Capsules

CAPSULE: TETSUO: THE BULLET MAN (2009)

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DIRECTED BY:

FEATURING: Eric Bossick, Akiko Monô,

PLOT:  A salaryman with “android DNA” turns into a metal monster when he gets angry.

Still from Tetsuo: The Bullet Man (2009)

WHY IT WON’T MAKE THE LIST: Tetsuo: The Bullet Man (2009) is a virtual English language remake of the same auteur’s original (Certified Weird) Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1985) that’s inferior in every respect except for budget.  See the original instead.

COMMENTS: Besides the basic man-becomes-mineral motif, Tetsuo: The Bullet Man contains several explicit nods to Tetsuo: The Iron Man.  The salaryman’s spastic dance over the opening title is recreated.  The metal transformation is once again set in motion by a hit-and-run accident, although the implications are quite different this time.  And Tsukamoto’s trademark high-speed zoom effect, where he edits a series of stills together at breakneck speed to take the viewer on a roller-coaster ride, is again in play.  But whereas in Iron Man the technique was used to create the cheesy but effectively unreal illusion of the Salaryman and the Fetishist racing through deserted city streets, here the rapid-fire cuts don’t lead us on a journey, but reveal only random, unconnected shots of skyscrapers skewed at various angles.  The editing creates movement and pace, but it doesn’t go anywhere.  Therein lies your metaphor for comparing the two films.  Tsukamoto tries to endow this 21st century Tetsuo with more plot sense, but the movie ends up making less artistic sense.  There is a basic (though logically unsatisfactory) b-movie schema to “explain” things this time out.  Half-Japanese Anthony (the archetypal Salaryman is given a name for this outing, as part of the half-hearted attempt to relocate Tetsuo in our reality) has the misfortune of having inherited “android DNA” that will cause him to mutate into a man/killer machine hybrid if he gets angry enough.  A paramilitary group is intent on assassinating him before he can learn to harness his power, while director Tsukamoto plays a mysterious figure whose goal is to goad Anthony into transforming into a human arsenal, both by threatening his family and by calling him “cowboy.”  The result is many confusing, dimly lit battle scenes; missing, sadly, is the Continue reading CAPSULE: TETSUO: THE BULLET MAN (2009) →

Capsules

CAPSULE: COWBOY BEBOP: THE MOVIE (2001) [BLU-RAY]

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AKA Cowboy Bebop the Movie: Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door

DIRECTED BY: Shinichirô Watanabe

FEATURING: Voices of , Unshô Ishizuka, , Aoi Tada (Japanese version); Steve Blum, Beau Billingslea, Wendee Lee, Melissa Fahn (English dub)

PLOT: Based on the popular anime series, the film brings the core bounty hunting teamtogether for another mission, while adding a few new characters involved in an experimental super soldier program and a deadly virus outbreak on Mars.

WHY IT WON’T MAKE THE LIST: For the most part, Cowboy Bebop is straight sci-fi, notable for its stellar animation, eclectic soundtrack, and fascinating characterization.  It’s got a few strange bits—especially the character of “Ed”, an androgynous child hacker who speaks in nonsense—but nothing especially out of the ordinary, especially in the world of anime.

COMMENTS: As a television series, Cowboy Bebop was a mix between comedy and drama, action and mystery, single-story episodes and an overarching plot.  Released after the initial 26-episode run, the film takes place sometime before the end of the show, and can stand on its own as a film for anyone unfamiliar with the series.  The titular “Bebop” is a spaceship that serves as home and headquarters to a bounty hunting crew.  Spike Spiegel is a laid back but highly skilled fighter with a shady past; Jet Black is a gruff and sometimes fatherly former cop; Faye Valentine is a wily, scantily-clad con artist with a gambling addiction; Ed is a brilliant and fanciful young hacker.  Of course there’s also Ein, their fluffy “data dog.”  While chasing after a low-level bounty on Mars, the crew stumbles upon a sociopathic killer and his massive plot to infect the planet with a new kind of virus.

