Can Cloverfield Promote Healing In A Post 911 America?

Is it possible that J.J. Abrams giant monster film, "Cloverfield", may be exactly what the American public needs to see after experiencing the horrors of 9/11? Could watching a giant monster smash buildings in New York City be good therapy? Anyone who has seen the latest trailers for the film can't help but make comparisons to the type of destruction they witnessed on that infamous September morning. Yet, millions of Americans are waiting in eager anticipation for the film to be released next month. Does all this seem crazy? Well, it might if the exact same thing didn't happen fifty-three years ago.

In 1954, Ishiro Honda unleashed the largest, and most destructive movie monster ever conceived of, Godzilla, into Japanese theaters. A mere nine years after the first two atomic bombs destroyed the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, movie goers were treated to the same kind of fiery destruction, this time, being dealt out by a fictitious creature instead of American war planes. The movie was a huge success. In fact if it wasn't for Akira Kurosawa's cinematic masterpiece, "The Seven Samurai", the film would have walked away with Japan's equivalent of the Oscar for "best picture".

The idea for Godzilla (aka Gojira) was spawned after producer Tomoyuki Tanaka was forced to cancel a planned Japan-Indonesia co-production called Eiko kage-ni (Behind the Glory). The story was inspired by a real-life nuclear accident in which a Japanese fishing boat ventured too close to an American nuclear test and was contaminated. After producer Tanaka saw the American monster film "The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms" (1953), he got the idea to center the film around a dinosaur-like monster which would wreck havoc on Japan.

Likewise, "Cloverfield" was inspired the events of 9/11 and .......well......Godzilla. On a trip to Japan, Abrams visited a toy shop with his son and marveled at Godzilla figures on the stores shelves. At this years Comic Con, Abrams explained it this way, “I want a monster movie, I've wanted one for so long. I was in Japan with my son and all he wanted to do is go to toy stores. And we saw all these Godzilla toys, and I thought, we need our own monster, and not King Kong, King Kong's adorable. I wanted something that was just insane and intense. "

Bryan Burk, a producer of Cloverfield, has also elaborated that 911 was on the mind of those working on the film,"This film started out as just that: a monster movie. Yet as production continued, it became more and more clear that Cloverfield was "a 9/11 movie that's not actually a 9/11 movie."

Whether a 9/11 movie or Godzilla clone, "Cloverfield" has become one of the most anticipated films of 2008. One can only speculate the effect the film will have on the American public, especially in New York. Maybe seeing a giant monster causing the destruction this time will help people cope with what they saw six years ago, just like it did in Japan in 1954. As for Abrams and his film crew, they can only hope that there mysterious monster film will strike the same chord with audiences that Godzilla has.

Is it good therapy? Is it harmless escapism? Will it be good cinema? Only time will tell.

See Also: Cloverfield - Exclusive Sneak Preview / Cloverfield Gets A PG-13 Rating/Photo On Ebay / The First Look At The Cloverfield Monster / New Cloverfield Trailer / Godzilla - King of the Monsters

Robo Japan Exclusive! - Godzilla 94 Page 56

Todd Tennant has sent us an exclusive from his Godzilla 1994 online graphic novel. On page 56, Godzilla gets very annoyed with a buzzing helicopter, and sends it crashing into the ocean!

Go To The Godzilla 94 Site

See Also: Japan Not Ready For UFOs, But Ready For A Godzilla Attack? /Godzilla Attacks! / Flashback - Godzilla X Mothra X MechaGodzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.- US Premiere / Godzilla Now Gaurds Toho's Main Gate /

Toonami Set To Score With Eyeshield 21

VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry's most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, has announced the launch of the EYESHIELD 21 animated series on Toonami Jetstream, the popular online destination developed jointly by Cartoon Network and VIZ Media. The first episode debuts on December 17th and will be available at http://ToonamiJetstream.com.

