Sub-Sub-Genres: Part 1

Damn homies. I thought I would lay down some info on your asses today, give you the low-down on some of the coolest sub-(sub?)-genres you can find in film. Watch my ass step up to the mic.

Let’s start it off with a favorite of mine:

Arterial Spray

Right there you’ve got a prime example of A.S., put into effect by the Japanese Ultraman. The origin of the Arterial Spray is unknown (to me), but the 60s is a good estimate for the birth of this disgusting concept (This is George Romero’s cue). Arterial Spray though finally came to life in the eighties with the help of gorehounds like Tom Savini and Peter Jackson who gave us some classic moments of blood spraying. But where Arterial Spray is at its prime is in Japan. To me, if you mention the name Takashi Miike (the Japanese Director), the first image I get basically is an Asian girl turning her head, initiating a torrent of blood into the air from her jugular (See: Ichi The Killer). Takashi takes pride in his artistically arranged spraying of blood. As you can probably remember, Tarantino took this wonderful concept and inserted it into his masterful Kill Bill.

Blood never looked so cool.

Check out anything by Takashi Miike rated at least R, Braindead, Battle Royale, or just check the Japanese movies in the foreign section, you’ll know one when you see it.

Cyberpunk

Here exists a little alleyway in cinema and novels alike. Simply put, it is known for its focus on "high tech and low life", and that’s basically the core of everything Cyberpunk but intensified beyond your imagination most likely. One of the earliest pieces of cyberpunk literature would be William Gibson’s Neuromancer, which touches on virtual reality, cyber space, and all that fun stuff. But in cinema one of the earliest pieces is Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner, a story set in the dystopian America which should take place in.. 12 years from now, but hopefully I see no signs of it coming true any time soon.. This is all beside the point though. Why this genre is even in the list is because of one cinematic overlord: Shinya Tsukamoto. Shinya has starred in many of his friend’s films (Ichi The Killer, Marebito) and most of his own (except Vital and maybe something else). He excels in atmosphere, which is a crucial part of Cyberpunk. His earlier films are perfect manifestations of the concept of Cyberpunk: gritty, sleazy, erotic, industrial, mechanical, technologically advanced, black and white, accented jagged features (sound effects, visual effects). If you feel like squirming in your seat while watching something so.. oddly mesmerizing check out:

-Tetsuo: The Iron Man

-Bullet Ballet

-Tokyo Fist

And some others by a friend of Shinya, Shozin Fukui’s:

-Rubber's Lover

-964 Pinocchio

Here’s just a fragment of Tetsuo: The Iron Man’s insane chaos:

Coming up later this week:

-Italian Cannibalism

-Heroic Bloodshed

-Giallo

bye for now

-Ryan