been in a Japanese film mood for the last few weeks.
Last Monday was Rubber's Lover by Shozin Fukui (1996). First time viewing. I was expecting it to be a bit more balls to the wall, but maybe my balls have become unflappable? Visually it's very enjoyable. The extreme overacting gets a little tedious at times but explosions of violence and sexual violence contrasted against the slow moving bits work effectively. I really dug the primary abandoned factory/laboratory set too. the freight elevator was practically its own character. I think I'll dig this one more on subsequent viewing, now that I'm past my original expectations.
Friday was Evil Dead Trap by Toshiharu Ikeda (1988), another first time viewing. I can't tell anymore if I have no standards and/or my brain has regressed to its most primitive, reptilian state but I though this was a lot of fun. Not quite as gruesome as I expected but still has some cringe inducing violence. specifically when a girl grabs a the serrated side of a huge combat knife and the killer rips it out of her hand. story is a late night TV host gets sent a snuff tape, and of course she goes with her film crew to find the killer in an abandoned industrial/military complex. But the plot thickens and gets real goofy. if you like '80s horror, you could do a lot worse.
Saturday, I tried to watch Ichi the Killer (2001) with my girlfriend but she tapped out after the tongue cutting scene so we switched it to Audition (1999). She'd never seen either so it was fun to watch her squirm at the end of Audition. The last time I watched it I was so tired from work I fell asleep 10 minutes in. It was nice to sit and watch it from beginning to end. It still holds up as one of Miike's best.
Sunday I watched Ichi the Killer by myself. Each viewing I feel differently about the film. In highschool I just loved the extremity. In college I bemoaned its digital effects. Now I guess its easier to appreciate its unflinching hyperviolence, dare you to watch torture sequences and charismatic performances by Tadanobu Asano, Shinya Tsukamoto and pretty much everyone else.
