come anticipate "zatoichi" with me

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yea so it opens here wednesday. there is dancing. kitano wears a powdered wig.

― amateur!st (amateurist), Monday, 3 November 2003 13:18 (twenty-one years ago)

i missed "dolls" did i miss anything?

― amateur!st (amateurist), Monday, 3 November 2003 13:18 (twenty-one years ago)

yea verily

http://www.office-kitano.co.jp/zatoichi/

― amateur!st (amateurist), Monday, 3 November 2003 13:26 (twenty-one years ago)

I would anticipate this if I could get that page to load... so, Kitano plays the Blind Swordsman? Tell me more!

― sgs, Monday, 3 November 2003 17:23 (twenty-one years ago)

I missed "Dolls", too. It looked great!

― @d@ml (nordicskilla), Monday, 3 November 2003 17:24 (twenty-one years ago)

SGS i don't know much about it aside from it's kitano's big commercial picture--after a fashion--after his weird, unsatisfying hollywood movie and "dolls" which by all reports was a maddening departure (some liked it, most didn't) into severe formalism and artiness. it's definitely the blind masseur/swordsman, and kitano for some reason is playing him as a milky blonde! there are dance sequences which were excerpted in the preview. dance sequences featuring samurai. ally take note.

― amateur!st (amateurist), Monday, 3 November 2003 21:18 (twenty-one years ago)

i heart the cinema st germain des pres btw, the lineup is

this week: un film parle
next week: zatoichi
after that: no parasan album souvenir (austere documentary about concentration camps set up in western france for refugees from the spanish civil war)
after that: the return (la retour)--the russian film that won at venice

― amateur!st (amateurist), Monday, 3 November 2003 21:19 (twenty-one years ago)

anyone know when/if zatoichi is playing in la? i am too lazy to find out myself.

― Dean Gulberry (deangulberry), Monday, 3 November 2003 21:22 (twenty-one years ago)

june 2004 read it and weep

― amateur!st (amateurist), Monday, 3 November 2003 21:23 (twenty-one years ago)

i will be over it by then. i can guarantee i will not see it.

― Dean Gulberry (deangulberry), Monday, 3 November 2003 21:29 (twenty-one years ago)

:-(

― amateur!st (amateurist), Monday, 3 November 2003 21:30 (twenty-one years ago)

My brother has promised to take me to see this when I visit him a couple of weekends from now. Yay Beat Takeshi yay!

Dolls was gorgeous but a lot of people didn't like it: very disassociated and slow.

― cis (cis), Monday, 3 November 2003 23:02 (twenty-one years ago)

gorgeous and dissociated sums it up. only one of the stories seemed even partially baked, and the bookend conceits are silly, but it was lovely and affecting anyways.

― dave k, Tuesday, 4 November 2003 01:11 (twenty-one years ago)

I anticipate this film with all of you

― s1utsky (slutsky), Tuesday, 4 November 2003 01:45 (twenty-one years ago)

even the music on the site has got me excited beyond belief.

― jed (jed_e_3), Tuesday, 4 November 2003 03:25 (twenty-one years ago)

The Cinema St Germain Des Pres!!

― @d@ml (nordicskilla), Tuesday, 4 November 2003 03:35 (twenty-one years ago)

what about it?

― amateur!st (amateurist), Tuesday, 4 November 2003 14:51 (twenty-one years ago)

Its on in the LFF tomorrow I think. But prolly not actually out here for ages.

― Pete (Pete), Tuesday, 4 November 2003 15:06 (twenty-one years ago)

the music is by keiichi suzuki - sounds good on the trailer. cant find much online.

― jed (jed_e_3), Tuesday, 4 November 2003 15:09 (twenty-one years ago)

yeah so i saw this. it was a diverting piece of entertainment, with some near-experimental touches in the synchronization of music and editing rhythm. but just touches. overall i didnt get too excited by it. and...

SPOILERS

the only dance number was at the very end, it wasn't shot too well, and felt a bit...labored as a gesture of whimsy after a fairly straightfaced drama. but it was cool still, i was smiling.

― amateur!st (amateurist), Friday, 14 November 2003 11:58 (twenty-one years ago)

three months pass...

I am reviving this because I still want to see it. It's playing at the BFI once on the 27th of Feb. (as part of a Chinese Martial Arts series--it's the only exception to the program) and is sold out, guh. I am planning to try for standby seats but have no great hope. Anyone else going to see it, or in the same standy boat?

― sgs (sgs), Thursday, 19 February 2004 13:13 (twenty-one years ago)

STANDBY...sigh.

― sgs (sgs), Thursday, 19 February 2004 13:15 (twenty-one years ago)

Sarah, its out good and proper in the cinema a couple of weeks after (the 19th according to IMDB but i thought it was the 10th - back cover of Sight & Sound will tell you) and I'd be up for it then. It will be showing at the Renoir is a safe money bet.

― Pete (Pete), Thursday, 19 February 2004 13:24 (twenty-one years ago)

That's good to know--thanks Pete! In that case I will probably wait and continue to anticipate, and check the Sight & Sound reference :)

― sgs (sgs), Thursday, 19 February 2004 13:36 (twenty-one years ago)

Yay Zatoichi! I've been anticipating this for months. No idea when it will be around to the Detroit area, though.

― webcrack (music=crack), Thursday, 19 February 2004 17:29 (twenty-one years ago)

this one definitely fell in the meh category

― amateur!st (amateurist), Thursday, 19 February 2004 17:36 (twenty-one years ago)

this is about to start here in glasgow. soon, jed.

― cozen (Cozen), Saturday, 28 February 2004 15:10 (twenty-one years ago)

hi cozen - who are you again...?

