TAKASHI MIIKE FILMS

Takashi Miike is one of my favorite directors. He's one of the filmmakers responsible for me gaining a strong interest in Asian cinema (alongside Jackie Chan and Takeshi Kitano). The Dead or Alive trilogy has to be my favorite set of Miike flicks, followed closely by Crows Zero II, Happiness of the Katakuris, and Graveyard of Honor. He's got quite the filmography, and it's pretty hard to find some of his earlier stuff. Miike's style has directly influenced my directing style, and although I haven't seen some of his most recent works, I still keep an eye out for any new projects his name is attached too.

I felt the Sharkskin Man & Peach Hip Girl vibe immediately when I saw the project for Hipster & The Schoolgirl too. It actually got me to watch the movie again (Sharkskin Man). I remember not liking it all that much when I first saw it years ago because I was hoping for more action. However, when I watch it now, I enjoy it immensely.

Has anyone watching the Happiness of the Katakuri? At the end, the last claymation sequence shows the dog coming down the mountain, but attached to his leg is a character who doesn't speak and is otherwise unrecognizable and later disappears. Who is that? Is that a Miike cameo?