Godzilla 2000: Millennium (1999) [Tokusatsu Review]

Godzilla 2000: Millennium; or, To the Future and Beyond
     Biologically, Godzilla is a very special existence. It's full of unimaginable mysteries. To study Godzilla will be the key to disclose the secrets of living beings on our planet.
Being fired up by my frenzy regarding Godzilla vs. Kong (2021), I decided to go back and revisit the good old Kaiju flicks with our favourite King of the Monsters. My first choice of revisitation became Godzilla 2000: Millennium, a movie that owes its existence to the abhorrent American remake from 1998.

Release Info

Directed by: Takao Okawara Starring: Takehiro Murata, Naomi Nishida, Shiro Sano, Hiroshi Abe

Language: Japanese Original Title: ゴジラ2000 ミレニアム Runtime: 108 min

Synopsis
Godzilla has become a permanent part of Japan’s geo-cultural landscape. Instead of fighting the monster, the authorities prefer to monitor his whereabouts. As a result, the scientist Yuji Shinoda (Takehiro Murata) and his daughter launch an independent organisation known as The Godzilla Prediction Network. During their observational stake-outs, they are accompanied by Yuki Ichinose (Naomi Nishida), a journalist who wants to get exclusive pictures of the King in action. In the meantime, Crisis Control Intelligence headed by Mitsuo Katagiri (Hiroshi Abe) examines an unidentified object which was found at the bottom of the ocean. Shinoda’s friend, Miyasaka (Shiro Sano), determines that the object is 65 million years old and remained dormant until it was exposed to sunlight. The object flies out of water and scans Godzilla, reaching a conclusion that he is the most powerful being on the planet. The UFO plans to invade Earth by replicating Godzilla’s DNA...

Predestination
After the emotional finale of the Heisei series, Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995), Toho wanted to retire the Big G and make way for a (supposed) string of American movies produced by TriStar Pictures. Godzilla producer and the president of Toho, Shogo Tomiyama, was convinced that the American Godzilla series will last up until the year 2005; however, after the disastrous release of the Emmerich’s movie, Toho wanted to protect the legacy of Godzilla, so they greenlit a new Japanese production almost immediately.

Godzilla 2000: Millennium was undoubtedly made in a rush and by a team behind the Heisei movies. Takao Okawara was brought back as the director, Shogo Tomiyama produced, and Hiroshi Kashiwabara (scriptwriter of Godzilla vs Spacegodzilla (1994)) and Wataru Mimura (scriptwriter of Godzilla vs. Mechogodzilla (1993)) wrote the screenplay. What is more, the main lead, Takehiro Murata already appeared in a supporting role in Godzilla vs. Mothra (1992).

This is not to say that the movie is an uneventful, tired leap of the King into the 21st century. The filmmakers clearly wanted to reintroduce as well as update the iconic character. Godzilla was given a new look and a remixed roar. To me, this is my favourite Goji-suit out of all movies. The film also marks the first appearance of the suitmation actor, Tsutomu Kitagawa, as Godzilla.

In terms of special effects, these were helmed by Kenji Suzuki who opted for the usage of digital compositing rather than traditional models. The result is kind of a mixed bag. Some of the sequences look absolutely great, but others are visibly outdated. Still, huge respect goes to the F/X team for trying to push the envelope so early on in the franchise.

As for the screenplay, we get a traditional monster rumble, but in contrast to previous entries of the series, the human drama is fairly enjoyable. I liked the chemistry between Shinoda, his daughter, and Yuki. There’s also the character of Miyasaka who seems to have a bromance attraction to Shinoda, but he restrains himself because he works for villainous Katagiri, a guy hellbent on annihilating Godzilla. Some of the technobabble in the story is barely understandable, but I liked the twist involving an alien race attempting to create their “own Godzilla”.

The music score was composed by Takayuki Hattori (who also scored Godzilla vs. Spacegodzilla). Like I said in my editorial series on Godzilla music, the OST for this particular movie is fine, but I prefer Hattori’s compositions for the anime trilogy.

