As part of the Aca Cinema Project––”an ongoing initiative fostered by the Government of Japan to increase awareness and appreciation of Japanese films and filmmakers in the United States”––Japan Society will run “Family Portrait: Japanese Family in Flux” from February 15-24. A mix of American premieres and repertory showings, this series puts “bonds of the Japanese family” front and center to “both celebrate these traditions as well as call into question their reality and relevance in our quickly changing modern world.”
U.S. premieres include Kazuyoshi Kumakiri’s Yoko, starring Rinko Kikuchi, and Keiko Tsuruoka’s Tsugaru Lacquer Girl. A special spotlight is given to Ryota Nakano, whose A Long Goodbye and exquisitely titled Her Love Boils Bathwater will be making New York debuts; his 2020 feature The Asadas also plays.
Repertory screenings will be held for Kohei Oguri’s Muddy River, Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Tokyo Sonata, Kore-eda’s Still Walking,...
U.S. premieres include Kazuyoshi Kumakiri’s Yoko, starring Rinko Kikuchi, and Keiko Tsuruoka’s Tsugaru Lacquer Girl. A special spotlight is given to Ryota Nakano, whose A Long Goodbye and exquisitely titled Her Love Boils Bathwater will be making New York debuts; his 2020 feature The Asadas also plays.
Repertory screenings will be held for Kohei Oguri’s Muddy River, Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Tokyo Sonata, Kore-eda’s Still Walking,...
- 1/17/2024
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
After “Shark Skin Man and the Peach Hip Girl”, director Katsuhito Ishii had established himself as one of the many new, unique voices within the Japanese film industry. The adaptation of Minetaro Mochizuki's manga also managed to raise some eyebrows internationally and displayed the filmmaker's style as well as the themes he wanted to talk about, namely the contrast of make-believe and reality, which has become quite blurry over time, especially due to the rise of social media. In his next project “Party 7”, Ishii would venture deeper into this theme, while also expanding his use of the language of cinema, creating yet another unique and creative feature about the lies we tell ourselves and others, and how they become real in the end.
on Terracotta
Chased by the members of his gang, Miki (Masatoshi Nagase) seeks refuge in the hotel New Mexico, a place well-hidden from any tourists and visitors,...
on Terracotta
Chased by the members of his gang, Miki (Masatoshi Nagase) seeks refuge in the hotel New Mexico, a place well-hidden from any tourists and visitors,...
- 5/2/2023
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
Celebrating 100 years of iconoclast director Seijun Suzuki (1923-2017), a singular force in Japanese cinema whose radical stylistic vision and unpredictable narratives shaped the B-movie genre, Japanese cinephilia and the political New Left, Japan Society and The Japan Foundation present Seijun Suzuki Centennial—a selection of six films from across the filmmaker’s nearly 60-film body of work, all on imported 35mm prints straight from Japan. Covering ground from his earliest yakuza feature (Satan’s Town) to his unbridled return to studio filmmaking after being blacklisted for 10 years (A Tale of Sorrow and Sadness) and his subsequent independent success (Kagero-za), this special series offers a rare glimpse into the core of Suzuki’s creative genius.
Organized in conjunction with the recent publication of series’ guest curator William Carroll’s Suzuki Seijun and Postwar Japanese Cinema (Columbia University Press, 2022), Seijun Suzuki Centennial delves into the versatility and audacious nature of the...
Organized in conjunction with the recent publication of series’ guest curator William Carroll’s Suzuki Seijun and Postwar Japanese Cinema (Columbia University Press, 2022), Seijun Suzuki Centennial delves into the versatility and audacious nature of the...
- 1/6/2023
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
What began with “Pornostar” and “Blue Spring”, found its apogee in “9 Souls”, one of the greatest samples of Japanese indie cinema.
Nine convicts escape prison, since the tenth, Yamamoto, lost it just before a rat, which showed the others the way out, appeared on their cell. The convicts have decided to search for a money stash hidden by Yamamoto and so they function as a team, despite the fact that they differ in age, natire of crime and general background. Torakichi is the eldest and acts as the leader of the group. He has killed his own son. Kazuma is a young man, former member of a bike gang. He stabbed four members of his own group. Inui is a bomber (of sorts) who suffers from epilepsy. Shiratory is a dwarf, and a doctor who aided suicide. Michiru, the last one to enter prison, is an adolescent who killed his father.
Nine convicts escape prison, since the tenth, Yamamoto, lost it just before a rat, which showed the others the way out, appeared on their cell. The convicts have decided to search for a money stash hidden by Yamamoto and so they function as a team, despite the fact that they differ in age, natire of crime and general background. Torakichi is the eldest and acts as the leader of the group. He has killed his own son. Kazuma is a young man, former member of a bike gang. He stabbed four members of his own group. Inui is a bomber (of sorts) who suffers from epilepsy. Shiratory is a dwarf, and a doctor who aided suicide. Michiru, the last one to enter prison, is an adolescent who killed his father.
