"Beauty and the Beast" truly is a tale as old as time, and has been retold in countless ways, like the Ron Perlman and Linda Hamilton TV series of the same name, the Fran Drescher comedy "The Beautician and the Beast," the teen rom-drama "Beastly," or even in an episode of "Hello Kitty's Furry Tale Theater." Recently, legendary Japanese filmmaker Mamoru Hosoda delivered "Belle," a magnificent animated sci-fi fantasy film that thrusts the tale out of the world of old and into the techno future.
The story takes place in the not-so-distant future where the internet has evolved into a legitimate virtual reality called U, where avatars are created by users' scanned biometric information. A teenager named Suzu creates an avatar named Belle who becomes a pop superstar, but everything changes when her virtual concert is interrupted by the seemingly undefeatable fighter The Dragon (or "The Beast"), who she quickly becomes infatuated with.
The story takes place in the not-so-distant future where the internet has evolved into a legitimate virtual reality called U, where avatars are created by users' scanned biometric information. A teenager named Suzu creates an avatar named Belle who becomes a pop superstar, but everything changes when her virtual concert is interrupted by the seemingly undefeatable fighter The Dragon (or "The Beast"), who she quickly becomes infatuated with.
- 8/12/2022
- by BJ Colangelo
- Slash Film
Satoshi Miki started out as a writer for hit TV variety shows, some of which are legendary in Japan. He then began directing stage plays and further expanded into TV dramas and films. His directing style has its good and urbane sense of humor, in which seemingly unnecessary episodes and dialogues are developed and interwoven into a story, incidentally making them indispensable parts of the story. His first film “In the Pool” (’05) and his second feature “Turtles Are Surprisingly Fast Swimmers” were consecutively released theatrically in the year 2005. Two of his movies were also released in 2022, “What to Do With The Dead Kaiju” and his collaboration with Mark Schilling, “Convenience Story”.
On the occasion of both screening at Fantasia, we talk to him about the appeal of kaiju movies, Japanese politicians, the casting of the two movies, cooperating with Mark Schilling, the Japanese movie industry, and other topics.
“What to Do With The Dead Kaiju...
On the occasion of both screening at Fantasia, we talk to him about the appeal of kaiju movies, Japanese politicians, the casting of the two movies, cooperating with Mark Schilling, the Japanese movie industry, and other topics.
“What to Do With The Dead Kaiju...
- 8/5/2022
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
When it comes to Japanese comedies, few directors have made quite the impact. While some of his peers might have some of the more universally known titles under their belt, Miki has also left his mark with works such as “Turtles Are Surprisingly Fast Swimmers”, “Adrift in Tokyo” and “Instant Swamp”. Being the member of a comedy group whose band of humor he once compared to Monty Python, he has emphasized the targets for laughter in his works are those tendencies, trends or moods within the culture of his home country which may be seen as odd or troublesome. His newest feature, “Convenience Story”, is no exception to the rule, with the story revolving around one of the cornerstones of Japanese culture, at least to the eye of the outsider, the 24/7-open convenience store seemingly promising an easy solution to one’s problems. The feature is also a collaboration of film critic Mark Schilling,...
- 8/3/2022
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
The Film
The new Miyazaki. That’s a description I’ve heard applied to Mamoru Hosoda over and over, and it’s never sat well with me. Notwithstanding that Hosoda has expressed critical feelings about Miyazaki’s depiction of women, or my own apathy about Miyazaki’s films, Hosoda isn’t the new anybody, nor does he need to be. He’s the first Mamoru Hosoda, and across his six solo features, he’s established a strong authorial voice and, for my money, stands out as one of the best and most exciting filmmakers working today, and not just in animation.
Belle, like Hosoda’s previous films, takes a gigantic sci-fi concept and boils it down to a tiny personal story. The setting is contemporary, but the internet seems to be dominated by an app called U, a social network which, through body sharing technology (think a less gross take...
The new Miyazaki. That’s a description I’ve heard applied to Mamoru Hosoda over and over, and it’s never sat well with me. Notwithstanding that Hosoda has expressed critical feelings about Miyazaki’s depiction of women, or my own apathy about Miyazaki’s films, Hosoda isn’t the new anybody, nor does he need to be. He’s the first Mamoru Hosoda, and across his six solo features, he’s established a strong authorial voice and, for my money, stands out as one of the best and most exciting filmmakers working today, and not just in animation.
Belle, like Hosoda’s previous films, takes a gigantic sci-fi concept and boils it down to a tiny personal story. The setting is contemporary, but the internet seems to be dominated by an app called U, a social network which, through body sharing technology (think a less gross take...
- 7/13/2022
- by Sam Inglis
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
"Nobody would think that Belle is a country bumpkin like you." Charades, French distributor of this film, has released a new trailer for Belle from acclaimed, award-winning Japanese animation director Mamoru Hosoda. We've already posted a few Japanese trailers for this already, and it's expected this will premiere at the Cannes Film Festival this summer. The animated adventure is about a teenage girl who lives between modern-day Japan and a virtual world called "U." The story follows her as she makes a new friend and "embarks on a journey of adventures and love both in their quest of becoming who they truly are." With a voice cast including Kaho Nakamura, Kenjirô Tsuda, Mamoru Miyano, Kôji Yakusho, Toshiyuki Morikawa, and Ryô Narita. I'm really looking forward to this! As magical as ever from Hosoda. Jump in. Here's the first international trailer (+ ...
- 6/3/2021
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
"I feel like I've been in a strange dream." FUNimation has released an official Us trailer for the upcoming Us release of the Japanese anime hit film Your Name. You've probably heard about this film already, or at least heard the name before. Your Name opened in Japan last August, and went on to become the highest-earning Japanese film ever globally. It made over $230 million in Japan alone, playing in the #1 spot for 13 weeks, making it a sensational success in Japanese cinema. The film is finally about to open in Us theaters this spring, and there's a new trailer with subtitles below to watch as an introduction. There is an English-language dubbed version of the film being released, but we always prefer the original version with subtitles. Featuring the voices of Ryûnosuke Kamiki, Mone Kamishiraishi, Ryô Narita and Aoi Yuki. Enjoy. Here's the official Us trailer (+ poster) for Makoto Shinkai's Your Name,...
- 3/13/2017
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
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