I love the international flavor of this film.
ENTER THE NINJA VIDEO MOVIE
This is the first movie in the classic Sho Kosugi ninja trilogy. Moral Fibre says: "Die Antwoord's latest video 'Enter the Ninja' has had mixed reviews, with some dismissing their work as mere lack luster parody and others lauding it as the future of South Africa's avant garde alt-pop music scene.I've referred to this film in several prior posts about Sho Kosugi films, 9 Deaths of The Ninja and Pray for Death. Pitchfork says: "On the surface, Die Antwoord are simply the latest in a never-ending line of "did ya see that?!" blog-hopping music memes."Ĭonsequence Of Sound says: "The group emits a very unique blend of angry hip hop with a touch of rave, all bathed in Cape Town grime." Of course, it's possible Ninja thinks these films were documentaries, but I doubt it. "I-I-I-I want the knife" is a joke from the Eddie Murphy film The Golden Child, and "too hot to handle, too cold to hold" is a bold claim which was last made by Bobby Brown, as part of the soundtrack song to the film Ghostbusters II. Perhaps the two best clues that this is less-than-100%-serious come from the lyrical nods to Hollywood comedies. OK, then how about when he stops to REVIEW HIS OWN SONG? Surely saying "this is, like, the coolest song I ever heard in my whole life" qualifies him for entry to this year's Comedy Awards? I can't conceive of a situation in which you get to do that and not have your tongue so far into your cheek, it's poking out of your ear.
The bit where he tries to prove that he's not a psycho by saying "but look at me now" - you've seen the video, right? - is surely worth a grin? No? OK, how about when he, in all seriousness, brags about being "all up on the interweb", like that's a knighthood from the Queen? How about when he says "don't ask for kak or you'll get what you ask for"? Just me? I dare ANYONE to listen to the breakdown without at least smiling. It's the furious delivery of the (deliberately?) cheesy lyrics, hammered home as if they are nails of pure truth, piercing the armour of lies and badness, and slaying the dragon of, y'know, things which Ninja doesn't approve of. Those are central to the hip hop experience, as any fool knows. It's not the bragging, or the self-justification. Even though the sung choruses are fairly eerie, we're still a long way into the gigglezone. You've got to admit, even if you take out the cultural differences - the girl singing "protection" in such a thick accent it sounds more like "production" being a BIG one - this goes way beyond the scary, threatening bleakfest it seems to want to be. Which does beg the question.is this a gag? Are Die Antwoord essentially Grumpy Lookin' Chain. He is played by Chris Lilley, who will be 36 in November. He can't stop himself from swearing and he's a bit of a thug, but only because he wants a bit of attention. If you've not seen it, Jonah's a 13-year-old with a rough background, and he just wants to be a rapper and breakdancer when he grows up. I dunno if it's the accent, but there's an uncanny sonic resemblance between Ninja here and Jonah from BBC Three's high school comedy Summer Heights High. This is SERIOUS BUSINESS! I MEAN IT! STOP LAUGHING! Clearly what he has to say is coming straight from the heart, and it is cruel to mock someone when they are speaking honestly.Īlthough, if you take into account that his real name is Watkin Tudor Jones, that he's been involved in South African hip hop for years, under various different names, and he will be 36 years old in October and rapping as if he's a hot-headed, super-violent young mega-thug, maybe 'honestly' is the wrong word to use. Stop giggling! Stoppit! Ninja - Die Antwoord's scaryfaced rapper - does NOT look like the kind of man who will take kindly to the idea that his breakthrough moment, his one chance to settle the score with all the haters, is in ANY WAY COMICAL.
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