film pig

2012 San Francisco Independent Film Festival: Toyoda Toshiaki's new film 'Monsters Club'.

2012-01-12T11:18:00.000-08:00

Here's what I wrote for SF Indie Fest 2012. I had a chance to see this film in November at FilmEx in Tokyo. Great film. Catch this one at Indie Fest in SF in February...

10th Anniversary of Toyoda Toshiaki films at the 2012 San Francisco Independent Film Festival.

Monsters Club

2/19 9:30pm
2/22 9:30pm

Dir. Toyoda Toshiaki.

Abandoning civilization to live in a small cabin deep in the woods, Ryoichi sends bombs to corporate CEOs as a stark warning to a gluttonous society addicted to consumerism. The monster within comes to visit as an apparition and challenges his views of the existing paradigm and asks if these violent actions can actually effect change. Can he make a difference with his extreme approach? Flashbacks of Ryoichi with his family show a cracked mirror reflecting fragments of the modern society he’s trying change. Surreal snow filled beauty and haunting musical score illuminate this timely dilemma.
In 2002, at the Roxie Theater in San Francisco I watched ‘Blue Spring’ and was exposed to a perspective of a Japan that was not at all Hello Kitty. Woven deep into the fabric of an orderly, neat and polite Japan there is something unsettling that Toyoda unearths on the screen. This raw perspective and perfect eye for both cinematic beauty and haunting soundtracks have been Toyoda’s hallmarks on all his movies. The next Toyoda film at our festival was ‘9 Souls,’ followed by ‘Hanging Garden’ and most recently ‘The Blood of Rebirth’. Each film is an opportunity to see beyond the veneer, beyond an entrenched culture of consumerism and the aspects of society that are clearly broken. Since screening ‘Blue Spring,’ SF Indie Fest has taken every opportunity to ensure that Toyoda’s San Francisco fan base is able to view his films. We’ve hosted him here twice and he’s returned the favor with dinners in Tokyo and memorable hangovers from the smoke filled back alleys of Shinjuku.
If you have yet to see a Toyoda film you will find that ‘Monsters Club’ stands on it’s own as a beautiful, unsettling and surreal work. If you are a Toyoda fan you’ll find this film has everything you’d expect, starting with the musical score, all the way to the raw power of nature and the magical snow filled countryside of Niigata, Japan. The fissures in the family portrayed in this film are, once again, perfect metaphors for what is tragically flawed in current society.
The San Francisco Independent Film Festival is delighted to present Toyoda-san’s ‘Monsters Club’ on our ten-year anniversary of screening his films. Join us as we continue to celebrate the film career of Toyoda Toshiaki!
- Mike Skurko

http://sfindie.festivalgenius.com/2012/films/monstersclub_toyodatoshiaki_sfindie2012

Red Ice - 2011 Hole Head Film Festival S.F.

2011-06-10T09:51:00.001-07:00

Here's What I wrote for this year's festival guide:

Red Ice
Dir: Ralph Hyver
Evan, a software engineer is a drug addicted work-aholic who’s business partner Bob cuts some critical corners on a software project for a new military flight control system causing catastrophic results. Tough spot for Evan, who’s just left the bedside of his dying estranged mother where he plays classical flute. Evan was raised in foster care and ultimately became addicted to methamphetamine. Beelzebub sends his bizarre and demented foot soldier, Mr. Wu to do his bidding and kill his powerful rival the Succubus. Wu takes advantage of certain weaknesses and lures Evan into the fold with the devil’s own ruby colored meth. High and directed by the minions of the devil himself Evan is now doing battle with the temptress warrior Succubus. Bob? What happened to Bob? Blew his brains out, but lured back to the human plane of existence to help the devil. Does is get any better? Special effects and a plot line that borrows from Dantes Inferno. Red Ice? Spectacular!
- Mike Skurko

And? Here is what else I thought about it: They spent some real money on the effects in this film. This one is amazing.

Looks like there is one more chance to see this at the festival. Don't miss it! Saturday, June 11th:

http://anotherholeinthehead.slated.com/2011/films/redice_ralphhyver_anotherholeinthehead2011

Yakuza Weapon - 2011 Another Hole in the Head Film Festival, S.F.

2011-06-06T08:47:00.000-07:00

Here's another one you won't want to miss. Did you like Tokyo Gore Police? I certainly did! Check www.sfindie.com for show times and prepare to be blown out of the water.

Yakuza Weapon
Dir: Tak Sakaguchi & Yudai Yamaguchi
Special Effects by Yoshihiro Nishimura (Hell Driver, Tokyo Gore Police)
Mind bending special effects and a plot line that borrows from ultra violent Japanese ‘manga.’ A yakuza story of revenge with a twist creates the multi billion yen man, an unstoppable Yakuza Weapon. The ongoing and ever escalating portrayal of Shozo as a man who happily steps on land mines, and thinks nothing of blowing up a sky scraper while standing next to a mountain of dynamite. Yakuza Weapon is out of control.
- Mike Skurko

Bleeding House

2011-06-06T08:44:00.001-07:00

So, the following is what I wrote for the program guide of the 2011 Another Hole in The Head Film Festival in S.F. What I didn't mention was that I absolutely loved this one! It is so totally disturbing that it brings back memories of watching 'Katie Bird' for the first time. Wince factor very high. Check www.sfindie.com for showing times and go and see it!

The Bleeding House
Dir: Stephen Gelatt
The Bleeding House begins with a family of four in a secluded country home. This family has a very dark past. One day an unusual stranger with bizarre intentions comes by and asks to spend the night because of “car trouble.” The family offers the stranger lodging for the night and what begins to unfold is terrible and violent. We quickly find that the deep dark secret this particular family holds is even more wicked and frightening. There is no guessing this painful and unique plot. You will be shocked and truly mortified at the tale of The Bleeding House.
- Mike Skurko

Hole Head 2011, San Freancisco - See Hell Driver!!

2011-05-16T21:17:00.000-07:00

Here's what I wrote for the program guide:

Hell Driver
Dir: Yoshihiro Nishimura
(Tokyo Gore Police, Suicide Club, Machine Girl)
Hell Driver is a blood bath in the depraved realm of extreme cinema. Mutant zombies with horns coming out of their brains, these ‘Zombie antlers’ can be ground and snorted like explosive biker crank. This crazed gore festival of bloody mayhem is punctuated by a raw blasting soundtrack and jaw dropping imagery. Visually explosive and as painful as getting your brain dropped into battery acid. Hell Driver will make you howl!
- Mike Skurko

Hell Driver kicks ass. Yeah, sure it reminded me a bit of Tokyo Gore Police, but beyond that? Way beyond that? I kept thinking when I saw Gore Police... "Now, what? You can only raise the bar so far..." Until they start punching a hole in your chest with an asteroid. Now that you really do need to see, and you will in the totally crazed film Hell Driver! ;-)

Hell Driver will rip your spine right out of your skull!

Another Hole in The Head 2011, Digging into the Madness!

2011-04-23T10:08:00.000-07:00

I now have a tidy stack of DVDs for the 2011 Another Hole in The Head Film Festival. Horror, Slasher, Torture Porn (not “porn,” but rather a deviant approach to the bizarre sub genre of torture centric horror films), Sci-Fi and much, much more. This is the film festival that seems to have been hand made for the youth of today. Mosh pits and bloody noses not living up to the promise of total intensity? I bet. Really looking for some crazed mayhem and madness? Try this film festival.
www.sfindie.com
I know, I know. I promise to tell you what I really like.
As usual I am always pumped to see what is coming out of Japan. Sure. If you’ve followed this blog at all you know that Japanese film and some of the extremes that have been conjured up by Toyoda, Kumakiri and others are always on my mind. There’s a couple of excellent new films from Japan that will be in this years festival. Beyond that? Do you want some insider film industry scoop? Sure you do. Toyoda Toshiaki has a new film. No, it’s not in this festival. Yes, after ‘The Blood of Rebirth’ there is something new. Something so new I haven’t seen it and you undoubtedly haven’t even heard of it. I will say no more until I get my hands of a screener and sit down to watch. If you still haven’t delved into the Toyoda films then you need to get started. Extreme? Trust me, you haven’t seen anything like his film ‘Blue Spring.’ Full frontal impact about an explosively violent Japanese high school and the power struggle of the gangs… Like all of his films this one speaks volumes to the cracks and fragments of Japanese society. I’ve said it before, but Toyoda-san kicks Hello Kitty to the curb and shows you a Japan that the Western world has seldom seen. From the ashes of the recent disasters in Japan there will be beautiful and amazing films to come… Stay tuned and in the mean time get out there and watch every film from Toyoda Toshiaki. Start with ‘Blue Spring,’ and then? ‘9 Souls.’ Keep watching. You will see a perspective of Japan that is seldom seen by outsiders.
So, coming up in the 2011 Another Hole in The Head Film Festival? ‘The Craving 95%.’ A local S.F. film. At a glance? A rising San Francisco culinary star. Rumors of Cannibalistic murders in the city. Need you ask? Really? What is on the menu at this hot new restaurant? Is this fun? Without a doubt.
“A Cadaver Christmas.” Did I say fun? Yep.
A pile of DVDs. There is something for everyone at this festival and if you stay tuned I’ll keep you posted on the process…
“Yakuza Weapon?” You have no idea.

SF Indie Fest - Another Hole In The Head Horror/Extreme Film Festival 2011!!

2011-04-08T07:48:00.000-07:00

Coming up in June. June 2 - 16, 2011 - San Francisco

http://www.sfindie.com/

I'll be writing the program guide again this year and am looking forward to some extreme total immersion as piles and piles of DVDs begin to arrive in the post. Planning to put some writing up here for any who follow this blog and will also be steering you to some of my personal favorites. Should be another great year for the summer festival of horror, slasher, sci-fi and all the wacky and insane films that defy category! Keep checking the sfindie web site for details and if you are in the SF area plan on stopping by to check out the festival.

The Devil's Rejects - Rob Zombie. This film rocks!

2010-08-30T15:23:00.000-07:00

Yep. There is something so excellent about this film that you will, if you like this sort of thing, be so pleased you will howl. A definite rock solid film with more than a nod of the hat to the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. There is that and much, much more. Hell, even a Vanishing Point Moment... Well, I saw this movie with zero Rob Zombie background and went into it thinking, huh... Rob Zombnie making a horror film. We'll see about this. Top notch. Everything you could ever need in the way of gore and, if you are truly demented, a really, really dark sense of humor. Sexy, disgusting and well over the top. The Devil's Rejects is straight up fun. Watch this film and get a better idea of what I like in a horror movie!

'Bronson' - This film is incredible

2010-08-26T04:55:00.000-07:00

Hmmm... there are films out there. Films like Blade Runner, Mad Max, A Clockwork Orange. Films that are incredible for many reasons. The above three have a common theme that is critical to me. That theme speaks to the human spirit and most most importantly a spirit can not be broken. OK, sure a stretch for the cop in Blade Runner, but recall the quote "the candle the burns twice as bright...?" I sure do. And these people, burning "twice as bright" are exactly what I'm talking about here. There is something to be said for 'down yet not out.' I like it. Sure a really common theme in many films, but one that can be delivered with such beauty and perfection that at the end of a film I am thinking those magical thoughts: "Wow, I can think of so many of my friends who would LOVE this film!!" It certainly goes beyond the simple theme of a film about some dude who can get the living shit stomped out of him and keep on fighting. Way beyond this. A film beyond the Timex theme of old, sure they can "take a lickin' and keep on tickin." Beyond that there is art. I am not necessarily talking about any particular aspect of art. Take, for instance the film La Haine. There is one small part of the film, a black boxer, angry and in a housing project outside Paris, is boxing. Slow motion. Absolute art. Absolute perfection. It makes the film. You can see the anger. You can feel the hate in each frame. I could see that particular sequence again and again. So, yes. There are many moments and aspects of the human spirit and the expression of art in film. You will know it when you see it.

Bronson? It's got it all. Rather than go on into a review I'd like to suggest here that you pop onto your Netflix account and watch this film immediately. Yes, it is horrifically violent. Yes, it is at times both funny and sad. There is art. There is... Well, suffice to say I saw that film and literally leapt off my couch to call a friend to demand they watch the film.

Bronson is that good.

What is Film Pig?

2010-08-25T15:07:00.001-07:00

Wednesday, August 25, 2010
What is Film Pig?
OK. There is a lot of stuff on this blog and it might be time for me to clarify a couple of things. First off this blog is all about films that I have seen. Many of them I am quite passionate about. I have good taste is film. So does Bruce Fletcher who was the Director of Programing of SFIndie and Another Hole in the Head and the Idaho International Film Fest. Many of these films here are films that are, in fact, Bruce picks for these festivals. Some are not. I will do my best to clarify the situation as I write the program guides for some of these festivals and, well, sometimes I even write about films that I am not crazy about. I call these "marketing" pieces. The idea is to write to get "butts in seats" for the festivals. I am not a film critic in this capacity I am simply writing about film and hoping that the maniacs who actually like some of these films will show up and be totally stoked. This is often the case. Once I had to write a snippet for a horror film I absolutely hated. I tried. I tried to watch this particular film three times. I hated that film. Still, at the festival I asked a festival fan who had seen nearly all of the films. "What was your favorite film in the festival?" He liked the film I hated. So, there is clearly a film for everyone. Yet still, my taste in film is incredible. So, *if* the writing is tagged as "program guide?" well, then if will be hard to tell if I LOVE that film. If I write about a film and there is no mention of *program guide?* Well, then you can be 100% sure that the film is absolute rock star and you should see it. What if it is both *program guide* and *rock star?* Hmmm... a tough one. Go see Jake West's "Evil Aliens." That is one of the best films you will ever see. Don't agree? Hmmm.. You are confused and we do not share the same taste in film. Do not read this blog. It will only upset you.

2008 Idaho International Film Festival - Program Guide 'The Skyjacker'

2010-08-14T07:19:00.001-07:00

Portland, Oregon “Inside my briefcase there is a bomb. I will use it if I need to. This aircraft is being hijacked….” The 70s. Christmas Eve. The charts and maps have all been burned. The wig, the suit and the disguise are set. A solid plan with a bit of bourbon. A serious man can pull it off.

Jeff Pickett's The Skyjacker is what independent filmmaking is all about. Shot on the Panasonic DVX100, this little introspective thriller works in a rough and tumble way. The droning of the soundtrack there to ensure we don’t forget. You can feel it in the pit of your stomach. There’s a lot a stake. With a briefcase and what appears to be an explosive devise, a plane is diverted and demands are issued. Parachutes and $100,000 in used bills... The SkyjackerRefuel and pick up the goods. There’s no room for error. This is deadly serious. If all goes well no one gets hurt. If not? There’s the bomb. The bomb is ready. The skyjacker is ready.

Based on the famous case of the mysterious D. B. Cooper, The Skyjacker follows an unnamed man, played by filmmaker Pickett, through his day that just happens to include a hijacking. The man, a down and out loner, just like the legendary Cooper, boards an airplane in the Northwest in the 1970's and undertakes a plan to hold it for ransom. Along the way, he forms a bond with one of the flight attendants, consumes a number of miniature bourbons, and smokes a whole lot of cigarettes—the entire time with his hand on what he says is a bomb hidden inside a suitcase.

Shot is just 5 days, The Skyjacker is remarkably well-cast, and the performances are unique and appropriately aloof for the material giving the film an off-kilter feeling. Sparse dialogue helps make the movie serious and meditative. And luckily for the filmmakers, they had access to an airplane fuselage similar to the very one that Cooper himself leapt from in the 1970's. – einsiders.com

Official selection: 2008 Rotterdam International Film Festival

- Mike Skurko

2008 Idaho International Film Festival - Program Guide 'A Gothic Tale'

2010-08-14T07:17:00.001-07:00

A Gothic Tale, the latest from the creator of KatieBird, examines emotional greed and personal choice, while challenging good judgment, morality, love, and human ethics. The descent begins with our somewhat crazed and apparently homeless narrator, played by Roddy (They Live) Piper, standing beside a burning barrel… and he’s got something poetic to say. We soon learn the yarn is a horrible melting pot of three notoriously morbid tales, woven like a perfect web, that pique the interest and draw you into the horrible and the insane. This is not just any old gothic tale… no, it is ‘A Gothic Tale’ inspired by Edgar Allan Poe's The Tell-Tale Heart, Nathaniel Hawthorne's Dr. Heidegger's Experiment and Robert Louis Stevenson's Markheim.

If you are familiar with even one of these tales you’ll immediately know what grim, disturbing and perfectly crafted delights are in store. You’ve never heard of them? What are you in for? In a word… Madness. A Gothic TaleTerrible madness will be served up from an insane perspective, yet still, there is clarity – and in the end…? As our narrator reminds us; “but don’t we all have bad judgment from time to time? I bet with a little understanding that we all could forgive ourselves for just about anything.”

