Floating Clouds.In the opening scene of Mikio Naruse’s Floating Clouds (1956), a group of repatriated Japanese civilians disembarks from a shabby boat. After two brief wide shots, Naruse cuts to a medium shot to introduce the film’s protagonist, Yukiko, singling her out from what is otherwise a crowd of anonymous faces. But the film’s screenplay elaborates on those who walk alongside Yukiko: Returnees from South Asia are getting off the ship. Among the crowd of women, which consists only of comfort women, geishas, nurses, typists, clerks and the like, there is also Kõda Yukiko, who is not outfitted with proper winter attire.“Comfort women” is a name given to women and girls forced into sexual slavery at the hands of the Japanese Imperial Army. According to Yoko Mizuki’s screenplay, some are present in the crowd, but it is impossible for the viewer to discern them. The...
- 4/25/2024
- MUBI
Scenes of gun shootouts have been an essential fixture in cinema since “The Great Train Robbery” (1903). Serving as a staple of cinematic spectacles, filmmakers have continuously competed to present their unique interpretations, whether through virtuosic camera work or unconventional set-up. Just think back to the final assault in Branded to Kill, John Woo ‘s personal rendition of the Mexican standoff in the iconic restaurant scene from A Better Tomorrow (1986) or more recently the climax shootout of Drug War. The list could go on forever.
Diao Yinan introduced a very peculiar variation of it in his noir film “Black Coal” set in far northern China. Fragments of a recently identified body have been discovered scattered across various coal mining sites, leaving Inspector Zhang with just one lead: a coal truck driver who has just resigned, and whose brother happens to be the proprietor of a hair salon. The scene unfolds as Zhang,...
Diao Yinan introduced a very peculiar variation of it in his noir film “Black Coal” set in far northern China. Fragments of a recently identified body have been discovered scattered across various coal mining sites, leaving Inspector Zhang with just one lead: a coal truck driver who has just resigned, and whose brother happens to be the proprietor of a hair salon. The scene unfolds as Zhang,...
- 3/17/2024
- by Jean Claude
- AsianMoviePulse
First entry in the Girl Boss series, “Queen Bee's Counterattack” seems to embody all the elements of both the series, and of the Japsploitation of the 70s, with fanservice being the key word here.
The story takes place in the 1970s, where Reiko is the head of Athena, an all-girls gang, trying to survive among the yakuza, motorcycle gangs, and essentially the world, following a set of simple rules, with the most important being not falling in love with a particular man. Reiko, as much as the rest of the girls, frequently have sex with men, but they keep the rule intact, while their leader's ways and particularly her will to help any of the group in trouble have inspired unwavering loyalty by the rest of the members. The appearance of a newcomer, Mayumi, however, as much as of a previous boss that has just been released from prison, Jun,...
The story takes place in the 1970s, where Reiko is the head of Athena, an all-girls gang, trying to survive among the yakuza, motorcycle gangs, and essentially the world, following a set of simple rules, with the most important being not falling in love with a particular man. Reiko, as much as the rest of the girls, frequently have sex with men, but they keep the rule intact, while their leader's ways and particularly her will to help any of the group in trouble have inspired unwavering loyalty by the rest of the members. The appearance of a newcomer, Mayumi, however, as much as of a previous boss that has just been released from prison, Jun,...
- 1/5/2024
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Happy Horror-days from your friends at the Arrow player. In the final month of 2023 Arrow still has a few gems to share with you before the year is out. Martial arts, Westerns and all manner of cult films await you next month. There will be two curated programs from Gala Avery and Travis Stevens as well. The cherry on top is a selection of titles from Japanese filmmaker Seijun Suzuki. Check out the December lineup on the Arrow player down below. Arrow Offers Classic and Cutting Edge Cult Cinema December 2023 Lineup Announced December 2023 Seasons: Happy Horror-days!, Gala Avary Selects Vol. II, No Sense and No Money: The Seijun Suzuki Collection, Travis Stevens...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 11/27/2023
- Screen Anarchy
In the midst of the surge of J-horror following the success of “Ringu”, it seems that someone had an idea of parodying the standards (cliches if you prefer) of the category. That someone was Shinji Aoyama and the film was “Embalming”, a production that is deceptively badly written and occasionally directed, still managing, though, to retain its fun element from beginning to end.
on Amazon by clicking on the image below
Embalmer Miyako Murakami is called by her detective friend Hiraoka to treat the body of teenager Yuki Shindo, the son of a politician, after he jumps from a rooftop, apparently in a suicide. A needle found in the body, however, leads Miyako into thinking that there may be more to his death, while Hiraoka seems to think that the deceased's girlfriend, Rika is more involved than she appears to be. And more there is, in abundance actually,...
on Amazon by clicking on the image below
Embalmer Miyako Murakami is called by her detective friend Hiraoka to treat the body of teenager Yuki Shindo, the son of a politician, after he jumps from a rooftop, apparently in a suicide. A needle found in the body, however, leads Miyako into thinking that there may be more to his death, while Hiraoka seems to think that the deceased's girlfriend, Rika is more involved than she appears to be. And more there is, in abundance actually,...
- 11/3/2023
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Hiroyuki Tanaka, better known under the pseudonym Sabu, has started his career as an actor, but in the 1990s became a director, which arguably proved to be a much more successful venture for him. Especially internationally, he has made quite a reputation for himself, creating a unique blend of comedy and drama with many philosophical, sometime even social comments.
Running and walking are one of the recurring motifs within his filmography, especially his early work. It is both a means to escape something, a yakuza henchman chasing a character or a postman trying his best to deliver the mail. But there are also the walkers among the protagonists in his work, attempting to find some kind of hidden meaning in chaos, it seems.
In this list, we will take a look at how Sabu employs running and walking in his features
1. Dangan Runner (1996)
Already his debut feature introduces the concept of running,...
Running and walking are one of the recurring motifs within his filmography, especially his early work. It is both a means to escape something, a yakuza henchman chasing a character or a postman trying his best to deliver the mail. But there are also the walkers among the protagonists in his work, attempting to find some kind of hidden meaning in chaos, it seems.
In this list, we will take a look at how Sabu employs running and walking in his features
1. Dangan Runner (1996)
Already his debut feature introduces the concept of running,...
- 9/28/2023
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
In principle, using the rainy-day, kitchen-sink post-rock of Manchester band The Smiths so prominently in a film like The Killer seems incredibly perverse, given that it’s an exotic, globe-trotting thriller about an American assassin. But in reality, it’s actually a very sound choice indeed: legend has it that the band’s singer, Morrissey, had two reasons for naming his band so, the first being that “Smith” is one of the most common and thus unremarkable surnames in the world. The second, and much more subversive theory, suggests that it’s also a reference to David and Maureen Smith, brother-in-law and sister of ’60s serial killer Myra Hindley, the snappily dressed couple whose testimony blew open the Moors Murderers case and whose beatnik likenesses adorn the cover of Sonic Youth’s 1990 album “Goo”.
There’s a slight chance David Fincher and his creative team may not know these things,...
There’s a slight chance David Fincher and his creative team may not know these things,...
