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Helldriver ヘルドライバー (2011)

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Helldriver   Helldriver Film Poster

ヘルドライバー 「Herudoraiba」

Release Date: May 23rd, 2011

Running Time: 117 mins.

Directors: Yoshihiro Nishimura

Writer: Yoshihiro Nishimura, Daichi Nagisa (Screenplay)

Starring: Yumiko Hara, Eihi Shiina, Yurei Yanagi, Takumi Saito, Kazuki Namioka, Mizuki Kusumi, Yukihide Benny, Asami, Cay Isumi, Maki Mizui,

Splatter film director Yoshihiro Nishimura has one setting: extreme. His creatures designs are extreme. His action scenes are extreme. His use of special effects and blood splashed around on screen is extreme. If you thought that Tokyo Gore Police (2008) and Vampire Girl vs Frankenstein Girl (2009) were extreme, you have seen nothing. Helldriver (2011) is a bone-crunching, head-splitting, and grotesque attempt at a zombie apocalypse epic on a shoestring budget and it is extreme action for its entire near two hour running time for better and for worse.

It begins with Kika (Hara), a beautiful high school girl beaten and bruised by her despicable mother Rikka (Shiina) and a creepy uncle. After seeing her kind disabled father get torched it looks like Kika is next until a meteorite strike takes out her mother’s torso. Alas, mother dearest is so bad-ass and just plain bad she steals her daughter’s heart and the two become crystallised.

Crysallised? It seems that this meteorite is an alien-crafted transporter which blankets the northern half of Japan with a mist that transforms people into zombies and it isn’t long before the people in the south of the country build a giant wall to keep the zed-heads out.

Helldriver Great Wall

The north is a zombie wasteland where survivors are hunted while the south is an overcrowded and calamitous state where politicians argue about how to deal with the zombies – with aid or violence?!?

One shadowy member of the government retrieves Kika and in a shady operation
implants an engine into her chest to act as an artificial heart and as a power source for a chainsaw weapon. The government choose her to lead a special mission made up of desperate people and criminals formerly on death row to go north of the border and exterminate the newly discovered zombie queen with extreme prejudice and rid Japan of all zombies.

Helldriver Heroes

It won’t be simple. It turns out that the queen is Rikka and she has created a zombie country with zombie culture and zombie army.

HellDriver Alien Queen

It’ll be a hard and bloody drive up north to meet Rikka but Kika has the fire of vengeance driving her and a chainsaw to sweep zombies aside!

First things first despite the title, Helldriver, there isn’t as much driving as you might think. Kika doesn’t hop on a big rig and plough through zombies but there are epic fights and a ridiculously long zombie car chase and a zombie vs car fight to make up for it.

This is very much archetypal splatter film fare with a focus on physical effects and gags. It comes from one of the masters of the messy blood-red wave: Nishimura.

As is common with Nishmura’s films there is an attempt at a story and it runs on the same formula he tends to use as a set-up in his other films: life in post (insert disaster)-apocalypse Japan with a look into alternative societies before extended battle sequences and end credits. This time it is zombies and it allows for a few satirical takes on politics and pop-culture from adverts about human rights for zombies, the troubles of integrating with dead-heads, and quasi-fascist leaders with a hard-on for military hardware. The characterisation is slight, reduced to costumes for the most part and tending to veer onto the side of bizarre fetishes when a little more complicated which leads to outrageous fights and corny one-liners. Everything is intentionally simple because it serves as a skeleton to hang Nishimura’s true love: the fully-fleshed out and well-imagined zombie and monster designs and the special effects he has spent an entire career making.

Then he makes them all explode on screen in grotesque gouts of gore and bursts of bile and blood for most of the film.

Hell-Driver-Genki-Gory-Fights

For the first hour there is a lot of glee to be had for gorehounds and regular cinema goers with open minds and strong stomachs because the amount of imagination used to craft this truly diverse array of undead creatures is impressive. The zombie capital is like a flesh-eating bacchanal with caged humans screaming as they see their zombie captors gyrating to awful accordion music and snacking on flesh, dancing, playing games. The zombies come in all shapes and sizes from your regular run of the mill Night of the Living Dead lumbering types to athletic kung-fu zombies of Zombie Flesh Eaters 2 and a sword wielding ogre who acts as a sort of catapult sending zombie heads showering down on the characters:

The alternative zombie society features more monsters like go-go girls and heavy metallers, salary-men and sexy sword wielding biters geared up in geisha outfits.

Helldriver Zombie Geisha

These creatures take part in action scenes which are truly awesome and, yes, extreme. A zombie mother chucks her zombie fetus, still attached to an umbilical cord, as a weapon. A multi-armed, multi-legged zombie wields a dozen different katana’s and forks and guns. A zombie chases a car and wrestles with it. These actors in pretty gnarly zombie make-up throw themselves into the scenes with dedication and their performances the creature-effects are created by close-ups on a real actor, a mixture of make-up, physical effects such as a doll and prosthetic limbs, and CG. The whole thing works because editing and camera work is fast and frenetic but the sequences are never indecipherable until the final battle.

These action scenes are numerous. After the initial world-building it is a series of battles like the video game Metal Slug. Rika gets to battle a weird variety of zombies and so do her co-companions and their individual action sequences are cut together in tumultuous spurts of gore and body parts scored to rock music of varying quality. There is little to no downtime. Just when you think you’ll get a chance to breathe the next insane sequence will start and that one will last for ten minutes or so and an insane pace is kept up where battles keep coming. The gag gets worn out by the end.

Hell-Driver-Genki-Kika-Fights

The final hour is almost non-stop relentless zombie violence scored to some awful rock music and it all gets really tiresome which is my biggest complaint about the film. As much as the over the top action was Nishimura’s intention and what the viewer would have signed up for, by the time the ending came I was at risk of falling asleep and my irritation with the film grew. With the relentless action and the same extreme tone used in every sequence Nishimura’s film becomes tiresome and by the arrival of the zombie rocket fight sequence/zombie invasion (a zombie apocalypse doesn’t get any more extreme than this) I was bored and there was still plenty of the film to go. The finale felt long drawn out and the intercutting between fights, a common Nishimura technique, made the action even more ragged rather than extreme which is bad when you have twenty minutes of the film to go. You really do get the sense that he could have shortened the fights and ultimately the film.

Overall, Nishimura achieves the ultimate zombie apocalypse movie but overplays it. Yes, the multiple zombies are unique and not the generic type lathered in green/blue paint and they get to be showcased with their awesome makeup and the decent special effects but the fights feel like they go on much longer than they should even if the denouements are pretty genius and end in explosions and characters look cool as they pose in slow motion while a fountain of blood fountains up into the air or explosions blanket the sky, this is done to death in a deluge of over-indulgence. If it were shortened and the zombie rocket sequence excised, it would have scored higher with me.

3.5/5



Little Witch Academia: The Enchanted Parade, The Next Generation Patlabor: Shuto Kessen Director’s Cut, Nuclear Japan, Teacher and Stray Cat, Library Wars – The Last Mission, Decline of an Assassin and other Japanese Film Trailers

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Happy weekend, readers!

Happy Hour Film Image

Well, I am back from my short trip to London and the BFI London Film Festival where I met a friend and did some touristy things. I only watched one film this year and it was Happy Hour, a five hour drama about four women in Kobe and the shockwaves from a divorce that jolt the friends from their dull relationships. I must admit that there were times during the film when I wished I were watching Yakuza Apocalypse or Ryuzo and His Seven Henchmen but Happy Hour proved to be a worthwhile watch.

Only one review this week and it was for Helldriver (2010).

What’s released this weekend?

Little Witch Academia: The Enchanted Parade   

Little Witch Academia The Enchanted Parade Film Poster
Little Witch Academia The Enchanted Parade Film Poster

リトルウィッチアカデミア 魔法仕掛けのパレード「Ritoru Wicchi Akademia: Mahou Shikake no Pare-do

Release Date: October 09th, 2015

Running Time: 56 mins.

Director: Yoh Yoshinari

Writer: Masahiko Otsuka (Script), Yoh Yoshinari (Original Novel),

Starring: Megumi Han (Atsuko Kagari), Yoko Hikasa (Diana Cavendish), Fumiko Orikawa (Lotte Yansson), Michiyo Murase (Sucy Manbavaran), Noriko Hidaka (Ursula-sensei/Shiny Chariot),

Website     ANN

I can’t remember too much from the original Little Witch Acadameia other than it was a bit of goofy fun. This is the sequel and it was partially funded via Kickstarter.

Synopsis from Anime News Network: Student witches Akko, Sucy and Lotte are tasked with organizing a parade commemorating the role of witches for the annual town festival. Sleeping giants, ambitious mayors, insolent boys, the girls’ own squabbling and copious amounts of magic combine to create a spectacular event.

 

Gamba: Gamba to Nakama-tachi   

Gamba Gamba to Nakama-tachi Film Poster
Gamba Gamba to Nakama-tachi Film Poster

GAMBA ガンバと仲間たち「Gamba: Gamba to Nakama-tachi

Release Date: October 10th, 2015

Running Time: 92 mins.

Chief Director: Yoichi Ogawa, Director: Tomohiro Kawamura, Yoshihiro Komori

Writer: Ryota Kosawa (Screenplay), Atsuo Saito (Original Creator),

Starring: Yuki Kaji (Gamba), Sayaka Kanda (Tideway),

Website     ANN

Synopsis from Anime News Network: Atsuo Saitō’s original 1972 novel is set in Yumemigajima, an island ruled by a fierce white weasel named Noroi. The town mouse Gamba and his friends fight to save the island’s mice.

 

The Laws of the Universe Part 0 (UFO Gakuen no Himitsu)   

The Laws of the Universe Part 0 (UFO Gakuen no Himitsu) Film Poster
The Laws of the Universe Part 0 (UFO Gakuen no Himitsu) Film Poster

UFO学園の秘密「UFO Gakuen no Himitsu

Release Date: October 10th, 2015

Running Time: 125 mins.

Director: Isamu Imakake

Writer: UFO Gakuen no Himitsu Scenario Project (Screenplay), Ryuho Okawa (Original Creator),

Starring: Asami Seto (Anna), Hisako Kanemoto (Halle), Ryota Ohsaka (Ray), Daisuke Namikawa (Professor Yoake),

Website     ANN

Ryuho Okawa, the founder of the controversial religious organization Happy Science (Kōfuku no Kagaku), is credited with the original work and as the chief production supervisor for the film. Isamu Imakake (The Mystical Laws, The Laws of Eternity) is directing the film, and also serving as chief animation director and character designer at HS Pictures Studio (formerly SH Studio).

Synopsis from the film’s website: Ray, Anna, Tyler, Halle, and Eisuke are five high school students who are suddenly wrapped up in a mysterious incident.

An alien species called Grey abducts Halle’s sister and embeds her with a special chip inside her brain. The five stand up to save Halle’s sister and try to reveal the existence of aliens, but continue to be met with mysterious events.

The high school students’ story progresses into a shocking development!

What truths hide on the dark side of the moon? What are the true intentions of the aliens that are infiltrating America, Russia and China? What is the true crisis that is closing in on Earth and what hope can we have towards the future!? Going beyond the last movie, The Mystical Laws, The Laws of the Universe – Part 0 reveals stunning truth from beyond the star in animation form!

People of Earth, you cannot afford to miss this movie!

 

Sakana-kun Kenkyuujo Suggyo Osakana Dai Shugo! Janpu! Kakureru! Sekai Saidai! Hen    

Sakana-kun Kenkyuujo Suggyo Osakana Dai Shugo! Janpu! Kakureru! Sekai Saidai! Hen Film Poster
Sakana-kun Kenkyuujo Suggyo Osakana Dai Shugo! Janpu! Kakureru! Sekai Saidai! Hen Film Poster

さかなクン研究所 すっギョイおさかな大集合! ジャンプ!隠れる!世界最大!編Sakana-kun Kenkyuujo Suggyo Osakana Dai Shugo! Janpu! Kakureru! Sekai Saidai! Hen

Release Date: October 10th, 2015

Running Time: 45 mins.

Director: Tetsuya Fukuhara

Writer: N/A

Starring:  Sakana-kun, Naoki Tatsuta, Sara Nakayama,

Website

The popular television show Sakana-kun is on the big screen for the second time this year and the theme for this one is jump, hide, the world’s largest. Easy to understand commentary ensures that kids find out more about the world’s largest whale shark herds, the ancient fish arowana of the Amazon river who eat insects by jumping out of the water, and the sea anemone that hide, such as clownfish to protect themselves from predators.

 

The Next Generation Patlabor: Shuto Kessen Director’s Cut    

The Next Generation Patlabor Shuto Kessen Director’s Cut Film Poster
The Next Generation Patlabor Shuto Kessen Director’s Cut Film Poster

THE NEXT GENERATIONパトレイバー 首都決戦ディレクターズカットThe Next Generation Patlabor: Shuto Kessen Deirekuta-zu Katto

Release Date: October 10th, 2015 (Japan)

Running Time: 119 mins.

Director: Mamoru Oshii

Writer: Mamoru Oshii (Screenplay), Headgear (Original Creators),

Starring: Erina Mano, Toshio Kakei, Seiji Fukushi, Rina Ohta, Shigeru Chiba, Yoshikatsu Fujiki, Reiko Takashima, Kanna Mori,

Website IMDB

This is the director’s cut of a film that was originally released in May. It adds over 20 minutes of content!

The project began with a seven-part series, which is composed of the “episode 0” and 12 full episodes helmed by chief director Mamoru Oshii and other directors. Each full episode is about 48 minutes long. The final feature length film ran at 94 minutes with the director’s cut clocking in at 119 minutes.

Synopsis: The story is set in Tokyo in 2013, and it represents the “third generation” of Patlabor. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police has disbanded its Section 2 Division 1 of police robots, and Section 2 Division 2 barely survived the budget cuts due to the long recession. The film will centre on the Section 2 team fighting against a terrorist group that has taken all of the 10 million residents of Tokyo hostage.

 

Nuclear Japan   

Nihon to genpatsu 4-nen-go film poster
Nihon to genpatsu 4-nen-go film poster

日本と原発 4年後「Nihon to genpatsu 4-nen-go

Release Date: May 01st, 2015 (Japan)

Running Time: 138 mins.

Director: Hiroyuki Kawai

Writer: N/A

Starring: Hiroyuki Kawai, Eiko Kanno, Yuichi Kaito, Tetsuya Iida, Noriko Kimoto,

Website

Synopsis from the film’s English language website: NUCLEAR JAPAN is a documentary film directed by a 70-year-old lawyer with remarkable record of winning very high-profile cases who elucidates the controversial issue of nuclear power industry in Japan.

On March 11th, 2011, a massive earthquake hit East Japan, which caused a catastrophic accident in Tokyo Electric Fukushima No.1 nuclear power plant. Radioactive materials were released from its four nuclear reactors, and they have contaminated the people’s land as well as ocean. Today, the effort to clean up the radioactive materials is still ongoing, only too little effect.

There was one lawyer who had been actively voicing the absurdity and danger of Japanese nuclear power – Hiroyuki Kawai. Kawai has been fighting in many legal battles to halt nuclear power plants in Japan for over 20 years. Ever since the crisis at Fukushima No.1 power plant, his fight has been fuelled by even more drive and dedication.

Then, Kawai had a thought. What if he makes a movie about this issue? If he wants the public to understand the complicated issues of nuclear power, literature has its limits. Also, all the coverage by Japanese media has been biased. Only by providing the visual and giving the objective view, he can communicate the true absurdity and inhumanity of the nuclear power in Japan.

With the help of another lawyer Yuichi Kaido, Kawai’s old ally who also has been fighting in nuclear power plant lawsuits, Kawai completed this documentary film, NUCLEAR JAPAN.

The film not only features the interviews of many experts, a number of facts and evidences, but it also brings to light the immense pain of the people have been suffering from the nuclear crisis. NUCLEAR JAPAN is now being presented as evidence in many lawsuits to halt nuclear power plants all over Japan.

 

Teacher and Stray Cat   

Teacher And Stray Cat Film Poster
Teacher And Stray Cat Film Poster

先生と迷い猫Sensei to Mayoi Neko

Release Date: October 10th, 2015

Running Time: 107 mins.

Director: Yoshihiro Fukagawa

Writer: Hitoshi Kobayashi (Screenplay), Chiaki Kizuki (Original Novel)

Starring: Issey Ogata, Shota Sometani, Kie Kitano, Pierre Taki, Kayoko Kishimoto, Takanori Takeyama, Masako Motai,

Website   IMDB

Synopsis: Kyoichi (Ogata) is a widower. He used to be happily married and a school principal but after the death of his wife and his retirement he keeps to himself. When his wife was alive she liked to feed a stray cat named Mii and since she has died Mii still visits, paying particular attention to his wife’s funeral picture on the Buddhist altar. This irritates Kyoichi who shoos the cat away each and every day. When Mii stops showing up at Kyoichi’s house he begins to worry and searches for the cat. He isn’t the only one. Kyoichi discovers that other people in the area are also looking for Mii.

 

Library Wars – The Last Mission   

Library Wars - The Last Mission Film Poster
Library Wars – The Last Mission Film Poster

図書館戦争 -THE LAST MISSION-Toshokan Senso-The Last Mission-

Release Date: October 10th, 2015

Running Time: 120 mins.

Director: Shinsuke Sato

Writer: Hitoshi One (Screenplay), Hiro Arikawa (Original Light Novel)

Starring: Junichi Okada, Nana Eikura, Chiaki Kuriyama, Tao Tsuchiya, Sota Fukushi, Kei Tanaka, Aoi Nakamura, Tori Matsuzaka

Website   IMDB

So, Library Wars got a sequel. Here’s what I wrote for the first film:

“To be honest I have never taken the concept seriously but viewing the trailer has left me interested if only to see Chiaki Kuriyama on the big screen again.”

I’ll be honest and say that I found the first Library Wars movie deathly dull. For all the sound and fury of the gun battles, the drama was absent thanks to some rote characterisation, bland acting (especially from Fukushi and even Kuriyama), and a setting which doesn’t make a whole lot of sense and irritated the heck out of me while I was watching it. I don’t know why it got a sequel except it’s based on a popular franchise and gives screen time to idol actors. Maybe I’m missing something…

Synopsis: In the near future an authoritarian government runs Japan. It has passed a law banning free expression and so the government has created an armed force to find and destroy anything it deems as objectionable content like books. Enter the Library Force which aims to protect books. Can Atsushi Dojo (Okada) and Kasahara (Eikura) defend their beloved books?

 

Decline of an Assassin   

Decline of an Assassin Film Poster
Decline of an Assassin Film Poster

野良犬はダンスを踊るNorainu ha Dansu wo Odoru

Release Date: October 10th, 2015

Running Time: 100 mins.

Director: Shoji Kubota

Writer: Shoji Kubota (Screenplay),

Starring: Yoshimasa Kondo, Yuri Yanagi, Shogo Suzuki, Keisuke Kato, Hidetoshi Kubota, Kouta Kusano,

Website

Director Shoji Kubota and actor Yoshimasa Kondo have worked together more than once. This year saw Murder on D Street released at the start and now it is ending with this film which screened at the Montreal Film Festival (that festival had a great line-up of films).

Synopsis from the Montreal Film Festival: After serving 40 years as the hitman for a shadowy criminal gang, Muneyuki Kurosawa has recruited and trained two young men in his deadly art. They are both straining at the leash, eager to fill his shoes. Indeed, though Kurosawa’s mastery was once unmatched, he’s now beginning to make mistakes. As well, he’s beginning to fall in love with Miori. his favourite bargirl, even to feel protective of her. When a simple hit gets botched, Kurosawa realizes it’s time to call it quits. But after decades in violent crime, how can he ever get back to normal life?

 

Japanese Movie Box Office Results for this Week:

 

Bakuman (Release: 2015/10/03)

Heroine Shikkaku (Release: 2015/09/19)

Attack on Titan: End of the World (Release: 2015/09/19)

Antman (Release: 2015/09/19)

The Anthem of the Heart (Release: 2015/09/19)  

Unfair: The End (Release: 2015/09/05)

Aoki Hagane no Arpeggio: Ars Nova Cadenza (Release: 2015/10/03)

Kingsman (Release: 2015/09/11)  

Kingsman (Release: 2015/09/11)  

Jurassic World (Release: 2015/08/07)


Alien vs Ninja AVN エイリアンVSニンジャ (2011)

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Alien vs Ninja   

Alien vs Ninja Film Poster
Alien vs Ninja Film Poster

AVN エイリアンVSニンジャAVN Eirian VS Ninja

Release Date: July 23rd, 2011

Running Time: 81 mins.

Director: Seiji Chiba

Writer: Seiji Chiba (Screenplay),

Starring: Shuji Kshiwabara, Mika Hijii, Ben Hiura, Masanori Mimoto, Donpei Tsuchihira,

The title says it all really. Aliens fighting ninjas. Two of the most iconic draws in cult movie history duke it out in a battle that should be cinematic gold but in the hands of director Seiji Chiba it is boring.

The rumble takes place in Sengoku era Japan where the Iga Ninja clan are spying on feudal lords and debating whether to throw their lot in with Oda Nobunaga or Tokugawa Ieyasu. Yamata, a young and impetuous ninja who revels in the thrill of the fight, is less interested in the politics so when a meteorite crashes into a village and unleashes a trio of aliens he finds himself facing his ultimate test as he fights katana against claw, shuriken against snakelike tail, and fist against fang.

AVN エイリアンVSニンジャ Yamata Image

As part of Sushi Typhoon’s opening gambit in seducing western audiences with low-budget weird Japan B-movie schlock, Alien vs Ninja fits the bill with its mock-serious setting containing a silly series of battles between ninjas and aliens which sees the script sacrificed for the spectacle but was there enough of a budget to go around?

