Runs at Grand Illusion, Fri., May 2–Thurs., May 8. Not rated. 120 minutes.
Kimihiko (Sadao Abe) has a dream. That, one day, he will play yakyuken (strip poker) with a geisha. The noodle company employee dumps his girlfriend, Fujiko (Kou Shibasaki), and transfers to the Kyoto branch in order to be closer to several geisha houses and turn his dream into reality. Problem is, every house has a "no first timers" policy unless that individual is referred. Meanwhile, Fujiko arrives in Kyoto to train as a geisha and win him back. (Why she would bother with a dude who sports a fourth-grade bowl-cut and makes noodle toppings for a living is beyond me.) Thus, Maiko Haaaan! ("Maiko" means apprentice geisha, and the title more or less translates as "Miss!") Long on slapstick and short on plot, the movie explores the male fascination with geisha culture. What horny Americans—and many Japanese—don't appreciate is that despite a geisha's allure and coy flirting, she remains unobtainable and doesn't put out. Watch the reaction when Fujiko eagerly announces to the chagrin of the house that she's prepared to "go all out and do it with old men"—it's a violation of the rules. But no one should expect serious scholarship in a film that features Abe—a well-known Japanese TV star—prancing through the streets of Kyoto in diaper-like underwear.
French Noir at SAM
Claude Chabrol's 2004 adaptation of the Ruth Rendell novel The Bridesmaid i... More>> Seattle Art Museum, Every week Thursday from Thu., May 1 until Thu., June 5, 7:30pm, $7 (individual), $58-$65 (series)
Looking for America
She’s been on 11 blind dates in the last two months; not one of the me... More>> Lisa Harris Gallery, Daily from Mon., May 19 until Sat., May 31, 10:30am-5:30pm
I Am My Own Wife
The Pulitzer- and Tony-winning I Am My Own Wife had a long and complicated ... More>> ArtsWest, Every week Sunday from Sun., May 25 until Sun., June 1, 3:00pmEvery week Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday from Wed., May 14 until Sun., June 1, 7:30pm, $10-$29
Looking for America
She’s been on 11 blind dates in the last two months; not one of the me... More>> Lisa Harris Gallery, Daily from Mon., May 19 until Sat., May 31, 10:30am-5:30pm
OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies
Reader Comments