Lost In Translation

Black Sun

Black Sun (1964) is the fourth film in Eclipse Series 28: The Warped World of Koreyoshi Kurahara and probably his masterwork. It seems like a companion to his earlier intense, high energy youth inspired film, The Warped Ones. In this film Akira (Mei) (Tamio Kawachi who also starred in The Warped Ones) is squatting in an abandoned church getting by as a petty criminal with a passion for American jazz. A black American soldier on the run, Gil (Chico Roland), decides to hole up in Akira's squat and welcomes a black America, of which he identifies with jazz. However, the American cannot speak Japanese and bullies the captive without understanding his compliance. The film works despite Roland's strange whisper -like delivery of his lines. There are some interesting racial semantics that ensue as the two try to come to terms with each other. One episode results in Mei donning blackface while putting Gil in whiteface in order to evade capture. The tone is set during the introduction to the film that features an inspired piece of music by Max Roach, who was responsible for the score, and an impressive vocal performance. Throughout the film there are various camera techniques that were effectively used: high angle bird's eye views, hand held cameras that give a documentary feel , as well as exquisite framing in the decaying church that was apparently a true location that was torn down in Shibuya during the filming of the movie. The backseat camera of Mei driving through the city was also impressive. This is one of the best postwar Japanese films of the 60s on par with classics like Woman in the Dunes and The Insect Woman.

Death By Hanging

Nagisa Oshima's early films are more interesting to read about than to watch. They have lots of revolutionary ideas and much social criticism. But most of them feel like plays-there is too much exposition in them, too much preaching perhaps. They are less than cinematic, and they are an important response to the pure entertainment value of other films that were being produced at the time. Death By Hanging (1968) is a perfect example. It is a treaty on race, nationalism, identity, and the validity of the death penalty. However, it is two hours that takes place largely in a small room. There are some great performances and some interesting ideas are investigated, but it was less than engaging. Perhaps, better suited for a play. I will continue to see the films of Oshima, but I don't think he really came into prime until he was making films outside Japan with backing from Europeans, in films like Realm of the Senses, Empire of Passions, and Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence.

Zatoichi And The Fugitives

Kimiyoshi Yasuda was already a veteran director of the Zatoichi series when he was at the helm for Zatoichi And The Fugitives (1968), the 18th film in the series. This film stands out mainly due to the talent involved in this production: the director of cinematography again was the legendary Kazuo Miyagawa (had the same role in seminal films for Mizoguchi, Kurosawa, Ozu, and Ichikawa among others), another legend was Takashi Shimura (Seven Samurai, Ikiru, and Godzilla for starters) playing a benevolent doctor, Junan, with a taste for sake, Yumiko Nogawa (star of Seijun Suzuki films Gate of Flesh and The Story of a  Prostitute), as Oaki a reformed femme fatale, and the dueling villain was Kyosuke Machida (star of many samurai films in the 60s). That being said, the story and set pieces do not vary much from earlier incarnations. There are the amazing feats performed by the Zatoichi (Shintaro Katsu): bisecting a falling snake in the forest, flipping a coin in to a rival sake cup while departing an izakaya, quartering a bottle of sake. Zatoichi again is called upon to protect the weak from a greedy yakuza boss, Matsugoro (Hosei Komatsu) as well as have a final showdown with a band of fugitives that were being hid by the yakuza boss. However, Zaotichi shows some vulnerability in that he is slightly injured by swords during a humiliation at the hands of the ruthless fugitives. Near the end of the film he is seriously injured by a bullet fired from a pistol-of course this gives him the opportunity to cut down a legion of henchmen while nursing his wound. But as I have pointed out before, Miyagawa's cinematography is always original and artistic-adding to the overall artistry of the film: gathering herbs in the forest, climbing through the mountains to the next village, the search for Zatoichi's body in the river in boats with torches burning in the night. The title song sis perhaps overused-three times by my count, but despite that this is one of the better films given the concentration of talent amassed for this production.

Treme

I have been a fan of David Simon's since The Wire and was inspired to go back and watch his New Orleans show, Treme (2010-2013) after seeing his most recent mini series for HBO Show Me A Hero (2015). It is a another significant achievement in which Simon, co-show runner Eric Overmeyer and their production and writing team chronicle the lives of ordinary citizens in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina that almost completely destroyed the city and had a significant impact on the lives of thousands. A common theme in the work of Simon is the failure of institutions and we have that here as Simon shows how the city, state, and federal governments failed the people. Incompetence and corruption are exposed. The police force is presented as corrupt and malevolent as it reflects the reality where looters were shot on sight and where people languished and died in the jails in the aftermath of the hurricane.