- 9/3/2023
- by Damon Wise
- Deadline Film + TV
Among the many films produced and distributed by Art Theatre Guild, the body of work of director Kazuo Kuroki remains one of the most interesting. While it never reached the same kind of attention than the features of his peers such as Nagisa Oshima and Akio Jissoji, his projects dealing with the psychological landscape of Japan after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are some of the best the company ever produced. Similar to the aforementioned directors, his time of Atg was also defined by stories which involved a critical view on Japanese society, especially the relation of people and authority, of crime and police, which is quite evident in his 1970 feature “Evil Spirits of Japan”.
Follow our coverage of Atg by clicking on the link below
The story revolves around two men: a yakuza named Murase and a policeman by the name of Ochiai (both played by Kei Sato...
Follow our coverage of Atg by clicking on the link below
The story revolves around two men: a yakuza named Murase and a policeman by the name of Ochiai (both played by Kei Sato...
- 8/31/2023
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
When director Jeff Rowe (co-director of “The Mitchells vs. the Machines”) and producer Seth Rogen (“Sausage Party”) first talked about making their animated “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” edgier and scarier than the rest of the beloved franchise, they both seized on “Jurassic Park” as a touchstone.
“One of my favorite movies as a kid was ‘Jurassic Park,’ and I saw that when I was seven in a theater because I love dinosaurs,” Rowe told IndieWire. “And the opening of that film is terrifying — it scared the shit out of me. I was crying and immediately wanted to leave the theater, but I stayed through it all. It successfully established the Raptors as one of the coolest villains ever, and it established a world where bad things could happen.
“Seth had a similar experience and he said a great thing: ‘Jurassic Park’ is like a monster movie for kids.
“One of my favorite movies as a kid was ‘Jurassic Park,’ and I saw that when I was seven in a theater because I love dinosaurs,” Rowe told IndieWire. “And the opening of that film is terrifying — it scared the shit out of me. I was crying and immediately wanted to leave the theater, but I stayed through it all. It successfully established the Raptors as one of the coolest villains ever, and it established a world where bad things could happen.
“Seth had a similar experience and he said a great thing: ‘Jurassic Park’ is like a monster movie for kids.
- 8/4/2023
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
By Earl Jackson
In 1939, Sadaho Maeda was born in Fukuoka, the third of five children to an Imperial Army pilot and a retired track-and field runner. While still a toddler, the family moved to Chiba Prefecture where Sadaho grew up. Perhaps that location was the inspiration of the publicity people at Toei in 1960 to rename this “new face” – Shin'ichi Chiba. He became a teen favorite as a “funky hat” detective in a series directed by Kinji Fukasaku, and then gained another fan base with his pursuit of serious martial arts training. Chiba was already a powerhouse by the time the three “Street Fighter” films in 1974 introduced him to the world as Sonny Chiba.
If the world had granted him more time, Toru Murakawa's “Game Trilogy” in 1978-1979, might have done the same for Yusaku Matsuda. Although it was always already too late for Matsuda, we now have time to...
In 1939, Sadaho Maeda was born in Fukuoka, the third of five children to an Imperial Army pilot and a retired track-and field runner. While still a toddler, the family moved to Chiba Prefecture where Sadaho grew up. Perhaps that location was the inspiration of the publicity people at Toei in 1960 to rename this “new face” – Shin'ichi Chiba. He became a teen favorite as a “funky hat” detective in a series directed by Kinji Fukasaku, and then gained another fan base with his pursuit of serious martial arts training. Chiba was already a powerhouse by the time the three “Street Fighter” films in 1974 introduced him to the world as Sonny Chiba.
If the world had granted him more time, Toru Murakawa's “Game Trilogy” in 1978-1979, might have done the same for Yusaku Matsuda. Although it was always already too late for Matsuda, we now have time to...
- 5/26/2023
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Lost Chapter of Snow: Passion (1985).The opening shot of Shinji Sômai’s Lost Chapter of Snow: Passion (1985) is 14 minutes long, probing an oneiric palace of artifice. The camera surveys a miniaturized series of homes that represent different stages in the life of an orphan, marching from storybook mistreatment meted out by her foster family, to a questionable attachment to an unorthodox—though caring—father figure, who relieves the toil foisted upon her. The snow globe ambiance provides a sandbox for Sômai’s storied formalism, the camera and the set engaged in a symbiotic give-and-take, filling in blanks when one or the other is totally spent. Events occur at an unsteady clip; years are skipped over with little more than a panning motion. But then, this climate of impressionistic memory is ruptured: a smash cut reintroduces Iori (Yuki Saito), now a perilously carefree teenager, suspended over the all-too-real pavement as she...
- 5/5/2023
- MUBI
A couple months after spotlighting the world’s greatest actress, the Criterion Channel have taken a logical next step towards America’s greatest actress. May (or: next week) will bring an eleven-film celebration of Jennifer Jason Leigh, highlights including Verhoeven’s Flesh + Blood, Miami Blues, Alan Rudolph’s Mrs. Parker, her directorial debut The Anniversary Party, and Synecdoche, New York, and a special introduction from Leigh. Another actor’s showcase localizes directorial collaborations: Jimmy Stewart’s time with Anthony Mann, an eight-title series boasting the likes of Winchester ’73 and The Man from Laramie. Two more: a survey of ’80s Asian-American cinema (Chan Is Missing being the best-known) and 14 movies by Seijun Suzuki.
That would be enough for one month (or two), but No Bears and Cette maison will have their streaming premieres, while Criterion Editions offers the Infernal Affairs trilogy (plus its packed set), Days of Heaven, and the aforementioned Chan Is Missing.
That would be enough for one month (or two), but No Bears and Cette maison will have their streaming premieres, while Criterion Editions offers the Infernal Affairs trilogy (plus its packed set), Days of Heaven, and the aforementioned Chan Is Missing.
- 4/20/2023
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
Your player and Oled alike shall receive a workout this May, Criterion having given some of the sharpest black-and-white cinema’s ever seen the 4K treatment. Wings of Desire––as much of a flagship title as anything among their catalogue, and in 4K even more of a unique opportunity to pretend you saw Nick Cave circa 1987––and Seijun Suzuki’s Branded to Kill, whose widescreen compositions are so honed they might cut glass, constitute nothing but very wise choices. I can’t express much enthusiasm for Thelma and Louis also getting 2,160 pixels, but I don’t run the show and these aren’t my decisions to make.
The Blu-ray side is formidable just on the basis of Peter Bogdanovich’s Targets, among the greatest and most venomous movies about movies––good luck enjoying the drive-in again––and bears further credit for its Adam Nayman essay. Because I haven’t seen...
The Blu-ray side is formidable just on the basis of Peter Bogdanovich’s Targets, among the greatest and most venomous movies about movies––good luck enjoying the drive-in again––and bears further credit for its Adam Nayman essay. Because I haven’t seen...
