Contents: Classic J-Cinema: "The Horrors of Malformed Men", CosFest (Masquerade) Registration Open, PMX Guests of Honor and Postcards, Contests and Freebies, PMX on Facebook/Twitter
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by Kenneth Traynor, contributing writer
Horrors of Malformed Men is a poisonous chocolate box of misplaced identity, betrayal, torture and disfigurement, rendered through ubiquitous kinkiness, campy acting, and near-constant surreal hilarity. The unhealthy energy, weird flaws and deranged B-movie brilliance linger long after its last, mad clip is over.
Director Terou Ishii attempts to put Rampo's entire oeuvre into one film, through his own delightfully disturbing lens. In fact, this film could be the ultimate adaptation; plots from numerous Edogawa Rampo stories are hunted down and whipped into an overcrowded, sick zoo--The Human Chair, Black Lizard, The Twins and many more I have only encountered in this film. There is a narrative of sorts, with events and consequences and characters, but to list them is to impart onto them a false sense of significance. Horror of Malformed Men recalls claustrophobic nightmares where unexplained decisions, events and encounters are stitched together after the fact-- in this film, with long stretches of entirely implausible exposition and back story. I am, in all seriousness, a bit in awe of how the film eschews reason and conventional plot in favor of an obsessive and primal dream-logic.
Imagine the conversation between the director, screenwriter and producer sitting down over a large table hazed with weeks of cigarette smoke, hashing out ways to put all these stories into celluloid:
"Yeah, he's in a jail cell with all these crazy young topless girls-- " "Right, an insane asylum." "Yeah, and he doesn't know why he's there, or if he's crazy, and then a bald guy attacks him for no reason and he kills the bald guy--" "Don't forget the circus girl who sings the lullabye--" "Right, the one who gets stabbed and he has to run away." "And then he's on a train-" "How does he pay? He's wearing the kimono from the asylum." "Screw money! He's just on the train--" "--disguised in..." "...in an eyepatch and beret!" "Perfect! And then he sees the newspaper with the death notice showing what seems to be his own face..." "And he thinks, I could pretend to be that dead guy and inherit the money!"
"Malformed Memories" is a gem of a DVD extra with directors Shinya Tsukamoto and Minoru Kawasaki talking about the influence of Rampo and director Terou Ishii on their own films, and their deep affection for Horror of Malformed Men. Kawasaki speaks with incredible admiration about the synchronized waves of laughter that would break out in the midnight-only showings in Japan, where it is a controversial cult classic never put onto DVD. Their profound respect for the film, and the director, is completely sincere.
Pacific Media Expo's beloved CosFest (Masquerade) is now open for registration! Groups or individuals can now register for cash prizes and pageantry! Show off your costuming skills or just admire cosplayers as they strut their stuff. For more information, please check out our CosFest page!
PMX Guests of Honor and Postcards
You may have been seeing postcards and posters throughout California announcing our Guests of Honor of 2009! Yes! We will be announcing guests through these postcards, through the website, or through special announcements or mailings! There will be more in the next few weeks!
Don't miss out on our guest announcements! Sign up using the social networking links below or visit any of the fine retailers distributing our postcards!
Contests and Freebies for August 2009
We also have a monthly raffle that ends at midnight, August 31, 2009. This month's prizes are: Uchusentai Noiz DVD, Sample CD, and two PMX 2009 Full Badges! Go to http://www.PacificMediaExpo.com to enter.
Social Networking with PMX
You already know you can reach PMX at MySpace.com/PacificMediaExpo. But did you know we're all over Facebook? We even have a Twitter page! So click on the links below to friend us or follow us! You might even get news or in-person freebies faster than other people especially on Twitter (hint)!
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