Toshio Lee’s newest comedy “Struggling Man” tells the story of an utterly plain 45 years old man, Haruo Izawa (Ken Yasuda). He lives in an okay house somewhere outside of Tokyo with his wife Ritsuko (Eiko Koike) and three children. He is the floor chief of the Ohara branch of Umeya supermarkets where he has worked for the past twenty five years. He is trusted by the manager and looked up to by his co-workers. Though he acts like he doesn’t believe that he doesn’t have what it takes to be a manager, secretly, he can’t stop himself from dreaming of becoming one. The only place where he allows himself to openly speak about his wish is at the small diner he sometimes secretly eats curry at. This is his only vice.
Struggling Man is screening at Asian Pop Up Cinema
“Struggling Man...
Struggling Man is screening at Asian Pop Up Cinema
“Struggling Man...
- 9/13/2022
- by Martin Lukanov
- AsianMoviePulse
The 35th edition of the festival is set to take place in-person from October 2 to November 2.
Takahisa Zeze’s Japanese prisoner of war drama Fragments Of The Last Will is set to world premiere as the opening film of the Tokyo International Film Festival, which runs October 24 to November 2.
The festival will close with Oliver Hermanus’s UK drama Living, starring Bill Nighy, an adaptation of Akira Kurosawa’s 1952 Japanese drama Ikiru with a revised screenplay by Kazuo Ishiguro, whose credits include Remains Of The Day and Never Let Me Go.
Fragments Of The Last Will is based on the true story of Hatao Yamamoto,...
Takahisa Zeze’s Japanese prisoner of war drama Fragments Of The Last Will is set to world premiere as the opening film of the Tokyo International Film Festival, which runs October 24 to November 2.
The festival will close with Oliver Hermanus’s UK drama Living, starring Bill Nighy, an adaptation of Akira Kurosawa’s 1952 Japanese drama Ikiru with a revised screenplay by Kazuo Ishiguro, whose credits include Remains Of The Day and Never Let Me Go.
Fragments Of The Last Will is based on the true story of Hatao Yamamoto,...
- 9/12/2022
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
Click here to read the full article.
Netflix has lined up its next big-budget feature for Japan, a key growth market for the global streaming business. The company has greenlit a suspenseful rom-com romp titled In Love and Deep Water from veteran drama screenwriter Yuji Sakamoto (Tokyo Love Story, Kadin). Sakamoto describes the project as “a romantic comedy delivered on an unprecedented scale” for the Japanese film industry.
Yusuke Taki will direct, with Nikkatsu and Django Film handling the local production for Netflix.
In Love and Deep Water is set on the Msc Bellissima, a massive luxury cruise ship headed for the Aegean sea. While at sail, the Bellissima‘s loyal butler Suguru and a mysterious woman named Chizuru cross paths as they try to uncover a shocking murder-mystery that occurs early in the voyage.
Ryo Yoshizawa (Sakura, Kingdom) stars as Suguru and Aoi Miyazaki (Future Family, Birthday Card) plays Chizuru.
Netflix has lined up its next big-budget feature for Japan, a key growth market for the global streaming business. The company has greenlit a suspenseful rom-com romp titled In Love and Deep Water from veteran drama screenwriter Yuji Sakamoto (Tokyo Love Story, Kadin). Sakamoto describes the project as “a romantic comedy delivered on an unprecedented scale” for the Japanese film industry.
Yusuke Taki will direct, with Nikkatsu and Django Film handling the local production for Netflix.
In Love and Deep Water is set on the Msc Bellissima, a massive luxury cruise ship headed for the Aegean sea. While at sail, the Bellissima‘s loyal butler Suguru and a mysterious woman named Chizuru cross paths as they try to uncover a shocking murder-mystery that occurs early in the voyage.
Ryo Yoshizawa (Sakura, Kingdom) stars as Suguru and Aoi Miyazaki (Future Family, Birthday Card) plays Chizuru.
