There’s something about a doppelganger that feels uniquely cinematic. A person who looks like you, thinks like you, and maybe even lives like you has always been a subject of fascination and dread in literature and philosophy, a concept that raises questions about individuality and the collective. But on the screen, seeing the effect of one person mimicked and duplicated proves all the more uncanny and unnerving. Science fiction, horror, and a multitude of other genres have used duality as a means to terrify, unsettle, and provoke.
And then, of course, there’s the acting challenge. For an experienced actor or an up-and-comer alike, playing dual roles is the ultimate flex, a way to show your range in a single project. Whether playing twins or identical strangers, an actor who takes on a dual role has to manage the trick of being both an individual and a duo, of...
And then, of course, there’s the acting challenge. For an experienced actor or an up-and-comer alike, playing dual roles is the ultimate flex, a way to show your range in a single project. Whether playing twins or identical strangers, an actor who takes on a dual role has to manage the trick of being both an individual and a duo, of...
- 4/19/2024
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
Legal drama A Guilty Conscience took the top award for best film at this year’s Hong Kong Film Awards, while crime thriller The Goldfinger was the biggest winner overall with six prizes, including best actor for Tony Leung Chiu-wai.
A Guilty Conscience, produced by Edko Films, holds the record for the highest-grossing Hong Kong film ever with a gross of around $15M. It tells the story of a lawyer trying to free a client convicted due to his own negligence, who has to go up against one of Hong Kong’s most powerful business families.
Emperor Motion Pictures’ The Goldfinger, about one of Hong Kong’s biggest financial scandals, also picked up awards for best cinematography, best art direction, best costume and make-up design, best sound design and best visual effects.
In Broad Daylight, about a reporter exposing cases of abuse in a care home, scooped three acting awards for actress Jennifer Yu,...
A Guilty Conscience, produced by Edko Films, holds the record for the highest-grossing Hong Kong film ever with a gross of around $15M. It tells the story of a lawyer trying to free a client convicted due to his own negligence, who has to go up against one of Hong Kong’s most powerful business families.
Emperor Motion Pictures’ The Goldfinger, about one of Hong Kong’s biggest financial scandals, also picked up awards for best cinematography, best art direction, best costume and make-up design, best sound design and best visual effects.
In Broad Daylight, about a reporter exposing cases of abuse in a care home, scooped three acting awards for actress Jennifer Yu,...
- 4/15/2024
- by Liz Shackleton
- Deadline Film + TV
“Kagemusha” is one of the best films Akira Kurosawa ever shot and is considered one of the definite masterpieces of world cinema. However, its production was one of the most difficult accomplishments in the master's filmography. Initially, the film was not considered financially viable, and it took the influence of both George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola to get additional funds for it to be completed, since Toho, the initial production company, had given up on the film. However, the problems continued during the shooting, with probably the most significant being that Kurosawa had to replace Shintaro Katsu, who was originally cast as Takeda Shingen, with Tatsuya Nakadai, after the two of them had a falling out. The production faced many additional problems, but Kurosawa eventually managed to complete the movie, with its premiere taking place in Tokyo. His struggles, however, paid off, since “Kagemusha” was a huge hit both critically and financially.
- 2/27/2024
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
“High and Low” received nominations for the Golden Lion at the 24th Venice Film Festival, and the Best Foreign Film at the 21st Golden Globe Awards. It was also awarded at the Mainichi Film Awards for the Best Film, and for the Best Screenplay. Upon its release in Japan, it earned approximately $1.3 million and became the top-grossing film of 1963.
on Amazon by clicking on the image below
The script, written by Akira Kurosawa, Hideo Oguni, Eijiro Hisaita, and Ryuzo Kikushima, is loosely based on Evan Hunter's novel from 1959, “King's Ransom”. Toho, the film company that Kurosawa was working with at the time, acquired the film rights for $5,000. The first half of the story revolves around Kingo Gondo (Toshiro Mifune), a board member of a Japanese shoe company, facing a critical dilemma. He must decide whether to use his considerable wealth to secure executive control in the company or help his chauffeur,...
on Amazon by clicking on the image below
The script, written by Akira Kurosawa, Hideo Oguni, Eijiro Hisaita, and Ryuzo Kikushima, is loosely based on Evan Hunter's novel from 1959, “King's Ransom”. Toho, the film company that Kurosawa was working with at the time, acquired the film rights for $5,000. The first half of the story revolves around Kingo Gondo (Toshiro Mifune), a board member of a Japanese shoe company, facing a critical dilemma. He must decide whether to use his considerable wealth to secure executive control in the company or help his chauffeur,...
- 2/6/2024
- by Tobiasz Dunin
- AsianMoviePulse
“Goyokin,” which translates to “Official God,” is perhaps Hideo Gosha's finest film. Written by Gosha and Kei Tasaka, many of the director's regular players, including Tatsuya Nakadai and Tetsuro Tamba, star here. Toshiro Mifune was initially cast as the character Samon Fujimaki. However, production difficulties resulted in him being replaced by Kinnosuke Nakamura. “Goyokin” was a critical and financial hit upon release and remains a highly regarded piece of Japanese cinema.
on Amazon by clicking on the image below
In snowy feudal Japan, Sado Island is home to gold mines that provide riches offered to the Tokugawa clan via ship delivery, which can be jeopardized due to poor weather on the waters. Meanwhile, a reclusive samurai named Magobei Wakizaka wanders, clearly troubled by something. The ronin finds himself the target of an assassination attempt, which he survives. He learns this attack was orchestrated by his former clan master,...
on Amazon by clicking on the image below
In snowy feudal Japan, Sado Island is home to gold mines that provide riches offered to the Tokugawa clan via ship delivery, which can be jeopardized due to poor weather on the waters. Meanwhile, a reclusive samurai named Magobei Wakizaka wanders, clearly troubled by something. The ronin finds himself the target of an assassination attempt, which he survives. He learns this attack was orchestrated by his former clan master,...
- 1/17/2024
- by Sean Barry
- AsianMoviePulse
Winning Best Actor at Cannes for Wim Wenders’ “Perfect Days” (Neon) was a surprise for veteran Japanese star Koji Yakusho (“Shall We Dance?”). “I’m a very lucky man,” he told IndieWire on Zoom. And when he and Wenders heard that “Perfect Days,” despite its German director, was submitted by Japan for the Oscar, they cheered over dinner at Telluride “like we had just won the Academy Award,” said Yakusho. “Director Wim thought it would be more of a handicap that he’s not a Japanese director. But for the Japanese people, he knows the culture really well. And he also has spent a lot of time there. We were very proud to have him be selected as Japan’s entry.”
Yakusho knew Wenders’ work when he was asked to play Hiroyama, a public toilet cleaner in Tokyo. “He was always looking for a new challenge in his filmmaking,” the actor said,...
Yakusho knew Wenders’ work when he was asked to play Hiroyama, a public toilet cleaner in Tokyo. “He was always looking for a new challenge in his filmmaking,” the actor said,...
- 11/28/2023
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Taiwanese family drama ‘Old Fox’ won the most awards on the night.
China-set drama Stonewalling, directed by husband-and-wife team Huang Ji and Ryuji Otsuka, won best narrative feature at the 60th Golden Horse Awards in Taiwan on Saturday (November 25).
Taiwanese family drama Old Fox won the most awards on the night, including best director for Hsiao Ya-chuan, best supporting actor for veteran Akio Chen, makeup and costume design, and best film score.