Just enough, is the answer. Budget limitations result in a small cast and unambitious script and the lack of money in other departments is also clearly seen on screen. This is a splatter film minus much of the splatter and fun physical effects of the other titles in the genre that I have reviewed and the action mostly happens in non-descript forests and caves which saves the production money on set/location costs. A couple of exterior shots of a castle and village serve to ground the narrative in a time period but since locations are under-populated in terms of the cast everything feels lifeless, a sense exacerbated by the look of the film which is unexceptional especially since it is shot on digital camera so the visuals come across as flat. The lack of a budget can also be heard in the soundtrack, a combination of techno and traditional Japanese instruments, which is pretty ghastly.

The art design and costumes are not all that exciting aside from the sleek and futuristic ninja body armour. The titular alien is a guy in a rubber suit which is played up for all of the cheap silliness that it can evoke. The alien looks and acts a lot like the Xenomorph from Ridley Scott’s Alien (1979) with its slick body, creeping movements, prehensile tale with which it stabs people with, and phallic protuberances that do just as much penetrating.

Genki-Alien-vs-Ninja-Xenomorph

The plot and narrative are purposefully limited and characterisation is barebones at best but the lack of imagination in the alien is disappointing since the focus of the film is all about the fighting between aliens which are little more than knock-offs of the Xenomorph, and some cool-looking ninjas.

Alien vs Ninja Iga Gang

There are a variety of ninjas to be seen, all given visual traits to differentiate them: Nezumi the fat blonde cowardly comic-relief ninja, Jinnai the handsome slick-haired one, and Rin, a beautiful female ninja who serves as the source of some dated comedy that revolves around one pervy alien sexually harassing the one female ninja (and the only female character in the entire movie!). Much like the visuals, it is all unimaginative and unsurprising.

The focus is suitably on the fighting which puts the stress more on the performers and the action direction and at times the film comes to life.

The scenes which are orchestrated by the latest generation of low-budget action directors, Yuji Shimomura (Versus, The Warrior’s Way, The Princess Blade) and Kensuke Sonomura (Kunoichi: Ninja Girl, Hard Revenge Milly: Bloody Battle, Nowhere Girl). They lace the film with battles that feature a variety of ninja weapons like katanas, flying chain-blades called shoge, spinning bombs, as well as guns amid lots of physical fights which are imaginative at times as various characters battle with different fighting techniques. I have never seen a ninja perform a suplex on an alien before and the one sexually harassed kick-ass ninja girl does beat the crap out of an alien (director Seiji Chiba doesn’t miss a trick in this battle, ensuring her duel with the alien comes across as dry-humping, every camera angle leering at her body) and send a blade into his man parts – a bit of justice, one might say.

Genki-Alien-vs-Ninja-Rin-vs-Xenomorph

To be fair, Seiji Chiba’s editing and direction is steady and the fights are coherent, just not that exciting. He uses CGI moderately, mostly during the fights, to show the aliens’ weird physical abilities and a fight high in the sky. The best parts of the film are the performers Shuji Kashiwabara as Yamata and Mika Hijii as ninja girl Rin. Both have continued to float in and out of action films, although Kashiwabara has worked on dramas like Who’s Camus Anyway (2005) and horror like The Locker (2004) and The Locker 2 (2004). I would like to see more of Mika Hiji who is wonderfully athletic and sexy.

Overall, this is a rather boring bad film on the same level as Big Tits Dragon. Despite the premise offering up a silly action adventure the film does not take off. The experience is dull because the special effects aren’t so special and the film is stunted by its limited budget when it comes to ambition. The aliens are silly and the action scenes are separated by stretches of dull dialogue and drama which is needless. This is not a bad film in the technical sense. Everything is competently shot and the action is easy to follow. If you have ever wondered what might have happened if the Xenomorph in Alien had come across katana wielding bad-ass ninjas then wonder no more and give this a try. Just lament the lack of a budget and hope for a better stab at the concept from some other team.

2.5/5

エイリアンVSニンジャ Rin
Best Image in the Entire Film

Cyborg 009 Vs. Devilman, Expedition Party’s Glory, Mr. Max Man, Senpai to Kanojo, SCANDAL “Documentary film「HELLO WORLD」”, Messiah: Shinku no Shou, Vietnam no Kaze ni Fukarete, Boku wa Bosan Japanese Film Trailers

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Happy weekend, dear readers!

エイリアンVSニンジャ Rin
Best Image in the Entire Film

I may not be watching as many films at the London Film Festival this year as I have in others but I am still kept in the loop about events thanks to friends who tell me that Hirokazu Koreeda’s Our Little Sister (2015) is a brilliant film. Industry contacts have sent me news about the London East Asian Film Festival which launches at the end of next week so I’ll be posting about that next week. I finally watched The Martian (2015) as well and enjoyed it a lot. As for the new anime I am watching Subete ga F ni naru: The Perfect Insider and One Punch Man are two of the shows I’m picking up.

Only one review this week and it’s for Alien vs Ninja (2010).

What’s released this weekend in Japan?

Cyborg 009 Vs. Devilman   

Cyborg 009 Vs Devilman Film Poster
Cyborg 009 Vs Devilman Film Poster

サイボーグ009VSデビルマン「Saibo-gu 009 VS Deburuman

Release Date: October 17th, 2015

Running Time: 85 mins.

Director: Jun Kawagoe

Writer: Tadashi Hayakawa (Screenplay), Shotaro Ishinomori (Original Creator of Cyborg 009), Go Nagai (Original Creator of Devilman)

Starring: Jun Fukuyama (Cyborg 009/Joe Shimamura), Shintaro Asanuma (Akira Fudou/Devilman), Saori Hayami (Miki Makimura), Hozumi Goda (Cyborg 007/Great Britain),

Website     ANN

Two of anime’s older franchises get mixed together. Akira Nagai’s Devilman was ‘90s anime fare in the West with its sex and violence storyline earning it a release from Manga UK. Meanwhile, in the US, Shotaro Ishinomori’s Cyborg 009 got aired. The latter title seems more popular considering all of the reboots and re-releases you read about. According to Anime News Network Nagai worked as an assistant to Ishinomori and drew backgrounds for Cyborg 009 before launching Devilman.

Synopsis from Anime News Network: Joe Shimamura and his cyborg allies find themselves working against Akira Fudo, a kid who turns into Devilman after getting possessed by demonic powers. I bet both sides team up in the end…

Expedition Party’s Glory   

Expedition Party’s Glory Film Poster
Expedition Party’s Glory Film Poster

探検隊の栄光「Tankentai no Eiko

Release Date: October 16th, 2015

Running Time: 91 mins.

Director: Toru Yamamoto

Writer: Tatsuya Kanazawa, Koji Tokuo, Toru Yamamoto, (Screenplay), Gen Araki (Original Novel)

Starring: Tatsuya Fujiwara, Yusuke Santamaria, Yoji Tanaka, Hinako Sano, Yosuke Kawamura, Yukiyoshi Ozawa,

Website   IMDB

The first half of the trailer makes this look like a cool and funny riff on reality television shenanigans forced on a once popular actor with Tatsuya Fujiwara wrestling a crocodile but by the end it turns into a heart-warming journey of self-discovery. Will it be too saccharine sweet to bear?

Synopsis: Sugisaki (Fujiwara) is an actor who finds his career on the slide when he takes on the lead role in a low-budget reality adventure television show where he heads into the unknown to find a legendary creature. Sugisaki begins to take things seriously when the team find themselves in a dangerous situation.

 

Mr. Max Man   

Mr Max Man Film Poster
Mr Max Man Film Poster

Mr.マックスマンMr.Makkusuman

Release Date: October 17th, 2015

Running Time: 69 mins.

Director: Akihide Masuda

Writer: Takuro Fukuda, (Screenplay),

Starring: Yudai Chiba, Mizuki Yamamoto, Anju Suzuki, jun Kaname, Tasuku Nagase, Yuki Kubota, Rio Uchida,

Website   IMDB

Synopsis: Masayoshi Taniguchi (Chiba) is a clumsy presenter on a morning television programme during the day and a super hero nerd in his spare time. He works with his childhood friend Yuko (Yamamoto) who he has a crush on. When he finds a pair of glasses that give him superpowers he becomes a real life super hero which is handy because the girl he is sweet on gets kidnapped!

 

Senpai to Kanojo   

Senpai to Kanojo Film Poster
Senpai to Kanojo Film Poster

先輩と彼女Senpai to Kanojo

Release Date: October 17th, 2015

Running Time: 103 mins.

Director: Chihiro Ikeda

Writer: Kiyohito Wada, (Screenplay), Atsuko Nanba (Original Manga)

Starring: Jun Shison, Kyoko Yoshine, Riria, Junki Tozuka, Kaho Mizutani, Makiko Watanabe,

Website   IMDB

Throughout August there were lots of D-Boy stage-plays screened at a certain cinema. Jun Shison is a member of D-Boys and he gets a big acting role in an adaptation of Atsuko Nanba’s shoujou manga.

Synopsis: Rika Tsuzuki (Yoshine) is a first year high school student who is in love with third year high school student Keigo Minohara (Shison) who is in love with Aoi Okita (Riria), a university student.

 

SCANDAL “Documentary filmHELLO WORLD”   

SCANDAL “Documentary film「HELLO WORLD」” Film Poster
SCANDAL “Documentary film「HELLO WORLD」” Film Poster

Release Date: October 17th, 2015

Running Time: 105 mins.

Director: Chie Okazawa

Writer: N/A

Starring: Haruna, Mami, Tomomi, Rina

Website

This is compiled from Scandal’s first world tour which covered eight countries and ten shows. Scandal visited the UK, France, Taiwan, and the US amongst other countries.

 

Messiah: Shinku no Shou   

Messiah Shinku no Shou Film Poster
Messiah Shinku no Shou Film Poster

メサイア 深紅ノ章Mesaia shinku no Shou

Release Date: October 17th, 2015

Running Time: N/A

Director: Hiroki Yamaguchi

Writer: Hiroki Yamaguchi, Ayumi Yokoyama (Screenplay),

Starring: Tomoru Akazawa, Daisuke Hirose, Yuukie Igawa, Hiroaki Iwanaga, Taishi Sugie,

Website

Looking up low-budget movie adaptations of stage-plays often reveals a passionate fan-base that adores the actors and reveals areas of Japanese cinema I have no idea about which is why I refer to them in these trailer previews. Here are two examples: masayume85 and The Messiah Project. This film is developed by Hiroki Yamaguchi who is steadily making low-budget sci-fi films and while this doesn’t look to have the interesting visuals of Hellevator, it’s still good to see his unique visions getting made especially in an industry that doesn’t make many sci-fi films.

Synopsis from masayume85.tumblr: Focuses primarily on the relationship between Ariga and Mamiya and the mysterious terrorist organization: Quantum Cat. A spy is in the midst of Sakura, can the cadets figure it out before Japan explodes in flames? Meanwhile Amane continues to seek out his father while Misu is caught at a crossroads with Public Security. Introduces Sugie Taishi as Kagami Itsuki and features the return of Ota Motohiro as Gojou Souma.

 

Vietnam no Kaze ni Fukarete   

Vietnam no Kaze ni Fukarete Film Poster
Vietnam no Kaze ni Fukarete Film Poster

ベトナムの風に吹かれてBetonamu no Kaze ni Fukarete

Release Date: October 17th, 2015

Running Time: 114 mins.

Director: Kazuki Ohmori

Writer:  Kazuki Ohmori (Screenplay), Miyuki Komatsu (Original Novel)

Starring: Keiko Matsuzaka, Reiko Kusamura, Akira Emoto, Reina Fujie, Koji Kikkawa, Eiji Okuda, Yoneko Matsukane,

Website   IMDB

Synopsis: Misao (Matsuzaka) and Shizue (Kusamura) are a daughter/mother team in Vietnam. Misao teaches Japanese and is recovering from a divorce in Japan while her mother Shizue has dementia and mist be cared for. The warmth of the people of Vietnam gradually help the two find a new take on life.

Boku wa Bosan  

Boku wa Bosan Film Poster
Boku wa Bosan Film Poster

ボクは坊さん。Boku wa Bosan

Release Date: October 17th, 2015

Running Time: 114 mins.

Director: Yukinori Makabe

Writer:  Kenya Hirata (Screenplay), Missei Shirakawa (Original Novel)

Starring: Atsushi Ito, Mizuki Yamamoto, Junpei Mizobata, Gaku Hamada, Miyuki Matsuda, Issey Ogata, Yoneko Matsukane,

Website   IMDB

Synopsis: Koen Shirakawa (Ito) is shocked by the death of his grandfather, a priest at a local temple. This event makes him reassess life so he quits his job at a bookstore and becomes a monk at a temple.  

 

Japanese Movie Box Office Results for this Week:

Library Wars – The Last Mission (2015/10/10)

Bakuman (Release: 2015/10/03)

The Intern (2015/10/10)

Heroine Shikkaku (Release: 2015/09/19)

UFO Gakuen no Himitsu (2015/10/10)

Fantastic Four (Release: 2015/10/09)

Gamba: Gamba to Nakama-tachi (2015/10/10)

Attack on Titan: End of the World (Release: 2015/09/19)

The Anthem of the Heart (Release: 2015/09/19)  

Unfair: The End (Release: 2015/09/05)


Happy Hour ハッピーアワー (2015)

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Happy Hour   

Happy Hour Film Poster
Happy Hour Film Poster

Happy Hour ハッピーアワー(2015)

ハッピーアワー「Happi- Awa-」 

Release Date: December, 2015

Seen at the London Film Festival

Running Time: 317 mins.

Director: Ryusuke Hamaguchi

Writer: Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Tadashi Nohara, Tomoyuki Takahashi (Screenplay)

Starring:  Rira Kawamura, Hazuki Kikuchi, Maiko Mihara, Sachie Tanaka, Shuhei Shibata, Ami Kugai, Sachiko Fukunaga, Reina Shiihashi,

Website IMDB

Happy Hour is a film unlikely to get licensed in the West. With a five hour seventeen minute running time dedicated to showing the lives of four middle-aged women, distributors might think that the film is likely to test the patience of many and for some in the audience I was with when I saw it at the London Film Festival that proved to be true. For viewers with patience this is less the endurance test it sounds like and more an example of a character-driven story rich in small incidents and details that build up to show lives of three-dimensional characters whose stories are quietly compelling. While slow it paints a fascinating picture of contemporary Japan with a little social commentary added.

Happy Hour tracks the friendship between Fumi (Maiko Mihara), a cultured and elegant gallery curator always in fashionable attire, Akari (Sachie Tanaka), a nurse and a fiery character with a blunt and brave demeanour that matches her strong physicality, Sakurako (Hazuki Kikuchi), a beautiful and demure housewife who dresses plainly but catches the eye of others, and Jun (Rira Kawamura), a kitchen assistant and the most outgoing of the group.

When we first meet them they are on a daytrip. They have taken a cable car to the top of a mountain overlooking their home city of Kobe but their view is shrouded by rain and mist. Despite this, just being together is clearly fun for the girls. Away from their families and responsibilities they talk about anything and everything over their bento lunches and sandwiches, revealing dissatisfaction with relationships.

Happy Hour Mountain Trip

Sakurako is a dedicated housewife but would like more appreciation from her family made up of a stoic and loyal husband named Yoshihiko who works for the city and leaves all family matters to her, a secretive teenage son named Daiki who is dating a pretty girl at his school, and a mother-in-law who has recently moved in but proves hard to read.

Akari is well-respected in her hospital and often looked to as a source of strength by friends and colleagues, especially a new junior nurse who is a bit of a klutz. She works hard and she likes to play hard but since her divorce she feels she lacks a man and romance in her life and wants some passion.

Fumi is concerned by her husband Takuya’s lack of deep communication. They do small-talk well but she feels a distance growing between them despite the fact that they live comfortably together and she helps him by opening up her gallery space to showcase new authors he works with as an editor.

Jun doesn’t complain too much. Her husband Kohei is a scientist and she seems to be happy. However, she has a secret and that is she hasn’t told anybody about the divorce proceedings she has launched against her husband. Tired with his passionless demeanour she seeks a way out. Desperate to confide in someone she chooses to tell Sakurako, a friend since junior high. Jun’s divorce and the decision to tell just one of the group sparks a series of events and emotional upheavals that leads to the disappearance of Jun, the one who brought the four women together and forces the four to face the problems in their own lives, all of it based on the absence of love. It seems that all they have is each other and their friendship.

Happy Hour Film Image 2

At the start of the film, they are four firm friends facing the future together, 37-year-old ladies with desires and fears but each supporting the other. By the end of the film with the friendship at risk and the support possibly waning, the four women are bringing about changes they would never have contemplated before and the audience has been taken through these dramatic incidents by following director Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s lead which is established through assured skill and good performances from the lead actors.

The first question to answer is how does the long running time feel? I am sure that for some it will be a turn off especially with the small-scale nature of the tale but many people watching this will probably be aware of the type of film they are going to see. It is one that slowly takes its time to display the lives of the characters and allow the audience to access their emotions through showing the minutiae as well as the major events. I found that although the film plays out in what feels like real time it never drags, every second containing dialogue or acting or something that helps build a detailed depiction of what these character’s lives are like. There are always things to contemplate. Everything seen and heard on screen is crucial for understanding the gradual shifts in character’s perspectives as they find that they want more emotionally from life.

Shot over what seems to be the course of weeks and edited in a way that favours long takes and calmness, this is rather like watching real life unfold. We are embedded in the lives of these characters from the major dramas to the small things. This is a feeling enhanced by the filmmakers realistically grounding the action in the little scenes that may normally get cut from a film – an Yukihiko giving Jun a lift to a train station that turns awkward when they talk about Sakurako, Jun’s bus ride which includes a conversation with a young woman, Fumi fleeing a disastrous dinner date with her husband and his literary protégé through busy streets and along lonely walkways. This smallness and slowness is not often problematic or boring. Scenes go on for what feels like naturally long lengths of time before coming to the end at just the right moment where you get the sense that something has been achieved and your time has not been wasted.

Happy Hour Rira Kawamura, Hazuki Kikuchi, Maiko Mihara, Sachie Tanaka,

The actual story is fairly basic and the characters have a slight archetypal feeling to them but their development is interesting and they become complex and unpredictable, like watching real people grappling with emotional problems that beset us all. The fallout from Jun’s revelations leads to a fracturing of relationships, the splintering of personas’ and the revelation of extreme alienation that the women feel from their loved ones and their growing desire to be desired and to be loved. There is a little social commentary as we see that the four women have lost their individuality in the eyes of others and those closest to them neglect their emotional and physical needs. The lack of communication and being stripped of their individual qualities by their families and friends has left the characters feeling somewhat hollow and it is interesting to watch them deal with this emotion and overcome it. They do so by trying to harness the primal energy or awakening the love inside of themselves and others and this leads to some wild moments where they break away from life. This is made more potent by the constant immersion we feel thanks to the deliberately slow running time.

This feeling of believability is something helped by the actors who are mostly non-professionals. Ryusuke Hamaguchi has drawn out good performances from cast members who are taking on their first acting role in a feature film. The four women at the heart of the story have seemingly formed a strong bond rather quickly and look like true friends on screen. The dialogue that they speak to each other rings true with fluctuating emotions they convey and don’t as they negotiate helping each other and protecting their friendship without giving in to anger and selfishness – and that’s not always a battle they win. This spices up every encounter the girls have with each other and adds dramatic impetus to the film.

The most charismatic characters are Akari and Jun. Sachie Tanaka as Akari, the nurse whose tough exterior and garrulous nature creates comedy as she butts heads with more reserved character but this covers up a sensitive side. The other shining light in the film is Rira Kawamura as Jun, the mischievous dark horse of the group and the most independent woman of the bunch. She is the glue that binds everyone together and despite coming across as weak at first, the audience will grow to love her and miss her after her disappearance much like her friends do.

Happy Hour Film Image 3

A special mention should go out to Shuhei Shibata as Kei Ukai and Reina Shiihashi as Kozue Nose, two of the young characters who change the lives of the women. Shibata plays Ukai as the ultimate chancer with a silver-tongue. From the word go, both the audience and the women zero in on how much of a flake he is but the man does have charisma and whenever he is on screen the sparks fly. Reina Shiihashi is plays the novelist Kozue as a naturally beautiful but ultra-cute woman who is intelligent but deceptively shy since she is capable of brave acts like staking out her emotions to the man she has fallen for.

The people in this film are subject to sympathetic treatment from the script and visuals so it is very easy to engage with it emotionally.

There is always something to catch the eye in Yoshio Kitagawa’s cinematography and Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s direction, something always helps symbolise and help bring out the story and inner feelings of the characters. There is the use of close-ups and extreme close-ups that the filmmakers use to make the audience study the characters more during dinner party conversations and confrontations so we in the audience, with knowledge of what characters think and believe can see how it affects their every physical aspect.

Indeed, the film’s aesthetic is a mostly unfussy one which captures the mundane aspects of urban life so we can appreciate the characters who exist in them – the bland but ordered streets, overpasses, clubs, cafes’ of the everyday Kobe the women know all too well and find stifling. Then there are the shots and sounds that give a new meaning and energy to the characters, the spectacular sights that jolt them (and some in the audience, most probably) from their stupor. This is especially true when the women are challenging their societal roles, the expectations of others and striking out into new territory or are just together, out and about doing their own thing and being independent of those around them – a woman riding a ferry alone as it slowly motors underneath a jaw-droppingly huge bridge and the camera tilts to capture the sight, a jaunt the four women take to the more beautiful and relaxing town of Arima with its hills studded with tree groves, winding paths, and waterfalls.