EYESHIELD 21 was adapted from the popular manga graphic novel series written by Riichiro Inagaki and illustrated by Yasuke Murata and published domestically by VIZ Media. The story is about teenager, Sena Kobayakawa, who has been picked on all of his life and decides to join the high school varsity football team as a team manager in hopes of reinventing himself. However, the cruel team captain Yoichi Hiruma discovers Sena's lightning-fast running ability and forces him to play as a running back with a secret identity as “Eyeshield 21.” From that point on, Sena’s life changes completely. The EYESHIELD 21 manga originally debuted in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump and, in addition to the animated series, spawned a popular feature film and several video and trading card games. The property has also inspired legions of Japanese kids to take up the popular American sport of football.

Toonami Jetstream, a site developed jointly by Cartoon Network and VIZ Media, is an online extension Cartoon Network’s successful Toonami action-adventure television franchise. The http://ToonamiJetstream.com site provides on-demand, full-length streaming episodes of a number of hit animated and action series and has attracted millions of viewers since its launch in 2006. Toonami Jetstream is a free service, supported by advertising that includes both streaming video ads and graphic ads.

“EYESHIELD 21 is an action-packed drama with a positive message, teaching the importance of teamwork, overcoming obstacles and having goals,” says Daniel Marks, Senior Vice President, Strategy & Business Development, VIZ Media. “The additional of the series to the diverse offerings on Toonami Jetstream exemplifies our commitment to bring the best action and adventure series to the Toonami audience. We invite everyone to check out EYESHILED 21 and see what has made this unique series such a hit.”

“We are very pleased to expand our offerings on Toonami Jetstream with the addition of EYESHIELD 21,” says Paul Condolora, senior vice president and general manager, Cartoon Network New Media. “EYESHIELD 21 puts an interesting twist on this American sport and we look forward to fans of all stripes checking out this captivating series.”

Resiklo (2007)

Source: Avery Guerra / Content From The Official Resilko Movie Website

2021, the not too distant future. A global devastation that was brought about by an alien invasion has left the wholeplanet in shambles. In the Philippines, a rag-tag group of survivors strives to survive in a secret sanctuary called “Paraiso”.

Crisval Sarmiento, an ex-military colonel, is the reluctant leader that defends the whole compound from two threats. That of the Mutanos” or mutated humans serving the insect like alien race (aptly called “Balangs” by the humans) and the alien invaders themselves.

Crisval, together with other human survivors soon discover the real reason that the “Balangs” have invaded the planet earth… the conversion of humans to serve their needs.

In order to survive, they must go up against a technologically-advanced alien race using robots they have engineered from recycled parts of derelict everyday machines and military components.

In the midst of this war for human survival, love and faith become the greatest weapons of the human race.

This is a story of the human spirit fighting against a malevolent force out to destroy the only place we call home.

From the producer of “Agimat” and “Exodus”, and from the director of “Encantadia” and “Atlantika”, IMUS Productions and Ignite Media present “RESIKLO”, starring Ramon “Bong” Revilla, Jr., Dingdong Dantes, Paolo Contis, Benjie Paras, Jennylyn Mercado, Michelle Madrigal, Jolo Revilla, Bryan Revilla, Ramgen Revilla, Empress Schuck, Luis Alandy, TJ Trinidad, and Roi Vinson.

Resilko (2007)
From the Director of Encantadia and Atlantika, MARK A. REYES, dgpi.From the Producers of Exodus, IMUS PRODUCTIONS and IGNITE MEDIA INC.

Visual Effects by Riot, Inc.

Cast:
Bong Revilla, Jr. as Commander Crisval Sarmiento
Jennylyn Mercado as Bianca
Dingdong Dantes as Angelo
Michelle Madrigal as Dr. Miles
Paolo Contis as Jerzon
Mylene Dizon
Benjie Paras as Deacon
Empress Schuck
Bobby Andrews as Hades
Andrew Schimmer
Luis Alandy as Abo
Brian Revilla as Ice
Jolo Revilla as Drake
Chinggoy Alonzo as Mayor Marcelo
Ella Cruz
Jairus Aquino

Cloverfield - Exclusive Sneak Preview

The iDol (2006)

Ken is a mild-mannered man in his mid-twenties who has interests that stopped developing during adolescence. On a visit to a local toy collectors shop he acquires a rare alien action figure. Unexpectedly, Ken's world is turned upside down as the somewhat silly looking toy alters his life by giving him everything he has ever dreamed of and then callously taking it all back! Ken's immature desires and indecisive nature are pit against a collection of seemingly normal, yet equally misguidedcharacters who illustrate how many of us are victims of a socially implanted drive for things not in our own best interests.

