Many of us here at Twitch adore funnyman-turned-filmmaker Hitoshi Matsumoto and his ever growing stable of directorial offerings. First we had the wildly inventive mockumentary Big Man Japan. Then there was the most profound film based around a fart joke ever, Symbol. And now, at last, thanks to the 2012 New York Asian Film Festival and Japan Society's Japan Cuts (which you'll be hearing about more and more in days to come) we have the Us premiere of Matsumoto's take on the samurai tale -- Scabbard Samurai aka Saya Zamurai. Our correspondent Alexander Thebez with his thoughts:The film follows the story of Kanjuro Nomi (Takaaki Nomi), a fumbling samurai and his daughter Tae (Sae Kumada). Nomi, having lost his sword and his honor, and Tae...
- 7/4/2012
- Screen Anarchy
Sometimes foreign language films simply exist across an insurmountable cultural divide that renders them indecipherable here. Hitoshi Matsumoto‘s Saya-zamurai [Scabbard Samurai] perfectly exemplifies through an obtusely-constructed first third before hitting its stride. Comically uneven at the start, I was left scratching my head and wondering if I was missing the joke. An old, toothless samurai with an empty scabbard breathlessly and wordlessly runs through the Japanese countryside with his young daughter following closely behind as three assassins – introduced in freeze-frame – arrive to inflict what should be mortal wounds. The attacks excise the would-be killer and victim from their backgrounds, placing them on black as bright red spurts forth from the aging relic’s body in slomotion. The samurai wails in pain, the girl heals him with a special herb, and it all happens again.
This prologue quickly instills a fear that the rest will end up a long and arduous journey...
This prologue quickly instills a fear that the rest will end up a long and arduous journey...
- 7/3/2012
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
Nippon Cinema has some passes to give away for screenings of comedian Hitoshi Matsumoto’s Scabbard Samurai at the upcoming New York Asian Film Festival (June 29-July 15). Skip to the bottom of this post for details!
The movie revolves around a samurai named Nomi Kanjuro (Takaaki Nomi) who loses his sword and tries to run away from his former life with his thoroughly ashamed young daughter Tae (Sea Kumada). It isn’t long before he gets captured and sentenced to commit seppuku for his dishonorable act. Fortunately, the eccentric local daimyo has been giving criminals the opportunity to save themselves by partaking in a special 30-day challenge, which gives Nomi 30 chances to make the daimyo’s young son smile for the first time since the death of his mother.
Nomi’s first few attempts go over like a lead balloon, and the young lord remains as stoic as ever. However,...
The movie revolves around a samurai named Nomi Kanjuro (Takaaki Nomi) who loses his sword and tries to run away from his former life with his thoroughly ashamed young daughter Tae (Sea Kumada). It isn’t long before he gets captured and sentenced to commit seppuku for his dishonorable act. Fortunately, the eccentric local daimyo has been giving criminals the opportunity to save themselves by partaking in a special 30-day challenge, which gives Nomi 30 chances to make the daimyo’s young son smile for the first time since the death of his mother.
Nomi’s first few attempts go over like a lead balloon, and the young lord remains as stoic as ever. However,...
- 6/18/2012
- Nippon Cinema
Scabbard Samurai
Written by Mitsuyoshi Takasu, Tomoji Hasegawa, Kôji Ema, Mitsuru Koramoto, Itsuji Itao, and Hitoshi Matsumoto
Directed by Hitoshi Matsumoto
Japan, 2010
Would-be samurai Kanjuro Nomi (Takaaki Nomi) has landed himself in quite a predicament. Wanted for desertion by the government, and pursued by a trio of variously skilled assassins, he nonetheless silently carries on, always protecting his wily young daughter Tae (Sea Kumada). Rendered silent by grief since the death of his wife, he no longer carries a sword – only its hilt. When he’s finally brought to justice, the local clan head dispenses his usual, and particularly cruel punishment: Kanjuro has one opportunity a day, for the next thirty days, to inspire a smile on the face of the clan leader’s son, who has been practically catatonic since the loss of his mother.
The latest comic hybrid from popular Japanese director Hitoshi Matsumoto (Big Man Japan, Symbol...
Written by Mitsuyoshi Takasu, Tomoji Hasegawa, Kôji Ema, Mitsuru Koramoto, Itsuji Itao, and Hitoshi Matsumoto
Directed by Hitoshi Matsumoto
Japan, 2010
Would-be samurai Kanjuro Nomi (Takaaki Nomi) has landed himself in quite a predicament. Wanted for desertion by the government, and pursued by a trio of variously skilled assassins, he nonetheless silently carries on, always protecting his wily young daughter Tae (Sea Kumada). Rendered silent by grief since the death of his wife, he no longer carries a sword – only its hilt. When he’s finally brought to justice, the local clan head dispenses his usual, and particularly cruel punishment: Kanjuro has one opportunity a day, for the next thirty days, to inspire a smile on the face of the clan leader’s son, who has been practically catatonic since the loss of his mother.