Happy Hour Film Image

Ultimately, the film builds dramatic momentum from all of the character interactions and details and it culminates in a low-key climax where you know that their lives have changed forever and questions about the friendship remain but not in the way you expect. The film conveys the vagaries of life pretty well and the open ending is fitting. Whether it is satisfying will be up to the viewer to decide. It worked for me.

Movie-goers in the West have long complained about the lack of films about women with strong roles and detailed stories. Perhaps these film fans live in a mono-lingual world because Japanese and Korean filmmakers cater for the female market with a range of titles that span genres and there is a growing movement of female filmmakers who would put Hollywood and Europe to shame for the wealth of talent they have and stories they create. Happy Hour is a good example. It presents us with complex portraits of real women, three-dimensional characters and not stereotypes. The emotions are universal and believable. It provides a fascinating and profound story that draws its strength from revelling in the everyday details and actions that make up real life and thus gives us insight into lives as lived in contemporary Japan. Isn’t that one of the strongest aspect of films? That we can live and understand other lives?

4/5

I’ve overdone it with this review (the first in the English language as far as I can tell). I concede that this will not be a film for everyone. At times even my patience was strained and I did wonder whether I should have opted to watch the more entertaining sounding Yakuza Apocalypse (2015) but I ended up appreciating it. At times I felt like it could be a counter-point to something like Tokyo Sonata (2009), albeit less artful and ultimately satisfying. The film plays at the Leeds International Film Festival.

Director Ryusuke Hamaguchi has made waves with some documentaries and his short film, Touching the Skin of Eeriness (available to view legally online) and now he is back with a five hour drama about four women in the city of Kobe. It’s a prize-winning film, the four lead actors walked away with the best acting prize at the Locarno Film Festival earlier this year.

I’ll write something about the film Taksu for Gigan magazine at some point.


Dear Deer, Galaxy Turnpike, Kagura Me, A Summer Day, Your Voice, Only 4 You, Ninja Hunter, Halloween Nightmare 2, Tobidasu PuriPara: Minna de Mezase! Idol☆Grand Prix and other Japanese Film Trailers

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Happy weekend, readers!

 Happy Hour Mountain Trip

The Tokyo International Film Festival launched this week and there are quite a few good-looking films. I should cover it but around this time of the year I am super busy. I’m also spending less time writing about films these days. I need to practice Japanese more so something has to get cut, not that I’m happy about it especially since I’m seeing anime and films I think are brilliant. For example, Subete ga F ni Naru: The Perfect Insider has me hooked so I bought the book.

With that written, I posted on film review this week and it was for Happy Hour (2015) which I saw at the London Film Festival. It gets its release in Japan this December.

I went to see Sicario (2015) in a cinema yesterday and it was a well-crafted and tense film full of great performances. I am tempted to review it.

What’s released in Japan this weekend?

Dear Deer   

Dear Deer Film Poster
Dear Deer Film Poster

ディアーディアー「Dia Dia

Release Date: October 24th, 2015

Running Time: 107 mins.

Director: Takeo Kikuchi

Writer:  Noriaki Sugihara (Screenplay),

Starring: Yuri Nakamura, Koji Kiryu, Yoichiro Saito, Rinko Kikuchi, Shota Sometani, Wakana Matsumoto, Yurei Yanagi,

Website   IMDB

Synopsis: When three siblings named Fujio (Kiryu), Yoshio (Saito) and Akiko (Nakamura) were children, they lived in a mountain village and saw the elusive “Ryoumou Deer,” but nobody believed them. As adults their paths have diverged. The eldest child Fujio still lives in the same village and runs small factory but he is in serious debt. The middle child, Yoshio is living in the psychiatric ward of a hospital. The youngest child, Akiko, lives Tokyo, having fallen in love with a man and ran away there. When their father becomes ill the three siblings reunite in their mountain village.

 

Galaxy Turnpike  

Galaxy Turnpike Film Poster
Galaxy Turnpike Film Poster

ギャラクシー街道「Gyarakushi Kaido

Release Date: October 24th, 2015

Running Time: 110 mins.

Director: Koki Mitani

Writer: Koki Mitani Screenplay),

Starring: Shingo Katori, Haruka Ayase, Shun Oguri, Yuka, Takanori Nishikawa, Sayaka Akimoto,

Website   IMDB

Koki Mitani is back and he has made the Japanese version of The Jetsons. Okay, that was a lie. This is an original sci-fi film from the Japanese master of comedy and it doesn’t look remotely funny. The signs for this looked bad from the promo pictures alone, never mind the trailer. The terrible costumes and makeup and the dodgy looking sets look worse in motion as is revealed by this review by Mark Schilling over at the Japan Times.

Synopsis: It is the year 2265 and a married couple, Noa (Katori) and Noe (Ayase), run the space diner Sandsand Burger which is 150 years old. Located on a path which connects Earth to a space colony located between Jupiter and Saturn, they get all sorts of customers including space pimps and space police, intergalactic mimes, aliens and more. Everything is fine until Noa’s alien ex-girlfriend (Yuka) shows up and tries to steal him from Noe who is the romantic target of a customer herself.

 

Kagura Me   

Kagura Me Film Poster
Kagura Me Film Poster

かぐらめKagura me

Release Date: October 24th, 2015

Running Time: 112 mins.

Director: Yasuo Okuaki

Writer:  Nozomu Namba (Screenplay), Yasuo Okuaki (Original Novel)

Starring: Rina Takeda, Ren Osugi Mariko Tsutsui. Tomomitsu Adachi, Keiko Shirasu, Masayuki Imai, Mei Kurokawa, Komai Se,

Website   IMDB

This one was at the Montreal Film Festival and it caught my eye because t seemed like a decent drama plus it stars the legend that is Ren Osugi and the shooting star that is Rina Takeda who continues to move between mainstream and indie with ease. The story is familiar but the actors are favourites of mine so it can work.

Synopsis: When Akine (Takeda) was a child, her mother was seriously ill and at the height of her mother’s illness Akine’s father, Kyoujiro (Osugi), went to perform a traditional dance called shishi kagura. Akine’s mother passed away. Since then, Akine has held a grudge against her father and as soon as she graduated from high school she left her hometown.

Five years later, Akine has returned to her hometown on the anniversary of her mother’s death and finds a woman who looks just like her mother with her father who is preparing to perform the traditional shishi kagura dance at a festival again. This will be his final performance. Unfortunately Kyoujiro falls ill. Will Akine step in to perform for him?

 

A Summer Day, Your Voice   

A Summer Day, Your Voice Film Poster
A Summer Day, Your Voice Film Poster

夏ノ日、君声Natsu no hi kimi no koe

Release Date: October 24th, 2015

Running Time: 94 mins.

Director: Tomoyuki Kamimura

Writer:  Tomoyuki Kamimura (Screenplay),

Starring: Chika Arakawa, Shono Hayama, Wakana Matsumoto, Reiya Masaki, Daisuke Nagakura, Seika Furuhata, Yuki Konoe, Maiko Kikuchu, Kengo Okuchi,

Website   IMDB

Synopsis: Tetsuo Togami (Hayama) is a high schooler who is in hospital after getting into a fight. He meets fellow patient Maiko Takashiro (Arakawa) who is deaf and has an incurable disease. Tetsuo doesn’t want anything to do with her at first but then they begin exchanging text messages and a relationship grows until Tetsuo pledges to take Maiko out on a date on her birthday but her condition worsens.

 

Only 4 You   

Only 4 You Film Poster
Only 4 You Film Poster

Release Date: October 24th, 2015

Running Time: 85 mins.

Director: Keisuke Toyoshima, Madoka Kumagai, Yu Katsumata, Yosuke Fujita,

Writer:  N/A

Starring: Micro, Ayako Omura, Daiki Yamagaki, Satoshi Ogawa, Mina Yamakawa,

Website

Synopsis: This is an omnibus film from four directors including Yosuke Fujita (Fuku-chan of Fukufuku Flats, Fine, Totally Fine), which has stories of “modest miracles encountered in daily life.” The stories revolve around music and the characters include rakugo artists and enka singers getting a new lease of life. 

 

Ninja Hunter   

Ninja Hunter Film Poster
Ninja Hunter Film Poster

忍者狩りNinja-gari

Release Date: October 24th, 2015

Running Time: 102 mins.

Director: Seiji Chiba

Writer:  Seiji Chiba (Screenplay), Missei Shirakawa (Original Novel)

Starring: Mitsuki Koga, Mei Kurokawa, Masanori Mimoto, Kazuki Tsujimoto, Kentaro Shimazu,

Website   IMDB

I think that my review of Seiji Chiba’s 2011 film Alien vs Ninja made clear that I am no fan. Everything I dislike about that film is evident in this trailer – the same non-descript cave and forest he uses for sets, the dull look and cheap aesthetics, the same the lack of ambition. It’s a shame because we need more hot-blooded ninja action!

Synopsis from Shochikufilms.com: In 1581 during a gruelling feud between 2 ninja clans, Tao, a ninja from the Iga Clan, wakes up with amnesia. 40 ninjas lie dead in front of him and off to one side lies a dead female ninja. He doesn’t remember how and why he got there. His assignment is to retrieve a document that will reveal the traitor’s identity. Who killed all the ninjas? Is one of them the traitor? Little by little Tao solves the mystery.

 

Halloween Nightmare 2   

Halloween Nightmare 2 Film Poster
Halloween Nightmare 2 Film Poster

ハロウィンナイトメア 2 Harouin Naitomea 2

Release Date: October 24th, 2015

Running Time: 62 mins.

Director: Yosuke Yamashita

Writer: Yosuke Yamashita (Screenplay), Ivory Dice (Original Work)

Starring:  Rena Takeda, Mizuki Masuda, Chie Sasaki, Reiko Igarashi, Takako Kitagawa, Tetsuya Nakanishi,

Website

Synopsis: Based on the free horror game, Halloween Nightmare 2 involves a mysterious murderer who wears a jack o lantern on his head and kills people on Halloween day. This time some cosplay girls are getting stalked…

 

Tobidasu PuriPara: Minna de Mezase! IdolGrand Prix   

Tobidasu PuriPara Minna de Mezase Aidoru Guran Puri Film Poster
Tobidasu PuriPara Minna de Mezase Aidoru Guran Puri Film Poster

とびだすプリパラ み~んなでめざせ!アイドル☆グランプリ「Tobidasu PuriPara: Minna de Mezase! AidoruGuran Puri

Release Date: October 24th, 2015

Running Time: 60 mins.

Director: Nobutaka Yoda

Writer: Hitomi Mieno (Screenplay)

Starring: Miyu Kubota (Sophie Houjou), Himika Akaneya (Laala Manaka), Yui Makino (Aroma Kurosu), Chinatsu Akasaki (Falulu Vocaldoll), Yuki Wakai (Leona West),

Website MyAnimeList

This is the sequel to a PriPara film released in March where girls join idol units and perform in the PriPara amusement park. It’s a 3D feature for little girls who enjoy this sort of thing.

 

 

Boku wa Bosan   

Boku wa Bosan Film Poster
Boku wa Bosan Film Poster

ボクは坊さん。Boku wa Bosan

Release Date: October 24th, 2015

Running Time: 114 mins.

Director: Yukinori Makabe

Writer:  Kenya Hirata (Screenplay), Missei Shirakawa (Original Novel)

Starring: Atsushi Ito, Mizuki Yamamoto, Junpei Mizobata, Gaku Hamada, Miyuki Matsuda, Issey Ogata, Yoneko Matsukane,

Website   IMDB

Synopsis: Koen Shirakawa (Ito) is shocked by the death of his grandfather, a priest at a local temple. This event makes him reassess life so he quits his job at a bookstore and becomes a monk at a temple.  

 

Tanemaki usagi Fukushima ni mukiau seishun   

Tanemaki usagi Fukushima ni mukiau seishun Film Poster
Tanemaki usagi Fukushima ni mukiau seishun Film Poster

種まきうさぎ フクシマに向き合う青春Tanemaki usagi Fukushima ni mukiau seishun

Release Date: October 24th, 2015

Running Time: 87 mins.

Director: Yasuyuki Mori

Writer:  N/A

Starring: N/A

Website

Synopsis: The Great East Japan Earthquake has been covered from numerous angles in documentaries from animals to surveying the wreckage, farmers removed from their land to the rescue operations and reuniting people with their saviours to anti-nuclear protestors. Here’s another doc but it focusses on teaching high schoolers from Fukushima about nuclear energy from the 3/11 disaster to Hydrogen bombs and the Cold War and the way people are opposed to nuclear energy around the world.

 

Nihon zero nen: fukushima kara no kaze dai 2 sho   

Nihon zero nen fukushima kara no kaze dai 2 sho Film Poster
Nihon zero nen fukushima kara no kaze dai 2 sho Film Poster

日本零年 フクシマからの風 第二章Nihon zero nen: fukushima kara no kaze dai 2 sho

Release Date: October 24th, 2015

Running Time: 91 mins.

Director: Tetsu Kato

Writer:  Tetsu Kato (Screenplay),

Starring: Hinako Saeki, Mitsunori Furusawa, Otowa Kidoguchi, Miori Kiuchi, Rinne Konno, Sayuri Sakaguchi, Atsumi Sakurai,

Website   IMDB

Synopsis: The protagonist of the film (called “shujinko S” “main character S” in English) lives in Tokyo and when the meltdown in Fukushima occurs his wife Sakiko (Saeki) disappears with their child. It turns out that Fukushima is where Sakiko is from so the main character searches for her and finds the place is a disaster zone.

 

Trash    

Trash Film Poster
Trash Film Poster

TRASH トラッシュTRASH TORASSHU

Release Date: October 24th, 2015

Running Time: 88 mins.

Director: Hajime Gonno

Writer:  Masao Iketani (Screenplay),

Starring: Elly, Kaname Endo, Yuya Endo, Masayasu Yagi, Yuri Nakamura, Kosei Amano,

Website   IMDB

Synopsis: TRASH stars ELLY of the dance vocal unit “The third J Soul Brothers from EXILE TRIBE”, and he takes the role of Kent Hondo, a musclebound fighter who flits between his hometown and Tokyo with an old flame in tow. The two find themselves being pursued by gangsters.

 

Koryu Minatoya IN-TUNE   

Koryu Minatoya IN-TUNE Film Poster
Koryu Minatoya IN-TUNE Film Poster

港家小柳IN-TUNEMinatoya Koryu IN-TUNE

Release Date: October 24th, 2015

Running Time: 33 mins.

Director: Atiqa Kawakami

Writer:  N/A

Starring: Koryu Minato, Toyoko Sawamura,

Website

Synopsis: This documentary records a performance by Koryu Minato. She has been a storyteller from her first performance in 1969 and she displays her skills in this 33 minute performance which is accompanied by a shamisen player.

 

 

Japanese Movie Box Office Results for this Week:

 

Library Wars – The Last Mission (2015/10/10)

The Intern (2015/10/10)

Bakuman (Release: 2015/10/03)

Heroine Shikkaku (Release: 2015/09/19)

John Wick (2015/10/16)

UFO Gakuen no Himitsu (2015/10/10)

Gamba: Gamba to Nakama-tachi (2015/10/10)

The Anthem of the Heart (Release: 2015/09/19)  

Attack on Titan: End of the World (Release: 2015/09/19)

Fantastic Four (Release: 2015/10/09)


Japanese AV Comedy Makeup Room Release by Third Window Films Today

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Makeup Room   

Make Room Film Poster
Make Room Film Poster

メイクルム 「Meikurumu

Japanese Release Date: May 09th, 2015

UK Release Date: October 26th, 2015 Third Window Films

Running Time: 86 mins.

Director: Kei Morikawa

Writer: Kei Morikawa (Screenplay),

Starring: Aki Morita, Beni Itoh, Riri Kuribayashi, Nanami Kawakami, Mariko Sumiyoshi,

Website IMDB

This indie comes from director Kei Morikawa who draws from his experiences as a former adult-video director for this comedy which stars some real life AV actresses. The comedy revolves around the egos and chaos involved in a porn shoot and the antics that happen in the makeup room. It looks like a similar deal to Be My Baby in the sense that it’s effectively a stage play with a limited set, shot on a shoestring budget and features actors doing lots of acting rather than porn. 

Makeup Room Prep

I suppose I should say don’t go in expecting a flesh parade. It’s actually a funny and intelligent peek behind the pink curtain that covers the Japanese porn industry and while it avoids the uglier side of the trade it delves into taboos and problematic areas that the performers encounter in real life.

This title was the big winner of Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival’s Grand Prix earlier this year and it has travelled to the Udine Far East Film Festival:

I’ve already posted about it on Anime UK News so here is my blog post to spread the word!

MAKEUP ROOM

Makeup Room DVD Case

Directed by Kei Morikawa
(Director of more than 1000 Japanese porn films! His fiction feature debut)

Japan / 2014 / 86 Mins / In Japanese with English subtitles / Colour
Starring Japanese porn stars: Riri Kuribayashi, Nanami Kawakami & Beni Ito alongside indie-film actress Aki Morita (Henge, Sharing)

On DVD October 26th


DVD Special Features:
Interview with Cast & Crew

Synopsis: For the production of a new adult video, make-up artist Tsuzuki (Aki Morita) finds herself in all sorts of chaos when she ends up as the only person taking care of a large and varied cast of adult video stars. From the low-end, ‘will do anything’ Sugar Sato (Mariko Sumiyoshi) to the stuck-up pro Masami Ayase (Beni Ito), seasoned nymph Masako (Riri Kuribayoshi) and the shy newbie Toshiko (Nanami Kawakami), Tsuzuki must navigate a minefield of egos, controlling directors, production issues and more to keep the cast and crew calm during a long and tiresome shoot!  

All shot in just one room and starring many real-life adult video actresses, director Kei Morikawa looks at his own experiences as a director in the adult video industry to make a smart, funny and touching comedy of Japan’s porn industry!

 

Director’s Biography-
-Kei Morikawa

Kei Morikawa
After working as an assistant director, production assistant and camera operator, Kei Morikawa joined production company E-Staff Union, established by the famous pink and AV director Rokuroh Mochizuki.

Kei Morikawa has directed over 1,000 AV films and his latest work “Ekusute Musume Gekijoban” (roughly translated to ‘The Girl of Hair Extensions’ – a play on the Sion Sono film EXTE: Hair Extensions – a bloody funny film), in which Tomomi Nakatsuka, a former AKB48 member, plays the lead role.

Makeup Room is not a documentary, but a touching and hilarious look behind the curtain of Japan’s porn industry starring some of its top stars and directed by one of its most legendary directors!

Shot in just 2 days with a budget of $2000 it has still gone on to be a hit at many international film festivals!

Yubari Fantastic Film Festival – Winner: Grand Prix
Official Selection – Edinburgh International Film Festival, Udine Far East Film Festival, Japan Cuts, Taipei Film Festival


Sideline, My Love Story!!, Inu ni namae wo tsukeru hi, Onna no ko yo shitai to odore, We Are Perfume: World Tour 3rd Document, Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin ‘Artesia’s Sorrow’ and other Japanese Film Trailers

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Happy weekend, people!

Charisma Koji Yakusho and Jun Fubuki

I have gone and published this trailer post early because Halloween falls on a Saturday this year and I traditionally post a film review on Halloween so this Saturday is reserved for a review of a film I think is pretty special and scary on a soulful level and just right for Halloween. So far this week I have spent more time watching television shows like The Walking Dead, Subete ga F ni Naru: The Perfect Insider, and lots of time practicing Japanese –passive form, transitive/intransitive.

Earlier this week, I posted an announcement about the release of Makeup Room. Expect a film review on Saturday.

What’s released this weekend?

Remember in my review for Happy Hour (2015) when I praised Japan and Korea for producing and sustaining more female filmmakers than the West? Take a look at the names of the directors and you’ll notice that nearly half of the releases are directed by women and for most it is not their first feature but their third or fourth and they cast plenty of middle-aged women. Western films fans! Broaden your horizons and look East.

Sideline   

Sideline Film Poster
Sideline Film Poster

サイドラインSaidorain

Release Date: October 31st, 2015

Running Time: 94 mins.

Director: Sakurako Fukuyama

Writer:  Sakurako Fukuyama (Screenplay),

Starring: Yusuke Fukuda, Koichi Yoshino, Yuki Murata, Reina Asami, Ryoga Funatsu, Takuya Kusakawa, Kai Ogasawara, Takashi Matsuo,

Website   IMDB

Synopsis: Daigo (Yusuke Fukuda) and his friends are part of the young men’s club of their neighborhood association and have been friends since childhood. As adults they are drifting apart but are reunited when they meet an eight-year-old girl named Hana and discover that Hana’s mother Usage (Reina Asami) is raising her alone since the death of her husband. The guys get together for the festival and aim to perform a male cheerleading routine.

 

My Love Story!!   

My Love Story!! Film Poster
My Love Story!! Film Poster

俺物語!!Ore Monogatari!!

Release Date: October 31st, 2015

Running Time: 105 mins.

Director: Hayato Kawai

Writer:  Akiko Nogi (Screenplay), Kazune Kawahara, Aruko (Original Manga),

Starring: Ryohei Suzuki, Mei Nagano, kentaro Sakaguchi, Sawa Suzuki, Yasufumi Terawaki,

Website   IMDB

I like the anime adaptation of Ore Monogatari!! a lot and I feel that the live-action film will have to do a lot to live up to. The trailer looks decent enough. The actors managed to do a decent job of portraying the characters but where will the story go?