An Interview With Director Norman England

RJ - The first thing I think everyone would want to know is how somebody goes from being a musician in New York to being a writer in Japan to working on Japanese films to creating and directing a Japanese Sci-Fi Film? It must have been an incredible journey. One any kaiju fan would give his (or her) right arm for. Tell us a little about this odyssey.

NE - It’s just a progression of events, with one thing leading to the other. And, although you could say I started off as a kaiju fan, so did everyone I know who is involved with kaiju film creation. But this can be said of anybody in the film business, as nearly everyone was inspired by something in cinema that drove them to pursue a career in filmmaking.As for myself, though I was a musician in my 20s and early 30s, the first thing I wanted to be as a young boy was a filmmaker. My mother bought me a used Super 8 camera and projector when I was eleven. I made lots of stop motion, alien invasion and zombie films. I guess you can say that by returning to film I’ve come full circle.

RJ - This new film “The Idol” is somewhat satirical. What prompted you to go this route instead of what seems to be the natural progression of making your own kaiju film?

NE - Actually, I have no desire to make a kaiju film as they take a lot of money to pull off correctly. Moreover, they require an experienced art staff. Beyond that, the kaiju genre is mostly played out. I’m sorry to say, but while it was at one time a viable genre, its relevance has diminished greatly. And the audience isn’t there any more. Before I get accused of being a wet towel, there are signs of hope. Films such as NEGADON and DEEP SEA MONSTER REIGO are examples of new attempts at revitalizing the genre. There are also smaller kaiju films such as an interesting one being directed by a friend of mine, Kiyotaka Taguchi, who was an AD to Makoto Kamiya on the GMK set and who then moved to the Godzilla art staff for the rest of the series. Taguchi was also on the team that did optical FX work for THE iDOL.Personally speaking, I find science fiction to have the most potential for self-expression. And if need be, you can incorporate kaiju elements into a sci-fi script without being pinned down to kaiju trappings. I also believe sci-fi to be a better platform for critiquing modern life.

RJ - In Japan someone just doesn’t get an opportunity to helm a project like this without first paying their dues. How where you able to jump right in a put an entire production like this together?

NE - Don’t get me wrong. I’ve paid dues. I’ve put in hard time on movie sets, inhaled my share of unhealthy fumes and been on my feet for more than twenty-four hours straight. I’ve also endured bullying and racism. And because I started out as a fan, I’ve had to put up with a small amount of fan backlash. But, you find these kinds of things in every walk of life and in the end it’s just life, for better or for worse. I’m also pretty resilient, which you have to be to make film. But as an independent film, THE iDOL was not at all bound by studio politics or studio dues paying. Even in Japan, a benefit of being an indie is that you get to make your own rules.

RJ - .Where did your inspiration for this project come from?

NE -It’s hard to pin it down to a single source, but THE iDOL’s basic theme of a gullible collector comes from years of watching how Japanese collectors interact with dealers and my feeling that the Japanese nation is in a quandary by trying to produce both easily manipulated consumers and sharp, able workers. Also, in recent years I’ve become sort of an anti-collector. I used to like buying tie-in goods, but when the market got oversaturated with minutia and the items went from play things to collectables the whole appeal was lost for me.For example, when the first set of STAR WARS figures came out. They were so cool. You could set them up, pit them against each other, and if you stared at them long and hard, you could recall scenes from the film. They were just basic enough to spark the imagination. It’s so scene specific now that imagination is unnecessary.Of course, my real drive in making THE iDOL was to commit on film some of my narrative ideas, life observations and to get a feel for a movie production from a director’s point of view.

