The issue with Sion Sono has been on going for quite some time now. I will not analyze what happened, since I feel that the articles linked next shed much light to the case
https://variety.com/2022/film/news/sion-sono-sexual-harassment-1235224844/
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/sion-sono-accused-of-multiple-sexual-assaults-1235125282
At the same time, I feel that in every case, both sides should be heard, and in that regard, I decided to also feature an interview that Nikodem Karolak recently conducted with the director. This, however, does not mean that I condone any type of the behavior mentioned in the aforementioned articles (which I definitely condemn) neither that I do not realize how much of a toxic setting the (Japanese) movie industry can be. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
When meeting Sion Sono for the first time, one expects to encounter a bizarre circus character – a conspicuous Mad Hatter and defiant amanojaku in one – capable of...
https://variety.com/2022/film/news/sion-sono-sexual-harassment-1235224844/
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/sion-sono-accused-of-multiple-sexual-assaults-1235125282
At the same time, I feel that in every case, both sides should be heard, and in that regard, I decided to also feature an interview that Nikodem Karolak recently conducted with the director. This, however, does not mean that I condone any type of the behavior mentioned in the aforementioned articles (which I definitely condemn) neither that I do not realize how much of a toxic setting the (Japanese) movie industry can be. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
When meeting Sion Sono for the first time, one expects to encounter a bizarre circus character – a conspicuous Mad Hatter and defiant amanojaku in one – capable of...
- 5/28/2024
- by Nikodem Karolak
- AsianMoviePulse
With films like “Destruction Babies” and “Miyamoto”, Tetsuya Mariko has really left an impact in the Japanese movie industry during the latest years, as one of the few remaining directors of ‘tense cinema', as established by directors such as Takashi Miike, Sion Sono, Toshiaki Toyoda and Shinya Tsukamoto. Now, with “Before Anyone Else”, he attempts to take his talents outside Japan, to the US specifically, hopefully in a new endeavor and not because he cannot find space in his home country anymore.
Before Anyone Else is screening at Osaka Asian Film Festival
In black-and-white and low definition, the movie begins with a young woman driving a car, getting out of it, and then the camera turning to the backseat, showing a baby sitting there. The next cut shows a completely different scene, in color this time, where a group of four Americans and Asian Americans break into a pawn shop.
Before Anyone Else is screening at Osaka Asian Film Festival
In black-and-white and low definition, the movie begins with a young woman driving a car, getting out of it, and then the camera turning to the backseat, showing a baby sitting there. The next cut shows a completely different scene, in color this time, where a group of four Americans and Asian Americans break into a pawn shop.
- 3/3/2024
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Horror has come into its own in the 21st century. This is not to say that the genre has ever not been one of the most interesting and creative in the long history of cinema. Since nearly the beginning of the art form, using moving images to scare audiences has been a gateway for aspirin filmmakers to break into the industry—or for even veterans to creatively something about the greater world by painting a landscape of anxiety.
Nonetheless, the 21st century (particularly beginning in its second decade) has brought a renewed appreciation for scary movies’ abilities to speak to audiences with more than just “boo.” With that in mind, we at Den of Geek have polled our staff and collected the below list of what we generally consider to be the best chillers of the fast quarter-century or so. Enjoy.
42. Land of the Dead (2005)
Land of the Dead does...
Nonetheless, the 21st century (particularly beginning in its second decade) has brought a renewed appreciation for scary movies’ abilities to speak to audiences with more than just “boo.” With that in mind, we at Den of Geek have polled our staff and collected the below list of what we generally consider to be the best chillers of the fast quarter-century or so. Enjoy.
42. Land of the Dead (2005)
Land of the Dead does...
- 10/31/2023
- by John Saavedra
- Den of Geek
Orbiting somewhere around the Chris Rock-fronted Good Hair and Sion Sono’s Exte, An Asian Ghost Story riffs on wigs, their multiple lives, the mortality of hair, and its afterlife.
Floated into this exploration is the significance of Hong Kong as a midpoint between China and the west, with director Bo Wang using hair exports from the mid-20th century to tell a story of an under-documented industry, broader Asian industrialisation, and the barriers posed by the US to Chinese trade.
Wang’s playful, elegantly experimental film weaves eerie supernatural investigation and multiple potted histories with statically shot street scenes captured with lo-fi film stock in parallel with a narration told from the point of view of a factory worker who speculates on how a wig can retain the spirits of those whose hair was shorn to make them.
Wang’s affection for his subject matter is clear, but he also seems to delight.
Floated into this exploration is the significance of Hong Kong as a midpoint between China and the west, with director Bo Wang using hair exports from the mid-20th century to tell a story of an under-documented industry, broader Asian industrialisation, and the barriers posed by the US to Chinese trade.
Wang’s playful, elegantly experimental film weaves eerie supernatural investigation and multiple potted histories with statically shot street scenes captured with lo-fi film stock in parallel with a narration told from the point of view of a factory worker who speculates on how a wig can retain the spirits of those whose hair was shorn to make them.
Wang’s affection for his subject matter is clear, but he also seems to delight.
- 9/20/2023
- by Sunil Chauhan
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
InlanDimensions International Arts Festival has established itself as Central Europe's largest multidisciplinary festival, rejecting differentiation between Europe and Asia by building bridges between countries and cultures. It showcases a kaleidoscope of arts ranging from theatre, performance, dance, and cinema, to music, literature, and visual arts, bringing together artists and audiences from all over the world, launching co-productions, and facilitating negotiations between venues and producers through professional language services. Though the central focus of InlanDimensions is on postwar to postmodern art, the festival does not break with tradition, but stresses its transformations and influence on contemporary art. It introduces audiences to the concept of Eurasian theatre and film as a marriage of diverse cultures and genres within a single piece of art. We invite a broad spectrum of artists to create another dimension of this vast intercultural empire that reaches deeper and deeper into the continents.
Projects currently in progress initiated...
Projects currently in progress initiated...
- 9/11/2023
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Takeshi Kushida's debut, “Woman of the Photographs” was one of the best films of 2020. Three years later, the director returns with “My Mother's Eyes” , a film that also deals with the concept of ‘seeing', but on a whole different level.
My Mother's Eyes is screening at Skip City International D-Cinema Festival
Hitomi and her daughter Eri are cellists. The two seem to have a rather loving relationship, to the point of codependency on occasion. As the latter, however, seems to become more rebellious, a certain level of tension arises between them. One fateful night, after a magnificent duet at Eri's school concert, they are involved in a major car accident (?), from which they emerge badly injured. Hitomi loses her eyesight and Eri is paralyzed from the neck down. In her desperation, Hitomi stumbles upon a new, still experimental contact lens device invented by Dr. Tomio Miike, which will restore her vision,...
My Mother's Eyes is screening at Skip City International D-Cinema Festival
Hitomi and her daughter Eri are cellists. The two seem to have a rather loving relationship, to the point of codependency on occasion. As the latter, however, seems to become more rebellious, a certain level of tension arises between them. One fateful night, after a magnificent duet at Eri's school concert, they are involved in a major car accident (?), from which they emerge badly injured. Hitomi loses her eyesight and Eri is paralyzed from the neck down. In her desperation, Hitomi stumbles upon a new, still experimental contact lens device invented by Dr. Tomio Miike, which will restore her vision,...
- 7/20/2023
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Five years ago seems aeons in an era so disrupted by Covid. So it comes as a surprise to realize that the original screen “Bird Box” arrived a full 14 months or so in advance of pandemic restrictions — becoming an early Netflix pop-culture phenomenon before lockdown made that sort of thing a regular occurrence. Susanne Bier’s film of Josh Malerman’s sci-fi horror novel was intriguing and suspenseful enough, even if its emphasis on psychological drama over thrills made for a somewhat unlikely breakout hit.
Inevitably, if belatedly, there’s now a follow-up — but not an adaptation of Malerman’s own print sequel, which continued the travails of the character played by Sandra Bullock. Instead, “Bird Box Barcelona” is a “parallel story” set on another continent entirely. Written and directed by Alex and David Pastor, whose prior genre efforts “The Last Days” (2013) and “Carriers” (2009) both had similar basic premises, it...
