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Today is a day to celebrate Takashi Miike! He’s directed some iconic films throughout his career, and he’s had an impact on international cinema for decades. Take a look below for a few of my favorite movies of his, and keep reading for the usual daily digest trivia!
Movies of the Day
Instead of looking at a new movie today, I thought I’d take a quick look back at a few of my favorite movies from Takashi Miike. Why? Because today is Takashi Miike’s 65th birthday (see the Birthdays section below for more details). I discovered Miike’s work in the early 2000s when I bought Ichi the Killer on DVD. I instantly became a fan, and I’ve sought out many of his movies in the years since.
Listed below are my six favorite movies that Takashi Miike has directed, listed from most favorite to least (though I love them all). You might think some obvious films are missing from this list, but these are my personal favorites, not necessarily Miike’s “best.” Also, he’s a prolific director, and there are many films of his that I haven’t seen yet. If you have suggestions for what I should absolutely check out next, let me know.
- Ichi the Killer (2001) – Being the first movie of Miike’s I ever watched, it holds a special place in my memory. Plus, I tend to love ultra-violent Japanese movies like this.
- Audition (1999) – I was late to the party with Audition, but once I finally saw it I understood why so many people love it. There are some truly memorable moments in this movie, and they’re not all in the torture scene. The scenes in Asami’s apartment are the creepiest in my opinion.
- First Love (2019) – I was able to see this in a theater, and I instantly fell in love with it. Takashi Miike is a master of genre films, not just horror, but of any genre he touches. First Love incorporates yakuza, action, drama, and romance in a wild and touching story about a boxer and a drug-addicted call girl who get mixed up with gang members and a dirty cop. It’s incredibly fun.
- Visitor Q (2001) – This movie is dark and messed up, and that’s why I like it. The plot is a little hard to explain quickly, but it involves a stranger whose interactions with a supremely dysfunctional family change everyone’s lives. This one is definitely for the weirdos out there (like me).
- As the Gods Will (2014) – This one is just fun. It’s a survival-game movie about high school students who are forced to participate in a series of deadly games. It’s silly, violent, and thoroughly enjoyable.
- The Happiness of the Katakuris (2001) – This might be Takashi Miike’s most ambitious genre mashup. It’s a surreal dark comedy musical about a family who tries, and continually fails, to run a bed and breakfast. There’s a lot of death, some zombies, stop-motion animation, and plenty of song and dance numbers.
Birthdays
Takashi Miike was born on August 24th, 1960. Miike is known by general audiences in the West primarily for his more violent movies, but his mastery of directing genre films is wide-reaching. With well over 100 credits across movies and television, Miike has directed horror, action, adventure, comedy, romance, drama, family films, and even magical-girl stories.
Ronee Blakley was born on August 24th, 1945. Her most famous acting role is probably as Barbara Jean in Nashville (1975). But for horror fans, Ronee will always be best known as Nancy’s mother Marge in A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984). She also appeared in A Return to Salem’s Lot (1987), and in an episode of Tales from the Darkside (1985).
Events on This Day
On August 24th, 1999, the 30th Anniversary Edition of Night of the Living Dead was released on home video. I bought this on VHS at some point shortly after it was released, but to this day I’ve never watched the whole thing. The main issue is that this edition cuts footage from the original and inserts newly-filed footage. And it’s bad. Really, really bad. I’m not sure where you can find it streaming, but it’s really only interesting as a historical curiosity anyway.
John Carpenter’s ill-fated Ghost of Mars was released on August 24th, 2001. The sci-fi Western action horror movie flopped at the box office, but it’s earned devoted fans over the years. It’s worth checking out for fans of Carpenter, and you can stream it on Starz, or rent it on Prime Video.
Thank you as always for checking out the daily digest. What’s your favorite Takashi Miike movie?
