FORT90

Today’s the last day of the of the New York Asian Film Festival! But, I already wrote about the fest’s closing films yesterday, so here’s two other movies that I wasn’t able to catch beforehand. Both are two different takes on your favorite, but not necessarily mind, Japanese horror?

Gyo

Gyo is based upon the seminal piece of work by the master of horror manga himself, Junji Ito, and was one of my very first tastes of the genre. So expectations were quite high going in, and which were thankfully left. Other than a few key changes (most the gender swapping of the two leads), it’s still the classic take of death to humanity, in the form of fish with legs. One that is just as horrific, and flat out disgusting. The story beings in Okinawa, which is the tropical southern portion of Japan, where a girl named Kaori is on vacation with her two gal pals, while her boyfriend Tadashi is back in Tokyo, doing his thing as a sound effects engineer (in manga, they’re both together). When the three women arrive at the summer cottage where they’ll be resting and relaxing, they immediately encounter a putrid stench in the place, which is traced to a fish. One that is able to scurry across with the help of mechanical legs, via a insect-like lower torso. What seems like an isolated anomaly become a wide spread thing, with countless fish coming emerging from the ocean, and running around the streets of Okinawa.

And because its happening in Tokyo as well, Kaori makes a mad dash to be reunited with her bf, leaving her narcissistic, slutty friend and the chunky depressed pal behind. The former almost immediately has a threesome with two local dudes, which pisses off the latter, but who is soon laughing when the slut becomes infected (when she was stabbed in the foot by a rampaging land shark). Gone is her sleek and slender body, which is now bloated, covered with boils, and green, plus letting loose that same noxious gas from before. By the time Kaori arrives back home, all hell has broken loose. The roads are completely flooded by sea life running amok, making travel impossible. Even worse is how she’s unable to get ahold of Tadashi, and it begins dawning on her that the worst might have happen. Though she does make friends with a reporter, who is out to seek the truth behind it all. Eventually, people in Tokyo start to become infected as well, and it’s not just fish and sharks and octopus on those weird legs of steel, but cats and dogs and? yup? even people. Kaori and the reporter eventually tracks down a researcher that has uncovered the mystery behind all the madness: during WW2, the Japanese developed a virus that turns victims into biological weapons, who as mindless drones, emitted a gas that was then harnessed by a man-made shell. Yes, yet another example of Japan’s very dark history being used as a plot device in a NYAFF flick. Comes with the territory.

The battleship that contained these experiments were sunk by the Allies, but it would seem that such insane technology is now back, and as payback for humanity’s arrogant and destructive ways (the gas itself also seems to have a mind of its own, something that is never fully explained). Oh, and the doctor is also Tadashi’s uncle, who has been placed his infected nephew in a mechanical support that also taps into Tadashi’s death stench, which he created himself (hence why it’s all sleek and modern looking). The money shot of every good “it’s the end of the world!” movie is when the main character has that key revelation, as does the viewer, that things are truly f’d up, to an unimaginable insane and officially hopeless degree. Like the scenario that’s described above. Gyo‘s version of hell on earth, which is populated by corpses that fart into pipes that powers their coffins with legs, is truly a nightmare that one send chills down one’s spine if seriously pondered. And again, the animated version does an admirable job of fleshing out the printed form; the production quality isn’t the absolute best you’ve ever seen, but it’s still far more interesting than the vast majority of anime on the market today (if only due to subject matter). Check it out if you can.

Tormented

Fun-fact: I love scary comics from Japan, but scary movies? They just don’t work do it for me. While I certainly understand and even appreciate the kinds of chill that they’re supposed to provide, when you grew up watching Faces and Traces Of Death, you end up being a tad bit desensitized (but again, I appreciate a damn fine horror flick like nobody else, and yes, I too agree that Cabin In The Woods is the greatest thing since sliced bread). I also can’t stand 3D movies, so the idea of one that’s also J-horror is pretty much no buys in my book normally, even if it’s by Takashi Shimizu, one of the chief architects of the genre (dude is best know for Ju-On , aka The Grudge). The Japan Society for various reasons decided to show Tormented, which happens to be such a combination, in 2D. And I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m legitimately upset that I didn’t get the chance to experience it the way it was intended, in three dimensions. Granted, the stunning Christopher Doyle cinematography certain helps (he’s the reason why Wong Kar-wai?s movies looks so damn good), though Tormented is also a breath of fresh air for a genre that, even its biggest fans will admit, has become mighty stagnant. Things kick off with a young boy putting a hurt rabbit out of its misery with the help of a huge rock, which earns Daigo the title of “rabbit killer” among his classmates. But that’s okay, because big half-sister Kiriko, who also happens to be a mute (but it’s not a big deal when you’re a librarian), has his back. Who exhibits far more concern than the guy they both call dad, who instead holes himself up in his study, working on pop-up books for kids (and gorgeous ones at that).