― jed_ (jed), Saturday, 28 February 2004 18:56 (twenty-one years ago)

Missed it last night at the NFT to watch Infernal Affairs instead. Luckily it'll be opening in like three or four weeks anyway. Anyone catch it in London there?

― Girolamo Savonarola, Saturday, 28 February 2004 19:00 (twenty-one years ago)

Not yet--I decided to wait until it opens elsewhere and I can take advantage of my student discount, which wasn't available at the sold-out NFT show last night.
(And I decided to spend the money on seeing 'the 36th Chamber of Shaolin' tonight to compensate.)

― sgs (sgs), Saturday, 28 February 2004 19:07 (twenty-one years ago)

I don't get it.

march some time anyway.

― cozen (Cozen), Saturday, 28 February 2004 20:05 (twenty-one years ago)

oh, hello jed. I'm david.

― cozen (Cozen), Saturday, 28 February 2004 20:11 (twenty-one years ago)

hi david - i remember you now.

― jed_ (jed), Saturday, 28 February 2004 20:28 (twenty-one years ago)

haha I still don't get it but - .

are you gunna go see this?

― cozen (Cozen), Saturday, 28 February 2004 23:40 (twenty-one years ago)

im just saying i haven seen u for a bit!

yes ill go but i always say that and i usually don't.

― jed_ (jed), Saturday, 28 February 2004 23:52 (twenty-one years ago)

haha I still don't get it!! : P

oh you'll go.

― cozen (Cozen), Saturday, 28 February 2004 23:57 (twenty-one years ago)

sgs - hoped you liked 36 Chambers. I have free comps at the NFT, so I chose to watch Pleasant Days there tonight instead. Damn fine film - I'm glad I missed Shaolin for it, though I'll definitely be at Return to the 36 Chambers tomorrow.

― Girolamo Savonarola, Sunday, 29 February 2004 01:13 (twenty-one years ago)

Zatoichi's getting a full release March 19th, right? I caught it in Paris a while back, but with French subtitles - my Japanese is marginally better than my French, but still a bit of a struggle for comprehension - so I'd like to see it again before I make up my mind about it. It didn't seem that stellar, but very watchable.

Girolamo, you saw Infernal Affairs? What did you think of it? (I'm so glad it's got a UK release: it's one of my favourite HK movies, and I was thinking I'd never get a chance to see it fullscreen. Now all I've got to hope for is IA II coming out here! ...uh.)

― cis (cis), Sunday, 29 February 2004 13:14 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, saw Infernal Affairs and liked it! Definitely up for the next two, whenever they roll around. I wouldn't worry about delays until #2 rolls up in London, though - I mean, #1 isn't even getting to the States for another six months! Poor bastards...

And Return to the 36 Chambers was both the funniest and most satisfying of the martial arts films I've ever seen. Maybe one of these days I'll get around to the original.

― Girolamo Savonarola, Sunday, 29 February 2004 22:24 (twenty-one years ago)

36 Chambers was excellent! I'd seen it once before, 6 or 7 years ago, on video with the (wu-tang sampled) dubbing in place and it was even better than I remembered it! The print hadn't been restored but the original Chinese dialog was there and the subtitling was much better than on the other two I saw as part of the festival ('one-armed swordsman' and 'blood brothers'). Anyway, I really enjoyed it.

So, Zatoichi. Maybe we should have a Zatoichi FAP?

― sgs (sgs), Monday, 1 March 2004 09:27 (twenty-one years ago)

yeah, the movie isn't as good as one would expect from kitano, but it's definitely very entertaining, and the final scene is fantastic. i recommend it for a good time: i saw it last night, perfect movie for a sunday night.

― joan vich (joan vich), Monday, 1 March 2004 11:13 (twenty-one years ago)

three weeks pass...

I'm going to see this tonight. Should I be excited?

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Monday, 22 March 2004 15:56 (twenty-one years ago)

well, i mentioned it at the last fap to blank looks from everybody within hearing distance... then they went and arranged a trip to see 'starsky and hutch' without inviting me. i was a) kinda miffed and b) relieved.

andy

― koogs (koogs), Monday, 22 March 2004 16:12 (twenty-one years ago)

If were were to FAZ: I could FAZ on Thurs I think.

― Pete (Pete), Monday, 22 March 2004 16:18 (twenty-one years ago)

You should have referred to it by its official title, Blind Samurai Motherfucker.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Monday, 22 March 2004 16:18 (twenty-one years ago)

Okay that was fucking awesome on almost every conceivable level. And also very funny indeed, which I really wasn't expecting. I'll post more in the morning once I've got over the buzz of the last scene a bit...

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Monday, 22 March 2004 23:39 (twenty-one years ago)

Bah humbug I want to see this. And it's on at the Renoir now, so can we can we can we have a FAZ? Pete? Sarah? Andy?

― Liz :x (Liz :x), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 10:40 (twenty-one years ago)

For those of you who haven't seen it and know what to do with this sort of thing:

― Dan I., Tuesday, 23 March 2004 11:43 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm in on the FAZ idea! Thursday's good with me.

― sgs (sgs), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 12:03 (twenty-one years ago)

Dude! Will discuss at Freaky Trigger if you is there. Which I hope you is, as it will be fun.

― Liz :x (Liz :x), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 12:04 (twenty-one years ago)

oh I is. I'm picking out a knee-length skirt as I type this.

― sgs (sgs), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 12:08 (twenty-one years ago)

Okay, shall save til Thursday. UGC Shaftesbury Avenue? (I was going to bunk of work and see it this afternoon but won't now).

― Pete (Pete), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 12:13 (twenty-one years ago)

Whichever is handiest for the most people innit. Renoir has the Hairy Tortoise though.

