Cardio is good. Sony Pictures Classics’ 4k rerelease of Run Lola Run had a healthy weekend, opening to an estimated $154k on 275 screens. This is the 25th anniversary of the U.S. debut of Tom Tykwer’s German experimental thriller that sees flame-haired Lola (Franka Potente) on the move in Berlin, pounding the pavement to come up with 100,000 Deutschmarks in 20 minutes to save her boyfriend’s life. (This was before the euro arrived). See Deadline interview here. A handful of rereleases/restorations have been box office stars post-Covid and this is another indie win.
A24’s Tuesday, a modern-day fairy tale with Julia Louis-Dreyfus, launched to $26k on two screens. Daina O. Pusic’s directorial debut premiered at Telluride. The modern-day fairy tale had sold out Q&As shows throughout the weekend and expands to a moderate nationwide footprint next week.
Utopia reunited with Shiva Baby (and Bottoms) star Rachel Sennott...
A24’s Tuesday, a modern-day fairy tale with Julia Louis-Dreyfus, launched to $26k on two screens. Daina O. Pusic’s directorial debut premiered at Telluride. The modern-day fairy tale had sold out Q&As shows throughout the weekend and expands to a moderate nationwide footprint next week.
Utopia reunited with Shiva Baby (and Bottoms) star Rachel Sennott...
- 6/9/2024
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
We’re thrilled to launch a new feature on The Film Stage highlighting our top recommendations for films currently in theaters, from new releases to restorations receiving a proper theatrical run. While we already provide extensive monthly new-release recommendations and weekly streaming recommendations, as distributors’ roll-outs can vary, we thought it would be helpful to provide a one-stop list to share the essential films that may be on a screen near you. We’ll be updating this page weekly, so be sure to bookmark.
Babes (Pamela Adlon)
Transitioning the naturalistic comic sensibilities that made Better Things a success, Pamela Adlon’s feature debut Babes manages to co-opt the rhythms of a romantic comedy to explore the relationship between two best friends at opposite points of their lives. – Christian G. (full review)
The Beast (Bertrand Bonello)
Where to begin with Bertrand Bonello’s wonderful The Beast? It’s been so gratifying...
Babes (Pamela Adlon)
Transitioning the naturalistic comic sensibilities that made Better Things a success, Pamela Adlon’s feature debut Babes manages to co-opt the rhythms of a romantic comedy to explore the relationship between two best friends at opposite points of their lives. – Christian G. (full review)
The Beast (Bertrand Bonello)
Where to begin with Bertrand Bonello’s wonderful The Beast? It’s been so gratifying...
- 6/6/2024
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
Mit 19.000 Besucherinnen und Besuchern meldet das Nippon Connection Filmfestival für seine 24. Ausgabe einen neuen Rekord. Der Nippon Cinema Award, über den das Publikum abstimmt, ging an die Musikkomödie „Let’s Go Karaoke!“ von Nobuhiro Yamashita.
Publikumsliebling beim 24. Nippon Connection Filmfestival: „Let’s Go Karaoke“ (Credit: Nippon Connection)
Die 24. Ausgabe des auf japanische Filme spezialisierten Nippon Connection Filmfestivals ging mit einem Publikumsrekord zu Ende. Gesamt strömten laut Festival 19.000 Besucherinnen und Besucher zu den Screenings – so viele wie nie zuvor. Die meisten Film- und Kulturveranstaltungen an den acht Locations in Frankfurt am Main waren laut Veranstalter ausverkauft. Über 150 japanische und internationale Filmschaffende waren vor Ort und tauschten sich mit dem Publikum aus. Der älteste Preis des Festivals, der Nippon Cinema Award, über den das Publikum abstimmt, ging an die Musikkomödie „Let’s Go Karaoke!“ von Nobuhiro Yamashita. Auch bei zwei weiteren Preisen war die Meinung des Publikums gefragt: Gewinner des Nippon Docs Award...
Publikumsliebling beim 24. Nippon Connection Filmfestival: „Let’s Go Karaoke“ (Credit: Nippon Connection)
Die 24. Ausgabe des auf japanische Filme spezialisierten Nippon Connection Filmfestivals ging mit einem Publikumsrekord zu Ende. Gesamt strömten laut Festival 19.000 Besucherinnen und Besucher zu den Screenings – so viele wie nie zuvor. Die meisten Film- und Kulturveranstaltungen an den acht Locations in Frankfurt am Main waren laut Veranstalter ausverkauft. Über 150 japanische und internationale Filmschaffende waren vor Ort und tauschten sich mit dem Publikum aus. Der älteste Preis des Festivals, der Nippon Cinema Award, über den das Publikum abstimmt, ging an die Musikkomödie „Let’s Go Karaoke!“ von Nobuhiro Yamashita. Auch bei zwei weiteren Preisen war die Meinung des Publikums gefragt: Gewinner des Nippon Docs Award...
- 6/4/2024
- by Barbara Schuster
- Spot - Media & Film
Kotone Furukawa is a Japanese actress who has been in many features as well as TV dramas. She is the recipient of the Nippon Rising Star Award at this year's Nippon Connection for her contribution to the Japanese film industry, which range from her roles in Ryusuke Hamaguchi's “Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy”, Yuta Shimotsu's “Best Wishes to All” and Hayato Kawai's “Secret: A Hidden Score”, which will all be screened at Nippon Connection as well.
In our interview with the actress she talks about her work in those features, her collaboration with directors such as Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Yukihiko Tsutsumi and Isao Yukisada but also working in as an actress in the Japanese film industry nowadays.
What drew you into the role of Yukino in “Secret: A Hidden Score”? In general, how do you choose the roles you want to play in?
I like about Yukino that...
In our interview with the actress she talks about her work in those features, her collaboration with directors such as Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Yukihiko Tsutsumi and Isao Yukisada but also working in as an actress in the Japanese film industry nowadays.
What drew you into the role of Yukino in “Secret: A Hidden Score”? In general, how do you choose the roles you want to play in?
I like about Yukino that...
- 6/2/2024
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
The Cannes 2024 market saw a thrilling revival with nine movies — including four movies in the main competition — selling to specialized distributors in domestic deals. However, this wasn’t exactly a return to business as normal: The buyers weren’t stalwarts like A24, or Focus, or IFC. Instead Mubi, Metrograph Pictures, and Sideshow (in partnership with Janus Films) established themselves as major buyers.
Mubi bought three titles in the main competition: “The Girl With the Needle,” “The Substance,” and added North American rights on Andrea Arnold’s “Bird.” (It came to the festival with UK rights.) “The Substance” starring Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley represents a major swing for the upstart, with one source placing the deal in the low-eight figures.
Sideshow picked up Indian drama “All We Imagine As Light” in the main competition, the animated “Flow” from Un Certain Regard, and “Misericordia” and Leos Carax’s “It’s Not Me,...
Mubi bought three titles in the main competition: “The Girl With the Needle,” “The Substance,” and added North American rights on Andrea Arnold’s “Bird.” (It came to the festival with UK rights.) “The Substance” starring Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley represents a major swing for the upstart, with one source placing the deal in the low-eight figures.
Sideshow picked up Indian drama “All We Imagine As Light” in the main competition, the animated “Flow” from Un Certain Regard, and “Misericordia” and Leos Carax’s “It’s Not Me,...
- 5/29/2024
- by Brian Welk
- Indiewire
As Neon was justly feted this weekend for a fifth consecutive Cannes Palme d’Or winner (Anora), it also had a nice showing at home with a terrific expansion for indie Babes.
The feature directorial debut of Pamela Adlon jumped from a 12-screen opening last week to 590 and hit no. 9 at the domestic box office with an estimated $1.06 million three-day weekend and cume of circa $1.29 million. Over the four days, including the Memorial Day holiday, the gross approaches $1.23 million and the cume $1.46 million.
