Paris, I Love You

I've never been a big fan of portmanteau films, possibly because I haven't yet found one that could be considered a masterpiece. Paris, I Love You (2006) certainly doesn't change my opinion on them. Even when you have big names like the Coen brothers, Alfonso Cuaron and Christopher Doyle collaborating for one, it still doesn't work well.

Most of the short films are either bad (Oliver Assayas' Quartier des Enfants Rouges), forgettable (Bruno Podalydès' Montmartre) or decent (Wes Craven's Père-Lachaise) at best. There are a few great shorts, such as Alfonso Cuaron's Parc Monceau and Vincenzo Natali's Quartier de la Madeleine, but they are easily forgotten in the mix of the other films. Portmanteau films often rely on their holistic value, but Paris, I Love You does never quite come together because most of its segments are not worthwhile.

The film's mood goes all over the place (in both a good and a bad way) and the cinematography is stunning in each segment, but it lacks coherency and interest for the most part. I would certainly not recommend it even though it is just barely enjoyable.

Score: 5 out of 10

Neo Tokyo

Neo Tokyo (1987) is an experimental film consisting of three separate sections directed by Rintaro, Yoshiaki Kawajiri and Katsuhiro Otomo (the author and director of Akira).

Even though every segment is quite bizarre, Rintaro's Labyrinth-Labyrinthos is by far the oddest of the bunch. In it, a girl and her cat travel through very surreal landscape only to see a weird circus performance. In my opinion, it explores the psyche of modern children - one sequence reminded me of a video game, and that's how I came up with this interpretation. Kawajiri's The Running Man focuses on a motor racing champion who is driving in a race that becomes his last. Basically it's a psychological story of a man simply "losing it". The final segment, Otomo's The Order to Cease Construction, is the most intriguing one for me. It's a clever yet a bit obvious satire of Japan.

Animation is stunning in each segment - and the art design is fascinating even though it naturally varies in each one because different teams worked on them. I loved the character design in Otomo's segment.

In overall, Neo Tokyo is an interesting collection of experimental anime. It's worth a look for anyone although you shouldn't go in expecting anything traditional.

Score: 9 out of 10

Kwaidan

Masaki Kobayashi's Kwaidan (1964) - or Kaidan, as it is spelled in modern Japanese - is based on a famous anthology of ghost stories written by Lafcadio Hearn. The title itself translates as "ghost story" into English. The only thing these four stories have in common is that they deal with ghosts in some way and all of them are genuinely scary.

The first story, Black Hair, is a fairly simple: man leaves his wife so that he can get a better position in the community only to regret his decision later. However, things are not as he had hoped anymore. The message is straightforward yet poignant. The use of sound is extremely otherwordly and brilliant in this segment. Sound effects are often muted or delayed - and that's what makes the story truly menacing. The sound effect of wood being torn apart is used in the musical score in a creepy way.

The second story, Woman of the Snow, also focuses on love, but it takes a totally different approach to the subject. What really sets this story apart is its haunting and bittersweet atmosphere, it is not as directly scary or creepy as the other stories. The way snow is portrayed (even though it was shot on interior sets) is unforgettable. I would even dare to say that this is the most iconic depiction of snow and coldness.

The third story, Hoichi the Earless, is the longest and most intriguing portion of the film. Essentially it is about a blind monk who is cheated by the spirits of the dead. The story takes its precious time to build up tension until it explodes into all directions in the end - before all of it is brought together in the end in an awesome way. This story is something that will never leave your mind at peace.

The final story, In a Cup of Tea, is the most mysterious and surprising segment. I won't go into too much detail because it is something you need to see yourself. The ending is even more ambiguos than the rest of the film put together. It is something you will not see coming, but it is the only logical way to end a film like this. All I can say is that it includes a story about a bodyguard who is haunted by a ghost.

The film's form is consistently brilliant and varies a bit in each story. The use of sound and music is crucial in each one: while the first one is most notable and obvious achievement in sound, the entire film is controlled by sound. The film was completely shot on interior sets and you won't even realise that until you read about it somewhere. All of the sets were hand painted and some of them are really expressionistic and atmospheric. The cinematography is beautiful as well - there is never a moment when Kobayashi's flawless camerawork fails. For example, his use of Dutch angles is perfected here.

Masaki Kobayashi's Kwaidan is a stunning cinematic achievement. I can not recall a film that would have such a brilliant combination of creative sets, stunning cinematography and innovative use of sound. The stories might be a bit simple, but they hold great wisdom that should not be forgotten.