Synopsis: Takeo Goda (Ryohei Suzuki) is an ultramasculine guy who I best friends with Makoto Sunakawa (Kentaro Sakaguchi), a bishounen. Takeo is super popular with the guys because of his athletic abilities but the girls ignore him in favour of Makoto. That changes when Takeo saves high school girl Rinko Yamato (Mei Nagano) from a pervert on a train. Takeo falls in love with her but thinks Rinko likes Makoto. This changes when Rinko tracks Takeo down…

 

Inu ni namae wo tsukeru hi   

Inu ni namae wo tsukeru hi Film Poster
Inu ni namae wo tsukeru hi Film Poster

犬に名前をつける日Inu ni namae wo tsukeru hi

Release Date: October 31st, 2015

Running Time: 107 mins.

Director: Akane Yamada

Writer:  Akane Yamada (Screenplay)

Starring: Satomi Kobayashi, Takaya Kamikawa, Misato Aoyama, Saori Imamura, Satoshi Fujii,

Website

Synopsis: Kuno Kanami (Satomi Kobayashi) is a woman who works at an animal protection centre and one of a number of people who help rescue the animals left to fend for themselves after the Great East Japan Earthquake. She works on a television show called “a dog’s life” which is all about animals left behind in the disaster.

 

Onna no ko yo shitai to odore / Girls, Dance with the Dead   

Onna no ko yo shitai to odore Film Poster
Onna no ko yo shitai to odore Film Poster

女の子よ死体と踊れOnna no ko yo shitai to odore

Release Date: October 31st, 2015

Running Time: 70 mins.

Director: Kayoko Asakura

Writer:  Kayoko Asakura (Screenplay)

Starring: Ano, Chibo, Chiffon, Kechon, Mone, Yonapi, Keiko Furuuchi, Fukiko Hara, Hiroaki Kawatsure, Teruhiko Nobukuni,

Website   IMDB

Synopsis: The Yurumerumo! girls more about them on Tokyo Girls Update take part in a horror comedy where one of the members of the group, Ano, is a corpse brought back to life through an occult ceremony. Ano was quite happy being dead so the Yurumerumo! Girls start trying to kill her off… permanently.

 

Tokyo no Hi   

Tokyo no Hi Film Poster
Tokyo no Hi Film Poster

東京の日Tokyo no Hi

Release Date: October 31st, 2015

Running Time: 102 mins.

Director: Chihio Ikeda

Writer:  Chihiro Ikeda (Screenplay)

Starring: Kyoko Kagawa, Makiko Watanabe, Shuri, Saki Tanaka, Jundai Yamada, Chizuru Asano, Daisuke Sasaki,

Website   IMDB

Synopsis: Akari has made a very capricious decision to move to Tokyo. With no plan and no experience to help her she stuffs everything into her suitcase and wanders around until she reaches a café where a man named Yusuke works. He offers her the opportunity to stay at his place and so two lonely people being living together and warm to each other…

 

Fukushima: Ikimono no kiroku 3   

Fukushima Ikimono no kiroku 3 Film Poster
Fukushima Ikimono no kiroku 3 Film Poster

福島 生きものの記録 シリーズ3 拡散Fukushima: Ikimono no kiroku 3

Release Date: October 31st, 2015

Running Time: 91 mins.

Director: Masanori Iwasaki

Writer:  N/A

Starring: Hiroaki Koide

Website   IMDB

Synopsis: Here’s an update on the animals in the Fukushima area courtesy of director Masanori Iwasaki’s series which explores the environmental impact of radition from Fukushima Daiichi.

 

We Are Perfume: World Tour 3rd Document   

We Are Perfume World Tour 3rd Document Film Poster
We Are Perfume World Tour 3rd Document Film Poster

Release Date: October 31st, 2015

Running Time: 120 mins.

Director: Taketoshi Sado

Writer:  N/A

Starring: Perfume: Yuka Kashino, Ayaka Nishiwaki, Ayano Ohmoto

Website   IMDB

Synopsis: It has been years since I last listened to Perfume but I am aware of their growing global popularity and this documentary covers their world tour which included a visit to this year’s SXSW festival. Expect behind the scenes, exclusive interviews and more.

 

Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin   ‘Artesia’s Sorrow’    

Mobile Suit Gundam The Origin ‘Artesia’s Sorrow’ Film Poster
Mobile Suit Gundam The Origin ‘Artesia’s Sorrow’ Film Poster

機動戦士ガンダム THE ORIGIN II 哀しみのアルテイシア「Kido Senshi Gundam: The Origin II Kanashimi no Aruteishia

Release Date: October 31st, 2015

Running Time: 58 mins.

Chief Director: Yoshikazu Yasuhiko,Director: Takashi Imanishi

Writer: Katsuyuk Sumisawa

Starring: Mayumi Tanaka (Casval Rem Deikun – young), Megumi Han (Artesia Som Deikun), Shuuichi Ikeda (Char Aznable), Ayumi Tsunmatsu (Astraia Tor Deikun) Eizou Tsuda (Zeon Zum Deikun), Miyuki Sawashiro (Crowley Hamon),

Website ANN

Synopsis: This is the second in a four part series that will tell the story of Casval Rem Deikun and Artesia Som Deikun (Char and Sayla, before Char became known as the Red Comet) before the One-Year War in UC.0068. The episode’s story moves three years ahead to U.C. 0071. The story will follow the tearful separation of the siblings Casval and Artesia (before they became known as Char and Sayla). It will also feature more of the development of the mobile suits, particularly on the Zeon side. It will play for two weeks in 15 Japanese cinemas. Find out more at Anime News Network.

 

Eiga Go! Princess Precure Go! Go!! Gōka 3-bon Date!!!   

Eiga Go! Princess Precure Go! Go!! Gōka 3-bon Date!!! Film Poster
Eiga Go! Princess Precure Go! Go!! Gōka 3-bon Date!!! Film Poster

映画Go!プリンセスプリキュア Go!Go!!豪華3本立て!!!「Eiga Go! Princess Precure Go! Go!! Gōka 3-bon Date!!!

Release Date: October 31st, 2015

Running Time: 75 mins.

Director: Akifumi Zako, Hiroshi Miyamoto, Yukio Kaizawa

Writer: Kaori Yamagata (Screenplay)

Starring: Hibiku Yamamura (Kirara Amanogawa/Cure Twinkle), Masumi Asano (Minami Kaido/Cure Mermaid), Yu Shimamura (Haruka Haruno/Cure Flora), Cho (The King) Kaori Yamagata (The Queen), Kana Hanazawa (Princess Pampururu), Hinata Uegaki (Princess Prefi),

Website ANN

This is at the Tokyo International Film Festival which is heavily laden with anime.

Synopsis: The movie this time around is the first for Pretty Cure: Go! Go!! Gorgeous Triple Feature!!! It’s a sparkling Happy Halloween party at the movie theater!! This fall, the highly popular TV series Go! Princess Pretty Cure (ABC, tv asahi affiliates) is coming to the big screen! It’s a Halloween-themed super-gorgeous triple feature, with “A Precious Treasure of Pumpkin Land”, “Lefy’s Wonderful Night”, and “Cure Flora and a Mysterious Mirror”. “Strongly, kindly, and beautifully” Pretty Cures get a glamour power-up, including CG anime and the appearance of their mini-sized versions!

 

Japanese Movie Box Office Results for this Week:

 

Galaxy Turnpike (2015/10/24)

Library Wars – The Last Mission (2015/10/10)

The Intern (2015/10/10)

Bakuman (Release: 2015/10/03)

Maze Runner 2 The Scorch Trials (2015/10/23)

Transporter Ignition (2015/10/24)

Heroine Shikkaku (2015/09/19)

UFO Gakuen no Himitsu (2015/10/10)

The Anthem of the Heart (2015/09/19)  

John Wick (2015/10/16)



Charisma カリスマ (2000)

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Charisma

カリスマKarisuma

Release Date: Feburary 26th, 2000 (Japan)

Running Time: 99 mins.

Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa

Writer:  Kiyoshi Kurosawa (Screenplay)

Starring: Koji Yakusho, Hiroyuki Ikeuchi, Jun Fubuki, Yoriko Doguchi, Ren Osugi, Yutaka Matsushige, Akira Otaka,

IMDB

Happy Halloween! This is the fourth year where I highlight horror movies on Halloween night. So far I have reviewed Nightmare DetectiveStrange CircusShokuzai, and POV: A Cursed Film. This year I take on Charisma!

Kiyoshi Kurosawa is my favourite director and for much of his career he has focussed on horror movies. Post Tokyo Sonata (2009) Kurosawa has become more conventional and mainstream as he slides into making dramas and adaptations of novels so it is great to revisit one of his horror films for Halloween 2015!

Charisma (1999) is the second entry in Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s apocalypse trilogy, slotting in between Cure (1997), a Se7en-like thriller about a detective investigating a wave of murders engineered by a sociopathic supernatural serial-killer, and Pulse (2001), a supernatural apocalypse film. Charisma may have been shot in 1999 but it is actually based on a script he wrote around a decade earlier. Kurosawa’s work on this script won him a scholarship at Robert Redford’s Sundance Institute and allowed him the chance to study filmmaking in America. It came at a fortuitous time since Kurosawa was reduced to making television movies after his attempt at suing his fellow director, and the box office king at the time, Juzo Itami over making unwanted changes to his haunted house film Sweet Home (1989). Ostensibly an off-beat detective film, it turns into a treatise on individuality with an apocalyptic ending.

Detective Goro Yabuike (played brilliantly by Koji Yakusho) is tired spiritually and physically. When we first see him it is lying on a bench in a waiting room of a police station and spacing out when talking to others. He is detached from everything.

Charisma Police Station Yabuki (Yakusho)

Despite his superior asking him to take time off, Yabuike insists that he is fine, which is possibly the reason that the hostage crisis he handles goes badly wrong. Forced to take a break, he is driven by his partner into a forest outside of Tokyo and left to his own devices. It’s a lonely forest, a dark, and desolate mass of dying foliage dotted with ruined buildings. Here Yabuike figures he can drift away from his responsibilities and find himself. When he’s done he can catch a bus home.

Charisma Yabuki (Yakusho) at the Bus stop

He misses his bus. Or maybe, the bus doesn’t stop in that part of the forest anymore. Whatever the case, he is stuck there for the night. Fortunately he finds an abandoned car and decides to sleep in it but as he slumbers away someone sets fire to it and drags him out. This is Yabuike’s first encounter of many since the forest isn’t empty. In fact, quite a few lost souls wandering around the trees and hills and each person has their own agenda.

Yabuike first meets Tatsuo Tsuboi (Akira Otaka) and Satoshi Nakasone (Ren Osugi) from Environmental Protection. They lead a colony of men who are condemned to live in the dying forest, endlessly planting trees that wither as soon as they are placed in the ground. The men are puzzled and vexed by their Sisyphean situation and the foul atmosphere which they suspect is linked to a mysterious tree that stands alone and in a field.

Charisma Yabuki (Yakusho) by the Charisma Tree

It is a Charisma tree.

They might try and cut it down but it is protected by Kiriyama (Hiroyuki Ikeuchi), a ferocious young man who uses violence to scare people away.

Yabuike next encounters a botanist named Mitsuko Jinbo (Jun Fubuki).

She is a professor at Musashino University. She lives in a house near the forest with her sister Chizuru (Yoriko Doguchi). Mitsuko is of the opinion that something is killing the vegetation and like Tsuboi, she blames the Charisma tree. It’s the only one of its kind, a mysterious entity from the continent that poisons everything around it in order to survive.

Charisma Yabuki (Yakusho) and Mitsuko (Fubuki) Talk

Everybody in the forest is concerned about the tree. Jinbo wants it dead and the men from Environmental Protection want it for research while Kiriyama will kill to protect it. Reeling from the disaster of the hostage situation and with confusion over his place in the world, Yabuike sets about trying to settle the situation unaware that the situation might be changing him.

This synopsis is an easy way of entering the film but it is much more complicated on a deeper, more atmospheric level as it deconstructs ideas surrounding identity and individuality through Yabuike’s travails. It is this atmosphere and these ideas which slowly build up to create the horror that makes the film so potent.

Like many of Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s films of the ‘90s period it mixes genre trappings of a detective thriller and horror film while almost imperceptibly moving into the territory of a psychological-thriller as characters slowly break down due to societal and environmental factors.

Whether in the city or out in the country, Kurosawa’s unique eye for aesthetic sees him film everything like a decaying wreck with menacing things hidden in shadows, the atmosphere and surroundings just waiting to swallow characters up.

Charisma Yabuki (Yakusho) needs Mitsuko's (Fubuki) Help

The forest in Charisma is perfect for this. It is a cavernous place full of people seemingly stuck there thanks to their jobs but it becomes clear that deeper psychological issues affect them. They pick their away amongst traps laid by hunters, and dense foliage. Poisonous mushrooms sprout amidst the roots of tall trees and there are vertiginous drops. Beasts can be heard but not seen and despite roads puncturing the interior of the forest, only the same people drive along them. Despite scenes that take place on rolling hills with characters farcically chasing each other in sunshine and with jaunty music playing, the washed-out look and the use of light and shot composition and increasing bizarreness of the scenes makes everything feel off-kilter.

Kurosawa’s imaginative camera work makes sure that the rhythm of the film and its feel is fast and interesting to watch. Shots are often taken from the less obvious angle, lurking behind a window or in a corner of a room or peeping out from behind a tree, surveying a scene that a character stumbles through. Kurosawa uses long-shots frequently so we’re observing characters from a distance and seeing them engulfed in the forest. There is his skilful use shadow and light and his penchant for filming in many found locations and he does so here in the forest and surrounding hills which contains abandoned hotels and factories, rusting and crumbling away. There are also the familiar interiors that frequently pop in his other films – the police station in the opening is surely the one acting as the hospital in Pulse and the university in Séance.

There are also shots reminiscent of his earlier films: Cure – haunted Tokyo Charisma – haunted hills.

Cure Yakusho Stares at City

Charisma Yabuiki (Stares at the Scenery)

The soundtrack consists of ambient sounds of water flowing and wind blowing harshly, a choir gives a chilling song that builds up into an electronic whoosh. It all contributes to a weird aesthetic that make this seemingly simple story gripping and unnerving as you watch characters come apart at the seams thanks to their surroundings.

City-boy Yabuike ventures deep into and around this environment which becomes oppressive, something that slowly drives characters mad. It is a living breathing entity and the more time he spends in its depths the more you feel that its ecosystem is corrupt. Yabuike’s perambulations have the sense of randomness as he is buffeted by various people he encounters and his own uncertain personality but the more he stumbles across various things and the further he gets sucked into the environment and the legend surrounding the Charisma tree and the more he changes which allows Kiyoshi Kurosawa to explore deeper themes he regularly crafts stories around: the individual vs society.

Charisma Forest Yabuki (Yakusho)

Moving between genre-boundaries and engaging in symbolism will mean the movie will surely baffle some viewers for most of its running time with its dense atmosphere and a delicious and is engaging resistance to being easily understood but its thematic ideas are easy to see: it is about an individual (represented by the Charisma tree) and how they fit in with the rest of society (represented by the forest). To make things more explicit Koji Yakusho’s character often has discussions with Jinbo about whether one can maintain stability of the forest at the cost of an individual tree which in its determination to live and be an individual, could result in the destruction of everything else. His investigation is quickly understood to be about himself (and people in general) and how he interacts with the world.

Charisma Yabuike (Yakusho) and the Tree

Yabuike’s tiredness in the film is one seen infecting many characters in the movies of Kiyoshi Kurosawa. It is more than physical, it is metaphysical, existential. Characters infected with this ennui move through the events and environments detached from everything, forgetting their families and jobs and forgetting to live an active life until something destroys or corrupts them. Yabuike is a prime example. His career in law enforcement, trying to protect society at the cost of himself, has resulted in a crisis that drives him from the city in search of a meaning to his place in society but if he had hoped to find himself and a balance in life in the natural world he does not. He finds chaos. With so many individuals fighting for space, it is inevitable.

Kurosawa is such a great filmmaker that he trusts the audience to recognise this and doesn’t force his ideas on them. The film can be enjoyed as a bizarre traipse in the countryside but it contains an easily recognisable and thoughtful psychological study that makes it fascinating to watch. While not as scary as other horror films it provides enough chills and an oppressive atmosphere to leave viewers unnerved.

4/5


Cinema Angel, Grasshopper, Gekijouban Mozu, Terminal, Tsugaku Densha, Iroasete Colorful, 7’s, Duel, Wasure yuki, Vomit Love from Rancid Town and Other Japanese Film Trailers

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Hello, dear readers.

Charisma Yabuki (Yakusho) and Mitsuko (Fubuki) Talk

I have been terribly lazy about writing films this week. I have spent more time working and more time practicing Japanese and less time watching films. I did see the latest James Bond movie, Spectre, in a cinema and it was BLOODY FANTASTIC. I walked out of it feeling utterly satisfied, striding out of the cinema with a gleeful smile on my face. I might write a review of it (and Sicario). If I do it won’t be until the week after next. I may not write a review and may get back to watching Japanese films.

The last film I watched/reviewed was Charisma (1999), a thoroughly brilliant existential horror movie from my favourite director Kiyoshi Kurosawa.

What’s released this weekend in Japan?

Sakura hana ohka: saigo no tokko   

Sakura hana ohka saigo no tokko film poster
Sakura hana ohka saigo no tokko film poster

サクラ花 桜花最期の特攻Sakura hana ohka: saigo no tokko

Release Date: November 05th, 2015

Running Time: 88 mins.

Director: Katsuya Matsumura

Writer:  Katsuya Matsumura, Hiroshi Kanno, Kazuo Kame (Screenplay)

Starring: Hiroyuki Watanabe, Kensuke Owada, Sayaka Isoyama, Naoto Ogata, Mayu Kitaki, Hiroshi Miyama,

Website   IMDB

Synopsis: It’s June, 1945. The Americans are coming for Japan. Young men drawn from all walks of life are recruited into suicide squads who will pilot planes and bombs to keep their loved ones safe. This film is drawn from the memoirs of the men who fought.

 

Cinema Angel   

Cinema Angel Film Poster
Cinema Angel Film Poster

シネマの天使Shinema no Tenshi

Release Date: November 07th, 2015

Running Time: 94 mins.

Director: Hideyuki Tokigawa

Writer:  Hideyuki Tokigawa (Screenplay)

Starring: Reiko Fujiwara, Kanata Hongo, Mickey Curtis, Eri Ishida, Junpei Yasui, Nao Oikawa,

Website   IMDB

According to Asian Wiki, this movie is based on a real cinema in Fukuyama, Hiroshima Prefecture. The “Cinefuku Daikokuza” first opened in 1892 and existed for 122 years and was the location of the film. Filming took place between August 31, 2014, the day the cinema closed down, and finished September 14, 2014. The cinema was demolished a day later on September 15, 2014.

The film stars an interesting bunch including Reiko Fujiwara (About the Pink Sky) and Kanata Hongo (Goth).

Synopsis: Asuka (Reiko Fujiwara) is an employee at the cinema Daikokuza which is scheduled to be closed down. Asuka’s childhood friend Akira (Kanata Hongo) loves watching movies at Daikokuza and it has inspired him to make a film one day. Their lives change when they meet a mysterious old man (Mickey Curtis) who tells them all sorts of things about the place.

 

Grasshopper   

Grasshopper Film Poster
Grasshopper Film Poster

グラスホッパーGurasuhoppa

Release Date: November 07th, 2015

Running Time: 119 mins.

Director: Tomoyuki Tokimoto

Writer:  Takeshi Aoshima (Screenplay), Kotaro Isaka (Original Novel),

Starring: Tadanobu Asano, Kumiko Aso, Jun Murakami, Haru, Toma Ikuta, Nanao, Renji Ishibashi,

Website   IMDB

The film features a star-studded cast, all the best playing villains, with Tadanobu Asano (Vital), Nanao (Snow White Murder Case). and Ryosuke Yamada (Assassination Classroom) looking devilishly cool. I might pick up the manga and look for the novel to see how it looks on the page.

Synopsis: Suzuki (Toma Ikuta) lost his wife in a brutal murder and quit his job as a school teacher so he could track down the murderer. He enters a world of crime and finds merciless killers like the Kujira (Tadanobu Asano), and psychotic knifeman Semi (Ryosuke Yamada), and merciless lady Hiyoko (Nanao).

 

Gekijouban Mozu   

Mozu the Movie Film Poster
Mozu the Movie Film Poster

劇場版MOZUGekijouban Mozu

Release Date: November 07th, 2015

Running Time: 116 mins.

Director: Eiichiro Hasumi

Writer: Kosuke Nishi (Screenplay), Go Osaka (Original Novel)

Starring: Hidetoshi Nishijima, Teruyuki Kagawa, Yoko Maki, Sosuke Ikematsu, Takeshi Kitano, Hana Sugisaki, Yusuke Iseya,

Website IMDB

I’m determined to pick up the dorama after watching the trailer for this because it looks like a lot of fun with cool action scenes and it stars awesome actors like Teruyuki Kagawa (Key of Life, Tokyo Sonata), Takeshi Kitano (Hanabi, Battle Royale), Hidetoshi Nishijima (License to Live), and many more.

Synopsis: Following on from the drama, police officer Naotake (Hidetoshi Nishijima) is disillusioned with life and his job while Ryota (Teruyuki Kagawa) quit the force and works as a private detective. They find themselves thrown back together into another massive plot when an embassy is attacked by a fearsome criminal named Takayanagi (Yusuke Iseya) who is operating for a mysterious crime boss named Daruma (Takeshi Kitano).

 

Terminal   

Terminal Film Poster
Terminal Film Poster

起終点駅 ターミナル「Kishuten Eki Taminaru

Release Date: November 07th, 2015

Running Time: 111 mins.