I had seen a few episodes and wasn't drawn in right away, but I think the first season needs to be seen in its entirety for it to make proper sense, since it opens in the middle of the aftermath as people begin returning to the city to assess damage and start rebuilding their lives. The season ends with a flashback to the storm and shows how the different story strands started at the onset of the storm. It seems like the episodes are not tightly plotted, but it all comes together in the end.

Simon and company spend a lot of time establishing characters. And what a cast of characters, the novelty here is that musicians and members of the specific culture of New Orleans are highlighted along with those who work in government, law enforcement, and schools. For example: Steve Zahn plays Davis McAlary, a part time DJ, musician, and full-time booster of New Orleans culture and lifestyle; Khandi Alexander as LaDonna Batiste-William, runs the family bar and has to confront the violent ugly side of New Orleans-she is long suffering and should be singled out for impressive acting through the course of the series; then there's her ex-husband Antoine Baptiste, the 7th best trombonist in NOLA, the charismatic Wendell Pierce (an ex-cast member of The Wire); another ex-Wire cast member also has a towering role, Clarke Peters as Albert "Big Chief" Lambreaux, a Mardi Gras Indian chief that gives a window into a cultural subset unknown outside of NO, and several more that reflect story arcs that follow a musician without enough talent to make-it and another who has what it takes. Another story line investigates the world of celebrity chefs and the food culture of New Orleans and New York that was manifested in the character Janette Desautel (Kim Dickens) as written by former celebrity chef and TV personality  Anthony Bourdain. Every episode has several live musical performance scenes that introduce the many artists and musical genres that are home to New Orleans music scene. All in all, a fascinating look at one of America's most original and distinct cities.

The Limits Of Control

I finally got around to watching Jim Jarmusch's 2009 film The Limits Of Control. I have to admit I was put off by the mixed reviews the film got at the time of its release, but I should have known better. I really enjoyed Only Lovers Left Alive from last year (it was one of my favorite films of the year), so this paired with the fact Chris Doyle did the cinematography and that it was praised as one of the best of 2009 by critic Andrew O'Herih (from Salon) was enough for me to give it a chance. There is very little plot in this film and it is very idiosyncratic.(Essentially we follow The Lone Man, Isaach De Bankole, as he meets with a number of contacts (Tilda Swinton, Jon Hurt, Bill Murray, Gael Garcia Bernal, Yuki Kondo, Paz de la Huerta-naked most of the time, etc.).  in Spain to complete a mysterious criminal job). I can easily see how this might be a tedious film for many film goers, but I reveled in the beautiful images with the eerie background music (provided by Japanese psychedelic band Boris) caught by cinematographer Doyle. The still above shows Sanez de Oiza's Torres Blancas in the background. It is almost like a two hour music video they way that Jarmusch and Doyle capture beautiful images set to music. Essentially an exercise in style rather than storytelling and that was quite alright by me. 

American House Bar And Grill

Since I've been watching Treme, a TV show based in New Orleans, I've been wanting some gumbo, which I knew was on the menu at American House in Harajuku. However, it is not on the lunch menu. But jambalaya is, so I went with that. It wasn't bad, and a pretty good value at ¥1200 with soup and salad and a drink.

Textism

I had read about Isamu Hirabayashi's Textism (2003) being one of the best films of the 2000s in a couple different publications. I was surprised that it was so short, only 11 minutes-it is available on YouTube. It is three science fiction stories that draw to mind Chris Marker's LeJetee. And while I found these shorts interesting, I could hardly hold it up against a full length feature, and there were many worthwhile films produced in the 2000s. However, I should like to learn more about the director/artist and his impact on contemporary Japanese culture though.

