MIFFburger #7: For Love's Sake

愛と誠 Takashi Miike, 2012

For Love’s Sake was the third and final Takashi Miike film that made the cut for MIFF 2012, and I can say that it was definitely the most outrageous. Something interesting about all three of his films selected for the festival this year is that they are all adaptations in some way. Ace Attorney was a video game adaptation, Hara Kiri was a remake, and For Love’s Sake is adapted from the 1970s manga series by Ikki Kajiwara, which has already seen a number of live action adaptations. Neither the manga nor the films have been released in the west, and had Miike not been attached to this most recent adaptation, I dare say we never would have seen this one either. And so, I went into this film not knowing anything other than what the program synopsis said, which was basically along the lines of violent, melodramatic musical. Sounds like fun to me.

Makoto (Satoshi Tsumabuki) is a delinquent youth, a lone wolf constantly getting into rumbles with street gangs for no apparent reason, until a young girl named Ai (Emi Takei) takes it upon herself to reform him, also for no apparent reason (except maybe a crush). They are two kids from opposite sides of the tracks; a street kid and a private school bourgeois, and so begins their bizarre, song, dance and violence filled relationship.

This is not your conventional musical. The closest cinematic point of reference would probably be Bollywood, but even then, the musical side is much more developed and integral to the genre. The songs in For Love's Sake are employed mainly for providing theme songs for individual characters, and pretty much everyone does receive one, with the songs also functioning as welcome breaks from the film’s almost constant barrage of violence. More often than not however, the musical numbers in Love’s Sake feel a bit tacked on. Their contrived and self aware style is used mostly (and effectively) for laughs, rather than character/story development, and any chances for extravagant West Side Story style gang confrontation set pieces aren’t seized, with dance numbers consisting mostly of mostly awkward and stilted choreography. Even though we are a long way from Broadway, Miike does seem to have his own style of command over the musical genre. He leaves gaps between songs just long enough for you to forget that you’re watching a musical and then drops one on your head, and also pokes fun at musical conventions by altering the surroundings of the singing characters to destroy their presumed utopian musical environment when they, and we, are least expecting it.

Just like in Ace Attorney, Miike has done a great job of transposing cartoon characters into a live action world. The characters in For Love’s Sake are delightfully one dimensional, consumed by their individual goals and bizarre hang ups that Miike never feels obligated to explain. Characters flip out, change their ways, lose hope and start fights all at the drop of an emotional hat, again taking the musical from its origins into twisted new locations. The story is set in the 70s, but I do wish a bit more was done with the costumes (granted, most of them are school uniforms) and I still think that the colour correction, giving everything slightly a more golden look is a bit of a cheat’s way out. But the sets are unbelievable, particularly the Hanazono Trade School, a post apocalyptic wasteland overrun by gangs that looks like something out of Akira. The film’s focus on youth gangs is also very 70s. The inclusion of girl gangs and female bosses is a staple of Japanese cinema, particularly the Sukeban and Terrifying Girls High School series of exploitation films of the 70s. Outrageous antics and violence are the order of the day, with a wide range of funny gang members, each with their own gimmick or trademark, yet all who have no qualms with beating the absolute shit out of anyone, or even each other.

The film’s excessive violence is completely cartoonish in nature. Makoto takes a beating no man could withstand, yet the film makes it clear that we are in a cartoon world, removing the violence of any real consequence or weight, enabling it to work on a purely comedic and un-PC level. There’s nothing quite as refreshing as a film with a bit of girl bashing is there? 70s exploitation fun (acid face burning, girls bound and hung from the ceiling) is referenced, but never fully delivered, and the fight scenes really do get a bit boring, as does the meandering of the largely directionless characters, who are of course reunited at the end in classical musical denouement. The film is a wild pastiche of genres and conventions, and while it may not be wholly satisfying, Miike has definitely created a new and interesting postmodern riff on the classic musical.

The best thing is that, like so much of Miike’s work, the film doesn’t take itself too seriously. The characters are silly, the story is silly and the songs are silly. In fact, there may be too much silliness for the average viewer. But this movie is still good (silly) fun.

Silly.

MIFFburger #3: HARA KIRI - Death of a Samurai

一命Takashi Miike, 2011

Two Miike's down, one to go.

Hara Kiri: Death of a Samurai is a remake of Masaki Kobayashi's 1963 film, which I was unable to get my hands for viewing before seeing this new version, which I was pretty bummed about, as it is often talked about with the same awe and respect masterpieces from Kurosawa or Mizoguchi receive. But anyway, that will be high on the post MIFF to-do list.

