Fuku-chan of Fukufuku Flats (Raindance Film Festival 2014 Part I)

The Raindance Film Festival in London is one of those film festivals that I don't always get excited about, falling as it does behind the likes of the London Film Festival, the Terracotta Film Festival, the Japan Foundation annual film programme, the London Korean Film Festival and the all-night Steven Segal Wank-a-thon in my thoughts. That's not to say it's bad or anything, I just always forget about it.

This year was no exception, coming at a time when I was far too busy to even think, let alone watch a film. But hang on, there's some good shit here. Decisions to attend films were made slightly late in the day (i.e. the night before) and I was watching the films in an uncomfortable state of tiredness.

Essentially, I couldn't make many of the films anyway; and those I did see were squeezed in around important things in my life (wedding food tastings, Villa playing Man City). There were, however, some good films on offer, notably the Third Window Films line-up of four, count them, films...I made one of them (I've pre-ordered the 'New Directors from Japan' DVD already).

So, that's three paragraphs gone and I haven't even mentioned a single film yet. 'Fine, Totally Fine': now that's a film. The debut feature by director Yosuke Fujita, it is a film that I very much liked. A nice, gently-paced comedy, it is full of 'Quirky Guys and Gals', much like the title of his next feature. I, therefore, had high hopes for his latest work: 'Fuku-chan of Fukufuku Flats'.

Reading the premise, you instantly knew this was going to be in much the same vein of 'Fine, Totally Fine'. About a man - played by a woman - Fukuda is a happy-go-lucky industrial painter whom is everybody's best friend and counsellor, helping introverted colleagues and let's say quirky neighbours alike. But there's something clearly missing from his life (not the obvious being that this is a female playing a male).

The side story of aspiring photographer Chiho soon merges with the life of the lead as she unannounced arrives at his door: his first love, but essentially a girl that tricked and embarrassed him when they were at school together. A fat man with an unusual face (you can see why they cast a female as the lead), Fukuda re-forms a friendship with Chiho largely based around her taking photos of him. Much like 'Fine, Totally Fine', sexual love might not make the ending happy, but a group of misfits find each other and so maybe feel less confused about their unique ways.

With my constant referencing to 'Fine, Totally Fine' it's clear that I probably prefer the earlier work to this new one. And I probably do, but the fact that I was anticipating this film for a while means that I'm not concerned by this.

The role of Fukuda, played by female comedian Miyuki Oshima, is good as the lead, necessary for a character comedy to work. My always favourite Yoshiyoshi Arakawa is not as involved as I would normally desire though provides some incredibly necessary facial expressions, while the supporting characters are weird and wonderful, particularly the typical-of-Japanese-comedy duo of Mabuchi (Tateto Serizawa) and Nonoshita (Asato Iida): two men that very much need to get laid.

A scene that surmises this film stylistically, and indeed Fujita's brand of direction, is the beautifully insane visit to a curry house. Odd human beings, a baffling situation, social awkwardness, all done with a sense of calm...until someone bursts into an ultimately futile fir of rage. Fujita's style is very much in-line with that of other Japanese directors when injecting some comedy into their films. A very subtle buffoonery is present throughout, sometimes reminiscent of an early Kitano Takeshi at his most silly. 

Third Window Films have distributed many films along a similar line as this and continue to do so. A gentle brand of foolishness that is ultimately fun to be enjoyed, with the odd bit of Shinya Tsukamoto thrown in for balance. 'Fuku-chan of Fukufuku Flats' was a film I was anticipating, and I'm glad I did. Now let's all try and stab someone for no apparent reason...

Terracotta Far East Film Festival 2014

Improving on last year's poor performance of making just one single screening at the Terracotta Far East Film Festival, I made it to a whopping two of the various offerings this year. Seeing a Korean film last year, this year I decided to complete the 'Holy Trinity' (not Browns, The Griffine and The Flying Scotsman), by seeing one Japanese and one Hong Kong/China production.

Avoiding convention and putting second things first, the closing film of the festival was 'Judge!' by debutant director Akira Nagai. Kiichiro, our undoubted hero, is a hapless employee at a Japanese advertising agency. Loathed by the majority of those he works with, the ad concepts he works on repeatedly fail to impress and his future with the company is endlessly in doubt. With pressure from a  major client to fix the voting at an international advertising grand prix, one of the agency chiefs decides to send Kiichiro the California, knowing his failure will justify his desired dismissal. Finding nothing but dishonesty and corruption (what?! in advertising?!) within the judging, Kiichiro is left disillusioned with the industry he chose as a career path.

But, this is a comedy, so everything works out well in the end...of course.

Nagai and script writer Yoshimitsu Sawamoto both work as advertising directors, with the vast majority of what happens claimed as being 'based on true events.' But on watching 'Judge!', it's clear that both exaggeration and artistic license are added to this reality. What this is is an enjoyable mainstream romp of a film: there is nothing here to be taken seriously, despite its attempts at moral messages, with a cast of big names and enough laughs throughout.

Perhaps the film's failings are in that it is a film about advertising, directed by an advertising director. Advertising relies on stereotypes and exaggeration, with which this film is chock-full. National stereotypes are played up, with manga-esque characters flirting with the farcical. But this isn't meant to be anything more than it is - it has Yoshiyoshi Arakawa and Lily Franky in it.

First things second, the other film viewed was poor-man's kung-fu megastar Donnie Yen's 'Special ID'. This is very much standard Donnie Yen fayre for me: a lot of action, little real need for plot and leaves you feeling entertained, not deep in contemplative thought.

Playing an undercover policeman who has been written by someone who has seen 'Infernal Affairs', Yen travels to the mainland from Hong Kong to track down an old acquaintance and essentially bring him down.  Cue some pretty impressive fight scenes (some interesting mixed-martial arts action) and some nicely filmed action scenes and you have your lot. Much like many action films you can watch these days, there is a sense that you can feel desensitised to what you see before you. But, every now and again, I do get the sense of having seen some well done stunt work that does need some applauding. This has that: while not exactly groundbreaking, it does deserve some recognition in parts. With Donnie Yen, you get what you pay for.

With the previous Terracotta Far East Film Festivals I've been to in the past, I know I've not exactly seen the best of the best of Asian cinema. The films are always entertaining, but never outstanding. But I never feel that's the aim of the festival. With emphasis on leading more mainstream offerings, director and actor Q&As and having a beer and some dim sum by the end of it, they are always as much about the gathering than the films themselves, with the chance to meet, greet and discuss and that's never a bad thing.