Fina-effing-lly A Bunraku Preview

Finally the official preview for one of the Jrock community’s most-anticipated releases, the Hollywood debut of Japanese media’s HRH GACKT: Guy Moshe’s Bunraku. I live in envy of everyone who had the opportunity to see the premier at the INTL film festival in Toronto last year, where GACKT was in kimono’ed attendance.

All in all the movie looks pretty sweet. The catch-lines weren’t bad, although it was something of a pointless trailer given that GACKT had no lines. We’ve all seen him in acting roles by now (Moon Child, Furinkazan, etc), but it will be interesting to see him surrounded by whities, acting in a “Hollywood” production, all up in the mainstream and everything. You go, GACKT.

Bunraku is destined for release on Sept 1st (VOD), and September 30th (theatrical release). I hope it’s shown nationally.

A mysterious drifter (Josh Hartnett) and an ardent young Japanese warrior Yoshi (Gackt) both arrive in a town that has been terrorized by outrageous and virulent criminals. Each is obsessed with his separate mission, and guided by the wisdom of The Bartender (Woody Harrelson) at the Horseless Horseman Saloon, the two eventually join forces to bring down the corrupt and contemptuous reign of Nicola (Ron Perlman), the awesomely evil “woodcutter” and his lady Alexandra (Demi Moore), a femme fatale with a secret past. This classic tale is re-vitalized and re-imagined in an entirely fresh visual context, set in a unique world that mixes skewed reality with shadow-play fantasy, a place where even the landscape can betray you. Heroes triumph here only because the force of their will transforms and transcends both space and time. The world of BUNRAKU is past and present, fantasy and reality, Samurai and Western all combined. Like SIN CITY and 300, it gives classic conflict a whole new graphically supercharged dynamic. Resonating through a wide range of cultures and showcasing a mind-blowing array of martial arts disciplines, BUNRAKU is a fresh arena for breathtaking fight action.

*Synopsis taken from the video info.

Hyperventilation- and Other Responses to the BUNRAKU Premier

TIFF’s “Midnight Madness” has, it would seem, some serious carry-over into Mid-day — at least for GACKT fans. “Flail”, “spazz” and “hyperventilating” have been predominant keywords on Twitter during the steady influx of press, pics, and reviews for this morning’s 12:00 premier of BUNRAKU. Other Tweets, from more self-possessed sources, have also been flooding in, and those that have, of course, caught We the Fandom’s attention, have mostly been expressing appreciation (mingled with surprise) of the incredibly good reception GACKT apparently received on the Red Carpet (tremble in awe).

Although the elitist in me cringes haughtily whenever it hears GACKT described as “the Japanese pop sensation”, I have agreed to dismiss my criticism of the West’s painful ignorance concerning such matters, and focus on more interesting people saying more interesting things, such as:

mmadnesstiff Dare I say GACKT got more applause than Josh Hartnett, Ron Perlman & Woody Harleson combined at BUNRAKU tonight?

Video footage of GACKT answering a few questions has also hit the web. He blows away all the gawking whities in sense of presence and charisma, even though he does seem slightly nervous. Pressure must have been incredible.

[For a transcript of the video, click here.]

Several reviews of the film have also been released, most of which complain gratuitously about lack of plot and how confused Josh Hartnett seems through the entire thing, barely even brushing over the contribution of GACKT, all while typesetting his name in lowercase (the noobs), making it nearly impossible to tell if they even saw the movie at all, actually did any research, or are simply trolling for the sake of being a troll critic.

Also check out some screen-shots (full of whities doing whitie things).

This is gacktpause, over and out.

Images: Getty Images

Video: TIFF Midnight Madness blog

Yoshi’s Island

It is currently 12:03 AM, EST, on September 11th, 2010. Assuming the TIFF folks are as punctual as the Japanese, which they likely aren’t, 12:00 saw the onset of the screening of the official premier of the long-hungered-for film that has been hinted at hither and thither, along with horrible teases such as “2011” and “pushed back”.

That’s right, yo. 10 minutes ago (as I am writing this) at the Toronto International Film Festival, they began screening BUNRAKU.

I’m not sure what it is. But I feel somehow uncomfortable knowing GACKT is on the same continent. We haven’t quite reached that point of same country or same city or, ideally, same building, but I figure same continent is progress. Still not sure why I feel like I’m being watched, though. I guess it’s ‘his’ overwhelming aura stretching itself across the Canadian border. Well, that’s more or less how I articulate “I wish I was there”.

I still haven’t figured out yet whether it’s going to get rough around here when YOSHIKI realizes the American continent isn’t this trembling, vulnerable, innocent creature waiting to be violated by (1980’s) Jrock. There is already a “One” that we have been waiting for, a “One” that will mobilize fans across nations. A “One” that set out to conquer Asia, and having done that, is making his way steadily West.

Sorry to interrupt the mood, but, is it just me or does that sword look *very* long?

This summer, GACKT left Asia to hit up Europe with a limited international debut tour. And now he is encroaching on the Americas with a (rather brilliant) new step into internationalization. Premiering as I type, before a sold-out audience in Toronto consisting of at least a few Canadian and devoted Various Other GACKT fans, TIFF’s Midnight Madness likely has no idea what it is unleashing on the West. And no, I do not mean Josh Hartnett with his banker’s ‘stache.

Hartnett is standing on a (thick) phonebook for the photo

Films, particularly should they be really excellent ones are a superior form of forcing people to expand their horizons. Unlike music, which, even if you can handcuff someone to a post, stick headphones on them, crank it and hit play, often will go in one ear and out the other, especially if it’s in Japanese (a “foreign language”, god forbid). However, many more people are likely to see a film, especially if it gets decent hype, and awareness of certain persons in the film is much more likely to spread than if we attempted to hijack a shopping center’s sound-system and jack our iPods through it (not that I’m discouraging any attempts).

So the question I think we’re all wanting answered is, is his appearance in BUNRAKU, an American film starring big-name American actors, presumably primarily without subtitles for the benefit of our extremely cultured populace, a bold step toward the globalization and mobilizing of the GACKT fandom? As far as GACKT’s interview with “Darryl” of TIFF is concerned, the answer is yes.

Did I just read the words “US, South America, Canada” and “next year” used in the same sentence by GACKT?

The answer is yes.