With regard to performances, all of the main leads do a fine job, but the real show-stealer is the awesome Hiroshi Abe as the baddie. His “Godzilla!!!!!!” moment in the finale has engraved itself into the hall of fame of the most iconic Godzilla scenes. I’m also happy to see Naomi Nishida because she does not normally do tokusatsu flicks at all.

Interestingly, Godzilla 2000: Millennium was re-released in the U.S by Sony. Producer Mike Schlesinger and his team tried the best they could to re-cut and dub the film in a way that will not be disrespectful towards Toho and Godzilla fans. Consequently, the English version is indeed watchable, but I still prefer the original cut. Originally, the English movie ended with a cartoonish “The End?” card, but it was removed from subsequent releases. However, if you happen to own Godzilla 2000 on Spanish VHS, then you can enjoy this piece of lost cinematic trivia.

Recommendations
All things considered, this was my look at Godzilla 2000: Millennium. For many young fans in the early 2000s, this was their first introduction into the franchise (well, this and the Emmerich movie…). I personally have a soft spot for it. It is a decent monster flick that can be enjoyed even by non-kaiju viewers.Overall score: 8/10

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Tezuka's Barbara (2020) [Film Review]

Tezuka’s Barbara; or, Deadly Temptation
     A woman like the city's excrement from the millions of people that it consumed and digested. That was Barbara.
As the title of the film suggests, Tezuka's Barbara is a live-action adaptation of a manga created by the legendary artist Osamu Tezuka. The movie was conceived by his son, Macoto Tezuka, in order to celebrate the mangaka's 90th anniversary of birth. Barbara remains one of Tezuka's most serious works, exploring the themes of creativity, infatuation, occultism, violence, and obsession.

Release Info

Directed by: Macoto Tezuka Starring: Fumi Nikado, Goro Inagaki, Kiyohiko Shibukawa, Eri Watanabe, Minami

Language: Japanese Original Title: ばるぼら Runtime: 100 min

Synopsis
While leaving the Tokyo subway, a famous novelist Yosuke Mikura (Goro Inagaki) notices a drunk woman lying on the ground and citing poetry. Her name is Barbara (Fumi Nikado). Mikura takes in a vagrant woman, but they do not get along with each other. However, Mikura is repeatedly saved by Barbara whenever something strange and dangerous happens to him. The woman becomes his muse. As he is writing a novel about Barbara, Mikura distances himself from his friends and colleagues. He intends to marry mysterious Barbara but supernatural forces get in the way...

Manga Femme Fatale
I admit that I had not read the original manga prior to seeing the film, so I am unable to provide a comparative analysis between the source material and its adaptation. However, from what I have found out on sites devoted to Osamu Tezuka, it becomes apparent that the movie encapsulates the essence of the manga in a very effective way.

We see an insecure writer slowly sliding into madness because of the titular Barbara. Just who exactly is she? An angel or a demon? A real woman or a figment of imagination? She saves the writer from falling prey to jealousy, egoism, and greed, but at what cost? Yosuke loses his grip on reality as he engages in a passionate relationship with a woman who changed the course of his life.

Indeed, the movie has a distinct arthouse feeling thanks to top notch production design, jazz-like music score, and drop dead gorgeous cinematography provided by none other than Christopher Doyle (the director of photography who worked on such amazing films as Chungking Express (1994), In the Mood for Love (2000), and Hero (2002)). Needless to say, the technical aspects are the primary advantages of Tezuka’s Barbara.

With regard to the screenplay by Hisako Kurosawa, the story is very ambiguous and open to multiple interpretations. Evidently, due to its strong focus on adult themes, the movie is not for everybody. At times, it strives to match the explicit edginess of Park Chan Wook’s The Handmaiden (2016), but the final result is not that spectacular as in the case of the Korean picture.

In terms of performances, Goro Inagaki and Fumi Nikado are amazing in the leading roles. They made me feel really immersed in the surreal reality of Tezuka’s Barbara. In addition, the viewers can also notice Kiyohiko Shibukawa and Eri Watanabe in supporting roles.