― Liz :x (Liz :x), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 12:16 (twenty-one years ago)

I would almost consider going to see this again...

Things that I liked about it:

It's visually stunning - choregraphed fight scenes, good scenery, fantastic set-pieces, big rave-up at the end. Also the music worked well, intertwining with what was going on on the screen, like the kids mud dancing half way through, or the people working in the field at the beginning).

It continued to surprise me even way into the film. Obviously I won't spoil things for people here.

I don't understand where Amateurist is coming from with this "fairly straightfaced drama" stuff comes from... the humour is a big part of the film almost from the off. There's a major slapstick element, and the occasional bit of tweeism (the aforementioned mud dancing scene).

My only criticism of the film would be that there were a few too many characters especially on the gangsters side. The bodyguard character in particular seemed underused.

I think there was something about Zatoichi himself that bugged me - because you saw his white hair more than his face I couldn't stop thinking he reminded me of Claudio Ranieri. I think it was that permanently put-upon poise...

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 12:19 (twenty-one years ago)

i looked up Zatoichi in my Big Book of Japanese Exploitation Movies ('Eros In Hell' - amazon has the details and scans of some of the pages, most of which are non-work-safe) last night and it turns out that the bloke who directed the earlier series of Zatoichi movies (Kenji Misumi) in the 60s was also responsible for 'Baby Cart At The River Styx' and other films based on the Lone Wolf And Cub stories.

liz, i think it's on pretty much everywhere now, especially UGC cinemas like the one 5 minutes from here - it opened on friday. (xpost)

andy

― koogs (koogs), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 12:22 (twenty-one years ago)

Matt, have you seen any of the older series of films? The movie so far sounds different in some key ways, but you might enjoy those as well.

Aw Pete, thanks for waiting for us. I'll probably vote Renoir since I'm lured by the Hairy Tortoise, but can realistically get to anything central.
(x-post)

― sgs (sgs), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 12:24 (twenty-one years ago)

Can you make sure the film starts after 7pm, then I can come and join you?

(don't worry if it doesn't)

― Markelby (Mark C), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 12:25 (twenty-one years ago)

Andy, to add to your coincidence above, the actors who played the leads in each of those are also brothers (Shintaro Katsu and Tomisaburo Wakayama. The latter also starred in the more comedic 'Razor' series, I think.)

― sgs (sgs), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 12:26 (twenty-one years ago)

(erg, FORMER, not latter.)

― sgs (sgs), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 12:30 (twenty-one years ago)

Renoir is nearer, but UGC is cheaper (for me - what with my UGC card).

― Pete (Pete), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 15:34 (twenty-one years ago)

Well, since we were having too much Freaky Trigger fun last night to organise this properly, these are the options:

Renoir: £7.50
18:20 20:45

Curzon Soho: £8.50
19:00 21:30

UGC Haymarket: £8.50
17:40 20:50

The Renoir has the lovely Hair & Tortoise noodle bar next to it for pre-cinema nosh, whereas the Soho ones have, well, Soho. Votes?

― Liz :x (Liz :x), Thursday, 25 March 2004 09:51 (twenty-one years ago)

UGC is prefered by me (for I have an Unlimited card and will therefore ostensiably pay NOTHING). Also UGC does Student Discounts for those of us with full-time NUS cards for a fiver.

Curzon Soho also does student discounts and probably has the best projection, and a nice bar.

I always fall asleep in the Renoir, despite (or possibly because of) its proximity to the Hairy Tortoise.

― Pete (Pete), Thursday, 25 March 2004 10:21 (twenty-one years ago)

Well that's one for the UGC. I, as they say, am easy.

― Liz :x (Liz :x), Thursday, 25 March 2004 10:28 (twenty-one years ago)

I am easy as well, ahem. But, I am now settled on the idea of eating noodles pre-cinema, so cast a vote for an 8:something film time.

― sgs (sgs), Thursday, 25 March 2004 12:12 (twenty-one years ago)

I am up for that. Chinatown anyone?

― Markelby (Mark C), Thursday, 25 March 2004 12:49 (twenty-one years ago)

chinatown isn't as hilarious as zatoichi.

― RJG (RJG), Thursday, 25 March 2004 12:51 (twenty-one years ago)

Ah, but Chinatown and Zatoichi in combination?

― Liz :x (Liz :x), Thursday, 25 March 2004 12:52 (twenty-one years ago)

Chinatown fulfils the noodle requirement, the UGC is good for Pete and Student Sarah, so there we go. Where shall we meet and when?

― Liz :x (Liz :x), Thursday, 25 March 2004 12:54 (twenty-one years ago)

my brother, my sister, my brother, my sister.

― RJG (RJG), Thursday, 25 March 2004 12:57 (twenty-one years ago)

Um...
How about a 7ish meeting time, aiming for the 20:50 showing at UGC. Someone esle nominate place, and I'll be there. I wonder if it's likely to sell out and if I should neurotically pick up a ticket before eating...*fret fret*

― sgs (sgs), Thursday, 25 March 2004 12:59 (twenty-one years ago)

if I should neurotically pick up a ticket

I now have a vision of you as Woody Allen in the cinema queue in Annie Hall.

― Markelby (Mark C), Thursday, 25 March 2004 13:15 (twenty-one years ago)

But but I thought you said I looked like Diane Keaton!?!

― sgs (sgs), Thursday, 25 March 2004 13:16 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, it's a weird doppelganger thing.

― Markelby (Mark C), Thursday, 25 March 2004 13:39 (twenty-one years ago)

Curzon Soho was pretty much full for this on Monday, but you should be alright.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Thursday, 25 March 2004 13:55 (twenty-one years ago)

Wint3rmut3, posting a direct link to a .torrent of a movie on ILX is probably a very bad idea.