Inevitably, if belatedly, there’s now a follow-up — but not an adaptation of Malerman’s own print sequel, which continued the travails of the character played by Sandra Bullock. Instead, “Bird Box Barcelona” is a “parallel story” set on another continent entirely. Written and directed by Alex and David Pastor, whose prior genre efforts “The Last Days” (2013) and “Carriers” (2009) both had similar basic premises, it...
- 7/11/2023
- by Dennis Harvey
- Variety Film + TV
On Friday nights, IndieWire After Dark takes a feature-length beat to honor fringe cinema in the streaming age.
First, the spoiler-free pitch for one editor’s midnight movie pick — something weird and wonderful from any age of film that deserves our memorializing.
Then, the spoiler-filled aftermath as experienced by the unwitting editor attacked by this week’s recommendation.
The Pitch: Is This Gift from the Fuck Bombers the Greatest Movie Ever Made?
One dramatic question plays out twice in Sion Sono’s gleeful, blood-soaked, meta-masterpiece “Why Don’t You Play in Hell?” As a ragtag group of amateur filmmakers known as the Fuck Bombers pursues their earnest quest — to achieve all-time cinematic superiority by capturing the real violence of a yakuza war — every slice of skin and splice of footage demands to know: Is this the greatest movie ever made?
In short, not quite.
As a matter of craft, Sono’s...
First, the spoiler-free pitch for one editor’s midnight movie pick — something weird and wonderful from any age of film that deserves our memorializing.
Then, the spoiler-filled aftermath as experienced by the unwitting editor attacked by this week’s recommendation.
The Pitch: Is This Gift from the Fuck Bombers the Greatest Movie Ever Made?
One dramatic question plays out twice in Sion Sono’s gleeful, blood-soaked, meta-masterpiece “Why Don’t You Play in Hell?” As a ragtag group of amateur filmmakers known as the Fuck Bombers pursues their earnest quest — to achieve all-time cinematic superiority by capturing the real violence of a yakuza war — every slice of skin and splice of footage demands to know: Is this the greatest movie ever made?
In short, not quite.
As a matter of craft, Sono’s...
- 7/8/2023
- by Christian Zilko and Alison Foreman
- Indiewire
From the late ’50s and into the 1970s the Japanese New Wave exhibited an incredible creative outburst that defined and shaped what we consider contemporary Japanese cinema. But most studious critics have labeled what came after, the 1980s, as the “lost decade” of Japanese filmmaking, where no major directors or movements came to the forefront in either the home country or worldwide. Nevertheless, there’s been a recent surge of reconsideration of that period, mainly through retrospectives and restorations, like the one put together by Japan Society on Shinji Somai, one of the most important, eclectic directors who got his start in that epoch.
“Rites of Passage: The Films of Shinji Somai” features seven of the director’s early features, made between 1981 and 1990, which cemented his style. As the name of the retrospective and its accompanying description by its programmers hint, Somai cut his teeth into the seishun eiga (youth film) genre,...
“Rites of Passage: The Films of Shinji Somai” features seven of the director’s early features, made between 1981 and 1990, which cemented his style. As the name of the retrospective and its accompanying description by its programmers hint, Somai cut his teeth into the seishun eiga (youth film) genre,...
- 4/26/2023
- by Jaime Grijalba
- The Film Stage
After more than three decades, Frank Henenlotter’s putrid parable for drug addiction hits harder than ever with tons of self-aware bite.
“Splatstick” is an exaggerated horror subgenre that explores grotesque gore that’s so over the top that it begins to border on the point of comedy. Sam Raimi, Peter Jackson, and even more contemporary voices in horror like Sion Sono or Terrifier’s Damien Leone are names that are often associated with this bold, bloody genre. Frank Henenlotter is a pivotal name in splatstick low-budget indie horror whose work often goes overlooked, despite its decidedly more outlandish energy. Henenlotter’s greatest claim to fame is his Basket Case trilogy, but it’s Brain Damage that’s actually the deepest film in his oeuvre.
All of Henenlotter’s horror films have very obvious analogues and they aren’t especially deep in their subtext, but there’s still subtext all the same.
“Splatstick” is an exaggerated horror subgenre that explores grotesque gore that’s so over the top that it begins to border on the point of comedy. Sam Raimi, Peter Jackson, and even more contemporary voices in horror like Sion Sono or Terrifier’s Damien Leone are names that are often associated with this bold, bloody genre. Frank Henenlotter is a pivotal name in splatstick low-budget indie horror whose work often goes overlooked, despite its decidedly more outlandish energy. Henenlotter’s greatest claim to fame is his Basket Case trilogy, but it’s Brain Damage that’s actually the deepest film in his oeuvre.
All of Henenlotter’s horror films have very obvious analogues and they aren’t especially deep in their subtext, but there’s still subtext all the same.
- 4/13/2023
- by Daniel Kurland
- bloody-disgusting.com
Combining the horrific with the grotesque and the sensual in order to both entertain and to present various comments in extreme fashion has always been one of the knacks of Japanese cinema, with filmmakers like Takashi Miike, Sion Sono and Tetsuya Mariko among others having thrived in this approach repeatedly. Noboru Iguchi proves that he is also a member of the “group”, with his latest work “Tales of Bliss and Heresy” an omnibus of three different parts.
“Tales of Bliss and Heresy” review is part of the Submit Your Film Initiative
The first one is titled “Painful Shadows” and focuses on the interactions between two office workers, a man and a woman, with the former being the higher up. His behavior, however, is creepy to say the least, since he peeks on his colleague, makes snide comments about her writing, and even teases her regarding food. It turns out, though,...
“Tales of Bliss and Heresy” review is part of the Submit Your Film Initiative
The first one is titled “Painful Shadows” and focuses on the interactions between two office workers, a man and a woman, with the former being the higher up. His behavior, however, is creepy to say the least, since he peeks on his colleague, makes snide comments about her writing, and even teases her regarding food. It turns out, though,...
- 2/11/2023
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Daigo Matsui is a filmmaker and screenwriter, as well as founder and leader of the theatre group Gojigen. He debuted as a filmmaker with Afro Tanaka (2012). His other works include Sweet Poolside (2014) and How Selfish I Am! (2013). Wonderful World End (2014) was screened at Berlinale, and Our Huff and Puff Journey (2015) won two prizes at the Yubari Ifff. For both, he also won the Best New Director prize at the Tama Cinema Forum. Just Remembering (2022) received a Special Mention and the Audience Award at the Tokyo Grand Prix, while his most recent film, Hand (2022), is selected as part of IFFR 2023.
On the occasion of “Hand” screening at International Film Festival Rotterdam, we speak with him about the differences between the old and new Roman Porno films, shooting an erotic film during the MeToo era, the casting, the erotic scenes and many other topics
Hand is screening at International Film Festival Rotterdam...
On the occasion of “Hand” screening at International Film Festival Rotterdam, we speak with him about the differences between the old and new Roman Porno films, shooting an erotic film during the MeToo era, the casting, the erotic scenes and many other topics
Hand is screening at International Film Festival Rotterdam...
- 2/4/2023
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
As we know, the very first work of an artist not only marks the beginning of a hopefully great career, but also the start of someone dealing with themes, issues and observations which might define the rest of his/ her creative output. However, given a number of technical, budgetary and other constraints, these starts are often quite rough while they were being made and also for the viewer to look at. Ironically, making your very first feature during the punk-phase of the 1980s served as a disguise for these aspects, highlighting them instead as part of the cultural zeitgeist which was about rattling the cage of authority and social systems. Indeed, this may certainly be the case for “A Man’s Flower Road”, the first feature by director Sion Sono, who would be one of the major creative forces within the Japanese film industry in the years to come.
A...
A...
