Oh, man ... very little to say about these beyond that I swung by the Nikkatsu offices at AFM yesterday, where people where very friendly and promptly sat me down in front of the new trailers for Machine
Girl and Negative Happy Chainsaw Edge and all I've got to say is: instant cult classics, both of 'em. Utterly bizarre and the sort of thing that could only come out of Japan, total low budget trash and absolutely, brilliantly strange. Bring 'em.
Wait...Nikkatsu is still around?
Negative Happy Chainsaw Edge is based on a novel by the same guy who wrote Welcome to the NHK.
FAB Press just released a book called No Borders, No Limits: Nikkatsu Action Cinema. I have it ordered, but have not yet seen it. At 192 pages and only 7.5 inches tall, it's not likely an in depth examination, but will hopefully be a good read and decent reference.
As an aside to Todd, we met at the Reel Asian press launch and I mentioned an upcoming book on Kiyoshi Kurosawa. Just wanted to pass on the link and title --> The Films of Kiyoshi Kurosawa: Master of Fear.
And your better half was right - I should've stayed for another beer instead of going to see "Simon Says"...
Sweet, thanks! I've got the Nikkatsu book and will order the Kurosawa ...