- 8/10/2021
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
No. 82 in Kinema Jumpo’s Top 100 Japanese Films of All Time Poll in 1999, “Knockout” was one of the biggest successes in Japan on its year of release, netting awards for direction and cast from the majority of the local competitions.
Eiji Adachi fell in love with boxing from his childhood, eventually following up until he became a champion, always having Takako in his corner, both in the fights and real life, although the romance between them never actually materialized. As the story begins, however, Eiji suffers a shattering defeat, which sends him to the hospital with brain damage. The operation is successful but the doctors inform Eiji that he will no longer be able to fight. Frustrated, angry with everyone around him, even punching all those who try to help him, eventually he decides to open his own gym, with the help of a transvestite promoter, forgetting his promise to both his former coach,...
Eiji Adachi fell in love with boxing from his childhood, eventually following up until he became a champion, always having Takako in his corner, both in the fights and real life, although the romance between them never actually materialized. As the story begins, however, Eiji suffers a shattering defeat, which sends him to the hospital with brain damage. The operation is successful but the doctors inform Eiji that he will no longer be able to fight. Frustrated, angry with everyone around him, even punching all those who try to help him, eventually he decides to open his own gym, with the help of a transvestite promoter, forgetting his promise to both his former coach,...
- 7/13/2021
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
The swan song of the series is a whole other animal, since Meiko Kaji has a distinctly secondary role as Ruriko while the social commentary of the rest of the movies has given its place to intense action, which frequently feels and looks a bit too much like a western.
Buy This Title
The story begins literally in the bushes, where Ruriko and her boyfriend Ryumei attempt to have sex in hiding. Unfortunately, even before they have taken off their clothes, a biker gang headed by The President appears and beats them up, despite the latter’s effort to resist. However, Ryumei manages to stab one of them to death, before the gang takes him with them after the instructions of a yakuza, who even proceeds in putting the murder weapon in Ruriko’s hands. The unconscious girl is arrested and sent to prison; however, after her release a few months later,...
Buy This Title
The story begins literally in the bushes, where Ruriko and her boyfriend Ryumei attempt to have sex in hiding. Unfortunately, even before they have taken off their clothes, a biker gang headed by The President appears and beats them up, despite the latter’s effort to resist. However, Ryumei manages to stab one of them to death, before the gang takes him with them after the instructions of a yakuza, who even proceeds in putting the murder weapon in Ruriko’s hands. The unconscious girl is arrested and sent to prison; however, after her release a few months later,...
- 3/21/2021
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Ryu Murakami’s books are strange. They are violent, sensual, absurdly humorous, surrealistic, and hide their comments in an atmosphere of confusion and disorientation. The same actually applies to the movies based on his books, either those he directed himself (“Tokyo Decadence“) or those directed by others (“Audition“). “Karaoke Terror” despite being quite approachable, also includes the same elements, starting with the story.
Five young men spend their time together for no apparent reason, since they seem to have no common interests apart from doing karaoke in bondage outfits twice a week, and enjoying peeking on the neighbor that lives across the apartment of one of them, which functions as their headquarters. On the opposite axis lie five middle-aged women, either single or divorced, who are all named Midori and also enjoy their karaoke. The boys frequently talk about how this kind of women are the easiest to have sex with,...
Five young men spend their time together for no apparent reason, since they seem to have no common interests apart from doing karaoke in bondage outfits twice a week, and enjoying peeking on the neighbor that lives across the apartment of one of them, which functions as their headquarters. On the opposite axis lie five middle-aged women, either single or divorced, who are all named Midori and also enjoy their karaoke. The boys frequently talk about how this kind of women are the easiest to have sex with,...
- 4/20/2020
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
“Male bonding starts with pissing together.”
Japanese director Toshiaki Toyoda has remained largely unknown to filmgoers due to the reclusive nature of the man himself as well as the fact that unlike directors such as Takashi Miike, his output has been scarce over the last years. After his arrest and trial on drug-related charges Toyoda was blacklisted for quite some time and was able to release his next picture four years after “Hanging Garden” (2005). Even with being blacklisted, interviews with the filmmaker are quite rare as well as recent releases of his films.
In one of the few interviews the director gave during the Terracotta Far East Film Festival 2012 he talks about the inspiration of what might just be his most popular film, “9 Souls” (2003). The film is based on an escaping case which took place in the USA and the idea of breaking out of prison, any kind of prison...
Japanese director Toshiaki Toyoda has remained largely unknown to filmgoers due to the reclusive nature of the man himself as well as the fact that unlike directors such as Takashi Miike, his output has been scarce over the last years. After his arrest and trial on drug-related charges Toyoda was blacklisted for quite some time and was able to release his next picture four years after “Hanging Garden” (2005). Even with being blacklisted, interviews with the filmmaker are quite rare as well as recent releases of his films.
