SciFi Japan

    Benefit screenings of the Japanese Academy Award-winning HULA GIRLS will take place on Saturday, March 26th at VIZ Cinema in San Francisco. Photo courtesy of NEW PEOPLE. © Cine Qua Non 2006, in association with HAPPINET and S.D.P

    Asian Cinema

    Award Winning Film Set in Fukushima Prefecture is a Testament to the Enduring Human Spirit Source: MediaLab press release Official Site: NewPeopleWorld.com Special Thanks to Erik Jansen NEW PEOPLE, the nation’s only entertainment complex dedicated to Japanese popular culture, will present a special screening of director Lee Sang-il’s celebrated film, HULA GIRLS, to raise funds for Japanese earthquake and tsunami relief. HULA GIRLS will screen on Saturday, March 26th at 2:00pm, 4:30pm and 7:00pm at VIZ Cinema. Suggested donations are $10.00 or more per person. NEW PEOPLE is located in the heart of San Francisco’s Japantown at 1746 Post Street, San Francisco, CA 94115. 100% of proceeds from the screenings will be donated to the Northern Japan Earthquake Relief Fund, administered by JCCCNC and Union Bank in San Francisco’s Japantown. More information on the screenings and the work of this relief organization is

    Quad poster for the UK release of COLD FISH, the acclaimed new film from the director of LOVE EXPOSURE. Photo courtesy of Third Window Films. © 2010 Sushi Typhoon/ Nikkatsu

    Asian Cinema

    Source: Third Window Films, The Associates press release Official Movie Site: coldfish.jp (Japan), thirdwindowfilms.com/cold-fish (UK) Special Thanks to Adam Torel The latest feature from cult Japanese writer-director Sion Sono (LOVE EXPOSURE), COLD FISH (??????, Tsumetai Nettaigyo, 2010) is the third release from Nikkatsu`s new genre film label, Sushi Typhoon. Inspired by and loosely based on the real-life exploits of serial killer couple Gen Sekine and his ex-wife Hiroko Kazama (the perpetrators of Tokyo’s notorious 1993 “Saitama serial murders of dog lovers” killings), the film is a psychotic cavalcade of sex, violence and comedy that has been hailed by Variety for its “gleeful humour and dare-you-to-watch aesthetic”. Now COLD FISH is coming to theatres in the United Kingdom, giving filmgoers a chance to witness “yet another step in Sion Sono`s rise as one of Japan`s most consistently bold and intriguing film makers… [that] stands

    Sho Aikawa in director Takashi Miike`s DEAD OR ALIVE. Photo courtesy of Japan Society. © 1999 Kadokawa Shoten Co., Ltd.

    Asian Cinema

    Japanese Gangster Film Series Spans 50 Years, with 15 films and a Guest Appearance by an American Movie Legend Source: Japan Society Special Thanks to Shannon Jowett and Joshua Pagillo Hardest Men in Town: Yakuza Chronicles of Sin, Sex & Violence March 9-19, 2011, at Japan Society New York, NY: Years before Coppola’s GODFATHER enthralled a nation and decades before SOPRANOS and BOARDWALK EMPIRE fed viewers’ insatiable appetites for serial gangster melodrama, the yakuza (Japanese mafia) were mainstays of the Japanese film industry. From March 9-19, Japan Society presents the Globus Film Series "Hardest Men in Town: Yakuza Chronicles of Sin, Sex & Violence", featuring 15 seminal films encompassing 50 years of snarling, swaggering, tattooed and inexplicably sexy cinema icons from Japan. In addition to celebrated classics by Hideo Gosha (THE WOLVES), Kinji Fukasaku (COPS VS. THUGS, BATTLES WITHOUT HONOR AND HUMANITY), the

    Serial killer Kyung-chul (OLDBOY star Choi Min-sik) chooses the wrong victim (Oh San-ha) in the Korean thriller I SAW THE DEVIL, opening this week in American theaters. Photo courtesy of Magnet Releasing.