- 2/15/2023
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
The more people get better acquainted with the Japanese language, and the more they study cinema based on local texts from the past, the more some of the preconceptions of the previous years are discarded. That Ozu is the most “genuine” Japanese filmmaker was probably the first one, but the dispeling has been continuing. William Carroll, in his book about Seijun Suzuki, also moves towards the same rethinking direction, starting with the “theorem” of “I make films that make no sense and no money” that has been defying Suzuki for decades.
on Amazon by clicking on the image below
Carroll does not stop there though, essentially presenting the first complete account of Suzuki as a filmmaker, which, inevitably, also deals with the history of Nikkatsu and of Japanese cinema in general. As such, the book begins with his biography and his first steps as a filmmaker, as...
on Amazon by clicking on the image below
Carroll does not stop there though, essentially presenting the first complete account of Suzuki as a filmmaker, which, inevitably, also deals with the history of Nikkatsu and of Japanese cinema in general. As such, the book begins with his biography and his first steps as a filmmaker, as...
- 2/15/2023
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
NYC Weekend Watch is our weekly round-up of repertory offerings.
Museum of Modern Art
A series on Claudia Cardinale begins, including The Leopard this Friday.
Museum of the Moving Image
A series on awards-snubbed films continues with Altman, Elaine May, Mick Jagger and more.
Japan Society
A series celebrating Seijun Suzuki’s centennial continues with imported 35mm prints.
Roxy Cinema
The Todd Solondz retro continues with 35mm showings of Happiness and Storytelling, as well as Dark Horse; Stalker has showings.
IFC Center
Irreversible plays on 35mm; 28 Days Later, The Big Lebowski, Akira, I Married a Witch, Rosemary’s Baby, and Psycho also screen.
Film Forum
Dino Risi’s Una Vita Difficile is playing in a 4K restoration, while Funny Girl screens on Sunday.
The post NYC Weekend Watch: The Leopard, Mikey and Nicky & More first appeared on The Film Stage.
Museum of Modern Art
A series on Claudia Cardinale begins, including The Leopard this Friday.
Museum of the Moving Image
A series on awards-snubbed films continues with Altman, Elaine May, Mick Jagger and more.
Japan Society
A series celebrating Seijun Suzuki’s centennial continues with imported 35mm prints.
Roxy Cinema
The Todd Solondz retro continues with 35mm showings of Happiness and Storytelling, as well as Dark Horse; Stalker has showings.
IFC Center
Irreversible plays on 35mm; 28 Days Later, The Big Lebowski, Akira, I Married a Witch, Rosemary’s Baby, and Psycho also screen.
Film Forum
Dino Risi’s Una Vita Difficile is playing in a 4K restoration, while Funny Girl screens on Sunday.
The post NYC Weekend Watch: The Leopard, Mikey and Nicky & More first appeared on The Film Stage.
- 2/10/2023
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
By the second half of the 1960s, it was obvious that the relationship between director Seijun Suzuki and production company Nikkatsu was more than just a little strained. After years of yakuza-flicks and B-movies, Suzuki had proven with works such as “Youth of the Beast” he was fed up sticking to genre conventions as well as the rules enforced by his employer of what a certain movie has to be, what the story has to be like and essentially playing second fiddle to whatever the main feature his work was supposed to prepare the audience for. Having repeatedly violated that agreement, Suzuki was given another opportunity, resulting in “Carmen from Kawachi”, a B-movie based on themes from Georges Bizet. While the story has certain aspects following the conventions of B-movies, its style and images often transcend its origin, making it a very interesting precursor to Suzuki’s “Branded to Kill...
- 2/5/2023
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
After he had cut ties with production company Nikkatsu, director Seijun Suzuki struggled for a long time to find new projects, due to the structure of the Japanese film industry as a whole and his recognition as someone who could not follow orders. With “Zigeunerweisen”, released over a decade after his last work for Nikkatsu, he returned to the spotlight in a way, directing a feature that would also mark a blend of his former stylistic approach as well as new themes and aesthetics. “Kagero-za” is the second entry into the so-called Taisho trilogy, named after the period all three features are set in, and is widely regarded as perhaps the best one in the series. While the feature may prove just as challenging for the viewer, narratively and stylistically, as the other entries in the trilogy, the story about disorientation as well as past and present longings contains some...
- 2/3/2023
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
NYC Weekend Watch is our weekly round-up of repertory offerings.
Japan Society
A series celebrating Seijun Suzuki’s centennial begins with imported 35mm prints.
Roxy Cinema
35mm showings of Happiness continue; a Sara Driver series brings Stranger Than Paradise and Sleepwalk on 35mm, as well as Boom for Real.
Museum of Modern Art
A series on Claudia Cardinale begins, including Rocco and His Brothers this Saturday.
Film Forum
Dino Risi’s Una Vita Difficile has begun playing in a 4K restoration, while Howl’s Moving Castle screens on Sunday.
Museum of the Moving Image
A series on awards-snubbed films continues with Sirk, Cukor, and The Night of the Hunter.
IFC Center
28 Days Later, The Big Lebowski, Eraserhead, The Witches, and Psycho play.
The post NYC Weekend Watch: Seijun Suzuki, Sara Driver, Claudia Cardinale & More first appeared on The Film Stage.
Japan Society
A series celebrating Seijun Suzuki’s centennial begins with imported 35mm prints.
Roxy Cinema
35mm showings of Happiness continue; a Sara Driver series brings Stranger Than Paradise and Sleepwalk on 35mm, as well as Boom for Real.
Museum of Modern Art
A series on Claudia Cardinale begins, including Rocco and His Brothers this Saturday.
Film Forum
Dino Risi’s Una Vita Difficile has begun playing in a 4K restoration, while Howl’s Moving Castle screens on Sunday.
Museum of the Moving Image
A series on awards-snubbed films continues with Sirk, Cukor, and The Night of the Hunter.
IFC Center
28 Days Later, The Big Lebowski, Eraserhead, The Witches, and Psycho play.
The post NYC Weekend Watch: Seijun Suzuki, Sara Driver, Claudia Cardinale & More first appeared on The Film Stage.
- 2/3/2023
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
After “Carmen from Kawachi” had been one more unsuccessful attempt of production company Nikkatsu to get director Seijun Suzuki in line with the kind of movies they wanted him to make, they decided to reduce his budget even further for his next feature. In the wrong hands, “Tokyo Drifter” probably would have been just another gangster flick which the industry had produced a thousand times, but Suzuki created something truly special, widely regarded as one of his most interesting and visually arresting works. Instead of feeling ´restricted by the lack of financial support, the director relied on his skill of making ends meet and sticking to his creative vision, resulting in a much more abstract work which also fits perfectly in the age of pop culture.
Tokyo Drifter is screening as part of the Seijun Suzuki Centennial presented by Japan Society
In Tokyo, Tetsuya (Tetsuya Watari), nicknamed “Phoenix”, is the...
Tokyo Drifter is screening as part of the Seijun Suzuki Centennial presented by Japan Society
In Tokyo, Tetsuya (Tetsuya Watari), nicknamed “Phoenix”, is the...
- 1/28/2023
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
Japan during the 1960s saw a surge in crime flicks. Examples include the stylish gangster features by Seijun Suzuki and the darkly comical underworld movies by Kihachi Okamoto. Yet, there were also slower pieced character study crime thrillers that took their time to develop their characters and create overwhelming suspense and atmosphere with powerful themes that made audiences think. Look no further than Akira Kurosawa’s terrific films “The Bad Sleep Well” and “High and Low.” Yet, Kurosawa wasn’t the only notable director to put out poignant noir tales. Right around this time, filmmaker Tomu Uchida had built quite a name for himself with the numerous jidaigeki pictures he made. Occasionally, Uchida would step away from cinematic depictions of feudal Japan to do something more unique in his filmography, such as his phenomenal crime epic, “A Fugitive from the Past.”
