Karaoke Terror: The Complete Showa Era Songbook (2003) Movie Review

Early twentysomething, Ishihara (Ryuhei Matsuda) one day makes friends with a most peculiar group of friends. All male, and of similar ages who all seem to share a love of voyeurism, karaoke sessions set to decades old pop tunes, and most unusual, older women. Led by the clearly troubled, Sugioka (Masanobu Ando), these boys continue their quirky lifestyles. That is until until one day, the knife-wielding leader commits murder after being turned down for sex. Sugioka, now gloating about his deed to his seemingly amazed friends, unbeknownst to him, has incurred the plotted wrath of a close-knit group of divorced, karaoke-loving middle-aged ladies known as the Midoris. It is in this one young man's act, that not only is a bizarre blood feud of sorts spawned, but a grudge match between two generations seems ready to come to a devastating head.


Based on the 1994 novel by satirist, Ryu Murakami, Karaoke Terror is that all-too-common duck that takes a twisted approach to illuminating contemporary metaphor, but finds itself at odds with how to make it work. And in this case, the war between Sugioka's band of aloof sociopaths and the aimless, yet now determined Midoris make for a potent look at the 1990s sense of deep enmity between adults and kids, but takes it into the more rarified territory of the May-December romance (essentially romantic affairs between younger men, and elder women), making this an all the creepier affair. The film wastes no time in establishing Sugioka's clearly paranoid mind, but once the inciting murder is committed, director Tetsuo Shinohara and company can't seem to figure out a means toward making the ensuing conflict make any deeper impact than a few unique images and grotesque yuks. Being a definite product of the post Battle Royale cult-cinema high Japan was going through after the horror boom ended, the film at times feels torn between extremes, and always at odds with the source material's need for emotional immediacy.



In some ways, Karaoke Terror delivers some memorable characters, particularly in the main members of the Midoris. Most standout are Kayoko Kishimoto, and Kanako Higuchi who create something of a believable backbone for the remainder of these women on a mission. Kishimoto's take being that of the sexually liberated Hemmi, and Higuchi as the magazine editor who's assignment to meet these ladies led to the formation of this group years ago, grant some semblance of class to the film. Sometimes, one cannot help but wonder if a more subdued black comedy about the lives of these characters might have made for something far more engrossing than what we do have here. As the Midoris come across as the film's closest thing to a beating heart amidst all the blood and explosives on display, one wonders if Shinohara was even the right choice considering the cartoonish nature of the violence, which does reach absurd proportions by the finale.




The script adaptation by Sumio Ohmori seems almost ready to carry Murakami's warped yet telling themes to fruition, but the largest problem seems to lay square in the lap of Shinohara, who seems to be attempting to direct a completely different film- or at least isn't as ferocious as the themes call for. Even as we are privy to the lives of the karaoke-loving cretins who start the film, enjoying watching a woman across the way striptease with windows undrawn, and in full-lit abandon, we never really get a glimpse into who they are as the borderline mentally stunted drones they seem to be. Ando's Sugioka seems to be the only one worth writing home about, and he doesn't last past the first half of the film. To make matters more difficult, the pacing is almost unbearably staccato; often stopping after a surreal joke, or violent zinger to draw out the story which is already fraught with forced story beats. The means by which both factions implicate each other throughout the film is often by way of wildly improbable leaps of convenience. It hardly matters how, but rather that they do find each other, and draw weapons. The big problems here, are that tales like these require a more visceral amount of action and humor to buoy the ensuing escalation of violence. Without this, what we have here are a series of fun, quirky cul-de-sacs barely held together by anything. And the at times too clean, pretty cinematography by Hiroshi Takase contradicts all that is happening between these often less than attractive characters.




So when thinking about it, Karaoke Terror is something of a deeply acquired taste. It does offer some handsome production values, a decent number of kooky moments, punctuated by instances of hyperbolic violence that can attract those merely ready for a unique night watching movies. But in a post-Fight Club cinema environment, one wonders what this would have been like if animated and directed within more constrained circumstances. What could have been a tight, provocative, and savagely funny voyage through contemporary Japan's war of the generations, merely plays as a leisurely blueprint of weird. 

Nightmare Detective (2006) Movie Review

After a series of grotesque suicides linked by eerie cell phone calls confound newly transplanted detective Kirishima (hitomi), and her team, they are forced to resort to seek out the assistance of a tortured, unstable young man (Ryuhei Matsuda) capable of inhabiting the dreams of potential victims. Hindsight can be a brutal thing, even regarding those that continue to inspire us. Which is why indie icon Shinya Tsukamoto's first foray into the J-horror mainstream remains an incongruous mix.  For all the seemingly jackpot perfect material the premise of a dream-diving misfit at odds with a psychopath with similar abilities, Akumu Tantei, despite spawning a sequel, is something more akin to a style exercise wrapped in a half-formed story. While much of the same, often cold, frenetic beauty Tsukamoto's films have been known for remains intact, the story never feels ready to come out of second gear. 

