Abashiri Prison is a famous prison in Japan that had spawned numerous films, books and video games featuring the location. One of it's inmates was Hajime Ito whose novel Abashiri Bangaichi would form the basis of the feature reviewed here. With Eureka Entertainment bringing the first three of the lengthy series to blu ray it's time to look back at a launchpad for several prominent careers.
on Terracotta by clicking on the image below
A young Yakuza (Ken Takakura) is sent to prison following an attack on a rival gangster. After an incident results in his solitary confinement, he resolves to be a model prisoner and serve his time. He ignores several efforts of other prisoners to get him to join their escape. Fellow inmate Honda (Koji Nanbara) refuses to let go and ultimately a combination of manipulation by Yoda (Toru Abe) and discovery of his mother's illness force his hand.
on Terracotta by clicking on the image below
A young Yakuza (Ken Takakura) is sent to prison following an attack on a rival gangster. After an incident results in his solitary confinement, he resolves to be a model prisoner and serve his time. He ignores several efforts of other prisoners to get him to join their escape. Fellow inmate Honda (Koji Nanbara) refuses to let go and ultimately a combination of manipulation by Yoda (Toru Abe) and discovery of his mother's illness force his hand.
- 5/19/2024
- by Ben Stykuc
- AsianMoviePulse
The Story: A corrupt American cop (Michael Douglas) and his partner (Andy Garcia) wind-up in Japan after a prisoner exchange gone awry. With their former captive cutting a swath through the local Yakuza in an attempt to establish himself as the new Tokyo boss, the cops are forced into an uneasy alliance with a by-the-book local police inspector (Ken Takakura).
The Players: Starring: Michael Douglas, Andy García, Ken Takakura, Kate Capshaw and Yusaku Matsuda. Directed by Ridley Scott. Music by Hans Zimmer.
The History: Michael Douglas was riding high in 1989. Following his Oscar-win for Wall Street, and Fatal Attraction’s boffo box office, his was considered one of the most bankable actors in Hollywood. Opting for a rare action role, grittier and more hard-edged than his turns in Romancing the Stone and The Jewel of the Nile, Douglas, with his Fatal Attraction producers Stanley Jaffe and Sherry Lansing (who would...
The Players: Starring: Michael Douglas, Andy García, Ken Takakura, Kate Capshaw and Yusaku Matsuda. Directed by Ridley Scott. Music by Hans Zimmer.
The History: Michael Douglas was riding high in 1989. Following his Oscar-win for Wall Street, and Fatal Attraction’s boffo box office, his was considered one of the most bankable actors in Hollywood. Opting for a rare action role, grittier and more hard-edged than his turns in Romancing the Stone and The Jewel of the Nile, Douglas, with his Fatal Attraction producers Stanley Jaffe and Sherry Lansing (who would...
- 3/17/2024
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
The Film
Browsing the shelves of Our Price in the 90s, I remember seeing anime for the first time. One of the few things I miss about VHS is the larger cases that allowed for some very cool artwork, and the Manga line of releases were like nothing I’d seen before. Over the years, I ended up seeing things like Streetfighter II: The Animated Movie, Akira and Ghost in the Shell, but one that has evaded me even up to this point is Golgo 13. Having no context for these films, I had no idea that the anime version I saw on those shelves of VHS tapes was pre-dated by a live action adaptation of the manga.
The UK VHS image from Unified Goods
The manga series the film is based on began in 1968, and still runs to this day, even after the death in 2021 of its creator Takao Saito.
Browsing the shelves of Our Price in the 90s, I remember seeing anime for the first time. One of the few things I miss about VHS is the larger cases that allowed for some very cool artwork, and the Manga line of releases were like nothing I’d seen before. Over the years, I ended up seeing things like Streetfighter II: The Animated Movie, Akira and Ghost in the Shell, but one that has evaded me even up to this point is Golgo 13. Having no context for these films, I had no idea that the anime version I saw on those shelves of VHS tapes was pre-dated by a live action adaptation of the manga.
The UK VHS image from Unified Goods
The manga series the film is based on began in 1968, and still runs to this day, even after the death in 2021 of its creator Takao Saito.
- 8/2/2023
- by Sam Inglis
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Sadao Nakajima passed away from pneumonia on 11th June, 2023. He was 88 years old. Active as a director until just four years before his passing, Nakajima left behind legacy of work that most directors would dream of. Alongside Kinji Fukasaku and Junya Sato, he is credited as being one of the main names to define the Yakuza genre, with some of his greatest works coming within that genre for Toei Studios, showcasing a range of styles and narrative complexities while at it. Outside of the yakuza genre as well though, Nakajima made a number of terrific features, mixing a range of genres and filmmaking styles effectively over an illustrious career that lasted a little under 60 years, starting from his debut in 1964 all the way until his swansong in 2019.
Without further ado, we list 12 essential films by Sadao Nakajima that are not in the Yakuza genre, in chronological order.
1. Female Ninja Magic...
Without further ado, we list 12 essential films by Sadao Nakajima that are not in the Yakuza genre, in chronological order.
1. Female Ninja Magic...
- 7/11/2023
- by Rhythm Zaveri
- AsianMoviePulse
To mark the release of Eureka Classics’ Golgo 13 available from 17 July 2023, we have 3 Blu-Rays to give away!
Almost impossible to see outside of Japan for many years, Eureka Classics is proud to present Golgo 13 in its UK debut on home video in a definitive Blu-ray edition.
Eureka Entertainment to release Golgo 13, the 1973 action classic directed by Junya Satō (The Bullet Train) starring Ken Takakura as Takao Saito’s deadly assassin. Presented as part of the Eureka Classics range in its UK debut from a stunning 2K restoration. Available from 17 July 2023, the first print run of 2000 copies will feature a Limited-Edition O-card Slipcase and Collector’s Booklet.
The first film adaptation of the long-running manga series by Takao Saito, director Junya Satō cast Ken Takakura (who was the original inspiration for the character) as the mysterious and stoic killer-for-hire who always completes his assignment (usually with his signature...
Almost impossible to see outside of Japan for many years, Eureka Classics is proud to present Golgo 13 in its UK debut on home video in a definitive Blu-ray edition.
Eureka Entertainment to release Golgo 13, the 1973 action classic directed by Junya Satō (The Bullet Train) starring Ken Takakura as Takao Saito’s deadly assassin. Presented as part of the Eureka Classics range in its UK debut from a stunning 2K restoration. Available from 17 July 2023, the first print run of 2000 copies will feature a Limited-Edition O-card Slipcase and Collector’s Booklet.
The first film adaptation of the long-running manga series by Takao Saito, director Junya Satō cast Ken Takakura (who was the original inspiration for the character) as the mysterious and stoic killer-for-hire who always completes his assignment (usually with his signature...
- 7/2/2023
- by Competitions
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
By Earl Jackson
For a long time, Japanese cinema of the 1980s was a closed book to me. I just could not engage with the soft-focus, candy-pastel dreamscapes, the ubiquitous permed hair for both sexes, the relentless innocence of the idols who seemed to have learned acting from hostage ransom videos, and the ramshackle macho veneer concocted with crayons and a bullhorn. But in 2004 I attended an immense and beautifully curated 1980s retrospective sponsored by the Japan Foundation held in an upscale shopping mall in Seoul. That intense exposure was a real education which included an introduction to the almost preternatural, haunting countercharm of Yusaku Matsuda, amplified by the devoted Korean Matsuda fans I met there.
In recent years, international attention to the work of Shinji Somai and Nobuhiko Obayashi has filled in vital pieces of the 1980s, however Matsuda's cult status in Japan has yet to spread beyond domestic screens.
For a long time, Japanese cinema of the 1980s was a closed book to me. I just could not engage with the soft-focus, candy-pastel dreamscapes, the ubiquitous permed hair for both sexes, the relentless innocence of the idols who seemed to have learned acting from hostage ransom videos, and the ramshackle macho veneer concocted with crayons and a bullhorn. But in 2004 I attended an immense and beautifully curated 1980s retrospective sponsored by the Japan Foundation held in an upscale shopping mall in Seoul. That intense exposure was a real education which included an introduction to the almost preternatural, haunting countercharm of Yusaku Matsuda, amplified by the devoted Korean Matsuda fans I met there.