The film follows inseparable childhood best friends Eden (Ilana Glazer) and Dawn (Michelle Buteau) who grew up together in NYC but are now firmly in different phases of adulthood. When carefree and single Eden decides to have a baby on her own after a one-night stand, their complex friendship faces its greatest challenge. Co-written by Glazer and Josh Rabinowitz.
Noting that Neon’s La Chimera, Alice Rohrwacher...
The feature directorial debut of Pamela Adlon jumped from a 12-screen opening last week to 590 and hit no. 9 at the domestic box office with an estimated $1.06 million three-day weekend and cume of circa $1.29 million. Over the four days, including the Memorial Day holiday, the gross approaches $1.23 million and the cume $1.46 million.
The film follows inseparable childhood best friends Eden (Ilana Glazer) and Dawn (Michelle Buteau) who grew up together in NYC but are now firmly in different phases of adulthood. When carefree and single Eden decides to have a baby on her own after a one-night stand, their complex friendship faces its greatest challenge. Co-written by Glazer and Josh Rabinowitz.
Noting that Neon’s La Chimera, Alice Rohrwacher...
- 5/26/2024
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
Sideshow and Janus Films have acquired the North American rights to Alain Guiraudie’s queer crime thriller “Misericordia,” starring Félix Kysyl, Catherine Frot, Jean-Baptiste Durand, Jacques Develay and David Ayala. The film was a selection of the Cannes Premiere section at this year’s festival.
The film follows Jérémie (Kysyl), a man returning to his hometown for the funeral of his former employer. After a mysterious disappearance, a priest and a townsperson make Jérémie’s short stay take an unexpected turn.
Guiraudie wrote and directed the film, produced by Charles Gillibert of CG Cinema. Janus Films and Sideshow are planning a theatrical release.
The deal was negotiated by Alice Lesort for Les Films du Losange on behalf of the filmmakers with Sideshow and Janus Films. The film is a CG Cinéma, Scala Films, Arte France Cinéma, Andergraun Films and Rosa Filmes co-production with the participation of Arte France, Ocs and Les Films du Losange.
The film follows Jérémie (Kysyl), a man returning to his hometown for the funeral of his former employer. After a mysterious disappearance, a priest and a townsperson make Jérémie’s short stay take an unexpected turn.
Guiraudie wrote and directed the film, produced by Charles Gillibert of CG Cinema. Janus Films and Sideshow are planning a theatrical release.
The deal was negotiated by Alice Lesort for Les Films du Losange on behalf of the filmmakers with Sideshow and Janus Films. The film is a CG Cinéma, Scala Films, Arte France Cinéma, Andergraun Films and Rosa Filmes co-production with the participation of Arte France, Ocs and Les Films du Losange.
- 5/24/2024
- by Selena Kuznikov
- Variety Film + TV
Mubi has unveiled next month’s streaming lineup, featuring recent releases such as Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Monster, Tynan DeLong’s Dad & Step-Dad, and Rachel Lambert’s Sometimes I Think About Dying. Additional highlights include Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Passion, Abbas Kiarostami’s Certified Copy, Alex Thompson’s Saint Frances (ahead of the release of Ghostlight), as well as a spotlight on the Ross Brothers following Mubi’s streaming release of Gasoline Rainbow at the end of this month.
“Everybody’s raising this Rashomon thing, but I feel that it’s fundamentally different from Rashomon, because in Rashomon, each character, when they go back through the story again, they actually end up being a different character within the film, within the story, whatever specific story it is,” Hirokazu Kore-eda told us last fall regarding Monster. “Whereas with this, the people don’t change, but the monster who appears, appears in different places.
“Everybody’s raising this Rashomon thing, but I feel that it’s fundamentally different from Rashomon, because in Rashomon, each character, when they go back through the story again, they actually end up being a different character within the film, within the story, whatever specific story it is,” Hirokazu Kore-eda told us last fall regarding Monster. “Whereas with this, the people don’t change, but the monster who appears, appears in different places.
- 5/21/2024
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Sideshow and Janus films (“Drive My Car”) have acquired all North American rights to Payal Kapadia’s “All We Imagine as Light,” the first Indian film to screen in official competition at the Cannes Film Festival in 30 years. The movie will world premiere on Thursday, May 23.
It’s also one of only four films in the Competition directed by a woman. Kapadia previously helmed the documentary “A Night of Knowing Nothing,” which premiered at Directors’ Fortnight and won the L’Œil d’Or for Best Documentary in 2021.
“All We Imagine as Light” stars Kani Kusruti, Divya Prabha, Chhaya Kadam, Hridhu Haroon and Azees Nedumangad. Sideshow and Janus Films are planning a theatrical release.
In the last three years, Sideshow — along with its partner Janus Films — have had an impressive track record with their Cannes acquisitions, starting with Ryūsuke Hamaguchi’s “Drive My Car,” which went on to become the most...
It’s also one of only four films in the Competition directed by a woman. Kapadia previously helmed the documentary “A Night of Knowing Nothing,” which premiered at Directors’ Fortnight and won the L’Œil d’Or for Best Documentary in 2021.
“All We Imagine as Light” stars Kani Kusruti, Divya Prabha, Chhaya Kadam, Hridhu Haroon and Azees Nedumangad. Sideshow and Janus Films are planning a theatrical release.
In the last three years, Sideshow — along with its partner Janus Films — have had an impressive track record with their Cannes acquisitions, starting with Ryūsuke Hamaguchi’s “Drive My Car,” which went on to become the most...
- 5/20/2024
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
The 50th Annual Seattle International Film Festival (Siff) wrapped up on Sunday and announced the winners of the 2024 Golden Space Needle Audience and Juried Competition Awards.
The festival began on May 9 and screened 261 films representing 84 countries with “62% of the feature films were created by first or second-time filmmakers; 43% were created by women or nonbinary filmmakers; 35% of filmmakers identify as a Bipoc director; and nearly 60% are currently without U.S. distribution and may not screen commercially in the United States,” according to Siff.
Siff holds two categories of competition: juried and audience based. Juried competitions include five feature subcategories including the Official Competition, New American Cinema Competition, New Directors Competition, Ibero-American Competition and Documentary Competition. Short film categories include live action, animation and documentary.
In addition, over 32,000 ballots were submitted for the Golden Space Needle Awards (Gsna). Films judged through the GSNAs are selected by audience members through post-screening ballots. The categories include best film,...
The festival began on May 9 and screened 261 films representing 84 countries with “62% of the feature films were created by first or second-time filmmakers; 43% were created by women or nonbinary filmmakers; 35% of filmmakers identify as a Bipoc director; and nearly 60% are currently without U.S. distribution and may not screen commercially in the United States,” according to Siff.
Siff holds two categories of competition: juried and audience based. Juried competitions include five feature subcategories including the Official Competition, New American Cinema Competition, New Directors Competition, Ibero-American Competition and Documentary Competition. Short film categories include live action, animation and documentary.
In addition, over 32,000 ballots were submitted for the Golden Space Needle Awards (Gsna). Films judged through the GSNAs are selected by audience members through post-screening ballots. The categories include best film,...
- 5/19/2024
- by Lexi Carson
- Variety Film + TV
Babes by Pamela Adlon, co-written and starring Ilana Glazer, debuts in limited release with films by Hang Song-soo and Bertrand Bonello and docs on a controversial Venice Biennale, ground-breaking female clerics, and the Blue Angels Navy Squadron. A trio of festival favorites expand. While eyes now are on fare at Cannes — where Neon has been making high-profile moves — each week Stateside remains a test of indie film’s theatrical boundaries in a post-Covid, streaming-centric marketplace.
