In The Pool イン・ザ・プール

Dir: Satoshi Miki
Starring: Suzuki Matsuo, Odagiri Joe, Maiko
Year: 2005

Imagine a neurologist/psychiatrist who prescribes no medicine, makes fun of his patients and goes with them on some crazy adventures to get to the root of the problem - not because it might cure them but because it might 'be a laugh'.

That's Dr Irabu, Satoshi Miki's creation that is perfectly played by Suzuki Matsuo. The Doc's in his own world, not really caring about the needs of his patients but helping them and having fun all the same. Matsuo does the job really well, with a kind of sloppy ex-ganja smoking nature combined with a nice sense of comedy that has something very 1960's Britain about it.

Miki's films may lack a bit of substance, but they're entertaining and have some classic scenes and characters.

Top Work!

M-1 2005

I don't intend to review anything other than films on this blog, but I'm making an exception for this gem: M1. Manzai is Japan's premiere form of comedy. It's duo stand-up style, and links nonsense, sitcom and traditional stand-up in new ways. M1 is the massive competition held each year in Japan to find the best manzai partnership.

2005's competition is by far the funniest installment I have seen. The ludicrous Black Mayonnaise took the show by storm, but to Narry Borman's mind Waraimeshi were the funniest duo out there.

M1 is probably impossible to find outside of Japan, and even if you did find it then unless you speak Japanese and are familiar with Japanese culture then you'd struggle to follow what's going on. However, it's worth learning Japanese to watch this M1 alone.

Genius!

Ping Pong

Dir: Sori Fumihiko
Starring: Yosuke Kubozuka, Arata
Year: 2002

Most sports films tell the story of a struggling underdog who makes it big (Rocky), or the high stakes of the pro leagues (Goal). Some even show sports as defeating war (Escape to Victory). Ping Pong, though, is the story of an inter-high school table tennis tournament. Does it get any more amateur?

For all that, it carries off a fair amount of tension and gets you wrapped up in the world of ping pong. It's a sport of ridiculously high speed and quick reactions. Fortunately, effective use of slo-mo and camera tricks help the viewer to keep up with what's going on. The direction is truly superb in this film and remains faithful to the manga roots.

The two main characters play off each other extremely well and ultimately push each other to new highs. Peco is a larger than life character who has all the confidence in the world until he loses. Smile plays to lose but has hidden talents that are waiting to be brought out. When they play each other in the final, one of them has to step up and be a hero.

Alongside them is a great supporting cast, including Butterfly Joe (Naoto Takenaka) who almost steals the show with his dodgy English and slightly disturbing personality (check out his role in Nodame Cantabile for another show-stealing performance).

As with many manga based films, you feel like there is quite a lot missing and some things in the plot seem to jump suddenly. Despite that, Ping Pong clocks in at 114 minutes - two hours of your life that will fly by thanks to the cheeky sense of humour, engaging story, and high-production values. Enjoy!

Top work!

Ikiru

Dir: Akira Kurosawa
Starring: Takashi Shimura, Miki Odagiri
Year: 1952

It's a little known fact that Narry Borman lives in Japan. Some say he arrived before the first Dutch traders, but that's another story. This gives him the perfect opportunity to watch some fascinating Made in Japan films.

Kurosawa's films are famous worldwide, granted. Ikiru isn't his most well-known flick, though. There's no Toshiro Mifune, there are no Samurai, and it's even set in modern times...

Ikiru is about a man who questions his whole reason for ever being alive when he learns he has stomach cancer. He regrets being emotionally distant from his son, regrets his 30 years as an administrator who stamps papers, and doesn't know what to do with his remaining time.

This powerful story of the meaning of life becomes positive only after the main character has died, thanks to some bizarre and sensational storyboarding and editting. It has one of the most memorable closing scenes ever in which the talented Shimura sits on a children's swing and sings a song about the brevity of life.

For me, this very intensity is its weakness, however. Over 2 hours of constant, pounding emotion, that examines what is in the heart of every man - it's all too much. It's like a man who only reads Satre for two years... he's intense, occassionaly interesting, but actually a little bit dull...

Good!