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CREATORS UNITE 10 ISSUE 10 GLOBAL AD
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CREATORS UNITE 10 EDITOR’S LETTER We are delighted to present CREATORS UNITE #10: THE ESSENTIAL ISSUE, featuring exclusive interviews with Kelli Maroney, Lloyd Kaufman, Luigi Cozzi, and Kurando Mitsutake. Kelli Maroney, the highly respected actress that many of us have admired for decades, is without a doubt, an exceptional woman who is loved by all. We invite you to join us in getting to know her. Lloyd Kaufman, the creator of TROMA ENTERTAINMENT is the ultimate reference for filmmakers and independent creators. Lloyd’s influence cannot be ignored as the TROMA culture have permeated spirits in a profound and lasting way. We had the privilege of interviewing Lloyd, both in English and French (which he speaks without an accent). Check out our Masters at Work to learn more about Lloyd! Luigi Cozzi, known for his films Starcrash, Hercules, and Contamination, is one of those iconic artists, who continues to create essential work against all odds. We met him in Rome at the PROFONDO ROSSO store, which he co-founded with Dario Argento. We hope you enjoy this glimpse into his world. We also had the pleasure of interviewing Kurando Mitsutake, whose fascinating work restores a sense of prestige to cinematic art. Mitsutake's approach, both in substance and form, is a captivating blend of violence and aesthetics. His work is truly outstanding and transcendent. To mark the release of our 10th magazine (and 28th publication), we bring you this special "best of" issue, dedicated to four exceptional artists, featuring exclusive interviews with each of them. We hope you enjoy reading CREATORS UNITE #10 as much as we enjoyed creating it. THE ESSENTIAL ISSUE is available in digital and print formats (limited edition prints). You can find the e-book version on Issuu and hard cover books on Peecho. A soft-cover magazine in four parts (each dedicated to a specific star) is also available on Issuu and Peecho. DC Deever THE ESSENTIAL ISSUE
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CREATORS UNITE 10 TABLE OF CONTENTS
THE ESSENTIAL ISSUE Special Best Of Including Essential ITWS of Kelli Maroney, Lloyd Kaufman, Luigi Cozzi & Kurando Mitsutake PART 4: KURANDO MITSUTAKE • •
Editor’s Letter - P5 Table of Contents - P7
Masters at Work 4 - Kurando Mitsutake - P8 • WEBTALK P8: Starter by Emilie Flory. Interview with Kurando Mitsutake by Christopher Zisi • SHOWROOM P39: Reviews by Sooz Webb • TECH SECRETS P51: Shooting Practice, Gunfight, Gun Psychology, Q & A, Arsenal by Christopher Bourez & Emilie Flory Bonus Feature - P97 • MYTHMAKER: GEORGE A. ROMERO by Jason Figgis A short video essay for Creators Unite Magazine looking at George A. Romero's seminal classic horror film from 1968 - Night of the Living Dead. Written, presented and directed by Jason Figgis •
Special Thanks / Masthead - P94
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CREATORS UNITE 10 WEBTALK
It is no secret that the Cinematographic Art has lost its splendor: it no longer causes the same enthusiasm since filmmakers, the real ones, those who have a vision and know how to practice their art, have been kept away from the new production and distribution systems that have now become monstrous, due to their uniformity and short-termism. These systems render inoperative the great producers, the connoisseurs and enthusiasts who move heaven and Earth to bring out real artists and masterpieces. The audiences are still enjoying themselves with disposable “art” that the system throws them to anesthetize them, but a powerful resistance is now developing. “Life isn't a support system for art. It's the other way around.” said Stephen King... The seventh art is no longer an art, or very little if anything: it is still an art among the independent filmmakers and artists who are ignored by State agencies and right-thinking authorities. The underground, independent system… This is where art is hiding and regenerates itself, thanks to a few hotheads who resist against all odds. Kurando Mitsutake is one of those filmmakers, one of these exceptionally talented creators. Passionate, humble and incredibly human and warm, he knows perfectly well his work in addition to having great technique. His films carry within themselves the great human themes that also dwell in us all.
