The Boy and the Heron Movie Review Rating:
Star Cast: Soma Santoki, Masaki Suda, Ko Shibasaki, Aimyon, and Yoshino Kimura
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
The Boy and the Heron Movie Review ( Photo Credit – IMDb )
What’s Good: The film’s animation is breathtaking, proving that classic 2D animation still has space on the big screen.
What’s Bad: The film’s story can get confusing sometimes, and many audience members will only know what is happening if they pay full attention.
Loo Break: No loo breaks for this one. The film asks for your full attention as you need to decipher its symbolism to give meaning to the film.
Watch or Not?: Yes, this could be Miyazaki’s last film and needs to be watched on the big screen.
Language: Japanese (with subtitles)
Available On: Theaters
Runtime: 124 Minutes
User Rating:
Hayao Miyazaki’s career has been one of the most...
Star Cast: Soma Santoki, Masaki Suda, Ko Shibasaki, Aimyon, and Yoshino Kimura
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
The Boy and the Heron Movie Review ( Photo Credit – IMDb )
What’s Good: The film’s animation is breathtaking, proving that classic 2D animation still has space on the big screen.
What’s Bad: The film’s story can get confusing sometimes, and many audience members will only know what is happening if they pay full attention.
Loo Break: No loo breaks for this one. The film asks for your full attention as you need to decipher its symbolism to give meaning to the film.
Watch or Not?: Yes, this could be Miyazaki’s last film and needs to be watched on the big screen.
Language: Japanese (with subtitles)
Available On: Theaters
Runtime: 124 Minutes
User Rating:
Hayao Miyazaki’s career has been one of the most...
- 5/10/2024
- by Nelson Acosta
- KoiMoi
You know how it is: you wait 4 years for a new Kiyoshi Kurosawa film to follow “Wife of a Spy” and then three come along in quick succession int he same year. After his remake to his own “Serpent's Path” and a short film, we now gear up for the release of his new work, “Cloud”, starring Masaki Suda.
Synopsis
Ryosuke Yoshii is an ordinary person, who supports himself by reselling things on the internet. He carelessly earns grudges by people around him and, in the end, he is dragged into a desperate struggle that risks his life.
in addition to Suda, “Cloud” stars Kotone Furukawa, Daiken Okudaira, Amane Okayama, YosiYosi Arakawa and Masataka Kubota. It is scheduled to release in Japan on September 27th, 2024.
Synopsis
Ryosuke Yoshii is an ordinary person, who supports himself by reselling things on the internet. He carelessly earns grudges by people around him and, in the end, he is dragged into a desperate struggle that risks his life.
in addition to Suda, “Cloud” stars Kotone Furukawa, Daiken Okudaira, Amane Okayama, YosiYosi Arakawa and Masataka Kubota. It is scheduled to release in Japan on September 27th, 2024.
- 4/27/2024
- by Rhythm Zaveri
- AsianMoviePulse
Who's at the door? Tokyo Theater Nikkatsu has revealed a chilling 30-second teaser trailer for a new horror film titled Cloud, set for release in September in Japan later this year. It's one of three (!!) brand new films from prolific Japanese filmmaker Kiyoshi Kurosawa due out in 2024. He also has another one Chime and yet another French one called Le chemin du serpent (or Path of the Snake) in post already. The tile Cloud is a reference to the digital space known as the cloud, as it's a peculiar horror story about how hatred spreads online. Yoshii suddenly becomes a "target" when he hears a voice saying "I'll kill this guy" while looking at an online screen. A man wearing a mask then appears at his door. What happens next? This stars Masaki Suda, Kotone Furukawa, Daikan Okudaira, Okayama Amane, Yoshiyoshi Arakawa, Masataka Kubota. Even with only 30 seconds so far,...
- 4/24/2024
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
What a pleasure it is to see Kiyoshi Kurosawa in his Hong Sangsoo period. The typically prolific filmmaker is having an especially verdant 2024: his medium-length Chime debuted at Berlinale to strong notices; Serpent’s Path, a remake of his 1998 feature, opens in France this June; and September 27 brings the Japanese release of a new horror feature, Cloud. Ahead of this, there’s a 30-second preview and two posters.
As previously reported, Cloud stars The Boy and the Heron‘s Masaki Suda as Ryosuke Yoshii, “an enigmatic young man who tries to make money by reselling shrewdly obtained goods on the internet under the pseudonym ‘Ratel.'” Kurosawa expanded upon this by saying,
“In the obscure corners of modern-day Japan, violent incidents sometimes occur for seemingly no reason whatsoever. When the causes are investigated, it becomes apparent that a system of sorts exists through which petty grudges and frustrations are accumulated...
As previously reported, Cloud stars The Boy and the Heron‘s Masaki Suda as Ryosuke Yoshii, “an enigmatic young man who tries to make money by reselling shrewdly obtained goods on the internet under the pseudonym ‘Ratel.'” Kurosawa expanded upon this by saying,
“In the obscure corners of modern-day Japan, violent incidents sometimes occur for seemingly no reason whatsoever. When the causes are investigated, it becomes apparent that a system of sorts exists through which petty grudges and frustrations are accumulated...
- 4/23/2024
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
Finally, Netflix is getting pretty good at adapting animes and mangas into live-action and the fans are loving their latest adaptation Parasyte: The Grey. Based on a manga series titled Parasyte by Hitoshi Iwaaki, the Netflix series follows the story of a group of people who must rise to defend themselves against alien parasites who are taking over people’s bodies. Parasyte: The Grey stars Jeon So-nee in the lead role with Masaki Suda, Lee Jung-hyun, Koo Kyo-hwan, Kwon Hae-hyun, Kim In-kwon, and Lee Hyun-kyun starring in supporting roles. So, if you loved the gore and the unique storyline in Parasyte: The Grey here are some similar shows you should check out next.
Parasyte: The Maxim (Hulu & Prime Video Add-On) Credit – Madhouse
Parasyte: The Maxim has the same plot as Parasyte: The Grey because both of the shows are based on the same manga series titled Parasyte by Hitoshi Iwaaki.
Parasyte: The Maxim (Hulu & Prime Video Add-On) Credit – Madhouse
Parasyte: The Maxim has the same plot as Parasyte: The Grey because both of the shows are based on the same manga series titled Parasyte by Hitoshi Iwaaki.
- 4/20/2024
- by Kulwant Singh
- Cinema Blind
Oricon, a Japanese research company that provides news and rankings on music and the music industry in Japan and Western music, released the "Oricon Reiwa Ranking," which summarizes music sales trends over the past five years of Japan's Reiwa era (2019-2023). The top-selling song in its digital single ranking was LiSA 's 15th single song "Gurenge" ( Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba TV anime's first opening theme), which was downloaded 1,469,264 times. Additionally, "Homura," her 17th single song featured as the theme song for the 2020 anime film Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Movie: Mugen Train , also ranked fourth in the ranking with 1,086,056 downloads. "Since the Reiwa era began, since I produced and released the song 'Gurenge," many things have happened in the world, and I feel that these five years have been spent with 'Gurenge' in both its bright and dark periods," LiSA said in a message video posted on Oricon's...
- 4/13/2024
- by Mikikazu Komatsu
- Crunchyroll
This article contains spoilers for Parasyte: The Grey.
