Tag Archives: japan society

NYAFF / JAPAN CUTS: DEAR DOCTOR

Nurse Akemi (l.) knows something’s not quite right in DEAR DOCTOR

DEAR DOCTOR (DIA DOKUTA) (Miwa Nishikawa, 2009)
Japan Society
333 East 47th St. at First Ave.
Saturday, July 3, 1:00
Sunday, July 4, 4:15
www.japansociety.org/japancuts
www.subwaycinema.com

In a close-knit rural village far from the hustle and bustle of Tokyo, the police have arrived, investigating the mysterious disappearance of Dr. Ino (Tsurube Shofukutei), the local doctor who takes care of everyone’s medical needs, running the clinic and making regular house calls, a trusted figure often seen riding around on his motorized bike, greeting the citizens like an old friend. As the detectives question the residents, flashbacks depict the special relationship that existed between the well-compensated doctor — the town pays him $200,000 a year — and the people. Dr. Ino had recently been joined by an intern, med-school graduate Keisuke Soma (Eita), who showed up in a flashy convertible, upset he didn’t get a position in a Tokyo hospital, but even he was soon won over by Dr. Ino’s charm and skill. But when nurse Akemi Ohtake (Kimiko Yo) has to guide Ino through a difficult procedure and city doctor Ritsuko Torikai (Haruka Igawa) has doubts about how Ino is treating her ill mother (Kaoru Yachigusa), questions arise that bring some surprising answers. Winner of three major categories at the 2009 Hochi Film Awards — Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (Eita), and Best Supporting Actress (Yachigusa) — DEAR DOCTOR is a warm, tender-hearted story written and directed by Miwa Nishikawa, who also earned accolades for her first two films, 2003’s WILD BERRIES and 2006’s SWAY. Shofukutei is terrific as Dr. Ino, a cross between Akira Emoto’s Dr. Akagi and Robin Williams’s Patch Adams (and we mean that in a good way). The solid cast also includes the ubiquitous Teruyuki Kagawa (SWAY, TOKYO SONATA, GOLDEN SLUMBER) as pharmaceutical supplier Masayoshi Saimon. DEAR DOCTOR is a real charmer.

NYAFF/JAPAN CUTS: THE BLOOD OF REBIRTH

It's not quite a fight to the death in THE BLOOD OF REBIRTH

THE BLOOD OF REBIRTH (YOMIGAERI NO CHI) (Toshiaki Toyoda, 2009)
Japan Society
333 East 47th St. at First Ave.
Friday, July 2, 9:00
Saturday, July 3, 3:45
www.japansociety.org/japancuts
www.subwaycinema.com

Following a nearly five-year absence because of drug charges, Japanese director Toshiaki Toyoda (HANGING GARDEN, 9 SOULS) resurrects his once-burgeoning film career with the fascinating, meditative, and sometimes just plain silly BLOOD OF REBIRTH. In the Middle Ages, a famed traveling masseur named Oguri (Tatsuya Nakamura) has been summoned by STD-riddled lord Daizen (Kiyohiko Shibukawa) to help cure the playboy leader’s pumpkin-sized testicles. Daizen wants Oguri to stay on in his somewhat sheltered domain, far from any other society, but Oguri prefers to remain beholden to no one. Forced to hang around a while longer, Oguri becomes enamored with virgin slave Terute (Mayuu Kusakari), whom Daizen is preparing to conquer once he is rid of his disease. When Daizen learns that Oguri wants to take Terute away, he has the masseur violently murdered — and that’s only the beginning of the movie, which is centered around a sacred resurrection spring that legend says can bring people back to life. There’s also a watermelon-devouring St. Peter-like figure, an odd little person struggling to drag Oguri’s ghost body to the next life, and a wild, percussion-heavy progressive psychedelic acid rock soundtrack by Twin Tail, which features Nakamura on drums and for whom Toyoda creates the visuals for their live shows. Forget some of the clichéd characterizations and subplots and instead let the overall mood of the film carry you through some very beautiful, existential scenes, leading to one helluva different kind of one-on-one battle. Toyoda will introduce both screenings, followed by Q&A sessions.

