It feels appropriate that Tomoki Kanazawa’s “Sabakan” is set in the summer of 1986: the year Rob Reiner’s “Stand By Me” was released. And while the two films end up very different, the Nagasaki-set family film starts with a very similar character dynamic.
Sabakan is screening at Camera Japan
Takaaki (Tsuyoshi Kusanagi) is a struggling writer and divorcee. Suffering from writer’s block, he reminisces about the summer of 1986, when a shared experience with a classmate had a lasting impact. Kenji (Konosuke Harada) is from a poorer background than most at school; the eldest of five siblings of a struggling widow. While others tease Kenji, Takaaki (the younger played by Ichiro Banke) remains straight-faced. A fact that Kenji notices.
Unexpectedly that summer, Kenji drops in on Takaaki to take him to nearby Boomerang Island, where there have been recent sightings of dolphins. Along the way, they encounter delinquents,...
Sabakan is screening at Camera Japan
Takaaki (Tsuyoshi Kusanagi) is a struggling writer and divorcee. Suffering from writer’s block, he reminisces about the summer of 1986, when a shared experience with a classmate had a lasting impact. Kenji (Konosuke Harada) is from a poorer background than most at school; the eldest of five siblings of a struggling widow. While others tease Kenji, Takaaki (the younger played by Ichiro Banke) remains straight-faced. A fact that Kenji notices.
Unexpectedly that summer, Kenji drops in on Takaaki to take him to nearby Boomerang Island, where there have been recent sightings of dolphins. Along the way, they encounter delinquents,...
- 9/25/2023
- by Andrew Thayne
- AsianMoviePulse
Japan Society announces Amiko directed by Yusuke Morii as the winner of the third Obayashi Prize at Japan Cuts: Festival of New Japanese Film. The film is selected from titles within Next Generation—the festival's sole competitive section introduced in 2020 dedicated to independently produced narrative feature films from emerging filmmakers in Japan.
The festival's only juried section, Next Generation awards the Obayashi Prize to the most accomplished title as determined by a jury of industry professionals. This year's distinguished jurors are: critic and essayist Moeko Fujii; Dan Sullivan, programmer at Film at Lincoln Center; and distributor Pearl Chan. The jury remarks:
“As Amiko peeks into calligraphy class watching other children practice discipline and character building, they play a game of who can spot her first. She is too much, too loud; she cannot be held inside the lines and there is no language to describe her. This is where the...
The festival's only juried section, Next Generation awards the Obayashi Prize to the most accomplished title as determined by a jury of industry professionals. This year's distinguished jurors are: critic and essayist Moeko Fujii; Dan Sullivan, programmer at Film at Lincoln Center; and distributor Pearl Chan. The jury remarks:
“As Amiko peeks into calligraphy class watching other children practice discipline and character building, they play a game of who can spot her first. She is too much, too loud; she cannot be held inside the lines and there is no language to describe her. This is where the...
- 8/8/2023
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
Winner of the Fipresci Prize in last year's Biff, Nao Kubota's “Thousand and One Nights” takes on a subject that has been dealt with in the Japanese cinema of the past, as in Shohei Imamura's “ A Man Vanishes” for example, but not so much in recent productions, regarding the sudden disappearances of men throughout Japan.
“Thousand and One Nights” is screening at Helsinki Cine Aasia
Tomiko Wakamatsu, a woman in her 60s, is working in the fish industry in the island of Sado, located in the Sea of Japan not far from Niigata. Her life, however, has been on hold for more than three decades now, since her husband Satoshi disappeared. Not being able to move forward, Tomiko is still searching and waiting, although a local man, Haruo, is quite keen on marrying her, something that both his mother, and a number of other people from the island insist on,...
“Thousand and One Nights” is screening at Helsinki Cine Aasia
Tomiko Wakamatsu, a woman in her 60s, is working in the fish industry in the island of Sado, located in the Sea of Japan not far from Niigata. Her life, however, has been on hold for more than three decades now, since her husband Satoshi disappeared. Not being able to move forward, Tomiko is still searching and waiting, although a local man, Haruo, is quite keen on marrying her, something that both his mother, and a number of other people from the island insist on,...
- 3/22/2023
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
The Japan Academy Film Prize Association held the 46th edition of its awards ceremony on March 10, 2023. The nominees are selected by industry professionals from the pool of film releases between January 1 and December 31, 2022 which must have screened in Tokyo cinemas. Award categories are modelled after Hollywood's Academy Awards®.
Following its success at the recent Blue Ribbon Awards, and leading with 13 nominations in 12 categories, Kei Ishikawa's “A Man” walks away with 8 Japan Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress. The full list of winners is described below.
Picture of the Year
A Man
Shin Ultraman
Phases of the Moon
Anime Supremacy!
Wandering
Team from A Man Animation of the Year
Inu-Oh
Lonely Castle in the Mirror
Suzume
One Piece Film Red
The First Slam Dunk
Director of the Year
Kei Ishikawa – A Man
Takashi Koizumi – The Pass: Last...
Following its success at the recent Blue Ribbon Awards, and leading with 13 nominations in 12 categories, Kei Ishikawa's “A Man” walks away with 8 Japan Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress. The full list of winners is described below.
Picture of the Year
A Man
Shin Ultraman
Phases of the Moon
Anime Supremacy!
Wandering
Team from A Man Animation of the Year
Inu-Oh
Lonely Castle in the Mirror
Suzume
One Piece Film Red
The First Slam Dunk
Director of the Year
Kei Ishikawa – A Man
Takashi Koizumi – The Pass: Last...
- 3/15/2023
- by Suzie Cho
- AsianMoviePulse
Coming-of-age dramas often focus on challenges that affect us all and how they can be overcome. But Yusuke Morii's “Amiko” focuses very much on a child that isn't like anyone else, and as such, those around her don't know how to deal with her, as a story of a unique life sees a unique comedy in a strong directorial debut.
Amiko (Kana Osawa) lives in a suburb of Hiroshima with her father (Arata Iura), pregnant mother (Machiko Ono) and older brother. They have what appears to be a very simple life of a young family, with a humble father, diligent mother and caring older brother for his eccentric and enthusiastic little sister. But tragic events strike, and the family all have their lives shaken up. All that is, apart from the naïve and bright-eyed Amiko.
While the rest of the family show clear signs of grief, Amiko is still...
Amiko (Kana Osawa) lives in a suburb of Hiroshima with her father (Arata Iura), pregnant mother (Machiko Ono) and older brother. They have what appears to be a very simple life of a young family, with a humble father, diligent mother and caring older brother for his eccentric and enthusiastic little sister. But tragic events strike, and the family all have their lives shaken up. All that is, apart from the naïve and bright-eyed Amiko.
While the rest of the family show clear signs of grief, Amiko is still...
- 3/9/2023
- by Andrew Thayne
- AsianMoviePulse
One of the prestigious national cinema awards in Japan presented by the Association of Tokyo Film Journalists, the 65th edition of the Blue Ribbon Awards announced its winners on February 24, 2023. The nominees are selected from movies released in 2022 within the Tokyo Metropolitan Area. Leading with 6 nominations, A Man by Kei Ishikawa, wins Best Film while Plan 75 by Chie Hayakawa picks up Best Director and Best Actress for Chieko Baisho. The full list of winners is described below.
Best Film
A Man
Kingdom 2: To Distant Lands
Small, Slow But Steady
Missing
Silent Parade
Dr Coto’s Clinic
Plan 75
Motherhood
Fragments of the Last Will
Wandering
A Man Best Director
Kei Ishikawa – A Man
Shinzo Katayama – Missing
Takahisa Zeze – Tombi: Father and Son; Fragments of the Last Will
Chie Hayakawa – Plan 75
Ryuichi Hiroki – 2 Women, Motherhood; Phases of the Moon
Best Actor
Sadao Abe – Lesson in Murder; I am...
