SciFi Japan

    Taku Aoyagi's first-person documentary TOKYO UBER BLUES premieres today as part of PBS' POV doc series. Photo courtesy of PBS. ©Nodelaico

    Asian Cinema

    Taku Aoyagi's first-person documentary TOKYO UBER BLUES premieres today as part of PBS' POV doc series. Photo courtesy of PBS. ©Nodelaico Source: PBSSpecial Thanks to Caitlin Hughes Photo courtesy of PBS. ©Nodelaico Taku Aoyagi's irreverent first-person gig worker documentary TOKYO UBER BLUES will make its broadcast premiere as part of PBS' POV doc series on October 21st on local PBS affiliate stations + streams free on the PBS App. Unemployed in the wake of the pandemic, 26-year-old filmmaker Taku Aoyagi decides to try his luck in Tokyo. Short on worldly possessions, using his bike and phone, he becomes an Uber Eats rider. Now, he can decide his own hours, and is free to choose when to take orders! But pedaling through deserted streets delivering boba tea to cloistered condos, he starts to wonder... what was it that Ken Loach said about the Uberization of

    Photo courtesy of Janus Films. ©1956 Nikkatsu.

    Asian Cinema

      Photo courtesy of Janus Films. ©1956 Nikkatsu. Source: Janus Films press release Special Thanks to Courtney Ott Photo courtesy of Janus Films. ©1956 Nikkatsu. Janus Films presents a new 4K restoration of the Nikkatsu classic antiwar film THE BURMESE HARP (ビルマの竪琴, Biruma no Tategoto, 1956). The movie will play October 18-24 at the Film Forum in New York and is available for bookings nationwide. In the last days of World War II, a Japanese platoon sustains morale through the Burma campaign by singing traditional songs, accompanied by the delicate harp-playing of Private Mizushima (Shoji Yasui). After the unit surrenders to British forces, Mizushima is tasked with convincing a holdout of cave-dwelling Japanese soldiers to lay down their arms; when his mission fails, he is counted among the dead. Mizushima survives, however, and becomes a monk who dedicates his life to providing proper burials for

    Photo courtesy of Well Go USA.

    Asian Cinema

    Photo courtesy of Well Go USA.  Source: Well Go USA, LBHpr  Special Thanks to Leif Helland Photo courtesy of Well Go USA. Well Go USA Entertainment is offering SciFi Japan readers a chance to win a Blu-ray of the award-winner horror-thriller EXHUMA (파묘, 2024). Written and Directed by Jang Jae-Hyun (SVAHA: THE SIXTH FINGER), EXHUMA stars CHOI Min-Sik (OLDBOY, I SAW THE DEVIL), KIM Go-Eun (HERO, LITTLE WOMEN), YOO Hai-Jin (A TAXI DRIVER), and LEE Do-Hyun (PRISON PLAYBOOK, SWEET HOME). After tracing a strange ailment to a remote gravesite, a team of supernatural experts soon discovers what happens when you mess with the wrong grave. EXHUMA will be released on 4K Ultra HD (SLP: $34.98), Blu-ray (SLP: $29.98) and DVD (SLP: $24.98) October 8 from Well Go USA Entertainment. The film has a runtime of 135 minutes and is not rated. The release includes

    Photo courtesy of Eureka Entertainment and MVD Entertainment.

    Asian Cinema

    Photo courtesy of Eureka Entertainment and MVD Entertainment. Source: MVD Entertainment press release Special Thanks to Derek Stubinski Photo courtesy of Eureka Entertainment and MVD Entertainment. Eureka Entertainment announces the release of THE SWORD (名劍, Míng Jiàn, 1980), Patrick Tam’s dazzling take on the classic wuxia adventure. Presented on Blu-ray from a brand new 2K restoration. Available as part of the Eureka Classics range, coming Nov 19 in North America. The Limited edition release of 2000 copies (per territory) will exclusively feature an O-card slipcase, and a collector’s booklet.     Best known as a key contributor to the Hong Kong New Wave as the director of MY HEART IS THAT ETERNAL ROSE and the editor of Wong Kar-wai’s DAYS OF BEING WILD and ASHES OF TIME, Patrick Tam began his filmmaking career with THE SWORD: a love letter to the wuxia genre starring

