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
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
Wong Ching Po’s crime thriller The Pig, The Snake And The Pigeon has emerged as the second biggest Taiwanese film of all time on release in mainland China, having grossed over $69.5m (Rmb 500m) amid a simultaneous worldwide launch on Netflix.
Distributed by Star Alliance Movies, the film opened third on March 1 at the tail end of the Chinese New Year period, behind festive hits Article 20 and Pegasus 2. But it climbed to number one on its third day of release and has since been topping China’s daily box-office chart for 16 consecutive days, beating other new releases such as Dune: Part Two,...
Distributed by Star Alliance Movies, the film opened third on March 1 at the tail end of the Chinese New Year period, behind festive hits Article 20 and Pegasus 2. But it climbed to number one on its third day of release and has since been topping China’s daily box-office chart for 16 consecutive days, beating other new releases such as Dune: Part Two,...
- 3/19/2024
- ScreenDaily
Zdf Latest To ‘Race Across The World’
A six-part series based on Studio Lambert’s Race Across the World is set to air on German pubcaster Zdf in spring 2025. Planning is underway for casting and filming is set for the fall, with All3Media’s German producer, Tower, attached to make the show. Kirstin Benthaus-Gebauer will be the producer with Friederike Haedecke, Johannes Geiger, Thorsten Haas and Daniel Nemetschek the editors. The original BBC show has run to strong ratings in the UK for three seasons and one celebrity series. New seasons of both versions have been commissioned after the the first ep of the celebrity run drew 6.2 million viewers, consolidating the format’s position among the BBC’s top factual programs. The German deal, struck with distributor All3Media International, marks the fifth international version of the show, coming after three seasons on TV2 in Denmark, an upcoming production on MTV Katsomo and MTV3 in Finland,...
A six-part series based on Studio Lambert’s Race Across the World is set to air on German pubcaster Zdf in spring 2025. Planning is underway for casting and filming is set for the fall, with All3Media’s German producer, Tower, attached to make the show. Kirstin Benthaus-Gebauer will be the producer with Friederike Haedecke, Johannes Geiger, Thorsten Haas and Daniel Nemetschek the editors. The original BBC show has run to strong ratings in the UK for three seasons and one celebrity series. New seasons of both versions have been commissioned after the the first ep of the celebrity run drew 6.2 million viewers, consolidating the format’s position among the BBC’s top factual programs. The German deal, struck with distributor All3Media International, marks the fifth international version of the show, coming after three seasons on TV2 in Denmark, an upcoming production on MTV Katsomo and MTV3 in Finland,...
- 3/11/2024
- by Jesse Whittock and Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Busan International Film Festival has unveiled its full line-up, including opening and closing films, and announced that Hong Kong star Chow Yun-fat has been named as Asian Filmmaker of the Year.
Chow will be feted through the screening of two of his most iconic films – Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and John Woo’s A Better Tomorrow – as well as recent release Once More Chance, directed by Anthony Pun.
In addition to Chow, international guests expected at the festival include Luc Besson, Japanese filmmakers Hirokazu Kore-eda and Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Korean-American filmmakers Lee Isaac Chung and Justin Chon, and Chinese actress Fan Bingbing.
The festival will open with the world premiere of Jang Kun-jae’s Because I Hate Korea, adapted from the popular novel by Chang Kang-myoung, and close with Chinese filmmaker Ning Hao’s The Movie Emperor, starring Andy Lau, which is receiving its world premiere in Toronto.
Chow will be feted through the screening of two of his most iconic films – Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and John Woo’s A Better Tomorrow – as well as recent release Once More Chance, directed by Anthony Pun.
In addition to Chow, international guests expected at the festival include Luc Besson, Japanese filmmakers Hirokazu Kore-eda and Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Korean-American filmmakers Lee Isaac Chung and Justin Chon, and Chinese actress Fan Bingbing.
The festival will open with the world premiere of Jang Kun-jae’s Because I Hate Korea, adapted from the popular novel by Chang Kang-myoung, and close with Chinese filmmaker Ning Hao’s The Movie Emperor, starring Andy Lau, which is receiving its world premiere in Toronto.
- 9/5/2023
- by Liz Shackleton
- Deadline Film + TV
Suffering from chronic insomnia that makes him irritable and distant, Ganta Nakami struggles to fit in at Kuyo High School. Assigned by his classmates to fetch a stepladder from the supposedly haunted observatory, he meets Isaki Magari, a cheerful student suffering from the same nocturnal condition as himself. Having herself spread the rumor about the near-abandoned place, Isaki invites Ganta to share her haven. However, an overly well-intentioned teacher discovers the ruse and urges them to resurrect the astronomy club if they want to keep their little paradise. On the advice of the club's former leader, the duo organizes a stargazing event, which unfortunately falls through despite the unexpected help of several other students. Devastated, Ganta believes he is the instigator of everything that goes wrong around him, but Isaki puts things into perspective by confessing a secret that haunts her day and night. A congenital illness has left her with half a heart,...
- 7/14/2023
- by Don Anelli
- AsianMoviePulse
While not the strongest film – even within director Jun Ichikawa's oeuvre – 2001's “Tokyo Marigold” is interesting within the context of Japan's ‘lost decades' and the changing face of the metropolis. At the turn of the millennium, the grime and gloom of 90s cinema was replaced by a cleaner, fresher look, as style replaced substance. Clearly a student of Ozu, Ichikawa's Tokyo story shows a Japan of the gloss and sheen of Haruki Murakami novels and Muji furnished apartments; of upwardly mobile young office workers in doomed, short-term love affairs.
Eriko (Rena Tanaka) is a young woman somewhat lost in adult life, working as a clerk for a car dealership, drifting through her days. Around her, colleagues and friends appear surer of themselves, going places with their lives, offering her friendly advice, job opportunities and chances at love: More exciting work comes when she bumps into an old school...
Eriko (Rena Tanaka) is a young woman somewhat lost in adult life, working as a clerk for a car dealership, drifting through her days. Around her, colleagues and friends appear surer of themselves, going places with their lives, offering her friendly advice, job opportunities and chances at love: More exciting work comes when she bumps into an old school...
- 4/30/2023
- by Andrew Thayne
- AsianMoviePulse
Sci-fi fantasy stars Aoi Ito from Katayama Shinzo’s ’Missing’.
Japan’s Free Stone Productions is launching sales at Hong Kong Filmart on sci-fi fantasy drama From The End Of The World, starring Aoi Ito from Katayama Shinzo’s Missing.
Directed by Kazuaki Kiriya, whose credits include the post-apocalyptic epic Casshern and English-language action film Last Knights, the film also stars Mari Natsuki and Shunji Iwai, the writer/director of films such as Love Letter and All About Lily Chou-Chou.
The story follows a seemingly normal high school girl who wakes from a dream about a 10-year-old girl living in...
Japan’s Free Stone Productions is launching sales at Hong Kong Filmart on sci-fi fantasy drama From The End Of The World, starring Aoi Ito from Katayama Shinzo’s Missing.
Directed by Kazuaki Kiriya, whose credits include the post-apocalyptic epic Casshern and English-language action film Last Knights, the film also stars Mari Natsuki and Shunji Iwai, the writer/director of films such as Love Letter and All About Lily Chou-Chou.
The story follows a seemingly normal high school girl who wakes from a dream about a 10-year-old girl living in...
- 3/13/2023
- by Jean Noh
- ScreenDaily
Mubi has announced its lineup of streaming offerings for next month, including a series on first films featuring David Cronenberg’s Stereo, Kelly Reichardt’s River of Grass, Jerzy Skolimowski’s Identification Marks: None, Fatih Akın’s Short Sharp Shock, Panos Cosmatos’ Beyond the Black Rainbow, and, with Mubi’s theatrical release of her new film Alcarràs, Carla Simón’s Summer 1993.
