ROBOT CHICKEN THE WALKING DEAD SPECIAL: NOTHING IS SPOOF PROOF

Fans of THE WALKING DEAD are legion. They show up at conventions across the country decked out in cosplay costumes as their favorite character hoping to have a picture taken with a cast member, purchasing tons of items related to the show, watching in parties and following up the show with TALKING DEAD, the show that follows each episode where guests chat with host Chris Hardwick. These are hard core fans who treat the show with respect.

On the other hand ROBOT CHICKEN, the series found on Adult Swim, is a series created by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich that skewers all things pop culture. Using stop animation of action figures and some other animations styles the show has been a huge success and done tribute specials to series like STAR WARS and DC COMICS. So it wasn’t a surprise to learn that they were making a show dedicated to THE WALKING DEAD.

What makes it even more special is that the folks behind TWD were on board to help and became involved in the special as well. Series and comic book creator Robert Kirkman and series producer Scott Gimple were both in the writing room before the show was shot. Actors from the series came in and did the voice overs for the special.  Green and Senreich as fans of the show did what they normally do which is take the serious subject matter and make it as funny as possible.

The special opens in the world of TWD with a future museum offering up various artifacts of the time period that the show takes place, a number of these items hilarious. As they move further into the museum they come to the only zombie in the world left and caged which doesn’t sit well with one guests. The old man upset turns out to be Carl Rimes from the series who begins telling one young man about what really happened back then.

What follows is a series of snippets that offer humorous takes on everything from zombies seeking human flesh to bad guy Negan presenting his signature knee bending move as a dance video. Some hit and some miss but the hits are more plentiful and will have fans of both shows laughing as they hit the screen. With the exception of the opening and closing segments there is no linear story going on here. It is a collection of incredibly short skits based around single concepts for each for the most part that are hilarious. Think Saturday Night Live if they would filter out the far too lengthy sketches and just use the funny parts (few though that series has these days).

In addition to the hour long special there are plenty of extras to enjoy here as well. Those include INSIDE THE ROBOT CHICKEN WALKING DEAD SPECIAL: LOOK WHO’S WALKING, cut sketches, a commentary track, SKETCHES TO DIE FOR, BAWKWARD and a behind the scenes look at the making of the show.

If you’re a fan of either program this is one you’ll want to add to your collection. Being one myself I found the program to offer some funny takes on some otherwise serious moments from TWD show that should make it easier on fans who were shaken to the core certain events. It helps to know the series the special pays tribute to and things that have happened along the way.

As the latest season winds down this is coming out at just the right time. Once it ends and fans go into hibernation waiting for the next season to unwind or the release of the current season to come out on disc, they can put this in and be reminded of some of their favorite moments while having a laugh at the way things could have been if Green and Senreich were left in charge of the series. For now just sit back, watch the special and have a laugh. 

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THE BROKENWOOD MYSTERIES SERIES 4: SMALL TOWN MURDER

I was unfamiliar with this series when season 4 arrived for me to view. My expectations were high though as everything I’ve seen that Acorn Media has had to offer has been not only well made but highly enjoyable as well. This series didn’t disappoint. It makes me want to go back and catch up on the previous three seasons.

The series revolves around Detective Senior Sergeant (DSS) Mike Shepherd (Neill Rea), a detective in the New Zealand police force, who in the first season was assigned to the small town of Brokenwood to investigate a local officer. By the end of that first episode he apparently decided to reassess his life and stay on in Brokenwood. There he is aided by Detective Constable (DC) Kristin Sims (Fern Sutherland) and Detective Constable Sam Breen (Nic Sampson) as well as medical examiner Dr. Gina Kadinsky. So the story is set now.

