With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options — not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves — we’ve taken it upon ourselves to highlight the titles that have recently hit platforms. Every week, one will be able to see the cream of the crop (or perhaps some simply interesting picks) of streaming titles (new and old) across platforms such as Netflix, iTunes, Amazon, and more (note: U.S. only). Check out our rundown for this week’s selections below.
The Big Sick (Michael Showalter)
From start to finish, The Big Sick, directed by Michael Showalter, works as a lovingly-rendered, cinematic answer to the dinner party question: “So how did you two meet?” Based on comedian Kumail Nanjiani‘s real life (he co-wrote the screenplay with his wife Emily V. Gordon), we meet Kumail (Nanjiani) as he finishes a stand-up set in Chicago. He becomes fast friends with a...
The Big Sick (Michael Showalter)
From start to finish, The Big Sick, directed by Michael Showalter, works as a lovingly-rendered, cinematic answer to the dinner party question: “So how did you two meet?” Based on comedian Kumail Nanjiani‘s real life (he co-wrote the screenplay with his wife Emily V. Gordon), we meet Kumail (Nanjiani) as he finishes a stand-up set in Chicago. He becomes fast friends with a...
- 11/24/2017
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Close-Up is a feature that spotlights films now playing on Mubi. Akihiko Shiota's Wet Woman in the Wind (2016), which is receiving an exclusive global online premiere on Mubi, is showing from November 24 - December 24, 2017 as a Special Discovery.Much like Hollywood, the Japanese film industry goes to the well as often as possible once it hits a lucky strike. Such was the case with the so-called Roman Porno films of the 1970s, an infamous genre of sexploitation primarily identified with Japan’s oldest major studio, Nikkatsu. Financial trouble necessitated a popular, inexpensive product, and these softcore numbers were just the ticket. This may have been the studio where Kenji Mizoguchi and Shohei Imamura made films early in their careers, but by 1971 the Roman Porno factory was in full swing, producing quick, cheap, titillating product for an audience hungry for female toplessness and a great deal of convulsive thrusting.
- 11/23/2017
- MUBI
If you read Playboy for the articles, “Wet Woman in the Wind” and “Antiporno” may be for you. Part of Mubi’s foray into theatrical distribution, they also represent the return of the Roman Porno — a particular kind of pink film (read: softcore porn) made by the Nikkatsu studio and prevalent in Japan throughout the 1970s and ‘80s.
The first of these, 1971’s “Apartment Wife: Affair in the Afternoon,” spawned 20 sequels within a seven-year span and made Kuzuko Shirakawa a different kind of scream queen long before Jamie Lee Curtis first met Michael Myers. Nikkatsu produced roughly three Roman Pornos a month until 1988, helping the revered studio pivot away from Yakuza flicks. These affairs were short, sexy, and often quite good — critics responded to them with nearly as much enthusiasm as audiences.
Read More:‘Anti-Porno’ Trailer: Japanese Director Sion Sono Returns with a Feminist Take on Sexuality
To celebrate that legacy,...
The first of these, 1971’s “Apartment Wife: Affair in the Afternoon,” spawned 20 sequels within a seven-year span and made Kuzuko Shirakawa a different kind of scream queen long before Jamie Lee Curtis first met Michael Myers. Nikkatsu produced roughly three Roman Pornos a month until 1988, helping the revered studio pivot away from Yakuza flicks. These affairs were short, sexy, and often quite good — critics responded to them with nearly as much enthusiasm as audiences.
Read More:‘Anti-Porno’ Trailer: Japanese Director Sion Sono Returns with a Feminist Take on Sexuality
To celebrate that legacy,...
- 11/21/2017
- by Michael Nordine
- Indiewire
Centerpiece Gala is North American premiere of Filipino thriller Birdshot.
The Us premiere of Jung Byung-gil’s revenge thriller and recent Cannes Midnight screening The Villainess will close the 16th New York Asian Film Festival (Nyaff), set to run from June 30-July 16.
