Hairyneville
Angry Postal Worker
- 28 Nov 2002
- 54
- 6
- 18
It's a struggle to find Japanese films outside of Japan, unless they're fifty years old or belong to the "extreme" genre. I must admit I'm a big fan of "Beat" Takeshi Kitano, so having found one gem in the mire of the Japanese extreme films available in the UK, I thought I'd try finding out more about Takashi Miike.
I bought Audition after reading rave reviews. It's a brilliant film, although I've only watched it once. The last 15 minutes put me off repeat viewings. . . I won't spoil it for anyone yet to see the film . . . just be sure to sit near a bucket. Rather than blindly spend money on others of Miike's films, I've been checking out features and reviews online and in magazines. Is it just me, or is this one sick bar steward?
I don't know about everyone else, but watching someone masturbate onto a pot plant while watching a woman being raped doesn't sound like entertainment to me. All of Miike's films (with the sole exception of Audition, it seems) look like they involve rape, or at the least use women in roles as objects rather than characters. In one review, Miike said that he didn't make films with strong female characters or leads because "he is a man and only understands the thoughts of men". I'd hate to meet any of his male buddies, considering what the blokes in his films get up to.
It seems to me that all this stuff about Miike being a cinematic visionary is a load of old arse. If he can't even put himself in the place of a woman sufficiently to create a proper female character, what kind of director is he? Imagine if Studio Ghibli took his stand - all their films feature strong female characters, usually in the lead role. Beat Takeshi has a number of strong female characters in his films - I think his latest film, "Dolls", features a number of (admittedly tragic) female characters. Why the hell is Miike's stuff so easy to find when there must be so many better Japanese films that have never made it off their native shores?
Oooooooooo, it makes me MAD!
I bought Audition after reading rave reviews. It's a brilliant film, although I've only watched it once. The last 15 minutes put me off repeat viewings. . . I won't spoil it for anyone yet to see the film . . . just be sure to sit near a bucket. Rather than blindly spend money on others of Miike's films, I've been checking out features and reviews online and in magazines. Is it just me, or is this one sick bar steward?
I don't know about everyone else, but watching someone masturbate onto a pot plant while watching a woman being raped doesn't sound like entertainment to me. All of Miike's films (with the sole exception of Audition, it seems) look like they involve rape, or at the least use women in roles as objects rather than characters. In one review, Miike said that he didn't make films with strong female characters or leads because "he is a man and only understands the thoughts of men". I'd hate to meet any of his male buddies, considering what the blokes in his films get up to.
It seems to me that all this stuff about Miike being a cinematic visionary is a load of old arse. If he can't even put himself in the place of a woman sufficiently to create a proper female character, what kind of director is he? Imagine if Studio Ghibli took his stand - all their films feature strong female characters, usually in the lead role. Beat Takeshi has a number of strong female characters in his films - I think his latest film, "Dolls", features a number of (admittedly tragic) female characters. Why the hell is Miike's stuff so easy to find when there must be so many better Japanese films that have never made it off their native shores?
Oooooooooo, it makes me MAD!