In one of the few interviews the director gave during the Terracotta Far East Film Festival 2012 he talks about the inspiration of what might just be his most popular film, “9 Souls” (2003). The film is based on an escaping case which took place in the USA and the idea of breaking out of prison, any kind of prison...
- 5/13/2019
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
Above: Tony Stella’s illustration for an alternative poster for Suspiria for Alphaville.One of my favorite working movie poster illustrators is the Italian-born, Berlin-based artist Tony Stella, a true connoisseur of cinema as well as a prodigious and prolific artist. I profiled Tony in this column a few years ago. Tony recently joined forces with the designer known as Midnight Marauder to start the boutique movie poster design agency Alphaville, and since I recently asked Mm for his ten favorite movie posters it was only fair that I ask Tony too, a task he took up with alacrity.So, without further ado, here are Tony Stella’s ten favorite movie posters of all-time, in ascending order, with his own comments. His choices take us on a tour through some of the best movie poster illustration of the past 50 years.10. Get Carter (1971)“The number ten spot was a toss-up between...
- 11/9/2018
- MUBI
“Still Walking” is an important film in the career of now Palme d’Or winning director Hirokazu Koreeda. One of his strongest films to date and something of a tribute to the works of Yasujiro Ozu, his attention to detail is most evident here, finding the pace that he would find comfort with for his now established brand of cinema.
But, as important, it was also the first collaboration between him and the late Kirin Kiki, whom he would work with on a total of six films over the next decade, helping establish her as Japan’s cinematic grandmother.
On the anniversary of his death, Junpei’s family gather for their annual memorial. The eldest son, an aspiring doctor following in his father’s footsteps, coupled with the fact that he died saving a young boy’s life, paint the image of the ideal man. Fifteen years on,...
But, as important, it was also the first collaboration between him and the late Kirin Kiki, whom he would work with on a total of six films over the next decade, helping establish her as Japan’s cinematic grandmother.
On the anniversary of his death, Junpei’s family gather for their annual memorial. The eldest son, an aspiring doctor following in his father’s footsteps, coupled with the fact that he died saving a young boy’s life, paint the image of the ideal man. Fifteen years on,...
- 10/2/2018
- by Andrew Thayne
- AsianMoviePulse
Japan Cuts 2017, NY’s annual festival celebrating the best of new Japanese cinema, is back with its 11th edition scheduled from July 13 to 23. This year’s roster includes 28 feature and 6 short films, ranging across epic blockbusters, indies, documentaries, animations and restored classics. In-person access to filmmakers and stars, Q&A sessions and parties are some extra treats on offer.
Yusuke Iseya in Mumon © 2017 Mumon Film Partners
The festival opens on Thursday, July 13th, with Yoshihiro Nakamura’s Mumon: Land of the Stealth, a playful take on the period drama genre, full of fantastical ninja moves and its own sense of eccentricity. Nakamura will be available for post-screening Q&A and Opening Night Party at Japan Society’s historic theater.
After a series of International, North America, Us, East Coast and NY Premieres, the festival will close with Sunao Katabuchi’s enchanting In This Corner of the World, a poignant coming-of-age story set during WWII.
Yusuke Iseya in Mumon © 2017 Mumon Film Partners
The festival opens on Thursday, July 13th, with Yoshihiro Nakamura’s Mumon: Land of the Stealth, a playful take on the period drama genre, full of fantastical ninja moves and its own sense of eccentricity. Nakamura will be available for post-screening Q&A and Opening Night Party at Japan Society’s historic theater.
After a series of International, North America, Us, East Coast and NY Premieres, the festival will close with Sunao Katabuchi’s enchanting In This Corner of the World, a poignant coming-of-age story set during WWII.
- 6/24/2017
- by Arnav Sinha
- AsianMoviePulse
The bloody adventures of a swordswoman dedicated to murderous revenge provided Quentin Tarantino with a major inspiration. Director Toshiyo Fujita's impeccable images make the gorgeous Meiko Kaji into an almost abstract superheroine in beautiful cultured dress and hairstyles -- and soaked with sprayed blood. The Complete Lady Snowblood Lady Snowblood & Lady Snowblood: Love Song of Vengeance Blu-ray The Criterion Collection 790 & 791 1973/1974 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 97 & 89 min. / "Shurayukime" & "Shurayukihime: Urami Renga" / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date January 5, 2016 / 39.95 Starring Meiko Kaji, Toshio Kurosawa, Noboru Nakaya, Eiji Okada; Meiko Kaji, Juzo Itami, Kazuko Yoshiyuki, Yoshio Harada. Cinematography Masaki Tamura; Tatsuo Suzuki Film Editor Osamu Inoue Original Music MasaaakiHirao; Kenjiro Hirose Written by Norio Osada, Kazuo Kamimura, Kazuo Koike Directed by Toshiya Fujita
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
A worldwide revolution hit the movies in the late '60s, with the relaxing of censorship in the west and the collapse of foreign film industries with the rise of TV.
