Finally saw Terry Chiu's zero-budget dystopian epic, which is like the version of Neon Genesis Evangelion that Jacques Rivette would make if he was a zoomer who spent a lot of time on the computer. Justin accurately compared it to Rivette when we were discussing it earlier today, and the things that came into my head while watching was Godard's King Lear, Luc Moullet's A Girl Is a Gun, Rat Pfink a Boo Boo, Tim & Eric, and of course Southland Tales, but only on a spiritual level, because the visual and storytelling styles here are very original.Incredible use of butt-ugly Montreal suburban landscapes, which are rendered strange and beautiful through Terry's camera. There are striking post-apocalyptic movie sets all around us for those with eyes to see.If this sounds even remotely interesting to you, then run, don't walk, to order the packed Gold Ninja Video Blu-Ray release.
In the destroyed present, the aggressively badass Keikei (Xinkun Dai) and her lackadaisical white-shirted pal Rev (Ging Yu Kei) wander the wasteland looking for their friend Spike (Matias Rittatore), in between running into the confrontational Lady Moondrift (Pei Yao Xu) and her Candy Ass Kickers (They kick candy ass!!!), or the deadly Psycho on The Radio - whose kill count is like into the 900s - with the promise that one day, they'll get all the answers to their problems from the Embodiment of Angst.Writer/Director Terry Chiu's an open book. His fears, anxiety, humour and personality are splattered all over the epic 3-hour running time of OPEN DOOM CRESCENDO, but the greatest trick he pulls is balancing it all like a circus acrobat juggling ten chainsaws dipped in battery acid. This isn't merely stream-of-consciousness madness, or wackiness for the sake of it, but a well-thought-out (Every line is carefully scripted) piece that is also hilariously funny. Terry's base style is ADULT SWIM meets SHINYA TSUKAMOTO, but he knows when to slow things down, to engross the viewer in his characters' twisty philosophical musings, brilliantly clarified by Burnt-In Chinese/English subtitles, and a narrative gambit straight out of END OF EVANGELION, that puts the endeavour in a different emotional context, before the audience is bodyslammed with a climax worthy of a quadrillion dollar blockbuster (but with more cardboard). You may not get all the answers on the first viewing, but that's part of the design. No one is making films like Terry Chiu, and his work deserves to be consumed by the world's eyes, ears, and brain mush. It is criminal that his work has barely played anywhere. Where the hell is The Locarno Film Festival when you need them?
I'm putting this fantastic film out on Blu-ray in a regular edition and a super deluxe 3-disc edition with a book! If you've been curious about OPEN DOOM CRESCENDO since I posted my review (which you can find below), grab the movie now at GOLD NINJA VIDEOAND HERE'S MY ORIGINAL REVIEW:In the destroyed present, the aggressively badass Keikei (Xinkun Dai) and her lackadaisical white-shirted pal Rev (Ging Yu Kei) wander the wasteland looking for their friend Spike (Matias Rittatore), in between running into the confrontational Lady Moondrift (Pei Yao Xu) and her Candy Ass Kickers (They kick candy ass!!!), or the deadly Psycho on The Radio - whose kill count is like into the 900s - with the promise that one day, they'll get all the answers to their problems from the Embodiment of Angst.Writer/Director Terry Chiu's an open book. His fears, anxiety, humour and personality are splattered all over the epic 3-hour running time of OPEN DOOM CRESCENDO, but the greatest trick he pulls is balancing it all like a circus acrobat juggling ten chainsaws dipped in battery acid. This isn't merely stream-of-consciousness madness, or wackiness for the sake of it, but a well-thought-out (Every line is carefully scripted) piece that is also hilariously funny. Terry's base style is ADULT SWIM meets SHINYA TSUKAMOTO, but he knows when to slow things down, to engross the viewer in his characters' twisty philosophical musings, brilliantly clarified by Burnt-In Chinese/English subtitles, and a narrative gambit straight out of END OF EVANGELION, that puts the endeavour in a different emotional context, before the audience is bodyslammed with a climax worthy of a quadrillion dollar blockbuster (but with more cardboard). You may not get all the answers on the first viewing, but that's part of the design. No one is making films like Terry Chiu, and his work deserves to be consumed by the world's eyes, ears, and brain mush. It is criminal that his work has barely played anywhere. Where the hell is The Locarno Film Festival when you need them?
