Cannes kicked off this week and the reviews are coming in thick and fast for all of the Japanese films that are at the festival. I’ll be sure to post highlights and links of/to them for you next week. I managed to watch three films this week and they were all horror titles: Silent Hill Revelations (2012), Ju-On: Beginning of the End (2014), and Puzzle (2014). Only one post this week: Watash no Otoko (2014).
What are the movies released this weekend?
Deadman Inferno (International Title) / Zombie Island (Japanese Title)
Japanese: Z アイランド
Romaji: Z Airando
Release Date: May 16th, 2015
Running Time: 108 mins.
Director: Hiroshi Shinagawa
Writer: Hiroshi Shinagawa (Screenplay),
Starring: Sho Aikawa, Shingo Tsurumi, Sawa Suzuki, Daigo, Erina Mizuno,Yukiko Shinohara, Daisuke Miyagawa, Yosuke Kubozuka, Maika Yamamoto,
The list of good zombie movies from Japan is short but this looks like a fun zombie film full of action and comedy and some decent special effects. It stars Sho Aikawa, an actor who people my generation will remember as being a collaborator with Takashi Miike in the Dead or Alive films. I have reviewed two V-cinema titles he was in, Eyes of the Spider and The Serpent’s Path, both released in the West thanks to Third Window Films. Here is the trailer plus a prequel of sorts:
Hiroya Munakata (Aikawa) and his younger brother Takashi (Tsurumi) are the leaders of the Munakata-gumi yakuza family. Takashi was sent away to prison for ten year after a fight but he is due to be released soon. His daughter Hyuga (Yamamoto) is not looking forward to seeing him and runs away to Zeni Island. The gang go to get her back and but Zeni island has strange inhabitants…
Kakekomi
Japanese: 駆込み女と駆出し男
Romaji: Kakekomi Onna to Kakedashi Otoko
Release Date: May 16th, 2015
Running Time: 143 mins.
Director: Masato Harada
Writer: Masato Harada (Screenplay), Hisashi Inoue (Original Novel),
Starring: Yo Oizumi. Erika Toda, Hikari Mitsushima, Rina Uchiyama, Misuzu Kanno, Hana Hizuki, Rei Otori, Jun Hashimoto, Shinichi Tsutsumi, Kirin Kiki, Denden,
I’ve read a few reviews of this and it sounds entertaining historical dramedy. Certainly, the cast is appealing. I like Yo Oizumi’s presence after seeing him in Bolt from the Blue and I think he can pull off the main role with ease, and Hikari Mitsushima (Sawako Decides, Love Exposure) is a talented actress when she isn’t wasted in a role like Moteki.
Did you know that the divorce rate during the Edo period was higher than it is now? One place that allowed people to get divorced was the Tokei-ji, a Buddhist temple in Kamakura that helped women escape from bad relationships and abusive husbands. Two women flee to the temple: Jogo (Toda) is tired of her feckless husband, Ogin (Mitsushima) wants to escape life as a concubine of a merchant. They both encounter a doctor named Nobujiro (Oizumi) who is staying at the temple. He aspires to be a writer and wants to help women establish new lives but one of these two new ladies in his life catches his feelings. Which one does he love?
Harajuku Denieri
Japanese: 原宿デニール
Romaji: Harajuku Denieri
Release Date: May 16th, 2015
Running Time: 89 mins.
Director: Hideta Takahata
Writer: Hideta Takahata (Screenplay),
Starring: Rina Takeda, Minsu, Joonho, Shuta, Gyumin, Saki Asamiya, Kaoru Hirata, Erica Tonooka, Sayaka Tashiro, Rie Fujiwara, Hiroshi Yamamoto, Hiroki Konno,
Set in Harajuku, various young people in various professions are the stars of a story which depicts the people who make up the lively area of Tokyo known as Harajuku. Martial arts angel Rina Takeda plays a policewoman named Yokoyama and she finds her story is linked to that of people of Korean descent, scouts for talent agencies who are scoping high school girls and more. This films sees Japanese actors and Korean boyband idols working together, probably best exemplified by the presence of the group BEE SHUFFLE.
Akegarasu
Japanese: 明烏あけがらす
Romaji: Akegarasu
Release Date: May 16th, 2015
Running Time: 106 mins.
Director: Yuichi Fukuda
Writer: Yuichi Fukuda (Screenplay),
Starring: Masaki Suda, Riho Yoshioka, Yuu Shirota, Hayato Kakizawa, Yuya Matsushita, Jiro Sato, Ryuya Wakaba,
Akegarasu is the name of an unpopular host club in Shinagawa, Tokyo, Naoki (Suda) is one of the hosts. He is working to pay off a debt of 10 million yen and on the night before he hands the money over to some pretty nasty characters he has a party to celebrate. The next day he discovers that his money has gone missing. Everybody in the club at the time claims not to have seen the money but Suda keeps searching knowing that if he doesn’t find it then he’ll be in big trouble…
Terrace House: Closing Door Kindan no fuku onsei-ban
Japanese Title: テラスハウス クロージング・ドア禁断の副音声版
Romaji: Terasu Hausu Kurosshingu Doa Kindan no fuku onsei-ban
Release Date: May 16th, 2015 (Japan)
Running Time: N/A
Director: Masato Maeda
Writer: N/A
Starring: Tetsuya Sugaya, Seina Shimabukuro, Hitoshi Kotabe, Yoshino Keisuke,
I think this is based on a Fuji TV television series from 2012-14 where a bunch of guys and gals shared a house with ocean views. I think the film begins after the last TV series and Tetsuya Sugaya and a new bunch of housemates are sent to the Terrace House. There’s no trailer because the show is region-locked apparently. Here’s a video on dailymotion of one episode.
Mushishi: The Next Chapter: Suzu no Shizuku
Japanese: 蟲師 特別編「鈴の雫」
Romaji: Mushishi: Zoku-Shō: Suzu no Shizuku
Release Date: May 16th, 2015
Running Time: N/A
Director: Hiroshi Nagahama
Writer: Hiroshi Nagahama (Screenplay), Yuki Urushibara (Original Creator),
Starring: Yuto Nakano (Ginko), Tomomi Saito (Kaya), Gen Ogawa (Ashiro), Mika Doi (Narrator),
Mushishi is the much-respected and loved award-winning manga from Yuki Urushibara. It has been adapted into one live-action movie and two TV anime which are held in high regard. This film is based on a story that didn’t get aired on TV. The story follows Ginko, a mushishi who studies mushi spirits and their effects on people.
