Japanese live action sucks

[GaijinPunch]

Machine Girl is ace.

WAY over-acted. Not a bad flick (especially for Japan) but it had some issues. One scene was fucking crazy. Also, it was directed by a Korean.

Nobody actually likes Cage

He was the star of one of the greatest movies ever: Raising Arizona. I will never hate him, no matter how many bad movies he does. Oh, The Weatherman shows he CAN do something well even now. He just needs the right script & director.

[Rupert H]

I can't think of a lead actor that's any more mediocre than he. Halp?

Jude Law.

[Shocky]

JP live action movies: god awful.

Their animated films are some of the finest in the world: even tempered, beautifully directed and paced, and masterfully constructed. The live stuff is often the complete opposite.

What. No. You start a topic called "Japanese live action sucks"? Something surely sucks here, but it's not Japanese live action movies... they have a long and respected history. So I'm gonna rant now.

Try watching these for starters:

Goyokin
Sword of Doom
Tetsuo I-II
Lone Wolf & Cub 1-6
Suicide Circle
Lady Snowblood
Uzumaki
Dolls
Castle of Sand (even tempered, beautifully directed and paced, and masterfully constructed)
Tokyo Drifter
Evil Dead Trap 1-2
Ju-on, Ju-on the Grudge
Matango: Attack of the Mushroom People (not a typical, boring kaiju eiga - this is about people)
Sayonara, Jupiter
G.I. Samurai
Razor 1-3
Female Convict Scorpion films
Street Fighter
All Night Long 1-3
Shinobi - Heart Under Blade (it "won" a japanese Bunshun - worst movie -award, but I love it. melancholic and impressive)
Kichiku Dai Enkai
... I better stop here for readability's sake. This was just a scratch in the surface.

Almost anything with Sonny Chiba, Hiroyuki Sanada or Tatsuya Nakadai is well worth watching.

Disclaimer: I don't like ALL Japanese live action. The latest Kitanos have been utter, intolerable garbage, so was Stereo Future and Red Shadow, and everything from Ryuhei Kitamura except Versus, which is great fun ("I grew up in Yellow Stone National park, a natural born hunter!"). The Golgo 13 movie with Sonny Chiba was boring, Gunhed was just plain ridiculous and cheap-looking, most of the pinku eiga is boring (lately I've been watching the Stray Cat Rock films, but even the best ones aren't very spectacular)...

Everyone is always trying to ram Takashi Miike down my throat. Ichi the Killer: ugh, who the heck really enjoys that garbage?
I do recognise his ability - the first half of Audition is very well directed - but the latter just descends into regular Japanese nutso narcissistic bloodshed and confusion. I'm bored of the same old mental breakdown themes.

Takashi Miike has made like a zillion movies, and you should give him another chance. Ichi the Killer is a really extreme movie (I enjoy it, confess..) Audition is great and the end sequence is an integral part of it, but again, not for everyone. Too bad his latest movies have been pale shadows of the times when he always managed to find new aspects in old, established genres and surprise audiences :/

My favorite Miikes (five-star scale):

Fudoh - The New Generation ******
Ichi the Killer ******
Audition *****
Gozu *****

Others definitely worth checking:

Dead Or Alive ****½
Visitor Q ****½
Hazard City ****
Full Metal Yakuza ****
Rekka: Deadly Outlaw ****
Blues Harp ****
Imprint (Masters of Horror episode) ****
Agitator ****-
MPD Psycho *** - ****
The Guys From Paradise ****-

The rest I've seen, but don't necessarily recommend:

Shinjuku Triad Society ***½
Dead Or Alive 2 ***½
Dead Or Alive 3 ***½
Crows: Zero ***
Great Yokai War ***
IZO ***
New Graveyard of Honour ***
Sukiyaki Western Django **½
Zebraman **½
Rainy Dog **½
Ley Lines **½
Young Thugs: Innocent Blood **
Happiness of the Katakuris **
Andromedia **
Bird People of China **
One Missed Call **
Big Bang Love, Juvenile A *

Battle Royale 2 is probably the worst film I've ever had the displeasure of seeing. I wanted the entire cast dead - especially the lead for pulling 'that face' - and I didn't even get that in the end. The Ring bored me, and Versus was offensively poor, and Casshern just got turned the hell off.

Battle Royale 2 is indeed one of the total low-points of Japanese movie-making. It's a grand fiasco. Ringu is still one of the creepiest and best horror films, but it should be watched alone, at night. Ok, Casshern wasn't good at all, works much better in anime form, much like the Devilman live-action which was fun, but really.. the cgi effects are just plain awful. If they don't have the budget, then they should't bother trying. Then again, even new anime/manga can be turned to live action succesfully, like the Death Note movies prove (L - Change the World is a pile of dung, though.. avoid that one!)

