Theme: Everyone has a part to play in the story of the world

Variation 1: There is no such thing as an extra, because we all have our own stories to tell.

Variation 2: We are all extras in the stories of each others lives.

Variation 3: We are all connected by the world we share, each of our exploits making the fabric of the world's story much richer in the process.

Variation 4: We earn our roles through merit, not status, by the texture of our lives that makes our niche in the world wholly our own.

Variation 5: We must play our roles with excellence, vigor, and grace, for to do otherwise is to waste the purpose that…

Sion Sono has lived many lives behind the camera. After several relentless decades spent churning out softcore pornos, demented J-horror classics, furious confrontations with post-Fukushima Japan, a hyper-violent rap opera about masculine fragility, one of the most unflinching serial killer dramas since “Vengeance Is Mine,” a four-hour epic about upskirt photographers (and death cults), an Amazon miniseries called “Tokyo Vampire Hotel,” and a few dozen other films that defy such easy description, the only thing less surprising than the massive heart attack that struck Sono in February 2019 — and literally killed him for an entire minute — is that it hasn’t slowed him down whatsoever.

Forgive the familiar lede, but some things bear repeating, particularly in the context of…

Countless stories of countless people that pass by in a blink. How many extras do you brush against on your commute, your class, your late-night escapades? Without the extras in your life, the individual threads in your rich tapestry of experience, would your life still be the same?

Red Post on Escher Street is about the dissolution of roles: the concept of the leading role eliminated, stripped down until there becomes no difference between the lead and the side. In understanding this outlook, one can find solace in their life. You may be an extra in this story, one story, but you are just as vital to it as the supposed "lead" and without you there is no story worth…

"What's wrong with being broken?"

Wow, OK. I wasn't expecting this to be about the pandemic and a loss of freedom, expression and visibility. Red Post on Escher Street is also about the filmmaking process; and the passion and spirit behind the scenes from the full cast and crew, down to the extras fighting to get their 15 seconds of fame! You've got to hand it to Sion Sono, who at 58 years old retains his vitality and fresh and modern perspective. I also think he doesn't get enough credit for making and showcasing new stars in the industry. His philosophy of amateurs first, stars last is something I can fully get behind! Ultimately, this is what this film is…

I'm sitting here and my body is shaking.

Dear Sono Sion,
I bow to you, I salute you, I respect you, I am deeply in love with you and your work. It seems like you still can surprise me.

I've got to a point where I don't need anything new from your films to love them. Give me the usual Sono and I'll be more than happy.
And here you are, giving me a film that exceeds my expectations again. What do you expect from me? How should i react? What do you do with me?

What I see is a movie about film making. About all the hard work that goes into it. About the struggle to make your…

Action! - Love, Lust And Violence: Sion Sono's Inland Empire W/ The Night Nutter, Joe Mighty Castillo, The Other Guys.... and Jeff

Our Sion Sono marathon concludes with a film that, in many ways, encompasses all we've seen from the filmmaker so far, at least in terms of his sense of humour. This film, like his immense enthusiasm for filmmaking, feels like a less violent and funnier version of films like Why Don't You Play In Hell? and One Cut Of The Dead, in which we follow a film production from the perspective of everyone involved, always beginning with the (usually intriguing) motive that prompted them to audition and/or produce the film.

On many ways, the success of this picture…

Um, wow, there's a lot to unpack.

At around the first-hour mark I wasn't sure I'd like it. The meandering story, the blatant over-acting, and the strange structure at first really didn't sit with me well. However, as I began to piece together what I was watching. Red Post on Escher Street felt less like a directionless overindulgent film, and more of an ambitious, bold, self-aware, and an incredibly nuanced project that proves to be one of my favorite films of the year. This is my first Sion Sono movie and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't completely amazed by my introduction into his filmography. The narrative flows from character to character with an ease I really wouldn't…

"If we liken a movie to a hamburger, extras are neither cheese or meat. We're more like the onions. Without them, something is missing."

After making so many movies, and acquiring a lot of experience in the process, Sono has reached the point where he is more interested in pointing the camera at himself to show us his craft. This is obviously not the first time he ventures into the world of filmmaking, as he already explored it in Why Don't You Play In Hell!?, Antiporno and The Forest Of Love, and while Red Post On Escher Street might look like a companion piece to those titles, at least thematically, the approach is very different. If in Why Don't You…