Best Film
A Man
Kingdom 2: To Distant Lands
Small, Slow But Steady
Missing
Silent Parade
Dr Coto’s Clinic
Plan 75
Motherhood
Fragments of the Last Will
Wandering
A Man Best Director
Kei Ishikawa – A Man
Shinzo Katayama – Missing
Takahisa Zeze – Tombi: Father and Son; Fragments of the Last Will
Chie Hayakawa – Plan 75
Ryuichi Hiroki – 2 Women, Motherhood; Phases of the Moon
Best Actor
Sadao Abe – Lesson in Murder; I am...
- 2/28/2023
- by Suzie Cho
- AsianMoviePulse
Quite a different romantic movie than the usual style of the category, “The Tale of Nishino” essentially begins with the death of the protagonist, after hanging out with ex-girlfriend Natsumi and her daughter Minami, and then makes a flash forward ten years later when Nishino returns as a ghost to Minami, with the two attending his funeral. There the girl talks to a friend of his, who shares a rather extensive story about his past, and particularly his relationship with a number of women, all of which, though, ended up dumping him.
on Amazon by clicking on the image below
The unusual story is based on the homonymous novel by Hiromi Kawakami, and for the most part, focuses on the everyday life of Nishino, the fact that many women found themselves attracted to him, and his effort to not say no to anyone, which actually is the...
on Amazon by clicking on the image below
The unusual story is based on the homonymous novel by Hiromi Kawakami, and for the most part, focuses on the everyday life of Nishino, the fact that many women found themselves attracted to him, and his effort to not say no to anyone, which actually is the...
- 9/18/2022
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Director of some of the best Japanese movies we have seen after 2010, with titles like “The Great Passage” and “The Tokyo Night Sky Is Always the Densest Shade of Blue” under his belt, Yuya Ishii seems, however, to be experiencing an out of form recently, with his last works being interesting, but not on the same level with the aforementioned, for example. Let us see how he fared with his latest work, “A Madder Red”.
“A Madder Red” is screening at Nippon Connection
The film begins with a car crash that sends Yoichi, lead singer of a band, husband of Ryoko and father of a young boy named Junpei, to death. 7 years later, the boy is now a middle school student who is facing bullying for his mother’s work, since the fact that she is a sexual worker seems to have been revealed. Ryoko, however, also covers the expenses of her father-in-law,...
“A Madder Red” is screening at Nippon Connection
The film begins with a car crash that sends Yoichi, lead singer of a band, husband of Ryoko and father of a young boy named Junpei, to death. 7 years later, the boy is now a middle school student who is facing bullying for his mother’s work, since the fact that she is a sexual worker seems to have been revealed. Ryoko, however, also covers the expenses of her father-in-law,...
- 5/31/2022
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
The concept of motherhood, and particularly the questions of if all women should be able to be one, and what is the impact of parenthood in the shaping of children, is one that has been presented repeatedly in Japanese cinema, with films like “Sunk Into the Womb” giving some of the darkest answers to these questions. Takahisa Zeze also examines the concept in “Tomorrow’s Dinner Table”, in an adaptation of the homonymous novel by Michiko Yazuki.
“Tomorrow’s Dinner Table” is screening as part of the Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme
Rumiko is a freelance writer, married to freelance photographer Yutaka. Her blog is quite popular, as her “ramblings” about her constantly fighting children (the older boy seems to be perpetually angry while the youngest cannot stop crying) resonate with a number of mothers, although she also has to face another issue, since her husband does not seem to...
“Tomorrow’s Dinner Table” is screening as part of the Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme
Rumiko is a freelance writer, married to freelance photographer Yutaka. Her blog is quite popular, as her “ramblings” about her constantly fighting children (the older boy seems to be perpetually angry while the youngest cannot stop crying) resonate with a number of mothers, although she also has to face another issue, since her husband does not seem to...
- 2/7/2022
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
7 years ago, Yoichi (Joe Odagiri) died in a traffic accident. His wife Ryoko (Machiko Ono) did not receive compensation from her husband’s death. She has since raised her son Junpei (Iori Wada) by herself. Junpei is now a middle school student. Ryoko also cares for her father-in-law, who lives in a nursing home and she also runs a cafe. Her care is in a difficult situation due to Covid-19, while Junpei experiences bullying at school.
- 4/5/2021
- by Don Anelli
- AsianMoviePulse
Based on Keigo Higashino’s 2012 novel of the same name, “The Miracles of the Namiya General Store” is the first of two adaptations of Higashino’s book, the second being Han Jie’s “Namiya” starring Jackie Chan. Hiroki’s cinematic take on this intricately woven tale is presented wonderfully thanks to some strong performances and a carefully structured narrative.
The Miracles of the Namiya General Store is screening at Japan Society
For many years, Yuuji Namiya (Toshiyuki Nishida) answered letters from strangers asking for advice and left his responses in the milk box outside his general store. Now, in 2012, Atsuya (Ryosuke Yamada), Shota (Nijiro Murakami), and Kohei (Kanichiro Sato), take refuge in the abandoned shop while on the run from the law. The arrival of a letter in the dead of night prompts the trio into leaving, yet they’re unable to get away from the run-down shop. By deciding to respond to the letter,...
The Miracles of the Namiya General Store is screening at Japan Society
For many years, Yuuji Namiya (Toshiyuki Nishida) answered letters from strangers asking for advice and left his responses in the milk box outside his general store. Now, in 2012, Atsuya (Ryosuke Yamada), Shota (Nijiro Murakami), and Kohei (Kanichiro Sato), take refuge in the abandoned shop while on the run from the law. The arrival of a letter in the dead of night prompts the trio into leaving, yet they’re unable to get away from the run-down shop. By deciding to respond to the letter,...
- 2/11/2021
- by Tom Wilmot
- AsianMoviePulse
A Fistful Of Dollars Welcome to this week's Stay-At-Home Seven suggestions of films to catch on television and streaming services. As always, you can read last week's column here. Plus check out our Streaming Spotlight on cinematic battles that defy expectations.
Like Father, Like Son, Film4, 1.30am, Tuesday, November 17
Keita (Keita Ninomiya) is a bright six-year-old whose workaholic dad Ryota (Masaharu Fukuyama) likes control and order. He's not a bad man but he likes things to stay in place. So when the hospital where Keita was born calls to say they need to set up a meeting, he tells his wife Midori (Machiko Ono - who more or less bends to his every whim - "I hope it's nothing messy." Sadly for him, it's something very messy indeed - the news that his son is not really his son at all but rather a child belonging to provincial shopkeepers Yukari and Yudai.
Like Father, Like Son, Film4, 1.30am, Tuesday, November 17
Keita (Keita Ninomiya) is a bright six-year-old whose workaholic dad Ryota (Masaharu Fukuyama) likes control and order. He's not a bad man but he likes things to stay in place. So when the hospital where Keita was born calls to say they need to set up a meeting, he tells his wife Midori (Machiko Ono - who more or less bends to his every whim - "I hope it's nothing messy." Sadly for him, it's something very messy indeed - the news that his son is not really his son at all but rather a child belonging to provincial shopkeepers Yukari and Yudai.
- 11/16/2020
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Ten years after becoming the youngest winner of the Camera d’Or, Naomi Kawase returned to Cannes and claimed the Grand Prix, for the “Mourning Forest”, a film focusing on grief as experienced in Buddhism.
