TOKYO TRIBE: Getting Down with some J Hip-Hop

Get in the mood for the final screening of Sion Sono's Tokyo Tribe with some J Hip-Hop, including some from Tokyo Tribe star Young Dias.

From the Tokyo Tribe original sound track, Young Dias, Simon, Y's and Ai, "Hope--Tokyo Tribe Anthem."  (Some potential spoilers 'cause some bits from the film).



 DJ Muro's "J.P.N." from the Tokyo Tribe 2 soundtrack. (Spoiler free)



Illmatic Buddha MC's "Top of Tokyo" from the Tokyo Tribe series soundtrack.



Catch the final screening of TOKYO TRIBE today:
Sun., Sept. 14th, 3:30 PM, LIGHTBOX 3

Pics from the Premiere of Sion Sono's TOKYO TRIBE!

If there's been a better brain-breaking erotic hip-hop musical at Midnight Madness than Sion Sono's TOKYO TRIBE, I sure haven't seen it. A packed house at the Ryerson was treated to rap battles, kung-fu action, and what I'm convinced is some of the most unique 'furniture' that will grace the TIFF screen this year!

Check out intrepid photographer Ian Goring's snaps from last night's wild ride:

Didn't you miss these lines, folks? 

Two of the best-dressed producers to ever grace the Midnight Madness stage! Gotta love that upholstery suit, and in such a tasteful yellow.

Young Dais throws up my personal favourite gang sign - the dreaded "pleasant wave"!

Sion Sono reps the hard streets of Milwaukee (by way of Japan) with his 'EHHHHH!' gang sign.

Does two people constitute a gang? When you're Young Dais and Sion Sono it does!

Sion Sono and Colin Geddes discover the hidden crop of invisible scary mangoes growing outside the Ryerson. Try to spot them at your next screening, they're delicious and spooky.

The Ryerson crowd getting packed in for the first screening of Midnight Madness 2014!

Colin hypes up an already-hyped Ryerson crowd for TOKYO TRIBE!

And as if the crowd weren't already rabid for rap-battling Tokyo gangs, Sono and Dais let loose on stage to let everyone know what time it is! (The time was approximately 12:15am.)

Sion Sono wraps up one of the most bizarre screenings I can recall. 

You can still catch TOKYO TRIBE at the last screening here at TIFF! And don't forget about the nine other films we've got on tap for the rest of the fest

TOKYO TRIBE screening times:
Sun., Sept. 14th, 3:30 PM, LIGHTBOX 3

A Few Seconds of TOKYO TRIBE!

Via MM Social Networking Maniac Jonny.

Tokyo Tribe screens two more times!

TOKYO TRIBE screening times:
Fri., Sept. 5th, 10:00 PM, SCOTIABANK 8
Sun., Sept. 14th, 3:30 PM, LIGHTBOX 3

TOKYO TRIBES: Four More Japanese Musicals

Sion Sono's hip hop tribute to West Side Story screened last night and screens again tonight. If you've developed an appetite for Japanese musicals here's five more from directors you might not associate with musicals: MM Alumnus Takashi Miike, Kenji Fukasaku, Seijun Suzuki and Tetsuya Nakashima.

Happiness of the Katakuris (2001)

Takashi Miike adapts Kim Jee-woon's The Quiet Family (1999) as a musical. Kim's movie is a dark and very dry comedy about a family who run an inn and end up with a lot of bodies to dispose of. And yeah, it stars both Choi Min-sik (Oldboy) and Song Kang-ho (The Host; The Good, The Bad And The Weird), who between them star in nearly every Korean movie ever. Miike's is colorful and exuberant adding very Miike touches like a woman crushed during sex with a sumo wrestler. Most of all, he adds musical numbers.




Shanghai Rhapsody (1984)

Fukasaku is best known among fans of the Madness for Battle Royale (2000), but he had a long career that includes films as diverse as The Green Slime (1966), the Japanese portion of Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970), The Black Lizard (1968) and graphically violent yakuza movies that practically reinvented the genre. He made Shanghai Rhapsody the year after he made the fantasy chanbara, Legend Of Eight Samurai (1983) starring Hiroyuki Sanada, Sonny Chiba and Chiba's martial arts protege, Etskuko Shiomi. Shanghai Rhapsody is set during World War II and also stars Shiomi. I could not find a clip, but I could find a poster and a dvd cover. Behold...

