One Cut of the Dead – aka Kamera o tomeru na! – is a 2017 Japanese comedy horror feature film written and directed by Shuichiro Ueda [Shin’ichirô Ueda]. The movie stars Yuzuki Akiyama, Takuya Fujimura, Ayana Gôda, Takayuki Hamatsu, Manabu Hosoi, Hiroshi Ichihara, Satoshi Iwagô, Sakina Iwaji and Mao.
A low-budget film crew about to shoot a zombie movie at a desolate warehouse is suddenly attacked by real zombies. The uncompromising director forces them to confront the living dead head-on for the sake of capturing it all in one single take, with no consideration for their lives…
One Cut of the Dead will be shown at Florida’s Popcorn Frights Film Festival on August 16, 2018.
Reviews:
The acting follows the same preposterous rules of the production, with the actors having to play double roles (their parts in the film and their actual selves), in caricature fashion. “Panos Kotzathanasis, Asian Film Vault
“Frankly, this is an exceptionally enjoyable effort that finally offers a unique take on the zombie genre, which comes from plenty of strong characters and witty situations. This is definitely worthwhile for those that are trying for something new in the genre or can appreciate bizarre zombie comedies…” Asian Movie Pulse
“The little details pivoting on Higurashi’s on-the-fly directing, the ensuing mayhem, delighted execs that only see the final product, reality bleeding into the art and the clever callbacks that change our perception of what came before combine for a delightful comedy about the joys as well as the frustrations that go with genre filmmaking.” Elizabeth Kerr, The Hollywood Reporter
“Thirty-seven minutes in, just as the joke is wearing thin, the story resets, with a fresh perspective that infuses the proceedings with a new energy and meaning. The film becomes even funnier, while making us appreciate the dedication, ingenuity and passion of its on-screen movie folk — and the unknowns who play them.” Mark Schilling, The Japan Times
“One Cut captures all the craziness and exhilaration of movie-making on a minuscule budget. High-energy performances from a cast of little-knowns are perfectly tuned to the material. The outstanding technical package is a great example of how to create a Poverty Row look for what’s actually a very sophisticated filmmaking exercise.” Richard Kuipers, Variety
“Hilarious, self aware, and filled with homages to classic horror, One Cut of the Dead is an oddly warmhearted comedy in which the zombies are the least of anyone’s worries.” Windows on Worlds
Running time:
96 minutes
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