dainipponjin Tagged Articles at Cinematical
TIFF Review: Dai Nipponjin
Filed under: Action », Comedy », Horror », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Theatrical Reviews », Comic/Superhero/Geek », Toronto International Film Festival », Cinematical Indie »
There are some films that simply defy description. There are some films so packed with extra-colorful weirdness that you could write 1,000 words and still not cover it all. And then there are films like Hitoshi Matsumoto's Dai Nipponjin (aka Big Man Japan) -- which is most assuredly a combination of those two descriptions. I could rattle off the film's catalog of lunacy (and I will) but it still wouldn't adequately explain how outlandishly, amusingly WEIRD the thing is. Definitely one of those "not far all tastes" imports, but if you're a fan of Japanese action flicks, monster movies and strangely amusing mockumentaries ... then this is one you're going to want to search for.
Here's the basic gist: Masaru Dai Saito is the host of a Japanese reality show in which he (literally) transforms into a giant club-wielding butt-kicker whenever his homeland is visited by another freaky monster. And this happens a lot. So much, apparently, that the chaos and destruction are old-hat by now -- and our poor hero has trouble bringing in any television ratings at all. (Not even the corporate logo tattoos plastered across his gargantuan belly seem to be helping much.) Earth-shattering battles with "Squeezing Baddie" and "Jumping Baddie" do little to impress the masses, but when a nasty new RED "baddie" appears on the scene, it looks like our sad-sack do-gooder is about to hit the big-time.
Toronto Midnight Madness Features George Romero, Stuart Gordon
Filed under: Action », Animation », Foreign Language », Horror », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Thrillers », Mystery & Suspense », Comic/Superhero/Geek », Toronto International Film Festival », Cinematical Indie »
Start injecting caffeine into your veins, boys and girls, because the first eight Midnight Madness titles have been revealed for the upcoming Toronto International Film Festival. The biggest name title has got to be George A. Romero's Diary of the Dead, in which the esteemed documenter of the dead goes back to his roots and tells a zombie origin story. Produced independently, Romero follows a kid named Jason (Joshua Close), who "obsessively films the madness" all around him as the dead return to life. I liked Land of the Dead, but I'd love to see what Romero does without studio interference.Stuart Gordon is the other name director in the program and he's represented by Stuck. Not a traditional horror film, it's inspired by a true incident in which a nurse in Fort Worth, Texas (not far from where I lived at the time) struck a homeless man, drove home, parked in her garage, went to bed, and patiently waited until morning before calling the cops -- all with the hapless, bleeding man stuck in her windshield. Gordon has fictionalized the story, added some black humor, and cast Mena Suvari and Stephen Rea. Again, this sounds like it could be deadly good.
Also screening: Wilson Yip's Hong Kong action pic Flashpoint, starring Donnie Yen; highly-praised Japanese superhero comedy Dainipponjin; Xavier Gens' blood-soaked thriller Frontière(s); French "madwoman attacks trapped pregnant woman" suspense flick À l'intérieur; futuristic Japanese animated action film Vexille; and British gore-fest The Devil's Chair. Complete descriptions are available at the festival's site; you can also follow along with programmer Colin Geddes' blog. Two more titles are yet to be announced for Midnight Madness, which kicks off Friday, September 7.
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