Clockwise from left: Mica Levi (Dimitrios Vellis/Wikimedia Commons), David Byrne (Shutterstock), Jonny Greenwood (Shutterstock), Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (Shutterstock)Graphic: The A.V. Club
If you plan to see Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers this weekend, be prepared to be knocked on your ass by its propulsive score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.
If you plan to see Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers this weekend, be prepared to be knocked on your ass by its propulsive score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.
- 4/26/2024
- by Cindy White
- avclub.com
Among the actors, around whom there is not so much hype, Colin Farrell obviously stands out, as he’s a jack of all trades. It’s proven by his brilliant performances in the dark comedies Seven Psychopaths (2012) and The Lobster (2015), thriller series True Detective (2015) and the 2022 drama hit, The Banshees of Inisherin.
There is a movie, however, that even better demonstrates how great the actor’s dramatical talent is. Its plot revolves around a loving husband and father Jake, played by Farrell, who all of a sudden finds his son becoming weak and unresponsive.
However, it turns out it’s not their real son, but rather an android, who assists the family’s adoptive Chinese daughter Mika. Jake does all he ever can to repair the android, playing such a significant role in Mika’s growing up and exploring the world around her.
This movie is definitely a science fiction feature,...
There is a movie, however, that even better demonstrates how great the actor’s dramatical talent is. Its plot revolves around a loving husband and father Jake, played by Farrell, who all of a sudden finds his son becoming weak and unresponsive.
However, it turns out it’s not their real son, but rather an android, who assists the family’s adoptive Chinese daughter Mika. Jake does all he ever can to repair the android, playing such a significant role in Mika’s growing up and exploring the world around her.
This movie is definitely a science fiction feature,...
- 4/26/2024
- by info@startefacts.com (Ava Raxa)
- STartefacts.com
Franchise animation Kung Fu Panda 4 and creature clash Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire lead a bumper weekend of 16 new films at the UK-Ireland box office.
Universal’s Kung Fu Panda 4 has the biggest opening of the weekend in 715 sites – a significant jump for the series, after 2008’s Kung Fu Panda (448) and sequels in 2011 (514) and 2016 (585), all through Paramount.
Conversely, the total grosses of each film have dropped, with the first title making £20.4m, followed by £17m and £14.2m for the sequels. All of these were pre-pandemic; number four will look to cross the £10m mark before challenging any of those totals.
Universal’s Kung Fu Panda 4 has the biggest opening of the weekend in 715 sites – a significant jump for the series, after 2008’s Kung Fu Panda (448) and sequels in 2011 (514) and 2016 (585), all through Paramount.
Conversely, the total grosses of each film have dropped, with the first title making £20.4m, followed by £17m and £14.2m for the sequels. All of these were pre-pandemic; number four will look to cross the £10m mark before challenging any of those totals.
- 3/28/2024
- ScreenDaily
In his last weeks of life, the Oscar-winning composer is filmed at the piano by his son. It is an almost wordless paean to a remarkable career
Short of presenting nothing more than music and a blank screen, this documentary about the late Japanese composer-performer Ryuichi Sakamoto’s last appearances is as stark and minimal as a concert film can get. And yet it’s a work suffused with emotional tones and shades, surprisingly not all of them sad even though the subject knew at the time of filming he had mere weeks left before he’d die of cancer.
There are moments when director Neo Sora, Sakamoto’s son, turns up the lighting for the more upbeat songs and we can see the master smile, pleased with his own performance, or the composition, or … we know not what, as there is almost no dialogue, no nattering about the life.
Short of presenting nothing more than music and a blank screen, this documentary about the late Japanese composer-performer Ryuichi Sakamoto’s last appearances is as stark and minimal as a concert film can get. And yet it’s a work suffused with emotional tones and shades, surprisingly not all of them sad even though the subject knew at the time of filming he had mere weeks left before he’d die of cancer.
There are moments when director Neo Sora, Sakamoto’s son, turns up the lighting for the more upbeat songs and we can see the master smile, pleased with his own performance, or the composition, or … we know not what, as there is almost no dialogue, no nattering about the life.
- 3/28/2024
- by Leslie Felperin
- The Guardian - Film News
Sony’s “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” debuted atop the U.K. and Ireland box office with £4 million ($5.1 million), according to numbers from Comscore.
In the process, the band of ectoplasm hunters ended the three-week reign of Warner Bros.’ “Dune: Part II” in pole position. The Timothée Chalamet-starring film collected £2.6 million in its fourth weekend in second place for a total of £30.7 million.
Black Bear’s “Immaculate,” starring Sydney Sweeney, scared up £522,583 in a third place debut. In fourth place, in its fifth weekend, Studiocanal’s “Wicked Little Letters” earned £373,505 and now has a total of £8.1 million.
Rounding off the top five was Universal’s “Migration” that collected £370,464 in its eighth weekend for a total of £19.5 million.
There were two more debuts in the top 10 – Vertigo’s “Late Night With The Devil” in seventh place with £220,436 and Trafalgar’s “Romeo Et Juliette – Met Opera 2023/24” in 10th with £81,880.
With the Easter holidays imminent,...
In the process, the band of ectoplasm hunters ended the three-week reign of Warner Bros.’ “Dune: Part II” in pole position. The Timothée Chalamet-starring film collected £2.6 million in its fourth weekend in second place for a total of £30.7 million.
Black Bear’s “Immaculate,” starring Sydney Sweeney, scared up £522,583 in a third place debut. In fourth place, in its fifth weekend, Studiocanal’s “Wicked Little Letters” earned £373,505 and now has a total of £8.1 million.
Rounding off the top five was Universal’s “Migration” that collected £370,464 in its eighth weekend for a total of £19.5 million.
There were two more debuts in the top 10 – Vertigo’s “Late Night With The Devil” in seventh place with £220,436 and Trafalgar’s “Romeo Et Juliette – Met Opera 2023/24” in 10th with £81,880.
With the Easter holidays imminent,...
- 3/27/2024
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Since the beginning of his career, Hirokazu Koreeda became recognized for his films representing the family cinema genre—intrinsically linked with the favorite of Western critics among Japanese filmmakers: Yasujiro Ozu. This was already the case with Koreeda's 1995 debut film, “Maboroshi no hikari”, a visual meditation on loss and the passing of time, told through the eyes of a single mother who has just lost her beloved husband. Since the early 1960s and the death of Yasujiro Ozu, Western critics seemed to be engaged in an excruciating quest to find a new ancestor to Ozu's poetics of cinema—and finally, there was one; Koreeda became the new Ozu.
The similarity is there—a contemplative approach towards the mundane which translates to something more transcendental; a patient gaze onto the bonds of the family set against the backdrop of a modernizing world and changing traditions; or a talent to put...
The similarity is there—a contemplative approach towards the mundane which translates to something more transcendental; a patient gaze onto the bonds of the family set against the backdrop of a modernizing world and changing traditions; or a talent to put...
- 3/27/2024
- by Lukasz Mankowski
- AsianMoviePulse
Rihanna‘s “Take a Bow” is one of her most underrated songs, which is pretty shocking considering how popular it was back in the 2000s. The track was co-written by an R&b star and it originally had an Asian flavor. The tune shares its title and some of its other attributes with a Madonna song from the 1990s.
Rihanna’s ‘Take a Bow’ was originally inspired by an Asian musician
Stargate is a production duo that gave us hits by Beyoncé, Ne-Yo, Fifth Harmony, Katy Perry, and Rihanna. Oh boy, have they written numerous hits for the “Rude Boy” singer. During a 2010 interview with Sound on Sound, Stargate’s Mikkel S. Eriksen discussed the origin of one of Rihanna’s most popular ballads. “We might change the beat, or the chords, or completely rearrange the song,” he said.
“Like in the song ‘Take a Bow,’ our original track had an almost Asian feel,...
