What is it about Japan?

JayKeeley said:
OK first of all, how about a "Spoiler Alert" warning for those that haven't seen it yet!! :lol:
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:lol: Good point, that would have been polite ;)

JayKeeley said:
Agreed. But you slap "Banned in 31 countries" (or whatever) on the front cover of a DVD and you know it's going to attract a certain type of audience. Just look at the cover of "Cannibal Ferox" or "Shogun Assassin"! I guess that was a sign of the times though - shock value.
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Indeed, and whether I like it or not, shock and violence is a major part of Battle Royale - thankfully it did use this as a marketing technique! I just think other aspects are so much more important that it galls me when people completely miss them :) Cannibal Ferox is about as low as you can go in that sense lol - "the most violent film ever made, banned in 52 countries" etc. etc.

JayKeeley said:
Right. And it depends on your perspective obviously. The timing of Battle Royale is just right for me with American tv audiences being subject to some of the worst tv in history - "Reality Shows". Granted, I'll watch a couple, but 90% of them are a disaster. It's cheap tv. Battle Royale is so humorous in its spoof (whether its inadvertent or not) - particularly in Beat Takeshi's character - that his callous persona makes him quite amusing. Perhaps in the same way that the Belgian film, "Man Bites Dog", was considered to be black comedy.
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Yes, I see the amusing aspects, and the pertinent nature of much of the story and style, I just don't believe satire was the primary drive behind the film - just a lucky coincidence :) But I agree that it does act as a spoof in many ways, and also - i think - a warning of the dangers of this kind of voyeurism in others. So it's all good :cool:

JayKeeley said:
Yes, the inevitable dilemna! But when the film ends, it's difficult to forget what preceded in the last 90 minutes with what the other school children were capable of. That was an incredible insight in what people/children are capable of.
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Yes, but that wasn't as effective for me because in reality they may not be capable of half what you saw in the film. I'm sure some would, but I'd like to think the children's reactions wouldn't be quite as polar in real life. Whereas the inevitable dilema is possible in many situations, and if you put yourself in the position of any of the children, that decision, for me, would be by far the hardest thing possible. :)

JayKeeley said:
Not sure about your situation, but my perspective might be different since I am a father to a baby girl, and everything I see now affects me more personally in the way that I see kids interacting with each other. It sounds cheesy, but its true.
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Indeed, it probably speaks more of our differing situations than the film itself.. I'm attatched but have no children, so the relationships are the focus of the film for me, whereas you have a child which I've no doubt completely changes your perspective on many things in life! :cool:

JayKeeley said:
That is why I find films like Ring (Japanese Ringu), and in particular, DARK WATER(!!), that disturb me like nothing else.

To be honest, Battle Royale would not have had the same impact if the island was full of adults. You would tend to sympathize less perhaps.

Sounds like I might need to get it. If my existing Battle Royale DVD is region free, I'll sell it and get the double disc version.
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I've yet to find (or see) Dark Water on DVD :cry: I am in complete agreement the reason Battle Royale was so effective is due to the fact it was children involved, which kind of steps everything up a notch.. But my feelings over the relationships in the film would have been just as strong whatever the age of the characters, it would be the other elements whose affects would be lessened!

I think the extra footage on the special addition is a nice addition if you're heavily involved in the characters, so get it! :D ;)

My apologies if none of the above post made sense, I'm about to fall asleep :dopey: Nite nite all! :wave:
 
Russell said:
Yes, I see the amusing aspects, and the pertinent nature of much of the story and style, I just don't believe satire was the primary drive behind the film - just a lucky coincidence :) But I agree that it does act as a spoof in many ways, and also - i think - a warning of the dangers of this kind of voyeurism in others. So it's all good :cool:
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I think I found it more amusing just because Beat Takeshi makes me smile - like he did in Violent Cop. :) He is a complete odd ball with his dual personalities.

I've yet to find (or see) Dark Water on DVD :cry:
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If you like Ringu, then get Dark Water. Same author, same director.

My apologies if none of the above post made sense, I'm about to fall asleep :dopey: Nite nite all! :wave:
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Made sense to me! :)
 
Beat Takeshi is just one of those guys where I really can't explain it, but he's just so damned cool.

Ironically, my favorite movie is his is Kikujiro, which is very far removed from most anything else he has done. I love it though.
 
Has anyone seen the Beat Takeshi movie with Omar Epps? It's an America movie, maybe a couple of years old....that's all I know. It got good reviews too.
 
OK I'll check it out then.

And if anyone remembers the flop that was "Johnny Mnemonic" with Keanu Reeves, Beat Takeshi was in that too. (Good book though).
 
I'm keen to find out more about this one: Suicide Club (also known as Suicide Circle).

cover.jpg


Plot Outline:
After 54 High School girls throw themselves on to the tracks of a subway, Detective Kuroda and his team are sent in to investigate. They find a role of skin with patches from over a hundred people, and a mysterious website that is predicting the suicides before the police are notified. Japan is then riddled with suicide deaths ranging from children to grown adults. Kuroda and his team continue trying, but always seem one step behind.
 
Russell said:
That reminds me, I've been meaning to get Violent Cop as well.. :)
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Heard about Battle Royale II yet? Apparently the entire class is made up of deliquents this time round. Beat is back too! Coming out this October apparently.

Also just ordered the UNCUT version of Ichi The Killer (128 minute version as opposed to 115 minutes). Anyone heard of this one? Yakuza style mayhem - very much talked...Empire magazine in the UK gave it 5 stars. Empire rules - best film mag in the universe.
 