RJ - You were able to assemble a pretty good list of cast and crew for such a small budget effort. Were you able to use your years of working with the Japanese film industry to pull a few strings?

NE - I wouldn’t say I pulled any strings. For most of my staff, particularly the ones established in the business, it was to do something different and to see what Norman could come up with. Others, such as Takako Fuji from THE GRUDGE series, responded to the script. The truth is that many of the film people here, even the name ones, don’t expect more than to make a living. For most it’s not a high stakes game like it is in Hollywood where there is the possibility of becoming multi-millionaires if you get a hit.Another thing THE iDOL had going for it is that it is science fiction. Low budget films in Japan tend to be slice of life dramas, horror films, or documentaries. The fact that I wanted to do a sci-fi film impressed a lot of people.But, it’s true that my work reporting on Japanese films helped to make THE iDOL happen. My job takes me to studios in Japan where I get to interact with a wide variety of filmmakers. The time I spend is given to trying to crack the creative code and to work out a crew’s method. A lot of the information I uncover doesn’t see its way into the articles I write simply because of space constraints. So for me it’s become a kind of study in filmmaking, the kind you can’t get at school or from a book. The reverse is also true, in that by being at the studios the filmmakers have come to know me.

RJ - Was it harder than you thought to make a movie like this?

NE - I’ve been on the set of over thirty movies and there is never anything easy about making a movie. Movies are fun to watch, not fun to make. Don’t get me wrong, there is satisfaction to be had from making movies, but the hours, the pressure, the doubt, the trying to get people to see things your way, there is nothing easy about it. I didn’t go into this expecting it to be easy, which is a good thing! Because it wasn’t.

RJ - You have a very close relationship with Shusuke Kaneko who did such a good job on the 1990s’ Gamera films and GMK. Did you model your directing style after his or did you want to do everything your own unique way?

NE - Of all the directors I’ve known, he’s the one I’ve spent the most time observing. Still, I wouldn’t say I model myself after him. He’s a great director with a deep understanding of the mechanics of film and knows how to make a shoot go smoothly. I have my own thoughts of how I want a set to run and how I want the staff and cast to operate. But it takes time and experimentation to work out one’s own style of production. Important to running a set is the level of cooperation you get from your staff. It’s difficult in the beginning because there is no reason why anyone should trust you since you haven’t done anything to show that you should be trusted. This is natural and every director goes through it. To be honest, one of my actors gave me a hard time at the beginning of the shoot because he was used to a certain kind of set style. I was happy because he recently called to thank me for including him in THE iDOL and hopes the relationship continues into my next production. This tells me is that I’m making the right kind of progress.

RJ - The Idol recently debuted at The Fantasia Film Festival in Montreal. What was it like to finally have your film screened before a live audience?

NE - It was both an enjoyable and terrifying experience. Film is subjective. As Toho president Shogo Tomiyama told me once: Ask ten fans to tell you what Godzilla is and you’ll get ten different replies. No two people see things exactly the same. All you can do is trust yourself and hope that the greater amount agree with you and enjoy your filmmaking choices. But, the Fantasia screening exceeded my wildest hopes. So, I have to say that it was one of the best moments in my life. Fantasia is a great film festival too because it plays the kind of films I like, which are films that include fantastic elements. I had a great time as a guest too. They are very generous hosts.

RJ - Where will fans be able to see The Idol on the big screen? Any chance of a US DVD release?

NE - As an independent and recently completed film I’m still unsure of how it will be released. For now I’m doing the film festival circuit and have several committed and tentative screenings around the world lined up. I’ll post them on THE iDOL website when I have dates. I’m also meeting with small theaters in Tokyo and am trying to arrange a limited screening. It’s tough because Toho Motion Pictures owns most of the theaters in Japan and they only play films they make or distribute. There are still many mom and pop theaters in Tokyo, but it takes time to get picked up.

