Kiyoshi Kurosawa

[B-side]

Been meaning to get into him. Netflix has the following:

The Guard from Underground
Cure
Charisma
Seance
Pulse
Doppelganger
Bright Future
Retribution

I guess I could gauge what to prioritize by your guys' ratings. Let's have 'em.

[Spinal]

Pulse - ****

That is all.

[Qrazy]

1. Pulse - B+
2. Cure - B
3. Doppelganger - C-

[Dead & Messed Up]

Pulse is great, Cure is damn good, and Seance is pretty good.

I love the guy so far. He's tied with Brad Anderson and Larry Fessenden for my favorite current horror director.

[B-side]

Just watched the trailer for Pulse. Looks certifiably unsettling. To the top of my queue it goes.

[EyesWideOpen]

Cure and Bright Future are my two favorites but Pulse, Doppelganger and Seance are all good also.

[Spinal]

My Pulse review (http://filmepidemic.blogspot.com/2006/11/pulse-k-kurosawa-2001.html), should it interest you.

[B-side]

Cure and Bright Future are my two favorites but Pulse, Doppelganger and Seance are all good also.

I was just gonna comment that I watched the trailer for Bright Future and it looked rather good.

[B-side]

My Pulse review (http://filmepidemic.blogspot.com/2006/11/pulse-k-kurosawa-2001.html), should it interest you.

Very nice. I anxiously await its arrival in the mail, likely Thursday.

[Sycophant]

Ranked:

1. Doppelganger
2. Cure
3. Pulse
4. Serpent's Path
5. Eyes of the Spider
6. License to Live
7. Seance
8. Charisma
9. Retribution

I would say "love" from #1 to #6, "really like" to #7 and #8, and "eh" to #9.

[Bosco B Thug]

1. Cure - 9
2. Doppelganger - 9
3. Seance - 8.5
4. Pulse - 8.5
5. License to Live - 7.5
6. Charisma - 7.5
7. Serpent's Path - 7.5
8. Tokyo Sonata - 7

I'd recommend starting with 'Cure' before 'Pulse' (no harm in doing otherwise, though)... Leave 'Seance' for towards the end, it's rather "low-fi," particularly plot-wise, and is one of those films that might not leave much of an impression until you've seen the slam-bang spectacular stuff a filmmaker can do.

[B-side]

1. Cure - 9
2. Doppelganger - 9
3. Seance - 8.5
4. Pulse - 8.5
5. License to Live - 7.5
6. Charisma - 7.5
7. Serpent's Path - 7.5
8. Tokyo Sonata - 7

I'd recommend starting with 'Cure' before 'Pulse' (no harm in doing otherwise, though)... Leave 'Seance' for towards the end, it's rather "low-fi," particularly plot-wise, and is one of those films that might not leave much of an impression until you've seen the slam-bang spectacular stuff a filmmaker can do.

Noted. Also, if anyone has a link to a proper torrent of Tokyo Sonata, I'd love it.:cool:

[soitgoes...]

Noted. Also, if anyone has a link to a proper torrent of Tokyo Sonata, I'd love it.:cool:I'm pretty sure you won't find this popping up on any torrent sites until the Japanese DVD is released at the end of April. It really isn't going to be popular enough for a screener rip. I can guarantee right around April 24th you'll see it pop up on KG. If you cross your fingers now, it might even have English subs!

[B-side]

I'm pretty sure you won't find this popping up on any torrent sites until the Japanese DVD is released at the end of April. It really isn't going to be popular enough for a screener rip. I can guarantee right around April 24th you'll see it pop up on KG. If you cross your fingers now, it might even have English subs!

I'm crossing them!:lol: I have a KG account. I've been trying to torrent Examined Life for the past hour or more and gotten nothing. It's my first download.

[Stay Puft]

Cure - 9.5
Tokyo Sonata - 9
Doppelganger - 8.5
Bright Future - 8
Pulse - 8
Charisma - 6.5

Something like that.

[soitgoes...]

I'm crossing them!:lol: I have a KG account. I've been trying to torrent Examined Life for the past hour or more and gotten nothing. It's my first download.You aren't showing up as a leacher. Is it showing as downloading in your torrent client?

[Rowland]

Cure - 85
Pulse - 81
Serpent's Path - 78
License to Live - 75
Bright Future - 74
Eyes of the Spider - 71
Seance - 69
Barren Illusions - 65
Retribution - 58
Doppelganger - 55
Charisma - 51
Loft - 36
The Guard from the Underground - turned off halfway through

I need to watch Doppelganger, Charisma, and Loft again, and I'm interested in a recent short movie he did titled Bug's House.