NYAFF/JAPAN CUTS: GOLDEN SLUMBER

Aoyagi (Masato Sakai) is on the lam in GOLDEN SLUMBER

GOLDEN SLUMBER (GORUDEN SURANBA) (Yoshihiro Nakamura, 2010)
Japan Society
333 East 47th St. at First Ave.
Friday, July 2, 6:15
www.japansociety.org/japancuts
www.subwaycinema.com

After being framed for the assassination of the prime minister, delivery man and Beatles fan Aoyagi (Masato Sakai) is on the run in the Japanese thriller GOLDEN SLUMBER. Adding in a bit of Mel Brooks’s HIGH ANXIETY into his Hitchockian wrong-man homage, director Yoshihiro Nakamura (FISH STORY) follows a Lee Harvey Oswald-like conspiracy against goofy man-child Aoyagi, who has to grow up in a hurry if he is to survive. Everywhere he turns, the police, led by Inspector Sasaki (TOKYO SONATA’s Teruyuki Kagawa), are a mere one step behind, ready to bring him in – or blow him away. There’s no place for Aoyagi to hide, as he has one of the most recognizable faces in the country, having saved a pop princess (Shihori Kanjiya) from harm only a few years earlier. On the lam, the national hero turned villain recalls his small, intimate college group, shown in a series of flashbacks, all of whom become involved in his tale; meanwhile, he is befriended by an anarchic serial killer (Gaku Hamada) who enjoys surprising people. Adapted from the novel by Kotaro Isaka, GOLDEN SLUMBER is an absolute joy, a well-made genre picture with likable characters and an engaging story line that never gets boring, even at 139 minutes.

GRAPHIC HEROES, MAGIC MONSTERS

Utagawa Kuniyoshi, “Morozumi Masakiyo Kills Himself in Battle,” color woodblock print, ca. 1848 (photo © Trustees of the British Museum)

JAPANESE PRINTS BY UTAGAWA KUNIYOSHI FROM THE ARTHUR R. MILLER COLLECTION
Japan Society
333 East 47th St. at First Ave.
Through June 13
Admission: $12 (free Friday nights 6:00 – 9:00)
212-715-1258
www.japansociety.org

With the continuing success of manga and graphic novels in the United States, the Japan Society looks back on the career of master visual storyteller Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797-1861) in “Graphic Heroes, Magic Monsters.” More than 130 color woodblock prints are on view, depicting samurai warriors, elegant women, lush landscapes, kabuki scenes, and comic images. Among the many exciting action-filled vignettes, based on both history and legend, are “Fight on the Roof of Hōryū Tower,” in which Inuzaka Shino tries to single-handedly evade capture by Inukai Kenpachi and his men, and “Ariō-maru Kills a Giant Octopus,” the valiant warrior determined to escape from the clutches of an enormous mollusk. Water figures prominently in many of Kuniyoshi’s pieces; in “Hatsuhana Prays Under a Waterfall,” Hatsuhana prays to a deity for a cure for her warrior husband’s illness, water cascading onto her head and around her body, while in “Three Women with Umbrellas in a Summer Shower,” a trio of women in blue-and-white kimonos playfully avoid a downpour. Kuniyoshi also created peaceful scenes devoid of bloody battles and gruesome characters, including such serene works as “Rainbow at Surugadai,” “Ships Between Maisaka and Arai,” and “Monk Nichiren in the Snow at Tsukahara.”

Utagawa Kuniyoshi, “Monk Nichiren in the Snow at Tsukahara,” color woodblock print, ca. 1835 (photo © Trustees of the British Museum)

Kuniyoshi shows off his absurdist sense of humor in such prints as “Sparrows Impersonating a Brothel Scene,” “Kabuki Actors as Turtles,” and “Cats Parodying the Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō.” In the deluxe catalog that accompanies the exhibit, Neil McGregor, director of the British Museum, where the show was a huge hit, writes, “Kuniyoshi was an extraordinarily gifted artist of great versatility, capable by turns of evoking pathos at the doomed fate of a samurai hero, humour with the antics of animals impersonating humans, seduction by feisty-spirited beauties from Japan’s epic past, and calm contemplation of byways in his native city of Edo.” Indeed, Kuniyoshi was a unique and inventive storyteller, displaying immense skill at creating colorful, entertaining, action-packed, and meditative tales. In conjunction with the exhibit, Hiroki Otsuka has created Samurai Beam, a comic book based on Kuniyoshi’s work.