In recent years, international attention to the work of Shinji Somai and Nobuhiko Obayashi has filled in vital pieces of the 1980s, however Matsuda's cult status in Japan has yet to spread beyond domestic screens.
- 5/16/2023
- by Guest Writer
- AsianMoviePulse
The story of the forty-seven ronin of Ako avenging their fallen master is a significant historical event in Japanese history that has practically gone down as a legend. The events that transpired have frequently been retold in media, most notably in literature through the fictionalized accounts known as “Chushingura.” In addition, many retellings of the vengeful retainers' plot for revenge have been depicted in traditional theater and in cinema. Filmmakers that have directed their depictions include Kenji Mizoguchi, Kunio Watanabe, and Hiroshi Inagaki. Of the countless cinematic renditions, one of the more underrated and unique is Kon Ichikawa's “47 Ronin.”
on Amazon by clicking on the image below
Director Kon Ichikawa, who had directed a fair share of period pieces beforehand like “An Actor's Revenge” and “The Wanderers,” had expressed interest in adapting “Chushingura” for quite some time. He was finally given the opportunity towards the approaching end of his career.
on Amazon by clicking on the image below
Director Kon Ichikawa, who had directed a fair share of period pieces beforehand like “An Actor's Revenge” and “The Wanderers,” had expressed interest in adapting “Chushingura” for quite some time. He was finally given the opportunity towards the approaching end of his career.
- 5/4/2023
- by Sean Barry
- AsianMoviePulse
What a discovery . . . I’m glad this was recommended to me. Kôsaku Yamashita’s powerful 1968 drama belongs to the semi-chivalrous ‘honor and code’ yakuza tradition. Crime clan blood brothers Kôji Tsuruta and Tomisaburô Wakayama are good men caught between conflicting loyalties to family, friends, and the yakuza credo. Clashes of honor lead to unavoidable ‘knives out’ confrontations. It’s as intense as the Japanese classics. The extras offer a refresher in yakuza customs and protocol, with expert guidance from Chris D. and Mark Schilling.
Big Time Gambling Boss
Region A + B Blu-ray
Radiance (UK)
1968 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 95 min. / Bakuchiuci: Sôchô Tobaku; Gambling Den: Gambling Boss; The Great Casino; Presidential Gambling Street Date February 1, 2023 / Available from Radiance (UK) / £16.99
Starring: Kôji Tsuruta, Tomisaburô Wakayama, Hiroshi Nawa, Nobuo Kaneko, Hiroko Sakuramachi, Hideto Kagawa, Michiyo Hattori,Shin’ichirô Mikami.
Cinematography: Nagaki Yamagishi
Production Designer/ Art Director: Jirô Tomita
Film Editor: Miyamoto Shinjirô
Original Music: Toshiaki Tsushima...
Big Time Gambling Boss
Region A + B Blu-ray
Radiance (UK)
1968 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 95 min. / Bakuchiuci: Sôchô Tobaku; Gambling Den: Gambling Boss; The Great Casino; Presidential Gambling Street Date February 1, 2023 / Available from Radiance (UK) / £16.99
Starring: Kôji Tsuruta, Tomisaburô Wakayama, Hiroshi Nawa, Nobuo Kaneko, Hiroko Sakuramachi, Hideto Kagawa, Michiyo Hattori,Shin’ichirô Mikami.
Cinematography: Nagaki Yamagishi
Production Designer/ Art Director: Jirô Tomita
Film Editor: Miyamoto Shinjirô
Original Music: Toshiaki Tsushima...
- 1/21/2023
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Arrow Video floors us with yet another well-curated Japanese masterpiece. For practical purposes, this disc might represent the Western premiere of Tomu Uchida’s three-hour ‘crime and punishment’ saga. Unfolding like a novel and filmed with an unusually gritty visual scheme called ‘the Toei W106 method,’ the story’s timeline is split between 1947 and 1957. It has a strong postwar social statement to make, but the overriding theme is one of spiritual Karma, and the function of guilt in imperfect humans. Several of the actors are just unforgettable, especially Rentarô Mikuni, Junzaburô Ban, and Ken Takakura.
A Fugitive from the Past
Blu-ray
Arrow Video
1965 / B&w / 2:35 widescreen / 183 min. / Street Date September 27, 2022 / Kiga kaikyô, Straits of Hunger / Available from Amazon / 39.95
Starring: Rentarô Mikuni, Sachiko Hidari, Ken Takakura, Junzaburô Ban, Kôji Mitsui, Yoshi Katô, Susumu Fujita, Akiko Kazami, Rin’ichi Yamamoto, Tadashi Suganuma.
Cinematography: Hanjirô Nakazawa
Special Effects: Sadao Uemura
Art Director: Mikio Mori...
A Fugitive from the Past
Blu-ray
Arrow Video
1965 / B&w / 2:35 widescreen / 183 min. / Street Date September 27, 2022 / Kiga kaikyô, Straits of Hunger / Available from Amazon / 39.95
Starring: Rentarô Mikuni, Sachiko Hidari, Ken Takakura, Junzaburô Ban, Kôji Mitsui, Yoshi Katô, Susumu Fujita, Akiko Kazami, Rin’ichi Yamamoto, Tadashi Suganuma.
Cinematography: Hanjirô Nakazawa
Special Effects: Sadao Uemura
Art Director: Mikio Mori...
- 9/6/2022
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Tora-san (Kiyoshi Atsumi) emerged as Japan’s comic, penniless anti-hero in 1969, when yakuza superstars such as Ken Takakura and Yujiro Ishihara dominated the screen, and remained a beloved icon for more than 25 years. The 48-part Tora-san series—the longest running in film history—chronicles his life as an unruly yet endearing salesman, traveling through a rapidly-modernizing Japan. Over the years, Tora-san has become an emblem of a simpler world, winning over audiences with nostalgic charm.
In celebration of Tora-san’s 50th anniversary, Japan Society invited Japanese architectural firm Atelier Bow-Wow, curator and exhibition designer of Made in Tokyo: Architecture and Living, 1964/2020 (opening at Japan Society on Oct 11), to select newly restored and subtitled favorites from the series.
Tora-san’s Cherished Mother
Directed by Yoji Yamada, 1969, 93 min.
Friday, September 6 at 7pm
In this second installment of the popular series, made in the same year as the first film, Tora-san returns home to Shibamata,...
In celebration of Tora-san’s 50th anniversary, Japan Society invited Japanese architectural firm Atelier Bow-Wow, curator and exhibition designer of Made in Tokyo: Architecture and Living, 1964/2020 (opening at Japan Society on Oct 11), to select newly restored and subtitled favorites from the series.
Tora-san’s Cherished Mother
Directed by Yoji Yamada, 1969, 93 min.
Friday, September 6 at 7pm
In this second installment of the popular series, made in the same year as the first film, Tora-san returns home to Shibamata,...
- 8/19/2019
- by Don Anelli
- AsianMoviePulse
In times of trouble, people often lend their hopes to untrustworthy options. “Erica 38” by Yuichi Hibi, tells such a fairytail, that turns out to be nothing more than a big scam.
“Erica 38” is screening at Japan Cuts 2019
The story of betrayal starts with Satoko Watabe, a 60-year-old con artist who does not flinch from duping others to get their money. “Erica 38” retells her life starting from her violent childhood with an abusive father and portraits Satoko’s actions as a result of her psychological disorder. Since a teenager, she a disturbed relationship with men. When Satoko meets Hirasawa, a good-looking and eloquent middle-aged man, she falls for him and becomes part of his pyramid scam system with her at the top. From that point on, she has to attract solvent members and benefit from their investments without giving back the promised dividends. Her former hostess lifestyle is no longer necessary...
“Erica 38” is screening at Japan Cuts 2019
The story of betrayal starts with Satoko Watabe, a 60-year-old con artist who does not flinch from duping others to get their money. “Erica 38” retells her life starting from her violent childhood with an abusive father and portraits Satoko’s actions as a result of her psychological disorder. Since a teenager, she a disturbed relationship with men. When Satoko meets Hirasawa, a good-looking and eloquent middle-aged man, she falls for him and becomes part of his pyramid scam system with her at the top. From that point on, she has to attract solvent members and benefit from their investments without giving back the promised dividends. Her former hostess lifestyle is no longer necessary...