    Photo courtesy of Radiance Films. ©KADOKAWA CORPORATION

    Asian Cinema

    Photo courtesy of Radiance Films. ©KADOKAWA CORPORATION Source: Radiance Films, MVD Entertainment Special Thanks to Derek Stubinski DAIEI GOTHIC: JAPANESE GHOST STORIES presents a collection of three of Japan's most famous ghost stories that have haunted people for centuries in a limited edition Blu-ray set from Radiance Films. Photo courtesy of Radiance Films. ©KADOKAWA CORPORATION Kenji Misumi (LONE WOLF AND CUB) directs THE GHOST OF YOTSUYA (四谷怪談,Yotsuya Kaidan, 1959), in which a woman returns from the grave as a horribly disfigured phantom to torment her husband and his new bride. In THE SNOW WOMAN (怪談雪女郎, Kaidan Yukijorō, 1968), directed by Tokuzo Tanaka (ZATOICHI), a woodcutter must keep his oath to a vengeful female spirit or pay the ultimate price. THE BRIDE FROM HADES (牡丹燈籠, Botan Tōrō, 1968) by Satsuo Yamamoto (SHINOBi) sees a handsome samurai so enchanted by a courtesan's beauty that

    Kinji Fukasaku’s crime drama THE THREAT will soon be available outside Japan for the first time ever. Photo courtesy of Arrow Video. © Toei Co., Ltd.

    Asian Cinema

    Kinji Fukasaku’s crime drama THE THREAT will soon be available outside Japan for the first time ever. Photo courtesy of Arrow Video. © Toei Co., Ltd. Source: Arrow Video, MVD Entertainment Special Thanks to Derek Stubinski Photo courtesy of Arrow Video. © Toei Co., Ltd. Arrow Video’s September Slate features a rarely seen gem from the director of BATTLE ROYALE. THE THREAT (脅迫 おどし, Odoshi, 1966) is a gritty crime drama in the vein of Kurosawa's HIGH AND LOW, set against the backdrop of a rapidly modernizing Japan that has left many of its citizens behind. Misawa (Rentarō Mikuni; FUGITIVE FROM THE PAST, VENGEANCE IS MINE) appears to lead a charmed life, the very model of Japan's post-war economic miracle. His position as the account manager of a prestigious advertising agency is enough to pay the mortgage on the spacious modern house he

    Photo courtesy of Arrow Films.

    Asian Cinema

    Photo courtesy of Arrow Films. Source: Arrow Films, MVD Entertainment Special Thanks to Derek Stubinski Remastered from the best available elements and packed with a host of new and archival extras, J-HORROR RISING presents seven of the genre's most distinctive titles in this limited edition set from Arrow Video. Photo courtesy of Arrow Films. In the ghostly pastoral horror of SHIKOKU (死国, 1999), a young woman returns after many years to her rural birthplace, only to find her best friend from childhood has died by drowning when just sixteen. The dead girl's mother, the local Shintoist priestess, has embarked on the region's famous pilgrimage - but why is she walking backwards? The aftermath of the devasting Kobe Earthquake of 1995 creates fissures in the already fractured mind of a high-school girl in ISOLA: MULTIPLE PERSONALITY GIRL (ISOLA 多重人格少女 ISOLA Taju-jinkaku Shojo, 2000), allowing

    ©General Incorporated Association One Percent Social Contribution, Koda Films

    Asian Cinema

    ©General Incorporated Association One Percent Social Contribution, Koda Films Special Thanks to Avery Guerra and Yuki Morita A SCIFI JAPAN EXCLUSIVE Okubo Hikozaemon. Filmmaker Minoru Kawasaki (EVERYTHING SINKS EXCEPT JAPAN, EARTH DEFENSE WIDOW and MONSTER SEAFOOD WARS, PLANET PRINCE 2021), will next produce CYBORG ISSHINTASUKE (サイボーグ一心太助, Saibōgu Isshintasuke).   The film is inspired by the legendary hero Okubo Hikozaemon (1560-1639). For this story, Hikozaemon is reimagined as a modern businessman named Isshin Taisuke who is transformed into a cyborg to battle an evil corporation. This will be the next entry in Kawasaki's trilogy of movies produced and based in Kota, Aichi Prefecture (aka Koda Town), which started with SUPER LEGEND GOD HIKOZA (超伝合体ゴッドヒコザ, Chō-den Gattai Goddo Hikoza, 2022) and was followed by A UFO INTRUDER (突撃！隣のUFO, Totsugeki! Tonari no UFO, 2023).   The main character Isshin Taisuke was designed by manga artist

    Photo courtesy of the Criterion Collection. TM & ©TOHO CO., LTD.