At MIFF 2011 Miike well and truly proved that he could create a modern day Samurai film with an immense respect for the history of the genre as well as being wildly entertaining for contemporary audiences with 13 Assasins. It was one of my highlights of the entire festival and another feather in the cap of one of the most productive directors working today. Hara Kiri can definitely be seen as a sort of companion piece to 13 Assassins, both are remakes, both share a beautiful visual style, and both are period dramas. Yet their stories are quite different. Before I get into that, a very quick history lesson may be in order. The film is set in 1600s Japan, The Edo Period, a time when the houses of many feudal lords were being abolished by Tokugawa Ieyasu who had come into almost absolute power within Japan. Basically, if you were a Samurai and your master was killed, or his house fell, you became a Ronin; a masterless wanderer who would either commit Hara Kiri to save face/avoid shame or you wandered around looking for other work.

Hara Kiri is the story of Hanshiro Tsugumo, a disheveled ronin who has arrived at estate of the House if Ii. He has but one request: allow me to commit hara kiri within your courtyard in order to regain some measure of honour. But the master of the house, Kageyu Saito, is not convinced. The advent of the Edo Period has brought with it countless fallen Samurai, with many requesting the same thing at various estates across the land, either with genuine intent to commit suicide, or in an attempt to appeal to Lords' good nature, use their supposed death wish to veil their hope for employment, or at least some money to tide them over. Kageyu then goes on to warn Hanshiro by way of the tale of a young man named Motome, who arrived not long ago with the same request, only to meet his grisly end due to their clan's refusal to tolerate suicide bluffs. With their strict adherence to codes of Samurai honour, Kageyu sees to it that anyone who requests suicide, bluffing or not, will be accommodated.

The cautionary tale of Motome forms the first of the film’s two long flashback sequences, which alternate between this backstory and the present. Through these flashbacks, the mysterious Hanshiro character is developed and explored, with his true reasons for calling upon Kageyu slowly revealed. And I do mean slowly. I was quite surprised at how slow this slow burn is. Miike is in full-on classical mode here. The camera work is amazingly beautiful, the composition and framing feels like a stage production, and actors sit talking while glaring into each other's eyes with burning intensity. Visually, the film is flawless. Traditional Japanese estates and courtyards are recreated with a deep, rich colour palette, as are the countryside villages and costumes, which Miike uses to draw distinct differences between the different levels of the feudal hierarchy. On top of all this, the film is in 3D. Now, I usually make a point to not see 3D films, one, because I don't want to spend the extra few dollars and two, because it's pretty much always a headache inducing gimmick. Unfortunately, Hara Kiri falls into that ever growing category of "unnecessarily 3D movie that would be just as enjoyable in 2D". It does add an interesting, although slightly disorienting, layer of depth to the interiors of the film's beautiful sets, but ultimately it just reminded me of the kind of 3D virtual tours that you can find in Japanese castles or temples that recreate the former glory and beauty of the since destroyed/deteriorated site for tourists.

The film's restraint is not solely technical though. Fans of the exhilarating swordplay in 13 Assassins may be disappointed at Hara Kiri's contemplative nature. Miike opts to critique and question the notion of honour in a changing political landscape rather than no holds barred violence and spectacle, which really, is quite an unexpected move for him. Instead, we have a bleak, drawn out, emotional story of family and revenge that approaches Shakespeare or Greek Tragedy territory. If I had one problem, it was that this family story, told pretty much entirely through flashbacks, didn't fully engage me. I realise that it was absolutely essential to the presently unfolding events of the film, but it felt a bit out of balance for me. I also felt quite sorry for Hikari Mitsushima, who plays the film's token female Miho, who was not given much to do at all. She was quite underused, and must have felt a bit ripped off, especially since she has the impressive Love Exposure on her resume. Kabuki stage performer Ebizo Ichikawa carries the entire film as the unbelievably cool Hanshiro. His performance is a mesmerising quiet storm, sitting on the floor for the majority of the film, until duty calls and he dons his best pair of crazy eyez, gets his yojimbo swagger on and takes care of business in the film's sole fight scene.

The film's focus on dialogue and story serves to imbue the rare instances of bloodshed with a palpable intensity, the aforementioned fight scene served as something of an exhale of a breath I had been holding for the entire film without realising. The scenes of ritual suicide are particularly powerful. Miike's handling and orchestration of the disembowelling from which the film takes its name are masterful. The audience's horror is heightened and teased out through what is seen, unseen and what is heard. While the violence does allow Miike's penchant for blood to shine through, it does not bear his trademark excess. It is shockingly realistic and had many squirming, gasping and even laughing out of disbelief in Melbourne Central's XTREME screen.

While the film did feel a bit out of balance for me, it really is quite an achievement, a logical next step and new challenge for Miike after 13 Assassins. It was just the reliance on flashbacks that I had a bit of love/hate for. I would be interested to see how Kobayashi handled this in the original. I just think this just goes to show that Miike may be at his weakest while directing the more domestic/family oriented side of the film. Thank goodness for Ebizo Ichikawa, his performance is incredible and made the film's weaker moments much more bearable for me. One more shout-out is due for heavyweight composer Ryuichi Sakamoto, easily one of Japan's greatest composers, or even musicians full stop. Sakamoto also takes Miike's classical approach, contributing a brooding, elegiac score that perfectly matches the film.