- 12/18/2022
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
Within the Japanese independent film scene, there are certain titles which stand out, not necessarily for their quality, but for the impact they had on future generations of filmmakers and other projects. While some of these features are still buried in some obscure locations, tapes and other places, Akira Ogata’s highly influential “Tokyo Cabbageman K” is out there and has already been screened at a few festivals in the last couple of years. Ogata, who also wrote the script, had been directing commercial features previously, but this story, heavily inspired by the works of author Franz Kafka, will perhaps be known for its importance for the works of directors such as Shinya Tsukamoto and Sion Sono.
Toyko Cabbageman K is screening at Hachimiri Madness: Japanese Indies from the Punk Years
One morning, as he is visited by one of his friends, who originally wanted to take him gambling, K...
Toyko Cabbageman K is screening at Hachimiri Madness: Japanese Indies from the Punk Years
One morning, as he is visited by one of his friends, who originally wanted to take him gambling, K...
- 12/16/2022
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
The best sports movies explore characters whose lives revolve around athletics, highlight their dedication to training for big games, and capture the thrill of victory and agony of defeat.
Check out this website if you are a football fanatic. Whether you are a football fanatic or just love an underdog story, we’ve got something for you.
There has been an explosion in movies about sports from various cultures in the past decade or so. So if you want to dive into this exciting world again, here are the top best Asian sports films of all time:
The Last Game
The Last Game is a Japanese drama film directed by Hiroshi Hasebe. The film follows a Japanese baseball team, which is trying to overcome the effects of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. The team is preparing for the championship game in the national high school baseball tournament.
The team is...
Check out this website if you are a football fanatic. Whether you are a football fanatic or just love an underdog story, we’ve got something for you.
There has been an explosion in movies about sports from various cultures in the past decade or so. So if you want to dive into this exciting world again, here are the top best Asian sports films of all time:
The Last Game
The Last Game is a Japanese drama film directed by Hiroshi Hasebe. The film follows a Japanese baseball team, which is trying to overcome the effects of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. The team is preparing for the championship game in the national high school baseball tournament.
The team is...
- 11/23/2022
- by Peter Adams
- AsianMoviePulse
An Electric Selection of Early, Shot on Film Shorts & Features From Some of Japan’s Most Daring Directors
Metrograph presents Hachimiri Madness: Japanese Indies from the Punk Years, an electric showcase of restored early works from some of Japan’s boldest filmmakers, beginning December 2, 2022 at Metrograph in Theater.
At the same time that the Japanese studios were going into tailspin decline at the end of the 1970s, a rude burst of amateur cinematic anarchy was erupting from the underground. This new jishu eiga, or “autonomous film,” was a cinema by and for outsiders, many of them shooting run-and-gun-style in the streets on cheap 8mm film (hachimiri in Japanese). The jishu film movement, which found a home after 1977 at the Pia Film Festival in Tokyo, was the cinematic analog of the experiments in extreme independent music happening in Japan at the same time, and would act as the incubator...
Metrograph presents Hachimiri Madness: Japanese Indies from the Punk Years, an electric showcase of restored early works from some of Japan’s boldest filmmakers, beginning December 2, 2022 at Metrograph in Theater.
At the same time that the Japanese studios were going into tailspin decline at the end of the 1970s, a rude burst of amateur cinematic anarchy was erupting from the underground. This new jishu eiga, or “autonomous film,” was a cinema by and for outsiders, many of them shooting run-and-gun-style in the streets on cheap 8mm film (hachimiri in Japanese). The jishu film movement, which found a home after 1977 at the Pia Film Festival in Tokyo, was the cinematic analog of the experiments in extreme independent music happening in Japan at the same time, and would act as the incubator...
- 11/23/2022
- by Suzie Cho
- AsianMoviePulse
Click here to read the full article.
Safe to say there isn’t another country bar Japan where a handful of top directors, including celebrated auteurs and an Oscar winner, learned their craft in adult films. Or perhaps even anywhere else in the world where that is imaginable.
But when cinemagoing plunged in parallel with the penetration of television sets into homes in the 1960s, it was so-called Pink Eiga that kept large parts of the movie industry afloat for decades, nurturing a generation of directors, scriptwriters and other filmmaking crew.
Usually between 60 and 70 minutes long, shot on 35mm and released in theaters, often on triple bills, the low-budget productions gave directors a lot of freedom provided they delivered the prescribed number of sex scenes.
In 1964, with the eyes of the world on Japan as it reemerged onto the world stage after World War Two as host of Tokyo Olympics,...
Safe to say there isn’t another country bar Japan where a handful of top directors, including celebrated auteurs and an Oscar winner, learned their craft in adult films. Or perhaps even anywhere else in the world where that is imaginable.
But when cinemagoing plunged in parallel with the penetration of television sets into homes in the 1960s, it was so-called Pink Eiga that kept large parts of the movie industry afloat for decades, nurturing a generation of directors, scriptwriters and other filmmaking crew.
Usually between 60 and 70 minutes long, shot on 35mm and released in theaters, often on triple bills, the low-budget productions gave directors a lot of freedom provided they delivered the prescribed number of sex scenes.
In 1964, with the eyes of the world on Japan as it reemerged onto the world stage after World War Two as host of Tokyo Olympics,...
- 10/28/2022
- by Gavin J Blair
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Based on an adult-oriented manga by “Angel Guts” creator Takashi Ishii, “Mermaid Legend” was Toshiharu Ikeda’s first film after leaving Nikkatsu, and was produced by the Director’s Company and distributed by Atg. The movie won three awards in Yokohama Film Festival, for director, Actress and Cinematography, and despite its exploitation premises, also channels the intense anti-nuclear sentiment of the decade.
on YesAsia
Keisuke, a frequently drunken fisherman who opposes the construction of a nuclear plant in the seaside village he lives with his young wife, is murdered by a group of thugs who are the puppets of the corrupt contractor who is tasked with securing the location for the construction. His wife, Migiwa, actually witnesses the whole thing as it happens while she was diving, a common profession for women of the area who fished that way, barely escaping the murderers herself. When she tries to inform the police,...
on YesAsia
Keisuke, a frequently drunken fisherman who opposes the construction of a nuclear plant in the seaside village he lives with his young wife, is murdered by a group of thugs who are the puppets of the corrupt contractor who is tasked with securing the location for the construction. His wife, Migiwa, actually witnesses the whole thing as it happens while she was diving, a common profession for women of the area who fished that way, barely escaping the murderers herself. When she tries to inform the police,...
- 9/7/2022
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Following the success of the original, Sion Sono also headed the sequel, once more basing his film on Ken Wakui’s manga. Although the flamboyance and intense action is still here, there is a change towards the most dramatic this time, something that definitely benefits the movie.
on Amazon
The story begins one year after the death of Hideyoshi, with Burst having to deal with intense financial problems, since they have already recruited almost every girl they could in Shinjuku. To avoid downsizing in scouter personnel, they instead decide to expand to Yokohama, where the All Japan Liquor Merchants Association announces plans to open a new gentleman’s club. To start the expansion, boss Yamashiro picks Seki and Tatsuhiko. The former however, is actually a Yokohama native who once took the fall for a murder rap for his friend Taki and has avoided Yokohama for 12 years for this purpose.
on Amazon
The story begins one year after the death of Hideyoshi, with Burst having to deal with intense financial problems, since they have already recruited almost every girl they could in Shinjuku. To avoid downsizing in scouter personnel, they instead decide to expand to Yokohama, where the All Japan Liquor Merchants Association announces plans to open a new gentleman’s club. To start the expansion, boss Yamashiro picks Seki and Tatsuhiko. The former however, is actually a Yokohama native who once took the fall for a murder rap for his friend Taki and has avoided Yokohama for 12 years for this purpose.
