Am I Simply Dreaming? Celluloid Dreams Picks up 9 Sogo Ishii Titles
Writing by blake on Tuesday, 20 of May , 2008 at 5:35 am
Odd that I haven’t seen this bit of news come across (or perhaps I simply missed it). On the newly revamped Celluloid Dreams site they mention they have acquired 9 Sogo Ishii titles (with more to be announced)! This can only mean good things for English friendly DVD releases and more festival screenings of his past work. Well at least I certainly have my fingers crossed in this regard. If anyone out there has more information on this, I would love to learn more!
I saw most of the shorts/films from the Punk Years series they acquired last year at BIFFF. All the film prints had English subtitles on them and I then helped Crazy Thunder Road get screened at Fantastic Fest (with Zack Carlson and Tim League giving me an early Christmas present by doing so). The most memorable aspect of getting to see his early work at a grindhouse theater was towards the end when a restored print of Electric Dragon 80000V was playing and I had to leave in order to catch the last shuttle (I certainly wasn’t going to try and navigate the confusing streets of Belgium at 4 am). As I stood outside the theater the bass notes from the film were very loud and distinct and this somehow drew the attention of every homeless person in sight. As I would see a homeless person walking down the street, when the distinct bass notes burst out, I would see them go from casually walking to suddenly at a complete stop and then looking at the theater. Upon the second or third bass note they would then walk inside. It was an incredibly strange effect and I watched it happen again and again and again.
Shuffle is a really nice rocking piece of film. If you have ever thought you have seen a chase shot in every conceivable manner and in every hyper kinetic way, then you haven’t seen this hellraising burst of cinema chase nirvana.
Celluloid Dreams Press Release
www.celluloid-dreams.comKnown for his striking visuals and outlandish subject matter, maverick director Sogo Ishii is considered to be the master of Japanese punk cinema.
Sogo Ishii’s early shorts were acts of punk-spirited rebellion, echoing the do-it-yourself attitude of the movement. Today, Ishii is a fully accomplished artist, expressing himself not only as a film director but also as a photographer, a live performer and a music video director. His work has been divided into two periods:
The Punk Years: 1976 – 1983
These raw, energetic pieces of punk cinema feature Bosozoku biker gangs and the Japanese cyberpunk scene. Ishii’s original hyperkinetic filmmaking approach, with wild editing and camera movements, express the spirit and energy of the punk movement.
PANIC IN HIGH SCHOOL (1976) – 16 min – Color
ISOLATION OF 1/880000 (1977) – 43 min – Color
ATTACK! HAKATA STREET GANG (1978) – 67 min – Color
CRAZY THUNDER ROAD (1980) – 98 min – Color
SHUFFLE (1981) – 33 min – B&W
ASIA STRIKES BACK (Remix Live Version) (2005) – 31 min – ColorThe Psychedelic Years: 1984 – today
After the violent Punk Years, Sogo Ishii begins a new period of filmmaking, the experimental and emotional Psychedelic Years. These films feature meditative imagery and music while stretching the parameters of film form and language
THE MASTER OF SHIATSU (1989) – 13 min – Color
AUGUST IN THE WATER (1995) – 117 min – Color
KYOSHIN (3D Sound Perfect Edition) (2005) – 61min – Color
More titles to be confirmed.
Celluloid Dreams also acquired 5 Mashahiro Kobayashi titles:
CLOSING TIME (1996)
BOOTLEG FILM (1999)
MAN WALKING ON SNOW (2001)
BASHING (2005)
THE REBIRTH (2007)
Japanese Cinema:
::: Jason Gray
::: Mark Schilling’s Tokyo Ramen
::: Midnight Eye
::: Nippon Cinema
::: Outcast Cinema
::: Ryuganji
::: Toronto J-Film Pow-Wow
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Category: Movie News, People: Sogo Ishii, People: Masahiro Kobayashi
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