Symbol

Title: Symbol

Director: Hitoshi Matsumoto

Released: 2009

Starring: Hitoshi Matsumoto, David Quintero, Luis Accinelli, Lilian Tapia, Adriana Fricke, Carlos C. Torres, Ivana Wong, Arkangel De La Muerte, Matcho Panpu, Dick Togo, Salam Diagne

Plot: A Japanese man wakes up in a plain white room covered with phallus like switches which cause random events to happen within the room, while I attempts to find a way out. At the same a Mexican luchadore called Escargot Man prepares for his match despite being concerned that the fact his opponent is much younger than him. At the same time the worlds of these two men are surprisingly connected.

Review: Director Hitoshi Matsumoto might be a director whose work I never intend to seek out and yet our paths for some reason keep crossing, first with the Kaiju parody “Big Man Japan” and later the delightfully perverted “R100”. This time though its a lighter tone that Matsumoto brings to this film of two randomly interconnected tales even though from the start they couldn’t seem to be further part.

Of course surreal worlds have always been one of the trademarks of the comedian turned director and here that’s certainly the case for at least one half of this film as Matsumoto plays the unnamed man who wakes up in the plain room devoid of any colour bar his garish poka-dot pajamas. He has no idea how he got there or why he’s there and certainly by the end of the film we are arguably none the wiser, but it certainly doesn’t stop it being fun to see him being put through the slapstick ringer like your watching “Saw” with jokes.

The main humour of the film comes from him trying to figure out his new surrounding which seem to have designed to purposely test him at all times. The main one of these challenges being the phallus like switches which at one point turn into cherubs which emerge from the wall before disappearing again. Each switch causes something to happen or appear in the room, be it a plate of sushi, a pair of chopsticks or even cause a Zulu warrior to run through the room and this is the challenge which he is faced with let alone the fact that they all look identical.

Just seeing Matsumoto try and find a solution of each problem as he encounters is facinating to watch and his background in comedy only helps further sell even the simplest of jokes such as counsuming a small pile of sushi after resigning himself to the fact that there is no soy sauce only for the next switch he presses to produce the much desired soy sauce. Often these problem solving sections are presented with comic book storyboards while he stares at the viewer just clicking his fingers and the trail and error of the situation is designed so that you want to see him succeed yet at the same time the pay off for each failed plan is so amusing your equally wanting to see him crash and burn aswell.

The second story involving our ageing masked Mexican wrester is a much gentler far and works well running parallel to Matsumoto’s tale. Escargot Man loves his craft as a wrester yet at the same time he’s worried that his age is meaning that he is almost out of the game, especially when faced with competing against a pair of wrestlers half his age. Seeing him permanently wearing his mask regardless of if he is wrestling or not felt like a fun throw back to the likes of “Santo” while at the same time keeping in with the traditions of Lucha Libre. Over the course of his story we see the impact it has on family, including his son who is see defending his father’s in ring ability when two of his classmates make fun of Escargot Man.

Compared to my previous encounters with Matsumoto’s work this one surprisingly didn’t have a darker edge to it, or even go anywhere remotely downbeat in its tone. True instead the finale is a random mish-mash of ideas which includes a Kiss tribute act, ascension and a rather unique ending to Escargot Man’s match. True by the end of the film I might not have been any the wiser as to what I was watching than I was at the start but the ride is so unquestionably fun you really don’t care, while for those willing to take a few risks with their movie watching then this is certainly worth checking out, especially as a more gentle introduction to Matsumoto’s work.

R100

Title: R100

Director: Hioshi Matsumoto

Released: 2013

Starring: Nao Omori, Mao Daichi, Lindsay Hayward, Katagiri Hairi, Gin Maeda, Hitoshi Matsumoto, Suzuki Matsuo, Michie, Haruki Nishimoto, You

Plot: Takafumi Katayama (Omori) is a mild mannered bed salesman whose been rising his young son while his wife lies in a coma. Seeking a break from the norm joins a rather unusual bondage club.

 

 

Review: Considering this film is from the same director of “Big Man Japan” I guess I should have guessed sooner that this would be anything but a straightforward film as director Matsumoto here takes on Japanese censorship with the title based on the Japanese rating system meaning that no one under 100 should be able to watch this film supposedly. Matsumoto here manages to take things even further than my previous encounter with his work with his tale of a bondage club with a twist were members are tied into a year long contract and were at any given moment one of the clubs dominatrix’s will turn up and beat the hell out you. Oh did I mention that members can’t cancel early either.