- 7/26/2019
- by Alexander Knoth
- AsianMoviePulse
A boxer with a brain tumor, a crooked cop with terrible luck, a screw-up yakuza who’s seen too many movies, a dismembered Chinese gangster who wields a pump-action shotgun with his one remaining arm, a terrified prostitute who’s stalked by a ghost in tighty whities, an unkillable femme fatale who will kick a man to death just for being in her way, and the world’s most wonderful heroin. Those are just some of the many different ingredients that prolific Japanese auteur Takashi Miike swirls into his frequently sublime new gangster film, a piece of work so feral and full of life that you’d never guess it was (at least) the 90th feature its director has made in the last 30 years. Even now, after making everything from scarring horror masterpieces (“Audition”) to unwatchable family comedies (“Ninja Kids!!!”), Miike hasn’t lost any of his lust for life,...
- 5/17/2019
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Legendary Toei director Teruo Ishii tells three stories of moral sickness set during Japan s prosperous Genroku era in this bloody follow-up to his sexploitation classic Shogun s Joy of Torture, and the fourth entry in Toei s abnormal love film series. Ishii s politically incorrect moral lessons paint a trio of tales of tragic heroines caught up in violence, sadomasochism, incest and torture.
Told in anthology style by an impassive physician (Teruo Yoshida), the first story follows Oito (Masumi Tachibana), an innocent young girl deceived by a handsome yakuza and sold into prostitution who finds herself in a doomed love affair with the man who brought her to ruin. The tale of Ochise (Mitsuko Aoi) is about the daughter of a rich merchant whose insatiable appetite for filth and perversion draws her deeper into violence, darkness and betrayal. Finally, the story of Omitsu (Miki Obana) follows a sadistic lord...
Told in anthology style by an impassive physician (Teruo Yoshida), the first story follows Oito (Masumi Tachibana), an innocent young girl deceived by a handsome yakuza and sold into prostitution who finds herself in a doomed love affair with the man who brought her to ruin. The tale of Ochise (Mitsuko Aoi) is about the daughter of a rich merchant whose insatiable appetite for filth and perversion draws her deeper into violence, darkness and betrayal. Finally, the story of Omitsu (Miki Obana) follows a sadistic lord...
- 11/5/2018
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Steady as the beating drums of Drum Tao band whose members proved to be as fast as the lightning storm they brewed at the opening ceremony held in X-Theatre, Tokyo International Tokyo International Film Festival 2018 has to offer one of the most enlightened and enriched programs (almost 200 films beeing screened) ever conceived in its long run of 31 years history.
‘We find ourselves in the rapidly expanding era of digitalization and globalization, but at the same time we must not forget about the true values of film entertainment’ – with these words Mr. Hirai Takuya, Minister of State for “Cool Japan” Strategy and Intellectual Property, opened his speech at the Opening Ceremony.
Soon after, Mr. Ryohei Mirata – Commissioner for Cultural Affairs echoed his words by citing Ken Takakura who once said that movies are beyond borders and languages, they have the power to transform living sadness into hope and courage. ‘We have...
‘We find ourselves in the rapidly expanding era of digitalization and globalization, but at the same time we must not forget about the true values of film entertainment’ – with these words Mr. Hirai Takuya, Minister of State for “Cool Japan” Strategy and Intellectual Property, opened his speech at the Opening Ceremony.
Soon after, Mr. Ryohei Mirata – Commissioner for Cultural Affairs echoed his words by citing Ken Takakura who once said that movies are beyond borders and languages, they have the power to transform living sadness into hope and courage. ‘We have...
- 10/30/2018
- by Nikodem Karolak
- AsianMoviePulse
“I still have something to do.”
“Don’t be too reckless.” Shortly after the release of “Beyond Outrage”, the first sequel he filmed to this day, Kitano stated how he wanted to conclude his modern day-narrative on the yakuza. Besides the financial success of the last two films, a conclusion seems to be the logical next step after focusing on the hierarchy within the underworld (“Outrage”) and its evolution to a business (“Beyond Outrage”). The last entry into the series would be centered around the individual and highlight the lasting consequences of Otomo’s actions and those of the other characters.
Outrage Coda is screening at the Toronto Japanese Film Festival
Despite their roots within the cinema of directors like Ken Takakura or Kinji Fukasaku, Kitano emphasizes how he regards his films as different from these traditions. Even though his approach remains stylized, the image of the yakuza as an...
“Don’t be too reckless.” Shortly after the release of “Beyond Outrage”, the first sequel he filmed to this day, Kitano stated how he wanted to conclude his modern day-narrative on the yakuza. Besides the financial success of the last two films, a conclusion seems to be the logical next step after focusing on the hierarchy within the underworld (“Outrage”) and its evolution to a business (“Beyond Outrage”). The last entry into the series would be centered around the individual and highlight the lasting consequences of Otomo’s actions and those of the other characters.
Outrage Coda is screening at the Toronto Japanese Film Festival
Despite their roots within the cinema of directors like Ken Takakura or Kinji Fukasaku, Kitano emphasizes how he regards his films as different from these traditions. Even though his approach remains stylized, the image of the yakuza as an...
- 6/14/2018
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
It’s been 21 long years since John Woo made a good movie, and the legendary Hong Kong director appears to be well aware of that fact. “Manhunt,” Woo’s dumb but deliriously fun new film, is nothing if not a very conscious attempt to turn back the clock and revisit the wild kind of pistol opera that he helped to popularize in the late ’80s with classics like “The Killer” and “A Better Tomorrow.”
That being said, nothing about “Manhunt” comes across as safe or lazy. It doesn’t feel like Woo is just going back to the well because he could use a hit. On the contrary — and from the very beginning — his retreat seems like more of an artistic realignment than it does a surrender. This is the work of someone reconnecting with the things that made them fall in love with cinema in the first place. It...
That being said, nothing about “Manhunt” comes across as safe or lazy. It doesn’t feel like Woo is just going back to the well because he could use a hit. On the contrary — and from the very beginning — his retreat seems like more of an artistic realignment than it does a surrender. This is the work of someone reconnecting with the things that made them fall in love with cinema in the first place. It...
- 5/4/2018
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
The Levi jacket worn by Ken Takakura as Ken Tanaka in Japan set thriller The Yakuza is not Japanese denim. It was not made in Japan but is nonetheless representative of a time when denim as symbol of burgeoning Americana in the East would take off into the stratosphere, and has remained so ever since.
Although Levi products were imported into Japan before the 1970s (Levi International was created in 1965), it was not until mid-decade that a Tokyo office was established. This was in response to growing popularity of all things American in Japan, especially denim and especially Levi. There was no single factor as to why, though most likely American G.I.’s being stationed in Japan after World War II played a part. Their civilian clothing was predominantly denim and khaki based. This caught the eye of Japan’s, until then, heavily regimented youth. Moreover when the G.I.’s...
Although Levi products were imported into Japan before the 1970s (Levi International was created in 1965), it was not until mid-decade that a Tokyo office was established. This was in response to growing popularity of all things American in Japan, especially denim and especially Levi. There was no single factor as to why, though most likely American G.I.’s being stationed in Japan after World War II played a part. Their civilian clothing was predominantly denim and khaki based. This caught the eye of Japan’s, until then, heavily regimented youth. Moreover when the G.I.’s...
- 4/27/2018
- by Lord Christopher Laverty
- Clothes on Film
Ready for some full- on Japanese sentimentality? Superlative tough guy Ken Takakura takes us deep into heartbreak territory in search of a happy ending. Yoji Yamada’s Hokkaido road epic throws together a trio of ‘drifters of the heart’ to see if they can solve each other’s romantic dilemmas.
The Yellow Handkerchief
Blu-ray
Twilight Time
1978 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / Street Date November 14, 2017 / Shiawase no kiiroi hankachi / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store / 24.95
Starring: Ken Takakura, Chieko Baisho, Kaori Momoi, Tetsuya Takeda, Hisao Dazai, Makoto Akatsuka, Mari Okamato.