Additional highlights include Mathieu Amalric’s Hold Me Tight starring Vicky Krieps, Sundance favorites with films from Sean Baker, Lynn Shelton, Tom Noonan, and Andrew Bujalski, plus works from Nicolas Roeg, Claude Chabrol, and Aftersun director Charlotte Wells.
Check out the lineup below and get 30 days free here.
January 1 – Stereo, directed by David Cronenberg | First Films First
January 2 – Short Sharp Shock, directed by Fatih Akın | First Films First
January 3 – River of Grass, directed by Kelly Reichardt | First Films First
January 4 – Identification Marks: None, directed by Jerzy Skolimowski | First Films...
Additional highlights include Mathieu Amalric’s Hold Me Tight starring Vicky Krieps, Sundance favorites with films from Sean Baker, Lynn Shelton, Tom Noonan, and Andrew Bujalski, plus works from Nicolas Roeg, Claude Chabrol, and Aftersun director Charlotte Wells.
Check out the lineup below and get 30 days free here.
January 1 – Stereo, directed by David Cronenberg | First Films First
January 2 – Short Sharp Shock, directed by Fatih Akın | First Films First
January 3 – River of Grass, directed by Kelly Reichardt | First Films First
January 4 – Identification Marks: None, directed by Jerzy Skolimowski | First Films...
- 12/19/2022
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Japan Society
One of Japan’s great living directors, Shunji Iwai, is highlighted in “Love Letters,” a four-film retrospective.
Anthology Film Archives
Histoire(s) du cinéma plays in its entirety on Saturday and Sunday as part of an ongoing Godard series.
Roxy Cinema
Every Man for Himself and A Serious Man play on 35mm this Friday; the latter encores Sunday, when a print of Close Encounters also screens.
Film Forum
Orson Welles’ The Trial, restored in 4K, begins a run; The Princess Bride screens this Sunday.
Film at Lincoln Center
The retrospective of Yoshimitsu Morita has its final weekend.
Museum of the Moving Image
The director’s cut series offers Heaven’s Gate on Friday and Saturday, while Fanny and Alexander screens this Sunday.
IFC Center
Freshly anointed the greatest film of all-time, Jeanne Dielman begins a run, as does It’s a Wonderful Life; Suspiria, Pet Sematary, Hellboy, Pan’s Labyrinth, Suspiria,...
One of Japan’s great living directors, Shunji Iwai, is highlighted in “Love Letters,” a four-film retrospective.
Anthology Film Archives
Histoire(s) du cinéma plays in its entirety on Saturday and Sunday as part of an ongoing Godard series.
Roxy Cinema
Every Man for Himself and A Serious Man play on 35mm this Friday; the latter encores Sunday, when a print of Close Encounters also screens.
Film Forum
Orson Welles’ The Trial, restored in 4K, begins a run; The Princess Bride screens this Sunday.
Film at Lincoln Center
The retrospective of Yoshimitsu Morita has its final weekend.
Museum of the Moving Image
The director’s cut series offers Heaven’s Gate on Friday and Saturday, while Fanny and Alexander screens this Sunday.
IFC Center
Freshly anointed the greatest film of all-time, Jeanne Dielman begins a run, as does It’s a Wonderful Life; Suspiria, Pet Sematary, Hellboy, Pan’s Labyrinth, Suspiria,...
- 12/9/2022
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
The films of Shunji Iwai present a view of the world in an almost dreamlike manner. That said, no matter how stylized his work can be, he’s never afraid to offer a raw portrait of reality. The youthful years of people’s lives are generally a time of happiness and growth, building memories that, years later, can be looked back on with a happy sense of nostalgia. Yet, the harsh truth is that’s heartbreakingly not always the case, and in a country like Japan, issues such as bullying remain a major problem. Combined with experimental filmmaking, Iwai would make a feature following Japanese youth lost in sorrow and partaking in misguided behavior. That harrowing film is “All About Lily Chou-Chou.”
on Amazon by clicking on the image below
Throughout the 1990s in Japan, music was super popular, and there was a noticeable rise in juvenile delinquency,...
on Amazon by clicking on the image below
Throughout the 1990s in Japan, music was super popular, and there was a noticeable rise in juvenile delinquency,...
- 12/1/2022
- by Sean Barry
- AsianMoviePulse
It’s a grand time for fans of Japanese cinema if you’re living in New York City. With a Noriaki Tsuchimoto retrospective recently concluding at the Museum of the Moving Image, a Yoshimitsu Morita retrospective starting Friday at Film at Lincoln Center, and a Shunji Iwai series coming to Japan Society, another major highlight is “Hachimiri Madness: Japanese Indies from the Punk Years,” which kicks off this Friday at Metrograph.
One of the major highlights of that series––which profiles works from the jishu eiga (“autonomous film”) indie scene that kicked off in the late 1970s Japan with 8mm-shot guerilla filmmaking––is the brand-new, 25th-anniversary restoration of Nobuhiro Suwa’s 2/Duo, which features an early performance from Drive My Car‘s Hidetoshi Nishijima. It opens on December 9, and ahead of that we’re pleased to exclusively debut the new trailer (courtesy Arbelos). The high-definition digital transfer was supervised by Suwa and cinematographer Masaki Tamura.
One of the major highlights of that series––which profiles works from the jishu eiga (“autonomous film”) indie scene that kicked off in the late 1970s Japan with 8mm-shot guerilla filmmaking––is the brand-new, 25th-anniversary restoration of Nobuhiro Suwa’s 2/Duo, which features an early performance from Drive My Car‘s Hidetoshi Nishijima. It opens on December 9, and ahead of that we’re pleased to exclusively debut the new trailer (courtesy Arbelos). The high-definition digital transfer was supervised by Suwa and cinematographer Masaki Tamura.
- 11/29/2022
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Japan Society is pleased to announce Love Letters: Four Films by Shunji Iwai, a weekend series celebrating the defining early works of filmmaker Shunji Iwai. One of the most original talents to emerge from Japan in the ’90s, Iwai tapped into the dreams and lives of Japan’s youth with his lyrical meditations on the hardships of young adulthood, capturing pivotal and unforgettable moments of life. Balancing popular entertainment with arthouse predilection, Iwai’s exhilarating takes on the youth film provided a much-needed voice for the younger generation, offering delicate portraits of adolescence, ripe with poetic yearnings of grief, friendship, and young love. Iwai’s sumptuous visual style, coupled with his affecting and underground appeal, opened a world of new possibilities in the ’90s cinescape—marking him as one of the most accomplished and unique filmmakers of his generation.
A primer on the director’s essential works, Love...
A primer on the director’s essential works, Love...
- 11/16/2022
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
Four Reasons Why This Multiverse Family Drama is a Must-Watch:
1. A drama version of “Everything Everywhere All at Once”, but from the daughter’s perspective
Everyone thought Lin Zhaoxi (played by Zhang Zifeng) was a genius, but only she knows that she’s actually from another parallel world, and that she’s using her memories in another parallel universe to “cheat”.
Similar to the multiverse concept fleshed out in “Everything Everywhere All at Once”, “The Heart of Genius” depicts Lin Zhaoxi travelling into a parallel world where she finds herself a 12-year-old again. This time, she is determined to catch up to the legacy of her father Old Lin (played by Lei Jiayin) and her crush Pei Zhi Wei (played by Zhang Xincheng) – both mathematical geniuses vastly different from her, a philosophy major. Changing major events in her life that happened when she was 12 and 18 respectively, Lin Zhaoxi is forced...
1. A drama version of “Everything Everywhere All at Once”, but from the daughter’s perspective
Everyone thought Lin Zhaoxi (played by Zhang Zifeng) was a genius, but only she knows that she’s actually from another parallel world, and that she’s using her memories in another parallel universe to “cheat”.
