EPIC – thats the best word to describe 13 Assassins by Takashi Miike – if you are a fan of Samurai movies then this film is unmissable, and if you’re a soundie then you may or may not already know this film also won a Japanese Academy Award for Sound, and deservedly so. Whenever I see a film full of sword fights I never envy the sound editor responsible for the sword sound effects; it takes an obsessive quality to achieve the variety & character required to make every fight interesting, dynamic and most important of all, not tiring on the ear. Considering this is a film that starts with someone committing seppuku you just know this sets a dangerous precedent, the death count is going to be high…. and while the film has been described as kinetic, I think it is beautifully mixed in that the 45 minute battle climax of the film has excellent clarity and shape – no relentless wall of sound here! Highly reccomended, but don’t go expecting any lightweight Crouching Tiger stylised fantasy, this film holds true to its weighty heritage, and the ramifications of every action as a Samurai…
Its a real shame many Japanese films do not update IMDB with their credits for us gaijin/Japanese film fans. I was thinking the other day about how much I follow directors careers i.e. I will go out of my way & see every film by a director who’s work I like… but the same is also true of creative talent in terms of score, sound design & mixing. And its especially true for talent outside Hollywood, where finding a film can require some serious detective work. The only credits I can provide are:
Original Music by Kôji Endô and the Sound Designer was Jun Nakamura
And a side note, there is a fascinating interview with the producer of 13 Assassins, Jeremy Thomas, from the Berlinale Talent Campus and this comment from his years of experience resonated with me: “An entrepreneurial spirit is an important element of being a producer, some sort of inner workings that is pushing you forward. Because there are a lot of knock backs and you have to wear a sort of armour so you can continue believing in your films when everybody around you is telling you: “Don’t do that.” (methink that armour is called faith)
The second film I saw on a sunny Sunday was Beginners by Mike Mills which proves my point, I thoroughly enjoyed his first feature film Thumbsucker back in 2006, so I instantly booked for this, his new film and I was rewarded for my efforts; what a beautiful film! Equal parts a love story, an existential rumination on the meaning of life, fatalism, human truth and a very funny character study on the Jack Russell Terrier – it is a film that left me feeling almost merrily melancholic, if that wasn’t a contradiction in terms. Here’s the trailer:
I’ve never been a big fan of Ewan McGregor – he was great in TrainSpotting but lets face it those Star Wars movies didn’t involve too much more than grunting & reciting rote lines, although I’m sure they helped pay the mortgage. But in Beginners he is very, very good – vulnerable, confused, seeking truth, while suffering & finding his way… and being confused… did I mention vulnerable? His co-star Mélanie Laurent is suitably gorgeous, thanks to her & the cinematographer that lights her eyes, and while Christopher Plummer is full of pathos in his role there is a scene stealer in this film by the name of Arthur, the Fox Terrier, and while providing existential comic relief he also provides a dead cert winner for the Academy Award for best use of subtitles in a feature film…
The film plays beautifully, intercutting multiple timeframes seamlessly – at times leaping decades, months & weeks but never at the expense of the narrative, and as a technique it never feels disingenuous or pretentious… even when it cycles within seconds, like an algorhythm, it still works beautifully due to the motivation…. Respect is due to the director & to Olivier Bugge Coutté for his work on the film as picture editor – it’s easy in hindsight to enjoy a beautifully formed film, but unless you are in the cutting room you are never party to how the final form was achieved, and with even a basic knowledge of how scenes are traditionally ‘blocked’ it is incredibly freeing to be in the hands of a director who aschews such safe/boring traditions, as an example one of the most heartbreaking lines “you do not need to come in for more treatments” is delivered from offscreen to the patriarch in the film… We are already invested in his outcome, but to play the whole scene on his reaction shows incredible confidence in the moment, and it is rewarded…
In terms of soundtrack, its always refreshing to feel the score & sound are led by the emotional drama, rather than simply tracking action or spoon feeding its audience, and I have to say it was a welcome reminder of how great it is to fade out ‘real’ sound & become enveloped in score, even in seemingly complex scenes eg a party with appropriately loud party (source) music – the transitions & moments within conveyed so much more than any stylised ‘sound’ ever could, kudos to whoever led these decisions in the mix… If you have a heart this film is highly reccomended….
Original Music by Roger Neill, Dave Palmer & Brian Reitzell
Susumu Tokunow – sound mixer
Zach Wrobel – boom operator
Leslie Shatz – sound designer, re-recording mixer
Mandell Winter – dialogue editor
Sarah Payan – dialogue editor
Paul Timothy Carden – adr supervisor
Vincent Cosson – adr mixer
Travis MacKay – adr mixer
Ellen Heuer – foley artist
A. Josh Reinhardt – foley mixer
Brian Dunlop – foley editor
Callie Thurman – assistant sound editor
Ryan Collins – assistant sound editor
Nancy MacLeod – sound editor
Tim Limer – mix recordist
Jim Ridgley – sound mixer: additional scenes
Great work (once again) from Leslie Shatz on Beginners. The subtle work done by sound designers/re-recording mixers on films like this are often under-rated. I really enjoyed this film. Sound-wise nothing jumps out but the soundtrack plays a very subtle role in the story-telling. And it’s a story that completely captures the feelings of the early days of a relationship.
i went and saw 13 assasins last night, couldnt watch a few scenes , im a bit sensitive
but really enjoyed it. It felt , and somehow looked, like an instant classic. If you can stand the audio analog, it was like they had filmed it on some old analog tape they found in the basement of abbey road and then mixed it on the old emi desks. Goorgeous. Curiously for a bloody war epic it left Dunedins Octagon on a saturday night looking very very crass. I think my autism is feed by the japanese aesthetic.
Just saw Pina, the 3d wim wenders film and loved it. End of th week – Herzog. Thanks for the heads up about beginners.
I’ve booked to see Pina, can’t wait!
Another tip is a film called The Future by Miranda July – haven’t actually seen it yet but it comes highly reccomended