― Lynskey (Lynskey), Thursday, 25 March 2004 14:02 (twenty-one years ago)

Anyway! How about Leicester Sq tube station, by the Evening Standard stall on Charing X Rd? 7 p.m.

I may have been buying shiny things by this point.

― Liz :x (Liz :x), Thursday, 25 March 2004 14:39 (twenty-one years ago)

Jeez, don't meet outside the station, seriously, it'll be cold, wet and packed, and you'll be waiting for ages. Find a nearby pub.

― Markelby (Mark C), Thursday, 25 March 2004 14:48 (twenty-one years ago)

sounds good and i want to attend but this first week at work after a year of sitting on my butt has really taken it out of me and i'll probably be asleep by 9:30 like last night.

enjoy the fillum. no spoilers tomorrow, ok? 8)

(mark otm about meeting up somewhere where you're not just stood around waiting. a friend arranged to meet outside shelley's shoes in covent garden once and i stood i there for 90 minutes before giving up . turned out he'd been beaten up the night before and had to go to the hospital / police station. that didn't stop the hour and a half wait being the longest of my life. from then on we always arranged to meet in rough trade)

andy

― koogs (koogs), Thursday, 25 March 2004 14:58 (twenty-one years ago)

Glasshouse stores then, but only drinking harfs so we can go get food. Howszat sound?

― Pete (Pete), Thursday, 25 March 2004 15:09 (twenty-one years ago)

Sounds v good to me. See you at 7 or slightly later if I can't get out of work by then.

― Markelby (Mark C), Thursday, 25 March 2004 15:11 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm sorry you can't make it Andy, hope the new job is going well. See y'all at the GHS then.

― sgs (sgs), Thursday, 25 March 2004 15:17 (twenty-one years ago)

Bah, 9.00 showings->no Andrew, I'm watching Metric courtesy of Jerry the Nipper at 9.00. But I'm sure I'll see it sooner or later.

― Andrew Farrell Not Logged In, Thursday, 25 March 2004 15:20 (twenty-one years ago)

Haha, my suggestion of standing outside brought you all out of the woodwork. But yes, pub=good. I'm still going to buy shiny things though.

A shame to miss it, Andy, also Andrew F's luxuriant barnet. We shall no doubt do our best not to spoil further than has been intimated above.

― Liz :x (Liz :x), Thursday, 25 March 2004 15:23 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, late showing means I have to stay out late bouzing rather that having a realtively early night. Still, I only have myself to blame being in the pub when the decision was made.

― Pete (Pete), Thursday, 25 March 2004 15:34 (twenty-one years ago)

Goddamn the tailer was amazing. Can't wait for this one.

― Mary (Mary), Friday, 26 March 2004 00:36 (twenty-one years ago)

it's hilarious.

― RJG (RJG), Friday, 26 March 2004 00:40 (twenty-one years ago)

you thought it was hilarious? it's funny though.

― cozen (Cozen), Friday, 26 March 2004 01:08 (twenty-one years ago)

most of the bits when the swords go in are and stuff.

― RJG (RJG), Friday, 26 March 2004 01:09 (twenty-one years ago)

those bits are pretty violent. I feel quite queasy laughing at ultraviolence but yeah those are funny. : /

― cozen (Cozen), Friday, 26 March 2004 01:12 (twenty-one years ago)

I didn't mean it just was funny; I meant it looked funny, too. didn't you notice?

― RJG (RJG), Friday, 26 March 2004 01:13 (twenty-one years ago)

yeah, some of the CGI was off.

― cozen (Cozen), Friday, 26 March 2004 01:20 (twenty-one years ago)

yeah, it was hilarious.

― RJG (RJG), Friday, 26 March 2004 01:24 (twenty-one years ago)

Every time a limb gets severed you can't really take it seriously especially when it goes flying through the air Mortal Kombat-style.

I have never seen someone get one of their limbs severed by a Samurai sword, so I can't vouch for the film's realism, but this did look kinda lame.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Friday, 26 March 2004 09:57 (twenty-one years ago)

CGI droplets were a little off, but the spouting blood etc. was a prominent feature of the older films. I would've been disappointed if there were no fountains of blood. Actually I thought one of the severed limbs in particular was pretty good...not that I've ever seen a limb severed...er, um. And having the CGI there meant that it was possible to show more of the actual battle clashings than the older, where you could see swords flashing, but lost track of the moves everyone was doing.

Anyway, I saw it last night, and it ROCKED. I still have the urge to tap-dance.

― sgs (sgs), Friday, 26 March 2004 10:02 (twenty-one years ago)

The fountain of blood immediately following the garotting bit at the beginning = mentalism. They clearly liked it so much they showed it twice.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Friday, 26 March 2004 10:04 (twenty-one years ago)

heh heh yeah :)

― sgs (sgs), Friday, 26 March 2004 10:05 (twenty-one years ago)

I loved it! I now want to watch Takeshi Kitano and Beat Takeshi's entire back catalogues. Although the latter kind of reminds me of my dad. Who is not a blind blonde samurai masseur, just so youse know.

The severed limbs were kind of plasticky, true, and the way that people were always being disembowelled facing away from camera to save on effects was sort of amusing. Excellent spurting blood throughout, however.

Poor tragic wandering ronin and his consumptive girlfriend! Still, that's what you get for looking for employment with the wrong gang boss.

xpost haha garotting is great!

― Liz :x (Liz :x), Friday, 26 March 2004 10:07 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm really enthused by this film! Can you tell?!!

― Liz :x (Liz :x), Friday, 26 March 2004 10:07 (twenty-one years ago)

Liz you do know that Beat and Kitano are one in the same? "Beat" is a holdover from his stand-up days when he was part of a duo called "the two beats."

and woo, enthusiasm!