A curious movie to say the least its one which wastes little time in cranking up the crazy, as we open to Katayama on a date with an attractive young woman who suddenly roundhouse kicks the tea out of his mouth, before following up this sudden surprise attack with a follow up attack which see her kicking him down a flight of stairs before ripping off her coat to reveal her leather dominatrix’s outfit. Katayama’s arousal by the situation highlighted by the first of the many (so many) aura ripples which accompany each of these increasingly bizarre encounters. Unquestionably this is a bondage club unlike any other from its carousel introduction through to its lovely ladies who appear one by one as the carousel turns around in a scene which is a visual pleasing as it is titillating.

The rules of the club however ensure that Katayama will not be enjoying these ladies in any traditional sense as he is forced to become completely submissive to these ladies who all come with their own specialities from the traditional bondage and S&M skills such as whips, riding crops or for some just the ability to beat the hell out of their client. However as the film continues these skills only become increasingly more random from “The Queen of Saliva” who can unleash gallons on spit through to the “The Queen of Voices” who can imitate any voice she chooses. A great (if slightly icky) scene seeing these two queens working together on a blindfolded and tied up Katayama as lead to believe that is being subjected to a barrage of sit from his work colleagues, friends and family.

True such scenes might seem like the film should be placed in the same category as the likes of “Tokyo Gore Police” and “The Meatball Machine” but these scenes are frequently played with such a comical edge rather than the exploitation style of the aforementioned films, while like Matsumoto’s previous film “Big Man Japan” this film instead exists within its own warped genre as it falls so frequently between a slapstick comedy and an experimental arthouse movie.  However unlike similar films such as “Rubber” or “Survival Style 5+” atleast Matsumoto appears to be acknowledging how little sense things frequently make as the film takes regular intervals from the main story to cut to a group of movie executives walking out of a screening of the movie and commenting on what they have just seen, similar to the onlookers in “Rubber” especially as things get increasingly more surreal (just wait till you meet the “Queen of Gobbling”) which is kind of reassuring to know that you’re not the only one confused as to what it is that you’re supposed to be watching.

As with “Big Man Japan” it is of course when you’re just about getting into the rhythm of the film that mixes things up further still with a sudden tone shift which see’s Katayama taking on the Amazon blonde CO of the club and her army of leather clad dominatrix’s. While the CO announces her arrival by screaming and diving into the clubs swimming pool over and over again. Honestly I’ve no idea what the point of this scene was but its certainly amusing as hell to watch.

One of the main issues with this film is down to repetition as let’s face it you can only watch a guy get the hell beaten out of him so many times before it gets a little tiresome even if it’s by a bunch of attractive leather clad ladies. While at the same time the generally quite nature of Katayama makes him hardly the most thrilling of leading men especially when he spends the film in a state of emotional neutrality. Elsewhere the other gripe I have is with the film stock which makes the film seem cheap and proved an unwanted distraction especially during the slower moments but so is the issue of films being shot on digital.

Once again this film proves that to see something special that you can rely on Japan to provide it and while this film is in no way perfect its sheer randomness makes carries it through, though it’s doubtful that you will pay it a second visit

Big Man Japan

Title: Big Man Japan
Director: Hitoshi Matsumoto
Released: 2007
Staring: Hitoshi Matsumoto, Riki Takeuchi, Ua, Tomoji Hasegawa

Rating: 3.5 / 5

Plot: Sato (Matsumoto) is a 40 something divorcee, who lives alone with only his cat for company, while occasionally being called upon to save Japan from Giant Monsters, by turning himself into Big Man Japan, achieved by exposing himself to large amounts of electricity which causes him to grow to a gigantic size.

