SciFi Japan

    The Japanese live-action film GANTZ will have its world premiere in the United States on January 20th. Photo courtesy of VIZ Pictures. © Hiroya Oku/Shueisha © 2011 Gantz Film Partners

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    Winners to See the New Movie Before It Opens in Japan, Courtesy of VIZ Pictures and SciFi Japan! Source: VIZ Pictures Official Movie Site: gantz-movie.com (Japan), gantzmovies.com (US) Special Thanks to Rieko Fuji and Erik Jansen A SciFi JAPAN EXCLUSIVE Thank you to everyone who entered VIZ Pictures and SciFi Japan`s contest for a free ticket to the GANTZ One-Night World Premiere screening. The winning entries are: Anthony DeGelorm Jonathan Ragon Christopher Rowe Congratulations to the winners! Each of you has won a ticket to see the live-action feature film GANTZ at your local cinema on Thursday, January 20th; nine days before the movie opens in Japan. Following the feature, stars Kazunari Ninomiya (LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA) and Kenichi Matsuyama (DEATH NOTE, DETROIT METAL CITY) will participate in an exclusive live interview that can only be seen at this premiere event. VIZ

    Kei Kishimoto (Natsuna Watanabe) is ready to kick some ass in GANTZ, premiering January 20th. Photo courtesy of VIZ Pictures. © Hiroya Oku/Shueisha © 2011 Gantz Film Partners

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    Kinetic Sci-Fi Live-Action Film Screens at Mann’s Chinese 6 and Will Include In-Person Cast Interviews Source: MediaLab press release Official Movie Site: gantz-movie.com (Japan), gantzmovies.com (US) Special Thanks to Erik Jansen NEW PEOPLE, a dynamic entertainment company bringing the latest examples of Japanese popular culture to North American shores, presents a very special theatrical event to celebrate the premiere of GANTZ across North America on Thursday, January 20th. Mann’s Chinese 6, located in the Hollywood & Highland Mall in the heart of Hollywood, CA, will host the film’s theatrical premiere in a gala screening beginning at 5:00pm. Audiences are invited to join Otaku USA Editor-in-Chief Patrick Macias immediately following the screening as he leads an insightful discussion session on GANTZ and conducts in-person interviews with several cast members. More details about this session and the chance for audience members to submit interview questions will be announced next

    The teaser poster design for the 3D monster movie SECTOR 7. Photo courtesy of CJ Entertainment. © 2010 JK Film / CJ Entertainment

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    New Information on Upcoming Korean Monster Movie Author: Kim Song-ho Source: CJ Entertainment The Korean film company and distributor CJ Entertainment and production company JK Film recently revealed the advance teaser poster for their upcoming 3D creature feature SECTOR 7 (7??, Chil gwangu). The revised design overall is basically the same as the promotional artwork distributed at the American Film Market in Santa Monica, CA back in November, but has been somewhat modified with a different color tone and added elements (mainly the smoke and the flying birds in the sky). It also shows the new English title logo for the film. Along with the new artwork, CJ and JK announced that they have pre-sold the picture to four international markets during AFM. The foreign distributors who have acquired rights to SECTOR 7 are TF1 Group of France, M Pictures Entertainment Public Company Ltd. from Thailand,

    Just a few of the titles coming from Warner Bros in 2011. Photos courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures. © 2010 Warner Bros Entertainment, Inc.

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    Action, Fantasy, Horror, Animation and Thrillers Scheduled for the Coming Year Source: Warner Bros. Pictures Warner Bros. Pictures has provided details and images for movies scheduled from release by the studio from January through December of 2011. THE RITE Warner Bros. Pictures/New Line In theaters on January 28 Director: Mikael Håfström Writers: Michael Petroni Suggested by the book by Matt Baglio Producers: Beau Flynn & Tripp Vinson Executive Producers: Richard Brener, Merideth Finn, Robert Bernacchi Cast: Anthony Hopkins, Colin O’Donoghue, Alice Braga, Ciarán Hinds, Rutger Hauer Psychological Thriller. Inspired by true events, THE RITE follows skeptical seminary student Michael Kovak (Colin O’Donoghue), who reluctantly attends exorcism school at the Vatican. While he’s in Rome, Michael meets an unorthodox priest, Father Lucas (Anthony Hopkins), who introduces him to the darker side of his faith, uncovering the devil’s reach even to one of the holiest

