The Japanese girl group Atarashii Gakko! has released their newest song, “Tokyo Calling,” a spectacular harmony with humorous lyrics about saving the citizens of Japan from being trapped in continuous monotony in their daily lives. It is a marvelous banger and is further enriched by its satirical commentary on Japanese society. Another appealing aspect of the song, in addition to the lyrics and the vocals of Mizyu, Suzuka, Rin, and Kanon, is the melody that blends modern J-pop and rap elements with traditional orchestral compositions in the same vein as composers like Akira Ifukube and Shiro Sagisu.
Uploaded on the YouTube channel of music company 88rising, Pennacky directs the official music video full of visual gags while also being a love letter to the art form of tokusatsu, prominently paying tribute to the “Ultraman” franchise and even with an added layer of film grain and camerawork reminiscent of filmmakers such...
Uploaded on the YouTube channel of music company 88rising, Pennacky directs the official music video full of visual gags while also being a love letter to the art form of tokusatsu, prominently paying tribute to the “Ultraman” franchise and even with an added layer of film grain and camerawork reminiscent of filmmakers such...
- 10/23/2023
- by Sean Barry
- AsianMoviePulse
Among the many films produced and distributed by Art Theatre Guild, the body of work of director Kazuo Kuroki remains one of the most interesting. While it never reached the same kind of attention than the features of his peers such as Nagisa Oshima and Akio Jissoji, his projects dealing with the psychological landscape of Japan after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are some of the best the company ever produced. Similar to the aforementioned directors, his time of Atg was also defined by stories which involved a critical view on Japanese society, especially the relation of people and authority, of crime and police, which is quite evident in his 1970 feature “Evil Spirits of Japan”.
Follow our coverage of Atg by clicking on the link below
The story revolves around two men: a yakuza named Murase and a policeman by the name of Ochiai (both played by Kei Sato...
Follow our coverage of Atg by clicking on the link below
The story revolves around two men: a yakuza named Murase and a policeman by the name of Ochiai (both played by Kei Sato...
- 8/31/2023
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
The dark fantasy “Flashback Before Death” is the directorial debut of composer Hiroyuki Onogawa, who is best known for his collaborations with Sogo Ishii, and his wife Rii Ishihara. Set in 1930s Japan, the director tells an eerie story about death and sorrow.
Flashback Before Death is screening at Japan Cuts
After completing his studies in France to become a translator, Kikuo, played by Masatoshi Kihara, returns home to his sister Tsuruha (Hanae Seike). It is a stormy and gloomy night as she embraces him at the door and leads him to a dinner table with a creepy doll. The audience is also kept in the dark about the main plot points and has to gather hints to make sense of the events. The doll used to be Tsuruha's child and was named Hinano. Due to a disability, she had to suffer a lot and was longing for death. Hinano's...
Flashback Before Death is screening at Japan Cuts
After completing his studies in France to become a translator, Kikuo, played by Masatoshi Kihara, returns home to his sister Tsuruha (Hanae Seike). It is a stormy and gloomy night as she embraces him at the door and leads him to a dinner table with a creepy doll. The audience is also kept in the dark about the main plot points and has to gather hints to make sense of the events. The doll used to be Tsuruha's child and was named Hinano. Due to a disability, she had to suffer a lot and was longing for death. Hinano's...
- 8/3/2023
- by Alexander Knoth
- AsianMoviePulse
Mubi has announced its lineup of streaming offerings for next month, including an epic six-film series dedicated to the brand new restorations of the films of Nina Menkes. The slate also includes a Brian De Palma double bill with Obsession and Body Double as well as Paul Schrader’s Hardcore.
Additional highlights include the Andrea Riseborough-led Please Baby Please, three films by Eugene Kotlyarenko, a Ghost in the Shell double bill, and, ahead of their release of Passages later this year, Ira Sach’s Little Men.
Check out the lineup below and get 30 days free here.
March 1 – Glass Life, directed by Sara Cwynar | Brief Encounters
March 2 – The Great Sadness of Zohara, directed by Nina Menkes | Phantom Cinema: The Films of Nina Menkes
March 3 – Please Baby Please, directed by Amanda Kramer | Mubi Spotlight
March 4 – Hardcore, directed by Paul Schrader
March 5 – Kedi, directed by Ceyda Torun
March 6 – Magdalena Viraga, directed by...
Additional highlights include the Andrea Riseborough-led Please Baby Please, three films by Eugene Kotlyarenko, a Ghost in the Shell double bill, and, ahead of their release of Passages later this year, Ira Sach’s Little Men.
Check out the lineup below and get 30 days free here.
