Rubber Johnny

This short feature was made by creature special effects artist Chris Cunningham as a personal project. Cunningham had previously worked with Aphex Twin and so they contributed to this project - resulting in a mix between narrative and music video, similar to Michael Jackson's "Thriller." The video begins with a close-up night-vision shot of an alien creature named Rubber Johnny. A doctor seems to be talking to him - asking what's wrong, if he wants his mother, etc. Rubber Johnny seems incapable of speaking like a human and can only emit high-pitch frequency noises.

The next scene shows Johnny in a wheelchair, his enormous head leaning backwards. His small pet dog watches as Johnny suddenly comes to live in an array of dazzling special effects shots and "dances" (to some extent) to Aphex Twin.

The music is interrupted twice by Johnny's father opening the door into the basement and muttering unintelligible curses at him.

My first thought after this was over: What a bizarre feature! It actually might disturb some people - it's kind of unsettling and uncomfortable to watch. Also, as Johnny dances he occasionally flies full-speed into see-through glass, leaving remnants of his distorted face on the objects.

Cunningham is quite an original guy - I don't know if it was the drugs doing all the talking or he's simply that far out, but I've never seen anything like this before.

By the way, for those interested, it is freely available to view on YouTube.com, and is also available for purchase on DVD through Cunningham's official website.

Chris Cunningham's works have shaped the music industry. He's probably the best and most influential music video director ever. He did videos for Aphex Twin, Madonna, Bjork, Portishead and many others, but now he is retired from industry. Now he works for himself.

His independence lets him to experiment a lot and to realize himself better. Chris's world is a strange, but interesting place and it can't be censored or cut. It is a thing to be examined. Once you got into it, you become a part of it, you see everything in an absolutely different way. Just try it.

"Rubber Johnny" is a 6-minute experimental short film and a 40 page book. All in one package, both absolutely genius. Some people say that book is too nasty and film is too short, but they are only half-right. Book is nasty, of course, but everything is not that simple in Cunningham's works. To see what's behind those scary pictures, you'll have to look deeper. I'm not gonna spoil you, you've got to find out yourself what's great about it.

But the real treasure is a short movie. It is frightening, disturbing, entertaining and amusing at once. The movie is shot on a simple home camera, but "Johnny" features some stunning visual effects. Believe me, it worth watching. "Rubber Johnny" is the fastest damn thing i've ever seen and the editing is something unspeakable. And, as a rule, it is deeper than you could ever imagine. It's like reading a good book: one must use his imagination to see the author's idea. In 6 minutes Chris puts a story witch could have been a full-length film. He shows a work of a true master: we're gonna be disturbed, entertained and (most important)we're gonna examine the depths of Johnny's character. And everything in 6 minutes! Unimaginable!

"Rubber Johnny" kind of movies may turn out to be a new form of art: 2000's are fast times and fast times require fast art. Not fast-created, but short-length, clever, entertaining and deep-minded. Chris Cunningham does it first (as usual) and he does it better than anyone in this world.

Since Aphex Twin (who is a solo artist BTW, Richard D. James) released "Drukqs" in 2001, there has always been the Rubber Johnny video but as a short. Now that Cunningham has completed a 7 minute short it is just a closer look at this completely insane, body twisting freak. And Aphex comes through with minimal and effective sound design. The music is comes from the release "Drukqs" (somewhat modified) but it, as always, is a perfect combination of Cunningham and James. There is a 40 page book of photographs and drawing as well I believe to coincide with the short. It is actually being played cinemas in England and perhaps, at some point, it will play somewhere in USA...

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.

Rubber Johhny is the latest effort from British film maker, Chris Cunningham. Cunningham has extensively worked with electro music legends, Aphex Twin, together they have created some of the most disturbing music videos ever, including 'Come to Daddy'.

Rubber Johnny is a disturbing trip into the mind of a isolated, disfigured misfit who is locked in a basement. His only company is a dog.

Using rapid editing and distorted camera work, Cunningham has created a visceral nightmare which manages to shock during it's six minute running time. Cunningham obviously has a lot of confidence when it comes to combining music with vision, and this is Rubber Johhny's genius. The film will undoubtedly leave a sick taste in your mouth, but the running time is disappointing. I was left wanting a lot more.

Please give Chris Cunningham a big budget so he can create a 90 minute nightmare.