Rihanna’s ‘Take a Bow’ was originally inspired by an Asian musician
Stargate is a production duo that gave us hits by Beyoncé, Ne-Yo, Fifth Harmony, Katy Perry, and Rihanna. Oh boy, have they written numerous hits for the “Rude Boy” singer. During a 2010 interview with Sound on Sound, Stargate’s Mikkel S. Eriksen discussed the origin of one of Rihanna’s most popular ballads. “We might change the beat, or the chords, or completely rearrange the song,” he said.
“Like in the song ‘Take a Bow,’ our original track had an almost Asian feel,...
- 3/21/2024
- by Matthew Trzcinski
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Indies in moderate-wide release claimed the nos. 6, 8 and 9 spots at the domestic box office led by Love Lies Bleeding. Kristin Steward toplines the Berlin-premiering film by Rose Glass that expanded nationwide, grossing $2.5 million for the weekend on 1,362 screens (up from five theaters opening week). The steamy crime thriller from A24 also stars Katy O’Brian with an ensemble featuring Ed Harris, Anna Baryshnikov Dave Franco and Jenna Malone. It’s 88% Certified Fresh with audiences on Rotten Tomatoes (92% critics score).
Stewart plays a reclusive gym manager who falls hard for an ambitious bodybuilder headed through town to Vegas in pursuit of her dream as the pair is pulled into the web of Lou’s criminal family. Weekend breakdown: Friday, $1.1 million; Saturday, $790k; Sunday; $592k.
One Life by James Hawes pulled in a $1.7+ million debut 983 screens. The Bleecker Street film, starring Anthony Hopkins as a British stockbroker who helped rescued hundreds of Jewish children from Czechoslovakia,...
Stewart plays a reclusive gym manager who falls hard for an ambitious bodybuilder headed through town to Vegas in pursuit of her dream as the pair is pulled into the web of Lou’s criminal family. Weekend breakdown: Friday, $1.1 million; Saturday, $790k; Sunday; $592k.
One Life by James Hawes pulled in a $1.7+ million debut 983 screens. The Bleecker Street film, starring Anthony Hopkins as a British stockbroker who helped rescued hundreds of Jewish children from Czechoslovakia,...
- 3/17/2024
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
To call Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus a concert film would be correct and also drastically inadequate. What unfolds onscreen is no mere performance, no mere gesture, but a face-to-face between presence and absence. Beginning its theatrical run just before the one-year anniversary of Sakamoto’s death from cancer, at 71, the handsome film is a testament to the artistic spirit and, above all, an act of love — by the performer, who was facing mortality and thinking of legacy, and by the director, Neo Sora, who is Ryuichi Sakamoto’s son.
The performances captured in Opus were filmed over a week in September 2022, at a studio in Tokyo’s Nhk Broadcasting Center that Sakamoto believed offers the finest acoustics in Japan. He and Sora embarked on this project while Sakamoto was still well enough to perform. Other than the unseen filmmakers, there is no audience. Alone at a Yamaha grand, a bright...
The performances captured in Opus were filmed over a week in September 2022, at a studio in Tokyo’s Nhk Broadcasting Center that Sakamoto believed offers the finest acoustics in Japan. He and Sora embarked on this project while Sakamoto was still well enough to perform. Other than the unseen filmmakers, there is no audience. Alone at a Yamaha grand, a bright...
- 3/16/2024
- by Sheri Linden
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
A trio of moderate releases – One Life, The American Society Of Magical Negroes and Knox Goes Away join Janus Films’ celebration of master musician Ryuichi Sakamoto, and César award winning The Animal Kingdom as the next wave of 2024 indie films rolls out post-Oscars.
Focus Features’ American Society Of Magical Negroes, the feature directorial debut of Kobi Libii opens at 1,146 theaters across the North America. Premiered at Sundance, see Deadline review. A satirical comedy about a young man, Aren (Justice Smith) who is recruited by Roger (David Alan Grier) into a secret society of magical Black people who dedicate their lives to a cause of utmost importance: making sure white people never feel bad about themselves or get stressed out — because bad things happen when they do. Also stars Rupert Friend, Michaela Watkins, An-Li Bogan, Drew Tarver and Nicole Byer. Libii originally developed the project as an alumnus of both the Sundance Writers and Directors Labs.
Focus Features’ American Society Of Magical Negroes, the feature directorial debut of Kobi Libii opens at 1,146 theaters across the North America. Premiered at Sundance, see Deadline review. A satirical comedy about a young man, Aren (Justice Smith) who is recruited by Roger (David Alan Grier) into a secret society of magical Black people who dedicate their lives to a cause of utmost importance: making sure white people never feel bad about themselves or get stressed out — because bad things happen when they do. Also stars Rupert Friend, Michaela Watkins, An-Li Bogan, Drew Tarver and Nicole Byer. Libii originally developed the project as an alumnus of both the Sundance Writers and Directors Labs.
- 3/15/2024
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
The Independent Iranian Filmmakers Association (Iifma) has written to AMPAS to protest the omission of murdered director Dariush Mehrjui from the In Memoriam segment of the Academy Award on Sunday night.
As per Oscar tradition, the Academy paid tribute to a select group of 51 film and entertainment figures who had died over the previous year, including actor Matthew Perry, director William Friedkin, actor-performer Jane Birkin and composer Ryuichi Sakamoto in a short In Memoriam segment.
Mehrjui was named instead on the Academy’s In Memoriam page on its website, alongside 279 recently deceased figures related to the film world, including the 51 people feted at the ceremony.
The director was stabbed to death alongside his screenwriter wife Vahideh Moahmmadifar in their home outside Tehran last October.
The unsolved killing came just months after he posted an online video blasting the Iranian government’s suppression of the film industry, raising suspicions that his...
As per Oscar tradition, the Academy paid tribute to a select group of 51 film and entertainment figures who had died over the previous year, including actor Matthew Perry, director William Friedkin, actor-performer Jane Birkin and composer Ryuichi Sakamoto in a short In Memoriam segment.
Mehrjui was named instead on the Academy’s In Memoriam page on its website, alongside 279 recently deceased figures related to the film world, including the 51 people feted at the ceremony.
The director was stabbed to death alongside his screenwriter wife Vahideh Moahmmadifar in their home outside Tehran last October.
The unsolved killing came just months after he posted an online video blasting the Iranian government’s suppression of the film industry, raising suspicions that his...
- 3/14/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
The Japan Academy Film Prize Association held the 47th edition of its awards ceremony on March 8, 2024. The nominees are selected by the Nippon Academy-Sho Association of industry professionals from the pool of film releases between January 1 and December 31, 2023 which must have screened in Tokyo cinemas.
Following its success at the recent Blue Ribbon Awards and leading with 12 nominations, Toho Studios' and Takashi Yamazaki's kaiju cinema masterpiece “Godzilla Minus One” takes top honours winning Picture of the Year and a slew of technical awards. Sakura Ando cements her place as one of Japan's top actresses securing both awards for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role (for “Monster”) as well as Supporting Role (for “Godzilla Minus One”).
The full list of winners is described below.
Picture of the Year
Monster
Godzilla Minus One
Mom, Is That You?!
September 1923
Perfect Days
Animation of the Year
Kitaro Tanjo – GeGeGe no...
Following its success at the recent Blue Ribbon Awards and leading with 12 nominations, Toho Studios' and Takashi Yamazaki's kaiju cinema masterpiece “Godzilla Minus One” takes top honours winning Picture of the Year and a slew of technical awards. Sakura Ando cements her place as one of Japan's top actresses securing both awards for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role (for “Monster”) as well as Supporting Role (for “Godzilla Minus One”).
The full list of winners is described below.
Picture of the Year
Monster
Godzilla Minus One
Mom, Is That You?!
September 1923
Perfect Days
Animation of the Year
Kitaro Tanjo – GeGeGe no...