Review: It’s kind of refreshing these days, to go into a film blind as to what to expect, which isn’t no easy thing, especially when you consider how films with even the slightest bit of popularity seem to appear everywhere, no matter how much you attempt to escape the bombardment of publicity being hurled at you. So it was kind of refreshing, sitting down to watch this film with only the slightest idea of what to expect, though it is probably safe to say that with this film, I could have done with some insight as to what I should expect, especially when it refuses to be placed in a single genre, despite from the outset looking like a standard Kaiju type movie, with a big guy battling random monsters and true I got this, but at the same time it is also so much more, as it criss crosses genres randomly throughout making it at times seeing like a patchwork of ideas, only loosely held together by the thread of the main plotline.
The mockumentry style in which Matsumoto has chosen to use to tell the story is quite effective, as it continually allows for him to dissect the character of Sato, who for the first fifteen minutes of the film could be just a regular guy, as he does his daily shopping, while telling the camera crew about his love of umbrellas and his cat, while not actually saying anything about his Big Man Japan alter ego, almost as if he doesn’t know whether to trust the camera crew or not, even though they clearly know already about him and in a way reminded me of “Man Bites Dog” (1992).
The character of Sato is a deeply flawed character, seeing how he is not only divorced but also seems to have trouble connecting with anyone, including his young daughter, who feels ashamed of her father with his ex wife insisting that the film crew blur her face, when on camera, so that she doesn’t get teased at school. At the same time Sato also feels a sense of responsibility to save Japan from the monsters, a responsibility it would seem passed down his family line, adding only additional weight to his responsibilities is the legendry status left by his now senile old Grandfather, who was also Big Man Japan four and who through old movie footage is seen being treated with an almost godlike status, while also inspiring a whole range of merchandise based on his image, where as Sato as Big Man Japan six is widely hated by the Japanese public, who blame him for the frequent destruction he causes to the city while fighting the monsters and is forced to have frequent battles with his agent, who is constantly it seems trying to use him like a giant billboard to display the slogans of various companies.
As Big Man Japan, his appearance is certainly an unique one as he attends to the business of saving Japan, wearing nothing but a giant speedo, while brandishing a large stick and sporting an Eraserhead style hairdo, while The monsters which appear throughout are certainly none less wacky than anything else, that Japan has produced over the years, including one particular monster which is forced to constantly flick its comb over hairstyle back into place. At the same time these monsters are also a cause of much trouble for Sato’s public image, wether it’s being accused of being a “Monster Pimp” after failing to stop two monsters from copulating in public, or for accidently killing a baby monster which sparks a mass candlelit memorial service for the creature.
I guess one of my main gripes with the film while watching would be the use of CGI throughout for the monster attack sequences, with Sato himself becoming another CGI creation whenever he is turned into his alter ego and as flawless as they look, working seamlessly with the live action background, I guess it is a traditionalist in me that would prefer to see a bunch of guys in monster suits, fighting in a miniature scale Japan. It’s ironic really then that it is at this point that Matsumoto really pulls the rug from under your feet, by suddenly switching the film, to this style of film making with the whole finale being shot in a traditional Kaiju style which might also be the most insane thing I have seen, as he also throws in an Ultra man style family of giant robots, to help him battle his nemesis while frequently shouting the word “Justice”. Though it has to be said that this sequence lacks any form of grace, with the whole fight sequence being as subtle as a housebrick to the face, but then at the same time I have a feeling that perhaps this was Matsumoto’s intention for this sequence, though it does have a feeling that perhaps by this point Matsumoto had lost patience with the film and just wanted to end it.
The humour through the film is best described as dry which will certainly not be to every viewers tastes and did leave me on occasion, wondering whether everything I was watching was supposed to be funny or not and you can’t help but feel something for Sato, which is only emphasised by the mockumenty style of filming, as Sato is clearly trying to do the best he can, while with a public which hates him at the same time facing the truth that he is the last of his kind, with the others of his kind having disappeared for reasons which are never revelled and his father Big Man Japan Five, having killed himself several years earlier, by trying to grow even bigger, so that he could stand out from the others. Still Matsumoto prefers it would seem to keep the obvious laughs for his Kaiju sequences and leave the viewer to decide for themselves, when it comes to the scenes outside of these.

“Big Man Japan” is certainly a unique viewing experience and had it not come from Japan, with it’s history of equally random creations, I can’t help but feel that perhaps it might not have worked, for even taking this into consideration there are still a fair amount of misfire moments, causing it to drag slightly in places, but is probably worth watching atleast once if you’re a fan of the Kaiju genre while for those of us who aren’t fans of dry humour or giant monsters, you might struggle to sit all the way through this one.