Horst in Translation ([email protected])
"Rubber Johnny" is a six-minute animated short film by Chris Cunning Ham and Aphex Twin. They worked together on several projects, and none of them are glorious gently-put, but this one here may take the cake for worst. This is listed as horror, but I don't know about that. I would rather describe it as weird. we see some deformed creatures, a dog with (not really) scary eyes and a train. And some more stuff, but it was all so insignificant and forgettable that I don't even remember, although I just watched it. The music was pointless too. Cunningham worked with Madonna in the past, so this is really a massive step down for him here in this 10-year-old short film. And the result would be a step down for basically every filmmaker. Highly not recommended.
tonymurphylee
RUBBER JOHNNY is a short film by acclaimed music video director Chris Cunningham. It is a strangely emotional film about a deformed subhuman that does, something. I don't know what he does, it's a little difficult to describe. It could be interpreted as dancing, and indeed, it is pretty much the only thing it could remotely be, but there is something more elaborate at work here. He may be stoned. The film can be easily taken as a music video, but I think that to call it that would be too easy. One could easily dismiss it as Chris Cunningham showing off his prosthetic morphing techniques, but they are far too simple to be shoved off as such. There is a story here, but we are given the bare minimum of what the underlying theme is, which is boredom. Or maybe it's loneliness. What I think is especially unique about this video is the lack of any sort of purpose. It simply tells of an apparent event. There appears to be some kind of theme involving male genitalia, with the title, RUBBER JOHNNY, and the fact that the title is marked on an erect penis. The prosthetics on display here are pretty abstract and disgusting, but in a fascinating and unique way. Chris Cunningham is great because he can take something popular in our culture and completely twist and distort it in a way that allows it to be the same popular thing, but the viewer will have a completely different feeling or opinion about it. Just look at his video for Aphex Twin's WINDOWLICKER. He takes the female body and shows it in a different way that is original and simple so that they remain in the same form the viewer was into before, however, because of the way he altered it the viewer gets repulsed and even very frightened by it now. The music video WINDOWLICKER was, in away, an act of protest and rebellion. As a result, I consider today to be among the most shocking music videos ever made. However, RUBBER JOHNNY is also a protest, but on a deeper level. The paranormal idea is so attractive in our way of life that we have caused culture revolving around aliens and humans to be a funny dream. What if somebody treated the idea in an honest and original way? The creature in this film may very well be human, but he is certainly not somebody that we would ever have any interest of allowing him to adapt to our ways. Chris Cunningham is able to take things a step further by adding a sexual element into the idea of RUBBER JOHNNY. The enlarged penis of the creature is another step in the direction of the fantasies that many people have discussed about having some sort of sexual or bodily interest in otherworldly beings. The film, instead, dares you to try and think about sex while watching this horrifying movie. I think that if Chris Cunningham continues to make daring and creative films like these, people could really look back on his work after the world has continued to grow and alter itself and realize that he had ideas that none of us have ever thought honestly about. Do visual effects really have to be complicated and drawn out to be good? Is the female body really a more beautiful thing that the male body? Are the ideas behind aliens really as fascinating as we've led ourselves to believe? It's these kinds of questions that make films like RUBBER JOHNNY work.
jer__66
"Rubber Johnny" begins with you asking yourself "what is going on?", and ends with you asking yourself "what just happened?".The positive that can be brought out of Rubber Johnny is simply that it is original. Now that being said, it is original in the worst of ways.A mix of cheap effects (however original), and a very poor foundation make Rubber Johnny a complete bust. One watching this for the first time, would think it was done by a couple of 10 year olds just fooling around and experimenting with a home video camera.But for the short amount of time it takes to watch it, check it out and see what I mean.
alex sutton
so warp records makes us wait and wait ...................... and wait ................. .............................and wait..for rubber johnny.. and then this is all Cunnigham can come up with?? It's not a 'BAD' music video by any stretch of the imagination.. its far better than nearly all the video's around at the moment, but its so obvious. the teaser trailer and the booklet with the DVD are far more interesting than the video itself, which feels as if the collaboration was just a bit... 'hey wouldn't it be cool if..' then ran out of ideas. very very disappointing. try harder. (and for £15!!!! get real)
