Mike Yokohama: A Forest with No Name

Mike Yokohama: A Forest with No Name (Japanese: 私立探偵 濱マイク 名前のない森, Hepburn: Shiritsu Tantei Hama Maiku Namae no Nai Mori) is a 2002 Japanese film directed by Shinji Aoyama, starring Masatoshi Nagase.[1][2] The film is a feature-length cut of an episode of the television series The Private Detective Mike shown at film festivals and released theatrically.

Mike Yokohama: A Forest with No Name
American DVD cover
Japanese私立探偵 濱マイク 名前のない森
Directed byShinji Aoyama
Written byShinji Aoyama
Based onMike Hama trilogy
by Kaizo Hayashi
StarringMasatoshi Nagase
CinematographyMasaki Tamura
Edited byYuji Oshige
Music byDowser
Production
company
Release date
Running time
71 minutes
CountryJapan
LanguageJapanese

Cast

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Production

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Mike Yokohama: A Forest with No Name was originally one episode in the 12-part television series The Private Detective Mike which aired on Yomiuri TV in 2002.[3] Each episode was 45–55 minutes long and shot by a different director, including such well-known filmmakers as Alex Cox, Shinobu Yaguchi, and Isao Yukisada.[3] All of them featured the character Mike Hama, a detective who was the center of a trilogy of films directed by Kaizo Hayashi.[3] Aoyama's episode was shot in super 16 mm and blown up to 35 mm for release in theatres.[4]

Release

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The film was screened at the 52nd Berlin International Film Festival in 2002[5] and at the Cleveland International Film Festival in 2003.[6] The film was received a theatrical release in France under the title La forêt sans nom.[citation needed]

Reception

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Todd Brown of Twitch Film described the film as "a strikingly composed and completely open ended study of the nature of desire and identity." He said, "[Shinji] Aoyama's stylistic flourishes are in full effect and Masatoshi Nagase gives an excellent, multi layered performance as Hama himself."[7] On the other hand, Time Out London's review was less favourable.[8] The reviewers at FilmBizarro found the movie enjoyable, and noted that watching it "will lead to interesting conversations between viewers".[9]

References

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  1. ^ Seibert, Perry. "Mike Yokohama – A Forest With No Name (2002)". AllMovie. Retrieved 2 April 2012.
  2. ^ "Contemporary Japanese Cinema: About the panelists". School of Cinematic Arts Events. February 2010. Retrieved 2 April 2012.
  3. ^ a b c Mes, Tom. "A Forest with No Name". Midnight Eye. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
  4. ^ Stratton, David (15 February 2002). "Mike Yokohama – A Forest with No Name – Variety". Variety. Retrieved 2 April 2012.
  5. ^ Mes, Tom (7 November 2002). "Midnight Eye review: A Forest With No Name". Midnight Eye. Retrieved 2 April 2012.
  6. ^ Piepenburg, Eric (3 April 2003). "Even in Wartime, Cleveland Fest Provides Healthy Dose of Global Cinema". IndieWire. Retrieved 2 April 2012.
  7. ^ Brown, Todd (13 July 2005). "Mike Yokohama: A Forest With No Name Review – Twitch". Twitch Film. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 2 April 2012.
  8. ^ "Mike Yokohama – A Forest with No Name". Time Out London. Retrieved 2 April 2012.
  9. ^ "Mike Yokohama: A Forest With No Name". FilmBizzaro.com. Retrieved 2 April 2012.
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