I had nerded so hard when I got the chance to see the LA debut of Jellyfish Eyes from the artist Takashi Murakami at the Ace Hotel Theater. Mr. Murakami has been on a world wide (well US) tour of the first directing effort with a next stop in NYC. He’s quite a quirky guy that has the ability to still harness his childlike imagination to create whimsical creatures. As you can see from the photo Jellyfish Eyes has a lot of critters from cute to scary (big AND small) that will appeal to the boy or girl in all of us. If you are lucky enough to score a VIP ticket you might have the opportunity to have an exclusive designed figurine and even a reception. I learned of the screening too late to take advantage but was tickled pink that after the film he hung out in the lobby and took photos/signed autographs for fans (what a great guy!). Check out my review of the film on cherrylosangeles YouTube channel which I found very appealing because of my own love of the idea of these cute toys (I’d choose a cute one .. likely fuzzy and puppy dog looking).
In his feature filmmaking debut, acclaimed visual artist Takashi Murakami creates a family-friendly monster movie using live action and CGI. Jellyfish Eyes transforms the classic cinematic trope of the new kid on the block into a genre-defying adventure set in a post-Fukushima world. The film follows young Masashi who, after his father’s death, moves with his mother to a small city in the Japanese countryside. But when he discovers that their new apartment is already inhabited by a pint-sized, gravity-defying creature, Masashi begins to pull back the curtain on this sleepy town and finds that very little is what it appears to be. As a connoisseur of Japanese popular culture, from children’s manga and anime to classic monster movies, Murakami packs his film with a delirious abundance of ideas and imagery.
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