Ryu Murakami’s books are strange. They are violent, sensual, absurdly humorous, surrealistic, and hide their comments in an atmosphere of confusion and disorientation. The same actually applies to the movies based on his books, either those he directed himself (“Tokyo Decadence“) or those directed by others (“Audition“). “Karaoke Terror” despite being quite approachable, also includes the same elements, starting with the story.
Five young men spend their time together for no apparent reason, since they seem to have no common interests apart from doing karaoke in bondage outfits twice a week, and enjoying peeking on the neighbor that lives across the apartment of one of them, which functions as their headquarters. On the opposite axis lie five middle-aged women, either single or divorced, who are all named Midori and also enjoy their karaoke. The boys frequently talk about how this kind of women are the easiest to have sex with,...
Five young men spend their time together for no apparent reason, since they seem to have no common interests apart from doing karaoke in bondage outfits twice a week, and enjoying peeking on the neighbor that lives across the apartment of one of them, which functions as their headquarters. On the opposite axis lie five middle-aged women, either single or divorced, who are all named Midori and also enjoy their karaoke. The boys frequently talk about how this kind of women are the easiest to have sex with,...
- 4/20/2020
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Japanese director Tetsuo Shinohara has completed production on his most recent film “Shadowfall”. The Crime/Drama film stars Masayoshi Yamazaki (“Christmas in August”) as a petty thief that gets entangled in a murder case.
“Shadowfall” is set for release on November 12th in Japan. A trailer for the production has been made available, and can be viewed below.
Synopsis
Typically thieves enter a house, steal things and get out. This time an unsuspecting thief enters a home to steal as much as he can and instead is faced with an occupant inside the house. There is a woman within who is going to commit a murder. She is also about to set the place ablaze. The thief stops her and in the process the criminal becomes the one stopping a crime. The situation is connected to a case from some twenty years ago (imdb)...
“Shadowfall” is set for release on November 12th in Japan. A trailer for the production has been made available, and can be viewed below.
Synopsis
Typically thieves enter a house, steal things and get out. This time an unsuspecting thief enters a home to steal as much as he can and instead is faced with an occupant inside the house. There is a woman within who is going to commit a murder. She is also about to set the place ablaze. The thief stops her and in the process the criminal becomes the one stopping a crime. The situation is connected to a case from some twenty years ago (imdb)...
- 10/24/2019
- by Adam Symchuk
- AsianMoviePulse
The film is a remake of Noboru Iguchi’s cult action thriller The Machine Girl.
Japan’s Nikkatsu is launching sales at Filmart on Rise Of The Machine Girls, a remake of Noboru Iguchi’s cult action feature The Machine Girl.
Directed by Yuki Kobayashi (Death Row Family), the new film stars Himena Tsukimiya, Kanon Hanakage and Tak. It is produced by Yoshinori Chiba, who also produced Iguchi’s 2008 original, and Yoshihiro Nishimura (Tokyo Gore Police).
In the new version, Ami and her sister Yoshie are scraping by doing fight shows when Yoshie is captured by female killing machines during...
Japan’s Nikkatsu is launching sales at Filmart on Rise Of The Machine Girls, a remake of Noboru Iguchi’s cult action feature The Machine Girl.
Directed by Yuki Kobayashi (Death Row Family), the new film stars Himena Tsukimiya, Kanon Hanakage and Tak. It is produced by Yoshinori Chiba, who also produced Iguchi’s 2008 original, and Yoshihiro Nishimura (Tokyo Gore Police).
In the new version, Ami and her sister Yoshie are scraping by doing fight shows when Yoshie is captured by female killing machines during...
- 3/17/2019
- by Jean Noh
- ScreenDaily
The program of the 18th Japanese Film Festival Nippon Connection in Frankfurt am Main is complete! From May 29 to June 3, 2018 the audience can discover more than 100 new short and feature films at the biggest festival for Japanese film worldwide – from blockbusters and anime to independent and documentary films. Almost all of the films will be presented as German, European- international, or world premieres. A diverse supporting program provides about 50 exciting cultural activities apart from the cinema. Numerous Japanese filmmakers, musicians, and artists will be our guests at the festival. As the guest of honor, renowned actress Shinobu Terajima will receive the Nippon Honor Award 2018. The events will take place at the festival centers at Künstlerhaus Mousonturm and Theater Willy Praml in der Naxoshalle as well as four additional locations in Frankfurt am Main.