- 5/14/2022
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Based on the homonymous manga by Ken Wakui, “Shinjuku Swan” is another testament to Sion Sono’s prowess in adapting, with the many and colorful characters, the extreme violence and the overall sleaziness being just down his alley.
on Amazon
The labyrinth story begins with Tatsuhiko, an unemployed young man who does not have even the fare to return home (although he wears a Supreme hoodie that costs upwards than 400), getting into a fight with a gang, and getting rescued by Mako, a scout who recruits girls to work for the Burst scouting agency run by Yamashiro in Kabukicho. Tatsuhiko learns the “tricks” of wooing women to work in massage parlors, and although he feels uncomfortable when he realizes that they are exploited, the sense of belonging, success and comradeship soon take over with him becoming quite successful. However, Burst is not the only company working in the area,...
on Amazon
The labyrinth story begins with Tatsuhiko, an unemployed young man who does not have even the fare to return home (although he wears a Supreme hoodie that costs upwards than 400), getting into a fight with a gang, and getting rescued by Mako, a scout who recruits girls to work for the Burst scouting agency run by Yamashiro in Kabukicho. Tatsuhiko learns the “tricks” of wooing women to work in massage parlors, and although he feels uncomfortable when he realizes that they are exploited, the sense of belonging, success and comradeship soon take over with him becoming quite successful. However, Burst is not the only company working in the area,...
- 5/12/2022
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Prolific Japanese director Sion Sono, known for such films as Love Exposure and Antiporno, as well as the recent Nicolas Cage-starrer Prisoners Of The Ghostland, has reportedly been accused of sexual harassment by several actresses in Japan.
The accusations came to light in a post on local site Shukan Josei Prime with actresses anonymously alleging impropriety. According to Deadline’s sister publication, Variety, the alleged predatory behavior has been linked to Sono’s acting workshops and an upcoming workshop has been cancelled.
Actor Yuki Matsuzaki, who has appeared in such films as Letters From Iwo Jima and The Pink Panther 2, has been tweeting about the allegations:
Now that Sion Sono is outed as a sexual predator who preys on young actresses luring them with roles in his films, I wonder if Any of the major Japanese film studios and TV networks would condemn such predatory practices? How about Japan Academy Awards?...
The accusations came to light in a post on local site Shukan Josei Prime with actresses anonymously alleging impropriety. According to Deadline’s sister publication, Variety, the alleged predatory behavior has been linked to Sono’s acting workshops and an upcoming workshop has been cancelled.
Actor Yuki Matsuzaki, who has appeared in such films as Letters From Iwo Jima and The Pink Panther 2, has been tweeting about the allegations:
Now that Sion Sono is outed as a sexual predator who preys on young actresses luring them with roles in his films, I wonder if Any of the major Japanese film studios and TV networks would condemn such predatory practices? How about Japan Academy Awards?...
- 4/5/2022
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
Sion Sono, the Japanese cult film director of movies like “Love Exposure” and who in 2021 directed Nicolas Cage in “Prisoners of the Ghostland,” is being accused of sexual assault by two anonymous actresses who say that he offered roles in his films in exchange for sex.
The accusations as published Monday in the Japanese magazine Shukan Josei link his alleged predatory behavior to his acting workshops, and in addition to the two unnamed women, the piece also includes a quote from a Japanese film executive who accused Sono of misconduct.
“Even now, there is a director who has no qualms about saying ‘If you screw me, I’ll give you work’. His films are acclaimed and many actresses want to appear in them. He uses that to assault women as if it’s nothing. That director is Sion Sono,” the executive told the magazine.
One woman identified as Actress A...
The accusations as published Monday in the Japanese magazine Shukan Josei link his alleged predatory behavior to his acting workshops, and in addition to the two unnamed women, the piece also includes a quote from a Japanese film executive who accused Sono of misconduct.
“Even now, there is a director who has no qualms about saying ‘If you screw me, I’ll give you work’. His films are acclaimed and many actresses want to appear in them. He uses that to assault women as if it’s nothing. That director is Sion Sono,” the executive told the magazine.
One woman identified as Actress A...
- 4/5/2022
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Japanese director Sion Sono has been accused by two women of sexual assault in a new report from Shukan Josei Prime.
Sono is known for provocative indie films like 2008’s “Love Exposure,” which screened at the 2009 Berlin Film Festival and won two awards. The almost four-hour film follows the erotic adventures of a peeping tom photographer.
An unnamed actress told entertainment magazine Shukan Josei Prime that Sono told her that women have had sex with him for years to gain parts in his films, and that he is to thank for their success in the industry. She said that after Sono offered her a role, he attempted to force her to have sex with him (via Variety). After she refused, the director allegedly called another actress he had previously worked with and proceeded to engage in sexual acts in front of her. An assistant director then allegedly led her outside...
Sono is known for provocative indie films like 2008’s “Love Exposure,” which screened at the 2009 Berlin Film Festival and won two awards. The almost four-hour film follows the erotic adventures of a peeping tom photographer.
An unnamed actress told entertainment magazine Shukan Josei Prime that Sono told her that women have had sex with him for years to gain parts in his films, and that he is to thank for their success in the industry. She said that after Sono offered her a role, he attempted to force her to have sex with him (via Variety). After she refused, the director allegedly called another actress he had previously worked with and proceeded to engage in sexual acts in front of her. An assistant director then allegedly led her outside...
- 4/5/2022
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Sono Sion, the self-proclaimed maverick Japanese film director known for raunchy indie movies including “Love Exposure” and “Antiporno,” has been accused of sexual harassment by several actresses in Japan’s film industry.
The accusations were published Monday by the Shukan Josei Prime entertainment news and gossip site. In a lengthy article, several actresses made accusations against Sono under the protection of anonymity. According to the piece, Sono, now aged 60, boasted of making sexual advances to “most of [his] leading ladies.” Sono’s alleged predatory practices have been linked to his acting workshops.
On Tuesday, Sono responded to the allegations with a statement from his company. “To whom it may concern. Thank you very much for your continued support. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience and concern this may have caused to all parties concerned. We will make a new announcement after sorting out the facts.” His upcoming acting workshop has been canceled.
The accusations were published Monday by the Shukan Josei Prime entertainment news and gossip site. In a lengthy article, several actresses made accusations against Sono under the protection of anonymity. According to the piece, Sono, now aged 60, boasted of making sexual advances to “most of [his] leading ladies.” Sono’s alleged predatory practices have been linked to his acting workshops.
On Tuesday, Sono responded to the allegations with a statement from his company. “To whom it may concern. Thank you very much for your continued support. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience and concern this may have caused to all parties concerned. We will make a new announcement after sorting out the facts.” His upcoming acting workshop has been canceled.
- 4/5/2022
- by Mark Schilling and Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Mubi has unveiled its streaming offerings this April in the U.S. and leading the pack is a special spotlight on Franz Rogowski, star of their recent theatrical release Great Freedom. Selections include Christian Petzold’s Transit as well as a pair of underseen offerings, Luzifer and Aisles.
Also in the lineup are a number of recent releases, including Dominik Graf’s Fabian: Going to the Dogs, Alice Rohrwacher, Francesco Munzi, and Pietro Marcello’s Futura, Mario Furloni and Kate McLean’s Freeland, and Sion Sono’s Red Post On Escher Street. Timed with her new documentary Cow, a trio of shorts by Andrea Arnold will also arrive.
Check out the lineup below and get 30 days free here.
April 1 | Battle Royale | Kinji Fukasaku
April 2 | Mood Indigo | Michel Gondry
April 3 | Army of Shadows | Jean-Pierre Melville
April 4 | Wasp | Andrea Arnold | Three Shorts by Andrea Arnold
April 5 | Tracks | Henry Jaglom | Method in the...
Also in the lineup are a number of recent releases, including Dominik Graf’s Fabian: Going to the Dogs, Alice Rohrwacher, Francesco Munzi, and Pietro Marcello’s Futura, Mario Furloni and Kate McLean’s Freeland, and Sion Sono’s Red Post On Escher Street. Timed with her new documentary Cow, a trio of shorts by Andrea Arnold will also arrive.
Check out the lineup below and get 30 days free here.