Similar to the multiverse concept fleshed out in “Everything Everywhere All at Once”, “The Heart of Genius” depicts Lin Zhaoxi travelling into a parallel world where she finds herself a 12-year-old again. This time, she is determined to catch up to the legacy of her father Old Lin (played by Lei Jiayin) and her crush Pei Zhi Wei (played by Zhang Xincheng) – both mathematical geniuses vastly different from her, a philosophy major. Changing major events in her life that happened when she was 12 and 18 respectively, Lin Zhaoxi is forced...
- 7/25/2022
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
Filmmaker Hideaki Anno is one of Japan’s most imaginative and creative filmmakers working today. Whether it be his superb anime show “Neon Genesis Evangelion” or his excellent film “Shin Godzilla,” the auteur director has made a reputation for himself with his stylish filmmaking mixed with emotional storytelling and social commentary. Early on, Anno directed very grounded and haunting pieces of Japanese cinema but with touches of his usual insanity present throughout his work. His first live-action feature, “Love & Pop,” tells a powerful tale of the bond between a group of school girls and raises awareness of disturbing taboos within Japanese society. Following this, Anno would truly show his talents as a filmmaker in his intimate and beautiful film “Shiki-Jitsu.”
on YesAsia
The title of the movie translates to “Ritual” or “Ceremonial Day.” The project would be produced by Studio Kajino, a subsidiary of the popular animation company Studio Ghibli.
on YesAsia
The title of the movie translates to “Ritual” or “Ceremonial Day.” The project would be produced by Studio Kajino, a subsidiary of the popular animation company Studio Ghibli.
- 7/2/2022
- by Sean Barry
- AsianMoviePulse
Second Hand Rose is a Chinese rock band from Beijing. The band is known for its bold combination of traditional Chinese instruments with solid rock & roll fundamentals and performances that include intense stage play elements. Zhang Yaoyuan, who is currently doing a PhD in Films at the Tokyo University of the Arts, decides to focus on Liang Long, the lead singer of the band, in the month before his New Year’s Eve concert in 2019, when he also shot his very first film, “Little White Boat”, directed by Geng Zihan.
On Stage is screening at Osaka Asian Film Festival
“On Stage” is an unusual documentary, particularly when one considers its main theme. For starters, Zhang was allowed to follow Brother Long, as many refer to him in the movie, quite closely, before, during and after his work. However there are very few moments in the film where he is actually alone with the documentarian,...
On Stage is screening at Osaka Asian Film Festival
“On Stage” is an unusual documentary, particularly when one considers its main theme. For starters, Zhang was allowed to follow Brother Long, as many refer to him in the movie, quite closely, before, during and after his work. However there are very few moments in the film where he is actually alone with the documentarian,...
- 3/23/2022
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
The BFI today announce full details of a hotly anticipated two-month season dedicated to Anime, running at BFI Southbank and BFI IMAX from 28 March – 31 May. Originally planned for summer 2020 as part of the BFI’s major survey of Japanese cinema BFI Japan, the season arrives, at long last, to entertain and delight anime fans and novices alike.
The programme will include:
· A broad mixture of classic films such as Akira, Ghost In The Shell, Belladonna Of Sadness, Cowboy Bebop: The Movie and Tekkonkinkreet, as well as an early shorts programme spotlighting work from 1917-1946· Previews of new releases including the thrillingly original Inu-oh, high-octane urban fairy tale Bubble and the powerful and thought-provoking short Summer Ghost (2021) followed by a Q&a with director loundraw· Much-loved recent work by major auteurs Mamoru Hosoda, Makoto Shinkai (Your Name) and the late great Satoshi Kon· A spotlight on emerging female talent Naoko Yamada...
The programme will include:
· A broad mixture of classic films such as Akira, Ghost In The Shell, Belladonna Of Sadness, Cowboy Bebop: The Movie and Tekkonkinkreet, as well as an early shorts programme spotlighting work from 1917-1946· Previews of new releases including the thrillingly original Inu-oh, high-octane urban fairy tale Bubble and the powerful and thought-provoking short Summer Ghost (2021) followed by a Q&a with director loundraw· Much-loved recent work by major auteurs Mamoru Hosoda, Makoto Shinkai (Your Name) and the late great Satoshi Kon· A spotlight on emerging female talent Naoko Yamada...
- 3/15/2022
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
During this pandemic, we have watched and reviewed a rather large number of “quarantine films”, since the creativity of many directors could not be contained due to the lockdown. It is the first time, though, to watch a kaiju one, and a black and white one for that matter, with Shunji Iwai getting particularly creative on how to achieve something like that. First hint? Capsule Kaiju.
The 12 Day Tale of the Monster That Died in 8 is screening at Five Flavours Asian Film Festival
The inspiration behind the movie came from special-effects wizard Shinji Higuchi, who initiated an online challenge titled Kaiju Defeat Covid, where the idea was to catch an invisible monster, fuse it with your own Godzilla toy monster, and send the strengthened creature to crush the virus. Higuchi even put an instruction video on Youtube and Iwai took up the idea and turn it into a 12-part internet...
The 12 Day Tale of the Monster That Died in 8 is screening at Five Flavours Asian Film Festival
The inspiration behind the movie came from special-effects wizard Shinji Higuchi, who initiated an online challenge titled Kaiju Defeat Covid, where the idea was to catch an invisible monster, fuse it with your own Godzilla toy monster, and send the strengthened creature to crush the virus. Higuchi even put an instruction video on Youtube and Iwai took up the idea and turn it into a 12-part internet...
- 11/27/2021
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
As part of the “Lost Future”-series, which is one of the many facets of BFI Japan, there will be a screening of Shunji Iwai’s “All About Lily Chou-Chou”, which hasn’t been screened since its UK debut in 2001.
The movie shows us a group of teenagers who meet online after becoming obsessed with a J-Pop starlet (Lily Chou-Chou) and it explores the onset of online communities in the early internet era of the millennium. It is a very dark and emotional story as well as visually interesting, as a quite dazzling early foray into digital cinematography.
Screening as part of #BFIJapan, see Shunji Iwai’s All About Lily Chou-Chou at the @lost__futures 20th Anniversary Screening, Weds 10th Nov at the @ThePCCLondon. Tickets: https://bit.ly/LF007EMBERZ...
The movie shows us a group of teenagers who meet online after becoming obsessed with a J-Pop starlet (Lily Chou-Chou) and it explores the onset of online communities in the early internet era of the millennium. It is a very dark and emotional story as well as visually interesting, as a quite dazzling early foray into digital cinematography.
Screening as part of #BFIJapan, see Shunji Iwai’s All About Lily Chou-Chou at the @lost__futures 20th Anniversary Screening, Weds 10th Nov at the @ThePCCLondon. Tickets: https://bit.ly/LF007EMBERZ...
- 11/2/2021
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
Stars: Kaori Fuji, Takako Matsu, Seiichi Tanabe | Written and Directed by Shunji Iwai
Even though I’d call myself a fan of Asian cinema, the reality is, if it isn’t horror or animated, I probably haven’t seen it. So I was thrilled to get the chance to watch 1998’s April Story at this year’s Fantasia Fest.
On the face of things, April Story is a very simple movie and not a whole lot happens. In Spring a girl, Uzuki Nireno, leaves the island of Hikkaido and her home town to attend University in Tokyo. And that’s kinda the whole story. We follow her as she struggles a little with being out of her comfort zone and the city not being quite as fantastic as she hoped.
But this is not a sad story, far from it. We see her loneliness and anxiety in new situations but...
Even though I’d call myself a fan of Asian cinema, the reality is, if it isn’t horror or animated, I probably haven’t seen it. So I was thrilled to get the chance to watch 1998’s April Story at this year’s Fantasia Fest.