― sgs (sgs), Friday, 26 March 2004 10:08 (twenty-one years ago)

Damn, I LOVE samurai films.

― sgs (sgs), Friday, 26 March 2004 10:10 (twenty-one years ago)

Whaaaaaat? Crazy man! Well that simplifies things innit. I wish I knew more about film. I am a cinematic moran.

― Liz :x (Liz :x), Friday, 26 March 2004 10:12 (twenty-one years ago)

hey that film was fun.

i went for a game of DDR at the trocadero afterwards.

― ken c (ken c), Friday, 26 March 2004 10:18 (twenty-one years ago)

Did you sever any limbs with your dancing feet?

― sgs (sgs), Friday, 26 March 2004 10:20 (twenty-one years ago)

also i feel bad because there were two blokes who looked exactly the same and I couldn't tell which one was which.

I thought that wandering ronin person died once already cos that young bloke (the one with the wife following him) killed him at that battle of the gangs, but obviously not, cos he was killed again later! come to think of it, i think i got three of them confused. :(

― ken c (ken c), Friday, 26 March 2004 10:21 (twenty-one years ago)

i ate a kebab on the way home if that counts...

xpost

― ken c (ken c), Friday, 26 March 2004 10:22 (twenty-one years ago)

Did you have a entire Japanese Ziegfeld Follies cast tap-dancing behind you? And drummers and everything?

― Liz :x (Liz :x), Friday, 26 March 2004 10:22 (twenty-one years ago)

with red coloured chilli sauce

― ken c (ken c), Friday, 26 March 2004 10:22 (twenty-one years ago)

xpost

― ken c (ken c), Friday, 26 March 2004 10:22 (twenty-one years ago)

i think we need to put a spoilers warning on the thread title.

― ken c (ken c), Friday, 26 March 2004 10:22 (twenty-one years ago)

Yay! Liz is all excited by *hackslashstab* action! See you tonight hun :)

― robster (robster), Friday, 26 March 2004 10:24 (twenty-one years ago)

Dude!

― Sarah (starry), Friday, 26 March 2004 10:26 (twenty-one years ago)

Hack! Slash! Stab! YAAAAAAAAY!

― Liz :x (Liz :x), Friday, 26 March 2004 10:26 (twenty-one years ago)

(spoilers)
Ken, there was only one wandering ronin/bodyguard with sick wife. Then there was also guy who was only good at fighting with stick/bokken and had scruffy hair. I'm trying to think who else could be confused with them...but there were several battles-of-gangs so I fear I will not clarify things.

― sgs (sgs), Friday, 26 March 2004 10:28 (twenty-one years ago)

right - you know the last gang fight with the funachi and the ginzo gang? where they were in a field and then they killed everybody except the two good dudes and the old bloke...

i thought the one got killed was the one with the sick wife, and the other was that one who almost killed that guy with the bokken... but i was totally wrong (i guess the one who got killed was just a random person? and in fact the killer of that guy was the one i thought was the killee!!! haha oh man).. so later on when that guy was like, there again i was like wtf?!?!?

― ken c (ken c), Friday, 26 March 2004 10:37 (twenty-one years ago)

Zatoichi took the bodyguard down on the beach. Bodyguard's wife then stabbed herself (this was the bit that lost me as I completely forgot he HAD a wife). But then I forgot that one of the geishas was a man as well, and the bit when they were kids totally confused me.

Also the bit with the hapless gambling nephew being repeatedly tonked on the head with wooden sticks = k-classic Homer Simpsonesque slapstick.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Friday, 26 March 2004 10:40 (twenty-one years ago)

I think the ronin dude's wife killed herself because she was dying and didn't want her bloke to dishonour himself any more by working as a bodyguard. So he was in despair when he faced Zatoichi on the beach.

― Liz :x (Liz :x), Friday, 26 March 2004 10:42 (twenty-one years ago)

The badass guy with the sick wife was exactly like the anti hero from Sword of Doom! (only um I guess the SoD guy didn't really have a sick wife I think...)

― Dan I. (Dan I.), Friday, 26 March 2004 10:44 (twenty-one years ago)

best character in the film...

__
|| AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
||O
---|--\-----|>
| |
__||\\
|---|||
||_

― ken c (ken c), Friday, 26 March 2004 10:45 (twenty-one years ago)

feck

the <pre>

thing doesnt work anymore!

― ken c (ken c), Friday, 26 March 2004 10:46 (twenty-one years ago)

(more spoilers)
The one doing all the killing in that fight (if I'm thinking of the right field-fight, the one seen partly from overhead) was the bodyguard with the sick wife. He took on all the rival gang's men, the next-to-last of which was the stick-fighting guy, who took out his sword and thus died honorably (?) because the bodyguard guy was better. The bodyguard guy then eliminated the remaining gang boss.
I think what's confusing you are the flashbacks. The bodyguard guy was disgraced by stick-guy before, so goes to find him and fight him to get back his honor, instead finds him sick in bed and takes him at his word that he can't really fight with a sword, so leaves him alive, only to cut him down in the scene above. Bodyguard guy ultimately survives to face Zatoichi.

― sgs (sgs), Friday, 26 March 2004 10:50 (twenty-one years ago)

(x-post, was responding to ken above)
Liz's explanation sounds right on. And yeah, the sticks on the head part was hilarious!

― sgs (sgs), Friday, 26 March 2004 10:51 (twenty-one years ago)

Ken, would that be the fat guy who keeps running round the house? I loved the way there was no point whatsoever to his character within the rest of the plot but he was always good for a laugh whenever he was onscreen. Also, the wood-chopping scene!

