J-Horror In Michigan

05-20-2003, 03:09 PM

The Center for Japanese Studies Free Summer Film Series 2003

J-HORROR: Four Modern Horror Films from Japan

The Japanese horror film movement, often referred to as "J Horror," has become one of the hottest trends in international film. Many fans and critics regard Hideo Nakata's Ringu (1998) as the genre's grandfather. The blockbuster success of the American remake The Ring has given Hollywood reason to attempt assimilating J-Horror concepts into the mainstream Hollywood system, but the original Japanese films themselves have
also found audiences within the U.S. and around the world. This summer, the Center for Japanese Studies at the University of Michigan presents four of the most unusual Japanese horror films of recent years.

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>

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

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.

SaviniFan · 05-21-2003, 03:45 AM

This is awesome news....I'm a Michigander and I'll definitely be there to see Audition and Happiness on the big screen!

05-21-2003, 07:18 AM

Don't forget to bring a car load of friends and spread the news like the plague.

bigdaddyhorse · 05-21-2003, 10:32 PM

That's just across town for me.
Definitly gonna have to get to some of those!
Thanks for the info!

englishken · 05-23-2003, 01:38 AM

sounds cool........wish i was there with ya !!

05-20-2003, 03:09 PM	#1
Deaddevilman Guest Posts: n/a	J-Horror In Michigan The Center for Japanese Studies Free Summer Film Series 2003 J-HORROR: Four Modern Horror Films from Japan The Japanese horror film movement, often referred to as "J Horror," has become one of the hottest trends in international film. Many fans and critics regard Hideo Nakata's Ringu (1998) as the genre's grandfather. The blockbuster success of the American remake The Ring has given Hollywood reason to attempt assimilating J-Horror concepts into the mainstream Hollywood system, but the original Japanese films themselves have also found audiences within the U.S. and around the world. This summer, the Center for Japanese Studies at the University of Michigan presents four of the most unusual Japanese horror films of recent years. 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> 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 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.

05-21-2003, 03:45 AM	#2
SaviniFan I Have A Fetish Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: On the cutting room floor. Posts: 5,444	This is awesome news....I'm a Michigander and I'll definitely be there to see Audition and Happiness on the big screen! __________________ Exercise. Eat right. Die anyway. PS3 Gamer Tag: SaviniFan Steam Gamer Tag: ToastyBuffoon My DVD Profiler

05-21-2003, 10:32 PM	#4
bigdaddyhorse Detroit Hi-on Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Under a rock Posts: 11,932	That's just across town for me. Definitly gonna have to get to some of those! Thanks for the info! __________________ "!" My Fucking DVDS

05-23-2003, 01:38 AM	#5
englishken Stalker Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: ENGLAND'S CAR-PARK. Posts: 157	sounds cool........wish i was there with ya !! __________________ ken t

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05-21-2003, 07:18 AM	#3
Deaddevilman Guest Posts: n/a	Don't forget to bring a car load of friends and spread the news like the plague.