On the face of things, April Story is a very simple movie and not a whole lot happens. In Spring a girl, Uzuki Nireno, leaves the island of Hikkaido and her home town to attend University in Tokyo. And that’s kinda the whole story. We follow her as she struggles a little with being out of her comfort zone and the city not being quite as fantastic as she hoped.
But this is not a sad story, far from it. We see her loneliness and anxiety in new situations but...
- 8/26/2021
- by Alain Elliott
- Nerdly
Shunji Iwai made his feature debut in 1995 with “Love Letter” after a career directing music videos. It is a film that has some brilliant moments of filmmaking from someone who clearly knows their craft, though the music video influence can also grate and annoy at times. After a previous idol group documentary (“How to Forget Sadness: Documentary of Nogizaka46” (2015)), Takeshi Maruyama likewise switches from directing music videos to feature films with his ambitious ensemble piece “Spaghetti Code Love”.
Spaghetti Code Love is screening at Japan Cuts
Taking its name from unstructured source code, this is a number of separate stories of the lives of various young Tokyoites as they struggle to cope with love and life in the modern-day metropolis. There is a struggling musician who pines for her ex who now beds a high-class escort; a young photographer who falters at his big break, while having to fend off...
Spaghetti Code Love is screening at Japan Cuts
Taking its name from unstructured source code, this is a number of separate stories of the lives of various young Tokyoites as they struggle to cope with love and life in the modern-day metropolis. There is a struggling musician who pines for her ex who now beds a high-class escort; a young photographer who falters at his big break, while having to fend off...
- 8/25/2021
- by Andrew Thayne
- AsianMoviePulse
What do you do when you country experiences the devastating consequences of nuclear war? Introduce Godzilla. Japan has always found ways of using art – and monsters – to enable it to cope with existential threats. So when film director Shunji Iwai found himself living in lockdown and faced with the threat of Covid-19, he – together with a small group of artists led by co-writer and special effects designer Shinji Higuchi – decided to mount a fightback. How do you fight a monster like Covid-19? You need a special force of kaiju. Where do they come from? You buy them online – as with anything ese you need – and then hatch and nurture them at home.
As fans of kaiju movies will appreciate, raising them right is very important if they are to become friends and not foes. In this pseudo-documentary, created using home videos and recorded Zoom...
As fans of kaiju movies will appreciate, raising them right is very important if they are to become friends and not foes. In this pseudo-documentary, created using home videos and recorded Zoom...
- 8/24/2021
- by Jennie Kermode
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
The U.S. lineup for films coming to Mubi this September has been announced, featuring some of my personal favorites of the last few years, notably Philippe Lesage’s severely overlooked coming-of-age drama Genesis, John Gianvito’s Helen Keller documentary Her Socialist Smile, Joe DeNardo, Paul Felten’s formally thrilling Slow Machine, and Robert Greene’s documentary Bisbee ’17, as well as Jia Zhangke’s latest release Swimming Out Till the Sea Turns Blue.
Also in the lineup is Bill Forsyth’s delightful Gregory’s Girl, Ari Folman’s hybrid feature The Congress, and Manoel de Oliveira’s Visit, or Memories and Confession, which was made in 1982, and only allowed to screen after his death.
See the lineup below and get 30 days free here.
September 1 | Yellow Cat | Adilkhan Yerzhanov | Festival Focus: Venice
September 2 | Visit, or Memories and Confessions | Manoel de Oliveira | Rediscovered
September 3 | Slow Machine | Joe DeNardo, Paul Felten | Mubi Spotlight
September...
Also in the lineup is Bill Forsyth’s delightful Gregory’s Girl, Ari Folman’s hybrid feature The Congress, and Manoel de Oliveira’s Visit, or Memories and Confession, which was made in 1982, and only allowed to screen after his death.
See the lineup below and get 30 days free here.
September 1 | Yellow Cat | Adilkhan Yerzhanov | Festival Focus: Venice
September 2 | Visit, or Memories and Confessions | Manoel de Oliveira | Rediscovered
September 3 | Slow Machine | Joe DeNardo, Paul Felten | Mubi Spotlight
September...
- 8/21/2021
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Shunji Iwai always thrived in the portrayal of youths in various transitional stages of their life, with a significant part of his filmography focusing on this topic. “April Story” is another testament to the fact, although in a much tamer fashion than the majority of his work, which did not forbid it, however, from winning the audience award in Busan in 1998.
“April Story” is screening at Fantasia International Film Festival
Uzuki Nireno is a genuine country bumpkin from northern Hokkaido, who has just moved to Tokyo to study in the university. Adapting however, is not particularly easy, and the girl finds herself, either helping when not needed, interacting with men who seem anything but normal, and being pushed by a quirky girl in her classroom, the only one who wants to hang with her, into joining an air fishing club, presided by Fukatsu, an equally quirky young man. As time passes,...
“April Story” is screening at Fantasia International Film Festival
Uzuki Nireno is a genuine country bumpkin from northern Hokkaido, who has just moved to Tokyo to study in the university. Adapting however, is not particularly easy, and the girl finds herself, either helping when not needed, interacting with men who seem anything but normal, and being pushed by a quirky girl in her classroom, the only one who wants to hang with her, into joining an air fishing club, presided by Fukatsu, an equally quirky young man. As time passes,...
- 8/8/2021
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Fantasia Film Review: Fireworks, Should We See It from the Side or the Bottom? (1993) by Shunji Iwai
16th episode of the TV series “If”, “Fireworks, Should We See It from the Side or the Bottom?” was Shunji Iwai’s first work to garner attention, netting him a New Director Award from the Director’s Guild of Japan. The film was eventually adapted into a highly successful anime in 2017.
“Fireworks, Should We See It from the Side or the Bottom?” is screening at Fantasia International Film Festival
It is the end of the elementary school year, right before a festival taking place in the area, which features a show of fireworks. A group of sixth graders are having an argument: are fireworks round, or flat? Do they change if we watch them from the side, or the bottom? The argument gets more and more heated, and eventually bets are placed. In the meanwhile, two of the group, Norimichi and Yosuke, meet their mutual object of passion, Nazuna, at the school pool.
“Fireworks, Should We See It from the Side or the Bottom?” is screening at Fantasia International Film Festival
It is the end of the elementary school year, right before a festival taking place in the area, which features a show of fireworks. A group of sixth graders are having an argument: are fireworks round, or flat? Do they change if we watch them from the side, or the bottom? The argument gets more and more heated, and eventually bets are placed. In the meanwhile, two of the group, Norimichi and Yosuke, meet their mutual object of passion, Nazuna, at the school pool.
- 8/5/2021
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
The Fantasia International Film Festival announces a massive new assortment of feature films for its 25th edition, along with details on scheduled panels, talks, tributes, special events, and our esteemed juries. On top of our impressive virtual slate of films, all geo-locked to Canada, and in addition to our globally accessible streamed events, the upcoming festival will also feature a limited number of in-person screenings in Montreal.
Fantasia begins August 5th with the World Premiere of Quebec zombie feature Brain Freeze— following the August 4th special event screening of James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad in celebration of the festival— and ends on August 25th with newly announced closing film, Takashi Miike’s hotly-anticipated The Great Yokai War – Guardians.
Takashi Miike Closes Out Fantasia 2021 With The Great Yokai War – Guardians
The honour of Closing Film belongs to the great Takashi Miike, a constant yet always surprising presence in the festival’s long history.
Fantasia begins August 5th with the World Premiere of Quebec zombie feature Brain Freeze— following the August 4th special event screening of James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad in celebration of the festival— and ends on August 25th with newly announced closing film, Takashi Miike’s hotly-anticipated The Great Yokai War – Guardians.
