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New Cinema Wallpaper of the Day
Sunday, June 7, 2009

Note that BBC Warner will be releasing seasons 1-3 of The Mighty Boosh on DVD in the US on July 21st (each retails around $20-$30).

I had no plans at all to write or say anything publicly about Bunny and the Bull but seeing as how the cat is already out of the bag online about this one… well here goes! I’ve already noted that REC 2 was my favorite promo reel that I saw at Cannes this year. The second best promo reel that I saw while there was for Bunny and the Bull. I knew it was from the Mighty Boosh (wiki) team going into it and then it certainly seemed like an indie comedy that could work, but just how much would it work within the confines of the leap from TV? The answer was damn near perfectly. The technical specs and look of everything was sensational. There was no TV look to be found anywhere with everything I saw looking beyond polished Gondry surreal and decadent. Even better while it was these grand beautiful realized worlds of reality and fantasy onscreen (lensed cinematographer John Sorapure who is next working on the Tony Hawk film Round Ireland with a Fridge) it was also equally as humorous and engaging. Images above look much grainier then how the film itself look and are in no way representative of how it will appear on screen.

This one should have much broader appeal that extends well beyond the fan base of the television show. There seemed to be some skepticism for how this road movie set within a single location (a flat) could actually work and I can safely say once you start seeing trailers for this one any fears you have will be out the window. Don’t let the single location thing fool you as there will plenty of places, worlds and different forms of reality explored. It’s press releases state not oly does it have some Gondry inspiration but it also will be a… “Withnail & I for the mentally ill” along with a dash of the film “Sideways.” It’s not far fetched to think this very well might be in most best of 2009 film lists when all is said and done. I myself cannot wait to see the full entire film as the near 10 plus minute promo reel made me wishing I could have seen the entire film then and there.

Paul King who directed all the episodes of the TV series is at the helm both writing and directing with this marking his debut feature film.

Related Coverage:
::: Official Bunny and the Bull Twitter Account
::: Must Read Paul King Interview via Mighty Boosh Fan Site Forum
::: The Mighty Boosh Fan Site

Synopsis:

Warning some small spoilers (if you want to go completely fresh into this one, don’t read any further)

BUNNY & THE BULL is a road movie set entirely in a flat. Stephen Turnbull (Edward Hogg) hasn’t left the house in months. When an infestation of mice wreaks havoc on his precious routine, he finds his mind hurtling back to the disastrous trek round Europe he undertook the previous year with his best friend Bunny (Simon Farnaby).

It all began with a feeble attempt to declare his feelings in a hokey Captain Crab restaurant. Stephen is devastated to discover that the great love of his life has put him firmly in “the friend zone“. Bunny proposes that they go on holiday, determined to do something about “those walloping great space-hoppers” that Stephen has “clanging around in his pants“.

At the local bookies, Stephen breaks the habit of a lifetime and takes a risk, putting fifty quid on a rank outsider. With the winnings, they launch themselves into a debauched road trip where they stumble upon a demented dog-loving tramp (Julian Barratt), an alcoholic ex-matador (Noel Fielding) and a quite astonishingly dull tour-guide (Richard Ayoade).

But it is the superstitious waitress Eloisa (Veronica Echegui) who steals their hearts. An unlikely love triangle develops which propels them from the industrial wastelands of Poland to the haunting bull fields of Spain, where we finally reach the heart of Bunny & the Bull.

A year later, Stephen’s flat becomes the springboard for an extraordinary journey through his memory. Like Alice in Wonderland, he finds himself on a voyage through psychedelic lands made up of snapshots and souvenir replica landmarks, newspapers and old clock parts.

Combining the visual inventiveness of Michel Gondry and the bittersweet comedy of “Sideways“, BUNNY & THE BULL is a “Withnail & I” for the mentally ill – a funny, touching, beautiful and utterly unique journey to the end of the room.

Alternate Synopsis:

BUNNY & THE BULL, the feature film debut from writer / director Paul King (The Mighty Boosh) will be released later this year.

BUNNY & THE BULL is a comedy road movie set entirely in a flat. Stephen Turnbull hasn’t been outside in months, and when he finds his mind hurtling back to the disastrous trek around Europe he undertook with his friend Bunny a catalogue of adventures unfold. Stephen’s flat becomes the springboard for an extraordinary odyssey through lands made up of snapshots and souvenir replica landmarks within his imagination. BUNNY & THE BULL is a touching and beautiful journey to the end of the room.

A Warp X production, BUNNY & THE BULL stars Edward Hogg (White Lightnin’, Brothers of the Head), Simon Farnaby (The Mighty Boosh, Jam and Jerusalem) and Veronica Echegui (El Patio de mi Carcel, Yo soy la Juani). Julian Barratt, Noel Fielding and Richard Ayoade also appear in supporting roles. BUNNY & THE BULL is due for release in Summer 2009.

Edward Hogg recently appeared in the Sunday Times Culture section, in a piece about up and coming leading men.

BUNNY & THE BULL is produced by Mary Burke (A Complete History of My Sexual Failures, Rubber Johnny), with Mark Herbert (This is England, Dead Man’s Shoes) and Robin Gutch (Hunger, Executive Producer Death of a President, Touching the Void).

