By the time you’ve inched toward the halfway point of the first episode of Shōgun, the epic new limited series that revisits James Clavell’s 1975 doorstopper of a historical novel about early 1600s Japan, you’ve already seen an eyeful: massive schooners, flashing swords, military processions, political power plays, a father and his infant son sentenced to death, a half-dozen English prisoners awaiting their fate in a pit. And then, out of nowhere, a character rides in on horseback. He’s shot from behind, but there’s something about the way he holds himself,...
- 4/27/2024
- by David Fear
- Rollingstone.com
The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival has announced its first wave of program details for its upcoming 58th edition, which is set to take place from June 28 through July 6, 2024. The Czech festival, widely considered to be the most prestigious film festival in Eastern Europe, is set to honor one of the nation’s most famous writers with a new retrospective titled “Franz Kafka and the Cinema.”
The series is set to feature screenings of a wide range of films inspired by the Czech novelist, who famously wove themes of alienation and existential angst into cryptic novels that often flirted with surrealism. Some films, like Orson Welles’ “The Trial” are direct adaptations of Kafka’s writings; but the series also includes movies about Kafka’s life, and films like Martin Scorsese’s “After Hours” that were influenced by Kafka’s ideas.
“For decades, Kafka’s oeuvre has functioned as a continuing provocation to filmmakers,...
The series is set to feature screenings of a wide range of films inspired by the Czech novelist, who famously wove themes of alienation and existential angst into cryptic novels that often flirted with surrealism. Some films, like Orson Welles’ “The Trial” are direct adaptations of Kafka’s writings; but the series also includes movies about Kafka’s life, and films like Martin Scorsese’s “After Hours” that were influenced by Kafka’s ideas.
“For decades, Kafka’s oeuvre has functioned as a continuing provocation to filmmakers,...
- 4/23/2024
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
Veteran Japanese character actor Tadanobu Asano is having a very overdue breakthrough moment. The chameleonic film star has been a mainstay of Japanese cinema for nearly three decades, while also regularly appearing in prominent supporting parts in big Hollywood productions. But his irresistible performance in FX’s period series Shōgun is giving him an all-new level of global recognition.
Asano co-stars in Shōgun as Kashigi Yabushige, the scheming lord of Izu, a rugged region of feudal Japan where much of the series takes place. Playing the character with lived-in swagger and a fatalistic sense of humor, Asano has become one of the show’s clear fan favorites, with Reddit and Twitter threads popping up to revel in his character’s antics. Asano announced himself early in Shōgun‘s run: As many have marveled, Yabushige makes his entrance to the show by boiling a man alive but then wins the audience...
Asano co-stars in Shōgun as Kashigi Yabushige, the scheming lord of Izu, a rugged region of feudal Japan where much of the series takes place. Playing the character with lived-in swagger and a fatalistic sense of humor, Asano has become one of the show’s clear fan favorites, with Reddit and Twitter threads popping up to revel in his character’s antics. Asano announced himself early in Shōgun‘s run: As many have marveled, Yabushige makes his entrance to the show by boiling a man alive but then wins the audience...
- 4/10/2024
- by Patrick Brzeski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The 44th edition of genre film festival Fantasporto, which runs in Portugal’s second city Porto from March 1-10, has bestowed its best film award on Japanese sci-fi fantasy pic “From the End of the World,” directed by Kaz I Kiriya.
The movie follows 10-year-old Hana, whose dreams transport her across various eras in Japanese history, and have the ability to save humanity.
The jury’s special award went to “The Complex Forms,” Italian director Fabio D’Orta’s debut feature. The sci-fi horror centers on a man who has sold his body so it can be possessed by a creature of unknown nature.
The prize for best direction was nabbed by Spanish filmmaker Gonzalo López-Gallego for horror movie “The Shadow of the Shark” (La Sombra del Tiburon). In the film, a young woman, Alma, is undergoing therapy as she is unable to sleep. With the help of surveillance cameras, she...
The movie follows 10-year-old Hana, whose dreams transport her across various eras in Japanese history, and have the ability to save humanity.
The jury’s special award went to “The Complex Forms,” Italian director Fabio D’Orta’s debut feature. The sci-fi horror centers on a man who has sold his body so it can be possessed by a creature of unknown nature.
The prize for best direction was nabbed by Spanish filmmaker Gonzalo López-Gallego for horror movie “The Shadow of the Shark” (La Sombra del Tiburon). In the film, a young woman, Alma, is undergoing therapy as she is unable to sleep. With the help of surveillance cameras, she...
- 3/9/2024
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
With films like “Destruction Babies” and “Miyamoto”, Tetsuya Mariko has really left an impact in the Japanese movie industry during the latest years, as one of the few remaining directors of ‘tense cinema', as established by directors such as Takashi Miike, Sion Sono, Toshiaki Toyoda and Shinya Tsukamoto. Now, with “Before Anyone Else”, he attempts to take his talents outside Japan, to the US specifically, hopefully in a new endeavor and not because he cannot find space in his home country anymore.
Before Anyone Else is screening at Osaka Asian Film Festival
In black-and-white and low definition, the movie begins with a young woman driving a car, getting out of it, and then the camera turning to the backseat, showing a baby sitting there. The next cut shows a completely different scene, in color this time, where a group of four Americans and Asian Americans break into a pawn shop.
Before Anyone Else is screening at Osaka Asian Film Festival
In black-and-white and low definition, the movie begins with a young woman driving a car, getting out of it, and then the camera turning to the backseat, showing a baby sitting there. The next cut shows a completely different scene, in color this time, where a group of four Americans and Asian Americans break into a pawn shop.
- 3/3/2024
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
The 1950s are considered the Golden Age of Japanese cinema. The aftermath of World War II and particularly the atomic bomb, and the subsequent American occupation left the country scarred, but filled with inspiration and eagerness to start over. One of the most iconic films of this era is Akira Kurosawa's “Seven Samurai”, considered among the most influential movies of all time, and the basis for a plethora of productions, with John Sturges' “The Magnificent Seven” being a direct adaptation. This influence became widely known, even at the time, as the film was nominated for two Oscars, while Kurosawa won the Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival.
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In 16th century Japan, during the feudal wars, an entire village is on the border of starvation due to the constant raids by a gang of armed robbers. When a villager learns,...
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In 16th century Japan, during the feudal wars, an entire village is on the border of starvation due to the constant raids by a gang of armed robbers. When a villager learns,...
- 2/24/2024
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Japanese auteur Kiyoshi Kurosawa, who won best director at Venice in 2020 with Wife Of A Spy, is working on a new suspense thriller titled Cloud, which will be introduced to buyers at the EFM by Japanese studio Nikkatsu Corporation.
The feature is in post-production with a Japanese release set for September 2024. A first look at the film can be seen above.
Written by Kurosawa, the story centres on Ryosuke Yoshii, an enigmatic young man who tries to make money by reselling shrewdly obtained goods on the internet under the pseudonym ‘Ratel’.
The film stars Masaki Suda, who won best actor...
The feature is in post-production with a Japanese release set for September 2024. A first look at the film can be seen above.
Written by Kurosawa, the story centres on Ryosuke Yoshii, an enigmatic young man who tries to make money by reselling shrewdly obtained goods on the internet under the pseudonym ‘Ratel’.
The film stars Masaki Suda, who won best actor...
- 2/12/2024
- ScreenDaily
As one of the few (I don't want to say one of the last) Japanese filmmakers who can still produce movies with tension, pointed comments and a no-punches-pulled cinematic approach, every new movie Shinya Tsukamoto comes up with is a must-watch. In “Shadow of Fire”, he continues his anti-war message that also appeared in “Fires on the Plain” and “Killing”, this time focusing on the chaos that ensued in Japan just after the ending of World War 2.
Shadow of Fire is screening at Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme
In an area adjacent to a black market, a young woman whose family was lost during the war is selling her body to make a living in a Japanese pub diner that barely survived the bombings. One day, a young soldier appears as a customer, and the woman asks him to stay the night, kickstarting a series of his visits, every night,...
Shadow of Fire is screening at Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme
In an area adjacent to a black market, a young woman whose family was lost during the war is selling her body to make a living in a Japanese pub diner that barely survived the bombings. One day, a young soldier appears as a customer, and the woman asks him to stay the night, kickstarting a series of his visits, every night,...