Season four picks up with a murder that happens before the eyes of all four. Its Shepherd’s birthday and Gina, who for those of us who haven’t been watching learn has the hots for Shepherd, has planned a birthday party for him at a local park. After all of them arrive they watch as a skydiver plummets to the ground, his parachute failing to deploy. Rushing to see if they can do anything they discover the man dead and that he is an old boyfriend of Kristin’s. The other jumpers, three members of his family, rush to see if he is okay only to find him dead. It could be a simple accident but clues lead to the fact that his parachute was sabotaged. All three family members become suspects as well as a business partner, a competitor for the bar he was opening and several others.

If you haven’t seen the series before the opening episode here does plenty to let you know just how the team operates and the idiosyncrasies each has. Shepherd comes off as a bear of a man prone to thoughtful periods where he considers the clues. Sims is a diligent worker following up on the clues provided and piecing them together while learning to view things in the same way Shepherd does, making her a better investigator in the process. Breen is the brash young officer, willing to work the scene and the case but nowhere near as experienced as his two seniors. And Gina, a Russian now living in Brokenwood, knows the medical and forensic aspects of each case which she’s more than happy to pass along to Mike while trying to woo him at the same time.

The series only involves four episodes but each is as long as a feature film. The second involves the curator of a local historic reenactment village who is found murdered with an arrow to the forehead. The third finds an organic farmer killed and trussed up as a scarecrow on his property. And the fourth involves a swindler who may have been murdered by one of a group of geriatric rest home patients most of whom are suffering from dementia.

Each episode centers around the murder that has taken place, the clues that are found and a list of suspects that involves one or another of the citizens of Brokenwood. One thing I noticed was that there are several characters who while not guilty seem to always find themselves at the center of the crime in question. I found this to be interesting without taking anything away from the story itself.

What makes a good mystery is the presentation of clues that allow the viewer to piece the puzzle together themselves while watching the show. This series does exactly that and does so well. Not only that but it doesn’t involve what we find standard in most US series which is a combination of gun battles and car chases. Instead we get a story told in a straightforward manner that holds your interest from start to finish.

There is only one negative thing I can say about the series and to be honest it doesn’t involve the presentation, acting (which is excellent from all involved) or the stories. While watching the show I kept thinking this series can’t be good for tourism in New Zealand. If there are this many murders in a small country town one can only imagine what it must be like in the bigger cities. Yes, that was sarcasm there.

I can whole heartedly recommend this series and Acorn has done a great job with their presentation here offering the episodes to watch unencumbered by tons of extras that do little more than provide spoilers for those who have yet to watch the show first. As I said early on after watching this I’d love to go back from the start and watch the rest. It was that much fun watching the fourth season.

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ICHI THE KILLER: TAKASHI MIIKE’S BREAKOUT FILM

Director Takashi Miike is a director who breaks the mold and creates movies that don’t hold back. Having already made a name for himself in his home country of Japan it wouldn’t be until 2001 that he was noticed by a larger audience here in the US. One could say that happened 2 years earlier with the release of his film AUDITION which stunned audiences with its depiction of torture. But it was ICHI that drew more attention and got him noticed around the world.

Let me start by saying that the modern day Yakuza films that were popular in Japan were being made before ICHI was released and Miike had his hand in a number of them. His BLACK TRIAD SOCIETY films are sought after now as well as well as DEAD OR ALIVE. But it was ICHI that cemented his name among fans of the unusual and cinema lovers worldwide.

Based on the Manga of the same name, ICHI is the story of a yakuza gang in turmoil. When sadistic mob boss Anjo is brutally killed after beating a prostitute nearly to death by Ichi, a cleanup crew is sneaks in to take care of the scene. The gore strewn room is covered in blood and viscera but the team led by Jijii handles it with ease. When they leave the room is spotless and Anjo’s crew has no idea what has happened.

With Anjo gone his mob believes he has been kidnapped. The hunt is on for the killer and is led by underboss Kakihara. Kakihara is an unforgettable character, a man seemingly obsessed with sadism and masochism at the same time. It is the image of Kakihara that is most associated with the film, his smile increased by 2-3 inch slits on either side of where it should stop and held together with pins.