Writer/director Paul King works in both TV and theatre, specializing in comedy. He directed Garth Marenghi’s Fright Knight and Netherhead, winner of the 2001 Perrier Award at the Edinburgh Festival and was associate director of the Channel 4 series Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace. He directed Noel Fielding’s Perrier nominated show Voodoo Hedgehog, before directing all three series of The Mighty Boosh and their live tour shows in 2006 and 2008.

Producer Mary Burke works across both Warp Films and Warp X slates. In 2007, she produced A Complete History of my Sexual Failures for Chris Waitt and is associate producing Fur TV, a comedy TV series currently in production with Warp Films for MTV, also directed by Waitt. Mary produced Rubber Johnny for Chris Cunningham in 2005. Her credits include BAFTA award-winning short My Wrongs 8245-8249 and 117 (Chris Morris), Dead Man’s Shoes and This Is England (Shane Meadows).

Related Coverage:
::: Cinema is Dope: Best of the 62nd Cannes Film Festival

Image Source:
Official stills that were used in the original international release of the film.

Related Links:
::: IMDb Profile

New Cinema Wallpaper of the Day
Wednesday, October 8, 2008

At NIFFF, Merde played the strongest of the three segments in Tokyo! with audiences. At the recent Fantastic Fest 2008, Merde played the weakest of the three… go figure. Most people seemed to have a problem with it being a farce… which ironically enough is what Merde completely is! Regardless it was good to see audiences warm up to Interior Design and Shaking Tokyo! I like every part of this film and overall rate it as one of my favorites of 2008.

Related Coverage:
::: Previous Movie Wallpaper (Cinema is Dope)

Image Source:
Official Japanese poster artwork that was used in the original Japanese release of the film.

Related Links:
::: Fantastic Fest
::: Sitges Film Festival
::: IMDb Profile

 

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New Cinema Wallpaper of the Day
Friday, September 12, 2008

Tokyo! finally hits Austin next Friday at Fantastic Fest 2008 (3:45 PM; Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar). I highly recommend anyone attending the film festival to check it out. You can read my write up on this anthology film on the Fantastic Fest listing for it (read here).

Related Coverage:
::: Previous Movie Wallpaper (Cinema is Dope)

Image Source:
Official French poster artwork that was used in the original French release of the film.

Related Links:
::: Fantastic Fest
::: Sitges Film Festival
::: IMDb Profile

 

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Shaking Tokyo
by Bong Joon-Ho
 

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New Cinema Wallpaper of the Day
Friday, August 8, 2008

Tokyo! plays at the upcoming Fantastic Fest and Sitges Film Festival.

It’s hapless youth gone lost, gone jobless, gone mad, gone wild, gone Gondry! The Interior Design fable section of the anthology film Tokyo! could easily be reminiscent of so many recent entries of cinema (Garden State) where hapless youth in their late 20’s struggle to make sense of who they should be and at an even greater loss for finding the right road of life. Reminiscent yet oh so damn Gondry and we love the director for that as he turns in a modern fairy tale of a young couple struggling to make ends meet in the cluster and dizzying maze of Tokyo! Part surreal, part one of the funniest characters you have ever seen in a struggling filmmaker in Ryo Kase as Akira (the smoke scene in particular!) and the amazing revelation of Ayako Fujitani as Hiroko who firmly puts herself in my conscience as a great actress to watch. I already knew Ryo is great and he instantly makes any film he is in better, but Ayako Fujitani has an incredibly difficult part here and she more than pulls it out and makes it her own.

With Shaking Tokyo, Bong Joon-Ho seems to be running in the complete opposite direction of the kinetic jaw dropping splendor of The Host, yet with equal passion for storytelling and drowning each frame with his unmistakable voice of cinema. The jolts of action in this segment are few and far between, but don’t let that put you off, this quiet gem has more silent energy and life than most feature length films. Soft, strangely dense and punctuated by the best acting performance of the year by Teruyuki Kagawa as a nameless hikikomori. I really hadn’t stood up to take notice of Teruyuki Kagawa until he stole the show in Miike’s Sukiyaki Western Django. There he easily put in the best comedic performance of 2007. In Shaking Tokyo he drops his range down to a very minimal core of mesmerizing form… there isn’t a frame you don’t really believe he is this completely despondent hikikomori in need of some pizza girl love. And I should note you have to pay attention for some carefully placed cameos in this segment.

Related Coverage:
::: Watch a clip from Merde over at Twitch!

INTERIOR DESIGN SYNOPSIS

Michel Gondry’s INTERIOR DESIGN is the surreal fable of a couple who move to Tokyo in search of a future. While Akira’s ambition (to direct movies) is clear, Hiroko drifts, gradually losing control over her life. Left alone, she wakes one morning to find a hole in her chest.

SHAKING TOKYO SYNOPSIS

Tells the story of one of Japan’s many hikikomori – citizens who have withdrawn from all contact with the outside world.

When a pizza delivery girl faints in his apartment during an earthquake, the unthinkable happens – he falls in love. And when she does not return, he is forced to take an unimaginable step: for the first time in 11 years, he leaves the dead security of his apartment for the streets of Tokyo, only to discover a city of hikikomori.

Image Source:
Official stills that were used in the original international release of the film.

Related Links:
::: Fantastic Fest
::: Sitges Film Festival
::: IMDb Profile