I think that if you accept that this film isn't 13 Assassins (and doesn’t try to be) you will enjoy it more. Yes, it is very slow and the violence is in short supply, but by the time you reach the end you will have been treated to a few brilliant plot twists and badass moments. It continues to grow on me since I saw it, and really is quite thought provoking, with its concepts of honour and justice, as well as presenting a wealth of interesting Japanese history and culture.

MIFFburger #1: ACE ATTORNEY

逆転裁判 Takashi Miike, 2012

 

We all have distinct memories of movie watching from our childhood. For me, going down to the Morwell Video Ezy and renting the Super Mario Brothers movie with my brother, seeing the CGI created Final Fantasy movie at the cinema and renting the Resident Evil movie in the early days of DVD are but a few of which there are probably enough to write a nostalgic book full of in-jokes that would never find an audience. But what do these aforementioned films all have in common and why am I mentioning them? If you answered, "They're all films adapted from video games" you'd be right. But if you answered "They're all SHIT films adapted from video games" you'd be double right. (except maybe the Mario Bros. movie which does have a certain "it's so bad it's good" element to it. DENNIS HOPPER AS BOWSER??)

Since the early 90s, film makers have tried, failed and failed again at the seemingly impossible task: Adapting a video game for the screen. It's almost like a curse. Video games just have a completely different, dare I say deeper? ability to immerse. While the film-goer simply watches a film, the gamer must participate, explore and interact. Sure, you can watch someone else play, but we all know how boring that is.

Takashi Miike is often described as a "prolific" director, which I guess stems from the fact that he has proven he can actually do anything. From Samurai period dramas to musicals, to some of the most sadistically violent stuff I've ever seen on a screen. So really it makes perfect sense that he would direct the film version of Capcom's Pheonix Wright: Ace Attorney, a court room video game series for Nintendo DS, of which there are now five games. Court room drama. That's been done right? You can hardly turn on the TV without seeing SVU or NCIS or CSI or some other stupid abbreviation full of people clutching their mochas and calling each other by their last names. Sure, it's been done to death, never like this though.

The premise is simple enough. Two lawyers go head to head in a fast-tracked trial system in which a verdict is reached in three days. Rookie attorney Phoenix Wright ends up having to defend his childhood friend/rival Miles Edgeworth who becomes involved in a murder case. It soon becomes clear that it goes much deeper than this, as an old case is re-opened and a conspiracy dating back fifteen years is uncovered.

Ace Attorney could easily have been done as an animated film, but that would have been the easy way out. Miike has managed to create a live action world that is completely cartoon at the same time. Remaining completely faithful to the source material was clearly the best approach to take, and in many ways, the video game has simply been transposed from pixels to film. The film more or less follows the case exactly as it unfolds in the game, elements of the original soundtrack have been given the orchestral treatment, and the costumes and art direction is an absolute triumph. It's like Warren Beatty's Dick Tracy crossed with Tim Burton put through an anime machine and then reversed back into real life. The art department would have had a field day working on this film. Outrageous hairstyles including but not limited to gravity defying quiffs, mohawks and afros, garish and opulent costumes that evoke both Victorian era excess AND Austin Powers. The cast seems to be divided between hip young models turned actors with impossibly perfect skin and older character actors, all of whom inhabit these cartoon characters with fine skill. From washed up rockstar to pet cockatoo, as these lawyers continue to call witnesses, it becomes quite exciting to see who the next outrageous character will be. The sets are also something to behold. You can really tell the film was given quite a budget, as everything has a certain sheen to it, whether it be the courtroom, prison cells or candy coloured lakeside, with the camerawork gliding elegantly throughout these hyperstylised locations and around its characters.

However this kind of restrained, classical cinematography is often interrupted with fast and furious editing techniques and visual effects that would give Edgar Wright a run for his money. The literal translation of the film's Japanese title Gyakuten Saiban is something along the lines of quick turnaround trial, this title more accurately reflects the absurd speed at which every aspect of the film is turned on its head. Edits and camera angles jump back and forth, characters fall off their chairs in disbelief, and crucial evidence is magically discovered just when its needed, and then proceeded to be thrown in each other's faces (via holographic screens of course). On top of all this, the film is absolutely hilarious. Between the slapstick comedy and absurdist Japanese humour there were moments when the sold out crowd were laughing so much the actors' lines couldn't even be heard.
 
Ace Attorney was the first Japanese film I saw at MIFF 2012, and already I can't imagine anything topping it. We are off to a roaring start, but time will tell of course. This was the most fun I've had at the movies in a long time. People will complain that it's too long, but I loved every minute of it. Even if you have never played the video games before (I hadn’t) it won’t matter. The film manages to transcend the label of video game adaptation and ends up being just a damn entertaining film. Takashi Miike just may have broken the curse of the video game adaptation film.­