Burst City (1982): A Punk Prodigy
Burst City (1982) bursts through the screen with high-octane energy in a frenzy of fight scenes and anarchy. While I have no idea what I just watched, I do know that Burst City and I are now in a relationship. This insane film creates what would one day become the MTV aesthetic and does so the same year MTV launches with Video Killed The Radio Star . The MTV style would be known for quick cutting, mixed media, and flashy camera-work; however, it would soon be seen as style merely for the sake of style. Michael Bay would build his filmography upon this idea of no substance or little substance with a shiny ribbon. But here, pre-dating all of that is a strange Japanese punk film. I can now up my hipster game / pretentiousness by creating a Spotify list devoted to early 1980’s Japanese Punk. Here is said mix . The punk rock in this film is incredible. By 1982 we had Dead Kennedys, Bad Brains, Misfits, Descendants, Black Flag, The Replacements, The Cramps, Circle Jerks, The Damned, The