceful and sedate.
This movie was a lot of fun. It was really cool to see all the yokai in live action. Especially to see the kappa, for me anyway. That character was great lol.
Also you get to see Chiaki Kuriyama play another bad girl. Always fun.
The magic sword was pretty bad ass too. I wish I had a magic sword like that.
I liked the lamp and umbrella demons. I’ve always thought those were odd in Ukiyo-e and apparently, so does Miike. And the long-necked demoness was classic.