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    Director Kim Jee-woon Delivers Extreme Revenge Flick with Vengeance Author: Richard Pusateri Source: Magnet Releasing Official Movie Site: isawthedevilmovie.com (US), isawthedevil.co.kr (Korea) Special Thanks to Marina Bailey Film Publicity SPOILER WARNING: This article contains plot details for a new movie. I SAW THE DEVIL (??? ??? , Akmareul Boattda, 2010) has a lot of great buzz and early reviews going for it. The well-acted riveting story has fine photography and great pacing. The momentum carries interest over some implausible situations and other plot holes. But still, I found myself uncomfortable enjoying this slick slasher/serial killer/revenge movie. The action relentlessly escalates as more characters become involved being drawn in (or pulled down) by the obsession of the wronged hero government secret agent Soo-hyun (Lee Byung-hun ). I SAW THE DEVIL has plenty of effective suspense and well-staged action scenes. The lush cinematography by Lee

    Teacher Yuko Moriguchi suspects that one (or more) of her students murdered her child... and sets out to prove it by any means necessary in CONFESSIONS. Japan`s entry for the 2011 Academy Awards will get a limited theatrical run in the United Kingdom from Third Window Films. Photo courtesy of The Associates. © 2010 Confessions Production Committee

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    Psychological Thriller from the Director of KAMIKAZE GIRLS and MEMORIES OF MATSUKO Opens February 18th Source: Third Window Films, The Associates press release Official Movie Site: kokuhaku-shimasu.jp (Japan), thirdwindowfilms.com/confessions (UK) Special Thanks to Adam Torel Following the critical acclaim of his previous features, KAMIKAZE GIRLS (Shimotsuma Monogatari, 2004) and MEMORIES OF MATSUKO (Kiraware Matsuko no Issho, 2006), genre-busting auteur Tetsuya Nakashima returns with CONFESSIONS (??, Kokuhaku, 2010), a notably darker but equally absorbing and typically idiosyncratic work, this time adapted from the award winning debut novel by Kanae Minato. Written and directed by Nakashima, CONFESSIONS has been selected as Japan’s official entry in the Best Foreign Film category of the 83rd Annual Academy Awards (the final list of nominees will announced on 25th January 2011) and received great acclaim following its UK premier screening at the Film4 Frightfest All-Nighter in October, 2010 at

    The idiotic Young-gu (Shim Hyung-rae) is chosen to take over the family of New York mob boss Don Carini (Harvey Keitel) in the comedy THE LAST GODFATHER. © 2010 Younggu Art

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    DRAGON WARS Director`s Newest Comedy Comes to the US Author: Kim Song-ho Source: Younggu Art and CJ Entertainment official press materials Official Movie Site: THE LAST GODFATHER The Korean studio CJ Entertainment announced on January 26 (Korean date) that the company and the American distributor Roadside Attractions LLC have reached a deal via MOU (memorandum of understanding) for the North American release of THE LAST GODFATHER (??? ???, 2010). The movie is the latest comedy by writer/director Shim Hyung-rae, the filmmaker behind such monster movies as YONGGARY (??? aka REPTILIAN, 1999/2001) and DRAGON WARS (D-WAR, 2007). THE LAST GODFATHER is about Young-gu (played by director Shim himself, who is also a popular comedian and actor in Korea), who in fact is a long-lost son of the 1950s fictional New York mob boss Don Carini (Harvey Keitel). Before retirement, Don Carini calls the dim-witted

    A seemingly normal tropical fish shop owner (Denden) has a terrifying secret life in COLD FISH, the new film from the director of LOVE EXPOSURE. © 2010 Sushi Typhoon/ Nikkatsu

    Asian Cinema

    New Horror Film from Sushi Typhoon and the Director of LOVE EXPOSURE Source: Sushi Typhoon Official Movie Site: coldfish.jp (Japan) Special Thanks to Marc Walkow After the international acclaim of his masterpiece LOVE EXPOSURE (Ai no Mukidashi, 2008), director Shion Sono is back with COLD FISH (??????, Tsumetai Nettaigyo, 2010), the third release from Nikkatsu`s new genre film label, Sushi Typhoon. The film is a horror story— with a bit of Sono`s trademark black humor— inspired by the real life crimes of exotic dog breeder Gen Sekine, his common-law wife Hiroko Kasama, and his business partner Nagayuki Yamazaki, who murdered and dismembered a number of people in 1993. COLD FISH made its World Premiere this past September at the 67th Venice Film Festival. The North American Premiere followed that same month at the Toronto International Film Festival, and the film has since played

    David Bowie stars as a soldier held in a Japanese POW camp in director Nagisa Oshima’s riveting World War II drama MERRY CHRISTMAS MR. LAWRENCE. Photo courtesy of Japan Society. © 1983 Shochiku Co., Ltd.