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
A worldwide revolution hit the movies in the late '60s, with the relaxing of censorship in the west and the collapse of foreign film industries with the rise of TV.
- 1/9/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
When dealing with exploitation cinema of the 1970s in the post-Tarantino era, there’s something of a heightened balance between “the thing” and “what the thing looks like.” The dichotomy was always there – the posters typically promised a good deal more than could be delivered on small budgets and quick schedules – but has since become even more grotesque now that celebrating such films has become an industry unto itself. Arrow Video has become a key player in this with their dozens (nearing hundreds) of Blu-ray editions celebrating the best, and a good deal of some of the lesser, genre films from decades past. Their new collection rounding up the films in the Stray Cat Rock series offers a little of each end of the spectrum. None are the sort of hyper-charged, riotous, nonstop-sex-and-carnage onslaughts that modern imitators revel in, but at its best, the series is a rather potent drug...
- 9/23/2015
- by Scott Nye
- CriterionCast
Before Toshiya Fujita shot the icon making Lady Snowblood films and Yasuharu Hasebe lensed Female Prisoner Scorpion: #701’s Grudge Son, each staring their ice cold action muse Meiko Kaji, they all teamed up at the famed Nikkatsu Studios just prior to its increased interest in the sexualized pink films on a quintet of psychedelic pop infused series of films produced under the banner title Stray Cat Rock. Bathed in pop tunes and shot, cut and performed with hyper-stylized fervor over the course of just two years from 1970-1971, the series, loosely connected by cast, crew and aesthetics alone, thrives in the clubbing circuit of underground street gangs while dabbling in every pop genre imaginable, from heist film to jailbreak picture with varying results.
Kicking off the series with wild-eyed ambition, Hasebe’s Delinquent Girl Boss sets the tone for the series with a complex yarn of girl power infused gang...
Kicking off the series with wild-eyed ambition, Hasebe’s Delinquent Girl Boss sets the tone for the series with a complex yarn of girl power infused gang...
- 8/18/2015
- by Jordan M. Smith
- IONCINEMA.com
Welcome to The Best Movie You Never Saw, a column dedicated to examining films that have flown under the radar or gained traction throughout the years, earning them a place as a cult classic or underrated gem that was either before it’s time or has aged like a fine wine. This week we’ll be examining The Hunted from writer/director J.F. Lawton (Under Siege) and starring Christopher Lambert, Joan Chen, John Lone, and Yoshio Harada. The Story: While on a business...
- 5/24/2013
- by Paul Shirey
- JoBlo.com
Though the 2012 New York Asian Film Festival is winding down, cinephiles in New York, or those visiting, have plenty more to look forward to in July. And Japan Society's Japan Cuts: The New York Festival of Contemporary Japanese Cinema, running from July 12-28, is most certainly reason enough to visit the big apple. In fact, it's 39 reasons! This includes a focus on one of cinema's most treasured actors, Koji Yakusho, a tribute to the late and oh, most wonderfully great Yoshio Harada, and I haven't even mentioned any brand, spankin' new films yet, many bowing with their U.S. premiere -- okay, I'll mention one, Hitsohi Ohne's Love Strikes!, which is pictured above. For more on the films themselves I turn it on over...
- 7/11/2012
- Screen Anarchy
Distributor Little More has uploaded a new 1080p trailer for the upcoming re-release of Toshiaki Toyoda’s 2003 film 9 Souls to their YouTube channel. Actually it’s the same old theatrical trailer, just with a different beginning and end.
The film follows 9 prison escapees as they go on a road trip to find a cache of counterfeit money, only to get side-tracked by the need to reconnect with people from their lives or deal with their troubled pasts. It will be screened at Shibuya Eurospace from June 23, 2012 with a sequential nation-wide release to follow.
Why now? Your guess is as good as mine, but it’s the 9th anniversary of the original release, Yoshio Harada died last year, and reminding people why they loved Toyoda in the first place can only help I’m Flash! and Monsters Club. Regardless, it’s a great movie and any chance for more people to...
The film follows 9 prison escapees as they go on a road trip to find a cache of counterfeit money, only to get side-tracked by the need to reconnect with people from their lives or deal with their troubled pasts. It will be screened at Shibuya Eurospace from June 23, 2012 with a sequential nation-wide release to follow.
Why now? Your guess is as good as mine, but it’s the 9th anniversary of the original release, Yoshio Harada died last year, and reminding people why they loved Toyoda in the first place can only help I’m Flash! and Monsters Club. Regardless, it’s a great movie and any chance for more people to...
