Beat's Zatoichi

[den4]

http://office-kitano.co.jp/zatoichi/trailer_f.html

Anybody seen this yet? Any good? trailer looks great...but trailers usually do...

[Ptyx]

Zatoichi's review by midnight eye

[jim katta]

I haven't seen it, but in general, Beat keeps disappointing me. Recently a friend gave me a gift of 6 of Beat's classic yakuza films. There were moments in all of them, but basically they weren't that good (acting wise or visually). Why is Beat so popular? When I saw "Brother" in the states, I was flabbergasted by how bad it was. I'm hoping the new film is better, but not holding my breath.

[Big Booger]

Kikujiro is one of his best films IMHO, I enjoyed it immensely.

[Andocrates]

jim katta I think you just don't like Beat, different strokes and all that. I watch "Brother" about once a month it's that good (to me) I watch Battle Royale just as often. Beat just cliks with me, I have all his movies except his newest one.

[Taro Toporific]

... Why is Beat so popular?

Until you said this. I thought I was the only FG living in Japan that thought that BEAT SUCKS!

When his work is good, it is because cause he plays his true character---a sadistic bully and "real" Japanese as in "Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence" or "Empire in the Sun." But EVEVERBODY here FG and Nihonjin loves him so I just shut up. Mr. Umbrella-man* has based his career on TV hitting and beating his underlings and "speaking his mind" like Gov Ishihara.

...one of the reasons I became a comedian in the first place is that comedians can say things that are very harsh or very close to the bone, and be allowed to say them. In Japan, that's a unique position. Even though I've expressed what are probably minority points of view and said things that may not be socially accepted, I have somehow been accepted by the Japanese public ".

------
*Why "Mr. Umbrella-man"? Back in the mid-80s Beat and flunkies invaded a newspaper office. The "Beat Armu beat and stabbed reporters with umbellas. "Somehow" no arrests were made but Beat had to make a public apology. Later, in movies like 'Battle Royal' and 'GONIN', he appears in key scenes with umbrella, hee, hee, hee.

[jim katta]

I have to admit that I've never seen "Kikujiro." I've had many opportunities to, but the box photo with him and the little boy gave me that disney vibe that I'm not into.

To Ando, I'm actually into the whole stoic, eye twitching due to motorcycle accident, character that Beat represents. But I've just never seen a performance from him that would inspire me to tell a friend, "you MUST see this." Battle Royale is one of my favorite japanese movies, but it's a misrepresentation to say it's a Beat Takeshi film since he's really on the outside of the plot, the real story involves the high school kids.

Now that I think about it, he even ruined Battle Royale a bit for me. At the end, I'm sitting there like, "Damn, this was pretty good." Then, Beat, having just been shot point blank in the chest by the kids, very matter of factly gets up, sits on the couch, makes a cell phone call, and looks for more cookies...WTF? This broke the whole suspension of disbelief that I had going and was not funny or cinematically redeeming/creative in any way. Basically, Beat was grandstanding, but in the process reminded us that "hey, no one in this film is really being shot by real bullets. Hey look at me! it's all play acting." I think fans of the film, like me, basically practice selective amnesia and try to forget this part of the film when we watch it or suggest it to someone else.

Finally, you said you watch "Brother" often. Whoa, then you are definitely seeing something there that I'm not. And I saw it in the theater on a big screen with great sound. still sucked. and the american kokujin, can't remember his name, sucked even more as an actor. I "did" like the performance of Kuroudo Maki. he was great.

[Andocrates]

Omar ipps does suck, it's true.

[yellowlightman]

*Why "Mr. Umbrella-man"? Back in the mid-80s Beat and flunkies invaded a newspaper office. The "Beat Armu beat and stabbed reporters with umbellas. "Somehow" no arrests were made but Beat had to make a public apology. Later, in movies like 'Battle Royal' and 'GONIN', he appears in key scenes with umbrella, hee, hee, hee.

Wasn't that because the newspaper printed a story about him and a mistress or something?

I like most of his stuff, I throught Brother was crap though. He's not an amazing actor, but I really like the way his movies are filmed. Lots of silence, and patience... He doesn't rush through things and a lot of time manages to capture a mood like most people can't.

Has anyone ever seen A Scene By The Sea (er, forgot the original Japanese title)? That movie was a test in patience.... Yeesh.

[Naniwan Kid]

I am a pretty big fan, but will admit that Brother is not his best work. People call "Hanabi" his "swan song" but I think "Violent Cop" and "Boiling Point" are more accessable.

I am pretty excited to see "Zatoichi". If you get a chance, rent the originals. They are really very entertaining....

[Crispy]

Anyone know if we can see it in the US anywhere?

[Naniwan Kid]

Miramax has bought the rights, (which is a little nerve-wracking), so we shall see....
i think they also have Shaolim Soccer, and f'ed that one up royally...

[Crispy]

Yeah, especially on the trailers. My mom saw a trailer (while watching a Jackie Chan movie, which she loves) and came away with the idea that it was a serious martial arts movie, and it didn't interest her at all. Boy, Miramax just loves to aquire foreign properties, dub them in the ass with a rusty fencepost and then sell them to the entirely wrong audience.

[den4]

is miramax Disney owned? if it is, then that explains some...

[Crispy]

Yes, From what I understand, Miramax exists for one reason: to allow Disney to produce movies that cannot be directly associated with the Disney name because of their content, for instance, Kill Bill. It's a good idea on their part, Disney cannot be seen to be putting out anything but kid movies, it will probably be that way forever.