Nippon Cinema
Once more, many stars of the Japanese film scene will be expected to present...
Nippon Cinema
Once more, many stars of the Japanese film scene will be expected to present...
- 5/16/2018
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
Judging from the poster and trailer that came out in Japan last month, Tetsuo Shinohara's Flower and Sword (Hana Ikusa) should be some kind of bright-colored slapstick comedy. Nothing could be more misrepresentative of this gentle historical-philosophical rumination on the effectiveness of non-violence against tyranny. Shinohara, who has rarely strayed far from genre over the course of his directing career, leaps out of his comfort zone with an offbeat crossover that stages a "flower battle" (the film's original title) between blade-happy shoguns and Buddhist monks who fight injustice with their profound understanding of nature and art. Guess who wins.
If...
If...
- 6/26/2017
- by Deborah Young
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
An android actress, giant anime robots and the legacy of Akira Kurosawa were among the offerings at this year’s Tokyo International Film Festival (Tiff), which as always presented an interesting mix of old and new.
Android Geminoid-f – created by robotics expert Hiroshi Ishiguro – is an eerily convincing lead actress in Koji Fukada’s Sayonara, which received its world premiere in Tiff’s competition section.
Both Geminoid-f and Japanese-speaking actress Bryerly Long are reprising their roles from the short stage-play from which the film is adapted.
Although set in a near-future Japan contaminated by radiation, the film is more of a riff on mortality and the fear of death than a comment on the Fukushima nuclear disaster.
More startling than the story was the range of emotions that Geminoid-f was able to convey. “Sometimes robots can express more than humans,” said Ishiguro at a post-screening event.
Gundam focus
The giant robots came courtesy of a focus on iconic...
Android Geminoid-f – created by robotics expert Hiroshi Ishiguro – is an eerily convincing lead actress in Koji Fukada’s Sayonara, which received its world premiere in Tiff’s competition section.
Both Geminoid-f and Japanese-speaking actress Bryerly Long are reprising their roles from the short stage-play from which the film is adapted.
Although set in a near-future Japan contaminated by radiation, the film is more of a riff on mortality and the fear of death than a comment on the Fukushima nuclear disaster.
More startling than the story was the range of emotions that Geminoid-f was able to convey. “Sometimes robots can express more than humans,” said Ishiguro at a post-screening event.
Gundam focus
The giant robots came courtesy of a focus on iconic...
- 10/27/2015
- by lizshackleton@gmail.com (Liz Shackleton)
- ScreenDaily
An android actress, giant anime robots and the legacy of Akira Kurosawa were among the offerings at this year’s Tokyo International Film Festival (Tiff), which as always presented an interesting mix of old and new.
Android Geminoid-f – created by robotics expert Hiroshi Ishiguro – is an eerily convincing lead actress in Koji Fukada’s Sayonara, which received its world premiere in Tiff’s competition section. Both Geminoid-f and Japanese-speaking actress Bryerly Long are reprising their roles from the short stage-play that the film is adapted from.
Although set in a near-future Japan contaminated by radiation, the film is more of a riff on mortality and the fear of death than a comment on the Fukushima nuclear disaster. More startling than the story was the range of emotions that Geminoid-f was able to convey. “Sometimes robots can express more than humans,” said Ishiguro at a post-screening event.
The giant robots came courtesy of a focus on iconic Japanese...
Android Geminoid-f – created by robotics expert Hiroshi Ishiguro – is an eerily convincing lead actress in Koji Fukada’s Sayonara, which received its world premiere in Tiff’s competition section. Both Geminoid-f and Japanese-speaking actress Bryerly Long are reprising their roles from the short stage-play that the film is adapted from.
