Japanese TV is mostly about baby animals and Avril Lavigne these days

I have an article about the San Francisco experimental film scene in the new issue of STUDIO VOICE. Crazy Craig Baldwin does most of the talking and the story revolves (mostly) around the inspirational and creatively-fertile Other Cinema scene.

It’s the “Movie Guide for Dissatisfied Audiences” issue. Here’s how the Editor in Chief explained the concept to me.

“It is based on the idea that the recent "Japanese movie bubble" is shit. We are trying to find out how we can come across the truly interesting films (commercial/independent/Japanese/American/etc) which are not made with TV money.”

He’s right. Anime films have been really strong lately, but I can’t think of the last live-action Japanese movie I’ve seen that blew me away. The last one was probably Godzilla Final Wars back in 2004, and I think it may have been good for all the wrong reasons. I'm not bitter...but I'm also not impressed by the "Japanese movie bubble" one whit. Any of you lot feel different?

Comments

[Jostein]

Just thought I'd comment on that Avril Lavigne shit.

Saw that -all- over Shibuya when I was down there the other day. Kinda disappointing really.

[Patrick Macias]

Avril is already the poster girl for the spooky Kera magazine-reading, Marui Young chicks, but her appeal is alarmingly much bigger than that.

I saw her voted "Most Popular Gaijin" on TV the other day, with Beyonce and Cameron Diaz trailing behind. Who comes up with these figures anyways?

The good news is, as the Goddess Kannon points out, "it will be someone else up there soon enough."

[Carl Horn]

This, as you may be aware, is a true story:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Make_5_Wishes

[Patrick Macias]

Tommy Heavenly6 should try the OEL manga approach. Might actually work here. I'm pretty sure she's taken most of her musical cues from Avril already, so why not the marketing?

(PS I break out the Tommy Feburary6 when no one is looking)

[James]

Lots of baby animals and other crap, but tomorrow night at 8pm Terebi Champion is going to have a foreign otaku champion battle! Are you one of the contestants, Patrick?

[Patrick Macias]

I ain't but I think Ardith Carlton might be...http://toki-o-koete.livejournal.com/

[Joseph Luster]

I honestly can't remember what the most recent, as far as release date goes, Japanese flick I watched was. Probably Izo.

[Joseph Luster]

Wait, no, Great Yokai War.

[john]

Many big name Japanese films (or big films, really) are great examples of a paint-by-numbers approach to filmmaking. Like Limit of Love http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0809469/ .

[HABE]

Definitely Swing Girls.
Definitely Great Yokai War.

To those I would add:
* Kamikaze Girls (Shimotsuma monogatari)
* Otakus in Love (Koi no mon)
* Ashura (Ashura-jô no hitomi)
* Last Quarter (Kagen no tsuki)

And these guilty pleasures:
* Marebito
* Nana

[J.L. Carrozza]

The last Japanese film I saw was Sinking of Japan, which was fucking horrible. It makes Higuchi's earlier Lorelei, which was highly decent and entertaining but incredibly nationalistic and with a lot of plot problems, look like a masterpiece. I've heard great things about Kaneko's Death Note movies, though.

Apparently South Korea is where it's at now as far as Asian cinema is concerned. I just haven't had the time or money to see as many Korean films as I should, though I loved Oldboy and The Host.

[donelly]

how come marebito is a guilty pleasure? if americans would make films like that I'd be in a state of bliss. what about noriko's dinner table, memories of matsuko, hanging garden, tony takitani, who's camus anyway, bashing? I could go on and on. Japanese cinema is like today's Nouvelle Vague.

[Patrick Macias]

Ok. Maybe I've isolated the source of my disinterest. While things are ok for art films and big budget whatevers, genre film has really been suffering of late. 10 years ago, Miike would have directed Sukeban Dekka as a V-cinema and it would have been amazing.

[Erin]

I really liked "Linda Linda Linda" but I know it came out years ago, and it's kind of a Japanese indy-film (or so I imagine). The same goes for "A Taste of Tea".

[donelly]

speaking of Linda Linda Linda - Patrick did you record a commentary track for the VIZ dvd release? I haven't received my copy yet but I enjoyed your commentary on Densha Otoko.

[Patrick Macias]

I didn't do a full commentary track this time. It's more like an audio FAQ where I freestyle for about 10 min total.

[Joseph Luster]

Oh man, Wes' comment totally reminded me of watching Umizaru. That movie was great.

I was looking forward to Miike's western until I realized that it's probably all in English. That was almost unbearable in Imprint, and I couldn't even understand what they were saying in the trailer.