Happy Weekend!
I hope you are well!
This week I posted a review of the documentary Ushiku, a preview of the Japanese films playing at TOKYO FILMeX, and the first batch of trailers for this week. I also recorded a Heroic Purgatory podcast episode with host John. We covered John Carpenter’s THE THING for our Halloween special. I went into the origin story, WHO GOES THERE? and the first film adaptation, THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD (dir: Christan Nyby and Howard Hawks) as well as Carpenter’s brilliant take.
What else is released this weekend?
Sword Art Online the Movie -Progressive- Aria of a Starless Night 
劇場版 ソードアート・オンライン プログレッシブ 星なき夜のアリア 「Gekijouban So-do A-to Onrain Puroguresshibu – Hoshi Naki Yoru no Aria」
Release Date: October 30th, 2021
Duration: 70 mins
Director: Ayako Kohno
Writer: Yasuhiro Yoshiura, Ichiro Okouchi (Screenplay), Yasuhiro Yoshiura (Original Creator)
Starring: Haruka Tomatsu (Asuna Yuki), Yoshitsugu Matsuoka (Kazuto “Kirito” Kirigaya), Inori Minase (Mito),
Animation Production: A-1 Pictures
Synopsis: Sword Art Online takes place in a world where people are trapped online in an MMO. Dying in-game means dying in real life. Thousands are already dead but two loners, Kirito and Asuna, still stand. However, in this world, mobs of players as well as mobs of monsters pose a threat as everyone struggles to stay alive and win the game.
I Don’t Have Any Money Left in My Retirement Account 
老後の資金がありません! 「Rougo no Shikin ga Arimasen」
Release Date: October 30th, 2021
Duration: 115 mins.
Director: Tetsu Maeda
Writer: Hiroshi Saito (Screenplay), Miu Kakiya (Original Novel),
Starring: Yuki Amami, Mitsuko Kusabue, Yutaka Matsushige, Yua Shinkawa, Toshiki Seto, Rie Shibata, Tomochika, Sho Aikawa, Mayumi Wakamura, Koki Mitani, Maryjun Takahashi,
Synopsis: At her age in life, all Atsuko (Yuki Amami) wants is an easy retirement. She is an ordinary housewife with a university-student son and freelancer daughter, a loving but careless husband, and a part-time job she does which is going okay. She manages her family’s finances, including her husband Akira’s salary, and is quite thrifty and she has done a good job building up a bank but it gets drained by a series of disasters! First off, her father-in-law dies abroad! Secondly, her part-time job is terminated! Thirdly, her daughter Mayumi is going to get married and requires a lavish wedding! Fourthly, she has agreed to take in her mother-in-law, Yoshino, a woman with no sense of saving money! Fifthly (can it get any worse???), Akira loses his job when his company goes bankrupt! Atsuko has to figure out how to get herself out of dire straits!
My Sorry Life 
愛のくだらない 「Ai no Kudaranai」
Release Date: October 30th, 2021
Duration: 95 mins.
Director: Kozue Nomoto
Writer: Takashi Koizumi (Script),
Starring: Maki Fujiwara, Yukino Murakami, Akiyoshi Okayasu, Sayaka Hashimoto, Takuma Nagao, Miyu Teshima,
Synopsis: TV producer Kei (Maki Fujiwara) is at her wit’s end. At home she has a lazy boyfriend, a recently retired comedian named Yoshi (Akiyoshi Okayasu) who is more eager to conceive their first child than focus on his part-time job. At work, Kei has to deal with shepherd a complex but an innovative web series guest hosted by a rotating set of everyday people, including Shiori (Yukino Murakami), a young trans man working for her office’s delivery service and moonlighting as a bartender at an LGBTQ-inclusive space. As Kei pushes forward, she reaches a breaking point.
Geijutsuka Imai Jiro 
芸術家・今井次郎 「Giejutsuka Imai Jiro」
Release Date: October 30th, 2021
Duration: 94 mins.
Director: Shingo Aono, Hideko Okubo
Writer: N/A
Starring: Jiro Imai,
Synopsis: Jiro Imai was a musician, artist, and more. Towards the end of his life, he spent six months in hospital making “meal art” based off the hospital food he received. This delighted many on social media. After his death, a tribute concert was held. This film includes all of that plus interviews with people who knew him.
Psychology Counselor 
カウンセラー 「Kaunsera-」
Release Date: October 30th, 2021
Duration: 42 mins.
Director: Zenzo Sakai
Writer: Zenzo Sakai (Screenplay),
Starring: Mutsumi Suzuki, Maki Nishiyama, Riku Tanaka, Takashi Matsumoto, Jin Taira, Risa Kameda, Takanori Kamachi,
This was selected for the SKIP CITY INTERNATIONAL D-Cinema FESTIVAL 2021.
Synopsis: Mami Kurata is a psychological counsellor who is six months pregnant and due to go on maternity leave. On her last day of work, after her last client, she is about to shut up shop when a woman named Akemi Yoshitaka arrives at her office without an appointment. Mami decides to listen to Akemi but gets more than she bargained for when the mysterious stranger tells her tale of being able to see ghosts…
I will. -Time to Walk Towards Your Future- 
I will. 君が未来を歩くとき 「I will. Kimi ga mirai o aruku toki」
Release Date: October 29th, 2021
Duration: 105 mins.
Director: Hidetaka Ito
Writer: Yoshikazu Sugiyama, Fujiwara (Screenplay),
Starring: Ryusei Horita, Mashu Ishiwatari, Chihiro Yoshida, Shinichiro Ueda, Chiharu Sawashiro,
Synopsis: This is the second live-action film version of a mixed media work that introduces the talents belonging to the fictional entertainment agency TSUKINO Entertainments Production, or, Tsuki-pro, In this one, a band named SOARA take up the challenge of the Tsukipro talent contest but the band members are all high schoolers and graduation is approaching along with college entrance exams…