Although set in a near-future Japan contaminated by radiation, the film is more of a riff on mortality and the fear of death than a comment on the Fukushima nuclear disaster. More startling than the story was the range of emotions that Geminoid-f was able to convey. “Sometimes robots can express more than humans,” said Ishiguro at a post-screening event.
The giant robots came courtesy of a focus on iconic Japanese...
- 10/27/2015
- by lizshackleton@gmail.com (Liz Shackleton)
- ScreenDaily
Read More: Watch: Joseph Gordon-Levitt is a 'Man on Wire' in Thrilling 'The Walk' TrailerThe 28th Tokyo International Film Festival held a press conference today to announce this year's festival venues, Jury President and opening and closing films. Bryan Singer ("The Usual Suspects," "X-Men") has been selected as this year's Jury President, joining a list of respected filmmakers who have served at previous festivals. The festival will open with Robert Zemeckis' drama "The Walk," starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Philippe Petit, and will close with Japanese director Tetsuo Shinohara's film "Terminal," starring Koichi Sato ("When the Last Sword is Drawn"). Additionally, directors Isao Yukisada, Sotho Kulikar and Brillante Mendoza announced the outline of their omnibus film project, "Asian Three-Fold Mirror." The three directors will be filming in various Asian countries and will premiere their completed...
- 7/28/2015
- by Sarah Choi
- Indiewire
Director Bryan Singer to head the main competition jury.
Robert Zemeckis’ The Walk, a 3D biographical thriller starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the French high-wire artist Philippe Petit, will open the 28th edition of the Tokyo International Film Festival (Oct 22-31).
The festival, to be held in Roppongi Hills and other venues, will close with Tetsuo Shinohara’s Terminal, a romance drama based on the novel by Shino Sakuragi.
Tiff is lengthening this year’s festival by a day and adding screening locations at theatres in Tokyo’s bustling Shinjuku district, as well as the Kabukiza Theatre for a second year, saying it needed more time and space due to an expansion of its programme.
“We’d like to give more wide ranging screenings so that more people can come,” said Tiff managing director Nobushige Toshima in presenting the festival outline.
The festival has added three new sections to its programme: Panorama, Japan Now and...
Robert Zemeckis’ The Walk, a 3D biographical thriller starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the French high-wire artist Philippe Petit, will open the 28th edition of the Tokyo International Film Festival (Oct 22-31).
The festival, to be held in Roppongi Hills and other venues, will close with Tetsuo Shinohara’s Terminal, a romance drama based on the novel by Shino Sakuragi.
Tiff is lengthening this year’s festival by a day and adding screening locations at theatres in Tokyo’s bustling Shinjuku district, as well as the Kabukiza Theatre for a second year, saying it needed more time and space due to an expansion of its programme.
“We’d like to give more wide ranging screenings so that more people can come,” said Tiff managing director Nobushige Toshima in presenting the festival outline.
The festival has added three new sections to its programme: Panorama, Japan Now and...
- 7/28/2015
- ScreenDaily
Hiroyuki Ikeuchi is set to appear in an upcoming Japan-China co-production called Sweetheart Chocolate alongside Taiwanese actress Chi-ling Lin (Moon Lovers, Red Cliff).
The movie is said to feature a tragic love story involving three main characters and spanning two decades. Lin plays an exchange student from Shanghai named Yue Lin. Ikeuchi plays a ski patrol member she meets in Yubari, Hokkaido.
Junichi Mori was originally attached to the project as director when it was first listed on the Shanghai International Film Festival website, but Tetsuo Shinohara has since taken the helm. Ikeuchi’s casting was reportedly Shinohara’s idea, and received strong support from the Chinese staff. They previously worked together in 2003’s Showa Kayo Daizenshuu.
Filming with a mix of Chinese and Japanese staff began on the 15th of this month in Yubari after about a year of preparation. The production will later move to China.
In order to fit in,...
The movie is said to feature a tragic love story involving three main characters and spanning two decades. Lin plays an exchange student from Shanghai named Yue Lin. Ikeuchi plays a ski patrol member she meets in Yubari, Hokkaido.