RJ - Now that you have made The Idol and it is starting to generate a lot of buzz the obvious question is “What’s next?” Have you thought about your next project?

NE - I’m working on a science fiction thriller set in the Japanese country side. I’m hoping to combine the experience of my long term residency in Japan with a sci-fi tale. I believe Japan to be a fertile location for cinema. There is much about this country Japanese filmmakers choose to ignore and ones unknown to most non-Japanese. Movies such as LOST IN TRANSLATION, THE LAST SAMURAI, MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA, and FAST AND FURIOUS 3 are fairly clueless in my opinion. LIT to a lesser extent, but F&F3 was almost comedic in its absurdities and portrayal of Japan. What I have in mind is not exploitative.

RJ - I always give everyone I interview a chance to speak their mind. Do you have a message for the fans who will be going out to see The Idol at many numerous festivals in the upcoming months?

NE - My only wish is that people enjoy THE iDOL. I don’t hide the fact that it’s low-budget, but all things considered I think my crew and I did a fantastic job. I’m very pleased too with the reception it got at Fantasia. This is important because it gives me the resolve to do more, trust my instincts more and, in general, to take greater filmmaking risks that will hopefully result in better and more interesting films.

The iDol (2006)

Director / Writer / Producer - Norman England

Script - Jiro Kaneko

Producer - Shinako Sudo

Director of Photography - Hiroo Takaoka

Cast:

Ken - Jin Sasaki

Mayuka - Erina Hayase

Yamada - Mitsu Katahira

Tanaka - Masayasu Nakanishi

Rika - Takako Fuji

Taki - Hirotaka Miyama

Announcer - Shio Chino

Boss Goro - Tomoo Haraguchi

Voice of Alien-Kun - Toshiyuki Watarai

The Homeless Man - Yukijiro Hotaru

Original Soundtrack - Kow Otani

Editor - Rob Moreno

Lighting Director - Hiroaki Morikawa, Taichi Suzuki

Location Sound Recordist - Noriko Ogawa

Creature Creator - Kakusei Fujiwara

Computer Graphics - Takashi Yamazaki

Visual Effects - Hajime Matsumoto

Alien Figure sculptor - Bill Gudmundson

Matte Painter - Bob Eggleton

Footnote: I have gotten a lot of great feed back from fans about Norman England's independent film THE IDOL. There has been a great deal of interest in the films female lead Erina Hayase and Norman was kind enough to send me some info on her. Presently she is starring in an online TV drama based on Otaku's My Movie. Everyone can check that out at: http://streaming.yahoo.co.jp/p/t/00159/v00346/

Erina Hayase fans can also check out her blog at: http://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/achan_gourmet
A lot of cool photos of Erina Hayase and a lot of stuff about food. The girl loves to eat!

Fans have also enquired about the toy store featured in the film. I am happy to report that it is an actual store called Kusou Zakka and it is located in Asakusa. Visit http://www.kusou.co.jp/ to check that out. - Ken

Flashback - Godzilla X Mothra X MechaGodzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.- US Premiere

Godzilla X Mothra X MechaGodzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. - Premiere 6/25/04 USA

My Father-In-Law and I arrived at the Egyptian a little early for the autograph session with Masaaki Tezuka, Yasuyuki Inoue, and Akinori Takagi at about 5:20. There where already several fans waiting around in the courtyard and a couple of vendors were setting up shop. I took my time and scanned the tables for more Godzilla merchandise to add to my collection. I wandered over to a table where a couple of gentlemen were unloading boxes of import Godzilla posters. I picked up a German Godzilla vs Gigan add and made a comment about it. One of the men took notice and asked "Do you know anything about these ?" I responded "Yes". He quickly took me aside and explained that he had just acquired this collection from an estate and that he needed my help in pricing the items. Since I was early I decided "What the heck." I spent the next ten minutes telling him what each item was and it's history and what a fair price for it would be if he wanted to sell it quickly and make a profit. This is where I really could have low balled the prices and snatched the stuff up for myself, but I am an honest person. That was my pre-movie warm up.