Director: Tetsuo Shinohara

Writer: Yasuo Hasegawa (Screenplay), Shino Sakuragi (Original Short Story)

Starring: Koichi Sato, Tsubasa Honda, Machiko Ono, Shido Nakamura,

Website IMDB

On paper this sounds rather dull but I cannot help but think this might be a solid drama. It stars Koichi Sato (Starfish Hotel, Infection) and Michiko Ono (Like Father, Like Son) who are great actors. Not sure about Tsubsa Honda but fans of doramas like her.

 

Synopsis: Kanji Washida (Koichi Sato) was once a married man and worked as judge but when a woman named Saeko (Machiko Ono) appeared as a defendant in a drug possession case and he had an affair with her. Why? Saeko was his former lover. After the affair she disappeared and he was destroyed so he decided to leave his family and his job, travel to Hokkaido and live a solitary life as a lawyer helping people. When a woman named Atsuko (Tsubasa Honda) enters his life he is reminded of Saeko and the two develop feelings for each other.

 

Tsugaku Densha   

Tsugaku Densha Film Poster
Tsugaku Densha Film Poster

通学シリーズ 通学電車「Tsugaku shiri-zu Tsugaku Densha

Release Date: November 07th, 2015

Running Time: 80 mins.

Director: Koji Kawano

Writer: Jun Takeda (Screenplay), Miyu (Original Novel)

Starring: Yudai Chiba, Airi Matsui, Izumi Fujimoto, Ryo Yoshizawa, Tomomi Nishimura, Airi Kido, Nanami Abe,

Website IMDB

Synopsis: Yuna (Airi Matsui) is a high school girl who takes a train to school every morning. On her train is another high schooler named Haru (Yudai Chiba) only he goes to a different school. She has a crush on him but hasn’t talked to him and knows nothing about the guy so imagine her surprise when, one morning, she wakes up and finds Haru sleeping next to her.

 

The Five Star Tour Guides: The Movie Ultimate Kyoto Journey We Will Guide You   

The Five Star Tour Guides The Movie Ultimate Kyoto Journey We Will Guide You Film Poster
The Five Star Tour Guides The Movie Ultimate Kyoto Journey We Will Guide You Film Poster

五つ星ツーリスト THE MOVIE 究極の京都旅、ご案内します!!Itsutsu-boshi tsu-risuto THE MOVIE kyuukyoku no Kyoto tabi, go annai shimasu! !

Release Date: November 07th, 2015

Running Time: 55 mins.

Director: Toshiki Shimazaki

Writer: Hayashi Mori (Screenplay),

Starring: Naomi Watanabe, Yusuke Yamamoto, Susumu Terajima, Narimi Arimori, Toshiki Ayata, Hidetoshi Hoshida,

Website

The popular television series gets a movie adaptation with many of the cast returning. The director is Toshiki Shimazaki and he was responsible for two horror movies that I have reviewed here: Fuan no Tane (2013) and Paranormal Activity 2: Tokyo Night (2011).

Synopsis: Kyoka (Naomi Watanabe) works at Sunset Tours in Kyoto with a bunch of oddballs. Together, they aim to make the best travel company going. 

 

Iroasete Colorful   

Iroasete Colorful Film Poster
Iroasete Colorful Film Poster

色あせてカラフル「Iroasete karafuru

Release Date: November 07th, 2015

Running Time: 65 mins.

Director: Kumiko Yokoyama

Writer: Kumiko Yokoyama (Screenplay),

Starring: Masami Araki, Karen Asami, Ran Fukuda, Runa Isogawa, Yusuke Ito, Nanase Iwai, Naomasa Iwashita, Naoko Ken,

Website IMDB

Synopsis: Kanami (Masami Araki) is a girl who hates looking at herself in the mirror because she had grown up with a bruise on her face. Even though it has healed she still feels bad but her life changes when she begins working in a beauty salon and meets a variety of people.

 

7’s   

7’s Film Poster
7’s Film Poster

セブンス Sebunsu

Release Date: November 07th, 2015

Running Time: 96 mins.

Director: Michihito Fujii

Writer: Michihito Fujii, Saki Kawarada, Hidenobu Abera (Screenplay),

Starring: Motoki Fukami, Yasushi Fuchikami, Rin Amikawa, Takuma Suga, Takuma Sasaki, Natsuko Kobayashi, Maari, Kaori Ikeda,

Website IMDB

Synopsis: A group of creative young people meet at a tavern and make friends. They pour their energy into making a movie but disagreements between them and a dwindling budget fractures their friendship. Will they get back together and make the movie?

 

Duel   

Hatashiai Film Poster
Hatashiai Film Poster

果し合い「Hatashiai

Release Date: November 07th, 2015

Running Time: 95 mins.

Director: Shigemichi Sugita

Writer: Masahiro Kobayashi (Screenplay), Shuhei Fujisawa (Original Work)

Starring: Tatsuya Nakadai, Nanami Sakuraba, Eri Tokunaga, Mieko Harada, Toru Masuoka,

Based on a story by writer Shuhei Fujisawa, writer of period tales such as The Hidden Blade, The Twilight Samurai, and Love and Honor, this one is another samurai movie that follows in their footsteps by having a samurai facing troubled times when love, duty and society clash.

Website

Synopsis: In this tale Tatsuya Nakadai plays Shoji an old samurai who merely lives with his brother’s family, sitting in the corner of a room. He is considered little more than a nuisance. When his niece Yoshinari (Nanami Sakuraba) turns down a marriage proposal the guy doing the proposing is furious and calls on a male to fight in a duel. The old samurai in Shoji comes back to life to defend Yoshinari and as he begins dusting off his old skills he relives old memories.

 

Wasure yuki   

Wasure yuki Film Poster
Wasure yuki Film Poster

忘れ雪「Wasure yuki

Release Date: November 07th, 2015

Running Time: 100 mins.

Director: Sang-hee Han,

Writer: Sang-hee Han, Hidehiro Ito (Screenplay), Fuyuki Shindo (Original Manga)

Starring: Hwang Chan-sung, Ito Ono, Yuki Kubota, Aoi Yoshikura, Noboru Takachi, Masahiro Usui,

Website  IMDB

Wasure yuki is based on a manga that has sold over 200 million copies. It stars Hwang Chan-sung, a member of the Korean idol group 2PM member and it marks his first leading role in a Japanese.

Synopsis: It is winter and the last snowfall of the season is descending upon the land. A young woman named Miyuki (Ito Ono) is out at night and sees a puppy abandoned in a park. She heads on over to it and discovers that it is dying so she makes a wish that it will live. Yoon Tae-oh (Hwang Chan-sung) is a young man who wants to study in Korea to become a veterinarian and Miyuki’s old friend. He just happens to be walking by the park and sees Miyuki and the puppy so he takes the creature in and treats it. While this happens the two fall in love…

 

Vomit Love from Rancid Town   

Vomit Love from Rancid Town Film Poster
Vomit Love from Rancid Town Film Poster

乱死怒町より愛を吐いて「Ranshi ika machi yori ai o haite

Release Date: November 07th, 2015

Running Time: 112 mins.

Director: Kakuei Shimada

Writer: Kakuei Shimada (Screenplay),

Starring: Mariko Goto, KONTA, Akio Otsuka, Miyoshi Kawamoto, Miyuki Torii, Chiho Iwakiri,

Website

Synopsis: A bunch of actors and rock musicians play characters in a town where everybody is battling each other and causing chaos.

 

Japanese Movie Box Office Results for this Week:

 

Galaxy Turnpike (2015/10/24)

Pan (2015/10/31)

Ore Monogatari!! (2015/10/31)

Eiga Go! Princess Precure Go! Go!! Gōka 3-bon Date!!! (2015/10/31)

The Intern (2015/10/10)

Library Wars – The Last Mission (2015/10/10)

Bakuman (Release: 2015/10/03)

Transporter Ignition (2015/10/24)

Maze Runner 2 The Scorch Trials (2015/10/23)

Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin   ‘Artesia’s Sorrow’ (2015/10/31)


Happy Toy, `Tokyo- no Yoru’ no Asa, Harmony, Foujita, Three Stories of Love, The Motors, Durarara!!x2 Ten Special, and other Japanese Film Trailers

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Hello dear readers!

Osomatsu san Anime Image

This post is early because I’m feeling a bit off this week which explains the lack of film reviews. There’s a backlog of reviews to write and a stack of films to watch but my thoughts are elsewhere – Japan, work. I will get back into blogging but for now I want to practice my Japanese more – transitive/intransitive again.

I am watching lots of anime like Osomatsu-san, Subete ga F ni naru: The Perfect Insider, and One Punch Man. I’ve gone back to listening to Shibuya-kei after a long absence as well.

There are plenty of great films released this weekend with “Tokyo no Yoru” no Asa, The Motors and Three Stories of Love. I hope I get the chance to see them!

What’s released this weekend?

Happy Toy   

ハッピートイHappi- Toi

Release Date: November 11th, 2015

Running Time: 97 mins.

Director: Wataru Hiranami

Writer:  Wataru Hiranami (Screenplay),

Starring: Shinya Ueno, Yoko Mochizuki, Uta Ueda, Yusuke Ota,

Website

Indie film! Wataru Hiranami (IMDB) has been an assistant director on interesting films like Just Pretended to Hear (2012) and Sad Tea (2013) and he makes his directorial debut with this feature which is the latest project from ENBU Seminar.

Synopsis: This grey world… A group of young people in a seaside town endure violent confrontations and even ghosts as they seek freedom.

 

`Toukyo- no Yoru’ no Asa

「トウキョーの夜」の朝Toukyo- no Yoru no Asa

Release Date: November 12th, 2015

Running Time: 85 mins.

Director: Yusuke Koroya

Writer:  Yusuke Koroya (Screenplay),

Starring: Kohei Ohki, Haruna Kataoka, Shingo Yamaguchi, Sho Matsue,

Website

Synopsis: An aspiring director tries to drag a girl who works part time in a store he visited into his film production, p*ssing off the cast and crew who are already working.

 

Harmony   

Harmony Film Poster
Harmony Film Poster

ハーモニー「Ha-moni-

Release Date: November 13th, 2015

Running Time: 120 mins.

Director: Michael Arias, Takashi Nakamura

Writer: Koji Yamamoto (Screenplay), Project Itoh (Original Novel),

Starring: Miyuki Sawashiro (Tuan Kirie), Akio Ohtsuka (Asaf), Reina Ueda (Miach Mihie), Shinichiro Miki (Elliya Vashirof),

Website ANN MAL

Harmony is the second of three films from Project Itoh, a concerted effort to adapt novels by late author Project Itoh who died in 2009. The three novels are being turned into films by different directors and studios. The first one, which was released last month, is The Empire of Corpses comes to us courtesy of WIT Studio (Attack on Titan, Hoozuki no Reitetsu) and is directed by Ryuotarou Makihara (Hal).

Harmony is the second and it is directed by Takashi Nakamura (Fantastic Children) and Michael Arias (Tekkonkinkreet), at Studio 4°C (Berserk). The second film is Genocidal Organ which is directed by Shukou Murase (Ergo Proxy) at Manglobe (House of Five Leaves) but it is now subject to delays due to Manglobe going bankrupt.

Synopsis from My Anime List: In the future, Utopia has finally been achieved thanks to medical nanotechnology and a powerful ethic of social welfare and mutual consideration. This perfect world isn’t that perfect though, and three young girls stand up to totalitarian kindness and super-medicine by attempting suicide via starvation. It doesn’t work, but one of the girls—Tuan Kirie—grows up to be a member of the World Health Organization. As a crisis threatens the harmony of the new world, Tuan rediscovers another member of her suicide pact, and together they must help save the planet…from itself.

 

Foujita   

Foujita Film Poster
Foujita Film Poster

フジタFujita

Release Date: November 14th, 2015

Running Time: 126 mins.

Director: Kohei Oguri

Writer:  Kohei Oguri (Screenplay),

Starring: Joe Odagiri, Miki Nakatani, Ryo Kase, Ana Girardot, Angele Humeau, Marie Kremer, Seiji Fukushi, Munetaka Aoki,

Website   IMDB

This is a Japanese-French co-production about the real life artist Tsuguharu Foujita.

Synopsis from unifrance.org: Paris in the early 1920s: the Japanese artist Tsuguharu Foujita (Joe Odagiri) is the darling of the capital. His very personal style, of naked women in delicate whites, surprises the Montparnasse art scene. In his relationships with many Parisiennes, and his friendships with Van Dongen, Kisling, Picasso, Modigliani and others, he lives a frenzied life in Paris. At the outbreak of WWII Foujita is back in his home country, Japan. His life and beliefs shaken by the war, he lives modestly in Aomori, a small town in Northern Japan, with his new Japanese wife, Kimiyo (Miki Nakatani). Seeking refuge in the countryside, Foujita discovers a Japan he never knew.

 

Three Stories of Love     

Three Stories of Love Film Poster
Three Stories of Love Film Poster

恋人たち Koibito-tachi

Duration: 140 mins

Director: Ryosuke Hashiguchi

Writer: Ryosuke Hashiguchi

Starring: Atsushi Shinohara, Toko Narushima, Ryo Ikeda, Ken Mitsuishi, Lily Franky, Hana Kino, Tamae Ando, Chika Uchida,

Website   IMDB

This one was at the Vancouver International Film Festival and I have seen one review but it’s a glowing one that talks up the great characters, drama, and originality. The three central characters on screen are a frumpy put-upon housewife, a gay lawyer, and a repairman/widower and their stories interconnect. Non-professional/untried actors are in the lead roles but they are surrounded by character actors such as Lily Franky, Tamae Ando, and Ken Mitsuishi.

Synopsis from the Vancouver International Film Festival’s website: Three protagonists, a bereaved bridge-repairman, an unhappy housewife with creative ambitions and an elite gay lawyer live lives full of love and loss. Their lives are largely separate, but briefly intersect.

 

The Motors   

The Motors Film Poster
The Motors Film Poster

モーターズ Mo-ta-zu

Release Date: November 14th, 2015

Running Time: 83 mins.

Director: Daichi Watanabe

Writer:  Daichi Watanabe, Ryusuke Iso (Screenplay),

Starring: Kiyohiko Shibukawa, Yuki Konoe, Rio Kanoe, Hiroki Maeda, Yota Kawase, Fumiharu Inuta,

Website   IMDB

The Motors won the special jury prize at the 2014 Pia Film Festival, a great source for movie news and first glimpses of indie films that Asian film fans salivate over (I’m thinking about The Tale of Iya). The Motors is directed by Daichi Watanabe, an actor/director who was in Boku wa Bosan which was released last week. The lead actor is indie-stalwart Kiyohiko Shibukawa.

Synopsis from the Pia Film Festival: Tanaka, who works at a repair shop in the sticks, isn’t getting anywhere in life. The new kid, Takeo, ends up quitting right away because he wants to play in a band, but the guys at the garage accept him affably. One day, a young man and his girlfriend bring in a car for repair, and Tanaka finds himself falling in love with the woman. The awkward but charming complications of human relationships that ensue fill this movie throughout.

 

Durarara!!x2 Ten Special, Durarara!!x2 Ten Episode 13.5 (o noroke chakapoko)   

Durarara!!x2 Ten Special, Durarara!!x2 Ten Episode 13.5 (o noroke chakapoko) Film Poster
Durarara!!x2 Ten Special, Durarara!!x2 Ten Episode 13.5 (o noroke chakapoko) Film Poster

デュラララ!!×2 転 外伝!?  13.5話「お惚気チャカポコ」「Durarara!!x2 Ten Special, Durarara!!x2 Ten Episode 13.5 o noroke chakapoko

Release Date: November 14th, 2015

Running Time: 45 mins.

Director: Takahiro Omori

Writer: Noboru Takagi (Screenplay), Ryohgo Narita (Original Creator),

Starring: Miyuki Sawashiro (Celty Sturluson), Jun Fukuyama (Shinra Kishitani), Daisuke Ono (Shizuo Heiwajima), Hiroshi Kamiya (Izaya Orihara),

Website  ANN MAL

Synopsis from Anime News Network: “Episode 13.5” is set between episodes 13 and 14, and depicts the shocking incident that occurs during Celty and Shinra’s romantic trip together. It adapts a popular story segment from the seventh volume of Ryohgo Narita’s original novel series. 

 

FW: Hamatora   

FW Hamatora the Movie Film Poster
FW Hamatora the Movie Film Poster

FW: ハマトラ「FW: Hamatora

Release Date: November 14th, 2015

Running Time: N/A

Director: Seiji Kishi

Writer: Jun Kumagai (Screenplay), Jun Kumagai (Series Composition),

Starring: Ryota Osaka (Nice), Wataru Hatano (Murasaki), Emiri Kato (Hajime), Hiroshi Kamiya (Art), Megumi Ogata (Momoka),

Website ANN MAL

This is a recap of the TV anime.

Synopsis from Anime News Network: “Minimum” – a special inborn power found in a limited number of human beings, known as “minimum holders.” In Yokohama, the detective team Hamatora, formed by two minimum holders named Nice and Murasaki, comes across information connected to a serial killer being pursued by their old friend Art. It turns out all the victims are minimum holders like them. Unwillingly at first, the two detectives become involved in the investigation.

 

Minimum Hamatora Film Version   

Minimum Hamatora Film Version Film Poster
Minimum Hamatora Film Version Film Poster

劇場版 ミニはま「Gekijouban Mini Hama

Release Date: November 14th, 2015

Running Time: N/A

Director: Masaomi Ando

Writer: Yasuhiro Nakanishi (Screenplay), Yasuhiro Nakanishi (Original Novel),

Starring: Ryota Osaka (Nice), Wataru Hatano (Murasaki), Emiri Kato (Hajime), Hiroshi Kamiya (Art), Megumi Ogata (Momoka),

Website ANN MAL

Synopsis: Mini Hama follows the characters from the series at the private “Hamatora Academy.”

 

Gekijouban Bikuu   

Gekijouban Bikuu Film Poster
Gekijouban Bikuu Film Poster

劇場版「媚空 ビクウ」「Gekijouban Kobisora Bikuu

Release Date: November 14th, 2015

Running Time: 78 mins.

Director: Keita Amemiya

Writer:  Keita Amemiya (Screenplay),

Starring: Sayaka Akimoto, Kenta Suga, Erika Asakura, Kazue Ito, Mickey Curtis, Shiro Sano,

Website   IMDB  Garo Series Wiki

Synopsis from the Garo Wiki: Keita Amemiya brings ex-AKB48 star Sayaka Akimoto into the world of Garo through the television series and now this movie. She plays Bikku, a Darkness Hunter Makai Priestess, a type of priest who specializes in the internal affairs of the Makai Order by checking reports of Makai Knights and Priests who have fallen to the darkness or have become possessed by a Horror. Her job includes checking the purity of a Makai agent’s soul and assassinating those individuals who are fully tainted or evil, sometimes with the aid of a Makai Knight that a Watchdog or the Senate assigns to her. She then cremates the bodies of the possessed in a ceremony so the souls can find peace and ascend into the afterlife and also so the Horror’s evil ki can be fully purified so it cannot revive in the corpse.

 

Ushi koku ni mairu   

Ushi koku ni mairu Film Poster
Ushi koku ni mairu Film Poster

丑刻ニ参ル「Ushi koku ni mairu

Release Date: November 14th, 2015

Running Time: 98 mins.

Director: Naoyoshi Kawamatsu

Writer:  Naoyoshi Kawamtsu (Screenplay),

Starring: Hayato Onozuka, Hitoe Ohtake, Rina Nagai, Kana Araki, Yuya Miyamoto, Shinta Fujiwara, Kaguya Tsukimiya, Haruka, Anna Sakai. Narumi Ito,

Website   IMDB

Creepy doll alert! Hayato Onozuka from Gekidan Exile stars in this film which has a rather atmospheric trailer. This looks better than the last two Hideo Nakata films I watched!

Synopsis from IMDB: One cold midnight, Kenji was riding on a bicycle on trail in the woods…running away from his own life. When he saw a lady casting “Ushikoku” spell in the woods, a sleepless night begins. To cast ‘Ushikoku’ spell, the one must nail a doll down to a tree in the midnight shrine. If the spellcaster be seen castiing spell, he or she must kill the witness to complete the spell… On the way running away from the lady through the midnight city, he finds out that no one helps him, his old friends, police, nobody. And soon, everyone starts chasing him, being a part of the spell. Kenji decides to fight. Not for his life, but for his girl with sickness inside her.

 

Akiruno monogatari sorairo no tabibito   

Akiruno monogatari sorairo no tabibito Film Poster
Akiruno monogatari sorairo no tabibito Film Poster

あきる野物語 空色の旅人「Akiruno monogatari sorairo no tabibito

Release Date: November 14th, 2015

Running Time: 41 mins.

Director: Hitoshi Kobayashi

Writer:  Hitoshi Kobayashi (Screenplay),

Starring: Aya Hirayama, Eita Ashida, Michiko Korai,

Website

Synopsis: Akiruno, Tokyo, is celebrating its 20th anniversary. It was founded on September 1, 1995 and this short takes us through the city, through the natural world, and amongst the people with an angel (Hirayama) guiding us.

 

Nihon Ro-ka Ruhi-ro- Daisakusen   

Nihon Ro-ka Ruhi-ro- Daisakusen Film Poster
Nihon Ro-ka Ruhi-ro- Daisakusen Film Poster

日本ローカルヒーロー大決戦「Nihon Ro-ka Ruhi-ro- Daisakusen

Release Date: November 14th, 2015

Running Time: 70 mins.

Director: Eiji Agekura

Writer:  Wataru Yasue (Screenplay),

Starring: Shun Hanada, Yohei Tomie, Masaaki Nitta, Ayaka Tsuji,

Website

Synopsis: 80 heroes assemble to battle evil-doers.

 

Hentaidan   

Hentaidan Film Poster
Hentaidan Film Poster

変態団Hentaidan

Release Date: November 14th, 2015

Running Time: 45 mins.