- 4/30/2012
- Nippon Cinema
Reviewer: Jeffrey M. Anderson
Rating (out of 5): ****
Hirokazu Kore-eda's new family drama Still Walking - now out courtesy of Criterion - is his most beautifully accomplished work since After Life (1998), but if it also comes so close to Yasujiro Ozu territory -- especially the themes of Tokyo Story (1953) -- that it ends up paling a bit in comparison. Still, it's a lovely work.
Ryo (Hiroshi Abe) is an unemployed art restorer who has married a widow with a young son. Upon the anniversary of his older brother's death, he returns home for an annual family gathering. His grumpy father (Yoshio Harada) is a doctor who was forced to retire due to failing eyesight. His dream of one of his sons taking over his clinic has come to nothing. (Of course, the happy future of everything that could have been is projected onto the dead son.)...
Rating (out of 5): ****
Hirokazu Kore-eda's new family drama Still Walking - now out courtesy of Criterion - is his most beautifully accomplished work since After Life (1998), but if it also comes so close to Yasujiro Ozu territory -- especially the themes of Tokyo Story (1953) -- that it ends up paling a bit in comparison. Still, it's a lovely work.
Ryo (Hiroshi Abe) is an unemployed art restorer who has married a widow with a young son. Upon the anniversary of his older brother's death, he returns home for an annual family gathering. His grumpy father (Yoshio Harada) is a doctor who was forced to retire due to failing eyesight. His dream of one of his sons taking over his clinic has come to nothing. (Of course, the happy future of everything that could have been is projected onto the dead son.)...
- 3/2/2011
- by underdog
- GreenCine
Just a quick reminder that UK label New Wave Films will be releasing Hirokazu Kore-eda's 2008 family drama Still Walking (Aruitemo Aruitemo) on region 2 DVD later this month. New Wave released it theatrically back in January.
The film was also released theatrically in the Us last summer, but the R1 DVD date is still unknown. However, it's been available for streaming on Netflix for a while already. Anyone with an account really should check it out.
Plot: Ryota Yokoyama (Hiroshi Abe) is a 40-something art restorer and former medic who returns home with his new wife Yukari (Yui Natsukawa) to commemorate the 15th anniversary of his brother's death by drowning while saving a young boy. As far as Ryota is concerned, he will never live up to the memory of his dead brother in the eyes of his father (Yoshio Harada) and both men would just as soon try to...
The film was also released theatrically in the Us last summer, but the R1 DVD date is still unknown. However, it's been available for streaming on Netflix for a while already. Anyone with an account really should check it out.
Plot: Ryota Yokoyama (Hiroshi Abe) is a 40-something art restorer and former medic who returns home with his new wife Yukari (Yui Natsukawa) to commemorate the 15th anniversary of his brother's death by drowning while saving a young boy. As far as Ryota is concerned, he will never live up to the memory of his dead brother in the eyes of his father (Yoshio Harada) and both men would just as soon try to...
- 5/12/2010
- Nippon Cinema
In the style of the master, Ozu, this is a charming Japanese family film, writes Peter Bradshaw
A major retrospective for Yasujiro Ozu at London's BFI Southbank provides exactly the right context for appreciating this moving new film, Hirokazu Kore-eda's Still Walking, which I first saw at the San Sebastian film festival in 2008, and which definitely grows with a second viewing. It is a "family movie" in the classic Japanese style, and a variant – offered in an intelligent, if interestingly humble spirit of homage – to Ozu's Tokyo Story. It is as if Kore-eda is the wayward elder son making a bow to the great patriarch.
Yoshio Harada plays a retired doctor, an imperious, querulous old man, who lives by the seaside with his elderly wife: his two grownup, married children are coming for a visit. There is a daughter, who is close to the mother, and shares with her an...
A major retrospective for Yasujiro Ozu at London's BFI Southbank provides exactly the right context for appreciating this moving new film, Hirokazu Kore-eda's Still Walking, which I first saw at the San Sebastian film festival in 2008, and which definitely grows with a second viewing. It is a "family movie" in the classic Japanese style, and a variant – offered in an intelligent, if interestingly humble spirit of homage – to Ozu's Tokyo Story. It is as if Kore-eda is the wayward elder son making a bow to the great patriarch.
Yoshio Harada plays a retired doctor, an imperious, querulous old man, who lives by the seaside with his elderly wife: his two grownup, married children are coming for a visit. There is a daughter, who is close to the mother, and shares with her an...
- 1/14/2010
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
Though films with substance can be the most memorable, now and then a decent movie that invites you to check your brain at the door can be rewarding. The problem is those types of films have to be somewhat decent and they are getting pretty rare nowadays. The last action film I saw that asked me to throw logic out the window and was still entertaining was Timur Bekmambetov's “Wanted' and since then hyper-kinetic films of the genre have got dumber and dumber. 'Ninja Assassin' is no exception. It's actually one of those movies you want to succeed, because its tough to remember when was the last time we got a decent ninja flick which is a poorly developed genre. I never though I'd write this, but 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' comes to mind and I'm talking the recent CGI version, not men in ridiculous Muppet suits.