One day Kiriko takes Daigo out to see a movie? a 3D J-horror flick, of all things. And in the middle of the picture, a stuffed rabbit emerges from the screen and lands right in the boy’s lap. Talking about realistic special effects! And that’s when the problems start; later that night and in his dreams, Daigo encounters a life sized version of the stuffed rabbit, who takes him to a bright and cheery amusement park. And all is fine, until he’s next taken to dark and scary hospital, where he seems his mother, covered in blood, and being hauled away on a hospital gurney. In real life, he ends up in the closet, which is somewhat off limits; it’s also where the remaining vestiges of his mom can be found, who is no longer alive. And for whatever reason, most of the pictures are torn or scratched up. Anyhow, another nightmare takes place, and it soon becomes clear to Kiriko that Daigo’s dead mother is trying to take her son back with to wherever the hell she dwells. Naturally, dad flips his lid when hearing such crazy talk (which Kiriko conveys by writing words down on a notepad), especially the notion that Daigo is on-bard with such notion. And that’s because [spoilers] Daigo doesn’t actually exist. He died while his dearly departed wife was trying ti give birth. And thus we hit the part in which we can’t tell what is reality and what is fantasy, and which belongs to whom.

At this point, Kiriko realizes that the root of all evil is this stuffed bunny that was acquired at the 3D J-horror flick, and thus a natural solution is fomrulated: just go back and throw the thing back inside the screen. But that plan totally backfires when Daigo is sucked in. Kiriko freaks out (must to bemusement of theater goeers, who just want to watch the damn movie), and she’s finally institutionalized per dad and her doctor’s recommendations. At this point, we see flashbacks to when she was a child, back when dad showed up with a new mother. Along with Kiriko’s vitriolic reaction to mom ver. 2.0′s heartfelt attempts at warming up to her new daughter. Eventually, after a nice lengthy stay at the hospital, Kiriko comes to terms with what the real deal is? until it becomes clear that, no, dead stepmom really is a ghost that’s trying to mess with everyone’s minds, so she wasn’t crazy after-all. Anyhow, I didn’t expect Tormented to nearly as remarkable as it ended up being. The only reason why I bothered in the first place is because it stars Hikari Mitsushima (who, as stated in my Smugglers review, I am a diehard fan of), whose quite brilliant in her portrayal of a woman who has lost her voice, btw. Ultimately, the whole thing is simply unlike most J-horror flicks out there today; it’s actually really good. It completely tosses aside clich?d conventions to tell a different kind of scary ghost story, the shot in the arm that genre desperately needs. Too bad I’m in the minority; most reviews have panned the movie, but I still say give it a shot.

… what’s next?

Is that it for my NYAFF coverage? Nope; there are three movies that I have yet to rundown, which I hope to do so, for the sake of being a completionist. And remember, I’m also covering some of Japan Cuts as well. Because I’ve seen them already, and because they’re readily available, I’m going to pass on running down 13 Assassins and Cure, though if you checked them out yet, please do so! Regarding the latter, and back to the subject of horror real quick, it’s honest to God one of the frightening movies I’ve ever seen period.

Both are part of a Koji Yakusho retrospective that’s taking place during Japan Cuts 2012, and who is unquestionably one of the greatest Japanese actors working today, if ever. I really wanted to catch The Woodsman and the Rain, but because Yakusho will be in attendance, and is therefore a very big deal for Japan Society, ticket prices are… a bit out of my budget I’m afraid. Also, I sorta need a break from Asian movies for a little while. Maybe I’ll talk about video games next time! Maybe.

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Tomorrow night the New York Asian Film Festival comes to an official close, with two movies. They have two things in common; both are super short. Otherwise, they could not be any more different?

