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Miscellaneous New Japanese Films Thread

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  • #91
    Nobuhiro Yamashita's Hardcore looks watchable:


    This is at Tokyo International Film Festival (aka the dullest film fest in the world) and I'll even be in Tokyo the same day it screens but I won't be at TIFF cause I have more important stuff to do. But I might catch this in theatre when it opens 2018/11/23. R15+ rating attached.
    - http://hardcore-movie.jp/



    I've given the last few Yamashita films a miss in theatres (hated Over the Fence) but I absolutely adore his early 2000s films (Ramblers, No One's Ark, Linda Linda Linda etc.)

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    • #92
      All time best Japanese screenwriter Haruhiko Arai about modern Japanese cinema:

      “You have people who don't know the history making the films and people who don't know the history watching them. In other words, idiots make films and idiots watch them. That's where we are now.”

      - https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture...c#.XXtyjmaRWUl

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      • #93
        I get the impression that Japanese films were always heavy on dialogue, very "talky" so to speak. I'm of course generalizing, but I realize that could be an off putting factor to many viewers. Would I be correct?

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        • #94
          Originally posted by Richardrli View Post
          I get the impression that Japanese films were always heavy on dialogue, very "talky" so to speak. I'm of course generalizing, but I realize that could be an off putting factor to many viewers. Would I be correct?
          Depends on the genre. Japanese action films never did it for me the same way as HK from the same era but had nothing to do with them being "talky."

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          • #95
            Originally posted by Richardrli View Post
            I get the impression that Japanese films were always heavy on dialogue, very "talky" so to speak. I'm of course generalizing, but I realize that could be an off putting factor to many viewers. Would I be correct?
            Not really. I remember back when I used to time subs for my DVDs, Japanese karate and pinky violence films averaged around 350-600 lines per film, while Hong Kong kung fu films were in the 850-1100 lines range. Of course the kung fu films tended to be 20-30 min longer as well, but they were notably more talky than the JP action films I was doing subs for.


            Edit: ok, let me take a look at some of the subs I timed and see the line counts. I did a lot more subs for JP films than HK movies though.

            Hong Kong
            Eight Diagram Pole Fighter: 911 lines
            Boxer from Shantung: 899 lines
            Drunken Master: 806 lines
            Fist of Legend: 910 lines
            My Heart is that Eternal Rose: 795 lines
            Tai Chi Master: 1013 lines
            Dreadnaught: 681 lines
            A Chinese Ghost Story: 946 lines
            Once Upon a Time in China: 1417 lines


            Japan
            Death Trance: 369 lines
            Dragon Princess: 423 lines
            Return of the Street Fighter: 430 lines
            Roaring Fire: 566 lines

            Female Prisoner Scorpion: Jaulhouse 41: 311 lines
            Bohachi Bushido: 543 lines
            Inferno of Torture: 542 lines
            Zero Woman: Red Handcuffs: 558 lines
            Sukeban: Queen Bee's Counter Attack: 1072 lines
            Sukeban: Escape from Reform School: 789 lines

            Lady Snowblood: 752 lines
            Goyokin: 859 lines
            Tange Sazen: The Secret of the Urn: 991 lines
            Three Outlaw Samurai: 933 lines

            Hokuriku Proxy War: 1171 lines
            Brutal Tales of Chivalry: 1166 lines
            Red Peony Gambler 5: 1113 lines

            So, based on this quick examination it looks like for JP films it's rather genre dependent. Martial arts films tend to have very little talk while samurai and yakuza films are much more dialogue heavy.
            Takuma
            Senior Member
            Last edited by Takuma; 09-16-2019, 12:48 PM.

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            • #96
              Some terrible news from a few months ago: Maki Mizui is dead. Suicide apparently. She was 32.

              She died in July, but I didn't get the news until a few days ago as I haven't been following anything related to new Japanese cinema for years.

              I seems she made some pretty bad allegations about her mentor Yoshihiro Nishimura last year. Physical and sexual abuse, as well as being forced to work without pay. It seems they had an ongoing dispute about the production costs of her film Ra (Kept) (2014) as well.

              I didn't know her personally of course, but I talked to her a few times in Yubari.





              For those of you not familiar with Mizui, let me share my old posts from another forum from 9 and 13 years ago. Some of what I wrote back then may now seem inappropriate now in the light of all these recent accusations, not to mention embarrassing to me as I was just a Finnish small town kid with a slight crush on Maki back then. But nevertheless, this is how I'd like to remember her life.

              Originally posted by Takuma in 2010
              Here's an interesting girl. She plays a (male) Astro-Mutant in the film. Looks like she's quite closely associated with Nishimura and pals, having appeared in numerous films by them. And her blog is great. There was bit where she was writing how she "escaped" from her manager and sneaked into movie theater to see Tetsuo 3.

