Takashi Miike returns with a demented blend of yakuza thriller and surreal horror. Buckle up!

It's clear from the opening scene of "Gozu" that there's something not quite right about the mobster Ozaki (Sho Aikawa). At a meeting with his fellow hoods, he leans in close across the restaurant booth to warn the boss (Renji Ishibashi) that the tiny white lap dog a woman is holding out on the...

Takashi Miike is Japan's answer to both David Lynch and John Waters. And he's better than both of them, and more prolific with more than 60 films to his credit by the age of 44. He's also stranger than both, sicker than both, crazier than both and definitely not for the farm couple from Frederick in for a weekend in the big city.

One could say Shimizu Takashi begrudges historical perspective in favor of pandering to a hip audience’s short-attention spans.

Watching the latest from the insanely prolific Takashi Miike is akin to having some very bad acid slipped in your drink.