April 1 | Battle Royale | Kinji Fukasaku
April 2 | Mood Indigo | Michel Gondry
April 3 | Army of Shadows | Jean-Pierre Melville
April 4 | Wasp | Andrea Arnold | Three Shorts by Andrea Arnold
April 5 | Tracks | Henry Jaglom | Method in the...
- 3/31/2022
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
Brian Petsos’ interminable “Big Gold Brick” may be — its endless parade of energy-less moments connected only by the lack of life shared between them, like a daisy chain of skeletons who are all holding hands — but the writer-director sincerely deserves credit for willing his feature debut into existence. That someone with just a handful of wacky shorts to his name was able to make a 132-minute brain fart about the cosmic connection between a suicidal writer (Emory Cohen), the good-natured weirdo (Andy Garcia) who hits him with his car on the highway one night, and the frozen custard that binds their fates together… well, let’s just say “‘Southland Tales’ meets the worst Sundance movie of 2002” is a tough sell these days, and that’s before you add a hostile statue of Santa Claus, a fully adult high school basketball player named Beans Washington, and a deus ex meteor into the mix.
- 2/25/2022
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Terracotta Streaming – Nobuhiko Obayashi focus
Terracotta is now streaming the Obayashi Anti-War trilogy of films. Casting Blossoms to the Sky, Seven Weeks and Hanagatami offer three different stories from the celebrated director of Hausu.
For fans of Japanese cinema, Terracotta also has a collection of films from Sion Sono, Shinya Tsukamoto and Toshiaki Toyoda.
Check out the growing selection of titles on the Terracotta streaming site; new titles are added regularly.
(UK and Eire only)
Terracotta Blu-ray & DVD Store
Eureka have announced three new kung fu titles on Blu-ray, with a limited first run slipcase edition. The first up is Odd Couple starring Sammo Hung.
Knockabout and the much anticipated release of Dreadnaught starring Yuen Biao and directed by Yuen Woo Ping, are both out in April. All three are available to pre-order from the Terracotta store.
Check out the titles in the Lunar New Year promotion – titles start from...
Terracotta is now streaming the Obayashi Anti-War trilogy of films. Casting Blossoms to the Sky, Seven Weeks and Hanagatami offer three different stories from the celebrated director of Hausu.
For fans of Japanese cinema, Terracotta also has a collection of films from Sion Sono, Shinya Tsukamoto and Toshiaki Toyoda.
Check out the growing selection of titles on the Terracotta streaming site; new titles are added regularly.
(UK and Eire only)
Terracotta Blu-ray & DVD Store
Eureka have announced three new kung fu titles on Blu-ray, with a limited first run slipcase edition. The first up is Odd Couple starring Sammo Hung.
Knockabout and the much anticipated release of Dreadnaught starring Yuen Biao and directed by Yuen Woo Ping, are both out in April. All three are available to pre-order from the Terracotta store.
Check out the titles in the Lunar New Year promotion – titles start from...
- 2/9/2022
- by Suzie Cho
- AsianMoviePulse
Ahead of the film's March premiere at SXSW, Shudder has acquired The Cellar, with plans to release it on streaming services this April!
Shudder, AMC Networks’ premium streamer for horror, thrillers and the supernatural, announced today the acquisition of The Cellar, from critically-acclaimed Irish writer-director Brendan Muldowney and starring Elisha Cuthbert and Eoin Macken, ahead of the film’s world premiere at SXSW. The film is also the closing film of FrightFest Glasgow. The Cellar will have a day-and-date premiere on April 15th, streaming exclusively on Shudder in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand with a U.S. theatrical release through Rlje Films, a business unit of AMC Networks.
Filmed on location in Roscommon, Ireland, The Cellar tells the story of Keira Woods (Cuthbert), whose daughter mysteriously vanishes in the cellar of their new house in the country. Keira soon discovers there is an ancient and...
Shudder, AMC Networks’ premium streamer for horror, thrillers and the supernatural, announced today the acquisition of The Cellar, from critically-acclaimed Irish writer-director Brendan Muldowney and starring Elisha Cuthbert and Eoin Macken, ahead of the film’s world premiere at SXSW. The film is also the closing film of FrightFest Glasgow. The Cellar will have a day-and-date premiere on April 15th, streaming exclusively on Shudder in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand with a U.S. theatrical release through Rlje Films, a business unit of AMC Networks.
Filmed on location in Roscommon, Ireland, The Cellar tells the story of Keira Woods (Cuthbert), whose daughter mysteriously vanishes in the cellar of their new house in the country. Keira soon discovers there is an ancient and...
- 2/4/2022
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
AMC+ and Rlje Films have acquired worldwide rights to the holiday comedy Christmas with the Campbells, starring Brittany Snow (Pitch Perfect franchise), Justin Long (He’s Just Not That Into You), Alex Moffat (Saturday Night Live), Julia Duffy (Newhart), George Wendt (Cheers) and JoAnna Garcia Swisher (Sweet Magnolias). The film produced by Vince Vaughn’s Wild West Picture Show will simultaneously hit theaters and AMC+ in the U.S. in late fall.
Christmas with the Campbells is billed as a traditional holiday romance story executed with unfiltered adult humor. Specifics as far as its plot are being kept under wraps.
Clare Niederpruem is directing from a script by Vaughn, Dan Lagana (American Vandal) and Barbara Kymlicka. Vaughn and Lagana are also producing alongside Peter Billingsley (Couples Retreat) under their Wild West Picture Show banner, with Stan Spry (Creepshow) exec producing. The feature is the second from Rlje and Wild West, on...
Christmas with the Campbells is billed as a traditional holiday romance story executed with unfiltered adult humor. Specifics as far as its plot are being kept under wraps.
Clare Niederpruem is directing from a script by Vaughn, Dan Lagana (American Vandal) and Barbara Kymlicka. Vaughn and Lagana are also producing alongside Peter Billingsley (Couples Retreat) under their Wild West Picture Show banner, with Stan Spry (Creepshow) exec producing. The feature is the second from Rlje and Wild West, on...
- 2/1/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Following its world premiere at this year's virtual Sundance Film Festival, Riley Stearns' Dual has been acquired for US distribution by Rlje Films.
Dual will have a theatrical release sometime this year. We have the official press release with additional details below, and in case you missed it, read Heather Wixson's interview with Stearns, along with the rest of our Sundance 2022 coverage!
Press Release: XYZ Films, CAA Media Finance and UTA Independent Film Group closed the deal with Rlje Films last night in a competitive bidding situation. XYZ is also handling world rights outside the US.
The film is slated for a theatrical release in 2022. XYZ Films and Rlje Films previously collaborated on the successful theatrical release of Sundance film Mandy starring Nicolas Cage and directed by Panos Cosmatos.
Dual stars Karen Gillan (Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle), Aaron Paul (“El Camino: A Breaking Bad Film” and “Westworld...
Dual will have a theatrical release sometime this year. We have the official press release with additional details below, and in case you missed it, read Heather Wixson's interview with Stearns, along with the rest of our Sundance 2022 coverage!
Press Release: XYZ Films, CAA Media Finance and UTA Independent Film Group closed the deal with Rlje Films last night in a competitive bidding situation. XYZ is also handling world rights outside the US.
The film is slated for a theatrical release in 2022. XYZ Films and Rlje Films previously collaborated on the successful theatrical release of Sundance film Mandy starring Nicolas Cage and directed by Panos Cosmatos.
Dual stars Karen Gillan (Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle), Aaron Paul (“El Camino: A Breaking Bad Film” and “Westworld...
- 1/25/2022
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Rlje Films last night acquired U.S. rights to Riley Stearns’ thriller Dual in a competitive bidding situation, striking a low-mid seven figure deal for the film, which recently premiered in U.S. Dramatic Competition at the Sundance Film Festival.
XYZ Films, CAA Media Finance and UTA Independent Film Group closed the deal with Rlje Films, with the former company also handling world rights outside of the U.S. The film is slated for release in theaters this year.