One of the latest Netflix original series to come out of South Korea is the science fiction thriller Parasyte: The Grey. Blending body horror and conspiracy-tinged action, Parasyte debuted to strong streaming numbers worldwide after premiering in April. Across the first season’s six episodes, there were plenty of harrowing and heartbreaking twists and turns along the way as a small group of specialists move to stop an all-out extraterrestrial invasion of Earth.
Here is what you need to know about Parasyte: The Grey, what happens in its pulse-pounding finale, and how the episode connects directly with its literary source material to set up a potential second season.
What is Parasyte: The Grey About?
Parasyte: The Grey is based on the manga series Parasyte, created by Hitoshi Iwaaki. The story follows worm-like aliens that fall to Earth and forcibly enter humans’ heads through their ears,...
One of the latest Netflix original series to come out of South Korea is the science fiction thriller Parasyte: The Grey. Blending body horror and conspiracy-tinged action, Parasyte debuted to strong streaming numbers worldwide after premiering in April. Across the first season’s six episodes, there were plenty of harrowing and heartbreaking twists and turns along the way as a small group of specialists move to stop an all-out extraterrestrial invasion of Earth.
Here is what you need to know about Parasyte: The Grey, what happens in its pulse-pounding finale, and how the episode connects directly with its literary source material to set up a potential second season.
What is Parasyte: The Grey About?
Parasyte: The Grey is based on the manga series Parasyte, created by Hitoshi Iwaaki. The story follows worm-like aliens that fall to Earth and forcibly enter humans’ heads through their ears,...
- 4/11/2024
- by Alec Bojalad
- Den of Geek
Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron flies onto Max as the streamer extends its Studio Ghibli pact
Hayao Miyazaki’s cerebral fantasy film The Boy and the Heron is flying onto Max in the United States after winning the Best Animated Feature Oscar at this year’s awards ceremony. In addition to bringing Miyazaki’s latest breath-taking animated feature to the streaming platform, Warner Bros. Discovery is entering a multiyear pact with GKids to extend Max’s exclusive U.S. film streaming rights for Studio Ghibli.
Per the new deal, Max will be the future home of The Boy and the Heron, with a premiere date to be announced later this year. The agreement also secures exclusivity on Max for other films in Studio Ghibli’s library, including Princess Mononoke, My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, Porco Rosso, and more.
“Our subscribers are always looking for unique stories, and we are happy to continue to offer these award-winning, critically acclaimed films and to add ‘The Boy and the Heron...
Per the new deal, Max will be the future home of The Boy and the Heron, with a premiere date to be announced later this year. The agreement also secures exclusivity on Max for other films in Studio Ghibli’s library, including Princess Mononoke, My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, Porco Rosso, and more.
“Our subscribers are always looking for unique stories, and we are happy to continue to offer these award-winning, critically acclaimed films and to add ‘The Boy and the Heron...
- 3/12/2024
- by Steve Seigh
- JoBlo.com
The Japan Academy Film Prize Association held the 47th edition of its awards ceremony on March 8, 2024. The nominees are selected by the Nippon Academy-Sho Association of industry professionals from the pool of film releases between January 1 and December 31, 2023 which must have screened in Tokyo cinemas.
Following its success at the recent Blue Ribbon Awards and leading with 12 nominations, Toho Studios' and Takashi Yamazaki's kaiju cinema masterpiece “Godzilla Minus One” takes top honours winning Picture of the Year and a slew of technical awards. Sakura Ando cements her place as one of Japan's top actresses securing both awards for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role (for “Monster”) as well as Supporting Role (for “Godzilla Minus One”).
The full list of winners is described below.
Picture of the Year
Monster
Godzilla Minus One
Mom, Is That You?!
September 1923
Perfect Days
Animation of the Year
Kitaro Tanjo – GeGeGe no...
Following its success at the recent Blue Ribbon Awards and leading with 12 nominations, Toho Studios' and Takashi Yamazaki's kaiju cinema masterpiece “Godzilla Minus One” takes top honours winning Picture of the Year and a slew of technical awards. Sakura Ando cements her place as one of Japan's top actresses securing both awards for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role (for “Monster”) as well as Supporting Role (for “Godzilla Minus One”).
The full list of winners is described below.
Picture of the Year
Monster
Godzilla Minus One
Mom, Is That You?!
September 1923
Perfect Days
Animation of the Year
Kitaro Tanjo – GeGeGe no...
- 3/12/2024
- by Suzie Cho
- AsianMoviePulse
Look out, Hong Sangsoo. Your distinction as the most prolific director working today is being challenged. It’s been nearly four years since Kiyoshi Kurosawa last released a film with 2020’s Wife of a Spy, but in 2024, the Japanese director will make up for lost time, premiering a trio of new films.
As featured in our 2024 preview, he remade his own film with Serpent’s Path, starring Damien Bonnard, Mathieu Amalric, Grégoire Colin, and Ko Shibasaki. Before that feature sets its premiere, his 45-minute thriller Chime will debut at Berlinale this month. Now, a third 2024 film has been unveiled with Cloud.
Screen Daily reports he’s already finished shooting the project, with the first still featured above, and is in the editing process with a Japanese release planned for this September. Backed by Nikkatsu Corporation and Tokyo Theatres Company Inc., the Kurosawa-scripted project stars The Boy and the Heron‘s Masaki Suda as Ryosuke Yoshii,...
As featured in our 2024 preview, he remade his own film with Serpent’s Path, starring Damien Bonnard, Mathieu Amalric, Grégoire Colin, and Ko Shibasaki. Before that feature sets its premiere, his 45-minute thriller Chime will debut at Berlinale this month. Now, a third 2024 film has been unveiled with Cloud.
Screen Daily reports he’s already finished shooting the project, with the first still featured above, and is in the editing process with a Japanese release planned for this September. Backed by Nikkatsu Corporation and Tokyo Theatres Company Inc., the Kurosawa-scripted project stars The Boy and the Heron‘s Masaki Suda as Ryosuke Yoshii,...
- 2/13/2024
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Japanese auteur Kiyoshi Kurosawa, who won best director at Venice in 2020 with Wife Of A Spy, is working on a new suspense thriller titled Cloud, which will be introduced to buyers at the EFM by Japanese studio Nikkatsu Corporation.
The feature is in post-production with a Japanese release set for September 2024. A first look at the film can be seen above.
Written by Kurosawa, the story centres on Ryosuke Yoshii, an enigmatic young man who tries to make money by reselling shrewdly obtained goods on the internet under the pseudonym ‘Ratel’.
The film stars Masaki Suda, who won best actor...
The feature is in post-production with a Japanese release set for September 2024. A first look at the film can be seen above.
Written by Kurosawa, the story centres on Ryosuke Yoshii, an enigmatic young man who tries to make money by reselling shrewdly obtained goods on the internet under the pseudonym ‘Ratel’.
The film stars Masaki Suda, who won best actor...