              Not quite a pure angel though. She's got a bit side business in AV, although she doesn't appear to be a full on star. And her idol pics were enough for google to block some links based on how young she looks. Her age appears to be a national secret. August 10th birthday, but absolutely no mention of year anywhere. Not as far as I could find, anyway.

              As you can see, the stuff from her blog is pretty great.

              Originally posted by Sheldon Warnock at AV Maniacs



              Like Ruby Aiba (Aiba Rubi) and Tsubasa Haruya - stars of Yasushi Koshizaka's J-sploitation movies Missing 44 (Misshingu 44) and Missing 44: The Final Stage (Misshingu 44: za fainaru sutêji) - Maki Mizui currently is managed by Hotcha Promotion (Haccha Puromôshon).

              Mizui worked as an assistant to Yoshihiro Nishimura on such movies as Noboru Iguchi's The Machine Girl (Kataude mashin gâru) - see the photo above.
              Originally posted by Takuma in 2010
              I remember her now. I've seen her in some making off docs and TGP Short Collection end credits I think... I was always wondering who's that incredibly cute girl. I probably have screencaps too... let me see

              TGP Short Collection end credits (From TGP R2J DVD)


              The Machine Girl Making Of (From The Maachine Girl R2J DVD)

              Originally posted by Sheldon Warnock at AV Maniacs
              The "TGP Short Collection end credits" photo was taken during the pre-production of Tokyo Gore Police...

              [i]Yoshihiro Nishimura official blog:
              December 23, 2007 entry #1
              http://blog.livedoor.jp/ni4yo4/archives/51445507.html
              http://livedoor.2.blogimg.jp/ni4yo4/...f/8f8f2de5.jpg


              March 22, 2008 Tokyo Gore Police "promotion event" at the Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival:
              Cay Izumi (Izumi Kai), Sayako Nakoshi (now Maki Mizui), and Tsugumi Nagasawa


              October 21, 2008 screening of Tokyo Gore Police at the Theater N Shibuya:
              Tsugumi Nagasawa, Sayako Nakoshi (now Maki Mizui), and Cay Izumi (Izumi Kai)
              Originally posted by Takuma in 2014
              ... I didn't quite expect that three years (2013) later I would meet her and talk with her a couple of times at Yubari Film Fest. Or that 4 years later (2014) she would hand me some sushi (again at Yubari) :lol:

              She seems like a very nice girl indeed, but obviously hasn't had an easy life. She was kidnapped as a teenager by a sex criminal, but managed to escape unharmed (the other victims weren't that lucky). It also seems she ventured to AV when she was still underage. At least last year you could still clearly see cut marks on her arms, too.

              I don't know how exactly she met Yoshihiro Nishimura, but she's been working for him at least since she was 14 years old. Due to Nishimura's close associations with Sion Sono, Mizui also worked as an assistant in Sono's movies such as Noriko's Dinner Table at the age of 15.

              This year she was once again in Yubari with Nishimura, but not only as Nishimura's assistant, but also as a first time director whose debut film Kept (Ra) was nominated for the Grand Prix. When it didn't win, Mizui walked on the stage and asked the president of the jury (Kichitaro Negishi) why? I saw her later and there were tear in her eyes all evening. I wish I could have said something nice to her, but being essentially a stranger I felt it might not be appropriate.

              Kept is based on her own experiences as the victim of a kidnapping. It's a very powerful, extremely dark movie with a magnificent soundtrack based on Alex Proyas' film Spirits of the Air, Gremlins of the Cloud. There are some symbolic scenes that don't quite work, though, and the characterization somewhat cuts corners. Nevertheless, it's a very interesting and highly personal film. It was produced by Nishimura, who also served as Mizui's assistant and co-editor.

              Here she is with Nishimura in Yubari this year:


              And another picture (via Zeonic Dragon)


              And a few old ones from 2005 and 2006 via Nishimura's blog


              I must say I'm really happy for her, and its somehow heart warming to see how she and Nishimura work together. They seem almost like father and daughter, except that fathers rarely stick a fake penis into their daughter's forehead for a special effects movie :lol:

              Poster, trailer and website for Kept (Ra)


              - http://vimeo.com/86968100
              - http://www.mmizui.com/ra
              Not mentioned in those old posts, she was very active in supporting women rights and calling out sexual harassment in the industry already before the 2022 Nishimura accusations, and before Me Too actually. She also had quite a troubled life (I remember seeing cut marks on her wrists when I met her in Yubari) but I don't want to speculate any further as I'm a complete outsider and don't know the full truth of any of this.
              Takuma
              Senior Member
              Last edited by Takuma; 09-19-2023, 11:28 AM.

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              • #97
                RIP, I remember her from Tokyo Gore Police.
                Rock! Shock! Pop!

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