Cinematography: Tetsuo Takaha
Film Editor: Iwao Ishii
Original Music: Masaru Sato
Written by Yoji Yamada, Yoshitaka Asama
Produced by Toru Najima
Directed by Yoji Yamada
Americans can experience difficulty navigating the sometimes- confusing sphere of Japanese humor. Cartoons, children’s films, action movies often seem crude or cruel, but can also be unexpectedly delicate. And some cultural barriers are still there — nobody...
The Yellow Handkerchief
Blu-ray
Twilight Time
1978 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / Street Date November 14, 2017 / Shiawase no kiiroi hankachi / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store / 24.95
Starring: Ken Takakura, Chieko Baisho, Kaori Momoi, Tetsuya Takeda, Hisao Dazai, Makoto Akatsuka, Mari Okamato.
Cinematography: Tetsuo Takaha
Film Editor: Iwao Ishii
Original Music: Masaru Sato
Written by Yoji Yamada, Yoshitaka Asama
Produced by Toru Najima
Directed by Yoji Yamada
Americans can experience difficulty navigating the sometimes- confusing sphere of Japanese humor. Cartoons, children’s films, action movies often seem crude or cruel, but can also be unexpectedly delicate. And some cultural barriers are still there — nobody...
- 11/25/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
The godfather of balletic bloodshed is back to his pre-Hollywood best with this Japan-set action thriller about a lawyer on the run from his shady former boss
With a flurry of bullets, fists and fluttering white doves, John Woo offers a better yesterday: it’s a raucously enjoyable return to the action-thriller style of his pre-Hollywood years, a cheerfully cartoony ass-kicking bromance between tough cop and falsely accused murder suspect in the manner of his classics like The Killer. There are parkour-style action sequences in crowded streets, snipers whose gun barrels emerge from billboard hoardings, cheesy emotional freeze-frames on expressive faces, a jazzy-melancholy sax theme, a scene in the subway which involves actually running on the tracks ahead of the train, and an old-fashioned jet-ski chase down a city river.
The film is based on the Japanese pulp novel Hot Pursuit by Juko Nishimura, and particularly its cult 1976 movie adaptation...
With a flurry of bullets, fists and fluttering white doves, John Woo offers a better yesterday: it’s a raucously enjoyable return to the action-thriller style of his pre-Hollywood years, a cheerfully cartoony ass-kicking bromance between tough cop and falsely accused murder suspect in the manner of his classics like The Killer. There are parkour-style action sequences in crowded streets, snipers whose gun barrels emerge from billboard hoardings, cheesy emotional freeze-frames on expressive faces, a jazzy-melancholy sax theme, a scene in the subway which involves actually running on the tracks ahead of the train, and an old-fashioned jet-ski chase down a city river.
The film is based on the Japanese pulp novel Hot Pursuit by Juko Nishimura, and particularly its cult 1976 movie adaptation...
- 9/15/2017
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
Premiering out of competition at the Venice Film Festival last week before traveling to Toronto, John Woo’s breezy, tongue-in-cheek actioner Manhunt sees him return to his roots in genre filmmaking and delighted fans on both continents, including our own reviewer out of Tiff.
We had the honor of speaking with the iconic director in Venice about making a movie in Japan, how he collaborates with action choreographers and, of course, those white doves.
How does it feel to be regarded as a legend of action cinema?
John Woo: I’m not a legend. I’m just one of many filmmakers. I know I love film. I love being part of the filmmaking world. I’m not trying to be humble when I say this but I’m very much still a student. I still like to learn from my fellow filmmakers, from world cinema. I learn so much...
We had the honor of speaking with the iconic director in Venice about making a movie in Japan, how he collaborates with action choreographers and, of course, those white doves.
How does it feel to be regarded as a legend of action cinema?
John Woo: I’m not a legend. I’m just one of many filmmakers. I know I love film. I love being part of the filmmaking world. I’m not trying to be humble when I say this but I’m very much still a student. I still like to learn from my fellow filmmakers, from world cinema. I learn so much...
- 9/11/2017
- by Zhuo-Ning Su
- The Film Stage
For fans of action films, the 1980s was a golden age, beginning with all-time classics such as, First Blood and Raiders of the Lost Ark, and on and on with epics like Die Hard, Lethal Weapon, Escape From New York, and Robocop. This amazing period also marked the rise of incredible action stars like Schwarzenegger, Norris, Willis, Ford, Cruise, and Murphy -- many of whom are obviously still working today (for better or worse).
Yet, the 80s was also an incredible decade for action directors, such as James Cameron, John Carpenter, Richard Donner, and George Miller. However, one of the most unexpected and influential action directors of that era was Hong Kong's John Woo, whose distinct visual style somehow managed to stand apart from his Western contemporaries. Woo was an innovator, a director who borrowed elements from different genres, resulting in something new, unique, and unmistakably visceral. A Hong Kong-based...
Yet, the 80s was also an incredible decade for action directors, such as James Cameron, John Carpenter, Richard Donner, and George Miller. However, one of the most unexpected and influential action directors of that era was Hong Kong's John Woo, whose distinct visual style somehow managed to stand apart from his Western contemporaries. Woo was an innovator, a director who borrowed elements from different genres, resulting in something new, unique, and unmistakably visceral. A Hong Kong-based...
- 8/29/2017
- by David Kozlowski
- LRMonline.com
The 74th Venice International Film Festival (August 30 – September 9) has just announced the world premiere of John Woo’s action thriller Manhunt as part of its Out of Competition roster. The film is hotly anticipated as it marks the return of the Hong Kong director to the police thriller genre 25 years after his classic Hard Boiled, starring Chow Yun-fat, Tony Leung and Anthony Wong.
Set in Japan, Manhunt is the story of a Chinese man wrongly convicted for rape and multiple murders. He becomes the target of a manhunt by the local Japanese police, while he sets out himself to find the real killers.
The film has Chinese star Zhang Hanyu (The Great Wall, Operation Mekong) and Japanese actor-musician Masaharu Fukuyama (Suspect X, Rurouni Kenshin: The Legend Ends) in the lead roles. The predominantly Japanese supporting cast includes Yasuaki Kurata, Jun Kunimura, Hiroyuki Ikeuchi, Nanami Sakuraba, Naoto Takenaka and Tao Okamoto.
Set in Japan, Manhunt is the story of a Chinese man wrongly convicted for rape and multiple murders. He becomes the target of a manhunt by the local Japanese police, while he sets out himself to find the real killers.
The film has Chinese star Zhang Hanyu (The Great Wall, Operation Mekong) and Japanese actor-musician Masaharu Fukuyama (Suspect X, Rurouni Kenshin: The Legend Ends) in the lead roles. The predominantly Japanese supporting cast includes Yasuaki Kurata, Jun Kunimura, Hiroyuki Ikeuchi, Nanami Sakuraba, Naoto Takenaka and Tao Okamoto.
- 8/8/2017
- by Arnav Sinha
- AsianMoviePulse
There is a thrilling selection of Chinese-language titles at Filmart this year. Liz Shackleton picks out some of the most promising.
With very few Hong Kong or mainland Chinese sellers making the journey to this year’s European Film Market in Berlin, Filmart offers a chance for buyers to catch up with the Chinese-language titles that will be rolled out in the region for the rest of the year.
After serving up the biggest film of the Chinese New Year holiday — Kung Fu Yoga, starring Jackie Chan and directed by Stanley Tong — China’s Sparkle Roll Media has launched a Hong Kong-based sales arm that is selling Ding Sheng’s reboot of the A Better Tomorrow series.
Other high-profile action titles new to market include Distribution Workshop’s Extraordinary Mission, from the creative teams behind the Infernal Affairs and Overheard series, and Huayi Brothers’ crime drama Explosion, starring Duan Yihong.
Previously announced...
With very few Hong Kong or mainland Chinese sellers making the journey to this year’s European Film Market in Berlin, Filmart offers a chance for buyers to catch up with the Chinese-language titles that will be rolled out in the region for the rest of the year.
After serving up the biggest film of the Chinese New Year holiday — Kung Fu Yoga, starring Jackie Chan and directed by Stanley Tong — China’s Sparkle Roll Media has launched a Hong Kong-based sales arm that is selling Ding Sheng’s reboot of the A Better Tomorrow series.
