sugoi! fukasaku kinji sensei my favourite director, but not because of battle royale but his "jingi naki tatakai" series (battles without honor or humanity)

his films influenced me a lot. so, thank you for this drawing! and yay i'm the first comment.

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my official website : yamashitariki dot com [ [link] ]

I really liked that series, too. And all of the cheesy stuff he did with Hiroyuki Sanada aka Henry Sanada and Sonny Chiba.

Urngh...

I think I've watched almost all Fukasaku films with English subtitles. I really loved his yakuza stuff, but when then there was the Green Blob space alien stuff, haha. Real campy. There was a powerful film he did about cannibal Japanese soldiers which was really good. Sonny Chiba from the small town as a hick with the pig? Loved that intro song.

What other films are you into?

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my official website : yamashitariki dot com [ [link] ]

I'm a big fan of chambara and yakuza movies, and jidaigeki films. I also like new Korean cinema and war movies.

My favorite directors are Takashi Miike, Sogo Ishii, Shinya Tsukamoto, Gaspar Noe, Todd Solondz, Akira Kurosawa, Kinji Fukasaku, Masaki Kobayashi, some Kon Ichikawa, and Chan Wook Park.

That's some list! Have you heard of Sabu? His earlier films are quite alright.

For contemporary Japanese directors I like Kitano Takeshi a lot. I like it because of its simplicity, the lack of dialogue, abrupt violence and basically the kind of production that don't really need great acting skills.

I'm very annoyed with Miike, but his own re-make of Fukasaku's Graveyard of Honor was fantastic.

Kurosawa is consistent I think, to me he is like a Hollywood filmmaker in Japan. Rashomon is a must, but I kind of like Ikiru and Record of a Living Being.

Kobayashi's Human Condition Trilogy is the bomb.

Ichikawa Kon, I've seen his works around but never got to watch it.

Gaspar Noe's Irreversible? I have it but never really watched it, only fast forwarded to the harsh juicy bit.

You must have an account in some private tracker am I right? *wink

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my official website : yamashitariki dot com [ [link] ]

What's a private tracker? O_o <---thick

Why are you annoyed with Miike?

I really like Kiyoshi Kurosawa as well, I forgot to mention him And I actually really like Shohei Imamura a LOT.

I'll have to check out Sabu. I'm not familiar with him.

I like Beat Takeshi's stuff alright. Not my favorite, but good on a Friday night with some pizza

Thanks for the friend, don't mind if I friend you back

I love Imamura's Kuroi Ame (Black Rain), I just got his Pornographers. I've his Vengeance is Mine but haven't seen it. Watched his Eels (Unagi) because the character's has the same surname as mine. But... it is unique, a little slow though. It seems to be the norm in some Japanese films.

Well, I'm annoyed with Miike because I didn't like some of the films where it becomes a little too absurd. I think it was Ichi the Killer. Also, I felt I could do a better violent film, I didn't think it was sadistic enough - and if he wanted to do it, please go all the way. (Tarantino did that film which was somewhat violent with Miike in it). I don't really like it when films becomes too absurd either, but I don't really mind Cronenberg's grotesque films like the Fly and Dead Ringers. I head Miike approaches film-making like a business man. Do many, keep the accounts rolling so that there's cash flow. One thing notable is he tries to depict the minorities in his films, with Korean and Chinese. Takeuchi Riki seems to do quite ok in his Black Society/Triad Trilogy (I forget the name).

Overall, I like films in the "brutal realism" manner, which is why Fukasaku's Yakuza Papers hit me like an A bomb. It was so well written, plus it is based on true accounts. Fantastic journalism by Ibochi Koichi (I think if I remember correctly). I've also seen the subsequent 3 sequels of the New Battles series and a spin off called the Aftermath.

Where do you get to watch these films? (^^) I'm a pirate - arr me matey. I can't help it, I'm not that fluid with money and they don't sell/distribute much Japanese cinema it in Malaysia other than dramas and Kurosawa (limited selection).

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my official website : yamashitariki dot com [ [link] ]

Vengeance Is Mine is SOOOOOOOO GOOD.

I really like Miike's absurdity, actually. It makes me love his movies more.

Are you thinking of Eli Roth's Hostel? it was produced by Tarantino. It had Miike at the end, coming out, saying, "You could spend all your money in there"?

I do love me some Cronenberg, and all of his uncomfortable sex

I live in Los Angeles, so I'm close to the Egyptian theater and they have Japanese Outlaw Masters series every so often, which is where I've seen a lot of good films that have been out of print for a long time. Also, I rent a lot off of Netflix - they have almost everything. I've been fortunate that I'm in such a convenient city for being a movie fan

I also have a good movie store close to my house, and I shop Animeigo, Media Blasters, and I used to buy imports off of Drunken Master at conventions, but Drunken Master went out of business.

I see your problem being in Malaysia. My friend Bill was there a few weeks ago, and he really loved it. I think I heard that you can get American movies pretty easily there - is that true?

(But who wants to watch any of those!?)

I've just watched True Grit not moments ago. I think its my first John Wayne movie. I understand the rave. Yesterday I watched Shane, lord... that took me five times on and off to watch it completely. Recently, I found 3:10 to Yuma (new version) pretty good, but it had Russell Crowe in it (ugh). I was getting bored with Japanese cinema (been at it since last year), so I felt the Western Cowboy films were something I haven't paid attention to. It is nice to know Kurosawa's Seven Samurai became the Magnificent Seven's inspiration. *Riki walks bow-legged like a cowboy*

Yup, that's the film. "Hostel" the Jap girl with her eye hanging loose made me cringe though.

Cronenberg's "A History of Violence" coupled with the recent "Eastern Promises" with Viggo Mortisen was really neat. Watch them back to back with "American Gangster" and for a week, I'll think I'm a tough guy.

There are other heart-warming films too with significant meaning. One of which is Hallmark's "To Dance with the White Dog" based on the book by Terry Kay.

LA is always sunny blue. I thought the O.C. was making it up, until I was there. Every day it is so bright. Every photo taken will always look its most vivid. It's pretty wonderful. I was there on business Nov 2006. Stayed very close Redondo Beach but would you believe it, my right foot only touched the sand.

Did you catch this film called "Good Soil" by Japanese American director Craig Shimahara? I'm really keen to watch his short film. This LA director said he would send me a complimentary copy, so I'm quite eager to watch it. The story is about the father of the legendary Amakusa Shiro (Fukasaku's Makai Tensho) and how he chooses between his family and his samurai duty. I heard they were doing limited screenings around LA. Ugh, you just missed the Japan Festival on April 17th. It was screened there.

Check out kurotokagi.com for some bootlegs.

Drunken Master, have you seen that film? I watched it when I was a teen. It was fascinating.

Just got one Chan Wook-Park film, I think it's Oldboy. Haven't watched it yet. There's a Korean gangster film I like called "A Bittersweet Life". And another called "No Where To Hide", it is pretty interesting. Anything with Jang Dong Gun is good. "Welcome to Dongmakgol" is neat. Korean films are so crystal clear, I wonder what cameras they use.

'Malaysia, truly Asia' says the tagline. I'm heading down to the historic city of Malacca over the weekend to do some amateur filming. Wish me luck.

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my official website : yamashitariki dot com [ [link] ]