    The Japanese live action sci-fi adventure GANTZ will be screened nationwide in the United States more than a week before Toho opens the film in Japan. Photo courtesy of VIZ Pictures. © Hiroya Oku/Shueisha © 2011 Gantz Film Partners

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    Exclusive Event Featuring Two of Japan’s Biggest Stars to 325 Select Movie Theaters LIVE on January 20 Source: MediaLab press release Official Movie Site: gantz-movie.com (Japan) Premiere Event Page: GANTZ Special Thanks to Erik Jansen GANTZ, a live-action Japanese feature event, is making its world premiere in 325 movie theaters in an exclusive one-night Fathom event on Thursday, January 20th, 2011 at 8:00 p.m. ET / 7:00 p.m. CT / 6:00 p.m. MT / 8:30 p.m. PT (tape delayed). Following the feature, GANTZ’s two leading actors, Kazunari Ninomiya (LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA) and Kenichi Matsuyama (DEATH NOTE, DETROIT METAL CITY) will participate in an exclusive live interview that can only be seen at this event. Tickets are available at participating theater box offices and online at FathomEvents.com. For a complete list of theater locations and prices, please visit EventTheatresReport_gantz (theaters and participants are

    High school girl Rin (Yumi Sugimoto) joins a team of killer mutants in MUTANT GIRLS SQUAD, the second film from Nikkatsu`s Sushi Typhoon genre film label. Photo courtesy of Sushi Typhoon. © 2010 Sushi Typhoon and Toei Video

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    Author: Elliot Gay Official Site: sentoshojo.jp (Japan), Sushi Typhoon (US) Special Thanks to Marc Walkow and Norman England MUTANT GIRL SQUAD (Sento Shojo: Chi no Tekkamen Densetsu, 2010) might be one of the strangest films I have ever seen. One could attempt to describe it as a Japanese X-MEN though I have the feeling that might be missing the point entirely. It’s a film that cannot be put into any one category if only because its tone jumps around so frequently it is impossible to place. Don’t get me wrong, there is an entertaining story in here. Just understand that in my opinion it isn’t nearly as accessible as its predecessor ALIEN VS NINJA. Trying to summarize MUTANT GIRL SQUAD is akin to being asked how to take a hamster for a walk; you think you can do it but you’re not entirely

    The ninja Yamata (Masanori Mimoto) battles a killer alien (Katsu Itagaki) in ALIEN VS NINJA, the first film from Nikkatsu`s new genre label, Sushi Typhoon. Photo courtesy of Sushi Typhoon. © 2010 Sushi Typhoon & “Alien vs. Ninja” Production Committee

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    Author: Elliot Gay Official Site: The Sushi Typhoon Special Thanks to Marc Walkow Let me preface this review by stating that I love films and filmmakers who do a lot with very little. In this day and age it’s hard to find big budget films that go beyond the pretty explosions and mega stars to make something that is legitimately fun and/or shows the audience something they haven’t seen before. Maybe that’s why I have a soft spot for low budget Japanese films that seem to do anything and everything despite whether it makes sense or not. Sushi Typhoon’s first release, ALIEN VS NINJA, fits that bill perfectly. No doubt the film was made on what amounts to about 1/100th of the budget of a big budget American film. However, this doesn’t stop director and writer Seiji Chiba from getting crazy and using

    Director Yoshihiro Nishimura (left) and producer Yoshinori Chiba on the set of Sushi Typhoon`s HELLDRIVER. Photo by Norman England, courtesy of Yoshinori Chiba and Emiko Kawai. © 2010 Sushi Typhoon

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    Author: Elliot Gay Official Site: Sushi Typhoon Special Thanks to Marc Walkow and Emiko Kawai A SciFi JAPAN EXCLUSIVE During the 2009 American Film Market, Japan’s oldest film studio Nikkatsu Corporation announced their new genre film label the Sushi Typhoon, which would produce and internationally release "extreme movies" by such controversial and acclaimed filmmakers as Takashi Miike (ICHI THE KILLER, AUDITION), Sion Sono (LOVE EXPOSURE), and Yoshihiro Nishimura (TOKYO GORE POLICE, VAMPIRE GIRL VS FRANKENSTEIN GIRL). The first two Sushi Typhoon titles— the action gore comedy film ALIEN VS. NINJA and the splatter action comedy MUTANT GIRLS SQUAD— have already played the film festival circuit in the United States and Canada and are now slated for release on North American DVD and Blu-ray by FUNimation Entertainment in early 2011. Sushi Typhoon was conceived by 44-year-old producer Yoshinori Chiba, a longtime behind-the-scenes creative