- 2/12/2024
- ScreenDaily
Presented by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan, and Japan Society
February 15-24, 2024 at Japan Society
and partner venues in NYC
New York, NY – Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan and Japan Society are proud to announce the eighth installment of the Aca Cinema Project film series – Family Portrait: Japanese Family in Flux – an ongoing initiative fostered by the Government of Japan to increase awareness and appreciation of Japanese films and filmmakers in the United States. The Aca Cinema Project has presented events in both New York and LA since 2021, and its upcoming edition will showcase over nine contemporary and classic films from February 15-24, 2024 all with the central theme of the modern family. The bonds of the Japanese family are often revered in the West, and this series will both celebrate these traditions as well as call into question their reality and relevance in our quickly changing modern world.
February 15-24, 2024 at Japan Society
and partner venues in NYC
New York, NY – Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan and Japan Society are proud to announce the eighth installment of the Aca Cinema Project film series – Family Portrait: Japanese Family in Flux – an ongoing initiative fostered by the Government of Japan to increase awareness and appreciation of Japanese films and filmmakers in the United States. The Aca Cinema Project has presented events in both New York and LA since 2021, and its upcoming edition will showcase over nine contemporary and classic films from February 15-24, 2024 all with the central theme of the modern family. The bonds of the Japanese family are often revered in the West, and this series will both celebrate these traditions as well as call into question their reality and relevance in our quickly changing modern world.
- 1/24/2024
- by Adam Symchuk
- AsianMoviePulse
As part of the Aca Cinema Project––”an ongoing initiative fostered by the Government of Japan to increase awareness and appreciation of Japanese films and filmmakers in the United States”––Japan Society will run “Family Portrait: Japanese Family in Flux” from February 15-24. A mix of American premieres and repertory showings, this series puts “bonds of the Japanese family” front and center to “both celebrate these traditions as well as call into question their reality and relevance in our quickly changing modern world.”
U.S. premieres include Kazuyoshi Kumakiri’s Yoko, starring Rinko Kikuchi, and Keiko Tsuruoka’s Tsugaru Lacquer Girl. A special spotlight is given to Ryota Nakano, whose A Long Goodbye and exquisitely titled Her Love Boils Bathwater will be making New York debuts; his 2020 feature The Asadas also plays.
Repertory screenings will be held for Kohei Oguri’s Muddy River, Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Tokyo Sonata, Kore-eda’s Still Walking,...
U.S. premieres include Kazuyoshi Kumakiri’s Yoko, starring Rinko Kikuchi, and Keiko Tsuruoka’s Tsugaru Lacquer Girl. A special spotlight is given to Ryota Nakano, whose A Long Goodbye and exquisitely titled Her Love Boils Bathwater will be making New York debuts; his 2020 feature The Asadas also plays.
Repertory screenings will be held for Kohei Oguri’s Muddy River, Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Tokyo Sonata, Kore-eda’s Still Walking,...
- 1/17/2024
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
I’m thirty-plus entries into Revenge of the Remakes and have finally reached an original/remake pair where neither is American. Vincenzo Natali’s Cube (1997) is a maple-scented product of Canada’s independent filmmaking scene, while Yasuhiko Shimizu’s 2021 remake hails from Japan. You’re free of rants about stale Americanizations and Hollywood’s sometimes shortsighted approach to horror remakes. Welcome to a wholly international edition of my column that’s, in comparison, outside the box. I’m honestly surprised Japan beat us to a Cube remake in a post-Platinum Dunes world — although Bloody Disgusting’s Brad Miska reported Lionsgate was taking new Cube pitches as of May 2022. Don’t be surprised if a domestic project surfaces soon.
It’s a tale of two geometrical prisons influenced by cultural horror norms. Natali aligns with genre-bending Canadian minds like David Cronenberg, whereas Shimizu leans toward more operatic and soapy Japanese storytelling.
It’s a tale of two geometrical prisons influenced by cultural horror norms. Natali aligns with genre-bending Canadian minds like David Cronenberg, whereas Shimizu leans toward more operatic and soapy Japanese storytelling.
- 1/16/2024
- by Matt Donato
- bloody-disgusting.com
Acclaimed filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki’s Japanese film The Boy and the Heron flew to a record-breaking $12.8 million opening, making it the first original anime title in history to top the North American box office chart.
The whimsical movie — which earned Miyazaki his first Golden Globe nomination on Monday — wisely chose to open on a weekend when there were no new wide releases from the major Hollywood studios. The first and second weekends of December are generally quiet as the studios prepare to unwrap their big Christmas films.
This year, the holiday action gets underway in earnest next weekend when Warner Bros. opens Wonka, although it debuted in select markets overseas this weekend to a very promising $43.2 million from 37 markets, enough to rank No. 1 on the weekend global weekend chart.
The Boy and the Heron shattered other records as well, including already becoming Miyazaki’s top-grossing film domestically after earning $5.6 million on Friday from 2,205 theaters,...
The whimsical movie — which earned Miyazaki his first Golden Globe nomination on Monday — wisely chose to open on a weekend when there were no new wide releases from the major Hollywood studios. The first and second weekends of December are generally quiet as the studios prepare to unwrap their big Christmas films.
This year, the holiday action gets underway in earnest next weekend when Warner Bros. opens Wonka, although it debuted in select markets overseas this weekend to a very promising $43.2 million from 37 markets, enough to rank No. 1 on the weekend global weekend chart.
The Boy and the Heron shattered other records as well, including already becoming Miyazaki’s top-grossing film domestically after earning $5.6 million on Friday from 2,205 theaters,...
- 12/10/2023
- by Pamela McClintock
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
English dubs for anime are a contentious thing. For many otakus, subbing out Japanese original audio for an English translation is defilement. Yet as anime has become more mainstream in America, the quality of dubs has shot up as well, and it's honestly not hard to find good ones these days (the English version of "Cowboy Bebop" is rightfully legendary).
Some of those quality dubs have been done for the films of anime's greatest genius: Hayao Miyazaki, founder of Studio Ghibli. When you're handling the work of a master, the incentive to do it right is all the more present. Not every single Ghibli picture is a Miyazaki joint, to be clear, but the director and studio remain pretty synonymous.
First, some history of Ghibli's English dubs. Miyazaki's earlier works in the 1980s and early '90s were mostly dubbed by the now-defunct Streamline Pictures. After Disney brokered a licensing...
Some of those quality dubs have been done for the films of anime's greatest genius: Hayao Miyazaki, founder of Studio Ghibli. When you're handling the work of a master, the incentive to do it right is all the more present. Not every single Ghibli picture is a Miyazaki joint, to be clear, but the director and studio remain pretty synonymous.
First, some history of Ghibli's English dubs. Miyazaki's earlier works in the 1980s and early '90s were mostly dubbed by the now-defunct Streamline Pictures. After Disney brokered a licensing...
- 12/10/2023
- by Devin Meenan
- Slash Film
Plot: After his mother dies during WW2, a young Japanese boy, Mahito Maki (Soma Santoki), is sent to live with his Aunt, Natsuko (Yoshino Kimura), with whom his munitions factory owner father is trying to start a new family. Traumatized by the death of his mother and struggling to accept his circumstances, Mahito finds himself lured into a fantasy world out of time and space by an antagonistic grey Heron (Masaki Suda). As Mahito struggles to make sense of the new macrocosm, he ends a vicious cycle of generational trauma, ultimately making peace with his new surroundings by accepting the winds of change.
