Deaddevilman
07-15-2003, 09:33 PM
Center for Japanese Studies
Free Summer Film Series 2003
J-HORROR: Four Modern Horror Films from Japan
THIS WEEK'S FILM:
July 18: The Happiness of the Katakuris (Katakurike no koufuku/
????????), 2001, Dir. Takashi Miike, 113 min., color
The Katakuri family is struggling to make a success of their guesthouse
in the mountains behind the famous resort town of Karuizawa.
Unfortunately, each of their increasingly odd guests dies unexpectedly and the
Katakuris, afraid that the notoriety will kill their business, have no
other choice but to bury the bodies in the woods. In tune with its quirky
story, the film mixes movie genres and styles with abandon. Complete
with a flying conman pretending to be the nephew of Queen Elizabeth,
claymation special effects, assorted weird creatures and some hilarious
rock opera karaoke parodies, this film is The Sound of Music meets Shallow
Grave. Mature Audiences--Japanese with English Subtitles
Beginning Friday, July 18th and continuing Friday nights through August
8th, these films will be shown at 7:00 p.m. in the Lorch Hall
Auditorium (611 Tappan St., Ann Arbor, MI 48109) on the Central Campus of the
University of Michigan. Admission FREE.
Directions are available online at
<http://www.umich.edu/~iinet/cjs/direcsToLorch.htm>,
and a map is available at
<http://www.umich.edu/~iinet/cjs/gif/Lorch.gif>
*********************************************
UPCOMING FILMS:
July 25: Hypnosis (Saimin/ ??), 1999, Dir. Masayuki Ochiai, 110 min.,
color
Three apparently unrelated suicides occur in Tokyo on the same day-a
seventy year-old man throws himself through a window, a teenage track
star runs herself to death, and a groom strangles himself during his
wedding reception. Witnesses refer to a "green monkey" mentioned by each
person, and an aging police detective and a young psychologist begin to
investigate. When the two meet Yuka, the beautiful, troubled young
subject of a popular television hypnotist, the case appears to be solvable
even as more "suggested" deaths occur. But unexpected developments
threaten the lives of everyone involved in the case. Mature
Audiences--Japanese with English Subtitles
August 1: Audition (Oudishon/ ???????), 1999, Dir. Takashi Miike, 115
min., color
Another film from the prolific and outrageous Takashi Miike, Audition
is as close to an arthouse horror film as one could imagine. Based on a
novel by notorious author Ryu Murakami, it begins when a shy,
middle-aged widower decides to choose his new wife by holding a phony audition
for a nonexistent film. He falls for the demure and alluring Asami, a
former ballerina with a suspicious past. Their polite, timid courtship
takes a 180-degree turn when Asami, trumping the stereotype of the
submissive Asian woman, visits her revenge on Aoyama in the most nightmarish
of ways-and the film morphs from romance to psycho-thriller. Mature
Audiences--Japanese with English Subtitles
August 8: Vortex (Uzumaki/ ????), 2000, Dir. Higuchinsky, 92 min.,
color
A small, peaceful town in the Japanese countryside is turned upside
down when its inhabitants develop a sudden and mysterious obsession with
spirals. High-schoolers Kirie and Shuichi team up with a local reporter
to discover the mystery of their small town and its relation to the
"curse of the vortex." Death lies around every corner, and this movie
takes paranoia and insanity to a whole new level. The debut feature of
former music video director Higuchinsky, this film was adapted from an
original comic by Junji Ito and is steeped deeply in comic surrealism.
Mature Audiences--Japanese with English Subtitles
This series is made possible with the help of Tidepoint Pictures, Toho
Co., Ltd., and Vitagraph Releasing.