There have been notable hits. A24’s I Saw The TV Glow by Jane Schoenbrun is having a nice run so far as is Evil Does Not Exist — Sideshow/Janus Films’ second outing with Ryusuke Hamaguchi after Oscar-winning Drive My Car. (That 2021 Japanese film about a...
There have been notable hits. A24’s I Saw The TV Glow by Jane Schoenbrun is having a nice run so far as is Evil Does Not Exist — Sideshow/Janus Films’ second outing with Ryusuke Hamaguchi after Oscar-winning Drive My Car. (That 2021 Japanese film about a...
- 5/17/2024
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
The best festivals point to the future, capture the zeitgeist, or honor the past. At Locarno in 2015, you could have had all three: Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Happy Hour (his first time premiering in a major competition), Chantal Akerman’s No Home Movie (the director in attendance just months before she died), and Hong Sangsoo’s Right Now, Wrong Then (a mid-career masterpiece), all played. So did Rick Alverson’s Entertainment, the final film of Andrzej Żuławski, and the directorial debut of Josh Mond, at the time best known for producing Martha Marcy May Marlene for Borderline, a company he established with Sean Durkin and Antonio Campos in 2003. Mond’s debut James White featured Cristopher Abbott’s first lead role and (one year before dazzling in A Quiet Passion for Terrence Davies) a Cynthia Nixon performance that made you sit up and take note. It won a prize in Locarno and another at Sundance.
- 5/17/2024
- by Rory O'Connor
- The Film Stage
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. To keep up with our latest features, sign up for the Weekly Edit newsletter and follow us @mubinotebook on Twitter and Instagram.NEWSThere Is No Evil.Facing eight years in prison, Mohammad Rasoulof has fled Iran for Europe and may even be in Cannes next week for the premiere of The Seed of the Sacred Fig. In a statement, he concludes, “Many people helped to make this film. My thoughts are with all of them, and I fear for their safety and well-being.”The US 10th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled against Netflix in a case determining whether a video excerpted for Tiger King (2020–21) constituted fair use. The ruling may have far-reaching implications for documentary makers.Cannesa rumored list of ten alleged abusers in the film industry has not yet materialized, but Cannes reportedly has a crisis management team...
- 5/15/2024
- MUBI
By Ben Miller
Following the release of Darren Aronofsky’s divisive 2017 film mother!, most of the viewers who saw it didn’t know what was going on. It was only until it was explained that it made any sort of sense, and then it almost made too much sense. Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Evil Does Not Exist lives on that same plane, with significantly more subtlety.
Not that this is the time or place to spoil the film by breaking it down scene by scene, but those places exist and can be found relatively easily. That doesn’t exactly bode well for the film. It’s one thing for a filmmaker to make you think, it’s another to send you on a search for answers you wouldn’t have gotten otherwise. On the flipside, the answers make so much sense, it enhances the film long after the credits have rolled.
Following the release of Darren Aronofsky’s divisive 2017 film mother!, most of the viewers who saw it didn’t know what was going on. It was only until it was explained that it made any sort of sense, and then it almost made too much sense. Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Evil Does Not Exist lives on that same plane, with significantly more subtlety.
Not that this is the time or place to spoil the film by breaking it down scene by scene, but those places exist and can be found relatively easily. That doesn’t exactly bode well for the film. It’s one thing for a filmmaker to make you think, it’s another to send you on a search for answers you wouldn’t have gotten otherwise. On the flipside, the answers make so much sense, it enhances the film long after the credits have rolled.
- 5/14/2024
- by Ben Miller
- FilmExperience
As Cannes Film Festival kicks off, the Paris-based international sales company MK2 Films has revealed it has acquired three films and made substantial investments in new restorations, set against the backdrop of a strong presence at Cannes Classics.
MK2 Films has entered into a collaboration with the Niki Charitable Art Foundation on the global rights (excluding the U.S.) for two films directed by artist Niki de Saint Phalle: “Un Rêve plus long que la nuit” (1976) and “Daddy” (1973). “Un Rêve plus long que la nuit” has been restored in 4K by L’Immagine Ritrovata (Bologna-Paris) under the supervision of Arielle de Saint Phalle and with funding from Dior. It was presented at Il Cinema Ritrovato in Bologna, New York Film Festival and the new Los Angeles Festival of Movies. “Daddy” will soon be available in a restored version. MK2 Films described it as a “unique feminist work by one of...
MK2 Films has entered into a collaboration with the Niki Charitable Art Foundation on the global rights (excluding the U.S.) for two films directed by artist Niki de Saint Phalle: “Un Rêve plus long que la nuit” (1976) and “Daddy” (1973). “Un Rêve plus long que la nuit” has been restored in 4K by L’Immagine Ritrovata (Bologna-Paris) under the supervision of Arielle de Saint Phalle and with funding from Dior. It was presented at Il Cinema Ritrovato in Bologna, New York Film Festival and the new Los Angeles Festival of Movies. “Daddy” will soon be available in a restored version. MK2 Films described it as a “unique feminist work by one of...
- 5/14/2024
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Chicago – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com audio film review for the “Evil Does Not Exist,” the latest film from Japanese writer/director Ryusuke Hamaguchi, whose “Drive My Car” won Best International Film at the 2022 Oscars. In select theaters since May 10, 2024. See local listings.
Rating: 5.0/5.0
The film involves a Japanese village within driving distance of Tokyo, pristine in its state of nature and populated by indigenous villagers for several generations. A developer from Tokyo intends to build a “glamping” site … short for luxurious “glamour camping” … to exploit the area’s nature for vacationers. When a meeting is held with the villagers regarding the build-out, there is a questioning to representatives Takahashi (Ryuji Osaka) and Mayuzumi (Ayaka Shibutani) regarding legitimate environmental concerns, especially from Takumi (Hitoshi Omika) the village leader and widower father of daughter Hana (Ryo Nishikawa). When the Tokyo developers ignore the rep’s report, and demand that they alter the villager’s attitudes,...
Rating: 5.0/5.0
The film involves a Japanese village within driving distance of Tokyo, pristine in its state of nature and populated by indigenous villagers for several generations. A developer from Tokyo intends to build a “glamping” site … short for luxurious “glamour camping” … to exploit the area’s nature for vacationers. When a meeting is held with the villagers regarding the build-out, there is a questioning to representatives Takahashi (Ryuji Osaka) and Mayuzumi (Ayaka Shibutani) regarding legitimate environmental concerns, especially from Takumi (Hitoshi Omika) the village leader and widower father of daughter Hana (Ryo Nishikawa). When the Tokyo developers ignore the rep’s report, and demand that they alter the villager’s attitudes,...
- 5/12/2024
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Berlin-based sales agency M-Appeal has closed several new deals for Berlinale title “Sex,” directed by Dag Johan Haugerud, and two further deals for Venice’s “Evil Does Not Exist,” directed by Oscar-winner Ryusuke Hamaguchi.
The new “Sex” buyers include U.K. and Ireland (Modern Films), Czech Republic and Slovakia (Pilot Film), Portugal (Films4You), Switzerland (Xenix Film), Ex-Yugoslavian territories (McF Megacom) and Hungary (Vertigo Média).
The film, which premiered in the Panorama section of Berlinale, follows two men – both working as chimney sweeps – living in monogamous, heterosexual marriages as they both end up in situations that challenge their views on sexuality and gender roles.
The title received three awards at the festival: the Europa Cinemas Label – Best European Film (Panorama), the Cicae Art Cinema Award, and the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury.
Previously, the film secured distribution deals in North America (Strand Releasing), France (Pyramide Distribution), South Korea (JinJin Pictures...