Finding that Jijii and his crew are in town, Kakihara approached the older man and tells him if he learns of anything to contact him. Jijii passes along information to Kakihara that it might be possible rival boss Suzuki was behind it all. Capturing and torturing Suzuki it isn’t until after that this lead proves to be false. To pay penance Kakihara cuts off the end of his tongue and presents it to Suzuki’s boss.

Realizing the lead was false, Kakihara and his men begin searching for Jijii and his crew. As they begin to follow leads, capturing each man, their standing with their boss comes into jeopardy and the Anjo crew is banished. This leaves Kakihara and his men open to trying to take over the mob they once worked for.

As all of this is transpiring Jijii continues to use Ichi to stir things up, killing various people along the way. Ichi is tormented by memories of the past when he was bullied as a child. Now he seeks to right the wrongs of his past by killing these men that Jijii points out are the same as those bullies of the past. It is Jijii who is controlling what is going on. Before the film ends just who is responsible for what as well as who will remain standing is revealed.

The movie is visually arresting with a huge color palette used by Miike. The garish clothing worn by Kakihara makes him stand out from the rest of his crew, was if the facial scarification weren’t enough. The bright lights of the city explode on screen and the dark alleys offer hidden shadows. It is a city most would not associate with Japan but it puts on display the fact that they too have their locations that run rampant with crime.

The two central characters of the film are polar opposites. Kakihara in his bright clothing delights in his sadomasochistic tendencies. Ichi on the other hand is dressed in black and fears the outburst of anger that push him into a psychotic stage. Kakihara is playing a game in his attempt to increase his power, Ichi is just subdued and quiet, sitting alone until instructed to do otherwise by Jijii. Kakihara controls people while Ichi is controlled. A final confrontation between the two is only natural and does happen near the end of the film, saved for the final moments.

The film is bold in its depiction of brutality among the different gang members. If AUDITION showed that Miike was unafraid to turn an eye towards torture in his films ICHI shows he would embrace it. He embraces the violence on display and forces the viewer to look as well, depicting it as something that happens, that takes place, even if we aren’t aware. While showing someone hanging from hooks located throughout their bodies, the cutting of Kakihara’s tongue and the murder of Anjo are brutal for me they didn’t compare to the beatings on prostitutes that left them bloodied, black eyed and with swollen faces. Those scenes felt more real and thus more gut wrenching.

But for all of that there is a certain beauty to the film. The story telling aspects make it one that you don’t want to turn away from, that you want to watch until the end credits roll. On top of that as the film moves forward you begin to realize that the character of Ichi is perhaps one of the saddest characters to ever appear onscreen. I won’t say why as it would be too large of a spoiler but trust me, among a vast number of characters who are either gangsters or killers it is Ichi, a killer himself, you feel for by the end of the film.

The first time I saw this movie I was only able to see if on a bootleg edition picked up at some convention. Since then it has been released over the years in this country but never like the current format that Well Go is offering now.

To begin with the film was originally released in the US at only 117 minutes long to get an R rating from the MPAA. This is the full-length, original 128 minutes cut of the film. A full digital restoration of the film which was done by Emperor Motion Pictures in 2017. The new transfer was done in 4k resolution from a 35mm inter-negative found at L’Immagine Ritrovata in Bologna, Italy. Since then it has been digitally restored and colour graded in 4k resolution. What this means is that this will be the most definitive version of the film with the entire film in the most brilliant picture it’s ever been offered in.

Extras are sparse but that shouldn’t matter. It is the film that is important. With Miike just releasing his 100^th film (BLADE OF THE IMMORTAL reviewed her a few weeks ago) and with a number of his films finding their way here via Arrow Video, those who appreciate the films he has to offer will want to make certain that this one ends up in their collection. If you’ve purchased the film in the past, sell off that old copy and invest in this one. It’s the only way to have the complete film in the best format possible. Congratulations to the folks at Well Go for insuring that this film finds a renewed life.

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