For more information on CJS events, please visit our website at:
http://www.umich.edu/~iinet/cjs/events/CJSevents.html
*****************************************
Amy Carey
Program Associate
Center for Japanese Studies
University of Michigan
1080 S. University, Suite 3603
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1106
TEL: 734-763-4301
FAX: 734-936-2948
EMAIL: amycarey@umich.edu
http://www.umich.edu/~iinet/cjs/
Free Summer Film Series 2003
J-HORROR: Four Modern Horror Films from Japan
THIS WEEK'S FILM:
July 18: The Happiness of the Katakuris (Katakurike no koufuku/
????????), 2001, Dir. Takashi Miike, 113 min., color
The Katakuri family is struggling to make a success of their guesthouse
in the mountains behind the famous resort town of Karuizawa.
Unfortunately, each of their increasingly odd guests dies unexpectedly and the
Katakuris, afraid that the notoriety will kill their business, have no
other choice but to bury the bodies in the woods. In tune with its quirky
story, the film mixes movie genres and styles with abandon. Complete
with a flying conman pretending to be the nephew of Queen Elizabeth,
claymation special effects, assorted weird creatures and some hilarious
rock opera karaoke parodies, this film is The Sound of Music meets Shallow
Grave. Mature Audiences--Japanese with English Subtitles
Beginning Friday, July 18th and continuing Friday nights through August
8th, these films will be shown at 7:00 p.m. in the Lorch Hall
Auditorium (611 Tappan St., Ann Arbor, MI 48109) on the Central Campus of the
University of Michigan. Admission FREE.
Directions are available online at
<http://www.umich.edu/~iinet/cjs/direcsToLorch.htm>,
and a map is available at
<http://www.umich.edu/~iinet/cjs/gif/Lorch.gif>
*********************************************
UPCOMING FILMS:
July 25: Hypnosis (Saimin/ ??), 1999, Dir. Masayuki Ochiai, 110 min.,
color
Three apparently unrelated suicides occur in Tokyo on the same day-a
seventy year-old man throws himself through a window, a teenage track
star runs herself to death, and a groom strangles himself during his
wedding reception. Witnesses refer to a "green monkey" mentioned by each
person, and an aging police detective and a young psychologist begin to
investigate. When the two meet Yuka, the beautiful, troubled young
subject of a popular television hypnotist, the case appears to be solvable
even as more "suggested" deaths occur. But unexpected developments
threaten the lives of everyone involved in the case. Mature
Audiences--Japanese with English Subtitles
August 1: Audition (Oudishon/ ???????), 1999, Dir. Takashi Miike, 115
min., color
Another film from the prolific and outrageous Takashi Miike, Audition
is as close to an arthouse horror film as one could imagine. Based on a
novel by notorious author Ryu Murakami, it begins when a shy,
middle-aged widower decides to choose his new wife by holding a phony audition
for a nonexistent film. He falls for the demure and alluring Asami, a
former ballerina with a suspicious past. Their polite, timid courtship
takes a 180-degree turn when Asami, trumping the stereotype of the
submissive Asian woman, visits her revenge on Aoyama in the most nightmarish
of ways-and the film morphs from romance to psycho-thriller. Mature
Audiences--Japanese with English Subtitles
August 8: Vortex (Uzumaki/ ????), 2000, Dir. Higuchinsky, 92 min.,
color
A small, peaceful town in the Japanese countryside is turned upside
down when its inhabitants develop a sudden and mysterious obsession with
spirals. High-schoolers Kirie and Shuichi team up with a local reporter
to discover the mystery of their small town and its relation to the
"curse of the vortex." Death lies around every corner, and this movie
takes paranoia and insanity to a whole new level. The debut feature of
former music video director Higuchinsky, this film was adapted from an
original comic by Junji Ito and is steeped deeply in comic surrealism.
Mature Audiences--Japanese with English Subtitles
This series is made possible with the help of Tidepoint Pictures, Toho
Co., Ltd., and Vitagraph Releasing.
For more information on CJS events, please visit our website at:
http://www.umich.edu/~iinet/cjs/events/CJSevents.html
*****************************************
Amy Carey
Program Associate
Center for Japanese Studies
University of Michigan
1080 S. University, Suite 3603
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1106
TEL: 734-763-4301
FAX: 734-936-2948
EMAIL: amycarey@umich.edu
http://www.umich.edu/~iinet/cjs/