Moderator One Armed Boxer Posted March 18, 2011 Moderator Share Posted March 18, 2011 Twitch has just posted up the trailer for Yoshihiro Nishimura's new movie 'Helldriver', touted as being his attempt at creating "the ultimate zombie film". Personally I'm not Nishimura's biggest fan, his first directorial effort 'Tokyo Gore Police' could be considered to be the second movie in the now long line of new wave Japanese gore movies, the first being Noboru Iguchi's 'The Machine Girl', which I found to be incredibly entertaining. However 'Tokyo Gore Police' simply didn't entertain me, the tongue in cheek craziness of 'The Machine Girl' seemed to be replaced with more of a "let's do this because it's so completely out there and we know it" attitude...and I haven't checked any of the other movies out since then, although I admit 'Alien vs Ninja' has my curiosity. Anyway, check out the trailer for yourselves in this link, although I'm not really sure the tagline "Sayonara Japan!" is in the best taste considering the countries current circumstances - http://twitchfilm.com/news/2011/03/new-trailer-for-yoshihiro-nishimuras-helldriver.php Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member loempiavreter Posted March 18, 2011 Member Share Posted March 18, 2011 I have to say that that TGP is my favorite from all these movies and that's mostly because of that amputee girl with swords for arms and legs, pretty cool enemy. Form there on a string of dissapointments followed, Frankenstein Girl vs Vampire Girl, Robo Geisha...they couldn't interest me much... Mutant Girl Squad was a little dissapointing as well. I have to say Im looking forward to this flick, there seem to be a whole lot of cool baddies (although I couldn't see the mvery well, as things moved fast). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Takuma Posted March 18, 2011 Member Share Posted March 18, 2011 That did it. I'm reserving my flights to Frankfurt! (and I'm not kidding!) Nishimura is my absolute favorite director and filmmaker. I love his Tsukamoto esque Cyber-Punk film Anatomia Extinction, and the slightly inferior remake that is Tokyo Gore Police. I watched his love-comedy-splatter Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl for the forth time yesterday. Such an awesome J-pop culture satire, despite overdoing it a bit. Also much love for his shorts, like Vampire Frankenstein Girl, 63 Minutes Later, Reject of Death. And of course the (nearly) feature length Speakerman. Lovely little family film. I've been following Helldriver production since it was announced last summer. "When I started work on the script a year back, I decided to take Romero’s approach and deal with current events. Actually, there’s quite a lot of satire and social criticism in this film." - Nishimura I hope the satire is still there, as the version new distributed on film fests is the 105 min International version. The original cut that screened in Texas and Sitges is about 15 min longer. Helldriver reviews: http://johnskeleton.com/2011/03/07/hell-of-a-good-time-yoshihiro-nishimuras-helldriver/ http://twitchfilm.net/reviews/2010/10/helldriver-review.php http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/helldriver-berlin-review-99164 Yoshihiro "My movie is too violent??" Nishimura The man! And so much better filmmaker than Noboru Iguchi, who IMO still hasn't managed a single good film (but I'm hoping Karate Robo Zaborgar will change this) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Takuma Posted March 18, 2011 Member Share Posted March 18, 2011 One of the things I most regret is missing this year's Yubari, where Helldriver was screened. In addition, my idols Maki Mizui and Cay Izumi held a dance show called Mizuizumi there. I've been meaning to catch Cay's performance in Tokyo some year when I'm there... She has her own club in Tokyo, I believe. Cay Izumi, a pole dancer by her primary profession, you've certainly seen in a lot of Nishimura and Iguchi films. She was the dog girl in TGP, one of the Tengu girls in RoboGeisha, one of the ganguro girls in VG vs. FG... Maki-chan started out as Nishimura's personal assistant, part time AV star, and now actress. She played the Astro-Mutant in Mutant Girls Squad. And she's starring in the upcoming Never Ending Blue (終わらない青). I remember when she was updating her blog last spring, writing she ran from her manager to see Tetsuo 3 in cinema alone. What a girl! Maki and Taku Maki at The Machine Girl sets She's also a fan of Mr. Donut unrelated but essential kumakosu* photo * sorry, I just came up with that word Tsugumi Nagasawa, Maki Mizui and Cay Izumi Both Maki and Cay are in Helldriver, of course. Check out their blogs, too. That's where I stole most of those pics from: Maki: http://blog.livedoor.jp/mmizui/ Cay: http://ameblo.jp/cay663 Tokyo Premiere at Shibuya Zombie Film Festival Here's a whole bunch of Mizuizumi from Yubari via Alex