Having become the only woman to join the city's violent crimes division, the often prickly Kirishima herself is something of a tormented character despite often being relegated by way of script to wearing heels to a murder scene, and at times seeming completely clueless as to her new position at the department. Even amongst her new peers, which include the skeptical elder, Sekiya (Ren Osugi), and younger, more supportive Wakamiya (Masanobu Ando) , her transition is potentially something that could easily be seen as a prime target for the film's thesis, but once the crew sets their sights on having Matsuda's character in Kagenuma assist them in stopping the killer, in come the requisite chase n slash, which could easily have been more effective had the story been given more consideration. Another major subplot of the film involves detective Kirishima's personal difficulties with sleeping, and perhaps the troubled past that haunts her constantly. There seems to be an attempt being made to help this mean something throughout the course of the story, but it ultimately never achieves such a goal. And given the fact that much of Tsukamoto's most powerful works have done so well in the exploration of urban life, and the inherent feeling of alienation it can engender, what happens here seems so much less personal, and more like a preview to the "Greatest Hits" compilations that were to come soon after.


The murders having been connected by way of each victim seemingly last calling "0" on their phones, come courtesy of yet another creepy turn by director Tsukamoto, who has essentially made a career of playing characters such as these, feels much less like an actual character or even threat, so much as an admission of his own complicity in a work that has much less agency. So when it comes time for him and crew to deliver some classic Kaijyu Theatre-style antics in the murder/chase sequences, they are as rough and occasionally exhilarating as ever. Truth be told, several moments and images courtesy of some truly surreal nightmare logic come to fruition. The problem of course comes back to the meat that is binding these scenes together. And despite all that is being done to remedy the holes inherent in the script, Tsukamoto's "0" character rarely gets any chance to become terribly compelling despite everything. And coming off of a much more disturbing role in Takashi Shimizu's Marebito(2004), this is almost seen as a customary expectation rather than a character.

But possibly the biggest stumbling block the film suffers from the near anemic casting of singer, hitomi in the role of Kirishima. We can again just blame the script for this, but when one spends additional time observing her, it becomes clear that even some acting could have risen a small notch over the material. A lot if not all of her scenes feel awkward, even by Tsukamoto standards. It was as if director and actor were simply having trouble making the dialogue and motivations work. After having seen the director utilize actresses to astonishing effect in other films, a turn like this is in many ways telling of why she did not return for the second film in this series. But again, to be fair, this script remains the most egregious issue with the film as everything else around the production borders on immaculate from the photography, editing and music that do their part to gloss over what simply isn't on the page. Which all the more makes the more commonly angelic presence of Ryuhei Matsuda seem all the more jarring in many ways. For a title character, he seems more like a dark parody of many a broody anti-hero, but never seems to become more than a chuckle-delivering one-note, which is also a bit of a letdown.

Now while all of this may seem to be very disparaging to someone who has grown as an ardent admirer of Tsukamoto's works, Akumu Tantei is also a technical marvel that retains much of the same independent spirit, despite obviously being flirted by colorless corporate interests. It feels much like a hijacking of yet another violent terebi-drama, but with only middling results. It also proves just how soulful the work of "the iron man" can actually be when unfiltered.

The Endless Envy: Battle Royale At 12

Initially had zero plans to write up anything regarding Thursday night's screening continuation of Cinefamily's unprecedented weeklong engagement  of Kinji Fukasaku's classic swan song, Battle Royale, but it didn't take long for the thought to spring forth to do so, especially due to the events happening around the film. Upon arriving, and subsequently waiting in line outside the retrofitted/resurrected Silent Movie Theater on Fairfax near downtown Los Angeles, I found myself surrounded by an impressive turnout for a foreign film, let alone one that has been such a phenomenon of the internet for nearly twelve years as of this event. One would think that such popularity in internet years would experience some kind of dropoff..Not so here in the slightest. But once the clock hit around twenty five minutes before the doors would be opened to allow us entrance to the movie house, something happened that came very close to causing such numbers to be decimated in quick measure.