- 2/8/2024
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Japanese studio Nikkatsu has boarded international sales on revenge drama Tatsumi by rising filmmaker Shoji Hiroshi ahead of the EFM.
It marks the second feature of Hiroshi, whose crime drama Ken And Kazu played a string of festivals in 2016, following its premiere at Tokyo International Film Festival where it won the top prize in the Cinema Splash section for independent Japanese films.
His follow-up is also a crime drama that follows Tatsumi, a fisherman who doubles as a “cleaner” for gangland hits. But when his ex is murdered in front of her young sister, the two form an alliance to seek vengeance.
It marks the second feature of Hiroshi, whose crime drama Ken And Kazu played a string of festivals in 2016, following its premiere at Tokyo International Film Festival where it won the top prize in the Cinema Splash section for independent Japanese films.
His follow-up is also a crime drama that follows Tatsumi, a fisherman who doubles as a “cleaner” for gangland hits. But when his ex is murdered in front of her young sister, the two form an alliance to seek vengeance.
- 2/6/2024
- ScreenDaily
Shinya Tsukamoto's gritty crime film “Bullet Ballet” is a story of loneliness and despair wrapped up in chaos and violence within the confines of Tokyo. The movie's two leads, Goda and Chisato, played by Tsukamoto and Kirina Mano respectively, suffer depression following their own traumatic experiences and continuously contemplate suicide. The former lost his girlfriend to a self-inflicted gunshot wound, and the latter struggles from a troubled upbringing. Their paths correlate as they pursue extreme measures. Goda is driven to kill with a firearm, while Chisato seeks escapism and thrills in a street gang life. Eventually, the two form an unlikely bond. However, their gradual desire to live and grow from their pasts becomes tested by the threat of a vengeful crime boss. Yet, before an intense shootout ensues in the movie's climax, our two leads quietly wander the streets of Tokyo, contemplating the inevitable confrontation while comforting one...
- 2/4/2024
- by Sean Barry
- AsianMoviePulse
Shinya Tsukamoto’s Shadow of Fire begins as a troubling but measured film, but about a half-hour in something happens that shatters its quietude. Suddenly, a man who to this point has been impotent and deferential throws a small boy out a window and begins beating a woman. From the director best-known for Tetsuo: The Iron Man, and whose other films are often similarly stylish and sexually violent, that might not sound like much, but it is precisely the restraint of Shadow of Fire that makes the violence one of the more harrowing moments in Tsukamoto’s growing oeuvre.
Tsukamoto used to make movies at a swift pace: from his 1989 debut Tetsuo to 2011’s Kotoko, a dozen films. Since then, Shadow of Fire is just his third, all three of which are focused in some way on war, and each has taken longer to arrive than the one before. Whether...
Tsukamoto used to make movies at a swift pace: from his 1989 debut Tetsuo to 2011’s Kotoko, a dozen films. Since then, Shadow of Fire is just his third, all three of which are focused in some way on war, and each has taken longer to arrive than the one before. Whether...
- 2/2/2024
- by Forrest Cardamenis
- The Film Stage
Ning Hao’s The Movie Emperor will screen as the opening film of Macau’s Asia-Europe Young Cinema Film Festival, which is holding its inaugural edition from January 5-11. Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s 12th Fail, recently a hit in India, will screen as the closing film.
The event has two major sections – a programme of masterclasses and screenings aimed at young directors, film students and local audiences, and a Works-in-Progress (WiP) Lab, which will be attended by international sales agents, distributors and festival programmers.
The masterclasses will be held by leading international filmmakers including several from the Chinese-speaking world – Ning Hao, Li Dongmei, Johnnie To, Yon Fan and Lee Hong-chi – along with Japanese filmmakers Ryosuke Hamaguchi and Shinya Tsukamoto, Russia’s Aleksey German Jr, Italy’s Gabriel Menetti, India’s Anurag Kashyap, Lav Diaz from the Philippines and Iranian filmmaker Amir Naderi.
China Film Directors Association is actively involved in...
The event has two major sections – a programme of masterclasses and screenings aimed at young directors, film students and local audiences, and a Works-in-Progress (WiP) Lab, which will be attended by international sales agents, distributors and festival programmers.
The masterclasses will be held by leading international filmmakers including several from the Chinese-speaking world – Ning Hao, Li Dongmei, Johnnie To, Yon Fan and Lee Hong-chi – along with Japanese filmmakers Ryosuke Hamaguchi and Shinya Tsukamoto, Russia’s Aleksey German Jr, Italy’s Gabriel Menetti, India’s Anurag Kashyap, Lav Diaz from the Philippines and Iranian filmmaker Amir Naderi.
China Film Directors Association is actively involved in...
- 1/4/2024
- by Liz Shackleton
- Deadline Film + TV
The Alamo Drafthouse is going back in time to ring in the New Year.
The cinema chain announced that starting January 5, a year-long Time Capsules program will feature curated films ranging from 1974 to 1999. Per the theater, Alamo Time Capsules is “a yearlong trek back through time that revisits both beloved blockbusters and forgotten favorites spanning six landmark cinema years — 1999, 1994, 1989, 1984, 1979, and 1974. Title collections will span six to eight weeks and, rather than act as a ‘top ten list’ of films, instead will tell their part of the story of that year in cinema, culture, and history.”
The retrospective — the largest and most comprehensive in the company’s history — runs throughout 2024 and will include nearly 150 different selections. Upcoming Time Capsule collections will include special merchandise, custom Alamo Drafthouse menus, and special events. The year 1999 kicks off the program with films like “Being John Malkovich,” “The Iron Giant,” “Cruel Intentions,” “Pretty Woman,” “Jawbreaker,...
The cinema chain announced that starting January 5, a year-long Time Capsules program will feature curated films ranging from 1974 to 1999. Per the theater, Alamo Time Capsules is “a yearlong trek back through time that revisits both beloved blockbusters and forgotten favorites spanning six landmark cinema years — 1999, 1994, 1989, 1984, 1979, and 1974. Title collections will span six to eight weeks and, rather than act as a ‘top ten list’ of films, instead will tell their part of the story of that year in cinema, culture, and history.”
The retrospective — the largest and most comprehensive in the company’s history — runs throughout 2024 and will include nearly 150 different selections. Upcoming Time Capsule collections will include special merchandise, custom Alamo Drafthouse menus, and special events. The year 1999 kicks off the program with films like “Being John Malkovich,” “The Iron Giant,” “Cruel Intentions,” “Pretty Woman,” “Jawbreaker,...
- 1/3/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
The Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme, the U.K.’s largest festival of Japanese cinema, will take to the road in February and March. Its 2024 selection is the event’s largest ever with much of it attuned to the theme of memories, times and reflections.
“The JFTFP24 delves into Japanese cinema to explore how memories are employed in the cinematic voices of Japanese filmmakers, from films where memories are a focal point to works where they play a subliminal role in driving or affecting people’s minds and behavior,” said organizers.
The festival will run Feb. 2 – Mar. 31 and take in 30 U.K. cities including Edinburgh, Manchester, Oxford, Orkney, Exeter and York.
Program highlights include: the U.K. premiere of “Shadow of Fire,” directed by festival favorite Shinya Tsukamoto (Tetsuo: The Iron Man); a new entry in Nikkatsu’s Roman Porno genre, “Hand”; visually stunning anime “Lonely Castle in the Mirror,...
“The JFTFP24 delves into Japanese cinema to explore how memories are employed in the cinematic voices of Japanese filmmakers, from films where memories are a focal point to works where they play a subliminal role in driving or affecting people’s minds and behavior,” said organizers.
The festival will run Feb. 2 – Mar. 31 and take in 30 U.K. cities including Edinburgh, Manchester, Oxford, Orkney, Exeter and York.
Program highlights include: the U.K. premiere of “Shadow of Fire,” directed by festival favorite Shinya Tsukamoto (Tetsuo: The Iron Man); a new entry in Nikkatsu’s Roman Porno genre, “Hand”; visually stunning anime “Lonely Castle in the Mirror,...
- 12/20/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Canadian filmmaker Denys Arcand’s satire “Testament” will open the 44th edition of Fantasporto, which runs March 1-10 in Portugal’s second city, Porto. Chinese fantasy epic “Creation of Gods I: Kingdom of Storms,” directed by Wuershan, closes the eclectic event.