“A Fugitive from The Past” is screening...
“A Fugitive from The Past” is screening...
- 1/18/2023
- by Sean Barry
- AsianMoviePulse
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI, and sign up for our weekly email newsletter by clicking here.NEWSSpencer Bell, Nobody Knows My Name.Sight & Sound have shared the eclectic results of their annual video essays poll. The top pieces from 2022 "range from exceptional TikTok content (which doesn’t even take the title for brevity—competing against a 30-second montage) to short or feature-length essay films, documentaries, as well as art museum/gallery installations and live performances in academic contexts."The Berlinale has announced their Forum lineup, including world premieres from Claire Simon, Burak Çevik, and more.Recommended VIEWINGA24 have shared a trailer for Ari Aster’s new film Beau is Afraid ahead of an April US release. Joaquin Phoenix will star as the neurotic lead of the surrealist horror comedy from the “ingeniously depraved” mind behind Hereditary (2018) and Midsommar (2019).Third...
- 1/18/2023
- MUBI
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
Yakuza tales drenched in revenge and bloody samurai epics are what most people think of when asked about their favorite Japanese action movies. They wouldn't be wrong, either, as both are essential components of the genre. Japan has one of the oldest film industries in the world, with Thomas Edison's kinetoscope first imported in 1896. Between 1909 and 1928, director Makino Shozo began pumping out films, popularizing period pieces known as jidaigeki.
I bring up jidaigeki movies because they reached new heights by the mid-1940s, thanks to Akira Kurosawa. Kurosawa is the gateway to Japanese cinema for many Western audiences. This legendary director incorporated action into his period epics that have since influenced filmmakers globally.
Of course, Kurosawa is merely the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Japanese action films. What fascinates me about these movies is the deep saturation of culture throughout. Filmmakers take their time with certain scenes,...
I bring up jidaigeki movies because they reached new heights by the mid-1940s, thanks to Akira Kurosawa. Kurosawa is the gateway to Japanese cinema for many Western audiences. This legendary director incorporated action into his period epics that have since influenced filmmakers globally.
Of course, Kurosawa is merely the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Japanese action films. What fascinates me about these movies is the deep saturation of culture throughout. Filmmakers take their time with certain scenes,...
- 12/27/2022
- by Marta Djordjevic
- Slash Film
As we know, the very first work of an artist not only marks the beginning of a hopefully great career, but also the start of someone dealing with themes, issues and observations which might define the rest of his/ her creative output. However, given a number of technical, budgetary and other constraints, these starts are often quite rough while they were being made and also for the viewer to look at. Ironically, making your very first feature during the punk-phase of the 1980s served as a disguise for these aspects, highlighting them instead as part of the cultural zeitgeist which was about rattling the cage of authority and social systems. Indeed, this may certainly be the case for “A Man’s Flower Road”, the first feature by director Sion Sono, who would be one of the major creative forces within the Japanese film industry in the years to come.
A...
A...
- 12/18/2022
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
With its distinctive branding and malleable play style, Cinephile has become a card game staple for any serious movie fanatic, and the team from Cinephile has branched out, first with the “A is Auteur” children’s book (part of their ‘lil cinephile brand) that introduced the theory to kids and now with “My First Movies,” a three-book collection devoted to introducing your youngster to some classic genre. Because what toddler doesn’t want to know the fundamentals of Italian giallos?
“My First Movies, Vol. 1” is a collection of three books – “My First Giallo Horror,” “My First French New Wave” and “My First Film Noir” – and will be available online and through select independent booksellers starting in December 2022. The books be available individually (15 each) and in a limited edition three-book box set (40) and are written by Cinephile founder Cory Everett and illustrated by Julie Olivi. The books feature everything you’ve...
“My First Movies, Vol. 1” is a collection of three books – “My First Giallo Horror,” “My First French New Wave” and “My First Film Noir” – and will be available online and through select independent booksellers starting in December 2022. The books be available individually (15 each) and in a limited edition three-book box set (40) and are written by Cinephile founder Cory Everett and illustrated by Julie Olivi. The books feature everything you’ve...
- 9/20/2022
- by Drew Taylor
- The Wrap
Japan during the 1960s saw a surge in crime flicks. Examples include the stylish gangster features by Seijun Suzuki and the darkly comical underworld movies by Kihachi Okamoto. Yet, there were also slower pieced character study crime thrillers that took their time to develop their characters and create overwhelming suspense and atmosphere with powerful themes that made audiences think. Look no further than Akira Kurosawa’s terrific films “The Bad Sleep Well” and “High and Low.” Yet, Kurosawa wasn’t the only notable director to put out poignant noir tales. Right around this time, filmmaker Tomu Uchida had built quite a name for himself with the numerous jidaigeki pictures he made. Occasionally, Uchida would step away from cinematic depictions of feudal Japan to do something more unique in his filmography, such as his phenomenal crime epic, “A Fugitive from the Past.”
on Amazon by clicking...
on Amazon by clicking...
- 9/14/2022
- by Sean Barry
- AsianMoviePulse
As our 2022 Venice Film Festival coverage wraps up, the juries have now unveiled their picks, most notably featuring Julianne Moore’s competition jury. Leading the pack is Laura Poitras’ new documentary All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, which picked up the top prize of Golden Lion, while Alice Diop, Luca Guadagnino, Cate Blanchett, Jafar Panahi, Colin Farrell, and more also received awards.
See the list of winners, with a hat tip to Variety, along with links to our reviews––and check back soon for coverage of Saint Omer, No Bears, and more.
Competition
Golden Lion for Best Film: “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed,” Laura Poitras
Grand Jury Prize: “Saint Omer,” Alice Diop
Silver Lion for Best Director: “Bones and All,” Luca Guadagnino
Special Jury Prize: “No Bears,” Jafar Panahi
Best Screenplay: “The Banshees of Inisherin,” Martin McDonagh
Volpi Cup for Best Actress: “TÁR,” Cate Blanchett
Volpi Cup for Best Actor: “The Banshees of Inisherin,...
See the list of winners, with a hat tip to Variety, along with links to our reviews––and check back soon for coverage of Saint Omer, No Bears, and more.
Competition
Golden Lion for Best Film: “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed,” Laura Poitras
Grand Jury Prize: “Saint Omer,” Alice Diop
Silver Lion for Best Director: “Bones and All,” Luca Guadagnino
Special Jury Prize: “No Bears,” Jafar Panahi
Best Screenplay: “The Banshees of Inisherin,” Martin McDonagh
Volpi Cup for Best Actress: “TÁR,” Cate Blanchett
Volpi Cup for Best Actor: “The Banshees of Inisherin,...
- 9/10/2022
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
‘Saint Omer’ takes Grand Jury prize; best director to Luca Guadagnino for ‘Bones And All’.