    Asian Cinema

      Photo courtesy of the Criterion Collection. TM & ©TOHO CO., LTD. Source: The Criterion Collection press release Special Thanks to Courtney Ott Photo courtesy of the Criterion Collection. TM & ©TOHO CO., LTD. The Criterion Collection has announced that Akira Kurosawa's SEVEN SAMURAI (七人の侍, Shichinin no Samurai,1954), one of the most thrilling warrior epics of all time, will be released November 12th in a 3-disc 4K UHD + Blu-ray set. The previously released two disc Blu-ray and three disc DVD editions are also available for purchase. SEVEN SAMURAI tells the story of a sixteenth-century village whose desperate inhabitants hire the eponymous warriors to protect them from invading bandits. This three-hour-plus ride from Akira Kurosawa—featuring legendary actors Toshiro Mifune and Takashi Shimura—seamlessly weaves philosophy and entertainment, delicate human emotions and relentless action, into a rich, evocative, and unforgettable tale of courage and hope. 1954

    ANCIENT WARRIOR HANIWATT poster by Takuma Asai. Photo courtesy of 3Y Film. ©Kenji Taketomi/ Futabasha / NET WEB

    Asian Cinema

    Source: 3Y FilmOfficial Site: http://3yfilm.co.jp/haniwatt (Japan)Special Thanks to Avery Guerra A SCIFI JAPAN EXCLUSIVE ANCIENT WARRIOR HANIWATT poster by Takuma Asai. Photo courtesy of 3Y Film. ©Kenji Taketomi/ Futabasha / NET WEB 3Y Film, makers of THE GREAT BUDDHA ARRIVAL (大仏廻国, Daibutsu Kokaiku, 2019) and NEZURA 1964 (ネズラ1964, 2020) and HOSHI 35 (星35), will next produce ANCIENT WARRIOR HANIWATT (古代戦士ハニワット, Kodai Senshi Haniwatto), a live action adaptation of the manga of the same name.   Created by Kenji Taketomi, Ancient Warrior Haniwatt began serialization in Futabasha's Manga Action in 2018. To date, 10 collected volumes have been released in Japan. Inspired by the Daimajin films and Kamen Rider TV franchise, Taketomi developed the story of a hero defending modern Japan from raging monstrous beings, with the twist that the title character and creature designs are based on ancient Japanese haniwa clay statues and figurines.  

    Photo courtesy of Fantasia International Flm Festival.

    Asian Cinema

    Photo courtesy of Fantasia International Flm Festival. Source: Fantasia International Flm Festival press releases Official Site: https://fantasiafestival.com/en Special Thanks to Ted Geoghegan, Maggie Caroddo and Annie MacLeod       Montreal, Quebec -- The Fantasia International Flm Festival will celebrate its upcoming 28th edition with an electrifying program of screenings, workshops, and launch events running from July 18 through August 4, 2024, returning yet again at the Concordia Hall and J.A. de Sève cinemas, with additional screens and events at Montreal’s Cinémathèque québécoise and Cinéma du Musée. The festival’s 2024 poster art, created by Montreal visual artist Donald Caron, brings back two of the festival’s most-beloved characters from earlier editions, returning by popular demand. The cinema-loving cat and pug, barreling into the future on a sidecar motorcycle, embody the excitement, playfulness, and absurdity that Fantasia has championed since its inception in 1996.

    Photo courtesy of the Criterion Collection. © Shochiku Co., Ltd.

    Asian Cinema

      Photo courtesy of the Criterion Collection. © Shochiku Co., Ltd. Source: The Criterion Collection press release Special Thanks to Courtney Ott Photo courtesy of the Criterion Collection. © Shochiku Co., Ltd. The Criterion Collection has announced the Shochiku horror film DEMON POND (夜叉ヶ池, Yashagaike, 1979) will be released October 15th in a 2-disc 4K UHD + Blu-ray set, as well as single disc Blu-ray and DVD editions. Japanese New Wave renegade Masahiro Shinoda transforms a classic Kabuki tale with his own extravagant visual style in this dimension-shattering folk-horror fantasia. When a lone traveler (Tsutomu Yamazaki) stumbles upon a remote, drought-stricken village, he finds himself engulfed in a whirlpool of myth, mystery, and magic: in a nearby pond reside spirits who hold the fate of the town’s inhabitants—including lovers Akira (Go Kato) and Yuri (Kabuki legend Tamasaburo Bando, who also plays the ethereal princess reigning

