Sonatine is a masterpiece (every Kitano film is a masterpiece, aside from Zatoichi and BRother, but I'd give Sonatine a 10/10). SHARKSKIN MAN AND PEACH HIP GIRL is a masterpiece. PARTY 7, not so much.... in fact, Party 7 is one of the few films to break the rule of "if Tadanoubou Asano is in the film, it's probably one of the coolest films ever."
JOE, watch Survive Style 5+. It's got elements of Funky Forest.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yN7DfMAzcQ
ME., did I ever tell you about my house screening of Twilight? I showed it at a little screening at my friend's house (he owns a theatre screen an a huge sound system and a projector) amongst a ton of friends, along with pastoral: To die in the country, my film Currently Untitled, Hausu, and Toshio Matsumoto's Phantom (my favorite short film of all time:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNshDaTJ2BI .. everyone watch that). The theme, of course, was Japanese new wave (though I realize not all those films were in the "wave"; Twilight was made in '94, strangely). Anyway, Twilight has inspired about a thousand shots in my next film.... it's SO brilliant, my second favorite short ever. Can't thank you enough -- definitely the best film anyone's ever reccomended for me on here.
BTW, me., have you seen Kitano's new one THE OUTRAGE yet? I watched it -- unsubbed!! Haha. I was
that eager to see it. English subs aren't online yet, so yeah... it was worth it. I was completely enthralled. As soon as I get the subbed one, I'm going to rewatch it.
Films I've watched in the past few days...
I CAN NO LONGER HEAR THE GUITAR - 9/10 ... brilliant. Based on Garrel and Nico's heroin-induced romance. Heartbreaking, brilliant, awesome. Dark... bleak as hell, experimental, my kind of cinema. Anyway, got the Garrel x 2 dvd set for x-mas. Yeah, my x-mas to myself, since no one else is getting me anything. Totally worth it. Beautiful presentation of beautiful films.
DOTTIE GETS SPANKED - 5/10 .. Well, it's a Todd Haynes film, so it's pretty brilliant in a way, extremely well made and strange, but it just didnt do it for me all in all.
FEAR, ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION - 6/10. Had never seen this early Solondz film; Solondz, in my opinion, is one of the most consistent American directors we have -- this film is kind of a dark comedy, like his other films, but felt more like a Woody Allen film... or, like.. Reality Bites or something, at times. I think Solondz has disowned this film, since it's never came out on DVD. Still, an interesting curiosity, one that most people don't know exists..
...and re-watched this with my pal...
FROWNLAND - 10/10 ...Okay, this is the 3rd time seeing this now. I am kinda convinced that this is the best film of the past decade, aside from Apichatpong Weerasethakul's "Syndromes and a Century" and Damon Packard's "Reflections of Evil" (btw, JOE, have you seen Reflections of Evil yet? Actually, ANYONE ON CINEMAGEDDON LOOKING FOR RECCOMENDATIONS: DOWNLOAD REFLECTIONS OF EVIL, THE CORNDOG MAN, AND BRIDE OF FRANK ASAP. THEY ARE 3 OF THE BEST FILMS EVER MADE. ANYWAY...). Another dark dark dark film here on this list, this is depressing as hell and might get on some people's nerves but I loved it. COmpletely original, too, though I guess some will point to Mike Leigh in parts. Just a pathetic character doing stupid things and it's unnerving, it's the most uncomfortable I've ever felt watching a movie, and it blew my mind.
Here's the hilarious trailer:
http://vimeo.com/6194388
First-time director Ronald Bronstein describes his extraordinary film as “a rotten egg lobbed with spazmo aim at the spotless surface of the silver screen.”