It was at that point that I noticed that the autograph line was forming so I took my place in line about ten people from the font. Everyone had their Godzilla items in hand waiting to meet Tezuka, Inoue, and Takagi. The later two gentlemen were late in arriving so a lot of us fans had time to meet and talk about the films and our love of them. Before too long everyone was in place and we got our chances to meet three important people responsible for the Godzilla movie series.

First up was Masaaki Tezuka a very friendly man dressed in his MechaGodzilla t-shirt. His eyes lit up as I placed my GXMXMG press poster in front of him. He seemed very impressed by it. He said "I will sign it real big right here for you." He then signed a large autograph in the middle of the poster. I then explained how much I liked his films and his style of film making. He was very easy to talk to and seemed very happy about my knowledge of his work. It was truly an honor to meet him.

I then moved to my right to where both Mr.Inoue and Mr. Takagi were signing. Both men were quite elderly and signed my Ghidorah: The Three-Headed Monster press book even though one of them had to use a rubber stamp. I could see from their interaction that they have been close dear friends for decades. It was quite touching to see them both helping each other sign autographs. Their grasp of English was extremely limited so I really couldn't converse with them. I just felt it an extreme honor to meet two great special effects men.

I returned to my father-in-law who had by now staked out a spot for us in the ever growing line for the film. Many fans arriving at this point made the point of skipping the long autograph line for better seats for the show. As happens in events of this size there was the usual confusion over which line was for what. I myself soon learned that I was in the wrong line. My father-in-law discovered that our press tickets allowed us to be in the much shorter "Members Only" line so we jumped over. People at this point were still trying to buy tickets, but I had heard that the event had sold out. From the size of this crowd I would have to say that Toho is wrong in assuming that Godzilla fandom is dying out.

Before too long the moment of truth arrived and the doors opened and we paraded inside the theatre. Inside the lobby were several items from the Godzilla series on display, but we chose to pass them up for good seats for the film. For those of you who have never seen the inside of the Egyptian Theatre it is a truly lovely venue. You get a wonderful feeling of being in old Hollywood inside. We found our seats in the lower section, upper half, dead center. Prime viewing for us Godzilla geeks. Many fans followed our lead and began filling up our section.

This is where one of my favorite moments occurred. A lot of us began an open discussion on the Godzilla film series. We all began to introduce ourselves and opened up a dialog. It was like a group of old friends who hadn't seen each other in months. I soon became the leader of this discussion. The more and more I answered questions the more new people began to ask them. I felt like I was holding my own little Godzilla lecture. My father-in-law got a big kick out of this. I do have to admit that it did make me feel great to be able to share my knowledge of the films with others. This is of course why I started this site in the first place. Don't get me wrong I wasn't a mister know-it-all. I learned a great deal from everyone else. I thought this was a great sharing of information among a group of well informed fans. As a side note: there was the rumor floating around that Toho will continue the series after "Final Wars" as a direct to video only format. Again this is just a rumor.

It was movie time. Masaaki Tezuka was introduced to the fans during a short intro. He looked very much like any other fan in the venue with his bag of popcorn and soda in hand. He received a very large amount of applause and then the lights dimmed. The fans were in full effect for this screening. Applause broke out several times during the film. It seemed like almost every time Godzilla was on screen he got an ovation. This was truly fun to see this film along with it's group of die hard fans.

I don't want to take up too much space here talking about the movie itself. I will be writing my own review on a separate page. I will however mention that I thought the film was very good. Maybe not as good as the film that came before "Godzilla vs MechaGodzilla" yet still one of the top five Godzilla films in my opinion. The action was much better, but the story suffered somewhat from the fact that this was intended to be the middle portion of a trilogy. Some storyline items were started or hinted at and never completed. Otherwise the film was a heck of a lot of fun to watch and a true triumph of Mr.Tezuka's style of film making.