    Photo courtesy of Japan Society. Ⓒ Japan Society

    Asian Cinema

    Photo courtesy of Japan Society. Ⓒ Japan Society Source: Japan Society press release Official Site: https://japansociety.org/film/japancuts/ Special Thanks to Sylvia Savadjian   JAPAN SOCIETY PRESENTS THE 17TH ANNUAL JAPAN CUTS: FESTIVAL OF NEW JAPANESE FILM July 10–21, 2024 · Japan Society · New York, NY North America’s largest Japanese film festival presents two weeks of contemporary premieres, including new films from Kei Chika-ura, Takeshi Kitano, Gakuryu Ishii, Shunji Iwai, Sho Miyake and Shinya Tsukamoto 31 films including 5 International Premieres, 10 North American Premieres, 4 U.S. Premieres, 2 East Coast Premieres and 7 New York Premieres Includes the International Premiere of SHIN GODZILLA: ORTHOchromatic Photo courtesy of Japan Society. Ⓒ 2016,2023 TOHO CO., LTD.   Japan Society presents the full lineup of the 17th

    Photo courtesy of Picturehouse. ©2023 CREATPS Inc.

    Asian Cinema

    Photo courtesy of Picturehouse. ©2023 CREATPS Inc. Source: Picturehouse press release Official Site: https://great-absence.com/ Special Thanks to Isaac Davidson (Cinetic Marketing & PR) Photo courtesy of Picturehouse. ©2023 CREATPS Inc. GREAT ABSENCE (大いなる不在, Oinaru Fuzai, 2023), written & directed by Kei Chika-ura and starring legendary actor Tatsuya Fuji (IN THE REALM OF THE SENSES), opens Friday, July 19 in New York at Angelika Film Center opens Friday, July 26 in Los Angeles at Laemmle Monica and Glendale. The national rollout will follow.   Synopsis Distanced from his father for twenty years, Takashi is brought back home by a jarring police call – his father’s second wife, Naomi, is missing, and Yohji himself has disconnected from reality. Takashi starts a search for truth in the present – that has long fingers into the truth of his past. 2023 / Japan / 133 minutes

    Two Terrifying Titles Debut Exclusively on Digital June 25. Photos courtesy of Well Go USA.

    Asian Cinema

    Two Terrifying Titles Debut Exclusively on Digital June 25. Photos courtesy of Well Go USA.   Source: Well Go USA, lbhpr Special Thanks to Leif Helland Well Go USA Entertainment brings two terrifying titles exclusively to digital June 25. HOPELESS is a thriller focusing on a teenage boy who attempts to escape from his hellish reality but ends up in the world of crime, while TASTES OF HORROR is an omnibus-style film from five acclaimed South Korean directors (Sang-hoon Ahn, Johnny Chae [as Chae Yeojoon], Yoon Een-Kyoung, Yong-gyun Kim & Dae-wung Lim) who created six shorts compiled into one terrifying film.   HOPELESS (화란, Hwaran, 2023) Starring: Hong Xa Bin, Kim Jong-soo, Song Joong-ki Writer/Director: Kim Chang-hoon Synopsis: After spending his entire childhood in a town riddled with crime and violence, a teenage boy saves up his money in hopes of

    Photo courtesy of Well Go USA.

    Asian Cinema

    Photo courtesy of Well Go USA.   Source: Well Go USA, LBHpr  Special Thanks to Leif Helland Photo courtesy of Well Go USA. Well Go USA Entertainment is offering SciFi Japan readers a chance to win a Blu-ray of the Chinese martial arts thriller BLIND WAR (盲战,  Mang Zhan, 2022). The film tells the story of the former SWAT captain, permanently injured during a failed mission for which he took responsibility. After gradually getting out of the haze, his old enemy reappeared and threatened his daughter.  Directed by Huo Suiqiang (DEMON SEALER BUREAU)​, BLIND WAR stars Andy On (SPECIAL I.D., RIDE ON, 100 YARDS)​, Li Zixiong, Yang Xing (QIMEN DARK BLADE), Wang Hanyangm (MARTIAL UNIVERSE 2: NINE TALISMAN TOWER), Qi Shenghan, Zhang Yaqi (THE LEGEND OF ENVELOPED DEMONS), Wu Jingxuan, Cheng Sihan, and Zhou Hongbo. BLIND WAR is now available on Blu-ray (SLP:

    Photo courtesy of MVD.