The festival, which was named by MovieMaker magazine this year as one of the “25 coolest festivals in the world,” is headed by film critics Beatriz Pacheco Pereira and Mário Dorminsky. Around 600 feature films were submitted this year and 1,200 shorts.
Pacheco Pereira says they select films that have a “special touch but still a universal language.” Dorminsky adds: “We try to discover new directors.” These directors – having established a relationship with the festival – often return with their subsequent films, he says.
“Testament” epitomizes one trend that Pacheco Pereira identifies, which is “old people asking: ‘Where is the world going?'” She adds: “‘Testament’ is a wonderful film in which an...
The festival, which was named by MovieMaker magazine this year as one of the “25 coolest festivals in the world,” is headed by film critics Beatriz Pacheco Pereira and Mário Dorminsky. Around 600 feature films were submitted this year and 1,200 shorts.
Pacheco Pereira says they select films that have a “special touch but still a universal language.” Dorminsky adds: “We try to discover new directors.” These directors – having established a relationship with the festival – often return with their subsequent films, he says.
“Testament” epitomizes one trend that Pacheco Pereira identifies, which is “old people asking: ‘Where is the world going?'” She adds: “‘Testament’ is a wonderful film in which an...
- 12/18/2023
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Game designer Hideo Kojima, creator of the hugely popular “Death Stranding,” had two pieces of news coming out of the Game Awards 2023.
On Thursday evening at the Game Awards show in L.A., Kojima appeared on stage with filmmaker Jordan Peele to announce his next game project: “Od,” which Kojima describes as an “immersive and totally new style of game” that will explore “what it means to Od on fear.” It’s being produced in partnership with Microsoft’s Xbox Game Studios.
In addition, Kojima announced that his documentary film “Hideo Kojima: Connecting Worlds” — which follows his journey to form an independent games studio and his creative process behind “Death Stranding” — will be distributed worldwide in the spring of 2024 exclusively on Disney+.
Peele, the acclaimed director of “Get Out,” “Us” and “Nope,” will be “one of several talented storytellers” involved in the “Od” project, according to Kojima Productions. “We are...
On Thursday evening at the Game Awards show in L.A., Kojima appeared on stage with filmmaker Jordan Peele to announce his next game project: “Od,” which Kojima describes as an “immersive and totally new style of game” that will explore “what it means to Od on fear.” It’s being produced in partnership with Microsoft’s Xbox Game Studios.
In addition, Kojima announced that his documentary film “Hideo Kojima: Connecting Worlds” — which follows his journey to form an independent games studio and his creative process behind “Death Stranding” — will be distributed worldwide in the spring of 2024 exclusively on Disney+.
Peele, the acclaimed director of “Get Out,” “Us” and “Nope,” will be “one of several talented storytellers” involved in the “Od” project, according to Kojima Productions. “We are...
- 12/8/2023
- by Todd Spangler
- Variety Film + TV
Ryuhei Matsuda was born on the 9th of May, 1983, in Tokyo, to actress and producer Miyuki Matsuda and actor Yûsaku Matsuda, and only six years later he loses his father to cancer at the premature age of 40. At only 15, Ryuhei is approached by Nagisa Oshima with the life changing offer of a prominent role in his film Gohatto. Since then, Matsuda's magnetic charisma and remarkable versatility have allowed him to portray a wide range of characters, from brooding antiheroes to quirky and endearing figures, captivating audiences both in Japan and internationally.
With a unique ability to immerse himself in diverse roles, he has left an indelible mark on Japanese cinema and continues to be a beloved and influential figure in the world of acting. However, Matsuda's congenital air of disdain for the whole world, his glacial aloofness mixed with his innate handsomeness make him the prototype of effortless coolness,...
With a unique ability to immerse himself in diverse roles, he has left an indelible mark on Japanese cinema and continues to be a beloved and influential figure in the world of acting. However, Matsuda's congenital air of disdain for the whole world, his glacial aloofness mixed with his innate handsomeness make him the prototype of effortless coolness,...
- 11/9/2023
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
Stars: Tomorô Taguchi, Shinya Tsukamoto, Nobu Kanaoka, Sujin Kim, Hideaki Tezuka, Tomoo Asada, Iwata, Keinosuke Tomioka | Written and Directed by Shinya Tsukamoto
After kickstarting his career with 1989’s Tetsuo: The Iron Man, writer/director Shinya Tsukamoto returned to the Japanese body horror series 3 years later with Tetsuo II: Body Hammer – an unconnected sequel which takes its own journey regarding a man’s transformation into machine. The opening moments show the camera acting as an unseen character’s perspective, stalking an unnamed salaryman who gets killed after the unseen character holds out his index finger like a gun and fires it.
The story then cuts to Taniguchi Tomoo (Tomorô Taguchi), a married salaryman with a young son named Minori. Adopted as a child, Tomoo questions his unknown past and the reasons for his recurring nightmares. His world is turned upside down when two men kidnap Minori and inject the father with an unknown substance.
After kickstarting his career with 1989’s Tetsuo: The Iron Man, writer/director Shinya Tsukamoto returned to the Japanese body horror series 3 years later with Tetsuo II: Body Hammer – an unconnected sequel which takes its own journey regarding a man’s transformation into machine. The opening moments show the camera acting as an unseen character’s perspective, stalking an unnamed salaryman who gets killed after the unseen character holds out his index finger like a gun and fires it.
The story then cuts to Taniguchi Tomoo (Tomorô Taguchi), a married salaryman with a young son named Minori. Adopted as a child, Tomoo questions his unknown past and the reasons for his recurring nightmares. His world is turned upside down when two men kidnap Minori and inject the father with an unknown substance.
- 10/26/2023
- by James Rodrigues
- Nerdly
Stars: Tomorô Taguchi, Kei Fujiwara, Nobu Kanaoka, Shinya Tsukamoto, Renji Ishibashi, Naomasa Musaka | Written and Directed by Shinya Tsukamoto
After spending his youth creating short films and entering experimental theatre, Shinya Tsukamoto made an indelible mark on Japanese horror cinema with his feature debut, Tetsuo: The Iron Man. The writer/director/producer/editor also appears on-screen as a metal fetishist, setting the tone for this bizarre work as his character inserts scrap metal into a self-inflicted wound in his thigh. The sight of maggots within the wound causes him to run in fear, resulting in him becoming the victim of a hit-and-run accident.
The story then focuses on a salaryman (Tomorô Taguchi), who discovers a metallic thorn sticking out of his cheek while shaving. While he later waits in a subway station, a woman infected with metallic tentacles begins chasing him. This begins a campaign of terror upon the salaryman,...
After spending his youth creating short films and entering experimental theatre, Shinya Tsukamoto made an indelible mark on Japanese horror cinema with his feature debut, Tetsuo: The Iron Man. The writer/director/producer/editor also appears on-screen as a metal fetishist, setting the tone for this bizarre work as his character inserts scrap metal into a self-inflicted wound in his thigh. The sight of maggots within the wound causes him to run in fear, resulting in him becoming the victim of a hit-and-run accident.
The story then focuses on a salaryman (Tomorô Taguchi), who discovers a metallic thorn sticking out of his cheek while shaving. While he later waits in a subway station, a woman infected with metallic tentacles begins chasing him. This begins a campaign of terror upon the salaryman,...
- 10/11/2023
- by James Rodrigues
- Nerdly
The Tokyo International Film Festival undertook a series of bold changes in 2020 to enhance its international reach, including a location change and major shakeups across staffing and programming. For the global film community, however, much of the overhaul went unfelt due to the travel restrictions of the pandemic. The Tokyo festival’s chairman, Hiroyasu Ando, emphasized at a press conference in the Japanese capital Wednesday that the event “aims to take a bigger leap” this year with its upcoming 36th edition, making good on its ambitions for a transformation.
“We’re really focussing on international interaction,” Ando said, noting that the festival would welcome some 600 overseas guests this year, including filmmakers, jury members and industry professionals, a major uptick from the 104 international industry VIPs who attended in 2022.
The Tokyo International Film Festival will open Oct. 23 with a gala screening of acclaimed German auteur Wim Wenders’ Tokyo-set drama Perfect Days, which...
“We’re really focussing on international interaction,” Ando said, noting that the festival would welcome some 600 overseas guests this year, including filmmakers, jury members and industry professionals, a major uptick from the 104 international industry VIPs who attended in 2022.