The movie is split in two acts. The first takes place in a retirement home, where most of the patients suffer from senile dementia. The two protagonists of the story are a caregiver, Machiko, and Shigeki, a senile old man who frequently acts as a child, sometimes with bad consequences. Soon, the two of them start to connect through their grief, as Machiko is mourning her lost child and Shigeki his dead wife. Eventually, they decide to take a drive in the country, but after an accident, they find themselves in a two-day journey to the forest, and in a number of dangerous situations. The trip, however, provides them both with catharsis.
The movie is split in two acts. The first takes place in a retirement home, where most of the patients suffer from senile dementia. The two protagonists of the story are a caregiver, Machiko, and Shigeki, a senile old man who frequently acts as a child, sometimes with bad consequences. Soon, the two of them start to connect through their grief, as Machiko is mourning her lost child and Shigeki his dead wife. Eventually, they decide to take a drive in the country, but after an accident, they find themselves in a two-day journey to the forest, and in a number of dangerous situations. The trip, however, provides them both with catharsis.
- 1/6/2020
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Masanori Tominaga, known from his documentary “The Echo of Astro Boy’s Footsteps” (2011) about Matsuo Ohno and narratives like “Pandora’s Box” (2009), which was based on a story written by Osamu Dazai, returns to the silver screen with a biopic about Akira Suei, Japan’s famous erotic-magazine editor. Even though the erotic images – including the work of Nobuyoshi Araki – were the main attraction of New Self, Weekend Super, and Shashin Jidai, these magazines also featured articles about various underground cultural phenomena and the work of distinguished writers like Genpei Akasegawa and Shigesato Itio. Now, With Tominaga’s adaptation of Suei’s biographical essay “Suteki na Dainamaito Sukyandaru” (1982), we finally get a chance to explore the life of one of the most controversial editors of the eighties.
Dynamite Graffity is screening at the 17th New York Asian Film Festival
It took only one explosion to radically change the subjective trajectory of...
Dynamite Graffity is screening at the 17th New York Asian Film Festival
It took only one explosion to radically change the subjective trajectory of...
- 7/1/2018
- by Pieter-Jan Van Haecke
- AsianMoviePulse
Eureka! Entertainment has announced the latest titles to join its revered Masters of Cinema label, with highlights including Josef von Sternberg’s The Saga of Anatahan and Naomi Kawase’s The Mourning Forest. The last film directed by von Sternberg, already in the collection with The Blue Angel and The Last Command, The Saga of Anatahan (also known as simply Anatahan) is the story of 12 Japanese soldiers, marooned on a remote island during WWII, who tear each other apart over control of two pistols and a beautiful local woman. The film will be receive a dual-format release on 14 August. Cannes darling Naomi Kawase won the Grand Prix in 2007 for The Mourning Forest, the story of a bereaved care-giver (Machiko Ono) who embarks...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 6/10/2017
- Screen Anarchy
Japanese movie distributor, Gaga Corporation, has won the distribution rights for the international release of the upcoming horror thriller, Museum, by director Keishi Otomo (Rurouni Kenshin). The movie will be distributed domestically by Warner Bros, Japan, and is due for release on 12th November.
Based off the cult-favorite manga of the same name, Museum is a tautly drawn out thriller in which the detective, Hisashi Sawamura, becomes embroiled in a serial-killer case that that threatens to become personal and draw members of his family into the sordid and dangerous affair.
Shun Oguri (Crows Zero, Kisaragi) is confirmed to star as the lead detective, while Machiko Ono (Like Father, Like Son, Climbers High) is to play the estranged wife. It has yet to be revealed who plays the serial killer.
Director, Keishi Otomo, is an experienced hand at converting manga into live action pieces, having previously directed the Samurai drama series,...
Based off the cult-favorite manga of the same name, Museum is a tautly drawn out thriller in which the detective, Hisashi Sawamura, becomes embroiled in a serial-killer case that that threatens to become personal and draw members of his family into the sordid and dangerous affair.
Shun Oguri (Crows Zero, Kisaragi) is confirmed to star as the lead detective, while Machiko Ono (Like Father, Like Son, Climbers High) is to play the estranged wife. It has yet to be revealed who plays the serial killer.
Director, Keishi Otomo, is an experienced hand at converting manga into live action pieces, having previously directed the Samurai drama series,...
- 9/6/2016
- by Robert Hill
- AsianMoviePulse
Exclusive: The manga adaptation stars Shun Oguri.
Japan’s Gaga Corporation has snagged the international distribution rights to director Keishi Otomo’s upcoming horror thriller Museum.
Based on the cult manga, the film stars Crows Zero star Shun Oguri as a detective hunting down a serial killer. Machiko Ono, who starred in director Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Like Father, Like Son, will play his estranged wife. The actor who will play the mysterious serial killer has yet to be revealed.
Warner Bros Pictures Japan will roll out the film domestically on November 12.
Otomo is no stranger to turning manga into live action dramas. He previously directed the Rurouni Kenshin series of samurai dramas.
Gaga’s slate also includes Kore-eda’s Cannes Un Certain Regard title After The Storm, which it is co-distributing with Wild Bunch and manga adaptations Itazurana Kiss The Movie and Ū-ki Yamato’s Drowning Love.
In May, the company picked up international rights to its...
Japan’s Gaga Corporation has snagged the international distribution rights to director Keishi Otomo’s upcoming horror thriller Museum.
Based on the cult manga, the film stars Crows Zero star Shun Oguri as a detective hunting down a serial killer. Machiko Ono, who starred in director Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Like Father, Like Son, will play his estranged wife. The actor who will play the mysterious serial killer has yet to be revealed.
Warner Bros Pictures Japan will roll out the film domestically on November 12.
Otomo is no stranger to turning manga into live action dramas. He previously directed the Rurouni Kenshin series of samurai dramas.
Gaga’s slate also includes Kore-eda’s Cannes Un Certain Regard title After The Storm, which it is co-distributing with Wild Bunch and manga adaptations Itazurana Kiss The Movie and Ū-ki Yamato’s Drowning Love.
In May, the company picked up international rights to its...
- 9/2/2016
- ScreenDaily
The proverbial Top Ten List. A sacred tradition passed down by our cinematic elders. This is the fourth time I have partaken in this holy tradition, and one thing has remained constant is that this list is never set in stone. As we catch up with more films we missed or rewatch our favorites it causes us to like a movie more or less causing this list to change. In fact in 2012 and 2013 I ended up seeing my number one film of the year after I wrote up my Top 10. So the question becomes, “Why Do it?”. Well, for one it’s fun. At least I find it an enjoyable exercise as I try to break down the year that was. I watched 163 movies that were released in 2014. Narrowing that 163 down to a Top 10 is a challenge I enjoy.
Looking at 2014 as a whole it is evident it was a pretty good year.
Looking at 2014 as a whole it is evident it was a pretty good year.
- 1/11/2015
- by Dan Clark
- Nerdly
Stars: Masaharu Fukuyama, Machiko Ono, Yôko Maki, Rirî Furankî, Jun Fubuki, Shôgen Hwang, Kirin Kiki, Jun Kunimura | Written and Directed by Hirokazu Koreeda
When a family is having a baby one thing they do is trust the hospital they choose to look after the mother and baby. What if something happens in that hospital though and the babies are swapped? I know this is something we often see in “true life story” movies, but when the film comes from Japan and is from globally acclaimed director Hirokazu Koreeda you know get the feeling that you may be in for something just a little special. That is what you get with Like Father, Like Son (Soshite Chichi Ni Naru).
When Ryota (Masaharu Fukuyama) and Midori (Machiko Ono) receive a phone call from the hospital where their son was born their lives are turned upside down when they are told that the...
