Shion Sono vs Takashi Miike
 

I'm sure a few of dvdtalkers here have seen one or two of these celebrated auteurs. Here's a selected (what I have seen, except Tokyo Tribe and Why Don't You Play in Hell which is getting great reviews) discography of each director.

Shion Sono
Selected discography

2014 Tokyo Tribe
2013 Why Don't You Play in Hell?
2011 Himizu
2011 Guilty of Romance
2010 Cold Fish
2008 Love Exposure (this is an amazing 4 hour film)
2005 Noriko's Dinner Table
2001 Suicide Club


Takashi Miike (One of Tarantino's favorite)
Selected discography

2012 Lesson of the Evil
2012 Ace Attorney
2010 13 Assassins
2007 Sukiyaki Western Django
2004 Three... Extremes (segment "Box")
2003 Gozu
2001 Ichi the Killer
2001 Visitor Q
1999 Audition

Re: Shion Sono vs Takashi Miike
 

Never seen Sono's work. Guess I should. Any of his stuff on US BD or streaming?

Re: Shion Sono vs Takashi Miike
 

A few titles of Sono's work are on US bd or streaming.
You can find them other ways if need be.

Re: Shion Sono vs Takashi Miike
 

I hadn't heard of Why Don't You Play In Hell? I'll have to check this out.

I remember when Suicide Club came out, Sono had to deal with rumors of working within the japanese gay pornography industry :lol:

Re: Shion Sono vs Takashi Miike
 

I've only seen 2 Sono films---Compared to the 40-or-so I've seen from Miike. So it's an unfair comparison for me.

I netflix'd "Dinner table" for last month's horror challenge...Even though it was hardly horror.

Re: Shion Sono vs Takashi Miike
 

This is a difficult one for me. I love Miike but I think Sono is the more cerebral of the 2 and he also writes his own films.
I have yet to see a bad Sono film, but Miike has done so many films that he's also got a bunch of crap in his filmography.

Re: Shion Sono vs Takashi Miike
 

Examples?

I remember when I went on my HUGE Miike binge circa 2003-2006 and Andromedia was the only culprit I ran into. But at least even that one had it's moments (Carousel scene and ending)

Re: Shion Sono vs Takashi Miike
 

Sono gets the edge as I absoultely love Suicide Club. It's just a shame that Noriko's Dinner Table wasn't as strong of a follow-up.

Re: Shion Sono vs Takashi Miike
 

I have not seen any of his films in years but I do remember 3 that I thought were bad : Izo, Sukiyaki Western Django & Full Metal Yakuza. I'm sure there are more.

Re: Shion Sono vs Takashi Miike
 

You should revisit Izo. I thought it was a fascinating critique of violence in cinema, the visceral nature of it and how it reflects violence in humanity. I know the whole "rewatch it, you didn't get it!" thing can be obnoxious, but you and I usually have very similar taste in films. I can't disagree about the other two. I really liked Sukyaki Western Django when I first saw it, aside from the entire Tarantino sequence, which was pointless, but then I saw The Good the Bad and The Weird which was essentially the same movie but much better. I will say that even when Miike's films fall short, they are always interesting.

Re: Shion Sono vs Takashi Miike
 

I don't think I can, the guy singing and playing guitar makes me want to shoot my TV with a .357 Magnum. I haven't felt that much anger toward a movie soundtrack until I saw The Life Aquatic.
If I ever hear someone do a Bowie song in Portuguese, someone is going to die.

Re: Shion Sono vs Takashi Miike
 

:lol: Not a fan a Japanese folk I guess. Those moments were actually among my favorite of the movie.

Re: Shion Sono vs Takashi Miike
 

Also, all the hacking and slashing over the 128 minute runtime got boring & repetitive after a while.

Re: Shion Sono vs Takashi Miike
 

I think that was the point. The scene with the windshield wipers wiping the blood away but it kept flowing down kind of drove it home. I thought there were some interesting moments like how some of the violence was horrific but then you have the Kamikaze pilot saying goodbye to his wife and suddenly the colors are very warm and it's a moment of courage and pride. I thought it was pointing to the hypocrisy of a government using its people to murder in the name of nationalism. I found all of the different contexts that the movie portrayed the violence to be thought-provoking, but I can understand how that would turn off viewers.

Re: Shion Sono vs Takashi Miike
 

I'm more of an Audition, Ichi the Killer, Visitor Q, Gozu, Dead or Alive kind of guy.

Re: Shion Sono vs Takashi Miike
 

Personally, Beat Takeshi edges out both of them.

Kitano Takeshi > Takashi Miike > Shion Sono

Re: Shion Sono vs Takashi Miike
 

Sonatine & Fireworks are masterpieces. Some of his other films are good, but not as good as those 2 IMO.

Re: Shion Sono vs Takashi Miike
 

Audition is my favorite Miike film, I love the others on your list, especially Dead or Alive (1 and 2). What about the Bird People of China and Happiness of the Katakuris?

Re: Shion Sono vs Takashi Miike
 

His movies are really good but he just repeats the same themes over and over.

Re: Shion Sono vs Takashi Miike
 

2011 Himizu
2011 Guilty of Romance

both of these were just released on blu in the US via Olive films

Re: Shion Sono vs Takashi Miike
 

I wish Miike would get more love on Region 1 BluRay.

Re: Shion Sono vs Takashi Miike
 

Sono's works the last few years have been consistently fantastic, starting from Love Exposure, to Cold Fish, and now Why Don't You Play in Hell?.

I highly recommend Why Don't You Play in Hell?...one of the craziest and entertaining Japanese films in recent memory!

Re: Shion Sono vs Takashi Miike
 

Those are good. I like them.

I have to catch up on him and get some of those Olive Blus, waiting for sales & price drops. I have Love Exposure but still have not cracked it open.

Re: Shion Sono vs Takashi Miike
 

10 years ago my answer would be Miike easily. But now it's Sono. And yes ... Love Exposure is an absolutely fantastic movie! Don't be scared away by the running time.

Bird People of China is very good. Though it's not much what you'd expect from Miike. With a couple of exceptions, it's a rather quiet and thoughtful piece. Happiness is ok I guess. I prefer the non-musical Korean version of the story (The Quiet Family).

Re: Shion Sono vs Takashi Miike
 

Looks like I've got some catching up to do. That one comes out on Blu at the end of January.