The latest comic hybrid from popular Japanese director Hitoshi Matsumoto (Big Man Japan, Symbol...
- 10/24/2011
- by Simon Howell
- SoundOnSight
From the crazy brilliant mind behind Big Man Japan, which is being remade, and Symbol, comes another new film titled Scabbard Samurai, which we have a trailer for thanks to SlashFilm. This time, filmmaker Hitoshi Matsumoto takes a light-hearted approach and tells a story of an old samurai (Takaaki Nomi) who deserted his clan with his ashamed daughter, but got caught. In order to be released, he has 30 days to make a young samurai Lord laugh. Unfortunately the trailer doesn't have any English subtitles yet, but it's still an easy watch, as this looks quite sweet and funny. The little girl looks like she kicks ass, too. Have fun! Watch the official Japanese trailer for Hitoshi Matsumoto's Scabbard Samurai: The film follows a swordless, middle-aged samurai and his mystical yet absurd tale set in feudal Japan. He is forced to make a very young ruler laugh in 30 days, failure...
- 6/12/2011
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Even as news breaks that the strange pseudo-documentary sendup of Japanese kaiju movies and TV shows, Big Man Japan (aka Dai Nipponjin) is getting an uncalled-for Us remake [1], writer/director/star Hitoshi Matsumoto has a new film opening in Japan. This week sees the bow of Saya Zamurai, aka Scabbard Samurai, a very strange-looking comedy set in feudal Japan. There is a trailer (sans English) available now, and you can see it below. You can get some of the basics from this trailer: the samurai with no sword (hence, one assumes, 'scabbard samurai') and the strange comedic tone. You might be able to infer some of the details of the plot, in which a bespectabled old samurai (Takaaki Nomi) deserts his clan, dragging along his shamed daughter. He is captured, and has thirty days to make a dour young lord laugh. And so the setup becomes: game show laughs, or seppuku.
- 6/9/2011
- by Russ Fischer
- Slash Film
Former TV comedian turned feature film director Hitoshi Matsumoto continues to reinvent himself with Saya Zamurai. Obviously a restless talent Matsumoto started off strong in the feature world, his moc-doc style kaiju comedy Dai Nipponjin (Big Man Japan) premiering in Cannes. With his second feature Matsumoto made something much more formally constructed though even more dryly absurd with Symbol. For round three Matsumoto focuses purely on his directing duties and leaves the acting to others, giving the lead to his former TV cohort Takaaki Nomi.Nomi stars as a samurai who abandons his sword and attempts to quit his post, taking his young daughter with him. They are eventually captured and, when they are, given a unique opportunity. The penalty for desertion is death but...
- 4/6/2011
- Screen Anarchy
Synopsis:
Takaaki Nomi plays a samurai named Kanjuro who decided to give up his sword after a certain incident. He wanders aimlessly with his daughter (Sea Kumada), but because he abandoned his position as a samurai without permission, a price is put on his head and they’re eventually captured. However, a notoriously eccentric feudal lord offers Kanjuro a unique opportunity to earn a full acquittal.
[via Nippon Cinema]...
Takaaki Nomi plays a samurai named Kanjuro who decided to give up his sword after a certain incident. He wanders aimlessly with his daughter (Sea Kumada), but because he abandoned his position as a samurai without permission, a price is put on his head and they’re eventually captured. However, a notoriously eccentric feudal lord offers Kanjuro a unique opportunity to earn a full acquittal.
[via Nippon Cinema]...
- 4/4/2011
- by Ulrik
- Affenheimtheater
Today, Eiga.com and pretty much all the major Japanese movie sites have posted a new 90-second trailer for comedian Hitoshi Matsumoto’s upcoming film Saya Zamurai now that the press embargo has been lifted.
The film stars Takaaki Nomi, a Shinjuku bartender who has appeared on the variety show “Hataraku Ossan Gekijo”, as a samurai named Kanjuro who decided to give up his sword after a certain incident. He wanders aimlessly with his thoroughly ashamed daughter (Sea Kumada), but because he abandoned his position as a samurai without permission, a price is put on his head and they’re eventually captured. However, Kanjuro is offered a unique 30-day challenge to make a young lord smile and earn himself a full acquittal.
“Saya Zamurai” will be released in Japan on June 11, 2011.
Watch »...
The film stars Takaaki Nomi, a Shinjuku bartender who has appeared on the variety show “Hataraku Ossan Gekijo”, as a samurai named Kanjuro who decided to give up his sword after a certain incident. He wanders aimlessly with his thoroughly ashamed daughter (Sea Kumada), but because he abandoned his position as a samurai without permission, a price is put on his head and they’re eventually captured. However, Kanjuro is offered a unique 30-day challenge to make a young lord smile and earn himself a full acquittal.
“Saya Zamurai” will be released in Japan on June 11, 2011.
Watch »...
- 4/4/2011
- Nippon Cinema
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