The dynamics of the group (always shaky as it is) are explored as each goes off on his or her own mission at various points, chasing down personal leads and hunches.  Spike and Faye are content to be on their own, while Jet and Ed hope for a more familial camaraderie.  New characters Vincent—the soliloquizing killer with a tragic past–and Electra—a government agent with impressive martial arts skills and questionable motivations—further the film’s investigation of isolation and outcasts  The city they explore (the capital of Mars) is packed with crowds preparing for a big Halloween festival, but our protagonists wander alone through the throngs with the weight of the world on their shoulders, adding occasional philosophical and mystical mutterings.  Well, all except for Ed, who seems content to hop around dressed as a pumpkin.

The story is solid, combining mystery and crime drama with thrilling action sequences and a dash of comedic relief.  The animation is gorgeous and incredibly fluid, with exciting fight scenes and high-speed chases (usually involving a space vessel) packed with R-rated violence . The colors vary from soft to bold, with hazy backgrounds and intricate settings that include fun futuristic details and references to antique technology.  The sharp HD upgrade is a welcome sight after the TV-quality Cartoon Network reruns that introduced Cowboy Bebop to many American fans.  Aside from the luscious visuals, the film features a truly kickin’ soundtrack from inimitable composer Yoko Kanno.  The combination of syncopated jazz, kooky soul, and thumping rock perfectly suits the story’s changeable tone and offbeat pacing.

So it’s not weird, especially not by sci-fi anime standards, but Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (also known as Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door) is a fun and involving film for longtime fans and curious newcomers alike.  It’s a little overlong but never boring, and the impressive action, set pieces, and ultracool characterizations are enough to keep everyone entertained!

BLU-RAY INFO: Unfortunately there are no special features for the US Blu-ray release. It’s a beautiful high-def transfer (1080p/AVC- encoded image), with Linear PCM 2.0 stereo sound. There’s a Japanese and English track (the English dub uses the same voice actors from the series, which I always liked).  Honestly, I think the visual upgrade is enough of a reason for fans to check this out on Blu.

WHAT THE CRITICS SAY:

“This switched-on futuristic anime noir is visually stunning — and it makes a lot more sense than ‘Spirited Away’!” –Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com

Miscellanea

WHAT’S IN THE PIPELINE

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Future reviews like these will be read by you in the future: in honor of its recent (unfortunately bare-bones) Blu-ray release, we’ll cover the cult anime Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (2001); we’ll try to figure out why essentially remakes his experimental (and certified weird) Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989) as Tetsuo: The Bullet Man (2009); from the reader-suggested review queue, we’ll take a post-apocalyptic trip with A Boy and His Dog (1975); and we’ll gawk at Lon Chaney as a legless crimelord in The Penalty (1920).

Frankly, it was a terrible week for of weird search terms used to locate the site.  It was so bad that we have to mention the relatively normal (though distasteful) search string “free weird and abnormal sex organs” as one of our honorable mentions.  Equally disgusting, and even less comprehensible, is the search for “splashmyzits bizarre movies.com.”  Anyone who’s willing to register that domain name knows they will have at least one loyal customer.  We passed that one over for our favorite of a weak field, though: “franz lezbo,” which we think would make an awesome name for a sapphic punk band.

Here’s the reader-suggested review queue: A Boy and His Dog (next week!); Perfume: The Story of a Murderer; Immortal (Ad Vitam); Dead Ringers; Kairo [AKA Pulse]; The Guatemalan Handshake;  The Seventh Seal;  Primer; 200 Motels; Private Parts (1972); Saddest Music in Continue reading WHAT’S IN THE PIPELINE →

Miscellanea

WEIRD HORIZON FOR THE WEEK OF 7/15/2011

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A look at what’s weird in theaters, on hot-off-the-presses DVDs, and on more distant horizons…

Trailers of new release movies are generally available on the official site links.

IN THEATERS (LIMITED RELEASE):

Impolex (2009): A soldier wanders around a post-WWII European forest talking to a woodland octopi and meeting pirates and old girlfriends as he’s supposed to be looking for unexploded V2s.  This may be based on the works of Thomas Pynchon, but it definitely looks 100% weird.  Playing at the ReRun theater in NYC this week, future screenings doubtful.  We’ll be looking for the DVD soon.  Impolex on Facebook.