The new “Sex” buyers include U.K. and Ireland (Modern Films), Czech Republic and Slovakia (Pilot Film), Portugal (Films4You), Switzerland (Xenix Film), Ex-Yugoslavian territories (McF Megacom) and Hungary (Vertigo Média).
The film, which premiered in the Panorama section of Berlinale, follows two men – both working as chimney sweeps – living in monogamous, heterosexual marriages as they both end up in situations that challenge their views on sexuality and gender roles.
The title received three awards at the festival: the Europa Cinemas Label – Best European Film (Panorama), the Cicae Art Cinema Award, and the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury.
Previously, the film secured distribution deals in North America (Strand Releasing), France (Pyramide Distribution), South Korea (JinJin Pictures...
- 5/10/2024
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Safe to say Drive My Car‘s success wouldn’t have reached its historic heights sans Eiko Ishibashi, whose musical contributions acted as both complement and counterpoint to Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s lengthy, ornate drama. Perhaps nobody would affirm this more than Hamaguchi: likely facing every opportunity a filmmaker, Japanese or otherwise, could want from the western world, he instead visited Ishibashi and troupe member Jim O’Rourke to film their performances in a small mountainous town, and from this emerged the dual projects Gift and Evil Does Not Exist.
After last week’s live performances of Gift at Film at Lincoln Center, I spoke to Ishibashi about the unique operation, her ongoing creative partnership with Hamaguchi, and attitude towards filmmaking practice.
Thanks to Stacy Smith, who provided interpretation.
The Film Stage: I saw Gift two nights ago––a very restorative experience. This quote kind of clarified why: “There is some element...
After last week’s live performances of Gift at Film at Lincoln Center, I spoke to Ishibashi about the unique operation, her ongoing creative partnership with Hamaguchi, and attitude towards filmmaking practice.
Thanks to Stacy Smith, who provided interpretation.
The Film Stage: I saw Gift two nights ago––a very restorative experience. This quote kind of clarified why: “There is some element...
- 5/6/2024
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
Oscar season is a marathon whether you win or lose. Ryuske Hamaguchi was lucky enough to be on the winning end when “Drive My Car” won the International Film Oscar two years ago. In so doing, the filmmaker became just the fifth Japanese director to win the honor and the first since Yōjirō Takita triumphed in 2009 for “Departures.” It also became the first Japanese film nominated for Best Picture, a landmark achievement for a nation with a legacy of auteur filmmakers.
Continue reading Ryusuke Hamaguchi Takes An Unexpected Turn With ‘Evil Does Not Exit’ [Interview] at The Playlist.
Continue reading Ryusuke Hamaguchi Takes An Unexpected Turn With ‘Evil Does Not Exit’ [Interview] at The Playlist.
- 5/6/2024
- by Gregory Ellwood
- The Playlist
With ”The Fall Guy” (Universal), summer 2024 box office didn’t kick off; it just sort of happened. It opened to $28.5 million, a 52 percent drop from last year with “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.” Hopefully, that will be the last precipitous weekend drop (aside from the inevitable “Barbie”/”Oppenheimer” July weekend of $310 million).
This $76 million domestic weekend is bad, but “The Fall Guy” shortfall is worse. Estimates were broad, but worst-case scenarios predicted $30 million. The Ryan Gosling action rom-com had all the earmarks of audience appeal. Whatever its possible limitations — and a $130 million budget — that’s a terrible look to start the summer.
Despite good reviews, Gosling’s momentum, director David Leitch’s proven box office success, the usually lucrative playdate, and a decent A- Cinemascore, “The Fall Guy” opened to only a little more than $3 million above “Civil War” (A24), April’s best opener.
“The Kingdom of the Planet...
This $76 million domestic weekend is bad, but “The Fall Guy” shortfall is worse. Estimates were broad, but worst-case scenarios predicted $30 million. The Ryan Gosling action rom-com had all the earmarks of audience appeal. Whatever its possible limitations — and a $130 million budget — that’s a terrible look to start the summer.
Despite good reviews, Gosling’s momentum, director David Leitch’s proven box office success, the usually lucrative playdate, and a decent A- Cinemascore, “The Fall Guy” opened to only a little more than $3 million above “Civil War” (A24), April’s best opener.
“The Kingdom of the Planet...
- 5/5/2024
- by Tom Brueggemann
- Indiewire
A24’s I Saw The TV Glow beamed out one of the best limited openings of the year as the specialty market shows signs of life after a dreary April.
The ‘90s era trans coming-of-age horror-thriller grossed $116.3k at four theaters in New York and LA for a per screen average of $29k for Jane Schoenbrun. It’s the helmer’s second outing after We’re All Going To The World’s Fair established them as an edgy new voice. The film, which premiered at Sundance, saw multiple sold-out Q&As over the weekend with strong reviews and exit polls. Expands into selected top markets this weekend with a continued rollout to follow.
Produced by Emma Stone under her Fruit Tree Banner, it follows a teenager named Owen (Justice Smith) trying to make it through life in the suburbs. The weirdness starts when his older classmate (Brigette Lundy-Paine) introduces him...
The ‘90s era trans coming-of-age horror-thriller grossed $116.3k at four theaters in New York and LA for a per screen average of $29k for Jane Schoenbrun. It’s the helmer’s second outing after We’re All Going To The World’s Fair established them as an edgy new voice. The film, which premiered at Sundance, saw multiple sold-out Q&As over the weekend with strong reviews and exit polls. Expands into selected top markets this weekend with a continued rollout to follow.
Produced by Emma Stone under her Fruit Tree Banner, it follows a teenager named Owen (Justice Smith) trying to make it through life in the suburbs. The weirdness starts when his older classmate (Brigette Lundy-Paine) introduces him...
- 5/5/2024
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
In the riveting eco-horror drama Evil Does Not Exist, director Ryusuke Hamaguchi delves deep into the serene yet unsettling relationship between humans and nature. Set against the backdrop of a quaint village that epitomizes symbiosis with nature, Hamaguchi constructs a narrative that not only captivates but also sends a profound message about ecological balance and ethical conundrums faced by society. Film’s Insight on Nature and Corporate Conflict The story revolves around a small village where residents live in harmony with the environment, utilizing natural resources respectfully and sustainably. However, the tranquility is disrupted when a corporate entity plans to introduce
The post The Subtle Eco-Horror of Evil Does Not Exist Explored first appeared on TVovermind.
The post The Subtle Eco-Horror of Evil Does Not Exist Explored first appeared on TVovermind.
- 5/4/2024
- by Steve Delikson
- TVovermind.com
It’s been a rough few weeks for indies but May is here with a handful of hopefuls looking to rev up the market — from A24’s buzzy I Saw The TV Glow to Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Venice award-winning Evil Does Not Exist. A documentary about Anita Pallenberg featuring Scarlett Johansson hits theaters, with a French animated sci-fi set on Mars, and a Flannery O’Conner biopic by Ethan Hawke.
I Saw The TV Glow is written and directed by Jane Schoenbrun (We’re All Going To The World’s Fair) and produced by Emma Stone under her Fruit Tree Banner. The horror-thriller that gripped Sundance (Deadline review called it a “trippy gut punch”) then SXSW follows a teenager named Owen trying to make it through life in the suburbs. The weirdness starts when his classmate introduces him to a mysterious late-night TV show, a vision of a supernatural world beneath their own.
I Saw The TV Glow is written and directed by Jane Schoenbrun (We’re All Going To The World’s Fair) and produced by Emma Stone under her Fruit Tree Banner. The horror-thriller that gripped Sundance (Deadline review called it a “trippy gut punch”) then SXSW follows a teenager named Owen trying to make it through life in the suburbs. The weirdness starts when his classmate introduces him to a mysterious late-night TV show, a vision of a supernatural world beneath their own.