I tend to find that I'm put off by a few traits that seem to be a requirement in live action JP cinema: Horrifically cheesy overracting, convoluted (to the point of madness) plotlines, and a general need to be OTT in everything. I think that the need to push the actors to behave in an unnaturally expressive manner works in Japan, because Japanese people tend not to witness such emotional outbursts in real life. So the fantasy on screen is heightened by all these twisted, roaring faces, spitting and bellowing theatrically at each other, and generally looking silly.

Those don't apply to all JP live action cinema, mostly to the ones that have been brought to the west for action-hungry audiences. Interesting theory about the expressive acting.. you might be onto something. Some director's however keep their actors having a straight face no matter what happens, like Kiyoshi Kurosawa. That can be unnatural too to the western eyes.

The only films I liked in the last ten years have been the original Battle Royale and Zatoichi. It's back to Kurosawa beyond that.

You should dig deeper, through the mainstream stuff. There is an abundance of great live-action stuff from the seventies and eighties. Manga-adaptations, sports movies, yakuza dramas...

For my money, the Korean's are doing a much better job of cinema in the Asian field.

They did surpass Japan at one point at the turn of the millennium, when the Japanese didn't come up with anything original and Kim Ki-Duk, Park Chan-wook and co. churned out a couple of masterpiece dramas. Most Korean action films were ok at best (Friend) and usually unbearable (Shiri, Bichunmoo). But the Japanese soon reclaimed their throne again.

Machine Girl is ace.

WAY over-acted. Not a bad flick (especially for Japan) but it had some issues. One scene was fucking crazy. Also, it was directed by a Korean.

Totally wasn't directed by a Korean.

This new wave of inventive and funny trash gore is much better than what Daisuke Yamanouchi and other "talents" did earlier, like Red Room 1-2, Muzan-E.

Machine Girl *****
Tokyo Gore Police ****** (great music + the freak club scene!)
Meatball Machine ****

A couple of new/upcoming movies in the same vein I'm trying to catch:

Robo Geisha
Hajirai Machine Girl ("Machine Girl 2")
Grotesque
Yoroi Samurai Zombie
Samurai Geisha
Samurai Princess http://www.nipponcinema.com/blog/traile ... _for_work/
Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl http://www.nipponcinema.com/blog/low-re ... stein-gir/
And, err.. this http://www.nipponcinema.com/blog/hypert ... girl-nsfw/

Others that I'm anxiously waiting for:

Tetsuo - The Bullet Man
Kamui Gaiden - The manga was great, so was the old anime feature film, which combined eastern anime to western adventure tales
Love Exposure - Everyone says it's fantastic, but it's goddamn 4 hours long.. I got many chances to see it in a theater, but I was always too tired and didn't dare to risk watch it in that condition :/

Today I'm gonna watch Drifting Classroom, based on the old Kazuo Umezu manga. Finally, after years of searching... better be good!

[jonny5]

so 'hajuirai machine girl' is actually going to be a sequel?

cuz there was a short packaged with the special edition machine girl called 'hajirai machine girl'.....

[Shocky]

so 'hajuirai machine girl' is actually going to be a sequel?

cuz there was a short packaged with the special edition machine girl called 'hajirai machine girl'.....

That's the one, I haven't seen it yet and didn't realize it's only a 20 minute short..

[jonny5]

so 'hajuirai machine girl' is actually going to be a sequel?

cuz there was a short packaged with the special edition machine girl called 'hajirai machine girl'.....

That's the one, I haven't seen it yet and didn't realize it's only a 20 minute short..

i actually watched it on the weekend.....its great.....it was on the bonus disc.....no subs sadly .....well worth tracking down .....surprisingly very little gore tho

[E. Randy Dupre]

Neither of the Tetsuo movies are really live action - they're primarily constructed of stop-motion animation, the first especially. And Uzumaki's cool, but it's still based on a manga (and isn't as good as that manga, when it comes down to it, although it's not without its own skewed appeal).

Skykid> Audition's a supernatural flick. It needs a second watch to piece it all together, but it's kind of like... I dunno, let's say an episode of The Twilight Zone directed by David Lynch. The violence of the torture scene appears to come from out of nowhere to begin with, but it's actually integral to the point of the film.

[Domino]

I only watch two Japanese films: Seven Samurai (good but too long) and Yojimbo (excellent).

I don't have the urge to see any Japanese films, I just don't care about them personally. Stuff like Machine Girl just don't interest me at all.

I'm not much of a film buff, I mostly stick to 80s action flicks (stuff like Rambo, Arnold movies, Escape from NY for example. Anime examples include MD Geist, Wicked City, Riding Bean, and early 90s stuff like Cyber City Oedo). CGI has always been a turn-off point to me. It was great in T2 since CGI wasn't abused but nowadays with films which it's mostly a CGI fest I just don't want to watch it.


