Good? Bad? He's the guy with the gun. Japanese splatter-meister Yoshihiro Nishimura - director of Tokyo Gore Police and Vampire Girl Versus Frankenstein Girl and effects man on films to numerous to mention - is a man with buckets of blood, limitless imagination and a local film industry increasingly determined to cater to the tastes of middle aged women and young families. Which does not bode well for a man of his particular talents. And he's lashing out at timid distributors in a potent open letter. Don Brown at Ryunganji has got the full story but here's a little sample to whet the appetite:
We try to make cool stuff on a limited budget even if it kills us. It’s a challenge. Against everything. That’s why we want you to take up the challenge of distributing and promoting it. Do you have to wait for someone to tell you to do it?
Hit the link above for the full letter. And then wallow in filth and degradation with the VampireGirl and Tokyo Gore trailers below the break.
Vampire Girl Versus Frankenstein Girl
Tokyo Gore Police
Thanks, I hadn't heard of the Vampire Girl vs Frankenstein Girl film. Will have to try and track that down. I remember going to see Tokyo Gore Police and my friend turned to me after the opening minute with a smile on his face and said: "They already delivered on the title, so I'm good. Anything here on out is just bonus" And there was a lot of bonus in the next 80mins
These are not "good" movies, but they are very fun and entertaining, so hopefully he can find an outlet for them.
I'm a fan of Tokyo Gore and Machine Girl. Hell, I even own Sukeban Boy. But Nishimura should count himself damn lucky. As low as his budgets may be, the fact that he continues to receive funding and has been as prolific as he has is pretty amazing.
His films go well beyond pushing the envelope, they piss blood on em. This isn't really an issue of of compromise. I can understand theaters not showing his work, the audience for such extreme affair is VERY VERY low. For once, Tokyo Shock has done a good job of promoting his films here in the U.S. I've seen both Machine Girl and Tokyo Gore Police on display at Walmarts in central, bumblefuck P.A. selling for cheap and I've seen people compulsive buying these based on price and hot asian girls on the cover alone. And the trailers for Machine Girl and Tokyo Gore Police were fairly big internet sensations.
Seems to me, Nishimura is doing ok. Few low budget splatter filmmakers are so lucky. Telling promoters, distributers they should kill themselves for not marketing his films on the a more mainstream level is.... really fucking arrogant.
I picked up Tokyo Gore Police in my local Borders - not hard to find either (compared to OSS 117). I am looking forward to the opportunity to catch "TGP" theatrically in a month or two at no less than the Smithsonian here in DC - as part of their summer "Asia Trash" series - which will also include "The Host", "Versus" and "Tears of the Black Tiger" - only single screenings for each of those, but I'm still impressed.
indiemaker, I was under the impression that he was lashing out at Japanese distributors rather than American ones. Films like this have a huge market overseas, but it can be troublesome getting the initial funding from Japanese producers.
Based on how well MACHINE GIRL and TGP sold in the US I'm sure that if all else fails Media Blasters will come and finance a few more of his films on their own. Unfortunately he will have to make a few compromises if he wants a big mainstream success. If they actually give him Go Nagai's VIOLENCE JACK and he has a decent budget that may just happen.