Tabloid (2010): Errol Morris is one of the few documentary filmmakers who’s work is sometimes characterized as “weird” due to his choice of subject matter.  This film, based on a 1977 British tabloid-fodder incident known as the “Mormon sex in chains case” involving a kidnapping beauty queen, has earned him that designation from more than one reviewer.  Tabloid official site.

The Tree (2011): An eight-year old girl becomes convinced that her dead father’s spirit inhabits a giant tree growing near the house. Life-affirming Australian magical realism starring the always-odd Charlotte Gainsbourg.  It’s opening in NYC this week and LA next week; it’s already out on DVD in Australia.   The Tree official site.

FILM FESTIVALS: FANTASIA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (Montreal, Canada, July 14 – Aug. 7)

The Fantasia Festival is a fast-rising event focusing on genre and fantastic films; over fifteen years it’s evolved from the “Fant-Asia” festival, which focused on Japanese and Hong Kong fantastic cinema, to become the North American premiere destination for films like Quentin Tarantino’s Inglorious Basterds.  It’s a bonanza of strangeness (even without mentioning our favorite title of the year, Horny House of Horror); here is a small selection of the weirdest of the weird screenings:

  • Beyond the Black Rainbow (2011): Surrealist sci-fi supposedly in the 2001 vein about a mute woman trying to escape from a mysterious enclave.  We suspect this to be one of the weirdest of the year.  Catch it July 29 or Aug. 3.
  • The Catechism Cataclysm (2011):  This irreverent tale of a slacker priest’s canoe trip is already a List Candidate (read our review).  July 25 & 30.
  • Deadball (2011): From Yûdai Yamaguchi (Meatball Machine) comes this tasteless, wild and gory comic tale of a killer baseball game played against a team of killer dominatrices; it’s sort of a reboot of his own Battlefield Baseball.  July 15 & 16.
  • Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame: A mystery/action epic set in a fantastical steampunk China; some say this is a return to form for once-great director Tsui Hark (Once Upon a Time in China, Zu Warriors).  July 14 or July 24.
  • Detention (2011):  A postmodern, self-aware slasher sci-fi comedy that also parodies teen movies; depending on how the idea is handled, this could totally rule, or end up totally gay.  July 22.
  • Dharma Guns (2010): A man awakes from a coma to find a world where a drug epidemic is turning people into zombies and a secret society called the Dharma Guns are seeking his screenplay, believing it holds the secret to time travel.  In French, in black and white, and intriguing.  July 30 and Aug 1.
  • El Sol (2010): Crude (in every sense of the word) animation about a post-apocalyptic Buenos Aires where mutant potatoes roam the streets, among other absurdities. July 16 & 27.
  • Exit (2011): Australian fantasy/sci-fi about the search for a door that leads to a parallel universe, which is hidden somewhere inside a city whose geography is always shifting; it sounds a bit like a cross between Stalker and Dark City.  It was originally conceived as a web series and turned into a feature, making its world premiere Aug. 4 with a second showing Aug. 6.
  • Hellacious Acres: The Case of John Glass (2011): Pat Tremblay debuts his second feature, a minimalist post-apocalyptic comedy about a man who wakes from a cryogenic slumber to discover the world has been devastated by nuclear war followed by an alien invasion.  July 24 & Aug 2.
  • Helldriver (2010): The team behind Tokyo Gore Police and Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl is back with another wild one featuring ninjas, zombies, cannibalism, a sexy samurai babe with a chainsaw blade, and of course, splatter.  July 22 & 23.
  • Karaoke Dreams (2011): Set in (maybe?) a brothel that exists to absorb men’s subconscious dreams, this film by rock guitarist Jean Leclerc may be intended as a promotion and feature length music video for an accompanying album by his new band, the Last Assassins.  See and hear it Aug. 5.
  • “La Nuit Eccentrique”:  A night dedicated to badfilm, with several strange mangled shorts and the headline feature I Am Here… Now, which may just be the strangest ecologically-themed movie about a pudgy Jesus who returns to Las Vegas to fight crime lords ever made.  Festivities are scheduled for July 29.
  • Milocrorze: A Love Story (2011): A trifecta of surreal tales about a boy who falls in love with a grown woman, a disco relationship coach, and a cyberpunk samurai; the press release compares it to Funky Forest.  July 15 only.
  • Pop Skull (2007): Along with new releases the festival is screening many older hits (including the killer kids classic Battle Royale on July 23rd and 24th).  This one may be the most interesting because it’s the most obscure re-release; it’s not on DVD, so there’s no other way to see it.  It’s the story of an Alabama pill-head who’s hallucinations may mask the fact that he may really be haunted by ghosts of people who were killed in his current residence.  July 24 is your only chance to catch it.
  • Surviving Life (Theory and Practice) [Prezít svuj zivot (teorie a praxe)] (2010)– The latest Jan Svankmajer film uses a technique of cut-out collages alongside the usual stop animation, and the scenario involves a man who impregnates his own anima (!) while undergoing psychoanalysis.  Good for the fine people of Montreal that they get to see this on the big screen, but it’s been on the festival circuit for a year now, and the rest of us are ready to see it on DVD finally. Screening July 28, 30 & 31.
  • The Theatre Bizarre (2011): A six-film horror anthology from directors Douglas Buck, Buddy Giovinazzo, David Gregory, Karim Hussain, , Tom Savini, and .  Apparently Hussain’s segment is surreal.  July 16-17.
  • Underwater Love [Onna no kappa] (2011):  A “pink musical” (!) about a woman who falls in love with a water spirit; lensed by big-time cinematographer Christopher Doyle, with “outrageous” sex scenes.  July 20 & 23.
  • The Wicker Tree (2011):  This “spiritual sequel” to the Certified Weird The Wicker Man from director Robin Hardy has been in the works for decades; no word yet on whether it was worth the wait.  You can find out at the world premiere on July 19.
  • You Are Here (2010):  A series of absurdist narrative snippets make up Daniel Cockburn’s feature debut; promoters are bandying about Charlie Kaufman‘s name as a stylistic touchstone.  Another weird film that’s been playing festivals for a year now.  See it July 20-21.