The Tokyo International Film Festival will open Oct. 23 with a gala screening of acclaimed German auteur Wim Wenders’ Tokyo-set drama Perfect Days, which...
- 9/27/2023
- by Patrick Brzeski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
by Cláudio Alves
Examining troubled history through art can be a necessary confrontation, even a search for catharsis. You can't move into a brighter future without acknowledging the shadows lurking in the past. It's no wonder, then, that countless filmmakers use their skills to make these excavations on the dig site of the screen. For all that Shinya Tsukamoto's Shadow of Fire and Felipe Gálvez Haberle's The Settlers tackle their respective countries' histories, they're not traditional period pieces content to passively restage yesteryears. They bear the weight of an artist's singular vision…...
Examining troubled history through art can be a necessary confrontation, even a search for catharsis. You can't move into a brighter future without acknowledging the shadows lurking in the past. It's no wonder, then, that countless filmmakers use their skills to make these excavations on the dig site of the screen. For all that Shinya Tsukamoto's Shadow of Fire and Felipe Gálvez Haberle's The Settlers tackle their respective countries' histories, they're not traditional period pieces content to passively restage yesteryears. They bear the weight of an artist's singular vision…...
- 9/13/2023
- by Cláudio Alves
- FilmExperience
J-Horror is among the most renowned internationally genres of Asian cinema, with the popularity of titles like “Ringu”, “Ju-on”, “Pulse” and so many others still echoing quite intensely. As such, it is quite interesting, even today, to shed a more thorough look to the roots, the motifs, and the reasons of success of these movies, also because some of the most central directors are still at large.
Check also this article Is J-Horror Coming Back? Six Movies that Suggest So
As such, I have to begin the review by stating that shooting this documentary seems like a colossal endeavor, both for arranging interviews with the likes of Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Takashi Shimizu, Teruyoshi Ishii, Joji Iida, Masayuki Ochiai, Shinya Tsukamoto, and Mari Asato, and for tracking down Rie Ino'o, who played Sadako in the first two films, and Takako Fuji, who played Kayako in a number of entries of “Ju-on”. Add...
Check also this article Is J-Horror Coming Back? Six Movies that Suggest So
As such, I have to begin the review by stating that shooting this documentary seems like a colossal endeavor, both for arranging interviews with the likes of Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Takashi Shimizu, Teruyoshi Ishii, Joji Iida, Masayuki Ochiai, Shinya Tsukamoto, and Mari Asato, and for tracking down Rie Ino'o, who played Sadako in the first two films, and Takako Fuji, who played Kayako in a number of entries of “Ju-on”. Add...
- 8/29/2023
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Dang, September is just over a week away. Why are the final weeks of summer always the fastest? I suppose it is time to look ahead to next month's programming from our friends at Arrow. They've got the cure for the end-of-summer blues with a selection of films from the legendary Joe Dante. There are two docs, one each for the equally legendary comic actor Peter Sellers and actor/musician Kris Kristofferson. There are two programs for Japanese icon, Shinya Tsukamoto and American contemoprary Jim Cummings. Speaking of J-Horror you would be foolish to miss out on the 4K restoration of the first Ringu film. And if you're looking to spice things up or make due on a lonely night (waves pointed finger...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 8/23/2023
- Screen Anarchy
Ah, body horror. That exquisite subgenre that makes us squirm in our seats, cringe in delicious terror, and occasionally lose our lunch. These films are not for the faint of heart or the weak of stomach. They probe, twist, and mutilate the human form in ways that are both horrifying and oddly fascinating. So, brace yourself and maybe keep a barf bag handy, as we dive into the 20 Most Disturbing Body Horror Films Ever Made.
20th Century Fox 20. The Fly (1986)
The Fly, directed by David Cronenberg, tells the story of scientist Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldblum), who invents teleportation, but of course, it’s not all Nobel Prizes. After an experiment with a fly goes horribly wrong, Brundle begins a grotesque transformation into a human-fly hybrid. What makes this film so disturbing is the gradual, inexorable alteration of Brundle’s body, culminating in a physical and psychological nightmare that’s impossible to forget.
20th Century Fox 20. The Fly (1986)
The Fly, directed by David Cronenberg, tells the story of scientist Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldblum), who invents teleportation, but of course, it’s not all Nobel Prizes. After an experiment with a fly goes horribly wrong, Brundle begins a grotesque transformation into a human-fly hybrid. What makes this film so disturbing is the gradual, inexorable alteration of Brundle’s body, culminating in a physical and psychological nightmare that’s impossible to forget.
- 8/19/2023
- by Jonathan Dehaan
Auteurs Agnieszka Holland, Wim Wenders, Hamaguchi Ryusuke and Aki Kaurismaki are among the filmmakers featured in the Toronto International Film Festival’s (TIFF) Centrepiece program.
The strand, previously known as Contemporary World Cinema, which honors and celebrates global cinematic achievements, features 47 titles from filmmakers representing 45 countries.
TIFF has also revealed the additional lineup of galas, special presentations and documentaries, which feature star wattage from around the world including Tommy Lee Jones and Anil Kapoor.
“We are very excited to present the new Centrepiece program, a cinematic journey that transcends boundaries and embraces the art of human experience,” said Anita Lee, TIFF chief programming officer. “The rebranding of the TIFF program, formerly Contemporary World Cinema, is a reflection of the festival’s vision to provide an elevated platform for international cinema, acclaimed titles from festivals around the globe, highly anticipated premieres from Canadian and international talents, and the latest work of influential filmmaking luminaries.
The strand, previously known as Contemporary World Cinema, which honors and celebrates global cinematic achievements, features 47 titles from filmmakers representing 45 countries.
TIFF has also revealed the additional lineup of galas, special presentations and documentaries, which feature star wattage from around the world including Tommy Lee Jones and Anil Kapoor.
“We are very excited to present the new Centrepiece program, a cinematic journey that transcends boundaries and embraces the art of human experience,” said Anita Lee, TIFF chief programming officer. “The rebranding of the TIFF program, formerly Contemporary World Cinema, is a reflection of the festival’s vision to provide an elevated platform for international cinema, acclaimed titles from festivals around the globe, highly anticipated premieres from Canadian and international talents, and the latest work of influential filmmaking luminaries.
- 8/10/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Ahead of Toronto International Film Festival kicking off in less than a month, the festival announced more additions, including Ryûsuke Hamaguchi’s Evil Does Not Exist, Close Your Eyes by Víctor Erice, Fallen Leaves by Aki Kaurismäki, Green Border by Agnieszka Holland, Perfect Days by Wim Wenders, About Dry Grasses by Nuri Bilge Ceylan, and more.
“We are very excited to present the new Centrepiece programme, a cinematic journey that transcends boundaries and embraces the art of human experience,” said Anita Lee, TIFF Chief Programming Officer. “The rebranding of the TIFF programme, formerly Contemporary World Cinema, is a reflection of the Festival’s vision to provide an elevated platform for international cinema, acclaimed titles from festivals around the globe, highly anticipated premieres from Canadian and international talents, and the latest work of influential filmmaking luminaries.”
See the lineup below.
Centrepiece Programme 2023
100 Yards Xu Haofeng, Xu Junfeng | China
International Premiere
About...
“We are very excited to present the new Centrepiece programme, a cinematic journey that transcends boundaries and embraces the art of human experience,” said Anita Lee, TIFF Chief Programming Officer. “The rebranding of the TIFF programme, formerly Contemporary World Cinema, is a reflection of the Festival’s vision to provide an elevated platform for international cinema, acclaimed titles from festivals around the globe, highly anticipated premieres from Canadian and international talents, and the latest work of influential filmmaking luminaries.”
See the lineup below.
Centrepiece Programme 2023
100 Yards Xu Haofeng, Xu Junfeng | China
International Premiere
About...
- 8/10/2023
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
The programme comprises 47 films from 45 countries.
The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) has unveiled the line-up for its Centrepiece programme, with 47 titles screening from filmmakers representing 45 countries.
Included in the programme (previously known as Contemporary World Cinema) are Victor Erice’s Close Your Eyes, getting its North American premiere; Aki Kaurismaki’s Fallen Leaves, receiving its Canadian premiere; and Agnieszka Holland’s Green Border, a North American premiere.