When a family is having a baby one thing they do is trust the hospital they choose to look after the mother and baby. What if something happens in that hospital though and the babies are swapped? I know this is something we often see in “true life story” movies, but when the film comes from Japan and is from globally acclaimed director Hirokazu Koreeda you know get the feeling that you may be in for something just a little special. That is what you get with Like Father, Like Son (Soshite Chichi Ni Naru).
When Ryota (Masaharu Fukuyama) and Midori (Machiko Ono) receive a phone call from the hospital where their son was born their lives are turned upside down when they are told that the...
- 5/7/2014
- by Paul Metcalf
- Nerdly
It's no surprise that director Hirokazu Kore-eda's "Like Father, Like Son" picked up the Jury Prize at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, and that jury president Steven Spielberg promptly bought the rights to a Us remake. This trenchant and humane family drama bears the mark of a master craftsmen whose sharp cinematic style never overshadows a sensitivity to the inner lives of everyday people.Though the setup, like the title, smacks of melodrama, the story unfolds believably as two sets of parents living in Tokyo learn from a blood test that their children were accidentally swapped at the hospital. For six years, Ryota (Masaharu Fukuyama), a workaholic architect, and wife Midori (Machiko Ono) have raised young son Keita (Keita Ninomiya). But he was never theirs to begin with.Keita biologically belongs to Yudai and Yukari, two shopkeepers who have Ryota's real son, Ryusei. Kore-eda wisely skirts the obvious cultural commentary...
- 1/16/2014
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Thompson on Hollywood
Title: Like Father, Like Son Director: Hirokazu Koreeda Starring: Masaharu Fukuyama, Yoko Maki, Jun Kunimura, Machiko Ono, Kirin Kiki, Isao Natsuyagi, Lily Franky, Jun Fubuki, Megumi Morisaki. Director Hirokazu Koreeda depicts a touching, poetic and harrowing adventure through parenthood. What makes a child similar to his parents? Does the blood-line prevail over living every day of your life raising a child, even if he doesn’t share your lineage? These questions are explored with great delicacy and veracity in ‘Like Father, Like Son.’ Nonomiya Ryota is a man who has established himself in his profession, he is very hard working and extremely competitive. One day he is called with his wife [ Read More ]
The post Like Father, Like Son Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post Like Father, Like Son Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 1/15/2014
- by Chiara Spagnoli Gabardi
- ShockYa
This is the full trailer for Japan's live-action big screen adaptation of of the anime film Kiki's Delivery Service. I have to admit the trailer put a smile on my face. It looks like it will be an adorable film. The story follows "a young girl named Kiki who must leave her home for a year to begin training in witchcraft. After saying goodbye to her friends and family Kiki leaves on her broom and begins her new life in the town of Koriko seaside with her trusted cat Jiji."
Anime fans, there will be slight changes from the story told in the anime as the live-action Kiki's Delivery Service will be based on Kadono's first two volumes while the 1989 anime from Studio Ghibli only covered the first. There are six collected volumes in total that chronicle the tales of Kiki and her black cat Jiji so it seems likely...
Anime fans, there will be slight changes from the story told in the anime as the live-action Kiki's Delivery Service will be based on Kadono's first two volumes while the 1989 anime from Studio Ghibli only covered the first. There are six collected volumes in total that chronicle the tales of Kiki and her black cat Jiji so it seems likely...
- 12/10/2013
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
Kiki’s Delivery Service Trailer. Takashi Shimizu‘s Kiki’s Delivery Service (2013) movie trailer stars Fuka Koshiba, Machiko Ono, and Hiroshi Yamamoto. Kiki’s Delivery Service‘s plot synopsis: “The story follows a young girl named Kiki (Fuka Koshiba) who must leave her home for a year to begin training in witchcraft. After saying goodbye to [...]
Continue reading: Kiki’S Delivery Service (2013) Movie Trailer: Live-Action Film Version...
Continue reading: Kiki’S Delivery Service (2013) Movie Trailer: Live-Action Film Version...
- 12/10/2013
- by Rollo Tomasi
- Film-Book
Kiki's Delivery Service (魔女の宅急便), based on the children's fantasy novel by Eiko Kadono, is directed by Takashi Shimizu (The Grudge franchise) and stars Fuka Koshiba, Machiko Ono, Hiroshi Yamamoto. The film is slated for theatrical release in Japan on March 1st, 2014. The story follows a young girl named Kiki (Fuka Koshiba) who must leave her home for a year to begin training in witchcraft. After saying goodbye to her friends and family Kiki leaves on her broom and begins her new life in the town of Koriko seaside with her trusted cat Jiji. Kiki's Delivery Service was also adapted into an animated film by acclaimed director and Studio Ghibli founder Hayao Miyazaki in 1989. Released in an English-dubbed version by Disney in 1998, with Kirsten Dunst as Kiki and the late Phil Hartman as...
- 12/10/2013
- by Zoë Gulliksen
- The Daily BLAM!
Anime fans, there will be slight changes from the story told in the anime as the live-action "Kiki's Delivery Service" will be based on Kadono's first two volumes while the 1989 anime from Studio Ghibli only covered the first. There are six collected volumes in total that chronicle the tales of Kiki and her black cat Jiji so it seems likely that if the first film is successful, a trilogy will be created adapting two books at a time. Takashi Shimizu (The Grudge) directs and newcomer Fūka Koshiba plays the titular lead. Ryōhei Hirota, Machiko Ono, Hiroshi Yamamoto, Miho Kanazawa, Rie Miyazawa and Michitaka Tsutsui also star. Satoko Okudera (Wolf Prince) penned the film's script. Filming began on May 23, 2013 and recently wrapped for a Japanese release on March 1, 2014. Related Content: Anime: Second Teaser Trailer For Live-Action Kiki's Delivery Service Anime: First Teaser Trailer...
- 12/10/2013
- ComicBookMovie.com
Like Father, Like Son
Since the film’s premiere at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Jury Award, Like Father, Like Son (Soshite chichi ni naru) has been featured in the 2013 New York, Toronto and Chicago Film Festivals and won Audience Awards at the 2013 San Sebastian and Vancouver Film Festivals. The film has also shown at the 2013 AFI Fest. On seeing it you will surely know why. Its universal appeal to families, sons, fathers, wives touches the hearts of everyone who sees it. Its sensitivity in treating human emotions those of parents to each other and to their own children and those of the children to their parents and other siblings is so tender and delicately handled by director Hirokazu Kore-eda, that the film stays within the viewer and grows stronger if seen again.
Written and directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda (After Life, Nobody Knows, Still Walking), Like Father, Like Son has been picked up by Sundance Selects for U.S. distribution. International Sales Agent Wild Bunch has sold the film worldwide. It was produced and distributed by Fuji Television Network, Inc., Amuse Inc. and Gaga Corporation in Japan.
Like Father, Like Son centers on Ryota (Japanese star Masaharu Fukuyama), a successful Tokyo architect who willingly and consciously works long hours to provide for his wife, Midori (Machiko Ono), and six-year-old son, Keita. When a blood test reveals Keita and another baby were switched at birth, two very different families are thrown together and forced to make a difficult decision while Ryota confronts his own issues of responsibility and what it means to be a father.
After seeing the film a second time at the Crescent Screening Room in Beverly Hills (I had already seen it in Cannes) and being feted at a special dinner at Spago among the Hollywood Foreign Press, I felt very privileged to interview Kore-Eda the next day.
Sl: Having been a fan of Nobody Knows about two siblings whose mother has left them with no sign of returning (there is no father), can you tell me what is your common thread between the two films?