MAD, BAD . . . & DANGEROUS TO KNOW: THREE UNTAMED BEAUTIES OF JAPANESE CINEMA — THE AFFAIR

Mariko Okada shows off her discreet charm in Yoshishige Yoshida’s steamy tale THE AFFAIR (© Shochiku Co., Ltd.)

THE AFFAIR (JOEN) (FLAMES OF LOVE) (Yoshishige Yoshida, 1967)
Japan Society
333 East 47th St. at First Ave.
Thursday, April 15, 7:30
212-715-1258
www.japansociety.org

“Mariko Okada: The Discreet Charm of the Adulteress,” the final section of the Japan Society’s three-part “Mad, Bad . . . & Dangerous to Know: Three Untamed Beauties” film series, begins on April 13 with a screening of Yoshishige Yoshida’s fifth collaboration with Okada and continues on April 14 with the fascinating erotic tale THE AFFAIR. In the latter, also known as FLAMES OF LOVE, Okada stars as Oriko, an unhappily married woman who wants a divorce from her cheating husband, Furuhata (Tadahiko Sugano). In a flashback, she shows her displeasure with her widowed mother (Yoshie Minami), who is carrying on a heated affair with young sculptor Mitsuhuru (Isao Kimura); in the current day, she seeks out the Noguchi-like artist to find out about his relationship with her now-dead mother but learns a lot more than she expected. Meanwhile, Furuhata’s sister, Yokio (Shigako Shimegi), tries to get the traditional, old-fashioned Oriko out of the house and partying with her three male friends, who smoke cigarettes, drink beer, and break out in sudden groovy dances at the spur of the moment. But when Oriko—who still wears kimonos and worries about what is considered proper in a society that is changing drastically all around her—spies on Yokio having hot, casual sex with a common worker (KILL!’s Etsushi Takahashi in his film debut), her own hidden sexuality is awakened. Yoshida, who trained at Shochiku under Nagisa Oshima (CREUL STORY OF YOUTH, IN THE REALM OF THE SENSES), incorporates Bergmanesque touches with a Nouvelle Vague sensibility and more than a hint of Teshigahara (WOMAN IN THE DUNES) in this strikingly visual, highly stylized tale, including sweeping, dreamlike flashbacks, gorgeous long shots, and a haunting theme of duality evident in his use of mirrors and windows, light and dark. “Mad, Bad . . . & Dangerous to Know” concludes on April 18 with Yoshida’s WOMAN OF THE LAKE (ONNA NO MIZUUMI) and Yasuzo Masumura’s highly charged TWO WIVES (TSUMA FUTARI), which has never before been screened outside of Japan.

j-CATION: TASTE JAPAN

Japan Society will host full day of amazing Japanese food and more

Japan Society
333 East 47th St. at First Ave.
Saturday, April 10, suggested donation $5, 1:00 pm – 1:00 am
Some events require free tickets available beginning at 12:30
212-715-1258
www.japansociety.org

Even though flights from New York to Tokyo have recently come down, it will still be a lot cheaper to get a taste of the Land of the Rising Sun on Saturday at the Japan Society, which is hosting the extremely exciting j-CATION from 1:00 pm to 1:00 am. The twelve-hour extravaganza, organized into Starters, Main Dishes, Sides, and Dessert, includes calligraphy and language classes, furoshiki and tea workshops, demonstrations from manga artist in residence Hiroki Otsuka, a foodie game show, a lecture by hot-dog-eating champion Takeru Kobayashi, a screening of Mitsuhiro Mihara’s food-related 2008 film FLAVOR OF HAPPINESS, live music by Me & Mars and Asobi Seksu, a cash bar, a virtual bento box battle, food vendors, and a late-night after-party with DJ Aki. If that isn’t enough, the outstanding exhibition “Graphic Heroes, Magic Monsters,” a collection of gorgeous prints by nineteenth-century artist Utagawa Kuniyoshi, will be open until 9:00. For a suggested donation of a mere five bucks, you can feel like you’re in Japan, at least for one day.