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CREATORS UNITE 10 WEBTALK Kurando Mitsutake is not a star that everyone knows, but he's a superstar for movie fans who praise him to the skies (they all have at least one of his films in their film library). Watching a movie of Kurando Mitsutake is a shock similar to those you could receive in viewing a Romero or a Hooper movie. Mitsutake is a great among the greats. We had the chance to speak with him in order to deliver you here two exclusive interviews, a few analyses of his films and an incredible photo exhibition of his work, prepared in close collaboration with him. You will find it after an amazing Q&A about the art of firing which he treated us with! We hope you enjoy. Emilie Flory
Exclusive Interview with Kurando Mitsutake by Christopher Zisi
thE wEb talk Photos Courtesy: © Kurando Mitsutake, © MAXAM, Inc., © Torin, Jumpei Tainaka, and © FukuzoProductions Christopher Zisi: Spaghetti westerns… 70s exploitation films… Kung Fu epics… you and I have the same tastes, I’m so sorry we have never met. Have you always been fans of these genres?
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CREATORS UNITE 10 WEBTALK Many of your revenge themed plots seem taken right out of Sergio Leone spaghetti westerns, but you don’t merely make a western… you combine all of the above genres for a bloody good time… is this just straight from the mind of Kurando Mitsutake… or is there a careful and deliberate choreographing of several genres? Kurando Mitsutake: Thank you Chris. Yes, I’m an avid genre film fan. I’m a product of the 80’s rental video shop culture. The 80’s were the era when the B-movie big bang happened. I watched all kinds of cult movies growing up, so definitely Spaghetti westerns, 70’s exploitation films and Kung Fu epics are in my DNA. Sergio Corbucchi, Sam Pekinpah and Bruce Lee are some of my filmmaking idols. My other big influence comes from Japanese Manga comic books. Legendary Manga artists like Go Nagai, Mikiya Mochizuki and Osamu Tezuka are in my blood too. So, I think the stories I like to tell – such as my previous work, Samurai Avenger, Gun Woman and Karate Kill– are sort of hybrid mixtures of cult genre movies and cult Manga comic books. I guess that would be the summary of my narrative. Christopher Zisi: Asami is an amazing actress, and her performances are often rigorous and extreme. I’ve seen her in Iron Girl, some Lust of the Dead films, and of course Gun Woman and Karate Kill. Did she find you or did you find her? How do you sell Asami on Gun Woman? When you read her the role, was she aghast or did she crack a slight smile? I trust she will be in your future films too. Kurando Mitsutake: Asami is a force of nature. She is a natural born performer.
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CREATORS UNITE 10 WEBTALK I was introduced to her by a stunt coordinator friend of mine. We were at a wrap party of a movie this guy was the fight choreographer for. Since I admired her performances on Noboru Iguchi san and Yoshihiro Nishimura san’s work, I was very happy to meet her. Then, we were invited to a fan convention in Germany together. When you are stuck in an airplane for 13 hours or so, you become fast friends. It was actually on the return flight to Narita back from Düsseldorf, I pitched the idea of Gun Woman to her. The moment I finished telling her the story, she said “I need to play that character. I’m the only one who can play her.” Asami was in love with Gun Woman from the day zero. Unfortunately, earlier this year, Asami has announced she will be retiring from acting. But I secretly hope to entice her back to performing if I ever get a go to do Gun Woman 2. Christopher Zisi: When going after a monster, it helps to become a bigger monster. I love that theme. Your protagonists in these revenge films, whether it be the blind swordsman, or the mastermind in Gun Woman, are all haunted and determined. We are on their side in their quests for revenge, but boy do they make us gasp. Your protagonists often become bigger monsters, and that is just fine with us… does that tell us something about who we are? Are your films a mirror in which we have an opportunity to take a look at ourselves and who we really are and apt to become? Kurando Mitsutake: Thank you. I believe, revenge should only be performed by a person who’s willing to go to hell for that act. So, when you gain such a conviction for your act, you have to become some kind of a monster. THE ESSENTIAL ISSUE
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CREATORS UNITE 10 SHOWROOM
GUN WOMAN & KARATE KILL Reviews by Sooz Webb
GUN WOMAN
Gun Woman (2014)1h 26min. Writers: Kurando Mitsutake, Chiaki Yanagimoto. Director: Kurando Mitsutake. Stars: Asami, Kairi Narita, Noriaki Kamata, Matthew Floyd Miller…
Revenge is a dish best served cold. Or, in the case of director Kurando Mitsutake’s work, revenge is a dish best served with as many of your enemies’ internal organs splattered as violently as you can arrange it. Couple that with a level of gratuitos flesh on show, guaranteed to push the boundaries of bad taste to the limit, and you’re only halfway close to what our double feature of Gun Woman and Karate Kill have to offer. Seeking retribution for his wife's brutal murder, a talented doctor known simply as ‘The Mastermind’ purchases a prostitute, with the intent of shaping her into the ultimate killing machine. And as you can imagine, her education isn’t all puppy dogs and rainbows. Subjected to beatings and bullying, as well as various methods of combat and weapons training, the young woman becomes an instrument of death, reborn as ‘The Gun Woman’. Her target is the perpetrator of what most in polite society would call pretty heinous acts. THE ESSENTIAL ISSUE
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by Christopher Bourez & Emilie Flory
Photos Courtesy: GUN WOMAN © MAXAM, Inc.