Potechi (Chips)

Simply put, Yoshihiro Nakamura is the greatest director in Japan that you’ve never heard of. His films have become a staple of the NYAFF for the past four years, and is always the cream of the crop in each instance. Though I honestly can’t recall anyone’s output being so consistently and legitimately amazing, regardless of their nation of origin. As somewhat hinted at in my review for Smuggler; despite my love for Asian cinema as a whole, I’m actually not a huge fan of stuff from Japan; when they’re good, good God they’re amazing, but when they’re bad, holy sh*t that was terrible. As also noted, my biggest pet peeve is how, way too often, everything is built up to a fever pitch crescendo, to only just end abruptly, with some philosophical mumbo jumbo tacked on. Cuz that’s deep, man. But not Nakamura. He’s also the master of layering a dizzying amount of complicated plot threads on top of each other, to have everything and everyone come together in the very end in a manner that will literally drop your jaw. An approach in storytelling that is attempted often, and usually ends up being contrived and pushes the boundaries of what a person is will to accept in the world of movies. Which I guess can be considered the case here, but there’s so much ingenuity and soul that you don’t mind with it from Nakamura. And his latest, Potechi Chips, is yet another home run.

Despite being only an hour and ten minutes, it’s still the heady mix of reality-blowing/heart-warming coincidences that is Nakamura’s expertise, but in a far more concentrated form. The short running time also means it doesn’t have time to be as sprawling or epic as his previous work (though make no mistake, it’s still pretty wacky), and another bonus is how the underlining intention of the movie, which is a love letter to the city of Sendai (which was the epicenter of the 2011 earthquake) all the more potent and touching. The center of it all is Tadashi, a professional thief. One day, while sifting through someone’s home, the phone rings, which then goes to voicemail. It’s a girl, telling the robbery victim that’s she had enough of this world and is going to jump off a building. Even though it’s clearly none of his business, Tadashi calls back to ask where she is. He eventually catches up with her, and not only is he able to talk her down, but she ends upcoming his girlfriend. Not bad! Her name is Wakaba, btw. Later on, she decides to tag along with Tadashi and learn the tricks of his trade. This victim this time is Ozaki, a professional baseball player whose career is less than spectacular. Not only does Wakaba discover her bf’s love for baseball, but how he idolizes Ozaki. Turns out, both dudes grew up in the same town, and his achievements back in the day made him a hometown hero. Even Tadashi’s mother is a fan of Ozaki, which Wakaba discovers firsthand when mom decides to be buddy-buddy with her son’s gf. She also discovers that Tadashi’s mother considers her son to be a world class loser, which kinda sucks.

Anyway, same thing that happened before happens again; Ozaki’s phone rings while Tadashi and Wakaba are casing the joint, and it’s another girl who leaves a voicemail. This person seems to be asking for help, from a pesky stalker that won’t leave her alone. Feeling that it’s his job to be the hero once again, Tadashi decides to help this girl, so his hero can concentrate on being the MVP for his team. But when the good samaritan burglars catch the girl coming out of the stalker’s apartment, they soon realize that there’s a scheme afoot. Soon comes the pivotal moment in which Tadashi gets him and his girl some potato chips; she asked for consomm? flavored ones, but he got salt flavored ones by accident. But that’s okay, because they turned out better than she expected and thanks him for making the mistake, because it was better than what was expected. Which thus causes Tadashi to cry. Why? Because Tadashi has been having a existential crisis, all due to recent doctor’s finding. Something that makes his connection to Ozaki far deeper than just being neighbors, and which may also explain why his mother has never been particularly fond of her offspring, since almost day one. And the emotional gut punch that’s the ending is perhaps the most eloquent, most profound ever from Nakamura yet, which is saying a lot. Mostly due to the fact that, one more, the movie is intended to be a love letter to a city that has been ravaged by immense tragedy, and whose denizens could surely use a reminder as to how powerful and inspiring the human spirit can be.

And they certainly got it, in the form of a little movie that’s named after a snack. I know it’s late notice, but do whatever you can to catch the screening later tonight at 8pm, at Japan Society. Also, please do yourself a favor and check out Fish Story on Netflix Instant if you haven’t do so already (it’s a safe bet that 99% of those reading this have not). It too is basically everything that is good about Japanese cinema, and movies in general.