    Asian Cinema

    Filmmakers from Japan and China Explode the Truth of War in a Four Film Series Source: Japan Society press release Special Thanks to Shannon Jowett and Kanako Shirasaki Shadows of the Rising Sun: Cinema and Empire Featuring the NY Premiere of CATERPILLAR Friday-Sunday, December 10-12, 2010 at Japan Society New York, NY – War is honor, glory, and the wisdom of the nations swept away by the wind of fear and the fires of bloodshed. This winter Japan Society tells the multifaceted story of Japan`s quest for Empire and its tragic downfall, as seen through the eyes of filmmakers from Japan and China. From December 10-12, "Shadows of the Rising Sun: Cinema and Empire" encompasses four epoch-making titles, poised between past and present, exploring the conflagration and its dreadful consequences. Featured films range from Kon Ichikawa’s 1959 arch-classic FIRES ON THE PLAIN to

    Katsuo Nakamura in a classic scene from Toho`s ghost film KWAIDAN, launching Japan Society`s Zen & Its Opposite monthly film series this Friday. Photo courtesy of Japan Society. © 1965 Toho Co., Ltd.

    Asian Cinema

    Zen & Its Opposite: Essential (& Turbulent) Japanese Art House (October 15 2010-February 18 2011) Source: Japan Society Special Thanks to Kanako Shirasaki and Shannon Jowett New York, NY – Japan Society`s Monthly Classics film series, Zen & Its Opposite: Essential (& Turbulent) Japanese Art House peers into the dark side of the classical repertoire of the late 1950s and 1960s, illuminating the paradoxical and little understood unity of Zen Buddhism and violence. Timed with The Sound of One Hand: Painting and Calligraphy by Zen Master Hakuin (October 1, 2010–January 9, 2011), Japan Society`s major exhibition of 18th century Zen paintings, Zen & Its Opposite launches Friday, October 15, with Masaki Kobayashi’s KWIDAN at 7:30 pm, screening another 4 films monthly through February 13, 2011. In Zen & Its Opposite, 5 master filmmakers offer the bloody and all-too-human spectacle of sin, folly and

    The Oscar contender CONFESSIONS sold out its screening in Sydney. The film plays Melbourne on December 4th. Photo courtesy of Japan Society. © 2010 Confessions Production Committee?

    Asian Cinema

    Source: Japan Foundation, Sydney press release Official Site: japanesefilmfestival.net Special Thanks to Evon Fung and Amanda Thompson The 14th Japanese Film Festival concluded last Sunday with record audiences of 7,700 in Sydney alone. The week-long festival screened 20 sessions all up, with four sessions selling out, and another two almost reaching full capacity. Opening night saw the red carpet rolled out at Regent Place, Sydney for the festival’s opening night gala. NSW’s Minister for the Arts and Minister for Fair Trading, The Honorary Virginia Judge MP began the night with a warm welcome, together with Dr Masahiro Kohara, Consul-General of Japan. Festival guests enjoyed the latest cinematic screenings from Japan, some winning fantastic on-the-spot lucky-door prizes thanks to our generous sponsors. Others took advantage of the festival’s special events with significant guests from Japan, Tsutomu Abe (Director, KYOTO STORY), Tadao Sato (Japan`s leading film critic), Shigeki

    Directors Tsutomu Abe and Shigeki Chiba and film critic Tadao Sato will lead a discussion following the screening of KYOTO STORY. Photo courtesy of Japan Foundation. © 2010

    Asian Cinema

    Source: Japan Foundation, Sydney Official Site: japanesefilmfestival.net Special Thanks to Amanda Thompson and Evon Fung Currently sitting in sixth position of Sydney’s top ten film festivals according to Dorling Kindersley’s Eyewitness Travel Guide, is the Japanese Film Festival, continuing its euphoric presence for its 14th year. Last year, the festival received an audience of 10,000 entering our festival doors to participate in a panoramic feast of Japanese cinema. This year, with a line up of 22 feature films, 21 of which are Australian premieres, the 2010 program promises to be nothing short of spectacular. Special Guests and Events (Sydney only) ANIME MATSURI: From the studio that created the animation sequences in KILL BILL Vol. 1, Production I.G’s Naoyoshi Shiotani joins the festival for a Q&A session on Saturday 27 November for the special double screening of two Production I.G films, TOKYO MARBLE CHOCOLATE and

    SEVEN DAYS IN HEAVEN. Photo courtesy of VIZ Media. © 2009 Magnifique Creative Media

    Asian Cinema

    Source: VIZ Pictures, MediaLab press releases Official Site: NewPeopleWorld.com Special Thanks to Jane Lui and Erik Jansen VIZ Cinema, the nation’s only movie theatre dedicated to Japanese film, makes October a month full of premieres, special events and mini film festivals with a compelling new roster of just-announced screenings. The month begins with an encore screening of the acclaimed World War II documentary 442: LIVE WITH DIGNITY, DIE WITH HONOR to be followed by a presentation of director John H. Lee’s newest romantic drama SAYONARA ITSUKA – GOODBYE, SOMEDAY. Anime and pop culture fans shouldn’t miss the new animated racing action of REDLINE, premiering at VIZ Cinema the same week of its release in Japan, as well as a one-day-only rare encore screening of HATSUNE MIKU U.S. LIVE, which presents a live film ‘concert’ by Japan’s most popular virtual idol. This event will also feature a rare

    NANA © 2005 “NANA” Production Committee.