Takashi Miike Closes Out Fantasia 2021 With The Great Yokai War – Guardians
The honour of Closing Film belongs to the great Takashi Miike, a constant yet always surprising presence in the festival’s long history.
- 7/24/2021
- by Rhythm Zaveri
- AsianMoviePulse
Fantasia 2021 will run from August 5th to the 25th. A great number of films will be available to watch on-demand on the Festival’s virtual streaming platform (powered by Festival Scope and Shift72). Some virtual screenings will be scheduled at a specific date and time, check out the website to know when to tune in! Several films will be shown in person at Montreal’s Cinéma Impérial, Cinéma du Musée, or outdoors at Place de la Paix. Click here to see which ones! All panels, talks, masterclasses and special events will once again be completely free and accessible worldwide on Zoom or YouTube.
You can buy a Festival Passport Here. Please check the Official Website for more info.
Here are, in alphabetical order, all the Asian Films:
The 12 Day Tale Of The Monster That Died In 8 | Japan Dir: Shunji Iwai
North American Premiere
Shunji Iwai’s latest is a delightfully...
You can buy a Festival Passport Here. Please check the Official Website for more info.
Here are, in alphabetical order, all the Asian Films:
The 12 Day Tale Of The Monster That Died In 8 | Japan Dir: Shunji Iwai
North American Premiere
Shunji Iwai’s latest is a delightfully...
- 7/22/2021
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
The Great Yokai War: Guardians
The final titles were added to this year's Fantasia line-up today, and it was revealed that the festival will close with The Great Yokai War: Guardians. Helmed by Takashi Miike, it sees Japanese demons going head to head in a battle on which the fate of the world could depend.
Other freshly added highlights include the brutal puppet mayhem of Frank And Zed, and unforgettable English documentary Alien On Stage.
The festival team also revealed today that they will be presenting writer, director and video artist Shunji Iwai with a Career Achievement award, recognising his 30 years of distinctive contributions to cinema. His latest work, The 12 Day Tale Of The Monster That Died In 8, will be screening as part of this year's line-up along with earlier works April Story, All About Lily Chou-Chou and Fireworks, Should We See It From The Side Or The Bottom?
Also receiving an award.
The final titles were added to this year's Fantasia line-up today, and it was revealed that the festival will close with The Great Yokai War: Guardians. Helmed by Takashi Miike, it sees Japanese demons going head to head in a battle on which the fate of the world could depend.
Other freshly added highlights include the brutal puppet mayhem of Frank And Zed, and unforgettable English documentary Alien On Stage.
The festival team also revealed today that they will be presenting writer, director and video artist Shunji Iwai with a Career Achievement award, recognising his 30 years of distinctive contributions to cinema. His latest work, The 12 Day Tale Of The Monster That Died In 8, will be screening as part of this year's line-up along with earlier works April Story, All About Lily Chou-Chou and Fireworks, Should We See It From The Side Or The Bottom?
Also receiving an award.
- 7/21/2021
- by Jennie Kermode
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Masterclasses and special awards for Stephen Sayadian, Phil Tippett, Shunji Iwai.
Takashi Miike’s The Great Yokai War – Guardians will close Fantasia International Film Festival (August 5-25), which festival heads have turned into a hybrid event after adding a limited roster of in-person screenings in Montreal.
Japanese horror specialist Miike’s sequel to his family fantasy epic and Fantasia 2006 opener The Great Yokai War gets its international premiere and centres on a battle between Japanese monsters that will determine the fate of the world.
Paul Andrew Williams’s (London To Brighton) UK crime thriller Bull is among world premieres in...
Takashi Miike’s The Great Yokai War – Guardians will close Fantasia International Film Festival (August 5-25), which festival heads have turned into a hybrid event after adding a limited roster of in-person screenings in Montreal.
Japanese horror specialist Miike’s sequel to his family fantasy epic and Fantasia 2006 opener The Great Yokai War gets its international premiere and centres on a battle between Japanese monsters that will determine the fate of the world.
Paul Andrew Williams’s (London To Brighton) UK crime thriller Bull is among world premieres in...
- 7/21/2021
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Shunji Iwai graduated from Yokohama National University in 1987. He wrote and directed numerous music videos, commercials and television dramas before he moved to cinema. His TV drama Fireworks, Should We See It From the Side or the Bottom? (1993) earned him the Director’s Guild of Japan New Directors Award. He made his feature film debut Love Letter in 1995. Swallowtail Butterfly (1996) was nominated for the Golden St. George at Moscow International Film Festival. Vampire (2011) marked Iwai’s English-language film debut and was nominated for the Sundance Grand Jury Prize. For his 2016 film A Bride for Rip van Winkle, he was inspired by internet dating. The film was released in multiple versions, including a six-episode television series. In 2016, he also received a Star Asia Lifetime Achievement Award at New York Asian Film Festival. Besides directing, he has written several essays, novels and screenplays, as well as composing the soundtrack for seven of his films.
- 6/12/2021
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
In a departure, Japan’s Shin-Ei Animation, the studio behind two of the biggest anime TV franchises ever, “Doraemon” and “Crayon Shin-chan,” is teaming with France’s Miyu Productions to co-produce “Ghost Cat Anzu,” an auteurist animated feature film.
Directed by Japan’s Nobuhiro Yamashita and Yoko Kuno, “Ghost Cat Anzu” also marks the latest expansive move by Miyu, a major French force for years in graduate and professional short film production and distribution – “Inés” was a standout at last year’s Annecy – which is moving ever more forcefully into feature films, as a producer and sales agent.
Adapting the manga by Takashi Imashiro, “Ghost Cat Anzu” turns on Karin, 11, left by her father at the home of her grandpa, a small town monk living in the Japanese countryside. Her grandfather asks Anza, his ghost cat, to look after her.
The feature draws on the Japanese folklore that cats that...
Directed by Japan’s Nobuhiro Yamashita and Yoko Kuno, “Ghost Cat Anzu” also marks the latest expansive move by Miyu, a major French force for years in graduate and professional short film production and distribution – “Inés” was a standout at last year’s Annecy – which is moving ever more forcefully into feature films, as a producer and sales agent.
Adapting the manga by Takashi Imashiro, “Ghost Cat Anzu” turns on Karin, 11, left by her father at the home of her grandpa, a small town monk living in the Japanese countryside. Her grandfather asks Anza, his ghost cat, to look after her.
The feature draws on the Japanese folklore that cats that...
- 6/9/2021
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
During this pandemic, we have watched and reviewed a rather large number of “quarantine films”, since the creativity of many directors could not be contained due to the lockdown. It is the first time, though, to watch a kaiju one, and a black and white one for that matter, with Shunji Iwai getting particularly creative on how to achieve something like that. First hint? Capsule Kaiju.
The 12 Day Tale of the Monster That Died in 8 is screening at International Film Festival Rotterdam
The inspiration behind the movie came from special-effects wizard Shinji Higuchi, who initiated an online challenge titled Kaiju Defeat Covid, where the idea was to catch an invisible monster, fuse it with your own Godzilla toy monster, and send the strengthened creature to crush the virus. Higuchi even put an instruction video on Youtube and Iwai took up the idea and turn it into a 12-part internet series...
The 12 Day Tale of the Monster That Died in 8 is screening at International Film Festival Rotterdam
The inspiration behind the movie came from special-effects wizard Shinji Higuchi, who initiated an online challenge titled Kaiju Defeat Covid, where the idea was to catch an invisible monster, fuse it with your own Godzilla toy monster, and send the strengthened creature to crush the virus. Higuchi even put an instruction video on Youtube and Iwai took up the idea and turn it into a 12-part internet series...
