This week I reviewed the awesome Pacific Rim and gave my first impression of Sunday Without God. After seeing the trailer for Hana and Alice on Alua’s site I went on a spending spree and bought Love Letter, April Story, and Hana and Alice. I was bewitched by the trailer which I have had on repeat for quite a while! I already own All About Lily Chou-Chou so getting these three titles means that a Shunji Iwai season is in the pipeline!
Have you seen the trailer for 47 Ronin? Tired Paul sent it to me earlier this week and I think it looks pretty damn cool with its mix of fantasy and historical Japan. Nothing profound but possibly a lot of fun.
Also, sad news emerged earlier this week when Ryutaro Nakamura passed away last month at the age of 58. Nakamura was the director of two boundary pushing and highly intelligent anime: Kino’s Journey and Serial Experiments Lain. These are two truly brilliant anime that are dark, life-affirming and philosophical. Confusing but always fun. They had a heavy emotional and creative impact on me and I recommend them to everyone. RIP Ryutaro Nakamura.
Not much is released this weekend. There’s a lot of non-Japanese films actually like Two Days in New York and a documentary about Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin, There’s also Emperor, which played at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival (trailer in that post). Here are the Japanese films:
Fast Baba 
Japanese Title: 高速ばぁば
Romaji: Kousoku Baaba
Release Date: July 27th, 2013
Running Time: 71 mins.
Director: Eisuke Naito
Writer: Eisuke Naito (Screenplay)
Starring: Miki Honoka, Shiori Kitayama, Yu Goto, Atsuko Ono
Eisuke Naito was at last year’s Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival with the grisly sounding title Let’s Make the Teacher Have a Miscarriage Club. It stars Miki Honoka (Maria Watches Over Us), the model Shiori Kitayama and Yu Goto, member of the idol group idling! As someone who finds old women (and people in general) creepy as hell, I know this film will have me on edge! RUN, PRETTY IDOL GIRLS!!!
J-horror! Which looks funny, actually. The story follows an idol group who are shooting a TV report in the ruins of a nursing home. They witness an old woman moving at incredible speeds. What they don’t realise is that they have been cursed and this old lady is going to be chasing them!!!
Gekijouban Toriko Bishokunun no Special Menu 
Japanese Title: 劇場版 トリコ 美食神の 超 食宝（スペシャル メニュー）
Romaji: Gekijouban Toriko Bishokushin no Chou Shoku Takara (Supesharumenyuu)
Release Date: July 27th, 2013
Running Time: 80 mins.
Director: Akifumi ZAKO
Writer: Isao Murayama (Screenplay)
Starring: Ryotaro Okiayu (Toriko), Nana Mizuki (Tina), Kenji Matsuda (Zebra), Miki Maya (Ayame), Romi Park (Komatsu)
The Toriko anime movie has been released!!!! TIME FOR THE OPENING THEME!!!! The anime is directed by Akufumi ZAKO, series director for Toriko, and written by Isao Murayama, writer on Toriko and Kaidan Restaurant.
Toriko is a “”bishokuya” (gourmet food provider) who hunts down strange animals and plants that are used in fine cuisine (that’s actually pretty evil, now I think about it). Toriko has to head to a fabled island to get the ingredients for a special menu. Acacia the Bishokushin (Gourmet God) is getting in on the action as Toriko finds himself facing a new enemy, the former bishokukai brass Girimu.
Record Testimony Minako, the Last Yoshiwara Geisha 
Japanese Title: 最後 の 吉原 芸者 四代目 みな子 姉さん 吉原 最後 の 証言 記録
Romaji: Saigo no Yoshiwara Geisha Yondaime Minako Neesan Yoshiwara Saigo no Shougen Kiroku
Release Date: July 27th, 2013
Running Time: 59 mins.
Director: Makoto Yasuhara
Writer: N/A
Starring: N/A
Aahh, Yoshiwara, the infamous pleasure district where men were entertained by geisha. The setting of many a movie! Minako was the last Yoshiwara Geisha and she died in 2010 at the age of 90. She was born in Hokkaido in 1919 and moved to Tokyo at the age of 9 and was apprenticed as a geisha at the age of 11. She worked until the anti-prostitution laws of 1958 shut down Yoshiwara. Through this documentary we get an insight into her life and the times she saw.
Little Wing Children of March
Japanese Title: リトル ウィング 3 月の子供たち
Romaji: Ritoru Uingu 3 Gatsu no Kodomotachi
Release Date: July 20th, 2013
Running Time: 100 mins.
Director: Kenji Kurata
Writer: Kenji Kurata Seigo Inoue, Sasaki Akihito (Screenplay)
Starring: Nahana, Yuki Takashi, Ryunosuke Kawai, Shun Sugata, Susumu Terajima
The Great East Japan Earthquake still looms large over the Japanese film world and this is the latest title which uses it as subject matter. It stars Nahana who was impressive in Toilet and Women. She is joined by Shun Sugata (Heat After Dark, Eyes of the Spider, Marebito). Looks fun.
Yamato and his mother Misaki have had to move to Tokyo from Fukushima due to the nuclear disaster. Yamato wants to protect his mother and desires to get stronger so he wants to learn karate but Misaki is set against it despite having learned karate in the past. Kiryu, a karate master tries to teach Yamato but this brings them into conflict with Misaki.