- 7/4/2022
- by Patrick Brzeski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
As I have mentioned many times before, one of the main nucleus of the Japanese movie industry is the family drama, which is currently dominated by the style of Hirokazu Koreeda, which many consider as a continuation of Ozu‘s. The number of similar productions currently is overwhelming, and thus the main point of interest when reviewing such titles is to find if they manage to stray away from the norms. And while Toshio Lee does not succeed fully in that regard, his effort is definitely different, and not just for the title.
When I Get Home, My Wife Always Pretends to Be Dead is available from Terracotta
Salary man Jun is married for the second time, and thinks that the third year in a marriage is the most crucial one, since that was when he divorced his first wife. As this exact period is upon him and his current spouse,...
When I Get Home, My Wife Always Pretends to Be Dead is available from Terracotta
Salary man Jun is married for the second time, and thinks that the third year in a marriage is the most crucial one, since that was when he divorced his first wife. As this exact period is upon him and his current spouse,...
- 1/6/2021
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Takumi Saitoh’s prowess in acting is an indisputable fact, with the 138 credits to his name being a distinct proof. Recently, however, the Japanese former model has been proving his talent in direction also, with “Blank 13” and Folklore episode “Tatami” being a testament to the fact. “Life in a Box”, the Japanese episode of Eric Khoo-helmed “Food Lore”, continues in the same path, although in a completely different style.
Food Lore is available on HBO Asia and HBO
The film takes place almost exclusively in a train headed to the country, which is stranded due to a fallen tree. Four passengers inhabit the wagon in focus. A book author whose latest effort has been turned down by a publishing house. A recent widower and his almost estranged teenage daughter. A retired wrestler whose business has bankrupted and is on the verge of despair. As we watch their life stories through flashbacks,...
Food Lore is available on HBO Asia and HBO
The film takes place almost exclusively in a train headed to the country, which is stranded due to a fallen tree. Four passengers inhabit the wagon in focus. A book author whose latest effort has been turned down by a publishing house. A recent widower and his almost estranged teenage daughter. A retired wrestler whose business has bankrupted and is on the verge of despair. As we watch their life stories through flashbacks,...
- 3/17/2020
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Award-winning Singaporean filmmaker Eric Khoo‘s new series “Food Lore” is now available to stream on HBO. “Food Lore” is divvied up into eight episodes showcasing unique narratives, each highlighting tales and tastes across Asia. In addition to this imaginative review of food lore, Khoo’s series will work in tandem with accomplished filmmakers from each region. Featured filmmakers and countries include Erik Matti (the Philippines), Phan Dang Di (Vietnam), Billy Christian (Indonesia), Don Aravind (Singapore), Pen-Ek Ratanaruang (Thailand), Takumi Saitoh (Japan), and Ho Yuhang (Malaysia).
“Food Lore” is produced by Singapore-based company Bert Pictures, and in partnership with Infocomm Media Development Authority (Imda) in Singapore. The show will be available to U.S. subscribers starting Monday, March 2 on HBO Now, HBO Go, and partner platforms.
The episode summary can be found below:
Episode 1 – Island of Dreams
Dreaming of a brighter future for her family, Nieves leaves her husband and...
“Food Lore” is produced by Singapore-based company Bert Pictures, and in partnership with Infocomm Media Development Authority (Imda) in Singapore. The show will be available to U.S. subscribers starting Monday, March 2 on HBO Now, HBO Go, and partner platforms.
The episode summary can be found below:
Episode 1 – Island of Dreams
Dreaming of a brighter future for her family, Nieves leaves her husband and...
- 3/3/2020
- by Grace Han
- AsianMoviePulse
Film can be a magical thing that takes you to new and unexplored worlds; but perhaps it’s also fair to say that the majority of films made are run-of-the-mill affairs amounting to little more than promotional videos for the star idol or, sadly, product(s). Rather than being superstars, the cast of such films are simply ordinary people going about their day jobs, but with the job security of a zero hours contract.