Recommendations
If you want to experience a sensual, arthouse spectacle, then shut the blinds, turn on dim lights, and play Tezuka’s Barbara. Make sure to grab the Third Window Films release which comes out at the end of June! It’s an All Region release in dual format (DVD as well as Blu-Ray) that contains the following bonus features: a look at behind the scenes, interviews with Macoto Tezuka and Christopher Doyle, interviews with Goro Inagaki and Fumi Nikado, deleted scenes, alternative ending. My thanks go to the distributor for sharing the screener.Overall score: 7/10

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Kamikaze Taxi (1995) [Film Review]

Kamikaze Taxi; or, The Winds of the Andes

     I heard music. Not Japanese pop. Not heavy metal either. It was music. I just felt he and I could become friends.

Taxi transportation is so popular in the realm of cinema. Martin Scorsese made the immortal Taxi Driver in 1976, Luc Besson wrote and produced Taxi (1998) comedy, whereas director Jang Hoon had the chance to tackle the subject matter in a 2017 movie. Let me tell you that the Japanese also had their piece of the action in 1995 with Masato Harada’s Kamikaze Taxi, a brutal satire on the topical problems which still continue to perplex the Japanese society.

Release Info

Directed by: Masato Harada Starring: Koji Yakusho, Kazuya Takahashi, Reiko Kataoka, Kenichi Yajima, Mickey Curtis

Language: Japanese Original Title: 復讐の天使 Runtime: 134 min (Theatrical Cut)

Synopsis
Tatsuo (Kazuya Takahashi) is a young yakuza member who is responsible for delivering prostitutes to high-profile clients. After a rough night, one of Tatsuo’s girls gets killed, whereas the other one is badly injured. The gangster wants revenge on a prominent politician (Taketoshi Naito) who did this, but his boss, Animaru (Mickey Curtis), forbids to take any action. Tatsuo disobeys the order and raids the politician’s household, stealing his savings in the process. Now, Tatsuo is on the run from the yakuza gangsters who want the money back, and his only chance to stay alive is a quirky taxi driver, Kantake Kazumasa (Koji Yakusho), who may look like a Japanese citizen, but is actually an immigrant worker of Peruvian nationality...

Wild Target
I was aware of the movie for quite some time primarily because I’m a fan of Koji Yakusho (actually, who isn’t?!), but I could check it out just recently thanks to kind souls on Youtube and their uploads (the movie is out of print). Well, the movie certainly subverts your expectations. I thought that this will be something like a happy-go-lucky flick crafted by Shinobu Yaguchi, but Kamikaze Taxi has more of a Takeshi Kitano touch but without Takeshi Kitano…

The opening sequence is just all over the place, and just as when I was about to turn the film off, the storyline finally started making some sense. Evidently, Masato Harada is not an auteur filmmaker focused on coherent storytelling. The film feels like a series of disjointed vignettes in which people either shot at each other, have prolonged death sequences, or deliver lofty monologues about life and justice.

Nevertheless, beneath all that V-Cinema sleaze, there is a masterpiece of a movie lurking and waiting to be discovered by the viewers. Kamikaze Taxi ruthlessly exposes such social issues as ultranationalist politicians, abuse of women, belief in New Age crap, drugs, genocide, distorting historical facts, and discrimination against immigrant workers. In consequence, our protagonists find themselves on a quest through the pathological margins of a society to kill the bad guys and put things right.

Definitive highlights of the movie are excellent cinematography as well as downright breathtaking music score composed by Masahiro Kawasaki. Allegedly, director Harada ordered the composer to listen to hours of Peruvian music because he wanted to have a soundtrack with South American vibes.

With regard to performances, Koji Yakusho absolutely steals the show as a mystical taxi driver who speaks broken Japanese and suffers from personal trauma. Kazuya Takahashi also does very well as revenge-driven Tatsuo, and Reiko Kataoka is quite memorable as his girl sidekick. Mickey Curtis himself also appears in a supporting role of Animaru, the crime boss who likes playing jazz. In addition, Taguchi Tomorrow himself has a cameo as Charlie Chaplin.

A word of caution, there are different cuts of the film out there. Initially, I have seen the theatrical version which runs at 134 mins. There is also an international version (160 mins), and fan recut (176) which sees the inclusion of deleted scenes. Basically, the only major sequence that got cut out from the theatrical cut is the protagonists’ stay at an onsen resort where they engage in all sorts of pastime games/group theraphy with the personnel.