Kore-eda: Until recently becoming a father, I had not been very conscious of fatherhood. The children in Nobody Knows had a resonance with me. The children are projections of myself.
I grew up without a father. Hana yori mo naho was also about a Samurai without a father and Still Walking also had a troubled father. Like Father, Like Son gave me the opportunity to show when it is not good with a father.
I have a 5 year old child, just like the protagonist in the story, and through making this film I wanted to think about what blood connections really mean, an idea very close to me. In order to make the film interesting and compelling to the audience, I placed the protagonist in the situation of being a victim of switched babies.
Your films often touch on paternity. What do being a father – and fatherhood itself – mean to you?
Kore-eda: I really don’t have an answer right now. As my position in the family tree has changed, I believe my idea of fatherhood has changed as well. I will probably continue to look at fatherhood in my coming films until I figure it out.
Sl: How was it working with the children?
Kore-eda: I wanted there to be a contrast of character between the two children. The goal was to bring out their individual personalities in the film. Because the children are six, I wanted them to express confusion rather than sadness, towards their situation.
It’s difficult to elicit puzzlement from children. Most often I just let them act and did not have to explain to them. But when the boy runs away to go home to his family and when Keita thinks that his father is coming for him and he runs away, I had to explain.
On the other hand, when the boy is in the architect’s house and he keeps asking “why”, I didn’t explain anything. The actor told the story and the boy’s acting was totally natural.
Sl: How about working with Fukuyama Masuharu. How was it with him? I know he was a famous pop singer. Here he played such a cold man.
Kore-Eda: He was a pop singer and songwriter for 20 years but he is also known as an actor too. In person he is down-to-earth, straightforward, friendly and is always entertaining everyone, but his public image is cool. I was surprised on meeting him to see how friendly he was.
He has not played many roles as an ordinary, everyday type of guy, like a father.
I took advantage of his coolness and broke it down. He seemed to enjoy badmouthing people, talking about money. Together we pushed his unlikeablity, but just enough so that the audience stayed on his side. I coached him to raise his head and look down, to curl his lips in disdain, to turn his back on someone.
His fans might not like seeing him act this way, but they are only part of the audience for this film. His fans range from 20 to 40 years and are predominately female. The audience was a broad range including people in their 60s and 70s in groups, seeing it multiple times. 2.5 million have seen the film in Japan making it the most successful of all my films.
Sl: What about the idea of bloodlines (nature vs. nurture)?
Kore-eda: The actor is very conservative, a trait he got from his own father and he has to grapple with it. The man on the street today would probably choose the child they raised. On the other hand, adoption has not caught on in Japan and the importance of bloodlines is not an anomaly. Many still hold to the emphasis on bloodline and heritage. Interestingly, the Koreans who see the film would choose bloodlines even more than the Japanese.
Sl: Tell me about the music. The piano which the little boy plays and the piano music which played during the transitions?
Kore-eda: When I am working on a script I usually choose one instrument with a particular emphasis. The image I had while wring this was when the children were in the car switching families. I wanted music which was not melodic but rather percussive. I had been listening to the CDs of Glenn Gould and his music seemed to fit the image. I was afraid it would not be easily obtainable, but with Amuse and Gaga on the case, they were were able to obtain the rights.
Sl: At the end, the family became inclusive and the necessity to choose one over the other was less important. I liked that very much. Can you talk about that?
Kore-eda: The script’s last scene description was explicit. It said that the two families merged as they all entered the house so that you could not tell who was the child and who were the parents.
N.B. The publicist joined in our conversation to say how “blended” families are so prevalent today in the United States, with divorce, children from two families merging…Kore-eda liked that and said that perhaps one of his next films will deal with such a concept of blended families.
Since the film’s premiere at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Jury Award, Like Father, Like Son (Soshite chichi ni naru) has been featured in the 2013 New York, Toronto and Chicago Film Festivals and won Audience Awards at the 2013 San Sebastian and Vancouver Film Festivals. The film has also shown at the 2013 AFI Fest. On seeing it you will surely know why. Its universal appeal to families, sons, fathers, wives touches the hearts of everyone who sees it. Its sensitivity in treating human emotions those of parents to each other and to their own children and those of the children to their parents and other siblings is so tender and delicately handled by director Hirokazu Kore-eda, that the film stays within the viewer and grows stronger if seen again.
Written and directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda (After Life, Nobody Knows, Still Walking), Like Father, Like Son has been picked up by Sundance Selects for U.S. distribution. International Sales Agent Wild Bunch has sold the film worldwide. It was produced and distributed by Fuji Television Network, Inc., Amuse Inc. and Gaga Corporation in Japan.
Like Father, Like Son centers on Ryota (Japanese star Masaharu Fukuyama), a successful Tokyo architect who willingly and consciously works long hours to provide for his wife, Midori (Machiko Ono), and six-year-old son, Keita. When a blood test reveals Keita and another baby were switched at birth, two very different families are thrown together and forced to make a difficult decision while Ryota confronts his own issues of responsibility and what it means to be a father.
After seeing the film a second time at the Crescent Screening Room in Beverly Hills (I had already seen it in Cannes) and being feted at a special dinner at Spago among the Hollywood Foreign Press, I felt very privileged to interview Kore-Eda the next day.
Sl: Having been a fan of Nobody Knows about two siblings whose mother has left them with no sign of returning (there is no father), can you tell me what is your common thread between the two films?
Kore-eda: Until recently becoming a father, I had not been very conscious of fatherhood. The children in Nobody Knows had a resonance with me. The children are projections of myself.
I grew up without a father. Hana yori mo naho was also about a Samurai without a father and Still Walking also had a troubled father. Like Father, Like Son gave me the opportunity to show when it is not good with a father.
I have a 5 year old child, just like the protagonist in the story, and through making this film I wanted to think about what blood connections really mean, an idea very close to me. In order to make the film interesting and compelling to the audience, I placed the protagonist in the situation of being a victim of switched babies.
Your films often touch on paternity. What do being a father – and fatherhood itself – mean to you?
Kore-eda: I really don’t have an answer right now. As my position in the family tree has changed, I believe my idea of fatherhood has changed as well. I will probably continue to look at fatherhood in my coming films until I figure it out.
Sl: How was it working with the children?
Kore-eda: I wanted there to be a contrast of character between the two children. The goal was to bring out their individual personalities in the film. Because the children are six, I wanted them to express confusion rather than sadness, towards their situation.
It’s difficult to elicit puzzlement from children. Most often I just let them act and did not have to explain to them. But when the boy runs away to go home to his family and when Keita thinks that his father is coming for him and he runs away, I had to explain.
On the other hand, when the boy is in the architect’s house and he keeps asking “why”, I didn’t explain anything. The actor told the story and the boy’s acting was totally natural.
Sl: How about working with Fukuyama Masuharu. How was it with him? I know he was a famous pop singer. Here he played such a cold man.
Kore-Eda: He was a pop singer and songwriter for 20 years but he is also known as an actor too. In person he is down-to-earth, straightforward, friendly and is always entertaining everyone, but his public image is cool. I was surprised on meeting him to see how friendly he was.
He has not played many roles as an ordinary, everyday type of guy, like a father.
I took advantage of his coolness and broke it down. He seemed to enjoy badmouthing people, talking about money. Together we pushed his unlikeablity, but just enough so that the audience stayed on his side. I coached him to raise his head and look down, to curl his lips in disdain, to turn his back on someone.
His fans might not like seeing him act this way, but they are only part of the audience for this film. His fans range from 20 to 40 years and are predominately female. The audience was a broad range including people in their 60s and 70s in groups, seeing it multiple times. 2.5 million have seen the film in Japan making it the most successful of all my films.