A Gothic Tale is over-the-top, old-school, and bone chilling, and it will haunt you long after you exit the theater.
- Mike Skurko

Idaho International Film Festival 2009 Program Guide 'Samurai Avenger: The Blind Wolf'

2010-08-14T07:12:00.000-07:00

Warning: This is not your standard samurai flick! This movie is chock full of stuff that your parents wouldn't want you to watch, so cover your eyes (and be thankful you still have them). Samurai Avenger: The Blind Wolf is a visual tour de force into a surreal world of cowboys, samurai masters, witches and zombies. With a tip of the hat to Shogun Assassin, Zatoichi, A Fistful of Dollars and Italian zombie movies, it’s a perfect late show.

While camping in the desert, innocent family is attacked by the personification of evil, Nathan Flesher. You will squirm in your seat when the Blind Wolf is born! Years later, he returns as a master samurai. Flesher is about to be released from prison and has arranged for seven assassins to kill Blind Wolf. Samurai Avenger offers mind bending twists and periodically “a little explanation” detailing the Samurai code of Bushido. The dead pan narration adds sly humor to the slicing, dicing and the lobbing off of parts that splatter along The Blind Wolf’s path to revenge.
– Mike Skurko

Hole Head 2009 - Program Guide 'Frat House Massacre'

2010-08-14T06:58:00.000-07:00

Frat House Massacre

Director: Alex Pucci
Set in the late 70’s this classic slasher flick reveals unspeakable violence alongside the ultra indulgences of the disco era within a terribly demented college fraternity.
Sadistic frat boys are taking their fraternity rush to murderous extremes. Beyond the usual binge drinking, mirrors of cocaine and the proverbial ‘disco inferno’ there are terrible ritualistic killings. Clearly this is not just another instance of “kids letting off a little steam.” If the tables were turned would you pity these sexist, racist, homophobic frat boys and their equally deranged sorority sisters? Well, the tables turn quickly here and divine justice is swift, ruthless and very, very messy. Frat House Massacre pours on the gore, the shock and the screams with refreshing ingenuity. (You will never forget the mantrap resulting in a pitchfork to the skull.)
Beyond the obvious carnage there is also the psychological thriller aspect. Frat House Massacre is not just mindless blood letting. The relationship of the brothers is complex and haunting. You will want to see this one twice. You will want to understand this disturbing saga.
- Mike Skurko

Hole Head 2009 - Program Guide 'Pig Hunt'

2010-08-14T06:57:00.001-07:00

Pig Hunt
The hunt begins in San Francisco where John is about to take his group of weekend warriors on a male bonding excursion into the outback of the Californian hills to bag wild boar. As we are ushered away from the land of pretty views, Victorian houses and perfectly formed cappuccino foam we are quickly introduced to tattooed war vets, crazed inbred hillbillies high on biker crank, gunpowder and gasoline. This is also a world inhabited by sexy commune girls who grow pot, raise Emus and worship pleasure, pigs and mud bathes. Pig Hunt is unquestionably the best of breed in a realm of sudden impact, steaming guts and heart pounding chase scenes. As our intrepid hunters wander up-river into the wilds, they cross paths with the evil of mankind and the horrific creature of the wilds. The legendary “Ripper,” a three thousand pound wild hog is out there and the terror unfolds. A shot of pure adrenaline with a chaser of dark, dark humor. Pig Hunt delivers the goods in dripping buckets and an XXL side of bacon!
- Mike Skurko

Hole Head 2009 - Program Guide 'Run! Bitch! Run!'

2010-08-14T06:55:00.000-07:00

Run! Bitch Run!

Dir: Joseph Guzman

RUN! BITCH RUN! Is a brutally dark comic tale of two Catholic School girls going door-to-door selling bibles. Things go horribly (perhaps hilariously) wrong when they knock at the proverbial den of the inequity at a house of hookers, thieves, drugs and a level of violence and madness seldom seen outside of extreme Japanese Manga. After she is raped and left for dead, Catherine awakes with one thing on her mind, vengeance! In classic 70’s “rape and revenge” style the innocent can only be pushed so far. Amidst a backdrop of perversion, Russian roulette, necrophilia, and general mayhem, one of our Catholic high school girls is destined to become an avenging angel.
With grind house flair and a velvet soft porno soundtrack loop, this film delivers some of the darkest humor imaginable with a super sized heap of sex and depravity. Not for the meek. If you like your humor inky black with splatterings of blood, bongs, nuns, sexy ‘Catholic High School Girls in Trouble’ wearing skirts and shotguns blasting, you will love Run! Bitch Run!
- Mike Skurko

SF Independent Film Festival 2010 - The Blood of Rebirth

2010-08-11T07:21:00.000-07:00

The Blood of Rebirth –
Director: Toyoda Toshiaki - 2009
The Blood of Rebirth is Toyoda’s first film in four years. After exploding onto the international film festival scene with award winning films, Unchain, Porno Star, Blue Spring, Nine Souls and Hanging Garden, he returned to the proverbial wood shed. During this time he focused on his music and filming a double fistful of live music projects. The time spent away was, well, torture for his international fan base. This hallucinogenic gem takes the audience to a place both intensely Japanese and through layers of ancient mythology, religious mysticism and is perfectly punctuated with a rocking sound track. This newest Toyoda film will blow your mind!
Synopsis:
The Blood of Rebirth is set in the Middle Ages in Japan, when gods and demons reigned over a larger domain than mere mortals. Oguri, a renowned masseur, is summoned to the fortress of the ruler of the dark world, a man known simply as “the Lord” and ailing from a particularly wicked type of venereal disease. After encouraging Terute – a captive princess from another land – to escape, Oguri is poisoned to death by “the Lord” before he can make good his escape. At the way station between heaven and hell, Oguri requests, and is granted his wish – to be sent back to the land of the living in the form of a “Hungry Ghost,” who has “unfinished business.” Saved by a monk who happened to pass by, he learns of a “spring of rebirth.” Meanwhile, Terute manages to flee from “the Lord’s” fortress and reunites with the undead Oguri. But the wicked “Lord” is on the prowl and the chase is on…
In a complete departure from typical narrative films this is unquestionably a new genre of film. I first saw this film in October of 2009 at a press screening in Tokyo during the Tokyo International Film Festival. This was before the subtitles were added and I was with an American who does not speak any Japanese. He was completely blown away by this film with only a quick glance at the synopsis before the screening… It’s not about the dialogue, it’s about the experience. The Blood of Rebirth is a beautiful film with signature Toyoda touches of elegance in slow motion and both visual perspective alongside that spiraling camera which absorbs images and light. Dilated pupils are aperture settings on his camera. The adaptation of the folktale is compelling and has the depth I’d expect of a Toyoda film, but beyond this? This film pulsates with it’s own life form and is one the audience will want to have again and again. The haunting rock beat and the spiraling images take the viewer deep, deep, deep to a place where they too have the opportunity of a “rebirth.”
The Blood of Rebirth. Jimi Hendrix asked us and said it best in the psychedelic heyday of the 60’s “Have you ever been experienced?”
- Mike Skurko

2010 Hole Head Program Guide - Yatterman

2010-08-11T07:19:00.000-07:00

Yatterman

Dir: Takashi Miike

Yatterman is a Takashii Miike take on a ‘70s TV show of the same name. A mysterious glowing skull stone is scattered around the globe and when the four pieces are united there is promise that “miracles” will take place. In the tradition of The Transformers, Miike takes the audience for a wild ride of robotics and animation in an adolescent battle of good vs evil with some cheeky elements of young lust tossed in for good measure. Our super heroes and their arch villain rivals battle it out in Tokyo and around the globe as they all attempt to gather the stone under the watchful eyes and often the demented direction of the ultimate evil eye of “skull-obey – the god of thieves.”

Yatterman is combines exceptional robotics and all the unique perspectives one might imagine from the kings of production. Miike most certainly is one of the most prolific Japanese film makers working today and has delved into all types and genres. Yatterman is almost what I would consider to be a family film with only a few aspects of adult humor and dancing robotic boobies. Slick, fast paced and continuing in the TV series tradition of an ongoing play on words Miike takes Yatterman to a new level and delivers on an explosive film that keeps the pace from frenetic start to a sensational finish. If there were a “Miike” signature I’d say it’s pace is running fast and furious in each and every film. Miike at travels at the speed of the bullet train in all of his films and this one is no exception.

- Mike Skurko

2010 Hole Head Program Guide - Strigoi

2010-08-11T07:18:00.001-07:00

Strigoi
Dir: Faye Jackson
Vlad investigates a murder in his Grandfather’s village that raises the dead and some unsettling questions about land ownership in the community. The ghoulish trail points to the ex-Communist Tirescu and his wife, but when confronted by Vlad he discovers that the richest landowners in town have become… Stigoi.
Strigoi? An ancient myth where the souls of the dead rise again after death to seek justice if they’ve been wronged in life. The arisen Strigoi wander the earth with a blood lust and an insatiable hunger. There is never enough and they are driven by an appetite for both blood and food of any kind.
From the interview with Faye Jackson:
“I was researching the origins of Dracula out of curiosity and became interested in the folklore stories that appear to have inspired Stoker. I immediately loved the accounts I read of Strigoi. In particular I remember reading a story about a guy burying an uncle only to go home and find him sitting in his favourite chair, eating his dinner. To me, Strigoi are the people you can’t get rid of, even after they’re dead and it immediately seemed a good way to tell a story about history and family and corruption.”
Stigoi is a beautifully crafted film and has an intelligence and sense of elegance to the undead. Throughout the film you’ll find an ongoing sense of humor that works beautifully. If you ever wondered what might happen if the dead were to return for supper, Strigoi delivers. A mystery is solved and the dead? Well, let’s just say they are often dispatched with a vengeance!
- Mike Skurko

Hole Head 2010 Program Guide - Silent Night Zombie Night

2010-08-11T07:17:00.001-07:00

Silent Night Zombie Night
Dir: Sean Cain
Silent Night Zombie nights is set the week before Christmas in post apocalyptic Los Angeles where a viral infection has transformed the city into a sea of the staggering undead. Zombies that will not stop and a core group of remaining humans that are armed to the teeth and dispatching the zombies back to hell with bats and guns. A survivor and LAPD cop was about to sever ties with both his long-term partner and his wife only now he’s stuck trying to, well, get through the holidays with them both. It really doesn’t help matters that his partner is in love with his wife… You can imagine the situation is, well, somewhat tense.
Silent Night Zombie night has the usual gross out moments that will make you squirm while laughing out loud and then there are those that are just straight up funny and beyond the pale. Without ruining anything for anyone here’s a couple of images that are still making me chuckle. There is a very fat zombie Santa wandering around the streets and Frank, the angry cop who’s on the verge of divorce, leans out the window of the apartment they are holed up in and shoots him right in the head. He then makes a sly reference to Virginia and no Chirstmas... A definite feel good moment. Can it get better than this? Oh, sure. He walks out into a sea of zombies and takes up batting practice with their skulls to the tune of ‘take me back to the ball game.’ At this point the fun and games is in, well, full swing.
Silent Night Zombie night is brimming with the usual Zombie antics and humor. The film also gives up a few tips and tricks for zombie hunters. I for one really wasn’t aware that the zombies suffer from night blindness and hunt primarily by smell. Good information to tuck away next time there is a zombie outbreak in a city near you!
- Mike Skurko

Hole Head 2010 Program Guide - Samurai Princess

2010-08-11T07:15:00.000-07:00

Samurai Princess
Dir: Kenjo Kaji
Samurai Princess delivers the blood spurting guts, whirling blades and a celebration of extremes with all the trimmings. Tokyo Gore Police screenwriter Kengo Kaji takes the helm of this samurai era tale with a twist to include hellish androids bent on recreating bodies from a hodge-podge of limbs, entrails and buckets of fingers, toes and noses. Teaming up with Yoshihiro Nishimura, the Tokyo Gore Police director who’s in charge of both the makeup and special effects, there are no holds barred.
In order to save mankind from monster androids a deranged scientist transforms an avenging angel into a deadly samurai with a fine array of deadly weapons, and the souls of eleven girls who were brutally raped and murdered. An android with eleven souls hell bent on a path of destruction. Oh, and did I mention the detachable breast projectiles that can, if used correctly, take a person’s head off right down to the shoulder blades? Ah, the fun unfolds in a river of very messy revenge…
The main issue here is, of course, the androids running wild, who feel no human emotion beyond an affinity for their “art form.” “Reconstruction of the human body is the finest form of art.” Picture, if you will, a Picasso stature made of reassembled body parts. The grotesque and the disgusting are the tools of the trade for these non-human art fans and there’s no limit on the splatter fest in the pursuit of this odd art form. Faces are sliced open and tongues clipped off at the root. Of course nothing this over the top would be complete without a few good and gory chainsaw scenes! Yep. This one delivers the messy blood bath in a volume that is hard to fathom. Samurai Princess is sexy and funny while still outlandishly disgusting and perfectly executed.
Mike Skurko

2010 Hole Head Program Guide - Robo Geisha

2010-08-11T07:14:00.000-07:00

Robo Geisha
Dir: Noboru Iguchi
Robo Geisha is an explosive portrayal of sibling rivalry between a young maiko, geisha apprentice and her dominant Geisha sister. The two are brought in under the fold of an evil steel baron who has particularly evil plans. He unleashes continual terror on the local populace by kidnapping their daughters and transforming them into ‘tengu,’ goblins that are part devil and part machine. Yes, Noboru Iguchi who brought Machine Girl to the world is back at it with some of the most hilarious machines, devils and bomb wielding robots imaginable.
Robo Geisha takes our squabbling sisters from the Geisha house to the steel baron’s evil factory where his army of machine ‘tengu’ killers are helping him train the Geisha girls to become the ultimate assassins. Along the way we have battle scenes with Robo-Breast milk that sprays burning acid into the faces of an opponent and the eventual six million dollar ‘Robo moment’ where breast implants go beyond the esthetic of perky to well, a lovely rack that can spray machine gun bullets. Whirling saw blades slide from the Geisha smile… Traditional ninja and samurai weapons are artfully deployed throughout the film in unrelenting absurdity. There is no limit to the creative design here and by the time we reach the ultimate battle scene a Robo-Monster is unleashed. Trust me on this. You’ll howl.
Robo Geisha brings out a double fistful of extraordinary moments. My personal favorite? Oh, there are too many to pick one. Really. Still, there is something utterly hilarious about deep fried prawns used in battle as an implement of death. “Friend shrimp in my eyes! Argh!” Yeah, well you’ll need to see this one to believe it and I’m happy to report that clearly the spirit of The Machine Girl lives on!!
Noboru Iguchi’s Robo Geisha is utterly hilarious and both long time fans and new ones will be blown away.
- Mike Skurko

2010 Hole Head Program Guide -Reykjavik Whale Watching Massacre

2010-08-11T07:12:00.000-07:00

Reykjavik Whale Watching Massacre
Dir: Julius Kemp
An international group of whale watchers takes off on a voyage in the waters of Iceland where they encounter a tragic and brutal accident on board. They are rescued by what appear to be the Nordic relations of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre family with murderous intent and plenty of harpoons, axes and double barreled shotguns to quickly change this happy day voyage into a nightmare on the open seas.
The film opens with old stock whale slaughter footage and then takes us ashore where an intrepid group of tourists is at a club with a hardcore Viking metal band playing ear splitting rock. The Reykjavik Whale Watching Massacre loses no time introducing us to the characters who will soon be set loose on a doomed voyage into dark and troubled waters.
Packed with a sly sense of humor and many nods of the hat to cult horror classics. There’s a dash of Leather Face and a sprinkle of The Silence of The Lambs in there. For the true die hard fan, you may want to take an extra close look at the Captain aboard this whale watching ship. Look oddly familiar? Gunnar Hansen, once starred as Leatherface from the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
The Reykjavik Whale Watching Massacre is a frenetic romp in a world gone terribly wrong. Moving at a blisteringly fast pace there are harpoons and a frenzy of painful and at times terribly comic ‘head shots’ here as the group dwindles in size and the intensity increases. You’ll wince and you’ll burst out laughing as sudden impact with brutal weapons leave a bloody and charred path through the dark and sinister whaling vessel.
The Reykjavik Whale Watching Massacre is where Jaws meets Texas Chainsaw in the chilly waters of Reykjavik!
- Mike Skurko