Festival brass unveiled on Monday the selection of 57 films including seven entries in the new Main Competition: previously announced festival opener Bad Genius (Thailand, pictured); Birdshot (Philippines); A Double Life (Japan); The Gangster’s Daughter (Taiwan); Kfc (Vietnam); Jane (South Korea); and With Prisoners (Hong Kong).
The Centerpiece Gala is the North American premiere of Filipino thriller Birdshot.
The festival programme includes a 20th Anniversary Hong Kong Panorama with a focus on emerging talent called Young Blood Hong Kong. Selections include Wong Chun’s Mad World, Derek Hui’s This Is Not What I Expected, and Alan Lo’s Zombiology: Enjoy Yourself Tonight.
An Lgbtq showcase features five films: Naoko Ogigami’s Close-Knit from Japan...
The Us premiere of Jung Byung-gil’s revenge thriller and recent Cannes Midnight screening The Villainess will close the 16th New York Asian Film Festival (Nyaff), set to run from June 30-July 16.
Festival brass unveiled on Monday the selection of 57 films including seven entries in the new Main Competition: previously announced festival opener Bad Genius (Thailand, pictured); Birdshot (Philippines); A Double Life (Japan); The Gangster’s Daughter (Taiwan); Kfc (Vietnam); Jane (South Korea); and With Prisoners (Hong Kong).
The Centerpiece Gala is the North American premiere of Filipino thriller Birdshot.
The festival programme includes a 20th Anniversary Hong Kong Panorama with a focus on emerging talent called Young Blood Hong Kong. Selections include Wong Chun’s Mad World, Derek Hui’s This Is Not What I Expected, and Alan Lo’s Zombiology: Enjoy Yourself Tonight.
An Lgbtq showcase features five films: Naoko Ogigami’s Close-Knit from Japan...
- 6/5/2017
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
The distribution landscape continues to evolve, with a healthy mixture of new players and stalwarts, and yet every year there are great movies that slip through the cracks. For the most part, movies that gain serious traction on the festival circuit find their way to various American buyers and usually wind up with some kind of home.
While ambitious newcomers like A24 and Amazon Studios continue to up their game while veterans such as Sony Pictures Classics keep rolling along, even they have limits to the kind of content they can gamble on.
Read More: The 25 Best Movie Moments of 2016, According to IndieWire Critic David Ehrlich
Usually, the movies that struggle to find homes aren’t ignored so much as they’re deemed non-commercial or risky. Distributors often shy away from the prospects of a “difficult” movie simply because they can’t imagine a trailer for it, or because it...
While ambitious newcomers like A24 and Amazon Studios continue to up their game while veterans such as Sony Pictures Classics keep rolling along, even they have limits to the kind of content they can gamble on.
Read More: The 25 Best Movie Moments of 2016, According to IndieWire Critic David Ehrlich
Usually, the movies that struggle to find homes aren’t ignored so much as they’re deemed non-commercial or risky. Distributors often shy away from the prospects of a “difficult” movie simply because they can’t imagine a trailer for it, or because it...
- 12/7/2016
- by David Ehrlich and Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
White Sun wins key award at the 27th Singapore International Film Festival.
White Sun won best film in the Silver Screen Awards at the 27th Singapore International Film Festival.
The second feature of Nepalese director Deepak Rauniyar is about a Maoist who returns home to bury his father.
The jury found it “an exceptional and incisive film about civil war and memory that encapsulates the never-ending conflict that is the state of the world today, with a message of hope that a different future for all of us can be possible through our children”.
Abdullah Mohammad Saad was named best director for his debut feature Live From Dhaka, which also took best performance for actor Mostafa Monwar. Shot in grainy black and white, it tells the story of a partially handicapped man who lives his days in anguish as he tries to find a way to leave Dhaka.
A special mention went to Turah, the debut feature...
White Sun won best film in the Silver Screen Awards at the 27th Singapore International Film Festival.