Scroll down for the full list of Centrepiece titles
TIFF also announced additional titles for its Galas, Special Presentations and Documentaries programmes, among them the world premiere of Brian Helgeland’s Finestkind.
The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) has unveiled the line-up for its Centrepiece programme, with 47 titles screening from filmmakers representing 45 countries.
Included in the programme (previously known as Contemporary World Cinema) are Victor Erice’s Close Your Eyes, getting its North American premiere; Aki Kaurismaki’s Fallen Leaves, receiving its Canadian premiere; and Agnieszka Holland’s Green Border, a North American premiere.
Scroll down for the full list of Centrepiece titles
TIFF also announced additional titles for its Galas, Special Presentations and Documentaries programmes, among them the world premiere of Brian Helgeland’s Finestkind.
- 8/10/2023
- by John Hazelton
- ScreenDaily
The Toronto International Film Festival has added 59 more films to the lineup of its 2023 festival, including 47 international films in the Centrepiece program, which in previous years was known as Contemporary World Cinema. New films were also added to the Galas, Special Presentations and Documentary sections.
World premieres among the new selections include “Finestkind,” a crime thriller from Brian Helgeland (screenwriter of “L.A. Confidential”) starring Tommy Lee Jones and Ben Foster; The Movie Teller,” a film set in Chile starring Berenice Bejo from “An Education” director Lone Scherfig; and Jessica Yu’s “Quiz Lady,” with Sandra Oh and Awkwafina.
The Centrepiece selections include a number of films from May’s Cannes Film Festival, among them Wim Wenders’ “Perfect Days,” Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s “About Dry Grasses,” Aki Kaurismaki’s “Fallen Leaves,” Ramata-Toulaye Sy’s “Banel & Adama,” Amjad Al Rasheed’s “Inshallah a Boy,” Joanna Arnow’s “The Feeling That the...
World premieres among the new selections include “Finestkind,” a crime thriller from Brian Helgeland (screenwriter of “L.A. Confidential”) starring Tommy Lee Jones and Ben Foster; The Movie Teller,” a film set in Chile starring Berenice Bejo from “An Education” director Lone Scherfig; and Jessica Yu’s “Quiz Lady,” with Sandra Oh and Awkwafina.
The Centrepiece selections include a number of films from May’s Cannes Film Festival, among them Wim Wenders’ “Perfect Days,” Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s “About Dry Grasses,” Aki Kaurismaki’s “Fallen Leaves,” Ramata-Toulaye Sy’s “Banel & Adama,” Amjad Al Rasheed’s “Inshallah a Boy,” Joanna Arnow’s “The Feeling That the...
- 8/10/2023
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
The Toronto International Film Festival continues to expand its 2023 lineup with 47 films from 45 countries in the Centerpiece program, previously known as Contemporary World Cinema. The highlights include Cannes Film Festival winners “Fallen Leaves” from Aki Kaurismäki and “Perfect Days” from Wim Wenders as well as Agnieszka Holland’s Venice-bound “Green Border.” See the full lineup below.
“We are very excited to present the new Centrepiece program, a cinematic journey that transcends boundaries and embraces the art of human experience,” said Anita Lee, TIFF Chief Programming Officer, in an official statement. “The rebranding of the TIFF program, formerly Contemporary World Cinema, is a reflection of the festival’s vision to provide an elevated platform for international cinema, for acclaimed titles from festivals around the globe, highly anticipated premieres from Canadian and international talents, and the latest work of influential filmmaking luminaries.”
Centerpiece Program 2023
About Dry Grasses (Kuru Otlar Üstüne) Nuri Bilge Ceylan...
“We are very excited to present the new Centrepiece program, a cinematic journey that transcends boundaries and embraces the art of human experience,” said Anita Lee, TIFF Chief Programming Officer, in an official statement. “The rebranding of the TIFF program, formerly Contemporary World Cinema, is a reflection of the festival’s vision to provide an elevated platform for international cinema, for acclaimed titles from festivals around the globe, highly anticipated premieres from Canadian and international talents, and the latest work of influential filmmaking luminaries.”
Centerpiece Program 2023
About Dry Grasses (Kuru Otlar Üstüne) Nuri Bilge Ceylan...
- 8/10/2023
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
La BêteCOMPETITIONComandante (Edoardo De Angelis)The Promised Land (Nikolaj Arcel)Dogman (Luc Besson) La Bête (Bertrand Bonello) Hors-Saison (Stéphane Brizé) Enea (Pietro Castellitto) Maestro (Bradley Cooper)Priscilla (Sofia Coppola)Finalmente L’Alba (Saverio Costanzo)Lubo (Giorgio Diritti) Origin (Ava DuVernay) The Killer (David Fincher)Memory (Michel Franco)Io capitano (Matteo Garrone)Evil Does Not Exist (Ryûsuke Hamaguchi)The Green Border (Agnieszka Holland)The Theory of Everything (Timm Kröger)Poor Things (Yorgos Lanthimos)El conde (Pablo Larrain)Ferrari (Michael Mann)Adagio (Stefano Sollima)Woman OfHolly (Fien Troch)Out Of COMPETITIONFictionSociety of the Snow (J.A. Bayona)Coup de Chance (Woody Allen)The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (Wes Anderson)The Penitent (Luca Barbareschi)L’Ordine Del Tempo (Liliana Cavani)Vivants (Alix Delaporte)Welcome to Paradise (Leonardo di Constanzo)Daaaaaali! (Quentin Dupieux)The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial (William Friedkin)Making of (Cedric Kahn)Aggro Dr1ft (Harmony Korine)Hitman (Richard Linklater)The Palace (Roman Polanski...
- 7/29/2023
- MUBI
On the heels of yesterday’s TIFF announcement, the first major fall festival of the season––Venice International Film Festival––is unveiling its lineup. Taking place August 30-September 9, the competition jury this year is chaired by Damien Chazelle.
Highlights include new films from David Fincher, Michael Mann, Wes Anderson, Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Sofia Coppola, Bradley Cooper, Bertrand Bonello, Frederick Wiseman, Roman Polanski, William Friedkin, Ava DuVernay, Harmony Korine, Richard Linklater, Woody Allen, and more.
Competition
Adagio; dir. Stefano Sollima
The Beast; dir. Bertrand Bonello
Io Capitano; dir. Matteo Garrone
Comandante; dir. Edoardo de Angelis
El Conde; dir. Pablo Larraín
Die Theorie von Allem; dir. Timm Kröger
Dogman; dir. Luc Besson
Enea; dir. Pietro Castellitto
Evil Does Not Exist; dir. Ryusuke Hamaguchi
Ferrari; dir. Michael Mann
Finalmente L’Alba; dir. Saverio Costanzo
Green Border; dir. Agnieszka Holland
Holly; dir. Fien Troch
Hors-Saison; dir. Stéphane Brizé
The Killer; dir. David Fincher
Lubo; dir. Giorgio Diritti
The Promised Land; dir.
Highlights include new films from David Fincher, Michael Mann, Wes Anderson, Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Sofia Coppola, Bradley Cooper, Bertrand Bonello, Frederick Wiseman, Roman Polanski, William Friedkin, Ava DuVernay, Harmony Korine, Richard Linklater, Woody Allen, and more.
Competition
Adagio; dir. Stefano Sollima
The Beast; dir. Bertrand Bonello
Io Capitano; dir. Matteo Garrone
Comandante; dir. Edoardo de Angelis
El Conde; dir. Pablo Larraín
Die Theorie von Allem; dir. Timm Kröger
Dogman; dir. Luc Besson
Enea; dir. Pietro Castellitto
Evil Does Not Exist; dir. Ryusuke Hamaguchi
Ferrari; dir. Michael Mann
Finalmente L’Alba; dir. Saverio Costanzo
Green Border; dir. Agnieszka Holland
Holly; dir. Fien Troch
Hors-Saison; dir. Stéphane Brizé
The Killer; dir. David Fincher
Lubo; dir. Giorgio Diritti
The Promised Land; dir.
- 7/25/2023
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Includes films from David Fincher, Sofia Coppola, Ava DuVernay, Yorgos Lanthimos, Bradley Cooper and Ryusuke Hamaguchi.
Venice Film Festival announced the programme for its 80th edition, including a 23-strong Competition with new films from David Fincher, Sofia Coppola, Ava DuVernay, Yorgos Lanthimos, Bradley Cooper and Ryusuke Hamaguchi.