Paille!!! All in high definition, too!!! Mizuizumi Dance Night Intro: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_KtU1kzGFo Maki Mizui's first try at Poledancing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0fS3BLZP-o Maki Mizui's second dance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OS5i69sdEpw Cay Izumi dances in Yubari: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buRat2A-6Zo Cay Izumi in Yubari - The Salaryman Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXfOtcTIr7s The Salaryman Part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aH_o_5gRcGM Dogoon V dance by Maki Muzui and the audience: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRVvjTqFpnQ Cay Izumi: Gothic Lolita make-up http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nE0OOwDO328 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aG68RwGX3nA Cay Izumi: Quick make-up: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsoogSDTQrQ I didn't know Cay could speak English!!!! Also, if you ever wanted to see Nishimura and Iguchi running around naked in snow: via Nishimura's blog + (the writing says "Nishimura Eizo", Yoshi's special effects company) This post was a bit of an overkill. Sorry. ごめんね Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Takuma Posted May 3, 2011 Member Share Posted May 3, 2011 Wasn't quite the greatest ever movie I was hoping for, but still a lot of fun. I suspect the full 119 min cut will be notably better than the International Version (105 min) I saw. Over-packed, missing some gore, too much CGI, could be improved by extra 14 min. Excellent make up effects, though, and almost every Sushi Typhoon regular on board from Maki Mizui to Cay Izumi and from Takashi Shimizu to Marc Falcow. Fun ride, and insane as motherfucker, even by Nishimura's standards. I'll post a full review later when I have time. May take a while, though. Dying to see the film again, especially the 119 min version. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Takuma Posted May 5, 2011 Member Share Posted May 5, 2011 ok, my full review: Sushi Typhoon – Part 6: Helldriver http://sketchesofcinema.wordpress.com/2011/05/05/sushi-typhoon-part-6-helldriver/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member ShaOW!linDude Posted May 5, 2011 Member Share Posted May 5, 2011 Nice review, Takuma. I have yet to watch any of these but I may check this one out when it hits dvd. Love them zombie movies! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator One Armed Boxer Posted May 6, 2011 Author Moderator Share Posted May 6, 2011 The Twtich guys have posted their thoughts on this one as well - http://twitchfilm.com/reviews/2011/05/helldriver-review-1.php Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Takuma Posted June 16, 2011 Member Share Posted June 16, 2011 Buaah fucking lol, the Germans have announced Helldriver BD for September. Their Mutant Girls Squad was cut by almost 8 minutes. And Helldriver is at least twice, maybe thrice as bloody as Mutant Girls Squad was. Expect it to be cut by at least 20 minutes... EDIT: formatting failure. Now that monkey is laughing at me http://www.asianblurayguide.com/detail/3407/helldriver_japan_germany/ Why do they even bother? ****************************************** They'd probably cut Nishimura's hat, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member OpiumKungFuCracker Posted June 17, 2011 Member Share Posted June 17, 2011 Awesome fuckin hat!!!!! I bet he made that one at his studio, too fuckin cool!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Takuma Posted July 29, 2011 Member Share Posted July 29, 2011 In the recent news: - Funimation out, Well Go USA in. All remaining Sushi titles to be released in the States by Well Go USA, including Mutant Girls Squad http://www.shocktillyoudrop.com/news/topnews.php?id=20017 - Helldriver UK Blu-Ray will be released 31 Oct 2011, and it's said to include both versions of the film. - http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B005D75HJ4/ Highway to Hell: On the Set of a “Helldriver” Spinoff - http://johnskeleton.com/2011/07/27/highway-to-hell-on-the-set-of-a-helldriver-spinoff/ - Loads of Sushi Typhoon matsuri coverage. All the filmmakers present... ninja Iguchi, fundoshi Nishimura, Maaku... lots of program, and even the bathrooms were covered in blood and bodyparts. Obviously the best party of the year. -http://johnskeleton.com/2011/07/28/raising-hell-thoughts-on-the-%E2%80%9Chelldriver%E2%80%9D-launch-part-1/ (english) -http://blog.livedoor.jp/attack_nichigeki/archives/51750038.html (japanese) -http://blog.livedoor.jp/attack_nichigeki/archives/51749847.html (japanese) - New awesome music video by Yoshihiro Nishimura for The 50 Kaitenz (ザ50回転ズ). Stars: Maki Mizui, Cay Izumi, Yumiko Hara and Kanji Tsuda via nishiyoshi blog And finally, an awesome sushi poster - http://kussy.sakura.ne.jp/bbs39.cgi?num=40 