    The first promotional art released for SECTOR 7, the new 3D Korean monster movie scheduled for 2011. Photo courtesy of CJ Entertainment. © 2010 JK Film / CJ Entertainment

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    Latest News on Upcoming 3D Korean Monster Movie Author: Kim Song-ho Source: CJ Entertainment The Korean 3D creature film SECTOR 7 (7??, Chil gwanggu) is now in the post-production stage. The movie, which began production on June 16 and wrapped on September 29, is about a group of workers on an oil prospecting platform (called the `Eclipse`) being terrorized by a hostile undersea creature. It is one of the most anticipated genre pictures in Korea since it was one of the first domestic 3D films announced by a major production company and features a list of prominent cast and crew members. SECTOR 7 is produced by Youn Je-kyun, who directed the disaster hit HAEUNDAE (released in the US as TIDAL WAVE) through Youn`s company JK Film and CJ Entertainment. HAEUNDAE attracted more than 11 million moviegoers during its domestic theatrical run, making it

    Godzilla gives readers an evil Halloween stare! Photo courtesy of Bob Johnson ©2010 Toho Co., ltd.

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    SFJ Staff Choose Their Favorite Japanese Films for Halloween! Author: Bob Johnson Newspapers, television, radio, internet blogs, magazines and more. When Halloween rolls around everyone starts talking about the best horror films to watch for any Halloween celebration. Most of the usual suspects are mentioned, from Universal classic monster films to NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, THE EXORCIST or any number of slasher/gore films. However, here at SciFi Japan, we realize there are more choices to make and some you may not have thought about. So if you love Japanese cinema (and we assume you do if you are visiting this site), then here are some staff picks for Halloween. Treats from the East to liven up any Halloween feast! JU-ON (The Grudge) by Bob Johnson For a spooky Halloween I would suggest checking out one of the creepiest films to come

    Cover art for Ray Harryhausen - Master of the Majicks Volume 3: The British Films. Photo courtesy of Ernest Farino. © 2010 Archive Editions LLC.

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    Amazing New Book Coming in November Source: Ernest Farino, Archive Editions LLC View the Trailer Ray Harryhausen - Master of the Majicks Vol. 3 - The British Films by Mike Hankin Foreword by Caroline Munro (star of THE GOLDEN VOYAGE OF SINBAD) Preface by Guillermo del Toro (director of HELLBOY and PAN`S LABYRINTH) Written and produced over the past 10 years with Ray Harryhausen`s cooperation and support, the complete 3-volume definitive 295,000-word career/biography features interviews with Ray and his colleagues and is profusely illustrated with several hundred rare photographs, artwork, and illustrations (many of which have never been previously published). Majicks Volume 3 covers THE THREE WORLDS OF GULLIVER, MYSTERIOUS ISLAND, JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS, FIRST MEN ’IN’ THE MOON, ONE MILLION YEARS BC, THE VALLEY OF GWANGI, THE GOLDEN VOYAGE OF SINBAD, SINBAD AND THE EYE OF THE TIGER, and CLASH OF THE TITANS. This

    Promotional art for THE LAST MESSAGE - UMIZARU, the Japanese blockbuster now playing both 2D and 3D versions. Photo courtesy of Toho Co., Ltd. © 2010 Fuji Television Network, ROBOT, Pony Canyon, Toho, Shogakukan, Team Agent FNS27 Inc.