Junichi Mori was originally attached to the project as director when it was first listed on the Shanghai International Film Festival website, but Tetsuo Shinohara has since taken the helm. Ikeuchi’s casting was reportedly Shinohara’s idea, and received strong support from the Chinese staff. They previously worked together in 2003’s Showa Kayo Daizenshuu.
Filming with a mix of Chinese and Japanese staff began on the 15th of this month in Yubari after about a year of preparation. The production will later move to China.
In order to fit in,...
- 3/27/2012
- Nippon Cinema
The official website for Tetsuo Shinohara’s upcoming jidaigeki film Ogawa no Hotori has been updated with a 55-second trailer.
Based on a story by the late Shuhei Fujisawa (The Twilight Samurai, Sword of Desperation), the film revolves around a samurai named Inui Sakunosuke (Noriyuki Higashiyama) who is given a mission of vengeance from his clan. However, his assassination target is a man named Sakuma Morie, the husband of his younger sister, Tazu (Rinko Kikuchi). Thus, Sakunosuke is put in the agonizing position of choosing between love of family and duty to his clan.
Complicating matters, Tazu is also skilled with the blade, and Sakunosuke must face the distinct possibility of being forced to defend himself against her.
Toei will be releasing “Ogawa no Hotori” in Yamagata Prefecture on June 18, 2011 with a nation-wide release to follow on July 2.
Watch »...
Based on a story by the late Shuhei Fujisawa (The Twilight Samurai, Sword of Desperation), the film revolves around a samurai named Inui Sakunosuke (Noriyuki Higashiyama) who is given a mission of vengeance from his clan. However, his assassination target is a man named Sakuma Morie, the husband of his younger sister, Tazu (Rinko Kikuchi). Thus, Sakunosuke is put in the agonizing position of choosing between love of family and duty to his clan.
Complicating matters, Tazu is also skilled with the blade, and Sakunosuke must face the distinct possibility of being forced to defend himself against her.
Toei will be releasing “Ogawa no Hotori” in Yamagata Prefecture on June 18, 2011 with a nation-wide release to follow on July 2.
Watch »...
- 4/30/2011
- Nippon Cinema
Media Blasters has uploaded an English-subtitled trailer for Kenta Fukasaku’s Black Rat to their YouTube channel, so it’s safe to assume a North American release by their Asian horror-focused sub-label Tokyo Shock isn’t far off.
The film was released last year as part of “Avex Newstar Cinema Collection Vol. 2” along with Tetsuo Shinohara’s Ramune, Noritomo Nagashima’s Otona ni Natta Natsu, and Rin Tadashi’s Custard Pudding. Basically, Avex Management produces and distributes movies for the specific purpose of showcasing their young talent.
In “Black Rat”, six high schoolers receive a cell phone email from a classmate named Asuka telling them to come back to their class in the middle of the night. The only problem is Asuka recently committed suicide. They decide they better do as they’re told, but when the clock strikes midnight, a person wielding a bat and wearing a blood-stained costume...
The film was released last year as part of “Avex Newstar Cinema Collection Vol. 2” along with Tetsuo Shinohara’s Ramune, Noritomo Nagashima’s Otona ni Natta Natsu, and Rin Tadashi’s Custard Pudding. Basically, Avex Management produces and distributes movies for the specific purpose of showcasing their young talent.
In “Black Rat”, six high schoolers receive a cell phone email from a classmate named Asuka telling them to come back to their class in the middle of the night. The only problem is Asuka recently committed suicide. They decide they better do as they’re told, but when the clock strikes midnight, a person wielding a bat and wearing a blood-stained costume...
- 3/5/2011
- Nippon Cinema
Lest anyone think Rinko Kikuchi has nothing better to do than pose for obscure magazines or engage in public displays of affection with Spike Jonze, she’s once again defied expectations by joining the cast of a traditional jidaigeki drama. Today it was announced that Kikuchi will play the heroine in Tetsuo Shinohara’s Ogawa no Hotori, opposite Noriyuki Higashiyama.
The film is based on a short story by Shuhei Fujisawa (The Twilight Samurai, Love and Honor). Shinohara previously directed an adaptation of Fujisawa’s “Yamazakura” in 2008 which also co-starred Higashiyama.