- 3/12/2024
- by Suzie Cho
- AsianMoviePulse
Since 1994, paying tribute to the artists and filmmakers who died in the past year has become an annual segment at the Oscars. Arguably the most emotional segment of the Night, the In Memoriam section of 2024 kicked off with the remembrance of Alexei Navalny. Other notable names that were honored in the Award ceremony included Matthew Perry, Richard Lewis, Glenda Jackson, Tina Turner, Robbie Robertson, and Ryuichi Sakamoto.
However, like each year, several deceased figures were left out of the montage, which involved many prominent figures, including John Wick Star Lance Reddick, which has caused fans to outburst.
In Memoriam | Oscars
Fans Furious Over Lance Reddick and Other Notable Figures’ Snub From In Memoriam
The Academy is no stranger to leaving out beloved figures from the segment, with Anne Heche and Charlbi Dean being left out in 2023, and 2024 was no different. 2023 saw many notable figures leaving the world behind, which was hard to grasp for fans,...
However, like each year, several deceased figures were left out of the montage, which involved many prominent figures, including John Wick Star Lance Reddick, which has caused fans to outburst.
In Memoriam | Oscars
Fans Furious Over Lance Reddick and Other Notable Figures’ Snub From In Memoriam
The Academy is no stranger to leaving out beloved figures from the segment, with Anne Heche and Charlbi Dean being left out in 2023, and 2024 was no different. 2023 saw many notable figures leaving the world behind, which was hard to grasp for fans,...
- 3/11/2024
- by Santanu Roy
- FandomWire
Andrea Bocelli performed a rendition of the song “Time to Say Goodbye” with his son Matteo Bocelli to accompany the Academy’s annual obituary section. Perhaps mindful of previous years, in which eagle-eyed viewers have jumped on omissions, this year’s “In Memoriam” — which began with footage of the recently deceased Russian opposition leader and subject of last year’s winning documentary Navalny — seemed comprehensive but at the same time not enough.
Related: ‘Oppenheimer’ Wins Best Picture Oscar & Six Others; Emma Stone & Cillian Murphy Take Lead Acting Prizes – Full List
Beloved actors Lance Reddick, Treat Williams, Apocalypse Now’s Frederic Forrest, Rocky’s Burt Young all relegated to a fine print reference at the end, along with such writers as Norman Lear and No Country for Old Men’s Cormac McCarthy. Also given afterthought treatment were Kenneth Anger, Terence Davies, Carl Davis, David McCallum, Sinead O’Connor and Paolo Taviani in...
Related: ‘Oppenheimer’ Wins Best Picture Oscar & Six Others; Emma Stone & Cillian Murphy Take Lead Acting Prizes – Full List
Beloved actors Lance Reddick, Treat Williams, Apocalypse Now’s Frederic Forrest, Rocky’s Burt Young all relegated to a fine print reference at the end, along with such writers as Norman Lear and No Country for Old Men’s Cormac McCarthy. Also given afterthought treatment were Kenneth Anger, Terence Davies, Carl Davis, David McCallum, Sinead O’Connor and Paolo Taviani in...
- 3/11/2024
- by Damon Wise
- Deadline Film + TV
The In Memoriam section of the Academy Awards is always one of the most emotional moments of the show. This year was no exception, as the 96th Oscars celebrate the performers, filmmakers and artisan talents who died in the past year. The In Memoriam segment kicked off with a remembrance of Alexei Navalny, the political prisoner who died Feb. 16 and was profiled in last year’s documentary feature winner “Navalny.”
The names unfurled onscreen was Andrea Boccelli and his son, Matteo, sang “Time to Say Goodbye.”
Every year, the Academy leaves a few beloved names out of the montage, causing anger among some viewers. Though a much longer list is presented on the Oscars.org website, outrage over who makes it onscreen is part of the Oscar-watching tradition.
Read more: All the 2024 Oscar winners
This year several beloved late performers and filmmakers didn’t make the main segment, including Treat Williams,...
The names unfurled onscreen was Andrea Boccelli and his son, Matteo, sang “Time to Say Goodbye.”
Every year, the Academy leaves a few beloved names out of the montage, causing anger among some viewers. Though a much longer list is presented on the Oscars.org website, outrage over who makes it onscreen is part of the Oscar-watching tradition.
Read more: All the 2024 Oscar winners
This year several beloved late performers and filmmakers didn’t make the main segment, including Treat Williams,...
- 3/11/2024
- by Pat Saperstein
- Variety Film + TV
Oscar-nominated Mexican sound designer Martin Hernandez has given new details about his latest project, Netflix documentary series The Master Of Monarchs [working title], which will launch on the platform later this year.
The series takes flight with the story of the Monarch butterfly and its journey from Canada to El Rosario Monarch Butterfly Preserve, a nature reserve in Mexico. The keeper of the reserve, environmental activist Homero Gomez, was murdered in 2020. It is believed he was killed because he stood up against organised crime groups.
The Master Of Monarchs will feature interviews with Gomez’s wife and children.
“It’s a great documentary.
The series takes flight with the story of the Monarch butterfly and its journey from Canada to El Rosario Monarch Butterfly Preserve, a nature reserve in Mexico. The keeper of the reserve, environmental activist Homero Gomez, was murdered in 2020. It is believed he was killed because he stood up against organised crime groups.
The Master Of Monarchs will feature interviews with Gomez’s wife and children.
“It’s a great documentary.
- 3/6/2024
- ScreenDaily
Prior to making headlines the next day after a short-lived health scare that required a brief stay in hospital, Ireland’s President Michael D. Higgins arrived at Dublin’s Complex arts center last Wednesday to present the Dublin film festival’s highest honor to Steve McQueen. Introduced in 2007 and named the Volta Award, after the first commercial cinema set up in Dublin in 1909 by writer James Joyce, its previous recipients include Daniel Day Lewis, Claudia Cardinale and Al Pacino. The famously serious director was in high spirits, enthusing that “festivals are about passion, a passion for film.” “There’s always a buzz, isn’t there?” he continued. “[As you] go to the next picture, the next film, you tend to give people tips and say, ‘Oh, you’ve got to see this, you’ve got to see that…’”
McQueen was in and out of the festival, flying home the same night, fueling...
McQueen was in and out of the festival, flying home the same night, fueling...
- 3/4/2024
- by Damon Wise
- Deadline Film + TV
Janus Films has revealed an official trailer for the wonderful documentary performance film titled Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus. This is the final performance of the master Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto, who passed away in early 2023 at the age of 71. The film premiered at the 2023 Venice Film Festival last year as a special screening. A celebration of an artist's life in the purest sense, Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus is the definitive swan song of one of the world’s greatest musicians. In late 2022, as a parting gift, Sakamoto mustered all of his energy to leave us with one final performance: a concert film featuring just him and his piano. Curated and sequenced by Sakamoto himself, the twenty pieces featured in the doc film wordlessly narrate his life through his wide-ranging oeuvre. The selection spans his entire career – from his pop-star period with Yellow Magic Orchestra and his magnificent scores for filmmaker Bernardo Bertolucci to his meditative final album,...
- 2/17/2024
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Legendary composer Ryuichi Sakamoto passed away after a bout with cancer in 2023, but his legacy and presence are still being felt and celebrated. The new concert film, “Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus,” which features his final Performance, is directed by his son, Neo Sora, and is coming out in March. The movie was executive produced by Jeremy Thomas, who worked on arguably two of the most important films in Sakmoto’s film-scoring career.
Continue reading ‘Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus’ Trailer: The Legendary Composer’s Final Performance Film Opens In March at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus’ Trailer: The Legendary Composer’s Final Performance Film Opens In March at The Playlist.
- 2/15/2024
- by Edward Davis
- The Playlist
There’s last will and testaments, and then there’s Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus, for which the musician and composer (for whom adjectives are sometimes adequate) enlisted his son, Neo Sora, to put on film one final performance: a 20-song symposium that would “wordlessly narrate his life through his music.” Ahead of its March 15 release from Janus Films, we have the first trailer.
