“Guardians of the Galaxy” What is the meaning of POP & ROCK that connects the misfits?

Devil's Toxic Troma Entertainment

James Gunn worked part-time at a film production company when he was a student, and thought he would be made to sort out documents and work as a maid, but he was suddenly ordered to write a script. The film company he worked for was Troma Entertainment. The person who gave the order was Lloyd Kaufman, the company's "chief executive."

The films produced by Troma Entertainment, commonly known as Troma, a film production and distribution company founded by Lloyd Kaufman, an elite graduate of the Ivy League's prestigious Yale University, can be roughly divided into two types. They are "soft porn" and "horror." However, in recent years, with the rise of adult videos, the number of people going out of their way to get sexually excited at movie theaters has decreased, and movies now only specialize in "horror" movies. However, due to the hobby of mastermind Lloyd Kaufman, a woman with her breasts swaying in a wet T-shirt frequently appears in the work. Of course, this is a work that allows such appearances, so even though it's a ``horror,'' it has a strong comedic tone.

Many of you may have seen the news footage from the Cannes Film Festival showing a man wearing kabuki kumadori-style makeup or a man wearing a ballet tutu with special make-up and a crooked face goofing around. . They are members of Troma, who are trying to sell their own films to the film buyers from all over the world who have gathered in Cannes.

The Cannes Film Festival, which highly values ​​erotic comedy/horror and literary works that are difficult to see, may seem like oil and water, but they have a strong affinity. Both films are produced on a low budget and do not use many famous actors. As a result, rights fees are low, public exhibitions are small, and only a limited number of people go to see them. Among these works, there are rare works that become Big hits. A particularly large number of gambling buyers come to Cannes, looking for films that are cheap and have the potential to become big hits. Troma members also wanted to help, by setting up a promotion room in the same hotel as a major movie company and attracting buyers who had come to other companies for business negotiations.

"Devil's Poisonous Monster" preview

Of course, many Troma products are imported to Japan as well. The prefix ``Devil's Poison'' at the beginning of the title is a hallmark of Troma's work. Among them, `` The Devil's Poisonous Monster '' (1984) has gained cult popularity and has become so popular that it was made into a musical.

Troma's works are full of high tension, with heads and limbs constantly flying off, strange monsters wandering around, primitive gags filled with dirty jokes, and women appearing nude at every opportunity. That's because it's designed so that a casual buyer will see something interesting the moment they see it.

Also, because it was produced on a low budget, the members of Troma have a strong bond. In the first place, they create works in the niche genre of ``erotic comedy/horror,'' so the people who like them and come together are similar people. Furthermore, during location shoots, he ends up sleeping in a local friend's living room. Since they are close friends, they have some silent arguments and fights, and their relationship is like that of a close family.

"Guardians of the Galaxy" (c)Photofest / Getty Images

James Gunn explains how to incorporate high-tension drama and risqué jokes into his works, and how to build interpersonal relationships in the workplace where people are united in their work, in the midst of Troma's frantic production process. I will learn. According to him, ``I'd rather enroll at Troma than pay to go to film school to study film production.''

By the way, Commander Lloyd Kaufman makes a cameo appearance in the movie ``Guardians of the Galaxy'' as a prisoner who yells abuse at Gamora, which shows the cohesiveness of the ``family''.

How James Gunn got to Guardians