Scroll down for full line-up
The selection was announced by festival president Roberto Cicutto and artistic director Alberto Barbera. The SAG-AFTRA strike in the US has had a “quite modest” impact on the selection according to Barbera, who was forced to pull Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers as the opening film over the weekend due to the strike.
Venice Film Festival announced the programme for its 80th edition, including a 23-strong Competition with new films from David Fincher, Sofia Coppola, Ava DuVernay, Yorgos Lanthimos, Bradley Cooper and Ryusuke Hamaguchi.
Scroll down for full line-up
The selection was announced by festival president Roberto Cicutto and artistic director Alberto Barbera. The SAG-AFTRA strike in the US has had a “quite modest” impact on the selection according to Barbera, who was forced to pull Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers as the opening film over the weekend due to the strike.
- 7/25/2023
- by Ben Dalton¬Orlando Parfitt
- ScreenDaily
This year’s selection will be announced at 11:00 Cest (10:00 BST) by Roberto Cicutto and Alberto Barbera.
The line-up for the 80th Venice International Film Festival (August 30-September 9) will be revealed this morning at 11:00 Cest (10:00 BST) by festival president Roberto Cicutto and artistic director Alberto Barbera
The press conference will be live-streamed below, and this page will be updated with the films as they are announced.
Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers was originally set to open the festival but was pulled by MGM amid the actors’ strike. It was replaced by Edoardo De Angelis’ Comandante.
The closing film...
The line-up for the 80th Venice International Film Festival (August 30-September 9) will be revealed this morning at 11:00 Cest (10:00 BST) by festival president Roberto Cicutto and artistic director Alberto Barbera
The press conference will be live-streamed below, and this page will be updated with the films as they are announced.
Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers was originally set to open the festival but was pulled by MGM amid the actors’ strike. It was replaced by Edoardo De Angelis’ Comandante.
The closing film...
- 7/25/2023
- by Ben Dalton¬Orlando Parfitt
- ScreenDaily
Stars: Sôsuke Ikematsu, Shin’ya Tsukamoto, Minami Hamabe, Mirai Moriyama, Tasuku Emoto, Nanase Nishino | Written and Directed by Hideaki Anno
The third entry in the Shin Japan Heroes Universe, Shin Kamen Rider, steps away from the kaiju-oriented plots of Shin Godzilla and Shin Ultraman to let writer/director Hideaki Anno, the driving force behind the Shin project, reboot a character that dates back to 1971 and who has, over the years appeared in various incarnations spanning live action, anime, and manga forms.
Takeshi Hongo was a socially inept college student who only cared about his motorcycle until he was kidnapped by S.H.O.C.K.E.R., Sustainable Happiness Organization with Computational Knowledge Embedded Remodeling, and experimented on by Professor Midorikawa, played appropriately enough by Shin’ya Tsukamoto, the director of Tetsuo: The Iron Man and its sequels.
He fused Hongo’s DNA with that of a grasshopper giving him incredible strength,...
The third entry in the Shin Japan Heroes Universe, Shin Kamen Rider, steps away from the kaiju-oriented plots of Shin Godzilla and Shin Ultraman to let writer/director Hideaki Anno, the driving force behind the Shin project, reboot a character that dates back to 1971 and who has, over the years appeared in various incarnations spanning live action, anime, and manga forms.
Takeshi Hongo was a socially inept college student who only cared about his motorcycle until he was kidnapped by S.H.O.C.K.E.R., Sustainable Happiness Organization with Computational Knowledge Embedded Remodeling, and experimented on by Professor Midorikawa, played appropriately enough by Shin’ya Tsukamoto, the director of Tetsuo: The Iron Man and its sequels.
He fused Hongo’s DNA with that of a grasshopper giving him incredible strength,...
- 7/24/2023
- by Jim Morazzini
- Nerdly
The whole world lost its mind at the turn-of-the-millennium, and it could be argued that sanity never returned. The dawn of the new century was a dark time, with fears over the dominance of tech creating mass hysteria (that now doesn't seem so hysterical). Despite this real-world panic, the years surrounding 2000 also happened to see a golden age in Asian cinema. It may not be an even tradeoff all things considered, but at least we had auteurs like Johnnie To, Park Chan-Wook, Takashi Miike, and Takeshi Kitano setting the tone for what 21st Century filmmaking could look like. The cyberpunk obsession of the time, reflected most potently in the Hong-Kong-and-anime-inspired “The Matrix”, also led to surge of interest in Woo-style kinetics and Asian sci-fi classics like “Akira” and “Ghost in the Shell”.
Now, more than two decades removed from the era's insanity, Y2K nostalgia has reached a fever pitch.
Now, more than two decades removed from the era's insanity, Y2K nostalgia has reached a fever pitch.
- 7/9/2023
- by Henry McKeand
- AsianMoviePulse
The Japanese horror boom of the late 1990s and early 2000s, spawned in large part by Hideo Nakata’s Ring, gets the spotlight in the upcoming documentary The J-Horror Virus.
Check out the trailer below, first shared by Fangoria earlier today.
From Sarah Appleton and Jasper Sharp, The J-Horror Virus is said to be a “feature-length documentary charting the origins, evolution and diffusion across the world of a distinctive brand of made-in-Japan supernatural chillers that seeped into the global consciousness at the turn of the millennium, films featuring vengeful ghosts manifesting themselves through contemporary technology again a backdrop of urban alienation and social decay.”
The synopsis continues, “From its origins in Teruyoshi Ishii’s 1988 fake documentary Psychic Vision: Jaganrei (1988) and Norio Tsuruta’s seminal Scary True Stories (1991/92) straight-to-video series, through such key titles as Hideo Nakata’s Ring (1998), Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Pulse (2001) and Takashi Shimizu’s Ju-On: The Grudge...
Check out the trailer below, first shared by Fangoria earlier today.
From Sarah Appleton and Jasper Sharp, The J-Horror Virus is said to be a “feature-length documentary charting the origins, evolution and diffusion across the world of a distinctive brand of made-in-Japan supernatural chillers that seeped into the global consciousness at the turn of the millennium, films featuring vengeful ghosts manifesting themselves through contemporary technology again a backdrop of urban alienation and social decay.”
The synopsis continues, “From its origins in Teruyoshi Ishii’s 1988 fake documentary Psychic Vision: Jaganrei (1988) and Norio Tsuruta’s seminal Scary True Stories (1991/92) straight-to-video series, through such key titles as Hideo Nakata’s Ring (1998), Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Pulse (2001) and Takashi Shimizu’s Ju-On: The Grudge...
- 6/20/2023
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
Mubi has announced its lineup of streaming offerings for next month, including the exclusive streaming premiere of Albert Serra’s extraordinary Pacifiction, a trio of films by Todd Haynes, two by Michael Haneke (Caché and Amour), plus works by David Cronenberg, Shin’ya Tsukamoto, and Derek Jarman.
Additional selections include Alice Rohrwacher’s Corpo Celeste, Luchino Visconti’s Rocco and His Brothers, Sean Baker’s early film Starlet, and Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s short Mekong Hotel.
Check out the lineup below and get 30 days free here.
June 1 – Is This Fate?, directed by Helga Reidemeister | What Sets Us Free? German Feminist Cinema
June 2 – Safe, directed by Todd Haynes | I Really Love You: Three by Todd Hayne
June 3 – Caché, directed by Michael Haneke | Close-Up on Michael Haneke
June 4 – Amour, directed by Michael Haneke | Close-Up on Michael Haneke
June 5 – Topology of Sirens, directed by Jonathan Davies
June 6 – Tetsuo, the Iron Man, directed by Shin’ya...
Additional selections include Alice Rohrwacher’s Corpo Celeste, Luchino Visconti’s Rocco and His Brothers, Sean Baker’s early film Starlet, and Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s short Mekong Hotel.
Check out the lineup below and get 30 days free here.
June 1 – Is This Fate?, directed by Helga Reidemeister | What Sets Us Free? German Feminist Cinema
June 2 – Safe, directed by Todd Haynes | I Really Love You: Three by Todd Hayne
June 3 – Caché, directed by Michael Haneke | Close-Up on Michael Haneke
June 4 – Amour, directed by Michael Haneke | Close-Up on Michael Haneke
June 5 – Topology of Sirens, directed by Jonathan Davies
June 6 – Tetsuo, the Iron Man, directed by Shin’ya...