Never forget that Sue Shiomi is a beautiful, beautiful bride and ninja.

Princess Raccoon (2005)

Seijun Suzuki is most famous for his amazing 1960s yakuza pictures for Nikkatsu studios including Tokyo Drifter (1966), which isn't exactly a musical, but comes close. And it stars singer and actor Tetsuya Watari as the drifting, whistling yakuza. But that's not what I'm planning sharing because Suzuki made a straight up operetta. In Princess Raccoon, Amechiyo falls in love with a tanuki princess (Zhang Ziyi). His father Lord Azuchi Momoyama does not approve. It's orgeously stylized with lovely sets and costumes. There is also rapping.




Memories of Matsuko (2006) 

Tetsuya Nakashima's Confessions (2010) disturbed and distressed many, but he has an earlier film about a schoolteacher gone wrong. After his aunt Matsuko is murdered, Sho cleans out her apartment and discovers the story of her life as a neglected little girl, a school teacher and as a disgraced family member. It sounds gloomy, and Matsuko does have a rough life, but it's also candy-colored and, in the words of the Japan Society, "An unlikely cross between Moulin Rouge, Citizen Kane and Amelie, Memories of Matsuko is a magical realist descent into the suppressed history (both farce and tragedy) of the most unfortunate woman you've ever seen on screen."

Or, it's kinda like Mame, if Auntie Mame were dead at the beginning like William Holden in Sunset Boulevard.



Catch Tokyo Tribe tonight! And see Tetsuya Nakashima's newest film, The World of Kanako, as well as Takashi Miike's Over Your Dead Body in the Vanguard Program!

TOKYO TRIBE screening times:
Fri., Sept. 5th, 10:00 PM, SCOTIABANK 8
Sun., Sept. 14th, 3:30 PM, LIGHTBOX 3

WORLD OF KANAKO screening times:
Sunday, Sept 7th 9:15 PM ISABELLA BADER THEATRE
Tuesday, Sept 9th 11:30 AM THE BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA
Saturday, Sept 13 9:00 PM THE BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA

OVER YOUR DEAD BODY screening times:
Thurs., Sept. 11, Ryerson 6:00 PM
Fri., Sept. 12, The Bloor Hot Docs Cinema 9:00 PM
Sat., Sept. 13, TIFF Bell Lightbox 2 6:30 PM

Video: TOKYO TRIBE Midnight Madness International Premiere Post-Screening Q&A

Tokyo Tribe had it's International Premiere last night at midnight madness. The Ryerson theater is still shaking with the bass from the speakers. Here is Colin Geddes' intro and post-screening Q&A with director Sion Sono and actor and Japanese hip-hop superstar Young Dais. The complete intor and post-screening Q&A video is below.


TOKYO TRIBE screening times:
Fri., Sept. 5th, 10:00 PM, SCOTIABANK 8
Sun., Sept. 14th, 3:30 PM, LIGHTBOX 3

Twitter buzz for Sion Sono's TOKYO TRIBE!

Your faithful bloggers have been scouring social media to see what the Midnight Madness audience's been saying about the completely insane TOKYO TRIBE, which brought the house down at the Ryerson last night for the first screening at 2014's Midnight Madness programme!

If these tweets have whet your appetite for Sion Sono's erotic rap battle musical tribute to West Side Story (that's right), check out one of the other screenings at TIFF!

TOKYO TRIBE screening times:
Fri., Sept. 5th, 10:00 PM, SCOTIABANK 8
Sun., Sept. 14th, 3:30 PM, LIGHTBOX 3

Video: SION SONO TOYKO TRIBE Red Carpet Interview: "Cinema Is My Life"

Mic Check! Tokyo Tribe! Mic Check! Tokyo Tribe. Testing 1, 2, 3. Yo! Raise your hands up! This is an epic hip-hop battle. Guns, samurai swords, round house kicks to the head and the unrelenting pulsing thump, thump of bass. Sion Sono director of Why Don't You Play In Hell winner of the 2013 Midnight Madness People's Choice award returned to midnight madness last night with his latest picture Tokyo Tribe. Robert Mitchell wasn't going to be allowed on the red carpet but said Yo! Bum Rush The Show! and spoke with the amazing director Sion Sono and lead actor and Japanese hip-hop superstar Young Dias.