Shooting Practice | Gunfight | Gun Psychology | Q & A | Arsenal
Shooting Practice Central to the resolution of Gun Woman scenario is the tactical training of Mayumi (Asami -J-sploitation queen) by Mastermind (Kairi Narita). Many films leave the realism of a gunfight to our WAR IMAGINATION: in old war movies, for example, a protagonist could shoot one bullet on the battlefield and a group of 5 soldiers could fall. Some other films have taken the opposite direction with (lots) more WAR PROFESSIONALISM: renowned shooting champion Taran Butler has trained many actors, such as Keanu Reeves for highly realistic John Wick, French film Special Forces (2011) employs, as both actor and advisor, a former French military and drill instructor member of the Navy special forces. To which category does Gun Woman belong?
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John Wick Tactical Training: Keanu Reeves at Taran Tactical.
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It is very important to have the reflex to always leave the finger out of the trigger, when not pointing the gun towards a target. That’s for security reason, to avoid inadvertent shooting. THE ESSENTIAL ISSUE
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Gun Woman gives good advice about surviving a gunfight:
“A bullet will miss you in most cases. Only highly trained ones can hit their targets. So, don’t fear the gun pointed at you. [...] Make a precise decision even at gunpoint”. THE ESSENTIAL ISSUE
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CREATORS UNITE 10 TECH SECRETS Verdict: 50-50. Some positions are following the shooting practice and rules, while some others should be avoided. On top of that, variations in positions of the fingers, hands, and manipulations, show that more practice is still required to become a professional. A lot more about precision training could be taught by Mastermind.
Gunfight The experience of letting the untrained blond girl shoot at Mayumi is very dangerous but has a strong power of retention for one who survives. Moreover, as explained, most targets are in movement: “Even a trained individual can hardly hit a moving target”. And shooting at a moving target requires to anticipate the movement. The anticipation depends on distance as well as the speed of the target. It requires specific training, that cannot be acquired on static targets. Pointing the index at the target should be sufficient to shoot at this distance. Is Mayumi survival in this experience realistic? Yes, definitely. The pistol is shaking a lot, there is no intent to kill, the blond girl has not activated her instinct in a classical defense. The pistol is mostly targeting too high, and there is a tendency to reproduce the same error in a shooting drill. Her body is soft, while her body muscles should be tightened.
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Gun Psychology There exists a one-gun model for every psychology. Of course, some models are more renowned than others and have become best sellers in the military and police around the world. But the look and feel of a gun varies from one person to another, each choice being very personal, depending on the type (pistol vs revolver), the weight, the strength, precision and range of the trigger, the stock shape, the size, the preference for metal pieces rather than plastic ones, the history, … and for a few last people, inspiration can be driven by actors and movies : the ego, dream, projection of the onlooker… The ammunition type is usually less important since models are available with different barrels.
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CREATORS UNITE 10 TECH SECRETS 4-By disassembling the gun and hiding its parts into Mayumi’s body, Mastermind knows the security guards of the “Room” won’t see Mayumi is carrying a gun… Separating the magazine from the frame doesn’t spare place to put it into a body. Why separating them? Kurando Mitsutake: True. The decision to separate the magazine from the gun and put it in Mayumi’s vagina was more a symbolic reason than a logical reason. It was to create the sense of her giving birth to a gun from her body. Hence the loaded magazine came from her vagina on top of a firearm surgically inserted into her body. 5-You are preparing your feature 5 which will apparently have many gun fights; can you tell us more about the way you prepare those scenes? Kurando Mitsutake: Yes, as for my movie number 5, I’m hoping to get a green light on my hard-boiled film noir gun action thriller. At this early stage, I just put what I would love to see into the script. Then, the production begins; I will work closely with a stunt coordinator and a firearm specialist to bring the gun fights to life. 6-Do you think of those scenes long before you shoot them? Do they inspire the way you write your stories? Kurando Mitsutake: Yes, I do. I usually have the whole movie worked out in my head before the shoot. Meaning, I see the entire movie in my mind before it gets produced. So, if I can just plug an USB cable or something into my brain and download the movie, I don’t even need to film it. Maybe in the future we can do this but the filming is the most fun part of filmmaking so I shouldn’t wish for that technology. THE ESSENTIAL ISSUE
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