FOR TRAILER & PRODUCTION STILLS GALLERY, SEE THE BOTTOM OF THIS ARTICLE
Yûdai Yamaguchi and Jun'ichi Yamamoto's Meatball Machine (a.k.a. "Mîtobôru mashin") - a remake of the latter's 1999 movie of the same title (Japanese Movie Database entry) - is scheduled to be screened at the (Yet) Another Hole in the Head film festival in San Francisco on Sunday June 11th at 9:30 p.m. and Thursday June 15th at 9:30 p.m.. The movie had its world première at the Tokyo International Fantastic Film Festival 2005 (Tôkyô Kokusai Fantasutikku Eigasai 2005) on October 14th of last year.
The screenplay for Meatball Machine (2005) was written by Jun'ya Katô. The movie stars Issei Takahashi, Aoba Kawai, Tôru Tezuka (Teduka Tôru), Shôichirô Masumoto, and Ayano Yamamoto. Keita Amemiya designed the characters for it. (Amemiya also designed Reigo in Shinpei Hayashiya's Reigo, the Deep-Sea Monster vs. the Battleship Yamato (Shinkaijû Reigô).) Yoshihiro Nishimura was responsible for its special effects, special make-up effects, and molds. (Nishimura previously worked on Noboru Iguchi's Saishû seiki! Natsume Nana - kyûkyoku no erosu, Impolite Education (18-kin - abunai kankei: the kinshinsôkan), the short "Evil Guy" ("Yôchû no harawata") - a.k.a. "Entrails of a Larva" - and A Larva to Love (Koi suru yôchû). He also worked on Shion Sono's Strange Circus (Kimyô na sâkasu).)
Here's a description of Meatball Machine (2005) from the MySpace SF Indie Fest page: "Yudai Yamaguchi's follow-up to the irresistible high-school zombie sports epic Battlefield Baseball (which we played in 2004) is a remake/expansion of Junichi Yamamoto's 1999 cult short of the same name, and is co-directed by the creator of the original. It starts out nicely enough as two lonely factory workers experience the first blush of love. Just as Yoji and Sachiko begin their heart-warming romance, their lives alter forever as tiny aliens invade the earth. These hostile little creatures from beyond parasitically implant themselves into tumor-like growths on human shoulders, penetrate their eye sockets with alien technology and turn them into alien-slave warrior-cyborgs called 'Necro-Borgs' who must battle each other to the (jaw-dropping) deat[h]s to survive. Soon the aliens have targeted Sachiko. Uh oh, it's going to get messy."
For more information on Meatball Machine (2005), see Twitch's seventh, sixth, fifth, fourth, third, second, and first articles on it.
Yamaguchi's previous directing credits include Tebana Sankichi and Twice Shiroh Strikes! (Tebana Sankichi to 2 (tuwaisu) Shirô ga yuku), Sakigake!! Cromartie High School: The Movie (Sakigake!! Kuromati Kôkô: The Movie), Present (Purezento) - one of the movies in the Kazuo Umezu's Horror Theater (Umezu Kazuo: kyôfu gekijô) hexalogy - and Battlefield Baseball (Jigoku Kôshien).
Meatball Machine (2005) trailer (English subtitled; streaming Windows Media)
Cinebel.be: Meatball Machine (2005) large trailer page
Cinebel.be: Meatball Machine (2005) medium trailer page
Cinebel.be: Meatball Machine (2005) small trailer page
Meatball Machine (2005) production stills gallery
Flyer for Meatball Machine (1999) (24 KB JPEG)
VHS box cover for Meatball Machine (1999) (8 KB JPEG)
Sweet. I'm there. The Hole in the Head fests are some of the best in SF.
I'm always game for a shameless TETSUO rip-off. Any idea when this will get a DVD/VHS release in Japan?
Thanks for the heads up!! I always look forward to Hole in the Head and will make a point of catching this one, upon your recommendation.
-----