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    Toho Sails to the Top of the Box Office with a New 3D Chapter in Their Spectacular UMIZARU Series Author: Kevin Grays Official Movie Site: umizaru.jp Following the overwhelming international success of James Cameron`s AVATAR (2009), the Japanese film industry has made a bold move into the waters of 3D with its own challengers. Among the top 10 films in Japan in 2010 as of August, the leading four were grand scale 3D American productions with AVATAR winning the war of these foreign invaders. Domestic box office receipts in the first six months of this year, according to The Motion Pictures Producers Association of Japan, improved by over 1.5%. Theaters in Japan saw such a positive turnaround in the increase of audience numbers— despite the greater price in tickets for these films— that the new 3D movie technology made headline news across the

    The 3-D movie KAMEN RIDER DOUBLE FOREVER: A TO Z - THE GAIA MEMORIES OF FATE was a box office hit in Japan last month. © 2010 W - Goseiger Production Consortium

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    Author: Kevin Grays Official Movie Site: w-gosei.com The second big screen motion picture film adaption of the popular KAMEN RIDER DOUBLE (Kamen Raidaa Daburu, 2009) TV series was released in Japanese theaters on August 7, 2010. Following the earlier triple feature crossover KAMEN RIDER DOUBLE & DECADE: MOVIE WAR 2010 (Kamen Raidaa × Kamen Raidaa: Daburu ando Dikeido Mubi Taisen Nisenjuu)— all released together back on December 12, 2009— Toei Company scored big with one of their greatest hits yet! As the first major new technology 3-D film in the vast Masked Rider series, KAMEN RIDER DOUBLE FOREVER: A TO Z - THE GAIA MEMORIES OF FATE (Kamen Raidaa Dabaru Forever: A to Z- Unmei no Gaia Memori, 2010) was the showpiece of 460 screens in Japan; 273 were in 2D and 187 focused on the full 3-D effect. The movie was a phenomenal smash throughout

    Ban Daisuke and Kikaida take part in the Nisei Week Parade in Los Angeles` Little Tokyo on August 15th. Photo courtesy of Richard Pusateri. Kikaida © 1972 Ishinomori Production Inc. and Toei Co., Ltd.

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    KIKAIDA star appears at Los Angeles Nisei Week events Author: Richard Pusateri Official Sites: Anime Jungle, Generation Kikaida, www.bandaisuke.com Special thanks: Joanne Ninomiya, Tetsu Shiota, August Ragone Ban Daisuke`s recent visit to Los Angeles, hosted by Anime Jungle, demonstrated that the appeal of KIKAIDA is not limited to markets where the Japanese TV program aired in the United States. After much success at personal appearances in Hawaii, San Francisco and at San Diego Comic Con in years past, Mr. Ban met his enthusiastic Los Angeles fans August 14 and 15 during Little Tokyo`s Nisei Week celebration. Originally broadcast in Japan 1972, KIKAIDA (Jinzoningen Kikaida or ANDROID KIKAIDER) became a hit on Hawaiian television in 1974. Mr. Ban portrayed Jiro, the guitar-playing, motorcycle- riding hero who transformed into the android Kikaida. Mr. Ban soon started making wildly-received personal appearances in our 50th state. According

    The alien hunters return with a few new tricks in PREDATORS, the latest sequel to the hit Arnold Schwarzenegger film. © 2010 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

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    Author: Kyle Byrd Source: Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation Official Site: predators-movie.com SPOILER WARNING: This article contains plot details for a new movie. John McTiernan’s 1987 film PREDATOR was an original, fun film that blended the action, horror and sci-fi genres seamlessly and has gone on to be one of the most beloved (and quotable) genre films of the 1980s. Since then, Fox has been trying to figure out where to take the series next. What we’ve gotten since has been a below par sequel (PREDATOR 2) and two abominable ALIEN VS PREDATOR movies. With the backlash triggered by the AVP films, Fox has decided to take the ALIEN and PREDATOR franchises in other directions. With Ridley Scott working on two ALIEN prequels, Robert Rodriguez decided it was a good time to get a PREDATOR sequel off the ground. Produced by Rodriguez and

    A murderous ghost seeks revenge in NIGHTMARE DETECTIVE II, premiering next week at the Japan Cuts film festival in NYC. Photo courtesy of Japan Society. © 2009 Shinya Tsukamoto/ Kaijyu Theater

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    J-Horror Film to Screen at JAPAN CUTS in New York City Source: Japan Society Official Site: Japan Cuts Special Thanks to Shannon Jowett and Tahmid Mannan SciFi Japan and Japan Society are pleased to present another contest for free passes to a new fantasy film premiering this month at Japan Cuts: Festival of Contemporary Japanese Cinema in New York City. Our third and final ticket giveaway for this year`s Japan Cuts and the New York Asian Film Festival will be the US premiere of the J-Horror movie NIGHTMARE DETECTIVE II. In the NIGHTMARE DETECTIVE movies, actor Ryuhei Matsuda (TABOO, CUTIE HONEY, BIG BANG LOVE: JUVENILE A) stars as Kyoichi Kagenuma, a dream analyst who has the very unwanted “gift” of being able to hear the thoughts of those around him, as well as the ability to enter peoples’ subconscious while they dream. Kyoichi’s rare talents make

    A master thief uncovers a prize that may decide who rules feudal Japan in the action epic GOEMON, coming to select UK cinemas this month. Photo courtesy of The Associates. © 2009 “Goemon” Film Partners.