As Jordan Raup said in our rundown of the best 2024 films we’ve already seen, “In a heartbreaking work that feels like a private personal home movie that the world is being graced with, Ryuichi Sakamoto’s son, filmmaker Neo Sora, captured one of his father’s final performances. Shot in beautifully austere black-and-white, Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus focuses solely on the music, capturing a man contending with his physical limitations in what amounts to one of the final offerings of his astounding talent. It’s a treasure.”
Find...
As Jordan Raup said in our rundown of the best 2024 films we’ve already seen, “In a heartbreaking work that feels like a private personal home movie that the world is being graced with, Ryuichi Sakamoto’s son, filmmaker Neo Sora, captured one of his father’s final performances. Shot in beautifully austere black-and-white, Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus focuses solely on the music, capturing a man contending with his physical limitations in what amounts to one of the final offerings of his astounding talent. It’s a treasure.”
Find...
- 2/15/2024
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
Oscar-winning composer Ryuichi Sakamoto gave his final performance in Japan knowing he was about to pass away. Now, the iconic composer’s legacy is captured in documentary “Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus,” directed by his son Neo Sora.
Sakamoto collaborated with auteurs like Luca Guadagnino and also scored Leonardo DiCaprio’s Oscar-winning turn in “The Revenant.” On March 28, 2023, Sakamoto died after a years-long battle with cancer. Despite retiring from live performances, Sakamoto returned to the stage one final time in late 2022 to play 20 pieces presented in a curated order. The first footage of the film includes Sakamoto performing the score of Bernardo Bertolucci’s “The Sheltering Sky,” among other pieces.
“Opus” was filmed at the Nhk Broadcast Center’s 509 Studio, which Sakamoto said had the “finest acoustics in Japan.” Cinematographer Bill Kirstein shot the film using three 4K cameras, with Sakamoto first recording his pieces on an iPhone from his home to...
Sakamoto collaborated with auteurs like Luca Guadagnino and also scored Leonardo DiCaprio’s Oscar-winning turn in “The Revenant.” On March 28, 2023, Sakamoto died after a years-long battle with cancer. Despite retiring from live performances, Sakamoto returned to the stage one final time in late 2022 to play 20 pieces presented in a curated order. The first footage of the film includes Sakamoto performing the score of Bernardo Bertolucci’s “The Sheltering Sky,” among other pieces.
“Opus” was filmed at the Nhk Broadcast Center’s 509 Studio, which Sakamoto said had the “finest acoustics in Japan.” Cinematographer Bill Kirstein shot the film using three 4K cameras, with Sakamoto first recording his pieces on an iPhone from his home to...
- 2/15/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Pj Harvey is a big Elvis Presley fan and meditates on his songs. She even created a fictional character inspired by Elvis’ “Love Me Tender.” In the same vein, she is a huge Bob Dylan fan and discussed her feelings about one of his more recent songs.
Pj Harvey said she could lose herself in Elvis Presley’s songs
During a 2022 interview with Rolling Stone, Harvey discussed her book-length poem Orlam. She was asked why the poem features a character named Wyman-Elvis who performs “Love Me Tender.”
“Well, I loved Elvis, as a lot of children of my era did, and I still love Elvis,” he said. “I love everything about him. I could lose myself in that voice, but not only that, the way he looked as well. He is almost a godlike figure in Orlam.“
The interviewer was surprised by Harvey’s statements, as she had never recorded...
Pj Harvey said she could lose herself in Elvis Presley’s songs
During a 2022 interview with Rolling Stone, Harvey discussed her book-length poem Orlam. She was asked why the poem features a character named Wyman-Elvis who performs “Love Me Tender.”
“Well, I loved Elvis, as a lot of children of my era did, and I still love Elvis,” he said. “I love everything about him. I could lose myself in that voice, but not only that, the way he looked as well. He is almost a godlike figure in Orlam.“
The interviewer was surprised by Harvey’s statements, as she had never recorded...
- 2/13/2024
- by Matthew Trzcinski
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
The Recording Academy recognized many of the musicians and people who worked behind the scenes in the music industry who have died in the past year during the Grammy Awards on Sunday night. Tony Bennett, Sinead O’Connor, Clarence Avant, Jimmy Buffet, and Tina Turner were among those celebrated.
Stevie Wonder, who on Thursday presented Mariah Carey with the Global Impact Award at the Black Music Collective Ceremony, performed a touching piano-backed rendition of Bennett’s “For Once in My Life,” reviving a duet together as a video of Bennett played in the background,...
Stevie Wonder, who on Thursday presented Mariah Carey with the Global Impact Award at the Black Music Collective Ceremony, performed a touching piano-backed rendition of Bennett’s “For Once in My Life,” reviving a duet together as a video of Bennett played in the background,...
- 2/5/2024
- by Kory Grow and Charisma Madarang
- Rollingstone.com
As Martin Scorsese once said, “Music and cinema fit together naturally. Because there’s a kind of intrinsic musicality to the way moving images work when they’re put together. It’s been said that cinema and music are very close as art forms, and I think that’s true.” Indeed, the right piece of music––whether it’s an original score or a carefully selected song––can do wonders for a sequence, and today we’re looking at the 20 films that best expressed that notion in 2023.
From seasoned composers to accomplished musicians, as well as a smattering of soundtracks, each perfectly transported us. Check out our rundown of the top 20, which includes streams to each soundtrack in full where available.
20. Infinity Pool (Tim Hecker)
19. Knock at the Cabin (Herdís Stefánsdóttir)
18. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (Lorne Balfe)
17. Passages (Various Artists)
16. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Daniel Pemberton)
15. Master Gardener...
From seasoned composers to accomplished musicians, as well as a smattering of soundtracks, each perfectly transported us. Check out our rundown of the top 20, which includes streams to each soundtrack in full where available.
20. Infinity Pool (Tim Hecker)
19. Knock at the Cabin (Herdís Stefánsdóttir)
18. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (Lorne Balfe)
17. Passages (Various Artists)
16. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Daniel Pemberton)
15. Master Gardener...
- 12/19/2023
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Postmodern attempts at genre defiance have become de rigueur for pop artists today. In a streaming-dominated world where we can type away on our laptops to ambient hip-hop in the morning, sing along to old yacht-rock hits on our afternoon commute, and dance to Edm at night, what other way is there to keep our attention than to try to give us everything everywhere all at once? We’ve gotten a few attempts to do just that in 2023, from Kara Jackson’s quietly rebellious blending of folk and R&b, to Yves Tumor’s kitchen-sink instrumentation, to 100 gecs’s audacious and absurd hyperpop assaults.
Many of the artists who appear on this list, though, no longer seem content to just break down old barriers, as they also seek to shatter interpersonal and emotional ones as well. The oft-cited isolation of modern living, heavily exacerbated by the pandemic, has compelled some...
Many of the artists who appear on this list, though, no longer seem content to just break down old barriers, as they also seek to shatter interpersonal and emotional ones as well. The oft-cited isolation of modern living, heavily exacerbated by the pandemic, has compelled some...
- 12/7/2023
- by Slant Staff
- Slant Magazine
Returning to Japan for the first time since his Palme d’Or-winning Shoplifters – after venturing to France and South Korea – Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Monster was initially veiled in secrecy upon its announcement. As scripted by Yuji Sakamoto, the film was revealed upon its Cannes premiere––where it picked up Best Screenplay and the Queer Palm––to be a tale of three perspectives as it relates to a boy’s struggle at his school and with a friend, seen through his eyes and those of his mother and teacher.
While at the Toronto International Film Festival, I had the opportunity to catch up with the Japanese director to discuss his latest work (which begins its theatrical release in NYC this week) collaborating with Ryuichi Sakamoto on one of his final works, why his film differs from Rashomon, and the queer themes in the story.
