The Calamari Wrestler
I hope this film gets a mainstream release:
Giant squid crashes championship match & steals title belt.
REVIEW SUMMARY (From NYT)
When Koji Taguchi (Akira) wins a championship wrestling match, his delight is cut short by the intervention of a giant squid (a rubber-clad Osamu Nishimura), whose slithering tentacle swipes the Championship Belt. The remaining nine appendages proceed to whip Mr. Taguchi into stunned submission as hysterical announcers explain why his signature reverse-inverted full nelson is useless against slippery cephalopods. Meanwhile, Mr. Taguchi’s fiancée, Miyako (Kana Ishida), is wondering why the squid wrestler is making her heart rate rise to an alarming level. Goofy, bizarre, yet surprisingly coherent, “The Calamari Wrestler” veils sharp social commentary with irreverent humor and corny romance. The production values are erratic, the acting barely adequate, and the effects more cheesy than special — somewhere between “The Muppets” and “Godzilla” — but the film possesses a good-natured charm. — Jeannette Catsoulis, The New York Times
There is some info at imdb.com as well as here and here. It is showing at the Fantasia film festival in Montreal.
October 26th, 2005 at 8:50 pm
A dear friend just procurred me a copy of this truly amazing film. There’s very little I can add to the NY Times review above, except to mention that a wrestling octopus makes an appearance, as well as a wrestling mantis shrimp. Action, pathos, romance, ink, corruption within the pro wrestling world, here’s a feature film that delivers handsomely. Plus, you get to see a giant squid in Everlast wrestling boots.