- 11/24/2009
- LRMonline.com
Hirokazu Kore-Eda’s home drama Still Walking is a master class in doing much with little. The movie’s style and plot are simplicity itself. A Japanese family, including unemployed art restorer Hiroshi Abe, his father (Yoshio Harada), a retired doctor, his mother (Kirin Kiki) and his sister (You) gather to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the eldest son’s drowning death. The action transpires throughout a single day, much of it filmed in unblinking master shots that take in the intergenerational conflicts—some expressed and some omnipresent but unspoken—without intruding upon them. Kore-Eda saves his rare close-ups for ...
- 8/27/2009
- avclub.com
See new images from IFC Films' drama "Still Walking," starring Hiroshi Abe (Ryota Yokoyama), Yui Natsukawa (Ryota’s wife, Yukari), You (Ryota’s sister, Chinami), Kazuya Takahashi (Chinami’s husband, Nobuo), Shohei Tanaka (Yukari’s son), Kirin Kiki (Toshiko Yokoyama), Yoshio Harada (Kyohei Yokoyama). The film also called "Aruitemo aruitemo" opens on August 28th and is helmed and written by Hirokazu Kore-Eda. Yoshihiro Kato and ijiri Taguchi produce the TV Man Union film. Ryota is the 40-year-old son of the Yokoyama family. He has recently married a widow with a ten-year-old son from her previous marriage, who are joining him on a rare visit home. Only his elderly parents now live in the house, which once doubled as a flourishing medical clinic. The annex, a medical examining room still boasting a wall of pharmaceuticals, remains unchanged, though the patriarchal doctor has retired. Despite the unchanged outward appearances, everything has slightly aged.
- 6/19/2009
- Upcoming-Movies.com
George Ovashvili's "The Other Bank" was awarded the grand jury's New Directors Showcase Award and Barbara Schroeder's "talhotblond" was the documentary grand jury winner at the 35th International Seattle Film Festival, which concluded Sunday.
The doc jury also awarded a special jury prize to Yoshio Harada's "Manhole Children."
The Golden Space Needle Audience Award for best film went to Scott Sanders' "Black Dynamite." First runner-up was Benoit Pilon's "The Necessities of Life," with runner-up awards also going to: second runner-up: Marc Webb's "(500) Days of Summer"; third (tie): Kevin Hamedani's "Zmd: Zombies of Mass Destruction" and Lucy Akhurst's "Morris: A Life with Bells On"; and fourth: Philipp Stolzl's "North Face."
Louie Psihoyos' "The Cove" took home the Golden Space Needle Award for best documentary.
Runners-up were: Sandy Cioffi's "Sweet Crude"; Sarah Kunstler and Emily Kunstler's "William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe"; James D. Stern...
The doc jury also awarded a special jury prize to Yoshio Harada's "Manhole Children."
The Golden Space Needle Audience Award for best film went to Scott Sanders' "Black Dynamite." First runner-up was Benoit Pilon's "The Necessities of Life," with runner-up awards also going to: second runner-up: Marc Webb's "(500) Days of Summer"; third (tie): Kevin Hamedani's "Zmd: Zombies of Mass Destruction" and Lucy Akhurst's "Morris: A Life with Bells On"; and fourth: Philipp Stolzl's "North Face."
Louie Psihoyos' "The Cove" took home the Golden Space Needle Award for best documentary.
Runners-up were: Sandy Cioffi's "Sweet Crude"; Sarah Kunstler and Emily Kunstler's "William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe"; James D. Stern...
- 6/14/2009
- by By Gregg Kilday
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Which will include Coppola's Tetro which premiers at Cannes for a total of 392 films which includes 31 world premiers and 203 narrative features. Man, Siff always has good stuff, I wish I could go. Any writers in Seattle want to provide coverage for us?
Check out some of the premiers after the break.
World Premieres
Back to the Garden, Flower Power Comes Full Circle, directed by Kevin Tomlinson (USA, 2009)
Dancing Across Borders, directed by Anne H. Bass (USA/Cambodia, 2009)
Facing Ali, directed by Pete McCormack (Canada, 2009)
The Hills Run Red, directed by Dave Parker (USA, 2009)
Icons Among Us, directed by Michael Rivoira, Lars Larson, Peter J. Vogt (USA, 2009)
I’m No Dummy, directed by Bryan W. Simon (USA, 2009)
Pop Star On Ice, directed by David Barba (USA/Canada/Russia/Japan, 2009)
The Spy and the Sparrow, directed by Garrett Bennett (USA, 2009)
talhotblond, directed by Barbara Schroeder (USA, 2008)
The Whole Truth, directed by Colleen Patrick (USA,...