Scroll down for full list of winners
Mainland Chinese director Huang and Japan’s Otsuka were in attendance at Taipei’s National Dr Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall to...
China-set drama Stonewalling, directed by husband-and-wife team Huang Ji and Ryuji Otsuka, won best narrative feature at the 60th Golden Horse Awards in Taiwan on Saturday (November 25).
Taiwanese family drama Old Fox won the most awards on the night, including best director for Hsiao Ya-chuan, best supporting actor for veteran Akio Chen, makeup and costume design, and best film score.
Scroll down for full list of winners
Mainland Chinese director Huang and Japan’s Otsuka were in attendance at Taipei’s National Dr Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall to...
- 11/26/2023
- by Silvia Wong
- ScreenDaily
“Battle Cry” is a very interesting film for Kihachi Okamoto. Considering that his most famous works in the beginning of the 60s, “Samurai Assassin” and “The Sword of Doom”, even though were critical of Bushido, were also chanbara epics, the fact that later in his career, he decided to mock the exact concept, comes as a surprise, particularly because he seems to mock his filmic past. Atg was the place to do so at the time, and after “The Human Bullet” which satirized WW2, Okamoto came up with “Battle Cry”, which does the same thing with the military phase of the Meiji Restoration of 1868.
Follow our coverage of Art Theatre Guild by clicking on the image below
The movie begins with a narrator that talks about a thug with a penis like a horse, instigating that this will be his story. The person in question is Sentaro, and as the movie begins,...
Follow our coverage of Art Theatre Guild by clicking on the image below
The movie begins with a narrator that talks about a thug with a penis like a horse, instigating that this will be his story. The person in question is Sentaro, and as the movie begins,...
- 8/30/2023
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
In the realms of Asian cinema, where fascination and sadism frequently intertwine, the existence of a legion of unforgettable villains is not exactly a surprise. Menacing yakuza bosses, cruel moguls, serial killers, vengeful parents, trigger happy crime lords and rogue samurais among others have casted their sinister shadows and have left an indelible mark on the silver screen. With their complex motivations, chilling charisma, and uncanny ability to evoke both fear and fascination, these 30 villains have become iconic figures, embodying the depths of human malevolence. Join us as we delve into their twisted minds and explore the mesmerizing realm of Asian cinema's most unforgettable antagonists.
Without further ado, here are 30 of the most iconic villains ever to appear on Asian cinema, in random order.
1. Lee Woo-jin
The case of Lee Woo-jin in “Oldboy” shows the futility of revenge as an action for a man that could do so much with what he had,...
Without further ado, here are 30 of the most iconic villains ever to appear on Asian cinema, in random order.
1. Lee Woo-jin
The case of Lee Woo-jin in “Oldboy” shows the futility of revenge as an action for a man that could do so much with what he had,...
- 7/12/2023
- by AMP Group
- AsianMoviePulse
Following the financial failure of “Dodes’kaden” and the completion of the Soviet-Japanese feature “Dersu Uzala,” Akira Kurosawa would return to the familiar world of jidaigeki. His samurai epic “Kagemusha” would be a successful return to form, wowing audiences with its striking visuals and compelling story. While experimental with the scope as the director’s most ambitious feature at the time was, budget finances were more comfortably assembled than with previous projects. On top of that, the production would also receive additional funds. This other aid was thanks to the help of admirers George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola, who worked as co-producers, along with international financial support and distribution by 20th Century Fox. At this point, Kurosawa was getting older, yet he was still motivated to create art. A few years later, he would do just that again and went on to release his grand masterpiece “Ran.
- 1/19/2023
- by Sean Barry
- AsianMoviePulse
Unlike many of his Japanese filmmaking peers such as Yasujirō Ozu and Masaki Kobayashi, Akira Kurosawa often adapted Western literature in his films. That said, he was always sure to give them a Japanese reframing. He remade "Macbeth," "Hamlet," and "King Lear" as "Throne of Blood," "The Bad Sleep Well," and "Ran," respectively. However, "Throne" and "Ran" traded medieval Scotland/England for Feudal Japan while "The Bad Sleep Well" was about the 20th-century Japanese corporate world, not the Danish monarchy.
While Kurosawa was a student of Shakespeare, he didn't only trade in high-end literature. For "High and Low," he adapted the pulp detective novel "King's Ransom," moving the setting from Manhattan to Yokohama.
National Shoes executive Kingo Gondo (Toshiro Mifune) is disgusted by his colleagues' greed and apathy. He plans a leveraged buyout of the company, putting his life savings on the line. Unfortunately for Gondo, a kidnapper picks the...
While Kurosawa was a student of Shakespeare, he didn't only trade in high-end literature. For "High and Low," he adapted the pulp detective novel "King's Ransom," moving the setting from Manhattan to Yokohama.
National Shoes executive Kingo Gondo (Toshiro Mifune) is disgusted by his colleagues' greed and apathy. He plans a leveraged buyout of the company, putting his life savings on the line. Unfortunately for Gondo, a kidnapper picks the...
- 12/18/2022
- by Devin Meenan
- Slash Film
Masaki Kobayashi was a filmmaker who was never afraid to speak his mind on a matter. He was always open with his mindset, regularly criticizing systematic corruption and violation of human rights throughout the majority of his filmography. He didn’t often direct jidaigeki cinema, but when he did, the director generally delivered a stellar picture. His haunting masterpiece “Harakiri” gives a darker examination of the flawed aspects of the Bushido Code. Kobayashi would bring corruption and humanism to the forefront in his excellent film “Samurai Rebellion.”
on Amazon by clicking on the image below
The original Japanese title for the feature translates to “Rebellion: Receive the Wife,” which is fitting, considering what transpires within the story. The movie is based on Yasuhiko Takiguchi’s short story “Hairyozuma shimatsu.” The screenplay is written by acclaimed screenwriter Shinobu Hashimoto, who had previously collaborated with Masaki Kobayashi on his samurai movie “Harakiri.
on Amazon by clicking on the image below
The original Japanese title for the feature translates to “Rebellion: Receive the Wife,” which is fitting, considering what transpires within the story. The movie is based on Yasuhiko Takiguchi’s short story “Hairyozuma shimatsu.” The screenplay is written by acclaimed screenwriter Shinobu Hashimoto, who had previously collaborated with Masaki Kobayashi on his samurai movie “Harakiri.
- 10/24/2022
- by Sean Barry
- AsianMoviePulse
Click here to read the full article.
The Tokyo International Film Festival revealed Friday that Mexican auteur Alejandro González Iñárritu and Japan’s own Koji Fukada will both receive the Kurosawa Akira Award at the event’s upcoming 35th edition later this month. The Tokyo festival decided to revive the honor in 2022 after a 14-year hiatus. Presented to filmmakers “who are making extraordinary contributions to world cinema and are expected to help define the film industry’s future,” the prize was previously awarded to film luminaries such as Steven Spielberg, Yoji Yamada and Taiwan’s Hou Hsiao-hsien.
This year’s honorees were chosen by a selection committee including director Yoji Yamada, acclaimed actor Tatsuya Nakadai, veteran actress Mieko Harada, film critic Saburo Kawamoto and Tokyo’s programming director Shozo Ichiyama.
The committee said it chose to award this year’s prize to Iñárritu, “as his debut film...