Director: Noboru Iguchi

Writer:  Noboru Iguchi (Screenplay),

Starring: Rei Ayana, Hidemitsu Ban, Miko Haruno, Takeyuki Igari, Masaru, Kaori Karasawa,

Website   IMDB

This one sounds really ugly from this brief review (which also covered the film below). It’s based on an idea that has its roots in a workshop and became a cheap and nasty looking 50 minute short. Just reading that review left me uncomfortable with the film and the trailer looks really poor.

Synopsis: Abnormal love and sexual perversions abound when a group of perverts get together to act out their love of urine and faeces and violence and suicide.

Damager

自傷戦士ダメージャーJisho senshi Damager

Release Date: November 14th, 2015

Running Time: 23 mins.

Director: Noboru Iguchi

Writer:  Noboru Iguchi (Screenplay),

Starring: Yu Kazama, Kanji Tsuda, Demo Tanaka, Airi Yamamoto,

Website   IMDB

This one sounds a lot more fun since it comes from a meeting Iguchi had with a salaryman named Yu Kazama who asked Iguchi to help him star in a superhero film and possibly this would help Kazama get a girlfriend. Kazama paid the bills on this. The trailer is the same one used above. I used it again because it features Damager on the end.

Synopsis: A salaryman named Kazama walks into Noboru Iguchi’s office as Damager, a superhero whose superpowers activate when he suffers pain. He must now save a pretty high school girl (Airi Yamamoto) from her murderous boyfriend (Demo Tanaka).

Japanese Movie Box Office Results for this Week:

 

Gekijouban Mozu (2015/11/07)

Grasshopper (2015/11/07)

Everest 3D (2015/11/06)

Ore Monogatari!! (2015/10/31)

Eiga Go! Princess Precure Go! Go!! Gōka 3-bon Date!!! (2015/10/31)

Galaxy Turnpike (2015/10/24)

Pan (2015/10/31)

The Intern (2015/10/10)

Library Wars – The Last Mission (2015/10/10)

Monuments Men (2015/11/06)


Japanese Films at The London International Animation Festival 2015

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The London International Animation Festival takes place at the Barbican Cinema and lasts from December 04th to 13th. 200 animated short and feature films have been selected from the 2,400 entries that were submitted to the festival and there are many from Japan. The festival organisers have programmed the Japanese films in several categories including the International Competition Programmes. Here’s a glimpse of what’s on offer:

The Marvellous Animation section, especially curated to have a range of fun films chosen for children of 8 and older, features one Japanese short and another inspired by recent events in Japan. The first is 1234 (5’35, 2014) by Shiro Ichige and is a colourful adventure in a dream world. Tsunami (7’10, 2015) is by Sofie Nørgaard Kampmark and she hails from Denmark. It has a Japanese link because its story is about a man named Haru who returns to his hometown which has been hit by the tsunami. It is here amidst the loss that he meets a Sea Spirit who helps him cope.

Tsunami Image by Sofie Nørgaard Kampmark

The Abstract Showcase is where the more experimental animation is located. Open-mindedness is a must with this section but in my experience with this type of film I find it can be a lot of fun especially in a cinema because these films are precision made to touch on all of the senses during a limited time and with a big screen and great sound system you can be wowed by the director through inventive and mesmerising use of colour, shape, and sound. Banquet of Love (6’30, 2014) is by Haruka Mitani and Michael Lyons and it fits the bill with it’s strange patterns and weird sounds that are derived from found footage of a forest. The trailer shows more. There is also Locus of Everyday Life (6’55, 2014) by Sawako Kynd, which looks to feature swirls of colour. It’s described as “A work of astounding beauty and visual complexity, rising over its course to an apex of movement and ongoing adaptive alteration.”

Locus of Everyday Life by Sawako Kynd

This is what I have in mind when I talk about touching on senses.

We also get a Japanese animator at the festival thanks to the Crafty Women + Q&A section which will bring London-based freelance animation director Noriko Okaku together with fellow UK artists Jo Lawrence and Elizabeth Hobbs to talk about filmmaking, storytelling, and animation. They will elaborate on the different animation techniques they use – hand-made, craft-based techniques such as collage, classic illustration, animated puppetry, watercolour, ink blots and rubber-stamping – and some of their award-winning material will play. Noriko Okaku is showcasing Allegory of Mrs.Triangle (2011, 6’30) Joyz ‘Electropia’ (2011, 4’40). Noriko Okaku’s website features more of her work including some of her latest efforts: http://www.norikookaku.com/

Although there are many Japanese shorts scattered across the programme, the greatest concentration is in New Japanese Shorts – Beyond Anime which takes place on Monday December 07th at 9pm. It features animators that are gaining fame around the world. I have written about them when they have had their works screened at international film festivals like Vancouver, Annecy, Kotatsu, Cannes, and Berli. The artists here are the latest in a wave of very, very talented independent animators with names like Yoriko Mizushiri and Mirai Mizuie coming up quite frequently on the international film festival circuit over the years. The two provide highlights with Genius Expo (4’00, 2015) from Mirai Mizuie looking like a gorgeous mix of colours and shapes that the festival site describes as a ‘visual firecracker.’ Having seen some of his previous works this statement sounds about right and audiences will be in for a treat.

Maku (5’25, 2014), by Yoriko Mizushiri, is all about boundaries between two bodies being breached while relaxing music by Shuta Hasunuma plays. It’s initially a calming experience as the animation and music gently play out but it grows tense as the proximities between the two bodies are touched, probed, breached, and changed, before settling back down into calmness. I saw it at the Kotatsu Japanese Animation Festival and I enjoyed it. Here’s the trailer:

Master Blaster (4’00, 2015) by Sawako Kabuki sounds very cheeky (pardon the pun) as it features a focus on the rear ends of two lovers. The story revolves around a girl who would like to be together forever with her sweetheart. A focus on twisting bodies splitting up and joining together as a jazz track by Shinsuke Sugahara plays makes this a fun and erotic video. I wrote about her last year when she was at the Vancouver International Film Festival with her short Anal Juice which sounds icky but won awards.

Another highlight has to be Way Back to the Sea (9’25, 2014) by Kaori Iwase which is beautiful in its elegiac and detailed way (woodgrain on the planks of the boathouse, ripples on water). The story is described thusly: “A big catfish is stuck on a riverbank, where he lives quietly with a little catfish in a boat packed with memories from back home.”

War Back to the Sea Kaori Iwase Film Image

There are many more shorts featured in this programme and they all look good. Some of the full versions are on the artist’s video channels on various sites so if you can’t make the festival and want to look around you can find them. Personally, I’d go see them in a cinema and help make this festival thrive and because shorts like these ten to be exciting and fun. If you only have ten minutes or less to make a point, I’m sure you would want to wow the audience as well!

To find out more about the films and the festival, head to the festival site and follow it on Twitter.


Undead Pool Attack Girls’ Swim Team vs. the Undead 女子競泳反乱軍 (2007)

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Undead Pool / Attack Girls’ Swim Team vs. the Undead  Attack Girls’ Swim Team vs. the Undead DVD Cover

女子競泳反乱軍Joshikyoei hanrangun

Release Date: December 25th, 2007

Running Time: 96 mins.

Director: Koji Kawano

Writer:  Satoshi Owada (Screenplay),

Starring: Sasa Handa, Yuria Hidaka, Ayumu Tokito, Sakae Yamazaki,

IMDB

I thought this was a horror film, a silly horror film. That’s what IMDB labels it as, an action horror. It was a silly horror but it turns out that it’s also a pink film. According to Wikipedia it is a title from the erotic horror genre and it stars AV girls like Sasa Handa, Yuria Hidaka, and Ayumu Tokito.

The story, or at least this film’s attempt at one, surrounds Aki (Sasa Handa), a new and mysterious student in an all-girls school. She is ostracised for being a loner who refuses to talk about her past. Meanwhile, the members of the school’s swim team are training hard for a competition and one member, Sayaka (Yuria Hidaka), wants to bring Aki into the competition to replace a member who has gone down with a virus but things go awry when students getting their vaccinations from a weird doctor turn into zombies. Fortunately Aki, the girl with the mysterious past, was once trained as an assassin by a mad scientist!

Attack-Girls-Swim-Team-Assassination-Training

Not only that, she has help from the swim team who aren’t zombies because, as fate would have it, all of their time practicing in the pool has seen them soaked in chlorine which beats the zombification process. Now all Aki and the scantily clad swim team have to do is fight their way out of zombie school…

I think a lot of viewers go into this expecting more of a trashy fun horror movie as I did but the boundaries between pink film action and genre pictures is blurred quite frequently in Japan. I should have done my research a little better.

Many of these no-budget films were made during the early 2000s and famous names like Sola Aoi and Yuma Asami crop up frequently as AV stars were hired to take part in genre films that feature plenty of T&A as well as action – Big Tits Zombie (2012) is a good example. For my part I was left disappointed since I don’t particularly like pink films. Indeed, I prefer my horror films straight and intellectual but I am not easily offended and I watched it all the way through and I can report it was as shlocky and dumb as the title sounds with few redeeming qualities unless you are here for the nudity.

This is essentially a no-budget pink film set solely in a school and shot on a digital video camera with the first half full of cheap zombie action and the latter half full of breasts. There is no horror atmosphere because of the largely unambitious nature of the visuals and the design/special effects.

Attack-Girls-Swim-Team-vs.-the-Undead--Zombies

 

The make-up and prosthetics are poor and consist of extras being painted various shades of green and then being let loose to shamble around the school half-heartedly. The blood and prosthetics are a little more ambitious and are splashed and thrown around but not in as much quantities to be as absurd and fun as in other splatter films I have watched. There are two memorable zombies in the entire of the film, one being a teacher who decapitates his students with rulers and who then starts breathing fire when Aki goes into zombie killing mode. The other memorable zombie is a teacher, Ms. Mariko (Ayumu Tokito), who seduces and tortures her victims while speaking awkward English and she sure loves rubbing entrails across her breasts. That’s as interesting as the zombies get and the royal rumble between the swim team and zombies as promised in the title and on the DVD cover is a let down as Mariko quickly cuts a swathe through the girls clad in their swimwear.

Attack Girls’ Swim Team vs. the Undead Ms Mariko (Tokito)

The direction shows little more invention but it is solid and shows awareness in how films in the horror genre are filmed with scenes competently staged and the film flowing easily even if the actors on screen and the action fail to ignite into anything exciting. The script is functional and mostly works through clichés and illogical leaps and twists that serve to hasten the display of nudity which is the main focus.

Each scene with the girls’ features the camera carefully positioned to catch the swim team snapping swimsuits into position around their shapely behinds and, if they are in uniform, the shot composition and actor’s positioning is ably set up for up-skirt shots. There are shower scenes which show all of the goods, so to speak, and there are the lesbian scenes which the film stops entirely for. All of it is passionless and the actors go through the motions. It’s a sleazy pink film that tries to hit all sorts of fetishes, not just lesbians but kidnap and worse. You have been warned.

The acting is abysmal. The cast is either willing to camp up their performances so they shoot off the planet of good taste or they are so dull that they float listlessly into the black hole of forgetabiliy. The lead actor Handa is especially wooden but she is packing large breasts which is what is required of her and Handa’s willingness to go nude and moan and whimper as others manipulate her is exploited to the fullest even if she looks bored while doing it. Yuria Hidaka and Ayumu Tokito, the actors playing Sayaka and Mariko, also display their assets but reveal more than just breasts. It is not quite great acting ability, more enthusiasm. Much like Sola Aoi in Big Tits Dragon, they carry this film by being a bit more fun. The others are hyper-actively over the top or just plain dull.

Attack Girls’ Swim Team vs. the Undead Prep for Battle

The cast and crew from these types of films usually go on to quit the AV industry and work on other productions and many from this have with ecchi manga adaptations for the actors. Director Koji Kawano has moved on to bigger budget teen friendly romantic films, one released last week and one this weekend, while Ayumu Tokito has. Hidaka remains in porn and a google search shows some really degrading stuff.

There is nothing wrong with pink films per se but this is is garbage even by the low standards of budget horror. The flaccid fights and limp pace, the uninspired effects, and the dull atmosphere and passionless performances in this film shows the class of the boys and girls of Sushi Typhoon, low-budget horror film heroes who put heart and soul into the films they make. If you want a pink film, there’s plenty of nudity from the gorgeous girls here. If you want a horror film, steer clear.

Horror: 1/5               Pink Film: 1.5/5


Ghost Theatre, Girlz und Panzer der Film, Digimon Adventure tri. 1: Saikai, Hitsuji wo Kazoeru Sayonara, Tsugaku Tochu, Raintree no Kuni, YOKO THE CHERRY BLOSSOM, Hoshasen o abita X nengo 2, Areno, Before a Falling Star Fades Away and Other Japanese Film Trailers

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Hello dear readers!

War Back to the Sea Kaori Iwase Film Image

I finally got back into reviewing films for the summer of splatter films (I know it’s autumn) and it was with the trashy Attack Girls’ Swim Team vs. the Undead which got a pretty low final score. Zombie Self-Defence Force and High School Girl Rika – Zombie Hunter are due next week to complete the set then I’ll go back and cover Noboru Iguchi films and more low-budget films. Much more productive and informative was my news piece about the London International Animation Festival. I wrote a story for Anime UK News and then expanded it for my preview after doing more research.

We won, darlin’

What’s released this weekend in Japan?

Ghost Theatre   

Ghost Theatre Film Poster
Ghost Theatre Film Poster

劇場霊「Gekijourei」 

Release Date: November 21st, 2015

Running Time: 99 mins.

Director: Hideo Nakata

Writer: Junya Kato, Ryuta Miyake (Screenplay)

Starring:  Haruka Shimazaki, Rika Adachi, Riho Takada, Keita Machida, Mantaro Koichi,

Website    IMDB

I previewed this one when it played at the London Film Festival. Here’s what I wrote:

Hideo Nakata has directed three truly brilliant works – RinguDark Water, and Ghost Actressor, Don’t Look Up, as it is also called. Ghost Actress lasts just over an hour and is a slow-build but the tension and gradual horror is superbly executed. It seems like Ghost Theatre is inspired by that last film and the festival site describes Nakata’s latest as “a deliciously unhinged piece of work, arguably his most satisfying since the acclaimed Dark Water.” This sounds like a return to form to me! A note of caution for fans of his more serious work, the festival page for the film also notes Nakata takes a “a more playful, even slightly tongue in cheek approach” and he has hired an AKB48 idol for the lead role. Is this more fun like POV: A Cursed Film than chills like Ghost Actress?

Synopsis: Sara (Haruka Shimazaki) is an actor at a theatre troupe under the direction of Gota Nishikino (Mantaro Koichi). When the lead actors in the play retire due to strange accidents, Sara is thrust into the spotlight and given the lead role. Sara soon realises that amidst all of the jealousy is a supernatural threat that is haunting the play…

 

Girlz und Panzer der Film   

Girls und Panzer der Film Film Poster
Girls und Panzer der Film Film Poster

ガールズ&パンツァー 劇場版「Ga-ruzu & Pansha- Gekijouban

Release Date: November 21st, 2015

Running Time: 119 mins.

Director: Tsutomu Mizushima

Writer: Reiko Yoshida (Screenplay),

Starring: Ai Kayano (Saori Takebe), Mai Fuchigami (Miho Nishizumi), Ikumu Nakagami (Yukari Akiyama), Mami Ozaki (Hana Isuzu), Yuka Iguchi (Mako Reizei),

Website ANN MAL

This is a continuation of the TV anime. An OVA was released last year.

Synopsis from Anime News Network: The story centers around high school girls who drive tanks that exist in real life, as they compete in teams.

 

 

Digimon Adventure tri. 1: Saikai   

Digimon Adventure tri. 1 Saikai Film Poster
Digimon Adventure tri. 1 Saikai Film Poster

デジモンアドベンチャー tri. 1章「再会」「Dejimon adobenchā tri. Dai 1-sho `saikai’

Release Date: November 21st, 2015

Running Time: 78 mins.

Director: Keitaro Motonaga

Writer: Yuuko Kakihara (Series Composition), Akiyoshi Hongo (Original Creator),

Voice Actors for the Human Characters: Natsuki Hanae (Taichi Yagami), Yoshimasa Hosoya (Yamato Ishida), Suzuko Mimori (Sora Takenouchi), Junya Ikeda (Jo Kido), Junya Enoki (Takeru Takaishi), MAO (Hikari Yagami), Mutsumi Tamura (Koshiro Izumi), Hitomi Yoshida (Mimi Tachikawa), 

Voice Actors for the Digimon: Kinoko Yamada (Palmon), Chika Sakamoto (Agumon), Miwa Matsumoto (Patamon), Mayumi Yamaguchi (Gabumon), Junko Takeuchi (Gomamon),

Website ANN MAL

This long-awaited sequel to the television series was due to air in the spring and many thought it would be a television series but it has turned into a number of films instead. Digimon is viewed with a lot of affection by many in the western anime community and they will be pleased to see the return of characters and their monster friends. I was a Pokemon guy so the story makes little sense to me.

Synopsis from My Anime List:

It’s been six years since that summer adventure when Taichi Yagami and the rest of the DigiDestined crossed over to the Digital World. And nearly three years have passed since the final battle between Hikari Yagami’s group and BelialVamdemon. As the peaceful days passed by, at some point the gate to the Digital World closed. Not even the DigiDestined know what caused this, and time alone continues to pass.

On one such day, a Kuwagamon suddenly appears in Odaiba. Its rampage leaves the town in ruins, and the people there in turmoil. Taichi happens to catch sight of the Kuwagamon, and he chases after it all by himself in an effort to halt its rampage. But there’s nothing he can do against a Kuwagamon.

“It’s no use… I can’t do anything about this alone…”

Just as the Kuwagamon roars and attacks Taichi, his Digivice begins to emit a bright light…

“Taichi, look how big you’ve grown!”

With the sound of that nostalgic voice, the story once again begins to move in a big way.

Taichi Yagami, age 17; high school student.

The adventure now evolves once again.

 

 

Hitsuji wo Kazoeru   

Hitsuji wo kazoeru Film Poster
Hitsuji wo kazoeru Film Poster

羊をかぞえる。「Hitsuji wo Kazoeru

Release Date: November 21st, 2015

Running Time: 88 mins.

Director: Naoyoshi Kawamatsu

Writer:  Naoyoshi Kawamtsu (Screenplay),

Starring: Toshiyuki Somey, Tomoru Akazawa, Kurara Miyai, Masaaki Nakano, Tomoki Hirose, Taishi Sugie,

Website   IMDB

This looks so much like an anime, one that would be laden with ikemen and gags and aimed at a female audience.

Synopsis: Osamu (Toshiyuki Someya) and Tsuyoshi (Tomoru Akazawa) are two friends who vow to help a girl named Kanna (Kurara Miyai) and a guy named Hiroyuki (Tomoki Hirose) escape from creditors but it won’t be easy since they engage in many hairbrained schemes.

 

Eiga kodan nanihasenki sanada yukimura   

Eiga kodan nanihasenki sanada yukimura Film Poster
Eiga kodan nanihasenki sanada yukimura Film Poster

映画 講談・難波戦記 真田幸村 紅蓮の猛将 「Eiga kodan nanihasenki sanada yukimura

Release Date: November 21st, 2015

Running Time: 96 mins.

Director: Katsuro Yoshimasa

Writer:  N/A

Starring: Gyokudo Nanko

Website

Synopsis: The movie is a recording of an oral performance of the story of Yukimura Sanada, a hero during the warring states period and a name synonymous with The Fall of Osaka Castle (Namba senki). The performance is part of the rakugo tradition and done in such a way that Gyokudo Nanko recites it extremely fast and aggressively.

 

Sayonara   

Sayonara Film Poster
Sayonara Film Poster

さよなら「Sayonara

Release Date: November 21st, 2015

Running Time: 112 mins.

Director: Koji Fukada

Writer:  Koji Fukada, Oriza Hirata (Screenplay),

Starring: Bryerly Long, Hirofumi Arai, Geminoid F, Makiko Murata, Yuko Kibiki, Nijiro Murakami,

Website   IMDB

The first ever movie with an android in it? It was at the Tokyo International Film Festival and it looks fascinating but not exciting or entertaining if these reviews from Variety and The Hollywood Reporter are anything to go by but the write-up in the Japan Times makes it sound a fair bit more interesting and pretty tragic as we watch the final days in the life of a dying woman who is supported by an android. It is a collaboration between Japanese playwright Oriza Hirata and the leading robotics scientist Hiroshi Ishiguro who works at Osaka University and the film was directed by Koji Fukada (Hospitalité, Au revoir l’été).

Synopsis: The population of Japan is being evacuated due to radioactive contamination. Tanya (Bryerly Long) is a foreign refugee with an illness so she will be among the last to leave while healthier Japanese escape. She has an android named Reona (Geminoid F) who supports her in her final days as everyone around her leaves.

 

 

Tsugaku Tochu   

Tsugaku Tochu Film Poster
Tsugaku Tochu Film Poster

通学シリーズ 通学途中「Tsugaku shiri-zu Tsugaku Tochu

Release Date: November 21st, 2015

Running Time: 80 mins.

Director: Koji Kawano

Writer: Juri Takeda (Screenplay), Miyu (Original Novel)

Starring: Taishi Nakagawa, Aoi Morikawa, Izumi Fujimoto, Yudai Chiba, Airi Matsui, Nanami Abe,

Website IMDB

I reviewed one of director Koji Kawano’s films earlier this week. It was Attack Girls’ Swim Team vs. the Undead, a garbage pink film with zombies. His early career spent toiling away in movie purgatory making soulless films has paid off since now he is making soulless adaptations of manga. Where next?