Laura Poitras’ All The Beauty And The Bloodshed won the Golden Lion at the 2022 Venice Film Festival, becoming only the second documentary to take the top prize in the event’s 90-year history.
”I need to thank the festival first and foremost, for understanding that documentary is cinema,” said US director Poitras, accepting the award. She proceeded to voice support for Iranian filmmaker and fellow Competition director Jafar Panahi, who is currently under arrest in his home country.
Scroll down for the full list of...
Laura Poitras’ All The Beauty And The Bloodshed won the Golden Lion at the 2022 Venice Film Festival, becoming only the second documentary to take the top prize in the event’s 90-year history.
”I need to thank the festival first and foremost, for understanding that documentary is cinema,” said US director Poitras, accepting the award. She proceeded to voice support for Iranian filmmaker and fellow Competition director Jafar Panahi, who is currently under arrest in his home country.
Scroll down for the full list of...
- 9/10/2022
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
The winners of the 2022 Venice Film Festival are being announced this evening.
The 79th Venice Film Festival comes to a close today with the awards ceremony, held at the Sala Grande in the Palazzo del Cinema from 6pm BST (7pm Cet).
Watch the ceremony live in the video above; Screen will be updating this page with the winners as they are announced.
The ceremony will be hosted by Spanish actress Rocio Munoz Morales, who also hosted the opening ceremony. A Competition jury led by Julianne Moore will award nine prizes, including the Golden Lion for best film.
Winners in the...
The 79th Venice Film Festival comes to a close today with the awards ceremony, held at the Sala Grande in the Palazzo del Cinema from 6pm BST (7pm Cet).
Watch the ceremony live in the video above; Screen will be updating this page with the winners as they are announced.
The ceremony will be hosted by Spanish actress Rocio Munoz Morales, who also hosted the opening ceremony. A Competition jury led by Julianne Moore will award nine prizes, including the Golden Lion for best film.
Winners in the...
- 9/10/2022
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Click here to read the full article.
Laura Poitras’s documentary All the Beauty and the Bloodshed has won the 2022 Golden Lion for best film at the 79th Venice International Film Festival.
The documentary follows the life of artist Nan Goldin and her campaign against the Sackler family, the pharmaceutical dynasty that was greatly responsible for the opioid epidemic.
Poitras, an Oscar-winner for her Edward Snowden documentary Citizenfour, dedicated the prize to Goldin.
“This is for Nan. I love you Nan. Monday is her birthday, so we’ll bring this to Nan,” she said.
Produced by Participant and Poitras’ Praxis Films, All the Beauty and the Bloodshed will go out domestically via Neon and HBO.
Cate Blanchett won Venice’s best actress honors for her bracing turn as a classical conductor in Todd Field’s Tár. The award kicks off the Oscar campaign for the film, and for Blanchett, who...
Laura Poitras’s documentary All the Beauty and the Bloodshed has won the 2022 Golden Lion for best film at the 79th Venice International Film Festival.
The documentary follows the life of artist Nan Goldin and her campaign against the Sackler family, the pharmaceutical dynasty that was greatly responsible for the opioid epidemic.
Poitras, an Oscar-winner for her Edward Snowden documentary Citizenfour, dedicated the prize to Goldin.
“This is for Nan. I love you Nan. Monday is her birthday, so we’ll bring this to Nan,” she said.
Produced by Participant and Poitras’ Praxis Films, All the Beauty and the Bloodshed will go out domestically via Neon and HBO.
Cate Blanchett won Venice’s best actress honors for her bracing turn as a classical conductor in Todd Field’s Tár. The award kicks off the Oscar campaign for the film, and for Blanchett, who...
- 9/10/2022
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Venice Film Festival draws to a close tonight with the awards ceremony, with Julianne Moore and her jury set to announce their standouts from the fest’s Competition selection. This post will be updated with winners as they’re announced.
Full List Of Winners
Horizons Extra
Audience Award: “Nezouh,” Soudade Kaadan
Venice Classics
Best Documentary of Cinema: “Fragments of Paradise,” K.D. Davison
Best Restored Film: “Branded to Kill,” Seijun Suzuki
Venice Immersive
Best Immersive Experience: “The Man Who Couldn’t Leave,” Chen Singing
Grand Jury Prize: “From the Main Square,” Pedro Harres
Special Jury Prize: “Eggscape,” German Heller
Venice Days (announced earlier)
Cinema of the Future Award: “The Maiden,” Graham Foy
Director’s Award: “Wolf and Dog,” Cláudia Varejão
People’s Choice Award: “Blue Jean,” Georgia Oakley
Critics’ Week (announced earlier)
Grand Prize: “Eismayer,” David Wagner
Special Mention: “Anhell69,” Theo Montoya
Audience Award: “Margini,” Niccolò Falsetti
Verona Film Club...
Full List Of Winners
Horizons Extra
Audience Award: “Nezouh,” Soudade Kaadan
Venice Classics
Best Documentary of Cinema: “Fragments of Paradise,” K.D. Davison
Best Restored Film: “Branded to Kill,” Seijun Suzuki
Venice Immersive
Best Immersive Experience: “The Man Who Couldn’t Leave,” Chen Singing
Grand Jury Prize: “From the Main Square,” Pedro Harres
Special Jury Prize: “Eggscape,” German Heller
Venice Days (announced earlier)
Cinema of the Future Award: “The Maiden,” Graham Foy
Director’s Award: “Wolf and Dog,” Cláudia Varejão
People’s Choice Award: “Blue Jean,” Georgia Oakley
Critics’ Week (announced earlier)
Grand Prize: “Eismayer,” David Wagner
Special Mention: “Anhell69,” Theo Montoya
Audience Award: “Margini,” Niccolò Falsetti
Verona Film Club...
- 9/10/2022
- by Guy Lodge
- Variety Film + TV
After nearly two weeks of lush red carpets, timed standing ovations, and viral “Don’t Worry Darling” drama, the 79th Venice Film Festival comes to a close on Saturday in the Sala Grande at the Palazzo del Cinema (Lido di Venezia). Julianne Moore chairs the festival’s jury alongside her fellow judges and elite film peers Mariano Cohn, Leonardo di Costanzo, Audrey Diwan, Leila Hatami, Kazuo Ishiguro, and Rodrigo Sorogoyen.
“I feel like so often the discussion around the future of cinema ends up being a discussion that’s more commercial, more business oriented,” Moore said in her opening remarks on August 31. “When we talk about the future of cinema it often degrades into what the future of the business is. That’s not the future of art.”
Established in 1932, Venice is the oldest ongoing cinematic awards celebration and is regarded among the world’s most esteemed international film festivals. 22 titles...
“I feel like so often the discussion around the future of cinema ends up being a discussion that’s more commercial, more business oriented,” Moore said in her opening remarks on August 31. “When we talk about the future of cinema it often degrades into what the future of the business is. That’s not the future of art.”
Established in 1932, Venice is the oldest ongoing cinematic awards celebration and is regarded among the world’s most esteemed international film festivals. 22 titles...