- 5/3/2024
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
The opening, multi-minute shot of “Evil Does Not Exist” stares upwards at the trees, floating backwards through the forest, while Eiko Ishibashi’s haunting score casts a spell on us. It’s contemplative but not peaceful; weirdly arresting, like a thriller with no tangible thrills. It’s almost a shock when the story kicks in, but writer/director Ryusuke Hamaguchi looks at his characters much the same way. He’s fascinated and concerned by who they are and what they might do, and he watches them float by.
Hamaguchi’s previous film, “Drive My Car,” was a nearly three-hour drama about a man directing a stage version of Anton Chekhov’s “Uncle Vanya” where every character speaks a different language. Along the way, he formed a relationship with his production-mandated chauffeur who — fittingly enough — drives his car, as they listen to recordings of his recently-deceased wife reading the script. You...
Hamaguchi’s previous film, “Drive My Car,” was a nearly three-hour drama about a man directing a stage version of Anton Chekhov’s “Uncle Vanya” where every character speaks a different language. Along the way, he formed a relationship with his production-mandated chauffeur who — fittingly enough — drives his car, as they listen to recordings of his recently-deceased wife reading the script. You...
- 5/3/2024
- by William Bibbiani
- The Wrap
Ryo Nishikawa in Evil Does Not ExistImage: Janus Films
Evil Does Not Exist takes its time. At the beginning there’s foreboding music on the soundtrack as the camera moves across nature and vegetation. Then a character appears out of nowhere, startling the audience. Almost half an hour passes before a character even speaks.
Evil Does Not Exist takes its time. At the beginning there’s foreboding music on the soundtrack as the camera moves across nature and vegetation. Then a character appears out of nowhere, startling the audience. Almost half an hour passes before a character even speaks.
- 5/2/2024
- by Murtada Elfadl
- avclub.com
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. To keep up with our latest features, sign up for the Weekly Edit newsletter and follow us @mubinotebook on Twitter and Instagram.FESTIVALSMay Days.As many as 200 French film festival workers plan to stage labor actions during Cannes, citing insufficient pay and the exclusion of many festival staff from unemployment benefits when they are not under contract. The movement is being organized under the banner of Sous Les Écrans La Dèche: Collectif Des Précaires Des Festivals De Cinéma.A new report outlines the institutional dysfunction at the Toronto International Film Festival, which recently lost the support of the telecommunications company Bell as its major sponsor. Citing a desire for “greater accessibility,” Slamdance Film Festival will relocate from Park City, Ut, to Los Angeles in 2025.NEWSHarlan County, U.S.A..Now that all thirteen IATSE locals have reached tentative agreements with the AMPTP,...
- 5/1/2024
- MUBI
More than ever, it’s hard to imagine a world where evil does not exist, so it should come as no surprise that the world captured in Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s film with that very same title feels out of step with our own.
“Evil Does Not Exist,” the Japanese auteur’s follow-up to “Drive My Car,” opens with a long shot that tracks through the forest, gazing up at the sky through intersecting branches that crisscross above. The pace is calm and unhurried, leisurely even, if not for the strings that accompany it. Ishibashi Eiko’s score, her second for Hamaguchi, is calming, too, at first. But then discordant notes gradually weave in, hinting at something darker under the melody and behind the trees. The longer this shot continues, the more eerie it feels, as if we’re gliding into another reality. Suddenly, it ends abruptly, jolting the audience into...
“Evil Does Not Exist,” the Japanese auteur’s follow-up to “Drive My Car,” opens with a long shot that tracks through the forest, gazing up at the sky through intersecting branches that crisscross above. The pace is calm and unhurried, leisurely even, if not for the strings that accompany it. Ishibashi Eiko’s score, her second for Hamaguchi, is calming, too, at first. But then discordant notes gradually weave in, hinting at something darker under the melody and behind the trees. The longer this shot continues, the more eerie it feels, as if we’re gliding into another reality. Suddenly, it ends abruptly, jolting the audience into...
- 5/1/2024
- by David Opie
- Indiewire
After years of making films in his native Japan, writer-director Ryusuke Hamaguchi found unexpected global success in 2021 with “Drive My Car.”
Adapted and expanded from short stories by Haruki Murakami, it’s an exquisite drama about a grieving theater director staging a multilingual “Uncle Vanya,” and his relationship with the pensive young woman employed to drive his cherry-red Saab.
Premiering at the Cannes Film Festival, where Hamaguchi and co-writer Takamasa Oe won the Best Screenplay prize, “Drive My Car” went on to dominate the fall festival circuit. The film clocked up an astonishing four nominations at the 2022 Oscars, including Best Picture and a Best Director nod for Hamaguchi, and went on to win Japan’s first Oscar for Best International Film.
Hamaguchi’s latest film, “Evil Does Not Exist” is to some extent a response to that overwhelming acclaim. “I knew that I wanted my next work to be very...
Adapted and expanded from short stories by Haruki Murakami, it’s an exquisite drama about a grieving theater director staging a multilingual “Uncle Vanya,” and his relationship with the pensive young woman employed to drive his cherry-red Saab.
Premiering at the Cannes Film Festival, where Hamaguchi and co-writer Takamasa Oe won the Best Screenplay prize, “Drive My Car” went on to dominate the fall festival circuit. The film clocked up an astonishing four nominations at the 2022 Oscars, including Best Picture and a Best Director nod for Hamaguchi, and went on to win Japan’s first Oscar for Best International Film.
Hamaguchi’s latest film, “Evil Does Not Exist” is to some extent a response to that overwhelming acclaim. “I knew that I wanted my next work to be very...
- 4/30/2024
- by John Forde
- Indiewire
On a bright summer day in a tent on top of the sultry clay courts that give the Tennis Club Venezia its name, writer-director Ryûsuke Hamaguchi––known for his searing stories of love and longing and a taut, cryptic cinematic style all his own––saunters in tired but ready to talk, bags heavy under his eyes, tennis balls whopping back and forth in the distance. It’s 2023 and we’re on the Lido at the 80th Venice Film Festival. Hamaguchi’s latest feature Evil Does Not Exist has just debuted in competition to uncharacteristically rapturous applause.
The prolific, self-made Japanese auteur burst onto the scene at Locarno in 2015 with the success of the five-plus-hour Happy Hour. But despite the newfound popularity, Hamaguchi was a veteran. He’d already written and directed ten features and eight shorts, often teaming up with universities and research organizations that funded his crisp, sharp, sensitive...
The prolific, self-made Japanese auteur burst onto the scene at Locarno in 2015 with the success of the five-plus-hour Happy Hour. But despite the newfound popularity, Hamaguchi was a veteran. He’d already written and directed ten features and eight shorts, often teaming up with universities and research organizations that funded his crisp, sharp, sensitive...
- 4/30/2024
- by Luke Hicks
- The Film Stage
Clockwise from bottom left: Good One (Metrograph Pictures), Deadpool & Wolverine (Disney/Marvel), The Watchers (Warner Bros.), Alien: Romulus (20th Century Studios)Graphic: The A.V. Club
Yesterday, we took a look at the films that really stand out to us this summer, but there are still plenty of other movies on...
Yesterday, we took a look at the films that really stand out to us this summer, but there are still plenty of other movies on...
- 4/30/2024
- by Jen Lennon, Drew Gillis, Cindy White, Jacob Oller, Matt Schimkowitz, and Saloni Gajjar
- avclub.com
NYC Weekend Watch is our weekly round-up of repertory offerings.
Roxy Cinema
Our House of Tolerance 35mm presentation has its final showing on Friday; a print of John Frankenheimer’s Seconds plays this Saturday.