Check out some of the premiers after the break.
World Premieres
Back to the Garden, Flower Power Comes Full Circle, directed by Kevin Tomlinson (USA, 2009)
Dancing Across Borders, directed by Anne H. Bass (USA/Cambodia, 2009)
Facing Ali, directed by Pete McCormack (Canada, 2009)
The Hills Run Red, directed by Dave Parker (USA, 2009)
Icons Among Us, directed by Michael Rivoira, Lars Larson, Peter J. Vogt (USA, 2009)
I’m No Dummy, directed by Bryan W. Simon (USA, 2009)
Pop Star On Ice, directed by David Barba (USA/Canada/Russia/Japan, 2009)
The Spy and the Sparrow, directed by Garrett Bennett (USA, 2009)
talhotblond, directed by Barbara Schroeder (USA, 2008)
The Whole Truth, directed by Colleen Patrick (USA,...
- 5/1/2009
- QuietEarth.us
While it has been known for some time that Shingo Katori from the Japanese Pop-group Smap (jup, the one from the Ninja Scroll live-action adaptation) will continue the work of Shintaro Katsu and Takeshi Kitano and will play the role of Ichi, the full cast has just been announced. Tokyograph mentions Takashi Sorimachi (Fulltime Killer, Yamato) and Satomi Ishihara (The Climber’s High) in supporting roles and Chieko Baisho, Youki Kudoh, Koichi Iwaki, Yoshio Harada, Kanzaburo Nakamura and Seishiro Kato in smaller roles.
But I think more interesting than all these names is the fact that Sorimachi will play a close friend of Ichi while cute Ishihara will be his wife!
Looks like director Junji Sakamoto (Children of the Dark, Chameleon) wants to show another side of the lone wolf Ichi, who already went through a sex change in 2008 when Haruka Ayase played his/her part in Ichi.
The shooting began in early March,...
But I think more interesting than all these names is the fact that Sorimachi will play a close friend of Ichi while cute Ishihara will be his wife!
Looks like director Junji Sakamoto (Children of the Dark, Chameleon) wants to show another side of the lone wolf Ichi, who already went through a sex change in 2008 when Haruka Ayase played his/her part in Ichi.
The shooting began in early March,...
- 4/23/2009
- by Ulrik
- Affenheimtheater
New York -- The seventh annual New York Asian Film Festival opened Thursday with the world premiere of "Then Summer Came" by Ryo Iwamatsu of Japan. The film is the first of 43 features and eight shorts that will run through July 6.
For the second year in a row, Subway Cinema is collaborating with the Japan Society and the IFC Center to present the works of Asian filmmakers.
Iwamatsu will introduce his film, about a complex relationship between father (Yoshio Harada) and son (Joe Odagiri), and take questions after the screening at the IFC.
Another celebrated director set for the festival is Koji Wakamatsu, whose new film "United Red Army" examines the conflicts inside an infamous 1970s Japanese terrorist group.
Barred from entering the U.S. because he was once affiliated with left-wing Japanese militants, Wakamatsu will conduct his interview with attendees via satellite.
Nyaff co-director and programmer Goran Topalovic said audiences might be surprised by Wakamatsu's objectivity.
"He presents both the good and bad aspects of the group," Topalovic said. "He shows how people on top are only concerned with maintaining control and how that can ultimately destroy any good there may have been initially."
This year, the festival has added a Centerpiece Presentation on July 3, screening "Public Enemy Returns," the third installment in Korean director Kang Woo-Suk's series.
Topalovic said that the centerpiece is one way he and fellow directors Daniel Craft, Grady Hendrix, Brian Naas and Marc Walkow can grow the festival.
"We need to develop more distinctions and different categories to give the right placement to all the films," he said.
Another first is the introduction of a jury that this year includes New York Post critic Vincent Musetto, director Benson Lee and author Maitland McDonald. The panel will present an award to their favorite film.
Though not intended as a major market, Topalovic said the festival has been known to contribute to the commercial success of Asian films distributed in the U.S. In 2004, festival directors worked with Miramax to host the New York premiere of Zhang Yimou's "Hero" before its theatrical release.
At least 12 titles that have premiered at the festival have gone on to secure U.S. distribution, including Feng Xiaogang's "The Banquet."...
For the second year in a row, Subway Cinema is collaborating with the Japan Society and the IFC Center to present the works of Asian filmmakers.
Iwamatsu will introduce his film, about a complex relationship between father (Yoshio Harada) and son (Joe Odagiri), and take questions after the screening at the IFC.
Another celebrated director set for the festival is Koji Wakamatsu, whose new film "United Red Army" examines the conflicts inside an infamous 1970s Japanese terrorist group.
