This Sunday, August 17th we’re throwing another free screening at Hell Gate Social in Astoria NYC, and it’s a doozy. We’ll be showing off Kinji Fukasaku’s incredibly controversial modern classic Battle Royale. The film’s still technically not available on DVD on Northern American shores (although plenty of region free copies have drifted over), so this could be your only change to see it projected on a big screen in the bar’s backyard gaden with cool people and booze! The free (yes free- we’re just doing this for fun!) event will kick off around 8:30- 9:00 or so when the sun goes down, but you’re encouraged to come early to get nice and liquored up and in the mood to see some kids get brutally murdered.
Oh yeah, did I forget to tell those of you not in the know what the movie’s about? It’s as simple as this-
It’s the future. Japan’s society has broken down and kids have gotten so unruly that the government has initiated a new program called “Battle Royale”. Once a year a class of high school students are culled from school, drugged, and placed on a remote island. Each kid’s given a kit with supplies and a weapon, and sent on their way… to kill each other. They have these chokers placed around their neck that contain bombs that will explode if they wander out of the safe area on the map, an area which is made increasingly smaller to encourage students to meet up and fight. After 3 days if there is more than one kid left on the island, they’ll all explode. Friends are forced to kill their classmates to survive, but could you live with killing your best friends?
The film stars Takeshi Kitano (the new Zatoichi) and a cast of kids that includes Chiaki Kuriyama, who you might know as the incredibly hot and psychopathic Japanese schoolgirl from Kill Bill. It’s a fantastic film that really preys on Japan’s current divide between the youth and the elderly, a smart yet brutal film that’s got something for everyone. It’s the kind of film you’ll never forget once you’ve seen it. How many movies actually star real teens in crazy situations like this? It’d never be made on these shores today…. no how, no way.
So come one come all and have a few drinks with us! After the screening I’ll be giving away some dvds and drinking till they kick us out. For more details on how to get to the bar check out their MySpace page here or shoot me an email. See you there!