Yubari 2015 mini reviews
Makeup Room (Japan, 2015) [Yubari Fanta] - 4/5
This year's Yubari Grand Prix went to AV veteran Kei Morikawa, whose resume contains more than a 1000 porn films. Makeup Room, one of his first mainstream releases, is an utterly hilarious look behind the scenes of a porn shoot. The movie, which takes place entirely in one room, follows a makeup artist who is trying to prepare the female stars on time for the shoot that is taking place in the next room. However, the day escalates into an apocalyptic farce when everything imaginable goes wrong. Lead star Aki Morita aside, the cast is made up of real AV stars. It's a very funny, well made film that gets funnier scene by scene. And yes, there's boobs. From the typically cynical Western perspective, however, it is surprising how the AV industry is presented in a very positive light: chaotic shoots aside, people are nice and working is rather fun. Director Morikawa said he never even dreamed of winning the main price, let alone international recognition. That's exactly what the film is now heading for with UK's Third Window Films prepping it for UK release and pushing it to international film festivals.
Mizo (South-Korea, 2014) [Yubari Fanta] - 1.5/5
A young hooker comes to town looking for her parents who dumped her in the trash as a baby. She starts working for a local pimp until a maniac ex-cop claims her as his personal rape toy. Might one of these two gentlemen be her father? Perhaps. Add tons of rapes, violence, ultra-cruelty, a close-up of an erect penis, and even a bit of cannibalism, and pretend it's a poignant drama. The film is a far cry from the likes of Kim Ki-duk, Park Chan-wook or Kim Ji-woon, who have dealt with similarly dark topics with tons of style and skill. Mizo feels merely amateurish, and in places, unintentionally comical.
Haman (Japan, 2015) [Yubari Fanta] - 3.5/5
A high school girl's first sexual experience comes to an abrupt end when the teeth in her vagina bite the boyfriend's dick off. It's not exactly a sophisticated premise, but debut director Tetsuya Okabe (former AD for Miike and Nishimura) has a few surprises in his back pocket. Not only is the film pretty well acted, it is actually a moody, melancholic horror drama about a lonely girl who cannot control her body and knows she can never fall in love without endangering other people's lives. The film never falls for idiotic post modernism or humour, nor does it contain any kind of vengeance / slasher element. On the minus side, the film's CGI blood is absolutely atrocious.
Use the Eyeballs! (Japan, 2015) [Yubari Fanta] - 3/5
2015 was the 4th year in the row Naoya Tashiro has had his new film screened in Yubari. Most of his earlier works (e.g. Naked Sister, 2013) were amusing short movies. Use the Eyeballs is his first movie to be shown in the competition series. It's also his first not to feature any kind of horror or splatter elements. In fact, it's a bizarre love comedy about a bullied schoolboy Kotaro. His problem is the eyeballs - not the normal pair, but the additional pair that pops up from his nose whenever he gets nervous. Needless to say, girls usually run away screaming. Tashiro is a fanboy director whose films are full of references (e.g. Kotaro gets self-confidence by watching The Toxic Avenger on VHS) and insider jokes. There's also an amazing cameo at the end of the film. It's by no means great cinema, and some of the jokes miss the target (e.g. Tokyo Tribe parody), but it's pretty fun and oddly sympathetic overall. Supporting roles are full of familiar faces like Eihi Shiina (mom) and Asami (evil office ninja).
The Limit of Sleeping Beauty (Japan, 2014) [Yubari Fanta] - 3/5
Here's a director to keep an eye on. The 23 year old Ken Ninomiya has already made quite a few interesting short and feature films, some of which have played on international film festivals. This medium length movie challenges Tsukamoto, Aronofsky and Alex de la Inglesias, and although it ultimately falls short, it's amazing how Nimomiya has managed a film that is technically better looking than anything Tsukamoto has done in more than a decade. The film's main problem is the lack of originality: a 29 year old actress-wannabe stuck as circus assistant and losing her mind (add hallucinations, pills of all colours, and mad clowns) isn't exactly an original premise to anyone who is familiar with the works of the fore mentioned directors. But the film does look - and sound - stunningly good a lot of the time.
Control of Violence (Japan, 2015) [Yubari Fanta] - 2/5
Takahiro Ishihara has created a small franchise of yakuza/violence indie dramas: Violence P.M. (2011), Osaka Violence (2012), Snake of Violence (2013) and now Control of Violence (2015). The latest unfortunately feels like a step down from the slightly larger budgeted Snake of Violence which starred Tak Sakaguchi. In Control of Violence ex-yakuza (Arata Yamanaka) is suspected of killing local gangsters until it turns out there's a new player in town: a mysterious yakuza hating stranger (Kiyohiko Shibukawa) who is gathering a lynch gang to take out as many yakuza as possible. The B&W shot film feels a bit amateurish, from visuals to dialogue. It gains momentum as the violence begins, and Ishihara once again makes good use of the Osaka locations; however, the failure ending manages to undo a lot of what the film had accomplished by then.