About Cage: IMO Cage is a good actor (I did enjoy him in Face/Off) but personally I don't hate any actor. They each got their strengths and weaknesses.

[handsome_rakshas]

And, err.. this http://www.nipponcinema.com/blog/hypert ... girl-nsfw/

Um....what in the...FUCK.

[Thunder Force]

First thing that comes to mind is Ryuhei Kitamura's "Versus". It's hard not to be entertained by that jp live action film.

[captpain]

I only watch two Japanese films: Seven Samurai (good but too long)

Oh no you didn't.

[Domino]

I only watch two Japanese films: Seven Samurai (good but too long)

Oh no you didn't.

Yes I did. It's too long IMO. Deer Hunter is the same way: Excellent but too damn long.

[GaijinPunch]

Machine Girl is ace.

WAY over-acted. Not a bad flick (especially for Japan) but it had some issues. One scene was fucking crazy. Also, it was directed by a Korean.

Totally wasn't directed by a Korean.

This new wave of inventive and funny trash gore is much better than what Daisuke Yamanouchi and other "talents" did earlier, like Red Room 1-2, Muzan-E. [/quote]

My bad. I mistook the title for Boku no Kanojo ha Cyborg which I watched on a plane.

Um....what in the...FUCK.

Bookmarked...and sent to everyone in my address book.

[evil_ash_xero]

JP live action movies: god awful.

Their animated films are some of the finest in the world: even tempered, beautifully directed and paced, and masterfully constructed. The live stuff is often the complete opposite.

Everyone is always trying to ram Takashi Miike down my throat. Ichi the Killer: ugh, who the heck really enjoys that garbage?
I do recognise his ability - the first half of Audition is very well directed - but the latter just descends into regular Japanese nutso narcissistic bloodshed and confusion. I'm bored of the same old mental breakdown themes.

Battle Royale 2 is probably the worst film I've ever had the displeasure of seeing. I wanted the entire cast dead - especially the lead for pulling 'that face' - and I didn't even get that in the end. The Ring bored me, and Versus was offensively poor, and Casshern just got turned the hell off.

I tend to find that I'm put off by a few traits that seem to be a requirement in live action JP cinema: Horrifically cheesy overracting, convoluted (to the point of madness) plotlines, and a general need to be OTT in everything. I think that the need to push the actors to behave in an unnaturally expressive manner works in Japan, because Japanese people tend not to witness such emotional outbursts in real life. So the fantasy on screen is heightened by all these twisted, roaring faces, spitting and bellowing theatrically at each other, and generally looking silly.
I have trouble taking it seriously though.

The only films I liked in the last ten years have been the original Battle Royale and Zatoichi. It's back to Kurosawa beyond that.

For my money, the Korean's are doing a much better job of cinema in the Asian field.

Anyone else have the same feeling?

You're going to get a lot of fierce disagreement, especially on a site like this. However, I agree with you, from what I have seen. I haven't enjoyed almost any live action Japanese movies I have seen, since the Kurasawa days(and some other movies from the 60s), and Battle Royale. I also agree with you on the Korean thing. I've been enjoying their movies a good bit lately.

Of course, I could see some other movies that could completely change my opinion on this.

[Ed Oscuro]

You're going to get a lot of fierce disagreement, especially on a site like this.

Pics or it didn't happen. This being Shmups Forum, discussion quickly turns to Jude Law and Nicholas Cage.

Not enough Zeiram

[Observer]

Speaking of japanese movies, did anyone see the live action version of Saikano? I found the anime incredibly annoying, boring and, what's worse, everyone kept crying and crying... Characters spent half of the series crying.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGje0HhHQkg (Trailer)

I'm fearing it's one of those OTT and silly movies Skykid is mentioning.

Also, Mushishi got a live action version as well and by Katsushiro Otomo. Problem is I heard that you need to either read the manga or watch the entire TV series or else you'll be missing the point. I didn't watch it myself yet... Planning to eventually. I just hope it stays moody and slow paced, just like the entire series is (Sore Feet Song anyone?).

[trivial]

MX7, come back. Not everyone here was introduced to subtitled cinema only after becoming a cliquish otaku. These shouldn't discourage a substantive post, or be allowed to make you think we're all beneath you.

Fully prepared to get pwnt by the person I addressed. That would be amusing and sad, like Potemkin's pratfalling pram.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

There was this one Japanese live action hybrid sci-fi/horror film that had this alien creature disguised as clear looking water and would take control of it's human host. Once it left it the intial human host, the victim would be missing his or her brain anyways. At the end, the pursing Japanese police detective main character ends up being infected with the clear water-like alien. What was the name of this particular film btw?