[B-side]

You aren't showing up as a leacher. Is it showing as downloading in your torrent client?

I canceled it. I'm totally ignorant to the ratio expectations and all that stuff. You have an idea as to what was causing it, or if it was just a lack of seeders being online, or... ?

[Qrazy]

I'm crossing them!:lol: I have a KG account. I've been trying to torrent Examined Life for the past hour or more and gotten nothing. It's my first download.

http://isohunt.com/torrent_details/70219041/fxg?tab=summary

Don't know if it works.

[Sven]

"eh" to #9.

Holy smokes, I totally saw that movie. Nearly entirely forgot about it. "Eh" is apt. I remember a billowing red dress.

Doppelganger and Bright Future are two of the most interesting films, textually, I've seen.

[dreamdead]

Doppelganger and Bright Future are two of the most interesting films, textually, I've seen.

Like, evahs or only in Kurosawa's filmography?

I don't recommend starting with Cure, if only because it's so intentionally plodding in its design that the langour becomes overwhelming as an entry point. Reverseshot had a wonderful study of how to link that film up with Seven, though, which is mighty interesting (http://reverseshot.com/legacy/summer05/cureseven.html). That said, here's my ranking:

1. Pulse
2. Cure
3. Seance
4. Bright Future
5. Charisma
6. Doppleganger

[Sven]

Like, evahs or only in Kurosawa's filmography?

"Evahs," actually. Their subjects/literacy are hyper-fascinating.

[Qrazy]

"Evahs," actually. Their subjects/literacy are hyper-fascinating.

What is it about their textual literacy that hyper-fascinates you?

[soitgoes...]

I canceled it. I'm totally ignorant to the ratio expectations and all that stuff. You have an idea as to what was causing it, or if it was just a lack of seeders being online, or... ?There is a mess of seeders, so that isn't the problem. Check if your port is open. Or maybe your firewall is blocking. There's a lot of good stuff located in the KG forums that'll help you get set up.

[Bosco B Thug]

For anyone not tired of me talking about Kiyoshi Kurosawa and Tobe Hooper, the plot thickens:

Midnight Eye's Review of Mon effroyable histoire du cinéma, a French translation of a book consisting of extensive Kiyoshi Kurosawa interviews: (http://www.midnighteye.com/books/kiyoshi-kurosawa-horror.shtml#h1_2)


France is a country where Kiyoshi Kurosawa has had a higher profile than elsewhere in the West, so it is no surprise that French readers have been blessed with no less than two books about him (plus a translation of Kurosawa's own novelisation of his film Pulse) (!). Both were released by the same publisher, Rouge Profond. Kiyoshi Kurosawa: Mémoire de la disparition is an analytical essay by Diane Arnaud, while Mon effroyable histoire du cinéma is a translation of a book-length interview with Kurosawa by one of his protégés, the filmmaker and critic Makoto Shinozaki (director of Not Forgotten and Okaeri).

Mon effroyable histoire du cinéma is a gripping descent into Kurosawa's fascination with horror films. Shinozaki, himself a longtime genre fanatic, is the ideal man for the job. First gaining notice for his long interviews with a variety of filmmakers from around the world, he was one of the members of the cinéclub at Rikkyo University whose visions of film and filmmaking were shaped by the lectures Kurosawa gave there. Shinozaki's own career in filmmaking began as Kurosawa's assistant on the making of the heavily self-referential The Guard from Underground.

The conversation transcribed in these pages take the reader on a trek through the history of the Japanese horror film, as the pair joyfully reminisces about scores of titles completely unknown outside their homeland - despite all the recent efforts of writers and distributors alike, we have only just begun to scratch the surface of the Japanese horror genre. Kurosawa also gives due notice to Chiaki Konaka and Norio Tsuruta as inventors of the style known today as J-horror, which he defines as "a typically Japanese way to create fear."

But the scope is not limited to Japan. Tobe Hooper is a constant presence and the book includes a chapter devoted entirely to his films. Nothing more than a faded one-hit wonder to most, Hooper is nothing less than a master in the eyes of Kurosawa, who can back up his beliefs with very solid arguments. There are more than a few examples of such "sacrilege" to the horror canon, as the director expresses his doubts about such sacrosanct offerings as Dawn of the Dead (he prefers Fulci's Zombi), Halloween (which he calls "banal") and Psycho (he compares the shower scene to several sequences in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, in favour of the latter).