 We were notified by Hadrian, the proprietor that their digital projector had apparently burnt itself out, and that they were being forced to delay the screening by roughly an hour as a reploacement was being rushed our way from Echo Park! And to be completely frank, this was a moment where part of me felt compelled to walk away. Having owned the film in multiple formats, and having already seen it in a large audience, there was little reason keeping me from soldiering on and waiting another hour to watch a film I had already seen surrounded by complete strangers. Initial plans was to go to this screening with perhaps another to bounce ideas off as BR is often want to do whenever I watch it with company. And since there was little else but perhaps the mere opportunity to see what form this version of Battle Royale would be, there was little keeping me motivated to stay.

Then I overheard people around me, and it hit me..After twelve years of almost complete internet saturation (or so I had long imagined), there were many in attendance who had not seen the film. And that alone, was enough to double-motivate me to stay. There is something inherently thrilling about the idea of a BR cherry. It has been so long since I myself could ever count myself as one of those. The film has within it, and incredible power that almost always leaves a lasting impression on those who see it for the first time. Much like the shockwave that rushed through the kids within the first thirty minutes of the film, the audience is often confronted with the book/film's wildly perverse premise, and are immediately either repelled, or inescapably transfixed by it. The film remains utterly incapable of leaving anyone inert, or indifferent. And the thought that a room that was at least 40% comprised of those new to the experience became quite the attractive thought. Add the influence of no traditional codes regarding alcohol in a movie theatre, and possibly even another Mondo Mix created by the folks at the Cinefamily, things just became that much more potentially exciting.

As hoped, the Mondo Mix was their Xmas themed one, and damn if it wasn't terrifying. And not for the scenes culled from the Silent Night, Deadly night film series, but for the inclusions of Tanglefoot & Shouji Tabuchi. (You can look them up...To explain here would kill the fun.)

And then came the new projector, and a crisp, high-definition presentation of...

                                                Battle Royale: Special Version

My night wasn't so much shot, as it was more mildly disappointed in the sense that someone either didn't check the difference between versions, or has some kind of preference for a version of a film I believe to be inferior to the original cut. For those unfamiliar, Battle Royale's smash hit status in Japan prompted Toei to invest in additional scenes to be shot for a rerelease edition of the film several months later. And the footage largely centers on a recurring flashback of a basketball game which is supposed to reinforce the relationships in the film, as well as offer a slightly more heartfelt denoument to the brutality exhibited on the island where the majority of the story takes place. The problem is that pacing gets hurt immensely by this footage, and it often elicited laughs from nearly everyone I have ever shows it to over the years, and deservedly so. Much of the added footage grants little to no real meat to the proceedings, and often overdramatizes many of the film's already hyperbolic emotions. They are more reminiscent of some of Fukasaku's son (and BR screenwriter) Kenta, and his great weaknesses as a writer which almost completely marr the deeply inferior Battle Royale II. It doesn't help that many of the actors were seemingly moving on from shooting the film when they were called back in, sporting slightly older looks in keeping with the fact that the movie uses real teenagers, who will go through the expected growth spurts, making these  scenes look double-awkward to the extra attentive. All we get with Special Version are these flashbacks, some "enhanced" CG bloodshed, and a few additional shots that add nothing to the narrative to the point of being distracting. In all, it's a much lesser version of the movie that should never really be the first way a newbie should experience such an amazing piece of work.

So do I still love the film? Emphatically, yes. It remains one of my personal favorite movies despite its myriad of flaws. There is so much passion, energy, and rage at work in this film that never washes away, mainly due to having among the most entertaining opening thirty minutes of any movie I have ever seen. Taking such an across the board kick to the head philosophy as this film adopts as a backbone of the plot, while still not completely sanitizing some of the more grotesque elements of Koshun's novel. It remains a brilliant intermingling of post Slasher film, seishun eiga, and sports drama with a dash of political horror that holds little sacred, and common sense in less regard. Being a product of its time, the often reeling impact of protracted economic recession, and near panicked impasse between the young and old continues to shine brightly in Japan as the elderly population continues to grow at an increasingly accelerated rate, and youth violence has reached untold highs. One can easily see a film like this being blamed for such an increase, but upon closer inspection, Fukasaku's film deviates quite a bit from the novel, in that the use of "weapons" serves as a much more potent metaphor for what it is we take with us as we move into adulthood despite our childish desires. It takes a more responsible approach, despite perhaps making the Kitano Takeshi character a little puzzlingly forced. Despite this, Fukasaku's message remains beautifully clear for future generations. Whether it be education, a hidden talent, or the ability to empathize with another person, these are BR's greatest weapons. What happens with them may not always bear intended results, but they often are what grant us greater meaning in the world. The film's questioning of both how brutal it is to be a kid, and how so many so-called grown-ups seem to have not learned anything while imposing so much on the coming generations is at the heart of matters, and it remains as powerful as ever.

 

Special Thanks To VCinemashow & Cinefamily for making last night possible!