The Film Stage: The previous two films you made,...
While at the Toronto International Film Festival, I had the opportunity to catch up with the Japanese director to discuss his latest work (which begins its theatrical release in NYC this week) collaborating with Ryuichi Sakamoto on one of his final works, why his film differs from Rashomon, and the queer themes in the story.
The Film Stage: The previous two films you made,...
- 11/21/2023
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
There have been hundreds upon hundreds of ambient music albums released this year, but there’s only one released by an elite-tier rapper with a 13-times-Platinum record under his overalls. In the 16 years since the tectonic-shifting Outkast went on hiatus, fans of the duo’s André 3000 have been clamoring for the superstar to deliver something more than the occasional knockout guest verse. Instead, he’s been following his arrow as a nomadic, bohemian troubadour playing his flute in airports, coffee shops, sidewalks and yoga classes. His debut album, New...
- 11/20/2023
- by Christopher R. Weingarten
- Rollingstone.com
November has arrived, and with it a bevy of exciting, engaging and fresh new movies to stream on your friendly neighborhood streaming service. As fall is in full swing, the tone and tenor of new movies is starting to shift in a more dramatic direction while studios begin to trot out their awards contenders. A few of those arrive this month, including true stories “Nyad” and “Rustin,” but it’s not all serious business — the Awkwafina/Sandra Oh comedy “Quiz Lady” and David Fincher’s take on a B-movie “The Killer” both arrive this month as well.
And that’s not to mention the cornucopia of library titles that are newly streaming this month, including a host of Christmas classics. Whether it’s Netflix, Prime Video, Max, Hulu, Peacock, Paramount+ or Disney+, we’ve got you covered with our curated selection of the best new movies streaming in November 2023 below.
And that’s not to mention the cornucopia of library titles that are newly streaming this month, including a host of Christmas classics. Whether it’s Netflix, Prime Video, Max, Hulu, Peacock, Paramount+ or Disney+, we’ve got you covered with our curated selection of the best new movies streaming in November 2023 below.
- 11/10/2023
- by Drew Taylor
- The Wrap
As we enter the final months of the year, we’ll soon be unveiling our favorite cinema in a variety of distinctions and categories, leading up to our best films of the year list. In the meantime, it’s time to play catch up. Along with our updated lists of the best films playing in theaters and weekly streaming picks, we’re taking a look at the offerings of November: historical epics, riveting documentaries, impressive debuts, and the return of one of the most imaginative filmmakers to ever contribute to the craft.
15. Dream Scenario (Kristoffer Borgli; Nov. 10 limited)
In a rare feat, Kristoffer Borgli premiered his second U.S. release of the year after the jet-black Norwegian comedy Sick of Myself. Teaming him with Nicolas Cage, the Ari Aster-produced Dream Scenario premiered at TIFF and I found at least the first half to be quite an entertaining, sharp Kaufman-esque psychological character study.
15. Dream Scenario (Kristoffer Borgli; Nov. 10 limited)
In a rare feat, Kristoffer Borgli premiered his second U.S. release of the year after the jet-black Norwegian comedy Sick of Myself. Teaming him with Nicolas Cage, the Ari Aster-produced Dream Scenario premiered at TIFF and I found at least the first half to be quite an entertaining, sharp Kaufman-esque psychological character study.
- 11/1/2023
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Following a generation of organizational drift, the Tokyo International Film Festival has charted a course towards greater global influence under the ambitious leadership of current chairman Hiroyasu Ando. A career diplomat for Japan’s Foreign Service, Ando took the helm of the Tokyo festival in mid-2019 and quickly set about remaking the event, changing its location, shaking up the programming ranks, recruiting arthouse star Hirokazu Kore-eda to program a seminar series and adding more glamor to the after-dark parties and filmmaker fetes. A lot of that revitalization went unseen by the international film community, however, thanks to the long interregnum of the pandemic. In 2023, the Tokyo festival’s renewed outlook will be harder to miss.
“Now that the coronavirus disaster is fully over, we were able to make further progress in moving forward and upgrading our festival,” Ando tells The Hollywood Reporter.
To leverage Japan’s strengths and boost the...
“Now that the coronavirus disaster is fully over, we were able to make further progress in moving forward and upgrading our festival,” Ando tells The Hollywood Reporter.
To leverage Japan’s strengths and boost the...
- 10/23/2023
- by Patrick Brzeski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Tokyo’s International Film Festival returned this evening for its first completely unrestricted, post-covid-19 edition with a well-attended screening of Wim Wenders’ Perfect Days.
Fresh from an appearance at Thierry Frémaux’s Lumière Film Festival in Lyon, Wenders, who is also the head of the competition jury at Tokyo this year, was in attendance and introduced the pic alongside most of his cast, including leading man Koji Yakusho. Yakusho won the best actor award at Cannes for his performance in the pic.
During a comedic opening speech, Wenders told the audience inside Tokyo’s Takarazuka Theatre that he had long dreamt of completing a feature shot entirely in Japan, with Yakusho as the lead actor, and a premiere screening at the Tokyo International Film Festival. However, Wenders said there was one milestone he never thought the film would achieve.
“I didn’t dare dream that it was going to be...
Fresh from an appearance at Thierry Frémaux’s Lumière Film Festival in Lyon, Wenders, who is also the head of the competition jury at Tokyo this year, was in attendance and introduced the pic alongside most of his cast, including leading man Koji Yakusho. Yakusho won the best actor award at Cannes for his performance in the pic.
During a comedic opening speech, Wenders told the audience inside Tokyo’s Takarazuka Theatre that he had long dreamt of completing a feature shot entirely in Japan, with Yakusho as the lead actor, and a premiere screening at the Tokyo International Film Festival. However, Wenders said there was one milestone he never thought the film would achieve.
“I didn’t dare dream that it was going to be...
- 10/23/2023
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Hirokazu Koreeda returns to Japan for his latest feature, “Monster,” another outstanding entry in the director’s already impressive filmography. For “Monster,” Koreeda collaborated with screenwriter Yuji Sakamoto, who wrote the screenplay, and music composer Ryuichi Sakamoto, who produced his final film score before passing away. As such, a dedication to the memory of Sakamoto is included. Upon making its world premiere at the 76th Cannes Film Festival, competing for the Palme d’Or, the movie was met with an overwhelmingly positive reception, winning the Best Screenplay award and being honored with the Queer Palm. Its theatrical run has also been met with acclaim.
Monster is available from Wellgo USA
Regarding the story, single mother Saori Mugino grows concerned for her son Minato when she notices disturbing changes in his behavior. Things only become more concerning as time progresses. Upon learning that schoolteacher Michitoshi Hori is responsible for her child’s behavioral shifts,...
Monster is available from Wellgo USA
Regarding the story, single mother Saori Mugino grows concerned for her son Minato when she notices disturbing changes in his behavior. Things only become more concerning as time progresses. Upon learning that schoolteacher Michitoshi Hori is responsible for her child’s behavioral shifts,...
- 10/20/2023
- by Sean Barry
- AsianMoviePulse
Jules Gouillon (communication) Jean-Marc Thérouanne (Festival director) Vesoul Iff Asian Cinemas Team.
1- Is the Busan International Film Festival (South Korea) a fixture in your calendar ? Since which year ?
Jean-Marc Thérouanne, General Delegate, Artistic Director and co-founder of the Festival International des Cinémas d’Asie de Vesou l: It’s obvious, Martine Thérouanne, Director of the Vesoul Iff Asian Cinemas (Festival International des Cinémas d’Asie de Vesoul), has been coming since 2010, and I since 2011, i.e. for 13 years.
In 2010, Martine Thérouanne was a member of the Netpac jury at the 15th Biff, and this year, for the 28th Biff, she is the president of the Jiseok jury.