The Tokyo International Film Festival revealed Friday that Mexican auteur Alejandro González Iñárritu and Japan’s own Koji Fukada will both receive the Kurosawa Akira Award at the event’s upcoming 35th edition later this month. The Tokyo festival decided to revive the honor in 2022 after a 14-year hiatus. Presented to filmmakers “who are making extraordinary contributions to world cinema and are expected to help define the film industry’s future,” the prize was previously awarded to film luminaries such as Steven Spielberg, Yoji Yamada and Taiwan’s Hou Hsiao-hsien.
This year’s honorees were chosen by a selection committee including director Yoji Yamada, acclaimed actor Tatsuya Nakadai, veteran actress Mieko Harada, film critic Saburo Kawamoto and Tokyo’s programming director Shozo Ichiyama.
The committee said it chose to award this year’s prize to Iñárritu, “as his debut film...
- 10/7/2022
- by Patrick Brzeski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Peter O'Toole's acting career spanned seven decades and involved hundreds of roles, a million sardonic smirks, and no small amount of liquor. On screen, O'Toole could be heroic, villainous, affable, and off-putting, sometimes all at once. In interviews, O'Toole was frank and unguarded, quick with a jibe, and unwilling to suffer fools. O'Toole and his frequent collaborator, the actor Richard Harris, have both appeared on many talk shows toward the ends of their lives to tell many, many stories of getting drunk together.
Somewhere along the way, O'Toole garnered enough fame and clout to more or less select any project he wanted. By the time he starred in Peter Medak's "The Ruling Class" in 1972, O'Toole had already appeared in 18 feature films, including a James Bond movie. That same year, O'Toole would appear in "Under Milk Wood" and a film adaptation of "Man of La Mancha." One might say...
Somewhere along the way, O'Toole garnered enough fame and clout to more or less select any project he wanted. By the time he starred in Peter Medak's "The Ruling Class" in 1972, O'Toole had already appeared in 18 feature films, including a James Bond movie. That same year, O'Toole would appear in "Under Milk Wood" and a film adaptation of "Man of La Mancha." One might say...
- 9/9/2022
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
While the chambara genre is generally associated with the likes of Akira Kurosawa and many others, the name of director Kihachi Okamoto is mentioned only occasionally, even though he probably made some of the most important entries into the genre. With titles such as “Seven Samurai” and “Rashomon” being associated with the samurai film, Okamoto would add a unique spin to the genre with often acidic and laconic humor or a world view which reflects the dark times his home country had to go through at the time his features were made. Some of his most influential works include “The Sword of Doom”, “The Human Bullet” and “Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo”, his entry into the popular “Zatoichi”-franchise, whereas his 1968 feature “Kill!” perhaps best sums up what constitutes Okamoto’s cinema.
Kill! is screening at Japan Society
In 1833 two men, Genta (Tatsuya Nakadai) and Hanjiro (Etsushi Takahashi) arrive in the town of Joshu.
Kill! is screening at Japan Society
In 1833 two men, Genta (Tatsuya Nakadai) and Hanjiro (Etsushi Takahashi) arrive in the town of Joshu.
- 8/26/2022
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
Japan Society is pleased to announce its fall lineup for Monthly Classics and Monthly Anime, kicking off on September 2, 2022 with a 35mm screening of Kihachi Okamoto’s satirical chambara, “Kill!”. 2006 anime classic “Tekkonkinkreet” will screen on September 16, featuring a Q&a with screenwriter Anthony Weintraub (“The Animatrix”). For October, Hideo Nakata’s 90s J-horror classic “Ringu” screens on October 7th followed by Mamoru Oshii’s rarely-screened 1985 ethereal masterpiece “Angel’s Egg” on October 14th. Monthly Anime continues on November 4th with a 35mm screening of Hayao Miyazaki’s beloved “My Neighbor Totoro”.
Tickets: 15/12 students and seniors /5 Japan Society members.
Lineup and other details are subject to change.For complete information visit japansociety.org.
Kill!
Friday, September 2, 2022 at 7:00 Pm
Dir. Kihachi Okamoto, 1968, 114 min, 35mm, b&w. With Tatsuya Nakadai, Etsushi Takahashi, Yuriko Hoshi.
Kihachi Okamoto’s darkly satirical chambara opens in the midst of a pummeling windstorm on the outskirts...
Tickets: 15/12 students and seniors /5 Japan Society members.
Lineup and other details are subject to change.For complete information visit japansociety.org.
Kill!
Friday, September 2, 2022 at 7:00 Pm
Dir. Kihachi Okamoto, 1968, 114 min, 35mm, b&w. With Tatsuya Nakadai, Etsushi Takahashi, Yuriko Hoshi.
Kihachi Okamoto’s darkly satirical chambara opens in the midst of a pummeling windstorm on the outskirts...
- 8/20/2022
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
Filmmaker Kihachi Okamoto, throughout his career, made it abundantly clear he hated war. He experienced the horrors on the battlefield firsthand during World War II and forever was disgusted by the atrocities committed by the Empire of Japan. Okamoto’s war movies boast an anti-war mindset while blending tragedy with dark comedy. His early projects, such as “Desperado Outpost,” primarily showed the director’s sense of humor, with western inspired elements thrown into the mix. Over time, these projects became more grounded and progressively darker. “Fort Graveyard” tells the tragic story of musician youths forced into combat, and “Japan’s Longest Day” recounts the terrifying final hours before the country’s surrender during the Second World War. With his ambitious and brutal epic “Battle of Okinawa,” audiences are reminded war spares no one.
Even with the budgetary issues the Japanese film industry was plagued with at the time, Okamoto would not be stopped.
Even with the budgetary issues the Japanese film industry was plagued with at the time, Okamoto would not be stopped.
- 8/5/2022
- by Sean Barry
- AsianMoviePulse
Although she would go on to make feature films as an actress, Kinuyo Tanaka’s last project as a director would be the 1963 jidaigeki “Love Under the Crucifix”, a work based on the novel “Ogin-sama” by Toko Kon. At the same time, given her development as a filmmaker, this is truly an interesting climax to a career which saw her progressing more and more, developing her skills, especially when it comes to cinematic storytelling. Additionally, the themes that defined her previous works such as “Love Letter” and “Forever a Woman” also found a fitting conclusion in a feature that, even though it was not set in the present as her other movies, it certainly made a very relevant point about gender roles within Japanese society as well as the conflict between duty and desire as expressed in the story of the main characters.
“Love Under the Crucifix” is screening at...
“Love Under the Crucifix” is screening at...
- 4/23/2022
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
Peace in 17th-century Japan causes the Shogunate’s breakup of warrior clans, throwing thousands of samurai out of work and into poverty. An honorable end to such fate under the samurai code is ritual suicide, or hara-kiri (self-inflicted disembowelment). An elder warrior, Hanshiro Tsugumo (Tatsuya Nakadai) seeks admittance to the house of a feudal lord to commit the act. There, he learns of the fate of his son-in-law, a young samurai who sought work at the house but was instead barbarically forced to commit traditional hara-kiri in an excruciating manner with a dull bamboo blade. In flashbacks, the samurai tells the tragic story of his son-in-law, and how he was forced to sell his real sword to support his sick wife and child. Tsugumo thus sets in motion a tense showdown of revenge against the house.