Set in the fictional Unasaka domain, the story involves a samurai who’s obligated to follow an order that could destroy his relationship with his own younger sister.
Kikuchi, who had to dye her hair from blond back to black for the role, has never appeared in a jidaigeki drama before now. “The screenplay is very good,” she said.
The film is based on a short story by Shuhei Fujisawa (The Twilight Samurai, Love and Honor). Shinohara previously directed an adaptation of Fujisawa’s “Yamazakura” in 2008 which also co-starred Higashiyama.
Set in the fictional Unasaka domain, the story involves a samurai who’s obligated to follow an order that could destroy his relationship with his own younger sister.
Kikuchi, who had to dye her hair from blond back to black for the role, has never appeared in a jidaigeki drama before now. “The screenplay is very good,” she said.
- 9/29/2010
- Nippon Cinema
Lest anyone think Rinko Kikuchi has nothing better to do than pose for obscure magazines or engage in public displays of affection with Spike Jonze, she’s once again defied expectations by joining the cast of a traditional jidaigeki drama. Today it was announced that Kikuchi will play the heroine in Tetsuo Shinohara’s Ogawa no Hotori, opposite Noriyuki Higashiyama.
The film is based on a short story by Shuhei Fujisawa (The Twilight Samurai, Love and Honor). Shinohara previously directed an adaptation of Fujisawa’s “Yamazakura” in 2008 which also co-starred Higashiyama.
Set in the fictional Unasaka domain, the story involves a samurai who’s obligated to follow an order that could destroy his relationship with his own younger sister.
Kikuchi, who had to dye her hair from blond back to black for the role, has never appeared in a jidaigeki drama before now. “The screenplay is very good,” she said.
The film is based on a short story by Shuhei Fujisawa (The Twilight Samurai, Love and Honor). Shinohara previously directed an adaptation of Fujisawa’s “Yamazakura” in 2008 which also co-starred Higashiyama.
Set in the fictional Unasaka domain, the story involves a samurai who’s obligated to follow an order that could destroy his relationship with his own younger sister.
Kikuchi, who had to dye her hair from blond back to black for the role, has never appeared in a jidaigeki drama before now. “The screenplay is very good,” she said.
- 9/29/2010
- Nippon Cinema
- With a line-up of 90 films, it’s impossible to like all the films presented at the festival. Festival goers who have to buy tickets can hand-pick a selection of the best 10-20 films or so. However, my philosophy when I have a festival pass is to see as many films as I can, even movies that look less interesting based on their picture and 300-word summary in the catalogue. I think that having a pass is necessary to fully enjoy a festival; this can be a wonderful way to discover new films that we wouldn’t have picked had we had to pay for individual tickets. It’s unfortunate that Fantasia doesn’t offer any passes to the public. However, the drawback in having a pass is that a lot of films that really aren’t very interesting make their way to our schedule. It can be deadly to
- 7/13/2005
- IONCINEMA.com
MONTREAL -- "Loving is not changing a thought into action. It is the thought itself." So begins "Inochi", an official competition entry and world premiere here slated for commercial release in Japan in the fall. A well-intentioned tale of birth, terminal disease and redemption, based on a trio of autobiographical novels by Miri Yu, director Tetsuo Shinohara's film is mostly somber, well-performed by a small cast and at least a bit uplifting at the end, but it's not destined for significant distribution beyond festivals and Japanese-language markets.
For nearly two hours the film deals with two characters who face major life challenges with each other's help, even though they were once lovers who separated years earlier. "Inochi" opens with writer Yu (Makiko Esumi) breaking up with the married man who she has gotten pregnant with. Having contemplated suicide in the past and facing a husbandless future, Yu is fully aware that she's entered a dangerous time.
She seeks out old boyfriend and theater director Yutaka Higashi (Etsushi Toyokawa), an energetic, confident, demanding chain smoker about to come crashing to earth. Indeed, not much more time goes by before he's been diagnosed with terminal cancer that's spread to several organs. Both feeling that the 10 years they spent together were as close to a "family" as they've ever had, his moving in with her for the rough times to come is a reason to keep wanting to live -- for both of them.