    Asian Cinema

    Films Include Works of Kenji Mizoguchi, Akira Kurosawa and Takeshi Kitano plus Women in Contemporary Japanese Cinema and Japanimation Source: Barbican Centre, Sarah Harvey Publicity press release Special Thanks to Helene Muron For two months, from 19 October to 19 December, Barbican Film presents ASPECTS OF JAPANESE CINEMA, an impressive programme of Japanese film. The programme includes three "Directorspectives" focusing of the work of Japanese film directors from three different eras of cinema, for whom costume and set design formed a critical element of their work – Kenji Mizoguchi, Akira Kurosawa and Takeshi Kitano. The Mizoguchi Directorspective launches on Sunday 24 October with a screening of THE WATER MAGICIAN accompanied, for the first time in the UK, by benshi narration and live traditional Japanese musical accompaniment on the koto. The screening will be introduced by Japanese film expert Tony Rayns. The season also features GirlsWorld, a series of contemporary Japanese

    NEW PEOPLE in San Francisco has announced a week of festivities leading up to their 2010 J-Pop Summit Festival. Photo courtesy of VIZ Media. © 2010 VIZ Media

    Asian Cinema

    Japanese Film, Fashion, Music and Art Celebrated in a Week of Activities Leading Up to All-Day Event Showcasing the Best in Modern Asian Popular Culture Source: VIZ Pictures, MediaLab press releases Official Site: J-Pop.com Special Thanks to Erik Jansen NEW PEOPLE, a dynamic entertainment destination bringing the latest examples of Japanese popular culture to North American shores, will expand its upcoming 2010 J-Pop Summit Festival, happening on Saturday, September 18th in San Francisco’s Japantown, with a special series of events taking place at the venue each night during the week leading up to the Festival. Beginning on Monday, September 13th and continuing every evening through Friday, September 17th, different aspects of Japanese and Asian film, anime, fashion design, music and other forms of pop culture will be celebrated in a series of unique screenings, interactive discussions, multimedia presentations and live performances. Special gift

    VIZ Cinema in San Francisco is hosting a 5 day run of 1970s Godzilla movies starting this Saturday. Photo courtesy of VIZ Media. © 1971-1974 Toho Co., Ltd.

    Asian Cinema

    A Fantastic Array Of Japanese Films Feature Surfing, Godzilla, Giant Robots, And The End Of The World Source: VIZ Pictures, MediaLab press releases Official Site: NewPeopleWorld.com Special Thanks to Evelyn Dubocq and Erik Jansen May is a month to celebrate obsessions at VIZ Cinema. The nation’s only movie theatre dedicated to Japanese film, unfolds its most varied line-up yet, spotlighting a variety of obsessions ranging from surfing to art to science fiction and anime. VIZ Cinema complements a remarkable new exhibit – THE SURF SHOP – opening Saturday, May 15t in the SUPERFROG Gallery featuring Japanese surf-inspired art, custom surfboards and more with a special BIG SURF weekend of new and classic surfing films. Sci-fi fans will want to catch VIZ Cinema’s first-ever Kaiju Shakedown, with four films featuring the world’s most famous Japanese monster dinosaur on 35mm prints! The theatre is also

    The rarely seen THE DEVIL`S TEMPLE wraps up Japan Society`s six month series of chambara (sword fighting) films. Photo courtesy of Japan Society. © 1969 Kadokawa Pictures, Inc.

    Asian Cinema

    Japan Society Concludes "The Double-Edged Sword" Chambara Film Series on May 14th Source: Japan Society Special Thanks to Tahmid Mannan New York – The final screening of Japan Society`s latest Monthly Classics film series "The Double-Edged Sword: The Chambara Films of Shintaro Katsu & Raizo Ichikawa" has arrived! Curated by film expert and author Chris D. (Outlaw Masters of Japanese Film), the series pays tribute to two Japanese screen legends in their most respected, representative and stylish chambara (sword fighting) films. On Friday, May 14, the series finishes off with a clang, screening Kazuo Ikehiro’s THE LONE STALKER (6:30 PM) and Kenji Misumi’s THE DEVIL`S TEMPLE (8:30 PM), two rare and wonderfully unique films for the series’ stars: Raizo Ichikawa and Shintaro Katsu. Truly one of Ichikawa’s most impressive performances (in fact one of his last, released one year before his death in