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Friday, 26 March 2004 10:56 (twenty-one years ago)

oh haha that was a flashback! i see now :)

hopefully this works now but i was trying to draw the idiot boy with the stick

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― ken c (ken c), Friday, 26 March 2004 10:57 (twenty-one years ago)

haha ok it didn't work (the html stipping code is too good) but yeah matt! haha the wood chopping!

xpost

― ken c (ken c), Friday, 26 March 2004 10:58 (twenty-one years ago)

am i the only one here not to have liked the dance number at the end?

― amateur!st (amateurist), Friday, 26 March 2004 13:28 (twenty-one years ago)

Yes.

Did you not like it as a dance number, or in the scheme of the fiulms. Or do you not like dance numbers.

I was disappointed Zatoichi did not turn up in the dance hisself.

― Pete (Pete), Friday, 26 March 2004 13:31 (twenty-one years ago)

i like dance numbers, many of them

i thought this one was poorly shot and didn't have any import whatsoever; it wasn't very pleasurable aesthetically, it served no plot function that i can recall; it was really only "pleasurable" as a kind of loopy gesture, of which the cinema has quite enough

i mean it wasn't terrible, i just didn't enjoy it really

― amateur!st (amateurist), Friday, 26 March 2004 13:52 (twenty-one years ago)

There was in general a lazy dubbing to the dance/music scenes where the sounds from the screen rarely matched up with the the person producing them on screen (possibnly an interesting analog to the way the bloodshed CGI was used). The feet were very low on the frame, which meant that unless the perfect aspect ratio was used for projection the feet were sometimes a bit cut off, and the scene was nothing special.

But, it did feel like a fittingly joyful release from what had been a joyous film.

― Pete (Pete), Friday, 26 March 2004 14:02 (twenty-one years ago)

You can never have too many loopy rave-ups at the end of films. Elephant would have benefitted enormously from a big skatepunk linedancing final scene.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Friday, 26 March 2004 14:07 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm with Pete on that. I really enjoyed it, though I have to say that my favourite thing about it was how psyched and bouncy it made Sarah :)

― Markelby (Mark C), Friday, 26 March 2004 14:08 (twenty-one years ago)

the stick-fighting guy that disgraced the bodyguard wasn't in the field. he was on his deathbed and not worth killing and that was that.

― RJG (RJG), Friday, 26 March 2004 14:10 (twenty-one years ago)

that wasn't him, was it?

― cozen (Cozen), Friday, 26 March 2004 15:12 (twenty-one years ago)

there was a flashback to the stick-fighting guy but I thought that was only in a 'a real samurai will use his sword and be merciless so yr inner teacher says 'kill this guy DEAD'' kinda way.

― cozen (Cozen), Friday, 26 March 2004 15:13 (twenty-one years ago)

I get confused real easy. 32, innit.

― cozen (Cozen), Friday, 26 March 2004 15:14 (twenty-one years ago)

I don't remember the flashback but they were not the same guy, yeah.

― RJG (RJG), Friday, 26 March 2004 15:15 (twenty-one years ago)

so was that just a random dude?

― ken c (ken c), Friday, 26 March 2004 18:03 (twenty-one years ago)

the one who was killed

― ken c (ken c), Friday, 26 March 2004 18:04 (twenty-one years ago)

on that field, before the old man

― ken c (ken c), Friday, 26 March 2004 18:04 (twenty-one years ago)

the japanese guy, i mean

― ken c (ken c), Friday, 26 March 2004 18:05 (twenty-one years ago)

hahaha.

he was not random but he was another guy. you met him, in one of the gambling houses, when he had to kill people from the rival gang that wanted to extort money. then the old dude said "they want a showdown." then, they had a showdown and the guy was there, w/ the old dude.

― RJG (RJG), Friday, 26 March 2004 18:32 (twenty-one years ago)

ok, now I'm confused. I thought it was significant that we see the stick-guy beating people up in the gambling house on the orders of his master, but with his sword in its case (i.e. still a stick) and then in his next showdown with sick wife guy, he loses and dies because he fights with his sword out? I guess I am comfusing similar-looking actors. But they had the same(ish) scruffy hair?

Like Pete, I was also disappointed that Zatoichi didn't show up at the end to bust a move. I got all psyched when it cut to his shuffling feet--not the ending I expected, but a satisfying one nonetheless.

― sgs (sgs), Friday, 26 March 2004 19:32 (twenty-one years ago)

wait, who died?

― cozen (Cozen), Friday, 26 March 2004 19:32 (twenty-one years ago)

the Japanese guy.

― sgs (sgs), Friday, 26 March 2004 19:41 (twenty-one years ago)

they were not the same guy, no (unless I am totally wrong).

we only saw the stick-guy once, in the movie's present. he was lying on his back, like he was crippled or something, after the bodyguard had been directed away from the training school (or whatever) and found him in the hospital (or whatever).

I think he's being confused with the other guy because the other guy was kinda bored-looking but not sick. he was just doing his job, too, I guess.

― RJG (RJG), Friday, 26 March 2004 19:58 (twenty-one years ago)

Ah well, they are probably separate guys then, and my nice little subplot is non existent. We did also see him disgracing the bodyguard in the first place, hard to fit in with the timeline of the story since we know so little about the bodyguard's past/training/how he got so good. (Those bokkens hurt if you get beat with them. They are heavy, and those scenes made my cringe even more than most of the slicing and blood fountains.)

― sgs (sgs), Friday, 26 March 2004 20:05 (twenty-one years ago)

ME. Not my.

― sgs (sgs), Friday, 26 March 2004 20:06 (twenty-one years ago)

I have to say I think sgs is right on this subplot. p.s. I'm still at work.

