Tokyo!

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Tokyo!

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Tokyo!

Ayako Fujitani, Ayumi Ito, Denis Lavant, Jean-François Balmer, Julie Dreyfus

A cinematic triptych of three Tokyo-set stories.

Id: 10987311

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Tokyo! Recent Reviews
  • evillincoln
    August 9, 2009
    evillincoln
    loved 1st and 3rd - Merde was kind of :p
  • her69eyes
    July 19, 2009
    her69eyes
    "Tokyo!" is it's own trilogy, an omnibus film with the intentions of allowing three of the world's top arthouse filmmakers to shed light on their version of Tokyo. The directors are two Frenchmen, Michel Gondry ("Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"; "Be Kind Rewind") and Leos ...( read more)Carax ("Pola X"; "The Lovers on the Bridge"), and the Korean Bong Joon-ho ("The Host"). Those who have seen "Paris, je t'aime", which is a much larger collection of much shorter films, will identify with the concept. However, they'll also be aware that some films are bound to be better than others. In "Tokyo!", where each film lasts over a half hour long, the film that falls a bit short is certainly a bit less forgivable.

    The first of the films is "Interior Design", as directed by Michel Gondry. It involves a young couple, Hiroko (Ayako Fujitani) and Akira (Ryo Kase), who live with their high school friend, Akemi (Ayumi Ito), in Tokyo. They're oblivious lovers, completely lost within the hectic and demanding world of big city life. Their efforts to find meaning and purpose are illustrated through a fascinating surreal twist which I will not spoil. The film, adapted from a graphic novel by Gabrielle Bell, is interesting, but it certainly doesn't shed much light on Tokyo specifically. It's instead a universal portrait of the ungrounded youth.

    The second film is Leos Carax's "Merde", which stars the strange red-headed troll (Denis Lavant) that appears prominently in the film's advertisements. He comes out of the sewers one day, an unidentifiable creature with a milky eye and a bright green suit, and terrorizes the citizens. At first, he's only licking armpits. Then, he throws grenades. He's eventually tried and receives a lawyer who claims to understand him. There's a long sequence when the two "communicate" (we don't get subtitles), which is a definitive example of why this film's pacing is flawed. We begin to lose interest, and then the scene continues. And continues. Lavant is really good, and the concept is great (a modern day Godzilla shedding light on the "buried" nationalist party of Japan), but it runs out of steam shortly after it begins.

    The last film, which may be the best and most relevant to the city, is "Shaking Tokyo", as directed by Bong Joon-ho. It defines for us the "hikikomori" - urban hermits, usually young males, who one day enter their homes and never leave. The concept of urban isolation is obviously done to death, but strange additions of a pizza girl with "buttons" tattooed on her arms and periodical earthquakes certainly give the plot enough of a spin to remain fresh. The end of the film shows us a city where every citizen has become a hikikomori.

    One of the flaws of the film is that only "Shaking Tokyo" seems specific to Tokyo. In a film without a linking theme this would be excusable, but I was expecting each director to use the setting more to their advantage and take care in examining social issues specific to that particular city. "Merde" can be set in any number of countries with a violent history, and "Interior Design" is so vague that it's familiar of any city in the world.

    Despite it's flaws, "Tokyo!" is certainly easy to watch. The first and last films are very good, and although "Merde" doesn't quite live up to their quality, it still gives us an incredibly memorable villain. Fans of the directors won't be too disappointed, but don't go in expecting much more than mild entertainment.
  • movieguyryan
    May 13, 2009
    movieguyryan
    While there is some things to like in these three short films that take place in Tokyo, especially in Gondry's short, there is no need to rush and watch as soon as possible. You may find some of the shorts drag a little too much and unlike other films consisting of many shorts su...( read more)ch as Paris, je t'aime, you have to wait around 30 minutes for the next short to start as opposed to a little under 10 minutes.
  • cacutshaw
    September 20, 2009
    cacutshaw
    Truth be told, I fully expected to dislike this film. I've never been much of a Gondrey fan, so that was playing against it, and I actually had no idea Bong Joon-ho did a segment (to my eternal shame, though I sure perked up when his name appeared in the credits). Colour me sur...( read more)prised when I loved the film (I believe surprise is a light shade of blue). Gondrey's entry was quite excellent, showcasing Steven Seagal's daughter as a Japanese youth who has no idea what she wants to do. The middle segment was entertaining, possibly a little long in tooth, seemingly dealing with Japan's feelings towards outsiders and immigrants (for a good film about that see The World Sinks Except Japan). For a film that starts out with the Godzilla theme I expected to like it way more. The stand out segment is, of course, Bong Joon-ho's masterful "Shaking Tokyo" about loneliness in the big, overcrowded city.
    All in all, this is a very rewarding experience and particularly good for those who love the surreal.
  • zdravkoduck
    April 27, 2009
    zdravkoduck
    Being new to the "stories set in one place mini-movies" I was excited my first one was going to be a place I've always wanted to go to...then again I've always wanted to go to New York & Paris. They should make a "Bosnia, Fuck You"..anyways digressing as usual. The concept of th...( read more)ese kind of movies is what makes me curious to see them the most. Everyone has a different way of looking at things. Heres my review though. Go see it. Michel Gondry's was my favorite, not knocking the other two in fact the last one was great.. the french a little on the i need to be on shrooms to understand it side... all in all these movies are worth a second look.
  • kunam88
    November 24, 2009
    kunam88
    yep,more artistic than entertaining
  • aquaair60
    October 31, 2009
    aquaair60
    Best for me was Merde and Shaking Tokyo. But overall it is wonderful.
  • hayneslauren
    October 19, 2009
    hayneslauren
    Quite possibly one of the weirdest films I have ever seen in my life. I feel useful because now I am a chair...
  • barbaragpires
    October 12, 2009
    barbaragpires
    pequena obra-prima o curta do joon-ho bong.
  • isabelleweber1
    October 7, 2009
    isabelleweber1
    Uma menina que se transforma em uma cadeira, um cara que sai do esgoto pra matar japoneses, e um homem que resolve nunca mais sair de casa - sim, vale a pena.
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