New DVD Liner Notes! Tokyo Decadence

Hi Blog,

Haven't had much chance to post on the old blog-o lately and it might continue to be quiet around here for a little while longer. But I wanted to announce that I have a new set of DVD liner notes coming out; this time on Cinema Epoch's August 4th, 2008 release of Murakami Ryu's TOKYO DECADENCE.**

I'm actually really impressed on how fast Cinema Epoch's turnaround was on this release. I turned in my liner notes back at the start of June and I already have my gratis copies. 本当にすげーな！！

Murakami's film is kind of a classic and if you haven't seen it, it's a particularly interesting window into the immediate post-bubble chaos and uncertainty in Tokyo. Oh and to all of those jonesed pervs on Amazon who give the film one or no stars because it isn't very sexy: Ha!

From Cinema Epoch's description:

Long out of print, the cult classic returns to DVD! A timid Japanese college girl, Ai, tries to make ends meet as a S&M bondage girl for hire within a world of wealthy businessmen & lavish Tokyo penthouses. Her quest for true love and happiness contrasts with the dark nighttime in Tokyo, ridden with perverse sex and drugs. From the writer of "Audition.

** Of note, the plot description on Wikipedia for TOKYO DECADENCE is incorrect. Ignore it.

Coin Locker Babies

Hi Blog,

A quick follow up on the Asano Tadanobu post from yesterday here. The long rumored "Coin Locker Babies" film adaptation of the eponymous Murakami Ryu book is now categorized as "in production" on regular IMDB and "unknown" on IMDB-Pro.

Though mentioned at Twitchfilm way back in March 2005, there was no discussion about how this was a pet project of Sean Lennon (?!) who had optioned the book way back when and has cast himself in one of the parts (presumably, one of the twins). The fact that the story revolves around a pop star and his twin and how they're trying to track down and murder the mother who abandoned them in a coin locker as, you guessed it, babies, is very interesting. Perhaps Yoko needs to hire more protection?

Asano is supposedly still attached, but we'll see. Though there is now a larger crew list complete with cinematographer Steve Gainer's credit and Miramax as distributer, I can't verify the film's status on line.

The key question I have is will the film be in English or Japanese? What will Asano speak?

Anyway, file this under wait and see. Here's a blurb from LastFM.com about some Coin Locker Babies teaser that was on the 2006 Sean Lennon "Friendly Fire":

After Grand Royal Records' demise in 2001, Sean signed with Capitol Records, yet no solo material surfaced until early February 2006, when "Dead Meat" was released as the first single from his new album, Friendly Fire. A promotional trailer for the CD/DVD package of Friendly Fire was leaked online in early 2006. The trailer featured scenes from the film version of the album, a DVD of music videos comprised into a film. In actuality, the videos were screen tests for Coin Locker Babies, another project on which Lennon is working, and rather than waste film, he decided to create a cinematic counterpart to his new album. Friendly Fire went on to be released in October, 2006. (link.)

(Sean Lennon - Headlights Music Video: Will Coin Locker Babies look like this?)

My First Liner Notes! KARAOKE TERROR (aka. Shouwa Kayou Daizenshu 昭和歌謡大全集)

Hi Blog,

Has it been that long, really? I'm certainly balder and paunchier, so it must be true... But at long, long last Shinohara Tetsuo's film adaptation of Murakami Ryu's KARAOKE TERROR - THE COMPLETE JAPANESE SHOUWA SONGBOOK (aka. Shouwa Kayou Daizenshu 昭和歌謡大全集) is coming to DVD from Synapse Films on April 29th, 2008. (link)

And why should I report news that you can find a billion other places on-line? Well, that's because I wrote the liner notes for this DVD release!! My very first time doing so, I might add, and while it's been so long that I have no idea what the hell I even wrote about-- trust me, they'll be the best liner notes written by a first timer to be published two years after the fact.

Oh, and for the record, I like the movie. Read my review here.

Update: Apparently the Youtube clip has been taken down. However, Todd over at Twitchfilm.net tells me he has trailers embedded in the Twitch player. Link.