Review: As an animation enthusiast, few cinematic pleasures are more anticipated than experiencing another potential masterpiece from the “Godfather of Anime,” Hayao Miyazaki. The co-founder of Studio Ghibli is responsible for some of animation’s greatest treasures, including Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, My Neighbor Totoro, Howl’s Moving Castle,...
Review: As an animation enthusiast, few cinematic pleasures are more anticipated than experiencing another potential masterpiece from the “Godfather of Anime,” Hayao Miyazaki. The co-founder of Studio Ghibli is responsible for some of animation’s greatest treasures, including Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, My Neighbor Totoro, Howl’s Moving Castle,...
- 12/9/2023
- by Steve Seigh
- JoBlo.com
Image: Gkids
Watching Hayao Miyazaki’s un-retirement animated feature The Boy And The Heron is a little like watching Bob Dylan play the hits live: you have some idea of what you’ll get, even if it’s all jumbled up into a wholly new combination and style. Released in...
Watching Hayao Miyazaki’s un-retirement animated feature The Boy And The Heron is a little like watching Bob Dylan play the hits live: you have some idea of what you’ll get, even if it’s all jumbled up into a wholly new combination and style. Released in...
- 12/7/2023
- by Luke Y. Thompson
- avclub.com
As the yin-yang decal on our yoga teacher’s Subaru Crosstrek reminds us thrice a week, every natural force or entity has its perfect mirror inverse. And so, just as during the summer we escaped to movie theaters in order to cool down from record high temps, the temperature extremes caused by climate collapse now drive us back to those same movie theaters for warmth, nursing our frigid tootsies at the hearth of the annual awards season dump of very exciting Don’t-Miss Indies. But Tldr; Happy Holidays!
Eileen
When You Can Watch: Now
Where You Can Watch: Theaters
Director: William Oldroyd
Cast: Thomasin McKenzie, Anne Hathaway, Shea Whigham, Marin Ireland
Why We’re Excited: Described as “wildly audacious, wondrously twisted” and “deliciously deranged” by Jessica Kiang in her review for Variety, director William Oldroyd’s sophomore feature after 2018’s Lady MacBeth (nominated for a Film Independent Spirit Award for...
Eileen
When You Can Watch: Now
Where You Can Watch: Theaters
Director: William Oldroyd
Cast: Thomasin McKenzie, Anne Hathaway, Shea Whigham, Marin Ireland
Why We’re Excited: Described as “wildly audacious, wondrously twisted” and “deliciously deranged” by Jessica Kiang in her review for Variety, director William Oldroyd’s sophomore feature after 2018’s Lady MacBeth (nominated for a Film Independent Spirit Award for...
- 12/4/2023
- by Su Fang Tham
- Film Independent News & More
“The Boy and the Heron” marks the 14th collaboration between Hayao Miyazaki and Joe Hisaishi. But even after almost four decades of working together, the animator and the composer are finding new ways to create new sounds. “The Boy and The Heron” is the story of Mahito (Soma Santoki), a young man who leaves the firebombing of Tokyo for the Japanese countryside in World War II, and then ends up guided by the titular Heron (Masaki Suda) to a completely different place in order to rescue his stepmother Natsuko (Yoshino Kimura) from the clutches of otherworldly forces. And also a lot of birds.
But parakeets hungry for human flesh aren’t the only novel thing about “The Boy and The Heron.” Hisaishi has in the past described his Studio Ghibli scores as a two years on, two years off cycle. When releasing the “Symphonic Celebration” Ghibli collection with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra,...
But parakeets hungry for human flesh aren’t the only novel thing about “The Boy and The Heron.” Hisaishi has in the past described his Studio Ghibli scores as a two years on, two years off cycle. When releasing the “Symphonic Celebration” Ghibli collection with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra,...
- 11/28/2023
- by Sarah Shachat
- Indiewire
Clockwise from bottom left: The Color Purple (Warner Bros.), Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom (Warner Bros.), Ferrari (Neon), and Wonka (Warner Bros.)Graphic: The A.V. Club
December has always been one of the most important moviegoing months of the year; you’ve got all the prestige pics competing for Oscar nominations,...
December has always been one of the most important moviegoing months of the year; you’ve got all the prestige pics competing for Oscar nominations,...
- 11/27/2023
- by Jen Lennon, Matt Schimkowitz, Ian Spelling, Luke Y. Thompson, and Phil Pirrello
- avclub.com
Few jobs in the realm of voice acting are more coveted than an eponymous role in a new Hayao Miyazaki movie. And given how frequently the Studio Ghibli legend retires, a voice role in one of his features is the kind of opportunity that few actors will turn down. But Miyazaki’s penchant for creating elaborate fantasy worlds means that his films often require actors to make sounds for which there are no obvious points of reference. As it turns out, the 82-year-old director is well aware of the unique challenges that he sometimes poses to actors.
In a new conversation published by Entertainment Weekly, Japanese actor Masaki Suda recalled the unique experience of collaborating with Miyazaki on the auteur’s latest swan song, “The Boy and the Heron.” The actor revealed that Miyazaki apologized to him for the strange nature of his role, which saw him voicing an old...
In a new conversation published by Entertainment Weekly, Japanese actor Masaki Suda recalled the unique experience of collaborating with Miyazaki on the auteur’s latest swan song, “The Boy and the Heron.” The actor revealed that Miyazaki apologized to him for the strange nature of his role, which saw him voicing an old...
- 11/12/2023
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
Following decades in television and film, including stints as a producer, screenwriter and documentary filmmaker, Yoshiyuki Kishi made his feature directorial debut in 2016, aged 52, with Double Life, attracting some international festival attention.
He returned the following year with the ambitious Wilderness, based on the only novel by Shuji Terayama. Released in two parts a few weeks apart in Japan, with a combined running time of more than five hours, Wilderness portrayed two very different social outcasts on their journey to becoming professional boxers, against the backdrop of a socially disintegrating Japan. It landed Masaki Suda best actor at the Japan Academy Awards, and Korea’s Yang Ik-june best supporting actor at the Asian Film Awards.
Kishi’s latest, (Ab)normal Desire, is almost certainly his most challenging and complex work to date. Selected in competition at this year’s Tokyo International Film Festival and starring Yui Aragaki, Goro Inagaki,...
He returned the following year with the ambitious Wilderness, based on the only novel by Shuji Terayama. Released in two parts a few weeks apart in Japan, with a combined running time of more than five hours, Wilderness portrayed two very different social outcasts on their journey to becoming professional boxers, against the backdrop of a socially disintegrating Japan. It landed Masaki Suda best actor at the Japan Academy Awards, and Korea’s Yang Ik-june best supporting actor at the Asian Film Awards.
Kishi’s latest, (Ab)normal Desire, is almost certainly his most challenging and complex work to date. Selected in competition at this year’s Tokyo International Film Festival and starring Yui Aragaki, Goro Inagaki,...
- 10/28/2023
- by Gavin J Blair
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Updated with latest: The Toronto Film Festival began September 7 in Ontario with opening-night movie The Boy and the Heron, from Oscar-winning filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki. It kicked off a lineup for the fest’s 48th edition that included world premieres of GameStop pic Dumb Money, Netflix’s Pain Hustlers, Taika Waititi’s Next Goal Wins, Kristin Scott Thomas’ Scarlett Johansson pic North Star, Chris Pine’s Poolman, Michael Keaton-directed Knox Goes Away, Anna Kendrick’s Woman of the Hour, Atom Egoyan’s Seven Veils, Michael Winterbottom’s Shoshana, Grant Singer’s Reptile, Viggo Mortensen’s The Dead Don’t Hurt, Lee Tamahori’s The Convert and Alex Gibney’s doc In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon.