March 1 – Glass Life, directed by Sara Cwynar | Brief Encounters
March 2 – The Great Sadness of Zohara, directed by Nina Menkes | Phantom Cinema: The Films of Nina Menkes
March 3 – Please Baby Please, directed by Amanda Kramer | Mubi Spotlight
March 4 – Hardcore, directed by Paul Schrader
March 5 – Kedi, directed by Ceyda Torun
March 6 – Magdalena Viraga, directed by...
- 2/21/2023
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
Mubi has announced its lineup of streaming offerings for next month, including Carla Simón’s Golden Bear winner Alcarràs, Ruth Beckermann’s Mutzenbacher, a series celebrating Black cinema with works from Charles Burnett, Julie Dash, Ephraim Asili, Bill Duke, and more.
Additional highlights include Sarah Polley’s Away From Her, Richard Linklater’s Before Midnight, Albert Brooks’ Modern Romance, Bong Joon Ho’s The Host, Lars von Trier’s Nymphomaniac, shorts by Emilija Škarnulytė, and the beginning of a series spotlighting Akio Jissoji’s Buddhist Trilogy.
Check out the lineup below and get 30 days free here.
February 1 – Softie, directed by Samuel Theis | From France with Love
February 2 – The Sleeping Negro, directed by Skinner Myers
February 3 – Before Midnight, directed by Richard Linklater
February 4 – To Sleep with Anger, directed by Charles Burnett
February 5 – Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, directed by Stanley Kramer | Performers We Love
February 6 – Aphotic Zone, directed by Emilija...
Additional highlights include Sarah Polley’s Away From Her, Richard Linklater’s Before Midnight, Albert Brooks’ Modern Romance, Bong Joon Ho’s The Host, Lars von Trier’s Nymphomaniac, shorts by Emilija Škarnulytė, and the beginning of a series spotlighting Akio Jissoji’s Buddhist Trilogy.
Check out the lineup below and get 30 days free here.
February 1 – Softie, directed by Samuel Theis | From France with Love
February 2 – The Sleeping Negro, directed by Skinner Myers
February 3 – Before Midnight, directed by Richard Linklater
February 4 – To Sleep with Anger, directed by Charles Burnett
February 5 – Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, directed by Stanley Kramer | Performers We Love
February 6 – Aphotic Zone, directed by Emilija...
- 1/19/2023
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Akio Jissoji: The Buddhist Trilogy will be available on Blu-ray August 20th from Arrow Academy
Akio Jissôji created a rich and diverse body of work during his five decades in Japan s film and television industries. For some, he is best-known for his science-fiction: the 1960s TV series Ultraman and 1998 s box-office success Tokyo: The Last Megalopolis. For others, it is his 1990s adaptations of horror and mystery novelist Edogawa Rampo, such as Watcher in the Attic and Murder on D Street. And then there are his New Wave films for the Art Theatre Guild, three of which This Transient Life, Mandara and Poem, forming The Buddhist Trilogy are collected here.
Winner of the Golden Leopard award at the 1970 Locarno Film Festival, This Transient Life is among the Art Theatre Guild s most successful and most controversial productions. The film concerns a brother and sister from a rich family who...
Akio Jissôji created a rich and diverse body of work during his five decades in Japan s film and television industries. For some, he is best-known for his science-fiction: the 1960s TV series Ultraman and 1998 s box-office success Tokyo: The Last Megalopolis. For others, it is his 1990s adaptations of horror and mystery novelist Edogawa Rampo, such as Watcher in the Attic and Murder on D Street. And then there are his New Wave films for the Art Theatre Guild, three of which This Transient Life, Mandara and Poem, forming The Buddhist Trilogy are collected here.
Winner of the Golden Leopard award at the 1970 Locarno Film Festival, This Transient Life is among the Art Theatre Guild s most successful and most controversial productions. The film concerns a brother and sister from a rich family who...
- 7/16/2019
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Akio Jissôji created a rich and diverse body of work during his five decades in Japan’s film and television industries. For some, he is best-known for his science-fiction: the 1960s TV series “Ultraman” and 1988’s box-office success “Tokyo: The Last Megalopolis”. For others, it is his 1990s adaptations of horror and mystery novelist Edogawa Rampo, such as Watcher in the Attic and Murder on D Street. And then there are his New Wave films for the Art Theatre Guild, three of which – “This Transient Life“, “Mandara” and “Poem”, forming “The Buddhist Trilogy” – are collected here.
Winner of the Golden Leopard award at the 1970 Locarno Film Festival, “This Transient Life” is among the Art Theatre Guild’s most successful – and most controversial – productions. The film concerns a brother and sister from a rich family who defy the expectations placed on them: he has little interest in further...
Winner of the Golden Leopard award at the 1970 Locarno Film Festival, “This Transient Life” is among the Art Theatre Guild’s most successful – and most controversial – productions. The film concerns a brother and sister from a rich family who defy the expectations placed on them: he has little interest in further...