Hole Head 2010 Program Guide - Mutant Girl Squad

2010-08-11T07:10:00.000-07:00

Mutant Girl Squad
Dir: Noboru Iguchi (Machine Girl)
Dir: Yoshihiru Nishimura (Tokyo Gore Police)
Dir: Tak Sakaguchi (Versus)
The film tells a story in three parts, with a different director on each segment. The group of director's heralds from classic Japanese cult cinema: Noboru Iguchi (who brought us Machine Girl), Yoshihiru Nishimura (director of Tokyo Gore Police), and Tak Sakaguchi, star of the cult classic Versus.
A girl who is the target of bullies in high school is fitted with a mechanical arm and joins a group of mutated girls. The Mutant Girls Squad! This film has all the madness and splattering blood you’d expect of the three directors involved and, well, there are some surprises and cinematic firsts. A horizontally sliced head that reassembles out of the correct sequence? Reminiscent of funhouse games only with slicing knives. There’s also some more of the ‘cutter’ activity here which is elevated to absurdity. In fact some of the Mutant Girls actual mutations takes it beyond anything seen before. Sure, we’ve seen body parts morph into chainsaws in the past, but a massive chainsaw leaping out of one of the girl’s backside takes it to a new level of hilarious depravity.
The Mutant Girls squad does ongoing battle with the sinister ministry of defense. These black clad evil doers wear black ‘tengu’ devil masks that have long protruding noses. These noses aren’t just for show. Nope. They are machine gun noses and a ballet of bullets for each scene they enter.
All the bizarre effects and humor you can handle and possible a bit more. A spectacular splatter fest ongoing. Wince, laugh and wince again. Mutant Girl Squad is non-stop depravity.
- Mike Skurko

Holw Head 2010 Program Guide - Hyperhellion

2010-08-11T07:09:00.000-07:00

Hyperhelion
Dir: Calvin Clime
Hyperhelion uses stop motion animation to tell a cautionary science fiction tale that speaks to the greed of mankind and the potential outcome of society that has a sole focus of consumption and expansion at the expense of any space or planet that stands in the way. Sound familiar? Perfectly timed to the current crisis of global warming and ongoing global issues of pollution and scare resources mined to the detriment of local culture and communities Hyperhelion is the perfect sci-fi reminder of the horrors of greed.
Hyperhellion tells a tale of a sweet bat-like humanoid who is left alone to tend the delicate life forms in Biosphere Nao’sin. Her world is drastically and brutally changed as she trustingly allows Speen Relco of Planet Lethka guide his seemingly damaged craft in for repairs. His true intentions quickly become known and the situation goes bad as the self serving resource scout for the Solthaka Mining Corporation goes about his duties to rein in the precious resource that’s found in the Biosphere.
This stop motion animation employs puppets and not the clumsy clay figures of Gumby. Those used in Hyperhelion are more precise with rigid & jointed armature and are then covered in a soft foam latex skin. These tend towards more realistic facial expressions and movements. Details of twitching bat ears and expressions of real sadness come across as perfectly real and with spot on accuracy.
Hyperhelion is a masterpiece of stop motion animation and tells a timely story of woe. This is one that, like so many science fiction tales, reminds us that the ultimate heart of darkness lies within mankind. Can we change this path of evil? Is it too late for the Biosphere Nao’sin? Is it too late for us?
-Mike Skurko

Hole Head 2010 Program Guide - 'Fell'

2010-08-10T08:02:00.000-07:00

Fell
Producer – Shahin Gholami
Childhood abuse from a drunk and violent father has left a terrible mark on Leah. She’s living in a rural town and juggles full time work at a hotel with full time care for her disabled mother. Beyond this she works on fashion design and hopes to get into college some day. A beautiful bright yellow dress seems to be the ray of sunshine she’d always hoped for. Beyond that yellow dress there is a darker side to Leah and this side keeps coming up as she explores her morbid “talent.”
Leah is clearly a disturbed woman and there is no doubt her past abuse follows her and is something she cannot escape. She mutters about the abuse and her Father. “I see him everywhere. He haunts me. He’s my ghost. Because of you, because of you…” Yes, there is no doubt that bad things have happened. It also becomes clear that Leah is causing some very bad things to happen as well. Fell is a subtle film with none of the in your face gore and horror. Clearly, terrible things are happening to some of the men Leah takes home to the family farm. We see a glimpse of the bound and the gagged, but we don’t see much more. Fell takes the psychological thriller horror film and hands the special effects back to the mind of the viewer. What you imagine and what Leah is quite clearly doing is absolutely horrific. Exceptional cinematography and a painful collection of violent actions, but no buckets of blood here.
Fell is a genuinely creepy film that portrays the terror of abuse and a cycle of pain that follows Leah as she tries to stitch old wounds and heal. A painful and haunting film that displays real pain and a saga of suffering.
- Mike Skurko

Hole Head 2010 Program Guide - 'Dr. "S" Battles the Sex Crazed Reefer Zombies'

2010-08-10T07:34:00.000-07:00

Dr. “S” Battles the Sex Crazed Reefer Zombies
Dir: Bryan Ortiz
Dr. “S” Battles the Sex Crazed Reefer Zombies begins in an idyllic American town in what appears to be the 50s. A `group of scientists has unleashed a terrible fate on the town as they research the ultimate weapon against the red menace.
The film opens with sweet Mary Jane and her boyfriend, Billy Everybody parked on “make out hill” where a joint of tainted reefer turns her boyfriend into a zombie. Dr. “S” to the rescue as an avenging angel in a white coat, glasses and the ever present pipe. Mary Jane is the archetypal horror film scream specialist and when she pauses for breath, grapples with the possibility that her family is dead. She demands an explanation from the good Dr. “S.” He explains that he and his team developed the special reefer for the government to use as a weapon, but it was unstable. He eventually went on to further experiments and tested some of the enhanced reefer on himself. Possibly a poor choice as he then went on to kill his entire team. He assures her there is a cure and that he’s going to “make it right.”
This black and white atomic zombie masterpiece plays on the early era of television and there are multiple spoofs on science films from the 50s that promise that science will essentially make everything in life easier and better. These ads are “brought to you by CINNIS Labs” with the promise that “we know what’s best because we’re scientists.” Yes, those fine people who brought us the atomic bomb. I would imagine these are the same fine folks who invented napalm as well. Yep, ya gotta love science!
Dr. “S” is out to save the world from the madness that he helped create. An experiment to fight the red menace runs terribly amuck and now there are zombies afoot. With trusty shotgun and dead-pan, side splitting one liners Dr. “S” takes Mary Jane from the clutches of evil and does his best to right the wrongs that he set in place.
Dr . “S” Battles the Sex Crazed Reefer Zombies is an impeccable spoof on Reefer Madness and uses the science films and the intermission films common in the fifties to take us to, well, a higher plane. In a world gone mad we are reminded, in a moment of perfect clarity, that cigarettes, in fact, can kill you. In this film? Yes, they do and quite quickly you’ll find! A rollicking madhouse of a zombie flick that is, without question, one of the very best of breed.
- Mike Skurko

Hole Head 2010 Program Guide 'Death Kappa'

2010-08-10T07:33:00.000-07:00

Death Kappa
Dir: Tomoo Haraguchi
Death Kappa takes a modern look at one of the more infamous Japanese Yokai creatures, the kappa, and elevates it to Godzilla proportions and city stomping shenanigans.
What exactly is a kappa? Glad that you asked. Firstly they are a Japanese mythical monster, a yokai.
According to Wikipedia:
Yōkai (妖怪 literally demon, spirit, or monster?) are a class of preternatural creatures in Japanese folklore ranging from the evil oni (ogre) to the mischievous kitsune (fox) or snow woman Yuki-onna. Some possess part animal and part human features (e.g. Kappa and Tengu). Yōkai generally have a sort of spiritual or supernatural power. Yōkai that have the ability to shape-shift are called obake.
Now a Kappa?
Most depictions show kappa as child-sized humanoids, though their bodies are often more like those of monkeys or frogs than human beings. Some descriptions say their faces are apelike, while others show them with beaked visages more like those of tortoises or with duck beaks. Pictures usually show kappa with thick shells and scaly skin that ranges in color from green to yellow or blue.[5][6][7]
I think I can add to this as well. The kappa are blamed for everything from crop failure to live stock death on a farm. The kappa has a soft spot and/or a hole in it’s head. They are known to be very polite.. If you encounter a kappa the best defense is simply to bow. The kappa, being polite, will bow back. Their brains will then fall out of their head. Problem solved. I am not making this up.
Kanako is a failed pop start who goes out to the big city to pursue her dreams only to return to the country to live with her grandma. Immediately upon her return things go further amiss as her doting granny is knocked sky high by a car of mindless drunken punk kids. They continue their reckless driving and drunken mayhem and smash into the shrine that is the keeper of the town kappa. This brings the kappa to life who is, initially, a benevolent yokai creature and loved by the people of the town. This comes to a halt and things begin to get ugly as Yuriko, the granddaughter of a mad scientist continues his mad attempt to create the “ultimate soldier” who is half fish and half human. She inadvertently detonates an Atomic bomb (a recurring theme, eh? Must happen a lot. ) The result of this is a horrible mutation that causes the fish soldier and the kappa to grow to epic and devastating proportions. The battle of Hangyoras and the Death Kappa is of massive and Godzilla proportions. Can the city be saved? Will this be the end of all humanity? You’ll need to see this one!
Death Kappa is an extraordinary film. You will not be terribly surprised to hear that some of the magic and the talent behind the recent Godzilla films worked on Death Kappa as well. A nod of the hat to the monster lizard and a beautifully crafted effort that puts the rampage of the Death Kappa firmly on the map!

- Mike Skurko

Hole Head 2010 Program Guide 'Alien vs Ninja'

2010-08-10T07:32:00.000-07:00

Alien vs Ninja
Dir: Seiji Chiba
A ball of fire falls from the sky and an alien creature is introduced into what appears to be feudal Japan. Ultra Ninja protect their turf and move along the ground, in the trees and in the sky at lightening speeds.
Alien vs Ninja elevates the visuals to the ethers and beyond. There is nothing quite like it. Really. Picture gooey baby aliens that want to crawl up your nose. They work their way into human ‘hosts’ and then take control. Getting the alien out of the host involves some creative approaches that are simply jaw dropping to watch. Of course, what could have been a simple battle of the creature vs his human counterparts is taken to a level I’d not thought possible. There’s an emphasis on the speed of motion coupled with periodic slow motion filming that make’s puts this film in a class of it’s own. Godzilla was a lumbering beast and this Alien creature clearly isn’t!
This thing can MOVE and MOVES like you can barely follow at times. The ninja are otherworldly as well and have all the sword and weapons skills you’d expect of the ultra super elite warriors. There are also some new weapons that are a riff on traditional Japanese toys. The spinning death top and the death mouse bomb are both awesome.
Alien vs Ninja is funny and there are action scenes that will put a smile on your face. Of course there’s also sensational gore and minced body parts alongside buckets of entrails flying in the sky. I can’t recall ever seeing a human body de-gloved from the waist down before. Disgusting!
Alien vs Ninja moves at a frenetic pace. This film doesn’t miss a beat as the impossible to kill creature takes them all on and refuses to back down.

- Mike Skurko

Hole Head 2010 - Program Guide 'Vampire Girl vs Frankenstein Girl'

2010-08-09T08:28:00.000-07:00

Vampire Girl Vs Frankenstein Girl
Dir: Naoyuki Nishimura (who lovingly brought us Tokyo Gore Police)
A Japanese High School romance unfolds as two school girls fight over a young heartthrob. Oh, wait it’s not at all sweet like that. Nope. This is no “Hello Kitty” High School. This place is absolutely beyond the pale and there are also more gallons of blood spraying in the first five minutes than you’ve ever seen in your life. I am not kidding. This one has a bucket of blood in the face for each and every one of you twisted Japanese splatter flick fans!
An intrepid high school transfer girl, Arukado Monami, has a deep dark secret, she is a vampire and wants to suck her boyfriend, Mizushima’s, blood. It all comes to surface on Valentines Day when there is girl rivalry between Monami, who is a Frankenstein girl, and our sweet transfer student along with the school bully chick, Keiko, who’s ruling the local ‘Lolita’ chick gang. Are the girls willing to fight over Mizushima? Without a doubt! Do things get very, very out of control here very quickly? Umm. Yes. This film sets a number of new high benchmarks for madness and extreme gore & bloodletting. This is not a film for the meek and you’ll know just what you are getting into before the opening credits roll. What exactly am I talking about? Well, picture a decapitated skull that’s been completely flayed of it’s skin, flying with gnashing teeth into the face of a victim where, in a unreal visual, a nose is taken with the teeth and the entire face is de-gloved like so much BBQ sauce from a platter of well cooked spareribs. Ah, all this and a side order of well timed humor that ensures an entire film of over the top gore and laughter. A splatter comedy? There is nothing sacred here and side splitting and blood spraying humor is on tap from start to hilarious finish.
So, from the Director of The Tokyo Gore Police I am not terribly shocked by any of this. There are a few sly and possibly not so sly references to some Japanese cultural wackiness that might be in need of explanation.
Lolita fashion (ロリータ・ファッション) is a fashion subculture originating in Japan that is primarily influenced by Victorian clothing as well as costumes from the Rococo period.[1] Lolita has made this into a unique fashion by adding gothic and original design elements to the look. From this, Lolita fashion has evolved into several different sub styles and has created a devoted subculture in Japan. The Lolita look consists primarily of a knee length skirt or dress, headdress, blouse, petticoat, knee high socks or stockings and rocking horse or high heel/platform shoes.[2]

Ganguro (Kanji：顔黒 Hiragana: がんぐろ Katakana: ガングロ lit. "face black") is an alternative fashion trend of blonde or orange hair and tanned skin among young Japanese women that peaked in popularity around the year 2000, but remains evident today. The Shibuya and Ikebukuro districts of Tokyo are the center of ganguro fashion.[1]

OK. So, these are a couple of the initial style issues that pop up in the film that are generally unknown to most Western audience. Suffice to say these are not uncommon in Japan and they’ve both been featured in films already. Still, you’ll see some hilarious extremes here as the envelope is pushed again and again and again. Wrist cutting also makes it into the picture as the school has elevated wrist cutting into a competitive sport. Go figure. This makes for mad slashing and blood spraying mayhem.
Vampire Girl and Frankenstein Girl is an absolutely outrageous film that’s perfectly executed with mind-bending special effects. The Director’s sense of humor is as outlandish we’ve come to expect from of Nishimura, and clearly answers the question of “can it get more crazy than this?” Apparently the answer is yes, and this film sets a new high water mark for all that can be sliced, diced and morbidly re-assembled into monsters with a nod of the hat to traditional Japanese Kabuki caricatures and even Sumo wrestlers from hell tossed into the mix. The warfare of Vampire Girl and Frankenstein Girl continually escalates and takes us to the battle of the century. This film is absolutely insane!

- Mike Skurko

Hole Head 2010 - Program Guide 'Ticked off Trannies With Knives'

2010-08-09T08:27:00.000-07:00

Ticked off Trannies With Knives

Dir: Israel Luna

Ticked Off Trannies With Knives? No, you have NEVER seen anything like this. No, you should not bring the kids to this screening. No. No. No. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Ticked Off Trannies with Knives is a splendid riff on the classic Rape and Revenge Films of the 70s. Filmed and presented in classic Grindhouse style complete with multiple reels and the hissing and popping of old school film reels. This in your face exploitation film is equal parts ‘Tranniesploitation’ and slasher flick. Yes, now that’s what we’re talking about! A group of three mean spirited homophobes with murderous intentions attempts to take out the girls from the tranny club because one of them is enraged at finding what he deems to be “false advertising.” Imagine that? Met ‘her’ at the local tranny bar and he’s shocked to find… Oh, well. Never mind. What do they get when they take on the girls? Well, certainly more than they bargained for! What begins as a nasty night out on the town in the local tranny-burlesque club quickly turns into a splatter fest of epic proportions. Divine justice? Trust me, this over the top film puts it all out there with hilarious commentary and some good times with the creative use and, well, the placement of knives.

Ticked Off Trannies? Trannies With Knives? Better be nice to the girls, or they’ll cut ya!

- Mike Skurko

Hole Head 2010 - Program Guide 'The Violent Kind'

2010-08-09T08:25:00.000-07:00

The Violent Kind

Directors – The Butcher Brothers, aka American film directors Mitchell Altieri and Phil Flores.

True to it’s title, this film is filled with “sex & violence” that goes off the charts. The Violent Kind rolls on the horsepower from the hard rocking opening scene with the twist of a tattooed wrist taking Nor Cal bikers into white line fever. Ah, but if only it were that simple...