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member mpm74 Posted August 17, 2011 Member Share Posted August 17, 2011 Heads up. Helldriver is now available for pre-order. Looks like Well Go is releasing this both as Blu-ray and DVD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Takuma Posted August 22, 2011 Member Share Posted August 22, 2011 Contrary to the information on Well Go's website, the DVD/BD release is confirmed to be the uncut version, not the international cut. - http://sushityphoon.blogspot.com/2011/08/sushi-typhoon-coming-soon-to-dvd-or-blu.html - http://wellgousa.com/detail-helldriver.php Strangely, in UK things are taking the opposite turn with BBFC having only rated the international version, although the home video release is said to feature both versions. I'm still hopeful it will, although I think there's a tiny risk BBFC will require cuts to the school girl cannibalism scene (I'm not totally sure, as I've only seen the int. version which is missing that bit) - http://www.bbfc.co.uk/AVV281782/ John's report on from the uncut version JP premiere: http://johnskeleton.com/2011/08/03/raising-hell-thoughts-on-the-%E2%80%9Chelldriver%E2%80%9D-launch-%E2%80%93-part-deux/ And then the bastard got to hang out with Nishimura, Shiina and others. I'm bloody-red with envy: http://johnskeleton.com/2011/08/04/raising-hell-thoughts-on-the-%E2%80%9Chelldriver%E2%80%9D-launch-%E2%80%93-part-3/ btw, BBFC has serious difficulties spellings Yoshihiro Nishimura's name... Director: Yoshihro Nishimura (TOKYO GORE POLICE) Director: Yoshhihiro Nishimura (VAMPIRE GIRL VS FRANKENSTEIN GIRL) Director: Yoshihiro Nishimura (HELLDRIVER) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Takuma Posted December 21, 2011 Member Share Posted December 21, 2011 Sushi Typhoon – Part 6X: Helldriver again - Film capsules - International Cut vs. Japanese Cut - Spin Off Films - Documentaries - http://sketchesofcinema.wordpress.com/2011/12/20/sushi-typhoon-part-6x-helldriver-again/ More screencaps below Oh, and I should mention they're not work safe by a long shot Film screencaps (UK BD, Director's Cut) Director's Cut: new scenes (UK BD) Making of (UK BD) and even if you started from the bottom, the post is still not work safe by a long shot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Takuma Posted December 21, 2011 Member Share Posted December 21, 2011 Caps from the US extras. All caps are all from the DVD version, since my piece of shit HP fails to play the BD. The BD is supposed to have all of these features in HD. Sushi Typhoon Invades Tokyo (US DVD) Spin off: Helldriver Dokata (US DVD) Spin off: Catch Me if You Can (US DVD) Spin off: Bailout (US DVD) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Takuma Posted January 9, 2012 Member Share Posted January 9, 2012 Int. Version vs. Japanese Version (Director's Cut) http://www.movie-censorship.com/report.php?ID=412323 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator One Armed Boxer Posted January 19, 2012 Author Moderator Share Posted January 19, 2012 I just got through watching 'Helldriver' tonight...and I think this has pretty much cemented my feelings to stay away from any movie directed by Nishimura. I'm normally the first person to say that when I'm watching an action movie I want action first then story & characters can take back seat, however I'm finding I can't apply the same principal to Nishimura's mix of crazy gore effects first then story & characters...well, non-existant. Most reviews make a point of saying his movies tend to split people down the middle, and 'Helldriver' has made me realize which camp I fall into. Within the first 15 minutes I found my brain numb with boredom as the bombardment of constant splatter and fountains of blood fill the screen with little or no reason, and definitely no buildup, it just happens....over and over and over again. Even the incamera effects which made these movies so appealing to lovers of the old school way of doing things has been mixed with some decidedly low budget CGI, which successfully steals any of the potential cheesy charm it could have had. Ideas which had the potential to give the movie some merit, such as the human rights group who believe the zombies should be entitled to the same rights as everyone else, are cut short before they even register as being a brief moment of clever film-making. All in all, long before the movie rolled towards the end of it ridiculously bloated 2 hour running time, my attention had been captured by the arguably more interesting sight of some paint drying on a nearby wall. PS @ Takuma - I was actually there while that interview was taking place in the second picture of post 15, it took place at Cine Pathos in Ginza as part of the Sushi Typhoon matsuri, likewise with the fourth picture! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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