[Caustic Saint]

Miramax has bought the rights, (which is a little nerve-wracking), so we shall see....
i think they also have Shaolim Soccer, and f'ed that one up royally...

And they've released their English trailer for it. Check it out here.

I just want to know who makes the release decisions at Miramax. Zatoichi's coming out in the US this summer, yet they've had Hero sitting on a shelf since they bought the rights to it.

Somebody really needs to start up a distribution house in the US that'll treat Asian movies right and not just leech up the rights to them and then screw them up when they're released - if they even get released. And they wonder why people go the import route and buy these movies on DVD before they're ever released in the US.

[Naniwan Kid]

I wasn't able to find anything about Zatoichi on the Miramax website... smells like trouble....

Save me Ebay!

[Caustic Saint]

I wasn't able to find anything about Zatoichi on the Miramax website... smells like trouble....

Save me Ebay!

Did you look under "Upcoming Features?"

http://miramax.com/zatoichi/index.html

[Caustic Saint]

It's out on DVD in Korea now, so I checked it out last night.



What a steamer! A musical martial arts movie? WTF?!? Yes, it had musical numbers, apparently inspired by Stomp. Musical farming, musical construction, and even a big mass clogging at the end.

Then there's the phenomenally bad CGI blood and body parts. And the pacing of the movie really sucked too. Cut about 30 minutes out and it might be something decent - like the musical bits, the characters who serve no purpose, the moronic final scene...

It had a couple good moments, but Beat's nothing special and there are much better ways to spend 2 hours of your time. Much, much better way.

I give the movie
for the good bits
for the CGI and crap acting
for the musical shite

and I give myself for actually watching to the very end, hoping in vain that it'd get better.

[Andocrates]

Come on it can't be that bad. I'm such a Beat fan I'll pay to watch his face tick My favorite Beat movie is the one everyone dissed "Brother."

[devicenull]

from the cam i saw, it was pretty good. i really wish the japanese would learn how to cam though, it was horrible.

[Caustic Saint]

Come on it can't be that bad.

Oh, yes it can.

[Milla]

I have nothing bad to say about the movie.

[Taro Toporific]

'Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman'' will be on TV tomorrow night Sunday the 28th, at 9:00pm on TV Asahi (channel 10 in Kanto).
http://www.tv-asahi.co.jp/nichiyou/

[Taro Toporific]

It's on now.

'Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman'' will be on TV tomorrow night Sunday the 28th, at 9:00pm on TV Asahi (channel 10 in Kanto).
http://www.tv-asahi.co.jp/nichiyou/

[jingai]

I saw in in the theaters in the states and think it was the best movie I've seen from Beat in years. Worth watching!

[Steve Bildermann]

Here's the original

http://www.imagesjournal.com/2002/reviews/zatoichi/text.htm

Here's the comedy version

http://www.badmovieplanet.com/unknownmovies/reviews/rev364.html

Here's the very unknown movie that Kurosawa said he wished he'd made and many consider to be the true successor to Yojinbo.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0189089/

[jingai]

[Charles]

Here's the original

http://www.imagesjournal.com/2002/reviews/zatoichi/text.htm

Here's the comedy version

http://www.badmovieplanet.com/unknownmovies/reviews/rev364.html

Here's the very unknown movie that Kurosawa said he wished he'd made and many consider to be the true successor to Yojinbo.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0189089/

ha.. I didn't think anyone knew about Blind Fury. I watched my TV Guide for years waiting for it to show up, it's such a stinker that even the sub-B Movie channels rarely show it.

I am not shamed to admit, I love the Zatoichi films. Except for the new one with Beat Takeshi, which is probably even worse of a stinker than Blind Fury. Anyway, I think I've seen all but about 3 of the original series, so I guess I've seen more than 20 of them. I sometimes describe Zatoichi as the Dr. Who of Tokugawa era Japan, he's what filmmakers describe as a "moral agent," he has no personal motivations, he only reacts according to what his morals proscribe, it's an episodic show with a running story line and totally cheezy effects that require you to completely suspend disbelief. Those who can't suspend their disbelief just will not get it, it's merely the window dressing for the story, which is usually about some downtrodden oppressed people that need liberation from the Daleks.. um I mean the Daimyo.
Unfortunately, Takeshi just doesn't get Zatoichi. The last thing the movie needed was CG blood spurts and musical numbers inspired by Stomp. There was a lot of humor in the original Zato films, but it was exceedingly subtle. If you had to have a musical number, it was usually something like itinerant musicians traveling on the Tokaido Road doing traditional music, although it was pretty clear they were a metaphor for Hippies. It was so sad to watch Zatoichi get ruined by Beat Takeshi, he hasn't got a subtle metaphor in his whole body of work. I haven't seen anything so awful since Sly Stallone ruined Judge Dredd.

Anyway, I have never head of Shokin kasegi, so I will keep an eye out for it, thanks for your recommendation.

[Steve Bildermann]

ha.. I didn't think anyone knew about Blind Fury

Oh Charles you know I'm a surprising kinda guy

Blind fury was just the right stinker to provide the balance that Rutger Hauer's career needed to complement his celebrated role (and of course his now immortal soliloquy 'I've seen things you Gaijin wouldn't believe etc) in Blade Runner.