The Actor is screening as part of The Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme
Based on the novel “Actor Takuji Kameoka” by Akito Inui, in her third feature film, Satoko Yokohama explores the world of jobbing actor Takuji Kameoka (Ken Yasuda): a man who acts in both his professional and personal life, but is permanently unsure of his role in the world.
We start in what appears to be a bad TV movie; and that’s exactly what it is.
The Actor is screening as part of The Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme
Based on the novel “Actor Takuji Kameoka” by Akito Inui, in her third feature film, Satoko Yokohama explores the world of jobbing actor Takuji Kameoka (Ken Yasuda): a man who acts in both his professional and personal life, but is permanently unsure of his role in the world.
We start in what appears to be a bad TV movie; and that’s exactly what it is.
- 1/28/2020
- by Andrew Thayne
- AsianMoviePulse
Live-action adaptations of manga are a booming business in Japan. While this trend is not applauded by everyone – a proliferation structuring the business, one cannot deny that the potential these narratives have often led to enjoyable end products – e.g. “Moteki” (2011), “Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno” (2014), and “Tokyo Ghoul” (2017). Is Kan Eguchi, an unknown director with a limited oeuvre but with excellent credentials, able to adapt Katsuhisa Minami’s manga “The Fable” in something worthy of our time? Let’s find out in our review.
“The Scoundrels” is screening at New York Asian Film Festival
One day, Fable (Junichi Okada), a famous contract-killer, is ordered to stay low for a year in Osaka. While he receives Akira Sato as his alter-ego, his partner (Fumino Kimura) is given the identity of Yoko Sato, Akira’s younger sister.
When contract killer Fudo (Sota Fukushi) and his partner inspect Fable’s last work of art,...
“The Scoundrels” is screening at New York Asian Film Festival
One day, Fable (Junichi Okada), a famous contract-killer, is ordered to stay low for a year in Osaka. While he receives Akira Sato as his alter-ego, his partner (Fumino Kimura) is given the identity of Yoko Sato, Akira’s younger sister.
When contract killer Fudo (Sota Fukushi) and his partner inspect Fable’s last work of art,...
- 7/2/2019
- by Pieter-Jan Van Haecke
- AsianMoviePulse
Tatsushi Omori’s career to date has been steady, if unspectacular, with a series of gentle films over the last decade-or-so, often delivered by a solid cast, culminating in ‘Every Day a Good Day’ starring the late Kirin Kiki. His latest effort, the delightfully titled ‘When My Mom Died, I Wanted to Eat Her Ashes’ based on Satoshi Miyagawa’s manga, again puts together a nice cast in a tale of a son who cannot be without his mother, through sickness, health and even death.
“When My Mom Died, I Wanted to Eat Her Ashes” screened at the Toronto Japanese Film Festival:
Satoshi (Ken Yasuda of Studio Ghibli voice-acting fame) is at his mother’s funeral, alongside father Toshiaki (Renji Ishibashi) and brother Yuichi (Jun Murakami). Alone with her body, he talks to her as if she is still alive.
We are then taken to Satoshi’s childhood and shown...
“When My Mom Died, I Wanted to Eat Her Ashes” screened at the Toronto Japanese Film Festival:
Satoshi (Ken Yasuda of Studio Ghibli voice-acting fame) is at his mother’s funeral, alongside father Toshiaki (Renji Ishibashi) and brother Yuichi (Jun Murakami). Alone with her body, he talks to her as if she is still alive.
We are then taken to Satoshi’s childhood and shown...
- 6/12/2019
- by Andrew Thayne
- AsianMoviePulse
With a manga that has sold over 50 million copies and an anime series that has been equally successful both in Japan and overseas, a live-action adaptation of “Gintama” was bound to happen. Yuichi Fukuda was tasked with the job and did a fine job on quite a difficult adaptation. Let us take things from the beginning, though.