Other high-profile action titles new to market include Distribution Workshop’s Extraordinary Mission, from the creative teams behind the Infernal Affairs and Overheard series, and Huayi Brothers’ crime drama Explosion, starring Duan Yihong.
Previously announced...
- 3/13/2017
- by lizshackleton@gmail.com (Liz Shackleton)
- ScreenDaily
The Yakuza
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1975 / Color / 2:40 widescreen / 112 & 123 min. / Street Date February 14, 2017 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring Robert Mitchum, Takakura Ken, Brian Keith, Eiji Okada, Richard Jordan, Keiko Kishi, James Shigeta, Herb Edelman.
Cinematography: Kozo Okazaki, Duke Callaghan
Production Design: Stephen Grimes
Art Direction: Yoshiyuki Ishida
Film Editor: Don Guidice, Thomas Stanford
Original Music: Dave Grusin
Written by: Leonard Schrader, Paul Schrader, Robert Towne
Produced by: Michael Hamilburg, Sydney Pollack, Koji Shundo
Directed by Sydney Pollack
The Warner Archive Collection is on a roll with a 2017 schedule that has so far released one much-desired library Blu-ray per week. Coming shortly are Vincente Minnelli’s Bells are Ringing, Billy Wilder’s Love in the Afternoon Ken Russell’s The Boy Friend and Val Guest’s When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth, and that only takes us through February. First up is a piercing action drama from 1975.
There are favorite movies around Savant central,...
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1975 / Color / 2:40 widescreen / 112 & 123 min. / Street Date February 14, 2017 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring Robert Mitchum, Takakura Ken, Brian Keith, Eiji Okada, Richard Jordan, Keiko Kishi, James Shigeta, Herb Edelman.
Cinematography: Kozo Okazaki, Duke Callaghan
Production Design: Stephen Grimes
Art Direction: Yoshiyuki Ishida
Film Editor: Don Guidice, Thomas Stanford
Original Music: Dave Grusin
Written by: Leonard Schrader, Paul Schrader, Robert Towne
Produced by: Michael Hamilburg, Sydney Pollack, Koji Shundo
Directed by Sydney Pollack
The Warner Archive Collection is on a roll with a 2017 schedule that has so far released one much-desired library Blu-ray per week. Coming shortly are Vincente Minnelli’s Bells are Ringing, Billy Wilder’s Love in the Afternoon Ken Russell’s The Boy Friend and Val Guest’s When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth, and that only takes us through February. First up is a piercing action drama from 1975.
There are favorite movies around Savant central,...
- 1/24/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
John Woo, the celebrated Hong Kong director behind such action masterpieces as A Better Tomorrow, The Killer and Hard Boiled, has begun prinicpal photography on Manhunt in Osaka, Japan. The Us$40 million Media Asia production is a remake of the 1976 film starring Ken Takakura, which itself was adapted from the novel by Kimi yo Funnu no Kawa o Watare by Juko Nishimura. Woo's international cast includes mainland star Zhang Hanyu (The Taking of Tiger Mountain), Japanese actors Masaharu Fukuyama (Like Father, Like Son), Jun Kunimura and Tao Okamoto, South Korean actress Ha Ji-won (Duelist) and Mandopop star Qi Wei. The crew behind Manhunt is also an impressive mix of Chinese and Japanese talent, including producer Gordon Chan and cinematographer Takuro Ishizaka. "Manhunt tells the...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 6/20/2016
- Screen Anarchy
Production has started on John Woo’s highly-anticipated action thriller Manhunt, starring Zhang Hanyu and Masaharu Fukuyama, in Osaka, Japan.
Korean actress Ha Ji-won and Chinese actress Qi Wei have also joined the cast of the $40m film, produced by Gordon Chan and Chan Hing-kai and backed by Hong Kong’s Media Asia.
The film’s ensemble cast also includes veteran and upcoming Japanese actors such as Yasuaki Kurata, Jun Kunimura, Hiroyuki Ikeuchi, Nanami Sakuraba, Naoto Takenaka and Tao Okamoto.
Japanese crew have also been tapped for the film, including art director Yohei Taneda and cinematographer Takuro Ishizaka.
The cast and crew held a traditional Japanese kagami biraki ceremony to mark the start of production, also attended by local government officials. Osaka prefecture and the Japanese rail transit corporation are both supporting the shooting of the film.
Based on a novel by Juko Nishimura, about a lawyer wrongly accused of murder, the project...
Korean actress Ha Ji-won and Chinese actress Qi Wei have also joined the cast of the $40m film, produced by Gordon Chan and Chan Hing-kai and backed by Hong Kong’s Media Asia.
The film’s ensemble cast also includes veteran and upcoming Japanese actors such as Yasuaki Kurata, Jun Kunimura, Hiroyuki Ikeuchi, Nanami Sakuraba, Naoto Takenaka and Tao Okamoto.
Japanese crew have also been tapped for the film, including art director Yohei Taneda and cinematographer Takuro Ishizaka.
The cast and crew held a traditional Japanese kagami biraki ceremony to mark the start of production, also attended by local government officials. Osaka prefecture and the Japanese rail transit corporation are both supporting the shooting of the film.
Based on a novel by Juko Nishimura, about a lawyer wrongly accused of murder, the project...
- 6/20/2016
- by lizshackleton@gmail.com (Liz Shackleton)
- ScreenDaily
Based on the novel “Kimi yo Fundo no Kawa o Watare” (translated as “Hot Pursuit”) by Juko Nishimura, the original film was screened on 1978, with Ken Takakura in the leading role, and became a massive hit as the first foreign film to be shown in post-Cultural Revolution China.
Japanese actor and singer Masaharu Fukuyama (Midsummer’s Equation, Like Father, Like Son, Suspect X) , China’s award-winning actor Zhang Hanyu (Assembly, The Taking of the Tiger Mountain) and actress Stephy Qi Wei (Coming Back, Broadcasting Girl) will lead the cast of John Woo’s upcoming film, that is set to screen in 2017.
The film, sees a prosecutor (Zhang) framed for robbery, rape and multiple murders set out to clear his name, while Fukuyama will play a detective chasing him.
The action-thriller is backed by Hong Kong’s Media Asia and will be produced on a budget of some $30 million. Shooting will largely take place in Osaka,...
Japanese actor and singer Masaharu Fukuyama (Midsummer’s Equation, Like Father, Like Son, Suspect X) , China’s award-winning actor Zhang Hanyu (Assembly, The Taking of the Tiger Mountain) and actress Stephy Qi Wei (Coming Back, Broadcasting Girl) will lead the cast of John Woo’s upcoming film, that is set to screen in 2017.
The film, sees a prosecutor (Zhang) framed for robbery, rape and multiple murders set out to clear his name, while Fukuyama will play a detective chasing him.
The action-thriller is backed by Hong Kong’s Media Asia and will be produced on a budget of some $30 million. Shooting will largely take place in Osaka,...
- 3/24/2016
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Exclusive: Chinese star Zhang Hanyu and Japan’s Masaharu Fukuyama have been confirmed as the first leading cast for John Woo’s upcoming action thriller Manhunt.
Backed by Hong Kong’s Media Asia, the film is based on Japanese novel Hot Pursuit, from pulp fiction writer Juko Nishimura, about a prosecutor who is framed for robbery and rape and sets out on a mission to clear his name.
It was first adapted into a 1976 Japanese film, titled Kimi yo fundo no kawa wo watare, starring Ken Takakura.
Woo is directing the reboot from a script written by Chan Hing Kai (A Better Tomorrow) and Gordon Chan (Painted Skin). A third major cast member will be announced soon and production is set to begin at the end of May.
Zhang has starred in Chinese hits such as The Taking Of Tiger Mountain and Bodyguards And Assassins and will also appear in Zhang Yimou’s upcoming co-production The Great Wall, alongside...
Backed by Hong Kong’s Media Asia, the film is based on Japanese novel Hot Pursuit, from pulp fiction writer Juko Nishimura, about a prosecutor who is framed for robbery and rape and sets out on a mission to clear his name.
It was first adapted into a 1976 Japanese film, titled Kimi yo fundo no kawa wo watare, starring Ken Takakura.
