The films of Kitano, Tsukamoto & Miike. 

The three best known of the cult film directors working in Japan today. Each has their own group of devotees but none are likely to ever make anything more than a dent amongst the mainstream audience, Kitano by choice, Tsukamoto and Miike because their style has limited appeal.

Takeshi Kitano, film director, actor, aka Beat Takeshi, comedian, game show host, film director. A genuine workaholic, his films have ventured from cult through commercial to art-house and back again, he has a distinctive style, visual and aural rhythm play a very important part in his films and the symbolism of the sea and angels are concurrent along with his own paintings. Im sure his best is yet to come.

Shinya Tsukamoto, a totally unique director, writer, actor. From his first hit Tetsuo he has pushed the boundaries in terms of mutations of man and machine in a similar way to some of Cronenbergs work. Highly visual and franticly edited, his films are usually quite short at around the 70 minute mark but are packed with a tremendous amount of energy and pace, you can see elements of his editing style in films like Darren Aronofskys Pi and the Japanese film Electric Dragon 80,000V. 

Takashi Miike, 14 years as a director and 65 movies and series in the bag, the figures are staggering but the quality of his work varies so much and the majority of his films can become tediously repetitive. He appears to be a jobbing director, need a film done, need it fast, give it to Miike and he hasnt done anything that is his own, not yet at least. Amongst all the Yakuza flicks and Manga adaptations there are sparks of a good imaginative director with a quirky sense of humour but its likely that hell stay as he is, churning them out by the dozen with just the odd spark of distinction. 


Please feel free to add your own comments, reviews and criticisms to this thread.

INDEX

Kitano

Kikujiro - 1999

Zatoichi - 2003

Tsukamoto

Tetsuo the Ironman - 1988 

Tetsuo II: Body Hammer 1992 

Hiruko the Goblin - 1990

Vital - 2004

Miike

Happiness of the Katakuris - 2001 comments by wpqx 

Box - Three Extremes - 2004 comments by wpqx 

Ley Lines - 1999 comments by wpqx 

Audition - 1999 comments by wpqx 

Izo - 2004 comments by wpqx 

The Bird People in China - 1998 

Big Bang Love, Juvenile A - 2005 Comments by A.

Full Metal Yakuza - 1997 comments by wpqx 

Still to come list.



For other sections of Japanese Journals, please use the links

1.General

2. Kurosawa, Ozu & Mizoguchi - The Classics

3. Kitano, Tsukamoto & Miike - The Modern Cult Directors

4. Anime

5. Horror & Ghost Stories

6. Jidaigeki (Chambara)

Cheers Trev