- 6/5/2021
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
A parasitologist fighting a pandemic finds herself trapped in Tin Can Photo: Fantasia International Film Festival
Following the announcement last month that this year's Fantasia International Film Festival will open with Julien Knafo’s Brain Freeze, the first tranche of titles for the popular Montreal-based event has been revealed. They include Richard Bates' King Knight, which focuses on witchcraft in sunny California, and Mark O'Brien's The Righteous, which charts the impact of a stranger's arrival on a small Newfoundland community.
as usual, there are some treats in store for fans of Japanese cinema, including stylish sequel Kakegurui 2: Ultimate Russian Roulette, Masashi Yamamoto's inventively surreal Wonderful Paradise and Shunji Iwai’s tale of kaiju versus Covid, The 12 Day Tale Of The Monster That Died In 8. Spanish-Basque fable All The Moons brings a touch of class to the vampire genre and those who were seriously creeped out by Rainer Sarnet...
Following the announcement last month that this year's Fantasia International Film Festival will open with Julien Knafo’s Brain Freeze, the first tranche of titles for the popular Montreal-based event has been revealed. They include Richard Bates' King Knight, which focuses on witchcraft in sunny California, and Mark O'Brien's The Righteous, which charts the impact of a stranger's arrival on a small Newfoundland community.
as usual, there are some treats in store for fans of Japanese cinema, including stylish sequel Kakegurui 2: Ultimate Russian Roulette, Masashi Yamamoto's inventively surreal Wonderful Paradise and Shunji Iwai’s tale of kaiju versus Covid, The 12 Day Tale Of The Monster That Died In 8. Spanish-Basque fable All The Moons brings a touch of class to the vampire genre and those who were seriously creeped out by Rainer Sarnet...
- 5/19/2021
- by Jennie Kermode
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Canadian genre festival Fantasia has unveiled the first crop of titles that will screen at its 25th edition, which is set to take place virtually August 5-25.
As per last year, the event will run on a platform created by Festival Scope and Shift72 and will feature screenings, panels and workshops, available to audiences in Canada. Organizers continue to discuss with local authorities about the possibility of adding a limited range of physical events, they said.
This year’s edition will have an enhanced focus on Japanese cinema. Below, the first wave of confirmed titles is listed, with the full program announcement to follow in late July. As previously announced, Fantasia will open with Quebec-set zom-com Brain Freeze.
Fantasia 2021 titles:
The 12 Day Tale Of The Monster That Died In 8
Dir. Shunji Iwai
Japan
North American Premiere
Agnes
Dir. Mickey Reece
USA
International Premiere
All The Moons
Dir. Igor Legarreta
Spain...
As per last year, the event will run on a platform created by Festival Scope and Shift72 and will feature screenings, panels and workshops, available to audiences in Canada. Organizers continue to discuss with local authorities about the possibility of adding a limited range of physical events, they said.
This year’s edition will have an enhanced focus on Japanese cinema. Below, the first wave of confirmed titles is listed, with the full program announcement to follow in late July. As previously announced, Fantasia will open with Quebec-set zom-com Brain Freeze.
Fantasia 2021 titles:
The 12 Day Tale Of The Monster That Died In 8
Dir. Shunji Iwai
Japan
North American Premiere
Agnes
Dir. Mickey Reece
USA
International Premiere
All The Moons
Dir. Igor Legarreta
Spain...
- 5/19/2021
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
Organisers consulting with local Montreal authorities on possibility of limited range of physical events.
Top brass at Fantasia International Film Festival have announced the first wave of films including a focus on Japan for the virtual edition of the 25th anniversary festival that runs August 5-25.
The festival will screen for Canadian audiences on a platform created by Festival Scope and Shift72. Organisers are taking advice from local health authorities in Montreal on the possibility of adding a limited range of physical events.
Japanese selections include Tsutomu Hanabusa’s manga adaptation Kakegurui 2: Ultimate Russian Roulette about a deadly school...
Top brass at Fantasia International Film Festival have announced the first wave of films including a focus on Japan for the virtual edition of the 25th anniversary festival that runs August 5-25.
The festival will screen for Canadian audiences on a platform created by Festival Scope and Shift72. Organisers are taking advice from local health authorities in Montreal on the possibility of adding a limited range of physical events.
Japanese selections include Tsutomu Hanabusa’s manga adaptation Kakegurui 2: Ultimate Russian Roulette about a deadly school...
- 5/19/2021
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
What can we do to fight an invisible enemy like Covid-19? Japanese special-effects wizard Higuchi Shinji thinks we should use our Godzilla toys as magic-conductive tools for this fight, and put an instruction video on YouTube. Shunji Iwai took up the idea and turned it into a 12-part internet series about the way model/actor/director Takumi Saitoh (playing himself) passes his solitary-confinement days by raising three tiny monsters, so-called capsule kaijū: Avigan, Remdesivir and Ivermectin. This is something he and Higuchi remembered from their childhood days, from the well-loved special-effects TV series Ultraseven (1967-68), whose hero also grew little helpers.
What looks at first like a sweet audio-visual jest with masses of in-jokes and references, reveals itself on closer inspection as an existential show of belief in cinema and television, their shared history as a source of magic, and of remembrance and play as forces of healing.
What looks at first like a sweet audio-visual jest with masses of in-jokes and references, reveals itself on closer inspection as an existential show of belief in cinema and television, their shared history as a source of magic, and of remembrance and play as forces of healing.
- 5/13/2021
- by Don Anelli
- AsianMoviePulse
February 12-18, 2021 – the USA only
(February 4, 2021) Chicago, Il – On the day of ‘little’ year that kicks off the official preparation of the new lunar year per Chinese customs, Asian Pop-Up Cinema announces a “Happy Lunar New Year-Watch 7 movies Free” program sponsored by the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in Chicago, February 12-18, 2021. Seven movies are specifically handpicked for people to enjoy while celebrating the Year of the Ox.
Films chosen by the festival’s Founder and Executive Director, Sophia Wong Boccio include recent cinema sensations Ne Zha, China’s top-grossing 3D animated family film inspired by the Chinese legend and lore; award-winning documentary, Four Springs; martial art action The Unity of Heroes; romantic drama Last Letter; a fantasy/comedy, The Island; the box office smash hit, I Belonged to You; and a story of four generations spanning a hundred years of modern Chinese history, Forever Young.
(February 4, 2021) Chicago, Il – On the day of ‘little’ year that kicks off the official preparation of the new lunar year per Chinese customs, Asian Pop-Up Cinema announces a “Happy Lunar New Year-Watch 7 movies Free” program sponsored by the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in Chicago, February 12-18, 2021. Seven movies are specifically handpicked for people to enjoy while celebrating the Year of the Ox.
Films chosen by the festival’s Founder and Executive Director, Sophia Wong Boccio include recent cinema sensations Ne Zha, China’s top-grossing 3D animated family film inspired by the Chinese legend and lore; award-winning documentary, Four Springs; martial art action The Unity of Heroes; romantic drama Last Letter; a fantasy/comedy, The Island; the box office smash hit, I Belonged to You; and a story of four generations spanning a hundred years of modern Chinese history, Forever Young.
- 2/5/2021
- by Adam Symchuk
- AsianMoviePulse
Having a great cast in his hands, Shunji Iwai decided to take a trip down his own cinematic past this time, resulting in a rather nostalgic film that works on a number of levels, but also seems to fail to pack a punch. The script is based on his own novel, while in 2018 he directed a homonymous, Chinese film starring Zhou Xun.
Yuri is a middle-aged mother who has just returned to the area she grew up, along with her daughter, Fuka, to attend the funeral of her older sister, Misaki, who has just died, leaving her own daughter, Ayumi, with her grandmother, since her husband is out of the picture. When an invitation for a class reunion comes to the house, Yuri decides to attend, to inform her sister’s classmates of her death, but finds herself being confused with Misaki, to the point that an old boyfriend of hers,...