The second feature of Nepalese director Deepak Rauniyar is about a Maoist who returns home to bury his father.
The jury found it “an exceptional and incisive film about civil war and memory that encapsulates the never-ending conflict that is the state of the world today, with a message of hope that a different future for all of us can be possible through our children”.
Abdullah Mohammad Saad was named best director for his debut feature Live From Dhaka, which also took best performance for actor Mostafa Monwar. Shot in grainy black and white, it tells the story of a partially handicapped man who lives his days in anguish as he tries to find a way to leave Dhaka.
A special mention went to Turah, the debut feature...
- 12/4/2016
- by screenasia@yahoo.com (Silvia Wong)
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Japanese studio and international sales agent pairing up for new sci-fi.
Japanese studio Nikkatsu is partnering with Wild Bunch to handle international sales on the next film from leading Japanese director Kiyoshi Kurosawa.
The as-yet-untitled project is a sci-fi suspense film produced by Nikkatsu. The produers are keeping details under wraps but say the project is in post-production and based on an unspecified play.
Nikkatsu is handling Asian sales, with Wild Bunch handling all other international territories.
“This is my first film adapted from a theatre play,” said Kurosawa. “I was conflicted about tackling the marriage of satire, humour and sci-fi elements unique to the original work. But after overcoming the difficulties, I feel the different elements will be balanced.”
The film is executive produced by Nikkatsu’s Yuji Ishida, whose credits include Unforgiven, Confessions and Memories Of Matsuko. Kurosawa’s recent films include Creepy, which premiered at Berlin this year, and Daguerrotype...
Japanese studio Nikkatsu is partnering with Wild Bunch to handle international sales on the next film from leading Japanese director Kiyoshi Kurosawa.
The as-yet-untitled project is a sci-fi suspense film produced by Nikkatsu. The produers are keeping details under wraps but say the project is in post-production and based on an unspecified play.
Nikkatsu is handling Asian sales, with Wild Bunch handling all other international territories.
“This is my first film adapted from a theatre play,” said Kurosawa. “I was conflicted about tackling the marriage of satire, humour and sci-fi elements unique to the original work. But after overcoming the difficulties, I feel the different elements will be balanced.”
The film is executive produced by Nikkatsu’s Yuji Ishida, whose credits include Unforgiven, Confessions and Memories Of Matsuko. Kurosawa’s recent films include Creepy, which premiered at Berlin this year, and Daguerrotype...
- 11/3/2016
- by lizshackleton@gmail.com (Liz Shackleton)
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Gael García Bernal among directors on anthology film.
Japan’s Nikkatsu Corporation has taken international sales rights on omnibus romantic drama Madly, which premiered at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival in April.
Comprised of six stories, all of which focus on the complications of modern love, the film features behind-the-camera stints from talent including Gael García Bernal, Sion Sono, Sebastián Silva, Mia Wasikowska, Anurag Kashyap, and Natasha Khan, all of whom directed one of the 15-minute vignettes.
Following its premiere in Tribeca, where star Radhika Apte picked up the festival’s best actress award, the film had a subsequent berth at the Melbourne International Film Festival in August.
The feature was produced by Eric Mahoney and executively produced by Nusrat Durrani.
Durrani commented: “Madly is a thrilling take on a universal subject and its six scintillating films tackle bold themes that represent a global state-of-the-union of love. We are happy to have Nikkatsu represent the film...
Japan’s Nikkatsu Corporation has taken international sales rights on omnibus romantic drama Madly, which premiered at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival in April.
Comprised of six stories, all of which focus on the complications of modern love, the film features behind-the-camera stints from talent including Gael García Bernal, Sion Sono, Sebastián Silva, Mia Wasikowska, Anurag Kashyap, and Natasha Khan, all of whom directed one of the 15-minute vignettes.
Following its premiere in Tribeca, where star Radhika Apte picked up the festival’s best actress award, the film had a subsequent berth at the Melbourne International Film Festival in August.