What begins as a bit of the old extreme violence only gets much, much worse and beyond boot stomping, pistol-whipping madness. Soon we are into the terrifying land of the possessed and ultimately, a plot twist that will bend your head around and snap your neck like a chicken bone. This hard rockin’ film takes a couple of second generation bikers, Q and Cody, to a biker party on the outskirts of town and pits them face to face, switchblade to bloody knuckles with what can only be described as the ultimate evil and the ultimate violence, ‘the violent kind.’ This one delivers in buckets of blood splattering gory glory.

As the Butcher Brothers usher us along, this blood splattered ride we are hoping for the best. Salvation? Light at the end of the tunnel? Please, please let me get out of here alive! This is all I can think and just as it looks like there may be at least a glimmer of hope? Oh, you haven’t seen anything yet! The Violent Kind has set an absolute new standard of sudden impact and an ending that is the ultimate horror. No, there is no salvation here. There is only gut wrenching brutality. The Violent Kind straight up kicks ass from start to finish.

- Mike Skurko

Hole Head 2010 - Program Guide 'Symbol'

2010-08-09T08:24:00.000-07:00

Symbol

Dir: Hitoshi Matsumoto

Hitoshi Matsumoto, who brought the world the bizarre and madly comic romp of ‘Big Man Japan,’ takes his visual perspective to the highest extremes of surrealism. Yes, it is beyond strange and he takes us for an in depth journey in what appears to be the inner workings of his brain. This is his brain. This is his brain on the inside. It’s really strange inside. Go figure. The director plays himself, in pajamas and he is locked within an all white room. Dreaming? Are you dreaming? Perhaps a man dreaming that he is a butterfly?

So, we have a man captured in an all white room alone with only small, white penis-tips. I am not making this up. As he pushes these tips, an audible beeping of an angel speaks out and something from the material world then pops into his place. So many things are delivered, so many of them useless. Ah, commentary on the useless nature of consumerism? That would be my guess here. Everything in abundance with the possible exception of that ever-elusive escape from the confines of his imprisonment. There is a floating key that is just out of his grasp. The key? Do you have the key? The key to the locking and unlocking of consciousness? Dr. Timothy Leary anyone? Certainly there are hints here at an alternate reality and glimpses of planes of existence that remind us that there is so much more than we see. There is so much more than we would even imagine. Beyond the white room? There is also the “real world.” We follow the bizarre daily life of Escargot Man, the masked Mexican wrestler in rural Mexico. As we are introduced to a foul-mouthed chain-smoking nun and a tight knit and somewhat traditional family I am left wondering, could it get stranger than this? Yes, it can and it does. Eventually we notice that many of the actions within the white room/mind actually have a direct effect on the outside world. Ah, who would have ever guessed?

Symbol is an incredibly strange and visual film that takes us beyond the confines of the creative mind and out into the abyss.

You have never, ever seen anything like this!

-Mike Skurko

Hole Head 2010 - Program Guide 'Shadow'

2010-08-09T08:22:00.000-07:00

Shadow

Director: Federico Zampaglione

A soldier returning from a tour of duty in Iraq goes on a mountain bike adventure in the Austrian Alps to forget. There he meets a pretty, young girl who joins him on what seems to be a romantic adventure.

Spiraling views of mountain biking amidst clouds on landscapes with rolling downhill slopes, and snow covered alps in a region known among riders simply as “bikers paradise.” This movie takes place in an area that seems blessed yet has a dark and sinister past. Angelique tells the viewer a bit of the history of the area that includes a storey about, “A group of rebels took shelter in an underground coal mine in the woods, but they were found by soldiers ... and the soldiers burned them alive … and now the locals say that up there in the hills are ghosts and anyone who enters that part of the forest will never come back...”

After a nasty confrontation with some deranged local hunters the couple seeks refuge in the woods. While trying to escape they separate and he stumbles into a bunker that’s hidden in the alps along side a terrifying host. All that follows is heart-stopping intensity filmed with a camera that is not shy. This film contains scenes of violence so vivid they’ll make you cringe. The hills and the changing reality of what might have been a romantic adventure changes again and again. The theme of the hunters and the hunted takes a turn for the very worst just when it seems things really could not possibly get more terrifying.

The situation has gone beyond grim. It’s at this point where you’ll see things you might wish you hadn’t. I’m not kidding. If you are prone to nightmares you’ll find the Shadow delivers.

Nightmares and terrible hallucinations are ongoing here. The Shadow delves into an area seldom, if ever, explored in film. As visual distortions reach demonic intensity there is… Well, suffice to say there is a psychedelic encounter that only the most dedicated of shamans would embrace… We are not taking Peyote, this is quite possibly the most obscure of hallucinogens and in the hands of a wicked, bald and terribly emaciated torturer? Lets just say it clearly does not bring out the best.
The brutality of the hunt is bad. Then? The stench of burning flash and the terrible slicing razor blades of the chamber is absolutely awful… That smell of fear. “Really, it can’t possible get any worse!” It does. As the credits roll you’ll understand. It just got worse again. Much worse.

- Mike Skurko

Hole Head 2010 - Program Guide 'Sexy Time Trip Ninjas'

2010-08-09T08:20:00.000-07:00

Sexy Time Trip Ninjas’

Dir: Yojiro Takita

Yojiro Takita’s Sexy Time Trip Ninjas’ is a classic Japanese ‘pink movie.’ Pink Films are Japanese soft-core porn and this one adds an element of continual humor to the mix. The concept of a ‘groper train’ explored here is also one that’s not uncommon in modern day Japan. In fact the issue of men groping women on trains is prevalent to the point that some train lines (the Hibiya line among them) actually have set aside certain subway cars for “women only” during the rush hour commute times to keep the perverts from taking a grab at the ladies.

A couple of feudal samurai/ninja fall through a wrinkle in time and are transported from ancient times to modern Japan. Sexy Time Trip Ninjas puts both the male samurai and his arch enemy, the sex kitten ninja, on public transport. Neither of them appears to have found their way onto a “ladies only” train and thus the fun begins! This elegant ‘pink film’ weaves a ribald tale of humor as the two learn the tricks of the trade in dealing with modern day life in Tokyo. Along the way they are exposed to everything from love-hotels, brothels and all the sexually hyper active dwellers of modern day Tokyo.

Sexy Time Trip Ninjas’ is in a class of it’s own and perfectly weaves erotic scenes that move from arousing to humorous and back again without batting an eye.

- Mike Skurko

Hole Head 2010 - Program Guide 'Satan Hates You'

2010-08-09T08:19:00.000-07:00

Satan Hates You

Dir: James Felix McKenney

A Monster Pants Movie

Satan Hates You is a low brow, low budget indie flick that plays to a punk rock beat with a main character that seems to channel Bukowski, drinking and murdering along his personal highway to hell. In this role we have the clearly lost soul of Marc. In a parallel universe and taking any suitor into the men’s room for a bit of “fun” between shots of tequila, puffing joints, popping pills and snorting powders we have Wendy who also appears hell bent and on a nefarious path as well.
This film takes us to hell and back with TV evangelists, Dungeons and Dragons geeks, a lesbian tarot card reader, born again church goers and an absolute odd couple of bible thumpers who run a local ‘no tell motel’ called The Viking. Nothing is sacred here and the path to damnation Satan Hates you takes you on consists of sinning, beatings, rapes and blood splattering murders that are possible. A twin set of Satan’s helpers are on hand to guide the direction of the weak and it seems that all souls here are clearly lost.
With this much very bad behavior and so many really bad people Satan Hates You begs to ask the obvious question. If Satan hates you does that mean then than Jesus Loves You? Perhaps. This rollicking madhouse of a film takes us into the path of no return with only a tiny glimmer of salvation as a flickering light at the end of the flaming tunnel of sin. Is a happy ending possible? Can you watch this film and the ending and call it happy? Well, consider yourself warned. This film is a bottle upside the head and a boot in the face. Happy endings? Ha! I’m not quite sure what you’ll want to call it, but it’s straight up brutal from start to finish.

- Mike Skurko

Hole Head 2010 - Program Guide 'Phasma X Machina'

2010-08-09T08:16:00.000-07:00

Phasma X Machina (The Ghost From The Machine)

Dir: Matt Osterman

Phasma X Machina begins with two geeky brothers living alone in their house after both parents tragically die in a car accident. The older of the two has custody of the younger brother and is “doing his best” to see that he makes it to school on time.
Phasma X Machina is a ghost film that finds the older sibling putting his mechanical and electrical abilities to the test by building an electrical device that can, if it works, bring back the dead. The question as he tweaks the device, of course, is this really a good idea? The second question which is equally an issue here is how accurate is this thing? Are you really going to be bringing back the right people?
It’s been a long, long time since I’ve seen a ghost movie that is legitimately creepy. You know the feeling. Something creepy, really creepy is happening and you get those hair-raising shivers. Hair-raising. This film brings on the shivers and takes you into a creepy and scary realm and does not let go. Phasma X Machina will haunt your nightmares. Consider yourself warned!

- Mike Skurko

Hole Head 2010 - Program Guide 'Nightmares in Red, White and Blue'

2010-08-09T08:09:00.000-07:00

Nightmares in Red, White and Blue - The Evolution of the American Horror Film

I was once told that the sign of an excellent documentary film is when there is material presented that you might not otherwise have hand *any* interest in and after seeing the film you find that you are fascinated… What happens when you are presented with material that you actually do find fascinating? What happens is when a horror fan has the opportunity to see a film as exceptional as Nightmares in Red, White and Blue.

Nightmares in Red, White and Blue presents a short, natural history of the American Horror Film and combines spectacular film clips along with intelligent interviews with many of the maniacs behind these films. There is an understanding of the cultural phenomena behind horror films and why they continue to be a driving force in the film industry. Each and every film discussed is given context and placement along a time line and within an appropriate sub genre. You are in for a rare treat and one might guess this film was hand tailored for this audience here at Another Hole in The Head Film Festival in San Francisco. I’m guessing many of you have some background here. The clips will take you back to many of the films we’ve all cut out teeth, er fangs, on in our youth and some that go further back still…

Psycho – 1960
Straight Jacket 1964
The Birds – 1963
Night of The Living Dead – 1968
The Man with the X-Ray Eyes - 1963
The Trip - 1967
Rosemary’s’ Baby - 1968
The Stepford Wives - 1975
Shivers - 1975
Carrie – 1976
Alien - 1979
Eraserhead – 1977
Phantasm – 1979
Dawn of The Dead - 1978
The Omen - 1976
It’s Alive - 1974
I Drink Your Blood - 1970
The Last House on The Left - 1972
The Hills Have Eyes - 1977
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre - 1974
The Amityville Horror - 1979
Creepshow - 1982
The Stuff - 1985
Friday the 13th – 1980
Videodrome – 1983
Cujo – 1983
The Hunger - 1983
The Shining - 1980
Return of the Living Dead – 1985
Re-Animator - 1985
The Howling - 1981
One Dark Night - 1983
The Fog - 1980
Poltergeist - 1982
Henry Portrait of a Serial Killer - 1986
Nightmare on Elm Street - 1985
The Evil Dead – 1987
Shocker - 1989
Misery – 1990
The Dead Zone - 1983
They Live - 1988
Candyman - 1992
Seven – 1996
Scream 1996
Blade - 1998
Sixth Sense – 1999
American Psycho – 1999
Hannibol – 2000
Land of The Dead 2004
Saw – 2004

Nightmares in Red, White and Blue delivers the buckets of blood and entrails with what amounts to exceptional insight into the genre, history and background that is American Horror Film. You don’t want to miss this American Red, White & Blue!

- Mike Skurko

Hole Head 2010 - Program Guide 'Jimmy Topper vs The Goatman of Bowie'

2010-08-09T08:01:00.000-07:00

Jimmy Tupper vs The Goatman of Bowie

Dir: Andrew Bowser

Jimmy is a full on loser who works at a local Starbucks and gets hammered with pals that can only loosely bee seen as “friends.” I have heard of people taking a passed out “friend” and drawing on his/her face with a sharpie, but what kind of demented rat bastards would take a passed out “buddy” and dump them off in the middle of the woods to spend the night exposed in the elements? Certainly no friends of mine would do this, and with the aforementioned drunken sharpie abuse aside, I cannot fathom such callous behavior. Well, in the night the Goatman of Bowie attacks Jimmy. His “friends” think it is more malarkey from their loser buddy and heap abuse on him after his traumatic night in the woods.

What to do? Well, in the tradition of The Blair Witch Project with the creepy night woods and all the hand held camera documentary action captured for the audience, we join Jimmy as he plans to spend three nights in the woods with the ultimate goal of capturing this wily Goatman on camera. In the back of my mind I think, Jimmy is nuts and there is no Goatman. Really, is this a cry for help? Is this just the loser dude out in the woods trying to make up for the fact that he has, well, cried wolf and made a drunken spectacle of himself? That would be my guess…. And? Oh, let’s just say that you will be in for a surprise here at the ending of this film and all that leads up to it, it will take the wind right out of you. Jimmy seems a spineless loser from the start but finally grow balls out of nowhere. Jimmy Tupper may have no merit in his drunken antics and poor choice of friends, but ultimately? Well, you’ll see. This one takes a lovely twist and goes a bit beyond where Blair Which left off. You will actually get beyond creepy effects. Yes, you will get up front and personal with The Goatman of Bowie!

- Mike Skurko

Hole Head 2010 - Program Guide 'Grotesque'

2010-08-09T08:00:00.000-07:00

Grotesque

Koji Shiraishi

In this film Grotesque takes a minimalist approach to the disturbing genre of torture porn when a demented doctor kidnaps a man and a woman who are out on a first date in Tokyo. He tortures, mangles, disfigures and degrades them. He promises them that all they need to do to be released is to offer him some “excitement.” He promises, more than a few times between skewering a liver or poking and eye out, that he’ll “be nice” if he gets what he wants…

Grotesque is brimming with sexual perversion and some of the most horrific torture scenes imaginable. The unapologetic and unflinching camera takes the audience for a horrible look at what is billed as the “cruelest Japanese splatter movie ever.” With exceptional makeup, prosthetics and special effects, it’s highly likely this film will be more than your average audience can tolerate. Rating a very high ‘wince factor’ Grotesque takes the chainsaw to new levels of gore and then after a very messy job sawing off fingers, our insane torturer lovingly strings the fingers and makes a “gift” necklace for his captive audience.

The recipe for Grotesque? Simplicity. Two parts torture porn and a dash of snuff film. Hardcore and terrible. This film is not for the meek. Really. Nightmares are 100% guaranteed.

-Mike Skurko

Hole Head 2010 - Program Guide 'American Grindhouse'

2010-08-09T07:57:00.000-07:00

American Grindhouse
Elijah Drenner

American Grindhouse is a documentary about the full history and impact of grindhouse films in America. A cinematic phenomena that, like all good things, began underground and was ultimately embraced and exploited (such irony) by the main stream film industry.

Grindhouse is an American term for a theater that mainly shows exploitation films. The name itself is derived after the now defunct burlesque theaters on 42nd street in New York where ‘bump and grind’ dancing and striptease were once featured. Apparently the somewhat risqué films moved into these, the only venues that would have them and the ‘grindhouse’ movie was born. These films were, and are, typically low budget films that have pushed the envelope of their respective eras with sex, violence, drugs and every possible aspect of the weird, the bizarre and the offensive.
This documentary is beautifully narrated and the viewer is guided by industry luminaries who actually made some of these trashy films of full frontal impact. So, what exactly is ‘grindhouse?’ Ah, so many things and the issue of grindhouse vs exploitation is delved into with hilarious detail. I found the best description in the theaters themselves, “like Hollywood Boulevard in the 70s” and “42nd street where there was an ever present feeling of danger.” This element of danger and criminal intent comes across beautifully in many of the clips that are sprinkled throughout this film. Glorious snippets of all the crazed films from early 30s through to the present. You may find, like I did, that you haven’t seen them all and a quick mental list of “must sees” is inspired by this rollicking adventure into the weird and the horribly twisted.

The following are mentioned in this film and are not all considered “classic grindhouse films.” Some are films that inspired and others have deviated into bizarre sub genres. These run the gauntlet from horror to porn and from “blaxploitation” to, of all things, “nazisploitation.” From “torture porn” to the “roughies.” There seems to be a film for every fetish and there really are no limits to these films and clearly nothing is sacred here. An outstanding documentary that pretty much has it nailed!

Here’s a partial list of many of the films referenced and some of the clips… I’d recommend you update that “must see” list after watching American Grindhouse!