Film at Lincoln Center
A Ryusuke Hamaguchi retrospective has begun.
Paris Theater
A 1984 retrospective brings Spinal Tap, Starman, a 35mm print of Fanny and Alexander, and Now, Voyager.
Anthology Film Archives
“Essential Cinema” brings Pudovkin and Sharits, while “Ecocinema Behind the Iron Curtain” begins.
Film Forum
As Le Samouraï plays in a new 4K restoration, an Alain Delon retrospective and Ken Loach series are underway; Tootsie plays on Sunday.
Museum of the Moving Image
The Abyss screens on Saturday.
Metrograph
As a complete retrospective of Lee Chang-dong winds down, Liu Jian’s Have a Nice Day screens.
IFC Center
Dawn of the Dead plays through the weekend while Scooby-Doo (on 35mm) and John Waters’ Multiple Maniacs and Polyester show late.
Roxy Cinema
Our House of Tolerance 35mm presentation has its final showing on Friday; a print of John Frankenheimer’s Seconds plays this Saturday.
Film at Lincoln Center
A Ryusuke Hamaguchi retrospective has begun.
Paris Theater
A 1984 retrospective brings Spinal Tap, Starman, a 35mm print of Fanny and Alexander, and Now, Voyager.
Anthology Film Archives
“Essential Cinema” brings Pudovkin and Sharits, while “Ecocinema Behind the Iron Curtain” begins.
Film Forum
As Le Samouraï plays in a new 4K restoration, an Alain Delon retrospective and Ken Loach series are underway; Tootsie plays on Sunday.
Museum of the Moving Image
The Abyss screens on Saturday.
Metrograph
As a complete retrospective of Lee Chang-dong winds down, Liu Jian’s Have a Nice Day screens.
IFC Center
Dawn of the Dead plays through the weekend while Scooby-Doo (on 35mm) and John Waters’ Multiple Maniacs and Polyester show late.
- 4/26/2024
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
The summer season is upon us and, per each year, we’ve dug beyond studio offerings to present an in-depth look at what should be on your radar. From festival winners of the past year to selections coming straight from Cannes to genre delights to, yes, a few blockbuster spectacles, there’s more than enough to anticipate.
Check out our picks below and return for monthly updates as more is sure to be added to the calendar. Release dates are for theatrical openings unless otherwise noted.
The Contestant (Clair Titley; May 2 on Hulu)
If some of today’s reality shows can feel out-of-hand for what they put their contestants through, nothing compares to one of the first to ever hit the air. In 1988, aspiring comedian Tomoaki Hamatsu (aka Nasubi) got the “opportunity” to take part in a game show without knowing any of the parameters, resulting in him being placed...
Check out our picks below and return for monthly updates as more is sure to be added to the calendar. Release dates are for theatrical openings unless otherwise noted.
The Contestant (Clair Titley; May 2 on Hulu)
If some of today’s reality shows can feel out-of-hand for what they put their contestants through, nothing compares to one of the first to ever hit the air. In 1988, aspiring comedian Tomoaki Hamatsu (aka Nasubi) got the “opportunity” to take part in a game show without knowing any of the parameters, resulting in him being placed...
- 4/24/2024
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
Curiosity is bound to be piqued for a title like Evil Does Not Exist. Once you see the latest film from Ryusuke Hamaguchi, you further wonder what exactly the title of the film means, especially after the baffling ending that leaves you scratching your head. However, there are obvious metaphors and trickery, which should strike you once you start to think about it, and maybe after you re-watch the last five minutes a few times. It is a strange film nonetheless, which deals with much darker subject matter compared to his last two works, Drive My Car and Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy, both of which were released in 2021. One might find the complete tonal shift in the final act a bit too jarring, and that’s where Evil Does Not Exist is polarizing people. In this article, I’m going to take a swing at deconstructing the ending. Hopefully,...
- 4/22/2024
- by Rohitavra Majumdar
- Film Fugitives
Charades has taken international sales rights to Hiroshi Okuyama’s feature My Sunshine and will kick off sales for the Un Certain Regard 2024-selected feature in Cannes.
Set on a small Japanese island centred on the changing seasons, My Sunshine follows two children who are complete opposites who decide to train together to form a figure-skating duo as their feelings for each other grow throughout the winter.
The film is the director’s follow-up to his debut feature Jesus about a young boy who leaves Tokyo to attend a Christian school in the countryside, which earned Okuyama the new directors...
Set on a small Japanese island centred on the changing seasons, My Sunshine follows two children who are complete opposites who decide to train together to form a figure-skating duo as their feelings for each other grow throughout the winter.
The film is the director’s follow-up to his debut feature Jesus about a young boy who leaves Tokyo to attend a Christian school in the countryside, which earned Okuyama the new directors...
- 4/11/2024
- ScreenDaily
RankFilm (distributor)Three-day gross (Apr 5-7)Total gross to dateWeek 1. Kung Fu Panda 4 (Universal) £2.8m £12.8m 2 2. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (Warner Bros) £2m £9.2m 2 3. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (Sony) £1.4m £12.1m 3 4. Dune: Part Two (Warner Bros) £1.1m £36.8m 6 5. Monkey Man (Universal) £763,004 £809,767 1
Gbp to Usd conversion rate: 1.26
Universal animation Kung Fu Panda 4 knocked Godzilla x Kong: A New Empire off top spot at the UK-Ireland box office this weekend; as Dev Patel’s Monkey Man started in fifth place.
Kung Fu Panda 4 added £2.8m on its second weekend – a 28% drop that brings it to £12.8m. It is already...
Gbp to Usd conversion rate: 1.26
Universal animation Kung Fu Panda 4 knocked Godzilla x Kong: A New Empire off top spot at the UK-Ireland box office this weekend; as Dev Patel’s Monkey Man started in fifth place.
Kung Fu Panda 4 added £2.8m on its second weekend – a 28% drop that brings it to £12.8m. It is already...
- 4/8/2024
- ScreenDaily
Her score for Ryûsuke Hamaguchi’s opus helped it to Oscar glory. Now the Japanese musician has reunited with its director for a collaboration unlike any other
Whether it’s Hitchcock and Herrmann, Spielberg and Williams or latterly Villeneuve and Zimmer, film directors often get into a glorious feedback loop with a preferred composer – and the latest is a burgeoning collaboration between Ryûsuke Hamaguchi and Eiko Ishibashi. Her jazz-pop theme for Drive My Car in 2021 was an instant classic – wistful, generous of spirit, even a little Gallic with its touch of accordion – and her score helped to carry the Japanese film to glory at Cannes and beyond, including a best picture nomination and best international feature film award at the Oscars in 2022.
“There was a big awards rush, festivals, and I think Hamaguchi was ultimately quite fatigued from the whole experience,” Ishibashi says, elegantly wrapped up in her cold-looking recording...
Whether it’s Hitchcock and Herrmann, Spielberg and Williams or latterly Villeneuve and Zimmer, film directors often get into a glorious feedback loop with a preferred composer – and the latest is a burgeoning collaboration between Ryûsuke Hamaguchi and Eiko Ishibashi. Her jazz-pop theme for Drive My Car in 2021 was an instant classic – wistful, generous of spirit, even a little Gallic with its touch of accordion – and her score helped to carry the Japanese film to glory at Cannes and beyond, including a best picture nomination and best international feature film award at the Oscars in 2022.
“There was a big awards rush, festivals, and I think Hamaguchi was ultimately quite fatigued from the whole experience,” Ishibashi says, elegantly wrapped up in her cold-looking recording...
