Achille e la tartaruga

Beat Takeshi's "Dolls" is one of my favorite movies, and I really enjoyed his other films "Kikujirou no Natsu", "Zatoichi", and "Brother". However, his last two films I viewed, "Kantoku, Banzai!!" and "Takeshis'" were nothing but narcissistic garbage, so I expected nothing from this movie. To my surprise, it turned out to be a fantastic film that's not only funny, but also deep.

The story follows the life of a boy who loves art and destined to become an artist, though fail to achieve success due to lack of originality and excessive imitation.

What I really liked about this film is that it explores what art really is, and pokes fun at the absurdity of some of today's so-called 'modern art'. It also depicts the suffering of an artist whose works are not 'understood' by others. It's interesting Kitano Takeshi's films are often artistic in its own way. Makes me wonder if his previous two films were too artistic for me to comprehend?

In any case, I enjoyed this film tremendously, and there were many memorable moments. Casting was done extremely well, especially in the 'college days', and all the actors gave a great performance for this wonderful movie.

People may think that creators make a living by what they want to do. The working to keep living looks similar to what they really want to do at first. But, actually it's different for some people. Even if he seems to do what he wants, everyone wants more honor really.

This's the story about lives of an unsuccessful artist, Machisu and his wife. He had been nearby where he wanted to reach. That's why he had felt more frustrating by not reaching there. Neverless, he must create some things. I can image how tough it is. But he had to answer a need because he made a living by it. And his pride must not be able to let him publish the garbages to the public. How easier it is to make it just "a hobby".

If his goal was just realistic arts, his job will be replaced by AI easily. Is the art which has the goal worth?

It's just the "foundation" to give the persuasion and reality on his own opinion. Everyone can copy and draw realistically with practicing a lot. There's the trend and the styles everyone likes. So it's a bit stupid to ignore the flow stubbornly. The creators who make new things must know new and good ones and choose to adopt or reject them. There's some things --- sold well, liked by creators and acknowledged by everyone. It's exciting to live with them, but is also very tough. It's like a marathon without the goal. They're running out of breath forever. When they would stop it, it's "the End" really.

To go different way from the others, it would be a detour. Machisu couldn't creat even good things because he held too complexed things. There's something about him that made everyone feel that he looked great. But that kind of expectation became a handicap and dragged him down. He's like Achilles who cannot overtake the Tortois.

There's an absolute difference between getting the top selling and the talent.

This should be required viewing for everyone in the "art" world. Kitano skewers global modern art culture and also makes fun of his own work.

The story is simply of an artist from childhood to "middle age" (which seems to be around 62) as he tries to be a successful artist. He starts out as an untrained "primitive" but with a certain talent for texture and color. He is insulted at every turn while we get to see the "good" art by "masters" which are all really, really bad. Unfortunately the artist gets progressively worse as he takes advice from gallery owners on how to make his work "sellable", which it never is. Every time the work gets better, he's advised to go in a different direction. Many mildly humorous situations arise but the film isn't going for outright laughs most of the time. The scenes of the "middle aged" artist (played by Kitano) getting his supportive wife to make his art are very long, get progressively cruel (probably part of the point) and could have been cut down a little. The issue of autism isn't directly addressed but the character certainly exhibits symptoms.

This is a very good film although a little long. It may not be as good to someone who has no experience with the art world of today. Kitano created all the art in this film, good and purposely bad.

Kitano trying something different - is kind of something you expect from him. Now while he could have just been doing Yakuza or silly comedies, he goes ahead and does movies like this. It's about art - not just his decision, but what this movie is about. Now there is quite a lot of comedy in it and there is also quite a lot of violence in it too.

It is what he knows to do - and he is good in it. And while I did not look into if there is any autobiographical aspect to it, it does feel like he at least is chanelling something about himself. It may feel like small pieces sown together, but there is craft in that, making it compelling and interesting to see the road and determination of an artist. It is odd, but it is also really good

The movie does not work in only one level; so it can be seen as a sampling of art, in this case: "painting"; from different viewpoints or dimensions. Good actors, humor Kitano style, the Japanese twisted style; however it is a mixture of 2 or 3 movies in one; changes radically from one part to another (the movie is not formally divided) and the only connection seems the art itself (that s not bad at all...) The first half has a coherent development of the script, good photography and shows us the protagonist as a school kid then as a young man. He, an almost autistic person that seems unaffected by the (good and bad) things that happen in his life. Perhaps the answer to why he continues to fail in his work. Failure to get emotionally involved in a way o another in such episodes or not take part physically or to be mentally affected by them, makes an artist that will not acquire the necessary skills (after assimilate and process its) to then translate them into his work; normally a way to say things or feelings of what a person (an artist) can not say in another way. We see a person who may have a natural talent for painting, or based on to paint and repetition developed good capabilities but do not know how to let out his own creative streak, which just ends up imitating the great painters or following great schools of painting in an evident level.

-in a second part of the movie, changes completely and we see Kitano, fulfilling the lead role and with his rough style and Yakuza pose, this main character loses all silence and dedicating autism demanding constantly to his suffered side kick wife; dragging them in a not so good life. In this part the artist is showed like an "art junkie" There s kind of humor here and the shots are more TV like ones. The movie could be better or could be at least two movies...