Recommendations
All things considered, Kamikaze Taxi may suffer from narrative shortcomings, yet it manages to be captivatingly poetic and touching. Undeniably, it is a brilliant commentary on Japan and its problems which are constantly being swept under the rug. Overall score: 7/10

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Made in Hong Kong (1997) [Film Review]

Made in Hong Kong; or, The Days of Being Dangerous
     Mom was right when she said that everything is predestined. Ever since Sylvester picked up those two letters, bad things have been happening one after the other. Weird things that no one can explain! They just happen.
I have been meaning to watch Fruit Chan’s The Handover Trilogy (Made in Hong Kong (1997), The Longest Summer (1998), Little Cheung (1999)) for a few years now, but just recently, I decided to give it a go. In this review, I take a look at the first film of the trilogy, Made in Hong Kong, which is actually the first independent movie (made out of leftover film tape) released in Hong Kong after the transfer of power from the United Kingdom to China.

Release Info

Directed by: Fruit Chan Starring: Sam Lee, Neiky Yim Hui-Chi, Wenders Li, Amy Tam Ka-Chuen

Language: Cantonese Original Title: 香港製造 Runtime: 108 min

Synopsis
The story of the film focuses on youngsters who are social outcasts. The main protagonist, Autumn Moon (Sam Lee), is a good for nothing misfit who collects debts for the triads. He frequently protects his friend, Sylvester (Wenders Li), who is mentally-challenged. Together, they meet Ping (Neiky Yim Hui-Chi), a resident of a public rental housing estate. The trio accidentally gets into possession of letters written by a certain Susan (Amy Tam Ka-Chuen), a high school girl who committed suicide. The friends try to deliver the letters to respected addressees. At the same time, Autumn Moon is tired of being a loser and makes an attempt to become someone in Hong Kong on the verge of change.

Young and Depressed
In Made in Hong Kong, Fruit Chan explores the lives of people at the very moment of great political transformation. The British are leaving and the Chinese have not arrived yet, the people of Hong Kong are left to themselves and they are actually deprived of identity.

Autumn Moon tries to do anything in his life, literally anything, like becoming a killer for the triads, but he is unable to kill anyone. Fruit Chan stated in an interview that Moon desperately wants to live but he is incapable of living in such a world, Ping also wants to live, but she suffers from cancer, Sylvester is unable to live because of his limitations, whereas Susan kills herself because she can’t think for herself.

In a desperate attempt to avenge the passing of one of his friends, Moon confronts the triad leader, and while pointing a gun at him says: “I remember that you said that the world is now ruled by the young. Now, I’ll show you!,” and he kills the gangster. In her essay about Made in Hong Kong, the author Vivienne Chow thinks that this one scene is the prophetic foreshadowing of the attitudes represented by modern-day protesters in Hong Kong.

With Made In Hong Kong, the director successfully provided an insightful study of youth living at the margins of society in the time preceding the transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong, but he also managed to emphasise that Hong Kong is essentially a parentless state. Loss of identity takes place because it is neither British nor Chinese. The only way for Hong Kong to move on is to forget about its ambiguous roots.

It has to be noted that director Fruit Chan really has an eye for visuals. One could think that there is nothing appealing in small apartments, huge high-rises with courtyards, or cemeteries, yet the dream-like atmosphere of Made in Hong Kong combined with these images is truly captivating.

With regard to performances, Fruit Chan worked on each entry of The Handover Trilogy with nonprofessional actors and actresses. Allegedly, it took them months of rigorous rehearsals before the crew could start shooting. Nevertheless, all of the performers involved did a fine job. In fact, the movie marks the debut of Sam Lee who, thanks to his memorable performance of Moon, went on to have a successful career. He also appeared in Fruit Chan’s subsequent movies.

Recommendations
I definitely recommend Made in Hong Kong if you want to experience some Hong Kong-related food for thought. My advice is that you should grab the HD release of the movie, instead of a standard DVD. In order to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the film, L’Immagine Ritrovata made a 4K restoration of the film which looks absolutely outstanding. I hope that I will be able to review the remaining entries of The Handover Trilogy soon.
Overall score: 8/10

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