September 24, 2007
Fantastic Fest - Day 4
Sun, Sep 23
Uncle’s Paradise (64 min.) - At times nonsensical, “Uncle’s Paradise” is not nearly as compelling as “The Glamorous Life of Sachika Hanai” but still reveals that Japan has an abundance qualified actors and directors and a dearth of studio projects that has created the “pink” film genre. The pink film industry is providing some talented directors who can’t catch a break the ability to make soft porn films with meaning. This director is better than most porn directors but he has a long way to go to make something worth exporting.
Persepolis (120 min.) - Persepolis is a beautiful story told beautifully. A young girl from Iran growing up during the Islamic revolution is depicted in mostly black and white simple animation. The only detraction I would offer is that the print version is a more appropriate medium — however I recognize that graphic novels are an under appreciated art form and that this film will reach more eyes. Considering the current environment for Muslims in the “Western World”, this film will hopefully create more bridges between us.
Blood, Boobs and Beast (75 min.) - Don Dohler has been a horror movie powerhouse in Baltimore, part of the same creative group that created Art Speigelman and R Crumb. The subject matter and personal insights are compelling but the lack of a solid climax makes this documentary less attractive than others in its field. If you grew up watching Dohler’s films you might enjoy this, but I look forward to the director finding a new subject.
Kiltro (141 min.) - Seeming like a foreign language version of the 80’s USA films where overcoming personal defeat in a montage was the centerpiece, ala The Karate Kid, Kiltro also takes the bad in that era with the good. The performances are sometimes two dimensional, the fight sequences are sparse, and the story is obvious, but it is easy to see why Mirageman — their second film — was encouraged.
Dai-Nipponjin (120 min.) - Not for your average round eye, Dai Nipponjin is a spot-on Japanese take on the mockumentary with Hitoshi Matsumoto performing like an Asian Christopher Guest. As a man whose job is to fight the mega-monsters that attack Japan — after he’s electrocuted and grows to a humongous size — Matsumoto is sympathetically pathetic and hilarious. Fans of Guest’s work, and men in rubber suits stomping on model Tokyo skylines will unite in laughter.
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