- 5/18/2019
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
Akio Jissôji created a rich and diverse body of work during his five decades in Japan’s film and television industries. For some, he is best-known for his science-fiction: the 1960s TV series Ultraman and 1998’s box-office success Tokyo: The Last Megalopolis. For others, it is his 1990s adaptations of horror and mystery novelist Edogawa Rampo, such as Watcher in the Attic and Murder on D Street. And then there are his New Wave films for the Art Theatre Guild, three of which – This Transient Life, Mandara and Poem, forming The Buddhist Trilogy – are collected here.
Winner of the Golden Leopard award at the 1970 Locarno Film Festival, This Transient Life is among the Art Theatre Guild’s most successful – and most controversial – productions. The film concerns a brother and sister from a rich family who defy the expectations placed on them: he has little interest in further education or his father’s business,...
Winner of the Golden Leopard award at the 1970 Locarno Film Festival, This Transient Life is among the Art Theatre Guild’s most successful – and most controversial – productions. The film concerns a brother and sister from a rich family who defy the expectations placed on them: he has little interest in further education or his father’s business,...
- 5/22/2018
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
Present at the festival with her fun, flashy and energetic film The Pinkie, was Japanese director Lisa Takeba. After making some short films, The Pinkie is her first feature film. Next to filmmaking, Takeba wrote the scenario of a Nintendo DS videogame and also writes novels for mobile phones. I met up with Takeba-san in the press room of the festival to ask her some questions about her new film and what the process of making a motion picture is like to her.
How is the festival up to now?
It is fun! This year, last year as well, it is a lot of fun.
If you compare it to your last visit here, is it a different experience?
Last year I was here with a short film (Wandering Alien Detective Robin, which you can view here). Also different from last year is that my film has more screenings this time,...
How is the festival up to now?
It is fun! This year, last year as well, it is a lot of fun.
If you compare it to your last visit here, is it a different experience?
Last year I was here with a short film (Wandering Alien Detective Robin, which you can view here). Also different from last year is that my film has more screenings this time,...
- 3/10/2014
- by Thor
- AsianMoviePulse
You have to be 18 or older to see You Killed Me First, which, according to the Kw Institute of Contemporary Art, is the first exhibition on the Cinema of Transgression. There'll be a talk with Nick Zedd on Tuesday evening, followed by another with Richard Kern on Wednesday. The exhibition's opened this weekend and will be on view through April 9.
Also in Berlin, and starting tomorrow, the Arsenal will be screening a selection of titles from the Forum program at this year's just-wrapped Berlinale. Eleven films over eleven evenings, beginning with the three films by Yuzo Kawashima, The Sun in the Last Days of the Shogunate (1957), Suzaki Paradise: Red Light (1956) and Between Yesterday and Tomorrow (1954), and ending with the two restorations of films by Shirley Clarke, Ornette: Made in America (1984) and The Connection (1961).
Next week, the Arsenal wraps its series of films by Ulrike Ottinger by screening her Berlin Trilogy...
Also in Berlin, and starting tomorrow, the Arsenal will be screening a selection of titles from the Forum program at this year's just-wrapped Berlinale. Eleven films over eleven evenings, beginning with the three films by Yuzo Kawashima, The Sun in the Last Days of the Shogunate (1957), Suzaki Paradise: Red Light (1956) and Between Yesterday and Tomorrow (1954), and ending with the two restorations of films by Shirley Clarke, Ornette: Made in America (1984) and The Connection (1961).
Next week, the Arsenal wraps its series of films by Ulrike Ottinger by screening her Berlin Trilogy...
- 2/19/2012
- MUBI
After Nikkatsu killed off roman poruno, the studio came back with a softer line of movies under the rubric of Ropponica. One of the early titles in the series was Akio Jissoji’s Marquis De Sade’s Prosperities of Vice, which was released in 1988. As is evident from Mondo Macabro’s new English-subtitled DVD, Prosperities of Vice is a visually arresting film that maintains an artful edge while avoiding the rough bloodymindedness that characterized late-era roman poruno.
In the film, a decadent count in 1920s Japan becomes obsessed with the Marquis de Sade. He creates a theater to stage adaptations of de Sade’s works, including Justine and Juliette, using ex-criminals as actors. The count lures one of the actors into a private fantasy involving his wife, which leads to real-life treachery that mirrors de Sade’s fictional works.
In the film, a decadent count in 1920s Japan becomes obsessed with the Marquis de Sade. He creates a theater to stage adaptations of de Sade’s works, including Justine and Juliette, using ex-criminals as actors. The count lures one of the actors into a private fantasy involving his wife, which leads to real-life treachery that mirrors de Sade’s fictional works.
- 8/6/2009
- by Rodney Perkins
- Screen Anarchy
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