Member Takuma Posted May 8, 2014 Member Share Posted May 8, 2014 Nikkatsu just uploaded teaser for Tokyo Tribes, which will be released in August. xR5fXOQEi1M Site: http://tokyotribe-movie.com/ It's been described as rap / hip hop fighting film - http://www.screendaily.com/features/sion-sono-tokyo-tribe/5064127.article? Here's a bit more info: http://www.wildgrounds.com/2013/12/01/from-the-set-of-sion-sonos-tokyo-tribe/ Lately Sono's films have been turning out worse than they sound like. And this even sound bad... Also, Sono started (and probably finished) filming his next film Shinjuku Swan last month. To be released in 2015. - http://asianwiki.com/Shinjuku_Swan_%28Japanese_Movie%29 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Takuma Posted June 26, 2014 Author Member Share Posted June 26, 2014 Poster I'm still expecting a hip hop CGI blood mess from the film.. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Gwai LO Posted June 26, 2014 Member Share Posted June 26, 2014 Reminds me of a hip hop version of tai chi zero/hero mixed with crows zero with a twist of city of violence.. I like these gang fight style movies.. But will Have to wait for a positive review to check it out 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Takuma Posted July 16, 2014 Author Member Share Posted July 16, 2014 Oh man, this is starting to look really terrible. New Japanese trailer fof Tokyo Tribe: 7vDSPqAA59k I lost count how many cheap CGI shots there were... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator One Armed Boxer Posted July 16, 2014 Moderator Share Posted July 16, 2014 Oh man, this is starting to look really terrible. New Japanese trailer fof Tokyo Tribe: 7vDSPqAA59k I lost count how many cheap CGI shots there were... I really wanted to watch that and come away thinking that it didn't look as bad as you made it sound, but sadly it looks like you're correct, the trailer actually put me off the movie all together. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Gwai LO Posted July 17, 2014 Member Share Posted July 17, 2014 Ugh... That ruined the movie for me 100% a hip hop musical fight movie?? Wtf... This is stupid looking.. I won't see this at all 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Takuma Posted August 18, 2014 Author Member Share Posted August 18, 2014 Oddly enough, early comments and statements contrast with the terrible looking trailer: "Sion Sono's TOKYO TRIBE is heaps of fun: a garish, trashy hip-hop opera that sustains peak intensity for 2 hours without getting exhausting. Riki Takeuchi's performance in Tokyo Tribe makes his work in Dead or Alive seem nuanced. And Ryohei Suzuki... holy shit." - James Hadfield "If I were in my early 20s now and saw "Tokyo Tribe" overseas it'd be one of the films that'd make think "F*** it, I'm going to Japan!"" - Jason Gray "TOKYO TRIBE whips you through its 2h-long dystopian vision in such an entertaining way it rather feels like 30mins. Fun without compromise." - Stauffen “...I wanted to shoot a picture with men so jacked they’d make you sick, and then show it to female viewers (laughs). So this time around, I was able to make a movie in which a humungous black guy and a humungous Japanese guy sweat like pigs...." - Sion Sono 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member OpiumKungFuCracker Posted August 18, 2014 Member Share Posted August 18, 2014 Never judge a movie by its trailer. Especially coming from a high caliber film maker like Sion Sono. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Takuma Posted August 18, 2014 Author Member Share Posted August 18, 2014 True, but then again Sono's previous CGI mess (Why Don't You Play in Hell) was highly praised as well. Oh well, I¨ll be seeing Tokyo Tribe in a few weeks anyway. Expectations set low. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator thekfc Posted August 18, 2014 Moderator Share Posted August 18, 2014 This looks like it could be a fun movie. I am in. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Takuma Posted September 5, 2014 Author Member Share Posted September 5, 2014 I’ll be damned. Tokyo Tribe was actually quite good. It’s got an insane drive from first frame to the (second) last scene. The dystopian sets are frankly amazing, and the camerawork is superb. The film opens with two tracking shots, both several minutes long, and you get more similar stuff throughout the film. Action is also good, especially martial arts and wire-fu stuff modelled after early 1990’s Hong Kong kung fu films. Nana Seino is ok in action, though she repeats her moves. There are some other performers who provide a couple of mindblowing moments. And my God! Nana Seino went topless! I’m in heaven! Panty shot galore, too. She’s almost as good as Hikari Mitsushima in Love Exposure and Fumi Nikaido in Why Don’t You Play in Hell. But then, the film does have some of the expected flaws. The utterly idiotic CGI blood is there again, though thankfully only in a few scenes. Ridiculous CGI tank, too. And the film doesn’t really have a main character or anyone to care for, which takes away any emotional punch from the rather underwhelming ending. I don’t give a shit about rap music, but it more or less works here. Most of the dialogue is actually rap, with some scenes/performers better than the others. Sometani seems a bit out of place here, though he's not too bad. So, no, it’s nowhere near Sono’s masterpieces from the previous decade, but it is his best since Cold Fish. A pretty fun ride, and a thousand times better than its trailers. And it’s got Riki Takeuchi over-acting worse (better) than ever before! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member OpiumKungFuCracker Posted September 5, 2014 Member Share Posted September 5, 2014 Sion Sono is my favorite director right now. Even his less stellar movies are better than most Hollywood films if that says anything. When will this hit stateside or bluray release? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator One Armed Boxer Posted September 5, 2014 Moderator Share Posted September 5, 2014 It seems like the guys over at Twitch like this as well - http://twitchfilm.com/2014/09/toronto-2014-review-sonos-tokyo-tribe-is-the-best-musical-of-the-new-decade.html 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Takuma Posted September 8, 2014 Author Member Share Posted September 8, 2014 Not that the film is THAT great, but I went to see it one more time. I figured out Nana Seino’s breasts should be worth the ticket price anyway. Still hated the idiotic CGI, and there are some other problems like Shoko Nakagawa whose only purpose is to make fun of stupid Japanese media who thought the yellow track suit in Why Don’t You Play in Hell was a Kill Bill reference, but I must say the rest of the film is damn badass. Ryohei Suzuki especially is on fire, and Nana Seino is great! A bit more about the action. Despite the Crows Zero –like premise, most of the action is influenced by Hong Kong and Thai flicks. First we’ve got the German born Taekwondo giant Bernard Ackah and the slick Japanese-American dancer-martial artist Joey Beni as a sort of hit team. Ackah relies on force while Beni moves like a lightning and runs on people’s shoulders. Some wire-fu as well. The second duo is Nana Seino and the 16 year old girl Makoto Sakaguchi (though she plays a boy in the film). Sakaguchi an acrobat and martial artists working for the action team Worsal, who designed the action scenes and are now working on Tak Sakaguchi’s comeback film Re-Born. Her stuff has more Thai influence in the way she moves around and runs from the enemies. Nana Seino is a model turned actress, and against that background, she’s actually pretty good in the action. Nice kicks and all, though her repertoire is limited. As an actress, however, she’s really good in the film! Finally, we’ve got the lead characters played by Ryohei Suzuki and Young Dais. Their fight is more of the Crows Zero style, though it’s a katana vs. baseball bat rather than fist fight. They’re all right, but obviously they’re not, nor are they supposed to be, professional martial artists. This is the “two pumped up men beating the shit out of each other” part, although it doesn’t quite compare to Miike’s stuff. Oh, and in case you were wondering, the female cop in the opening scene is Kokone Sasaki from Takashi Ishii’s Hello My Dolly Girlfriend. Some pictures from the theatre: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Takuma Posted September 10, 2014 Author Member Share Posted September 10, 2014 Ok, so I went to see the film for a third time, and I swear it wasn't (only) because of Nana Seino's breasts I'm finally starting to lean towards a 4/5 rating for the film. I'm hesitant because the idiotic CGI crap is just impossible to accept, but damn if the film isn't just so much fun whenever there's no CGI on screen. And this comes from someone who was certain the film was going to suck based on the trailers and Sono's recent track record. I could easily watch the film for the 4th time just for the opening tracking shot, amazing set design, and Ryohei Suzuki who is on fire! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member OpiumKungFuCracker Posted September 10, 2014 Member Share Posted September 10, 2014 Yeah at this day and age, it's hard to avoid CGI. So we are just gonna have to accept it for what it is. 4 times coming from you is not a small feat. This movie has to be that good for you to go out and see it 4 times, WOW! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Takuma Posted September 10, 2014 Author Member Share Posted September 10, 2014 Three times, not four! Haha. The fourth will be when the film hits the BD. I haven't watched a film in cinema three times since Henge (Metamorphosis) in 2012. But the leaders in this sport are Drive (4 times), Kill Bill Vol. 2 (4 times), and Kill Bill Vol. 1 (5 times) Tokyo Tribe will screen at the Fantastic Fest in Texas later this month - http://fantasticfest.com/films/tokyo-tribe 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator One Armed Boxer Posted September 12, 2014 Moderator Share Posted September 12, 2014 Twitch have recently posted an interview with Sion Sono, which touches on the production of 'Tokyo Tribe', you can check it out here - http://twitchfilm.com/2014/09/letrange-2014-sono-sion-talks-tokyo-tribe-and-all-things-etrange.html 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Takuma Posted September 22, 2014 Author Member Share Posted September 22, 2014 Here's an interesting bit of news: "For those who loved the action scenes in TOKYO TRIBE, thank choreographer and fantasticfest vet Tak Sakaguchi, who worked under a pseudonym" - Marc Walcow I had a hunch Sakaguchi was involved since Worsal, the team that was responsible for the action in Tokyo Tribe, is also the team that is working on Sakaguchi's next film Re-Born, but couldn't find any confirmation before. Also, here's a good review by Wildgrounds that really echoes my own thoughts. Except for Nana Seino’s breasts, which deserve more attention, and the terrible CGI, that I really wish Sono would stop using, I agree about every point. Saves me translating my Finnish language review. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Takuma Posted September 27, 2014 Author Member Share Posted September 27, 2014 ok, so went to see Tokyo Tribe for the 4th time. The film is incredibly re-watchable. The opening blows my mind every time...and the other fantastic tracking shot a bit later, and the badass introduction scene for Bernard Ackah and Joey Beni where they beat the shit out of people at the club. And simply can't get enough of the production design, which is like Escape from New York + The Warriors + something colorful as hell. I can't wait for the BD to come out so that I can show people how the film really looks like rather than the shitty trailers... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Takuma Posted October 16, 2014 Author Member Share Posted October 16, 2014 Japanese DVD and BD releases coming from Happinet January 6, 2015 - http://www.happinet-p.com/jp3/releases/BBXN-1171 Two disc release with Sono & cast audio commentary, making of, deleted scenes, event footage, music video, trailers etc. + cover sleeve designed by Santa Inoue. No subs except Japanese (optional for lyrics). Happinet is also releasing Bad Film (1995/2012) on DVD the same day. It's already available in the Sion Sono box set, though. I saw it some time ago. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Gwai LO Posted October 17, 2014 Member Share Posted October 17, 2014 Damn I hate how they never release English subs whe they first release DVDs. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Takuma Posted October 17, 2014 Author Member Share Posted October 17, 2014 Well, Eureka will be releasing Tokyo Tribe in the UK, though I don't know when. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Karlos Posted December 2, 2014 Moderator Share Posted December 2, 2014 Yep - UK BD/DVD release “early 2015”, per the Eureka website. Cannot wait for this. Really loved your various write ups on this, Takuma – it’s always awesome to see someone fall in love with a film! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Gwai LO Posted December 31, 2014 Member Share Posted December 31, 2014 Yep - UK BD/DVD release “early 2015”, per the Eureka website. Cannot wait for this. Really loved your various write ups on this, Takuma – it’s always awesome to see someone fall in love with a film! Is their a specific date of release with English subs? This movie has to be the most torn I've ever been.. I love the positive reviews BUT I just don't know if I can get past the fact it's a musical.. I just don't know if I can take it serious enough. This is a movie I really wish I could watch before I purchase. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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