Traffic In Souls – 1913
Damaged Goods – 1914
Freaks – 1932
Narcotic – 1933
You Can’t Beat the Rap – 1933
Reefer Madness – 1936
Mom & Dad - 1945
The Story of Life - 1948
I Wake up Screaming – 1941
The Girl Can’t Help It – 1956
Baby Doll – 1956
Teaserama – 1955
Kiss Me Quick – 1964
Faster Pussycat, Kill. Kill. - 1965
The Immoral Mr. Teas - 1959
House on Bare Mountain - 1963
Scum of The Earth – 1963
The Sin Syndicate – 1965
Olga’s House of Shame - 1964
Olga’s Girls - 1964
The Defilers - 1965
The Maidens of Fetish Street - 1966
The Lusting Hours - 1967
Another Day Another Man - 1966
Ultimate Degenerate - 1969
Too Much Too Often - 1968
Indecent Desires - 1968
Blood Feast - 1963
Color Me Red – 1965
The Wizard of Gore – 1970
Psycho – 1960
Bob & Carol & Ted - 1969
The Wild Angels - 1966
The Tingler - 1959
Hell Cats – 1967
She Devils on Wheels – 1968
Easy Rider - 1969
In Drink Your Blood - 1970
The Last House on The Left - 1972
Midnight Cowboy - 1969
Shaft - 1971
Sweet Sweetback’s Badasssss Song – 1971
The Mack – 1973
Super Fly - 1972
The Guy From Harlem - 1977
Coffy - 1973
Boss Nigger – 1975
Bucktown - 1975
Black Caeser - 1973
Hell Up in Harlem – 1973
Black Samson – 1974
Welcome Home Brother Charles – 1975
Truck Turner - 1974
The Big Doll House – 1970
The Big Big Cage – 1972
The Corpse Grinders – 1971
Eaten Alive – 1977
Ilsa She Wolf of the SS - 1975
Butterflies – 1975
Hot Stuff - 1979
Deep Throat - 1972
The Amazing Transplant - 1970
The Passion of The Christ - 2004
American Gangster - 2007
Grindhouse – 2007

- Mike Skurko

onwards with films, films and fillms

2010-05-19T11:16:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again. i have a huge pile of DVDSs and a couple of weeks to watch them all and write the program guide for the SF Indie Horror film festival called Another Hole in The Head. I'll be posting all of these here and you can also find them at www.sfindie.com So, you want to know what's making me really, really jazzed? The Violent Kind and Shadow. What makes a great film? Any film that I watch twice in a row. That is good film and in this case? Yep, they both qualify. The Violent Kind has the added benefit of a kick ass sound track and some of, to borrow from Clockwork Orange, a bit of the ultra violence. This is a definite wind. Be sure to see them both and hit up www.sfindie.com for show times.

more details soon.

Film on top of the world - The Midnight Sun Film Festival, Lapland

2010-05-15T11:36:00.001-07:00

Film on Top of The World
- Michael Skurko

The first time. Ever. Sure. You know what I’m talking about. That first kiss. Years later there are still “first ever” moments that continue to amaze. There’s always anticipation on the approach. The next ‘first?’ Many of these are greatly thought out and with lots and lots of pondering. All the agonizing and butterflies before jumping out of an airplane for the first time and then free falling towards earth. SCUBA diving into the gin clear waters of Belize where The Blue Hole drops off, seemingly to infinity. Climbing up the limestone cliffs of Thailand, high above jade green waters and surrounded by stalactites… The list goes on and on and on. I travel. I plan. I travel. The more I travel the more of these “first ever” experiences reveal themselves.
Lapland. The Midnight Sun Film Festival.
When it became clear that I was setting off on a trip to Lapland to attend The Midnight Sun Film Festival there were many questions from friends and co-workers. “Where is it?” “North of where?” “How do you get there?” “Will it be snowing?” There was also opportunity for clever humorous asides… No, Lapland is not the name of a strip joint in Las Vegas where scantily clad girls in Santa’s Helper outfits offer lap-dances.
I’ve been a film fanatic for quite some time and have attended many film festivals. After reading ‘From Sundance to Sarajevo – Film Festivals and The World They Made’ by Kenneth Turan I became inspired. Lapland was now on my radar. “The Midnight Sun Film Festival.” Ahh, this sounds so incredibly romantic. This legendary festival is held yearly in Sodankyla in the Arctic Circle during the summer. The sun does not set for 53 days in the summer. Films play all night. This place is a twelve hour train ride north of Helsinki. You’d really have to dig deep to find a location quite as spectacular as this one. “Reindeer, gold miners and drunks.” This is what my friend from Helsinki assured me would await us in Lapland. Clearly a “unique” setting and a festival not to be skipped. Yes, there are many places to go. Yes, there are other film festivals that are easy for me to access. I’ve been to Tribeca in New York, The Chicago International Film Festival, The Boise International, The S.F. International, S.F. Indie Fest and many off shoot festivals involving short films, Documentary Films, Splatter Flicks, Animation, Sci-Fi and documentaries along with all the attendee film freaks, film fanatics and film makers. Film Festivals are, unquestionably, seriously fun. So, I decide to go to Lapland. A year ago we put the stake in the sand and begin to make plans. A year ago? I was told booking a room in Sodankyla is going to be “a challenge.” There are only two hotels in town. Both are booked, apparently, several years in advance. This is not good. I really have a hard time getting my head around this concept. Is the festival that popular? Yes. Is Sodankyla that remote? Yes. We exchange e-mails with his buddy who lives in Helsinki. There are options. There is camping. However, I am told our tent will never get dark. This sounds like a bit of a nightmare. A week of jet lag and then attempting sleep in a continually glowing jack-o-lantern tent? I will lose my mind! I’ve heard of this level of sleep deprivation and understand, from the press, that this is an effective way to torture prisoners. Light, coupled with loud campers? Images of Guantanamo and Camp X-Ray continually flooded by the blue glow of halogen search lights. I think I will lose my mind and my girlfriend will quickly succumb to insanity. In a less extreme e-mail I communicate that “perhaps there are some options aside from the camp sites…” Hmm… There is housing a thirty-minute drive from the festival. The three of us quickly agree that this is a bad option as we are all planning to drink, watch films and drink. No one wants to drive. I recall being told the area is filled with “drunks, gold-miners and reindeer hunters.” Great. We are not going to be driving around at 4am from the festival only to run head on into a blind drunk gold miner, likely just returning from an early morning reindeer hunt. Nope. I am amused by my co-worker’s gentle suggestion that these locals were quite capable of running fatly amuck by continually drinking grain alcohol that could just as easily fuel the fighter planes of the Finland’s air-force. Yep. We decide that for safety we’ll simply stay within walking distance of the festival. No hotels. I really can’t imagine. Perhaps they are holding them all for Robert Deniro and his pals… Options? I am told there will be “student housing.” We can get in there. It’s cheap and close. Sold! We make a commitment and are ready to rock. The festival is coming up in 12 months.
Nearly a year later I am now in Helsinki with my girlfriend. We are very close to Russia. This fact becomes increasingly obvious as boatloads of drunken Russian soccer fans are unleashed on the city to attend a match. These are the infamous “booze cruise” boats that go from Helsinki to St. Petersburg. It’s been over a decade since an Israeli owned software company sent me to Norway and Sweden on a series of trips to set up channels of distribution for Northern Europe. Memories of tall women with piercing blue eyes and the chiseled features of super models. Helsinki does not disappoint. An attractive population of industrious and meticulous people. I’m told there is “virtually no petty crime.” The trains run on time and the architecture coupled with this complete lack of crime gives this place the feel of Paris. If the Swiss ran it. Good coffee, excellent food and alcohol that is heavily taxed, seemingly to encourage a cottage industry of moonshine that I’m told thrives in the wilderness. We are staying at the Klaus K Hotel, a moderately priced business hotel that is centrally located and seems to have been constructed with the approval of the editors of ID Magazine for their ‘modern’ approach to everything. We have very little agenda here. We would like to eat, drink and be merry. Helsinki is a damn fine place for this. Our flight arrived at half past eleven p.m. and upon landing we were witness to an amazing pink and red sunset. By the time we made it to the hotel we are bleary eyed from the flight from Amsterdam via Munich and ready for a drink. The hotel bar? Ahhh… I’m sure we can do better, but we are tired and ready to relax over icy cocktails. The Klaus K has a “nightclub,” with a DJ, where I would normally expect to find a simple hotel bar. I find this greatly amusing. It’s past 1am and the bar is nearly empty aside from two girls at the bar with really big hair. I wonder if they are hookers while ordering drinks. Mental note: In Finland they are very precise with drinks measures. Wine and hard liquor are measured out before being poured. I suggest you order a double.
We wake up, find coffee, and begin to wander the downtown area. It’s a beautiful place with an incredible amount of ‘design stores’ selling the coolest stuff you’ve ever seen. A clear sense of the bright and the bold is evident in all of their stores and I’m finding a wide selection of items that are sadly too big to bring home and in many cases nose bleed expensive. (Found a lovely set of five hand blown Italian drinking glasses for about $800. They were quite nice.) Down by the waters edge by the tourist boats that ferry drunkards to and from St. Petersburg we find the local outdoor ‘craft market.’ A lively place where it’s effortless to find hunting knives with hand carved handles, colorful woolen caps, scarves and socks. There are food vendors everywhere. A gorgeous young girl with dreadlocks is busy working a massive grill enveloped in the steam of cooking sardines, shrimp and veggies. Mental note: She would make an ideal souvenir.
We meander and take a nice walk to the Helsinki Botanical Gardens. It is incredible and comes highly recommended from this tourist. Eventually we are ready for snacks. I have this notion that due to the proximity to Russia we should have access to cheap and plentiful caviar. Beluga anyone? I consult the guidebook and find a perplexing heap of information. Eventually we wander into a nice place and ask about caviar. Yes, they have it. No, there is no Russian caviar. They have only “the farmed French” variety. This is fine by me. We order a portion and vodka. I am expecting to see clear glasses of ice cold vodka appear at our table and am a bit confused when she brings a bucket of ice and a full bottle. Did she think I wanted an entire bottle? For the two of us? Hmm… She brings out a couple of iced glasses and pours us shots. When in Rome? We knock them back and are quickly refilled. Eventually the caviar arrives. Beautiful black eggs served in a gold tin from France and the requisite side dishes of minced onion, crème fraise, and cute little wedges of crust free toast. Oh, this is fun. We continue to knock back icy glasses of Finnlandia vodka and enjoy the caviar. This is good. This is fun. We are having a blast. A full view of the harbor and ice-cold glasses of local vodka. Granted the fish eggs hail from France, but they are good and we are loving this. Our lovely snack puts us in an elevated state. The caviar, the vodka? In combination they are an effective anti-depressant. Floating around Helsinki on Zoloft could not have put us in a better mood. We wander in and out of local shops frequently needing to wipe the drool from the corners of our mouths as eye-popping design continually amazes us. Helsiniki is ground zero for the coolest stuff you could possibly buy for your kitchen, living room or bathroom. Nothing compares. I found a kaleidoscope of colors, patterns and designs.
We wander on and on along the green belt in the center of town with it’s statues and collection of “free day use bicycles.” Hip, urban Helsinki! Deposit a two-euro coin and it’s returned when you return the bike. Neat. My book on Finland has explained that Finland is one of the safest countries in the world. There is very, very little crime here and these ‘free rental’ bicycles are a great example of this. Sadly in “my country” these bikes would be a two-euro purchase, as they would simply not be returned. Yep. Here, they are jetting around town and seemingly in near constant use around the downtown area. I love this place. This notion of free rentals is amazing having just spent a week in Amsterdam filling out rental agreement forms, running the credit card, renting our bicycles and locking them up with equipment that was both heavy and absolutely necessary to keep the local criminals from stealing them. Amsterdam is the bike capital of the world and it is also, sadly, the bike theft capital of the world. Here? I am told you can leave your wallet out over night and it will be waiting for you. Fantastic.
Our three nights in Helsinki are fantastic. We wound up having a somewhat heavy dinner at The Seahorse where I was introduced to the local beer, Lapin Kulta. Seems low alcohol beer is the norm the world over with the possible exceptions being Belgium, Portland and San Francisco. I like my beers at 7% or above and found the “light, refreshing beers” to be a bit of a disappointment. Ah, well there is also Vodka here... Still, we were greatly amused in our wanderings of Helsinki and enjoyed the fresh sea air and the non-ending stream of coffee, red wine and tasty treats. There is no lack of good food in this town and we were happy to take it all in.
The ultimate goal here is, of course, to go north. My former co-worker had arranged for us to meet with one of his pals and head out on the train together. We had been hoping to lock in plans a week ago, but the “local pal” was proving elusive. Eventually after lobbing a double fistful of text messages and having already checked out of our hotel with internet access, I finally got a call on my cell. He’d meet us at a bar near the train station in two hours. Perfect. What a relief! Soon we were winding our way to the station greatly amused by Russian soccer fans that were in a frenzy of pre-game drinking, flag waving and what appeared to be some serious shit talking and shouting. The cops were everywhere and I was certain we would witness a full-scale riot and tear gas canisters lobbed into the mass of unruly Russians. Sadly for my general tourist agenda this did not quite happen, but it was a fun bit of mob watching and by the time we made it to the bar we were both in a festive mood from the streets teeming with pre-game shenanigans. Ah, a fine day. The main Helsinki train station looks amazing. I half expected to see Franz Kafka bustling off to catch a train to a literary conference. The bar was, predictably packed.
Kustaa and Kata were able to locate us, clearly the American non-soccer fans, we marched off to the train station. They had already picked up the tickets and taken their car onto the car train. We found our private sleeping car and began the voyage. Clean and comfortable. We were in the first class sleeper with an attached bathroom. Perfection. Lapland anticipation is now at an all time high and as the train silently departs we are sipping tins of the local beer and watching the rolling view. This is as good as it gets. A perfect travel moment. We are heading north on what will be a twelve-hour journey taking us to the Arctic Circle. Twenty-four hours of daylight! This is amazing. I’m jazzed beyond belief. Eventually we tumble into our bunks and are soon sleeping along the rails to The Midnight Sun Film Fetival! Sweet. We wake up too early and are looking out the window to an expanse of trees. Continually passing trees in every direction. We are getting closer. Are we in Lapland? We are only an hour shy of the train station. Soon we are there and I am in dire need of strong coffee. Strong beer I can almost live without. Strong coffee is absolutely a requirement. My heart does not beat without it and my only thoughts now are where this critical first cup of coffee will appear. Kustaa is busy dealing with getting the car off the train and I usher the girls to the café. There is a huge line of people waiting for donuts and coffee. I join them and hope the coffee is strong. I feel like I’m in a Soviet era cafeteria and am hoping that, in my fragile pre-coffee hour, that this counter woman does not yell at me. I am fragile. I need my coffee. I get the coffee and a sugar donut. It’s moments like this where I wish I were a smoker. A smoke would undoubtedly make it all fine… I carefully balance the coffee and my sugary donut and make it back to the table. The girls seem in fine spirits. I put my coffee into my belly as quickly as possible and then line up for a second round of java. The coffee is not strong. I must make due.
Soon we are rolling along in a car and then make a stop at “Santa Claus World Headquarters,” or something like that. Incredible. What on earth are we doing here? I am really sleep deprived. Why would adults go to Santa Land? I really do need another coffee. So, this place is predictably filled with tourists, there is a line painted where you can literally “step into the Arctic Circle.” This is neat, but coffee…. We wander the gift shops and get to the place where you can go and actually meet Santa. This is now getting creepy. Adults surely do not need to have a morning visit with Santa. I know that I really don’t need this at all. Nope. We are ushered to another café where I am handed another cup of watery coffee. You’d think they’d want strong coffee in this town. It gets well into the negatives up here in the winter. Do they drink only local moonshine? Coffee! Lapland needs strong coffee. Not that I’d be the one to suggest setting up a Starbucks here, but damn, they sure could use one. Note to self: Move to Lapland and establish the very first “Ass Whompin Coffee Shop. Fresh Roasted Daily. Black as Sin! Stronger than God!” It’s a great idea. Will need to revisit that idea once I wake up.
Our local hosts have figured out that we are happy to leave Santa behind and head North to the festival. Yes, bring it on! We hit the road and in no time at all see our first Reindeer trotting along the road. Incredible. These things really don’t seem real until you’re there. It’s real! We’re here. There are very few cars on the road here and I’m happy to see we are quickly deep in the forest. Trees everywhere and this expanse of trees is part of the Finland “internal wealth.” (insert statistics here on the forest industry – sustainable etc. etc.)
After a couple of hours we roll into the weird little town of Sodankyla. Not sure exactly what is up, so we head to the film festival HQ and I buy a couple of program guides. I flip through it and there’s a photo of Burt Reynolds in “The Deliverance.” OK, now we’re talking festival! I haven’t seen this film since it played on T.V. in the 70s in California. Good lord, what a great pick! We are, in fact a day late, to the festival. Ah, well. I wonder if they are even screening this or if it’s just an image for the guide. Kustaa clears this up. “It is playing in two hours.” Well, hop damn. Let the games begin!
At this point I flip through the program guide and begin to read the covering notes by Perter von Bagh. The first paragraph gives perfect insight into what makes the Midnight Sun an amazing and singular experience:
“First, let me tell our guests why they are so far away and in such a strange place. It is all about light, or actually two different, encountering lights. First and more obviously, the nature: the midnight sun, which exactly at this time of the year does not set at all. Secondly, the light of the film, which is also natural light, because we respect the light of the film copies and annually prove, without picking a fight, that the electronic light of the digital world cannot reach the same mystical dimension – which is also transferred to the common experience of the viewers – as traditional film.”
After reading this paragraph it became increasingly clear that I’d be in for a rare and spectacular treat. This is exactly what I’d been hoping for and I am getting more and more fired up as we continue to walk around the festival arena.
So, next we head over to “student housing.” I have absolutely no expectations here and am not sure what we’ll find here. Guessing accommodations will be ‘rustic’ and/or ‘Spartan.’ In front of a dilapidated building we are met by an older bearded man who looks shockingly like Rasputin. I find this more amusing than unsettling considering the building looks like the Lapland version of The Bates Motel from Hitchcock’s film ‘Psycho.’ We walk in and find, much to our mutual delight, the wooden halls are jauntily decorated with colorful erotic paintings and collages some of which are crudely rendered and constructed with cut-outs from porno magazines. I find this genuinely amusing and we all go on to select our rooms. Each of them is filled with a bizarre assortment of flannel shirts, cassette tapes and/or more erotic art on the walls. After Rasputin has wandered off we all share tales of the bizarre things that are in these small rooms and their accompanying tiny beds. This is fun. There is a cassette tape in our room with a topless lass and a caption across her bared breasts reading what I am later told means “Sexy Songs” in Finnish. There is also an old can of whip cream in the closet of our room. Clearly this is a festive place.
Not sure if it’s the residual effects of jet lag or if Lapland is naturally a place of great hilarity. I am having a fine time and am laughing. Continually. The housing situation is so weird that I can’t take it. My belly hurts from laughing and I am just getting warmed up for the festival. Now, it’s time to get back to the festival. We drive the short distance across the river and approach the festival HQ. I’d been hoping for a festival pass, but apparently after missing the critical first day of the festival this is a “losing money option” and we go with the twelve film punch pass. I buy one and we head to the parking lot where the massive blue big top circus tent awaits us. We are now at the tail end of the line and slowly make our way into the tent. The tent has massive steel support beams that obscure the view of many of the participants. Bummer. We get seats in the back and eventually give up on them as we are sitting behind one of these beams. We move to the far side. Lousy seats. Still, John Boorman was there to talk about the film and nothing brings film to life like this. Boorman is on stage, casually chatting with an audience about “nearly drowning” several members of the cast in the river. Amazing. Awesome. I can’t believe we are here and about to see a film that’s burned in indelible ink on the retina of anyone who’s ever seen it. The Deliverance. This is awesome!
We eventually see Boorman’s “The Emerald Forest” as well. Here’s a list o every film we saw in the festival over the next handful of days/nights:
Chabrol; “Bellamy”
Kaurismaki; “Three wise Men”
Jarmusch; “The Limits of Control”
Von Bagh; “Helsinki Forever”
Flaherty; “Nanook of the North”
Karukoski; “Forbidden Fruit”
Meals – After meeting up with Kustaa and Kata we headed over to the pizza place for a quick meal. Now, we are in Soldankyla and this is in the Arctic Circle. Given this fact I do not have high expectations for the pizza. There is good pizza in Italy and in New York. Beyond that? It’s a crap shoot. So, I had thought the pizza here would, at best, fill my belly…. The pizza here is actually great. Better than good. Because the festival is unquestionably the biggest event of the year there is a “festival pizza” on the menu. Salami and Jalapenos. Fine by me. Bottles of cold ‘Koff’ brand beer from Finland and I am ready to rock. This town is tiny, but by the grace of the great white north they seem blessed with a good pizza place. My belief is that this is essential to the success of the festival. I am a happy man.
Meals – Dinner. Shredded reindeer atop mashed potatoes and a side of berries and pickles. Perfection. Served with beer. This is another tasty meal in a tiny town. Did I roll in here with some notions? Yes, I did. Small town U.S.A. generally coughs up some pretty bad food. Fast food usually. Here? Thus far seems fine. We even saw a Tex Mex place near the train station. The wonders never cease.
What makes a good film festival? Clearly it’s the films and a chance to meet up with the actors and directors. It’s a chance to see film in a real shared experience and then chat about the films (over pancakes, beer and sausage in an ideal world) “Festival moments” are generally too many to mention and depending on the level of emersion can range from a chance meeting with a director, to the ethereal dream state that can set in after seeing the fifth film of the day and having almost no recollection of the first two films of the day. Talking about the films and then left with that sense of utter befuddlement when asked about a film. “Oh, I can’t recall the name. It’s the one with….” The Midnight Sun delivers! Having only delivered The Deliverance I was set to say that this was already tracking to be one amazing festival.
The big top circus tent itself at The Midnight Sun Film Festival? A huge blue tent, complete with the requisite rigging and poles set in the middle of what looks very much like a parking lot. There are signs out from that remind people to “Hyst!” I am told this means “Shh!” The tent seats some seven hundred people and there is a single entry point that guides film viewers through a black painted pine doorway. Once past this wooden door/light barrier there is the expanse of theater. Folding seats are lined up in front of the big screen. Perfect. Getting in to the tent after waiting in the end of the line generally means a seat well off to the side or one right in the back with view of the screen obscured by one of the many sturdy steel poles that keep the tent upright. Another strategy for the really packed house is to sit very, very close to the screen. On the occasion where sub-titles are above the screen instead of at the bottom? This will make your neck hurt. . At one point while reading subtitles above the screen I recall thinking it could not have been much worse had they screened the film on the ceiling. So, the tent clearly had some challenges, but also some fantastic aspects that continually delight. Hanging high above the audience were a chandelier and multiple strings of white lights. This is unquestionably a visual feast and the films had yet to begin! When the lights go down I notice that it’s not entirely dark. Looking up to the blue, glowing expanse above I am beginning to understand. Yes, I am now fully aware that the sun will not set on this festival! The light will shine on the blue tarp above and it’ll glow softly for films that screen at noon and for films that screen at 3am. Additionally this blue expanse of fabric has seen many years of active duty here in the Arctic Circle. There are many tiny holes in the fabric. When the house lights go down these holes shine like stars in the night sky and at times give me the feeling that we are not confined to this tent, but rather out in a distant galaxy. The tent walls and this blue canvas sky above ebb and flow, I am aware of them as structure and at other times I feel they are a visceral expression of the films themselves. As the winds pick up, the canopy thunders and the breathes rhythmically, a living diaphragm. An extension of film that shudders, flows and in moments of down pouring rain feels like the gods have blessed this tent with a life form that awakes the minute the silver screen sparks to life.
The pancake tent? I noticed there was a tent near the festival head quarters and it seemed to be the focal point of great activity and merry making. There were people drinking beers and eating sausage. Clearly this was the place to be! They also sold wonderful crepe-like pancakes that were delivered either “sweet” or “salty.” I’m not sure about the salty option, but the sweet ones were served up with jam and a sprinkling of sugar. Nice. I had more than a few of them while I was at the festival and was also quite happy to drink beer and eat the sausage. Not sure what type of sausage I was eating at the ‘pancake tent.’ What they were really didn’t matter much to me at the time. They were hot and amazing. Served wrapped in paper and then dipped in mustard. It really can’t get better than pancakes, beer and sausage. Nope. This is as good as it gets. Do they have a ‘pancake tent’ at Cannes or Sundance? I have my doubts.