Dual centers on Sarah (Karen Gillan), a woman who, upon receiving a terminal diagnosis, opts for a cloning procedure to ease her loss on her friends and family. When she makes a sudden and miraculous recovery, her attempts to have her clone decommissioned fail and lead to a court-mandated duel to the death.
Aaron Paul and Beulah Koale also star in the film produced by Stearns, XYZ and Resolute Films and Entertainment.
XYZ Films, CAA Media Finance and UTA Independent Film Group closed the deal with Rlje Films, with the former company also handling world rights outside of the U.S. The film is slated for release in theaters this year.
Dual centers on Sarah (Karen Gillan), a woman who, upon receiving a terminal diagnosis, opts for a cloning procedure to ease her loss on her friends and family. When she makes a sudden and miraculous recovery, her attempts to have her clone decommissioned fail and lead to a court-mandated duel to the death.
Aaron Paul and Beulah Koale also star in the film produced by Stearns, XYZ and Resolute Films and Entertainment.
- 1/25/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
As we continue to explore the best in 2021, today we’re taking a look at the articles that you, our dear readers, enjoyed the most throughout the past twelve months. Spanning reviews, interviews, features, podcasts, news, and trailers, check out the highlights below and return for more year-end coverage as well as a glimpse into 2022 in the coming weeks.
Most-Read Reviews
10. The Dig
9. WeWork: Or the Making and Breaking of a $47 Billion Unicorn
8. kid 90
7. The Green Knight
6. Dune
5. The Most Beautiful Boy in the World
4. Mortal Kombat
3. The Girl Who Got Away
2. Ghostbusters: Afterlife
1. Saint-Narcisse
Most-Read Interviews
10. Adam Nayman on David Fincher’s Complicated Auteurism
9. Sparks on Annette, Polarizing Reactions, Leos Carax’s Vision, and Their Next Film
8. Sion Sono on Briefly Dying, His Favorite Nicolas Cage Performance, and Prisoners of the Ghostland
7. John Carpenter on Scoring Halloween Kills, Videogames, and Basketball
6. Gaspar Noé on Facing Death, Casting Dario Argento,...
Most-Read Reviews
10. The Dig
9. WeWork: Or the Making and Breaking of a $47 Billion Unicorn
8. kid 90
7. The Green Knight
6. Dune
5. The Most Beautiful Boy in the World
4. Mortal Kombat
3. The Girl Who Got Away
2. Ghostbusters: Afterlife
1. Saint-Narcisse
Most-Read Interviews
10. Adam Nayman on David Fincher’s Complicated Auteurism
9. Sparks on Annette, Polarizing Reactions, Leos Carax’s Vision, and Their Next Film
8. Sion Sono on Briefly Dying, His Favorite Nicolas Cage Performance, and Prisoners of the Ghostland
7. John Carpenter on Scoring Halloween Kills, Videogames, and Basketball
6. Gaspar Noé on Facing Death, Casting Dario Argento,...
- 12/29/2021
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
After a major year featuring one of the best roles of his career in Pig and also one of his wildest with Sion Sono’s Prisoners of the Ghostland, Nicolas Cage is getting meta to kick off 2022. Tom Gormican’s The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent finds the actor starring as a fictionalized version of himself as he accepts a $1 million offer to attend the birthday of a dangerous superfan (Pedro Pascal) and things get crazier from there.
Also starring Sharon Horgan, Ike Barinholtz, Alessandra Mastronardi, Jacob Scipio, Lily Sheen, Neil Patrick Harris, and Tiffany Haddish, the first trailer has now landed ahead of an April 22, 2022 theatrical release. “[‘Nick Cage’] is an invented version of Nic Cage,” the actor tells EW. “The character is feeling unfulfilled and contending with the rejection that can happen so often in the small town that is Hollywood. It’s not me. I’m feeling pretty good about things.
Also starring Sharon Horgan, Ike Barinholtz, Alessandra Mastronardi, Jacob Scipio, Lily Sheen, Neil Patrick Harris, and Tiffany Haddish, the first trailer has now landed ahead of an April 22, 2022 theatrical release. “[‘Nick Cage’] is an invented version of Nic Cage,” the actor tells EW. “The character is feeling unfulfilled and contending with the rejection that can happen so often in the small town that is Hollywood. It’s not me. I’m feeling pretty good about things.
- 12/14/2021
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
Occasionally, and particularly during the last years, a number of Sion Sono works look like a tribute to himself, with him implementing aspects of his great movies of the past. This approach actually worked for some titles, with “Tokyo Vampire Hotel” being a great sample. It seems though, it does not work at all in a Hollywood-Japanese collaborative setting, with “Prisoners of the Ghostland” functioning as a faulty mixture of “Sukiyaki Western Django”, “Mad Max”, “Preacher” and Sono’s past movies. Let us take things from the beginning though.
“Prisoners of the Ghostland” is streaming exclusively on AMC+ and Shudder
The story is set in the frontier city of Samurai Town, wherea ruthless bank robber, Hero, who supposedly did not shy away from killing innocent bystanders during his “jobs” is sprung from jail by the wealthy and quite sinister kingpin The Governor, who wants him to find the whereabouts of his adopted granddaughter Bernice.
“Prisoners of the Ghostland” is streaming exclusively on AMC+ and Shudder
The story is set in the frontier city of Samurai Town, wherea ruthless bank robber, Hero, who supposedly did not shy away from killing innocent bystanders during his “jobs” is sprung from jail by the wealthy and quite sinister kingpin The Governor, who wants him to find the whereabouts of his adopted granddaughter Bernice.
- 11/20/2021
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Stars: Nicolas Cage, Bill Moseley, Sofia Boutell, Nick Cassavetes, Tak Sakaguchi, Young Dais, Charles Glover, Tetsu Watanabe | Written by Aaron Hendry, Reza Sixo Safai | Directed by Sion Sono
I love Nicholas Cage movies, the crazier the better. Sometimes though some movies feel like they just weren’t made for him. Prisoners of the Ghostland is a film that holds so much promise but in the end feels like other movies have done the same thing, just way better.
When the Governor (Bill Moseley) sends out notorious criminal Hero (Nicolas Cage) to find his Bernice (Sofia Boutella), Hero believes this could be his chance to redeem himself for his past. Strapped into a suit that will blow him up if he doesn’t succeed in his task, he is fighting time to find the girl and hopefully save himself.
The start of Prisoners of the Ghostland shows a lot of promise,...
I love Nicholas Cage movies, the crazier the better. Sometimes though some movies feel like they just weren’t made for him. Prisoners of the Ghostland is a film that holds so much promise but in the end feels like other movies have done the same thing, just way better.
When the Governor (Bill Moseley) sends out notorious criminal Hero (Nicolas Cage) to find his Bernice (Sofia Boutella), Hero believes this could be his chance to redeem himself for his past. Strapped into a suit that will blow him up if he doesn’t succeed in his task, he is fighting time to find the girl and hopefully save himself.
The start of Prisoners of the Ghostland shows a lot of promise,...
- 11/17/2021
- by Paul Metcalf
- Nerdly
The extras on this blu-ray and DVD release from Elysian Film Group are a slim selection but are worth a look. Alongside the trailer, the most polished is a Making Of Featurette, which includes interviews with Nic Cage (Hero), Bill Moseley (Governor) and Sofia Boutella (Bernice). It's a standard issue package that sees Cage offer the best value when he talks about bringing a more western 'boxing' style to the Samurai sequences. The interviews are interspersed with behind-the-scenes footage.
Director Sion Sono is curiously absent from the Making Of - leaving the suspicion that the producers don't think that fans can cope with subtitles. That thought, inevitably, carries over to the additional extra - a Zoom Q&a recorded for FrightFest, hosted by Alan Jones, whose questions are translated by one of the film's producers Kô Mori. It would make for a more immediate watch if this had been edited back simply.
Director Sion Sono is curiously absent from the Making Of - leaving the suspicion that the producers don't think that fans can cope with subtitles. That thought, inevitably, carries over to the additional extra - a Zoom Q&a recorded for FrightFest, hosted by Alan Jones, whose questions are translated by one of the film's producers Kô Mori. It would make for a more immediate watch if this had been edited back simply.
