Happy Weekend
This is the second of a two-part trailer post. The first part can be found here.
Well, I finally posted about the Japan Film Festival+ streaming season and started watching films on the site – I’ve already seen around half and can recommend Hanagatami, Lonely Glory, And Your Bird Can Sing, and Techno Brothers. I’ve also been watching Jacques Rozier films and 70s and 80s American films like Marathon Man, Repo Man, Midnight Run, (awesome) and Two-Lane Blacktop, the latter of which I want to write about.
Also, early Wes Anderson and Coen Brothers movies are their best works.
What else, film-wise? I posted about the Tokyo Student Film Festival 2023 and I’m prepping more news/preview articles. I also watched Alita: Battle Angel and the anime Battle Angel Alita as part of prep for the next episode of Heroic Purgatory. Our current episode covers Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind.
What other films are released this weekend?
Kimi to Mata 
きみとまた 「Kimi to Mata」
Release Date: August 18th, 2023
Duration: 124 mins.
Director: Kosei Hana
Writer: Kosei Hana (Screenplay),
Starring: Amon Hirai, Saki Ito, Koki Osamura, Kyoichiro Nakayama, Ami Tomite,
This is the commercial debut film of Kosei Hana whose independent films Ai Utsutsu and Love Someone were based on his own experience of “not being able to have sexual desire for a woman because he loves her.” This film deals with the similar themes of love and sex.
Synopsis: Maruo, an independent film director, has broken up with his girlfriend Aki because he loves her but doesn’t want to make love with her. As he tries to make a film based on this experience, he gets stumped by the question as to why he couldn’t have sex with Aki and decides to meet her again to find an answer. He finds that Aki is in a sexless marriage with a salaryman and is eager to have children. Aki asks Maruo to give her his sperm.
Takano Tofuten no Haru 
高野豆腐店の春 「Takano Tofuten no Haru」
Release Date: August 18th, 2023
Duration: 120 mins.
Director: Mitsuhiro Mihara
Writer: Mitsuhiro Mihara (Screenplay),
Starring: Tatsuya Fuji, Kumiko Aso, Kumi Nakamura, Yu Tokui, Masato Yamada,
Drama co-starring Tatsuya Fuji and Kumiko Aso about a father and daughter who run a traditional tofu shop in Onomichi.
Synopsis: Takano Tofu Shop is run by Tatsuo and his daughter Haru. Father and daughter make tofu using their own special soybeans, and enjoy a peaceful time with their old-fashioned friends. Each of them encounters a new person in their daily lives.
Shin Chimudondon 
シン・ちむどんどん 「Shin Chimudondon」
Release Date: August 18th, 2023
Duration: 98 mins.
Director: Darthreider, Petit Kashima
Writer: N/A
Starring: Darthreider, Petit Kashima, Denny Tamaki, Atsushi Sakima, Mikio Shimoji, Michiyoshi Hatakeyama,
Synopsis: A documentary where the rapper Darthreider and current affairs comedian Petit Kashima look into the September 2022 Okinawa gubernatorial election. It took place on the 50th anniversary of the prefecture’s return from US control to Japan, and the two interview candidates and then travel to Henoko to examine protests about a US military base which have been going on for about 3,000 days.
The Stairway to the Distant Past 4K Remastered Version 
遥かな時代の階段を 「Harukana Jidai no Kaidan o」
Release Date: March 18th, 1995
Duration: 101 mins.
Director: Kaizo Hayashi
Writer: Kaizo Hayashi, Daisuke Tengan (Screenplay),
Starring: Masatoshi Nagase, Shiro Sano, Joe Shishido, Haruko Wanibuchi, Eiji Okada, Kiyotaka Nabara, Tetta Sugimoto, Kazuko Shirakawa,
Synopsis: Mike Hama is a private investigator who has an office above a cinema in Koganecho, Yokohama. Life is dull until his stripper mother, Lily, suddenly returns to town at the same time that Mike crosses paths with an underworld figure known as the White Man…
Terebi, Chinmoku. Hoso Fukano. II 
テレビ、沈黙。放送不可能。II 「Terebi, Chinmoku. Housou Fukanou. II」
Release Date: August 19th, 2023
Duration: 64 mins.
Director: Yoshihiro Murata
Writer: N/A
Starring: Soichiro Tahara, Hiroyuki Konishi,
Synopsis: Journalist Soichiro Tahara has another frank discussion with a politician. This time it is Hiroyuki Konishi, a member of the Democratic Party of Japan’s Constitutional Democratic Party. The two look into government interference in the media and media influence.
Yakyuudo Ahou Miboujin 
野球どアホウ未亡人 「Yakyuudo Ahou Miboujin」
Release Date: August 19th, 2023
Duration: 60 mins.
Director: Takashi Ono
Writer: Yuto Hori (Screenplay),
Starring: Mitsuki Moriyama, Shima Izutsu, Shuuto, Junya Kudo, Riku Tanaka, Ryo Yanagi,
Synopsis: After the death of her husband Kenichi, humble housewife Natsuko joins a baseball team to pay off his debts. She has talent and soon becomes obsessed with the pleasures of baseball while meeting a variety of characters.
Love Will Tear Us Apart 
Release Date: August 19th, 2023
Duration: 87 mins.
Director: Kenichi Ugana
Writer: Kenichi Ugana, Hirobumi Watanabe (Screenplay),
Starring: Sayu Kubota, Yuzu Aoki, Riko Fukikoshi, Mitsuru Fukikoshi, Atsuko Maeda, Shunsuke Tanaka, Akaji Maro,
Director Kenichi Ugana has been making horror movies that have made it to international fests. This is suspense horror and love romance film starring Sayu Kubota.
Synopsis: When Wakaba was in elementary school, she stuck up for her classmate Koki in the face of bullies. From that moment on, she had his heart. Years later, she finds that whenever she faces difficult and dangerous people, they wind up dead. This includes an idol and his group that she follows. When the culprit is eventually discovered, Wakaba discovers true love.