Random Festival Moments -
The line to get into the main blue circus tent was quite long. Each time I looked at this winding group of film fans there was a sense of the party. The party was clearly going down in the line and many of these people had brought their own bottles of rum, whiskey, wine and beer. It was a happy crew passing a bottle and sharing a collective cheer. At the entryway of the pancake tent there were one or two large guards. They were there to ensure no wine or beer left the premises. Beer and wine were served in a plastic cups. We were, I thought, on some semblance of private property? No, that’s wrong. It’s got to be attached to some kind of school. Saw films in what appeared to be a wood floored gym. So, it just killed me that two paces from the guard that does not allow a plastic cup to pass, is a couple passing a bottle of rum. Odd. Yes, well oddness is clearly part of the experience. There is a juggler and a mime entertaining the crowds waiting in the meandering line extending from the theme set by the big top circus tent.
The midnight sun? I was half expecting to be in need of midnight sun block. Not quite. The weather was mainly cloudy with some rain and a few days of sun. So, this notion of the sun out for 53 days is partially true, but it’s hardly time for sun tanning at 3am. Our innkeeper, Rasputin, was however sighted gardening at 3am. Incredible. Wake up to use the restroom at 4am and, well, it’s disorienting to see that outside it’s just as light as it was pretty much any time throughout the day. Amazing. The sleep deprived, the jet lagged and the up all night party set were clearly in for a treat here. Granted, Sodankyla is pretty much in the middle of nowhere, so if you are up at 3am you will certainly find your options limited for entertainment. Oh, wait! They were actually screening films at 3am and even 6am. Not sure if the pancake tent was open at that point, but still… Films all night in these nights of the midnight sun!
The Midnight Sun Film Festival in Lapland is fantastic, it’s exhausting. I’d like to go back in the winter to see the Northern Lights and snow shoe or cross country ski in the forest. I’d like to return to log more time in the sauna and to drink more of the local fortified grain alcohol (the one with a single star that was “flavored” with a bit of cognac.) I’d like more tasty reindeer treats, sausage and pancakes. I’d like to trek in the woods in the fall in search of cloudberries. I’d like to wander the outdoor market of Helsinki again and continue in my quest of the best caviar. I’d like more shots of iced vodka and an opportunity to buy a colorful array of amazingly designed things for the house and the kitchen… Oh, the list goes on and on and on… Sitting in the blue glow of that big top circus tent? Ahh, that beautiful tent situated well within the arctic circle and playing host to 24 hours of film in a land where the sun has not set of the indelible ink of celluloid film. 35 mm prints, no digital here! There is still a place in the world where the film festival remains absolute perfection. The Midnight Sun Film Festival is a visual gem, perfectly placed in Lapland, the crown jewel of Finland. Make your plans now and GO NORTH! THERE IS NOTHING LIKE THIS ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD!!

S.F. Indie Fest 2009 - 2/5 - 2/19

2009-01-06T21:37:00.000-08:00

Last week I was watching a few screeners from the festival that is about to hit S.F. You will find details with dates and films here: www.sfindie.com

So, what do you really want to be sure to see? "I Sell The Dead." This film is absolute perfection. Here's what I wrote for the program guide:

Justice has finally caught up to grave robbers Arthur Blake and Willie Grimes. With a death sentence by guillotine coming up in hours, young Blake confides in clergyman Father Duffy, recounting fifteen years of adventure in “the trade.” His tale leads from his early days stealing from corpses, to a partnership with seasoned grave robber Willie Grimes. The colorful history of Grimes and Blake is one filled with high jinx, horror, and violent rivalries.

Ah, but there’s more to this sensational plot… There are zombies here and with all the hilarious madness we’ve all come to associate with the genre. “I Sell The Dead” is funny, it is also perfectly crafted and, pun intended, well executed. In a sentence? Edgar Allan Poe meets Night of The Living Dead.

- Mike Skurko

Three Extremes: Disk One - Netflix

2008-12-13T12:03:00.000-08:00

OK, first off apologies for not writing since the Dead Channels film festival in S.F. I know, I know. I am a bad person. Clearly there have been many, many films since then and unless you have been following me around S.F. and/or camping out in my living room you have absolutely no idea what I have been watching and what is good. This is about to change.

Bruce Fletcher (Founder of Dead Channels Film Festival of S.F. and past Director of Programming for S.F. Indie Fest and Another Hole in The Head Film Festival) We were talking about my lazy mans approach to blogging. According to Bruce it's time to blog after every film I see. Lord. I see a lot of films in a given year. According to Bruce they need not be epic words of prose, but simply a good list of what's good, what's bad and what's really ugly out there. A few words. A snippet here and there on what is so amazing you should call in sick, camp out on the couch and dive on in! I can do that. Here is the first in s series of film writing from screenings that take place in my living room.

Three Extreme:Disk One - Netflix

OK, I'll be honest. It got late and after a while I found I was no longer reading the subtitles, thinking I would just listen to the dialogue. The dialogue in the second film was, in fact, in Korean. This is a language I know only three words in and soon I was sleeping. Not a reflection of the film, really. I get tired. I fall asleep on the couch. It happens.

Now, the first film? Ahhhhh.... this one is amazing. Sadly there is a caveat right up front. I don't know what happened here, but I first saw the US premiere of this film in the East Bay several years ago. I *was* a feature length film. I can only hope the unedited version exists somewhere. The version that I watched last night on the "Three Extremes" disk was only 38 minutes long. This is a real shame. Trust me. You want to see the full feature if you can find it.

So, the film is "Dumplings" by Fruit Chan. OK, this is not going to blow the film for you. The gist of it? The meat of the film? Fetus. Dumplings are made with human fetus and served up fresh in a loving array of styles that offer a nod and wink to the food channel gone horribly wrong. This is one really whacked concept and starring Bai Ling as "my own best advertisement." Meaning? Well, she is hot as hell and young. The people who seek her expensive dumplings are middle aged women looking for the fountain of youth. She claims to be eating these cannibal dumplings and is looking like a sexy and youth filled treat herself.

Do, I have more to say on this one? Sure. First off do what ever it takes to find the un-cut original version. It is a crying shame that they edited this down to 38 minutes so that it fits in the "Three Extremes" disk. Shame on them. The bastards. It really needs to be seen in the non-edited version. There is so much hilarious behinds the scenes stuff and general madness and mayhem that goes on in "Dumplings" that you really, really don't want to miss. Still, I watched this last night and was wishing several of my demented film fan friends were with me. Really, you want to see this. (if you have a strong stomach) A disturbing jaunt, but with outstanding acting, directing and cinematography. This is excellent film. Even the abbreviated version is well worth a viewing.

Drop the "Three Extremes" into your Netlix que. Oh, I guess I haven't told you much about the other "Two Extremes" in this series. Well, give me a chance. I'll get to it and will update this blog shortly.

Golgotha - But I thought I hated silent films! Wrong!

2008-10-07T06:25:00.000-07:00

Golgotha @ The 2008 Dead Channels Film Festival in S.F., Roxie Theater

Directed by Karla Jean Davis

This film is sexy. This film is funny. This film is so authentic that several times while watching the alluringly sensual black and white images... I kept thinking. "But this looks *exactly* like an old school silent film. What's the deal here? Where is the angle? Well, part of it? I hope I am not ruining it here for you, but, at times... they actually do speak. Yes, they do. There is one more thing you need to consider when you are watching this film. Karla Jean Davis. First time film maker? Bull shit! No, this is true. I watched that film thinking, "OK, she is way, way too young. She couldn't have made this film. Not possible. It would take a life time to gather the life experience, the skills, the background... You get what I'm saying here?

Here's what they say in the program guide:

"An homage to German Expressionist silent films, Golgotha is the memoir of an evil sorceress's life at the top...alone. She was once the most powerful sorceress of all time; but age has reduced the once-feared sorceress to a sick, old woman on her deathbed. In a rare moment of candor (and humility), she confesses her life story to a goblin named Minion, the last of her loyal footservants. The story's end might be more than she bargained for.

Karla Jean Davis's feature film debut is a reverse fairytale on a particularly expressionistic stage. Don't miss this hand-crafted epic labor of love."

Fair enough. Based on that I figured it was worth a viewing. 2pm on a Saturday? Not the easiest time slot in a festival to pack the house, but a decent showing and there are a few things I'd like to lob out there if you are considering coming out for the second and final Wednesday, October 8th screening @ 6pm at the Roxie.