Mon effroyable histoire du cinéma is at once an interview, a biography, a history, a monograph and a lesson in cinema. It is also an unabashed expression of cinephilia: reading Kurosawa and Shinozaki's fascinating exchange, which takes them from Hooper to Cassavetes to Wenders to Godard and back to Carpenter and Fulci, all with equal glee, it becomes quite clear to the reader how pointless it is to separate "genre" and "arthouse". By building fences, you only end up imprisoning yourself.

Awesome. Although even TCM seems a bit inadequate next to Psycho, and Fulci's Zombie suuucks and isn't fit to lick 'Dawn''s bootstraps. Aw, I wish I can read this, some English translator needs to get on it.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Awesome. Although even TCM seems a bit inadequate next to Psycho, and Fulci's Zombie suuucks and isn't fit to lick 'Dawn''s bootstraps. Aw, I wish I can read this, some English translator needs to get on it.

Curious. Considering how formally restrained Kurosawa is, I don't quite grasp his interesting in Tobe Hooper. Then again, I think Hooper's a lame hack with one accidental masterpiece to his credit.

That would be a great read, though.

[megladon8]

Going to see "Tokyo Sonata" sometime this week.

Any strong words for or against it?

[Sycophant]

Here are (http://match-cut.org/showthread.php?t=1272) some mostly positive words about it.

[Cult]

Going to see "Tokyo Sonata" sometime this week.

Any strong words for or against it?
Lucky son of a gun!

Kairo - A
Cure - A
Kourei - A-
Loft - B+
Retribution - B
Charisma - C+
Eyes of the Spider - C+

Doppelganger and Bright Future are incomplete viewings for me, for various reasons, and I need to get those taken care of. I'm kind of a fangirl.

[megladon8]

Lucky son of a gun!

Kairo - A
Cure - A
Kourei - A-
Loft - B+
Retribution - B
Charisma - C+
Eyes of the Spider - C+

Doppelganger and Bright Future are incomplete viewings for me, for various reasons, and I need to get those taken care of. I'm kind of a fangirl.


Jen really wasn't too happy with Charisma or Doppelganger, which sucks because - like you - she's a total fan girl :)

I really want to get myself a copy of Cure.

And I bought Jen a copy of both Seance and the original British film Seance on a Wet Afternoon, and we want to watch both of them this week.

[Cult]

Jen really wasn't too happy with Charisma or Doppelganger, which sucks because - like you - she's a total fan girl :)

I really want to get myself a copy of Cure.

And I bought Jen a copy of both Seance and the original British film Seance on a Wet Afternoon, and we want to watch both of them this week.

Yes, I remember Jen having great taste in horror--although he seems to be done with that genre, which is bittersweet (sweet only because Sonata is supposed to be amazing).

Charisma was mediocre, but I was forgiving because I love Koji Yakusho and K. Kurosawa together no matter what. It also had some nice, funny moments. Seance/Kourei is great, imo, but I haven't seen the original American movie. Report back on Sonata!

[Spun Lepton]

I was not impressed by Cure nor Pulse. In fact, Pulse irritated the shit out of me. Seance was decent. The fact that Kurosawa worships Hooper doesn't surprise me in the least, since Hooper is, at best, hit-or-miss.

[Sycophant]

Has Kurosawa indicated that he's done with horror? If so, I missed it. Tokyo Sonata is not his first film away from the horror genre.

[Cult]

Has Kurosawa indicated that he's done with horror? If so, I missed it. Tokyo Sonata is not his first film away from the horror genre.
I'm 90% sure I read as much. Apparently Retribution was to be his last horror, and that's why it plays like a greatest-hits reel with so many familiar themes of his.

[Sycophant]

I'm 90% sure I read as much. Apparently Retribution was to be his last horror, and that's why it plays like a greatest-hits reel with so many familiar themes of his.

Ah. Well, hopefully he allows himself to go back to the genre if he ever feels like he has somethign to say about it again.

And congratulations on not hating Retribution! While it's probably my least favorite of his films and I apparently liked it less than you did, I did like it.

[megladon8]

Is Loft available on R1 DVD? Under a different title maybe?

I can't find it anywhere.

[Cult]

Is Loft available on R1 DVD? Under a different title maybe?

I can't find it anywhere.
No, it isn't. It's kind of love it or hate it, too, so I wouldn't really recommend a blind buy unless you don't mind potentially wasting money. I really liked it, but I know a lot of people (including fellow KK fan Rowland, I believe) did not.