- 9/10/2022
- by Alison Foreman
- Indiewire
Miyamoto Musashi has been solidified in history for his phenomenal skills as a swordsman. As such, he’s been depicted in cinema for decades. His story has been shown as a hopeful journey in Hiroshi Inagaki’s “Samurai Trilogy” or as a Zen-seeking quest in Tomu Uchida’s five-part film series. The ronin would even be used as a symbol of patriotism in the propaganda feature “Miyamoto Musashi,” directed by Kenji Mizoguchi. Yet, the famed warrior was far from perfect, and there was more to him besides his sword skills. He was also a human and one with imperfections for that matter. These complexities are showcased in Tai Kato’s gritty but human jidaigeki epic “Miyamoto Musashi.” An alternative title for the picture is “Sword of Fury.”
Like many adaptations, the film is based on Eiji Yoshikawa’s epic novel “Musashi,” a fictionalized account of the famous ronin with touches...
Like many adaptations, the film is based on Eiji Yoshikawa’s epic novel “Musashi,” a fictionalized account of the famous ronin with touches...
- 7/29/2022
- by Sean Barry
- AsianMoviePulse
White NoiseCOMPETITIONWhite Noise (Noah Baumbach)Il Signore Delle Formiche (Gianni Amelio)The Whale (Darren Aronofsky)L’Immensita (Emanuele Crialese)Saint Omer (Alice Diop)Blonde (Andrew Dominik)Tár (Todd Field)Love Life (Koji Fukada)Bardo, False Chronicle Of A Handful Of Truths (Alejandro G. Inarritu)Athena (Romain Gavras)Bones & All (Luca Guadagnino)The Eternal Daughter (Joanna Hogg)Beyond The Wall (Vahid Jalilvand)The Banshees Of Inisherin (Martin McDonagh)Argentina, 1985 (Santiago Mitre)Chiara (Susanna Nicchiarelli)Monica (Andrea Pallaoro)No Bears (Jafar Panahi)All The Beauty And The Bloodshed (Laura Poitras)A Couple (Frederick Wiseman)The Son (Florian Zeller)Our Ties (Roschdy Zem)Other People’s Children (Rebecca Zlotowski)Out Of COMPETITIONFictionThe Hanging Sun (Francesco Carrozzini)When The Waves Are Gone (Lav Diaz)Living (Oliver Hermanus)Dead For A Dollar (Walter Hill)Call Of God (Kim Ki-duk)Dreamin’ Wild (Bill Pohlad)Master Gardener (Paul Schrader)Siccità (Paolo Virzi)Pearl (Ti West)Don’t Worry Darling...
- 7/28/2022
- MUBI
The 79th Venice International Film Festival has just announced the line-up for the next edition. The 79th Venice International Film Festival is organised by La Biennale di Venezia and directed by Alberto Barbera. It will take place at Venice Lido from 31 August to 10 September 2022. The Festival is officially recognised by the Fiapf (International Federation of Film Producers Association).
The aim of the Festival is to raise awareness and promote international cinema in all its forms as art, entertainment and as an industry, in a spirit of freedom and dialogue. The Festival also organises retrospectives and tributes to major figures as a contribution towards a better understanding of the history of cinema.
Here are all the Asian Titles on the Programme:
Competition:
Love Life
Director Koji Fukada
Main Cast Fumino Kimura, Kento Nagayama, Atom Sunada / Japan, France / 123’
Shab, Dakheli, Divar (Beyond The Wall)
Director Vahid Jalilvand
Main Cast Navid Mohammadzadeh, Diana Habibi,...
The aim of the Festival is to raise awareness and promote international cinema in all its forms as art, entertainment and as an industry, in a spirit of freedom and dialogue. The Festival also organises retrospectives and tributes to major figures as a contribution towards a better understanding of the history of cinema.
Here are all the Asian Titles on the Programme:
Competition:
Love Life
Director Koji Fukada
Main Cast Fumino Kimura, Kento Nagayama, Atom Sunada / Japan, France / 123’
Shab, Dakheli, Divar (Beyond The Wall)
Director Vahid Jalilvand
Main Cast Navid Mohammadzadeh, Diana Habibi,...
- 7/26/2022
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
While the new premieres at the world’s greatest film festivals usually garner much of the spotlight, the lineup of restorations should be equally as exciting to any cinephile. Venice Film Festival, which kicks off its 79th edition from August 31-September 10, has now unveiled the lineup of the Classics section.
Featuring Jacques Tourner’s Canyon Passage, Seijun Suzuki’s Branded to Kill, Edward Yang’s A Confucian Confusion, plus films by Peter Greenaway, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Yasujirō Ozu, Satyajit Ray, Jean Renoir, and more, it’s an embarrassment of riches. If you don’t happen to be in Venice later next month, hopefully we’ll get news of home video releases for these in the coming year.
See the lineup below via Screen Daily.
Teresa The Thief (Teresa La Ladra)(Italy, 1973)
Dir. Carlo Di Palma
Restored by: Cineteca Nazionale
My Little Loves (Mes Petites Amoureuses) (France, 1974)
Dir. Jean Eustache
Restored...
Featuring Jacques Tourner’s Canyon Passage, Seijun Suzuki’s Branded to Kill, Edward Yang’s A Confucian Confusion, plus films by Peter Greenaway, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Yasujirō Ozu, Satyajit Ray, Jean Renoir, and more, it’s an embarrassment of riches. If you don’t happen to be in Venice later next month, hopefully we’ll get news of home video releases for these in the coming year.
See the lineup below via Screen Daily.
Teresa The Thief (Teresa La Ladra)(Italy, 1973)
Dir. Carlo Di Palma
Restored by: Cineteca Nazionale
My Little Loves (Mes Petites Amoureuses) (France, 1974)
Dir. Jean Eustache
Restored...
- 7/19/2022
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
The section returns to the lido after two years.
Pier Paolo Pasolini’s Theorem and Yasujiro Ozu’s A Hen In The Wind are among the 18 films selected for the Venice Classics strand of the 79th Venice Film Festival (August 31-September 10).
Pasolini’s Italian drama screened in competition at Venice in 1968 and received a special award from the International Catholic Film Office which was later revoked after the Vatican complained. It is restored by Cineteca di Bologna.
A Hen In The Wind is one of three Japanese films in selection. The other two are Profound Desires of the Gods by...
Pier Paolo Pasolini’s Theorem and Yasujiro Ozu’s A Hen In The Wind are among the 18 films selected for the Venice Classics strand of the 79th Venice Film Festival (August 31-September 10).
Pasolini’s Italian drama screened in competition at Venice in 1968 and received a special award from the International Catholic Film Office which was later revoked after the Vatican complained. It is restored by Cineteca di Bologna.
A Hen In The Wind is one of three Japanese films in selection. The other two are Profound Desires of the Gods by...
- 7/19/2022
- by Ellie Calnan
- ScreenDaily
The section returns to the lido after two years.
Pier Paolo Pasolini’s Theorem and Yasujiro Ozu’s A Hen In The Wind are among the 18 films selected for the Venice Classics strand of the 79th Venice Film Festival (August 31 - September 10).
Pasolini’s Italian drama screened in competition at Venice in 1968 and received a special award from the International Catholic Film Office which was later revoked after the Vatican complained. It is restored by Cineteca di Bologna.
A Hen In The Wind is one of three Japanese films in selection. The other two are Profound Desires of the Gods...