Sl: What about the idea of bloodlines (nature vs. nurture)?
Kore-eda: The actor is very conservative, a trait he got from his own father and he has to grapple with it. The man on the street today would probably choose the child they raised. On the other hand, adoption has not caught on in Japan and the importance of bloodlines is not an anomaly. Many still hold to the emphasis on bloodline and heritage. Interestingly, the Koreans who see the film would choose bloodlines even more than the Japanese.
Sl: Tell me about the music. The piano which the little boy plays and the piano music which played during the transitions?
Kore-eda: When I am working on a script I usually choose one instrument with a particular emphasis. The image I had while wring this was when the children were in the car switching families. I wanted music which was not melodic but rather percussive. I had been listening to the CDs of Glenn Gould and his music seemed to fit the image. I was afraid it would not be easily obtainable, but with Amuse and Gaga on the case, they were were able to obtain the rights.
Sl: At the end, the family became inclusive and the necessity to choose one over the other was less important. I liked that very much. Can you talk about that?
Kore-eda: The script’s last scene description was explicit. It said that the two families merged as they all entered the house so that you could not tell who was the child and who were the parents.
N.B. The publicist joined in our conversation to say how “blended” families are so prevalent today in the United States, with divorce, children from two families merging…Kore-eda liked that and said that perhaps one of his next films will deal with such a concept of blended families.
- 11/21/2013
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
There will be slight changes from the story told in the anime as the live-action "Kiki's Delivery Service" will be based on Kadono's first two volumes while the 1989 anime from Studio Ghibli only covered the first. There are six collected volumes in total that chronicle the tales of Kiki and her black cat Jiji so it seems likely that if the first film is successful, a trilogy will be created adapting two books at a time. Takashi Shimizu (The Grudge) directs and newcomer Fūka Koshiba plays the titular lead. Ryōhei Hirota, Machiko Ono, Hiroshi Yamamoto, Miho Kanazawa, Rie Miyazawa and Michitaka Tsutsui also star. Satoko Okudera (Wolf Prince) penned the film's script. Filming began on May 23, 2013 and recently wrapped for a Japanese release on March 1, 2014. Related Content: Anime: First Teaser Trailer For Live-Action Kiki's Delivery Service First Image From Live-Action Kiki's Delivery...
- 11/5/2013
- ComicBookMovie.com
Captain Phillips | Enough Said | Escape Plan | Prince Avalance | The Lebanese Rocket Society | Like Father, Like Son | The Broken Circle Breakdown | Turbo | Last Passenger
Captain Phillips (12A)
(Paul Greengrass, 2013, Us) Tom Hanks, Barkhad Abdi, Michael Chernus. 134 mins
No room for Depp-like jollity aboard this pirate tale. Instead, Greengrass brings his usual reportage-style urgency to a true-life Indian Ocean hijack situation. It's tense, credible and intelligent, even if pitting four Somali fishermen against Hanks, a big ship and formidable back-up is a pretty unfair contest – that very imbalance is part of the point.
Enough Said (12A)
(Nicole Holofcener, 2013, Us) Julia Louis-Dreyfus, James Gandolfini, Catherine Keener. 93 mins
Gandolfini's final performance elevates a polished but trifling comedy, centring on a blossoming romance poisoned by an ex-wife.
Escape Plan (15)
(Mikael Håfström, 2013, Us) Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger. 115 mins
The "geriaction" veterans join forces to punch their way out of a high-tech super-prison.
Prince Avalanche (15)
(David Gordon Green,...
Captain Phillips (12A)
(Paul Greengrass, 2013, Us) Tom Hanks, Barkhad Abdi, Michael Chernus. 134 mins
No room for Depp-like jollity aboard this pirate tale. Instead, Greengrass brings his usual reportage-style urgency to a true-life Indian Ocean hijack situation. It's tense, credible and intelligent, even if pitting four Somali fishermen against Hanks, a big ship and formidable back-up is a pretty unfair contest – that very imbalance is part of the point.
Enough Said (12A)
(Nicole Holofcener, 2013, Us) Julia Louis-Dreyfus, James Gandolfini, Catherine Keener. 93 mins
Gandolfini's final performance elevates a polished but trifling comedy, centring on a blossoming romance poisoned by an ex-wife.
Escape Plan (15)
(Mikael Håfström, 2013, Us) Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger. 115 mins
The "geriaction" veterans join forces to punch their way out of a high-tech super-prison.
Prince Avalanche (15)
(David Gordon Green,...
- 10/19/2013
- by Steve Rose
- The Guardian - Film News
An intelligent drama from Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda about a baby mix-up is charming, but not his best work
Hirokazu Kore-eda is a film-maker from Japan about whom I have been enthusing and evangelising for 15 years. So it is disconcerting to realise that, even on a second viewing, I can't share the euphoric critical responses that have widely greeted his latest work. Like Father Like Son is a film of emotional poignancy, acted and directed with integrity, intelligence, lucidity and observational calm.
Masaharu Fukuyama plays Ryota, a driven and ambitious salaryman, married to Midori (Machiko Ono), with a perfect house and a six-year-old son. His world is turned upside down by news that the hospital muddled up the babies six years ago: his biological boy is now being brought up by Yudai (Franky Lily), a cheerful underachiever, and Ryo has Yudai's son. It is a powerful theme, but however well acted,...
Hirokazu Kore-eda is a film-maker from Japan about whom I have been enthusing and evangelising for 15 years. So it is disconcerting to realise that, even on a second viewing, I can't share the euphoric critical responses that have widely greeted his latest work. Like Father Like Son is a film of emotional poignancy, acted and directed with integrity, intelligence, lucidity and observational calm.
Masaharu Fukuyama plays Ryota, a driven and ambitious salaryman, married to Midori (Machiko Ono), with a perfect house and a six-year-old son. His world is turned upside down by news that the hospital muddled up the babies six years ago: his biological boy is now being brought up by Yudai (Franky Lily), a cheerful underachiever, and Ryo has Yudai's son. It is a powerful theme, but however well acted,...
- 10/18/2013
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
★★★★☆ Following his sweet-natured children's film I Wish (2011), which was released to great acclaim earlier this year, Hirokazu Kore-eda's Like Father, Like Son (2013) is another great work from one of Japan's greatest contemporary directors. While the former saw events from children's perspectives, the latter unfolds from the adults' points of view. It's a moving but unsentimental story of two sets of parents discovering they were given the wrong babies at the hospital six years earlier. Keita's parents, Ryoto (Masaharu Fukuyama) and Midori (Machiko Ono), are wealthy, his mother is loving but his father is distant.
Yudai (Lily Franky) and his wife (Riri Furanki) on the other hand, are poorer but more caring, relaxed parents. The film follows the two families as they attempt to phase in a painful switch of the children. While Kore-eda shows each side of the story, Like Father, Like Son is clearly about Masaharu Fukuyama's...
Yudai (Lily Franky) and his wife (Riri Furanki) on the other hand, are poorer but more caring, relaxed parents. The film follows the two families as they attempt to phase in a painful switch of the children. While Kore-eda shows each side of the story, Like Father, Like Son is clearly about Masaharu Fukuyama's...
- 10/17/2013
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
Hirokazu Kore-eda: "The more elements you add to the characters the more rich they become."