- 4/8/2024
- by Ben Beaumont-Thomas
- The Guardian - Film News
Soon it's that time of year again! Just a few weeks left until the 24th Nippon Connection Film Festival once again envelops Frankfurt am Main (Germany) in bright pink. From May 28 to June 2, 2024, the world's largest festival of Japanese cinema will showcase around 100 short and feature films at eight venues. The country's culture will also be explored through the extensive culture program, reflecting Japan's musical, culinary, and artistic diversity.
The Nippon Connection Film Festival presents works by both established filmmakers and emerging directors. From Takeshi Kitano's action-packed samurai film Kubi to the captivating comedy Fly Me To The Saitama -From Biwa Lake With Love- by Hideki Takeuchi, and Yoshimi Itazu's imaginative animation The Concierge, the film program offers highlights of various genres. Most films will celebrate their German, European, or international premieres at the festival. The festival's focus on Crossing Borders, supported by the Kulturfonds Frankfurt RheinMain, explores...
The Nippon Connection Film Festival presents works by both established filmmakers and emerging directors. From Takeshi Kitano's action-packed samurai film Kubi to the captivating comedy Fly Me To The Saitama -From Biwa Lake With Love- by Hideki Takeuchi, and Yoshimi Itazu's imaginative animation The Concierge, the film program offers highlights of various genres. Most films will celebrate their German, European, or international premieres at the festival. The festival's focus on Crossing Borders, supported by the Kulturfonds Frankfurt RheinMain, explores...
- 4/6/2024
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
Dev Patel’s feature directorial debut Monkey Man leads the new films at this weekend’s UK-Ireland box office, starting in 592 cinemas through Universal.
Directed, produced, from a story by and starring Patel, Monkey Man follows an anonymous young man who unleashes a campaign of violence against the corrupt leaders who murdered his mother, and continue to systematically victimise the poor and powerless.
Filmed in early 2021, Netflix originally bought worldwide rights to Monkey Man. After Jordan Peele boarded the title as producer through his Monkeypaw Productions, Universal acquired it from Netflix earlier this year. It debuted at SXSW last month.
Directed, produced, from a story by and starring Patel, Monkey Man follows an anonymous young man who unleashes a campaign of violence against the corrupt leaders who murdered his mother, and continue to systematically victimise the poor and powerless.
Filmed in early 2021, Netflix originally bought worldwide rights to Monkey Man. After Jordan Peele boarded the title as producer through his Monkeypaw Productions, Universal acquired it from Netflix earlier this year. It debuted at SXSW last month.
- 4/5/2024
- ScreenDaily
A camera drifts slowly beneath a canopy of wintry trees, accompanied by the orchestral strings of Eiko Ishibashi’s score, inviting us to fall into what we anticipate to be the slow and quiet rhythms of Drive My Car director Ryûsuke Hamaguchi’s latest film.
That is, for the most part, a good hunch, but the surprise sound of a shotgun ringing out not far into the Venice Silver Bear winner – the distance away of which the two characters who hear it disagree on – is a clue that Hamaguchi may not only be interested in the tranquillity of nature. A children’s game of green light, red light – which sees them race in spurts to a finish line in between standing stock still like statues – also hints at the way things can seem not to be moving at all, only for the shock of change to happen in a...
That is, for the most part, a good hunch, but the surprise sound of a shotgun ringing out not far into the Venice Silver Bear winner – the distance away of which the two characters who hear it disagree on – is a clue that Hamaguchi may not only be interested in the tranquillity of nature. A children’s game of green light, red light – which sees them race in spurts to a finish line in between standing stock still like statues – also hints at the way things can seem not to be moving at all, only for the shock of change to happen in a...
- 4/4/2024
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, Christopher Nolan, Spike Lee, Chantal Akerman, Theo Angelopoulos, Lynne Ramsay, Tsai Ming-liang, Michael Haneke, Lee Chang-dong, Terence Davies, Shōhei Imamura, Bi Gan, Hou Hsiao-hsien, Jia Zhangke, Wong Kar-wai, Yorgos Lanthimos, Denis Villleneuve, Céline Sciamma, Guillermo del Toro, Kelly Reichardt. Those are just a few of the filmmakers introduced to New York audiences at New Directors/New Films over the last half-century across over 1,100 premieres.
Now returning for its 53rd edition at Film at Lincoln Center and The Museum of Modern Art from April 3-14, this year’s lineup features 35 new films, presenting prizewinners from Berlin, Cannes, Locarno, Sarajevo, and Sundance film festivals. Ahead of the festival kicking off next week, we’ve gathered fourteen films to see, and one can explore the full lineup and schedule here.
All, or Nothing at All (Jiajun “Oscar” Zhang)
In All, or Nothing at all, director Jiajun “Oscar” Zhang employs an experimental...
Now returning for its 53rd edition at Film at Lincoln Center and The Museum of Modern Art from April 3-14, this year’s lineup features 35 new films, presenting prizewinners from Berlin, Cannes, Locarno, Sarajevo, and Sundance film festivals. Ahead of the festival kicking off next week, we’ve gathered fourteen films to see, and one can explore the full lineup and schedule here.
All, or Nothing at All (Jiajun “Oscar” Zhang)
In All, or Nothing at all, director Jiajun “Oscar” Zhang employs an experimental...
- 4/1/2024
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
After being catapulted to the big time with Drive My Car, the director’s next film Evil Does Not Exist has helped him escape the pressure of his success – and is designed to retain an air of the unknown
The winter sky in the opening shot of Ryûsuke Hamaguchi’s Evil Does Not Exist is a brilliant white, seen through a tangle of spindly tree branches. Set against a radiant orchestral score, the scene looks sublime. But then a dissonant note is heard in the music. Then another. Not everything is as it seems.
“I started from a place of not knowing anything,” Hamaguchi says of his new film, which sets up a paradisal image of nature to then unsettle it. He speaks with a humility that belies his standing as one of Japan’s most celebrated auteurs. It was late 2021, he recalls; his previous film, Drive My Car, had been released.
The winter sky in the opening shot of Ryûsuke Hamaguchi’s Evil Does Not Exist is a brilliant white, seen through a tangle of spindly tree branches. Set against a radiant orchestral score, the scene looks sublime. But then a dissonant note is heard in the music. Then another. Not everything is as it seems.
“I started from a place of not knowing anything,” Hamaguchi says of his new film, which sets up a paradisal image of nature to then unsettle it. He speaks with a humility that belies his standing as one of Japan’s most celebrated auteurs. It was late 2021, he recalls; his previous film, Drive My Car, had been released.
- 4/1/2024
- by Rebecca Liu
- The Guardian - Film News
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. To keep up with our latest features, sign up for the Weekly Edit newsletter and follow us @mubinotebook on Twitter and Instagram.NEWSUntil Branches Bend.Amidst a widespread debate on the merit of U.S. state financial incentives for film and television productions, a Georgia bill that would have limited the sale of tax credits was rejected by the Senate Finance Committee. In recent years, those credits have exceeded $1 billion despite findings that the state makes back only 19¢ on the dollar. Four of the thirteen labor guilds bargaining with IATSE have now reached tentative agreements with the AMPTP: Locals 600 (cinematographers), 729 (set painters), 800 (art directors), and 695. IATSE president Matthew Loeb has threatened to strike if a new contract is not in place when the current one expires on July 31.Due to financial constraints, the Human Rights Watch Film Festival will be...
- 3/28/2024
- MUBI
Catch a first look at the new trailer for Evil Does Not Exist – director Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s follow-up film to 2021’s critically-acclaimed Drive My Car.
Released in 2021, Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Drive My Car was critically acclaimed, winning awards at just about every festival it was screened. The film was even nominated for Best Picture at that year’s Oscars while also taking the gong for best international picture back to Japan. Interest in Hamaguchi’s next project has remained high then, with his follow-up film, Evil Does Not Exist finally being unveiled to the world next month.