Woo is directing the reboot from a script written by Chan Hing Kai (A Better Tomorrow) and Gordon Chan (Painted Skin). A third major cast member will be announced soon and production is set to begin at the end of May.
Zhang has starred in Chinese hits such as The Taking Of Tiger Mountain and Bodyguards And Assassins and will also appear in Zhang Yimou’s upcoming co-production The Great Wall, alongside...
- 3/16/2016
- by lizshackleton@gmail.com (Liz Shackleton)
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Chinese star Zhang Hanyu and Japan’s Masaharu Fukuyama have been confirmed as the first leading cast for John Woo’s upcoming action thriller Manhunt.
Backed by Hong Kong’s Media Asia, the film is based on Japanese novel Hot Pursuit, from pulp fiction writer Juko Nishimura, about a prosecutor who is framed for robbery and rape and sets out on a mission to clear his name.
It was first adapted into a 1976 Japanese film, titled Kimi yo fundo no kawa wo watare, starring Ken Takakura.
Woo is directing the reboot from a script written by Chan Hing Kai (A Better Tomorrow) and Gordon Chan (Painted Skin). A third major cast member will be announced soon and production is set to begin at the end of May.
Zhang has starred in Chinese hits such as The Taking Of Tiger Mountain and Bodyguards And Assassins and will also appear in Zhang Yimou’s upcoming co-production The Great Wall, alongside...
Backed by Hong Kong’s Media Asia, the film is based on Japanese novel Hot Pursuit, from pulp fiction writer Juko Nishimura, about a prosecutor who is framed for robbery and rape and sets out on a mission to clear his name.
It was first adapted into a 1976 Japanese film, titled Kimi yo fundo no kawa wo watare, starring Ken Takakura.
Woo is directing the reboot from a script written by Chan Hing Kai (A Better Tomorrow) and Gordon Chan (Painted Skin). A third major cast member will be announced soon and production is set to begin at the end of May.
Zhang has starred in Chinese hits such as The Taking Of Tiger Mountain and Bodyguards And Assassins and will also appear in Zhang Yimou’s upcoming co-production The Great Wall, alongside...
- 3/15/2016
- 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 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
Hong Kong-based John Woo is one of the few directors from Asia to effectively generate multiple Hollywood studio hits, from "Face-Off" and "Broken Arrow" to "Mission: Impossible II." But lately he's been financing and releasing his films in Asia; the spectacular 2008 historic epic "Red Cliff" was released stateside. He also went historical with the two-part 1949 disaster drama "The Crossing" series, which opened in Taiwan, Singapore and China. Read More: How John Woo shot Spectacular Epic 'Red Cliff' Now the famed action director is returning to his roots, he told Screen at the Tokyo International Film Festival, where he is getting the Samurai Award. First up is a remake of the 1976 Takakura Ken thriller "Manhunt" in Japan later this year; Woo has always wanted to make a film in Japan. It's the second adaptation of Juko Nishimura's Japanese novel "Kimi Yo Fundo No Kawa No...
- 10/26/2015
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
The action director reveals details of new feature Manhunt, a long-awaited remake of The Killer and his thoughts on retirement.
John Woo spent much of the ‘90s and early 2000s directing Us hits like Broken Arrow, Face/Off and Mission: Impossible II, before going back to Chinese films with Red Cliff in 2008.
So would he ever consider a return to Hollywood?
“I have never left. I still enjoy working with Hollywood. I still have a couple of projects developing in Hollywood,” the legendary Hong Kong action director told ScreenDaily at the Tokyo International Film Festival (Oct 22-31).
“So after Manhunt, I probably will go back to Hollywood to make another action thriller. I’m going to make The Killer in an American version.”
There has long been talk of an English-language remake of The Killer, the 1989 Hong Kong assassin flick that raised Woo’s profile globally as a director of hard-boiled action films and helped launch his move...
John Woo spent much of the ‘90s and early 2000s directing Us hits like Broken Arrow, Face/Off and Mission: Impossible II, before going back to Chinese films with Red Cliff in 2008.
So would he ever consider a return to Hollywood?
“I have never left. I still enjoy working with Hollywood. I still have a couple of projects developing in Hollywood,” the legendary Hong Kong action director told ScreenDaily at the Tokyo International Film Festival (Oct 22-31).
“So after Manhunt, I probably will go back to Hollywood to make another action thriller. I’m going to make The Killer in an American version.”
There has long been talk of an English-language remake of The Killer, the 1989 Hong Kong assassin flick that raised Woo’s profile globally as a director of hard-boiled action films and helped launch his move...
- 10/26/2015
- ScreenDaily
Robert Mitchum ca. late 1940s. Robert Mitchum movies 'The Yakuza,' 'Ryan's Daughter' on TCM Today, Aug. 12, '15, Turner Classic Movies' “Summer Under the Stars” series is highlighting the career of Robert Mitchum. Two of the films being shown this evening are The Yakuza and Ryan's Daughter. The former is one of the disappointingly few TCM premieres this month. (See TCM's Robert Mitchum movie schedule further below.) Despite his film noir background, Robert Mitchum was a somewhat unusual choice to star in The Yakuza (1975), a crime thriller set in the Japanese underworld. Ryan's Daughter or no, Mitchum hadn't been a box office draw in quite some time; in the mid-'70s, one would have expected a Warner Bros. release directed by Sydney Pollack – who had recently handled the likes of Jane Fonda, Barbra Streisand, and Robert Redford – to star someone like Jack Nicholson or Al Pacino or Dustin Hoffman.
- 8/13/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
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
The 14th New York Asian Film Festival will launch on June 26 with the North American premiere of Philip Yung’s crime thriller.
Festival top brass announced that the Centerpiece Presentation is the North American Premiere of Sabu’s Chasuke’s Journey.
Other notable films include the world premiere of Fire Lee’s Robbery, the International Premiere of Anh Sang-hoon’s Empire Of Lust and the North American premieres of Chen Jiabin’s directorial debut A Fool and Lau Ho-leung’s Two Thumbs Up.
As reported previously, the 2015 Screen International Rising Star Award will go to Japanese actor Shota Sometani (pictured) and the 2015 Star Asia Award will be presented to Hong Kong’s Aaron Kwok.
North American film premieres include Nobuhiro Yamashita’s La La La At Rock Bottom, Yim Soon-rye’s The Whistleblower and the international premiere of Namewee’s Banglasia.
Sidebars include a spotlight on Myung Films and Korean women filmmakers.
Japanese film legends...
Festival top brass announced that the Centerpiece Presentation is the North American Premiere of Sabu’s Chasuke’s Journey.
Other notable films include the world premiere of Fire Lee’s Robbery, the International Premiere of Anh Sang-hoon’s Empire Of Lust and the North American premieres of Chen Jiabin’s directorial debut A Fool and Lau Ho-leung’s Two Thumbs Up.
As reported previously, the 2015 Screen International Rising Star Award will go to Japanese actor Shota Sometani (pictured) and the 2015 Star Asia Award will be presented to Hong Kong’s Aaron Kwok.
North American film premieres include Nobuhiro Yamashita’s La La La At Rock Bottom, Yim Soon-rye’s The Whistleblower and the international premiere of Namewee’s Banglasia.
Sidebars include a spotlight on Myung Films and Korean women filmmakers.
Japanese film legends...
- 6/8/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
The 14th New York Asian Film Festival will present Hong Kong director Ringo Lam with the 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award.
Lam rose to fame with a string of crime dramas in the 1980s and 1990s and his credits include City On Fire, Prison On Fire and Wild City.
As reported previously, the 2015 Screen International Rising Star Award will go to Japanese actor Shota Sometani and the 2015 Star Asia Award will be presented to Hong Kong’s Aaron Kwok.
North American film premieres include Nobuhiro Yamashita’s La La La At Rock Bottom, Yim Soon-rye’s The Whistleblower and the international premiere of Namewee’s Banglasia, which was banned in Malaysia.
Sidebars include a spotlight on Myung Films and Korean women filmmakers.
Japanese film legends Ken Takakura and Bunta Sugawara, who both died last November, will be the subject of the first joint tribute outside of Japan, which will feature the brand new digital remaster of the classic Battles...
Lam rose to fame with a string of crime dramas in the 1980s and 1990s and his credits include City On Fire, Prison On Fire and Wild City.
