Yakuza Apocalypse (BFI 59th London Film Festival)

Takashi Miike isn't quite as prolific as he used to be at his height around fifteen years ago. Now, he works to a casual two or three films a year, rather than his exhausting six or seven on the early Naughties. But, has the drop in quantity resulted in a upturn in quality?

Miike films have always been up and down in terms of quality, switching from bigger budget films, like 'Audition' and 'Ichi the Killer' to low-rent, low quality dross, such as 'Silver' or 'Family'. But this was always Miike's charm. The switching of budget, writers, cast, styles and genres resulted in a lot of experimenting, with ideas from the bad benefiting the good.

Now established and of international renown, his films come with anticipation and expectation - maybe to his films' detriment. He could make a bad film before, and no one would realise. Now if he does we'll all hear about it. Recent films, such as '13 Assassins', 'For Love's Sake, 'Hara-kiri' and 'Lessons of Evil' show a more established director, trusted with bigger budgets and international film festival screenings. And while these have their moments, they are not quite as fun and inventive as his earlier works.

'Yakuza Apocalypse' is his latest film to come with a hint of anticipation as to what might be. With his need to cover each and every genre, we now see him take on the vampire film, set among the yakuza. Kamiura is a local yakuza boss, with the respect of those around him. But he has a secret: he's a yakuza vampire, if there is such a thing. This, however, attracts some unwanted attention, and he is destroyed by his rivals. Though before his demise, he bites his loyal lieutenant, Kageyama, transferring his powers unto him. Seen as a Matrix-style 'The One' , he sets about getting revenge, though by this point, ordinary civilians have turned into yakuza vampires themselves, creating a world of chaos where the old, everyday yakuza have no place.

Being a vampire film, this is of course very silly, with moments that make me largely avoid ever watching films of this ilk, actors tested in their ability to give the most stupid of performances with a straight face. This does add a sense of fun to the film and comparisons to his Nineties films 'Fudoh' and 'Full metal Yakuza' can be made, taking a more zany and comic-book approach to the yakuza genre. Indeed, 'Yakuza Apocalypse' very much feels like it could have been a manga, and I'm surprised one hasn't yet been made - to the best of my knowledge, anyway.

However, the aforementioned films had a bit more edge to them than 'Yakuza Apocalypse'. There's something about the handheld camerawork and straight-to-video feel of these films that suits the more outlandish style, rather than the big sets and production values of his more recent films. The kappa and costumed characters are fun, but feel a bit weird for the sake of being weird, perhaps over-used to the point where it can become a bit farcical. The final fight scene between Kageyama and 'The Raid 2's' Yayan Ruhian is unnecessarily overdrawn, with little real action and suits as a disappointing end, a far cry from the unexpected and instant conclusion of 'Dead or Alive'.

But if you take away any serious attempts at analysis, this is a fun film, with a little bit of everything thrown in. The cast is full of known people, with Hayato Ichihara looking suitably half alive as Kageyama throughout and appearing-everywhere-now Kiyohiko Shibukawa expressing his full range of bemused faces.  

At his best, Miike's films are easily watchable over and over. His more recent films, while enjoyable on first viewing, are less repeatable, and so it will remain to be seen whether 'Yakuza Apocalypse' sits nicely alongside his extensive catalogue of experiments that, while varying in quality, always create curiosity. 

  

Every 14 Days...(3)

Do the Right Thing (Ed Guerrero)

I’ve been meaning to get round to reading the BFI books relating to some of the more classic films of the world, looking at them in a more academic context. And so where better to start than my most favourite film that the BFI has published a book about: Do the Right Thing.

Being, as they are, relatively short works, the BFI books are ones that can be got through pretty quickly, before re-watching the film and looking for all those elements that you missed, that a more intelligent person spotted. Putting Do the Right Thing in the context of black American cinema, and the wider civil rights movement, Ed Guerrero’s account is a complete one, looking at all aspects of the controversial film.

Journeying through director Spike Lee’s tribulations in the film’s production and the wide criticism that the film was designed to incite racial violence, Guerrero doesn’t necessarily open any new doors to a film I watched repeatedly in my teenage years, but it does repose the question that the film’s title eludes to.

Days to read: 7
Days per book: 10.8


America (Franz Kafka)

The third and final of the three Kafka novels in my collection, I found ‘America’ a slightly easier read than both ‘The Castle’ and ‘The Trial’, though, ironically, I took my time getting there.

Charting the journey of Karl Rossman, a young German sent to America by his parents, and his inevitable trials and tribulations in his first moments in the ‘Land of the Free’. Meeting a host of characters that both help and hinder him along the way, Rossman soon learns that this land of promises can be short-lived, as opportunities present themselves, only to be snatched away as fast as they came.

Out of the three Kafka novels I have read, I would almost say ‘America’ is the most commercial, if there could be such a thing. Complete with paragraphs, ‘America’ is much easier to read and feels more about a personal journey than a struggle against the system. Though having said that, it is probably the Kafka novel I enjoyed the least; less thought-provoking than the others.

Days to read: 29
Days per book: 13.6


Audition (Murakami Ryu)

Having seen and enjoyed the Takashi Miike film it inspired, I thought it was about time that I read the book by Murakami Ryu.
Quite short in length, the book makes for a good holiday read: nothing too heavy and moves quite quickly The film is very faithful to the book, with the exception of some slight variation in the ending.

What is surprising is that Takashi’s film has a slow and sinister pace, with a large psychological element. The book, however, moves at a quite fast pace, with little of this psychological depth coming across. In many ways, the book almost feels like the script for the film, being that they are similar, with Takashi then given license to work his magic.

Less descriptive and flowing in style than his namesake, Murakami Ryu doesn’t exactly paint a vivid picture in the mind of the reader, but is a good enough storyteller, nonetheless.

Days to read: 5
Days per book: 12.4


The Big Bento Box of Unuseless Japanese Inventions (Kawakami Kenji)

When I saw this book, I had to buy it, answering, as it did, that age-old question: What is the art of Chindogu? Well, as Kawakami Kenji explains, a chindogu is an invention that could possibly serve some purpose and may indeed be proved useful to someone. However, a certain flaw or impracticality in the design makes it almost useless, but not quite. A chindogu has to exist (i.e. having been made), but cannot be patented or manufactured on a large scale, as then it would prove completely useful, and not unuseless, as a chindogu should be.

Edited by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, of all people, ‘The Big Bento Box...’ showcases some of the weird and wonderful inventions that come out of the Floating World.

Being quick and easy to read, I more picked this up whenever I needed a giggle. Highlights include: The Hydrophobe’s Bath Body Suit, Subway Snoozer’s Chin Stand, Face Iron and the Hairy Ego Booster.

Days to read: 29
Days per book: 13.3


South of the Border, West of the Sun (Murakami Haruki)

‘It’s messed up when your mind’s playin’ tricks on you,’ so said the Geto Boys.

I’m fast on my way to having completed all of Murakami’s novels now; a couple more and I’ll pretty much be there. ‘South of the Border...’ is far from his best work to date, on the surface feeling very similar to many of his works: A man struggles for identity, recalling his past loves while listening to an extensive array of jazz and classical music.

It’s very much a Murakami paint-by-numbers piece, but that’s not such a bad thing, and being that it’s short like ‘Audition’ before it, it makes for a short and sweet holiday read.

Feeling like a story full of too many convenient coincidences to start, towards the end we soon realise that the mind of the lost hero, Hajime, may be playing tricks on him as his past memories grow to obsessions, pressing him with important questions.

Days to read: 6
Days per book: 10.7