On a mild October morning during the New York Film Festival, I took a stroll through Central Park with Hirokazu Kore-eda to talk about his favorite season, clothes clues, casting children, Eric Rohmer and Steven Spielberg's DreamWorks. When I commented that we should have brought a kite, he said he wasn't very good at it. His latest film Like Father, Like Son (Soshite chichi ni naru) starring Masaharu Fukuyama, Machiko Ono, Yôko Maki, and Lily Franky, tells the unsettling story of babies swapped in the hospital, and the way two families deal with the discovery six years later. Continuing with the matters of his thought-provoking film, I asked the director the same question the six-year-old protagonist Keita (Keita Ninomiya) has to answer in his kindergarten placement interview.
Anne-Katrin Titze: What's your favorite season?...
On a mild October morning during the New York Film Festival, I took a stroll through Central Park with Hirokazu Kore-eda to talk about his favorite season, clothes clues, casting children, Eric Rohmer and Steven Spielberg's DreamWorks. When I commented that we should have brought a kite, he said he wasn't very good at it. His latest film Like Father, Like Son (Soshite chichi ni naru) starring Masaharu Fukuyama, Machiko Ono, Yôko Maki, and Lily Franky, tells the unsettling story of babies swapped in the hospital, and the way two families deal with the discovery six years later. Continuing with the matters of his thought-provoking film, I asked the director the same question the six-year-old protagonist Keita (Keita Ninomiya) has to answer in his kindergarten placement interview.
Anne-Katrin Titze: What's your favorite season?...
- 10/4/2013
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
We have added the new UK trailer for diretor Hirokazu Koreeda forthcoming emotive drama, "Like Father, Like Son." The film was the winner of the prestigous Jury Prize at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. Set in Japan and in the Japanese language (subtitled in English), the film stars Masaharu Fukuyama, Machiko Ono, Yôko Maki and Rirî Furankî. "Like Father, Like Son" is released in the UK from October 18th. A Us release date is yet to be announced. Ryota Nonomiya is a successful businessman driven by money. He learns that his biological son was switched with another child after birth. He must make a life-changing decision and choose his true son or the boy he raised as his own.
- 10/3/2013
- by Anthony Pearson
- Monsters and Critics
Hirokazu Koreeda’s latest in a run of tender explorations of family dynamics rests on a rather unusual high concept, the idea of two children being swapped at birth in a hospital and the error not being discovered until much later. The two children, six year-old boys named Keita and Ryusei, have had very different experiences in their formative years and it is not surprising that Like Father, Like Son touches on the oft returned to theme of nature vs. nurture, but that is not the main concern of this sublime and tender human drama.
Opening with an interview sequence in which Keita is vetted for entrance into a highly exclusive school, we hear Keita relate a rather sweet story of his father, Ryota Nonomiya (Masaharu Fukushima) taking him camping and kite flying. As Keita, Ryota and Midori (Machiko Ono), Keita’s mother and Ryota’s wife, leave the school...
Opening with an interview sequence in which Keita is vetted for entrance into a highly exclusive school, we hear Keita relate a rather sweet story of his father, Ryota Nonomiya (Masaharu Fukushima) taking him camping and kite flying. As Keita, Ryota and Midori (Machiko Ono), Keita’s mother and Ryota’s wife, leave the school...
- 5/23/2013
- by Craig Skinner
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
★★★★☆ Award-winning Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda enters the running for the 2013 Palme d'Or with Like Father, Like Son (Soshite chichi ni naru, 2013), a closely-observed family drama which delves into contemporary Japanese life; and, in the process, becomes an examination of social values and class. Ryota (Masaharu Fukuyama) is a winner - a successful work-obsessed architect in Tokyo who provides his family with a plush apartment and mod-cons, but has little time to actually spend with them. His wife, Midori (Machiko Ono), makes do as they provide for Keita, their adorable six-year-old son.
Their world, however, is turned upside down when the hospital where Keita was born contacts them with some devastating news. There has been a mix-up and their actual son is being raised by a similarly-deluded family of shopkeepers in another part of town. Both families are faced with the dilemma of whether to keep their respective children or swap them.
Their world, however, is turned upside down when the hospital where Keita was born contacts them with some devastating news. There has been a mix-up and their actual son is being raised by a similarly-deluded family of shopkeepers in another part of town. Both families are faced with the dilemma of whether to keep their respective children or swap them.
- 5/18/2013
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
Hirokazu Kore-eda's baby-swap film is another good-natured domestic drama set in contemporary Japan, but it lacks the nuance and innovation of his earlier work
Hirokazu Kore-eda has returned to Cannes with another gentle and warm-hearted family drama in that classic Japanese manner that he has been gravitating towards in recent movies like Still Walking (2008) and I Wish (2011). It is a very decent piece of work, although not as distinctive as those two previous movies, not quite as finely observed and frankly a little schematic and formulaic, with life-lessons being learnt by the obvious people. It does however have charm and abundant human sympathy.
Like Father, Like Son is a "baby-swap" drama: go-getting salaryman Ryota (Masaharu Fukuyama) and his sleek wife Midori (Machiko Ono) live in a perfect modern house and have a little 6-year-old boy — their only child — whom they push hard educationally. Then the hospital sends the devastating...
Hirokazu Kore-eda has returned to Cannes with another gentle and warm-hearted family drama in that classic Japanese manner that he has been gravitating towards in recent movies like Still Walking (2008) and I Wish (2011). It is a very decent piece of work, although not as distinctive as those two previous movies, not quite as finely observed and frankly a little schematic and formulaic, with life-lessons being learnt by the obvious people. It does however have charm and abundant human sympathy.
Like Father, Like Son is a "baby-swap" drama: go-getting salaryman Ryota (Masaharu Fukuyama) and his sleek wife Midori (Machiko Ono) live in a perfect modern house and have a little 6-year-old boy — their only child — whom they push hard educationally. Then the hospital sends the devastating...
- 5/18/2013
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
Blood Ties: An Elegant, Yet Familiar New Film from Koreeda
Children switched at birth and discovered years after the error is the well-worn melodramatic scenario that master filmmaker Hirokazu Koreeda manages to make potentially one of the most elegantly simplistic entries into said familiar territory with his latest film, Like Father, Like Son. A scenario generously used throughout the history of cinema (and more recent titles like The Other Son and Midnight’s Children come to mind), Koreeda deftly examines a quietly moving nature vs. nurture sequence of events that manages to be generously moving despite feeling familiar when compared to other entries within Koreeda’s impressive oeuvre.
Beginning with his preschool entrance exam, we are introduced to six year old Keita (Keita Ninomiya), who is being interviewed by a panel of adults concerning his family background. We quickly pick up on the fact that Keita and his parents,...
Children switched at birth and discovered years after the error is the well-worn melodramatic scenario that master filmmaker Hirokazu Koreeda manages to make potentially one of the most elegantly simplistic entries into said familiar territory with his latest film, Like Father, Like Son. A scenario generously used throughout the history of cinema (and more recent titles like The Other Son and Midnight’s Children come to mind), Koreeda deftly examines a quietly moving nature vs. nurture sequence of events that manages to be generously moving despite feeling familiar when compared to other entries within Koreeda’s impressive oeuvre.
Beginning with his preschool entrance exam, we are introduced to six year old Keita (Keita Ninomiya), who is being interviewed by a panel of adults concerning his family background. We quickly pick up on the fact that Keita and his parents,...
- 5/17/2013
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
When it comes to Venice Film Festival, Japanese director Takeshi Kitano is definitely not a stranger. I’m sure you all remember his Hana Bi from 1997 (for which he recevied the Golden Lion), or 2003 Zatoichi project (Silver Lion statue).
Well, guess what, Kitano is now back In Competition with his completely new project, titled Outrage Beyond. And, in case this sounds like it has something to do with Kitano’s Outrage movie from last year’s Cannes film festival – relax, you’re not tripping – it’s just a sequel to the original story…
So, this time we have the Sanno crime family all grown into a huge organization, expanding its power into politics and legitimate big business. The Sanno’s upper ranks are now dominated by young executives, and the old-guard members are penting up resentment while being pushed to the sidelines.