Pier Paolo Pasolini’s Theorem and Yasujiro Ozu’s A Hen In The Wind are among the 18 films selected for the Venice Classics strand of the 79th Venice Film Festival (August 31 - September 10).
Pasolini’s Italian drama screened in competition at Venice in 1968 and received a special award from the International Catholic Film Office which was later revoked after the Vatican complained. It is restored by Cineteca di Bologna.
A Hen In The Wind is one of three Japanese films in selection. The other two are Profound Desires of the Gods...
- 7/19/2022
- by Ellie Calnan
- ScreenDaily
Kaizo Hayashi’s To Sleep So As To Dream (1968) will be available on Blu-ray March 22nd from Arrow Video.
Two private detectives hunt for an actress trapped within the reel of a silent ninja film in the dreamlike debut of Kaizo Hayashi, a magical double-handed cinephilic homage to the movie worlds of the 1910s and 1950s.
When private eye Uotsuka and his sidekick Kobayashi are approached by an aged former actress, Madame Cherryblossom, to go in search of her kidnapped daughter Bellflower, their investigations lead them to the studios of the mysterious M. Pathe company. Here Uotsuka has a strange vision in which he comes face to face with the beautiful star of a 1915 chanbara film that appears to have no ending. From then on, things begin to get a little strange…
Among the most impressive and critically regarded Japanese films of the 1980s, To Sleep so as To Dream...
Two private detectives hunt for an actress trapped within the reel of a silent ninja film in the dreamlike debut of Kaizo Hayashi, a magical double-handed cinephilic homage to the movie worlds of the 1910s and 1950s.
When private eye Uotsuka and his sidekick Kobayashi are approached by an aged former actress, Madame Cherryblossom, to go in search of her kidnapped daughter Bellflower, their investigations lead them to the studios of the mysterious M. Pathe company. Here Uotsuka has a strange vision in which he comes face to face with the beautiful star of a 1915 chanbara film that appears to have no ending. From then on, things begin to get a little strange…
Among the most impressive and critically regarded Japanese films of the 1980s, To Sleep so as To Dream...
- 3/11/2022
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Features the voices of: Elizabeth Gillies, Stephanie Beatriz, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Kelly Hu, Jonathan Banks, Keith David, Lauren Cohan, Jacqueline Obradors, Zehra Fazal, Jonathan Frakes, Steve Blum, Andrew Kishino | Written by Greg Weisman | Directed by Shinsuke Terasawa
Catwoman: Hunted is the latest film in the rebooted DC Animated Movie slate and is, like Batman: Soul of the Dragon, heavily influenced by films of another era. In …Dragon it was 70s kung-fu cinema and here it’s 60s spy and crime thrillers – films like Danger: Diabolik and shows like The Saint, with an opening title sequence that screamed the work of Seijun Suzuki, the man responsible for a swathe of 60s crime films in Japan. Which is apt given the plot of the film, one that sees Catwoman attempt to steal a priceless jewel puts her squarely in the crosshairs of both a powerful consortium of villains called Leviathan, Batwoman and Interpol…...
Catwoman: Hunted is the latest film in the rebooted DC Animated Movie slate and is, like Batman: Soul of the Dragon, heavily influenced by films of another era. In …Dragon it was 70s kung-fu cinema and here it’s 60s spy and crime thrillers – films like Danger: Diabolik and shows like The Saint, with an opening title sequence that screamed the work of Seijun Suzuki, the man responsible for a swathe of 60s crime films in Japan. Which is apt given the plot of the film, one that sees Catwoman attempt to steal a priceless jewel puts her squarely in the crosshairs of both a powerful consortium of villains called Leviathan, Batwoman and Interpol…...
- 2/1/2022
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
A stellar snapshot of recent Japanese cinema is coming next month to the Japan Society. Flash Forward: Debut Works and Recent Films by Notable Japanese Directors––which takes an intimate look at six of Japan’s most well-known directors: Naomi Kawase, Miwa Nishikawa, Shuichi Okita, Junji Sakamoto, Akihiko Shiota, and Masayuki Suo––will feature films available to stream nationwide from Dec. 3-23 and two in-person screenings in Japan Society’s auditorium on December 11 and 17. Ahead of the series, we’re pleased to exclusively debut the festival trailer.
Pairing each debut with a recent work, the series presents two distinct facets of each filmmaker’s career—encouraging dialogue and interplay as well as tracking the development of their signature voice. By drawing parallels and contrasts between past and present, Flash Forward illuminates the importance of these pivotal early works within each artist’s career.
Series highlights include Naomi Kawase’s...
Pairing each debut with a recent work, the series presents two distinct facets of each filmmaker’s career—encouraging dialogue and interplay as well as tracking the development of their signature voice. By drawing parallels and contrasts between past and present, Flash Forward illuminates the importance of these pivotal early works within each artist’s career.
Series highlights include Naomi Kawase’s...
- 11/15/2021
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
Exclusive: The second Aca Cinema Project series, “Flash Forward: Debut Works and Recent Films by Notable Japanese Directors,” has set its lineup for a hybrid program that will run from December 3-23. Presented by the New York-based non-profit Japan Society and the Japanese government’s Agency for Cultural Affairs, in collaboration with the Visual Industry Promotion Organization, the event will be comprised of 18 films streaming in North America on Japan Society’s Virtual Cinema hub, along with two in-person screenings on December 11 and 17.
Highlighting the early efforts of now-established contemporary filmmakers, the program takes a look at six of Japan’s well-known directors: Naomi Kawase, Miwa Nishikawa, Shuichi Okita, Junji Sakamoto, Akihiko Shiota and Masayuki Suo. Pairing each of their debuts with a recent work, the series presents two facets of their careers. (Scroll down for the full list.) Panel discussions will also be held with some of the filmmakers and available to stream worldwide.
Highlighting the early efforts of now-established contemporary filmmakers, the program takes a look at six of Japan’s well-known directors: Naomi Kawase, Miwa Nishikawa, Shuichi Okita, Junji Sakamoto, Akihiko Shiota and Masayuki Suo. Pairing each of their debuts with a recent work, the series presents two facets of their careers. (Scroll down for the full list.) Panel discussions will also be held with some of the filmmakers and available to stream worldwide.
- 11/4/2021
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
What started as an alternative to the establishment, to the 9-to-5 work routine, the white picket fence and the routine of a monogamous marriage defined by traditional gender roles soon turned out to be a failed experiment, if we look at some communities which tried to make up their own society. Rather than constituting their own kind of community and trying their own experiment, many artists have approached these ideas through their work. Much like his colleagues, such as Seijun Suzuki or Nobuhiko Obayashi, director Masashi Yamamoto has created a niche for himself during his career, and also experimented with narration and form, with the goal of destroying a sense of unity in the feature film, as he once stated. In his 1988 effort “Robinson’s Garden”, the director combines these tendencies in his work with a story about one of those social experiments, about its rewards and how it can...