Martine Thérouanne and Song Kang-ho – opening ceremony – red carpet
2- What does your presence there entail ? Do you have any particular expectations or goals ?
Jmt : Because it’s essential to be there when you run a festival like ours. The Vesoul...
1- Is the Busan International Film Festival (South Korea) a fixture in your calendar ? Since which year ?
Jean-Marc Thérouanne, General Delegate, Artistic Director and co-founder of the Festival International des Cinémas d’Asie de Vesou l: It’s obvious, Martine Thérouanne, Director of the Vesoul Iff Asian Cinemas (Festival International des Cinémas d’Asie de Vesoul), has been coming since 2010, and I since 2011, i.e. for 13 years.
In 2010, Martine Thérouanne was a member of the Netpac jury at the 15th Biff, and this year, for the 28th Biff, she is the president of the Jiseok jury.
Martine Thérouanne and Song Kang-ho – opening ceremony – red carpet
2- What does your presence there entail ? Do you have any particular expectations or goals ?
Jmt : Because it’s essential to be there when you run a festival like ours. The Vesoul...
- 10/19/2023
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Yidff 2023 presented a total of 130 films across 11 categories. In the two competition sections, International Competition and New Asian Currents, there were 2,134 entries from 120 countries and regions, out of which 15 films were selected for the International Competition and 19 films for New Asian Currents, in a total of 34 films.
The opening film following the opening ceremony was the Asian premiere of Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus, directed by Sora Neo, which captured the last solo concert of the musician who passed away in March 2023. Screenings were packed, with many sold out not only for the popular competition films, but also for screenings of the Special Programs, a particularly renowned feature of Yidff. The first large-scale retrospective of Noda Shinkichi in Japan was a great success, with full house every day, attracting many film fans. As Yamagata is the first Japanese city to join the Unesco Creative Cities Network in the field of film,...
The opening film following the opening ceremony was the Asian premiere of Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus, directed by Sora Neo, which captured the last solo concert of the musician who passed away in March 2023. Screenings were packed, with many sold out not only for the popular competition films, but also for screenings of the Special Programs, a particularly renowned feature of Yidff. The first large-scale retrospective of Noda Shinkichi in Japan was a great success, with full house every day, attracting many film fans. As Yamagata is the first Japanese city to join the Unesco Creative Cities Network in the field of film,...
- 10/17/2023
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Many artists appear to discover the power of minimalism in their older age: the beauty of paring their art down to bare essentials, the profundities that come with evoking more by saying less. That appears to be how the late pianist and composer Sakamoto Ryuichi approached his art in the last years of his life before passing earlier this year from throat cancer. The evidence of this can not only be heard in his final studio album, 12—dominated as it is by hauntingly austere piano and electronic textures—but it can also be heard and seen in his son Sora Neo’s concert documentary Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus.
This, though, is no ordinary concert film, beginning with there being no audience. Sakamoto, having by late 2022 sworn off live concerts as a result of his declining health, decided to perform 20 of his works on a piano in Nhk Broadcast Center’s 509 Studio in Japan,...
This, though, is no ordinary concert film, beginning with there being no audience. Sakamoto, having by late 2022 sworn off live concerts as a result of his declining health, decided to perform 20 of his works on a piano in Nhk Broadcast Center’s 509 Studio in Japan,...
- 10/11/2023
- by Kenji Fujishima
- Slant Magazine
Award-winning feature documentary “Mom & Dad’s Nipple Factory” has inked a deal with Sonder Entertainment for a national theatrical tour beginning in October to coincide with National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. “Mom & Dad’s Nipple Factory,” a Jubilee Production, will screen in theaters nationwide and into next year ahead of its digital release in February.
Directed by Emmy-winning filmmaker Justin Johnson, the feature documentary tells the story of Johnson’s parents’ resilience in the face of a breast cancer diagnosis and unilateral mastectomy — which unexpectedly leads them to launch a novel homespun prosthetic nipple business. They hide this endeavor from their five children, church and small community.
“Mom and Dad’s journey, filled with love, humor, and ingenuity amidst adversity, has blossomed into a project that has already touched thousands of hearts in our festival run. I’m excited to partner with Sonder Entertainment to share this poignant yet humorous film with audiences nationwide,...
Directed by Emmy-winning filmmaker Justin Johnson, the feature documentary tells the story of Johnson’s parents’ resilience in the face of a breast cancer diagnosis and unilateral mastectomy — which unexpectedly leads them to launch a novel homespun prosthetic nipple business. They hide this endeavor from their five children, church and small community.
“Mom and Dad’s journey, filled with love, humor, and ingenuity amidst adversity, has blossomed into a project that has already touched thousands of hearts in our festival run. I’m excited to partner with Sonder Entertainment to share this poignant yet humorous film with audiences nationwide,...
- 10/5/2023
- by Jazz Tangcay, Jaden Thompson and Caroline Brew
- Variety Film + TV
Winner of Best Screenplay at Cannes Film Festival this year, Hirokazu Kore-eda’s new drama Monster has now been set for a release later this year. Coming from Well Go USA, they’ve set a November 22 theatrical released in NYC, then Dec. 1 in LA, followed by an expansion. Written by Sakamoto Yuji, starring Ando Sakura, Nagayama Eita, Kurokawa Soya, Hiiragi Hinata, and Tanaka Yuko, and featuring one of Ryuichi Sakamoto’s final scores, the first trailer has now arrived for the film which tells a story of traumatic adolescence from a trio of perspectives.
Luke Hicks said in his review, “Few stories are as gratifying as the narrative jigsaw. How to fool the viewer into believing one thing without lying about what happened? It’s difficult enough to execute on the page, but much more can be hidden in writing. With film it’s a matter of obscuring the context...
Luke Hicks said in his review, “Few stories are as gratifying as the narrative jigsaw. How to fool the viewer into believing one thing without lying about what happened? It’s difficult enough to execute on the page, but much more can be hidden in writing. With film it’s a matter of obscuring the context...
- 10/5/2023
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
"What really happened doesn't matter. You will defend our school." Well Go USA has revealed the official US trailer for an acclaimed Japanese film titled Monster, the latest film from prolific Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda. Set to open in art house theaters this Nov/Dec. Koreeda already won Palme d'Or a few years ago for Shoplifters, and debuted his Korean film Broker in Cannes last year, returning to Cannes this year for this premiere. A mother demands answers from teacher when her son begins acting strangely. The film has a score by the late Ryuichi Sakamoto. The cast includes the talented Sakura Ando, Eita Nagayama, and Yuko Tanaka, who overwhelm the audience with their transformative performances, and rising stars Souya Kurokawa and Yota Hiiragi, who play the two boys with freshness and emotion, as well as Mitsuki Takahata, Akihiro Tsunoda, Shidou Nakamura. The Rashomon-esque story follows a boy at school,...
- 10/5/2023
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Who is the real monster when the truth comes out?
Hirokazu Kore-eda’s “Monster” marks the director’s return to films set in Japan for the first time since winning the Palme d’Or for 2018 film “Shoplifters.” Kore-eda went on to helm “The Truth” and “Broker,” set in France and South Korea, respectively. “Monster” is also the first film Kore-eda has directed from another script since 1995’s “Maboroshi.” The “Monster” screenplay, written by Yuji Sakamoto, went on to win the Best Screenplay prize at Cannes 2023.
The official synopsis reads: When her young son Minato (Soya Kurokawa) starts to behave strangely, his mother (Sakura Ando) feels that there is something wrong. Discovering that a teacher (Eita Nagayama) is responsible, she storms into the school demanding to know what’s going on. But as the story unfolds though the eyes of the mother, teacher, and child, the truth gradually emerges.
“Monster” also...
Hirokazu Kore-eda’s “Monster” marks the director’s return to films set in Japan for the first time since winning the Palme d’Or for 2018 film “Shoplifters.” Kore-eda went on to helm “The Truth” and “Broker,” set in France and South Korea, respectively. “Monster” is also the first film Kore-eda has directed from another script since 1995’s “Maboroshi.” The “Monster” screenplay, written by Yuji Sakamoto, went on to win the Best Screenplay prize at Cannes 2023.