Kim (Fuzakerun ja neyo) (Japan, 2014) [Yubari Fanta] - 4/5
A terrific, hard hitting and intelligent medium-length film by film school student Shunpei Shimizu, who proves to be a more competent director than most mainstream professionals. The film follows an injured boxer who hates Zainichi Koreans, whom he feels are exploiting the Japanese society and giving him a bad name - even though he's the worst type of Zainichi himself. Unable to fight in the ring, he vents his frustration on the streets by beating people and burns his social welfare money on a housewife-gone-part-time-prostitute who is dreaming of better life. It's a thought provoking, technically competent, and uncompromising film. Shinya Tsukamoto's Tokyo Fist comes to mind a few times; however, Shimizu refuses the over-the-top antics of Tsukamoto and goes for utter, yet intelligent, bleakness. There is neither happy ending nor epic downfall waiting for its sad anti-hero.
The Maidroid (South-Korea, 2015) [Yubari Fanta] - 3/5
Here's a Korean otaku fantasy that doesn't try to hide its Japanese influences. A normal guy receives a mysterious package which contains a maid droid which looks just like a Japanese AV star (but of course, she's played by the Japanese AV gone mainstream star Aino Kishi). It's only intended for housework, but, well, you can guess what happens. It's a relatively fun, romantic and light hearted erotic comedy. Director Noh Jin-soo has openly admitted his influences, stating he loves Japanese pink cinema and wanted to do something similar in Korea. On the minus side, the film lacks any originality and features a pretty terrible score that constantly underlines what's happening on screen. The film was shot in 60 hours because of Kishi's schedule. She's alright in the film, but not comparable to her excellent performance in the romantic comedy Rubbers (2010). Overall, the film is pretty decent fun for boys dreaming of their own maid droid.
The End of the World and the Cat's Disappearance (Japan, 2014) [Yubari Fanta] - 2/5
The world's food supplies have been contaminated in a mysterious accident in 2011 (read: Fukushima). Tokyo has become a wasteland. Cats have disappeared. Young people have cute little mutations, like cat tails. And an asteroid is about to end it all soon. Despite the sci-fi premise, this is an in and out idol film created for its star Izukoneko via crowd funding. Her popularity has more to do with her anime-like idol act and all things cat, than her singing voice. The movie is a bit like that, too. Izukoneko is surely one of the most huggable creatures on earth, and the film looks pretty lovely at times, but it's just doesn't have much else going for it. It's neither especially stylish nor too energetic. Fans of Izukoneko shouldn't be complaining, though.
Luv Ya Hun! (Watashitachi no haa haa) (Japan, 2015) [Yubari Fanta] - 4/5
4 high school girls run from home to attend a concert on the other side of the country. Their plan is to ride all the way with bicycles and sleep under the sky - a plan that obviously isn't going to get them far. This is an excellent, fresh and non-judgemental film that captures the foolhardiness and excitement of youth - and omits the dull moral lessons. You could call it a coming of age film without the coming of age part. Excellent performances and energetic camerawork (mostly POV) complete the film. Although not directly comparable, fans of Hideaki Anno, Shunji Iwai and Shinji Somai ought to love it. The best movie at Yubari Fanta this year.
Hentaidan (The Perverts) (Japan, 2015) [Yubari Fanta] - 3.5/5
This is the filthiest film Noboru Iguchi has ever done (excluding his AV work). The medium-length movie (approx. 50 min) brings together all kinds of perverts from shit lovers to piss drinkers. It starts all silly and ridiculous, e.g. with a segment about a man who's dreaming about a school girl idol's crap, but gets gradually darker and darker. Towards the end we get a suicide bus and a scene where a woman is slowly hammered to death by a pervert who gets sexually aroused by the sound of breaking bones. Though darkly humorous throughout, it was in scenes like that where even the hardened Yubari audience went totally silent. Impossible to evaluate as a movie, but it certainly is an experience, and not for everyone. Think of John Waters with an Iguchi spin. It just might be the best thing Iguchi has done in nearly a decade.
Damager (Japan, 2015) [Yubari Fanta] Film - 3/5, Live Experience - 4.5/5
Noboru Iguchi is on fire for a change. This 25 minute half-fiction was born when an ordinary Japanese salaryman Yu Kazama approached Iguchi to realize his lifelong dream to star in a superhero film. Iguchi though the idea was great and would help Kazama find his first ever girlfriend. After all, what's cooler: to have a profile on a dating site, or to be able to tell the girls you starred in a superhero movie? Iguchi brought together his usual team, had a superhero suit designed, and wrote a theme song. Kazama paid the bills. The film opens with footage from Iguchi's office before proceeding to the fiction film which stars Kazama as Damager, a superhero whose superpowers can only be activated via pain (e.g. 40 punches in the stomach to travel back in time). He must now save a pretty high school girl (Airi Yamamoto) from her murderous boyfriend (Demo Tanaka). It's silly and cheap, but also fun and sympathetic! The film finally cuts back to Iguchi's office where Kazama receives a copy of the completed movie.
While not exactly a masterwork by itself, the film was an amazing live experience in Yubari with Iguchi, Kazama and the rest of the cast in attendance. The audience was cheering for Damager (almost unheard of with the typically dead silent Japanese audiences) and singing the theme song together with the staff. Kazama, moved by the audience's enthusiasm, promised to finance a sequel as well. Let's home Mr. Kazama is a man of his word - and also that he finds a cute girlfriend soon.
More about the screening in the Yubari thread.
http://www.kungfucinema.com/forums/show ... 600&page=2
Thankfully my oneechan's got some contacts who managed to arrange a couple of vacant rooms in sold out hotels. Yubari... 
