EXTREME JAPANESE
The Dreamland presents a selection of boundary-pushing films from Japan!
TETSUO: THE IRON MAN 1989
Virtually absent from theater screens since the 1990s, this underground classic from Japan is now available in a brand new restoration! TETSUO: THE IRON MAN is filmmaker Shinya Tsukamoto’s unhinged hot take on humankind’s ongoing battle with technology; literally, as a man mutates into a walking, clanking man-machine that terrorizes himself and everyone around him. Warping elements of early Cronenberg, Lynch, and Raimi into a deliriously-paced cyberpunk cocktail, TETSUO is a body horror manifesto that’s fueled by techno-erotic adrenaline and wrought iron perversion. Unmissable.
Sunday, May 7
Director: Shinya Tsukamoto
Starring: Tomorowo Taguchi, Shinya Tsukamoto, Kei Fujiwara
Runtime: 67 min., Japan.
DOUBLE FEATURE w/ TETSUO II: BODY HAMMER ($15 for both films!)
TETSUO II: BODY HAMMER 1992
This movie proves that "cyberpunk body horror" is the greatest genre on the planet. Picking up three years after the events in TETSUO: THE IRON MAN, TETSUO II finds Taniguchi Tomoo fully mutating into a grotesque machine-monster to seek revenge on the gang that kidnapped his son. Like TERMINATOR 2, TETSUO II is an expansive explosion of the themes, electricity, and artistry that came before, as filmmaker Shinya Tsukamoto’s unhinged hot take on humankind’s battle with technology continues. Completely absent from theater screens for decades, this underground whirlwind from Japan has been newly restored.
Sunday, May 7
Director: Shinya Tsukamoto
Starring: Tomorowo Taguchi, Shinya Tsukamoto
Runtime: 82 min., Japan.
DOUBLE FEATURE w/ TETSUO: THE IRON MAN ($15 for both films!)
964 PINOCCHIO 1991
Pinocchio 964 is a memory-wiped sex slave who is thrown out by his owners for failure to maintain an erection. It is unclear in what ways he has been modified beyond having no memory and being unable to communicate. He is discovered by Himiko while wandering aimlessly through the city. Himiko has also been memory-wiped, possibly by the same company that produced Pinocchio, but she is fully functional. Himiko spends her days drawing maps of the city, to aid other memory-wiped people. Himiko takes Pinocchio home and tries to teach him to speak. After much effort he has a breakthrough and finally becomes aware of his situation. At this point his body erupts in an inexplicable metamorphosis and it becomes clear that his modifications were much more involved and esoteric than simple memory loss. Himiko also begins to transform, though in a much more subtle manner.
Director: Shozin Fukui
Starring: Haji Suzuki, Onn-chan, Koji Otsubo, Kyoko Hara
Runtime: 97 min., Japan
Sunday, May 14
AUDITION 1999
One of the most infamous, impactful, and gut-wrenching Japanese horror films ever made returns to the big screen! Recent widower (and movie producer) Shigeharu is looking for a new wife. But instead of going the usual route, he decides to hold “auditions” for a movie that doesn’t exist. Shigeharu quickly becomes enchanted with Asami, a spooky twenty-something who is responsive to his charms. But things aren’t what they seem. AUDITION was the turn-of-the-millenium flash point that signaled the talent of Takashi Miike (ICHI THE KILLER). With this movie, Miike delivers a nerve-shredding exploration of male fears and the stereotype of submissive Japanese women. Shocking audiences worldwide with its white-knuckle finale and ingenious slow-burn build-up, AUDITION was responsible for creating a fresh new wave of Asian horror. And we’re eternally grateful.
Friday, May 19
Director: Takashi Miike
Starring: Ryo Ishibashi, Eihi Shiina, Jun Kunimura, Tetsu Sawaki
Runtime: 115 min., Japan
Sunday, May 21
BATTLE ROYALE 2000
42 9th graders are sent to a deserted island. They are given a map, food, and various weapons. An explosive collar is fitted around their neck. If they break a rule, the collar explodes. Their mission: kill each other and be the last one standing. The last survivor is allowed to leave the island. If there is more than one survivor, the collars explode and kill them all.
Thursday, May 25
Sunday, May 28
Director: Kinji Fukasaku
Starring: Tatsuya Fujiwara, Aki Maeda, Takeshi Kitano, Tarō Yamamoto
Runtime: 114 min., Japan