― Markelby (Mark C), Friday, 26 March 2004 20:12 (twenty-one years ago)

I know but what do you really think?

― RJG (RJG), Friday, 26 March 2004 21:08 (twenty-one years ago)

whether it's possible or not to receive oral sex whilst swordfighting

― ken c (ken c), Friday, 26 March 2004 21:19 (twenty-one years ago)

How come you bitches get to see this before I do?

― Mary (Mary), Friday, 26 March 2004 21:48 (twenty-one years ago)

TWO HUNDRED YEARS OF EMPIRE

― Markelby (Mark C), Friday, 26 March 2004 21:49 (twenty-one years ago)

it opened in paris before anywhere else (except japan duh), that's how i got to see it (and, i must say, mostly forget it soon after)

my favorite kitano films are still 'a scene at the sea' and 'boiling point', both of which are a world apart from 'zatoichi'

SPOILERS

the samurai with the sick wife scenes were beautifully handled, although perhaps space too far apart for the final conflict to have much impact. it's brevity seemed in keeping with kitano's aesthetic though, lots of build up followed by exceedingly fast, sometimes elliptically presented, violent resolution (this takes a certain aspect of kurosawa's style to absurd levels)

― amateur!st (amateurist), Friday, 26 March 2004 22:17 (twenty-one years ago)

Empire only opened for 120 years Mark. (since 17th April 1884)

― ken c (ken c), Saturday, 27 March 2004 03:13 (twenty-one years ago)

finally saw this at the 10:50am showing in shepherd's bush on sunday (it's cheap before midday. not that that gimmick had helped to draw in the punters - i was one of 7 people there). was good.

hated the cartoony font that the subtitles were in, only one step up from comic sans.

i liked the final comment by Zatoichi, almost the exact opposite from the end of 'The Man With X-Ray Eyes'.

one of the seven people there walked out after Z killed the villian and therefore missed a) Z killing the real villian and b) the tap dancing.

went home afterwards and dug out 'Hana-Bi' that's been sat there on video for about 4 years but only got as far as watching the Takeshi documentary that was on the tape before it. turns out that that's him presenting 'Takeshi's Castle' that turned into such a family favourite at christmas (challenge tv about 6pm, imagine 'It's A Knockout' in japanese). i guess that makes him the japanese Stuart Hall.

i'm also more scared of liz and sarah after reading this thread than i was before 8)

andy

― koogs (koogs), Monday, 29 March 2004 08:29 (twenty-one years ago)

Just because we like the hackslashstab? Only if it's artistic, dahling!

(I want Kill Bill vol. 2 NOW)

― Liz :x (Liz :x), Monday, 29 March 2004 09:20 (twenty-one years ago)

haha thanks to bittorrent i just watched also some old black and white film of the tale of zatoichi.. he must have been a young version though (only lost his sight 3 years before) and i thought he was gonna get some ACTION (some girl totally wanted his ass)

watched infernal affairs too well good, and also shaolin soccer! haha i'm getting back to my hong kong roots.

― ken c (ken c), Wednesday, 31 March 2004 10:50 (twenty-one years ago)

Zatoichi has consistent weaknesses for gambling and women, and the ladies love him in return. I think he's on the make in almost every old Zatoichi movie I've seen.

Guh, must still see Infernal Affairs before my US trip where it won't be playing within hundreds of miles of my house, if at all.

― sgs (sgs), Wednesday, 31 March 2004 10:55 (twenty-one years ago)

and if you're lucky infernal affairs 2 will be on the plane (it was on mine!! although that plane *was* hong kong bound...)

― ken c (ken c), Wednesday, 31 March 2004 11:03 (twenty-one years ago)

Apparently Takeshi is a big fan of tapdance, hence the ending; I rather wish he had joined in, as someone said upthread.

The use of sound and music in that film - so beautiful!!!

I wonder if he's going to go the whole hog and do a full-blown musical next time around.

― Japanese Giraffe (Japanese Giraffe), Friday, 2 April 2004 11:45 (twenty-one years ago)

I saw it last night and I am far more confused about all the characters since reading this thread! However I am not going to dwell on it.

I liked that it was funny. I liked the flashbacks which told the kids' story and I particularly liked the cross-dressing son for some reason. I loved the music. I sort of enjoyed the tap-dance finale but kept thinking about Blue Peter. I am not totally struck on the supersensitiveblindmanbuthahanotreally trope.

― Archel (Archel), Friday, 2 April 2004 12:09 (twenty-one years ago)

But yesreally! That's the best bit! I love Zatoichi (at least in this film).

― Liz :x (Liz :x), Friday, 2 April 2004 12:21 (twenty-one years ago)

I saw Takeshi's Castle the other night. He wears a cool jacket.

― robster (robster), Friday, 2 April 2004 12:39 (twenty-one years ago)

I like his crazy hair... why does he have a facial tic and that laughing thing though? Is it all part of the 'so blatantly a disabled, possibly mentally challenged loser that he poses no threat' schtick? Or is it Acting?

― Archel (Archel), Friday, 2 April 2004 12:48 (twenty-one years ago)

he has a facial tic because he was in a motorcycle accident, i believe, in the 1980s and several of the muscles in his face are palayzed

― amateur!st (amateurist), Friday, 2 April 2004 12:52 (twenty-one years ago)

i.e. it's a real tic, not a performance

― amateur!st (amateurist), Friday, 2 April 2004 12:52 (twenty-one years ago)

Well that is good to know. Henceforth I will leave that out of any critical judgements...