Yuri is a middle-aged mother who has just returned to the area she grew up, along with her daughter, Fuka, to attend the funeral of her older sister, Misaki, who has just died, leaving her own daughter, Ayumi, with her grandmother, since her husband is out of the picture. When an invitation for a class reunion comes to the house, Yuri decides to attend, to inform her sister’s classmates of her death, but finds herself being confused with Misaki, to the point that an old boyfriend of hers,...
- 12/20/2020
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
As we have also started to deal with Asian music in Asian Movie Pulse lately, a list that features movie soundtracks was a must. In the entries that follow, we have collected 50 films’ scores that have stayed in our minds and have made us happy, sad, or simply to enjoy ourselves while listening to them. From anime to musicals, from cult to art-house and from dramas to comedies, here is a list with 50 works that define the movies they were included at least as much as their visuals.
*Some movies never had their soundtracks released but we felt that the songs included deserve a mention here. By clicking on the titles you can read our reviews of the films, by clicking on the song titles you can listen the tracks from YouTube.
1. 9 Souls
Dip create intense background music that follows rock and alternative paths, with each of the tracks pointing...
*Some movies never had their soundtracks released but we felt that the songs included deserve a mention here. By clicking on the titles you can read our reviews of the films, by clicking on the song titles you can listen the tracks from YouTube.
1. 9 Souls
Dip create intense background music that follows rock and alternative paths, with each of the tracks pointing...
- 8/25/2020
- by AMP Group
- AsianMoviePulse
Want to impress your date by fighting off her molestor? Wish your stand-up comedy act would bring the house down? Or looking to pack your grumpy grandpa’s funeral with keening mourners? Call “Special Actors,” an agency that supplies performers to help you keep up with the Suzukis — or out-scam your scammers.
The third feature by Shinichiro Ueda, director of Japanese cult zombie comedy “One Cut of the Dead,” is a daffy ensemble trickster comedy with a few “gotcha” twists. Although a year-end 2019 theatrical release in Asia achieved only average gains, festivals that saw roaring crowds at midnight screenings for “One Cut” can still expect return audiences.
“Special Actors” would qualify as thoroughly enjoyable fare were it not such an anticipated follow-up to Ueda’s history-making sleeper, which grossed $31.1 million worldwide, recouping its $25,000 budget more than a thousandfold. But considering the expectations, Nevertheless, it sports a similar meta-narrative that playfully...
The third feature by Shinichiro Ueda, director of Japanese cult zombie comedy “One Cut of the Dead,” is a daffy ensemble trickster comedy with a few “gotcha” twists. Although a year-end 2019 theatrical release in Asia achieved only average gains, festivals that saw roaring crowds at midnight screenings for “One Cut” can still expect return audiences.
“Special Actors” would qualify as thoroughly enjoyable fare were it not such an anticipated follow-up to Ueda’s history-making sleeper, which grossed $31.1 million worldwide, recouping its $25,000 budget more than a thousandfold. But considering the expectations, Nevertheless, it sports a similar meta-narrative that playfully...
- 8/11/2020
- by Maggie Lee
- Variety Film + TV
Digger (2017) By Kengo Yagawa (15.3 Minutes)
There is a fierce competition going on every night in the woods, a secret ritualistic meeting of disenfranchised businessmen. Each armed with a shovel, their challenge is to dig for as long as they can. The nightly competition attracts a nameless and silent protagonist, an office worker who spends his days fantasizing about the act of digging. He must face some fierce competition in order to make it to the top and beat the man who silently watches over the event.
“Digger” is an example that in the world of the absurd, anything can become a competition. This short film, which features no dialogue and a lot of digging is more fun in execution than concept. The late night rituals the men perform in the short makes it feel as if this is just an event that has been and always will be, steeped in...
There is a fierce competition going on every night in the woods, a secret ritualistic meeting of disenfranchised businessmen. Each armed with a shovel, their challenge is to dig for as long as they can. The nightly competition attracts a nameless and silent protagonist, an office worker who spends his days fantasizing about the act of digging. He must face some fierce competition in order to make it to the top and beat the man who silently watches over the event.
“Digger” is an example that in the world of the absurd, anything can become a competition. This short film, which features no dialogue and a lot of digging is more fun in execution than concept. The late night rituals the men perform in the short makes it feel as if this is just an event that has been and always will be, steeped in...
- 7/26/2020
- by Adam Symchuk
- AsianMoviePulse
TV and film production in Japan shut down in early April in reaction to the coronavirus crisis. Since then the Japanese industry has been struggling to adapt to the new normal.
One of the first to pick up his camera — or rather his smartphone — was Shinichiro Ueda, the director of the smash zombie comedy “One Cut of the Dead.” Released on two Tokyo screens in June of 2018, the film went on to earn $29 million – or more than 1,000 times its $25,000 budget.
This April, Ueda reassembled the original cast members to reprise their characters for “Don’t Stop the Camera! Remote Operation!,” a comedy short now on YouTube. They remotely gather to help a beleaguered director (Takayuki Hamatsu), who battled zombies in “One Cut of the Dead,” put together a documentary.
Also quick to adapt was Shinji Higuchi, the co-director of the 2014 megahit “Shin Godzilla.” A longtime fan of kaiju (monsters), Higuchi launched “Kaiju Defeat Covid,...
One of the first to pick up his camera — or rather his smartphone — was Shinichiro Ueda, the director of the smash zombie comedy “One Cut of the Dead.” Released on two Tokyo screens in June of 2018, the film went on to earn $29 million – or more than 1,000 times its $25,000 budget.
This April, Ueda reassembled the original cast members to reprise their characters for “Don’t Stop the Camera! Remote Operation!,” a comedy short now on YouTube. They remotely gather to help a beleaguered director (Takayuki Hamatsu), who battled zombies in “One Cut of the Dead,” put together a documentary.
Also quick to adapt was Shinji Higuchi, the co-director of the 2014 megahit “Shin Godzilla.” A longtime fan of kaiju (monsters), Higuchi launched “Kaiju Defeat Covid,...
- 6/18/2020
- by Mark Schilling
- Variety Film + TV
Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit’s sophomore feature “Mary is Happy, Mary is Happy” is one of the first films based entirely on the twitter feed by an existing user of the platform. Using 410 consecutive tweets by the user @marylony as its inspiration, this Venice Biennale-funded feature tells the universal and relatable story of growing up, falling in love, and moving on while trying to make the ultimate minimal school yearbook.
Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit manages to take the seemingly random tweets by the user @marylony and create a cohesive piece of cinema while staying as authentic as possible to their varying tone. He does this difficult task by creating small vignettes out of sets of tweets, all of which are shown either on a black screen or as subtitles, with each of them ending up showing a different aspect of the multifaceted person that is the original Twitter user, and by extension, the film’s main character.
Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit manages to take the seemingly random tweets by the user @marylony and create a cohesive piece of cinema while staying as authentic as possible to their varying tone. He does this difficult task by creating small vignettes out of sets of tweets, all of which are shown either on a black screen or as subtitles, with each of them ending up showing a different aspect of the multifaceted person that is the original Twitter user, and by extension, the film’s main character.
- 6/10/2020
- by martin
- AsianMoviePulse
When someone talks about the Japanese movie industry in the 00s, inevitably the discussion goes towards anime, which, in the specific decade, accounted for 60% of the local film production. With films like Miyazaki’s “Spirited Away” and the rest of Studio Ghibli’s productions, along with masterpieces from Satoshi Kon, Mamoru Oshii, Katsuhiro Otomo and other great filmmakers, there is no wonder why the 00s were considered “Japanese Cinema’s Second Golden Age”, particularly for the penetration of local films in cinemas around the world.