The feature was produced by Eric Mahoney and executively produced by Nusrat Durrani.
Durrani commented: “Madly is a thrilling take on a universal subject and its six scintillating films tackle bold themes that represent a global state-of-the-union of love. We are happy to have Nikkatsu represent the film...
- 9/19/2016
- by tom.grater@screendaily.com (Tom Grater)
- ScreenDaily
The OrnithologistIt’s one thing to watch a film festival unfold and take the films as they come when they come, on their own individual merits. It’s another to look back at them as part of a bigger picture, tracing connections made in invisible ink that may not be apparent at the time. That’s one way to look at the competitive selection of Locarno in 2016. As usual, yes, Locarno did take risks very few other A-list festivals would, and it still gets away with stuff other events can’t. (Let’s pause here to remember that Filipino auteur du jour Lav Diaz only went on to the main Berlin line-up after winning the Golden Leopard two years ago.) If getting away with it means tripping over itself occasionally (and in my short time of attending Locarno there have been stumbles, believe me), I’m absolutely fine with it.
- 8/22/2016
- MUBI
"Wet Woman in the Wind is a curious proposition—a formal genre exercise with energy to spare, and a cheerfully dirty mind," writes Jonathan Romney in a dispatch to Film Comment from Locarno. "Written and directed by Akihiko Shiota, best known for low-key drama titles such as Harmful Insect and action blockbuster Dororo, Wet Woman is one of a series of films commissioned by the Nikkatsu Corporation to celebrate the 45th anniversary of their 'Roman Porno' series of sex films, which originally ran from 1971 to 1988." We're collecting reviews. » - David Hudson...
- 8/13/2016
- Keyframe
"Wet Woman in the Wind is a curious proposition—a formal genre exercise with energy to spare, and a cheerfully dirty mind," writes Jonathan Romney in a dispatch to Film Comment from Locarno. "Written and directed by Akihiko Shiota, best known for low-key drama titles such as Harmful Insect and action blockbuster Dororo, Wet Woman is one of a series of films commissioned by the Nikkatsu Corporation to celebrate the 45th anniversary of their 'Roman Porno' series of sex films, which originally ran from 1971 to 1988." We're collecting reviews. » - David Hudson...
- 8/13/2016
- Fandor: Keyframe
Exclusive: Akihiko Shiota’s latest has gone to South Korea and Taiwan.
Nikkatsu Corporation has sold Akihiko Shiota’s latest film Wet Woman In The Wind, which is set to receive its world premiere in Locarno’s International Competition today Friday (August 5), to South Korea (Orange Yellow Heim) and Taiwan (Movie Cloud).
This is the first Roman Porno film from Nikkatsu in the festival’s main competition since the Japanese company started the softcore porn label in 1971. It also marks the return of Japanese director Shiota to Locarno after his first feature Moonlight Whispers (not a Nikkatsu Roman Porno) was competing for the Golden Leopard in 1999.
The new picture is about a former playwright from the city who seeks to lead a quiet life in the mountain but is caught up in a spiral of desire with a promiscuous young woman. The main cast includes Yuki Mamiya and Tasuku Nagaoka.
Wet [link=tt...
Nikkatsu Corporation has sold Akihiko Shiota’s latest film Wet Woman In The Wind, which is set to receive its world premiere in Locarno’s International Competition today Friday (August 5), to South Korea (Orange Yellow Heim) and Taiwan (Movie Cloud).
This is the first Roman Porno film from Nikkatsu in the festival’s main competition since the Japanese company started the softcore porn label in 1971. It also marks the return of Japanese director Shiota to Locarno after his first feature Moonlight Whispers (not a Nikkatsu Roman Porno) was competing for the Golden Leopard in 1999.
The new picture is about a former playwright from the city who seeks to lead a quiet life in the mountain but is caught up in a spiral of desire with a promiscuous young woman. The main cast includes Yuki Mamiya and Tasuku Nagaoka.
Wet [link=tt...
- 8/5/2016
- ScreenDaily
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