Izo

[Eric Campos]

Looks like Takashi Miike has done it again!

http://www.izo-movie.com/

[El Duderino Diablo]

Damn, the flash page works but the trailers won't come up for me. Anyone read Kanji?
Takeshi Kitano! Kewl. Is that Ken Ogata that I see there? Some other familiar faces too.
Well, if given the opportunity I'll be seeing this on principal, regardless of what anyone else says. Takashi Miike is the man.

[Eric Campos]

On the very first page, towards the middle, it should give you the option for 56 Kbps, 500 Kbps and 1 Mbps. Take your pick and enjoy!

[El Duderino Diablo]

Aye, I tried the 1mb and got nothing likely as a result of my making BS player my default media player over winblows media player.
Oh well, something for me to play around with today.

EDIT: Damn firewall. Okay, that looks absolutely brilliant! I'm going on record here as saying that I now have a raging woody to see that on the big screen, the sooner the better.

[Eric Campos]

Yep, an extra little work to see that trailer is definitely worth it.

[El Duderino Diablo]

Izo will be showing at the Vancouver Int'l Film Fest. I'm all a'twitter. Seriously.


From the VIFF site @ www.viff.org

Izo
[IZOXX]

Japan, 2004, 128 min , Color , 35mm
North American Premiere

Directed By: Miike Takashi
PRODS: Fukumaki Taizo, Matsushima Fujio
SCR: Takechi Shigenori
Cast: Nakayama Kazuya, Momoi Kaori, Matsuda Ryuhei, 'Beat' Takeshi, Ishibashi Renji, Harada Yoshio, Terajima Susumu, Uchida Yuya, Ogata Ken, Tomokawa Kazuki

Almost defying description, Miike's film opens with found documentary footage about sperm-production in young males and then turns to a graphically violent recreation of the execution in 1865 of the 28-year-old Okada Izo, a low-born samurai who killed in the service of the anti-shogun rebel Hanpeita Takechi. Fast-forward through 15 decades of Japanese history: suddenly Izo's spirit possesses the body of a street-sleeper in an alley of Tokyo's financial district.

The reincarnated assassin goes on a killing rampage through time and space, from the Warring States period to the day after tomorrow, slaughtering everyone from a Buddhist elder to the prime minister ("Beat" Takeshi in one of dozens of star cameos), not forgetting his own mother. Nothing can stop him, because Izo is negation itself: the contradiction spewed up by the "perfect system" that is Japan. Nothing is immune to his attack, except perhaps the godlike emperor (Matsuda Ryuhei, dishy in silk) and the maternal goddess of mercy (the ineffable Momoi Kaori). Standing to one side, watching and commenting in song, is Tomokawa Kazuki, a radical folkie from the 1960s.

So, is this the first philosophical splatter film? A demolition of Japan's body politic? Or maybe a sensitive account of the programming of male hormones? Miike's answer is up there on the screen, and my guess is that he's smiling.

[Eric Campos]

Noice!

[filmgurl]

see ya down there dude.

also, a heads up: cinemuerte is back this year. oct 27 - 31 if ya didn't know yet.

[El Duderino Diablo]

Aye, I'd heard. I haven't been to one for a while. Going to have to make the time this year.

Too bad we aren't getting Zebraman at the VIFF this year.

[filmgurl]

the viff isn't getting a lot of things this year. i'm just glad cinemuerte is back to pick up the genre slack.

which screening of "izo" are you going to? the boy's picking up tickets for the friday oct 1 show tonight. there's also one this saturday and a thursday matinee.

[El Duderino Diablo]

Either the Thurs. matinee or or Fri. night shows. Just trying to work out my schedule and movie picks right now.

[El Duderino Diablo]

Wow. It appears to be a lackluster film fest this year. So far I've chosen three movies to attend: The Machinist (which I saw Sun. night), Izo (on Thurs. afternoon) and Cop Festival Reloaded for Fri.
I'm afraid to take a closer look at the guide as I always end up spending too much money seeing too many movies, many ofwhich just aren't worth the time or money invested.

[El Duderino Diablo]

Just returned from Izo and a I really don't know where to begin.

[tim]

please begin.
i am anxiously awaiting this one.
how does it stand up to miike's other films??

[filmgurl]

dude, i'm with you on "izo". i'm working on a review as we speak and i honestly don't know what to say. i think another 3 or 4 viewings and multiple courses in japanese culture & history will be necessary for a proper discussion on the film. on the other hand my friend a. who was blitzed on tylenol cold & flu (daytime), two large capuccinos and fine bc herbs thought it was the best movie ever. it should be noted that she also really likes charles bukowski.

and tim, the less you try to compare it to other miike films the better. it's more like a comment on them, i think. i really don't know...

yeah, the viff line-up has been pretty lackluster, although i did see a really great animated feature from denmark last night called "terkel in trouble". probably the sickest "children's movie" i've ever seen, and flat out hilarious. not a single punch was pulled. how was the "machinist"?

p.s. r.i.p. blackdog

[El Duderino Diablo]

I was considering writing a review also but five days later I still don't know where to begin. Then again I am awfully preoccupied with stuff. Ugh.
I found I was getting awfully antsy as the mayhem continued to mount. Sure, there were plenty of not so subtle criticisms of modern Japanese culture and all but by the end I still found myself wondering just what the point was. Maybe Izo, being "negation itself" (as described in the VIFF guide) the point was that there is no point.
I don't know. I love Buk also but I don't think I'll be adding Izo to my collection any time soon.

the Machinist? It was an okay character study of a thoroughly unpleasent, OCD afflicted chump suffering a bad case of guilt disguised as a psychological thriller. For the most part I spent much of the movie being alternately distracted and horrified by Christian Bale's freakishly emaciated self.

:sigh:
Guess I'm going to have to renew my Videomatica membership now.

[filmgurl]

if you can drop me a line when you're thinking of coming down i can try to cut you a deal. ;)

yeah, "izo". Between that, "a hole in my heart" and "love crimes of gillian guess" i decided to cut my losses and skip "time of the wolf" (which i'm sure was excellent, i just wasn't in the mood for another movie that was "work").

i cannot wait for Cinemuerte.