- 8/20/2021
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
[…] Cinema City’s comedies were dominant soon after they first appeared and made fat profits back in ’79. Thus, the company over-expanded, recruiting a large number of directors, including New Wave directors. More than ten directors joined forces with the company all at once. They worked either in a collaboration, such as Tsui Hark [Aces Go Places 3 (83), All the wrong spies (83), Working Class(85)], Kirk Wong or in a satellite alliance, like Dennis Yu [Comedy (84), Musical Singer (85)] and Yuen Woo-ping. The box office reception of these films was only average; some others, for example, Life After Life and Once Upon a Rainbow, even flopped. 1984 could be said to be the heyday of Cinema City, when comedies such as Happy Ghost, Kung Hei Fat Choy and Merry Christmas were produced. It was precisely because of the dominance of Cinema City that the New Wave migrated to the mainstream cinema at an accelerated pace. (source: “Hong Kong New Wave Cinema” by Pak Tong Cheuk). One of...
- 7/18/2021
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
As the 1960s have been a period of social change and political upheaval, it took a while before these trends would make their way into a nation’s culture. Whereas in Japan directors such as Nagisa Oshima or Seijun Suzuki would make movies heavily influenced by a growing conflict between the old and the young generation, in South Korea filmmakers like Jeong Jin-woo picked up the idea of a youth who wanted to be different from the generation of their parents. It was a time of transition, defined by the re-evaluation of values and the conflict of traditional and western values, represented by the rise of rock music and other events. In his 1966 feature “Early Rain”, starring actors Moon Hee and Shin Seong-il in the leading roles, Jeong Jin-woo would tell a story about shifting social roles and relationships, especially considering how much influence issues such as reputation and wealth...
- 4/15/2021
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
A co-production of Shaw Brothers and the Nikkatsu Studio during the mid-60s, this James Bond inspired spy thriller stars a very young and less experienced Jimmy Wang Yu as secret agent Yang Ming Hsuan, who works for the Japanese brunch of Apss (Asia Police Secret Service). George (Jo Shishido) is a Japanese- Malaysian criminal who smuggles gold in Asia; furthermore, he wants to bring down the Japanese economy just because his Japanese father is responsible for the death of his mother. Upon learning about George’s evil plan, Apss promptly sends Agent Yang after him. Consequently, the cat-and -mouse game is on, sending him trotting from Japan to Hong Kong and finally a showdown in an ocean tanker full of gold in Macau. Yang also believes that the death of a wealthy businessman who might actually be his long- lost father is the doing of George’s outfit.
Buy...
Buy...
- 3/28/2021
- by David Chew
- AsianMoviePulse
A year after the great “Gate of Flesh“, Seijun Suzuki returned with “Story of a Prostitute”, the second part of what later came to be known as the “Flesh Trilogy”. Like the former, this one is also based on a story by Taijiro Tamura and deals with women who make a living by selling their flesh.
Angry at her lover who marries another woman, the prostitute Harumi (Yumiko Nogawa) decides to become a “comfort woman” (i.e. army prostitute) in Manchuria and service the Japanese Imperial army in their war with China. Quickly after arriving at the army outpost and starting her new dehumanizing job, Harumi is liked by the brutal unit adjutant lieutenant Narita (Isao Tamagawa) who wants to make her his. Yet, to spite him, she starts paying attention to his quiet and shy aide, Mikami (Tamio Kawachi). Though initially repelled by her, the young...
Angry at her lover who marries another woman, the prostitute Harumi (Yumiko Nogawa) decides to become a “comfort woman” (i.e. army prostitute) in Manchuria and service the Japanese Imperial army in their war with China. Quickly after arriving at the army outpost and starting her new dehumanizing job, Harumi is liked by the brutal unit adjutant lieutenant Narita (Isao Tamagawa) who wants to make her his. Yet, to spite him, she starts paying attention to his quiet and shy aide, Mikami (Tamio Kawachi). Though initially repelled by her, the young...
- 3/20/2021
- by Martin Lukanov
- AsianMoviePulse
The concept of “the prostitute” has been fascinating directors all over the world for quite some time, with the psychosynthesis of the sex professionals drawing as much interest as the opportunity to use the concept as a metaphor for various sociopolitical comments. Despite the fact that such themes always had issues with censorship, an abundance of movies about the subject can be also found in Asian cinema, and particularly in countries like Japan, S. Korea and India.
In this list, we will present 20 of the greatest Asian films about prostitutes in chronological order, with a focus on diversity regarding countries, directors and style of presentation.
1. Gate of Flesh
Mini-militias of prostitutes create their own code to survive in “Gates Of Flesh”, by selling themselves in an organised gang fashion, protecting their turf, of bombed out Tokyo, viciously. This was no time for romanticism, frivolity or even love; this is a brutal game of survival.
In this list, we will present 20 of the greatest Asian films about prostitutes in chronological order, with a focus on diversity regarding countries, directors and style of presentation.
1. Gate of Flesh
Mini-militias of prostitutes create their own code to survive in “Gates Of Flesh”, by selling themselves in an organised gang fashion, protecting their turf, of bombed out Tokyo, viciously. This was no time for romanticism, frivolity or even love; this is a brutal game of survival.
- 3/9/2021
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
In the mid-1960s, Seijun Suzuki would go on to make a trilogy of features, now called the “Flesh Trilogy”, that would depict a degraded post-war Japan and people’s poor living standards in it. These depictions were put forth in the form of stories that featured women that trade in their own flesh. The first of these would be “Gate of Flesh”, a production based on a novel by Taijiro Tamura that would go on to stand tall as one of the best in Suzuki’s fantastic and lengthy oeuvre.
Heavily bombed, post-war Tokyo is a dog-eat-dog city where a living is hard to come by and people are still exploited on a daily basis. The city lies in ruin and so do the lives of its inhabitants. In one such bombed building live five prostitutes, all working without any support from any males and taking...
Heavily bombed, post-war Tokyo is a dog-eat-dog city where a living is hard to come by and people are still exploited on a daily basis. The city lies in ruin and so do the lives of its inhabitants. In one such bombed building live five prostitutes, all working without any support from any males and taking...
- 3/5/2021
- by Rhythm Zaveri
- AsianMoviePulse
Creating a film that looks like a silent one but actually is not and having a narrative that is a pastiche of elements that includes tribute to the film noir of the 1920s, comedy, and a repeated breaking of the fourth wall is not exactly an easy task. However, this is exactly what Kaizo Hayashi accomplished with “To Sleep so as to Dream”, in an effort that netted him awards from Mainichi Film Concours and Yokohama Film Festival (also for Takeo Kimura’s art direction).
The story takes place somewhere in the 50s, and revolves around the disappearance of Bellflower, the daughter of Madame Cherrysblossom, an aging silent film actress. The Madame tasks her elderly butler with finding her, and he gives the job to two detectives, egg-swallowing Uotsuka and his assistant, Kobayashi, who soon proves to be a master of martial arts apart from constantly aloof. The trio is immediately contacted by the kidnappers,...
The story takes place somewhere in the 50s, and revolves around the disappearance of Bellflower, the daughter of Madame Cherrysblossom, an aging silent film actress. The Madame tasks her elderly butler with finding her, and he gives the job to two detectives, egg-swallowing Uotsuka and his assistant, Kobayashi, who soon proves to be a master of martial arts apart from constantly aloof. The trio is immediately contacted by the kidnappers,...
- 9/29/2020
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
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