You and Miike

To begin with, I am a huge fan of Asian cinema.  Whether it's the infatuation with character development or their blatant disregard for ultra-violence, something about it just works for me.  So, for this blog post, I've decided to highlight the career of a director that many Westerners have never heard of:  Takashi Miike.

This Japanese director has accumulated a cult following for his ultra violent, absurd, and uncomfortable style of filmmaking.  He currently has 76 (I can hardly believe this one myself) films under his directorial belt, averaging at almost five films per year.

These aren't merely home-movies either.  These are full-length feature films.

His most notable films in the West are, debatably, "Audition," "Visitor Q," and "Ichi the Killer."  Each are special for their unique style and direction, but they are also extremely violent.  These are highly recommended if you can stomach the ride, but do pay heed to my warnings.

According to Wikipedia, "Ichi the Killer" had 15 minutes cut out of the Honk Kong version and was banned by Britain for its high levels of violence against women.  Currently, the US has the full uncut version available as an unrated DVD.

For a (slightly) more light-hearted flick, check out "The Happiness of the Katakuri's."  This musical zombie film tells the story of the Katakuri family, who buy a guest house in the country.  As their guests start dying by accident and murder, they bury them in order to salvage their business and the hilarity ensues.

At present, I'm looking forward to Miike's 2008 release of "Sukiyaki Western Django," a remake of the 1966 spaghetti western "Django."  It's colorful, it's violent, and it's got a cameo by Quentin Tarantino. Perfection.

Watch the trailer and let me know what you think.  Sometimes I think I'm crazy for liking this sort of stuff, but who knows, maybe you just might like it too.