Synopsis: Yuki (Aoi Morikawa) is a shy girl who is in love with a guy who already has a girl. Will she remain alone? Not if her fellow art club member Kou (Taishi Nakagawa) has anything to say about things since he loves Yuki!

 

 The next poster is exactly the same as the last and there’s probably one film released a month which uses the same design…

 

Raintree no Kuni   

Raintree no Kuni Film Poster
Raintree no Kuni Film Poster

レインツリーの国「Reinshri- no Kuni

Release Date: November 21st, 2015

Running Time: 108 mins.

Director: Yoshishige Miyake

Writer: Chihiro Watanabe (Screenplay), Hiro Arikawa (Original Novel)

Starring: Yuta Tamamori, Mariya Nishiuchi, Kanna Mori, Joji Abe, Yumi Asou, Ren Osugi,

Website IMDB

Meeting someone through a blog is a big thing but I have done it and it turned out to be the best thing I could have one since I made good friends. Could it ever lead to romance? Finding somebody who has a compatible personality is possible especially with

Synopsis: Nobuyuki Sakisaka (Yuta Tamamori) has been haunted by the light novel “Fairy Game” ever since he read it in middle school. He reads the blog Rein Tsuri no Kuni amd gets in touch with the author Rika Hitomi (Mariya Nishiuchi) who wrote a post about the same book. They soon start emailing each other but Rika refuses to meet Nobuyuki in real life because of a secret…

 

Yume no Hotori ninshisho guru-pu ho-mu Fukujusoi  

Yume no Hotor ninshisho gurupu homu Fukuju soi Film Poster
Yume no Hotor ninshisho gurupu homu Fukuju soi Film Poster

ゆめのほとり 認知症グループホーム 福寿荘 Yume no Hotori ninshisho guru-pu ho-mu Fukujusoi

Release Date: November 21st, 2015

Running Time: 108 mins.

Director: Shinichi Ise

Writer: N/A

Starring: N/A

Website

Synopsis: With a rapidly ageing population it is no surprise that there are many documentary works about the elderly and this one records the everyday life of a dementia group home in Sapporo.

 

Yoko Sakura YOKO THE CHERRY BLOSSOM   

YOKO THE CHERRY BLOSSOM Film Poster
YOKO THE CHERRY BLOSSOM Film Poster

陽光桜 YOKO THE CHERRY BLOSSOMYoko Sakura YOKO THE CHERRY BLOSSOM

Release Date: November 21st, 2015

Running Time: 114 mins.

Director: Gen Takahashi

Writer: Gen Takahashi (Screenplay/Original Work)

Starring: Takashi Sasano, Maki Miyamoto, Maiko Kawakami, Masahiko Tsugawa, Shota Sasano,

Website IMDB

Gen Takahashi made Goth (2008), a crime film about teenagers exploring their existential boundaries as a serial killer stalks town. That made me a fan of his so this new title looks intriguing but totally different, a biopic about a guy who grew a new type of cherry blossom tree!

Synopsis from IMDB: The inspiring true story of Masaaki Takaoka, a public school teacher in rural Japan in 1940, who, despite his deep and personal objections to the War, was forced to send his beloved students off to battle, with the promise that they would all meet again, upon victory, under the cherry tree on the school grounds.

When only one of his students comes back, maimed and full of shame, with the news that his classmates had all perished in far- away lands, Massaki is overcome by an all-compassing sense of shame and guilt. To fulfill the promise that he made them, he goes on a lifelong quest to artificially create the first-ever cherry blossom that could bloom anywhere in the world, in any climate, so that the spirits of the young men who lost their lives would all finally have a place to meet again. To date, over 30,000 of Masaaki’s YOKO Cherry Blossoms bloom in over 20 countries around the world, as symbols of world peace and harmony.

 

Hoshasen o abita X nengo 2   

Hoshasen o abita X nengo 2 Film Poster
Hoshasen o abita X nengo 2 Film Poster

放射線を浴びたX年後2Hoshasen o abita X nengo 2

Release Date: November 21st, 2015

Running Time: 86 mins.

Director: Hideaki Ito

Writer: N/A

Starring: Misa Kawaguchi, Kunikazu Noguchi,

Website

Synopsis: In this documentary the director looks at the impact of American hydrogen bomb experiments carried out after the end of the Second World War from 1946 through to 1962 and he investigates the damage to Japanese fishing boats caused by the nuclear tests carried out more than 100 times in the Pacific Ocean as well as the spread of sea pollution and radioactive substances. This was all coered up by top-secret deals between the United States and Japan. All of this is exposed in a series of interviews and research which brings the truth to the screen.

 

Areno   

Areno Film Poster
Areno Film Poster

アレノ「Areno

Release Date: November 21st, 2015

Running Time: 79 mins.

Director: Michio Koshikawa

Writer: Michio Koshikawa, Yuki Sato (Screenplay), Emile Zola (Original Novel),

Starring: Kiyohiko Shibukawa, Junko Uchida, Maho Yamada, Taro Suwa, Yuya Shintaro, Satoru Kawaguchi,

Website IMDB

Synopsis from Tokyo International Film Festival: “We have to kill him”, the wife and her lover thought. When three childhood friends reunite, it doesn’t take long before two of them feel the woman’s husband is in their way. They push him into a lake, but the boat capsizes and all three are thrown into the water. The lovers reach the shore, but the husband is nowhere. Has he drowned? They decide to wait at a lakeside hotel for his body to be found. Based on Emile Zola’s masterpiece “Therese Raquin”, mismatched emotions of women and men are conveyed via 16mm film. Coarse sensuality.

 

Before a Falling Star Fades Away   

Before a Falling Star Fades Away Film Poster
Before a Falling Star Fades Away Film Poster

流れ星が消えないうちに「Nagareboshi ga kienai uchi ni

Release Date: November 21st, 2015

Running Time: 124 mins.

Director: Kenji Shibayama

Writer: Kenji Shibayama (Screenplay), Tsumugu Hashimoto (Original Novel)

Starring: Haru, Jingi Irie, Shono Hayama, Eri Ishida, Kanji Furutachi, Saori Watanabe, Yuina Kuroshima, Mantaro Koichi,

Website IMDB

Synopsis: Naoko Motoyama (Haru) is a university student who lost her boyfriend in a sudden accident. She can’t get over him, but when she meets a man named Takumi (Jingi Irie) she discovers somebody with a similar background to her and begins to find solace in his company.

 

Japanese Movie Box Office Results for this Week:

 

Gekijouban Mozu (2015/11/07)

Grasshopper (2015/11/07)

Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015/11/14)

Everest 3D (2015/11/06)

Ore Monogatari!! (2015/10/31)

Eiga Go! Princess Precure Go! Go!! Gōka 3-bon Date!!! (2015/10/31)

Galaxy Turnpike (2015/10/24)

Pan (2015/10/31)

The Intern (2015/10/10)

Library Wars – The Last Mission (2015/10/10)


Third Window Films Release Ruined Heart

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The latest Third Window Film release caught my attention earlier this year because it saw the collaboration between Wong Kar-Wai’s favourite cinematographer Christopher Doyle (the man responsible for the look for Happy Together, In the Mood for Love, Chungking Express) and the awesome actor Tadanobu Asano (Vital, Watashi no Otoko, Ichi the Killer, Survive Style 5+).

The film is a gangster flick which looks stylish and involves Asano falling for a gangster’s moll played by Mexican star Nathalia Acevedo (Post Tenebras Lux) and the two going on the run. They are working with the Phillipine director Khavn (Mondomanilla) and music is provided by German synth-pop duo Stereo Total. Long time readers will remember that I wrote about this when Asano and Stereo Total were at Nippon Connection earlier this year when trio played a concert and attended the screening of the film. Here are the details!

RUINED HEART:

Another Love Story Between a Criminal and a Whore
Ruined Heart DVD Cover

A film by Khavn (Mondomanilla, Misericordia: The Last Mystery of Kristo Vampiro)

Official Selection at the 59th London Film Festival &
Competition of the 60th Cork Film Festival

Philippines / 2014 / 73 Mins / In Tagalog with English subtitles / Colour

Out on Limited Edition Blu-Ray 

December 7th, 2015

Extra Features:
1,000 only limited edition featuring soundtrack CD, 16 page booklet and cardboard slipcase cover
Three music-videos plus an audio track with the live music by stereo total at Nippon Connection
The short film “ruined heart” by khavn.
“This is not a premiere” (some impressions from the Manila premiere)
“This is not behind the scenes” (impressions from the sets)

Synopsis: Somewhere in Manila, a crime boss rules with an iron fist. He uses religion and violence to stay in power. What superstition and razzle dazzle don’t accomplish, his goons do. To his most loyal henchman he gives the task of guarding his woman, who is headstrong and impulsive, and often gets into trouble. Before long, she falls in love with the henchman, and the star-crossed lovers decide to leave town.  Fighting ensues. It  is  while  on  the  run  that  they  finally  get  to  know each other for the first time.

About Director Khavn

Khavn  De  La  Cruz  is  considered  as  the  father  of  Philippine  digital  filmmaking.  He has  made  45 features and more than a hundred short films, most of which have received prizes, been given retrospectives, and presented in international film festivals. He has served as a jury member in the  Clermont-Ferrand  (France],  jeonju  (Korea],  jihlava  (Czech  Republic]  and  Dok  Leipzig (Germany] film festivals.

Khavn is also a Palanca-award-winning poet and fictionist whose books are published by the University of the Philippines Press and University of Santo Tomas Press. His 5th book, Shockbox, was released in 2013.

Bandleader of The Brockas, Khavn is an acclaimed composer, songwriter, singer and pianist who has  performed  in  Europe,  Asia,  Australia,  and  America  and  has  made  several  albums,  rock operas, and film soundtracks. He performs live piano score for several of his films.

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About Cinematogapher Christopher Doyle 

Christopher Doyle is an Australian cinematographer who often works on Chinese language films and has worked together with filmmaker Wong Kar-wai on many of his movies. He is an award winner of Cannes Film Festival and Venice Film Festival. He has also won the AFI Award for cinematography, the Golden Horse awards (four times), and Hong Kong Film Award (six times). Doyle is an affiliate of the Hong Kong Society of Cinematographers.



Zombie Self-Defence Force ゾンビ自衛隊 (2006)

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Zombie Self-Defence Force   

Zombie Self Defence Force DVD Cover
Zombie Self Defence Force DVD Cover

ゾンビ自衛隊Zonbi Jietai

Release Date: April 23rd, 2006

Running Time: 75 mins.

Director: Naoyuki Tomomatsu

Writer:  Naoyuki Tomomatsu, Chisato Ogawara (Screenplay),

Starring: Mihiro, Kenji Arai, Masayuki Hase, Norman England, Yu Machimura, Eriko Nagamine, Miyu Watase, Kiyo Yoshizawa,

IMDB

Self Defence Force comes from the writer/director duo of Naoyuki Tomomatsu and Chisato Ogawara who have made lots of erotic/crime/horror movies like Rape Zombie, Maidroid, Vampire Girl vs Frankenstein Girl, and Bounty Hunter Vixens. This is a knowingly funny low-budget horror film, and much safer than those raunchy titles, as it goes at everything with a gleeful sense of humour that is similar to Evil Dead II.

The story begins with a platoon of soldiers who are on a training mission in a forest near Mount Fuji. Also in the forest is a pop idol named Hitomi and her film crew, and in another part are three yakuza, one of whom is going to be executed. Things go crazy when a UFO crash lands nearby and looses a wave of radiation which causes the dead to spring back to life. Everybody in the forest gets attacked by a wave of zombies that emerge from the ground and they flee, heading to an inn where they take shelter as they come under siege.

Genki-Zombie-Self-Defence-Force-Zombie-Attack

This simple plot is a firm foundation for fun as the campy acting and the low-budget special effects and deliberately cheesy music and sound-effects are used with glee. Everything has a deliberately kitschy element to it which makes things fun.

The script and editing keeps Zombie Self Defence Force pacey as it jumps between different groups of characters who eventually converge and split up again as they are assaulted by the undead. The film doesn’t miss a beat as it drives deep into clichés and jokes while it barrels towards a whacky ending. If you think the joke stops with zombies then let me assure you that it goes into hyperdrive when we find out that one of the characters is a robot and an epic zombie vs robot sword fight crowns this wonderfully cracked tale.

Genki-Zombie-Self-Defence-Force-Robot-vs-Zombie-Battle

Director Naoyuki Tomomatsu plays the silliness up at all times with a soundtrack lifted from a stereotypical b-movie and many sound-effects such as a wooshing sound every time a character shoots a look at the camera and the incessant sound of guns being cocked whenever a character waves one around. As the film reaches its hysterical climax, he throws everything at the screen so it becomes over the top and fun to watch, just missing the highs of Sushi Typhoon!

In terms of visuals there’s a lot to enjoy from the silly sight gags like the zombie foetus attack and more for hardened horror who will see shots, scenes, and special effects and humour that reference classic horror cinema.

The film starts out with the crashing flying saucer (done in really poor CG) which comes straight from John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982) and the references continue throughout with classics like Night of the Living Dead and the Evil Dead series. The physical effects are better than other low-budget films like Big Tits Zombie and Attack Girls’ Swim Team vs. the Undead. Some of the zombies that are here could have graced Zombie Flesh Eaters, showing up here looking magnificently decayed and varied from housewives and old men caught on the golf course. The most entertaining zombies are members of the idol’s posse who cling on to their cameras and hairsprays and still use them while shambling forward with the mass of zed-heads. Multiple limbs and heads get chopped off and munched and there’s even an intestine eating scene straight from Day of the Dead. The highlight, however, has to be a five minute sequence involving a psychotic zombie foetus that tears around after the characters, cackling with glee.

Zombie Self Defence Force Zombie Foetus

I really liked the film although I suspect it’s because I am a horror film fan. Maybe those less tolerant of b-movies and horror flicks will be bored but I saw the affection that went into making this film and enjoyed it. The low-budget nature of Zombie Self Defence Force, the earnest story and the way the local population of where they shot seem to have been asked to participate reminded that this could be the film being made in The Woodsman & the Rain. Following on from last week’s pink film Attack Girls’ Swim Team vs. the Undead, the film was a treat.

3/5 


Ajin: Demi-Human – Compel, Tamayura: Sotsugyou Shashin Dai-3-bu –Akogare, Bittare!!!, Crossroads, Ai wo Katareba Hentai Desuka Free Kitchen, Robo to miri and other Japanese Film Trailers

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Happy weekend, dear readers.

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I hope you are all well. I have been waking up really early in the morning and watching more zombie films to review for the blog. It is part of my summer of splatter season that has gone awry and lasted longer than expected but with less content. Never mind. I wrote about the latest Third Window Films release, Ruined Heart, on Monday and then I posted my review of Zombie Self Defence Force which was a lot of fun. More zombie films to be reviewed.

What’s released in Japan this weekend?

Ajin: Demi-Human – Compel   

Ajin Demi-Human - Compel Film Poster
Ajin Demi-Human – Compel Film Poster

亜人「Ajin

Release Date: November 27th, 2015

Running Time: 106 mins.

Chief Director: Hiroyuki Seshita, Director: Hiroaki Ando

Writer: Hiroshi Sekio (Screenplay), Gamon Sakurai (Original Manga),

Starring: Mamoru Miyano (Kei Nagai), Yoshimasa Hosoya (Kaito), Takahiro Sakurai (Tosaki), Aya Suzaki (Eriko Nagai),

Website ANN MAL

I read the manga for about two volumes a year ago and it didn’t appeal that much to me but it’s getting a major push this year with English-language releases and films by the guys behind the adaptation of Knights of Sidonia. The same use of CG and it looks okay.

Synopsis from Anime News Network: 17 years ago, immortals first appeared on the battlefields of Africa. Later, rare, unknown new immortal lifeforms began appearing among humans, and they became known as “Ajin” (demi-humans). Just before summer vacation, a Japanese high school student is instantly killed in a traffic accident on his way home from school. However, he is revived, and a price is placed on his head. Thus begins a boy’s life on the run from all of humankind.

 

Tamayura: Sotsugyou Shashin Dai-3-bu -Akogare   

Tamayura Sotsugyou Shashin Dai-3-bu -Akogare Film Poster
Tamayura Sotsugyou Shashin Dai-3-bu -Akogare Film Poster

たまゆら 卒業写真 第3部 憧 あこがれTamayura: Sotsugyou Shashin Dai-3-bu -Akogare

Release Date: November 28th, 2015

Running Time: N/A

Director: Junichi Sato

Writer: Reiko Yoshida, Yuka Yamada, Sayaka Harada (Screenplay), Junichi Sato (Original Creator),

Starring: Kana Asumi (Kaoru Hanawa), Mayu Iizuka (Suzune Maekawa), Yuko Gibu (Maon Sakurada), Yuka Iguchi (Norie Okazaki),

Website ANN MAL

Synopsis: This is the third of four Tamayura films planned for release this year and they all revolve around the daily lives of high school girls Fuu, Kaoru, Norie, and Maon and recently graduated Kanae who are all in the photography club. Their lively daily lives are clam yet the four third-year students are slowly thinking about their own future dreams and paths as they face graduation in about a year.

 

 

Bittare!!!   

Bittare!!! Film Poster
Bittare!!! Film Poster

びったれ!!!「Bittare!!!

Release Date: November 28th, 2015

Running Time: 99 mins.

Director: Satoshi Kaneda

Writer: Kiyoto Takeuchi (Screenplay), Takashi Tajima (Screenplay/Original Manga)

Starring: Kei Tanaka, Kanna Mori, Miku Iwasaki, Daisuke Kuroda, Jyu Hyuga,

Website IMDB

Kei Tanaka has appeared in Rent-a-Cat, See You Tomorrow, Everyone and Tajomaru and the only one I can recommend from that list is Rent-a-Cat so go watch it.

Synopsis: Tsutomu (Kei Tanaka) is an ex-gangster who left the criminal underworld to raise his niece Karin (Miku Iwasaki) after his older sister passed away. The two live normal lives but events surrounding them take a dramatic turn. He spends his days peacefully. Then, Tsutomu’s friend goes through an unfair dismissal and the family of Tsutomu’s helper, Eiko (Kanna Mori), are forced to move out from their house due to an unfair deal. Karin becomes hostage.

 

Crossroads   

Crossroads Film Poster
Crossroads Film Poster

クロスロード「Kurosurodo

Release Date: November 28th, 2015

Running Time: 103 mins.

Director: Junichi Suzuki

Writer: Junichi Suzuki, Masahiro Fukuma (Screenplay),

Starring: Keiji, Dai Watanabe, Tao, Rumi Sakakibara, Masaya Kato, Alodia,

Website

Synopsis: Tatsuru Sawada (Keiji) is an assistant cameraman with no direction in life until he joins the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers but his time at the training camp is stormy especially with fellow volunteer Kazunari Hamura (Dai Watanabe). This continues even when the two are sent to the Philippines. Tatsuru’s attitude changes when he takes a picture of a boy named Noel and his older sister Angela and sees their struggle.

8 years later, Tatsuru and Kazunari meet again in the Tohoku region where the great earthquake and tsunami struck.

 

 

Ai wo Katareba Hentai Desu ka  / Ai wo Kataru to Hentai Desu ka 

愛を語れば変態ですか「Ai wo Katareba Hentai Desu ka

Ai wo Katareba Hentai Desuka Film Poster
Ai wo Katareba Hentai Desuka Film Poster

Release Date: November 28th, 2015

Running Time: 73 mins.

Director: Mitsunori Takahashi

Writer: Mitsunori Takahashi (Screenplay),

Starring: Mei Kurokawa, Toshiyuki Nagashima, Hiroki Konno, Toru Nomaguchi, Chan Kawai, Rakuto Tochihara,

Website IMDB

Synopsis: Asako (Mei Kurokawa) and her partner are set to open a curry restaurant but a group of men she deceived by offering the salvation of love come looking for her…

If Mei Kurokawa offered her love I think I’d give up on common sense and give in to her demands as well…

 

Daichi no hana saki Toya Sasaki famu “yorokobi” de subete wo tsunagu

Daichi no hana saki Toya Sasaki famu “yorokobi” de subete o tsunagu Film Poster
Daichi no hana saki Toya Sasaki famu “yorokobi” de subete o tsunagu Film Poster

大地の花咲き 洞爺・佐々木ファーム“喜び”ですべてを繋ぐ「Daichi no hana saki Toya Sasaki famu “yorokobi” de subete wo tsunagu

Release Date: November 28th, 2015

Running Time: 95 mins.

Director: Yasuko Iwasaki

Writer: N/A

Starring: N/A

Website

Synopsis: If you want a documentary about organic farming then this is it. There’s the Sasaki farm in Hokkaido which uses natural cultivation and it’s run by a group of families. They were at loggerheads over the running of the farm at one point but the death of a child united them again. 

 

Free Kitchen   

Free Kitchen Film Poster
Free Kitchen Film Poster

フリーキッチン「Furi- Kicchin

Release Date: November 28th, 2015

Running Time: 80 mins.

Director: Kentaro Nakamira

Writer: Kentaro Nakamura (Screenplay),

Starring: Taneko, Kiyomi Ensou, Toya Morita, Mayo Onuki, Ikko Suzuki,

Website IMDB

I like the look of this one. It seems to be a dark comedy in a similar vein to something like Greatful Dead which I liked a lot. It’s different from the usual dramas at least.

Synopsis from IMDB: The story is of a quirky mother and son who live in a modern Japanese, urban setting. The mother Kyoko has been long feeding human meat to her introverted teenage son, Mitsuo, who can now tell the sex and nationality of the meat he is eating. One day at the supermarket, Kyoko finds herself picking up the wallet of another housewife, Kanno. Kanno urges Kyoko to accept a token of gratitude but Kyoko declines. Kanno finds the stubborn refusal disturbing.