First of all let me be perfectly clear on this issue. I generally don't like silent films. At all. I am also not a fan of Docs. Once, years ago, while watching a screener of a Doc I was lured in. It's called Fisher Poets. I am not interested in fishing or poetry. The combination? Trust me, this was not a film I thought I would like. At all. Turns out? It's amazing. I was drawn in. Bingo! This is what we are talking about here. What is good film? It's not necessarily what you *think* you like. Get out there. Mix it up. Expose yourself to art and see what happens. Sometimes you find a gem you would not have picked up at the video store. Golgotha? I never would have picked it up. Having seen it? This is not a film to miss. Yes, there are many things that you can do on Wednesday at 6pm. Interested in seeing hauntingly beautiful film, film that has the potential to inspire? Film that also made me laugh? Ah, you can't beat this one! This is a film so strange and so incredibly beautiful that you will walk out of the theater on clouds. It's incredible. Get out there and see this film while you have the chance! The general public? They are thoughtless and crass. Yes, they are and they are far too busy with things like "Survivor" or sports on T.V. You will not likely see Golgotha at the multi-plex. Nope. I am guessing this film will not go huge on HBO. However, you have a kick ass chance of a lifetime to get out and see this incredibly beautiful film on the big screen. Is that important? Hell, yes! This film is amazing and I'd scrap those Wednesday night plans and wander on over to the Roxie theater in the Mission district of S.F.

- Mike Skurko

Plague Town - Creepy Evil Children? This one will scare you senseless!!

2008-10-07T06:24:00.000-07:00

Plague Town @ The 2008 Dead Channels Film Festival in S.F. @ The Roxie Theater

So, yesterday I got out and made it down to the Roxie Theater and took in my first film in the 2008 Dead Channels Film Festival in S.F. "Plague Town." The U.S. Premiere! I did not read much about the film and from the program guide had only this to go on:

"Plague Town is a truly frightening old-school horror movie about the Monohan family, who are (for the most part) likeable, smart normals who get much more than they bargained for when they get lost in the rural countryside in Ireland. Luckily, they stumble across an old village hidden deep in the woods, so they have a place to rest for the night. Unbeknownst to the modern urbanites the villagers follow a different set of much older rules."

Not much to go on here. Is it "truly frightening?" Yes, it is. Within the first ten minutes I had the shivers and found myself casually glancing around the theater to be sure no faces were about to leap out at me. I'm not kidding. This film is really creepy. There are a couple of things you should prepare yourself for with "Plague Town." The first I've already mentioned. It has many shocking appearances of terribly sinister, death dealing mutant children. They pop out of the dark and will scare the living daylights out of you while they giggle and slice into their prey. Beyond that visceral, gut level fear and an adrenal pumping 'fight or flight' response that this one continually triggers? It is so incredibly gruesome. You will see some hard core gore here that will trigger more that a double fistful of wincing from everyone in the theater. There are scenes in this film that, had I not been in a theater, would have punished me to the point where my only recourse would be to stand and pace. The last time this happened to me? "Audition" by Takashi Miike. In fact, there is one scene in particular that pays a lovely homage to one of those scenes in "Audition..." Well, let's just say that when you see this film you will know exactly what I'm talking about. It is so incredibly horrible and so perfectly executed...

"Plague Town" delivers the goods! If you are OK with having the living shit scared out of you. If you really don't mind the terrifying shivers and a film that will most certainly give you nightmares? You promise not to lose your lunch? I am not kidding. There is real hard core gore here and it is hauntingly realistic. "Plague Town" is terrifying and it is punishing. Happing ending? Looking for a happy ending? Hmmmm... Well, don't say I didn't warn you. This film? Do not miss this film at Dead Channels Film Festival!! It plays one more time on Saturday, October 4th at 8pm.

The Director, David Gregory will be at the theater. I recommend you stick around for the Q&A and/or buy him a couple of pints after the screening... Which reminds me. At the Q&A last Friday someone asked about inspiration for the concept, "where did this come from?"

"A general fear of children. There aren't that many films about creepy children..."

Well, now here's one that's raised the bar to impossible heights and will ensure my nightmares will likely include the faces of demonic imps flashing out of dark and terrible places... Thanks to David Gregory and "Plague Town," I'm going to be sleeping with the night light on for the next couple of months!

Let the maddness begin! Plague Town - Today at 4pm

2008-10-07T06:23:00.000-07:00

2008 Dead Channels Film Festival in S.F. @ The Roxie Theater

What are you doing this afternoon? No plans? Get over to the Mission district in S.F. and check this one out. It starts at 4pm. I haven't seen it, but *if* it's as good as it sounds you can rest assured I'll be writing about it. Sounds like one that's right up the proverbial alley. Dead Channels is a festival in rare form. A perfect time in space. You want to be a part of this. This is it! Get out of the apartment and boogie on over to the Roxie! Now! (well, in a few hours) and see what kind of maniacs are milling around the theater, eating a falafel, smoking, chatting and getting fired up for the festival. You should be there. Trust me on this...

Dead Channels Film Festival S.F. Vortex Party - October 2nd, 2008

2008-10-07T06:22:00.000-07:00

Well, it's that time of year and having won the coveted Best of The Bay award last year the warped genius of Bruce Fletcher is back to dish up more Horror, Sci-Fi, Splatter, Extreme Shock Japanese film and much more. You have something better to do? I find that very difficult to believe. Yes, I do. This is a fine chance to hang out in the fog, mill around the Roxie cinema on 16th at Valencia and take in some of the very best picks possible. You like horror films? Oh, you will like this...

So, last night at the Vortex - SoMa, S.F.. The Vortex Room is quite possibly the last of a breed of underground clubs. It's film focus and uber chic crowd of the sexy and the hip have been known to party until the wee hours of the morn. Me? I am tired and wretched so I was only there in the start of the night and can only confim that there were beautiful women and dashing young men. There were cocktails and some spiraling visuals projected on the walls that reminded me of an era gone by. A poster for 'The Weird World of LSD' caught my eye and reminded me, that yes, this year's theme? Well, it certainly gives credence to the tag line of a festival that promises to "BLOW YOUR MIND!" I've seen some of the Bruce picks for this year's festival and can assure you it will most certainly blow your mind. The films begin today, October 3d and will run until October 10th.

Never been to a film festival? Oh, goodness. You are in for a rare treat. Not only will you get a chance to see many films that are hard if not impossible to access, but you get to party with the band! What could be better? Got a question? Wonder what they were thinking? There will be a good cluster of delegates - film makers, actors and their troops. You can pipe up in the Q&A or hang out with them and drink beers after the film at the Delerium on 16th and Albion. What were they thinking? Really? Why this film? How many buckets of blood in the face and who made the space craft? From what? They used what?! This is a good time. You should be there too.

Pita Pit, Ha Penny & The Egyptian Theater - Boise

2008-09-28T11:54:00.000-07:00

What makes it a great festival?

Beyond the films and the crazy dunken antics? Beyond the chance to chat with film makers? Beyond the sense of "we are all in this together" *and* surrounded by really, really like minded people? Beyond all the cool locals who volunteer for the festival? Well, the chance to bask in the glory of one of the most beautiful theaters I have ever seen. First off what am I comparing The Egyptian Theater to? The Paramount in Oakland, The Castro Theater in S.F. and the Tuschinski Theater in Amsterdam. So, what am I saying here? Boise has a world class theater that is incredible! It is palatial and has an ornate and beautifully painted Egyptian motif complete with two bold statures and pilars on stage that are covered in the soft, muted glow of 24 carat gold leaf. When the lights go down, the gold glows softly as the magic on the screen begins. Am I overstating this? No. Think I'm crazy? Boise? An amazing theater? Yep. Haven't seen it? Have you not been paying attention to this blog!? Am I writing this in a vacuum here? People, I told you this earlier! Get out of the house and take in some of The Idaho International Film Festival. Yes, you! Put down that remote! This is as good as it gets *and* it is going on right now!

The Pita Pit is located just around the corner from the Egyptian Theater and it is where I have been enjoying casual dining and lovely dinners for under $6. The food is great and the staff plays death metal at volumes that will make your ears bleed. I found this comforting. The food is good. You need to go here and grab a pita! Oh, also. Food from the Pita Pit is very messy and is the only 'to go' food items which are not allowed in the Egyptian Theater.

The Ha Penny? Pub. Pub grub and a damn fine place for a pint any time. I have been going here as often as possible during the festival. You should join us for drinks. We'll be there for drinks soon. See you at the pub. See you at the Egyptian. Oh, and undoubtedly I'll see you at the Pita Pit a few more times before I fly out of town and head back home to S.F.

Work In Sanity - Idaho International Film Festival - 2008

2008-09-27T17:18:00.001-07:00

OK. We've all seen some low budget Indie classics. My personal favorite of all time: "Passing Stone." You will never see it. You are missing out. This is the best acting I have ever seen and *if* you can find a way to see it you'll lose your mind. "He did this? With $18,000? No way! There is no way on earth!"

So, what can you do for less? Much, much, much less? 'Work In Sanity.' Total budget: $300! For the record you get the 'Hard Core Indie Award' from me. Yes, it is possible to do really, really cool stuff for nothing. I couldn't resist and in the Q&A had to ask: "The psoriasis was really disgusting. What did you use for that special effect?" Cecellia tells me: "Elmer's Glue and some blush." Several seconds later you have an oozing, peeling and disturbingly realistic rash that appears to be festering. It was disgusting. It made me cringe.

The film itself is a weird and at times painful account of the deranged daily lives of some telemarketers. This one goes from strange to 'out there' and beyond so quickly that you will lose your mind. Clearly this is by design. What in particular? A super-hero dude that shows up late night at a convience store to buy rolling papers. They don't sell papers, but "papers are included for free with Drum tobacco..." Our random telemarketer is there having just been thwarted by arcane laws that limit alcohol sales to particular hours. Turns out the super-hero has beer at home, doesn't want the tobacco which he happlily offers up for free. A friendship is born and there's maddness in the air!

I have no intention of blowing the plot here. Suffice to say this one is really, really out there and a piece of work. Some will hate it. But wait, there's chickens! They have Orwellian 'office behavior' monitoring cameras amidst the cubicles. Fantastic! This is classic Hard Core Indie. You love it or hate it, but anyone watching this one will see some of the magic unfold. And? Added plus? Have you ever had a really, really shitty office job? Really bad? Trust me on this. There's a lot of people out there who can relate to this film. The bad and the boring the really, really awful? There's a number of ways people try to keep their sanity at these jobs and if you can relate you will love this.

Haven't seen it? Oh, come on! Get out of the house! The Idaho International Film Festival is dishing up rare and seldom seen gems. There are priceless moments to be had. Effortlessly. Get on out to the festival and catch some films. You won't see anything like this one on T.V. Really! There's a few days left. Make it happen!

A Gothic Tale - Boise International Film Festival

2008-09-27T10:29:00.000-07:00

a 'festival moment"

Justin Ritter, director of A Gothic Tale and I had a chance to chat over beers before his screening. The characters in this film and the acting in general? Powerful. Raw emotion. I wanted to know about the narrator, former pro wrestler, Roddy Piper. He's grizzled and plays the part of a wastrel by the fire barrel waxing poetic about emotion about feeling.... "How did you know this was *the* guy?" Justin tells me that he's sure that if someone has "done something passionate with life" that this comes through in his films. He's not kidding. These performances are a rare opportunity to see the soul scream. Apparently schedules had been tight and he only met up with Piper once over burgers and beer in a hotel room before the twelve hour, single day of shooting . "I told him. If you do this... for twelve hours you're *with* me and I just want to ask one thing. You do it *all!* You give me everything you've got!" Piper looked him in the eye and said "I'll do it! (thumping his chest with a closed fist) From the heart!" This Q&A was also "from the heart," and what can only be described as a 'film festival moment.' This is the magic. Midway into our discussion on the stage at The Egyptian Theater in downtown Boise there was a tangent. The standard volley of Q&A and neat pre-fab questions blew to pieces. I think it started when Marshal Hilton, the actor on stage with us, began to thank Justin. There was mention of genius... Justin took the mic and addresses the crowd. Forgive me for a paraphrase here, but I was not up there taking notes as the theater began to shake... "You people!! You see this film!!!? This is not a piece of me. This is not a small part! This is all of me! This is 100% from the fucking heart!!!" The Q&A continues. There's the drunk dude in the back and he feels the love. Really, drunk yes, but getting it. "You're real, man, you are *fucking* real." There's a couple of timid comments from the back. "this is my first film in my first ever film festival..." This is a long moment of absolute perfection. It just flows. You don't plan this. You can't anticipate this. This is the best it gets. Raw power and emotion. We are not talking the standard issue Q&A here. No chance of a "What was your budget for the film?" We are not having a Netflix moment here. Justin's film came roaring to life up on stage for this Q&A with the howl of a banshee, A Gothic Tale, out beyond the confines of the screen. Trust me, I have never seen anything like this and there's no discounting this. "Oh, he'd been drinking." Perhaps. But this is as relevant as saying he wore a blue sweater (he didn't) Or that he is thirty three (he is) This was a full blown rant. And? As he told me earlier in the day if you do anything "with passion it comes out on film." I've seen the film. It does. A 'festival moment' where the audience got to rub shoulders with a roaring howl. It does not get better than this!

Come out to the festival! It goes beyond a chance to see a film. Hang out with the cast and crew. You'll have a chance to see what makes it real. It's a rare opportunity to mix it up with the people who made the film happen. Yes, you can buy them a drink after the screening! You can and you should. This is your chance to hang out and get the scoop. There's crazy stuff going on in Boise this week and you want to be a part of this. Haven't seen this film? Plan on it! Wondering what all the fuss is about? It's a film festival. You need to be here!

www.agothictale.com

Idaho International Film Festival - Let the games begin!

2008-09-22T18:24:00.000-07:00

Idaho International Film Festival – Getting Fired Up?! I am.

I plan to see a heap of great films this year at the Idaho International film Festival. Thanks to Bruce Fletcher, Festival Director of The Idaho International Film Festival, I’ve had a chance to see a few of them already. If you are not already really, really excited about this year’s festival then it’s time to quickly check for pulse. If you are not fired up it is quite likely that you are dead. Yep. This festival has a phenomenal mix of films. Time to make plans and if your plans do not include attending the festival then it might be time to reassess. This year you need to get out there and catch some films that will blow your mind! Not sure what to expect? No problem, allow me to reiterate: THIS FESTIVAL WILL BLOW YOUR MIND! Not sure what *not* to miss? Here’s two that are absolutely required:

The Ledgend of Gods Gun & Tokyo Gore Police!! Do not miss these films!!!!

Let’s start with The Legend of God’s Gun. Here’s what I wrote for Bruce Fletcher, (also founder and executive director of Dead Channels Film Festival in S.F. www.deadchannels.com) for his World Premiere Screening of this film for his White Hot Wednesdays Film series that played over the summer in S.F.

THE LEGEND OF GOD'S GUN is one of the most striking debuts in years -- a Western that takes you to hell and back through a kaleidoscope of images, black comedy and fast blasting, death dealing guns. It's a musical journey with peyote visions amidst the harsh backdrop of a cruel world and religious vengeance.

"El Sobero and his dirty, smelly, degenerate cohorts...'. Our narrator offers us hilarious snippets of crucial background on the damned residents of 'Playa Diablo' - the Devil's playground of whores, liars, cowards and thugs that's plagued by particularly ruthless banditos. A town in need of salvation: salvation that our dim-witted bounty hunter brings only in the form of side splitting comic relief.

El Sobero, the bad assed bandito, has no worries and assures us that "my bloodline has been raping and pillaging for thousands of years, with no ill effects..." He drinks the venom of the scorpion amidst swirling visuals - his warped form of religious ecstasy. Then the preacher comes to town--

-- and the preacher? "If that man's a preacher, then I'm saint-fucking-Francis!" He strolls through Hell to do the Lord's work in this wretched town of sinners. He's the man in black and he's not taking any crap.

Color enhanced images, and the snapping and popping of hissing film reels follow our cowboys on their path to ultimate justice. THE LEGEND OF GOD'S GUN will kick your ass and take no prisoners! You'll want to see it again. You'll want to buy the soundtrack. Miss it at your peril! - Mike Skurko

So, let me be very, very clear on this. I see a lot of films. Really. You can find me at Dead Channels Film Festival in S.F. every year and a number of other Bay Area Film Festivals. You might see me at Tribeca in New York if my schedule allows. I have a very active NetFlix account. I write about films for both S.F. Indie Fest and Dead Channels. I like movies and I am pretty certain and this point that I have reasonably good taste. Ask Bruce. We agree on a lot of films. We disagree on a good handful as well. This one? Total agreement. This is on of the best films of the year. By far, bar none. This one kicks ass. See it. Plan your night around it. I’ve seen it three times and I am flying to Idaho so I can get a chance to catch it again on the big screen. I hope to see you there.

What else? Tokyo Gore Police. Here’s what I wrote for the S.F. Indie Film Festival’s screening at the Another Hole in The Head Film Festival in 2008:

Tokyo Gore Police ‘protect and serve’ with a violent frenzy with all the requisite buckets of blood, mayhem and madness imaginable. There is an ongoing geyser of blood spraying battle in the streets of this horrible futuristic Tokyo. The ruthless, privatized police force is pitted against alien mutants known as ‘engineers.’ When they are wounded these ‘wounds’ quickly morph into killing machines. (a lobbed off arm becomes a death dealing chain saw etc.) They all have a key shaped tumor within their bodies that can be passed on and implanted to ‘re-engineer’ anyone. To kill one of these savages requires more than a head shot or a silver bullet. You need to sever the “key” from the body. Sound like fun? Sounds messy.