- 1/30/2022
- by Don Anelli
- AsianMoviePulse
Masaki Kobayashi’s six-part adaptation of the book by Jumpei Gomikawa may be the most ambitious, most truthful film about the big-picture reality of war. Idealist Tatsuya Nakadai thinks he can avoid complicity in human evil by volunteering as a civilian to manage a work camp in occupied Manchuria, only to find that he’s expected to starve and torture Chinese slave laborers. Resistance leads to his conscription in a brutal boot camp, and his deployment on the Northern front as the Russians invade leads to an extended struggle to survive amid mounting horrors. There’s no escape: the ‘human condition’ is that barbarity is a given, a constant. It’s nine hours of suffering that can change one’s world view.
The Human Condition
Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 480
1959-61 / B&w / 2:39 anamorphic widescreen / 575 min. / Ningen no jôken / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date June 8, 2021 / 59.95
Starring: Tatsuya Nakadai,...
The Human Condition
Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 480
1959-61 / B&w / 2:39 anamorphic widescreen / 575 min. / Ningen no jôken / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date June 8, 2021 / 59.95
Starring: Tatsuya Nakadai,...
- 6/29/2021
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
The article was originally published on Sirp in Estonian, on April 16, 2021, just before the 2021 Oscar Awards Ceremony
The four Oscars “Parasite” won last year sent ripples across the whole movie industry, with the initial surprise giving its way into a plethora of questions about how something like that happened (not to mention former President’s Trump bewilderment) . Evidently, the team around “Parasite” did tremendous job promotion/lobbying-wise, “exploiting” the charisma of both Bong Joon-ho and Kang Ho-song but the question remains on how a group of people (the Academy) that back in 2016 faced controversy over a second straight year of all-white Oscar acting nominations, ended up voting for a Korean movie. Subsequently, another set of question arises. Is the Academy above racism now? Will we see more Asian productions receiving awards or was “Parasite” just an anomaly? And how does the whole issue with the recent racist attacks against Asian...
The four Oscars “Parasite” won last year sent ripples across the whole movie industry, with the initial surprise giving its way into a plethora of questions about how something like that happened (not to mention former President’s Trump bewilderment) . Evidently, the team around “Parasite” did tremendous job promotion/lobbying-wise, “exploiting” the charisma of both Bong Joon-ho and Kang Ho-song but the question remains on how a group of people (the Academy) that back in 2016 faced controversy over a second straight year of all-white Oscar acting nominations, ended up voting for a Korean movie. Subsequently, another set of question arises. Is the Academy above racism now? Will we see more Asian productions receiving awards or was “Parasite” just an anomaly? And how does the whole issue with the recent racist attacks against Asian...
- 5/2/2021
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
After much thought, and taking into consideration the health of our guests and viewers, Nihon Media announced that Japan Filmfest Hamburg cannot take place this year as a traditional film festival – and will be online instead. Under the motto ‘Breaking Free – From Japan with Love’, Nihon Media will collaborate with Videocity to stream its entire programme of 70+ films in around 40 blocks globally from 19th of August to the 2nd of September.
The 2020 film programme features 70 current productions, from full-length feature films to experimental short films, including many German, European, and international premieres. Most of the films are shown in the original Japanese language with English subtitles. One special highlight of our programme is the gangster-ballad originally planned as the opening film for the 21st Jffh, “Paradise Next” (2018) from director and film composer Yoshihiro Hanno (“Flowers of Shanghai”). An atmospheric road-movie about the travels of three lost souls living on the edges of society,...
The 2020 film programme features 70 current productions, from full-length feature films to experimental short films, including many German, European, and international premieres. Most of the films are shown in the original Japanese language with English subtitles. One special highlight of our programme is the gangster-ballad originally planned as the opening film for the 21st Jffh, “Paradise Next” (2018) from director and film composer Yoshihiro Hanno (“Flowers of Shanghai”). An atmospheric road-movie about the travels of three lost souls living on the edges of society,...
- 8/10/2020
- by Grace Han
- AsianMoviePulse
Akira Kurosawa's Ran (1985) and Chris Marker's A.K. (1985) are showing April and May, 2020 on Mubi in the United Kingdom in the series In Front and Behind the Scenes: Kurosawa & Marker.“It is King Lear, yet it is not King Lear.” This statement, made by Chris Marker during the course of his 1985 documentary, A.K., which records the making of Akira Kurosawa’s Ran, is a noteworthy point when discussing the venerated Japanese master’s 1985 epic, as preliminary conversation concerning the film often centers on the seeds of influence found in the Bard’s 17th century drama. But while that story only entered Kurosawa’s mind after he had already conceived of Ran in the mid-1970s, he also drew inspiration, arguably more significant, from a parable about Mōri Motonari. In that account, the Sengoku-period warlord also had three children—three sons—who were admirably loyal to their father. Kurosawa took...
- 5/1/2020
- MUBI
Because “The Bad Sleep Well” had not performed as expected commercially, Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa decided to return to the jidai-geki with what is arguably one of his most popular and most beloved films, “Yojimbo”. At the same time, Kurosawa felt the message of his previous film – a bitter image of the corruption in post-war Japan – would also work as a period film while still having the same impact on the viewer. Stylistically, as Kurosawa later admitted, he was inspired by the works of the film noir, in particular Stuart Heisler’s “The Glass Key”, a crime drama dealing with the links between organized crime and politics, as well as the kind of opportunist characters taking advantage of a corrupt system which can be seen as the foundation of the character played by Toshiro Mifune in “Yojimbo”.
In 1860, during the final years of the Edo period, a...
In 1860, during the final years of the Edo period, a...
- 4/7/2020
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
Based on four ghost stories from books of Lafcadio Hearn, Masaki Kobayashi’s first effort in the genre and in color film was a huge success, netting him the Special Jury Prize at the 1965 Cannes Film Festival and an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film. Eureka presents the film in its uncut, 183-minute-version, in a rather impressive 2K digital restoration.
The first part, titled “The Black Hair” revolves around an impoverished samurai, who, tired of being poor, abandons his wife who loved him passionately, for a woman of higher statute and wealth. However, soon he comes across his new wife’s cruelty and begins missing his first wife’s love. Alas, when he finally manages to return, he is met with the worst fate of all.
This part has a highly didactic tone, about the benefits of loyalty and the blights of blind ambition. However,...
The first part, titled “The Black Hair” revolves around an impoverished samurai, who, tired of being poor, abandons his wife who loved him passionately, for a woman of higher statute and wealth. However, soon he comes across his new wife’s cruelty and begins missing his first wife’s love. Alas, when he finally manages to return, he is met with the worst fate of all.
This part has a highly didactic tone, about the benefits of loyalty and the blights of blind ambition. However,...
- 3/26/2020
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
“Uncle,” Danish director Frelle Petersen’s drama about a young woman’s life on a small farm with her disabled uncle, was awarded the Tokyo Grand Prix at the closing ceremony Tuesday of the 32nd Tokyo International Film Festival. Shot in rural Denmark with real-life farmer Peter Hansen Tygesen playing the title role, the film had its world premiere in the Japanese capital.
Winner of the second-place Special Jury Prize was “Atlantis,” Ukrainian director Valentyn Vasyanovych’s near-future drama.
Iran’s Saeed Roustaee was named Best Director for his thriller “6.5.” Navid Mohammadzadeh’s performance in the film earned him the Best Actor trophy.
The Best Actress award went to Nadia Tereszhiewicz for her performance in Dominik Moll’s “Only the Animals.” The film also scooped the Audience Award.
The Best Screenplay prize went to Shin Adachi’s “A Beloved Wife,” one of two Japanese films in the competition, while Chinese...
