A renegade film crew with a dream to create the best action film of all-time, a Yakuza boss wanting to create a tribute to what will be his greatest victory, and a hell of a lot of blood.
A renegade film crew with a dream to create the best action film of all-time, a Yakuza boss wanting to create a tribute to what will be his greatest victory, and a hell of a lot of blood.
That’s the basic premise behind the 2013 Japanese film Why Don’t You Play in Hell?, an international hit which comes to The Byrd Theatre this Saturday at 1:30 PM.
There’s also a local point of pride surrounding this film as the US-release poster was designed by local artist James Callahan, of Barf Comics fame, among numerous other artistic successes.
Callahan, along with locally based writer Rick Spears, published their hit comic The Auteur, about the depravity of Hollywood (amongst many other things), last year.
The artist was tapped by Drafthouse Films to do the poster for the entire western release of the film thanks directly to his work on The Auteur.
“The amount of overlapping concepts in The Auteur and Why Don’t You Play in Hell are astonishing. Simultaneously, they are so remarkably similar, and yet strikingly different,” said Callahan in an email interview ahead of this Saturday’s show. “It is as if a gateway between parallel dimensions has opened up and two separate universes of psychotic slapstick have collided in the last movie theater on earth. It was really great to get to create art for my newest favorite film after completing this book.”
Callahan detailed his process online, outlining how he created the poster step by step.
“Typical to how I generally operate, these were stick figure doodles, about an inch tall. Drafthouse responded to this idea immediately, which initially caused me some stress,” said Callahan. “It meant getting a recognizable likeness of seven different starring actors, and at least a few supporting actors. Once we started getting into details, that worry washed away. Things fell into place and it was all rock and roll.”
If you think this sounds difficult, then you’re not alone. Callahan himself addresses the challenges of his style, which he describes as including “…heavy detail, little or no rendering, and extra mayhem.”
Callahan likes the challenge, however; having to condense a subject while still maintaining a story and composition is something that requires more than a little problem-solving.
“It’s a puzzle,” said Callahan. “I think it offers more to the viewer as well. The deeper you dig, the more you find… everything from key insights to dumb jokes.”
A Richmond resident himself, Callahan has been continually influenced by the area. From everything to other artists work and even to the Byrd Theatre, Callahan finds inspiration all around him.
“It’s hard not to be inspired, and even pushed into striving for new benchmarks of excellence,” said Callahan. “I witness so much incredible work being done here that I often find myself thinking ‘Holy shit, that’s amazing. Now I definitely have no excuse for producing mediocre garbage.’”
The film will be playing in Richmond’s favorite theatre, The Byrd, which is so beloved by Callahan that he actually gave it a cameo of sorts within The Auteur.
“It’s an incomparable venue, and also happens to be the unnamed location of the
climactic scenes in The Auteur,” said Callahan. And as you can see from the (above/below) images, The Byrd has been captured in all its glory.
Well aware of his work and how it relates to the film, Callahan feels a connection to the film, a connection which helped him secure the poster.
“Drafthouse approached me to draw the “WDYPIH?” poster based on the uncanny similarities to The Auteur, so in a lot of ways, this really does feel like a colliding of worlds, and a wormhole for this fictional universe to crack through the walls of reality,” said Callahan. “Are these the ravings of a deranged madman, you ask? Come out on February 21st and find out.”
The film premieres on Saturday, February 21st at 1:30 in The Byrd Theatre.
Tickets can be picked up for $5 at Vinyl Conflict and will also be available at the door on the day of the show.
After the show Callahan will be signing prints of his poster, as well as signing copies of The Auteur along with Spears. Hope to see you play in Hell.