Score: 10 out of 10

Dreams

Dreams (1990) was one of the last films Akira Kurosawa ever directed. It is a fragmented collection of dreams that aren't connected to each other in any way. They touch on many subjects and themes, but the final result is perplexing to say the least - because the film is hardly coherent at all. There's also a problem with the strong morals: they are handled in a ridiculously heavy-handed way. Although I have to admit that the dream involving Vincent Van Gogh was awesome.

While the content is challenging and confusing, the form is spot-on. Kurosawa never fails to create breathtaking imagery. The pacing is wonderfully dreamy and while that makes the film a bit harder to watch, it works well to enhance the unclear content. The musical score is delightful as well.

Dreams was certainly something new for Kurosawa, but this "experiment" doesn't work as well as it could have possibly worked.

Score: 5 out of 10

PS: I would be interested in reading a Jungian analysis of the dreams. Maybe that would make me understand the content better.

Tokyo!

Tokyo! (2008) is a triptych of stories that all take place in Tokyo. Each segment is directed by a different director: Michel Gondry, Leos Carax and Jong-ho Bong. I would say what all of these segments have in common (besides the location) is that they all somehow deal with our difficulties to communicate and find our place in the society. But it is a lot easier to focus on these segments separately. The film opens with an animated shot of Tokyo with an announcer speaking in the background, as if we - the viewers - would be boarding onto a flight. In my opinion, watching the film feels like one, even if the stories are wildly exaggerated and they dont necessarily try to portray Tokyo honestly.

The first segment is Michel Gondry's Interior Design. Akira (Ryo Kase), an amateur and experimental filmmaker, and her girlfriend Hiroko (Ayako Fujitani) come to Tokyo to release Akira's film and also to find a place to live in. Before finding their own apartment, they move in to live with Akemi (Ayumi Ito) for a few days. From there on, the story becomes a bit different: the main characters face difficulties and in the end it is about Hiroko and her problems to fit into the society. The story takes on a rather wild symbolical path by the end, which even on its own makes the segment worth watching. The story raises enough questions - and its own peculiar way answers them satisfyingly enough, but it is nothing revolutionary. Gondry's visual take on the story is impressive and very fitting. I went bonkers when I heard that both Fujitani and Ito are both in this movie - even more when I realised they are in the same segment. They both perform very well as expected, delightul performances by both of them - even though Ito's character is hardly deep or even good. On its own, I would probably give this segment a 7 as its rating.

The second segment is Leos Carax' Merde. Merde (Denis Lavant) is the main character (pictured above) of the film who is also known as the "Creature of the Sewers" who wreaks havoc in Tokyo once in a while and then disappears. Eventually the Japanese capture him and what happens then is even more bizarre than the beginning. I guess you could interpret the story to be a tale of how different people can be - and how we react to that difference. Yet the screenplay doesnt seem to pick a side - or even a point of view - on the subject and in the end it is quite disappointing. It explores its obvious message on a childish yet peculiar way which seems to be an insult towards weird people in general. Yet it seems to show how cruelly the society takes care of these weird persons. The result is a mess - to say the least. The biggest offender was the nonsensical ending. Carax' form for the story is a weird combination of gritty and clean cinematography. It certainly packs a punch here and there, and it uses some weird devices - like split screen for an entire scene. That's why it feels a bit gimmicky at times, but in general it works to some degree. This segment deserves only a 3!

The last segment is Joon-ho Bong's Shaking Tokyo. It is the story of a Japanese man (Teruyuki Kagawa) who has lived all alone in his apartment for over 10 years and has avoided eye contact with anyone during that time. The story is set into motion once he does make eye contact with pizza delivery girl (Yû Aoi) - with almost catastrophical results. I have to admit the story evolves into something extremely fascinating and thoughtful. This segment alone makes the film worth a watch - or even worth the purchase of the DVD release. In a way Bong shoves the middle finger at what the Japanese society has turned into yet he seems to care deeply for the characters. The story is - as you can guess - about loneliness and the difficulties in communication. Bong's form is nigh perfect with its great compositions and lovely editing. I dont want to reveal too much about the segment, but the content is awesome as well. This segment certainly deserves a 9 at least.

In overall, the film is certainly nice to watch because the segments are so refreshingly different from each other. Even though I disliked the second segment, I can see how it fits into the film and I will probably buy the DVD someday.

Score: 7 out of 10