It ended Sunday when Cord Jefferson’s satire American Fiction won TIFF’s People’s Choice Award for best film, usually a steppingstone to a strong awards season to come.
The fest also...
It ended Sunday when Cord Jefferson’s satire American Fiction won TIFF’s People’s Choice Award for best film, usually a steppingstone to a strong awards season to come.
The fest also...
- 9/18/2023
- by Stephanie Bunbury, Valerie Complex, Pete Hammond, Todd McCarthy and Damon Wise
- Deadline Film + TV
Plot: After his mother is killed during WW2, a young Japanese boy, Mahito Maki (Soma Santoki), is sent to go live with his Aunt, Natsuko (Yoshino Kimura), with whom his munitions factory owner father is trying to start a new family. Deeply scarred by the death of his mother and unable to accept his aunt, he finds himself distracted by a trouble-making grey Heron (Masaki Suda) who eventually whisks him into an alternate world of fantasy and danger that is tied to his ancestors.
Review: We all have our blind spots regarding film history. I’m proud of the fact that I have a solid knowledge and love for both the Golden Age of Hollywood and classic foreign cinema, but I have one place where my film knowledge comes up glaring (and shamefully) short. I’ve never seen a Hayao Miyazaki movie. I’ve never been a major animation buff,...
Review: We all have our blind spots regarding film history. I’m proud of the fact that I have a solid knowledge and love for both the Golden Age of Hollywood and classic foreign cinema, but I have one place where my film knowledge comes up glaring (and shamefully) short. I’ve never seen a Hayao Miyazaki movie. I’ve never been a major animation buff,...
- 9/9/2023
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
Late in the freewheeling action of The Boy and the Heron (Kimitachi wa Do Ikiruka), the director’s young stand-in returns to the realm of the living after encountering an ancestor who gives him a handful of stones, instructing him to build a tower with them every three days to create a world of beauty and balance, free from malice. That’s as apt a summation as any of what 82-year-old anime master Hayao Miyazaki has been doing throughout his celebrated six-decade career as a consummate artist and a storyteller of unfettered imagination.
Miyazaki’s first feature in 10 years follows 2013’s The Wind Rises, a project that was announced at the time as the legendary animator’s farewell. That film’s elegiac tone and inspiring themes of molding dreams into reality and choosing creation over violence and destruction made it a fitting swan song.
But Miyazaki clearly was not done weaving his phantasmagorical worlds.
Miyazaki’s first feature in 10 years follows 2013’s The Wind Rises, a project that was announced at the time as the legendary animator’s farewell. That film’s elegiac tone and inspiring themes of molding dreams into reality and choosing creation over violence and destruction made it a fitting swan song.
But Miyazaki clearly was not done weaving his phantasmagorical worlds.
- 9/8/2023
- by David Rooney
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
More often than not, Hayao Miyazaki’s heroes have been young women — from Ponyo to Princess Mononoke, mischief-seeking Kiki to the two sisters spirited away by furry forest guardians in “My Neighbor Totoro.” That’s the most obvious departure the anime maestro’s fans will notice in “The Boy and the Heron”: It’s about a boy, Mahito Maki (voiced by Soma Santoki), grieving the loss of his mother during wartime. He’s surrounded by women, but this quest falls on the shoulders of a character who’s reportedly closer to Miyazaki than any of his previous protagonists.
In 2013, the world-renowned toon auteur announced his retirement from feature filmmaking. He disbanded Studio Ghibli, the company he’d co-founded, and let its artists scatter to find work where they could. But Miyazaki couldn’t stop drawing. And this time, the adventure he imagined centered on a 12-year-old boy and the...
In 2013, the world-renowned toon auteur announced his retirement from feature filmmaking. He disbanded Studio Ghibli, the company he’d co-founded, and let its artists scatter to find work where they could. But Miyazaki couldn’t stop drawing. And this time, the adventure he imagined centered on a 12-year-old boy and the...
- 9/8/2023
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
In cinema, few names are as iconic as Hayao Miyazaki, and his latest adventure carries the weight of expectation. Drawing inspiration from the mysticism of Japanese folklore and grounded in the pain of personal loss, The Boy and the Heron, which opened the 2023 Toronto Film Festival, is a visual spectacle that rekindles the art of 2D animation in an era dominated by the digital.
It is a bit of a mixed bag as there are moments of beauty along with narrative missteps. From Studio Ghibli’s signature heartwarming touches to a plot that might perplex, this visual stunner undeniably reaffirms Miyazaki’s status as one of the world’s most beloved filmmakers.
The film starts with Mahito Maki (Soma Santoki) waking up to the sound of warning sirens. There is a fire in the town hospital that belongs to his mother. He tries to help put out the fire, but...
It is a bit of a mixed bag as there are moments of beauty along with narrative missteps. From Studio Ghibli’s signature heartwarming touches to a plot that might perplex, this visual stunner undeniably reaffirms Miyazaki’s status as one of the world’s most beloved filmmakers.
The film starts with Mahito Maki (Soma Santoki) waking up to the sound of warning sirens. There is a fire in the town hospital that belongs to his mother. He tries to help put out the fire, but...
- 9/8/2023
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
The great Miyazaki is back!! GKids has revealed a short teaser trailer for The Boy and the Heron, the new feature film from the iconic filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki. This is his 12th feature film, and his latest since The Wind Rises in 2013. After opening in Japan in July, the film is premiering at the 2023 Toronto Film Festival this week with a big theatrical release planned this fall. "A young boy named Mahito yearning for his mother ventures into a world shared by the living and the dead. There, death comes to an end, and life finds a new beginning. A semi-autobiographical fantasy about life, death, and creation, in tribute to friendship, from the mind of Hayao Miyazaki." With an original score by Joe Hisaishi. Described as a "big fantastical film", it follows a boy who discovers an abandoned tower in his new town and enters a fantastical world with a talking grey heron.
- 9/6/2023
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Studio Ghibli has pulled back the curtain on Hayao Miyazaki’s animated fantasy epic “The Boy and the Heron,” the director’s first feature since his 2013 drama “The Wind Rises.” The movie will get a U.S. theatrical release on Dec. 8.
After playing in Japan, the film is now set to open the Toronto International Film Festival — the first animated or Japanese film to do so. It will also screen at the New York Film Festival. “The Boy and the Heron’s” release in Japan came with conspicuously little promotional material, an effort to maintain an air of secrecy around the enigmatic film. The only image of the movie before its Japanese release was of a mysterious heron, and the new trailer marks the first official footage released publicly to audiences.
The film has grossed $52.5 million to date in Japan, eight weeks into its theatrical run. That makes it Studio...
After playing in Japan, the film is now set to open the Toronto International Film Festival — the first animated or Japanese film to do so. It will also screen at the New York Film Festival. “The Boy and the Heron’s” release in Japan came with conspicuously little promotional material, an effort to maintain an air of secrecy around the enigmatic film. The only image of the movie before its Japanese release was of a mysterious heron, and the new trailer marks the first official footage released publicly to audiences.
The film has grossed $52.5 million to date in Japan, eight weeks into its theatrical run. That makes it Studio...
- 9/6/2023
- by Jaden Thompson
- Variety Film + TV
Totono Kuno (Masaki Suda) is a college student with naturally curly hair. He is extremely smart and loves curry, but doesn't have any friends or a girlfriend. Totono Kuno loves to talk and he can often solve difficult problems simply by talking it through. One day, Totono Kuno visits the city of Hiroshima. There, he gets involved with a mystery involving the succession of the Kariatsumari family's property.
- 8/23/2023
- by Don Anelli
- AsianMoviePulse
With the Japanese remake of Cube now available on Screambox, I had an opportunity to catch up with director Yasuhiko Shimizu, who spoke about his approach to the remake, collaborting with Vincenzo Natali, and the on-set experience:
What was your familiarity with the original Cube and why was it a film you wanted to remake for modern audiences?
Cube had developed a cult following at that time. As a 16-year-old living in the countryside, it was a legendary work that even I, who had no interest in movies at that time, knew of its existence. It was a movie that truly transcended movies, having an impact not only on movie fans but also on the culture of various genres. I was thrilled to be involved and given the opportunity to remake such a masterpiece.
In terms of changes from the original work, the rules of Cube have remained almost unchanged,...
What was your familiarity with the original Cube and why was it a film you wanted to remake for modern audiences?
Cube had developed a cult following at that time. As a 16-year-old living in the countryside, it was a legendary work that even I, who had no interest in movies at that time, knew of its existence. It was a movie that truly transcended movies, having an impact not only on movie fans but also on the culture of various genres. I was thrilled to be involved and given the opportunity to remake such a masterpiece.
In terms of changes from the original work, the rules of Cube have remained almost unchanged,...
- 6/22/2023
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
"The numbers have a pattern." Back into the Cube we go. Screambox has launched a trailer for their official streaming release of the new Cube remake from Japan. We posted trailers for this back in 2021 when it was opening in Japan at first, now it's finally getting a US debut. Yes, this is a direct remake of Vincenzo Natali's iconic 1997 cult classic Cube sci-fi horror film. A group of strangers wake up in mysterious room inscribed with an unfamiliar code. Looking for ways to escape, they discover the room is riddled with lethal traps. As fear and distrust swirl around them, the group must try to work together to survive & escape. The Japanese cast includes Masaki Suda, Anne Watanabe, Masaki Okada, Hikaru Tashiro, Takumi Saito, and Kotaro Yoshida. Natali praised the film in 2021, saying "Shimizu-san did a great job with his version. It is needless-to-say uniquely Japanese." If you've...
- 4/15/2023
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Masaki Suda is a remarkably active and popular young Japanese actor with multiple film awards to his credits and for his role in Akira Nagai's “Teiichi: Battle of Supreme High” he again won another Best Actor award at the 41st Japan Academy Film Prize in 2018. The two team up again in “Character” in which Suda plays a struggling manga artist desperately looking a career break.
Good-natured assistant manga illustrator Keigo Yamashiro is very good at drawing but he wants to go independent and get into the big league. Recently, he submitted his best work to a publisher but they refuse to publish it due to his lack of a strong villain character which makes his story less appealing. Disappointed, he decides to give up drawing manga altogether even though his girlfriend Natsumi Kawase (Mitsuki Takahata) fully supports him. Regardless, he still accepts an assignment of looking for a resident...
Good-natured assistant manga illustrator Keigo Yamashiro is very good at drawing but he wants to go independent and get into the big league. Recently, he submitted his best work to a publisher but they refuse to publish it due to his lack of a strong villain character which makes his story less appealing. Disappointed, he decides to give up drawing manga altogether even though his girlfriend Natsumi Kawase (Mitsuki Takahata) fully supports him. Regardless, he still accepts an assignment of looking for a resident...
- 4/7/2023
- by David Chew
- AsianMoviePulse
Cinedigm has picked up the U.S. rights to the Japanese sci-fi horror movie Cube, a remake of Vincenzo Natali’s 1997 Canadian cult classic of the same name.
Cinedigm will release the remake on its horror streamer Screambox on April 11. Natali directed the original Cube movie, which came out of the Canadian Film Centre’s First Feature Project.
“Vincenzo Natali’s Cube is a modern cult classic that broke new ground with its unique production design and groundbreaking storytelling. This new Japanese experience honors the original and delivers the goods horror fans expect to see,” Brad Miska, managing director of Bloody Disgusting/Cinedigm, said in a statement.
The Japanese remake, directed by Yasuhiko Shimizu, follows a group of strangers who find themselves trapped in a sadistic maze without remembering how they got there. After waking up drugged and disoriented, the prisoners, who seemingly have nothing in common, find themselves in...
Cinedigm will release the remake on its horror streamer Screambox on April 11. Natali directed the original Cube movie, which came out of the Canadian Film Centre’s First Feature Project.
“Vincenzo Natali’s Cube is a modern cult classic that broke new ground with its unique production design and groundbreaking storytelling. This new Japanese experience honors the original and delivers the goods horror fans expect to see,” Brad Miska, managing director of Bloody Disgusting/Cinedigm, said in a statement.
The Japanese remake, directed by Yasuhiko Shimizu, follows a group of strangers who find themselves trapped in a sadistic maze without remembering how they got there. After waking up drugged and disoriented, the prisoners, who seemingly have nothing in common, find themselves in...
- 3/16/2023
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Dementia seems to be the name of the game in cinema over the course of recent years. After Richard Glatzer’s and Wash Westmoreland’s effort “Still Alice” (2014) that took Julianne Moore to her first and so far only Oscar for playing the titular character, an academic who has to deal with the illness that will rapidly take her greatest asset, and even more impressive Florian Zeller’s stage play adaptation “The Father” (2020) that brought Anthony Hopkins his second Academy Award for the role, the Japanese novelist and producer Genki Kawamura took his own novel on the same topic as a source for his feature-length directorial debut. After the premiere at San Sebastian and the tour of festivals in East and Southeast Asia, “A Hundred Flowers” was screened at Belgrade International Film Festival.
On New Year’s Eve, and just before her birthday, retired piano teacher Yuriko Kasai (Mieko Harada...
On New Year’s Eve, and just before her birthday, retired piano teacher Yuriko Kasai (Mieko Harada...
- 2/28/2023
- by Marko Stojiljković
- AsianMoviePulse
Click here to read the full article.
Producer, scriptwriter, best-selling author and now award-winning director Genki Kawamura is best known for his work on Makoto Shinkai’s 2016 anime megahit Your Name. Beginning his career at Toho, his talented was spotted early and he was trusted with producer duties on major projects at Japan’s biggest studio.
In 2010, he worked on the Confessions, a box office hit that was shortlisted for a foreign language Oscar, and Lee Sang-il’s critically acclaimed Villain. That same year, he was Japan’s only representative in The Hollywood Reporter’s Next Generation Asia list of upcoming talent in the region. He wrote his first novel If Cat’s Disappeared From the World in 2012; a critical and commercial success, it sold well over a million copies in Japan, was a hit in China, Taiwan and South Korea, and was turned into a film four years later by Toho.
