What a great subject, especially since I watch about 200 movies a year...

I thought Visitor Q was an almost complete misfire, interesting only for inverting the usual that outsider-family subgenre (Teoreme, Boudou Saved from Drowning). Didn't care much for Fudoh either. Much better--and conveniently both just released on US DVD though I haven't seen those--are City of Lost Souls and Dead or Alive which rework yakuza/crime films through culture clashes (and anybody who says they expected the ending of Dead or Alive is a liar). Way way over the top is the flabbergasting Ichi the Killer, even in the slightly censored Hong Kong DVD. Audition is good in a what-is-reality way like Polanski's Repulsion but not quite as "unwatchable" as its reputation. I'm hoping to get around soon to Happiness of the Katakuris, Miike's musical remake of a Korean film (no really).

Having seen a couple of Takashi movies, I can understand why he takes such a foremost position in the discussions on contemporary Japanese cinema, but he really isn't my favorite director. I would definitely recommend "Visitor Q", "City of Lost Souls", and "Happiness of the Katakuris", though. They are simultaneously completely avant-garde, and completely commercial. "Audition", of course, will go into the history books as a classic, but it is not a typical Miike Takashi movie in the sense that it almost feels too composed, too focused on a single theme, whereas most of his other movies are post-modern romps through ten different genres in a single movie, from the famous CGI Matrix-spoofing cockfight in "City of Lost Souls" to the musical themes of "Happiness of the Katakuris".

Other current Japanese directors worth checking out are films by Kiyoshi Kurosawa (especially Cure which I think is one of the best films of the 90s), Sogo Ishii (Angel Dust is pretty easy to find but don't pass up the dark satire Crazy Family), Sabu (the peculiar DANGAN Runner) and Shunji Iwai. Shinya Tsukamoto is well-respected but has always seemed pretty trite to me. I'd guess all Zornlisters already know about Seijun Suzuki and Takeshi Kitano. And I'd rate Hayao Miyazaki as one of the best filmmakers anywhere.

I must agree on Kiyoshi Kurosawa, he's my favorite contemporary Japanese director. If you like "Cure", which definitely is one of the best films of the 90s, you'd better also check out his "Kairo" ("Pulse") which is just as good. I would also recommend the made-for-TV "Kourei" ("Seance"), while I still have the DVD of "Charisma" lying at home waiting for me to watch it. There's a small fragment of Kurosawa's "Barren Illusion" that shows up in the latest Olivier Assayas movie, "demonlover" (which I found a complete disappointment). I definitely agree to the recommendation for "Irma Vep" found in another mail in this thread. Sogo Ishii is great as well, though I would want a DVD release of his cult classics "Crazy Thunder Road" and "Burst City". His "Electric Dragon 80,000V" is so energetic and over-the-top that it almost manages to blow Shinya Tsukamoto's "Tetsuo" out of the water. Another favorite contemporary Japanese director is Hideo Nakata. His "Chaos" I find one of the best thrillers of recent times, and his "Dark Water" I find on par with "Ringu", arguably the most important horror movie since 1990. Both are scheduled for Hollywood remaking, but please do yourselves a favor and check out the originals. Great cult movies I've seen this year: * "The Last Great Wilderness" (David MacKenzie). Turns from a Scottish roadmovie into a David Lynch-inspired nightmare. Might be the most interesting movie I've seen all year. I'm definitely up for a DVD release. * "Dracula: Pages from a Virgin's Diary" (Guy Maddin) Beautiful ballet-like evocation of Bram Stoker's novel, shot in black-and-white. I have not seen any of his other work, unfortunately. * "Leak" aka "Mystics in Bali" (H. Tjut Djalil) This is what World Horror Cinema is all about. The defining movie for the more than excellent Mondo Macabro label. Weird beyond weirdness. A must-see for any horror movie fanatic. Now, bring on the Pakistani vampire flick "The Living Corpse"... * "Gerry" (Gus van Sant) Beautiful movie about two guys called Gerry getting lost in the desert. Beautiful. * "Ju-on" aka "The Grudge" (Takashi Shimizu) The umpteenth J-horror movie following the success of "Ringu", but this one is genuinely scary and very, very well-done. Awaiting an American remake, as ever. Frankco