    Asian Cinema

    Source: MVD Entertainment press release Special Thanks to Derek Stubinski Photo courtesy of MVD. On July 9th, Synapse Films presents the global debut of the Thai/Korean production CROCODILE (จระเข้, Crak̄hê, 1981) on Blu-ray, from a new restoration of the original English 35mm camera negative.    Move aside Jaws. Watch out Godzilla. When Mother Nature rebels against humankind for defying her laws, she strikes back with unbelievable fury creating the largest and most savage crocodile on earth... there is a giant crocodile on the loose! Mutating and getting larger possibly because of an atomic explosion, the crocodile's thirst for blood also grows as it rampages through a small quiet beach town devouring anything in its path.   Dr. Tony Akom (Nat Puvani) and Dr. John Stromm (Min Oo) are on a perfect family vacation, but it takes a tragic turn when three of their loved ones

    Photo courtesy of Media Blasters. © Machine Girls Film Partners

    Asian Cinema

    Source: Media Blasters press releaseSpecial Thanks to Carl Morano Photo courtesy of Media Blasters. © Machine Girls Film Partners (Belleville, New Jersey)  Media Blasters Inc. is pleased to announce the sibling pairing of two of the best-selling, high-octane Tokyo Shock hits of all time- THE MACHINE GIRL CHRONICLES with the original MACHINE GIRL and the official follow-up, RISE OF THE MACHINE GIRLS!  The double-disc blu-ray destroyer will be locked and loaded on June 25th! THE MACHINE GIRL: JACKED!- Ami is your average schoolgirl trying to provide a normal life for her younger brother and herself following the tragic death of their parents. But her whole world comes crashing down when her brother and his friend are brutally murdered by a ruthless gang of bullies headed by the spoiled brat son of a local yakuza boss!  When Ami sets out to avenge her slain sibling, she soon

    Photo courtesy of Well Go USA.

    Asian Cinema

    Photo courtesy of Well Go USA.   Source: Well Go USA, ddPR Special Thanks to Leif Helland Photo courtesy of Well Go USA. After tracing a strange ailment to a remote gravesite, a team of supernatural experts soon discovers what happens when you mess with the wrong grave in the award-winner horror-thriller EXHUMA (파묘, 2024), debuting on Digital June 4 from Well Go USA Entertainment.  Written and Directed by Jang Jae-Hyun (SVAHA: THE SIXTH FINGER), EXHUMA stars CHOI Min-Sik (OLDBOY, I SAW THE DEVIL), KIM Go-Eun (HERO, LITTLE WOMEN), YOO Hai-Jin (A TAXI DRIVER), and LEE Do-Hyun (PRISON PLAYBOOK, SWEET HOME). EXHUMA won the Art Award at the 2024 Baek Sang Art Awards and also picked up awards for Best Director (Jang Jae-Hyun), Best Actor (CHOI Min-Sik), Best Actress (KIM Go-Eun), and Best New Actor (LEE Do-Hyun).   Synopsis:       

    Photo courtesy of Well Go USA.

    Asian Cinema

    Photo courtesy of Well Go USA.   Source: Well Go USA, ddPR Special Thanks to Leif Helland Photo courtesy of Well Go USA. Well Go USA Entertainment is offering SciFi Japan readers a chance to win a Blu-ray of the award-winning epic fantasy CREATION OF THE GODS I: KINGDOM OF STORMS (封神第一部：朝歌风云, Fengshen Part 1: Chao Ge Fengyun, 2023) from director Wuershan (PAINTED SKIN: THE RESURRECTION, MOJIN: THE LOST LEGEND). After killing the emperor, King Zhou reigns as a tyrant so brutal that he earns Heaven’s wrath. To save the mortal world, the gods intervene and invest in a champion brave enough to challenge the king—even if it may cost him everything. CREATION OF THE GODS I: KINGDOM OF STORMS stars Kris Phillips (THE MONKEY KING 2), Li Xuejian (THE WANDERING EARTH II), Huang Bo (JOURNEY TO THE WEST), Yu Shi (BORN TO FLY),

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