‘Big Man Japan’ follows the exploits of a middle-aged man whose job entails being occasionally shocked with electricity that turns him into Dai Nipponjin, a several stories tall behemoth that defends Japan from a variety of giant monsters. Think of Ultraman as a blue-collar worker and you’re on the right track. Instead of being a revered hero of the people, Dai Nipponjin is reviled as a noisy and destructive oaf.

‘Big Man Japan’ is a clever satire, a deconstruction of the Japanese super hero but also a decidedly acute dissection of Japan itself, the influence of American culture and the relationship between Japan, the United States and North Korea. It’s a lot to pack into one movie, but creator/director/star Hitoshi Matsumoto pulls it off without a hitch. Admittedly, if you go into this film with little or no knowledge of the above, then prepare to be baffled at some points, but know that much of the comedy is born out of the characters.

Matsumoto is a renowned Japanese comic and ‘Big Man Japan’ is his first feature film. Shot in the style of a documentary, Matsumoto litters the movie with a kind of dry, self-deprecating humor that reminds me very much of Brit comic, Ricky Gervais. Like Gervais, Matsumoto is most interested in the kind of sad, pathetic character that surrounds his self in denial, yearns for entitlement and skirts responsibility. The main character in ‘Big Man Japan,’ Daisato, is exactly that type of character, a pariah in the eyes of the people he has sworn to protect.

The film shifts style and focus from the understated moments with Daisato to highly absurd comic fantasy featuring giant CGI monsters. The creature designs never fail to amuse and the effects work in service of the story. Monsters range from giant demons to massive hoping legs topped with human heads to skyscraper-sized old men in diapers.

It is possible to come to this movie green and be entertained, though it is definitely skewed towards an audience that is familiar with daikaiju (giant monster) cinema.

‘Big Man Japan’ is the sixth and final film for Magnet Releasing’s Six Shooter Film Series, and it is a satisfying end to a remarkably successful slate of movies.

‘Big Man Japan’Â �opens in Los Angeles at Landmark’s Nuart Theatre and in New York on May 15

[Overall: 4 stars out of 5]

Funny or Die has had a stellar year so far for bringing us the laughs. As SXSW came to a close, some funny and unique trailers made there way into and infront of some of the films that played. One of them was The Dirty Garage, a close look at the relationships of twenty somethings on a trip to clean the garage. The other was horror favorite Gobstopper, a mash-up of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and the Saw Franchise. Check them out below and tell us what you think!

Elton John’s Rocket Pictures and first-time feature director William Felix Clark are putting together the showdown of all time with ‘Pride and Predator’.

In the film, written by Clark, Andrew Kemble, and John Pape, aliens land in the ‘Pride and Prejudice’ story and begin killing off the characters. Â �Don’t know if it’s going to be the actual Predator, but it’s going to be awesome just the same.

“It felt like a fresh and funny way to blow apart the done-to-death Jane Austen genre by literally dropping this alien into the middle of a costume drama, where he stalks and slashes to horrific effect,” said David Furnish, one of the producers on the film.

Shooting (and mass slaughter of British snobbery) will begin in London later this year.

Source: Variety

The Wayans Brothers have a new movie coming out called Dance Flick. Notice how it’s not called Dance Movie. That is the Wayans distancing themselves as far as possible from Friedberg/ Seltzer Movie. So what’s the deal with this flick, should we be upset about another spoof? I don’t think so because it was inevitable that the Dance movie craze would be lampooned sooner or later and at least we get the guys who did the first two Scary Movies and not the guys who did Meet the Epic Date Disaster Movie. (And yes, I know Friedberg/Seltzer were involved in Scary Movie but I really don’t think a single thing they wrote made it in to that film.)

Heres the trailer…

While nothing in this trailer really had me laughing, I do like the exchange about there being no I in team, hence the title of this post. Plus, there is at least one scene that is guaranteed to be funny because Chris Elliott has a cameo in the flick. If the Wayans showed us anything with Scary Movie 2, it’s that they know how to perfectly utilize Chris Elliott’s unique brand of humor.

So what do you guys think? Are you going to see it? How many Wayans Brothers are there? And where the hell is that baby’s umbilical cord?

Jerry Cavallaro – www.AreYouStuckLikeChuck.com

“Hey, what’s all this talk about farting?†�

 �

‘Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back’ is the fifth film set in the View Askewniverse and it stars Jason Mewes and writer/director Kevin Smith as the title characters.

The plot goes a little something like this: Jay and Silent Bob find out that there is a movie being made from the comic they inspired, ‘Bluntman and Chronic,’ and that people on the “internet†� have been talking shit about it. To make matters worse, the duo has never even seen a dime of royalties. So it’s off to Hollywood†�

Along the way, lots of random shit happens. There’s a monkey. A jewel heist. Farts. A nun nearly gets her pussy eaten. Mark Hamill. Will Ferrell. Tracy Morgan as Pumpkin Escobar.

One of the best bits involves Ben Affleck and Matt Damon on the set of ‘Good Will Hunting 2: Hunting Season,’ which the title alone is good for a laugh but when you throw in a shot of Gus Van Sant counting piles of money, well, then it transcends funny and becomes something more like magic. �

This is the movie in a nutshell and it works, I think, whether or not you possess an encyclopedic knowledge of the Askewniverse. It’s just so fucking ridiculous. If you want to just sit back and laugh at crazy bullshit for an hour and a half, then throw this motherfucker in your DVD player. It’s not aiming at excellence, it’s aiming at fun and fun takes it in the balls repeatedly.

“Oh, what a lovely tea party.†�

Hmm, on a side note, there is some really good work in this film by cinematographer Jamie Anderson. Widescreen is taken advantage of and used to full effect. Anderson has been working in film for a while, having DP’d films like ‘Piranha,’ ‘Grosse Pointe Blank’ and ‘Art School Confidential.’ This film is mostly spoof and Jamie’s work really puts that Hollywood glitter in every scene. Any comedic duo needs a straight man. As Silent Bob is the straight man to Jay, Jamie Anderson is the straight man to Kevin Smith.

“Boo Boo Kitty Fuck.†�

[rating:4/5]

 �

Another ill-conceived spoof movie is fast-tracking its way through the Hollywood poop shoot. It’s sure to stand the test of time as a new classic among the likes of ‘Epic Movie,’ ‘Disaster Movie,’ ‘Date Movie,’ ‘Superhero Movie,’ ‘Meet The Spartans’ and ‘Not Another Teen Movie.’

The title of this new masterpiece is “Not Another Not Another Movie” and it is sure to smell as bad as all those other pieces of shit that plopped out before it.

I only wish I were joking.

Here’s the plot summary from IMDB:

“In this non- stop hilarious ride we follow a struggling Movie Studio that is willing to do anything to make a buck even if it means ruining its reputation, and running the Movie Industry into the ground. This film has everything that an audience wants from a LAUGH OUT LOUD COMEDY by taking a no-holds barred attack on the Spoof Genre from Blockbuster Action movies to Dramas and Documentaries to Popular Television shows.”

Rumored cast members include Chevy Chase, Michael Madsen and Burt Reynolds. It should hit theaters sometime next year.

So… it’s going to be a spoof movie that spoofs spoof movies that spoof real movies.

I just threw up in my mouth a little.