Just saw Tokyo Gore Police at the Brisbane International Film Festival. The film was introduced by its star Eihi Shiina!!! I almost had a heart attack when they guy welcomed her on stage because I wasn’t at all expecting her to be there. She was amazing and was wearing this gorgeous kimono!
Anyway, the film. Everyone loved it. It was funny in all the right places and deliriously violent in all the remaining places. Yoshihiro Nishimura has a brilliant imagination and he’s going to become quite a great director in my opinion.
I think this picture kind of says it all.
Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFKP9lB_F7s
I’m a bit dubious about the film, but Eihi I’d sure like to meet 
More pics:
<LINK_TEXT text=“http://www.gomorrahy.com/yoshihiro-nish … police.htm”>http://www.gomorrahy.com/yoshihiro-nishimura/tokyo-gore-police.htm</LINK_TEXT>
Well, it is what you can expect from Japanese V-Cinema. But I’ve always thought that no one really understands the true potential of digital like the Japanese do. It was high energy and I thought quite experimental. Maybe because of its fantasy setting, it was more insane than can usually be expected from V-Cinema.
I do love digital, but TGP isn’t the kind of film I’d expect to benefit greatly from it.
I always thought there’s basically like a few layers of glass between the actors performing and the audience sitting in the theatre/living room. Shooting it digital takes away one layer and takes the audience closer. It makes it more real, less cinema/fantasy. The effect is fantastic in realistic dramas (and you’re right, filmmakers outside Japan don’t seem to understand the full potential).
TGP however is pure fantasy. Making it look more real doesn’t necessarily sound like the right move to me. It looks like a film that might benefit from the the cleaner, more unreal and cinematic look of the traditional film.
Of course, I haven’t seen the film, so I don’t have a clue what I’m talking about ;D
[quote=“Hung Fist”]
I always thought there’s basically like a few layers of glass between the actors performing and the audience sitting in the theatre/living room. Shooting it digital takes away one layer and takes the audience closer. It makes it more real, less cinema/fantasy.
[/quote]
You took the words straight from my mouth. I’ve always thought digital was more real than celluloid and it’s something that not many people agree with. There’s a gauze between the actors and the audience when shooting celluloid.
Yeah, you are right about shooting digital for such a fantastic film. I guess at some points it’s weird, but I must point out that the director doesn’t really seem interested in shooting something traditional at all. It’s a strangely experimental piece. Not overly so, it is still very much a straightforward narrative, but there are some parts where the director makes great artistic use of the digital camera (at least I thought so). But the way I interpreted his use of digital is him stripping away layers of glamour, making everything a bit dirtier, grounding it. I think it works well in that respect.
Coming to a Finnish midnight film festival. One night, seven films, no sleep and strange as fuck audience. This is just the way this film deserves to be seen, I believe.
Starting to get exited now. Now, only if they could ask Eihi to visit the festival. But then I probably wouldn’t stay to see the remaining films 
;D
It was trash alright. The cinematography is really poor, with absolutely no sense of style or understanding for the possibilities of shooting in digital. Also distracting was the director’s “frenzy editing and manical characters equal to cool” -philosophy.
It was, however, a refreshing experience to see pure garbage for a while, especially when it packs this much energy. Some of the effects are very good, and the ending is quite brilliant really. The Verhoeven esque commercials are also terrific, especially the “suicide is Kawaii” spot.
A disturbing film TGP is not, though. The film-makers are in such a hurry to get into splatter that it leaves no room whatsoever for any kind of emotional impact. The violence doesn’t hurt the audience, not the least bit. In fact, there isn’t really that much in-depth gore, its mostly just surface.
So, overall fun enough but a far cry from the stylish Gore Blade Runner I was hoping for.
[quote=“Hung Fist”]
It was trash alright. The cinematography is really poor, with absolutely no sense of style or understanding for the possibilities of shooting in digital. Also distracting was the director’s “frenzy editing and manical characters equal to cool” -philosophy.
It was, however, a refreshing experience to see pure garbage for a while, especially when it packs this much energy. Some of the effects are very good, and the ending is quite brilliant really. The Verhoeven esque commercials are also terrific, especially the “suicide is Kawaii” spot.
A disturbing film TGP is not, though. The film-makers are in such a hurry to get into splatter that it leaves no room whatsoever for any kind of emotional impact. The violence doesn’t hurt the audience, not the least bit. In fact, there isn’t really that much in-depth gore, its mostly just surface.
So, overall fun enough but a far cry from the stylish Gore Blade Runner I was hoping for.
[/quote]
We don’t seem to ever agree on much, do we? 
Well, I happen to like v-cinema. So that probably influences the majority of my opinions about the film. I think the director has a unique child-like imagination that adds something extra to a lot of the action.
[quote=“Angel”]
We don’t seem to ever agree on much, do we? 
[/quote]
I liked Porco Rosso ;D
EDIT: TGP dvd coming from Tokyo Shock in January. And there’s an interview with Yoshihiro Nishimura at twitch
[quote=“Hung Fist”]
I liked Porco Rosso ;D
EDIT: TGP dvd coming from Tokyo Shock in January. And there’s an interview with Yoshihiro Nishimura at twitch
[/quote]
I thought you would. Porco Rosso is Miyazaki’s best in my opinion. Although My Neighbour Totoro is very close.
[quote=“Angel”]
I thought you would. Porco Rosso is Miyazaki’s best in my opinion. Although My Neighbour Totoro is very close.
[/quote]
No way! Totoro is much better ;D
[quote=“Hung Fist”]
No way! Totoro is much better ;D
[/quote]
Haha, now you’re just trying to start something! 
In a nostalgic childhood memories way, Totoro is more fun. But I always loved Porco Rosso the most.