That’s an impressive lineup—and we left out a lot of movies that were of marginal interest at first glance, but could turn out to be real gems. Fantasia International Film Festival official site.

NEW ON DVD:

“Buster Keaton – Short Films Collection: 1920 – 1923”: We mention this Kino 3-disc release because it includes the 1921 short “Play House,” which includes the most successfully surrealistic dream sequence in early cinema: Buster Keaton dreams that everyone in a theater has the face of Buster Keaton (decades before John Malkovich came down with a similar affliction).  The other 18 shorts are probably pretty good, too. Buy “Buster Keaton – Short Films Collection: 1920 – 1923”.

Uncle Boonme Who Can Recall His Past Lives (2010):  Read Kevyn Knox’s guest review.  It seems like we’ve been waiting forever for this strange, -winning reincarnation tale to get its official DVD release. We’re happy now. Buy Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives.

NEW ON BLU-RAY:

Brazil (1985):  Read the Certified Weird entry.  Terry Gilliam’s weird dystopian masterpiece makes it’s long overdue debut on Blu-ray courtesy of Universal; the only downside is there are no extras worth speaking of. Buy Brazil [Blu-ray].

“Buster Keaton – Short Films Collection: 1920 – 1923”: See description in DVD above. Buy “Buster Keaton – Short Films Collection: 1920 – 1923” [Blu-ray].

Uncle Boonme Who Can Recall His Past Lives (2010): See description in DVD above. Buy Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives [Blu-ray].

What are you looking forward to? If you have any weird movie leads that I have overlooked, feel free to leave them in the COMMENTS section.

Celebrating the cinematically surreal, bizarre, cult, oddball, fantastique, strange, psychedelic, and the just plain WEIRD!