As reported previously, the 2015 Screen International Rising Star Award will go to Japanese actor Shota Sometani and the 2015 Star Asia Award will be presented to Hong Kong’s Aaron Kwok.
North American film premieres include Nobuhiro Yamashita’s La La La At Rock Bottom, Yim Soon-rye’s The Whistleblower and the international premiere of Namewee’s Banglasia, which was banned in Malaysia.
Sidebars include a spotlight on Myung Films and Korean women filmmakers.
Japanese film legends Ken Takakura and Bunta Sugawara, who both died last November, will be the subject of the first joint tribute outside of Japan, which will feature the brand new digital remaster of the classic Battles...
- 5/21/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
The 14th New York Asian Film Festival in partnership with Screen International will honour the Japanese youngster with the International Rising Star Award on July 4.
Sometani will attend the event and the New York premiere of Kabukicho Love Hotel with director director Ryuichi Hiroki.
The 22-year-old actor Sometani has made a name for himself in his home country with lead roles in the likes of Himizu, for which he shared the Marcello Mastroianni Award for best new young actor in Venice with Fumi Nikaido.
The latter was the subject of the International Rising Star Award in 2014.
The festival, set to run from June 26-July 11, will showcase more than 50 films, most of which will receive their Us and North American premieres.
Port Of Call, will receive its North American premiere and Hong Kong actor Aaron Kwok will receive the Star Asia Award.
Kwok earned back-to-back Golden Horse best actor awards in 2005 and 2006 for Divergence and After This Our Exile.
Other...
Sometani will attend the event and the New York premiere of Kabukicho Love Hotel with director director Ryuichi Hiroki.
The 22-year-old actor Sometani has made a name for himself in his home country with lead roles in the likes of Himizu, for which he shared the Marcello Mastroianni Award for best new young actor in Venice with Fumi Nikaido.
The latter was the subject of the International Rising Star Award in 2014.
The festival, set to run from June 26-July 11, will showcase more than 50 films, most of which will receive their Us and North American premieres.
Port Of Call, will receive its North American premiere and Hong Kong actor Aaron Kwok will receive the Star Asia Award.
Kwok earned back-to-back Golden Horse best actor awards in 2005 and 2006 for Divergence and After This Our Exile.
Other...
- 5/19/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
The Hollywood Reporter today brings word that John Woo is set to return to a genre he helped define with a remake of classic Japanese actioner, Junya Sato’s Manhunt. Originally released in 1976, the thriller had a huge cultural impact on just about everyone at the time – Woo included – as it marked the first feature film to be released in China following Mao Zedong’s revolution.
On a personal level, the modern retelling will also offer Woo the opportunity to pay homage to the original’s leading star, Ken Takakura, who played a no-nonsense cop caught in a seemingly never-ending whirlpool of corruption. Per THR, here’s what the acclaimed filmmaker said about Takakura and the profound influence he had on him as a director.
“Ken Takakura is one of my favorite actors in the world. He was my idol, and he has influenced a lot of my films. Chow Yun-Fat...
On a personal level, the modern retelling will also offer Woo the opportunity to pay homage to the original’s leading star, Ken Takakura, who played a no-nonsense cop caught in a seemingly never-ending whirlpool of corruption. Per THR, here’s what the acclaimed filmmaker said about Takakura and the profound influence he had on him as a director.
“Ken Takakura is one of my favorite actors in the world. He was my idol, and he has influenced a lot of my films. Chow Yun-Fat...
- 5/18/2015
- by Michael Briers
- We Got This Covered
Filmmaker John Woo returns to the action thriller with a remake of Junya Satow's famed 1976 Japanese thriller "Manhunt" which begins shooting this Fall.
The original film, the first foreign film released in China following the end of Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution, starred Ken Takakura as a tough cop accused of corruption.
Shifting the locale to South Korea, Woo says the new film's style will be pretty close to "The Killer" but "a little more Hitchcockian" and more "back to my old style". Woo says:
"It's exciting because it’s nice to get back to the action! Actually, there’s a lot more besides the action; it’s a very romantic human story. But I get tired of making big-budget movies. I think about going back to the old times, when it wasn’t so much about money but about working with a wonderful, smaller crew to make a real movie.
The original film, the first foreign film released in China following the end of Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution, starred Ken Takakura as a tough cop accused of corruption.
Shifting the locale to South Korea, Woo says the new film's style will be pretty close to "The Killer" but "a little more Hitchcockian" and more "back to my old style". Woo says:
"It's exciting because it’s nice to get back to the action! Actually, there’s a lot more besides the action; it’s a very romantic human story. But I get tired of making big-budget movies. I think about going back to the old times, when it wasn’t so much about money but about working with a wonderful, smaller crew to make a real movie.
- 5/14/2015
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
For John Woo, remaking the famed 1976 Japanese thriller Manhunt from director Junya Satow as a dream come true. Finally, Woo could pay tribute to the film’s star, Ken Takakura, the actor who was a huge inspiration to the director of such action classics as The Killer and Hard Boiled. As the first foreign film released in China following the end of Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution, the original Manhunt, featuring Takakura as a tough cop accused of corruption, had a great influence on filmmakers there. The Manhunt reboot, which starts shooting in the fall, is billed as Woo’s return to
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- 5/14/2015
- by Clifford Coonan
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Japanese studio Toei has launched a major digital restoration programme of its extensive library, starting with Kinji Fukasaku’s Battles Without Honor And Humanity, which is screening in Cannes Classics next month.
Cannes is holding the international premiere of the digitally remastered edition of the 1973 Toei production, starring the late Bunta Sugawara.
“Bunta Sugawara does not just belong to Toei, but is a treasure of filmdom and movie lovers everywhere,” said Toei’s managing director, international sales and acquisitions, Satoshi Shinohara.
“It is our greatest honour to have an opportunity to show Kinji Fukasaku’s masterpiece, Battles Without Honor And Humanity, to people across the world in the Cannes Classics programme. Unfortunately, Mr. Sugawara passed away last year, but we couldn’t be happier to share his glory with others.”
Toei is also restoring the 1999 Ken Takakura film Poppoya and selecting further titles from its library, which will be packaged for sales and circulated to international film festivals...
Cannes is holding the international premiere of the digitally remastered edition of the 1973 Toei production, starring the late Bunta Sugawara.
“Bunta Sugawara does not just belong to Toei, but is a treasure of filmdom and movie lovers everywhere,” said Toei’s managing director, international sales and acquisitions, Satoshi Shinohara.
“It is our greatest honour to have an opportunity to show Kinji Fukasaku’s masterpiece, Battles Without Honor And Humanity, to people across the world in the Cannes Classics programme. Unfortunately, Mr. Sugawara passed away last year, but we couldn’t be happier to share his glory with others.”
Toei is also restoring the 1999 Ken Takakura film Poppoya and selecting further titles from its library, which will be packaged for sales and circulated to international film festivals...
- 4/30/2015
- by lizshackleton@gmail.com (Liz Shackleton)
- ScreenDaily
Japanese studio Toei has launched a major digital restoration programme of its extensive library, starting with Kinji Fukasaku’s Battles Without Honor And Humanity, which is screening in Cannes Classics next month.
Cannes is holding the international premiere of the digitally remastered edition of the 1973 Toei production, starring the late Bunta Sugawara.
“Bunta Sugawara does not just belong to Toei, but is a treasure of filmdom and movie lovers everywhere,” said Toei’s managing director, international sales and acquisitions, Satoshi Shinohara.
“It is our greatest honour to have an opportunity to show Kinji Fukasaku’s masterpiece, Battles Without Honor And Humanity, to people across the world in the Cannes Classics programme. Unfortunately, Mr. Sugawara passed away last year, but we couldn’t be happier to share his glory with others.”
Toei is also restoring the 1999 Ken Takakura film Poppoya and selecting further titles from its library, which will be packaged for sales and circulated to international film festivals...
Cannes is holding the international premiere of the digitally remastered edition of the 1973 Toei production, starring the late Bunta Sugawara.
“Bunta Sugawara does not just belong to Toei, but is a treasure of filmdom and movie lovers everywhere,” said Toei’s managing director, international sales and acquisitions, Satoshi Shinohara.
