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TIFF! DAI-NIPPONJIN Sounds Insane!
Hey, everyone. ”Moriarty” here.
I love the premise for this movie.
I don’t care if it’s through an American distributor or on an import DVD or how... I have to see this movie. I have to see it soon. It sounds bizarre and wonderful and sweet and crazy, and I’ve got the itch something fierce now... I will not rest until I’ve seen DAI-NIPPONJIN as soon as possible. Check out what this spy had to say about it:
Hi there, first time reviewer here and first time Toronto Film Fest attendee. There's 349 movies at TIFF but this one was said to be the most unique and original. I knew nothing about it or director Hitoshi Matsumoto before it was announced for TIFF but the plot summary made it sound like something I had to see for myself. It really helped that Matsumoto is a huge star in Japan so there was an unusually high ratio of asian vs. "round-eye" and they love every minute of this guy. There was a lot of energy at the midnight showing, been a while since I've felt that in a theatre.
Dai-Nipponjin translates to "The Great Japanese" and is the story of Daisato; a 40-something guy who lives in a run down, messy house with a stray cat. His ex-wife doesn't want to see him, his 8 year old daughter doesn't care about him and he has to deal with his grandfather who is suffering from dementia. He's considered something of a joke by those around him and his tv show is failing in the ratings. What's his tv show about? It's follows him as he transforms into a 100 foot tall giant who battles the "baddies" who, whether intentionally or not, cause destruction in Japan.
So the movie certainly has elements of giant monster movies from Japan but this is taken to a whole other place. The movie is told as a documentary, it's something akin to It's All Gone Pete Tong or even The Office. A cameraman is following Daisato around, asking him about his day to day life, why he carries an umbrella around, how often he eats out, how much he makes... it's pretty mundane stuff and it's done with some great subtle and not so subtle humour. It's quirky and cute, Matsumoto has a dead-pan delivery that likens him to a Japanese Steven Wright with no punch lines, there are only hints at what is coming.
Everything seems pretty normal and bleak until Daisato gets a phone call and he informs the camera man that he has to go to work; he has to "bake". So he rushes off to a power plant, where they juice him up with megawatts of power (via nipple clamps) that cause him to grow into a giant, tattoo covered, purple speedo wearing baddie fighter: Dai-Nipponjin. And unlike Hulk, he actually carries around the giant purple speedos with him for when he makes this transformation (see the attached pic with undies hanging behind him). The transformation is where this movie just goes from funny to insane.
The first baddie is the Squishee Baddie, he looks like something out of a Chris Cunningham video, a large white figure with a giant elastic band for arms that he wraps around buildings before flipping them upside down. Oh, and his head is that of an elderly Japanese man with a bad combover. Ths is all done CGI and it looks incredible, a huge contrast to the hand held camera work of the documentary. I couldn't wipe the smile of my face.
We see Dai-Nipponjin fight several very strange baddies throughout the movie and we see the struggles he has of his show and his family. There are several scenes of complete losecontrolandlaughoutloud madness, often coming from the quieter moments. And even after all the over the top things you see through out the movie, the final scenes throw it into another world, bringing in an Ultraman type family to help Daisato conquer a great new foe. I don't want to spoil anything but there are wedgies and flying babies involved.
Bottom line, this movie is insane. If you're a fan of giant monsters and completely crazy humour find this movie. I have no idea when it's going to come out proper in North America, but run see this anyway you can (yes, ANYWAY possible). You can wash the taste out of your mouth with laughter.
I should have reviews of The Devil's Chair (brit horror about an evil chair...) and À l'intérieur (french horror, compared to Brain Dead/Dead Alive in gore content) coming tomorrow.
They call me El Giante
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I gotta see this now, too. Japanese superhero vs. giant monster shows were my thing as a kid. Get Carrell for the eventual American remake.
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http://www.hkiff.org.hk/07summeriff/_image/summerpops/Dai-Nipponjin-a.gif
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But I didn't think it belonged in the midnight madness program. That was the deadest crowd I've ever seen at midnight. You could tell they wanted it to be something else.
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Is right here: http://tinyurl.com/2jgzat
I think it was a good movie for midnight, even with a low blood/kill count. Also it was a more polite crowd than others, so that may have played a factor too. -
Making plans to see this w/ LaFawnduh. She digs monsters & speedos.
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What more does a movie need? Looking forward to this one!
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Only a bored one.
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I was at the screening of Dainipponjin and I also really enjoyed it, though by the time it played, near the end of the festival, and at midnight, my energy was pretty low, and I think the same could be said of the rest of the audience. Anyway, for those who want the story of that GIF posted above, the shots are a) Daisato as a young boy, forced by his dad to endure training (read: electrocution) to be Dainipponjin; b) "Mean Look Baddie," one of the many "Baddies" Dainipponjin fights, this one with a gross chicken body and an eye on an extendable stalk that it throws as a weapon; c) Dainipponjin's press agent at a vigil for a defeated Baddie; d) Daisato with a broken nose sustained fighting a Baddie; e) Dainipponjin trying to get a "Smelly Baddie" to move away and stop loitering outside Tokyo City Hall. It's a weird-ass movie, slow in places but pretty fun overall.
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My Japanese is pretty rusty, but I think a better translation might be "The Big Japanese Guy," which makes the whole thing even funnier. "Guy/Person/Man" -- I'm not sure how colloquial "Jin" ends up being in that phrase. Anyone else know how it should translate?
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randomest reference of the day goes to s/he they call El Giante.
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sounds badass though.
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WTF is up with TIFF! with all the recent postings?
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Thanks...
This i'll be hot.
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it is still annoying though.
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Saw it at TIFF as well and it has some decent moments, but it's one joke stretched way too long and it needs editing. It would make an okay rental, so don't let the film festival hype fool you. "À L'INTÉRIEUR" (Inside) on the other hand was great fun, which is the film you should track down.
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Pic:
http://tinyurl.com/382ltv
And a buffer-istic trailer:
http://tinyurl.com/2pwbox
(Click the 5th button.)
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I love m my miike, but tis sounds great too. I found the trailer on the japanese website. Pity I can't understand a damn word of it.
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This is going to own.
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I live in Japan. I will definately keep my eye out for this one. But it will probably only play in limited release out here.
The box office is freakin' crazy here. It's like $15 dollars for one ticket! The snack bar is about as expensive as U.S. if not more. And most theaters just arbitrarily decide to have "reserved seating" on select movies. But once you get in the theater it's only half full.
The only thing theaters are used for in Japan are to display the latest Pokemon, Inuyasha flick or teen J-horror. Most likely so Mom can shop while the theater babysits the kids or the teens can make-out when they aren't in "cram school".
And most geeks think Japan is full of cool anime and hot chicks.......If you guys only knew. -
Nevermind. Went to the website. It already played in theaters from June to August. I heard nothing about this!!! Never saw any ads on TV for it either. And I watch alot of Japanese TV and it stars one of my favorite comedians from my favorite show. (LINCOLN). It will be on DVD here in November though. So I may post a review then.
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