Winner of the second-place Special Jury Prize was “Atlantis,” Ukrainian director Valentyn Vasyanovych’s near-future drama.
Iran’s Saeed Roustaee was named Best Director for his thriller “6.5.” Navid Mohammadzadeh’s performance in the film earned him the Best Actor trophy.
The Best Actress award went to Nadia Tereszhiewicz for her performance in Dominik Moll’s “Only the Animals.” The film also scooped the Audience Award.
The Best Screenplay prize went to Shin Adachi’s “A Beloved Wife,” one of two Japanese films in the competition, while Chinese...
- 11/5/2019
- by Mark Schilling
- Variety Film + TV
Winners in the International Competition also included Atlantis, Just 6.5, Only The Animals and Chaogtu With Sarula.
Danish filmmaker Frelle Petersen’s Uncle won the Tokyo Grand Prix Award at the close of the Tokyo International Film Festival (November 5), while Summer Knight, directed by China’s You Xing, took best film in the Asian Future section.
Set in rural Denmark, Uncle follows a girl caring for her disabled uncle who dreams of becoming a veterinarian and faces a heart-breaking choice. Summer Knight is also a coming-of-age story, set in China in the summer of 1997, about two boys attempting to recover a stolen bicycle.
Danish filmmaker Frelle Petersen’s Uncle won the Tokyo Grand Prix Award at the close of the Tokyo International Film Festival (November 5), while Summer Knight, directed by China’s You Xing, took best film in the Asian Future section.
Set in rural Denmark, Uncle follows a girl caring for her disabled uncle who dreams of becoming a veterinarian and faces a heart-breaking choice. Summer Knight is also a coming-of-age story, set in China in the summer of 1997, about two boys attempting to recover a stolen bicycle.
- 11/5/2019
- by 89¦Liz Shackleton¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
After the completion of his “The Human Condition”-trilogy in 1961 with “A Soldier’s Prayer”, Japanese director Masaki Kobayashi expressed interest in doing a samurai film, a jidaigeki. In retrospect, a director whose theme has always been the relationship of the individual and the system, the time and age could not have been better for a closer focus on that subject within a more historical context. Considering the following years would have re-discover the genre as a means to explore repressive regimes, codes and how these influence society and the character of a person, “Harakiri” fits perfectly in this time of Japanese cinema. Even though Kobayashi’s approach respects the tradition of the genre, there is an undeniable link to the times, the increasing sense of frustration with an inhumane system, which, in the end, makes his film one of the classics within Japanese film.
The story...
The story...
- 10/30/2019
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
Perhaps it is one of the great ironies in the career of Japanese director Kihachi Okamoto that a film he was forced to do was going to be his most memorable one. In a filmography consisting of titles such as “Samurai Assassin” (1965), “Kill!” (1968) and “The Human Bullet” (1968), the director’s 1966-film “The Sword of Doom” stands out as one of the bleakest jidaigeki movies. Based on the novel “Daibosatsu toge” by Kaizan Nakazato, which had already inspired many adaptations, for example, one by “Lone Wolf and Cub”-director Kenji Misumi, Kihachi Okamoto made a film which reflected the trends of the Japanese film industry of that time but is also one of the most interesting portrayals of a man, a world consumed by violence and madness.
At the center of the film, we have Ryunosuke Tsukue (Tatsuya Nakadai), a master swordsman wandering the country, and his life...
At the center of the film, we have Ryunosuke Tsukue (Tatsuya Nakadai), a master swordsman wandering the country, and his life...
- 10/29/2019
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
Born in 1938 in Onomichi, a port town facing Japan’s Inland Sea, Nobuhiko Obayashi began making experimental films in the 1960s and showing them at galleries and other sites around Tokyo. With lines forming around the block for these films, which captured the free-spirited, anything-goes mood of the times, Obayashi branched out into TV commercials. His ads featuring Charles Bronson, Kirk Douglas, Catherine Deneuve and other international stars had a freshness of style and humor that won him new fans.
In 1977 Obayashi made his feature debut with “House,” a horror-fantasy about a haunted house that devours its schoolgirl visitors. Critically pummeled on its release, this wildly imaginative and irresistibly charming film later became an international cult hit.
Obayashi went on to direct more fantasy-themed films featuring cute teens, including “School in the Crosshairs” (1982), “Transfer Student” (1982) and “The Little Girl Who Conquered Time” (1983). His main producer in this period was Haruki Kadokawa,...
In 1977 Obayashi made his feature debut with “House,” a horror-fantasy about a haunted house that devours its schoolgirl visitors. Critically pummeled on its release, this wildly imaginative and irresistibly charming film later became an international cult hit.
Obayashi went on to direct more fantasy-themed films featuring cute teens, including “School in the Crosshairs” (1982), “Transfer Student” (1982) and “The Little Girl Who Conquered Time” (1983). His main producer in this period was Haruki Kadokawa,...
- 10/27/2019
- by Mark Schilling
- Variety Film + TV
Tatsuya Nakadai, one of Japan's greatest actors who worked with several of the country's most notable filmmakers, is set to receive the lifetime achievement award at the Tokyo International Film Festival.
An icon of Japanese cinema, Nakadai's seven-decade-long career has seen him star in films that have become part of the cultural fabric in Japan and proved hugely influential internationally.
Nakadai worked with several of Japan's best-ever filmmakers, including Hiroshi Teshigahara (The Face of Another), Mikio Naruse (When a Woman Ascends the Stairs), Kihachi Okamoto (Kill! and The Sword of Doom), Hideo Gosha (Goyokin), Shirō ...
An icon of Japanese cinema, Nakadai's seven-decade-long career has seen him star in films that have become part of the cultural fabric in Japan and proved hugely influential internationally.
Nakadai worked with several of Japan's best-ever filmmakers, including Hiroshi Teshigahara (The Face of Another), Mikio Naruse (When a Woman Ascends the Stairs), Kihachi Okamoto (Kill! and The Sword of Doom), Hideo Gosha (Goyokin), Shirō ...
- 10/25/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Tatsuya Nakadai, one of Japan's greatest actors who worked with several of the country's most notable filmmakers, is set to receive the lifetime achievement award at the Tokyo International Film Festival.
An icon of Japanese cinema, Nakadai's seven-decade-long career has seen him star in films that have become part of the cultural fabric in Japan and proved hugely influential internationally.
Nakadai worked with several of Japan's best-ever filmmakers, including Hiroshi Teshigahara (The Face of Another), Mikio Naruse (When a Woman Ascends the Stairs), Kihachi Okamoto (Kill! and The Sword of Doom), Hideo Gosha (Goyokin), Shirō ...
An icon of Japanese cinema, Nakadai's seven-decade-long career has seen him star in films that have become part of the cultural fabric in Japan and proved hugely influential internationally.
Nakadai worked with several of Japan's best-ever filmmakers, including Hiroshi Teshigahara (The Face of Another), Mikio Naruse (When a Woman Ascends the Stairs), Kihachi Okamoto (Kill! and The Sword of Doom), Hideo Gosha (Goyokin), Shirō ...
- 10/25/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Japanese sales company has three titles at the market.
Japan’s CREi Inc is launching sales at Filmart on period environmental film A Town And A Tall Chimney, directed by Katsuya Matsumura.
Starring Asato Ide, Dai Watanabe, Koji Kikkawa and Tatsuya Nakadai, the film is set in 1905 when young men at the Hitachi Mine risked their lives to fight the corporation whose air pollution was killing villagers’ trees and crops. The film is set for local release in June 2019.