 

Robo to miri

ロボとミリ「Robo to Miri

Release Date: November 28th, 2015

Running Time: 77 mins.

Director: muttnik / Michio Koshikawa

Writer: Kentaro Nakamura (Screenplay),

Starring: Tasuku Emoto, Ai Tamura, Masato Hyugaji, Koume, Jiro Matsumoto, Nao Okabe, Tatsushi Ohmori, Shohei Uno,

Website IMDB

Synopsis: This indie film was originally shot in 2011 after The Great East Japan Earthquake and is influenced by the disaster. The story takes place in Shibuya after Japan has been struck by an earthquake and it involves a guy who finds a discarded robot and repairs it and the two fall in love…

 

Japanese Movie Box Office Results for this Week:

 

Raintree no Kuni (2015/11/21)  

Girlz und Panzer der Film  (2015/11/21)

Little Prince (2015/11/21)

Gekijouban Mozu (2015/11/07)

Grasshopper (2015/11/07)

Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015/11/14)

Ghost Theatre (2015/11/21)

Ore Monogatari!! (2015/10/31)

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay (2015/11/20)

Everest 3D (2015/11/06)


High School Girl Rika Zombie Hunter 最強兵器女子高生RIKA (2008)

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High School Girl Rika Zombie Hunter   Zombie Hunter Rika Film Poster

最強兵器女子高生RIKASaikyo heiki joshikosei: Rika

Release Date: February 18th, 2008

Running Time: 75 mins.

Director: Kenichi Fujiwara

Writer:  Takeyuki Morikaku, Kenichi Fujiwara (Screenplay),

Starring: Risa Kudo, Takeshi Yamamoto, Mai Minami, Tsugumi Nagasawa, Eiichi Kikuchi, Lemon Hanazawa, Mina Arai, Akina Serizwa, Kotoha Hiroyama,

IMDB

The title High School Girl Rika Zombie Hunter is pretty self-explanatory in terms of the content of the film. A high school girl named Rika (Risa Kudo) hunts zombies. Rather reluctantly, I might add.

Genki-Zombie-Hunter-Rika-on-the-Lam

She starts out the film as a sweet and slightly airheaded girl with more dreams than well-thought out ideas about her future. Staying true to character, Rika and Nami skip school and head off into the country to visit Rika’s grand father so she can get advice from the man who was once the best surgeon in Japan. Stepping off the train they find themselves in the middle of a rolling zombie apocalypse and it looks like it’s curtains for the pair but they happen to run into a man named Tomoya (Ryunosuke Kawai) who is visiting the grandfather as well. His reason is because his “sister” Sayaka is married to the old man but all is not as it seems because Sayaka (Kotoha Hiroyama) is plotting something decidedly criminal.

All that can wait because a wave of zombies attacks the house and forces the group to fight for their lives. Amidst the chaos Rika’s arm is bitten but thanks to her grandfather, she gets the arm of the ultimate zombie hunter sewn on so she can carry on fighting!

Zombie Hunter Rika Film Image

The filmmakers aren’t going for anything highbrow; this is an example of an intentionally dumb and campy horror comedy where a mess of ideas are thrown at the screen with little regard for the quality. It is a fair stab at being a horror film but with little quality in any field it feels undercooked and throw-away.

There’s everything from oppai moments as girls get their breasts out for little more Zombie Hunter Rika Maidsreason than titillation (sorry), maids pop up (and they are the ones popping their breasts out) briefly for people with that fetish, there is some physical comedy and wordplay and the fights with crowds of zombies, choreographed by Tak Sakaguchi no less, are plentiful since there are legions of zombies chewing on bodyparts in this film. Horror fans will find much to watch but everything lacks the spark and vigour of dedication. This feels lazy, as if all the clichés are added but with none of the conviction or imagination you see from the Sushi Typhoon crew.

It feels that all the clichés and tropes and jokes seen in other films are brought up purely because this is a paint-by-numbers horror film.

I suppose my indifference to this film is partially explained by the filmmaker’s desire to aim more for comedy which falls flat, much like the story and everything else to be frank, because they are hamstrung by direction which is low on quality and imagination. There’s comic relief from three constantly bickering survivors in the town who engage in physical pratfalls that feel more like time-wasting than comedy gold. The costumes aren’t much fun and the props and CG while decent, leave little impression. While there is plenty of blood and gore it isn’t in the right amounts to elicit laughter or horror and the fighting is limp since none of the actors do it with conviction.

Genki-Zombie-Hunter-Rika-Fighting-Zombies

I don’t expect great characterisation and plot twists from this film but I at least wanted some entertainment and I felt that it was dull. Nothing in it appealed to me and I suspect it is because I have seen too many of these films. Zombie Hunter Rika never scaled the heights of quality and intelligence and it never reached ridiculous lows of other low-budget films. It features none of the inventiveness or zaniness of the Sushi Typhoon stable and there are too many minutes wasted on comedy that doesn’t work. It is, at least, competently made.

Others like this more so maybe I should lighten up.

2/5


Haruko’s Paranormal Laboratory, High Speed! – Free! Starting Days -, Koukaku no Pandora: Ghost Urn, Sanchu Uprising: Voices at Dawn, The Miracle of Tanuma Inn and Other Japanese Film Trailers

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Happy weekend!

Zombie Self Defence Force Hitomi with Weapons

The year is coming to an end and the Christmas holidays are beginning. Big purchases are out of the way but I’ll be working lots of overtime to cover things including today. I am also collecting treasure for next year so this will be a regular thing. Not that this will stop me from watching films. This week, I watched Ruined Heart (2014) and Cast a Deadly Spell (1991) which features a very young Julianne Moore. I posted a review of High School Girl Rika Zombie Hunter (2008).

What’s released this weekend?

Haruko’s Paranormal Laboratory

春子超常現象研究所 Haruko Chojo Gensho Kenkyujo

Release Date: December 05th, 2015

Running Time: 73 mins.

Director: Lisa Takeba

Writer: Lisa Takeba (Screenplay),

Starring: Aoi Nakamura, Moeka Nozaki, Fumiyo Kohinata, Sayaka Aoki, Takumi Saito, Yumiko Takahashi,

Website    IMDB

I am a big fan of Lisa Takeba based solely on trailers for The Pinkie and her short film Wandering Alien Detective Robin. She appears to be one of the most consistently imaginative and inventive directors going especially at a time when the Japanese film industry seems so conventional and unambitious (look at the trailers that follow this one). This one has been at international film festivals such as Rotterdam and Japan Cuts (which is where I got the synopsis from) and I hope to see it.

Synopsis: Haruko (Nozaki) is a lonely oddball who has longed for a“real paranormal phenomenon” since childhood and is in the habit of bitching at her television. It’s an old, analogue set, which one day breaks down – then starts talking back to her. It seems her wish has been granted. The television set becomes a man (Nakamura). Haruko names him Terebi and soon falls in love with him. Absurd situations stack up in colourful images in a startling mix of pop art and absurdist comedy, drawing on cult TV shows and romantic children’s television. Beneath all the craziness, however, a love story unfolds in this strange movie which contains romance and pokes fun at contemporary Japanese culture.

 

125 Years Memory   

Kainan 1890 Film Poster
Kainan 1890 Film Poster

フリーキッチン「Kainan 1890

Release Date: December 05th, 2015

Running Time: 80 mins.

Director: Mitsutoshi Tanaka

Writer: Eriko Komatsu (Screenplay),

Starring: Seiyo Uchino, Kenan Ece, Shiori Kutsuna, Yui Natsukawa, Gota Watabe, Naoki Kawano,

Website IMDB

Synopsis: The film takes two historical events that link Japan and Turkey. The first takes place in 1890 when the Turkish battleship Ertugrul sinks off the coast of Japan. Almost 500 crew members die but the rescue efforts of the local residents saves some of the crew.

A Turk returns the favour almost one hundred years later when in 1985, during the Iran-Iraq War, over two hundred Japanese nationals stranded in Iran, are evacuated from the country on the first Turkish airplane to leave. They take priority over the Turks.

 

Jinro Game Crazy Fox   

Jinro Game Crazy Fox Film Poster
Jinro Game Crazy Fox Film Poster

人狼ゲーム クレイジーフォックス「Jinro ge-mu Kureiji- Fokkusu

Release Date: December 05th, 2015

Running Time: 97 mins.

Director: Maya Ayabe

Writer: Maya Ayabe (Screenplay), Ryo Kawakami (Original Novel/Screenplay)

Starring: Sara Takatsuki, Ami Tomite, Reiya Masaki,, Yoshiki Saito, Minori Hagiwara, Takenmi Fujii,

Website

These Jinroh games keep getting made. A new cast full of the next set of young stars and a new spin on the formula.

Synopsis: Ayaka Morii (Sara Takatsuki) is one of a group of students forced to play the Jinro Game. Any one of her classmates can be a killer but she has a crush on Yosuke Takigawa (Reiya Masaki) and she holds the fox card.

 

 

Persona Non Grata   

Sugihara Chiune Film Poster
Sugihara Chiune Film Poster

杉原千畝 スギハラ チウネ Sugihara Chiune

Release Date: December 05th, 2015

Running Time: 139 mins.

Director: Cellin Gluck

Writer: Tetsuro Kamata, Hiromichi Matsuo (Screenplay),

Starring: Toshiaki Karasawa, Koyuki, Fumiyo Kohinata, Takashi Tsukamoto, Gaku Hamada, Agnieszka Grochowska, Anna Grycewicz, Ryo Ishibashi,

Website    IMDB

Sugihara Chiune the title of the film and the name of a real life diplomat who saved Jews during the tumultuous events of the Second World War.

Synopsis from IMDB: The story of a Japanese diplomat, sometimes called the Schindler of Japan, and his life leading up to and after his decision to issue over 2,000 visas to Jewish refugees in Kaunas, Lithuania resulting in saving the lives of over 6,000 people. This is the story of a man who believed in doing all he could do for the benefit of his beloved Japan, including trying to keep her from becoming embroiled in a worldwide conflict he saw as inevitable. Along the way, he came face to face with the plight of the European Jews as they tried to escape the onslaught of the Nazi’s and the rapidly advancing German army. Caught between the unbending policies of his country now bound by treaty with Nazi Germany and his awakening moral responsibilities, we follow his life from his early days in Manchuria to his eventual posting in Lithuania and his appointment with destiny which would forever brand him a hero.

 

High Speed! – Free! Starting Days –   

High Speed! - Free! Starting Days - Film Poster
High Speed! – Free! Starting Days – Film Poster

映画 ハイ☆スピード! Free! Starting DaysEiga Hai Supi-do! Free! Starting Days

Release Date: November 27th, 2015

Running Time: 110 mins.

Director: Hiroaki Ando

Writer: Maiko Nishioka (Screenplay), Koji Oji (Original Creator), Futoshi Nishiya (Original Character Design)

Starring: Mamoru Miyano (Rin Matsuoka), Nobunaga Shimazaki (Haruka Nanase), Tatsuhisa Suzuki (Makoto Tachibana), Kenji Nojima (Natsuya Kirishima), Kouki Uchiyama (Ikuya Kirishima),

Website ANN MAL

According the MyAnimeList, this is a prequel to the 2013 Kyoto Animation TV anime series Free! which is an adaptation of light novel HighSpeed!

Synopsis from Anime News Network: Haruka Nanase feels something special when he touches water. The medley relay was the last competition he was able to participate in during elementary school. Haruka, along with Makoto Tachibana, Nagisa Hazuki, and Rin Matsuoka, saw something they’d never seen before. In spring, with the cherry blossoms in full bloom. Haruka moves on to Iwatobi Middle School with Makoto and starts a new life. Both enter the swim team, and plan to compete in the medley relay together with Asahi Shiina and Ikuya Kirishima. All four students have different objectives and ways of thinking, and different baggage they’re carrying, and so their practice for the relay hasn’t been going well.

 

Koukaku no Pandora: Ghost Urn   

Koukaku no Pandora Ghost Urn Film Poster
Koukaku no Pandora Ghost Urn Film Poster

紅殻のパンドラ「Koukaku no Pandora

Release Date: December 05th, 2015

Running Time: N/A

Director: Munenori Nawa

Writer: Tatsuya Takahashi (Screenplay), Masamune Shirow, Koushi Rikudou (Original Creator),

Starring: Sanae Fuku (Nene Nanakorobi), Manami Numakura (Clarion), Rie Murakawa (Bunny), Atsuko Tanaka (Delilah Uzal),

Website ANN MAL

Synopsis from Anime News Network: When Nene Nanakorobi, a cybernetically-enhanced girl-next-door, heads to the island metropolis of Cenancle to live with her aunt, she has no way of knowing what’s in store for her. A chance meeting intertwines her fate with that of the super-rich inventor, Delilah Uzal, and her adorable and grumpy companion, Clarion, who happens to be a cyborg just like Nene. Nene is thrilled to make a friend, but there’s more to Uzal and Clarion – and the island of Cenancle itself – than meets the eye. When a super-powered terrorist threatens Cenancle, Uzal claims that the only way to avert disaster is for Nene to team up with Clarion and use their combined powers – abilities Nene never even knew she had.

 

Outer Man   

Outer Man Film Poster
Outer Man Film Poster

アウターマン Auta-man

Release Date: December 05th, 2015

Running Time: 82 mins.

Director: Minori Kawasaki

Writer: Masakazy Migita, Minoru Kawasaki (Screenplay),

Starring: Shun Shioya, Yasuhisa Furuhara, Gero Gen Ichikawa, Nanami, Yuki Ikushima, Shunichi Okita,

Website    IMDB

Synopsis from Crunchyroll: The story is set in a world where a tokusatsu hero TV series “Outer Man” has gained national popularity for

50 years (just like the Ultraman series). One day, a giant alien exactly look like Outer Man appears in Japan. The truth is soon revealed that, unlike the story in the TV series, Outer Man is an evil alien who has been trying to brainwash Japanese people to invade the earth. The actors who played the hero in the TV series decide to fight against the real Outer Man by transforming into the villain alien in the series, Sylvie Seijin.

 

Harukanaru Onrai Yama   

Harukanaru Onrai Yama Film Poster
Harukanaru Onrai Yama Film Poster

はるかなるオンライ山 八重山・沖縄パイン渡来記「Harukanaru Onrai-san Yaeyama Okinawa pain toraiki

Release Date: December 05th, 2015

Running Time: 85 mins.

Director: Yoshiaki Hongo

Writer: N/A

Starring: N/A

Synopsis: Do you want to know the history of the pineapple in Japan? It is the history of Taiwanese settlers in Okinawa who brought the pineapple to the island. We see the cultural exchange and friction between native Japanese and the settlers and the activities of their descendants.

 

Sanchu Uprising: Voices at Dawn   

Sanchu Uprising Voices at Dawn Film Poster
Sanchu Uprising Voices at Dawn Film Poster

新しき民「Atarashiki tami

Release Date: December 05th, 2015

Running Time: 117 mins.

Director: Junichiro Yamasaki

Writer: Junichiro Yamasaki (Screenplay)

Starring: Kano Kajiwara, Naohisa Tanaka, Keiko Furuuchi. Yota Kawase,

Website    IMDB

I covered this one when it played at Japan Cuts earlier this year.

Synopsis from Japan Society New York: 1726, Sanchu, Okayama Prefecture: farmers negotiate with the feudal domain in order to seek exemption from rising taxes before infighting leads to suppression by the samurai class, and the farmers band together for battle. It’s a moment of injustice, setting the stage for bravery and sacrifice. However those daring characters remain largely offscreen in Juichiro Yamasaki’s brilliant film. Instead, the cowardly protagonist Jihei (Naohisa Nakagaki) weighs the risks of rebellion and its aftermath, a tale resonating with our contemporary moment. In this rare independent jidaigeki, Kenta Tawara’s beautiful digital B&W photography channels and refigures luminaries of classical Japanese cinema, boasting rapturous animated sequences by Tomomichi Nakamura and an experimental score by Ayako Sasaki.

 

The Miracle of Tanuma Inn   

Miracle in Tanuma Inn Film Poster
Miracle in Tanuma Inn Film Poster

田沼旅館の奇跡「 Tanuma ryokan no kiseki

Release Date: December 05th, 2015

Running Time: 66 mins.

Director: Hisashi Ide

Writer: Hayashi Mori (Screenplay)

Starring: Natsuna, Kumiko Endo, Akihiro Tsunoda, Motohiro Takewaka,    Ryuji Akiyama, Buffaloe Goro, Hiroyuki Baba,

Website    IMDB

Synopsis: A reporter named Nao Nishikawa (Natsuna) arrives at a hot spring town to have a relaxing stay at the Tanuma Inn. After checking in she finds herself staying with several other guests, each of whom say they are experiencing troubled days in marriage or life in general. With potential divorces and suicides on the cards it sounds like grim stuff but the reporter’s presence gets the people to change.

 

Japanese Movie Box Office Results for this Week:

 

Little Prince (2015/11/21)

Raintree no Kuni (2015/11/21)  

Girlz und Panzer der Film  (2015/11/21)

Grasshopper (2015/11/07)

Gekijouban Mozu (2015/11/07)

Ore Monogatari!! (2015/10/31)

Ghost Theatre (2015/11/21)

Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015/11/14)

Woman in Gold (2015/11/27)

Eiga Go! Princess Precure Go! Go!! Gōka 3-bon Date!!!   (2015/10/31)


RUINED HEART: Another Love Story Between a Criminal and a Whore (2014)

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RUINED HEART: Another Love Story Between a Criminal and a Whore 

Ruined Heart DVD Cover
Ruined Heart DVD Cover

UK Release Date: December 07th, 2015 via Third Window Films

Running Time: 73 mins.

Directors: Khavn

Writer: Khavn (Screenplay)

Starring: Tadanobu Asano, Nathalia Acevedo, Andre Puertollano, Elena Kazan, Vim Nadera

Website   IMDB

The latest release from Third Window Films is Ruined Heart: Another Love Story Between a Criminal and a Whore. That long title should give an indication that the audience is going to be given a familiar tale of forbidden love with archetypal characters but the way it is shot and the use of songs makes the film different.

The setting is the criminal underworld in Manila where a crime boss rules the land through a mixture of carnivalesque moments of violence and religion. Fireworks and gunplay light up the streets, alleys, and courtyards of the city as he sends his thugs out to take territory, oversees sprawling streets parties, and then aggrandises himself in concerts where he rises from the dead, giving himself a supernatural aura. Like all mob bosses, he has a moll and his one is a tough woman, The Whore, (Nathalia Acevedo) who strains at his control. When she falls for a flamboyant thug, The Criminal (Tadanobu Asano), the two make a break for it hoping to avoid getting caught and leave the city, all the while getting to know each other…

Ruined Heart Tadanobu Asano Nathalia Acevedo

Nothing about this synopsis looks that interesting or original but the combination of a cult director/poet/artist Khavn (famous in the Philippines for films like Mondomanilla) and the internationally renowned cinematographer Christopher Doyle has made this familiar story different.

The film plays for seventy minutes and it is in constant motion for the entirety of its duration. Its rhythm and flow fluctuates as the camera dashes and slithers through the neon-lit melancholy criminal underworld of Manila which writhes with sex and violence and everyday street life where kids play at theme parks. The visuals absorb the viewer, the camera’s placement and movement, lenses and filters, creating an experience that defies convention so that what plays out on the screen becomes a strange and intoxicating cavalcade of music and action where you are swamped with scenes that flit between gritty realism to colourful exoticism. These scenes are compelling and the film shares the same lively but downbeat and decidedly melancholy atmosphere of Fallen Angels.

Shot at night and in the murky world of a big metropolitan city, where music on the soundtrack does more to show how the characters feel than the dialogue does, Khavn is clearly cine-literate and a fan of Wong Kar-Wai (just having Christopher Doyle as your DP should show that) but his characters are nowhere near as compelling. They are archetypes however the actors playing them are exceptional enough to make them more memorable than cardboard cut-outs. Tadanobu Asano brings a gleeful chaos to his role of The Criminal, roving around with his big grin and a colourful shirt, dashing here and there with a gun and an arm in a cast. Nathalia Acevedo is a new talent from Mexico who has made waves on world cinema with her appearance in Post Tenebras Lux (2012) and she does so again her with her lithe and supple body moving in and out of shadows and bewitching the men and women around her as she dances and twists around scenes. The two help the flow of the film by moving around as much as they do.

Ruined Heart Nathalia Acevedo

However, again, I think what I found most interesting about the film was the way it was shot. Scenes of sex and violence are filmed obliquely and usually with a scuzzy electronic score or melancholy guitar melody and soulful singing to punctuate a point about the characters and their lives. Fights feature Filipino martial arts, which is quick and brutal but they are shot from far away with props and the set blocking some sight lines so they become strangely disconnected. The sex scenes venture beyond the erotic to become artistic by focussing on the faces of the participants as they are rapt in ecstasy or regret and covered in fluids. It actually brings to life the earthy scenes of the streets of the Philippines and makes the film worth watching when the story doesn’t evoke much interest.

Fans of Asian cinema will compare it to Chinese-language cinema from the 90s/early 2000s from filmmakers that Doyle has worked with over the years. The film is mostly dialogue-free and the plot has little propulsion. Impetus is given by the way it is shot by Christopher Doyle who brings his usual visual vibrancy and invention while the film gets its rhythm from its soundtrack of collected works from Filipino acts and German synth-pop duo Stereo Total. In essence, the film has the feeling of a series of music videos stitched together. While not the most gripping watch, the fact it strays from being conventional and becomes experimental and shows a more artistic angle (especially with its visuals) in delivering films.

3.5/5

Here’s the song:


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