According to a synopsis, the film is said to be an ‘ecological fable’ that centres on a ‘rural alpine hamlet of Mizubiki, not far from Tokyo. Takumi and his daughter, Hana, lead a modest life gathering water, wood, and wild wasabi for the local udon restaurant. Increasingly, the townsfolk become aware of a...
Released in 2021, Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Drive My Car was critically acclaimed, winning awards at just about every festival it was screened. The film was even nominated for Best Picture at that year’s Oscars while also taking the gong for best international picture back to Japan. Interest in Hamaguchi’s next project has remained high then, with his follow-up film, Evil Does Not Exist finally being unveiled to the world next month.
According to a synopsis, the film is said to be an ‘ecological fable’ that centres on a ‘rural alpine hamlet of Mizubiki, not far from Tokyo. Takumi and his daughter, Hana, lead a modest life gathering water, wood, and wild wasabi for the local udon restaurant. Increasingly, the townsfolk become aware of a...
- 3/27/2024
- by Dan Cooper
- Film Stories
Acclaimed Japanese filmmaker Ryusuke Hamaguchi wowed international audiences and critics with his drama “Drive My Car,” which earned the Best International Feature Film Oscar in 2022. The venerated director is back with “Evil Does Not Exist,” an ecological fable with genre elements about a father and daughter living in the wilderness outside Tokyo. The domestic distributors Sideshow and Janus Films have released a trailer, and the movie will open in limited release in May.
Continue reading ‘Evil Does Not Exist’ Trailer: Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Follow-Up To Acclaimed Oscar-Winning ‘Drive My Car’ at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘Evil Does Not Exist’ Trailer: Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Follow-Up To Acclaimed Oscar-Winning ‘Drive My Car’ at The Playlist.
- 3/26/2024
- by Christopher Marc
- The Playlist
Evil Does Not ExistPhoto: Janus Films
There are few things more bone-chilling than the real-life evils set upon our planet and its people each and every day. This is the type of horror Japanese director Ryûsuke Hamaguchi is contending with in Evil Does Not Exist, the stirring and eerie follow-up to his Oscar-winning 2021 film,...
There are few things more bone-chilling than the real-life evils set upon our planet and its people each and every day. This is the type of horror Japanese director Ryûsuke Hamaguchi is contending with in Evil Does Not Exist, the stirring and eerie follow-up to his Oscar-winning 2021 film,...
- 3/26/2024
- by Emma Keates
- avclub.com
Japanese filmmaker Ryusuke Hamaguchi became globally known after the success of Drive My Car, which earned him three major Oscar nominations, and one win (Best International Feature). After adapting Haruki Murakami’s short story, Hamaguchi has moved on to a new project, which was presented to audiences last year in Venice, where it won five out of the six awards it was nominated for. Evil Does Not Exist is the movie we are talking about, and ahead of this year’s American premiere, an official trailer for the movie has been released.
The movie is based on an original screenplay by Hamaguchi and based on the success it has had so far, the movie is slated to be another big hit for the Japanese filmmaker, which might earn him several awards later this year and next year.
The film will feature Hitoshi Omika as Takumi, Ryo Nishikawa as Hana, Ryuji Kosaka as Takahashi,...
The movie is based on an original screenplay by Hamaguchi and based on the success it has had so far, the movie is slated to be another big hit for the Japanese filmmaker, which might earn him several awards later this year and next year.
The film will feature Hitoshi Omika as Takumi, Ryo Nishikawa as Hana, Ryuji Kosaka as Takahashi,...
- 3/26/2024
- by Arthur S. Poe
- Fiction Horizon
"If you go overboard, you upset the balance." Janus Films has revealed an official US trailer for the latest film from Japanese filmmaker Ryusuke Hamaguchi called Evil Does Not Exist. After winning an Oscar two years ago for his highly acclaimed Drive My Car, Hamaguchi went back home and ended up making this smaller, much quieter little film that could be described as an eco thriller or even eco fable. Takumi and his daughter Hana live in Mizubiki Village, near Tokyo. One day, the village inhabitants become aware of a plan to build a glamping site near Takumi's house offering city residents a comfortable "escape" to nature. But it will disrupt the way of life for many of the local villagers, who ask for them to make changes. The film stars Hitoshi Omika, Ryo Nishikawa, Ryuji Kosaka, Ayaka Shibutani, Hazuki Kikuchi, and Hiroyuki Miura. This premiered at the 2023 Venice Film Festival,...
- 3/26/2024
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
One of the best surprises in cinema this past year was the news that Ryusuke Hamaguchi, just two years after his perfect one-two punch of Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy and Drive My Car, had secretly shot and completed another film that was to premiere at the Venice Film Festival. After picking up the Grand Jury Prize there, the serene and expertly scripted Evil Does Not Exist will now roll out to kick off the summer movie season courtesy of Sideshow and Janus Films. Ahead of the U.S. release, the new trailer and poster have arrived.
Rory O’Connor said in his review, “A quiet, funny, confounding mystery, Evil plays out amongst the forests and streams of a remote village close to Tokyo. Tensions are raised when two representatives for the glamping company, Takahashi (Ryuji Kosaka) and Mayuzumi (Ayaka Shibutani), arrive to talk things over. The locals, in particular a man named Takumi,...
Rory O’Connor said in his review, “A quiet, funny, confounding mystery, Evil plays out amongst the forests and streams of a remote village close to Tokyo. Tensions are raised when two representatives for the glamping company, Takahashi (Ryuji Kosaka) and Mayuzumi (Ayaka Shibutani), arrive to talk things over. The locals, in particular a man named Takumi,...
- 3/26/2024
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Ryûsuke Hamaguchi retreated into a rural village outside of Tokyo to make “Evil Does Not Exist,” his first film following the global success of “Drive My Car,” which won the 2022 Best International Feature Oscar. The Japanese director found himself perhaps uncomfortably in the worldwide spotlight after being known for indies like “Asako I & II” and “Happy Hour,” and so “Evil Does Not Exist,” winner of the 2023 Venice Silver Lion and Fipresci prizes, is a return to minimalist basics — an ecological parable wrapped up with unexpected thriller elements, and a movie he shot in secret.
IndieWire shares the exclusive trailer for the film, out in U.S. theaters May 3 from Sideshow and Janus Films, below. While “Evil Does Not Exist” wasn’t eligible for the International Feature Oscar due to its release date in Japan, Hamaguchi had a great run at the 2022 Academy Awards — along with the “Drive My Car” International Feature win,...
IndieWire shares the exclusive trailer for the film, out in U.S. theaters May 3 from Sideshow and Janus Films, below. While “Evil Does Not Exist” wasn’t eligible for the International Feature Oscar due to its release date in Japan, Hamaguchi had a great run at the 2022 Academy Awards — along with the “Drive My Car” International Feature win,...
- 3/26/2024
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
The Far East Film Festival (Feff) in Italy’s Udine has unveiled the full line-up for its 26th edition, which will honour Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou with an honorary award and world premiere restored versions of his Raise The Red Lantern and To Live.
Running April 24 to May 2, the festival will open with a double bill: Chinese box office hit Yolo and South Korean action-comedy Citizen Of A Kind.
Yolo dominated this year’s Lunar New Year releases, grossing $484m in China, and is directed by Jia Ling, who stars as an unemployed woman in her 30s whose life is...
Running April 24 to May 2, the festival will open with a double bill: Chinese box office hit Yolo and South Korean action-comedy Citizen Of A Kind.
Yolo dominated this year’s Lunar New Year releases, grossing $484m in China, and is directed by Jia Ling, who stars as an unemployed woman in her 30s whose life is...
- 3/26/2024
- ScreenDaily
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