- 11/11/2021
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Michael Sarnoski’s first time directing gave Nicolas Cage some of the best reviews of his career. The movie is Pig and on the press tour, Nicolas Cage had some choice words about Hollywood pandering to a “climate of fear” in their production choices, but Sarnoski told the Film Stage his partners in bringing Pig to life were “fearless.”
Pig is about Rob, a truffle hunter who lives alone in the Oregonian wilderness with his beloved foraging pig, played by Brandy, a beautiful russet-colored Kunekune. When she is stolen from Rob, he must return to his past life as a celebrity chef in Portland in search of his friend and pet.
As the film arrives on Blu-ray/DVD, we spoke with Sarnoski about Pig’s stand-out line, why people look down on Cage’s genre work, Brandy’s unfortunate circumstances, and the layers of meaning behind Pig’s title.
The...
Pig is about Rob, a truffle hunter who lives alone in the Oregonian wilderness with his beloved foraging pig, played by Brandy, a beautiful russet-colored Kunekune. When she is stolen from Rob, he must return to his past life as a celebrity chef in Portland in search of his friend and pet.
As the film arrives on Blu-ray/DVD, we spoke with Sarnoski about Pig’s stand-out line, why people look down on Cage’s genre work, Brandy’s unfortunate circumstances, and the layers of meaning behind Pig’s title.
The...
- 11/1/2021
- by Joshua Encinias
- The Film Stage
The premium streaming bundle AMC+ and Shudder, the premium streaming service for horror, thriller and the supernatural, announced that Prisoners Of The Ghostland will stream exclusively on both platforms in the U.S. starting on November 19. The film, starring Nicolas Cage (Mandy), made its world premiere at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.
Directed by the acclaimed Japanese director Sion Sono (Why Don’t You Play in Hell), the film was written by Aaron Hendry and Rexa Sixo Safai (Western Wonderland). In addition to Cage, the film stars Sofia Boutella (The Mummy), Nick Cassavetes (Face/Off), Bill Moseley (Texas Chainsaw Franchise), Tak Sakaguchi (Tokyo Tribe) and Yuzuka Nakaya (The Forest of Love). Joseph Trapanese (Tron: Legacy, The Raid: Redemption, The Greatest Showman) composed the original score.
Prisoners Of The Ghostland is set in the treacherous frontier city of Samurai Town where a ruthless bank robber (Cage) is sprung from jail by...
Directed by the acclaimed Japanese director Sion Sono (Why Don’t You Play in Hell), the film was written by Aaron Hendry and Rexa Sixo Safai (Western Wonderland). In addition to Cage, the film stars Sofia Boutella (The Mummy), Nick Cassavetes (Face/Off), Bill Moseley (Texas Chainsaw Franchise), Tak Sakaguchi (Tokyo Tribe) and Yuzuka Nakaya (The Forest of Love). Joseph Trapanese (Tron: Legacy, The Raid: Redemption, The Greatest Showman) composed the original score.
Prisoners Of The Ghostland is set in the treacherous frontier city of Samurai Town where a ruthless bank robber (Cage) is sprung from jail by...
- 10/27/2021
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
Candyman is Available on Digital 11/2 and 4K Uhd, Blu-ray and DVD 11/16: "Dare to say his name. Oscar® winner Jordan Peele and director Nia DaCosta expand on the infamous Candyman legacy with “a new horror classic” (Fox TV) that is “smart, stylish, and scary as hell”. Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with a score of 84%, Metro Goldwyn Mayer’s (MGM) Candyman is back and yours to own on Digital November 2, 2021 and on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-rayTM and DVD November 16, 2021 from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. All versions come packed with over an hour of bonus features including a never-before-seen alternate ending, deleted and extended scenes as well as special featurettes taking viewers behind-the-scenes of the film and deeper into this complex and deeply resonant contemporary take on the bone-chilling urban legend.
For decades, the housing projects of Chicago’s Cabrini-Green were terrorized by a ghost story about a supernatural, hook-handed killer.
For decades, the housing projects of Chicago’s Cabrini-Green were terrorized by a ghost story about a supernatural, hook-handed killer.
- 10/26/2021
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
Prisoners Of The Ghostland starring Nicolas Cage will stream exclusively on AMC+ and on Shudder in the U.S. starting on November 19. Here’s the trailer:
The premium streaming bundle AMC+ and Shudder, the premium streaming service for horror, thriller and the supernatural, announced that Prisoners Of The Ghostland will stream exclusively on both platforms in the U.S. starting on November 19. The film, starring Nicolas Cage (Mandy), made its world premiere at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.
Directed by the acclaimed Japanese director Sion Sono (Why Don’t You Play in Hell), the film was written by Aaron Hendry and Rexa Sixo Safai (Western Wonderland). In addition to Cage, the film stars Sofia Boutella (The Mummy), Nick Cassavetes (Face/Off), Bill Moseley (Texas Chainsaw Franchise), Tak Sakaguchi (Tokyo Tribe) and Yuzuka Nakaya (The Forest of Love). Joseph Trapanese (Tron: Legacy, The Raid: Redemption, The Greatest Showman) composed the original score.
The premium streaming bundle AMC+ and Shudder, the premium streaming service for horror, thriller and the supernatural, announced that Prisoners Of The Ghostland will stream exclusively on both platforms in the U.S. starting on November 19. The film, starring Nicolas Cage (Mandy), made its world premiere at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.
Directed by the acclaimed Japanese director Sion Sono (Why Don’t You Play in Hell), the film was written by Aaron Hendry and Rexa Sixo Safai (Western Wonderland). In addition to Cage, the film stars Sofia Boutella (The Mummy), Nick Cassavetes (Face/Off), Bill Moseley (Texas Chainsaw Franchise), Tak Sakaguchi (Tokyo Tribe) and Yuzuka Nakaya (The Forest of Love). Joseph Trapanese (Tron: Legacy, The Raid: Redemption, The Greatest Showman) composed the original score.
- 10/25/2021
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Following on the footsteps of “Mimicry Freaks” on of the most brutal, most extreme and most weird horror films of 2019 is not exactly an easy thing to do, but Shugo Fujii’s next title, “Frantic” is even more ambitious, as its base is extremely meta, revolving on a film about a stage play, before it turns into something completely different.
“Frantic” is based on Fujii’s own stage play and will open in Japan, November 12.
The film begins in a theater in Japan, where a crew of actors who also seem to act as directors and every other role involved in a movie, are about to present a play to the amassed audience. Something, however, is obviously amiss, and Fujii gradually presents the events that led to the show, starting months ago. Sho, an actor, is ridiculed in a casting session, Tatsu, another actor, also cannot get a break, while...
“Frantic” is based on Fujii’s own stage play and will open in Japan, November 12.
The film begins in a theater in Japan, where a crew of actors who also seem to act as directors and every other role involved in a movie, are about to present a play to the amassed audience. Something, however, is obviously amiss, and Fujii gradually presents the events that led to the show, starting months ago. Sho, an actor, is ridiculed in a casting session, Tatsu, another actor, also cannot get a break, while...
- 9/26/2021
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSAbove: Kenneth Branagh's Belfast.The Toronto International Film Festival has come to a close, with Kenneth Branagh’s semi-autobiographical drama Belfast claiming the TIFF People’s Choice Award and Kamila Andini's coming-of-age film Yuni taking home the Platform Prize. Hot off of last year's Tenet, Christopher Nolan has made a deal with Universal to back his next film, which is centered on the theoretical physicist and one of the "fathers of the atomic bomb," J. Robert Oppenheimer. The deal marks the end of Nolan's lengthy working relationship with Warner Bros. and gives the auteur "total creative control, at least a 100-day theatrical window, around a $100 million budget, equal marketing spend, 20 percent of first-dollar gross, and a blackout period where the studio would not release another movie for three weeks before and after the feature.
