Beat Takeshi and TAKESHIS'
Who is Beat Takeshi? He's bocoming one of the fasting growing Japanese names out side Japan thanks to the popularity of his films with international audiences. His breakout from Japan was 1997's Hanabi, but he has been entertaining audiences in Japan since the 1970's. 
Takeshi Kitano started as a comedian, and as a member of the manzai duo The Two Beats (hence the name Beat Takeshi). The prolific Kitano is a comedian, writer, artist, actor, movie director, and tv show host. It's hard to imagine an American entertainer being spread this thin, but Takeshi can divide him himself so skillfully none of his work suffers, and if it did surely it would not be released. In fact the only time his work really did suffer was after a severe scooter accident in the mid-90's which tore up half of Takeshi's face. For a full year he did not appear in public until surgery could restore his face, and the doctor's did an amazing job.
Just released on DVD in Japan, Kitano's TAKESHIS' (the title is a sound play as shizu means "to die") is an interesting film for Takeshi fans, as it is about Beat Takeshi himself. He also plays a look-alike who is an aspiring actor, but who is poor at promoting himself and is kicked out of auditions before getting a chance to say a line. The first half of the film is fairly straight-forward, but in the last half we start to see tears in fabric of reality and things start to get very strange. Is Takeshi's look-alike trying to get revenge on those who thrwarted his dream of acting? Or is he doing what he can to get back to reality?
This is NOT a good movie for first time Takeshi Kitano viewers. In this movie he pokes fun at previous roles he's palyed, and many of the actors appeared in previous movies. This helps contribute to the reality slip, as the viewer get jostled out of the reality originally presented. Though this is an interesting film, and it is worth watching some older Takeshi films before this one comes out in the US. I recommend Sonatine, Hanabi, Zatoichi, and his directorial debut, Violent Cop.
Takeshi Kitano started as a comedian, and as a member of the manzai duo The Two Beats (hence the name Beat Takeshi). The prolific Kitano is a comedian, writer, artist, actor, movie director, and tv show host. It's hard to imagine an American entertainer being spread this thin, but Takeshi can divide him himself so skillfully none of his work suffers, and if it did surely it would not be released. In fact the only time his work really did suffer was after a severe scooter accident in the mid-90's which tore up half of Takeshi's face. For a full year he did not appear in public until surgery could restore his face, and the doctor's did an amazing job.Just released on DVD in Japan, Kitano's TAKESHIS' (the title is a sound play as shizu means "to die") is an interesting film for Takeshi fans, as it is about Beat Takeshi himself. He also plays a look-alike who is an aspiring actor, but who is poor at promoting himself and is kicked out of auditions before getting a chance to say a line. The first half of the film is fairly straight-forward, but in the last half we start to see tears in fabric of reality and things start to get very strange. Is Takeshi's look-alike trying to get revenge on those who thrwarted his dream of acting? Or is he doing what he can to get back to reality?
This is NOT a good movie for first time Takeshi Kitano viewers. In this movie he pokes fun at previous roles he's palyed, and many of the actors appeared in previous movies. This helps contribute to the reality slip, as the viewer get jostled out of the reality originally presented. Though this is an interesting film, and it is worth watching some older Takeshi films before this one comes out in the US. I recommend Sonatine, Hanabi, Zatoichi, and his directorial debut, Violent Cop.
posted by John T at 3:49 PM
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