Barred from entering the U.S. because he was once affiliated with left-wing Japanese militants, Wakamatsu will conduct his interview with attendees via satellite.
Nyaff co-director and programmer Goran Topalovic said audiences might be surprised by Wakamatsu's objectivity.
"He presents both the good and bad aspects of the group," Topalovic said. "He shows how people on top are only concerned with maintaining control and how that can ultimately destroy any good there may have been initially."
This year, the festival has added a Centerpiece Presentation on July 3, screening "Public Enemy Returns," the third installment in Korean director Kang Woo-Suk's series.
Topalovic said that the centerpiece is one way he and fellow directors Daniel Craft, Grady Hendrix, Brian Naas and Marc Walkow can grow the festival.
"We need to develop more distinctions and different categories to give the right placement to all the films," he said.
Another first is the introduction of a jury that this year includes New York Post critic Vincent Musetto, director Benson Lee and author Maitland McDonald. The panel will present an award to their favorite film.
Though not intended as a major market, Topalovic said the festival has been known to contribute to the commercial success of Asian films distributed in the U.S. In 2004, festival directors worked with Miramax to host the New York premiere of Zhang Yimou's "Hero" before its theatrical release.
At least 12 titles that have premiered at the festival have gone on to secure U.S. distribution, including Feng Xiaogang's "The Banquet."...
- 7/17/2008
- by By Andy Swift
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
NEW YORK -- The seventh annual New York Asian Film Festival opened Thursday with the world premiere of "Then Summer Came" by Ryo Iwamatsu of Japan. The film is the first of 43 features and eight shorts that will run through July 6.
For the second year in a row, Subway Cinema is collaborating with the Japan Society and the IFC Center to present the works of Asian filmmakers.
Iwamatsu will introduce his film, about a complex relationship between father (Yoshio Harada) and son (Joe Odagiri), and take questions after the screening at the IFC.
Another celebrated director set for the festival is Koji Wakamatsu, whose new film "United Red Army" examines the conflicts inside an infamous 1970s Japanese terrorist group.
Barred from entering the U.S. because he was once affiliated with left-wing Japanese militants, Wakamatsu will conduct his interview with attendees via satellite.
NYAFF co-director and programmer Goran Topalovic said audiences might be surprised by Wakamatsu's objectivity.
"He presents both the good and bad aspects of the group," Topalovic said.
For the second year in a row, Subway Cinema is collaborating with the Japan Society and the IFC Center to present the works of Asian filmmakers.
Iwamatsu will introduce his film, about a complex relationship between father (Yoshio Harada) and son (Joe Odagiri), and take questions after the screening at the IFC.
Another celebrated director set for the festival is Koji Wakamatsu, whose new film "United Red Army" examines the conflicts inside an infamous 1970s Japanese terrorist group.
Barred from entering the U.S. because he was once affiliated with left-wing Japanese militants, Wakamatsu will conduct his interview with attendees via satellite.
NYAFF co-director and programmer Goran Topalovic said audiences might be surprised by Wakamatsu's objectivity.
"He presents both the good and bad aspects of the group," Topalovic said.
- 6/19/2008
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
NEW YORK -- The seventh annual New York Asian Film Festival opened Thursday with the world premiere of "Then Summer Came" by Ryo Iwamatsu of Japan. The film is the first of 43 features and eight shorts that will run through July 6.
For the second year in a row, Subway Cinema is collaborating with the Japan Society and the IFC Center to present the works of Asian filmmakers.
Iwamatsu will introduce his film, about a complex relationship between father (Yoshio Harada) and son (Joe Odagiri), and take questions after the screening at the IFC.
Another celebrated director set for the festival is Koji Wakamatsu, whose new film "United Red Army" examines the conflicts inside an infamous 1970s Japanese terrorist group.
Barred from entering the U.S. because he was once affiliated with left-wing Japanese militants, Wakamatsu will conduct his interview with attendees via satellite.
NYAFF co-director and programmer Goran Topalovic said audiences might be surprised by Wakamatsu's objectivity.
"He presents both the good and bad aspects of the group," Topalovic said.
For the second year in a row, Subway Cinema is collaborating with the Japan Society and the IFC Center to present the works of Asian filmmakers.
Iwamatsu will introduce his film, about a complex relationship between father (Yoshio Harada) and son (Joe Odagiri), and take questions after the screening at the IFC.
Another celebrated director set for the festival is Koji Wakamatsu, whose new film "United Red Army" examines the conflicts inside an infamous 1970s Japanese terrorist group.
Barred from entering the U.S. because he was once affiliated with left-wing Japanese militants, Wakamatsu will conduct his interview with attendees via satellite.
NYAFF co-director and programmer Goran Topalovic said audiences might be surprised by Wakamatsu's objectivity.
"He presents both the good and bad aspects of the group," Topalovic said.
- 6/19/2008
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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