May 22 2009
BIG MAN JAPAN
Giant Monster Comedy Opens in Theaters Across America on May 15
Source: Magnet Releasing
Official Movie Site (US): sixshooterfilmseries.com/bigmanjapan
Official Movie Site (Japan): dainipponjin.com
Special Thanks to Janeal Bernhart
.“Decidedly odd, even by Japanese standards, this mockumentary about an electrically charged, skyscraper-high superhero saddled with misfortune, bad press and even worse TV ratings is tears-down-the-face funny and a genuine, jaw-dropping oddity. A must for midnight madness slots as well as Asia and fantasy-themed fests, pic will astound auds of all stripes. A long and healthy life as an ancillary cult item awaits.”— Russell Edwards, Variety
A middle-aged slacker living in a rundown, graffiti-ridden slum, Masaru Daisatou (Hitoshi Matsumoto) is the subject of a documentary that follows his banal daily routine. That is, until he prepares for his job, which involves being shocked by bolts of electricity that transform him into a stocky, stick-wielding giant several stories high who is entrusted with defending Japan from a host of giant monsters. These ridiculous villains include a stretching freak with a comb-over and a revolting farting beast.
Dai Nipponjin is a sixth-generation superhero guarding his country from these outlandish “baddies,” as Daisatou calls them. But while his predecessors were national heroes, Daisatou is a pariah among the citizens he protects. His battles are broadcast late at night to diminishing television ratings while the public bitterly complains about the noise and destruction of property he causes.
Masaru Daisatou (Hitoshi Matsumoto) stands in front of his giant purple shorts
and prepares to transform into Dai Nipponjin.
And Daisatou has his own problems— an agent insistent on branding him with sponsor advertisements, an Alzheimer-afflicted grandfather who transforms into a giant in dirty underwear, and an ex-wife and daughter who are embarrassed by his often cowardly exploits.
A wickedly deadpan spin on the giant Japanese superhero, BIG MAN JAPAN is an outrageous portrait of a pathetic but truly unique hero.
After an enthusiastically received premiere at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival, a successful theatrical run in Japan, and appearances at festivals both in the US and abroad, BIG MAN JAPAN will be released to theaters across America on May 15, 2009. The movie concludes the first wave of films in the “Magnet 6-Shooter Film Series” from Magnet Releasing, the genre division of Magnolia Pictures. The series features US theatrical releases for six films representing the vanguard of genre cinema from around the world. Previously released in the “6-Shooter Film Series” were the critically acclaimed Swedish vampire film LET THE RIGHT ONE IN, the American superhero comedy SPECIAL, the Spanish time travel caper TIMECRIMES, the French sci-fi thriller EDEN LOG, and the British thriller DONKEY PUNCH.
Source - http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/2009/04/26/big-man-japan/