[megladon8]

No, it isn't. It's kind of love it or hate it, too, so I wouldn't really recommend a blind buy unless you don't mind potentially wasting money. I really liked it, but I know a lot of people (including fellow KK fan Rowland, I believe) did not.


Oh well. I'd still like to see it eventually.

This reminds me of a movie by Kaneto Shindo (the guy who did Onibaba) that's still not available, but apparently has a huge underground reputation as some kind of horror masterpiece.

It's called The Black Cat. Here's some IMDb info on it. (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0122136/)

I wish Criterion or Kino or someone who get their hands on it for a proper DVD release. I'm dying to see it.

[Qrazy]

Oh well. I'd still like to see it eventually.

This reminds me of a movie by Kaneto Shindo (the guy who did Onibaba) that's still not available, but apparently has a huge underground reputation as some kind of horror masterpiece.

It's called The Black Cat. Here's some IMDb info on it. (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0122136/)

I wish Criterion or Kino or someone who get their hands on it for a proper DVD release. I'm dying to see it.

It's good. Onibaba and Naked Island are better.

[megladon8]

It's good. Onibaba and Naked Island are better.


I don't doubt that Onibaba is better - that film's bloody brilliant.

How did you get to see the other two - namely The Black Cat?

If you have it on DVD or on your computer or something, would you be able to share it with me somehow?

[Qrazy]

I don't doubt that Onibaba is better - that film's bloody brilliant.

How did you get to see the other two - namely The Black Cat?

If you have it on DVD or on your computer or something, would you be able to share it with me somehow?

I got them both off of Karagarga a long time ago and have since deleted them. Someone on MC should be able to hook you up with a KG invite though.

[B-side]

I watched Pulse about a week ago, I believe. Honestly, I was left kinda indifferent. It seemed to approach moments of terror, but not milk it quite like it could have to really get the scares. I don't mean over-the-top or silly, but more in the way of anticipatory fear, if I'm making sense. I liked aspects of it. The acting wasn't one of those, though. Particularly the main guy.

[Bosco B Thug]

Curious. Considering how formally restrained Kurosawa is, I don't quite grasp his interesting in Tobe Hooper. Then again, I think Hooper's a lame hack with one accidental masterpiece to his credit. I'm sorry, nothing personal, of course, but I am personally obliged:

Boo!!! Boooo!


And I bought Jen a copy of both Seance and the original British film Seance on a Wet Afternoon, and we want to watch both of them this week. I think both are really great. Which one do you think you're going to watch first? The British original is the more intricate, Kurosawa's direct adaptation the much sparer one (a duh). His make-over of the source material is pure Kurosawa.


I'm 90% sure I read as much. Apparently Retribution was to be his last horror, and that's why it plays like a greatest-hits reel with so many familiar themes of his. Oh, he'll be back. He can go be humanist and effect change with a horror film... *thinks about that, is now riddled with self-doubt*


I watched Pulse about a week ago, I believe. Honestly, I was left kinda indifferent. It seemed to approach moments of terror, but not milk it quite like it could have to really get the scares. I don't mean over-the-top or silly, but more in the way of anticipatory fear, if I'm making sense. I liked aspects of it. The acting wasn't one of those, though. Particularly the main guy. There are a handful of things about Pulse that bug me, even as a major fan of Kurosawa. Cure is his more stolid and substantial (content-wise) film, suffering less from Kurosawa's brand of almost airily metaphoric emotionalist fantasy and abstract expressionism, which seems to almost make up Pulse in its entirety.

[Rowland]

And congratulations on not hating Retribution! While it's probably my least favorite of his films and I apparently liked it less than you did, I did like it.It may a bit of a retread, but it's an incredibly gorgeous retread, perhaps his most polished film on a visual front. And that ending with the water bucket... lol

[B-side]

There are a handful of things about Pulse that bug me, even as a major fan of Kurosawa. Cure is his more stolid and substantial (content-wise) film, suffering less from Kurosawa's brand of almost airily metaphoric emotionalist fantasy and abstract expressionism, which seems to almost make up Pulse in its entirety.

Interesting. Perhaps I'd have been better off starting there. I don't dislike Pulse at all. It just felt a bit fleeting. Not sure how I felt about it becoming an apocalyptic tale either.

[Bosco B Thug]

Interesting. Perhaps I'd ave been better off starting there. I don't dislike Pulse at all. It just felt a bit fleeting. Not sure how I felt about it becoming an apocalyptic tale either.
Oh yes, same here. I feel the film somewhat derails at the "Driving through the city" scene.


I'm not sure why I haven't seen Retribution yet. Soon.