I Hate But I Love

I Hate But I Love (1962) is the third installment in the Eclipse Series 28: The Warped World of Koreyoshi Kurahara, and so far my least favorite. However, that's not to say that there is nothing worthwhile about the production. My main complaint lies in the fact it is was conceived as a conventional star vehicle for two of the biggest stars of the day in Yujiro Ishihara and Ruriko Asaoka. Ishihara plays Dasaku Katu a multi-media star that was cultivated by his manager-girlfriend Noriko Sakakita (Asaoka). They have decided to avoid kissing and sex and they are getting frustrated and bored by the lifestyle of hard work and no release-Kurahara finds plenty of opportunities to have them have dressed despite these limitations. Dasaku decides to take up a an offer to drive a jeep for a woman living in Tokyo to a doctor, whom she is having a long distance romance with, living in the mountains of Kyushu. Noriko tries to stop him and bring him back to fulfill commitments for his career in the media and as a result becomes a media sensation himself as his story is covered by all outlets of the media. The movie become more interesting for me when Ishihara starts driving south-this is the only film from the series in color-and the images of a postwar Japan before the economic miracle are fascinating to see. The viewer is treated to undeveloped locations from Tokyo to Kyushu, but also major landmarks in Oasaka, Kyoto, and Kyushu while exposing the viewer to the types of cars, ferries, and roadside stops of that era. The culmination of the story in the green mountains of Kyushu is impressive.

Notes From No Man's Land

I first became aware of Eula Biss, and Notes From No Man's Land (2009) through the essay from which this collection is named, which originally appeared in The Best Non-Required Reading series. This collection was a winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award. It is divided into several sections. The first serves as a sort of introduction is called Before and contains a single essay, "Time and Distance Overcome," which is something like a prose poem. This is followed by a section of essay by the author's experiences living in New York, with that as the title. "Relations" discussed the cultural and racial differences between the author and her half-black cousin whom lives with her in New York. "Three Songs of Salvage" are a mediation of the author's experience living in Harlem, New York. While, "Landmines" is about the author's brief and challenging foray into public education. Biss sums up her New York experience by writing a mediation on Joan Didion's classic essay about leaving New York, but borrow the same title for her essay: "Goodbye to All That." Thus, her collection moves to California. In the first essay in this section, "Black News" chronicles her experience and opinions about working on a black newspaper in San Diego, California. Biss decides to reside in Mexico to learn Spanish and looks at the differences between the cultures near the border in and out of Mexico in"Letter to Mexico." Next she goes onto to talk about how race relates to government housing policies in Oakland in "Babylon." The location shifts again, to the Midwest section, as Biss moves onto to the University of Iowa for the MFA Writing Program. She discusses the utopia of black and whites living to together peacefully in equality in the past in Buxton, Iowa in "Back to Buxton." Next she compares the minor disaster in Iowa with the larger one that befell New Orleans and again sees that race plays a significant factor in "Is This Kansas." The namesake of this collection follows as she does a powerful and thought-provoking piece on race in Chicago in "Notes from No man's Land." There's more on Chicago and identity in "Nobody Knows Your Name." In After, the closing piece looks at meaning of apologies from regular people and world leaders and arrives at no easy conclusion, in "All Apologies." There is a lot to think about and chew on in this collection, which is relevant today as it was when it came out in 2009-if not more so, given the number of police killing blacks in America in recent times and The Black Lives Matter movement bursting into the media consciousness.

The Sun's Burial

The Sun's Burial (1960) is one of the early films that established Nagisa Oshima as one of more visible directors of the Japanese New Wave movement. He was political in his outlook and used young actors as protagonists to make his observations about contemporary Japan in the postwar era. This is not such a subtle critique of the direction of the era. It is story about how in the postwar era people in Japan are barely surviving by exploiting each other through petty theft, savaging, prostitution, selling human blood illicitly to cosmetic factories , and worst of all by selling people's identities to foreigners. This story takes place in the Kamagasaki district in Osaka, a notorious slum under the Tsutenkaku Tower that is featured prominently  throughout the film along with Osaka castle-two dominant images of Osaka, a noted city of commerce in Japan. The main protagonist and pragmatist and survivor of the challenges of postwar Japan is Hanako (Kayoko Honoo) who plays two groups of yakuza against each other while forming alliances when needed. She is the face of the new pragmatist Japan in  opposition to he character known as the "Agitator" (Eitaro Ozawa), who is a former soldier and follower of the emperor who thinks the future will result in a third war with the US or Russia. Caught in between is a sensitive youth, Takeshi (Isao Sasaki) looking to survive who cannot stomach the violence necessary to get by a a yakuza. Some of the ideas and concepts in the film feel a bit too on the nose. Oshima still seems to be finding his way as a director but there a re number of memorable cinematic images and set pieces. He has interspersed with actual documentary footage of Kamagasaki and uses a red color theme throughout that represent the burial of the rising sun of the Japanese national flag and film title.