    Poster for the new ASTRO BOY movie from Imagi Studios. ©2009 Imagi Crystal Ltd and Summit Entertainment, LLC

    Asian Cinema

    New Movie Plays Fast and Loose with History, But Still Packs a Punch! Author: Bob Johnson Official Movie Site: Astro Boy Warning: This review may contain some spoilers... Astro Boy (known as Tetsuwan Atom, or Mighty Atom, in Japan) made his big screen debut this weekend in the US with Imagi’s new CGI adventure. The robot boy with rockets in his loafers is treated with respect, however the story and subplots come across as a bit rushed and things happen a little too fast. In this version Metro City is a flying island in the clouds above the Earth, where the wealthy live and are served by a robotic populace. Below on Earth, civilians live in a robotic junkyard where used up scraps of obsolete robots are discarded from the floating upper class. Dr. Tenma helps a power-mad politician President Stone to create a “Peace Keeper” robot

    The final Zatoichi screening in the

    Asian Cinema

    Japan Society Continues "The Double-Edged Sword" Chambara Film Series on April 24th Source: Japan Society Special Thanks to Joel Neville Anderson New York – Japan Society`s latest Monthly Classics film series "The Double-Edged Sword: The Chambara Films of Shintaro Katsu & Raizo Ichikawa" pays tribute to two Japanese screen legends in their most respected, representative and stylish chambara (sword fighting) films. Curated by film expert and author Chris D. (Outlaw Masters of Japanese Film), the series screens monthly through May 2010. Having opened in December 2009, this Saturday`s second-to-last screening marks the final appearance of Shintaro Katsu’s Zatoichi in the film series as well as the introduction of Raizo Ichikawa’s Nemuri Kyoshiro in THE SWORD OF SEDUCTION (aka SLEEPY EYES OF DEATH 4). Tickets are $11/$7 Japan Society members, students and seniors. NEW TALE OF ZATOICHI (Shin Zatoichi monogatari) Saturday April 24, 2010 at 5:00 pm 1963, 91 min, 35mm,

    VIZ Cinema will hosts a GUNDAM movie marathon on April 10th. Photo courtesy of VIZ Media. © Sotsu, Sunrise

    Asian Cinema

    Source: VIZ Media, MediaLab press releases Official Site: NewPeopleWorld.com Special Thanks to Evelyn Dubocq and Erik Jansen April welcomes Spring, and VIZ Cinema, the nation’s only movie theatre dedicated to Japanese film, celebrates the season of the sakura (cherry blossom) with a colorful – and tasty – schedule of films and fun events. Don’t miss a very rare personal appearance by Director Yuri Nomura for the U.S. premiere of her acclaimed documentary film about gastronomy, EATRIP. Known widely in Japan as a chef, author and teacher, and also for her Food Creative Team, “Eatrip,” that takes ‘eating’ to the next level. EATRIP created a buzz in film festivals worldwide and now comes to San Francisco! Nomura will attend the U.S. premiere of EATRIP at VIZ Cinema on April 10th as part of the 43rd annual Cherry Blossom Festival in San Francisco’s Japantown. Tickets are available to

    Meiko Kaji is the center of attention as the wrongly accused Sasori in FEMALE PRISONER #701: SCORPION, one of thirteen films about Japanese women who break the rules. Photo courtesy of Japan Society. © 1972 Toei Co., Ltd.

    Asian Cinema

    Japan Society Screens 13 Rare Movies Starring Actresses Ayako Wakao, Meiko Kaji and Mariko Okada Source: Japan Society Special Thanks to Joel Neville Anderson Up next from New York City`s Japan Society is the 2010 Globus Film Series “Mad, Bad… & Dangerous to Know: Three Untamed Beauties”, presenting 13 rare movies of actresses Ayako Wakao, Meiko Kaji and Mariko Okada. At the opposite end from the stereotype of docile Japanese women— heroic good mothers, chaste daughters and hardworking faithful wives— the three actresses embodied the transgression of limits, breaking rules, flouting norms and generally upsetting everyone. This series explores the idea of unconventional beauty that these spellbinding actresses created through an unparalleled body of films. Both Wakao and Okada were muses and inspiration for two major film directors, Yasuzo Masumura and Kiju (Yoshishige) Yoshida, respectively, while Kaji navigated between filmmakers, a wild card of Japanese cinema at

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