CREi is also selling Iron Girl Final Wars, the final instalment in the action film series with Iron Girl and Iron Girl Ultimate Weapon,...
Japan’s CREi Inc is launching sales at Filmart on period environmental film A Town And A Tall Chimney, directed by Katsuya Matsumura.
Starring Asato Ide, Dai Watanabe, Koji Kikkawa and Tatsuya Nakadai, the film is set in 1905 when young men at the Hitachi Mine risked their lives to fight the corporation whose air pollution was killing villagers’ trees and crops. The film is set for local release in June 2019.
CREi is also selling Iron Girl Final Wars, the final instalment in the action film series with Iron Girl and Iron Girl Ultimate Weapon,...
- 3/19/2019
- by Jean Noh
- ScreenDaily
Masaki Kobayashi’s “Hara-Kiri” (1962) is a towering giant of a film that has stood the test of time. Revered by many, the film often features on several “Best Of” lists time and again. Thus, It was a bit of a surprise when it was announced that Takashi Miike was recruited to put a fresh touch on the classic, only this time in 3D. It was hence that “Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai” premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2011, the first 3D film to ever be selected in Official Competition at the Festival, with a subsequent wide theatrical release later in the year.
With the rise of the Shogunate, several prominent Domains under them have been shut permanently, which has led to many a samurai being jobless and struggling to make a living. This has led to a unique spate of cons where such ronin go to...
With the rise of the Shogunate, several prominent Domains under them have been shut permanently, which has led to many a samurai being jobless and struggling to make a living. This has led to a unique spate of cons where such ronin go to...
- 1/20/2019
- by Rhythm Zaveri
- AsianMoviePulse
Above: Tony Stella’s illustration for an alternative poster for Suspiria for Alphaville.One of my favorite working movie poster illustrators is the Italian-born, Berlin-based artist Tony Stella, a true connoisseur of cinema as well as a prodigious and prolific artist. I profiled Tony in this column a few years ago. Tony recently joined forces with the designer known as Midnight Marauder to start the boutique movie poster design agency Alphaville, and since I recently asked Mm for his ten favorite movie posters it was only fair that I ask Tony too, a task he took up with alacrity.So, without further ado, here are Tony Stella’s ten favorite movie posters of all-time, in ascending order, with his own comments. His choices take us on a tour through some of the best movie poster illustration of the past 50 years.10. Get Carter (1971)“The number ten spot was a toss-up between...
- 11/9/2018
- MUBI
After growing up in Aomori and graduating from college, Thunder Sawada held jobs working for a land shark, customer support, and freelance writing before beginning his career as a contemporary artist. In 2007, he received the Taro Okamoto Contemporary Art Award, and in 2012 completed his studies at the Graduate School of Film and New Media, Tokyo University of the Arts. He won the Isama Studio Film Festival Scenario Award in 2010 and 2015.
Yuya Takagawa was Born in 1962 in Mie Prefecture. He is an actor, narrator and theatre director working in theatre, TV and film who began his acting career at Tatsuya Nakadai’s Mumeijuku acting school. He has appeared in films such as 13 Assassins (2010) by Takashi Miike and was recently in Rolling (2015) by Masanori Tominaga, Lost Serenade(2016) by Masato Ozawa and Alley Cat by Hideo Sasaki (Japan Cuts 2017), among others. He is the lead actor in Dream of Illumination.
On the occasion of their film,...
Yuya Takagawa was Born in 1962 in Mie Prefecture. He is an actor, narrator and theatre director working in theatre, TV and film who began his acting career at Tatsuya Nakadai’s Mumeijuku acting school. He has appeared in films such as 13 Assassins (2010) by Takashi Miike and was recently in Rolling (2015) by Masanori Tominaga, Lost Serenade(2016) by Masato Ozawa and Alley Cat by Hideo Sasaki (Japan Cuts 2017), among others. He is the lead actor in Dream of Illumination.
On the occasion of their film,...
- 7/26/2018
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
We finally got a glimpse of “Shogun World” in the latest episode of “Westworld,” and the idea to mash up the two universes isn’t just a coincidence. There’s a long history of Westerns borrowing from samurai cinema and the other way around, with Akira Kurosawa studying the work of John Ford, which in turn led to many of Kurosawa’s movies to be remade as Spaghetti Westerns. The cowboy and the samurai are each lone wanderers in a lawless world, so it makes sense that the themes would crossover. Here are 10 instances in which the West met the East.
“The Magnificent Seven” (1960) and “Seven Samurai” (1954)
Akira Kurosawa’s landmark film “Seven Samurai” was highly influential on modern action cinema, but its most direct descendant was John Sturges’s “The Magnificent Seven,” starring Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson and Eli Wallach. The film is a remake but represents...
“The Magnificent Seven” (1960) and “Seven Samurai” (1954)
Akira Kurosawa’s landmark film “Seven Samurai” was highly influential on modern action cinema, but its most direct descendant was John Sturges’s “The Magnificent Seven,” starring Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson and Eli Wallach. The film is a remake but represents...
- 5/22/2018
- by Brian Welk and Jeremy Fuster
- The Wrap
Shirô Toyoda's Jigohuken or Portrait of Hell (1969) builds steadily to a shattering penultimate sequence, then peters out in a disappointing denouement. If you cut the climax off, I bet it would haunt people forever, and such is the power of its individual high points that it still commands attention.The great Tatsuya Nakadai (Harakiri, Ran) plays a Korean painter at the court of a nasty lord who fancies his daughter. Both men are tyrants: Nakadai forbids his daughter to marry her lover because he's not Korean, but then has her taken away from him by the corrupt and lascivious ruler. He then conceives the idea of a painting of the inferno: his patron/tormentor, the lord, doubts his ability to render so abstract a concept, but Nakadai says he sees Hell all around him, so it will be no particular challenge.This is all good stuff. Nakadai is superhumanly intense,...
- 1/17/2018
- MUBI
Craig Lines Dec 6, 2017
Christmas and martial arts movies? They rarely crossover. But amazing fights in the snow? Now we're in business...
I love martial arts movies and I love Christmas so I'm kinda sad that the two have never really come together (Kung Fu Panda Holiday doesn't count). I'd hoped to find at least one good example to write about, as we move into the festive period, but I guess since most martial arts films come from Buddhist countries and Christmas is a Christian holiday, I was destined for disappointment.
I did briefly consider making one up with the aid of Photoshop, but wasn't sure I could get away with it so, alas, The 25th Advent Chamber Of Shaolin is not to be. For what it's worth, I'd got as far as an apprentice monk named Ho, fighting his way through 25 'doors' of a giant temple designed to resemble an advent calendar.
Christmas and martial arts movies? They rarely crossover. But amazing fights in the snow? Now we're in business...
I love martial arts movies and I love Christmas so I'm kinda sad that the two have never really come together (Kung Fu Panda Holiday doesn't count). I'd hoped to find at least one good example to write about, as we move into the festive period, but I guess since most martial arts films come from Buddhist countries and Christmas is a Christian holiday, I was destined for disappointment.
I did briefly consider making one up with the aid of Photoshop, but wasn't sure I could get away with it so, alas, The 25th Advent Chamber Of Shaolin is not to be. For what it's worth, I'd got as far as an apprentice monk named Ho, fighting his way through 25 'doors' of a giant temple designed to resemble an advent calendar.