The official synopsis reads: When her young son Minato (Soya Kurokawa) starts to behave strangely, his mother (Sakura Ando) feels that there is something wrong. Discovering that a teacher (Eita Nagayama) is responsible, she storms into the school demanding to know what’s going on. But as the story unfolds though the eyes of the mother, teacher, and child, the truth gradually emerges.
“Monster” also...
- 10/4/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
The Tokyo International Film Festival undertook a series of bold changes in 2020 to enhance its international reach, including a location change and major shakeups across staffing and programming. For the global film community, however, much of the overhaul went unfelt due to the travel restrictions of the pandemic. The Tokyo festival’s chairman, Hiroyasu Ando, emphasized at a press conference in the Japanese capital Wednesday that the event “aims to take a bigger leap” this year with its upcoming 36th edition, making good on its ambitions for a transformation.
“We’re really focussing on international interaction,” Ando said, noting that the festival would welcome some 600 overseas guests this year, including filmmakers, jury members and industry professionals, a major uptick from the 104 international industry VIPs who attended in 2022.
The Tokyo International Film Festival will open Oct. 23 with a gala screening of acclaimed German auteur Wim Wenders’ Tokyo-set drama Perfect Days, which...
“We’re really focussing on international interaction,” Ando said, noting that the festival would welcome some 600 overseas guests this year, including filmmakers, jury members and industry professionals, a major uptick from the 104 international industry VIPs who attended in 2022.
The Tokyo International Film Festival will open Oct. 23 with a gala screening of acclaimed German auteur Wim Wenders’ Tokyo-set drama Perfect Days, which...
- 9/27/2023
- by Patrick Brzeski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The full lineup has been unveiled for the festival’s 36th edition.
The Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) today revealed the lineup for its 36th edition, including 20 world premieres across its two competition strands.
The festival, set to run October 23 to November 1, will feature 15 titles in its main Competition section led by Japan and China, which each have three films in the selection.
Scroll down for full list
From China are crime drama A Long Shot from debut feature director Gao Peng; Snow Leopard by late Tibetan filmmaker Pema Tseden, which premiered at Venice; and Dwelling By The West Lake by Gu Xiaogang,...
The Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) today revealed the lineup for its 36th edition, including 20 world premieres across its two competition strands.
The festival, set to run October 23 to November 1, will feature 15 titles in its main Competition section led by Japan and China, which each have three films in the selection.
Scroll down for full list
From China are crime drama A Long Shot from debut feature director Gao Peng; Snow Leopard by late Tibetan filmmaker Pema Tseden, which premiered at Venice; and Dwelling By The West Lake by Gu Xiaogang,...
- 9/27/2023
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
Janus Films has acquired “Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus,” a concert film centered around the late, great performer that premiered recently at the Venice Film Festival and is set to make its North American debut at the New York Film Festival.
Janus Films will release the film theatrically, followed by a streaming premiere on The Criterion Channel and a home video release on the Janus Contemporaries label, a new imprint of Criterion (its first releases come out next month).
Sakamoto was a singular musical force, from his early work with Japanese electronic pop band Yellow Magic Orchestra to his solo work and collaborative albums to his unforgettable work on film scores, from “Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence” to “The Last Emperor” to Brian De Palma’s “Snake Eyes.” (He also composed the score to “The Revenant” with Alva Noto and The National’s Bryce Dessner.) Sakamoto additionally worked on multiple television shows and video games.
Janus Films will release the film theatrically, followed by a streaming premiere on The Criterion Channel and a home video release on the Janus Contemporaries label, a new imprint of Criterion (its first releases come out next month).
Sakamoto was a singular musical force, from his early work with Japanese electronic pop band Yellow Magic Orchestra to his solo work and collaborative albums to his unforgettable work on film scores, from “Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence” to “The Last Emperor” to Brian De Palma’s “Snake Eyes.” (He also composed the score to “The Revenant” with Alva Noto and The National’s Bryce Dessner.) Sakamoto additionally worked on multiple television shows and video games.
- 9/25/2023
- by Drew Taylor
- The Wrap
“Monster,” Hirokazu Kore-eda, Japan
Described by Variety critic Peter Debruge as a “convoluted portrait of a pre-teen in turmoil,” Kore-eda ‘s Palme d’Or best script and Queer Palm winner stars Sakura Andō as a mother who confronts a teacher after noticing odd changes in her son’s demeanor. Written by Yuji Sakamoto, it’s scored by the late Ryuichi Sakamoto.
“Peafowl,” Byun Sungbin, South Korea
Myung, a transgender, is estranged from her family because of who she is. She competes in a dance to earn some money for her sex-change surgery but it does not go well. One day, she is told that her father has died and that his will stipulates she could inherit his estate if she performed the Drum Dance during his memorial. Left with no other options, she returns to her hometown to do her father’s bidding.
“Waiting for Dali,” David Pujol, Spain
Fernando,...
Described by Variety critic Peter Debruge as a “convoluted portrait of a pre-teen in turmoil,” Kore-eda ‘s Palme d’Or best script and Queer Palm winner stars Sakura Andō as a mother who confronts a teacher after noticing odd changes in her son’s demeanor. Written by Yuji Sakamoto, it’s scored by the late Ryuichi Sakamoto.
“Peafowl,” Byun Sungbin, South Korea
Myung, a transgender, is estranged from her family because of who she is. She competes in a dance to earn some money for her sex-change surgery but it does not go well. One day, she is told that her father has died and that his will stipulates she could inherit his estate if she performed the Drum Dance during his memorial. Left with no other options, she returns to her hometown to do her father’s bidding.
“Waiting for Dali,” David Pujol, Spain
Fernando,...
- 9/25/2023
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
To celebrate the release of Mark Cousins’ new documentary The Storms of Jeremy Thomas, a portrait of the Oscar-winning producer responsible for bringing to life films by David Cronenberg, Jonathan Glazer, Jim Jarmusch, Bernardo Bertolucci, Nagisa Ôshima, Jerzy Skolimowski, and many more, NYC’s Quad Cinema is fittingly paying tribute to his career with a fantastic retrospective.
“Jeremy Thomas Presents” kicks off today and runs through September 28 at Quad Cinema, with The Storms of Jeremy Thomas opening this Friday, September 22. As the retrospective commences, we’re pleased to exclusively share the trailer along with comments directly from Thomas looking back at the making of these iconic films.
Sexy Beast
I was sent a script with a Jonathan Glazer attached, called “Sexy Beast”. It was on a Friday night, and I read it over the weekend. The screenplay was brilliant, and on the Monday I bought it before anyone else could.
“Jeremy Thomas Presents” kicks off today and runs through September 28 at Quad Cinema, with The Storms of Jeremy Thomas opening this Friday, September 22. As the retrospective commences, we’re pleased to exclusively share the trailer along with comments directly from Thomas looking back at the making of these iconic films.
Sexy Beast
I was sent a script with a Jonathan Glazer attached, called “Sexy Beast”. It was on a Friday night, and I read it over the weekend. The screenplay was brilliant, and on the Monday I bought it before anyone else could.
- 9/18/2023
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Everyone is invited to the 67th BFI London Film Festival in partnership with American Express!
The BFI London Film Festival, founded in 1957, now at its 67th edition, is a renowned annual event that celebrates international and British cinema. It offers a diverse array of films, premieres, and engaging discussions, attracting filmmakers, industry professionals, and movie enthusiasts. This festival is a vital platform for promoting cinematic excellence and storytelling. Once again, this year's selection of Asian titles is rich and articulated.
Find all the Asian films and the Festival's trailer, here:
Cobweb
In this electric meta-comedy, The Good, the Bad, the Weird director Kim Jee-Woon captures the turbulence of South Korea's film industry in the 1970s.