- 5/23/2023
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
Novelist Shohei Ooka would captivate readers with his anti-war novel “Fires on the Plain,” published in 1951. Inspired by his personal experiences from being drafted as a soldier, Ooka's chilling story depicts the gruesome violence and insanity that occurred during the Imperial Japanese Army's last stand in the Philippines on the island of Leyte during World War II. The award-winning book was praised for its gripping storytelling and raw examination of the horrors of war. With the success of the title, there were talks for a film adaptation for quite a while. Eventually, the nightmarish narrative would be superbly adapted for cinemas with Kon Ichikawa's “Fires on the Plain.”
on Amazon by clicking on the image below
Daiei Film greenlighted the project, and the studio's president, Masaichi Nagata, would produce it. Kon Ichikawa would direct, and his wife, Natto Wada, would write the screenplay. There was initial...
on Amazon by clicking on the image below
Daiei Film greenlighted the project, and the studio's president, Masaichi Nagata, would produce it. Kon Ichikawa would direct, and his wife, Natto Wada, would write the screenplay. There was initial...
- 3/28/2023
- by Sean Barry
- AsianMoviePulse
Delivering one of the best monster movies of the past decade, Hideaki Anno’s 2016 Shin Godzilla outpaced any of Hollywood’s output with the creature as of late. After jumping back into animation with Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time, he’s returned to live-action, writing and producing Shin Ultraman, which got a brief U.S. release earlier this year. Now, he’s back in the director’s chair with Shin Kamen Rider.
First emerging as a television show 50 years ago this year, created by Shotaro Ishinomori, the series follows a superhuman, motorcycle-riding hero who battles villains. Recently released in Japan, while we await news of a U.S. release, a pair of thrilling new trailers have now arrived for the film starring Sosuke Ikematsu, Minami Hamabe, Tasuku Emoto, Nanase Nishino, Shinya Tsukamoto, Toru Tezuka, Suzuki Matsuo, and Mirai Moriyama.
See the new trailers and poster below via First Showing.
The...
First emerging as a television show 50 years ago this year, created by Shotaro Ishinomori, the series follows a superhuman, motorcycle-riding hero who battles villains. Recently released in Japan, while we await news of a U.S. release, a pair of thrilling new trailers have now arrived for the film starring Sosuke Ikematsu, Minami Hamabe, Tasuku Emoto, Nanase Nishino, Shinya Tsukamoto, Toru Tezuka, Suzuki Matsuo, and Mirai Moriyama.
See the new trailers and poster below via First Showing.
The...
- 3/24/2023
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Whoa!! This looks awesome. Toei Studios in Japan recently released another live-action take on a classic tokusatsu franchise - an update on Kamen Rider. The great Hideaki Anno (also of Shin Godzilla) directed Shin Kamen Rider, which is now playing in cinemas in Japan. We still don't know when it will play in the US, hopefully later this year. A man who was given unwanted power & became a non-human. A woman who questions the theory of happiness she was given. Takeru Hongo, transformed into an Augment with killing power by the hands of the Shocker, escapes under the guidance of Ruriko Midorikawa, who was born to the organization but rebelled against it. He is drawn into an epic battle with the assassins who are closing in. What is justice? What is evil? Is there an end to the exchange of violence? Starring Sôsuke Ikematsu as Hongo, with Minami Hamabe, Masami Nagasawa,...
- 3/23/2023
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Shinya Tsukamoto has always been, to many, a man hidden behind the scenes. When thinking of experimentation within the Japanese pulp titles from the 90s and 2000s, it is likely that a figure such as Takashi Miike or Kinji Fukusaku would come to mind for the average viewer, and Shinya Tsukamoto might simply be referred to as “the guy who made Tetsuo: The Iron Man.” Yet as time goes on, Tsukamoto is slowly becoming more respected and recognized as a pioneer in the 90s and 2000s Japanese experimental pulp genre: A title which he certainly deserves. And so, now feels like a more-than-appropriate time to take a look at Tsukamoto's most thought-inspiring (yet highly-overlooked) masterpieces. This list will look at Tsukamoto's various overlooked contributions to the Japanese avant-garde film industry, from the beginning of his career to the current moment.
1. The Adventures of Denchu-Kozo (1987)
Many might be under the impression...
1. The Adventures of Denchu-Kozo (1987)
Many might be under the impression...
- 3/9/2023
- by Spencer Nafekh-Blanchette
- AsianMoviePulse
A timeless Daoist quote from the ancient Chinese scripture, the Zhuangzi, goes as follows: “I dreamed I was a butterfly, flitting around in the sky; then I awoke. Now I wonder: Am I a man who dreamt of being a butterfly, or am I a butterfly dreaming that I am a man?” The question has been contemplated time after time: What if our dreams are actually flitting fragments of reality? And what if the reality we experience in our waking hours is only an illusion?
This is the question that Kazuya Konkaku and ‘Perfect Blue’ screenwriter Sadayaki Murai explore through ‘The Dimension Travelers.’ Played by Chiharu Niiyama, highschool girl Midori is the film’s disillusioned protagonist. Midori is simply trying to make sense of her life: She finds school lackluster, her friends boring and her future bleak and uncertain. All of the sudden, a fresh new face enters her...
This is the question that Kazuya Konkaku and ‘Perfect Blue’ screenwriter Sadayaki Murai explore through ‘The Dimension Travelers.’ Played by Chiharu Niiyama, highschool girl Midori is the film’s disillusioned protagonist. Midori is simply trying to make sense of her life: She finds school lackluster, her friends boring and her future bleak and uncertain. All of the sudden, a fresh new face enters her...
- 3/7/2023
- by Spencer Nafekh-Blanchette
- AsianMoviePulse
"Kamen Rider" is a new Japanese live-action superhero film written and directed by Hideaki Anno, scheduled for release March 18, 2023:
"...college student, motorcycle enthusiast 'Takeshi Hongo' is abducted by the evil group 'Sustainable Happiness Organization with Computational Knowledge Embedded Remodeling', aka 'S.H.O.C.K.E.R.' and converted into the cyborg 'Batta Augment-01' as part of their plans for world domination.
"But before they can brainwash him to do their bidding, he escapes and uses his new enhanced abilities, renaming himself 'Kamen Rider', to wage a one-man war..."
Cast includes Sosuke Ikematsu as 'Takeshi Hongo', Minami Hamabe as 'Ruriko Midorikawa', Tasuku Emoto as 'Hayato Ichimonji', Shinya Tsukamoto, Toru Tezuka and Suzuki Matsuo.
Click the images to enlarge...
"...college student, motorcycle enthusiast 'Takeshi Hongo' is abducted by the evil group 'Sustainable Happiness Organization with Computational Knowledge Embedded Remodeling', aka 'S.H.O.C.K.E.R.' and converted into the cyborg 'Batta Augment-01' as part of their plans for world domination.
"But before they can brainwash him to do their bidding, he escapes and uses his new enhanced abilities, renaming himself 'Kamen Rider', to wage a one-man war..."
Cast includes Sosuke Ikematsu as 'Takeshi Hongo', Minami Hamabe as 'Ruriko Midorikawa', Tasuku Emoto as 'Hayato Ichimonji', Shinya Tsukamoto, Toru Tezuka and Suzuki Matsuo.
Click the images to enlarge...
- 2/11/2023
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
It’s hard to watch Keishi Kondo’s New Religion and stop yourself from pointing out the influences all over it. There’s an abstract opening sequence that brings to mind Jonathan Glazer’s Under the Skin; a plot that might take inspiration from Nicolas Roeg’s Don’t Look Now; deliberate pacing and images recalling Nicolas Winding Refn; one sequence almost directly inspired by Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Pulse; and an enigmatic character who could easily be played by Shinya Tsukamoto. Is it derivative? Sure, but that’s not an inherently bad thing, and Kondo’s blending of such inspirations into an off-kilter slice of cosmic horror makes for an intriguing feature debut.
The first act introduces Miyabi (Kaho Seto), a call girl who lost her daughter several years ago in a tragic accident for which she feels responsible. She has a new boyfriend (Saionji Ryuseigun) and goes through the motions...
The first act introduces Miyabi (Kaho Seto), a call girl who lost her daughter several years ago in a tragic accident for which she feels responsible. She has a new boyfriend (Saionji Ryuseigun) and goes through the motions...
