By Jared Free
I’d like to use this space for this month on to bring attention to the movies on streaming services that might not have gotten the much attention. Although it’s frustrating that the streaming age has resulted in the need for people to get several monthly subscriptions, the fact remains that there are a lot of hidden gems on various streaming sites.
Being that, I want to do something a little special. In other words, I wanted to share something that isn’t behind a paywall – and can in fact be found on YouTube. Let’s keep it our little secret, okay? The movie in question is Giants and Toysby Yasuzo Masumura. I stumbled across this film because of a crush I was beginning to nurture on the lead actor, Hiroshi Kawaguchi. I had seen him in another film, but he was stiff, and therefore a little off-putting. After I found out that his father worked at the film studio where he shot most of his films, I became curious as to whether or not he was the total beneficiary of nepotism.
The jury may still be out on whether or not Kawaguchi has a true talent for acting, but Giants and Toys did not disappoint. The film is a satirical take on Japanese consumer culture of the 60s. Think How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying — but a much more biting perspective. Masumura has a relentlessly cynical take on cultures of consumption that never stops being legitimately funny. The film follows the efforts of World Caramel Company to outsell its two biggest rivals in the industry. And thankfully, it has an updated, subversive take on sex and gender that still generally holds up today. I recommend this one for anyone looking to laugh at, despair at or contemplate everything that’s wrong with the world today… and the world fifty years ago.