Producer, scriptwriter, best-selling author and now award-winning director Genki Kawamura is best known for his work on Makoto Shinkai’s 2016 anime megahit Your Name. Beginning his career at Toho, his talented was spotted early and he was trusted with producer duties on major projects at Japan’s biggest studio.
In 2010, he worked on the Confessions, a box office hit that was shortlisted for a foreign language Oscar, and Lee Sang-il’s critically acclaimed Villain. That same year, he was Japan’s only representative in The Hollywood Reporter’s Next Generation Asia list of upcoming talent in the region. He wrote his first novel If Cat’s Disappeared From the World in 2012; a critical and commercial success, it sold well over a million copies in Japan, was a hit in China, Taiwan and South Korea, and was turned into a film four years later by Toho.
- 10/28/2022
- by Gavin J Blair
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Flowers are an ephemeral and singular object in producer-turned-director Genki Kawamura’s feature film debut, adapted from his own novel. One of them sits wilted in a vase in the home of Izumi (Masaki Suda), who is grappling with dementia - a rather on the nose metaphor that sets the tone for a film that while demonstrating some elegant filmmaking becomes emotionally glutinous, its revelations gummed up rather than freeing.
With the ageing global population perhaps it’s no surprise that memory loss as a way of examining the things we want to remember and choose to forget has been cropping up regularly in cinemas across the world since the turn of the century, in films as diverse as Lee Chang-dong’s Poetry, Ignacio Ferraras’ Wrinkles, Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland’s Still Alice and Michael Haneke’s Amour. The film with which Kawamura’s film shares the most DNA,...
With the ageing global population perhaps it’s no surprise that memory loss as a way of examining the things we want to remember and choose to forget has been cropping up regularly in cinemas across the world since the turn of the century, in films as diverse as Lee Chang-dong’s Poetry, Ignacio Ferraras’ Wrinkles, Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland’s Still Alice and Michael Haneke’s Amour. The film with which Kawamura’s film shares the most DNA,...
- 9/27/2022
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Playing in Official Selection at San Sebastian, the film is based on a novel Kawamura penned in 2019.
A Hundred Flowers, playing in Official Selection at San Sebastian, marks the first time Japan’s Genki Kawamura has sat in the director’s chair.
Kawamura is a familiar name to fans of recent Japanese cinema, having helped shepherd live-action films including Confessions and Parasyte, plus anime hits such as Your Name and Belle, to success as producer. He’s also an accomplished novelist; his debut novel If Cats Disappeared From The World has sold over two million copies worldwide.
A Hundred Flowers...
A Hundred Flowers, playing in Official Selection at San Sebastian, marks the first time Japan’s Genki Kawamura has sat in the director’s chair.
Kawamura is a familiar name to fans of recent Japanese cinema, having helped shepherd live-action films including Confessions and Parasyte, plus anime hits such as Your Name and Belle, to success as producer. He’s also an accomplished novelist; his debut novel If Cats Disappeared From The World has sold over two million copies worldwide.
A Hundred Flowers...
- 9/20/2022
- by Matt Schley
- ScreenDaily
translation by Lukasz Mankowski
Yoji Yamada is a Japanese film director most known for his Tora-san series consisting of 50 films shot over 25 years, making it the longest theatrical film series. Yamada made his directorial debut in 1961, and has since won the Japanese Academy Award for Best Picture four times, and has been nominated for dozens of other awards and honours at festivals worldwide. In 2019, more than two decades later, Yamada returned to the series with “Tora-san, Wish You Were Here” (2019).
On the occasion of “It’s a Flickering Life” screening at Toronto Japanese Film Festival, we speak with him about adapting Maha Harada’s novel, the Japanese studio system of the past and the differences with the current situation, Masaki Suda and Kenji Sawada, and nostalgia
“It’s a Flickering Life”screened at Toronto Japanese Film Festival
Why did you decide to adapt “Kinema no Kamisama” by popular multiple prize-winning...
Yoji Yamada is a Japanese film director most known for his Tora-san series consisting of 50 films shot over 25 years, making it the longest theatrical film series. Yamada made his directorial debut in 1961, and has since won the Japanese Academy Award for Best Picture four times, and has been nominated for dozens of other awards and honours at festivals worldwide. In 2019, more than two decades later, Yamada returned to the series with “Tora-san, Wish You Were Here” (2019).
On the occasion of “It’s a Flickering Life” screening at Toronto Japanese Film Festival, we speak with him about adapting Maha Harada’s novel, the Japanese studio system of the past and the differences with the current situation, Masaki Suda and Kenji Sawada, and nostalgia
“It’s a Flickering Life”screened at Toronto Japanese Film Festival
Why did you decide to adapt “Kinema no Kamisama” by popular multiple prize-winning...
- 7/17/2022
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Yoji Yamada’s 92nd film, which is based on the novel “Kinema no Kamisama” by popular multiple prize-winning novelist Maha Harada, inspired by her own family and experiences, is also a commemoration of Shochiku Films’ centennial, and particularly its trademark style, ‘Bright and Cheerful Shochiku Cinema’
“It’s a Flickering Life” is screening at Toronto Japanese Film Festival
Goh is an elderly man who has always had problems with gambling, forcing his wife Yoshiko and daughter, Ayumu, to bail him out a number of times, despite the fact that he had repeatedly promised not to do it again. This time, however, neither his daughter nor his wife are willing to help once more, with the latter taking over all his financial matters on her hands, and sending him back to deal with his second big passion, cinema. Goh now has to go back to his old friend and associate from...
“It’s a Flickering Life” is screening at Toronto Japanese Film Festival
Goh is an elderly man who has always had problems with gambling, forcing his wife Yoshiko and daughter, Ayumu, to bail him out a number of times, despite the fact that he had repeatedly promised not to do it again. This time, however, neither his daughter nor his wife are willing to help once more, with the latter taking over all his financial matters on her hands, and sending him back to deal with his second big passion, cinema. Goh now has to go back to his old friend and associate from...
- 6/17/2022
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Cinema Today in Japan has released the full official trailer for the Japanese remake of the classic indie sci-fi horror film Cube, with the same name again. We featured a teaser trailer earlier this year, but there's even more freaky footage in this full trailer. The official website contains this cryptic message: "No one can resist the overwhelming order that Cube brings... Is it hope or despair that lurks in the abyss of myself? Soon, you too are in Cube. No, it may already be inside." Well that's scary. The cast includes Masaki Suda, Takumi Saitoh, Masaki Okada, Kôtarô Yoshida, and Hikaru Tashiro. This remake is also executive produced by Vincenzo Natali, who made the original in 1997. He says on Twitter: "Shimizu-san did a great job with his version. It is needless-to-say uniquely Japanese. I hope you enjoy it." I'm looking forward to watching! There's no subtitles, but we...
- 8/10/2021
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Yuichi Goto (Masaki Suda), an engineer who woke up in a strange cube, Asako Kai (Kyou), a group employee, Shinji Ochi (Masaki Okada), a part-time worker, Chiyo Uno (Masaki Tashiro), a junior high school student, and a mechanic. Hiroshi Ide (Takumi Saitoh), Kazumasa Ando (Kotaro Yoshida), a corporate officer. They have no contact with each other and do not know why they are here, moving through other cubic spaces that connect in all directions to escape. Clear murderous traps such as heat-sensitive lasers, wire slicers, and flame jets are set up everywhere and continue to break the code.
