Some interesting comments by Kitano Takeshi

[Don Brown]

At a panel discussion at the Tokyo Filmex film festival on November 23rd, 
Kitano referred to a possible sequel to Zatoichi as his "insurance." Here 
are his exact comments (or rather my rough translation):
"If I make what I really want to make and it turns out to be a failure, 
I'll do Zatoichi 2. It's like an insurance policy. If things don't go well, 
I can make a claim on my insurance and recover half the cost."

He also took the opportunity to denounce some of Japan's so-called film 
critics, in particular (by inference) the flamboyantly gay TV tarento 
Osugi. The two have been known enemies since Osugi gave a scathing review 
of Kitano's 1989 directorial debut "Violent Cop," and apparently everything 
else he's made since. 
Some highlights:

"There's no greater idiot than a Japanese film critic. Some of them are a 
disgrace."

"There's even some strange ones who get paid to appear in film advertising 
and still call themselves film critics."

"'I was born to see this movie'?! [note: a line used by Osugi in a TV ad 
voiceover for a certain film] What the hell? If that's true, then what in 
god's name have you been watching until now?"

The qualitｙ, or lack thereof, of film criticism in Japan has been 
discussed on this list previously, and Osugi perhaps presents the most 
extreme example. He's probably the most visible and well-known film 
reviewer in Japan due to his popularity as a television personality on 
several variety shows, and can therefore be seen to wield a considerable 
influence on the filmgoing public, but his reviews amount to little more 
than baseless rantings. Worst of all, he has shown no qualms about adding 
his (paid) personal seal of approval to film advertising campaigns through 
voiceovers or actual appearances in commercials. Despite Kitano's personal 
antipathy toward Osugi, I think his comments hit the bullseye.

Don Brown