All of these failures are visually punctuated by the suicide/murders of the Kitano shaped doll.Then providence strikes and Kitano knows what to do, he will make a big budget CGI sci-fi spectacle about meteors racing to earth, only the meteors will have faces and are supposed to become major characters in the film. Martial arts period films and horror films get their turns as well, since both do well in foreign markets and might even get remade, but horror gives way to comedy, and neither make nearly enough at the box office. Then they decide this is sexist so they try films where a man is devoted to a woman, and they call these tragedies. They go through a few romances first where a woman is devoted to a man who is usually an artist or in some way disabled and these are called romantic comedies.
Then they try a "traditionally Japanese Ozu like film- the kind Wim Wenders would like", but it too falls through "who wants to waste a half hour on drinking liquor and tea?" Stories about the "common folk" aren't common anymore, and the black and white is now just alienating. They try gangster movies, because they are what Kitano is best at, but he has done too many of them and wants to get away from being typecast. The beginning when Kitano and his matching dummy (who trade places throughout the film, whenever Kitano feels pressured or uncomfortable) think of new films to make Kitano a success. My first experience with Taksehi Kitano (aka Beat Takeshi) as director as well as lead actor, and I say file away under first class WTF right next to Funky Forest and Night Dreams (review forthcomming).My first experience with Kitano was the disquiet ting almost sympathetic teacher in "Battle Royale", but I knew right away he was an actor worth looking into, and I'm usually not very interested specific in actors. The "critics" and Japanese audiences may not care for them, but I'm sure in 10-20 years from now, these films be looked upon as classics of cinema. "Art for art's sake", maybe, but this is still some brilliant, hilarious stuff, and I'm very happy Takeshi is taking all the money he earns from his acting and personal appearances and pouring them into these brilliant films. he's completely tearing apart the very essence of cinema, yet still not jumping into a black hole of impenetrable artiness. Indeed, like many people, I find Takeshi to be the best director currently working in the world today, and his films are always gems. Though for nostalgic reasons, my PERSONAL favorite Kitano films will always be "Hana-Bi" and "Sonatine", I have noticed that Takeshi has actually been getting better and better in recent years (excluding "Zatoichi") as he is starting to explore the more surreal, beautiful, and bizarre moments only hinted at in his first few films. Some of the most off-the-wall, UNREAL humor I've ever seen in a film, specifically a brief animated part near the end that is probably the greatest scene I've ever seen in a film, period.
The first half of this film explores that to a hilarious degree, but the second half is when this film really shines. This film is something of a compilation of all the kinds of films he hasn't made yet. Takeshi's previous film, "Takeshis'" was a surreal compilation of every film Kitano had made prior to it. Yet once again Kitano delivers in this surreal comedy gem that is unique, deeply personal, affecting on a spiritual level, and is absolutely HILARIOUS. In an age of remakes, rehashes, and parodies, where every film by every director looks exactly the same, it's hard to find an innovative film, especially in the "comedy" genre. How many truly unique films have come out since the year 2000? Not too many.
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