Friday, April 3, 2020

Streaming Japanese

 After finally seeing and abso-fucking-lutely loving one of my most anticipated films of last year, First Love, my most recent streaming rabbit hole is catching up on some Takashi Miike, of whom I was already a fan, but an admittedly overwhelmed one (Letterboxd has his film count at 96 currently). Nearly a hundred feature films since 1991 is a ridiculous standard even for schlock, but when you consider the quality, style and variety of his stuff it's even more ridiculous.

Here's a quick break down of what's streaming now if you're looking for Miike titles.

Audition - (suspense/horror) is available on Shudder
Blade of the Immortal - (samurai fantasy) is available on Hoopla
Dead or Alive - (bizzaro yakuza movie) is available on Prime
Dead or Alive 2: Birds is available on Prime
Dead or Alive : Final is available on Prime
First Love - (dirty cop/yakuza cluster fuck comedy) is available on Hoopla
Gozu - (if David Lynch made yakuza movies) is available on Tubi and Prime
The Happiness of the Katakuris - (comedic, horror musical) is available on Tubi and Prime
Hara Kiri: Death of a Samurai - (samurai) is available on Tubi and Prime
Ichi the Killer - is available on Hoopla and Shudder
Ley Lines - (street kids, youth crime) is available on Prime
Over Your Dead Body - (horror) is available on Tubi
Rainy Dog - (hitman with a kid and a prostitute in tow) is available on Tubi and Prime
Shinjuku Triad Society - (gang war, dirty cops, organ trade) is available on Prime
Sukiyaki Western Django - (western) is available on Tubi and Prime
13 Assassins - (samurai) is available on Hoopla
Yakuza Apocalypse - (yakuza vampire fantasy) is available on Hoopla

Sticking with Japanese crime filmmakers... Seijun Suzuki's

Born Under Crossed Stars is on Tubi
The Boy Who Came Back is on Prime
Branded to Kill is on Kanopy and Criterion
Kagero-za is on Prime
The Man With a Shotgun is on Prime
Smashing the O-Line is on Prime
Teenage Yakuza is on Prime
Tokyo Drifter is on Kanopy and Criterion
Tokyo Knights is on Prime
Voice Without a Shadow is on Prime
Youth of the Beast is on Criterion
Yumeji is on Prime

I basically think of Takeshi Kitano's yakuza movies like Clint Eastwood's westerns. If that sounds like your bag (stoic, funny, measured, bloody as hell, some he directs as well as stars in) look for these titles currently streaming.

The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi is available on Prime
Boiling Point is available on Tubi, Hoopla and Kanopy
Hana-Bi is available on Tubi Hoopla and Prime
Outrage is available on Tubi, Hoopla and Prime
Beyond Outrage is available on Tubi and Hoopla
Outrage: Coda is available on Hoopla and Prime
Violent Cop is available on Tubi and Hoopla

The yakuza films of Kinji Fukasaku were essential to establishing as well as deconstructing the genre. Right now you can find

(from The Yakuza Papers series)
Battles Without Honor and Humanity on Mubi and Prime
Hiroshima Death Match on Tubi, Mubi and Prime
Proxy War is on Tubi, Mubi and Prime
Police Tactics on Mubi and Prime
Battles Without Honor or Humanity: Final Episode on Tubi, Mubi and Prime
New Battles Without Honor and Humanity on Tubi and Prime
The Boss's Head on Prime
Last Days of the Boss on Prime
also
Battle Royale is on Tubi and Hoopla
Battle Royale II: Requiem is on Tubi
Cops Vs. Thugs is on Kanopy and Prime
Legend of the 8 Samurai is on Tubi
Virus: Day of Resurrection is on Tubi

and Akira Kurosawa is best known for his samurai flicks (and the western adaptations like A Fistful of Dollars and Last Man Standing and The Magnificent Seven - also let's not forget Star Wars), but his crime pictures like Drunken Angel, High and Low, The Bad Sleep Well and Stray Dog are well worth your time too.

The Bad Sleep Well is on Kanopy and Criterion
Drunken Angel is on Kanopy and Criterion
The Hidden Fortress is on Kanopy and Criterion
High and Low is on Kanopy and Criterion
Kagemusha is on DirecTV
Rashoman is on Kanopy and Criterion
Red Beard is on Kanopy and Criterion
Sanjuor is on Kanopy and Criterion
Scandal is on Criterion
The Seven Samurai is on Criterion
Stray Dog is on Kanopy and Criterion
Throne of Blood is on Kanopy and Criterion
Yojimbo is on Kanopy and Criterion

Plenty more of course - hope you're staying home and staying safe.

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