After the film was over there was a short discussion with the film's directer Masaaki Tezuka who answered questions through an interpreter. I had learned from meeting him earlier that he did indeed know some English, but it seemed he was more comfortable this way. He did answer about a dozen or so questions from the audience. I don't have the space to list all the questions and answers, but I will give some highlights. One fan asked how Godzilla's roar is created. Mr. Tezuka explained that Godzilla's sounds are a combination of contra-bass (his roar), lion growl (Godzilla's growl), and cow sounds (Misc Godzilla sounds). Another fan asked about how Gamera One and Godzilla 1998 (USA) had influenced his film making. Tezuka replied "Everything I wanted to do in my films was done in Gamera One." He also explained that all the films that have been made this decade have been inspired by those films or are in response to them. Overall this was a very informative Q&A and the fans really got into it. Sadly it seemed to end very quickly.

We exited the main theatre and decided to view all the items we passed up on the way in. On display were several pre-production drawings from "Destroy All Monsters" and a couple of books of rare photos. All very cool and something the average fan never gets to view with their own eyes. Once outside I took the time to spend my cash on several items that were on sale from the vendors. I purchased a couple of really cool imports from the gentlemen that I had helped before the show. They gave me the stuff at a highly reduced price for helping them out. See honesty paid off. I collected my loot and we headed home. I felt honored that I was able to experience such an awesome event.

I personally want to thank both Margot Gerber and Bernadette De Joya of the American Cinematheque for all their help in making this article happen.

Ken Hulsey

Sky High (2003)(Movie)

It starts in present-day Tokyo. A serial murderer is on the loose who is baffling the cops with his MO -- he tears an internal organ out of young women and then suspends his victims in dramatic poses in big open spaces. (Is Kitamura referencing "Silence of the Lambs" here? I think so.) A hot-blooded detective, Kanzaki (Shosuke Tanihara), becomes determined to crack the case -- so much so that he loses track of time and sleeps at his desk, the wall behind him covered with grisly photos of the victims.

Then a colleague wakes him up and reminds him that today is his wedding. Kanzaki tears off to the church, arriving just in time to save his bride, the trusting, tender-hearted Mina (Yumiko Shaku), from an emotional meltdown.

Enough to say that, instead of glorying in this day of days, Mina ends up dead -- the killer's fourth victim. Cut to the dark, smoky, antechamber of the Other World, where an imperious young woman in black leather awaits Mina's soul. Called only Izuko (Eihi Shiina), she is the guardian of the huge, gray-metal Urami no Mon (Gate of Revenge). She gives Mina three choices: 1) Accept death and go to heaven; 2) Reject it and wander the world as a ghost; 3) Kill one person and go to hell. Unable to make up her mind and consumed with longing, Mina returns to the world of the living.

There she finds her fiance, distraught after being taken off the case -- but soon out for revenge. But if he kills the killer, Mina knows, he will go to hell. Somehow she has to save him. Then she remembers her own murder -- and a certain Kudo (Takao Osawa), and his slinky, merciless assistant. Kudo, we learn, is a geneticist with an unholy ambition and psychic powers. When he sees Mina in his lab, he mocks her -- nothing, certainly not a wimpy ghost, is about to stand in his way. Somehow Mina must stop him, before he opens the gates of hell . . .

Sky High (2003)

Toei Co. Ltd.

Directed By: Ryuhei Kitamura & Norio Tsuruta

Written By: Tsutomu Takahashi

Cast:

Yumiko Shaku as Mina / Izuko

Takao Osawa as Kudo

Shosuke Tanihara as Kanzaki

Yuka Itaya

Aya Okamoto

Masato Sakai

Eihi Shiina as Izuko

Hiromasa Taguchi

Naho Toda

Maiko Yamada

Kimika Yoshino

Kanae Uotani as Rei

Runtime: 122 Minutes

Country: Japan

Language: Japanese

Color: Color

Released: December 5, 2003

See Also: Sky High (TV Series) / Yumiko Shaku - Profile & Photos

Buy Sky High on DVD from Amazon.com: