Happy weekend, everyone.
I hope you are well.
This week, I posted about the Venice International Film Festival, a review for Milocrorze: A Love Story and a short preview of Summer of Horror Hiho which I have included below.
Summer of Horror Hiho
Summer of Horror Hiho is running for another year and goes live from 
August to September in Tokyo: Kineka Oomori (August 21st – September 03rd) in Shinagawa ward; Nagoya: Cinema SKHole (August 29th – September 18th) in Nakamura ward; Osaka: Theater Seven (August 27th – September 04th) in Yodogawa ward. The main features of this fest are new Japanese horror movies, a celebration of director Mario Bava with a screening of four of his films and a revival screening of The Living Dead at the Manchester Morgue (1974).
I have included the two Japanese films from the fest in this trailer post.
Here are the films:
Kaidan Shin Mimibukuro Gmen 2020
怪談新耳袋Gメン 2020「Kaidan Shin Mimibukuro Gmen 2020」
Release Date: August 21st, 2020
Duration: 90 mins.
Director: Amane Sato
Writer: N/A
Starring: Amane Sato, Tsuyoshi Goto, Yukihiko Yamaguchi,
No trailer
Synopsis: This is another instalment of the popular paranormal documentary featuring middle-aged men exploring psychic spots across Japan in order the to capture psychic phenomenon on camera. The guys head to the scene of a murder that occurred in the Showa period.
Moebius Evil Woman Red Room 
メビウスの悪女 赤い部屋 「Mebiusu no akujo akai heya」
Release Date: August 21st, 2020
Duration: 66 mins.
Director: Shoji Kubota
Writer: Shoji Kubota (Script), Edogawa Rampo (Original Novel)
Starring: Kaede Shimizu, Naoki Kawano, Yuurei Yanagi, Kazuki Namioka, Jun Miho, Hoka Kinoshita,
The first instalment of the “Red Room” series based on short stories by Edogawa Rampo. It stars former gravure idol Kaede Shimizu who takes on two roles. It sounds a little similar to one of the Trilogy of Terror (1975) stories that Karen Black worked on.
Synopsis: An erotic horror that depicts the lust of one of two twin sisters who kills then impersonates her sibling to get her fiance.
Films On General Release
Ito 
糸 「Ito」
Release Date: August 21st, 2020
Duration: 130 mins.
Director: Takahisa Zeze
Writer: Tamio Hayashi (Script), Miyuki Nakajima (Original Inspiration)
Starring: Masaki Suda, Nana Komatsu, Nana Eikura, Takumi Saito, Fumika Baba, Mizuki Yamamoto, Fumi Nikaido, Pistol Takehara, Yutaka Matsushige,
After a Covid-19 delay, Ito goes on general release in Japan. It was inspired by a song by the prolific singer Miyuki Nakajima who if often the subject of films and theatre performances screened in cinemas and sings sad ballads about lost love. The background of the film is the changing Heisei era as the protags, real-life couple Nana Komatsu and Masaki Suda, find themselves meeting at different points.
Check out the Nana Komatsu International website to see the story of how the film has been progressing this year and Nana Komatsu Films for more information on Nana Komatsu. Two really good resources full of pictures and information!
Synopsis: Ren Takahashi (Masaki Suda) and Aoi Sonoda (Nana Komatsu) were both born in 1989 and met for the first time in 2002 while in junior high in Hokkaido. They fell in love but were separated in dramatic circumstances and Aoi leaves the island with her mother. They meet again at the age of 21 when Ren travels to Tokyo to a friend’s wedding but despite their unbroken connection, they are kept separate because Ren is a cheesemaker in Hokkaido while Aoi’s life is in Tokyo and Okinawa. Fate brings them back together again one more time at the age of 31 in the final year of the Heisei era but will fate separate them once more or are these two lovers destined to be together?
Crazy Samurai Musashi 
狂武蔵 「Kyou Musashi」
Release Date: August 21st, 2020
Duration: 91 mins.
Director: Yuji Shimomura
Writer: Akari Tomori (Script), Sion Sono (Original Draft)
Starring: Tak Sakaguchi, Kento Yamazaki, Akihiko Sai, Yosuke Saito, Nobu Morimoto, Ben Hiura,
This one has been a long time coming. Originally conceived nine years ago and with work put in by Sion Sono, it has finally been brought to life by the crew behind Re:born as a 77-minute no-cut action sequence that brings to life one of the most intense battles Musashi Miyamoto ever too part in. It sounds absolutely bonkers. It is playing at the Fantasia International Film Festival. Here’s a review over at Windows on Worlds.
Synopsis: In 1604, Musashi Miyamoto (Tak Sakaguchi) had been humiliating swordsmen from a prestigious school for swordsmen, the Yoshioka Dojo. One final duel is prepared but it’s a trap since the dojo has got 100 swordsmen loyal to them to show up and they have hired 300 more sellswords. It seems like Musashi is doomed but, before anyone gives the order to kill him, he attacks the 400!
Flying Rabbit in the Night Sky 
夜空を飛ぶ兎 「Yozora o tobu usagi」
Release Date: August 21st, 2020
Duration: 72 mins.
Director: Andrew Shin
Writer: Andrew Shin (Script),
Starring: Atsuko Kikuchi, Mutsumi Suzuki, Yuta Ishiyama, Mame Yamada, Atsushi Oda,
Synopsis: When Asako (Atsuko Kikuchi) was a child, she was once told by her father that if she were ever in trouble, she should seek out the rabbit flying in the night sky because it would protect her. He disappeared not long after. Years later, Asako, as an adult, is told by a gynaecologist that she is pregnant with a rabbit. Once at home, Asako, deeply worried, falls into a deep sleep in front of the stuffed rabbit left by her father and remembers his words.
Terrolun and Lunlun 
テロルンとルンルン 「Yozora o tobu usagi」
Release Date: August 21st, 2020
Duration: 49 mins.
Director: Hiroyuki Miyagawa
Writer: Tomoko Kawanoue (Script),
Starring: Amane Okayama, Rina Ono, Maiko Kawakami, Mari Nishio, Haruki Nakagawa,
Synopsis: A mid-length film set in Hiroshima, it follows two people who feel isolated, one a hikikomori (Amane Okayama) who lives in his parents in the garage of his parents’ house because his father died in an accident, and the other a high school girl (Rina Ono) who is ostracised because she is deaf. Their worlds meet and they communicate through the garage window but the people around them misinterpret their relationship…
Koshien: Japan’s Field of Dreams 
甲子園 フィールド・オブ・ドリームス 「Koshien Fi-rudo obu Dori-musu」
Release Date: August 21st, 2020
Duration: 94 mins.
Director: Ema Ryan Yamazaki
Writer: N/A
Starring: N/A
Synopsis: A documentary looking at the meaning of Koshien, Japan’s national high school baseball championship, where school teams compete to play on its hallowed grounds. An American documentary crew and director follow the players and coach of a team as they seek to win the 100th annual Koshien. The film was broadcast on America’s ESPN and screened at the documentary film festival “DOC NYC”. This is an especially poignant film because Covid-19 forced the cancellation of this year’s event.
I Became a Hunter 
僕は猟師になった 「Boku wa Ryoushi ni Natta」
Release Date: August 22nd, 2020
Duration: 99 mins.
Director: Aiko Kawahara
Writer: N/A
Starring: Shinya Senmatsu
The film is based on an NHK programme first broadcast in 2018 and recorded over 300 days. The theatrical version has narration by Sosuke Ikematsu.
Warning: the trailer does feature violence against an animal
Synopsis: A documentary following a hunter named Shinya Senmatsu who wrote a book of the same named that was published in 2008. Senmatsu graduated from Kyoto University and lives on the border between the city of Kyoto and the mountains. It is here that he hunts wild boars and deer caught by his homemade traps. The purpose of the documentary is also to look at the wealth that nature can offer.
Challenged 
チャレンジド 「Charenjido」
Release Date: August 22nd, 2020
Duration: 90 mins.
Director: Kenichi Oguri
Writer: N/A
Starring: N/A
Visit the website to see the trailer and to get a more detailed synopsis/
Synopsis: A documentary looking at people with mental disabilities who are encouraged to live as part of society rather than hidden away in group homes and hospitals. The film details the prejudicial attitudes held by society, like eugenics which are still in vogue with certain people today, and then charts positive cases where people embrace those less able through their contributions to art.
To quote the filmmakers on their website:
“Challenged” gives an opportunity for all of us to witness their inspiring activities and to help create an image of a more inclusive society that we could and should be heading to.
Given (movie) 
映画 ギヴン 「Eiga Gibun」
Release Date: August 22nd, 2020
Duration: 59 mins.
Director: Hikaru Yamaguchi
Writer: Yuniko Ayana (Script), Natsuki Kizu (Original Manga)
Starring: Shougo Yano (Mafuyu Sato), Yuma Uchida (Ritsuka Uenoyama), Masatomo Nakazawa (Haruki Nakayama), Shintaro Asanuma (Ugetsu Murata), Takuya Eguchi (Akihiko Kaji),
Animation Production: Lerche
This is the continuation of a TV anime based on a BL manga that was broadcast on Fuji TV’s “Noitamina” block.
Synopsis: High-school student Ritsuka Uenoyama is losing his interest in music when he hears the voice of Mafuyu Sato in his band. They don’t know each other well, but are soon drawn to one another…