- 12/5/2017
- Den of Geek
If you ask me, Hell is the ultimate horror setting. Sure, creepy castles and abandoned outposts are great and all, but a realm of eternal torment just strikes me as a tad more terrifying. And of the major cultural interpretations of Hell out there, none are quite as grisly as the hell of Japanese Buddhism: Jigoku. Sure, there’s a way out of it, but the torments inflicted upon the damned in Jigoku make the ones Dante wrote about seem fit for children’s birthday parties. Jigoku consists of sixteen separate hells (eight “hot” and eight “cold”), with eight great hells that consist of tortures ranging from being charred in massive frying pans to being eternally smashed into paste and revived by massive rocks. It’s a brutal, depressing place where hope is faint and mercy can wait billions of years away. Naturally, it makes for a great topic for a horror movie.
- 12/2/2017
- by Perry Ruhland
- DailyDead
Each month, the fine folks at FilmStruck and the Criterion Collection spend countless hours crafting their channels to highlight the many different types of films that they have in their streaming library. This August will feature an exciting assortment of films, as noted below.
To sign up for a free two-week trial here.
Tuesday, August 1
Tuesday’s Short + Feature: These Boots and Mystery Train
Music is at the heart of this program, which pairs a zany music video by Finnish master Aki Kaurismäki with a tune-filled career highlight from American independent-film pioneer Jim Jarmusch. In the 1993 These Boots, Kaurismäki’s band of pompadoured “Finnish Elvis” rockers, the Leningrad Cowboys, cover a Nancy Sinatra classic in their signature deadpan style. It’s the perfect prelude to Jarmusch’s 1989 Mystery Train, a homage to the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll and the musical legacy of Memphis, featuring appearances by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins and Joe Strummer.
To sign up for a free two-week trial here.
Tuesday, August 1
Tuesday’s Short + Feature: These Boots and Mystery Train
Music is at the heart of this program, which pairs a zany music video by Finnish master Aki Kaurismäki with a tune-filled career highlight from American independent-film pioneer Jim Jarmusch. In the 1993 These Boots, Kaurismäki’s band of pompadoured “Finnish Elvis” rockers, the Leningrad Cowboys, cover a Nancy Sinatra classic in their signature deadpan style. It’s the perfect prelude to Jarmusch’s 1989 Mystery Train, a homage to the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll and the musical legacy of Memphis, featuring appearances by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins and Joe Strummer.
- 7/24/2017
- by Ryan Gallagher
- CriterionCast
Each month, the fine folks at FilmStruck and the Criterion Collection spend countless hours crafting their channels to highlight the many different types of films that they have in their streaming library. This April will feature an exciting assortment of films, as noted below.
To sign up for a free two-week trial here.
Monday, April 3 The Chaos of Cool: A Tribute to Seijun Suzuki
In February, cinema lost an icon of excess, Seijun Suzuki, the Japanese master who took the art of the B movie to sublime new heights with his deliriously inventive approach to narrative and visual style. This series showcases seven of the New Wave renegade’s works from his career breakthrough in the sixties: Take Aim at the Police Van (1960), an off-kilter whodunit; Youth of the Beast (1963), an explosive yakuza thriller; Gate of Flesh (1964), a pulpy social critique; Story of a Prostitute (1965), a tragic romance; Tokyo Drifter...
To sign up for a free two-week trial here.
Monday, April 3 The Chaos of Cool: A Tribute to Seijun Suzuki
In February, cinema lost an icon of excess, Seijun Suzuki, the Japanese master who took the art of the B movie to sublime new heights with his deliriously inventive approach to narrative and visual style. This series showcases seven of the New Wave renegade’s works from his career breakthrough in the sixties: Take Aim at the Police Van (1960), an off-kilter whodunit; Youth of the Beast (1963), an explosive yakuza thriller; Gate of Flesh (1964), a pulpy social critique; Story of a Prostitute (1965), a tragic romance; Tokyo Drifter...
- 3/29/2017
- by Ryan Gallagher
- CriterionCast
Zatoichi Goes To The Fire Festival screens Wednesday, February 1st at 8pm Schlafly Bottleworks Restaurant and Bar (7260 Southwest Ave.- at Manchester – Maplewood, Mo 63143) as part of Webster University’s Award-Winning Strange Brew Film Series. Admission is $5
You never know what’s brewing at Webster University’s Strange Brew cult film series. It’s always the first Wednesday evening of every month, and they always come up with some cult classic to show while enjoying some good food and great suds. The fun happens at Schlafly Bottleworks Restaurant and Bar in Maplewood (7260 Southwest Ave.- at Manchester – Maplewood, Mo 63143).
I’ve never seen this month’s Strange Brew pick, Zatoichi Goes To The Fire Festival. Zatoichi is a fictional character featured in one of Japan’s longest running series of films and a television series that are both set during the late Edo period (1830s and 1840s). The character, a blind masseur and blademaster,...
You never know what’s brewing at Webster University’s Strange Brew cult film series. It’s always the first Wednesday evening of every month, and they always come up with some cult classic to show while enjoying some good food and great suds. The fun happens at Schlafly Bottleworks Restaurant and Bar in Maplewood (7260 Southwest Ave.- at Manchester – Maplewood, Mo 63143).
I’ve never seen this month’s Strange Brew pick, Zatoichi Goes To The Fire Festival. Zatoichi is a fictional character featured in one of Japan’s longest running series of films and a television series that are both set during the late Edo period (1830s and 1840s). The character, a blind masseur and blademaster,...
- 1/27/2017
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Since any New York City cinephile has a nearly suffocating wealth of theatrical options, we figured it’d be best to compile some of the more worthwhile repertory showings into one handy list. Displayed below are a few of the city’s most reliable theaters and links to screenings of their weekend offerings — films you’re not likely to see in a theater again anytime soon, and many of which are, also, on 35mm. If you have a chance to attend any of these, we’re of the mind that it’s time extremely well-spent.
Museum of the Moving Image
The Kieslowski retrospective has its final weekend.
Some of documentary cinema’s recent bright stars are given dedication in “Pushing the Envelope: A Decade of Documentary at the Cinema Eye Honors.”
Margaret and You Can Count on Me screen this Friday and Sunday, respectively.
The Sword of Doom screens this Saturday,...
Museum of the Moving Image
The Kieslowski retrospective has its final weekend.
Some of documentary cinema’s recent bright stars are given dedication in “Pushing the Envelope: A Decade of Documentary at the Cinema Eye Honors.”
Margaret and You Can Count on Me screen this Friday and Sunday, respectively.
The Sword of Doom screens this Saturday,...
- 11/4/2016
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
The trilogy is based on the six-volume, autobiographical novel by Junpei Gomikawa, published from 1956 to 1958. It is considered one of the masterpieces of world cinema and established Masaki Kobayashi as one of the most important directors of the “Golden Age” of Japanese cinema.
A true odyssey.
The film follows the Sisyphean life of Kaji, a pacifist and socialist who finds himself repeatedly crushed by the totalitarian Japanese regime of the World War II era, as he tries to avoid becoming an actual soldier.
His odyssey starts from a Manchurian Pow camp, where he tries to bring justice to the Chinese Pow’s, who suffer miserably in the hands of the Japanese authorities. His superiors fight him at every step, as he deals with corruption and the inhumanity of the army.
Next, he is sent to the front, where he is placed in charge of the new recruits. Here, his main opponent is the veterans,...
A true odyssey.