TOKYO TRIBE screening times:
Fri., Sept. 5th, 10:00 PM, SCOTIABANK 8
Sun., Sept. 14th, 3:30 PM, LIGHTBOX 3

TOKYO TRIBE: Spotlight on YOUNG DAIS

YOUNG DAIS is a J-HipHop artist who stars in Sion Sono's Tokyo Tribe! We did some digging to find out more about this charismatic new movie star.

YOUNG DAIS fact breakdown:

Stars as the character of "Kai Deguchi" in Tokyo Tribe

From Hokkaido, Japan 

His first Solo Album is called "PLAYLIST" and was released September, 2012.  

His second solo album is Accent, released in May 2012.

One of the 6 members of  J-HipHop group North Coast Bad Boys (NCBB) and also a solo artist.

NCBB MEMBERS: HOKT, S55 aka SPOCK, LIL'J, DAI-HARD, 1-KYU, SHU

He's also a personality for a radio show called "DDGTHING"

Watch Young Dais's Official Music Video for Tokyo Tribe:

Interesting note:  A call for Tokyo Tribe was held on Youtube,  and Young Dias was one of of over 1,000 applicants. It was announced that he won lead during Young Dias's national tour. 

Here's Sion Sono's Original casting call (Japanese) 

More links!

Artist Profile on Management Page (in Japanese, but several more music videos are viewable there, as well as social media sites)

Check out more Japanese Hip Hop Artists

Japanese sources translated by my lovely wife!

Mera vs Kai 

TOKYO TRIBE screening times:
Thu., Sept. 4th, 11:59 PM, RYERSON
Fri., Sept. 5th, 10:00 PM, SCOTIABANK 8
Sun., Sept. 14th, 3:30 PM, LIGHTBOX 3

TOKYO TRIBE: Manga in the Madness

Sion Sono's Tokyo Tribe premieres tonight and it looks to be a swell affair all around--gangs, fights, musical numbers. Like West Side Story if it were set in a near future, dystopian Tokyo with by Japanese hip-hop artists like Young Dias, Simon, Y's, MC Sho, Ego and Loota instead of Stephen Sondheim and Leonard Bernstein (aka, MC Double S and DJ Lenny).

But Tokyo Tribe got its start in the silent world of manga. It's adapted from Santa Inoue's manga Tokyo Tribe 2, also called Tokyo Tribes in TokyoPop's English edition. But there is a Tokyo Tribe 1 (aka, Tokyo Tribe). It's a one volume story published in 1993. (I hope that clears up any confusion). Tokyo Tribe 2 (aka, Tokyo Tribe Deux) carries on the story of a hip-hop influenced, dystopian, gang-controlled Tokyo after riots in Shibuya. Inoue completed Tokyo Tribe 3 in 2012 so if you're just starting, there's still plenty to read. And you can read and watch in style wearing his Inoue's line of Santastic! clothes and accessories.

When you're a Hand,
You're a Hand all the way

Tokyo Tribe isn't the first live action manga adaptation to play Midnight Madness. Fudoh: The New Generation (1997) was Takashi Miike's first of many films at Midnight Madness. It was also adapted from Hitoshi Tanimura's manga Fudō: Gokudō Sengokushi. High school student Riki Fudoh (Shosuke Tanihara) is looking to avenge his brother's death with the help of his highly trained high school assassin friends.

Riki Fudoh politely asks you to help him with
his social studies homework.

There have been subsequent live action films about Riki Fudoh's high school hijinx, and by "hijinx," I mean organized crime capers and assassinations. But Miike didn't direct them.

Miike's Ichi The Killer (2001)was also adapted from Hideo Yamamoto's manga. Ichi  (Nao Ōmori) is a very talented, incredibly brutal contract killer conflicted about his desires. As so many people often do, he ends up in trouble with the Kabukicho yakuza. Ichi is pursued by yakuza lieutenant Kakihara (Tadanobu Asano) who is as masochistic as Ichi is sadistic and would very much like to know who killed his boss.

Ah, love.

(Incidentally, Miike doesn't have a film at Midnight Madness this year, but his new movie, Over Your Dead Body is playing the Vanguard program. Just sayin').


In 2008, Toshio Lee's Detroit Metal City brought the full power of Metal to Midnight Madness.  Soichi Negishi wants to play adorable Swedish-influenced pop songs, but finds fame as the front man for Death Metal band DMC, Johannes Krauser II. There are shenanigans and a music battle with Jack iLL Dark (Gene Simmons) as Negishi as comes to terms with a talent he doesn't want. Negishi is played by Kenichi Matsuyama, who also starred in live action manga adaptations including: Death Note; Gantz; and Kamui Gaiden. Detroit Metal City was adapted from Kiminori Wakasugi's story.originally serialized in the magazine, Young Animal. Go to DMC!

“And for our encore–Swedish-influenced indie pop songs!”

Shimako Sato's Wizard of Darkness /  Eko Eko Azarak played Midnight Madness way back in the Olden Times of 1995. It's based on the manga Eko Eko Azarak by Shinichi Koga. As in Fudoh, there are high school hijinx as Misa (Kimika Yoshino from Miike's Gozu) investigates mysterious happenings and tries to save herself and her classmates from ancient evil. By hijinx, I mean, graphic, horrible murders that might be human sacrifice.

Misa takes no guff from ancient evil.

Tokyo Zombie (2005) didn't play Midnight Madness, but I'm including it because I like it and it stars MM Alumni Tadanobu Asano (Ichi the Killer) and Shō Aikawa (Gozu; Zebraman) as Fumio and Mitsuo, a pair of jiujitsu afficionados in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. It's based on Yusaku Hanakuma's eponymous single volume manga.

Taking care of business in a the grocery store.

So sharpen up your evil-smiting sword, plot your revenge carefully, ready your most awesome moves and show up for the latest live action manga to enter into the Madness, Tokyo Tribe!

[Really, leave your swords at home. And please take your righteous revenge elsewhere. People are just trying to enjoy a movie here. Bring some manga to read in line instead. ~The Editor].

TOKYO TRIBE screening times:
Thu. Sept. 4th, 11:59 PM, RYERSON
Fri. Sept. 5th, 10:00 PM, SCOTIABANK 8
Sun. Sept. 14th, 3:30 PM, LIGHTBOX 3

And the screening times for Takashi Miike's OVER YOUR DEAD BODY:
Thurs., Sept. 11, Ryerson 6:00 PM
Fri., Sept. 12, The Bloor Hot Docs Cinema 9:00 PM
Sat., Sept. 13, TIFF Bell Lightbox 2 6:30 PM

TOKYO TRIBE Premieres Tonight!!

Sion Sono, the director of Why Don't You Play In Hell, Love Exposure and Suicide Circle is baaaaack, and it looks like he's bringing perhaps his most audacious film to date to open this year's Midnight Madness!

Its short description is that it's a 'yakuza-street gang-hip hop-musical epic', so if you already have plans tonight (that includes 'going to bed early'), you should probably cancel them and order your tickets now.

TOKYO TRIBE screening times:
Thu., Sept. 4th, 11:59 PM, RYERSON
Fri., Sept. 5th, 10:00 PM, SCOTIABANK 8
Sun., Sept. 14th, 3:30 PM, LIGHTBOX 3

5 Facts about TOKYO TRIBE director SION SONO!

 Director SION SONO returns with this year's opening film Toyko Tribe! He's directed some very unique films  including Last's years Midnight Madness hit  Why Don't You Play in Hell --and Love Exposure, Cold Fish, Suicide Club, and Noriko's Dinner Table to name a few. Sono is a charismatic figure in Japan, with a very interesting personality!  Here are some things I would never have guessed about him:

1. When he was a teenager, he was a prolific poet, and was published in several magazines.

2. He has a band called Revolution Q (which originated from one of his movies Love and Peace (coming 2015), and will be participating in a  battle of the bands  with another band called ART-SCHOOL sept 30th in Tokyo.

3. After being a filmmaker for some time, and even some moderate success he was homeless for 6 months in America. He faced this hardship with a positive attitude, seeking to be enriched by this unique life experience. During this period he drew Japanese Manga Style Portraits at the beach for money.

4.  Sono has the actor's touch of gold: in Japan many actors who work with him experience evolved careers, and go on to have great success.

6.  His film Suicide Club is a result of him watching American Z-movie indie films, and noticing that as a filmmaker, you don't only have to be traditional--that he can do something crazy. "I was incorrect before, this is ALSO a movie, and I should just make it with this "low level" feeling."

Then he called his friends, and said: "I wanna make Bizarre movies."

And the first film of this new wave was Suicide Club, which went on to win 2001 Fantasia Festival's  Grand Jury Prize.

Special Thanks to my wife for translating!

Sources:
http://jisin.jp/news/2626/6996/
www.Sionsono.com
www.art-school.net/liv.html

TOKYO TRIBE screening times: 

Thu., Sept. 4th, 11:59 PM, RYERSON 

Fri., Sept. 5th, 10:00 PM, SCOTIABANK 8 Sun., 

Sept. 14th, 3:30 PM, LIGHTBOX 3

The Continuing Madness of Sion Sono

Remember when Sion Sono scrambled your brain at Midnight Madness 2013? Here's a little clip to take you back:

Yep, it's the gonzo toothpaste song from Sono's Why Don't You Play In Hell?, winner of the 2013 Midnight Madness People's Choice Award. Here is a Japanese trailer for the film that ends with a montage of spots where the toothpaste song recurs in the film:



Don't miss Sono's triumphant return to Midnight Madness with this year's opening night film Tokyo Tribe.

TOKYO TRIBE screening times:
Thu. Sept. 4th, 11:59 PM, RYERSON
Fri. Sept. 5th, 10:00 PM, SCOTIABANK 8
Sun. Sept. 14th, 3:30 PM, LIGHTBOX 3

TOKYO TRIBE: Sion Sono Returns to Kick Off Midnight Madness 2014

The opening night film of Midnight Madness 2014 is directed by Sion Sono. So much for gradually working up to the really nutty stuff. Sono won the 2013 Midnight Madness People's Choice Award for the spectacular mind-melter Why Don't You Play in Hell? He's back this year to defend his title with Tokyo Tribe, a "yakuza/street-gang/hip-hop musical epic." For a taste of the mayhem set to be unleashed on the Ryerson on opening night, check out the Japanese trailer:



TOKYO TRIBE screening times:
Thu. Sept. 4th, 11:59 PM, RYERSON
Fri. Sept. 5th, 10:00 PM, SCOTIABANK 8
Sun. Sept. 14th, 3:30 PM, LIGHTBOX 3

The 2013 Blackberry People's Choice Midnight Madness Award Winner!

This year's Blackberry People's Choice Midnight Madness Winner is Why Don't You Play In Hell! Congratulations to director Sion Sono and the cast and crew from all of us at the Midnight Madness Programme Blog!

Here's Sion Sono's response on winning the Award:

「こんな賞が欲しかった。この映画は、こういう賞を求めてた。

この映画がジャンプして喜んでいる姿が目に浮かぶ。」

This is what we always wanted. Our film was looking for something like this award. I can clearly picture that the film is jumping around and expressing the happiness.

And this year's runner-ups were Oculus, directed by Mike Flanagan, and, Witching & Bitching, directed by Álex de la Iglesia. Congratulations to Mike Flanagan, Álex de la Iglesia and the cast and crew of both films!

A Perplexed, Thrilled Midnight Madness Audience Talks About WHY DON'T YOU PLAY IN HELL!

Gnash your teeth, let's fly! The smartphones were out and fired up for the screening of Sion Sono's surreal departure from his last TIFF entry, Cold Fish. Check it out!

All the screenings of Why Don't You Play In Hell have passed, but keep an eye out for it on DVD/VOD or even in your local theatre!