Our most accomplished ‘engineer hunter’ is a sweet, sexy thing. Distinguishing characteristics? She’s also a cutter. Ah, it’s all in the details. Now, what is this? Our cute alien killer about to do battle to with a masked quadruple amputee? Surprise! “Happy Birthday Ruka!” The horror has burst its’ bubble and it’s now a happy, fun in the Privatized Police Corporation scene...

We flash back and forth to some extremely demented and hilarious public service announcements as T.V. commercials throughout the film. My personal favorite being three cute school girls singing “Let’s go stylish with wrist cutting!” Just enough “Engrish” charm and realism to make this scene as cute as Hello Kitty while they morbidly introduce a new design that is “rounded for a cleaner cutting edge that school girls love!” Oh, this can’t be beat.

More great T.V. ads. “Remote Control Exterminate!!” is a demented Wii that lets the viewer slice and dice a tormented player. Complete with all the spraying blood we’ve come to expect from just about everything with the Tokyo Shock label.

Hard core latex fetish parties, girls with 69 branded on their asses, mutant space sluts with cocks for noses and perversely protruding eye balls, horrible mutations... Horizontal slices and a gaping stapled slash where the nipples ought to be. The grand finale is a performance art golden shower from the stage. The crowd of mask wearing, latex clad fetish fans screaming with pleasure as they are sprayed with fresh blasting streams. Can it get any weirder than this? Yes. What about a woman who’s private parts morph into a snapping, blood thirsty alligator? Well? Shocking enough? Tokyo Gore Police seems to get stranger every second. Nothing is sacred and yet in the immortal words of Hunter S. Thompson “It never got weird enough for me.” I’d say Hunter checked out too soon. He missed one where it most certainly gets weird enough! This film will take you into the extreme realm of cyber-shocking-blood gushing freaks. It’s beyond perverse. It’s more than brutal. It’s also funny. Tokyo Gore Police is absolute madness!

-Mike Skurko

So, if you haven’t already checked the schedule that’s your midnight movies this Friday and Saturday night! You won’t want to miss either of these films and I am greatly looking forward to seeing them both again myself. Absolute gems! See you kids at the movies.

Oh, and if this is *news* to you then you better get on it! Films will sell out. Hit the site and make it happen! You will kick yourself if you miss either of these films and that’s just the start. This year the selection of films is amazing. Want to pick five excellent films? Take a program guide and tack it to the wall. Toss five darts into the guide. You will have selected five unusually excellent films. Am I biased? Actually no. I am not biased! I am right! I am her to represent excellent taste in film and can assure you, this festival is going to rock! See you there. For schedule and details:

http://www.idahofilmfestival.com

kumakiri-san @ the s.f. indie fest

2005-10-16T05:43:00.000-07:00

Kumakiri Kazuyoshi Meets The Devil Dolls in San Francisco

By

Michael Skurko

Kichiku Dai Enkai (Banquet of The Beasts). I was told this first film by Kumakiri Kazuyoshi is “one of the most violent films ever.” Took some time hunting down a copy in San Francisco. I bought the DVD. So now after seeing his film Antenna at The 7th San Francisco Independent Film Festival I am fired up. Such a sweet guy. After seeing Antenna I’d have thought he was a monster. You’d think he was a butcher. Deeply demented? Insane? Nope. He’s a really cool guy. So? He’s staying at my house and I’ve been having a great time showing him the non-tourist attractions of San Francisco

Kumakiri-san is a young director who’s currently living in Tokyo and was able to join us for this year’s Indie Fest as the shooting for his most recent film wrapped the day before his flight. I live in Bernal Heights, which is a bit of a haul from the Roxie Theater in The Mission and was wondering if I should have rented a car for the duration of the festival to ferry him around. We started talking about Japan and then about motorcycles. Turns out he used to have a bike. Hmm… “Do you mind riding on the back of my bike?” “That would be great!!” So much for the normal views and tourist attractions. We got on the bike and bombed up the winding road to Twin Peaks. Never been to San Francisco before? Oh, this is going to be a blast! A clear day mid week atop the hills looking out to the postcard views. The Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, the towering buildings of the Financial District... We sat on the stone wall, consuming the view. Kumakiri-san had a smoke and looked out into the distance, taking it all in. Back on the bike and then slicing down the winding road and into The Haight. Hippies, punkers, wastrels and tourists packing the streets and milling about. Any chance we could find a place that sells DVDs? Sure. Amoeba Records. They have an extensive Japanese film section and in about five minutes he came up with a copy of Kichiku Dai Enkai. Funny, I tried to find it with the help of a staff member who swore it was not there. My guess is he was looking for it under the English title of “Banquet of the Beasts.” Ah, well. Back on the street and window shopping as we head back to the bike. Helmets on, and back on the bike. The bike growls along in low gears as we rolls past Buena Vista Park and down the hill towards The Lower Haight. Park the bike and order sausages at Rosamunde and then into The Toronado for pints of ‘Racer 5.’ They have unbelievable food in Japan, but there is nothing there to compete in the sausage and fresh beer arena.

The daily ritual is that we get up late and have a coffee in the house. By the time we’re up and active my cats have already gone back to sleep. Late night festival parties have taken a toll. A continually changing cast of Film Festival characters has rolled through my house. For a grass roots independent film festival my house has taken on a United Nations flavor. Thus far a Russian, a Canadian and now a Japanese film director have stayed with me. Never a dull moment. We see some films at the Roxie or The Woman’s Building. At this point we are now taking the motorcycle everywhere. Easy parking and a chance to hit China Town, North Beach, The Haight, The Mission and beyond all in a single day with no worries about parking. Perfect. We sample all the local fare. Dinner at Limon, Taqueria Cancun, Yum Yum Chinese, Rosamunde Sausages, Yo Yo Sushi… San Francisco is an awesome place to eat. It is a food destination. It is also a film destination. A fine combo.

The Parties? Too many to mention? Perhaps. There are film festival parties each night of the festival. A chance for the film fans to meet with the directors and some of the actors. A chance for these guests of San Francisco to kick back and have a blast. The Roxie is located in the midst of The Mission District. Delirium is a bar just around the corner and has become the standard bar for post film pints. The ticket stub from the Indie Fest gets you a free Sierra Nevada. Admission to a film, a free beer and a chance to chat with a film maker? Life does not get better.

So, last night Kumakiri-san and I decide to head off to a party a ways from the comfort of the Mission. I’d been told about a ‘Devil Dolls’ biker party at The Parkside on 1600 17th st. Perfect. This should give him an excellent chance to see some of the ‘real’ America that is so far off the beaten tourist tract that I think I will make biker history by bringing a legitimate tourist to a biker bash. We pull up to the bar and there’s some mayhem in the streets. Hundreds of Harleys and there’s some kind of skirmish going on just down the road. A hulking Hells Angel standing next to Kumakiri-san and I smiles. “Finally some action.” There’s at least five different motorcycle clubs in attendance for this Devil Dolls event. Perfect. He’s going to love this. We walk into the bar and a wall of wailing music splits into our skulls. Hard hitting, head banging tunes. Unreal. The Rumblers SF are up front, head banging and loving it. The scene is charged and though we clearly stick out no one gives us any bad vibes. Up to the bar and run into Jennifer from The Toronado. She’s always been a fan of biker parties. Kumakiri-san and I are surrounded by the real deal. Motorcycle Clubs. Outlaws, and hard core motorcyclists. There are skulls and boots. Black leather and tattoos. Neck tattoos on some of the guys… A few girls with beautiful tattoos running down from their skirts to their ankles. A sight to behold. We stay for the full set and then stagger outside with ears still ringing. I see a couple of Devil Dolls. I introduce them to Kumakiri-san and explain that he’s here from Japan for The San Francisco Independent Film Festival and he’s come out tonight for a look at the ‘real’ America. I tell them about his films and suggest they join us at the 4:40pm screening the next day at the Roxie. They gave us stickers that say “worship your local devil dolls.” Smiles all around.

A great scene. We say good night and move over to the bikes. I hear one The Devil Dolls say “he is so cute.” Surrounded by bearded giants on American steel we are the little people and Kumakiri is in fact, a cute little man from Japan. I hope these Devil Dolls join us for the screening of Antenna on Sunday. Yes, he’s a sweet heart and he’s a little cutie, but his films are the deepest and darkest you could ever hope to see. All the skin heads in mosh pits and tattooed necks with that quiet and understood violence of the night? Kumakiri wears his darkness within. See his films you’ll understand the horror that lies beneath the surface.

on the set with toyoda toshiaki

2005-10-16T05:27:00.000-07:00

On the set with Toyoda. Yokohama, Japan

By

Mike Skurko

I’m a film fan and board member of the SF Independent Film Festival. I grew up in Tokyo and wound up helping translate and act as tour guide/driver for Toyoda-san (“9 Souls”) and Kitamura-san (“Aragami”) when they were guests of the Indie Fest for their films in the ’04 festival.

Toyoda had “Blue Spring” in the ’02 festival and it was a stomping Indie pick. I kept talking about it long after the festival ended. It nailed all that is wrong in the Japanese high school culture. It was beautiful. It was fucked up. An Indie classic. So, I was psyched to see what he’d come up with next. Toyoda-san is a low-key punk rock genius. Like Jello? Uhh… If he were Japanese... He was a former ‘shogi’ chess master in Japan and ultimately with a $200 loan from his parents packed a bag and moved from Osaka to Tokyo with his two guitars. He wrote scripts. He got started with his first film “Unchain,” a boxing documentary. Next up was “Pornostar,” a surreal vision of the yakuza-hating misanthrope. Set in Shibuya-ku it paints a bleak and beautiful picture with hard-hitting rock and nerve jarring slow-motion shots. So? So, “9 Souls.” I had only seen “Blue Spring,” and after giving him a dirt bag/punk rock tour of the Tenderloin (crack/hooker/low brow dead end alcoholic ‘hood), my favorite dyke bar (the wild side west), the Naked Eye Video store and etc., etc…. So, it was hard to sit down with a guy that is clearly cool and think I could be objective. I sat down to that screening of “9 Souls,” thinking, “Hmmm, young guy, made an amazing film…. God, I hope this one doesn’t suck.” It didn’t. It was, without question, the best film of Indie Fest ’04. You were there? You agree? Good. You don’t? You are confused. Very, confused. I won’t begin to describe it. See this movie.

So, we stayed in touch via e-mail. He was going to start filming two new ones soon. In the spring was something he described to me as a “film about a normal-good Japanese family.” Now, having seen all of his films I can assure you that the idea of “normal-good” from the Toyoda perspective is going to be terribly twisted. Perfect. When does he start shooting? I got some dates and then booked a flight. I wanted to see Toyoda on the set.

Jet lag in Tokyo. I’m up at 3am with my girlfriend. Wide awake. Hungry. We are up and off to the Tsukiji Fish Market. It is the largest fish market in the world and is where the giant tuna are auctioned off each day and then shot around the globe in Styrofoam and dry ice, veritable high end culinary missiles. We line up for sashimi at Daiwa Sushi. They open at 5am. There’s seating for eight and a forty-five minute wait. Words fail me. I weep. It is incredible….

I call Toyoda. Phone tag. Miyazaki-san returns my call. He speaks English. I speak Japanese. This is a fun game. We continue. We agree that I will meet them the next day on the location in Yokohama. I spent some time in high school in Yokohama. It’s a port city. It’s nothing special. Not on the beaten tourist track. I’m fired up. We take the subway from our hotel in Roppongi. We change trains. We change trains again. Finally we arrive. I see a group of people milling about and am approached by Miyazaki. He’s polite. He’s on time. He’s got a clipboard. We are told to wait. We wait and others arrive. Technicians, friends, actors etc. Finally we walk twenty feet outside of the station and see the set.

There’s people everywhere. They are filming in front of a department store. Two main actors and a sea of extras. Toyoda dressed in black with tennis shoes and a hat. His hair has grown to shagginess since the Indie Fest in the winter. It’s a beautiful spring day. After shouting “Kaaato!” (cut) He come over and shakes our hands. He’s psyched we could make it. He pops another Hope cigarette in his mouth and fires it up. I ask how it’s going and he looks off to the set. Takes another long draw on the smoke. “Good. It’s been a long couple of days. Not much sleep.” We have a laugh over the concept of the jet lag associated with filming. He looks tired, but is psyched and smiles. Back on the set. The actor and actress do the shot again and again. He’s smiling. Giving advice. They are going again. Each time they return to the set the sea of extras starts again. It is like watching waves break. There is consistency. There is repetition. Eventually? Perfection. It’s a wrap and the mass of assistants, tech, extras and all move on up. We go upstairs for the next shot. This scene has only actors. I have a can of UCC Coffee and continue snapping shots of the filming and off the extras. I talk with a few of them. They are very sweet and ask me if taking pictures is “my hobby. “ A very cute and very Japanese question. I explain I am here because I met Toyoda and saw his film “9 Souls” at the recent SF Indie Fest. Apparently the right answer. They start gushing about his earlier films. They were young and could have been in high school or recent graduates. “Did you see ‘Blue Spring?” One of them asks me. It was the reason she wanted to work with Toyoda. He’s got big time cult status in Japan. Everyone here shares this sense of awe.

Toyoda breaks from the set and comes over. He apologies for being busy. He pops another Hope cigarette in his mouth. He grabs a can of coffee and sips. We talk about the shooting. Going well. Behind schedule. He needs to get some sleep. He’s got assistants with walkie talkies running up with stats asking quick questions. They run off to the set. An assistant with a T-shirt that reads “I’m Fish” runs past with a Tupperware box of cigarettes. Three bands neatly arranged. I notice there are some Hope cigarettes in there. That would be the director’s brand. This makes me smile. Toyoda wants to know when we are leaving. Soon. Too soon. I promise to return for the filming of his next movie, “I’m Flash!” A film about the horribly demented sub-culture of the ‘bosozoku,’ the Japanese biker gangs. Miyazaki joins our talks and begins to take down information about where we are staying.

Before long we are off. The crew is still shooting. Toyoda breaks again and has an assistant run off to get us both T-shirts from the film. Soon we are back in the sea of commuters for rush hour train travel back to Tokyo.

We leave the next morning. A package is waiting for me at the front desk from Toyoda’s production company. Inside are videotapes of each of his films. I had been complaining about lack of distribution in the U.S. I told him my friends would have been so psyched to see his films. They were delivered that morning by a motorcycle courier service. Now, I’d be rolling back to SF with the goods! A chance to see Toyoda in action. Treats to share with the friends back home in SF. Good trip. Good pick. The film we saw translates to “The Hanging Garden.” It is finished and will make the rounds starting in ’05. I’ve since been back to Tokyo recently and it sounds like the first stop will be Berlin. Look for it. After all I’ve seen thus far? It will be another work of mastery. Stamp of approval? Miyazaki and I had ice teas in Shinjuku while waiting for Toyoda a few weeks back. He’s seen the finished product. So? As good as ‘9 Souls?’ “Much, much better.” This from a man and a culture that does not mince words and is generally known for the understated. Needless to say I’m fired up to see this and everything coming from the Indie Master of Tokyo, Toshiaki Toyoda.

Oh, another quick thought. There is no way in hell I would have found this director without the SF Independent Film Festival. Since ’99 I have continually found kick ass film gems. A few of these go huge and many are rare treats you will never see again. Without question the best of the best. The most extreme. The most fucked up. Whacked, beautiful, perfection. In a culture that is forever selling out this is one slice of art that remains punk rock to the core. The SF Independent Film Festival. Plan now. Quit your job. Call in sick. Get a pass. See them all. It is the only place. Cutting edge? A straight razor to the ribs. Sure. I’m ranting, but if you’d seen “Blue Spring” and “9 Souls” at the SF Indie Fest you’d understand. This is the future. Be there.

9 souls by toyoda toshiaki

2005-10-01T23:20:00.000-07:00

the best japanese film. ever. beat that... details to follow when i´ve had some sleep. currently sitting at an internet cafe in munich station having suffered the horrors of jet lag for two days in a row. o.k., this movie is beautifully filmed and addresses so many thoughtful layers of commentary on life and life in the real japan that it pains me. have´t seen this movie? ok. go and get a dvd. the soundtrack alone is reason to want a copy. you might also want to check out toyoda´s earlier films ´porno star´and ´blue spring.´ talent. unbelievable talent. see these films and get back to me.