However, anime were not the only story Japanese cinema had to tell in this decade. Yojiro Takita also won an Oscar, Shinji Aoyama and Naomi Kawase won at Cannes, Hirokazu Koreeda continued his successful festival run, Yoji Yamada made an exceptional trilogy of samurai films, Shunji Iwai directed one of the most critically acclaimed film of the decade, Kinji Fukasaku released his last film and Takeshi Kitano his most successful.
However, anime were not the only story Japanese cinema had to tell in this decade. Yojiro Takita also won an Oscar, Shinji Aoyama and Naomi Kawase won at Cannes, Hirokazu Koreeda continued his successful festival run, Yoji Yamada made an exceptional trilogy of samurai films, Shunji Iwai directed one of the most critically acclaimed film of the decade, Kinji Fukasaku released his last film and Takeshi Kitano his most successful.
- 5/10/2020
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Based on the homonymous short film by Shunji Iwai, “Fireworks” is much more than an adaptation at 90 minutes, and one of the most commercially successful films in Japan for 2017.
The story takes place in a seaside town in a summer day, right before a festival taking place in the area, which features a show of fireworks. Two high school students, Norimichi and Yosuke, meet their mutual object of passion, Nazuna, at the school pool. A swimming race occurs almost immediately, with Yosuke winning, and Norimichi finding a strange fireworks ball in the pool, and Nazuna actually proposing to the former to accompany her on the festival. However, a little later it is revealed that the girl was just going to propose to the winner, and that her actual purpose is to get away from her mother and her new fiance, who plan to move away from the area.
The story takes place in a seaside town in a summer day, right before a festival taking place in the area, which features a show of fireworks. Two high school students, Norimichi and Yosuke, meet their mutual object of passion, Nazuna, at the school pool. A swimming race occurs almost immediately, with Yosuke winning, and Norimichi finding a strange fireworks ball in the pool, and Nazuna actually proposing to the former to accompany her on the festival. However, a little later it is revealed that the girl was just going to propose to the winner, and that her actual purpose is to get away from her mother and her new fiance, who plan to move away from the area.
- 3/25/2020
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
There remains one group we’ve yet to hear from when it comes to the best films of 2019: the directors who made them. IndieWire has reached out to a number of our favorite filmmakers to share their lists and thoughts on what made this year great.
As is advisable with creative people, we gave the directors a great deal of freedom in how they reflected on the year in moving images. What follows is everything ranging from traditional top 10 lists to favorite moments and performances, with lists that span TV, podcasts, and much more.
This is the fourth year IndieWire has done this survey, and what was exciting about this particular group is how many are international, and the wide range of films they celebrated. If you are bored with every end-of-the-year list looking the same, you are in for a treat, as some of the best filmmakers highlight...
As is advisable with creative people, we gave the directors a great deal of freedom in how they reflected on the year in moving images. What follows is everything ranging from traditional top 10 lists to favorite moments and performances, with lists that span TV, podcasts, and much more.
This is the fourth year IndieWire has done this survey, and what was exciting about this particular group is how many are international, and the wide range of films they celebrated. If you are bored with every end-of-the-year list looking the same, you are in for a treat, as some of the best filmmakers highlight...
- 12/30/2019
- by Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
Japanese director Shunji Iwai most recent production “Last Letter” is set for release on January 17, 2020. The films stars Takao Matsuo, as a house wife who receives confession from her first love. Matuso, previously worked with director Shunji Iwai in the 1998 movie “April Story”.
In anticipation of the films release, Toho has made a trailer available, which can be viewed below. Recently, we got a chance to speak with director Shunji Iwai, you can read our interview here.
Synopsis
Yuri Kishibeno (Takako Matsu) is a housewife. She lives with her husband (Hideaki Anno) and their two children. Yuri Kishibeno then attends her sister Misaki Tono’s funeral. There, she meets her niece Ayumi (Suzu Hirose) for the first time in many years. Ayumi is still unable to accept her mother’s death and, because of this, she can’t open a letter left behind by her mother. Yuri Kishibeno attends her...
In anticipation of the films release, Toho has made a trailer available, which can be viewed below. Recently, we got a chance to speak with director Shunji Iwai, you can read our interview here.
Synopsis
Yuri Kishibeno (Takako Matsu) is a housewife. She lives with her husband (Hideaki Anno) and their two children. Yuri Kishibeno then attends her sister Misaki Tono’s funeral. There, she meets her niece Ayumi (Suzu Hirose) for the first time in many years. Ayumi is still unable to accept her mother’s death and, because of this, she can’t open a letter left behind by her mother. Yuri Kishibeno attends her...
- 12/8/2019
- by Adam Symchuk
- AsianMoviePulse
Contemporary Chinese Cinema is a column devoted to exploring contemporary Chinese-language cinema primarily as it is revealed to us at North American multiplexes.Earlier this year, Derek Tsang’s Better Days was abruptly pulled from its intended premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival. One of a number of such high profile cancellations, the withdrawal was supposedly for “technical reasons” but widely assumed to be a last-minute decision by the latest version of China’s film censorship regime, which last year adopted new layers of guidelines and processes to an already-opaque and unpredictable system. Still, the film was apparently approved for commercial release this past summer, when it was to debut both in China and in North America. And then it was cancelled again, three days before its opening. And again, no official reason was given. And then, out of nowhere, on October 22nd it was suddenly announced that the...
- 11/5/2019
- MUBI
One of the most popular and influential Japanese directors of his generation, the multi-talented Shunji Iwai is commonly recognized for his distinctive and innovative visual style. Although describing himself as an “eizo sakka” (visual artist), characters and plot themes are often excellently developed in his films, all of which he has personally scripted. Iwai has also edited several of his films, and has even scored the music for more recent efforts. Often using women protagonists, Iwai has garnered fine performances from Japanese Pop singers in key roles, most notably Miho Nakayama in Love Letter (1995) and Chara in Picnic (1996), Swallowtail Butterfly (1996) and Cocco, in A Bride For Rip Van Winkle. A trend-setter, he has created a style that resonates with Japanese pop culture, striking a chord with contemporary Japanese youth, especially young women.
We speak with him about his career, his latest film, “A Bride for Rip Van Winkle”, Japanese society and other topics.
We speak with him about his career, his latest film, “A Bride for Rip Van Winkle”, Japanese society and other topics.
- 10/12/2019
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
“Love Letter” marks the theatrical debut of Shunji Iwai’s filmmaking career, the director of such critically acclaimed pictures as “Picnic” (1996), “Swallowtail Butterfly” (1996), and “All About Lily Chou-Chou” (2001). It became an immediate hit in the Japanese box-office. Additionally, it was one of the first Japanese productions to be shown in South Korean cinemas since the end of World War II. Among its many prizes, the film won three Japanese Academy Awards in 1996.
Hiroko Watanabe (Miho Nakayama) is a woman living in the city of Kobe. Two years earlier, her fiancé Itsuki Fujii (Takashi Kashiwabara) died in a mountain climbing accident. Still in depression and grief, Hiroko writes a letter to her dead fiancé and sends it to the address she found in his old high-school yearbook. However, it was the wrong Itsuki Fujii she found. The mail reaches Otaru, a northern town far away from Kobe, and...
Hiroko Watanabe (Miho Nakayama) is a woman living in the city of Kobe. Two years earlier, her fiancé Itsuki Fujii (Takashi Kashiwabara) died in a mountain climbing accident. Still in depression and grief, Hiroko writes a letter to her dead fiancé and sends it to the address she found in his old high-school yearbook. However, it was the wrong Itsuki Fujii she found. The mail reaches Otaru, a northern town far away from Kobe, and...
- 8/27/2019
- by Oliver Ebisuno
- AsianMoviePulse
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