- 9/22/2021
- MUBI
The Slash Filmfestival, Austria's biggest and most popular destination for fantastic cinema, has announced the full lineup of its 12th edition, which is bookended by Julia Ducournau’s Titane on opening night and Valdimar Jóhannsson’s Lamb on closing night. For eleven days straight (running from September 23 until October 3), the festival will be home to an eclectic range of the year’s most exciting genre cinema, including festival highlights such as Ben Wheatley’s In the Earth, Sion Sono’s Prisoners of the Ghostland, George A. Romero’s posthumous The Amusement Park, and Banjong Pisanthanakun’s spine-chilling The Medium. Taking center stage amid current sensations is a celebration of all that came before with an expertly curated Folk Horror retrospective, courtesy of director and scholar Kier-La Janisse, whose Woodlands Dark and...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 9/21/2021
- Screen Anarchy
“Candyman” dominated every platform in its first weekend on premium VOD. Available for $19.99, the Universal horror movie aligned with standard studio strategy to debut on home platforms after its third week of theatrical play. It still ranked #4 in theaters, falling only 26 percent.
Nia DaCosta’s update of the 1993 horror classic displaced the studio’s own “F9” ($19.99), after an expanded edition returned the widely seen sequel to #1 across all charts last week. The worldwide top grossing film of 2021 is now #2 at both Vudu and Google Play, and #3 at iTunes.
The strength of “Candyman” took #1 on Vudu’s full week chart, even though its release covered only three days of Vudu’s listing period. Of the 17 different films on the three VOD charts, 10 are PVOD titles ($19.99 or higher) and fill 23 of the 30 total slots.
Four PVOD films made all three charts: “Candyman,” “F9,” “Black Widow” (now reduced to $19.99), and “The Suicide Squad,...
Nia DaCosta’s update of the 1993 horror classic displaced the studio’s own “F9” ($19.99), after an expanded edition returned the widely seen sequel to #1 across all charts last week. The worldwide top grossing film of 2021 is now #2 at both Vudu and Google Play, and #3 at iTunes.
The strength of “Candyman” took #1 on Vudu’s full week chart, even though its release covered only three days of Vudu’s listing period. Of the 17 different films on the three VOD charts, 10 are PVOD titles ($19.99 or higher) and fill 23 of the 30 total slots.
Four PVOD films made all three charts: “Candyman,” “F9,” “Black Widow” (now reduced to $19.99), and “The Suicide Squad,...
- 9/20/2021
- by Tom Brueggemann
- Indiewire
Ever since his late ‘90s heyday when he swapped chins with John Travolta in Face/Off and grew a mullet to take on John Malkovich in Con Air, Nicolas Cage has been trading off his reputation as an actor capable of delivering his own special brand of crazy to the screen.
The past five years though have seen him kick the crazy into high gear with a string of gloriously inventive movies that have one thing in common: Cage, front and center, losing his shit. Mom and Dad, Mandy, Color Out of Space, and Willy’s Wonderland have been the notable highlights in a recent run of films that have otherwise been consigned to the realm of forgettable direct-to-video releases.
The good news is that Prisoners of the Ghostland falls firmly into the former category with Cage delivering the kind of unhinged performance fans have come to expect in what amounts to...
The past five years though have seen him kick the crazy into high gear with a string of gloriously inventive movies that have one thing in common: Cage, front and center, losing his shit. Mom and Dad, Mandy, Color Out of Space, and Willy’s Wonderland have been the notable highlights in a recent run of films that have otherwise been consigned to the realm of forgettable direct-to-video releases.
The good news is that Prisoners of the Ghostland falls firmly into the former category with Cage delivering the kind of unhinged performance fans have come to expect in what amounts to...
- 9/17/2021
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
Sion Sono’s English-language debut, Prisoners of the Ghostland, stars Nicolas Cage in what the prolific actor describes as “the wildest movie I’ve ever made.” It’s an instantly attention-grabbing statement for anyone remotely familiar with Cage’s career, which boasts no shortage of wild roles and movies. In Prisoners, Cage plays Hero; a bank robber sprung from jail […]...
- 9/17/2021
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
Nicolas Cage told Entertainment Weekly this week that he will never retire from acting. The Oscar winner earned some of the best reviews of his career earlier this year with the indie drama “Pig,” and now his buzzy Sion Sono-directed Samurai-Western “Prisoners of the Ghostland” is playing in theaters and available on VOD platforms. Cage has over 100 acting and voice role credits to his name, and he has no plans to stop anytime soon.
“That can’t happen. To do what I do in cinema has been like a guardian angel for me, and I need it,” Cage said when EW brought up retirement. “I’m healthier when I’m working, I need a positive place to express my life experience, and filmmaking has given me that. So I’m never going to retire. Where are we now, 117 movies?”
Cage continued, “What’s funny is, my argument with people who go,...
“That can’t happen. To do what I do in cinema has been like a guardian angel for me, and I need it,” Cage said when EW brought up retirement. “I’m healthier when I’m working, I need a positive place to express my life experience, and filmmaking has given me that. So I’m never going to retire. Where are we now, 117 movies?”
Cage continued, “What’s funny is, my argument with people who go,...
- 9/17/2021
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
The Eyes of Tammy Faye has something going for it that Searchlight Pictures’ Summer of Soul did not — a minimum 45-day exclusive theatrical window now that Hollywood appears to be in the midst of a pivot to encourage moviegoing. Eyes, directed by Michael Showalter, opens on 425 screens, expanding to another 400 next weekend.
The distributor’s films for the rest of the year will also follow parent Disney’s newfound determination to give cinemas a fighting chance after numbers from a handful of wide releases showed that can make economic sense.
Eyes also has gathering momentum as a string of high-profile festival titles from Venice, Telluride and Toronto, as well as Cannes, cycle into starving theaters. It started last week with Paul Schrader’s Oscar Isaac starrer The Card Counter from Focus Features. That had an Ok debut.
The distributor’s films for the rest of the year will also follow parent Disney’s newfound determination to give cinemas a fighting chance after numbers from a handful of wide releases showed that can make economic sense.
Eyes also has gathering momentum as a string of high-profile festival titles from Venice, Telluride and Toronto, as well as Cannes, cycle into starving theaters. It started last week with Paul Schrader’s Oscar Isaac starrer The Card Counter from Focus Features. That had an Ok debut.
- 9/17/2021
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
Distributors releasing titles before James Bond takes screens.
Musical adaptation Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, action thriller Gunpowder Milkshake and Mark Cousins’ documentary The Story of Looking are three of 19 new films landing in UK-Ireland cinemas this weekend, as distributors look for screen space in advance of No Time To Die in two weeks.
The number of releases each week has been steadily increasing throughout the summer, with just eight on June 4, two weeks after cinemas reopened in England. This has risen to 15 last weekend, and jumped further to 19 this time out.
The increase is a welcome sign for the theatrical industry,...
Musical adaptation Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, action thriller Gunpowder Milkshake and Mark Cousins’ documentary The Story of Looking are three of 19 new films landing in UK-Ireland cinemas this weekend, as distributors look for screen space in advance of No Time To Die in two weeks.
The number of releases each week has been steadily increasing throughout the summer, with just eight on June 4, two weeks after cinemas reopened in England. This has risen to 15 last weekend, and jumped further to 19 this time out.
The increase is a welcome sign for the theatrical industry,...
- 9/17/2021
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
In the days of classic Hollywood, directors worked like journeymen, often completing as many as two to three films a year. These days, a successful filmmaker would be lucky to get one made every three years. Yet somehow, for the majority of his career, Japanese filmmaker Sion Sono has managed to produce films by the handful. The number of quality films he put out in 2015 alone is simply shocking, while even in his more relaxed phases, he still tends to release at least two films per year. To look over his filmography at a glance, one couldn't be blamed for deducing a portrait of an artist racing some cosmic clock of doom. And now 58 films into one wild ride of a cinematic legacy,...
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- 9/16/2021
- Screen Anarchy
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