Evil Does Not Exist
Drive My Car director Ryusuke Hamaguchi's new drama sees a community fighting to preserve its principles and the integrity of their natural world.
Self-Portrait: 47 Km 2020
The eleventh instalment in Zhang Mengqi...
The BFI London Film Festival, founded in 1957, now at its 67th edition, is a renowned annual event that celebrates international and British cinema. It offers a diverse array of films, premieres, and engaging discussions, attracting filmmakers, industry professionals, and movie enthusiasts. This festival is a vital platform for promoting cinematic excellence and storytelling. Once again, this year's selection of Asian titles is rich and articulated.
Find all the Asian films and the Festival's trailer, here:
Cobweb
In this electric meta-comedy, The Good, the Bad, the Weird director Kim Jee-Woon captures the turbulence of South Korea's film industry in the 1970s.
Evil Does Not Exist
Drive My Car director Ryusuke Hamaguchi's new drama sees a community fighting to preserve its principles and the integrity of their natural world.
Self-Portrait: 47 Km 2020
The eleventh instalment in Zhang Mengqi...
- 9/16/2023
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
Leading New York City LGBTQ+ film festival NewFest has unveiled its 2023 lineup featuring a slew of highly anticipated fall releases for films and TV.
The festival, which runs October 12 to 22 in-person and virtually until October 24, boasts over 130 films from 26 countries. The New York premiere of Netflix’s historical film “Rustin” will open the 35th edition of the festival, with Andrew Haigh’s “All of Us Strangers” closing out the lineup. The U.S. Centerpiece film is confirmed to be “Nyad,” featuring the true story of Diana Nyad who swam from Cuba to Florida. The festival’s International Centerpiece film is the New York City premiere of Hirokazu Kore-eda’s “Monster,” which won Best Screenplay and the Queer Palm at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival.
“May December” director Todd Haynes will receive the 2023 NewFest Queer Visionary Award on October 19, followed by a special screening of the latest drama starring Julianne Moore and Natalie Portman,...
The festival, which runs October 12 to 22 in-person and virtually until October 24, boasts over 130 films from 26 countries. The New York premiere of Netflix’s historical film “Rustin” will open the 35th edition of the festival, with Andrew Haigh’s “All of Us Strangers” closing out the lineup. The U.S. Centerpiece film is confirmed to be “Nyad,” featuring the true story of Diana Nyad who swam from Cuba to Florida. The festival’s International Centerpiece film is the New York City premiere of Hirokazu Kore-eda’s “Monster,” which won Best Screenplay and the Queer Palm at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival.
“May December” director Todd Haynes will receive the 2023 NewFest Queer Visionary Award on October 19, followed by a special screening of the latest drama starring Julianne Moore and Natalie Portman,...
- 9/13/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Kore-eda Hirokazu returns to Japan for his latest film “Monster,” which poses this question to audiences: “Who really is the monster?” While location scouting, the filmmaker was looking down at a lake, dark and almost black, and “I thought of Sakamoto Ryuichi music. He was the only person who could do the music for this film.”
It would mark the first time in years that the legendary composer behind “The Last Emperor” and “The Revenant” had worked on a Japanese title
The film opens with Minato, played by Kurokawa Soya, an 11-year-old fifth grader who watches a burning building from afar. Kore-eda returns to this sequence three times, each from a different perspective. Is young Minato the monster? Or is it Mr. Hori (Nahayama Eita), the schoolteacher, or Minato’s mother, Saori (Ando Sakura)? The plot twists and turns in each retelling, as it’s revealed Minato has feelings for...
It would mark the first time in years that the legendary composer behind “The Last Emperor” and “The Revenant” had worked on a Japanese title
The film opens with Minato, played by Kurokawa Soya, an 11-year-old fifth grader who watches a burning building from afar. Kore-eda returns to this sequence three times, each from a different perspective. Is young Minato the monster? Or is it Mr. Hori (Nahayama Eita), the schoolteacher, or Minato’s mother, Saori (Ando Sakura)? The plot twists and turns in each retelling, as it’s revealed Minato has feelings for...
- 9/11/2023
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
Both premiered at Hong Kong International Film Festival.
Hong Kong’s Golden Scene has launched sales of Ann Hui’s Elegies and Tsang Tsui Shan’s Winter Chants, ahead of their international premieres at the upcoming Busan International Film Festival and Dmz International Documentary Film Festival respectively.
Elegies will play in Busan’s Icons strand, following its world premiere as an opening film at the Hong Kong International Film Festival (Hkiff) in March. It is the latest work by Hui, the iconic Hong Kong New Wave director who received the Golden Lion lifetime achievement award at Venice in 2020.
The documentary...
Hong Kong’s Golden Scene has launched sales of Ann Hui’s Elegies and Tsang Tsui Shan’s Winter Chants, ahead of their international premieres at the upcoming Busan International Film Festival and Dmz International Documentary Film Festival respectively.
Elegies will play in Busan’s Icons strand, following its world premiere as an opening film at the Hong Kong International Film Festival (Hkiff) in March. It is the latest work by Hui, the iconic Hong Kong New Wave director who received the Golden Lion lifetime achievement award at Venice in 2020.
The documentary...
- 9/11/2023
- by Silvia Wong
- ScreenDaily
by Cláudio Alves
Part of being alive is coming to grips with some harsh truths intrinsic to the human condition. For instance, we’ll never know the other, not entirely, no matter how hard we try. Even mothers can’t hope to fully grasp their children’s interiority, each human being a galaxy unto themselves. You can either fight against that notion in fruitless despair or accept it. We’re all alone, trapped in the mystery of ourselves, but so is everyone else. Reach out, and you’ll come close to the infinite unknown. Look at it right, and you’ll see beauty beyond belief.
The cinema of Japanese master Hirokazu Kore-eda has long reflected on such ideas, but Monster is still a high mark of cinematic compassion in his filmography. Penned by Cannes Best Screenplay-winner Yuji Sakamoto and set to the sound of Ryuichi Sakamoto’s last score, this film broke my heart…...
Part of being alive is coming to grips with some harsh truths intrinsic to the human condition. For instance, we’ll never know the other, not entirely, no matter how hard we try. Even mothers can’t hope to fully grasp their children’s interiority, each human being a galaxy unto themselves. You can either fight against that notion in fruitless despair or accept it. We’re all alone, trapped in the mystery of ourselves, but so is everyone else. Reach out, and you’ll come close to the infinite unknown. Look at it right, and you’ll see beauty beyond belief.
The cinema of Japanese master Hirokazu Kore-eda has long reflected on such ideas, but Monster is still a high mark of cinematic compassion in his filmography. Penned by Cannes Best Screenplay-winner Yuji Sakamoto and set to the sound of Ryuichi Sakamoto’s last score, this film broke my heart…...
- 9/11/2023
- by Cláudio Alves
- FilmExperience
To capture the breadth and depth of the musical career of Japanese composer and recording artist Ryuichi Sakamoto seems impossible, but somehow “Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus” almost accomplishes this herculean challenge. A document of Sakamoto’s final performance before his death from cancer last March, the film provides no commentary or context for the enormity of his body of work, yet somehow encompasses it all as he performs a curated set list in a Japanese recording studio for an audience of one — himself. Far more than a showcase of his talent and productivity, “Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus” lets Sakamoto deliver an elegy, and in the process, an autobiography of his creative journey, as captured through the precision and poetry of director Neo Sora’s camera.
Working from a set list personally selected by Sakamoto from his discography, Sora — Sakamoto’s son — recorded his subject’s performances over the span of a week,...
Working from a set list personally selected by Sakamoto from his discography, Sora — Sakamoto’s son — recorded his subject’s performances over the span of a week,...
- 9/7/2023
- by Todd Gilchrist
- Variety Film + TV
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