This vulnerable spot in the Sanno hierarchy is...
Well, guess what, Kitano is now back In Competition with his completely new project, titled Outrage Beyond. And, in case this sounds like it has something to do with Kitano’s Outrage movie from last year’s Cannes film festival – relax, you’re not tripping – it’s just a sequel to the original story…
So, this time we have the Sanno crime family all grown into a huge organization, expanding its power into politics and legitimate big business. The Sanno’s upper ranks are now dominated by young executives, and the old-guard members are penting up resentment while being pushed to the sidelines.
This vulnerable spot in the Sanno hierarchy is...
- 8/23/2012
- by Fiona
- Filmofilia
A 2-minute preview of Kentaro Horikirizono’s Black Dawn has been released. In contrast to typical movie trailers that play like compressed versions of the movie, this is basically the kind of promo you’d normally see featured on a morning variety show, giving a fully narrated run-down of the story and characters.
The movie follows up a 2009 Nhk drama and features an original story. Atsuro Watabe stars as Sumimoto, a member of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police’s elite foreign affairs division who’s dubbed the “demon of public safety” for his willingness to employ questionable tactics to get the job done.
When confidential nuclear documents are stolen from a university in the chaos following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and an amount of enriched uranium goes missing in the Korean peninsula, Sumimoto and Matsuzawa (Machiko Ono) begin surveillance of a civilian named Kaori (Yoko Maki), the wife of a company president...
The movie follows up a 2009 Nhk drama and features an original story. Atsuro Watabe stars as Sumimoto, a member of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police’s elite foreign affairs division who’s dubbed the “demon of public safety” for his willingness to employ questionable tactics to get the job done.
When confidential nuclear documents are stolen from a university in the chaos following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and an amount of enriched uranium goes missing in the Korean peninsula, Sumimoto and Matsuzawa (Machiko Ono) begin surveillance of a civilian named Kaori (Yoko Maki), the wife of a company president...
- 4/24/2012
- Nippon Cinema
Lest anyone think Rinko Kikuchi has nothing better to do than pose for obscure magazines or engage in public displays of affection with Spike Jonze, she’s once again defied expectations by joining the cast of a traditional jidaigeki drama. Today it was announced that Kikuchi will play the heroine in Tetsuo Shinohara’s Ogawa no Hotori, opposite Noriyuki Higashiyama.
The film is based on a short story by Shuhei Fujisawa (The Twilight Samurai, Love and Honor). Shinohara previously directed an adaptation of Fujisawa’s “Yamazakura” in 2008 which also co-starred Higashiyama.
Set in the fictional Unasaka domain, the story involves a samurai who’s obligated to follow an order that could destroy his relationship with his own younger sister.
Kikuchi, who had to dye her hair from blond back to black for the role, has never appeared in a jidaigeki drama before now. “The screenplay is very good,” she said.
The film is based on a short story by Shuhei Fujisawa (The Twilight Samurai, Love and Honor). Shinohara previously directed an adaptation of Fujisawa’s “Yamazakura” in 2008 which also co-starred Higashiyama.
Set in the fictional Unasaka domain, the story involves a samurai who’s obligated to follow an order that could destroy his relationship with his own younger sister.
Kikuchi, who had to dye her hair from blond back to black for the role, has never appeared in a jidaigeki drama before now. “The screenplay is very good,” she said.
- 9/29/2010
- Nippon Cinema
Lest anyone think Rinko Kikuchi has nothing better to do than pose for obscure magazines or engage in public displays of affection with Spike Jonze, she’s once again defied expectations by joining the cast of a traditional jidaigeki drama. Today it was announced that Kikuchi will play the heroine in Tetsuo Shinohara’s Ogawa no Hotori, opposite Noriyuki Higashiyama.
The film is based on a short story by Shuhei Fujisawa (The Twilight Samurai, Love and Honor). Shinohara previously directed an adaptation of Fujisawa’s “Yamazakura” in 2008 which also co-starred Higashiyama.
Set in the fictional Unasaka domain, the story involves a samurai who’s obligated to follow an order that could destroy his relationship with his own younger sister.
Kikuchi, who had to dye her hair from blond back to black for the role, has never appeared in a jidaigeki drama before now. “The screenplay is very good,” she said.
The film is based on a short story by Shuhei Fujisawa (The Twilight Samurai, Love and Honor). Shinohara previously directed an adaptation of Fujisawa’s “Yamazakura” in 2008 which also co-starred Higashiyama.
Set in the fictional Unasaka domain, the story involves a samurai who’s obligated to follow an order that could destroy his relationship with his own younger sister.
Kikuchi, who had to dye her hair from blond back to black for the role, has never appeared in a jidaigeki drama before now. “The screenplay is very good,” she said.
- 9/29/2010
- Nippon Cinema
The official website for Shinji Higuchi‘s upcoming kaiju TV drama MM9 (short for Monster Magnitude 9) has been updated with a 30-second TV spot. Unfortunately, there are no actual monsters to be seen, but you gotta love Anna Ishibashi‘s delayed thumbs up at the end.
Based on a story by sci-fi writer Hiroshi Yamamoto, the show centers around a special “living creatures” division of the Japan Meteorological Agency which predicts the appearance of monsters. When an attack does occur, a team of monster specialists called “Kitokutai” is sent to the front lines, even if the Japan Self-Defense Force is unavailable. As ordinary public servants, these unsung heroes have no weapons, and must rely only their skills, knowledge, and experience to minimize the damage caused by monsters.
Ishibashi (17) and Machiko Ono (28) are the show’s two main stars. Ishibashi plays Sakura Fujisawa, a rookie member of the team, and Ono plays Mikazuki,...
Based on a story by sci-fi writer Hiroshi Yamamoto, the show centers around a special “living creatures” division of the Japan Meteorological Agency which predicts the appearance of monsters. When an attack does occur, a team of monster specialists called “Kitokutai” is sent to the front lines, even if the Japan Self-Defense Force is unavailable. As ordinary public servants, these unsung heroes have no weapons, and must rely only their skills, knowledge, and experience to minimize the damage caused by monsters.
Ishibashi (17) and Machiko Ono (28) are the show’s two main stars. Ishibashi plays Sakura Fujisawa, a rookie member of the team, and Ono plays Mikazuki,...
- 7/2/2010
- Nippon Cinema
Shinji Higuchi (44), known as the “Heisei special effects king” for his work on the Heisei era Gamera trilogy, is supervising the production of his first TV drama. The show is called MM9 (Monster Magnitude 9) and is set in an alternate version of modern-day Japan in which monster attacks are the norm and are treated as another form of natural disaster. The show is based on a story by sci-fi writer Hiroshi Yamamoto which was originally serialized in Tokyo Sogensha’s “Mysteries!” from 2005-2006 and published as a book in 2007.
The project was first hinted at through an April Fools joke which presented it as a “sci-fi epic” called XX9. Higuchi released a photo of the cast dressed up in traditional sci-fi outfits and wielding futuristic rifles.
The show centers around a special “living creatures” division of the Japan Meteorological Agency which predicts the appearance of monsters. When an attack does occur,...
The project was first hinted at through an April Fools joke which presented it as a “sci-fi epic” called XX9. Higuchi released a photo of the cast dressed up in traditional sci-fi outfits and wielding futuristic rifles.
The show centers around a special “living creatures” division of the Japan Meteorological Agency which predicts the appearance of monsters. When an attack does occur,...
- 5/26/2010
- Nippon Cinema
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