The film follows the Sisyphean life of Kaji, a pacifist and socialist who finds himself repeatedly crushed by the totalitarian Japanese regime of the World War II era, as he tries to avoid becoming an actual soldier.
His odyssey starts from a Manchurian Pow camp, where he tries to bring justice to the Chinese Pow’s, who suffer miserably in the hands of the Japanese authorities. His superiors fight him at every step, as he deals with corruption and the inhumanity of the army.
Next, he is sent to the front, where he is placed in charge of the new recruits. Here, his main opponent is the veterans,...
- 10/4/2016
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Shudder will take viewers to the place that's "not as brightly lit" this Halloween season, as the 1980s anthology series Tales From the Darkside will be available to watch in its entirety on the horror streaming service beginning October 1st:
Press Release: New York, New York – September 26, 2016 – The AMC-backed streaming service, Shudder, is The entertainment destination for everything you need to watch this Halloween season. Whether you’re a hardcore horror fan or simply looking for the scariest films to celebrate this time of year, Shudder has something for everyone in its sweeping library, carefully curated by some of the top horror experts in the world.
As Halloween approaches, Shudder is expanding its database with a variety of new titles including cult favorites, blockbuster hits, and classic thrillers. Additionally, for the first time ever, Shudder will be offering horror TV series to complement its expansive film library.
Premiering October 20th...
Press Release: New York, New York – September 26, 2016 – The AMC-backed streaming service, Shudder, is The entertainment destination for everything you need to watch this Halloween season. Whether you’re a hardcore horror fan or simply looking for the scariest films to celebrate this time of year, Shudder has something for everyone in its sweeping library, carefully curated by some of the top horror experts in the world.
As Halloween approaches, Shudder is expanding its database with a variety of new titles including cult favorites, blockbuster hits, and classic thrillers. Additionally, for the first time ever, Shudder will be offering horror TV series to complement its expansive film library.
Premiering October 20th...
- 9/28/2016
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Want a nine-hour dose of the truth of existence so harrowing that it will make you feel grateful no matter how humble your situation? Masaki Kobayshi's epic of the real cost of war boggles the mind with its creeping revelations of cosmic bleakness. Yet all the way through you know you're experiencing a truth far beyond slogans and sentiments. The Human Condition Region B Blu-ray Arrow Academy (UK) 1959-61 / B&W / 2:35 anamorphic widescreen / 574 min. / Ningen no jôken / Street Date September 19, 2016 / Available from Amazon UK £ 39.99 Starring Tatsuya Nakadai, Michiyo Aratama, Chikage Awashima, Ineko Arima, Keiji Sada, So Yamamura, Kunie Tanaka, Kei Sato, Chishu Ryu, Taketoshi Naito. Cinematography Yoshio Miyajima Art Direction Kazue Hirataka <Film Editor Keiichi Uraoka Original Music Chuji Kinoshita Written by Zenzo Matsuyama, Masaki Kobayashi from the novel by Jumpei Gomikawa Produced by Shigeru Wakatsuki Directed by Masaki Kobayashi
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
The first Blu-ray of perhaps...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
The first Blu-ray of perhaps...
- 9/27/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Hard to believe that July is already upon us, but before we all take off for some summer shenanigans over this long holiday weekend, here’s a look at all the great VOD titles coming our way this month, including one of my favorite films I’ve seen in 2016, Mickey Keating’s brilliant Carnage Park, which is being released by IFC Midnight.
Marauders, the latest from Steven C. Miller (The Aggression Scale, Silent Night) is also making its VOD premiere on July 1st, along with Magnet Releasing's Satanic, and Gravitas Ventures wants us to indulge in some Bachelor Games on July 8th. The haunting and beautiful Japanese animated film, Belladonna of Sadness—something all genre fans should experience at least once in their lifetimes (it’s amazing)—arrives on VOD on July 12th, and the revenge thriller Angels and Outlaws will be released on July 15th.
Other notable VOD titles...
Marauders, the latest from Steven C. Miller (The Aggression Scale, Silent Night) is also making its VOD premiere on July 1st, along with Magnet Releasing's Satanic, and Gravitas Ventures wants us to indulge in some Bachelor Games on July 8th. The haunting and beautiful Japanese animated film, Belladonna of Sadness—something all genre fans should experience at least once in their lifetimes (it’s amazing)—arrives on VOD on July 12th, and the revenge thriller Angels and Outlaws will be released on July 15th.
Other notable VOD titles...
- 7/1/2016
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
Six months after announcing intentions to double the number of female and minority members in its ranks by 2020, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has invited 683 new members to join the organization. Forty-six percent of new invitees are female and 41 percent ethnic minorities, the Academy said, adding that the roster boasts 28 Oscar winners and 98 nominees. The youngest invitee is 24 and the oldest 91. Here is the list of the Asians included.
Actors
Kim Daniel-dae S. Korea
Lee Byung-hun S. Korea
Tatsuya Nakadai Japan
Cinematographers
Peter Pau China
Poon Hang-Sang China
Nelson Yu Lik-Wai China
Zhao Fei China
Designers
Yoshihito Akatsuka Japan
Directors
Hou Hsiao-Hsien China
Naomi Kawase Japan
Kim So-yong S. Jorea
Kiyoshi Kurosawa Japan
Apichatpong Weerasethakul Thailand
Park Chan-wook S. Korea
Documentary
Kazuo Hara JApan
Emiko Omori Japan
Trinh T. Minh-ha Vietnam
Jean Tsien Taiwan
Wang Bing China
Music
Shigeru Umebayashi Japan
Producers
Albert Lee China
Short...
Actors
Kim Daniel-dae S. Korea
Lee Byung-hun S. Korea
Tatsuya Nakadai Japan
Cinematographers
Peter Pau China
Poon Hang-Sang China
Nelson Yu Lik-Wai China
Zhao Fei China
Designers
Yoshihito Akatsuka Japan
Directors
Hou Hsiao-Hsien China
Naomi Kawase Japan
Kim So-yong S. Jorea
Kiyoshi Kurosawa Japan
Apichatpong Weerasethakul Thailand
Park Chan-wook S. Korea
Documentary
Kazuo Hara JApan
Emiko Omori Japan
Trinh T. Minh-ha Vietnam
Jean Tsien Taiwan
Wang Bing China
Music
Shigeru Umebayashi Japan
Producers
Albert Lee China
Short...
- 6/30/2016
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
“Introducing the Academy class of 2016,” reads the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences website announcement of its invited new members Wednesday. And while joining that august organization is a singular honor, many say they were surprised to learn of their inclusion — mainly because they hadn’t applied for membership. Traditionally, that’s a laborious process that can take years before you get recommended by peers, vetted by your branch, and finally invited. Every year it’s a shock that someone like, say Tina Fey, IFC’s Arianna Bocco, last year’s Oscar-winner Margaret Sixel (“Mad Max: Fury Road”), or Oscar marketer Lisa Taback, wasn’t already a member.
Read More: Oscars So White: 8 Ways to Solve the Academy’s Diversity Problem
At the heart of the Academy’s complex diversity issue is how much the Oscars reflect the way that the Academy likes to view itself. Believe me, they were horrified when,...
Read More: Oscars So White: 8 Ways to Solve the Academy’s Diversity Problem
At the heart of the Academy’s complex diversity issue is how much the Oscars reflect the way that the Academy likes to view itself. Believe me, they were horrified when,...
- 6/29/2016
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
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