Friday, June 29, 2007

DVD roundup

An overview of recent American DVD releases of Japanese films

Criterion has released a number of classic Japanese movies in recent months, the most famous of these probably being Sansho the Bailiff (1954), one of the last films made by Kenji Mizoguchi, who many critics consider Japan’s greatest director. This exquisite period drama recounts the tragic tale of Anju and Zushio, siblings who are separated from their parents and sold as laborers.


Sansho the Bailiff


Following the success of Clint Eastwood’s Letters from Iwo Jima, Criterion released a pair of classic films from director Kon Ichikawa that examine the horrors of the Pacific war. Fires on the Plain (1959) follows Japanese soldiers in the Phillipines towards the end of the war, as they wander aimlessly over a disorienting landscape. As the soldiers receive conflicting orders and their situation deteriorates, they become ravaged by hunger, madness, and disease. Fires is unlike any war film I’ve seen in its flat, unsentimental approach to the harrowing subject matter. Also available: The Burmese Harp (1956).


The Burmese Harp


Vengeance Is Mine (1979): One of Japan’s most perceptive directors, Shohei Imamura was driven to understand the human capacity for greed, lust, and violence. Based on a true story of a fugitive on a two-month journey of murder, theft, and deception, Vengeance Is Mine is an unflinching character study and a darkly comic portrait of a sociopath’s tangled relationships with his victims, his family, and society.

Linda Linda Linda (2005) is a deadpan comedy about four high school girls learning a rock song for a school festival. Director Nobuhiro Yamashita crafted a sincere, refreshing film that avoids the many clichés of the genre. NYAFF listing


Linda Linda Linda


Dora-Heita (2000): The story for this period drama was written by Akira Kurosawa and his “Club of the Four Knights” in 1969, but was not filmed until thirty years later by surviving knight Kon Ichikawa. Actor Koji Yakusho (Shall We Dansu) plays the titular “Alley Cat” who runs into comic trouble when he is assigned to clean up a lawless town.

Blind Woman’s Curse (1971): This strange and entertaining film by Teruo Ishii mixes a female yakuza revenge tale with phantasmagoric horror and oddball humor. Actress Meiko Kaji (of Lady Snowblood, an oft-cited influence on Kill Bill) plays a tattooed yakuza boss targeted by rival gangs and haunted by a sinister black cat. Great fun for cult film fans.


Blind Woman's Curse


Cutie Honey (2004): Campy action parody based on a popular comic.

A box set of five late films by Yasujiro Ozu, one of Japan’s greatest directors, is available. If you’re unfamiliar with Ozu, Early Summer (1951) is a great place to start.

Coming soon: Three Films by Hiroshi Teshigahara

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Chicago events: July

EVENT

Buddhist Temple of Chicago - 61st Natsu Matsuri (summer festival)
Sunday, July 1, 11am-6pm
1151 W. Leland (free off street parking at Bridgeview Bank, Broadway & Lawerence). Admission is free.
Food availability is limited - please preorder from the website (link above) if you want to eat.
Artwork on display. Books, apparel, and crafts for sale. Silent auction & prizes.


CONCERT

P-Heavy, a girl's rock trio from Nagano, plays in Chicago for People Project on July 4th. Email us for details.

Friday, June 22, 2007

Twin Cities Events: June

CONCERT

Melt-Banana plays at 7th St. Entry
Sunday, June 24, 8 pm. $10.
Local Japanese punk favorites Birthday Suits open.
The tour includes stops in Des Moines (6/26) Lawrence (6/27) and Omaha (6/28) after opening for Tool this weekend in St. Louis and Ft. Wayne. Say what you will about this band--they do not neglect the Midwest.


ART

Shojo Manga! Girl Power!
Minneapolis College of Art and Design, 2501 Stevens Ave. S. Tel. 612-874-3700 Mapquest link
through June 29.
This is a fascinating exhibit of more than 200 illustrations from Japanese comics for girls. Admission is free, but you might want to call ahead to make sure the building is open. If you can't make it, the link above contains a nice gallery of images.

Ukiyo-e - from the permanent collection
Minneapolis Institute of Arts - ongoing


GROUP

Minneapolis Japanese Language and Culture Meetup Group
This is a new group that we know nothing about, so we can't exactly endorse it, but it may be worth checking out. First meeting was held June 19th.

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Chicago Events: June – July

CONCERTS

Tokyo's noisy, abrasive rock outfit Melt-Banana plays at the Abbey Pub Thursday, June 21, at 9 pm. Ages 18+. Tickets $10 - $12.
Melt-Banana website

From the Chicago Tribune: "Tatsu Aoki's galvanic Miyumi Project, which combines jazz and Japanese taiko drumming, performs 9 p.m. Saturday at the Velvet Lounge, 67 E. Cermak Rd.; $10-$20; 312-791-9050."
Tatsu Aoki website


EVENTS

Japan Festival
June 23 – 24 (Saturday 11am – 6:30pm; Sunday 11am – 5pm)
Forest View Educational Center
2121 S. Goebbert Rd. Mapquest link
Arlington Heights, Illinois
$3 donation
http://www.japanfest-chicago.org/
Presented by the Mid-America Japanese Club and District 214 Community Education

JAS Chicago 77th Annual Dinner
Thursday, June 28th, 6-9:30 pm, Arlington Heights
Reservations


FILM

Paprika, a feature-length animated film by Satoshi Kon, is playing at several area theaters. This surreal science-fiction adventure has been greeted with enthusiastic reviews.
Chicago Tribune review

MIDNIGHT SUN (Taiyo no Uta) - Presented by the Japan Information Center and Cinema/Chicago as part of the FREE INTERNATIONAL SUMMER SCREENINGS by Cinema/Chicago.
Wednesday, July 25 7:30 pm
Claudia Cassidy Theatre77 E. Randolph StreetFREE ADMISSION

At Facets Cinematheque
July 06 – 12: The Glamorous Life of Sachiko Hanai
July 13 – 19: Hula Girls


ART

At the Art Institute of Chicago - Free admission Thursday and Friday evenings through August 31.

Kamisaka Sekka – The World of Things. 20th century woodblock prints.

through July 1

Kota Ezawa – On the Scene
through September 3

Japonisme : The Impact of Japanese Prints in 19th-Century Europe
through October 1

Upcoming:
Poetry of Friendship: Surimono and the Cultural Salons of Japan
July 7 – September 16


Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art
Takashi Murakami's 116-foot-wide, 24-foot-high wallpaper installation of thousands of Japanese anime-style bright green eyes. Through Dec. 30

If you know of anything else coming up in the Chicago Area, please let us know!