Monsters Club

Remember what I said about Potechi (Chips)? Specifically, how one of the main reasons why it’s so awesome is because it’s the complete opposite of the kinds of movies from Japan that I generally can’t stand? Unfortunately, Monsters Club is basically what I talking about. Building up to it’s screening, the NYAFF and Japan Society has constantly stressed how it’s something different, something challenging, perhaps because even they knew that, by contemporary Japanese cinema standards, it’s a stinker. Mostly because the director, Toshiaki Toyoda, will be in attendance and they want to make sure the entire ordeal with be as pleasant as possible (and whose previous work, The Blood of Rebirth, is a movie I didn’t mind, so it’s not like I’m being unnecessary mean towards the guy). The thing is, it’s not like Monsters Club’s elevator pitch is anything bad: it’s essentially a Japanese take on the Unibomber, from a Japanese version of Ted Kaczynski himself, but with ghosts added to the mix, sounds mighty intriguing, doesn’t it? The fact that it was shot in only two weeks, up in the mountains, sans any script, also adds to the curiosity factor. Too bad the end result is pretty dismal.

The story goes something like this: Ryoichi is a dude who lives in a log cabin, up in the snowy mountains, and spends his time making bombs and mailing it to whom he believes to be the cornerstones of today’s miserable existence, like those who influence education and the media. It’s a thankless, solitary life that he embraces, because he’s on a mission: to inject some antidote into a society that’s been poisoned, like others have attempted before him. And everything is going swimmingly until he starts seeing dudes completely covered by shaving cream and raw meat. Eventually one of them, meat one, decided to make himself at home in Ryoichi’s pad and have a chat. Turns out it’s one of dead brothers, Kenta; we discover that Ryoichi’s father was a very rich man, who passed away and left his money to his children. But Kenta died in an accident, and other brother Yuki commits suicide for some reason. The later bro is the important one here; he’s the guy that Ryoichi looked up to the most and was the inspiration for his off the grid, anti-establishment way of life. And Kenta is here to remind that his still breathing sibling that, no matter what, he’s a still wannabe wiener who will never fill the shoes of his hero. Ryoichi also has a sister, Mikana, who?s the only other living family member, and a willing participant in the human rat race. Who doesn’t particularity mind it, and occasionally stops by and check in on her eccentric brother. Surprisingly, Ryoichi doesn’t give his sis a hard time about her choice of existence, and even offers to pay for a chunk of her college studies. Wait, doesn’t that somewhat go against why he’s cooped up in a cabin in the first place, making bombs and the like? Which might explain why Ryoichi is being haunted by the ghost of Yuki and visions of his former family.

And I assure you, my description of the movie is about a hundred times more engaging than the actual movie. Not to give anything away, but it ends in the same precise manner that way that I’ve already bitched about. Not helping is that we have to hear Ryoichi’s philosophical ramblings the entire way through, and to a certain extent, I should have seen the “gee, that’s it?” ending a mile away. Given my strong negative reaction towards the movie, and the universal praise that it’s gotten across the board otherwise, one of its defenders might argue that I just don’t “get” Monsters Club. Whatever. And look, I do recognize it for what it’s trying to be: a tale of someone who is angry at the world he lives in, because of the loss of a loved one, and whom he’s trying to still impress by continuing his cause. But is ultimately not doing the best job possible. Maybe because society is far too pervasive and those ideals cannot be met, hence why his brother took his life, or maybe because it’s just clear that the last man standing loves life too much when all is said and done. It just clearly was not made for me, and I love experimental filmmaking. On the plus side, the cast is stellar (and does the best that they can with the nonexistent script), the movie looks and sounds great (the sound design in particular is fairly outstanding), and was only 72 minutes long (but it’s honestly 72 minutes too long, in the end). Monsters Club plays tonight, right before Chips. I say don’t bother.

Though Toshiaki Toyoda is also the director of 9 Souls, which is part of Japan Cuts and sounds promising. It’s about nine folk, including a biker, a porno peddler, a murder, and a midget, who all escape prison. I’m hoping that it’s much better Monsters Club, and will be finding out for myself this coming Thursday evening. I’ll also be covering a bit of that festival as well, but I still have a few NYAFF reviews left to file!

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