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    Epic Adventure from the Producers of THE GRUDGE and the Director of CASSHERN Opens July 23rd Source: The Associates press release Official Movie Site: Goemon (Japan) Five years ago, acclaimed Japanese fashion photographer and music video director Kazuaki Kiriya made an explosive and groundbreaking assault on the movie world with his directorial debut feature, the visually stunning and hugely ambitious sci-fi epic, CASSHERN. Now, Kiriya returns in his own inimitable style with the equally spectacular period, fantasy action-adventure, GOEMON. Produced by Kiriya and legendary producer Takashige Ichise (THE RING; DARK WATER; THE GRUDGE; SHUTTER) and boasting a star-studded cast that includes Yosuke Eguchi (SHAOLIN GIRL), Takao Osawa (ICHI; SKY HIGH), Jun Kaname (BLOOD; K-20; CASSHERN), Tetsuji Tamayama (NORWEGIAN WOOD; CASSHERN) and Susumu Terajima (CASSHERN; ICHI THE KILLER), GOEMON is based on the exploits of the film’s eponymous, ninja bandit hero – the Japanese

    A new and improved giant robot is unleashed 17 years after the events of the

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    Sci-Fi Movie Trilogy Ends on a Strong Note Author: Elliot Gay Official Movie Site: 20thboysfilms.com (US), 20th Boys (Japanese) SPOILER WARNING: This article contains plot details for a new movie. For those of you who would rather avoid any and all spoilers concerning the third film in the 20TH CENTURY BOYS series, let me state here and now: if you at all enjoyed the first two movies you will enjoy the third and final film just as much as-- if not more than-- the previous. Director Yukihiko Tsutsumi provides a satisfying and all-encompassing finale to a trilogy that had a great deal of sub-plots and loose ends to tie up. Against all odds, Tsutsumi manages to provide the sort of closure that few manga adaptations are granted. So let out a big sigh of relief; 20Th CENTURY BOYS 3: REDEMPTION (20-Seiki Shonen: Saishusho-Bokura

    Genetic engineer Elsa Kast (Sarah Polley) comes face-to-face with the result of her latest experiment in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Dark Castle Entertainment’s newly-released science fiction thriller SPLICE. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures. © 2010 Warner Bros. Entertainment

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    Author: Kyle Byrd Official Movie Site: splicethefilm.com SPLICE is a “science gone wrong” tale concerning two scientists who dare to play God. The film is a Freudian biological nightmare revolving around Clive and Elsa (played by Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley), a romantically involved pair of scientists who have helped revolutionize genetic engineering by splicing together the DNA of different animals to create new hybrid creatures. When they try to experiment with human DNA, the company that funds their research won’t let them due to their fear of public outcry. Knowing that doing so could lead to breakthroughs in science and medicine, Clive and Elsa decide to conduct the experiments anyway. The result is Dren, a creature made up of human DNA, as well as the DNA of various animals. Dren appears and acts more human as she ages at an unusually fast

    Shopping frenzy at this year`s Super Festival. Photo by Ed Godziszewski.

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    A Look at the International Model and Toy Show Held in Tokyo on January 10, 2010 Author: Ed Godziszewski Official Site: Super Festival In years past, it used to be a big deal to attend toy shows such as Super Festival— each show yielded not only its share of exclusive items, but they were a expeditious way to accomplish a good deal of shopping all in one place. Rather than spending time and train fare scurrying about Tokyo, Super Festival offered one-stop shopping where you could find not only most every current item, but also a nice selection of vintage (and sometimes otherwise unheard of) items. Due to a change in my business trip schedule, it had been almost 6 years since the last time I attended Super Festival, so attending this most recent incarnation this past January 10 impressed upon me just how much times

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