- 8/3/2021
- by Don Anelli
- AsianMoviePulse
As the film begins with an action scene filled with visual effects, explosions and war in all its cinematic glory, one would think that this was going to be another war drama about the loss the Japanese suffered in WWII, much like one of Takashi Yamazaki’s previous works, the multi-awarded “The Fighter Pilot”. However, as soon as the second scene depicts a heated argument among the people in charge of the Japanese navy in 1933, regarding the type of the vessel they should build, it becomes evident that the based on Norifusa Mita’s manga film is a whole different kind of movie.
On the one hand, Shigetaro Shizuma and mechanic Tadamichi Hirayama insist on building a huge battleship that will boast the glory of Nippon and elevate morale among the troops and the population. On the other, Isoroku Yamamoto and Osami Nagano insist that a fighter...
On the one hand, Shigetaro Shizuma and mechanic Tadamichi Hirayama insist on building a huge battleship that will boast the glory of Nippon and elevate morale among the troops and the population. On the other, Isoroku Yamamoto and Osami Nagano insist that a fighter...
- 6/2/2021
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Go (Kenji Sawada) has been spurned his wife Yoshiko (Nobuko Miyamoto ) and family because of his enthusiasm for gambling. Go as a youth (Masaki Suda) loved cinema and worked at a film studio, but the wheels of destiny went awry when he and his friend fell in love with a beautiful girl (Mei Nagano).
The movie “Kinema no Kami” will be released nationwide from August 6, 2021.
The movie “Kinema no Kami” will be released nationwide from August 6, 2021.
- 5/2/2021
- by Don Anelli
- AsianMoviePulse
"Perhaps you will be trapped next." Shochiku has released a fun teaser trailer for the new Japanese remake of the classic indie sci-fi horror film Cube, using the exact same name all over again. This new Cube is also executive produced by Vincenzo Natali, who made the original in 1997. The Japanese website contains all kinds of cryptic text that connects with the concept of "people wake up in a mysterious cube room and have no idea what it is or does." For example: "No one can resist the overwhelming order that Cube brings. We who made this work were like entering Cube. (Because I shot it in the same place all the time) And I will face myself. Is it hope or despair that lurks in the abyss of myself? Soon, you too are in Cube. No, it may already be inside." The film's cast includes Masaki Suda, Takumi Saitoh,...
- 2/16/2021
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
By Shikhar Verma
In the contemporary world where people within a room living together have secrets, it’s truly difficult to understand someone completely. All of us reflect two or more character traits because we are never really satisfied with the skin we live in. We hide our pain within these personalities and secrets, as we go on living without understanding our lives and reason for existence. In his debut feature film, Yoshiyuki Kishi explores the idea of existence through his protagonist Tama (Mugi Kadowaki), who stalks (or in her own words ‘tails’) a person without realising the consequences it could possibly lead to.
“Double Life” screened at the New York Asian Film Festival
Based on Mariko Koike’s novel ‘True Stories”, which was in turn based on Sophia Calle’s real life works of shadowing people without any reason, the film follows Tama, a young graduate student as she...
In the contemporary world where people within a room living together have secrets, it’s truly difficult to understand someone completely. All of us reflect two or more character traits because we are never really satisfied with the skin we live in. We hide our pain within these personalities and secrets, as we go on living without understanding our lives and reason for existence. In his debut feature film, Yoshiyuki Kishi explores the idea of existence through his protagonist Tama (Mugi Kadowaki), who stalks (or in her own words ‘tails’) a person without realising the consequences it could possibly lead to.
“Double Life” screened at the New York Asian Film Festival
Based on Mariko Koike’s novel ‘True Stories”, which was in turn based on Sophia Calle’s real life works of shadowing people without any reason, the film follows Tama, a young graduate student as she...
- 8/13/2020
- by Guest Writer
- AsianMoviePulse
This is no “Boyhood” (2014). Unlike Richard Linklater’s sanitized suburban storytelling, Tatsushi Omori‘s coming-of-age tale spins a disturbed – and increasingly violent – take in the lives of three middle school-aged misfits. In this battle for innocence, acceptance and ultimately for survival, Omori’s fourth feature grapples with the difficulties of growing up in a godless wasteland.
Omori sets the tone with the film’s opening scene, wherein two yakuza members wrestle for control in a home for the mentally and physically disabled. The rest of the film only peers deeper into the fringes of society, revolving around three teens: the rebellious Eiji (Masaki Suda), the reckless Taro (Yoshi), and the gentle Sugio (Taiga Nakano). Eiji walks in his brother’s shadow, unable to live to his family’s judo-loving legacy due to his injured knee. He takes out his anger in conspiratorial schemes with Taro, an elementary school drop-out. The...
Omori sets the tone with the film’s opening scene, wherein two yakuza members wrestle for control in a home for the mentally and physically disabled. The rest of the film only peers deeper into the fringes of society, revolving around three teens: the rebellious Eiji (Masaki Suda), the reckless Taro (Yoshi), and the gentle Sugio (Taiga Nakano). Eiji walks in his brother’s shadow, unable to live to his family’s judo-loving legacy due to his injured knee. He takes out his anger in conspiratorial schemes with Taro, an elementary school drop-out. The...
- 8/7/2020
- by Grace Han
- AsianMoviePulse
The famous tune “Ito” by Miyuki Nakajima is made into a movie. Masaki Suda x Nana Komatsu starred in W, and a co-starring team of Nana Eikura, Taku Saito and others appear in this new movie, scheduled to open August 21.
Synopsis
Takahashi Ren and Sonoda Aoi, both born in 1989, will weave an 18-year tapestry of love going through each other’s lives with repeated encounters and partings.
Synopsis
Takahashi Ren and Sonoda Aoi, both born in 1989, will weave an 18-year tapestry of love going through each other’s lives with repeated encounters and partings.
- 7/1/2020
- by Don Anelli
- AsianMoviePulse
Based on the homonymous short film by Shunji Iwai, “Fireworks” is much more than an adaptation at 90 minutes, and one of the most commercially successful films in Japan for 2017.
The story takes place in a seaside town in a summer day, right before a festival taking place in the area, which features a show of fireworks. Two high school students, Norimichi and Yosuke, meet their mutual object of passion, Nazuna, at the school pool. A swimming race occurs almost immediately, with Yosuke winning, and Norimichi finding a strange fireworks ball in the pool, and Nazuna actually proposing to the former to accompany her on the festival. However, a little later it is revealed that the girl was just going to propose to the winner, and that her actual purpose is to get away from her mother and her new fiance, who plan to move away from the area.
The story takes place in a seaside town in a summer day, right before a festival taking place in the area, which features a show of fireworks. Two high school students, Norimichi and Yosuke, meet their mutual object of passion, Nazuna, at the school pool. A swimming race occurs almost immediately, with Yosuke winning, and Norimichi finding a strange fireworks ball in the pool, and Nazuna actually proposing to the former to accompany her on the festival. However, a little later it is revealed that the girl was just going to propose to the winner, and that her actual purpose is to get away from her mother and her new fiance, who plan to move away from the area.
- 3/25/2020
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
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