MAD, BAD . . . & DANGEROUS TO KNOW

THE AFFAIR is one of the highlights of Japan Society film series (© Shochiku Co., Ltd.)

THREE UNTAMED BEAUTIES OF JAPANESE CINEMA
Japan Society
333 East 47th St. at First Ave.
March 31 – April 18, $11
212-715-1258
www.japansociety.org

The Japan Society’s latest Globus Film Series celebrates the work of three fearless actresses who turned Japanese cinema upside down and inside out during the 1960s and ’70s. The festival comprises thirteen genre-bending films divided into three sections: “Ayako Wakao: Passion Made Flesh,” “Meiko Kaji: A Mad, Bad Unholy Easter Weekend,” and “Mariko Okada: The Discreet Charm of the Adulteress.” Combining beauty and brains with physical strength and a burning sexuality, Wakao, Kaji, and Okada redefined the role of women in a changing society.

Men are devoured by Ayako Wakao’s spider tattoo in Masumura film (© Kadokawa Pictures, Inc.)

TATTOO (THE SPIDER TATTOO) (IREZUMI) (Yasuzo Masumura, 1966)
Wednesday, March 31, $15, 7:30
www.japansociety.org

Adapted from a short story by Junichirô Tanizaki, IREZUMI, the opening-night selection of the Japan Society’s “Mad, Bad . . . & Dangerous to Know” series, was one of the first Japanese exploitation films shot in color. Ayako Wakao stars as Otsuya, a pawnbroker’s daughter who aches to get away from her boring life. She convinces her father’s apprentice, the meek Shinsuke (Akio Hasegawa), to steal the shop’s money and run away with her, but the plan goes awry when she is sold into sexual slavery to Tokubei (Asao Uchida). Enraptured by her skin, Seikichi (Gaku Yamamoto) marks her for Tokubei by tattooing a huge spider across her back, promising it will bring her special power over men. Soon Otsuya is exacting bloody revenge with the help of the poor, misguided Shinsuke. Directed by Yasuzo Masumura, who also worked with Wakao on such films as MANJI and RED ANGEL (which screens April 1), IREZUMI is a dark, compelling tale that is not afraid to break out of genre conventions. The screening will be followed by the Dressed to Kill! party, where attendees are encouraged to come in costume as their favorite cinematic femme fatale.

Meiko Kaji isn’t about to let anyone get in the way of her revenge in Shunya Ito cult classic (© Toei Co., Ltd.)

FEMALE PRISONER #701: SCORPION (JOSHUU 701-GO: SASORI) (Shunya Ito, 1972)
Saturday, April 3, $11, 3:00
www.japansociety.org

A cult classic that spawned three sequels, Shunya Ito’s highly stylized SCORPION has everything a women-in-prison flick needs: sex, torture, rape, lesbianism, riots, sadistic male guards, shower scenes, gory violence, and lots and lots of unnecessary nudity. Set up by corrupt cop Sugimi (Isao Natsuyagi), to whom she gave her virginity, young and innocent Nami Matsushima (Meiko Kaji) is sent up the river, where she refuses to say anything about her case, leading to constant brutalization, including a harrowing hole-digging scene and some hog-tying. Afraid that she might eventually talk, Sugimi enlists another inmate, Katagiri (Rie Yokoyama), to kill her, but Matsu is not about to let anyone get in the way of her plan for revenge. Solid sexploitation all the way, SCORPION lays out much of the groundwork for Quentin Tartantino’s KILL BILL flicks; in fact, he even used the film’s theme song, “Urami-Bushi” (“Her Song of Vengeance”), which is sung by Kaji. Kaji went on to make several more FEMALE PRISONER SCORPION films with Ito and played Lady Snowblood in two movies directed by Toshiya Fujita, both of which are also part of the “Meiko Kaji: A Mad, Bad Unholy Easter Weekend” section of the Japan Society’s “Mad, Bad . . . & Dangerous to Know” film series.