NYAFF Report: Beetle The Horn King Review

Canfield here with some, as usual, late festival coverage- too many films, too many films. The New York Asian Film Festival is North America's Premiere Asian Film Fest event. A full two weeks and dozens of films means there's something for everyone. Something to love, something to hate, something to make you do a double take and say "Did they just do THAT?!" And absolutely something to make you wish you could afford the tix to New York, billet etc. The above is a pretty good description of the stages I went through as I perused the website.

But before despair could take hold enter Grady Hendrix who sent darn near the entire festival for me to screen and report on from back here in Chi-town. First up is Beetle the Horn King in which the name of Kafka is used, the spirit of The Metamorphosis is abused and the audience truly amused.

BEETLE THE HORN KING.

I watched this first with a crowd because, quite frankly how else does one watch a film described by many as a cross between the WWF and Power Rangers. I'm happy to report the manic energy was there in spades but so was the more elusive sense of watching a truly worthwhile baaaaaaaad movie. This was entertainment of that rare variety that surprised whenever the material threatened to collapse on it's one note structure.

Do you really care what this is about? Guys in insanely bulky insect suits whacking each other with folding chairs and shooting laser beams out of their insect orifices. But here goes my best stab. Beetle Horn King is a wrestler. He was once human but has now been transformed into an insect human hybrid by evil aliens. Wearing a sombrero and announcing his presence with a spaghetti western strumming of the guitar he fights for truth justice and the Asian way!! When the evil Alien wrestlers return to make him match wits and antennas with his arch cockroach human nemesis he fights past old flames, old grudges and a costume that really restricts his movements to try and save the world.

Do you need to know anything else? The performances are broad as one would expect And humor misfires almost as much as it ignites but the crowd I was with dug it mightily especially when cockroach dude transformed himself with the mighty yell of "Kafka!" I haven't seen Calamari Wrestler, but from what I've heard this is a move up for director Minoru Kawasaki.