Gintama is screening at the 19th Japan Film Fest Hamburg
The story takes place in an alternate late-Edo period, where humanity is attacked by aliens called “Amanto” but when the shogun realizes the power of aliens, he betrays the samurai and surrenders to the aliens. The shogun writes an unequal contract with aliens which allows the aliens to enter the country and places a ban on carrying swords in public. The swords of samurai are taken away so they can no longer resist the aliens. After that, the shogunate becomes a puppet government...
Gintama is screening at the 19th Japan Film Fest Hamburg
The story takes place in an alternate late-Edo period, where humanity is attacked by aliens called “Amanto” but when the shogun realizes the power of aliens, he betrays the samurai and surrenders to the aliens. The shogun writes an unequal contract with aliens which allows the aliens to enter the country and places a ban on carrying swords in public. The swords of samurai are taken away so they can no longer resist the aliens. After that, the shogunate becomes a puppet government...
- 5/12/2018
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Korea’s Mirovision has made a last minute pick-up of Keinosuke Hara’s Japanese film Serenade.
The film stars Risa Sudo as Manami who raised her daughter Sayoko (played by Izumi Fujimoto) as a single mother running a snack bar. Sayoko’s father is a drag queen dancer known as Angel (played by Ken Yasuda), but she only knows him as a longtime friend of her mother.
Upon her return to her hometown after a series of failed romances in Tokyo, Sayoko finds the snack bar is on the verge of shutting down and decides to open a drag queen bar, asking for Angel’s help.
Produced by Hidemi Satani and Manabu Shinoda, the film was shot by Kozo Shibasaki.
The film was released in Japan last October.
The film stars Risa Sudo as Manami who raised her daughter Sayoko (played by Izumi Fujimoto) as a single mother running a snack bar. Sayoko’s father is a drag queen dancer known as Angel (played by Ken Yasuda), but she only knows him as a longtime friend of her mother.
Upon her return to her hometown after a series of failed romances in Tokyo, Sayoko finds the snack bar is on the verge of shutting down and decides to open a drag queen bar, asking for Angel’s help.
Produced by Hidemi Satani and Manabu Shinoda, the film was shot by Kozo Shibasaki.
The film was released in Japan last October.
- 3/25/2015
- by hjnoh2007@gmail.com (Jean Noh)
- ScreenDaily
Stars: Ryohei Suzuki, Fumika Shimizu, Ken Yasuda, Shôta Chiyo, Shunsuke Daitô, Narushi Ikeda, Nana Katase, Tsuyoshi Muro, Shun Oguri, Yoshinori Okada, Jirô Satô, Takashi Tsukamoto | Written by Yûichi Fukuda, Shun Oguri | Directed by Yûichi Fukuda
I love, nay Adore, completely-bonkers Far East flicks be they live-action or animation – hell, some of the first films I ever reviewed professionally (if anything I do can be called a profession) were titles like Big Man Japan and 13: Game of Death. So it’s safe to say that I’m part of the target [Western] audience for a film like Hk: Forbidden Superhero – even moreso given the ridiculous over-the-top ending that sees one of the films villains emerge in a giant mech that looks like a combination of two of my favourite kids TV shows: a Power Rangers Zord and the combiner Devastator from the original 80s Transformers cartoon.
Which is why I absolutely Loved this movie!
I love, nay Adore, completely-bonkers Far East flicks be they live-action or animation – hell, some of the first films I ever reviewed professionally (if anything I do can be called a profession) were titles like Big Man Japan and 13: Game of Death. So it’s safe to say that I’m part of the target [Western] audience for a film like Hk: Forbidden Superhero – even moreso given the ridiculous over-the-top ending that sees one of the films villains emerge in a giant mech that looks like a combination of two of my favourite kids TV shows: a Power Rangers Zord and the combiner Devastator from the original 80s Transformers cartoon.
Which is why I absolutely Loved this movie!
- 9/23/2014
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
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