― Archel (Archel), Friday, 2 April 2004 12:54 (twenty-one years ago)

i meant to type "paralyzed", sorry

― amateur!st (amateurist), Friday, 2 April 2004 12:55 (twenty-one years ago)

It's focus on the supporting cast, and whether they'd fall foul of, or under the protection of, Zatoichi's blade, reminded me a lot of Lone Wolf & Cub. It is to be understood that this is not an insult.

The comedy in the first scene set it apart from other Samurai films I've seen. I've seen slapstick, but I've never seen slapstick with near-fatal damage as a result before. Fate usually protects fools.

I think Samurai films have trouble with endings because the genre already contains, in The Seven Samurai, probably the best ending ever. This was a nice side-step of that.

The actor who played Ginzo has the most amazing voice.

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Sunday, 4 April 2004 23:08 (twenty-one years ago)

It was okay, I liked the dancing at the end.

― jel -- (jel), Sunday, 11 April 2004 15:34 (twenty-one years ago)

When I was reading this thread I thought 'confusing plot line' and then I watched this last monday I just thought how there wasn't anything to be confused about.

I think RJG is correct about the bodyguard, also the exchange between cozen and RJG as to how violent it is reminded me of the first scene, when he slashes these two people from the gang. I just laughed out loud, and seemed to be the only one to do so in the movie theatre (I guess there was about 20 people in there).

The dancing scene was wonderful way to end, maybe not as well shot but more than that I was waiting for zaitoichi to appear at the end, and like most here, disappointed when he didn't.

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Sunday, 11 April 2004 15:56 (twenty-one years ago)

yeah, I totally wanted the Z-man to get down and funky, oh well.

I also think Z and the samurai could have been pals, but talking wasn't their strength.

― jel -- (jel), Sunday, 11 April 2004 16:08 (twenty-one years ago)

The Z-Man was going to get down and funky but tripped over, surely?

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Sunday, 11 April 2004 17:59 (twenty-one years ago)

Nah, he was just going to 'see' who he could chop up in the next town.

― jel -- (jel), Monday, 12 April 2004 08:49 (twenty-one years ago)

three months pass...

This was great. Totally different animal than the originals (or the seven or so of them that I've seen) but really fun in a tongue in cheek way.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Monday, 9 August 2004 14:14 (twenty years ago)

I am going to see it tonight.

― adam. (nordicskilla), Monday, 9 August 2004 14:33 (twenty years ago)

The scene with the geisha practicing their music and dancing - with the flashbacks to them doing the same as kids - was incredibly touching. I loved the movie in general, but that scene really got me.

LOVED the tapdancing. So many movies would benefit from either that, or the hippogriff from the latest Harry Potter.

― Layna Andersen (Layna Andersen), Monday, 9 August 2004 15:32 (twenty years ago)

did anyone see the twilight samurai? the fight scene at the end of that movie is astonishing. I'm not going to check upthread but I've an awful feeling I've already said this, before, on here.

― cºzen (Cozen), Monday, 9 August 2004 15:50 (twenty years ago)

Ooooh, we saw that Saturday. SO GOOD. Marvelous fight scene.

― Layna Andersen (Layna Andersen), Monday, 9 August 2004 15:52 (twenty years ago)

Yes, I saw it with Leee! It was v. good.

― adam. (nordicskilla), Monday, 9 August 2004 15:53 (twenty years ago)

**the twilight samurai: spoilers**

it just is, isn't it? really tense. I'm not sure I can put into words exactly what's so good about it. a mix of the realism and the fact that the film's been building quietly up to this really intense set-piece. he gets all cleaned up and goes out for a day's fighting, then it looks like he won't fight and then he does, all the um-ing and ah-ing about the last scene, it's wonderful.

― cºzen (Cozen), Monday, 9 August 2004 15:55 (twenty years ago)

plus they actually look physically tired (which you should!) running around the house, chasing the fight.

― cºzen (Cozen), Monday, 9 August 2004 15:56 (twenty years ago)

I think that might be it: the progressive tiring of the fight scene, combined with its (relative) sloth and understatedness lends it a different air of elegance than the usual 'elegant samurai' (wht is it with high-grade killers [hitmen, samurais] being portrayed this way?!) mode.

― cºzen (Cozen), Monday, 9 August 2004 15:57 (twenty years ago)

c*zen, you should write more about film.

― adam. (nordicskilla), Monday, 9 August 2004 15:58 (twenty years ago)

The best part of the dancing scene was the audience's reaction, just sitting there dumbfounded.

For some reason the crowd was a bunch of senior citizens (did De-Lovely sell out or something?) and the old guy nearest me spent most of the film explaining it to his wife and telling her to cover her eyes before fight scenes. "Masseur - you know, like massage."

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Monday, 16 August 2004 00:13 (twenty years ago)

Someone may have said this upthread, but that dance number had the GODDAMNED YOUNG KIDS MORPHING INTO THE OLD!!! So terrible.

― dean? (deangulberry), Monday, 16 August 2004 00:29 (twenty years ago)

Ah, so it was THIS thread that caused me to wonder where I had heard of this film before...

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 16 August 2004 00:40 (twenty years ago)

thirteen years pass...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsbVTPftcgs

― illegal economic migration (Tracer Hand), Monday, 11 December 2017 10:17 (seven years ago)

I can't work out what that is while I'm at work

Kitano's version is probably in my top 3 of his films, and I really really love his films.

― The Dearth of Stollen (Noodle Vague), Monday, 11 December 2017 10:36 (seven years ago)

it's an astonishingly well-made fan film that takes quite a turn around the 6-minute mark

― illegal economic migration (Tracer Hand), Monday, 11 December 2017 10:51 (seven years ago)

will watch tonight!

― The Dearth of Stollen (Noodle Vague), Monday, 11 December 2017 10:54 (seven years ago)

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