- 1/21/2023
- by C.J. Prince
- The Film Stage
A delinquent from birth, ‘Dragon Eye Morrison’ has been subjected to electro-shock therapy to help quell his anger. However, the years of shock treatment have turned him into a living conductor. Unable to interact with society, Dragon Eye makes a living finding lost reptiles and has channeled his aggression through his electric guitar. Meanwhile, a vigilante named ‘Thunderbolt Buddha’ has been gifted the same powers through a childhood accident, and is set to challenge ‘Dragon Eye’ to a duel.
by clicking on the image below
“Electric Dragon” can almost be summarized by listing different things included in the film, since it takes various inspirations from everything to anime to punk, with an emphasis on taking the more ‘masculine’ aspects of those mediums and presenting them at a rapid pace. Listing a few of the attributes; Tadanobu rocking out on the guitar, lizards, boxing, an over animated narrator screaming over bold text,...
by clicking on the image below
“Electric Dragon” can almost be summarized by listing different things included in the film, since it takes various inspirations from everything to anime to punk, with an emphasis on taking the more ‘masculine’ aspects of those mediums and presenting them at a rapid pace. Listing a few of the attributes; Tadanobu rocking out on the guitar, lizards, boxing, an over animated narrator screaming over bold text,...
- 1/21/2023
- by Adam Symchuk
- AsianMoviePulse
Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.
Il Buco (Michelangelo Frammartino)
With Il Buco, Michelangelo Frammartino returns to the Calabrian countryside 12 years after Le Quattro Volte. Oscillating between a shepherd slowly dying and a nearby cave-diving expedition, Frammartino and cinematographer Renata Berta capture the movement inside their static frames with elegance. A soccer ball is kicked back and forth over the cave entrance, upping the stakes of an errant kick, burning magazine pages float down into the darkness illuminating the cave depths for the explorers and the audience—Il Buco is an experiential ode to death as the final frontier. – Caleb H.
Where to Stream: The Criterion Channel
Contemporary Japan
A new series focusing on recent(ish) Japanese cinema features exclusive streaming homes for films by Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Hirokazu Koreeda,...
Il Buco (Michelangelo Frammartino)
With Il Buco, Michelangelo Frammartino returns to the Calabrian countryside 12 years after Le Quattro Volte. Oscillating between a shepherd slowly dying and a nearby cave-diving expedition, Frammartino and cinematographer Renata Berta capture the movement inside their static frames with elegance. A soccer ball is kicked back and forth over the cave entrance, upping the stakes of an errant kick, burning magazine pages float down into the darkness illuminating the cave depths for the explorers and the audience—Il Buco is an experiential ode to death as the final frontier. – Caleb H.
Where to Stream: The Criterion Channel
Contemporary Japan
A new series focusing on recent(ish) Japanese cinema features exclusive streaming homes for films by Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Hirokazu Koreeda,...
- 1/6/2023
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
“A rebellious high school student is brought back to life in a strange underground facility after committing suicide. Now, she must piece together not only how and why she has been resurrected, but also confront the fragmented memories of her past and the horrors of the laboratory that want to send her back to the afterlife.” (Ablaze)
on Amazon by clicking on the image below
“Zombie Makeout Club” is the brainchild of Peter Richardson, notable for the clothing design site whose sleek aesthetics and admiration of Japanese counter-culture have made it a recognizable and sought-after brand. Spinning out of this concept came an original webtoon to compliment the work, while further expanding on the lore behind the brand. In the footnotes of this release, Richardson notes that the work was inspired by Japanese Cyber-punk features like “Tetsuo The Iron Man” and “Rubbers Love”. This much becomes obvious in the final product,...
on Amazon by clicking on the image below
“Zombie Makeout Club” is the brainchild of Peter Richardson, notable for the clothing design site whose sleek aesthetics and admiration of Japanese counter-culture have made it a recognizable and sought-after brand. Spinning out of this concept came an original webtoon to compliment the work, while further expanding on the lore behind the brand. In the footnotes of this release, Richardson notes that the work was inspired by Japanese Cyber-punk features like “Tetsuo The Iron Man” and “Rubbers Love”. This much becomes obvious in the final product,...
- 12/22/2022
- by Adam Symchuk
- AsianMoviePulse
Within the Japanese independent film scene, there are certain titles which stand out, not necessarily for their quality, but for the impact they had on future generations of filmmakers and other projects. While some of these features are still buried in some obscure locations, tapes and other places, Akira Ogata’s highly influential “Tokyo Cabbageman K” is out there and has already been screened at a few festivals in the last couple of years. Ogata, who also wrote the script, had been directing commercial features previously, but this story, heavily inspired by the works of author Franz Kafka, will perhaps be known for its importance for the works of directors such as Shinya Tsukamoto and Sion Sono.
Toyko Cabbageman K is screening at Hachimiri Madness: Japanese Indies from the Punk Years
One morning, as he is visited by one of his friends, who originally wanted to take him gambling, K...
Toyko Cabbageman K is screening at Hachimiri Madness: Japanese Indies from the Punk Years
One morning, as he is visited by one of his friends, who originally wanted to take him gambling, K...
- 12/16/2022
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
"Kamen Rider" is a new Japanese live-action superhero film written and directed by Hideaki Anno, scheduled for release March 2023:
"...college student, motorcycle enthusiast 'Takeshi Hongo' is abducted by the evil group 'Sustainable Happiness Organization with Computational Knowledge Embedded Remodeling', aka 'S.H.O.C.K.E.R.' and converted into the cyborg 'Batta Augment-01' as part of their plans for world domination.
"But before they can brainwash him to do their bidding, he escapes and uses his new enhanced abilities, renaming himself 'Kamen Rider', to wage a one-man war..."
Cast includes Sosuke Ikematsu as 'Takeshi Hongo', Minami Hamabe as 'Ruriko Midorikawa', Tasuku Emoto as 'Hayato Ichimonji', Shinya Tsukamoto, Toru Tezuka and Suzuki Matsuo.
Click the images to enlarge...
"...college student, motorcycle enthusiast 'Takeshi Hongo' is abducted by the evil group 'Sustainable Happiness Organization with Computational Knowledge Embedded Remodeling', aka 'S.H.O.C.K.E.R.' and converted into the cyborg 'Batta Augment-01' as part of their plans for world domination.
"But before they can brainwash him to do their bidding, he escapes and uses his new enhanced abilities, renaming himself 'Kamen Rider', to wage a one-man war..."
Cast includes Sosuke Ikematsu as 'Takeshi Hongo', Minami Hamabe as 'Ruriko Midorikawa', Tasuku Emoto as 'Hayato Ichimonji', Shinya Tsukamoto, Toru Tezuka and Suzuki Matsuo.
Click the images to enlarge...
- 12/5/2022
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
An Electric Selection of Early, Shot on Film Shorts & Features From Some of Japan’s Most Daring Directors
Metrograph presents Hachimiri Madness: Japanese Indies from the Punk Years, an electric showcase of restored early works from some of Japan’s boldest filmmakers, beginning December 2, 2022 at Metrograph in Theater.
At the same time that the Japanese studios were going into tailspin decline at the end of the 1970s, a rude burst of amateur cinematic anarchy was erupting from the underground. This new jishu eiga, or “autonomous film,” was a cinema by and for outsiders, many of them shooting run-and-gun-style in the streets on cheap 8mm film (hachimiri in Japanese). The jishu film movement, which found a home after 1977 at the Pia Film Festival in Tokyo, was the cinematic analog of the experiments in extreme independent music happening in Japan at the same time, and would act as the incubator...
Metrograph presents Hachimiri Madness: Japanese Indies from the Punk Years, an electric showcase of restored early works from some of Japan’s boldest filmmakers, beginning December 2, 2022 at Metrograph in Theater.
At the same time that the Japanese studios were going into tailspin decline at the end of the 1970s, a rude burst of amateur cinematic anarchy was erupting from the underground. This new jishu eiga, or “autonomous film,” was a cinema by and for outsiders, many of them shooting run-and-gun-style in the streets on cheap 8mm film (hachimiri in Japanese). The jishu film movement, which found a home after 1977 at the Pia Film Festival in Tokyo, was the cinematic analog of the experiments in extreme independent music happening in Japan at the same time, and would act as the incubator...
- 11/23/2022
- by Suzie Cho
- AsianMoviePulse
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