Happy Weekend
I hope you are well
This is the first of a two-part trailer post. Come back tomorrow for more.
What are the first batch of films released for this weekend?
Aru Otoko 
ある男 「Aru Otoko」
Release Date: November 18th, 2022
Duration: 121 mins.
Director: Kei Ishikawa
Writer: Kosuke Mukai (Script), Keiichiro Hirano (Original Novel),
Starring: Satoshi Tsumabuki, Sakura Ando, Masataka Kubota, Nana Seino, Akira Emoto, Yuumi Kawai, Yoko Maki, Miyako Yamaguchi,
Director Kei Ishikawa re-unites with two forces behind his critically acclaimed crime drama Gukoroku – Traces of Sin (2016), writer Kosuke Mukai and actor Satoshi Tsumabuki (Rage, Villain) and pairs the latter up with Sakura Ando (Shoplifters, 100 Yen Love) and throws in Masataka Kubota (First Love). Great cast, but what about the film??? The Japan Times review gives it a great write-up.
Synopsis: Akira Kido (Tsumabuki) is a troubled lawyer who is hired by a former client named Rie (Sakura Ando) to look into the background of her late husband Daisuke (Masataka Kubota). Rie is concerned that a man had assumed Daisuke’s identity before marrying Rie. Her concerns have come about because, during his funeral, Daisuke’s estranged brother showed up only to dispute the identity of the person in the funeral photo. During Kido’s investigations, revelations occur!
Roleless 
宮松と山下 「Miyamatsu to Yamashita」
Release Date: November 18th, 2022
Duration: 85 mins.
Director: Masahiko Sato, Yutaro Seki, Kentaro Hirase,
Writer: Masahiko Sato, Yutaro Seki, Kentaro Hirase, (Script),
Starring: Teruyuki Kagawa, Kanji Tsuda, Toshinori Omi, Noriko Nakagoshi,
Veteran actor Teruyuki Kagawa (Tokyo Sonata, Sway, Tea Fight) takes on a film that reminds one of the mockumentary Extro since it is all about a guy who portrays extras in movies. Is this why we have a combination of writer/directors? Each handling their own segment, a la Zokki?
Masahiko Sato, of the Graduate School of Film and New Media, Tokyo University of the Arts, has worked with the others on shorts like Duality and Happo-en and this seems like their biggest project to date.
Kagawa is embroiled in a scandal at the moment but it is still getting a release.
Synopsis: Miyamatsu works as a cable-car operator for his normal job but he is also an extra on films. His different characters have allowed him to live the life of a stranger, only by playing those parts will he finally come face to face with his own life, the one he had lost.
Carmen in Cinema 
カルメン in Cinema 「Karumen in Cinema」
Running Time: 100 mins.
Release Date: January 05th, 2019
Director: Tetsuya Kumakawa
Writer: N/A
Starring: Sena Hidaka, Shoya Ishibashi, Ren Kuriyama, Yuka Iwai,
Synopsis: This is the seventeenth entry in a series of films that bring the performances of Tetsuya Kumagawa’s K Ballet Company to the cinema screen. We get a rendition of Bizet’s Carmen. We are taken to Spain, circa the 1800s, and watch as a soldier named Don José gets into a stormy love affair with the free-spirited Carmen. Can it last? This is a video recording of a performance at Bunkamura Orchard Hall on June 5, 2022.
Mahjong Saikyosen the Movie 
麻雀最強戦 the movie 「Mahjong Saikyosen the Movie」
Release Date: November 18th, 2022
Duration: 85 mins.
Director: Yuufuu Harasawa
Writer: N/A
Starring: Takaharu Ooi, Rio Tojyo, Yuumi Uotani, Saki Kurosawa, Go Kobayashi,
Synopsis: Mahjong Saikyou Sen is one of the largest mahjong tournaments in Japan and this documentary goes behind the scenes to show the pros and the amateurs who compete for big prizes as well as the commentators and staff who run the event. This covers the 2021 edition.
Grim Reaper Case Book: Gekka Kitan 
死神遣いの事件帖 月花奇譚 「Shinigami Tsukai no Jikenbo: Gekka Kitan」
Release Date: November 18th, 2022
Duration: 99 mins.
Director: Takayuki Shibasaki
Writer: Yasushi Sudo (Script),
Starring: Hiroki Suzuki, Kentaro Yasui, Tsubasa Sakiyama, Ryo Kitamura, Rei Seiniya,
Synopsis: This is a sequel to a film released in 2020. It is part of a wider multimedia push by Toei which links film and stage productions. Genshiro Kusaka is a detective in Edo city and, when it comes to investigating, he has an ace up his sleeve: he has a contract with a Shinigami named Juran. It comes at the expense of part of his life but it’s still a big boost. We are in the years of Tokugawa Iemitsu and a group of zombies known as “The Rotters” have risen from their graves to seek the flesh of the living which makes more zombies. While all of this is going on, Genshiro and Juran meet a girl named Hana who has lost her memory…
Cosmos 2072 
銀河 2072 「Ginga 2072」
Release Date: November 18th, 2022
Duration: 68 mins.
Director: Hiroshi Koike
Writer: Hiroshi Koike (Script),
Starring: William Tokuhisa, Makoto Matsushima, Maki Sakurai, Takeyasu Ito, Rie Kimoto, Hitomi,
Hiroshi Koike directs an original story of his to make a black-and-white sci-fi film.
Synopsis: The year is 2072 in Japan. Wei is involved in top secret research dedicated to maintaning the consciousness of dead people digitally. He succeeds in capturing the consciousness of his girlfriend, Yoko, who is on the verge of death. His success makes him a wanted man by the authorities and scientists of the state. Meanwhile, rumours of a meteorite that has crashed into the area circulate just as Wei tries communicating with Yoko. He has no choice but to find out the truth behind the matter but can he trust the people around him? As for Yoko, she has troubled dealing with the fact that she is meant to be dead but is now in the digital realm.
Orokamono no Blues 
愚か者のブルース 「Orokamono no Buru-su」
Release Date: November 18th, 2022
Duration: 95 mins.
Director: Yuji Yokoyama
Writer: Yuji Yokoyama (Script/Original Story),
Starring: Masaya Kato, Asami Kumakiri, Yuji Yokoyama, Kokone Sasaki, Ryuji Sainei, Takashi Nishina, Mariko Tsutsui, Kazuki Takeuchi,
Yuji Yokoyama, an actor (like in Radio Love) is also a director and he seems to have a thing for shooting movies revolving around strip shows. His last one was Dancing in Her Dreams and he returns to the stage (to the pole?) to tell another tale of a man who dwells in the past.
Synopsis: A once-famous director now makes his living by pimping for Tamako at a pink salon. When an old lover shows up, Tamako and the director flee to a strip joint in Hiroshima. This is where the director gets involved with a stripper and things really go wrong…