Wednesday, March 07, 2007

The Cabinet of Dr. Calamari

Via Pharyngula, a film I have got to rent:
I have seen The Calamari Wrestler. It was…indescribable. I won't even try. The basic idea, though, is that it's about pro wrestling in Japan, with a dying wrestler who undergoes a magical transformation in Pakistan to keep him alive, which also allows him to become a super-star in the ring. He battles rivals to learn a heartwarming secret at the end.
Some classic subtitles in the screen captures provided on the link:
"I want to become a squid again."
"Oh, God, please turn Kan-Ichi into a squid again."
"Not the squid. It's the sweaty monks that came with him." (Hmm...I'd be interested to know the context for that bit of dialog!)
A user at the Internet Movie Database sums up the plot thusly:
A giant squid (in wrestling boots) humiliates the champion wrestler of Japan. The only recourse is a rematch but how can a human wrestle with a giant talking invertebrate? There are no bones to grapple. Is the squid a reincarnation of the previous champion and who is the squid's mysterious trainer? How far is the champion willing to go to defend his honor? Will his fiancé fall in love with the squid?

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