“It is our greatest honour to have an opportunity to show Kinji Fukasaku’s masterpiece, Battles Without Honor And Humanity, to people across the world in the Cannes Classics programme. Unfortunately, Mr. Sugawara passed away last year, but we couldn’t be happier to share his glory with others.”
Toei is also restoring the 1999 Ken Takakura film Poppoya and selecting further titles from its library, which will be packaged for sales and circulated to international film festivals...
- 4/29/2015
- by lizshackleton@gmail.com (Liz Shackleton)
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: The New York Asian Film Festival (Nyaff) has announced a special focus on two Japanese film legends, Ken Takakura (Black Rain) and Bunta Sugawara (Battles Without Honor), who both passed away last November.
“Both made a career of playing tough yakuza characters, and have been referred to as Japanese equivalents to Clint Eastwood. This will be the first retrospective/tribute outside Japan since they passed away,” Nyaff co-director Samuel Jamier told ScreenDaily.
“With this programme, the festival wants to salute the end of an era, when two superstar actors could be successful both within and outside the studio system.”
The fest will also have a focus on Japanese director Daihachi Yoshida (The Kirishima Thing), as “one of the most vivid, original storytellers from Asia”.
Yoshida will be in New York for the North American premiere of his crime drama Pale Moon, which was in Competition at the Tokyo film festival last October.
In Korean...
“Both made a career of playing tough yakuza characters, and have been referred to as Japanese equivalents to Clint Eastwood. This will be the first retrospective/tribute outside Japan since they passed away,” Nyaff co-director Samuel Jamier told ScreenDaily.
“With this programme, the festival wants to salute the end of an era, when two superstar actors could be successful both within and outside the studio system.”
The fest will also have a focus on Japanese director Daihachi Yoshida (The Kirishima Thing), as “one of the most vivid, original storytellers from Asia”.
Yoshida will be in New York for the North American premiere of his crime drama Pale Moon, which was in Competition at the Tokyo film festival last October.
In Korean...
- 3/25/2015
- by hjnoh2007@gmail.com (Jean Noh)
- ScreenDaily
John Woo has spent the last few years of his directorial career focusing more on epic histories such as the Red Cliff films and more intimate dramas like The Crossing. And while he hasn’t eschewed action elements all together, he’s had his attention elsewhere. But it appears he’s ready to get back into the thriller game with Manhunt.Based on Japanese author Juko Nishimura’s novel, Manhunt was originally adapted into a film in 1976, and became the first foreign film released in China following the Cultural Revolution. It tracks a prosecutor who is framed for robbery and rape and must head out on a mission to clear his name while taking down those who are trying to ruin it.Woo’s interest in the movie was sparked by his love for Japanese actor Ken Takakura, who took the lead and worked solidly until his death last year.
- 3/19/2015
- EmpireOnline
John Woo (Face/Off) is set to direct a remake of Manhunt, based on a novel by Japanese writer Juko Nishimura, for Hong Kong-based Media Asia Films. The story follows a prosecutor framed for rape, murder and robbery who sets out to clear his name. The book was previously adapted for the screen in 1976 by Japanese director Junya Sato, and starring Ken Takakura (The Yakuza) as the prosecutor. Takakura passed away last November at the age of 83. Manhunt is notable in China…...
- 3/19/2015
- Deadline
John Woo is set to direct a remake of the action thriller "Manhunt" at Media Asia Films.
Based on a novel by Japanese writer Juko Nishimura, the story follows a prosecutor framed for robbery and rape who sets out on a one-man mission to clear his name.
The work was first adapted in 1976 as a Japanese film starring Ken Takakura and a movie which was the first foreign film released in China after the Cultural Revolution.
Woo was a huge fan of Takakura, who died fairly recently. Filming will begin later this year.
Source: Screen...
Based on a novel by Japanese writer Juko Nishimura, the story follows a prosecutor framed for robbery and rape who sets out on a one-man mission to clear his name.
The work was first adapted in 1976 as a Japanese film starring Ken Takakura and a movie which was the first foreign film released in China after the Cultural Revolution.
Woo was a huge fan of Takakura, who died fairly recently. Filming will begin later this year.
Source: Screen...
- 3/19/2015
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
John Woo is to direct a remake of action thriller Manhunt, based on a novel by Japanese writer Juko Nishimura, for Hong Kong-based Media Asia Films.
The novel, Kimi Yo Funnu No Kawa O Watare, was first adapted in 1976 as a Japanese film starring legendary actor Ken Takakura, who passed away last year. It was the first foreign film released in China after the Cultural Revolution.
The story follows a prosecutor who is framed for robbery and rape and sets out on a one-man mission to clear his name. Media Asia acquired the rights to the original novel from Japanese publisher Tokuma Shoten Publishing.
Woo has been a huge fan of Takakura since watching him in Yasuo Furuhata’s 1983 Station. In 2005, the Japanese actor worked with Chinese director Zhang Yimou, starring in Riding Alone For Thousands Of Miles.
“When I found out that John was a huge fan of the late Ken Takakura, I immediately...
The novel, Kimi Yo Funnu No Kawa O Watare, was first adapted in 1976 as a Japanese film starring legendary actor Ken Takakura, who passed away last year. It was the first foreign film released in China after the Cultural Revolution.
The story follows a prosecutor who is framed for robbery and rape and sets out on a one-man mission to clear his name. Media Asia acquired the rights to the original novel from Japanese publisher Tokuma Shoten Publishing.
Woo has been a huge fan of Takakura since watching him in Yasuo Furuhata’s 1983 Station. In 2005, the Japanese actor worked with Chinese director Zhang Yimou, starring in Riding Alone For Thousands Of Miles.
“When I found out that John was a huge fan of the late Ken Takakura, I immediately...
- 3/19/2015
- by lizshackleton@gmail.com (Liz Shackleton)
- ScreenDaily
Earlier today, Media Asia Films announced they are planning a new thriller, Manhunt, which will be helmed by legendary Hong Kong director John Woo. The film is a remake of the 1976 Japanese film by Satô Jun'ya of the same name, which starred the great Takakura Ken. Based on the novel Hot Pursuit by Nishimura Juko, the original told the story of a prosecutor who was framed for robbery and rape, and who set out on a one-man mission to unravel the truth and get his name cleared. The Japanese Manhunt is a famous film in China, because back then it was the first foreign film allowed to be shown after the Cultural Revolution, and it became a big hit. In the announcement today,...
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[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 3/19/2015
- Screen Anarchy
By Dean Brierly
Japanese actor Ken Takakura, iconic leading man in countless yakuza and action films, died at 83 of lymphoma on November 10 in Tokyo. He had long since achieved legendary status in Japan with his portrayals of brooding samurai, gangsters and hit men. The characters he portrayed were usually on the wrong side of the law but adhered to a chivalric code of honor that, while not reflective of reality, nevertheless struck a deep chord among Japanese filmgoers of the 1960s. Takakura was most familiar to American audiences for his roles in The Yakuza (1975), directed by Sydney Pollack and co-starring Robert Mitchum; Black Rain (1989), with Michael Douglas; and Mr. Baseball (1992), with Tom Selleck. In each of these he more than held his own against his high-powered American co-stars.
Born Goichi Oda in Nakama, Fukuoka, Takakura was witness to real-life yakuza street clashes during his formative years, which may have informed...
Japanese actor Ken Takakura, iconic leading man in countless yakuza and action films, died at 83 of lymphoma on November 10 in Tokyo. He had long since achieved legendary status in Japan with his portrayals of brooding samurai, gangsters and hit men. The characters he portrayed were usually on the wrong side of the law but adhered to a chivalric code of honor that, while not reflective of reality, nevertheless struck a deep chord among Japanese filmgoers of the 1960s. Takakura was most familiar to American audiences for his roles in The Yakuza (1975), directed by Sydney Pollack and co-starring Robert Mitchum; Black Rain (1989), with Michael Douglas; and Mr. Baseball (1992), with Tom Selleck. In each of these he more than held his own against his high-powered American co-stars.
Born Goichi Oda in Nakama, Fukuoka, Takakura was witness to real-life yakuza street clashes during his formative years, which may have informed...
- 1/18/2015
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
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