JayKeeley said:
Heard about Battle Royale II yet? Apparently the entire class is made up of deliquents this time round. Beat is back too! Coming out this October apparently.
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Yes, Fukasaku Kinji died during or just before the filming process (or so I've heard) so his son is directing it now :)

Ooh, look what I just found:

The much awaited sequel to the most controversial film of 2000.
Battle Royale Second stars young actors Aki Maeda and famous teen sitcom actor Tatsuya Fujiwara.
Set one year after BR1, the two surviving students from the previous year's bloodbath, Shuya Nanahara (Fujiwara) and Noriko Nakagawa (Aki Maeda) return home, their lives permanently scarred by the terrifying experiences of BR1. Around them, the Battle Royale act continues and another class is kidnapped and placed in a Battle Royale. After the previous incidents, the public becomes aware of what the Japanese government is doing to their children and riots break out, some people violently attacking Japanese politicians in the street. Democracy no longer exists in this Japan where the country is dictated by the Japanese military who came away from World War II victorious alongside Germany. The rioters are violently dealt with and their children are thrown in to Battle Royale along with the randomly selected tenth grade class of boys and girls.

The Battle Royale Second Movie is based on the Koshun Takami novel which follows on from the first novel, however unlike the novel features the two main characters returning to Battle Royale. Nanahara and Nakagawa attempt to gain the support of the opposing public however they are captured by the military and throw into an already running Battle Royale as transfer students. They find a new group of students unlike their old friends. They are far more violent and kill one another without any sign of regret. Nanahara and Nakagawa are forced to fight for their own lives but their judgement is constantly hindered by memories of their old friends.

Mikes comments:
Being an avid follower of the first movie, I initially imagined the second movie to be a complete revamp of the first movie with a bigger budget and new cast. Upon hearing that the second movie was not primarily based on the BR itself, but based around the main character's struggle to fight their own emotions and put and end to the Millennium Reform School Act, my overall perception of the sequel was changed significantly. BR1 was a great success in box office sales and although it was not greatly exported, its success was enough for its production company, TOEI, to fund Fukasaku's intention to create a sequel. Fukasaku commented on BR1 as being a wonderfully colorful and emotion movie, however it failed to address many issues from the novel.

The Battle Royale in Battle Royale Second is staged in the same way as the first Battle Royale, however the Kitano character is portrayed as a violent but passionate man who shows subtle empathy for the students. His character is played by actor Susuma Terajima who is one of my favorite actors of all time. Many of the original cast are returning to the sequel including Takeshi Kitano. Instead of miraculously being resurrected from the dead, they will instead appear as apparitions to Nanahara and Nakagawa.

With an opening scene which involves a schoolboy removing a sub-machine-gun from his school satchel and murdering his class, BR2 will almost certainly be banned in the USA. However this doesn't prevent the release of subbed VCDs!

Trailers for BR2 are rumored to be on the new version dvd of BR1, however the early rental version did not feature any. According to Asian Cult Cinema Magazine, the surviving girl from the first Battle Royale is a transfer student in BR2. Nanahara is also rumored to die in BR2!!! - Mike. New:!!!
THE BR2 SCRIPT CAN BE DOWNLOADED FROM HERE: http://www.mis.ne.jp/~oku/br2/BR2.sitIt seems like it has been run through a translater as it is in very poor english. Some parts are very hard to read and do not make sense. The script seems to be genuine, it even lists filming locations! I have made a brief outline which can be found on the main page. This script does not contain casting info. Nanahara kills himself with a handgrenade 3/4 of the way into the movie to save Nakagawa. Many students escape the island as the military is called to action. Nakagawa teams with a boy named Hiroshi and attempt to attack Japanese Parliament in Tokyo. They face the three transfer students at the end of the movie. There seems to be a major sub-plot in the movie between a boy who has a crush on a popular girl in the school. The girl is most probably Rena Tanaka. The boy sacrifices his life to save her but she is then mercilessly killed by Shiro (male transfer student). Download my full summary (interpretation of the script) under BR on the movies page.
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:)
 
JayKeeley said:
Heard about Battle Royale II yet? Apparently the entire class is made up of deliquents this time round. Beat is back too! Coming out this October apparently.

Also just ordered the UNCUT version of Ichi The Killer (128 minute version as opposed to 115 minutes). Anyone heard of this one? Yakuza style mayhem - very much talked...Empire magazine in the UK gave it 5 stars. Empire rules - best film mag in the universe.
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And no, never heard of it! Let me know what you think tho! :)

ooh, another good link: http://www.battleroyalefilm.net/sequel/news.html
 
"With an opening scene which involves a schoolboy removing a sub-machine-gun from his school satchel and murdering his class, BR2 will almost certainly be banned in the USA"

Yeah because it was a film about guns that set the Trenchcoat Mafia off on their rampage...
 
Russell said:
And no, never heard of it! Let me know what you think tho! :)
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Will do.

Here's a quick synopsis based on the eBay purchase I made from the guy at Far East DVD...

"Twenty minutes into Takashi Miike's latest, visceral opus Ichi the Killer, I had to stop the film in fear of going mad from the mayhem I was witnessing. A violent opera of sadism filled with mutilated yakuza, masochistic prostitutes, and innocent victims caught up in a swath of incendiary revenge, Ichi the Killer is nothing short of a masterpiece -- and a challenging one."

:D

Possibly the same way that John Woo used to be able to turn his gun blazed madness into a choreographed operatic dance. You know, before he came to Hollywood and turned to shit.
 
JayKeeley said:
"With an opening scene which involves a schoolboy removing a sub-machine-gun from his school satchel and murdering his class, BR2 will almost certainly be banned in the USA"

Yeah because it was a film about guns that set the Trenchcoat Mafia off on their rampage...
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:lol: Indeed.. But doesn't it just make life so much easier when there's someone (or something) else to blame? :)
 
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