But there's no medical miracle to help Higashi, even when he goes to New York and tries different treatments. He does make it to the birth of Yu's son. Although his goal is to live to hear the boy say his name, holding the newborn in the hospital nursery is a form of rebirth that also strengthens Yu's resolve to live. Taking morphine and starting to hallucinate, his body deteriorating, Higashi reminds her that once she promised to kill him if he became incurably ill and predicts that once he goes, she'll follow him.
While it's very sad to watch Higashi fade away, there's little reason to fear that Yu will do something tragic once he's gone. Indeed, it's Yu's mother in an earlier scene who correctly predicts that her troublesome daughter will never return to her gloomy self once she has the baby.
With a few flashbacks to happier days, but nothing unique in the filmmaking department, "Inochi" is less emotionally manipulative than it sounds, saving the best moment for the parting words of the two leads. With a more recent girlfriend taking over for Yu as time gets short, the death of Higashi is not lingered on. The happiest ending possible, given the circumstances, is a welcome relief to the film's thick atmosphere of disease and bad dreams.
INOCHI
TBS, Toei Co.
Credits:
Director: Tetsuo Shinohara
Screenwriter: Sumio Omotri
Based on novels by: Miri Yu
Producers: Morihiro Kodama, Masao Sato, Osamu Kamei, Teizo Aoyama, Toshiyuki Takagi
Executive producer: Norihiko Tani
Director of photography: Takeshi Hamada
Production designer: Hidetaka Ozawa
Editor: Isao Tomita
Music: Tatsuya Murayama
Cast:
Yu Miri: Makiko Esumi
Yutaka Higashi: Etsushi Toyokawa
Running time -- 111 minutes
No MPAA rating...
For nearly two hours the film deals with two characters who face major life challenges with each other's help, even though they were once lovers who separated years earlier. "Inochi" opens with writer Yu (Makiko Esumi) breaking up with the married man who she has gotten pregnant with. Having contemplated suicide in the past and facing a husbandless future, Yu is fully aware that she's entered a dangerous time.
She seeks out old boyfriend and theater director Yutaka Higashi (Etsushi Toyokawa), an energetic, confident, demanding chain smoker about to come crashing to earth. Indeed, not much more time goes by before he's been diagnosed with terminal cancer that's spread to several organs. Both feeling that the 10 years they spent together were as close to a "family" as they've ever had, his moving in with her for the rough times to come is a reason to keep wanting to live -- for both of them.
But there's no medical miracle to help Higashi, even when he goes to New York and tries different treatments. He does make it to the birth of Yu's son. Although his goal is to live to hear the boy say his name, holding the newborn in the hospital nursery is a form of rebirth that also strengthens Yu's resolve to live. Taking morphine and starting to hallucinate, his body deteriorating, Higashi reminds her that once she promised to kill him if he became incurably ill and predicts that once he goes, she'll follow him.
While it's very sad to watch Higashi fade away, there's little reason to fear that Yu will do something tragic once he's gone. Indeed, it's Yu's mother in an earlier scene who correctly predicts that her troublesome daughter will never return to her gloomy self once she has the baby.
With a few flashbacks to happier days, but nothing unique in the filmmaking department, "Inochi" is less emotionally manipulative than it sounds, saving the best moment for the parting words of the two leads. With a more recent girlfriend taking over for Yu as time gets short, the death of Higashi is not lingered on. The happiest ending possible, given the circumstances, is a welcome relief to the film's thick atmosphere of disease and bad dreams.
INOCHI
TBS, Toei Co.
Credits:
Director: Tetsuo Shinohara
Screenwriter: Sumio Omotri
Based on novels by: Miri Yu
Producers: Morihiro Kodama, Masao Sato, Osamu Kamei, Teizo Aoyama, Toshiyuki Takagi
Executive producer: Norihiko Tani
Director of photography: Takeshi Hamada
Production designer: Hidetaka Ozawa
Editor: Isao Tomita
Music: Tatsuya Murayama
Cast:
Yu Miri: Makiko Esumi
Yutaka Higashi: Etsushi Toyokawa
Running time -- 111 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 10/3/2002
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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