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[Shocky]

There was this one Japanese live action hybrid sci-fi/horror film that had this alien creature disguised as clear looking water and would take control of it's human host. Once it left it the intial human host, the victim would be missing his or her brain anyways. At the end, the pursing Japanese police detective main character ends up being infected with the clear water-like alien. What was the name of this particular film btw?

It's most probably "Another Heaven" http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0244975/

Surprised me positively, even though it was quite a blatant rip-off of the The Hidden. Also had these cool cop-fans, who follow their idol cops around in secrecy, spying on them with police radio scanners =D Only in Japan.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

Thanks Shocky. Yes, it was indeed "Another Heaven"...interesting premise with the alien creature looking very much like ordinary water (by utilizing CGI effects, of course). ^_~

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[DC906270]

what u talking about the last Godzilla was a masterpiece, so beautifully acted, and the effects were out of this world , lol

[Skykid]

Just hired and watched the Twilight Samurai. I thought it was an excellent little film, really enjoyed it.
I felt as though the director did miss opportunities to flesh out the emotional aspects of the plot and characters. Certain moments were screaming out for a bit of emotional emphasis (but not shmaltz) and I just felt as though it could of done with some oomph in that dept.

That said it was extremely engaging, and it certainly proved that the Japanese can make excellent, coherent cinema rather than the bullshit insane nonsense I keep getting fed. Moar!

[PC Engine Fan X!]

I recently d/l that Japanese live-action gore/horror thriller of Tokyo Gore Police. Man, the shooting fountains of blood is very prevalent when trying to take down those crazy Engineer mutuated characters...it's just so "over the top". Reminds me of the cool Quentin Tarantino Kill Bill Vol. 1 scene with Beatrice and the Crazy 88 gang along with the comical and crazy bloodbath that ensues in trying to take her down. Revenge is a dish best served cold -- an old Klingon proverb. ^_~

Only if God of Vampires (a kick-ass action kung-fu + a vampire god + zombies + guns blazing galore = a hybrid type of film that gels quite well) were to get an actual DVD or Blu-Ray release, I would buy it on day one. The director of it still hasn't released it on either format yet. ^_~

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[handsome_rakshas]

This being Shmups Forum, discussion quickly turns to Jude Law and Nicholas Cage.

Only if they're going to star in the live action version of Battle Garegga.

[geotrig]

sky kid i thought battle royale was decent ,2 was a bit shit though !!!

Only if God of Vampires (a kick-ass action kung-fu + a vampire god + zombies + guns blazing galore = a hybrid type of film that gels quite well) were to get an actual DVD or Blu-Ray release, I would buy it on day one. The director of it still hasn't released it on either format yet. ^_~

i want this it sounds great what's it on?

cools wrote:
Machine Girl is ace.

i've been iballing this for a while quite expensive in hmv but i think i'm going to pick it up now !!

the ring was good as well though!

[jonny5]

attack girls swim vs the undead.....great stuff

[PC Engine Fan X!]

sky kid i thought battle royale was decent ,2 was a bit shit though !!!

Only if God of Vampires (a kick-ass action kung-fu + a vampire god + zombies + guns blazing galore = a hybrid type of film that gels quite well) were to get an actual DVD or Blu-Ray release, I would buy it on day one. The director of it still hasn't released it on either format yet. ^_~

i want this it sounds great what's it on?

cools wrote:
Machine Girl is ace.

i've been iballing this for a while quite expensive in hmv but i think i'm going to pick it up now !!

the ring was good as well though!

The only way to watch God of Vampires is to get in contact with the director Rob Fitz & have him bring it down to an indy sci-fi/horror film festival to show. It's not released on DVD or Blu-Ray whatsoever. Took a period of seven years to finish from intial shooting back in 2000 to post production in 2007.

http://www.fangoria.com/home/indie-frig ... ution.html

God of Vampires will eventually see it's release on DVD & Blu-Ray (as Mr. Fitz said that it was shot with HD cameras throughout the entire shooting process as revealed in a impromtu Q&A session at the indy horror/sci-fi/fanasty Shockerfest 2007 event held in Riverbank, CA). After it's intial screening at this cool indy movie event, the audience broke out in thunderous applause. I was blown away by how well made it was. I have yet to see another film that surpasses it with it's unique blend of many genres. ^_~

http://godofvampires.com/

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[P_HAT]

You should rename thread to "New japanese live action sucks".

[jonny5]

You should rename thread to "New japanese live action sucks".

opinions differ....the same could be said about hollywood films...its all in the eye of the beholder

[louisg]

You should go watch this:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057565/

Not this:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0339579/